#to be 100% clear: this is my opinion based on what's in the game

[actiniumwrites]

i went back and forth on speaking on the natlan issue (in detail) because i like to keep this blog centered only around writing and less of the fandom related stuff, but honestly fuck it because it’s insane what hoyoverse is doing right now. i think it’s important everyone is aware of this and willing enough to help try to change it before natlan is released. i’ve already shared my opinion on a few other posts, but here we go:

so, in case you weren’t aware, natlan is primarily based on latin/mesoamerica with some indigenous and african influences. i’m not 100% educated on each and every culture that the characters and region are each based on, but i think it’s abundantly clear that they aren’t supposed to be white. and as a white person myself, some of these characters are paler than me. that is absurd.

they’ve once again made npc’s and enemies darker than the in game characters. here’s a screenshot of an npc from natlan versus the playable characters:

speaks for itself doesn’t it?

if you’re interested in a more detailed comparison of the characters and the cultures they’re derived from, here’s a twitter thread that covers each of them in depth: the link

anyway, hoyo issued a statement today that really showed where they stand here (in case the colorism wasn’t enough). this is from their official twitter page:

they’re paying attention. natlan has been trending on various apps, specifically from people calling out hyv. yet, yesterday when they changed neuvillette’s charged attack, people were so quick to call them out on the nerf that they backtracked within 12 hours and have decided to issue everyone a 1,600 primos (a ten pull) because of the outrage. so they can change something that won’t even affect most players, but not the skin tones of their characters which have been complained about for not just natlan’s release, but sumeru two years ago, and even at the start of the game which came out four years ago now.

interested in helping change this problem?

here’s a link to a post that has lots of information and options on what you can do to help bring more attention to the problem. i’m also going to reblog it (should be the post before this one).

the more we speak out and let hyv know this is an important issue that’s making players less inclined to play the game, the more they’re going to be willing to change it.

there is still 6 weeks left until the release of natlan. it’s not hard to change the skin tone of their characters. we still have time and i highly encourage you to take action if you actually care about this game

[mangledskull]

Sote rewrite concept- What if Godwyn was the final boss?

My thoughts on the dlc below, along with my thought process with this design (loooong text incoming)

Thoughts on the boss

I have my gripes with the final boss. My main issue is how weirdly inserted Radahn is. Unless I missed something, there was absolutely no connection between him and Miquella in the base game. In my opinion, it felt like it was somewhat…forced? if that makes sense?

When I found out that beating Radahn was a requirement to enter the dlc, my first assumption was that it was because he was holding the stars back. I had thought that Miquella was in the same boat as Ranni, that being their fates were being held back by the stars.

Radahn being revived to be Miquella’s consort was the LAST thing I would have expected. It was jarring as hell for them to make that choice. Just let Radahn rest ffs

My take

This may be a preference thing, but I would have loved to see more Godwyn in the dlc. He was quite literally one of the most important people in Miquella’s story, yet it’s almost as if he’s non-existent. For one, Castle Sol is an entire area that tells the story of Miquella attempting to revive his lost brother. Where the hell did that plot line go??? I can’t see Miquella giving up on that so easily, he’s shown to be very determined to achieve his goals.

It would have felt far more impactful to see Miquella continue with this fruitless plan. To see him go far and beyond to bring back his brother. Miquella’s goal to become a god would make a little more sense in that regard. He’d sacrifice his body, his Great Rune, and his love to save the people in his life. At the cost of becoming what he wanted, he would no longer be the person everyone knew him as.

Anyway, why am I using Godwyn as the final boss? Well, I had the idea that instead of Miquella reviving Radahn, he would try to resurrect his long gone brother. The whole consort thing could still take place (even though I hate it), and Miquella would make him his lord. However, all that Godwyn is, is just a zombified husk of his former body. His soul is gone. Dead. The game makes this very clear. However, would Miquella truly care about that? He’s gone so far in his plans now, that he won’t see the fatal flaw in reviving him. It’s no different than him reviving Radahn, I’m 100% sure that he has no soul as we fight him.

Design choices

As you see here, I’ve used Godwyn’s corpse as the main inspiration. I find the body horror of him to be absolutely fascinating. There is absolutely no one else behind those eyes. Another gripe I had with PC Radahn is how little there is of Mohg in his body. Other than the horns on his braces and the one blood flame move he has, it isn’t obvious in the slightest. For my design, I made Mohg’s influence slightly more obvious with the abundance of horns.

As for his weapon, I went with a trident! There’s no official weapon he wields base game, so I chose this based off of assumption. I like to believe thatafter befriending the dragons, he would learn their lightning incantations. Perhaps he wielded a spear/trident in their honor, and he could specialize in lighting magic. I mainly stuck with trident because it fits with his ocean motif.

That’s all that I have for now. I love everything about this dlc (especially Marika’s story) minus the final boss. This is all sorely my opinion. If you like the boss, that’s great!! This is all mostly made for fun, I honestly just wanted to make a Godwyn design.

[taylorrepdetective]

Have you talked about How Did It End?

If the goal was to make us uncomfortable, then the goal is was achieved with me.

I haven’t, other than saying it’s one of my favorites.

Oh boy this turned out to be long. Sorry.

I think this song is primarily about having to deal with the gossip surrounding your relationship, specifically with the perceptions of the end of a relationship that everyone thinks they know a lot about, but actually don’t. And as a celebrity like Taylor, having everyone talking about how it ended and thinking they know the various reasons, based on Taylor’s own storytelling she’s done about it (which is never going to be 100% reality) and also based on gossip that’s just “out there” based on what people think they know about Taylor, whether it’s what she has pushed people to “know” or some of the more salacious stuff she’d rather people didn’t think.

Now, most of us have had to deal a bit with this. Having to tell people something ended. Some have even had to tell about calling off an engagement or letting everyone know you’re divorcing. It’s gonna be hard, having to first tell intimate friends/family who may know a lot of details already, but then also people less close to you over and over again: coworkers, your hairdresser, your 2nd cousin you only see at Thanksgiving who may have heard tidbits from your Aunt who heard tidbits from your mom. This second group in particular don’t know all the drama and non-dramatic stuff that happened that led to the end. They might be shocked because you seemed so perfect for each other. Or they may say when you’re not around, “yeah that’s not surprising, you know how she is.”

But when you’re Taylor Swift, you meet A LOT of people. And when your life is splashed across the news front page, and you’ve made a career out of singing about your life and letting people in on the intimate moments (songs about sex, songs about depression, songs about joy) and you’ve built a parasocial army of people who think they really know you, the response to the ending of a relationship is going to be an overwhelming cacophony of opinions and expressions of sympathy from people who really don’t know anything, but think they do.

And I think this is part of what my interpretation of this song differs from what others have said (though admittedly I haven’t read any long winded analyses of this song. Maybe this is obvious.) I feel like most people read through the list of reasons it ended in the verses:

Hot house flower to my outdoorsman (him introverted, her extroverted)

Incurable maladies (both have depression)

Birthright became foreign (soulmates to distance between)

Blind to unforeseen circumstances (unexpected bad stuff popped up -stuff like the masters heist or whatever paper thin best laid plans they had)

Different dances (not on the same page)

Interlopers glances (cheating, emotional or otherwise)

Lost game of chance (bad luck)

as Taylor telling us and the gossipers how it ended.

But if you look at it a different way, you can interpret it as this is a list of speculation by the gossipers of how it may have ended. It’s not Taylor saying why it ended. You can recognize everything on this list as things people speculated about what caused it to end.

Look at the first line of the song :

We nearby conduct this post mortem

Who’s we here? If it were Taylor telling all, it would be “I hearby conduct”. Also “We must know.” So to me, the We here is us, the GP, her acquaintances. In other places in the song though, we is them as a couple. “This is what happens to us.” But imo, there are clear points where it’s the audience giving their opinions or asking why. Whenever I think of these people in relation to Taylor, I picture her hairdressers (same as the person at the beginning of Paris.) This is just my own personal visualization of people who gossip. But you can also just as easily picture a few swifties you follow who always pretend to know her and what’s going on, often people who met her once or twice, or you can picture some podcasters who make money off pretending to understand her best, or DeuxMoi who claims to have sources who know her, or the people at the office water cooler saying “oh did you hear about Taylor and her boyfriend, what was his name? Joe something?” Or teenagers texting each other the news on April 8th. It’s all of us, some who think we know a lot (stand) and some who only know the bare minimum (average GP person who reads People magazine at the hairdressers.) But I like to imagine it being someone who does actually know Taylor a bit, which is why I choose the hairdresser. Notoriously gossipy, notoriously able to get people to tell them some personal things, but Taylor certainly won’t tell them the whole truth. Imagine the question “oh honey I heard the news about you and Joe. How did it end?” And she’s gone through this so many times. Since she was 18 years old. People being nosy, thinking they know more than they do. And then those people tell all of their friends (even if there was a bit of a promise to not) and gossip spreads within the industry and people think they know. Same with gossip spreading through the fandom or gossip spreading through the GP.

And since I believe many of her public relationships have been fake and she has had private relationships that began and ended generally without these people knowing about them, but also in some cases these people did know about the secret things but they only knew a tiny bit, it brings a whole other layer to this. *Hairdresser whispers* “Oh I heard that secret thing I know about ended, gosh I’m so sorry. How, you two seemed so perfect for each other?” And all the while they are thinking: Did she really betray you? Did you really turn down a marriage proposal from her? Did she really cheat on you? Did you really fall in love with the beard? Did you hear about your ex friend’s sister hooking up with that wanna be Z-lister?” They may not directly ask these questions or say these things but want to. They know not to cross that line but they certainly are curious and they certainly gossip about it later. “I did Taylor’s hair last week after the news came out and let me tell you she looked sad/manic/fine/robotic and I think this must be what happened…” And some of them probably do ask these questions straight to her, and she has to answer in ways that protect her and the other person’s privacy. It must be really hard. And the thing is most of these people are decent people. They aren’t trying to hurt her. They are the empathetic people she mentions in a couple of songs. At least they think they are. But Taylor knows the real motivation here is curiosity and gossip. They might also care about her but not in a real way, because she is mostly a fictional character to them. The gossip is just as, if not more important. And part of her does want to be understood. She wants to be seen. But she also wants desperately to protect herself. It’s such a double edged sword that she grapples with constantly.

Finally, we get to the bridge, a place where sometimes in her songs she changes perspective, goes outside the story told in the rest of the song, changes it up, adds a twist, and I believe this is her herself silently screaming into the void how it really felt, what really happened. Her and her ghostly lover, metaphorically dying together, mourning their loss together. This bridge is some of the best writing on the album.

And it’s like her herself ending the song with this mysterious:

I still don’t know, how did it end?

Why wouldn’t she know how it ended?

All around a great song full of the folklore of Taylor Swift.

[eerna]

the thematic shift from botw to totk is so weird when u rly think about it bc in botw its all about a failed prophecy; zelda couldnt awaken her powers and the champions couldnt defeat ganon as it was foretold. it was about breaking free from tradition and convention and trying to find other means of defeating this evil (zeldas fascination with sheikah tech for example). i think this theme also aligns with the entirety of the loz franchise as a whole, given how botw did a complete 180° on the zelda formula theyve always had. everything just worked!!!

and then in totk its just like ... we go back in time and use the powers of old to defeat ganon ... ? not to mention that every researcher in the game is fascinated by these ancient texts and architecture. rather than innovators they become historians. youre expected to look for answers in the past rather than learn from naively following prophecies and suffering its consequences.

however i do think totk had a rly interesting premise when they decided to implement time travel. like i absolutely LOVEE everything about the light dragon etc etc but the story in general just did not hit as hard :( i adore this game its so fun and its so beautiful but there is so much room for criticism as well

also sorry for this long ass ask omfg .. but ur post earlier got me going !!

It's ok, I fully support long elaborations based on whatever I went off about! :D

Oh, that's an interesting view of it! I personally didn't think BotW was about forgetting tradition at all? The Sheikah tech is still history, it's still following in the footsteps of those who came before - the prophecy itself is was what led to its discovery in the first place. I interpreted BotW as a story about what happens when people try to imitate the past, I agree, but in the end the point was that they shouldn't let it weight them down, but should still pay respects to it. Hyrule forgot all about its history - who knows what might have happened if that ancient king never got spooked by the Sheikah tech and buried it! If it didn't stay exactly the same as it was 10000 years ago, Ganon might have never influenced it so strongly, and the Calamity might have never have happened! Zelda couldn't escape her history, all the progressive tech in the world couldn't imitate her role, but the only way she was able to realize her destiny was through her own means, on her own time. It wasn't about her rejecting convention, it was about her finding her own spin on it. She was being held back by the shadow of her mother and the expectations of the monarchy, and found a way to channel her inheritance through the wild, and through Link. And that was the theme of the game! Looking back at decades' worth of games, then picking and choosing what to keep and what to give up on! It is so cool!

I think TotK did great to continue this line of thought regarding Zelda's character - she is not a princess-princess she was forced to be 100 years ago, she is a teacher/researcher/engineer-princess, and everyone loves her and looks up to her. She is still a sort-of leader, but she is doing it in her own way, without castles or thrones or holy powers and almost entirely hands-off, letting the people guide her. In my opinion, it treats the researchers the same way it did in BotW, except yes, a new faction has been introduced to the plot that is dedicated to historical research. I don't doubt that the decade leading up to the Calamity also had a bunch of historians running around deciphering old texts and figuring out how stuff worked, we just didn't get to see it and got the finished results instead. Also, it's pretty clear that Zonai tech requires a Zonai to work it (Link can do it because of his right arm), so it's not as widely malleable as Sheikah tech which was able to be used by all inhabitants of Hyrule. And the finale of the game FULLY goes against history even harder than BotW did - yes, Ganondorf CAN be defeated, even if Rauru failed. Yes, Zelda CAN be returned to her original form, even if the transformation is supposed to be permanent according to Zonai history. In fact, the Zelda thing annoys me (no matter how much I love it) because it wasn't set up in a way that carried over any sort of a message or a theme. Impa said she would find a way to turn her back, I was expecting a quest dedicated to it, be it finding ancient texts or a new loophole, and then whoosh she's back through a Sonia-and-Rauru-ex-machina. I would say that TotK can't decide if it wants to break away from its history (by making half the game a completely new, blank slate) or go along with it (by making the other half of the game clearly love what happened before, all the way back to a divine Hyrulean monarchy) which is why it's so jumbled up at times.

Like you said, I love the game, I cry whenever I remember that beautiful finale, but it really dropped the ball when it came to BotW's comprehensiveness. Why did Link fail to catch Zelda in the beginning, but managed in the end? What changed? What is its significance? It's a beautiful scene and makes me so emo, but it rings hollow if I try to find a deeper meaning, and that's basically the game in a nutshell.

[hananoami]

Honey pie idk ur pronouns so imma call you silly pet names if you don't mind.

But pls save me 😭😭😭😭

I've been playing since release every day but it takes too long for me to upgrade my characters, I'm not f2p since I pay the autumn pass every month but since you seem far into the mechanics do you think this game is like, pay for play? I just wanna know if I am doing something wrong or if I'm a victim of capitalism 😭😭😭😭😭😭

to start off i wanna mention that my main account that i've been blogging about here is pay for play. however, i do have a second account that's completely free to play. with that said, here are my opinions from both point of views.

it all depends on your playstyle.

if you want to see fast results then it's 100% pay for play, but if you don't mind the slow grind then it's relatively f2p friendly.

i say this based on my own experience.

on my f2p account it's been a slow grind to level up memories and farm resources to be able to clear higher level fights. that's to be expected tbh. which is why i have to prioritize on what i want to focus on (ie. spending stamina to level up/ascend memories or farm protocores) and have good time management about it (ie. making sure not to cap on stamina, remember event deadlines etc). if you ask what i mostly focus on it's leveling up memories to level 60, as protocore farming requires a lot of stamina (20/run). protocore farming is late game content so i don't mind just doing the 1 core hunt a day to slowly build up those resources.

on my main account, to get to where i am, i spend quite a bit.. yet still responsibly and within my means. like the game says "Enjoy the game but don't get addicted" no one should ever compare their current standing to other players and should play at their own pace. there's absolutely no rush when it comes to the game!

so to answer your question: no, you're not doing anything wrong. time is money. all gachas are designed for you to want to pay to get ahead without waiting.

i do think the reward drops in bounty hunt are kinda lacking for the amount of resources required to level up memories past level 50. that's why as a f2p player the double rewards drop events are so good and you shouldn't miss out on those. if you're looking to level up fast then you're going to have to pay the price… literally :x

i also want to point out that there are also more ways to farm passive diamonds and other resources in game now thanks to the quality time updates. many new achievements have been added to the game that are easily obtainable by simply logging in. the new weekly activities even offers the ability to earn free pulls and stamina by spending "quality time" with the guys. ez right?

of course, there's always room for improvement. some things that many players have voiced their concerns about that i also agree on are the following:

optimize the battle features regarding the level difficulty and the rewards

adjust the rewards for getting duplicate cards

to reconsider scheduling of events -- a week for a limited-time banner doesn't give players enough time to save and should be longer

sorry this was such a long reply. i put a lot of thought behind this because i really want to stress that you're not alone in feeling that the grind is slow as a f2p/aurum pass player, and that you shouldn't feel discouraged by taking a while to clear a stage.

[sable-skies]

I wanna see some drama.

Rank the Chain from 'good boy' to 'MY SCRIMBLO. MY BLORBO. BRAIN PARASITE. LITTLE STINK MAN BABY BOY'

oh boy this is gonna be interesting.

okay okay so lets make a few things clear: I haven't played every zelda game, so my opinions on the boys are mostly based on vibes or my personal headcanons for them! For reference, I've played a lot of modern loz games, but not a lot of the old ones. so take my opinions with the biggest grain of salt :]

We'll go in ascending order of good boy to scrimblo, because i love the dramatics.

9. Good Lad - Time.

Okay, I'm so sorry to all the OoT and MM enjoyers out there, but I do not care for these games. I have no attachment to them, and growing up on the internet in the late 2000s and early 2010s, where everyone and their mom acted like OoT was the tits with fries, has forever kinda ruined my relationship with those games. I acknowledge what they did for the series, and that they're important for 3D Zelda's as a whole, but holy shit. People on the internet were OBNOXIOUS

That being said, I still love Time! I'm more attached to him via the Hero's Shade rather than his own games, but I still like him regardless. I don't have many thoughts on him though past enjoying that he acts like a perpetually old man. Yknow that one post thats like "hey grandpa." "THE WARRR" "okay." Thats him.

Overall, 10/10 lad, I enjoy him a lot and I feel like he'd be nice to me so we're even steven.

8. Gooder Lad - Warriors.

It's been so long since I've played Hyrule Warriors, and I never played its DLC because I was a poor teenager at the time, but I appreciate the captain a lot! He's only higher than Time because I've actually played his games, so a technicality really.

Otherwise I love this slightly arrogant but otherwise whole and good hearted fella, and I love it when people give him dragon imagery. I also like to think he might be the most normal guy out of the entire group, like he's got a 401K and a retirement organized back in his time, so when he talks to everyone else and learns that they're literally just wild children he's like "huh. hm."

7. Gooby Lad - Wind.

THE GROUP BABEY!! THE ITTY BITTY FELLA!! Love him, love him so much. It's been years since I played Wind Waker and I never played Phantom Hourglass, but I loved this guys whole 100+ personality and everything. And dude, his whole journey being one fueled by personal stakes to get his sister back? Love it, absolutely love it.

I like to think he's the group baby at 13, with Four being 14, and it pisses him off endlessly. He wants to grow up so he can be of use to everyone around him, but little does he know that everyone wants to protect him because they want him to enjoy his youth, not like the rest of them who lost it in some form or another. Overall, excellent lad.

6. Goodest Lad - Four.

Again, did not play this dude's games, but I read the Four Swords manga so I'm a bit more familiar with his whole vibe. Hell a couple of years ago I did a headcanon post on how he divides into four people (based on personality theories), and I like his depth because of it.

I also love how he's probably given too much responsibility because of his maturity within the group, he's still a kid but because he acts a lot older sometimes the others just kinda forget. I also like to think that when he's having an internal/emotional issue he'll write up a note, split himself, and let the four figure it out. they'll find the note and it says some shit like "20 minutes. Figure it out. (please)"

Also he's excellent material for the burnt out gifted child. Love that for him.

5. The slightest of scrimblo - Hyrule

THIS DUDEEEE a few years ago I kinda dipped back into LU for a bit and found this artist that made some fucking like. renaissance shit for him and that's what unlocked my love for this dude. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the artist so i must live with the memory.

I really like how alone he was in his journey, how he only had the land and nature itself to guide him and offer comfort. Love how when he enters a bigger group he has to learn how to work in that setting, alongside maybe come out of his wilderness tended shell. Also I like to think that his possible fae traits make him a bit more uncanny than people realize.

4. A bit more blorbo - Sky

Eepy guy (just like me FRRR), overall fatigued but still kind hearted fella, I love it. I loved his game (fuck you Arin Hansen /j), and I love the personal stakes he has in that game as well. It's actually the only LoZ game that makes me a ZeLink truther, because otherwise I'm neutral on it.

What I also enjoy about him a lot is the untapped terrifying energy he could have. He's a god-killer, Hylia's Chosen Hero, he may not show it a lot, but I think he has the potential to really fuck some shit up but chooses kindness. I would love to write something someday where he's forced to choose otherwise.

But yeah squishy soft guy oh my goodness wubwuwbuwbuwbwubwb :33333

3. Blorbo parasitism - Wild.

The first parasite. The first brainworm on this list. I need to get an anti-parasite antibiotic.

OBVIOUSLY all the angst and buildup from his games is so much fun. I love when he has an internal crisis of going back to who he was 100 years ago, a quiet and burdened knight, or allowing himself to remain free-spirited and a bit deranged that his new life has given him. It's such a fun dynamic. And of course, I love his bond with Twilight. I think he needs someone to set him on the right path every once in awhile.

I also like to think he has a subtle undead quality to him. Similar to his mentor, something is inherently wrong with him on a spiritual or magical level, but that's for later. (maybe)

2. The ultimate stink - Twilight.

THE GUY!!! MY FAVORITE GUY!! No matter what he will always be the number 1 Link incarnation in my heart. I love him so much and when things get rough I just gotta be like "Twilight wouldn't want this for me" and keep on fuck it we ballin.

The untapped ANGST and TRAUMA from his journey drives me insane, I literally could write a whole essay about the shit he endured and how that must have affected him. I wanna write something one day about it but alas, perpetually tired, and I'm nervous about my writing so wheh.

Also I like to think he's horror adjacent. Don't ask me why, I couldn't tell you, but he has the same vibe as the dog from The Thing (1982) to me and I love that for him.

Actual fucking war criminal parasite in my head GET OUT GET OUT GET OUTTTT - Legend.

UGH this fucker. Who let this guy in???? Kill him, smasha with rock.

But on a serious note, while I finished his games (only really played ALBW), the depth he has from those adventures intrigues me endlessly. I love his bitter exterior yet still warm and kind heart, I love characters who act mean but are genuinely good deep down, they just need time to show it.

Also something possesses me when I draw him that makes him look so much more cunty than he actually is and I don't know what it is. I'm sorry for this, I cannot fight what the universe is clearly telling me to do.

He only outrights Twilight rn, because otherwise he would switch places with him. For now he's in my head and I'm shining sunlight on him through a magnifying glass like he's an ant on the pavement. Something Will Happen To Him if I have anything to say about it.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Hey mod did you see the hundred of last line of defense academy what your thought

//Honestly, at this point I'm exhausted trying to keep up with all of these games. Kodaka won't rest until he puts a Danganronpa spin on every genre out there.

//My face definitely lit up the moment I saw Komatsuzaki's art style, and I'm glad that they're opting to go back to the more visual novel aspect of it.

//It makes me laugh because Last Defense Academy looks like it SHOULD be a Danganronpa spinoff. They're trapped in a school, they have a mascot character overseeing them.

//Rain Code didn't really have this problem (I say problem, but it's not really a problem, just something worth noting) because even if there were some stark similarities between it and Danganronpa, Kanai Ward as a setting, the interactions between the characters, the supernatural element of the story, as well as the overall theme and style of that game made it stand out as its own thing that could be loosely linked to Danganronpa.

//You could legit replace the main cast of this new game with the cast of Danganronpa, and have Monokuma fill in the role of that mascot, and I don't think there'd be much difference.

//In fact, do you know what this feels like? This genuinely feels like what could have happened during the two years before the first killing game, when Class 78 holed themselves up in the school and are defending it from the Despair outside while they board it up and cut them off. It really just does feel like it should be a Danganronpa title, but Kodaka didn't want to slap the name on it anymore.

//I mean, it's not like he can. He doesn't really own the series anymore. But it's clear he loves Danganronpa dearly, and so he should, it's his pride and joy, and there's no shame in basing most of his games off of it. That's what put him on the map in the first place.

//This is the closest thing I have to a gripe. The characters look plenty interesting, and the idea of a strategy RPG-style game coming from Kodaka is cool, and I really want to see where he takes it.

//Narratively, from what I can understand of the plot, Kodaka is taking the stuff he wrote with the Danganronpa series and Rain Code, and he's giving it more of an Assassination Classroom spin. And if you remember some of the discussions I had during the Mukuro Vs Kayano phase of the Death Battle even, I think that sort of twist works really well.

//Not only that, but when I went back and listened to what they were saying in the trailer, it also seems like the team is re-using a really old concept that they first came up with with Distrust; Danganronpa's Beta Version. And that's the idea that your choices can affect which of the main characters die and which one's live.

//Like the typical DR setting, there are 16 students including the protagonist, and the trailer states that you need to defend the school from the unknown assailants for 100 days. This makes me think that the game is taking a Fire Emblem/Until Dawn route, and there will be multiple endings to it, like one where all the students die, one where they all live, one where certain students die and it affects the others, etc.

//If that IS the case, then that's pretty stellar for what Kodaka and his team have put out so far. Danganronpa may be a sensation, but it's simple in practice and execution. It's the character writing that carries it; not the gameplay.

//Rain Code improved upon the gameplay aspect a lot, but even then, it never went as far as this.

//Unfortunately, despite all I've said I can't give a full opinion of it until the game actually comes out, and/or we see more gameplay footage and information of it. The stuff that they showed in the teasers isn't an awful lot to go off of.

//Also, whenever this comes out, there's a chance that, depending on whether I like it enough, I MIGHT add the characters to the blog. HOWEVER, if I DO, then it's probably only going to happen if I decide to do a Phase 4.

//Originally, I only planned to have Phase 3 be the end of the blog's main story, but for all we know, depending on how far this goes, it could very well just serve as the end of the Zetsubou saga. I don't really like dragging these sorts of things out, but this blog and it's story got way more popular than even I was expecting, and I'm always happy to deliver for you guys.

//But again, I can't write promises that my mouth can't cache, so don't quote me on this.

-Mod

[lightcrowe]

Beginner's guide to Classpects #0: A prelude

Hello everyone, this post is going to serve as a sort of retroactive-precursor to my first post, The absolute beginner's guide to Classpects. Said post contains many mistakes and some regretful assertions about Classes. This post will serve as an easier to digest intro to that post, as well as correcting some of the things I got wrong, or misrepresented.

Part 1: Personal connection and "Roles in the story"

Firstly, I'm happy to say that the first three sections of my initial post still largely hold up. However, the first thing I'd like to address is my take on what should dictate your Classpect. In the original post, I said this:

It's a common belief that your Classpect represents your personality, or is based on it. In my opinion, this is a misconception. Now yes, your personality and traits 100% have relevance to your Classpect, but it's not a matter of "You're a Maid of Breath, that means you're friendly". I'll get into what I mean more later, but I wanted to make that point clear. I don't see Classpects as personalities, and I think too many Classpect quizzes treat themselves like personality tests. Bottom line, the main important thing that your Classpect represents is your role. Your purpose.

I still partially agree with these assertions, but I really didn't communicate them well and some of them are a bit misguided in retrospect. Time to amend that. I do believe that Classpects aren't dictated by your personality, but are inherently tied to it. In the same way your personality is shaped by the people around you and your life experiences, so is your Classpect. Therefore, just as your personality and character change as you grow, so can your Classpect. This is why I don't see Classpecting to be a path with a set endpoint. It's a dynamic, moving journey with no set endpoint. This is, however, referring to your life prior to playing Sburb. It is my belief that your Classpect is determined by the person you are when you start playing. Even if you change as a person, your Classpect remains the same. Skia gives you a role to perform, but you are not bound to it. There are plenty of examples in canon of players doing things contrary to their own role. In spite of Skia's assertions onto you, you still have free will. This is where real life comes into play. As this is the real world, there is no Sburb. We cannot play a game that tells us which Classpect we are, therefore we have to decide for ourselves. (Or not. You by no means are required to Classpect yourself.) Therefore, we do not have a pre chosen in-game journey to fulfill. This grants us much freedom in the way we Classpect ourselves. Since we don't have a figure of authority to tell us what we are, we are free to decide our own Classpect based on where we are in life at that point in time. I still do believe that, while your personality should definitely affect how you determine your Classpect, the same does not work the other way around. You can't determine the path a player will take or their own personality based solely on their Classpect. Two players with the exact same Classpect will likely perform their role in two completely different ways and be completely different people.

I also maintain my belief that quizzes and tests are unhelpful in determining your Classpect. The only person that knows you best is yourself. That's why I believe doing the research and coming to your own conclusion is the best way of going about Classpecting yourself. Though, the guidance of someone more experienced can be helpful.

Part 2: Aspects, simplified.

I believe that my analysis of the Aspects still holds up. However, I think that I was far too wordy and gave too much detail. Detail is important, but seeing as there are 12 fundamentally different Aspects, it can be overwhelming for a beginner. I will now give a more simplified rundown of the Aspects, for the sake of being easier to digest.

I will go over both the literal meaning of each Aspect, as well as their more personal meanings.

Time

Literal meaning: Time, timelines, age, decay. Personal meaning: Determined, goal-focused, privy to detail, fixated.

Space

Literal meaning: Outer space, physical dimensions, empty space, matter, size, velocity. Personal meaning: Patient, creative, big-picture focused, thinking-outside-the-box.

Heart

Literal meaning: Inner self, soul, emotions, love. Personal meaning: Emotional, introspective, relatable.

Mind

Literal meaning: Logic, decision-making, outcome, outer self. Personal meaning: Logical, strategic, reserved, big-thinker.

Hope

Literal meaning: Belief, wishes, dreams, thoughts. Personal meaning: Hopeful, optimistic, naive, positive-thinker.

Rage

Literal meaning: Truth, skepticism, anger, physical strength. Personal meaning: Skeptical, driven, stubborn, realist.

Light

Literal meaning: Knowledge, fortune, relevance. Personal meaning: Scholarly, meticulous, organized, planner.

Void

Literal meaning: Nonexistence, obscurity, darkness, secrets. Personal meaning: Abstract-thinker, quiet, open-minded.

Breath

Literal meaning: Freedom, movement, independence, wind. Personal meaning: Lone wolf, directionless, unbothered, independent.

Blood

Literal meaning: Bonds, relationships, unity, leadership, blood. Personal meaning: Natural leader, caring, selfless, wise.

Life

Literal meaning: Growth, positivity, rebellion, life. Personal meaning: Empathetic, optimistic, rebellious, encouraging.

Doom

Literal meaning: Death, fate, negativity, doomed timelines, rules. Personal meaning: Pessimistic, resigned, wise, adept.

Personal meanings aren't dictated to whomever possesses these Aspects, rather they are common traits among people with said Aspects.

Part 3: Classes, simplified.

This is far and away my biggest regret with the original post. I boiled down many of the Classes far too much, overenforced Class pairings, and treated many fan interpretations of Classes as being factual. This is all on me for not doing enough research. It's time to get it right. In addition to speaking about Classes individually instead of pairing them together, I will have a clear distinction between what's known for sure, and what's my own personal interpretation.

Prince

Canon function: One who destroys their Aspect or destroys through their Aspect. Canon alignment: Active (-) Speculation: Unnecessary.

Bard

Canon function: One who allows destruction of their Aspect or invites destruction through their Aspect Canon alignment: Passive (+) Speculation: The canon function may be phrased so bizarrely as an attempt to define it's passive nature, rather than being an exact definition of it's function. My belief is that it's function is identical to that of Prince, only passive. Unofficial function: One who destroys their Aspect or destroys through their Aspect.

Thief

Canon function: One who steals their Aspect or steals through their Aspect. Canon alignment: Active (-) Speculation: Unnecessary.

Rogue

Canon function: One who steals their Aspect or steals through their Aspect. Canon alignment: Passive (+) Speculation: Rogue is my primary reason for believing Bard's function to be identical to Prince's. Rogue has the exact same function as Thief, only passive, and the two are paired. I believe it makes the most sense that this apply to Bard and Prince as well.

Witch

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Active (-) Speculation: Based on canon examples, Witch's function is most likely "One who manipulates their Aspect or manipulates through their Aspect", or something to a similar effect. This is not known for certain, but is the most common interpretation and makes the most sense, in my opinion. Unofficial function: One who manipulates their Aspect or manipulates through their Aspect.

Heir

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Passive (+) Speculation: There are many possible interpretations of Heir. The most common is "One who inherits their Aspect", which is rather vague and I personally disagree with. It still could be correct, however. My personal interpretation is "One who embodies their Aspect and is influenced by their Aspect". See my post Beginner's guide 2: An elaboration for more information on that. Unofficial function: One who embodies their Aspect and is influenced by their Aspect.

Maid

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: Maid has two common interpretations. "One who creates their Aspect or creates through their Aspect", and "One who upkeeps and maintains their Aspect". The former being derived from the powers of Jane Crocker, the Maid of Life, and Aradia Megido, the Maid of Time, and the latter being taken largely from a line that Aradia says, stating that "all loops must be tidied up even [Lord English]'s" In my opinion, the former interpretation has a lot more evidence behind it and makes more sense. Either interpretation could be correct, however. Maid's alignment is also unknown. Some people say it's active, some say passive, usually depending on which interpretation they believe. I personally believe Maid to be active, but it could still be passive. Unofficial function: One who creates their Aspect or creates through their Aspect. Unofficial alignment: Active (-)

Sylph

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: The most common interpretation of Sylph is "One who heals their Aspect or heals through their Aspect". This is based on Aranea Serket, the Sylph of Light, healing others, and even describing her actions as such. There is justification for Sylph's function to be otherwise. However, both of the other two most common interpretations are based on Sylph's pairing, with one being "One who manipulates their Aspect or manipulates through their Aspect", paired with Witch, and the other being "One who creates their Aspect or creates through their Aspect", paired with Maid. I disagree with these interpretations simply due to the fact that they're justified by their pairing. I personally think Class parings should be based on the Class's function, not the other way around. See my post Why Class pairings will never make sense for more information on that. My personal interpretation of Sylph is the first one I went over, but there's justification for other interpretations. Sylph's alignment is also unknown, but most believe it to be passive due either to the nature of it's function, or it being paired with an active Class. Unofficial function: One who heals their Aspect or heals through their Aspect. Unofficial alignment: Passive (+)

Mage

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: Mage is the Class we know, by far, the least about. I mean it when I say we know nothing about Mage, and we have essentially one Mage player to analyze. Most people define Mage's function as "One who experiences their Aspect and gains deep intuitive knowledge about it", and pair it as the active counterpart to Seer. It's a cool function, but I have to be honest, it's borderline fanfiction. It's a function built from the scraps of hints we get and held together by dozens and dozens of assumptions and guesses. It's the conclusion I came to in my post Beginner's guide 2: An elaboration, but honestly? I don't think I can interpret Mage in a way that offers any merit, including the generally accepted function. This is the only case where I am genuinely going to throw in the towel and say that we just straight up don't know enough to make a call. Therefore, I would advise against Classpecting yourself as such. Of course, I won't try to stop you. If you want to use the generally accepted interpretation, go for it. However, I am personally going to put this one under 'I' for "I don't fucking know". I am, however, going to say that Mage is active, simply because with all of my other alignment interpretations, it wouldn't make sense for it to be passive. Unofficial function: ??? Unofficial alignment: Active (-)

Seer

Canon function: One who learns a lot about their Aspect or learns things through their Aspect. Canon alignment: Passive (+) Speculation: I find it strange that this Class is canonically passive, seeing as nothing about it or it's players really would indicate such. I feel similarly about Heir. The most likely explanation is that the two were given an alignment early in the comic, before Classes were a very fleshed out idea.

Knight

Canon function: Vague. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: In reference to Dave Strider, the Knight of Time, Aradia Megido states that "the knight of time is not necessarily the tactician. he is a powerful warrior class which exploits the flow of time as a weapon" This leads to the most popular and generally accepted function of Knight being "One who exploits their Aspect and uses it as a weapon". This is a reasonable interpretation and is the one I agree with, but it isn't technically canon. Aradia isn't an encyclopedia of knowledge about Classes or Sburb as a whole. She's fairly informed, but it's very possible she's incorrect. Also, similarly to Sylph, this description of Knight's role may not literally reflect it's function. Therefore, I will put this function down as unofficial. However, it's certainly more likely than most other unofficial functions. Knight's alignment is unknown, but most define it as active, due to it's function having no real focus on others. I personally see it as such, but it could go either way. Unofficial function: One who exploits their Aspect and uses it as a weapon. Unofficial alignment: Active (-)

Page

Canon function: Vague. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: Page is often touted as the passive counterpart to Knight and given the same function as it. In my opinion, this is the most unjustified common interpretation and is another result of people basing a Class's function on it's paring and not the other way around. The other most common interpretation is "One who provides others with their Aspect". This is the interpretation I agree with, but it also leaves out a major element of Page. That being, the growth. Page is explicitly said to start out weak and get stronger as it grows, eventually being the strongest Class of all, excluding Master Classes. I personally like to include this as a part of the function. Not entirely necessary, but I think it sums Page up just a little better. Page is most often said to be passive, either due to being paired with Knight, or due to it's function having to do with assisting others. Unofficial function: One who grows to provide others with their Aspect Unofficial alignment: Passive (+)

For more information on and interpretation of Classes, see my posts Beginner's guide 2: An elaboration and Why Class pairings will never make sense. Also, check out some other blogs. I'm not a source of authority, these are just my own opinions.

Part 4: Conclusion

That just about wraps up everything I wanted to correct and redo. I hope you enjoyed reading! -Crowe

[wetcatspellcaster]

Same BG3-> dragon age anon: you said you liked to talk about it last time so please give me your full opinion if you are passionate🫶🏽 many thanks

hello anon!

this is a very open-ended, and dangerous question! to be honest, there is a lot to dismantle and unpick about Dragon Age until there's nothing left to enjoy (I actually love critiquing it though, jokes on them I love to be a hater). But! If I'm focusing on the positives!

What Dragon Age is to me, is 'what I wanted skyrim to be when I played it'. This is no shade on Skyrim, it's just that that was the first fantasy rpg I ever tried, and I'm just not a sandbox girlie. I got increasingly frustrated with Skyrim, claiming I wanted to feel like I'd impacted the world and that my decisions had consequences. What I wanted, in hindsight, was D&D, but my friend turned to me and said 'have you played dragon age?' and thus a mental illness was born.

I honestly think BG3 knowingly borrowed many of the things Dragon Age is still loved by its fandom for. I also think it did a lot of them better, simply through the grace of being 10 years newer than Inquisition (and not being owned by EA!) But for me, the split between 'adventuring' and 'home space cutscenes', the focus on companion quests, relationships based in approval, and romances are all things that are done in a clear understanding of what made Dragon Age so popular. BG3's endings for each companion are more starkly contrasted and nuanced, but I liked playing Dragon Age and seeing my games altered depending on my choices. Again, here I'm not saying Dragon Age is perfect! I think the BG3 romances are more solid across the board compared to Dragon Age, and the only game that I think has a comparative '100% hot' rate is Dragon Age Origins. But the reason there's such a huge crossover in the fan bases is bc Dragon Age did a lot of it first! Bioware as a developer is heralded in academic video game criticism for being one of the first studios to encourage parasocial relationships with its fictional characters, and to use affective relationships with these figures as a way of deepening your immersion and the perceived 'realism' of a videogame world.

My other favourite thing about Dragon Age is it's buckwild wizard politics! Mages (in the first three games) are placed in 'circles', which are essentially magic school prisons bc mages are too dangerous to be out in society. The tensions surrounding 'mage rights' are the subject to many memes in the fandom, but I think it's genuinely one of the most interesting parts of the world that runs through all 3 games. The concept of the Circles really appeals to the part of me that occasionally falls prey to Dark Academia (and one of my fave authors NK Jemisin agrees with me, she used them as one of her inspirations for her award winning series The Broken Earth!)

I think the reason I write fanfic primarily for videogames is because the nature of gaming code and the way videogames work as texts means there is always gaps left by the slightly utilitarian approach to storytelling (dialogue options you wish you could change, choices you wish you could make, parts of the world you wish you could explore more directly). My first fic ever (!) was a Dragon Age fic about the Rite of Tranquility, an aspect of the world that is often quite plot relevant but then never really dug into bc of who the protagonists of each game are, where mages are cut off from the dream realm that gives them their magic forcibly, like a cauterised wound. I really loved this element of the story as a fantasy device, and I daydreamed about how that experience would impact an individual... 3 years later, covid hit, and a fic was born!

so yeah! I just think dragon age is neat! and in typical-me fashion, I like the way its wizards work :)

[knickynoo]

Back to the Future: The Animated Series, s02ep03 “A Friend In Deed” Review and Commentary

Previous episodes linked here.

In this episode: Lots of funny moments, another woman from the past falls in love with Marty, and I go on ramblings about Tiffany Tannen and my dislike of Cartoon Marty.

Season 2 of the animated series is really making use of green screens, huh? In episode one, Doc was stranded on an island, then he was in outer space in episode two, and now he's at the "Hill Valley Beach and Synchronized Swimming Center." He's wearing a funky outfit and using a metal detector to search for money in the sand.

Is this the first time we're seeing Doc in shorts?? I can't recall, but it might be.

He tells us that he's found 85¢ so far and that it's only cost him $200 in equipment to do so. Oh, Doc. You are one of a kind.

He leads us into a story of another situation that involved buried valuables. And instead of the story beginning like it typically does with, "It all started when my sons..." or "It all started when Marty...", this story begins with Biff. And that lets us know right off the bat that it's all downhill from here, lol.

Cue the cartoon!

We begin at the Tannen residence (always a treat to hear Tom Wilson's voice), where Biff has decided that what his family needs is a swimming pool. Yes, his family. And who do we meet? His son!

I've always been intrigued by what adult Biff's family situation was like. I know that an early draft of the film had George buying the peanut brittle from Biff's young daughter and that the BTTF card game and the Citizen Brown comics mention Biff's teenage daughter Tiffany Tannen. (She was also supposed to have a role in the video game, but her character was cut and "combined" with the alternate version of Jennifer.) This is the concept art for her.

There's also speculation that Tiff might be included in the "Continuum Conundrum" series from the IDW comics. In the story, which takes place in the months following Marty's return home after part III, there's mention of Jennifer's friend group, which includes someone named "Tiffany." Some fans headcanon that this is a referring to Tiff Tannen. I don't really have an opinion on the theory one way or another, but it would be SUPER interesting if one of Jennifer Parker's best friends in the Lone Pine Timeline is Biff's daughter.

I would LOVE to see fanfics that include her or even focus on her. There's so much potential! You could have her resemble what she was supposed to be in the game—all rough around the edges and 100% a Tannen—or completely rework her to be a genuinely nice person. Maybe she actively rejects the Tannen reputation. Maybe she's a sweet person, but people are wary of her and judge her based on her appearance or her name. Maybe she is friends with Jen and thinks Marty is a neat guy. So much someone can do.

I digress.

In typical Biff fashion, he's going to make his young son dig the hole for a pool while he sits around in a lounge chair. Father of the year. Also, we haven't seen a whole lot of Biff so far in this series, so I haven't had anything to say about him, but it's clear he's not the meek version of Biff we have at the end of the first film. Cartoon Biff acts very much like he was never taken down a notch or had anything happen to humble him. So...I wonder what the story is there.

(Side note to also mention that we haven't seen—or even heard of—George and Lorraine. Marty's just always at Doc's house, with no information on parents or siblings. I wouldn't be surprised if a young kid watching this in 1992 without having seen the movies simply thought that Marty was part of Doc's family.)

While digging, Little Biff (referred to as Junior) unearths a piece of paper. We don't know what it is, but Biff gets a smile on his face as he reads it, so it can't be good. We cut immediately to the Parker family ranch!

Jen's family owns a ranch! I love it!

Marty is there having lunch with Jen and her grandparents, but it is NOT going well. Because Cartoon Marty is nearly unrecognizable from his Movie Counterpart, he's being an immature, disrespectful doofus around Jen's relatives. He places a whoopee cushion on Jennifer's grandmother's seat, then puts a fake ice cube with a spider "frozen" in it into her drink. And he just sits there hysterically laughing even though nobody else thinks it's funny. Jennifer's grandfather in particular becomes angered by Marty's incessant pranking.

Grandpa Parker, considering pummeling Marty.

And I know I've mentioned many times about how much I dislike the choices made with Marty's character, but. Seriously, what happened here? WHO made these choices and why didn't Bob Gale stop them? This might as well have been a completely different character, that's how unlike Marty he is. He's self-centered a lot of the time. He's dishonest (there was a whole episode where he just piles on lie after lie). He's cocky and inconsiderate and ridiculously immature. He is NOT my Marty McFly.

See the boy on the left? Love the boy on the left. Fantastic little dude. Five out of five stars. See the boy on the right? Don't like him all that much. Many things wrong. Sad.

It bums me out that they took such a great, loveable guy and ripped all his great traits to shreds, leaving us with whatever it is Cartoon Marty's got going on. I don't even know. Guy's got issues.

Time to reel my focus back in. Just as Grandpa Parker seems poised to give Marty a serious talking to, Biff shows up wit the police. Marty asks Jennifer why her grandparents would invite Biff because, "He's a jerk with a bad sense of humor."

"Look who's talking," Jen's grandfather replies.

Go. Grandpa. Parker.

When Grandpa Parker orders Biff off his land, Biff informs him that it's HIS land. The piece of paper he found in his yard was a deed to the Parker property dated 1875 and signed by one of Jen's relatives, as well as Biff's great-great-granduncle.

Biff tells the Parkers that he's going to turn the ranch into a toxic waste dump and miniature golf course, which is both horrible and very funny. Quite in-character for Biff Tannen. As he prepares to order the house to be demolished, Jennifer calls to Marty for help, but he's taken off on his hoverboard. Assuming that he's doing it to run away from the trouble, Jennifer proclaims, "There's nothing worse than a chicken." The actual, literal chicken standing beside her gets very insulted and walks away, lol.

We then go to the Brown home, where Verne is impatiently waiting to eat. Jules is making him pancakes on a ridiculous specialized griddle he invented because Jules is extra like that.

Marty bursts into the kitchen, yelling that he needs to borrow the DeLorean to help Jen's family. Jules informs him that the car isn't there—Doc and Clara have taken it to go see Hamlet, performed by the original cast—but that he can use the train. Marty and the boys take off for 1875.

Once there, Marty immediately sets his sights on warning Jennifer's relatives about the ranch. However, he's interrupted before he can do so, on account of another woman spies Marty and immediately has a crush on him (naturally). I should have been keeping count of how many episodes include someone laying eyes on Marty and falling in love with him.

But wait. Wait. You NEED to know how the scene starts off. The woman walks straight up to Marty and goes, "Howdy, handsome!" followed immediately by this:

Verne: "Handsome? Get real."

Jules: "Get glasses!"

Had to stop it right there because I was laughing. Jules and Verne think Marty is ugly CONFIRMED.

Anyway, the woman ends up being Hepzibah Tannen, sister of Thaddeus Tannen (whose name was on the deed). And Hepzibah is head-over-heels for Marty. At one point, Marty ends up at her house, and Thaddeus is not thrilled to meet him. Before he can toss him out, Hepzibah picks Marty up, holds him close, and shouts at her brother, "Give me that! It's mine!"

Ridiculous.

Since his sister is so in love, Thaddeus agrees to let Marty join his gang. Thaddeus teaches Marty how to box and how to steal things from people (Marty immediately returns the items when Thaddeus isn't looking. +1 point for Cartoon Marty). Marty also continues his practical jokes by giving Thaddeus gum that turns your mouth black. Thaddeus isn't happy. This is necessary info to understand part of the next scene.

Back on the Parker ranch, where Jules and Verne have become farmhands, they come across these posters.

Several things to note here. 1. "DEAD OR UNALIVE" 2. Marty's gum gave Thaddeus a nickname. 3. Marty is only "sort of wanted" 4. Thaddeus evidently decked Marty for playing a prank on him.

Later on at the Tannen home, Thaddus suggests Marty and Hepzibah get married. This is followed by some very funny dialogue.

I'm definitely finding the humor to be better in the second season. I've laughed out loud several times since I started it.

The next day, Thaddeus and one of his other gang members go off to get Marty and Hepzibah a wedding present. Marty manages to sneak away from his "engagement picnic" to intercept Thaddeus, who is in the process of stealing the ranch from Mr. Parker. He has Mrs. Parker tied to the railroad tracks, and the only way he'll let her loose is if the deed to the ranch is signed over. This is his wedding present to his sister and Marty.

Which. Doesn't really make sense? I mean, it makes sense here, but then what motivated him to steal it originally, before Marty time traveled? Maybe Hepzibah had fallen for a different guy? Or Thaddeus simply wanted the ranch just because? Idk.

When Thaddeus goes to sign the deed, Marty lends him a pen (which is another prank, hehe. The pen has ink that eventually fades away.) Thaddeus then refuses to untie Mrs. Parker, so Marty refuses to go back home with him. Thaddeus leaves, Marty, Jules, and Verne save Mrs. Parker, and all is well. Marty assures the Parkers that their ranch is safe, and he hops on the time-train with the boys.

Marty returns to the present-day ranch, stops the bulldozer, and shows everyone the deed, which now has no signatures. Biff gets a citation for disturbing the peace, and Marty is back in Jennifer's good graces. The end!

Back at the beach, Real Doc digs up an antique fountain pen, accidentally squirts himself in the eye with the ink, and then leads us into the experiment portion of the show, where we're taught how to make invisible ink. We then return to Doc, who finds something else with his metal detector: the keys to the DeLorean that he'd lost the week prior. Yep. Doc had been searching the sand all that time for his car keys. Goofy guy.

Fun episode. I always enjoy when they're Marty, Jules, and Verne-centered, and this was a funny one as well. It was neat having an episode with so much Tom Wilson! (he voiced Biff and Thaddeus)

Wow, this post was a long one. I did go on a few side-tangents, haha. To those who read this whole thing: thanks for sticking with me. I'm so glad there are people who enjoy reading these silly episode commentary posts!

Join me next time to see Marty accidentally join the army in 1944.

[twipsai]

MAJOR SPLATOON SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!!! <this is mostly a caution for my friend whos going thru splatoon rn lolz hi Bee if ur reading this

screenshotting this post w/out the url and im turning rbs off cuz i dont wanna start beef, but like. i have never seen a more stupid fucking opinion of rotm. are you fucking kidding me.

first of all, the conflict between inklings and octarians was one-sided in modern times. it was simply a suffering civilization trying to take revenge on on whom they believed to be their enemies, not even knowing that the war they had fought is long dead and the inklings that inhabit the surface would welcome them with open arms. because, let me get one thing very clear: all of the weird racism metaphors in octo expansion are literally just a result of poor translation with the original being nowhere NEAR as overt in how they portray octolings as a sort of "stand-in" for the struggles that poc face irl. obviously, theres some tension between the two species, but there was never a story thread about this conflict. ya feel?

(^THIS SECTION IS WORDED WEIRDLY AND ISNT ENTIRELY REFLECTIVE OF MY OPINIONS ABOUT THIS PORTION OF THE GAME CUZ IM SLEEPY!!!!)

second of all, are we forgetting the part where the splatlands WERE effected by the Flood? it literally flooded the entire land!!! but instead of this dividing the people who inhabited it, they came together and drained it. drained it into Alterna. which is WHY we see these different tribes lasting in modern day with Deep Cut, why we see inklings and octolings living side-by-side with zero tension, and yet recognition and celebration of each others differences. is that not beautifully poetic?

we even see the fact that octarians have integrated back on the surface with the technology being used, particularly the use of floating machines! theres even octarian language on the splatana stamper! all of this life that was breathed into the game is all around you and it takes so little effort to just look!

i just wanna make one thing clear: so far, ALL of splatoons hero modes have been caused by humanity, be it directly or indirectly. in splatoon 1 and 2, we see the long-term effects of octarians living underground for 100 years rear its head and lash out, trying to survive. conditions underground are harsh. why are they underground in the first place? they lost the great turf war. a fight for land due to the rising sea levels. which was LITERALLY CAUSED by a nation 12000 years ago dropping a bomb on Antarctica as an intimidation tactic, as well as general global warming reaching a tipping point after wwV.

octo expansion? a broken machine left behind by humanity goes insane in its loneliness and tries to perfect the new intelligent life after sitting and watching for so long. splatoon 3? the last mammal, in its grief, tries to regain what he has lost.

the entire franchise is about letting go of the past, living in the moment, and looking forward to the future. half the songs naming conventions are based around momentum. its now or never.

how can you not see how this game has built its world so beautifully? it just makes me sad to think about

people are entitled to their own opinions, and its fine if you didnt like splatoon 3's story. but why are you, in a game franchise that ends with the line "the times have changed. the world can never be as it was. moving forward... is the future" so stuck in what could have been?

[alpaca-clouds]

My personal Digimon season ranking

Given August is Digimon month, I cannot help but do one of these. Because, oh boy. I have not made one of those in a long, long while.

Now, let me tell you one thing clear: I have been in the Digimon fandom since Adventure started airing 2000 in Germany. I still vividly remember getting into the show and what the first episodes I watched were. I have obsessed about this show for so long...

But I also have unpopular opinions when it comes to the seasons. So let me get to those.

And please note: I will not list Digimon Adventure: (2020), as I only watched the first 22 episodes and then just dropped it. But I will list Digimon Adventure tri., though it is not quite a season.

#1 Digimon Tamers

My number one Digimon season is and will probably always be Digimon Tamers. This show really has no right to be as good as it is. Like, holy shit. This show went so hard in so many regards.

It really is the only season of Digimon that has something like a proper pacing. With only a couple of episodes being actual filler, while most do progress either story or character arcs. And those character arcs are so fucking good.

When I was a kid, I got so hooked on Ruki, because she was just such a good female character. But by now I do appreciate them all. (Well, Ryou maybe less, but that is a story for another day. Because he is one of those examples where I also grew up on those games and I love game!Ryou...)

Also, the amount of amazing background characters is kinda hilarious. Like, background figures like Janyuu, Yamaki or Shibumi are so well written.

Not to mention: For a 2001 merchandise TV show with 51 episodes, the animation has no business being as good as it is. How is it, that this series still has better animation than some of the later series?!

So, yeah, all around great show. Love it. Will rewatch most certainly a couple more times.

#2 Digimon Universe Applimonsters

And while a lot of people will absolutely understand, why I put Tamers in first place, pretty much most people will not get, why I would put Appmon in second place. Because other than Tamers this has a ton of filler episodes.

But to me none of that really matters, based on the fact that I just love the freaking character writing in this show, all the references to computer history and also... The fact that this show is gay as fuck. I mean, holy fuck, the entire Haru/Yuujin thing? Yeah, it warms my little queer heart so much!

But other than that it is another series where I really just love all the characters a ton. Haru is probably the goggle boy I relate to most out of all of Digimon. But I also really loved the other characters in this series, including the Digimon partners and what not.

So, yeah, to me this is my second favorite Digimon show.

#3 Digimon Savers

Masaru in a way is the polar opposite character to Haru, isn't he? While Haru is this soft spoken, introverted guy, Masaru is just this pure hardcore masculinity! GAAAAR! So, while I do like him less as a character than I like Takato or Haru, I did enjoy the writing in this show quite a lot. There were a ton of personal stakes to the story, that the others seasons did not bring in as much as this show did. And that was something I really enjoyed.

And while it got ridiculous at times, I also liked how Masaru was a bit more involved in the battles by punching stuff. Though I kinda am sad that they did not go with that original concept where all the characters would've been able to punch stuff.

I also enjoyed that the characters were a bit older in this, though ironically my favorite characters from the season are Chika and Ikuto.

#4 Digimon Ghost Game

There might be some bias here based on the fact alone that it is the most recent season of the franchise. But even though it was basically 100% episodic, I did enjoy almost every one of those episodes. Basically the show is 100% vibes for me, but oh boy, do I love those vibes.

I find this season kinda weird in terms of how it kinda pushed for two Digimon/human ships, with Ruli/Angoramon clearly being coded into the text, while it is also fairly clear that Jellymon is romantically interested in Kiyo. I mean, there always were seasons where you could definitely go for Digimon/human ships....... but it was never like this. But then again: All power to the monster fuckers, right? xD

And yeah... Being a fan of the horror genre, I absolutely adored how many episodes were based around classical horror stories from all around the world. That was so freaking fun! :D

#5 Digimon Adventure 02

Okay, let me make one thing clear: Digimon Adventure 02 is not a good series. It is not. Knowing what I know about how chaotic it was behind the scenes, aka how chaotic and cursed this production was, this is also not a big surprise. I disliked the show for this for quite long. I mean, there is tons of filler and the animation is soooooo bad in soooo many episodes. I mean, there is a ton of fan animation that is better than this series. But...

It also is kinda charming.

See, the thing about this show is, that I kinda still do like how the characters develop over the show and how... positive a lot of it is. The characters are sweet with each other and even with their enemies. And a huge chunk of the show is also dedicated to the characters outright trying to rebuild the digital world.

Also, this show has Ken, who to this day is one of my favorite Digimon characters. So, fuck it. I actually still kinda like it.

#6 Digimon Frontier

Fun Fact: I grew up with the Japanese dub of Digimon, but Digimon Frontier is the one season, where I actually kinda liked the US Dub, just based on the US soundtrack for this show. I really kinda liked the vibe it had.

In a way I do feel that this show had in fact the strongest character designs out of all of Digimon. The characters just have the right level of detail. They do not look overdesigned, but also not too simple. I really digged that. And yes, as a kid I cosplayed Takuya a lot.

To me the series just mostly suffers when it comes to the pacing. Not because of the fillers really (I am fine with fillers, as long as the fillers are fun), but rather in terms of the Cherubimon-arc being sooooo long and everything happening after it feeling kind of like an afterthought.

But I still very much like the characters. I just wished they did not make Junpei a glutton. One fat character who isn't a glutton. Is that so much to ask?

#7 Digimon Xros Hunters

For anyone now going like: "But this is not even a series on its own!" I will kindly ask you: "Shut up, this is my list." Because those couple of episodes from Xros Wars that were clearly just meant to fill the timeslot for a couple more weeks, do have a very different vibes from the rest of the show.

Now, this also is basically just filler + then the crossover event. But... At times this was kinda sweet. I liked the vibes this show had at times and some of the characters were kinda likeable.

And I really liked the opening.

It was not good. Definitely wasn't. But there was stuff about it I liked.

#8 Digimon Adventure

Yeah, let's get to my most controversial Digimon opinion: I do not like Digimon Adventure a lot. I really don't. Some of the characters are fine, yes, but... I do not like a lot more of this show. Mostly because I fucking hate the crest system and how morally simplistic the show is, with the bad guys just all being bad guys with not much depth. Meanwhile most of the characters are horribly underwritten and have their entire character arcs rushed through within like two episodes.

And I just hate Yamato and how the show just tries to excuse all of his bullshit. There. I said it. I think he is a horrible character. A horrible brother. And a horrible friend. So, yeah, fuck him.

And Nishizono, the showrunner, had no plan where he was going when he started writing. Not entirely his fault, given that he inherited a production that two other writing teams already had abandoned. But maaaaaan, it shows.

#9 Digimon Xros Wars

What is there to say?

Digimon Xros Wars sucked. It sucked. And to this day I wonder what the drama behind the scenes was. We know there was drama (given the showrunner abandoned the production half-way through!) but details are sparse even ten years later.

But, yeah. Taiki is a fucking Gary Stu and the plot just shifts around him. The story is a whole mess. The female characters get sexualized to no end. Everyone who is not Taiki gets sidelined constantly. The animation is inconsistent. And what not.

And the really sad fact: The manga is so fucking good.

I am fairly certain that most issues are because of production drama. And one day I am gonna find out what that drama was.

#10 Digimon Adventure tri.

Digimon Adventure tri. is one of the things that by themselves are not good, but get really bad once you consider the universe it is set in. It is one of those things put into an existing canon without honoring the existing canon at all.

It just ignores basically everything happening in 02. The character developments from anything that has happened before. The 02 characters are just not there. The "original chosen children" exist and yet the OVA does not give them the attention they deserve. And Meiko is just... Oh boy. Meiko is just a horrible character for so many reasons.

It is just fucking sad that this exists. So fucking sad. Just why?!

Also, for OVAs the animation is so bad. Soooooo bad.

[echobx]

oh I'm ranting again. but ig by now you guys know that I can't keep my mouth shut. so to add to the list of all the apparently unpopular opinions that I have...

I don't actually think role play (rp) (and real people fanfic (rpf)) is bad, not if it's characters, and also not if it's celebrities.

"How can you say that? What's wrong with you?" I mean, there's plenty wrong with me but not here. Especially not here. I'm aware of my "controversial" takes when it comes to fandom, but honestly, the only reason you find them controversial (if you do) is because you haven't been in fandom long enough. Which, I will grant, is difficult if you are 1. not old enough to know better 2. are in a fandom that is rather young, like OBX is. But telling people what to do and not to do, simply based on you not wanting to see it, is simply and clearly an act of censorship. Now I'm not saying that it equates to the censorship our governments are trying to put on us in online communities (especially in the US recently) but it lays a ground for the politicians to base their argument on. Because when you go and spread around that some things "shouldn't be done" and "shouldn't be written" and "shouldn't be drawn" that creates a base layer of what politicians will take and say "see, they want us to censor them" and that is never ever good. bc it might at first be role play and "dead dove, do not eat" types of content, but it will really quickly lead to the banning of queer content, and I won't fucking stand for that.

so, yes, you might cringe at RP and other things, but you also have the possibility to simply block those accounts, to block the tags to filter your own online experience, especially on tumblr since it's the only truly user friendly social media site that we have left.

and on the fact of people bringing up Chappell Roan in this discussion. Chappell very clearly said that she feels uncomfortable irl bc it happens IN HER REAL LIFE. if she cared about people just talking online about her without any irl reason for it, she would've said that. but she didn't. she was rightfully pissed that people approached her irl and didn't take no for and answer and only after that they went online and talked shit about her. this is entirely different to RP. (it also reminds me how straight people forced Kit Connor to come out and then blamed queer people for it, when no queer person ever made him feel the need to come out because we accepted him even when he was in the public closet)

RP is clearly tagged as such, the people who do it are very much aware that it's a game, and not real. if you can't make that distinction, that's on you. not the person who RPs or the people who interact with the RP.

side note: if RPing is bad, why are you watching historical dramas based on real people? why is it okay for the industry to make bank on the lives of dead AND living people, but a normal person can't do the same without getting paid? maybe you should also think about that, because it's literally the same. y'all watched Elvis and Bohemian Rhapsody and The Crown and so many more shows and movies that are based on real people but aren't what actually happened 100% and that is okay, but when fandom does it you want it to be wrong and a moral failure? get a grip.

there's a clear line between fiction and reality and it's not the creator's fault for you to go and blurr that line because you don't understand the rules. RP and RPF have been part of fandom culture since the beginning, and just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it will go away, because there's nothing wrong with it.

just do with RP/RPF what you do with more important things in our daily lives, more serious matters. Look Away. bc clearly you are good at it any times else.

[strwberri-milk]

Kaeya streamer?

Yeah, kaeya streamer and a pro player:3

Not going to put an scenario just because I want to see yours!

i'm just gonna give some!! general hcs maybe not too uch because i havent been given anything specific so my mind is jus wandering a little lol - i decided ot make him a variety streamer but i definitely think he got started playing games before branching out!!

Kaeya's voice is amazing for streaming. He's got a perfect little lilt and he's so entertaining. He's got great people skills so he can hold a conversation with chat seamlessly, a bit of a smirk always sitting on his face as he interacts more casually with the chat!

He likes to do a bit of everything from just watching videos, giving his opinion on things, or playing video games. He doesn't want to constrain himself to just one thing, so he likes to try things out all the time!

He probably likes playing story-oriented games, giving the characters voices to add dimension as well as RPG combat-based games. He's got a lot of skill and is really good at clearing levels or bosses, but also loves trying to see where stories go.

Sometimes he's a little overdramatic with his reactions, definitely playing it up for the camera but jumpscares really get him. Once he gets the predictability and cues then it's not nearly as bad but nobody will ever forget the time literally jumped out of his chair and ran off camera to scream at an absolutely horrible jumpscare.

Definitely also loves analog horror. He has some boards dedicated to the theories and if he feels like he's got some extra brainpower then he'll pull it out and go through theories on websites with his chat to discuss them and try and guess what's happening.

With his games he tries his best to do completionist runs, leading to either super long live streams or him playing the same games for a few months at a time if that's what it takes to 100% it. He's very determined to finish them all the way, and is really good at them anyway so it's fun to watch.

Has cried once or twice on camera thanks to really sad cutscenes or subject matter, making his fans swoon.

Also, sometimes if he's feeling extra generous he might occasionally do a karaoke stream. He's got a good voice but doesn't really sing all too often because he's not that interested in it outside of having done some singing in a choir because of school. Fans love it, he just doesn't care much for it.

[vergess]

An anonymous user asks:

hello, i was wondering if you could pass a message along to vee? if this is inappropriate to ask i am sorry, but I am honestly too embarrassed to ask any of the Jewish people in my life irl and I think you’re of an age you would understand the question. outside of the “possibly killed his girlfriend but also it might have been someone at the party the night before and so many drugs were involved thing” sid vicious wore… well you know the shirt. i grew up listening to the Sex Pistols and romanticizing the statement “knight in rusted armour” but as a risk of sounding terminally online is it problematic? asking from a place of good faith because you’re not going to sugar coat things but also aren’t going to get out the pitch forks unnecessarily

So! This is based on only my vague (like 1 hour research) understanding of him and his contributions to punk rather than as a guy who comes up a lot in pop culture, like in fanfiction and video games. That all in mind!

If you truly feel you deeply relate to his music, then there's no reason to stop listening to the stuff you already own or anythig drastic. But oh boy are some of the claims I'm reading about egregious.

The good news is, the are what's known as "shock jock" behaviour: controversy seeking rather than a genuine support. This is still very bad to do, don't engage in it. It creates safe environments for actual heartfelt nazis to grow their numbers.

But you have to remember, in the 1970s, it was Not Popular to be a nazi. Not like it is today. It was common enough that everyone sort of know a guy, sure. And antisemitism was getting really bad again in europe. But nazism? Specifically? It wasn't Cool. It was controversial.

Not like today. My goodness we live in the worst fucking timeline.

Whatever. Nazi symbolism was a quick way to cause a controversy back then, is the point.

Logically one can assume the same is true of, for example, writing a song about an extermination camp. Egregious yes, but egregious on purpose because the feelings of jews were not considered relevant compared to the controversy that it would cause.

But fucking shit though, some of this is hard to read about.

This is why it's so important as contemporary punk enjoyers to viciously push back against nazis co-opting the space.

So, in private and with regards to your personal emotions to the artworks? Go enjoy what you enjoy! You aren't hurting someone by privately listening to music.

But in public? As my GF put it, if I heard someone was like... hardcore into this man's work, like to the extent of attending cover band concerts for example? I would expect them to be vocally and passionately anti-nazi before I could trust them.

And, I totally see where someone who just knows the man off google search results would think of him as "guy who maybe killed his Jewish GF after writing songs about extermination camps."

To be clear, I agree that the most probable "suspect" was that someone had a really bad trip. Who? No one knows; everyone was high.

But I see why many Jewish people would be uncomfortable with him, based on a cursory understanding of the situation.

Which is why, if you take your appreciation for his work from private to public, you must. MUST! Be 100% ready to do whatever it takes to keep nazis out of punk in today's world, and to combat antisemitism when it arises in your local spaces.

That's the part that matters.

And in my opinion? Based on the way you approached this, you're doing very well informing yourself on the subject. You had some idea of the issue, and you reached out to someone you trust. I appreciate you doing so.

Also, if you like me mostly knew this guy as, "oh, the anarchy in the UK guy, from guitar hero"... don't feel bad, my friend. I literally had no idea either. I recommend as further reading the short book/essay collection "Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk" by Michael Croland.

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 6

It's time for the 4-part exp extravaganza that is Day Breaks!

I love how they imply that Soren's heritage gave him pro navigation abilities. Sure, Micaiah gets to see the future, read minds, and heal mortal wounds, but hey! At least Soren doesn't have to worry about getting lost.

I present this without comment.

I'm kind of sad that this forbidden bird magic never gets brought up again. All we know is that it's a song called the Dirge of Ruin. I imagine it's like a magic nuke of some sort? But sadly, we shall never know for sure.

This was the SECOND TIME I had to restart because of Ilyana. And look, I'm not foolish enough to rely on Shade, but twice I accidentally left Ilyana in the danger zone, and both times I was like well maybe she'll be okay. Shade has to trigger sometimes, right?

The answer is no. It never triggers. Shame on me for hoping.

I know what Ike means, but out of context, this line is so funny.

Also, for those of you who are wondering, this is Ike's reaction every time someone tries to set him up on a date.

Is this an unpopular opinion? Maybe it is. But I genuinely love Boyd's stupid Viking helmet and high fur collar. Also that custom-made axe? I named it Throwd.

That was a low blow, Boyd. I love how unamused Mist looks. She already knows he's about to say some dumb shit. I love Boyd, but he does have terminal foot-in-mouth disease, and he 100% deserved the smiting he got from Mist here.

Ike's growing exasperation with Oliver during this scene is so damn funny. I wish I had gotten the satisfaction of killing him, but unfortunately, Janaff swooped in to land the finishing blow before I could even get most of my units over the middle swamp.

I love Ike's genuine wonder during this scene. It's a nice callback to the base conversation with Devdan, where Devdan lectures Ike about slowing down to appreciate the simple pleasures of life, so that he doesn't get burnt out before the war even begins. Ike is a character who ultimately fights for the world and the people in it, because he genuinely cares. He's far from naive or optimistic, but his capacity for love, admiration, and respect for life is so wholesome. The horrors of war and the loss of his father initially makes this difficult for him, as he loses sight of anything but revenge, but Ike's journey is about ultimately remaining true to his character, even as he grows and matures.

I love how Sanaki phrases this: "You will resign yourself." It's clear to her that this is the last thing Ike wants, and doesn't bother to convince him that it's an honor.

Oh, Ike. Even as he resigns himself to receiving peerage, he cannot help but make his disdain for nobility crystal clear. This is another aspect of Ike I love so much. He absolutely despises the upper class, and he does not once try to hide it.

And that's the end of Day Breaks! I managed to get most of my A-team into second tier. I'll probably include an update of everybody's stats in the next post, since this is the halfway point of the game, and I want to get a sense of how close I am to achieving the goals that I set in the beginning.