#yessss love this op!!!!

[signed-sapphire]

7 year difference

Keep at it, and your skills will improve

[aminta]

like dr singh doesnt actually seem to feel any sort of remorse for the awful things he's helping put these kids through like he says to gus he doesn't wanna hurt any of them but he seemed awful cool with picking apart peters brains when it benefited him 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[timbourinedrake]

Curran Walters at mcm comic con!!! Yeah I'm definitely getting tickets now I NEED to meet him

[m3-kk]

Ancient Powers

I love Cales APs so much! He treats them so well and instead of choosing option 1: power boost them by making it so he can’t chat with them. He chooses to continue chatting and listening to their stories and treating them like they’re people not just powers to use for his own gain.

Cale never tells shit about all his powers, even to his allies, it’s so YESSSS! All his allies are so clueless about his limits and abilities and..

AHHH IMA SUCKER FOR CALE AND THIS BOOK OR WHATEVER IT IS UGHHH

His powers are so OP my brain just can’t wrap around it. AMD HE CAN IPGRADE THEM TOOO AND HE DOESNT?!? (I’m so glad he doesn’t tho I like the convos)

Hdosiskxjjdjskxjchdgjwma

[thegnomelord]

I silently make my way to your ask box, after days of reading your content like a lurker I'm. During these days I have made an oc, CoD self insert (With Monster AU variant and today I bombed my unwilling friend with Monster AU Makarov x Self insert brainrot, because I got succumbed to all cute courting hcs etc.) and started impulse One-shot. . Krhm. But in all seriousness. I love your way of writing, In your long fic about the Mage reader, while reading, I was talking to my friend how the picturing of the magic is so good, it's ugly, hard, dirty but damn is it powerful too yet not too op. I mostly returned to the as simple scene as the shower one in chap 2, usage of words and picturing how things tasted an looked like. Being on the edge in chap 1 and even before "the janitor" comes in, something tingles in my writer head "*Something is going to happen, I can feel it.*" That fic was one of the instanses I fell in love on your way of worldbuilding too. I accidentally found your Good dog fic first, as I was trying to find something from the tags for my own unholy projects. I notice the Male reader tag and despite my hope being drained after years, I click on it. And I was so glad I did. (On a note I'm in very bad brainrot train on that man, it took the edge off.) So, out of curiosity, my mind now given water after so long for being dehydreided, I decided to take a peek. And I ended up reading a lot, finding it so refreshing to also have a top reader. And I eventually found the Trans fics. I'm Pre-transition, ftm and the first time ever, a bloody fucking nsfw fic, (besides horny), makes me happy and content *with myself and my future.* And that's most sappy I will go but I told you this that your fics has also truly imbacted in some deeper way. Okay, back to lurking, but I will be going to some recommended blogs too, because I might just go and read all of your fics again. Also about time I remember to follow you. Keep up the good work and good luck on your studies. ✌️

Yessss another one joins to the monsterloving/ monsterfucking cult lol and honestly those impulsive one shorts are some of the best things ppl write lol.

And honestly you're making me grin like a mad man while I'm writing this :Dd Not to toot my own horn but I've had the worldbuilding of the HHABF universe for years lol and I love when magic is this nitty gritty thing that's more harmful than useful if you don't know how to use it lol. It feels great when people like my work but it's even better it impacts ppl in a deeper way than just 'oh yeah fap material' you know?

If you wanna check out some other of my moots there's @lieutnt who was the reason I got into writing myself because his work was so inspiring lol, then there's @rodolfoparras has some monster141 works and his old man Price is scrumptious, @embry-garrick has some trans fics too if I remember correctly and is a talented writer @fortheb0ys did some makarov fics too and they're great lol.

[kittyofalltrades]

Marc Bites

Marc decides to seize the day and display a little bit of cute aggression himself.

Word: 502

Warnings: love bites, fluff

Beta: myself I can't spell sorry

Marc had witnessed the entire interaction about cute aggression. It was something he hadn’t heard of either, but now that he’d seen it in action he was waiting his turn to bite you. His time didn’t come for almost two weeks because every time something biting worthy happened,Steven was fronting. But finally he’d caught you unawares and adorable.

Marc sat watching a movie with you, something about Special Ops soldiers in a jungle. He truly wasn’t paying attention to it, he was watching you. You were half hidden behind a giant squishmellow that Jake insisted on buying and it never failed to make him love you more when you cuddled the plush while watching something. When the time was right Marc leaned over and gently sank his teeth into your arm.

“What are you doing, Marc?” you asked in confusion, finally turning your eyes away from the screen.

“Cute aggression, babe. Didn’t you give Steven a whole lecture about it two weeks ago?” he asked with a toothy grin.

“Yessss, but I didn’t realize you were paying attention or that I’d have to worry about sneak attacks,” you told him while wiping traces of spit off your arm. “What did I do that was cute enough to bite me for?”

Marc wondered how to explain to you that it wasn’t a single thing but a combination of them. Since he couldn’t find the right words he just gestured at you.

“You just gestured at all of me,” you pointed out with an eye roll.

“Yes I did because it’s not one specific thing you did, but a combination of them. Picking a movie I know you’ve seen a million times, cuddling the squishmellow like a life preserver in the middle of the ocean, laughing at the lame jokes I keep telling about the movie, it’s everything babe. It’s just your existence in that moment that was cute enough for me to bite you,” Marc tried to explain.

You nodded because you understood, that’s how you felt about Steven when you bit him. After his explanation with almost no hesitation you flung the squishmellow away and lunged for him biting his shoulder through his shirt.

“Hey what are you doing?” he asked in shock.

“Same thing you just did. Cute aggression. You were being disgustingly cute and I had to do something about it,” you laughed.

“Gods I love you,” Marc said with a smile and pulled you to his chest.

“I love you too, now watch the movie,” you told him happily.

After a minute Marc finally took notice of what was on the screen and gave you an incredulous look. “Santiago Garcia looks an awful lot like me,” he pointed out.

The statement earned him a second bite and a laugh from the both of you. You loved this man with your whole heart and you were glad he’d found a fun way to express his positive emotions, even if it meant you were going to get bitten more often.

[myarcadiandream]

My commentary on The Sign Ep. 7

-Arts forbidden love situation with Kao is so sad

-my face during the contemporary art scenes. Yeaaaah they aren’t my thing I’m sorry.

-During the art exhibition Phaya should have been standing in the back hes so tall he’s blocking the view.

-why is Dr Cha Cha slide stILL HERE MAN GO HOME THIS IS A CRIME SCENE

-Doc is LEADING THE WITNESS. No doubt making him see things when he put a hand on Arts chest.

-why ARE WE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT AROUSAL IN FRONT OF THE INVESTIGATORS SALAD (side note I cannot get over how softly Tharn said Phayas name when he pushed him away from Doc)

-Doc is going for the THROAT man. He’s so smartly trying to discredit Phaya in both his personal and professional life.

-THIS CONVERSATION IN THE HALLWAY. someone needs to gif it now. Phaya is saying exactly what Tharn has been thinking. Phaya is braver than Tharn. He is verbally telling Tharn his fear of losing him. And Tharn just caves. There are literally tears in Tharns eyes

-I would answer any question Yai asked me in an interrogation room. I would say what he wanted to hear. Dude is fiiiiiine

-does Tharn look shorter to you? The height difference seems bigger

-please don’t touch the sex board please don’t touch the sex bo- his abilities are expanding?

-yo this convo after the interrogation is so on the nose 😅

-Tharns visions are so long now

-me thinks Tharn and Art are kindred spirits

-phaya: “I have a surprise for you” Tharn: 👀👀

-NAMAMI

-Grandma : “tell me has he ever done something funny to you?” Yeah i mean they punched eachother in the face

-Phaya just has a fucking unicorn in his art studio?

-POOL POOL POOL

-they left Billy’s beauty mark on his eyelid alone. YESSSS

-KISS KISS KISS

-Again with the purple lighting Saint CMON

-oh I cannot wait for the GIFS of this scene

-you know it’s Tharns fantasy bc Phayas got a vice grip on his neck and they’re in the shower.

-ope and we’ve slipped into Phayas fantasy. So soft.

-SHOULDER KISSES

-NO NEXT EPISODE IS THE DROWNING EPISODE NO

-But also ready for all the angst tbh

[half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk]

Louk's Bad Batch rewatch part 9 batchersss

Let's do it 🤟

The Bad Batch 1x05

"I get my own comm device?" she's so excited and it's so big on her lil arm 🥺🤲

Wrecker working out with Gonky

Echo: "the jedi trusted him" Tech: "the jedi who are all dead" bro 💀 I mean he has a point but still

dad batch telling Omega her comm isn't a toy...

*2 seconds later* Omega sneaking off to use her comm as a toy 😂

Echo and Hunter mom and dad going through the rules with Omega

(fun fact my mum knows their rules because I say them to her lmao)

Tech's reaction to seeing Cid's place is literally "charming 👀" oml he's roasting her before he even meets her I love him sm

the two guys Ahsoka set free !!! on Oba diah !!!

Hunter: 'who is Cid?' Echo: 'I literally have no idea' 💀

Tech: "that would've been information to share earlier" brooo his sass level as at an all time high this ep 👑

TURN AROUND RN BOYS ITS NOT WORTH IT

Omega is so smart fr 💕

Echo mom grabbing Omega's hand before she touches the sharp thingy

CID WHY TF DO YOU HAVE CLONE HELMETS IN YOUR STUPID LITTLE OFFICE LIKE THEYRE DECORATIONS

I don't hate a lot of star wars characters, but Cid is definitely one of them now ngl

DONT DO IT BOYS IT'S A TRAP

Wrecker and Omega high five 💕💕💕💕

Cid called Wrecker "it" I'm- 😡

Wreckers headaches are getting worse 🥲🙃

I know someone has spoken about this before but I just cannot get over the way Omega hugs her little clone doll when she finds out some people are sold and treated like property 😭💔 it's like poetry but not the nice kind

Omega: "poor Muchi she looks scared" 🤲

another fun fact my dad says this all the time hehe oops (no my parents have not seen tbb)

oop Hunter dad told Omega to stay on the ship

shhh they're sneaking 🤫

I MISS THEM SO BAD THEYRE DOING MISSION THINGS LIKE "Echo, sitrep" idk it just feels so tcw I'm emotional 🥲

Wrecker hits his head count: 5

Hunter and Tech got the zappy net oop

Omega: "now she's a bad batcher" screaming, crying, kicking my feet, throwing myself across the room

Omega always calls for Hunter first 🥺

STOP ZAPPING OUR BOYS 😡

Wrecker trying to comfort the lil green baby 🥲

Tech's dramatic sigh count: 583

Omega has the brain cell this ep fr

THE TALKING WITHOUT WORDS GETS ME EVERY FREAKING TIME I SWEAR

ew get ur crusty feral slaver ass outta here, skug

lmao Echo shouting to Omega like 'we are unarmed pls arm us' 😂

WAIT I saw someone posting about this, if anyone knows what I'm talking about pls tag the op or something please !! but they were talking about how Echo seems so willing to work with Omega in the field, like he trusts her despite her being a child, possibly because he'd worked alongside Ahsoka as a child, like for him it's normal to work with a child soldier. so while the rest of the batch are like ??? how to talk to babies ??? Echo is giving her battlefield instructions and gives her a bit more 'freedom' (for lack of a better word) in the field

lmao Wrecker's way of distracting the guards is to take out some guy's ankles 💀

"I wasn't sneaking... I was unlocking" YESSSS OMEGAAAA 🥰💕👑🙌

screwdriver hand go brrr

Echo: "the rancor is Muchi???" 🤨🙃 poor baby just needs a nap fr

okay but Hunter just throws Echo's pack at him from like 10ft away 💀 then Wrecker immediately throws him his helmet 👀 yes I watched it multiple times 🤫

Echo again !! he straight up volunteers to take Omega with him 💕

Tech is an ipad kid

OMEGA GRABBING THE LITTLE GREEN BABY'S HAND 🥺

get them Muchi !! tear those slavers apart !!! (insert evil Nimona face)

Wrecker's big nod to slide his helmet over his face properly teehee

Wrecker hits his head count: 6

Hunter grabbing the whip. Hunter grabbing the whip. Hunter grabbing the whip. Hunter grabbing the-

do not ask me how many times I've watched this scene... just don't

but the answer is yes

anyway back to being normal lmao

Omega finding her laser bow 🙌 !!! + Echo mom calling aftet her lololol

Muchi thrashed that slaver pet fr

Wrecker: 'challenge accepted' *fights rancor*

Bib Fortuna and the guards for the ot vibes 🥰

Omega riding Muchi !!! very Fett of her hehe

"I'm good with secrets" yeah and I'm good at going to bed before 3am 🙄 pfft good with secrets my ass Ciddarin 😠

tysm for joining again friends 💕 I actually meant to post this yesterday but I fell asleep oopsie

but I'm running out of time lolol so I'm gonna have to watch a few eps a day now !!

who else is terrified for s3 👀

It's almost 3am and these are the only 2 pics I can find from this ep 🥲 feel free to reblog and add more 💕

[signanothername]

A number nine for the rb bots please

Ooooh yessss

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

I already loved all of them from the beginning, but the scenes that just made me go “i will fucking die for you” are these

Heatwave: s1 ep2 “Under pressure”

I think the scene that immediately made me love HW so damn much is when he and Kade were on their way to the intersection in the mines under GR to stop the lava from reaching Cody

And before they could reach the intersection there was a wall of rocks in their path, Kade freaks out (rightfully so) cause he thinks they won’t be able to go through to save his lil bro, then comes HW asking Kade to get back in his cabin, HW then proceeds to drive as fast as he can to smash through said wall

What genuinely matters to me tho is the moment after, when Kade asks how he knew it would work, and HW’s reply? “I didn’t”

So HW did something that he knew had a 50% chance of working and a 50% chance of it ending with him probably really hurt, yet he did it anyway

And not only did he get Kade’s respect, but mine too <3333

———

Boulder: s1 ep8 “walk on the wild side”

The entirety of episode 8 has been an absolute delight to watch, it gives us an amazing insight to Boulder’s personality and how he perceives things, but the scene that just gave Boulder a special little place in my heart is the very last scene in that episode when Cody gives him the plant

It’s super short but it’s such a wholesome scene that made my heart melt and Boulder’s enthusiasm after taking the plant will forever be integrated into my heart ugh i love this soft boi sm 😭❤️🌷✨

The way his curiosity and gentleness shines in such a short moment is just chchvjvjvjjvjv

———

Chase: s1 ep16 “Rules and regulations”

That entire episode is a love letter to all Chase fans (including me) it had such an amazing plot line and it gave us a situation in which Chase is on his own to deal with what could be an emergency, yet it also gives us an insight in which Chase’s obsession with rules might be a dividing factor between him and the team

But it was really interesting to see how Chase would handle contradictory commands, cause he has to deal with 2 orders, Charlie’s order to not follow them to Griffin Crest under any circumstance, and Heatwave’s order to go anyway after Cody’s call

And so Chase ends up following HW’s command of going, but the moment they reach the border Chase stops completely per Charlie’s command

Idk that entire episode is just dhhxhxhhxh i love it sm

———

Blades: s1 ep3 “Hotshots”

This episode made me have so much respect for Blades, especially when Blades is hit by lightning and loses control and his ability to fly

Blades’ routers are literally in his legs and you can tell how badly damaged they are by simply looking at them, so now when he’s in bot mode his legs are hurting and you can hear it in his voice, it becomes quite and meek, compared to his usual energetic and loud voice, the way he speaks also changes and he speaks a lot slower too, it was painful to see him in that state

And what does the amazing boi do? He literally climbs a cliff to get Cody and Dani on a higher ground away from the flames, he literally does it while really hurt

Then you realize how severe the damage is not only to his legs but to Blades himself when he tells Cody and Dani that not only did he lose the ability to transform, but to move entirely

It’s like LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT- the boi literally is severely hurt yet he does his job as a rescue bot with zero complaint IM-

Just respect, so much respect man I love him so much 😭❤️🌷✨

———

Hightide: s3 ep18 “Turning the tide”

His entire episode is easily a one way ticket to loving this grandpa fr, but I think the scene that melted my heart and gave Hightide a special little warm place in it is the very last scene in the episode when he tells OP the rescue bots “got the right stuff”

But the exact moment is when he specifically compliments Blades just HDVDHDJSJJSHD

Like i want you to understand that we see Hightide treating anxiety induced Blades very roughly for the entire episode, and while he treated everyone the same, his focus was almost solely on Blades, and while I completely understood that HT wasn’t simply an asshole doing it for no actual reason, I was still ready to throw hands if he didn’t at least acknowledge Blades’ effort into doing his job

Then you have HT specifically adressing Blades’ (and only Blades’) efforts at the end of the episode and that’s why I’m now obsessed with Dadtide and Blades <33333

———

Quickshadow: S4 ep4 “Plus one”

This woman immediately found a spot in my heart the moment i saw her, but the scene that just made me go yep that’s ma girl is when she basically tells HW his stance is bad wheeze

The thing is, QS is great at insulting people without actually insulting them/ appearing polite while doing so, and damn do i want her social skills hcchchhc

The way everyone was so damn shocked when she insulted HW was priceless, no one stands up to HW most of the time and they especially don’t mess with him, yet here you have QS doing what everyone else fears to do chuchchchc

———

Blurr: S3 ep 22 “A new hero”

Oh my god that scene when he took the Sigma back to intercept the falling satellite there was a 50% chance his reckless (as always the boi has to be reckless <333) decision was gonna get him killed

The way Blurr is adamant to save GR and how he’d even joke by saying that he wouldn’t have to face HW after Boulder tells him he might get killed, only for HW himself to try and talk Blurr out if it only for Blurr to pull a “oh I can’t hear you! bad communication!!!”

ALL THIS, is before he even became an official rescue bot mind you, he literally didn’t even have the rescue bots insignia on at that point

Needless to say, it’s one of my favorite scenes not only of Blurr but in the entirety of the show <3333

Leaving the entire scene hear in video form rather than gif cause it deserves spotlight

———

Salvage: s3 ep20

Honestly Salvage is the type of character that immediately finds its place in your heart and that’s how it was for me, but I believe the scene that just made me go HHDHDBZJBDJZJSHZJSHJSJS is when Blurr’s BS is revealed as a lie and Salvage remembers what actually happened on their own ship

You see how hurt Salvage is over it, but just how he immediately forgives Blurr afterwards? I just- AAAAAAAHHHHDBJDJXBXJJDJDH I LOVE THIS KIND BIG HEARTED BOI SM

The way he says “but even so…” his tone is still hurt but he just can’t seem to truly hate Blurr for it, like, Salvage had every right to beat the living spark outta Blurr right then and there, and I don’t think anyone would’ve blamed him for it, but he doesn’t, he just immediately forgives Blurr and it’s just so wholesome and it gives you an insight on how big hearted and forgiving he is <333333

Have I mentioned how much I love Salvage’s and Blurr’s relationship???? Cause it’s such an amazing and unique take on a broken friendship in need of repair and i fucking love seeing Blurr and Salvage and their moments together <333

———

Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed rambling dbdbbdhdh

Character asks

[ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask]

Fred leaned against the bar, his armor blending with the darkened neon hues of the seedy spaceport tavern. He had come to meet an informant but found himself sidetracked by the stories of a scruffy fellow at the bar, nursing a drink and fidgeting with a lockpick. "York, right?" Fred asked, extending a hand, his voice even, betraying only a hint of curiosity. "That’s me," York replied, his grin lopsided. "And you're one of Halsey's kids, Spartan-104, right?"

"Guilty," Fred admitted, taking a seat next to him. "Heard you were part of something similar. Project Freelancer, wasn’t it?"

York's eyes lit up, a spark of pride flaring briefly. "Yeah, that was a ride. You know, Church running the show, me getting into places I wasn't supposed to... Good times, till it wasn’t."

Fred chuckled softly. "Sounds familiar. So, what brings a former Freelancer to a dump like this?"

"Keeping skills sharp," York said, waving his lockpick. "Turns out there's a decent market for a guy who can crack any system and sneak past any security. Not the hero type stuff your squad does, but it pays the bills.

"As the conversation flowed, Fred found York’s demeanor disarmingly relatable. They shared tales of misadventures, close calls, and the peculiar challenge of keeping up with their respective partners' pace.

"You've got a speedster too, huh?" Fred asked, recalling York’s earlier mention of someone named Carolina. "Yeah, Carolina. She’s always three steps ahead, literally and figuratively," York said with a wistful smile. "Keeps me on my toes."

"Kelly’s the same. Fastest Spartan on record. I spend half my time trying to keep up," Fred shared, his tone mixed with admiration and a hint of exasperation.

The evening wore on with more stories and shared laughter. Their camaraderie was instant and effortless, two soldiers from different worlds finding common ground.

"Ever miss it? The old days?" Fred inquired as they ordered another round.

"Sometimes," York confessed. "But then I remember the chaos, the backstabbing... I don’t miss that. Seems like you Spartans got a better deal. At least you look out for each other."

"We do," Fred agreed. "It’s what keeps us sane."

As they talked, it was clear they were cut from the same cloth—both warriors sidelined from their original paths, making the best of the hand dealt to them. "Listen, if you ever need a hand, or just want to run a crazy op for old time’s sake…" York started, his tone half-joking, half-serious.Fred smiled, clapping York on the shoulder. "I’ll keep that in mind. Spartans and Freelancers—sounds like a comic book team-up."

"Or a disaster," York laughed, raising his glass. "To new friends and old ghosts.""To not going at it alone," Fred toasted back.

Yessss this was amazing! I love them together. They would be the best bros, just hanging out and killing bad guys.

Loving this run more with every new chapter!

[technovillain]

re: psychonauts 3, i'd love a game thats more focused on missions. while the setup of "raz doing shit around the main location and going into people's minds" is cool, i really like the good ol spy razzle-dazzle. the casino mission was such a fun game segment i want more of that. especially now that raz is an actual psychonaut, we could have more missions also i 100% second that co-op idea someone had, i'd love for the side characters to have more time to shine. also obligatory: OTTO MIND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I AM A DELIRIOUS OTTO MENTALLIS FAN I NEED TO STUDY THIS MAN UNDER A MICROSCOPE

YESSSS I SO AGREE esp on the missions part!!! I would love a lot more focus spent outside of the mind levels...like I do get that that is what Psychonauts is "about" but it's also about secret agents!!!! I agree I really really loved the casino mission segment and the cool screen effects they did that were like somewhere between cutscene and gameplay with the interns they were soooo cool.... I still stand by more interns/junior Psychonauts as a group figuring things out on real-world missions leading into just a few going into a brain at a time would be soooo cool.

Also you're so right, saying what we're all thinking. Everyone in the fandom needs Otto brain level soooo bad I need to know what is wrong with that old man so bad okay

[toastsnaffler]

Would love to hear ur thoughts on Hades game sometime because I too loved but had beef with the game and I think we are the same ….

yessss, disclaimer I haven't played it for like 3 years and I only played 10 hours/got to the end once before I dropped it so i might be misremembering some things but I stick by my opinions! under the cut cuz this is long as fuck 🫣 my haterism has no limits

ok so basically my grievances w hades can be split into 2 main areas: gameplay + narrative, I'll break them down in that order.

firstly gameplay - roguelikes/lites are my fave genre so I was predominantly approaching hades from this angle + its failure here is the clincher for me.

I found the gameplay repetitive and stale. this isnt a criticism of its permadeath like ive seen some ppl make - I usually relish repetition/grind especially in permadeath-based games bc I find tactical challenge fun + love the learning curve, its soooo rewarding. but hades is ultimately just a glorified button masher. mob/boss movesets are boring + unoriginal, and can generally all be fought the same way. trying to do otherwise drags out fights; it actively discourages emergent gameplay so theres little variance WITHIN runs. the pool of rooms for procedural generation is far too small so theres little variance BETWEEN runs. there's no real challenge to combat, difficulty is mainly increased by heightened mob tankiness as you get further in a run. movement/combat doesn't flow well, its mechanically very weak, relying heavily on its permanent upgrade system instead of developing skill in the way you approach the game. all the weapons feel clunky and don't really offer any unique challenge/benefit so theres virtually no point switching between them and the grind to unlock them all is so pointless… god there are just SOOO many hack n slash crawlers that keep it fresh even for hundreds of hours and hades fails miserably at keeping it fresh for even 5 measly hours :^/

I didnt like the boon system either - its far too simplistic + shallow. its fine to rely on chance, this is part of the random generation, and I think it had a lot of potential in that it was a good way of combining aesthetic w gameplay itself. but this is pretty much the only form of resource management - and theres barely any management to it! theres no reward for exploring different builds, they dont really synergise BETWEEN gods in interesting or useful ways, so the game encourages you to just stick with one god throughout, and biases random generation towards boons youve already collected. part of the fun for me is learning HOW to design a build, and working with the randomiser to play flexibly, but hades just isnt interested in that at all...

also - I don't like the permanent upgrade system, I think this detracts from it as a rogue. every time you should be starting on square 1 - maybe you pick up health upgrades etc throughout each run, and maybe you unlock new weapons etc for the random generation pool, or purely cosmetic upgrades, but the point of permadeath is that it RESETS! zags base health + dmg should be the same 50 hours into the game as when u first open it. make a different genre of game if u dont wanna do that lol. I also think IF youre going to say fuck it and add a permanent upgrade system, you should also add unlockable permanent biome shortcuts bc ur just making it boring as fuck to have to waste time grinding thru earlier biomes with unskippable combat once youre op for them.

I GET that they did this to make the game more accessible* to players who dont typically enjoy rogues, but it just makes it really disappointing for those of us who DO love rogues, and it always feels cheap to me when games are like "well of you want challenge then set the difficulty yourself with these modifiers 🙄" like just make the base difficulty TOUGH up front and then add an easy/story mode and accessibility features* for players who don't want the challenge.. if you're gonna call yourself a rogue the gameplay should be the PRIORITY not a throwaway option

one of my biggest peeves with hades is how people now laud it as one of the best rogues - whenever I mention I like the genre I almost always get asked "oh, like hades?" and it pisses me off so much… its a rogueLITE not roguelike, ie. it has rogue ELEMENTS but its not a true one and imo, it does a pretty shit job implementing them! I would have a lot less resentment towards it if it wasnt marketed as the forefront of the rogue genre - frankly its a very basic rogue with very mid gameplay, its characters/design are by FAR its strong point and it should be sold as such. its misleading and makes me sad that this is what most people think of when they hear rogue :-(

*(side note - accessibility in this game is another major flaw. theres really no excuse for a game as popular as this to be so lacking in accessibility options. allow people to bind keys together or use coloured outlines or have colourblindness settings or alter font/text size etc - its not that hard! dead cells did a great job of this lol)

anyway... moving onto my second criticism - narratively, its also unsatisfying.

the hades plot is, loosely, about a cycle of abuse, so the 2 natural directions to go in with this are either: #1: escaping the cycle, or #2: continuing it forever.

#2 is the easiest to do with a rogue format - bc of permadeath the game is already cyclical, so all you have to do is create an ending which loops perfectly back to the start (smth like 'its impossible to truly defeat/reconcile with his father so even after zag beats him, hades drags him back to the start again). obviously this is a miserable story to tell, but tbh I think it wouldve been interesting + fitting - so much of greek mythos is about cycles and the unchanging nature of the gods, and they LOVED eternal cyclical punishments. plus theres smth rly tragic about zag gradually helping everyone else while no one else can save him from his family LOL

#1 is a bit harder to do - this is the story they WANTED to tell but I just don't think it worked… the driving force plot-wise is his desperation to escape. realistically for this to happen the game needs to be finite, which it can't be due to its rogue nature - somehow you have to end up at the very start again. the main solutions I can think of for this are:

a) after the final boss, insert some time travel shenanigans (easy to fit into the worldbuilding using a character like kronos) and all of zags progress with hades is unspooled. this can be completely out of his control, or it could be a choice the player makes (to end the game here or choose to go back and relive zags past in order to progress npc questlines). eg. what happens in dead cells. again, tragic but it makes more sense to me

-or b) bite the bullet and give the game a completely finite ending after beating hades. if players want to go back and play more to complete other npc questlines, they pick up play from before they beat hades. this isnt explained "narratively" bc the plot is already concluded and now theyre just playing for fun (eg. what going under does)

I also think for a character-focused story-rich game, roguelite was a really terrible choice of genre as it locks every interaction behind pure chance and hours of grinding - just really baffling why they decided to do this, especially when theyve had such success previously making games within different genres (transistor, bastion, pyre). the core of the issue for me is that the devs wanted to create a game that was both story rich AND a rogue - and these things arent mutually exclusive, but the best features of each contradict each other when you try to balance them in a way to appease their respective fans (ie. the challenge/complexity of the gameplay is heavily restricted by keeping it easy for ppl unfamiliar with rogues to pick up, but the strength of the narrative arc is simultaneously weakened by the fact that as a rogue it has to be perpetual bc of permadeath + you're working with procedural generation…)

I'm not going to beef with the artstyle or music bc I rly loved them both (even if I wish the body diversity was better!), or with the interpretations of greek gods bc literally every piece of media abt greek mythos has to decide how to interpret them and I think its silly to be like "this isnt CANON" - since we actually dont HAVE a strict "canon" for many of these stories bc theyve been retold/translated in so many conflicting ways lol. I've just heard ppl complaining abt that and I dont think its worth complaining about 🤷‍♀️

ANYWAY tl;dr: hades should've been an action-heavy isometric metroidvania… it wouldve made it far easier to focus on character questlines (ie. with respawn points + a fixed map), unified the story they wanted to tell with the gameplay SO much more effectively, and allowed them to reach the full potential of both, whilst also playing up to supergiant's previous game-making strengths. but thats my 2 cents!

[cheezitofthevalley]

Some of my favorite reblog tags/comments

Your tags are my breakfast.

#YAYYYYYYY cocomelon blast

#YES YESS TYYY #will put some of these on my spacehey profile hell yesss

#YESS YAYY YESSSS !!!!!!!!

#putting these all on my blog POSTHASTE. thank you sm op

#yummy yummy in my tummy

#I have so many of these saved but omg someone found more

#YESYESYES

#FAVE

#GOLDFISHH!!!!! so neat..... #sent to me :-)

#I love them...

#FUCK YEAH THE TALKING HEADS ONE

#OH MY GOD FINALLY FOUND A TALKING HEADS BLINKIE #FALLS TO MY KNEES

oh fuckin hell yes

#SEEING MY OWN BLINKIES OUT IN THE WILD SDJFIOGSJDIOFGJSDOFG

#i want to eat all of these

#OUUUUU

#yeeeeessssss

#GUHHGHFH COUGH COUHT

#<333 #i lauve fish so so much <333

#ahh ao wonderful

and lastly, people having a meetup in my tags:

[ayumitsuu]

Ayu plays FE4 (Gen 1 - Chp. 0-5)

Just some thoughts and screenshots I had while playing. Not necessarily an in-depth story walkthrough.

Prologue: Birth of the Holy Knight

Sigurd = Mega Chad

Alec x Noish = cute <3

Arden is da man

Um, Siggy? Does a 14-year-old really need real war exp?

ETHLYN X QUAN, YES 😍

AZELLE X LEX, YESSSS 💗

Arvis kinda a jerk... thx for the Silver Sword tho

Read more if you wish! Spoilers ahead!

Chapter 1: Girl of the Spirit Forest

Oh no, a bandit. Whatever shall I do? *woe is me*

Oof, aren't you that OP hottie taking all the castles from here to Jungby?

P-pretty lady... *Siggy brain go BRRRR*

Dayum. Love confession on the second meeting? This man clearly has not read any WEBTOONs.

This is titled "baddies reveal evil plot.PNG" Naga, Manfroy talks a lot...

Chapter 2: Disturbance in Agustria

In what world could you ever compete with my gurl Lach? Don't you EVER disrespect her again, you utter buffoon.

Setup to get the Elite Ring on Lachesis while preventing the triplets from ruining all your plans.

This one is titled "Lewyn rizz.PNG" but I think I missed the part I wanted. After this he says something like, "jk, you're the most beautiful just as you are."

"Eldigan is dumb.PNG" This move made absolutely no sense to me and seemed completely against Eldigan's ideals of justice and protecting the common people.

Chapter 3: Eldigan, the Lionheart

"tell him Lach.PNG" Knock some sense into your blockhead (hot) brother.

DESTROY HIM FFFFFFF 🤬

Chapter 4: Dance in the Skies

"one man holding up army.PNG" Sir, can you please MOVE????!!!??

Everyone was blaming themselves but this man was singlehandedly responsible for the tragedy at Silesse.

No thanks, I hate him. Step on a LEGO, Andrei.

Chapter 5: Doors of Destiny

*squints* Navarre...? Is that you?

YOU PROMISED!!! YOU SWORE IT!!!!!

*cries violent projectile tears*

*uncontrollable sobbing*

*deceases*

......no comment, Arvis. SHUT UP, MANFROY.

No, no, no... *Beloved One plays*

Game: *keeps going after Chp. 5*

Me, shooketh, heart shattered to pieces: W-wha... what just happened... *tears flow unbidden*

[placeinthemiddleofnowhere]

i LOVE your rocky start fanfic! I keep coming back to it although it is completed! It’s weird because I always feel anxiety reading it all over again, only because me and Sneak are literally exact replicas. I can actually relate to a character, and it makes me feel amazing inside! 💓 thank you so much for coming out with this fanfic and taking the time to write this. As a person who plans to work in spec ops myself, I will definitely have this story saved for life! 😭 I read somewhere that you will possibly make this into a publishable novel one day, and I will be one of the firsts to purchase it. I really look forward if maybe one day, you release a book two of Sneak and König in Austria! As well when she returns to work! Once again, thank you for writing this masterpiece. It really gives me a sense of comfort :3

Sweet anon 💕😭 you’re so welcome

Tbf even after writing it I’ll be like oh no sweet babies, don’t get yourselves in trouble 😓 whenever I do a reread haha

It literally never occurrs to me that anyone who’s actually involved with the forces reads this stuff and then I get reminders and I’m like 😳 oh no they can see me sexualising them and writing inaccurate scenarios 😂

Yessss I super do want to turn it publishable, glad to know that I’ve got a wee supporter ready to buy it! It will mean making it 3rd person and turning Sneak into more of an actual character with physical traits etc. i think more than likely I’ll change the scenario up a bit but their personalities and relationship dynamic and how they bond will be pretty similar

Thank you for the kind words 🥰

[xoteajays]

yessss, please tell me all about rikaine, i love her already !! ( and as i’ve said i think she and my girls lark and star would be besties <3 )

hope you’re doing well, love !! <3

yayyy it's the attention i wanted agsghfsjfjkl so rikaine is her surname, koi is her first name. it's another surname first situation with op. (let lark and koi duet jolly sailor bold so sanji and zoro can collectively lose their minds about it. star and koi 🤝 being hot redhead zoro ships) i'm doing well, thank you! ♡♡

to get the smaller details out of the way: she's a zoro ship, is a half-mermaid, she doesn't have a devil fruit power but does have merfolk abilities, like being a very fast swimmer, breathing underwater, and talking to fish.

okay, so, let's start with her parents. her father is pirate captain rikaine colt. he began his piracy career as a pre-teen, years before gold roger's death. he started out as a powder monkey and eventually worked his way up to captain after he and his crew mutinied against their original captain. to say the least, colt was very charismatic. later, as captain, he met koi's mother, esmarie, a mermaid with a fascination for humans. (esmarie is way more little mermaid coded than koi).

esmarie and colt were never married or anything, but they did have an affection for each other. after koi was born, esmarie was a very hands-off parent, she loved her daughter but loved her freedom more. that didn't bother koi too much since she had her father. colt loved his daughter more than anything. koi probably had the best childhood of all the straw hats tbh. she grew up on - and in the ocean around - her father's ship. just imagine this big pirate dude carrying around a tiny merchild. the crew also adored koi. they rigged up a machine on the side of the ship to lift koi from the water easier; they made a game of throwing her back into the ocean and cheering when she did a flip or a perfect dive. the crew was as much family to koi as they were to colt. they do all try to keep koi out of the pirate stuff though.

all was fine and dandy until koi was about 15. colt's ship was overtaken by the legendarily cruel pirate captain blacktide (real name, lyne tydell). blacktide's own ship was on the way to being totally destroyed after a battle and he intended to take someone else's ship. there was little colt could do when blacktide came aboard and demanded he cede his captaincy; this is because of blacktide's devil fruit, the ubau ubau no mi (or yoink yoink fruit in english), which allows him to take aspects from people and keep them in a physical bottle. when colt initially faltered, one of his crewmates tried to stand up for him and blacktide took his eyes, leaving him completely blind. to protect the rest of his crew, colt handed over his captaincy and ship to blacktide.

of course, there was no time to tell koi any of this and when she came aboard, she was swiftly captured by blacktide. he wanted to keep her as a prize and trophy, as a faux show of wealth to play like the rich people who would spent millions on mermaids. it quickly became obvious how important koi is to the crew though and blacktide decided he could use her as a tool to keep them in line. years later, when koi is closer to 17/18 (maybe older? idk if the la ages are the same as the manga/anime), blacktide discovered rumors of a mutiny amongst the original crew and chose to punish koi to punish the crew; he took her tail. the ubau ubau power is a painful process and koi lists it as one of the worst agonies she's ever experienced. it breaks her father's heart.

colt begs one of his original crewmates, luz, to take koi and free her somewhere far from blacktide's reaches. though initially hesitant, luz eventually agrees and takes koi in the night when everyone else is asleep.

this is where it gets a lil hazy for me. i'm not fully committed to how koi meets the straw hats, but what i have going so far is: luz leaves her on the shores of orange town, it's dark so they don't know that the city is in ruins. by daybreak, koi is discovered and captured by buggy's crew. she plays at being a part of his crew, but he doesn't really have a part for her in his 'show', so she's mainly kept in the back. she was supposed to be keeping an eye on zoro and nami to make sure they don't escape while buggy deals with luffy. she stays hidden from them until she hears cabaji coming and rushes to stop nami from getting caught picking her lock. when zoro, nami and luffy are fighting buggy, she tries to free the orange town citizens but they're too scared to run.

when the straw hats are leaving, she begs asks to come with them. nami and zoro are originally going to say no, but luffy being luffy is of course like 'more the merrier' and lets her come along. as they set off, she explains to them all about her past and luffy is all the more insistent to help her get her tail back.

bonus: blacktide and luz! i cannot find a usable colt fc to save my life.