ubormaci - Tumblr blog

[ubormaci]

WIP shot of an illustration I've been trying to stitch together of my main OC, Dreadnought.

(The placeholder background used is an image created by Emily Hancock, downlodaded from her ArtStation. (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/0XQNNE))

[ubormaci]

So today I sat down to write a comprehensive list of the wizard-games I played and how well they fulfilled my wishes of wizardry, ending with this ranking you see.

As this lacks the precedings, here are some of my explanations/justifications without which it would be easily questionable:

The main thing I was looking for was games which contained spells that were unique and versatile. A rule of thumb I used was that I was looking for spells which couldn't be described as 'deal x type of damage' or 'affect x stat'. My favorite example would be Water Walking from Morrowind: it's such a simple spell, it really feels like something wizards would have thought up as a small thing to help themselves.

Of course, the general gameplay also played part in my ranking; anotherr thing that influenced placement was how easy/common using magic was in a given game: most games with restrictive mana (Dishonored 1&2, Baldur's Gate 3) had that as a large negative from the start. It needs to be mentioned that in the case of Skyrim and Morrowind I circumvented this restriction, adding some, frankly unreasonable, magicka regeneration. (As soon as I used up some magicka it filled back up, is the speed I'm talking about.)

There are also some games here which are not very outwardly wizard-y: Cruelty Squad, Supraland, Control, Prey, etc. The explanation is that for all these games, I was looking more at the actual effects; it doesn't really matter wether it's called a spell or a superpower. Prey's mimicry skill is one of my favorites from the entire list, and it could fit in any fantasy game as some form of polymorphism.

With these explanations done, let's get onto the placements themselves:

Dishonored 2 is at first place because its spells are well-integrated, provide interesting interaction with the world, and generally it's my favorite to play, it's immersive sim derived aspects helping to enhance the feelings of versatility. The 1st and 2.5 are also high up, but the second one is my favorite because it has the largest selection of spells, with the only negative being the limited mana supply.

In A tier I put the two large CRPGs I played through, DOS2 and BG3, since both of them contain a lot of spells, but most of them are boring, with few of them being usable outside of battle/in interesting ways. (Notable ones include Teleport, Nether Swap, Invisibility, Speak with Animals/Dead, Feather Fall.) Prey was also put here because of . . . mostly mimicry, and, like with Dishonored, the feeling of versatility that is delivered by the environment that has been created to host an immersive sim: a lot of the games further down the list are there because they fail in this regard, such as Skyrim and Morrowind just feeling very static. (I do understand the limitations that led to this, but still.) (Control was also put there because it has the best flying in any video game I've ever played, and a telekinesis that is very satisfying due to the environment's reactivity.)

In B tier is Deathloop because its spells are more boring than Dishonored's (and I just don't like it as much), Skyrim and Morrowind which have boring spells and boring combat and little reactivity/versatility but still feel somewhat good due to their large open world; Cruelty Squad, which is an unorthodox pick, but particularly the grappling hook implant and it's equivalent of Dishonored's "Dark Vision" made it fit, I think. It doesn't really have spells, per se, but the implants themselves are enough.

Two other games which are less well known are Tenderfoot Tactics and Moonring: the former is an open world, in which you play as a rowing band of goblins trying to rid it of a magical fog. Magic is only used in battle, and even there, it is almost exclusively in the form of damage spells, but the thing that made it special is the environmental manipulation the entire game is built on top of: almost every spell either raises or lowers elevation, and you have to constantly keep it in mind. Moonring (which is completely free on Steam, by the way, 100% with no microtransactions or DLC of any kind) is a retro, open world RPG: imagine Pixel Dungeon and you wouldn't be far away. (I've seen it compared to older Ultima's, but I haven't played those, so alas.) It has a unique magic/spell system, but it's held back by its stingy mana system. (Some standout spells include: puppet, making an enemy mimic the player's movements, traps in the form of a poison trap/exploding doll, teleporting but being blinded.)

In C tier and lower are the games which I rarely actually want to play: Supraland is a linear puzzle game, while Wildermyth just became boring for me pretty quickly. EYE is a campaign based game which I enjoy the idea more of than what it actually is; the spells are cool though. (A very good video on the game; I recommend watching even if you never intend to play it.)

In D tier are Noita and Wizard of Legend: I played the former for 20 minutes, the latter for 5 hours, but I like neither of them. I am aware of Noita's depth, but it doesn't appeal to me: it's "godmode" endgame I find excessive, and, as previously stated, it is full of spells that are different flavors of damage. (I am oversimplifying it, I know; sorry Noita players. (And yes, I am aware of the alchemy system, environemntal reactivity, secret bosses/areas. They don't change the core of my issue.)) It's just too focused on combat for my taste, same for Wizard of Legend: all the spells are just . . . damage. I don't find them wizard-y at all. (And yes, I've been aware of the start of how subjective of a ranking that is; that didn't stop me from making this list.)

In E is Super Grave Snatchers, which is a necromantic arcade-style game; it is centered on combat, spells have little versatility, and it got boring for me fast.

And in F tier is Hogwarts Legacy, a bit of a joke placement (but also not).

[ubormaci]

Made a quick alignment chart from among the self inserts from the Oops, All Self-Inserts Project. (You've probably heard of it by now, but it's that *teeny tiny* project in which 30 writers reincarnate into MHA the day the first years receive their admittance letters; my own part of it is Eating My Friends, following Tamaki Amakiji.)

(The dominoes are a joke, referring to the fic containing the interludes called "And So the Dominoes Fall".)

[ubormaci]

I'm on a roll lately: here's another edit for Eating My Friends, this time a quick peek at Chapter 7, wherein Tamaki updates his hero costume.

The base for this one was this masterful edit by u/stark46192 on reddit, which I combined with Tamaki's anime design. I really like the end result, though I always have to specifiy that the barely concealed Batman logo and the swords poking out from behind his cape are just remnants from the original, and not actually additions to his costume.

(What is Eating My Friends, you may ask? It's a self insert fic starring Tamaki Amajiki as the main character as part of the Oops, All Self-Inserts project, in which 30 writers are reincarnated into My Hero Academia the day class 1-A receive their admittance letters. 6 chapters have been published so far, with the latest one detailing the aftermath of the heavily altered USJ.)

[ubormaci]

In Chapter 6, of the gigantic Oops, All Self-Inserts collaboritve writing project (featuring 30 writers being reincarnated into My Hero Academia on the day the first years receive their admission letters) there was a meeting held between some of the central figures, where they shared information and planned for the future. (Members of which were depicted here.)

How did this particular group form, you may ask? Kirishima at the center, tied up with members of 1-B, Amajiki a looming spectre . . .

And it is a very curious tale indeed, even though it has barely started: check out the entire collection, or take a look at my own work, covering Amajiki's perspective in Eating My Friends.

[ubormaci]

Some elaboration on this: I first started reading the book on the summer of '22, then contined it on the summer of '23, reading for a total of four days and reaching somewhere around the 40% mark, according to my Kindle.

I misliked the sex scenes, though I found the overly long and elaborate descriptions of everything strangely soothing.

My favorite part, up until I stopped reading, was the chapter Lunch.

I'm sitting in DuPlex, the new Tony McManus restaurant in Tribeca, with Christopher Armstrong, who also works at P & P. We went to Exeter together, then he went to the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton, before moving to Manhattan. We, inexplicably, could not get reservations at Subjects, so Armstrong suggested this place. Armstrong is wearing a four‑button double‑breasted chalk‑striped spread‑collar cotton shirt by Christian Dior and a large paisley‑patterned silk tie by Givenchy Gentleman. His leather agenda and leather envelope, both by Bottega Veneta, lie on the third chair at our table, a good one, up front by the window. I'm wearing a nailhead-patterned worsted wool suit with overplaid from DeRigueur by Schoeneman, a cotton broadcloth shirt by Bill Blass, a Macclesfield silk tie by Savoy and a cotton handkerchief by Ashear Bros. A Muzak rendition of the score from Les Misérables plays lightly throughout the restaurant. Armstrong's girlfriend is Jody Stafford, who used to date Todd Hamlin, and this fact plus the TV monitors hanging from the ceilings with closed‑circuit video of chefs working in the kitchen fills me with nameless dread. Armstrong just got back from the islands and has a very deep, very even tan, but so do I. "So how were the Bahamas?" I ask after we order. "You just got back, right?"

"Well, Taylor," Armstrong begins, staring at a point somewhere behind me and slightly above my head – on the column that has been terra‑cotta‑ized or perhaps on the exposed pipe that runs the length of the ceiling. "Travelers looking for that perfect vacation this summer may do well to look south, as far south as the Bahamas and the Caribbean islands. There are at least five smart reasons for visiting the Caribbean including the weather and the festivals and events, the less crowded hotels and attractions, the price and the unique cultures. While many vacationers leave the cities in search of cooler climates during the summer months, few have realized that the Caribbean has a year‑round climate of seventy‑five to eighty‑five degrees and that the islands are constantly cooled by the trade winds. It is frequently hotter north in…" On The Patty Winters Show this morning the topic was Toddler‑Murderers. In the studio audience were parents of children who'd been kidnapped, tortured and murdered, while on stage a panel of psychiatrists and pediatricians were trying to help them cope – somewhat futilely I might add, and much to my delight – with their confusion and anger. But what really cracked me up was – via satellite on a lone TV monitor – three convicted Toddler‑Murderers on death row who due to fairly complicated legal loopholes were now seeking parole and would probably get it. But something kept distracting me while I watched the huge Sony TV over a breakfast of sliced kiwi and Japanese apple‑pear, Evian water, oat‑bran muffins, soy milk and cinnamon granola, ruining my enjoyment of the grieving mothers, and it wasn't until the show was almost over that I figured out what it was: the crack above my David Onica that I had asked the doorman to tell the superintendent to fix. On my way out this morning I stopped at the front desk, about to complain to the doorman, when I was confronted with a new doorman, my age but balding and homely and fat. Three glazed jelly doughnuts and two steaming cups of extra‑dark hot chocolate lay on the desk in front of him beside a copy of the Post opened to the comics and it struck me that I was infinitely better‑looking, more successful and richer than this poor bastard would ever be and so with a passing rush of sympathy I smiled and nodded a curt though not impolite good morning without lodging a complaint. "Oh really?" I find myself saying loudly, completely uninterested, to Armstrong. "Like the United States it celebrates the summer months with festivals and special events including music concerts, art exhibits, street fairs and sporting tournaments, and because of the vast number of people traveling elsewhere, the islands are less crowded, allowing for better service and no lines when waiting to use that sailboat or dine in that restaurant. I mean I think most people go to sample the culture, the food, the history…"

On the way to Wall Street this morning, due to gridlock I had to get out of the company car and was walking down Fifth Avenue to find a subway station when I passed what I thought was a Halloween parade, which was disorienting since I was fairly sure this was May. When I stopped on the corner of Sixteenth Street and made a closer inspection it turned out to be something called a "Gay Pride Parade," which made my stomach turn. Homosexuals proudly marched down Fifth Avenue, pink triangles emblazoned on pastel‑colored windbreakers, some even holding hands, most singing "Somewhere" out of key and in unison. I stood in front of Paul Smith and watched with a certain traumatized fascination, my mind reeling with the concept that a human being, a man, could feel pride over sodomizing another man, but when I began to receive fey catcalls from aging, overmuscled beachboys with walruslike mustaches in between the lines "There's a place for us, Somewhere a place for us," I sprinted over to Sixth Avenue, decided to be late for the office and took a cab back to my apartment where I put on a new suit (by Cerruti 1881), gave myself a pedicure and tortured to death a small dog I had bought earlier this week in a pet store on Lexington. Armstrong drones on. "Water sports are of course the leading attraction. But golf courses and tennis courts are in excellent condition and the pros at many of the resorts are made more available during the summer. Many of the courts are lit for night playing as well…" Fuck… yourself… Armstrong, I'm thinking while staring out the window at the gridlock and pacing bums on Church Street. Appetizers arrive: sun‑dried‑tomato brioche for Armstrong. Poblano chilies with an oniony orange‑purple marmalade on the side for me. I hope Armstrong doesn't want to pay because I need to show the dim‑witted bastard that I in fact do own a platinum American Express card. I feel very sad at this moment for some reason, listening to Armstrong, and a lump forms in my throat but I swallow and take a sip from my Corona and the emotion passes and during a pause while he's chewing, I ask, "The food? How's the food?" almost involuntarily, thinking about anything but. "Good question. As for dining out, the Caribbean has become more attractive as the island cuisine has mixed well with the European culture. Many of the restaurants are owned and managed by Americans, British, French, Italian, even Dutch expatriates.. ." Mercifully, he pauses, taking a bite out of his brioche, which looks like a sponge drenched in blood – his brioche looks like a big bloody sponge – and he washes it down with a sip from his Corona. My turn. "How about sightseeing?" I ask disinterestedly, concentrating on the blackened chilies, the yellowish marmalade circling the plate in an artful octagon, cilantro leaves circling the marmalade, chili seeds circling the cilantro leaves. "Sightseeing is highlighted by the European culture which established many of the islands as regional fortresses in the seventeen hundreds. Visitors can see the various spots where Columbus landed and as we near the three hundredth anniversary of his first sailing in 1590 there is a heightened awareness in the islands as to the history and culture that is an integral part of island life…"

Armstrong: you are an… asshole. "Uh‑huh." I nod. "Well…" Paisley ties, plaid suits, my aerobics class, returning videotapes, spices to pick up from Zabar's, beggars, white‑chocolate truffles… The sickening scent of Drakkar Noir, which is what Christopher is wearing, floats over near my face, mingling with the scent of the marmalade and cilantro, the onions and the blackened chilies. "Uh‑huh," I say, repeat. "And for the active vacationer there is mountain climbing, cave exploring, sailing, horseback riding and white‑water river rafting, and for the gamblers there are casinos on many of the islands…" Fleetingly I imagine pulling out my knife, slicing a wrist, one of mine, aiming the spurting vein at Armstrong's head or better yet his suit, wondering if he would still continue to talk. I consider getting up without excusing myself, taking a cab to another restaurant, somewhere in SoHo, maybe farther uptown, having a drink, using the rest room, maybe even making a phone call to Evelyn, coming back to Duplex, and every molecule that makes up my body tells me that Armstrong would still be talking about not only his vacation but what seems like the world's vacation in the fucking Bahamas. Somewhere along the line the waiter removes half‑eaten appetizers, brings fresh Coronas, free‑range chicken with raspberry vinegar and guacamole, calf's liver with shad roe and leeks, and though I'm not sure who ordered what it doesn't really matter since both plates look exactly the same. I end up with the free‑range chicken with extra tomatillo sauce, I think. "Visitors to the Caribbean don't need a passport – just proof of U.S. citizenship – and even better, Taylor, is that language is no barrier. English is spoken everywhere, even on those islands where the local language is French or Spanish. Most of the islands are former British…" "My life is a living hell," I mention off the cuff, while casually moving leeks around on my plate, which by the way is a porcelain triangle. "And there are many more people I, uh, want to… want to, well, I guess murder." I say this emphasizing the last word, staring straight into Armstrong's face. "Service has improved to the islands as both American Airlines and Eastern Airlines have created hubs in San Juan where they have set up connecting flights to those islands they don't serve with direct flights. With additional service from BWIA, Pan Am, ALM, Air Jamaica, Bahamas Air and Cayman Airways, most islands are easy to reach. There are additional connections within the islands from LIAT and BWIA, which provide a series of scheduled island‑hopping flights…" Someone who I think is Charles Fletcher walks over while Armstrong keeps talking and he pats me on the shoulder and says "Hey Simpson" and "See you at Fluties" and then at the door meets up with a very attractive woman – big tits, blond, tight dress, not his secretary, not his wife – and they leave Duplex together in a black limousine. Armstrong is still eating, cutting into the perfectly square slices of calf's liver, and he keeps talking while I become increasingly mournful. "Vacationers who can't take a full week away will find the Caribbean an ideal spot for the alternative weekend escape. Eastern Airlines has created its Weekender Club which includes many Caribbean destinations and enables members to visit many places at sharply reduced prices which I know doesn't matter but I still think people are going

This chapter perfectly showcases the emptiness that permates the entire book; the characters are so far removed from reality that it's not even funny anymore.

(Sidenote: Why the hell does tumblr have a '4096-text-characters-per-block limit'?)

If you asked me my opinion on American Psycho (the movie)

I would tell you two things:

I haven't seen it.

The book is better.

[ubormaci]

I just love this monologue; I have it printed and nailed to my wall.

Full Monologue - Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

A brief heads-up, I didn’t really proofread this. If there’s an error or discrepancy somewhere, let me know.

There’s no feeling more intense than starting over. If you deleted your homework the day before it was due, as I have, or if you left your wallet at home and you have to go back after spending an hour in the commute. If you won some money at the casino, and then put all your winnings on red, but it came up black. If you got your best shirt dry-cleaned before a wedding, but then immediately dropped food on it. If you won an argument with a friend and then later discovered that they just returned to their original view, starting over is harder than starting up.

If you’re not ready for that, like you’ve already had a bad day, then what you’re about to go through might be too much. Feel free to go away and come back. I’ll be here.

Keep reading

[ubormaci]

A thought I forgot to add is that I don't hate the concept of U.A., but definitely think that Horikoshi shot a bit far with it being the 'national' school. It would work so much better if it was a smaller, county-level hero school. It would still be unrealistic, but far less than if we were supposed to imagine that their Harvard's analogue's premier class was . . . 1-A. (What a joke.)

U.A. does not feel like a top school. At all.

"U.A. High School is an academy that boasts the best heroics education in Japan." says the wiki (because I can't be bothered to start searching through the manga right now). But it gets the point across: from its initial introduction, the audience is outright told that U.A. is the school in Japan.

Now, for a moment, try and imagine the best, most prestigious school in your country. I suspect that what you pictured includes only the most talented and hard-working students, top-notch equipment, strict rules and a set of accomplished and well-respected teachers.

And then compare that to U.A.: it is nothing like it, even though it should outshine that school in all categories.

Heroics is not a nice specialization in the world of My Hero Academia. It is extremely prestigious, probably on par with being a doctor in today's world, something that any parent would be happy if their child achieved.

Again, U.A. is the top school in Japan for heroics. Logically, only the students who won the quirk lottery, have great talent and dedication should be able to get in (or those with with the very best connections). From canon 1-A, the only students who should rightfully be part of the class are Shoto, Momo, and Izuku with All Might greasing the wheels. Maybe Iida and Bakugo, if we really want to stretch it. That's it. Based on what we see in canon, none of the others are the kind who'd be the best from the entire country.

If that sentence is unconvincing, let's try to put some math behind it: Japan has a population of 124 million, as of 2024. Let's say that this number remains throughout the tumultous period starting from the Dawn of Quirks until the emergence of All Might. So, by the time of canon, 80% of those people have a quirk. 99.2 million people. Let's say that 0.1% of those people have good quirks that would let them get into U.A.: 9.92 million. Current Japan has a growing crisis of an aging population, but I imagine the rioting took care of that; if we say that 1/50th of those students are in a single year all trying to get into U.A., that leaves us with 198 thousand students, all of whom have the necessary quirk to get in; among them, there will be fierce competition, and the slackers, the nonserious, the plain-old-weak are not among them. (I can start the listing, and I'd end up with most of 1-A and 1-B here. Let's not waste the time with it.)

I can already hear an objecting point: "But what about the pro heroes with weak quirks?" I hear you, dear reader, asking. And it is a good question, to which the answer is simple: there are numerous other hero schools one can go to, which do not have the prestige of U.A. but then, neither the exclusivity of it.

I feel like I've already made my point, but another thing I'd like to bring up is the quality of the teachers: *not* on point, that's for sure. They are unprofessional and while they may know their material well, it is a certainty that due to the their hero work, they are not experts on the level of academics who spend their lives studying. If U.A. were really a top-school, then for show alone it'd hire accomplished professors, while keeping Pro Heroes only for materials relating to Heroics themselves. (And even then . . . the Pros employed by U.A. are rather lacking in those areas as well.)

This is just another facet of MHA's rather lacking worldbuilding, though, to be fair, that one is an issue in most manga. In any case, don't let this little rant retract from your enjoyment of it. Have a nice day, dear reader, and thank you for entertaining my thoughts this far.

[ubormaci]

U.A. does not feel like a top school. At all.

"U.A. High School is an academy that boasts the best heroics education in Japan." says the wiki (because I can't be bothered to start searching through the manga right now). But it gets the point across: from its initial introduction, the audience is outright told that U.A. is the school in Japan.

Now, for a moment, try and imagine the best, most prestigious school in your country. I suspect that what you pictured includes only the most talented and hard-working students, top-notch equipment, strict rules and a set of accomplished and well-respected teachers.

And then compare that to U.A.: it is nothing like it, even though it should outshine that school in all categories.

Heroics is not a nice specialization in the world of My Hero Academia. It is extremely prestigious, probably on par with being a doctor in today's world, something that any parent would be happy if their child achieved.

Again, U.A. is the top school in Japan for heroics. Logically, only the students who won the quirk lottery, have great talent and dedication should be able to get in (or those with with the very best connections). From canon 1-A, the only students who should rightfully be part of the class are Shoto, Momo, and Izuku with All Might greasing the wheels. Maybe Iida and Bakugo, if we really want to stretch it. That's it. Based on what we see in canon, none of the others are the kind who'd be the best from the entire country.

If that sentence is unconvincing, let's try to put some math behind it: Japan has a population of 124 million, as of 2024. Let's say that this number remains throughout the tumultous period starting from the Dawn of Quirks until the emergence of All Might. So, by the time of canon, 80% of those people have a quirk. 99.2 million people. Let's say that 0.1% of those people have good quirks that would let them get into U.A.: 9.92 million. Current Japan has a growing crisis of an aging population, but I imagine the rioting took care of that; if we say that 1/50th of those students are in a single year all trying to get into U.A., that leaves us with 198 thousand students, all of whom have the necessary quirk to get in; among them, there will be fierce competition, and the slackers, the nonserious, the plain-old-weak are not among them. (I can start the listing, and I'd end up with most of 1-A and 1-B here. Let's not waste the time with it.)

I can already hear an objecting point: "But what about the pro heroes with weak quirks?" I hear you, dear reader, asking. And it is a good question, to which the answer is simple: there are numerous other hero schools one can go to, which do not have the prestige of U.A. but then, neither the exclusivity of it.

I feel like I've already made my point, but another thing I'd like to bring up is the quality of the teachers: *not* on point, that's for sure. They are unprofessional and while they may know their material well, it is a certainty that due to the their hero work, they are not experts on the level of academics who spend their lives studying. If U.A. were really a top-school, then for show alone it'd hire accomplished professors, while keeping Pro Heroes only for materials relating to Heroics themselves. (And even then . . . the Pros employed by U.A. are rather lacking in those areas as well.)

This is just another facet of MHA's rather lacking worldbuilding, though, to be fair, that one is an issue in most manga. In any case, don't let this little rant retract from your enjoyment of it. Have a nice day, dear reader, and thank you for entertaining my thoughts this far.

[ubormaci]

Tried to create some cover art for Eating My Friends.

(My part of the 'Oops, All Self-Inserts' project, featuring the perspective of Amajiki Tamaki.)

[ubormaci]

Jorge Joestar

Gets a lot of unfair flak, in my opinion.

I don't even remember where I first learned of it, but I got hold of the PDF and started reading it.

It went slow, at first. I'd read a chapter, then forget about it, but every few weeks I'd stumble on the open tab again, and read another chapter.

This went until . . . about the summer of '22, maybe, when, at about halfway, I said that enough is enough, put it on my kindle, and finished it in two days.

And I really liked it! It was crazy (or should I say, bizarre), I admit, with the whole dual timelines thing, the power of 'Beyond', and yes, the ending was a bit of a letdown.

When people try to discredit this book, which is a sentiment I see sadly often, they say "There are 36 Kars' on Mars!" as if that's supposed to be a deterrent. It's the best part.

[ubormaci]

'Now is winter and quiet and snow and death.'

I stumbled open this poem today, called "Előszó" (Foreword) by Vörösmarty Mihály, a hungarian poet.

In short, it's a rhapsody, in which the lirical I (is that the proper expresison in English?) talks about the peaceful past, followed by war, the death of today and of a future of false hope.

This line, as you might have guessed, is from the third part. It's very first line, in fact.

"Most tél van és csend és hó és halál." is how it is in the original text. It's the line that grabbed my attention the most.

It's bleak, that much you can tell from first glance. The thing is, I really leak that bleakness. I have a love for imagery that isn't dark, but grey, and endless expanse of nothing. There isn't hope, there isn't anything.

I had a list somewhere of settings that managed to evoke this feeling really well, but the only one that pops to mind now is the end of Katana Zero.

[SPOILERS INCOMING]

During the game, you have a recurring nightmare. In it, you see a small boy, who is first warned by a scientist, then approached by a shadowy figure. At the end, it turns out that you weren't the child, but the shadowy figure. For you, it was just a routine mission to disable a computer.

The ending screen shows the village, full of houses just like the one in which the dream took place, burning. There is sorrowful music playing, and all of it is just bleak, especially because you know what comes after.

[ubormaci]

I've been reading Supernatural Encounters: The Trial and Transformation of Arhul Hextrophon lately, and this picture comes to mind whenever I think of Trilotny's appearance:

It gives off that air of regality and ominousness that she gives off whenever she talks about the 'lesser' species.

[ubormaci]

I've been listening to this song on loop for the last day or so

It's from an album called 'The Hazards of Love', which is something of a ballad. This song is the introduction of the second antagonist, The Rake, and it sets him up wonderfully.

The narrator's tone is nonchalant all throughout; yet, if one pays attention to the lyrics, it quickly becomes apparent that his cavalier attitude is . . . psychopatic, to say the least.

First came Isaiah with his crinkled little fingers Then came Charlotte and that wretched girl Dawn Ugly Myfanwy died on delivery Mercifully taking her mother along What can one do when one is widower Shamefully saddled with three little pests? All that I wanted was the freedom of a new life So my burden I began to divest Charlotte, I buried after feeding her foxglove Dawn was easy, she was drowned in the bath Isaiah fought but was easily bested Burned his body for incurring my wrath

Perhaps it's just the lens of my interpretation, but to me, this song is full of deep rage. The narrator is keeping it all under a facade, but his forceful delivery reminds me of a poorly hidden anger, a blank face that can't hide the eyes.

[ubormaci]

I was just reading the new blog post of my favorite band

And this image, without context, is just hilarious:

[ubormaci]

I've started reading Ward last month

And I found my new favorite Parahumans ship:

Crystalclear/Ratcatcher

(Character art was made by lonsheep.)

[ubormaci]

A character archetype I really like

After my recent reading of Pact Dice: Mile End, I once again started thinking about a character archetype I really like.

It can be summed up as such: "A character gains access to a very strong power, a power that is 'dark', easy to use with devastating consequences for both the attacked and the attacker. No matter who they are, they will be feared." It's a tad long more long-winded than I initially intended, but it gets the point across, I think.

Though I won't shirk examples, starting with two obvious ones: Naruto from Naruto, and Blake from Pact. The former learns that he is the host of the strongest demon, while the latter discovers that he inherited demonic magic.

I don't remember if I ever read a story in which the protagonist was eager to use this power, and it's easy to see why: in-universe because they presumably wish to live a long live, out-of-universe because it removes a lot of the stakes if our protagonist just shoots to the top of the power pyramid. (While you, as the author, can make it so that 'There are actually several tiers of powers above yours.' that feels like a bit of a cop-out.)

But despite these challenges, I love it when the character leans into this power. Burns bright and burns up, confirms the fears of everyone else, and maybe even comes out more or less in one piece; though this last one is a bit much, I admit.

Let's return to the previously mentioned works to see how they fare on this front: As far as I got in Pact, Blake never used demons/demonic magic, which made me sad.

Naruto, though, has good moments. Despite his refusal to use the demon's power, there are situations where he's forced to, life-or-death when the demon comes out and we truly see how far above everything else it is.

He never goes all-out though; he doesn't deliberately use the power, it's accidental on his part. He restrains himself, each time it happens, stopping it from advancing.

That's how it goes in Part 1, and for the start of Part 2, it's the same. There's one delightful moment where we see him reach a new best of 4 out of the 9 tails against Orochimaru, but after that he doubles-down on his refusal to use the power.

That is, until Pain's assault on Konoha. After the titular villain levels the village, and restrains him rather painfully, he is still adamant about his refusal. It changes though, when the girl he likes/loves puts herself in front of Pain to defend him, causing her to be 'mortally injured'.

The ensuing fight is my favorite one from the entire manga. Nothing even comes close. He willingly lets go, immediately manifesting 6 out the 9 tails, and only increasing it from there. When you realize that he was capable of this destruction the entire time, it recontextualizes a lot of Part 1.

What I wanted to illustrate with that is how exhilirating it is, in my opinion, to see the power used.

Anyways, the character who brought this little write-up on is called Gail Neumann, one of the player characters in the aforementioned Mile End campaign. Of the six main characters, she is by far the most powerful in a fight, and her feats outshine everyone else's.

Her Practice is about calling on the Abyss for power; she's a Scourge, infecting others with Taint. The Abyss is eager, easy to use but volatile and with a lot of potential to over-harm.

Watching her use it is thrilling. I love how freely she does it, not even watching the slippery slope. I want more of this, characters given great power, who when confronted by others, lean on said power, damn the consequences; while their lives might not be long or happy, the lives of their enemies won't be, at all.

Crawling through the Pact Dice docs, I found even more of this kind of power-user in the Otherverse, a whole category of them in fact: Harbingers: "Chosen of a higher power or powerful other, who bears their strength & serves to clear the way, metaphorically. Tends to come with transformations, changes, costs in other forms, far more direct, and doesn't necessarily have (or rarely has) a direct line to the power.  Practice includes ambient effects on surroundings & altered consequences to their actions (ie. fights happen around them), balancing act to restrain this or release it without too much casualties.  Harbingers are rarely inducted willingly, but rather forced to become a harbinger by intervention of powerful other, by family, or by accident."

Writing this up, I think I may be able to put it into words better than at the start: "This character archetype is about using power that is heavy: a heavy price for a heavy effect. What I like, is when they pay the price, over and over, using the power despite the cost." I love the atmosphere it creates, of barely restrained aggression just under the surface, of the fear it creates in others, and the volatile release when the fight finally erupts.

(Looking back, there are a couple fanfics that managed to get somewhat close. Here's a short list:

[Naruto] Red Eyes in the Dark

[Harry Potter] Antithesis

[Naruto] Introverted)