#The puppet themes are more literal than the organic ones

[jazzzzzzhands]

Ok FOR REAL Theory Time!!! Gonna be massive spoilers plus mention of bugs/fungus! So I'm calling this the Mold Theory And what is the Mold? It's the black stuff under Home! (Mold under a house is very suiting, right?) The Mold has contaminated Every single thing that the Restoration team has found! The team talks about the envelopes, the antiques, and the artwork found for Welcome Home and how it is alwasys Wet and covered in Grime. The stuff that is "Growing" all over the found items... Staff must wear gloves or they will get covered in it

You can see it all over the gloves, the Walls, and even the Website Itself! It's also been shown on the restored art prior to the update. But one unfortunate person seems to have touched it. and that is.. The Question Answerer! (The head person of the Restoration team is also most likely infected) Now what this Mold does is, It seems to have an effect of the person's mental state. Causing them to see and hear things, as well as having lucid nightmares and an overwhelming urge to draw spirals. From the very moment of contact, it seems to have effect "When I Unwrapped the first letter, I felt it. I heard it. Open Open Open. I want it out, I'm Going to get it Out" Instant Hallucinations and Obsession! Now I'm going to be Comparing this Mold to a Real fungus called Cordyceps, or the Zombie-Ant Fungus. It is a fungus that can control BUGS (familar themes right?) and take over their minds, forcing them to act unnaturally and wander far in order to spread itself! ~Similarily~ this Mold can take control of the Host's mind as well. The "Spores" that it is trying to spread are the drawings of the spirals/eyes. And the more eyes are Drawn, the more Wally can SEE. Wally has made it truly apparent that he can see us through any rendition of his eyes. "I've seen you every time you've looked into my eyes" "I have more eyes than I did before, you know how to draw eyes You draw mine, many times. I know it is thanks to you, Neighbor.. That I can see.. but it is still.. I can't see" He is giving us instructions.. "You have work to do" -Giving us instrustions on how to draw an eye... "Please Open, Let me In" Now I find this last instruction very funny He doesn't say "Let me Out" No... He says "Let me IN" Into What? What are we Opening? Our doors?Our EYES? our Mind? our Heart?? I think that could be exactly it!!! Letting him.... into You!!! (The collective You) Isn't that Funny? A Funny little thought?! The Puppet becoming the Puppeteer! ooh hee hee hoo hoo I think I'm very clever about that! But there are so many themes of Strings/Control/Scripts That I simply couldn't help myself! Now does that mean I think Wally is Evil? Absolutely NOT I LOVE Wally, and hey, what's a bit of mind control between Neighbors? <333 I'll borrow a cup of sugar and you can borrow my sanity! That's what Neighbors are for! <3 Jokes aside, No I Do NOT think Wally is Evil!! No, he might become a Puppeteer over the Real world... (and It might be for good reason, to save his friends and himself) but he is still very much a Puppet himself. Literally and Figuratively, And the Real Mastermind behind the strings is... Home!

Afterall? Isn't that where the Mold is coming from? From Down Below? Below Home?

This image gives me BIG TIME Obediance vibes Reporting/Worship/Subjugation I very much see Wally as the Lure of a very big Angler Fish.. The bait, the perfect little puppet that has captured our hearts and led us by the hand into Welcome Home. Isn't that very much how it has gone in real life? (Oh I KNOW I got the Mold BAD!!! ahahaha) (I can't stop drawing himmm!!! :3c ) But this is where my rambling stops, Until Next Time! I will just say that: The Relationship between Home and Wally (And by extension, YOU) Is a Strange one for sure! And I cant wait to see it further! And Just one more extra note on this whole Fungus thing.. Did you know that the BIGGEST Organism on the entire Earth.. Is a Mushroom? It is because they are connected through their Roots... (Down Below) and Houses kinda are shaped like musrooms... I will Leave it at That! Ahahahaha!

#im very very normal about all of this! #lyinggg #mold theory #welcome home #wally darling #welcome home theory #i know i can be a bit sparadic i hope this all makes sense!! #i can go a bit off the wall sometimes!! #its hard for me to articulate what i want to say sometimes! #i swear its so much more in my brain!! #also i am really bad at typing #im going to look for mistakes but im sorry if i typo! #jazzisaspazz #long text post #shout out to my sister for putting this into my brain #maybe i will have more thoughts later! #i do have a bunch of random things written down #maybe i will make an “observations” post? #will u guys be interested?? #please feel free to send me asks and theories of your own! #feel free to add on or to correct me!! #i mean u can also send me art request ...;w; #or to randomly tell me about how you also enjoy cereal on ur hot dogs.. no? just me? ok #i have a really nice art coming tmrw that im so so proud of.... #saving it for tmw... cause its my birthday tmrw!!! #a gift for me! to post something that im really really happy with!! #oof oog i talk a lot in the tags #i'm talking to myself really #if you made it this far... you get ... a gift.. #its an apple! 🍎

[sunnibits]

Tell me Dimitri lore. Now.

Who is he. What is he. What's his deal. What's his story. What is his place in the story you're telling yourself in your head. What's his stance on old hairy men.

HE-HE’S JUST- *grabs you by the shoulders, white-knuckled* he’s my everything. he’s my skrunkly. he’s my little punching bag. I love him so much.

putting this under a cut because I just made this very long but I am absolutely not ashamed, I hope you like reading 👍👍

Dimitri Kazriel is my first (and almost only, I have one other new character) dnd character, created for a campaign that I loved but was sadly cut short a while ago due to the DM being an absolute jackass that I could no longer respect. He’s a stereotypical little edgy tiefling who is officially a warlock but is essentially a rogue in every other aspect. He’s charming (or at least he thinks he is), snarky, a bit asshole-ish, untrusting, sneaky, and an absolute disaster. He look like dis :)

He lives in a Norse mythology-based world, and his warlock patron is none other than the god Loki, who he has happily served for like 10 years now.

His deal you ask? Well, teehee *twirls hair* well his deal is that he’s a widdle puppet of the gods who has no concept of how tiny he really is in their plans and how little his patron actually cares about him 🥰😍😍 he exists solely to be manipulated and used as a microscopic chess piece on a board of grander scale than he will ever comprehend!!! 😍😍😍

Not only is he Loki’s little puppet (which like, he’s kind of starting to become aware of but not fully) but in the timeline of the campaign, Odin himself has also taken an interest in him! And essentially gave him an offer to help Odin overthrow Loki and as a reward, Dimitri could literally ascend to godhood in Loki’s place! Sounds great right! Except ummm Loki sees and knows all and Dimitri knows that if Loki catches him plotting with Odin he’ll probably be horribly punished 🥰

So basically his whole deal (as of the time that the campaign ended) is that he’s a little puppet chess piece that two gods are fighting over, and he has no idea what they really want, has no concept of how insignificant he really is to them, and has literally no sense of independent identity outside of servitude! 😍

But the manipulation theme goes wayyy beyond just that because before he served Loki, he spent the majority of his teens as part of this sort of gang-like organization called the Weavers. (There’s like this whole city lore thing but yada yada basically they’re a sneaky force that controls a lot of shit). Specifically, he serves the leader of the Weavers, a man called the Broodfather. (Literally all of this city and Weavers lore was all made up by my DM btw, I’m not gonna claim ownership of that even if he is a shitbag. Most of Dimitri’s story and backstory was very much an ongoing collaborative project between us.)

And ohhh I could go on about what that was like but basically all you need to know is that the Broodfather is Not Nice and was extremely manipulative and made Dimitri sort of look up to him as a father-like figure for years, someone that Dimitri strove to make proud. (Also the Weavers basically “rescued” him from poverty on the streets so he feels like he owes the Broodfather a debt.) Eventually this all culminates in him tricking Dimitri into killing his best friend! 😍 Which finally makes Dimitri realize “oh shit I need to get the Hell Out Of Dodge” but long story short that plan fails, the Broodfather catches him in the act, punished him and completely breaks his spirit!!!!

Now THIS. This is where Loki swoops in. When Dimitri is at his absolute lowest point, Loki comes in and offers him freedom and power, and Dimitri takes it. He serves Loki for years - (he doesn’t like thinking of himself as a servant of course, he considers Loki more of a generous benefactor who he happens to share a lot of mischievous traits with) - and even when he does finally start to question his allegiance, Loki keeps him in his grasp by reminding him of who saved him, who it was who so kindly freed him from enslavement to the Weavers.

But. But. 🥰Teehee. My favorite part. My absolute favorite part of the lore. Is what Dimitri doesn’t know. Which is that Loki and the Broodfather are the same person. Loki killed the original Broodfather and, being a shapeshifter, took on his form to lead the Weavers for a few years for his own personal plans. Dimitri just happened to wander in to his web, a naive little boy waiting to be manipulated. So Loki molded him, shaped him into the perfect puppet, purposefully engineered his trauma to make him as weak and easily manipulated as possible, just in time for him to finish his plans with the Weavers (leaving the Broodfather’s dead body behind to explain his disappearance) and appear to Dimitri as his real godly self.

Dimitri only stays with Loki willingly because he believes him to be a savior, because he thinks he’s free. He thinks he escaped. But he never did.

anyways here’s a text exchange between me and my old DM that really fits here I think 🥰💖💖

(oh, also I think his stance on hairy old men would be somewhere between apathetic to positive. he has a little bit trauma-related unease around old men I would imagine, but there was also a really hot 60-70 something year old dilf NPC in game that I personally had a massive fucking crush on, so I had Dimitri flirt with him a lot lmao)

#oh yeah in that text convo I was talking about Dimitri potentially having an arc or moment in his backstory #in which he tries to commit suicide to escape the cycle of endless servitude :)) but Loki would probably stop him from even doing that #he has literally done nothing except get stepped on and manipulated his whole entire life and he doesn’t even really know it 🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍💖💖 #also he invented waffles. #ask box #dimitri kazriel #sunny’s ocs #I’ve been DYING to explain this part of his lore but didn’t know how #so thank you so much for giving me an excuse to yap about my boy 😌☺️ #this is now the Official Dimitri Lore Post #I love him so much <3 #skrunkly scrimblo <3 #he’s my little plinko horse #tw suicide mention

[the-fort-official]

THE CITIZENS:

PRIME APPLES: great and powerful leader of the fort. He may not be fair, or mature, or kind, or just... But honestly who cares he is funny sometimes.

Robo-Prime: he is back from the grasp of the average arcade owner in whatever fucked up sub-multiverse the text doctors live in. And by average I mean only, apparently. Anyways, he is basically prime but with more offense and less defense. Yes, the robot can take less hits than the human. Ironic, I know

Robo apples: head of engineering, and avid hater of fazbear entertainment. His past with them is spotty at best. Also, he doesn't like pizza. Which is weird. Probably trauma...

Control Apples: head of science and with the ability to express himself as well as a cardboard cutout. He does feel emotions, he just cannot show them. At all. Something about one of those therapy beds that was a O.O.P. (Object Of Power). He also likes burning things. Like, more than most Versions.

The tank (formerly known as Fallout apples): bright green power armor, yet blends in better than some people with stealth boys. Want to try to silence a fat man? He's your guy. Also for drugs. He makes all the drugs. ex-soldier of three wars. One for Alaska. One for Vegas. One for Boston. All three for his survival. And maybe fun on that last one.

Felix (fur-merly known as Fursona apples):, Engineer, former leader of the Regrettables (both the faction and the band). He got his time in the limelight. Now he is a actual character! And with the free trauma too. Also he made a lil ring to propose with so... don't tell Will.

Looper: robotic* mercenary for hire. Hope you got the gold! Also there are hundreds of him running around because of time loop shenanigans. Some of them even canonically fuck. Do with that information what you probably won't. (*He isn't a robot, technically. It's a techno-organic virus. He still has all the bits, just robotic. Minus nose, unless it's a snapshot of him with a snout. )

Fog killer: Also known as the apple themed streamer, the apple themed mayor, and the guy with a bigger arcade than @the-arcade-doctor, he is a totally normal and sane botanist trust me bro. Ignore the vines slowly leeching all your blood that's natural. (Now available to talk to on the @evil-group-that-hates-the-fort blog :3. )

Fog survivor: He is an engineer. He solves practical problems. Also works as a medic. He used to be scared of his own shadow. Now nothing phases him. Except getting stabbed because that still hurts.

Clone 007: traumatized asshole with no sense of friendly fire. He will kill anything in his way, no matter if they are helping him or not. Also he has extreme trauma, abandoned issues, and mood swings. The last one isn't related to his past, it's related to his very DNA.

Cashew: A young creature in an old automaton. He is basically a nutcracker from lethal company with some damages. And shorter. Still taller than the average dude, but small for a nutcracker.

Zweifel: What happens when you put a teen so far in the closet he tricked himself into thinking he isnt gay, into a endless colorful hell of wacky whimsical adventures? A hatred of the circus and a fear of vr.

The Angel Of hypocrisy, Nicholai: A homophobic and transphobic douchebag who should eat shit and die. Depending on which version you meet, the name makes more or less sense. Because post time skip, he gets a trans-mask boyfriend who he loves with all his heart. Even ignoring the fact his boyfriend is a serial killer. (If I reference El Carnicero, this is who I'm referring to)

Pixel: Kleptomaniac heister with more kills from just using the environment to his advantage than with his actual weapons.

Stuffie (Formerly known as Monster Apples.): see @plushiemonstervoid I ain't repeating myself.

Satchel: living puppet made from old junk like torn towels and potato sacks. He is tall, lanky, and overall intimidating. He is also a complete pushover who literally can only attack with yarn. Normal yarn. Not exactly lethal.

Demons-Bane: a demon that kills demons. Simple as that.

Warface Apples: currently turned into an anthropomorphic raven for fuckin with... I don't remember, one of @ignisuada 's characters. Generic military dude #171. Nothing special.

Warframe apples: Sneaky, but like stealth in the Deadpool game. He has lore, I just forgot it.

Metal gear apples: god im not even going to bother trying to tie this fucker in with all the bullshit lore this game has. He is a super-soldier. He has a flamethrower. That is all thats important at this point in his non-existent lore.

More to come. Check for edits. Lore is ever-changing after all.

#Characters #important oc lore #oc lore #oc #my ocs #lore post

[aurora-ze-aquarius]

WGP Spies AU

—

Agents Profiles

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Raoul CaRoule // Agent : #0006 (codename : Lune D'azur (Azure Moon))

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Inspired by @penguinotaku 's post

⚠️ DISCLAIMER ⚠️

Please read the TW//CW of their post (as well as this one's). Their version of Raoul's story (and the WGP spies au in general) gets pretty dark with the themes and topics it presents. So if you're sensitive to the topics mentioned, I highly recommend you click off these kinds of posts, and find something else. I won't be upset in any way.

⚠️ TW // CW ⚠️ : this post contains violence, stábbing, assassinations, mentions of drûgs, spiders, and térrorism

—

They say to be weary when shadows fall. When the blue moon rises and the silence welcomes itself home. The darkness spreads like a fog, and your vision becomes hazier by the moment. The silver fox lurks within these shadowy depths. Silently watching and stalking its prey. When your back is turned, and your blindspot has opened, that's when he strikes. Not a scream nor a shriek or a pip of sound escapes your lips as his needles pierce your chest like a puppet's.

Raoul is a spy not like many in the agency. They say the agent has this unique ability to disappear into the shadows, and reappear to strike. His footsteps are silent, like walking on clouds. Or perhaps they're like tiptoeing past a field full of glass shards. One wrong step and a wave of pain shoots through like a bullet wound.

His specialty is gathering intel and assassinations, rather than blending in with the crowd and shaking hands with shady business dealers. He is like a spider on the walls. Silent. Deadly. Unexpected and unnerved. Like a spider, Raoul can scale those walls, and incredible heights of buildings and terrain.

The look down isn't what scares him. No. He conquered that fear a long time ago.

Back when he used to balance on the tightrope hundreds of meters from the ground. Back when he (literally) walked across the fine line of life and death. Back when he used to call the circus home.

Home. What a foreign word.

He's long since abandoned his life in that godforsaken circus. Once faces he thought were friends turned out to be monsters in disguise. The circus was nothing more than a front to hide the dirty drug deals and serve as a hideout for terrorists and other horrible criminals. Raoul wanted to leave, but couldn't at the risk of his family's life. They gave him vivid and specific descriptions of how each of his family members were gonna die, and they'd gladly do it right in front of him if he were to ever leave, or warn people of the place.

He was glad the GSO shot down the place, and saved him. And for that, he is in dept to their service.

Raoul's method of killing is not what you'd expect from a spy. At least, one from the modern world.

While yes, he has his guns, his hooks, and other equipment, he also carries specialized knives. Needle-shaped daggers sharp enough to pierce an organ or two in one good throw. He was an acrobat after all. He's been on both sides of the knife show. However, these needles were a gift to him. He could remember being told that he should use them instead of the bulkier regular throwing knives he was used to.

"Your aim and accuracy has deadly precision. It would be a shame to let it waste away, CaRoule-san."

Raoul is a silent assassin when on his mission. When he's off mission, and mingling with the other agents, he's not quite what you'd expect. He carries a warm smile, and is quite a class clown.

It's taken him years to finally open up to people again. Yes, he still suffers from paranoia and fears about if the GSO ever turns out like the circus. But after such a long, long time. He can say he's found a family once again.

And if anything happens to them, his enemies better watch out for who's coming for them, under the shadows of the blue moon.

#pixar cars #cars fandom #pixar #cars 2 (2011) #humanized cars #agents profiles #wgp spies au #raoul caroule #🌌✍️ #cars 2 #🌌⚠️ #READ THE TW//CW PLEASE

[multiversal-pudding]

HEY WANT MY CURRENT HCS-UNTIL-PROVEN-WRONG/ “THEORY” IN THE SENSE OF “Source: It would be dope?”/ MESSY MAD RAMBLINGS RELATED TO MURDER DRONES?

TOO BAD YOU’RE GETTING IT ANYWAYS

(Btw this is like. Mostly based on other people’s theories and stuff- also this is going to be basically the opposite of something polished and readable? Think of this less as “prediction looking to be accurate or logical” more “these thoughts have been rattling around in my head and I want to unleash them”)

I Feel like given Liam’s previous stuff like Internecion cube, there’s a damn good chance Absolute Solver is basically an Eldritch entity, be it some kind of super-ai that spiralled past any of the designers wildest intentions to the point of basically becoming a god, or possibly the other way around with JcJenson maybe having done a “humans gonna human” in deciding to mess with the forces Beyond Human Understanding, then try to sell it/utilize it in making stuff to sell (IE using some kind of “entity of growth” to make a repair program that. Seemed like a good idea at the time). Either way, As someone who likes that freaky kinda cosmic horror bodyhorror entity stuff, I’m down for it-

Honestly, I think I kinda like the idea of Absolute Solver not being spread from the Disassembly Drones, but rather the other way around, with them having it loaded but mostly disabled outside of regenerative capabilities specifically to protect them from the Worker Drones from using it (directly) on them (granted as V learned rather painfully, this does not exclude them from throwing various pointy objects at you, it just keeps them from pulling that *snaps your head backwards and crushes you into blood* thing Doll pulled)??

Somehow, with its dialogue implying it knows something bigger about Uzi’s Mom/the world as a whole with its “cute little puppets” comments, J’s specific wording of telling N “the worker drones are corrupted” (which. Granted could’ve also been talking about them being deemed “Rogue AI”, but still-), the strange organic elements and extreme power associated with it? (Which. If the DDs are built with containing a neutralized version version of it in mind. Is this connected to the fact they have literal human organs stuffed inside them??)- this doesn’t feel like a tool. This feels like some underlying element at play, and probably one of the main suspects explained so far that could either be A) something that’s strong enough to make Copper 9’s core collapse, B) could be something that would want and have the power to collapse the core of a planet, and/or C) could be a reason why something/someone may have considered it worth wiping out humanity just to try to kill it

As for where it came from in the first place/how it spread- again, maybe the humans dug too deep, accidentally released something but only realized it was a problem later or. Hell, maybe part of it was that the WDs did some digging/experimenting of their own on top of it- we know that two of the main AS-related characters other than the DDs, Doll and Uzi, both have a running theme of nametags/ associated numbers with their mothers, plus the fact that robot babies exist as is in the first place is confirmation they have been trying new things on themselves already

If WD experimentation with AS started before the Murder Drones Arrived/the possibility of it was present- Given the extreme power of AS we’ve seen, it could be possible that the drones starting to unlock this power could be a reason other than paranoia that JcJenson considered it worth the time to exterminate them (though. TBF I I think they might just be callous jerks anyways, semi-reasonable underlying logic or not-)

If experimentation with AS started/continued after the Disassembly Drones arrived- Judging from the fact that Khan already had a closet labelled “Nori’s Kooky Insane Stuff”, iiits possible Uzi might take after her mother in terms of “maniacal engineer”-ness… who’s to say Nori didn’t decide to pull some Sci-fi bullshit of her own of a more “human experimentation” direction? Like. Hell, Uzi made a huge frickin’ gun as her “maniacal engineering” moment- If the parents help construct the baby, technically Nori also built a gun-

Sidenote- like. It might just be a “make the MC more visible” thing, but- as someone else already pointed out, it would be interesting if it turned out the reason why Uzi was short and didn’t have a hard hat was related to her not being a normal Worker Drone/in some way built to have some kind of adjustment made with this element present in mind, something the AS may or may not already know while Uzi doesn’t (there would be a lot of horror to be found in that idea… and also maybe a little dark-humor? In a “ARE YOU KIDDING?! THAT’S WHY I’M SO SHORT??!” Way?)

So- maybe the experiment was what introduced it into Doll and Uzi/their mothers? That is, if it isn’t already present on some level in all the drones as is and the experimentation only brought the existing potential to the surface- imagine finding out everyone was born pre-infected with some crazy eldritch horror woven into their brains, and that what at first appeared to some spreading parasite was simply some people being able to tap into what’s already present in everyone one way or the other…

CONCLUSION?!

…I’m running out of red string and pushpins :|

(but I do have some potential AU fodder maybe should Episode 4 come out and completely change everything maybe?)

TL;DR: talk to me about Murderdrones I am sooooo normal I promise :) <- Lying

#Murder Drones… ramblings? #Murder Drones Ramblings #Murder Drones Spoilers #Cool ideas is Over I am now simply throwing my brain rot at you like wet pasta Ok? #Also The idea of Uzi being in a experiment does raise a question: If Uzi was revealed to be a living weapon would she be excited or upset?

[erigold13261]

I like the necromancer band! Is Derey a skeleton? Also is Neil blind? And is Adder a part snake? I want to hear about them!

I'm making a small comic about them so more info to come soon about their relationship to other characters (at least with Ex-Jay)! But I can definitely answer these and would love to just ramble!

Daray is technically an organic/living puppet. Similar to how Matvey and Quida are made of metal, and Matvey has more organically machanical parts to him, Daray is made out of a kinda of wood like how I think Mama would be made of.

He has a skin condition that is advanced by his powers where his bones show through his body in an abstract way. His powers (which are kinda like Eve's in an illusionary sense) advance this and cause his markings to show up on thin and tight clothes. Thicker or loose clothes don't get his bone markings on them. (His skull doesn't show up on his face other than his mandible because he's spent years practicing his powers to hide it, but now he lets it show during some of his shows to look cool).

Also technically it's just Daray who is making music. So I wouldn't call the three together a "band" but Daray CAN make illusionary skeleton puppets to play holo-instruments. Similar to how Eve can make her arms real for a short period of time, Daray can make puppet real enough to play actual music, though he has to be in full control of them. He is very good at multitasking musical instruments but can only really do 5 max at a time. So he usually sticks to 4 puppets playing holo-instruments (cello/double bass, trumpet/sax/trombone, drums, and piano/keyboard) while he is on his computer/dj deck.

Neil has significant vision loss and is declared legally blind, but he is not 100% blind. He has some vision and if he's in a place he knows (like his hometown or something) then instead of using a long cane he tends to either use a guide or symbol cane. However, he always carries his long cane with him in his bag or back pocket in case he's going somewhere new.

He can play a few instruments but doesn't really make music. He used to have a different job, I don't know what, but I feel like he helped teach people, maybe a teacher's assistant or something. Honestly, I can actually see him teaching people how to play music, especially non conventional methods like how to play by ear instead of reading sheet music. But once Daray started growing with his music, Neil became a full time manager for him. Obviously Daray is paying him.

And yes, Adder is part snake! I like to think very little of his snake shows up in his appearance compared to the rest of his family, which is why he got the snakebite piercings and leans heavily into snake themes with his chains.

Speaking of his chains, he has control over metal, allowing him to change the shape and strength of metal as he works with it. Because of this, he works as a jewelry making custom body jewelry in lots of different shapes and animals. He is seen as a really high end jewelry for the alt scene as his works are super durable, sometimes seem impossible to make, and are pretty affordable, making him really well known. Bunny actually wants to try and do a collab with him or at least get one of his pieces

He can play music by ear but literally cannot read sheet music for the life of him. He is basically musically dyslexic so if Neil never taught him to play by ear, then Adder wouldn't be able to play music at all. Though he doesn't want to make a career out of music mainly because it is really hard for him to keep whole songs in his head as obviously trying to write it down won't help him at all. Instead he stays close to the music scene through Daray and helps him with his finances as he is already good at that with his own business he's got going on.

I'm already loving these three idiots so much and I do have plans for them to hang around my stories, even if they are not directly hanging out with Megastars, they will at least be a good way for me to bring in Hydrar and Timbre into my head more.

Also fun fact! In my Failed Revolution AU, the person to take DJSS's place as the Cast Tech charter is going to be Necropolis! So at least I no longer have to be vague about the new charter whenever I talk about that AU now lol

#nsr #nsr oc #eritalks #erioc #nsr adder #nsr neil #nsr daray #noart #love these guys #but now that i finished them #i am reminded i have another band i have to make #lol #the other british band that is friends with ex-jay #still need to make those guys #but they are like #a group of 5-6 people #so it's gonna be a while til i make them #gonna just stick with these three for now

[ghostmisfits]

"my followers should talk abt fnaf with me" I have never played a fnaf please explain All Of It to me. Who is the purple man?

I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!

Purple guy is actually William Afton, who was co-founder of Fazbear Entertainment, the other co-founder was Henry Emily. William has three kids (Michael, Elizabeth, and Crying Child) while Henry has one (Charlie) After FredBear's Family Diner got popular, William killed Charlie in the back allyway but Henry had created The Security Puppet to help watch her, so when Charlie got locked out of the building, The Puppet went after her but it was too late. Charlie possess The Puppet

William is also the CEO and Founder of Afton Robotics and is making a Sister Location to Freddy's with animatronics literally designed to kill kids. They held a party the day before the grand-opening and Elizabeth was told she couldn't see Circus Baby (One of the animatronics) but she went anyways and ended up killed, the place never opened due to a 'gas leak' and Elizabeth was never found

Then during 1983 the Crying Child has a birthday party, CC is scared of the animatronics, it's said that he saw something happen (Probably what happened to Elizabeth) and wants nothing to do with them. His only compainion is his FredBear plush that speaks to him (It's implied that William put a walkie-talkie in it) During the party, Michael and his small group of friends grab CC and put him in FredBears mouth but the thing is, FredBear is a springlock suit, meaning it functions as both an animatronic and a mascot suit. Springlocks do not like water, so Crying Child had managed to moisten the springlocks and FredBear chomped his head

1985 is when the five kids went missing, their names are Gabriel (Freddy) Susie (Chica) Jeremy (Bonnie) Fritz (Foxy) and Cassidy (FredBear/Golden Freddy) There was not enough Evidence to convict William so he got off scot-free even though the whole town knows he did it (He's no longer in the company)

Henry creates the Toy Animatronics in 1987 and they're connected to a police data base, Jeremy Fitzgerald is the nightguard here, he gets moved to dayshift in a week and is most likely the bite of '87 victim (done by mangle)

Now, the actual events of Sister Location fall somewhere around here, Michael, by William's request, goes to free Elizabeth from Circus Baby. He gets kidnapped by them, then saved and fired, but he goes back anyways and finds two technicians hanging on the stages, Circus Baby leads him to the Scooper Room. The Scooper takes his organs in exchange for Ennard (Which is Circus Baby and her friends all in one) ((Side note: There's an ending where you find a hidden room, which was William's office, and in there is CC's Fredbear plush with a walkie-talkie sitting next to it and then if you put the hidden code into the keypad you see that William has installed camera's into the house)

1993 - by this time, Henry has left the company and Fazbear Entertainment had decided to give it one last shot. Mike Schmidt is the nightguard but it's more than likely Michael. The place gets shut down due to the smell of death and a red substance (blood) seeping from the animatronics (William goes back once the place shuts down and unknowingly frees the souls of the dead kids then they corner him and he springtraps himself)

30 years past and a theme park decides to open up Fazbear Frights, which was basically an homage to The Missing Children’s Incident but along the way, they found Springtrap which has William inside of it. The guards name is never revealed but it’s most likely Michael again, and at the end of the week, the place burns down

William doesn’t die though and so Henry comes back and opens a ‘fake’ location made for luring the remaining animatronics back, Michael works here too. Ennard is now Molten Freddy and they’ve thrown Circus Baby out so now they’re separate. Springtrap comes back, and Lefty is here too. Lefty has The Puppet inside of him. Henry burns the place down at the end of the week, setting himself, Michael, Elizabeth, Charlie, and William free

William goes to hell is the next game basically, UCN is basically Fnaf smash bros, it’s kinda just for the jumpscares

Then some dumbass decide to make a VR game (IN LORE!! Steelwool is alright) William ends up in the code and takes the form of Glitchtrap, Jeremy (honestly who knows if he’s the same one from ‘87) ends up possessed by him, and ends up cutting his face off with a guillotine paper slicer. Tape Girl takes over beta testing after and she has three days before the development gets handed off to a different company, she makes tapes for them, warning them about glitchtrap. Vanessa is the next beta tester, she finds the tapes but they’re out of order, meaning she gets the warning to leave the tapes alone too late. She ends up possessed by glitchtrap

Security Breach is next, we follow Gregory and Glamrock Freddy as Gregory tries to find a way to escape the pizzaplex while the animatronics are hunting him. The official ending is the burntrap ending AKA the ending where Gregory fights William Afton. Glamrock Freddy burns the place down and leaves with Gregory

There is a DLC teaser poster but we don’t know enough about that for me to recount it right now

#let me know if you didn't understand something #i'll gladly explain it further!! #I’m pretty sure this is the jist of it?

[isekaithatplease]

The Reason why Raelina destroyed it’s theme with a simple push

ok, so all of you might not know that Raelina is one of my favorite manhwa. I love it dearly, and I’ve re-read it more times than I care to admit. I remember being so hyped for it, and being all on board with Raelina, and wanting to see how it ended. The mystery behind Beatrice, how the original Raelina died, the soul destructing and whatnot, it was all fascinating until, I went on the spoiler forum and I read the actual twist.

Now, what I’m going to post and say is very controversial, but hear me out first, ((also avoid if you don’t want to be spoiled))

((I also apologize for the rush, I’m kind of pressed for time and only lightly touched on these points- if there’s any points you want to discuss you can just dm me.))

The huge plot twist is revealed:

Our Raelina was in fact, supposed to be Beatrice.

And I for one, hate, hate, HATE, this plot twist.

Why? Well let’s take a few steps back in the manhwa now, shall we?

Remember the scene with gramps berading Raelina for helping out a bird in the temple. The bird was destined to die he stated, but the scene ends with the bird being able to fly, as Raelina comments that as long as the bird was willing to fight against the odds, it would be able to survive.

Now this, right here, is arguably a powerful yet common theme. Heck, it’s the same theme from the terminator movies! 

“There's no fate but what we make for ourselves"

A powerful, yet simple message of saying that you, and you alone are in control of your future. Yet with one simple little plot twist- it’s all shattered.

Having our Raelina actually be Beatrice, shows that the plot is still playing out how it’s originally intended. Og Raelina still dies, the noblewomen still torment Beatrice, and Beatrice and Noah falls for each other. It completely robs Raelina of all of her accomplishments, since everything is going as it was originally intended anyway. It makes it feel like it was less of her fighting for survival, and more of fate was still playing out how it originally intended, but just in a different way to achieve the same results.

I don’t understand why we had to make our Raelina Beatrice anyway, what does it add? like seriously, what does it really add? Neither are going to bother switching back in the first place, and it just makes everything Raelina achieved feel more like Fl plot power, rather than her own merit. Which is so ,so disappointing considering how good of a resourceful character Raelina is!!

What’s even worse about it, is that it actually renders so many nice scenes in the manhwa, such as Raelina talking to her Dad when she was worried about losing Noah to Beatrice, and the scene with the bird completely USELESS.

Raelina never had to worry about losing Noah to Beatrice, because she is Beatrice, and because apparently their souls are tied to each other, so no matter what happens they’re destined to fall for each other, not because it randomly happens, no- it’s because fate wills it to happen, and thankfully, said fate actually involves consent (they don’t fall in love on first sight).

That wanting to survive even if your fated to die early? There is no fate?

Completely lost. Our Raelina was never fated to die anyway, she was going to be the FL originally and she still experiences the same things, and then the one person who does go to extremes to try to escape said death, ends up dying anyway. 

Starting to think that a story, with the og Raelina deciding to defy the goddess’s role for her by just completely leaving the story completely and forging her own path, would’ve been a better plot.

This also leads me to my other problem with Raelina-

THE GODDESS:

Said Goddess has to be one of the most problematic characters I’ve seen in manhwa. She literally sees peoples lives as actors/plays that she uses to write/re-enact her fanfiction. Heck- she basically killed our Raelina (abruptly ending her hopes and dreams of getting into University) just so that she could complete her play. 

This shows a complete lack of remorse and disregard for human life. Yet somehow, we’re supposed to think that said goddess is good at the end of the story because she magically steps in after everything’s over (wow great timing) and ties up a few lose ends in her fanfic....

It’s creepy to think that this series, isn’t actually an alternate route of choices/decisions that characters make- but is actually some fanfiction written by a goddess...... It makes everything feel way less organic and more so like a play.......

It actually reminds me of greek gods, but worse because people seem to think that the goddess is benevolent, when she only sees people as things to entertain and finish her plays....

like, it’s a serious no from me....

honestly, would we have lost anything if our Raelina had just been a random college student who got into an accident and had transmigated into the story and wasn’t Beatrice at all??? It would make things feel more genuine and sensible not like some giant puppet show that re-enacts some god’s fanfic. Raelina could still worry about losing Noah, because she wasn’t Beatrice, and the theme of her actually overcoming the odds would still be in tact. She wouldn’t have any plot armor.

#manhwa #rant #the reason why raeliana ended up at the duke's mansion

[honourablejester]

Ideas for Warforged (D&D)

Because magic robots/constructs are the best idea. I will admit that backstory/inspiration-wise, I’m fonder of things like Discworld’s golems or the Muses from Girl Genius. I like the feeling of ancient constructed things learning to be people.

(I also like the caster classes, which will possibly be really obvious in a minute)

Cleric

I love the Grave Domain for warforged. How does a constructed being conceptualise death? Especially if they get slapped in the face by it. Take the standard warforged background, the machine built for war, a constructed, immortal child created for violence. Have them watch their squishy biological comrades die. A lot. Do they have an epiphany? Do they become curious about the beliefs and fears around death? Do they want to give comfort to their friends? Do they start to think of mortal death as a reprieve from a life of endless service and violence? (Do they view undeath as a horrific corruption of their own constructed service and immortality, taking relief away from those who have earned it in death?) Imagine a warforged priest of a grave god. The serene, mechanical face. The slightly off, dispassionate gentility. The curiosity and care. I love it.

Druid

Circle of Spores! Sorry, but we are continuing the theme of decay and the undying here. But with spores there’s a lot of … I’m thinking post-apocalyptic fiction. Robots in the remnants. Wall-E, even. Your trash-heap, rusted, bucket-of-bolts survivor of a dead world or colony or underground kingdom. The curious innocent finding beauty in decay, or perhaps a wiser, more melancholy survivor. Or a darker one, cynical about the cycles of extinction and regrowth. Also, just the image. A strange, skeletal metal creature, crystal eyes glowing uranium green, strange mushrooms growing from their rusted plates and darkwood sinews, surrounded by an almost-sound, a subaudible buzzing that people feel in their teeth. Watching warily as new creatures wander through their ruins, or spurred by their own curiosity to venture up into some strange new world.

Bard

The Muses, here, so very much. 18thC automata. The music box song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. A construct built for beauty, grace, skill, to be the epitome of a craft, but also a construct that is very old. Built for kings, because who else could afford such breath-taking craftsmanship? Built to entertain or advise a ruler and their court, and so a lot wiser to the passions and vices underneath the pretty words than they seem. Students of history, who’ve seen it cycle through a few times. Maybe trying to escape, now. Find a simpler life. Or trying to affect things rather than just witness them, trying to be a hero or the villain or the spy instead of just the historian or the muse.

Paladin

Clockwork angels. Hubris and innocence all in one neat package. Constructs made in the image of celestials, complete with flightless bronze-and-silk wings, out of arrogance or hope or despair or for mysterious purposes that even they don’t know. Found in the laboratories of dead mages, or manufactured by warmongers for propaganda purposes. Innocent, still, hopeful, or else deeply, deeply cynical. Struggling to find or maintain a sense of their own identity, choosing oaths in honour or defiance of their image. Redemption, Crown, Conquest, Vengeance. Lots to have fun with.

Sorceror

We’re going more for the ‘touched by cosmic power’ angle than bloodlines, obviously, though there’s possibly some wiggle room if you go for weirder origins. Constructed with a little flesh and bone and blood from your creator, maybe? But I really like Shadow Sorceror here. A construct made in a dark ritual, touched by the fell energies of the Shadowfell. A strange, half-alive being, shadowed by darkness, who ‘woke’ in an empty ritual chamber with no idea of their nature or their purpose. Honestly, shadow sorceror is as good as warlock for the gothic, haunted end of origin stories, so might as well go full Frankenstein on the confused horror of a constructed being. Might lean a bit more on the ‘organic’ end of warforged construction here, darkwood, living stone, black metal. Just to match the aesthetic. Warforged are great for aesthetic.

Warlock

Speaking of. Just. I have already mentioned, but I love both warlocks and warforged, and they’re a lovely mix together. The Lurker Patron. A construct built to dredge a long-lost harbour, finding sentience and a strange ‘friendship’ while wandering the deeps. The Great Old One, a strange, mad being who cobbled you together from spare parts in an attempt to understand the life forms of this foreign plane. Fiend, the demon who was baffled and intrigued by the concept of an artificial soul, granting power just to see what temptation looks like in a heart made of crystal and stone (or the puppet master who stole the most beautiful and extraordinary puppet, to call back to the muses). The Archfey who built or stole themselves the perfect knight, a mobile statue or plaything that was never meant to win its own soul. There’s so many things to play with.

Rogue

To throw a bone to the non-caster classes. But. There is a lot of potential to the rogue, too. Assassin, particularly. One of the things that’s so cool with warforged is not only their own choices and motivations, but those of the ones who built them. Why train a perfect killing machine when you can build one? But then what happens when they become sentient? When they start to have feelings and opinions of their own? Rogue warforged have a lot of the same appeal as bard and paladin warforged for me. Beings built for the machinations of those around them, and struggling to free themselves and forge their own path. (Also I loved the Zeta Project cartoon as a kid and it rubbed off on me, and there’s something half-humorous and half-terrifying about a seven foot metal skeleton somehow built for stealth and infiltration).

Barbarian

My other favourite non-caster class, but there also some lovely things to work with here. Perhaps the flipside of the grave cleric above? The soldier warforged who grew to love battle instead, whose first emotions were the rage and terror and thrill of the battlefield. I like the Zealot barbarian here. The being literally made for the fight, who channelled it so perfectly that it drew the attentions of the gods of battle. But there’s also … the opposite of rage. When it’s a robot, a machine. There’s the image of the blank, emotionless killing frenzy. An anime I watched, Pumpkin Scissors, had a supersoldier as one of the main characters. A normally extremely sweet and gentle man, who could be brainwashed into a mindless killing state by a blue lantern. He was terrifying and tragic and unstoppable and broken. Imagine a warforged barbarian like that. A being terrified of the truly emotionless machine they become in battle, the remorseless frenzy they enter when injured or struck by the sight of blood, but believing they were built for nothing but war, knowing no way of living other than that.

… Um. In summary? Magic robots are great and, depending who built them and what for, can delve into tragic very quickly and easily. Heh. Though you can also easily go the benevolent creator route, the parent who taught them well, and take some much gentler angles on all of this. I’m just in a gothic mood tonight, apparently.

Also, there is just no beating the imagery you can build up around a living wood-and-metal being. And I’m not just saying that because I love a) robots, b) skeletons, and c) robot skeletons.

Honest, yer honour.

#d&d #dnd #warforged #character concepts #robots #skeletons #i am in a gothic mood #okay then

[bisluthq]

Hi! Where can I get some solid proof of Toe being genuinely true? Not just timelines but "Kaylor-level" proofs, if there's any? 😅 I'm a "converted" one due to the realistic timeline. I do believe now that Kaylor is dead (but it WAS real). I'm open to the idea that maybe Toe IS real but I just can't convince myself 😅 TIA! (tho I also really like my own idea that KaylorIsDead but Toe is still PR but maybe their friends or good acquaintances xD)

Ummmm well I assume you’ve read the timeline at @youareinlovees - it rounds up the huge number of times they’ve been sighted organically which was what sold me on Joe x Tay. But here are some additional times they were spotted across Insta, Reddit, Twitter, and FB. Like I’m not even delving into fandom spaces, it’s literally just randos on the internet posting about seeing them. That’s what sold me. Like tons of this kind of thing exists:

Do we think Tree is running a billion sock puppet accounts to convince people of something that’s... um... pretty easy to believe for the average heteronormative person? “Planting” sightings that absolutely no mainstream publication ever picks up? That only obsessive bitches on the internet like us look for at all? It seems super unlikely.

So we know they spend a loooot of time together, off camera, literally just because they want to. This is actually, to me, much stronger proof than anything Kaylor have ever gotten since the majority - not all, obviously, I admit that just like not all of Toe’s have been organic - of their spottings were orchestrated pap walks. It’s weird for a PR situation if they’ve been spotted more times randomly than they have been by paps.

Then we have the fact that Joe is Tree’s only other client (this wasn’t always the case, he was signed to a firm when he did Billy Lynn, but he is now repped by Tree). Given he essentially does no press that’s a... choice. And it doesn’t fit with a contracted situation at all because it would mean there’s nobody looking out for his interests.

Their families and close friends know each other, follow each other and interact and spend holidays together. One of his random college friends, Eleanor Henderson, received a cardigan and posted about it (even tho she isn’t like... famous). Karlie’s close friends - people like Derek Blasberg and Lauren Santo Domingo - have never ever been close to Taylor. (Lowkey, that’s weird for if they were just... super tight platonic besties, tho too like it’s fucking odd).

We also know at the end of 2016 she ran away to London based on things like the bakery that made her cake that year and her early Joe love songs - Delicate and CIWYW especially - feature British slang which fits that as well. So there are hints in her music. She has hidden clues like their birth years (89 and 91) in the End Game MV and “Joe’s Deli” in the Delicate MV. Those are off the top of my head, but there’ve been other hints and clues as well.

And most recently there was this nonsense:

And finally, we have WB. William = his great-grandfather who was a very famous music composer and Bowery = Bowery Hotel where they allegedly had one of their first dates. So the name is easy enough to track back to him, he is provably musical and has a degree in English lit (“Whether weather be the frost” 🙄), and Taylor would not lie about music ownership/credit because artists’ rights are her biggest fucking issue. So whoever he is, he collaborated with her on 5 songs. One of which legit sounds like a deep dive into their relationship issues.

Now, do I know for a fact that they’re fucking? No, I do not because I am neither Joe nor Taylor. But they’re not PR.

He clearly matters a lot to her, she creates tons of Joe themed Easter Eggs, they worked together on something extremely special to her, and they spend a looooot of time together. I am open to the idea of platonic soulmates because again lmao it would be impossible for us to debunk that lmao. But we cannot ignore the reaaaams of evidence for Joe being a very central presence in her life.

[revchainsaw]

Buffy: the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Season 1

Hello and Welcome back my creepy congregation! We will be taking todays service from the Big Screen into your living room for our first Personal Devotional. That's Right! We're reviewing full seasons of television series now and what better way to bring the spirit of the genre film to the idiots lantern that with the 90s Television sensation and all around love letter to the horror genre, Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

The Message

Regardless of how one may feel about Mr. Whedon we can't deny how much we love Buffy Summers and the Kids who live and die in Sunnydale! Season one of Buffy was a spin off/reboot of the earlier film and an attempt by Whedon to course correct the franchise by breathing a little charm and attention into the subject matter.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 1) focuses on Buffy Summers, a not so typical California high school student who, due to the events of the movie, has been relocated to Sunnydale High. Buffy is not just a cute, athletic, teenage girl looking to enjoy the prime of her life, though she is those things, she is also the Slayer, an anointed warrior who has been reincarnated throughout the generations to protect our vulnerable weak human world from the forces of evil; particularly Vampires. Buffy is a sort of supernatural Captain America, that is a peak human being, but instead of Nazi Science she was born with her powers.

Joining Buffy are; High School outcasts Willow and Xander (a nerd and a nice guy respectively), The ridiculously sexy librarian Rupert Giles (her mentor, guardian, high school librarian, and all around precious papa bear), Jenny Calendar (a technopagan computer teacher armed with all the mystery an ignorant 90s boomer could attribute to the internet), Angel (Spoiler: He's a Vampire, but he's a good guy. A hunky, broody, good guy vampire love interest), and her loving but entirely oblivious mother. The Scoobies as they have come to be called aid Buffy in her quest to protect Sunnydale from Dark Forces.

And Speaking of those Dark Forces, they are primarily vampires, led by the Master; an ancient vampire who resembles to some degree Nosferatu and a Bat, a look that Guillermo Del Toro would later perfect in his own series the Strain. The Master seeks to fulfill an ancient prophecy that would open the Hellmouth (a portal to hell, exactly what it sounds like) and free him in order that he and his kind should conquer the world.

The first season is fairly short consisting of the following adventures.

1. Welcome to the Hellmouth - Buffy moves to Sunnydale seeking to leave her Vampire ways behind, but the vampires just won't let her catch a break.

2. The Harvest - Vampire Shenanigans continues. Buffy learns of the Master.

3. Witch - A fellow Cheerleader is possessed by her witchy mom.

4. Teachers Pet - Buffy vs Giant Mantis

5. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date - Buffy vs the Anointed One (Not Really)

6. The Pack - Buffy vs Hyena Possessed High School Bullies

7. Angel - Buffy vs Angel but actually Darla

8. I, Robot ... you, Jane - Buffy vs Internet Demon

9. The Puppet Show - Buffy and Sid the Dummy vs Organ Harvesting Demon

10. Nightmares - Buffy has bad dreams

11. Out of Mind, Out of Sight - Buffy vs Invisible Nerd

12. Prophecy Girl - Buffy vs The Master (also Buffy Dies)

Overall the short season, while not allowing for too much world building, kept the show to a format that allowed very little filler. So although we mostly only get vampires as villains, we don't have enough time to really be bored of it. Some of the shows dynamics and cultural concerns definitely date the series but overall Season 1 of Buffy is definitely not a difficult watch, and can be enjoyed over and over again.

Let's get to the Benediction:

Best Character: Slay Girl, Slay!

As far as season one goes the titular Buffy Summers is the best character. Sarah Michelle Gellar is absolutely charismatic in the lead role and though at times she may seem selfish or reckless it makes perfect sense for the character. The character is allowed to be weak, to be selfish, and to be unlikeable. She avoids the foibles of a Luke Skywalker or a Harry Potter. She joins the ranks of primary protagonists who are not constantly outshined by their supporting cast. I believe when Buffy is sad, I believe when she throws a punch, I believe she struggles with her destiny. The only thing I don't believe is how ditsy she let's on.

Best Actor: Head's Up!

Anthony Stewart Head. Head as Giles is just fantastic. His balance of frustration with Buffy and genuinely parental concern is heartwarming and absolutely makes Giles one of the warmest father figures in television history.

Best Episode: A 'Master'ful Finale

It all builds up to Prophecy Girl and for good reason. Television shows often have mini-finale's at the end of their first seasons because the teams behind the series are not sure they will have a chance to tell more of their story. For that reason you can see just the first season of most television series and feel like you've heard the whole deal. I wish this habit was kept up in other seasons as we wouldn't still be wondering what the hell happened to Joel at the end of the Santa Clarita Diet. Buffy is no exception to this phenomenon and therefor attempted to tie up much of it's narrative in Prophecy Girl. While that often means big bads will be dispatched, I think it's a small price to pay for not winding up in a cliff hanger. Buffy and Giles just shine in this episode, Angel is given a more heroic role, Willow finally values herself as she should and Xander stops being a fucking horrible human being for once. This episode really satisfies in all areas.

Best Villain: Sweet, Sweetheart Killer

It's such a shame that Darla was killed so early on in the franchise. She is such a great presence on the screen that she overshadows all the villains that play alongside her, even the Master. I would have loved to have seen an alternate season where she offs the old coot and assumes the role of big bad much like Spike does in Season 2. Lucky for everyone that Darla is featured throughout the show in flashbacks and I hear she is even resurrected in Angel. Also, for Scott Pilgrim fans I feel like she and Envy Adams are very much sympatico. Maybe if they reboot Buffy all my dreams will come true.

I'd also like to take this time to recommend the song Angels and Darlas by Say Hi! It's pretty good.

Best Monster Design: Internet Troll!

While I can't speak for where the money in Season 1 of Buffy went, I can say that at least some decent cash was spent on both the forms of Moloch the Corruptor from the Episode "I, Robot ... You, Jane". Moloch was pretty wicked looking as a machine toward the end of the episode, he looked like a Mortal Kombat villain, but it's the green scales and ram horns the actor is sporting at the beginning of the episode that really catches the eye. In fact, I'm feeling compelled to hunt down any Moloch the Corruptor merch that may be out there on the internet. It's certainly no mystery why the demon's face is featured prominently in the theme song. It just looks great! Good job to the make up department there.

Most WTF moment: "Pack"s a Punch on Principle

While not the greatest episode in season one "the Pack" is certainly worth the watch if for no other reason than the horror is kicked up when a group of high school students under the influence of a malevolent Hyena God, decide that the School Mascot is not enough to satisfy their bloodlust turn on the principal, and yes, THEY EAT HIM. I remember being completely caught of guard the first time I saw that scene, and it kickstarted the running gag of Sunnydale high principles meeting their demise in horrific ways.

Worst Character: No More Mr. Nice Guy

When I was in college I often felt bad for Xander. The funny guy who just had no luck with women. He was sarcastic but had a big heart, and used a horny gimmick to mask his loneliness, or so I thought. But now I am older, I am wiser, I have known the touch of another human being and I have to say that Xander Harris is a really scummy fellow. I don't remember thinking so poorly and I wonder if the character develops a more nuanced view of women as the show goes on. As it stands there's barely a point in the series that Xander does not view the female cast as objects for him to enjoy or be embittered towards for one reason or another. It's not charming, it's foul. Xander Harris of season one is absolutely a terrorist attack waiting to happen, if Buffy had happened today it would be much more concerning to see someone so embittered, horny, and entitled to womens time and energy as Xander Harris. Dude is one step away from pulling an Elliot Rogers. Calm down buddy and maybe actually listen to a woman and you may find you aren't as much of a 'nice guy' as you think.

Worst Episode(s): If you're not first ...

It's a toss up on this one. Season One of Buffy is actually so short and concise that the 'Monster of the Week' episodes will have to be up for grabs as the worst episode by default, but even they are pretty watchable and don't warrant the vitriol a "worst" dub usually entails. I'd say there is not a worst episode of season one, just some episodes that aren't as good as the rest. In that vain, take your pick from "Witch", "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", or "The Puppet Show". However, I'd be doing a disservice to those episodes not to mention that each one of them takes what could just be a basic Buffy Vs (insert Villain), and does something unique and interesting with the idea. The villain of "Witch" actually turns out to be a has been cheerleader actually possessing the body of her innocent daughter to relive her glory years, The Invisible Girl is actually the victim of social cruelty, her peers disinterest in her manifesting in her condition becoming quite literal and she is picked up by the military in the end, then the Puppet show, well, it's just about the stupidest most absurd thing that could possibly happen and it's completely unafraid of that fact.

Summary:

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Season 1) is not the most groundbreaking TV, but it is absolutely evident why the show was such a phenomenon. Season 1 is particularly rewatchable. It does not demand too much investment or attention, but it will get it from you, especially on a first viewing. It's not afraid to take itself absolutely seriously or to plant it's tongue firmly in it's cheeks. It is to a degree a product of it's time, but in many other aspects feels timeless.

Overall Grade: B

#Buffy #Buffy the Vampire Slayer #Vampire #Horror #Television #Series #TV #television series #Grade B #B #90s #1990s #1997 #wilde 1997 #buffy btvs #Moloch #Demon #Monster of the Week #Season 1 #(B)

[nadziejastar]

What's your take on Xemnas and Saix's relationship?

It’s a really interesting relationship that I wish got explored in more depth. In the original KH2, Saïx seemed like he was just a generic evil dude. No different than Xemnas, really. He was loyal to Xemnas’s goal. But later games showed that wasn’t the case.

I think Saïx’s relationship with Xemnas has a lot of similarities to Zexion’s. Even Nomura said they shared a master/slave relationship. Both of them were groomed by Xemnas to be obedient lackeys. Zexion is extremely submissive to Xemnas. He was only a kid when he became a Nobody and was in no position to stand up for himself. He was a quiet kid with no parents. Zexion was obviously terrified of Xemnas.

Saïx was afraid of Xemnas, too. The difference is that he was Norted, so he was a lot more similar to Xemnas, personality-wise. He just wasn’t “humanized” like Zexion was. That’s why I think his redemption was handled so poorly. Saïx wasn’t just Axel’s old friend with a prickly personality, that grew distant from him over time. Saïx was literally another Xehanort. He wasn’t portrayed in a very sympathetic manner. The way the story wrote him, he was more on the level of Xemnas as far as being cold, calculating, and unsympathetic.

Saïx wasn’t even aware of it, but he was being used by Xemnas to manipulate Axel. He was groomed by Xemnas to be good at inflicting pain on others.

And boy, did he do a good job of it with poor Axel.

The way Xemnas described Saïx was also very interesting to me. He said he had the power to inflict seeds of doubt.

That’s exactly what Master Xehanort and Vanitas did with Ventus, using his love for Terra against him (just one more thing Ven and Lea had in common).

And Saïx definitely was excellent at planting doubt within Axel. This scene was so important it was animated, even in the DS version. It’s the first time we learned Axel’s real name. And it was during an attempt by Saïx to manipulate Axel by using his past friendship with Isa. Saïx wasn’t even aware that Xemnas wanted Xion back. But he was still acting manipulative. It shows how deep the connection runs between Xemnas and Saïx.

Although this scene in KH2FM+ was ostensibly about what Saïx said to Sora, it was more about foreshadowing Saïx and Axel’s relationship, which was basically Axel’s relationship with Xemnas, using Saïx as his puppet.

I think the fact that this scene took place in the Hall of Empty Melodies was important. Axel was never loyal to Xemnas, but he was loyal to Saïx, who he thought was his best friend. But it was all smoke and mirrors.

I also cant help but think Saïx was meant to look similar to Riku in this scene. Sora has to see through the smoke and mirrors in order to see his best friend.

After Saïx planted the seeds of doubt, Sora got angry.

Same with Axel.

In the end, Xemnas got what he wanted.

Same with Axel.

It wasn’t really in Xion’s best interests to be brought back. Axel knew that. But he brought her back anyways.

Day 356: Unforeseen Events

Author: Saïx

Our plans never accounted for the possibility of both Xion and Roxas leaving. How did this come to pass? When did Roxas grow strong enough to outmuscle me? What were you really after, Lea? We joined the Organization at the same time, and formulated our plan. At this point, it’s just an idle fantasy. Everything changed. You, and me.

Right after this, Saïx was there, looking down on Axel. He genuinely didn’t understand what motivated Axel at this point.

His words suggested that Axel’s reason for bringing back Xion was connected to his past with him. This past was the foundation of Axel’s whole character arc, post-KH2. Lea couldn’t protect Isa from Xehanort/Xemnas. It emotionally traumatized him. So, he will do everything in his power to not let the same thing happen to Xion. It’s his way of coping with his past.

Xemnas was always fully aware that Axel’s weakness was friendship.

Day 96: Friends

Author: Axel

I feel like I’ve been spending more time talking to Roxas and Xion lately than my old friend, Saïx. This has to have been what it was like, friendship.

I like the sub translation a bit better for this line because it’s more accurate. Axel didn’t lack emotion. He just couldn’t feel his friendship. Not with Roxas, though. With Saïx. It wasn’t because he lacked a heart. It was because the relationship existed only in his memory at that point. Saïx didn’t have Isa’s heart.

Xemnas knew that.

Xemnas also knew that Axel was clinging to Roxas to fill the void of Isa.

He knew exactly why Lea was there in KH3D.

As soon as he said he wanted to bring his friends back, Xehanort smiled and sent Isa to attack him.

The “friendship” between Saïx and Axel was an illusion. It never really existed.

Day 276: Behind the Truth

Author: Axel

Xion is gone. Roxas still doesn’t know anything, but Xion found out. That’s why I need to find her. We don’t have hearts, so we accept the facts we’re given as the truth. But something far more important lies behind that truth. Saïx would laugh at people with no hearts calling one another friends, but that doesn’t make it not so.

He only realized that at the end of KH3D.

Xemnas never had anything but pity for Axel. In KH2FM, he told this to Saïx, who seemed conflicted about it.

And that same theme comes up in the final battle with Saïx. Coincidence? No. I don’t think so.

[darkzeruda1214]

I’m not going deny, I was heavily inspired by just a Pancake’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoIpdFLz-Ls&t=4s

The Fandom does a much better job at writing and developing these gals than game has ever done or shown. I do love these three but stuff like this still bugs the shit out of me.

I love these gals. But I’m not going to deny that Just a Pancake really makes a valid point. And to be fair after some thinking I see the argument he was trying to make.

Now I know we all have own opinions and that’s fine. I stay firm with mine as you do yourselves. And that’s what makes a fandom, we all have a right to dislike and disagree if we want to. In fact I do encourage because it allows debates and second thinking if needed.

Anyways… back on topic, I’m going to be blunt. But Kingdom Hearts just dosen’t make good female characters. (This is not including Disney girls of FF, just KH original characters)

And it’s kinda sad considering how few main original KH female characters there are. You think they’d be able to bulk up personalities, but that seems to go to all the male characters.

As amazing and fun this game is, it needs some tweaking on making their female characters, feel alive.

Now I’m not talking about the fandom perspectives of these gals, because I’m going to be real. The fans do an INSANELY better job at portraying these girls. (TAKE NOTES NOMURA DAMN IT!)  

Now there are a few exceptions a couple being Larxene and Olette. To me (and feel to disagree with me) they were the only ones that felt like had something to offer.

Larxene has more character than all the other gals. Being sarcastic, sadistic and snide (at times insufferable bitch) and to me that breaths a lot of personality and I love her for it. Even her voice actor has put a great amount of effort in bringing Larxene to life. Out of all the KH girls she is the one who brings in most of the attention. And even in the few scenes she gets the spotlight without even trying.

The second being Olette. Now I know some of you are already typing as to how she has anything to offer. She’s not even a main character! Yes, and that the thing, I think because she has no major role in it allows the writers to give her a character that comes off as simple and sweet. She’s the only one to demonstrated that she’s as normal and ordinary as a person can be in this series. Something we don’t exactly see happening in the KH franchise since every named character has a role to fulfill, and for her to be a small breath of fresh air is a nice change of pace. It shows: yes there are normal people, with normal lives. They have no scripted important task ahead of them, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of it.

And not only that, we did get to know bits and parts of her personality. And her interests thanks to small details sprinkled in KH2 and 3. Such as showing she has her priorities straight and 'actually' doing her homework/jobs before the due date. She loves going to the beach and loves spending time with her friends. Also she like to go shopping. A simple character, with a simple purpose. And to me she feels alive and just in general, a simple but easy character to relate to. She’s a perfect example of a beauty in simplicity.  

Now… as for the main girls.

Aqua is literally my favorite KH girl. However, the thing about her, is that she shared too many similar features with Sora. Now I don’t mean personality wise because Aqua is much more mature and level headed than Sora could ever be 

However, as much as I really hate to admit it. Aqua doesn’t have anything to offer other than a serious role model and as a plot device...

I think what made Aqua popular is the fact that she’s a strong independent female character who doesn’t need no man to save her. (Also, she has a really well thought out design). And for that I praise and respect her for it. Yet… throughout the game, she relatively keeps the same straight face. Her expression has shown to be sad, angry or just stoic. Nothing too bad, but as far as that, we don’t see Aqua have any interests beyond wanting to save her friends. And to me that’s all she did in the series, I’m not going to lie the first time I played Birth by Sleep, I saw absolutely no reason for her to be in the game. I mean Xehanort (he can go suck a dick) focused all of his attention on Terra to take over his body. And on Ventus to play a role in forging the X-blade.

But as for Aqua, to me it seemed like she was just walked in there to simply fill a space and create another trio. Now I’m not saying under circumstance that she is useless. After all, her role in the game is a huge catalyst for the events of KH1. It gives her a purpose and is one of the most important characters. But to me that felt more like a large plot device and changer other than being a person. Aqua suffered a lot in the series, no doubt. But being a catalyst isn’t enough to be a good character. She’s not bad by any means, as I still hold her a place in my heart. But I feel like she was put on plot pedestal in the series instead of being given a full fledged personality that makes her relatable. There are only two instances that allowed Aqua to not be a emotionless character:

One being with Zack asking her on a date and the second is when she tried to help Cinderella and Jaq in Castle of Dreams world. To see an awkward/embarrassed expression instead of the dull zombie-like one was a nice sense of relief to give her something.      

Another character that suffers from this treatment is Xion. She is one of my favorite characters from 358/2 days, but beyond the fact that she got the short end of the stick of being forgotten by her own friends (and everyone else for that matter). Her story is a tragic one, one that always gives me the feels and her theme is both beautiful and sad. But I wouldn’t say she had a character that made me connect with her as much as it could have.

She definitely has more expression and personality compared to Aqua that’s for sure. But not by much, however hers is within good reason. After all she was a puppet created by Vexen and Organization XIII don’t get me wrong. I understand that, and I would say it’s unfair for me to be saying this to her. And you’re right, it is unfair, but Xion eventually learned how to have emotions. How to cry and what happiness and laughter is and feels like.

The one thing I did get from her is that she loves sea salt ice cream and is one of the cutest and sweetest character in the game. But as far as her interests goes, there’s not much to go by. Now I know you can argue that both Roxas and Axel don’t exactly express their interest beyond their time in the clock tower. And it’s true, but Xion doesn’t add much more either… again I feel like she was only added in the game last minute. And that’s why in the story she’s forgotten so they have an explanation as to what happened to her and why she’s not recalled in KH2. Xion also gets the “plot device” treatment rather than as a character. And to me it feels like a disrespect to her character! (Her manga incarnation is MILES better).

However, I also don’t say much on her either only because she is still learning how to be her own individual. But my point still stands, though it’s prone to change, mostly because she now has the opportunity to be a character after KH3 since everyone remembers her and has her own body. And she might finally get an personality expansion in the next set of installments in the future.

Now as for Kairi…

Well this topic has been talked and reviewed over to death. In fact I even spoke about her character in this post here: https://princesszelda-heroine.tumblr.com/post/187815960646/kairi-deserved-better

But to sum it up, Kairi hasn’t been given a chance to shine as an individual compared to her friends and the others. And after what happened in KH3 I’m just more frustrated with the writers and developers that they won’t allow her to grow with sustenance! Whatever she had in KH1 and 2 was totally stripped in KH3.

My point being. Being a plot device in game or a catalyst for another one. Or having amazing/original design, does. Not. Make. A. Good. Fleshed. Out. Character.

I’m sorry to say this. But it’s true.

This is why I hate the treatment these gals go through in game. I stick solely to fan works because they give these girls the justice they deserve and makes me love them more as a whole.

I know there is a lot of things I didn’t cover, and maybe I missed a couple of points. But this is how I see this, and how I think the franchise is really missing a lot of good opportunities developing them.  

They really don't have much to offer as far as personality growth. Thank You KH Manga series.

#kingdom hearts #kh #kh3 #aqua #Kairi #Xion #rant #personal confessions #confess series

[bewhoyouarebopeep]

Toy Story and Stories About Toys

I’ve been thinking about what, I guess I would call, the toy canon of literature, and why this genre exists, and what the appeal is of telling stories about toys at all. 

Pinocchio and The Velveteen Rabbit are stories about what makes us “human” or “real”. Pinocchio (1883) is very much a lesson in morality, this wooden puppet needs to learn about sacrifice and responsibility to be rewarded with being human. It’s reflective of the morality of the time and of the author. The Velveteen Rabbit (1922) is also reflective of certain values, but in a less straight forward way, and likely not just because of the different authors but because of the societal changes that occurred in the 40 years between the two works. The stark morality of earlier periods had been shed, and Love as an ideal is at the forefront. Toys become real not by being good, but by being loved. In these stories toys are things that are like humans but not, or like real creatures but not, which allows them to be useful characters to tell stories about what makes us “real”. That is, stories about values. 

Hans Christian Anderson’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier (1838) , like all of his stories, embodies a certain kind of Christian set of values, based on a passive, long-suffering kind of virtue. However, the story doesn’t use the conceit of sentient toys in the same way as Pinocchio and The Velveteen Rabbit. The toys in Anderson’s story are conscious, but helpless. In that way, they’re the perfect characters for a story about forbearance in the face of adversity. It’s still a story about human values, but not because the toys are trying to become real, rather because they are a simplified, miniature version of humans. 

The Nutcracker (1816) is about a human who is cursed to become a toy. You could say that it's like the first two stories, and that it uses the proximity between toys and living things to say something about what it means to be human/real. In this case, it’s the love of another person. However, the true-love-breaking-a-curse thing is not distinct from other fairy tales. I think the thing that endures and that really captures audiences about The Nutcracker is the other-worldliness of the story. The idea that behind these familiar things there’s an entire world, even kingdoms at war with one another. Using toys in this story is a way to use the familiar as a gateway to adventure. 

Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) uses toys in a somewhat similar way, though the world of adventure that the toys inhabit is a lot more mundane and safe. The toys live in the woods, and get up to hijinks. But the fact that they’re toys, instead of making the familiar strange and otherworldly, makes the realm of adventure more comfortable and familiar. The stakes are never that high, because they’re toys. Friendship and is the major theme, especially the persistence of friendship. Which is also very comforting. 

Raggedy Ann (1918) is interesting, because it was a set of stories released with a toy. The stories were part of the marketing. And the stories themselves are kind of an ode to why rag dolls are so great. I quoted from the introduction in a previous post, but here it is again: 

What adventures you must have had, Raggedy!

What joy and happiness you have brought into this world!

And no matter what treatment you have received, how patient you have been!

What lessons of kindness and fortitude you might teach could you but talk; you with your wisdom of fifty-nine years. No wonder Rag Dolls are the best beloved! You are so kindly, so patient, so lovable.

The more you become torn, tattered and loose-jointed, Rag Dolls, the more you are loved by children.

There’s the appeal to sentiment, the comfort, familiarity, and nostalgia of toys. There’s definitely value-statements (which are in the stories themselves as well) about patience and kindness. But also... it’s a sales pitch. The stories aren’t about what makes us human, they’re about why toys are great, because they’re trying to sell toys. This is why kids love rag dolls, and this is why you should get one. 

I organized this post by theme rather than chronology, but just for reference: 1816: The Nutcracker 1838: The Steadfast Tin Soldier 1883: Pinocchio 1918: Raggedy Ann 1922: The Velveteen Rabbit 1926: Winnie-the-Pooh Organized this way, there’s a clear demarcation as well. The first three all have toy characters with very human inner lives. The Nutcracker was literally human, Pinocchio is trying to become human, and the TIn Soldier has very little reference to actually being played with, he just falls in love and then suffers. The last three are about toys-as-toys. Being played with, or being friends with children feature very heavily in them. The Velveteen Rabbit does go deeper, thematically, but the rabbit is very much a toy, far much more than the first three. I would very much like to do some research into trends in story telling, into the development of capitalism and of children as a marketing demographic, and the extension of what’s considered childhood, because I don’t think that’s an accidental transition. However, I don’t have the time or resources for that.

So, I was thinking about where Toy Story fits in this. On a very basic level, Pixar chose toys as the protagonists because they were easier to animate and have them look good than humans. But there’s also the question of the kind of stories they’re telling.

The first three movies are actually far closer to Raggedy Ann than to anything else. They appeal to nostalgia, they’re about toys-as-toys rather than toys-as-something-approaching-human. And not to be cynical, because I do really enjoy the movies, but the marketing aspect must have been part of the appeal in the pitch meeting. I’ve read interviews where the team has said they were mindful that the story had to be about toys, and not about scaled-down humans. You can imagine the logic of story-building that comes out of that: What is important to toys? What are their lives organized around? So by necessity, the plots revolve around children and being played with, and then naturally the key conflict occurs when that kid grows up, through various stages. They’re about toys as an element in human’s lives. They go on adventures, but like Raggedy Ann, they always end up back at home, ready for the next play time, and aren’t toys great, and don’t you want to play with yours? 

I wrote in a previous post that the cool thing about Toy Story 4 is that it subverts the framework established in the previous films. And like I said in that post, I don’t think it would be a reach to say that societal change has played into that. The first three movies had a sense of comfort, they depended on the notion of a very average suburban childhood, there was an underlying sense of stability when the toys always ended up back in the same place. But the world is not as stable as it was in 1995. While those movies are still very popular, I don’t think they would have the same resonance if they originated  today. 

Toy Story 4 is both a step forward and a step backwards. It’s a step backwards in that, like older stories, toy are more than just toys. They have things they want besides being played with. They don’t become “real”, but they become self-actualized. It’s a step forward in that it moves beyond the Toy Story framework, and in that it doesn’t go back to the mysticism or morality of the old stories. There’s no Blue Fairy or Nursery Magic Fairy, just the toy’s own choices that make them “real”, and the question of what brings toys to life in the first place is pointedly unanswered. Buzz developing his “inner voice” doesn’t have dire moral consequences like it did for Pinocchio, it’s a question of his personal development and growing into his role as a leader. It’s not the “patience” or “fortitude” of the Tin Soldier or Raggedy Ann that’s held up as a virtue, but rather the ability to adapt to changed circumstances. Woody does not simply accept his fate, he determines it. Much more than any previous story, TS4 is about having agency over your own life. It has something to say about the human condition, something more than the previous movies, and something different from previous stories about toys. 

#toy story 4 #toy story #movies #children's literature #pixar #my stuff #long post

[blockwarden]

Civil Defense in the Fallout Series

For better or worse, nuclear warfare has dominated both the American psyche and American media since the dawn of the Cold War. From duck and cover drills to War Games, to fallout shelters and The Day After, we have long looked at the what-ifs of nuclear warfare with an almost violent curiosity—like a train wreck or a plane crash, we simply cannot look away. Although the threat of nuclear war and mutually-assured destruction no longer looms like the spectre of death over our shoulders, we still find ourselves fascinated by it, and our media reflects this. An almost infinite number of books, television shows, movies, and video games have been dedicated, in some part, to the prospect or aftermath of nuclear warfare. Video games especially being a relatively new, mostly immersive medium, have taken the theme of nuclear warfare and ran with it, including Metro 2033, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., DEFCON, Civilization V, Call of Duty, Metal Gear Solid, and Ace Combat Zero, to name just a very small number of them. But no game series is more synonymous with nuclear warfare as the Fallout series.

Although I could personally talk about the Fallout universe, the history, the sociopolitical setting, and the Great War itself for hours on end, the gist of the series is that in a retro-futuristic, alternate timeline world, on October 23, 2077, “Red China,” the Soviet Union, and the United States finally pulled the trigger and engaged in a full-on nuclear war, with bombs falling on most U.S. cities, including Las Vegas, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. The war itself lasted only two hours, but more energy was released in the first moments of the Great War than all the previous human conflicts combined. Entire mountain ranges were created by the sheer tectonic stress caused by the bombs, and the oceans and rivers of the world were contaminated irreversibly by the “relatively low-yield” warheads. In short, the Fallout series is a (somewhat exaggerated) look at the realities of mutually-assured destruction, and a clear representation of all our nuclear fears.

But how realistic is this? How likely is it that if something like the Great War were to happen today would our land and water still be unusable 200 years in the future? In discussing this, we need to first look at the preventative measures taken in the Fallout universe. And this starts with civil defense.

Not much Fallout canon is dedicated to civil defense. Although there are posters from the “Civil Defense Administration” found in-game, most preventative measures in the Fallout series come from Vault-Tec and their vaults. But these vaults were sociological experiments disguised as fallout shelters, and ultimately, Vault-Tec was not actually concerned with the preservation and continuation of the United States post-war. Some vaults were rigged with poisonous gases, some had purposefully faulty blast doors, and some were simply absurd (such as Vault 77, which was populated by 999 puppets and one man.) Since we can’t consider Vault-Tec an agent of emergency preparedness or disaster response, we must turn back towards the aforementioned Civil Defense Administration.

We know from in-game dialogue, terminals, notes, holotapes, and even character backstories that most people in 2077 were expecting a war any day. We can find personal basement shelters in bombed-out neighborhoods, Pulowski personal preservation shelters dotting street corners, and in the beginning of Fallout 4, as the bombs approach Boston, we can hear air raid sirens. We can find government bunkers like the South Boston military checkpoint and the Greenbrier Resort, and although not morally aligned to the concepts of American civil defense, some vaults did manage to provide safety for generations of dwellers. So, we know that some effort was made, and we can assume that these efforts were spear-headed by the Civil Defense Administration. But this is where the similarities between historical American civil defense and Fallout civil defense stop.

Walking around in a Fallout game, you encounter decimated homes and buildings, upturned roads, and irradiated water and soil. Skeletons litter the landscape. The few remaining buildings for the most part lack running water or electricity. There is no trash collection, there are no vehicles, there aren’t even any authorities outside of rag-tag militias capable of curbing the rampant crime across the wasteland. Doctors are few and far-between and mostly self-taught, and pockets of radioactive waste remain in open-air pits. If the Fallout series truly had a Civil Defense Administration, this dangerous, dirty, destroyed world would simply not exist.

Historically, civil defense has focused on both emergency preparedness and disaster response. The civil defense agencies of the United States were comprised of rescue squads, decontamination squads, demolition and clearance crew, auxiliary police officers, auxiliary firefighters, nurses, doctors, road repair crews, utility repair crews, drivers, messengers, radio operators, food and housing corps, chaplains, refuse collection crews, and even gravediggers—all who focused on disaster response and, more importantly, rebuilding. Civil defense was almost singularly-focused on the idea of rebuilding, of piecing the country back together after an emergency, of reestablishing normalcy as quickly as possible.

In Fallout, however, this doesn’t seem to be the case, except for a few exceptions. After the bombs fell, those remaining U.S. Armed Forces members tried their best to maintain order and control, but they quickly succumbed to the radiation and mobs. Then there were the Responders, seen in Fallout 76, who were an organization of police, firefighters, medics, and general volunteers that emerged in 2082 to provide medical assistance, supplies, and survival training to survivors. They were followed by Project Purity in Fallout 3, which was dedicated to decontaminating the water of the Washington D.C. area and providing potable water for survivors, although the project began in 2277, 200 years after the bombs fell. The last exception would be the Mojave Express, a courier service seen in Fallout: New Vegas in 2281. There is also the NCR Sharecropper Farm in Fallout: New Vegas, as well as a pastor in Diamond City in Fallout 4. But this is…it. There is no large-scale, nation-wide effort to rebuild. There are corpses and skeletons left where they fell, there are burnt-out cars left in the middle of the road, there are collapsed bridges and spewing pipelines and ponds so irradiated they’ve birthed new monstrosities like Swan in Fallout 4. There is no governing body, no faction that truly takes the reins, not even a surviving member of congress (technically, there was with the Enclave, but their motivations were selfish and generally fascist.) And this is anathema to the spirit of civil defense.

From a civil defense perspective, the Fallout series is almost insulting. It shows a total lack of law and order, a lack of neighborliness, a lack of effort to hold the world together. It shows tribe mentality, it shows the collapse of society, it shows the end of the world as we know it. This is not what civil defense, fictional or historical, would have strived for. It could be that, as we see in the case of Appalachia in Fallout 76, those who tried to rebuild were wiped out. It could be that, much like historic civil defense, it faced opposition in the form of apathy. Or it could simply be that a partially-recovered world is not nearly as compelling as a game as one where every water purification plant is overrun with Mirelurks and feral ghouls leap at you from the public library.

This is a sentiment echoed by many players of the two latest titles, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. I’ll spare y’all the student game developer rants as much as possible here, but there’s a lot to be said, so hold on. Most players absolutely hated the settlement system in Fallout 4. They despised the Minutemen, Preston Garvey, and protecting innocent farmers from Raiders. They hated having to sacrifice rare parts like gears and screws to build defenses. They hated the radiant quests. In short, they hated rebuilding and recovering. This could be because Bethesda did a pretty ham-fisted job at motivating the player to recruit and rebuild settlements, or it could be because Bethesda kind of forgot that the Fallout series, since its infancy with Interplay, was meant to be post-post­-apocalyptic. It was meant to be a game about a half-restored world. One only needs to look at places like Vault City or Shady Sands or even the New Vegas strip to know this. These were settlements that had rebuilt and moved on from the Great War. Bethesda has effectively abandoned this since acquiring the series, choosing instead to feature wastelands over burgeoning towns. So, while Diamond City and Bunker Hill might have running water, they’re still using oil lamps and sleeping in drafty, scrap wood houses as if the bombs fell just a few weeks ago.

A game where survival is not nearly as hard, where you aren’t grilling rabid dog meat and sleeping on a flea-infested mattress, is just not fun to most players. So, if the Fallout Civil Defense Administration had done a realistic job and cleaned all the literal skeletons out of the closet, Bethesda would have ultimately lost the one thing driving players in Fallout 4: the desire to survive.

This isn’t a condemnation of Bethesda at all—in fact, modeling at Bethesda Austin is kind of my dream job—but it is perhaps a critical look at their failure to use civil defense properly in order to bolster a certain environment, atmosphere, and play style. We simply don’t know, however, how much research and effort Bethesda (or even Interplay or Obsidian) put into civil defense. For all we know, one of their artists was simply inspired by the infamous “Serving you in time of emergency!” poster and didn’t think anything of it. But for a game that essentially trailblazes our pop culture understanding and opinion of nuclear warfare, it’s kind of a shame that civil defense is so overlooked. The Fallout series is almost obligated to get things right, especially when there are people who legitimately think the Vault Boy/Thumbs Up technique is a true way to measure fallout.

(It isn’t. This will get you killed.)

#articles #fallout #fallout 4 #fallout 3 #fallout 76 #fallout new vegas #civil defense

[drink-n-watch]

I say this every week and every week I fail, still I’m going to try to keep this post to a reasonable size. At least on my part. I have been rambling on way too much! That doesn’t mean we’re going to skip over the important stuff, like for instance: Matt how are you?

I’m fine (aside from some random back pain)! How are you doing Irina?

I have a huge cold, I guess I’m doing Canadian?

I’m not sure if this is a freaky coincidence or if I’m a low-key psychic but this week’s Psycho Pass was an illustration of what I was talking about in my post last Thursday. Essentially, the production values took a visible step down. To be fair, Psycho Pass is a stunning looking show and it’s unsurprising that it couldn’t keep that level up for an entire season.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who noticed art consistency go way down and CG integration get a lot less smooth in this episode. Fortunately, with Psycho Pass being so detailed to begin with, even pared down versions of the art still look pretty good. Nevertheless it has definitely looked better:

Of course I pay way more attention to technical details than most people. In all likelihood most viewers didn’t really notice! Did you?

I was very distracted by how off-model practically every character looked in any medium or long shots–I think having to produce a 45 minute episode in such a time schedule is proving too much for the production staff. But you are correct, even at its most inconsistent it’s still a strikingly good-looking show.

As division 1 continues to slowly hunt down the Foxes, we finally get a bit of background regarding the mysterious organization. It seems that there’s a whole group of Makishima’s out there and they are organizing against the system. An underground criminal outfit full of people with magical every clear hues.

It strikes me that this may have been an inevitable outcome. In a Sybil controlled society, evolution was bound to quickly create a bunch of mutants capable of controlling or at least maintaining their hues. The brain is really fantastically adaptable. I mean just the advent of smartphones has already physically changed the neural net mapping in younger generations. With something like Sybil, that has a high impact on every aspect of a person’s life, the change is going to get accelerated for sure.

It’s actually a brilliant bit of world building in my opinion but it could very well be entirely in my head. What’s your take on it Matt? Also I realize that my interest may be a bit niche, so don’t hesitate to jump in and talk about whatever you like.

What was that about trying to keep this post to a reasonable size and not ramble too much…? If we’re talking about things I like, I really enjoyed the absurdity of Karina delivering a political speech about religion and then without missing a beat transitioning into her idol outfit and performing a song.

We already have story threads regarding white collar fiscal manipulation with nationwide impact, neuroscience in the unique universe of Psycho Pass, shadowy mastermind puppeteers, a criminal organisation of uniquely advantaged people, Kei and Arata’s very peculiar background and personal arcs, racial tension and high level political intrigue.

And now, we get a religious angle. Do you think that the narrative is going in too many directions and is risking to lose focus or do you figure the more the merrier and it should add a few?

This show wants to do and say a lot and while I think everything it’s wanting to do and say is important it’s very much at the point where if it tries to do much more it’s going to collapse under the weight of itself.

It seems the rise in terrorist activity happening in the city right now is linked to a church of some sort. Or at the very least, a lot of its members are involved. The latest bomber having joined in hopes it would help him get in a better place spiritually and clear his hue. Of course, the are also leaving calling cards all over the place so they must have something to do with it as well.

Although were a lot of things happening in Psycho Pass already, I’m actually rather interested by the religious aspect. There’s something fascinating and terrifying about a “Sibyl sanctioned religion”. And religion does odd things to people and their psyche in the best of times, I can’t wait to see what it can do under these circumstances.

After all, we are what we believe!

It seemed a bit weird to me that the show never really mentioned religion before and now suddenly it’s all anyone’s talking about. I realise it’s because it’s currently integral to the plot but I think it would have been better world-building had someone mentioned ‘Heaven’s Leap’ in any of the previous episodes–even in passing–especially since it’s apparently a big deal.

We got to meet 3 very different spiritual leaders from 3 very different religions. I am not a religious person in real life. I grew up in a place and time where it was more or less outlawed and it has just never really been a big part of my life. But I’m not someone who dislikes religion either. In fact I find it very interesting. I just don’t have much experience with it.

This is why, to me, despite the outward differences, all 3 of these guys sort of seemed the same.

That sounds like a bit of social commentary on religion in general, Irina! If we’re looking for a parallels with real world religion I suppose ‘Heaven’s Leap’ is supposed to be some sort of Jehovah’s Witness / Scientology hybrid and the CRP is some vague version of Catholicism. And then there’s just straight up Buddhism.

*It wasn’t..I literally meant they seemed to be built around the same character archetype not that their religions are the same. Don’t know if all religious figures in real life are that similar.

Because of all the different themes season 3 of Psycho Pass has been exploring, I wasn’t sure what the main focus would be. 5 hours in, I think it’s going to explore the effects of culture clash in an authoritarian society with thought crime. That’s a pretty ambitious goal. Even if it doesn’t manage to quite pull it off, I’ll be impressed by the effort! I know you think that speculating on where a story is going is not good but I would love to have your thoughts on it, Matt.

It’s not that I think it’s not good, my writer brain can’t help but speculate, it’s just I’m happy for a story to play out however the writer of the piece wants it to play out–I’m a bit of a bad critic in that respect. Whether this show is wanting to have a grand specific theme like you mention or just paint a broader canvas of the complexities of living in such a regimented world I’m not sure but it’s still interesting nonetheless.

This is probably nothing…But Arata’s house really looked like the division 1 mandated psychiatrist’s house in the first season. I’m almost 100% certain it’s not the same because it’s in the middle of the city, while the other one was in the countryside, but the architecture is similar. I wonder if it’s significant in any way.

Probably not.

I thought the design looked familiar, I don’t know if this is the kind of show that’d just forget its own world-building like that and this not be important but then again who knows!

So Matt, what were your thoughts on episode 5?

Honestly probably my least favourite episode so far. Sure the allure of something new with the religion aspect is interesting but the overall episode itself felt like a bit of a downgrade and not just with the off-model character art. Some scenes felt too fast paced while others felt drawn-out and Arata not being able to use his ‘mental trace’ felt like artificially handicapping the story for the sake of not using its own “cheats” to find the culprit. It’s by no means bad, nor even mediocre, it’s pretty great and had a lot of excellent character moments and interesting expansions to the overall world. I’m just worried the writer of this series may have bitten more off than he can chew. What about you Irina, I’m guessing you enjoyed it more than last week?

I liked it way more especially in the second half. And I’m ok with Arata not using his trace since it was set up properly how dangerous it is for him and how weak he is right now, fresh out of the hospital and all. Not to mention that using extreme empathy on someone who could very well be mind controlled sounds like a quick way to get himself mind controlled. These guys are detectives, they should know better.

I enjoyed it. I like when the story slips into speculative fiction and I found the pacing much better than in the last arc so to me it was a plus rather than a drawback. I have a feeling we are enjoying very different aspects of the season.

Psycho Pass s3 ep5 – Leap of Faith I say this every week and every week I fail, still I’m going to try to keep this post to a reasonable size.

#action #anime #Collab #crime #drama #Psycho Pass #sci fi