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audisive · 1 month

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♪ WEST COAST. (💌) – next part

౨ৎ simon 'ghost' riley | reader

synopsis: soap accidentally finds out about simon's girl.

tags: fluff, romance, simon is a big baby !! let us all accept this fact, soap and his assumptions, uh bad jokes, very rushed fic, crack ?, reader can indeed fix simon

Soap isn't sure when his assumptions started, nor is he sure how it got to Gaz and Price himself.

Maybe it was when he started to notice that Ghost left base whenever he could. (How come ye never leave base? It's a hassle havin' to go back and forth for nothin', Johnny.) Maybe it was the smudged color of red and pink on his balaclava, the lingering perfume on his hoodie, or his new wallet taking the place of one that was once worn out.

"Wha's yer favorite perfume, LT?" "My enemies' sweat and tears."

(It's well-known that despite the fact that Ghost does consider the 141 to be his family, he keeps his personal life very private and away from them. They respect that, in turn, but let's face it, Soap is nosy.)

Really, it was an accident. Soap swears it was!

He just happened to be passing by his lieutenant in the bar where the team had all gone to celebrate a wreck of a mission that they've managed to successfully finish. Truly, it was an accident when his eyes caught a glimpse of Ghost's new wallet, and he really, very much so did not mean to watch a little too long – long enough for it to open and reveal a hefty amount of cash and a small square of colors, barely noticeable.

Soap's feet move before he could quietly search for more.

"Got a new wallet, aye?" He slides beside the taller man smoothly, just as the Brit had grunted out another order of Bourbon. Ghost hums in acknowledgement.

"Y'got a crush on me or somethin', Johnny?"

Soap chuckles even if the other does not. "A just happened tae see it. Fancy little thing."

It doesn't take long before Ghost disappears into the night, but the Scot swears his pace was a bit faster than usual when he left the awfully-smelling bar, and Gaz would be lying if he said he didn't see the little picture of a pretty bird tucked away in his scarily huge lieutenant's wallet.

It's not that Soap often makes bold assumptions about people and their personal lives, not when they're out of reach from him, but can you really blame him for thinking that the words 'Ghost' and 'girlfriend' do not sound right in the same sentence? Would it be considered an assumption this time if he'd seen the photo himself? Surely, his superior isn't some perverted freak who keeps an image of a breathtaking woman he randomly found in his private items. Uh, he hopes not, at least.

"Bullshit!" is what a drunken Soap yells when the Brit nonchalantly discloses to the team, without hesitation, that he is simply not interested in dating. He spills everything he's gathered in the past few months, from the smallest hints to the biggest; the unfamiliar strand of hair on Ghost's hoodie to the wallet from months ago.

"A'm no crazy!" Soap convinces no one as he's ushered back to the barracks for making such an insane assumption about the lieutenant in his unreliable state. Ghost's lips curl up into a smirk against the cold glass of Bourbon in his hand, sat back and relaxed with his legs spread wide.

Call him a big baby (he is) for making a fool out of his sergeant instead of just telling the truth and bragging about his angel to the others, but can you blame him? He just wants to keep you tucked away in his pocket, away from everyone else. What are you talking about, lovie? 'Course 'm not ashamed of you. You're just too pretty for them, is all. Gotta keep m' girl safe, yeah?

Besides, they don't have to know the way Simon melts into the nook of your neck when he gets home from deployment or know that he uses your lavender-scented shampoo. And no, it doesn't matter that Johnny knows. It's his word against the lieutenant's. He spares his LT and turns a blind eye this once.

When the time is right, Simon is sure to properly introduce his heart to his unspoken family. For the time being, he just wants to keep you his pretty little secret.

divider by @cafekitsune !

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acourtofbooksandshadows · 5 months

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Not So Routine- Chapter 7

Summary: Nesta and Cassian come in to collect Nesta's custom piece and Y/N gets a little flustered in the process.

Pairings: Eventual!Nessian x Afab!Reader Mor x Afab!Reader

Warnings: Nerves and lust.

Word count: 930

Bookshelf Series Bookshelf

The days following went by quickly and routine. You woke up, ate breakfast, went to work, started and finished Nestas custom piece, went home and had dinner, read a book before crawling into bed. Mor had been busy with court duties so you didn’t see much of her. Before you knew it the day for Nesta to pick up her custom set came along. You had tossed and turned the night before. Then struggled to choke down breakfast, the nerves in your belly caused it to be sensitive. You paced back and forth through the store as your best friend sat at the counter trying to ease your worries.

“You just need to take a deep breath. I’ll be here the whole time. Plus I highly doubt they're as scary as you’re going on about. I’ve seen Cassian trip and fall in a puddle after a night at Rita’s before.” She tapped her fingers along the counter in an off key tune and you simply glared at her. The thought of Cassian falling face first into a puddle drunk off his ass did make you laugh however. She gave you a toothy grin in return, happy to see some of your worries ease. The moment was halted as the door opened. You both looked towards the door and there they stood in all their perfectly poised glory.

“Hello.” Your voice squeaked out and you cringed. Your friend slapped a hand over her mouth to cover her laugh and you glared at her. She had never seen you as nervous as you were now around someone. Once you cleared your throat you turned back to your mates and gave them a small smile. Cassian gave you one in return and Nesta relaxed the resting bitch face she normally wore which was as close to a smile you figured you’d get from her.

“Sorry about that, I had a tickle in my throat. I’m guessing you're here to pick up your set?” You started walking behind the counter to grab the box that you had set there. The red ribbon you’d wrapped around the black box swayed in the wind as you lifted it and set it down on the counter top. You realized as you looked at the box that you had unconsciously put together the red and black you had all been wearing the night of dinner.

“Also wanted to speak about that position you offered me.” They had both approached the counter quietly and you jumped at how close her voice was. You’d been surprised that Cassian was able to walk so softly with his hulking frame.

“Oh yes. So we were thinking.” You gestured towards the female next to you introducing her quickly, you had both discussed the position and had decided on what you would offer her together.

“A part time position, flexible around when you are free. You can help us with new designs and custom orders. Your sketches were breathtaking and we both agree it would be amazing to see more. Pay will be weekly as well as sixty/forty commissions on any items we put out based on your sketches.” Your thumb and pointer finger rubbed the material of the ribbon on the box between them as you laid the offer out in the open.

Cassian watched Nesta carefully, waiting to see what she would say. Her cold and calculated gaze narrowed on you before she nodded her head. A sigh slipped through your lips and your shoulders released some tension you hadn’t realized they were holding. Your friend beside you had a beaming smile on her face as she took in the scene before her.

“When would you like me to start?” You went to answer her but the words got caught in your throat as lust swept through the bond. You weren’t sure who it was coming from or why but it had your mind spinning. The skin of your chest, neck and face heated as the feeling washed over you again.

“Whenever you would like to, it is fine with us.” Your friend gave her a reassuring smile even though Nesta’s eyes didn’t leave yours. Cassian looked between the two of you and laid a hand on Nesta’s back. Nesta told you what day she could start and what time and your friend told her that worked perfectly.

But your eyes never left Nesta’s. Even though you were feeling completely weak, if you weren’t white knuckling the counter with one of your hands you were sure you’d be on your hands and knees crawling towards the female begging for her approval.

Cassian stepped up to the counter and carefully took the box from where it sat in front of you. The ribbon slipped between your fingers and that broke you out of your spell. You blinked rapidly, shaking your head aggressively trying to clear the dirty thoughts away. He sent you a wink as he took the box and you took in a large gulp of air.

Because how were you ever going to survive in this life with them as your mates. They didn’t say anything else as Cassian guided Nesta out the door. You were happy that they had already paid the first time they came in because you didn’t know if you could’ve handled them being around much longer. Your friend snickered at the scene she just witnessed and you tried to level her with an intimidating stare and she just laughed harder. You were just thankful that all the eventful experiences of the day had already passed.

A/N: I know that this part was shorter but I promise the next two parts are going to be longer. Thank you all for reading and as always likes, comments, reblogs and follows are much appreciated.

Tags(open): @kmc1989 @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @luvmoo @wolfsbane44 @acourtofinkandpapyrus @moonlwghts @maddietheshoe @hyemishii @fanboyluvr @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @pinksmellslikelove @waytoomanyteenagefeels @littlebbb @cat-or-kitten @girlmadeofavocados

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reds-skull · 2 months

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My pc is in a repair shop and I got nothing to do, so here's a list of fic ideas I'll probably never do anything with, in no particular order:

Ghost, SAS Lieutenant, needs to gather intel from a secret agent at a party. He doesn't know how the man looks, only the agreed upon signal. Cut to Soap, the secret agent, trying very hard to save Ghost from an enemy that somehow knew the signal and is now taking Ghost to a more "secure area".

Soap is a councilor at a prestigious summer camp, along with a few others. He doesn't really fit in with the rest, far too rich to relate to, so he spends most of his time taking care of a memorial for one Simon Riley, who died in the nearby lake 10 years ago. When Ghost, a local hunter, starts terrorizing the camp, Soap is somehow spared. Eventually Ghost goes on a murder spree, despite Soap's efforts to stop him, but when the other councilors tried to prank Soap, Ghost didn't really care to end their lives over it.

Ghost encounters an SAS soldier on the field, from a different squad. He soon finds out the soldier is non verbal. Which is a problem when they're in an active warzone, and he doesn't know sign language. Through a lot of pointing and miming, they somehow find a way to survive, and Ghost comes to like the company of 'Soap', as the man pointed to one when he asked for his name.

Soap is a famous actor, with a beautiful girlfriend, big movie on its way, and millions of fans across the world. His coworkers, Gaz, Price, and his bodyguard Ghost, are ones he considers close friends at this point. It all comes crashing down when he finds his girlfriend cheating on him. Not a day later, her room is trashed, threats and warnings to stay away from Soap carved into the walls. Soap and Ghost uncover the existence of a stalker, one that is slowly becoming more and more violent. All the while, Soap finds himself in his first romance movie, imagining his bodyguard in the place of his supposed love interest.

Ghost doesn't give attention to most soldiers on his base, and especially not to Soap MacTavish. The Scottish Sergeant is the most unserious, annoying bastard he ever had the misfortune of knowing. His view of him changes when they're assigned on a mission together, and Ghost witnesses just how skilled Soap really is. Over time, he finds out why Soap keeps on a mask of a bumbling idiot, and digs deeper into the strange behavior of his superiors. Namely, how they seem to almost sabotage Soap every step of the way.

Ghost and Gaz are sent on a mission in the Russian tundras, to salvage intel from an abandoned prison complex. Only, they soon find it's not abandoned at all - a single man is locked behind bars, surrounded by dozens of guards. After rescuing him, the 141 soon discovers he suffers from amnesia, and only remembers his callsign, Soap. As foreign forces continue to attempt to kidnap Soap back, and as his memory comes back, John MacTavish comes to a horrifying conclusion: he betrayed his old squad, and his capture was not accidental. His original mission? Infiltrate the 141, and bring it down.

Simon Riley, owner and butcher at his own small shop, suspiciously eyes the man that has been hanging around his shop for the last 15 minutes. He's going to kick him out if he doesn't buy anything, and he tells the man so, but the fear he recognizes in his eyes stalls him. Ghost catches a flash of a camera outside the window, and the man tells him he's actually hiding from 'them'. Ghost, built as he is, simply goes and scares them away. The man inside brightens, and introduces himself as John. From that day on, John comes back, bringing tea and breakfast at the early opening hours. Ghost finds it a little weird, but the company becomes comforting soon enough. Once, he let it slip to John that the shop isn't doing too well, and the very next day a slew of costumers arrived at his doorstep, muttering excitedly about a "Soap MacTavish". It's only when his old mates Price and Gaz come by the shop, that Ghost discovers his friend "John" is no other than the famous actor nicknamed "Soap". Simon doesn't understand the shock on Price and Gaz's face even after the name is revealed, and Soap loves him all the more for it.

#call of duty modern warfare 2 #cod mw2 #cod ghost #cod soap #cod gaz #cod price #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #kyle gaz garrick #john price #each of them has an issue of either no clear plotline or its just not exciting enough for me to write the 50k words needed to tell it #so im letting them out to be free #could almost be like writing prompts if they werent so... specific lol #im probably forgetting some ill remember later

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helpimtrappedinthetextbox · 5 months

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Alright

*rubs hands together*

Time to talk about my Just Roll With It: The Suckening Theory about Shilo and Emizel

Fair warning? Spoilers for those who haven't listened yet and mildly unhinged thought process pulling apart really small details

Please know I've chewed on these for so long, it's like the piece of gum Violet has in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Don't believe it cuz it hasn't been explicitly stated? Dunno how to help you there, simply a Dumbass Moment™

First and foremost, let's simply get it out of the way, yes, they're twins

Imma be focusing more on the situation surrounding them being where they are and who they're with

Base Work:

All of these theories revolve around it not simply being a one night stand type thing, that the parents met somewhere, were together romantically for a while then ended up having kids either accidentally or intentionally

Theory 1: Divorced Family of Four

Basically a Parent trap type situation goin' on here, Parents get in a fight, twins separated at birth, they meet when they're older, and if the podcast is going a more humor based route, maybe getting the parents back together

Personally, I'd score it a 4.8/10, giving points for the humor aspect, but seems unlikely due to how the queen was keeping tabs on Emizel but Jeffery didn't seem to recognize Shilo

Theory 2: Temporary Living Situation

Essentially, when the twins were born, seeing that one was more predominately either Human or Vampire but they couldn't safely raise them in the same household, for fear of the other side being exposed to their respective society

So the plan was to raise them in their own worlds, then when they were fully grown up they'd introduce them to each other, and give Emizel the option to join Vampire society, Jeffery probably will also Turn when Emizel does

Rating this one a 6.3/10, does g really explain when the mom didn't want Shilo to talk about the stuff, again, Jeffery not recognizing Shilo, the mom not reaching even though theyre both adults (at least by human standards)

Theory Three: Uncle Dad

This one takes a bit of a different take. Alright, so starting off, Jeffery isn't the actual Dad, he's the twin brother of the Dad. Now, you may think that specific connection is random, however I promise it's not. Twins is a genetic trait, in order for twins to be born it has to come from one side of the family, in this case, the dad's side. However, I think the dad and Jeffery weren't in contact, or at least not in constant contact. Not a malicious thing but more of an 'talking didn't take priority' type deal. Now, I don't think the dad is still alive for this to work, he probably died a short while after the twins were born.

After the dad died, the mom didn't have the ability to keep up with both twins, one being a human child that she wouldn't have a clue where to start with, thus she reached out to the brother, whom the father would have mentioned a few times probably. Probably explaining as much as she could without giving away the whole Vampire thing. She asked him to raise Emizel. And she did it in a way that would allow him to live a completely normal human life. She gave up seeing her son ever again so that he could have a happy human life. Which would be why she kept constant tabs on him, to make sure he was still safe and alive. Which would be why she didn't want Shilo to look into it or even mention it. Which was why she was crying when Shilo was leaving the castle in his Frenzy, because she lost the love of her unlife and her son in quick succession.

It would also explain why Jeffery didn't recognize Shilo, because he didn't know Shilo existed. Or the Queen would have had to mention why she was able to keep one child but not both, or at least why she couldn't keep both children in her side of the family.

This theory has a rating of 8.7, it seems the most likely as far as the two episodes have presented so far, but there's no telling if it'll hold up for the rest of The Suckening. I personally think that with the evidence we have now it'd be quite the interesting turn and would explain some of the odd plot holes of "Jeffery not recognizing Shilo" and Condi's mention of "a few months after birth" in regards to how long Emizel has known Jeffery, which was quite interesting.

Not Theory related, but if Grethgor isn't alive after what happened at the end of 2, bc I don't trust that Sheriff as far as I can throw him, I'mma be screaming, crying, throwing up, because how the Sheriff worded it made it seem like the order stayed the same but worded different to appease Shilo.

Also, shout out to @cant-think-to-save-my-life for listening to my theories, even the unhinged ones, and listening to me be hysterical when I'm having a new theory, and also when I'm hysterical about if Grethgor is alive or not, put up with a lot out me, but they signed up for it to be fair ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#just roll with it spoilers #jrwi spoilers #just roll with it the suckening #jrwi the suckening #jrwi suckening #jrwi show #jrwi emizel #emizel tucker #shilo bathory #jrwi shilo #can you tell i cant remember the name of the sheriff or the queen lol?#also soda is so funny. hes just a silly goofy guy. who now is having a crisis about not wanting soda #im only mildly unhinged i swear #grethgor is baby and no one can convince me otherwise #also shilo is just a pathetic wet puppy who just wants to be taken home in his little box #shilo can do no wrong and im deaf to any arguments otherwise #just roll with it

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lycorogue · 4 months

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One Piece NoPixel

Ever since the 4.0 launch of NoPixel (a private GTA Online roleplay server), my husband and I have become OBSESSED with the Yuno Sykk storyline going on.

Considering Sykkuno has been streaming NoPixel for roughly 8hrs every day, there's no way I can fully keep up, so my insomniac husband tends to give me recaps the following day. As he's telling me the story and is trying to get me to understand the relationship ties between characters I had an epiphany: Yuno is just Luffy from One Piece.

People already joke that Sykkuno has "plot armor" and is the "main character", so his GTA character Yuno being Luffy already kind of fits. Plus, both Yuno and Luffy are ADHD/Autistic balls of chaos that are also unintentionally beams of charisma that attracts just about everyone to their side. It doesn't matter how insane the plan is, if Luffy/Yuno says it people will follow through. You also have the fun of wondering if Luffy/Yuno is just insane with godly amounts of luck that allows their plan to work out, or if they are secretly geniuses that had already calculated everything in the background and the plan worked because of that discrete planning (or if it's a happy combo of the two). Luffy and Yuno are both almost impossibly optimistic and goofy, and people INSTANTLY know to take these boys seriously the second they become serious. If Luffy/Yuno stop smiling, you KNOW shit is about to go down! Also, Luffy/Yuno is INSANELY loyal and protective of his found family. On multiple occasions, Yuno has been informed that if he were to betray the speaker that would kill their last bit of faith in humanity, because if they know ANYTHING it's that Yuno doesn't lie and doesn't betray. Much like Luffy.

OK, so Yuno Sykk is Monkey D. Luffy (If Yuno's name wasn't just Sykkuno's I wouldn't be surprised if he had included the D. initial).

I then thought about those around Yuno. While the personalities don't work one-to-one, my husband and I were able to map a lot of Yuno's friends onto Luffy's simply based on relationship ties.

First is obvious. Yuno, through the 3.0 adoption chaos, ended up the adopted grandson of cop (and eventual Police Commissioner) Sam Baas. So, Baas is Garp. The fish-name connection is just a bonus.

Next up is the inspiration to both start an illegal lifestyle and to become the best possible at it. A pseudo-father-figure and mentor. The man whose blessings and pride in Luffy/Yuno is just about everything to the boy: Lang Buddha as Yuno's Shanks.

Luffy/Yuno couldn't get as far as he does without his true ride-or-die. The man who is loyal to a fault. Who will gladly give his life to not only save his best friend and brother, but also to simply lift him higher, if that's what's requested of him. A man who will smile as he participates in mass murder, and whose homicidal tendencies are surprisingly calmed when around Luffy/Yuno: Raymond Romanov as Yuno's Roronoa Zoro

The personalities don't really match, and YMMV when it comes to this ship, but 4.0 brought about Yuno's "relationship arc". This introduced us to a woman that Yuno loves spending time with, is very protective of, and joys in making her smile. She is there to comfort Yuno, but understands that he needs to do things his way and on his own sometimes. Yuno keeps saying that they're only best friends, and that may be true. He may honestly have no romantic interest in her, despite her obvious romantic interest in him. Even so, she's His Person and he wants to be with her and protect her as much as possible. If there's one person that Luffy/Yuno cares about that you DO NOT mess with, it's her. Ladies and gents, meet Yuno's Nami: Lottie Mae

On the flipside, we have a woman who started off as an enemy, but was instantly charmed by the lengths Yuno would go to in order to help someone that had threatened him. Someone who has family who viciously protects her. Someone who is completely smitten despite Yuno not really giving as many "I want to be in a romantic relationship" vibes as he does with Lottie. Someone who clearly has a jealous streak to her. The main person people seem to ship with Luffy/Yuno behind Nami/Lottie. Our own Tsundere Queen: Gigi Costello as Yuno's Boa Hancock

Next up is a man who is a more serious leader who doesn't approve of Luffy/Yuno's shenanigans, but he also can't deny the results, so he begrudgingly gives Luffy/Yuno free rein. He still tries to talk some sense into Luffy/Yuno and his friends, and they do listen to him on occasion, but those moments are few and far between. He also can't ignore Luffy/Yuno's charisma, and, in spite of himself, he's equally drawn in to the King of Chaos. Congratulations, Tommy T. You are Yuno's Trafalgar Law.

We then have someone who is older. Someone who is a bit of a mentor, but also would gladly follow Luffy/Yuno. Someone who was once a leader himself, but has since disbanded his own crew (or, at least, left them). Someone who is incredibly protective of Luffy/Yuno, but also understands that the kid can hold his own (for the most part). Someone who can't fathom Luffy/Yuno ever betraying anyone. Someone who is a master a steering??? This one is a little bit of a stretch, but my husband believes that Tony Corleone is Yuno's Jimbe.

Finally, we have someone who is a pseudo-ally to Luffy/Yuno, almost begrudgingly. Someone whose goals differ from Luffy/Yuno's and those differing goals caused tension for a bit before the two decided to break off from each other. Someone who has a sort of 1920s gangsta vibe with his underground gambling and mob-like connections. A man whose main goal deep down is to find a family of his own. Marty Banks as Yuno's Capone Bege

My husband also thinks that Benji Ramos would be Yuno's Sanji, mostly due to the incessant flirting with little-to-no success. Also, Mickey Sinclaire as Usopp due to Mickey being a cowardly schemer and master liar. I'm still on the fence for both of those. This list was largely mapping parallels on how these characters relate to Luffy vs how they relate to Yuno. The Benji and Mickey parallels are more about their personalities pairing with One Piece characters.

I think that will have to be a different list, though.

So, NoPixel/One Piece fans, what do you think? Does this work? Would you have picked other character parallels? Are there others we didn't think of?

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coldgoldlazarus · 1 year

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Last night I was explaining Bionicle's early army-builder villains to a friend, and it got me thinking about how like, kinda interesting it was how the portrayal of the Visorak shifted across 05, and how... un-nuanced, for lack of a better word, their ultimate fate later on wound up being.

Like, even before we get so much as a direct glimpse at them, they were being built up as something terrifying; in Maze Of Shadows it's made clear that all the Rahi, mutated or otherwise, the Toa Metru were running into as they made their way back down to the city, were fleeing from something. This did get somewhat confused at the end by the reveal of the Energized Protodermis entity, admittedly, but still.

Web Of The Visorak brought this back in line and then some, though, the book tinged with a mixture of melancholy and suspense, the entire book building up the Visorak further through the indirect effects their occupation of the city and how thoroughly it has been transformed by their presence, even beyond the damages sustained in the Cataclysm. "Stealers of life" we're told, is what their name means. When we finally run into them in person near the end, it's a harrowing encounter, that the Toa only make it out of because said Visorak (a handful of Sukkorak, if I recall correctly?) explicitly let them go. And then not long after that, the trap is sprung, all six toa ambushed and paralyzed within seconds, and themselves mutated into the Hordika.

Up to this point, the main thing we know about the Visorak is how terrifying they are. The official blurbs for the sets doesn't help, with all sorts of outlandish traits being listed for each breed, ranging from kinda intense (the Keelarak being able to act as living sawblades thanks to their bladed legs) to disturbingly onesided. (the Boggarak being able to emit a sonic hum that would just plain vaporize anything within range) They're one of the first times I started to really feel the Power Creep in Bionicle, well before I had words for it. (though I still think the Piraka were the worst offenders on that front.)

---

But then, from Challenge Of The Hordika onward, something really interesting happened: We started to get scenes from the Visorak's point of view. We learned they were sapient, and had their own language. And as they met with Sidorak and Roodaka to report new developments, the story introducing and beginning to build up the two generals and their opposing methods, it didn't necessarily diminish the Visorak as a threat, but it did still fundamentally alter our understanding of them - particularly with Roodaka's habit of harsh and arbitrary punishments. For as terrifying and unnatural as the Visorak were, they were on some level sympathetic now, minions cowering in fear of a higher power.

Even when they unleashed the Zivon to combat the Hordika, it was made quite clear that this was a desparate move that would bring only a pyrrhic victory, as the Zivon treated them as food, laying waste to the horde just as effectively as it laid waste to their enemies. Thanks to Sidorak's incompetence, this particular summoning was simply a massive failure on all fronts, the Zivon not destroying the Toa to at least make up for the massive losses it incurred upon the Visorak.

All of this was of course in service of the year's overall themes about leadership, as Vakama laid out near the end. Roodaka's tyrannical treatment of the Visorak undermined her; when Vakama took advantage of his recent appointment to Visorak captain to order them into freedom, they all instantly deserted and got as far away from her as they could go, rather than sticking around to help. Her fear-based rulership left no sense of loyalty that might have helped her out at the end.

Unfortunately, aside from a brief cameo in Time Trap, (the one Oonarak that was using its vocal impersonation power to pose as Nokama, to aid in Makuta's deception) we didn't really get to see much of what the Visorak did after that point, with their newfound freedom, for good or for ill. After all, with 06 we were barely back in Metru Nui before needing to launch off for Voya Nui, and they just weren't really relevant or aknowledged again until it was time to commit mass genocide against them.

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Still, let me rewind a bit first. Because even as we learned more about the Visorak from their own point of view, we also got another important perspective; that of the Rahaga, back when they were the Toa Hagah. Even as much of their story served to further reinforce how cruel and toxic Roodaka was, we also learned through them the sheer scope of the Visorak's destruction, laying waste to countless lands before coming anywhere near Metru-Nui, wiping out or completely destabilizing countless ecosystems with their mutative venom. This was, again, at the behest of the generals, but regardless, between these flashbacks and what we saw in Web Of The Visorak with the sonic entity, it was made clear that the Visorak were an inherently subversive presence, the Hordika venom in particular having the potential to sow absolute chaos.

This was further reinforced later on, as in 08 we learned that the Visorak were created specifically as a weapon by the Makuta Chirox, as part of his ongoing mad-science feud with Mutran, and they were so dangerous, to an almost absurd degree, as a result of Chirox's lack of subtlety in designing his homegrown incomprehensible horrors. They were employed by the Brotherhood as a shadow army to eliminate populations that the Brotherhood couldn't be seen moving against publically, as they could be dismissed as a sort of natural disaster; the idea that there was an intent and leadership driving their actions was one of the hard truths the Hagah had to learn when they realized they were working for the wrong side. The Visorak were explicitly created, from the outset, to be as dangerous and terrible as they were, and employed to that end quite liberally.

An invasive species, if you will.

---

So that leaves us with an interesting conundrum with lots of potential for nuance. On one hand, they are a sort of bioweapon, with abilities explicitly geared toward inflicting mass death and mutations, and a long, long history of doing exactly that. And, from some of their POVs we understood that despite everything with the generals, they did genuinely enjoy the hunt.

On the other hand, they were thinking, feeling beings with their own distinct language, who despite their deadly nature lived under an oppressive regime themselves, ordered about and punished. One of the more genuinely chilling scenes of the third movie was Roodaka ordering a squad of Boggarak to commit suicide as a demonstration, and them complying without protest because whatever she would do to them if they refused would be so much worse. Once again, at the end of 05, they were finally freed, in a roundabout way, and there was a lot of untapped potential to see what could have become of them after that.

Because I feel like it wouldn't be so cut and dry as them suddenly becoming docile and wholesome, not when their very design stands against that, not with the Hordika venom being an inherently chaotic element with extremely destructive potential. They were given the freedom to choose their own path, and that path probably would have entailed still doing what they knew and following their instincts; hunting, webbing, mutating, overrunning, even if not in such huge concentrated numbers as before.

But all the same, there was also the potential for them to do more than that, explore their newfound freedom. They had speech, they had reason. Could we have had the Visorak disperse and form into tribes, take their place as another species amidst the Matoran Universe? Even for all their destructive potential they still paled in comparison to the likes of the Makuta, who despite their own villainy were respected (if feared) participants of civilization as well. Could they have claimed an island of their own (wasn't there one they originally started out on, also called Visorak?) and built something there, instead of invading other lands?

GUESS WE'LL NEVER FIND OUT, BECAUSE INSTEAD IT'S BETTER TO HAVE THE HEROES USE SOME ARTIFACT WE PULLED OUT OF NOWHERE TO BRAINWASH THEM ALL INTO JUMPING INTO AN ACTIVE VOLCANO LOL

#not a reblog #bionicle #bonkle #bonkles #visorak #I guess from a doylist viewpoint #the fate of the visorak kinda makes sense #when you remember that greg hated 05 #so if it was spite or just unwillingness to engage with them any more #eliminating the visorak as a factor kinda tracks #but still #it felt really weird to me when I first read the serials #sure these spiders are horrifying crimes against nature #but this is still really fucked up #especially when you think about the parallels #between them being mind-controlled into jumping into a burning caldera #and how Roodaka ordered them to jump off the colosseum tower #just some food for thought

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tobiasdrake · 1 month

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Episode 13: Endless Eight, Part 2

I have been chomping at the bit all day to find out if I'm right.

YES. WE HAVE TIME LOOP. Haruhi is going to endlessly loop these last couple weeks of summer so that she can enjoy it eternally.

Kyon doesn't seem aware of it, which surprised me. He has a bit of deja vu....

But he's not fully cognitive of the fact that he's already done this before. I'm honestly surprised by that. He's the Viewpoint Protag so I kinda figured the show would make excuses for him to be the only one that remembers.

Wonder if Yuki knows this is happening? She'd be the person most likely to wake up this morning and go, "Oh, time has looped around. Neat."

Already, things are a little different this time around. Haruhi doesn't seem to be aware of her own abilities in general but I think she's at least somewhat aware that she's done this before. Her behavior is slightly off.

She snapped at Kyon for being late, just like she did last time, but she didn't shriek "PENALTY PENALTY PEN-AL-TY!!!" at him. Loop 2 Haruhi is less impatient to get started. She just took note of his tardiness and then went straight to business.

Then again, that might not be indicative of anything. What's really weird about the loop is that everyone's wearing different clothes. We went from this on Loop 1:

To this on Loop 2:

Yuki's still wearing her school uniform but Haruhi, Mikuru, and Itsuki are dressed differently. Kyon also has a different outfit, though you can't see him in these shots.

So it's not a typical time loop where everything is exactly the same save for what gets directly influenced by the looper. Which makes sense because Haruhi's never demonstrated the ability to move time before.

Could she be looping events... the hard way?

Like. Okay. Hear me out. There's an episode of Futurama that introduces a crazy-ass form of space travel. Where, instead of propelling the ship through space, the ship's engines push the entire universe around it. It remains in one place while the universe is forced to move. Traveling through space the hard way.

Could Haruhi be moving through time in a similar fashion? Like. Erasing everyone's memories and warping the universe around them in order to put the sun and Earth back where they were two weeks ago? So the events did happen but now they're going to happen again because Haruhi manually rewound the universe? But with the small details like everybody's laundry baskets left where they were?

I dunno. I'm probably way off base. Might just be probabilistic or something. But. This is kind of fascinating, for how it's not exactly a time loop yet is.

Itsuki, like, Kyon, seems unaware of what's happening but he's got vague flashes of memory related to Loop 1.

Wonder if Loop 1 is actually Loop 1 or if we've been looping for a while and are only now noticing?

Yuki seems bothered by something. Which makes me think she might be aware of the loop. She took some time at the pool to be off by herself and just have introvert time in Loop 1 too, but there she looked like this.

Her posture was much more open, as if she was simply staring into space and thinking. Loop 2 Yuki looks like she's having an existential crisis.

Mikuru still wants to scoop goldfish and makes no indication of anything out of the ordinary.

As the time traveler, you'd think Mikuru would be the first to realize something's off about time. But Mikuru's not very good at her job because she's mainly in this show to be the object of Kyon's ogling and Haruhi's harassment.

#the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya #drake watches haruhi suzumiya #haruhi suzumiya #kyon #itsuki koizumi #yuki nagato #mikuru asahina

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rosemarydisaster · 1 year

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Hi Hello, I know I haven't talked a lot about CR lately (my brain won't let me watch it for some reason) but I'm back to talk about The Legend of Vox Machina, particularly: Grog.

Spoilers for The Legend of Vox Machina episode 9 below. There will be spoilers for the stream too, but I will also mark down where those start.

I love love love all the changes. Not only do I think they're a great way to adapt the absolute beast of content that CR is. Some are good sacrifices, there's shit gotta leave out, no matter how entertaining. I think they've pick very well what to leave completely out. Also, they're really smart in the way they've fused different adventures so they can have a two for one (like adding stuff from the rakshasa fight to the dungeon crawl at the Matron's temple so they can have that Kashaw-Kiki interactions). And of course there's the switching the order so it's more streamlined thing too, like Pyra. But what I thought was the best decision was the party splitting on the past three episodes.

Sure, you should never split the party and I hope they don't abuse that solution or that at least they play with the different combinations because it can be a detriment to the group dynamic. But this time?? They nailed it.

The fey wild group was perfect, you have all the development you need for the ships and also Vax and Percy get to patch things up a little and the twins are together for the family reunion. you have all the people important for a Vex Arc on one side.

On the other hand, you have Grog go through his arc with the two people most important to him. I love the Vax-Grog Dynamic, but like in the OG fight against the Earth breaker, his first choice will always be Pike and his second Scanlan. Also, you get some cute gnome flirting and a bit more development for Scanlan since Pike is the one that challenges more his flirty nature. Vex and Percy are permanently done with him, but they treat it like something that's just intrinsic to Scanlan. You can't change the weather, you simply complain about it. Pike on the other hand is the one that gets frustrated at the fact that Scanlan is unable to have a proper heart to heart or to be sentimental without defusing the tension. And Grog bringing out Scanlan's more caring nature is a nice touch. So it is the perfect team for Scanlan progress too.

But going back to what I actually wanted to talk about (because my Scanlan Meta will come too, but most likely next week) Grog. I love what they did with Craven Edge, I love how the show allows them to have this more "feelings based" resolution to Craven Edge's exhaustion. Because in game greater restoration or a night's sleep heal literally anything unless the DM specifically requests it.

What this does is it gives them the chance to introduce the whole "where does your strength come from?" Question in a place where the stakes are super high and it's thematically appropriate. That whole speech about how Grog considers strength helping those who can't help themselves...chills.

Now spoilers for the stream

I think it also Segways brilliantly into the whole "My strength are my friends" by maybe combining it with the whole "Vox Machina...Fuck shit up". If that happens, I'm gonna cry so hard I will dehydrate. I love the fact that they are giving so much attention to Grog, his growth his emotions because they're often brushed off. Travis wasn't still super comfortable roleplaying emotional scenes in campaign one and Tal, Liam and Marisha had a lot os experience and really angsty characters. Also Laura and Sam are just that powerful, you can't expect most people's experience first character to be that emotionally vulnerable (specially while streaming).

Ashley was also more nervous with the streaming and stuff, so Pike and Grog while not underdeveloped at all, usually didn't have the emotional spotlight on them the way we're seeing in the show. I think giving Grog the physical vulnerability and stripping most of his companions away is a great way to allow that depth to shine. When you don't have four extra characters each making questions and each proposing solutions, the spotlight shines directly on Grog and I love it.

I've always treasured those rare moments were Grog gets to open up and show his heart. I really love that trope of big dumb character also has emotional complexity, so I really enjoyed the last episode and I can't wait for the next one.

#critical role #critical role meta #the legend of vox machina spoilers #the legend of vox machina #tlovm spoilers #tlovm #grog strongjaw #scanlan shorthalt #pike trickfoot #cr

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mystery-moose · 7 months

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Someone in my life posed some interesting questions about stories recently! In considering them I figured I'd keep a record of my thoughts here on my tumblr web log, because what void should I holler into if not this one?

First, how I think about stories. I try to avoid thinking about them as morality plays or parables (mostly because this can keep me from engaging with challenging art) but I also don't like thinking about them purely as escapism. Each story has a reason it exists, whether that's entertainment, communication, or contemplation. They're designed to draw out our empathy, communicate a feeling, create a mood. Sometimes that's in service of something important to the author. Other times, it's something meant to distract. I don't judge a story based on its pretensions, or on its naked commercialism -- I try to judge based on its execution, how it's doing what it's doing, and how well it succeeds. There are great artists right now working solely with other people's licenses, doing work-for-hire gigs, and their skills are just as worthy of praise and appreciation as the latest semi-original high-concept novel hanging in the middle of the New York Times bestseller list.

Basically, I think about stories like stories! Or, if I absolutely have to be metaphorical, like buildings. Are the foundations strong? Is it doing anything special? Can I navigate it easily? How accessible is it? That last matters a lot to me, because it doesn't matter how cool the interior is if most people can't find their way inside.

Second, what do I need a story to do to recommend it to someone else? I'm gonna go with "accessibility" at the top, not in the disability sense but the populist one. Yeah, playing to the cheap seats can hurt a story a lot, and you obviously can't please everyone, but ignoring your audience doesn't make me appreciate your story much myself, let alone get me to recommend it to anyone else. You have to find a balance where what you're communicating isn't absolute nonsense to most of your audience. Not all! Just most. Effective communication of your thoughts, feelings, and ideas to a layman is something I think a lot of storytellers could stand to care about more when it comes to honing their craft, and that goes for folks outside of the arts especially. So if I find a story with a big concept, beautiful craft, intense emotion, and it's not too esoteric or inaccessibly written? That's great art in my book, and I'll tell everyone about it.

Next, what do I look for in stories? Now that is a tough one... I guess, beyond sheer execution (if your prose is good enough you can take me almost anywhere) I look for something that makes me care about its characters as it introduces me to their world, and does so without me feeling like I'm being told why I should care about the characters or what their world is like. This goes for everything from period pieces to stories set in places or communities I'm unfamiliar with, just as much as it goes for fantasy or science-fiction. I do generally have to care about the characters in a piece to really devote a significant amount of time to a story, though. If I don't, the other elements of the work (craft, originality, feeling) have to carry a whole lot more of the weight in order to get me to finish something.

What are red flags for me? Honestly, a big one is feeling either preached or condescended to. Even if it's politics or perspectives I agree with, if I feel like I'm being told what to think rather than thinking it on my own, or if I simply think the author doesn't trust me to understand what they're trying to say? I check out. Beyond that, when a story excuses terrible behavior in the interests of forcing me to sympathize with a character the author clearly favors, I also check out. There's other stuff too -- I don't much care for certain tropes when they feel obvious or sufficiently undisguised (at least try to put some kind of spin on it!) -- but those are the big ones I think. If I see those, my desire to continue drops real sharp.

A recent example of a story I really loved, because I try to stay positive: earlier this year I finished a book called A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, which almost instantly became one of my favorite stories. I had to sit with my feelings for days before I really settled on that, too! I worry about recency bias sometimes, that an impact will dull with time, but Empire has lived in my head since I read it. It's a well-told and compelling yarn that dips into a number of my favorite genres (science-fiction, murder-mystery, political intrigue, thriller) told from one of my favorite POVs (first-person) that also happens to dig into concepts that I find super cool and interesting! Things like history, how it's recorded, who makes it, what matters versus what historians only think matters. Things like the colonialism, cultural imperialism, and the politics of empire -- the pressure of being a small community being subsumed by a larger, more dominant one, the complicated nature of being a person from two worlds, whether by choice or by birth, and so on. It's got a lot of thoughts about that stuff, and it can't touch on all of them with the depth that they deserve, but it knows enough to know there's no easy answer for a lot of its questions, and it manages to make that feel like a natural conclusion rather than a copout. A great novel, and one I recommend to most everyone I know!

One I'm still in the middle of that I need to get back to: Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. That's a work that I think is a bit inaccessible, with characters that I don't necessarily love (the protagonist is a professional torturer, if that tells you anything) but the sheer craft on display... my god. There are whole sections I've read, passages that describe a feeling that I've had before but never put to words, and it expresses them so effectively and with such excellent language that it carries me forward on those passages even when I'm unsure what this person's quest is or whether or not I even like them. And that's to say nothing of the depth of the text itself -- Ursula K. Le Guin famously called Gene Wolfe genre fiction's Herman Melville, and that's been borne out in what I've read so far. I've been listening to the Shelved by Genre podcast as I've been reading the book, and their own insights and analysis illuminate whole sections of the text that I would never have noticed otherwise, or would have without knowing exactly why! Awesome stuff.

#moose blogs #on storytelling #i think about stories a lot #like i think about history a lot #that venn diagram is a circle in my mind #so when i find a story that thinks about the same stuff?#that's the best babyyy

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milkboygames · 20 days

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Ending Scenes and Pushing the Plot as a GM in TTRPGs

Starting a scene isn't too hard. Most of the time you probably already have a scrip to start most beginning scenes that may or may not need to be altered slightly based on what's happening in the game. Ending scenes, however, is a whole other story. You never know where a scene will lead, and you don't want players to feel like you're railroading them by pulling them away too early. So what is the best way to end a scene?

Ending a scene is walking a fine line between railroading and spending time in unimportant scenes. Having unimportant downtime isn't such a huge issue though, if you're playing a home game! If players wanting spend time messing around then that's perfectly okay if they're having fun. Plus, that gives you time to reorganize your notes and thoughts for whatever comes next. However there always comes a time when the plot needs to be pushed forward.

If you find that a scene is dragging or taking too long, or maybe there's no more plot relevance to be had here, you can always introduce a crisis the get players moving on! Introducing a crisis adds some urgency to an end scene, players don't want to linger if they have to get somewhere else quick! A crisis can even be introduced at the beginning of the scene to keep from dragging at the end too. Maybe the town over is being attacked, or they get word of an important clue somewhere else, or maybe something they need is being stolen! There's a lot of ways to introduce a crisis, have fun with it, get creative, crisis are great ways to push the plot forward.

Okay, so we can lite a fire under our players' buts, but maybe this specific scene doesn't need a crisis, or a crisis doesn't mesh with the plot you've laid out. We can always simply cut away. Your NPCs have nothing more to say, you know where your players want to go next, they are getting bored here anyway, well we're somewhere else now! It's as simple as that, and if players don't want to go there, they'll definitely let you know and that's okay!

Let's say your players aren't bored actually. They're goofing off and having fun! But all your notes are in order and you're ready to move on. You're bored now! Well questions are always a good way to get players to push the plot for you. So what do you want to do next? Where do you want to go? What did you learn here, and what does it tell you? Remember , this is all collaborative, it's okay to lean on your players sometimes. They might even have some questions to ask back.

There's three simple ways to push the plot. A crisis add some urgency, a cut is great when things slow down, and asking questions is always valid if you're not sure what to do next. What do you do to push the plot?

#writing #ttrpg #d&d #dnd #indie ttrpg #ttrpg community #dungeon master #dungeons and dragons #ttrpg design

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24-7fandombrain · 11 months

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Having just "graduated" from the first part of clown school, here's a breakdown of what clowning is because I know I'm going to be talking about it alot.

What is clowning?

Clowning is, essentially, the process of a performer breaking free from their inhibitions in order to truly act impulsively. This is achieved by putting on the red clown nose, which allows the performer's clown to come out.

What is a clown?

A clown is, for all intents and purposes, the performer free from all restraints and thought, to where they just live and feel in the moment. Clowns are treated as a separate entity from the performer, and in many ways they do feel like separate people. All clowns are unique in their own ways, since they are derived from real people.

Everyone has two types of clown: an out clown and an in clown. The out clown is the first type you will manifest when you begin learning clown. They are typically outgoing and energetic, though again, all clowns are different. In clowns are typically more shy and reserved, and are manifested after the out clown is fully manifested.

The only unifying visual trait of clowns is the nose. Some clowns wear full white face, others don't wear any make-up at all. Some clowns wear flowly, extravagant costumes, others just a T-shirt and jeans.

What is a clown handler?

A clown handler is a person who monitors a clown or group of clowns to keep them in target. It is a clown handler's responsibility to keep everyone safe, as their impulsively can place them or others in dangerous situations. The clown handler is encouraged to always ask more of their clowns and directly engage with them. Some clowns will require a clown handler any time they are out, while others will only need one for performances.

Where did clowning come from?

Modern day clowning is based on the work of Jacques Lecoq, a French stage actor and coach. Part of Lecoq's work is based on the use of masks to allow the performer to embody certain emotions or characteristics. The use of neutral masks also allows the performer to inject their own creativity into their performance. The prime examples of Lecoq's neutral masks are the larval mask and, of course, the clown nose. The clown nose was the last mask Lecoq would introduce to his students, as it was the smallest and most neutral mask.

Why clown?

Aside from it being the most fun you'll have learning theatre, clown is intended to teach actors how to be spontaneous and impulsive. Clowning teaches actors to listen to their gut instinct in a scene and make new and interesting choices.

What are the rules of clown?

There are six main rules that all clowns must follow:

No one, including yourself, can ever see you put the nose on or take it off.

Clowns must always listen to the clown handler.

Clowns can never look away from the audience.

Clowns always say yes.

Clowns can do anything.

Clowns feel all emotions to the max.

Meet Axolotl- My Clown

Axolotl, or Axo, is a fantasy world traveler, and they use they/it (or really any non-gendered) pronouns. They are strongly attuned to nature, being attracted to leaves, flowers, and other plants. They also show an interest in art, and especially drawing. They don't care much for what is expected of them, and has several times ignored their assignment in favor of whatever interests them in the morning. They're very "grabby", as in they will pick up any item they find interesting (they stole our instructor's glasses off their face before- long story). They are very energetic, and as a result, have little patience. They can't stand still and will get quickly frustrated if asked to do so. They can be destructive, having thrown marbles at people, nearly broken a glass, accidentally broken a glass, and torn up props. They, however, don't do this with malicious intent. Axolotl simply lacks the capacity to understand that they are doing wrong. Even when told off, they don't understand that they are doing wrong and may be doing the same thing just seconds later. Axolotl is my out clown.

#clowning #jacques lecoq #clown #clown school

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sepiamestus · 7 months

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i will talk to you about tpn splatoon au bestie that sounds fun as hell iam staring at you with my big autistic eyes. give me your thoughts <3

OHHHH YYEAHHH ok putting under a read more cuz it might take a while to explain

Ok so because I never recovered from 2018 my ideas mostly revolve around octo expansion (which is the dlc where the first playable octoling agent 8 was introduced. I won't explain the entire plot since its pretty convoluted and my au does not closely follow canon at all but the gist of it is agent 8 gets trapped in an underground testing facility and has to fight other octolings yo make it to the ""promised land"" aka the surface).

^^ 2 diff versions of 8

But in the au version the kids (all octolings) were raised in the deapsea metro (the testing facility) and believe that if they pass all the tests (aka get full scores wink wink) they will go to the surface.

But what they DONT know is that the kids are actually getting put in the blender

Like in canon when the antagonist (tartar) needs blended up octolings as his "ingredients" for the "primordial ooze". (Theres a loooot of theorizing about what tartar did with the Octoling GooTM that hasnt been confirmed by canon but for the sake of the au and basing off tpn we'll say it's for dinner reasons).

So then norman and emma walk in on conny being blenderfied, and they realize that their entire childhood was a lie and they're actually being prepped to be smoothies, and decide they need to escape to the surface in a way that doesn't require help from Tartar the big bad blender guy.

So they go to our favorite boy ray who, alongside knowing about the testing facility scam for years, acquired a map of the facility through secret sources (cough cough dedf1sh the zombie DJ who lives in the walls).

But before they escape mr tartar sauce catches onto their schemes and tries to undermine them by prematurely sending norman to smoothie town (presumably 👀)

R and E then use the map to try to escape the facility the long way by going up through all the floors. Yadda yadda yadda, fight some brainwashed octariens, dodge some lasers, etc.

Then they get to The Big Elevator that's supposed to take them to the surface but instead they find norman, who instead of being turned into a protein shake, has been "sanitized" aka mind controlled by tartars primordial ooze

Like agent 3 in canon :)

****Big epic paint battle scene here****

Norman gets degooped, and the kids go to the surface. This is where it splits from octoex canon cuz in the game, there's a big boss fight with tartar and his knockoff statue of liberty, but instead after they reach the surface they find inkopolis (the main inkling hub) completely abandoned (like in side order) and go

THEN we get to the delayed part of pearl and marina, who I've decided are sonju and mijuka simply because it's the funniest. And basically they keep living in the abandoned inkopolis till the events of side order. And then dedf1sh comes. Eventually <3

#AYAYAYA HIII SKYE. I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS #i hope this is coherent enough im sick af and my brain is not functioning at particularly high speeds #This is quite possibly the most self indulgent at anyone has every made but I cant help but splatoonify every character I like.#Soos voice my wisdom is both a blessing and a curse #ruby speaks #Splatoon #Tpn #Asks #Skye🌦

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protagonistheavy · 1 year

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Concept for a future Pokemon title. Instead of catching/obtaining an over-leveled pokemon and having that pokemon randomly refuse to follow your orders, I think a better implementation of the concept would be that over-leveled pokemon are reduced to the max level you're allowed to train, and only play out as their actual level once you've got enough gym badges or w/e.

I like the idea in SV that you could theoretically branch out, go to a high-level area, nab yourself a powerful pokemon -- but obviously something needs to be in place to prevent that one pokemon from destroying the game flow. The "doesn't listen to you" idea is tradition, but it's so outdated for an open world game. It discourages players from exploring out and away from where they're expected to be, because what's the point of catching a level 50 pokemon if it's just never going to listen to you until you're at a point where you couldve just caught it normally?

The fantasy that wants to be allowed here is the fantasy of completing one challenge -- catching a strong pokemon early in the game -- so that you can overcome other challenges. That should be the reward, but when your reward simply does nothing in battle over 50% of the time, that just isn't a reward. It's frustrating and inconsistent. When people catch a high-level pokemon, they want to USE it, so adjusting the system accordingly would be a great improvement: let people use those pokemon like normal, but power them down so they're not winning battles based on coin flips. The lore can be the same, "This pokemon doesn't respect you enough to use their full power." And then it will feel like a great reward to finally get that gym badge and see that pokemon's level spike up.

Or they could modernize the game even further and introduce a "Trainer Level," which is your own trainer's expression of aptitude. The higher your trainer level, the more benefits you accrue, like easier times catching pokemon, getting more exp from battles, learning new TMs, etc. The gym badge tiered system is cute and all but is still outdated; in a system like this, gym badges could provide a ton of trainer level exp, effectively still using the idea, or your trainer level can cap out and you'll be required to get gym badges to continue.

Anyway lots of good ideas for Pokemon the Franchise to use out there, hope one day they implement one.

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dailyaudiobiblechronological · 4 months

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1/3/2024 DAB Chronological Transcription

Genesis 8 - 11

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological I'm Jill. It's a joy and honor and what a privilege it is to be here with you on your journey through the word of God in chronological order. we're going to do it every day until we get through this year together, and get through the entire Bible in a year. You're on a roll you made it two days and you've shown up for the third and that is to be commended. if you are journaling as we talked about yesterday with your questions with your thoughts with maybe different themes that come up for the day or through an entire chapter. I want you to write these three words down right now, simply Begin Again. perfect timing with the music, simply Begin Again. and you can highlight it, you can darken it, you can put cute little asterisks by it this should be at the Forefront of your Journey Through the Bible, simply Begin Again. if you get lost, if you fall off, if life happens and you get just overwhelmed and you lose your way, don't throw it all away, simply begin again. no matter where you are and the journey of being in the word, and no matter where you are in the Journey of life, simply Begin Again. Now let me just expound on that a little bit further what that means. in the sense of reading the Bible is don't go back and try to make up 2 months, if you lose your way start with the day that it is when you come back to your journey, and the reason being, is it's so much easier to just get back in sync with where we are rather than trying to play makeup because makeup usually often doesn't work out. and it's just good intentions so simply Begin Again, under the terms of the Bible, begin with the day that it is today, but on a more far grander scale of life, it doesn't matter who you are where you've been what you've been through whose you are, you are welcome here no matter how lost you've been. no matter how lost you potentially get, you can always come back to this place and you can always simply begin Again. we're continuing in the Book of Genesis today reading chapters 8 through 11, and this week we're reading the New International Version, Genesis chapter 8.

Commentary

I think it's worth noting today that we see the first established Covenant between God and Noah. as we moved through this story of Noah, the flood, the devastation of humanity, at the work of God, but the saving of a man and his family who God found righteous in his sight. We will see other covenants established pretty quickly here in the Old Testament. and again don't get lost on the genealogy, it all builds and it's all telling a story within a much bigger story. and then finally we are introduced to Abram and Sarai. and they're going to become quite prominent figures in our story as we move through the word.

Prayer

Jesus thank you for this day. Thank you for this time. Thank you for being with us. thank you that whenever we lose our way, we can simply Begin Again. we can get back on track, we can turn from One Direction and go in another, if we need to. and so I thank you for that Grace and that Mercy that we'll see all throughout your word. I pray this now in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.

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Daily Audio Bible, That's home base. you can check us out if you haven't. take a look around. That's also the website. If you would like to partner with us, we thank you so much, each and every partnership furthers the mission of the word of God going forward, so thank you so much. if you are giving my mail DAB PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174, or you can utilize the give icon on your mobile device. If you need prayer, if you'd like to pray for someone utilizing your mobile device, you may call 800-583-2164. That's going to do it for me today, I'm Jill. we’ll turn the page together tomorrow. and I look forward to it as we begin a brand new book of the Bible and pause in Genesis for a little bit. until then, love one another.

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DAB family business, Just got to work, week I'm just praying that you are doing well. I know your family is doing well and their health is doing well and that your spiritual life is doing well because that's the big thing that can affect everything. It's okay with everything else, but spiritual life can affect everything and I'm not here to preach. I'm just here to talk and what I want to talk about is I'm a little bit sad today December 31st and I had a tough year and 2023. I had a tough year I lost a I lost somebody and it hurt me a lot so I come here today to ask for prayer, not that I might get I actually know what let's do it I pray for Joy bomb of mine light up my own personal sky that may make me be able to light up other people's life and other people's perspectives and other people's situations. that I may be a joy to be around not just a happiness but enjoy to be around. I also have a podcast that I would like that to grow speaking about growing that's sort of my word for the year personally and I'm excited to grow hopefully not in the Weight Wise unless it's like good weight. but anyways I need it as much as always do so just left me up with my family up with my girlfriend They might not have too much of a mess to pick up after the end of the year all right bye love you prayer for Jennifer you called regarding Jacob we'll continue to pray for him LOL it's the best place to be even God when we most need your help Father I come before you to this top Jennifer the god that cancer has spread the name of Jesus please give her a long life please start to me healing her life give your Victory father visit her right now it doesn't mean why I pray alongside others there would be anything wrong father because you are a god miracles you are a God who cares and who loves us you are a God who heals us yes yes you are father and we believe that with all our hearts and we trust your word can you say when we trust you you will keep us safe father I ask you that you keep her safe father and that you please guide the doctors specialist for peace your garden in their lives and Vicky oh God and continue to touch Jacob father God thank you Jesus in the name of Jesus all my prayers go to you I love you my sister hello everyone happy New Year this is Catherine calling from Maryland and I just wanted to thank you Jill and China for the reading of the chronological this year of really enjoyed it and especially Jill I just wanted to say thank you for your year-end message enough about just the benefits of of going deep and God doing doing a work in you big milestone I think you turned 50 this year congratulations and and that's was a lovely vulnerability on your part without invading your privacy or that of your family so well done Jill and thank you for being a great example for us all I'm wishing you all the best in 2024 as well as every listener of the DABC love you guys

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carovt · 6 months

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It's NaNoWriMo, time to get crackin I suppose

For this November I'll be journaling my thoughts on writing here as a way to prepare myself for this nanowrimo book. A pre-writing writing session if you will.

This is the first day, this means that I'm writing on a blank piece of paper. This means that first things first, I need an introduction. I'm not looking for a groundbreaking intro, I just need one that works. Nanowrimo is all about not writing an amazing book, just a normal one. I don't need to impress anyone with this intro.

I'm going to follow how a lot of stories start today, and that's in media res. I'm going to set up some sort of conflict and launch the reader right into it. In order to make a decent in media res however, I'm going to need a few things set straight first.

This isn't a rule of writing, this is actually just a singular thought on how I should just accomplish this particular story, and in this one I'm going to assemble a list of things I'd like my intro to accomplish.

Setting

A character (can be multiple)

A conflict

A vibe

An idea, (or an action)

Setting: A good intro needs to introduce the readers to a setting that grounds them in the rest of the book. A setting that I can move from and return to and the reader goes "okay yeah this place, that's where this thing happened." A place that is a root note in music, a place that's home to the reader.

I'm writing a sci-fi about a human colony on an asteroid. The terrain and setting are vastly different than on earth, so I need to establish a home base so my readers can start a mental map of the asteroid. I'm starting in the zero grav condensed city Sphere B6. This is where the main character lives, and so we'll return to it quite often.

Character: (Or multiple) An in media res introduction needs a character doing an action, resolving some conflict. Usually they're competent at whatever it is that they're doing. This can be the main character, or it can be a preview on what the main character will run into. This leads us into the concept of promises. More on that in a bit.

I'll be using a side character for my introduction. "Garth Fields" will be a proxy to show the readers the conflict and ideas of the story without putting my actual main character in harms way... yet. Anyway Garth is going to meet with a bad fate simply due to the job. He's literally doing a task for work that has a chance of death, and he dies.

Conflict: This is where we get into the differences between good and bad in media res intros. A good intro will show a conflict that is relevant to the book's overarching story. One that maybe even resolves in the same way the book will resolve. (Or maybe the conflict in the intro doesn't resolve but the audience knows how it should have resolved, making it satisfying when it comes back later and the audience knows what's going to happen.)

I'm not going to resolve this conflict happily. One of the side characters will die because of it. It sets up my conflict of Man vs Man in a hierarchical society. Workers die for the "greater good" I.E. profits. This sets up that the actual conflict of the book isn't a worker experiencing a workplace hazard, but the fact that there is a system built that allows for workers to die in hazards in the first place. The conflict resolution at the end won't be about removing the hazard from the workplace, but removing the system that allowed for it.

Vibe: This is more esoteric than the others, but it's necessary that the intro lets readers know what they're in for for the remainder of the book. What kind of language is used, what's the genre, is it funny? Will it be sad? Don't wait to explain what your book is about sometime after the intro, readers might not get that far. And if you vibe switch halfway through, make sure the intro reflects that there could be a switch later. Hitchhikers Guide does this really well. It's a comedy and there are jokes, but it also ruminates on life, and it lets you know what you're in for on the very first page.

I'm interested in writing pretty hard sci-fi, so I'll be using terms and explanations in this intro that launches the reader right into the world, It'll be a sad struggle into a happy ending, and I should be able to nail that vibe in the intro. The intro will be taking it from apprehensive to sad, the readers will want justice for poor Garth Fields, and so when it arrives it will be satisfying.

An idea, or an action. This is my personal preference. I like it when books have a "thing" that makes them unique, whether it be magic, a weird cultural habit, odd geography, or anything else that sets them apart of other books. Whatever it is that your story has, you need to make sure it's in the intro. If you go hard in the paint with magic systems, you don't have to explain it in the intro, but you absolutely need to show it early. If you're writing a book about steamy BL between two NASCAR drivers, you absolutely need a car or a race in the intro. Don't start with one of the guys getting a bagel or something. I opened a book with BL Nascar on the cover, I better be getting it dammit. Obviously there are amazing books that don't do this, but not doing this is for people who already have written books. I'm just starting now, so I'm not going to break any rules.

I love writing fun sci fi technology, so I came up with some fictional tech that almost works like a magic system. Magnets that don't get attracted to anything other than their other "keyed" half. The main character is someone who works as a magnet Key engineer, so I'll be having this tech all throughout the book. I'm introducing it in the intro with "Garth." He dies because he has to go "re-key" a failed magnet that's stopping their spaceship from progressing.

Now that I have come up with these ideas, I can launch right into my 2000 words with a better sense of where I'm going than just staring at a blank page.

I'll be posting more of my thoughts here throughout the month to help me write this damn book. For now, we write.

#nanowrimo #books #I swear I'm not writing a NASCAR BL #Even if I was what's it to ya

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