#I also have a ghost pearl drawing still in progress

[graphitesoda]

So I might have gotten a little carried away while drawing pearl

#I've been thinking about pirates boatem a lot okay #I also have a ghost pearl drawing still in progress #pearlescentmoon #pirates smp #scurvyblr #pearlesentmoon fanart #Graphiteposts #Graphite messes with the fancy pencils

[tetrafy]

Rant/ Spoilers for Pokémon SV DLC: The Teal Mask!! I’ll also add a Sona drawing of my Legends AU and the Paldea one below! I know the style is different. This is my inconsistent style arc LMAO 🫶

Just quick description of why I have 2 Sona Designs! So the first one is the one everyone has seen on this account which is the one that Simps for Adaman and gets taken to Hisui. The other, is the Paldea/Present Storyline (and she simps for Perrin). They both have almost the same backstory (with some minor timeline changes) but one progresses like normal in life while the other gets stuck in the past in the end.

I drew my Typhlosion that way because I thought it would be a cool idea for it to evolve in Sinnoh/ The Distortion World as my Sona somewhat takes over the role of Dawn/Lucas for the Platnuim storyline! And since Hisui and Sinnoh are the same and the Dex entry for Hisuian Typhlosion is:

“…I believe its form has been influenced by the energy of the sacred mountain towering at Hisui’s center.”

And would you look at that? The sacred mountain is Mt. coronet

So since Sinnoh is the Hisui region, it could be cool that the distortion world caused the a mutation of its dormant Hisuian genes to influence its Johtoian/modern day evolution.

- In the distortion world, time doesn’t flow properly and or it doesn’t follow the laws of physics so that could also be a cool loop hole. I get that it wouldn’t make sense for a Pokémon to evolve if time doesn’t flow, but in game, an eevee could still evolve into an umbreon or espeon so I’ll take it LMAO

So it can learn Inferno Parade and some Ghost type moves and it’s Tera Type is Ghost, hehe!

Anyways I’m rambling so move on!

Okay, so all of you know that I’m a fan of Legends Arceus so you can tell that I’m just going to mainly gush over the Perrin Storyline. I think that’s pretty much a given but just know its just me giving a play by play and my reactions so this might not be interesting!

Spoilers, officially starts here!

Okay so seeing Perrin for the first time in game, I literally screamed. Like hello?? You can’t blame me like seriously. She’s kinda my way for coping with the lack of Adaman content and Legends Content but she’s also so prettyyyyyy. So when Kieran literally started saying like, “I’ll meet you there” to progress the main story, I ran up to her trying to progress her story first before anything.

God, they did her justice when they translated her from the official art to the game! I wish to see Adaman in SV rendering style gahhh!!

- I do wish they explained why Hisuian Pokémon are around and not extinct, but that might just be like, “some were bred out of existence”, “they’re rare”, or something of the sort. Either way, due to them bringing back Hisuian Pokémon, im sure they’re might be an explanation in the future!

- I do also wish she explained why she had a Hisuian Growlith in the first place, or our player character mentions “what Pokémon is that?” Or something cause I would assume that Hisuian Variants are rare. Then again, it could be a thing that they talked about them in class. After all, Professor Laventon was on screen in Raifort’s Board

- But Perrin having Growlith just could be a hint that Adaman and Irida got together because she does give you her second Growlith at the end of her story. You know, cause one of the Pearl Clan’s nobles being Arcanine and the whole Colbat Coastline story in Arceus.

- It could mean Adaman and Irida got together, Their clans Merged and or disbanded, or it could literally just be a reference that pokemon did and I’m reading too much into it LMAO

Anyways! As someone who doesn’t do the Dex in Pokémon games, you can imagine me when I heard Perrin mention the requirement of 150 Pokémon for the Kitakami dex. I got like weird Legends Deja-vu and started “sobbing” to my friend, @deflatedrock, over the fact that I have to do the Dex for DLC.

- Also got Deja-vu over the fact that she called me “Kiddo” (yes, I was a Sans simp in my early days…)

- As someone who is not a minor I was like “Perrin please!! I’m not a kid!!” But yes, i understand that the protags in these games are all kids HAHA

- I just imagine my Sona (on the right) just trying to say how she’s not a kid with slight annoyance and embarrassment.

But Did I do it? Yes I got 150 Pokémon under 24 hours, what of it? And that was also including the story and the fact that was under leveled at the beginning of it LMAO

Imagine me screaming when the cutscene of her starts when she challenges me. I love the smile she has and it makes me wish that the switch was a more powerful console! Also Leafeon being her Second pokemon absolutely made me smile and it was super adorable the fact that she was taking pictures of us whenever she battled! Like :((((((((

The story starts after I beat her and she accepts me on taking on the job of helping snap a picture of a hard to find pokemon. I absolutely, am giggling over the “Partner” title I received from her. I was over the moon, on cloud nine LMAO !!

If you saw the direct/played the game, she wants to take a picture of Ursaluna with a unique marking on it’s head and the vague Hisui mentions throughout the story absolutely made me lose my shit. Small bits and pieces that Ursalunas used to be common back in the day or how mentions about her homeland.

Small mentions of Hisui/ Legends make me think of a high possibility of another Legends game could be in the future.

- I am hoping Johto but I do say it would be reasonable for it to be Unova or Kalos. But main reason I want it to be Johto is due to me never playing BW/BW2 or XY. I do plan to play them but the Grind for Unova is rough since DS game and XY i havent gotten the motivation to buy it and play it on 3DS (i know excuses HAHA)

- But I do hope that every region eventually gets its own Legends remake but with actual effort put into it like how Legends did. Legends with it’s music that is a call back to the Diamond, Pearl and Platinum games and a unique take on a pokemon game with Dex being the main priority rather than battles made it that much enjoyable. I do wish they didn’t put out BDSP and focused more time into Legends rather than releasing both.

- obviously not every region needs it, but I would be cool to live through the war or something that was mentioned in Kalos, or live through the events during the Sprout Tower. (I don’t know anything about Unova but *insert something a Unova fan wants from a Unova Legends game*)

But Im rambling so let us continue!

We make our way to the Timeless Woods, the location where the Ursaluna is often spotted and at the time, I didn’t really think much of it. I just thought, “Oh cute! ‘Timeless’ because this story is Hisui coded with Perrin and Ursaluna!”

But love the cute interaction moments:

- Whenever Perrin spoke to the polliwhirl and just calling it a “cutie pie” and speaking to it like anyone would do with their pet. Should’ve been me.

- Her getting embarrassed that the player might’ve tuned in with her pet names to the wild pokemon

- The fact that we saved her from a wild pokemon that came out of nowhere

- The cute camp setup! I will eventually draw her and my Sona sleeping in the tent together as we wait for the fog

- or just any time she would take a photo of us and calling us heroic and such

But before anything Ursaluna related, we must survey the area to see the different species living here. So I go up to her and click “A” to progress the story and we wait for the fog to come in at night…

I didn’t expect much going into it. Literally just thought, Pokémon snap but in SV. Once the survey starts and we officially load in im standing in the woods. The first note plays in the background and I am stunned. My eyes start to well up as the music continues. Heartwoods plays in the background and I had to put down my switch for a moment. I let out an excited squeal as I couldn’t help but just say “oh my god, stop…” with a chuckle. I sat there on my bed just listening to it and letting everything sink in. I couldn’t help but imagine the idea of my Sona possibly getting Deja-vu or her tearing up alongside me.

I stayed in the woods longer than I should have. Taking my sweet time snapping photos of the Pokémon in the area, even though it won’t even matter how good they were as long as the Pokémon were recognizable. I realized I never even screen-recorded anything during this part of the game. I was too immersed to even remember to do that. Perhaps it’s a biased towards Legends but this by far was one of my favorite DLC storylines in a Pokémon game at this point.

But of course, I wanted to progress in the story so I took the photo of the Duskull, completing the side quest. I was absolutely smiling and tearing up over this and my brain making the connection “Eterna” and “Timeless”, the names of the two areas that had this song placed in. Man, this just made me so happy.

Progressing, we learn about Perrin’s creativity problems with her being a burnt out prodigy and all. Focusing on how others want it and how she could get the most points from judges rather than what she thinks looks good.

Telling her that we take photos how we want the Pokémon to turn out makes her think and gets back into her usual mood.

- Her arc in this is great. It’s relatable and I think expands her character her more. I was afraid that she would be just a pretty face that Pokemon won’t do much with other than take photos and be a Legends homage.

We eventually hear stomping off in the Distance that interrupts the moment. We come to the conclusion that it is the Blood-moon Beast and head towards said direction and can I say, THIS GUY LOOKS FUCKING SICK!!

First off I love the fact that it looks like a very old Ursaluna as that as lived through the years and seen the world change along side it. The fact that is stands on 2 rather than 4 legs, the Fur being more Ursaring colored and whatever the gray stuff is growing around it? Perhaps more gray fur to represent it’a age?

I just absolutely love how it looks, I was expecting a regular Ursaluna with a red moon instead of the yellow one it has but this absolutely blew me away. It reminds me of the Crystal Onix that was in the anime! A cool super rare variant that looks like that due to the conditions it was in.

- Don’t count this Ursaluna as a regional variant until it’s confirmed that it is.

I also noticed how it didn’t seem to attack either of us until Perrin accidentally snapped a photo with auto flash. It more or less attacked us by us startling it than Anything.

AND DONT GET ME STARTED WITH THE MUSIC!!!

Like gahhhh!! Like there’s no such thing as a Alpha Pokémon in Present day Pokémon but using the alpha theme to express the tension and idea that this is no ordinary Ursaluna is so good !!

And when you get into the battle with it- LIKE OMG!! The Wild Pokémon battle music used for this just made me scream. And it’s blood moon move One-shorting some of my Pokémon, I was terrified of losing LMAO

- I loved the occasional times that Perrin motives you and cheers you on, I just enjoy the small cutscenes that’s main/ significant characters do that!

But we catch the Ursaluna and the main story part ends. I do enjoy the cute mentions of her taking photos of us while we battled and how they’re her favorite. She wants me fr fr.

She talks about needing to develop them right away and tells us a family saying and We eventually decided to meet back at Mossui.

Again, the call backs/references to Adaman and her being a descendant of the Diamond Clan is just so good! As you can assume, I was just screaming like “Adaman Reference!” And bouncing off the walls. I was at an all time high at this point.

As an Adaman and Legends fan, I was being fed!! With these small details. She also mentioned her dad and how he used the Shaymin Tent but im not sure if we’ll ever see her father. And if he were to be shown, don’t be surprised if I start simping for him too.

- Also can we mention the pose she does whenever she is idol sometimes? The fact that she puts her hand in her pockets like Adaman? Like I can’t be reading too much into it, that’s clearly a Adaman reference, right? IDK IM HAPPY ABOUT THIS

But the rest of the dialogue is her completing her arc of taking photos of how she wants it and now focusing on perfection and the photography standards. I also think it’s cute that she didn’t know the player’s name until now and does a endearing reintroduction with pride. She then gives you a Hisuian Growlith that enjoys battling and talks about how Growliths “like these” tend to come in pairs but even when separated they’re paths will surely cross again. She just confessed to me guys, don’t worry you’re all invited to our wedding, not delusional I swear.

-but guess the Growliths are still around but not often seen based on how she’s referring to them idk

But she leaves and that’s pretty much the end of the story! I do hope we see her again in either a different title or in the next wave but I don’t see her being in the next one. If I remember correctly, it will take place in Blueberry Academy and it’s in the middle of the ocean or something LMAO

Okay but overall: 10/10 experience for the Perrin Storyline!

I am super easy to please but I think it’s such a good story! Did wish it was longer or we had the opportunity to have her stay and have her have like a few more small quests/surveys like that are photo related after the main story? Kinda like how Mai was where you just had to catch Pokémon during the Massive Mass Outbreaks DLC.

My brain is starting to power down but I do wish for Pokémon to do more stories where you get cool unique Pokémon variants that are not shown. Again I hope it’s not a region variant for Ursaluna cause that would make it a whole lot cooler. He’s definitely going on my team.

Im very satisfied with the DLC and i hope we can get more Legends Content in the future. RIP Ingo, Unova Legends could be a good way to some how bring him back is all I’m saying *wink wink nudge nudge*

If you made it this far, thanks! You should comment your thoughts just saying if not then that’s cool too I’m just here to let me brainrot juices out!

#pokemon #pokemon legends arceus #pokémon violet #perrin pokemon #pokémon self insert #perrin #self indulgence at its finest #pokesona #my art #canon x oc #romantic

[appleb18]

I Wanted Believe in Steven (A Critical Steven Universe Post)

Steven Universe, a popular show that has won the hearts of so many people. It had good songs, talks about mental health and relationships, a lovable cast of characters and it’s revolutionary for representing LGBT. As the show finally wraps up with Steven Universe: Future being the series finale, I want to say this… I used to believe in Steven Universe. I truly got into it when it first came out and then I started to appreciate it more as the show progressed even with the flaws. However, as time moved on, the show’s flaws have outweighed the strengths, making my enjoyment decline and become critical and nitpicky towards it. So I believe it’s time to point out the many problems with the show.

The Glory Days of Steven Universe 

Before I begin ranting about the show, I want to talk about when I actually liked Steven Universe back in seasons 1-3. It was when everyone actually enjoyed the show before it went downhill. 

- So before Steven became really annoying, I actually liked him when he was developing in season 1. He was very immature at first but he gradually grew. He became a member of the Crystal Gems and finally summoned his shield. 

- Peridot’s redemption was handled very well and I enjoyed her character throughout the whole show.

- The show once balanced filler and plot. 

- I enjoyed the Crystal Gems chemistry back in seasons 1 - 3. They acted like a family with Garnet being the wise guardian, Pearl being overprotective, Amethyst laidback and Steven maturing.

- The songs are great.

- The messages are relatable such as “Love Letter.” Garnet tells Jamie that love-at-first-sight doesn’t work. It takes time and a lot of work. You must know the person first before you begin to love someone.  

Those are the reasons why I enjoyed the show back in the day. Now it’s time to talk about how the Crewniverse messed up everything. 

Inconsistencies. Are. Everywhere 

Steven Universe is well known for having no consistency and that’s one of the major problems with the show. While I can forgive season 1 animation because let’s face it, not every show has good animation like Phineas and Ferb. Though having characters go off-model consistently gets really irritating to watch. It’s irritating because most of them are professional storyboard artists and yet they’re doing a very sloppy job.

The reason behind unprofessional animation is Rebecca Sugar wanted her crew to have artistic freedom and have their own stylistic choice. They can draw whatever they want as long as the viewers can recognize the characters. There are many problems with this. 

While it’s nice to see the artist's own style it doesn’t work with a cartoon that’s story-driven. You’ll probably argue that some shows like Adventure Time and American Dragon go off-model. However, it’s just redesigned and they stick with it till the very end of their respective series. 

Also, shows like Ren and Stimpy and Flapjack go off-model because for comedic effect.

So stylistic choice doesn’t mean artists can draw whatever they want. It means that a character has their own style. 

Terrance and Philip from South Park 

Elmore characters from The Amazing World of Gumball 

Each of them has a unique character design. It’s not the Korean animator's fault for it, they’re given what the Crewniverse drew, trace it and just animate it and they can’t fix their errors. What makes it upsetting is that animation pilots and shorts made by a single person or independent team with very little funding have more consistent and appealing animation than Steven Universe. 

I ain’t an animator, but I know when animation goes off-model. Sadly, it’s not just inconsistent art that the show suffers from, but inconsistent writing and discontinuity as well.

Such as in “Are You My Dad?” Aquamarine and Topaz knocked out Steven and then she abandoned him while they took Lars, Sadie, Onion, Jamie, and Connie. Then in “I Am My Mom” they lure him and The Crystal Gems out for information to find Greg. So if you wanted to get information to find him, why didn’t they just grab him when he was knocked out? 

Also, why did Aquamarine agree to Steven’s terms? Her wand is the most broken weapon in the show. She could’ve grabbed everyone including The Crystal Gems.

Garnet couldn’t tell Steven about her future vision because it wanted him to go more? If she just told him about Greg's capture, he would have understood. Also, she gave him future visions in “Jailbreak,” “Snow day” and “Future Boy Zoltron.” Why didn’t she do that for that kind of situation? 

The Crystal Gems, who have special abilities, summon weapons and powers that fought Gems and Corrupted Gems and yet they were beaten by a freaking Steven Catus, Really? 

We saw Lapis control the freaking ocean in “Mirror Gem”, “Ocean Gem” and “Why So Blue”, so why didn’t she use that to remove the injector?

After 6,000 years of waiting for Pink Diamond, Spinel got news about her Diamond and that she gave up her physical form to give birth to Steven. It changed her appearance from happy go lucky to edgy. Now she wants vengeance. So I’m wondering how was she able to get an injector and a scythe, then go to Earth in under a few hours? 

In “Giant Woman,” Pearl explains that two gems have to decide to fuse together and they have to sync with each other to do it. In “Change Your Mind,” Steven fuses with the Crystal Gems midair while they are in their gem state.

How the hell did Connie get affected by Blue Diamond’s pathokinesis when Lapis Lazuli arrived in “Reunited”? 

She was fine when BD did it the first time.

Mean Lapis and Bluebird are still on the loose. I know most shows leave things unanswered but you can’t leave two villains out there. They can still do harm to others 

I really wish the Crewniverse showed more professionalism because there are so many errors in the show and some of them are so simple to fix, yet they don’t and that’s what I call lazy. 

The Cast of Characters Don’t Do Much

I used to like the cast of characters, even the humans I enjoyed watching. When season 4 - Future came in, they got ruined. Most of them don’t do much in the show. I feel like they got sidelined because the Crewniverse had no idea what to do with them. 

Let’s first talk about The citizens of Beach City and how they are the most boring characters in the show. At first, they weren’t so bad because they did have a role to play in the story like when The Cool Kids talked to Steven about his mother when he found out that she was a war criminal and he blamed himself for his mother not being around anymore. They also helped him not get scolded by The Crystal Gems when they found Peridot’s escape pod. 

There’s even some slice-of-life episodes that I did enjoy watching such as

“Sadie’s Song” 

 And “Historical Fiction”

But now they don’t react to any Gem situation anymore. They just stand around and serve no purpose to the plot. Look at “Future”, throughout the whole epilogue mini-series, the humans didn’t do a dang thing in the series. For example, The Cool Kids, Lars, Sadie, and Shep don’t talk to Steven about his mental health when he was about to crush them with his force field. It just makes it feel that they don’t care about him or oblivious about that experience

Then they didn’t do squat when Steven became a monster and I know they're just humans but their friends and the show focus on them a lot, so they have to use them. It made me wonder why they even focus on them in season 4 and season 5 if they're not going to serve their purpose in the story. 

Now let's talk about the more interesting characters and how the Crewniverse wasted them. Many Gems and few human characters (Lars, Greg, Connie) get them characters to grow, face struggles and have moments that can make a character likable. After all that, the Crewniverse had no idea what to do so they just left them. 

Peridot’s redemption was well written. from season 1 - season 3. From a villain that has unknown technology and feels more alien than the Crystal Gems to a member of the Crystal Gem. As much as I love her development and she’s my favorite, however, she doesn’t do much in the show. Most shows that give a lot of development to a character are part of the main cast but in Steven Universe's case, she gets put in the barn with Lapis Lazuli and does nothing. She’s never involved in major story arcs such as she didn’t come along to help Steven to get his dad back in Zoo Arc and didn’t help with beach city citizens getting kidnapped in Wanted Arc. 

Even in the Pink Diamond Arc, she has no part to play. All she was in that arc was a punchline and a hyperactive character with no defining moments. While it’s nice she has a new outfit, it doesn’t change anything. 

Peridot had the potential to be a really great character but she got wasted because they had no idea what to do with her.

Pearl and Garnet never got their own character arc. When they fused with Steven to become Rainbow Quartz 2.0 and Sunstone it was rushed. I know they didn’t have time to do their arcs but if they cut townie episodes and focused on their bond it would’ve felt more impactful for him to fuse with them. Season 4 could’ve been Garnet and Season 5 could’ve been Pearl. Just look at Amethyst where she finds mutual respect and love for Steven and that’s really great to see. With them, we don’t have a moment like that.

A good example of using characters is Regular Show. They used their characters pretty well, giving each of them a good amount of screen time. 

Benson’s drum solo 

Getting to know more about Skips history

Muscle Man setting his ashes free at Great Trucker Graveyard 

High Five Ghost reunited with his love interest 

Pop’s proving that he’s part of the guys for Guys Night 

Rigby graduates high school

Mordecai painting for Benson

And what I like the most about is they all have a moment together as best friends. Such as in “Parkie Rewards,” although Benson doesn’t win an award, the gang made their very own award and paper trophy. Benson made a speech about how he appreciated his staff workers. 

I really wish Steven Universe had something like that and I really wanted to see more of Lapis, Garnet, Amethyst, and Bismuth but sadly the writers aren’t giving them much to do anymore. 

A Shift of Pacing 

Steven Universe really wants to tell a story like most cartoon shows are doing such as Over the Garden Wall, Adventure Time, Owl House and many more. They keep adding episodic episodes in the middle of unresolved conflict and have the concluding rushed. An example of this is the Cluster arc. 

Peridot tells The Crystal Gems that the Cluster will emerge at any time… AT ANY TIME! So the gang planned to create a gem drill to destroy it to save the Earth. So instead of working on the drill, they kept delaying it like 

Garnet told her story to Steven of how Ruby and Sapphire met 

Celebrating Steven’s birthday 

Peridot processing on becoming a “Crystal Gem”

I know Peridot was working on the drill and I like Peridot’s redemption but it’s a life or death situation. You can’t do other things when the Cluster can emerge at any time. The way they resolved the arc was really rushed. The Crystal Gems finally locate the whereabouts of Malachite and so Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl go to Watermelon Island and fuse to Alexandrite to defeat her. Then the Cluster emerges and it’s up to Steven and Peridot to deal with it. Instead of destroying the Cluster, he talks to it and it stops itself from emerging by bubbling itself. The way the writers conclude the arc was so anticlimactic and rushed. It ended two major plots, Malachite and Cluster in two episodes and Steven just talking to it was ridiculous. The Cluster arc should’ve at least had two episodes and Malachite should’ve come after the event because she was briefly mentioned in three episodes. 

Adventure Time has a mini-series that primarily focuses on plots. It resolves conflicts and it doesn’t waste any time such as Islands, Stakes, and Elements. 

People tend to blame the network for the inconsistent schedule and hiatus. While it may be true, however, it’s not really a big issue with the show. Gravity Falls isn’t consistent with its schedule but it has better pacing than Steven Universe. From Nov. 26, 2014 - Feb 16, 2015, the ep “Northwest Mansion Noir” was released, another month of waiting for “Not What He Seems.” Then we have to wait for four months, July 13th, 2015, for “The Tale of Two Stans.” Then there’s Steven Universe where we have to wait for six months for the next episode and it is just Towney episodes and it doesn’t even matter to the plot. So I pretty much don’t understand why people are complaining about the Steven Universe hiatus when Gravity Falls, a well-written show, has a hiatus as well. 

They could’ve had a well-written story if only they weren't so focused on the human side of Steven and cut most of the filler out. 

Action Doesn’t Have Consequences 

In most shows, movies, and video games, characters will make rash decisions that have other characters disagree and even have a bit of a falling out.  

Look at Gravity Falls “Land Before Swine.” Stanley doesn’t like Mabel’s pet pig, Waddles, and he left him outside when there was a Pterodactyl in town. Stan left Waddles unattended and caused him to get captured.

Soos messed up a lot in the episode. Without thinking, he barged in as Dipper developed the film which ruined a good picture of the dinosaur.

He tries to be optimistic when Mabel finds out Stanley left him out however it ineffective when he ravels the yarn back up and thus cut the clear path and accidentally break the lamb

To prove their worth is by Stanley fights the pterodactyl to save Waddles 

And Soos and Dipper make up when he apologizes and he admits he made mistakes.  Dipper and Mabel then took Soos advice to follow his lead and walk in a straight line as for dinosaurs' eyes are so far apart and that it can’t see in front of itself and the plan went well. 

So with Steven Universe, most characters in the show have done pretty terrible things and the show never atoned for their actions. 

In “Island Adventure”, Sadie trapped Lars and Steven on an island by hid the Gem portal with leaves so she can hit on him.  Although she saved his life by poofing the gem monster with a pointy stick, it doesn’t help the fact that she trapped them for a month! It is also idiotic that the show treats Lars as he’s the bad guy where in reality, Sadie is! 

Amethyst, although I do like her character development in the show, however, she did pretty a messed up thing and they never resolved it. In “Maximum Capacity”, Greg finds out that he’s missing the fireworks and Amethyst shapeshifts from Steven to Greg to cheer him up. She changes back and gets mad at him for not spending time with her. So she shapeshifts to Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond which causes Greg to look away and it’s the second time she has done it, and then Steven comes in to stop and question both of them. Amethyst feels guilty and left. So in order to make things up, she came up with an idea to clean that the Crystal Gems can clean out Greg storage. So this is really messed up. She shapeshifted as his wife and not only it scarred Greg but Steven as well and yet the writers never decided on how they can properly make it up. That’s so horrible. 

Lapis Lazuli took the Earth's water, almost killed Connie, broke Peridot's tape recorder and called it garbage, and she took the barn. When she finally comes back to help the Crystal Gems to fight against the Diamonds. Her response to everyone was “hey”. She never apologized for anything she has done. I know she has PTSD but it doesn’t excuse her actions. 

The only character that actually feels guilty and has to make amends of her wrongdoing is Pearl. She deceived Garnet by keeping rebuilding Gem communicator so she can fuse with her to form Sardonyx to make herself feel better. Steven and Amethyst find out and spill the beans which gets Garnet mad and Pearl feels guilty. In the last episode of the Sardonyx arc, they get trapped by Peridot. When they were about to get crushed, they two finally talk and Pearl apologizes to her and calls herself “just a pearl” and Garnet tells her you are your own gem and that makes her feel better and fused to Sardonyx once again. 

Now it’s time to talk about the second major gripe with the show that everyone has and it’s the Diamonds being redeemed. The Diamonds are tyrannical fascist dictators that caused genocide many species, colonized many worlds, corrupt gems, shatter gems that don’t obey, have an army, gems that are off-color are put to the underground, and force fused shattered gems into a Cluster. After what they have done, you think they need to pay, right? Unfortunately, since Rebecca Sugar said ``there are no villains' ' and the show is about empathy, the Diamonds, especially White Diamond, get a clean slate. So it’s fine to have a villain be sympathetic and have a sad backstory, it makes them more human but having them redeemed is something you should never ever do, especially what they’ve done. They have very little screen time to show their development and have doubts about their empire. 

Then they made them worse when in Steven Universe: “The Movie” and “Future” 

In Steven Universe: “The Movie”, The Diamonds become clingy aunties to Steven and tell them don’t do evil things anymore like calling other species “equal lifeforms”, disband their arms and not shatter gems.

In Steven Universe: “Future”, The Diamonds abilities have a completely opposite effect towards Gems such as 

Yellow Diamond’s ability to change from poofing gems to fixing 

Blue Diamond’s ability to change from sad blue orbs to happy blue clouds 

White Diamond's ability changed from manipulation to control her for a brief moment. 

Having them become good and having emotions won’t cut it. They can’t atone for what they’ve done for the past millions of being fascist dictators and just saying “I’m a good Diamond now” can’t wipe away their past actions. It doesn’t work like that! 

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, A SHOW FOR LITTLE GIRLS, have a better-written villain redemption than Steven Universe and I ain’t kidding. Discord was the main antagonist for “Return of Harmony”. All he wanted to do is cause chaos. He was defeated by the mane six at the end of the second part of the episode.

In season 3, “Keep Calm and Flutter On”, Discord was reformed by Fluttershy because Princess Celestia believes he can be a good ally and knows that she can do it. 

Throughout season 4, everyone still doesn’t trust him even though he’s friends with Fluttershy.

In the season 4 finale, he sided with Tirek and he betrayed them because he thought he’ll be rewarded for it. 

Then he was betrayed by him. After Tirek and Twilight fought, she gave up her magic to save her friends, including Discord. It made him realize that friendship is more precious than anything of what he’ll give him and that’s when he’s been fully accepted as a friend to the mane six. 

I also want to talk about Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond. While many fans in the community and the Crewniverse always point that she’s terrible and I agree she is. Such as leaving Spinel for 3,000 years, cracked her first Pink Pearl, abandoned her Diamond duties to be free, started a Gem war that cost many Gems to shatter to pursue her own goal, bubbled Bismuth, gems got corrupted, and left Steven with the burden. It is indeed bad but when compared to the Diamonds, she’s more of a saint than them. At least she does develop, doesn’t shatter gems and save the Earth from the Diamonds. 

With story pacing being all over, villains and even characters aren’t paying for their actions and a cast of characters aren’t doing much, what’s the most problematic of the show? Well, it’s a combination of all my problems into one and that is…

Steven “Center Of” Universe

The major problem with the show, the one that brings down the show a lot and it’s Steven Omnipresence. First off, I don’t mind when a show has a protagonist point-of-view like Ben 10, Phineas and Ferb, Over the Garden Wall, etc. As long as it's written well and keeps the story moving, it’s fine but with Steven Universe, it has tons of problems. Steven's point-of-view is the cause of all its flaws and I can’t stress it enough about it. 

So let’s first talk about the obvious one and how it’s only Steven's perspective. The problem with this is we only see things if Steven is there to witness it. The show introduces a fascinating world of Gems and yet the show doesn’t dive into that because Steven doesn’t care about and all he does is hang around Beach City. Steven will never explore unless he chooses to and some major plot points are offscreen which you should never do, especially it’s a story-driven show. An example of this is “Wanted Arc’” and yes I’m using it the third time as my example because it really is a terrible arc. When Steven comes back home, he had some information about Homeworld, discovered that there’s a mystery about Pink Diamond shattering, Off Colours, Steven can bring back people from the dead and Lars in space. With all that, what does Steven do? Nothing. Throughout his adventure in space, he never mentions it to the Crystal Gems and instead of that being the main focus, it’s townies and Connie. While Steven is doing Beach City fluff, Lars is actually progressing the plot by him developing and escaping Homeworld with the Off Colours. I truly wonder why the Crewniverse believes that Beach City is more important than Gems? 

They got interesting lore and I truly want them to explore it more but they had to waste all that and have the most major plot points be offscreen for Steven's perspective. 

The second problem with Steven p.o.v is his contestant presence. The show will always be about him, no other characters get the spotlight or do anything unless he’s there. There’s rarely a scene that doesn’t have Steven and it’s frustrating when there’s a well-rounded cast of characters that I want to see more than him. We’ll never see them interact with other characters nor explore different parts of the world. Other shows have done it such as 

Amazing World of Gumball - “The World”

Adventure Time - “Varmints” 

Avatar: The Last Airbender - “Zuko Alone” 

Rick and Morty - “Tales From the Citadel”

Imagine how great it will be if explore more of the cast like  

Uncorrupt Gem characters and Curley Lapis going by their day in Little Homeschool. 

Lars becoming a space pirate 

Lapis and Peridot becoming friends 

Pearl meeting up with Mystery Girl

Volleyball recovering from her trauma

Ruby and Sapphire being their own individuals 

They got a lovable cast of characters that I want the show to further explore and yet the Crewniverse don’t do anything with them and that’s such a missed opportunity.  

Then the third most egregious problem with Steven p.o.v is he’s the communicator. The show tries to message that talking things will work but no one really talks to each other unless it’s Steven. Characters barely make their opinion or a chance to speak for themselves while Steven's opinion will and shall always be in the right and we barely see characters talking to one another. Examples of these are…

When Steven bubbles Bismuth, Pearl and Garnet don't say a thing and just let him. They don't question why he did or lash him out for it. They just went along with it. Steven decided to unbubble her in “Made of Honor “ for a wedding without talking to anyone else about it and again, they still haven’t asked questions and they just went along with it. 

In “Reunited”, instead of Crystal Gems look at each other to find their strength like Garnet telling Pearl she’s her own Pearl, Pearl telling Amethyst she’s isn’t an accident, and they tell Garnet that she’s a great leader, Steven has to remind them what they are supposed to be. 

Blue and Yellow had issues with the Gem Empire but too afraid to say to White Diamond. Until Steven arrived and that’s when they tried talking to her.

The Diamonds become good because Steven tells them being a fascist dictator is bad and they agree. They disbanded the Gem Empire and changed their abilities to help Gems under two years. 

Steven made Pearl talk to Amethyst. 

The message the show tries to tell that people should communicate is completely flawed because rather than have other characters improve their lives by talking to one another, they made Steven the messiah that every character looks up to. Steven will change your mind and you have no choice in the matter. 

Conclusion

With the end of Steven Universe, I  want to say that this show could’ve been better. Steven Universe was created by Rebecca Sugar, a former storyboard artist for Adventure Time and the one who mainly writes episodes about Marceline and wrote songs for the show. When she announced that she's left AT to make her show, I was excited and had such high hopes for it. I really want this show to succeed and it could’ve been the next Adventure Time, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic or Gravity Falls but sadly it failed to do so. The show flaws outshined it the strength by it was handled unprofessionally, wasted their characters, the pacing is all over the place, no character pay for their past actions and Steven’s point-of-view. I don’t think it’s the worst show I’ve ever watched nor a masterpiece, it's just a disappointingly average show in my personal opinion. I hope Rebecca Sugar and her crew not just see this as their progressive show by representing LGBT and messaging but also see what they would have approved of on the show and how they could’ve made it better. I had a lot of good memories when I first watched the show. It had the potential to be better but it never filled the promises they made.  

#Steven Universe #Steven Universe The Movie #Steven Universe Future #SU Spoilers #SU Critical #SU Criticism #Steven Quartz Universe #Greg Universe #Pearl #Garnet #Ruby and Sapphire #Amethyst #Rose Quartz #Pink Diamond #Yellow Diamond #Blue Diamond #White Diamond #Connie Maheswaran #Peridot #Lapis Lazuli #Bismuth #Spinel

[kordeliiius]

finally trying to summarize what i have in mind for moon scholar for anyone who’s interested

ive pretty much only been drawing bits and pieces of what I think up so hopefully this makes things more coherent

slug bros bring legless phos to aechmea

ventri changes her mind bc she doesnt want phos to get grinded, phos says they'll go along with whatever she has in mind (this bit is kinda heated bc the trio is being heavily guarded)

aechmea agrees to further negotiation but if the slugs wanna stay humanoid they gotta b restrained so acu gets his tendrils chopped™, is sent to recover (good luck barb)

phos needs new legs SO snail bros suggest using agate shell bc they feel bad about roping them into this 

phos and acu chat for a bit before the attachment procedure, they're off to a good start considering phos doesnt remember meeting him before

legs acquired

something something getting acquainted with moonies (barbata, kima, quieta, and my addition of nymph)

negotiations begin with aechmea explaining to phos why the lunarians are capturing the gems in the first place like in “prayer machine”; since phos has never dealt with anything this heavy before, it's hard for them

they decide to go with operation betrayal and the moon gem squad is pretty much the same, except morga senior goes in place of goshe junior, and ghost secretly tags along before being separated from cairn

phos might get the pearl eye at some point so home base can see how they’re progressing on earth but im not sure if they’ll get it right away (and not everyone’s havin it)

also since they’re pretty weak, phos learns how to fight without getting shattered just in case

there is a language barrier between the gems and the admirabilis, so if they wanna talk, either phos or a lunarian has to be there. they do learn some phrases from each other however

basically: admirabilis <––> lunarian <––> gem

if they're next to each other then  they have mutual intelligibility

ventri’s arm grows back over the course of the story

im yet to decide on an ending but i thinking maybe phos works a few winters before anyone's gone for good

if you want an actual written piece that’s pretty spot on (only up to the slice™ but it’s still well-done) check this out!!

#I tried to link the drawings ive already done for certain ideas as well #houseki no kuni #hnk au #moon scholar #kramblings

[blankdblank]

Forgotten Pt 6

Prologue - Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 - Pt 5 -

All –

@himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @aspiringtranslator, @sweeticedtea, @ggbbhehe4455, @thegreyberet, @patanghill17, @jesgisborne, @curvestrology, @alishlieb, @jogregor, @armitageadoration, @fizzyxcustard, @here2have-fun, @lilith15000, @marvels-ghost, @catthefearless, @imjusthereforthereads, @c-s-stars

Hobbit/LotR – @abiwim, @jotink78

X Thranduil - @evyiione, @sweetlytenacious25, @tigereyesf

Sleeping alone in your new home proved to be more difficult though even after finishing off the interior of it. Once again leaving you strolling through your back door and settling out in your yard with a mug of cocoa to sip on. Under the clear night sky you lounged against a large boulder by the edge of the water. Nearly an hour you sat, simply watching as the moon and starlight danced across the surface of the lake as a pair of swans gracefully glided across, breaking through the reflections that glittered across their wings.

Shifting your eyes they landed on the only other living creature still up and roaming around off in the distance, the tall Elf that daily lingered around your shop making sure the progress on his rusted heap was coming along. Lost to sleep himself still unable to keep from thinking of the kiss you left on his cheek two days prior all but leaving him speechless in your presence in a loss for what to say. Walking to a set of chairs by the waters edge he claimed one sending a glint of icy blue at you when he stole a glance at you. Bringing a small smile to his face raising his own mug in a distant toast you sent back before taking another sip of your drinks. 

Finishing your mug you set it down beside you, shifting sideways to lay back to get a better look up at the stars relaxing your arms up around your head brushing your hair from your face propping up a leg feeling the warm breeze crossing over your bare arms and legs in your tank top and knee length sweats. Each distant flicker seemed to ease your lingering tension from the long day of sanding and scraping you’d spent on that damn boat. Closing your eyes your mind snapped back to that first boat you’d helped to repair, the same one Bifur and Bofur escorted you across the lake to your first and only dance you’d attended in Erebor.

Soft crunching of grass brought your eyes open again and causing your head to turn facing the Elf approaching with a soft smile and a thermos in hand. Nearly at your side he watched as you sat up propping your legs up in front of you resting your arms on your knees meeting his timid gaze, raising his thermos he asked, “Need a refill? Cocoa right?”

Smiling you nodded at him turning to grab your mug and offer it to him as he sat at your side filling your mug, “Can’t sleep either?”

He shook his head passing it back to you, “Rarely do. Nights are so clear here, not like back in the city, plus I never understood how Dwarves could miss some of the best parts of the day. Stars are far too gorgeous to miss out on.”

His eyes watched your smile grow as you nodded, “True. Your Ada loved to sit up and watch them with me.” From the corner of your eye you watched as he brushed back his glowing long blonde hair over his flannel coated back as his bare feet shifted on the cool grass out from under his matching flannel pajama bottoms. Glancing over you asked, “That why you moved out here, the stars? Finally convinced you out of all the noise?”

He smiled again, “That, and Ada kept insisting I not waste any more time in that scorching job. Insisted I need to move at a slower pace, funnily enough. Mainly so we could trade and he could be with Naneth again more often.” His eyes watched as you took a sip of your drink, “Why did you pick here? Ada never mentioned it.”

Your eyes met his, “My parents died.” His smile fell, remembering the loss of your Mother from the art exhibit as you pointed at your old cottage, “Bifur and Bofur, my Godfathers, took me in. Went off to school and all I could think of was coming home.” You smiled again bumping his elbow with yours, “Don’t worry about it, no need to give me that look. But that’s why a lot of people don’t bring it up. Your Ada moving in was part of the reason the town stopped focusing on me after he showed up.”

He smirked, “Quite a distraction I assume.”

You giggled drawing his eye back to you and smile larger, “Oh yes, blondes have that effect I’ve noticed.”

He chuckled as you smiled again and turned to watch the swans preening, “I hear he also caused quite a stir shutting down the diner.”

You giggled again, “There’s still a few people who refuse to speak with him after that.” Your eyes met, “I hope you’re not planning on shutting down any businesses yourself, we’re running out of social spots.”

Chuckling again he eyed his nearly empty mug then met your eyes again, “No, I wouldn’t do that. We’ve got all the room we need.”

You nodded pointing at his Manor, “I can see that.” Making him chuckle again, “You’re just focusing on taking control of the ocean.”

“Not control. Honestly I’ve never sailed a day in my life. But I took lessons and then I saw the Pearl was for sale.”

“Please tell me you didn’t spend more than 500 for it.”

He chuckled again, “I, am not that gullible, worked him down to 350. The guy just wanted to be rid of it.”

You shot him a playful smile, “So one day you just, decided to take up sailing?”

He smirked taking a sip from his mug he’d just refilled, “Well I don’t own a tractor.” Your brow rose as he gave you a timid smile, “You work on boats, and it seemed simple enough to learn, especially ones with motors.”

You asked through your giggles, “So you bought a boat, just so you could have me work on it?”

Wetting his lips he met your eyes again, “I needed an excuse to get the courage to talk to you.”

You giggled again, “You’re serious?”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

You nodded, “Ya, I’ve never had anyone work that hard for my attention before.”

He smiled larger, “I highly doubt that.” Your eyes met his with a raised brow, “Seriously?”

“Last relationship I had was a set up from a friend in trade school. I don’t think you’ve noticed but most of the people I speak with are mainly my Godfathers’ relatives.”

“So you’re truly not interested any of them?”

You giggled again, “I’m not their type.” His smile grew watching you take another sip.

“I hear there’s an old Black and White marathon on at the old theatre a town over if you’d like to see it. And there’s an incredible Italian place down the block.”

“When did you want to go?”

His smile grew, “Clinic’s closed on weekends.”

You smirked, “Well I would, but my weekends are mainly taken up by this Elf who bought this rusted heap.” You broke into giggles as he chuckled again.

“I’m sure the rusted heap can wait. Saturday?”

“Saturday’s good.”

He chuckled again and glanced back at his house spotting a small animal roaming across his lawn, leaning over he gently kissed your cheek, “I’ll see you later today. My Son’s cat is loose.”

“Thank you for the cocoa.”

He smiled at you again before turning back to his house, downing the last of his drink before starting a slow trot towards the creeping cat making you giggle watching him wrangle the creature back inside and wave at you before joining it. Leaving you to draw in a breath take another sip of cocoa as you stood and went back inside with a growing smile, finishing your drink to leave your mug in the sink. Then continuing back in to your room to lay out across your bed with another giggle about all the effort he’d put into asking you out, and wonder about what he was really like outside of him as a hovering customer.

…

Rolling out of bed you brushed through your hair working it back into the familiar braided bun and stripping to change into your work clothes and boots to head out of your house on your motorcycle, taking advantage of the clear day, and so you could leave it in the shop for a tune up. Parking in your usual spot you opened the shop before guiding your bike inside and starting your daily round of check ups on your supplies and files as the Durins filed in. Each giving you a second glance noticing your lingering smile, Sitting on his wheeled stool Dwalin smirked and scooted to your side making you giggle as he peered up at you, “You seem happy.”

You nodded, “I am. Good morning Dwalin.” Gently pecking him on the top of his head and walking around him only to be blocked by Frerin and Thorin with arms crossed and brows raised.

Frerin, “Spill.”

You gently poked him in the stomach stepping around him, “I, have a Date.”

Their eyes all followed you as Thorin said, “Alright, I drove you home, around 7 and somehow in the last 12 hours you’ve gotten a date?”

Dwalin scooted to their side as you turned to check the drawer of wrenches to see that it was fully stocked as he asked, “Online thing?”

“No.”

They turned to follow you into the office as Frerin asked while gripping Thorin’s arm excitedly, “Wait, Doctor guy?!”

His answer came with your growing smile as Dwalin chuckled, “Oh it’s about time. Poor thing’s been fawning over you since he moved in.” Frerin grinned hugging Dwalin tightly.

Thorin’s head tilted as his smirk grew, “That explains the boat. Does he even sail?”

“He took courses.” You giggled out.

They chuckled as Frerin replied, “Well he certainly is determined, have to give him that.”

You giggled again with your smile creeping even wider, “I think it’s sweet.”

Thorin smiled at you, “Impossibly sweet. Tad bit foolish, but if he wanted to spend all that money to test your skills it seems fitting.” His arm wrapped around your back to kiss you on the forehead.

Dwalin, “Now you just have to get sick and test his healing skills to make it even.”

You rolled your eyes and joined them back in the larger area of the garage pulling on your coveralls to get started on the boat, climbing inside to scrape the engine hold only to slam your knuckles into the corner as your hand slipped hearing Dwalin shouting, “HEY BOFUR! GUESS WHO’S GOT A DATE?!”

You popped up asking, “You’re really not going to shout it at everyone that passes are you?!”

Thorin turned with a grin as Dwalin rushed over to share the news as Thorin said, “Oh come on, it’s the first time we’ve heard anything about you dating at all!” His brow rose, “Is it your first date?”

“I dated in trade school. Obviously didn’t last, but I’ve dated.” Ducking down before he could see your growing blush only to have Frerin’s head pop up above the hold asking, “How bout sex?”

You groaned as Thorin added, “Valid question.” Joining his brother peeking in at you.

“I have. Nothing to write home about.”

Frerin, “Why didn’t you bring him home?”

“Bombur met him. And he took off.”

Their brows rose and Thorin said, “That’s not happening again.”

Frerin, “We’ll tether him down if we have to.”

You rolled your eyes again, “Between you all and Dis I’ll be surprised if he even shows up on our date.”

Both, “Oh he’s going.”

Turning back to your work they chuckled again and went back to work themselves as their family and yours filed in and out before spreading the word around town until finally even the postage delivery man had congratulated you causing you to pop your head up and say, “Mahal, even he knows?!” Only to see their grins growing at the familiar car pull up causing you to groan and duck back in your hiding place.

Parking in his normal spot Thranduil chuckled softly spotting your head disappearing from sight as the Dwarves approach him for their usual greeting with growing smirks as Thranduil said, “I take it you heard as well.”

They nodded and chuckled after he said, “Word travels fast. I’ve already had upwards of 30 people congratulating me and asking for details. Including your Sister, who mentioned something about dress shopping.”

Your head popped out again pointing at Thorin, “You stop her! Last dress she picked for me nearly gave me a rash from all the taffeta and bows.”

Thranduil chuckled and moved closer to join you resting his arms on the boat at your side, “How’s she coming along?” His hand patted the side, “Looks nearly new out here.” He chuckled again spotting your quirked up smile readying to laugh at his comment, “Alright, relatively newer than it used to look.”

“Hull’s patched and scraped, just finishing the engine hold, those parts finally come in by next week.” You bit your lip glancing at the ceiling figuring the math making him smile larger, “Maybe two months to get her running, then it’s just paint and interior.”

His smile grew, “Just in time to take you out on the water in spring.”

You giggled again, “Might want to aim for early summer, the water’s really choppy around here through spring due to the rains.”

His smile grew, “Sounds like a plan.” He caught your faint blush as your eyes shifted over his shoulder, “They’re all watching aren’t they?”

You nodded, “And taking pictures.”

“Well hopefully we’ll get copies.”

“I’m sure they’ll be on the front page tomorrow.”

He chuckled again, “Even better.” Smiling larger at you again when your eyes met, “I do have another appointment, but are you off at 8?”

“Yes.”

“Care to stop in at the pub tonight?”

“Sounds good. Though we’d have a crowd.”

“Might as well get it over with now, right?”

“Fine, but if Dis shows up don’t be surprised if I hide.”

He chuckled again patting his hands on the hull and turned to walk back to his car slipping through the approaching group who all crowded around you asking for details.

… Kili/Fili …

Barely a few years together and Kili had finally seen the error of his ways, realizing everything his Mother had tried to convince him of since she’d moved with him to Erebor. Tauriel had left him, and ran off with all the money she could snatch up before leaving with Rorrnn, a Dwarf she’d been shamelessly flirting with on the breaks Kili had taken. Years she had been shamelessly money hungry and grasping at any and all chance to wring all the money she could out of his relatives in hope of riding Kili’s coat tails to success, only to fail again and again at his refusal to use others and resort to scams and impossible loans. All this and all he could think of, even facing bankruptcy and losing everything he’d built the pub up into, was you. 

Finally out of a relationship he could finally do what he’d been fighting against attempting to build any sort of relationship with. Ignoring his crippling debt he would surely deal with later he primped extra and descended the stairs from his apartment above the pub to head on over to your shop for the asking only to meet his brother at the base of the stairs panting with a growing smirk on his face, “You are not going to believe what’s happened.”

Kili’s brow rose brushing past Fili, “It can wait, I gotta go to Jaqi’s shop.”

Fili chuckled grabbing his arm, “So you’ve heard then, about Jaqi’s date?”

Kili’s eyes met his brother’s feeling his heart skip, “Her what? Jaqi doesn’t date.”

Fili chuckled, “Apparently she does. Had an ex or two back in trade school too.” Patting his brother on the shoulder, “Guess she’s not so helplessly smitten over you anymore.”

Kili grabbed Fili’s arm stopping his leaving, “What do you mean smitten?”

Fili chuckled, “Surely you noticed, all through school.” His eyes narrowed, “You didn’t notice? At all?”

Kili’s head shook, “No, why didn’t you say anything then?”

Fili, “You never even spoke to her barely, wouldn’t have changed anything.”

Kili, “I would-.”

Fili’s tone rose, “You didn’t even have any interest in her at all until she came back from school, fully grown. Besides you had Tauriel already, and you dated all through school. You said it yourself, you thought she was boring.”

Kili, “Ya but-.”

Fili, “But nothing. Ki, you’re not going to win this one. Not now, all you can do is wait to see how this turns out.”

Kili, “Who is it? At least tell me that.”

“The Doctor.”

“The Doctor?! The one that bought that rusted heap?! He probably doesn’t even know how to sail!”

“Doesn’t really matter, he bought the boat as an excuse to see her. And went to talk to her each day. Now that, says something about how she should be treated and you know it. Not like some after thought just because you’re free.”

Fili turned to leave but stopped at the door as Kili said, “I don’t know why you’re so bent about this!”

Fili turned with a glare, “Really? Not at all?! She spent years being ignored, forgotten, pushed aside. Every dance Amad would say, ‘Don’t forget your picture with Jaqi’ and every time she still wouldn’t get asked, and if I hadn’t been seeing Em for so long I’d have asked her myself. Because she is absolutely incredible and everyone seemed to miss that until the package matched the gift! I really don’t get it, I really don’t. But I will tell you this, if it doesn’t work out with the Doctor, you give her time and space and you better crawl on flaming glass to earn a chance with her.” His hand landed on the handle to the door and he left as Kili deflated and sat down on the stool behind him remembering just how difficult the kids you had gone to school with had made it for you to be their friend.

…

It wasn’t until that same bowl of toothpicks skidded into his view that his eyes rose towards the obvious source. Even in the back corner of the bar Mal had still managed to knock it over in her move to keep Sam from falling off the stool he had climbed onto. The sight of the boys around the fiery haired young woman made a smirk ease onto his lips as she forced a nervous smile watching him blindly collecting the mess to right the bowl again and move it aside while reciting their usual order he got started on.

Curiously at the silence Mal peered around as Merry blurted out, “So, where’s the gold digger?”

Mal instantly glared at him, “Merry!”

Pippen glanced between them and he peered up at her, “What? Uncle said it!”

Surprisingly Kili had skipped the pained reaction he no doubt should have felt and chuckled bringing out the first round of their orders, “Tauriel left me yesterday.”

Mal’s lips parted, “Oh..”

Frodo, “She take your money?”

Sam peered up at her stating, “Valid question.”

Kili’s hand patted Mal’s stirring a deep blush across her cheeks as he shifted his weight on his suddenly wobbling legs with a comforting smile, saying, “No need to stop them. It’ll be public news soon anyways.” He glanced at the boys, “Yes, she did.”

Mal inched closer to the counter wetting her lips saying, “Is there anything we can do?”

Kili chuckled easing his hand back turning to fetch the next set of the orders to serve them, “I’ll think of something. Always do.” He fired a wink at her pleased that he could make a smile flicker on her face easing his worry about the trials ahead. As long as he could keep her smiling he knew he could make it through the day, just focusing on her and the boys he hoped the pain of missing yet another chance with you as well as you apparent massive crush on him when you were younger would fade at least a sliver.

Curiously Kili looked over the boys then asked, “Don’t you normally bring your Uncle with you for lunch?”

Mal, “He and Thorin are having lunch at his place. Planning the dinner reservation I set up for them.”

Kili grinned, “Still dragging it on?”

Mal nodded then wet her lips, “Now I just have to make us scarce tonight like I promised Bilbo.”

Kili smirked jumping on this chance to keep himself distracted all night, “It isn’t much, but you’re welcome at mine for a movie mash up if you like. There’s an extra King mattress and Siggy and Fi are off to visit her Dad in Dale, something about her brother and a science competition.”

The dopey grin growing on Mal’s face made Kili’s spread as an odd warmth coursed through his chest at her nod, brushing her hair behind her ear, “That, would be great, thank you.”

He chuckled, “Anytime. I’ll just spruce up a bit and you can drop by after the clinic closes.” She nodded and after they had eaten he waited for her to be out of sight so he could dart up to his apartment and start hiding all the piles of clothes in his and Fili’s rooms before starting on the dishes piled in the sink and all over the counter. Only going back down for the next lunch rush that eventually freed him to rush up again to vacuum and scrub up the living and guest room just in time for a shower then change into fresh clothes to meet with Mal and the boys to help them carry their bags upstairs and start on the movies as he handled the dinner crowd with his two waitresses.

Pt 7

#Thranduil x Reader OC #Kili x OC #bagginshield

[worrentigre]

Rhuli’a’s Trial pt.1 (RP Scene)

Rhuli’a Kanjun.  The prospect who has approached Worren Tigre months ago, asking for official training as a Fist of Rhalgr.  Though the man shows potential, Worren has noticed a few personality traits that he finds unfavorable for a Fist.  So he has tested him and observed time and again, slowly sewing tidbits of training and advice in between.  However, this has gone on long enough, and Worren has one final test for him before he decides to induct him into the ranks of the Fists and train him for real.  The young man has spirit, pride, and skill.  Worren believes his view is narrow, and does not see the bigger picture.  This final trial will be conducted within the Temple of the Fist, much like Worren’s other student, Kodaro.  Not only will his body be tested, but also his mind and heart.  Will he return as a Fist of Rhalgr?  Or will he fail and not survive the trials ahead.

The location is Rhalgr's Reach, early morning. Worren is sitting at a table near one of the tents outside of the Temple of the Fist, dressed in his temple uniform. A call goes out over the linkshell network. "Kodaro and Rhuli'a. I need to see you both in Rhalgr's Reach today. I will be waiting near the Temple of the Fist." There's a moment's pause before Kodaro responds with the ghost of a yawn still apparent in his voice. "Do I need to bring my cyclas?" 

Worren: "Yes."

Kodaro: "...have I got time to grab breakfast first?"

Worren: "Yeah. No rush. Get yourself situated. I will be waiting."

The pearl catches the end of a relieved sigh. "Alright, then. I'll be there within the bell, sir." 

True to his word, the Seeker appears near the aetheryte no more than forty five minutes later. Clad in his muted green cyclas with the hood down, his mentor's gauntlets, and his own choice of steel greaves, he almost cuts an impressive figure were it not for his typical good natured grin. After a bit of wandering, he finds Worren and greets him with a formal bow before peering about the tents with his tattered ears swivling about.

"No Rhuli'a yet, huh? Nuts. I never seem to catch that guy outside of formal meetings. So, what's on the agenda today, sir?" Worren stands and returns the greeting, then waves him over. "Come sit. This is good. We can discuss the training before he gets here. It's time for his test, and you're gonna help me give it." Kodaro obliges and picks a perch, slinging a small rucksack to the ground beside him. "Like the one you put me through here, or have you got something else in mind?" Worren nods, "Oh, he's goin' in, all right. I need to see where he stands in times of duress. And man, will there be duress. It will be different from yours, though."

Kodaro: "He's ready to go in already? That's great, he must've made some serious progress if you're sending him in to the temple. What's my part in all this?"

Worren: "He's unlocked a gate already. Now it's time to see of he has the brains and resolve to use it properly. The aim of his test is survival. If he passes, he will have a prize waiting for him as well as my consent to formally train him as a Fist. If he fails, he dies."

He leans back casually. "Your part is simple. His path will be impeded with several scenarios that will take more than just his strength to get through. You will shadow and observe him. Feel free to add to whatever tests he comes across if they seem too easy for him. Do not be seen, and do not help him in any way. He needs to accomplish this with his own power and mind. Call it a question of... how bad does he really want it? I will also be watching."

The younger monk frowns a bit, fiddling uncomfortably with his eye patch until Worren finishes. "Sending him in and then letting him die is tantamount to murdering him ourselves; if I feel he's in real, direct, immediate mortal peril I will intervene." Kodaro lets the statement hang for a moment with grave finality before continuing with a slight grin. "Anything up to that point, though? I'm game. Coupla broken bones build character." Worren grunts. "If he dies, he dies." He looks to Kodaro sternly. "I have confidence in him, and I see potential, even if he does not, himself. This is his choice. It always has been. But, if he is wishing to walk this path, he will have to be willing to walk though the depths of hell, survive, grow, and remain humble."

Kodaro: "Worren, you swear off killing Spoken but you expect me to sit back and watch someone die? Absolutely no chance. I'm not budging on this. Any amount of harm short of that, fine, but I am drawing a line. I don't think it'll come to that kind of direct intervention, but I'm not just going to watch Rhuli'a die today if it comes to that." 

Rhuli'a hadn't bothered replying across the pearl. Only a few malms away from the Reach itself, he had taken it upon himself to simply travel there by foot. The dusty air of Gyr Abania whipped around him as he entered the reach after a passing of time. Spying the Highlander who had summoned him, he closed the distance between them, looking at the pair of them as he asked. "And today's labor is?" Kodaro cuts himself off as soon as he catches sight of the keeper; he hops down from his spot as Rhuli'a approaches and greets him with a wave and a toothy grin. "Hey! Long time, no see!" Rhuli'a gave a small, muted wave towards Kodaro, "Afternoon, friend."

Worren stands and approaches, putting a hand on Kodaro's shoulder and hisses in his ear quietly. "Go on ahead inside. We will use my network. And a word of caution; if you cannot continue to trust my judgement, then it may be time for you to be turned loose. We'll talk later." He straightens and nods again, before turning to Ruhli'a. "You made it. Great. Come, follow me. I will explain why I called you here on the way."

Kodaro nods quietly before turning to stroll inside, calling over his shoulder, "Good luck! Keep your cool and stay focused, yeah?" with an encouraging grin before drawing up his hood and calmly pacing through the towering double doors in to the temple.

Rhuli'a gave them both a questioning look before nodding towards Worren. Following him but a few paces behind, he waited for a few moments, and, if the Highlander did not start speaking, he'd venture forth with, "Some trial methinks. I would not think Kodaro would speak to me so if not."

Worren: "It is. Also why I don't ask of him for anything that requires much disgression.  What do you know about the Temple of the Fist? Has your family ever spoke about it?" He begins to lead them into the long entrance way.

Rhuli'a: "Nay, though I've taken a look at it from time to time. Obviously not allowed past the gates, but a looking glass has seen it closer to mine eye than I could hope."

Worren: "I see.  Not entirely accurate, though.  The outer areas of the temple are accessible to everyone.  It is inside the main area where only those who are strong may enter.  The monks of old used to come here to train, worship, and study.  Over time, changes have been made to make the temple a training and proving ground in and of itself.  The Fists would come here to test their abilities against the traps made within.  Today, I will be administering you the trial that will decide your standing within the Fists of Rhalgr.  Once we get to the main doors and you enter, you will be on your own.  You must make it through in one piece."  He speaks evenly now, devoid of emotion, and is looking straight ahead at the fountain they are approaching near the entrance doors.  "You will have to use all of your strength to get through these trials.  Survive, and you have proven to be one of us.  Fail, and you die."

He then stops and looks at Rulhi'a.  "Know that this is optional.  You are not being forced to take this trial.  However, if you do not take the trial, then I will turn you away, as I will believe you would not be able to make it as a Fist.  You could find another to guide your path, should you still wish to walk it.  But, if you take the trial, then may Rhalgr guide your steps.  Survive, and you join our ranks.  That means no more jerking you around; I will finally begin formally instructing you on your power, the culture, and what it means to be a Fist.  What are your questions?"

Rhuli'a gave Worren a look of slight disdain. "With all due respect, I'm hesitant to bring my arts to bear against simple machinery and such. Combat is reading and reacting to your opponent, not figuring out whether or not a blade will come out of a hidden slit in the ground. I'll take your trial, if only to prove that new ones are needed." The Miqo'te folded his arms across his chest, slightly uncomfortable as he furrowed his brow. Never one to shy away from expressing his thoughts, the dark-haired monk gave no indication that he was going to back down.

Worren continues his blank expression, as if observing the man. "Since you are so confident that you will complete this trial, then allow me to give you your first lessons early. Never mistake will power for overconfidence. Making assumptions can be the difference between life or death. And being a Fist of Rhalgr is much more than just one on one combat with another person. To assume so would be seeing only a small part of the big picture. Mastery of self is more than just martial mastery." He then turns to face him fully. He then puts his fist in his palm and gives a slight bow. "Our customary greeting between my brothers and sisters. You may not see this greeting often, but it is very important."

He gestures to the large doors that lead into the temple to begin the trial. "The trial will begin the moment you enter these doors. You will enter alone, and will have no help. There is no time limit, but it will do you well to not slack. If you survive, I will be waiting for you, and will be the first to greet you as a Fist of Rhalgr. And also, a word of caution. The most obvious solution is not always the correct one. May Rhalgr guide your steps through the temple." He nods and gestures to the door again.

Rhuli'a's eyes narrowed as Worren spoke to him. Breaking eye contact, he began to stretch himself out, warming himself up as the highlander continued to lecture him. In his mind was only a light buzzing as he contemplated all that was being told to him. Shoving it aside as nothing more than warnings, he stood, nodding once to the large man.

Turning without words, he strode to the door, shoving them open as he crossed the threshold.

Supremely confident.

@astralagency @berrodarmstrong @cfs-melkire @chiyohoshi @dynamitecowboy @fyrrdetelemagna @grandmastream @interdimensionalpeacekeeping @jancisstuff @nhara-tia @pom-friend @thetaleofoldmanmaruud @thornedblossom @valentinoix @supermeganick @syelirakaisuri

#ffxiv rp #balmung rp #monk rp #worren

[survivoraqualand]

EPISODE 8: All The Men In This Game Are Frustrating

After their dramatic first merge Council, the players were tasked with testing their loyalty and relationships even further in a paired-up immunity challenge called Prisoner’s Dilemma. Each randomly assigned pair went on call with the hosts and had to decide privately whether to trust their partner or betray them. If both trusted each other, they’d both get a Hotel visit; if only one trusted, the one who betrayed would win two visits; and if both chose to betray, they’d get nothing. Despite the strategic rifts between many players, nearly all of them chose to trust each other in this challenge - the only ones who betrayed were Rose and Jessica, disqualifying each other from getting a reward.

Because that wasn’t enough drama, the immunity challenge was Touchy Subjects. The person who overwhelmingly got the most positive answers from the team was Jenna, who also won immunity to help make that target on her back even prettier. Jessica got most of the more negative answers, Linus got a bit of a Fabio edit, MJ was named the person who never shut up (and promptly proved that point in the team chat), and Logan was named a master pie-eater.

Meanwhile, there were several more visits to the once-again-renovated Transcontinental Hotel, where the “???” elevator button was replaced with a “!!!” button that when unlocked with the correct passcode would take players to a hidden shrine room where they received a clue that told them they must transform pearls into shells. The only ones who made real progress with this discovery this round were the alliance of Jenna, Marg, and Logan, who managed to get through the door and figured out how to convert two out of the five pearls they needed to make something else happen, though mostly by accident.

At Sea Council, the vote was shuffled around several times, with every single eligible person having their name thrown out at some point. The initial consensus was to do a split vote between Katie and Jess, but MJ, unhappy with this plan, decided to go rogue and attempt a blindside of Marg - which would have worked had Linus not spilled the beans to Jenna, causing their alliance to become frustrated with MJ and decide to all vote for Jess. Marg played their idol for Logan, unaware that the opposing votes were actually on them, but Jessica ended up going home in a 5-3 vote.

JENNA

Okay all I know right now is that somehow Katie, linden, and jess found out about the 3-3-3 vote. Mj told Jess about the extra vote on Linus which why would he do that if he wasn't trying to work with her? Someone voted Linus and wont own up to it. I told Linus to throw his vote on Jess cause i was worried about his extra vote incase his idol thing didn't work (which he did tell me about). I thought it'd be 4-4-2-1 so i am confused? Jess told me she katie got the idol from the monster, I know katie gave hers to jess last round so that's a lie. Jess told me everyone said they were planning on voting me this next round if I don't win immunity. Logan hold he never told that to Jess at all? The only person I can think that would vote Linus would be Mj but why not own up to it? I am overall very confused still but I am glad Linden left. It's all a they said they said type of vibe which makes things a lot harder. I haven't ~fully lied to anyone because I was confused on the vote and I did hope Linden would go... I'm sure it'll catch up to me I just hope I can be a ghost.

JESSICA

Last round was all over the place! I finally used my hotel tickets and I found an idol which is great. Then, despite telling Logan and Marg basically every thought that occurs in my head in this game, I hear from MJ that they are all planning to split the vote between me and Linden because people think we're a trio with Katie. I personally think this is a horrible move because Linus literally lies to every single person all day and I give Marg/Logan a lot of intel but?? Okay! So I asked MJ to please not vote for me and vote for Linus instead and he said sure. He also told me Linus has a penalty vote so even if everyone else votes for me, I won't go home because it will tie. We're thinking it's going to be 5 Linus - 3 Linden - 2 Me (and 1 Katie, but that didn't really matter). I give Katie the idol just in case I get voted out because I'd rather it stay with her! Unfortunately, Linus also had an advantage that he played and then he was safe. I originally told Katie not to play the idol on me and let's just risk it but she did so now I am still in the game and Linden is out :( 

I don't really know where to go from here because there isn't much else I can do to convince people I'm really not playing that hard slash at all. I usually only show up for ~an hour a day, talk to everyone, say yes to whatever the first plan I hear is and then that's it but for some reason people are convinced I'm the player to beat??? I told Jenna that if she tries to vote me again she will regret it FOREVER. Okay I didn't say that but I did say if I leave she is definitely out next because everyone is threatened by her. She doesn't know who voted Linus and I'm not telling her either! 

LINUS

I suspect nearly everyone will trust in this reward challenge. Jessica, Katie, Rose, and MJ are the only ones who it would benefit to not trust, and even then there’s pros and cons. Jessica and Katie probably feel a bit cornered after last round, I don’t know if I actually think they are or not, but they would have reason to feel that way and think advantages are their best path forward. MJ and Rose by extension have reason to think that they are going to be betrayed, so it would be defensive 

I also think MJ is a bit more sneaky than he’ll probably get credit for due to his inactivity, but as early as that schoolyard pick for teams he was telling Logan about a girls alliance and trying to game the ceto’s to go for girls. I’ve seen players like him before, and although he isn’t socially doing a ton, I suspect he is very invested in the hotel, probably has advantages already and would like to push for more. 

I could see Logan doing some jumping around alliance wise, but it would be showing his hand too much if he burnt trust for a mere reward. Marg and Jenna both have reason to want the other to like them right now, so it would likely hurt either of them to betray. 

I’d say odds are 

Trust Jenna (90%) Marg (90%) Logan (75%) Linus (100%) (just since I know what I did) Rose (60%) (rose should betray, but I think since she’s pretty inact she might trust just so no one holds a grudge against her and it allows her to go as far as possible). Betray MJ (70%) Jessica (75%) Katie (60%) (Katie tries to present an appearance of siding with whoever she is talking to even if what she’s saying makes no sense for them to believe her, so she could do that here).

MARG

MJ

STILL LOCKED OUT? DON'T FEAR OR FUME / YOU NEED A MUSICIAN, A PLANT, A COSTUME 

First name = the musician Genus = whatever the plant is? Appendage = wings (from the crow costume) I feel like genus has to be referring to Nelumbo nucifera even though that also refers to the lotus which granted another visit but a genus name isn't provided anywhere else in the hotel 

I think I have to inspect the sheet music at that piano like maybe a name is written on the back of it or something from the bulletin board: "It's covered in a variety of colorful sticky notes, mostly with illegible words. You can make out some of them, though, including "If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended," "F5 is the good stuff," "nelumbo nucifera," "new schedule next week," the word "RETURN" over & over, and a crude drawing of a whale." 

F5 = vending machine = ceto idol presumably seeing as u wouldnt give it to me at the time nelumbo nucifera = the lotus flower in the garden that granted another visit AND POTENTIALLY the "genus" name needed for the !!! code new schedule next week = idfk i really dont. return = see above whale drawing = see above

I talked to Jenna about this but I think F5 = Ceto idol Metal box = Proteus idol 11 pearls = sapphire idol DUNNO = 50/50 coin = found by rhea and transferred to linus Releasing the monster = one idol per team = played by jess and linden ??? = idol claimed to be found by jess but i think this is the one katie played on jess at the merge vote !!! has to be a new idol so i think the ceto idol and the proteus idol are both still in play and i think marg has the f5 one 

idk who has the proteus idol could be anyone rlly

JESSICA

One day I will win touchy subjects by saying someone's name for every answer.... that day is not today!

JENNA

I am again not really sure what to do this vote. Marg told me Logan wanted MJ out but Logan didn't mention that to me at all. MJ said he'd want Logan or Marg out but I said this round doesn't make sense for that. So MJ suggested doing a split vote and just not telling Linus, Marg, or Logan, which doesn't make a ton of sense to me either. Also why would MJ wanna do that unless he either 1. actually thought Marg or Logan voted Linus last time or 2. he has his own plan somehow?? Logan said he's worried I'm gonna be blindsided next vote which is fun. Jess and Katie told me they wouldn't vote for me if I don't vote for them this round and part of me wants to take them up on that???? But I don't see MJ working with Marg so a blindside would really have to come from Linus and Rose going with MJ or Marg. Or Logan doing it which I would hope he's not lying to me so i don't know. 

Marg is honestly playing a really good game and I could see them being the one who voted Linus last time just to cause chaos. And as far as I can tell Linus and Rose like Marg as well because they were both saying they trust Marg. Marg is worried about Logan supposedly and Logan is worried about Marg blindsiding me supposedly as well? I'm still not sure what MJ's end goal is. I got the most likely to win and biggest hero thing for touchy subjects which isn't great. And I won again which is fine but all those are more reason for people to want me out. I don't know how to explain to Marg I don't really care if I win since I've won before... Part of me thinks I should just become a ghost because that way I can help people and not worry about the vote... but it's hard cause I don't rly wanna vote out MJ or even Katie and that would force me to do that whereas if i'm just gone I wouldn't have to worry about it. I don't really want Katie to go this round, partially because she's literally getting surgery and it feels bad to vote for her when she's not even here to save herself. 

MJ wants to get out Jess with the split vote supposedly, which I do kinda believe him? But it makes me wonder why he doesn't want Katie out. Does he have some end game plan with her?? Also MJ shared a watch tower clue with me to figure out the new !!! room in the game and I got in but can't figure out the rest. I told MJ about it and I also told Marg which I'm not sure was the right move or not now but i don't know. Marg told me we shouldn't tell Logan incase Logan tells Jess but I think I'm going to now because I don't know who I should trust and if I made the wrong call on MJ or Marg I might as well risk making the wrong one on Logan too. No ones really online and I think the hard part is I don't know what Rose or Linus are thinking long term so i don't know if they'd wanna get me out or not. Anyway I'm sure I have too many confessionals but whatever! I think I'll probably tell Marg and Logan about MJ splitting the vote and see if I can convince them to let me do it with him so for next vote they have a reason to get him out and he would hopefully tell me his plan so I can keep them updated as well. I don't know if they'll go for it though I think they'll want Katie out even more.

MJ

stan jenna :)

JESSICA’S FINAL WORDS

This game has my favourite idol system ever! I love Ari and Josh and all the creativity that went into this game. 

#episode #survivoraqualand

[itsfurty]

Here we are in July. Hope everyone has been having a great half of the year and a good summer! Things are exciting in my end with a new job starting soon and will be having me moving halfway across the United States once again. As I prepare my move I figured I'd do another set of reviews. This one has less indie focus than previous entries but I think it'll be just fine. If you want to catch my last post just click here and hopefully my gibberish thoughts and opinions are of some interest. Also I changed these posts to be called Quick Thoughts since my posts aren't really in depth reviews. We'll see if I stick to it.Steamworld DigI’ve already played Steamworld Dig when it came out on the Wii U but I decided to pick it up for the Switch considering how much I enjoy the series and especially its sequel. Well I gotta say, the sequel is better in every single way after replaying this one but I do think the original is still worth your time. The basic premise is you dig. You dig for gems and power stones to upgrade your character so that you can dig faster and through tougher stones. There is a very simple plot with characters that have some personality but it isn’t much to be honest. The visuals are also just okay. To its credit the game was originally a 3ds game and then ported to other platforms. The style looks fine but it gets massively improved upon in future entries. Really the hook here the aspect of digging and gaining new skills as you unlock equipment in test rooms. You’ll unlock a double jump, power drill, and dynamite amongst other skills and items as you play. The test rooms are honestly some of my favorite parts of the game as it makes for some fun quick puzzles and platforming outside of the regular digging you will do. I should mention you will encounter some foes to bash with your pick axe but the combat is just all about holding “A” and dodging any attacks. You will also have to watch out for toxic water, spikes, and some other surprises the deeper in you go.The biggest thing holding the game back is the length and lack of replayability. You can easily clear this around 2 hours and that’s with doing all the test rooms you come across. There are some secret gears to collect in the rooms but it doesn’t add that much extra play time to go through and collect them. Honestly you can skip Steamworld Dig and just go into its sequel. But if you really want to play the game 10 dollars is a decent price but I’m sure during the holidays there will be a decent sale for a more reasonable price.Still it isn’t a bad game, it’s just too little of a game without its truly own identity since it plays so much like the old flash game Motherload. Now if only a sequel to Steamworld Heist would get announced!Price: $9.99 Time played: Less than 3 Hours Verdict: Wait for a sale Flint HookDamn. I really wanted to like Flint Hook but too many aspects just had me wondering why play it over the (personally) better roguelikes out there. I mean visually the game is outstanding. This is the same team behind Mercenary Kings so the pixel art and animations are top of the line. Its colorful, charming, and just fun to look at. The music is also outstanding. The main theme when the game starts up gets me pumped to do a run and has me forgetting all the reasons I didn’t enjoy this game but then I start playing it... The biggest hurdle I thin this game has is it should not have been a rogue like. The dig draw in this game is you have a grappling hook that can pop bubbles or grab onto certain locations to have you zip around really tiny levels. Already the bigger focus is on movement and platforming as you avoid cannons, lasers, spikes, spike balls, motion detection enemies, regular enemies, ghosts, fire, and so much more. This should have been a platformer with carefully crafted levels right from the beginning rather than what feels like an attempt to chase the indie roguelike genre.Just consider the actual content in the game. The way it works is you pick a boss bounty and and complete a few ships (levels) to get to the boss. During this time you will retread very similar rooms with no interesting abilities unlocked. Most are passive like more health, more gold, higher critical chance hits, or faster movement. Nothing that makes you excited to pick up and encourage multiple replays since these are minor passive change ups with no major adjustments to gameplay. The worst part is the obvious hook is the grappling hook but only 1 or 2 abilities you can find changes how it works. It’s like the devs made a really cool mechanic but didn’t know what to do with it. Also, the shooting and combat was clearly an after though as the majority of enemies stand still and do not move. Some don’t even attack and could just be replaced by targets that need shot. The ones that do shoot back have really basic attack patterns. The bigger challenge is moving around the screen with your hookshot and avoiding stage hazards. I honestly had way more fun traversing the maps in the game than fighting any enemy. That should have been the focus. Anyways, back to the content. The bosses you fight will always be the same no matter what. Attack patterns are the same and you will always fight the same boss when you reach the end of a run depending on the bounty. It makes runs feel like there are only 5 variants, one for each boss, as opposed to nearly limitless mix ups.The game contains a lot of collectibles in the form of lore and relics. Neither of which effects the abilities of the layer but rather add background to the game. I found these uninteresting as I do not find reading text on the screen about a watch exciting or a good way to provide purpose to a game’s universe. Relics at least offer XP to your character so that you can unlock new starting skills but again the skills are just not interesting that I did not care about this aspect. I know this mini review negative and disappointing but that is just how I felt when playing Flint Hook. It is a game with great visuals and charm but lacks in gameplay department. It isn't terrible but I think Gungeon, Isaac, Don't Starve, or a Robot Named Fight are way more interesting in what they offer. I really thought I was going to love Flint Hook but it just didn't mesh with me like I had hoped. Price: $14.99 Time played: 15 Hours Verdict: Wait for a sale Splatoon 2 with DLCSo Splatoon 2, it's good, really good. If you’re following Nintendo then you know this game is great. It has risen to being one f Nintendo’s big franchises. I mean this game has so much going for it. It is colorful, some great music, and such an interesting gameplay mechanic I can get my friends and family, that don’t play games, into a match and they’ll have a blast. While at the same time playing ranked can create an incredibly stressful few minutes. So obviously the multiplayer is excellent but single player wise can lease a bit to be desired. I love the hub world where you explore and select the next level to jump into. The traversal of the world by spraying ink is the best part. The enemies don’t really do much of anything in the base game that I’d rather for larger more interesting levels. Plus, the story is pretty simple and doesn’t offer that many exciting moments. Sure the boss fights are a highlight but there aren’t any character moments unlike the dlc, which i’ll get into. Overall with the base Splatoon 2 game the multiplayer is the main draw with the single player offering a decent one time though experience. Sure, you can replay levels with different weapons but nothing major changes that I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a huge fan of the single player.Splatoon 2’s DLC somewhat fixes a lot of the complaints I have with the base game. While it does not offer larger levels, instead smaller for focused challenges, this is still much better than the base game. These focused challenges (I think 80 or so?) levels are a lot of fun. Some will have you reaching a goal with no items, fighting waves of enemies, escorting a ball, shooting shapes out boxes, flying in a jet pack, and so much more. These are great bite sized missions that are vastly better than the single player missions. Sure, they aren’t large open levels to explore like I wish but they’re still great in their own way. The other big fun aspect of the dlc is how much character interaction there is. Pearl, Marina, and Cuttlefish, have a lot of dialogue between each other and they are swimming with personality. They’re a joy to read and watch as they interact with one another. Plus the ending sequence has an actual cutscene which adds a nice cinematic quality to the game. It makes me really excited with where Nintendo takes the single player.Splatoon 2 is a no brainer when it comes to the Switch. I didn't even get into Salmon Run which I have poured tons of hours into. This is easily my most played multiplayer game and maybe my most played game in general. Both the base game and DLC are well worth picking up. Price: $59.99 | DLC: $19.99 Time played: 140 Hours Verdict: Recommend Ys 8Ys 8 is the first game I played in this series and I gotta say I’m impressed. You play as Adol, the silent protagonist, who’s ship is mysteriously destroyed at the the beginning of the game. You wake up on a deserted island and have to reunite with other castaways to find a way off the island. I liked the aspect of finding survivors as they would be added to your base camp which would grow in size as you played. It has a nice sense of progress the more you play and the deeper you explore the island. Sometimes the base camp will come under attack and you will have to fight waves of monsters so be ready to have to travel back from time to time. The story and pacing however is pretty strange. It starts of with a nice hook of ending up on an island and a strange side plot about a mysterious girl who lives on the island. But by the halfway point the story kind of just disappears and you just gather survivors with the vague plot of “find a way off the island” is your only goal. There is no real antagonist throughout the game until the very end. This is where you are hit with heavy exposition and everything comes together and makes sense. It just would have been better if it was better spread out through the game rather just appearing at the very end.While Ys 8 might falter a bit around the plot department the gameplay is a high point. It is all real time and unlike most JRPGs you do not enter a battle arena upon fighting an enemy. You can attack as you please with no transitions and this makes combat fast. You attack with a single button to perform very simple combos but can perform a magic attack with on of the 4 face buttons. You’ll gain a lot in the game so there is a nice variety of moves you’ll perform. For example by the end my main moves for Adol were a vertical arching slash, magic tornado, a spinning air dash, and a long automated ground combo for heavy damage. There are tons more you unlock but that is just what I chose to use by the end. You can have up to 3 party members active at once and you’ll want to switch between them (this is done by pressing “Y”) to fight certain enemies as many are only weak to one type of attack which a party member will fall under (Air attack, smash, or slash). You’ll upgrade armor and weapons as you play but in order to change the visual appearance of characters you’ll need to trade for costumes ( as there is no currency in the game since you’re on an island) which I found disappointing. It did not feel like I had as much control over my character’s visual appearance which I really enjoy doing in these types of games. The last bit of gameplay is exploring the island which is somewhat metroidvania like. You’ll find new tools to let you get through swaps, climb vines, or double jump. Oh, and there is fishing which can be fun to get supplies.The soundtrack to Ys is solid albeit nothing amazing in my opinion. Only a few track really stood out and the rest sot of blended in with that jrpg electric guitar generic sound but nothing out right terrible. The only bad aspect of Ys is sometimes the frame rate and resolution can really dip. Grassy areas are hard on the eyes especially in handheld mode but it is still playable and there are varied environments that you can move to other parts of the game. Also, the translation is sloppy at times with some misspellings or forgetting words in sentences. It’s sloppy but I wasn’t too bothered, although for 60 dollars you’d expect a bit better. If you hate turn based jrpgs then this game might be what you’re looking for as long as you can deal with some anime tropes. There are a few in this game that had me cringe and feel mildly uncomfortable but overall not too bad. Definitely a fun game though and way better than I was expecting. I hope future entries release on the Switch.Price: $59.99 Time played: 40 hours Verdict: Recommend Wolfenstein 2Wolfenstein 2 is another technical marvel ported to the Switch thanks to the devs at Panic Button. Visually it is obviously going to be the weakest compared to the other platforms but it still is quite a game to look at. There were compromises to make it possible to run however. Frame rate is capped at 30 fps, textures can be blurry at times, motion blur is mandatory, and there is a subtle haze to limit the field of view. Still, the game has some great visuals considering the Switch’s limitations. In case you aren’t familiar with Wolfenstein 2 the premise is Nazis won WW2 and it’s time to start a revolution. You will kill a ton of Nazis and it is glorious. You’ll fight inside ruined American cities, Nazi airships, subs, secret bases and other locations. The story is really enjoyable with a great mix of absurdity but also a serious somber tone. There are only a moment or two I felt out of place but over all the game does a great job at setting up characters and moving the plot along. The game is not very long maybe about 10 hours but it’s a quality 10 hours.The weapons, while not as varied as I’d hope, control very well and provide excellent feedback and sound as you dual wield shotguns blasting Nazis to bits. Running and gunning is not the only thing you’ll do as there is some simple stealth in the game. In many situations you can sneak around with a hatchet and knives so you can eliminate Nazis without any hearing a sound. If spotted it just means reinforcements are called in on your area. Now when the game originally released I heard it was deemed to hard and maybe it was changed for the Switch but I’d say normal and hard are perfectly enjoyable experiences. Hard mode will have you hiding behind cover a bit more but it never reached a point where I was frustrated. Gyro aiming is also in the game which is great for fine tuning shots when aiming down sights. I do wish the game had more varied enemy types similar to how Doom does as encounters can sometimes feel too samey at times.In terms of extra content there are extra missions you can play that take place in levels you have already beaten. These are harder than the first time you play these and task you with eliminating a high ranking Nazi in the area. I have not beaten them all but from what I’ve played you have no checkpoints and need to beat it without dying. I wish there was a more arcadey mode in its place where you can just run around killing waves of Nazis as the game feels great and I’d rather just be able to jump in to play rather than having to select one of thee bonus levels but that’s a personal preference. Even with that small complaint Wolfenstein 2 is an excellent game and definitely should be played. If you only own a Switch I fully recommend it. If you have a PC, Xbox, or PlayStation pick it up there as it is cheaper and has better performance. But either way, play this game and enjoyable the world. Also, don’t forget to kill as many Nazis as you can.Price: $59.99 Time played: 10 hours Verdict: Recommend That finishes this set of games. Next time I do one of these I'll be in a new state so I don't know when I'll actually get around to it. I don't think it'll be too long but I'm not sure how many people will actually be missing me haha. Either way, take care and enjoy the rest of the summer months! via /r/NintendoSwitch

#reddit

[quonit-aceattorney]

2-2 Reaction

Rules:

Q = Me, Quonit.

BF = Bardic Feline, the friend that made me spend 30 dollars on the game and whom I am messaging

I don’t use those when I send the messages close enough my username doesn’t appear.

Any typos (unless they are funny and part of the conversation) will be fixed.

Index

—

Q: also I can't play more ace attorney because when I finished game 1 my brother wanted to play it so now I can't play more until he realizes in order to play through game two he'll have to delete my progress so he has to wait till im done with that

BF: Whaaat

There should be more than one save slot!

Q :We thought that too! That ended up with Alex thinking the second game thing was another save file for the first game

BF: Huh

Q: he brought me back DS I can play as work yaaaay

BF: Wooo!

Q: back to phoenix wright

Q: car ooo

who was drugged with sleeping pills

oh hello ghost dude

murdurer who's that black haired girl outside of the flaming car

ini?

i liked these new opening scenes they have a lot more art

oh no D: not Maya!

they don't even avoid the "it was a rainy day" cliche like

who this guy

Q: uhhh turner that wasn't very friendly

Q: "I AM UPSET"

this was a year ago??? what???

Q: I was working under Mia not Maya

Q: the timeline makes no sense

June??? June what year??? Is this set before the chapter I just played???

oh my god that kid doesn't look right what

(^and that was my first ever reaction to Pearl. I thought she looked like a long 3-year-old. a glimpse. Ridicule me.)

Q: In happy Maya is here at least

Q: “I wouldn't take a crazed killer as my client" Maya you just have to BELIEVE they're not a crazed killer

Q: I wanna get to the case with Juan i n it but for now I'll be happy that at the moment he is living

Q: May 2nd is my bros birthday

Q: This guy needs better glasses that won't fall down

Q: Anyone can be a saint when compared to lawyers

Q: Wonder if anyone is in the direction

SIDE ROOM

Q: OH MY GOD THAT IS A LOT OF CANDLES

Is that a mushroom afro or hat

Q: I work hard at blaming it on Maya she gave me hints on what to do next and stopped the verdict from being assigned/mean any thing

Q: I wonder why we can't tell anyone about Mia

Q: Who is calling me!!!

HI I REMEMBER YOU

How are you lotta!

Q :How would Lotta plan to take pictures

Q: DID SOMEBODY DIE IN THERE

Oh now the citizens !Alex sense

CUT-SCENE

I think we should break in but Morgan won't approve

Q: Why will anybody who possesses Maya not stop showing off their books

Q: Boobs

Q: Hi gumshoe

Q: Who are you you don't look like you're in the Fea family

Q: Hey look it's the kid again

I got the key!! Thanks Pearl!

Q: Hey I don't have the key

Q: Ugh I'm stuck

BF: hahahah always that point where you end up trying to figure out what to do next

Oh, apropos of nothing, but Ini's name is pronounced "Eenie"

and she had a sister (who you will find out about) named Mimi

BF: and their last name is pronounced Mine-ee

Therefore, they are Ini (Eenie) Mimi (Meenie) Miney!

and the next case features a guy named MOE

Q: alright!

Q: Talking with the kid YAY

Reasons why I dislike the kindle

If shipping me and Maya gets me that key then please continue

Ya I wanna help in Maya

Q :This because brings up the question of if Maya likes me because everyone in the village listens to get and seems to ship us... Though I bet it's just a misinterpretation on their end

BF: Only on Pearl’s end, really

Q: As suspected

She's cute though! I like Pearl :D

Hopefully the aunt won't come and get mad at me

Q: Sorry to disappoint you pearl but I went to lawyer school not channeling school

BF: Pearl is such a cutie

Q: She is! I feel bad about the first thing I said about her is that she looks weird

Yesss finally I have the key

BF: Oh there’s going to be multiple things about Pearl’s reading skills, and before you judge her as a total idiot, remember that in the original Japanese, it’s Kanji she’s struggling with haha

Q: Alright!

Pearl what if I phrase it like this: MYSTIC MAYA told me to give this to you

Q: Okay pearl you can follow me as long as you know your mom won't put my head on a pike soon after

Q: How would gumshoe NOT like kids

Q: How about we explain to Gummy about how she was possessed

I do indeed have a copy

Q: 

Gumshoe: The prosecutor is going to be Von Karma

WAIT WASN'T VAMPIRE ARRESTED

NO

I SWEAR IF I ACTUALLY HAVE TO FIGHT THAT ASS AGAIN

Q: Oh thank God he didn't actually get out prison or something

Q: First time we see edgy in the game I wonder how he is doing

Q: PHOENIX somebody is actually interested in your badge and you don't show it to them???

How could you!!!

Q: IT'S NOT A HOUSE KEY, IT'S A BICYCLE KEY!

Q: It's that weird redheaded girl I don't like again

Q: The frick am I hallucinating?

Q: Oh hey she's lying!!! Thank you pearl

Q: Uh I don't know if I should try or not

Oh ya still stuck with this girl

Wait what

I looked at the second newspaper clipping and it says she died what

Q: Sharing a last name okay

Yay I win

Q: Ini if that is what happened why do you still look so happy

Q: :goes to court: I KNOW YOU ARE LYING BECAUSE OF THIS MAGIC ROCK AN 8 YEAR OLD HAVE ME

Q: Pearl let me take you away from your home without a parents consent I have some candy with me

Hi mia!!!

Q: So I know she can't tell me much because the game wouldn't be fun but what is the in universe explanation

Mia how dare you lie to me I thought we were friends

Save point

Q: Pearly hi how did you leave without your mom noticing

strong pearly

Edgy is my objection buddy

Wait he actually quit D:

I am ready to hate this person just as much as I did the first vampire

Q: No I am not shocked you are a woman now I'm just wondering why we have not met up with another female prosecutor

Q: HEY DON'T HIT THE JUDGE

Q: I don't think she should be allowed to bring that anymore

Then how did manfred fail if you are all so perfect

Fool

Q :HEY SHE HIT GUMMY D:

Q: Ya but we heard two gunshots and you say there was just one

Q: Hey there is a bullet hole in it

Q: I can figure it out I know I can

Q: I would use the gun on the last statement because it was fired twice and has the victims fingerprints on it but that didn't work

Q: Why can't I find anything

Q: I am stuck :(

BF: Aaaah I'd help but I don't know which part of the cross exam your at so I don't know what you're trying to prove right now

Q: I'll type the thing why not

Q: "Sorry pal there is more evidence", "this is the costume masthead wearing", "it's covered is blood," " defendant killed the person who did not right back ".

BF: ....I'm not sure, but I THINK you can find some evidence to disprove the 'didn't fight back' thing by gesturing to the sleeve of her costume somehow

If I'm remembering that segment correctly.

Q: Back

Hey the costume did work thank you

Q: Somebody please take that whip away from her

BF: hhaha no problem

the whip is Franzy's signature item, though. lD

BF: Also, she's not the last prosecutor who will physically assault you during a trial and get away with it hahah

Q: How dare this game

But there is a bullet hole in the outfit he didn't miss

Q: Finally that other bullet hole contradicts something

Q: I'm not getting something it's why I keep saving

I should know at this point where Maya was

BF: If you are still on the first day of the trial, you actually don’t have enough info yet to know where in the room she was!

Q: Dangit

Q: Oh hey I do know what I am doing

Q: I'm sorry what kinda swear is that Phoenix

Q: Lotta please don't be annoying like last  time you were here

Oooo save point

Hi pearl I forgot about you

Q: See I'm not the only one annoyed by the whip!!!

How am I supposed to be happy when a Von Karma is around

How am I supposed to pretend we are all family

Q: Lotta there were two gunshots

Q: For now I don't think I can present any evidence

Q: Which is sad

Q: WHY DID YOU POSSES PEARL

at least your not showing off Boobs

Nevermind

Q: Von Karma I hate you

Q: FINALLY I can prove it wasn't Maya

Q: No morons that is Mia

Q: You know if was ready to hate this second vampire but she isn't nearly as bad as the first one so far

Q: I'm not a fool I'm just annoying

BF: Franziska really isn’t the straight up villain her dad was; she’s more like a more prickly Edgeworth

Q: Alright well that is better

I really wanna see pearl tell at her haha

Q: Ya edgy was fine after a while but being nice forced him to leave him job so

Q: Who is misty who are you trying to kill

Q: Not a movie but it is a game and anime so

Q: How did steel samurai merch get in here

Q: Aww a cute theme for pearl

Q: Don't worry pearl I won't tell your mom

Q: Hey Lotta if you don't want me to be chasing you then maybe you should stop being in the rooms I need to go to

Q: and that is why Phoenix doesn't date women Lotta.

Q: Lotta you're fine you're one of the more likable people in this game

Q: I dislike that girl so I'd be fine to say she's the killerI  mean it'd make sense

She is the sister of girl who was killed by the man who just died

BF: Indeed, she does have a motive!

Q :back to thing

Comic is going it is fun to draw

Q: yes please give me info

new place to go. Also why does Lotta not like giving me info

what is this place

Q: you don't look like a doctor

Q: well of course you aren't

BF: Hahaha oh man I forgot you hadn’t encountered that creep yet

back to ace attourny but this is a great AU

Q: phoenix started talking like the guy hahaha

oh no did Pearl's mom call the cops on me

crap

Q: Ya well I suspected she was as evil

Q :need to go again dangit

Q: I think it's funny how I'm the scary one in this game

Q: I think right now I don't know if like the redhead girl or Morgan more

Q: the more I find out i guess i like the redhead more

Q: I win >:D

if we were both asleep then maybe you were both drugged like how the opening said

what is she talking about

im scared

Q: how about you show her your damn police badge that'd be interesting to her

pearl come with meeee

Q: mia don't lie to me i have a magic rock

Q: one more lock.

I feel smart :D

oh so morgan and ini were the killers great

Q: well if she made it look like Maya killed him she could become the next master

Q :Pearl did you run here AGAIN???

oh god please don't bring morgan

pfft Maya she does this to you too?

Ohhh well I guess that makes sense... I mean, she would be really mad at me for saying her mom killed the guy

Q: I like Mia and (whats her name the second vampire) arguing it's funny

Q: morgan you are lying

Q: ya no you hated me there is no way you thought "good sir"

BF: haha Franziska!

Q: I'll call her Franz for short

I mean this testimony was in the opening so maybe it isn't entirely a lie

Q: what do you mean it wasn't strange???

Q: but there was blood on her outfit how did you not think it was strange!!!

Q: mini stop eating your hat

that personality change reminds me of the worst person ever ... April May

Q: no but really it isn't more subjective

Q: Pearl is being used as evidence why not

Q: Franz stop it let me question her

i wanna present the urn but morgan is watching

but you know what there is nothing else here so

Q:

Franz: Why do I feel like you’re going to ruin my beautiful day? Me: CUZ I AAAAAMMMM

also why is Ini's hat so stretchy

BUT IT WAS A LIE

JUST BECAUSE SHE TESTIFIED ABOUT IT DOESN'T MEAN SHE CAN'T AGAIN

LIES AND SLANDER

Q :IT'S NOT BASELESS ALSO YOUR DAD IS A PIECE OF SHIT

Q: CRIME SCENE

SCENE OF THE CRIME HMMMM

Q: I am angry i will use caps

Q :YOU WERE HIDING THE PLACE PHOENIX ALWAYS THINKS SOMEBODY IS HIDING BUT WILL NEVER CHECK NO MATTER WHAT I DO

wow there are a lot of holes in your hat when you strech it out

spinny hat

then how did lotta earlier isn't she bigger than you

when i first went into the room the box wasn't there and then later it was

BUG ON MY DESK KILL IT

KILL IT NOW

i think it's dead

i hope so

Q :the folding screen >:3

SHUT UP FRANZ

ugh that bug is making me left arm flinch a lot

revenge after your death how dare you

Q :im not foolish im just better than you

BETTER THAN YOUR ASSHOLE OF A FATHER

I COULD RAISE YOU

wait what did i just say wtf hahaha

Q: and that is why i think that MORGAN HELPED

Q: WAIT I WANNA LOOK AT THAT FRAME BY FRAME

Q: yesss good case

well I mean your dad did

also fuck your dad I hate him that is all

BF: hahahaha

Q: actually no im not done

but finishing it would include a lot of swear words

BF: This case is totally setting up for some things in Game 3, btw

Q: dammit

Well I have motives for both of them Franz I just need to know that Phoenix knows.

BF: what you are ultimately trying to prove is Ini's motive, then that she did it and how she did it with Morgan's help

Q: okay!

Q: I am much more confidence than phoenix but that may just be anger

and a save point

OH GREAT NOW WE HAVE TO TALK TO FRANZ OUT OF THE COURT GREEAAAT

Actually Maya I had everything to do with it and I am proud I gave his ass the death penalty

stop being mean to Maya you're dad already cost Edgy his job hey now I have another reason to hate vampire

back to cort

Q: I'm sad because you said there is a universally hated case in the second game and I figured there are only 4 and the first two aren't it and neither is the fourth so it has to be the third but then I realized that Edgy is on the cover of the game so he should be in at least half of it so he might reappear in the worse one and I am sad

back to game

Q: LIAR YOU DID HAVE YOUR LICENSE THAT IS HOW THEY RECONSTRUCTED YOUR FACE

Q: “newb”

now this sounds like 2016

Q: how do you NOT know what the UK is you s***ty excuse for a judge

I'm so mad i started being mean to the judge I should direct it to Franz for being a jerk

BF: hahaha don't worry so much about that. I'm not going to say how it plays out, but I think you'll be pleased.

Q: yessss

BF: and the third case is the one that people generally don't like: I personally think it's interesting, but it DOES have some issues.

Q: dangit

well hopefully I can like it

BF: I'm going to let you make up your own mind on it, yeah.

Q: aaalllirght

BF: I'll tell you afterwards what I actually LIKE about it, okay?

Q: alright!

Q: WAIT SO

MINI IS PRETENDING TO BE HER SISTER HUH...

Q: aw hi mimi

Q: Fanz let me explain this to you: The Von Karma family is full of assholes you all deserve to die before they cause as much suffering as your father did

ya I'm going to call the cops on your for physical assult

are we allowed to tell Maya that Mia has been possesing her a lot

Q: game you know what the date and time is  if you just don't want me to know tell me

So the games are just becoming more and more about magic huh

the end of the chapter this doesn't feel finished