#Still I'd say this fits well into the lore

[drachenfalter]

(Head?)canon that Bonesborough, Latissa and other big cities/towns on the Boiling Isles still have well-maintained city walls, like most towns used to have in the olden times.

Of course there weren't any active wars while Belos was in charge, but those walls are still useful to keep out dangerous beasts, so they stick around.

#the owl house #toh headcanons #toh worldbuilding #Bonesborough #I'm not entirely sure this isn't canon #but I don't think we see anything that confirms this #Still I'd say this fits well into the lore

[tubbytarchia]

Traffic/Life series roster as dinosaurs

A lot of these don't make for very good hybrids unless you wanna get into freaky territory or full on centaur but... Hope it's a fun scroll nonetheless!

Grian - Novialoidea

A small birdie... The name also means "New wings" which I find fun. New lives and death games to be part of, new wings to accompany him... (Honorable mention to "Shuvuuia" the "desert bird" who unfortunately is not a pterosaur (doesn't fly)) (Yes we're including pterosaurs! Just using "dinosaur" as a conveient blanket term)

Tango - Aratasaurus / Pyroraptor

Fire raptor! Either works just fine and Tango as a skittery little raptor is perfect for a creature like him

Scar - Apatosaurus

"Deceptive Lizard" harkening back to Scar's scamming tendencies. Though I've always liked the idea of him being some larger gentler animal in any hybrid scenario and a long-neck fits the bill well. He can poke his nose into people's conversations easily to start marketing something useless to them and swishes his tail to ward off anyone who's about to stop him

Impulse - Nasutoceratops

Ren - Regaliceratops

Horns. COOL horns. I don't know what else you want from me ceratopses are just way too awesome. Nasutoceratops is a wicked cool dinosaur for having its horns point so forward much like a bull and I for one can jive with some Impulse bull symbolism. Bulls are often viewed as strong, sturdy and loyal, traits also assigned to Impulse a LOT of the time. But though he IS intensely loyal in many cases (+ Ceratopses are also known for how they defend their own!), and he's not very outward about the following traits, he can get quite petty and bitchy and hold grudges. Still, you don't think of that when you look at him and he seems to agree! Eg him feeling like he should be accepted into Cleo's alliance in 3rd life without actually proving himself when Cleo was rightfully hesitant, at which Impulse more or less rolled his eyes. And him proclaiming "betrayal!" when killed by Bdubs when their alliance was as firm as a rat's tail

(And I feel the need to point this out too just in case: "bulls are also known for their temper" yeah but they're not like that! Bulls like many animals become defensive when exposed to aggravating behavior or movement! Which you could work into Impulse's grudge holding and intense loyalty...? I don't know enough about him sorry but do with that what you will)

Regaliceratops! Regal!! Crown shaped frill!!! Need I say more?

Gem - Therizinosaurus

Theris are so bad bitch coated to me and I would love to have one as my wife I mean um I couldn't decide on a less generic specimen so Gem can just be a Theri! A herbivore - often associated with the belief that herbivores are gentle passive creatures, but far from it, especially with Gem! She bares her claws like it's no one's business

Martyn - Stygmoloch

A Pachy with a tough head and a tendency to bonk people - I think it fits Martyn's tendency to perpetuate drama haha. The Stygmoloch's name though more or less translates to "demon of the styx river", the river of the underworld representing loathing of death. To me this makes sense with all the watcher lore (that I have a hard time understanding but whatever!!) especially with how Martyn became in LL. The watchers themselves don't loathe death (??) of course. They're death games. But someone within the game trying to stay alive and win? Probably loathes the idea of themselves dying. I have no clue what Im saying

Pearl - Carnotaurus

Ok maybe a hot take not to make her into a pteradon or even a raptor with wing-like features but those just didn't fit that well in my opinion. Rather I wanted her to have some kind of horn motif in place of her wings as visual symbolism for her character. I'd like to imagine her having fine horns, to then have them damaged (one broken off) and simultaneously the other more grown out. Think of how domesticated goats for example have their horns trimmed. I think human hybrids with horns would do the same to keep them from becoming a bother but Pearl would neglect to after her heartbreak in DL. I was heavily considering the Diabloceratops for this, especially because of the name (Devil horned face - good ostracizing material) but Pearl strikes me a lot more as a carnivore and there are only two horned carnivores out there so... Carnotaurus it is haha. And even now I'm making her horns unrealistically big but.... We can suspend some belief

BigB - Oryctodromeus

"Digging Runner"! I've already talked plenty of why BigB is very rabbit behavior to me and my reasons for assigning this burrowing dinosaur to him are similar. Tldr he is fidgety and cautious yet clever and constantly buries himself underground

Lizzie - Anurognathidae

I don't even fucking know man it made me think of Lizzie and then I wasn't able to assign anything else to her. Lizzie often claims to be confused and if any dinosaur looks to be in a perpetual state of confusion then its this one. I know a lot of people like to portray Lizzie as a butterfly also so there you go, wings!!! And it's quite cat-like too for those who like to draw her as a cat

Mumbo - Leinkupal

I really struggled with Mumbo... So many different dinos fit him imo but I figured it should be at least something moderately large (so "Technosaurus" was out of the question lol). Then I rediscovered this dinosaur whose name translates to "vanishing family" and then I thought about LL and SL and how Mumbo went out quickly after the initial death/s and left a very felt absence in someone's alliance and then I became really emotional and forgot what I was doing

Joel - Nodocephalosaurus

Bdubs - Psittacosaurus

"Knob Headed Lizard"

Joel as an Ankylosaur has been stuck in my head from day one of assigning dinosaurs to the Lifers and I'm frustrated that I can't truly explain why. You'd view an Ankylosaur as a slow and docile creature, even compared to other herbivores, but...

1. Maybe not so much nowadays, I don't know what non-dino nerds think, but I feel like ankylosaurs were largely believed to be HUGE back in the day, much like velociraptors, when in reality they're not that big. The Nodocephalosaurus is especially small even among other ankylosaurs. But, well, we all know what Joel loves to say about himself

2. Joel is or likes to make himself look well in control, just as ankylosaurs have little to worry about as far as predators go. Especially in earlier series where he was content basing mostly by himself. It's always when things get dire and he enters his red life that he becomes very impulsive and erratic like an ankylosaur flipped on its back

3. I know there's a distinction between Traffic Joel and Empires Joel and whatever other Joel but... Even in death games his more charitable traits shine through here and there. He really becomes a dangerous rascal for a large majority of the time and he's very good at it, he's not putting on a mask or anything, but I like to remember that underneath that tough spiky armor is gentleness and caring. His care towards Lizzie and Pearl and Etho etc etc

4. The image of Joel as a hell of a spiky creature is just really fun to me. Yet heavy and blunt ones! And someone once proposed the idea of him having a club tail but having chiselled it to be sharp to mirror him being a menace. (Added benefit also that it's lighter that way haha) To me he's always been an obvious heavy hitter rather than stealthy or particularly creative etc. Him as a carnivore just doesn't work as well for me

The name bares no fitting meaning but when I look at Bdubs I think of Psittaco. All other species close to it in looks are already ceratopsians and we have like... 3 of those already lol. Im sorry Bdubs you look so stupid

Cleo - Lythronax

There's so few predators in this roster lol oops, but Cleo deserves to be an apex one! The name translates to "Gore King" because you know, zombies... and you know, Cleo is very king so true. If any of the Lifers should be able to boast rows of razor sharp teeth to gore others it should be ZombieCleo

Scott - Theiophytalia

I've been really struggling with Scott but how about the dinosaur whose name translates to "Belonging to the garden of Gods". There's only one known specimen of this species and it's an Iguanadon looking dinosaur which I think a lot of people would regard as the most basic, possibly boring type of dinosaur (if it weren't for the Allosaurus which already takes the title of "basic straight white guy") but that further fits Scott imo. It's always been a strong point of appeal to me how MUCH there is to his character that so often goes under the radar or unexplored, and how he's very often portrayed as just some handsome looking guy as opposed to a hybrid etc. He's not at all extravagant yet has mastered his craft of bending fate in his favor, he so often has things perfectly under his control just as he wants them, etc... reflective of the name "Theiophytalia" even if you wouldn't think such a dinosaur to sport one of the most prolific names a dinosaur can have. Also garden something something flower husbans. Basically whatever Bree's take on Scott is lol. I don't wanna blab for 5 paragraphs about that blue mf here but. I hope this makes sense

Jimmy - Yinlong

I struggled with this mf the most because he's another very hashtag deep character. I felt really bad to remove his bird motifs completely because the canary is so essential to him, but a raptor nor a pteradon fit my image of him at all. I spent so much time looking into various species but it just aint it, but Yinlong was possibly quilled and we can still cover him in feathers, even if he has nothing close to wings haha... BUT ANYWAY. Yinlong is a small kind of pathetic looking dinosaur, and Jimmy definitely isn't small but he'd sure be made to feel that way. Yinlong translates to "Hidden Dragon" however, a rather thought-provoking name for such a dinosaur. Given his character, it sure does feel like there's a soul of a dragon laying dormant somewhere in him, buried by all the self deprecation and curse labels. Honorable mention to Tianyulong, a very similar dinosaur who was named after a museum, but "Tianyu" also translates to peace and content. Something that Jimmy can't yet but deserves to be

Etho - undefined raptor

Already made a loong post about raptor Etho haha which I assume yall have seen since the support towards that post is the only reason I'm even making this post

Skizz - Olorotitan

"Titanic Swan" close enough to an angel right. I feel the whole angel thing is a bit overdone when Skizz can become a malicious little creature every now and then, but swans much like angels do get viewed as beautiful and taken as symbolism of love. Much like Skizz is largely viewed as an angel and often as someone who can do no wrong. But mostly I wanted Skizz to be a hadrosaur/duck-billed dinosaur, because those are dinosaurs known for their speculated vocalizations. And what is Skizz good at? Talking and voicing his love and appreciation? Yeah? Yeah... I'm so sorry Skizz btw this hybrid idea does not work out

Again, a lot of these don't work so well as hybrids... Some like the long-neck ones I cant imagine to have more than a spiky spine back and a tail, but! These picks aren't based on hybrid potential but rather what I think genuinely fits. I did really work on this all day looking through a bunch of dinosaurs and research haha, but I do love dinosaurs a lot... If you disagree with any hey thats cool! Feel free to give me your opinions if you've any and I hope this was fun to scroll through regardless

#oh boy here we go with the tags #grian #tangotek #impulsesv #rendog #I feel bad tagging these Im not gonna tag them all alright forgive me #zombiecleo #joel smallishbeans #geminitay #ldshadowlady #ok thats more than enough forgive me traffic gods #trafficblr #but also blabber? #rendog is my fave... and Joel but I have ankylosaur bias #ankylosaurus best animal sorry to every other animal #oh and Gem of course haha....... Theris are so cool man #second best animal #tubby art

[allgremlinart]

The Most Underrated Line In All Of ATLA/TLOK And Its Many Worldbuilding Implications - A Ramble

In S2E7 of TLOK we get this dialogue from Wan and The Aye-Aye Spirit: "There are other Lion Turtles?" "Of course there are - dozens of them!" [timestamp 3:38 in this video]

It's such a quick line it's easy to miss, but there's one thing about it that made a LOT of things click into place for me about the Avatar universe's worldbuilding; the fact that there are (or were) dozens of Lion Turtles. NOT four, with one for each element, like you would assume. Dozens.

What does this mean in terms of the Four Nations? What connections might this have with other previously established lore? Well uhm follow me on this journey. I guess.

Pre-Unifications - A Global Warring States Era?

A warring states era on a wouldn't be nearly as compelling if there were only four Lion Turtles. If this were the case, everything would be perfectly balanced; why would there be disarray, violence, cultural disparity and struggles for power within each elemental group if the world was already perfectly divided into four solid groups? Why would a national identity be in question at all?

But the fact that there are more than one Lion Turtle per element... that means different groups of people being isolated from one another for long periods of time. This means different bodies of identity, regardless of element. Different city states, regional Kings, Queens, fiefdoms, dynastic power struggle, etc etc, before any sort of inherent loyalty the ones element as a national and cultural identity was established.

We know the Avatar world was not always divided into Four Nations. In Chapter 21 of The Rise Of Kyoshi we learn that Guru Laghima - a name you'll recognize from TLOK S3 - was from an era when the Four Nations had not yet been formed. We also know from Zaheer that he lived about 4,000 years before the events of TLOK (for context, thats about 6,000 years after Wan became the first Avatar).

There's further confirmation of this in Smoke And Shadow, where we learn about the first Firelord and the Fire Nation's unification wars.

However there's implications of this even in the original series; it's not some sloppy ret-con from the books and comics, it fits. Think Omashu:

In S2E2 of ATLA we get the story of Oma and Shu - and we learn that they come from "warring villages." Now why exactly would their villages be warring if The Earth Kingdom already existed? Why the need for a power struggle? Why is it not presented as a civil insurrection or civil war, but as a conflict between two distinct groups of people? The answer is that the "Earth Kingdom" as we conceptualize it did not exist. I'd go further and say that we can assume that after Omashu was established it became a powerful regional kingdom, and created strong sphere of cultural influence. Think about it - Bumi is King Of Omashu. King. NOT the Earth King, King Of The Earth Kingdom, but still King Of Omashu.

[Now there's some debate about where Omashu's founding sits on the timeline but to me it HAS to be post-Wan, probably very nearly immediately post-Wan. The line that calls them the "first earthbenders" and that they "learned earthbending from the badger moles" has caused some to question if they fit in with the "Lion Turtles bestowed bending" lore, but to me it fits pretty easily. The Lion Turtles may have bestowed the power but the actual technique was learned from the badger moles and dragons and blah blah blah.]

I also find this line from Jianzhu in The Rise Of Kyoshi very illuminating:

VINDICATION !! And Jianzhu's moaning over the cultural diversity within his country brings me to the second part of this post...

FC Yee And Gene Luen Yang Accidentally (?) Make Avatar's Cultural Mish Mash Make More Sense

Avatar's cultural gumbo of visuals has always been a little hard to parse. If you follow @atlaculture then you know it'd be kind of fruitless to try and apply any one single ethnicity/culture to one nation. A common, and very valid, criticism of Avatar is the pan-asian approach it takes to worldbuilding. I'm not here to defend that lol. I think people who dislike Avatar on that basis are well within their rights to do so, and I also think it's important to enjoy things critically.

HOWEVER, from a worldbuilding perspective, the mish mash becomes easier to swallow when you think of it in terms of multiple groups of people being unified into different nation states over a very long period of time and slowly intertwining their cultures into a single(ish) identity.

Take the Fire Nation for example: in FC Yee's The Shadow Of Kyoshi we learn that the government was much more decentralized and the country was controlled by different clans, like the Saowon and Keosho, who had individual spheres of influence and strong senses of identity. It makes me think about Mai and Ty Lee

They're both Fire Nation nobles and they both live in the Fire Nation capital - but their styles/clothes are completely different. Now, obviously that can be boiled down to personality-based character design but. There's a wide discrepancy between Mai's Edo Japan inspired hair and Ty Lee's Thai inspired performance outfit, and a little retroactive canon about them being part of different but powerful clans .. ? Yeah. That'd be fun, at the very least.

I could go on about this... was there a Water Lion Turtle at the north AND the south? How did the airbenders transition from relatively sedentary life on a Lion Turtle to nomadism? etc etc etc BUT in conclusion: TLOK and the comics have some very fun worldbuilding implications snuck in there !! Which makes up for a lot in my opinion. Personally I'd KILL for an Avatar series set in the warring states/unification period... I think that could be insanely cool...idk. The End. For Now.

#atla #tlok #shadow of kyoshi #rise of kyoshi #this post may get even more added onto it after I read the Yangchen novels... #worldbuilding #like. I REALLY could go on and on but I'm tired and bound to make less and less sense to longer I type #FC Yee #gene luen yang

[fernlessbastard]

I haven't been online for a while due to lack of time, as well some personal issues, but I just want to say that i obviously don't condone all of the abuse William Gold made Shelby endure. I stand with Shelby, and anyone who does otherwise, unfollow me immediately.

In regards to the characters Wilbur and Quackity from dream SMP, I have absolutely no idea what to do about it all. They've felt more like my characters ever since the end of their direct interactions on dsmp anyway, and frankly almost all of the content I've produced of them is significantly more so based off of me and my partner (however "cringe" that sounds), so it's a difficult situation for me. I won't be deleting any of my posts or art. I don't know what I'll be doing with all of the content I've made but haven't posted, which includes a couple chapters of the Losing Face rewrite. I might turn cQ and cWilbur into actual original characters. I've been thinking about doing a complete redesign either way - the only immediate issue I have is the names, as I can't think of anything that'd fit. If I end up figuring it out, I might try to turn the rewrite of Losing Face into an original story, but that's gonna be very difficult, considering the context needed for the story is Dream SMP lore. The fic is also structured around William Gold's song, which I'll have to obviously change too, if I end up doing anything with it.

If any other tnt duo artists have any thoughts regarding how to tastefully handle this, I'd appreciate it, as honestly, I can't say I'm not still hyperfixated, unfortunately.

For now I'll most likely just see how the situation develops, and decide when my personal life is less of a mess. This whole shit show has hit a little too close to home with my current issues too, so I'll be frank, I don't think I'll be posting anything, regardless of whether it's tnt duo or not.

Anyway, stay safe everyone, and let me know what you think about how i could figure this pickle out

Update: as of now I've decided I'll most likely just keep on creating content of the characters which have belonged to the fandom for years now. The situation with my fic is more complicated, since not just the title is named after the song Losing Face, but also each chapter is named after the song's lyrics, and each of those has been carefully fitted to represent the plot of the chapter. I don't think I feel comfortable with that anymore, and I will have to rework the pacing to fit a different song (I haven't yet decided what song exactly).

#fern rambles #fernless bastard #tntduo #dsmp #tnt duo #tntblr #quackbur #fernlessbastard #wilbur #william gold #wilbur soot #wilbursoot #shubble #shelby graces

[autismprotocol]

TMAGP Theory Board (S1 EP 7)

Dang that episode was a RIDE Hope everyone had a relaxing week because after the newest protocol episode I am screaming!! so lets get right to it

What Happened in Episode 7: Give and Take

Celia seems to know something about the powers with her references to the buried and the flesh in the opening conversation with Alice

Celia recognizes Chester's voice!! since the introduction of Celia's last episode, I wanted to see how she would react to hearing Chester and Norris and we got that in this episode. It's safe to say that Celia recognized Chester's voice as Jon. This piece of evidence makes me almost 100% sure that this Celia is the same Celia/Lynne from Archives

Jon is Back!!! after Chester's statement (more on that later) we learn that Sam has been getting emails from someone named Jon. He also mentions it in an internal email. This helps support the theory that Jon and Chester/FR3-d1 are fused somehow which is what I (and a lot of the fandom) have been thinking. This leaves me with a lot of questions how else can Jon communicate through FR3-d1 with the outside world? Are Martin and Jonah sentient as well? Also, my big question is if this is the first time Jon has been able to signal to the OIAR Staff or if he has been trying to get them to listen since he manifested in the world and Sam was the first one to notice him or is this his first attempt to make contact. I'm interested to learn more about how Jon will continue to influence Sam. I think he's either trying to warn Sam about the OIAR's true intention or is he looking for some way to escape FR3-d1 and needs Sam's help.

This week's statement involved a place called Hilltop Centre branch of the Oxford people's trust. if you were like me and my roommate all your lore alert bells started ringing the moment Hilltop was mentioned. for people who are new to the Magnus Universe Hilltop Road is a major location for avatars (usually web-aligned ones) and also was the childhood home to the desolation avatar Agnes Montague. Hilltop is a big deal in TMA. Hilltop Centre being located in Oxford also lines up nicely with where we know Hilltop Road is located. I'm interested to know if we will hear anything about the house at 105 Hilltop Road being student housing because if that is true then we can connect the statement giver Anya Villette From MAG 114 to being from protocol's world. if that's true there could be a way to get to the Archive Universe through the gap in reality (a wormhole that exists where the house was built) Anyways definitely will have to listen for any more mention of a place called Hilltop in Oxford 

Gwen was promoted by Lena to external liaison and is officially "In" It's time to learn the OIAR's secrets! after doing some research into the job title of external liaison it seems that Gwen is almost gonna be acting as a messenger between the OIAR and another party which is unclear at this time. my guess is it has something to do with Starkwell which was the private military contractor that was mentioned in Episode 4 but that's just a guess and me trying to fit in pieces that have not found a snug place in the lore yet. could be someone else (I'd love to hear your thoughts)

Remember our Buddy Klaus from Episode 4 who we thought was killed by Lena? turns out Klaus is still alive we learn through Gwen and Lena's conversation, that Lena was paid by someone to kill Klaus but failed.

Colin is more paranoid than ever! could be because of the eye or the institute but he does not want to be near technology right now.

Ooh boy that was a lot I'm still reeling from this episode so I'll leave it there for now. honesty I'm most stoked to hear Jon's back in the story and excited to see what role he'll play in Protocol.

Hope you guys have a wonderful week ask box and comments are always open and I'll be back next week for the episode 8 debrief/theory crafting

-Echo

#augustus tmagp #chester tmagp #gwendolyn bouchard #jonathan sims #lena kelley #norris tmagp #the magnus protocol #tmagp #lena kelly #sam khalid #samama khalid #alice dyer #colin becher #hilltop road #tmagp spoilers #tmagp theory #chester and norris #celia ripley #klaus tmagp #fanart #theory board #martin blackwood #jonah magnus #the magnus pod

[utilitycaster]

if sam is truly in a position where he has to introduce a new character, what kind of build would you wish he would try out? or would you like him to still go with a cleric?

Good question! My answer below comes down to "it depends, but I do lean towards a new but very differently flavored cleric."

I think cleric is still probably the best option. It is rough to be a party without a cleric (having played a non-cleric primary healer myself), and Fearne would have to shift pretty dramatically in playstyle if he did not at least play a strong healer. He could go for a more healing-focused druid, but that's a tall order to jump into at L13, or return to a class he knows well and play a bard. @captainofthetidesbreath suggested cleric/wizard multiclass which would also be a great idea; this party does not lack for high charisma with the witches, but could use a high intelligence character, and it's an incredibly powerful multiclass for a reason (though it would mean no higher-level resurrection spells, since the classic split is a cleric dip for a wizard thus granting them scalable healing and armor).

If I were like, Sam's advisor here (so...Liam), I'd say knowledge cleric. It would give them the perspective of a different god (Erathis? Corellon? Ioun?), it's an excuse to play high intelligence and have very good INT-based skills, it would be a very different take on cleric, but it would still have all the useful core abilities. Twilight Cleric is also RIDICULOUS (positive) and would solve a number of problems and, I mean, FCG stats but shift around Charisma/Int/Con scores a bit to be slightly less tank, much more intelligent, and uncharismatic. Would be an interesting way to bring in Sehanine. And, I should note, either knowledge or twilight could be used to make a Marquesian character which might also help fill in some lore gaps.

To talk through some other healing options: I do love Tary but I believe he was played as a Battlesmith and so that's only half healing. Paladin is an option, actually, if he plays one of the more healing-focused ones (65 lay on hands points? no joke), and I think Sam would make a good paladin in many ways (and paladin auras at L13 would be MASSIVE for the party. My one concern is that because paladins need to have good charisma and strength and a decent CON score, filling the intelligence gap gets tougher unless he rolls very good stats. I wouldn't go for divine soul sorcerer because three sorcerers is ridiculous, but Celestial Warlock wouldn't be bad either. I actually am a big fan of rangers now that the Tasha's and Xanathar's options are far better than the core build, and I really do think hybrid classes are a great fit for Sam, but I'm again a little worried about the stat demands and the quantity of healing. If I were Sam's advisor I would also have a serious talk with Ashley to see how she feels about Fearne taking on more healing to guide my decision.

#answered #Anonymous #cr spoilers

[factual-fantasy]

Heya Factual! Congrats on the 23,000! Yet another well deserved milestone earned by your hard work and dedication! Really sorry about the cold- we always seem to get sick at the worst of times! Definitely don't do anything crazy till you're 100%, but thanks for making that really cute celebration piece- you can really tell how much the factual Fam cares about you from their worried expressions...and then there's Gerald, who refuses to let his happy demeanor waver for a second! Though then again, he is still quite young- he might not even understand the concept of getting sick yet!

And on that note, at least till you're better, I definitely won't send any unnecessarily exhausting Asks like last time ( thanks for answering that so thoroughly though- that was really cool! ) and just keep it simple- and my ask today is regarding the simplest Mario enemy, the goomba!

You've mentioned them in the past as beings created by Kamek- How does he do it? How long has he been doing it? Are the goombas sentient, or just savage constructs? How many are there, in ratio to the Koopas? Did the bros have to fight through a bunch of them on their way to the castle? And do any of their variants exist, such as the micro goombas, para goombas, or giant goombas? We require the Goomba Lore!

Thank you! :DD I'm doing my best to take it easy.. I've spent most of my days recently either sleeping, sitting, or playing Pokemon Scarlet XDD that's relaxing right? Yes, I believe so-

As for Gerald, he isn't ignorant to my condition- he's actually meant to be surprisingly emotionally aware. :0 He's smiling though all this because he wants the others to be happy. And if he's calm and smiling, maybe we'll smile too.. 🥺

I was intending to draw a comic that goes into Gerald's character a bit more... But I just haven't been well enough recently to take on a project like that.. :((

And don't worry about "exhausting asks", I encourage them! :D I could really use some lengthy asks as a form of distraction to be honest.. 🥹💔

Speaking of asks, about your Goomba questions..

Well, starting with Kamek actually- I have intentions to make him a few hundred years old. Being the most powerful magikoopa there ever was supposedly.. and he's been associated with the royal Koopa family for generations.. though this idea is in canon limbo, because I'm having trouble figuring how exactly he's managed to live so long. Considering how magic works in my au.. his lengthy life span shouldn't be possible..

None the less, even though I haven't gotten that idea to fit yet- I love it so much that most of the au kinda branches off from it- <XDDD so with that established, Kamek brings Goombas to "life" using magic of course!

I was thinking that the ability animate dead/inanimate things is a very complex magic that took Kamek years to learn. And he was only finally able to master it in the last 100 years or so.

Now for the Goombas, they are not sentient for sure. They are just these little.. zombie like.. machines. They start as poisonous mushrooms and when they are "brought to life", they gain this desire and need move and attack anything that doesn't appear to be a Koopa.

As for the Koopa to Goomba ratio.. I'd say they make up 1.5/10 of the kingdoms population. They are very disposable and "easy" to make.. but they are relatively fragile creatures and take a while to grow.. plus the Goombas don't live very long. Since they uproot themselves upon being "Goomba-fied", they eventually wilt and die.. :/ so that number doesn't ever go over 1.5.

I'm sure Mario and Luigi had to squash some on the way to save Peach the first time. But it was only after her rescue that one landed a bite on Luigi..

As for their variants, the micro and Giant Goombas surly exist! Though king Goomba might not because the original brown mushrooms probably don't grow that big-

As for para-goombas.. hmm.. I know there won't be any Goombas with wings going around. But perhaps there could be a Goomba that can release airborne spores.. or at the very least can attack from afar.. that could get them the title of para-goomba! :0

I think I covered everything, I hope at least-

Thank you for the ask and interest in my au! :DDD it was a nice read and took my mind off of all my ailments for a short time 🥹💖

#my response #super mario bros #i really gotta work on kameks plot holes #i want him to be super oldddd #being loyal to the koopa family for generations.. #hes personally met them #all the family stories and secrets and grief this man knows... #OH OH ALSO #it would be so cool if he was 100s of years old and when you look closer at him you realize not much of his original body remains- #he would be so creepy and haunting #you'd wonder how much of this man is “kamek” and how much is a brainwashed drone meant to serve the king.. #ooooo hes so fun i love kamek #i wanna draw him so baaadddd 😭😭💔

[primopinku]

Hello! First off, your work is gorgeous! Secondly, If you’re still taking sketch ideas, could you maybe do a few of Astarion saying some sassy things about the other famous DnD vampires? (Strahd and his brides, Union of Eclipses, Kanchelsis, etc.) I’m still laughing about him making a comment in the game about Strahd.

Aw thank you!! Also I love that comment as well! def one of my favorites of the game. Here are some good ol' fashion pencil an paper sketches I did. Ngl the hardest part of this was trying to come up with and fitting lines in. Seeing as 1. I'm not really funny or clever lol and 2. DnD def needs to expand more on vampire lore imo.

"I like to think I'd make a better God than.. let's say., Kanchelsis. All that power squandered just to play king rake"

"... Well I want a seat on The Union of Eclipses, but we don't get what we want do we hmm?"

(whispering or thinking) "I wonder if this is how Escher felt.."

(This last one was a specific scene I pictured if your Tav/Durge etc was smooching everybody else but him.)

#asks #anon ask #astarion #baldur's gate 3 astarion #bg3 astarion #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #my art #my mutterings #dungeons and dragons #dnd5e #dnd

[im-not-samantha-im-samanta]

Request by: Anonymous

Hello!

To that lovely hon who's requested Loona with male vampire reader - I've not forgotten about you nor did I reject your request!!

Unfortunately, hon, your request (that was like half finished) was one of those that ended up being accidentally deleted (as mentioned in previous request I published), and so, I had to start again and rewrite the whole thing!

I'm really sorry for the long wait, hon! But I hope that what I came up with makes up for it. Also, I recall you asking for a male reader, but saying it can be gender neutral if I don't do male readers - well, don't worry, hon, male reader is absolutely accepted here! So, enjoy your Loona and male vampire reader! <3

The take I did on this request probably isn't what you had in mind, but I hope it's still enjoyable!

_

🩸🖤🐺 // Loona having a vampire boyfriend //🐺🖤🩸

___________________________________________

Type: Imagines

Settings: Romantic

Genre: Fluff, lighthearted

!TRIGGER WARNING!: I'd say mentions of typical Helluva boss stuff (demons, violence, etc), mentions of blood and its consumption, occasional swear words used, I tried to portray a relationship where there are cultural differences, that's probably all!

Sidenote: Reader is written as male as per request,

Sidenote: Reader is written as being around Loona's age (which is 22 if I remember correctly).

Sidenote: I feel like some of these might be a bit occ, I'm so bad at portraying characters, I'm so sorry

Sidenote: These feel kinda long, I might've gotten a little carried away (or maybe these are the usual length, I can't tell) - take it as an apology for the long wait,

_

That should be all,

Enjoy, <3

____________________________________________

Originally,

vampires were said to be demonic creatures,

evil spirits,

So, we'll go with that description,

and make the concept of vampires more fit for Helluva boss,

So, let's say that vampires are like...

a cousin species to demons,

(I'd say these vampires look a bit less human and more demonic-like),

(just imagining some Vivziepop twist to them, in design and lore, y'know?),

Yeah, that sounds good, no?

And maybe it's not that unusual to see a vampire prancing around hell?

Oh!

Maybe Hell's rings are a really popular destination for tourism and vacation for the vampire kind?

Oh!

And maybe for some more and unnecessary world building,

let's say vampires live in some sort of middle ground between the human world and hell,

and maybe let's call it...

the abode of the undead?

I think that's kinda cool?

Anyways!

Back to the story!

So, as I've said,

vampires like to visit hell's rings for tourism and vacation,

However,

That wasn't your case!

You weren't in hell for tourism or vacation,

you were in hell for college!

You've decided to go to college,

but not in your world,

Why?

I dunno,

That's up for you to decide,

Maybe you liked the idea of studying in a foreign land?

Or maybe you wanted to study a field only hell offers?

Who knows?

The options are endless!

So, you're free to make up the reasoning behind that decision, hon,

Anyways!

This decision of yours leads you to Blitzø,

Why?

For story reasonings,

obviously,

Oh-

I mean-

You obviously need some sort of accommodations for your stay,

And let's say,

for story reasonings,

that college dorms just aren't for you,

Maybe you can't imagine sharing a room with someone random you've never met before?

Or,

Maybe college dorms really aren't for you?

In the sense that college dorms in hell don't really accommodate to your needs as a vampire?

Maybe they don't even accommodate to any sort of needs of any kind of foreign students?

I'd say the colleges in the respective rings alone barely accommodate to the needs of students from different rings,

(students of those demon kinds that don't come from that specific ring),

(like colleges in Lust accommodating to the succubi/incubi kind only, etc),

So yeah,

college dorms are a no for you,

but you also can't afford to rent a flat,

Maybe you don't have any income yet?

And maybe your parents can't afford to rent you a flat?

Or maybe they can but they refuse to spend money on you?

Who knows?

That's up to you!

But anyways,

whatever the reason is,

it leads you to Blitzø,

Let's say that your parents and Blitzø have a vague history,

and he's considered a family friend,

Oh!

Maybe he even babysat you when you were little?

So, you staying at Blitzø's is clearly the choice,

And Blitzø has no problem with that,

After all,

how could he mind when he's not seen his favourite little rascal in such a long time?

You two have so much catching up to do!

So yeah,

he agrees,

And you can be glad Blitzø is so fond of you,

otherwise he would've told your parents to piss off,

After all,

he would never allow for some boy to share a living space with his dear Loony!

Fortunately, he likes you,

so, you get a free pass to be around Loona,

And not only that!

Blitzø also pretty much begs you try and get along with Loona,

The girl really needs a friend,

even if she'd deny it over and over again,

And Blitzø really trusts that you're a reasonable and kind young man,

(based on the memories he shares with child you),

and that you can help Loona feel less alone in the world,

And maybe it's because you don't have any friends in hell yet,

or maybe it's because you genuinely feel bad for Loona,

but you agree to try your best to befriend and support Loona,

It's the least you can do for Blitzø,

And now Loona!

Loona doesn't know about the agreement you have with Blitzø,

And it's better that way,

because if it were the other way around,

she would've hated your guts,

she'd seriously despise you,

I mean,

she still isn't happy with the fact you'll be around,

but at least she won't be wishing for you to choke on the blood you're sucking,

So, it's good that she doesn't know?

I guess?

Well, anyways,

more about Loona!

Loona has actually never met you before,

so, she is unsure of what to expect,

which is one of the reasons why your stay displeases her,

Loona doesn't like uncertainty,

not knowing where she stands in such situations really upsets her,

and it leaves her all tense, irritated and quick to bite,

(because being left uncertain about such situations secretly stresses her),

(and makes her feel vulnerable and unsafe),

It's something related to how she grew up,

always uncertain about everything around her,

leaving her feeling powerless and suspicious of everything and everyone,

with no place or person to make her feel safe,

always fearing for her life,

And sure,

Blitzø might've mentioned you at some point before all this,

but whatever that imp might've shared about you happened a long time ago,

from the times you were still a little kid,

so, it definitely couldn't have been something useful to ease Loona's mind,

It most probably would've been something along the lines of you being Blitzø's first parental experience,

his first time being responsible for a child,

When in reality it probably wasn't even all that big of a deal,

and he's most probably spent like three hours looking after you on specific occurrences,

and him being pretty much the last resort for babysitting your parents could think of,

Yeah,

So, even with that,

Loona doesn't know what to expect of you,

And the fact that you're a vampire doesn't help one bit,

because vampires are quite different from demons,

despite being cousin species,

so, there definitely are some cultural differences to look out for,

cultural differences that can definitely result in awkward interactions,

another thing Loona really doesn't fancy,

Oh,

and not to mention the amount of stereotypes and misconceptions about vampires!

Yeah,

Loona can already feel that this is not gonna end well,

And speaking of which!

The cultural differences between you and Loona,

it really does make your first meeting memorable...

It just so happens that Blitzø isn't present when you get to his place,

(he has some thing with Stolas going on or something),

and so it is up to Loona to give you a warm welcome,

And well...

it is awkward,

Loona is really indifferent towards you,

and your warm welcome is along the lines of:

"Oh, right... you're that vampire kid or whatever,"

And then she just stepped aside to let you in while giving more attention to her phone than you,

And well...

That's when it gets awkward,

when the cultural differences really show,

Because while Loona expectantly stands aside,

you, on the other hand, stand before the doorstep,

looking pretty awkward, embarrassed, uncomfortable and nervous,

And when Loona sees you make no move to step inside,

she immediately becomes a bit more hostile,

not really understanding or liking your "odd behavior",

it made her uncomfortable,

and that feeling of uncertainty of you and what to expect she's been dealing with got twice as worse,

And so,

you're met with a:

"Uh, hello? Are you coming in or do you plan on standing there like a fucking crackpot, and stare at me, making yourself look like an absolute moron all day?"

Yeah,

it is not really pleasant,

but it gets the situation to proceed,

much to both of yours relief,

After Loona's words,

you offer an awkward and nervous smile,

and you begin to explain your situation,

that situation being,

that in vampire culture you're not allowed to enter anyone's house if they don't verbally invite you in,

And sure,

you could walk in and not care,

but this is just a cultural thing that all vampires stick to,

with little to no exceptions,

And Loona's reaction?

"Oh,"

That's all she can say,

being all dumbfounded,

since out of all the reasons she thought you could give her to your odd behavior,

this explanation was not on the list,

She was expecting some really stupid excuse,

maybe even some kind of perverse one,

or even some dumb and embarrassing pick up line,

but not this,

The reason you give her is not stupid,

it is an actual reason that explains your actions,

and while Loona doesn't understand this cultural thing,

(and maybe she even finds it a little odd),

she respects it,

she doesn't judge you,

doesn't give you shit for it,

she accepts your reasoning without unnecessary nitpicking,

and she properly invites you in,

well,

as properly as she can,

"Well- uh- come on in then, I guess,"

After that interaction,

Loona feels like you might not be the worst kind of guy,

however,

first impressions can often be wrong,

and so,

she's still keeping you at arm's length,

and she's not exactly friendly just yet,

but she's not hostile all that much either,

she's just really indifferent,

You, on the other hand though,

you know what you've agreed on with Blitzø,

and so,

you're quite actively trying to get along with Loona,

which isn't hard since you think she's a really cool girl,

and you genuinely want to get to know her,

And Loona's not exactly rejecting your friendly advances either,

but you still choose your steps carefully,

and you don't rush things,

nor are you too intense,

not wanting to overwhelm Loona,

or make her feel uncomfortable or threatened,

and cause her to pull back and build up her walls again,

So,

during this period the two of you aren't really friends just yet,

but you don't mind co-existing,

and Loona doesn't deliberately leave the room when you come in,

and she actually allows for you to be in the same room as her,

and she lends you one of her ears to listen to you if you feel like talking,

sure, she doesn't give much input,

but she's clearly warming up to you,

And your relationship develops casually,

Loona getting more comfortable with sitting closer to you when you're watching tv together,

or just individually scrolling through social media,

she also starts showing you videos she comes across and finds funny,

or when she joins you on the couch in the living room, she asks what you two watching that day,

at some point she shares her favourite songs with you,

and she also eventually adds you on social media!

It's the little things that give away that you're on the right track in winning Loona over,

And sure,

she still doesn't share much about herself yet,

and she still is only ever half listening when you two are together,

most of her attention being held by her phone,

but you're getting there!

And that fact is proven by one certain incident,

(an incident the two of you now as a couple laugh at and think fondly of),

The two of you like to call it,

The big WGD incident,

Let me explain,

WGD stands for Where Gluttony Dwells,

And what is that?

Well, it's a really popular place to get a take-out from,

one that your friend from class recommended you,

However,

that friend kind of forgot you're a vampire...

or maybe it wasn't really a friend,

and maybe they deliberately recommended you this specific place,

Well,

whatever the reason,

and whether the intentions were good or bad,

that friend nearly ended up with their head bitten off by Loona,

Why?

Well,

Where Gluttony Dwells is a place that really likes to use garlic in their stuff,

like, really,

that place is literally known for their extreme use of garlic,

So yeah,

you can probably tell that this place is not too vampire friendly...

But,

you weren't really aware of that,

trusting your friend,

or friend,

and you ended up getting a takeout from that place,

and Loona nearly had a heart attack,

It went like:

"I got us a takeout,"

"Neat, what place?"

"Where Gluttony Dwells,"

"Cool,"

"..."

"Hold the fuck up-"

Let me tell you,

Loona's reflexes were never faster,

And you still remember the way Loona nearly broke your arm,

from how harshly she grabbed your arm,

just when you were about to shove a spoonful of the least vampire friendly meal right into your mouth,

The spoon with the meal successfully ended up on the ground,

and while you were dumbfounded,

Loona was yelling at you for being a dumbass,

asking you if you want to get your ass dead,

and many more things you can't even remember from how much stuff she yelled at you,

Back then it sure was one of an experience,

but an experience that brought you two closer,

because a week later,

this whole thing became a funny story you and Loona shared with everyone you knew,

Blitzø, Millie, Moxxie, Stolas, Octavia,

they all got to witness you two having the time of your lives sharing this experience with them,

both of you laughing and bickering,

you teasing Loona for caring,

Loona playfully shooting back and telling you to eat grass,

because she:

"couldn't care less,"

and she:

"just didn't wanna deal with a dead vampire,"

cuz she:

"heard they smell,"

And then you'd both burst out laughing when you'd tell everyone the best part,

of how after Loona stopped freaking out,

you told her garlic doesn't necessarily kill vampires,

that it's more like lactose intolerance,

where vampires just get unpleasant digestive issues after garlic consumption,

and only extreme cases of garlic intolerance can be life threatening to unfortunate vampires,

It was the most warm and genuine moment you two shared back then,

And Blitzø couldn't be happier for Loona,

but that really wasn't where things ended between you and Loona,

because the WGD incident really did push the two of you to the right direction,

And pretty quick,

you and Loona were an inseparable duo,

that kind of duo where it's odd when you see the pair apart,

And, of course,

pretty soon, the inseparable friend duo became an inseparable couple,

The change happened subtly and naturally,

and you and Loona were basically dating for months before actually making it somewhat official,

And your 'making it official' was pretty much Loona sending you a Sinstagram video,

with the caption:

"Which cute animal reminds you of your boyfriend?"

Followed by Loona's message:

"The bat,"

Yeah, that's basically how you two made it official,

But to add more tea,

your following conversation after that message sure was interesting...

"The bat? Really? You know vampires can shapeshift into more than just a bat. Kinda stereotypical of you,"

"Shut up, as if you don't associate me with a wolf or a damn dog just because I'm a hellhound,"

"No, I don't,"

"Oh, really now? Then look at the video again and tell me which animal do I remind you of,"

"Alright, you'll fucking see!"

_ _ _

"Well?"

"......."

"It was the fucking wolf, wasn't it?"

"I don't feel comfortable answering that question,"

Yeah,

that's how you pretty much made it official without making it official,

but even after that,

your relationship with Loona didn't change,

You just vibe with each other,

share affections,

create happy memories together,

bond,

Yeah, you two are still casual about your relationship,

you're still the inseparable duo everyone knows,

And you two don't really make a big deal out of dating,

yes, you have lots of couple moments,

and you two are romantic with each other here and there,

but you don't really go around, shoving your relationship into other people's faces,

you keep things to yourselves for the most part,

cuz that's what you're comfortable with,

and you feel like what's between the two of you is of no one else's concern,

(I believe Loona isn't much for showing your relationship off to the public and having people stick their noses into it),

(and I also think she doesn't trust the outside world and the people in it enough to let her guard down and give an insight of her actual relationship with you),

(what if someone used you to hurt her?),

And to many people looking on it from the outside,

it would seem like you two are just close friends,

but there are subtle hints not many notice that point out just how close you two are,

For example,

a thing Loona loves to do in the name of showing you affection,

is that whenever you rest your feet up on the coffee table, she always rests her paws on top of your feet,

it's a subtle public display of affection that seems like nothing to others,

but to the two of you it's a really big affectionate gesture,

it's like you two having your own secret language!

Speaking of languages,

Loona's learned some pretty... colourful... vampire vocabulary from you,

Since you live in a completely different world with different culture and everything,

it'd only make sense for you to have some expressions and slang that most people in Hell wouldn't understand,

especially slang vampires your age use,

So,

while Loona doesn't actively learn your language,

she's heard enough stuff from you to adopt to her own vocabulary,

(especially swear words),

and it's quite hilarious and wholesome,

you two often just switch to young vampire slang,

just to confuse people,

and keep them from prying into your conversations,

especially Blitzø-

Blitzø understands some vampire vocabulary,

but only that one your parents would use,

he's lost when you start using vampire slang of your generation,

But even Loona can get lost if you use some extra hard slang,

especially the one she's not come across yet,

and this is one of the reasons why you two don't argue much,

because your speciality is switching to hardcore vampire slang when an argument is close to happening between you and Loona,

not to talk shit about her,

but to annoy her to the point where the situation just turns funny,

your arguments,

(or more like bickering),

don't last long with this tactic,

And Loona acts like she hates this,

but she's secretly grateful that you two calm down before a real fight happens,

and then you talk about stuff without it getting heated,

Also,

speaking of your generation,

you've pulled Loona into your culture by introducing her to the vampire humour,

especially the one your generation uses,

giving her context on various memes you've shown her just so that she'd get it,

whether it'd be something a bit political or historical, or some celebrity drama,

for example you showing her a joke with some iconic line young vampires quote daily,

and then explaining that it's a line from some popular vampire reality show,

even showing her the clip to fully pull her in,

And Loona does the same back,

she gets you involved in the culture and humour that's going on in Hell amongst demons your guys' age,

And that creates many inside jokes between the two of you,

especially you involving Loona in your culture has that effect,

since not many Hell's inhabitants care about vampire culture enough to get involved,

so you two quote some vampire joke, getting everyone around you confused,

while you two struggle to hold it together,

Also, another thing!

Stereotypes,

As stated at the start,

there are many misconceptions about vampires,

You've already explained several stuff people got wrong about vampires to Loona,

but not all,

you've not gotten there just yet,

and it most definitely creates some memorable moments between you two,

For example:

"Wait... You guys don't use your fangs like straws to drink blood?"

"No...? We use them to pierce the skin, and then lick or suck the blood..."

"My whole fucking life is one damn lie,"

Yeah,

Loona needed a moment accepting that one...

___________________________________________

#helluva boss loona imagines #helluva boss loona x reader #helluva boss imagines #helluva boss x reader #helluva boss x you #loona x reader #loona x male reader #helluva boss x male reader #helluva boss x vampire reader #im not samantha im samanta works #im not samantha im samanta ask #im not samantha im samanta requests #frenklinesamuelsworks

[jellieland]

This is the way it all ends.

"It's a bit different to how we did it, isn't it?" Says Oli, squinting at Grian, who is hastily constructing a staircase up to the tiny portal.

"What do you mean?" Asks Jimmy.

"There's been lot less drama, right?" He spins around and glares suspiciously at the mustachioed robot behind them, before spinning back and almost, but not quite, falling over. "No-one's even blown anything up. It's a bit boring, really."

"Well." Jimmy shrugs, nonplussed. "I guess so." He frowns. "That is a bit odd, though, actually. Grian's here. Why hasn't anything blown up?"

("Hey!" Shouts Grian from across the room. Jimmy ignores him.)

"Maybe they felt like switching things up a bit?" Says Pix, appearing beside them.

"Jesus, Pix!" Oli claps his hand to his heart. "You can't just do that to me, I have a very delicate constitution!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Oli, I'll be more careful next time."

"See that you are!"

"Wait." Jimmy cuts in. "What do you mean switching things up a bit?"

"Well-" And here, Pix hesitates. He glances between the various hermits gathered around the room, and back to Jimmy. "Well. I know Grian's felt like he's getting a bit predictable lately. And for some reason it's important to him that he's not."

"Right, right." Says Oli, nodding sagely. "You've gotta keep 'em guessing."

Pix half-grins, half-shrugs. "I guess?"

"Huh." Jimmy looks over at Grian, eyes narrowed. "Do you think that means-"

"No, Jimmy, I don't think that means he's going to stop tormenting you, sorry." Pix looks as though he is trying very hard not to laugh.

Jimmy makes an indecipherable noise of annoyance.

"So that's the only reason they're being all boring, then?" Asks Oli.

And suddenly Pix looks serious again. Almost torn. "I- maybe." He says. "I think-" And he sighs, and turns, and looks at Grumbot with something that is almost, but not quite, guilt.

"I think," He says, "That maybe they wanted to try for a quiet ending, this time."

Jimmy opens his mouth, realizes he isn't quite sure what to say, and closes it.

Oli has no such problem. "And what in the world is that supposed to mean, Mr Lore Man?"

At that, Pix chuckles. "Here I'm just Pix, Oli." And before either of them can inquire about what that means, he continues, hesitantly. "It's not... really my story to tell. Or, well. I say that." He laughs at some kind of private joke. "It's not really my place to tell you, here."

He glances over at Sausage, whose crown is fitted perfectly to his head, then follows his gaze to what remains of the portal.

"I get it, I think." He says, still looking at the rift. "Once you've gone out with a bang once, I'd imagine taking a step back next time sounds quite appealing."

The staircase is finished. There is a birch trapdoor at the top, so they will be able to get through. If they had waited much longer, it seems, it would have been too late for them to get back at all.

Pix shrugs. "Not everything has to be the end of the world. Sometimes it's just the end of your part in it."

"Well yes, but it would be funny if it was though wouldn't it?" Says Oli. "Then they'd have to come back through with us again and they'd probably build another death robot who doesn't have any appreciation for the arts, and then we'd try and keep them there again but oh no! now they want to-"

"I think it's time to go home." Says Jimmy.

Pix nods.

"Yeah." He says. "I think it is."

#empires smp #hermitcraft #oli orionsound #jimmy solidarity #pixlriffs #my writing

[ritz-writes]

@asleepyy so sorry for tagging u twice in one day and i hope im not bothering u with my brain rot 😅

but yes, i did actually dissect the lyrics. yes, i am actually insane. and yes, i love this au quite a lot.

here are my notes and what i think each song represents, tho its mainly just the vibes i get. i made notes as i listened to them (note: i see songs almost always in animatic form. idk if that will effect how i imagine what each song means, but i thought it might be worth mentioning)

join me as i lose my mind over the course of an hour and a half

say what you think: def making me think of them both in heaven and jophiel wanting to ask questions.

running up that hill: AHH this one hurt. very obvious as well. jophiel seeing that azazel shouldnt be a demon. "And if I only could I'd make a deal with God, and I'd get Him to swap our places." i am sobbingggg

what difference does it make?: at first i was going to say its jophiel wanting to figure out what went wrong but azazel makes them promise not to, but i think its better suited for azazel understanding hes a demon, but he cant help but still have faith in the almighty

please please please let me get what i want: fuckkk is this about azazel being a demon but still wanting to do good 😭 short but still painful

ever fallen in love (with someone you shouldn't've): my first reaction to the title alone was like the second image of the kambucha girl meme. anyway i think this one is about them becoming friends (or more?? 👀) but knowing its seen as wrong. "And if I start a commotion, I run the risk of losing you and that's worse" makes me also think of jophiel talking to the metatron and realizing he shouldnt ask about azazel lest he risk the poor thing being smited.

nothing critical: ohhhh this one gives hella vibes of jophiel not trusting heaven and knowing "something isnt right here" in regards to the fall-- HOLD UP "I know, someone had to go, If not him it'd be me instead" HELLO??? aziraphale asking for jophiel??? is this like after he finds out what azazels name used to be??

flowers never bend with the rainfall: hmm... i feel like this is a plot point song. not sure why. but "And I hide behind the shield of my illusion" makes me think it pertains to azazel

bird in space: oh this ones a bit tricky. i think ive reached the songs that no longer fit the lore we've been given thus far. so the only thing i can think rn is jophiel enjoying earthly pleasures? not rlly sure

angel, won't you call me?: oh fuckkk is this about a fight they have? "I fled at the face of my rival. When I felt his breath at the back of my neck. Angel, won't you call?" theres no way that isnt about azazel saying smth and then leaving, only to be scared he severed his tie to the only person thats been nice to him.

the stranger: first of this is a bop and im loving it. very groovy. the first thing that comes to mind is the "choose your faces wisely" prophecy. ooo is this about jophiel trying to convince azazel hes still meant to be an angel? that he wasnt meant to fall? also, the last verse is sticking out to me... not sure why

all i think about now: fuckkkkk this is giving me the vibes of jophiel finding out azazel Fell cuz of him and feeling guilty about it. "If I'm late, can I thank you now?" FUCKING OW?? oh yeah for sure this is about jophiel finding out and being sucker punched with guilt

ill be your mirror: oh goddd this song. i know crowley listens to this song but i cant remember what its about so lets see. AH SHIT YEAH THATS RIGHT. okay so jophiel reminds azazel that he is inherently good, regardless of if hes a demon. thats what im getting from this (also just tihnking of that ask i sent about the reflective sunglasses bthwjegkrw)

me and my husband: okay all im getting from this is "they r down bad". they r very very very much in love. getting vibes of this being after they stop the apocolypse. or maybe their feelings developing thru the centuries

time in a bottle: oh man this song always gets me. okay so, this and the last song r giving the oh-shit-i-might-be-in-love vibes. but this one is with jophiel's pov, while me and my husband is azazel's

ritz note: the last couple songs have been cute and lovey and i am now terrified of what the next ones r gonna be. cuz i know this fandom. and i am not ready for the pain. i am afraidddd

lonesome town: i fucking called it i knew the happy wouldnt last 😭😭 they had a fight didnt they. yeahhh they had a fight. FUCK why is this so sad but so pretty

across the universe: is this one sad too??? hang on theres a bit thats not in english, what does that mean... "Hail to the Heavenly Teacher." okay so i assume this is an azazel song. this is just making me think of the bookshop fire, but its azazel thinking jophiel died 😭 ....i am staring at the lyircs. i am glaring at the lyrics. this song MEANS something. i just dont know what. but its important. im squinting at it very hard (note: i came back to this song and am STILL glaring at it. its like. its like im seeing it covered in sand but i know theres gold underneath. i cant SEE the gold, but i know its there. this is driving me nuts /pos)

no wonder i: hm.. im not rlly sure with this one. OH?? is this azazel finding out heaven isnt that good?? "Suddenly I'm not so sure. That intentions can be pure." hmmmmmmm

what do they know?: holy shit okay this is a completely different kind of song than the others. im.... glaring at these lyrics too. feels like a plot point but cant tell what it is. i think its about jophiel? maybe heaven too?? idk im grasping at straws with this one

sea of love: oh yay a happy song again 😌 okay this is just short and sweet. gives me forgiveness and/or confession vibes.

who are you, really?: this one sounds important and i am glaring!! makes me think of "we dont need heaven we dont need hell" and also "a demon/angel that goes along with hell/heaven as far as he can". also just makes me think of jophiel speaking.

the moon will sing: i fucking love this song but i dont think ive ever looked at the lyrics so lets goooo. right away i see "I could have been anyone, anyone else. Before you made the choice for me" and think of aziraphale asking and falling for jophiel, and in a way making the choice of jophiel staying an angel. "Instead, I made a bed with apathy" jophiel trying not to care about a random demon. "I shine only with the light you gave me" jophiel giving azazel ideas on how to do "good" while being "bad". also with that line, thinking of azazel saying that to god and being sad about having fallen AUGHH i have a whole animatic in my head with this song and im losing my mind

matephor: hnnnn another important sounding song. jophiel vibes. fight song perhaps?? "Don't look too hard 'cause you won't like the scars he left in me" azazel vibes??? this one is elusive to me but i love it. okay im slowly getting more azazel vibes. like azazel trying to convince jophiel that he is a demon and fell for a reason

providence: right away getting "heaven and hell r bad" vibes. OHH okay okay this is giving me hella jophiel vibes, but specificly snarky and sassy jophiel vibes. of being like "oh yes heaven is oh so great, we kill children! but its for the greater good, of course. gotta beat hell and all that, even at the cost of innocents. all for the almighty and her ineffable plan." (this song is a bop omg)

earth angel: oh i know this one but only with crowley and aziraphale, so im excited to listen to it with an oopsie omens mind set. omg wait why does it hit HARDER. love sick azazel is such a cute image 🥺🥰

what more can i do: hmm.. them being in love but knowing its "forbidden"? cant tell who i imagine with it more

starman: this is just them. classic good omens song, regardless of the au. love to see it 💖

a pearl: AH FUCK ANOTHER SAD ONE. mitski whyy. hm.. azazel song? jophiel?? i think jophiel... tho my mind might be turning to mush at this point so im not sure. one of them is sad

duvet: oh def azazel vibes. oh maybe some jophiel vibes too?? i can see it swaping povs. i think it fits azazel more tho.

ritz note: OKAY the next song is in a different language and for a split second i legit thought i was having a stroke when i pulled up the lyrics ngl bgkewrrkjq

différent de toi: no idea what this song is about but its pretty 😊

oh thats all of them! i think the first half is more coherent observations, while the second half is just... rambling a bit lmao. idk if any of this makes sense. i might also be looking for things that arent there with these songs, but oh well. this was fun!

and now, after looking back at them all, i really does just slowly derail near the end lmao

#kinda hesitant to post this #but i think i put too much work into it not to so #here we go <3 #good omens #good omens au #ritz rambles #long post

[medilies]

Byler fic rec - 5 WIPs that are worth it

I know some of y'all don't like reading incomplete fics, but here are some that are so good even the WIP averse won't regret reading them.

These fics are still updating (just not very regularly) so you will get the complete story eventually.

As you can probably guess, they're all longer chaptered fics, so expect multi-layered plots with at least a healthy dose of angst in each.

cosmonaut. by ghostshaming (T, ~82k, 15/?)

Gut wrenching. Heart breaking. A deep dive into Mike's depression and what could have been. You'll notice the writing is beautifully sensory, I'd also say this fic probably is the closest to the show plotwise. One of those fics that has its own little vibe unlike anything else.

them's the breaks by emelinelou (not rated but I'd say T, ~90k, 14/?)

A bit of canon divergence here where Will can mind-travel into the Upside Down and make it his own... or so he thinks. And ik I'm saying this for all of them but this is just fucking BRILLIANT - the overall tone is a bit more lighthearted than cosmonaut despite the characters still getting into some sticky situations, the byler of it all is ~chef's kiss~ and I really like the characterization of Mike and Will here (that is, if they were the type of people to greet each other with 'Yo').

If You Stay by Flurryofstarz (M, 52k, 11/?)

The Proposal AU! This is another fun, fairly lighthearted one. I watched the film for the first time after reading this, and I gotta say, I was disappointed - this is so much better than the film imo!! (Read: more meaningful conversations between the two leads, fewer bizarre moments thrown in, well adapted to fit byler, just as much comedy, and more drama heheh). A wonderful fic, whether you've seen The Proposal or not.

Make Believe by Flurryofstarz (E, ~84k, 17/?)

Flurryofstarz strikes again! This is an a/b/o fic, in which Mike does everything in his power to protect Will, who he's sure will present as a male omega, the most oppressed designation. (Don't worry if you don't know what the terminology means, it's all explained!) This fic is so intricate and beautiful and stays so true to the characters, it had me SCREAMING at Mike at some points, because that boy has good intentions but that does not translate to good outcomes. This is definitely one of the more serious fics, with no end to the angst in sight. 10/10. Go read it.

(Also, note that while it's marked as explicit, it hasn't yet reached any NSFW content, so please don't let that stop you. Though be warned there are some uncomfortable moments thanks to our favourite small town bullies - so far I'd rate it M.)

the vale of shadows by sevensided (stonedlennon) (M, ~30k, 11/?)

I mean, duh. Everyone's familiar with sevensided's legendary work a dream always the same - that's just basic byler lore - and this is the third and final installment of that series, in a fantasy setting this time! I can't say much more for fear of spoiling it, but trust me when I say it's equally brilliant as ADATS.

This is the only fic on this list where I'm not 100% sure if they'll continue to update. Even if they don't, though, the latest chapter ends on a nice note.

That's all, go give these amazing stories some love!

#byler #i guess ppl that dont like wips might wanna stay away from the really good ones even more cause they'll get hooked #but you can't not have the knowledge of these stories in your brain #how can you not?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

So I may have gone down a rabbit hole a while back and figured out some fun facts behind the meanings and origins of each card suit and the Heartslabyul boys fit somewhat well into them??

Like Hearts = emotion (Ace is the only one who’s dated, and may or may not be smitten for Yuu’

Spades = weapons + soldiers (Deuce’s delinquent era where he got into fights + his diligence now)

Clubs = the common folk (Trey has a whole vignette talking about how he’s the most normal person at NRC + a normal-ish life compared to the others)

Diamonds = superficial wealth (Cater is very superficial outwardly and hardly lets anything break his ice)

A couple of those might be off but I still think it’s super interesting!

"Gone down a rabbit hole"? I see what you did there--

There's actually lore from the Magical Archives which states that the dorm leader determines which card suit each student is! This led me to speculate how the dorm leader determines which suit to bestow and if the suits themselves have any additional meaning. (If you're interested in reading more, you can find that post here!) I didn't realize that the suits also had some kind of common meaning irl too?? Something I mentioned in that other post is that I think of Alice in Borderland, which categorizes games of life or death by suits, with hearts being games of trust, spades being games of physical ability, clubs being games of cooperation, and diamonds being games of intelligence. Those, too, also kind of fit in with the ideas you brought up.

Deuce definitely fits the bill due to his physical strength and penchant for throwing hands when his old habits get the better of him. Trey's the "normal guy" of the group (which he emphasizes on multiple occasions, especially around Rook; ie Endless Halloween Night, Happy Beans Day, etc.) and is usually the peacemaker responsible for calming Riddle down (ie he wants everyone to "get along"). Then we have Cater, who comes from a reasonably well-off family (his dad is a banker), and seemingly acts very shallow and superficial (particularly when it comes to Magicam). However, he's also shown to be socially savvy and knows how to use others' perception of him to his advantage to get them to do what they want; Cater's very intelligent in that sense!

The only one I would somewhat debate with you on is Ace?? It's not that I disagree about him being emotional, it's moreso the reason presented for it. Yes, he's the only one who has dated before but compared to the reasoning given for the other Heartslabyul boys, that's such a small part of his character to warrant it defining his heart suit. Whether or not Ace has a crush on Yuu is left to personal interpretation; I'd rather not make assumptions about the nature of his feelings, as not all players will align with it (thereby making the evidence shaky). Rather, I feel like the source of Ace's "heart" and emotion comes down to his earnestness.

Ace isn't afraid to tell it like it is! That's a key component of his personality--time and time again, he calls people out because he feels passionately about his own stance. Ace slaps some sense into a ghost bride's deluded ideas about romance and the ideal prince, calls his own dorm leader a tyrant, and even tells Malleus (one of the top 5 strongest mages in the WORLD) off for the dumb, dangerous prank he pulled on Halloween night. Of course, this bluntness also lands Ace in trouble with those he offends (which can sometime also include his own friends; recall that Ace often insults Deuce and Yuu, sometimes more playfully and sometimes slightly meaner), but the fact remains that this is an essential part of who he is. While I wouldn't say Ace is as emotional of a person as like... Kalim, he's still emotional in his own way. Ace is just a person who speaks his opinion even when no one asked for it or wanted it! You may even say he speaks from the "heart" (albeit in an unconventional way)!

Anyway...!! Riddle's so lucky to have such troublesome reliable card soldiers by his side! They're such besties 🥰

#ngl talking about card suits always makes me think of Shugo Chara #Ace Trappola #Deuce Spade #Trey Clover #Riddle Rosehearts #Heartslabyul #Cater Diamond #notes from the writing ravenn #Yuu #Rook Hunt #Kalim Al-Asim

[mysaldate]

AFK Journey review by a beta tester

AFK Journey came out yesterday and I see it getting quite a lot of attention so I figured I'd at least put this out there so that people don't go into it expecting something it's not.

I have been in the testing of this game and continued to provide feedback all the way from the alpha test back in the fall of 2021 and through all the beta testing that started in April or May last year. I have also been aiding in making lore-focused streams about AFK Arena for over a year and seeing as AFK Journey is supposed to be set in the same world, this will be relevant later. I have also been contracted to make officially-backed videos about AFK journey – a deal I left for a number of reasons, not least of all the reasons I have for writing this post. Now with credentials out of the way, let's get to the actual review.

The visuals take your breath away

Let's start with something positive – this game is gorgeous. Farlight Studios have outdone themselves yet again and after the vibrant and futuristic world of Dislyte, their take on Esperia is surprisingly tame, in a good way. The colors are soft and lovely, the models look amazing, and the customization screen of the main character is awesome! The characters look great and move in a smooth fluid fashion. Ult animations, idle animations, and the overall feel of the characters as well as the skins added into the game thus far are all nice and fit into the wider world well, not to mention look wonderful and clean, a lot of effort and skill went into making them. Sadly, if we ignore the skins and ult animations, this has been the case since the alpha without any major changes.

Gameplay could be improved upon

I will be up-front about this, I don't care about gameplay all that much. However, I have to say, the game is not open-world, despite claiming to be so. If you venture off the paths, you get stuck on fences, stuck on bushes, stuck on rocks, or just prevented by an invisible wall. There is no swimming, no climbing, no gliding, or most other things we came to associate with open-world games. The vertical gameplay is a plus to be sure and you get to pick characters to follow you around without having to use them in battles which makes the exploration more fun. The overworld puzzles are creative and fun too! The real issue comes with... everything else. At the start, fights in the overworld are easy. However, they will scale up way faster than you can level and you will soon be adding an additional roadblock to the list: enemies. The combat itself is creative but requires attention as the autoplay function is usually wonky at best and outright damaging to your party at worst. AFK Journey is not living up to its AFK title either. One thing I found really annoying was the story progression not being tied to the AFK rewards. You have to grind a separate set of battles to increase the AFK rewards you receive. The AFK rewards and story also still cap each other so you won't be able to progress in one without progressing in the other.

Outside of the main story, the game offers multiple game modes. If you don't enjoy PvP, be warned that the game puts great emphasis on doing your PvP arena every day and being good at it if you want to build any good characters. The game also has a labyrinth mode which tracks your health across multiple battles and allows you to gain upgrades as you go. This mode is somewhere between AFK Arena's and Dislyte's in terms of fun. It is more varied than AFK Arena's which makes it more fun and less repetitive, however, you have a limited number of characters you can bring in which severely limits how varied your gameplay experience might be. It was also recently nerfed to the ground and now poses little to no challenge. Honor Duel is another PvP mode in which you buy upgrades and then fight randomly generated players with supposedly the same level of upgrades as you. If you can claim eight victories before three losses, you win the run. However, the factions and characters are currently so imbalanced that depending on your luck, you may not win a single battle in a run or you might breeze through all of them without any effort.

The gacha element is pretty much non-existent. If you scrounge up enough resources to pull, you likely won't get anything much. You'll be relying on hand-outs of pulls and PvP shops to build your characters. AFK Journey should not be called a gacha game. It is, at best, a game with rare gacha elements.

Co-op is a lie

While AFK Journey does have a cooperative mode, in the form of connected guild dungeons, it is not really what it advertises to be either. All your guildmates can separately whale on some enemies together and depending on how you do, you will receive rewards that are generous compared to what the rest of the game offers. You can lend your friends your characters but they'll be the ones fighting with them, not you. The most social aspect of the game is seeing other players around the map and spending your friend points to buy different animations to perform at each other. The chat function is also pretty bad, though not as terrible as it is in AFK Arena.

The guilds and friends to add also don't work cross-server. So if you have a friend on another server, you won't be able to see them or talk to them or enjoy even the limited interactions that are actually in the game.

The story is disappointing at best and nobody knows the world

You may have noticed I've been avoiding talking about the story of a story-focused game. This is where the biggest disappointment lies. Let me preface this by saying, the story didn't always use to be this way. It used to be actually really really good back in the alpha and even at the start of the beta. However, in the last three months, the game underwent five or six complete rewrites of the main story, each worse than the last. As things stand right now, there is no nuance in protagonists or villains, there is a literal diarrhea conversation (like an actual conversation, several scenes long) for no reason, most of the story could be summarized on one page and the rest is pointless bickering that makes every other character utterly unlikable. The main character is an amnesiac going by the title of "Magister Merlin" despite the fact that Merlin from Arthurian myths, whom this is clearly based on, is an existing character in the world of Esperia.

In terms of lore, AFK Journey is not even close to what it promised. It promised to be a game set in the world of AFK Arena – a world with surprisingly rich and interesting lore that has been built up over the years. Unfortunately, it is very much not that. Not only are important world events treated as nonexistent, not only does the writing erase character relationships and dynamics, but the writers couldn't have even been bothered to learn the basics of the world they're working with. Factions get swapped around randomly for no reason, and important factional politics have been flipped on their heads. An organization that is supposed to be an outcast is now the ruling class, the timeline is all over the place, and even the names of things are not only inconsistent with AFK Arena but also inconsistent with Journey's world itself. The loading screen already breaks the world by telling you magic didn't exist until the "Fall of the gods" which is supposed to have happened recently, yet the entire time you will be running around ruins of magical civilizations from ages long past.

Speaking of the gods, there are characters who straight-up don't know what a celestial is. If you know anything about Esperia's lore, you know how important religion is to its history and how jealously the gods guard their authority. The thought of someone having completely no idea of what they were is strange, to say the least. The game also invents new gods instead of using preexisting ones with the same function and even disregards events relating to the gods that changed the course of Esperian history – such as the death of Esperia's primary goddess Dura. In fact, AFK Journey doesn't even consider Dura important enough to have a model. Once again, this is the primary goddess of this world. As for the characters brought over from AFK Arena, they have been butchered beyond recognition. The warlord of an entire country who slew countless enemies is now a pacifist whose only interest lies in spicy food, a hard-working girl who, for the sake of her family, developed her skills until she was recognized by the stars and became the fulfillment of a prophecy is now an angry Mary-sue who was always perfect and didn't actually need to work for anything – and gets offended if you suggest otherwise, the list goes on.

The sound design is refreshingly good – for the most part

As a game with voices, we have to talk about those first. The voices, for the most part, are alright. None of them really stands out as particularly amazing, though I do like a few of them more than the others. I like Fay's voice quite a bit. Sadly, none of the characters from AFK Arena is voiced by the same person anymore, and in most cases, it is a massive downgrade. And that isn't talking about the worst offender of all – Valen, one of the main characters you'll have to listen to the whole time. Valen used to have a voice that fit his character – suave and kind of bold and full of life. Now he sounds like he's still going through puberty, and he's a whiny crybaby at that.

The sound design outside of the voice acting is great. Once again, this is a very strong point for the game. The music and background noises are great and even the menu sounds are not disruptive in the least. If anything, they feel natural to the world.

PC client could as well not exist at all

This is coming from second-hand knowledge as I have played AFK Journey on phone but so far the reviews I've seen appear to be as follows: Game lags when walking, freezes when trying to talk to NPCs, and is prone to crashing. Mobile devices perform better for AFK Journey than PCs do.

The mystery of translation

Back in January, the only publicly admitted localizer has been fired from the project. About a week and a half ago (around 10 days before the game's launch), the official Discord posted an application form looking for translators for the game. Apparently, the game has several translations already out at this moment, but none of them particularly good. Some are even so bad it's sort of funny. In a really... pathetic sad way. It probably doesn't help that they're still looking for translators as we speak.

In conclusion...

I wish I could recommend AFK Journey, I really do. I've been excited about this game ever since its announcement and I've been providing as much feedback as I could throughout both alpha and beta. The organization has been awful and the game suffers for it. Internal changes happened a few months back and since then, everything about the game just fell apart. Even things that were good before got ruined and now all that remains is pretty visuals and nice music with nothing else worth paying attention to. It is a major letdown when it could've been incredible. The game is nothing it was advertised as – it is not an open-world game, it is not a gacha, and it is most certainly not set in the world of AFK Arena.

I hope the people who decide to play it can still find some fun in it regardless.

#afk arena #afk journey #lilith games #lilith #gaming #mobile gaming #gaming news #gamers of tumblr #gamer

[digisurvive]

The partnerships of Digimon Survive, part I

A little while ago, a friend sent me this post talking about what the partnerships in the adventure-02 verse reveal about the kids' character and asked me if I'd be interested in writing something like it for Survive. I happily obliged, and this is part one on the subject (as of right now, it's about 60% done and it's at 6432 words, so in the interest of keeping the post readable...)

Spoilers for everything.

CW: Child abuse, since this part contains Shuuji's section.

As explained in this interview on 4gamer, for Digimon Survive, the staff drew from Digimon lore established in Adventure— namely that the partner digimon are “spiritual beings” who are the kids’ one and only partners, part of the kids' own being and responsive to their growth. Generally speaking, Habu and the staff decided on the human characters’ background first and then picked a digimon that fit them so that there would be synergy between their behavior, general storyline and the partnermon’s personality and evolution paths. The one exception to this process being the main character himself, Takuma.

Takuma and Agumon

As revealed in that same interview, Takuma’s partner is Agumon because Agumon is a popular digimon that most fans will accept (60% of players answered they wanted Agumon as a partner in the player survey they conducted asking “Which Digimon would like as a partner?”). Thanks to this popularity, Agumon has a lot of possible evolution paths established that can show the range of the different routes and reflect on Takuma’s status as player character, which makes his behavior flexible and respondent on the player’s decisions. However, it’s also thanks to Agumon being the franchise’s mascot that he’s also got a fairly well defined personality, and Takuma himself is consistently characterized despite his main-character condition.

Generally speaking, Agumon is mostly portrayed as an easy-going and straightforward digimon who wears his heart on his sleeve and is adept at following his instincts into battle. He’s often seen acting on noble and heroic impulses, which might seem to contrast him to Takuma. After all, Takuma is a bit of a wimpy kid who’s constantly fearful during his stay in the kemonogami world; which is quite apparent the moment they meet: even though Koromon is a baby— and thusly exhibits a healthy amount of caution in approaching Takuma— he’s still the one to approach him, much to Takuma’s dismay. This open courage is reinforced through the fact Koromon jumps to the task of protecting Takuma against Gotsumon, despite being very obviously weak.

The apparent gap between the two continues through the game: where Agumon will freely admit his emotions and general ignorance, Takuma appears more withdrawn and thoughtful, always weighing what would be the best thing to say and how the others might react or be feeling. Let’s not forget, however, that the partermon acting as mirrors to the kids might mean that either they’re showing an aspect to their hearts that is not as easily accessible/obvious or show the areas where they have to grow. Both of these aspects are true for Takuma, as he does grow to be braver and willing to face the challenges the world throws at them — this is especially apparent during the ultimate evolution scene for the Truthful route, where he boldly proclaims their desire to fight and save the kemonogami world. Additionally, Agumon has been portrayed as someone with great emotional insight before, which does fit Takuma to a tee. Takuma’s inner monologue evidences how in touch he is with his own emotions and how adept he is at imagining how others must be feeling. Therefore, Takuma’s deeply emotive nature not only shows in his fear-induced paralysis but in his primary function in the group as their caretaker. He looks after the others because he is quite sociable and reasons primarily through emotion, much like Agumon. He doesn’t really investigate the nature of the world intellectually like Shuuji does, nor gets bogged down about fulfilling his duties the way Aoi does, but acts based on his instincts. 

Furthermore, Takuma is usually shown unable to propose pragmatic plans, doing better at listening to the others and weighing in based on the mood of the group— this matches Agumon’s own obliviousness and inexperience about the world as well as his naivety. Because Takuma isn’t prone to thinking logically, he often fails to plan ahead and usually only faces things as they come. His go-with-the-flow attitude is best observed during the prologue, and it’s this flexible demeanor what allows him to get along with just about anyone. This can also make him quite naive, as it’s shown when he’s on the fence about believing the Mysterious Woman, unlike the harsh paranoia Kaito exhibits or the reticence from his seniors. 

Because Agumon and Takuma are actually so like-minded, Takuma is able to rely on Agumon to sort out his feelings and worries, as seen in the way he asks Agumon for advice in the same way the others do of him. Agumon is able to service him with the unwavering, comforting support Takuma needed to be able to step out of his comfort zone and become bolder. Their philosophical talks show that Takuma is also able to question how to best approach others and his own morality through their partnership (and denying their bond leads Takuma to his most morally bankrupt during the Bad Ending). They’re so in-tune with each other that they’re one of the few pairs that don’t fight during part 6.

Aoi and Labramon

Labramon’s introduction is likely one of Survive’s most comedic bits. Where Aoi shows herself gentle and worried over Minoru’s well-being, Labramon is harsh and downright crude to him. They might be one of the pairs that feel the most “mismatched”, given the fact that Aoi’s speech remains ever polite and friendly contrasts to Labramon not being afraid of speaking rudely and bluntly to others. This gap in speech is subtly bridged in part 5, when we find Aoi’s CD. She talks about liking old rock songs and relays her favorite lyrics to Takuma:

自分の決めた道を行け 邪魔する奴らを蹴散らして

The lyrics feature aggressive and colloquial speech, from the scornful third-person pronoun 奴ら and the quite informally contracted verb form. It’s quite telling it’s a lyric about following one’s path and crushing whoever opposes it. The sentiment and speech feel quite fitting for Labramon, and thus, we’re clued in that her waspish demeanor is a reflection of Aoi’s well-hidden and repressed resentments. Arguably, it’s because Aoi is so reluctant to show her anger or grievances that they fester and Labramon shows them disproportionately. Once she starts becoming more assertive, Labramon earnestly starts showing other of her emotions— as seen in the affinity dialogue in Truthful’s part 10, when the group is saying their goodbyes to depart the amusement park, Labramon wants to relay Aoi’s honest concern for its denizens directly to them. This push for Aoi to express herself openly it's a recurring theme through the talks between them. Additionally, Labramon is more openly meddlesome, affectionate and prideful, which shows the range of emotions Aoi keeps under wraps.

The CD scene is not the only case where their energies match, as we get to see when Aoi gets heated and quells Shuuji and Kaito during their fight in part 4 (and later again, with Kaito, when she wants to handle the toddler digimon at the park). This is also shown when she ardently jumps to Saki's defense against the fake Floramon in part 5. Despite her seemingly docile persona, Aoi is actually quite passionate. This is something we will see expressed more intentionally and consistently (as opposed to her early outbursts) when she grows to embrace this side of herself and her position as their leader, particularly during the Moral Route (Wrathful shows a warped expression of this development since she's not only at her most destructive and wanton— she’s also the least honest she’s ever been: hiding behind machinations, deceit and passive aggression and doggedly maintaining her outer politeness).

Aside from reflecting her desire for aggression and true emotions, Labramon and her evo line also fit to a tee Aoi’s devoted sense of duty. From Labramon’s official profile,we can glean she’s a digimon with a duty. Being an artificial digimon means she was specifically created to fulfill a function, which is further cemented by the fact she’s a literal living vaccine program. Her only skill movement in-game being Cure Liqueur fits Aoi’s own first-aid skills, which are promptly demonstrated when she patches Labramon up in part 1. Dobermon takes this a step further being a digimon whose only purpose is to hunt viruses. This adult stage marks the start of a consistent theme in the evo line about harnessing monstrous power in order to fulfill one’s duties, much like Aoi needs to embrace assertiveness and authority to be able to properly respond to the situations before her and achieve her goals. This is made as textually explicit as it can be during the Cerberumon evo scene, where they remark upon the ferocious shape Aoi’s desires took in this perfect stage, and she openly admits her desire for power— power as having the agency, authority and self-confidence to assert herself—. Cerberumon’s words encourage her not to be afraid of using this latent power already present in herself and to keep a just heart to wield it fairly. Anubimon is the judge of the dark area, who weighs over fallen digimon’s data to either banish them forever or grant them the chance of rebirth. Its role as a fair judge relates to Aoi’s role as a leader who listens to everyone’s input so everyone can reach either a unanimous decision or call for a timeout so the group can put their feelings back in line. Anubimon as a possible endgame for her also foils her corruption arc that leads her to become Plutomon, given both are underlined by the fact she has embraced the authority and power inherent to her social positions and is proactively preserving Harmony, albeit with completely different ethos.

Labramon will consistently encourage Aoi to be more confident and tackle the challenges before her, as her evo scenes and general demeanor evidence. For this reason, Aoi regards Labramon as someone who is as assertive and reliable as she should be, while keeping a really poor opinion of herself. This is at the core of their conflict in part 6, where she worries about what exactly she gives back to Labramon, who's so capable already and has to support her in everything she does. Because Aoi is very stubborn and her beliefs are deeply held, it's difficult for her to internalize the positive feedback Labramon and the others offer her. She admits as much when Takuma mediates between the two, and she promises to work on her inner monologue to be able to treat herself as kindly as Labramon does. This open-ended journey for her to deal with her self-loathing plays a big role in her endgames. Where in Moral she's able to trust the group and delegate —thus managing her workload and stress— ultimately getting the support she needs on her ever on-going journey to assertiveness, in Wrathful she becomes consumed by her self-loathing. So much so, her desires to become a better version of herself and her view of Labramon as the better half are crystallized into becoming Plutomon (think of her dialogue when she explains who she is now: "Aoi? No, I've cast off that weak persona. I'm Plutomon."). Arguably, Labramon being utterly loyal and devoted to Aoi to the point she'd sacrifice herself for her—and the Biomerge only featuring Aoi's voice, signifying Labramon has been consumed— also show the toxic pitfalls of Aoi's scrupulous work ethic. In this way, Labramon and the different outcomes of her evolution line perfectly encapsulate Aoi’s self and possible growth. 

Ryo and Kunemon

One of the things that stand out the most about Kunemon is the fact he's unable to verbally communicate (although the other partnermon are able to instinctively understand him). Secondly are the knee-jerk reactions his presence receives— namely, the disgust and rejection due being "creepy" and "scary" (mostly coming from Ryo himself). This is likened to Ryo in a rather blatant manner via Saki's remark after his death in the vanilla route, where she comments about his loneliness and trouble expressing himself. This sense he's icky and insignificant plagues Ryo before he attends camp— which is made the most clear in his prequel story, where he's sharply aware his behavior is repulsive, and so he wishes to attend camp to avoid the rejection from his classmates and make friends. 

The similarities between Ryo and Kunemon's communication styles don't end in their difficulties: in order to get across his support for him, Kunemon will make Ryo gifts and punch up his behavior in order to give away his feelings through his body language. Much in the same vein, although with the antisocial intention of preemptively shielding himself from others, Ryo overplays his posture and facial expressions to look tougher and cooler than he actually is. On the uptick, when Ryo wants to put his best foot forward, his main ways to get integrated in the group comes in the form of helping Aoi with cooking, supporting Shuuji and helping mediate the group discussions (even if his speech remains rough). Kunemon shows early on, even when he was completely unhelpful and uncooperative, Ryo's hands-on approach to caring for others. So hands on that, words failing, both will rely on getting physical to snap others out of dangerous situations… 

Kunemon's lack of speech also externalizes Ryo's sense of isolation. Takuma notes that even though he's unable to understand Kunemon, Ryo is perfectly capable of communicating with him. Amid his feverish distress, Ryo speaks nastily to Kunemon: he remarks that nobody is listening to what he has to say. This, again, has a rather obvious parallel to the way Ryo feels his worries dismissed by the group. His sense of neglect runs deep, as he was not allowed to see his mother in favor of keeping up with normal life, despite how much it obviously affected him. Likewise, Ryo's angry remarks that Kunemon is weak and useless for not being able to speak reflect the way he feels about himself; during the search for Shuuji and co. in part two, should the player decide to check up on him, Ryo will straight up say in a self-deprecating manner that if Takuma needs him, he will be useless and in the way as usual. As much as Ryo's self-awareness makes him deeply self-conscious in the first stretch of the game, it also makes him keen and the only one in the group not to be tricked by the doppelganger partnermon— he's perceptive enough to detail and his own internal nature to be able to instinctively understand Kunemon, and, as such, it's impossible for him to mistake him among the shadows. 

Kunemon's care for Ryo is epitomized when he pushes him out of the way and prevents him from walking straight to the Kenzoku. This opens Ryo's eyes to the way he's been cared for not just by Kunemon, but by Takuma and the group. Through Kunemon's love for him, he's able to accept the support others are able to offer him, instead of assuming the worst of them by default. This makes it possible for him to start looking to integrate into the group. Kunemon helping Ryo's social reinsertion is made apparent in the theme of loyalty running through his evo line, where Ryo proudly proclaims he will stand by his side come what might. This attitude very much mirrors his shift from paranoid doomerism to being on board with whatever the group decides in order to stay with them (as he puts in to Takuma in part 5) and his drive to protect and help Miu and Shuuji. Additionally, his ultimate evolution, BanchoStingmon, is all about pride and confidence, which is a far cry from his degraded self image Kunemon initially reflected. 

Saki and Floramon

Saki and Floramon are very like-minded and share a sociable, carefree, cheerful and optimistic disposition. So much so, Saki actually remarks that sometimes talking to Floramon is like talking to herself. Whenever Saki gets irked by Takuma’s fenceriding or overall tepidness, Floramon matches her indignation and openly expresses the desire for Saki to be protected or for the situation to be taken care of. While this bluntness is seemingly in line with Saki’s character —let’s remember the first thing she does upon arriving at the school is demand a different room for the girls— it's actually a point of contrast between the two. 

Despite appearances, Saki's actually very discreet about her needs and won't voice them until she has no other recourse — in the case of pt4, until she literally couldn't keep going during their trek to the amusement park. She's generally really cagey to talk directly about her illness. She reacts strongly to feeling exposed when Takuma finds her medical chart in part 5, getting flustered and diverting attention from it via calling Takuma a pervert for prying, which creates an awkward atmosphere that prevents Takuma from snooping any further. In general, her affinity dialogues favor answers that reassure her without pressing her to talk directly about her illness and the troubles it brings— think about her affinity dialogue in part 7 before you enter the factory, where she vaguely explains to Takuma she might be unable to see the others for a while after a camp, and the best answer is to reassure her you'll stay friends without asking for clarification. This avoidance underlines Floramon's evolution line, with Vegiemon using underhanded tactics to get ahead others (not unlike Saki’s trait of knowing exactly which buttons to press to be liked, deflect or get what she wants—the latter especially apparent in her prequel story); Blossomon having a timid and reclusive disposition that'd rather avoid fights (which mirrors Saki's own reluctant posture with regards their conflict against other kemonogami); even Ceresmon Medium rarely lets herself be seen in order to avoid fighting and adopts more of a support role. Furthermore, Vegiemon is typically a neglect evolution born out of care mistakes, which finds a clear parallel in Saki postponing her medical treatment, but also the way she tries to push herself to keep up with group and what she wants to do, even if it's dangerous for her. 

Floramon being more straightforward about expressing Saki's needs and desires to be taken care of and/or reassured means she embodies Saki's most authentic self, unburdened from social rules and her fears of rejection. While Saki might maintain the secrecy about her condition, this isn’t something she necessarily wants to do as much as something she feels she needs to. This is shown in the flippant way she lets Takuma know about her sickness in part 9, without necessarily wanting to talk deeply about it but to have the freedom to bring it up without fanfare. Floramon’s uncomplicated demeanor allows Saki to honestly engage with herself, as seen in the Vegiemon evolution cutscene. When Saki is too caught up in her head about the honesty of her intentions— how much of her actions stem from genuine feelings vs following the course of action she knows will get her to be liked— Floramon encourages her to stay in touch with her heart and not overthink it. This facilitates her endgame of a self-acceptance that isn’t completely predicated on the whims of external validation, as shown in her Moral shadow event.

Her relationship with Floramon also pushes Saki to tackle conflict in a direct and considerate way. One of Saki’s long-running preoccupations concerns whether she’s selfish or not. In the first half of part 3, when they talk about Ryo, Takuma assuages her saying she’s not because he notices her keenness can lead her to be very mindful of those around her. However, this behavior can lead her to be two-faced, as seen with how she treats Floramon at the start of part 6. Her conflict with Floramon involves not only the reassurance of Floramon’s unconditional support and protection, but also calls her to confront how her avoidance can be self-centered and hurt others, which is another cornerstone to Saki’s arc: to learn to engage with conflict honestly.

Shuuji and Lopmon 

This pair wins the dubious award of Most Troubling Partnership, with Shuuji’s rejection of Lopmon being downright abusive. During the Digimon Con 2022 livestream, Habu alluded to the nature of their relationship by saying that because the digimon are the other half of a human soul, hurting your partermon is a form of self-harm. And so, Shuuji’s treatment of Lopmon corresponds to the way his own internal monologue plays out, which is made apparent in the self-depreciating way he speaks of himself when he’s breaking down in the waterways. This passage in the game also highlights Shuuji is mainly motivated to gain his father’s approval and his subsequent despair over not getting it and being rejected— which has a clear mirror in Lopmon’s overall pitiful, fawning disposition (and by his own admission that he desired for Shuuji’s praise in the Turuiemon evo scene). Lopmon will lament and wonder about why he’s the only one who’s despised much like Shuuji will wail about being the unbecoming son and frantically ruminate over what he’s doing wrong. It’s clear then that Lopmon reflects Shuuji’s most vulnerable and frail feelings as a defenseless child against parental abuse, which is further reinforced by Lopmon’s small, frail build and his helpless yet attention-starved demeanor. 

Lopmon consistently reflects Shuuji’s most frail and unflattering stress responses in the way he cowers and cries whenever the situation gets too much. Shuuji himself is shown panicking and freezing plenty of times— starting by how genuinely overwhelmed he gets in the prologue when having to choose the best course of action before crossing the tunnel: whether to let Aoi and co. tag along or not. Despite the ways he tries to lead Saki with an iron-fist during part 2, he quickly sinks into his overwhelm and fear from being chased around. Not to mention that he straight up wailed the same as Lopmon at the cable car. Despite Shuuji’s ugly behavior muddling the situation, Lopmon and Shuuji are actually very painfully alike, so much so that they’re the first ones to note how they’re always thinking and experiencing the world in similar ways after they come out of the tunnel in Truthful. Even Shuuji’s worst eventually finds its expression in Lopmon when he dark evolves and embodies Shuuji’s sorrow and anger in the most destructive—and suicidal— way possible where he literally cannibalizes his other half, after being broken down over a really agonizing slow burn, much like Shuuji became who he is after enduring his own abuse for a long time.

Lopmon mirrors Shuuji’s experience not only through his reactions to it, but in the way their scenarios are crafted to begin with. From being reprimanded for lagging behind during the hike in part 4 and told to keep pace despite his small body, to being berated for being unable to explain himself properly in part 5 during the restroom scene, the scenarios very intentionally evoke common experiences children in abusive households will go through, down to having Shuuji’s speech match the way said parents speak to their children. Shuuji’s mistreatment of Lopmon not only is allegorical of his self-hatred and self-harm, it actively shows you the abuse he has had to endure and how he excuses it and reproduces it— because he’s not good enough, his father’s berating is only done so he can improve just like he is cruel to Lopmon to toughen him up and mold him into the imposing leader/monster they should be. It’s a chilling and effective portrayal of verbal abuse and how deeply felt and noxious its effects are, despite not being as obvious to portray as physical abuse.

On the uptick, Lopmon’s demeanor will change when Shuuji finally accepts the mistreatment wasn’t warranted. Being able to recognize Lopmon only ever did his best and didn’t deserve to be put down for it serves for him to be able to internalize that truth for his own self, and start seeing value in the traits he loathed so much about himself. To look at himself with the capacity of love and kindness, even if previously it had been impossible for him. With his newfound resolution to live not for external approval —and this is enabled because Shuuji knows he doesn't have to grovel for it anymore, given that the group wants to support him even when he has hit rock bottom—, but to be able to make his own self proud and live without regrets, Lopmon’s own behavior relaxes and becomes more serene and braver. Lopmon’s evo line reflects Shuuji’s need to hone a calm, disciplined spirit (in contrast to his earlier emotional outbursts) in Turuiemon; his commitment to fulfilling his duties and looking after his juniors in Andiramon (a healthy expression of what we already saw at its worst in part 5); and his intellectual ideals in Cherubimon.

Special thanks to chettiri for pointing out the pertinent speech observations and reading the draft as it updated, as well as the friends who checked up on my progress and reminded of details I might have omitted.

#digimon survive #mine #meta #takuma momozuka #aoi shibuya #ryo tominaga #saki kimishima #shuuji kayama #takuma #aoi #ryo #saki #shuuji #long post

[transhitman]

Alright, I feel like discussions of mascot horror are getting a little too broad. People are throwing around the term with things that it does not apply to, so I'd like to propose a new horror subgenre: Catalogue Horror.

Mascot horror revolves around a wide cast of monster characters that are either meant to appeal to children on purpose, or which are a bait-and-switch of a cute character that turns out to be evil. Catalogue horror, in contrast, still revolves around a cast of monster characters, but these characters are not themed around appealing to children. The information on the monsters will often read more as encyclopedia entries than character bios. That's not to say catalogue horror can't be popular with children, but I think there needs to be a distinct line between properties that are marketing themselves to a child audience specifically to turn a profit (Poppy, modern FNAF, etc), and legitimate children's/all-ages horror.

Examples of catalogue horror would include: SCP, Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion, the Backrooms, and Doors. Doors in particular gets lumped in unfairly with the mascot horror crowd because it's kid-friendly, but imo absolutely lacks any of the staples of mascot horror. A lot of analog horror would also end up falling into the catalogue horror category as well, as many of them are rundowns of a world's lore, including its dangerous creatures and objects. A lot of collaborative horror falls into the catalogue horror category (Backrooms, SCP) as this format is a very good way to get everyone's OCs into the same setting. Catalogue horror is not new, but seems to be getting more popular as of late, so I think a label for this sort of horror would be useful. What do you guys think? Do you have any other examples that fit this description?

(Also @calpalsworld and I came up with this concept together so credit where it's due.)