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violetwolfraven · 4 months

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You know what maybe I’m just tired and feeling the existential dread of growing up, but actually my small, petty hill to die on is that I don’t think I will ever forgive Disney for abandoning the fairies franchise. I cannot even properly express what those movies were to me as a kid. They very well may have been my first hyperfixation. But come on beyond the sentimental value, those movies:

Encouraged kids to take an interest in nature and be nice to plants and animals.

Depicted a (mostly female) friend group that spent virtually every scene they had together onscreen building each other up and supporting each other.

Featured a female lead who is essentially a mechanical engineer, and is not treated as any less magical or important for it than her friends who can magically make flowers grow or bend light (except for the first movie wherein her feeling less magical and important is the central conflict).

Gave said female lead a “love interest,” I say in quotations because while they are definitely implied to have romantic feelings for each other, he is never called anything other than her best friend and the two of them ending up together is never treated as an urgent priority. Their friendship is incredibly important to both of them, but no one acts like it’s a problem that they’re just friends for now.

Redeemed the mean girl pretty damn successfully (in my opinion), Vidia never apologizes for most of her actions onscreen, but she does realize when she’s gone too far and makes an effort to fix her mistakes, and from that point on she is integrated into the friend group who, as I mentioned before, spend 90% of their screen time uplifting each other.

In The Lost Treasure, let Tink’s temper have consequences, a good lesson for kids in not taking their friends for granted and treating them kindly, but also teaching respect for boundaries and personal space through Terrence’s end.

In Secret of the Wings, demonstrated that sometimes rules are there for safety reasons, but you can try to think of a creative solution to do what you want while still keeping things safe for everyone.

In Legend of the Neverbeast (admittedly not the greatest movie in the series), depicted the fairies having to say goodbye to an animal companion permanently, something most kids will probably experience at some point.

Inspired a banger of an online game and several banger songs.

And what has Disney done with this franchise they spent 7 years on (longer if you count the books)?

Allowed a massive decline in quality on the last movie made (Legend of the Neverbeast) and then acted shocked when it didn’t do as well as the previous ones.

Cancelled all fairy projects after that.

Shut down the game in 2013.

Made a bunch of the songs from the soundtracks seemingly disappear off the face of the earth.

I know it doesn’t make the top 100 shitty things Disney has done, probably not even the top 1000, but I am still extremely salty about it, even though it’s been almost 10 years.

#will anyone read this rant?#probably not #i don’t care #i just need to get it out of my system #violet’s on her bullshit again #nostalgia #disney #disney fairies #tinkerbell movies #pixie hollow #faith trust and pixie dust #tinkerbell #silvermist #fawn #rosetta #iridessa #vidia

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eastern-lights · 3 months

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Ok so we all know how amazing Baldur's Gate 3 is. I could talk for hours about everything it did perfectly.

But rn, I want to talk about what I think Dragon Age Inquisition did better. And this is not to judge which game is better overall, but what still makes DAI so special to me despite its flaws.

1. Voiced protagonist

Yeah, starting off controversial. I know some people prefer silent protagonists, but I just find myself wishing we could have a fully voiced Tav, even at the cost of fewer dialogue options. I'm sorry, but Tav's silent indifferent face just always breaks the immersion for me, especially when contrasted with the award-worthy acting and animation of the characters they're speaking with. In DAI (and DA2, although to a lesser degree) your character could be heavily customized, but they were always an actual person who fit in with the rest of the universe and flowed seamlessly with the story.

2. Mystery and dread.

BG3 is full of heavy, scary, traumatizing stuff hidden all over the place (or in plain sight). But it can always be explained in some way. There are dreadful things in Faerûn, but we always know what they are (mostly due to most of them having to have precisely given stats as the result of being based on DnD). We know what happens after death and what we can do to bring people back from it. The closest you get to truly dread-inducing mystery in BG3 is "Do Illithids have souls" and "where do illithids come from" and (at least in Act 1) "who is the Absolute".

In Dragon Age, the whole world is made of existential dread. What happens when you die? Dunno. Is God real? No idea and if He does, He hates you. What is the Blight? Are all darkspawn capable of independent thought? What is lyrium singing about? What happened to the titans? What happens when all of the Old Gods die? And this is just the Big Questions. There's a myriad of small things, small mysteries you encounter that just have no answers. Stuff that reminds me of those creepy Goldshire children forming a pentagram in World of Warcraft. While having an explanation for everything makes for deeper worldbuilding, a world full of mysteries without answers makes for a much scarier and, in some ways, exciting experience.

3. Group dynamic and party banter

I enjoyed the party banter in BG3. Hell, it had some of the funniest lines in game. But it didn't do enough to make the group dynamic feel any less Tav/Durge-centric. You hear the companions exchange banter, but you never get beyond stuff like "Karlach and Shadowheart both enjoy wine" and "Gale enjoys Lae'zel telling him about the Astral plane". The protagonist forms amazingly written relationships with each of the companions, but they never seem to have such a bond with one another. The closest we come to what I'd like to see is Karlach and Wyll's friendship, but even that's kind of shallow, I feel. The companions do comment on the others' personal quest, but it's always one sentence reaction, before going right back to being mostly indifferent. DA2 had the same issue, if to a greater extent (srsly, the companions had the same attitude about one another over the span of 10 years)

The banter in DAI was superb. It told a story. It had arcs. You could watch in real time as Solas and Dorian became friends over their shared magical nerd-dom. You could even take part in it, such as when telling Blackwall to stfu about jousting for a moment, or telling Sera that what you and Solas do in private is none of her business. You could see Dorian and Bull fall in love. You could watch Varric slowly chip away at Solas' worldview until he arguably came closer to changing his plans than Lavellan ever did. The relationships grow over the course of the story and by the time of Solas' betrayal, you're not just sad because he betrayed you, you're sad because he betrayed Varric, Dorian, Bull, Cassandra and everyone else. Because you saw how they cared about him, each in their own way.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than Varric's "Chuckles, what have you done?"

In BG3, the relationships are mostly left to your imagination, which has its perks, but still, the group dynamic feels more like a wheel with Tav at the centre rather than a web.

4. Having limits on the romance options

Let me start by stating what I am not saying: I am not saying that bi and pan people shouldn't be represented. Far from it. But I don't think making the whole group pan is the way to go about it. I can't help but feeling it is, in a way, pandering to players, making every single companion interested in them as long as they have a sufficiently high approval.

Making some companions explicitly bi, pan, gay or straight made for a more real experience. Getting rejected by Sera on the grounds of "We have a lot in common - we both like women" felt disappointing, yes, but also real. This also allowed the writers to make the characters' sexual/romantic preferences a part of their, well, character. We got Dorian's personal quest, which I think is great. Limiting Solas' options to just Lavellan allowed the writers to make it about him realizing that his people are not mere shadows. It allowed them to write the Vallaslin scene. None of this could have been done if he were romanceable to all races.

When you have diversity in romantic attraction among the companions, suddenly the pan and bi characters (in Bull and Josie respectively) feel like their orientation is part of who they are, rather than a game mechanic to prevent players from missing out on content.

#baldur's gate 3 #dragon age inquisition #this is all just my opinion #i am still salty that the devs didn't get more time to do DAI properly #imagine DAI made with the love care and time that BG3 had #we could have had another masterpiece

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rosexknight · 9 months

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As a Beastmaster Ranger, Idalia can summon several animal companions. She is using the Primal Companion optional rule. They re Hook the wolf, Snare the raven, and Catch the Pleco. The last pixel is Loupe, her pet rabbit.

Hook is a good boy who is very protective of Idalia. Snare is a very no-nonsense bird who follows orders easily and does not like to dally. Catch is a catfish. He is based on a pleco, which can get HUGE. The Beast of the Sea does not get alot of time to shine, but he is certainly fun when he appears. Loupe is a rabbit that has seen boyond the walls of his garden and is now in a perpetual state of existential dread. I love him.

Come see all the animal friends Fridays at 10pmEST over at www.twitch.tv/metaisfutile/ Hope you enjoy~! Want art like this monthly? Why not join? My General Patreon, safe for all audiences: www.patreon.com/rosexknight My 18+ ADULT-ONLY Patreon: www.patreon.com/rosexxxknight

#dnd #curse of strahd #pixel #pixel art #sprite #sprite art #hook #catch #snare #idalia #breaktimedoodles #loupe

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thetavolution · 3 months

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INGRID SULLENBERGER | Deep Gnome | Druid | She/Her | 28

What is your Tav’s…

Favorite Weapon: She's currently drawn to the Pale Oak (for now). Bex did briefly talk her into casting Shillelagh on a salami though. That was kind of fun.

Style of Combat: She likes to have a lot of undead at her side to help her fight. She prefers to keep her distance from her opponents on the battlefield, especially since she's on the smaller side. She uses a lot of spells to attack her foes.

Most Prized Possession: She carries a small music box that her brother, Sebastian, gifted her before she left home. She takes it with her everywhere she goes.

Deepest Desire: She wants to live out the rest of her days surrounded by her loved ones. Ingrid just wants to feel loved, although her low self-esteem gets in the way. On the unrealistic side, she wishes she never had to grow old or die. She also doesn't want the people she loves to grow older. It's the one part of nature she struggles to accept.

Guilty Pleasure: She has a huge sweet tooth, loves cheesy romance novels, and she enjoys listening to some good gossip.

Best-Kept Secret: She hasn't told anyone just how bad her anxiety and depression are. She doesn't talk a lot about herself in general unless pressed. Halsin is probably one of the first people who asks her about herself.

Greatest Strength: She'll never run from a fight and she doesn't let people down. She'll do everything she can to protect her loved ones, even when she's scared out of her mind.

Fatal Flaw: She's terrified all of the time. She's timid and a pushover in her private life. She's prone to debilitating bouts of existential dread. The whole tadpole thing has forced her to pretend she's braver than she is.

Favorite Smell: Chai, Sage, Lavender, and Petrichor

Favorite Spell or Cantrip: Shillelagh and Reanimate Dead

Pet Peeve: The fact people hate spiders so much. (She can't help but love them.) She hates it when people disrespect nature and when people spit on the ground.

Bad Habit: She doesn't reach out to people for help when she needs it, especially when she's depressed. Sometimes she can speak so softly that people have a hard time hearing her. She has to remind herself to speak up.

Hidden Talent: She's a skilled tattoo artist. If you need a tattoo, look no further! She's got you covered. She is a good artist to boot.

Leisure Activity: She loves to read (mostly horror and romance), spend time in nature, and take care of animals.

Favorite Drink: Chili Chai

Comfort Food: Honey Cake or Potato Soup

Favorite Person: She could never pick just one. Her heart belongs to Halsin, but Minty and Laura are her long time best friends. They're like sisters to her. She grows closer to Bex over time. She loves all of her companions, too.

Favored Display of Affection (platonic and/or romantic): Quality time is important to her. She's happy just spending time with the people she loves, be it cuddling, kissing, being intimate, or just sitting around.

Fondest Childhood Memory: Her childhood was rough so she doesn't have a lot of fond memories of it. Her fondest memory would be when she once met a druid in the Underdark as a child. She was alone when they found her and they guided her home. It was when she decided to become a druid herself.

Her love of spiders comes from her original incarnation in @thebonnevillegame

#bg3 tav #tav bg3 #tav oc #bg3 #bg3 oc #my tav #tav baldur's gate #baldurs gate tav

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morgandria · 9 months

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Been a while since I wrote here, hasn't it? It's never my intent to lapse into silence, but it's easy enough to do. I am still wrestling with existential dread - parts of Canada is still burning, parts are absolutely drowned in flooding, storms are violent this year, and about a dozen other shitty things. I try not to let it eat my brain, but it does, and then I have to withdraw and disconnect.

It's deep into Summer now. The heat and sun are something I hide away from; a few of my medications make me more sensitive to the sun and prone to heat exhaustion. I managed to forget this (somehow) a couple days ago, and just running errands flattened me. I am grateful we have an air conditioner so I can hide in my nice, cool hobbit hole for the vast majority of time.

I'm still getting frequent migraines. I'd hoped after a rough winter I would get a reprieve once it warmed up, but sadly that does not seem to be the case. They'd be more bearable if my asshole brain would just let me sleep, but instead I get restless and think about all the things I 'should' be doing. I fail at napping far more often than I'd like.

For the first time in many (many) years, I don't seem to have an animal companion for the summer. I thought it might be Grackle, but they've been scarce. As much as I love this little tradition, I'm pretty good with having the year off. I feel like the land spirits here are likewise - the yard is not blooming abundantly. I guess we all needed a break. I don't feel like I'm fallowing, exactly, but there's no urgency in this year's Summer. Time has just been flowing steadily by. I'm keeping my shrines up with the season as it goes, but that's about it.

Lammas is coming, but I don't have any plans besides perhaps baking something - a cake or a cobbler or a nice loaf of bread - and making a round of offerings. Lammas is my favorite Sabbat, but I haven't got the energy or urge to really make a big deal out of it. Summer will flow onwards, whether I do or not.

That's me, right now. I do what I can when I can. Just going with the flow, while I hide from the heat and sun.

#personal #summer

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theliterateape · 3 years

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Six Cult Horror Films You Forgot About That Will Blow Your Mind

by Don Hall

Tired of the rehash of old franchises to chill your bones this October? Try a couple of these and be creeped out for good.

Revisiting (or rebooting) old horror classics for modern audiences is always a bit of fun but they aren't scary. The dread of seeing Michael Myers standing in his Captain Kirk mask became the candy corn of horror sometime around Halloween 5. The existential fear of zombies overrunning your neighborhood is getting tired because we already know everything one has to do to survive them.

Here are six cult classics you forgot about that will remind you how terrifying a solidly weird movie can be.

Phantasm (1979)

The Tall Man. Dwarf zombies wearing cloaks. A flying chrome ball with spinning knives. An amputated finger that transforms into a flying insect. Don Coscarelli's fever dream of horrific surrealism and themed around coming to grips with the death of loved ones is a genuinely bizarre cocktail of horror, bargain basement gore, and psychological enigmas. Funerals are macabre in the first place so why not set the fear in a funeral home with a malevolent embalmer chasing a kid in his dreams to make you afraid to sleep?

Videodrome (1983)

David Cronenberg is the reigning king of body horror. The Village Voice called him "the most audacious and challenging narrative director in the English-speaking world." Crash, Dead Ringers, and The Fly are among the nightmares he has given the world to be completely freaked out watching. Before them came the uncanny story of James Woods discovering a snuff and torture broadcast signal. Layers of mind-control conspiracy evolve as he exposes the signal's source, and loses himself in a series of incrementally bizarre hallucinations.

Eraserhead (1977)

Henry lives alone in a crap apartment surrounded by industrial gloom. When he discovers that a bootie call left his hook-up pregnant, he marries the expectant mother and has her move in with him. The couple's baby turns out to be a bizarre lizard-like creature that won't stop wailing. Other characters, including a disfigured lady who lives inside a radiator, inhabit the building and add to Henry's troubles.

David Lynch's first experimental film. Black and white. F-U-U-U-C-K-E-D UP. Watch this while doing psychedelics and you will be scarred for life.

Re-Animator (1985)

Stuart Gordon's quasi-Lovecraftian gore-fest is funny in a dry-as-a-bone way, disgusting in almost every scene, and a classic for anyone who dreams of a disembodied head giving a woman cunnilingus. Worth it just for Jeffrey Combs delirious take on the protaganist.

Deep Red (1975)

Dario Argento is a legend but you've only ever seen Susperia so what the fuck do you know?

David Hemmings plays a jazz pianist who unwittingly becomes entangled in a string of brutal murders. Befriended by a reporter (Daria Nicolodi, Argento's longtime companion and occasional screenwriter), Hemmings seeks to solve the mystery, only to find himself a suspect, then a target.

Under any other director this sounds like a CSI:Rome plot but Argento is a mad genius so this ain't that. Any film that features a nervous psychic, a necklace-induced beheading, and a score by the Italian rock band Goblin (another Argento trademark) is well worth your time and certainly better than another reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Jacob's Ladder (1990)

I remember catching this in the theater and after sitting in my car, stunned. I went out, grabbed a few shots of bourbon and chased it with some beer, smoked a joint, and went to another showing that night.

The synopsis, like so many of these, is dangerously simple: ‌Mourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.

Focus on the "dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death." This one will mess you up some.

Halloween is a conundrum for me. I hate the dress up costume stuff but I love the movies. I like the candy but I don't care much for children. I can watch scary movies any time of year but viewing the squeamish celluloid in October is like watching Christmas movies in December.

I'm a busy guy so when I do settle down to creep myself out, I want it to count.

#Phantasm #Re-Animator #Deep Red #Dario Argento #Jacob's Ladder #Eraserhead #David Lynch #Videodrome

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drippingmoon · 3 years

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Would you rather: writing edition

Thanks for the tags, @sleepy-night-child and @starry-sky-stuff!

1. historical or futuristic

I love history, but only when I'm reading about it. Otherwise, it's too much research and I'd forever be anxious over missing stuff. Gimme my fantasy where I can do anything haha. But not futuristic either, because... I'm fond of ancient stuff and ruins

2. the opening or the closing chapter

When I'm reading, it's usually the opening one, but writing those last bits?? Few things can compare

3. light+fluffy or dark+gritty

I'm a lover of dark stuff as much as anyone, but light and fluff in the midst of the gritty stuff? Nothing hits harder

4. animal companion or found family

And if they're given their own personality and seen individually? I'll raise that writer a shrine

5. horror or romance

No-brainer for me here, haha. I don't do well with romances. And when I was young I thought Aliens were the cutest thing

6. hard or soft magic system

Not gonna lie, this is another thing that 'quiv converted me into liking. I love flashy magic on any good day, but the subtext with the soft one, the slight but marked differences, how you can't fully rely on it but still colors the narrative? It hits harder

7. standalone or series

Ugh. Trying to write a series kicked me into a ditch. But. I still wanna (though 'quiv being a standalone is a pretty damn good siren call. So i love them both)

8. one project at a time or always juggling 2+

While I may think about others or even spend a night envisioning them, I only ever work on one thing at a time. I tend to hyperfocus and plus, i'd just miss my little bastards

9. one award winner or one bestseller

Neither? I'm not picky, but if I'm 100% happy with what I've written that's already a miracle

10. fantasy or sci-fi

Fun fact: before coming to tumblr i so didn't like sci-fi, so thank y'all so much. Now i'm a little obsessed and have been thinking about writing a short sci-fi story (and hopefully keeping it short)

11. character or setting description

I love setting, but there's nothing quite like noting a character's mannerisms and how they change according to what they feel, the little habits they have. It's a very dear thing

12. first or final draft

What's a final draft?? I've been through five with one wip and it was nowhere in sight. While I have a blast writing first drafts, I face some existential dread about editing because i've ruined them before

13. literary or 'commercial' genre

Neither? If i can't connect to the narrative i'm out, if i get angry i'm out also

14. love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs

I've said this before, but romance isn't exactly my thing. And love triangles are usually something i always end up hating

15. constant sandstorm or rainstorm

Why would i want sand to get into my everything? Whereas rainy days are the best, scent-wise and sleep-wise. But not too much. I don't want my lavender to expire

Tagging whenever and if you want: @spacetimewraithwrites, @hellishhin, @indecentpause, @avaeverstone

Open tag!

#tag games #why am i a rambler #also yasss for free days

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shaneclaudine · 3 years

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Toy Story 1 and 4 Compare and Contrast

"Toy Story" makes a universe out of two or three child's rooms, a service station, and a stretch of rural thruway. Its legends are toys, which spring up when no one is watching. Its contention is between an older style cowpoke who has consistently been a young man's number one toy, and the new space officer who may supplant him. The scalawag is the mean child nearby who dismantles toys and assembles them back again in grotesque blends. What's more, the outcome is a visionary thrill ride of a film. Disney's 1995 energized party accompanied a trick: this was the primary ever full-length PC enlivened element. In some unacceptable hands this could only have been a curiosity extended to film length. In the more than skilled digits of PC wizards Pixar and chief John Lasseter, nonetheless, the outcome is victorious. A diverting, unique, spectacularly engaging film refreshingly liberated from nostalgia and a reverberating film industry achievement both here and in the US. The plot is straightforward however successful and really has certified dramatization and fervor to it. The fundamental story is fun yet the level of character advancement is the thing that truly supports it. The contention among Buzz and Woody is taken further than this and, when gone up against by the reality of his status as a toy, Buzz's disturbance is genuine instead of him being an animation character and that's it. Notwithstanding the two in number leads there is a genuine profundity in the help cast. They may not really have that numerous lines, yet they have every one of the most clever lines. The majority of the 'grown-up' mind comes from the Potato Head, dinosaur, the pig and smooth canine. They are amusing and are all around utilized. Indeed most of this humor and plot will go directly over kids heads.

"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away," sings Randy Newman, Pixar's minstrel, in a montage from "Toy Story 4." The tune's title is focused on Woody (Tom Hanks), a companion to his unique proprietor, Andy, and later to Bonnie, a five-year old who acquired Andy's toys toward the finish of "Toy Story 3" and is shown refining her own recess ceremonies that don't generally incorporate Woody. Optionally, the melody is authoritatively focused on another character, Forky (Tony Hale), a plastic spork with popsicle-stick feet and line cleaner arms, made by Bonnie with material provided by Woody during direction day at kindergarten. Common of "Toy Story," an arrangement where lifeless things don't only have characters yet existential emergencies, Forky gets breaking far from Bonnie and Woody and attempts to fling himself into the closest refuse repository. This isn't a remark on his own sensations of value. Yet, a declaration of the way that Forky is, all things considered, an utensil, and feels generally great in the junk, secure in the information that he satisfied his motivation. Pixar sorted out quite a while in the past that toys can be entrances into adolescence, sequential construction system madeleines. In any case, whenever you've moved over to that charmed where your dim recollections blend with the pictures gleaming onscreen, something needs to keep you fastened. In the initial three films, that snare was the connections among the toys and their bonds with the kid, who developed as the arrangement did. Bonnie and her reality — with its wheezes, circumspect verisimilitude and mental shallows — are too boring to ever be fascinating. So it's an alleviation when Woody and Forky meet Gabby (ably voiced by Christina Hendricks), the antique store's disliked doll and, momentarily, its little special lady of dread.

REFERENCES:

Dargis, M. (2019, June 20). 'Toy Story 4' Review: Playtime's Over. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/movies/toy-story-4-review.html.

Ebert, R. (n.d.). Toy Story movie review & film summary (1995): Roger Ebert. movie review & film summary (1995) | Roger Ebert. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/toy-story-1995.

IMDb.com. (n.d.). Toy Story. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/reviews.

Seitz, M. Z. (n.d.). Toy Story 4 movie review & film summary (2019): Roger Ebert. movie review & film summary (2019) | Roger Ebert. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/toy-story-4-2019.

Westbrook, C. (2000, January 1). Toy Story. Empire. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/toy-story-review/.

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catatonicengineers · 4 years

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A Defense of Cait Sith

Plushie Princess Saga:

A Hundred Ways to Put the WRO Back Together

A Hundred Ways to Wreck Shinra HQ

Reeve’s Adventures in Babysitting and World Saving:

And Take a Stand at Shinra

While There’s Still Time

On Plushies and Oppenheimer:

A Defense of Cait Sith

“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent.” - J. Robert Oppenheimer

I was eight-years-old when I played Final Fantasy VII for the first time, exactly one year after its release. Like many 90’s gamers, FFVII was a turning point into the world of RPG’s from which I’ve yet to recover. Kids today will never understand the coming of age that occurred somewhere between Yoshi’s Island and grappling with the ethos of Avalanche blowing Sector 1’s reactor sky high. It’s no surprise that my 3rdgrade brain found an essence of familiarity to cling to amid the existential dread and ecoterrorism that was the greatest game ever made.

Cait Sith was the cute, cuddly party member that validated my love of cats and ignited my adoration for moogles. I would relentlessly make room for him in my party, despite his terrible combat stats, and hurl endless Phoenix Downs every time he fell.

He was quirky, he fought with a megaphone, his limit breaks were oddly sparse compared to the rest of the cast, and his home base of Gold Saucer looked like a unicorn threw up all over a casino. What’s not to love?

According to recent Reddit threads, Youtube comments, and rage bloggers, apparently a lot.

The advent of the long awaited FFVII remake rightfully caused a massive revival of the excitement first felt by long time fans of the franchise. The release date has been confirmed for March 3, 2020 – two days before my 30thbirthday. Not gonna lie; feels like the universe aligned to bless the official passing of my youth with this nostalgia bomb.

It’s with this love of all things FFVII in mind that I’d like to formally pose a defense of the game’s most hated character.

Cait Sith/Reeve, this one’s for you.

The Laughter

We first meet the lively, dancing robo-moogle and cat combo in Gold Saucer and we’re not quite sure if this strange entity should count as one party member or two. Either way, he joins your crew as the quintessential comic relief with nary a backstory in sight. That’s right; you are now the proud owner of Cait Sith. A “fortune teller” by trade, Cait Sith’s motivations remain as murky as your party’s future.

At first glance, it’s easy to pass Cait Sith off as a filler character, the cute one added for giggles. The one the writers never bothered to flesh out because, let’s face it, that moogle is mostly fluff anyway. The “most useless character” title isn’t entirely unjustified.

If this was where Cait Sith’s story ended.

I still remember the day my older brother announced that he’d read ahead in the player’s guide (this used to be a thing, kids) and discovered Cait Sith was a Shinra spy. I’m pretty sure I went through all the stages of grief before settling on denial and assuming he was playing a joke on me. Surely, my favorite slot machine loving companion couldn’t be a traitor.

Enter Reeve Tuesti, the man behind the moogle. He’s the head of Urban Development at Shinra Electric Power Company. He wears a signature blue suit to work everyday. He hates board meetings. He’s not fond of his coworkers. Like Tifa, he’s an introvert. And he’s the guy who engineered the Mako reactors.

If Hojo is Dr. Frankenstein, Reeve is Oppenheimer. The tragedy of the monsters we create is always greater when it’s a monster we loved. Where the other Shinra execs are motivated by greed, power, and a desire to play God, Reeve is the only Shinra higher up we encounter with genuine empathy and a sense of advocacy for the people. It’s easy to assume that Mako reactors would improve lives, but as Marlene so eloquently asks, “isn’t that because we were taking away from the planet’s life?”

When faced with the guilt of a design gone horribly wrong, those in authority have two choices; own the guilt or double down. And Reeve doubles down.

I’ve never been a fan of the way modern RPG’s have everything clearly spelled out and spoon fed to the gamer. The reason we don’t need further backstory for Reeve is because his character arc is already apparent if we do a bit of digging. I was surprised to learn that the common conjecture behind the exact mechanics of Cait Sith involved him being a remote controlled, autonomous but non-sentient robot. Given that assumption, it’s fair to say that Cait Sith is a worthless character who lacks emotion or consequence.

One opinion I’ve seen trending is why not simply make Reeve join the party, sans the giant stuffed animal? After all, we’d get to see how he grapples with his role in Shinra and eventual betrayal of Avalanche.

Two words; cognitive dissonance. You have to question what kind of 35-year-old executive creates a plushie cat proxy to begin with. See I’ve never thought of Reeve and Cait Sith as separate. The gritty psychological mechanics that are Reeve have always been there, plush or human. Reeve has developed an alter that’s effectively a form of escape. The assertion that Cait Sith lacks consequence isn’t false – a robot carries out its duty, incapable of harboring guilt, blame, or moral repercussion. That’s a pretty darn good way to remain detached enough to stab your party members in the back!

Cait Sith is also an outlet for everything Reeve’s repressed executive life lacks. As Cait Sith, he’s silly and carefree, though not completely unfamiliar. Glimpses of Cait Sith’s witty quips are echoed in Reeve’s mock nicknames for his colleagues – “Kyahaha” and “Gyahaha” respectively. When life is tough to take, we laugh so we don’t scream.

Plus, the idea of Reeve controlling Cait Sith in real time, much like an MMORPG avatar, is just plain hilarious. I’ve always imagined him as the kind of guy who rolls up to his 9-5 office job, pops open a spreadsheet to look busy, and boots up Cait Sith in the other tab. He’s the OG Aggretsuko, the guy making Jim Halpert faces at the camera every Shinra board meeting.

And I get you, Reeve. Really, I do.

The Tears

Cait Sith’s sacrifice was a cop out for killing off a real character. Why didn’t Reeve just die instead of the plushie?

First of all, how dare you.

Second, not all deaths need be literal.

A pervading theme throughout FFVII is the concept of identity. Are we born into an existence we have no control over or can we choose who we are day by day? It’s easy to want to be someone else, the First Class Soldier who sweeps in, keeps his promise, and saves the girl. Our reality is often less of a fairy tale and riddled with our own failures.

By the time the party reaches The Temple of the Ancients, the line where Cait Sith ends and Reeve begins is blurring. Reeve speaks more often as “himself” through the plushie and the nuances in their speech and mannerism are blending. It’s no accident that this shift happens as Reeve becomes more at ease around Avalanche, ultimately switching sides.

I’ve heard a lot of criticism on the seeming lack of motivation to Reeve’s redemption. If we examine the cognitive dissonance theory that governs his character, the switch is far less sudden.

Cait Sith’s death is necessitated by Reeve’s accountability. The innocent plushie alter isn’t working anymore. It’s not enough to keep him from recognizing the horrors he’s been complicit to. Sacrificing this part of himself is the ultimate acknowledgment of culpability. It’s arguably a more important death than if Reeve actually martyred himself. Like Cloud, he no longer needs to be “someone else” and has started down the path of doing what only he, and not Cait Sith, can; stopping Shinra.

There will be more wonderful, fluffy moogle-cat plushies, but the need to disassociate completely is gone. He’ll confront whatever comes without a crutch – or in this case a teddy bear. Reeve reminisces that the original doll was “special” and we end with Cait Sith reminding him(self) not to forget this.

The Silence

In 1953, J. Robert Oppenheimer was denied all security clearance and effectively blacklisted by the McCarthy administration for his strong opposition to nuclear warfare.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a place we never hoped or expected to be in, surrounded by people we despise, and convinced the world is going straight to heck. We can either get out of dodge or stay.

If Reeve had indeed sacrificed himself rather than Cait Sith, this would simply have been yet another escape. He stays. He works. He gets Marlene and Elmyra out of Midgar. He spies on Shinra. He finally tells Gyahaha to stick it. He goes on to head the WRO and never stops advocating for the people.

Reeve’s not a fighter. He can barely get by with a handgun in Dirge of Cerberus and Cait Sith’s megaphone is no Masamune. Despite this, he takes a big risk by being the only insider on the team. We’re pretty sure Shinra doesn’t share Reeve’s opposition to capital punishment either.

Maybe this is why I’ve always loved Cait Sith/Reeve. I’m intrigued to see if Square Enix will add any further insight into our favorite plush moogle-cat-spy, but if they don’t, that’s alright too. Cait Sith is still a pretty solid character. After my brother spoiled one of the game’s major plot twists for me, I ended up reading the player’s guide for myself. And he was right. But he was also wrong. I recall marching proudly into the living room to declare that while yes, Cait Sith was a traitor, he was also a hero.

So fight your fight. Fail and fall. Hurl some Phoenix Downs and get right back up again.

#ffvii #ff7 #reeve tuesti #shinra #cait sith #.txt

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kuiperblog · 3 years

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The existential dread of Microsoft Holiday Commercial 2020

youtube

The messaging in this Microsoft commercial is kind of weird, because upon first viewing, I couldn’t help but come away with the feeling that "maybe during my leisure time, I should spend more time playing with a dog who's eager and borderline desperate for my affection, instead of wasting my time engaging in activities like playing Halo on Xbox or playing Minecraft on a Surface laptop or playing Microsoft Flight Simulator on a Windows PC. Clearly, these technology-based experiences can provide only a simulacrum of reality, and cannot match the feeling of mutual joy that dog and human feel when spending time together. Every moment that I spend immersed in one of these virtual experiences is a moment that I'm neglecting my cuddly canine companion. Perhaps instead of spending my money on a toy that requires thumbs and places me in relative solitude, like a new Xbox or a Thrustmaster HOTAS, I should spend it on a toy or experience that I can enjoy together with my happy hound.”

But an alternative interpretation is that this is actually an anti-dog propaganda: after all, one could come away from this commercial with the message that if you don’t own a dog, then you’re free to spend time playing these video games while experiencing zero guilt. Furthermore, not only can dogs be a distraction from the joys of Microsoft Flight Simulator, but if you are a Spartan, they can be potentially lethal.

Look at this buffoonish dog, apparently oblivious to the fact that the thrown object he’s just fetched for Master Chief is a live grenade. Is that really the sort of creature you’d want as an animal companion? Why not stick to Minecraft, where you can enjoy the affections of a virtual dog without the liabilities associated with having a live one?

But I think that simply assuming that this commercial is “anti-dog” may be missing a more important point. While the dogs are present, they are in many ways the personification of reality, and the world that exists outside of video games.

Consider the fact that the commercial also depicts a video conference call, a motif that we have all become familiar with in 2020, confronting us with an unmistakable reminder of the world we now inhabit. In 2020, is the “real” world truly a place you wish to inhabit? Wouldn’t it be so much easier to escape into a virtual world, one where it can always be bright and sunny, irrespective of the season? Why allow yourself to be subject to the whims of the weather?

The outside world is a cold, harsh place. But it doesn’t have to be a prison.

This holiday, joy is within your grasp. If you owned a new Xbox with Game Pass Ultimate, you could escape to new virtual worlds. Bright worlds. Fun worlds. Worlds that offer freedom and adventure and, perhaps most importantly, an escape from the grim reality of our own world. And it can be all yours for 24 monthly payments of $24.99. Happy holidays.

#microsoft #video games #technology #dogs

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heartslogos · 5 years

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seas who could sing so deep and strong [125]

Judge’s sometimes heard that pets are supposed to look like their owners. He’s not sure what that means for him and Handsome.

It absolutely one hundred percent applies to Kore and her Helminth Charger, who’s DNA she’s recently modified - or maybe it’s something to do with Helminth itself and its adoration or even reverence for Nidus - to make it look like her Nidus.

It also definitely applies to the Empress’ kavat who he’s only seen glimpses of. Kavats, in general, are not known to be overwhelmingly intimidating in appearance. They sort of give off the same aura as a katana or a dagger. Sleek. Dangerous. Lethal precision. Sharp. The Empress’ kavat looks less like a skana or skyla than it looks like a Gram or War. If kavats could lift weights and bulk up then this kavat is one of them or maybe it ate the champion of them. Judge has seen this kavat twice and both times have left him with a feeling of such existential dread and primal fear that he’s pretty sure he just blacked out the other times the creature might have been present.

It’s a different type of…feeling altogether than what he feels when he looks at Spooky. Spooky’s cute. Spooky is charming. Spooky is a little baby who wants a cuddle and a kiss on her hideous little head. Spooky’s visage makes you turn your eyes away out of instinct and the desire not to have your entire everything shut down.

The Empress’ kavat makes you avert your eyes out of respect and fear of consequence.

Judge, for the life of him, could not tell anyone what color that kavat is because he’s never let his eyes linger long enough to process that information. He’s not even heard the creature’s name because he’s mentally blocked out all sound related to the kavat out of self preservation.

The Alpha has a rotating mass herd of animals around him at all times, which somehow suits him very much.

Chic has Percy the dog, who despite being very sweet and bubbly and bouncy is also very Chic in that she sometimes gets this look on her face like she’s judging you very hard and laughing. Also she likes to be pampered and Chic has pedestals made of Oro.

Punk, though. Jude.

Jude.

Jude’s dog is named Pug. Pug is a tiny little Chesa kubrow that Judge is fairly sure that if it were born in the wild would be considered the runt of the litter and possibly eaten by the others. This is not to say that Pug is not a formidable companion.

(Pug is not a formidable companion. Pug is a decent companion who fetches like he’s supposed to but is also very small and…runt-ish and has trouble picking things up because he’s so small and it’s very cute but its also not very pragmatic. This is also not to say that Judge doesn’t like Pug. Judge loves Pug because everyone loves Pug because it’s impossible not to love Pug because he’s Pug.)

Judge doesn’t know if Jude and Pug are perfect reflections of each other or complete opposites. Jude’s Chroma is big and broad and loud and fire-breathing and generally kind of just…all around vividly in the moment. Jude is athletic despite the fact that he consistently does average in most of their missions and has lower stats than all of them. Jude is also remarkably self confident for someone who has to be rescued from his own mistakes on a regular basis.

Pug is amazingly tiny. When Judge first met Pug he though that Judge hadn’t matured him for combat yet and was about to scold him for bringing Pug to a high level Infested extermination zone.

Pug is little and sweet and sometimes a little shy and skittish but overall a sweet, beautiful boy who’s doing his best and is living his best life with his little tail and his small paws and his little tongue.

Judge adores him.

Even Kore adores him, and does this openly. She’s nicer to that dog than she is to Judge.

Kore’s almost died for Judge. Judge is fully convinced that she’ll do the same for Pug.

Kore goes out of her way to lie down so she’s at Pug’s level and tell him that she loves him when she sees him. Judge swears that during a mission he saw her wall-climb and perch and just watch the general chaos for a while because she was just watching Pug run as fast as his little legs could carry him to bring back ammo for Punk whenever he heard or saw a stray magazine fall.

The Punk and Pug duo are an amazing team of enthusiasm and…more enthusiasm. You can’t even get mad at them because Pug is so…Pug. And everyone’s used to Punk being Punk.

Judge rubs Pug’s paws in his hands, the little dog’s stump tail wagging as he pants softly.

“You’re amazing,” Judge says to the dog, “I respect you.”

“Don’t hog the dog,” Kore says, colliding into his side and making grabby hands for the kubrow. “My turn.”

“No, you had him last time,” Judge says, trying to angle his body away from her as she tries to reach around him. “I’m trying to tell him something important.”

“Can I get my kubrow back?” Punk says.

“No!” Judge and Kore reply together.

“Neat,” Punk says. “Okay, Alpha my man, I guess we’re here fishing until forever. I’m not getting my dog back any time soon apparently. No, buddy, I don’t want another dog. Yes, it’s okay, they can play with my dog as long as they want. Yeah, I mean look at how happy they are! It’s totally fine. I’ll get Pug back later when they’re asleep or something.”

Kore’s voice is a low whisper in Judge’s ear, “Joke’s on him. I’m never going to sleep.”

“You can’t do that,” Judge whispers back, “Insomnia is my thing.”

#heartsfic #warframe #punk and chic #otp: space kids #otp: our ribs are cages

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urezo · 3 years

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A dream "Finn and Jake, beyond the lands of dreams"

dreamjournal

It was so shakening I woke up repeatedly and went back to sleep to the same dream like twice.

I am Finn, but also kinda see or perceive their reality as an spectator as you would if you watching tv OE something, but instead of using a device I was living it first hand through the dream, my perception then was the dream itself and Finn.

Me and Jake have been wandering on Ooo for longer than we can remember, time in mental spaces is not quantifiable, all you have is your perception of things happening but not time itself, as time there doesn't really exist as a palpable force, it is more like qn abstract idea you can think of and interact with (this applies to all mental spaces, you can see it in animation too). Ooo for us feels like a desert even though it is full of life, in our travels and adventures we have a lot of fun always fooling around but we both after all we have acomplished still feel empty, so we decide to take on yet another journey to fill that void, visiting all our friends on ooo.

...

And so we travel, we backtrack all the places we have been until we reach a small stone building, it isn't concrete, ir is literally carved into a massive stone, that also seems to be a precious one, inside it is full of people and other adventurers, I don't quite remember being in this place before, ooo is an everchanging world. There it was this being, it was like one of the gems of Steven Universe, colored by different tones of turquoise all around her body, I don't remember if she had a normal face with two eyes and the eyes had diferent tones with darker turquoise in the center or if she had a vertically rotated cube as her head, either way she was one of the less notable beings in the tabern, there were all kinds of shapes and forms of adventurers there, it was a safe place for resting and also for partying, at that the tabern shifted into a saloon for that very reason, and the turquoise gem felt out of place contrary to me and my buddy.

We get out and continue our jorney through ooo, there are deserts, pink gems all moving and laying around, constructs of them like temples, dense and macabre forest as well as joyful ones, yet even in our journey to see our friends we sense the dread and void of nothing ever happening. Even as we get into enchanted ruins and pillage them for treassure once our euphoria and thrill for discovery is gone after we raided it we are met with that solid wall of inactivity, the oddest thing is that in all our travels we see everyone having fun and the time of their lives, they are so full of themselves even being around them feels like being around an full of life and energy sun, I begin to question our senses, our feelings, why aren't we having fun? This are questions that roam my mind but I dare not ask my companion.

Eventually after visiting two or three other friends we arrive at a valley that is also like a desert it changes between states of grass and sand, and sometimes it is both at the same time, we didn't expected to see anyone there and there weren't living anyone that I know of, we were just passing by, yet we met someone, it was the gem lady from before, she seemed exactly the same and it was an odd encounter so we approached, then in the dream I began to experience things as the dream not Finn, the gem was also inquiring about its own life, not in an existential sense but also wondering, "is this all there is? This is pretty lame" as she was indeed very new to that world too, then she heard a voice that was not a voice, and it speak in not words but knowledge directly transfered into her, the voice had a message only for them both to listen to, but the attitude on the gem immediately changed, and her eyes now flourished with joy in realization of the understandment she gained about that world, as this was happening Finn and Jake were approaching from behind, for them no voice was heard at all. Now being back to Finn I realize something is going on, and as we come closer the gem starts talking with the voice but I don't hear the voice at all, she says excitedly "Amazing! interdimensional planes exist out of the boundaries of time and space" and she fucking dissappears as if she was crossing through a portal but there was no visible portal, her body just gradually stopped being visible, in awe and shock we run up the small hill or dune she was on to aid her or see what happened and on top we see that on the valley there is like a face also made of the same gems (this actually shiny gems, not the color only) I assume this thing is somewhat related to her, and makes me wake up irl and within my dream and awakening I realize that it is probably the origin of the voice she talked to.

And then I had an epiphany, everyone has an adventure, even that gem seemingly so out of place was called to our world and to that very spot for very specific reasons, for events to unfold. On ooo the adventure world we have a journey to fulfill and to live too, we just haven't been living it, we are not when we are supposed to be, where our adventure lays and is wating events to unfold around us. We go back to our house that is Jake's house, and we get all our stuff ready, meaning we take all the shit we could use in an adventure and bag it, I am fucking euphoric, finally this world makes sense there is an adventure, an story to unfold and it is calling only me, and I realize this as the exaltation of my companion dimishes, he as unhinged as I was now is with a inexpressive eyes, and I remember that I just saw one of his kids running around the home, he had another realization, he can't go on an adventure with me because that's not what his heart desires the most, what his heart desires the most is his family, and the faceless expression is because he realized he made that decision a lot time ago, and I with a sight of compassion and understandment realize this too, these are my dreams after all, not his, but I keep packing my stuff and give my best friend in this world the tightest of hugs, candid, as this is also a goodbye forever. A smile in sorrow and sadness "Goodbye Jake", and with my backpack full I clean my tears and open the first door jumping straight into my destiny.

The film deteriorates as if it were an old movie burning and las frames are of finn sleeping in some coffin-sarcophagus in the middle of space, being the very last of the frames the sarcophagus closing. Once that sequence is over the credits roll and you see machinery, giant swords and gears all moving slowly in a giant fabrication. In between of them there are all heroes, but the one I catch an eye on is spiderman, just laying in his iconic pose atop of the edge of a curved huge pipe going to the ground and I wake up.

#dreamjournal

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salvagedmoose · 7 years

Text

Prompt Drabble #01

I’ve decided to start playing around with some dialogue prompts, and I stumbled across one that fit Squidward to a T. [link] Dedicated to @shirohibiki for helping me develop the confidence to share my writing on tumblr for the first time. There’s absolutely room for improvement, but hey, I need to learn to let go.

Pre-relationship squidbob, rated E10+ for Squidward’s general outlook on life. Includes references to “Hello Bikini Bottom,” an episode that everyone should absolutely watch at least once.

It wasn’t the first and it most likely wouldn’t be the last time Squidward had an existential breakdown regarding his merit as an artist. There was something notable about this particular occurrence, though.

Namely, his two obnoxious neighbors were there.

Now, this wouldn’t have been so odd had he been displaying his talents publicly, but Squidward had simply been practicing his clarinet in the privacy of his art room when when the sponge and star barged in on him.

...Alright, even that wasn’t that odd considering their usual behavior.

But when Spongebob revealed the reason for their intrusion, it plucked right at Squidward’s last nerve.

“Patrick thought you might need some help with your dying animal!”

Squidward had already not been in the best of moods. He’d finally been able to line up a a new exhibition of his work, but, like all things in his life, it had been a colossal failure. Even calling it a flop would have been generous. The reactions from what few people he could convince to come had ranged from apathetic to openly hostile.

Having someone come into his own house and criticize his attempts at creative self-soothing was the last thing he needed right now. Thus, his response to his neighbors’ concern was to break down into sobs.

Spongebob immediately put a comforting hand on Squidward’s back. “Hey, hey, it’s gonna be alright. You’re safe here, you can let out your grief. Losing a pet can be one of the hardest-”

“There’s no dying animal, you barnacle-head!” Squidward’s outburst was immediately followed by more sulking. “The only thing I’m grieving is my future as an artist.”

“Oh, that’s it?” Patrick seemed satisfied with the answer. “Never mind then. Come on, Spongebob.”

Spongebob turned and firmly grasped Patrick’s shoulders, looking him fiercely in the eye. “No, Patrick. Our friend is suffering, and it’s our duty to help him through this tough time.” He turned back to Squidward and smiled gently. “Now why don’t you tell your old buddy Sponge what’s got your tentacles in a twist?”

Squidward scowled bitterly. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe ask the people who walked out on my exhibition!”

Spongebob gasped. “That was this Saturday!? Oh, if I’d known I would have rescheduled Gary’s shots!”

Squidward had actually told Spongebob the wrong date on purpose in order to make sure he didn’t come and screw anything up, but that didn’t seem like information he needed to share now. “It doesn’t matter now! Everyone hates my visual art, and even my music isn’t appreciated!”

“That is not true,” Spongebob stated firmly. “I appreciate your creativity and artistic flair every day of my life, and I’m sure there are plenty of other people who do, too!”

“Yeah,” Patrick added, “they must just live on the other side of the ocean or something!”

Squidward grimaced. “Well I wish they’d show up sometime before I die of old age!” Squidward pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes in an attempt to hold back more tears. “I don’t want to fail just because other people have terrible taste.”

“And you won’t!” Spongebob spoke with every ounce of conviction in his porous body. “We just need to find a way to broaden your appeal until those other people show up. Then you’ll have more fans than ever! Now let’s think; what isn’t marketable about you right now...”

Patrick’s hand shot up immediately. “Oh, I know! Is it his frigid, pretentious demeanor?”

“Hey!” Squidward barked.

“Hm, maybe. It’s a place to start, if nothing else!” Spongebob pointed at Patrick. “Pat, go put on a pot of coffee. This could turn into a long night.”

“Aye aye, Spongebob!” Patrick saluted and ran out of the room.

Squidward turned his offended features to Spongebob. “I never said you could use my kitchen!”

“Don’t worry about it, Squidward, Patrick’s got everything under control.”

A muffled explosion could be heard from the ground floor.

Spongebob tenderly took Squidward’s hands in his. “All you need to focus on is your creative growth. Now, let’s start with Patrick’s idea.”

Squidward defensively pulled back his tentacles. “I am not frigid and pretentious!”

“I know that,” Spongebob placated, “but other people might not! Maybe you could work on that by trying to be a little more... open and vulnerable.”

“Are you saying this isn’t vulnerable!?” Squidward stood, walked over to a covered object, and removed the drop sheet to reveal a sculpture of a large-nosed, tentacled figure writhing, attempting to free itself from a mass of stone.

“Alright, maybe vulnerability isn’t what you need to work on right now.” Spongebob paused to take an appraising look at Squidward. “I know! If your problem is being too frigid, we just need to make you seem warmer! Show people the cuddly, inviting side of Squidward!”

Squidward leveled Spongebob with an existentially exhausted glare. “Art is suffering.”

A stiff pause passed between the two.

“...Okay. But that’s not all art has to be! It can be a celebration of beauty and joy!” Spongebob picked up Squidward’s clarinet which had fallen to the floor during his dramatics. “Here. You take this-” Spongebob handed the instrument to Squidward, “-and I’ll take this-” Spongebob materialized his ukulele from an unseen source, “-and we can play around until we find your happy sound!”

Squidward looked down to his clarinet and sighed. “I’m not sure I even have a happy sound anymore.”

Spongebob waved the idea away. “Nonsense! I’ve heard your happy sound before and I’ll help you find it again if it takes all night! Now just come in when you’re ready.”

Spongebob began to strum a bouncy, cheerful series of chords.

Squidward watched as Spongebob’s eyes fell shut, his entire face relaxed and serene. Even while he felt a certain amount of resentment for the fact that Spongebob had broken into his home, insulted his music, and then decided that he knew more about artistic appeal than Squidward did, he couldn’t help but feel his muscles begin to relax from their tense state.

As much as Sqiudward hated to admit it, Spongebob had more than a little musical skill. And he really did somehow succeed in projecting his contentment into his music. Heck, this wasn’t even the first time he’d been invited to play alongside Spongebob. Nowhere near it, in fact. While Mr. Krabs’s attempt at making a buck off their efforts had ultimately been a bust, it had given him plenty of opportunities to see Spongebob look every bit as comfortable with his music as Squidward felt on his best days. He could still remember how surprisingly good he felt after their big number near the end of that fiasco.

Spongebob’s eyes popped open long enough to shoot an encouraging wink in Squidward’s direction.

...Hmph. Being around Spongebob really was bad for his heart.

Now that his chest no longer felt like it was being crushed by all-encompassing dread, Squidward was able to take a breath, bring his clarinet to his mouth, and start a simple melody.

Spongebob looked up to Squidward and smiled. “See, there’s my happy Squid!”

A squeak came from Squidward’s clarinet as he internally bristled at being called Spongebob’s anything. Aside from that, though, he was able to maintain enough breath control to gradually become more playful with his contribution to the jam session.

Spongebob’s smile only grew. “Now this is the Squidward the world really needs to see. You sound good, you look good, and most importantly of all, you feel good. I’m so happy to be able to share this with you.”

Squidward was glad his mouth was otherwise occupied, because he had no idea how to respond to that kind of statement. Of course there was an instinct to deny that Spongebob had done anything to help him, but the proof was right there, vibrating through the water around them. He really did play better when he felt better and, well, he was feeling better now than he was before.

Eventually the pair came to a mutual close, and Squidward brought his eyes to an easy gaze in Spongebob’s direction. There it was again. That good feeling.

“That was... nice.”

“It really was.”

They shared a companionable silence, until Squidward flinched at the feeling of a hand on his own. He’d been so occupied by Spongebob’s encouraging smile that he hadn’t noticed the sponge discreetly extending his arm to initiate physical contact.

Squidward’s hand clenched on his clarinet, but Spongebob’s was steady.

“If you ever need this again, let me know, okay? I’m always here for you.”

Knowing Spongebob’s track record, Squidward didn’t doubt that.

“Um...Thanks.”

Spongebob gently ran his thumb over the side of Squidwad’s tentacle. “You’re a special person and you have so much to give the world.”

Suddenly Squidward was remembering the way their hands had drifted towards one another after that big number so long ago. They’d been interrupted before any contact could be made, but if they hadn’t... what would have happened?

Squidward felt his and Spongebob’s joined hands slip from the clarinet to a comfortably hanging point between them.

What was happening now?

Their hands moved softly against each other, finding a way to accommodate their differing appendages while still maintaining firm, solid contact.

Squidward felt like he should say something.

“Uh... Hey, Spongebob.”

“Yeah, Squidward?”

“...I-”

Squidward’s attempted statement was cut off by sirens, followed by Patrick calmly opening the door to the room he and Spongebob were currently occupying.

Patrick brought his hands together and spoke in a level tone. “Mistakes may have been made.”

Squidward’s hand immediately jolted out of Spongebob’s. “What did you do to my kitchen!?”

“Nothing you need to stop holding hands about! I-”

“I was not holding anyone’s hand,” Squidward lied. “Now explain yourself!”

That very moment, a pair of firefighters entered the room, one holding the charred remains of a moderately sized hunk of metal.

“Excuse me,” the one holding the charred lump began delicately, “but are you the owner of a Primo Cappucino Assoluto E5000?”

Squidward gasped and ran over to examine the object. “Serafina! What happened to you!?”

The one holding the lump lowered his head while his partner took her hat off and held it respectfully over her heart. “She’s frothing milk in heaven now.”

And so Squidward ended up exactly where he began, sobbing dramatically while Spongbob and Patrick looked on, until he gathered enough fire in his belly to whip around to face the guilty party.

“You! Get out of my house, now!”

Patrick quivered with fear. “U-uh, okay,” he stuttered, and then promptly threw himself out the window.

Spongebob approached Squidward and placed a comforting hand on his arm. “Hey, it’s okay! We can go pick up coffee ourselves; a change of scenery might help get those creative juices flowing.”

Squidward scowled at Spongebob. “The only thing I need flowing is the water out the door from you leaving!”

Spongebob pulled his hand away. “Alright, Squidward, I understand. You need to have some time to yourself to process your loss. Don’t be afraid to reach out to me, though, I really mean it.”

“OUT!”

“See ya later, Squiddy!” Spongebob waved and daintily slid out of the room between the two firefighters.

Once Squidward had had a chance to salvage what he could from his wrecked kitchen area, he flopped on his couch. He was exhausted in every manner imaginable. He tried very hard to focus on the parts of his ground floor that wouldn’t need massive renovation, and it was then that he noticed a small envelope slipped under his front door.

Squidward picked it up and noticed it was unmarked. Well, his day couldn’t get much worse, so he might as well open it.

It wasn’t difficult for Squidward to recognize the scrawled handwriting on sight.

Dear Squidward,

You’re not a failure.

Love, your number one fan

An amateurish yellow rectangle-and-stick figure was drawn at the bottom of the page, presumably in lieu of a signature.

Squidward sighed for the umpteenth time that evening. That ridiculous goofball really didn’t know how to leave him to wallow in his own self pity.

...But that didn’t mean Squidward might not take him up on his offer of another casual jam session. Maybe. Someday.

#squidbob #subtle pre relationship stuff oh boy #spongebob squarepants #fic by s moose

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thetavolution · 4 months

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INGRID SULLENBERGER | Wood Elf | Druid | She/Her | 128

What is your Tav’s…

Favorite Weapon: Incandescent Staff. Bex did briefly talk her into casting Shillelagh on a salami though. That was kind of fun.

Style of Combat: She uses Shillelagh often, but she also likes to have a lot of undead at her side to help her fight. She prefers to keep her distance from her opponents on the battlefield. She uses a lot of spells to attack her foes.

Most Prized Possession: She carries a small music box that her siblings gifted her before she left home. She takes it with her everywhere she goes.

Guilty Pleasure: She has a huge sweet tooth, loves cheesy romance novels, and she enjoys listening to some good gossip.

Greatest Strength: She'll never run from a fight and she doesn't let people down. She'll do everything she can to protect her loved ones, even when she's scared out of her mind.

Fatal Flaw: She's terrified all of the time. She's timid and a pushover in her private life. She's prone to debilitating bouts of existential dread.

Favorite Smell: Chai, Sage, Lavender, and Petrichor

Favorite Spell or Cantrip: Shillelagh and Reanimate Dead

Pet Peeve: The fact people hate spiders so much. (She loves the little guys.) She hates it when people disrespect nature and when people spit on the ground.

Hidden Talent: She's a skilled tattoo artist. If you need a tattoo, look no further! She's got you covered.

Leisure Activity: She loves to read (mostly horror and romance), spend time in nature, and spend time around animals.

Favorite Drink: Chili Chai

Comfort Food: Honey Cake or Potato Soup

Favorite Person: She could never pick just one. Her heart belongs to Halsin, but Minty and Laura are her long time best friends. They're like sisters to her. She loves all of her companions.

Fondest Childhood Memory: Her childhood was rough so she doesn't have a lot of fond memories of it. When she was 8-years-old, she disappeared into the nearby woods until it got dark. It was her first time being completely alone, away from home. She found so much comfort just being in nature all by herself for the first time. It was the day she decided she wanted to be a druid.

#tav bg3 #bg3 tav #tav oc #baldurs gate 3 #tav baldur's gate #bg3 oc #my tav #bg3 #halsin x tav

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kawaiiphancake · 7 years

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TAGGY THING

Rules: 1. Always post the rules 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you 3. Write 11 questions of your own 4. Tag 11 people tagged by @clxudnxne ty so much you're too kind oml 💖 11 questions: 1. how would you describe your personality? Kind of like a packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, I mean, some people like me whilst some people don't, some people think I'm too crazy and out there to even bother going near, some think I'm not risky enough for their liking and some people are put off but when they try getting to know me they release I'm not that bad. What an analogy hahah 😂 2. how’s been your day so far? Well I literally just woke up about 15 minutes ago, so pretty good so far! 3. can you play any instrument/s or sing? I used to play the flute, but now I play guitar and I'm learning piano too :D 4. what’s your worst fear? I know this is supposed to be a short answer, but I just wanted to share this existential burst I had: I've been thinking ..what is fear? Like, fear is a worried feeling of discomfort or anxiety one gets when scared or dreading something but fear can be so different. Fear comes in all shapes and sizes, so when someone asks me "what's your biggest fear?" I honestly didn't know what to tell them. I was thinking about this, like am I scared of the typical things (like spiders, snakes and heights) or am I deeper than that? Is my biggest fear the death of my loved ones or companions? The world is a scary place. There are so many things humans are openly vulnerable to. So that's when I began thinking, which one of these threats scares me, personally, the most. Is it an animal? Is it a death? I wasn't able to tell. That's when I started to link these things together. So, what made spiders so scary people could deem them their "greatest fear"? Well, spiders and snakes will hurt if they bite you and could potentially be life threateningly poisonous, so that is one reason they'd be feared. Heights are seen as scary due to the possibility of falling off of them, hence causing injuries or imminent death. So that's probably why people don't like heights, but what about death of family, then, that's entirely different, right? Well yes, and no. I came to the conclusion that these fears (and many more) are all connected to what everyone fears. So death of someone you cared about so, for instance, say a friend, how would that affect you enough to cause you to be scared of it? It would upset you, causing you mental and emotional pain. Yes, you may not bleed like if you did if you got bitten by the spider, but you'd still be impacted similarly. You'd still be in pain. Emotional or physical, all humans, I've concluded, fear pain. Whether it's causing someone else pain, feeling physical pain or emotional pain, all humans are scared of potential pain. So, yeah, pain is my deepest fear. 5. something that makes you happy? Phan, music, pancakes, YouTube, doggos, books, achieving my goals and anime 6. do you have any pets? A doggo and some yabbies 7. what’s your favorite colour? In general it's purple, but a specific shade so probably black too (especially on clothing) 8. what’s your favorite thing about yourself? My morality 9. what’s the meaning of your name? Foresighted and wealthy (*cough* *cough* not true *cough) 10. tea or coffee? TEA ALL THE WAY. ESPECIALLY GREEN TEA 🍵 anything macha flavoured I will devour tbh 11. what is your favorite song lyrics and why? Um I don't know about all time, but lately I've been loving the twenty one pilots lyric in their song forest "Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name?" Also "I scream, you scream, we all scream 'cause we're terrified // of what's around the corner" is great too (I just love tøp like a lot I'm sorry I have a blog dedicated to them @jishwas-new-best-fren !!!spon!!!) I going to tag just a couple of people... @smol-anime-phan133 @emseseis @misshktt Aaaand I'm really late to this tag so I'm just gonna leave the questions the same haha :) have funnn!

#thanks for the tag!!#have fun #sorry it's so long oml just ignore haha #not phan

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