#got other stuff to do but this is worth the detour

[hitwiththetmnt]

INFINA-BOOP

#we booping out here? #got other stuff to do but this is worth the detour #boop #hit #random

[therecordconnection]

Some Thoughts Regarding James Somerton

I know I'm rather late to the conversation and some of these points may have already been talked about in some form elsewhere on the site, but if you don't mind, I have some thoughts of my own regarding the subject of hbomberguy's latest video and I would like to take time to voice. This blog is normally dedicated to music and music writing, not posts about disgraced Youtubers, so I apologize for the detour in regularly scheduled programming.

First, I think it's important to make the distinction that Somerton isn't just a case of "problematic Youtube guy got owned... twice" but rather a genuine case of academic dishonesty, which is several grades above youtuber drama. This isn't something like Tati Westbrook getting angry at James Charles for sucking dick and cock at a birthday dinner. This isn't Ethan Klein and Trisha Paytas or whomever having beef. It's not Charlie Critikal talking about some stupid drama of the day or someone just using Youtube videos to say a bunch of gross and problematic stuff. No. This is a fucking grifter who not only lied, cheated, and stole his way to the top, but also did it by using a vulnerable community that has long had their voices snuffed out and their history completely rewritten or wiped from existence altogether. What history he didn't plagiarize, he twisted and outright lied about. He just made shit up to suit his own gross agenda.

A lot of things about James Somerton left me absolutely livid, and I admit that I didn't even know who he was until hbomberguy's video. I think what makes me the most mad is that I went to undergrad and grad school with a number of jackoffs that were just like him. People that didn't give a shit about the art of writing and research and just treated academia and the pursuit of knowledge and how to critically engage with art and media into a stupid game that only chumps take seriously. Somerton pisses me off because I AM a writer. When I write the Ranting and Raving series of posts on here, that stuff doesn't just fly out of my ass. I have to sit with a song, study it, research it, and make sure I know what I'm talking about so I don't look like a clown. I also have to make sure that I link and credit where I'm getting information from. It's not just important for my own satisfaction, but it's important for anyone who stumbles upon a post on this blog and takes time out of their day to read it and/or reblog it.

I think that's the part that makes me the most mad. That he and Nick Hergott have so little respect for the work that goes into researching and writing about a topic that other people are really passionate about. Spending time with something, studying it, and figuring out an interesting and unique perspective on it is a great feeling. Sharing what you find or how you see something with others and having them either like or reblog your work is an even greater feeling. That's my writing that somebody enjoyed and thought was worth sharing with others. Fuck fuck fuck Somerton for thinking you can take a million little shortcuts to get to that result.

While I'm on the topic, I don't think Hergott gets a pass for Somerton's actions. I've seen some people make the argument that he isn't complicit and there's a chance that he genuinely had no clue that Somerton was doing this... but I don't buy it. There's no way he didn't know and wasn't in on it in some capacity. Even if he wasn't, as Todd in the Shadows pointed out in his video on this situation, Nick is, whether you like it or not, an accomplice to Somerton's lies and he is complicit in the blame, due to his name being included in the "Written By" credit of a lot of those videos with Somerton. The way I see it, I find it hard to believe that he couldn't have known. I imagine part of Hergott's signing on with Somerton was that in the event that shit hits the fan, Hergott would be used as a fall guy to help deflect accusations of plagiarism.

To return to Somerton, in a way, he's almost worse than AI/Chat-GPT because, really, an AI has no morals. It can only do what someone punches in and tells it to do. Somerton is a guy who does have genuinely insidious ambitions and knows fully what he's doing. That shit about "only the boring gays who didn't mess around in the eighties survived the aids crisis" is the wildest and grossest accusation I've seen about gay people in some time. The wild takes about the Nazis (especially all the wrong things he said about fitness relating to Nazis) should also raise a lot of red flags. I'll say this though, I don't blame anybody in the slightest for not fully realizing Somerton was saying shit like that or doing all of what he was doing until hbomberguy and Todd presented it a certain way and made it all very clear. It's easy to not notice it when Somerton buries it by ripping stuff off from other, better writers. So, if you were someone who was a big fan and was genuinely shocked by the things Todd had to fact-check and debunk and worried that you're a bad person for having not caught any of them, trust me, you're not. Nobody should blame you for not catching it. <3

While I'm ranting about this, I want to say that Somerton's patreon grift was really gross to see exposed as well (through Dan Olson's really great thread, which can be read here). I understand the allure of wanting to buy expensive gear and thinking that's somehow needed in order to make Good Content™️, but there's a stark difference between someone saying "I think I need to shell out a little money in order to get something of higher quality" and "I need to have the appearance of looking like my stuff is being made with high quality stuff." As someone who has been experimenting with trying to turn his writing into video, I did some audio tests this weekend and realized that maybe (just maybe) the old Turtle Beach microphone my brother left behind when he moved out isn't going to cut it. If I want to record something I can be happy with, I'm gonna have to bite it and look at getting something decent, but somewhat affordable from a Best Buy or something. You don't need the best tech in order to make something great, but you can't use copper tools forever if you have the means to be able to enjoy using iron ones, you know?

Somerton's grift reminded me of guys like Onision and Spoony. Grifters who looked to Patreon and other creator donation sites for an easy pay day and would bitch and cry and complain that it's your fault when they don't get it. Somerton making poor financial choices ON TOP of it being money that he scammed from a community of people that were looking to invest in a voice that they genuinely thought was speaking for them in a meaningful way, only makes the grift more disgusting and foul. Even if he's just "some Youtuber," Somerton still had a responsibility to his audience to present queer topics in an ACCURATE manner. He didn't and we all have the right to be angry with him about it. This isn't just silly youtuber controversy, this is academic dishonesty in it's purest form and if it gets you expelled from any college program, it should get you expelled from being able to show your face on Youtube as well, which is how Somerton's story will end.

I've been on the internet for many years. I've seen some of the worst, most problematic creators of all time find a way to bounce back from all kinds of controversy and find some kind of success again. I don't think that will happen for Somerton. Not one bit. What he's done is something you can never come back from, no matter how much you try to reform. If two different youtubers can make two completely different videos about why you suck, I don't think there's any recovery. What happened this weekend is a now classic episode of World's Most One Sided Fist Fights Caught on Film.

This post has gone on for a while, so let me wrap it up. I mean this without hyperbole and without exaggeration: James Somerton is a disgrace to both media criticism and the art of video creation. I genuinely hope he remains propped up as a cautionary tale of what can happen when you fully decide you have absolutely no respect for the Humanities and decide that lying, cheating, and stealing your way to the top, all while scamming and being incredibly shitty towards a community that has long suffered and is STILL suffering greatly to this day, is better than any kind of academic honesty. I understand that Somerton is just "some youtube fraud" to some people, but the problem lies more in what Somerton's actions and motivations represent. I really think hbomberguy's video on plagiarism is going to do a lot of good. It's going to help a lot of people avoid doing it as well as help people become more aware of what it really looks like and all the damage it can do.

Thank you for your time.

P.S. It doesn't really need to be said at this point, but make sure you support the queer voices and writers that did the work Somerton thought was good enough to just copy and paste into a video. They're the ones that suffered the most through all of this and my heart goes out to them, from one writer to another. <3

#original post #plagarism and you(tube) #james somerton #hbomberguy #todd in the shadows

[verymuchbabey]

flower meanings and love

pro hero! shoto x reader

genre: fluff!! :D

synopsis: your husband shoto notices a flower shop during patrol and decides to get some <3

a/n : i love writing domestic stuff it's so fun :>

It was while he walking on patrol that he noticed a flower shop that was hidden away in the corner of a street. His steps slowed down as he took a look through the window that showed a number of different flowers.

He stared at awe at the plants, something about the flowers made him instantly think about you. Maybe it was the pleasant smell that escaped out from the front door of the shop or maybe it was the vibrant colors that the flowers showed.

So he makes a mental note to visit the small shop before he goes home to you.

✿✿✿✿

Shoto huffed out a sigh clocking off from work and starting his walk back home. He was exhausted to say the least, it was tough work being a pro hero but it was all worth it in his opinion when he would go home to your hugs and words of appraisement saying how proud you were of him.

Although the walk from work to home was quick he still dreaded it because of how sore his body usually was by the end of the day. But today he had a mission to visit that flower place he saw earlier and he definitely planned to get a bouquet for you.

It was only a slight detour from his regular path so he didn't mind as much especially if it were to get his lovely wife a gift. He adjusted the strap of his duffel bag that hung on his shoulder which carried his hero stuff including his hero outfit and walked into the shop.

The aroma was the same as he remembered it from just a few hours ago. He looked around for any employees and spotted one at a checkout counter reading a magazine.

He walked up to them and cleared his throat to get their attention. The person looked up due to the sound and gave a shocked expression at the hero in front of them.

"Pro hero Shoto!!" She shouted out before smacking a hand over her mouth as the words seemed to slip out without thought.

He gave a neutral type of expression at her, he always gets recognized in public so it wasn't a surprise that she realized who he was immediately.

"Yes, I wanted to get flowers for my wife. Do you have any recommendations?" He got straight to the point not wanting to waste a lot of time to not worry you about where he was.

The woman regained her composure then stuttered out a response for him. "U-um sure thing let me get my husband out to help you pick something for her." She gave a quick smile before rushing through a nearby door that probably led to a backroom with supplies.

Shoto stood there for moment admiring the flowers and other plants that sat on the counter. He figured this might take a bit of time so he took out his phone to shoot you a quick text that he'll be a little late.

A man that looked to be around the same age as the women from before was shoved out of the door with a loud whisper from the wife that clearly said "Don't forget to get a picture with him!" before the door shut.

The man raised his eyebrows at the sight of Shoto, just as shocked as his wife was before. "So...my wife says that you need help picking flowers. Correct?"

Shoto nodded his head explaining how he thought of you as he passed by the shop. The man hummed leading him to a type of flower that he thought would be perfect for Shoto.

"Forgot-me-nots!" The man said picking up the flowers so Shoto can inspect them more closely. From the name Shoto was a bit skeptical but he couldn't deny that they were definitely beautiful flowers.

The man noticed this and chuckled at his reaction. "Forget-me-nots, it's assumed from Greek mythology that the name came from Zeus forgetting to name this flower." The man walked back to the counter getting the bouquet ready for Shoto not realizing that he had entirely captured the attention of the pro hero about this flower.

"The most common meaning of this flower is true love and respect. I remember seeing somewhere that if you give these flowers to someone it represents a promise that you will always remember them and will keep them in your thoughts." With some quick final touches he shows Shoto the final product of the bouquet asking if he'd like to purchase them.

Shoto was never one for understanding flower meanings, all he knew was that roses meant love. But hearing the man describe this flower's meaning in detail he knew it would be perfect for you. Plus he knew you would love to hear the story behind these blue flowers.

So he bought the bouquet giving a big tip to the man for helping him. And Shoto made sure to take a quick picture with the man before leaving.

✿✿✿✿

As he opened the door he was greeted by your voice coming from the kitchen saying you were preparing dinner still and calling him over to taste something.

He smiled at the sound of you humming as he came closer to the kitchen. As he walked in with your back facing him he said "Honey, I have something for you." You turned around and gasped at the flowers he held in his hand towards you.

You put down the utensils you were using and turned down the stove. Wiping your hands off on your apron before you took the flowers from him.

"Oh they're beautiful Sho!!" You put them into an empty vase that you had lying around and filled it with a bit of water. He watched as you carefully handled the flowers as if one wrong touch would hurt them.

His heart swelled as he heard the ring on your finger make a noise as it clashed with glass of the vase a couple of times. If anyone could see him now they would know that he was so so in love with you. He practically had hearts for eyes whenever he gazed at you.

You turned to him giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "What's the occasion? I didn't even get you anything." You teased as he wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his head into the crook of your neck and laying his body weight on you like a weighted blanket finally feeling at home after a long day. "I just thought of you that's all."

taglist form -> <3

#shoto x reader #todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki #todoroki shouto #shoto fluff #todoroki fluff #shoto todoroki x reader #todoroki x reader fluff #bnha x reader fluff #bnha x reader #bnha fluff #bnha fanfiction #bnha imagines #bnha #mha x reader fluff #mha fluff #mha #mha fanfiction #mha todoroki #mha imagines #I totally googled that stuff about the flowers so idk if it's really correct or not :/ #finally found my motivation to write again I really hope it doesn't go away >_< #i had so much fun writing this one omg #im thinking of redoing my whole blog but idk if i have the time or will to... #PLUS I GRADUATED HIGHSCHOOL LAST MONTH AND I'M SO SCARED AND EXCITED TO START COLLEGE IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS AHHH

[the-afronick]

Normally I like to tally up everything I've beaten on an annual basis but I've been lacking the last two years, so this is three years' worth of finished games: 2021-2023. Also been lacking in finishing stuff until the last third of this year but I think I've got the swing of things again. There are other games finished/completed I've chosen to not count here as they were simply different ports of games I've already done before, but I'm still counting MW1 Remastered to make it a nice even 50.

Since this is all getting typed up right now in one afternoon, enjoy some quick thoughts on each of these.

Finished

Yakuza Kiwami (2017) - Yeah it still feels like a weird version of the immaculate Yakuza 0. I'm not the authority on these but I'm unsure if I'd recommend this over the PS2 game to someone who is willing to play the original.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012) - I liked the split campaigns, though moreso the 80s one. Probably need to play Arma 1 or Reforger to satisfy that Cold War craving now that '83 is canned.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2016) - I think I got this with Infinite Warfare off of a keysite primarily to use this remaster as an excuse to replay CoD4. Still enjoyed it and really ended up liking the enhanced visuals/touch-ups in animations. 2007 is still fine to play but this was a fun detour. I want to try the Wii version at some point.

Death Stranding (2019) - A game I was way more curious about its story than I was its gameplay pre-release ended up being enjoyed the other way around. I loved Hiking Simulator 2019, cresting peaks and sliding down into cities while some Low Roar kicks in... and everything about the environments as you head west are the greatest. I'm probably gonna get the PC version of Director's Cut to play it again at some point.

Shellshock: Nam '67 (2004) - What should be a simple arcade third-person shooter ends up being frustrating because reticle bloom is way too much for some of the engagement distances. Not the worst I've ever played but I'm probably not going back to it ever.

Thunder Force AC (1990/2020 Sega AGES release) - I mean I like Thunder Force IV more but hey III's pretty good, and so is its arcade version.

Vietcong (2003) - Originally recommended to me by a friend and I kick myself for not getting to it sooner. Fun, tense campaign of having to take caution every with every move, guns felt great, and overall I had a good time. Regrettably couldn't play the online but ah well.

Postal 2: Paradise Lost (2015) - More of what I remember from playing Postal 2. It's still silly.

Touhou Youyoumu ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom (2003) - This is the one. Yeah, 6 gets the recognition because it's the reboot and has the top-tiered fan favorite characters but 7 takes the wrinkles of 6 and irons them out to a fine crispness. Good patterns, good bosses, and good music. I have no complaints. Want to play a Touhou game? This one.

Touhou Reiiden ~ The Highly Responsive to Prayers (1997) - I first played this at an anime convention in a hotel room full of Touhou cosplayers on their laptop they had hooked up to their TV, mainly wanting to show off where it all started. Touhou's kinda fun as a Breakout game, but this is more of a curiosity than anything nowadays.

Ninja Gaiden (1988) - My second favorite Castlevania game, but man FUCK Act 6.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... (2021) - I mean what else can be said that hasn't already. It's nice that Nier 1 got a revisit after Automata set the world on fire and even though this didn't do its numbers, I missed my friends :)

U.N. Squadron (1990) - Glorious. The SNES/SFC version offers a fantastic and better conversion from the arcade game allowing for choice in mission order and choice in plane selection (though the YF-23 and F200 are effectively the only way to win) to work in tandem with your pilot's unique skill. Not particularly a great adaptation from Area 88 if you're looking for its story and characters but that's not what this game is aiming for - instead, it takes the elements that would work in a shooter and only those elements. You're mercenaries so money is the key to everything, mainly your weapons loadout. There are large superweapons, some taken straight from the manga. The only downside is the grinding element to get more money for better planes in the form of a strafing run special stage that you'll have to play over and over. Highly recommend.

IKUSAAAAAAAN! (2018) - I actually can't comment too much on this one since I only played it through once but it was fun and highly energetic, and Iku is my second fave 2hu so that's a plus.

Halo: Fireteam Raven (2018) - "hey let's play this since we're all together and it's a Saturday night which means bad co-op game night but now IRL!" (moments before friend temporarily lost their wallet.) We finished the fight, but at what cost? About $20 and an hour.

F-Zero X (1997) - Everyone likes GX (and you should) but I like to describe X as the first five feet of stairs on the difficulty curve of F-Zero. You absolutely can lift yourself up those missing steps but wouldn't it be better to ease your way on up? Very fast and grippy compared to SNES F-Zero. I also like the rock/metal soundtrack as opposed to GX's industrial (which again, still good, just not as good). Dream Chaser the greatest. Also that arranged music album is killer.

Project Wingman (2020) - Did you like Ace Combat Zero? Of course you did. Here you go, have some more. It's kinda weird how even with the option to bring in multiple types of special weapons, the strongest thing you're armed with are your normal-ass machine guns.

Neo Contra (2004) - The Shock Troopers 3 we deserved. All I have to do to sell you on this is show you the opening to the one stage where Bill and Jaguar are running on top of helicopter blades.

Udongein X (2021) - There are a surprising amount of Mega Man-inspired Touhou fangames out there to the point where they can be divided into inspired by classic series and X amongst others (maybe there's a Battle Network one too?) This is the latter and since it felt most like MMX1 to me, I liked it a lot.

Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP (2022) - Welcome to the Fantasy nep Zone.

Mega Man 8 (1996) - I hate this fuckin game.

Made Man (2006) - Frustrating. I was expecting a mafia clone of Max Payne but instead it's a cover-shooter with the most mediocre gunplay and braindead AI I've seen in a while. Also the bullet time only activates once you fill the meter and upon manual-deactivation, you lose all of the remainder. Kind of a shame too because some of the setpieces are fun (one of my favorites being a gunfight in the rafters above a rock concert at Madison Square Garden) but it just sucks otherwise. The main voice actor, Rick Pasqualone, does too good of a job for this game when everyone else is phoning it in and I'm glad he got a second shot in a better game as Vito from Mafia II.

P-47 Aces (1995) - Recommended by my friend @bizarredawdler. I got my ass beat.

Carrier Air Wing (1990) - If you liked the arcade version of U.N. Squadron specifically, this is more of the same. Not as good but hey, dogfighting the space shuttle isn't something you do everyday.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (2022) - This was fun, and probably the first beat'em up that I began to understand rather than just fumble my way through. Would like to do a co-op run with friends at some point. Played as Donatello, he seems cool.

Freedom Planet 2 (2022) - My GOTY 2022. Despite my teasing in numerous late night calls that this was one of those games where the slightest inconvenience resulted in a delay, I can honestly say my expectations were met, exceeded, and blown away. Enjoyed Freedom Planet 1 a lot back in 2015 and while originally hesitant that the artstyle change would bring a gameplay change, all of that faded away when that first demo came out. It's still just as fast and hard-hitting as the first one if not moreso. The reworks to each characters' movesets are nice. Neera is a great additional player character. God I wish someone could get these homebrew'd onto a Saturn because that's the only way this could get more perfect. My one (1) complaint is now Classic Mode being locked behind beating Story Mode once which, while I like the cutscenes and characters, makes it a little harder to recommend to people who just want the pure gameplay that you could immediately access in 1. That's the only thing I'd change.

Panzer Dragoon: Remake (2020) - It sure is Panzer Dragoon 1 but prettier, but oh boy I would not recommend it for full-price precisely because it is Panzer Dragoon 1 with all of its under-an-hour length intact. There's an achievement for playing it for 100 hours... also one for dying once. Don't have either!

Drainus (2022) - Team Ladybug caught my eye and captured my heart with Touhou Luna Nights, and ever since then I'm on board with whatever they've thrown at me. I still haven't finished Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth but I did play this, which was a pretty fun, if not easy STG. Looks nice too!

Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015) - God the campaign sucked except for one part (you know the one). If you get this, only get it because Zombies workshop support is still alive and well.

Halo 5: Guardians (2015) - I cannot, cannot, cannot stress enough how many times I said "Halo 4 did this better." An absolute goddamn slog of a singleplayer with a dumbass story. The teammate AI will not save you or will kill themselves trying to save you despite the game being designed around squad mechanics. Halo's never been good at boss fights, so here have the same one over and over and now there's three of him hahahaha! I hear "multiplayer is good though!" sure it might be, wouldn't know, don't really care to know.

Dolphin Blue (2003) - Neat little run and gun. Liked the 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds here, very vibrant.

Demonizer (2020) - Neat little shooter, though it does punish you harsher later on for taking hits and losing your allies. One of those if you mess up late you might as well restart.

Ace Combat: Joint Assault (2010) - I really enjoyed Skies of Deception, the other PSP Ace Combat. This one is not that, dropping the Strangereal setting for our own and going with a plot involving insurance CEOs I think. Back to linear mission structure, no choosing the order. Could not play the Joint missions in which you and friends tackle operations at the same time affecting one another which is this game's entire gimmick. I don't remember any of the original music but there are plenty of AC2/3 tracks here which are good.

Demon Front (2002) - Kinda hard run and gun, though it's something I'll have to put more time into to get the groove of it. Otherwise, neat Metal Slug-inspired game! Recommended by a friend who I'm not sure wants to be named.

Raiden II (1993) - I like Raiden. Raiden II is more of that. Simple as.

Burnout (2001) - Another one of those games where you probably played a later one and went back only to discover there's kind of an idea here but it needs to get flushed out a little bit more. I started on this one back in the day and only finally got around to finishing, this time on the Xbox version. Not a whole lot going on here apart from being a standard AA racer of the time with a crash mechanic that's more discouraged than encouraged like its later entries. That AI rubberbanding isn't nearly as bad as NFS Underground 1's but it gets pretty bad. I don't regret playing this but I don't see myself going back, especially now having started 2 which is the ideal form of early Burnout.

Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn (2013) - After teasing my friend @thathomestar for years about it, I finally caved. I don't know MMOs or their systems or what makes for a good one, so I won't speak to its quality. I can make my catgirl fish so hell yeah.

Quake: Dimension of the Past (2016) - Where's the ammo? My gun needs more food!

Quake: Dimension of the Machine (2021) - Gameplay-wise it's more Quake which I love but holy shit do some of these levels look good.

8-Bit Commando (2011) - I thought this would be an okay Contra clone but instead it's subpar. I do like the verticality of your path, but it does feel more linear than it should be. Difficulty is easy even on Hard Mode. There's this weird thing where it'll upload replays of your gameplay as workshop items if you let it, so turn that off as soon as possible. Otherwise, you can't buy this anymore outside of keysites. Done to get footage of the dopefish in it.

Operation C (1991) - Quick, easy, but it is Contra, and nobody does it like Contra.

Contra III: The Alien Wars (1992) - Much like Super Castlevania IV, the jump to the Super Nintendo meant that Contra was gonna get a boost in just about every aspect... and much like Castlevania, I still prefer the original NES game to its SNES sequel. That said, I do think Contra III comes out ahead of CV4 with the amount of cool moments that happen, and abilities like locking the aim direction or standing in place and rotating your angle of shooting are accounted for in the increased difficulty. Very cool title, but personally not my favorite.

The Citadel (2020) - This is a fascinating game. While riding the retro-FPS wave, it still includes mechanics from modern shooters like bullet drop, travel time, weapon condition, hunger(?), full-body awareness (even as sprites!), and so on. Levels are really monochromatic. Very bloody and loud when it gets violent, and boy howdy does it get violent. And yet, there's this certain bleak serenity during level exploration that I haven't felt in a while. Looking forward to the sequel.

Castlevania: The Adventure (1989) - You know what? "Battle of the Holy" isn't just a good song, it's good even by Castlevania standards. And that's about the only good thing I can say about this dull game. I'll have to play ReBirth at some point.

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (1991) - Better, but I'd rather be playing something else.

Risk of Rain 2 (2020) - This is cheating since I've only seen credits twice or three times, and I normally don't do the roguelikes so again I won't speak too much to it, but I like this one. I've had a fun time alone but it's definitely a lot of fun with friends, and I hope we can come back to it.

Kid Dracula (1990) - What if Castlevania was Mega Man? is my clickbait attention grabber, but also a pretty apt description. It's easy apart from this one railcart section which I felt like I got through on sheer luck than anything else. Still enjoyable.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992/2021 Absolute Version) - I've never actually beaten Sonic 2 legit, half from getting pissed off by the special stages and half because I get bored by the time Oil Ocean rolls around. Now that the special stages are actually in 3D and have a draw distance, I finally was able to get through and grab all Chaos Emeralds for the first time without save states or sound test cheat codes. And I was finally able to appreciate just how good Sonic 2 is once that weight was lifted. The levels are fun and a vast improvement over Sonic 1's, and the 2-Act structure works a lot better for pacing. And during the final boss, doing it legit gave a level of pressure that a final boss should rather than turning on debug mode and spamming rings to help out. I think I can go beat this even more legit on my Genesis without the modern assists, but it is thanks to this version that I gained the confidence to do so. Just needed a little help up is all.

Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit (2022) - I had a big old dumb smile on my face the entire time.

Sonic After the Sequel (2013/2017 DX version) - I enjoyed this one too. A bit more lengthy due to a four-act structure per zone and the special stages are slightly more miss than hit for me, but it all worked out in the end. The true final boss had my friends and I laughing.

That's all. I'm gonna try to finish up a couple more Sonic games in the new year and also try to beat the Burnout series, with some other stuff along the way.

#year in summary

[jomiddlemarch]

While You Were Sleeping

Epilogue

“We’re never going to sleep again. Ever,” Hermione said from her end of the circuit around the kitchen, before Draco could head into the conservatory detour that Neville had suggested might at least help with their mental health, if it did nothing to aid in the ultimate goal of the twins sleeping for more than an hour at a time. She’d had to raise her voice a little, so Draco could hear her over the babies’ crying, but she couldn’t get too loud or strident, because then the crying would become howling on Rose’s part and a glass-shattering shriek on Scorpius’s. Any significant pausing in walking yielded the same response. 

“If you agreed, we could get a House—” Draco began. Again. His grey joggers were low around his hips, his feet bare, a ratty tee-shirt that couldn’t be made any rattier by regurgitated milk thrown on hastily when she’d called him from the nursery.

“Don’t start the ‘House-elves make perfectly fine nannies, see how I turned out argument.’ You know how I feel about it, even if we paid an exorbitant amount, and though I love you dearly, I wouldn’t say the nannying you received did you any favors at Hogwarts. You were a preening little prat for the first few years, when there was some pretense we were children and not pawns,” Hermione replied. “I also don’t want to hear about Black family magicks that would do the trick, either from you or your mother.”

“We’re not following Molly Weasley’s advice and using gin,” Draco said, patting Scorpius on the back in a rhythm that seemed to soothe their son. Or it didn’t and they were deluding themselves. Sleep deprivation could do that to a person, Hermione recalled, from a time when she had done research in a library, wearing a clean jersey and drinking a cup of tea hot from the pot, not stewed and cold and generally disgusting but charmed not to grow Wizarding penicillin on the surface. 

“She might have meant we should drink the gin, not that we’d dose the babies, now that I think about it. It’s all fuzzy when I look back,” Hermione said. 

“I hate gin,” Draco said. “Simply loathe the stuff.”

“I know. I remember that about you. From a time when we had drinks on a trolley in the sitting room or went to the pub,” Hermione said. He liked wine, preferably red and full-bodied, though he’d get a pint of Guinness if they went out with friends. He’d rather drink Butterbeer than a G&T and forget about a martini, dirty or otherwise. Her craving for cocktail onions had been rather a sore point during her pregnancy, though he’d fetched them and learned not to turn up his nose at her when she ate a jar’s worth in a sitting.

“What’s a pub?” Draco said wryly. 

Scorpius squawked. If his Patronus wasn’t some avian species, Hermione would eat her hat. She’d have to fit her traditional pointed witch’s hat first, but then she’d eat it. Maybe she’d chase it with a Gibson.

“Shh, darling boy, it’s all right, Papa’s got you,” Draco murmured, brushing his lips against Scorpius’ wispy blond curls. 

Despite the screaming and the exhaustion and the near-constant desire to hex her earlier overly confident and entirely wrong self, the one who’d said things like, twins won’t be so terribly difficult and maybe it’s more efficient to have them together, the babies can keep each other company and they won’t be lonely when they went off to Hogwarts, really, it was a blessing to have twins first, Hermione couldn’t help melting a little whenever she heard Draco talking to their babies, especially when he referred to himself as Papa. She opened her mouth to say something fond and tender, but Scorpius yelped and gurgled and Draco sighed.

“Another geyser. Perhaps we should get those disposable cloths Potter was on about, since we can’t risk Vanishing the spit-up,” he said. Spells around magical infants could be dicey and with a mother as powerful as Hermione, they’d had to play it extra safe.

“He’ll be hungry now,” Hermione said, not even bothering to answer the remark about the burp cloths. Once, her mind had been filled with complex runic equations and the Zaragosta variations on the Berenicean charm progression. Now, she was too tired to even spend one neuron’s worth of attention on the question of burp cloths.

“Time to trade,” Draco said. 

Hermione walked over to the rocking chair, settling Rose on her lap for a moment. The novelty of the perspective change would buy about 90 seconds of relative quiet. Draco came over, put Scorpius into the crook of Hermione’s arm and scooped up Rose. His exceptional Quidditch skills were being put to this exclusive use but Hermione suspected both the babies would be avid players, Rose the more likely Seeker. She fiddled a bit with her top and got Scorpius latched on, stroking his plump cheek very lightly so he wouldn’t get distracted and fall off, screaming with frustration. Nursing, he looked very serious, like Draco drafting a response to the Chinese delegation.

“Now, then, ma chére Mademoiselle Rose, let’s take a turn about the room and let Mummy take care of Scorpius,” Draco said. Rose made a series of noises which weren’t quite cries and could possibly be a language no adult was fluent in.

“Molly said it won’t always be this way,” Hermione offered. Scorpius was growing dozy against her breast, still nursing but with less vigor. He’d fall asleep this way but they’d probably only get an hour of rest from him and Rose’s hazel eyes were alert, peering over Draco’s shoulder.

“She would know. Circe’s garters, seven of them. It doesn’t bear contemplating,” Draco said. “My mother says we ought to be grateful, two healthy babies, no sign either will be a Squib, and I am. I am grateful and I love them—”

“You’d just like to get a full night’s sleep,” Hermione said. The first week, the babies had been drowsy and they’d had to wake them to nurse. It had been the right thing to do and Hermione still couldn’t believe they’d done it. Rose had gone nearly five hours when she was four days old and Hermione had faffed about writing thank-you cards for the new baby gifts and peering into the cradle to make sure Rose was breathing when she could have followed directions and slept when the baby slept, letting Draco be the one on duty to make sure the twins were awakened to feed. 

“I’d take four hours,” Draco said. 

“Three would do me,” Hermione yawned. Draco kept walking, Rose on his shoulder, and Hermione drifted for a bit, lost somewhere between dream and memory.

“You thought it would all go away when we came home. That it wasn’t real,” she said.

“Well, I was a fool and also besotted with you and hadn’t had a good night’s sleep for about ten days,” he said. “Also, we were faking being married. I was your fake-husband.”

“This is real,” she said. She shifted Scorpius to her shoulder, patting his back until he burped, praying he’d stay asleep through it. Draco smiled, too wise to risk laughter.

“It’s as real as it gets, love,” he said. Rose grizzled a bit but lowered her head, her silky dark curls shining against his fair skin, the faint silver stubble of his five-o’clock-now-three-am-shadow. He was tall and fit and terribly kind, terribly clever; he’d do anything for the three of them and he’d gotten her all those jars of pickled pearl onions and had snogged her silly when she had Gibson-breath. He had turned out well after all…

“I might have been overly rigid about the House-Elf proposal,” she said. “A few nights can’t do any harm and we’ll make sure they have exceptional benefits, a pension. The villa in Majorca—”

*

And that was how Pithy came to be the Granger-Black-Malfoy night nanny, the first House-elf with her own Gringotts vault, and the reason Hugo was born. 

Well, a reason. There was a responsible adult creature in the household and there was that villa in Majorca.

#dramione #fluffy #epilogue what epilogue #hermione x draco #hermione POV #hats off to all parents of multiples #babyfic x 2 #Hermione's principles re: House-elves are SHAKEN #scorpius malfoy #rose granger #references to alcohol #tw: pregnancy #fake married to as real as it gets

[djsherriff-responses]

I desperately need season two of CLH I’m going insane right now

Unlike my Jade and Sarah posts, this one is a lot more speculative as I’ll be discussing my theory regarding what Bullfrog’s backstory is and he’s the character we have the least information to go off of. I may also ramble about other stuff, but Bullfrog is the main focus

We got a lot of Sarah’s backstory in the show already , Dolph had a manga dedicated to explaining his and while Jade and Pey’J don’t have much going on, we do know they’re a close “family” (die Pey’J) and any other details about their lives we can at least make some educated guesses based on information from the show and outside sources. Cody probably has a wiki dedicated to him or something, idk

Bullfrog though, we know very little on him. We only know for sure that he’s the last member of the Assassins Creed, a group who fought for freedom and has been in conflict with the Templars for most of human history

But maybe that’s all the information we really need to figure the frog out

I made a lot of heavy comparisons between Bullfrog and Sarah beforehand in my Sarah post , especially in terms of their colour palette and the symbolism regarding that, but what exactly could Sarah's backstory hint to us regarding Bullfrog's backstory?

Firstly I want to take a quick detour to talk about Jade and Dolph , which will only highlight my theory on Bullfrog's story

While the relationships are very different at a first glance, upon further inspection I have noticed some similarities between the relationship Dolph has with Alex, and the relationship Jade has with Pey'J

Jade/Dolph takes care of Pey'J/Alex's well being , with Jade taking care of Pey'J emotionally while Dolph takes care of Alex physically

Pey’J/Alex sexualised Jade/Dolph , Alex was a groomer. Pey’J , despite knowing her since infancy and basically raised her, has confessed being attracted to Jade. How Pey'J sexualised Jade may just be my theory that he's meant as commentary on fathers who partake in purity culture, I think it's still worth bringing up regarding this pattern

Despite how young they are, Jade and Dolph are also more mature than the older men in their lives. While with Dolph that's debatable considering he spends most of season one dealing with a lot of negative emotions and wanting revenge, prior to the betrayal Alex behaved much more cocky and playful than Dolph who took the heist job more seriously than Alex. I already wrote a huge post about how Jade is basically made to mother her own uncle

Alex and Pey’J died on the same night by gun shots

But the major similarity between Jade and Dolph is they're victims of men much older than them, and those men are fatherly figures that Jade/Dolph trusted to protect them

Jade and Dolph are , possibly not by pure narrative coincidence, both orphans too. Jade's parents are straight up dead and Dolph has no clue if he even has a living relative, nevermind finding out what became of his parents

The common thread between Jade and Dolph's story is primarily focused on non blood related father figures that traumatised them

(I got nowhere else to add this but if Jade is in season two, I want her and Dolph to bond so badly and for them to become friends and help each other heal. They deserve a second chance at a good life)

What does that have to do with Bullfrog?

Let's look at the other ghosts

Cody is a celebrity cameo and isn't really a character with narrative purpose , so can't really pull anything from him. And Pey'J is.... Pey'J

Which leaves us with the one who kidnapped these people to form team ghost in the first place: Sarah Fisher

Now while Sarah is a character whose story is tied to her relationship with an older man , that relationship is nothing like the relationship Jade and Dolph have had with their respective old men

Though the relationship between Sam and Sarah is messy, the two also have genuine love for each other regardless of everything that's happened. Sam , while a human with flaws, was at the end of the day a loving father who wanted nothing but the best for Sarah and her well being. Sarah , as twisted as she has become, wanted nothing more than to have her father be safe

Sam has never been a predatory person to anyone , much less one that's comparable to Alex or Pey'J and certainly not towards his own daughter

Sam is a father who'd do anything to protect Sarah, his own flesh and blood

Since Sarah and Bullfrog are meant to represent the Templars and Assassins as well as the conflict of those two groups, than Bullfrog's story could have a strong focus on his bloodlines. Both groups in the original assassin games have had a strong focus on bloodlines within their respective organisations

Side note: While I’m not an expect on creed lore, being an Assassin or a Templar isn’t always something you’d inherent directly from a a parent or even grandparent. While the memories of past assassins is important to preserve, you don’t need to have any blood relation to join the brotherhood. I think I read somewhere it’s actually sometimes discouraged for assassins to start families (at least while they’re still actively an assassin? Need to look more into it). So while I do think the theme of family/bloodline and their legacies are going to be part of Bullfrog’s story, he himself isn’t going to be picky on who who can join him in (hopefully) rebuilding the brotherhood, it just adds to the already high amount of pressure the guy is under

Based on the deciphering on Bullfrog's mugshot, people have managed to make out that his full name may be "Bullfrog Korvin Jr". While some argue Bullfrog's surname may be "Kermit" instead, the Junior part of the name is easy to make out

Bullfrog Junior implies that there's a Bullfrog Senior for a little tadpole to be named after

I wanna point out as well that hybrid children exist in this universe and are seen along side human children, ( I'm assuming this is a field trip or something?). So while hybrids were created to fulfil a purpose in Eden , they can still get together and start families like any other hard working American Eden couple and if they're lucky their children can be involved in society along with human children, such as school activities

If I am onto something regarding Regan being in the Templar order and her being the reason Sarah has the ideals that she ended up having in the show , than it's my belief Bullfrog's story will parallel with Sarah in that regard and that Bullfrog had an Assassin parent, and that Assassin parent is the person who gave, or at least inspired, the beliefs Bullfrog holds on to in the show

This may be wishful thinking, but I'm gonna believe until proven otherwise that it was specifically Bullfrog's mother that was the Assassin parent

Besides wanting more women in this show I do actually have reasons to think Bullfrog's mother is the parent who passed on the assassin legacy to him, rather than his father

If Sarah and Bullfrog story's parallel each other , and the two are meant to represent the conflict between Templars and Assassins, how does Sam fit into that?

Simple: Sam doesn't

While it's entirely possible that Sam could've learned about the existence of the Assassin brotherhood before he died, we know that he had no knowledge of either the Assassins or their conflict with the Templars when Sarah was growing up. If he did, he would've been far more vigilant about the propaganda that was brainwashing his own kid, even if Regan was directly feeding it into Sarah’s brain

At most, we can take a guess the earliest Sam could've learned anything about the Assassins was some time after he lost custody of Sarah when she snitched on the watch dogs, and that's just a guess on the earliest he could've discovered them. Depending on how open they were in their involvement with the wasteland war or if they were even "public" at all in Eden prior to Bullfrog becoming the only member of the brotherhood, Sam may have died completely unaware of the mere existence of the Assassins

In other words, Sam was pretty much in the dark about the Templars and that side of Sarah’s lineage

Going off of this and my theory that Sarah and Bullfrog’s stories are meant to be parallels of one another, it stands to reason that Bullfrog Senior was , much like Sam , left unaware of the Assassin brotherhood and that part of his own son’s lineage

Bullfrog and Sarah inheriting their mothers’ legacies of eternal conflict with each other can be a sort of play on the phase “sins of the father”. At least with Sarah , having it be “sins of the mother” makes more sense since Sam is more or less a good guy in the narrative who doesn’t have any sort of millennial old legacy to uphold, and for Bullfrog? Again , wishful thinking

If I really wanted to push that angle, I can probably make a reference to Eve , the first sinner and mother of all humanity. Bullfrog is technically already the snake offering a fruit of forbidden knowledge to Rayman’s Adam , so the symbolism is already present

“But it’s kinda weird that Bullfrog, a frog hybrid, has a bird themed surname if he’s from a family of frogs and was raised by his biological frog parents” And while the basic answer would be “it’s an Assassin’s creed reference and even if not , surnames don’t always make sense for an individual” the other possibly answer to that is to bring up another old man in Sarah’s life:

Marcus Holloway

I’ve seen a lot of people theorise that Bullfrog was adopted by a bird (usually crow or raven) hybrid and that’s how he got the bird themed surname. It’s an adorable headcanon

But going off of my theory I’ve explained thus far, I believe that a member of the Assassins creed , who happens to be a bird hybrid, was a friend of Bullfrog’s mother (and maybe father, but Senior wouldn’t be aware of the brotherhood’s existence) and was basically the Marcus to Bullfrog’s Sarah

Now, while I’ve said I believe Bullfrog’s backstory will parallel Sarah’s, I don’t think it’s going to be exactly one to one and the two are different characters , and my Marcus comparison here is an example of that

Remember the hero’s journey and how I used that to figure out Sarah had a hero complex?

While this entire post is a ramble of a theory and I’m most likely off the mark on a lot of stuff (besides maybe Bullfrog’s story involving blood lines and their legacy) , based on everything I brought up till now, we can probably take some (wild) guesses on what events Bullfrog experienced prior to the show's events

Having used the hero's journey as a template to explain the events in Sarah's life and keeping in mind that her story is likely meant as a parallel to Bullfrog's, we can use that to estimate what events happened in Bullfrog's life

Call to adventure:

Considering Bullfrog has a French accent and speaks French, his family originated from either France or a country with French as the dominant language

In season one , we do not have any information about what life is like outside of Eden. The only thing we know in this universe is that America was a country that existed when Rayman came to earth along with the rabbids, but soon after that the very concept of America disappeared and slowly became Eden, essentially wiping almost all traces of the country ever existing beforehand

There's a massive desert area called the wasteland smacked in the middle of Eden, with how a large piece of area in the middle of a capitalist nation where every other corner is a city building wanting to sell you something became untouched is not known

With how control is a defining factor in their beliefs and how they're a global threat , the Templars may have control of other countries , or least the more powerful countries (such as several European nations) in similar fashion to how Eden is currently functioning

Alternatively, Eden may be the only place left on earth that's actually bearable for most life , with every other country essentially being wastelands ,less likely due to the Templars and more so the Rabbids doing

Either because France sucks under Templar rule or Rabbids made it a hellscape , Bullfrog's father decided to leave and try getting into Eden to get a better chance at life , much like what Sam tried doing for Sarah

Supernatural aid: The crow hybrid assassin (or some other ally character) helps out Bullfrog and his family

Threshold , beginning of transformation: Bullfrog gets someone arrested

Bullfrog tells Rayman that he used to watch his show as a tadpole. While Bullfrog is clearly disillusioned by Eden propaganda as an adult, it could've been a very different story when he was a child

Maybe even a raykid?

Now obviously if Bullfrog's mother was an assassin, she would've kept her children as far away from Eden propaganda as much as possible

But going with Sarah and Bullfrog being parallels, so are their mothers. Sarah doesn't speak of her mother in the show but it's safe to assume that Regan, while someone who existed, was absent in Sarah's life before Sarah snitched on the watch dogs

It's likely then Bullfrog's mother parallels with Regan in sharing same fate as her, whatever that would be

Another reason I actually prefer for the mother to be Bullfrog's assassin parent is another parallel that can be made with Sarah: their fathers being against their conviction

While Sam wasn't part of the assassin brotherhood, Sam was never on the side of Eden . Sam may not have had all the information, he did know what Eden was doing was wrong and didn't want Sarah to become another cog in their machine

So paralleling with Sam , Bullfrog's father in contrast was pro Eden, at least by some extent, and thus would've encouraged Eden propaganda onto Bullfrog

Especially when his wife was no longer in the picture to say otherwise

So at some point after arriving in Eden proper , Bullfrog gets someone arrested in a similar fashion to how Sarah got the watch dogs arrested. Who that is exactly and under what circumstances I can't really say, but I can say one thing: It makes Bullfrog feel wrong for doing it

While Regan ensured that Sarah knew of her Templar heritage and the ideals that came from that, so that Sarah knew when "to do the right thing". Bullfrog's mother ensured Bullfrog knew of the beliefs of the brotherhood and understood the importance of justice

Bullfrog , despite being surrounded by repeat propaganda and his own father's belief in Eden, knew on a subconscious level something was wrong

I mentioned that I believe that a bird hybrid assassin would be a parallel to Marcus , and I believe that bird hybrid and Bullfrog have a bond that Marcus could've had with Sarah

If only their circumstances were different, Marcus could've been a second dad to Sarah

At some point there'd be conflict with Bullfrog senior being against his son becoming "terrorist" , and thus Bullfrog deciding to distance himself from his father and take on his mentor's name , Korvin

Challenges and Temptations : most likely Bullfrog's assassin training, maybe something to do with revenge (?)

Revelation, Death and Rebirth: Okay either the brotherhood dies, probably in the wasteland war or Bullfrog senior dies

The brother hood dying fits this better, but Senior dying or rather getting himself killed could be the final step from Bullfrog to let go of his past and fully commit to his destiny as an assassin

You can probably make a plot of Senior seeking revenge only to end up getting innocents and himself hurt along the way, and this that's what formed Bullfrog's views on revenge

Transformation: Bullfrog becoming a master assistant, maybe?

Atonement: Much like Sarah, Bullfrog's story isn't finished yet and thus, we'll have to see what happens in season two

#captain laserhawk #Sarah fisher #Bullfrog Korvin Jr #Splinter cell #Same fisher #captain laserhawk spoilers #rambles #It's almost one in the morning why are hyper fixations like this

[tlblitzle]

So I ultimately decided Tix was right that I was charging ahead too fast (we had a nice chat about it and a bunch of other stuff last night when I stopped by at @koffing-time, and I have a much greater respect for Striaton Gym now. Sorry, Olivia!), so today was a break day! I decided I’d try and end the day back home in Nimbasa if I could, but the when and how weren’t so important. And seeing as yesterday’s break was mostly for me (sleeping in, Nacrene Museum, and having some excellent cafe treats), today was for the team! And HOO BOY do I have pics and video to share. First up, Ozone had so much fun running the Skyarrow yesterday that I just HAD to give him another go at it and run him through some drills

[A video taken on Skyarrow Bridge. Ozone is in a ready stance off in the distance, the camera trained on him. Storm, off-camera, waits for a beat before whistling and calling out for him. The Zebstrika is off in an instant, barreling down the bridge towards the trainer. Within moments, he’s flying past the camera, hooffalls slowing as Storm brings it around to catch Ozone turning around and plodding back to receive a couple poffins pulled from a baggie. After a few pats on the face and a “good boy~” the video ends]

We also did some more riding practice on the way back to Castelia, where Lux got to play at the docks again. Didn’t film that seeing as I just got footage of him at the docks a couple days ago, but that did let me play some games with him! It’s much more enriching and safe if I’ve got an activity planned to hold his focus, after all. I did, however, take the time to meet up with a few of Burgh’s gym trainers. Bugs aren’t my forte and I wanted some advice, so we talked about that over lunch and Beanie got to play with some Pokémon more her size

[A pair of pictures, both in Castelia. The first is a selfie with Storm and a few other people, all still done up as clowns, in an outdoor eating area. Presumably this is the gym trainers’ lunch break, based on the position of the sun. Storm, meanwhile, has dressed as not to be totally outdone. He’s done his makeup in bright colors today, with a pink/yellow/blue motif and nails to match. Her earring choice for the day is a pair of dangly lightning bolts, which stand out nicely against his dark hair. The last of the outfit in frame is a bright blue scarf around his neck and a similarly bright floral (matching the color scheme no less) under a black leather jacket. The second picture is an assortment of very small bug types gathered in a backroom of the Castelia Gym, in the midst of playing. Beanie’s playmates include a Cutiefly, another Joltik, a couple Burmy, and the largest among them, a Dwebble and a Durant]

After that, I secured myself as best I could and made the trek back through route 4. I considered a detour over to the resort, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort, because I still had to give Nimbus and Dymie their attention back in Nimbasa (though I let them lead my battles along the way). And check it out!

[A picture of Dymie! Nimbus is underneath the Magneton, nuzzling against it as its eyes remain fixed on the camera. It isn’t aiming its magnets at the device, though, and appears to be tolerating the situation well enough. Nimbus, for her part, doesn’t seem to care about the camera in the slightest, entirely fixated on her wary teammate. She seems a tad floofier than usual, perhaps from rubbing against her fellow electric type. The setting itself appears to be Storm’s home]

This isn’t perfect progress or anything, I still can’t take pictures of Dymie solo, but I remembered I have something of a silver bullet. Nimbus is pretty good with soothing my team, and after giving it a little time to adjust to my place, the low-stimulation environment seemed to have helped Dymie a lot! I dunno what it is about Nimbus that’s so calming, but definitely feel it too when we cuddle. Speaking of! I’m just spending the rest of the day at home with the team, because we’ve all had a busy past couple days. Clay’s gym can be a worry for future Storm

#also I’ve missed my bed #pkmn irl #late‐blooming blueberry arc

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (22/10/23)

next week is gonna have another big catch up, I was actually gonna do it the week after I did jujutsu but then realized next week it'd be the 200 chap for this series so decided to postpone it until then just cause it's a cool big round number, tho today's chap 199 woulda been fitting too since it was the colour page for the serie's 4th anni but anyhoo also starting from now the stuff I talk about will be bolded as seen below, yeah I shoulda done this from the start cause it's way more readable and stuff but the other thing I did made more sense at the time I started it, but this is better overall now

Anime

Hoshikuzu Telepath Ep2

nice epiosde mostly just introducing the 3rd member of our main group, next ep is gonna be aoki shiki's chara so that should be good

Frieren Ep7

very good ep like usual, the demon story in the middle was pretty obvious but it was still good. very excited for the next episode considering the cliffhanger and the title for it, hoping for some more sakuga 🙏

Undead Unluck Ep3

great episode all around, loved hearing my queen yuuki as gina, too bad we won't see much more of her til cour 4 or 5 (depending on how fast adaptation goes) but it'll be worth the wait. also, since I read all of UU from start to just some months ago, in just a couple days I had things very fresh on my mind so I noticed it easily, but it's really crazy to see how early tozuka set up seeds for future payoffs, I won't mention what exactly cause spoilers but there were 3 ones in this episode and it really is great writing and storytelling to be able to pull that off

Pokemon Horizons Ep25

nice and action packed episode, fit for being the end of this initial cour/arc, which we only found out about earlier this week. should be getting a new op along with the new subtitle and stuff but we'll see. we also got some lore like the full team of the ancient adventurer and that the evil organization was related to him in some way. the goal now is to find the rest of the team so that should last for 25 more eps probably but we'll see, there should still be gym stuff along the way and all that

Adult Precure Ep3

nice ep, lots of karen x kurumi moments which this artist I follow on twitter was certainly going hog wild for. saki and mai from splash star showed up at the end of this episode, and next one is gonna be about them, so that's cool since I didn't think they'd show up until the yes 5 girls had all gotten their transformations back

Imas Million Live Ep3

good ep as you'd expect, really enjoyed how much yuriko there was since she's one of my favs from ML (mikku 🙏), next episode is gonna have at least a crumb of rio so looking forward to that too they said the teather will take 2 months to finish building, I hope that it'll be finished after next episode just so we can move on to other stuff. not having this following the structure of the og anime/U149 makes it harder to predict what'll be happening

Manga

Ice-Head Gill Ch17

as expected it's ending soon, and as part of the U19 club as well, hopefully ichinose ends on the same week too, but I'll give more thoughts when it actually ends

Jujutsu Kaisen 239

I was looking forward to see how yuji and co were going to take on juiced up sukuna but we're taking a detour to have kenjaku fight, but with the twist that it's one of the most (unknowingly) op charas fighting him. I really like how goofy his power is so looking forward to this fight. tho I don't think there's any way he'll win

Undead Unluck Ch180

I could see this coming cause of fuuko saying all that earlier in the chap but it's still EXTREMELY POGGIES to have andy back after all this time, even if just temporarily, looking forward to them having a crumb of time together next chap

#silver talks animanga

[breakerwhiskey]

131 - ONE HUNDRED THIRTY ONE

Please visit breakerwhiskey.com for more information or to send a message to Whiskey's radio. Breaker Whiskey is an Atypical Artists production created by Lauren Shippen. If you'd like to support the show, please visit patreon.com/breakerwhiskey.

Transcript under the cut. For more episodes, click here.

[click, static]

Breaker, breaker, this is Whiskey, calling out from Zion National Park. I found an old guidebook to the country’s parks a while back—and some history books too, figured I’d finally give myself that higher education I never got—and while I haven’t exactly shaped my trip around the thing, I like to take a gander every now and then and figure out if there’s anything off my route worth taking a detour for. And while I might be on more of a mission than I have been up to this point, I still think this detour was worth it.

It’s as stunning as the book says it is. And I’d heard about it of course, it’s probably one of the more famous parks, but I’m not sure I had any idea what it was supposed to look like. Not that knowing would have prepared me at all.

It’s enormous and colorful and…overwhelming. That’s the only word I seem to have. Like so much of the land out here—the grand canyon, the pacific coast—it feels like the land of giants. Like I’ve been shrunk down and need to be careful where I tread, in case I step into the shadow of a canyon and become invisible to the giant stomping around above me, ready to be crushed under its foot.

Zion means something, I think, to people, but hell if I know what that is. Aside from the occasional holiday or, I don’t know, food, Harry and I never talked much about religion. But it is a religious word, I’m pretty sure. Or a political one? I remember it being in the papers a few years before everything went all wonky. I never spent that much time on the news beyond who was running for President and lord knows I haven’t thought about any of that stuff in years. There’s no more news now that there are no more people.

I wish I’d paid more attention.

But anyway, I guess it meant something to the Mormons, because that’s where the park got its name. Or, something like that, the guidebook doesn’t go into detail beyond saying that it used to be called the Mukuntunweap National Monument, which is a Paiute word—and I’m probably butchering both of those pronunciations. But they changed it because it was too hard for people to spell and because the Mormons looked at the land and saw some kind of holy temple, I guess.

I’m not sure what to make of any of that, if I’m honest. Other than to say that I sort of get what the Mormons were feeling about this place—it is so beautiful, I think I would see God in it if I believed that He existed. And I’m glad that people thought to preserve it, make it a park; I’m glad we didn’t stick a highway through it or tear down the trees to build a suburb but at the same time…

Well, was it holy to the Paiute people too? Did we drive them out before declaring this place ours and worth protecting? That sounds like something we’d do. Were the Paiute the ones that named it Mukuntunweap in the first place or did we do that after we took it from them? I doubt they found that word hard to spell, so why is it that the name had to change? Who gets to make these decisions? And why?

I keep thinking about what you said. That I don’t belong. And maybe I don’t. Maybe I don’t belong in Los Angeles, maybe I don’t belong in Pennsylvania or New York or America or anywhere. I’ve talked about my fairly itinerant life and what it means to build a home and maybe home where you hang your hat or maybe it’s the people you belong to. I belonged to my parents, I belonged to Pete’s crew. I thought I belonged with Har—

[click, static]

All I know is that you don’t get to decide where I belong. And maybe I don’t get to decide either, maybe no one is the master of their own fate, or maybe all of us are. Maybe the earth decided that human beings didn’t belong in it at all anymore, and like a New York City exterminator trying to get rid of cockroaches just…missed a few.

[click, static]

#breaker whiskey #audio drama #episode #transcript #Spotify

[basedkikuenjoyer]

You're a young Eiichiro Oda in 1982, let's assume like many readers of Weekly Shonen Jump you've been enjoying this silly little romcom about a boy being pursued by the perfect woman...as long as he gets over one minor hangup. You open up the chapter, it seems like a fun one. Just like our first it's setup around the idea a new boy is coming to live with the Oozora family and its four lovely daughters. This is the last panel you'd see. That's it, Hibari doesn't make her way back into serialization. Maybe if you were in the know you could piece together the manga has had some weird gaps. Kinda like Hunter X Hunter today. Guess Eiiguchi had health issues. We'd later hear he just couldn't keep up with the schedule of weekly releases anymore. He'll go on to have a nice, stable, but quiet career as an illustrator for businesses.

So, what exactly is tough guy Gekijiro up here shouting about? That’s a pretty iconic ethos for a guy that shows up and ends a popular series. To be fair, Stop!! Hibari-kun did love a fair amount of meta humor up to and including several bizarre interludes of author Eiiguchi taking over for a few pages. Often some little joke about being a pervert and his editors having to keep him in line. So from that vantage point it wasn’t hard to see where this joke came from. Hibari was one of the magazine’s then-twin pillars of popularity off the back of...fashionable young women and Hibari being trans making for this excellent setup to slip in a lot of humor that would be iffy to censors yet relatable to young women.

Subtle stuff you don’t always see today even. Casual jokes about periods, accurate sisternal cattiness. Perfect recipe for a crossover hit. Cute girls for that bit of eye candy, they’re real enough girls can enjoy too. Romcom fun with a little dash of action through MC Kosaku joining the boxing club. Starting to sound a lot like Ranma 1/2? Yeah, I’m pretty sure given the timing of her start on Urusei Yatsura these two were cribbing notes off each other back-and-forth. Rumiko Takahashi never really kept things as grounded as Hibari-kun though, which was probably it’s undoing.

See...I also wanted to take this little detour because of something from the start. Hibari beyond being a likely influence on a series like One Piece that so elegantly recaptures its recipe for crossover success had an interesting story on it’s own. The official line is that Hishashi Eiguchi turned in the final chapter and hid out in hotels from his editors. Leaving a short version and an abrupt end because he just couldn’t keep up with the stress. Problem is...it took until 27 years later, 2009, but we finally got a proper omnibus collection. 

That’s the real last scene. I know that “Shonen is dead” line is that kind of meta joke because it turns out we did have the full chapter. He makes that pretty clear. Here’s our real abrupt finale. What!? Oh, so this new arrival wasn’t just some random dude. He’s a trans boy who’s a perfect mirror of Hibari? Total macho dork and peep that line up top. Not only do we get the explicit “man at heart” cliche (Hibari dances around the equivalent but never goes so blatant) but he’s taking hormones? Uhhh...even more modern stuff focused on being a positive take on these themes like Wandering Son at most sorta gloss over the particulars of medically transitioning. Worth noting a strange little legal quirk, because of a dodgy interpretation of WW2 peace agreements Japan was one of the few countries to have an out-and-out ban on the procedure until I believe 1993. 

Doesn’t mean people didn’t do it, and this is a series about a Yakuza family. Characters casually talk about shooting up meth or underage drinking. Knowing all this though...anyone else getting the impression this may have been a little more of a veteran mangaka making a stand? A magazine pulling the plug to be more kid-friendly? The story had been trending away from being a silly romcom a while before. This shift in the plot is huge, but it’ll be forever resigned to “what could have been?”

That’s the main reason I got really excited seeing a Hibari in One Piece who has the right look. I’ve wondered about this for a while. We only have what Eiguchi is willing to say in public interviews, it just isn’t the norm in the industry to air dirty laundry but he has progressively opened up about the series over time. It’s tripped me up since even before Wano really, timing and popularity and shared elements make this feel like such an influence. Now we’re seeing things that poke at those lines more. I’d love to see Eiichiro Oda pull in Hisashi Eiguchi for one of these interviews he’s been doing.

#one piece #stop!! hibari-kun #eiichiro oda #hisashi eguchi

[waterforlorn]

day fourteen. october 20th. we found a pretty nice hotel in wyoming on our way back from mount rushmore. sure it was a detour, but it was worth it, i feel. i enjoyed it. never really had the opportunity to … explore the country. better late than never, i guess. don't think nico did a lot of sightseeing before either. it's relaxing, i wanna say.

just him, me.. vast country. i enjoy it greatly, but i do miss camp. i miss the thrill of fighting. sure, we sparred, but it isn't the same. and yeah, fighting's a risk, but i know he and i can make it. we got each other and we tend to not go alone either, so we got a team, too. we got each other's backs. we'll be fine. i believe in us.

so, this hotel. not sure how we paid for it, but i like it here. it's fancier than the motels we've been staying in and the view… is stunning. it's nothing special, really. like, nothing fancy to see… just .. nature. huge forest, mountains. i feel so calm when i see it. we spent last night curled up on the floor, wrapped in blankets and just … watched sundown. guess i can no longer deny i like… cuddling, which is definitely nico's fault. he's so clingy and wraps around me every chance he gets. guess my body got kinda used to it, so now it thinks that cuddling is good. yeah, for sure. not my fault. i woke up feeling fucking sixty, so that's not happening again. who even thought sleeping while sitting is smart?

our next stop wasn't the interstate. nico had yet another surprise in store. we headed south to colorado. first stop was denver. the botanic garden? uh, most for nico than me, i guess. not that it was bad, but stuff like that ain't for me. like.. i know the flowers are pretty and all, but .. i can't being myself to care. thank fuck my dad isn't demeter. woulda been awkward. nothing against flowers and plants. although, kit would've probably had a great time here.

i do miss the little shits in camp. everybody always told me to open up and try liking people, but it's not as easy as that sounds. i can't just look at someone and decide i don't hate them. sure, standard setting being i don't give a fuck about you isn't ideal, but it's far from where i used to be. i used to hate the world and everybody in it. some of these kids… are more than that to me. don't know how it happened, but i'm stuck caring about them, i guess.

like fucking nico. insert a lot of scribbling that's crossed out

next stop was the desert. yeah, i asked him if he was sure. he was. he really was. i worried for a moment, but no. he knew where he brought me. it was fucking incredible. there's a huge-ass amphitheatre in the middle of like… cliffs and mountains. red rocks park. i know nobody is reading this but i recommend it. we watched some play in the evening, no idea what it was about, but nico seemed to like it.

and then camping, in a tent. yeah. actual camping after hiking for like 2 hours through the night. tent was comfy and we roasted some meet over a fire, but …i mean, neither of us slept much. no regrets, though. we're about to hike back to the car and get back on the road.

wonder what he's got planned next. yep, i said it. it's over for me, i'm not escaping this roadtrip anymore.

#vacation journal things

[cupidsbower]

Debrief on the novel, The End of Happiness

A few days ago, I posted my Venom novel, The End of Happiness. It's been a pretty wild journey, so I wanted to decant it all from my brain. The EddieVenom BigBag came across my feed on Tumblr, right at the end of the sign up period in mid-March this year. The minimum word count was 10,000, and that seemed a bit of a stretch goal given all the real life stuff I had on, but doable. I had to make a quick decision, and so I kind of went -- I'm doing Health Stuff and it's getting me down, and I have that idea about the Symbiote Emperor kicking around, and it would be awesome to get some art! So I signed up, planning to write 10,000 words of silly space opera and get a bit of art, and finally explore the idea of the Symbiotes having names alluding to something other than murder and mayhem. Nice! I couldn't start writing straight away, as I had another project I needed to finish first -- The Star Trek story I wrote for Space Swap in April: When sorrows come. I'd already been writing that for a while, so I hammered out the end, and was kind of amazed it ended up being 6,000 words long. As soon as I posted it, I started work on Happiness, at last. The BigBang rule was that 80% of the work had to be completed, with an outline, by the check-in, in order to be assigned an artist. I managed to get around 8,000 words done, I think, and then put together the outline for the rest -- cool, cool, another 4 scenes, so it'll come in at 12,000 words. THAT'S FINE, I hammered out some more words and just squeaked by on the 80% rule. Phew. And then I put Happiness aside for a bit so I could made my VidUKon premiiere, Mind Fight. I needed a break from writing, and it was so worth it. I cackled the entire time I was making that vid. It still makes me laugh now. By the time I'd done that, I was put in contact with my artist, and I got so lucky, because ifer put their hand up for my story. Win!!!! That really put a spring in my step! I wrote another chunk of words off the back of my excitement for art, and realised I STILL had three of the four scenes in my outline to write. Hmmm. Maybe it was going to come in at 14,000 words. The project was starting to be a bit more than I'd planned on, but I could still do it. EVERYTHING WAS FINE. By this point it was June, and I had promised to run a mid-year Venom fest, so I put together Venom: Let There Be Chocolate, created the Ao3 community, set up the rules, advertised it a bit, etc etc.  And then realised - belatedly - that I needed to create something for my own fest - because the first year of a fest never has many entries. I cracked my knuckles and hammered out As the Asteroid Turns in about three weeks, which wasn't bad as it came in at 7,500 words. I'm super pleased with it too - it's another story I'd had in mind for a while and it was fun to get it written. I also used it to try out some of the techniques I wanted to use in Happiness, like Galactic Universal Sign Language, so even though it was a detour, I still felt like I was making progress. Through all of this, ifer was a trouper! Put up with my shenanigans and half written first draft with holes in it everywhere, and was full of enthusiasm for all the aliens. I hammered out the "turning point" scene so ifer could illustrate it -- the one with Eddie and Venom in the underground pool. I thought... Nearly done! and was so pleased with myself. LOL. Then I woke up in the middle of the night realising there was a scene missing, and went back and filled it in... and as a consequence realised that there was a whole B plot I needed to make the A plot work. FINE, EVERYTHING IS STILL UNDER CONTROL. Then I wrote the actual turning point scene -- the one between Eddie and Xan after the pool, which kind of came out of nowhere. My story-brain just does that sometimes and I've learned to go with it. It always makes the story better. ANYWAY, AT LEAST NOW I KNEW WHAT MY OWN STORY WAS ABOUT. Everything was FINE! Don't look at me like that! I was a little worried, to be fair. The draft was at 20,000 words and I still had 3 of the 4 scenes in my outline to write. But I figured things were properly on track now, and it would be a straight run to the end. And then. *internally screams* THEN... I realised I needed a C plot, to make the A and B plots work. Friends, at that point I was NOT FINE. The fic was officially out of control. It was not a fun little novella coming in at 10,000 words. It was a freaking full-blown novel. I'd be lucky if it came in at 30,000 words. I had birthed a monster, and poor ifer had done all that art, and I had to finish the fucking thing by the deadline because I could not let them down! I panicked a bit, read a bunch of Witcher fic to take my mind off things for a while, got sidetracked by my actual job and had to do a bunch of marking. And then realised the deadline was HORRIFYINGLY CLOSE. I was at around 28,000 words and still had two of the four scenes in my outline to write. I knuckled down and wrote 11,000 words in a week. NOTHING WAS FINE, EVERYTHING WAS TERRIBLE. But I had finally, at last, written all the scenes in my outline. Thank fuck for that. ifer swooped in and did the first pass beta and I submitted the darn thing for final check-in. For those of you paying attention, you'll realised there is still a pretty big discrepancy in my numbers. The actual word count of the novel is 46,000 words, not the 40,000 submitted for final check-in. Because, you see, I asked the wonderful maharetr to beta during the gap between submission and the posting deadline. This was a very good decision, as she looked at the final third - written in that whirlwind at the end - and immediately started whipping it into shape, which was sorely needed. The rough bits got smoothed, the jumps in logic were made sensible, the missing emotional beats were added. A few thousand words were added in the process. Great. Good. Things were once again fine. And then... I said, hey, maharetr, do you think there's a hole in this one place? Yes, maharetr agreed, there really was a hole where I had suspected there was a hole. Bugger fuck shit. I mean, no worries, 300 words would fill that hole. Piece of cake. LOLOLOLOLOL. The best part of a chapter and 3,000ish words later, the hole was finally filled, and the novel had gone up a rating from Mature to Explicit. Also, I had officially written some of the kinkiest sex of my entire fanfic career. A notable achievement to be sure. With that done, there was only one writing task left -- the epilogue wasn't quite right. The final changes to that were made on 6 October, literally the day before I had to post the fic. Thank you so much, maharetr, for holding my hand through that final terrible writing session. All the hugs in the world. It took me two days to get the post ready on the Ao3, with all the images, fake links, and other formatting. I was doing that in parallel with making final changes. I finished getting the draft ready at around 3am on the 7th October and pressed post. Then I collapsed into bed and slept like the dead. And here we are. Seven months later, a lot tireder, having written a 10,000 word novella in 46,000 words. FOR FUN. Don't forget that bit. I did it FOR FUN. It was a lot of work, but I'm super proud of my kinky romance-in-space novel. I know it's blowing my own trumpet, but my god it is really fricken good. You should definitely go read it. ;)

[If you’d prefer to talk over on Dreamwidth, this post is also there: https://cupidsbow.dreamwidth.org/467690.html]

#venom #the end of happiness #eddievenom bigbang #cupidsbow #ifer #artbyifer #meta #writing #fanfic #art

[edaworks]

Summer Reading/Writing/Art Tag Game

Tagged by @electricshoebox - thank you!

1: Describe one creative WIP project you're planning to work on over the summer

UHHHHH well, I’m hoping to get back to more actively working on One if by Land, since I’ve been less than productive recently. But I’m also figuratively running a gauntlet at work these days, so I’m treading the line between work stuff stabilizing and spending more time writing again.

2: Rec a book

I understand that the next iteration of Jim Butcher’s Cinder Spires series is coming out later this year, so now is an excellent time to read or listen to The Aeronaut’s Windlass.

3: Rec a fic

I mean. @twosides--samecoin’s Long Time Running, for sure. (Not that I’m biased or anything) It is excellently written and hits the trifecta of good writing, art and music. She just released a new chapter, too!

4: Rec Music

I’ve not got half the good recommendations that the rest of my mutuals do, frankly, but I’ve been getting back to my middle-generation-millennial roots lately and listening to House of Pain.

5: Share One Piece Of Advice

Hmm. I‘ll reinvent the wheel trying to give this advice, but: if you are writing about fictional regions or places that have real-world counterparts, and you are ever privileged to be able go to those areas and look around, I find it’s worth doing so. That’s literally or figuratively: If you can’t do it in person, look it up on Google Street View. You’ll find so many tiny details you might otherwise miss, even if you’re super familiar with the places! Doing this forces me to think more about which characters would know these areas/take these routes and how they’d react to environmental details, etc. What places would they avoid, or drag others to salvage? Who’s going to go ass-over-teakettle down a particular path? Where’s a good fishing spot to put up a makeshift lean-to in an urban area?

I acknowledge that I’m very privileged in this regard given my subject matter, where I live, and the areas through which I’m likely to drive - it means I frequently get to do this exercise in person. When I’m writing fic for Fallout, I’m constantly going to relevant places, walking around and thinking about how each character might react to what I’m seeing (albeit two hundred odd years and an apocalypse removed from when I’m seeing it). I’m wandering around Takoma Park trying to figure out what tiny restaurants might have surviving signage. I’m the sketchass clambering around on narrow brush trails under overpasses in DC, climbing rubble heaps under bridges over the Potomac, and checking out the side elevator rooms in the Lincoln Memorial at 2 AM. I’m setting my phone up on my dash to take burst photos at I-90’s interchanges when I’m driving through Massachusetts. I’m looking in windows at the historic train station by the Monongahela, taking photos in the parking lot of certain airports and asking the park rangers which fire towers I can get away with climbing. I’m detouring to look at roadways leading to Bar Harbor when passing through Maine. I’m biking around Point Lookout State Park and taking pictures of the old amusement park by the boardwalk in Ocean City. But: When I’m not able to hit up these places in person, I’m in Street View doing the virtual equivalent; I’m in Google Earth looking at others’ geotagged photos of these places from the comforts of home!

Finding points of interest to shove into the narrative (or give me ideas for in-universe equivalents to those places) forces me to more thoroughly stand in my characters’ shoes. I find it helps with both describing local flavor and furthering character development, and perhaps that’s a useful tool for others as well.

Tagging @twosides--samecoin, @dovesofcedar, @persephotea, @some27-url, @adventuresofmeghatron and whomever might want to participate.

#tag games #fallout #fallout 4 #fallout 3 #fic rec #book recommendations #music recommendation

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Hello, and Welcome to the Frog's Blog!

(Pinned Intro Post!)

I am here to do capitalism!

I hate capitalism.

Wanna give me a few paragraphs to explain why I'm doing it anyway?

I'm telling a story that I want people to see. Being generally a good person and asking nicely for people to tell others about me has not gotten a lot of eyes on my story. I need not only currency, to buy space to be seen and items directing people to look at me, I need social capital. Social capital is way older than currency, but it's still not my thing. This society was not built for me, and I'm missing a lot of the usual equipment for navigating it - we can put all kinds of labels on my neuro-spice blend, but the bottom line is, I'm out here at the edges, and it's gonna take a lot of effort for me to swim my amphibian butt anywhere near the mainstream. I gotta hope some of you will see me struggling and give me a little assist with a net, if you can.

And not scoop me out and throw me away.

I'm gonna put myself out here and do my own version of the Leftist Boogie, but I will probably elbow more than one person in the face and take a few pratfalls of my own. All of it in the hope that you'll see something in my style worth watching, and then go look at the other, longer, and much-better-proofread things I've done. (I got a lot going on and I often don't see typos, spelling errors and missing words. It's not because I don't care!)

My story is available right now and free to read without blinking ads that'll steal your data and assault your senses. I don't want that to change. So:

I need your eyeballs. It's super hard for me to keep performing when most people just walk on by, give me a little wave, or detour just long enough to spit in my open violin case. I need your money. (Oh, god.) My health issues can keep - and have kept - me from telling my story. I got a real wake-up call in 2022. If I can't offer someone fair compensation to help me, I will have to stop telling my story, and I don't know if I'll be able to come back and start telling it again. (My finances are weird because I moved to Canada as a +1 on my partner's work/study visa and I'm not, technically, allowed to work here. But the Patreon is hooked up to my US account - the only account with my name on it right now - and it still works.) I need your help. I can't give you a lot of money right now (in part because my account has a finite amount in it, that I am also using to buy groceries and home goods, and when it's gone, I no longer have any money or credit in my own name) but "fair compensation" doesn't have to mean money, from me or from you. I am more than willing to give away free content. I hope you're willing to give away free reblogs and signal boosts and eyeballs. Everything else is negotiable, and I do have a little money, so contact me here, or through my website, or just use that little "ask me anything" widget, if you have any ideas. I need your patience. I will cough up an occasional bright yellow Blazed ad, or other self-promotion, and I will keep reminding you that I'm telling a story and I need your help. My health is not in real great shape either. I may disappear, on this platform or others, because I'm dealing with a lot and I don't have enough left to create or be social. I hope not to disappear altogether, but there are no guarantees. I'm not trying to scam you, but you need to be aware that you're backing one fragile human being who may have to quit. Also, I make a lot of really stupid mistakes. Social interaction goes too fast for me. I can't always check myself before I wreck myself - or someone else who doesn't deserve it. Please believe I'm trying my best, and I'll try to believe that of you too. OK? I'm in the process of codifying the reasons why I'm trying to tell a story and I will not shut up. So you'll also see a lot of Big World stuff about art, storytelling, artists and storytellers around here. Eventually, you'll also see my art manifesto, but I'm juggling a lot of things I need to get done. You'll have to stay patient and let me do my best.

#author bio #intro post #i have a keyboard and i'm dangerous #free story #queer media #NB with a story #singing frog #no kings only fooles

[thessalian]

Faerun!Alisaie vs Bhaal Cultists

With a few other things done in the meantime...

Gale: So ... let me get this straight. I have a chunk of the Kharsite Weave stuck in me and Mystra's letting it feed on the normal Weave for awhile. But now we know how to reforge the Netherese Crown and she wants it for herself and if I get it to her ... she can pull this out of me and I'm free.

Astarion: You could just keep it for yourself, you know. Phenomenal cosmic power ... all right, probably doesn't entirely suit you, but I couldn't imagine giving that away to some god who has too much power of their own to truly appreciate it...

Gale: And why do you think you have a say here?

Astarion: I did help get the thing, didn't I? Of course, that means I also helped Alisaie get the ability to summon the Thayan dead if required. ...Where is she, anyway?

Gale: Note who else is missing.

Astarion: Aaaah. I wonder if I should go track them down. Just to ... keep an eye on them. You know. Dangerous place, Baldur's Gate...

Alisaie: *from the window* If you were looking for a show--

Astarion; Gale: GAH!

Alisaie: Astarion, my dude, you're not the only one who can sneak, you know. Anyway, if you were looking for a show, you'd have been disappointed. It was just talking about the future and stuff.

Astarion: ...It would have been a disappointment without nudity, true. Gale, on the other hand...

Gale: ...I would have invited Wyll and conjured popcorn.

Alisaie: .........Why? I mean, I get Astarion, but--

Gale: I'm a sucker for a romantic story, alright? As is Wyll! It's the one place where he and I can truly bond! ...Well. That and go-to cantrips. We've done quite the trade. He's taught me Eldritch Blast, and I'll be teaching him Fire Bolt. Maybe he'll even be able to keep it when Mizora cuts him loose.

Alisaie: ...Right. Okay. If that works for you, cool. Now, get some sleep, those of you who do sleep; big day tomorrow. We're going to hit Felogyr's Fireworks and find out why the fuck they're giving refugee kids exploding teddy bears. Sure you don't want to come, Astarion?

Astarion: I dodged quite enough fire in that stupid repository, thank you. There are some things that even the most delectable neck won't make appealing. It's a vampire thing; fire is not our friend.

Alisaie: There might not have to be that much fire, you know.

Astarion: You're going to be attacking a fireworks shop. With Gale.

Alisaie: ...Allow me my delusions, okay? I have very few and they aren't usually that harmful.

One massive amount of property damage later...

Gale: ...I'm amazed that I didn't do the most damage with fire for once.

Wyll: You did a pretty sizeable amount of damage with fire. That wall of fire you used to block reinforcements went right through a box of fireworks, you know.

Gale: That was accidental! Alisaie firing a fire arrow at barrels full of smoke powder, on the other hand...

Alisaie: Oh for-- Look, it got the place cleared out fast. We've got way too much to do to waste time just stabbing them all. Besides, better on purpose where we can be clear of the explosions than by accident. Or have you forgotten that thing with the kobolds?

Gale: Fair enough. Not sure what was worse; the burning alcohol, the burning debris, or the cooked kobold giblets.

Alisaie: All three were a nightmare to get out of my hair, I'll tell you that much.

Shadowheart: So what now?

Alisaie: Over to the local cemetery to see about a murder-cult.

Over at the local cemetery

Shadowheart: Well ... that was a detour... A good one, mind you.

Alisaie: What can I say? I can dig out the best in just about everybody. Office In Charge Of Deep Mining Operations, that's me.

Wyll: Much like the ... um ... priestess woman over there, I'm wondering what by the hells that noise is.

Alisaie: It seems to be coming from ... that metal tube ... stuck in a grave oh you have got to be fucking kidding me! *starts digging*

Wyll: Waitwut--

Gale: *who actually has an INT score worth talking about* Oh, no.

Alisaie: *digs up Gothric*

Gothric: Thanks for that! Those arseholes stomping on Nine-Fingers' turf are arseholes, seriously. I haven't any money but you've already started grave-robbing so why not finish? Bye!

Alisaie; Gale; Wyll; Shadowheart: ..............................

Alisaie: Yeaaaaah this is one of those days, isn't it. C'mon. After this, infiltrating a murder cult will at least make sense.

And, down in the basement of a certain coffin-shop

Sarekov: You have delighted us with your bloodthirst. Now, ascend by killing this celestial being!

Valeria: What? No! Don't do that! Kill this unholy fuck instead!

Alisaie: Calm your ... trunk, I guess, Valeria. That was the plan all along.

Sarekov: ...wut.

Alisaie: I lied. Dolor killed the guy whose hand I waved around, and he probably enjoyed the hell out of it but honestly? Even here, all I'm getting is the satisfaction of making you actually dead like you're supposed to be, you uppity corpse!

Gale: Oh dear. Um ... time to bring out the powerful spells. *Casts Blight*

Blight: *does not work on undead*

Gale: Oh. Right. Undead. ...Shadowheart?!?

Shadowheart: Right! *Turns Undead*

Turn Undead: *does not work either*

Alisaie: *casts Heat Metal on Sarekov* Make up your fucking minds, you murder-happy assholes!

Stabnation: *ensues, with a lot of AoE and CC sorts of spells, until...*

Alisaie: *reapplies Heat Metal damage to Sarekov*

Sarekov: *cooks to proper-death*

Alisaie: ...I really need to remember I have magic more often.

Gale: So. What now? And please say it involves some rest...

Alisaie: For you, probably. Buried-alive dude had things to say about Nine-Fingers. Or I should probably look for Mol first because that's going to be a thing, and probably put some prepwork in place for robbing the House of Hope, but if you want some rest we could probably bring Astarion along on a sweep-and-clear of the rest of the mausoleums in case of free-floating cultists and--

Wyll: Shadowheart ... when we go to pick up Astarion...

Shadowheart: Bully her into a meal and a sit-down, I know.

Wyll: You two are so amazing together, you know that?

Shadowheart: Still envious?

Wyll: Not really. I couldn't deprive anyone a love story this epic.

Shadowheart: *punch to shoulder* You're just saying that so we won't complain when you and Gale eavesdrop with popcorn.

Wyll: It's one of the high points of our day!

#Faerun!Alisaie #Thess liveblogs Baldur's Gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers

[rev3rb]

Hi, it’s me again. Now we’re really getting somewhere!!! New info about the progenitors’ origins, about angels on other planets, and about their purpose overall. Plus them obviously pointing at the parallels between the plagues & punishments The First and Guren both dealt with. History is obviously repeating itself which makes me really curious about their God’s motives. Particularly bc they haven’t done anything about the plague that’s so lethal to all their subjects. Bc seriously, HALF of them are gonna die?!?! And this has always been a problem left unaddressed 🤨 Perhaps the chp title is a clue. Ik Yuu wondered if they were in Hell, but to me it matches better with the idea of Purgatory.

There was a lot of good stuff, I think one of my favorite aspects was seeing more of Urd and Saito together. Them being paralleled with Yuu and Mika was great. I also enjoyed how trippy it was to see all the angels act so adoring towards The First. Truly, my only complaint is that it’s gonna be a bit difficult if we need to remember all the different names for the angels/progenitors lol

Hello Anon!

Yes! After all this waiting we're finally getting somewhere significant! I'm just hoping that it keeps up and we don't take another multipage "Yu needs to eat to replenish his energy" break soon. It can be nice to be "realistic" like that, but it'd just be an annoying detour if it happens.

Oh, I really adore how history is repeating itself because that sort of thing has been present throughout the series, just less obviously. Everyone has been constantly making the same mistakes, and I've always felt like OnS's story has been about breaking that cycle of similar mistakes. I believe I've talked about it before but Yu and Guren are very obviously meant to parallel each other, and Yu is (most likely) supposed to succeed where Guren failed. The fact that Guren is now being compared to The First is wild. Never thought that would be the case. It's actually really interesting.

The plague. See, I'm wondering if The First didn't somehow do something about it. After all, while most of them are demons, it's worth pointing that that everyone shown is still alive today. Maybe turning them into vampires/demons was how he saved them. I kind of doubt it and think it's part of a step in The First's plan instead, but who knows? This does make me wonder though, nothing the characters we saw in the flashback have ever made any indication that they remember stuff this far back. It makes me wonder if they just don't remember, either as a result of being turned into vampires or bc The First didn't let them remember.

While I do agree with you in the whole "this seems more like Purgatory than Hell", it is worth mentioning that, as far as I remember (my knowledge is admittedly limited), Purgatory is meant to be something you can eventually leave once your sins are atoned for. I don't really think there's any atoning going on here. The First is committing a "sin" and is willing to be punished eternally for that. But yes, I think the idea is supposed to be Purgatory since the chapter title is that.

So happy we got to see more of Urd and Saito together! Their dynamic ended up being really interesting, and it was nice to see that, at least before Saito left Urd, it hadn't really changed all that much between what we saw here and when they were both vampires. As for the name thing, I don't think we'll really have to worry about it since Mika and Yu don't seem to know those angel names. If anything it'll likely just be used in passing since really, we're taking Mika and Yu's perspective on things for the most part, so what they call characters will be more at the forefront.

Thank you yet again for your ask! Things are picking up and I hope we continue on this path! It seems like we're getting closer to figuring out what Yu really is and what's going on.

#Owari no Seraph #Owari no Seraph 126 #Owari no Seraph 126 spoilers #Anonysis asks #My posts #I didn't mention it anywhere here since it wasn't brought up #but I'm still not over the literal building a tower to the sun thing #I get it's a common... image? idea? but I just #wasn't ready for it