#i think he would have an interest in funny creatures like that especially if they’re distinctly nonhuman

[kagoutiss]

was thinking the other day about how parasites are ganondorf’s solution for so many things. now cant unsee him being a massive nerd about parasites

#parasites cw #trypophobia #ocarina of time #tloz #ganondorf #zelda #nabooru #morpha #barinade #gohma #this makes less sense if u haven’t seen my tweet barrage but yeah oot ganondorf & his silly giant parasites. i love them #yes i know morpha isnt technically a parasite but still #it IS an insanely huge single-called organism tho. which must be why its ‘water’ isnt normal water lol #just the fluid surrounding its nucleus #i think he would have an interest in funny creatures like that especially if they’re distinctly nonhuman #but him being interested in parasites specifically makes sense to me #the idea of a comparatively tiny & insignificant being infiltrating a much larger one. and then wreaking utter havoc on it #while sustaining itself in the process #i think he would be really into slime molds too…..let him be a weird nerd…..

[rmbunnie]

Watched GOTG3 on friday! Here are some of my personal thoughts (spoilers obvs):

- I really liked it, first of all. To be honest, Rocket is my fave of the group alongside Nebula. I just think they’re neat, and I like characters that cause drama. If there’s no personality traits that are a little abrasive and offputting, then i’m not saying that’s a flaw, but perhaps i am saying its a bit of a missed opportunity. This is probably one of the reasons I am still interested in GOTG when most of the mcu is a bit worn out to me, there’s this neat focus on why they’re acting the way they are and letting their reasoning steer the story to a good extent rather than using it like an add-on (especially if the way they’re acting is flat out dickish,) and I think that’s a fun approach. All this to say, Rocket is one of my faves, and so a movie largely focused around his character is pretty interesting to me by default.

- The hallway fight was great. Loved it no notes a plus.

- I really liked the tardigrade suits on the tech planet-meteor-lab thing! They looked weird and offputting, don’t get me wrong, but space suits that are visually inspired by the creature that can naturally survive the void of space, boiling temperatures, and so much else are REALLY well-suited (haha) to the organic planet founded by the man who uses existing creatures as the bases of his "creations.” I can absolutely picture the High Evolutionary learning about a tardigrade and being like “hell yeah i just came up with a GREAT and original idea”

- I also liked the organic planet. Very cool the meat was so gross and the eye motif was fun.

- I have mixed thoughts on Adam Warlock, but mainly positive. I think that with the amount of things that were happening in the movie some of the scenes that were necessary for his development made the runtime drag a little and lose some momentum, but I’d rather have them than not have them. He was funny, and the creation of Adam posing at the end was both fun, cool to look at, and kinda something to think about, seeing as he was the one taking the place of god, but he is also the one named Adam. Maybe the idea there was that the first good act he does is the birth of his own humanity, as in existence as a person or as anything more than a passive invention? Or maybe they just thought it would be fun haha. Regardless, the idea of the divine being the one who can gain something through contact with the human is a sentiment that fits in the movie about the dude who plays god via animal cruelty but lacks what his "lesser” creations have and can never get it due to his failure to recognize their personhood idk.

-The ending is how it should have been imo. I know it’s so so sad to see a found family leave each other and it bums us out, and I am bummed out best believe but particularly in the case of Peter, Drax, and Mantis, it seems like what the movie was going for (if you’re taking the latter two’s writing as anything past comic relief which, like, of course I am) is that being in the Guardians was keeping them from evolving into the people that they were meant to grow into, and stunting their potential. Again, very relevant with the High Evolutionary, evolving people against their will isn’t right but remaining frozen in time isn’t natural. It was nice to see them get unstuck.

- Speaking of evolution and the characters, Gamora seemed like she had a little divergent character evolution thing going on, with 2014 as her sorta common ancestor. The ravagers seemed a little out of nowhere but not the the extent that it was unbelievable. “I bet we were fun” was really sweet. It’s nice to see her gain some of the things that she had before the time travel death bullshit personality-wise, the idea that she would always end up kinder and happier when she was free of Thanos (who i hate btw, not even as a character although that too, there was just NOTHING interesting done with him the whole goddamn franchise) than when she was with him is not something it takes a genius to figure out, but it’s still good to see. It’s also worth considering that original Gamora had to choose to be free of Thanos everyday and work with the consequences of his actions while 2014 Gamora was brought into a world where Thanos was gone regardless of her feelings or actions. This is kinda explored in the movie, and neither Gamora is bad, but I feel like its very important characterization-wise to understand that she didn’t fight to leave and struggle in doing so the same way original Gamora did, and so their worldviews are different, too, not only their experiences. To original Gamora the Guardians were fundamental to her indepence, without Peter she wouldn’t have gotten the orb so easily and without Rocket and Groot she might not have survived the Kyln. To 2014 Gamora, Thanos is out of the way and now these other people are kinda just here.

- Gamora dying in Infinity War or Endgame or whichever it fucking was was bullshit and i won’t debate on that but it is funny to see the directors of the mcu doing the exact same thing comic writers have been doing forever coordination-wise. Trying to work with the absolute trash that’s going on in the concurrently-running title is a comic struggle that transcends medium. GOTG did pretty well with it.

- I loved the High Evolutionary! Of course, not as a person, he’s the worst, but he was consistently really interesting to watch and his actor did a really really good job with him! The religious-type traits were really interesting, and specifically his bit with the opera song and music and how he valued literature and art was really interesting and not to be too jojo in marvel but it kinda gave me Dio or Pucci vibes. That’s the type of weirdass tangent one of them would say (specifically their convos with each other or the Pucci Hallelujah moment.) Everyone has already said more than i could say about his weird evolution-genetics shit but it remains weird. 

- “There is no god, thats why i stepped in!!1!” and the bit wheres he’s scrambling to the cage where Rocket is to find out how he knew the filtration system thing were two particular highlights of his character for me. He is messy and emotional and all over the place, and he thinks he is perfection incarnate. His emotional outbursts add humor and are a big part of what makes him interesting and fun to watch, but he would ridicule them in any other being. This is proof that the High Evolutionary is a hypocrite with poor taste.

- Ayesha dead. She was a bitch but she slayed. she will be missed, for the comedy of those fucking gold lenses was a highlight of GOTG2 for me.

- Rocket is a creep. Rocket is a weirdo. What the hell is he doing here. The Radiohead singalong in the beginning was so fun. I loved it so much, genuinely. 

- Lylla, Teefs and Floor were. so much. Everyone says they’re sad, and of course they are, but the whole thing was offputting too. Not as in like “oh they’re so gross” the vibe was just horrifying and sorta nightmarish because it’s not like you think they’re gonna make it out, you see Rocket in GOTG the first and you know there’s absolutely nobody with him but Groot. The scream was, a lot, and very well voiced, I guess? It seems weird to say, it’s not like, oh wow cinema i loved the part where his friends died and he screamed as he watched them get shot in his face but i felt my stomach drop in that theater even though i fully knew it was coming so i guess what i’m saying is mission accomplished you did the thing the way the thing was meant to be and it gave me bone nausea.

- Also it has been pointed out before it is not original thought of mine but the cage death scream vs the dance party scream. I’m thinking about that. Similarly in the sense that i’ve seen it mentioned but I keep thinking about it, the Dog Days are Over was quite a choice, seeing the zune scroll to the most recent decade it has was, bittersweet, or cathartic i guess? They can finally just move through time, they get to be growing people again now. I love the Dog Days are Over. I love Florence.

- On the Lylla topic, everyone’s been saying this sad quote made them sad or that sad quote bummed them out but the thing that got me most was “We were right. The sky is beautiful, and it is forever.” in the final dream sequence. Idk why that one particularly got me like that, heaven and the sky as a pair is a pretty common concept, eternity is just hefty I guess. Compared to the cage though, I’m glad they get such a nice place to be.

- We got “vocabulistics” and now we have “emotionallistic problems.” In GOTG 1 I could give him the plausible deniability of smushing together “linguistics” and “vocabulary” but no, Rocket just likes putting “ballistics” inside words. As is his prerogative. 

- I like how weird and retro some of the sci-fi elements are. The movie isn’t just a rehashing of older sci-fi concepts of course, it implements the retro elements interestingly and makes them fresh, but mad scientist experiments and unnatural experiment beings in a slightly more horror/negative approach is like RETRO retro sci-fi, like heavy book Frankenstein original first-ever sci-fi, so it was interesting to see past sci-fi incorporated into story elements in addition to world aesthetics and soundtracks like we’ve already seen. It’s nothing new to say GOTG has a bit of a 70s vibe just as a franchise, which I absolutely adore, but particularly counter-earth has a kinda “wouldn’t it be fucked up if that happened” vibe to it that I think is really fun. We got meat planet. We got animal planet. Lets go. This is peak fiction.

- Speaking of GOTG being retro-esque this trilogy LOOOVES that fucking yellow slime. Every movie there is a prominent yellow slime feature, it’s the most consistent character in the mcu. Did they accidentally order too much on movie 1 and save the rest for later? It kills me. 

-Speaking of, it’s very funny to me that they end up living on Knowhere. Like in the grand scheme of things. They did well with it, they have lovely homes with nice tables and blankets and lamps and such but like. Imagine you break out of jail and you go to kill time at some shady weirdo planet because the guy who wants to buy your orb is there, and the guy who wants to buy your orb is also Spongebob. You call up the guy who killed your family while you’re there and he stabs you and throws you into the yellow goo to die. The weird guy you’re stuck with breaks down and gets in a fight with you and threatens to shoot you in the face after doing this weird venty monologue that you don’t get at all. This is all one night. Nine years pass and you’re besties and you live there. The goo vat you got thrown in is probably like two blocks away because the planet is kinda small. Idk it just doesn’t seem like that would give homey vibes to me but they made it work and i commend that!

- Overall it was a good movie. I definitely have some thoughts that I’m missing but the thing about situations like that is that I can’t remember them. I will be bummed that the trilogy has ended but things end and this is life. Oh well. It ended well.

- Oh one more thing but the High Evolutionary ultimately lacking creativity was really interesting. All he can ever do is use bits and pieces of things that already exist so he can’t ever achieve what he would consider true perfection, because he can’t appreciate anything that exists due to its inherent and unavoidable flawed nature, and since his “inventions” are based only on preexisting stuff the flaws aren’t going anywhere. When he does come up with something worthwhile he effectively discards it because he doesn’t understand what makes it special, he just knows that it has something that he doesn’t and he’ll destroy it and eventually ruin what was good about it in the first place in the pursuit of replication, so if he ever did achieve perfection he wouldn’t even be able to do anything with it. The one thing he makes that he values, the only thing he can think to do is copy it and ruin it. His mindset won’t allow ingenuity because his pursuit of something without flaws can only ever be informed of traits he’s already seen in flawed beings. He owes everything he ever did accomplish to the flawed. If he wants something perfect so bad he should have at least tried to start from scratch (it would have been a move of immense hubris but obviously he’s not above that) but he can’t, because not only is he uncreative but like Rocket points out, he doesn’t even want perfection, he just hates everything the way it is. 

#i've been gone for months but i am BACK with the unwarranted scifi movie longposting #long post #gotg #gotg v3 #gotg volume 3 spoilers #rocket #rocket raccoon #peter quill #gamora #high evolutionary #i liked the little moments with them just going about life. Rocket tests out his gravity boots and listens to Radiohead. They have apartment #It's like american gap moe

[teecupangel]

Submitted by @saberamane

I’m finally back with the Ark/AC Fusion!!

 They reach the deepest depths of the subterranean cave they’ve called home for the past while, and find the platform for the final ‘boss’ of the area. Entering, they encounter the deformed, tentacled monster that was once ‘Rockwell’ (which Ezio says, firmly, that that was on the list of things he definitely wouldn’t consider having sex with), and in time, put him out of his misery.

As the portal readies to ‘ascend’ them, Desmond says a last, tearful farewell to his Reaper, placing it in a cryo pod and leaving it in the saddle of his rock drake.

As they are lifted up, following the spinal like machinery back up towards they came down, all the broken down machines begin to light up until they reach the very beginning of where they started. A bright flash of light and the portal whisks them away.

Only this time, they are not transported through space to a new ‘ark’, they are sent to earth. And earth does not look good. There are spires of crystallized element erupting from the ground, and the dirt is dry as dust and lifeless, not a single spec of green anywhere to be seen. And the creatures are ‘infected’ with the element as well, large parts of them replaced with black and purple, looking like decayed flesh.

They’ve barely taken in their surroundings when these infected creatures begin to take notice, and run towards them.

Surprisingly they’re saved, by a white and red tek Giga of all things. And who does Desmond see on it’s back?

Clay.

Desmond:

Velonasaur

Gasbag

Defense Unit

Mega Mek

Forest Wyvern

Ice Titan

Altair:

Enforcer

Scout

Gacha

Rubble Golem

Thylacoleo

Yeti

Ezio:

Managarmr (Because they’re flashy as fuck, and Ezio is all about the ‘bling’, lol)

Dire Bear

Tapejara

Rex (Ol’ reliable lol)

Daeodon

Desert Titan

Ratonhnhaké:ton:

Snow Owl (I just feel he’d really like their heat vision, and they can heal which would help him when exploring.)

Rock Elemental (Because sometimes you just need a tanky boy.)

Yutyranus

Megalosaurus (Cave runs!)

Iguanodon

Forest Titan

Clay!!: He Lives!! And only has tek Creatures

Tek Giga (totally hacked, not legit tame AT ALL, because you can’t legit get them.)

Tek Rex

Tek Raptor Pack

Tek Quetzal

Tek Parasaur

Enforcer

And as a surprise, Clay, the best man to ever live, hacks an orbital drop to get Desmond’s Reaper for him. And he is definitely judging Desmond about this, even though he knows how this happens. I mean, Desmond could have just left the thing out in the wild to fend for itself…

Now then, how is Clay here? He doesn’t know exactly. He woke up on ‘Extinction’ with that weird gem thing in his wrist, and all engrams/dossier’s unlocked. For a long while he thought he was still in an animus or something…

Also, he is linked to Ezio, and Ezio only, so when Ezio dies… Clay does too. And the first time it happens is a surprise to everyone BUT Desmond. Clay is not please with being linked to someone else, especially when they die often…

=============

Additions from teecup:

The Ark Survival Evolved AU idea (this one and this one too)

Tames for The Island Ark

Tames for the Scorched Earth Ark

Tames for the Aberration Ark

Clay would add an interesting dynamic to the mix too, especially if he’s being a chaotic gremlin.

Also, the fact that Clay can hack the system is such an OP move at this point that I think we need to give Clay a disadvantage of some kind to level the playing field (because the other OP character we have is Desmond and his OP-ness is ‘random’ as far as everyone knows although it seemed to have a higher chance of working on bosses which is more of a rule of funny than anything else).

May I suggest, Clay actually has the lowest ‘stats’ of the four? Like, yeah, he has all engrams/dossiers unlocked BUT he gets tired and hungry quicker than anybody else and his inventory is lower than the others (even if he ups his inventory using other means like a mount, it is still lower than it should be).

Clay thinks someone is out to get him because he’s cheating the system or because he’s not meant to be there in the first place and his entire existence was some sort of accident. Maybe even both!

So, because of Clay’s ‘limitation’, he tends to stay near the base because (1) he’s squishy so he could easily die and (2) if Ezio dies, he dies anyway. Staying near the base means that anything that stayed on his ‘corpse’ could be retrieved if necessary.

Desmond

Reaper does not count as a tame in this ark because Reaper is technically a ‘mod’ at this point and it seems to aggro everything that sees it so, yeah, his Reaper is safer in the base as a lookout/patrol. Full on bored kid always happy to see their working parent come home and play with them vibes.

His Velonasaur usually joins him when he’s out in the ‘wilds’, acting as both a decoy and a DPS attacker with his thorn and spine attacks to keep the enemy (especially flying ones) switching between two or more targets. He also sometimes acts as a scout but Desmond prefers him to stay close by as more of an early radar if Desmond is too focused on one direction.

Gasbag was tamed sorta unintentionally? Desmond found a Gasbag wounded and he felt bad for the poor fella so he gave him food to try and heal him. That amount of food was enough to tame him (and maybe Desmond’s random glitchy taming ability might also be in play) and he followed Desmond back to the base. He works more as both pack mule and also a source for more oxygen. Desmond definitely does not like him to be part of any fighting because he just sees him as a sweet mild-mannered tame, even going as far as feeling scandalous when Altaïr suggested that he could be a good decoy.

Everyone calls bullshit on Desmond taming a Defense Unit. Like, everyone knows by now that if there is any monster/creature/whatever that could not be tamed in this Ark, it would be the sci-fi looking crab robot thingie. Desmond swears he tamed him the ‘natural way’. They all think it’s bullshit but, at this point, they just accepted that Desmond was bound to freaking tame one or two untameables this time anyway. The Defense Unit itself is kept near the base as more of patrol and it likes to attack anything near the base that doesn’t register as an ally to Desmond. This does mean that any other patrolling tames usually grabs the carcass of anything the Defense Unit has killed back to the base for easy ‘good boy’ praises (even though everyone knows it was probably killed by the Defense Unit). 

Altaïr built the Mega Mek after a few Meks have been built that have a prototype hidden blades. Desmond gave him the big puppy dog “I want one pleeeasse?” eyes after seeing Altaïr’s own Enforcer and hearing how he liked watching shows of robots fighting back in New York. Everyone gives Altaïr the knowing ‘you’re so totally whipped’ look when he presented the Mega Mek (which was created using the previous experimental Meks) to Desmond. This is Desmond’s preferred vehicle of choice and as a Vorpal TEK Cleaver as its main right hand weapon and Altaïr’s latest hidden blade attachment as its left hand weapon (the next version will have a hook blade attachment because Ezio insists)

Because of Mega Mek, the Forest Wyvern is usually used for aerial attacks or if Desmond needs to scout some place from high up. Forest Wyvern is also his usual go to AOE attacker and Gasbag is afraid of the fire. 

Unsurprisingly, the Ice Titan serves as the main attacker in Desmond’s ‘pack’. Desmond and the Ice Titan usually tag team every enemy into oblivion while it’s distracted by the Forest Wyvern or the Velonasaur. Desmond never leaves the base without his buddy Ice Titan (which he may or may not be calling Vanilla Ice, Clay stresses he should not be allowed to call him Vanilla Ice).

Altaïr

The Enforcer is his main mount mostly because of how adaptable to the environment it is. His Enforcer is usually called Altaïr’s Monster by Clay because it’s not just one ‘tamed’ Enforcer. It’s multiple Enforcers all ‘stitched up’ by Altaïr’s audacity after he learned that fully crafted Enforcers can only be level 1 and he hates the game of chance of having enemy Enforcers leave blueprints of random quality so he just went “I’ll take my base Enforcer and just keep upgrading him with other Enforcers parts”. Clay is sure cannibalizing parts from other Enforcers is also against the rule but everyone just accepts it because Altaïr is already in his mad scientist phase and every mad scientist needs to create a monster that may become their undoing as a treat. Why is the Enforcer most probably going to be his undoing? Well, it’s a modded Enforcer for all intents and purposes so it is one of their highest damage dealing ‘tames’ at the moment (maybe only rivaled by the Mega Mek)

As the name says, Scout is usually used by Altaïr to scout around so Altaïr could plan his route better. Unlike the Enforcer, Altaïr didn’t bother to mod his Scout BUT he does have a lot lying around the base because of their varying qualities so everyone believes he plans to mod his current Scout at one point or another. It is also sometimes used to lure targets into traps or, if Altaïr believes that Desmond plans to go to a dangerous area OR thinks Desmond might be planning something stupid, he would let Desmond ‘borrow’ his Scout and the Scout’s only instruction is to keep healing Desmond’s Mega Mek. Desmond can’t even use it to scout around because the Scout’s main and only order as far as its concern is to keep healing the Mega Mek. 

The Gacha stays in the base to keep producing resources, especially crystals. Altaïr tried to make a farm but noticed that the Gachas tend to become sad if Gachas of the same gender are near each other and then Altaïr had to get a female Gacha for both of them to stop being sad then they had children. At some point, Altaïr had unintentionally built a large enclosure to ensure the current Gachas are not sad OR trying to overwhelm the base’s population with more baby Gachas. (Clay had suggested they just kill the excess Gachas, at which Altaïr grumbled that Desmond wouldn’t like that if he heard about it and Clay just made a whipping sound). One of them actually gives loot instead and Altaïr is trying to study how the hell that happened. 

So apparently Rubble Golem cannot be tamed but Rock Elemental can be? But if we want Altaïr to have a Rubble Golem instead, we can make it as a thank you gift from Desmond for the Mega Mek? Either way, this one is mainly used to mine resources for Altaïr’s ‘studies’.

It might not be his original Thylacoleo but Altaïr tends to forget that at times. It doesn’t mind. It mostly stays near Altaïr acting like an oversized lazy cat.

Okay. So this one is weird. There’s a Yeti in a cave near their base and Altaïr is currently studying it from afar because… it’s sorta a fascinating creature to him? Like it seemed to understand them to some degree and he would like to study it further before killing it (if the need to kill it does come up in the first place). Clay jokes that, soon enough, that Yeti will start learning sign language. That only made Altaïr curious if that would be possible.

Ezio:

Ezio would insist that he got a Managarmr because he’s all about the bling as Clay and Desmond like to tease. But also, the Managarmr is one of the more ‘dangerous’ mounts to use as they can attract aggro easily thanks to their ambush attacks and flashiness sooooo… there may be a reason why Clay dies a lot in this game thanks to Ezio XD (because of this though, Ezio’s other tames rarely, if ever, get hurt)

If Ratonhnhaké:ton’s previous Dire Bear was more on the attacking and mule side, Ezio’s Dire Bear is more of a jack of all trades but master of not. Loves to gather everything and anything it sees to get pets from Ezio. Fast enough that it could be used as a scout. Definitely packs a punch. And can take more weight than most. 

Tapejara is his aerial support and usually used to ferry him and his other tames into usually inaccessible areas. Tapejara is highly skilled because it does a lot of things, including stealing eggs while the mother is distracted.

Th T-rex is called Cars 2 (in honor of Desmond's T Rex named Car) which Clay claims to be an underrated Pixar movie that deserves more love. Desmond insists Clay is being sarcastic. Nobody else gets the reference.

Daeodon is a tame that everyone insists (especially Clay!) that Ezio brings with him because of its healing abilities. Seriously, Ezio needs it the most this time around for some reason (there are theories that the monsters that easily aggros on Ezio might have ‘smelled’ or ‘felt’ his connection to Clay and that’s the reason why Ezio has the second highest respawns in this around, 1st is Clay and that’s because of Ezio’s deaths mostly. It really says something that Desmond who would have to respawn if anyone BUT Clay dies is the 3rd highest this time around and he likes to ‘take a walk’)

The Desert Titan is usually used as a mobile base and Ezio taught it how to grab his corpse and run away. Actually, his tames had been taught of “Dead Ezio Protocol” which can be summarized as ‘grab Ezio’s corpse and find a safe place while keeping each other safe’. The Desert Titan usually served as the leader in that scenario with the Managarmr becoming bait and decoy while Tapejara flies back to the base to get Ezio.

Ratonhnhaké:ton

Absolutely agree. Ratonhnhaké:ton would like Snow Owl’s utility and also use him as a messenger if any of the others are nearby.

Rock Elemental: Yeeeess, the tank of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s pack and also the real MVP considering the amount of fighting they do.

Ratonhnhaké:ton let Desmond name Yutyrannus “Yuty Junior” in honor of the first Yuty. Ratonhnhaké:ton’s Yuty though is more on the buff-debuff side than pure damage, giving roars that ups attacks of damaged tames (which tend to happen) and weakens enemies.

Ratonhnhaké:ton asked Altaïr if he’d like to name his Megalosaurus in honor of Altaïr’s old Megalosaurus but Altaïr just reminded Ratonhnhaké:ton that he didn’t exactly name all of his tames. That’s more of Desmond and Ezio’s thing (Clay sighs and tells Desmond that naming them only makes it harder to let them go and Desmond groans that he knows that but he can’t help it, they look so sad without names and Clay will stress that, no, they do not, that Gacha is sad because he’s not getting any Gachussy). In honor of the nameless Megalosaurus, Ratonhnhaké:ton names his Megalosaurus Junior. (No one knows if he’s being serious or if it was a joke)

Iguanodon was one of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s first tames in this Ark but she’s been heavily outclassed by the other tames and the places Ratonhnhaké:ton now goes too can be quite dangerous for her. Mainly, she serves to gather food and act as a pack mule for the pack so they can continue on even longer without returning to base.

Forest Titan has a building on its back that stores most of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s other attack items including weapons, ammos and they serve as a mini-sorta base but not really a base? There is a bed there so Ratonhnhaké:ton can respawn on the back of the Forest Titan (he told Ezio he should do that as well but Ezio’s like ‘naahh, it’ll be fine’). The Forest Titan also serves as an offhand tank if Rock Elemental needs to tap out for a bit.

Clay

Tek Giga might have been the trigger that makes everything aggro at Clay. The Tek Giga was Clay’s first hack and hacking in this Ark takes a long time so he could not do it anymore because of all the aggros. However, with the help of others, Clay is planning to try hacking another one. Maybe even the big boss just for shits and giggles XD

Tek Rex and the Tek Raptor Pack are Clay’s main damagers. He calls them his “Jurassic Park Gang”. Only Desmond gets that reference of course. 

Tek Quetzal is usually his go to mount whenever some big fight is happening and staying on Tek Giga or even Tek Rex would be dangerous.

Tek Parasaur is there to cause chaos, master of hit and run attacks and also… berry gathering. This one looovvveeesss stimberry and the common joke is that it’s tweaking when it’s out gathering stimberries XD

His Enforcer is something he fully crafted on his own and, no, he will not do that abdomination that Altaïr was still doing. At some point, Clay thinks Altaïr should just stop but he knows he won’t. He had a taste of what it feels like to be Frankenstein and he’s going to keep going until the Monster finally says no. (Desmond tells him to stop being so overly dramatic)

#submission #it would be funny #if altaïr did create an almost nigh invincible enforcer #and after defeating the big boss #that enforcer gets corrupted and now they have to defeat altaïr’s monster XD #ark survival evolved desmond harem au #no usual tags #because even if we didn't focus on it #the main pairings of this one are #altdes #ezides #condes

[a-halfblood-named-coin]

Saw DND:Honor among thieves and I have THOUGHTSSSSS

Disclaimer: I am a dnd nerd but not intensely so. So compared to other more serious dnd people I probably care less about ‘game accuracy’ or whatever. Also, if your gonna reblog with “weren’t we boycotting” or smth, just leave bestie also SPOLIERS duh

ANYWAY- my main critique is the pacing. Overall, the fast paced nature helped keep the vibe flowing without getting caught but their were a couple times where I kinda got overwhelmed with how often we were switching scenes. That and I agree with the critiques of the tiefling design being rather boring, especially when you factor in her whole “I hate humans” thing since she looks almost exactly like them.

…and that’s it….no really! I found myself enjoying this film FAAARRRR more than I thought I would. At the end, I think why I loved it much more than similar movies is that it nailed the humor and comedic timing. It has its serious moments and it does them well, but overall it’s a really fucking funny movie where one of the main villains is defeated with a potato to the face. There are several stellar jokes, like-

The fat dragon

Everything Xenk says

The death of the red wizard lady lol

“What’s wrong with my lips!?”

The dwarven bridge

The fake window at the end

And of course NAT 20 potato!

I was laughing a lot throughout the movie, definitely it’s best aspect in my opinion. But I also loved the relationship between Edgin (the bard) and Hulga (the barbarian). I LOVE that they have raised this child platonically and have no desire to change that. There’s no secret crush or anything, they’re both interested in the opposite sex, just not each other. Simon is stellar, his arc is very sweet and simple and I love how his magic is shown. I like how he knows what he can or cannot do, the range of his spells and stuff like that. He doesn’t just wave his hands and magic just happens, it’s an actual skill. Of course the Druid solos, the use of the wild shape is so creative and very fun. And xenk (the paladin) is so deadpan and serious, I love him. All these characters are very silly and fun and fit very well into the goofy writing. I will say, the red wizards are not very fleshed out, but for most of the movie they aren’t really the main villain so it’s whatever to me.

The effects were really dope! They were several times where I think the practical effects really made the creatures that much more real. Defiantly a great case study for why it’s a great idea to ditch CGI (at least partially) and go practical.

Lastly, the serious scenes are really nice here, I’ll discuss two.

1st, the scene where they almost break up. Every good campaign needs to almost break up but I really like this scene. Yes, Edgin has lied by omission but only because he truly believes that Simon can do it. I like how he brings them back together, he doesn’t exclude himself from being a fuckup as well. But you have to keep trekking until youre happy, becuase if you don’t, your past trauma has won. Its very sweet how they all sit together. But what I love most is that they pivot their plan, Edgin still believes in Simon but realizes that not every insecurity can be over come by encouragement. So they come up with a plan that feels more comfortable, but just as crazy.

And 2nd, of course the death scene at the end. Yes it was predictable,but hulga dying and coming back is not what makes this scene, it’s Edgin putting his daughter first. Obviously I think she would want to meet her birth mother, but at the same time it’s a women she’s never known. Edgin realizes that he’s the only person here who would rather bring back his wife than Hulga. He comes to terms with the fact the Hulga is just as much his child’s parent as him or his wife, she means just as much to her. So, finally, he puts his daughters feelings first and resurrects the closest thing to a mother she’s ever had. It’s heartbreaking, but the action of a true parent.

OVERALL, I really loved this movie, again a lot more than I thought I would. Its funny, witty, fast paced fantasy fun. If you don’t want to give money to WOTC or Hasbro, watch it after it gets released online. But I definitely recommend it!

#dnd #dnd honor among thieves #honor among thieves

[kyanitedragon]

My Thoughts On Digimon Survive

[Spoilers for the entire game plot, as well as the Moral Route ending!]

[Spoiler-Free Version Here!]

I didn't get anyone's megas, which kinda sucked, but it gives me something to aim for in my next playthrough!

I’m so amused by the fact that I got everyone to Ultimate (aka Perfect) level, except for Kaito, who was stuck at Champion the entire game. And even then, he joined the gang already having Champion unlocked! That was not me who unlocked it! And during the final battle, Sangloupmon died and the other kids' ultimates survived, so Kaito was also the only one who didn't get a cutscene pep talk.

I had higher affinity with Ryo (who, y'know, died the earliest) than I did with Kaito the entire game! Ryo's was 26; Kaito's was 17!

The fandom's been bullying Shuuji and meanwhile I'm over here bullying Kaito 😂

The (moral route) ending of the game was so funny to me. The gang basically starts a cult. Pretty sure they said more or less they’re starting a new religion, like??? Definetly not what I was expecting.

The game canon is 2020. The religion of Kenonogami turned out to be Digital World. Only post-game are they finally calling it The Digital World and the creatures Digital Monsters. And that’s just “maybe it’ll catch on…”, not even definitive. Just imagining a digimon crossover featuring Survive would be so funny. Tai’s gang from 1999 especially would be so confused that it took 21+ years for the survive universe to coin the words "digital world" and "digital monsters".

Also just. Imagine THIS is someone’s first intro to the Digimon series. They would be SO CONFUSED going into anything else digimon. It’d be hilarious.

I had gotten spoiled on the circumstances of Shuuji's death so that wasn't a shock to me. But I thought the idea was really interesting! A digimon harming and killing their partner was a concept I had wondered about, and long-accepted that it would never get covered in the actual digimon series for being too dark. And now, here we have an example! It was terrible, in a really intruiging way!

Similarly, the next chapter dealing with the kid's understandable fear of their digimon was incredibly interesting! Saki's discussions with Floramon in particular were my favorite. She was so blunt and honest and insensitive about fearing Floramon, and it was entirely understandable.

My only issue is that I wish that there was some nuance in why Lopmon lost control. It didn't feel right that no one brought up that Shuuji had been verbally and physically abusing Lopmon.

I wish we got just a line or two to explain the kid's reasoning. Maybe just the kids wondering at what level of anger or outrage a digimon could lose control. Who's to say an arguement or disagreement couldn't trigger it? They knew nothing about how digimon or digivolution worked at that point.

I thought it was really interesting how, the entire game all digimon are constant and real threats to all the human characters. That's something that's rarely, if ever, brought up in prior digimon media. And it was so fascinating to me - because its so true! Digimon are on such a different power level than humans, and so it means so much more when the human characters sacrifice themselves to protect their digimon partners.

I was not expecting Akiharu, "Haru", and Miyuki to have such large roles, or to love their characters as much as I did, but I was very pleasantly surprised!

I was really excited to see that Takuma and Akiharu ended up basically being jogress partners. We've never seen such an age gap before, and I think its really cute! I'd love to see Akiharu's mentor / paternal / grandfatherly role to the gang and especially Takuma explored more.

I'm a fan of very unconventional relationships in fiction, and so Haru and Miyuki's relationship ended up being one of my favorite things. It's so cute how he still treats her like his older sister despite being 50 years older now, and its very cute how he needs to catch her up on what's changed in the human world.

Between Haru and Miyuki and the main survive kids, there's so much potential for cute age gap and generational gap interactions! I'm really hoping to see some of that in fanworks! Let them be a really strange found family!!!

#digimon survive #digimon #digisafe #digimon survive spoilers #survive spoilers #survive

[h-worksrambles]

A certain 3h video essay made me sit down and read Adastra in like a day and I loved it of course! (This is therefore long and rambly haha). One of the characters that really intrigued me from the start was Alex. While I understand and 100% agree that he's a selfish calculating little shit to put lightly and his cowardice is disgusting, the way the fandom treats any discourse about him seems way too harsh and dismissive for me.

Isn't Marco in a similar boat by the end? He's on a mission, desperately trying to convince himself it's the right thing and that he's not just being used, while the "choice" given to him is not even a choice. We've surely seen that the parents don't give a single shit what happens to any living creature, what horrific spectacles occur, as long as the thing they want happens, cause it's all totally "pre-destined"; all threats and fearmongering coming almost overtly from the parents.

I find it a little similar to the way Alex speaks of certain things in particular to justifying his people trying to isolate the wolves and his actions on Adastra. It's like he's reading a script he learned from memory and I think it's even noted by Marco somewhere near the beginning of the story. I think they're way more similar in how both of their broader situations are sort of decided for them, even if we don't really delve deep into Alex's story or motivations to say for sure. Still, I find the similarities interesting, Marco would never step down to Alex's level per say, but what if he was pushed down?

Of course, it doesn't help that Alex almost immediately falls back to his old ways (planning to steal the ship to leave Adastra) and showing no acknowledgement of seeing Marco again after being basically dead is ice cold (I really think they could've been good friends in different circumstances), but boy does he have a lot right about wolf society and their treatment of others. Amicus is not at fault for what he was born into, but even he has to admit change will be slow. Alex and Marco agree on a whole lot more that Marco and Amicus butt heads on, which I think is an interesting way to have the two couples mirror each other, so it'd be only fair to explore their relationship next.

I really can't help but wonder how much of Cassius' feelings are based on something unknown to us, not just the few tender scenes Marco saw, and how much it's him trying to brush off Alex's actions and spinelessness to avoid being hurt. Even if it's the latter, the quality of Alex's writing to render such feelings is insane. But also them still choosing each other with all the shit they both got into is sweet? Alex is really the perfect poor little meow meow.

Oh sweet! Welcome to the fandom! I do wonder how many newcomers got into this game through that video essay? It certainly pulled me back in.

I think it’s partly a consequence that Adastra is a game that’s very good at playing to people’s feelings and giving them a very emotional response. People are invested in this story. They utterly fell in love with Amicus. And they cried buckets over the ending. And so I think it’s very easy to take a similar response to all the characters, especially the antagonists. As I’ve said Alexios’ betrayal seems to hit very close to home for a lot of people. And, it’s funny that you mentioned Keith Ballard’s essay because I think he made another very good point as to why this gets people when he was examining Adastra through a queer theory lens.

Thing is, there’s a good chance you know someone like Alexios. Maybe they’re not a spy who tears down a government resulting in dozens of deaths in riots. But you may know someone who plays up a sweet facade, puts on a different face to everyone around them and always plays the victim when they’re called out. Alex’s breed of toxic friendship hits a very familiar sweet spot, especially for queer audiences, that prompts an aggressive negative reaction from players. And he’s absolutely supposed to. Which I think is where ghat immediate dismissal comes from.

That being said, I still find him really interesting, and like you, I really like that this character is the one who makes a lot of very accurate criticisms of how awful the wolves’ society is. I definitely also get the feeling that Alex is parroting the Omorfan ‘party line’ so to do speak. It’s how he convinces himself that the consequences of his actions don’t affect him and aren’t his problem. His hands may not be quite as tied as Cassius wants to believe, but he also doesn’t entirely have full freedom of choice either. It’s complicated. And yes, I really enjoy that he voices the same criticisms that Marco and Neferu are also thinking. It makes the parallels between him and Marco kind of fascinating. Your point by the end that Marco’s servitude to the Parents puts him in a very similar situation is a really intriguing point that I haven’t considered before.

As for him and Cass, I definitely think there’s a lot more to their relationship than we actually see. Do I think their bond is healthy? No. Do I ship it anyway? Yes. A major theme in Adastra is that everyone is putting on a facade. Everyone is playing the political game and they all have something to hide and that theme of hiding identity also plays into the queer subtext. The reason Marco and Amicus’ relationship hits so hard is because it’s a rare moment of sincerity. In a setting filled with masks and deception, they’re each the one person the other can be themselves with. But even if we don’t see it as much, I do think that applies to Cass and Alex too. It’s a lot less healthy because they’re both deeply screwed up people. But that doesn’t mean it’s not sincere and I find that really compelling.

So yeah, Alexios is a despicable character, but I think it’s worth briefly putting that immediate emotional reaction aside and digging a little deeper because he’s honestly a really intriguing and well written character. Thank you for your ask. And I’m glad you loved the game too!

I do want to come back to your point about the Parents. But I don’t know if you’re following the ongoing updates of Interea so I’ll hide them in a ‘read more’ to avoid spoilers.

Thing is, Interea has already started to dig into the ramifications of Alex’s actions and to into Omorfa as a whole. He’s still immediately trying to send info back to his superiors back there, suggesting further that he’s learned nothing. And Amicus and especially Virginia are both pretty strongly in favour of having him killed for what he’s done. But what makes this especially interesting is that Omorfa is apparently making steps to isolate themselves from the Parents. And there’s movements on Adastra pushing for the same thing. I have pretty much all the same thoughts about the Parents you do. So once again, we have a character who does deplorable things the cause real harm, but who’s justifications are all things with an uncomfortable grain of truth. As someone who thinks the Parents are giving every sus vibe imaginable (I’ve played enough JRPGs to know a self-involved manipulative god figure when I see one), then I’m curious to see what role Omorfa’s distance from the Parents will play in the story and where that leaves Alex in the middle of it. Again, his role is really fascinating to me.

#alexios adastra #adastra vn #adastra spoilers #interea vn #echo project #ask

[jimothy-g-brooks]

Ki Users In The Dresden Verse

 Very quickly, I told Bob about my run in with the Foo Fighters, wincing at every bruise I was reminded myself of. Other than a few crass questions about the girls that took part in my emasculation, it seemed like he was paying close attention to my description. 

 "Thing is, they felt human," I finished. I like to think I can feel out when something is inhuman, at least when it starts pulling out the mojo. Mind you, when most creatures do that, that's when they stop pretending to be the least bit human. "And not like scions either. These were bonafide purebred humans, near as I could tell. Not vanilla mortals for sure, though. Not the way they moved." 

 Bob was quiet for a moment, his eyes socket empty of ethereal orange light. If he were human, I'd expect his eyes to be closed and thoughtful hum to be coming from his lips. "Well, boss, it sounds like you had a run with some ki users. Not a lot of those on this side of the world, more of an Eastern thing." 

 I nodded, reviewing what I remembered about Chicago's latest exotic guests. "That tracks, they sounded like they were from there. So, it wasn't magic then? Or is ki a kind of magic?" 

 "They're the same thing in the way that radio waves and gamma rays are the same thing. Technically, but you're dealing with very different animals. For one, they're not bound by the Laws."

 That got a flinch out of me. The Seven Laws of Magic were a combination of metaphysical and legal. Break them, and it stained your soul, at least right up until some very interested men in grey cloaks come around to chop off your head. It was the biggest thing keeping wizards from running richkshaw over vanilla mortals. 

 "Mind you, you won't normally see a ki user invade minds, change people's forms or raise the dead. Some can, but they're an esoteric minority of an already small bunch And you definitely won't be seeing them time travel or do any kind of summoning, let alone things beyond reality." 

 I thought about what he said or, more importantly, what he didn't say. That still left Law number One, Thou Shalt Not Kill. That'd put a new spin on our encounter if I didn't naturally assume everyone wanted to kill me already anyway. It also meant a bunch of potential killers that could go toe-to-toe with White Court Vampires at the very least were loose in Chicago. Not that they've killed anyone, yet. 

 "Any weaknesses?" I asked, getting to the practical question. 

 "No more than you. Less, actually. They're still mortals, with all the perks that come with having freewill. Ki doesn't even mess up technology the same way magic does." 

 I frowned, thinking of the logistic implications of that. "Is there a particular reason that ki use isn't more widespread? It doesn't sound anywhere near as restrictive as magic." Magic users might be rare, but a big enough city like Chicago has a small community. 

 "There's a few theories, though they all have problems. Your basic predator doesn't like prey that can fight back, hence that White Court scheme to wipe out minor female practitioners, but wizards are a wily bunch, especially when cornered, and you lot have ways of taking your killers with you." 

 I grunted at that, noting at least one implied weakness there, ki users didn't have a Death Curse. Not that I was planning on killing them, but life has a funny way of sneaking up on you and so does murder, so it was a good thing to know ahead of time. 

 "The Jade Court operates in the East and for as quiet as they are no one's got the balls to step into their territory, at least not for long. Now, the theory goes that while every other predator went out of their way to cull the herd of humans that could hop like grasshoppers, the Jade Court cultivated them instead." 

 "Why would they do that?" 

 "Why don't you ask Thomas how good wizards taste? White Court vampires eat with magic, Jade Courts eat with ki, so people think they allowed ki users to spread in their territory for greater meals. The problem is, that's kind of like roiding up your local deer population so they make more meat, it's asking to get gored! I don't know a lot about the Jade Court, not a lot of people do, but I'm pretty sure they're not stupid." 

 "Okay, so what's the other theory?" 

 "Well, whatever misbegotten gene gave you monkeys magic must've been present in your earliest ancestors, because as rare as it is, they still show up everywhere. So, the other theory goes that whatever traits lets humans harness their ki showed up later in Asia. It had to have been after the last Ice Age too, because the trait doesn't appear in Native Americans either. 

 "Now, the problem with that theory is that migration is still a thing. People packed up their things and hoofed it for thousands of miles all the time. Yet, you still hear about ki users so infrequently in the Western hemisphere that you're over here asking me what even are they. So, one of two theories that actually makes sense combines the last two. 

 "The ki trait shows up in Asia, possibly because of Jade Court vampires, meddling with the stock without knowing the results or humans just developing a defense or even both. It grows out of control before they can do anything about it but every time it moves out of their sphere of influence every other predator moves in to cull the herd." 

 I sat back, digesting that monologue of exposition before letting another knot of worry settle in my stomach. As dangerous as that group that I ran into potentially was, they looked young. Like, too young to drink even. And if the local post-human pseudo-cannibals got wind that another breed of freak kine was running around, they might do exactly as Bob suggested and cull the herd once again. Those kids were inordinately tough, I'd seen that myself, but I also didn't go in against them with gun blazing. The monsters of Chicago wouldn't handle them with kids gloves. 

 "Wait, you said one of two theories that made sense. What's the second one?" 

 "That the decadence of the West is detrimental to the discipline needed to harness ki." 

 "Oh, well fuck you then."

#excerpt from a fanfiction i will never write #my default assumption is that it's a crossover with ranma 1/2 #the village bicycle of crossovers #dresden files #the dresden files #world building #ranma #ranma 1/2 #fanfiction #fanfic #crossover #excerpt

[outofangband]

Dor-lómin crew and animal headcanons:

I did the Fëanorians here and I was very bored at work

edit: reposted with  more information  and edits I couldn't check for yesterday!

Other headcanons for them can be found in the character tags! I know I’ve talked a few times about these characters and animals before

Húrin

Húrin likes animals, both the domestic ones and wild ones. He has had several cows he was especially fond of and he likes ermine and pine Martin like creatures. He finds them funny to watch.

Incidentally, the animals I always associate with Húrin are mongooses, meerkats, sparrows and river otters because they’re family oriented creatures who are also small, snarky and infamously antagonize large predators (sparrows go after crows, mongooses and meerkats go after huge venomous snakes and river otters go after crocodiles)

Also tailor birds because the tailor bird couple in Riki Tiki Tavi remind me of Húrin and Morwen :) if Rudyard Kipling wasn’t such a mess of colonialism, I might think of doing something with that

Huor also likes cows. He likes gentle ones he can pet while he daydreams. I could see him with a large, fluffy cat.

Both him and Húrin remember being in awe at the golden leopards they would occasionally see along the outskirts of Gondolin, in the mountains.

Both him and Húrin also do both love eagles. Húrin has an eagle feather tattoo

Túrin as a child liked animals in theory but was usually afraid of bigger ones. He was also very sensitive to animal death. There is a small bird graveyard in the back garden Túrin insisted on creating. He liked hearing about animals from Sador or Rían. Aerin and Húrin both tried to get him interested in horses with little success. They would have definitely tried again had there been the chance to

Túrin in Doriath really liked animals and plants! His favorites were the quails that the marchwardens kept and strange pale turtles Nellas would show him in pools deep within Neldoreth

He doesn’t have too many strong opinions on animals until his time in Brethil to be honest.

Lalaith loved chasing butterflies! She also likes bunnies and chickens.

Morwen I’m uncertain about. I don’t think she has a favorite animal but if she does, she’s certainly not going to say it.

She does have happy memories of her father taking her to watch birds as a young child on early mornings when he was home and of catching lizards with Rían in the summer.

I do headcanon she is unafraid of skeletons and especially as a child and teenager had an interest in the bones because as I’ve said, she was a morbid child 🍃. I love @theoppositeofprofound ‘s image of her with a crown made from starling(?) bones. That exactly fits my thoughts about her, her aesthetic and her disposition.

Niënor liked bugs and frogs as a kid. She liked to find and save bugs in the house and bring them outside. She developed a rather unsentimental view of some animals as a child such as rabbits and some birds which they could occasionally kill to eat.

I love exploring the connections and associations with her and deer

Sador enjoys the animals he sees from his windows, especially rabbits and red foxes. He is rather intimidated by horses. They are Unpredictable.

Aerin loves horses! She also has a pet goat which she adores. Goats aren’t usually raised by the Hadorians but this one she got from a passing group who occasionally traded with her people. She raised it from when it was a baby with a bottle. Aerin also likes bumblebees.

Rían loves colorful animals especially. Birds, butterflies and dragonflies, brightly colored lizards she would see on sunny days in Ladros, even some beetles. She also has a fondness for owls and crickets.

As always please feel free to ask more!

#the silmarillion #the children of húrin #Morwen #Húrin #Aerin #Niënor #Túrin #Rían #Sador #Lalaith #Huor #musing and meta

[hekate1308]

Leaves That Before The Wild Hurricane Fly, A Destiel Advent Calendar, December 11

Masterpost

Read it on AO3

Lunch was a noisy affair as well, not that Castiel had expected anything different. This was definitely one of those groups who couldn’t be quiet for too long, and to his surprise, he soon realized that he wouldn’t have them any other way –

Especially, much as he tried to deny it to himself, Dean.

The Fae was sitting next to him, and having first served him as well, again because it was his “first time”. “So, Cas, we’ve been talking about our proposal, of course.”

By now, everyone addressed him as Cas. He could have tried to tell them to stop, but in truth, he didn’t mind. He had never had a nickname before, if he didn’t count the Cassie one of his brothers had bestowed on him, and he certainly liked this more.

Plus, Dean had given it to him. Not that it meant something, but still…

“I thought you said not to talk shop during Sunday lunch” Crowley complained.

“I said we’re not talking your shop” Sam said firmly, which made Castiel wonder if there were things he’d rather not know.

“Anyway, so we’re all in” Dean smoothly continued as if nothing had happened. “Think you can get your boss to agree?”

“He agrees to anything that might be a good story.”

“And, think we’re pretty enough?” Dean winked at him.

“Squirrel, the poor man should live long enough to actually write anything” Crowley drawled.

“And how long have you been working for the Lawrence Courier, Cas?” Andrea asked brightly, for which he was grateful, if only so that he could calm down – his heart had once more started beating rather wildly.

“About five years. I moved here with my – with my ex-partner.”

She made a sympathetic noise. He didn’t dare glance in Dean’s direction, even though he had absolutely nothing to do with it.

“So you think your boss will accept the article?” Benny asked. “No offense, but most humans aren’t too keen on vampires.”

“That depends” he said. “As far as I am aware, many teenagers are.”

They laughed as if he had made a funny joke, and he couldn’t bring himself to mind, since Dean laughing was a sight to behold.

“Yeah, but well, wearing fake teeth and glitter is not exactly what we had in mind” Dean supplied. “Mind, if they’re marching for creature rights, that’s another thing entirely…”

“If we’re really lucky they won’t even call us fairies!” Gilda deadpanned and they all laughed again; Castiel wasn’t quite sure why, but thinking what he knew of the word, it was probably for the best to simply accept it as a joke.

“Balthazar would accept another pizza loving rat if it meant good sales” he said, then realized what he’d done and added, “No offense –“

“None taken, man, do you really think that’s the worst that’s ever been thrown at us?” Dean shrugged.

“That doesn’t make it alright” he said quietly.

“Perhaps not but this is how it is, which is where you come into play” he grinned, and the potted plant on the table suddenly burst into bloom. “Damn it, sorry.”

Castiel had jumped.

“No, no, I’m sorry…”

Crowley mumbled something and was promptly glared at by Sam, so he decided he’d probably rather not know what exactly he had said.

“Anyway, what do you think would be the best way to proceed?” Sam then asked, probably to distract them all from the demon, but still…

“Portraits” he said automatically. “People react the best when they can empathize with someone.” He left out the part where he thought that no one could fail to be interested in Dean because… well, he didn’t think it would go over too well.

All in all, they decided that they would wait until he had talked to his boss.

Instead they focused on other topics – Sam’s work, Gilda’s garden, Andrea’s paintings – and it was till one of the best days he’d had in a while – in a long time if he was being honest.

When he got up t leave, everyone told him goodbye and to be careful (granted, it was Crowley so he probably meant he should be careful around him) and Dean brought him to the door. “Got something for you.”

“Ph, I can’t –“

“Nonsense, everyone needs a little colour in their lives.” And he grabbed a small poinsettia from a nearby table. “I know they’ll have a good home with you. Just so you know, put them in a south, east or west window where the plant will receive bright daylight, and keep the soil moist. And oh, talk to them.”

“Because it’s good for the plan t?”

“Because it’s good for you, especially if you haven’t talked to anyone else all day.” He handed him the plant, their fingers touching longer than necessary. “See you around, Cas.”

“Goodbye, Dean.”

#my writings #spn #advent calendar #destiel #dean winchester #castiel

[rosencrantzsguildenstern]

1 & 2 for book asks?

okay yes thank you!!!

book you’ve reread the most times?

this is a little interesting because thinking back there's tv shows and especially podcasts that i've relistened and relistened to but with books i tend to reread them less....that said it’s definitely either the homeward bounders (by diana wynne jones) or the marvelous land of oz (sequel to baum’s ‘the wonderful wizard of oz’ of cinematographic fame).

the homeward bounders is just?? really good?? it’s got a crazy premise and is so good at like... showing this unique pov of this 100-year old immortal preteen and taking all this stuff he goes through and how it effects him but still letting him and the other main characters have very clear personalities. it’s really good at showing effects of trauma subtly and it’s also very funny in some points! it’s also got THEMES- the way it like adapts mythology is so so good.

anyway marvelous land of oz. i still really enjoy it but the amount of times i’ve reread it is because it was a childhood favorite;- i got a kindle paperwhite for christmas at about six or seven with a bunch of public domain classics predownloaded for me and that explains so much about why i am the way i am. anyway this includes all 24 oz books but the marvelous land of oz jumped out to me the most because i really loved ozma, and it’s her introduction/solo book, which she stars in. but then when i read further i felt like she had become this perfect paragon leader (bc of. like. gender roles idk) and all the depth and complexity and comedy of her character had kind of been lost. i think i liked it for slightly different reasons as a kid- i liked the oz books in general because after the first few, oz became this perfect world it was fun to imagine. even now i get hit by the urge to reread the marvelous land of oz! and i do and i enjoy it. i want to buy this fancy illustrated edition so much... it’s always on my mind

2. top 5 books of all time?

okay so obviously there’s gonna be overlap with the above but i’ll give a straight list. this is SO subjective btw

1. the homeward bounders- i mean see above but also know that everything i was talking about? yeah its an 80s book and the plot feels SO based on that 80s thing when everyone was obsessed with d&d and thought it would make demons and monsters. fun fact 

2. the war of the worlds- it’s a classic! it’s good! it’s well written! it’s got themes! but mostly something about it just hits the things i like weirdly well? i love sci fi and i also LOVE when characters go through the worst experiences of their life

3. frankenstein- i like being pretentious (this also applies to above) but no uhh legitimately it’s a really good book. BEAUTIFUL prose and the points it makes are brilliantly thought out and executed... like when we start off by walton being like i wish i had a friend!! and then we read through the whole thing and it’s got PAYOFF because a companion is the only thing the creature wants.... people could (and DO!!) analyze this book forever

4. in other lands- it’s a very clever, completely irreverent comic satire of a fantasy world that manages to end up very heartfelt and real! it’s fundamentally a coming of age story, where we watch the main characters go from 13 to... 18 i believe? somewhere around there anyway their arcs are VERY good, and the satire also has very interesting things to say about the real world

5. the marvelous land of oz- unlike the homeward bounders i can’t say much more about this.... charming kid’s book. movies do NOT do it justice and never did (and wicked does even worse. i could TALK about wicked)

bonuses i didn’t mention because they’re plays: ‘rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead’ (by tom stoppard) and ‘chitra’ (by tagore). i NAMED myself chitra so you can better bet the latter had an impact on me. that’s for personal reasons, whereas ragad is just really good and would probably be #1 on this list if i was counting it

#chitra.txt #wow this got long #books #edit: i thought i was posting this but i guess not #have this late

[tentacledtherapist]

I HAD THE EXACT SAME REACTION! I went to the movie with my alien-teddy-bear Ripley (after Ripley's believe it or not and Ripley from Aliens) and there was next to no one there because it was after work, nearly midnight, in the middle of the week. I had to SCREAM into my bear because I could not hold in my shock-and-glee from that moment. I had been smothering my laughter the whole movie but I could not contain my reaction AT ALL. Completely out of left field. I saw it in cinemas twice now, I had to bring my friends and the range of expressions on that group? Priceless. Worth the ticket.

I'm very familiar with the quote you're trying to reference. It's one of my favorites because it is just so true, regardless of the source! Perhaps the movie is a good example of just such a thing. I will admit I looked like no spring chicken fresh out if the grave.

I also love learning, I think, in the same way, especially when its source is someone who wants to tell you about said thing with their whole heart and being. Video essayists are an easy favorite, especially those who are very good at writing about what they want to say. Not just structuring it like a story like some might, but having key information revealed at the right time so you also get equally excited to learn about said thing. They properly set up the context for you, engage you, then get to the peak of the video and you lose your mind about that LAST perfect piece of information that makes the whole video more interesting.

There are a few video essayists I could recommend, as well as some crafting people who use their videos to sort of educate or craft along with viewers that I could really recommend but I would only do so if it isn't too obnoxious.

I'm curious about your work, are you still at the library? Obviously, do not divulge personal information at my account I don't need to know you work at a Hyperspecific Target in Iowa or anything like that. Internet safety and such.

Oh and I completely agree with you about how creating things that have been taught to you by others can be so amazing. Even if not family, having an old book or someone you met online teach you something can be like connecting across time and space to make a little thing you hold in your hands.

It's magical!

- Creature

i can say i don’t work at a target in iowa. or anywhere in the midwest. i’m on the west coast actually. and i don’t work at a library anymore, but i’m functionally still a librarian. i’m getting my graduate degree and i work at a tech startup/laboratory organizing stock, writing papers, and cleaning parts to pay the bills. i got my undergrad degree in physics and i like what i do! its just a lower level position and with a lot of White Man In STEM coworkers

(i do get electrocuted semi-regularly at work, actually, which is pretty funny)

please share the videos and crafters and essayists!!! i’ll share some of my favorites too!

i don’t know many “craft along with me” people, since i typically prefer written patterns and to problem solve as i go? though, i have seen some things from bernadette banner and i like what i’ve seen!

as for video essayists… aside from the Big Hitters everyone knows (HBomberguy, Linsey Ellis, Sarah Z, etc.), i like jacob gellar — who talks about video games mostly, but he made this video about head transplants and the way such a concept impacts our concept of the soul? and it was fascinating. he has a few other videos along those lines, like one about the ethics of execution, and they’re all great. ‘night mind,’ while not a proper video essayist, does a lot of break downs and in depth analysis of horror media, which is really entertaining? i’ve also got this sort of,,, niche interest in theme park engineering? so Defunctland is a fun youtube documentarian that fulfills that little niche

- Lisa

#ps: your bear’s name is cute #and does anyone look great after bursting out of the grave? #i do not want to think about how heinous my own burnt corpse must have looked

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 206

Bloodlines/The Name of the Doctor

I just realized that on Sunday I get to watch the 50th anniversary special. On this Good Omens 2 weekend, I get to see David Tenant a whole bunch because he’ll be back in The Day of the Doctor!! (Sometimes being a whole week behind because imdb decided to not include some episodes is kind of a good little serendipitous thing. I was MEANT to watch that this weekend!)

“Bloodlines”

Plot Description: The brothers investigate stories of Mafia-like monster families under Chicago’s streets and meet Ennis, a would-be hunter of monsters

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: would I survive in a high end restaurant/club full of supernatural creatures?? Probably not. Oh, and girlies don’t fair well in spn pilots…

I think this is one of those back door pilots for spin-offs they never did

I’m not saying there isn’t room for breather episodes, especially in 20+ episode seasons, nor am I saying trying to jumpstart a spin-off series BUT MAYBE DONT DO IT THIS CLOSE TO THE SEASON FINALE. There’s like one or two episodes before the season finale, why are we doing this NOW? We just got done with a mostly breather episode but that had SOME relevance. Why are we derailing?! I’m just not interested in these monster mafia families

I’m promised the boys at some point, so I’ll jump back in when we see them. Otherwise,…it’s not worth saying much about this if it’s not going anywhere

Oh hey! It’s the boys!! Not five minutes after I said I wasn’t gonna say anything more. Cool. It’s weird that they…are INCREDIBLY straightforward to this guy they don’t know AT ALL

This COULD have been a cool concept, but nope. Thanks CW.

Don’t you love how they changed the lore about shapeshifters in their own show?? They used to shed their skin when they shifted into someone else, but now? They can just do what they want when they want. Awesome

WHAT KEEPS ATTACKING EVERYONE?? Omg plead PLEASE don’t tell me another girl died

Ok, she’s not dead…yet. I don’t have high hopes. I’m banking on her dying to set up the unbreakable bond between Ennis and David (although David lost his brother already. I did forget about that) So maybe they save her together

It’s just some dude stirring shit up?

This could have been a cool show…the number of things they could have done and now will never do

“The Name of the Doctor”

Plot Description: The Doctor has a secret he will take to his grave, but it’s about to be revealed

It’s so funny and just like him that Moffat thought at all that he should be the one to reveal the Doctor’s name

I think Vastra/Jenny/River would be make for some good fanfic

You know……….it IS really weird that he’s been all flirty with Clara this season while STILL VERY MUCH MARRIED TO RIVER. It’s like they just remembered she exists…I’m…

Jenny noooooooooo. These gents are really off putting

So now we’re on Trenzalor trying to save Vastra (or not-vriska) and Strax

But…that’s not possible. River was saved by Ten. Is this just an empty grave situation?? Or is time being rewritten?? Oh good. It’s a secret entrance to the tomb. And I mean that genuinely. I’m glad Moffat wasn’t allowed to rewrite Ten’s time

Yayyy!! They saved Jenny!!

Ok. Wait. Because now they’re acting like River’s a ghost and has been a ghost for a long time and there’s almost no reason for it because she’s ALSO A TIME TRAVELER. Moffat, you fucker. What are you even doing??

I’m just going to say it, Griffin McElroy did the “mad dash through a place of death filled with ghosts and disembodied voices speaking in rhyme” and this episode doesn’t even have Upsy…it does have the same number of scaled lesbians though, which is impressive

Is the entire reason there’s a weird backup ghost River that only Clara can see so that someone can say the Doctor’s name and no one hear it besides the future TARDIS? Unimpressive

Ugh. Hearing Nine’s “Fantastic!” I miss him

The Great Intelligence had the potential to be cool but he’s just kind of lame because I know there are like…at least six more seasons.

There both so weirdly guarded. On one hand, yes “~*~spoilers~*~” but omg

Cool coolcoolcool writing that Clara “was born to save the Doctor, but the Doctor is safe, so her story is over”

Okay but the GLIMPSE of the War Doctor!!!!!!

#hellsite nostalgia tour 2023

[guildtree]

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…)

🍌 In your opinion, what’s the funniest joke/reference/pun you’ve made in a fic?

🍐 Is there anything in canon that you absolutely hate and love to fix in fics? A wrong choice made, a fuck-up in characterization, a misunderstanding never cleared up, a conversation never shown onscreen, etc…

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

🍊: I've wanted to write something with Mai Trin since Season 1 re-released, but I've just never been able to figure out the exact plot or theme to tie a story with her in it together. I also need to make something with Braham in it because he gets too much hate, the poor guy :(

🍌: The quote, “Funny, it seemed like you were thinking about a very different type of Krytan-Canthan relations" from Business and Pleasure because I got a reader comment and tell me they almost choked on their food laughing. Close seconds would be Marjory drawing pink necromancy sigils all over Taimi's lab in Left Behind, and Shirley the bone minion.

🍐: Not too much in Guild Wars 2, thankfully! I've definitely been in fandoms where fix-it fics abound *cough* warrior cats *cough* and while running off spite for a while can be fun, I've never found it personally healthy to stay in those spaces for long. If I really hated a majority of the canon, I would just leave and find something I liked better.

That being said, we all know the end of Icebrood Saga was a train wreck and a half, so if I ever write something in that era of game time, you can trust I am taking liberties with the story, characters, and especially the timeline. Smodur got character assassinated in Drizzlewood and I would either make him be clearly influenced by Jormag or simply swap his role with Malice Swordshadow (who had no character to be assassinated before and would be more Jormag's type anyways). More time devoted to the norn and Primordus please, more character development for Jhavi. I completely screw with the timeline there because it is ridiculous that the Primordus/Jormag conflicts took like 3 years of in-game time when Champions feels so short and other dragons like Zhaitan and Mordremoth took a year or less. I generally condense that conflict and add additional months to years of peace between Dragonfall -> Grothmar and Champions -> EoD instead, to give the characters more room to breathe.

I also may wind up changing either Mordremoth's or Zhaitan's pronouns to it/its or they/them for the Aurene fic? Soo-Won refers to Mordremoth as 'him' at one point, and I think Zhaitan never gets a canon gender, but something about those dragons and their domains feel so big and conceptual that it feels weird to restrict them to a binary gender? Especially with the Mordie weapons talking about how the dragon felt like sylvari were inherently part of its body, like it extends to cover everything; and then Zhaitan just being death itself. Idk dragons are such weird creatures that it feels like they should play with gender more.

🍇: Anything Kasjory during End of Dragons or later. I love their dynamic there: it feels like they finally have their relationship figured out, they're working together and supporting each other, they're finally getting their happy ending after all that pain. You've got detective stuff with the Aetherblades and political stuff with Kas's ambassador job, plus some good battle couple stuff at the end with the Void fight. I love fluff, hurt/comfort, and the occasional mystery or drama plot, so EoD was a fanfic gold mine for me.

#ask game #my writing #accidentallyadorable #thank you!!!

[lasclvip]

Magic knight rayearth manga updates

MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH MANGA UPDATES FULL

MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH MANGA UPDATES SERIES

They’re hugging each other but they’re crying – they want to know why she had to be killed.Īnd that was the end of that. Right after Emeraude gets her last wish of being with Lord Zagato, the three are transported back to Tokyo Tower, mere minutes after a flash of light occurred.

MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH MANGA UPDATES SERIES

I really liked how the series ended though. He literally died trying to keep her alive – even he knew the cost of her death. He fell in love with her too but he loved her so much that he was willing to take the blame, the fall, for it. It’s a really good twist that, at the end, Emeraude revealed the reason why she brought the three girls over was to kill her – she was being selfish and fell in love with Lord Zagato when she shouldn’t have. The world’s stability literally depends on her prayers, thoughts, and wishes. They seem more human and not blown out of proportion with the exception of Emeraude, at first. I really like the characters in this series, though. I also like that they’re actually different from one another but they’re all still very similar. They don’t seem like all powerful – they all have their flaws, even if it’s not completely noticeable in the manga. The girls are funny and you can relate to them – I know in a lot of ways, I could relate to Hikaru, Fuu, and Umi at different parts of the stories. You can basically show all the major events happening in quick succession and readers won’t get bored right away because there isn’t a drag – it doesn’t even exist!Īs for the plot itself, I think this is one of CLAMP’s better stories out there (especially since it’s actually completed) despite it’s very low volume count. It cuts out all the unnecessary parts that usually puts people off from it. It also cuts down on time and it gets right to the point. A lot of these manga forget they have characters and their stories that needs to be carried instead of having to go around the world (and maybe beyond) just to get a glimpse of the world around them. On the other hand though, it could be a good thing because in a lot of fantasy-esque series, they tend to go on forever. What are their roles besides helping the girls around the world? Because the whole thing is based on how the pillar thinks, it’d be interesting to meet more of the people who lived there besides Clef, Presea, Ferio… I would love to have known what happened to them after the incident or at least during. Well, “some world building that’s missing” isn’t how I should have put it. Not to mention, we could also miss a huge chunk of characterization and then a little bit more understanding about why the girls are the way they are. We get from the get-go that the land changes based on the pillar’s, and the people’s, hearts. It could be a bad thing because there could be some world building that’s missing from Cefiro. Now, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s very quick pace and a lot gets done over the course of three volumes (or one omnibus). However, it’s rather short as a manga series. And, oh, does it hurt so good.įortunately, that’s not the case with this series. There are so many series that I want to try to read but at the same time, I’m so worried I’m going to be burned again by your stupid deux ex machina. You either confound me or I adore you to where I want to be proud that I’m a huge fan of yours. This blog post will contain spoilers please read after the cut if you’ve already read the manga. But how are a bunch of junior-high-school kids supposed to defeat the might of the handsome and sinister Lord Zagato… with only an exceedingly strange bunny creature named Mokona as their guide? All information come from Manga Updates.

MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH MANGA UPDATES FULL

Umi, Hikaru, and Fuu are three schoolgirls out on a field trip to Tokyo Tower… when suddenly a strange voice summons them to Cefiro, a world full of monsters and magic! They have been brought here as the last hope of the Princess Emeraude, who believes they are the Magic Knights, foretold in legend, who will save her realm. Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mecha, Shoujo, Supernatural

#Magic knight rayearth manga updates

[lonely-lost-soul]

Let Me Worship You

(C!Technoblade X Gn!Reader)

Request 9: Could I perhaps request a c!techno x gn!reader where maybe the reader is good friends with Dadza and meets Techno one day and they fall for each other? Bonus if the reader is maybe a great builder like dadza but too shy to actually meet anyone so they just build things quietly and then move on and no one but dadza really knows them? Soft! and/or protective! Techno would be cute but not needed!! 😊😊😊

Requested By: 🍀 Anon

I hope you don't mind the shameless art I made for this lol.

At this point in his life, Technoblade had known Phil for centuries, they started their own brief empire together and he watched him raise Wilbur the best a single father could. It was about five years ago when you started following Phil around, the first time Technoblade met you was entirely by accident. He just needed to drop off some building supplies to Phil and Wilbur when he saw you trifling through Phil’s stuff, you had gorgeous white wings and when the sun hit them just right he saw flecks of gold peek through. His piglin side was immediately enamored with the gold wanted to reach out and run a delicate hand through the feathers. Technoblade set his jaw and summoned his ax to his side, you turned around (e/c) eyes widening with shock and fear. Technoblade couldn’t help but feel pure satisfaction rush through his veins seeing your fright. You held up your hands and everything you were holding tumbled to the ground, wings puffing up with shock and horror. Hearing the noise Phil wandered into the room and was quick to diffuse the situation, you hid behind the taller male and Techno gave a grunt of an apology in your direction.

From that moment forward you were as much of a staple in his life as Phil was, Phil had explained Wilbur had found you half dead a little ways away from his home. You had wings like his and Phil couldn’t let you die without answers, his crows would never let him live it down. After he got what he needed from you, Phil noticed just how handy you were around the house especially when you were building things so he kept you around. Technoblade never really interacted with you unless Phil was there to interpret, you weren’t much of a talker and Technoblade was never one for long-drawn-out conversation anyway. However, when Phil had killed Wilbur and he and Technoblade had to move north you inevitably followed the birdman. That’s when Technoblade really began to understand and get to know you and your little quirks. He noticed that when you concentrated on blueprints to a certain build you’d stick your tongue out all cute like, or the soft songs you’d hum when you thought no one was listening.

But Technoblade always listens.

He also noticed that since you and Phil had moved in there was an abundance of not only Phil’s crows flying around but a few stray morning doves pecking at the snow as well.

With the encouragement of the voices, Technoblade had gathered up enough courage to attempt to hold onto a conversation with you. As he walked up to you he noticed the soft coo of a dove was heard, catching your attention. You turned around and your eyes locked with his own, he watched your shoulders tense and face flush a little as he approached you.

Off to a rocky start already. Great.

“Ugh. Hey?” Technoblade grunted hands crossing over his chest,

‘Hey? HEY? is that the best you can do? Look at them they’re cowering. Good, they should be, which means we’re well known.’

Technoblade cleared his throat a little as you held up a hand with a shy wave, “hello.” You greeted, your voice was soft and sweet like honey in his ears. The exact opposite of Wilbur and Tommy’s, he found himself enjoying the tone. “So um...did I do something wrong?” Your wings folded back and he watched you methodically run your fingers through the feathers.

‘Look at the gold flecks! I want them! I wanna pet them they’re so cute! So small and helpless like a little worm. Worm? Really? What it’s an analogy! A bad one! Shut up she’s giving us a look!’

“No? Did you do something I should be concerned about?”

“No!” You sputtered out in panic, dropping the bricks in your hand stumbling back so they wouldn’t crush your toes.

You had fast reflexes, that’s good.

The morning dove around you cooed in distress fluttering up to your shoulder, nesting there like it was its home. “I’m alright,” You whispered eyes going soft as you scratched under the bird’s chin, Technoblade watched with interest. Technoblade gathered why Phil really liked you, you were almost an exact replica of the mild manner builder, other than the anarchist tendencies.

“Didn’t mean to make you drop your stuff,” Technoblade clicked his tongue softly bending down to gather your materials. “Where do you want them?”

“You don’t have to-”

“I asked you a question kid.” Your mouth snapped shut and your lips pressed into a thin tense line. Technoblade observed as your eyebrow twitched, oh you were annoyed. You didn’t voice your annoyance he couldn’t help but mentally comment how cute that look was on you. A huff spilled past your lips and you directed him where to place the bricks in their proper locations. The both of you fell into light conversation after that, he caused you to laugh a few times and it made him feel oddly warm inside. He didn’t even realize that the sun began to set until you pointed it out, Technoblade rubbed the stubble on his chin glancing at you out of the corner of his eye. You were staring up at the sunset, the orange and red colors shone through the gaps in your feathers, your eyes were alight with wonder. You looked like an old Greek statue, an angel carved out of the finest marble and gemstones.

He flushed when you turned to face him, embarrassed to have been caught staring at you so blatantly. You smiled the tips of your pointing ears turning pink, “You should stay the night.” Technoblade spoke without really thinking about the consequences, “there’s plenty of room.”

“Alright. I think I will. It’s not safe flying at night anyway.” Your smile only growing in size at his offer, he made the right decision then, he led you and your little dove through the snow and into his cabin.

Spring rolled around and there was a little house set up right next to Technoblade’s home. It fit his aesthetic nicely, made out of wood, and always had its lanterns lit, it was your home. However, you began to spend most of your time at Technoblade’s home talking with the retired Blood God. You and Phil also had begun molting which was Technoblade’s least favorite time of the year mostly because of all the feathers. However, this year in particular he was particularly enamored with your shiny golden feathers he would find around his home. Maybe he collected them and kept them in his ender chest, it wasn’t creepy he was cleaning. At least that’s what Technoblade told himself, not because he found your feathers beautiful or anything and was enamored by the shine.

“Hey Kid,” Technoblade asked from his seat across from you in his sitting room, you picked your head up and tilted it to the side in a questioning manner. Your wings were ruffled, messy and you looked uncomfortable to be interrupted from your grooming. “Need some help?” He watched your entire face turn bright red in the process, “look you can say no. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable!” You argued, “just caught off guard a little Tech. I never thought it’d be something you were interested in.” Standing up from the chair you spread your wings wide, pulled over a stool, and flopped in front of Technoblade. He was a little shocked at how quickly you agreed, they must’ve really been bothering you.

“Do I...just stick my hands in there or…”

You tossed your head back and let out a roaring laugh,

“heh? What’s so funny huh? I don’t wanna hurt you.” Technoblade snapped at you with an embarrassed huff, your laughter slowly dyed down after a few more seconds.

“Sorry I just. Is that what you say to the ladies too?” Technoblade choked and blanked never once have you said something so dirty before, he didn’t even know you were capable of making jokes like that.

“I say that to everyone actually, I don’t discriminate to just women- I’m not helping my case am I? I should stop talking.” It only served to send you into another set of loud giggles, Technoblade was red in the face and stuck his hands into the little feathers by your back. He felt you tense up for a moment before relaxing into his touch, you let out a soft sound of pleasure. Technoblade chose to ignore the sound even if it sent the voices into a frenzy, to mark and claim, and...he was absolutely not going to finish that thought. You both sat there for about an hour and thirty minutes, fixing up your feathers making you preen at the touches. You were smiling like an idiot by the time he was done and you spread your feathers wide, almost like you were showing them off. Technoblade couldn’t help but feel proud that you liked the work he did so much,

“They’re so soft! Thank you Techno!” You turned towards him, eyes practically glowing with adoration. His face turned red, you were stunning, he kissed you that night and by wintertime, the both of you were an official couple.

Phil was quick to catch onto the change in demeanor between the couple, he clapped Techno on the back as congratulations. You were out on another building project, making a little farm because you knew how much Technoblade loved potatoes, you really were attentive. Surprising Technoblade, Phil had also threatened his first cannon life if he ever hurt you in any way, shape, or form. Techno was a little surprised Phil would go as far as to threaten him, but he promised his old friend he wouldn’t let any man, woman, or creature lay their hands on you, including himself.

It was the dead of winter and temperatures had dropped drastically, Technoblade had made both you and Phil warm clothes for the occasion that matched with his own winter gear. He had given you a friendship emerald and in return, you made him a necklace with one of your golden feathers on it.

Technoblade cherished the gift with his entire being. On occasion, while he was out on a long journey he’d press gentle kisses to it when he missed you, and he swore sometimes he swore it moved on its own. He walked into the cabin to see you spread across his couch, a book on your lap, wings curled in tight against your body. He smiled softly dropping the wood he gathered by the door, he snuck over to you and pressed a kiss against your cheek.

“Hi, sunshine,” You greeted turning your head to look at him, his face burned and his chest filled with warmth. Technoblade moved to sit in your lap with a smirk, he plucked the book from your hands to look at the cover. You frowned in his direction, “You lose my spot and I’m hitting you over the head with it.”

“Violent.” He tutted softly bopping you on the head with said book, you shot him a cold look.

“Hypocrite.”

“Nerd.” He responded casually, you let out a little huff, wings ruffling in frustration.

There’s that look, he loved that look. God, you were so cute.

You slapped your hands on his cheeks, and it shocked him back to attention. He felt your fingers spread across his cheeks and your thumbs brush against the apples of his face. Technoblade’s eyes softened and he snuggled into your open palms, he saw you smile and his eyes dropped to a content close. Technoblade did something he hadn’t done in years, he felt the rumble in his throat before it happened, he purred.

His eyes snapped open with fear and embarrassment, but the way your eyes were sparkling quelled the feelings immediately.

“Did you just purr?”

“So what if I did?” He grumbled another purr mixing with a growl,

“That’s the cutest thing in the entire world Mr. Big Bad anarchist. You only purr for me?” The light teasing in your voice sent him aflame, “Aw you do!” You cooed rubbing his cheeks with your thumbs again, he buried his face in your chest as more purrs spilled from his mouth without him wanting them to. “No need to hide it, keep them purrs coming.” Technoblade’s entire face was red as you reached forward to pluck his glasses from his nose. You placed them on the end table and grabbed a blanket wrapping you both inside a cocoon of warmth.

“You tell anyone about this and we’re breaking up.”

“Deal. Your secrets safe with me.” You hummed quietly running his hands through his pink locks melting against your touch. He finally relaxed completely resting the side of his head against your chest to listen to your heartbeat. Technoblade purred and you could feel the rumbles of his chest against your own. The ferocious Blade was akin to a cat, grumpy on the outside but a big softie who wanted attention on the inside. Leaning forward you kissed his forehead, another louder purr was pulled from the man and pressed his forehead back against your lips. “Good boy.~” You teased scratching under his chin he sent you a tired look but the redness in his cheeks gave away how much he enjoyed the praise.

“Shut up. You’re being cringe.” He growled with no real bite or fire,

“Take a nap big guy. You deserve one. You’re safe with me.” Technoblade yawned loudly at your words, his jaw unhinging a little, only proving to show how tired he really was. “I’ll protect you, always.” Technoblade smiled sheepishly and allowed himself to let his guard down just this once to fall asleep in his lover’s arms.

#technoblade x reader #dreamsmp x reader #dreamsmp x you #c!techno x reader #c!Technoblade x reader #mcyt x you #mcyt x reader #minecraft x reader #x reader #x you #technoblade x y/n #minecraft fanfiction #minecraft x you #mcyt x y/n #technoblade imagines #technoblade drabbles #dreamsmp drabble #fluff #winged reader #fanfiction #fanfic #🍀 anon

[inamindfarfaraway]

Things I Like About Pixar’s Luca

The atmosphere and aesthetic of both the human town and the underwater one are endearing and immersive. They’re both delightful settings, instead of being compared in opposition to each other. It’s truly a gift that sea monsters can experience both worlds.

The sea monsters (calling them monsters sounds rude - sea people? Sea folk?) make a concept that’s been done over and over again seem new. The attention to detail like each head fin becoming a lock of hair; the vivid colour schemes that mirror those of sea creatures; that only the wet parts of their bodies transform back to normal; the gorgeous animation of the transformations, with the water wetting and drying naturally. I never thought I’d be admiring the pattern in which water dries on someone’s back, but that’s Pixar for you.

The prejudice isn’t portrayed in a one-note ‘humans are inherently bad/judgemental’ way, but realistically. The townsfolk are afraid of sea monsters the way you’d be afraid of sharks - as unintelligent, feral animals. Like with sharks, the violence toward them is largely unprovoked and disproportional, since they hold no ill will of their own toward humans unless it’s reactionary and are content to stay out of their way, but you still get where the townsfolk are coming from. Especially having built fear and superstition of these ‘creatures’ deeply into their local culture and everyday lives. But they all get to know and trust Luca and Alberto as people, not just the Marcovaldos. For example, we see some of the kids cheer Luca on in the background as he does cycling training, and snicker when he insults their persecutor. The boys are children, like any other children. So when they transform in public, it’s shocking, yes, but they still move and talk and act the same way because they’re the same people, clear as day. Not monsters, not even animals. They feel fear and love and anger just like humans do. They’ve been living among them for, what, several weeks? And not hurt anyone. Then the Paguros appear and they are so viscerally parents, reuniting with their son. That’s a lot of hard evidence in the sea people’s favour, on both a rational and emotional level. Humans are on the whole very empathetic and love anthropomorphizing and connecting with non-human creatures; plenty of us would jump at the chance to welcome a species of confirmed equal intelligence. Neither the prejudice nor the acceptance feels unnatural. Even the happy ending acknowledges some will never accept them, but some will. That’s how it always has been and will be, in every society.

Luca is a strong, likeable protagonist. He’s relatable, the naive everyman next to an incredibly vibrant deuteragonist and tritagonist, but still has a lot of personality. He’s funny and adorable. I love his gradual arc of overcoming his multiple self-limitations. I love the way his ideals and desires evolve naturally as he starts to find himself and mature. First he wants to escape his problems, to be free and independent without really understanding what it means. By the end he’s putting in the work to repair and maintain his relationships with Alberto, Giulla and his parents. I love him realizing that although what he has with Alberto is wonderful and liberating and he needs it, it isn’t the only thing he needs or wants from life and the surface, that he shouldn’t put his friend on a pedestal or have to sacrifice his long-term happiness to please him. As someone who keenly enjoys learning, I love his blossoming zest for knowledge and discovering his own interests. Good luck in school, Luca! This is set in the 1960s, right? Oh, you’re gonna go insane when you watch the moon landing.

Give him ALL THE HUGS.

“Land monsters!” Yep, that’s humanity alright.

Huh. Walking really is just falling forward on one leg and catching yourself with the other over and over.

“Goodbye. Forever.” [Three and a half hours later] “See you tomorrow!”

I can understand thinking the stars are fish. They’re small shiny things in a big blue/black expanse that appear to swim away with the dawn. But Alberto saying with complete conviction that they’re specifically anchovies, of all fish, is so funny.

The boys hear a sailor be passed by another, wave at him and call to him, “What’s wrong with you, stupido?” They come to the completely logical conclusion that the phrase is a human greeting.

“Yeah, I’m kind of an expert on human towns.” “Have you ever been to the human town?” “No…”

How the Vespa picture is symbolic of Luca and Alberto’s friendship. First a rough sketch, it becomes coloured and more detailed during their time on the island. The addition of the telescope and Alberto’s unwillingness to understand it shows the cracks from Luca branching out, the rip shows the schism and finally it’s taped back together.

The scenes in Luca’s imagination. They capture the wonder of his mind and illustrate his thought process.

His grandmother being supportive of his curiosity. Just in general, she’s cool.

The casual reveal that she goes to the town every weekend, and the elderly sisters live there full time. Though the younger generation is bolder and more open about it, these different people have always existed in ‘normal’ society, because they are normal and deserve to live as such. Interpret that how you want.

Uncle Ugo. “You can’t stop it. If you open your mouth, the whale carcass will get in. Very good, would recommend…”

Giullia is amazing. Brave, passionate, clever, funny. Staunchly devoted to her ideals. Quirky in her own way (she swears with cheeses!), yet also the more boys’ down-to-earth guide to Portorosso and human life. Her vendetta against Ercole and never once considering giving up her fight against his “empire of injustice”. Her love of astronomy equal to Luca’s. That she has her share of insecurities, but is nonetheless confident and secure in herself enough to want to win the race purely to prove she can. I see a lot of myself in her - or who I want to be - and would love to be her friend, so the implication that she didn’t have any real friends in Portorosso before the boys and may not have many in Genova either is heartbreaking. Her worry she’s too much is very relatable. Does anyone else get autistic vibes from her? I very much do.

Give her ALL THE HUGS.

“I didn’t quit, they made me stop.”

The narrative and characters don’t dwell unnecessarily on Giulia’s parents’ divorce and separate living situation.

The Underdog’s friendship. Have I mentioned I adore dynamics built on outcast solidarity? Because I absolutely adore dynamics built on outcast solidarity.

Ercole is a refreshingly good archetypical bully. No tragic backstory, no rushed redemption. Just a pompous, immature teenager who derives pleasure from the suffering and subjugation of others. He’s petty enough to order his lackeys to slap each other “with contempt” for him and ruthless enough to enthusiastically attempt to murder two children just because they’re different. Despite his simplicity, he’s never quite unbelievably evil. The murder thing is a little jarring, but it’s a very fast and reckless decision, he doesn’t seem to comprehend the true consequences of it. Some people are like that - worthy of being called “land monsters”.

The Underdogs fracturing his reign of tyranny even before he gets his proper comeuppance, with it demonstrated from his first scene everyone else in town already can’t stand him, they just can’t defy him effectively.

Luca and Alberto’s friendship is cemented and broken by the sea at sunset.

While everything about them makes much more sense in hindsight, Giulia doesn’t even suspect Luca and Alberto were sea monsters until she sees the latter transform. She meets two runaways who have no (at least by land standards) formal education; no knowledge of the most basic societal customs, like money and eating with cutlery; think the stars are fish; are paranoid about getting wet; and won’t tell her anything of their pasts or families. And she just rolls with it. Hey, weird kids gotta stick together!

On the same note, her not bearing any prejudice toward them after the reveal. She doesn’t even seem that angry they lied to her. She’s grown up listening to Massimo and the other townsfolk’s anti-sea monster sentiments, but her sole thought is to be concerned for her friends’ safety.

The scene that reveals Alberto’s father abandoned him explains so much without a lot of spoken explanation. Show, don’t tell and all that. The lack of any adult supervision in Alberto’s life was already suspicious - given he spends his days stealing from murderous humans, jumping off of tall structures and staring directly at the sun he’s obviously in dire need of it - but there’s something so cold about his father just… leaving. We never hear his personal reasons for it, because there’s nothing reasonable about this. And we don’t hear anything about a mother. Alberto’s entire character is put in perspective. No wonder he was possessive and controlling of Luca. He’s been alone for so long, friendship, respect and admiration are gold dust to him. No wonder he’s constantly telling his fears and doubts to shut up. You realize that every second of every day his dad doesn’t come back, he has to tune out the constant worry that he’s a nuisance. A burden. A waste of space. Why else would your own father not even want you? Any minute now Luca will see you’re just dragging him down and leave too -

Give him ALL THE HUGS. And his dad ALL THE PUNCHES.

Which makes Luca telling him, “Silenzio, Bruno!” really powerful. Oh my God, what if his dad’s name is Bruno? This implies he was emotionally and verbally abusive before he walked out.

Luca’s parents are flawed and make mistakes that contribute to the rift between them and their son, but are still well-intentioned and only want the best for him, and are willing to admit their faults and change. I’m always a fan of realistic good parents and nuanced parental relationships in fiction.

Massimo is such a good dad! I like that they set him up to be the cliché ‘gruff, intimidating father’ and ‘scarred, bitter disabled person’ but he’s loving, sensible, wise, kind and fair. He’s introduced extremely dedicated to sea monster hunting. Yet it becomes apparent that’s a manifestation of his protectiveness of his family and community, not bloodlust or ambition, so of course he chooses peace and the expansion of the town’s community in the climax. You can tell Giulla’s modelled her heroic values on his. His missing arm is accepted and acknowledged as a part of his identity, but it’s shown how he lives with it fine and it doesn’t make him a tragedy or an ultra-competent martyr.

Machiavelli! Fluffy baby. Chunky cat. Very good boy. Who’s a good cat? You’re a good cat! Yes, you are! Yes - [clears throat]. His rightful suspicion of the boys and them gradually winning him over with fish is hilarious.

Technically, there’s no rule that says a sea monster can’t win the Portorosso Cup!

Though isn’t given much focus, that Giulia isn’t the least bit annoyed Luca and Alberto win instead of her. Winning and dethroning Ercole was her drive every summer for the last five years. But she’s nothing but proud of her friends. It’s that security in her identity again. This is a prime example of why I admire Giulia.

In the end, the real Vespa was the friendship they found along the way.

Massimo adopting Alberto! So sweet and cathartic.

“You got me off the island, Luca. I’m okay.”

The music throughout. Especially when the theme kicks in at the end as the train moves away and the sun breaks through the clouds.

The pictures in the credits of each fish boy thriving in his new life and the Underdogs keeping in touch!

Alberto gushing over Massimo’s knives and being told he can’t handle any -> Massimo giving him a knife for his birthday in the credits.

Kittens! I thought Machiavelli couldn’t get any better and I was so wrong.

Oh, Massimo’s wife is a dog person. No wonder they divorced.

A lot of the fandom ships Luca and Alberto, and yeah, the chemistry is definitely there. Giulia is Luca’s BFF and Alberto’s sister. But if you want a romance, these two boys would work very well together as a couple. Since they’re children and fish people, would their ship name be Guppy Love?

Please watch this movie. It’s ‘for kids’ in the best sense of the word; for the child inside all of us, however old we are on the outside. It’s warm and funny and beautiful. It addresses difficult subjects in a mature way and has valuable lessons that don’t feel preachy or forced. This movie is like a supremely delicious chocolate sponge cake: light, fluffy, sweet, just grounded enough in its richness but not weighed down by it, simple without lacking anything.

But what does the handshake phrase mean?!

#pixar luca #pixar’s luca #luca #luca movie #luca review #luca paguro #alberto scorfano #giulia marcovaldo #the underdogs #massimo marcovaldo #daniela paguro #lorenzo paguro #ercole visconti #luberto #guppy love #luca x alberto