#ramble post

[fairyhaos]

bro do u know who's an idol that i wanna gatekeep soooo bad? dokyeom. like this is a man who's so crazy talented that he's lead vocal of a hugeee group, belts high notes Just For Fun, is moodmaker, energizer, sunshine of the group, cute and funny and adorable and sexy buff all at once and is ALSO the leader of the incredibly successful bss on the side?? he's been in a musical, TWICE (bc he was so good that they called him in to reprise the show), and no matter how much he struggles he literally never fails to have the hugest smile on his face. he's caring and gentle and loud and bubbly and he's so fucking GORGEOUS. like it's actually insane how beautiful he is. people don't appreciate him enough and i think that this is a sign that we start gatekeeping him bc if lee dokyeom is gonna be treated with anything other than kindness and love, then others don't deserve to know about him at all.

#yena talks #ramble post #dokyeom.svt #came home with many deekay feels today bc i saw is wv post and it made me flip #im so serious when i say that he needs to be gatekept because hes literally so precious #he's someone who deserves to be only loved because of the sheer akount of love he gives out to the rest of ghe world no matter what #and if you cant treat him with that same care and respect then you dont deserve to fucking know him #dk #dokyeom #svt #seventeen

[pixelkip]

Something about in the npmd proshot hearing the actual audience cheering for Ruth while she hits those GOT DAMN HIGH NOTES OH MY GAWD <3 in Just For Once . Fucking makes me wanna sob. In universe there's obviously one to hear it but max but we know she deserves it. We know that performance warrants that praise and that reaction but Ruth doesn't. Does this make any sense. It fucking breaks me every time.

#i got the digital ticket stuff for Christmas so . im having a Time. #ramble post #nerdy prudes must die #npmd #ruth fleming #starkid

[randomwords247]

Cooking and baking

A small pet peeve of mine with cooking and baking is when recipes say the container rather than the amount

Like, instead of saying "500ml of cream" you say "a pot of cream". Or "a whole can of corn". Like okay which kind of can??? What amount???? Corn comes in more than one size you can't just tell me a can. PLEASE i am begging you tell me the WEIGHT

This is especially a problem with recipes from different countries, for example America. Because your stick of butter is different to our butter. STOP SAYING STICK OF BUTTER TELL ME THE QUANTITY IN GRAMS PLEASE I HAVE A FAMILY

that being said I feel like I see this crop up in like american recipes in particular. Idk if I've ever seen a recipe in one of our cookbooks that does this....

anyway please just tell me the gosh darn weight I am dying here I have a family I JUST NEED TO KNOW THE WEIGHT

#ramble post #randy rambles #recipes #cooking #baking #'a stick of butter' is the worst for repeat offender i see that crap everywhere in american recipes #JUST SAY THE AMOUNT #like even if a recipe here uses 250g of butter (our butter is in 250g idk what size american butter is) IT SAYS USE 250G OF BUTTER #actually tbf i think butter size is not something thats like fully conventional cuz i just googled lurpack and it says that one is 200g #fun fact our butter isnt a long weird stick like americans. why is your butter like that that looks awful to get on a knife to spread #ours is still rectangular its just like more square #ALSO LIKE IDM CUPS. I have measuring cups that have cups AND ml. I WOULD GLADLY TAKE MEASURING IN CUPS OVER 'STICK OF BUTTER' 'CAN OF CORN' #also for the record what spurred this on is i asked someone for their recipe of something and half the stuff is quantified in this way. #'1 box jiffy cornbread mix' what the frick is that please i have a family #like no hate to them lemme be clear but also WHY ARE AMERICAN RECIPES LIKE THIS IM CRYING #i could be wrong that its just american recipes but i SWEAR ive never seen this in any of our british cookbooks but everytime i try and loo #up an american recipe online or ask an american friend for a recipe they give me quantities like this and im over here quietly dying as i #try and decipher what the frick they just told me to use. what is going on why are recipes there like this #(also idk if they do it for cream i just wanted to give an example that wasnt just can of corn or can of soup) #(SOUP AND CORN COME IN MULTIPLE CAN SIZES YOURE HELPING NOBODY SAYING JUST 'A CAN')

[to-thelakes]

I'm watching Moon Knight (again) to help me go to sleep and I've rewatched episode 1 so so many times on nights like tonight but I still absolutely adore all the little details.

Like, okay so when Steven wakes up in the Alps (I think that's where it is), Khonshu says "go to sleep, worm" and okay, first watch and without knowing the context of Jake existing, that makes sense. Khonshu doesn't like Steven which we learn more and more as the series goes on but then he says a few lines later "the idiot's in control" in that same scene in the Alps.

There is such a clear shift in attitude between 'go to sleep, worm' and 'The idiot's in control' and it's so obvious on a rewatch that Khonshu is talking to two different people with each line.

He's referring to Jake as 'worm' and he thinks that telling him to simply 'go back to sleep' would work because Jake is aware of the alters and their situation. Although from the brief glimpses we get of Jake, we know that he is an... interesting guy yet we can gather that he at least has some sort of alliance/respect/something going on with Khonshu. However, when he realises it's Steven, it's not hostility in the same way. It's more exasperated frustration. He's mad at Marc for letting Steven suddenly appear rather than being annoyed at Jake for making a random appearance. The way that the dialogue is written just exposes so much on a rewatch.

But going back to Jake/Khonshu even if they do have some respect, it's also pretty obvious that Khonshu does not want Jake around. I'd speculate that that's probably because if Marc loses time when he knows that he's not in London as Steven, that would create suspicion. Suspicion that Khonshu wouldn't want because that would put their avatar/God relationship at risk.

Though, I also suspect that Khonshu and Jake probably were working together but Marc never became aware because Jake worked at nights (maybe why Steven is so goddamn tired) or simply took over while Marc thought that Steven was in control.

I know that the Moon Knight portrayal is not the most accurate DiD portrayal but from my research, there's this whole idea of like different levels of awareness. Like the blackouts for Steven are because he initially has no awareness of the other alters. Then when Steven and Marc black-out, it's because neither of them are aware that there is a third alter aka Jake. Which means that Jake can do things for Khonshu while Marc believes that he is in London and neither Marc nor Steven would be aware.

I'm kind of just rambling about the show at this point but also, what I find really interesting every time I rewatch is the date thing. So, right, if Marc was the one that set-up the date why would he let Steven stand her up without saying anything to her? Marc isn't exactly the best guy when it comes to romance but he is incredibly protective over Steven because he wants to protect him from Khonshu. So, why in the world would he let the whole date rejection thing happen?

Because it wasn't Marc. It was Jake. Jake asked out Steven's colleague and that also makes sense why they went to a steak place. Jake doesn't give a f*ck about Steven's veganism while Marc absolutely would. Marc wants to protect Steven so he wouldn't make such a silly mistake.

But Jake would. Honestly, at this point, convinced that Jake just wanted to fuck with the Moonboys and Khonshu just played along.

I don't know.

I always find the dynamics of the Moonboys so interesting and I love how even when you rewatch it, there are new little discoveries that you can make. Like there was so much love, thought and attention put into this show?? It makes me SO SO happy.

This show honestly means the world to me and excuse the ramble/rant but I just love talking about my Moonboys and I never really get to speculate or discuss the show. I talk about it with my dad but being at uni means that I do not get to ramble at him as often. So, tumblr gets it instead.

But yeah, they're my (not very) astute observations about my beloved Moon Knight

#moon knight #marc spector #moonknight #moon boys #steven grant #jake lockley #ruby rambles #moon knight system #ramble post #moonknight is my comfort show <3 #i miss my moon boys #sleepless night with ruby <3

[artheresy]

No but I don’t think anyone understands how deeply I need to witness Blade identity crisis content like, the focus on identity usually with the HCQ and the struggles usually centers around Dan Heng because of course! We get the content in canon touched upon, expanding on it with your own view is so much fun and I want to do it myself at some point.

But the potential of Blade? And exploring his fucked relationship with his identity and with Yingxing? MWAH, delicious, and not done enough compared to something I do see a bit whenever the topic comes up which no hate to anyone for but I have my own opinions on it

Like, shit Blade has HUGE issues with dehumanizing himself as a result of Jingliu’s teaching in which she projected her own self dehumanization onto him and taught him to turn his body into a weapon and remember the feeling of death. He doesn’t view himself as being a person, he is nothing more than a sword for slaying, a weapon whose path is soaked in the blood of both his victims and himself. And UGH listen, I’ve already ranted about this so many times that y’all are probably tired of hearing me talk about it.. it truly is one of my favorite topics, the disconnection between Yingxing and Blade that does exist in canon to certain extent. Though he takes on the weight of his sin as his own and his duty to repay it (and make sure Dan Heng repays it too), the ways in which he doesn’t connect to Yingxing in other matters is used in such a tragic way when you peel back the layers upon layers that can relate to the simplest things. Like fucking hell, not to mention it again but the use of craftsmanship between the two of them is heartbreaking as crafting represents not only what he happened to do as apart of the HCQ and in the end his legacy, but how it is used as a representation of his passion that Blade does not share, how it represents the revenge that dominated his life as Yingxing built on the pain and trauma of losing his entire family and home while still such a young child which Blade probably doesn’t even fully remember anymore let alone connect with. I swear, that hurts, it hurts me every time I think about it.

I also just have a lot of my own headcanons that I firmly don’t think are canon, but are things I instead sprinkle in like finishing salt into my wounds to make myself even more sad. Like thinking about Blade in a way constantly being in mourning, not solely for Baiheng, but genuinely in mourning for Yingxing as well. Although he used to be Yingxing, that man is still dead and gone and never coming back, never in a way that will actually be Yingxing. So I like to imagine he mourns for him as well. Not just his death but mourns the severed connection between them. The passions he cannot submerge himself in, the pure dedication he cannot fathom, the love and happiness he cannot even begin to imagine the feeling of. Or at least not the warmth of them, he only feels the bitter shards of those feelings left within him, making his hatred all the more agonizing and deep set.

Hm… I wonder how we’re going to see Blade progress as the story keeps going on. I do truly hope we get more of an exploration of this. I need to see what happens to him. I need to see how his mindset ends up evolving or instead of evolving, the sheer amount of shit it ends up getting him into. God do I love this man, sorry that my love manifests in needing to see him suffering. It just comes with the territory

#maybe I’ll get more into my confusion about it one day #but not today! im tired and planning to finally finish a bigger post ive been taking ages on hopefully this weekend #hsr #honkai star rail #hsr blade #yingxing #ramble post #might delete later #idk #im tired

[alaskaartz]

Silk Song RAMBLE.

I have a really hard time containing my excitement so

SPOILERS FOR SILKSONG! do not read anymore of this if you want to go into silksong spoiler free!

OK BUT LIKE- The updated HK wiki was a thing today and I went and looked at the silksong part of it. and OH MY GOD- I know most of these things already but everything about silksong makes me just so excited- silksong has a lot of things that I love and adore already and team cherry really just picked up everything I love and put it into one game, which makes me literally wanna jump around my room cuz I'm so happy

Ok rambling about things now

Up first moss grotto:

THIS PLACE MAKES ME SO HAPPY. I love moss, and I love lily pads. I love EVERYTHING about this place! I love the atmosphere of it and the feeling it gives off. It feels very comforting in an odd way, with all the moss and plants mixed with what I assume to be bones makes a really comforting place. The enemies shown here are also really really cute, I just wanna hug them, they look like they'd be soft. Something about moss grotto makes it seem like the perfect place to come sit and stay if you needed some alone time, I know that sounds weird but it's the best way I can describe it- Random but in the nintendo treehouse live from forever ago you could see the shell shards ROLL on the ground! and when Hornet walks on the moss it actually looks like she's walking on it! I bring this up because of how cool but more, real feeling? It makes everything feel. The fact that the currency and the shell shards roll on the ground gives it more gravity and just- overall a very cool feel to what it would be like to, idk, hold it? Geo in Hollow Knight kinda bounces around so it's like, not as realistic idk man- Another thing is Hornet, she seems to have more gravity to her, she can't jump as high or walk/run as fast as the knight did making her almost feel, heavier. She seems like she's much heavier than Ghost was

Next up, Deep docks: (the second one is my PC's wallpaper lol)

Deep docks feels very, hot, for obvious reason. Something about deep docks aesthetic is just SO COOL. I'm writing this part from memory of the treehouse live so if I'm wrong about stuff, sorry I love the rocks and bones in Deep docks, actually I love the amount of bones in most of the screenshots and trailer things I've seen- so cool, but also in deep docks it's really cool to see the bones, rocks, magma, and machinery all mixed together I really love Lace's arena, if you look in the background you can see some moss vines (?) hanging down so that makes me think It's really close to moss grotto, but it also gives her arena a more of an overgrown feel, which is really nice ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT LACE'S CRAZY AIR ATTACK?? That attack is probably my favorite out of all her moves, the way she comes back down to the ground and shakes the whole place is SO COOL- she's definitely gonna be a hard boss for me to beat but DAMN she's gonna be a fun boss Also the fact that Hornet and Lace are just fighting above flowing magma like it's nothing is badass The Citadel:

HOLY SHIT?? THERE'S SO MUCH I CAN TALK ABOUT WITH THIS ONE SCREENSHOT. The way the floor is makes the room feel very omen and very big. The room also feels old, and dusty- What seems to be torn cloths and curtains around the place makes it seem like that place has been there for a very long time. I assume and guess the Citadel is doing to play a very big and important role in the story of this game, and in the lore of Pharloom. Idk who this warrior is but he seems cool, two swords and everything. There isn't much footage of the Citadel at all which makes me a little upset because this place seems just so, so grand, so big, so IMPORTANT. I also don't know why but the colors make it feel royal. This- Place:

I'd live here, saying that right now, I'd live here. I'd find a cozy little bell to live in and stay there forever. I know the guy to the right of Hornet is singing so maybe this is a safe space in Pharloom? I would think it to be like how dirtmouth is, shops but also a calm place to be after fighting for your life for the millionth time. It's really cool how bells have been turned into homes, It's a really cool touch to this place and it makes it feel really cozy. I think the bell homes would be hanging from the ceiling, cavern roof, whatever you wanna call it- And the bug either fly or climb ladders to get into the bell houses! This place just radiates safe, and homey- once again, I will find a bell and make it my home.

This:

Not much to say about it because I know so little about it, but the fact that Hornet is fighting what I assume is I giant robot bug? omg, Also it looks like it's rusting so is it not affected by the magma but affected by something else? Or is that just weird red plants, Idk

Coral Place:

THERE. ARE. FISH. This place feeds my internal love of pirates, and anything ocean. The coral looks so alive and this place seems like it's gonna have cool stuff in it

PLEASE TELL ME THIS GUYS IS A PIRATE OR SOMETHING- He looks like a pirate, I'm not the only one who think that right? Like, a knight pirate This arena feels very small and, humid. Probably because it is either underwater or close to water. it seems really misty in there. The fact that the lanterns are held with coral, vine, things is so cool- Also there's pipes in the background! Maybe those are connected to something? I'm not trying to theorize everything I just think the possibilities are cool- I'mma call this the swamp place:

This looks like a swamp, what kind? an eerie one. It almost looks like there's ash in the air! Also the vine things in the back? so cool, the more faded they get makes this area feel very misty or foggy, which gives it a feeling of, idk, eeriness? spooky? The guy here looks like he's using a fishing pole as a weapon- which makes sense given the amount of water. The grass and, I forgot what those are called. SWAMP REEDS- are really big so it makes this place feel WAY bigger, or hornet way smaller. Not sure but I can't wait to explore this place and Probably get lost along the way.

GEARS:

I don't know what this place is, what it's for, but it feels almost steampunk so that's an automatic love from me. Also love these little flying guys, they're really cute and yeah- The gears are also super cool! It almost looks like she's inside a clock :0 This place feels warm but not, dry or humid. Just warm, a comfy warm

This section is just stuff I wanna ramble about/add so:

Cutely going insane over the fact that this place is probably a Giant rib cage

THIS PLACE. IDK WHAT IT IS OR WHAT IT'LL DO BUT I LOVE IT. JUST LOOK AT THAT BACKGROUND- Like, the 'sky' looks blue. ARE WE OUTSIDE? omg- I also love all the building in the back I just OMGOMG- It also looks like there's giant pipes, maybe it's close to the Citadel? Idk but this place makes me feel so happy I just wanna stare at it, I WANNA EXPLORE-

If you've made it this far thanks- This was the only place I could actually let out my excitement over a game that's not even out yet so- yeah- If you have any questions about stuff I rambled about or said then feel free to put something in my inbox about it so, yeah-

#idk #idk how to tag this #silksong #hollow knight silksong #hollow knight lace #hollow knight hornet #silksong lace #silksong hornet #hornet hk #hk #hollow knight #ramble post #sorry for the essay #fandom #please tell me your thoughts #I love this #I'm so excited #yeah #ramble #cool #so cool #I love #omg #omgomgomg #alaskaartz rambles

[starscape724]

YAA EA YAA RARAYRA YARA A

PEARL RAPPING

IM GONNA POOP MYSELF.

angelsw whw hwen you rezch the pearly gates:

AAUAGGGGGAGAGAYEGGEHAHAGAYRGAHHHYARGGGGAGEYAGAYRHAGEYAGY NOO COME BACK PLEASESE

#splatoon #deep cut #splatoon shiver #shiver hohojiro #ramble post #splatoon concert #splatoon pearl #splatoon 2 #splatoon 3 #off the hook #splatoon marina #splatoon frye #I LOGE THIS SO MUCH. #I lvoe squib #With this i can cope and be patient for side order #KINDA #im gonna throw up #explodes #caps

[princesilverlining]

I kinda wanna get Jack Jeanne bc it seems like a fun otome dating sim, but there's so much I'm uncertain about?

(Poll after ramble under cut)

I wanna get a physical copy so I can share it with my friend, but the digital copy is usually cheaper and more likely to go on sale.

Plus, the little posters on the inside of the switch boxes give me so much joy. I got a game that didn't have the little poster once, and I was devastated. I love inverting the print on the box so the illustrations are shown on the outside.

I also don't usually play rhythm games because I'm very bad at them. From what I've seen, it's recommended to get good scores for better endings. I'll probably be able to brute force my way to a better score like I do with games like Trauma Center: Under the Knife.

Still, I'm concerned with how difficult it would be for a noob to get good scores.

On top of this, I'm a strong believer in the "one dollar for one hour you spent having fun" theory for costlier games.

The guys in this game are very gnc and cute (especially the blonde emo boy), and I'd be delighted to know if his route is particularly good :)

#ramble post #jack jeanne #poll #rythm game #otome game #otome dating sim #dating sim

[genericpuff]

ngl, though I said it as a joke in the original caption, if LORE | REKINDLED was just meant to be a pilot project or one-shot, Episode 18 is absolutely where it would end. Everything in that party sequence and the events afterwards between Persephone and Hades is the set-up for this series as a whole. It establishes most of the major characters, introduces some of the central dynamics, and ends on a set-up for a bigger conflict (the tabloid photographer). I could take everything so far and condense it down into 1-3 longer episodes to make it a singular packaged thing and just be like "yeah that's it, that's the premise."

IDK what the point of this post is, I guess I'm just saying that I'm really satisfied with how it's been going so far and with the outlines I have going forward, I'm really excited to get even more into it because we're basically just getting started. Put into those terms, essentially everything from Episode 1-18 can be described less as a pilot and more of a prologue.

I could end Rekindled now if I wanted this to just be a one-shot/pilot project... but I'm in way too deep to stop now LOL

#lore rekindled #ramble post #writing process

[empirearchives]

This article annoys me

Like the premise is that Josephine is avenged against…. Napoleon??? That doesn’t even make sense. They were on the same side. She was literally trying to help him to her dying breath.

Also the weird part at the end about Josephine’s biological descendants being part of royal families today and Napoleon’s biological descendants aren’t as some kind of own.

1. Why assume Napoleon’s biological descendants are worse off because they ain’t royal. It’s a different era. That’s so outdated. In reality, they are lucky to not be stuck in a dying institution.

Also, it’s so mean to refer to little Napoleon II dying as some kind of revenge as if he wasn’t an innocent angel in all of this.

2. I find it gross to imply that just because Napoleon wasn’t “biologically” related to Josephine’s grandchildren, that somehow he wasn’t part of their family. Napoleon was involved in helping plan for their future even after he and Josephine were divorced.

One of Josephine’s granddaughters actually married into the Swedish royal family and became Queen of Sweden. Her name was also Josephine. Do you know who named her? Oh, it was Napoleon. He referred to her as “the little princess”.

I guess it mostly annoys me to even imply that Josephine would even want revenge against Napoleon. They were on the same team. It wasn’t like King Henry VIII beheading his ex-wives or discarding them to the wind.

There were very specific political conditions which brought about their separation (which Napoleon avoided and postponed for nearly 15 years btw). He supported her for the rest of her life. She even (bizarrely) helped Napoleon find a new wife!! She said she understood the situation, though it grieved her. Why not take her word for it?

#ramble #ramble post #Josephine #article #napoleonic era #napoleonic #France #French history #first french empire #french empire #19th century #napoleon bonaparte #napoleon #josephine bonaparte #empress josephine #josephine de beauharnais #history #text post #Napoleon and josephine

[fairyhaos]

svt really need to bring back songs where they just throw a bunch of members into the recording studio to create impromptu units again, bc like. it's so funny. like, 'hello' has dk, mingyu and junhui, and what unit is that? the 97 line but they replaced minghao with jun? and 'fronting' is cheol, wonwoo, mingyu, vernon, hoshi, and woozi. leader line + the rest of the hhu anyone?? and 'space', which is hhu + dk?? do they just like adding one vocalist to the hhu and going ok cool guys have fun now? and 'still lonely', 'drift away', 'flower'.... which all have the most random members and are absolute bangers, btw. unit songs r great, age line songs r underappreciated, but nothing tops the random grouping of members tbh

#ramble post #yena talks #ive been thinking about this. a Lot #hello is especially funny to me bc i love that song so much and their voices go????? so well together????? #like crazily well. who thoucht of that #they need to explore the absolute masterpiece that is pairing up diff coloured voices togeyher actually #bc you know what. i need to hear wonwoo joshua and chan singing togeyjer bc in my head it sounds beautiful #seventeen #svt

[pixelkip]

So I'm looking for fabric for a Sumireko plush and I Realized something

Sumireko's dress pattern changes between ULiL/AoCF and Violet Detector. And frankly is much more garishly bright and sorta clashy with her cape in VD (but luckily it gives me more wiggle room in terms of what fabric I get bc i have the excuse of Well her dress doesnt ALWAYS look like that)

Notably, her dress is not only much more pink than in the fighters but also has a much more distinct neon-looking grid pattern in VD. Not to mention the grid being added to her socks and bow.

wait. Grid pattern? A striking pink grid pattern?? Where have I seen that in touhou before?

OH WAIT

ITS THE FUCKING DREAM WORLD.

BECAUSE THE ENTIRETY OF VIOLET DETECTOR TAKES PLACE IN THE DREAM WORLD.

ZUN YOU SNEAKY MOTHERFUCKER.

Her fighter game design also sorta looks like it? Or at least has similar colors, but the VD design is pretty blatant about it. Even the overlapping layers of it make it look more like plaid!! Likely another case of zun changing the player character design to match the game's setting.

I take it back the VD design is super smart and probably the second best part of violet detector behind sumireko's dialogue being precision designed to instantly kill any touhou fan not strong enough to handle an obnoxious teenager being obnoxious.

And also probably 2 of the only redeeming qualities of violet detector.

#ramble post #sorry for sumirekoposting over the tiniest details about her character it will happen again #same goes for rambling about Best And Most Stable Touhou Game Ever #the colors could still be better tho but eh #anyway if anyone by chance comes across fabric that actually looks like the plaid for her (preferably original) dress fucking @ me #someones probably noticed this already but I THINK ITS NEAT OK #touhou #touhou project #sumireko usami #touhou 16.5

[randomwords247]

WE DID IT

#tumblr #tumblr live #Tumblr listening to their people???? at last #ramble post #randy rambles

[lazulian-devil]

The Villains of Skulduggery Pleasant 2

Now before I start, I want to point out that Book 2 has an absolute myriad of Bad Guys™.

The book introduces not only Dusk (who is great at making everyones day just a whole lot worse. Just fun to be around. Only bit Valkyrie, killed the Lord Vampire of Dublin™ Moloch and is generally just... So much fun!), but also the whole Diablerie Subplot (oh look, China is getting a backstory upgrade), Billy-Ray motherfucking Sanguine (who is in one way or another responsible for a third of my favourite quotes from the books), the Torment and Roarhaven (and all that bullshit), the reflection quite literally cracking (this could never possibly become important later on), the whole Faceless One dimension and whatever was going on with Thurid Guild.

So uh, yeah. Book 2, for being actually quite short in comparison to the absolute Grimoires Derek would later be known to write, is a dense friggin book. You might ask yourself "Wow, this sure is a whole lot more dense than the first one" and thats because Landy had at this point already won and be nominated for enough awards that his writing adventures would be a solid thing for him.

The first book was a leap of faith, the second was the beginning of a saga.

(Tangent: I personally think Landy plans and writes books in pairs of threes, as even Phase 2 was originally supposed to be nine but then turned into six books by force of publisher. Because I read them on a Kindle, I am very much aware of how much longer they have gotten with each installment and I think that he, like many an author, would absolutely benefit from cutting down some of the sizes of his books. But book 2 is still very much on the shorter end, if not the second shortest book of the series).

So, after all these absolute bangers of villains, who will I focus on? The one that dies (which is honestly how I think I should do these. Just slowly talk about everyone who actually dies and leave the "I will appear in a trillion books" villains for last, in favor of my sanity).

Baron Vengous.

In a world filled with sarcastic, silly villains, Vengous is the stern military guy that doesnt talk a lot.

And I mean that literally. Besides like... One or two speeches the guy just doesnt talk much.

Ive managed to complete Book 7 in my reading insanity and have read up to 13 before that (reading them as they come out) and I can say with a solid 78% conviction that he is the most "normal" villain and antagonist the series has ever had.

Hes straightforward. Hes methodical. His status as a General of Mevolent is based not only in honestly insane levels of power, but in his pure military might brain and body.

Baron Vengous is the absolute most opposite anyone could have written to Serpine. He almost seems specifically written to oppose him in as many ways as possible. If Serpine was the Vibe, Vengous is the Antivibe.

You get my point.

We actually get an in depth look into him later (where? Leibniz. In terms of trouble, always assume Leibniz) and even among those people, he is somewhat normal. Apart from his wife.

Oh and the other character trait he has. What was that again? I can barely remember.

Ah. Right. Faceless One fanaticism to the point of self destruction.

It makes you wonder what he did after the Amnesty, as he is broken out of prison by Sanguine at the beginning of the book and its never quite explained why. Serpine was just vibin' in his castle. Maybe he did some human sacrifices to his beloved gods and got caught for it. Who knows. (Afaik, its never explained what he did after the Amnesty to end up in prison in the first place and at this point, Im convinced it doesnt really matter and was just a neat way to introduce Sanguine).

But Vengous just isnt a very... Interesting character. He only works so well because Sanguine is a delight anywhere he shows up and Dusk is just utterly terrifying. The Baron is almost too normal among them.

You need proof? Fine. Let me grab my Kindle real quick.

Insert transition music.

Alright, so. Vengous first appearance (Chapter 3: Vengous) paints him as the man in control, the guy who has been in prison for eighty years (Im sure cellphones blew his mind) is out and looking for revenge. He doesnt say a lot. His first actual words are "You're late." to Dusk (who he later points out in his internal dialogue isnt even a man to him). This gives us two insights into his character: First, his stoic mentality. He just murdered someone. Hes entirely calm. Lifes are a casualty to him. And second, he holds enough power or reputation that a very skilled vampire is not only working for him, but accepts being talked down to by this man.

Later in Chapter Ten: The Armour, Sanguines inner dialogue says "The Baron was not a man to be trifled with, especially at a time like this". Once again, we have a whole chapter that shows of several things (passively) about the Baron. He is a planner (shown by his knowledge of the armor and its requirements, the supposed knowledge of where Vile died and his general tactical demeanour being described), he is someone who seems to be in control at all times (shown by him casually watching a bunch of infected under Dusks command dig away) and he is incredibly patient (shown in previous chapters by him being able to wait 80 years and then just "get on with it. Sure, hes mad at Sanguine, but his plans are more important).

And then we add something a little spicy in the mixture: Hes not only a fanatic, hes also an asshole. Ooooohoho.

Its Chapter 18 in which our Protagonists finally meet him and he simply despises Skulduggery. But thats not whats actually interesting. The Chapter reveals him to be self important. Sure, hes a leader, stoic, goal oriented. But hes also cocksure of himself. (A trait he shares with about 84% of all characters in the SP universe).

Skulduggerys taunts go right over him.

"Skulduggery nodded. "So, you married or something? Do I hear the pitter patter of tiny evil feet?"

"I will destroy you."

Normal reaction, ey? The scene goes on quite a while longer than that, but only hammers home this point even more.

The Baron believes himself superior. Righteous. Blessed, probably.

What kills him in the end? His self importance. And how does he react to his death?

"But... But this isnt how Im supposed to die", He said weakly. "Not... Not like this. Not by your hand. You're... You're an abomination."

And then he crawls towards the actual abomination he summoned, pleads it to tell them (the Faceless Ones) that hes sorry for failing them.

The Grotesquery moved its hand so that it touches Vengous' face. It looked almost tender, until the hand gripped and wrenched and the Barons head snapped to one side.

Vengous is a fascinating villain, because he stands calmly among the flashy and vibrant. In a long line of batshit insane people, his insanity is the one that hits closest to home. Many, many villains in the future would be obsessed with religion (the Necromaner Temple, the whole Diablerie plot, later on Darquesse). But all of them are so overpainted, so saturated, that many are just that: A mockery of real life fanaticism.

And the Baron still feels like someone who is rootes in reality. He truly believes that he and the Faceless Ones are superior. His last act is - and I cannot stress this enough - apologising to his gods.

This man. This stoic, straightforward man. This absolute unit. Former General of Mevolent. Words like a scalpel, tactician, wit and gumption combined.

Hes just as insane as all of them. But his insanity is so much quieter. So much more refined.

And that makes him scary.

While I would like to end here, lets summarise real quick:

Vengous has mostly two traits that make him stand out: Straightforwardness and Fanaticism.

Hes a pretty boring villain in comparison to his counterparts.

He is - at least in my opinion - one of the most realistic villains in the series. His insanity is believable and while its not as flashy as those of others, its a kind of insane that makes your skin crawl as soon as you think about it.

He stole Skulduggerys Armor. If you know that Skulduggery is Vile, there are some really interesting scenes that allude to it.

His Leibniz counterpart, for once, seems to actually improve on the OG one. He talks more and he even shows a certain twisted kindness to Valkyrie in explaining her everything. I would almost argue that the Baron of Leibniz is more interesting than the OG Baron. Also, silly wife Eliza. Such a stupid joke.

If he had been succesful, he would have actually ruined the world. Legitimately. The stakes were so high and the man remained so calm. Imagine trying to resurrect your gods. Imagine resurrecting Jesus, all the while having the vibes of a Military Dad with PTSD.

Im afraid that I never found Vengous that compelling. The writing in Book 2 is immaculate though and Dusk and Sanguine are amazing.

I give him a... 7? 8 out of 10?

Also: remember to stay hydrated. Eat a snack. Stretch. You deserve it.

Wanna read more of my mad ramblings? Heres Part 1 with Nefarian Serpine and Part 3 with Batu!

#skulduggery pleasant #baron vengous #character analysis #ramble post #again this is way too long #literary analysis #villain #sorry y'all #SP villains

[unhinged-popsocket]

Did they optimize and test the new mobile Discord UI? Like, at all???

My hot take is that I don’t mind the UX of it

But

Searching is now more broken than Tumblr’s, my messages show as if the recipient sent them, every search makes a new instance of a DM appear on top of the other

Spoiler tags are broken

It runs like shit, I get a half second delay for every action, everything stutters

But fuck last-gen midrange devices, amirite?

#196 #rule #me post #text post #discord #ramble post

[starscape724]

i AMSUSGAHSSGAGGSS.......WHEN I TELL YOU I SET AN ALARM AT 7AM SPECIFICALLY TO WATCH THIS AND WOKE UP AT 6:40 I AM NOT LYING MY BODY KNEW TO WAKE UP EARLY 4 THIS

PEARL?? THEE PEARL FROM OFF THE HOOK?????? ×^!=@=%@WHAR

I started crying when they came up my sister and i made a reallt loud gasp and stadged screaming you have no idea

Us splatoon fans are EATING, FEASTING EVEN this month oh ymgod my god oh my god oh my god

I was CROSSING MY FINGERS for big betryal and tbey DID IT AUAVGGGG BEST DSY EVR

THE BEEF?

#splatoon #splatoon 3 #splatoon marina #splatoon pearl #deep cut #Splatoon concert #splatoon frye #splatoon shiver #shiver hohojiro #frye onaga #freaking out #ramble post #im foaming at the mouth #caps