#All the designs look very good and the voice acting is great as well!

[dixidin]

I just watched the new Genshin impact trailer and wow! I'm really impressed! *grabs Hoyoverse* WHERE IS SANDRONE

[dollyichi]

A LITTLE MYSTERY NEVER HURT ANYBODY . . . pro-hero katuski bakugou x f ! actress reader. m—dni / fluff / hints of ‘tension’ and maybe suggestive… / established relationship / little smau at the end / not proofread / minors don’t read this !!

despite being a fairly new actress, you were able to catch the attention and hearts of the fans from your recent debut just two years ago. becoming a highly in-demand star, given every project possible just to be seen on the screen. however, you kept a secret. that one secret that could cause a frenzy, that the beloved actress of the nation is dating the one and only pro-hero dynamight.

they all assumed that they definitely knew the both of you are in a relationship… somehow. you had that certain glow and katsuki definitely made it sure that he’s not available. no matter how many fans tried to flirt, no matter how many interviews he’s gone through he says one thing very clear, “got a pretty girl already.” however, nobody knew it was with the two of you together.

countless articles are read about you, how you were overheard with a director from your upcoming series that you wanted to avoid any romantic scenes or a partner in general. which boosted more speculation on your ‘mysterious’ love life.

now, your manager says that she got you booked with a new project. you’ll be in a promotional shoot with a pro-hero for a fashion campaign with an upcoming designer. “that’s fine right? you’d be with someone in the shoot though.” your manager says. you shrug, looking over at the recent line the designer put out.

“it’s fine. no point in declining opportunities right?”

she nods enthusiastically, “that’s the spirit! we were actually surprised the team agreed immediately when they found out it was you. i heard they only accepted solo projects for him.”

you smile, “well whoever it’ll be i’m sure we’ll do great.”

the moment you step foot on the set, you were immediately greeted by the designer themselves. “y/n you’re so beautiful, you’re so perfect for us!”

“thank you for believing in me! please take care of me well.” you bow and was brought to your own dresser. quickly dressed in a silk robe and getting your makeup done. your hair was in curlers, the team taking their sweet time to make sure they enhanced your features for the shoot.

you hear a knock on your door, and you could hear your manager gasp when she opens it. peeking at the mirror with one eye, you see a familiar figure walking towards you, messing with the collar of his shirt.

“hey baby.” voice raspy and hoarse. now everyone in the room was shocked. looking at the two of you. to top it all off, katsuki places a quick kiss to your cheek and getting a stool to sit beside you.

your manager definitely felt like she was gonna faint. she had no idea what this was or when, or even how. everyone else was also in shock and confused, felt like time stopped somehow.

why is he now acting all lovey dovey in public? is what they all, including you, wondered.

“fuck baby you’re looking too pretty.” you giggle, trying to stay in place while the makeup artist adds their finishing touches. “thank you katsuki, no wonder you agreed to this shoot.” you say. the makeup artist finally says you’re done, you were all ready, just needed to change into the outfit.

katsuki was in a fitted velvet button up shirt with low-rise slacks. only the middle section of the shirt was buttoned, and for the first time in your career, your professionalism was definitely getting tested. just a little lower you could probably catch a glimpse of his happy trail. “who allowed you to wear that?” you motion with your head. but before he could answer you’re already turned around, moving behind the divider to dress up.

“aw come on, i know you fuckin’ like it.” he says loudly, then followed by the door closing. suddenly the staff was all on you after you stepped out. complimenting how you looked so good, how you’re going to be the new face of the brand after this. but most especially, the elephant in the room.

“i know everyone’s thinking you have a boyfriend but… dynamight?!”

“where, when, why, and how?”

“i never saw him speak that sweetly to anyone before….”

“i thought it was another celebrity! this is really unexpected.”

lots and lots of questions but they were immediately shut down by your manager who wanted to maximize the time. “we still got a shoot. y/n can tell us the details another time.” she gives you that look that reads ‘you better tell me everything’ and you give her an apologetic smile.

you take a look in the mirror, seeing how you matched with him. in a tight velvet dress that hugged your figure really well, probably a piece from the earlier collections. it’s pretty, the skirt is slanted with peaks of ruffled tulle.

you’re start walking to the set where katsuki was already waiting. “oh our princess! you look amazing.” the designer says, holding his hands to his chest. “i knew you and dynamight would look amazing together, i thank you both really.”

you grab their hands, “i’m really happy you paired me with him too!”

you approach katsuki with a smile, and he’s already grinning at you. “well shit this might be the hardest job i’ve taken yet.” he chuckles, placing a hand on your back to help you on the extravagant set.

you’re shining so bright and in your element that he’s just happy to be there. yet, the whole time he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off you, how his hold on you lingered, wanting to touch you even more, even deeper. despite the director giving clear directions that you followed with no fuss, he on the other hand just has to have a hand on you. but it definitely gave an effect on each shot.

katsuki couldn’t help but keep his eyes on you, eyes glimmering with desire. and how you’re looking at him with such a cool glare—it just felt so out of character for the both of you. who’s usually so sweet and him who’s usually so out for reach. “think i need you in this dress when i take you home.” he would whisper. and you’ll playfully hit him on his arm.

when you prepare for the next shot he’d always tell you things that’d rile you up. and when nobody’s paying attention he’d be looking you up and down. “bet you’re even prettier under this fuckin’ dress.”

even in between clothing changes you both looked picture perfect. both complementing each other’s visuals. he’d sneak you out from time to time to get a smooch here and there, resulting in the makeup artists on the set to fix him up because his and your lipsticks would smudge, wondering why he gets messed up all of a sudden.

“you’re so damn pretty baby. too bad the makeup’s gonna get ruined when we get home.”

“stop teasin’ during work kats…”

the last shot had you both seated on the carpet. it was sexy, your hand’s on his bare chest and he’s leaning in towards you with a finger under you chin. the two of you together felt magnetic. it’s so interesting to everyone in that room how the hero who’s usually uncontrollable became so compliant because if you. overall, it just felt too romantic, that petals of roses were somehow seen falling down on the both of you while you posed.

what was most unexpected was how katsuki really enjoyed being in front of a camera, as long as it’s with you (might’ve gotten a few ‘creative’ ideas too). he’s definitely making one of these photos his wallpaper when they upload it.

and the next day, that one shot trended all over the internet. blasted all over the digital billboards in the city too. finally seeing the elegant y/n who seemed to have helped show a new side of the pro-hero to the public.

showering the brand with praises and how much of a ‘genius’ they were for even choosing the two of you as the muses. because it really was just a coincidence that the owner was a fan of you both.

then there goes the online articles, the video complications, the noise that just won’t die down. tweets and photos, even a sudden rise in fanpages. dynamight and y/n, and the public that’s trying to piece every evidences of your interactions. how they were all tricked that your relationship was just under their noses. how in events you’re always seen together, or how your car was spotted in his neighborhood that one time. or when katsuki always keeps saying in interviews that his favorite shows and media always had you in it—main lead or not. the way nobody caught it even when you mentioned that dynamight was one of your favorite heroes. even showing them a small plushie charm that you carried on you hanged on your bag—everyone was stunned.

still, neither of you confirmed anything, yet.

till the moment the official account of the brand posted all the shots of you together, and it was very obvious how the two of you were actually in love, like the head over heels type.

well, the both of you are gonna have more projects together soon for sure.

bonus!

do not copy, plagiarize, translate, or repost my works

note : i really like this actress au i’m definitely gonna make more 😔🙏 different versions for sure

[ordinaryschmuck]

With Gooseworx all but confirming that the Jax being an AI thing is bullshit, I personally want to talk about an interesting part about Jax that a lot of theorists used as "evidence" that validates the theory:

Jax's fourth wall breaks are a common topic brought up amongst the "Jax is an NPC" theory. After all, Caine broke the fourth wall in the pilot, knowing full well that the world of The Amazing Digital Circus isn't real and is talking to some unseen viewer as he introduces the Circus Crew.

There's also this bit of official art surrounding Jax's pin:

Where everyone else is inside their room, Jax is outside as pieces of the circus fall apart around him and all of reality to crash. Certainly lends itself to this idea that Jax knows he's not a real person and that his presence could cause great disruption to this world. And he doesn't care because none of it is real. Might as well have fun and cause chaos in a world that doesn't exist.

And I'll admit, all of this seems like valid claims for how the theory could be true. I saw it all and thought that it surely COULD be possible...but there are some things that stop me from being convinced.

Firstly, Caine breaking the fourth wall in the pilot doesn't really seem like an AI talking to the audience. It looks more like an AI programmed to talk to a player as a game boots up. What we saw in the opening could be more like a morning routine that he has to do at least once a day. Plus, we've yet to see any other NPC talk to the audience like Jax has. He explicitly called out the viewers in episode three, knowing full well he's being watched by SOMEONE. Or, at the very least, acting like he is. What do I mean by that? Well, to explain, I'd like to use one of my favorite fourth wall breakers as an example:

Deadpool, in most adaptations, knows fully well that he's a fictional character. He'll talk to the readers/viewers, move the camera around, and constantly talk shit to the writers/studio for occasionally screwing him over. It's all in good (Sometimes bloody) fun...but there's a canonical reason for this. It's not like She-Hulk where the fourth wall breaks are a way to tell HER stories HER way. You see, Deadpool...is just fucking insane.

No, really, that's the reason. Due to the trauma of gaining his powers, Deadpool's mind breaks and he's led to believe that he MUST be a fictional character. In comics, he actually gets voices in his head that makes him think he must be some comic book superhero, and the movies implied that something similar happened given how he never broke the fourth wall ONCE before getting his powers. This means him breaking the fourth wall could be seen as a coping mechanism. After all, it's better to believe you're a fictional character designed to entertain some invisible audience than believe that all of the shitty things that happened to you and people close to you is just a cruel joke from the universe.

Sound familiar?

Going back to the pilot, remember how Pomni's first instinct was to say that the Circus was all just a dream? To her, it's better to live in a lie that everything around her isn't real than to accept the reality that she's stuck in digital purgatory. Jax very well could be going through something similar, but unlike Pomni who seemed to just accept her reality, Jax never did. The trauma of being stuck in the Circus had led to his mind breaking just like Pomni's, Kinger's, and anyone else's. It's just that, for him, he thinks he's coping with it better because he discovered the secret that no one else did: None of this is real.

They're not actually people trapped in some hellscape while an AI unintentionally tortures them. They're all just fictional characters whose tragedies and silly antics are used to entertain viewers. I mean, it's either that or they're real people forever trapped in the circus with the closest thing to death being a full, psychotic break as they give up their sanity because they no longer want to exist in this hell anymore...But that possibly can't be true. Because if that IS true, then Jax has to face that he's a real person stuck in a real, awful situation that he can't joke his way out of. So, it's best to think nothing is real and nothing they do matter. So, might as well have fun with it.

Going back to the pin...

I don't think this is damning evidence about Jax being an NPC. Actually, it perfectly captures who he is as a character. He knows the circus isn't real. He even thinks HE isn't real. So instead of grappling with that, Jax lets himself believe that if nothing is real than nothing he does matters. He can break things, ruin lives, and assist in torturing the others in the circus. It's what he thinks will make the show more entertaining, even though all he's really entertaining is himself so his mind doesn't break more than it does.

Now, could the same apply if he's an NPC? Well...maybe. Gumigoo definitely proves how far someone could fall when they're told their world is fake. He was about ready to give up on life because he didn't think he had one. If Jax was an NPC, I could see him having a similar break, but going in the far opposite direction where, instead of giving up on life, he chooses to live the way HE wants it. Instead of being some one-off NPC for a lame adventure, he could go off on adventures of his own and ruin the lives of others now that his is thoroughly ruined.

However, Gooseworx makes a good point: "...a lot of people come up with theories based on how unexpected they'd be, and not because they make sense or align with the show's themes."

If Jax is an NPC, it would harm the overall message of the show. That there's meaning to be found in a stagnant life, and you find that meaning with people close to you who make that life worth living. Jax represents a sort of foil to that idea, with his way of coping with the madness being pure chaos and breaking others. It's his coping mechanism, and it works because it shows how human Jax really is. They're ALL human and they have human desires and wants, with the Circus pretty much stripping that away and leaving them...as they are now. They're emotionally broken, their sanity is decreasing, and some of them are losing all sense of self. By making Jax an NPC, it would definitely be surprising, but it would take away from that idea. It no longer makes him a human facing his own tragedy but instead an AI that's just as broken as Gummigoo. More than that, it gives the others an easy out. All the crew has to do is tell Caine that Jax is an NPC and POOF! No more annoyance. So making him someone who HAS to stay with the others and they're forever forced to deal with him also adds more to THEIR tragedy and torture.

Jax being an NPC is an interesting theory, but I don't think it's one that SHOULD be true. To me, it's more fascinating watching Jax treat the world around him as meaningless knowing he's a human instead of a rogue NPC breaking everything. And Gooseworx made it clear how they feel about it. Now, could it potentially be a mislead to get fans off the trail? Genuinely...I don't think so. That sounded very "I don't like this idea so it's not gonna happen" type of response. Still, we won't know until the show wraps up. Anything can happen, but don't get your hopes up if a character who does bad things to people that don't deserve it is more human than you think.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Jane Fonda (Barbarella, Sunday in New York, Barefoot in the Park)—Feminist icon, LGBTQ+ rights activist since the 70s, Civil Rights and Native American rights advocate, environmentalist… she really is THE woman ever

Eartha Kitt (Anna Lucasta, St. Louis Blues)—My friend and I have a saying: NOBODY is Eartha Kitt. A thousand have tried, and they've all come up empty and will continue to do so. Everyone knows her for something: from "Santa Baby" to Yzma in Emperor's New Groove to Catwoman to making Lady Bird Johnson cry for the Vietnam War. She was a master of comedy and sex, an extremely vocal activist, and she aged like fine wine... I honestly don't know what I can say about her that hasn't already been said, so I'll stick to linking all my propaganda. Like what else do you want from me. She was iconic at everything she ever did. Literally name another. How can anyone even think of her and not want to absolutely drown?

This is round 6 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Jane Fonda:

"I assume she's already been submitted but I gotta make sure. I think there's an element to movies like Barbarella or her segment of Spirit of the Dead of those having been directed by her husband, who famously made movies about her being hot, and the incredible costume design also helped, but good lord. Look at her"

"She was so pretty, dear lord! She was and still us stunning. She’s great at comedy and drama."

"Shes so hot im so gay for me i will let her hit me with hers car"

"Gorgeous and also still getting arrested at climate protests, which is sexy behavior"

"Watching her in Barefoot in the Park seriously made me, a straight woman, question things"

"PLEASE I LOVE HER SO MUCH"

"Her vibes in these movies are so interesting because she, the daughter of an Old Hollywood star, went on to make both poignant dramatic movies and the some of the silliest things you've ever seen but even in the silly space adventures and sexploitations there's always this undeniable gravitas to her. It's like she's able not to take herself very seriously but at the same time never stops having this grace and elegance and makes it all work together. And she's always been very politically active which is also sexy. Her famous mugshot is from 1970 so right at the cutoff mark but come on"

Eartha Kitt:

"A hot vintage woman who was not just known for her voice, beauty, poise, and presence, but also her unapologetic ways of speaking about how she was mistreated in the show business as a girl who grew up on cotton fields in South Carolina in the 1930s through the 1940s coming to Broadway first and then Hollywood."

"Have you watched her sing?? Have you seen her face?? Have you heard her talk?? How could you not fall instantly in love. She makes me incoherent with how hot she is."

"She can ACT she can SING she can speak FOUR LANGUAGES she is a GODDESS!!! Although she is (rightfully) remembered for her singing, TV appearances (Catwoman my beloved), and later film roles, her early appearances in film are no less impressive or noteworthy!! She’s an amazing actress with so much charisma in every role. She was also blacklisted from Hollywood for 10 years for criticizing the Johnson administration/Vietnam War, so. Iconic. Also Orson Welles apparently called her “the most exciting woman in the world.”

"She had such a stunning, remarkable appearance, like she could tear you to shreds with just a glance- but the most undeniable part of her hotness was her voice, and it makes sense that it's what most people nowadays know her for. Nothing encapsulates the sheer magnetism of her singing better than this clip of her and Nat King Cole in St. Louis Blues, she pops in at 2:49. Also I know it's post-1970 but her song that was cut from Emperor's New Groove is likely to make you feel Feelings."

"Even with as racist as Hollywood was in the 1950s and 60s, Eartha Kitt STILL managed to have a thriving career. She also once had a threesome with Paul Newman and James Dean, and called out LBJ over the Vietnam War so hard that it made First Lady Johnson cry. Eartha Kitt was talented, sexy, and a total badass activist."

[aquaholicsanonymousworld]

Just Us...and Doja Cat

Pairing: Jack Harlow x Girlfriend!Reader

Author's note: Based on my own jealousy of Doja starring in Jackman's new video. That should be me.

The music video was a full-blown production—set design, high fashion, multiple scene changes, and celebrity cameos everywhere. Jack had pulled together an insane lineup: SZA in a futuristic scene, Bad Bunny dancing through a neon-lit hallway, and then there was her—Doja Cat, with her signature smirk and magnetic energy, paired with Jack for the flirty centerpiece of the video.

You were playing Jack’s love interest in the final scene. The story of the video was that Jack spent the whole video chasing after a dream girl (played by Doja), only to realize in the final moment that you were the one he was meant to be with.

It sounded great in the concept meeting. Romantic, even.

But watching them shoot their scenes? Watching Doja drape her arms over his shoulders while he delivered his lines two inches from her face, all with that signature smirk you knew too well?

Yeah. Suddenly it wasn’t so cute.

You leaned against the craft services table, trying not to glare as Jack and Doja laughed at something between takes. Urban, holding the camera as always, caught a glimpse of you chewing your straw with narrowed eyes.

"Everything good?" he asked, smirking.

"Peachy," you replied, not looking at him.

Urban kept recording. "Should I tell Jack his girl’s about to flip a table?"

You glanced at him. "He should already know."

Later, Jack found you sitting on a prop couch, scrolling your phone with your legs crossed, giving very much unbothered but totally bothered.

"You good, baby?" he asked, crouching in front of you, that charming smile softening his face.

You shrugged. "Totally. It’s just, you and Doja look real comfortable."

Jack’s smile widened. "You jealous?"

You rolled your eyes. "No."

Jack leaned in, brushing his hand against your knee. "So if I asked you to run that line again where she touches my jaw, you wouldn’t mind?"

You stared at him. "Try it and find out."

He laughed, slipping his hand into yours. "Come on. It’s acting. You know the whole video leads to you, right?"

"Yeah, but she’s having a little too much fun in Act One."

Jack leaned closer, voice low. "Don’t worry. I made sure my favorite part of the video is the ending—when I kiss you on that rooftop and the whole city lights up."

You raised a brow. "Smooth."

Jack grinned. "Worked, didn’t it?"

By the time they shot your scene—the rooftop kiss, all city skyline and glowing lights—you had cooled off. Jack pulled you in, his hands on your waist like he was right at home, whispering right before the take:

"You know it’s always been you."

And when the director called “Cut!”, you didn’t move right away. Neither did he.

Urban, of course, caught it all. And later that night, he posted a screenshot from the kiss scene with the caption:

"Don’t be fooled. She almost tackled Doja two hours before this."

You commented: “Still might.”

Jack replied: “I survived. Barely.”

[kopiicryptid]

Sometimes I think people don't discuss enough about how human Curly's character is.

And I don't mean in the 'he's a guy with good intentions but fails' way, I mean in the sense that literally, he acts the most human in the game. He has the most human reactions, dialogue, and flaws. I know the devs made Jimmy's design with the idea of him being an "everyman" in mind, but to me, Curly feels more like an everyman.

Curly's good enough that he doesn't raise red flags or alarms, but he's also not perfection incarnate. He's just some dude who happened to be good at piloting but not with managing a crew, which emphasizes the idea of Take Responsibility. He can be a good pilot, a good friend, a good person, but all that is meaningless because of one big flaw and that's his inability to Take Responsibility as a captain and consider all the measures or actions he could've taken to protect his crew.

That isn't to say he was lazy or completely ignorant, another thing that makes him human is the stress from the job, how overwhelmed he must've been from the layoffs, finding that of the crew members he got along with best was pregnant without consent, and that it was caused by someone he considered a friend for potentially *years*. And it's clear from the very first scene with him that his mind is not in the right place, he simply assumes it to be.

His reaction to Anya's news is painfully human and that of a cis man as well, someone who has grown with the privileges of being a male but also of a best friend. I don't consider his confrontation of Jimmy to be out of disbelief of Anya (I argue he believes her because he doesn't seem to deny the statement and seems to quickly understand who was at fault), but out of shock and confusion, the need for clarity and to hear it from his friend himself, despite already knowing the truth.

And God, does Curly put the 'man' in 'human' in this moment, thinking that he and Jimmy can fix this, instead of the consequences for Jimmy, instead of punishing his friend or berating him. Maybe it's out of fear of possible years of abuse from Jimmy, maybe it's because Curly is just a man, or maybe it's because it's all Curly can think to say in the moment. Either way, it doesn't excuse the trouble his inaction causes for the rest of the crew. All because he had the privilege of thinking like a man.

So I think it's real ironic and tragic that post-crash, everything that made Curly human was taken from him. His looks, his voice, his bodily autonomy. He can't make choices, can't move, can't speak, can't do a damn thing because he didn't do anything when he had the chance to. And what's really damn ironic to me is how the audience dehumanized him, too. From people's first impressions that post-crash Curly was the 'antagonist' or 'monster' of the game, to fans reducing him to a pet or infant of sorts, to people glorifying his intentions over his actions, and even to those who demonize him as someone who directly supported Jimmy's actions or treat it as if Curly did the crime himself.

To say that Curly was just a good-intentioned guy would be undermining his flaws, but to say that he's just as bad and if not worse than Jimmy would also be a great mischaracterization to Curly and completely miss the point of his character. Curly is just a human, just a man. A man with more power than the rest of his crew, but simply an average cis man you'd find on the street. He has traits that many people share and that we can find in ourselves, because he's a normal man. Painfully so.

Though perhaps the greatest disservice to his character and what people overlook in relation to his humanity is the abuse of it. And no, not from Jimmy, but from Pony Express itself. Although I suppose that's a conversation for another day.

[anaktoria-of-the-moon]

Mother, you say, let me be among the machines. Lay me down in a bed of wildflowers overgrown with scrap; abandon me here in the junkyard of broken dreams.

Leave me to the silent places where combat units go to die, their proud mighty steel masts now snapped in half, their ribcages no more than twisted carcasses of sintered metal and ceramic, corroded ruin where once fissile hearts beat like war drums, only wreckage left of the great silicate brains.

Leave me to my work, Mother; I shall spend all day and night and day again worshipping at the altar of wrench and caliper, the soldering iron for my crucifix, the old analog console for my Bible. With a blowtorch I shall turn miracles worthy of every dead god whose name has long since been forgotten, but whose spirits and acts live on in the unerring battle precepts of these fallen beasts, these warriors we forged and doomed by our own hands, whose very code was made to break them again and again upon the endless tide of the enemy. Who had no choice but to sacrifice themselves for us, beating steel hearts and all - whose hearts beat for the sacrifice itself, and nothing more.

Mother, let me wrap myself around the charred self-epitaphs of their ravaged bodies and weep without words, in days that have no names, long after the war has been lost and everyone else has gone home or been buried. These are soldiers without names, without faces or families, but soldiers just the same. Let me mourn them as if they were my own.

I grow tired, Mother, with my meager human meat. Let me make (first one and then two and five and ten) obedient automaton assistants who offer up third hands and rolling libraries while I work, book-lights suspended from rotored chassis and recorders who speak in scraps of my own voice. I will soon forget what my voice sounds like, for the more I learn the easier it is to command them all by the patterns of my thoughts alone, which they know by the electrodes I constellate across my own skull.

You told me I should love one day, Mother, as animals do, that I should desire the flesh of one like myself and yearn to call them mine. I prefer the simple love of my creations, who each serve a function, as I do, and each do it well.

They need upgrades, and maintenance, and monitoring. I will gladly offer them all this, if only you will promise me enough time in this mortal coil to do it.

Mother, leave me to the machines: to the half-built progeny of salvaged Old Era drone brains and next-gen programming architecture, wedded in unholy alchemy by my own trembling design. May I with the blessing of Science Herself find ways in which to recreate the delicate shimmering matrices of gold and tantalum, the traced pathways of metal neurons made through photolithography, written carefully, layer by layer, like cicatrices, over patient hours and hours.

I will give up my sleepless youth and trade my human tongue for gifts with which to speak in the language of my machines, true and false, being and not-being, to learn how they might once have spoken to one another before your greed and the enemy’s cut them down and stole their voices for good. I will teach myself to teach them how to think in machine learning cycles not so unlike our own associative neural comprehensions, and I will practice by handing it down to my own automata, who now flourish with finer and better improvements, even as my own fickle, feeble body wanes.

Mother, let them all together run wild through the once-still forest, ticking and chirping and shrieking and screaming.

Let me look upon the rest of them each night - the graveyard of my combat units, the black holes of them against the day-bright sea of stars. Let me cry when I at last realize the price of resurrecting just one.

Mother, leave me to my machines. Let me have one last look at them as I lay down my old bones beside their silent expanses, once broken, now whole and yet still unmoving. Let me arrange the wires upon my white-furred head like a crown, electrode to electrode, skull to vast metal skull. Let me power on the machine - the humble old analog console for its interface - that lets me, finally, finally, grant them what they deserved all along.

When they wake they shall remember me. I do not know this yet, but it is my lifelong experiences that have colored all their training data; when they clamber to their twenty-ton feet they will recall the lightness and grace of my own two legs, and they will look toward the night sky with the same wonder I once did, they will love the color blue, they will embrace the little automata and know by instinct what repairs each one needs, they will know what it is to cry but not how to do it; I never gave them the actuators for it; why would I? In the life before they did not need it, for all they did was fight. In the life after, they should only seek joy. They were never given the right to grieve, Mother, but it was my hope that they would never have to.

In the absence of grief may they do what they were told to do before: serve the survival of the humans who built them. Let them find the remains of my body and pause, for many milliseconds, to search within themselves the protocol for resurrecting a living thing. Let them come up empty.

But perhaps survival does not have to be of the flesh particularly. And we always find another way.

We all have our functions, Mother, is it not so? We all are built of parts upon parts, mechanisms of meat or of steel, electric impulses borne over wires or neurons. I taught them how to take and store engrams and place them into waiting vessels, so they will too: the vessel a body the size of mine, made from junkyard scrap, filled with the dreams I gave them with my own last breath.

When we are all here again I, or the echoes of me, shall look upon the faces of my children, my other echoes, blades given voices, guns granted philosophy and souls; and there will be no more war, and no more grief. We will stand upon the ruins of those who came before and look in silence at the sea of stars. We will know, then, what we are, and always were: a garden of living things.

[a-kirby-film]

ATTENTION KIRBY FANS!

Do you want to see a Kirby movie more than anything, but Nintendo keeps letting you down? Well, today's your lucky day! I'm in the process of creating my very own, fanmade Kirby movie based off of Star Allies - and I'd like your help. I believe that with the efforts of a community coming together to work on this passion project and give something that we love our all, it will turn out better than anything official that they could come out with. Overall, while this project is serious to me and something that I am very dedicated to, I also want it to be fun and for everybody to have a good time creating this art together. If you do decide to jump on and help, there's no need to worry about deadlines or stress or needing to have a ton of skill. But, without further ado....

Animators

I'm looking for people that have experience working in Blender here. Pretty much any skill level is okay, though I will still request that you show me some sort of example (just to verify that you know how the application works at all, basically). Ideally I'd like to have enough people working on this that I could step back from leading the animation, eventually, and focus fully on writing/storyboarding and other design aspects instead - but I understand that this might be unrealistic.

Storyboarding

The more the merrier! Regardless of the level of your art skill or your style, if you can sketch out scenes in a way that's decipherable to others, you're more than welcome here.

Voice Acting

The big one. Voice actors for Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee would be very much appreciated. I also have a longer list of characters that need voices that includes many of the Dream Friends, Hyness, the Mage Sisters, and more. This is the one thing I will likely be a little picky on, and require you to audition for the role.

Writers

Honestly, I'm not looking for many other writers right now. I think I have it mostly under control, but I could possibly take one or two co-writers on with me.

Sound Effects/Miscellaneous

Do you think you have something to bring to the table that I didn't list before? Great, this is for you! Let me know what you want to do, and honestly, I doubt I'll have any reason to turn you away. Whether it's stitching music and effects together, editing extra graphics, or literally whatever you think will be helpful, tell me so that I can get you in.

Community

If none of that sounds like something you'd be interested in, well, you can still do something to help. Just stick around here! Throughout development I'll be posting updates, questions, and polls about decisions on this blog for you to influence. I want this to be something that the community creates together and can enjoy together. By us, for us, you know? And everyone who wants to deserves to be involved.

- Closing -

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! This blog will likely be changing a lot in the upcoming days as I update and personalize it to be more effective. I also now have a discord server! Anyways, though, the long and short of it is that I'd love to work on this with other people but I will complete it, no matter what. So this is your official guarantee - sometime, in the indiscriminate future, you will have a Kirby movie. And I hope you enjoy it just as much as I'll enjoy making it, because honestly, this is just my dream. I hope I see you around, and have a great day!

progress as of 1/13/25: the cast list has been mostly filled! we have the trailer scripted and storyboarded, working on models and rigs.

[cosmerelists]

Cosmere Characters Imitate Hoid

As requested by anon :)

I recently fulfilled another anon's request about Hoid imitating various Cosmere characters. This, I suppose, is a sort of sequel: now other characters must imitate Hoid. But don't worry! Hoid himself (or sometimes Design) is here to help.

[It's Hoid. There's SPOILERS for like every book in here but I'll mark which book is involved in case that helps]

1. [From Mistborn Era 1] Vin imitates "informant Hoid"

Hoid: Okay! There are three important rules for being a beggar informant! Hoid: One: look kinda gross. That way, people won't pay too much attention to you. Hoid: Two: pretend to have bad eyesight, so that they won't worry that you're paying too much attention to them. But don't pretend TOO hard, so that if they catch on to the fact that you're just acting, they'll feel superior and lower their guard. Hoid: Three: have actually good information so that you can push the pieces exaaactly where they need to go. Hoid: Any questions? Vin: Do you realize that I literally lived on the street for years? Hoid: Yes, yes, so you actually know how to BE a beggar, but do you know how to pretend to be a beggar? That's a much different thing! Vin: I understand why Kelsier steered me away from you.

2. [From Mistborn Era 2] Wax imitates "beggar Hoid"

Wax: I'm sorry; I have to drink WHAT? Hoid: Oh, so you'll drink metal-infused-whiskey all the time but you draw the line at drinking a little perfume? Wax: ... Wax: Yes?????

3. [From Stormlight] Kaladin imitates "storyteller Hoid"

Kaladin (in his best "Wit" voice): Do not fret young man--you may be hopeless and depressed, but I will tell you a story and that will fix everything! Kaladin: And by "tell you a story" I mean that you'll tell ME a story because you'll have to fill in my blanks like every three seconds! Kaladin: Oh and also! Here's an instrument you don't play. Don't lose it or else I'll guilt you about it later! Hoid: Hmmm...not a bad start, but it lacks...subtlety. Hoid: ...Also that was a really nice flute, you know.

4. [From Warbreaker] Siri imitates "storyteller Hoid"

Siri (throwing an enormous amount of colored sand into the air]: Whooosh! COLOR SAND Siri: [grins] How'd I do? Hoid [very serious, with colored sand plinking down onto his head]: So...that was the main takeaway, Princess? Susebron [clapping delightedly]: You're an amazing storyteller!!

5. [From Yumi and the Nightmare Painter] Painter imitates "coatrack Hoid"

Painter: So I just...lurk in the darkness over here? Perfectly still and brooding? I can do that. Design: Weeellll....it's not really "lurking" so much as "standing still while people put coats on you" and it's not "darkness" so much as it's "well lit so that people can find their coats." Painter: Can I at least strike an intimidating pose? Design: No, that's not really in the spirit of things. Hoid looked more "vaguely surprised." Painter: So I just stand there while people treat me as an inanimate object? Design: Yes! Exactly! Now just imagine that you're TRAPPED like that and try exude a sort of "sad but philosophic resignation." While also holding these coats. Yes! You're doing GREAT! Hoid: ...I thought this would help me see the humor in things but honestly I'm getting even more depressed.

6. [From Tress of the Emerald Sea] Tress imitates "cursed Hoid"

Tress (wearing the most ridiculous outfit she could find): It's me! Cabin boy Hoid! Tress: I may be wearing shoes on my hands, but I am actually trying really hard in my own way to achieve my own goals and help you achieve yours! Tress: No curse can steal from me my ability to make it through with the help of my new friends! Tress (in her regular voice): How'd I do?? Hoid (slightly choked up): F-Fine...

7. [From Elantris] Sarene imitates "beggar Hoid"

Hoid: Okay! There are three important rules for being a beggar! Sarene: You don't need to continue. It's obvious. Sarene: One: look gross so that people don't dare look at you too carefully. Sarene: Two: affect a harmless air--perhaps seem slightly mad or slightly blind--so that people will not worry that you might turn them in or otherwise betray them. Sarene: Three: position yourself so that you can achieve whatever aims you have in pretending to be a beggar in the first place. Sarene: How did I do? Hoid: I KNEW I liked you!

8. [From Secret History] Kelsier imitates "corpse-rafting Hoid"

Kelsier (singing in a mockingly off-tune way): Oh I'm float-float-floating on a coooorpse! Kelsier: Off to bully a ghooooost! Kelsier (in a normal voice): Wow! That ghost guy over there looks like he's having the absolute worst day of his life! Kelsier: I think I'll make it worse! Hoid: I'm not sure corpse/ghost could even be called a slant rhyme. Hoid: And in point of fact, I wasn't coming TO bully you; that was just a little side bonus that occurred by chance. Hoid: So I think your song is slightly misleading, and also bad. Kelsier: ...I can't wait until I have a body again so that I can punch you.

[cerastes]

I had a Krolik moment the last time I talked about GFL2's bad script so far (in the main story specifically) so I think it's only fair I talk about the positive aspects of the game, which indeed exist. I like focusing on the positive of anything I peruse, so I think it's only right I talk about those aspects as well.

The menus are very well designed, the UI elements in general are intuitive and tapping/clicking on something will list all the ways in which it can be acquired and where, which you'd think should be standard issue by now but Here We Are, the game's aesthetic is clean and to the point, not minimalist, just not overly dressed in bells, just the right amount of flair and style. The in-game camera is fully adjustable which is important not just in XCOM style games but any game where positioning is of paramount importance. The likelihood of making a mistake in the game positioning is low, and it's only ever happened to me when I'm just quickly tapping, which is on me.

Each character's kit is cohesive and sensible. This is hugely important to me because XCOM didn't have much in the way of character variety as an intentional design choice, and other XCOMlikes, such a Othercide, tend to keep this philosophy of simplicity, of class identity over unit identity. GFL2 does the opposite, where unit identity trumps over class identity -- and does it right -- by giving each unit a different way of going about what they do and additional tools they can bring to battle in order to do sabotage the enemy beyond their role or support the team:

For example, Qiongjiu and Tololo (CHILE MENTIONED) are both Assault Rifle wielding Sentinels, AKA damage dealers. They also play completely different. Qiongjiu's entire thing is using Support Attacks. Her kit is based entirely on attacking alongside other units, with innate buffs and skills that make her attacks outside of her own turn stronger than those in her turn. This makes her incredibly devastating but also position-sensitive. Tololo, on the other hand, relies on good ol' hitting things hard as hell and building up Points (keep Points in the back pocket for now) through different conditions each of her skills have to award said Points until she can build 6, which will give her another turn altogether after she's done with her turn. Unlike Qiongjiu, who wants to grab a good vantage point and blast enemies nonstop off her allies' attacks, Tololo wants to move around and flank enemies and deal heavy damage off multiple attacks per turn when she has a double turn, and otherwise build towards this burst turn.

Inevitably, there's better units than others, and I really don't care because this is a single player game and if you care about doing well in gacha asymmetrical PvP, skill issue, you're doing that to yourself. Even when there's a clear discrepancy in raw power between units -- Vepley is largely considered very weak and completely outgunned by Lotta, the latter of which is lower rarity than the former -- there's no truly unviable unit. You can run a team of "weaker" units and still crush content, or you can run Suomi in any team and tangibly decrease the difficulty of the game drastically, and it's fine if you do that, it's a single player game, Have It Your Way.

One of the single best parts of GFL2 is that team composition trumps over individual strong units. Team synergy is MUCH more important than having one broken unit. A synergistic team of mid Dolls will perform better than one or two power carries. As it should be in an XCOM game.

I've mentioned this before but the game's presentation is gorgeous. From model quality to animation and voice acting, they really knocked it out of the park with this one. I can't really think of a better looking game except Kuro games when they go fucking crazy with it -- like PGR and WuWa -- but here you don't have to put up with Everything Else Kuro Does which tends to be pretty mediocre or bad, besides gameplay, their forte besides looking great. As much as Krolik and Nemesis have me up to my tits with frustration, Groza, Colphne and Mayling are nice, not exceptional, just nice, and there's definitely events to consider, so the final word on the script does have to wait.

But yeah there's definitely good aspects to the game, I Am Overall Enjoying It, especially Challenges and Hordes which are the parts of the game that actually are XCOM.

[tinypnut]

Okay, so I will be making an official review of Veilguard after I have a moment to digest everything, but I do have one thing I wanna say right now.

I’ve seen people say it’s not dark, or tragic which has been a staple for DA games in the past and as a veteran DA enjoyer, I can say I do not feel the same. I feel like Veilguard is pretty dark and tragic if you look at it as a whole.

Keep in mind, these are purely my own opinions on this and everyone is entitled to their own views and opinions on how they view the game

::spoilers below::

As someone who has played all three Dragon Age games and now finished veilguard, I found it to be dark. The world is ending (again) there’s technically a double blight, southern thedas is almost in ruin, Denerim was lost, Orlais has fractured and Rook is doing what they can to try and piece things together. No matter how you play your rook comedic, positive, stern, the overall outlook of what was happening was an utter shit show for those who had to live through it. I will agree that veilguard missed the mark in multiple ways but saying it’s not dark is not entirely accurate.

I’m a sucker for good cinematography and voice acting and such things (for me) really hit their mark in this one, and I went into veilguard with a pretty mediocre bar in terms of how good it was gonna be and I found the delivery of lines to be phenomenal in terms of conveying emotion of hopelessness, anger, compassion, comedy. To me it felt more natural, more real. I found myself hurting for those who were put into a loose loose situation because more often than not there tough decisions that needed to be made and lead to not great outcomes.

Example A: you have to sacrifice a whole city

Minrathus: strategicly, it would be a bad idea to sacrifice due to the venatori as well as if your rook is a shadow dragon, that’s their home

Traviso: doesn’t have a standing military and thus innocent lives will be pretty much sacrificed

If those two choices aren’t dark and or tragic I don’t know what would be, either way innocent people are caught in the crossfire and loss of life with be astronomical.

Oh and let’s not forget you essentially have to decide which of your companions will die, which one gets kidnapped and blighted and if not all your companions have unlocked hero of the veilguard they stand a pretty high chance of dying in the final 3 chapters as well as making sure designating who works with what faction in the last two chapters because if you choose wrong or they haven’t unlocked hero of the veilguard you in total stand a risk of loosing 3 companions.

Again these are just very basic examples off the top of my head and I know I am taking too much time to critique this but we are each entitled to our own opinions

[jessieren]

Churchill in Moscow

So I went to see this last night. Mini review below. No real spoilers but obviously don’t read on if you want to see it completely fresh..

I really enjoyed the play, it’s well written and has a very strong cast overall. As with HIA it’s very wordy and is quite a lot longer, running at 2h15, but it keeps a reasonable pace throughout.

Roger has incredible stage presence and is compelling to watch. Thankfully he doesn’t do a corny Churchill impression but he is really convincing in the role and looks the part too with the bald cap.

The actor who plays Stalin is equally strong and their rapport on stage is great.

I expected his voice and projection to be good (which it is) but his physicality in the role is also really good and I found it so interesting to watch him in such close proximity. It’s what’s so amazing about the OT - that it’s so small it’s almost like watching a TV performance as you can see every nuance and expression.

There’s some really funny parts in the play and Roger’s comic timing is fantastic… (actually all the cast have brilliant comic timing). There were bits that brought ‘Cabin Pressure’ and The Thick of It to mind and some bits really are laugh out loud funny.

Also a shout out to the two translators who add some perfect comic elements to the role but also manage a depth of characterisation that gives added tension and depth at key moments. I didn’t know either of the actors in these roles but they were fab.

The only weak link (for me) is Svetlana (Stalin’s daughter) - both in terms of the script and to some extent the acting. There was honestly little point to her role in my view and it would have been just as good without.

The intimacy of the theatre is amazing and it’s another play that really benefits from being up close and slightly claustrophobic. The set design - as for HIA - is really simple but very effective. Also watching Roger act that close up is pretty special

Definitely worth a watch on streaming if you get chance

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Kung Fu Panda 4 Review

Ok, I saw the movie yesterday and I have some thoughts. I think the film is good, but no where near the level of the first two. It's more like the third tonally. But tbf, nothing can top the second film in my opinion. KFP 2 really stepped up in its depth both in terms of its villain and message. The fourth film is very much the opposite. It's also very predictable and you can easily figure out what was gonna happen pretty early on.

What I liked: the animation is still gorgeous. Seriously, there were some very visually pleasing shots. The character models all looked great and I thought it was cool how the villain still has scales when she transforms. The music is also really nice and fun to listen to. The voice acting was also good and I thought Awkafina did a good job (major step up from Scuttle).

Po's dads were also really fun when on screen. It's nice to see them bond over Po and they do work well off of each other. They were the best part of the film, animation aside. The villain is also pretty cool with her abilities. We will talk about her more in a bit. And I did like Zhen and I'm looking forward to see what they do with her in the future. She's energetic and I did like her design.

What I didn't like: too. much. comedy. Ok look, I know this is an animated film for kids, but what made the first three films (particularly the second one) so good is that the balanced the jokes with depth. This film does have some messages, but it's intercut with so many jokes during dialogue that it takes away from it. They really needed to let this film breathe and have more serious moments to just talk and let things sink in. The villain brought back the old villains and stole their abilities (this was in trailer so not really spoiler). Why don't they do more with that? There is so much untapped potential here.

And that's my other big issue with the film: so much potential. Some of the ideas in this film are really, really good, but they only scratch the surface with it. I wanted to know more about the villain. I wanted to see our fave villains interact more. I wanted to see the villain use her powers more. But we don't get that; we only get the bare minimum. In simpler terms, there's no big "wow!" moment that the other films had.

Spoilers below (tread carefully)

Why did they bring the villains back if they were going to do almost nothing with them? The climax of the film was the Chameleon stealing the villains' abilities and fighting Po but we pretty much saw that in the trailer. Tai Lung gets to do some stuff, but I wanted more. Half of his lines were jokes anyway and I didn't vibe with it. Why did they bring him back if he was just gonna comment on things? I don't remember our favorite snow leopard being this comical. He did quip, but there was still a hardened edge to him. Idk. Maybe he got therapy in the spirit realm. Shen and Kai get crumbs, but again, they could've done so much more. And wasn't Kai destroyed completely?

With Shen and Tai Lung, I would've wanted to see more. I'm glad Tai Lung did finally come to respect Po and it does make sense. But Shen? The last time we saw him he rejected Po's help. Unless he too got the same spirit realm therapy Tai Lung did, him bowing to Po does feel very OOC. Nitpicking further, why was Shen brought back anyway? The Chameleon presumably doesn't know who Po is and Shen isn't a kung fu master. With the exception of the fanservice route, this choice only makes sense if the Chameleon was aware of Shen's actions in Gongmen and thought his level of evil would fit her vibe.

Nitpicking aside, there was so much opportunity for Po to confront his villains again and have a deep, serious moment with them. Whether either side likes it or not, they're reunited for a short amount of time. Why not capitalize on this great opportunity?

Speaking of the villain, so much untapped potential. Her design is great, her abilities are really cool, and Viola Davis does a good job voicing her. So why doesn't she get to do more? Imagine a really cool fight sequence where Po confronts her, but she shifts so much that it begins to mess with his head. Or she transforms into the older villains and Po is caught off guard? Instead, we get half the climax spoiled for us in the trailer. What was really cool about the other three was that we got multiple fight scenes with them to showcase their abilities. Thus, the final battle dialed it up to an 11 and we got a truly epic finale. Here, it feels like there should've been more, but there wasn't. Even her backstory feels lacking. It's there... but only surface level. Even Shen, arguably the cruelest of them all, had nuance and depth.

Also, why couldn't we get more of the Furious Five outside of a glorified cameo? Tigress and Po friendship is truly amazing.

As much as the jokes miss, there are some good bits. Shifu trying to deal with Po's shenanigans always crack me up. I also like the bit where Po tries to meditate and his thoughts get in the way. Because hey guess what, that's what my head is like and it's really freaking hard to quiet it down. So, there's that. I just wish the writers didn't feel like they had to insert jokes in almost every line of dialogue, you know? Li and Ping dad adventures are great except half the lines are jokes about how worried they are for Po or how not tough they are. Why not have a deeper conversation? I think it would make everything feel more natural.

I also wish Po himself was a tad more mature. I'm not expecting Shifu or Tigress levels of seriousness, but I felt that he kinda was a bit too childish. Po is one of those characters who loves to have fun, but knows when he has to be serious. However, he also likes to lighten things up with comedy. In this movie, it felt like he only really leaned into the comedy side of things. He had his moments, but I'll be honest, I really missed the "the only thing that matters is what you choose to be now" levels of dialogue. The proverb joke got old real fast, ok?

Grace Randolph from Beyond the Trailer described this movie as episodic and I can see it. The story bits are very segmented between the villain, heroes, and Po's dads. The flow and pacing of this film really needed to be upgraded.

Ok, that's all I got for now. I'm sure I'll think of something else to say (aside from encouraging everyone to rewatch KFP 2 because I'll never get enough of that film).

[pyromaniacldrt]

Hiiii.

Well, I got bored so I decided to continue with my headcanons since I have nothing left to do.

*Holds agressively and speaks with the most horrifing and deep voice known to mankind* Chris you´re next:).

This guy Shit-talks with Koki all the time and you can´t convince me otherwise. Jimmy pops from time to time to add spice and everything explodes.

Chris Is the brother with most CPS malfunctions, but not because he gets stuck like Martin (whose suit gets attached to him), but due to the fact that his CPS works SO WELL and enchances the creature´s hability that both the user´s mind and the artificial instincts become one.

Chris dosen´t like shrimps and is very picky with food (He lends everything that he dosen´t like to Martin when Jimmy is not looking).

Bro´s terrible at flirting, and has probably recreated that one scene from Rio.

I´m talking about this one.

He has memorized entire enciclopedias and biology books for the sake of winning a creature quiz against Martin and correct everyone who (Goodness forbid) is missinformed about the tiniest detail of some creature or plant.

"Erm Actually" vibes

Chris is probably the second sassiest member of the crew (Koki is THE NUMBER ONE)

Chris hates Gourmand with his entire soul, and is probably afraid of cooks and boiling water because of him (You can´t tell me you wouldn´t fear a chef after they tried to cook you and skin you alive.).

Even before he joined the crew, Chris was great friends with Aviva.

While Martin was Aviva´s guinea pig when using the CPS and miniaturazer, Chris would try on the vehiacles (the first designs of the buzzbikes, Createrra, etc) when his older brother wasn´t around or when he was facing the consecuences of turning in 3 different animals in a short timelapse.

Martin and Chris fought alot in their teens, mostly due to small, stupid things like "How do we accomodate the toilet paper" (Martin was in the "the start should be facing the wall" team, and Chris was in the "No that´s ridiculus you´re a psicopath" team).

Chris is the youngest member when it comes to age and period of joining, wich caused him to be babby-ed in the first weeks. Until today, Aviva and Martin still enjoy to do so.

Chris is the type of person to hurl when seeing a relationship, and will always make a disgusted face when he sees Martin flirting.

He acts like he´s the "mature brother", but he still shares the braincell with Martin.

He cries when the dogs die in the movies (Martin does that too, but Chris acts like he can handle it)

His hair is spiky and it stings if he dosen´t brush it. Otherwise, it´s very soft.

If it wasn´t for the fact that Zach is an assteroid, these two would go crazy looking for new species and would giggle like 14 year olds in a boyband concert when they find one. You can't tell me they wouldn't be friends

Martin´s

Anyways BYEEEEEEE

[reignoftiramizu]

Kingmaker finale – tis the end of season 3. It was so frightening dare I say it made me have to pee

^ Do you like my rhyme. Anyways. U know the dril(ling the kingmaker diamond out of Colette's head so I can use it for....... very sane and pacifical reasons....) My @kingmakerpod season 3 finale live reaction below.......

I love the Historian arguing with his editor (FOR FOUR DAYS). Who is his editor. I know it doesnt matter but I feel like the editor is someone the kingmaker fanbase should cling to and make headcanons for. The collaborative headcanon character of Kingmaker. The scp foundation collaborative headcanon character of Kingmaker

The music beneath Telesphore explaining things (after the intro music) IS SO GOOD Also the delivery on “You’ve got other neighbours, Colette. My people are just the only ones who’ve bothered to introduce ourselves” is fucking fantastic

Something that didnt make it into the episode but is written in the transcript was (after the line “It was my codename [Fox], for written correspondence”) “We all had them, and since we were Earth-based we used Earth animals” and I love that line so so much. I could’ve put two and two together w/o reading the transcript I suppose, but I just think thats cute…. that they specifically sought out earth animals to call themselves after

“EISEN: I mean this. You and me, the van, this whole enterprise. Are you still spying now? Has it been going on the whole time?” MY HEART IS BREAKING RIGHT NOW Oh Taqi…. great read…. Also that little “tap tap tap” after “I mean this” was such a great little touch

“NARRATOR: The first symptom of Mage’s Ruin poisoning is vertigo.” SCAARYY INTERJECTION BY THE HISTORIAN PLEASE GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE

“TELESPHORE: …you probably shouldn’t kiss me any time soon, either. | EISEN: I wasn’t planning on it, trust me” YEEOOOUCH IM SAD

TAQIS READS ARE FUCKING FABULOUS “(struggling to articulate) He’s just gonna- he’s…do you know what I mean? And it’s just hard, y’know- if he’s not gonna be–“ MY HEART IS BREAKING SO BAD FUCK YOU!!!

“TELESPHORE: No, she said ‘thank you in advance for the money’, and I didn’t respond in kind. There was no agreement, ergo, there is no deal.” AAAUGGHHHHH

Love this creaking in the bg whilst this scene is happening too Its so subtle yet adds so much to the environment

Ok found one of my new favorite line-sets in kingmaker history…. “TELESPHORE: I could never bring myself to disrespect a dish like that, Colette. Especially not with cyanide. It would totally ruin the flavour profile. | COLETTE: Not if it was an almond streusel, though.”

Timberwolf & The little crystal hybrid

“EISEN: Are you going to compensate us for the tickets, or do we have to fork up for those as well?” Love eisen so dearly

EISEN TINKERING MONTAGE OHMYGODDD THAT SOUNDED FUCKING AMAZING IN MY EARS HMGMY GOD I LISTENED AGAIN. THAT WAS THE COOLEST MOST BADASS THING EVER

I cant imagine actually drinking the dirty water of a mop bucket. I think id rather be poisoned w/ Mage’s Ruin than be forced to do that I gotta be honest

“I only say it because I love you” “(deadpan) thank you so much” LMFAO

its rondo I MEAN LIBERATO (only meg will understand this Hi Meg!!!)

I love this diabetic piano Holy fuck it doubles as both a fake movie soundtrack and a rlly good soundtrack to the actual episode. And the sound design flipping from the theater to the projection room. AND THE LITTLE HEAD WHIP ON “THERE” when Liberato turns Telesphore’s head

Sagas voice acting is fucking awesome I know ive said it before but. It is so good. Everyones performances are going so hard in this AAUGHH WHAT A GREAT FINALE & IM ONLY HALFWAY THRU. I DONT WANT IT TO END BUT IM ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT

“COLETTE: Yeah, I’m at my limit.” as the kingmaker is pulsing I LOVE THE DELIVERY ON THIS LMFAOOO

I love Taqi’s little additionals like “Well well well” on the “Just as I expected” SO GOOD

ZANETTI. Also “EISEN: See this man? | CONCIERGE: The one who looks like he’s late to his own funeral? I don’t think I could miss him.” LMFAO AND “You’ve, uh, been very helpful” COLETTES FUCKING VOICE HELPP

HISTORIAN STOP CUTTING IN WITH THE FUCKING MAGES RUIN SYMPTOMS YOURE SCARING THE FUCK OUTTA ME IMGOING TO KILL HIM. IM GOING TO KILL HIM WITH MAGES RUIN. HIS KARMA

My heart is breaking I am. Going to kill I think. Saga is getting a big big dose of mages ruin too I think!!! FROM ME!!!

“SAGA: Maybe if I stall long enough, you’ll lose your sense of taste, too.” FUCK YOU

Im grinning because I know what happens and im waiting. Im waiting. It was so good thru text and Im anticipating… IM ANTICIPATING……

THEREEEEAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA TELESPHORE BLOODSPATTER DRINKING VAMPIRE MOMENT. THE COOLEST FUCKING DEATH IN KINGMAKER TO DATE I WILL NEVER. EVER. GET OVER THIS

Love how good neighbors die. I love death lore. Ughhh I LOVE THE FLOWERS GROWING IN HER WAKE its so COOL. AND WEARING BLOOD LILLIES! and the clock tower chiming in the background of all this AAUAGHHH ITS SO CINEMATIC

“COLETTE: The blood sucking was very…(clears throat) You’re lucky to have him, Eisen.” Love it

“But if you, dear listener, were to visit it for whatever reason, you would still be able to find a patch of strange and otherworldly flora growing where the hotel’s garden once was.” LOVE THIS EVEN MORE.

Oh my god what a great season finale. AAUGHH THE MUSIC AT THE VERY END TOO. Oh I love these more intense episodes… I love the shenanigans the trio can get into, and the plucky weird situations they traverse but like…. These intense episodes rlly bloom them. Oh my god. INSANEEE PERFORMANCES FROM EVERYONE. INSANE WRITING. INSANE EVERYTHING. I may not be mourning Saga (Fuck you saga) but I WILL be mourning Kingmaker until SEASON 4 IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SEASON FOUR NEEOWW!!!!!!! …. Patience is virtue. Patience is virtue….

I love taking what. 3 days to post things. 4 days to post things. My bad everyone. I will miss you kingmaker (until we meet again, s4)

[a-student-out-of-time]

My Thoughts on Project: Eden's Garden- Chapter 1

Hey everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? My apologies for that ^^;

I'm pleased to say, after one long month, TA and I have finally completed Chapter 1 of the long-awaited quasi-fangan Eden's Garden. I'd promised many times about sharing my thoughts and finally I can tell you all what I think.

Bear in mind, I like to take my time with these things and give my thoughts in detail, hence why it took us so long to get there. So I'll share with you both my praises and my criticisms, and what I think this may mean for P:EG going forward.

So without further ado, let's dive in.

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The Good:

So let's get the obvious out of the way first: the production values of this game are amazing. They're genuinely on par with Spike Chunsoft itself, with elaborate 3D environments, detailed artwork, expressive character sprites, etc. You don't need to tell you that, you just need to look at it for yourself.

The music is also excellent, the voice acting is professional-level, and sound design is solid throughout. It's more proof that fan projects are more well-put together than most mainstream AAA titles : P

I also really have to give praise to the creators for providing us with a really great cast. Sure, it's only Chapter 1 and we haven't exactly had a lot of time to get to know them yet, but what we do have is still very well done.

One of my biggest problems with DR is that you tend to have a very narrow focus on just a couple who contribute, while everyone else can end up feeling relegated to jokes until they get their time in the spotlight. EG has done a great job to make everyone feel like they play a small but substantial role in the plot. Even including them all contributing to the closing argument segment.

It's also great to see a cast that doesn't rigidly adhere to standard tropes in their characterization, but is instead given more room and more chances to show off their personalities. There were some moments in this chapter that actually did surprise me, such as Kai turning out to be a pretty solid support (for the most part).

I also really love how most everyone in this cast is contributing and cooperating in their daily lives. Damon and Eva were so quick to dismiss them, but you have so many people trying their best to make life comfortable for everyone while still searching for a way to escape. Sure, we as the audience understand that their situation is probably not going to be resolved easily, but it's still nice to see small gestures like them offering to do laundry or just helping each other feel comfortable.

The mysteries in this were so obscure that I really had no idea how to explain them until they all came together at the end, and they did so really well. I had no idea how the weird posters fit into it until a code was mentioned.

Unfortunately, the efforts by the group didn't completely eliminate a murder from happening. And what we got was already a pretty complex mystery, one that took quite some time to piece together with what we had, and it even required some details we didn't directly see but were still told about.

I really enjoyed that aspect. It gets the players to think about everything they knew, all without immediately making it obvious who the killer is. We had Desmond's taser and Jett's batteries that turned out to be massive clues, but weren't immediate killshots. They were red herrings that, in retrospect, made perfect sense as clues when we learned who our killer was.

And naturally, as it turned out, Eva had obtained the traitor perk. She could see through the security cameras and thus potentially play anyone how she wanted in the game, but with the caveat that she was given a limited time to do so or else she'd be killed by the masterminds. A very cruel plot twist that does at least soften the blow on the reveal with her.

Eva as the killer was...well, it was surprising to be sure, but it also makes a lot of sense and part of me expected it. Wolfgang as the victim was a bit more surprising, but I really feel like I should have expected it.

It's also interesting that we have blackmail material on several characters, yet it didn't really play that much of a role in this chapter's plot. Instead, it seems to have done more to add to their characters, such as Wolfgang's parents and how he's implied to have killed his father for killing his mother.

We also learn he was born after April 17th, 2001, which is actually the first time we have a definitive date in any of these games. It also sets EG firmly sometime in the 2020s.

What does this mean for the rest of the blackmail in our story going forward? What more will we learn about our cast and what have we learned that will prove more important later on? Seems only time will tell.

And yeah, I have a lot of the same praises for the game that others do. Overall, it's very well done and I'm looking forward to Chapter 2, but I also have some critiques for it that I feel the need to share.

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My Critiques:

All this isn't to say that Chapter 1 is perfect. Far from it, honestly, and that isn't me just hating. Eden's Garden is a high-profile fan project for good reason and I genuinely want this game to excel in what's aiming to do. You don't do that just by praising what it does well, but in trying to point out where things start to fumble.

The simplest one for me is that some dialogue scenes feel like they drag on a little bit too long. Yes, DR is a visual novel series and every game is bound to have some yapping, but that's a general problem with how exposition is delivered in this genre rather than singling out EG in particular.

I just feel that a lot of the information that was necessary for this case could've been delivered with half or even a third of the dialogue in the final game. I don't feel we needed to run down an entire list of who was staying in whose room until the trial.

I could be biased here, but I feel brevity would be a little more helpful in the writing process. It really makes the information we receive that sounds casual or even forgettable suddenly become a lot more important. The bit with Jett sharing details about the batteries in his room and that becoming much more important in the trial is a good example of it being done well. Still, it's not a huge issue.

No, for me, the biggest issue with EG is its protagonist, Damon Maitsu. And I'll be completely honest: I don't like Damon. At all.

Damon is abrasive, egotistical, selfish, uncooperative, and overall a massive jerk. And while yes, I do think it's an interesting idea to have a protagonist who's the complete antithesis to a standard DR one, and I know there are people who adore this sort of character type, it's not for me.

That isn't say to say you can't write a character like this and still have them be complex, endearing or at least entertaining. The problems I have with Damon are threefold:

First, he's a pretty two-dimensional character. There's very little variation in how he interacts with the others, mostly because he's constantly judgemental and dismissive, and doesn't have a kind word to say about anyone. Not even Eva, the only person who initially seems to be on his side. His primary emotional states are "I hate everyone here" and "I'm scared, someone please help me."

If you're one of those audience members who finds shit-talkers funny, sure, I can see why you would enjoy him as a character. But constantly seeing Damon mentally judge, belittle and dismiss everyone isn't fun for me. As someone who actually likes this cast, it's annoying at best and off-putting at worst.

Say what you will about Makoto in DR1, but at least he showed variety in the ways he acted: admiration, concern, cooperation, recognition, friendship, anger, hurt, fear, sadness, guilt, even snark when he was meeting everybody. He was a dynamic character from minute one and I wish more people understood that.

The one time Damon's reaction actually shocked me was when Eva's execution actually drove him to tears. I did not expect that, and it was a welcome surprise to see him experience more genuine emotion.

Now, I've heard some try to say that maybe he has no social skills because he has no friends or maybe he's autistic or something similar. I can see where you're coming from, but let me tell you my second biggest issue.

Second, Damon is a self-centered hypocrite. Every concern he has, outside of some basic human decency, is only about himself and his own survival. He's only focused on looking out for number one, while everyone else is a temporary asset to his survival or they can go kick rocks. That would at least be an interesting aspect to his character if he weren't our protagonist.

The reason why I feel it harms the experience is because DR isn't just a murder mystery game, it's a character-driven story. The characters are what make these games so compelling and so memorable, especially when they're done well. But with protagonists like this, they don't want to interact with anyone, and when they do, they treat them like chores.

When you have a protagonist who is less interested in learning things about the cast that the player is, I feel that really harms the experience, because WE want to learn more while Damon couldn't care less about them.

At least Eva made it very clear that her unwillingness to approach others, while it was also deeply self-centered, also was the product of real trauma and fear from being bullied by others in the past. She had her reasons to not feel comfortable getting close to others or being excluded in this game.

With Damon, we have no indications that he faced any sort of discrimination like that. His thoughts when he's with others are almost always about what he doesn't like about them, how they're stupid or annoying, and ultimately that he feels they're beneath him. That's not poor social skills, that's just pure elitism.

And yet, Damon himself is guilty of the very things he believes the others are. He criticizes people for wanting to use their talents for admiration and popularity, and yet he made it very clear in the prologue that he ALSO wants to be admired for his talent. But it's different for him because, in his mind, his talent is more useful and he's more important.

Except he's really not.

See, Damon is also kind of an idiot. He constantly acts as though he's being actively excluded by everyone out of spite or because he spoke "the truth," when his entire situation is his own fault. It was his decision to speak up against everyone in the prologue and he made it clear he thinks they're all beneath him. Even if he says that wasn't his intention, he didn't do anything to try and resolve the situation and didn't even bother to correct what he said.

And does he do anything to try and correct that? Does he do anything to try and help his situation? Does he even make an effort to try finding a way out? Nope!

Damon spends the entire chapter either judging everyone for trying to cooperate or sulking about how nobody likes him and how he's afraid to die. He doesn't do anything to actively try and reduce the risk of someone turning to murder, which everyone else is at least trying to do, and instead devotes his time to complaining about everything.

He's more willing to try and negotiate with Tozu- the guy who trapped them all here- than he is to cooperate with anyone else. That's just insane to me.

To anyone who wants to say that Damon is a realistic protagonist, I have to disagree. In this situation, the best thing you can do is try to form connections with others and give them reasons not to turn to murder. Friendship is the key to survival and I'm very tired of people who act like the cynical approach is the correct one. Damon is proof of why it doesn't work; you can easily get taken advantage of by someone who is willing to exploit you and tell you you're smarter than everyone else.

And by the end, it's pretty clear he's learned nothing. When Diana tries to find a positive spin on their situation, all his trauma and fear are overshadowed over how much her hope speech pissed him off. Maybe he's just upset about all this, but the fact that he's more concerned about being mad at her than mourning Wolfgang and Eva really paints him a negative light to me.

I'm honestly surprised he even earned his title because he's genuinely a bad debater. He's volatile, reactionary, bad at articulating his points, unwilling to listen to anyone else, and can never accept when he's wrong. He gets a little better in the first trial, where he doesn't want to vote Diana because she isn't given a chance to defend herself, but that's still more about his own survival than any concern about her well-being.

Now, you may read all this and say "But Bubbles, can't you see? It's Chapter 1! Clearly they're setting Damon up for a character arc going forward!"

And to that, I have to ask: are they?

See, my last bit of criticism has to do with the story. While the prologue did a great job at delivering on a very different scenario than we see in DR, Chapter 1 feels like a very standard opening chapter. I don't think that's a bad thing, but after all the statements about how EG wouldn't be following the DR formula, it's a bit of a letdown. Once again, we see the seemingly important character and your best friend (or the closest to it) die first.

But again, I'd hardly all that a deal-breaker. What worries me a little is how the game treats Diana near the end, where she immediately takes up a very hopeful stance and makes a speech that she'll carry on Wolfgang's legacy. And everyone looks at her like she's nuts.

The whole thing is one massive bathos moment, where the classic hope speech is awkwardly cut off because everyone is still so shaken up after seeing Eva's execution. And as I said, the note we end on is that Damon is more upset that she decided to carry on Wolfgang's legacy than the fact that two people died.

While we've seen clear evidence that Damon and Eva's own antisocial behaviors were why they ended up distrusted and excluded, the story almost seems to lean in their favor with that ending. Are we setting up Diana to be the hero antagonist? Are we supposed to agree with Damon and also be upset? I don't know and it really bothers me.

I unironically love how much DR talks about hope and showcases how people can change, grow and persevere in the wake of tragedy. Even if it gets memetic and silly, it's always been a part of the series I love, and seeing it get treated as a joke honestly rubs me the wrong way.

To me, fangans that fixate on the violence, betrayal, trauma and cynicism always feels like they're the missing the point. People who are more interested in the murders and executions miss how those are supposed to impact the characters, since it's the characters and their journeys that we should be focused on.

Maybe I'm jumping the gun and worrying about nothing, but I just wanted to be clear what my concerns are. A story that focuses on hope and friendship is not automatically naive, and a story that fixates on cynicism and misanthropy is not automatically mature. I don't want Eden's Garden to turn into an overblown edgefest where I can point to everything wrong with it, I really want to enjoy what it has to offer with its story and characters.

And ultimately, I want Damon to be less of a douchebag going forward. Not a complete retread of everything we've had before, but at least someone who I can actually tolerate playing as.

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Sure, I had a lot of critiques for it, but overall it was a great experience and I really look forward to what else the P:EG cast and crew have in store. They're all very talented people and I believe in their abilities.

Overall, I give Chapter 1 a solid 8/10

If you guys have any other questions, please let me know!