#And it's the third one that's actually in the SP set

[vanvelding]

I'm going to say one of the nicest things I can about a show about Star Trek: Lower Decks

They played us like a string quartet.

(Spoilers for 4x09: "The Inner Fight")

Lower Decks was sold a Star Trek/Rick & Morty mashup from the start. The first scene is a drunken Mariner literally harming her sidekick, Boimler. It practically screamed, "Mariner & Boimler a hundred tours! Double-u, double-u, double-u dot Mariner and boimler dot com!"

But of course, it also had Star Trek references. One of the earliest is "Who would win in a fight? Khan or Roga Danar?" Why would anyone else in The Federation know or care who Roga Danar is? And there's no imagination on display for the oldest referential paradigm, "Who would win in a fight?" Lazy. Bullshit.

Of course before the end of season one, Lower Decks showed us it was more than that. Boimler was gaining the kind of experience he needed. The story hinted very strongly that Mariner had been in Starfleet a LONG time. She wasn't a omnicompotent mary sue; she was a Commander with her own philosophy/trauma that compelled her to remain an Ensign.

It was a good show and it stood on its own. The references were used well to create interesting stories ("Twovix"), as part of the setting ("Hear All, Trust Nothing"), or just as a gag here and there ("Kayshon, His Eyes Open" and, like a dozen others). The references to the setting become the background radiation, remarkable in how deep a cut they really are (Vendorians?). I've described it to many people as "Star Trek, but everyone has watched Star Trek."

What it wasn't, was related to its namesake. "Lower Decks" was a surprisingly heavy episode about the younger members of the Enterprise crew and their perspective on the missions of galactic import that the viewer usually enjoys an omnisicent view of.

Lower Decks mentions our main cast don't have that omniscient view, but Mariner is a stone-cold badass, Rutherford was part of a secret effort to develop artificial intelligence, Tendi is the Mistress of the Winter Constellations, and Boimler--actually Biomler is no more exceptional than any other Starfleet officer.

So when we get our main cast and the senior officers into a room and they mention Nick Locarno, our thought is, "LOL, another reference. This one from TNG. Not particularly deep. LOL, Boimler is a Beverly Crusher fanboy. I guess it makes sense, they have the character model from the episode with Tom Paris. Clearly, Robert Duncan McNeil is happy to do some voice work. We'll probably make a reference to how much he looks like Tom Paris.

"lol"

Look, if you figured it out then pat yourself on the back. Me? I filed away another reference. I didn't realize that Nick Locarno was connected to the episode of TNG that was this entire series' namesake. The characters even say, "Who?" which is one of the first times they don't get a Star Trek reference. Because Nick Locarno isn't a part of the Star Trek universe they view with an enthusiastic fandomness; it's part of their dramatic history, whether they know it or not.

"ha-ha, I guess Nick Locarno is too deep a cut for the show that called back to Morgan fucking Bateson."

But whatever, A-plot/B-plot. Gags about Starfleet habitually rolling up to seedy establishments in uniforms while looking for information, which is subverted by Captain Freeman being fucking genre savvy (also, wasn't she going to be promoted before getting arrested at the end of season two? I guess getting framed for a crime was deemed to be not very 'admiral-able'). Mariner ends up in a cave with a Klingon taking shelter from a crystal rain.

The pieces are there. Mariner was an ensign during The Dominion War. Two to three years before The Dominion War, Wesley Crusher left Starfleet, our Nick Locarno expy Tom Paris was recruited to Voyager, and Sito Jaxa was an ensign.

And Nick Locarno is in play.

We could have figured it out! We're in the narrative and emotional third act of this series (Tendi gave us the "We'll always be friends" speech last week)! Everyone regular just sat in a room trying to figure out how to help Mariner; we were one fruit salad analogy away from an intervention with Dr. Migleemoo!

Mariner escapes from Cardassian interrogation chambers for fun!

But Locarno is just another TNG reference, like Beverly Crusher. Background radiation. The season's story arc is something original to Lower Decks, which it's proven it's unafraid to do at this point. The series has no relation to "Lower Decks"

And then they fucking hit us with it; Beckett Mariner knew Sito Jaxa. They were friends. Then Jaxa died.

That's Mariner's trauma (that and The Dominion War).

And I didn't see it because I came to see Lower Decks as a series that stood on its own merits as a show while calling back to earlier Treks in a light, non-committal way. And I credit that solely to the writing of the show which leveraged both of those qualities to make an entertaining show that I like before, but now respect.

Just amazing stuff.

[ranbling]

Hi i had a couple of thoughts about BTs and their shipping, which i posted on my own blog a while ago, but I'd like to throw out here for your thoughts -

BTs and T stans' love for BT seems to be based on a LOT of assumptions and unfounded headcanons, the primary one being that T's racism and sexism and his entire unpleasant personality is not really him, it's all a facade, a self-defence mechanism he developed in response to the discrimination and repression he's suffered, but now that sunshine Evan is in his life, he's going to learn to open up and love again and be vulnerable and transform back into his true self, a sweet kind gentle warm affectionate compassionate loving man who's perfect for Buck - basically they think he'll turn into Eddie (and they're already writing fics like that).

(and some of them think s8 Eddie will turn into T - a lackey and Yes Man for Gerrard)

I feel like the other misconception/assumption that BTs make, which leads them to imagine and root for endgame BT, is that caring about and validating and accommodating buck's feelings and reassuring him and affirming him when he's insecure and showing an interest in and enthusiasm for things he's excited about (you know, like Eddie does)-

Doing all that is actually infantilising him and is bad for him! and what he REALLY needs is someone who doesn't particularly go out of their way to make him feel safe and comfortable and heard and understood. It's time for buck to grow up and mature and get over himself! and T in all his cynical snide casually dismissive condescension is the perfect partner to do that!! This is an ADULT relationship (with lots of sex), as BTs like to say ad nauseum

Hi!

I think the reason why the perception to Tommy's character is so divided is due to multiple things. First is Buck is bi! This is a great thing to be confirmed and a lots of people got so happy about it that they didn't really cared about Tommy (who is quite literally a plot device during that moment. Any male character could have replaced him and the scene would have stayed the same).

Second: many bt stans started to watch the show after the kiss and refused to go back and watch the rest of the show. Or they went back, but somehow missed the whole point of the Hen and Chimney Begins episodes. If you look into the tag for those episodes, it's filled with gifs about Tommy, raving about how good he looks and don't mention the fact that he was an asshole. There is also a mandela -effect happening and people are trying to make it seem like Tommy was actually in the background and did nothing wrong, when he was the most vocal in the whole group. Chimney Begins shows that Tommy was the one to start the racist comments. They're literally saying that Sal DeLuca (a guy who wasn't even in Chimney Begins and looked annoyed through the whole Hen Begins) was the one who acted like Tommy did in canon.

Third: Lou and his cameos. Not really talking about the fact that he kept raising the price to exploit the fans (though what were we expecting from a nepo baby, who posted pictures of himself lusting after women's asses to insta. Absolutely disgusting). He was the one who set the precedent when he called Tommy's behaviour teasing. He's the one who keeps coming up with tragic backstories to Tommy to excuse his behaviour. He was the one who lied multiple times on his cameos to make his character more relevant. He was the one who decided to fuel all the headcanons by confirming them as long as someone payed him 150+ dollars for a few minutes long video.

Also, I find the whole self-defense mechanism stupid. Tommy was a grown white man during Chimney and Hen Begins (he had to be 28 at the youngest during Chimney Begins for his military backstory to make sense). He could have protected himself by just staying in the background and not participating in the racism. He shown no sign of being uncomfortable with Gerrard's behaviour and the only time he looked annoyed was when Hen was giving her speech. It makes more sense that he just stopped saying bigoted things out loud because the captains after Gerrard were not tolerating it. There is a reason neither Hen or Chimney kept in touch with him after he left the 118. Chimney calling him once for assistance was for work reasons, and in s3 they both make very clear they don't keep in touch with anyone from the old 118.

All of their characterization of Tommy is only fanon. They totally disregard canon. In canon Tommy couldn't care less about Buck's feelings. He left Buck standing on the curb after he annoyed him (and I 100% believe Buck did nothing wrong, that was his first time on the date while being out) and somehow put the blame on Buck for it (which he tends to do a lot. He also blames the enviroment and Gerrard for his racism). Then he totally ignored Buck's planning of the bachelor party (how you show an interest in someone when you couldn't do the fucking minimum), made condescending comments (the henley comment). Being on call is not an excuse, he had to change anyways. Yes, he was in the hospital, but he probably was going there anyways.

I'm not gonna touch the last paragraph with a ten feet pole, because I hate that part and I fear I wouldn't be able to stay civili if I started to talk about that, however if you say things like "fuck the sad out of him" when Buck's dad is in the hospital and how concerned about Tommy is about him, I think it's pretty clear you're only fetishizing them

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 30- Part 5

Uh…I’m gonna…move on from that rant of mine and get back to explaining what makes Suna so neat. 

The third thing is her moveset:

Specifically, the fact that she has Sand Tomb, a move that gets powered up on Ashen Beach. Combine that with Suna’s pretty good Sp. Attack, and she can probably do real damage with that (and Shadow Ball once she learns it).

Of course, that's just one team member. The rest…well, lemme think about this.

I'm expecting Kiki to have a Medicham and/or a Lucario, those seem like staples of Fighting teams, and they can learn moves and have Abilities that synergize nicely with Ashen Beach. I don't think she's gonna have another Fighting/Psychic-type in the form of Gallade, since Victoria already had one and there are plenty of other Fighting-types to choose from. Like…Hawlucha! To use special Flying moves to mess with my own team's Accuracy! And maybe Heracross to deal with Psychic-types? 

She doesn't seem like the type to use Dark-types, and using Poison-types seems…darkly ironic given her condition so I doubt we're gonna see any of those either.

But Ame also brought up the move Meditate specifically. Other Fighting-type Pokémon who can learn that move in some fashion include:

Hitmonlee

Mienfoo/Mienshao 

Mankey/Primeape

Machop/Machoke/Machamp

Ame also said something about her Pokémon still being able to hit despite Accuracy drops, so that makes me think of Mind Reader. Other Fighting-type Pokémon who can learn that move somehow include:

Poliwrath

Tyrogue/Hitmonlee/Hitmonchan/Hitmontop 

Breloom

So…yeah, a good amount of options, still. So now, let me see what I can do in terms of teambuilding. I already mentioned Suna, and Riptide is a given, but outside of that…I mean, I already know not to rely on Flying-types, so that's one option out. That just leaves Psychic- and Fairy-types. Kirin seems good with Zen Headbutt, and Asano can learn that same move so I can probably add him too. I could also add Glare to the team, Intimidate goes hard and she can resist Fighting moves as a Poison-type. And…heck, let's bring Gust back in, priority Cotton Guard and Charm also go hard.

So in the end, the team's looking like this:

I'm gonna get everyone up to Lv. 44. I was considering Lv. 43 at first, but I'm also highly paranoid and so I'm going an extra level to be safe. Training time!

(Yet another training montage la

So I made a mistake.

I trained, I even got Asano to evolve-

But while I was training, I thought to myself, “Huh, shouldn't Asano have gotten Zen Headbutt by now?” And Bulbapedia seemed to agree with me…until I realized I was looking at the wrong thing. I was looking at Meditite/Medicham's Gen IX moveset, not their Gen VII set. And in Generation VII…the only way Meditite or Medicham can learn Zen Headbutt is through the Move Reminder. In fact, they can't learn any damaging Psychic-type moves (besides Confusion) just by leveling up. 

So…I can't use Asano for this fight. I need a different Pokémon, someone who can actually take advantage of Ashen Beach. Another Psychic-type probably, hmmm…

Looking at my Boxes, I can see…OH! Shimmer the Munna! She's got-

She's got Lucky Chant! That protects against critical hits! That'll be really helpful in case Kiki has more Telluric Seeds! And…she can also learn Psychic, which gets boosted on Ashen Beach! And I have a good amount of Moon Stones too, so I can easily evolve her!

Okay, so-

Yeah! This is gonna be the final team! Now we can really do some training!

(One ACTUAL training session later…)

So, with everyone evolved, this is what things are looking like now:

Shimmer is holding the Twisted Spoon to further boost her damage output with Psychic, while Suna is holding the Zoom Lens to make sure Sand Tomb will actually land. I didn't think anyone would really benefit from the Telluric Seed this time, so I'm holding onto it for now.

So now, here we are again. The other NPCs don't really say anything interesting, so let's talk to Victoria instead.

Thanks Victoria, no pressure-

Alright, let's see how this goes. I'm going to lead with Shimmer to start strong, and go from there.

Oh, Victoria's acting as the referee? That's neat, proud of her for moving up in the world.

What, can't even open your eyes to look at who you're fighting, Kiki? More disrespect! Can't have anything in the Reborn region …

Also- I'm sorry, but what the heck is this music? It's like…I can't even describe it, but it's not at all what I was expecting. What kinda whimsical wizard boss theme is this?? 

(Future edit: So I tried to look for what this track was because it was killing me, but I couldn't find anything. I'm sure it's a remix of some kind, by GlitchxCity or otherwise, but I just can't parse it. This is going to haunt me until the end of my days, if someone knows what this track is, let me know-)

Lv. 40…am I overleveled? Maybe. But still…let's just make sure we can kill and open with Calm Mind.

Oh, that might not be good. Unless…I mean, as long as it doesn't use a super effective attack, maybe it'll still be fine.

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[dracononite]

7, 19, and 22 for the ask game !!

sorry this is a long one

7. What are your favourite relationships between your OCs? (romantic or platonic!)

oh I love this question. I'll focus just on my main headworld Sparrowmage for this one since character relationships are the main focus of the story.

Ryuuji and Haru. there's a secret third character in this relationship, Jun'ichi, belonging to my girlfriend - the three end up in a polyamorous relationship (all dating each other) and Ryuuji is such a big gentle giant for Haru and she kinda teases him for it LOL. there's a lot of intricacy to the story outside of just their dating, but like. bisexual queen pulling two literal spirit boyfriends is kinda iconic. I could talk about these three all day.

speaking of Haru, she's also besties with Juji, who's friends with Jun and Ryuuji as well. they're the type of friends to do spontaneous silly things, go clothes shopping, buy snacks, talk about dramas and music, have sleepovers and do each other's nails. they are SO cute.

Benjamin and Iosefa are the two that started it all. from the beginning, Benjamin was the "main" character and Iosefa his eventual love interest. The two have a very interesting and nuanced dynamic that I'm still working out... It takes until years after they both graduate for them to get together, because Benjamin has commitment issues and Iosefa has confidence issues. But finding each other again, they both saw how much the other had grown, and the puppy love stage they were in at Sparrowmage quickly grows into an actual relationship.

I love these two wives, Olivine and Jiya. they still need a LOT of fleshing out, but already the dynamic is lovely. Olivine is a trans femme lesbian wyverntaur, and a magical beasts professor. Jiya is a butch lesbian beastfolk who also works at the same academy as a dueling instructor/referee. Olivine is like three times Jiya's size which is the cherry on top. I NEED to draw them together (and finalize Olivine's design oops..)

honorable mention: Reuben and Lucian. these two rich boys fucking haaaate each other they HATE each other. they feud at school. it's so funny.

19. What are some things that inspired your stories? Real events? Maybe a dream?

I mainly pull from various media for worldbuilding inspiration! any narratives are inspired by my life or stories I like.. in order to nail those down I'd probably have to write an essay, so here are some media inspirations:

Sparrowmage: Harry Potter (decided I'd make a magic world of my own, as I have a lot of childhood nostalgia for the first few movies, but... yeah), Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (some of the areas like the academy being on the edge of a big cliff, giant crystal caves, etc). this is the story I've most projected my life events and relationships into

Dungeon RPG (unnamed story/world, but technically an AU for my main sonas?? I guess): Dungeon Meshi, Sword Art Online (yea. I know. look the setting and aesthetics of the first season go fucking hard and that's all I care about). I wanted a classic dungeon RPG setting to make cool areas and monsters and boss battles for. and a whole class/equipment/mount/etc system. sighs dreamily. It's not started in earnest but we're getting there.

Magica Terra: definitely Avatar. the alien planet one. I wanted to create a unique combination of sapient bipedal species (some anthros like insectoids, giants, elf- and troll-like humanoids), megafauna (giant bug creatures, draconic animals, dinosaur-like animals combined with the first two, etc) and magic (the magic system for the planet is quite literally fueled by the cosmic bodies in the same solar system and in the galaxy.. which is actually Arp's Loop. so basically what time of the orbit you're born ties you to the magic of whatever cosmic body is closest / in the most power. this includes the planet's multiple moons, the solar system's sun, recurring comets, etc)

Arp's Loop: it's a space bounty adventure with eldritch horror undertones. Lilo & Stitch, Space Dandy, Interstellar and probably some Star Wars thrown in, just with the alien design though

22. What are all the “kinds” of writing/art you do? (short stories, poetry, screenplays, digital, painting, clay, etc.)

Digital art for business mostly, traditional for fun ONLY. I scrapbook, doodle, very rarely paint.. I don't do any 3d art, I don't have the finesse really. occasionally I'll write poetry on my phone. short stories and blurbs featuring my OCs. I've written chapters for single-player TTRPG challenges but I'm not good at sticking to long projects so those have all been abandoned. I've written quite a few short fanfics in my day. a mini comic here and there.... I'm good at small projects cause I like the thrill of setting up and starting new things. that's probably why I have so many headworlds at this point :')

[crystalelemental]

Platinum run initiated, and it's already been quite the ride.

Immediately got a female Turtwig. Neutral nature, but feels like pretty great defenses and Atk. Which is a shame because this is the one time I'm not using the starter.

I opted instead to pick up Wurmple, because I wanted to go Beautifly. The first one went Cascoon, so I had to get a second, which landed it, thankfully. Naive nature. It makes it frail on both sides, but the speed is exactly what I wanted.

Our second addition was Pachirisu. I really like Pachirisu's design, it's one of the only electric rodents I respect, and the anime really sold me on it too, surprisingly enough. So I opted to go for it. Let me tell you, Pachirisu...cannot deal damage for shit. It manages now, but later on I feel like this will become a problem. Impish, which kinda hurts the Discharge plan, but either its Sp Atk IVs are so good or its Atk IVs are so bad, because I think it still has higher special anyway. I do have a game plan that shouldn't rely on either offensive stat, but whatever.

Our third acquisition was supposed to be Bronzor. I had every intention of picking up Bronzor for the long-haul, but I got a Mild nature and that really just felt wrong, so I hesitated until I got to Mira's cave. Which backs us up to the actual third acquisition.

Buneary. Now, my intent was to go offensive with the elemental punches like I have in the past, but I rolled a Bold nature, which...actually caused me to set it aside, since it wasn't part of the original plan. It is now though, I just need to get it where it's going. And part of where it's going is to contestant #4.

Ralts. Yes yes, I run Gardevoir all the time, I get it. But I haven't in Platinum. I usually try to go Gallade if I pick up Ralts. But now we're sticking to Garde, Who rolled Sassy, a nature that initially filled me with absolute despair. Sp Def is good on Garde, but she hardly needs more than what she has by default, and the cut to Spd really hurts. But, well, I was looking for a Dual Screens user, and Noctowl didn't really fit the party (type overlap with Beautifly). But now I'm not thinking of Dual Screens at all. I have something funnier in mind, courtesy of my Emerald run.

My last two intended partners are Flareon and Octillery. I really wanted to run Octillery in general through all this, but Johto is awful for it, being postgame locked in HGSS, and unavailable in Crystal. So we're trying it out in Platinum, where I think I'll be able to make something hilarious. I dropped my first-even main game run of Porygon-Z to pull this one off, but I have total confidence in the shenanigans.

[masonhawthorne]

What I read in April!

Many times this month I have thought "oh no! I've not posted April's reading list yet!" and then I continued to not post it.

But now is the time.

The Hungry Earth, Nicholas Kaufman ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heiress of Duniyasar, Derin Edala ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Obsidian Island, Aiden Powell ⭐️⭐️

From the Depths Anthology, Ed. Mike Ashley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wheel of the Infinite, Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Community Minded (ss), Carmilla Voiez ⭐️

Conversion Therapy (ss), Carmilla Voiez ⭐️⭐️

Their Heart a Hive, Fox N. Locke ⭐️⭐️

City of Bones, Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Meeting Infinity, Ed. Jonathan Strahan ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rosemary & Iron, Dorian Valentine ⭐️

Bridging Infinity, Ed. Jonathan Strahan ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reach for Infinity, Ed. Jonathan Strahan ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Infinity's End, Ed. Jonathan Strahan ⭐️⭐️

The Beetle, Richard Marsh ⭐️⭐️

The Forty Hour Train Murder, Derek Des Anges ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oedipus the King(sp), Sophocles trans. David Greene ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cold Fire, Dean R Koontz 😡

The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich(nf), William l Shirer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So this month felt pretty slow, but I actually did get through quite a few books. Where I really got bogged down was Cold Fire by Dean Koontz, but we will discuss that in a moment.

This was my first reading of Oedipus the King in any form, and I have to say that it was a fantastic experience. Even getting the book was a really nice experience. Not that there are many occasions where getting a book is a bad experience. Anyways. I had decided to stop by the local Collective Bookshop in town after work, because I had seen their posts on the facebook community groups about how they were raising funds for the next year of their operation, and I thought well, I could be part of the community and go buy a cup of coffee and maybe a book or two. So I did! It's a weird sort of space up some stairs from the main road, and I think it probably used to be an apartment or something because the layout is not very shop-like. Which is nice, the different rooms each have some seating space, and every wall is full of shelving which is full of books. Different genres in different rooms, artwork on the tiny bits of wall not obscured by books, and a decent space for small community events like book launches, art shows, and video game nights. I found a very nice copy of Oedipus the King, and my sole complaint is that it is a standalone play, and now I really want to read the other two Oedipus plays that Sophocles wrote. I also found a paperback of Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves, which I haven't gotten around to reading yet. But y'know. Soon.

Oedipus the King is one of those plays that as I was reading it, my latent theatre kid pathology started waking up. I could imagine how I would stage it, and the kind of casting that I would want to do, and how many fun ways you could use the chorus for dramatic effect. I even know which local theatre group I would trust to do the staging with enough flamboyant set dressing and costume design. I read it on the train to Sydney, now and then reading aloud some of the most killer lines for the friends I was travelling with. If you like reading plays, do give this one a go, the dramatic irony is delicious, and just about every character has some ripper smart arse lines.

And from there, we'll have to discuss something less fun. Cold Fire by Dean Koontz. Now, granted, the first three quarters of this book are very fun. It's an action-movie-like plot with some pretty cool set pieces, and characters that are fairly cardboard cut-out-y but in a way that works just fine for an action thriller. Unfortunately after all of that run-up, the book entirely fails to stick the landing in a way which retroactively makes the whole thing awful. The plot is essentially that there is a man travelling around the USA (and around the world), showing up in random places just in time to save random people from random events where they otherwise would have been killed. He then leaves without sharing his identity or sticking around to talk to reporters about his deeds, and so for a long while, this goes under the radar as a bunch of unrelated local interest stories. Until one day he happens to perform one of these rescues while a journalist is already on site, interviewing someone else, and witnesses the whole event.

The journalist corners the guy, gets his name, and they part ways. She then goes back to her unsatisfying job, writing about small town stuff, and she gets an idea. Maybe she should investigate the guy, and find out what he's really up to. So she finds a whole bunch of news reports that can be linked back to him, and starts putting together a timeline of the crazy rescues he's been doing. Meanwhile this guy is off rescuing some people as usual, and so on and so forth. Eventually the journalist decides to track him down at home, and finds his house, starts canvassing people who know him to find information, and then she shows up at his place and demands to be let in with the threat of writing a big story about what he's been doing. So he lets her in, and at this point the story falls apart.

Cold Fire sets us up with a few options for what might be happening, some of which are very cool, some of which are a bit goofy, and then it goes with the goofy option, with a side order of misused psychological terminology, and a baffling about-face from action packed set pieces, to a sedate tour of a small town, including a long slow interlude at a retirement home. Apparently, the main guy is a psychic, with DID (not that what is represented here resembles DID, but we'll get to that), and one of his alternate personalities is eeeeevil, and has been doing all of the horrible scary things that the protags have been stressing out about. Such horrible scary things as: feeding death threats and psychic torture directly into the journalist woman's mind, while they're supposedly falling deeply in love over the course of three days, and she sets out to 'cure' his DID with the Power of a Good Woman.

The thing is, the 'DID' in this story sure does read a lot more like maladaptive daydreaming. Apparently after the trauma of watching his parents be murdered as a kid, this guy got heavily invested in a sci-fi novel about a kid who speaks to an alien living in a space ship in the pond on his family farm. He then psychically then manifests his own 'alien presence' on his grandparent's farm, but adds the figure of an evil alien who wants to do bad and naughty things. The character 'gets messages' from the 'good alien' which are how he gets the information on how to perform his daring rescues, and he has nightmares about the 'evil alien', and is afraid that the 'evil alien' is going to show up and do...something bad. The alien 'personalities' aren't taking over so that the guy can get through a truamatic time, they're fantasies that he has the power to make visible because he's a psychic.

Anyway, the whole thing's a moot point because after a long, boring conversation at the retirement home, the journalist loves him hard enough to exorcise the mental illness out of him or whatever. It sucked, and at that point I was so annoyed at the experience of reading this book that I had to put it down and do some vigorous pacing around my office.

Did I mention that the 'evil alien' (the main dude) psychically tortures the journalist woman and threatens to kill her? Like a lot? In graphic detail? And she decides that she needs to marry this guy? Immediately?

Ugh.

A more interesting reading experience was The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L Shirer. The author had been a journalist, posted in Germany for the duration of WW2, and after the war had access to files and documents that the US seized after the fall of the Reich. It is a very interesting book as an artifact of the time it was written in, and as a recount of first-person experiences of the author being a reporter in that time and place. The of-its-time of it has bizarre moments, though. For instance there's a vibrant homophobia which pops up at various points throughout the book. It was striking how often the author was able to rightly point to examples of Germans being 'duped' by what he thought of as obvious propaganda, and outright fabrications, but then that he turns around and does the same thing with his own prejudice. It's an interesting example of reportage which makes use of the writer's own experiences, but I probably wouldn't rely on it for strict factual accuracy for events outside of the author's personal experience.

I'll finish off here with an honorable mention for The Hungry Earth. It wasn't the greatest book I've ever read, but it was fun! It is what I would call a 'fungal horror', and it is actually a fairly shining example of its genre. Finally. I think fungus has such a great potential for horror writing, but it seems like every time I find one, it ends up being bad in weird and uncomfortable ways. Usually to do with gender. If you want to have fun, fungal body horror, check out The Hungry Earth.

And that's that for that.

[theworldisquietheretooquiet]

Hi! I don't know which characters you like to write so here's a few options for the Silm Prompts: Nerdanel & Indis (or just one of them) + forsaking the past Tuor/Voronwe + seeking the unknown Beren/Luthien (or just one of them) + joyful labours any character(s) + Havens of Sirion + unlearn in bitterness

Thank you!!

I decided to do the last two :)

I headcanon that Amras (& Amrod) were killed by the rebelling Feanorians at the 3rd kinslaying so wanted to explore that!

The first is 559 words. The second is 731, and cw - kinslayingesque violence, mention of beheading

Beren/Luthien + joyful labours

The mewling cry of an infant cuts through the peaceful quiet of Tol Galen. Beren groans and flops face down onto his pillow, pressing it around his ears.

It is the third time this night Dior has awoken. And the moon has not even reached its full height. He groans once more and then a third time. For dramatic effect.

His Tinúviel laughs, warm in her exasperation. “I know,” she says sympathetically. Then she picks up her pillow and whacks him with no little force on the back of his legs.

“I went last time, so, hmm whose go is it now? Let me think… Ah yes! It is the turn of Beren Erchamion, Beren Camlost, the son of Barahir, the hunter of Carcharoth, Bëor’s heir –” Lúthien punctuates each title with a thwack of her pillow.

“Ok, ok!” He laughs despite himself, and pushes up from the bed, edging away from his wife and her merciless use of cushions.

He walks out the room shaking his head in fond annoyance as Lúthien makes a great show of curling snugly up under the covers.

“You won’t be so smug when you have to hear my attempts at a lullaby!” He calls over his shoulder. There is, predictably, no answer.

Beren enters his son’s room and makes his way over to Dior’s cradle. His usually adorable face is red and scrunched up in miniscule rage, and his tiny mouth is open in an indignant cry.

Beren smiles as he reaches down and picks him up, moving the mobile out of the way as he does. It is an exceedingly beautiful one, made up of intricately carved nightingales. It had arrived the day of Dior’s birth, before they had even sent word to Menegroth. That and the fact he swears he hears the birds singing whenever he looks away, makes him suspect the Queen of Doriath may have had a hand in this gift.

Beren begins to pace the length of the room, gently rocking Dior, and humming to him a little.

“I know, I know, my voice isn’t a patch on your mother’s.” He murmurs. “But we Edain can’t rely on magic songs all the time, dearest. We had to come up with actual techniques for calming upset babes.”

His son shows what he thinks of the talents of the Secondborn by beginning to howl louder. Beren sighs and after a moment of thought, begins to make his way outside. The night is warm, and this way Lúthien may be able to get a little rest. The stars seem to shine brighter here than anywhere else he has ever known, and he is pleased to see his son calm a little in their silver glow.

Of course, the child of Lúthien Tinúviel is never quiet for long and soon enough he begins to cry again. Beren groans and sets off, walking around and around the courtyard.

He is so tired he could sleep standing up and he lets out a gigantic yawn. He startles as an answering little giggle rings through the night air and looks down in amazement to see that Dior is no longer wailing, but instead emitting joyful hiccupping laughs.

The sound is so infectious Beren begins to chuckle himself. It is an exhausted and slightly hysterical laugh, but it is also so, so full of love.  

any character(s) + Havens of Sirion + unlearn in bitterness

Gweririen looks at Lord Amras.

She had looked at him first as a child, when he and some of his brothers had been leading an archery class in Formenos.

Celegorm and Amrod had clearly not wished to be there. She remembers how flustered their cutting criticism and laughs had made her as she fumbled with the bow and arrow. But Amras had bent down beside her and spoken softly.

“Pay no heed to them. Why, I remember Prince Turcafinwë once missing a shot on a hunt because of a sneeze!”

She had laughed shyly and allowed him to demonstrate the correct way to hold the bow and aim. She had gotten her first bullseye that day.

Gweririen had looked at him in Alqualondë as she plunged her sword into the Teleri woman’s back. He’d been disarmed and knocked down, his attacker approaching, fishing spear raised. Amras’ eyes were wide in shock and thanks as he got to his feet, grasping her arm in gratitude.

“I am in your debt. Come, I believe the victory is nearly ours and I want you by my side on the first boat across the Sea.”

She had followed him back into the fray and to this day, no matter how hard she tries, she cannot remember if she had glanced at the splayed, silver haired corpse even once.

She had looked at him in dulled surprise when he made his way to her, amidst the chaos and carnage of that terrible battle. She had been sitting for how long she did not know in the mud and filth, cradling her son’s body.

He had kneeled there with her, in the churned earth, and slowly peeled her bloodstained hands away from where she clutched her son’s shoulders.

“Gweririen, I am sorry. I am so very sorry. But we must go now. The field is lost, perhaps we are all lost. I do not know.” He had looked at her and his eyes had been so dark. She had barely been able to discern the echo of Tree light. “We are retreating, my brothers and I. Come, let us flee.”

Gweririen had looked at him as they had sat around a fire, camped a little way from Menegroth’s eastern border. Amras’ hair had glowed dark red in the light, and she had gazed at him long before speaking.

“My Lord, I council you again to reconsider this assault. Yes, Thingol’s folk and the boy king have no right to the jewel, and they have aided us so little in our war. But if we follow through with this cowardly attack, creeping into their home in the dark and cold? I fear your House will be forever sundered from all the Eldar. Surely that can only harm our aims, in this Valar-forsaken land?”

He was silent for so long; she had been sure she would receive no response. But then –

“Pass me my sword, Gweririen, if you please. I believe it must be sharpened.”

She had looked at him only once before making her way to Lord Maedhros. He had already removed the heads of two of Celegorm’s servants. The third of those who had led Dior’s sons to their deaths, stood upright still, though he stared at the floor.

“My Lord,” she said, and he turned to her, his eyes dull and hollow. “May I do it?”

After a long moment, Maedhros had nodded jerkily, dropped his sword, and walked away. Amras had not looked at her after and she’d been glad.

Gweririen looks at Lord Amras.

The crashing waves can barely be heard over the clash of steel and the screams. She is so very tired of hearing Elven screams.

“Gweririen, I want you to search every house for Elwing’s sons. No matter which way this battle goes, they will be invaluable in our aim.”

She looks at him. This is not a battle; the woman whose blood is dripping off his sword had attempted to defend her house with a lantern. They do not have an aim; they are here to feed their oath with a little more slaughter so it will give them peace for perhaps five years or even ten.

As he turns away from her to deliver more orders, she reaches for her bow. As she notches the arrow and aims at Amras’ chest, her shot is exactly as he taught her.

[fulgurbugs]

ok i’m about to go to bed but i’m like halfway thru the main stories of everyone and here’s my octopath 2 thoughts so far:

gameplay:

Hikari go brrrrrrr. this guy hits like a damn truck

also, i learned how concoct works finally and i am now a true concoct beliver. luv u castti <3

a lot of stuff was nerfed for some classes, some of it i like, some of it i miss

-no more 8stack reflect magic damage, RIP. cleric final ability is no longer a double cast but instead allows the target to take an extra turn after everyone else (i like this one, opens a lot of cool stuff you can do, but you also need to manage bp more if you wanna max your damage or casts instead of just getting double. cleric also now has an SP stealing staff move, reflect is replaced with a shielding move that prevents a % of damage based on boost, and also gains a physical and elemental buff. overall really good changes to the class.

scholar no longer has double hit spells. i kinda miss these, i really didn’t get much use out of the new skills scholar has, except for elemental barrage, which can be good for scouting weaknesses or big damage if solo targeting. but it means enemies with primarily magic based weaknesses are more annoying to break.

i think those two classes got the biggest overhauls. everything else of the 8 main classes seems to have its biggest tools intact (leghold, donate bp, etc) so i was pretty familiar with how to setup and beat bosses pretty efficiently. i do miss the generic multi hit wind and dark spells a lot tho….

otherwise, despite overall nerfs to some of the stronger more abusable strategies (i’m told runelord tressa equivalent is still in the game tho) latent power is balancing that out by being also busted as hell and fun to use. all of them are unique and a fun extra management tool that can make or break your turns. (poor castti tho, if you have enough money, hers is kind of irrelevant.)

ok anyways MINOR GAMEPLAY SPOILER TIME. THIS IS A SPOILER WARNING FOR MINOR PARTS OF CASTTI, HIKARI, PARTITIO, AND THRONE’S BOSS FIGHTS IN THEIR CHAPTERS.

SPOILERS START HERE:

ok. don’t really like how casttis chapter 4 boss has basically the same gimmick as alfyns, with max hp reducing poison. i think this fight is harder than alfyns by a little bit tho.

Hikaris final chapter is. super long. there’s 3 whole boss fights in the last chapter, so be ready for a lot of those in a row. i found the second boss harder than the third fight tho.. lol. it’s again also kinda similar to olberics ch4 so i already knew how to cheese it a bit, though it wasn’t as easy to set up on this guy.

partitios ch4 was piss easy, just did not hit very hard lol. and i don’t think the boss has that much health

throne ch4 was also pretty easy, but had a pretty cool unique mechanic. makes you play a bit different with it because of it, so you gotta get creative sometimes or compromise on your damage etc. good stuff even if it wasn’t too bad on me.

OK. THIS IS STORY SPOILER WARNING. IM GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END OF THE 4 CHAPTERS I JUST MENTIONED, SO CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED

SPOILERS NOW:

casttis story was ok. didn’t like it as much as alfyns in ot1 but it wasn’t terrible. i think i’m just usually not that big on amnesia plot lines. i like castti a lot in her travel banters tho, she’s actually pretty funny compared to how serious she always is in her story chapters.

hikari was pretty alright too. i think his evil demon blood is probably tied to galdera in some way, but they never actually explain where it comes from in his route and i was kinda waiting on it the whole time. kinda funny he becomes king and all, gets crowned, and then we’re off to go to partitios silly capitalism project with the new king of ku in tow.

partitio himself is probably my favorite traveler so far, but i think his story falls a little flat at the end. mostly because mr roque gets literally no comeuppance at the end despite literally ruining multiple towns worth’s of peoples lives by putting them in abject poverty and extorting them. partitio just goes i’ll hire you and we’re back to hunky-dory. kinda wish he didn’t accept defeat and suicided or was killed by his own creation or something more fitting, partitio never even confronts him for scamming his family and altering the contract. like come on man.

Throne. i don’t know how i feel about this one, the chapter 4 is. insane. you will never predict how the fuck her story wraps up, so i actually won’t even say even with the spoiler warning. just go fucking play the chapter 4 lol. i like the stuff in her chapter 3s with mother and father tho, even if it’s edgy and whatever. throne also has some fun travel dialogues, i like her well enough. it’s just that the chapter 4 is so bonkers i can’t decide how i feel about it and her lol. idk

looking forward to the other 4! i think all the stories are solid despite if it seems like im saying otherwise here, they’re definitely on par with the first game, which i think had quite a bit simpler plots lol. cant wait to get to the cross character chapters as well!

[smtown-tourist]

A Letter to You - Year 6:

Our dear sweet shiniest angel, it's been 6 years since you left us. It's still so hard to believe that you're gone, but this year I've started to feel a change when people mention you. It's done less out of grief and sadness and more out of love and happiness, of cherishing the life you lived rather than morning the one that you lost.

For the past few years, whenever your anniversary rolls around, I've chosen to write a letter to you as my way of staying connected to you and dealing with my own grief. I've felt a change in that as well because now I don't use it as a coping mechanism as much as I used to as I've begun to look forward to writing these letters. It makes me happy when your anniversary rolls around because I know it means that I can finally rant about everything your group and members have been up to like I'm actually sitting down and having a conversation with you.

It actually makes me a little giddy that Key chose to remember you and celebrate your anniversary in the same manner when he made his instagram post today. It really is a great way of dealing with grief and finding a way to stay connected to you. I don't plan on ever stopping this tradition, but if I ever do, know that it's not because I've stopped loving you or have forgotten you. Eventually, we all have to move on and until I reach that point, this is how I'll choose to remember you on the anniversary of your death.

As a part of every Letter to You that I write, I add pictures of you and your members. This year, I decided to include those from your debut year because 2023 marked 15 years with SHINee. There were so many ways that your group chose to celebrate that milestone and in so many ways they made sure that you were included. You members always make sure to include you in some way, but this year felt extra special and more thought out.

First, SHINee held a 15 Year Anniversary Fan Event. When the news of the event first came out, the venue that was selected was so small in comparison to what you're used to. It was so sad and disrespectful, and as you can imagine, SHINee World wasn't going to sit idly by and let that happen. A petition was released by the official SHINee World Fan Club to have the venue switched to something bigger. You would've been so proud of your fandom for standing up for what it believed in, and part of me believes that the courage we had to stand up for SHINee derived from the examples you set. You were always speaking out against injustice and fighting for what you believed in. Long story short, SM changed the location of the venue, and your members were so grateful for the love that SHINee World has for them. I know that if you had been around to see it, you would've been brought to tears as you thanked SHINee World immensely. You would've told us that we did well just like you always wanted someone to tell you.

Second, SHINee released a music video as a special anniversary present for SHINee World. The song was titled, The Feeling, and the thing that made it so extra special was that it was a video that your members directed all on their own. It was so beautiful, encompassing the essence of SHINee, and brilliantly conveyed the meaning of the song. You would've been proud of your members for showing off their new skill set, and I think the only thing that could've made that music video even better was if the song was written by you. I know you would've loved creating a special song just for SHINee World and your group's 15th anniversary. Don't think that you were left out, though, because in the opening credits of the song, your name was listed there with your members and I know that you were on their minds the whole time they were filming.

Third, SHINee also released an Anniversary Special on YouTube that showcased the members celebrating the anniversary with a road trip. Your members were surprised first with a plushy of you to take along with them, but then they were also surprised with a special presentation of all of SHINee's mementos from over the years. As they were admiring the setup and walking down memory lane while checking out some of your group's older albums, you were brought up a few times. It was great seeing your members smile when they saw pictures of you and hearing them speak fondly of you. We needed to see that from them because it's so hard for us as a fandom to move on and stop grieving when we know that your members haven't moved on and still grieving.

Fourth, a documentary of your group came out a couple months ago celebrating the 15 years that SHINee has been in existence. I haven't seen the movie yet so I can't give you any details about the contents of it, but I know that it held so many memories. It would've been a film that you would've enjoyed not only creating but watching as well. I can't help but wonder what you would've said during your interview portions of the movie if you were still around. I'm sure you would've had us all laughing and crying with the stories you shared, and you probably would've laughed and shed a tear or two as well.

Fifth, 2023 didn't just mark SHINee's 15th Debut Anniversary but it also marked the 10th Year Anniversary of when SHINee won Artist of the Year at the MMA's. 2013 truly became SHINee's year and it feels so right that 2023 also ended up becoming another year marked by SHINee. When your group won Artist of the Year, it was one of the most memorable award winnings for your group. EVERYONE, not just SHINee and SHINee World, remember that day, and it was shown when the MMA's put together a speical video just for SHINee. We felt your tears that day and we remember them so clearly like it was yesterday. We remember how happy you were and we also remember how much you all wept, the humbleness you and your members showed as you all insisted that you didn't deserved that reward but would continue to work harder to improve. Well, I'm hear to tell you that you all DESERVED that award and every other that has come after that. The impact SHINee has had on the industry was felt then and it's still felt now. Your group ended up winning Performance Stage of the Year at the MMA's and like true legends, your members showed the whole world WHY because they KILLED IT! The performance your group gave still gives me goosebumps when I think about it now. They showed everyone that was watching why SHINee is known as the Kings of Live Vocals, of live performances in general. Your group managed to bring the fun back to the End of the Year Awards as they had everyone, especially the idols in attendance up on their feet and singing along. SHINee is the group that inspired so many of these young artists to become idols, and I know that you would've been so proud of your group and its accomplishments.

I decided to wait to talk about SHINee's comeback this year until I reached Onew's portion of the letter. That's because this comeback was the first since your death that SHINee has promoted as an incomplete unit. Right before SHINee was supposed to start promoting their 8th album, Hard, an announcement was made that Onew would be put on Hiatus to recover from some unnamed health problems. It was so devastating when that news first came out because so many of us were looking forward to having SHINee back together after two years, but you would be proud of SHINee World. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we cheered Onew on and showed him how much love and patience we have as we promised to wait for his return.

I know that deciding to go on Hiatus wasn't an easy decision for Onew to make since he's the leader. I'm sure that he had a lot of worries and doubts, some fears that he would be forgotten. I chose this set of photos of him comforting you because I know that if you had been around, YOU would've been the one comforting him during that time. I can picture you telling Jinki not to worry because you would handle everything and make sure that nobody forgot about him while he was gone. You were always his right hand man as the second eldest. You would help each other in so many ways and you were never afraid to step up and take over when you felt it was right.

Even though I know it was a hard decision for Onew to make, I stand by the fact that it was the best decision that he ever made. Right before he went on Hiatus, he looked so frail and sickly, the skinniest we'd ever seen it. It was heartbreaking and so concerning. But you should see him now. Jinki looks so much happier and healthier in the recent photos that have come out of people running into him in public. You would be so proud of Onew, your only hyung inside the group, for looking out for his own health and setting such a good example for everyone that it's okay to take time off and focus on your well-being. I think he learned that from you since you were such an advocate for mental health and spoke openly about your struggles. I know Onew isn't as open about those kinds of things as you were, and I don't want him to ever feel pressured to share with us the details of what he was going through at the time, but I think in his own way, when he wrote a personal letter to SHINee World that it was his own way opening up to us.

On a more positive note, Onew did make a solo comeback earlier in the year. Personally, it's probably one of my favorite releases from him because the song is so touching and the music video itself was beautiful, a real cinematic masterpiece. You would've loved every part of it, especially the song since it was a ballad. That was always something that you two bonded over. I could just imagine you covering it at some point.

You would've been proud of your Kibummie for everything that he did this year. With you and Onew gone, SHINee's middle child had to take the reigns and lead the group. 2min didn't make it the easiest task, but I'll get to that later. Even so, Key has done an amazing job of leading SHINee and making sure that SHINee stays whole. Both you and Onew taught him well in that regards. Key was always good at taking care of SHINee like an umma, but he's really stepped up and taken on that Hyung role these past 6 months. I'm sure he has a new found level of respect and gratitude for you and Onew for being the eldest members in the group.

The Hard album had so many amazing songs on it, as I'm sure you would've guessed, but there's one song in particular that I want to mention and it feels right to do so during Key's section of the letter because Key was the one that spoke about this song, how it stood out to the group during preparations and quickly became his favorite. The song is called Identity, and it's a song about loving yourself for who you are and not being afraid to show it. I know that if you would've been there to hear this song's demo, you would've immediately fallen in love with it just like Key did since both of you always wore your identities on your sleeves. You should also know that Key wasn't the only one that heavily identified with his song. As soon as it came out, this song became an instant favorite of those belonging to the LGBTQIA+ Community and it was one that they claimed as their own. The Seoul Pride Festival even made Identity one of the main songs for their parade playlist. You would've been proud of that accomplishment since that's another thing that you and Key had in common: your love and acceptance for the LGBTQUIA+ Community. None of us will ever forget the time you personally reached out to a trans student and posted their protest letter as your profile picture on Twitter. You did something that no other idols at the time had the guts to do, and it's because of that that you've influenced others in the industry to be more open about being queer themselves or an ally to the community. I know the moment that you found out about Identity playing at the Seoul Pride Festival, you would've unashamedly made a post telling everyone how honored you are that one of SHINee's songs was chosen for such an event.

Key also released a repackage album and mini album this year. They were great as always and part of that has to do with Key using his music as a representation of himself. And in a cute way of remembering you, in his latest music video for his song, Good & Great, there was a part where BOK-SILLee, the fluffy pink monster that first made an appearance with Key's Gasoline comeback, popped up and there were five of them. It was a subtle nod to SHINee but it was so heartwarming to see five of them.

Also during Key's Good & Great promotions, he appeared on a variety show that hosts idols that are dog owners. While talking with the MC of the show, Key was asked if his dogs had any favorite SHINee members. Key didn't hesitate to mention that you were always Comme Des' favorite. That wasn't a surprise to any of us because we all remember quite vividly how you tried to eat Comme Des during one of the episodes of SHINee's One Fine Day. I'm sure that must've had a lasting impact on Comme Des since it won you a place in his heart. It does make me sad to think that a show like that wasn't around when you were still alive. I know that you would've begged to appear on that show with Roo so you could brag about your baby to the world. You would've also have loved to attend the doggie birthday party for Comme Des and Garcon with Roo. You would've showed up with her wearing a cute little bow and presents for Key's puppies. Byulroo is doing well, in case you were wondering, and Sodam-noona continued to take good care of her and give us regular updates. I'm sure you already knew that your baby was in good hands or else you would've have felt comfortable leaving her.

As I mentioned before, 2min have been making Key's life as SHINee's temporary leader a lot more stressful. Your two youngest have become a bunch of wild-childs lately and I'm sure Key can't wait for Onew to come back and take over. Recently, they were causing trouble during one of SHINee's concerts. They started sword fighting with the key chains on their belts, and I doubt I have to tell you what it all looked like. The fandom went wild after the footage of that came out, so much laughter, and I'm sure while you would've been nagging at them for ruining SHINee's image, you also would've been right there with them since you always loved to put a smile on the Shawols' faces and make them laugh. The proof can be seen in the loads of footage of you doing wildly scandalous things with your members on stage just to get a reaction from the crowd. That was one of the things we loved about you and fondly cherish now that you're gone.

Something that I know probably makes you jealous is that 2min have also been spending a lot of time going to the gym together. I know that was something that you and Minho always bonded over when you were alive and I'm sure that it would've been something that the three of you enjoyed doing together. It makes me wish that you were still around so you could be a part of those trips to the gym. I know that if you were you would've made tons of appearances on Minho's instagram stories. We would've seen your thumbs-up and instagram handle tagged in so many of those posts, and it makes me sad that we'll never get to see that. You're probably also jealous that Minho recently grew an extra 0.2 centimeters. You're probably nagging at the Universe right now for it and asking why it never made you 0.2 centimeters taller. I know that if you had been alive when Minho discovered that, you would've never let him hear the end of it while Minho rubbed it in your face every chance he got. He used to love doing that: giving you a hard time about your height. It was always done out of love, so I hope you aren't holding that against him.

You should be proud of Minho, though, because he also recently was chosen as the person to carry and light the torch for the Seoul's Winter Olympics. It made him so happy, and it really shows how wide-spread his love for sports is that he out of so many was chosen to do such an honor. I know that you would've been proud and I know that you would've made sure everyone knew it, too, when you made a post congratulating Minho on that accomplishment with a photo of you watching the footage live. You were always so great about showing your support for the things that the SHINee members did outside of the group that I know that moment wouldn't have been any different.

This year was a speical one for your Taeminnie as he finally made his long awaited comeback from his Military Hiatus. Taemin getting discharged marked the end to SHINee's Enlistment Era, and I'm sure you were cheering alongside side us when we welcomed him back with open arms. Right away, Taemin showed that you've been on his mind a lot this year. He was the first one to speak fondly of you during SHINee's Anniversary Special by complimenting you on how pretty you were and sharing the fondness he had for your signature chest mole that he lovingly called The Mind's Eye. It was also during that special that Taemin decided to perform a special piano cover of your song, End of a Day. I know that if you were still alive you would've enjoyed getting to perform it alongside him and it would've been a beautiful performance.

Your maknae would've made you proud with his latest comeback. His song, Guilty, became an instant sensation, and truly, everything about that comeback was exceptional. From the stunning music video to the iconic choreography, I know that you would've been in love with it all. You never did let anyone forget that you were the King of the Taemints. There was never any doubt for how much you loved Taemin and how proud he made you with his accomplishments and growths as an artist. It's really thanks to you that he had the motivation and ambition to strive to be better. Taemin showed that when he dedicated a song to you during his appearance on the singing show Dingo. He was so happy to share how the song was one you used to sing when you practiced and it inspired him to become a better vocalist. You're the reason that Taemin has been able to rid himself of the Tone Deaf label, a label that you probably always despised and disagreed with since you knew better than anyone that Taemin had so much potential and a great singing voice.

I know that Key already told you about this but just this past weekend, Taemin held his first concert since being discharged. I don't have to tell you that it was a show like no other because you've personally attended one of Taemin's solo concerts before. We all remember how you showed up, decked head to toe in Taemin merch and screamed his name at the top of your lungs. I know that if you had still been alive, you would've attended Metamorph as well with MinKey and SHINee's choreographer Kany, who you would've LOVED even before you found out that she's a Shawol herself. I know you would've been battling it out with Minho to see who could cheer for Taemin the loudest and get his attention first. I know you would've been crying happy tears seeing your baby do so well and receive so much love. I know you would've fought to be the first one to take a selca with him and immediately uploaded it to your instagram. I know that you would've been losing your shit right there with us when Taemin ripped his shirt off before quickly snapping a picture of him and uploading it with some kind of embarrassing caption. You would've had a heart attack during the portion when Taemin hung upside down but also been so amazed by it, making one of your iconic super-shocked faces with your eyes and mouth as wide as they could go. And even though you weren't there in person, I know that your presence could be felt in that stadium as you wouldn't want to miss the chance at seeing your baby perform. You would've blessed Taemin and made sure that everything went well.

Overall, 2023 was an amazing year for your group. It's breathtaking to see how far all of you have come and to know that SHINee is still capable of beating even the newest, most popular 4th Gen groups. The impact and legacy your group has had on K-pop has stood the test of time and it is one that will always be cherished. The Hard comeback, as sad as it was that Onew couldn't truly be a part of it to the fullest, was incredible nonetheless. It gained so much love and attention and it's a part of why 2023 should be known as SHINee's Year. It makes me wish you could've been here to be a part of it all. I wish we could've seen you in the music videos and heard your voice on the album. I wish you could've been there for the music show performances, for every award winning, for the celebration of SHINee's 15th anniversary, for SHINee's concerts, for SHINee's Crop Top Era, for the premier of the SHINee documentary, for your members' solo comebacks, for their solo concerts, for the hardships that some of them had to face, for the laughs that they shared, for the tears that they shed, for the memories that they made. But even though you weren't physically there, your members made sure that no one forgets about you. You haven't been forgotten. Your life might've been lost but the memories that you left behind will live on forever and be cherished by every person whose life you touched.

We love you, Kim, Jonghyun, and always know that you did well.

[todayisafridaynight]

NO LISTEN. LISTEN. I CONCEALED THE TITLE ON PURPOSE BECAUSE... IDK what it is but I have a tendency to like things that would be hard to watch for one reason or another for MOST of the runtime but then by the end it's like Oh So This Was GOOD Actually? Oh So My Brain Is Rewired?

And then it just becomes IMPOSSIBLE to recommend because I have no idea if The Majority Of It would actually be worth the conclusion to anyone but me😭😭😭SP is along those lines, sort of, but I've at least seen success with that... but this is also the case for my favorite Tsutsumi movie of all time, actually... alas...

Nevertheless. The show is called After the Rain! I think it was originally a manga and it has a live-action adaptation too [criminal not to actually cast Tsutsumi in either In My Opinion but FINE I GUESS]. It's about a former track star in high school, Akira Tachibana, who works part-time at a restaurant and has the MOST EMBARRASSING crush on her manager, Masami Kondo, the character I showed you before, who is Tsutsumi But As A Middle-Aged Divorcee With A Son. They befriend each other and help each other come to grips with the future and the past, respectively.

I was afraid of the obvious because a lot of media that tries to do this ends up making it fucking weird... like, this sort of dynamic means a lot to me for personal reasons and I've been burned too many times by characters I'd come to love and trust... but naw... my man Kondo is Normal About It that's all that matters to me... I had to breathe SUCH a sigh of relief...

I really don't like that the camera is sometimes not normal about Akira, though, it undermines the actual themes of the show a bit. IDK, I'm hypersensitive, I expect it's nothing super egregious compared to a lot of other media, but it's just disappointing because SOMETIMES there's artistic merit in terms of representing what Akira's feeling and other times it's just totally unnecessary and introduces a tonal clash... SPEAKING OF THERE IS A GUY WHO IS NOT NORMAL ABOUT AKIRA AND THE ENTIRE PLOT THREAD IS BASICALLY JUST DROPPED BECAUSE HE'S HARDLY EVEN IN THE SHOW AFTER THAT... I WANTED CONSEQUENCES...

But if nothing else, that's not even exactly why I said it's a hard watch, the actual reason is the NUCLEAR levels of secondhand embarrassment for like two thirds of the show. Like GIRL he is NOT INTO YOU AND HE SHOULDN'T BE... GET A GRIP OH MY GODDDDDDDD................. but like, I was That Girl when I was her age, right, so the fact it had me imploding thinking back on everything is a testament to its accuracy overall. Probably.

And NGL that type of dynamic is basically how I conceptualize RGGJo and Arakawa when they first met... Jo and Akira may be cringe-ass teens but I got a soft spot for it I do... it can be FUNNY... it can be WHOLESOME...

All of that being said, the last third or so might as well be a different show, and it kind of blows the rest out of the water for me. Maybe because it focuses on Kondo and Akira separately? But it's free of literally anything I could possibly complain about. I ain't mad about the first two thirds, it does set up a lot of what made the last third so enjoyable... buuut...

ANYWAY that's ENOUGH OF THAT I am CUTTING MYSELF OFF THERE I've gone on for WAY TOO LONG ABOUT SHIT NOBODY ASKED ABOUT☠️Not like you can say anything to All That I just don't have anybody to talk to about it☠️and despite the fact I'm still not REALLY Recommending It and don't think it sounds appealing from my description, I feel like I probably shouldn't talk about the endgame stuff I'm obsessed with so☠️☠️☠️Anyway. If NOTHING Else. Funny as hell to have Tsutsumi as the basis for The Perfect Middle-Aged Man... SOOO true...

YAYA the DQXI demo goes like, up to just after you get the? Twins? in your party. And you can keep playing the game without progressing the story + continue your save in the full game so technically speaking I COULD grind until I'm overpowered... but I shan't... I'm not positive when I'm getting it since I still wanna play the series in order... For Ichiban... [<- see this is RGG-related now]

It is SO sick to actually get to play though, that's awesome! Toriyama's worked on some bangers what can I say... My first DQ was one of the DS remakes, probably DQV, but the only DQ game I've ever actually finished was the Rocket Slime spinoff. Very Fun By The Way genuinely one of my favorite DS titles... but THAT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE... regardless... Arachtagon is not in the demo but I can believe he's a bitch to fight given one of the top results is this ☠️

So I'm glad you're past it and are having fun with the game :] I loved your comic SOOO SO SO much so having that bit of background on makes it all the more enjoyable! I had my own comic about RGGJo losing his mind "babysitting" Ichi and watching him grind for hours on end which was also lowkey about my experience with DQI... lol... lmao even...

I'M SORRYYYYYY THOUGH I TOLD YOU SP WAS SLOW TO START FOR A REASON 😭😭😭😭It took me a while to notice but title sequences are always something like Episode III Part I so they're almost all multi-ep arcs... threw me for a loop... Okay that's enough from me Jesus fucking Christ I am SORRY for going on this long but just I have to say:

inoue's chara is so funny like He's Super Human um doc… i think he's just autistic lowkey….. he still a baller regardless tho

REAL AND TRUE AND REAL AND TRUE AND REAL AND

and i've already added it to the To-Watch list :) NO BUT REAL I UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FEEL- in trying to sell something but having to be like Here Me Out I Swear on it BUT I BELIEVE YOU THAT ITS GOOD. i know i can trust your word on something and i def appreciate the preemptive notes given before watching. im sure i'll enjoy it in the end: it looks cute and im glad it sounds like it's doing something better with a Touchy trope ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶ biggest RIP to no tsutsumi in the live action but... cant be helped.....

NO BUT IT'S SO FUNNY CAUSE FOR MY COMIC I WANTED TO SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE'S 'HARDEST BOSSES' WERE AND I FELT SO SEEN IN SEEING ARACHTAGON AS AN OPTION..... funnily enough tho when i redid the fight it wasnt nearly as nightmarish as it was when i first did it but Again i think i was just better prepared... (also during my first attempt i had Literally the most fuck ass luck where my team kept getting stunned and dying but rab kept bringing them back to life and i Just Couldnt Die or even move so... Horrible First Experience Ruined A Game For Seven Months For Me ( ￣▽￣ ;;;;)). the first instance of DQ i remember seeing was DQIX and being liek 'hey they looks familiar :)' and ive just been watchin it since 🤭 ROCKET SLIME IS SO CUTE THOUGH if you had to finish ANY of the games im glad it was that one... i wish i got to play the series in order since I Like Doing That but im annoying about wanting to play things on The Official Console...

AH BUT IVE ALWAYS LIKED THE IDEA OF JO WATCHING ICHI PLAY A GAME i mentioned i had an abandoned comic about it but its still such a silly and cute idea.. id very much like to do something with it someday if not see others have fun with it cause i think they should have them silly family moments too..

NO IT'S OK I JUST FOUND IT FUNNY AN ARC WAS LIKE. 3-4 EPS WHEN AT MOST THEY'RE LIKE TWO i'm just about rapping up the ohashi arc and its SOOOOO good... i also love how the drama has a pretty diverse soundtrack that i notice a lot of other jdramas lack so thats DEF been a bonus plus all of the choreography (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) and real. inoue Is Just Neurodivergent that got solidified within me after seeing him mess around with that riddle book ☠️

[goldlightwriting]

My Octopath Travelers

So I’ve been plying Octopath 2 lately, pretty great game so far, actually even better than the first one in my opinion. Anyways, wanted to try my hand at creating my own cast for a potential third game. So... Here ya go.

Andrea Class: Scholar Path Action (Day): Lecture Put NPCs to sleep with a long history lecture. Path Action (Night): Investigate Examine an object/area to uncover its history. Ability: Vim and Vigor At the start of battle, grants SP regeneration during the day and HP regeneration at night for 3 turns. Latent Power: Treasures of the Ages Choose one of three ancient relics to unleash a curious power: -Gazing Idol (turns AOE spells into more potent attacks against a single foe for 3 turns, then allows the user to act again.) -Protective Talisman (Grants all allies immunity to enfeebling effects for 2 turns.) Ceremonial Crown (Raise all of a single ally’s stats for 1 turn.) Bio: An adventurous woman with a passion for studying the past. Though employed as a teacher at a prestigious university, her true passion is unearthing ancient ruins and relics. When word reaches her of a lost civilization being unearthed, Andrea sets out in the hopes of being among the first to delve into its mysteries and uncover the truth behind its sudden downfall centuries ago.

Katlego Class: Hunter Path Action (Day): Chat Strike up a friendly conversation to learn more about an NPC. Path Action (Night): Ambush Attack an NPC using the cover of darkness. Ability: Hunter’s Intuition Reveal an enemy’s weapon weakness during the day and an elemental weakness at night. Latent Power: Deadly Duo Perform a powerful team attack with Hadi that hits twice and breaks the enemy’s shield gauge by one point. Bio: An easygoing hunter from a tribal people in the plains. Though his father is the chief, Katlego has little interest in duties or politics, preferring instead to pursue his passion for catching game. However, when his people are threatened by a mysterious plague, Katlego must set out in search of a legendary bird whose feathers are said to be capable of healing any illness or injury. Alongside his loyal hunting dog, Hadi, Katlego will venture to the ends of the earth to save his home.

Taneli Class: Thief Path Action (Day): Galvanize Rouse an NPC to action and acquire them as a follower. Path Action (Night): Lockpick Open a locked door or chest if your level is high enough. Ability: Call to Action At the start of a battle, raise all allies’ defensive stats during the day and their offensive stats at night. Latent Power: Dawn ‘til Dusk Change the time of day mid-battle. Bio: A noble thief and rebel who stands in opposition of a tyrannical regime. Taneli boasts a strong sense of justice, believing in fair treatment for all no matter their status or place of birth. Taneli knows that if he is to have any hope of saving his hometown from oppression, he’ll need stalwart allies with which to form a proper rebellion. Though inexperienced as a leader, Taneli’s natural charisma and determination may be the keys to dethroning the Mad Queen.

Faas Class: Cleric Path Action (Day): Stewardship Accept an offering from NPC’s. Path Action (Night): Preach Gain a follower through reciting scripture. Ability: Divine Favor Increase the amount of HP allies restore in battle during the day, and increase the amount of SP they restore at night. Latent Power: Prayer to Orsa Pray to the first goddess to trigger one of two effects: -Grand Blessing (all allies will survive the next fatal attack with 1 HP.) -Supreme Judgement (Inflict a variety of enfeebling effects on a single foe for 2 turns.) Bio: An old priest who founded the Maker’s Faithful, a religious movement devoted to the worship of Mother Goddess Orsa. Faas seeks to revitalize worship in the original goddess, though he and his followers are forced to preach under the cover of night for fear of invoking the wrath of the Order of the Sacred Flame. Determined to prove that his faith is more than heresy, Faas sets out on a journey to uncover the truth behind Orsa and her role in the world’s creation.

Sable Class: Warrior Path Action (Day): Batter Attempt to break open a door or chest with a given chance of success. Path Action (Night): Interrogate Forcibly acquire information from an NPC. Ability: Intimidation Tactics In battle, increase the odds of successfully taking money during the day and stealing items at night. Latent Power: Lion’s Fury Unleash a moderately powerful attack that instantly breaks a foe’s guard. Bio: A battle-hardened mercenary, formerly the member of a band known as the Iron Lions. The Iron Lions were disbanded after their former leader, Dane, was killed in battle. Since then, Sable has wandered alone, earning coin with her spear wherever she can find it. Recently, however, Sable has heard tell that the Iron Lions have been reformed, and were involved in a series of brutal raids that left countless dead. Unable to sit idle, Sable sets out to investigate the truth behind this reformation, and personally punish those responsible for bringing shame to her old crew’s name.

Izumi Class: Dancer Path Action (Day): Probe Physically inspect an object/location to study it, with a given chance of being caught. Path Action (Night): Perform Dance for an NPC to lift their spirits. Ability: Dagger Dancing At the start of battle, increase Izumi’s crit chance during the day and evasion at night for three turns. Latent Power: Inspiring Display Grant your enhancing to all allies after acting. Bio: An assassin trained in a special form of combat called ‘dagger dancing.’ Izumi’s parents were both murdered in front of him when he was younger, but the boy himself was spared when a woman named Mao came to his rescue. Mao agreed to teach Izumi how to fight, that he may one day have his revenge. Now, at the age of eighteen, he sets out to pursue his parents’ killer and uncover the reason behind their deaths.

Emilio Class: Merchant Path Action (Day): Repair Fix broken property if the right materials are on-hand. Path Action (Night): Transaction Bribe an NPC for items in their inventory. Ability: Sweet Deal At the start of a battle, randomly fill an ally’s BP gauge by 1 during the day or their latent power gauge by 25% at night. Latent Power: Con Artist Enhance a single attribute on a target, then lower all their other attributes for 2 turns. Bio: A peddler of dubious goods in the black market. Emilio is skilled at what he does, but takes no pride in it; his occupation is solely to help save his parents’ carpentry business, which is deeply in debt. When Emilio learns that his employer and his parents’ debter are, in fact, one and the same, he embarks on a quest to find them: a mysterious crime lord known by most simply as “The Rainmaker.”

Faheem Class: Apothecary Path Action (Day): Administer Prescribe medicine to an NPC if you have the right materials, healing their ailments and injuries. Path Action (Night): Tinker Attempt to repair damaged property with a given chance of success. Ability: Imperfect Elixer At the start of battle, inflict allies with random buffs during the day and enemies with random debuffs at night. Latent Power: Enhanced Formula Add an extra ingredient to your next concoction. Bio: A healer serving in the court of a mighty prince. Faheem is a shrewd individual who seeks to one day recreate the fabled Elixir of Immortality spoken of in legend. Though his research has been funded by none other than the prince himself, Faheem has failed to make any progress toward the elixir for years... That is, until a mysterious message arrived, offering him a clue: ‘If you grasp for eternity, seek the scattered pieces.’ This message, along with four cryptic clues, set Faheem on the path to uncover the five mythical reagents needed to obtain immortality.

Actions (for simmplicity): Knock NPC’s out (Andrea during the day and Katlego at night) Acquire items from NPC inventories (Faas during the day and Emilio at night) Acquire NPC’s as companions (Taneli during the day and Faas at night) Acquire information about NPC’s (Katlego during the day and Sable at night) Acquire information about locations/objects (Izumi during the day and Andrea at night) Open locked chests/doors (Sable during the day and Taneli at night) Repair damaged objects (Emilio during the day and Faheem at night) Heal injured NPC’s (Faheem during the day and Izumi at night.)

And before anyone says anything: yes, I know that their names aren’t an anagram for ‘OCTOPATH.’ I legit actually didn’t even realize that was a thing until recently, and I’d actually not change them because I spent a fair bit of time actually researching names and meanings for this post. Anyways, what do you all think? I’m fairly proud of how this turned out, if I may be so bold.

[nightzap]

Risk 25! Risk 25! No 6 stars!

This victory felt a little anticlimatic. The Robin strat was no longer viable since the SP risk made skill charge times for my vanguards so long I didn't have enough DP to maintain her trap spam. Then I learned that S1M3 Honeyberry can actually keep up with the sanity damage of a single flower, and the question of how to stall and survive them became much easier to answer all of a sudden. Vigna received the honor of facetanking them, combining low enough dp cost to fit her into my build order with the damage to help kill the flowers in a timely fashion, before the next one comes along.

The opener consisted of having Kroos kill the two leftmost crawlers, who get targeted first due to having a shorter way to the blue box, while May kills the normal enemies. I deploy Ambriel as soon as I have the DP, as she is the only one who can safely kill the lower of the two remaining left side crawlers. I also bring in Beanstalk for some extra DP, but considering she only gets a single skill use before needing to retreat due to the deployment limit, she doesn't generate much and also doesn't help killing anything. Who knew that taking out a micro-intensive strategy means that a lot of things like squeezing out as much DP as possible is no longer needed?

Anyway, once only one of the crawler quartet is left, I deploy April to kill the last one, as Ambriel's skill duration is not enough for that, and our little rockstar (don't tell her I called her little) comes onto stage. Ambriel retreats once her skill runs out, and Firewatch goes to her usual sniping position to charge up for the first to talk. With the last crawler dead and the upper left ranged tiles finally secured, Beanstalk retreats while Honeyberry joins Vigna's concert. May retreats and Toddifons sets up her Ballista, while April helps Firewatch kill the First To Talk once her cooldown is finished.

Once the First is dead, Kroos comes back to the battlefield to destroy another crawler. In this new strategy, I kill only a single one, and stall the other three with Nearl and Mulberry. Since I no longer try to spawnkill the crawlers, the upper right ranged tiles don't get shocked by them anymore, and April can help Toddifons spawnkill the Second to Talk. No more unreliable tactics of letting them come dangerously close to my ranged units.

And from that, all that's left is cleanup. Vigna activates her skill to kill the flowers more quickly, and afterwards I simply wait for Nearl to crack some eggs.

 It's possible I could take this to risk 26 if I take the third tier crawler risk that makes two crawlers spawn in the lower right, and figure out a build order for that. And maybe even risk 27 if the third tier flower risk doesn't make them last so long that Vigna can't kill them before the next one comes.

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 24- Part 5

And I also changed my laptop's time so it's nighttime in-game. Now, onto Grand Hall-

(One training montage later…)

And there we go, a full-on Aurorus to take on Beartic!

And yes, I gave him the Rock Incense to further boost the Ancient Power he picked up. Now, back to the mountain!

This time, I'm leading with Glare instead of Riptide. Since I know Beartic opens with Hail, that'll give her a free turn to use Glare™ and paralyze-

Or it??? WON'T use Hail?? Why did it not set up Hail that time??

Well okay, we've still got Crater- maybe now it'll use Hail, and give her a chance to maybe melt the Field with Lava Plume?

Why?? When will it Hail??

Okay, fine! Crystal will do it for you with Snow Warning!

He still shouldn't take a ton of damage from Blizzard, but Ancient Power is sure to hurt!

Hm…? Oh, that's interesting, this Field gives Ancient Power a secondary typing? Okay, well, that shouldn't affect much-

That did HOW MUCH damage all of a sudden!? 

Oooh no, wait, I know what happened. That secondary type on Ancient Power is actually really bad right now. Beartic resists Ice-type moves, so because Ancient Power is part Ice now, it only does neutral damage! That's…really bad! As if I needed any other reason to want to get rid of this Field!

We're gonna have to reset again to figure this out- and I think I have a new idea…

I think Crater could live a Blizzard if she was higher-leveled, so I'm gonna get her to Lv. 40 as well. Additionally, I took a moment to test what happens if Lava Plume is used on that ice Field, and-

I was right, it does melt it! And creates a…water Field? It powers up Water-type moves, at least. But will Blizzard just freeze it over again? We'll just have to see. Back to the cave, yet again!

This time, we lead with Crater- now we're gonna see what happens when we melt the ice here! Those two extra levels is sure to make some kinda difference, and maybe this time it'll actually use Hail instead of-

WhyyyyYYYYY-

Why does it keep one-shotting Crater, even after all that? AND WHY WON'T IT USE HAIL ANYMORE!?

Okay, fine! We'll try Glare again, if only for the Intimidate- I was planning on sending her out anyways, but I'd hoped Crater could melt the ice before. If possible, I want Glare to use Acid Spray to lower Beartic’s Sp. Defense to ensure Ancient Power will do more damage.

The Beartic uses Blizzard, and…

Oh, NOW Blizzard misses! 70% accuracy my face!

Okay, let's just keep towing this line as long as we can. Can Glare hit a second Acid Spray?

She can, Blizzard missed again. Third time?

Nope, not that lucky. But why is Beartic still spamming Blizzard…? Why did it only use Hail on Riptide, no one else? Hmm…I need to see for myself.

If nothing else, getting Hail up early means Crystal’s Snow Warning won't proc, and it'll go down sooner once he steps onto the field. Assuming I'm right about Beartic only wanting to set up on Riptide, anyways…

There it is! Now it Hails! But why? Did it…wait. Did it not see a kill on Riptide with Blizzard, but it did with Glare and Crater? And that's why it went straight to spamming Blizzard instead of using Hail?

Well, it's using Blizzard on Riptide now, so…

Oh my gosh, Riptide can live a Blizzard from this beast. If there wasn't Hail up, he'd survive this turn, like actually.

Well, with that revelation confirmed, it's time for the main event: bringing out Crystal!

The -4 to Sp. Defense should offset the secondary typing to Ancient Power added by the Field Effect, especially if he gets an omni-boost. Let's do it!

Let's NOT do THAT! C'mon, it knows Rest too?? Well, sucks to be it, because now it's asleep and defenseless!

Oooh, that's really good damage!! Just two or maybe even three more of those! If Beartic can just stay asleep…

Previous

Next

[signalwatch]

Watch Party Watch: The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

Watched:  01/27/2023

Format:  Amazon Watch Party

Viewing:  First

Director:  Bernard Vorhaus (sp?)

This is "moral relativism, the movie".  Not often do you see a movie where you're straight up unclear why you should care about anyone in the film, but this is it.  If you believe women should be helpless dummies, I guess you can pick the two rich, guileless sisters who are shown to mostly be cotton-brained marks through 90 minutes of film, and who discuss their long history of what easy targets they've been, but when your hero of the third reel is the guy who has been outmaneuvered by the even shittier guy in the movie... woof.

These characters kind of all deserve each other.  

I dunno.  The version we watched for free on Amazon Prime was a very, very rough, dark print that hadn't been touched since being put away probably in 1949.  John Alton was the DP, and there's some gorgeous John Alton stuff in this movie that was unfortunately dimmed by time.  I will pay to see this again in a restored version just for the photography.

I was willing to see this movie immediately because it co-starred Cathy O'Donnell, who is fantastic in They Live By Night, Side Street and The Best Years of Our Lives, but here she's mostly asked to be a simp and whine a lot, and...  it's fine, but it's thankless.  Playing a gullible dummy isn't a good look for anyone.

I know Lynn Bari less.  She's in Nocturne, which is a fine film, but that's the only place I've seen her.  And while the picture was blurry and dark, she's, how does one say?  fun to watch.  

The plot is that two rich sisters live in a Manderlay like mansion on an ocean cliff.  Two years prior, Lynn Bari's husband died in a fiery car crash.  She's both mourning him and about to be engaged to a too-practical attorney.  Her sister, O'Donnell, is a character type we'd start seeing a lot in this era- the teen or young woman who is certain in her belief she's smarter and wiser than everyone around them.  

Well, Lynn is being set up by her housekeeper (who is playing a Swedish maid) and her partner, the shady Alexis (the titular Mr. X, I guess), and they basically do the spiritualism bit on her, convincing her he's magic and there are ghosts.  

The movie goes to great pains to show us how the shenanigans of a seance work, and do the job of showing us how a complex spook show convinces both sisters (O'Donnell's character predictably wants to be on Mr. X).  But, lo, and behold, the dead husband shows up as NOT dead, and begins blackmailing our scammer into partnering.  

And, honestly, the pragmatic attorney does kind of blow.  Mr. X is played by character actor Turhan Bey, who was a wildly prolific talent, but who didn't really star in much other than this movie and The Mummy's Tomb.  The film's third-reel decision to have him grow a conscience seems... iffy.  He's dedicated his whole life to scamming.  And I think there's probably a good movie in that idea, but this isn't it.

Anyway, I actually enjoyed watching the film in part due to Alton, the two female leads, and because it's completely bonkers.  Is it a good movie?  Not particularly.  But it's a great late-late-show kind of movie that deserves a better print than what we saw.

https://ift.tt/p8gicMm

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/qFsnX49

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Sygna Suit Piers

*sigh*  Okay, I promise I'll stop being a hater, just let me have this one.  Dual Toxtricity is lame, because "It's the same Pokemon twice as our event!" is the lamest possible outcome.  It was the fatal flaw of the otherwise wonderful NC Kalos duo, it was the major problem with third anniversary, it is never, ever an interesting idea.  I'm sorry.  It sucks.  There were other musically themed Pokemon.  Do better.

General Overview Piers also gets Toxtricity!  This is the other kind though.  He is Roxie's counterpart, identical yet different in every way.  Piers opts for Electric Striker, which is a bold fucking move from a guy who's got mid-300s Sp Atk.  Piers' Buddy move gets no penalty AoE and costs less in gauge, but in exchange, doesn't do the fun Sp Def debuffing utility Roxie's does.  So I like it less.  The condition is much easier though, just needing a field effect.  His secondary DPS for Poison is Sludge Bomb, which is cringe but so is the type's special damage move selection.  Piers calls Electric Terrain the instant he attacks, and his trainer move is 2MP with Poison Zone.  Problem: that's his setup.  Which is bad.  So Piers is much more support reliant than Roxie.  He does get Piercing Blows, but like all Piercing Blows users, his actual damage numbers are complete ass in compensation.  Unless you're Red, who never suffers a flaw.  Piers' grid is where things get a little nutty.  SMUN each field effect is fantastic, that's Tapu level good and he partners with SS Hau beautifully as a result.  Dirty Sync 6 is funny because he's bad at status without his 3-bar moves, and has the same Poison Zone Sync Up 9 inversion that Roxie does.  He also resets Electric Terrain on first sync if desired.

Okay so real talk, show of hands, how many people are struggling with Electric?  It's gotta be just me by now.  Great, then I can safely say you don't need this guy.  SST Red is better and everyone has him.  I'd hear out the argument for this guy over SS Hau, though that depends on whether his damage is more important than Hau's debuffs and speed generation. He shares Roxie's oddities, where Electric damage wants Poison and vice versa, and his Poison DPS is kinda crap? I fully expect it to be worse than Drasna, who wasn't even doing that well with it. Piers seems fine if you really need damage, but mostly for Electric. Which...almost no one does. His decision here is questionable. Probably should've stuck with Poison, my dude.

EX, Role, and Move Level? No penalty AoE spam, he does not need EX.  His role is Support, which I actually respect given the dual damage types, even if the stat boosts are awkward.  Move Level is similar to Roxie.  1/5 will get all the utilities you need, but as someone a bit more primary in damage, he appreciates higher move levels.

Team 1: SS Piers, SS Roxie, NC Blue/BP Janine The Toxtricity duo were made for each other, thanks to the ability to consistently call both field effects that are required for full performance. Personally I find stuff like this boring, but it is effective. SS Piers has garbage self-setup, but it's nothing that Janine can't manage with one use of his TM. If you're going hard on the Electric damage, NC Blue is the obvious best pick, whose gauge management also allows Roxie to easily spam her 4-bar Electric move.

Team 2: SS Piers, SS Hau, BP Janine "Recommending BP Janine a lot with these two." Not my fault they made her so good. Another big emphasis is SS Hau, who extends Electric Terrain that Piers can set for absurd times. Moreover, Hau has access to Mind Games, powering up Piers' AoE spam, while Hau's damage compresses once sides are down. I recommend BP Janine because Piers' self-setup is garbage, but anything that can handle Sp Atk and at least 1 point of crit is sufficient for the team's needs.

Team 3: SS Piers, Petrel/H!Iris, SS Brendan Anyone else pull Petrel? It can't just be me. Anyway, Poison-types are awkward when it comes to special, because they all need so much and are kinda bad. I actually kinda like Petrel, and I think it's worth noting that he also has Piercing Blows to bypass gimmicks, as well as flinch and Sp Def debuffing. The team still needs some quick boosting, and I'm mentioning SS Brendan because his trainer move perfectly complements Piers'.

However, I'll also note H!Iris here. If you wanted a special Poison damage partner, Piers is an option. However. Despite what he has, his low base stats suggest to me that as far as a partner for her specifically goes, Drasna's...likely better. She has a heavier multiplier and better base stats, I don't see Piers outperforming her at the secondary Poison DPS game.

Final Thoughts It's admittedly harder to find use for Piers compared to Roxie, because his entire life focus is the damage, but he's bad at self-sufficiency. This makes partner selection difficult, because there really aren't great options for managing his needs in the F2P pool. I'm sure his damage output will be great for the types he's in, but I also just don't think Electric needs much, while Poison has made a really good comeback, and his own contributions to that type are astonishingly minimal. Of the two, I prefer Roxie. I think her utility contributes more. But he is a good Electric damage dealer if you didn't have one of those.

But can I also just say, Masters is kinda running on fumes with Electric? Like aside from the fact it's got some of the most overpowered bullshit, we also had the High Score event for this type. It's not like we need to worry about it. High Score events run every other month, and there's 18 types; that's 35 months to get all types in just one time. Electric like just happened, we have almost three years before that becomes relevant again, and I promise you, it won't be relevant by the time we get there. There's more relevance in the notion of pulling him for Extreme Battle events than High Score.

[1358456]

Pokemon Crystal "Free to Play" Run Part 3

Well, I got distracted for a while thanks to Scarlet and the Generation VIII and IX Pokemon nicknaming, but it's about time I finish this run and try something I didn't fully explore last time.

Now where was I... oh yeah. Kanto.

Sabrina's level 50 Alakazam... in Yellow only... was nerfed to level 48.

Oh yeah. Remember the days when Dark type was a Special type? I have no idea why. Every single Dark type move that existed back in GSC is currently a physical attack. If I recall, when the physical/special split happened in Generation IV, the only Sp. Atk Dark type move was Dark Pulse, which was a Generation IV move. So... yeah. The physical contact and yet Sp. Atk move. Which tremendously buffs Espeon!

Okay. I can get Snorlax now, but... that's not a gift. Hmm... I do want its Leftovers though. Hmm...

Good thing that I picked up TM 46: Thief. Yoink!

So this is my pre-Red team. ... Uh oh. A level 52 Mew could solo Red except for Snorlax, but... with this team? ... Well, time to find out if I need to grind some more.

This cave in Mt. Silver requires Waterfall and... this is all that's in it. ... Why. Well, at least this cave HAS something, unlike in GS...

And the second Waterfall-hidden cave in Mt. Silver that has one healing item inside. Again, why. I don't think the encounter tables are different in these rooms than the outside. It's not like in Platinum version where that one room in the Eterna Forest mansion that has wild Gengars (1% chance?).

Well then. Time to ram into Red and see what happens.

This little Espeon carried the win. Everyone else is down. Holy crap. ... So that Dragonite that I got... did nothing helpful. So that was a total waste of Exp Share time.

Whew. Now that I barely got through Red... I want to tackle that GS Ball glitch again. ... If I remember how. The GSC Joy Runs I posted have details in them so the future me can use them as reference!

I do need to catch things though, but the Free to Play run ended after beating Red. So I need a male and female Exeggcute, since that thing gets Reflect very early and also as an Egg move. So if I breed two identical Exeggcutes with this exact moveset, the offspring will also have this exact set in this order. Thus Reflect is in the 4th slot.

Now I need a bad clone. A level 0 female with no name.

... Er... I... That IS a bad clone, but not... rightly bad?

It has Pokerus though. ... And a 4x weakness to Fighting...

... Now those are some stats. Level 255, so... understandable. So that means when I took on Agatha and her level 205 stuff... this is the kind of stats I had to overcome with free sh*t.

This is the wrong bad clone, so I have to try again and again... and... there we go. Now to follow my own instructions and...

So Flash in the third slot gives Dragonair. And this run's ID's Hex value corresponds to Synthesis and Meditate. ... The last run gave me Earthquake and Vital Throw. Anyways. Hey, GS Ball!

And time to withdraw my stuff and...

The... game crashed. Huh. Never saw this screen before. Okay. So I need to withdraw the Pokemon I want BEFORE hatching the glitched egg.

Okay. So what I wanted to try this time that I didn't last time is... I wanted to use Kurt's Apricorn Ball services at least once before the GS Ball event. Because I think that's a requirement? I have no idea. There's an Apricorn tree right next to his house, so give one to him, leave, save, and...

Select + Down + B at the main menu, let go of Down + B, hold Up + Left, let go of Select, and there we go.

Mess with the game because I have the power.

Now just let that minute pass and I can get the Fast Ball from Kurt, and then if I talk to him with the GS Ball...

... Damn. That was not it. So there really is an in-game trigger that the event actually trips. So let's see what it actually looks like. ... Need a cheat code though...

So this nurse's existence is the result of force-tripping the in-game trigger.

... Now I have two of them. Great. I wonder if that means the event GS Ball has a different code than... the cheap knockoff that I spawned. Either that, or the key items don't have an item check upon receiving, since no key item is meant to be obtained twice.

Now the event triggers. ... And I have to do that time bullsh*t again. Who needs Celebi for time manipulation, when I have to do time manipulation to get Celebi?!

1 minute later that feels like 1 day... Get the GS Ball back, put it right next to its buddy...

Oh no. That forest with the treehouse that I tried to set on fire for many years... I mean...

... Which one? Can I shove both in it?

And out pops an onion fairy. At long last!

Well, I mean... it's not a gift, so... Also, because I had to f*ck up the Pokedex with the egg glitch, the game thinks I already caught one.

In fact, if I look at the Pokedex BEFORE the Celebi event...

This is as far as it goes because I did NOT see Celebi. Note, Seen 196, Owned 39. And now AFTER the Celebi event...

Seen 197, Owned 39. So I apparently owned Celebi without having seen it before the event.

Hmm. And the event does NOT trigger a second time with the second GS Ball. So that one stays in my inventory for the rest of time with no purpose.

Okay. So what if I used the code, but instead of picking up the event GS Ball, I go to Kurt with only the glitch-spawned GS Ball?

Nope. That doesn't work.

So... damn. In order to trigger the Celebi event, I actually need to use the cheat code and receive a GS Ball. Glitch-spawned GS Ball does nothing on its own. However, interestingly, if I keep the glitch-spawned GS Ball at the top of my Key Items listing, while the event GS Ball is on the bottom for distinction purposes, when I trigger the Celebi event, the first GS Ball is used. So the glitch-spawned one is used on the shrine, and the event one is left behind for eternity. Fascinating. So the two GS Balls are the same item, but the event triggers only once. Aww.

I wonder if it is possible to use a glitch to trigger the event. I don't know what glitch would do that though. ... Then again, I know how to hatch Celebi from a glitch, so... I don't need to trigger the event. In fact, the event Celebi doesn't have Recover since a level 30 one would've erased it. A glitched egg that gives me a level 0 Celebi with two glitched moves is infinitely better. Since with one Rare Candy, I can give Celebi Recover... and evolve 5 glitch Pokemon off screen...

Well then. That's everything. I think I explored all I wanted to explore in GSC. I guess next up is Emerald. I wanted to try the Pomeg Egg glitch. If I recall, with that, I can evolve an Egg Pokemon before hatching it. So I could hatch a Gyarados. Supposedly. Well, one day.