#Any combo with the lightning stuff??

[phoenixcatch7]

Crazy how Nintendo took out the gerudo set, and such a shame too. Can you IMAGINE the bangers we'd be pulling off combining with the new armour??

[mothiir]

list of astartes ocs

here’s a brief little summary of my ocs, because i often lose track of them and thought that you might like to know more about the boys. NSFW stuff included, so stuck it beneath a cut. this is just the space marines — taleath will get his own post because he’s my favourite (don’t tell the others). Happy to answer asks/write stuff about them

Vanatas Borjigin

The self appointed leader of the trio. Turned into Astartes later than generally recommended, so has a decent memory of his life before; of raising a batch of squalling sisters, of scavenging for meat in Nostramo’s rancid streets. It gives him major older sibling energy, even now.

Taller than Shrike, shorter than Zakyr, with bone-white skin and void-black eyes. Wears his long dark hair in a ponytail more often than not; a severe hairstyle that accentuates his raptor-sharp cheekbones. He has the usual scars you’d expect an Astartes to carry, but due to the implants being carried out well into his teens (rather than in prepubescence) the surgery scars are far more prominent than normal, standing out liver-purple across his abdomen. 

Prone to fainting fits, in which he collapses, jaw tight against the screams welling in his throat, his skull singing agony. Blood drips from his nose and his eyes, and when he wakes he babbles nonsense — and yet the nonsense always seems to come true. That’s right: our boy Van is cursed with the gift of prophecy — something he is at pains to hide from the rest of his brothers. Zak and Shrike know, but they keep his secret. Normally, Vanatas can tell when one of the attacks is coming, and it gives him just enough warning to hide, or for one of the other two to shove him into a cupboard to stop someone seeing.  

He is mean mean mean to you. He really likes it when you cry, whether you’re begging for mercy or for him to slow down or please Mr Night Lord not back there — and he always gets a bit feral when you start getting weepy. He’s the most likely to treat you like a serf-shaped fleshlight, grabbing you with very little warning, yanking your skirt to the side and sinking in with a low, contented groan. 

Despite the above, he’s normally the one ensuring you’re functioning as well as possible. He remembers to feed you, shouts at the others when they’ve let you go too long without sleep, and even gave you painkillers one time, after Zak had been a mite too rough. Maybe there’s a shadow inside him, a whisper that remembers what it is to care. And maybe not. Who knows. 

Zakyr Lamnidae 

Large, even for an Astartes. Almost eight feet tall, all bulky muscle, and — as you might imagine — almost constantly hungry. The other two taunt him for being a lardass, but he always ends up with the best bits of any meal they’ve stolen (or hunted). They never say that they are doing this, nor does he acknowledge it or thank them. It is just how it is. You hide Van when he starts bleeding from the eyes; you give Zak the fat-marbled rump of an unfortunate heretic. Yum. 

Has the same black hair, black eyes combo as Vanatas and ninety per cent of other Night Lords. He wears his hair short, shaved at the sides, and has a distinctive scar on his cheek that crawls across his jawline, and down onto his throat. It looks almost like it was caused by the talon of a great bird — or maybe a set of claws, swift as lightning? Either way, he’s not saying how he got it. If you ask, he and Vanatas start getting a bit twitchy. Some secrets are best kept quiet. 

He was in the dungeons for stealing a loaf of bread. He was six years old and starving. That’s how he ended up getting shipped out to be a neophyte — this isn’t a story he tells much. He just sees it as a great amusing irony. Imprisoned for the most base of offences, and now free to commit far worse ones. That is justice, isn’t it?

Is the most intelligent of the three, if we class intelligence as ��book smarts’. Speaks fluent Gothic, as well as a handful of other languages, and can threaten to flay someone in upwards of twenty three tongues, including some xenos ones. Is a truly excellent artist, and absolutely would not have given the poor serf that abomination of a tattoo. Back when they were neophytes, and thus not even allowed to smell women, he did very well for himself by drawing — uh — ‘special pictures’ for other Astartes. He likes drawing the serf, and has a sketchbook full of paintings that run the gambit from surprisingly beautiful to absolutely obscene. No one is allowed to touch that sketchbook — not since Van borrowed it and returned it with the pages sticking together. 

The others are doing their best to learn Gothic, and to teach you Nostramon. Unfortunately, it’s a slow process, so Zak often finds himself conscripted in for translation. The deal is simple: he will translate, but he gets to join in. 

As for the NSFW stuff — he can be very lazy in bed. He likes being ridden, because he does enough physical work in his day job and damn it he just wants to lie back and watch a pretty girl cry as she tries to get his dick inside. Is that too much to ask? He knows, theoretically, what a clitoris is, but good luck getting him to touch it. He likes degradation, but in his sadistic hedonist way he likes to get you to degrade yourself. He’ll whisper in your ear what a horrible little slut you are, spreading yourself for the legion, and get you to repeat it back for him. It’s also how he’s teaching you Nostramon. You have a very niche, very detailed vocabulary. 

He will threaten to get you pregnant at least once a week. If you hadn’t seen Vanatas and him get in a literal fight over it, you would believe the threat - he sounds so sincere. He will be buried balls-deep in your warm innards, cooing about what a shame it would be if he came inside, how awful it would be for you. It’s a game: you’re meant to beg him not to, to offer to suck his cock, or offer up your arse. And you probably should play it. If you don’t, he starts getting a bit huffy, and no one wants that. 

Shrike Melloria 

The man is an Emperor-forsaken pervert.

Right, you probably want more detail than that. Shrike is the youngest of the group, and was born in jail. His mother was a whore; his father some unknown vagabond. When the ships came for new recruits, they grabbed up the infant because, well, what else were they to do with him? 

The words ‘boyishly handsome’ aren’t usually used to describe a Night Lord — but Shrike manages to justify their use. Yes, he’s a seven-foot killing machine — but he also has golden hair, and eyes that are more very dark blue than black. He is pale, like all his brothers, but in a way that suggests he would tan under sunlight, rather than incinerate. Give him a paint job and a week on a farm, and he could pass for an Ultramarine (as long as he didn’t open his mouth, or come into contact with any civilians)

In battle, he is a stone-cold sniper; a prodigy. There’s very little that can escape his reach. As a consequence, he’s less scarred than your average Astartes, since the enemy doesn’t normally have a chance to reach him. In another, more foolish, Legion this might be seen as a mark of cowardice — but Night Lords are pragmatic, and Shrike’s strategy gets the enemy just as dead. 

Right, now the good stuff: he is a toxic mess of a man, clingy and snuggly and nuzzly, even while doing the worst possible things to you. He’ll fuck you full, almost render you speechless from fucking your throat, and then coo about how pretty you are while scooping his cum from between your legs and jamming it into your mouth. His brand of dirty talk is cloyingly sweet, while also being absolutely horrifying: “Sweet little fledgling, open wide for me! There we are, now that’s all you’re getting —“

Vanatas has explained to him multiple times that serf cannot survive on jizz alone, and yet he still considers trying it. 

Breeding kink like whoa. Doesn’t actually want a baby, but loves the idea of making you so completely his. Would be the worst father imaginable. Is being slipped birth control by both of his brothers just in case he gets any ideas. 

Yes, he did the tattoo. No, he did not ask permission. Yes, he considers you his wife. No, the others do not agree. No, divorce is not an option. Yes, of course Vanatas and Zak have elaborate ‘let’s cuck Shrike’ role play. 

So, these guys aren’t nearly as fully formed as the Night Lord Idiot Trio, but throwing them in here to remind myself to write something later. Here are my Black Templars: 

Ezra Rothenburg 

Captain of his squad, a venerable dilf veteran of countless campaigns. Tall, broad, grey-haired, with a bouquet of scars, including one that stretches across his lips, giving him a permanent sneer. 

Blessed by the Emperor and most devout in obeying His Commands. Those that know him note that the Emperor’s Commands tend to coincide with what Ezra was planning to do anyway. 

Can and will fake visions to get the more fanatical of his brethren to fall in line. The way he sees it, the Emperor would have struck him down if He disapproved. He has not, so He must be on Ezra’s side

Isaiah Bodenstein von Karlstadt 

Primaris Marine. Big boy. Very sweet and earnest and utterly devoted to the Emperor and his captain, in that order

Himbo energy hides a mind like a whetted knife

[indiestsnake]

WORLDLESS HAS ONE OF IF NOT THE BEST COMBAT SYSTEMS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED AHHHHHHHHHH

I’ll never be able to properly express all of it but I’m gonna try. very long post, here’s a cut. also spoilers for both the combat’s endless depth and some story stuff, this assumes you’ve at least reached a certain almost perfect foe. enjoy!!!! >:)

the perfect timing function is appropriately, perfect. every combo, ranged, close, basic has an addendum hit with bonus absorption damage that only works if you press the button at the right time. Some are told to you, like the melee strikes after ranged combos or the axe and seal. but the midair combos have them too. and the basics. and they work with quick swap. Almost any move can become any other move with enough precision. and knowing which one’s can combo into which adds yet more depth and variety.

but wait a damn minute, it doesn’t stop there! Different addendum hits do different things. Aven’s seal addendum has him dash back, so if you want to stay close, it’s sometimes faster to just combo out of the second seal hit. But Edda’s axe cannot combo out until the end strike, and you can quick swap to Aven at the end of said strike, which causes him to do the same backdash move. that’s like. four different factors to decide mid-combat if it’s a good idea. ON ONE MOVE.

holy fuck, there’s so much more!! Edda’s charged basic does more damage if you perfect time the release, but that same perfect timing launches the opponent. and placing an opponent in the air switches a whole lot of shit around, so sometimes you really don’t want them in the air. so you have to decide if you want to time it right. the perfect release, what was once just a “do more damage” skill check, now has depth and player choice. even if it’s small, it’s remarkably enthralling to play.

good fucking lord, I haven’t even mentioned techniques. both characters get three. all combo out of everything and anything. and they all have different functions. AND BY THE WAY!!! at any time, you could have one, or two techniques ready. not only does that open ridiculously cool and damagaing combos, unified division and glance of tomorrow fucking DOUBLE that depth of choice. save, spend, spam, whatever, it’s your choice!!!!

and I haven’t even touched the defensive turn.

When you first get Aven, he seems useless defensively. why halve damage when you could negate it with Edda’s parry? evade is slow to start and end, parry is automatic. It feels like a safety net, an option to use when you don’t know the parry timing. so is Aven useless defensively once you get good? you know the answer. not even close.

first, deflect. Extra absorption damage for good release timing, making defend more skill-based. healing deflect, which further encourages skillful timing to maximize damage. and assimilation is the cherry on top. with the improved assimilation, you will always be able to fully heal from the damage you took defending, assuming you timed your deflects right. and healing on its own is useful for obvious reasons. and you get massive all-element damage. and a turn interrupt against magic-based attacks (including Summum’s fucking evisceration triangle). AND IT LOOKS COOL AS SHIT. SO THE DAMAGE IS NOW WORTH IT AND DID I MENTION A DEFLECT NEGATES ABSOPRTION METER LOSS

and then you get learning parry timings, learning deflect timings. taking into account elemental weakness, perfecting defense. learning what can be guard-impacted and what can be assimilated. perfecting your timing and maximizing speed through precision. figuring out that seal reveals all block types (get fucked Summum), learning what things are too fast to deflect. it never. fucking. ends.

this game’s skill ceiling has shot so far up it stabbed the ones from above in the eye. you are never too good to keep learning. I have 100%ed this game three fucking times, beat the lightning nightmare as only Aven, beaten Summum more times than any sane human should. and I haven’t truly mastered it. because GODDAMIT, WHEN DO YOU USE THE CHARGED AXE?!?!?!

even after all I’ve done, I am not perfect. I miss my timings, I miss my parries, forget what combos into what. I literally learned like- one month ago that teleporting in after a ranged string is slower than the dashing strike unlocked in the skill tree, and now I can’t hold forward all the time in order to perfect my timing.

this game’s combat is near-perfect. Summum levels of almost perfect foe, maybe more. it is addicting and deep and fluid on almost all skill levels, from spamming Edda’s bow to beating Summum with your eyes closed. I love it with all my heart, and it is the best combat system I have ever played. ever.

thank you for reading. go try to beat that almost perfect foe again ;)

[mostlymarvelsstuff]

Alright so I'd like to request a combo of 🎮⚡🫂 with Natasha where r is scared but doesn't want to bother Nat? (Cause I'm in major need of a hug) <3

Authors note: hope you enjoy! 💖

Word count: 538 Marvel Masterlist Nat Masterlist

A large boom of thunder rumbles overhead, making you jump as you sit on the bed. Your attention shifts from the tv to the nearby window, and you watch a few raindrops roll down the outside of the glass. Your anxiety builds up as a flash of lightning lights up your bedroom and you find yourself wishing your girlfriend was next to you instead of a few rooms away in her office.

   You contemplate going to her and asking her to hold you until the storm passes by, but you know how important her work is and you’d hate to bother her while she finishes up her mission reports and SHIELD paperwork. So instead you grab the nearby blanket and wrap it around yourself. It was Natashas favorite and so her scent was deep in the fabric. You were hoping it would be enough to comfort you.

   Thunder sounds again and you burrow further into the blanket. You shiver as you turn up the tv, hoping the true crime show would now be loud enough to drown out any more of the sounds you detest but it seems nature had other plans. Because then the wind picks up and rain now pounds against the side of your house in a way that puts you on edge. Just before your fight or flight kicks in the bedroom door opens to reveal your girlfriend.

   Her concerned face looks over your shivering form and she quickly makes her , “Deta(baby), I thought you must've been asleep. Why didn’t you come get me?”

   You shrug as she scoots into her spot beside you, “I just didn’t wanna bother you”

   “You could never bother me Y/n, especially when it comes to stuff like this” Another crash of thunder goes off and you practically jump into her outstretched arms. She holds you close for a bit until more thunder and lightning show up, “Come on, why don’t we get our noise canceling headsets on and get one of your games on that we can play until this is over”

   You smile at her suggestion and take the controller and headphones she passes you, “Thanks Tasha”

   “Of course, anything for you moya lyubov'(my love)” she says, kissing your temple as she gets her own controller and headset ready

   You turn on your console before scooting back into her embrace and then you finally relax as her arms wrap around you, “What do you wanna play?”

   “You pick, but if it’s a one on one, I’ll kick your ass” she says with a smirk

   You playfully roll your eyes at her, “Co-op it is then”

   “Spoil sport” she scoffs playfully as you click on your favorite co op game

   A few minutes later you're entirely focused on the game and your girlfriend smiles at you. With how much you've been able to help her through her own traumas and triggers she's glad she's able to in turn be there for you in times like this. Plus she found video games more fun than she thought she would, especially when she played them with you.

   “YA tebya lyublyu(I love you)”

   “I love you too” you reply, rapidly pressing your trigger button, “Watch your right”

Taglist:@wandaromamoff69 @mmmmokdok @nataliasknife @natashasilverfox @when-wolves-howl @danveration @naomi-m3ndez @sheneonromanoff @sayah13 @likefirenrain @nighttime-dreaming @just-a-torn-up-masterpiece @readings-stuff @chaoticevilbakugo @crystalstark02 @wackymcstupid @xchaiix @iaminluvwithnat @lovelyy-moonlight @blackwidow-3 @mistressofinsomnia @that-one-gay-mosquito @yomamagf @yourfavdummy @justarandomreaderxoxo @scoutlp23-blog @whoischanelle15 @lissaaaa145 @eline03 @wizardofstories @imthenatynat @marvelonmymind @fluffyblanketgecko @bitch-616 @dakotastormm  @zoomdeathknight @rayeofmoonlight

[quirkwizard]

Hello your grace! Could we get training, evolutions, equipment and super moves for Full Staff???? I hope the evolutions would be amazing. What equipment other than a lighter or taser would be good for this Quirk? I'm anticipating for the support items/equipment ^^

I am SO gonna use Full Staff! That's such a cool Quirk! Any hero name ideas? I was just thinking typical stuff like Sorcerer or Warlock, but I bet you'd be able to think of something better. Also, what kind of stuff would work? Could just a battery make lightning blasts? A water bottle make water blasts? Some aspirin for healing mist? Some weed killer for poison mist?

I loved your "Full Staff" quirk so much! Can you give more examples of uses (items) for the quirk please? To what extent can the user utilize the items? If they put lockpicks or locks into the staff would they able to open or locks doors for example??

I mean, any variant of the magic user name would fit, like Magi or Magus. Alternatively, you could always reference some famous magic user from myth or history, like Merlin or Ivar. Or something like their regular name with an adjective, like the Great and Mighty Kevin!

So what "Full Staff" is capable of is really depends on what the object itself is doing and what it's overall function is. A battery would charge stuff better and weed killer would kill plants better. For example, a water bottle may have the user absorb small amounts of liquids into the staff to disperse them later, a water gun would let them store and shoot water out of it, and a water hose would let them siphon liquid from a source to spray it out. This is obviously a lot, but all this variety is done at the cost of power and complexity of it. Something like a lighter or taser is about as advanced as it would go. Food and other edibles like aspirins can't really be used either since people can't exactly eat the staff. And no, a backpack would not let you apply more items to the staff.

So training it would see the user learn what items do what and how to use them with their staff with all their items. It'd mostly be sticking something in and applying it, potentially to use it with few moves. Learning some stick based combat would be helpful as well. Evolving it could see them expanding how much the staff could hold, both in number of slots and how many of the same items. They could apply the same item in it over and over again, changing the look of the staff to reflect it. This would expand the application of it in power, like the lighter making bigger blasts of fire, but this would sacrifice a lot of the variety. They could even learn to combine items usage with more complex movements, like using the lighter with a fan to make a stronger blast of fire.

As for equipment, it'd really depend on what role the user wants to fill out with their staff. The user could have a wizard robe, or whatever magical equivalent you wish to take inspiration from, filled with all kinds of stuff to swap in and out or have as back ups. It'd be stylish and practical. Sure, you could take items on their own to combo with them, but the staff is the star of the show here. I'm talking sticky hands for snatching, a fan to make wind blasts, add a knife to make it a super spear, power tools to build or smash objects, a bag of sand to blind people, a confetti launcher to disorient them, rope to tie people up with, a flashlight to blind enemies, a shield to help deflect attacks, or enough random office supplies to make Sero feel inadequate about his own power.

[dereliction-if]

The Commander x The Heir x MC

Here’s an actual scene which shows a bit of the dynamics in this combo, gives a better idea of the Heir and gives a first impression of the Commander and his background.

Timeline: MC approx. 14/15 years old.

Note: The Heir is referred to as S (Prince Solas / Princess Sonea) ---

"Oh, come on! Give it a shot! Seriously! Don't make me... force you," they chuckle, their threat merely a playful taunt. You roll your eyes dramatically, then open your mouth. What you experience next is unlike anything before. The water in your mouth serves as evidence for a taste you have never experienced in your life, your eyes widening as you sneakily nab another roll from their hand. "HEY! Thief!" they laugh heartily, and you swiftly stuff the roll into your mouth. With your now-free hands, you attempt to tickle them. "Guards! Help! H-help!" their laughter resonates as you both end up in a friendly brawl.   "What's all the commotion about?" You almost choke on the last morsels of rice in your mouth as you turn around to find Cedric leaning against the wall with a baffled expression. You quickly shift your gaze between him and S, scanning for any potential danger. Just in case.

"Hello, Cedric. We're simply enjoying some Tevynian rolls and soaking up the sun on this lovely afternoon. And you? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the barracks? Do you need something?" The barrage of questions catches him off guard. Glancing at S, you notice a subtle smirk, indicating that this was precisely their intention.

"I... no, I have a free afternoon," he responds, looking at you, his jaw tensing and his expression a puzzle to you.

"I see. Well... would you like one? There's one roll left," S offers, and you can see him bite his lip as his eyes wander to the roll. But then his eyes wander further down, to the ground, where you both are seated, where your knee touches S’s - and suddenly his demeanor darkens. "They shouldn't be here," he hisses, his fists clenched and posture stiffening.

"Pardon?" S replies, clearly confused by this demand.  "I said, they are not allowed here. With…you..."

"Is that so? And who made that decision? You?" S’s response adding a palpable tension to the situation, causing Cedric to step closer. Not towards both of you, but towards you. He now stands just a few steps away, looking down at you. You meet his gaze, squinting against the sun's rays that silhouette him. And then he just stares at you and you brace yourself for a kick, a punch, a shove, anything – but it doesn’t come. "Cedric, I think you should leave. Please," you say, your eyes softening. Another moment of silence as you can see him contemplate. And then you can see his muscles ease, his fists unclench, and his whole figure relaxing a bit - this whole conflict feeling unnecessary.

"Cedric!" His name slices through the air, and he freezes, as if lightning has struck him. His face turns a ghostly pale as he turns to face the source of his discomfort. "Commander," he responds, immediately correcting his posture. The shift is drastic – the boy from moments ago gone.

The Commander approaches with purposeful steps, stopping a few meters away from all of you. He takes in the scene, his gaze moving from Cedric to the heir, and finally landing on you. His expression darkens even further as his eyes lock onto you, examining you from head to toe, the same way Cedric did before - but his gaze being full of hate. An involuntary shiver runs down your spine, the hairs on your neck standing on end as you and the Commander hold a stare, a tense silence enveloping the moment.

"Is there a problem, Commander?" You look to your right to see S standing now and adjusting their attire. But the answer hangs in the air, delayed. "Not at all, Your Royal Highness," he replies, his gaze never leaving you for a second.

"Good. That's what I thought." Your eyes widen slightly, and you hear Cedric swallow audibly at the obviously fake friendly response. The Commander scoffs, finally turning to face the heir. Nothing but few birds chirping somewhere in the distance. "Do you require my services, Commander?" Cedric's voice rings out, his face unmoving. Seconds pass before the Commander responds to his son, without even glancing at him. "Master Perio requires assistance with the iron delivery." "Yes, Commander." Cedric bows hurriedly and swiftly departs, shooting you a final glance before breaking into a sprint.

The Commander looks at you again, his expression stern. "Their Royal Highness should choose their company more wisely. It might cast doubt on their judgment. We wouldn't want that, would we?" His gaze locks onto the heir in a threatening manner. S raises a finger to their chin, seemingly pondering the advice. "Hmm, that seems reasonable, Commander. Speaking of which, I must request that you depart... before anyone starts questioning my judgement."

Silence hangs in the air, the only sound being the rush of blood in your ears - not even the birds chirp anymore. You're unsure of what might happen next. Then, a faint, dark smirk appears on the Commander's face. "Very well." His words are the last you hear before he turns and leaves, without a backward glance.

[quinloki]

For the Self-Ship/OTP asks: 32, 33, 35, 42, & 57

Honestly, I'd say just pick any one or combo of blorbos you want. I don't think I have anyone in mind for these asks, I'm just curious across the board.

Oh my friend! <3 I love these questions and I love the ability just kind of pick and choose as I go through it <3 This is just what I think I needed today (I got more bad news T-T can you believe it? I didn't even get a full month I swear. I'm so tired of this year.)

32. Who’s the better story teller?

Marco - we’re pretty well matched, I think, but I also feel like he just enjoys listening to me talk. So he tends to prompt me to tell stories more than offer his own.

Kid - I think he’s taking notes so he can be a better story teller, but I definitely have him beat currently. XD he does make little metal characters based off my stories though, I almost want to give him the win just from that.

Sabo - he has practice regaling Luffy from their younger days, but the fact that Luffy and Ace were his primary audience shows xD lots of sudden monster appearances and epic battles.

Sir Crocodile- not one for story telling, but he’ll let me ramble about my ideas and daydreams. If I wanted to write professionally Ivan see him pulling out all the stops to support that.

Thatch - tends to build stories with me. He’s not the best on his own, but he always makes my stories better so I think he deserves the win on this one.

33. Who’s the better cook?

All of them have me beat. I might outdo Sabo by sheer luck, but we’re both barred from cooking after the last time 😅

35. Who’s more artistic?

Thatch is way more artistic than me. Especially in the kitchen, but base cooking skill aside his icing work is beautiful.

I’m more artistic than Crocodile, but I don’t think he cares to draw or paint. He might say he has artistry in the way he marks me >.>

I think Kid is an exceptionally detailed artist, but only if he’s doing schematics. I think he gets too caught up in his head to draw just to draw and apply those precision skills to portraits, but he’s definitely doing better than Sabo.

I don’t think Sabo can draw stick figures. ^^; I do think he has amazing color theory skills though - so if you can lay down line work for him he can bring it to life.

Marco I think is super artistic, but aside from doing detailed miniature paintings on bar coasters, he doesn’t do anything else. And he doesn’t really share/show off the coasters.

42. What’s their favorite type of weather to enjoy together? (getting snowed in together, watching thunderstorms, etc.)

Everyone of them appreciates a nice blizzard and the “need” to stay cozied up so that no one gets too cold.

>.>

<.<

But MY favorite weather is a nice rolling thunderstorm. I’m bringing Marco and Crocodile around on it - especially if it gets incorporated into sexy times. Marco likes to use the thunder to cover the sounds of moans so that I can be louder without alerting the whole ship, and Crocodile likes the way the lightning dances against the jewels he likes to leave me in.

57. Whose the serious one when grocery shopping and who likes to toss random things in the cart?

Sabo and I are a disaster when it comes to shopping. It’s all mad science and impulse buys. Koala provides a list and we don’t miss anything on it >.>

Marco “lets” me push the cart so he can fill it. … without my help ^^; (I mean, I can say “hey I wanna try this” it’s not like I get no say >.> )

Kid and I had an argument about tomatoes and are banned from several area grocers. Killer is better suited for it anyway, since he’s taking care of that stuff for the crew.

Thatch controls things for the most part, but he won’t stop me from putting whatever in the cart. It’s fun because I can pull him into my mad science and he helps keep it from being a complete disaster xD

Crocodile does not grocery shop. I’ve almost forgotten what a grocery store looks like with him in my life 😅

[wormytoast]

2.3 graphic! 2.2 graphic here

as always this post is leak free but my blog DOES contain leaks and spoilers, so please mute "#hsr spoilers" and "#hsr leaks" if you don't want to see that stuff <3

Trailblazer will not be considered in these stats because they are a null character.

TYPES

Fire: 7

Ice: 8

Lightning: 7

Wind: 6

Physical: 8

Quantum: 8

Imaginary: 6

Fire is now in the middle of the pack with Lightning while Quantum is boosted to the front with Ice and Physical.

PATHS

Destruction: 9

Erudition: 7

The Hunt: 7

Harmony: 8

Nihility: 9

Preservation: 4

Abundance: 6

Destruction is, once again, tied for most populous path with Nihility (who could've guessed? LOL). Erudition gained one more unit.

RARITY

Limited 5-Star: 23

Standard 5-Star: 7; Overall 5-Star: 30

4-Star: 21

For a second version in a row we did not receive any drip marketing for a new 4-star! I think the absence of one in 2.2 is fair considering the hinting they did with Trailblazer's hat in the live, but what's the reason in 2.3? It's not a big deal regardless but still strange.

OVERLAP

There are now 9 overlaps of unit path/type combinations. Neither Firefly nor Jade are new type/path combinations, although both are new rarities for their combos as well as the first overlapping combos for their respective types. The only type without an overlapping combination is Imaginary.

Fire/Destruction- Hook & Firefly

Quantum/Erudition- Qingque & Jade

Physical/Harmony- Hanya & Robin

Physical/The Hunt- Sushang & Boothill

Ice/Preservation- March 7th & Gepard

Ice/Destruction- Jingliu & Misha

Lightning/Erudition- Serval & Jing Yuan

Lightning/Nihility- Kafka & Acheron

Wind/Nihility- Sampo & Black Swan

Unfulfilled combinations:

Erudition- Wind & Imaginary

The Hunt- Lightning

Preservation- Fire, Wind, Lightning, & Physical

Abundance- Ice

MODELS

F child: 2

F short: 9

F med: 11

F tall: 11

M short: 3

M med: 4

M tall: 10

Wow, two more women in a Hoyo game? I'm so surprised! Seriously though, Jade is the first Quantum unit that has a tall model (all Quantum units up until this point have been F med or F short). Of course this is assuming that Jade has an F tall model but, realistically, her proportions are that of most F tall models so I'd say it's a safe bet. We already know Firefly is an F med model. No love for the boys or the children this version.

I don't feel like repeating old info so I'll try to be quick: Quantum is all women while Imaginary is all men except for Yukong. We have not received a new F child unit since launch (happy one year HSR!).

OVERALL + OTHER THOUGHTS

Not much to say about this update in terms of statistics or units. I'm REALLY hoping we get Sunday by 2.4, but there's also a good chance 2.4 will take us to a previous location to give players a breather from Penacony, so we might need to wait a bit longer for Sunday 🫡

I'm also surprised that we didn't get Screwllum for 2.3 considering they mentioned updating the Simulated Universe in 2.3! Very unfortunate for Screwllum enjoyers.

After Penacony... maybe a Japanese-themed location? We've already got hints of one from both Sparkle and Acheron (although Acheron's home is probably unreachable now...)

Thanks for reading this far if you did! Maybe consider following this account? Or not since this is basically a gacha ramble account LOL

[inventors-fair]

Seats of Power: Voting Contest Winners!

Our winners this week are @curiooftheheart, @helloijustreadyourpost, and @nine-effing-hells!

~

@curiooftheheart — Dark Dealings

Immediately, this is definitely the coolest idea for a one-time voting effect I saw submitted, although I wouldn't be averse to putting this on a permanent. The way this card is specifically set up does a lot to complicate the decision-making process—but in a good way! First off, even if what you flip off the top is very attractive, giving it the go-ahead requires approving every single card, meaning you have to give a lot of consideration to how all the other revealed cards affect you. While I think loss is a perfectly reasonable alternative, part of me wishes the life loss was based on the card each player flipped. That way it offers an attractive alternative to any players who flip a dud, and gives the table an inherent out if you built a deck of high-cost cards to take advantage of it. But on the other hand, I think it's reasonable to levy a not inconsiderable cost on those who would rather pull the ripcord.

@helloijustreadyourpost — Coauthor

This is a dynamic that I genuinely don't think I've seen anywhere else, which is immediately interesting. The fact that your opponents only reveal a singular card of their choice to you (or, indeed, nothing at all) means that players are forced to essentially "pitch" attractive spells to you like giving a presentation to investors. And in the end, you have the final say on what actually gets cast, meaning those aspiring to get their card cast have to walk the fine line of "beneficial to them" and "beneficial to you." There's so much going on under the hood here and I'd be so eager to play this card, just because I'm positive that no two casts of it will ever feel exactly the same.

@nine-effing-hells — Aurielle the Briarbound

Well, uh, wow. I haven't seen many cards that outright shift the entire pace of the game the moment they hit the board, but this definitely ranks among them. Giving literally everything you do one of those attributes is certainly tempting, and it's good that short of having additional votes that you aren't allowed to get both. You should be careful who you give this to, though! White and black can take advantage of it well enough, but turning all the red player's small sweepers into full clears or massive life swings? Giving the green deck comically easy access to the deathtouch/trample combo? Scary stuff. But at the same time, everyone else should really be careful what they take. Lifelink is awfully tempting, but a lifegain reversal effect like Tainted Remedy can very quickly turn it against them in a particularly nasty way. I imagine that that often this thing will just be a lightning rod for removal, but that really speaks to how much power it holds over the game state. Wild!

~

You voted, and we listened! Runners-up will arrive shortly! @spooky-bard

[boxfullaturtles]

Kingdom Hearts Rise AU

Michelangelo Hamato The youngest brother wields magic with incredible skill and proficiency. Combined with his speed and acrobatics, Mikey is a lethal force on the battlefield and not one to be underestimated. His youthful outlook and wide-eyed wonder belie a strong emotional intuition and an even stronger heart whose light reaches out to help and support those in need. He’s a firecracker on the battlefield, his speed on par with Leo’s. His magic is devastating and capable of doing damage over a large area, decimating weaker foes. He’s primarily a long range fighter, working to pin the enemy down so his brothers can close in for a truly wicked series of blows.

Keyblade: Solarflare A Keyblade with a long reach that provides a substantial boost in Magic. Strength: +2 Magic: +8 Length: Long Ability: Magic Galvanizer: Increase the damage done with magic in proportion to the length of the combo.

[extra details under cut]

Team Attacks: + Leonardo: Shooting Star Team up with Leo and launch fireballs through his portals, casting them all over the battlefield, then finish them off with a gigantic Thunder spell.

+ Raphael: Fists of Fire Team up with Raph, coating his fists in flames and riding on his shell as he charges through enemies before finishing them off with an explosive ground pound attack that sends shock waves across the ground.

+ Donatello: Bombs Away! Team up with Donnie and ignite a giant rocket, riding it around and plowing into enemies, then end it all by launching the rocket into the sky, leaping off before it crashes back to earth and explodes.

+ April: Mystic Mayhem Team up with April to link magic and spin around the battlefield like a dance, gliding on air while launching spells in every direction, then finish with an eruption of magic.

+ Casey: Danger Days Team up with Casey to let him rail grind on magic chains, slicing through any nearby enemies before directing lightning down the chains to channel into his Keyblade for a final blow.

----------

More stuff about KH Rise Mikey:

- He swims but very badly and prefers to avoid water if he can help it.

- The most powerful mage out of his teammates, Mikey is capable of combining his spells to cast two at once, often creating deadly combos like Fire-Wind or Lightning-Ice. In the future, he might be able to cast the highest tiers of magic without the cost it would take from most wielders.

- Solarflare sounds like rattling chains when it strikes enemies and its particle effects are grinning little balls of flame, sparks like embers, and little green stars and circles. It is always slightly warm to the touch and the symbols on the end glow softly.

- Mikey’s outfit is specifically designed to allow him to pull into the safety of his shell, since it’s something he does frequently and often uses to his advantage in battle.

- He sometimes gets a little cocky and overconfident in battle, especially when he’s winning. Although unlike Leo, he tends to be immediately humbled by any mistake he makes.

- Chronicles their travels and keeps track of their story (like Jiminy does in the KH games). Fills the pages of his journals with plenty of sketches and photographs. Sometimes adds souvenirs from worlds they’ve been to like pressed flowers, stickers, or scraps of paper or fabric.

- His temper is legendary but rarely seen. Few have ever lived to tell of its unleashing.

- Mikey has an extremely good (and very mature) understanding of the heart. Of all his friends, he’s the only one that seems to really understand that a heart is a thing of balance and that Light cannot exist with the Dark, and that Light can be just as vicious and cruel as Dark. He struggles to conceptualize this in a way that he can explain to others and the frustration of his failure to communicate (and the stigma against Darkness) drives him to keep it to himself. He hasn’t mastered his own Darkness by any means and actually has a hard time dealing with it himself. Just because he understands it, doesn’t mean he knows how to execute it.

- That being said, when it comes to matters of the heart and, indeed, feelings, there’s no one better to turn to than Mikey. Or rather, Dr. Feelings. He’s as blunt as ever and will tell you exactly what you need to hear, even if you don’t want to.

- Yen Sid and Merlin believe that, with the right tutelage, Mikey could do far more than simply cast spells. They see great things for him in the future...

[butch-livewire]

Evidence Leslie is Ex-Military and Involved With the Tech Weapons:

She knew where the weapons were

And how they were secured

And how to operate them (at least to a degree)

She knows how to operate the comms for the two people tailing her (given that they work for the General and Waller, I suspect that they are military)

And where those comms would be

And how to spot that tail in the first place

And how they would fight

She also handles her blaster the same way they do, and is clearly very comfortable with it

She talks like she's military. She doesn't call it a "job", she calls it an "operation".

She talks like a drill sergeant (and her outfit is eerily similar to a black version of a soldier's outfit minus the jacket)

Like seriously I've seen soldiers in that exact outfit except green not black

While being smug and talking to Wilson, whose tech she presumably JUST STOLE FROM AN ARMY BASE, she asks if he's a marine. Wilson gets PISSED at this, if you watch. It's only for a frame but his eyes narrow and he's pretty much glaring at her. For an army guy, at least based on the ones I've met over the years, that would be an insult. In other words, Leslie uses military in-jokes to insult Wilson. I would have doubted this one if it weren't for Lois specifiying it was an army base Leslie stole the tech from.

(The only thing that Leslie DOESN'T do is swear a lot. She should be dropping f-bombs every few sentences)

Slade Wilson recognizes her on sight (or his handlers have managed to identify her). Specifically, they know her by name. Assuming she's not bad at crime (which, given that she was able to steal all that stuff from, again, an EXPERIMENTAL WEAPONS RESEARCH PROGRAM ON A MILITARY BASE, I HIGHLY DOUBT), either they got INSANELY lucky, or, more likely, they have encountered her before in a context where she would have given them her full name.

Slade knows all about her history

She already has an alias/codename

That she doesn't want him to say

Evidence specifically for her being involved with thw tech weapons program: she fights with the electrical weapon like it's an extension of her body. True, she doesn't have Slade's reaction time, but she ABSOLUTELY knows how to fight effectively with the tech weapons.

That being said, Slade immediately knows how Leslie is going to fight. It takes her a few moves to figure out how Slade moves, but once she does, she IMMEDIATELY manages to take him out for a good while. So either Slade is legitimately just that good, or he has studied her fighting style. Based on the combo of that and the fact that they had a room ready to contain Leslie specifically, and I have to assume he, or someone on his team, is intimately familiar with Leslie's fighting style

Also, Slade knows how to fry her lightning suit.

And he's SMUG about it, as opposed to like. Determined or focused or any other useful emotion.

And finally, the key for me personally:

Slade assumes she will know what he means when he throws out code names, and that she is holding out on him when she doesn't answer, enough to torture her. While she clearly doesn't, he seems to think she would, and both Waller and the general seem to agree (or else why even bother interrogating her).

Conclusion: Leslie is ex-military, almost definitrly with a connection to the tech weapons program, possibly as a test subject for it. She doesn't know what Slade is talking about, so she isn't involved specifically with any of those projects, but she was clearly involved enough to know how the tech weapons would be secured, has had some serious opsec and combat training, can handle a blaster, and talks, dresses, and walks like a soldier.

[rogerbarel]

fandom asks! 1, 3, 12 <3

1. What is the first fandom you were ever a part of?

I had done stuff like make OCs for Naruto before this, but I consider Kingdom Hearts my first fandom because I was so obsessed with it that I drove my middle school best friend riiiiiight up the wall. 😅 It was also the first thing I sought out communities for online when I was a preteen. I didn't talk much to people (and still get nervous trying to), but I liked to lurk on fanshrines, fanfiction sites, and forums. I wrote a couple fics myself that have long been purged from the Internet, kept what were basically Incorrect KH Quotes in my diary, and spent way too much time at school explaining why the hell I had a shirt that had both Donald Duck and an anime boy on it. The thing I wanted most in my life in middle school yet never got was an Axel plushie lol, and I still consider getting one occasionally to sate my inner child. I had a couple OCs--one meant to be shipped with Axel, another kind of with Larxene, and another just for the sake of having a Keyblade wielder of my own--but didn't do much with them. It'd be fun to remake them and find places in the universe for them now. They probably wouldn't be shipped w/ any canon characters since I don't have the urge to OC ship w/ KH nowadays, but who knows!

I've been a lifelong fan and tried to keep up with the games even when I wasn't able to play all of them. Knowing new KH games would come out in the future is something that's helped me through the hardest parts of my life. I will always be here for the ride!

3. All-time favorite pairing?

Okay, so. Hear me out. It's Kingdom Hearts again, but a ship that would be horrible for each other. They've only interacted a handful of times and canonically cannot stand each other. I'm picky about the ship because it doesn't work if you sand down the edges and make them nice to each other.

I have shipped Larxene and Demyx since I was twelve specifically because it would be awful for Demyx. I don't dislike him at all, quite the opposite. I just like to see cute men miserable, horny, and miserably horny at the hands of sadistic women. I also always liked the inherent sting and struggle in a pairing of lightning and water, how they would hurt each other even if they tried to earnestly communicate. She's too bitter; he's too flippant. Great angst fuel!

On a lighter note, I'm also a really big fan of Tokoyami/Aoyama from My Hero Academia. They're both dramatic weirdos and complement each other with their themes of light and darkness, and I got dragged into it by a friend who had the headcanon that Dark Shadow likes shiny things--and what's the shiniest thing in all of UA?

Lastly, if anybody brings up Anastasia and the baker (he doesn't even have a name 💀) from Cinderella II within a twenty mile radius of me I will start hooting and hollering. I've been rooting for them since the day I got the Cinderella II book as part of the Disney's Wonderful World of Reading program in first grade. Anastasia Tremaine deserves the world and also a cute man who will feed her the tastiest treats for the rest of her life.

12. Craziest thing you've ever done as part of a fandom?

Hmm, I feel like I'm a pretty tame person... Maybe giving one of my online friends my Obey Me login because I really needed inpatient psychiatric care for a couple days but that meant I wouldn't be able to grind for Leviathan's birthday card, which was at that point probably the only thing I was looking forward to in my life. Like I literally hesitated to take my ass to the hospital because I didn't wanna miss out on him. 😭 (This was a couple years ago. My mental health is a lot better nowadays!) (And yes I got the card lol, big shout-out to my friend you are the GOAT.)

Maybe the crying log also counts? I have a count (although it's inexact since I didn't start it until late June) of every time I cry over Roger because I think the combo of his dacryphilia and my tendency to tear up at the tiniest things is funny. One time I started crying because his wet arms are just so beautiful... Some of my friends receive occasional photographic proof when this happens. 😅

[belle-of-a-time]

Because the rot consumes here’s

Batfam-Soul Eater AU

Bruce is a weapon and he’s a gun. And he fucking hates it like Despises it

Talia turned him into a death scythe but lord death never makes him transform. He’s just a strategist and a teacher now.

Talia is a witch but she hid it until after she made Bruce a death scythe.

Also Bruce’s like honor code is a little different here since “no killing” is kinda silly when the only reason the academy exists is to kill kishins he thinks A: everyone is constantly teetering on the edge of madness all the time. And B: it is a moral failing if you succumb to the madness. Which is why he didn’t go after the joker after Jason, because doing so would have been giving in to the madness.

Dick is a meister

He bounced back and forth between Barbara who is a grappling hook and also a meister and Kori who is some sort of lava cannon or something.

Barbara got Severely hurt during a fight while wielding Jason and had to stop for a while. She’s back at it though, helping Bruce as a strategist and as like “Mission Control” Bruce is guiding her to take over for him someday.

Dick now fights with Wally who is his like electric escrima sticks because speedster=lightning in my mind.

Jason is also a gun but he thinks it’s Very cool. Barbara was with Jason when they were assigned to take down the joker who is a kishin egg. He killed Jason and severely injured Babs.

Jason was revived by Talia because obviously, using the black blood and he was overtaken by the madness for a while before being pulled back towards sanity by his friends.

Hes partnered with Roy now who Does have A daughter Lian. Teen pregnancy stuff. You get it.

Tim is a meister. He can resonate with anyone but he really struggled to find a weapon he really clicked with. So he fought by directing his soul wavelength for a while.

He met Bernard who is a bo staff and they clicked and are now partners.

Steph used to fight by herself using a non person weapon, no one is really sure where she got it. But now she and Cassandra are partners and No One but Steph and maybe Bruce and Barbara know what kind of weapon she is all anyone can tell is that she’s something small, she can also see soul wavelengths.

There’s a good chance though that when you see Steph alone that Cass is actually transformed and concealed somewhere on her person

Duke is a weapon who fights alone (like Justin law) I don’t know what kind of weapon but it’s something weird and COOL he’s got to be really super cool. It definitely glows and he can like “enchant” (not really the word I’m looking for but it works) it with his soul wavelength to like resonate/boost his own attacks.

Duke is the closest to becoming a death scythe of the batfam.

Damian is PISSED that he wasn’t born a weapon. He really really wants to be a death scythe, so it bums him out that he can’t.

I think it’s really funny if he Is actually a weapon but he’s even more repressed than Maka so literally no one knows.

That or Talia tried to ensure he’d be a witch and it backfired somehow and locked away his weapon transformation instead.

He’s partnered with Jon who is a sword

Damian is absolutely determined to make Jon into the youngest death scythe ever

Jon does not particularly care either way he definitely wants to become a death scythe but isn’t super bothered by timeline but if that’s what Damian wants god damnit he’s going to try his best!! Jon is very Tsubaki core to me. They are the tsu/blackstar combo of the batfam.

Back to Jason, Bruce understands Jason’s struggle with the madness and just really really wants his son to talk to him but he never ever gives ANY indication that he’d react well or even Want to talk to Jason about anything. Especially when he keeps reacting so high and mighty and preachy when Jason is Worse at dealing with the madness than anyone else.

Other—non batfam—headcanons

Clark and Lois are a death scythe/ meister combo In that order. They’re off doing shit constantly and Kon ends up basically taking care of Jon most of the time.

J’onn is a teacher (also a weapon) at the academy in my mind the like struggle with madness is split off onto Bruce but the like rest of stein is in J’onn mixed with Sid’s like dad energy.

J’onn is the teacher that Everyone goes to for advice about basically anything.

Also J’onn is a weapon who can change form like Tsubaki can but he’s got A Lot more forms. He can see wavelengths. And attack with his own wavelength. He’s basically super overpowered but he hardly ever has to fight.

Barry is a death scythe nuff said

All of the like magic users in the justice league including aquaman because… fish. Are witches

Zetanna’s witch form/animal form is a lion because she gives me ringmaster vibes? Idk.

Constantine’s animal form is the wettest saddest rat you’ve ever seen. It’s also huge. Also he is Literally trading off pieces of his soul and he looks SUPER freaky to anyone who can see souls

The main villain of the arc is the league of assassins. Run by witches. The academy and the justice league witches team up to take them down. They’re trying to turn the joker into a full blown kishin using the black blood which is a stand in for the Lazarus pits. I’m thinking like full on Pits of the stuff and everyone has to donate blood to the pits every time they walk past. All these assassins are Covered in self inflicted cuts so they can donate their blood.

When people displease Ra’s they get bled out into the black blood. Like draining an animal style. So ominously hanging over the pit by the ankles bleeding out into it are like a lot of bodies. And in the center in like a cage half submerged in the blood is the joker and they bring him all the souls after the people bleed to death.

They do kidnap J’onn at some point, also Tim, and Bernard, and idk Lian for the drama

So rescue mission! Also kill the joker! Is the main finale.

[jess-the-vampire]

So... My AU, which is basically just, this would be cool, and, The Owl House is cool. Meaning a lot of stuff does not make sense, and will probably be changed, also, I don't actually.. have much. But I do have the basic setup!

Belos finds King at some point, but not The Collector. With access to Titan's Blood Belos, at some point during being the emperor ends up creating a rift, this rift ends up bring Luz through, who is at this point much younger, and has lost her dad fairly recently, but does have the Azura book, and has enjoyed it. Belos uses this to get her to his side, being both a "Good Witch" and a parental male figure. He makes Luz believe she and him are better than everybody else, still not revealing he's human just incase, but making sure to emotionally separate her from others. He already had a Grimwalker at this point, young, but no longer needed with another human here. And it may be detrimental to have the two together, he decides to exterminate this Grimwalker for now. After failing to find the Grimwalker, makes a point to have lookouts for it so it can be brought to him. He claims it is a rogue witch gone mad with Wild Magic, the same that killed his family. Of course, he keeps it from the public, only telling this sob story to his most loyal, incase the Grimwalker makes claims that could sway some.

At some point, Eda while trying to find a safe place to stay, finds The Collector, a kid with fuzzy memories, that claims not to be a living shadow despite definitely being a living shadow. She accepts it, and takes the Glass they're attached to with her, at the request of The Collector.

During the time the rift was open, Hunter ended up going through it. After a while of straight up just starving, is found by Camilla Noceda, who has basically just lost her entire family. She found him while searching for Luz. And gets him to come to her house with her to call about, where is this kid from. With maroon eyes, long ears, and looking like he came right out of a fantasy book, she has a lot of questions, barely any of them get answered. She ends up taking in Hunter for until his actual family is found, which is apparently made up of just his uncle. She assumes a lot of it is just a child's loose understanding of big scary concepts, since apparently his entire family other than his uncle, is dead. Of course, she never finds her daughter, or Hunter's Uncle.

Hunter Noceda ends up being bullied, because yeah he looks different, maroon eyes and long ears don't make you popular. He ends up being a bit of a loner and kinda edgy. These traits are kinda because he was bullied, but end up making him even more a target of bullying... Not great. He ends up being sent to a summer camp to hopefully make some actual friends. Not Reality Check of course. But a Summer Camp. He ends up throwing away the pamphlet, but feels bad and goes back to grab it.. Until he sees that an OWL is carrying their trash away. And he is PRETTY sure Owl's cannot hold that much weight! Things happen, plot stuff I haven't written, plans I have for cool stuff. Yeah. Another change that was purely because I thought it'd be cool, Glyphs! I changed the Glyphs, purely because it'd be cool, nothing to explain why just because it's an AU, maybe it's why certain things happened different butterfly effect and all. Electricity, Crystal, Air, Liquid. Electricity creating sparks of lightning, a big flash of light and shower of sparks, as well as being able to charge things. Crystal, basically Ice, but not as cold, and will probably be used as a shank or direct weapon more, and can creep up things, encase stuff, yeah. Air, usually just a really strong gust of wind, but can turn liquids to steam or vapor... Which will probably be the first clue to try Glyph combos! Liquid, the second component to that, can create a splash of boiling sea by default, I'm thinking soaked in specific liquids can recreate them. But boiling.

As I said earlier at the top, this was made because I thought it'd be cool, and then did it, and because I think The Owl House is cool.

that sounds super fascinating, i like the idea of having belos find king for once, and i like your take on the glyphs too.

you put a lot of thoughts into this, you gonna make some fanart, or even a fic for it?

[himebushou]

I finished watching Shaman King 2021 yesterday! Some scattered thoughts on Episodes 38-52!

So much happened in this episode but absolutely everything has been wiped from my brain because WHAT is Marco's battle outfit —

Episode 38

Episode 39

I really need Team The Ren to win this fight!

Yoh finally gets to share his big news, lol

Man, the X-Laws' reveal was a big deal but again, it went at a 100 miles an hour so there wasn't much space/time to absorb everything... and I can't believe how huge that table has gotten, lol

Marco is. A dope.

Episode 40

For me, a Team Horohoro fan, this episode was... truly a lot. I want to know his full story (and despite what Yoh and Ren say, I know that they do, too). He was seriously amazing and guh, just such a fantastic character. I loves the kanji and etymology lesson from Hao, too.

I'm still kinda shocked that Yoh is back in the Shaman Fight as I thought that his being out of the game was a massive divergence that was going to set the series apart, but the way things have worked out is pretty cool!

And the Five Elemental warriors are gonna come from Gandhara, huh? Nice!

The new ending is GORGEOUS. Whoa whoa.

(Also, finally getting some closure for why Yoh has felt so off — poor chilled boy is so stressed.)

Episode 41

hjdjd THIS OST IS OUTSTANDING

I think Marco is dead dead (unless he'll be revived?) and phew, the stuff with the X-Laws' satellite was cool! ALTHOUGH. I'm wondering what the heck they saw that made Hao so damn angry.

Sati doesn't waste any time taking prisoners fjdk

YOH VS HIS ANCESTOR? NICE NICE NICE!

Honestly, some moments have been jawdropping fjhfh

And Oh!Oni was back! And beloved Matamune!

I love this Yoh and Amidamaru focus, eee

Episode 42

I am just becoming increasingly incoherent EVERYTHING IS SO EXCITING but phew, so many people kicked the bucket in this ep?

I am emo about Yohsen oh maaan

I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE HAS BEEN THIS BIG SECRET ALLIANCE BETWEEN GANDARA AND THE PARENTS AND MATAMUNE FHDJ YOWWW

Episode 43

And now one of Manta's relatives is getting in on the action and trying to nab the Great Spirit PHEWWW

Jun having trained with Sati? Whoa! And having the mana to resurrect THREE people? When Faust could only do one? I have some questions, but I'm happy my girl is involved!

But since Anna has also mastered the Ultra Senji Ryakketsu, surely she should also be able to resurrect people?

This is so wild but it's exciting so I'll roll with it!

Episode 44

ANNA VS HAO and there are still so many secrets there? THE TENSION.

And then the coffee!! I'm so glad that Yohsen is somehow still around fjfjf

Though damn, Hao, you cheapskate: pay your damn bill!

Tao Ran and Tao Yúan on screen together, yahoo! (Flipping heck, I loved those moments when Ren was so embarrassed about his family cheering him on, lolol)

BUT BLOODY HELL THIS BATTLE. TBH I really want Team The Ren to win because I do feel that they've got Yoh outclassed... the Ren/Horo lightning/ice combo is just too good. Though wow, Horohoro is MAD.

Episode 45

I'm so close to the end and I'm so sad!

Phew, so we find out which elements the boyos are going to have! I was fully expecting Yoh to have fire, so I was super surprised that it'll be Lyserg instead. Joco with the 'Wind of Change' makes sense, as does Ren with lightning (though I'm surprised that this was an element over metal, tbh, especially since Ren made some comments about Yoh's mastery of metal where Spirit of Sword was concerned) and Horohoro with water. Yoh as the sturdy earth guy is good.

(I'm slightly angsty for Ryu... there wasn't much of an explanation from Sati and Gandhara about precisely why the Elemental Warriors had to be kiddos, apart from the established conversation about adults knowing their ceilings. I assume that there's a bit more detail in the manga.)

This fight against the rest of the world, though? Huh, dramatic! I'm a bit sketchy about the whole laser thing becaaause I thought that was spiritual energy that was fired at the island, but it couldn't have been if the whole world is aware of it? So I have questions!

Everyone chillding in the hot spring is so cute, good gracious.

Episode 46

Wow, show's over. Hao is the Shaman King.

Episode 47

HOW is this going to wrap up in a satisfying way when we still have another 8 Patch Officiants to get through djdjd the Lyserg OST hits so haaaard...

Episode 48

Waaaa the adults are having a barbecue and the kids are fighting for their lives and we are losing healers left and right and Opacho can read minds and there are still SO MANY REVELATIONS crikeyyyy

Episode 49

The tone changes are so odd to keep up with; one second, Redseb and Seyrarm are dying and the next, Kalim is bringing everyone dinner and the guys are taking a break to recover mana when it's been explicitly stated they have 15 hours to save the world! This is so whack to me.

WAIT I nearly missed that there was a ton of stuff after the credits and djhff Horohoro doesn't like his full name?

TIME FOR MY BOY'S BACKSTORYYYY

Episode 50

Oh man, the way Tamiko died was actually harrowing and then she's revealed to be Kororo and Ren's just like. Horohoro is now in dope mode we must ignore him fhfjjlfj

Ren has been taking on most of these fights and his battle against Nichrom was swift, but cool; I loved Joco vs Thalim though — and Thalim himself was adorable!

Episode 51

ALL THE ELEMENTAL SPIRITS VS HAO!

I'm weeping Shaman King is so special the whole thing is just WE WILL DEFEAT THE BADDIE WITH THE POWER OF LOVE.

urgh urgh this OST!!

I'M NOT REAAADY DOR THIS TO END

Episode 52

I definitely cried during the last episode because parts of the ending were so beautiful; everyone coming together to show Hao that he could be saved — that salvation is in accepting your humanity and believing in the humanity of others. And I found Hao's mother's words so freaking soothing... I'm glad that Hao missing his mother was foreshadowed earlier, but we could have had more of that, I think.

And sure, they haven't fixed the world by 2007, but that is OKAY — most of them are around 22 and at that age, I was a wreck! So they have time and their lives to look forward to and... and I guess I disagree with the folks who say that the end of Shaman King is bad because they feel 'everything was pointless'; there's a lot to do and, even with guardian ghosts, shamans can't do everything alone.

I think this is an anime I could definitely rewatch, at some point. Wow. I love these characters and, as much as I griped about this, that and the other, I loved this story.

And I think it's so interesting that Yoh just. Didn't end up as the Shaman King djbdfh that;s definitely not what I was expecting!

[spinningbuster98]

(I had to put the last cutscene as a seperate video because the two levels had exceeded the PS4's 1 hr recording limit. Oops)

Ok so now I gotta talk about V. Oh boy

V is unquestionably the weak link of this game, he's the character that nobody wants to play as and in a way he was kinda designed to be this way.

V has a very unorthodox and experimental playstyle which the developers knew was going to be divisive so they gave V the least amount of mandatory levels of all the characters: would you believe that we're already almost done with him? Yeah he only has 3 mandatory levels plus a boss rush. So luckily he doesn't drag the game down a lot

So the point of V's gameplay is that he's weak.

Not only is this communicated to the player through him receiving more damage than the other characters but through the simple fact that he can't fight on his own: he has to rely on his 3 familiars.

The way this works is that V has 2 main familiars: Shadow, the black panther and Griffon the bird who won't shut up.

Shadow represents your melee attacks meaning that when you press the melee button it's Shadow that's gonna do the combos

Griffon on the other hand represents your ranged attacks with his lightning strikes

When they're summoned on the field they will automatically gravitate towards the nearest enemies but if you lock onto one they will attack that one exclusively

Now let's get this one out of the way: to give credit where it's due: this actually works

There's nothing broken, it all controls fine etc They actually made this stuff work, the worst I can say is that the familiars have kind of a range around V outside of which they will no longer properly receive commands and if they go out of this range they will sometimes stop attacking and try to come back to you.

...it's just that it's not the most fun playstyle in the world y'know?

First off: it's kind of a mess. Look at this: there's so much shit on the screen you gotta focus on: you gotta keep an eye on both familiars, on the enemies and on V himself as you move him around trying to avoid enemies and it's very easy to get confused and lose focus of the action

Moreover V's familiar just don't have nearly the same amount of moves or variety as Dante and Nero

When a familiar is defeated it reverts to a ball of darkness which will eventually resurrect though you can speed uo the process by standing near it

The familiars can't defeat enemies per se, only put them in those dazed states which the require V to go to them and finish them off essentially preventing the player from just staying away from the action all the time

Your Devil Trigger is actually just V summoning his third Familiar: Nightmare

Nightmare is slow as fuck but hits like a nuke, acts 100% independently from V (though is very aggressive) and is completely invincible. Not only that but if your familiars were knocked out they will be revived upon summoning him and will also become invincible

Another mechanic which I used to sleep on is the ability to sacrifice parts of your DT gauge to put Shadow and Griffon into their own Devil Trigger states, which will not only make them stronger and more durable but also make them indipendent for a while

While your familiars are attacking you can have V read his poetry book which isn't just for show: if you do this while comboing you will regenerate DT gauge much faster.

The general gameplay loop with V is to read that book as much as possible so you can get enough DT gauge to either power up Griffon and Shadow or just summon the Win Button that is Nightmare

V is absolutely the worst character to play on DMD and that's not only because he himself is more fragile and his familiars get knocked out every minute but because, unlike Dante and Nero, his Devil Trigger...doesn't regenerate health

And since on DMD levels don't have any Green Orbs and DMC5 does away with consumable healing items (kinda, more on that at a later time), the only way to heal yourself as V is hoping that defeated enemies drop green orbs. The devs certainly knew this because you can buy some upgrades in the shop that can increase your chances of getting green orbs from defeated enemies...but it's still rng

These two levels on DMD are pretty determined to kick your ass, dishing out some real heavy hitters pretty consistently, especially those goddamn Behemoths (those huge slug like monsters)

I actually kinda like the first boss, he used to give me trouble until I realised that you can just spam Griffon's charged lightning attacks until you stun him and then go crazy with Shadow and Nightmare. In general he feels like a boss designed for V

The same I can't quite say about the second boss

He's way too fast for V's familiars, way too tanky on DMD, and when he starts manipulating time to either speed himself up or slow you down I swear the only way to dodge his attacks is spamming the side dash which contains an absurd amount of invincibility frames and is easily spammable, meaning that even if he attacks you mid-animation it will just pass through you. Yeah he's probably the only boss in the game that I can say that I hate

Gotta give credit to V though: he has some of the best taunts in the game