#But also I'm being serious I want to know his lore because I'm so lost

[white-btterfly]

Sorry not sorry for the angst. 😇😂

Viktor is so cute at the beginning! He’s so hopeful and happy and how dare you rip that feeling from him later in the chapter?!? I’m crying in the corner??? The in-universe lore that states the hope itself is dangerous for him because it fuels the disease??? Um, thanks, my heart is crushed??? (I love it, the angst is perfectly done) When he finds Jayce isn’t in the lab and visibly deflates, oh how I viscerally felt my own hopes get smothered along with him. He was really riding the high of progress toward the cure and maybe possibly having a chance with Jayce, but everything becomes more realistic when alone.

Yes, Hanahaki feeds on crushed hopes. People in love often hope. Unrequited feelings of love breed hope, which then breeds hopelessness. Which is why Viktor was doing better when Jayce had no idea about his illness. Now that they're getting closer, Viktor, deep down, no matter what he says, no matter that he realizes it's irrational, can't help but hope, as we realized when he talked to Heimerdinger. In consequence, his symptoms are worsening.

Viktor has a hard return to cold reality. There's still hope to find a cure, but his time is short, and he's walking a fine line with Jayce.

I wasn’t expecting to see Heimerdinger play such a large role in this chapter but it was actually delightful to learn about his history with Viktor. I always wanted to know more about Viktor’s time at the Academy before he meets Jayce, and the details here were so well done, it’s officially canon in my brain now.

Awwww thank you!!! For Viktor sneaking into the Academy, I took inspiration from a tweet from Amanda Overton. I adapted it a bit for my story (no parents, it all comes from Viktor) and added all the other details about his infiltration (about Sky and her mother, about how he got discovered, and Viktor and Heimerdinger meeting at the steel oasis before Heimerdinger appointed him his assistant). I have to admit, the thing I'm the most proud of is how Viktor got discovered because of Sky recognizing him. I nearly forgot about her, and when I got the revelation, I was just so excited!

The way Heimerdinger clocks that Viktor is in love with Jayce immediately is so funny! Viktor, honey, you’re not fooling anybody. We can all see that you two are dancing around each other like lovesick idiots. When they finally get together, Heimerdinger is going to be so happy. I’m sure he’d hate to lose Viktor to the disease. I’m also sure he’d love to have his hypothesis that Jayce loves him back supported. The mentor-student bond and friendship they share is heartwarming (and honestly makes me nostalgic for past mentors I’ve had that knew me better than I knew myself during my undergraduate years).

I'm glad you liked Heimerdinger. I say it before to other commenters, but I have a certain fondness for him. And I wanted someone to support Viktor in these trying times. Since Viktor is an introvert and would never tell anyone about his feelings, this support had to come from someone close to him, who would know about Viktor's feelings for Jayce and could confront him directly about it. Heimerdinger felt like the natural choice. Although it doesn't take a yordle genius to realize Viktor loves Jayce, I think Viktor looks up to him, which made him perfect. Plus, coming from him, his warnings about Hanahaki seem much more serious and ominous.

And god damn is Viktor resilient as fuck. Sneaking into the academy and being smart as hell. Viktor must have been studying his ass off prior to sneaking in there. Being lonely probably helped him fill the time with books and tinkering, but still. You can tell how the line from the show about Viktor believing in himself despite not having anyone on his side is embodied in this story. He knows he belongs there at the Academy. He’s smart enough, he has good ideas, and he’s driven to succeed no matter what. It’s nice to see that side of him isn’t lost to the more romantic moments of the story or the progressive illness that weakens his physical body. Mentally, he’s still stronger than anyone else. You’d kind of have to be to lock down all of the pining for Jayce, am I right?

Yes, he's resilient, and brave, and strong... ❤️ And Jayce knows it and admires that about him... ❤️

“Redecorate his workshop with a huge hole in the wall,” I’m fucking cackling. Viktor’s perspective is so good. And oh oh oh seeing the way Viktor fell so hard for Jayce’s ideas of creating magic. Yes! And I knew that he loved him since they were floating together after the first successful hextech experiment. I knew it and I’m giggling but also crying oh Viktor I’m so sorry. Fucking Heimerdinger is so right. Viktor did gain Jayce’s “unswerving, everlasting loyalty,” and I will launch myself into the sun because I’m so happy he pointed that out. Jayce’s loyalty to Viktor is woven so deep into this story, in every action Jayce has. Even before Jayce realizes what new forms his love can take, he’s overflowing with devotion for Viktor as a partner.

❤️❤️❤️

When Viktor shuts down the possibility of ever distancing himself from Jayce for his own health, ugh the characterization is just top notch! Viktor is so stubborn about certain things. And damn, he will not leave Jayce. That’s so cute and sad. He can’t save himself. He’s in too deep. But why though? I want to know more about his conviction to stay. He’s clearly thought about it enough to have made a firm decision.

You will gain some insight about Viktor's conviction to stay in the next chapter, and there is another chapter (which is one of my favorites) where we see the exact moment Viktor fell for Jayce, and it shows why Viktor is as devoted to Jayce as Jayce is to him.

Rejection could be fatal? Um okay. Fear is gripping my bones now. Please don’t hurt Viktor like this I’m begging you. The first couple of chapters were so cute and I was lured into YOUR TRAP. Now the stakes are way too high, don’t remind me of what hanahaki actually does to people?!? I’m busy living in blissful ignorance that they can figure it out with hextech, damn it.

The stronger the hopelessness, the more flowers Hanahaki produces. The despair caused by rejection would be so great there is no way Viktor is ever going to breathe through the flowers that would be overwhelming his lungs and throat.

Ahah, I know. The first three chapters were all light and fun. Chapter 4 is the beginning of the angst. It marks a clear difference in tone from the previous chapters. The angst won't always be that strong, but it's definitely lurking, biding its time.

When Viktor finally gets around to the forge, he’s met by everyone’s favorite Jayce variant: muscled and sweaty shirtless!Jayce. Viktor has the same response I’m sure many of us have had, which is to lose all train of thought and wish to be crushed between Jayce’s thighs. “What? Right now?” YES JAYCE! Right now. Viktor is coughing up flowers right now because you are shirtless and incredibly attractive and smiling far too much. It’s like looking into the sun, I’m sure. Wish it wouldn’t trigger Viktor to hack up flowers though lmao (his suffering is hurting me aaaaaaa)

This was one of the funniest parts to write. Not to throw shade on fans who believe Viktor is asexual, but to me, he's definitely not. Plus I think forge!Jayce's aura (incredibly sexy and unaware of the effect he has on people) is strong enough to make people question their sexuality.

And the final scene that rips my heart from my chest. The conversation with Heimerdinger set up this part of the conflict but damn I didn’t see it coming until Viktor went stone cold and pushed Jayce away for getting too close to the truth.

Um, Jayce why are you carrying the list around with you everywhere? Am I getting that right? Is he?

Yes. The list was in his vest's pocket. And Viktor carried it without even knowing, for like, fifteen minutes. He could have found it easily. It could have fallen from his pocket, or Viktor could have felt it through the fabric and gotten curious, and Viktor would have discovered the truth. Having realized that, Jayce got pretty scared.

As much as Jayce is doing all of this to help cure Viktor, we all know he’s also doing it because he’s jealous and wants to know who Viktor likes more than him. Otherwise he wouldn’t act so guilty. The irony of Viktor not knowing this internal motivation Jayce has is going to come up later, I’m sure. But Viktor, that was…oof. That hurt.

Since Viktor asked him to get rid of it, Jayce is perfectly aware he shouldn't be in possession of that list, but you're right, deep down, Jayce knows he kept the list for reasons other than trying to save Viktor's life. He's too deep in denial to admit it to himself, though. And he would have stayed buried in denial, had it not been for Viktor snapping at him, and his reaction to it.

I’ve never read such a realistic depiction of Jayce turning into a sad puppy being scolded. He does that in the show a lot. But here, oh it’s perfect. And it made me so sad. I wanted to protect him. Please, Viktor, don’t push him away. I know he’s motivated by fear of Jayce rejecting him when he learns the truth (characterization is 10/10 but at what cost?), but I do hope they reconcile somewhat soon. I can’t stand to see them upset! I’m too emotionally invested in their relationship!

Yes, Jayce got really hurt by Viktor's reaction, but it was necessary. Jayce had to go through the pain of rejection to realize how important Viktor is to him. Viktor snapping at him, and the pain that resulted, might actually be the wake-up call Jayce needs to confront his feelings. I am actually really excited to share the next chapter with you. I can't wait for you to read it and tell me what you think!

Oh, it was so hard for me to write this because the chapter ends on a sad note and I desperately want to know what happens next. I didn’t want to relive the pain for review purposes. But I gathered my strength to tell you that your vision for this story is incredible.

You are braver than any soldier. Your courage commands respect. 🫡

Thank you so, so much! I just adore your comments, they make me so happy, I just can't stop grinning while reading them. ❤️

Before Your Sun Sets | Chapter 4 is out! 🌸

Read chapter 4 now

Start from the beginning

[hyp-fixator]

Bro at this point I'm gonna need someone to tell me all the Sword lore because I swear to god if I don't know all of the lore in Phighting I'm going to explode

[laserbobcat]

what is the relation between Narinder and the yellow cat ? If the yellow cat knows about Leshy, does he know about who is really Narinder ?

Ayoooo I ended up lore dumping HEAVILY about Morgan's entire backstory, so I'm masking it to avoid a lengthy post:

While not a disciple, Morgan is one of the oldest followers and knows quite a lot. He doesn't try and pry into the Lamb's business, but he ends up learning things from observation, or Thena, the Lamb and their spouses talking to him.

Morgan secretly hates gods, but is also entirely devoted to the Lamb. He has been since the moment they saved him from serving in the chaos cult, where his brother was killed. He tries his best being useful despite not sincerely praying for the One Who Waits, and feels guilty about what he considers is tricking his leader. He tries to make up for it by being extra kind and hard working. Morgan is the head tailor, and the one who created all of the Lamb's fleeces, that the lamb then enchants with a talisman. He's 100% on board with them killing gods, and hopes that maaaaaaybe they will cut their own in two eventually. No more gods, the dream.

He's obviously very happy with how things turned out, only one wooly god left whom he can actually trust. And the former god of death turned to just some dude is perfect, since the Lamb seems happy. And that's still one more god off the board. He just avoids him.

---

Now for Leshy, the Lamb killed him, so this new green guy has to be just another weird one like the witnesses right? The resemblance has to be a coincidence right? Let's be kind, he seems lost and on edge, and Morgan is good at putting people at ease.

When he realizes that Leshy is Leshy, he looses it and tries to straight up murder him. Huge serious bloody dangerous fight. The lamb stops both of them just before they tear each other appart, and takes Morgan aside to apologize. They should have known it would end up like this, since Morgan suffered so much in the chaos cult. But they were busy with Narinder losing his shit over his brother's presence and hoped Morgan wouldn't recognize him. They feel guilty about the whole thing, while Morgan is mortified that he lost control and ended up being a problem.

That's when the Lamb admits that they knew all along about Morgan not really praying and not being faithful to TowW, and admits to reading minds sometimes. They hoped he would just change his mind. And they genuinely like him. The reason why they started resurrecting him, is because they heard him think "Damn I hate gods so much, can't wait to stop pretending and tell TowW to go fuck himself when I die" and they freaked out. Narinder would 100% send him to hell. So they didn't let him spend more than a second in front of him and resurrected Morgan immediately. (I want to draw this as a fun comic)

They apologize for not talking about this sooner, since it let Morgan feel guilty all this time. But Morgan, far from being angry, is even more touched by the Lamb's kindness for caring about him all this time even though they knew the truth about his lack of faith.

This lifts a huge weight off of his shoulders, and he realizes he's not that angry anymore. He even start to help Leshy adapt, at first to take it off the Lamb's list of things to worry about, but ending up actually liking the idiot. Leshy says Morgan is the only fun person around and does everything he can to trigger him into figthing him. I already drew a lot of these in comics.

---

Cuts to way later in the timeline, when Leshy and Morgan start to really get along.

Morgan gets really pissed at Narinder when he has to break up a fight between him and Leshy. He's furious at both their lack of gratefulness for the Lamb's kindness, and that the brothers dared to fight while they're gone on a crusade and isn't there to stop them. Gods are giant moody, selfish toddlers. Narinder is extra offended to be talked down this hard by a mortal, and asks him disdainfully if he has a death wish. Morgan loses it pretty much the same way he did when first fighting Leshy, and tells him that bitch you're mortal too now. How does it feels? Need to compensate with a big knife on a stick? Death wish you say? It's funny because death wishes are none of your concern anymore. You're insignificant. I could wipe the floor with your face and shove your scythe up your ass. When Morgan gets angry, he gets really angry.

Narinder is obviously seeing red at this point but Leshy, of all people, de-escalate the situation by dragging Morgan away, fast, and playing the "Chill, Brother, your lil Lamb would not like one of his favorite followers being murdered" card. Narinder is left seething, but does not follow.

Funny enough, it's Leshy's turn to be legit angry. About Morgan making Narinder mad enough that he would try to kill him. And that, while Leshy likes to trigger his brother into fights for shit and giggles, and knows to backpedal when things get too serious, Morgan just loses control completely and goes for the throat. Morgan is so astonished at Leshy's anger that he completely calms down, and is curious as to why the hell does he care. Leshy insists that Morgan does not fuck with his brother ever again, and Morgan promises, just so he can ask him again why is he so serious about this all of a sudden. Leshy deflates a bit and admits that if Narinder hurts the cat, he will forget about "shit an giggles" and the Lamb's threats about behaving, and actually try to gut his brother for good this time. Morgan is left a bit speechless and Leshy flees awkwardly, which makes Morgan even more puzzled.

The day after, the lamb is back, and Morgan gives Narinder a very polite and very fake apology about being rude and disrespectful to his Leader's friend and promises it won't happen again. Narinder doesn't really know how to react, he's constantly surprised that his Lamb's favorite followers are all annoying crazy freaks. he's so done at this point. he understands better why his brother likes the cat.

Yooooooooooo i just. Full backstory dump. I was supposed to write this before, i guess it's done now! The asks really trigger the ramblings lol. You can't say one thing without explaining the whole shebang...

[valar-did-me-wrong]

I just burned my hand while thinking of this Adar headcanon.. (RIP my chai) So now I'm gonna bore you all with it to distribute the suffering :3

So there are 2 major Adar origin headcanons in the fandom rn in my knowledge..

The one most people (including me a few months ago) follow in one version or another is: Adar was among the first elves who woke up in Cuvienen & got captured by Morgoth. Cuvienen Adar

Then there's a minority opinion I've heard come up sometimes (and has me in its grasp since I heard it) that Adar is a nobody Fëanorian who got taken in one of the early wars between Noldor & Morgoth. Noldo Adar

Now I love the angst of Cuvienen Adar, Eldest elf on Middle Earth not quite an elf anymore... It hurts so good 🤌🏽 but there's just something so Noldo about him too! Like his innovativeness in finding unique solutions, his fury, his burning love that keeps him going & his sheer willpower to survive so much torture.. it's VERY Fëanorian coded in my eyes!! ❤️‍🔥

So in an attempt to make both of them work, I created this headcanon which is kinda the best of both worlds for me personally!

I'd love lore experts to correct me if I'm wrong anywhere & for my fellow Adarlings to just take this as a not too serious exploration of yet another version of Adar :))

So my personal headcanon now goes that:

Yes Adar was among the first elves that woke up in Cuvienen, but specifically he was a Tatyar (2nd of the 3 groups of elves in Cuvienen with the leader Tata who was the 2nd ever elf to wake up)

A Tatyar who actually stayed behind instead of following Finwe to Valinor after Oromë had come to take the elves. So in my headcanon he is specifically a Tatyar Avari.

Which makes him kin to Noldor.

As when Oromë came to take the elves with him, half the Tatyar that went with him became Noldor in Valinor (also some parts of the 3rd group also went and became Teleri in Valinor) while those who stayed behind (from both the 2nd and 3rd groups) became Avari. So the Tatyar Avari were related to Noldor.

Now Avari in general are mentioned in some versions to be the elves who got captured by Morgoth to create orcs.. 👀

So it kinda fits the lore too, which is a bonus!

To me this headcanon adds so much more angst to Adar. Specially to his & Galadriel's interactions.

Like not only is Galadriel an elf but she is also a Noldo, from Finwë's line, who lead half the Tatyar to Valinor.. it's everything Adar gave up or lost.

He must look at Galadriel and feel like almost everything he could have been in another life is standing infront of him personified!

I wonder if he ever regretted remaining back in Middle Earth & being an Avari. If he ever regret not following Finwe to Valinor.

Maybe he did not go because he didn't want to follow but rather lead and couldn't.

Maybe thats why he was so unhappy in his existence (along with ofcourse the whole inability to have children thing which implies queerness) and could get corrupted successfully, survive so long & become Sauron's lieutenant; he was an innate leader (but the elves chose the direct descendant of Tata, Finwë instead)

There are so many stories & what ifs to be explored here tbh.

If anyone knows fics that have used this premises please do share with me!!

And if there aren't fics yet, I hope this little attempt of mine at headcanoning reaches and touches someone talented to become a fic now!

Thoughts, discussions and tears most welcome 🫶🏽

[impala124]

Bad Buddy Ep 2

My thoughts on Ep 1

Guys, y'all weren't exaggerating about OhmNanon chemistry. I was in a trance whenever they were on the screen together. Now onto my thoughts—

It speaks a lot about my affection towards Pran that I'm willing to overlook him cutting his sandwich into rectangles and not triangles.

Pat sleeping with a dog plushie just makes me double down on my he's just a lost puppy running after Pran agenda.

Not my boy Pran cooking up lore on the spot just to avoid them fighting at the pavilion. And Pat following the lead. I just can't 😂😂.

I like how they don't know that the person in the opposite dorm is the one they've been told to dislike since birth. The anonymity might help them realize their genuine feelings for each other without their familial rivalry coloring it.

Once again, Pa keeping it very real with Pat and not feeding into his delusions.

Pat's signature move when he wants to distract someone seems to be to treat them with food. I love that for him, but bestie has to come up with alternative moves if he doesn't want to end up going broke. I can already tell that Pran is going to be the haver of all brain cells in his and Pat's relationship.

Pran's friends teasing him about a man crushing on him and the camera cutting to Pat laughing. So, it seems like we aren't going for subtlety here.

Well, the anonymity didn't last long. Gotta applaud Pran for letting Pat know the truth instead of leading him on, which he could've if he really hated Pat.

Pat's dad being the quintessential Asian dad by saying, I'm not putting pressure on you; you have to maintain my reputation. Sir, how about I don't see your face for a while?

Okay, I'm not taking sides about the family rivalry, which I know nothing about, but Pat's dad definitely seems like the instigator. Just saying. We'll have to see if I change my opinion of him.

Again, the irony of the father saying that Pran followed Pat around with his guitar when the Freshy Music contest wasn't (probably) even on Pat's radar until he followed Pran to the registration area.

I'm very interested in their individual friend group dynamics, though. Pran's friends, after they discovered that a guy might have a crush on him, responded with teasing but not in a malicious way. On the other hand, Pat's friend's reaction when they found out that the person Pran thought might have a crush on him was a guy was just total avoidance of the matter at hand. Will they address it in the future? We'll have to see.

Is Pran's mom the coach dad from High School Musical to Pran's Troy??? The familial rivalry better be something serious given the way the parents are acting.

I love Petty Pran. His I want you to continue being guilty; coutinue owing me to Pat is giving me life.

Awww, the ticke fight/tussle shows us that even though Pat is physically stronger, Pran is the one who'll end up on top.

Not these dumbasses fighting at the fucking pavilion. All their friends need to just fuck each other to get rid of the tension. Because what is the purpose of men fighting with each other if not a heterosexual excuse to touch another man?

Not mentioned in this episode, but if I'm remembering correctly, Pran has one of Pat's shirts with him from Ep 1. Will he return it or keep it with him just for old times sake? Will they ever mention it again? Only time will tell.

(Tagging some people here because I've seen some express interest in following along. Let me know if you also want to be tagged in the future)

[sabo-torao]

i'm very big on sabolaw because (to me) they just make sense. a whole lot of sense.

they both have their similarities in terms of backstory and lore: both of them saw the truth about the society they lived in at the age of 10, between the flames of a city, or part of a city, that they called home, and they both have lost an important figure in their life with whom they seeked freedom, and to whom they promised to keep their will alive, now living through their vows.

both sabo and law are in search of freedom. for sabo, it is more of an universal freedom, the freedom of the people before his own, even if it started as something he yearned for himself; for law, it's effectively a personal freedom, a freedom he wants to achieve for his own person, and for cora. but in order to achieve both of their goals and be free, they have to discover the truth about their world, and their lives. the true history.

checkered fate.

interestingly enough, in the manga sabo and law are described to both have a checkered fate; the five elders use this adjective to describe sabo's destiny, because he's surrounded by people with the moniker D, and law uses it to describe his own fate, when he decides he wants to seek out the meaning behind his name, and so discover the truth about the will of the D.

now, this is why i think sabo and law will end up working together, sooner or later. i know that law becoming an ally of the revolutionary army and/or linking up with sabo is a very popular theory and i'm so, SO glad it is! because it really makes sense, doesn't it?

sabo is destined to be involved with people with the initial D in their name, and was just now trusted with the task to deliver vivi and luffy the message that vivi is a D just like luffy is, making him even more involved than he already was with the clan and its descendants. on the other side, we have law, whose newly found objective is to find the truth behind his existence, thus uncovering the "true history", which will inevitably bring him closer to other "D"s and to those who always get mixed up with them.

if we add these bits of info to the whole imu situation...

imu is, most certainly, an immortal being, who became immortal thanks to the ability of the ope-ope no mi. ivankov literally SHOWS the fruit to sabo in chapter 1086!

and i mean, i doubt sabo still doesn't know who law is. he was in dressrosa, after all (also im so so so convinced sabo and law met sometime during the timeskip bc law saved luffy's life and iva was right there and how could sabo not know that was law who saved his little brother's life and how could he not go and thank law for what he did i mean- c'mon-) and he most likely knew about the alliance with luffy and everything else. so he should know that law is the wielder of the ope-ope no mi, and it would be obvious for him to seek law out in order to know more about the fruit's ability and find a counterattack to imu's (and, probably, the five elders') immortality. it would be so disappointing if after all these little hints they ended up never meeting. like, at all.

finally, sabo and law's dynamic would be soooo interesting!! sabo is similar to luffy in some ways, but he's also... completely different. i think law wouldn't lose his mind working with sabo, because yes, sabo is irresponsible and impulsive and a bit of a jerk- but he follows the plan, he's strategic, he's stealthy and logical, and he puts the success of the mission above everything else (that isn't luffy, of course). law can work splendidly with that. i also think they would have a very entertaining back-and-forth, both of them being as witty and blunt as they are. they would be equals, and have a very well balanced relationship. sabo is cheerful and kind, fiery and elegant, which is a good contrast to law's cold, serious demeanour, and heartless façade (because law cares just as much as sabo, he wants to help people just as much as him; he is a doctor, after all). also their devil fruits would work so well, so good together, it would be so cool- oda i'm begging you, please, let them be partners, please-

one piece gakuen and stampede showed us a bit of how their possible dynamic could work, and i pray day and night that we can have something like that in the main manga, too. i need it.

tl;dr: sabolaw is a very good pairing with a lot of potential that i hope will be explored in the story sometime in the future. please do consider them!!!

[cataqu33rz]

Jazz is Disabled!!

I'm not sure how disabilities gully work in tf generally speaking, I think most continuities would go "yeah they're robots they just replace shit" but HRMMM I need more visably disabled robots!!!! AND GUYS IF THERE'S ANY DISABLED ROBOTS LIKE THIS (for example Ultra Magnus in tf prime) LET ME KNOW CAUSE I'D LOVE TO SEE THEM!!!!!!

I really wanna have him with a prosthetic leg from the tfone mining incident, cause I think he would be really cool with it and open up SO MANY talking points about it in the lore. My guess is that being a miner, he probably didn't have the funds to get a spendy ass replica leg so he got what he could. It's shitty and sometimes makes his life more difficult, he is probably saving up to get at least a better one cause this one doesn't suit all his needs. Yet he's still content enough with it, able to be humorous in grim situations.

Jazz would LOVE to fuck with people with it. Like when like dancing, his leg will "accidentally" slip off and hit a bot in the face as they scream bloody murder. Jazz finds a lot of chances to be silly with it, pulling pranks, cracking jokes, making up white lies to strangers, because that's who he is and also to kinda say fuck you to abelist bots who treat him differently due to how noticeable the prosthetic is.

And imagine if he was in ES with a prosthetic leg and meets Dorothy, itd be so cute and fun to see them have solidarity over it. Both lost theirs doing their job and I'm sure Jazz got a lot of looks on Cybertron for having a prothestic that stands out rather than trying to get an exact copy of his other leg. Dorothy might not have seen a lot of transformers before with prosthetics/didn't know they could get them and both are very curious about the processes to get them on Earth and Cybertron.

Jazz is a fun guy but does not have a blind eye to the discrimination he faces (cause he can't). I am also very transparently projecting, cause while I am not missing a limb, his could be a story of being a poor disabled person which IS something I'm intimately fimilliar with.

He has less job opportunities due to his lesser quality leg, he can't take on as many shifts and it gets achey if left on for too long (which in order to make a living he often times has to push past its limits). While he can transform, it takes some getting used to again and does get comments about people being able to see where his prosthetic and how it "ruins the aesthetic" of his alt mode. He can be as funny as he wants, but sometimes it does get to him, and does know when to cut the crap and get serious about it. He genuinely doesnt feel lesser for his disability, he's just really angry at the bots around him who see him as lesser, he has to work 20 times harder than another bot to get the same amount of work, and tbh I don't see a lot of support for being disabled happening on Cybertron. I kinda think Jazz is an outliar where most prosthetic bots are shut ins or they had to turn to other means to get paid (ie. instead of getting a hands or legs, they get weapons to fight illegally), but Jazz is fighting to be seen and treated as an equal, and not a lot of bots like others "rising from their ranks".

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

Do you have any Yulivia crumbs to share from your RIAAU? 🙏🙏

No spoilers needed or anything (duh), but the latest chapter establishing that Yunan is about to be made general sent me down the rabbit hole of the Yulivia tag, which in turn sent me down the rabbit hole of them being newt moms to Marcy in canon. And then because this AU is always on my mind, it got me thinking about both their relationship and their dynamic with Marcy in this world, and how those would develop in your worldbuilding and writing.

Like, Yunan courting Olivia; the slowburn (or fast?) of Olivia becoming important to Marcy because while Andrias is Marcy's father, Olivia is very involved in his life as the royal advisor (which now includes the Princess/heir); and just general snippets of their character/relationship dynamics and whatnot. (Again, nothing serious, I'm just fiending for some crumbs rn.)

Loving the fanfic btw!!!

I'm so happy you're liking my silly little writings! Thanks for the ask!

As for Yulivia crumbs without spoiling much... mmm, well I can tell you about some lore maybe... Yunan's father, Kannan Longclaw, was one of the seneschals of House Longclaw, while Yunan was... I think a chevalier? I would need to check my notes, but she was one or two ranks below her father. House Longclaw used to be this very noble ancestral warrior house of valiant knights and despite being literally one continent away, as their ancestral home in the Mutu Mountains was in the amphibian far east, they fought against Lord Ragnar in the Sand Wars in the west as part of their service to the crown and won thanks to Yunan, who killed not only Ragnar, but also his tadpole, ending the western toad nobility forever. Her father Kannan participated in the final battle against Ragnar (though Yunan delivered the killing blow), but refused to kill his tadpole. He and Yunan had a very strong discussion that resulted in her killing Ragnar's baby son and her father abandoning his post, effectively committing treason. The entire house Longclaw lost their holdings and titles, and they were exiled from the Mutu Mountains. Yunan, however, was pardoned, and was made into a general in Newtopia. The reason why the Longclaws were exiled and not killed, as death is usually the punishment for treason, was because Olivia, despite not knowing Yunan at this point, participated in the trial against Kannan Longclaw as the king's regent and felt sympathy towards him. Executing someone for refusing to kill a newborn was not something she was willing to do. So Olivia and Yunan were lowkey connected before they even met, and Olivia saved her father's life. Their fates were intertwined, you could say.

They meet eventually during Marcy's presentation to Newtopia, and one of the things Olivia finds interesting about Yunan is how unafraid she is of Marcy, this weird alien-looking child. While most newts are disgusted by her, Yunan is quick to swear fealty to her as Andrias' heir and their future queen. This is partially just Yunan's personality, but she also holds an undying loyalty towards the Leviathans after the events of the Sand Wars. She is eternally grateful for their pardon and the new chance they offered her after her father's treason. She becomes fiercely protective of Marcy, and even though she's generally annoyed by children, she quickly becomes fond of her. Marcy is just so curious and adventurous and admires Yunan so much, that Yunan can't help but fall into a cool aunt trope and bring her little trinkets from her adventures away from Newtopia whenever she's passing by.

As for Olivia, well, Olivia, cares about Marcy, but during her first years of life, she couldn't help but feel slightly exhausted by her never-ending energy and hyperactivity. She's a child, after all, and Olivia never wanted to have children. Children are loud and distracting and demand too much attention, and little Marcy was no exception. But as political tensions grow in Newtopia and she and Yunan are tasked with handling a conspiracy against the crown, Marcy becomes more and more involved, especially as she grows older and begins to make herself useful, and Olivia stops seeing her as an annoying child and more as... a child who's too young to be dealing with all of this, who deserves to have time to play and read and make friends instead of planning spy missions. She also starts noticing there's something very wrong with Marcy, and that makes her so worried because her father seems to ignore it, which leaves her as the only responsible adult looking out for her and her strange problems (as Yunan is often away).

We have some slowburn middle-age woman yuri develop with time as Olivia and Yunan work together, alongside little Marcy, to unveil this conspiracy, and they become these very important figures in Marcy's life, and it's very nice and sweet and nothing bad ever happens to them :)

[tireddovahkiin]

Okay so LISTEN UP.

WE'VE GOT A F/O SITUATIONSHIP AND BI-CRISIS GOING ON IN MY FUCKED UP HEAD

I need help, bc I already yapped on dc somewhere but got a bit ignored so I'm taking this here. I'm so unbelievably confused and flustered and helpless and dont know what to do HELP YOUR BUDDY OUT PLEASE. This will be long, but I truly need you to hear it.

But be warned! There will be suggestive themes mentioned below, although briefly. so I'll put the cut just in case. Read at your own will!

OK SO, if you didn't know, I got another new f/o, Raiden, from Metal Gear, (DW I haven't forgot my beautiful wife Snake I could never do that to him I love that nicotine addicted buff bear) who is canonically married and has a kid. His wife is named Rosemary, and the moment I saw that woman grace my laptop screen, I felt irritated beyond belief by her. Especially because she was secretly a spy sent to monitor Raidens behavior as a soldier operator, and basically started a 'fake relationship' with him ("accidentaly" bumping into him and going on a date ig), but it later got real, and she really fell in love with him. But shit got down, she got captured, and the Patriots (group of men working behind the whole USA government or something like that, basically the secret antagonists of the Metal Gear saga), and they formed an AI program based on her that would assist Raiden on a mission as a way of manipulating him. But luckily, it ended okay, she was set free, they were reunited, she revealed she was pregnant, he proposed to her, blah, blah.

And then, Raiden got into some sort of serious depression, because of the difficult past he went through as a child, that started haunting him again, causing him to become alcoholic, have violent tendencies, and would return home late drunk and with strange wounds on his body. Rose was helpless, she wanted to help but, there was also a risk of her getting harmed in the proccess, and she was with a baby. And because of that, plus a risk of the Patriots finding out about her identity, and the child's existence, too, she LEFT him. She lied about having a miscarriage, and leaving Raiden alone while he was fucking BATTLING FOR HIS LIFE, and even "remarried" for a Colonel, as form of safety for her and the baby. Bro got so heartbroken, and felt like he lost all purpose in this world, like he got no one. He lost hope. And it broke my fucking heart. That did it, and I started hating on Rose even more because of that. 'she had no choice!' SHE COULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING SHUT UP

However, after the baby was born, and the threat of being discovered has ended, Rose finally decided to reach out to Raiden, and introduce him to his little son John, finally telling him the whole truth. They then decided to start over as a family, and yay happy happy happy -_-

I just got so frustrated how Rose didn't suffer the consequences of treating Raiden like that, leaving him alone without any explanation whatsoever. Meanwhile, here's a bit of Jayden lore LOL: I was the one who helped Raiden get back on his feet, I was there to help him overcome his demons when he felt alone and abandoned. No matter how nasty it would get, I was there in his best and worst. There to comfort him, support him, raise him back to his feet, and push him forward. While ultimately battling with my own problems and hopelessness in life. I was his anchor in the darkness, his supporting shoulder he could always lean on. (depression buddies WHEEEEZE)

... Only for him to forgive Rose. Just like that. Without any consequences, without any hesitation.

I felt angered, dissapointed, jealous even (ahaha yes delulu Jayden MUCH) and above all, sad. I never forgave Rose, ever. And I never forgot what she did to him. However, Rose hated it, she WANTED to get along with me, because I was Raidens 'best friend'. She wanted to thank me for being there for him, but I just wouldn't hear it. I avoided her, out of terrible jealousy, not even realizing I was obviously showing it. That I actually had feelings for her husband without even realizing.

So, of course, I keep telling myself I resent her.

… BUT… As I was washing dishes (lmao), I suddenly... Thought about something… I'm bi… .. I like pretty girls too… And Rose, well… I guess she's… a pretty woman… And ok… I still hate her… Right… I'm also poly, which means I can like multiple partners at once…

And I kept thinking about these... DIRTY threesome scenarios of Rose finding out I had feelings for her man… And then making a plan with Raiden to secretly lure me and show me she wanted to make things right between us two even tho I resented her… And letting Raiden (who didn't even realize he had feelings for me too, until his wife actually told him (dense idiot oml)) do the yeehaw with me, as she watches ALL of it…

And it making my heart pound faster and literally blush and STOP WHAT I WAS DOING BC WHAT THE FUCK I THOUGHT I HATED HER- (IM NOT DONE YET) And then when she approached, I made the move and fucking KISSED HER. ME. ME WHO I HATE ROSE. And then we all get down on each other. A GANG BANG.

And I get left speechless. Like, what the fuck… I thought she's annoying… Yet why does it sound… fucking hot…

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

WHAT DO I DO?? WHAT IS THIS LOVE TRIANGLE/ENEMIES TO LOVERS TYPA SHIT??? GUYS PLEASE-

[silent-words]

Yayyyy I love your game idea for BG3 city! If you’re taking asks, I’d love to read your thoughts about Gale’s school, the one he went to as a child. Maybe that’s where it was discovered he was a prodigy?

Maybe I’ll join in and tag you, too!

I'm sorry it took me so long to answer. I wanted to make it a fic, but then I realised I can only make a headcanon. And there will also be a lot of self-insert (because my school years felt like hell, I was happy to enter my Uni).

A little bit of lore first. As we know, Gale attended the Blackstaff Academy in Waterdeep (he says about it in the Arcane Tower). According to the Forgotten Realms Wiki and other sources Blackstaff is both a school and a university. Only the magically talented students are accepted as apprentices there, and they are at first taught by senior students (probably at the age of university students) and only after a few years they start being taught by professors. So future sorcerers and wizards spend more years in the Blackstaff tower than people do in school IRL. It's like a boarding school and a university campus combined, you can spend up to a couple of decades there.

We also know that Elminster first met Gale when the latter was 8 years old. Maybe it was the age Gale was accepted as an apprentice at Blackstaff. He was young, upset with his own abilities and very talented as a mage. Children at school can be pretty much evil, when it comes to relationships between them. I can picture Gale as a shy, naive person at first. Other children made fun of him both because they all thought they were talented and because he was always "lost in thought". They needed to call him twice or thrice to respond to them. Of course it annoyed everyone and made him an outsider. Maybe he was desperate to have a friend and prove himself in this community, so that he stole the Blackstaff (the staff of the very first headmaster, Khelben Blackstaff himself) and opened a portal to Limbo. /the story with the portal is also from the Arcane Tower dialogue/

In my view he only came to be respected by his peers when he reached the age when apprentices started receiving tutelage from professors and teaching the younger students. That's where, I think, Gale got his experience as a teacher (in the Weave scene he tells the character "I know" if they mention that he is a good teacher). I have a headcanon that his best friend from Blackstaff was a lesbian dragonborn, but she got jealous when he became the Chosen of Mystra, and they parted ways. But that character is only in my head.

We also know that Gale had romantic partners before Mystra. In my opinion he was good-natured, funny and handsome in his late teens and early twenties, and that made him a desirable goal for romance. He most probably liked the attention which he had thrived for in his childhood, so he had a lot of trysts and affairs with fellow Blackstaff apprentices of his age (of all genders and sexes, of course). Yet these romances were not meaningful enough for him to remember them and affect his life. His first serious long term affair was with Mystra, but I think it started after he graduated from Blackstaff.

Even when he was the centre of attention, he was still the weird guy envied for his talents and despised for his vast knowledge. He did not make any bond with his peers (or that bonds were shattered later on), so he had no anchor in the material plane to stop him from pursuing the Goddess of Magic.

That's what I can say on the subject right now. It's very self-indulgent (apart from the "centre of romantic attention" part), because I generally project a lot of myself in Gale. Nevertheless I hope it is interesting to read.

[sonicboomseason3]

Sonic Boom - Theft

NOTE: Here you guys are, a random excerpt from the larger Sonic Boom Season 3 project I've been working on! If people like this one, then I'm down to share more in the future as well (but only occasionally because I don't want to clog up any of the tags). But yeah, I'm not usually someone who's super confident in my writing, but I genuinely did like how this one ended up, and I want to test the waters with this so. lol.

Some context for this: Shadow has a part-time job at Meh Burger. and it's a running bit for Sonic to have a shitty time every time he tries ordering from him, but people who have been on my blog long enough already know about that particular lore. Also, sometime before this, Meh Burger replaced all of their menus with thin slabs of steel with words etched into them due to Reasons. Don't worry about it. Smiles.

--

“Uh…” Sonic faltered when he noticed that Shadow’s expression was visibly stormier than it usually was. “You… okay?”

“Where are my gloves.”

“Come again?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, hedgehog,” Shadow snapped. He pointed an accusatory finger right between Sonic’s eyes, causing him to go cross-eyed. “I haven’t been able to find them since this morning, and so I’ve had no other choice but to wear a backup pair provided by Meh Burger. Where are they.”

It took Sonic another moment to register the words coming out of Shadow’s mouth. Indeed, the latter was wearing the standard white gloves that everyone else wore instead of those weird gauntlet things. Aside from the golden rings clamped around his wrists, Shadow’s whole look was suddenly looking very, very plain.

“I… don’t know?” Sonic slowly replied, pushing Shadow’s finger back towards its owner. “What makes you think I have anything to do with that?”

Shadow scoffed and crossed his arms, clearly not believing him. “Because you are the one who would gain the most out of stealing from me. You want my gloves to enhance your own gear, which will in turn make your battles more efficient.”

“Are you serious, Shadow? I don’t even know where to begin with any of that,” Sonic said, beginning to get annoyed at all the hoops Shadow was jumping through just to blame him for his personal problems. “One, if I really felt like upgrading anything, I would’ve just asked Tails instead of going through all that trouble. Two, I have a perfectly good pair of gloves that I’ve been wearing for years, and I have zero problems with them. No holes, no chafing, no nothin’. I don’t even see what makes your gloves so special.”

“Of course they’re special. They’re the only pair in existence, unlike your inferior ones.”

Sonic’s eye twitched. “Yeah, well, at least mine don’t make me look like I’m wearing a couple of toilet plungers on my hands.”

“What?”

Honestly, Sonic didn’t really think that Shadow’s gloves were that bad, but he had his limits to how much he would take lying down before dishing right back. While he was definitely getting better at the whole ‘ordering Meh Burger when Shadow was on his shift’ thing, there were still times when he lost his patience. This was one of those times.

“Hey, can you exchange insults somewhere else?” Dave, showing up out of nowhere to stand next to Shadow, whined. “I’m sick of doing overtime cleaning up after your fights.”

Sonic supposed he should feel some semblance of gratitude towards Dave for preventing the fistfight that had definitely been about to happen, but he was still too irritated at being falsely accused. “Dave, tell Shadow it makes no sense for me to steal his gloves.”

Dave turned to Shadow with an eyebrow raised. “Your gloves are missing?”

“Since this morning. And if it truly wasn’t Sonic who took them—”

“Dude, for the millionth time, it wasn’t.”

“—then I will hunt down this unknown thief if it’s the last thing I do,” Shadow finished, completely ignoring Sonic. “And they will pay for daring to steal from me.”

“Wow, it’d sure suck to be them then,” Dave yawned, raising a hand to cover his mouth. The other two immediately took notice of the fact that he had on a very familiar red, black, and white gauntlet. “Too bad I don’t know anything.”

Sonic stared at Dave’s hand shielding his yawn, and then stared at his other hand hanging by his side. Sure enough, there was Shadow’s other glove. “Seriously?”

“David,” Shadow ground out through clenched teeth as he reached for one of Meh Burger’s steel menus.

To Dave’s credit, he didn’t even flinch at the realization that he had been found out. Instead, he closed his eyes in acceptance right as Shadow smacked him in the side of the head with the menu, the CLANG resounding throughout the entire restaurant. He fell to the floor, out cold.

“What’s wrong with you, Shadow?” Sonic asked in exasperation. “You’ve been here with him for hours at this point. How in the heck did you not notice until now?”

Shadow didn’t reply, only gazing down at Dave’s unconscious form with open disdain. Something else in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and his scowl deepened. “Sonic,” he snarled, his mood worsening even more. “My air shoes are missing.”

“Come again?”

Shadow, growling like a wild animal and possessing more flexibility than a limp pool noodle, kicked his leg high up in the air and slammed it down on the counter for Sonic to see.

Thankfully, he had socks on, but Sonic still could have gone on with his life without the increased proximity to Shadow’s unshod foot. “Oh my god, dude, don’t—”

“I said my air shoes are missing,” Shadow repeated dangerously, his leg still resting on the counter. The counter where food was supposed to be served. “If you have something to do with this, say so now.”

Sonic threw his hands up in the air. “We’ve already proven I didn’t steal your gloves, so why would I steal your stupid shoes?! And again, how do you go around not noticing this stuff?!”

Shadow opened his mouth say something, but the sound of an evil laugh coming from above cut him off. They both looked up at the sky and saw Eggman hovering in the air… with some newly acquired footwear and not his Eggmobile. Sonic slapped a palm to his forehead as Shadow’s eyes narrowed into slits.

“There you are, Sonic! Behold, my greatest plan yet!” Eggman announced smugly, descending to the ground and striking a pose in front of his foe. He was trying to look cool, but the effect was slightly dimmed by how he was clearly in pain despite all his gusto. Of course he was, given that Shadow’s shoes were a few sizes smaller than his own. “I’ve figured out a way to match your speed, and now I can finally defeat you, thanks to my new roller skates! Don’t even try to stop me—”

“Trust me, I don’t have to,” Sonic sighed, hand running down his face.

“Wait, what?”

“They’re air shoes,”came three menacing words from right behind Eggman. Eggman barely had the chance to realize that Shadow had teleported from his spot at the counter before another CLANG even louder than the last one rang out. Down the street, a few villagers in their homes opened their windows, poking their heads out in confusion.

“This pathetic island is populated by trash and trash only,” Shadow sniffed. He threw the menu off to the side and bent down to take his shoes back. When he couldn’t remove them so easily, he growled again and resorted to yanking on them with so much force that Sonic was surprised that Eggman’s feet didn’t pop off with them. Putting them under one of his arms, he stomped back over to Dave’s body to do the same with his gloves. With all his gear now back in his hands, he glanced over his shoulder at Sonic. “I’m out of here. You can go get your swill elsewhere. Or starve. It makes no difference to me.”

He teleported away to who even knew where, leaving Meh Burger completely unmanned by anyone still lucid.

Sonic stood quietly for a second before looking down at Eggman, who was face down on the floor with his butt in the air, his toes red from being crammed into ill-fitting shoes, and his hands covering the rapidly forming bruise on the back of his head. “You okay, Egghead?”

“Mombot…” Eggman whimpered, dazed. “I want Mombot…”

“Yeah, I dunno how you thought that could’ve ended any other way, to be honest.”

[seonghwacore]

hello! I saw we are talking about kq and their rushed schedule for ateez and well if that isn't something I always want to rant (a bit) about. I have to admit though I've never been much into the lore. My first cb with them was fever pt 2, so I can't comment on things before then, but somehow it felt to me like they were putting quality over quantity then? ESPECIALLY compared to the work/golden hour 1 cb. I'm sorry but that was so rushed and kinda generic, the concept pics had nothing to do with the mv, the mv was fun but extremely random after the vibe the concept pics set, the outfits were generic, the background even more so, and why were there 27 pic per member. Fireworks had 1 pic per member per version (minus diary), and I'm biased bc it was my first cb and arguably the best hwa concept pic ever to be released, but that had IMPACT. It felt like they had a vision and then that was more than "hot men in suits/slutty clothes". and then the promo shows, I don't think they recycled an outfit even once, and overall it just seemed like everything had a bit more time to breathe? Pretty sure salary lupin was on at the time, but not 5000 other things all ot once. Sure covid was still a thing then, but why do they need a tour, a Korean cb, a Japanese cb, some random collab, and god knows what other things all at the same time? that's too much for them, but also for us as fans. Sorry I really disliked the work comeback because of everything that wasn't the music or ateez themselves and I really fucking hope that was a one off thing, and didn't set the standard for future cbs

HI FIO! forgive me for the super late reply 😭 i actually read briefly your msg and decided that this topic required more attention bcs i did have a super serious, lengthy talk with an atiny bff abt atz's creative direction lately and we shared the same idea. i just dont want to respond to your rant halfheartedly, thus.

And with the sneak peek of the next cb, I HIGHKEY THINK your little rant, just, hits too close to home 😔

OKAY, WHEW this gon be long. personally, what you felt about work cb (and the chilling, ominous vision of the future cbs' direction) is super valid. i feel the same thing too, except you're also very detail abt their outfits and concepts. sometimes i question myself if im being... too annoying about their music, esp work cb.

there's a reason i stop commenting [on their music] and it's bcs i don't want to appear... know-it-all, annoying, or other adjectives associated with these words. i got into the fandom just last year, i cant really say much, knowing im also not a certified music critic. but also i've been listening to them "blindly" since answer til halazia until i officially jumped in so, do i or do i not have the capacity to throw my opinion like this 😂

and even without looking at their visuals, to me, their music quality was already proven undoubtedly top notch, unique, quite ahead of their, well, competitors. had a little difficulty digesting the batshit futuristic instruments going behind their vocals at first (and the freaking remixes asksjkf) but overall, their songs always sound like they're crafted with heart and passion for the lore. for the journey. and im glad that they're not a headless worm going just anywhere with their music. or even worse, to achieve tiktok success. just like.... most artists... in the industry all over the world.

i think because i found them at the time i lost myself the most and their lore and storytelling have a certain goal to achieve. even if it's breaking the norms, even if you have to believe in yourself. i think i become so attached with the kids bcs of their bold music and even bolder message. you know,,, the psychological connection in this paragraph.

so, when they keep insisting that working during holidays are their choice, i just, sigh. knowing that a lot of fans would still defend them (esp twttiny bcs they always seem excited for the boys which is good but girlypops u dont have to gaslight urself if ur not liking it now). i dont even want to sugarcoat this anymore im worried that this is not a matter of "being genius creative tanks" but the need to be able to stay afloat in the trend, in the industry, cus theyre coming fr a relatively small company. and im really not sure how to feel abt that crying laughing rn. im worried theyre exhausted, not physically but their inspiration well.

i really wish they could engage in some other activity, or at least, brought wanteez back as the easy days. they dont have to be an all rounder really. just have fun in more original contents ig. not gonna touch the fashion weeks thingy cus im the least fashionable person in the clerb 😂

on the other side, foolish me to believe strongly and tell myself that kq would follow the lore, put the lore as the backbone of their creative direction for their music and expand from there. anything. music, short movies, random clips, visual diary, whatev. i didnt realize, they have the authority to bend the lore itself. like... what happened to, not sure, thunder, or halateez, in the latest diary log. if u felt that work was rushed, i agree. i am still confused til now tho i accepted that cb p well aljdlasjda

but yeah, i think i will stop expecting from now on and just listen. im too tired to analyze the lore, too tired to criticize and/or sugarcoat my opinion. if i like it, then i like it, if i don't then i don't. im open to discussion but i will definitely refrain from commenting. don't wanna spoil other people's fun ofc ofc. but this one we share fio, yeah i think i need to let out a little 😂 sorry this is getting a bit out of control fio. But like you said, hope that this is a one off thing too.

last but most importantly, i hope that you're doing great now, with whatever that's going on in your life. tis getting colder these days so take care, bestie 💚💚💚

[dynared]

While Robert Kirkman and friends have made it clear they have no immediate plans for characters outside of US G1 for now, I'm once again pondering what might be done in the near or far future with certain characters. Admittedly some of this is also because I know there are certain characters Earthspark won't touch for anything, even if they might have some use there, because Mae Catt was told she couldn't make them gay couples.

Anyway, my rambling will start with one character that was screwed over hard in IDW and really deserves more of a chance to shine, especially given how nice his Haslab and third-party figures are. I'll probably do this for other characters later. So let's start with the biggest victim of IDW's writing - Star Saber.

Star Saber is someone who got a REALLY bad look in IDW thanks to his characterization being based on the one from James Roberts's shitty fanfic, to the point Hasbro has essentially done an about-face with him everywhere else. Knowing that Hasbro won't return to the insane religious fundamentalist that he was mutilated into is already a relief. Still, there is something to the idea that if Optimus and presumably Rodimus aren't going to be gone for volumes at a time as the leader of the Autobots, there may be another role Star Saber can fit into in the Energon Universe.

Swordsman/Master of Metallikato -

One of the ideas in Transformers lore that has existed since the Furman run of the 1980s but has surprisingly never been elaborated on, even in IDW, was the idea of Metallikato. Metallikato is supposed to be a mysterious Cybertronian martial art thought lost to the ages, until the Decepticon Bludgeon began bragging to everyone within earshot that he was a master of the art, a combination of bare-handed fighting techniques and swordplay. While on occasion you get a Bot or Con who claims training in it, like Drft for example, it rarely gets elaborated on in any meaningful way.

Maybe it's my love of martial arts movies talking, but the idea of an ancient martial art in the tradition of kung fu movies being used to turn the tide of a civil war has a lot of potential. Star Saber being a master of Metallikato along with others, wondering if he should lend his blade to a partisan cause, only to find that bots like Bludgeon and Drift have made that choice for him. From there there's a ton of ideas that could sprawl from that, both sides wanting to train new Metallikato practitioners, the philosophical issues with lending a blade to a partisan cause, or the idea that a master would want power for themselves.

As an aside, if he were to show up in Earthspark, Saber training one of the Terrans in the mastery of Metallikato seems like it would be a pretty natural fit. Then again, considering what the rejected script with Drift looked like, I doubt they were entertaining such a notion.

The Single Dad in the galaxy -

While Star Wars may have abused the utter hell out of the framework of Lone Wolf and Cub since The Mandalorian became a hit (Bad Batch and Obi-Wan both try to replicate the core idea to much less success) one of the bigger parts of Star Saber's original characterization (which was ignored by IDW like everything else) was that he was essentially a father with an adopted child. A human child, named Jan.

The second episode of Transformers Victory actually has Star Saber doing paperwork to get Jan into a private school.

While, as noted before, the idea of a lone warrior traveling with a kid has been used a lot in recent years, there are definitely a lot of ways this could be taken that would be new to Transformers. The human element (or another alien if the EU goes that route) forcing Star Saber to interact with other people a lot more than he would have to otherwise. Hard to be the straight-laced, serious sword guy when you're worrying about your adopted kid being able to socialize with others and get an education. At the same time, there's definitely a lot of comedy to be milked out of such a setup. You just know the other Bots would groan whenever Saber shows pictures of his son.

The Super Robot Parody/Reconstruction -

Simon Furman, the quintessential Transformers writer guy, has been writing a lot of stuff for the mobile game Transformers: Earth Wars (and he also helped to write the script for the Earthspark game). In it, he has Star Saber as an active character, but as something of a worrywart/blowhard whose speeches about JUSTICE and other platitudes oftentimes rub his Autobot compatriots the wrong way. Then he fights and everyone is quickly reminded why he's the head instructor of the Autobot's War Academy.

As I mentioned in another post, the idea of a super robot parody is not one that Transformers has ever really dealt with despite having super robot elements in past shows, and Bang Brave Bang Bravern showing the potential of such a concept. Granted, I don't see Star Saber being nearly as...affectionate as Bravern can be, but the fact that Transformers hasn't played around with this parody concept outside of some flavor text in a mobile game few want to whale for is something that you think would have potential. Is he genuine about it or is this something he thinks is cool? How do the other Bots and Cons react? How do the humans? And what happens when they underestimate him and the end result has them lose to the weirdo?

Like I said before, I get not wanting to have the straight leader archetype if you're not planning to get rid of Optimus or Rodimus. But with the religious extremist angle having been rejected by just about everybody, there are ways to make Star Saber work in the Energon Universe and other animated material.

[moonspirit]

hi! I hope you’re doing great today ☺️ I wanted to ask you one thing

how do you think Annie got her ring? was it her idea so that she would not have to bite herself? and if so, what does it say about her personality?

Hello! I hope your day is going well too :3

Interesting question tho. I don't think anything about Annie's ring was ever mentioned in the manga beyond the obvious reference to its purpose. Please correct me if I'm wrong tho, my memory these days is WELP xD

However, assuming I am right, this is where I have to say that I like picking tidbits of information from other published sources to expand upon lore, as long as it doesn't straight up contradict canon information.

So, I'll dive into Lost Girls for a bit.

I recall a chapter in it where Mikasa confronts Annie over her ring that she found in the training grounds (we already know that Annie doesn't wear her ring all the time, only putting it on when she's likely to use it, and Lost Girls maintains this). Annie's response to this is that it was an item given to her by her "parents" before she left home, and that it's important to her. Mikasa then asks her something like, "Why are you here, in the military?" And follows it up with, "It doesn't look to me like you're here to secure a place in the inner districts, rather, you're doing it because you have to." Annie then explains that the ring is what gives her purpose, and that's good enough a reason.

From this I've always assumed that the ring wasn't a thing Annie made or bought herself - it was given to her by her father, probably once she was seen by the Marleyan military as a definite successor to the Female Titan.

Now where did the ring itself come from?

Since we aren't told much about Mr.Leonhardt either except for the fact that he was shipped off to Liberio for his half eldian blood, his background remains murky. But I remember reading a reddit post years and years ago about how the pointy blade on Annie's ring was a bit similar to real life poison rings that were used in the middle ages by nobility. These rings were used to poison enemies as well as to facilitate suicide in case of capture. Sound a bit familiar? Anyway, somehow I ended up imagining that Mr.Leonhardt came into possession of a similar such ring with a blade as a part of a loot of stolen goods before he arrived at Liberio, and that has been fact in my head haha xD

So while I've just taken Annie's words (about being given the ring by her dad) at face value and accepted them, it is also highly interesting to explore the possibility that Annie bought it herself. Why? Let's see:

Whichever take you go with, the ring is very symbolic. The choice of using the ring to transform instead of a bite or cut, is very much reflective of what Annie was taught: to be quick, powerful and lethal. With a ring you attract less attention, and the cut will be smaller and therefore easier to hide as it heals. It can assist in situations where the hands and mouth are bound and gagged. It can also act as a psychological trigger: putting it on means you have a mission to complete and see through, no matter what; aka, you mean serious business.

So to put it simply: Annie getting the ring for herself would basically speak about her tactical mind and quick problem solving abilities, leaning towards methods most efficient and able to get the job done with minimum effort - the ring achieves exactly that.

On the other hand, Annie getting the ring as a "gift" from her father would speak to narrative symbolism. The reason I personally like this more than the first one is because Annie calls the ring "important to her", and perhaps that is because the ring is her one, single tangible link between her and father (in the Lost Girls chapter, she pats her left breast pocket to check for it), and as such, it's very precious. This brings out Annie's softer side that yearns and longs for affection and love.

Anyway xD Long ass reply, but I hope that satisfies you!

[aspacewar]

Hiii I wanna hear more about the vampire/mortal duo! I'm not gonna say tell us everything but I'm such a sucker for such narratives I need the lore :D (If you have a reference post for them somewhere and I missed it in sorryyy)

Ooooooh lord where do I even begin hahahaha

I don’t have a ref post for them but I do have a tag (#Jet x Seven tag) for things that remind me of them & I’ll link their toyhouse pages to their names

Jet: Dhampir turned by an abusive ex (vampire named Calista) who, upon running away after being turned, was given shelter by Seven. Definitely doesn’t desperately want to bite Seven.

Seven: NPC Human* (mutant & some other weird shit the DM has alluded to but not revealed is going on) orphan who survived human experimentation along with 10 other mutant orphaned children to become a withdrawn, ornery artificer with serious emotional intimacy issues.

(Moodboard covered in tumblr posts and things from Pinterest I made for them as part of a set for each of Jet’s crazy situationships a while back & then the disaster duo themselves, credit to kankalin here on tumblr for the art)

TL;DR of what’s below the cut:

WILDLY codependent roommates in undefined, unspoken situationship that everyone else in the world with functioning eyeballs immediately clocks as 2 very damaged people deeply in love with each other but unable to verbalize it. Jet is torn between wanting to find a way to become mortal or a way to make Seven immortal so they don’t have to face the prospect of a life without him; Seven is responsible for Jet being a dhampir in the first place and would do (or become) whatever they asked, so long as it meant they wouldn’t leave him. They are obsessed with each other, deeply unwell, and I adore them — I could post some of the fic I’ve written based on the biggest story-beats of their relationship in a separate post but I’ll leave it for now haha

Jet and Seven originally did not get along at ALL but over the ~4.5-5 years they spent as roommates pre-campaign, they slowly formed an at-first shaky bond that gradually morphed into an extremely close partnership that both refused to remotely acknowledge the intimacy or codependency of until about a quarter of the way into the campaign when Calista was formally introduced as an antagonist and threatened to take Jet away. Things got even more codependent and fraught after that point lmao but I’ll not write a whole novel here.

Jet knew Seven had some sort of secret history with Calista he wouldn’t talk about, but didn't know that it was because Seven was technically responsible for her being able to turn Jet into a dhampir. (Vampirism is conferred via a half-arcane, half-technological ritual in the DM’s homebrew setting and the methodology of said ritual has been lost for ~600 years, but Calista was attempting to replicate it through trial and error to rebuild her nearly-extinct vampiric house.) Seven helped her with her research out of desperation to find a way to resurrect his dead siblings, and abandoned the project upon realizing the harm it would do, but had already made enough progress that while Calista could not fully turn Jet, she was able to make them a dhampir.

Seven never told Jet because at first he was just guilty, and then he was guilty + also way too attached to be able to handle them leaving (which he assumed they would if they found out the truth.) Jet did eventually find out and was initially devastated, but eventually forgave Seven since he didn’t intend to harm them specifically and has spent the last 5 years doing literally everything in his power to protect them and has never once hurt them or otherwise betrayed their trust during that time.

The two of them have spent the entire campaign taking literal bullets for each other and exchanging promises to never leave the other’s side or stop fighting to keep each other safe, recently discovered their literal actual souls are bound together by the strength of their devotion, but literally only JUST (as in within the last ~24-48 hours in-game) got to the point where Jet FINALLY formally asked Seven on a real date and they officially became a couple. (Seven was first mentioned by name in session 1, first appeared in session 6, and we’re going into session 85 on Sunday, for an idea of just how insanely long of a slow-burn they’ve been on.)

Anyway they’re both completely insane and I have never been more utterly, rabidly possessed by a ship in my life.

[semi-sketchy]

For an update (mostly) meant to flesh out the Ancients/The End, they still seem not all that memorable or compelling from what little I've seen. They're just as much as plot devices masquerading as (bland) characters as Sage still is. The plot EXPECTS me to care, but I just cannot because the lore/exposition in this game is soooo dull when it's not wholly confusing. And I gotta ask, is any of it gonna matter in future games? Does anyone really approve of this shite whilst still bemoaning how unnecessarily convoluted Shadow's backstory was? That for a supposed big threat, it all still took place on some small-scale remote islands? This stuff should begging for a retcon. Guess that'll be up to me. Hint: Fairy dust made it all seem real to both the heroes and Eggman. And the Kocos are Accidental Antagonists to have put them through all of it because they don't remember their true history on the islands...

The question of which ending is canon is up for debate, but personally I think this one is going to cause more problems long-term. I literally started yelling at the side story when Sage said the Ancients had satellites that are still functional.

Tens of thousands of years old, still orbiting, functional, and NO ONE HAS NOTICED THEM? This is the world that had a SPACE COLONY 50 YEARS AGO and they NEVER asked what these old satellites were?? Like man, if we discovered ancient satellites circling our planet, there would be some paranormal podcasts talking about this "unknown" and obscure fact, but here no one has noticed?

Also extremely disappointed they did nothing to expand on The End. If anything, this is regression from base game because it's missing that pretentious speech. I wanted to know WHY this consumer of worlds was specifically chasing the Ancients. If it's just supposed to be symbolic, then that was completely lost on me.

I'm with you on the not being able to care part. I'm not bonded to these characters and the short cutscenes around the trials doesn't change anything about the pilots. It's just "WE DIED TO CONTAIN THIS THING AND YOU SET IT FREE-- oh you passed my brute strength trial. K guess you're a good guy." Sonic gets some sass with the King Koco, but it also feels...off. It's not his normal disrespect towards authority.

To go on another tangent, the opening cutscene bothers me.

Sonic isn't the person to give a "rally the troops" speech. Although, how this scene was written made that direction the ONLY way it could've gone.

I think of the Last Story cutscene from Heroes. Sonic just listens.

When he says he'll fight Metal Overlord, it's Tails and Knuckles that pop up to say "we're going to help you!" and Shadow that says they'll buy them time.

Sonic doesn't ask anything from anybody, he just graciously accepts their help. Compare how this was written to sticking Sonic in a place where he's the one who has to explain what's going on and tell others what he needs.

It's a case where the plot moves the characters and not the characters moving the plot, which is the perfect storm for OOC moments. That is exactly what happened with Eggman when they decided Sage was a good idea.

Sage just regurgitates random info about rocks and other stuff no one asked about, like there was ONE LINE where she sounded kinda different which made me think it would've been so good if Sage was more like GLaDOS. I want her to have more sick burns. But no, innocent child because Eggman "needs" a daughter and Sonic has to have a reason to help the girl that's been trying to kill him the whole game.

I don't understand how anyone can call this "peak" because it's just so self-important and straight-faced serious, it's at the point of monotony. It breaks what I like about these characters to wrap them up in a "serious story" blanket whilst failing to properly build up the threat.

I hope they reevaluate their choices and this isn't really the standard moving forward because it's so stupid it hurts. And that's just the story/lore.