#Hero Wars cheats codes

[boundlessentity]

Everyone needs to go see You’re Next asap because it was incredible and I was grinning like a stupid little idiot the whole time. I immediately need to go watch it in Japanese with subtitles.

Anyways, here are some of my thoughts! My memory is terrible though so they’ll probably be a little out of order and I’ll probably miss a bit. That’s fine though, it’s not plot analysis.

Spoilers below the cut!

The intro sequence was pretty cool actually

Heehee screen time for Sero! And Ojiro gets to talk and show off that he can actually do stuff! Underrated character appreciation time🥰

Immediate Star Wars reference, I see…

Drinking tea with a picture of a pretty girl. OH WAIT HE WAS MAKING TEA FOR THE PICTURE BECAUSE THATS WHAT HE USED TO DO FOR HER AND NOT JUST BECAUSE HES FANCY I GET IT NOW

Iida using Bakugou’s entire hero name only for people to immediately shit on it for being so long is hilarious and everyone should do it more

This man is #notmyallmight and tbh pretty ugly? Like I didn’t think I would miss all of the deep creases and heavy shadows on All Might’s face but he looks weird without them.

The goth woman in the spider web dress is kinda pretty actually I vibe with it

Ooooo pretty lights! I don’t feel so good, Mr. Stark…

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, Izuku sleeps tonight…

He’s like “okay phew I’m good I’m stable like this” and immediately plummets to his doom. Like that whole sequence in the tube was so funny, and then you think it’s over but it’s snowball time! Plus Soggy Deku is adorable, he looks like a wet cat (affectionate)

“I’ve never been so insulted so politely?!”

They did my boy Kaminari SO dirty throughout this whole movie but I was especially disappointed at this part. Mineta I understand, even after they toned him down in the 6th season, he’s still a pervert. But Kaminari is so much deeper than that and has had so much character development, and they decided the perfect happy little daydream for him would be women in bikinis? No way. What little we did see of him in the movie was so shallow.

The other daydreams though? Hoo boy😮‍💨

Todoroki’s perfect daydream is him with his family, being happy. Him, scarless, playing with all of his siblings INCLUDING TOUYA while his happy parents sit together and watch them with a smile. I swear if that little scene was on screen any longer I might have teared up.

Shouji’s too, like oh my god. His is a world where he was accepted for who he is and he and the little girl are happy and he doesn’t feel like he has to hide his face behind a mask because he never got the scars in the first place😢

Idia’s being him and Tenya being heroes together. Because that was his dream. And he can’t have it anymore.

Momo you’re adorable, please never change

Deku’s being him with all of the All Might merch and a hero who believed in his dreams from the start🥲 and then OFA User 1 snapping him out of it? Vestiges for the win, again

Speaking of, I love how much they had him using all of the vestiges’ quirks throughout the movie. My boy has grown so much🥰

That whole scene though was really cool, the way it was set up like a doll house? I enjoyed that, I wish we had gotten to look at it a little longer. Looks like Hagakure’s was being visible and having all of the outfits, Uraraka’s was floating on a cloud, Jirou’s was rocking out with her guitar, and Sero’s was doing some kind of Spider-Man tape shit idk. Wish I remembered what Ojiro’s was

Dark Might using a rotary phone to make a video call and then immediately taking credit for the name Dark Might? Cringe

HAWKS OH MY GOD LOOK HES THERE TOO

Fr Hawks got a lot of screen time throughout the movie, most of which was really not necessary or particularly relevant (not that I’m complaining😜)

Are those off-brand Nomus in suits?

“I’m a walking cheat code” is such a killer line damn

Dark Might is so delulu oh my god.

Other stuff happens, I don’t remember having any super intense thoughts so I’ll jump ahead for now and come back to this if I feel like it later

Mirio! I’m glad they included him the guy is underutilized

More of the pros! Especially MIRKO and the combination of Edgeshot and Best Jeanist

I’m glad they’re giving Uraraka so much attention, she was kinda brushed over in the other movies if I recall correctly. Iida too, though not as much

Bakugou the strategist!

Tokoyami getting his moment in the proverbial spotlight. Not the literal one, that wouldn’t be helpful. “Those who can fly, should fly,” indeed

Bakugou and Todoroki out there working together with surprisingly little bickering. I’m impressed.

HAWKS. Descending from above like the stunning angel he is! I’m such a sucker for his dynamic with Tokoyami, the mentorship and genuine care there between them? The fact that he’s encouraging and pushing his bird protege to be better? Love love love

I know Julio just explained it but I still don’t really get Dark Might’s quirk. If someone could explain it to me that would be great thanks

Even Dark Might sees how much potential Midoriya has wow

Literally just naming states at this point. Detroit Smash who?

Big Three coming in hot! Kick some villainous ass! Speaking of, it seems that Bones Studio had indeed decided to return All Might (Dark Might technically)’s ass to him.

Thrown into a statue of himself and he popped like a balloon lol

Forgot that the city was empty and started freaking out when the ship was crashing. I thought people were getting squished🥲

Yes Julio! Go be with the one you love!

Shoutout to Mitsuki and Inko being best friends

A bit of a predictable ending but satisfying nonetheless!

Maybe a little bit unclear when in canon this takes place? Largely when you consider the little moment after the credits

The movie was intense but also had a lot of. Moments of comic relief which I really appreciated! It was super well balanced

I had a million and one thoughts but it’s the middle of the night and I don’t really remember what they were. Anyways, it was a very strong movie imo, 10/10 because I had a good time

[lostdrarryfics]

lostdrarryfics monthly roundup! May 2024

Below you will find the requests we could not locate in the month of May. Please let us know if you recognize any!

You can also browse our lengthy lost fic masterlist, where we have compiled every request we have been unable to find over the past few years. We're always hoping someone will recognize a fic so we can let the asker know what it was!

1. D ends up with H before the battle at hogwarts. I remember Narcissa being with them when they basically handed draco over. I think they stay at grimmauld place in the beginning but they get separated (I might be confusing it for another fic). The most important detail is that D and H end up in a cottage owned by narcissa and followed by Voldy’s henchmen but the deatheaters can’t see the cottage so D and H are safe. I might have gotten the timing wrong and it might have been set right after the battle of hogwarts (I’m still not sure on this sorry) There’s also no graphic sex from what i remember. Fic is not Warding Bonds by AdareThompson

2. Harry is a celebrity chef, and Draco tweets at him for dinner, and Harry said he'd save him a table. Draco shows up and they cook together as a sort of date. The one key thing I remember is that Harry had a past relationship with Justin Finch-Fletchley but Justin dumped him.

3. it was about Draco being an unspeakable and what comes to my mind is this specific scene about Draco with one of his teammates joking about his nickname (all of them has a star's name as code name), talking about the pole star, I think Draco was "Polaris" and she said he was "Vega", like the ancient polar star, I can't remember much more. Draco was happy that he isn't recognized as a death eater between his co-workers and they really appreciated him. Harry was an auror? And they had to work together? I'm not really sure

4. Harry is Draco’s secretary and Draco makes him wear a skirt to work and it’s one chapter and smutty. Top Draco.

5. post-war drrary fic where Harry and Draco lived in the Malfoy Manor and they were in an established relationship. Then Draco's behaviour started to change, he became mean, and Harry gave him an ultimatum, promising he won't put a foot in the Manor again if he leaves. Then Harry leaves and I think Draco was about to get married. But then Narcissa comes to Harry and explains that Lucius has put a curse on Draco to break their relationship. I specifically remember that she told Harry that Draco was musing how to apologise to him. Harry then came back to the Manor. I think it was on ao3 but I'm not sure

6. I am looking for a Hogwarts era fic. It's after the war. Harry is fed up with being treated like a hero so he enters into a friends with benefits arrangement with Draco. They are sneaking away to hook up and have a lot of hate sex and bond over their taste in music. I specifically remember them having sex to Kashmir by Led Zeppelin and Deftones. Towards the end they start to realize they have feelings for each other.

7. Hogwarts Eighth year, lupin(alive) is the dada teacher again, drarry are sort of in a relationship or at least there's something going on. The one scene I remember distinctly is they're chosen for a demonstration duel during dada and they take the bow and stance but then draco concedes in front of the whole class, which is kind of a big deal in magical duels-as hermione tells harry, and then lupin wants to talk to draco after class(?)

8. drarry multi-chapter fic i read on ao3 a bit ago. it was set around christmas/holidays, established relationship, harry has mental health problems and is distant so draco thinks he's cheating on him but he reveals that hes been going to a mind healer like secretly. also i think teddy is in it and they go ice skating with him? the fic is about like draco helping harry get his life back together and fixing their relationship.

9. it takes place in hogwarts and there’s a secret lgbtq club in the school. I think there were some side pairings too besides drarry.

10. I read this ages ago, dont remember what site but it was complete and mature content. title was like Griffendor <something>, Slythering <something> (i think) after school, harry is a pro quidditch player and draco is a magazine editor or something? One of them decides to write a book (draco?) and goes to the other for help with source material(?). We find out that they are divorced and have been court ordered to stay away from each other because of destructive fights. There was also some flashbacks where they like fed each other strawberries and one of them (harry?) told the other that the cost of the strawberry was marriage? And there was something about a pair of lockets they had from when they were married that they still wear but are hiding from each other?

11. i think it was a war au, draco was at grimmauld because reasons and he was helping the order with the potions, at one point he helps snape or remus because they were hurt? And he and harry had this thing or something, but he caught harry kissing one of the twins and he thought that harry wasn't interested, but he was just like practicing the kisses or something?

12. Looking for a fic I read some years ago in german, but I am pretty sure it was translated from english. It is about Draco helping Harry and his friends escape from Malfoy Manor in the seventh book and being captured by the Death Eaters. He gets thrown into a cell without any sensory stimulation, but gets rescued after the war. The fic deals with the consequences of that, I am not quite sure if he is at St. Mungos for some time, but he definitely gets close to Harry in his healing process. Sorry if this is too vague or if it turns out that the fic was originally in german.

[princeescaluswords]

Currently thinking of certain factions of fandom who tend to demonize Laura Hale. What exactly did she do that was so awful?

Leaving her injured and catatonic uncle in a care facility? Do they think he would've miraculously healed in New York if she brought him along (if that was even an option)? They seem to think she abandoned him or should've done more. What exactly, dear fandom?

Laura was a young woman who suffered a devastating loss and had to be the leader and look out for her younger brother and injured uncle. Cora was assumed dead too. Similar to Scott, she didn't ask to be alpha.

What did they expect her to do? Wage war against the perpetrators? She didn't know who was involved but she did return when Peter lured her. Fandom thinks she was unfit for the role of alpha because she wasn't ripping throats out and hunting down culprits, that she ~abandoned~ her uncle in a vulnerable state, blah blah.

The way they get angry at Scott disobeying Peter and Derek, you'd think they'd be livid over Peter killing his alpha who was also his niece who was the ~heir~ to Talia. Sacrilege!

Scott didn't ~trust~ Stiles? Well, Petey didn't trust his alpha! Why the secrecy? Why not report in immediately upon gaining consciousness?

*dons the stylish hat of Fandom Logic* Oh, oh Peter was involved in the Hale Fire! He always craved the mantle of alpha and needed Talia out of the way. But he got betrayed by Kate in the end and locked in with the rest of the family. That's why he insisted he's always been the alpha, he was promised the power if he helped destroy the pack. It's why he lured Laura back and killed her instead of communicating, he just wanted the power.

Your question puts me in mind of an argument both This Discontented Winter and Athena Dark have made to counter my indictments of fandoms worship of Peter Hale. To paraphrase TDW, "does all entertainment have to be a morality play?"

The simplistic answer to their bad faith riposte, is "No, it doesn't." You can watch two people sit in a room and not talk to each other. You can watch art hang motionless on a wall or paint dry, but these wouldn't be particularly popular forms of visual entertainment. What excites an audience is how the actors, the characters, the players treat each other, which is governed by principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. In other words, morality.

People watch the Real Housewives franchise because they want to watch rich women behaving badly. People watch John Wick movies because they want to watch ultra violence performed without regard for human life and instead operate on a different code of behavior. Telenovelas, true crime documentaries, space operas, super hero movies -- all the pleasure their audiences gain from it revolve around decisions people make about how to treat each other. They watch it FOR the morality -- or the LACK of it.

The only forms of modern entertainment I can think of that don't focus on morality are professional sports and talent shows, and both of these take it as a given that neither side is cheating. Even Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom proposed to show us the behavior of animals so we can recognize their beauty and right to exist. My apologies to the BNF, but that's morality, too.

When This Discontented Winter bemoans the idea of all entertainment as morality play and Athena Dark that storytelling doesn't have to have a message, what they are in fact arguing for is the ability to celebrate evil. To freely indulge in the type of moral equivocation that allows them to take pleasure in the triumph of a man murdering his niece for power. You know how I know this, because if they truly wanted to enjoy something without the moral dimension, they wouldn't go to such great lengths to protect their blorbos from any moral condemnation.

Thus, we get the idea that Laura deserved death because she abandoned Peter in the long-term care facility, in which he rested safely for six years without the Argents even being aware of his location. We get the idea that Laura deserved death because she didn't seek vengeance for her family, even though she was absolutely looking for the person responsible for the death of her family -- we saw actual physical evidence of it. Thus we get the idea that Peter had no idea what he was doing, that he was out of his mind, only to find out later -- when none of the other characters believe that anymore -- that he was aware of what he was doing all along.

Remember Master Plan (2x12):

Peter: No. It's a laptop. What century are you living in? A few days after I got out of the coma, I transferred everything that we had. Fortunately, the Argents aren't the only ones that keep records.

Wow, that's a remarkable amount of foresight for a person who was supposedly so out of his mind that he shouldn't be held responsible for what he did.

The true problem with BNF trying to argue that we don't have to approach the show with an eye toward morality is because the show absolutely did. It was baked into the substance of the show from the get go. The characters are formed to make choices about how they treat other people. To use their own words, we have to treat the entertainment that is called Teen Wolf as a morality play because it IS a morality play. Every story is.

And this is the problem with fandom, which I've noted again and again and again in regards to Star Wars, Shadow and Bone, and now Loki. They want to extract the characters from the moral schema in which they were situated and put them in a new situation, yet pretend that there isn't a moral dimension to this act. And there is, because this new situation is one where only certain considerations are treated as valid, mostly exploitation of the baser instincts of human nature for the benefit of a very small class of stand-ins, defined by race, class, and gender.

[tickly-trashcan]

Masterlist L-Z ☆

Note: This is the third and final part of my masterlist!! I decided to break it down a bit more after redoing my masterlists, so this one is all of my fandoms that are through L and Z! I'll update this list periodically as I continue writing, and it's linked in my pinned post for easy access if you ever want to get to a fic quick!

If any of the links are wrong/not working feel free to let me know! :D

The Legend of Zelda ☆

Beef for Brains {Zelda and Link}

Interest {Link and Groose}

Champion's Secret {Link and Revali}

My Hero Academia ☆

Endurance Training {Todoroki x Reader}

Hero's Penalty {HotWings}

Just Dance! {Bakusquad}

Kisses {TodoDeku}

Operation: Cheer Up Deku {Dekusquad}

A Perfect Fit {TodoDeku}

A Romantic Gift {KiriBaku}

Sparring {KiriBaku}

A Special Way {TodoDeku}

Spooky Scary Skeletons {ShinKami}

Stuck {KiriBaku}

Stuck in the Sheet {ShinDeku}

Study Session? {Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero}

This Means War! {Bakusquad}

A Twisty Game {ShinDeku}

Mystic Messenger ☆

Useless {Zen x Reader}

Ninjago ☆

Antivenin {Kai, Cole, Zane, and Jay}

Cheat Codes {Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane}

Dishing Out {Kai and Lloyd}

Nindroid Abilities {Zane and Cole}

Repairs {Zane and Jay}

Troublemaker {Jay, Zane, Cole, Kai, and Lloyd}

What Goes Around... {Zane, Cole, Kai, and Jay}

Obey Me! ☆

Bookworms {Satan x Reader}

Ouran High School Host Club ☆

Mutual? {TamaHaru}

Sweets Galore {Haruhi, Mori, and Honey}

Persona 5 ☆

Photobooth Findings {Akira and Ryuji}

The Promised Neverland ☆

Game of Strategy {Norman and Emma}

Part of the Family {Norman and Ray}

Why So Serious? {Norman, Ray, and Emma}

Sk8 The Infinity ☆

Skate Tricks {Renga}

Sleepovers {Reki, Langa, and Miya}

Spy x Family ☆

After Bedtime... {Twiyor}

Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun ☆

Clean Up! {Hanako and Yashiro}

Picture Perfect {MitsuKou}

Pretty Things {Mitsuba and Kou}

Tag {Tsukasa and Hanako}

Transformers ☆

Rebuilding {Optimus Prime and Megatron}

[orcboxer]

Do you have any of your own recommendations for choicescript/interactive fiction? Your game was pretty much my entry point for choicescript and I'd love to find more

Oh yeah! So it won't come as a surprise to anyone who's played ORCS RPG but my favorite choicescript games tend to be the crunchier ttrpg-inspired kind. I won't get super in depth about it but suffice to say I prefer a high amount of interactivity. (also I'm gonna mention up front that all of these are ongoing series, none of which have wrapped up as of yet)

My current favorite is Breach: The Archangel Job, by Michael Maxwell and Ben Luigi, a heist thriller where you join a crime organization called The Archangels and well, you do heists. There's a ton of customization, lots of characters, a dice rolling mechanic, and even cheat codes if you like playing around with those. It's very high-energy, very silly, and you can play as almost entirely nonverbal if you want and nobody minds, which is a massive plus for me, as someone with selective mutism. I would love to see more choicescript games like this one, it makes great use of the medium, and I hope it sets some lasting trends in that regard, if I'm being fully honest. Also you get to design and wear your own special crime mask, and masks are badass. I love not having a face.

My second favorite is Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, by Jim Dattilo, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, a zombie survival game. I don't even normally like zombie stories, but this one kicks ass. Again, high customization, dozens of characters with their own arcs, a big inventory system, lots of exploration, crafting and shelter-building mechanics, it's buckwild how much stuff is piled into this game. This one started years ago and it continues to be one of the all time greats in terms of gameplay. I'm very much looking forward to Part 4.

If you prefer a less crunchy experience with higher emphasis on storytelling, may I direct you to the singular exception to my "don't talk to me about superheroes" rule -- Fallen Hero: Rebirth, by Malin Rydén. In this one, you play as a former hero who has decided to become a villain. Your power is telepathy, and my god, telepathy can be terrifying. The storytelling is incredible, and the massive sequel, which dropped this year, did not disappoint. This one dips into some very dark waters, particularly in regards to identity and depression and trauma, but it is also an exceptionally cathartic experience. I know this one is popular because I've seen folks taggin posts as "sidestep" in my activity feed.

Another story-based one with minimal crunch, and somehow the first fantasy genre game I've mentioned: I, the Forgotten One, by John Louis. I actually should have put this one before Fallen Hero because I am still reeling from how much I loved this one. You play as the Marshal, bastard child of the late king. Long ago disinherited and sent off to die in a bloody war that failed to kill you, you now find yourself in the unenviable position of not only delivering news of the king's death to a court that despises you, but also having to take up your sword to defend them all from a second war that is being waged against them by one of your old trusted comrades. And you are, unfortunately, incredibly good at your job. This is a story about trauma and violence and the horrors of war, and it is so, so, so good. Again, it touches on some very dark topics, so be mindful of the content warnings. But this one drew me in like a gotdam riptide, I could not put it down. Can't recommend it highly enough.

[saika077]

[Book 6 Spoilers]

Night Raven Quest but make that TTRPG, baby (ft. The Overblots)

Riddle doesn't really understand the whole roleplaying thing at first but surprisingly enjoys the whole dungeon exploring and puzzle solving. He'd be a Human, pretty basic, I know. And a boy scout like him would be a Paladin with very strict moral code and is very stubborn about it. His stubbornness and temper sometimes causes conflict on the table but he'll work on that. Most of the time it's not even him starting the conflict, but rather some people (Azul) getting on his nerves and causing his anger to explode. This boy seriously needs to learn to cut himself and others some slack and have fun like a normal goddamn teenager.

Leona is the type of mf who makes a hard-boiled character with serious fucked up backstory but gave them a goofy ahh name no one can keep a straight face calling him that. His character would be a war veteran Dwarf Cleric named Angus Schmungus or something. And you know what? That's probably not even his real name. His character name, background, affiliation, etc. is between him and god (the DM). And if anyone asks him about his background and/or motivations he'd just give different outlandish story every time like that one ex-convict dude from Ratatouille, neither confirming or denying the credibility of the story.

Azul would try to cheat, so they'd need a dice tower. They'd also need to check his dice before every campaign (can't be too careful with this slimy mf). During his character creation process, he prioritize stats like Charisma, Intelligence, etc. He plays a Bard and a Tiefling for that extra +2 Charisma and +1 Intelligence. Though when I said a bard, he's more like a...conman of some sorts (though he wouldn't call himself that). He'd Mansplain, Manipulate and sometimes Manwhore (should the situation call for it) his way into and out of situations.

I genuinely feel like Jamil would be a Yuan-Ti Warlock. I know how obvious and on-the-nose this is but idk it just feels right. He'd make very calculated decisions even if Lady Luck isn't on his side all the time. He'd also be the one who always take one for the team whenever one of them need to make a skill check, even if his stats doesn't seem to be the highest. He doesn't seem to be fazed by any trials that come his way and generally keeps his cool, unlike some people in this table. That is, until the DM puts down a giant enemy spider mini figure on the table and Jamil falls off his goddamn chair.

Vil surprisingly takes roleplaying pretty seriously? Idk I just can't see Vil half-assing acting even if it's only for a table top roleplaying game. And who knows? Maybe he'll finally get to be the hero he always wanted to be. His only obstacle? Leona's goofy ahh character name. Anyways, his character is an High Elf who comes from a long line of powerful noble Wizards.

Idia wanted to go fully on a "stealth DPS" (whatever that means) build, so his character creation focused primarily on what stats benefits his class more, which in this case is a Rogue Artificer. He'd invest most of his stats in Dexterity and Intelligence. For the race, he'd probably be an Elf for that +2 Dexterity; or maybe a Lightfoot Halfling for the nimbleness trait, no darkvision tho; or he could be a gnome for darkvision, +2 Intelligence and +1 Dexterity. All depends on what kind of Rogue Artificer he wants to be, he'd either be a Arcane Trickster or a Phantom (oof too close to home?). Whatever he is, he's all about that "Meta".

Malleus is very unfamiliar with the whole rules, character creation, etc but he's just happy to be invited here :). His whole thought process while creating his character is probably like 'hm..a Dragonborn? Well, I am a dragon fae..". So yeah, his character is a Dragonborn Sorcerer. Kinda predictable tbh, but very... Malleus, also his solution for every problem is to cast Fireball. Yea, his character is pretty much just him but a dragon. But hey, my golden rule in DnD is that it's all about having fun, regardless of the characters.

Almost all of them would try to be the team leader, so there's gonna be a lot of fighting and arguing on the table.

This party is dysfunctional as hell idk what to tell you

Did I mention that this is also a group therapy?

Nothing says group therapy more than a whimsical adventure with your not-friends am I right?

Yea that's all I got for them, not much but yeah idk man

[avani008]

Hi! I have a question regarding the usage of astras in Hindu mythology. How did a sage choose who to pass down a particular Astra to? Did it depend on caste, with only Kshatriyas and Brahmins allowed to use astras, which is why there was such a great uproar when Karna, believed to be of low caste, was able to summon a variety of astras? But that still doesn't explain the discrepancy between the number of astras a particular Kshatriya or a Brahmin could summon. Like in the Mahabharata, Arjuna, Karna, Bheeshma, Drona, etc lead the pole with respect to number of astras known, and other warriors don't know as many astras as these people do. Which is confusing, because if only Kshatriyas and Brahmins could use astras, then ideally shouldn't all members of both these castes know the same amount of astras? I've seen some sources suggest that astras were handed down only following the establishment of a pupil's character, irrespective of the pupil's caste, because these weapons were so destructive and couldn't just be entrusted to anyone. This explanation does work, except we've already seen this condition violated in the Mahabharata, and without repurcussions to the offender! Drona refuses to teach the Brahmastra to Karna, but caves in to one single pair of puppy-eyes from Ashwatthama, despite knowing he didn't really deserve this knowledge and couldn't be trusted to use it responsibly. And Ashwatthama does go on to use the Brahmastra for less than noble purposes! So how exactly did any sage choose who to pass down an Astra to?

This is an excellent question, and this is my best understanding:

So, for all intents and purposes, astras are more equivalent to cheat-codes for a video game rather than physical weapons (which...you probably already knew lol). And just so, you could end up with an astra from a variety of sources:

direct from the source (ie, from the god who possessed it. Arjuna is the best example when he picks up special weapons from Shiva and Indra after meditating long enough to earn it)

from your teacher, buuut only if he liked you enough (and it was within his rights to pass it on or deny it for any random reason! Like you said, Drona gives it to Ashwattama and but refuses to teach Karna not because of caste, but because he wants Arjuna to be the best. And as annoyed as Karna is, his only options within that society is to go elsewhere)

from a random rishi you pleased/impressed/helped (Rama gets pretty much every divine weapon there is from Vishwamitra after helping to protect his sacrifice

So there doesn't seem to have been any quality control on who actually got the astras, just who you ran into; which is also how villains as well as heroes all seem to possess them. Until the Mahabharata war, it seems to have been chaos--until then the majority of the people who posessed the weapons either died before htey could pass it on any further, or (horrified by the damage) presumably decided to never to do so anymore. Which arguably might have been a secondary goal on Krishna's part.

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

5 and 8 question marks?

?????

ah we've hit another Hyacinthus one!

thankfully, it's fluffy. since it's him meeting Apollo and all lmao

nothing much planned for it right now but it's on the list!!!

????????

OH MY GOSH YES WE HIT THE ONE WHERE I (and Apollo) SCREW PARIS OVER LET'S GO

okay okay. this takes place right after Hector is killed and Apollo is just fuming. he obviously wants to - no, needs to get revenge on Achilles, and luckily he knows his one weak spot!

Unfortunately, Apollo himself can't kill him because (even with his many interferences with the war) an interference as big as that is gonna bring Zeus knocking with a lit thunderbolt.

so. what is our bloodthirsty god to do?

well you know who are allowed to kill mortals? Other mortals!!!

And Apollo quickly finds just the right one for the job - but it's not because of skill or anything like that, oh no.

You see, Apollo hates Paris with a burning passion. Paris caused this whole war to happen. He brought the war to Troy, Apollo's city, and now it's crumbling to the ground and his favored hero/lover is dead. Hector is dead, leaving his wife Andromache without a husband and their son without his father.

Paris, you see, is as good as dead in Apollo's book.

But how, exactly, will he screw the young prince over?

Well, there's always a give-n-take in mythology, correct? Nemesis at work and all - balance. Obviously, Achilles was gonna die anyway even if he didn't kill Hector because he as just way too powerful and was basically Greece's cheat code.

However, to kill Achilles, there must also be a give - and, in my humble opinion, I believe the price in killing Achilles is death upon the killer themself.

And Apollo, god of prophecy, acquaintance of the Fates, and respecter of balance knows this.

Paris is collateral in Apollo's mind. He brought this war to Troy.

So he might as well do something useful and bring about the beginning of the end, avenging Hector in the process, and spare the city some lives.

(even if that latter hope was extinguished as the Achaeans slaughtered every Trojan they saw in the invasion)

Because Apollo, you see, loves deeply and fiercely. Losing Hector is the final straw for him.

And he wants somebody to blame.

[fabseg-creator]

Tinky Winkynos VS Everyone

I planify a polling series about Tinky Winkynos, a villain character who is the fusion between Tinky Winky (Teletubbies) and Thanos (Avengers).

I have got the idea following the @purpleboytournament.

I wish make Tinky Winkynos fighting against a maximum of possible fictional characters from different franchises (it can be against entire franchises).

The action: Tinky Winkynos invades the targeted suggested franchise. You must vote for the side of your choice.

The rule: You can help him conquer or you can stand against him by voting.

The result at the end of the poll will decide the fate of the universe(s) issue of his conquest(s). If The Mad Teletubby wins with more 50% of votes, he succeeds his conquest. If the franchise (TV show, video game, movie, novel, etc) wins 50%, the invasion is repelled.

If you have a franchise to purpose as challenge, say it by message or commentary.

To read his comic story, below:

Cheat Codes below:

List of battles [Season One]:

VS Teletubbies CONQUERED

VS The Incredibles REPELLED

VS Harry Potter CONQUERED

VS Super Mario Bros. REPELLED

VS Star Wars CONQUERED

VS Marvel (The Spider-Verse) REPELLED

VS Marvel (Thanos/the revenge) CONQUERED

VS Marvel (X-Men) CONQUERED

VS Marvel Deadpool REPELLED

VS Marvel (The Avengers [MCU]) CONQUERED

VS Marvel (Guardians of the Galaxy) TIE

VS DC Comics (Joker) CONQUERED

VS DC Comics (Darkseid) CONQUERED

VS DC Comics (Batman Family) REPELLED

VS DC Comics (Justice League) REPELLED

VS DC Comics (Teen Titans) REPELLED

VS Power Rangers REPELLED

VS Barbie REPELLED

VS Oppenheimer REPELLED

VS Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles REPELLED

VS Danny Phantom REPELLED

VS Looney Tunes REPELLED

VS Kung Fu Panda REPELLED

VS The Owl House REPELLED

VS Naruto REPELLED

VS Dragon Ball REPELLED

VS Gravity Falls REPELLED

VS Doctor Who REPELLED

VS Chuck Norris REPELLED

VS My Little Pony REPELLED

VS Fast and Furious REPELLED

VS Frozen REPELLED

VS The Simpsons CONQUERED

VS Terminator CONQUERED

VS Miraculous (Chrysalis/Cerise) CONQUERED

VS Miraculous (Ladybug & Cat Noir) REPELLED

VS Miraculous (Ladybug & Cat Noir + Chrysalis + Full Team Heroes) REPELLED

VS Miraculous (Bug Noire) Finale REPELLED

Halloween event:

Season Two:

Christmas event:

[wordsandrobots]

My estimates on Urdr Hunt's episode count would seem to have been off as @trafalgarlog has fansubbed what appears to be the finale for this little jaunt around the IBO solar system. Whether this is a just precursor to a second 'season' for the game or even an epilogue of some kind, everyone pitches in for the climactic battle, teen romance inexplicably wins the day, and a certain someone sticks one last oar into the mix.

Hajiroboshi  (Part 1, Part 2)

Departure (Part 1, Part 2)

598 (Part 1, Part 2)

Corridor of Betrayal (Part 1, Part 2)

Holder of the Ring (Part 1, Part 2)  

Unexpected Encounter (Part 1, Part 2)

Venus’ Worth (Part 1, Part 2)

Brothers’ Ship (Part 1, Part 2)

Horn and Flower’s Shadow (Part 1, Part 2)

Family Bonds (Part 1, Part 2)

Beyond Outstretched Hands (Part 1, Part 2)

Flashing Sky (Part 1, Part 2)

We get started with a repeat of the final scene from the last instalment: a gigantic mobile armour bursting out of confinement within one of the asteroids surrounding the Ratatoskr power station (Gundam wiki has a page calling this Mebahiah but I haven't seen where they've got that from).

This is obviously something of a shock for our assembled characters, save one Mr Mayer, who is eager to see what the mobile armour can do. And, like -- I'm with Tagging here in responding with a row of ellipses because: was there a part two to this plan, Cyclase, old pal? Your dad researched the War and I got the impression you were paying attention some of the time, so you must know what mobile armours tend to do to people. I assume? Was . . . was there a cheat code you were hoping to input?

Say what you will about McGillis but his 'dot dot dot profit' came with considerably less chance of getting nuked in the face by a beam weapon. Quite sensibly, Tagging and Batch take the opportunity to go collect the Urdr Hunt data for this waypoint, removing themselves from the area.

Anyway, speaking of people about to be nuked in the face with beam weapons, Range blabs to Wistario about Cyclase being responsible for their current predicament but there's not a lot they can do about him right now because, again, giant killer robot dead ahead. Demner warns Wiz to stay back in case Hajiroboshi starts acting up like it did facing down the imprisoned mobile armour on the Kujan Family colony.

However, Katya's launch is still stuck in the path of the monster! Determined to reach her, Wistario, Range and 598 start cutting through waves of the armour's drill-tastic plumas (who, I must remind you, are most little guys ever). But while they are not really a threat on their own, there are a hell of a lot of them.

[By the way, I would strongly recommend -- here more than any other episode -- to check out a version of this including gameplay footage as well as the cutscenes. That makes it a lot easier to follow what is happening, as watching without makes things quite choppy and you miss out on the part where -- due to the ongoing GIANT MICROWAVE BEAM -- everyone is randomly being struck by lightning mid-battle.]

Mendou tells our heroes to destroy the container bolted to the back of the mobile armour: that's where the plumas are being manufactured. Range is not thrilled at the prospect of fighting the big machine and Demner outright says it would be far too dangerous, but with Katya caught in the middle of everything, Wistario won't be dissuaded.

The crew of the launch can't contact their ship and the plumas are on the attack. (Small reminder: plumas might resemble mobile workers in some respects but they are nearly as big as mobile suits. Yeah.) With all this happening, Katya quietly implores Wistario once again to leave and forget about her.

Wistario 1) can't here her and 2) has decided to punch above his intimidation stat and says that if the mobile armour is in his way, he won't hesitate to fight it (kid, Mikazuki you are not). They WILL get Katya back. And since he has Range (dumb muscle) and 598 (dumber muscle) backing him up, that's precisely what they start to do. Cue phase one boss fight!

The armour attacks with yet more plumas and its chest-mounted beam weapon (the whole chest section opens up to reveal this, in case you were wondering), plus a rather large number of spikes on the ends of cables deployed from its wings.

And I think there is some variety of choose your own adventure for this part because in one version I've seen, the container is successfully destroyed at this point (thanks to one of the aforementioned lightning strikes) while in the fansubbed version, an overwhelming number of plumas prevents this and Korunaru shouts a warning about Katya's launch being swarmed.

At which point, out of nowhere, the Zan Brothers obliterate the plumas around the launch with their Geirails. Turns out they ran into an Issue Family checkpoints and became concerned about Wistario's situation. They tracked him all the way here to make sure their 'brother' was safe.

(By which I mean, Berose tracked him down because, obviously. *sigh*)

[In the other version, their entrance is swapped to later in the fight]

With the Zans keeping the plumas busy and also landing a hell of a blow on the container, the armour loses its entire manufacturing capability. But even as Range starts to celebrate, he realises it's not over. Indeed, the armour has only been freed from the extra mass and is itself intact and raring to go.

Boss battle, phase two!

Which is when Hajiroboshi begins to go on the fritz as its systems get caught in a feedback loop over detecting a mobile armour in need of killing.

As Wistario begs his Gundam to move, Range and 598 are left to fend for themselves. Luckily, their combined skills in reckless poncho-wearing and having the hardest skull in a three AU area get them through.

[Or, alternatively, Tamami shows up to save their arses]

Either way, the mobile armour takes a a right licking . . . and keeps right on ticking, all the way into phase three.

Just . . . just make the 'tis-but-a-flesh-wound jokes amongst yourselves, this is only going to get sillier.

The armour zeroes in on Wistario and, unfortunately, that's the point 598 runs out of ammo and Range discovers he's out of propellant.

But (of course) just as the armour is about to blast Hajiroboshi with its beam cannon, the underlying programming of Gundam Marchosias breaks through and resolves the system conflict. Wistario weaves around the beam, landing a good solid hit on the face.

Also, not to spam images, but you should probably appreciate the scale difference between the mobile suit and the mobile armour.

Wistario covers the other two as they retreat to resupply, though they are enamoured of the idea of him tackling the armour alone. Luckily, Rome and Aiko are more than happy to lend a hand.

[Here, it seems, is where they arrive if they didn't earlier]

As the fight goes on, Korunaru observes that Wistario seems to be moving differently than normal, prompting Mendou to pontificate about the true power of a Gundam frame, though he isn't sure Wistario will be able to control it without an Alaya-Vijnana system.

The conversation aboard the Erda II turns to the fact Asmoday hasn't displayed similar behaviour, which Mendou speculates might be due to its combat record or lack thereof. Since it wasn't used in the Calamity War, unlike Hajiroboshi/Marchosias, it doesn't 'recognise' its intended enemy.

(So not just because they ripped out the cockpit and put in Enzo's, then. Interesting. I like this version better.)

Yadda yadda, epic turn-based combat, big explosion, phase four.

Good grief.

You doing OK there, buddy?

With the armour *still* not down, Tamami swoops in to throw off its aim. 598 got her up to speed earlier and she's all for lending her support to a man putting his life on the line for the woman he loves!

I didn't think she was the type, but then again, she does hang around with Naze.

[It seems to be 598 who steps in here, if Tamami showed up sooner]

598 and Range are done resupplying, so it's everyone on deck for the final assault!

Ah, to hell with it, one more for the road.

Watching from the sidelines (and presumably behind a rock), Cyclase beholds this heart-warming coming-together with disbelief. It blows a fuse in his little brain to see a mobile armour knocked on to the ropes by an assortment of puny humans. Does this mean the armour isn't a higher form of life after all?

Sheesh. Someone get this man . . . something. I don't know what would help but he definitely needs something.

Where was I? Oh yes. Biff, zap, pow, super-moves, lightning, etc, etc, the mobile armour blows up for real this time and everyone is absolutely exhausted by the effort, doing whatever the mobile suit equivalent of flopping on their backs and twitching is. Mendou notes that all the plumas have stopped moving too, signalling that the battle is well and truly over.

While Wistario is having his obligatory 'no, we all won' moment, Cyclase faces up to the reality that the mobile armour has not brought him the freedom he sought (I ask again: WHAT THE FUCK WAS STEP TWO?!?!).

Tagging's Scharfrichter drops in beside him: she and Batch have successfully retrieved the latest set of data! Job done! Eh, boss?

Cyclase mumbles something about how they'll have to start again and flies off into the distance. With no other option, Tagging gives chase. Range spots them leaving and yells impotently after them.

However, as everyone but Korunaru has forgotten, Katya's launch is still stuck in an area of space riven with lightning and she urgently calls out that it's heading straight for an electrical discharge!

With the only functioning Gundam left (RIP Londo Bron, guess you really did get fried to a crisp), Wistario rockets off to rescue his fiance, urged on by all his friends. On the bridge of the Erda II, Korunaru starts praying.

Sadly, it really does seem that only divine intervention will get Hajiroboshi there in time as the launch is struck astern and then, as Wistario reaches helplessly towards it, full in the middle.

The launch explodes, leaving Wistario overcome with shock and grief. But wait! There's still a signal on the screen and there, tumbling through the clearing smoke, is Katya, safely encased in a normal-suit. Seems she . . . um . . . jumped overboard at the last minute and got clear?

Alas poor launch pilots. We knew you not at all. Anyhoo, Wistario opens his cockpit and leaps out to grab Katya, giving us the traditional bump-the-visors Gundam kiss and a happy ending!

(The sound you hear is the dispelling of all my concerns about it having been too much of a stretch to speculate that Shino survived Flauros' destruction for the sake of fanfic.)

We get a few stills of the gang departing Ratatoskr, palling around with the Zan brothers, Tamami, 598 -- and then Katya looking out of the window in joy as the Erda II hoves into view of Radonitsa Colony.

And then we make an unexpected(ish) switch to Glaðsheimr One in Earth orbit, where McGillis Fareed is busy receiving Lord Okina Uroka. The not-so-good retainer is over the moon that McGillis has ensured the Issue Family's survival by becoming their guardian. He says Rustal Elion was hoping to see the Issues disbanded (which tracks), but McGillis feigns ignorance of any such prospect. Surely Rustal wouldn't expect the Seven Stars structure to change quite so abruptly? (Hardy hah hah ha)

Isurugi remarks that the Baklazan and Falk Familes haven't lost their positions, and it follows that they wouldn't agree to the possibility of losing their power. The long and short of it is, their sense of self-preservation has allowed the Issues to live another day. McGillis asks Okina to continue acting as their head and working to rebuild.

Then, as the older gent is about to leave, our Macky (yes, godsdamnit, I have to switch spellings now, don't I?) inquires about the events at Ratatoskr. What was up with that?

Okina reminds him that since he's not an Issue, he's forbidden from going near the place and, grudgingly, explains that there was an accident. They lost some of their best men. No survivors. Very sad.

Once he's gone, McGillis reviews the situation with Isurugi. Katya Issue is apparently dead and the power of the Issue Family is in their hands. That's good enough for now. They'll pry into whatever Okina is hiding later.

The theme of 'all's well the ends well' continues as we return to Venus, where Range enters the Afam Equipment office to announce that the Erda II is repaired and ready to go. Demner thus asks him to arrange the next materials shipment, causing Range to call him a slave-driver.

This gets him a missou candy for his trouble. He complains he's not Wistario. Then eats the candy anyway and calls for Korunaru to make some tea. But she's out -- as is Wistario, who has gone to his 'usual place'.

Up on the Radonitsa observatory platform, Katya and Wistario enjoy the view over a peaceful colony, Katya remarking that his hometown really is beautiful. He reminds her that it's her hometown too, from now on.

Korunaru arrives, returning the Urdr Hunt ring to Wistario as promised. There hasn't been any further response since Ratatoskr but 'N' has told her to stand by as Wistario's guide. It seems the Urdr Hunt will continue.

And that, gentlefolk, is where we leave things, with our three intrepid teenagers holding the ring between them and swearing to win the Hunt and make their dreams come true.

Which by my count has only one waypoint left (for the Baklazan Family) so if this is setting up a sequel, it might be a tad short.

Cue credits/opening sequence reprise!

So. Yes. Um. That sure was a last episode.

I . . . have genuinely never felt like I was watching a plot simply run out as I did with this. Like, yes, it's a game so there's a whole dimension that I'm missing out on, but even so. Cyclase just buggers off. The mobile armour isn't in any way an interesting threat but rather a static target to be whaled on (the gameplay set-up does not do it any favours given that so much of Hashmal's impact in the show was from how it *moved*). The Issue forces sort of quietly evaporate in the background (Cyclase had two Halfbeaks with him and it's not like the beam weapon penetrated the hull on Londo's so, what, did they drive into an asteroid amidst the chaos?). Okina is merrily swept into the McGillis camp (I . . . did not get the impression from Season 2 that Macky had more than Carta's fleet at his command but OK). And that's it. Nothing about who N really is, no actual conclusion to the Hunt itself or explanation of what it was for, the Afam gang happily reunited and making their home on Venus, a hook for continuing that, well . . .

OK, I'm trying not to be overly mean here because, for goodness sake, it's a mobile game made on a budget and there are material limitations to this kind of media. But pulling the big 'with one bound, she was free' lever as the final move robs any tension out of this. I don't have any expectations now that any serious harm can befall these kids. Which would be fine, except I can't see much reason to be invested in their fate otherwise. There's no threat hanging over their heads now beyond the slow death of Radonitsa Colony and . . . yeah, sure, but genuinely, why should I care? We've barely seen the place and there's only so far that the three nominal leads can sustain investment when one of them has very little personality beyond 'makes tea' and another is Wistario. Katya lost all her agency around when Londo had her unlock Zagan (like, sod any chance of her taking charge of that situation, huh?) and I'm not sure there's a point to her character beyond the conflict with the Issues.

I really don't expect everything to be doom and gloom tragedy. I don't even expect that of every story set in the IBO universe (again, for those at the back, I love the manga and that is not remotely tragic). But this is very thin stuff.

Oh well. At least the doofy gremlin child survived. I'll probably do some sort of full 'analysis' later, if only to dig into the parts I liked.

For now - phew, is that the time? I should have been in bed half an hour ago!

[fandomt4keover]

Some quotes from my jsab OCs cause why not- I wont reveal any names other than the Lost Chapter/Cavern, boss battles, and the heroes.

Cyan - ' What the fuck is happening?! '

Lemon - ' WHEEE! Another adventure! How are you guys scared of this? '

Celadon - ' Woah!.. Its.. dark in here!.. '

Mango - ' W-Why is everything.. pink?... "

" Corrupted " - ' This is odd.. Why is the Void.. cracking? '

" Chronos " - ' " Corrupted ", I don't think you should get too close to that- '

" Milky Ways " - ' ... Oh shit. "

" Logic Gatekeeper " - ' Guys... I dont think this is safe.. It feels more dangerous than usual.. '

Blixer - ' L0NG L-L1V3 TH3 N3-EW FR3SH, L0SERS! *Glitching* '

Breeze - ' You three are so serious, lighten up a bit! '

Zipper - ' Hm... Why are those crystals pink..? I dont like this. '

Kamari - ' WE HAVE TO RU- '

Jaya - ' Huh? What is.. Wait.. Breeze? Why are you pink?.. '

Spider - ' Breeze? Zipper? Kamari? Jaya? Where are you four- wait what is- '

" The Art of War " - ' Stay calm.. We all have to stay calm.. '

" Termination Shock " - ' Ketches! Help everyone here to safety while I go help " Sevcon "! '

" Sevcon " - ' I appreciate the help, " Termination Shock ", but you should be going. '

" Cascade " - ' Follow me- We have to evacuate! '

Tricuda - ' Where's Lyco? I hope he's not hurt.. '

" Dubwoofer Substep " - ' Haha! Better back off due to the extreme amount of bass! '

" Cheat Codes " - ' Cheat codes selected! Watch out! '

" Clash " - ' We'll be a-okay! After all, we'll break free! We are more loud! '

Lyco - ' Cacti? Wow! Never heard of- Hey! That's not nice! '

" Strike The Earth! " - ' If I can strike the earth- I can strike you! '

" Flowers of Antimony " - ' *Static* Need- Help- AAA- '

" In the Halls of the Usurper " - ' We can't get across if she's throwing bombs everywhere! '

La Danse De La Vie - ' I hope we'll be full de la vie ( of life )! '

" Cool Friends " - ' Error! System malfunction- *Glitching, static* Pink- Control- '

" The Lunar Whale " - ' " Unlocked ", " Spectra "! Something's really off about " Cool Friends "! '

" Spectra " - ' Forces.. are breaking! " Try This "- What's happening over there at the Tree of Life! '

" Unlocked " - ' Wha- AAAA- *Glitching* '

Cube - ' Cyan, Lemon, Celadon, Mango! S-Stay close to me- '

" Into the Zone " - ' We're going into the zone! '

" Vindicate Me " - ' Status.. the Void, Cavern, Island and Volcano are fully corrupted, Shovel Knight, Industry, and Tower are holding up.. '

" Try This " - ' What.. IS THAT?! '

( :3 )

[fals3nd]

fuck it i know no one else has info up but i've been playing bg3 and thinking about her so. meredith connar cheat sheet.

in game terms - level 10 life domain cleric, level 5 champion fighter. hermit background. high wis & str, low cha & dex. inventory to note is a powerful artefact called the hand of healing, a cloak of protection, goggles of night, and a belt of hill giant strength. feats are keen mind, spell sniper, and war caster. 22 ac, 129 hp.

orphan found on the steps of a selûnite temple, raised by a cleric named tamora connar. always has been trying so godsdamned hard to be worthy, to feel and hear selûne in all she does. was sort of a wayward, scrappy kid who had trouble following any sort of code. spent a lot of time reading and trying to feel the moon maiden's light through her childhood up into her late teens.

at around eighteen she had a dream, showing her an abandoned and ruined temple out in the wilderness. there was an ancient relic inside, an important one, and one meredith felt sure selûne herself wanted meredith to go find and protect. meredith set off on her own the very next morning. spends the next several years of her life first seeking this artefact, and then finding and protecting it.

runs into the whole elturel was pulled into hell thing on accident. she was in baldur's gate looking for tamora when she instead came across an adventuring party set to try and bring elturel back. it seemed like a worthy mission, and meredith felt that otherworldly pull to go along as well. so she did.

long story short ; meredith, a hellrider named ingrid, a tabaxi named bizarre rock, a tiefling named khiall, and an aasimar named diana go into avernus. it's awful. it's brutal. it, at many points, appears to be impossible to make it through.

meredith unfortunately becomes interesting to cultists of the dragon they meet throughout avernus. these cultists seek the very artefact meredith has sworn her life to protect ; it is a metal hand, made of shining silver, that ends at the wrist. tiamat herself wants it. meredith will not let that happen.

winds up having to fuse the artefact to herself in a last-ditch effort at remaining alive. in a bloody battle, all of her party members had fallen and were near death. meredith only had one option remaining, and it was to slice off her hand in the heat of battle and replace it with the artefact she had spent the last several years of her life protecting.

the hand is powerful. it can heal several people at once. it can shoot beams of pure moonlight. it can repel the undead. it can likely do far more than meredith even knows. but every time she uses its power, the silver creeps further and further up her arm - her body grows colder - her mind more exhausted.

i'm not going to detail the entirety of descent into avernus for you all right now but the champions of elturel become just that. they lose khiall in the process, as he becomes a being known as proxy to a powerful sword. they win. they pull elturel back to the material plane. they pull zariel back to herself, if only for a moment. they are venerated as heroes. meredith's arm is silver up past her elbow, and she takes the opportunity to slip away from her celebrating friends and vanish into the night.

there are still cultists of the dragon after meredith, and now that she and the artefact are one in the same they want her.

[cyraniadebergerac]

Robin OC

I know the joke is that there's so many Robins. Few of us would say it's really that bad of a thing though. And if there was another Robin, I have an idea for what direction could be taken.

Another common thing is that none of the Robin's like being in galas, hate the fakeness of the people and the discomfort and all that. What if we had a Robin who actually liked that setting though? Liked being in the fancy setting and being able to play the game of upper crust internal politics? It is a side of how to change Gotham for the better that often gets neglected, getting the rich to donate in ways to actually help the city then slowly fostering actual care of the city and it's people so that the very culture of the upper class will make them all the more likely to do what's good for Gotham such as to keep offering jobs within Gotham and don't cheat your workers out of their money if only because it hurts their public face to do so. Through playing the politics, people can he convinced to do things that you want them to for your goals. An understanding of how it works is necessary along with a willingness to get in the thick of it and blur some lines, things perfectly reasonable for one of the Batfam to do but is never really touched on much because none of the current ones have quite the right personality to pull it off. And what sort of personality could?

There was a show in the 1950's called Hogan's Heroes, where Colonel Robert Hogan led his crew of international espionage agents in over the top hijinks as they disrupted the Nazi war effort while being in the 'toughest pow camp in all of Germany', Stalag 13. It's a madcap sitcom that is genuinely humorous while also making sure it's somber moments were kept somber. And is honestly all around great. I would highly recommend. Anyway, the reason I bring it up is for the main character, Hogan. Personality wise, he is utterly charismatic and knows how to use it, loves nothing more than to snark a little and pull pranks since he enjoys being mischievous. However, that's only one side of him, a side he emphasizes when he's trying to be underestimated. The other side is very much a serious planner, more of a Indy Ploy planner that leaps on opportunities as they come than a Batman planner, but a planner nonetheless. He knows his goals and he's near ruthless in achieving them. However, he does have limits. He won't abandon his men, no matter what. He won't abandon innocents or allies counting on him either. He also often seeks to minimize how many are killed by his actions, finding ways to complete missions without anyone dying if at all possible. Of course, he is in a war, he is up against some genuinely evil men at times instead of just those scared and sacrificing everything to survive, and this was a 50's sitcom with some character inconsistencies across episodes. Deaths do happen, some of the non-deaths might be worse, and there are sometimes where he directly causes a person's death without being at all guilty about it and you can't really blame him. But in a different setting, I could see him as someone willing to not kill anyone. At the very least, it helps show that he does have a moral code even with all his lies, thieving, and manipulations. On top of that, their barracks is secretly outfitted with a lot of very outlandish makeshift gadgets, such as a pipe periscope that looks out from a water barrel that's viewed through sink handles and a coffee pot connected to a bug in Klink's office that's hidden in a photograph of Hitler where he's speaking into a microphone. And the peice de resistance

Dark Brown/Black hair. :)

All in all, a teenage form of Hogan would be a perfect Robin candidate with His Heroes also making good candidates for his future team. There would be a lot of natural tension with his time with Batman as their personalities are similar but conflicting. But it could resolve and we would have Rob both as someone that can take on the playboy schmoozing aspect of Bruce's Batman role and so take on the public spotlight to better hide any family secrets while also playing the politics game with the elites and also be their go-to infiltrator as sometimes, having someone that is just good at infiltrating places and acting like they belong there is the best way to get into places and find out secrets. Dick can act and Jason's a drama kid, but neither of them really (as far as I know) make infiltration a core skill of their's, nor do any of the others except Batman with his Match Malone persona. So having someone who can fit that role would be good, especially as the rest cover other aspects of being Batman such as Straight-Forward Crime Fighting (Dick), Seeking Ways to Change the Status Quo for the Better/Seeking to Help Those Trapped in the Cycles of Desperation(Jason, even with the disagreements about how he's doing it), Detective Work/Gadgetry (Tim), etc. [It's late, and I'm really going off of other tumblr posts and fanfic for what seems to be the core thing].

How do we get Rob into Gotham and adopted by Bruce though? For my take, there's a bit of referential humor. The actor who played Hogan was named Bob Crane. And the DC universe happens to have Scarecrow, aka Jonathan Crane. Now, I'm not absolutely sure how this part would work. But my idea was that Rob was sent to live with his uncle Jonathan after the death of his mother. Jonathan isn't sure about having a kid living with him and is considering throwing him out to foster care. But Rob convinces him to give him a chance and he could help pay his keep (Rob being unaware of Jonathan being Scarecrow). Jonathan's intrigued and so allows it. Rob then hears about a gala going on, steals himself a nice suit, strides in like he's just another idle rich kid, then manages to talk and conjole several people to give him money for some academic research his father's brother is doing. He then heads back to Jonathan with little over a thousand dollars. Jon, needless to say, is impressed, and so allows him to stay if he'd gather more funds, which Rob agrees with.

Bruce gets on the case after hearing about several people suddenly giving money to Scarecrow. As the money and checks aren't falsified and the donators do recall giving money, Batman's left wondering if this is a sign of Scarecrow having made a new form of fear toxin that makes people do what's commanded of them. There's no evidence for that though and he gets no real leads until he's at a gala and sees Rob for the first time, laying out his usual charm and getting people donating to him. Bruce then makes his way over and tries to covertly find out what's Rob's angle in all this, but Rob is evasive and manages to slip away. He does leave the glass he drank from though, so Bruce is able to get that for DNA sampling.

From that, he figures out how Rob's tied up in all this then tries to encourage him to get away from Jon before there's trouble, but Rob brushes it off, sure he can handle anything Jon can do before Rob's finally 18. It's after this talk that Rob returns and finds out what experiments Jonathan is doing and who he is. Before he can try to escape though, Jon gets him and forces him into a box to be kepted until Rob would be willing to keep getting him the money or Rob became a living test subject. Rob's locked away then for some time to contemplate the choice.

Batman then comes and gets him out of there. He then gets him fostered under his roof and the rest is history.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Pixels (2015)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Based on the 2010 short of the same name by Patrick Jean, Pixels has some neat visuals… and nothing else to offer. Even video game and arcade enthusiasts won't like it, as the film is more concerned with giving Adam Sandler’s posse pay checks and indulging in nostalgia than utilizing the tools at its disposal to full effect.

As a child, Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler) became a champion of arcade games until he was defeated by his rival Eddie Plant (Peter Dinklage) in the world championship’s final round. Years later, Sam has a chance to make a name for himself when aliens misinterpret old video game footage as a declaration of war and attack our planet with arcade-inspired creations.

Kevin James as the President of the United States. Pixels is a sci-fi comedy but even so, our suspension of disbelief only goes so far! The man just doesn’t fit the role. For the most part, however, everyone else who appears in the film - Adam Sandler as himself, Josh Gad as the conspiracy-theory obsessed nerd who lives in his basement, Michelle Monaghan as a weapons developer who will inevitably fall for Sandler’s character even though they hate each other upon first sight - do fine with their parts. It’s the material they’ve been handed that spells "game over".

There are many unkind words we could use to describe Pixels. “Self-indulgent”, “unfunny”… but I’m going to choose is “lazy”. It’s a movie about arcade games which gets basic things about the games it’s showcasing wrong. Cheat codes for arcade games? Why would those exist when the machines were designed to eat quarters? A Smurfs arcade game? I couldn’t find evidence that one ever existed. Apparently the barrels and fireballs in Donkey Kong move without pattern… even though they do in real life. And that’s just scratching the surface. This film operates without any semblance of logic. In one battle between mankind and the aliens, the players must operate under rules which emulate the game - Pac Man being a good example. In other scenes, like when the heroes play a jumbo-sized version of Centipede, our “team” is allowed hundreds of players. When we get to the final challenge (Donkey Kong), anyone can do whatever they want regardless of whether it’s possible in the game they’re supposedly playing.

This is a significant disappointment from director Chris Columbus, whose career has had its ups and downs but doesn’t typically churn out this type of Happy Maddison slop. Every fifteen minutes, the film seems to be think that someone screaming is the pinnacle of hilarity. Over and over, a lame sex joke gets snuck in there and we get a speech from someone about how the good old days were awesome and how today, well things just aren’t the same. Many aspects of Pixels feel like they’ve been pulled from a time long gone that we'd rather forget. Most notably, the romantic sub plots, who are so awful you’re tempted to give the actresses standing ovations for playing their parts without cringing.

If you’ve seen the 2010 Pixels short, there’s no reason to see this full-length film. Adam Sandler’s usual comedic antics add nothing to the cool voxel look and the visual gags in its 2-minute running time isn't improved by cameos by Serena Williams or Nick Swardson. I suppose Happy Madison fans may find some of it enjoyable but that's just a theory. (May 10, 2019)

[seraandthebees]

OC question (not really a question but whatever): pick a work written in classical Greek or Latin to recommend to each of your OCs! What would they enjoy reading or which works would include valuable information for them?

Ohhh this is a good one!! Thanks Vanamo!! You know me well so you’re not gonna be surprised when this is a long answer 😅

I think Herah would really love the poetry of Sappho. I know this is kind of an obvious choice but I think the personal nature of lyric poetry would suit her well. The sense of community and the performance context are things I think would remind her of her Tal Vashoth community. I’ll probably do a post on this at some point but, since it’s relevant here, I think that the Vashoth probably have an oral tradition given that that’s an important part of almost all communities ever. It’s a way for members of a community to connect to one another over common stories/experiences, a way to impose a moral code, and to define how we ought to treat each other and what happens when that goes wrong. Connecting with those ideas and exploring how another culture is similar/different to her own would be really rewarding for Herah.

Also hearing Sappho communicate directly with Aphrodite, reading her symptoms of love, listening her play into existing myth and look at it in new ways would be really appealing to Herah. The differences in language and metre would also give her the opportunity to get stuck in and do the kind of close analysis that she loves so much. She’d really be able to dig her teeth into it and see all the nuances of word order and emphasis, and admire how compact and economical these poems are.

I know this is cheating but I just wanna add that I think Herah would really love to read some Athenian comedy with Sera. They’d have so much fun with the Cyclops with all its sex jokes and taking the absolute piss out of Odysseus as this self-important war hero whose fame means nothing without a social framework in which to operate.

After much debate, I think I’d recommend to Naerselle the Iliad. She’d really like the close descriptions of battle (I almost said Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars for that reason) but I think she’d really understand the sorrow of Achilles, his attempt to defy destiny, how his action (or inaction) hurt a lot of people, but in time he realises just how much that cost him on a personal level. Not only that though, I think she’d also relate to Hector at times, not because of his nobility (in the moral sense) but because of how alone he is at times even when he has such an extensive family. She and her own family are mostly at odds and I think she sees something of them in Paris making her by extension a Hector-like figure.

Given that she’s Andrastian (probably my OC with the strongest sense of faith), I think she’d enjoy how present the gods are in this text, even if they are perhaps portrayed as ambiguous at times. Her faith doesn’t necessarily mean that she thinks that the Maker has a strong sense of right and wrong which he imposes upon the world. She sees it more as he has an overarching plan (like Zeus’ Βουλή in the proem) which may indeed require suffering along the way.

I know Senna would love historiography so I think I’d recommend Sallust’s War on Catiline or Jugurthine War. Sallust’s style is moralising and very self-conscious as his discussion of events often reveals either explicitly or implicitly where he himself lies politically. It’s also pretty important to him to justify why he’s taking the time to write history when he maybe should be dedicating time to politics. The position of being stuck between personal pursuit and political duty is something Senna could relate to, being at the centre of politics for as long as she can remember. Sallust, in my opinion, has this surface view of binary morality, but also his deeper ambiguity on whether we are right to accept the official narrative (particularly in the Catiline). I think that’d feel familiar to Senna, especially after her exile from Orzammar.

I also think it’d be helpful for her from a rhetorical and political point of view as seeing the shades of grey and how people might do bad things for good reasons or vice versa would give her perspective on how she herself should or could view the world around her. The end of the Catiline is particularly striking because all of the remaining supporters of the Catilinarian conspiracy fight valiantly and to the death — notably within no wounds to the back (ie they didn’t flee from battle). Seeing a political opposition be so sure that what they’re doing is right might make her question her own actions and think about how she’ll be remembered in history.

For Nesiril, I’m stuck between either Euripides’ Medea or Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. I think they’d like to see how gender roles can be pushed and even totally disregarded at times and she’d definitely take the reading of extreme support of the women in these plays in the face of the abominable actions of the men around them. Moreover, I think they’d see Jason and Agamemnon as parallels for the Templars in the Circle — controlling, power-hungry, and neglecting their duties or outright contradicting them.

I think she’d also see herself in Medea in particular from a gender point of view because there’s this scene in which Medea renounces her femininity and basically steps outside of the gender binary. Given that Nesiril is non-binary, I think she’d find this a really powerful moment and really gender affirming.

[malfiora]

if it's written right, it doesn't get old, actually. "morally grey" just means that you can't squarely say they're all good or all evil, and given that we as flesh and blood humans can't even unanimously decide what those words mean, I'd say there's a wiiiiide range of morally grey characterizations to play with, such as:

Robin Hood (kinda the poster boy of this Twitter thread it seems)

Batman

Sherlock Holmes

Dexter

Jessica Jones

Holly J (Degrassi)

Amanda Waller (DC)

Selene (Underworld; hell, almost every "good" character and some of the bad could be considered grey)

hell, even mythological figures can be grey (not including gods and deities since they by definition operate outside of mortal moral code):

The hero Jason of Argos cheats on Medea, driving her mad

Helen of Troy (and Paris) started a whole war for extremely selfish but very compelling reasons

Hector was as much hero to the Trojans as he was fiend to the Greeks

Orestes and Elektra killed their mother Clytemnestra for killing their father Agamemnon (who had sacrificed his own daughter Iphigenia to Artemis in return for safe passage to Troy), so arguably good reasons, but Orestes' part in it was so contemptible that he was haunted by the Erinyes until Athena blessed him. (The whole House of Atreus is fucked, honestly.)

so it's fine to demand better of writers but don't dismiss an entire trope due to a sample of shitty or uninspired writing