#I think it's important to give all of this context

[twilightofthesandwiches]

I mean I do see the logic in speculating, like, if Queen is obviously meant to be a parallel of Carol

And Tenna is kind of a parallel to Asgore…

Does that mean that King is also a parallel to someone from Susie’s life? What would that say about her parents? ... Something very bad, probably.

Especially since we do have some red flags about Susie’s home-life already. Like the fact she never told her parents about her sleepover at Kris’ despite Toriel specifically telling her to do so.

And just… generally acting and talking about her past in a way that makes it clear she never really had an emotional support system before Toriel and Kris. At the best case scenario, Susie's parental figures seem to be pretty negligent. So it’s not really a leap to speculate that King’s terribleness is also a reflection of their behavior.

But… it’s important to remember that… we don’t need to just speculate. There is a very important person in Susie’s life that is already clearly reflected in King’s behavior and personality. And that’s Susie herself.

Like, some of these parallels were kinda obvious from the get-go. The quotes, the hidden eyes, the embrace of violence and total disdain for friendship and pacifism… but I think the more we got to know Susie, the deeper the comparison goes.

King’s whole motivation and his anger at the Lightners is based on the fact he was, like the other Darkners of Card Castle, a toy whose Purpose was to be played with, but they all ended being abandoned and unwanted in an unused classroom. His feelings of rejection, grief and failure metamorphosing into a desire to lash out at the world and fully embrace a self-image of villainy.

And that’s… literally all of Susie’s Deal in Chapter One. She was the lonely kid that no one wanted to play with, she was in her own words…

She says this when she’s empathizing with Tenna’s situation, but both in the imagery of the broken toy and her coping mechanism (lashing out and being always on-guard rather than clinging and cloying) she’s a lot more similar to King.

It’s just a matter of both Susie herself being less open to empathy and retrospection back in Chapter 1 and King actively rejecting any attempt at a connection by being a Huge Fucking Bastard (unlike Tenna, who was very clearly trying to honestly explain his emotions). But in retrospect, the comparison is definitely there…

Like, the thing about "Quiet people piss me off" is not just the echo of the sentence, it's also a very similar context.

Susie realized that Kris saw her eating chalk and immediately assumed the worst of them. That they hate her, that everyone hates her and is just waiting for an excuse to kick her out. With Hometown School being where both Toriel and Noelle are, the only people who have ever been nice to Susie at this point in the story... Even if she's trying to play it up like she's Scary and Edgy, I think she's legitimately afraid of the possibility.

She's just projecting all of her abandonment trauma and paranoia and distrust, all of the past times she's been hurt, on Kris' silence. Quiet people piss her off... because they act as a mirror to the frustrations she's stewing in anyways.

And this is just the same with King. Due to his own trauma of being abandoned and cast aside, he assumes the worst of the Lightners, assumes the worst of Kris. That they will never care for Darkners, that they will never care for him. That they are no different than the Lightners who locked them away in the Classroom in the first place. That they are as gleeful about the idea of abandoning all of Card Castle once again as Susie thought they were about the idea of getting her expelled.

He took advantage of Ralsei's kindness because he couldn't believe the Lightners he's working with will ever care enough to give him a future, and he is projecting all of the neglect and abandonment he has experienced, the way he thinks all Lightners must feel about him, unto Kris' silence.

I think you can also draw a parallel with how King is actually uniquely rebellious for a Darkner (especially as a Not-Shadow-Boss), trying to to actively reject his Purpose for a new one, inspired by the Knight but actually created by himself.

In retrospect, having more Darkners to compare him to, that’s an act of Freedom that can’t be taken for granted. I think you can compare it to Susie’s constant assertions of her free will and her constant rebellion against the control of the Player, the Plot and the Prophecy itself.

You can maybe also say something about King’s strong ties with Jevil and the fact that Susie is the one who can equip the Devilknife and has unique interactions with the Jeviltail?

You can also kinda rope Lancer into the metaphor. As, like a representation of Susie’s inner child who just wants to goof-off and have friends. Susie watching Lancer try and defend her from King is both her seeing the value of her friendship and trust in in real time and also metaphorically her desire for fun and friendship piercing through the toxic coping mechanism she’s been trapped in until now.

Of course, that doesn’t mean King can't have any inspiration from Susie’s home life. Darkners aren’t just, like, a one-to-one representation of one specific person all the time. Sometimes there are multiple parallels with multiple people. Queen is like a goofy funhouse mirror of Carol, but she’s also a lot like Berdly

And Tenna isn’t just a mirror of Asgore, he also reflects Toriel’s own melancholy about her children growing up

(And if you wanna lean into the whole separation-anxiety-ridden child of divorce thing, probably Kris’ feelings as well. I… think Tenna might just be a whole slew of Divorce Angst from a bunch of different angles and the comparison to Asgore is just the most obvious because he’s the Multiverse’s Most Divorced Man.)

So yeah, it’s not unlikely that King’s treatment of Lancer might be also a reflection of Susie’s probably-shitty parental figure(s). It feels probable, but even if we never get any farther detail about Susie's home life... I still think it’s important to remember the clear King-Susie parallels, I feel a lot of people kinda overlook them...

[gin-juice-tonic]

Hi! I really love your comics and the 80s ford sim! The time you took to make it is amazing and I like reading the dialogue you post :D I love seeing transfalls comics and just, the dialogue and scenarios are a comforting and funny read!

I was wondering if you have any advice or tips on how to write Ford? Have a wonderful day!

Hello, thank you for the nice words. I'm happy you like my things.

Instead of telling you my own beliefs about how Ford acts/talks specifically, I thought maybe I could break this advice down into something more general. At least to start. Writing for a pre-existing character to me is generally broken up into two big things: Their Personality Traits and their Manner of Speech.

When you are trying to figure out how to write someone, I think it would be helpful to think about things that really stand out in your memory that they either did or said, and then try to find commonalities between those things. And what they have in common may indicate a character trait or the way they talk.

If we were to use Ford as an example, some things I think of when I think of him are (under the cut):

The grin on his face when describing his very illegal infinity-sided die in DDmD, His "My face is on fire!" stunt from vs the Future, and his re-arranging of Fiddlefords cube in J3.

If we were to look at what these moments have in common, I would say they indicate Ford is a bit mischievous.

Another set: his "Princess Unattainabelle beckons you" from DDmD, his "Say Hop! It helps!" and "Your turn!" after using his magnet gun in vs the Future, and his general love of puns in the Journal.

I think these are all good examples of Ford's goofier side. That he's a playful guy.

Those would fall under the Character Traits half of writing him.

For the Manner of Speech bit, it helps to look at how certain lines are structured, or the context under which he says them. These examples will be a little longer due to being a whole line written out...

Set #1:

"On the dark, weird road I travel, I'm afraid you cannot follow. ...Welp! call me for dinner!" From DDmD

"If I rolled it, anything could happen. Our faces could melt into jelly. The world could turn into an egg! ...Or you could just roll an 8. Who knows." Also from DDmD

"So this is how the world ends, not with a Bang, but with a Boop-Boop." From Weird Part 1

All three of these lines have Ford speak in a manner that gives the feeling he is talking about something of some importance/seriousness. Only for him to end his line with something silly and tone breaking. He does this pretty often I feel. Or at least I'm guilty of overusing it, because I always find it funny lol.

Set #2:

"I like this kid! She's weird!" From Tale of Two Stans

"Your math is no match for my gun, you idiot!" From DDmD

"I can assure you if there's an owl in this bag he's long dead." From Last Mabelcorn

There's three different moods going on in these lines, happy, mad, and just kinda neutral. But personally I find them all to be instances of Ford speaking in a very frank manner.

Now, further context in this case is I think important here. This is sort of in a way a variation of the first set I mentioned, because outside of these lines Ford spends a lot of his dialogue speaking in a more formal, intellectual/eloquent way. So this is sort of another way he breaks his own tone.

Another notable piece of context about these three lines is they're all reactions to something said/done by someone else. (The first and third are after talking to Mabel, the second being a reaction to a threat from Probabilitor.)

So to put that all together, you get "Breaking his standard manner of speech, Ford (sometimes) reacts in a frank manner to other characters." Generally this happens as a joke.

So those are some examples. Of both the character trait thing and the speech pattern stuff. I did them as sets, but if an individual line or action feels prominent enough, you could analyze it by itself too.

Obviously there's a lot about Ford that this doesn't encompass, but I hope the method helps you think about how to portray what YOU see in Ford. And you do not have to follow the way I view him. "What lines/things stand out to you" is going to be different for person to person. Maybe you have other lines/ideas you find more defining for him, or maybe even viewing the same lines/ideas, you have different feelings of what they indicate. That's okay too.

[mac-ann-cheese]

Rusameamerusharumachispacegays-- okay, I'll stop ( ˙꒳​˙ )

Cold War era-centered sketches with some headcanons below the cut. The post with many words. You don't have to read all of my yapping, I just had those hcs written down in my notes for like fuckknows how long (-_-;)

I think there are already plenty of beautifully written interpretations; however, I still want to give my own opinion on that. Additionally, it is important to note that everything below is silly and whimsical; please do not take it all too seriously (⁠◕⁠દ⁠◕⁠)

After WWII, both went absolutely batshit crazy, however in diff.. styles, I guess, so yeah yum yum. The war literally affected and changed the way they viewed peace as a state of life.

They both believed too deeply in their vision of an ideal world. Therefore, cutting the globe in half (almost, I should say - a buffer zone in the form of the Non-Aligned Movement squeezed in between), the regions, the countries, and turning everything into a "better" version was the only solution to regulate their loud and clunky clash of ideologies.

One more side note: I need to say that I tolerate the interpretation that both of these blorbos could not actually control the escalation of, basically, everything, and it was the government, yadayadayada. However, it takes away the drama...... The spiceeee..... the friends to lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies to ..... I mean, whatever tickles your pickle, I don't shit on others hcs. I am just clearing this up, and I need to provide an explanation for everything, as I am neurodivergent and do not want to be misunderstood.

Now, back to the scheduled programming!

Before the CMC in 1962, Al and Ivan didn't fully recognize the consequences of their actions. The world was their playground, the balance of power — the swingset for only going up. The rest were left to sit on a powder keg and wait for it to explode. After the crisis (or more so, the reality check), some rudiments of awareness began to grow. It was the first time of being in centimeters (inches, if you prefer) close from falling into the pit of doom. Everything they do has so much influence that it will not pass without a trace, and it is necessary to somehow solve this and negotiate: set the boundaries of what is permitted, bargain on terms, and still try to somehow take the invisible first place in influence over the world.

Regarding the questionable rationale behind creating nuclear weapons:

If Alfred had the bomb, nobody would even dare to start any new war. He would become the new guarantor of peace, but it turned against him. Security based on something so destructive as nuclear weaponry becomes senseless, it only makes others worry to find their way on creating or obtaining the made-up security. A difficult dilemma, a no-win scenario, only leads to a weakening of the existing peace. You can never create security based on someone else's insecurity.

Aaaand this is what actually happened.

Welp (¯ . ¯;)

Alfred (until I guess the 1963s? Until the regulation of nuclear weapon processes and disarmament, that's for sure. The creation of the IAEA put him at ease, but only for a short period of time after) began to experience severe paranoia. I think that nations don't feel the passage of time like humans do; they get used to not noticing how the years flow by. However, at that time, every minute of thinking and guessing Alfred fully experienced.

A short and quick excursion into political science 101 to understand the context! Power, in a fairly broad sense, is a way of influencing people (its scope of concepts may include manipulation, influence, persuasion, force, etc.). Basically, there are two types of power: over and to. But why do we need power? For decision-making. The future is always uncertain and full of risks, and its forecasting is based on past experiences and is still not ideal. Therefore, people relieve themselves of responsibility for the future and transfer it to those who will make decisions for them. for those who have the power. Perhaps a fair question will arise about pluralism and democracy (polyarchy), but in these cases, power is present among several collective groups, and their decisions affect different areas of problems, where conflicts of interest may arise.

Decision making = responsibility = power = some control over the future.

Ahem.

So, Alfred doesn't know what to expect, he can't prevent something from happening. The only thing he could do was to react, and that drove him up the wall. He is powerless and is grasping at straws. Espionage was the optimal solution and the best way to anticipate the actions of the opposing side. He would call Ivan at night (for his time zone) to check, he didn't even need him to say something. Hearing Ivan breathe through the phone meant that he was not planning something against him as he found time to answer at an awful late hour. However, neither of them wanted to end everything with the threats they made to each other. It would have been pointless because no one would have had to prove anything. They were racing each other to prove who was cooler in the simplest sense. Simply dropping a nuke meant too many unforeseen risks for them to cover the losses. So Alfred and Ivan raised the stakes until they could calculate that the losses on both sides would be the same or terrific for both of them, and thus no one would "win", in other words, they preferred the potential threat of mutually assured destruction than the actual action (for further details on this topic I highly recommend checking out Thomas Schelling's "The strategy of conflict").

However, they have physically dispatched each other millions of times in the most sophisticated ways, cause woah magical personification's regeneration.

Ok, folks, the next bit is freaky, achtung!!!!

As Amy Allen notes on Foucault's conception of power, it operates in and through the practice of confession both to subject individuals to the injunction to tell the truth about their sexuality and to enable them to take up the position of sexual subject (Amy Allen, The Power of Feminist Theory: Domination, Resistance, Solidarity, 1999, p. 36). The point is that without possessing power on a planetary scale, they wanted to have power over each other in the most human (or even animalistic) form. To fuck, or not to be fucked, that is the question.... The feeling of having influence over someone else's body could have restored inner self-confidence (which was not there at that time). Ehh, I actually recommend for those who are interested in that just read Michel Foucault's work, for example, the history of sexuality. But they never got to the point of actual action, so to speak; everything slid into violence.

I don't think there was a dramatic breakup. It was unnecessary at that time. They have lost connection with each other in the whirlpool of events. No "ex" stage, their relationship froze in time, waiting for the spring (omg, she did the thing).

When there is no love, the search for power and control fills the vacuum.

This is precisely where the problem lies: they both blame each other for giving up on their relationship. Too stubborn to work it out.

Honestly, yes, they would reminisce about the time spent together on very quiet and lonely evenings. Perhaps with a hint of nostalgia. Only for them uncontrollably hate themselves for feeling weak.

And suddenly, the world's most annoying superpowers sort of calmed down in the 80s. The historical context and reasoning can be found in textbooks. But perhaps Alfred's mania phase went into remission, and perhaps Ivan felt that everything was going to end (for him). Perhaps both saw the change or at least let the thought that they might change, if not for the better, just change somehow.

[hunting-for-sport]

everybody give it up for another dess design that'll probably become completely outdated by next year

notes about the designs + my hcs under the cut thx bye

most of my thoughts revolve around the post-bunker design but some notes on the normal first:

dess largely looks like carol, but has rudy's hair color, sort of an inverse to noelle

blue streak in her hair was based on the one kris has in their ch. 3 lightners live minigame design (saw the idea of them having that bc of dess floating around and wanted to incorporate it, definitely not my idea originally)

outfit was based on what we saw of dess's closet in ch. 4 and hairstyle was based on the silhouette we got in ch. 3 (did change her antler shape from that to resemble carol's more though)

onto the post-bunker design/story that exists in my head:

obviously this design operates under the assumption that dess is the roaring knight, this is essentially a light world design for that and thus i tried to stick with a similar silhouette to the knight's

i feel like dess's body in this form isn't "alive" in the traditional sense, but that she got so mixed up with the darkness/whatever it is that's in the bunker that it's allowed this body to persist despite that (bc so much of this body is reliant on darkness, it/she functions significantly better in the dark world as the knight than in the light world)

took a lot of ideas about how this works from the dialogue we got from the goners/gaster followers in ut, i feel like whatever happened to dess is a similar to deal to what happened to him, falling into something much bigger than you and get scattered because of it

related to that point i think it's possible that because of that, multiple "versions" or pieces of dess could exist, namely the piece still bound to her body, that acts as the knight, and another piece that was forced out by the darkness, leaving it stuck, lost in the bunker/the dark

(below gets into incredibly speculative territory and is more of a writing exercise than anything, i don't think much of this is particularly plausible in the grand scheme of deltarune's story nor am i trying to say it should be)

something else that's pretty obvious in the images i pasted as references is that i had signalis on the mind while working on this and being familiar with that game is sort of important context for the next couple notes

based on what we know of dess right now, how despite her not actually being physically present in the game she seems to exert such an undeniable force on the narrative while remaining just out of reach, currently she's kind of like ariane from signalis to me, particularly whatever part of dess is left stuck in the bunker, in that i think whatever force she's exerting on the story is not just metaphorical/emotional, but something tangible, something that's actively changing the world this story takes place in, something that insists she and the "promise" we've heard referenced over and over must not be forgotten

i think that the knight and this version of her body may very well be a part of that force, the roaring knight bearing far less of dess's actual consciousness and acting more as a satellite, manifested by dess to fulfill whatever it is the knight, carol, asgore, and kris are attempting to do (likely something that has to do with restoring dess's body, or flatout undoing whatever happened that night she went missing? we still don't have any solid confirmation)

last but not least the reference to the concept of gestaltzerfall, which again came up as an idea because of signalis, but that fits really well with the concept of dess i've created in my head, with the concepts main definition aligning with the decomposition (both physically and metaphysically) of dess, and it's secondary description, similarly to it's use in signalis, aligning with the idea of output signals of the brain, in this case dess's, reaching and affecting far beyond where they're supposed to

okay finally i'm done that's all i had left to say if you read this far thank you i hope you were able to make any sense of my rambling also go play signalis it rules

[thrawns-backrest]

Thoughts on Thrawn stemming from a curious scene

So I’m rereading Chaos Rising and I’m noticing many interesting bits about Thrawn as a character that fit nicely with his eventual joining with the Empire.

There’s a line he says to Thalias that’s particularly neat: ‘Intent and motivations are irrelevant. Judgement can focus only on action.’ To give some context, they’re discussing how he was punished for wandering into a restricted area as a cadet despite managing to impress the captain. Thrawn here is in a sense defending the captain’s decision to punish him.

On a meta level, that line is packed with irony given how people’s favorite thing to do when talking about Thrawn is to defend him based on his motives for joining the Empire and act like it negates his actions there.

But in universe the quote becomes even more interesting. There’s no indication that Thrawn is saying this with any kind of bitterness or sarcasm. Which means that he either believes it or it’s something he’s come to accept. The latter is very plausible knowing his history with the Ascendancy at that point – even that early on, he’s already gotten several wrist slaps and reprimands, not to mention everything that happened with Thrass.

So it’s easy to see Thrawn as resigned to the fact that no matter what his intentions are for doing what he does, his people will ultimately judge him for his actions and whether they conform to what’s acceptable in their culture. Regardless of whether he succeeds or fails.

If there’s anything Thrawn is though, it’s stubborn and determined and he not only continues doing his thing, but I’d argue never stops doing it.

In any case, his conversation with Thalias continues and she confesses why she came to the Springhawk, reminding him of the words he said to her when he was a cadet: ‘You told me I’d find a new path, and that I could choose how things worked out.’ What follows is a seemingly lukewarm reaction from Thrawn that leaves her embarrassed. I had highlighted this part on my first reading and I remember thinking it was just a neat example of him missing an important social cue.  

But no, Thrawn here becomes thoughtful. He’s not sympathetic or encouraging because he’s too busy contemplating his own advice. Again, from a meta pov, this is clearly a reference to the choice he’ll make of joining the Empire and gaining the ability to choose, ie becoming much more influential there than he ever had a chance of being in the Ascendancy.

This becomes even more poignant when he steers the conversation towards Borika and tells Thalias that ‘The key to a satisfying life is to accept those things that cannot be changed, and make a positive difference with those that can.’

This is Thrawn admitting his acceptance. He can’t change his people’s philosophy or what they think of him but he can go and prosper in a place that allows him to make a difference. It’s a cute sentiment but it becomes quite sinister when you realize where he ends up because of it.

Because at the end of the day, Thrawn does have something in common with the Empire’s officers. He’s after power. Maybe not for power or glory’s sake but he wants the freedom to execute his plans and pass judgment as he sees fit. And his motivations are ultimately irrelevant.

Earlier in the book he’s all but begging Ar’alani to let him engage the Lioaoin. He’s so desperate about it, it’s almost eerie, telling her he can ‘see’ it all in his head. There’s a pattern in this book where you get the sense that Thrawn’s intuition is so strong it almost causes him discomfort when he can’t communicate it to others or act on it (which I suppose warrants some sympathy for him).

Though that sense is largely missing when he’s in the Empire because he no longer needs to explain himself to others or has any major obstacles standing in his way.

Thrawn in the Empire is a man liberated. This is the perfect environment for him.

Sure, there’s the usual court politics but with Palpatine and Tarkin’s support, Thrawn shoots up the ranks in record time. He faces some difficulties initially and by the end but we have to remember that this is Thrawn: confident to a fault and even to a point where we see him make plans for the future of the Empire after Palpatine’s death as revealed in his conversation with Nightswan.

The Senate itself holds power only in theory which I imagine would feel cathartic after so long of having his leash tugged by the Syndicure.

Going back to the Ascendancy for a bit, the end of Lesser Evil gives the impression that Ba’kif and Ar’alani are more affected by Thrawn’s exile than he is. My guess is that Thrawn saw the writing on the wall long before they did and had been preparing for this new beginning for a while now. I’m not saying he feels good about being separated from his people but he most certainly chooses to make what’s supposed to be a one-year absence into a commitment that lasts right up to his death.

Why did Thrawn stay with the Empire, even after it fell apart? Because there was no other place where he would be that influential. Of course, this is all written into his story in retrospect but I think Zahn did a good job making Thrawn’s choice believable based on who he is as a character.

Which leads me to the discussion of Thrawn’s morality. There’s a case to be made for his motivations: at his best, Thrawn saves people that would have otherwise been killed or harmed as the Ascendancy looked the other way. At his worst, he makes up excuses for slavery. The problem lies in the extremes.

After Thrawn gives his little quote about coming to terms with what can’t be changed, Thalias doesn’t voice it but she disagrees with him: ‘But just because something couldn’t be changed didn’t mean a person shouldn’t hammer away at it anyway. Secrets could sometimes be brought to light, and even Thrawn could be wrong.’

Great line and strike three for the meta references.

And now, I wasn’t in Zahn’s head when he wrote this and you could easily say it refers to Thrawn hammering away at the Empire but I don’t think that’s the case here. The Empire could very much be changed from Thrawn’s perspective; he was very much aiming for it in fact. What I like to think this is, is a neat little prompting from Zahn for us to try and imagine what Thrawn’s life might have looked like if he hadn’t given up on trying to change the Ascendancy.

If he hadn’t stuck stubbornly to his ways, learning how to circumvent orders, lie and deceive in order to do things his way, instead of trying to meet his people in the middle. Of course that would have meant lives lost along the way but is that any different from the loss of life he caused one way or another as an imperial? There’s a point in Lesser Evil where Thrawn dryly remarks on how nobody would make him an admiral in the Ascendancy. Which is an ironic parallel to how quickly he’s made one in the Empire and all of that because instead of changing his ways to reach that post, he simply found a system that catered to his worst impulses of need for control and excessive initiative.

Because there are things that even Thrawn doesn’t know. And even he can be wrong sometimes.

All of this to say that Thrawn has one big flaw as a person and that flaw is his insistence on control.

Chasing power for the sake of one’s own influence is a flaw. Not just because power corrupts or leads to places that are inherently corrupt but because power shouldn’t be concentrated in the hands of one person, whether that person is Thrawn or Palpatine. What always struck me about Thrawn’s whole spiel about someone better inheriting Palpatine’s position is just how wonky and short-sighted that is as an argument. Not just for him but in general.

Bottom line is, power should only be sought for the sake of distributing it. Because you can have a guy like Thrawn create a utopia but the person who inherits that power can be a lunatic, as ninety-nine percent of the people that get that far are.

[blossomcola]

theres barely any sub wonyoung, like I just wanna see her completely overstimulated and whiny and when you stop she can't help but whine again to put your hands on her. omg I need more sub wonyoung lovers out here

ps do you think like her as a dom/sub/switch?

pairing. sub!jang wonyoung x dom!fem reader.

content warnings. cunnilingus, overstimulation.

most of the time wonyoung is a soft dom because she always prioritizes your pleasure and comfort over her own. of course she also does things to satisfy her own needs, but she almost always worries about taking care of you first and then thinking about herself.

although this doesn’t mean that wonyoung doesn’t need care too! you can imagine that being a public figure like her is totally exhausting, and it’s doubly so when you’re an artist and model simultaneously like wonyoung is; the constant busy schedules that sometimes make her have more than one important event on the same day or the times when she barely has time to sleep because she has to take care of her career as an idol, having to perform at universities or promoting with her group during comebacks. basically, wonyoung has more than a constant stressful time and doesn't have any time to rest and do... certain things to take that stress off of her, but it’s good that you’re always here when she needs you most and wonyoung couldn’t be more grateful <3

she doesn’t have time to complain about her fatigue once she gets home because you’re quicker to pounce on her once she closes the door, surprised when her almost–complaints are silenced by your lips moving haphazardly over hers and your hands wandering desperately over her body 😵‍💫 In any other context, wonyoung would let out a sweet giggle and make fun of you for trying to act dominant with her when she’s the one always on top, but she lets it go at times like this where she’s so exhausted she can barely stand in those painful heels and her whole body is sore from lack of sleep uncomfortable tight clothes she had to wear non–stop all week :( then she would let it go, biting her tongue to avoid saying any kind of comment and simply let herself melt in your arms at the soft touch she had been needing during these long weeks of unstoppable work.

you wish you could tease her and annoy her for a while to make her beg and tell you straight up what she wants, but seeing those pleading eyes filled with tears and hearing that weak “please, (y/n)-ah” makes your heart feel a sharp pang and make you feel guilty for even thinking of playing with her like that when wonyoung just needs this with all her being :( all you have to do is apologize to her, but don't let that ruin the moment because you still have the task at hand, which is to eat her out!

and she lets out the cutest, sweetest sounds 🥺 wonyoung practically writhes beneath you, arching her back as your tongue makes contact where she needs it most. also she moves her hips towards your face but at the same time presses them against the mattress when she feels it is too much??? the poor baby girl is so overwhelmed by tiredness and pleasure that she can’t think coherently and ends up doing stupid things :( you just need to place your hands on her thighs and guide her legs over your shoulders to maintain a little control and not allow her to be restless, although you definitely love how she moves her hips against your face as you bury your face between her thighs to pay attention to her clit 😊 you’d let wonyoung ride your face if it weren’t for the fact that she’d give up seconds after starting because it would be too much stimulation for her...

but just as she is tired and overstimulated, she is also greedy and beyond needy! silly spoiled princess who needs attention all the time, so she would beg you for more even if she's already cum multiple times to the point that her trembling thighs are soaked with her juices, but who are you to refuse when she just needs a little attention as a reward for her hard work?

[vamphorica]

How do you think Mello reconciled his faith with the existence of Shinigamis who kill people to extend their own lifespan? Do you think he took he took that as evidence other beings like angels might exist or did he take that as a challenge to his faith? How did he fit them within his own belief system?

oh this is the question of all time, i love nothing more than talking about Mello's religious identity in contrast to well, everything in canon (as you can tell, i'm very popular at parties). i think it's such a shame people don't interrogate his potential faith when it adds another very complex layer to his character and how he behaves in the manga and anime. i will mention that i briefly touched on it here, but i wrote that post a while ago, and i'm happy to talk about it in more detail now.

purely from personal circumstances, i have known a lot of people who have been able to still reconcile their religious beliefs with things that are if not contradictory, certainly still go against some core principles of that belief. this is to be expected; humans are inherently hypocritical, and convenience will always have a massive influence on our opinions. hell, politically, there are many things i agree with, but don't put into practice. same applies for religion. there's catholics in my family who want me to read their tarot because they ardently believe in it as much as they do the trinity.

now the reason i bring this up isn't to get unnecessarily philosophical, but more so to say that i do not think that the existence of Shinigami would be enough to necessarily disrupt one's faith. they are absolutely gods in their own right, purely looking at this from the canon perspective, but they undoubtedly possess very human attitudes. compare Ryuk and Light for a moment – if you swapped them so that Ryuk was the human who picked up the Death Note and Light was the Shinigami haunting him, i personally think it matches the archetypes for their characters more fluently (which is why I love Death Note – if fucks with general literary expectations in many different ways). i don't want to get into an entire debate about whether God made Shinigami, especially because Shinigami are important Japanese deities and it is certainly not my place to suggest otherwise, but what is important to note with the interpretation of them in the context of Death Note is that they are flawed characters. if you follow a religion which claims that your God is perfect (which i think all Christian denominations typically accept), Sidoh, Ryuk and Rem would not be the kind of Gods you'd probably accept as an alternate reality to your strongly held convictions of who God is to you.

i do like the idea that Mello had to contend with his beliefs in some capacity, however. he is strangely calm about Sidoh's arrival (his freak out is relatively brief compared to L's, for example), and i am certain much of the information regarding the Death Note and how it works is difficult to really align with a monotheistic belief. however, i do also think being religious (or spiritual, at the very least) does sometimes give people an ability to interpret the inconceivable better than those who might try and explore things through a rational viewpoint. Mello could very well have had a crisis of faith, but i also think it would have given him more of an acceptance towards the supernatural. whether he saw the Shinigami as legitimate Gods or a product of a world in which one God creates everything, i think judging by the way he actually ends up scaring Sidoh, we can tell he is not threatened by their existence in quite the same manner as almost every other character in the series.

i think it is interesting that you bring up angels because i think that is a very apt comparison you could make in considering how Mello interprets Shinigami in accordance with his beliefs. divine creatures that are spiritually significant but don't necessarily contradict the ultimate importance of God. i do wonder if Mello would treat an angel in the same way as he does with Sidoh, but i guess that would be slightly dependent on several factors, haha.

what i like about headcanoning Mello as Catholic (despite not currently identifying with the religion myself) is that Mello is undeniably an underdog, a child who grows up being continually told that he is lesser, and as a direct result becomes involved in crime to prove himself worthy of a title that realistically, he was never going to have a chance to adopt. there's something about having a character so disadvantaged and also so unapologetically immoral being religious that is fascinating, because it not only begs the question as to how they reconcile their actions with their faith, but also how they hold onto that faith in spite of the horrors that they no doubt have witnessed and been involved in. Mello matures drastically after the Mafia base explosion, and another reason his death is so upsetting is because there's the potential for redemption that remains unexplored. a character such as Mello having faith creates a certain degree of appreciation that, despite the contradictory lifestyle, it is still an important aspect of his character. of course, if you still think he wears a rosary because it makes him look cunty or whatever, that's still a valid interpretation, but i do think discussing it seriously and considering the implications is more interesting, honestly.

anyway, another long post – i'll stop before i start quoting Bible verses in the anime boy analysis post. thank you for the ask! ♡

[morporkian-cryptid]

State of knowledge on The Mamo Situation

As of Zenigata and the Two Lupins

In prevision for the Immortal Bloodline movie, which is out in Japan but nowhere else (why do I have to be French!!!!!), here's a recap of everything we know and everything Team Lupin knows about The Mamo Situation!

Jigen's Gravestone

What Lupin knows:

The hit on Jigen (and later on Lupin and Fujiko) was apparently from the Perv Club's owner

Lupin figured it had to come from higher up since their names were in the Calamity Files (the notebook with the list of people assassinated by the government), and the club owner was just a middleman

His conclusion was that it came from the East Doroan govt

What the audience knows:

Raisin Man Extraordinaire Mamo is here!

He's got an extensive surveillance network in East Doroa

He's been specifically watching Lupin and Jigen (probably mostly Lupin)

No known connection between Jael and Mamo, although in retrospect, Jael being pale as fuck (like all GMO Assassins), and Hawk and Binkam both having a connection to him, it would be fair to assume he does too

Presumably Mamo ordered at least one of the hits? Although there was also a very good reason for the government to want to off Jigen, Lupin and Fujiko without Mamo's input...

----

Goemon's Bloodspray

What Lupin knows:

Fujiko knows Hawk (by reputation)

Hawk was presumed dead, after an explosion 13 years prior somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle

Intelligence agencies over the world (and Fujiko) have known for years that he survived

What the audience knows:

Lady Salifa (the creepily cute little blond girl) is giving Hawk hit orders from "the master", it's easy to assume that's Mamo although there's no concusive proof of that

No appearance or mention of Mamo at all in this movie

----

Fujiko's Lie

What Lupin knows:

The mining company trying to get Eugene is diverting funds into an "investment company" which is a front for a production plant mass-producing GMO assassins

(Lupin figured that out by following the trail of the "puppetmaster" from back in Jigen's Gravestone)

It's assumed Lupin figures out that's where Binkam comes from

The GMO assassins are being sold/rented out

The plant is located on an island

Hawk is there and he has his arm back. Like, a normal, regular flesh arm, not a metal prosthetic

Lupin sees Lady Salifa for the first time, so he knows she's connected to Hawk somehow

Jael has a new prosthetic arm and is still very much in the assassination business

What the audience knows:

Hawk's connection to Salifa (at least we have a tiny bit more context than Lupin)

----

Zenigata and the Two Lupins

Lupin knows that the "puppetmaster" is hiding on an island in the Bermuda triangle, how he figured that out and where he got the map is never explicited

He already had the map before the beginning of the movie, and was on his way to going there

I don't think he made the connection between Lupin Russian Edition and the puppetmaster, at least until the clone mentionned the island

Lupin Russian Edition knows Mamo's island personally, and says so to Lupin Original Flavour

OG Lupin knows that Lupin Russian Edition's face is not a mask. What conclusions he's drawn from this is never explained.

What the audience knows:

Lupin Russian Edition is a clone

Mamo made him (why?????????)

Mamo telepathy????? the clone sees Mamo in his brain before dying?????

Zenigata works for ICPO and not the Japanese National Security Bureau (!!!!!!)

----

If I missed anything important, please add it!

[estcaligo]

Riding (the) Tempest

Sebek x fem!reader Explicit sexual content MDNI *The header will be changed, I just don’t have anything new right now for this context

Since you and Sebek started dating - he adorably calls it courting - he’s surprised you with how gentle and gallant he can truly be.

Carrying your heavy belongings, opening doors for you, sharing his meticulous lecture notes to help you pass tests… even bringing you flowers from time to time.

Small gestures, perhaps, but each one made your stomach flutter - whether it was the unusual softness in his eyes, the way he lowered his voice so he wouldn’t startle you, or simply the idea that he thought about you so often now… that you shared a place of importance alongside Malleus Draconia himself.

Yet despite all his affection, Sebek had never initiated anything particularly physical, even though you had caught his hungry gaze lingering on you more than once. The most you’d shared were handholds during long walks, leaning into each other while reading, and a few goodbye kisses after study sessions. Sweet, deep, but never scandalous.

That’s why you didn’t think much of it when he invited you to go horseback riding that weekend.

He asked you to arrive at the stables in the late afternoon - once all the club activities were done and there would be fewer prying eyes. He also insisted you wear comfortable clothing, warning that it was your first time riding, and you might get bruised if you weren’t dressed appropriately. The warning made you wonder how dangerous riding really was... but you didn’t question it further.

The soft glow of the quieting sun caressed your "properly dressed" form as you made your way toward the field beside the stables.  As you got closer, your eyes found Sebek - standing tall, stiff-backed with his arms folded behind him, next to the large black stallion. You had seen Tempest before - the horse under his care - but only from afar.

“You’re here! Wonderful!” Sebek called the moment he spotted you, skipping a proper greeting. His eyes lit up, and he looked so charming - clearly eager not just to spend time with you, but to show off his riding skills. You couldn’t hide a smile at how adorable he looked despite his pristine, polished look.

“Hi, Sebek. Hi, Tempest.” You greeted him warmly, then turned to the horse. “Wow… he’s even bigger up close.”

The stallion tossed its head as if acknowledging your awe.

“Hah! Of course he would seem big to a human!” Sebek boasted, then quickly cleared his throat. “Ahem! Let me finish adjusting the saddle, and then we can depart.”

“Are you sure it’s alright?” you asked softly, peeking behind him. “You said students aren’t usually allowed to take the club horses for personal use…”

Sebek straightened immediately, glancing over his shoulder. 

“Fret not! I was granted special permission” his cheeks taking on a flush that clashed magnificently with his stern tone.

“I would never defy the rules. I submitted a formal request - Club Leader Rosehearts and even Lord Malleus himself signed it.” He looked incredibly proud of that.

You grinned, brushing a lock of hair behind your ear. “So you went through all that… just to take me riding?”

Sebek turned quickly, pretending to fuss with Tempest’s bridle. “It is only fitting that a gentleman offer his lady proper courtship rituals. Horseback outings were customary among courting couples in history. I-I thought you might appreciate the gesture…”

You stepped closer, resting a hand against the stallion’s flank. “I do. I really do.”

“All right!” Sebek said, finishing the last strap with care. “Now, if you would please-” he offered his hand awkwardly.

“Yes?” you asked, giving him your hand, brows raised playfully.

“I presume you don’t know how to mount properly, so I must assist…I apologize in advance!” His voice rose instinctively as his hands slid to your waist, lifting you up and settling you beside the saddle.

“Oh!” You swung your leg over and adjusted your seat.

The golden sunset cast its glow on you - tight borrowed riding pants, a light blouse, hair tied neatly, exposing the curve of your neck… all of it would be right in front of him, in his arms, in just a moment.

“Now you?” your words snapped him out of increasingly intrusive thoughts. He swallowed hard and swiftly mounted behind you.

It was nearly dusk, yet suddenly everything felt much hotter. As your hips nestled between his thighs, he could now feel all your warmth through every layer between you.

“Comfortable?” You felt his breath at your ear as he bent down to ask. His low voice sent a shiver down your spine, and you tried your best to ignore it.

“P-perfect! Just hope I won’t fall, haha!” you replied, trying to sound casual, but your trembling voice betrayed you.

“Don’t worry. I would not allow that to happen,” he said more firmly now, sliding his hand over your waist and gently pulling you against him. You let out a barely audible sound, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks.

Now your back was flush against his broad chest, and even through his riding shirt, you could feel the thrumming of his heart…though it might not have been just his heart. You felt like you should say something but all clever words left your head.

Sebek flicked the reins, and Tempest began to walk. Slow at first, but with every sway, you felt him pressing against you more. It’s going to be a long ride, you thought.

He announced that you were heading toward the forest behind the college - a place he often rides to practice - so he knows all the paths there. You tried focusing on the scenery, commenting on the lovely weather and how lucky it was there was no rain. 

“Wouldn’t want to get wet on a ride like this, right?”

He choked slightly at that, but said nothing.

You asked if you could try holding the reins, and he agreed - but only if he could keep his hands over yours in case Tempest bolted. His gloved fingers wrapped protectively around yours, guiding your movements. Once your curiosity was satisfied, he took the reins back as you moved deeper into the forest.

“I mean…” you began teasingly, “you even flinch sometimes when we just hold hands. And now… my whole body is practically pressed against you…” You chuckled. “Is this your way of taking things to the next level?”

Sebek was quiet for a moment. Then he leaned forward, hot lips brushing your ear, low voice barely a whisper.

“And what if it is?”

His grip on your waist tightened, and you leaned back slightly, satisfied with this answer. Your rear brushed his inner thigh and you clearly heard him suck in a sharp breath from the overwhelming ache of being pressed against you like this.

You liked this ride already.

The warm wind carried the scent of pine and moss as you passed through a dusky trail you’d never seen before. Majestic, really - but right now, you couldn’t care less.

“I thought riding was dangerous…” you murmured.

“But?”

“But it’s… quite enjoyable, actually”

You shifted in the saddle, letting your bottom slowly brush him again, and he let out a quiet gasp.

“Human… can’t you behave?...” he groaned.

“Not when my beloved knight is wrapped around me like this,” you giggled, feeling a little bolder now.

Then you shifted again and he peeked around your shoulder, squinting at you.

“I know what you’re doing. If you-”

“What? I was uncomfortable.” You gave him the most innocent look, deep down amused by just how red his cheeks had gotten.

He growled, irritated, and flicked the reins harder, urging Tempest forward.

“Hold on please,” he said through clenched teeth trying to ignore how his groin throbbed with every bounce of your body against his. And you did - placing your hand on his thigh, squeezing it lightly. 

He breathed your name like a curse. “What are you-”

“You told me to hold on, Sebek, so that’s what I’m doing.”

He gripped the reins tighter, trying to focus on the trail. Still, his thumb made small circles over your waist. He was barely holding himself together.

Then your hand moved higher and he gritted out:

“I am…doing my best not to shame myself in any way today.”

“Oh? Why would this shame you?” you played innocent again.

“I should've known you would be like this…”

“You should’ve, yes. But you seem to enjoy it,” you grinned, wrapping your other hand over his - the one clutching your waist for dear life.

He didn't answer - you both knew it was true.

You moved through the forest into a quiet clearing he’d also mentioned earlier. For a few moments you rode in relative silence, but every jolt of the saddle bounced your body against him - firmer with every step. Your lower back pressed shamelessly to the curve of his stomach,  and now… you could feel everything.

“Sebek...” you whispered, turning your head slightly, shifting in the saddle  “You're so hard.”

He halted Tempest with one sharp tug.

For a few seconds you could only hear his heavy breath behind.

“I…I did want this to be a more intimate time for us ... Respectful…” his voice was hoarse from tension and frustration “But I …”

“Overestimated your self-control?”

“No,” he cut you off sharply, pressing his chest firmly against your back as his free arm slid slowly down your hip. His fangs grazed your bare neck, and voice was now dark and full of need.

 “I underestimated your effect on me.”

He shifted in the saddle once, then again - with clear intent.

You just softly moaned to that “Sebek-”

“Forgive me,” he said roughly through clenched teeth. “But I can’t pretend any longer.”

You only managed a gasp when you turned your head - as his mouth instantly caught yours in a kiss. His hands shivered, but never left your body - one loosened at your waist and slid higher, brushing the underside of your bra, with aching slowness; the other clutched your hip, almost painfully tight, like he needed something to hold onto to ground himself. You let out a moan which vibrated in his lower stomach, and he deepened the kiss without hesitation.

“May I…?” he breathed, hand curling near your breast.

“Yes” you arched into him, shaky fingers caressing his jaw, his neck, whatever you could reach.

You rocked your hips once more, rewarded by his desperate growl. This time he didn't hold back, but started grinding against you, hand roaming your breasts as you pulled him for another kiss.

Another moan escaped into his mouth, and he groaned - his hand sliding lower, down your thigh. Your legs trembled around the saddle as his fingers slipped between them. You gasped, breathless and aching, bucking your hips into his palm.

“You’re soaked,” he whispered, face buried in your shoulder, gloved fingers circling over damp fabric as he rutted against you from behind.

A whimper trembled on your swollen lips as he pressed slowly into you again, deliberately stocking the ache. Your hand slipped behind you, fumbling blindly for his belt, but he caught you before you could go any further.

“Not yet. Not like this. But-” he removed his hand from your core and slid off his glove with his teeth, eyes never leaving yours. - I will make sure you’re tamed.” His bare hand returned to your aching cunt, pushing your lingerie aside as he slid his calloused fingers inside, his thumb circling the swollen bud above.

You cried out his name - sharp and helpless - loud enough to startle nearby birds into flight. But the only sounds that mattered now were his breath, your gasps, and the rustle of leather beneath you.

Your legs quivered around the leather yet again while your hand scrambled for something to hold - his arm, the saddle horn, anything - as his fingers installed manners into you.

“Sebek-ah-please, I’m-”

“This is the consequence of your actions. Enjoy it, darling,” he hissed as he kept pushing deeper inside you. His other hand never left your breast.

You came with soft cries, trembling, sobbing, clenching onto him. Your breasts rose and fell in his hands, and that was enough to send him over too - grinding against you as he came in his slacks.

Tempest snorted once, flicking his tail - perhaps mildly scandalized, or maybe just bored.

You sat there for a while, panting, reeling, trying to process what just happened.  But Sebek never let you go - not even for a moment. He did say he would hold you… and he meant it.

“S-Sebek…I am sorry for that” You reached back to his groin, where he just came.  You were flushed, an absolute mess now, but still had some sense of reason. “I thought we would…”

“Worry not. I foresaw this outcome so… I was prepared,” he answered vaguely, burning his nose in your shoulder again.

“Oh. That’s good then…”

You drowned in silence again, as he nestled you, inhaling your sweet scent. Only the rustling of forest life filled the dusk air now.

“It will get dark soon. We should go back.” He straightened his back, making an effort to collect what little remained of his composure.

Then flicked his tongue, tugging the reins, and Tempest obediently began to march again. Now that all that tension had spilled over, the swaying felt like nothing, almost innocent.

You leaned against him, brushing his cheek.

“Sebek?”

“Yes?”

“Next time, I want to ride something else.”

[tommyhanusa]

0 First of all, my sincere apologies to anyone who will read this. These opinions are my own (but readers may pretend they came up with these ideas themselves if they want to).

1 A stat being good or bad is a perception of the player. So the communication of late game level expectations is going to be built around what the player is seeing as affective (not necessarily effective). The direct way of doing this is showing players the stats (this lock has a strength of 100, Player lockpick skill is 25; the example anchors them with those number) or relying on player intuition/experience ('20 is a high stat in d&d', '100 is a big round number', 'I played a jrpg where stats went to 255'). And the most direct way of doing this is to just tell them what a high number is (Stat is 15/100).

2 Do keep in mind (this is for the rest of us, I'm sure jesawyer has internalized this) that significant figures are important. So if small numbers like 5 are the maximum stat; then small changes in stats can be incredibly powerful (or the randomizer of the system can just over power any stats to where they don't matter). Game size and how much leveling there is will also inform what these stats's max levels need to be.

3 A big question that I think should be answered is 'should the player have maxed all their stats at the start and end of the game?' (or more specifically what ratio of the max stats should a player have at the start/end of the game?) For d&d; this is around 62% in the beginning to 72% at the end (assuming no magic items). Avowed is 11% to 30%, not counting magic items or ~50% counting magic items (and maximizing for attribute buffs). Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You does not have maximum stats listed and they go at least up to 500 but achieving that will likely leave you forever alone.

4 I think high level stats should be achievable at level 1 (players can have a 17 strength at level 1 in d&d, and the max is 20ish, this is good). But with a lot of games (and with vertical progression as a concept) it's sort of implied that what a 'good stat' is changes based on the players level. but I think this causes a lot of weird knock-on effects especially when viewed from the 'RPGs as a simulation' context, and especially when considering 'attributes as an adjudication fallback'. I also think weighted progression (including softcaps and hardcaps) can add a lot of character building complexity and its easy to make investments not pay off. Like in d&d a 14/14/14/14/10/10 (total bonus +8) is kind of a shit character and a 16/16/14/10/8/8 (total bonus +6) character is going to be just fine.

5 Just conceptually, the resistance to letting characters be good at something in the beginning of the game is also kind of strange. Here is the dynamic (interplay of mechanics) that I think is being 'designed out': A player minmaxes Lockpick and uses that to find a late (or later game) item in a chest that is 'return to area in the late game' loot. Being min-maxed probably means they have to be pretty creative but if they are clever with their items and realize locks can't stop them they should be able to reasonably progress without needing to grind. If maximizing a single skill results in an unplayable experience that may indicate 'balance issues' (the attribute(s) that drives the skill is not good enough or the skill isn't useful enough).

6 There is also a possibility that players 'optimize the fun' out of the game but I think that can be mitigated by splitting skills/stats so they are not all powerful (maybe locks are bypass-able with high lockpick, but hacking or magical barriers still elude the player). This way the character fantasy of 'being the wizard' or whatever requires investing in a few different skills and min/maxing may give off 'one weird trick' energy. But players can also be a warrior-mage by dropping certain mage stats/skills in exchange for warrior stats/skills. I think this can create more player expression and that is good (but it can also be difficult to design for with all of those possible contingencies and as a result the game ends up with more shallow systems). Basically it's a style of game that does this and it might not be what the designers want to do.

7 Now remember what I said 'A stat being good or bad is a perception of the player.' and that tangential paragraph about significant figures? I think it is important to realize that games can play with the perception of the player. So if all the stats in the first half of a game were balanced around 100 as being the max stat that let's the designer rug-pull and show that actually 255 was the maximum stat all along. The player just didn't know that until the characters decided to start killing deities in their afterschool club (to save japan, obviously).

8 But what I have been wondering about how the max stat (being 20, 100 or 255 etc) influences the design of the system especially in regards to the number of factors it has. If games were balanced around 96 or 240 as their maximum stat (even just conceptually) then how would that change the system? And those numbers are not a coincidence! 96 is close to 100 but has many more factors (96 has 12 factors and 100 has only 9) and has 6 factors under 10 while 100 has only 4 factors under 10. This just means there are more ways to divide the numbers up and I wonder what designers would do with that.

9 Potentially this could be used to get around the problem of not being able to feel the change in stats. If stats were internally rounded based on some factors; then players could have something only improve on every 8th or 16th stat increase to make it feel more impactful. This does create 'dead levels' but as long as something is happening (and/or players get multiple stat increases per level a la skills in fallout) it could lead to a lot of interesting decisions for the player to make.

P.S. I'm using D&D as an example because of how common it is. But if readers would rather I take examples from something like Traveler or Shadowrun or Sword World I can do that. But I'm not sure how good any given rpg would be an example of these points.

Hi Josh,

I've recently been playing a wide variety of western RPG's (Oblivion, Morrowind, 40k Rogue Trader, Balder's Gate 3)

I would consider myself a pretty experienced Video Game RPG player and in all of these games I kept running into the question of "at what number does a stat become good?" mostly in consideration for the late acts of these games where it isnt uncommon for challenge to seriously ramp up and enemy stats get buffed up considerably.

MY QUESTION IS: Do you have any thoughts on how RPGs can communicate late game level expectations to the player to help players make more informed decisions during the early and mid game sections?

I thought assigning colors to low and high stat levels similar to how loot is often assigned a color to convey rarity could be a improvement and could even go a step further by using the same color system for enemy levels IE: If your main stats are Orange and the Enemy Level is Orange You know both you and the enemy are powerful.

Hope you have a nice day,

Wade.

[skrunkled]

- A Really Long Post About Gallery Since Its Driving Me Insane -

Anyone else absolutely fascinated by this prophecy that appears in the middle of The Gallery of Ancient Faces in the Second Sanctuary? It feels really important, especially since its direcetly referencing (or being referenced by) the track "Gallery" that plays in front of the chapters 1&2 dark fountains and the titan which was already a kinda nebulous but vaugely important mystery going into the new chapters

Now that we have the added context of that prophecy in ch4 though, I have a lot of thoughts!!!! (and questions)

we knew Gallery was suspicous and important going into the new chapters because its of the few tracks in the ost that follow the Gaster file naming conventions (being named in all caps as GALLERY.ogg in the files), but how exactly it was connected to gaster was super ambiguous The new prophecy, though, gives us a really solid place to start! The idea i've seen floating around that I personally really like is that "GALLERY" is ment to refer to and depict the chapter select. Looking closely at the frames in the prophecy image, I really think this is the case since they resemble the frames for the chapter icons, using the same double border

We'll get back to what purpose implying that the titular Gallery is the chapter select has for deltarune's plot later, but first we have talk about the Something in the shape of a man in the room, the

what or who this figure is depicting and why they are included centrally in the GALLERY prophecy is a major puzzle piece, but this image is so vauge that its pretty much impossible to conclusively answer

that said, given the context i do think the most likely candidate at the moment is probably Gaster

This character is depicted centrally amidst the "gallery" which is likely the chapter select, implying that this character exists in the same capacity as the chapter select does and/or has a special connection to it, possibly being a sort of "curator" of it. The best match there is gaster, who almost definitely created the chapter select as the interface for his device, and probably exists on the same layer of fictional existance as it (see the device theory by Mollystars which holds up shockingly well after the new chapters). Additionally, I think the line through the figure's head might be a sort visual representation of the depicted character being "divided" in some way, and Gaster is notably shattered across time and space. Its also notable that, again, the track named "Gallery" in the ost is named in all caps in the files, which is one of gaster's calling cards, as well as the file naming convention that the chapter select is coded in.

The last bit of the prophecy to analyze is...

THE CURTAINS!!

...

...ok i actually dont have all that much to say about the curtains, other than that they strike me as odd since theres no analog to them in the chapter select screen currently

Theres one connection that popped into my mind while writing this though! It might totally be reaching, but they remind me a lot of Jevil's line "THESE CURTAINS ARE REALLY ON FIRE!"

This line is a play on the whole "the curtains being blue symbolize sadness" critique on literary analysis that reads way to heavily into subtext that isnt actually there (yes I see the irony) but I cant shake the feeling that its related somehow

so... now what? If this prophecy depicts gaster and the Gallery is supposed to be the chapter select, what do we do with this information?? I really have no idea at the moment, but I'll give it my best shot!!

First off, the track Gallery only plays in very specific places: right before you fight King on the platform in front of the dark fountain in chapter 1, right before you fight Queen in chapter 2 on the same sort of platform in front of the dark fountain, and just before fighting the Titan when its cloaked in shadow in chapter 4. The common denominator here is dark fountains, since both king and queen fight you in front of one and the titan is essentially a living dark fountain.

As far as I can tell, it doesnt play in chapter 3, which I think is because the focus is on the roaring knight instead of the dark fountain, and the track "Breath" replaces Gallery to denote this. This also could be drawing a distinction between the Knight and whatever Gallery is the theme of.

If the song Gallery is tied to dark fountains and the title "Gallery" is referring to the chapter select, I think this is meant to connect dark fountains to Device elements of deltarune like the chapter select.

My other idea is that Gallery plays at moments that line up with the chapter select icons, marking the moments that define each chapter which get displayed in the "gallery", but gallery being excluded from chapter 3 gives me pause about that.

This isnt a new connection, we've kinda known this since chapter 1 since image_depth is used for the texture of the fountains and the goner maker segment's background, but what I think this could be implying is that the dark fountains in some way enable the functionality of gaster's device in the world of deltarune. Maybe the opening of a fountain diegetically creates each chapter in the chapter select, each piece of art in the gallery, allowing us to connect and experience them?

Alternatively, maybe Gallery plays as a sort of indication that the prophecy is proceeding as planned, and we're hitting all the plot points displayed in the chapter select's gallery?

I really don't know how to put the pieces together at the moment, so i'd love to hear any ideas and interpretations you guys have of all this information!

also congrats on making it all the way to the end of my rambling and surviving!! you deserve a prize, have a cookie :]

[asymphonyofstarlight]

rilla, ch 10

currently spending too much time reading theses abt Rilla and thinking if I had actually been an english major I could've done that. unfortunate

hey this chapter is . A lot happening! The title intimates as much but it's especially the growing opposition of Jem and Walter that's always been stark but is so incredibly diametric here. a lot of Walter brooding and a lot of Rilla both going through it on very different levels while Jem's suffering on Salisbury Plain but still cheerful

the white feather -- "sometimes I wish I had never been born" + giving up on life. Yowch! + I have always and will continue to read special importance in the direct mention of Una's friendship here. I also am sitting here thinking about the emphasis of enlisting for a Greater Cause which is Walter's driving force later on (i.e. Una making him want to enlist despite her not saying anything to the effect). It is not cowardice to not want to kill others (!!) but there's a Cause(tm)

all the mentioned poetry I want to read!!

"Our enemies, not King George's enemies" is a really funny line. The offhanded violence of some of the things said in this book yell. It is, however, justifiable in this context in the sense of relieving your feelings

OH WORD it's the velvet hat google is distinctly unhelpful with how much the price could've been. Like a) how big was Rilla's allowance and b) how much was it to justify such a reaction -- Anne's looking LOL. Three years or the duration of the war! Only the sheer stubbornness of a 15 year old!!

doing some silly side math based on googling: if you were spending $8 on 3 hats on average--around $254 today--that would avg out to $85/hat so Rilla's hat must've cost upward of $100 in today's money ($5+ in 1915) but who knows man. I don't buy hats so I don't know what's considered a high price, but $100+ for an item of clothing as extravagant as she makes it sound as a 15 year old is STEEP no matter how you look at it. Especially in wartime and Rilla knows it

And the Irene disillusion! Every Morgan mention makes me laugh sorry this is just such a funny running bit. it's not like I know much abt babies but some of the things said here make me want to find and pick up a book on babies from that time out of sheer curiosity. (I also may have missed this--was Morgan such a Bible for Anne raising her children or was it just sitting around for Rilla LOL)

self edit I went hunting zero mentions of Morgan before Jims

I wonder WHAT it was that was said abt Walter -- there are many potential options, but Rilla's protectiveness also means it could have been less serious than it looks but Who Knows

all the Polish names just remind me of the history classes where I was absolutely flummoxed by the names in my readings vs hearing them said out loud by professors. STILL an issue btw it's so bad (I am… not good at pronouncing Polish)

[thebreakfastgenie]

The weirdest question I have about william martin joel is… who is he? /genuine (take this as an opportunity to tell me everything about him and then some I really truly wanna know who that dude is)

I think my thesis about Billy Joel is that he's such a keen observer because he was in the middle of a defining part of American history, but always as something of an outsider. Billy Joel grew up in Levittown in the 50s and 60s, which was the original suburban America experience. Literally the original. A lot of people know this, but I think way too many people assume he is personally representative of the middle class white culture we've come to associate with suburbia. The Joels were the only Jewish family in the neighborhood and one of the few in the area at the time. He didn't know any other Jewish people outside his family growing up, which I can relate to because I had the same experience decades later in Ohio. That was no small thing. The kind of open antisemitism that was still commonplace in the 50s can be really jarring to younger people. Kids threatened to beat him up for "killing christ" and told him he was going to grow horns and those are just the anecdotes I remember off the top of my head.

The neighborhood was mostly Catholic, which is relevant because Billy Joel's parents got divorced when he was about 10 at a time when divorce carried a heavy stigma. He spent most of his childhood being raised by a divorced single mother and they were also the poorest family in the neighborhood because his father wasn't giving them money (or contacting them at all) and the job prospects for a divorced single mother in the 60s were not good. His mother was also dealing with undiagnosed mental health issues that we don't have a lot of details about (possibly more in the upcoming documentary) and there are some wild anecdotes about that, but the relevant part for these purposes is the stigma. It makes it make a little more sense that he spent a short period of time in his early 20s couch surfing and sleeping in laundromats instead of going back to his mom's house. When he started playing music professionally in high school he was using the money he made to help support the family.

So from the beginning he was at the heart of this defining American experience and participating in a lot of it, but never fully part of the in-group. There's no better position to give you insight into a culture, really. It's not hard to see where the chip on his shoulder defensiveness came from, either. I believe he's been under appreciated for so long because people have historically missed this crucial context.

Billy Joel is also the son of a Holocaust refugee. His father fled Nazi Germany as a teenager. I think this is an important piece of background for understanding him but I also just like it as a reminder of how close the Holocaust is to present day America where I think gentiles sometimes feel more removed than they should. One of the recurring themes of diving into Billy Joel's life is wild antisemitism. He made a joke in the 80s about his house on Long Island being haunted by antisemitic ghosts and then a couple of years later he and Christie Brinkley bought a different house there despite the previous owner's will stipulating that it could not be owned by a Jewish person. People like to joke about Billy Joel being white people music and it's both funny and true but I think sometimes it's worth remembering that American Jews' assimilation into whiteness is conditional and that was even more true in the 1960s and 70s than it is now. I have more thoughts on this but I'm saving them for an essay.

One of the overarching themes I see in his life is his relationship to the concepts of life and death. The message he sent to the audience at the premiere of his documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival said getting older was better than getting cremated. A lot of older people make variations on this joke about aging, but it really gets to me when he does it. One of the other times it's come up was in response to a friend complaining about aging, and he reminded him that "it beats the alternative." Christie Brinkley said that when they were married he would say he didn't want to know when he was going to die, he wanted to know where, so he could avoid the place. He's been saying in complete seriousness that he would like to live forever for a while now and talked about how much he loves living. He even said what he wants to hear at the pearly gates is "just kidding, you can go back to what you were doing." If you know his history you know that's not an unexamined statement.

When he was 21 he put himself in a coma for three days and not long after he attempted suicide again and after that checked into a hospital because he was still suicidal (he was there for three weeks which according to him was because that was just the minimum stay at the time). As much as he likes to play it off, this was pretty serious, and obviously a formative experience in his life. He discusses contemplating mortality in his biography and it's clearly something he's thought a lot about. When you know all that the line in You're Only Human where he says "I wouldn't be telling you this if I hadn't been there myself" hits harder because he really is someone who doesn't take a single moment of life for granted because at one point he was prepared to throw it away. I'm too snarky and cynical to call it inspiring without breaking out in hives, but. I've said before that Vienna is a very personal song and I think it's interesting that he seems to have really figured things out later in life. That's not to say he was never happy, but he had a lot of ups and downs and then went through a period fairly recently where when people asked if he was happy he would say he was "content."

I think what makes him special is how strongly he identifies with the audience. It's why his shows are so good and why sometimes hardcore fans get frustrated-- he's appealing to the people, and the people don't necessarily have good taste. He has a yapper's soul. He genuinely loves doing audience Q&As and masterclasses and they probably go over time more often than not.

I'm not really getting into anecdotes here although I can in a follow up if you're interested, most of them I've told before at least once and this is already long, but the thing that always strikes me is this dude is just everywhere. He knows so many people, he has so many stories about huge things that he was just there for. He's been around for so long that I think the reason people finally started to appreciate him more after the Hurricane Sandy benefit in 2012 is that the two years before that were the first time he'd really gone away since the early 70s and when he came back people realized how much they missed him.

I think something people don't realize is that Billy Joel was this close to not making it. He made four albums that were more or less commercial flops and probably only lasted as long as he did because the Piano Man single got a decent amount of radio play. Even that didn't happen until months after it came out, which was unheard of in the 70s music industry, thanks to a student journalist on a mission. He'd been told to go back to his day job, but he didn't have a day job at that point. People who know him have said if he didn't do music he'd die and he's even the said the same thing about himself, yet he has threatened to quit (at least performing, if not music entirely since early on) enough times that his booking agent said a couple years ago "sometimes the way you feel about your work is the way you feel about yourself." By the time he made the Stranger, he would have been dropped by the label if it hadn't succeeded, though he didn't know that at the time.

Fundamentally he's a New Yorker. Like probably 80 to 90% of his whole deal is just that New Yorkers are just Like That. The people who know him best have consistently pointed out that there are two sides of him and the wisecracking go-fuck-yourself streetwise side is partially a defense and the more thoughtful, intellectual side is more guarded. If you listen to him talk enough you can even start to hear when he goes into the Long Island 1960s tough guy grammar and when he says things like "bourgeois proletariat" and then cracks up about that combination. I think that fundamental tension comes through in just about everything he's ever done, but that doesn't mean it's never been reconciled. He's chilled out so much these days a chunk of his public persona is just recreational curmudgeonliness because that's his thing. He's just some guy from Long Island who plays the piano pretty well and also incidentally he's the extremely famous writer of enduring songs.

[blaithnne]

Remember this post where I talked about how funny Host!Vic’s gender neutrality is? Well now it’s even funnier because this episode seemingly confirmed something I have suspected to be true for a while now, which is that fictional Vic Michealis SOMEHOW DIDNT REALISE THEYRE BI?????

[cobaltfluff]

the crossovers continue... (2/?) this time it's with re:vale's binary vampire :3c

[charmac]

How are you feeling about S17? I'm getting reaaal worried that it's going to be terrible. No Glenn in the writers room? A crossover episode?? Rob's gradual transformation into pondslime??? Help

Pondslime 😭Lmfao

I'm feeling more than fine about 17, really truly. I don't think anyone should be worried at all.

I think sometimes my interactions with Glenn come off a little more serious or abrasive than they really happened in real life (because we have to shout due to how loud it is in the bars), and my immediate transcription is just to get people *information*, which really doesn't convey tone.

For example, reporting that Glenn said "you don't want to know" in response to me asking for any teasers (as to plots this season) was met with a lot of "oh so this season is gonna suck" on Twitter, and that could not be further than the truth (sorry to the people I split-react blocked for saying that lol). In hindsight I get the reaction, because written out it's a response that can be easily misinterpreted and reads as potentially concerning, but know that when Glenn said "you don't want to know" he looked like this:

And when I was genuinely just asking for script information (regarding writers of individual scripts after he mentioned they had broken already) and mentioned Nina (Inflates) and Ross (DTAMHD), he gushed about both of them and then said, transcribed word for word, "It's been a good room, I'll say this it's been a great room. It's been an all-star room, it's been...like, breaking the stories this year has been really fun. [Me: Yeah?] Yeah. [That's great, that is great to hear.] It's been really fun."

So the idea of "no Glenn in the writers room" is really much more akin to Season 16 than 13/14. He was there to break stories (meaning he was in the room when they were brainstorming plot ideas and when they settled on which plots would be turned into scripts) but Rob and Charlie are taking the brunt of writing their (RCG's) scripts because of Sirens. This is the same thing that happened with The Gang Goes Bowling. Glenn's name is on the script, but Rob and Charlie wrote the majority of it while Glenn was shooting Blackberry. (I remember originally being convinced it was a mistake Glenn was listed as a writer for Bowling, lmfao). And Glenn is definitely still contributing, will be on revisions for the non-RCG scripts, and will classically change or improv whatever he thinks is best for Dennis when he's on set (see: the Risk E. Rats script).

Also, I know the crossover is concerning to a lot of people just given the nature of it, but as of what we know right now it's only on Abbott, so it's really just as if this season's The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell or The Janitor Always Mops Twice took place on a different show instead of ours...

I promise promise promise Glenn was clearly holding his tongue for good things coming up, and Friday night very much restored my confidence that Season 17 will be good. (But..if you don't think Glenn has good contributions to Sunny or understands the agenda, then sorry this response probably sucks lmfao)