#I based off the characterizations on their numbers and designs

[comicaurora]

hi red!! i'm doing an analysis of sun wukong's (and journey to the west in general's) impact on modern culture for my world mythology final, and for some reason i'm having a hard time finding sources. is there anything you can recommend?

The fact that Journey to the West has contributed an enormous number of tropes to modern media is very clear when the media in question is examined, but I don't know of a specific secondary source that's already done that analysis for you. However, this IS a very good excuse for you to plow through a metric buttload of shonen manga, since the lineage is basically Sun Wukong -> Son Goku -> like a solid third of all shonen action heroes written in the last forty years.

Dragon Ball kicks things off:

Started in 1984 and almost unquestionably the most influential manga ever made. Its first arc features the weird super-strong monkey-kid Son Goku - which is just the japanese pronunciation of the characters of Sun Wukong's name - meeting up with a wacky crew of thinly-veiled expys of the Journey to the West crew, with teen inventor Bulma filling the role of Tripitaka, Oolong the pig-man filling Zhu Bajie's role and Yamcha the desert-based bandit as Sha Wujing.

Hijinks ensue, and while the story drifts pretty far from Journey to the West's original plot, it actually stays pretty solidly referential in weirdly unexpected ways. Several the villains of the week are JttW references, and even the later appearance of three more Saiyans lines up with the surprise reveal of three more Wukong-like mystical apes in the original story.

The connection between Dragon Ball and JttW is very unsubtle and a frequent reference in the chapter covers and supplemental art.

Not every subsequent JttW reference is the result of Dragon Ball popularizing it or anything, since it was already enormously popular, but I think it's pretty hard to extricate Dragon Ball's influence on anime and manga from the original influence of Journey to the West itself.

One way that a distinction can be drawn is in the differences in characterization between Goku and Sun Wukong himself. A lot of the next generation of shonen protagonists were kind of Goku-alikes - pure-hearted dumbasses who only care for the three Fs: Food, Fighting and Friendship.

But the original characterization of Sun Wukong is not really all that similar. He's a trickster, sure, but he's far from a young, friendship-motivated goober. He's profoundly intelligent, pretty much the most well-educated entity on the planet, and routinely brings up that he's centuries older than most of his peers. The Goku-alikes from the later decades of shonen anime are tellingly far-removed from that original characterization. So you get characters based on Goku's cheerful idiocy, but it's just a small subset of the broader influence of Journey to the West on the space of literature.

In general, Journey to the West frequently shows up in very small, bite-sized tropes in other stories. It's less "this is wholly based on Journey to the West" and more "oh, I know where they maybe got this idea/aesthetic/power/weapon/villain of the week from." There are way too many to list, but some of the ones that tend to jump out at me are-

Sneaky characters with monkey motifs:

Tricksy, highly mobile characters who fight with a staff:

Characters afflicted with a magical restraint artifact that allows a much weaker character to stop them from misbehaving:

Specific esoteric weapons, eg. magical fans, rakes, gourds, namedropping The Sword of Seven Stars, etc.

Villains with prominent ox or pig design motifs:

Characters whose primary combat strat is just making Shitloads Of Disposable Copies Of Themselves:

Honestly it just keeps going like this. It's kinda everywhere. Finding the JttW in things is my favorite conspiracy theory rabbit hole because it's 100% harmless and more often than not completely correct.

[zvezdacito]

Ranking Malleus's Valentines Messages from 2021-2024🔥

People finally got the 2024 ones so I decided to make a list like this. Mostly based off which ones have both the most interesting contents and which ones are the sweetest(?) in a sense to Yuu lol. Terminal Malleyuu brain + and I mean they are Valentines cards after all.

Going from least to most personally favored:

4th: 2023

Text: "To my dear friend-

Thank you. Never did I envision someone presenting me with the gift of sweet treats. It would be a shame for me to eat them all by myself. I think I'll share them with you. Would you be willing to provide the tea to go with them?"

Very broadly friendly and nice I guess, but the message of the text is basic and the design of the letter card is also kinda basic🥀 like tbh if you changed the color of this card you could mistake this for something Riddle wrote instead. The ones for this year really just felt like they ran out of ideas and gave up, this is the only one on this list I can say I definitely don't really like that much

3rd: 2022

Text: "To my good friend-

A gift? For me, of all people? Your tastes are...distinctive, I must say. Worry not, though- I enjoyed it, of course. What would you like in return, I wonder? I shall take great pleasure in speculating the answer to that question."

Definitely more interesting than the 2023 one and his personality really comes out in the writing here. Though because of how his closeness to Yuu is characterized here I now feel like it would make more sense if this was the first card and the 2021 was the second one, since if you take the cards to be written in a chronological timeline it kinda feels like Malleus's closeness to Yuu regressed out of nowhere

Not saying people can't change or grow apart later on, but here it kinda has the vibe that he straight up hasn't met them much yet so its as if this was earlier into their relationship. Basically feels if Book 3-4 Malleus got the gift, while 2021 is like Book 6 and onwards Malleus getting the gift.

I really like this one both for the yuu crumbs and it's characterization of Malleus himself, but it's number 3 simply by default of me personally liking the next two more. The gap between it and 2023 is huge😭

2nd: 2024

Text: "To my good friend-

Thank you for your gift. Hmm... This fragrance is meant for pleasure and relaxation? What a tasteful choice. I rather like it; perhaps I shall take more of an interest in these things. You would be welcome to pay me a visit, by the way, should you feel so inclined. I would enjoy sharing an old tale or two."

These are probably the most fun design for the letter cards so far. I think after last year (the 2023 one) they realized they really did run out of ideas for box shaped letters lol.

In general I just like the very sweet and casual friendship implied in this card. As usual he is doing everything in his power to invite Yuu to his place at any given opportunity. Cute how when they hang out they'll tell each other chismis stories, and that Malleus is gonna commit to getting into something just because Yuu gifted it to him. TLDR he's very comfortable around Yuu here that's awesome

1st: 2021

Text: "Dearest,

My thanks for such a truly wonderful present. It is only fitting that I should give you something in return. How about the gift of beauty? Perhaps the gift of song? Or... Well, never mind. Just a joke based on the legends, you know. I shall give you something I picked out myself."

I don't really think anything will ever fully top this one tbh. The greeting just being "Dearest" was so powerful they had to pull bro to the side and tell him to tone it down for the next 3 years🥀

The "gift of beauty song or..." lines can be taken as just him being 3 seconds away from jumping to smooch Yuu (given in the movie the last gift was true loves kiss related after maleficent cursed the baby) which is honestly kinda funny. Down bad /j

Ok back to the main point and minus speculations. This is tied with the 2024 one with showing how close and comfortable (shown by how forward and playful he is here no concern of maintaing image or such) this point of his relationship with Yuu is. This is also the card where he feels the most excited and energetic I guess which is why it's still my overall favorite. Displex had no choice contain the raw Malleyuu power in this one to avoid bias accusations idk

If you want to read into it more I think it's also kinda funny that this could lowkey be taken as him saying we suck at singing/look ugly. And the reason he stopped before revealing the last line is because he realize the joke had already come off as insulting to a human not familiar with the Briar Valley even if his intention was just to be playful as friends do.

Although that would be consistent with the characterization of Malleus as being honest if anyone's performance in something (even Yuu from what we see in voicelines) is lackluster.

He is constructive tho. In these same voicelines usually offers to help teach them to get better and acknowledging it as a feat/compliment itself when they slightly improve, instead of the fanon characterization (usually for masterchef comics) that once he finds out Yuu is behind something he will autonomatically just see it as good quality already.

So yeah idk that's nice and awesome

↑ Drive compiling of the rest of the 2024 Valentines letter pics I found on twitter. There's still some characters missing + trying to look for a clearer picture of the Malleus one lol

[b1asho]

Bugs

Here's what I've got to say, I didn't proofread any of it, will do that later, but I went a little more into stuff like what flips the switch on them turning into a Dorest (blue guy) or Rox (red guy).

((Tldr its not a switch its a sliding bar that'll get stuck or drop back down to 0 without the right input!)

Anyway, their life stages are:

'Egg, Early Stage Larva, Late Stage Larva, Prepupa, Chrysalis, Juvenile (aka Chick's, Dusties, or Hatchlings) pictured is molt 1 of 3, Subadult (aka Colts or Proxies) pictured is molt 4 of 5, and Adult (aka Imago, Types D or R.

Eggs are around golfball sized, and stay on the Rox’s abdomen area via a sticky pouch that forms when the eggs are laid onto them. I haven’t gone in depth into how they do the deed because idk, but it’s relevant here so let’s do it: basically they lock gonopods with each other, both get off, then the Dorest lays their fertilized eggs onto the Rox and the Rox releases fertilized eggs on themself. The residue hardens into a leathery skin over the eggs (there’s about 12 of them in total, 6 from each party)until they hatch into a soft little infant. This process can technically be done in reverse (with the eggs being laid/held on a Dorest). They could even self-fertilize (that is very hard, though, because they’re designed to reproduce with the stimulus of both D/R pheromones. Eggs won’t even form if you don’t have the presence of both in your living area. You’d have to find a way to replace the missing half if you want to actually get anywhere) but both are *major* taboo because it goes against their roles. The Rox is supposed to hold because they’re larger (it’s more comfortable for them because they have more space down there), they can defend the eggs better (which mattered more with their ancestors and so carried on thru today) and if they’re in a reproductive role they have more time for proper pouch care and more nutrition as opposed to a reproductive Dorest, who still has duties outside the unit that can include labor. When the Rox feels the larva moving around, they’ll rip open the pouch to release them (where they then fall under the care of the nearest applicable Dorest. )

This little guy then grows during their larval stage, continuously shedding their soft outer casing rather than having a designated number molts like in later stages. Nothing new is being grown, specific things are just getting bigger (such as their head, arms/legs, and setae) as they store fat and prepare their body for the metamorphosis. They only have an exoskeleton, which is fairly springy and soft. Basically, the larva stage is only for storing energy and getting things bigger to be a better blueprint for their new features later.

Once they’re ready, their body starts sectioning out a bit for the general layout of what they’re going to look like (this is the prepupa stage, characterized by their larger size and more discernible features). they all gather in a suitable place (or are herded to a specific place by adults), and then go inactive to grow a thick outer layer derived from their exoskeleton. This serves as their chrysalis. The chrysalis stage is where they actually change , adding in the body parts of adults (such as scales, claws, their mouthpart and head layout, eyes, fingers/toes, antenna, etc) and completely restructuring themselves for bipedalism. As I mentioned earlier, offspring are usually separated into different areas. This is to make it easier to concentrate the pheromone signals and enzymes they’ll introduce to cause the Drecu soup in the chrysalis to develop a certain way. (If this doesn’t happen, basically they don’t have the thing that unlocks their instructions on how to grow. they’ll stay soup and just die in the chrysalis.)

Juveniles/Chicks/Dusties/ Hatchlings are where they consider the true start of their life to be. The 'Dusty'nickname comes from the dull gray if their scales. Based on the prompts they received in the chrysalis, they emerged with either Dorest or Rox traits being dominant. However, as you can see, they still kind of look similar. Particularly, the Rox is missing/has underdeveloped a lot of the discerning Rox features (they have the space for their ear disks but haven’t grown them yet, so they’re deaf, they arent red, don’t have quills , and don’t have their thumb claw)

This is because Dorest is the default, the R enzyme breaks down the enzyme that makes them a Dorest.

They have a predisposed path (broad strokes in their head, leg, abdomen, and tail shape that happened in the chrysalis) that was determined in the chrysalis, but at this age they need continued reinforcement from D/R adults around them in order to ‘lock in’ those adult traits. Because of this, they’re usually kept separated after emerging from the chrysalis ( D hatchlings with other Dorest and R hatchlings with a lower caste Rox or under the care of a Dorest with enough Rox around to introduce them to more of the R enzyme)

Once they have pupated, there are a total of 5 size changes. The first 3 are in the juvenile/hatchling/etc stage where theyll be locking in features. There is a ‘critical period’ during the end of the juvenile stage where insufficient/irregular reinforcement or too many mixed signals will cause them to miss the ‘lock’ that causes them to develop and/or fully retain those features. (depending on when this happens, this means that a Rox can be missing anything from their color to their spines, and even a Dorest can not develop their horns, tail, or colors. )This can’t be undone after the 3rd molt that brings them into the subadult stage (which means they wouldn’t qualify as a subadult, since they’re missing a lot of those developments)

a similar change can happen if an adult Drecu is isolated from others, though this will only change their behavior because their body has stopped changing at this point. for example, a Rox removed from all other drecu will begin to present as a Dorest (emitting those pheremones and being less aggressive/more nurturing and caring rather than possessive and territorial), and in an environment where there’s only other Rox around they might start giving off Dorest signals too. A Dorest removed from any other drecu will act the same, but when there’s only other D around one might start presenting like a Rox (acting territorial, aggressive, and leaderlike) and mimicking Rox signals.

The subadult stage is very close to being adult. They're called colts because of their newness/inexperience, not because of the horse thing. Theyre also called proxies because they're closer to adults in the unit, therefore doing more important tasks that have been delegated to then. The number of size-changing molts can vary here, but its usually they'll go throguh the last 2 of the total 5 (but, some lower castes stay around this size due to nutrition and stuff.) If they’ve properly developed from the previous stage, they should have all their adult features and should keep those features for the rest of their life.

They’re considered an adult when they can reproduce, which changes their size, setae hair length, and coloring. Whether or not they actually *do* reproduce is a whole other status thing, since only some in the unit have that right.

This is a convoluted way to introduce some possibilities for some WEIRD lookin drecu characters who fumbled the critical period. I'm cooking one up rn >:)

[seacret-tarot]

🌙✨Moon-Day - General energy reading for the week (April 7 - 13) ✨🌙

Pick a Pile - Tarot and Oracle Reading

1 2

3 4

Hello everyone 👋

It's time for another Moon-Day check-in regarding the coming week! This time I'll be using the Shadowscapes Tarot and the Starcodes Oracle (which I both recommend a lot if you want decks for yourself, their designs are so beautifully intricate).

Please choose whatever picture above you feel most drawn to.

Hope you enjoy your reading and thanks for stopping by!

[Disclaimer: Please use your own judgement when making any decisions based on a tarot reading. Magick and readings are meant to supplement, not replace professional advice. Since this is a general reading, only take what resonates with you – and at the end of the day, we all have free will and the power to shape our lives.]

Under the cut, at the very end of the post, I have also added a general observation section about a common theme I could see for this week's reading. If you don't want to know about that, feel free to scroll by it; feedback and thoughts are very welcome, too, though :)

Pile 1

cards: knight of cups/5 of cups (jumpers); pisces - sensitize (12)

Your week looks to be quite heavily focused on emotional matters, with not only two cups cards jumping out at once, but also the intuitive and dreamy water sign of Pisces joining the mix. The Knight of Cups could signify you, a person in your life (or coming into your life) or a situation that is characterized by, well, aspirations of romance, idealization or generally a feeling of being swept off your feet. The 5 of Cups, on the other hand, is associated with disappointment and depicts someone pondering a fish in a bowl, like they're wondering whether to let it roam free in the waters around or keep holding onto it. There could be a sign here to contemplate a situation, before diving into it head-first like the knight might do; or possibly it's time to take a step back and thoroughly evaluate whether what the knight (in whatever form) seems to offer you is really a good fit. In any case, I think there's a call to listen carefully to your intuition here.

Pile 2

cards: 5 of pentacles; taurus - cultivate (2)

The 5 of Pentacles is (unfortunately) not a stranger in my recent readings and speaks about a - perceived or real - poverty in your life. In the illustration, we see someone weeping (with 1 pentacle), held back by thorns and physically separated from a more bounti- and colorful area (with 4 pentacles). Not all hope is lost, though; a single small butterfly seems to fly to the person's side, as if to console them. The number 5 in numerology is also associated with freedom and change, which I think the Taurus card here with the keyword "cultivate" could encourage. It's tough, if you're not connected to the stability of the 4 of Pentacles and have to stand on your own; but Taurus as one of the steadiest signs (and an Earth sign, on top of that) signifies the importance of cultivating your own sturdiness, talents and abilities. There will be a way out of this.

Pile 3

cards: 6 of pentacles; sagittarius - expand (9)

Both of the cards here have the theme of growth at its core, pertaining to the elements of Earth and Fire. The 6 of Pentacles symbolizes someone (usually you) using their resources to support and stabilize another person or a cause; it reminds me of donating, especially with the meaning of the number 6 as a harmonizing factor, so that could be something you have considered recently. Interestingly, putting these two cards next to each other, the person in the 6 of Pentacles drops their resources (their coins watering a plant) downwards and to the right, while the Centaur in the Sagittarius card is looking and aiming upwards and to the left - as if their gazes meet or as if they're working with each other in tandem (the 6 of Pentacles with material resources and the Sagittarius with sparks of inspiration and ideas). Therefore this could signify you and someone else collaborating or two parts of you or your life intertwining more than before (e.g. bringing more of your personal ideas into the workplace or making a small business out of a hobby).

Pile 4

cards: 4 of pentacles; progressions - journey (56)

The combination of these two cards is very interesting to me ... On one side, we have a dragon hoarding its wealth in the 4 of Pentacles, not leaving its nest, holed up, defensive and stagnating; on the other side, there's a mountain range to cross and the theme of progressions and journeys. Laying these cards next to each other, we also get the number sequence of 4 - 5 - 6, underlining the meaning of the progressions. In astrology, a progression chart is created by moving the sun one degree for each lived year (e.g. in my chart from Aquarius at 27 degrees to Pisces 28 degrees) and looking at the new chart of that day (e.g. roughly a month after my actual birthday). It's supposed to give a new perspective on how your personality develops over the course of your lifetime and which aspects could be highlighted along that journey. In the context of this reading, then, I think there could be a reminder here to evaluate what you've been holding onto - maybe unnecessarily - and take the courage to develop in ways you haven't dared to yet. Time will go on anyway and change is inevitable.

The topic of Pentacles

An observation I made in this general reading is the focus on Pentacles (3 out of 4 groups have a representative card) and I don't think it's too out of place for this to happen. With the recent turbulent political and economic events, the topics of finances, work, health and basically making sure we're somewhat well off is heavily on the forefront of many people's minds, especially in the short-term, as suit cards often speak more about everyday occurrences rather than life themes. Several of my friends are struggling to find jobs these days and the prices for everything just keep on rising.

With that said, I also want to point out that the Pentacles don't have to be strictly defined in material manners, but can also be seen as a bridge between the material and the spiritual; personally, I think they can represent a more grounded counterpart to the energy of Wands, which are also often associated with (the more spiritual side of) jobs and life work.

What's also interesting is the appareance of a 4, a 5 and a 6 – I'm wondering if it's also a sign for the collective, as in, taking things step by step, the possibility of progress, or the continuation of a "storyline", of things being put into motion.

[kneelingshadowsalome]

Hello! I’ve been back and forth on writing you this bc I’m nervous but eh fuck it, I have no shame. So first off, I just want to say that you, Salome, are an absolutely stunning and brilliant writer. As someone who majored in classical studies in college, I was completely blown away by Fatum Nos Iungebit. The world you built was so deeply immersive and characterization of König, in that story as well as your other headcanons, is perfect. For the past week or so, I’m going to be honest, I’ve been going through your blog because I’ve been so hungry for more and the only reason I haven’t interacted more is that 1. I don’t wanna feel like a creep and 2. I was so scared of you blocking me for ‘’spam-liking” or whatever. I can assure you that I am a real person and I’ve been enjoying everything I’ve seen. I came across one concept however, that definitely got my neurons firing and that’s the idea of belly dancer reader x könig and I have some thoughts I wanted to share with you if that’s okay. :)

So I’ve been a belly dancer for almost a decade (I actually celebrate my ten year anniversary next year!). I was part of a belly dance performance troupe at my old university and I currently dance with a studio in my new city. It’s genuinely one of the great passions of my life. I’ve performed at all kinds of venues and for all different occasions from festivals to galas to charity events to hookah bars, so I definitely have some performing experience under my belt, well as what audiences are like. So when I saw the idea of König being mesmerized by a dancer at a wedding, I went !!!

I want to add the caveat that this is based on my experience as a dancer living in the US, and while I’ve performed for SWANA audiences (which is always an amazing experience 🥰) and non-SWANA audiences, I can’t speak for what it’s like in other countries. So, in my ✨personal✨ experience as a belly dancer going on a decade, it’s pretty rare that men will approach dancers during or after a performance—especially to actively hit on her. And believe it or not, it’s because many of them are actually intimidated! I have seen the most seemingly cockiest, proudest men just stare blankly and stand back while we do our thing. If anything, it’s usually women who approach us, gushing about our performances or asking where they can take classes and stuff. Women tend to be the first ones to get up and dance with us, shower us with tips, etc. (again, very much my personal experience as someone living in the US). When it comes to more family-friendly events like weddings and stuff, we also get a lot of kids approaching and that’s always so adorable and sweet—especially when the little babies think we’re princesses. 😭

So back to König, especially Y!König. 😈 he’s at the wedding. He’s mopey. He’s picking at his plate of chicken and rice. He’s happy for his friend and his bride, but a little bitter and jealous that he’ll never get to be that happy. Then, a mejance (essentially an entrance/overture piece of music) swells over the speakers and out comes the dancer, adorned in an Irina Sheyner number (she’s an absolutely STUNNING costume designer, plsplsplsPLS look her up 😭), veil flying behind her. She does her mejance, a drum solo, and at some point…she does a sword number. The level of control she has to be able to balance the sword on her head in impressive, but König can’t help but imagine what it would be like for to dance wielding his knives in hand. Finally, dancer opens up the floor and in typical faction brings out the bride and groom to dance with her, and then most of the other guests follow. Not König though. He hangs back and watches as this beautiful dancer holds the guests in the palm of her hand. Gone is the cocky, brutal soldier, and only the shy, anxious boy remains, the one who would always be left out of games at recess and who wasn’t invited to birthday parties. König has never been the dancing type, but he can’t even bring himself to offer her a few of the banknotes or dollars or whatever currency he’s using. He just stares, and she’s completely oblivious.

A while later, he’s getting ready to leave, when he spots Dancer. Her makeup and hair still done up, but she’s now fully cloaked and awkwardly lugging her suitcase and bags full of props and other equipment across the poorly paved parking lot. König zeroes in on her and before he knows it, he’s approaching her, asking her if she needs help carrying her stuff. Dancer, surprised but this gigantic man suddenly appearing before her, flashes a winning smile at him and says he can. König easily lugs the stuff to Dancer’s car. She thanks him profusely and just like that, she drives away.

It’s only a few hours later that the obsession starts to creep in. König, who’s ordinarily not a big social media user, is now checking the feeds and stories of his friends who attended the wedding. Finally, he comes across one friend who posted a video of themself with the dancer and tagged her Instagram. König can’t click on it fast enough and suddenly, he’s greeted by dozens of images and photos of Dancer. Some are adorably mundane. He finds out that Dancer teaches classes at a studio nearby, and some of the videos consist of dancer teaching basic moves to the camera. There are other videos of her at the local hookah bar, where she performs on a regular basis. König sees one particularly video of Dancer doing a piece of floor work, that same sword balanced proudly on her head as she’s propped back on her arms, her gorgeous hips undulating toward the sky. König feels a dark wave of heat wash over him. He jokingly thinks to himself that maybe he should take up hookah. But one thing is for certain, she’s going to be his one day. He’ll just have to be sneaky about it, subtle.

He clicks the follow button on Dancer’s instagram. She has a few thousand followers. Surely she can’t notice one faceless profile, right? 😈😈😈😈😈😈

Anyway, that’s all I have for now. I know you’re taking a break from fics but if you see this I want you to know you’re an amazing writer. Lots of love! 💖💖💖💖

Ughhh and another lovely soul 😭💗 I don't know what's going on in here this week but both you and anon have really made my heart swell!

And please please please, spam liking is never frowned upon here (I don't know why anyone would block someone who's clearly not a bot for loving your stuff?!) It's such a delight if I see that someone has liked a ton of things instead of just one. It's the highest compliment and praise! ❤️🥺

And your bellydancer prompt/drabble is so mouthwatering, god. If I'm being honest, I'd read whatever you wrote for this thing in a hot minute because you have the skill and you've done the research (an actual bellydancer in my inbox?! Ok Salome try not to be a creep) and the premise is just. GAH. So good, especially with yandere König! ❤️❤️❤️

I have to reveal I wrote like 8 chapters of a story relatively close to this in the fall: Stalker!König obsessing about reader, invading her DMs on Instagram and literally stalking her. She's not a bellydancer, but damn if I didn't think about changing her into one... :) The story is on hold for now, but here is a little snippet as a thank you gift!

CW: Yandere/Stalker!König, harassing, obsessive behavior

I’m sorry, Liebling. You were too beautiful yesterday. I got carried away.

You wake up just to see that your phone is full of messages. From him, of course. He’s created another account on Instagram.

I’m just a man.

You ignore it altogether, even if there’s messages and emails from other people too. You simply go to brush your teeth, hearing how the phone buzzes on your desk.

I know it was disrespectful. I could never call my wife that. Will you forgive me?

You sigh and finish with your morning routine, but the phone buzzes again.

I sent you flowers. Did you get them?

It’s like he knows when you’re awake, because you can see the messages from your screen without having to unlock it. Even if he refreshed your conversation every minute, every second, he can’t possibly see that you’ve seen them yet.

It bugs you to no end, this feeling that he somehow knows that you’re awake. It’s like he knows your every move. It’s the most unnerving thing, and makes you think about horrible scenarios where he has broken into your house while you’re at work, to install cameras or microphones or something. You feel like you’re about to go mad if this nightmare goes on.

You go to the front door, but hesitate a while before you turn the knob.

What if it’s a trap?

What if he wants to kill you because you yelled at him last night at the pub...? What if there’s a bomb or something that goes off when you open the door, what if he aims at you with a gun from across the street and kills you on your doorstep this morning?

Just what the actual fuck does this guy even want with you...

You sigh with a broken heart and some broken nerves, deciding it’s as good a way to go as any. You turn the knob and open the door, only to find the usual porch, and a large bouquet of dark red roses planted there.

More ice sinks into your stomach as you witness the evidence of him knowing where you live. But the fact that he chose to send red roses… Ugh, this guy is so old-fashioned and so unimpressive that it’s somewhat a dull surprise to actually see flowers on that porch.

Who buys red roses these days?

Couldn’t he have picked peonies or something, something to go with your other decor… Red roses are so eighties, so funeral-like, so boring.

You sigh and go and take the flowers to the trash. Then you walk back to your house, make sure the door is locked tight, and go back to your phone to type a message.

Did you see that?

The answer arrives immediately.

What? ❤️

I threw your flowers in the trash.

There’s bit of a pause after that. Your wannabe boyfriend clearly hasn’t got his eye on you at every given moment. That’s a bit of a surprise, almost a disappointment, actually. But only if you were any more crazy.

The reply comes after about 30 seconds, after a series of Typing… bumping up and down on the screen.

I’m sad.

You get some satisfaction from that, but the first reaction is a tiny, tiny dagger to the heart. You sigh – you do nothing but sigh these days – not only because of his message, but also because you can’t seriously be having a moment of compassion for your stalker, for god's sake.

You make me sad, Liebling 💔 Are you still angry with me?

You throw the phone away and go to make yourself some breakfast, only to stop and turn when you hear the phone buzz again.

I’ll send you more flowers.

Jesus…

You unlock the screen in a frenzy and type a reply in mere seconds.

Don’t bother. I’ll throw them in the bin too.

Typing…

You have to keep them at some point. Trash bins get full so soon.

STOP HARASSING ME.

You throw the phone away for good this time, and don’t come back to it for another hour. You eat your breakfast with squirming insides and a rattled heart, waiting for someone to come bring you flowers at any given moment.

But no one ever comes.

You check your phone before going to work, but there’s nothing from him there. You go and block his new profile, unsurprised to see that there are no pictures this time, not even a profile picture (well, there is one, but it’s only a black circle), just in case. You don’t know why you didn’t block him in the first place.

There’s a radio silence for a few days. You spend them at the edge of your seat, with lots of trouble sleeping, but soon start to ease into the fact that maybe he finally had enough. Maybe you were not as interesting or attractive as he thought when he met you in person…

Wait, what?

Gosh, you can’t be this desperate... You simply can’t. This has to end.

You don’t talk about him in therapy, mainly to convince yourself that you’re not thinking about him at all. You’re not missing him harassing and stalking you, and you’re not disappointed that he didn’t send you enough flowers to fill your entire bin.

You know you should address this: this crazy need to be something groundbreaking to someone. To want someone to be this obsessed with you, no matter how sick that someone was. You know you would have gone to the police if your stalker was the sleazy, weak-wristed man from the pub. You would’ve packed your bags and moved houses already, changed your name and closed your social media accounts, quit everything if your stalker was small and ugly and weak.

But now that you know he’s relatively good-looking, does something dangerous and has a lot of money, and looks like he could fuck and fight half the city by himself, you’re not in that much of a hurry to go to the authorities.

You’re even a bit sad that your stalker hasn’t given you any fevered attention these past few days... He hasn’t even asked you how you’ve been.

No one has asked you how you’ve been: no one ever does. You have to wade through this life all by yourself: depressed and anxious and crazy. Lonely… And horny.

Gods, you just want someone to hold you at night… Someone strong, and big, someone who would pay a few bills for you, take care of you and give you a round of good sex…

Your phone buzzes from time to time, but there’s no message from him. One night before going to sleep, relatively early, so early that it could be called the bedtime for old spinsters, you break down and cry a little. It’s not a wail: only a soft little sob, a few sniffles and a couple of tears until your nose gets clogged and the pillow is wet.

Your phone buzzes, and you reach for it, feeling so, so pathetic when you hope it would be him.

And the message is from him.

You’re the most beautiful woman on this earth. I know I fucked up. I’m just a horny dog and I don’t deserve you.

You sniffle and rise to sit, your whole system fully awake now. Oh god... You’re so fucked.

The message makes you feel incredibly good and sweet, almost giddy. It feels like he’s kneeled right there in front of you, like a knight who has misbehaved in the throes of his lust. You know it’s ridiculous, but you start to smile a little, and the tears dry on their own. The merry feeling is followed by righteous rage, a little fit, because he’s made you wait for days, he’s tortured you in every way possible, and he does absolutely nothing right.

You unlock the screen and start to type, not thinking it through at all before hitting send.

That’s right.

Fuck… Shit. That was a mistake. No, a huge error.

Why did you have to send that? Stooping to his level, sending stupid things like that…

You put the phone away quickly, then reach for it again to delete what you just send. But it’s too late.

I can be a good dog if you forgive me.

The message is waiting for you already, and when you don’t reply, the oppressive, ominous Typing… hits on the screen once more. God, how could you be so stupid…

I’ll kill anyone you need me to kill. I'll give you money, whatever you need. A new kitchen so you can cook me something nice? I’ll be a good dog, I promise.

What did you even expect?

Everything always blows up when you give him attention: any dumb person knows better than to give this hungry dog a bone. You’re just too fond of digging your own grave, it seems.

There’s no end to the messages: this guy starts typing a new one every time he has sent the last.

I’ll fuck you like a good dog too….

You lean your forehead to your palm, trying to figure out a way to stop this.

And then–

Fuck, now I’m hard

You take a quick breath of air and put the phone away.

Please don’t send a dick pic, please don’t send a dick pic…

The phone buzzes.

Look how hard you make me

There’s a picture attached, but you can’t see it when the screen is locked.

This is what I have to live with, day and night…

Message after message, your phone buzzes, and you check them quickly from your screen, swearing to yourself that you’re not going to give him the satisfaction of opening the conversation and checking the image he sent you. You know perfectly well what you will find if you do that.

But after only a minute or two, you unlock the phone, and open the conversation with your heart ramming in your chest.

Just one quick look...

[basra-of-the-crows]

🧣, 🏳️, ✒️?

🧣- A fun fact about your muse's design:

I can give you a couple!

1) Basra’s (in dnd) design was originally based off of crows, with a cape of crow feathers, bladed (but silent) boots and a perpetually angry/upset look to them :) but when I was actually rendering the piece, I realized that their features seemed more like a magpie-

2) they way that Basra’s clothing is described in RP is based off the armor she wears in DnD, so the occasional full plate armor or cowboy hat is purely because I thought it’d be funny to have that reflected in how I RP

3) Basra has a lot of scars all over their body from crows being a lil too exited to say hi and accidentally cutting into their skin with their talons. These are generally centralized around their shoulders, arms and hands. The nerve damage in their hands impairs their ability to feel/makes their hands tingly, but they’re still able to have more or less full motor control; and is caused by a few too many botched landings

4) Basra’s cape of feathers is a very sentimental item for them. It was initially made with a feather or two from every crow in their flock woven together for Salma so that she would feel more comfortable without her sealskin. Once she got the sealskin back, the cape became a reminder to Basra that they’re not alone, both through their flock and through Salma :)

🏳️- What's their nationality?/Headcanon about their nationality

While I had to keep their nationality vague within the original universe, Basra was always meant to be of middle eastern (or equivalent) descent! While a large part of their identity (including their name) is fabricated, they did genuinely spend a long time in Turkey (as it was where the “church” was located), before in some way traveling to the UK.

As for their passports, they hold two passports (one of an EU country and one Turkish (due to them living there for a while))

🖋️- What inspired you to create your muse/What inspired you to make a blog for your muse?

Basra’s creation was almost purely accidental! I was told I had to make a character for the first session of my DnD campaign the day of, so I used some previous ideas of a rouge that… just grew up on a farm and had to get good at not alerting people when they came or went to get a better understanding of the world. And as I RP’d, I brainstormed with my DM, which slowly but surely resulted in the current characterization that Basra has :) ((fun fact: in the original version, they didn’t even have crows-))

As for the creation of the blog, it was actually a number of things! I’ve known for a while that RP is one of the aspects of DND that I find most interesting, and found myself thinking about other potential RP opportunities I could raise for myself. I then found @gerry-the-archivist’s blog, which inspired me to actually start a tma RP account because I realized that Basra as a character is really eye coded- also I was just bored and starved for interaction :)

[maddeningsixkness]

My opinions on the Devil may cry anime

Vague? Spoilers below. I don't mention specific plot points or go in depth but I do mention some end of season stuff so if you don't wanna know then DONT KEEP READING!!

I will mostly be talking about characterizations and the whole metaphor about demons they included, not specifically the story itself.

Starting off with the metaphor... it falls apart so quickly. The idea that the demons represent immigrants or civilians of middle eastern countries America loves to poke a stick at is... odd? Number one, we're comparing civilians and immigrants to demons that need to drink human blood to survive. That's probably not flattering. Number two, the majority of the character arcs in the main games (Dante, Nero, Trish, and Vergil sorta his is a little different) all revolve around the idea of 'overcoming the darkness that is being a demon'. They have to acknowledge that yes they're a demon, and yes they can still be a good person. THATS WHY SPARDA IS A LEGEND, IT WAS SUCH A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA FOR A DEMON TO BE GOOD.

So when you look at the metaphor and how they're trying to say "all demons are innocent! Humans are the bad ones!" It completely goes against any kind of themes the main games had going on. It is called Devil May Cry because it's the idea that every demon has a choice to be good or bad. And the majority choose bad.

Im all for making fun of America and authoritarian governments, I mean you could argue that's what Dante and Vergil are a metaphor for in the main games. Dantes sword is literally named rebellion. And I mean dmc4 is all about corrupt church and how religion is used to control people's ideas and actions.

This metaphor also feels weird coming from a Trump supporter but what do I know, right?

Now the characters... I'll talk about Dante first cause I feel that will segueway into talking about the other two easily. Only talking about existing dmc characters here, I have no opinion on the new ones

What was the power inconsistencies for Dante?? He is shown saving MULTIPLE people, moving faster than like people can see from a truck in episode 1? Maybe early episode 2 I cannot remember off the top of my head so forgive me. But as soon as lady steals his necklace, he is as slow as a human? Maybe it's cause he's in shock, fine, but then we watch him lift a motorcycle and swing it like a baseball bat. Yet he can't break out of handcuffs. Compared to original dmc3 Dante? Or even the manga it's based off of... it just feels like they had to nerf him to keep the story moving.

And also, it felt like he was just there. I do appreciate when writers can make a world feel like it doesn't revolve around the character, that takes a lot of skill. But the whole plot of the show revolved around Dantes necklace and Sparda. So shouldn't he be more of the focus than lady. I know you lesbians want your lady screen time but from the way she was written... she didn't deserve as much screen time IMO, I'm willing to take criticism on that.

Also, Dantes design? Have we just decided to make him dress boring now? Look at dmc3 Dante, there's details on his coat, the whole tiddy strap (okay maybe I just want more shirtless dante who cares), even just the loss of leather pants. It feels very plain. Looking at lady, who got a whole new outfit, it feels lame just seeing him in his dmc5 outfit. Also his hair. He just has dmc4 neros hair cut. Not really a complaint, just an observation. I wish they had done something more creative for his outfit though, it definitely felt very boring. I do appreciate them drawing him in Chun lis outfit though

Onto lady!! I'm so glad they got vivziepop to write her!!! (Vivziepop fans dni please I hate her and her shit ass shows.) Her writing was, meh, to say the least. Her cursing was very unnecessary and added to the feeling of wannabe edginess the show carried. She's 19, so I'll give her a little bit of a pass, but I still have other problems with her. Like making her a cop/soldier. Why? They got rid of her scar and signature weapon, and now she's a cop. Very lame. She felt very wattered down compared to her original version in dmc3, and maybe that's because of the situation. But even by then end of dmc3, she over comes her hatred of demons and befriends Dante. I understand that they're setting her up to be better next season, but I felt like the only shift in her character was that she was a little sorry for injecting him with the.. sedative? Whatever it was.

Her brand new design seemed very.. okay? I guess, I'm glad she's got a new outfit, but i feel like they could've at least incorporated more concepts from her designs in the games. Less blue and more white, or just emulating the silhouette of the outfits. Whatever. 5/10.

Onto Vergil. He has very little screen time, like I think 2 minutes so this will be quick. Why is he working for mundus? Now I could misinterpret this line, so feel free to say something, but the line 'it was mundus who freed me from my own bondage' and his devil trigger being nelo Angelo feels as if he is willingly working for mundus? This has to be one of the most flawed and maybe worst characterizations. He has hardly any screen time yet is the complete opposite of who he was. 2/10, i want to call him a block head. I hate this interpretation so much.

Anime gets a 4/10 overall, did not like it as an existing dmc fan and most of the community is torn over it. Share your opinions with me PLEASE I love getting asks ❤️

[spinningbuster98]

Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) Tails Part 2: Story/Gameplay dissonance

So as I mentioned the other time, SA1 generally aims at reintroducing old players to the world of Sonic, while also trying to evolve it into something new, though still recognizable. This also extends to its story and its characters. Specifically Tails and Amy, two characters whose base characterizations from the classic games are taken and evolved in ways that are logical given their pre established traits

The Sonic 2 manual introuduced Tails as an insecure kid, bullied for his twin Tails, until he bumped into Sonic one day. He immediately saw Sonic as a paragon of confidence he aspired to, and that’s how the two of them hit it off. That’s what his brief dream sequence is all about here. Granted it’s....a little vague, if you weren’t familiar with Tails already you’d wonder why he looked so depressed there, but still: the game introduces the basics of his personality and relationship with Sonic while also sowing the seeds of his development, one that is quite organic and logical: he’s insecure and has developed a bit of a dependency on Sonic, so now the story forces him to work alone to find a solution to the issue at hand. It forces him out of his comfort zone in order to build up some genuine confidence in anticipation for his true moment of growth. In general I’d say that Tails’ story can be segmented into 3 sections, each mirroring his arc: Introduction with a Tails that is effectively just his Classic self. A mid point where he’s forced to change a bit and the ending where he becomes his fully realized self. It’s a simple yet perfectly sensible character arc that fits the type of character that Tails had been established since the beginning like a glove

It’s good!

His campaign is shit unfortunately

So now we hit some of the most questionable aspects of Sonic Adventure, my own personal, biggest, number 1 issue with this game, which is that everything past Sonic’s story is painfully stitched together and severely undercooked. The other characters have about half the amount of levels as Sonic, the levels are not only shorter but also often recycle bits and pieces of Sonic’s own. In some cases this is technically not the worst: Knuckles’ gameplay is so different from Sonic that, even though they both play the same Casinopolis, it still feels very different between the two

Tails unfortunately suffers from this issue the absolute worst among the whole cast, mainly because his gameplay style is the closest to Sonic and storywise he sticks to the guy throughout most of the story

What this results in is Tails’ levels all being bite sized versions of Sonic’s, with a few alterations to accomodate for his flight

There are also only 5 levels

Now...

There have been and will be other instances where a character’s gameplay in this franchise uses levels belonging to other characters. Tails himself doesn’t have original levels in Sonic 3. They are, however, complete levels

SA1′s non-Sonic levels, no matter the character, are simply bits and pieces of Sonic’s stages and modified a bit for the other characters (except Hot Shelter)

In some cases the character’s inherent gameplay is different enough that it sill feels like a different enough experience, for better or worse, which is the case for Knuckles, Amy, Gamma and technically Big

Tails is not so lucky, because his gameplay is the most similar to Sonic’s, meaning that his levels really are just diet versions of Sonic’s. Sure, his flight makes him stand out, but it also accidentally exacerbates the bite sized nature of the levels, because you can easily clear them in a single minute

And there are 5 of them

Two of which being Casinopolis and Ice Cap

Casinopolis takes place exclusively in its, frankly underwhelming sewer section that is very bland in design, mainly because it was originally designed for quick ring grinding, not to be its own level, and is mostly made up of tight, claustrophobis corridors, severely limiting your flight, meaning that you barely get to play this level any differently than Sonic

Ice Cap is even  worse because you only play the snowboard section. You can’t fly at all in this section, it is literally identical to Sonic’s stage, except it’s only the last section, deprived of any platforming

Then we have all the extra fluff from Sonic’s story that wasn’t very fun the first time yet that Tails gets to repeat: the Egg Hornet fight, Chaos 4, two Sky Chase acts (which really should have been exclusive to him, he’s the one flying the Tornado, not Sonic) and a bunch of cutscenes which are effectively identical to Sonic’s

You know...it’s funny how fans rag on Sonic Forces for having pitifully short levels. Not because it’s not true or it’s not a valid criticism

But because SA1 has the exact same problem, yet nobody ever seems to notice

In fact it may be even worse, because at least Forces dedicates roughly equal playtime to its 3 main characters, I think about 10 levels per character?

SA1 gives Sonic 10 levels, Tails 5 pieces of Sonic’s levels plus a bunch of filler stuff also from Sonic, Knuckles also gets 5 levels but better repurposed, Gamma gets 5 levels, the first two of which are complete jokes but the other 3 are actually not bad but that’s also all he’s got going for himself, Amy has only 3 levels and Big has fishing

And I really want you to consider Tails especially, how much do you really play as him?

Remove all the cutscenes, all the back and forth through the Adventure Fields, the bosses taken from Sonic’s story, the Sky Chase Acts

What we are left with are 5 levels, each one barely a minute long

None of them original, nor complete

2 of them aren’t even fully designed for Tails

Look....I’m not one of those fans who necessarily want super long levels. What I want is for a game to make good use of a character’s gameplay. Whether that’s done through long levels, or short but numerous levels, is largely irrelevant to me. I’m a Megaman fan, I can take this

But Tails’ campaign is roughly 1 hour long, of which only about 5 minutes are meaningful gameplay

That isn’t just bad

It’s laughable

And to add insult to injury: the post Tornado crash section, the first section of the story where Tails starts to become more independent, his first highlight as a character...

....is his lowest point gameplay wise

Here they had the perfect chance to give him some original levels, now that he’s no longer joined at the hip to Sonic

So what do they give him?

Sand Hill

A sandboarding minigame where you can’t fly, not unlike Ice Cap, and which lasts about 40 seconds

That’s it

Compare this to Sonic, who during this very same timeframe within the story got to run through Twinkle Park, Speed Highway and Red Mountain

You can so, so easily tell that Sand Hill is a repurposed level that was never meant to be here: it’s evening when Tails enters the level....yet it’s fully daytime in Sand Hill itself....only for it to be nighttime once he exits, and don’t tell me that the level takes place in Tikal’s past, she only transports Tails to the past at the end of the level, not before

Tails’ gameplay may be perfect, but I can’t enjoy it, because the game won’t LET me enjoy it, not when only 3 of his levels take advantage of this and are both surrounded by boring filler stuff within the campaign and are themselves amputated pieces of longer, more complete levels, so even when I am having a modicum of fun I also know that Sonic’s version is much better

And you know that just accidentally creates the cruelest dissonance between story and gameplay

Now Sonic games rarely try to really synchronize their gameplay with their stories in a strict way. What I mean by this is that Sonic is a very gamey franchise first and foremost so it typically won’t change gameplay elements just so that they fall better in line with plot elements

For example: in Unleashed the whole point of the Werehog is that he’s supposed to be much stronger than regular Sonic....except that gameplay wise he’s not, it takes him several hits to take down enemies while regular Sonic just needs a single homing attack or boost. This is because gameplay wise it would be disastrous to have your combat centric character kil everything in one hit, while your fast paced platform centric character needs multiple hits, so the gameplay is the actual inverse of what the story says. Other examples include Sonic only being slightly faster than Tails and Knuckles in the Classic games instead of way faster, Amy being a Sonic clone in Heroes and kind of Frontiers and others

However Sonic Adventure does try to create a bit of gameplay/story synchronization, specifically with Amy,and how her largely helpless, non-fighter attitude is reflected in her gameplay, where she needs to escape an indestructible robot that’s trying to catch her

And that got me thinking: were they trying to create a similar effect with Tails?

I’m mainly referring to the main gimmick of his stages: racing against Sonic

Which I guess could be viewed less as a gameplay/story synch per se, and more like a gameplay/theme synch: the main theme of Tails’ story is that he wants to be like Sonic, yet by the end he will learn to be great on his own. In a sense: it’s about no longer living under Sonic’s shadow. In a sense having to beat Sonic during the stages could be interpreted as a metaphor of Tails learning to stand on his own two feet

Is this intentional? Maybe not, it’s more food for thought on my part, which is why I’m not counting this as an actual criticism against the game when I say that this doesn’t actually work, heck it has the opposite effect

First off: racing is broken. Completely broken.

Sonic does not keep up with you. His AI CANNOT keep up with you on such uneven terrain, especially not when you can easily skip most of it by flying, heck it’s not even that: Ice Cap is all snowboarding, meaning that you’re both on an equal plane.....and I STILL win by doing nothing special!

Now look I’m not saying that this should be on the level of an actual racing game....but come on here, in my 20 years of playing this game I don’t think I’ve ever lost a single time here, because Sonic’s AI is utterly pathetic and unfinished, which they knew since it rubberbands like a motherfucker. It is one of the single most broken gameplay mechanics of any Sonic game I’ve ever played, just behind stuff like the gems in 06, because it barely even works

And secondly: ...Tails’ story and his gameplay accidentally tell two opposing narratives

His actual story is all about growing more confident and indipendent from Sonic, to learn that he can do great stuff by himself. And it works! It’s a great character arc that’s told rather well!

But his actual gameplay is all about going through Sonic’s sloppy seconds. He gets only half of his stages, not even the full versions, with a broken, last minute gimmick slapped on top, with 2 of those stages not even being well adjusted to accomodate for his unique gameplay. Then he gets to fight two of Sonic’s bosses, one of whom is already pretty infamously boring. Sky Chase should have been his minigame but since Sonic has it too and most people complete Sonic’s story first that means that Tails’ turn feels like a rehash

Basically Tails’ gameplay is all ABOUT living in Sonic’s shadow and never escaping from it, always getting by with what he can scrape from the Hedgehog’s left overs, never coming close to the greatness of his actual levels. It’s the polar opposite of what Tails’ story is about

And I know this isn’t intentional, I’m not claiming that SA1 secretly hates Tails, I’m not counting this dissonance as an actual criticism against the game, this is just a personal observation of how the gameplay here does not compliment the story in the slightest, nor does it even manage to stand on its own two feet

And that is just sad

[thatonelesbianfander]

Ranking the Sanders Sides characters cause I'm bored

I'm bored so here's my ranking of the Sanders Sides (+ C!Thomas and Nico)

Disclaimer: Just my opinion, feel free to disagree. Also, I do not hate any of these characters, the ranking is based on my preferences.

Ranking under cutoff

Number 1: Remus. This ranking is pretty obvious if you take 5 seconds to look at my blog. I have brain rot when it comes to this silly guy. I made a whole fucking character analysis of him. This whole special interest in this goofy character is all Destinies Intertwined's fault. This stupid fanfic made my autism attach to him and not let go (not hating on Destinies Intertwined btw, the fic is a classic). He is constantly in my head, and I am cursed to be that way until I am in the grave, maybe even more if there's an afterlife.

Number 2: Janus & Roman. Tied for 2nd place is Remus's brother and husband best friend. I cannot pick between the two, but if I had to I'd say Janus ranks a little bit higher because his character design is cool, but I honestly don't really know. The stoplight trio (as I've taken to calling them) is probably my favorite trio in the series. Roman having a connection to Remus propels him close to the top of my list, and when I have to pick one of the sides and Remus and Janus aren't options, my brain usually defaults to Roman. Overall, very nice characters.

Number 3: Thomas. The main character of the series is somehow the most underrated and least talked about character in the fandom. C!Thomas is great. He's a really good character for the sides to bounce off of, but even without the sides, he's still a really good and compelling character. His conflict within the series feels immensely relatable and it's so satisfying to see him start to come to the conclusion that he's an imperfect beings who's deserving of love. I love him, he's great.

Number 4: Nico Flores. Nico is such a nice character when paired with Thomas. You really start to love their dynamic and hope that they can work out no matter how much the odds may seem stacked against them. I do kind of wish that we knew more about him as a person. Right now, he's only been a character in two episodes, those being Flirting with Social Anxiety, and also had an appearance in the endcard of What Makes a Perfect Gift? so we don't know much about him. I do like how he's been characterized in the fanfics that I've read, but I'm not factoring in fanfics for this ranking. But going off of his character when paired with Thomas, he's really good.

Number 5: Logan. At first, I didn't really care for him, but he's honestly grown on me. I do pay more attention to the characters above him because of my bias for them, but I do sometimes find myself thinking about Logan. WTIT and orange Logan has also really helped with making him more compelling to me as a character. For most of season 1 and a little of season 2, he seemed kind of one dimensional to me, but with the orange reveal in WTIT, it really helped me look deeper into his character and connect with him more. I do kind of wish his design had a little bit more detail to it instead of just being a shirt, pants, shoes, tie, belt, and glasses, but other than that, he's a pretty good solid character.

Number 6: Patton. My original favorite. I don't have much to say about Patton. I feel like I only had him as my favorite at first because my ex-best friend said he represented me the most at the time. After my Remus obsession started, I did pay less attention to him, but he is still pretty nice. His character arcs in season 2 where he learns to not cover up his feelings and learns to trust who Thomas is instead of constantly questioning if he's a good person or not are really compelling and something I really needed during my shit high school experience. I do think they kind of played the goofster part of his personality up too much in season 1, but I can give him a pass in that regard since the story wasn't really that developed at first. Pretty nice character though.

Number 7: Virgil. I kinda have a love hate relationship with him. Sometimes I really like him, and sometimes I don't really care for him. Nothing against Virgil, he's a really good character, I love his sassiness and aesthetic, I just think he's a little overrated as a character. I mean, most of the fan stuff I've seen of Sanders Sides leans really heavily into Virgil, which makes it more difficult to find stuff for the others. Season 1 leaned a little too heavily into him and his arc as a character and that affected his general reception as a character as well as the screentime for the other characters. I do understand that the whole main point of season 1 was Virgil's character arc, but I feel like his arc takes away from the impact of the other side's arcs in season 1. I don't really have this problem in season 2 however since after his character arc, the focus of the series shifts away from him and gives more screentime to the others, which really helps.

[manic-maniac-man]

HUgE July 2010

Magnum Opus

Not content with the sound of a "standard," we relentlessly experiment and update. We constantly refine the details and fearlessly embrace change.

Only for those who don't give up on design.

I want to believe in new possibilities that are out of reach.

What we are looking for is simply a certain appeal that is unique to that piece of clothing.

Fashion is unfathomable because simple functional beauty alone is not enough.

Rick Owens nylon jacket

Leather is not the only thing that Rick Owens excels at. This nylon blouson is also an item that fully demonstrates the brand’s value.

It is made of extremely fine black nylon with a silky texture.

The body and sleeves are quite tight-fitting and long. All of these choices are based on the designer's unwavering aesthetic sense. It is a challenging piece that achieves a new reality without relying on the rugged charm of military wear.

Rick Owens nylon blouson ¥163,800 (Pred PR)

Paul Harnden's waxed coat

In addition to the classic regular collar Cord "MAC", this stand-up collar "NEW MAC" has been released since the 2009-10 A/W season. It is a new masterpiece that is the crystallization of Paul Harnden's stubborn clothing making. Moreover, this 2010-11 A/W model uses waxed cotton for the material. It feels extremely tough and the collar shape can be adjusted freely. The matte grey color also has a timeless appeal. There is no excessive decoration, but it makes a statement in every direction. It is a coat that you will want to wear all season long, from autumn to spring.

Paul Harnden's Waxed Coat "NEW MAC ¥165,900 (MORERIDE)

Tailored down vest from Engineered Garments

Down vests have been released by many brands and are gaining in popularity. They are sure to be a must-have item this winter as well. In this context, Engineered Garments has come up with a new approach. They have adopted a tailored vest design for the front hem, incorporating a dressy element into this outdoor item. The straps, which also function as adjusters, also enhance the fashionability and help to give it an elegant impression. They can be worn as an inner layer under a jacket, or matched with a shirt and tie, making them suitable for a wide range of occasions, from dressy to casual.

(Engineered Garments) Tailored down vest ¥30,450, leather jacket ¥220,500, BD shirt ¥29,400, tie ¥11,550, pants ¥36,750, newsboy cap ¥10,500 (all Engineered Garments) (Martin F.) × (Needles) belt ¥16,800 (Nepenthes Tokyo)

The first collection of "Levi's® Lefty Jean by Takahiro Kuraishi"

Takahiro Miyashita, who left Number Nine, and Kazuki Kuraishi, who works as the creative product manager for Adidas, are the two of them in their collaboration with Levis®. As the name suggests, this is an attempt to move iconic details that are normally on the right side, such as the red tab, two-horse patch, and back pocket, to the left side. Three types of items are available: a jacket, a shirt, and bottoms. They come in three materials: indigo, off-white, and gray, and feature round necks and stand-up collars. They are trying to break down established values with their innovative reality.

From the right: (Levi's® Lefty Jean by Takahiro Kuraishi) denim pants in indigo ¥19,950, off-white and gray ¥18,900 each, denim jacket in indigo ¥25,200, off-white and gray ¥24,150 each, shirt ¥16,800 each (all Levi Strauss Japan)

Tom Ford three-piece suit

"The pursuit of true luxury" is the sole concept that Tomford upholds. Tailoring is at the core of this concept, and is the key to leading men towards luxury. The three-piece suits, based on British taste, are characterized by large peak lapels, long lengths, and shaped waists. Although they are ready-to-wear, many steps are done by hand, and the level of perfection is almost like that of bespoke. When the skilled tailoring that impresses even connoisseurs is combined with Tomford's unique sensibilities, luxury reaches its pinnacle. You can enjoy the utmost elegance from start to finish of the V-zone.

Tom Ford three-piece suit ¥588,000, clerical shirt ¥58,800, tie ¥29,400. tie bar ¥147,000, handkerchief ¥18,900 (all Tom Ford Japan)

UNDER COVER shopping bags and pouches

The bags are replicas of supermarket shopping bags, and there are 18 types of pouches in the shape of fruit, vegetables, milk, ketchup bottles, etc. This is another product and message that is unique to UNDER COVER. The theme for the 2010-11 A/W collection is "Avakareta Life." In other words, what they faced was "unadorned everyday life," and this attitude has come to fruition in these items. It is also a statement of protest against fashion that lacks passion and only leans toward simplification. It is not enough to be simple; it is only when exciting designs are added to it that there is meaning in continuing to create.

(UNDER COVER) shopping bags: small ¥4,725, large ¥5,775, pouches ¥3,675~¥5,250 (all UNDER COVER)

Hermes leather bracelet

Few leather accessories are as high-quality and timeless as Hermes'. The design of this leather bracelet is inspired by the martingale, a horse harness used to prevent a horse's head from rising too high. The leather straps are connected with silver, creating a simple yet sharp design. It is a statement piece, but can be worn with any style. The material is carefully tanned calf leather, which gives off an elegant luster. The texture improves with use, making it truly appealing. It is an accessory that makes you feel the pride of the Maison every time you wear it.

Hermes leather bracelet ¥129,150, bracelet with chain ¥92,400, knitwear ¥111,300, pants ¥85,050 (all Hermes Japon)

Soft hat from Comme des Garcons Junya Watanabe Man

For the 2010-11 A/W season, Comme des Garcons Junya Watanabe Man has added Borsalino to its collaboration.

Two hats were released: Pork Pie and Tyrolean. Entitled "This is a Man," the latest collection expresses a man's attention to detail, and these double-named hats feature as key items in every look. Both hats are made from rabbit fur and come in three colors. Perhaps their greatest feature is the original camouflage pattern on the lining. The thorough attention to detail in hidden parts is truly unique to the theme.

<Comme des Garcons Junya Watanabe Man>

Soft hats ¥54,600 each(All Comme des Garcons)

Stone Island Shadow Project stand-up collar coat

Casual wear is crafted with a formal sensibility and attention to detail. Founded in Italy in 1982 with this simple and sturdy attitude, Stone Island has now launched its long-awaited high-end line, Shadow Project. The clothing, created by Germany's elite design team ACRONYM, has pockets, tags and other decorations stored inside a flap, completely concealing them. The material used is the original DAVIT-T material, which boasts functionality comparable to Gore-Tex, and is Teflon-coated, making for an overwhelming quality. A promising new star has appeared in the midst of the outdoor boom.

(Stone Island Shadow Project) Stand-up collar coat ¥149,100 (CPC Press Room)

[celestie0]

Hii! This is my first time messaging any fanfic author (I'm an extremely anxious person and tend to be more of a lurker LOL) I'm so sorry but this might be a long one lmfao

First of all, the way you write in general? Absolutely phenomenal!! The way you characterise and describe scenes is honestly so incredibly immersing. I've always had a relatively easy time imagining scenes in my head when reading, even with relatively little detail, but the way you word everything puts the scene straight into my head and it's such a wonderful experience!

Your characterisation of Gojo (in all your works!!) is probably my absolute favourite out of any fanfics I've read of him (trust me I've read an embarrassing amount :sob:). The way you actually capture what he feels like in canon, without making him feel super mean or cold, but still retaining that side of being emotionally repressed is absolutely chefs kiss!!

I also really love y/n in both kickoff and ihm so much. I relate to both of them in different ways, but probably more so ihm reader personality wise (might also be because I'm around the same age as her lmao). As someone who is very emotionally repressed due to trauma (especially of loved ones leaving you), the way you've portrayed those sides of reader in ihm is VERY spot on!! And I would like to add that I, for one, LOVE slow burn, so I don't mind the pace ihm is going at right now personally!

Chapter 12 of Kickoff?!?!? Holy shit I was literally sat there blushing, kicking my feet and giggling. It was absolutely hilarious and super cliché in the absolutely best way possible (I absolutely love clichés if they're well used!)

I could honestly wait years for anything you write. Never feel any pressure to churn out your writing and take it at your own pace!! My genuine first thought after finishing the latest chapter of Kickoff was that it was sooo worth the wait haha.

Personally I have an extremely hard time writing anything but angst, because I like making myself sad I guess who knows LOL But I'm sooo excited about your next work!! I absolutely love the song you're basing it off of <3

AND did I also see some talk about a potential Spider-man Gojo fic in the future??? Cos I would honestly probably scream (in a good way lol) if you ever did that, he's my alltime favourite superhero!!

Okok this is getting really long, but I found this photo of four football players a bit ago and thought I absolutely HAD to draw them as Gojo, Geto, Choso and Nanami from Kickoff (adding the art at the bottom)! But I haven't gotten around to colouring it yet (or cleaning it up considering it's just a sketch lmaoo) cos I'm stuck on how to do the jerseys. So I have two questions! I know you've explained the colours of their jerseys, but do you have any particular idea in mind of what the design on the jersey itself looks like? As in where the colours are placed specifically etc? And we know Gojo's signature jersey number, but do you have numbers for the rest of them too? (I may or may not also have a wip of a drawing of just Gojo from Kickoff too!)

I'm sorry there's A LOT of different plot points in my message??? The most important part was just to convey, hey, I love the way you write and you should definitely give yourself some more credit cos you are genuinely a really good writer!! <3 (Though I know us artists tend to be our own worst critics LOL)

hi love i’m so sorry this took me a sec to respond to!! first off thanks you so much for sending me such a sweet ask :’’’) i literally gaspeddd when i saw it

aaa i’m so happy the scenes feel immersive!! and that you enjoy my characterization of gojo aaa i’m so happy to hear that. and yes i totally relate to ihm reader’s suppression of her emotions due to trauma and lack of trust so it’s been very…cathartic yet challenging to write for her, but i wouldn’t have it any other way hahah

i’m so glad you enjoyed kickoff ch12!! i totally agree that chapter was so cliche, honestly it made me cringe while i was writing it because i typically hate cliches esp when they’re corny rather than on-the-nose, but i posted it anyways bc i figured maybe i just hate it bc i’m the author xd but it seems my readers enjoyed it so :’’0 perhaps i made the right choice

oh you are too kind. i really appreciate you looking out for me <3 tbh i’ve been feeling really overwhelmed lately, and it’s been really hard to deal with the emotions, but coming on here and seeing sweet works n ppl interacting w my stories brings me lots of happiness n i can’t thank you enough :’’) yes i will definitely take my time bahahha that i can assure you LOL and i’m so happy to know you’re looking forward to more of my works!! you’re so right about artists/authors being our own worst critics. i swear no one has been as mean to my writing as i have LMFAOOO but alas i think i’ve gotten better in trusting my direction n kinda choosing what i think is best soooo. progress i suppose? hahah

ok. now. i can talk about. THE ART?!?!?!?!? HELLO!!!!!!! OH MY GODD?!?!!?!?! ok i KNOWWW that’s it’s just a sketch so far but tell me whERE MY PANTIES HAVE GONE?!?!?!? WHERE MY CLOTHES ARE AT?!?!??!

the expression on kickoff gojo’s face has me reeling he looks so focused n sexy and THE HEADBAND PUSHING HIS HAIR UP OUT OF HIS FACE YES YES YES 100% THAT’S HOW I PICTURE IT WHEN I WRITE AAA and kickoff geto’s expression too pls i could cum (sorry i hope this isn’t weird to say lmfaooo i am also very respectfully looking at your artwork as well aaa) nanami’s hair looks so nice too

as for the uniforms hmm i know i said like gold and blue colors, i believe actual real-life UTOKYO has more of a yellowish color but i actually like gold better hence why i chose gold. but…i can imagine the whole jersey being blue and then with gold accents then white numbering?

here are some options!! like w the first one, probs sky blue fabric with the white stripes as gold instead, and then the numbers/brand sponsors or whatever are in white? they would probs have like “UTOKYO” in large print somewhere too, maybe underneath their numbers or sumn. tbh i think the middle one is the nicest, i can picture the stripes of blue and gold, and then accents in white. but the third one also works too!!

as for numbers hmm. ok yes gojo is #10, geto is #7, choso is #4 and nanami is #24 :0 that sounds…about right! LOL i hope i don’t have it somewhere in the other chapters that they are different numbers although i don’t think i’ve assigned the other boys numbers before

BUT I HOPE THIS HELPS AND THANKS SOSOSOSOSOSO MUCH FOR DRAWING FANART INSPIRED BY MY FIC!!!! I AM SO HUMBLED BY YOU AND I’M SOOOO EXCITED TO SEE THE FINAL DRAWING BUT ALSO NO PRESSURE AAAAAAAA

so much loveee <333

[aviculor]

I've been watching HoodlumCallum play Pokemon Pisces. Very interesting romhack with the type chart tweaked, a huge number of new moves and abilities, a dex that is almost entirely fakemon, and even a new type thrown into the mix. Personally I feel like they could have dialed back the number of demonic fakemon, it looks like Helluva Boss up in here. But there are some real gems, like an anthropomorphic conch holding a pearl like a crystal ball and with its shell like a huge witch's hat. And a poison/fairy based around lovesickness named Yandemic. That is absolutely brilliant. I wish I thought of that. No one says I can't do my own takes, but that's a pretty audacious idea considering I've all but retired. I was never able to get those caecilians off the ground, and turnout for my most recent work has been...disheartening.

Another interesting thing about Pisces is that it's a sequel to R/S/E, ignoring ORAS entirely and giving the (former) Magma and Aqua admins designs based on their original ones and completely original characterizations. I don't know how to feel about a skinny Tabitha or a kind, nurturing Courtney. Some very...interesting creative liberties have also been taken with the gym leaders and (former) elite four. And Wally.

[bagel-boy-sama]

Astarion Baldurs Gate 3 Isn't A TumblrSexyMan™, He's Just A SexyMan™

I've seen a large number of people, most of whom are in the Astarion Disliker/"I don't get it" camp most who are not on this particular hell site, cite Astarion as Tumblr's latest sexyman. Today, I will be explaining why I do not believe that to be the case. That instead, as the title states, he's just a sexyman.

No real knowledge of the hell site is required, I'll explain things for the new people.

Setting The Definitions

First, definitions because this is now Intro to Writing and Rhetoric. A sexyman would be anyone, usually masc or a man, who is concidered sexy by a wide range of people. Fascinating.

A Tumblr Sexyman, on the other hand, is a thing - usually fictional entity - that is incredibly popular on Tumblr.com to the degree it escapes it's fandom sometimes, in the most extreme of cases, becoming far more popular than it's original fandom. It is characterized by a few major characteristics. Ranging from Twinkism* (be it the character or fan interpretation), generally unconventionally/perceived to be unconventionally attractive in a non physical sense (character traits that wouldn't otherwise be desirable, like absurd behavior or generally evilness), to impeccable drip (either in the original media/design, or done by fans in fanart).

*note: Twinkism (which I did just throw in on the spot this is entirely bullshit for my own amusement) is the phenomenon of skinny, young looking, pretty/feminine white boys who are within media. This is different from twinks, who are understood to be young and skinny - being pretty, popular, or white is not connected. All those who participate in Twinkism are Twinks, but not all Twinks participate in Twinkism.

Does Astarion Baldurs Gate 3 Fit The Definition?

First rule: must be at least a twink. Is he?

No. Yes. Kinda. In a way. Many people would describe Astarion as someone who's gone through "Twink Death". No this is not because he's literally undead. Twink Death, in it's simplest form, is when a twink no longer looks young and/or feminine. Astarion has aged. His crows feet and laugh lines, while beautiful, do not make him look 18. For some this would disqualify him from being a Twink. So perhaps he has failed at the first step.

I, however, am not satisfied with that. Moving on, is Astarion - or would Astarion - actually be considered conventionally unattractive in any way that is disconnected from his appearance? I argue no. Vampires are considered very well, normal to lust after. They're right below succubus on the "This isn't considered weird to find attractive" scale. You aren't romancing The Emperor here. Outside of that he's well groomed, shown to be muscular in game (headcanon does often disagree and while I wish it was true we are working with facts for this specific discussion), and an elf. In personality, while not for everyone, he's the pretty standard fruity sarcastic gay who's a bit selfish. We all know a fruity sarcastic gay who's a bit selfish, and they get laid. So it can't be considered that bad. Probably.

I feel important to note here that I am aroace and have no idea what I'm talking about right now. This is an educated guess.

Astarion has lost now, two for two. He's barely a twink, even going off of his model he's more a twunk. He definitely doesn't fit the Twinkism phenomenon. He's not weird to find attractive, I assume, so what else is there? His drip? I'm sorry, but his base outfit is a bit well Goofy to say the least. Much fanart leaves him in this outfit or a simpler version because drawing ruffles is enough to make anyone want to willingly jump headfirst into the underdark, so he fails the drip test as well.

His final hurtle: is his popularity Tumblr™. In this context Tumblr™ is different from Tumblr. Tumblr™ is the fandom side, where a sexyman would flourish and find their own fandom. Importantly, this fandom needs to be very insular to the site. It's a *Tumblr* sexyman after all. So that begs the question, is Astarion highly liked by mostly or purely Tumblr people/those who have the vibes of a Tumblr user? No.

Astarion is well loved by many people of various vibes. He has affected (previously) straight men on Reddit. Few can escape him and his 10 charisma.

Conclusion

Astarion is just a sexyman. He's just a fictional character that many think is neat and attractive for a variety of reasons. He's the Ryan Reynolds of crpgs. He's some dude, who's generally considered attractive by a lot of people who you both would and wouldn't expect to find him attractive.

[ru5t]

(Tech's Annotated) Map of The Zones

There is an official/presumably canon map that was created and circulated around the time of the music videos (viewable here). However, after playing around in this sandbox it quickly feels deeply and entirely too small (the city only around 3 miles across, and then around 15 miles from the city to the edge of the zones — it's simply not enough space) for all of the madness going on inside of it. So here's the headcanon/blog canon version of things!

The zones of the west coast center over Battery City, and are roughly 300 miles in diameter, making for over 30,000 square miles of potentially habitable ground.

Note: "Old world" locations visible purely for irl reference, the city names wouldn't still be in wide use or marked on an official map. The annotations are approximations in some cases, based on info I got from people who made up the locations — if it belongs to you and you're thinking 'hey that's not where that is' please let me know! I will scooch. I absolutely recommend opening this in another tab for better viewing, as it is massive and maybe slightly unreadable at tumblr dimensions. (Oops.)

The roads -some old, some new- are generally passable, but many are very rough. Detours are common as the desert, and killjoys, shift obstacles around. Moving straight east from the city, it would take a person about 5 days to get to the edge of zone 06 on foot, 1-2 days on a bike, 6-8 hours by motorized vehicle, and less than 2 hours by helicopter. Since Better Living patrols are almost never moving in a direct line unless they're hunting specific quarry, they tend to pack heavy, and take multi-day or multi-week patrols that sweep the zones, looking for 'rescues' to make and hostile settlements to squash. There are also a number of Better Living outposts in the inner zones: permanent encampments where employees are left to watch over particularly desirable or troublesome locations, such as the robotic dumping grounds in southern zone 02, and the borders of the annex.

A lot of the livable area is characterized as desert or steppe, partly due to the regions natural inclinations, partly due to the environmental devastation wrought by the wars. To the west and south, the old coastline now marks the start of the salt flats: empty stretches of ground that end at the current coastline some miles out from where it once was, turning the former channel islands into a spattering of rocky, mountain-esqe outcrops surrounded by hard, packed earth too salty to bear much life. Many settlements and travelers prefer the north and east, where the terrain protected some of the valleys and so echoes of the forests and other natural resources remain — as well as echoes of the wildlife. To the south(east), conditions start dry and get drier, providing massive challenge to anyone who doesn't know the way to carve out safety and make use of the weather.

BATTERY CITY

Ten miles in diameter, closed off by a barrier wall with fixed entry points, all of which are heavily monitored.

Battery City is a self-contained and somewhat* self-sufficient city. In the early days -before they built the walls- the plan was always to expand, crawl outward and establish a new world from the rubble of the old. However, conflict with early rebels led to the division of city from 'zones', and the heads of the corporation at the time chose a ten mile diameter to lock behind their main wall. Largely prevented from expanding and lacking the room for urban sprawl, the city has gone vertical to keep up with the demands of its population. Buildings and entire block levels extend both up and down, in sky scrapers as well as some subterranean levels (the latter of which are mostly used for synthetic farming and detainment.) Rather than divide by production, the city is designed so that, in the event of failure or invasion, no one zone of it can be commandeered to cut off the rest. Factories and power plants are interspersed with dwellings and other means of production, and the divides dictate the city's class system more than occupation. The outer wall is dozens of feet thick; the only roads in and out are tunnels guarded around the clock by S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W task force. For more detailed city notes [I will make another post which I will come back and link here.]

It can be easy for things to seem small, with the city so dwarfed by the zones as it is on this map, but the city inside the wall alone covers roughly 320 square miles of land [compared to L.A. (503), New York (469) or Chicago (234)] and hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people live in Battery City. Many of them are descendant of people who never left, and the walls went up around them; many others migrated there, in out of the wild and destruction. Of the three remaining (official) settlements in the US, Battery City has the largest civilian population.

*Battery City does do its own farming, but is supplemented by resources from Fort FISK and the Fishery, another Better Living establishment in the southern US. In a crisis situation where FISK was unable to send supplies, the city could sustain without lifestyle changes for approximately five years.

ZONE 01

Ten mile wide band around the city, marked and separated from the other zones by a series of border walls and fences. Regularly patrolled.

There are many buildings, most of them crumbling, that were once urban sprawl and the suburbs. Thanks to the city's tampering with the weather, zone 01 shares most of the benefits, and can rely on slightly lower temperatures, regular safe rainfall, and even a four-season year (while the outer zones tend to have more like two seasons, dry and wet.)

Despite the city's attempts to section it off from the other zones, 01's borders aren't secure, and a small number of killjoys regularly move through the wreckage of the area. These are the most hostile and often least recognized killjoys — extremists even by the standards of arguably violent killjoy culture. They launch attacks on the city, the walls and patrols and citizens alike, and keep the rubble of the suburbs too unstable for the city to continue to expand. Many die young and unrecognized.

Zone 01 also contains the city's two expansions, as acquired in 2020: the Neon District and the Annex. The Annex is largely agricultural in nature, a proto-version of the much smaller greenhouses the city tried to establish in later years. The Neon District is an expansion of the outer city, mostly containing civilian dwelling. Where once the slums and Neon were the same, now the slums are at least inside the main wall, and Neon has become adjacent to the city. Neon houses almost exclusively registered neutrals, many of whom commute into the city to do undesirable jobs for low pay. On BL/ind paperwork, the Neon District is both a neighborhood in the zones and the expanded dwelling, but among citizens, the Neon District "Slums" of the city and the district's expansion, "Neon", are different places entirely. [Also more details for this in the city post.]

ZONE 02

Fifteen mile wide band around zone 01, marked off in some places by (often unmaintained) border fences. Regularly patrolled.

As in zone 01, what remains of the old world's sprawling boroughs make up most of the landmarks, though here in zone 02 they're less stable. More spread out, and prone to one day shaking apart for no entirely clear reason. The landscape begins to shift in the north and northeast, turning hilly. The city's weather control effects taper off within this zone, so that the inside mirrors a lot of zone 01's weather, while the outer sections reflect more of the desert. Overall, the two often clash, and weather in zone 02 changes at the drop of a hat. It's rarely dangerous in and of itself (typically no acid rain or poisonous fogs) but the speed and frequency of the changes make attempts to travel through and settle in zone 02.... interesting.

Scattered around zone 02, amidst the crumbling infrastructure, there are both Better Living outposts, where patrols sent out from the city stop or bed down, as well as some more permanent installments. The unlucky are sometimes shipped out for a few weeks at a time to man these watch points, such as the Better Living building that overlooks the robotics dumping ground south of the city, just beyond the old coastline. Just as equally, there are killjoy encampments dotted across the zone, populated like a forward front, often taking in anyone who manages to escape the city, and serving as an early warning system to the rest of the zones. Zone 02 is often considered a "buffer" zone: too chaotic for the city to really want it, but too valuable to leave untouched — too controlled and close for the killjoys to claim it, but too dangerous to let it be absorbed. Thusly, it sits as something of a no-man's land, and is arguably the most dangerous part of crossing the zones in either direction.

That is, it's the most likely place to get killed by a person in the name of the grand conflict, anyhow.

ZONE 03

Twenty mile wide band around zone 02. Occasionally patrolled.

Many of the old buildings are gone, dusted away by the bombs of the wars or scorched up by the fires or crumbled away in the time since. Those left are the most sturdy, or else the ones rebuilt by dedicated zone dwellers. There's a few old neighborhoods, but mostly things aren't so closely or neatly laid out as the old-world neighborhoods used to be. Weather takes a turn for heat and dust and desperation: desert standard from here out.

As the beginning of proper killjoy territory, zone 03 is the most densely populated, and what most people think of when they're imagining the chaos of large groups and the vibrant party scene. Despite a decent number of permanent settlements, Better Living patrols don't sweep though very often, in part because they almost never find any actual killjoys, only the signs of life. (The rest, because it's simply too large and push back is too strong for the company to dedicate the resources to trying to lock it down.) Rebels living in 03 are heavily interconnected, and experts at avoiding patrols. With a whole system of bells and whistles and warning phrases, entire trading grounds empty in minutes ahead of patrol warnings only to go right back to their dealings the moment the coast is clear.

Popular destinations include Tommy Chow Mein's place, an old motel repurposed into a trading market in the east, Regal Riotess's Battlegrounds, a sparring and entertainment venue in the north, and the Hyper Thrust, a club and musical venue to the south. The Sun Sandbox, a music and event venue famous for its reflective quality, shines out in the west here. Many other traders center themselves in 03, coordinating into pop-up markets or setting up more permanent locations -such as the Wind Stop on the fence to the northeast- as killjoy movements across the zone support or demand.

ZONE 04

Twenty-five mile wide band around zone 03. Rarely patrolled.

Another fairly populated zone, though things spread out as the terrain and crumbling structures demand and groups become more distinguished. Drier, often flatter terrain means dust storms pick up in frequency here, and, though rainfall is typically sparse, flash floods run the risk of sweeping straight over things without much obstacle when they pour down out of the ridges in the northwest.

As opposed to the tight-knit nest network of zone 03, groups in zone 04 tend to be more distinct from and less trusting of each other. Turf disputes aren't entirely uncommon, though conflicting groups usually prefer boxing rings (one 'champion' from either crew battling it out) over all out brawls. Growing distances between settlements means radio contact becomes more important. It's thought, though it hasn't been proven, that Dr. Death runs the WKIL out of zone 04. Better Living patrols only ever cross into zone 04 if they're on the hunt for a specific target, and as such they're usually more hunting parties (colloquial "murders") than route 'patrol' parties.

04 houses a diverse mix of groups and locations: the infamous Fabulous Four's Diner sits to the north, while in the east a neutral settlement, Jasper, has planted their roots into an old lake bed. There's a little less of the party scene here, but it includes the Fuck You!!!! House, an establishment that promises bloodshed every evening, one way or another, and out in the flats there's Electric Starlight, part bar for their regulars who dwell around the old Channel Islands, part destination venue for the massive rave-like parties and shows that take place there as often as can be put together by the owner.

ZONE 05

Thirty mile wide band around zone 04. No patrol schedule.

Ambient radiation levels are a touch higher in zone 05, and pockets of danger exist that travelers and those trying to tame the outer zones should be wary of. Rainfall also takes a turn for the worst, as it becomes more common for it to be toxic to consume and/or cause burns to exposed skin from this point further (a happening not impossible but more rare, in the inner zones.)

To go with growing environmental dangers, there's a sharp drop-off in cooperation around this zone too. Groups tend to be less generous with their supplies, and while the waves remain a vital tool for communication and keeping ahead of things, crews that come face to face aren't likely to trust each other very much, if at all. The stakes are simply too high, the margin for error too narrow. Bad news is all too common: contract killers and more radical groups are easier to find, and easier to bump into.

Somewhere near or perhaps even within the Dead Zone to the northeast, a particularly vile and violent group of DESTROYA worshipers has set up permanent residence. They journey out from whatever base they have to attack others, city and zones alike, without prejudice. They're known to descend on churches or shrines of other desert deities with greater regularity and more demonstrative end results, but won't say no to fucking anyone up just for fun. The wise give them a wide berth, and heavily vet individuals who might only be posing as lost and looking for help...

ZONE 06

Thirty-five mile wide band around zone 05. No patrol schedule.

Sights include sprawling vistas of desert skies and plenty of odd happenings, but not much else goes on in 06 on the regular. The terrain gets tougher, less tame and more churned apart by the wars and the rattling of the ground since. Radiation ticks up a little higher, and the places where it really clings will have an unwary journeyer dizzy and good-as-dead before they can even guess what's going on. It's easy to stumble into a gruesome death, out here.

Many zone dwellers don't go this far. Those who do are often the spiritual (or crazy) type, drawn by the odd sightings and phenomena such as lights in the sky, voices in the air, and landmarks that move. Any of it may or may not be real, depending on which story gets told and who is doing the telling. The other dustkids who travel through 06 are typically only there to pass along messages:

Several churches to various zone deities are tucked away here and there, ready to welcome the lost or, in the case of the unmanned shrines, offerings to the likes of Papa Sol and the Phoenix Witch. The mailbox sits in a little valley due east, and marks the outside border of the zones — "the end of the world".

ZONE 07

Isolated location also called The Anomaly located in the western quadrant.

Plopped down on the coast like something that crawled up out of the ocean and gave up on trying to walk across the flats, 07 is a mystery of a thing. It is consistently drenched in heavy fog no matter the surrounding weather. On approach, the ground quickly gives way to a soggy, sticky mess typically found in bogs or marshes, and it's presumed the ground within the fog cloud is the same.

Presumed, because no one goes into 07. No one who wants to return, anyway. Even Better Living has stopped sending investigative probes, manned or otherwise. The readings never make it out, and the people only rarely do, and only do so greatly changed. Often, reduced to vague shadows of their former selves, or else entirely delusional, sometimes even violent.

The superstitious types often refer to zone 07 as 'the mist', 'the veil', or 'the thin place', believing it to be a location where the world of the dead comes into contact with the living. This rumor is largely fueled by the human-like shadows often seen in the mist. Whether they are spirits or simply shadows or something else entirely, no one can say.

Pursuing answers in the matter of what, exactly, 07 is never ends well.

ZONE SEVEN

An approximate 'safe' band of 5-10 miles around zone six.

So named because the city had already designated the anomaly on the coast as "zone 07", meaning that killjoys could refer to something by that name and it wouldn't immediately set off any alarms. This zone seven is mapped almost exclusively by word of mouth, it does not feature on Better Living maps ((it's only on this one for visual aid)), and is rarely written down by killjoys to better guard their knowledge of things that just might begin to be out of the city's reach.

A hostile terrain pitted with unstable ravines, there is little shelter, even less water than the established zones, and further threats of radiation spikes, electrical & sand storms, and a variety of hostile wildlife drawn in from the wilds by the potential for someone to eat. Even those that know the landmarks, where to find shelter and make use of what little water can be found, take risks going out into this area. So they tend not to, unless things are bad enough.

As things are now, The Haven is the only known establishment of any kind within zone seven. It is, technically, a lighthouse, a location that will offer aid to anyone who finds their way to it, but as you can imagine they don't typically get a lot of outside traffic. (In other words: it was absolutely bananas cage mad behavior to set up a permanent encampment of this size out here. Anyone who doesn't know the Haven for trade reasons probably only hears rumors and thinks they're all insane for trying.)

THE EMPTY ZONE

Officially, anything beyond the edge of zone 06: which is to say, “nothing.”

The perfect truth is that the lines aren't so rigid as is convenient to mark on a map, and there's all of seven to account for, with more gradually being explored, word of more safety spread as it's found. But it's dangerous work. Unforgiving work. Few people dare to push the limits of the outer edge, believing instead that the way to true freedom lies in dismantling Better Living, not running from it. As things are, the empty zone beyond the end of the world, the untamed wilds, really is nothing but nothing. In theory there are livable lands, ways to cross the old cities, looting or building, striking out. In theory there could even be settlements that don't and never did belong to BL/ind, people who survived and continue to scrape their way along, or maybe even thrive. In practice, there's no guides and no guarantees, no promise of anything. In practice, to push beyond zone seven is all but certain suicide. Very few dare try it. Even fewer return, and it's been many years since anyone attempted a major excursion.

Even Better Living goes under the earth to cross the distances between their cities.

[hellspawntale-rebooted-take-2]

Sorry for the lack of updates! To make up for it, I thought I’d rank (most of) Hellspawntale’s original characters based on how much *I* personally like them.

15: Bold Boulder. I don’t really dislike Bold Boulder, just, well, I like the other ones far more.

14: Sock Puppet. Same as BB.

13: Scorch. Pretty much the same as the former two.

12: Syekick. I *wish* I did more with her, but really she feels like one of the more Under-utilized characters I have.

11: Water. Water’s in the same boat as Syekick, I wish I did more with him.

10: Kyle. He’s Kyle. Hard to dislike him.

9: Deter. He’s the only one of the Flowers who… basically IS a “Flowey recolor.”

8: Coney. I like Coney. I like how I designed him and used him as a base to design the Skelebros, honestly, probably one of my favourite fights to make was Coneys.

7: Tricksly. She’s honestly pretty fun to write for.

6: Emily. Are you surprised that a main character who’s been here since part 1 is in the top 6? Jokes aside, I actually like how I characterize Emily quite a lot.

5: Azreal. The main protagonist, only number 5? Surprising, I know. They’re cool.

4: Hellspawn. The namesake, the stupid little thing that made this story HAPPEN.

3: Draincloud. They’re a grumpy dork who wants you off their property and Plants. Super fun to write.

2: Frost. Frost is my favourite of the Flower Power group, and the one I’d say got the best improvements from Old Hellspawntale to Rebooted.

1: Jeffery the Snorkelpoff. Are you even surprised?

[loregoddess]

Whoo, finished Echoes of Wisdom today! still plan to run around and try to finish things I skipped over or missed, but overall it was such a fun game, even if it was a bit shorter (it's also entirely possible I went a bit crazy and played through faster than usual). Definitely gonna be a top-5 LoZ game for me, it was so delightful...

some extra spoiler-y thoughts under the cut

Really enjoyed the final dungeon and final boss, bio-castles are one of my all-time favorite environments for fantasy worlds, and the "primordial cosmic horror" feel that Null had as a character is something else I love a lot. Also the way the mechanics were set up to have Zelda and Link fight side-by-side worked out surprisingly well, and the dungeon was fun to navigate with Link as an active partner. I'd love to see a future game expand those mechanics even further honestly, they were a delight, and it's a shame they were limited to one dungeon.

It was cool that the golden goddesses were like, actual characters w/ speaking parts too, I don't think that's ever happened in a game before. Actually, the game overall had a lot of little things I'd wanted to see in a LoZ game in general like, how the King and soldiers actually do mobilize to help Zelda and the citizens of Hyrule (they're unusually passive in most games), or just how natural a lot of the writing felt for characterization in general.

Really liked the King in this game a lot, it's funny since the last Major Hylian King (Rhoam) was Not very popular with fans bc he was a bit of an asshole, and then EoW's King is like, "This is my daughter Zelda, who is amazing and wonderful and I love her so much and will support her in whatever she does" like, very doting father character that doesn't come off as overbearing, which is refreshing (Rhoam was interesting in his own right, but he was also like, dead, so it was interesting more in a "chasing ghosts" sort of way and less in a "this is a character who can actively and presently affect what is going on").

Actually seeing Zelda get to interact with other characters and really shine as her own character was really nice too. Like, all the people in castle town really seem to know her more casually, and seeing her interact w/ other rulers was super fun too. (Not that Zelda isn't a character in other games, but she doesn't always get to be as present as EoW Zelda).

Overall I loved the game a lot, from beginning to end. The gameplay and mechanics were super fun to play around with, the music was very notably present and felt unique to every area, the art style was so pretty and cute, and the story and characters were solid from start to finish. I know I'm a bit biased, having grown up with older LoZ games, but EoW really does play and feel like a classic Zelda game, from the top-down gameplay to the dungeon design to the quirky one-off characters to the bittersweet story ending.

I don't follow the business side of the game industry that closely, but just based off the lack of a line to wait in for preordering the game on release day, I'm worried that EoW won't do as well and therefore Nintendo will be like "well, that game was a flop, so we won't do something like it again" (bc it kinda feels like they set it up to fail, I mean it even released on a Thursday instead of Friday like most games do), but damn do I hope the game actually does really well and pulls off a Metroid Dread, bc I would love to see more LoZ games like this one. Playable Zelda was great, and the entire game design was so fun, I would love to have another game like this but a bit larger/longer.

Anyhow, now off to unblock the tags for EoW and finally take peeks at guides and fanstuffs (I was only missing two echoes at the end of the game and I have NO idea what they are even if I know where they're supposed to be, thanks to the clear-game giving the player access to the number of things they're missing).

Absolutely delightful game, will probably replay it lots and lots.