#Ignore how the patches are inconsistent

[r0tt1ngbunn1ez]

TW: SOME BLOOD!!

FULLY C0L0R3D ART P13C3Z!! 1N TH1Z 3C0N0MY!?!

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0r1g1nal draw1ng 1 d1d yezt3rday but c0l0r3d + z0m3 b0nuz3z

[aachria]

The long awaited (maybe? Idk how many of you were waiting for this) SSSBMTY College AU!

Majors in bold

Headcanons in regular text

Notes about the art indented in orange

Luffy — Undeclared

Was forced into school by his gramps. (The university dean. The fucking dorm building all the Strawhats but Jimbei live in is named after him.)(it was this or join the navy.) Takes the most random classes he can. Some of them are advanced and require perquisites and no one knows how he keeps getting into them. Wears shorts and sandals in winter & will run any errand or do any odd job for food. He has a very nice bike he got for free from a garage sale that Franky fixed up. There's a campus wide bet on when and what he'll choose as his major. His bucket hat was a gift from Shanks, the universities World Economics prof. Has a million friendship bracelets on his ankles because Ed makes them when they're stressed. Never has a bag on him. Fights Canadian geese on the way to class, like a fucking maniac. Protected species who?

When I tell you that this drawing of Luffy is the first time I've ever drawn actual feet with toes that don't look fucking ridiculous I need to cheer for me. Why is he a different flavour of boy every time I draw him please. His ass isn't rubber in this universe, of course he's scuffed to shit. Chopper ran out of Spiderman bandaids, sorry bud. Advocate for the Single Piercing Luffy™ agenda, he went and got it done with Ed when they got their helix.

Ed — English major Psychology minor

Took History of Piracy for easy grades & a story idea. Known around campus as that asshole who'll tell you exactly which of your roommates ate your leftovers for $5. Is roommates with Luffy because of a system mix-up when they got distributed. Always wears a Burberry trench coat Nami thrifted for $3 and gave them as a bday gift. Carries everything in a ratty falling apart messenger bag. Them and Luffy filled out marriage papers on a dare, Zoro (who got legally ordained on a dare minutes before) oversaw that, Zoro and Ed filed the papers when they were drunk. So Ed and Luffy are legally married. And they don't even notice until tax season and Jonah, Ed's accounting friend, asks about it.

I need you to ignore the inconsistence with the hands in these ok? Some of them get very nice and normal hands, and others get weird shaped blobs. Sorry Ed, them's the breaks kid.

Zoro — Health and Fitness major Mathematics minor

Literally no one knows why he has a Mathematics minor, least of all him. P sure he walked into the wrong class on the first day and just stuck with it. The most terrifying captain of the kendo team the university has ever had. He's won more championships and trophies in his tenure than the school has in its history, the revenue he brings in from sponsorships and such make them turn a blind eye to his... eccentricities (three sword style. Nobody has stopped him yet, anyone who says it's illegal gets penalized). Has had campus security called on him so often from being creepy when walking home from the gym in the dark there's a poster of him in the security office that says 'NOT ACTUALLY A THREAT. JUST WEIRD AND WALKS WITH PURPOSE.'

Zoro's sword patch on his jacket was designed by Usopp, embroidered by Luffy for a class (shittily) and fixed up and sewn on by Ed. Those docs have seen war. He has put them through hell. He has walked through a fucking river with those things, he superglues them back together every time they break. Franky had to strongarm him into getting the soles professionally replaced.

Nami — Meteorology major Finance minor

All of her clothes are thrifted designer things. Regularly terrorizes Value Village employees. Anything she has that isn't thrifted she gets from the many estate sales she plagues, snatching grandma's entire Chanel collection and all her nicest jewelry. She has absolutely everything anyone could ever need in her purse. Tampons and pads? She gotchu. Extra pens? It'll cost you, but yeah. A curling iron? Sure, why the hell not. She runs the betting pool on Luffy's major with Ed. She also writes a gossip column for the school newspaper and has a podcast she uploads a new episode to every few months. Shows up to every class looking like a supermodel no matter the time. 7am? Perfect. 10pm? Fabulous. Your go-to if you get locked out of your dorm. Has a moped but barely uses it.

Nami's bag is a large Prada Gallaria Saffiano bag, which I painstaking drew to accuracy down to the colour even though it still looks ever so slightly different, because Nami is a big purse girl. The compass rose necklace was a going away gift from Nojiko when she left for uni. I think her haircut is so cute I love her sm. Don't pay any mind to how fucking disheveled half of their lineart looks next to her pls.

Usopp — Graphic Design major

Not a member of the archery club, but shows up enough he’s in all the team photos. Was originally the designated driver, had a pretty little mini van they called the Merry, had one of those fucking fuzzy dice hanging mirror things in the shape of a sheep’s head. Got in a bad car accident and she got totaled by some jackass in a red Honda Civic. Dating Kaya, who’s a nursing student. They barely see each other because she’s so fucking busy and half the students are convinced the girlfriend Usopp is always talking about and calling is fake. The Strawhats have a dnd campaign that they run every other week, Usopp DM's. On weekends he works at an axe throwing range and holds the record for most bullseyes in a row. They have his picture mounted on the wall.

Usopp's necklace is the old key to the Merry, and he engraved his belt buckle for a project. I cursed his ass with the giant fuck off portfolio bag because those things are so big and unwieldy. The people in his program's studio never clean their paint up properly, that's why he's covered in it. Advocate for the Usopp With Gages™ agenda. God he is such a cutie patootie.

Sanji — Business degree

Literally grew up working in a restaurant, he’s only going to school to get the degree so he can open his own and also because Zeff threated to castrate him if he didn't get a higher education. Cooks basically every single meal for the dorm, since it’s just the Strawhats (it's a new (old it's old and was refurbished. Everyone assumed it was haunted.) building that they just dedicated to Garp. Has no other residents yet). Him and Zoro fight so much in their shared room half the time he ends up kicking him out and making him sleep in the community room lmao. He just shows up in half the culinary classes because he hates the business ones so much, the one time someone tried to tell him to leave he cussed them out for a full ten minutes while gesticulating wildly with a knife in hand. They never tried that again. Saw one of the profs berate a young lady for wearing a dress shirt to class because it’s impractical and proceeded to take that personally. Yeah he wears three piece suits to all his classes, he could still kick you ass in ‘em. Shut up. Volunteers to show around foreign exchange students because he can speak at least 4 foreign languages fluently. Is it to woo pretty French girls with his charm? Wouldn't you like to know.

I could not draw Sanji in a decent pose for the life of me, his ass was just not having it. He's got one of them really nice leather messenger bags with the lined pockets and filigree, he's very proud of it.

Chopper — PreMed

One of the few Strawhats who regularly sees Usopp’s reclusive girlfriend, and is very confused as to why people think she isn’t real. Still a literal child (is 15 still a child? Yeah that's like barely a teenager), a goddamn prodigy and got in with an incredibly good recommendation from the best doctor in the country, who just so happens to be his adoptive mother. He’s literally too cute for anyone to question that, plus he’s the sharpest tack in the damn class. He knocked his front tooth out ages ago (it was an adult tooth) but he's too fucking busy to get an appointment to get it fixed, just adds another layer to his babyface. Nice girls keep asking him if he's here to go see his parents or older siblings, he's endlessly infuriated by it and Sanji is endlessly jealous. Saved Ed from choking to death in a Domino's parking lot the first time they met, he dropped his pizza doing it so they bought him another. The rest is history. Does not feel cold, wears chunky boots year round. Got them reflective ass eyes like a deer, no one has ever taken a good picture of this child. He looks fucking possessed in his school ID.

TELL ME WHY I ALMOST FORGOT TO DRAW CHOPPER. I finished drawing Franky and was like "gee, only Brook and Jimbei to go! Good for me," and then I had to pause while looking as the picture of the group I was semi-referencing for heights n shit and was like "OH FUCK THE CHILD—" He's so cute tho. He's giving lil baby Goro Akechi. The argyle sweater vest and Timbs were a must, so was his hockey boy haircut. Matching backpack and tie for the win. Oh and the freckles, Chopper with freckles is everything to me.

Robin — Has a million hyper specific degrees. Currently earning her third doctorate.

Very mysterious and sexy. Mature student who occasionally gives lectures in the archeology program when she has free time. Owns a motorcycle but barely rides it. How is she not in debt after so much schooling? Don't fucking ask if you want to live. Is that why she lives in the dorm building? Do. Not. Ask. She and Luffy attend the same Theology class, no one knows how Luffy is passing with such good grades, but Robin is adamant that he doesn't take notes or borrow hers, and takes to having the same scores as him with grace. Child actor on one of those show like Barney (but not Barney dear lord) or Reading Rainbow and people only knew her as 'that kid with the creepy fuckin stare.' She was a meme a few years back, they called her the devil child. Every time someone asks her about it she just says she has no idea what they're talking about while giving them the creepy stare.

Women with Big Bags truther, right here. Robin deserves to be put in a suit. Goddamnit, get that woman in a suit!

Franky — Has a bachelors of Engineering, a bachelors of Architecture, and is earning his (water specific) Architecture degree

Currently the groups designated driver (after the tragic death of the poor Merry) with his supped up SUV, the Sunny. How do all the Strawhats fit inside? The power of love, obviously. That car will NOT fucking move if even one of the seatbelts is undone. Made Ed and Luffy wedding rings after he found out they accidentally got married. (Only after laughing for a half our straight, almost passing out, and laughing again. Then he cried for another hour about how beautiful it was.) He sometimes works as a nude model for life drawing classes on campus. Half of the the Strawhats have, in one way or another, seen him in the buck. Has knee braces from an... incident... with a train when he was younger. Now he volunteers at KidsAbility and has a shift on the campus crisis/suicide hotline. Huge advocate for mental health services at the school. He lives in the dorms for the ✨experience✨. Even worse than Luffy, mf wears booty shorts in the dead of winter. He's constantly dressed like It's laundry day. One of those guys from a famous Vine when he was younger that just gets stopped while he's walking so people can go "TRAMPOLINE VASE GUY??" (Iceberg was recording. I love Iceberg.)

Yes Franky is wearing an I ♥ MILFs shirt, what of it? It was a gift. Drawing him was an exercise in struggling with the pompadour and getting uncomfortably close to drawing Syndrome. Yes, he's cold all the time. No, he will not stop.

Brook — Literally no one knows. Something music related probably.

Fucker has been around forever, there’s old ass profs who swear to god they went to school with him and he hasn’t aged a day. Regularly plays local bars and cafes. Doesn't own a cellphone, he can literally only operate rotary phones. Computers confuse the shit out of him. Knows nothing about pop culture or recent events, but is up to date on everything in the music industry. He sometimes helps organize the old library archives because he's somehow the only person who understands the system they're organized in. Sometimes he'll just namedrop a famous singer/band he's either played with, done karaoke with, or done background vocals/instrumentals for and you have to guess whether he's telling the truth or just saying shit. There's a campus wide betting pool (run by Nami and Ed, go figure) on whether he's a vampire, ghost, time traveler, or Dorian Gray in disguise. Prepares the questions for 70s night pub trivia. Every time the Strawhats plan a ghost hunt he's busy, then at the end they find out that all the paranormal shit they've been experiencing is just him running his errands. It's happened at least four times.

Is Brook off-putting enough? I was trying to make him off-putting. He swears up and down the neck tattoo was gotten on a dare by Elton John, what, you gonna question a man who looks like he stepped out of Coraline? The skeleton gloves were a gift from Ed.

Jimbei — Has already graduated as a Marine Biology major Political Science minor and is taking both a Gender Studies course and a Peace and Conflict Studies course years later.

Teaches martial arts at a local dojo on weekends and volunteers with the martial arts team on campus. Robin helps him organize protests on weekends. He's good buds with a lot of the faculty and gets invited to after work drinks regularly. He helped establish a program that walks people who stay late at the library to their dorms when he was first a student that's still going strong to this day. Lives off campus and has the Strawhats over for BBQ on long weekends. Literally the only time the Strawhats eat food not made by Sanji. The Grill Master™. Somehow holds some kind of record or high score at every single bar/pub in town. Knows every single mailman and janitor by name. MVP of the catch and release fishing club, helps plan all of their trips.

I struggled with him. I struggled hard. That's a man who went his whole childhood with a horrendous underbite and only got it fixed once he was an adult. Ed gave him the fishing lure earrings out of guilt after he brought them on one of his fishing trips and they fell in and nearly capsized their boat. IT'S A REUSED PLASTIC BAG JIMBEI IS RESPONSIBLE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT—

[strqyr]

genuine question: do people want bad, inconsistent writing? is that it? because that's the only way "taiyang is and always has been a horrible father and yang had to raise ruby all on her own and she resent him for it" makes any damn sense.

like. where's the resentment?

where is yang, while happy that ruby is one step closer to achieving her lifelong dream, feeling just slightly frustrated that she's once again sharing a room with her sister, when going to beacon was supposed to be a place just for her for at least two years without having to watch after ruby and feel guilty over it?

where's the resentment when tai sent zwei to the girls to be taken care of while he's away on a mission, placing that responsibility on yang again? why show yang instead being flippant about the whole ordeal, and shrugging it off like it's nothing, being ready to leave zwei alone in the dorm room for the week they're away because he has the absurd amount of food and a can opener tai provided them?

where's yang bringing up how she had to apparently grow up early because tai wasn't there, when she wanted to be treated like an adult?

where's the resentment when yang was about to leave home under the assumption it was her keeping her father from going after ruby, only to find out he isn't coming with her, once again leaving the responsibility of taking care of ruby on her shoulders?

because the show i watched, it doesn't exist. to even remotely get to that point you'd have to ignore ruby talking about their dad in a way that makes it clear he was present and raising them, you'd have to ignore yang having to wait for him to be out of the house to leave herself once again proving he was present and attentive of them, you'd have to ignore ruby's first happy memory being from that same time period (and with no corresponding sad memory to counter it), you'd have to ignore him reading them bedtime stories and taking them out for boba after school, making sure he's spending time with them even when he's busy with work.

you'd have to ignore that both yang and ruby have a good relationship with their father.

that is not to say tai doesn't have his flaws—every damn character in this show does—, but that's exactly what V4 is about. the rift that existed between yang and taiyang was his refusal to talk about raven and doing his best to prevent her from looking for her. that's it. just compare the difference in tone between yang's "oh, so now we can talk about her?" and "i don't know. some things you just need to be there for." and it's clear as a day where the resentment actually lies.

therein lies the core of the arc between yang and tai, and like many issues between characters in this show, it gets resolved: for the first time ever, he properly talks with yang about raven, and when yang is about to leave, he doesn't try to stop her like he has before; instead, he asks her where she's going, and gives information that might help make her journey easier.

if they intended there to be any lingering resentment from yang, 'boba' was not the way to do it. we know what yang's resentment looks like: anger, snappiness, the like. it's not quiet, almost somber.

they could have written yang treating tai's absence in vacuo as something she has come to expect from him, but they didn't; instead, she wonders why, because she can't fathom what could be more important for their father than being there, in vacuo, with them.

and that alone comes as validation for everyone who has wondered the same: why is tai staying in patch when everyone else is on the move? this is a character we're first properly introduced to as a father who has fallen asleep by his daughter's bedside waiting for her to wake up, a father who is almost brought to tears by relief that both of his daughters are back home and safe.

a father we last saw being absolutely desperate for his daughter to come back on screen when ruby's message cut short.

and beyond brings a sledgehammer and says yes, it is odd that taiyang hasn't left home to be by his daughters' side. wonder why that is, must be something important, wink wink ;)

and if you ask me, that sounds like a pretty damn good "long con", and damn good writing.

[chaifootsteps]

other pointer for anons who come in saying 'could you even discuss with someone who disagrees with you'

someone being critical of the hellaverse shows is not a free pass to be rude, condescending or dismissive to that person. coming into someone's inbox with that kind of tone just means no one will want to speak about the show with someone like that

as hbomb wisely said while he was criticizing RWBY: 'If you have a point but you're an asshole about it, no one will want to listen to you.'

also, sometimes people who are critical of the show want the same thing fans want: a community of people to vibe with. not everyone who criticizes the show is interested in having a fan slide into their DMs to debate them and change their mind. it's kind of presumptuous to assume that's the case

for me the show is some of the worst writing I've ever seen. I doubt anyone's ability to change my mind. And while I don't understand the perspective of people who still like or love the show, I don't begrudge them that. honestly I wish I could still like the show, but I doubt it's even possible for it to win me back at this point. and I don't think I'm alone in that, going by the way the view counts keep dropping

for some of us, trying to like the show would mean ignoring too many things or using headcanons to patch up too many holes or problems. even asusming someone critical would be open to discuss/debate about it, it's again a little presumptuous to assume a fan could counter argue every point as if people who criticize the show haven't already considered different angles that could work and why they don't.

just getting into plot holes and inconsistencies in HB or HH alone this post would become twice as long - this attitude that critical viewers just want to hate the show and are being stubborn for some reason is so strange to me when most critical viewers just talk endlessly about how frustrating the wasted potential is and how much they wanted to like it or would like it if more care was put in

tl:dr but if it bothers fans of the show so much to see people criticize it they should avoid critical spaces for their own sake, rather than marching into someone's inbox to talk down to them or act like they aren't aware other people still like the show

Repeating this part because I feel it's so important, and something a lot of Viv stans either don't or refuse to understand, but it's really at the heart of all of this all.

Sometimes people who are critical of the show want the same thing fans want: a community of people to vibe with.

[fbfh]

Writing quick drabbles about the obscure blorbos I kept forgetting to write about 2/4

Tw for mentions of pregnancy/pregnant reader, also afab reader

got mega brain rot about Latrelle from on my block literally out of nowhere for like two days straight so uh. specifically dad!latrelle. you've had an on and off relationship for years, snce you were teens. you've gotten him out of trouble more times than either of you could count, and everytime he asks you why you keep sticng your neck out for him, you tell him the same thing. I care about you. You don't deserve that. I don't want bad things to happen to you. it cuts him to the quick every time. he thinks you're the best thing to happen to him, and even through your rough patches, he doesn't want to lose you, doesn't want you to be with anyone else. so you keep finding your way back to each other. you think it's over for good when you move away for college, until one day he shows up on your doorstep. he tried to live withuot you, he really did, but he can't. he tried to move on, he dated around and bounced from hookup to hookup but each time it only confirmed that he wants you. you got pregnant with your first child not long after, and had your second after you graduated. The girls have your attitude and their dad's smile, and you both love them more than you knew was possible. when you were pregnant with your first, you had a really serious conversation with Latrelle about how you wanted to prioritize being able to parent your kid together over anything else, especially after seeing how much damage having inconsistent or unharmonious parents can cause. You've seen it in your friends, in Latrelle, maybe even in yourself. Because of that you insist you shouldn't pursue a relationship with each other, you shouldn't take that risk when you've been so on and off in the past. Kids need consistency. Latrelle respects that, he respects every boundary you set, but that doesn't mean he's ever stopped loving you or is ever going to. He doesn't even have to say it, you can see it on his face all the time. Your daughters third birthday is when you finally crack, falling into his arms after he rescues you from your insane extended family and protects your daughter from overhearing your grandmother say some really unkind things about you. He’s such an amazing dad to your little girl, she looks up to him so much and he deserves every bit of it. You think you might be able to move on from your night together, you might be able to ignore the way his gaze lingers, the way everything down to his body language tells you he needs you, he desires you more than anything. When you find out you're pregnant again, it feels like the biggest most obvious sign you've ever gotten. You had been safe, you had been on birth control both times you got pregnant, and you realize you can't fight your feelings anymore. You told Latrelle you didn't want him to be with anyone else when you first got together, and he dropped everyone else he'd been talking to without a second thought. You told him kids need consistency, and he’s been consistent, showing up for everything, reading bedtime stories, picking her up from daycare, doing her hair and painting her nails and having tea parties. Your friends have been pushing you together since they met him, telling you if he wanted to he would, and Latrelle does. All of this culminates into you texting him to come over, that you need to talk. Once your daughter is in bed and asleep, you have one of the most important conversations of both your lives. You tell him there are three things you need to tell him: your sink is leaking again, you're pregnant again, and you think you're in love with him again. By morning, your sink is fixed, and your daughter is over the moon to find out that she's getting a sister and both parents permanently under one roof for Christmas.

[masiethewriter]

Honored Eternal Path of Demise CH. 10 - Basic Mechanics

Shen Qingqiu can't keep himself from quietly humming the Significant-Item-Pick-Up melody. He knows this is not the first important item he has collected, but this flashlight in particular brings out the Pavlovian response in him. Just how many times did he die and have to collect this very flashlight back when he first played the game? "I got something!" he finally calls out. As Luo Binghe jogs over, he shows him the flashlight. "Great find Senior! Now we can see where we are going." "I don't know how long it will last, so let's get this over with. Before it runs out of battery."

First Chapter ~~ Previous Chapter

Shen Qingqiu does not appreciate the feeling of his clothing sticking to his skin. His glasses have been taken off, hidden safely in his pocket to protect them from the pour. Each step he takes releases a squelch, as his shoes are not made for this kind of weather.

The only time he has gotten a taste of the outside was back on the balcony. At least that had had a small roof to protect against the worst of the rain. Out here, walking on a slick path made of rock, framed only by flower patches and lamp posts, there is nothing in the way of wind or water. 

It is, of course, the same for Luo Binghe, but his protagonist halo means he will only look pitiful when a loving and fertile woman is close by to take care of him. With no such being in range, he instead takes on the look of the lone hero braving the elements.

So far, both of them have stayed quiet. 

There are various reasons for why Shen Qingqiu has not said a word yet. Part of it is to stay in character. The original goods never hid his distaste for Luo Binghe, so here in the beginning, when conflicts have yet to rear their heads, he would most likely stay silent. Don't wanna waste his breath on a worthless beast and all that, bla bla bla. 

Staying in character is also a convenient excuse, because he wouldn't even know what to say. He can't just repeat Ning Yingying’s lines here. That would make no sense coming from the scum villain. There is no script for him to follow this time and improvisation is much riskier to do with a character as smart as Luo Binghe.

Shen Qingqiu joining him in Ning Yingying's place should not have been possible. And yet here he is.

This entire situation is suspicious to the highest degree. Whatever caused Luo Binghe to act out of character like this, Shen Qingqiu has to keep an eye out for it. So, his last reason for staying quiet is that he is waiting for Luo Binghe to speak up first. 

To be the first to reveal a card from his hand.

But Luo Binghe has not said a word since they went outside. He has been guiding them along the path, a few steps ahead. His demeanor has been pure innocence, none of his behavior inconsistent with how he would be expected to act.

Shen Qingqiu’s guard is fully up. All his attention is on Luo Binghe, as he awaits his next move. Nothing unusual will go unnoticed on his watch.

He is so focused on Luo Binghe that he has barely considered the space around them. Mostly been ignoring the outside area so far, which is honestly also making every nerve in his body itch with unease. Being outside like this is way too soon. It goes completely against the narrative for him to be here.

His only consolation is that it is still following Ning Yingying’s story. While he shouldn't be able to take her place at all, it is a comfort the game still continues as he would expect. Following the road out here, lamp posts lighting their way, Shen Qingqiu, for the first time since his death, gets to re-experience the beginning tutorial of the game.

And speaking of tutorials, here comes the first lesson.

Ahead of them, a massive tree hinders their path. The trunk is massive, larger than the both of them and way too big to crawl over. The height of it can only be imagined, as neither end can be seen. The tip and roots hidden in the darkness in each direction, out of reach from any light. Seeing it laying like this, it feels unbelievable for a tree of such a size to no longer stand. And yet here it is, cut down before them, solely for the sake of being in their way.

It has managed to fall in such a way that it is laying askew. If looking from the right direction, some space underneath it will be revealed to be big enough to crawl under. Though, Shen Qingqiu mostly knows this from experience, rather than being able to see it from here.

They both stop, Luo Binghe stepping towards the tree as he studies it closer. Shen Qingqiu follows, but keeps the distance between them. He allows Luo Binghe to think as he himself just admires the sheer size of the trunk. He has no idea what sort it is. For all he knows it is just made up by the game designers, creating it just to be a blockade on the road. Do any trees in the real world get as huge as this?

He tries to think of different trees he knows from his first life and compare their size to this. He is not the outgoing type, never gone camping or the like. Most of his meetings with nature would happen in the nearby park, usually just so he had an excuse for when his family would complain about him staying inside too much. Certainly none of the trees in the park ever got this big, but maybe if he had gone to an actual forest...

Shen Qingqiu is interrupted from his musings when Luo Binghe suddenly calls him over. He has finally found the way underneath. 

"The shadows hide it well, but I think we can crawl underneath here," Luo Binghe explains once he is close enough. "We might get slightly dirty, but it should only take us a second."

"Better than walking in the dark, I suppose" Shen Qingqiu disinterestedly answers. In his mind he can hear the guide explaining which buttons to press to crouch. He kneels down and prepares to go through, When Luo Binghe reaches out to stop him.

His sunshine smile returns as he holds out a hand. He himself has untied his jacket from his waist and slung it over his shoulder instead. Likely to protect it from the mud. 

"Let me go first. I will check that it is safe on the other side." He declares all heroic and gentlemanly.

Shen Qingqiu's only answer is a cold "tsk," as he leans back on his heels. Seeing that he isn't arguing, Luo Binghe goes first. 

Shen Qingqiu does not wait for him to call him over. The second Luo Binghe is out of sight, he follows. It is dark underneath, but light seeps through from both sides. He is not far behind Binghe and even with a tree this massive, it only takes a few seconds to get through. Once he crawls through the other side, he is met with a large hand, palm up.

Shen Qingqiu looks up and his eyes are caught by Luo Binghe’s. The younger adult is using the trunk to keep his balance, as he leans down to help Shen Qingqiu stand up. His sunshine smile has not dimmed in the slightest and his shoulders are relaxed. With his jacket still thrown over his shoulder and the lamp post light creating a halo around him, he is the perfect image of the virtuous hero offering a helping hand.

In any other case Shen Qingqiu would love to see Luo Binghe like this. While he hated the game, he could rarely complain about their characterisation of Binghe. The Luo Binghe of the novels had been in his blackened era for such a long time that seeing white lotus Binghe stay pure for the entire game was a nice change.

But this is just pure suspicion with paranoia on top! There must be a reason for Luo Binghe to invite him outside and there must be a reason for him to act all sweet and innocent! He is playing some kind of game and Shen Qingqiu is too busy being forced to play an awful horror game to join any other! The rules of Honored Eternal Path of Demise may be shitty, but at least he knows them! On the other hand, there is no knowing what is happening inside Luo Binghe's head.

So Shen Qingqiu does not take the offered hand. Instead he keeps his face expressionless, slowly lowering his eyes from Luo Binghes face to the hand in front of him. Neither move for a while until Luo Binghe understands the message. Shen Qingqiu does not see what expression he makes when he steps back. Instead he uses the trunk to push himself up, wiping off the dirt from his pants. First when he feels clean and sophisticated again does he spare Luo Binghe a glance.

The sunshine is gone, but it has not been taken over by clouds. The casual demeanor is still there. Waiting by the side of the road, Luo Binghe stands with both hands in his pockets. Once he sees that Shen Qingqiu is ready, he nods towards the way they are going and then turns to lead them further. Shen Qingqiu follows. 

First Tutorial lesson out of the way, as well as the first Luo Binghe interaction. He is no closer to understanding what Luo Binghe wants, but he is beginning to formulate the beginning of a theory. 

Specifically the theory that Luo Binghe also remembers the loops.

He has no idea if that is even possible. In the original game, only the player remembered the loops, never any of the characters. So there is nothing in the game lore that should be causing this. Of course, it could be the same case as Shen Qingqiu, another unlucky transmigrator landing in this terrible world. But then the question is: why?

Why would they suddenly arrive here? When would it have happened? Could someone else transmigrate at any time? Did they arrive here at the same time as Shen Qingqiu and neither of them noticed before now?

A lot of questions and no answers. If there are any answers to begin with. Shen Qingqiu hasn't fully subscribed to Luo Binghe being a transmigrator yet. Because even if he is, then what happened during the last loop that made them decide to travel with Shen Qingqiu?

Here it is natural to assume they could have been the one that switched out the paper or the stranger that stayed with him when he died. Though neither of those cases would explain the new behavior now. If he was the shadow watching him with Ning Yingying's corpse, now that would make sense. 

If they already had the context of transmigrating from their own experience, what he said to Ning Yingying couldn't be more clear as a confession. Why Luo Binghe was inside in the first place or where he went when Shen Qingqiu tried to see who had been watching him, that would still not be explained. But it would be the most logical motive for why he suddenly wants to be alone with him. 

If Luo Binghe is a transmigrator, then this is all a test. A test to see if Shen Qingqiu is a transmigrator as well. And this is exactly why it is more important than ever for Shen Qingqiu to stay in character and avoid revealing that he is not the original scum villain.

Most would think he would consider it to be a good thing finding that he is not alone in the loops. 

In actuality that would be the most dangerous of all. 

Honored Eternal Path of Demise is a game that pushes their characters to their very edge and afterwards still kicks them into the abyss. No character in this game will stay innocent by the end. Whether by the countless death they will all experience or those they themselves will inevitably cause. Every character is just as likely to be horrifically killed by a monster as they will turn into a monster themselves.

Terrible accidents, uncontrollable emotions, overpowering paranoia, violent insanity or corrupting curses. There are many motives for why murdering one of your friends might suddenly seem desirable. And in a world where your ally can suddenly become your enemy, the resets suddenly become much more of a blessing. 

If Luo Binghe suddenly remembers everything as well, that means that Shen Qingqiu can commit no wrong as long as he is watching. Because those wrongs would still be remembered in upcoming sessions. 

If a transmigrating Luo Binghe suddenly decided that he would be better off not having Shen Qingqiu around...

For all he knows, Luo Binghe is currently luring him to where the Killer first is to get him out of the way early. And this is why Shen Qingqiu can at no point let his guard down. He has already made up his mind that he will beat his survival record in this session. 

No matter what it takes!

Further ahead, multiple of the light posts have broken down. A few of them are still blinking, but the light is too weak to show anything. Much further they can see there are still some working, but this leaves a long stretch of the path in utter darkness. Besides the outline of some bushes, there is nothing they can see.

"Should we just try to walk through? The path has been safe so far," Luo Binghe asks.

"You are welcome to go first. I will just wait here," Shen Qingqiu answers. Even if he didn't remember what the darkness holds, he already has experience with traps hidden outside of sight. The game has made it clear that he should not try his luck.

Neither does Luo Binghe. Of course the hero is not stupid enough to walk in blind. 

If there is someone else in Luo Binghes body, then Shen Qingqiu will give them props for saying their lines perfectly. Of course the dialogue changes slightly depending on his own words, but so far Binghes words have almost been the same as when he is with Ning Yingying. Really, there is a frustrating lack of proof that this could be a transmigrator acting as Luo Binghe.

"There must be something that can help us. I would hate for us to go back empty handed like this." Luo Binghe mutters to himself.

He likely doesn’t expect an answer, but that does not stop Shen Qingqiu: "If we go back now we might find Ning Yingying has already contacted the police and that we are wasting our time."

His words just cause Luo Binghe to laugh.

"I don't think you really believe that, Senior Shen."

Of course he doesn't! If it was that easy, what kind of horror game would this be? Whatever Ning Yingying is doing, he can be certain she is not having more luck than he had! Even if she manages to get the spiritbox and have begun to explore the upper floor, he wanna bet that she would be just as challenged by the music puzzle as he was!

Well, whatever she is doing, she still has some time. This is only the second part of the tutorial that they have reached. 

This time he helps Luo Binghe explore the area. Mostly because he can see Luo Binghe is looking in the totally wrong place and he doesn't want to wait. This is a point for this still being NPC-Binghe as he is exactly where he is meant to be. This is a lesson for the player after all. 

To not make it too obvious that he knows what to look for, he does waste some time checking the area. There is not much they can look at while staying in the light, but he still lets a few minutes pass. Then he checks between two bushes at the edge of the road.

He finds a partially broken flashlight. 

It does not look pretty. It has begun to rust and part of the glass is broken off. It is heavy in his hand when he picks it up, but clicking on the button, it does shoot out its light.

Shen Qingqiu can't keep himself from quietly humming the Significant-Item-Pick-Up melody. He knows this is not the first important item he has collected, but this flashlight in particular brings out the Pavlovian response in him. Just how many times did he die and have to collect this very flashlight back when he first played the game?

"I got something!" he finally calls out. As Luo Binghe jogs over, he shows him the flashlight.

"Great find Senior! Now we can see where we are going."

"I don't know how long it will last, so let's get this over with. Before it runs out of battery."

"You lead the way," Luo Binghe says, indicating with his hands the same sentiment. Shen Qingqiu takes them back to the darkened path.

As he lights up the road with the flashlight, they can see it is covered in bushes. Bushes that are very different from the ones they have seen so far. They are each the same size as Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu, their leaves full of sharp edges and thorns along the branches. They don't look like something you want to walk into and as Luo Binghe studies them closer, Shen Qingqiu can't help but push him back.

"Don't touch them. You will come to regret it if any of them touch your skin," he warns.

"Senior Shen knows of these plants?" Luo Binghe asks. 

Shen Qingqiu hums as he begins to lead them safely through the bushes. The flashlight has revealed a safe strip of road they can walk along. The clear path is quite narrow though, so Luo Binghe stays closely behind him. Occasionally he has to lay a hand on Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder, so as not to lose him in a turn.

"They are poisonous. Not deadly, but one touch will make you want to scratch your skin off. Better not risk anything," he explains.

"Why would they grow on the road like this?"

"Likely for the same reason that tree hadn't been removed either. It doesn't look like this place has been maintained for a long time. Or to deter uninvited guests? If you have the right tools to collect them, the leaves are said to make excellent tea, so that could also be a reason for why they are grown here."

"Hmm, Senior sure is knowledgeable."

Shen Qingqiu almost stops. He forces his feet to keep moving, not giving any outward sign of what he is thinking. 

Shit! 

Did he just give himself away? Would it be weird for the original goods to know this? He just wanted to warn Luo Binghe, he did not think sharing this kind of info was bad. He will have to be even more careful!

"If you kept attention in class you would know this too. This is very common knowledge, even the biggest morons from our school should know this," he quickly scolds. Fuck, now he really hopes Luo Binghe is not a transmigrator! He swears he can feel Luo Binghes breath on his neck, like he is suddenly much closer. Is it just him or can he suddenly feel Binghes heat against his back?!

"Sorry Senior, I will make sure to pay better attention in the future," Luo Binghe dutifully promises. Before he can ask further questions, Shen Qingqiu hurries them out of the maze, the labyrinth of bushes suddenly making him feel claustrophobic.

They get free from the bushes and finally Shen Qingqiu can step away from Luo Binghe. Sweat is running down his back and It is like he can suddenly breathe freely again. He does not wipe his forehead for the sole reason not to give anything away. As he looks over towards Luo Binghe, the other looks fine. Like their little conversation in the maze was just that - Idle smalltalk. 

Shen Qingqiu is about to have enough of this. They are nearing the end of the tutorials and it is time to find out what Luo Binghes agenda is. If he is just an innocent NPC acting strangely or a transmigrator luring him into a deadly trap. From here they can see the top of the exit gate, the one meant to leave them away from this nightmare. Shen Qingqiu knows they will not have to walk much further before they will see a dark mass leaning against it. 

Pocketing the flashlight, Shen Qingqiu leads them the rest of the way. Luo Binghe keeps up, never letting the distance between them grow too far. 

As they draw nearer, Shen Qingqiu mentally prepares himself for the soon meeting of a dead body.

[tobiasdrake]

Oh, shit. New episode of Daima. For some reason I thought this aired on Saturdays but apparently it's a Friday release schedule?

Hahaha, what? Since when is that a thing? XD That is not a thing.

There is a bit of inconsistency with Shenron in post-Z materials. Resurrection F had a plot hole where Shenron only granted two wishes.

So, the way the rules work, Shenron will grant three wishes unless one of them is a mass-resurrection; That basically uses up two wish slots. You can also bank wishes, having him grant less than three in order to shorten the Dragon Balls' recharge time.

But a lot of people struggle to remember how this works, including official creators who work on Dragon Ball. Resurrection F had a notable plot hole where Shenron granted only two wishes despite not granting a mass-revive.

The Broly movie (the good one) only had him grant one. So this new rule Daima pulled out of its ass kinda works like a rules patch to fill in those plot holes. Oh, that's why Cheelai only got one wish!

Resurrection F is still borked. You can reason out that, because the Pilaf Gang were there and they've summoned Shenron once, the group counted as a regular. But the original problem of only getting two wishes granted remains a plot hole.

So... yeah, okay. It's a rather abrupt fix but I'll take it..

...hang on, remind me what the wish was again?

Oh! Okay. Carry on. I was confused by how people like Dende, the Muten-Roshi, Bulma, and Chi-Chi qualify as having fought Majin Buu but the "and their friends" bit covers it.

I mean, they were killed by Majin Buu. But if that was enough to qualify, the entire planet would be children right now.

So, yeah, this threw me but no, we're good. Nothing to see here. The wish was suitably broad as to cover the entire cast.

Far away, in a park somewhere, Ranger 17 is trying to figure out if spontaneous chibification is byproduct of being made into a bio-android that Gero didn't live to explain to him. Is he going to keep de-aging until he's a fetus!? Bulma's voicemail is blowing up right now.

Yamcha's date just got super awkward.

Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu are continuing to spar and refusing to acknowledge it.

We are all going to ignore the existence of Mr. Buu because this plot is not ready to deal with the fact that it just turned him back into Pure Buu. But that's okay because Dragon Ball is used to ignoring Buu. Maybe the paradox of being, himself, Majin Buu but also being a friend of the people who fought Majin Buu shielded him from the effect.

Shapner and Erasa are even worse off than 17, since they don't even have a contact to get answers from. Fortunately, the rest of Gohan's class is probably fine. Those two were the only ones he seemed to talk to.

Somewhere, deep in space, exactly one member of the Frieza Force hung out with Vegeta during off-hours way back when, just enough to be having the weirdest fucking day right now.

Piccolo has not caused a single person to be afflicted as collateral damage. Let us all take a moment to celebrate his dedication to loneliness.

I want him on the team.

...actually, I want Videl on the team, but since they obviously won't give me that, I will accept her father.

Where are Videl and Gohan, anyway? They're right on the fence where they could have gone either way with that wish.

I can't stop looking at Popo's horns. We've never seen him without his turban anymore. Are we finally about to get an explanation for what he is and where he comes from? Is that answer going to be Makai?

Oh, I'm sorry, Daimakai. Not the Demon World. The Great Demon World. Like how "Demon King Piccolo" is actually Piccolo-Daimao, not Piccolo-Mao.

Goku: Man, I wish I had a brother! Popo: Goku, didn't your brother kill you? Goku: Nah, that was Piccolo. I don't know what you're talking about. I'd remember having had a brother at some point.

Really. We're doing "Kami's Spaceship"?

(sigh)

Playing the hits.

DON'T BREAK POPO'S STUFF DON'T BREAK POPO'S STUFF DON'T BREAK POPO'S STUFF DON'T BREAK POPO'S STUFF

SIXTH RULE OF POPO'S TRAINING

Karin didn't get hit by the wish? Man, if I were him, I would feel so disrespected right now.

His godhood can't be what shielded him because Dende did get hit, and he's a higher rank of deity than Karin is. He was just protected because nobody who fought Majin Buu loves him. Awww.

He lost it to Maron (not to be confused with Marron) in a game of strip poker.

I mean, he didn't. That only happened in anime filler, so it's non-canon. But I desperately want that to be where it is, if only so we can send Chibi Krillin to talk to the woman his daughter is accidentally named after.

(By his own admission, Toriyama didn't watch the anime. Which makes that particular oversight hilarious.)

I hope we can spend as little time as humanly possible with the Muten-Roshi.

The "joke" of him being an insatiable sexual predator is generally noxious and the anime often dials it up to 11. But in this particular circumstance, where he's way too young to be hitting on adult women but also a 300-year-old man which means inflicting him on girls "his age" would be extremely gross?

Yeah. Let's just. Have as little of this guy as possible.

That said....

The other recurring Roshi gag where he is unforgivably irresponsible with ancient magical artifacts of legendary repute is put to great use here.

Piccolo: I don't even remember Namek. Do you remember Planet Vegeta? Vegeta: I remember Planet Vegeta. Piccolo: Nobody cares, Vegeta. Vegeta: :( If I wasn't chibi I'd kill you all. Bulma: That's nice, dear.

Oh, I am absolutely going to underestimate the shit out of him.

He only became king of Daimakai because Dabra was killed in action. From this, we can presume that he is less powerful than Dabra, who is equal in strength to Cell.

Also. Just. Considering the source. It was literally a running bit that people Kaioshin considers unbelievably formidable were hopeless pushovers against Goku and Vegeta. He is not a reliable judge of who is and is not a thing to be feared.

Still likely a dangerous foe but only because the post-Buu era cast have had their abilities nerfed. If Goku were at full strength he could definitely finger-flick Gomah into the sun.

Daisanmakai, or Demon World #3.

Not the same dai as in Daimakai. 大 Dai means "Great" while 第 Dai is basically a # mark. I wonder if Daimakai is the main Demon World, or a term for the collective of all Demon Worlds? I bet it's the latter.

Oh, hey! We're playing the hits with "Baby Bulma inspects Jaco's spaceship". Congratulations on making it into the Dragon Ball Referential Hall of Fame, Jaco.

It's subtle, and it's remixed very well into the plot which makes it less noticeable, but I still caught that.

Ahh, this was way better than the first episode. Judging from the credits, it looks like Bulma, Vegeta, and Piccolo will be joining Goku and Kaioshin in Daimakai, but the rest of the cast can get fucked.

That's a shame. Not really any point to casting such a broad net with the wish if we're keeping the cast trimmed down this far.

Still, looking forward to exploring Daimakai!

[girl4music]

Trust me, you’re not alone in the way you feel with the finale. I feel you so deeply on the dislike for Season 7.

The main problem with Season 7 is that they set up character arcs and narratives and themes only to just drop them and do something else or ignore them completely. Five By Five Takes gave the analogy of buying an IKEA desk and instead of constructing the parts in the proper and most logical way, just dump them on the floor and leave what you’re supposed to get from it a huge mess. Don’t even bother picking them up, let alone actually building the damn desk.

Season 7 is exactly like that. There’s no proper narrative undertaking for any set up they have - it’s all just left there. They have great ideas and honestly some great starter episodes and setups for everything… I mean ‘Lessons’, ‘Beneath You’, ‘Conversations With Dead People’, ‘Help’, ‘Selfless’, ‘Same Time, Same Place’… are fantastic episodes that don’t really suffer from the careless sloppy writing of the later episodes and a weighty main plot that’s that badly executed that it buckles under its own weight. It’s a massive inconsistent mess what they do with the latter half of the season. And they just neglect to properly use all of what was set up in the former half for this messy ass main plot with characters no one even cares about nor would be able to get any satisfying character representation or development so that we can learn to care about them because it’s the final season. There’s no time for any of that character stuff. Not even with the main characters. The point is to CONCLUDE them - to wrap up and tie together this amazing character-driven saga with its arcs and give them all a compelling and satisfying endgame. But nope… this never happens because there’s no time with all the rest of what’s going on taking the majority of the focus for the season. The final fucking season.

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. But I can’t say I hate the entire season because there is some great episodes from it that arguably are some of the best in the entire show. It’s just I’m so dissatisfied with how they execute everything. They don’t really address Willow and her magic. They don’t talk about Tara’s death and let us properly grieve for her. They don’t properly patch up Willow and Buffy’s relationship… there’s a lot left there. Everything just feels like it’s done wrong. And I can’t even say that I wish they had just dropped Season 6 and 7 entirely because no Dark Willow and no ‘Once More, With Feeling’. 😢

On the flip side - there’s Season 5…

I have yet to see any season of any show whatsoever- supernatural/fantasy or otherwise - outdo the brilliance of Season 5 and its stellar finale. That really set the bar high for TV show storytelling because that is well balanced both in its plot and in its characterization and seamlessly ties the two together in such a way that is so clever and is yet to be beaten or even challenged if I’m honest. Nothing touches it.

[chayscribbles]

chayscribbles’ monthly writing update ☆ january 2023

☆ STATISTICS.

words written: 10 029

projects worked on: Andromeda Rogue; The Gemini Heist; and a Third, Secret Thing :)

proudest accomplishment: uhhh i can't really thing of anything... i made it to 10k words for the month at the very last minute does that count

books read: Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty; Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

☆ GENERAL COMMENTS.

as you may or may not have noticed i haven't really been active on writeblr lately. between work, the fact that it's january, and having to shovel through, like, 4 snow storms, i haven't really had the time or energy.

started the writing year super strong. hit a wall about halfway and have since been in a terrible slump for most of the month.

however it turns out that you can trick your brain into thinking it's experiencing New WIP Euphoria by digging up and revamping an old wip (i.e. the Third, Secret Thing).

book comments: both books i read were about murder in space. both were pretty good. both get a solid 4/5 stars.

(between that, watching Glass Onion, rewatching Murder She Wrote, and starting to watch Columbo, i think i'm on a bit of a murder kick lately.)

more specific wip-related comments + featured excerpt below.

☆ COMMENTS: ANDROMEDA ROGUE (draft 2)

not much to say about this one tbh. while most of my words from this month came from this wip, i've,, mostly just been patching up little things like smoothing over inconsistent details and adding a little meat to description and exposition... but i've been procrastinating on fixing the Big Stuff 😭

i really like how the new version is turning out compared to the first version tho. it's so much cleaner & that's very satisfying.

if only i could just *clenches fist* get myself to actually fuckin work on it

☆ COMMENTS: THE GEMINI HEIST (outlining / draft 0.5 or something)

i finished part 1 of 7!... and now i have no idea what i'm doing.

i don't think i like fast drafting lol. i hate how shitty my quality of writing has been. and yeah whatever that's the point of a fast draft blablabla but like, when my draft is already a little bit readable i can go back and reread parts and be like "oh hey this isn't half bad". and i know people are always like "don't reread right away!!! just keep writing!!!!!!!" but for me rereading as i go is part of the process lmao. not only does it remind me of important things i would otherwise forget, it also encourages me to keep going when i see that what i've done isn't terrible.

and... with this fast draft everything just feels terrible.

not to mention i can't seem to untangle plot... heists are fuckin hard to plan. especially since there's multiple opposing parties with different plans that are all going to inevitably go to shit, and so i have to make more plans for when that happens. it feels so complicated uuuggghghhhgh

☆ COMMENTS: a Third, Secret Thing (???)

i'm not gonna talk about it too much publicly yet so i don't jinx whatever is going on here (and i want to make sure i'm a bit more committed to this thing before introducing anything) but all i'll say is it's an older wip that i've talked about on my old blog that i've dug out and changed the genre into a dark modern fantasy mystery with messy sapphics.

☆ FEATURED EXCERPT.

alright i know i said i didn't want to talk too much about the Third Secret Thing yet but i couldn't find any passages to share in either AR or GH... so have this, with very little context :') uhhh tw for mentions of death and murder.

That’s how she ended up peeking groggily out the door at the frigid winter morning, having hastily thrown a sweatshirt over her pyjamas and a towel over her hair, only to have two police officers inform her that Vanessa Villa-Cortez had been found dead in her apartment early that morning.

“D… dead?” Amina repeated, her mind in a haze. She had to still be asleep, right? Maybe the guilt over ignoring that text had seeped into her subconscious and was feeding her dreams. There was no way someone was at her door telling her that Vanessa, a girl she hadn’t heard from in nearly seven years, was… was—

“Killed in an apparent burglary gone wrong last night,” said one of the officers gravely. “A neighbour noticed the door had been clearly forced in, went inside to check, and found Miss Villa-Cortez’s body on the floor of her apartment.”

Amina’s head began to swim. She clutched the doorposts to keep her buckling knees from giving way completely beneath her. No. No. Vanessa couldn’t be dead. Amina still had to answer her text.

if you know you know ;)

☆ TAGLISTS. let me know if you want to be added/removed to any of them.

genera taglist:

@nicola-writes @dgwriteblr @the-orangeauthor @retrogayyde @quilloftheclouds @ashen-crest @writeblrfantasy @celestepens @stardustspiral @pepperdee @extra-magichours @avi-why @lefttigerobservation @chazzawrites @bardolatrycore @innocentlymacabre

andromeda trilogy taglist:

@bebewrites @nicola-writes @dgwriteblr @the-orangeauthor @retrogayyde @akindofmagictoo @quilloftheclouds @nora-theteawriter @ashen-crest @corpsepng @writeblrfantasy @chaylattes @toboldlywrite @celestepens @stardustspiral @pepperdee @cheerfulmelancholies @extra-magichours @writeouswriter @cilly-the-writer @lefttigerobservation @rose-bookblood @drowsy-quill @chazzawrites @cynic-and-chief @enchanted-lightning-aes @aesa

gemini heist taglist:

@florraisons @akindofmagictoo @cream-and-tea @nicola-writes @memento-morri-writes @antique-symbolism @rose-bookblood @afoolandathief @pepperdee @avi-why @zonnemaagd @chazzawrites @analogued @enchanted-lightning-aes @innocentlymacabre @kahvilahuhut @celestepens @cilly-the-writer @extra-magichours @retrogayyde

[squidthechaotickid]

I don't have an updated ref 4 her but!! This my beloved Sonic OC!!

Pip!! (I have still not decided on how 2 draw the hair so uhh. Ignore the inconsistencies lmao)

She's the youngest of the Jackal Squad at 14 years old,, and became a member at 9 after being found alone and abandoned.

(The digital one is really old ignore the screwed up proportions) Her relationship wt Zero was very much a brotherly one. She was closest with him and Patches, (the name I gave to the Jackal below) but still got along well with the other members (most the time, anyways)

Pip was incredibly inexperienced, but made up for it with her determination. She wasn't allowed on many of the more dangerous missions, to keep her from getting hurt, but on those she usually was placed as lookout.

On the missions she was in, she was a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. Anything that needed doing, she did.

She mainly used a set of twin daggers to fight, because they were light and allowed her to be quick on her feet.

(this drawing has nothing to do with anything about her,, I drew it cause it looked cool sjfbshfhdh)

Of course, like the rest of the Jackal Squad, she inevitably met her end. She was the first one to be killed when "Shadow" showed up.

I think she's very neat,, maybe ill make an actual ref soon sjfbshdjsjfh

[siriuslylantsov]

a helping hand

pairing: roommate!spencer reid x fem!reader

description: you and spencer help eachother get ready for a halloween party

tags: fluff, idiots inlove, tension..., so much close proximity (sue me), super brief semi nudity, reader doing spencers makeup and sitting on his lap to do so (sue me twice), useless spencer, oblivious spencer, roomates or lovers? or a secret third option?, all around cuteness

a/n: roommate spencer reid you are everything to me! i know its still weeks till halloween but i had to write this, i might write more roommate halloween stuff if you're interested (like decorating their apartment...) this one was cute, i ignored my 4 other wips to write it. enjoy lovelies!! happy gublerween!!!

wc: 1.4k

“spence!” 

“yeah?” your roommate responds from the living room. 

“can you come here please? i need some help.”

he walks into your room, face half painted in white and makeup sponge in hand, “what’s up?”

you flop over on your bed dramatically, “i don't know what to wear,” you grumble into your sheets, voice laced in despair. 

“this is why i told you to pick an outfit last night, putting it off does you no good and you always end up like this,” he chides from your vanity, face pressed close to the mirror as he attempts to blend out the makeup. 

“ugh. just pick one,” you ask, irritated. you turn on your side and point to the closet, “they're hung up in there.”

he lets out an amused huff before walking towards the options, quickly surveying them, and settling on a winner. he takes the hanger off the rack to show you; it's a floor-length navy blue dress, the skirt is layered and flowy and the long sleeves flare out. “this one,” you could see him fighting the urge to tell you how a plain beige dress would have been accurate too, historically accurate, as back then witches were just everyday women in rural towns, you had already been through this. “plus, you look good in blue.” he added, like it was nothing, as he laid the dress on your bed.

you look up at him, flushed, as you sit up, “thanks.”

“no problem,” he replies casually.

“can i... help you with something in return?” you ask him insinuatingly, lips pursed together as if you're holding in a laugh.

his eyebrows furrow in confusion before he realises, “oh come on! it's not that bad.”

“to a blind person, maybe,” you scrutinise the inconsistent patches of white on his face “...and in low light?”

he groans and sits at the edge of your bed, sponge held out lazily. you spring up eagerly and take it from his hand. you tsk, there isn't enough product on the sponge, going to the living room to retrieve the bottle.

you come back and grab a headband from your dresser. you put it on him, pushing strands of hair out of his face. you perch yourself on his lap, knees on either side of his thighs. the position gives you a height advantage, so you gently tilt his head back with your knuckle under his chin. you pump some of the pale white foundation on the back of your hand and get to work, lightly dabbing product and blending it into his hairline and all over his face with practised ease. the tip of your tongue sticks out in focus as you apply it under his eyes, making sure to not miss a spot. 

the corners of his mouth curl into a smile as he watches you. “stop it, you're gonna crease,” you chastise him quietly, though there's no harshness behind your words as you meet his eyes. you shake your head dismissively, biting back a smile, and get back to task.

you finish, and with a hand on his neck, you carefully turn his face from side to side to assess your handiwork. satisfied, you let out a sigh. “all done,” you chirp, beginning to move but his hands at your waist stop you.

“thank you,” he expresses slowly, sentiment similar to the gratitude you showed him earlier.

you smile, leaning in, face close to his. “you're welcome,” you reply, lingering for a second too long before getting off his lap.

you watch him go to the mirror to look at his face. “i totally could’ve done this” he says with a melodramatic scoff. it prompts you to laugh, “yeah right,” you say, rolling your eyes. 

you pick up the dress from your bed and hang it on your closet door, while his attention is spared, you begin to change. you strip to your underwear and put your dress on, spencer catches a glance at you from the mirror reflection and quickly ducks his head. 

you look over your shoulder at him, “zip me up?”

he walks over to you. he pinches the waist of the dress to straighten it out before pulling the zip up. his fingers lightly graze your skin and leave goosebumps in its wake. he secures the top with the clasp. you turn around and give him an appreciative smile.

“now beat it,” you say, looking pointedly at the door. he puts a hand to his chest in mock offence but leaves anyway.

there's still an hour till the party so you take your time getting ready. you do your makeup, opting for a dark blue wing to match your dress, a silver shimmery eyeshadow in your inner corners and a dark red lip. your extensive collection of jewellery came in very handy; your wrists are adorned with an assortment of silver bracelets and bangles, and your fingers sport a few dainty rings. you pick out a necklace with a large moon pendant that spencer got you, the neckline of the dress is deep enough that the crescent sits nicely on your sternum. after putting on a pair of black shoes, the more obvious choice would’ve been heels but the length of the dress would’ve covered them anyway so why not choose comfort, you check yourself out at the mirror, twisting and turning to make sure everything looked good, pleased, you grab your purse for the night and walk into the living room. “so?”

your voice catches spencer's attention from where he is on the couch. his face brightens as he sees you, his eyebrows are raised and his smile is warm. he stands up and walks over to you, “you're missing something,” he notes, a pointed hat in his hand. he cautiously puts it on your head, careful not to mess your hair. you smile at his wariness. “there, perfect.” 

he steps back to take a proper look at you before pulling a camera from his back pocket and pointing it toward you. “pose please,” he remarks from behind the lens. you don't pose the way he wants you to, which is probably something witchy, instead you tilt your head to the right and smile. the flash blinds you momentarily and he mumbles an apology, forgetting the flash was on. he comes over to your side and shows you the picture.

“you're cute,” he comments, a small smile on his lips, looking down at your face on the screen. 

your face instantly warms up at the compliment, but he doesn't notice, oblivious boy. you look at him and you deadpan, smacking him on the arm.

“ow! what?” he whines, peeved, compelling you to smack him again. “you're not ready yet!” you scold.

his face turns a little guilty at that, rubbing over his arm. he has his mime outfit on–striped shirt and red suspender–but his makeup wasn't complete. “well, i couldn't do the foundation, so do you really think i could’ve done the eyeliner without looking like i'm one of the guys from KISS?” he mutters meekly. 

your face softens and you give him a sympathetic smile. “get on the counter” you request gently, before going back to your room to fetch the liquid liner. you stand between his legs and quickly draw the lines on his face. “do you want one of those uhm tear drops that mimes have?” he nods, and you sketch one on his cheekbone. you lean back to make sure the placement is right and screw the tube back together. he jumps off the counter, not bothering to check his face because he knows you did a good job.

“thanks again” he breathes out, standing close to you.

you wave it off. “you'd be a mess without me” you tease, eyes glimmering with amusement.

you expect him to tease you back but his expression is nothing but sincere as he hums in agreement, “mhm.”

the two of you look at each other a bit longer before your phone snaps you out of it. you pick up, putting an end to the ringing. pressing the phone to your ear you hear your friends voice on the other end–a tad too loud–asking “where are you” and rambling about how there's a cute guy there that's perfect for you or so she insists but all you can do is stare at the cute guy a few feet away from you in the kitchen, mindlessly smiling to himself as he fidgets with his fingers. you assure her that you'll be there in a few. you put your keys in your purse and leave with spencer.

a mime and a witch–maybe next halloween, you'll be in couples’ costumes.

m.list

[hugintheraven]

Because I see this sentiment a lot:

So, TES is a video game series. Open-world fantasy. That’s the simple part. Thing is, because it’s been around since the 90′s and subject to a lot of lore and feature creep, there’s a LOT of random BS magic floating around in the history. That’s where comments like “The PC in TES3 being able to save and load the game is canon”, “khajiit are a sapient race that includes everything from housecats to the full spectrum of furry art”, or “elves are actually interdimensional demons brought to our world and they’re trying to destroy it in order to go home” come from, they’re players or devs patching inconsistencies between games or setting up lore for various purposes. And the older games were not afraid of getting weird with it, which has carried forward to influence the games today. 

But the games are kind of unique to the genre of open-world RPGs in that they have meh story but let you do a lot of different things, so fans kind of build their own experience even before mods get involved. There’s jokes about ignoring the main quest because it’s truly not the point. You can ignore it completely without issue, and many people do. But doing that and building your own experience means that when one player is talking about their game where they married a beggar and turned him into a major political power, it’s unclear unless someone is very knowledgeable exactly what parts of that are headcanon, which are mods, and which are the player exploiting various existing systems for their own purposes. 

The games are also extremely modable. And they have to be, they’re glitchy as hell without fan-made mods. But needing the Unofficial Patch means that most players on PC learn how to download mods, which means that some other fixes are relatively common.*

And players not really having other options to play means that we have to put up with stuff that would be dealbreakers in other games(severe glitches, shallow content, etc), but that also means that stuff gets discussed to death because it’s such a glaring issue. Combine with no new releases in over a decade, just the same game with more DLC on every platform in existence, and you can see why fans are getting stircrazy. But the more people dig into the games looking for new stuff to talk about, the more people figure out that really makes no sense, thereby confusing everyone who doesn’t follow the lore of these games excessively. 

*That’s what the above is referencing, Serena(vampire female DLC companion shown above) is non-romanceable in the base game. Many players dislike this and have downloaded a mod to make her into a love interest, with or without a NSFW option. Other people dislike this for ethical reasons. Her dad is an asshole villain(but also someone certain people want to call Daddy) so KS is going to mod the game to put him in a sexualized outfit instead of doing anything to Serena.

[devrizskin]

How to Avoid Common Mistakes When Using Whitening Night Cream

Whitening night creams have become a staple in many skincare routines, promising to deliver a brighter, more even complexion. However, achieving the desired results requires more than just applying the cream and waiting for miracles. Missteps in usage can lead to less effective results or even adverse effects. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to avoid common mistakes when using whitening night cream, ensuring you get the most out of your product.

1. Choosing the Wrong Product

Common Mistake: Not all whitening night creams are created equal, and selecting the wrong one for your skin type can render the product ineffective or cause irritation.

Solution: Understand your skin type and specific needs. Whether your skin is oily, dry, combination, or sensitive, there’s a formulation that’s right for you. Look for ingredients like niacinamide, vitamin C, kojic acid, and licorice extract, which are known for their brightening properties. Consult with a dermatologist if you’re unsure which product suits your skin best.

2. Inconsistent Application

Common Mistake: Skipping applications or not using the cream regularly can hinder the effectiveness of the product.

Solution: Consistency is key. Make it a nightly ritual to apply your whitening night cream. Set a reminder if needed, and keep the product within easy reach, such as on your bedside table. Regular use helps in building up the product’s effectiveness over time.

3. Over-Application

Common Mistake: Applying too much cream, thinking that more product will yield faster or better results.

Solution: Follow the product’s instructions regarding the amount to use. For your entire face, a pea-sized amount usually works well. Over-application can lead to clogged pores, greasiness, and potential breakouts. Remember, more isn’t always better.

4. Neglecting to Prep Your Skin

Common Mistake: Applying whitening night cream to unclean skin can reduce its efficacy and lead to clogged pores.

Solution: Always cleanse your face thoroughly before applying any night cream. To get rid of makeup, oil, and debris, use a mild cleanser. Follow up with a toner if desired, and then apply your whitening night cream to a clean, dry face. This ensures better absorption and effectiveness of the cream.

5. Ignoring Patch Testing

Common Mistake: Skipping a patch test can result in unexpected allergic reactions or irritation.

Solution: Before incorporating a new whitening night cream into your routine, perform a patch test. Apply a small amount of the product to a discreet area, like behind your ear or on your inner wrist, and wait 24 hours to see if there’s any reaction. This simple step can save your skin from potential harm.

6. Not Using Sunscreen During the Day

Common Mistake: Assuming that nighttime-only use of whitening creams means daytime sun protection isn’t necessary.

Solution: Whitening creams often contain active ingredients that can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. To protect your skin and prevent hyperpigmentation, it’s crucial to apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning, even on cloudy days. This will help maintain the brightening effects and protect against further damage.

7. Mixing with Incompatible Products

Common Mistake: Using whitening night cream alongside other potent skincare products without understanding potential interactions.

Solution: Be mindful of your overall skincare routine. Some active ingredients in whitening creams, like retinoids or acids, can cause irritation if used with other strong products. Avoid layering multiple active ingredients unless recommended by a dermatologist. Stick to a simple routine and introduce new products gradually.

8. Expecting Immediate Results

Common Mistake: Hoping for overnight miracles can lead to disappointment and premature discontinuation of the product.

Solution: Patience is essential in skincare. Whitening night creams typically take several weeks to show visible results. Stick to the routine and give the product time to work. Document your progress with photos to track changes over time, which can also help you stay motivated.

9. Neglecting Overall Skincare Routine

Common Mistake: Relying solely on whitening night cream for skin improvement while ignoring other aspects of skincare.

Solution: A holistic approach to skincare is crucial. Ensure you’re cleansing, toning, moisturizing, and protecting your skin adequately. Whitening night cream should be one part of a comprehensive skincare regimen. Hydration, exfoliation, and protection from environmental stressors all play a role in achieving and maintaining a bright complexion.

10. Not Adjusting Based on Skin’s Response

Common Mistake: Sticking rigidly to a routine even if your skin shows signs of distress or imbalance.

Solution: Pay attention to how your skin responds. If you notice increased dryness, irritation, or breakouts, it might be necessary to adjust your usage. This could mean reducing the frequency of application or switching to a gentler product. Always listen to your skin’s needs and adapt accordingly.

Conclusion

Using a whitening night cream can be an effective way to achieve a brighter and more even complexion, but it requires careful and consistent use. By avoiding these common mistakes—choosing the right product, maintaining consistency, prepping your skin properly, and being patient—you can maximize the benefits of your whitening night cream. Remember, skincare is a journey, and with the right approach, you’ll be well on your way to glowing, radiant skin.

If You want to more know then , you can check out  – Devriz Healthcare

[catharsisandconvalescence]

It's not fair.

You can put holes in the drywall, call me names when I call you out (you said you wanted me to call you out on your bullshit) but I take a slice of heaven for myself and feel guilty the whole time. The country song playing in the hole in the wall calls me a traitor, the broken heart ballad in the grocery store asks me how I can sleep at night. But it's perfectly fine for you to insinuate that I'm stupid because you don't understand what I'm making very clear. It's okay for you to announce in front of our children that you're waiting for me to stop talking, showing them that it's okay to disrespect their mother, undoing my hard work of setting consistent rules and boundaries. And every hole in the drywall you left and I patched (you promised me that you would do it), every bruise you've left, the clump of hair you ripped out that I'm not sure has ever grown back, and all of your inconsistencies that have damaged us are somehow okay, because at least it wasn't infidelity.

I could have been faithful. I could have given you my whole heart. But in this partnership I've been my own hero, mending the wounds you've inflicted to our home, this heart, and keeping it safe from you. You rode in like a knight and shining armor only to reveal a drunken jester underneath. Ignorance is your MO, but at one point the whole house is going to come crashing down, and I promise, I promise, I will not be the one to blame.

[zorilleerrant]

so I think a lot of the problem with people not relating to women (and poc, disabled people, queer people, etc.) in fiction is a function of reading texts cooperatively. which is a natural impulse when we tell and hear stories, and often necessary to enjoying the story, depending on the story, person, and way they're enjoying it. and generally not something people do on purpose.

so the thing is, as we all know, there are certain groups and types of people who are considered default in society, which changes over time, but not as much as (or in the ways that) we want it to. and in general people have a hard time getting over that in their personal lives, especially - and I do mean especially, because statistics keep giving this answer - people who are impacted by that bigotry. not like other girls, not that type of gay, a more respectable poc, etc. but at least marginalized people are thinking about it.

what we have in mainstream fiction - almost every popular movie or TV show in the English language, and more than half of books - is white men in creative control. and they don't think about it. if they can be made to, they often with great attention to detail change how they tell stories, but who's going to make them think about it? usually no one. maybe if you're lucky one person on the team had a friend who talked to them about this, but no one else did. so they put white men, and typically neurotypical able-bodied middle class non-immigrant straight white men, front and center.

now the story is asking the audience to sympathize with a white man. that's the main character. usually, everyone does, because otherwise why would you bother engaging with that story? but it's most of the supporting characters, side characters, even background characters who are white men, too. and moreover - even when the people who don't fall into that category are interesting! even when they're engaging and fully developed and cute and fun! - the story focuses on them more. it says, let's take this character and use them as flavor for someone else's dish. those characters are a cog in another character's story, or a comment on it, or a counterpoint. the story doesn't center them, because that's not whose story it is (which isn't by itself bad, just in the aggregate).

then people take what they're used to doing to real people in real life (without knowing it, because implicit bias certainly isn't intentional or malicious) and match it to what the show is doing, and it fits, it doesn't upset the schema, so it doesn't cause any cognitive dissonance. (incidentally, this is why stories about marginalized people tend to only have marginalized characters in the main cast, or the exception is comic relief. because it will cause cognitive dissonance for there to be men around but the story is about women, or white people around but the show is about black people, or straight people around but the show is about the gay people's relationships with each other.)

now if people are used to reading works in a hostile (or at least non-cooperative) way, it becomes easier and easier to do over time. people don't tend to do hostile readings, tho. they often toss out parts they don't like and just ignore them, or try to come up with an explanation that's coherent to the story they were told in order to patch up plot holes and inconsistencies, or find alternate pathways that would fix the things they think are wrong. which is all well and good, because those are wellsprings of creativity as well, but they're still fundamentally agreeing with the text.

people have to practice saying things like: this character is not the way they present or see themselves. they are a fundamentally different person than the author thinks they are, and here is all the evidence in the text that they simply would not do the things they did, or that other people would not react that way to those things, or that they would do it and people would react that way but it's bad that's true and the hero is a fundamentally bad person. or it's good, actually, and the villain is a fundamentally good person, who did all the right things, and was punished for it. or it's morally gray in a way the text wholesale ignored. or it's actually pretty cut and dry and the text treating it like a matter of opinion is just an indication that all these characters are terrifying people.

things like: this plot was not inevitable, it was actually caused by events established in the narrative that the author thinks have nothing to do with the outcomes, even tho they can be easily read as causal. these twists are not surprising, the heroes are just incompetent, or unprepared, or think too highly of themselves and didn't do their due diligence. these obvious cause-and-effect scenarios aren't that obvious at all, and with different circumstances they might easily have panned out differently, or the fact that the heroes expected them says something terrible about their mental health, or the fact that they won/lost should have active implications in the story that are just ignored. or this plot has happened in real life, and here's when, and here's why you're wrong. or this didn't happen in real life, because here was the response to the opening circumstances instead, and how that would've gone.

things like: this world is larger and more complex than the story thinks it is. all the pieces inside it are so much more faceted; characters are so much more complex than that, physics is so much less understood than that, social structures are so much less logical than that. the narrator is wrong in ways they don't even know they're wrong. they're not unreliable reporters, they're telling you everything they know, but what they know is bullshit. all the world of the story being built on the truth of it, everyone acting on the knowledge of it - they're all wrong. they got some piece of it right, and missed everything else, and here is some - not all, never all, but some - of what they missed. maybe something so, so obvious to someone on the outside of it. maybe something that seemed impossible to learn with all the pressure to adhere to the canon.

and all this with marginalized people, too. this woman is this man's friend? no. he is her friend. this black person had to judge these white people's debate? no. this black person is watching some idiots they know argue, and trying to intervene. these abled people did something to accommodate their disabled friend? no. the disabled person was dealing with something horrible, and someone finally understood. sometimes a character can be a participant in someone else's story, and sometimes they can be the main character, even when that doesn't change the narrative, because, you know, it still changes the story even when it doesn't.

it's about disagreeing with the creators. it's about saying: I saw what you were trying to create, and I'm going to create it better. I saw what you were trying to create, and you created something wholly different, and I'm going to pull those differences out piecemeal and create a brand new text from them. I saw what you were trying to create, and I'm horrified by what you are trying to create, and I'm going to preserve those horrors in amber for all the world to see. I saw what you were trying to create, and you are wrong, and here are all the reasons why.

you have to know. then you can no.

[dianight]

My very pretentious but totally correct take when it comes to the video games industry is that the atrocious state it is at the moment comes entirely from the fact that big companies care more about money than art.

Which might be like a “duh” moment for most in here, but in real life people do not put 2 and 2 together.

Why are lootboxes, battlepasses and subscriptions so prevalent? Are they important when talking about the state of the video game industry compared to say, 10-15 years ago?

---

Small tangent to talk about how one of my friends told me about how there’s a crossover thing between magic (card game) and lord of the rings. So there is an Aragorn card, and I was told “he’s black”. So my first thought was well he seems more red/white to me, but yeah he commands an army of ghosts so I can see it.

But it was black as in skin colour, not black as in mana colour. And then I was like, what does it actually matter. How is that even important.

---

So the overall point is, why do people care about (I believe it’s called) identity “politics” in games? Whether it’s a character skin colour, gender, sexuality, etc; how is it always, without fault, the thing that causes so called “controversies”?

Why is it that companies get away with insane work conditions, a misogynistic culture, predatory monetization models, layoffs when the company itself is doing great, and many other outrageous problems?

---

I see people playing the new diablo game, and it’s like. Terrible memory some people have.

Diablo 3 was a disaster until more than a year after launch. It was an always online game, totally unthinkable at the time. Diablo is mostly[1] a single player farming game, why would anyone need to log in to a server to play it? Well there was this thing called the real money auction house, where players could sell items to other players for real money. And it was terrible, because in the first weeks there were already bots flipping items (scalpers, basically). Eventually it was removed, but the always online remained.

The game had other problems that are less relevant, such as an overtuned late game, terrible balance (melee characters were inviable), terrible loot and a very, VERY mediocre story.

Moving on, other blizzard fuck ups include, among others:

Killing off any support for heroes of the storm, a moba that was relatively unpopular. They decided it was not worth putting money into it, fucking over many casual players and a few profesional ones.

Several lawsuits because the bosses literally can’t stop sexually harassing their employees.

Killing off any support for overwatch just to promise a PvE mode on overwatch 2. Releasing overwatch 2 with no PvE. Making an announcement that there will be no PvE in overwatch 2. Just because overwatch 2 has better (for blizzard) monetization.

Old expansion packs uses to include way more back in diablo II and starcraft. Now it’s just DLC after DLC with very little. This is “standard” these days, but it doesn’t make it any less shitty.

So, if you know all (or some) of these things, why would you give money to blizzard? At this point I just ignore when they release anything.

But “gamers” will see a new game and they HAVE TO play it. Like I am aware it can be a fun game. It probably is. But it is simply not worth paying for it.

---

How are we meant to preserve games (as an art form) when they are always online games that when the company decides are not giving them enough money get abandoned.

How are we meant to appreciate the story, visuals, sound design or gameplay when all of them are so influenced by how much money they can give to the company.

Games have to be released at X date > Features are dropped or incomplete or not properly tested > Game is terrible on release > Patches are put out (maybe) > Game is in a decent state, several months/years after release (optimistic).

All of this impacts every single aspect of a game. The story might be inconsistent, incomplete or simply bad because the writers didn’t have enough time for it. Or it was two people doing the job of five people.

Visuals are a big one, because as long as it looks shiny enough other problems can be ignored. That’s why there is such a big emphasis on graphics (games that are 100GB+ because of fancy cinematics) over everything else. But artists are affected by crunch culture too, and as far as I’m aware severely underpaid. I do think “AI”[2] it’s going to make it even worse by virtue of being cheaper, even if results are not good they will be good enough.

Sound desing can be monetized too. Make players pay for tracks. Copyright everywhere so it can’t be shared easily. I haven’t mention it but it applies to both visuals and sounds (artists), and that’s the fact that they are underappreciated profesions that are nonetheless vital for any entertaiment industry. Yet the trope about the starving artist is unfortunately true.

---

To finish off. We still get objectively good games every once in a while, usually from “indie” developers before they get popular, become a big studio and fall to their own hubris. Who are we kidding at best they get bought out by a bigger company and never release anything interesting again.

---

[1] A big part of diablo 2 was (is) the trading aspect of it and the community around it, but you could experience 100% of the game by yourself in single player mode.

[2] “AI” would deserve its own post, but my opinion on it (in short) is that it is simply a tool and any hate should be directed at capitalists that will use it to keep oppresing workers in new (not new) ways.