#It's genuinely a really interesting mode!

[paragonrobits]

Oh I like this idea, I like this idea a LOT; it goes a long way to have it all make sense, and it is EXTREMELY in-character for Dinobot to essentially pick his name as an homage to honorable warriors of the past and also to implicitly threaten Megatron, as his own namesake was routinely chased off the battlefield in fear of the Dinobots. And this is also significant in light of the fact that Megatron has adopted a tyrannosaur beast mode, the same kind Grimlock was modeled after (barring it being very undersized, given Megatron's own size).

The bit about names is also interesting because we see it pop up a fair bit in the extended Beast Wars toyline, which can be considered a huge roster of potential characters to experiment with or use as inspiration. We see multiple characters named for iconic Transformers, but are explicitly NOT those characters, or at least its ambiguous. One example being Prowl (the transmetal 2 owl, confirmed to be a different person from the classic Autobot of the same name), and of course Silverbolt. While good old Silverbolt doesn't really have any traits that would suggest he's definitely not the same guy, he has too little character traits in common with him to really justify the idea that he IS G1 Silverbolt.

On a possible side tangent, it might also be worth noting a vague idea I've considered; Megatron could be considered to have a history of imitatiing the alternate forms of others to essentially outdo them or become stronger. Depending on whether you consider Beast Machines DEFINITELY canon to Beast Wars or a sub-continuity within the context of Beast Wars, he absolutely DOES do it there, but between him imitating Optimus' power up by stealing Megatron's Spark, there's an interesting running them of him trying to outdo enemies at their own game by modifying his form.

Now consider his t-rex form; its EXTREMELY likely that BW Megatronn knows damn well who Grimlock is, and knows full well Dinobot's references to a warrior who straight up tried to fight Unicron the destroyer, forced Optimus Prime of all people to EARN his respect and loyalty and was arguably the most famous beastformer of his time. With his running tendency to upgrade forms to do better, its not impossible that Megatron is DELIBERATELY taking on that form because of the historical connotations of Grimlock being based on that same animal.

Now consider the fact that BW Megatron is very much an authoritarian dictator, to the point where he regularly prefers literal drones under his command, or at best absurdly loyal minions like Skorponok that freak out whenever he's not around. He doesn't care for friends, or allies or genuine followers. This ties into the current theories that T-rex, based on its healed injuries (which would certainly spell death for a solitary hunter, as those are leg fractures) might have been a social animal or lived in family groups. Beast modes explictly influence the mind, and it would be VERY in character for Megatron to adopt a beast mode purely because of its power and historical significance, even thoguh its mindset clashes with his own so badly, which is ALSO in line with his hubris tending to be his bane.

On the subject of Dinobot, do you have any personal theories on WHY he goes by, well, the name of arguably the single most famous Autobot sub group in history? He's explicitly well read and knows history that is NOT common in universe, and the Dinobots are well known, so why would a proud Predacon name himself after a team that infamously hates the Decepticons? I mean the real life reason is that Dinobot's character was not originally a Predacon prior to the show, but it does seem at least a BIT odd for him. (I suppose the most logical reason is that he is a proud warrior that respects foes, so he gives respect to the most fierce and ferocious foes of his ancestors.)

Ok, so, in the first episode of Beast Wars, we see all the Maximals give themselves new names to match their new beast modes. Whatever names they had before are not the ones they're going by now (which is a really interesting idea for transformers culture that I'm sad no other part of the franchise has played with - the idea that their identities, even their names, transform with them).

We then cut to the Predacons, where Dinobot, now sporting a dinosaur alt mode, is chewing out Megatron for fucking up royal before declaring his aim to take over the faction. My pet theory? He chose "Dinobot" as his new name to not only match his beast mode, but signal the fact that he was not a slavishly loyal minion, but a warrior who is not to be trifled with - because in most continuities, the dinobots are loose cannons who do listen to orders they think are stupid, and are more than willing to tell their bosses to fuck off. "Dinobot" because his name and his fucking threat to Megatron in the same moment.

[nonogram-hell]

so... i'm going to take back what I said about this year's NoTP... I love the upgrade to the Phantom Dungeons so much!! I also feel really silly about complaining about Darkseeds being scarce, since my best guess is that the Dungeons might've been the actual main source for them outside of Trick or Treating. I just forgot that the main attraction of NoTP doesn't actually release until a week into October, usually 😭

Regardless, I very much appreciate Darkseeds being more available! No complaints about that.

The implications of the upgraded Dungeons are also very interesting as well.... gonna put spoilers for it under the cut!

Well! About the final boss....

Damn!! I wonder, has Greely actually been corrupted from being in the Dungeons too long (+ its collapse) or is Dark Greely simply a copy of him, like how players fight dark copies of themselves?

Then again, seeing as how Peck isn't exactly "corrupted", at least in the same manner as the final boss + the corrupted phantoms, perhaps he's still out there... I just hope we get to see Greely (safe!) again soon.

Also, I think it's really funny how the old boss of the caverns is now a mini boss, guess they're just small fry in the grand scheme of things... I do appreciate the nerf (?) to the damage it deals though, supercharge + sneaky leg can't exactly wipe out a full team as easily anymore haha

Oof, I should quit my rambling now, but if anyone has anything else to say about the new Dungeons/NoTP 2024 so far please lmk!! I'd love to talk about it more with other people!

[bluehairperson]

Sometimes I see posts about how "I, Strahd" Tatyana has the personality of a cardboard but I don't think I agree honestly.

We only see her in very few scenes (all from Strahd's POV) and she's always very gentle and soft spoken.

Which makes completely sense since she was a lowborn orphan trying to make a good impression on her future brother in law, who is not only the ruler of the valley but also a feared war criminal. Of course she would try to be as nice as possible in front of him.

I also think that Strahd was extremely genuine in thinking he was in love with Tatyana, it's just that he never really knew her the way Sergei did. He only knew a facet.

[steakout-05]

i might get some hate for this depending on where this post goes but i think lesboys are so valid and the discourse about them is so ridiculous. like you guys shouldn't have to deal with all that and it frustrates me that people throw hissy fits over an identity that literally does not affect them at all.

"but men cant be lesbians-" wrong. butch lesbians and trans men have a really closely connected history with each other that practically intersects and you should really do some research on that before you make blanket statements, not to mention that gender and sexuality is weird and wobbly and fluid and a very personal experience. it means a different thing to each person. being a man can be something completely different and saying stuff like this ignores people like demiboys, demigirls, genderfluid and genderflux people etc. these people will really preach "demolish the gender binary!! love is love!!" until someone's relationship with gender and sexuality is a little too freaky for them to handle and be challenged by lmaoo

"ohhh but what about the cishet men who say they're lesbians to prey on women-" YEAH WHAT ABOUT THEM????? THIS AIN'T ABOUT THEM BRO!!!!! this argument also REEKS of terfy "trans women are just predatory men!!!111!!1" rhetoric and it grosses me out. yeah some men are gross and do try to pull this but that does not negate someone's entire identity completely just because of a few bad actors, you know that right? actual black and white behaviour.

queer discourse is silly and i don't know why it's a thing. just let people exist. it isn't that hard. we have worse things to worry about than whether someone calls themselves a lesboy or not. i think we need to unplug our ears and yank our heads out of the sand and remember that the queer community is what it is because of our unique and amazing diversity. arguing over labels like school children isn't gonna help that. damn.

[local-redhead-bookworm]

One of the few solid critiques I’ve seen of Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel is that the shows pick and choose which moral failings to depict as bad or as just funny.

Essay-length rant under the cut, also Hellaverse-typical TWs for abuse, SA, and general lack of morals

Disclaimers:

I’m not hating on these shows. I love both of these shows, but I’m an English major so I think it’s important for me to be able to analyze what exactly I think is not working. I’m interested in a discussion, but if all you’re here to do is spew hate with no good-faith criticisms, I will block you.

These shows do not need to teach morals. These pieces of media are both intended for adult audiences, and adults should be able to understand that a depiction does not equal support. My criticism is that this moral inconsistency is sometimes to the overall tone’s detriment.

These two shows are both set in hell. Following the usual rules of hell, you wind up there regardless of what you did, so all sins should be considered equal in that regard. Of course, we as people tend to think of some sins as less forgivable than others—namely abuse, SA, and murder. I’m making broad generalizations here, but please roll with me.

The biggest problem with Hellaverse writing is that the writers aren’t consistent on what is considered morally bad in the show. These shows both center around complex, deeply flawed people, and I find that really enjoyable from a storytelling perspective because I love nuanced, flawed characters.

There are a few notable instances where this moral ambiguity works in the storytelling’s favor. Stella screaming and throwing things at Stolas (Loo Loo Land) is something the audience is primed to see as a joke, but it is used to set up the later reveal that she is in fact highly abusive (The Circus) and attempted to have him killed (Harvest Moon, Western Energy). Stolas being casually condescending to Moxxie and Millie (Loo Loo Land) and his imp servants (Seeing Stars, Full Moon) is not heavily remarked upon, but it is later used to set up his classism being a point of contention between him and Blitzø.

However, the protagonists often exhibit similar behaviors to the villains and this isn’t treated as morally wrong, or sometimes an incident is treated as minor. This problem is most glaring in cases of sexual harassment or SA. Blitzø’s repeated stalking of Moxxie and Millie, including watching them have sex without their knowledge or consent, is treated as a joke. Moxxie being kissed by the incubi and succubi (Spring Broken) is treated as a joke. Likewise Sir Pentious being dragged into the sex room in Welcome to Heaven is also treated as a joke, in spite of the episode’s b-plot being Angel Dust confronting Valentino, who is primarily shown to be bad through his sexual abuse of Angel Dust. Angel Dust harasses Husk at the bar from episodes 1-4, and while this is connected to Angel’s porn star persona and I do seem to recall it stopping after “Loser, Baby”, it’s still not treated as a problem, just as Angel Dust being Angel Dust. Other incidents of note are the running so-called joke of Loona fat-shaming Moxxie not being a problem, whereas when Mammon fat-shames Fizzarolli it is used to signify Mammon as a bad person.

I would also like to highlight the nature of Blitzø’s and Stolas’ full moon deal. In my opinion it is a running problem of dubious consent and poor kink negotiation. Let’s cover this in chronological order for sake of ease. In The Circus, Stolas starts out describing a sexual fantasy of Blitzø, his former childhood friend and first love, sneaking into his house to “ravish” Stolas. However, when Blitzø reciprocates and feeds into the fantasy, Stolas becomes hesitant. I believe this is intended to read as him being flustered, but he is extremely hesitant until Blitzø bites him. Stolas later forges the Full Moon deal with Blitzø while Blitzø is, to keep things to the point, under duress (Murder Family). Neither of these circumstances show both parties giving full consent. Hence, dub-con. Furthermore, as per The Circus and “we don’t do words, we do sex” (Apology Tour), Stolas and Blitzø have a strong precedent for poorly negotiated BDSM and lack of proper kink safety. However, the show’s inconsistency with how it handles sexual harassment and power imbalances weakens the impact of the Full Moon deal’s transactional nature on the relationship.

I greatly enjoy Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel, as I enjoy flawed and complex characters. I do not expect the show to address every issue raised here with the care that should be used in real life, as this is a fictional story set in hell. However, the writers’ inconsistency, particularly when it comes to depicting power imbalances and sexual harassment/SA, leads to a muddled tone which confuses the audience to a point where it is not beneficial to telling the story.

Because I’m a nerd but can’t be bothered to format 100%, here’s my works cited:

Danny Motta. “I Was WRONG About Blitz | Blitz Vs Stolas Debate.” YouTube.

Sarcastic Chorus. “STOLAS DID EVERYTHING WRONG - Stolitz Analysis.” YouTube.

Vivziepop’s Helluva Boss playlist. YouTube.

[sunset-of-the-void]

I think its very neat how emil's "birthday" and zodiac sign fall on the date that he escaped from the asylum. Symbolic of him being reborn i suppose. He is haunted by a past that i infer his body and mind blocked out so he could keep moving forward and was given another chance at living a better life

[statementlou]

Hello, do you think is possible that we will get a FITF live album? Louis and the band sound so good on tour.

they doooo! I love Steve's arrangements and additions to the songs so much! Honestly I have no idea; on the one hand it seems like Louis might be more focused on moving towards new stuff, like we are still in FITF mode but by the time it came out he had had it forever and now he's well into LT3 and probably feeling more excited about those new songs and sounds; on the other hand he is very good at working the industry stuff and all the angles and it's basically free money, right? He has said FITF was a further step towards the sound he wants most rather than the finish line, so it's possible that as happened with Walls as he works more on the new one he is getting less enthused about sharing the old stuff; but I think adding Steve's arrangements and just moving away from some of the songs seems to have lessened that this time around, so maybe that isn't a factor. Here's the thing though: the only way it would happen or make sense I think would be if it was recorded pretty recently, like one of the UK shows; the show was still being tweaked and gelled and cooking until then. But if they wanted to make vinyl (and surely they would? fancy double vinyl of live albums is SUCH a thing), that is very very long process of waiting around these days. First you have to get lacquers made (this is the physical thing that the recording is cut into that all the records are duplicates of- if you want quality it has to be more or less handmade by an artisan) but one of the two places left in the world that made those burnt to the ground in 2020 so there's a super long wait time on that. Then it just has to get made; but there are basically ten large scale factories left (again, in the WORLD) that press records so that also has a very long wait time... so it would take forever and the thing is I think we're getting LT3 in the late fall/ early winter (I bet he's using this month to finish it up so it can begin this lengthy process). So I kind of don't think so, like I guess they could do a CD/ cassette/ digital only in late spring and make so much money, and it would be fun, but who knows. Either way, I just hope Louis has Steve do some production work on LT3, I like his sounds and ideas a lot, and that he keeps him around to do his tours forever!

[scentofpines]

in class today i felt so incredibly out of place again, why does it have to be so hard for me? and, i like this girl, but every single time we have class she mentions her "autism" while happily chatting with 3+ ppl at a time, completely effortless, while im sitting there, staring and trying to focus enough to even understand the conversation bc there is so much noise around me that i feel like i'm about to either explode or shut down completely and i feel like an alien trying my best to somehow socialize and understand what is going on and really to just get through this.

[celestial-moths]

It's driving me crazy because, in my current endeavor to learn musical modulation, I've started my exploration of the Locrian mode and found that, in C Locrian, a Cº chord, specifically second inversion (Cº/G♭; G♭-C♮-E♭) sounded really cool and familiar to me and I realized: It's the main riff to Sex Bob-Omb's Threshold from Scott Pilgrim.

Only thing is, the resolution to that riff must be in C minor because it used a D♮, which isn't in C Locrian, but IS in C minor. Which, I think, means the song is in C Locrian, but modulates to C minor SPECIFICALLY for the cadence. (Unless something else is happening here, which could, of course, be any number of things. I will point out that I have pretty good relative pitch, but not perfect pitch.)

Which, for non-music nerds, translates to "this song fucks in a rare, not-frequently-seen-in-modern-music kind of way."

[bas-rouge]

Pain. Agony

[ninas-gf]

the time in between hyperfixations is so boring…

[orcelito]

i think the fact that persona series & fire emblem series are two of my longest lasting interests that i still actively engage with. says something about me.

[neverendingford]

.

[anakinh]

i should be allowed to hunt moogles for sport

[demilypyro]

Idk maybe it's time to have Zelda be a game with a PLOT where THINGS happen that have STAKES and ARE INTERESTING instead of these constant softballs where the apocalypse is happening over there somewhere and no one in this world is interested in questioning or thinking about anything

Ocarina of Time ALMOST got there when the timeskip made the common people actually be affected by Ganon's nonsense, though all it really meant was they had to move cause Castle Town was kaput

Wind Waker ALMOST got there when they made Zelda a character with traits and motivations, but then they fumbled it by having her revert to generic damsel mode halfway through

Twilight Princess ALMOST got there when Zant took over Hyrule, but this didn't actually impact anyone because everyone just kinda lives on as ghosts, totally unaware of the threat, so there are no stakes. Midna was cool but she has like almost no agency for what is supposed to be Her game. Zelda is barely even in this one

Skyward Sword ALMOST got there by having Zelda seem genuinely troubled by her destiny and wanting to be with Link instead, but fumbles it by making Link run around doing Fuckall instead of spending time exploring those themes, again giving Zelda like zero screentime

Breath of the Wild ALMOST got there by presenting a more realized version of Hyrule, but failed to follow through on making the people of that world feel real. none of them seem to gaf that the apocalypse happened. the world is just a big sandbox for Link. Zelda is almost a character in this but she once again has almost no screentime or agency

Tears of the Kingdom fails to build on anything Breath of the Wild laid groundwork for. This was an opportunity to make the lackluster story deeper and more gripping. Instead they just did the exact same thing again. It's a holding pattern

The best Zelda in terms of story still remains Majora's Mask because at least that game had themes it was willing to explore with its characters