#Let me know if you have any thoughts

[ceiling-karasu]

Three New Chapters of The Rod That Blocks The Lightning

[egcdeath]

reality tv star patrick zweig…. walk with me

[klainegifs]

Sorry for the impromptu break! Real life has been extra busy 💕 But rest assured that this lil corner of the internet is always on my mind

[red-sea-itinerary]

a lot of the fun of this blog for me is being able to organize the posts and see them together, but I haven't been sure how to do this for locations and place/country names

posts this would affect:

landscape photos/art

objects/art/history from specific places relevant to the books

maps

quotes tied to specific places

[scriblesandbits]

So god created us in his image, right? And that’s cool and all but what if it turns out god, like, hates his own image??? What then????

[singerorpheus]

Hadestown - West End - 26/05/2024 Dónal Finn (Orpheus), Melanie La Barrie (Hermes), Lauren Azania (Worker), Tiago Dhondt Bamberger (Worker), Lucinda Buckley (Worker Swing), Waylon Jacobs (Worker), Christopher Short (Worker) Do not share outside of Tumblr. This is the very song that sent me 16 hours to London. Dónal plays Orpheus so hurt and angry here, it is genuinely as life changing as I thought it would be in real life, it's all you could ask for in an Orpheus. Also, we get changed lines after 'So I ask you...', instead of 'If it's true what they say, I'll be on my way. Tell me what to do!' , we get 'Brother, look around today. Is this how the world will stay? There must be another way!' which i think is very fitting for his Orpheus and also means we get Orpheus saying 'brother' in IIT again!! Melanie carries this production for the entire 2 and a half hours powerfully and I loved all the workers I watched that day, they were all so great. Feel free to yap at me about literally anything Hadestown West End related <3.

[annymaght]

Something I wanna talk about with Kenji's character in Chaos Theory is the recurring theme of Claustrophobia.

Mickieart, who designed the interior of Kenji's trailer, said that they designed it to feel minimalist but also claustrophobic.

(By mickieart on Instagram)

When Kenji has his panic attack after losing his dad, he tries to open the door despite the car not having even stopped yet.

Claustrophobia is a really strong way to convey Kenji's emotional state.

He feels trapped in his current life, having lost Brooklynn, then Darius when he hid from everyone, and his dad is in a halfway house. Not only does he feel isolated, conveyed geographically, but he can't escape that mindset that everyone around him is disappearing and he can't reach them, either because of death or resentment.

He must also feel trapped in the feelings he still has for his father, that he still loves him even after everything, which is why he lives so close to him. But of course these feelings haven't quite risen to the surface yet.

So when he dies, those feelings boil up and he becomes even more claustrophobic than before.

Kenji trying to open the door in that scene is a small action that speaks volumes. Amazing.

[luna-loveboop]

Ok ok so Time and Winds relationship

If you look at their progression of interactions through the comic, their relationship has a very distinct storyline/character arc and it's really really cool ok

So starting at the beginning (their first and early interactions).

Time likes Wind (I mean who doesn't) they have the hero connection, and there's a lot for Time to see himself in him.

Time doesn't underestimate Wind like some of the others, he knows perfectly well what's it's like to be a young hero (way too young like geez) and still be perfectly capable.

And then everyone splits up. They enter their new timeline/era thing through the portal and they separate into groups to try and find information, and Time and Wind go together. (why is that? Maybe Wind went with who he knew wouldn't underestimate him, and maybe Time wanted to get to know him a little more. Many possibilities.)

With the group split they end up fighting a bunch of monsters (of course). And the scene after the battle is just... Time takes Wind’s sword and compliments it, the art is so soft, it's just... it's the start of them have a really caring connection

ALSO- TIME QUOTING SHADE TO WIND TIME QUOTING SHADE TO WIND

Look of a hero, discipline with the blade... those were phrases used in twilight princess by Hero's Shade (Time's skeleton ghost thingy?) when he’s teaching Twilight how to fight and become the hero he needs to be. And the fact that Time is quoting that to be Wind's mentor and guide him as a young hero is so cool. (So. Cool.)

And at the end, after the battle, Wind asks him that question, “I was wondering... about your original journey” And Time actually answers Wind's question. He tells him about his journey, and this starts a whole new chapter in their relationship. Because guess who went into detective mode? Wind.

He starts theorizing, and actually tries to get a chance to bring it up at first (“speaking of history-”), but eventually finds (makes) a moment to explain his findings.

And Time's skeptical, of course he is.

There's a few reasons why, but here's the main one: Twilight. In this scene where Wind is explaining why he believes he is the hero after Time, his descendant, Twilight, makes two appearances.

But Twilight is not part of the conversation. He's sitting a distance away, and we have no indication that he even knows they’re talking. Yet Time still looks over to him, because Twilight is his descendant. He KNOWS Twilight is his successor, but in this conversation they puzzle out a bit more of the timeline split.

And Time realizes... he has two hero's that came after him. Twilight in the main path, the one that Time previously believed was the only timeline, but there's actually more...

And at the end of that section, Time’s a little overwhelmed (who wouldn't be when you're figuring out you broke the flow of time...)

But, this is the start of Time and Wind’s relationship with Time knowing Wind's one of his successors

Yet even though he's overwhelmed, he touches Wind and acknowledges the facts he's puzzled out (and it's so so sweet)

Buuuuuut this starts a whole new chapter in their relationship. For the section where they’re puzzling out the timeline, and the next, look at their faces. You can see it in those conversations, they're uncertain. Time is trying to reshape his understanding of the world (he’s shaken and looks pretty tired, probably because he found out he left a whole timeline without a hero whoopsies)- but he also cares about Wind and wants to be there for him as well. And Wind looks very nervous around Time. He's excited that he knows he's the hero he heard about before him, but he's nervous about getting closer to him like he wants to.

Then Time goes into detective mode.

And there’s one thing Time really starts wondering: how the hell did Wind’s hyrule get flooded? It was not, in fact, a giant ocean when he left that timeline. So he asks, and Wind answers, but they don’t really start timeline talk with the rest of the group yet.

And I would like to point out that apparently Time and Wind have like. Half the brain cells of the entire group. Because we see literally no one else (at this point) has had whole sections where they’re puzzling out the timeline, but these two are over here obsessing over it lol.

After they have those talks about timelines and kingdoms, they don’t have all the answers yet, but what they have established is this: in Wind’s timeline, he is Time’s successor, and they both want to be close because of that.

And then Time just like!! Adopts Wind :)

With all this build up and conversations, we now see Time and Wind spending so much more time together.

In the group they start ending up walking near each other more often, and they start fighting closer together in battles a bit more

But it’s not one sided- we see Time keeping an eye on and watching out for Wind during battle, as well as Wind defending Time when a skeleton was like. Falling on them. And they’re just working and fighting for each other and it’s awesome.

And it’s cool because through the storyline we see the progression: Time’s the hero dad for everybody, but then he and Wind fight together, and start talking about their journeys to each other, then puzzling out the timeline, then acknowledging that Wind is a successor to Time, and asking questions, and then we see them get so much closer throughout the storyline.

(And Time is still so close to Twilight obviously, he’s his descendant and they have such a special bond but then he’s also developed this unique relationship with Wind too and it’s great)

And so it’s just evolved into a really sweet relationship because Wind looks up to Time, and Time is kind of his mentor, but at the same time he respects Wind’s strength.

And the fact that in the first place Time was willing to tell Wind about his journey simply because he asked, leading to all these discussions and getting closer… well. They care for each other, and it shows.

:)

[doriana-gray-games]

A little poll to help me with a thing 💖✨

Imagine a game:

a small-scale 3D, third-person, unreal engine RPG that focuses on immersion, player choices, and romance. 💖

Magic school sim (+persona like). 👩‍🏫

Gothic fairytale coded. 🥀

Villainess Femc. 👸

Which tone and aesthetic style would you be drawn to then:

Gothic Romance ❤️

Rose red, Moonlight white, and coal black.

1800s Historical.

Low-mid fantasy.

More grounded – in world and humour.

The school is old and haunted, by both spirits of good and ill will.

Classic Villainess 💜

Royal purple, midnight blue, and blushing pink.

Fantasy historical.

Mid-high fantasy.

More fantastical and surreal. Lighter writing tone.

The school is more elegant, shiny, safe. With a hidden darkness.

Grimpunk 💚

Pallid green, dusky black, and greying white.

Steampunk-esque victorian.

Low fantasy, higher tech.

Darker in tone. Stylised, and surreal.

The school is dusty and creaking. Dangerous and alive.

FURTHER DETAILS BELOW:

Colours (gothic):

3D art style (gothic):

Inspo (gothic):

Colours (classic):

3D art style (classic):

Inspo (classic):

Colours (grimpunk):

3D art style (grimpunk):

Inspo (grimpunk):

[dennisboobs]

standing in front of a firing squad would have been easier than reading this script i need to be shot

[front-facing-pokemon]

[demaparbat-hp]

Zuko looked up and locked eyes with his cousin, who was struck speechless. Then, ever so slowly, Lu Ten's lips twitched upwards. And then he smiled. And then he beamed. And then he nodded proudly once, just once, and vanished.

Lu Ten comes back in For the Spirits Chapter VII: Take Me South, only to leave Zuko with more questions than answers. Just how much is he truly aware of? When will he return? What is Zuko going to do now?

(What will the South bring?)

[impsandstars]

Some thoughts on Stolas's growth from the early days vs. Mastermind

I recently saw on twitter someone bring up the parallels between the interaction between Stolas and Blitz in truth seekers and their interaction during the court scene. The tone and Stolas’s demeanor is very similar but with one crucial difference. In mastermind Stolas was putting on an act, pretending to be this elitist, bigoted Goetia, and although I don’t believe Stolas has ever felt or been at the same level as Andrealphus in his distaste and seeing imps as lesser beings, the Stolas in truth seekers feels like a different person. So I wanted to go back to the beginning, now that we have this arc of the book coming to a close and see how Stolas has changed.

The Stolas we meet in season 1 episode 1 is utterly infatuated with Blitz. Blitz (from The Circus episode) was this rugged, no nonsense, pleasure seeking, suave motherfucker that swept Stolas off his feet. Who showed him, for possibly the first time in his life, what real, mutual, consensual pleasure with a man was like and he was hooked. Blitz was also someone that Stolas chose himself, and we also know now how devastatingly lonely Stolas has been.

The man, literally the morning after their first meeting after 25 years, finally finally had the nerve to be like ‘that’s the sound of a fucking divorce!’ to the wife he hates. (I cheer every time. The absolute relief and crazed laughter after he just realized what he had done)

Look at what that lizard did to the man just after one night, no wonder Stolas reached out wanting to keep Blitz in his life.

And so the natural conclusion he came to was to find a way to get the imp back, and to do so permanently, or at least for as long as possible. So was born their transaction. I personally don’t believe Stolas set this up with the understanding of the power dynamic issue. I think it’s a problem that it never crossed his mind, and I’m not saying he gets a pass, but I do understand where it came from. He had a problem: I want to have sex with Blitz more, I don't want to feel so lonely, I want to see more of the man that sparked something to life in me and so he came up with a solution that he felt made the most sense. He gets what he wants and Blitz is able to continue his work. I also have always been intrigued if the main reason Stolas didn’t immediately go get his book back when he realized it was lost was because he wanted it to be a reason to get Blitz back into his life. Which can be romantic….and a bit manipulative too (‘I’ve allowed you to use my book even though it is illegal so do me this favor.’ Oh no Stolas.). There wouldn’t be growth if he didn’t start out with things that needed to be addressed.

As stated by others many times, both of these idiots (affectionate) placed the other on a pedestal (“Where is my knight in shining armor”). Seeing what they wanted to see on a surface level and not really going any deeper. Blitz to Stolas was just this embodiment of freedom and choice, an idea (a prince come to save me), rather than Stolas looking at Blitz as a whole person. We see this in the way that he talks to Blitz in the Loo Loo Land and the Harvest Moon Festival. He pays Blitz to essentially have the chance to flirt with him all day and when Blitz says things like, “save it bitch I’m working,” and “this is work and work only…not here to satisfy your perverted bird needs,” I don’t think Stolas is actually paying attention to his tone or his words and is just like, ‘oooo blitzy is being flirty, hard to get, pushing me away but wanting me.’ Remember this guy lives and breathes soap operas and romance novels which idealize actual relationships and so is reading it how he wants it to be perceived, not how it actually is. Blitz sees this as a job he has to do and Stolas sees this as an opportunity to spend time together. In the Harvest Moon Festival Stolas’s comments of “that sexy one there” and “my darling Blitzyyyyy”, again have negative reactions from Blitz of embarrassment which Stolas seems to not really be aware of, or again reads it as him being “cute”.

It’s not great but personally I do not read it as Stolas intentionally ignoring the way Blitz is responding, I think he is just reacting to everything Blitz does with some very rose tinted glasses.

I believe over time though, after spending time with Blitz during their full moon meetings and on other occasions where they were together, I think Stolas’s feelings began to grow slowly into something real when he allowed himself to actually notice who Blitz was as a person (and realized that he liked these things about him). 

Maybe Blitz wore horse boxers and Stolas got to see them every time he took his pants off, charmed by this little detail. He would see the picture of Loona, Moxxie and Millie as his phone background, realizing that they weren’t just colleagues to him but closer. They would probably talk about random things after they finished for the night. Stolas asking him how his day was and Blitz going into a tangent about their latest client. Blitz would flirt and make corny jokes that would have Stolas rolling over in laughter. Blitz was eager to try new things in the bedroom with him and would (speculating here) clean him up after a long session, hands gentle, eyes averted.

Unfortunately he still didn’t see that the transactional relationship was an issue and was something that was preventing Blitz from seeing what was forming between them as anything different. It kept them together, kept them seeing each other, and Stolas wished to keep that for as long as he could. 

You see more distinctly a change in Stolas at Ozzie’s. He isn’t parading Blitz around, flirting shamelessly with him or making overly sexual comments; he thinks this is a real date. An encounter that people do to get to know each other better, to spend time with someone that they like. His view and feelings for Blitz have changed into something a little more real. He asks about his day, trying to make this suddenly awkward situation better, genuinely wanting to take this seriously. 

Then we get Blitz’s admission and a much needed reality check from Stolas that the consequence of setting this whole thing up without thinking of the implications it had had was coming to fruition. Blitz is setting up a boundary (‘don’t read into this more, it’s only about the book’).

And what does Stolas not do? He doesn’t agree with Blitz that yea this is just transactional, or wave it off as Blitz being ‘cute’ again, or that the only reason they’re still doing this is because he just wants Blitz to fuck him. Because at one point in time it absolutely was. But now? Stolas doesn’t see it that way anymore. (He had heart eyes when he realized Blitz was asking him on a date and put on his best outfit. The boy was falling for him).

So Stolas, seeing, finally, the impact this whole situation has had on Blitz, he goes out of his way to end it, and not only that, but end it in a way that ensures Blitz can still do his job, which Stolas knows is important to not only him but his family. Because he sees Blitz now. Sees the importance of getting Blitz’s side to all of this, because he had assumed they were both on the same page. Episode 1 Stolas I don’t think would be as quick to try to end things if he had been confronted. Again not vindictively, not because he believes Blitz should be happy he gets to fuck a Goetic prince, but because he wanted it so bad. Needed it even.

Seeing Stars and Western Energy are these somewhat weird middle grounds between Ozzie’s and Oops because Stolas goes back to shameless flirting and not really seeing Blitz’s discomfort when he was about to perform on Tv in the former. But in Western Energy his texting to Blitz in the hospital, I feel, does show some of his growth. He knows they are on rocky ground and so gives Blitz the choice to come see him or not. He wants comfort after what has happened to him. He wants to see the person who makes him feel better. 

And, we do get confirmation from Blitz at the start of Full Moon that Stolas hasn’t had them doing their transaction since the night of Ozzie’s (so for a few months?), which means Stolas is taking Blitz feelings about this seriously and having a nice long look at his own side to all of this. He is trying to show Blitz that he now means more to him than just the sex. 

In Full Moon we get a Stolas who is apologetic (although doesn’t actually say sorry :/), explaining (as best he can my poor boy) that he doesn’t want this to continue. Blitz is free now from the tether that Stolas tied around them to keep him in his life. (If you love me let me goooo). He’s being (for the most part since he is kind of doing the 'if you love me you'll say' test) selfless here, allowing Blitz the chance to make up his own mind about being with Stolas (a choice he really didn’t give him in episode 1. Like Stolas, my dude, you called Blitz to set this whole thing up in the middle of being chased and shot at and we know you know that because of the bubble. Yikes, not good there. Blitz probably would have said yes though no matter what the situation he was in because he had a family to take care of). Yes it wasn’t perfect. Stolas still made the decision himself to end it and give Blitz a crystal without prefacing it with some more context, but his intentions were good. ‘I care for you and didn’t realize that what we were doing was being understood differently by the both of us so have this choice now that I didn't give you in the beginning.’

And then we have Mastermind. This is it. The one action that many a romance is built on, ‘I would do anything, even sacrifice myself, to make sure you are safe and alive.’ There is so much complexity to mastermind and Stolas’s actions here but the main one in terms of Stolas’s growth is an understanding (maybe not an entire understanding but one more than he had before) of the class issue inherent in Hell. Episode 1 Stolas would be flabbergasted by it. Stolas plays into it in this episode, acknowledging the power it has to influence the elite lining the courtroom to save Blitz’s life. 

I feel such maturity from Stolas. Going back and watching him in Loo Loo Land is like seeing a completely different person. He is naive and juvenile in the way he talks and presents himself that is so drastically different from the ‘master of my fate’ that we get in Mastermind. 

And it’s beautiful because we’re not done yet. Stolas is a baby bird just thrust into new circumstances with a Blitz fully now on board with the idea of them. Stolas is going to experience a world he has only recently started to understand and I can’t wait for his future growth because it will bring him and Blitz together with a better understanding of each other.

[kenzan-brainrot-mp4]

Idk more random small details about the pyih ending that make me insane because I can't shut up about this stupid game:

Idk how deliberate this was from the translation team (and I have my own mixed feelings about the caption translations from more recent rgg games) but I really like the (potentially unintentional) double-meaning from Saejima saying "Guys our age are supposed to be smart enough not to go chasin' legends." You'd think that because the entire conversation revolves around and constantly repeats the words "dream/yume" (cough cough Yakuza 5) he'd say "not to go chasin' dreams", but I think by using the word "legend" instead he's able to refer to not only the legend of the treasure that everyone's been pursuing the whole game, but also the living legend himself, Kiryu Kazuma (in jp and eng he is referred to very often as a legend/legendary ("densetsu no ryuu/yakuza" - "legendary dragon/yakuza")). Not only was Majima chasing after the legend of some miracle treasure but he's also been chasing the "legend" that is Kiryu himself (something something idolization, something something Majima always wanting to bring back that strength and vitality Kiryu had at the peak of his "legend" days (see: yakuza 1 with Majima trying to fight Kiryu constantly to help him regain his strength, trying to especially hard to support him since yakuza 3), even as the chance of that happening dwindles, even if reality is literally telling him to his face that they can't go back to those days, that everyone's getting older and not what they used to be). Which imo makes Majima saying "Well, still just a dream in the end." all the more heartbreaking. It's resigned, not only to the fact that he'd never find that miracle fix to save Kiryu's life but also the fact that he can't, no matter how hard he tries, keep Kiryu around forever, that he can't keep up the image of the legendary Dragon of Dojima up for him forever. Idk I just think that was very cool and sneaky as hell if intentional, especially since they don't switch out the word "dream" for "legend" anywhere else in the conversation.

Saejima mentioning how Daigo said "Majima's runnin' around like he's forty again". Okay honestly I'm just putting this because I think it's funny that even while Daigo was going through his emo era and pissed off at Kiryu for "killing" his dad, he still remembers how enthusiastic/energetic Majima was over Kiryu all the way back in ~y1, even though we never saw him in that game. I mean it's painful as hell to think about now, considering the present day in-universe and what would end up becoming of that enthusiasm as the years went on but uh, hey.

Majima being so god damn deflective while Saejima's in the middle of revealing all his motivations for going to Hawaii. He says 3 whole lines during that part of the cutscene but it's all so Majima-like it hurts (this part's gonna be Long):

• "Told him that, huh?" (responding to Saejima recounting what Majima told Shigaki about not wanting to go to Hawaii) - Majima trying to act nonchalant/aloof while knowing what Saejima's about to start bringing up, trying to act that way even though we all know damn well that he remembers perfectly (and probably painfully) well how he acted/what he said before going to Hawaii, considering the circumstances surrounding the whole situation. His body language also starts to change from here; he turns his head to look directly at Saejima when talking to him less often, spends more time looking ahead/up/down/avoiding direct eye contact in general even when Saejima turns to look him while speaking multiple times/for prolonged periods of time (istg I could talk about Majima's body language in serious moments like these literally forever but I'll try to keep it brief) • "Kid's always been a ball breaker" (lmao) - Paired with the line before this one (Daigo's reaction to Majima). He tries to sidestep the actual point of mentioning what Daigo said, (directly exposing just how much Majima changes when Kiryu is around/involved) with feigned exasperation, and once again does not actually acknowledge Saejima's point. His body language also changes again to something more restless; (adjusts his posture from the previously relaxed way he was leaning against the car, looks away from Saejima completely, starts tapping his foot/bouncing his leg, lifting his cigarette without actually taking a drag from it) • And then of course the big one: "Well, still just a dream in the end. Stupid or not." Up until this point, Majima hasn't said anything of any actual substance until Saejima directly namedrops Kiryu. It's about the most he actually says of any worth regarding his feelings towards Kiryu himself, but that line alone reveals so much about his feelings not only in that moment, but likely the feelings he's had throughout the series towards Kiryu. It's totally unfiltered, for once, showing off his resignation from not only his inability to help Kiryu by the end of this game but likely also the weight of chasing after Kiryu all these years (again, "Guys our age are supposed to be smart enough not to go chasin' legends." Cue Majima always chasing after Kiryu/what Kiryu wants for literal decades). It's a Singular straight answer after two deflections but it says so damn much, especially coming from Majima himself. • I also just wanna note the quick range of expressions Majima's face goes through when Saejima says "Yeah, too bad about that 'elixir of eternal life.'"

↓

‎

Apart from the different expressions he makes themselves, I think it's so fucking interesting (read: painful) how this occurs when Saejima (who, by the way, is at that moment not looking at Majima) is technically supposed to be the one that the player's eyes are focused on in that moment, since he's the one speaking. The camera doesn't try to manipulate the focus of the shot to hide Majima's expressions/feelings, they don't cut him out of the frame, they don't actually do anything to directly hide Majima's face at all, but most people (including Saejima himself) would miss this regardless, because it's done in a moment where, theoretically, nobody would or should be looking. Hell, even when the camera gives us a Direct close-up shot of Majima's face when Saejima mentions Kiryu ("Kazuma Kiryu. You never could give up on that one.") his expression doesn't betray too much of how he feels, but it's only once focus is finally taken away from him that he becomes most expressive. (rgg has always been so good with showing off characters' feelings with microexpressions and I feel like this applies to Majima especially. the same kind of thing happened in y0 when he saw Makoto at the end of the game (another scene that I could analyze for hours). The times when he doesn't speak and just. Reacts subtly and potentially subconciously with his face are ironically some of the moments where he says the most about himself. Go off king don't openly express your thoughts or feelings at all 🔥🔥🔥) • And then after all that (when Saejima looks at Majima again) Majima changes the topic to Noah. You could argue that Saejima, with bringing everything before that up, was trying to open up the opportunity for discussion on Majima's part about his behavior/feelings towards Kiryu, however this was largely unsuccessful. He only succeeds in this when he finally just says Kiryu's name outright (which, by the way, surprised me so much when I first watched the cutscene. I thought they were going to keep dancing around saying Kiryu's name directly/only implying him for the rest of that conversation, but I straight up gasped when Saejima said his whole name like that. It was significant, and Saejima wanted it to be, too), and even then that success is only marginal. It's enough for Majima to finally give away one of his "real" thoughts, completely unfiltered, about as straightforward as it's gonna get, just Once in that whole part of their conversation, but after that he immediately goes to pivot the topic of the conversation to something else. Which like, damn. Damn. That's pretty crazy.

The final detail I wanna mention, (this one I think mostly everyone got) was the way that Majima repeats his line from the beginning of the game "Where do I begin? That's right… (etc)." I love how they decided to have Majima say that line again differently, because the differences say so much. The version from the beginning of the game is said in a deeper more "intimidating" tone. The whole point of it is for story-telling drama, the theatrics, specifically to entertain/pique the interest of an audience, but the way he says it to Kiryu is much more easy-going and authentic. Ironically, it's once he leaves the player's sights and once he's with Kiryu that he discards the theatrics, where he simply shows off his fully genuine self re-telling the story. (One thing I will note is that the eng sub/dub translated that line so it would be different in the beginning and end ("Alright -- let's set things straight." (to player) -> "Where do I begin? That's right." (to Kiryu) even though he says the same thing twice in the japanese audio. I know that this is so that they can match up Majima's audio with his animations in the english dub, and they reuse the eng dub captions even for the japanese dub, and while I do not neccessarily. Like that. It does hammer in the tone difference between the way he speaks to the player vs. to Kiryu further (again, trying to be more intimidating vs. more easy going), which is an okay consolation if nothing else). I just think it's crazy to hear him talk like that with Kiryu after all this time, considering that he usually only talks this directly with Kiryu in fleeting moments. No high-pitched voice/fluctuating tones, no "Yo, Kiryu-chan", just being straightforward and to the point. Man. God.

It's been 4 days since I beat this game and everytime I see someone post about it or think about it for more than 10 seconds I die and explode into a million pieces. At some point I want to 100% this game so I can get as much dialogue/as many details as possible (also the game's just really fun lol), but for now I am just rotating this cutscene in my head forever and ever in an endless cycle. I am so sorry for posting about this game like everyday but I am so unwell over it it's not even funny I hope you can forgive me </333

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Wei Wuxian eats a watermelon. Yep!

[somerandomcockroach]

Okay, but decepticon Prowl didn't plan and prepare and properly defect from the decpticons, he was thrown out.

The ask that mentioned him being a bad shot got me thinking.

We rarely see Prowl as a bad shot, so either one of two things are going on

1.) Prowl is just not emtionally invested in this fight and is running too many numbers for something else but he has to be here against his will

2.) Prowl is intentionally shooting certain deceptions because "they threaten the future of the decepticons" (they threaten and beat up Prowl)

So after enough "bad shots" the grunts of the decepticon base Prowl was stationed on (as barricade) beat him up, and throw him out. Prowl is annoyed by this because obviously he is important but he can't reveal himself without ruining his cover. So he goes planet hitch-hiking to get back to Megatron and obviously get reinstated and protection.

While planet hopping, "Barricade" meets Jazz who is currently under the name of Meiser since he is infiltrating and taking a look at some decepticon territory. Barricade does not know that Meiser has been following him since he got thrown out. Barricade also does not know that Meiser has his suspicions about who he is. Afterall, there aren't a lof of praxians left in the deception forces, and this one has some dumb gold paint on his cheveron that has already started to flake and show red in these harsh outdoor conditions.

Barricade does think that Meiser is either an autobot spy (since he is not accounted for in any of Prowl's databases and battlefield simulations), or has a major glitch in his logic circuits that got him kicked out and now desperate for any social interaction (which must be the reason why he is hanging around Barricade, since no one ever actually willingly hung out around him before, and especially nobody hangs out with Prowl).

Things keep happening that try to kill "Barricade". But luckly clumsy Meiser is right there to "accidentally" shoot the problem right in the processor. Barricade does not remember Meiser having a gun on him. Or a knife. Or that feral of a smile. But anyways he has places to be and a mech to see.

Prowl intends on turning in Meiser-the-spy or just ordering the death of Meiser-the-idiot once he gets back to Megatron. Especially since through this adventure, Prowl has learned that Meiser will listen to a long thought out and perfect plan, then immidiately go do his own thing, so he can't be used as some disposable pawn in one of Prowls plans.

Evnetually Prowl gets back to Megatron. It is unfortunate that this regrouping happens on an open battle-field, but Prowl predicts that the decepticons will have to make a hastly retreat in 27.8 joors and does not want to miss his ride home. He expects to be welcomed by Megatron, updated on all battle field data, and then sent to the safety of the back of the lines to go sip a cube and win this battle.

Except Megatron has noticed that decepticons tend to have more friendly fire where ever he sends Prowl. And Prowl has already given him predictions and battle maps and troop movement plans for the next 100 vorn. And honestly? Megatron has wanted to punch Prowl for a while now.

So he does just that. One moment Prowl is clearing his vocalizer to get his attention while he is OBVIOSLY busy beating up an autobot. And the next moment Prowl is 12 feets away with a large fist-sized crater in his chest. Serves that nerd right.

Prowl goes offline. Not from the injury. But from the glitch that spawned when Megatron didn't welcome him back and start a much needed debreif.

Anyways, Prowl wakes up in the autobot medbay.

HELP, oh you all really don't like Prowl and want him punched ahagsgga

In my mind it's hard to turn events to that. You see, I think Megatron would treat Prowl like autobots treat Ratchet. Megatron is ruthless in the way he treats his warriors, they fight for "freedom" so someone's life is worth it. Prowl always gives 99% successful plan with minimal risks. And these plans work because Megatron accepts them. Decepticons can say nothing but they hate "Prowl" behind all these plans, because they can see that they are turning in even more bugs than they were before. Before it looked at least like a live or die battle. Now it is a straight order of dying in their cases. But hey, ahah, who is this "Prowl"? There is only Barricade and a possibility of his hidden identity leaking, it's just Megatron can't keep his optics on him 24/7 so making him second identity is a good way of preventing him from instant death. I actually want to think of the ways Starscream could switch his attention to Prowl and not like him because he can't be bribed. "With such tactician even I can be a leader" and Prowl just "-_-".

Prowl is left without voice, tracking, comms, everything is done to not let Megatron find him, but he will search for him even if everyone tells him he is dead. Prowl just need to fix everything and not let others find any info on him and somehow leave to send a signal. So I bet there are much more layers to all of that. For Megatron to want to punch him he needs to be like Starscream or be a Sentinel Prime.

Pffht, imagine you see a very beaten up Decepticon, clearly beaten up by his own people. Everything that allows to track you is ripped off. What does it mean? They wanted to get rid of him while making it look like he died of accident in the end, they got all they needed from him and left him to suffer. Means he had something valuable within him and clearly will be more anticipating in the interrogation with autobots. Revenge takes a place, wouldn't it? So even if Jazz is in a good condition and finds him, he clearly will bring him to Autobot base right away. Prowl will not search the way on his own, he will be thrown out where it is impossible to get out by his own, Junkion, so his priority also will be to get saved even if go with autobots with the possibility of revealing his identity and he will make everything to not let it happen