#Overkill Evolution

[isagrimorie]

I love how Criminal Minds 5x11 - Retaliation is a very Emily Prentiss episode. And more hints about Emily's past and her previous training, the ability to continue on and be alert.

The car she's in gets hit by a truck, and she keeps on trucking along. She empties her clip but is also cognizant enough to memorize partial plate numbers:

(Wow a night scene, look at that, I can see during a night scene, Criminal Minds Evolution!)

Emily's trained to go on (and honestly, also her dogged stubbornness just doesn't keep her down) despite serious injury.

Emily's so confused when Derek tells her she emptied her clip shooting at the truck.

Right up to the personality of people who would and could do undercover work:

Speaking from experience there, Special Agent Emily Prentiss?

And then, Reid unknowingly hits on the head Emily's ongoing existential crisis anytime a case hits too close to home.

But also, how, honestly Emily has it in her to just really murder a man.

As the criminal of the week, Schrader observed Emily has the look in her eyes that said she would and could kill him given the chance.

Schrader killed the cop who was in the car with Emily. Schrader taunted her about killing the man right next to her.

Schrader either thought he could psych out Emily from killing him or was desperate enough to just pull a suicide by cop.

Schrader taunts Derek about his arm injury and moves his gun an inch away from Joe Muller's head to shoot Derek instead.

And that minute movement was enough for Emily:

(Derek shooting at Schrader though was both overkill and risky since he could've shot Muller instead, thankfully that doesn't happen).

I’m so curious what Emily’s been through during her taskforce days that Emily is… comfortable is not exactly the word but unfazed killing?

What has Emily seen that makes some of the horrific scenes just roll off her back.

Also the very few anecdotes she shares are kind of harrowing in themselves:

Like, how years later Emily shares with Tara Lewis that in her JTF-12 days, she was on a mission where there were troops who would leave playing cards on dead terrorists, declaring 'We did this'.

What has Emily had to do that 'good guys doing bad things' has really screwed her up bad?

That after everything she just wanted a job that was “clean”. Clear right and clear wrongs.

I do think as hard it is as a fan to accept— Emily did need the time away from the BAU to reconcile a few things about herself.

Accept some of the things she learned about herself as a spy and realize… all the morally ambiguous things she can live with to a point. There are still lines she won’t cross.

Also, because spy stuff -- and Burn Notice kind of gave the (fictional, maybe?) guidelines to a great undercover agent:

Michael Westen: "When you're claiming to be somebody you're not, the key is commitment. You've got to sell it like your life depends on it. Because sometimes it does."

Michael Westen: "Inexperienced operatives abandon a cover ID under pressure. Experienced ones just play their roles harder."

---

I can only imagine that Emily Prentiss played by the same rules as Michael Westen.

/edited

[marlynnofmany]

A Feat of Minor Daring

(Related side project: Prank War!)

~~~

If you have to wait around for a client to bring you something to deliver, waiting on a landing pad with spectacular scenery is not a bad way to do it. Most of the rest of the crew was inside the ship — shuffling the boxes from our other client of the day, and doing any number of other mundane things — so it was just Paint and me enjoying the alien landscape. Their loss. 

I was appreciating the views, while Paint was really there for the smells. I kept pointing out particularly vivid splashes of color among the sea-anemone-shaped trees, while Paint caught whiffs of enticing things. 

“Ooh, what do you think that sharp scent is?” Paint asked when a cool breeze gusted past. She pulled her heat scarf closer. She was also wearing a heat sticker plastered to her scaly chest, which seemed like overkill to me, but I wasn’t a coldblooded lizard alien. I just had a sweater for the chill. 

“Your guess is better than mine,” I said, sniffing the air. “I’m going to go with ‘some sort of plant.’”

A cheerful jumble of musical notes chimed from the treeline where winged fauna hid among tentacle-branches. It sounded remarkably like several ringtones going off at the same time. I was about to ask Paint if she thought it was animals imitating tech, or maybe just a coincidence of evolution, when wild flapping heralded an explosion of feathers across the clearing. 

Colorful bird-things soared over us, their wings a riot of fiery shades and their bodies lined in speckled back feathers over bright blue scales. It was a glorious streak of color, and they sounded like a pile of phones all ringing at once. I had to grin at the sight. 

Paint just said, “I think they’re the source of the smell. How lovely.”

Then a straggler flapped out after the others, and I stopped grinning. 

It was trailing a plastic bag caught around its foot, just like the ones still causing trouble for animals on Earth. The poor thing must have been scavenging in town. By the time it collapsed halfway across the clearing, I was already moving, tugging my sweater off and sneaking up on the bird.

Paint squeaked, “What are you doing?”

“It needs help,” I said, keeping my voice low. The alien bird was breathing hard from the effort of fighting that much extra drag, and hopefully no additional problems. It hadn’t noticed me yet.

“Why is that your responsibility?” Paint hissed in concern. “It could bite you! You don’t even have scales, and you’re not wearing an exo suit! Why did you just take off your soft armor?”

“It’s not my responsibility,” I murmured. “But somebody’s got to.” I eased forward and took a long-legged jump to land with one foot squarely on the bag, then tackled the bird to wrap it in my sweater.

It, unsurprisingly, objected. And it was stronger than it looked.

“What are you doing??” Paint repeated. “You’ll get hurt!”

I fought to get a hand around the bird’s head and keep it from pecking me anywhere important while also holding its wings in. It did its level best to accomplish fight and flight at the same time. It even regurgitated a splash of food, which I managed to barely dodge. It smelled unpleasantly fishy.

But I got the bird’s head pinned down in a way that hopefully didn’t restrict its breathing, and I ended up crouched over the thing using my legs to keep its wings folded. My other hand was doing the important job of preventing it from wriggling free. That didn’t leave any hands for removing the bag.

“Paint! I need your claws!”

“What? No!” She sounded more than a little panicked.

“Just get the bag off its foot!” I said, jerking my head back to where the bag rustled behind me. “Then I’ll let it go!”

“That doesn’t look safe!” Paint insisted.

The bird bucked and thrashed. “It’s not going to get any safer! Come on, it needs help!”

Paint hissed a string of what were probably swear words as she darted forward and approached the talons. I couldn’t see what she was doing from my angle, but I heard the rustle of plastic. I wanted to ask how it was going and give pointers, maybe suggest stepping on the bag to hold it tight, though I didn’t know if that would help or not. I kept quiet.

“Got it!” Paint leapt back, holding up the torn bag in triumph.

“Great!” I said. “Does its leg look injured? Did the bag dig into it or cut off circulation as far as you can tell?”

Paint stepped forward gingerly, then shook her head. “No, the scales look fine.”

I let out a breath. “Extra great. Okay, stand back.”

Paint scampered over to stand by the ship, taking the bag with her, while I got my feet under me. In as smooth a motion as I could, I jumped sideways and rolled away, trailing my sweater. I would have preferred to stand and exit with dignity, but this was faster. Dignity wasn’t worth getting pecked in the knee.

In a whirlwind of feathers, the scaly bird scrambled into the sky. I sat up to watch it go. While I expected a dramatic arc into the distance, it only got as far as the biggest amoeba-tree. I worried that it was injured after all. Then I saw the cluster of tiny beaks that reached up as it landed.

I grinned all over again, watching the reunited family greet each other. A rustle of plastic told me Paint stood beside me. I looked up at her. “We did it.”

She watched the nest with wide eyes, clutching the bag. “We did. And it mattered.”

“It always matters.” I got to my feet with a wince, hoping that wasn’t going to be a bruise on my hip. “Thanks for helping. That was a deed well done.”

Paint was still staring. “Do you think it will have enough food for all the hatchlings? After spitting some at you?”

A glance told me the bird was feeding its young in the time-honored vomity fashion. “I hope so,” I said. “Scavenging for more might lead to another trash adventure, though maybe this was a learning experience.”

Paint stood up straighter. “Let’s check the species database and see what it eats,” she said. “That smells a lot like the canned fish I’ve been saving. We can put it out where they’ll find it.”

“A fine plan,” I told her. “Let’s get cleaned up first so we don’t leave bird germs in the kitchen.”

We’d only taken a couple steps toward the ship before Eggskin met us at the door with concern on their scaly face. “Kavlae said there was some sort of commotion outside, and someone might be hurt?” They brandished the medscanner.

Before I could answer, Paint held up the crumpled plastic bag. “We saved a creature that was trapped in this!”

Eggskin cocked their head, clearly about to ask why, but Paint was still talking. She gave a dramatic recounting of the whole affair. Eggskin turned on the scanner and checked us both for contamination while she talked. Clear. (Whew.)

“…And now it’s safely up in the nest with its hatchlings, and it wouldn’t have made it up there if not for us, and they would have starved and died, and we saved all of them!” Paint said, waving the bag. “It always matters! Now where’s the can opener? I want to leave them some of my fish.”

Eggskin blinked. “Third drawer on the right, where it should be. Unless someone’s misplaced it again. Put that in the biohazard bin and wash your hands.”

“Got it, thanks!” Paint was gone in a rustle of plastic.

Eggskin looked up at me. “Is ‘pack bonding’ contagious?”

I laughed. “I couldn’t tell you. But it always matters. Would you mind keeping an eye on that nest over there while I go change clothes? I’ll wash my hands too.”

Eggskin sighed. “Please do.”

They stood outside the ship watching the distant family of scaly birds, wearing an expression like they were trying to figure something out. I smiled and left to get cleaned up. I’d check the species database afterward. Maybe I had some food they’d like too.

~~~

Did I mention the Prank War?

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[technofeudalism]

the US is entering the age of technofeudal idiocracy. this is the evolution of late stage capitalism, long under development by both neoliberal and conservative forces, constructed on top of a bedrock foundation of anti-intellectualism, patriarchal white nationalism and imperialist universal domination. notice i say universal. that's because i am including mars in the discussion.

if you are just coming to this realization, then yes, you are behind the curve. fascism is not just arriving. it arrived some time ago as part of this evolution. but if you can acknowledge that now and if you want to mobilize, it is never too late. we may not be at the beginning, but we are nowhere near the end.

the weapons you have at your disposal are going to be mostly decentralized, strong communities centered around generous mutual aid and meeting people's material needs - education, food and water, clothing, shelter, child care, physical and mental health, transportation, employment and (very carefully considered) self-defense. and of course, you need to learn how to directly and brutally (legally) fight back against fascism in your community.

all of those links are non-governmental resources. i am not saying you should never use government resources. it will likely depend on your state or local officials. but it should be obvious that showing extreme discretion from this day forward would be wise, particularly when interacting with federal agencies.

another good idea would be to gain an understanding of what it looks like when fascism invades every crack of society. if you are a non-minority (white/cis/able-bodied, etc.), please remember the ways in which a fascist society will always single out people of color, the disabled, religious minorities, the poor, and anyone else that can be unjustly cast as the "other."

lastly, you should think about safeguarding your internet privacy on an ongoing basis rather than occasional usage for specific activities. in other words, hypothetically keeping your VPN turned on all the time may be a greater benefit to you. some may consider this overkill. i would refer you back to three people i tend to trust on the matter more than the common person.

remember: don't panic about things that have not happened, but always have a plan in case something does. it's not a magic solution to the problem, but these are two sound philosophies that can co-exist together and i think there's a decent chance you'll be happier if you work towards adopting them.

[whos-orion]

ACT 2 WAS CRAZYYY

MAJOR SPOILERS UNDER CUT. LIKE ALL THE SPOILERS. I AM DUMPING MY THOUGHTS.

So ep 4 was great !!! I loved Jinx and Isha's interactions and then Isha getting her hair blue!!!

Ending of ep 4 was crazy 😭😭😭 could not believe vander was alive

LOVE EP 5 AHHH!!! The beginning sequence was incredible, showing vi's circle and how unsustainable it became. And then the teamup!!! They've finally sorta reconciled!! Poor Isha though, Vi standing up for her in ep 3 and then making her nose bleed now.

ALSO MEL. MEL HAPPENED. I SCREAMED WHEN "KINO" APPEARED IT WAS CRAZY. I love the way the black rose magic is animated. AND THE REVEAL WITH MEL. OH MY GOD. THAT WAS CRAZY

And then there's jayce. Oh, jayce. He is LOSING it. With how Viktor was talking in the end of the ep while possessing Salo he seemed like he was gonna be the villain, and then he was sunshine and daises in ep 6. Speaking of.

Ep 6. Wow. I. Wow. Im not ok fr.

First off, I like Jayce. He's a good character. But my first response to him at the end of the ep was WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKKKKKK

ANGRY SAD CRYING SOBBING however i do not hate him. He's complicated and my feelings are not simply anger. He's got a lot going on...good on him for not killing that child in front of him though. Even though he killed them later.

CAITVI MADE UP???? WHAT???? LOVE THAT FOR THEM. They're slowly kinda back?? They at least worked together. Also can we talk about how caitlyn immediately attacked Vi when she saw her walking. Like that was overkill, the way she hit her multiple times. Caitlyn didn't recognize her as Vi and if she had she wouldn't have done that, I think. But it shows what she thinks. I'm gonna have a more in depth post about the brutality from the Enforcers/Noxians soon. Im just getting my thoughts out rn.

Ok. Now the big part. Actually crying over Isha. We don't know for sure.....I'm praying shes ok....but wow. All I've got to say is she's brave. She's incredible. She's smart. She took the hextech gemstones from Vi's gauntlets anticipating a fight. She's so amazing, and I really hope she's ok. Also Vander. I've got less hope for him, though.

Misc thoughts:

EP 6 PARALLELS TO EP 3 S1. FINALLY REUNITING AND EVERYTHING GOING TO BE OKAY, THEN SOMEONE GOES AND FUCKS IT UP. WHAT THE GOOF.

on a lighter note AAAAAA THEY PLAYED PAINT THE TOWN BLUE! THATS MY FAVORITE SONG FROM THE SOUNDTRACK!!!!!

Loved seeing Vi and Jinx's mom. She's so much like Jinx. Younger Silco too! And the flashback scene, seeing Vi and Jinx before their parents died. Which means they KNEW Vander when they saw him on the bridge. They knew him all their life. Im not ok rn. Also Vander suggesting the name violet??? DO YOU THINK SILCO SUGGESTED THE NAME POWDER?

AND THEN AND THEN. VIKTOR SAID THE THING. HE SAID GLORIOUS EVOLUTION. AND THEN JINX SAID "MACHINE HERALD" IN REFERENCE TO VIKTOR IM LOSING IT.

Anyways i think thats it....i need act 3 now

[vanityxvanitas]

In ch 159 of yu yu hakusho it is stated that ice maidens die if they ever have a sexual relationship with a man, so is yukina going to die if she pursues a romantic relationship with kuwabara?

I guess you're referring to this part? If that's the case, then interesting, I didn't know it could be read like that. The line in Japanese just said all ice maidens who gave birth to boys died shortly afterwards, but didn't specify why. It could be a biological process, which makes me wonder if Hina knew about this - and if she did, why she still chose to have children then. (This is making me create lame conspiracies again...)

In the manga, their mother Hina died shortly after giving birth, but in the anime, she committed suicide. I think the anime scriptwriter interpreted the deaths as an active behavior and changed the line to convey that. Initially, I also read this part as the deaths of them were either due to suicides due to emotional pains, or experiences of pressure from their system/society that led them towards suicides (which might be why Yukina’s attitude towards her own people was so extreme). This description also offers a possibility that she killed herself to spare her son the stigma of patricide, which might imply she knew the birth of him would actually kill her. (Irrelevant but Raizen’s lover also died after giving birth, perhaps due to huge biological barriers that divide the youkai - human species.)

Therefore, considering the anime setting, it seems like Yukina would be fine entering a relationship with Kazuma, because she left that environment. Assuming they become a couple and get married and want a child, in the case of post-delivery death being a biological process, maybe she would be fine if they refrain from pregnancy. Also, I remember that only A-class youkai can breed with humans, so there’s a chance Yukina couldn't conceive a child with Kazuma. If she was around 100 years old by the time she's together with Kazuma, she might still have a child asexually.

However, I don't know if this changes when the ranking of the youkai changes, so maybe Yukina and Kazuma can make a child. I mean, there's even a concept like atavism of the Mazoku that suggests higher classes of youkai can manipulate their DNA. Somehow, it just makes more sense for me if how youkai being able to create hybrids with humans is due to their biological similarities regardless of rankings, but maybe the progression of rankings imply extremely quick evolutions within a youkai’s lifetime or something.

Perhaps Hina also evolved before she gave birth to her children? It was stated that the female child from asexual reproduction would be a complete copy of the ice maiden and male child would inherit the father's characteristics, so I guess Hiei might be a product of hybridogenesis (and Yukina could be from parthenogenesis, but it isn't clear if she and Hiei received any trait from the parent of the opposite sex because they were a special case within Hyouga’s history).

This is far-fetched but I don't know if ice maidens’ bodies evolved to reject the heredity of foreign genes, but if we follow that route where post-delivery deaths were inevitable biological process, it makes more sense why the ice maidens were so strict about their traditions (as the reasons were more justified in comparison than them actively reject the outsiders merely due to historical reasons). Dropping a baby to death is still overkill though.

[sunset-synthetica]

Can you explain how the immortal science of marxism-leninism relates to Turbo Overkill

I don't believe TO is trying to have a huge deep political message, but some of it was intentional and the rest stems from its inspirations, ie Blade Runner, whose political messaging WAS intentionally a critique of capitalism and/or the more specific effects it has on our lives.

The backdrop is a late capitalist- using Mandel's definition- system where the largest and most powerful company's (Teratek's) capital is generated mostly, if not entirely, by selling increasingly more dangerous and experimental products to a consumer base spanning entire solar systems at the very least.

By looking at Johnny as a member of the exploited working class - albeit a class traitor, as he's a former cop* - a disabled person, unable to earn enough to save his life in any other way than by essentially selling himself to Teratek and gradually losing parts of his own body and surrenderong agency as this job becomes more and more demanding. We see a clear anti-capitalist sentiment built directly into the foundation of the game.

We can go further though.

SYN, in short summarized as a sentient, virus-esque AI, functions as an abstracted, personified representation of Teratek itself and its ultimate goals. SYN was supposed to enhance the process of human body augmentation, and, as Johnny's mother states, having been directly involved in the making of SYN, it should have been a way to help people, had Teratek not been the intended owner.

SYN goes rogue, and, instead of disobeying Teratek's policy, takes it further, either converting augmented people into a mind controlled force, or creating entirely new beings in the pursuit of human evolution. She seeks to force the human race to evolve, or be exterminated, which relates moreso to eugenics but is a vital part of her position in the story.

So, establishing SYN as both a manifestation of Teratek/the wider market as well as its relationship to the workers, and something of a next step in the evolutionary line of their thinking, her relationship with Johnny gets easier to pick apart.

Johnny is offered a choice that, while more obvious in its immediate effect, partially reflects the experience of the worker- debase himself, be stripped of choice, free will, identity, be exploited for the rest of his life to build a future he will not see or enjoy, sell his labor for the cost of staying alive - or die. It's not a choice, not really, it's an illusion.

He chooses to stay alive, of course, and though SYN is defeated at the end, it doesn't break him out of the loop. SYN is not the root of the problem, she is not the cause for Johnny's suffering and exploitation, she's the more extreme, almost caricature-like version of his struggle.

Johnny ends the story the same as he'd began, only the illusion of a choice in the matter is shattered.

The Street Cleaners

The Street Cleaners are a mercenary-like faction, essentially fulfilling the role of the police, though on a much less regulated, official level. We don't have a lot of information about them, but from what I've been able to gather, they are generally disliked by the Regulators- police force- and work outside the law to an unknown extent, without pretending otherwise, all while fulfilling the interests of corporations.

Within the Street Cleaners, everything goes if the money is good enough, which was the incentive for Johnny to join in the first place- do the dirty work, get paid, survive.

I wanna look at Maw specifically. He's all around an interesting character, but it really shines from this angle.

All of the Street Cleaners seem to enjoy their work, including Johnny, but Maw's relationship to it is particular, in that he doesn't see his colleague or fellow people as either competition or allies on the same level, but as inherently beneath him, not worthy of his consideration.

Maw criticizes the corporations, claims them to be untrustworthy and incapable of wielding power without abusing it, and yet his solution is not the collective seizing of the means of production- SYN's platform and all its available resources, including the augmentation process in this context- but rather the accumulation of all for himself.

He plans to change the system from within by establishing himself as in control, as its driving force, instead of seeing the system as inherently flawed and needing to be dismantled. No amount of gradual change could have changed SYN, or the system for the better, and so, Maw only speeds up a process that, under SYN, might have taken longer, but would have been inevitable regardless.

Maw loses control, loses his sense of reality and objectivity, of himself, and crumbles under the weight of this process, this power.

Were SYN the one in control during the time of Maw's rampage, the process may have been more gradual, less chaotic, but the ending would have been the same - a mass extinction event, countless deaths and destruction, regardless of whether the motive was a false hope for the evolution of the human race, or profit for the bourgeoisie/market, as represented mostly by Teratek's Executive.

In short, Maw allows himself to become absorbed by the system, accelerates its negative outcome, and upon being killed, just like SYN's own death, nothing changes. Both deaths slow the progress down somewhat, hide the obvious, but result in no meaningful change.

All of this, while a reach in some parts, is not contradicted by anything in the story of Turbo Overkill, rendering it an insane, but viable analysis.

My conclusion is that Marxism-Leninism couldn't have saved Johnny Turbo, but it could have eased his suffering and made him see his struggle as founded in a material reality outside his own control, and inherent to the very system he exists within.

-----------

*the situation of the Regulator force isn't exactly clear, but Paradise- Johnny's home, and the respective Regulator force of which he was a part of- is stated to have heavy criminal activity, which necessitated the Regulator presence, and may have inspired Johnny to join in the first place.

SYN, ironically enough, directly states that Johnny's presence in the Regulator force meant he "enforced [her] goals," until he was led astray by his injury. Said goals are specifically the elimination of the weak to make place for the strong, a genocide, but it's unclear if by "her", SYN describes herself as the sentient person possessing agency, or the purpose for which Teratek utilized her prior. If we assume the latter is true, it would mean the Regulators are simply a cleaner, more widely accepted version of the Street Cleaners, as I've already stated is my belief.

[mattkenzie]

Alright, now hear me out… A bug-type Eeveelution based off on the Venezuelan poodle moth and we shall call it Papilleon (Pappillion (French word for butterfly) + Eon)

I think for this Eeveelution, similar to Leafeon’s old evolution method levelling up near a moss rock, this one would be standing close to the moss stone (at night) using a moonstone. (But would it be on a full moon? The requirement would be such an overkill because of Ursaluna using a Peat Block on a full moon?)… Aww what the heck… Full moon!

[ghostchanuwu]

Even though this will quell the Titains Rampage this is still the worst outcome for everyone

(Was unsure if cross posting this here too would be overkill but meh whatever its my blog ill post my self indulgent stuff if i want)

A bit of inspo for Steven's character actually came from Anna and Nostra with a bunch of overthinking cannonical Pokemon Timelines and a sprinkle of cosmic horror

It took a bit of workshopping but I did settle on a point in which AniRedux became a thing and suprisingly it wasn't during ORAS's timeline

It was Emerald's

Now the reasoning behind this is that in the Delta Episode Devon Corp was going to go through with the dimensional shifter plan which in this continuity actually happened (alt ORAS timline where the meteor gets sent to Emerald's timeline and since mega evolution didnt exist in that one Rayquaza was unable to stop it in time) shortly after the impact the timeline had been reset completely because by then the destruction would have been too much (Steven had been the one to actually track down Jirachi right before the impact and had made that wish to reset everything but at the cost of everything being completely different and nobody having memories of what had occured, Steven did not expect his and Jirachi's paths to cross again but it did under the worst circumstances)

Basically AniRedux was caused by an alternate event in canon ORAS that screwed over canon Emerald (canon Emerald still exists as the non-ME timeline) that is now a Mega Evolution timeline

(I had been debating on if XY point would warrent being the reset point but the damage from the Ultimate Weapon would arguably be isolated to Kalos possible spilling a bit into Paldea, USUM was another canidate bc of the Ultra Beasts but Guzzlord's world already counts as a bad end timeline but that might be explored as being the canon non-ME timeline since it would make the most sense)

[inprogresspokemon]

Do you have a least favorite gimmick? Mine is Z-Moves because they just seem like overkill compared to Mega Evolutions, Dynamax, and Tera Types.

Probably Z-Moves as well. I don't love the gimmicks equating to an insta-win button, and I didn't use Z-Moves in the game. I'm not very fond of Dynamax either.

I still haven't played Scarlet or Violet yet (I've been meaning to, but haven't gotten around to buying it), so I can't really speak to Tera Types, but if there has to be a gimmick, I like the general idea of changing types.

What about you guys?

[respectthepetty]

Your takes on my favourite shows are eye opening and I love reading them, sometimes I feel like I can't find the right words to express my opinion and then you go and express yours so well!

Anon, I appreciate the appreciation!

I write posts in an effort to fully explain how I reached my conclusions, but I know it can be overkill sometimes, so I'm glad people actually do read my what-appears-to-be-lengthy-ramblings-but-are-actually-around-500-words-and-just-appear-long-because-I-include-images posts.

And I'm also not afraid of being a clown.

I know people hesitate to express their thoughts because they 1) can't find the words, or 2) they don't want to look foolish, but this is Tumblr aka the site that probably has 100K+ notes on a post that reads "I'd fuck that wet man" so . . . write the post, fam.

You won't find the words if you don't attempt to search for them, and writing down those attempts greatly helps. The words don't have to be perfect. You will shape them as you go along. We are creating living narratives that show the progress of our thoughts, beliefs, and writing styles. I don't look at my Facebook posts from almost two decades ago and cringe. I'm proud to see the evolution of my writing style.

Because I'm still a clown.

I don't mind being wrong. I don't mind looking foolish. I don't mind writing about my wild ass theories only for the show to remind me it isn't as crazy as I am (but YYY did give me aliens, so a broken clock is right twice a day, you know?).

All of this is really just to tell you that I do appreciate the appreciation, but I like it more when others join the conversation. Write your own post. Reblog a post with your additions. Express yourself. Even if it's not perfect and even if you sound foolish, embrace it.

This is Tumblr dot com, and we like clowns here.

[kamenstrikerace]

HOW NOSTALGIA PANDERING RUINED YGO

On today's topic, we're gonna explain why nostalgia ruined Yugioh and why it became stereotyped 100% because of Konami's bullshit. I call it Alienating 101. You see, I don't care enough to try to explain in too much depth, but let's keep it short.

Let's start off with the reason and why. Konami made new support cards based on one duel from the YGO anime, but people forgot that it's from the manga. The Metal Raiders cards got some support but are all underwhelming and don't feel anything but cheap and uninteresting. Why exactly is that? Well, nostalgia in YGO is just straight-up horse shit. This is mainly because YGO shows past the original were never marketed heavily like the first series. Fanboys in the USA overpraised the first series but overkilled it at the same time.

Konami's current practice of basing Yugioh cards on manga panels rather than promoting creativity is seen as nepotism and detrimental to the game's evolution. You feel this approach limits community creativity and serves primarily to glorify the first anime series, neglecting the potential for new and innovative card designs. This trend frustrates you because it prioritizes nostalgia over fresh ideas and diversity within the game.

In my opinion, Konami just keeps pandering Yugioh cards that are mostly Duel Monsters (first ygo series) way too much towards its fandom. As of this year, Konami has pissed off its fandom and people are fed up. It's also ironic that Ygo fans can't read or explain shit. What is this, the Dragon Ball community?

So what is nostalgia pandering? It's pretty much what happens when you pander nostalgia to anyone who is a baby boomer or a zoomer. But there is something shocking. Yugioh fans are straight-up toxic because most of them are blinded by nostalgia towards shows like DM, GX, or fucking Zexal. In my opinion, YGO shows are often the subject of debate, but in recent years Konami doesn't even explain shit. Most of the reason people view the first YGO this way is because it was the first one that everyone overliked and overlooked the most. Now, I have nostalgia towards 5D's, but unlike DM and GX, I don't consider 5D's as toxic as the first series because 5D's broke the mold for Yugioh in the past and ultimately saved it from doom or cancellation.

But I think the real reason was the 2010s when Konami started to pander this shit everywhere. Take the disaster movie Dark Side of Dimensions, which in my opinion sucked and was nothing more than nostalgia 101 for Duel Monsters fanboys. That movie doesn't deserve to be praised and is trash, in my opinion. The whole movie was nostalgia clickbait gone wrong, and people refused to hate it because if you were part of the 2010s fandom, you would get canceled instantly. I seriously think that movie's fault was Takahashi's.

And let's include YGO ARC-V as well, since that series was straight-up underwhelming due to its choice of nostalgia.

Then we have the fandom finally opening their damn eyes and seeing what's next. On the YGO Organization, I saw this person who told us exactly how Konami is screwing up our childhood. He summed it up perfectly. They print cards based on the anime and manga, and to make things worse, Konami keeps making bad choices in the effect division, with it being once again based off the shows.

See, part of the problem with YGO and its fandom is the influence of mainstream media and the community of other series as well. Nobody cares about newer fans, instead pandering towards the older fans who started the genre 20-40 years ago. Take, for example, Pokemon's community, where Game Freak keeps putting Gen 1 Pokemon in every new game, or the Digimon franchise, where Bandai pandered with movies a couple of years ago. This is because nostalgia for fans of those shows who started it can make money, but in recent years, it started to become a meme. In the 2010s, nostalgia became one of the most problematic things.Konami's focus on nostalgia and its perceived neglect of newer fans can be attributed to corporate greed. They prioritize profit over the integrity of their product and the satisfaction of their fanbase. This approach has led to decisions that favor pandering to older fans who are more likely to spend money on nostalgic content, while potentially alienating newer fans who may not have the same attachment to older series. This strategy has been criticized for undermining the quality and innovation of the Yugioh franchise, leading to frustration and disappointment among fans.

Yugioh fans often struggle to accept realities that challenge their nostalgic views, whether related to the card game or the anime series. This nostalgia can blind them to flaws and shortcomings in newer iterations of the franchise. Some fans may perpetuate stereotypes and illogical arguments, which hinders constructive discourse within the community. It's important to encourage a balanced perspective that appreciates the franchise's history while also acknowledging its evolution and areas for improvement. Promoting open-mindedness and logical reasoning can help foster healthier discussions among fans.

[adobe-outdesign]

Randomly generated Pokemon: Onix

(I don't have any review requests right now, so I'm just going to use a generator to pick a random line I haven't done yet until more come in.)

Onix has a nice presence to it, mostly on account of being Freaking Huge (ironically, it's not even that strong of a 'mon). The idea of a big rock snake that tunnels through the the earth is solid and works well enough for what it is, though granted, the design always felt slightly lacking to me.

My favorite part of Onix is the head. I really like that it has a "muzzle" of sorts, and the horn helps separate the head segment from the rest of the body. However, the body itself is pretty plain, just a bunch of boulders in a line (how are those things connected, anyway)? I kind of wish there was more viration—some could be significantly bigger or smaller, they could be alternating lighter and darker colors, etc. Just something subtle to break things up a bit.

Onix evolves into Steelix here, and the idea of regular rock becoming metal as it evolves is a solid concept. There are a few changes to the design here that I like as well—the red eye adds a minor touch of color and pops nicely, the oversized head is pretty neat, and I really find myself liking those spikes stiking out of the body. They help break things up a bit, and feel like a natural extension of Onix's head spike. The pointed tail is also a nice touch.

If I have one problem with it (outside of the somewhat odd inclusion of teeth—I liked Onix's toothless maw better), it's that it never really looked much like steel. I get that they were going for an iron ore kind of thing, but it doesn't come across well, not helped by the lack of metallic textures in the games. It's still just as jagged and rugged as Onix is, and while I really like that aesthetic, it does make it harder to tell that it's metal now. Otherwise, it's a solid evolution and probably my favorite out of the line.

And mega Steelix is... a bit of a hot mess, unfortunately.

I say unfortunately because I really, really like the basic concept here. Steelix becomes harder and adds a bunch of spikes when it evolves, so this mega reveals that the spikes are actually crystals, which break out of the metal ore when it evolves. That's actually REALLY cool. It's also very nice because it adds some lovely pastel rainbow colors to the plain grey palette, breaking it up a bit without being overbearing. I also like that the segments go from small to large now, creating a pattern and adding some additional variation to the body.

The problem comes in with everything else. Those blue rings are downright garish, clashing with and taking away from the pastel colors added by the crystals. I don't even get what they're supposed to be anyway, and they don't seem to tie back into the crystal idea. They could've easily made those segments crystalline as well, or even just made them plain gray.

While less of a problem, I also think that those floating shards of metal are overkill. It's weird that they're floating (I've heard people argue magnetism, but that would make the shards stick to it rather than float around it), and I don't think you need them to convey the idea of the crystals breaking out of the metal shell. They're not terrible, but they're just cluttering an already cluttered design. (The excavator jaw is also a bit odd and doesn't quite fit with the crystal thing, but it's not that big of a deal in and of itself.)

Anyway, overall: Onix is fine, but the body's a bit plain. Steelix is a pretty solid evolution in both concept and design. Mega Steelix is way too cluttered for its own good, with a great concept buried under weird jarring visuals. Still, some pretty decent rock snakes all around.

[i-never-forgot]

1, 2, and 7 of the pokemon ask game if that's alright!

Thank you, Sofie!🥰

1. What’s your favorite Pokemon?

I FINALLY HAVE AN EXCUSE TO POST THIS OML. I’VE BEEN SITTING ON THIS THING FOR MOMTHS AND KEPT FORGETTING ABOUT IT. THIS IS PROBABLY WAY OVERKILL FOR THIS QUESTION BUT IDC LOL. (Ignore how cheesy my team is. It’s very self-indulgent and subject to change bc I have a really hard time deciding which I like best.)

2. Is there a Pokémon you hate/dislike?

I’m very much a live and let live Pokemon enjoyer bc I know any particular one I say will be somebody’s favorite, and every one still fills a place in the world even if they’re not popular. That said…I was really disappointed with designs like Alolan!Persian, Aromatisse, and I will never get over that one fanart of a potential Wooloo evolution as a wolf in sheep’s clothing bc it looked sick as hell and would’ve been way cooler than just a ram. Stuff like that!

7. What’s your favorite Type combos?

I think the most interesting ones are those that juxtapose so well! Concepts like Fire/Ice, Grass/Ice, Ghost/Fairy, Dark/Fairy, Electric/Water—elements that would normally be juxtaposed but coexist in particular designs! Also regional form variations like this are really intriguing to me, like fire versus ice Ninetails!

[bllsbailey]

Government Overreach Run Amok: NY State Kills Peanut the Squirrel

I admit it; I’ve grown especially fond of squirrels. They’re devious little brats, as they should be because they’re just trying to survive in a Charles Darwin world of survival. 

I have a bunch of them in my yard, and they are absolutely ingenious at stealing the bird food that I’ve set up for my feathered friends—they eventually figure out almost any device or measure I put out to stop them. (I finally found one that works: a reverse cone set up on the bird feeder that prevents them from jumping up on it. Thank me later.)

But don't tell that to the odious bureaucrats in Gov. Kathy Hochul's New York. They felt the need to take out Peanut:

Squirrels have earned my hard-earned respect, and when I open my office door in the morning as I get to work, and they're outside in the yard giving me that little cute-eyed stare, I'm man enough to admit that I’m kinda touched.

It is understood that, for some, squirrels are pests and must be eliminated. I get it—I had family members back in the day who lived in Wyoming, and although the myriad gophers, or "picket pins" as we used to call them, were cute, they were negatively contributing to the situation and had to be taken out.

So we did what needed to be done, and we took care of that. Sometimes reality is hard.

But was there any need for NY State to step in and kill this guy’s pet? You be the judge:

Peanut the Squirrel, of internet fame, has been euthanized after the pet was seized by New York state earlier this week, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. The seven-year-old gray rescue squirrel, commonly referred to as “P’Nut” on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, was put to death, along with Fred the raccoon, so that the animals could be tested for the presence of rabies, according to a statement from the agency obtained by WETM.  

Literally – why?!

After all, he was here legally, unlike so many other interlopers under the Harris-Biden regime:

Was this necessary? No.

“RIP MY BEST FRIEND. Thank you for the best 7 years of my life. Thank you for bringing so much joy to us and the world. I’m sorry I failed you but thank you for everything,” Longo wrote in a caption to the post announcing Peanut’s death.

Listen, I’m no snowflake, and I get that we are carnivores (or omnivores if you so choose), and I love my pork, my steak, and my chicken. And I’ve worked on a ranch—I have no illusions about how meat gets to our table. I once was tasked on a farm with getting the chickens ready for eating, and I admit, it was a sobering process. Taking a live chicken and making it ready for your fried hot wings does wake you up to some harsh realities. But there is a little thing called evolution that made us this way, and you can’t chuck it away based on a slogan. The reality is we are the ultimate predator, and we were made to eat flesh as at least part of our diet.

But somehow, that same evolutionary force bred kindness into our hearts, and many of us pray for the sacrifices of the animals that provide us our meals. We do not wantonly torture animals or hurt them for no reason, and in fact, we take millions of them into our homes and consider them family.

Was Peanut a threat to you, me, or anybody else? It certainly doesn’t seem like it.

What it does seem like it is a gross big government overkill that seems right out of Orwell’s "1984." I love my little squirrel family that dominates my backyard, and if anybody comes to try to say otherwise, be advised that I will take full advantage of my Second Amendment Rights.

[seoulbeatscom]

P1Harmony's "Killin' It": An Impressive Testament of Artistry and Evolution

Six mini albums to predate a first full-length album release may seem like overkill, but P1Harmony’s debut into LP territory couldn’t have come at a better time for the six-piece group, who debuted at the end of 2019. Known for their grungy, fierce sound, P1Harmony have spent their past four (going on five) years and six EPs experimenting, excelling, and growing into their musical style, which they showcase in its full, evolving glory on their latest, Killin’ It. 

Although “Killin’ It” isn’t too different from P1Harmony’s previous title tracks in terms of form, it feels especially novel in the members’ attitude-filled, but still playful, delivery of their pompous lines

[incandescentia]

As much as I designated Killian to be pretty much superhuman in capability (amazing stamina, natural agility, great eyesight, powerful physical strength etc etc), I think actually giving him the 350-degree equine vision is too much of an overkill. It's very much advantageous for him in combat, but he'll be experiencing sensory overload 24/7 with such powerful sight. Humanoid evolution did nerf some of his original species' physical prowess, but maybe it is for a good reason. 😅