#Scatter was also really dang good

[oldtvandcomics]

Happy Queer Media Monday!

Today: Hearts of Heroes series by Molly J. Bragg

I usually avoid reccing ongoing series, but each of these books is self-contained enough to be read in isolation.

(The series as it is at the time of posting on Amazon. I cut out the Kindle prices, but left in the (very high) star ratings.)

Hearts of Heroes is a lesbian superhero romance series that contains, at the date of posting (Time Stamp: 25/9/2023) three books. Each of them tells the origin story of a different hero, the name of whom is also the title of the book. They are all self-contained stories, but the books are all set in the same universe, so that old heroes and concepts pop back up in the new novels. 

At the moment, it is all giving off very early MCU vibes, when everything was still fresh and every movie was about introducing a new hero and expanding their world. Bragg’s three main heroines are all very different, with very different powers and relationships. Their relationship to their queerness is also very different, but they have in common that they all feel very, very real. They are the kind of people who you could come across on Tumblr at any moment, and they would just blend into the crowd of queer users. The author, by the way, actually IS on Tumblr as @themollyjay, so maybe that is why.

The only possible critique one could have about this series is that it works better as a romance than as a superhero adventure. But that can be helped by telling people beforehand, so that they can manage their expectations.

I have done an in-depth review for Queer SciFi of both Transistor and of Aether, but they don’t seem to have posted the Aether one yet. I’m still making this post, because I’m tired of waiting.

Queer Media Monday is an action I started to talk about some important and/or interesting parts of our queer heritage, that people, especially young people who are only just beginning to discover the wealth of stories out there, should be aware of. Please feel free to join in on the fun and make your own posts about things you personally find important!

[theoraclej]

THAT SEASON FINALE!

light, where to begin, a disjointed ramble of things I observed:

Dovie’andi se tovya sagain! - Mat said the words, he said the words!

And he made his own ashandarei! I hope he gets the raven-inlaid one though because I’m sure no one wants him running around with that dagger

And I know he’s going to get a massive S3 glow-up because he sees himself as MORE, now. Yay Mat!

RAND exploding the shit out of the Seanchan including Turak; nice way around his general lack of swordtraining which I’m sure will be remedied

Once the Heron, to set his path!

The interplay between Rand (and Lews Therin before him), Lanfear, Ishamael - they were besties in the Age of Legends, lmao!

I had expected the intro to be a high society polyam party they were attending, not the Sealing of Ishamael, 🤭

The Warder bond was beautiful, flowing, intimate, just what I imagined when reading these books some 25 years ago

I knew Moiraine was gonna say Lan was her better!

I’m so glad they’re back together though, legendary qpp

Nice to see the S1 intro sequence with the gorgeously woven Aes Sedai tapestry

I was a bit sad Nynaeve didn’t heal Elayne OR Rand but she DID swear to make Seta’s mother curse the first kiss her father ever gave her and THAT was cool

Hopper, my beloved! 😩 I would be chopping Whitecloaks too!

It was so satisfying to see Perrin obey his wolfly instincts already!

Elayne being the one to heal Rand’s wound was an interesting choice, and you can tell he was dazzled by her!

Book lines, book lines, book lines making me have conniptions every time one was uttered

“From birth to death I serve the Blood.”

UNO I KNEW YOU WERE COMING YA SHEEP-GUTTED MILK DRINKER

“For the Light, and Shinowa!” still gave me chills even without an expanded story behind it for Ingtar

Egwene al’Vere. I hope she earns a title of “the Unbroken” someday. Remember, Nynaeve even said that about her when Egwene was captured by Whitecloaks in S1!

Egwene, spitting out the damane gag and refusing to rain down fire on innocents, ah my girl, that’s that Two Rivers steel

Egwene, collaring Renna and choking her to death, being stronger than Renna, being able to withstand the pain of that because that’s exactly what Renna taught her

Egwene later, with that amazing shield against Ishamael to protect her friends!

Lanfear pushing Lan and Moiraine out of the ocean Waygate was very unexpected but totally within Lanfear’s lane, just to keep Moiraine away from Rand

Lanfear working to sell the Seals to Bayle Domon, which was so lmao also, and it really enhanced her utter shock when she entered the room later with the Seals all broken.

M O G H E D I E N 🕷️

She is perfectly creepy, perfect in every way. I can’t wait to see her tear shit up, or to see how she will be used in S3 and beyond

Never expected her to cage Lanfear in her webs, either, dang. Lillen Moiral wasn’t near so strong as Mierin. But we know some things are just Talents, and Moghedien is better in Tel’aran’rhiod than Lanfear

Did you notice Rand’s wound swirling with evil bits throughout the healed part? Really cool effect if you catch it

Aviendha, Bain, and Chiad showing they can fight just as well in close quarters in a city as in the Three-Fold Land; and then later acknowledging Rand as Car’a’carn

Though I’d hoped we’d get some good old He Who Comes With The Dawn in here too

Moiraine’s outstanding torpedo weaves that fucked up the Seanchan boats! And she understands the stakes - if the Dragon is gentled, or harmed, or captured, everyone’s life is in danger and that includes her and Lan

Anyhow fuck the Seanchan

Did it look like Suroth got blown up too? Does that mean she’s dead? I guess we’ll see who gathers in the scattered remnants of the Hailene!

The first “I’m not Lews Therin” from Rand

Mat taking a moment to mention Rand’s “shit hair” to Perrin while they were in the mix, lmao

That shadow ashandarei is really scary, it is a laser knife (lightsaber?) on a stick

I can’t wait for Perrin and Hopper to meet again in the Wolfdream

Speaking of which, I think Perrin’s eyes are permanently golden now

I cried at the coming of the Heroes of the Horn, I’m sure many of you did too 😭

Cool Hero fighting effects, I liked those

BIRGITTE SILVERBOW MY LOVELY

I figured Min’s vision of Mat “killing” Rand would be something like this, an accident, not an intentional thing

His blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul…

AL’LAN MANDRAGORAN, the Uncrowned King, Sworn to the Flame, bonded again, fighting as he was meant to, just slicing through armies, snatching arrows out of the air and stabbing people with them, chef’s kiss

I wonder if Nynaeve’s “failures” and inability to channel at these vital moments will give her the drive to break her block

Ishamael’s channeling at the end was really impressive, a testament to how much more he knows than Rand

I hope that’s not the last we see of Fares Fares, he was remarkable as Ishamael and a truly enjoyable villain

And since they didn’t have the Dragon banner of Lews Therin Telamon found with the Horn like in the books, Moiraine saw to it that he was heralded with literal fire

This I can imagine many people seeing from far away, and of course rumor travels further

The Falmen sure seem to appreciate it and of course the Seanchan are gone for now

Lanfear asking the LIGHT to protect Rand at the end is something interesting and NOT LOST ON ME

I REALLY ENJOYED IT and am looking forward to a full rewatch of S1 and S2!

Proclaimed across the sky in fire 🔥🐲

[odditycircus-2002]

Request: Hello, this was translated with Google so sorry if there are errors, it's my first time making a request too so I'm very nervous. Well, I was wondering, if it's not a bother, if you could agree to write some headcanon about Syzoth and the reader is a shapeshifter (she can be a woman and a wild fighter just like the animal she transforms into, also her diet is based on raw meat just for the convenience of the story, I would greatly appreciate it) shapeshifter that is preferably a Jaguar? I love these big cats. With the following situation: she was captured by Shang Tsung for his experiments, it turns out that she also came to where Syzoth was (whom she initially considered evil because he was practically the sorcerer's servant) but they only saw each other a couple of times, until they moved her to another place (where she would meet Syzoth's family) and would continue the experiments causing her to have a condition where while she was in her human form she would have traces of Jaguar fur scattered over her body and face (similar to vitiligo but instead of spots would have a feline coat). After a while, she, along with other experimental subjects would try to escape, including Syzoth's wife and son, but only she and the small reptile could escape together since the mother of the small reptile would sacrifice herself to save her son from an attack, both would end up injured after escaping, which would make Shang Tsung think that they are dead. A couple of months after Syzoth learned that her family was "murdered" and Shang Tsung's plot against the empress, she would meet the reader and her son, whom he would quickly recognize, but she is on the defensive because she believes that he is a subordinate of Shang Tsung and tries to attack him (at this point the boy and the shapeshifter reader should already be like a family because she took care of the little boy as if he were her baby) the little boy stops her and then reunites with his father, She wants to go with him but she doesn't want to leave the girl and so she follows them to take care of the child. Then simply how does the relationship with Syzoth and reader develop? Sorry if it was too long, I just wish I could read something like that and I really like how you write, I hope you can accept my request.

A/N: Alright, dang, this is a long one. I hope I did this justice. Next time, @destructor-mk, just use my inbox, please.

The Lizard and Jaguar

You are a proud Osh-tekk warrior and a born warrior through and through, proudly serving the Royal House to bring you, your people, and your family great honor. You have set your sights on climbing the ranks through Outworld’s military to serve as equals with General Shao, his second-in-command Reiko, and your King Kotal. Yet, for all your knowledge, your eagerness for any task, and your rare ability to turn into a Jaguar, you always seemed to fall short.

No matter what you do or how many hours you spend trying to practice harnessing the sun’s power, you can never seem good enough to be promoted. It seemed you had hit a wall and may spend the rest of your days as just an ordinary guard at the Royal palace. Never to see a real battle or taste the glory that came with it. Your frustration would often lead you to wander the edges of Sun Do in its seedier alleyways, looking for someone to fight to blow off steam and hopefully grow stronger.

This is how you met Shang Tsung, one of Sindel’s newly appointed Sorcerers. He watched as you entered another street fight, blending among the gathered crowd as they placed bets on who would win. Shang Tsung watched first to see if you and your opponent would make adequate test subjects. Yet, his attention was caught when, just as it seemed you were beaten, you made a comeback by transforming into a giant jaguar to make the winning blow. You let a roar in victory as the crowd cheered before transforming back, taking your winnings.

Shang Tsung intercepted you as you returned to the palace, hoping to make it before sunrise. He first complimented you on your tenacity and fighting abilities before inquiring why, for all your skill, he does not recognize you from General Shao's army. You bitterly explained that you can't maintain your jaguar form for long; otherwise, you know you would be a general by now. You mutter to yourself how you'd give anything to become stronger.

You didn't notice the devious smirk the Sorcerer gave before making you an offer you couldn't refuse. Shang Tsung told you that since he's a Sorcerer, he could make you stronger, faster and make your secondary form last longer and more powerful. All you had to do was meet him in the alley he met you in and at the same time. You accepted but didn't stop and think about how Shang Tsung's offer sounded too good to be true. If you did, you could've avoided what happened in that alleyway.

You arrived just as Shang Tsung instructed, only to find no sign of the Sorcerer. Instead, you were surrounded by a thick fog that made your head spin with each inhale you took. You let out a growl and demanded to know what is the meaning of this since, as a member of Outworld's military, you won't take this lying down. That's when a green figure blindsided you and knocked you to the ground. You rolled with the hit before returning to your feet, coming face to face with a masked figure. He held up his hands before speaking.

"Please stop; you'll make this more difficult for us both."

You growled before charging towards the masked figure to exchange blows. But as much as you were determined not to, you eventually faltered, allowing Syzoth to finally knock you out. You didn't hear his whispered apology as your eyes rolled into the back of your head. When you awoke again you were restrained on a metal table with Shang Tsung above you, with the most devious smile on his face.

"I assure you, I will give you all you want. Although, whether or not you will survive will remain to be seen."

You only knew pain from there. Shang Tsung would pump your veins full of a blue elixir for the first few days, setting your blood ablaze. You would scream and roar as you struggled against your restraints, which dug into your arms and legs. Then, just as the pain gets to a point that it's nothing but a dull throb. You would be released and then dragged to your cell before being tossed onto its unforgiving stone floors. After a while, you'd pull yourself into a corner of the cell and curl up there.

Each night, you would be left there with the only sounds from your cell: your bones shifting and cracking, teeth hitting stone, and low growls mixed in with pained heaves. You often scratched at your skin as the fur underneath grew in patches. The fur pattern matches the texture and pattern of your jaguar form, leaving you with a messed-up version of vitiligo. Your teeth eventually grew back, but they all sharpened and resembled your jaguar form.

The only positive, which is a very low bar at that point, of this torment was that every night, the same man that you fought before your capture would stop by your cell and slip in a heaping pile of meat through a small hatch. You just dug in and devoured it like the wild beast you now resembled. Teeth quickly dug into the meat like it was warm butter. However, you did care to learn the name of one of your captors after overhearing Shang Tsung reprimanding him for the close call with you earlier. Syzoth was his name, a name you would come to loathe for the part he would take in your torture.

After 12 days, you shockingly survived the transformation and all the elixirs Shang Tsung pumped into you. Unfortunately, that didn't mean the end of your torment or seeing your captors. Seeing as your condition stabilized, they immediately put you through more arduous tests. If you didn't willingly comply, Shang Tsung would punish you using electric shock in hopes of breaking you. When Shang Tsung finally decides he's done with you for the day and you're too exhausted or beaten to fight, he'd have his other minions take you back to your cell.

You received a new cell after surviving the initial experimentation. However, you had to share that cell with at least three other people, fellow experiments like you, plus two Zaterrans being held prisoner. A mother and her young son. You didn't speak much with the latter, often minding your business as you knew you must be horrifying to the two who never asked to be there. However, you would occasionally step in whenever a fellow experiment got too rowdy with the two, which mostly ended in you having to brutally kill them. Afterward, you'd return to your part of the cell to lick the blood off your fur and remaining skin.

But, unlike before, you weren't huddled in one spot to whimper like some newborn cub. This time, you were slowly digging an escape tunnel; you hid under your cot. The dirt you would get rid of by secretly dumping them out of your pockets either in a chamber pot or when being led to another round of testing. At one point, the Zaterran woman noticed your hole late at night, but she stared at you for a few tense moments before going back to sleep. She never said anything out loud, which did relieve you.

one night, during lights out, Shang Tsung flicked on the lights and opened all the cell doors. He announced that he would be pouring in toxic gas that would kill everyone. However, he would spare any of those who could kill another experiment and cease the gas. The Sorcerer explained that he was running out of room in his cells and wanted only the strongest experiments pandemonium broke out.

You aided the Zaterran woman and her son by ripping off the cloth from your cot to have them tie around their snouts so they don't breathe in so much of the toxic gas. You and the Zaterran woman fought side by side as you ripped and tore through many Tarkatan hybrids, all to protect the young boy behind both of you. However, the Zaterran couldn't fight for long, her stamina began to give, subjecting her to more deadly blows. Noticing this, you led her and her son back to your shared cell before closing the cell door, with the Zaterran tying it closed with her makeshift mask.

You ripped off a piece of your tunic to try and stop the bleeding in Zaterran's stomach, only for her to brush you off. Instead, she asks you if you'll take her son with you. When you tried to press her again, she only asked if you'd take her son out of this hellhole, so you acquiesced. You then watched the mother and son exchange their final words, with the son crying as he hugged his mother tightly and begging that she come with him. However, the mother reasons that she'll only slow him and you down. She tells the boy that he must live for both their sakes before pressing their foreheads against one another and parting. The Zaterran woman then rips away your cot before leading her son into it. You briefly stop to assure the woman.

The woman gives you a toothy smile before placing the cot back in place. You heard the woman give out a roar before the sound of wet tearing followed shortly after. You then took Jaguar form and started moving the tunnel as a huge section collapsed behind you. You only had a few feet left to dig before freedom, but you weren't sure you could dig it away in time. Luckily, you didn't, as the distraught Zaterran boy vomited acid at the wall in front of you, leading you to your freedom. After escaping, you and the boy were quick to limp away from Shang Tsung's horrid laboratory just as rain began to pour down on you both.

Afterward, you two made your way to the jungles of Zatera, where you both remained hidden for months. You knew the Royal Guard was out as you had overheard General Shao speaking at one point. He did nothing to help you or the people who were captured and experimented on, which just broke your heart.

During this time, you helped the boy learn how to hunt and stalk his prey, with or without his camouflage, which he was still trying to master. Sometimes, the boy will tell you about his life before Shang Tsung's laboratory, including his mother and father. Although the father wasn't captured with the boy and his mother, the boy assumed his father to be either missing or dead based on what the "Bad Man" would tell him and his mother.

You swore to the Boy that you will train him in the ways of the Osh-week so he may take his vengeance upon that vile Sorcerer for what he did to him and his family. The boy hugged you in return, which you reciprocated with a purr, much to your surprise. You would often let him sleep against you while you're in panther form to keep him warm and stay awake as long as you need to when he's inevitably awakened by his night terrors, unable to forget the horrors he's seen.

Meanwhile, a now-freed Syzoth would eventually catch word of a "Jaguar Woman" around the jungles of Zaterra just outside Zikandar. Thinking he knew who it was, as your body was never recovered, he made his way into said jungles, hoping to redeem himself for what he was complacent in.

After a long search and many close calls with some traps that included a Tygore trap, Syzoth did find the Jaguar Woman, you. You were not happy about it. In fact, so much so that when you decided you were done playing cat and mouse with Syzoth, you made yourself known to him. You cared nothing for the shapeshifter’s apologies and excuses, as you just wanted him DEAD. For the lives he helped taken and the pain he has caused, which Syzoth takes full accountability for.

He’ll also admit that you’ve gotten far stronger than the last time you two fought. You made quick and brutal work out of him, however just as you were about to deal the killing blow, your young charge appears before you, begging you not to kill his daddy.

You hesitated, torn between your love for the boy and your rage, but ultimately, your love won out and you spared Syzoth. The boy embraced his father, both crying as they held each other tight. The boy explaining how you have been protecting him this whole time, and Syzoth for how he thought he died alongside his mother.

Knowing this and hearing Syzoth’s side of the story, you two decided to return to civilization to co-parent his son. However, that didn’t mean you forgave Syzoth. And to say your relationship with him was rocky would be putting it mildly. Still, you two can at least agree on wanting the best for the boy, and bond over the horrors Shang Tsung inflicted on to you both.

[elfhunk]

I'm generally out of the vocaloid circles since a few years after Miku. What would you recommend for someone to dip their toes back in?

i recommend MY MUSIC i mean honestly that lack of a clear entryway back in is kind of what has made the age of the original miku boom so appealing, i think?

it used to be a really densely compacted fandom... and now... it's not...

the vocal synth space was so consolidated into effectively one language & set of voice banks and at the height of miku's power there was just no competition. there was pretty much just the crypton crew... and gumi, and sort of gakupo. fanart consolidated around a narrower set of songs, translations & reuploads were all localized...

it's funny as hell to look at the full timeline of when people who weren't diehard fans couldn't keep up with the sheer amount of shit coming out, even as the landscape was getting genuinely super exciting across so many new supported languages & diversity of characters.

it's a fascinating history with a lot of ebbs & flows!

but we're currently experiencing a bit of a renaissance... because, uh, an elephant in the room of machine learning models making this software rapidly a lot better. here's a good twitter thread explaining where we're at, and how we currently understand this software is being developed.

the moral of the story is that it ain't even vocaloid anymore. we've all scattered to the wind across a bunch of different software. synthesizer V! cevio! voicevox! maghni! it's getting confusing!

hence, why a lot of people prefer to tag as "vocal synth" or something, because it's an annoying kleenex vs. tissue situation.

regardless, here are some of my recent favs:

my friend @hoshizukiyo111 made a playlist of teto songs that i have been liberally enjoying. teto you'll recognize from UTAU days, but she's gotten a huge spike in popularity with her SV port being so dang good.

2. i've been obsessed with like_a_basyauma's work with akane & aoi kotohana. these two are actually more famous for being text to speech characters who then got SV voice banks! the take of them as doing their best while sharing a brain cell is unbelievably charming.

3. OSTER project has been an idol of mine for like a decade now, and her most recent song with zundamon's voicevox library has been stuck in my head since it released. it's so true. zundamon is a girl. OSTER is the #1 purveyor of lesbianism in the vocal synth space and i thank her for her service every day.

honestly, it's mostly a game of just training your youtube recommendations to launch you into the right part of the internet. a lot of the uploading has consolidated onto youtube the past few years, so trawling NND isn't as necessary as it used to be...

you can also check out the #vocalonew tag on twitter, where people will post their new releases.

best of luck on your journey!

[amigac0debasic13]

hey guys. Do u even care about what I have to say. Thats right baby. It’s a mini rant. Young Garmadon edition and the horrors of white boy Star Wars core.

Okay so. Erm.? I don’t like garmadons child design in the show. This guy is way too twink coded as a young adult for me and that’s wrong. He’s a beast. And also))??? Lots of paragraphs on Wu depression. Thats the synopsis now look below for further horro r

Hello??? Dang man tatooine is calling ???? IM. SORRY THAT WAS MEAN. I’ve always felt like the spinjitzu bro books did a better job with his design, but brunette just isn’t it. Black hair. Right now. Make it naturally white but also make him fucjing stupid so he dyes it with Ink because he doesn’t want whit4 hair cause he’s DUMB.

Look alive. Make him wear a ponytail and give him the black dyed hair COWARDS.

Anyways that parts over. Now I’m going to talk about my issues with how people draw him in his human form a lot.

I feel like the twinkification is real. All human designs I’ve found of Garmadon that don’t use legos ambiguous yellow color are pasty white and this madness must STOP!!! I think if u wanna make him a cracker it’s ok. It’s fine. But it is a little boring seeing the same designs scatter my Garmadon picture wall(/J I DONT HABE THA)

‘And also while I’m at it, I’m gonna be real and say that any design for wu in the series is pretty good. Still mad he looks like a normal guy. TBH. Many fan designs give him more dragon like traits, and I think that’s so cool, but I’ve always had a specific idea I’ve never seen executed personally. I think Wu would chop his horns off if he had them permanently out.

Wu clearly isn’t a fan of just showing off his dragon or Oni traits. He straight up doesn’t do it, even as a kid (he should honestly be shown with those traits cause he really doesn’t give a fuck as a child) and I believe that his tormented old man position (see the many drawings and tweets from the shows authors and writers) he wouldn’t exactly be drawn to having his traits on display. The completely reasonable solution? Scar himself permanently by wacking them off with a blade. Sounds like something he’d do in young adult hood. His horns being out insinuates he can’t just shapeshift to make them go away, so erm!! Pretty smart solution ngl!!!

‘’Now it’s time for Wu trauma oooooooo!!!!! Oh my god part of his soul is GONE????

In one of the spinjitzu bro books Wus soul is forced into a little puppet. At the end of the book, the puppet is still alive and moving. When the ninja ask to see a puppet show before Wu recounts this, he has a physical reaction.

so. Wu is having a great time. Also, in one of the comics (forgot the name and I can’t for the LIFE OF ME remember where I read this) he confronts. Basically the embodiment of his fears. Basically he doesn’t want to become like his SHIT father who is literally god. leave him ALONE.

So. Uhm. In conclusion. Whirlwind (wus canon nickname) and Softie (Garmadons canon nickname) need to get their shit together <33333333

[sweeteastart]

Why do you love the Legend of Zelda? What first drew you to it?

That's.... A complicated answer lmao well more like long. sorry for the ramble !!

What drew me in

First off, unlike a lot of people I know I wasn't raised with the games. My parents were more Square Enix games people. Dragon quest and Final fantasy were the big games from my early years. So I had and still have very limited knowledge of the Legend of Zelda licence.

That's my dear friend @lennsart that got me into it. Unlike me, Loz was a huge part of their childhood and they know the lore better than even the Zelda encyclopedia-- They are 100% the one to thank for even bringing the games to my attention !

The first game I played of all the possible games was Hyrule Warrior with Lenn. I really enjoyed playing it and it got me intrigued. I mean look at Link in this game. Fabulous boy going to war.

Recently, they got really into Link meet AU.

To be more precise, they got into @bonus-links . One look at Warrior and I was smitten. He didn't even appear yet in the comic that i adopted the guy. Love this man. I want to become cosplay him so bad.

Also they read This is an Adjuration by @not-freyja and wanted to get their feelings out. I listened and stumbled HARD into the fandom. Drew Warrior as consolation because I was not okay I really have to sit down and read it before the end ....

I even had the privilege of a full PowerPoint presentation of each boy so I could understand LU/Link meets AU and read their fanfic A cave like a net (and a spilled secret) if that's not dedication I don't know what else is.

You could say I'm here thanks to lenn, @bonus-links and @not-freyja --

What I love about the legend of Zelda

Unsurprisingly, I'm a huge Kingdom Hearts fan so the complicated timelines and plots drew in the gremlin in me.

Then I started to really look at the lore and characters.... And dang is there lots of fun things to learn. My knowledge of it is still scattered and random but that's really fun !!

I really love the music too. That's the side of the games I first learned about before even playing Hyrule Warriors. Song of storm and song of healing have been my go-to for a good decade now.

Recently I started playing Ocarina of Time and I'm counting this as another reason I love the Legend of Zelda. That's very fun even if I have negative skills in video games ahah

TLDR : My friend got me into Zelda by talking about @bonus-links amazing and delectable paneling and colours, scaring me with @not-freyja masterpiece This is an Adjuration and talking about LU (also their fire fanfic).

I love Zelda for the complex timeline and lore shenanigans, the music and my first time playing OOT very recently.

Thanks for the ask ♪♪♪♪

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Who’s next?

Well, first off - I want to ask Hiyoko want she doesn't go to her mother, is there a reason?

Well, the reason I don't go to my mom is also because she doesn't really care about it, in fact she often says; 'Then maybe you should stop assuming the worse people, your old enough to understand.'

So yeah, that's why I go to daddy then either mom or grandma, I just don't like their responses.

And I guess since your dad wasn't there, he doesn't know much about it and doesn't ask any further?

Well yeah, I always talk to daddy about that stuff and he mention they must be jealous and doesn't question any further.

Okay, thank you for answering my questions...

---------------------------------------------------------------

Pranks done onto by Hiyoko Saionji:

Pins In Shoes - Culpirt: Keiichi Matsumoto but believe to be Emiri Yauchi Date: July 2nd, 2002 Reason: I was practicing my dance but kept messing up bits of the dance but a girl named Emiri Yauchi saw me perform and wanted to watch, I say yes and I perform in front of her - she seem to admire my skills but one day, during practice she wanted to try the steps herself and perform better then me, in a fit of jealousy and insecurity I push her, I kept picking on her for a few months then put pins in her shoes on July 1st, 2002 and she assumes we were friends but I call her servant, but her brother - Keiichi Matsumoto saw what happen and retaliated in return on July 2nd, 2002 and I figure Emiri knew what happen despite having no idea her brother did and call her a traitor.

Poison Food - Culpirt: Date: Reason:

Scatter Dead Mice Over Bed - Culpirt: Date: Reason:

Drop Stage Light - Culpirt: Date: Reason:

---------------------------------------------------------------

Okay so now that we got that down, let's go over poisoning, can you explain that one?

Oh... right, that one; well this also happen in 3rd grade and it all started in home economic class.

I'm sure you must be aware that I'm pretty clumsy in everything else besides dancing; this includes things like cooking and cleaning.

Oh right, Home Ec. I do remember that Class is to help children to become independent, correct?

Yeah and the school allow us to eat the food that was made in there and if not, we can throw it away and eat the lunch that was provided by the school.

Which I think it should be obvious that I can't cook worth shit and I was mocked for it, especially by the kids in that class!

...

...

...

Date: January 4th, 2003

*In Home Economics, the kids are making lunch*

GIRL: Heh, wow Naoyuki you really suck at cooking, huh? I mean it's been nearly a whole year and you haven't improve.

Well sorry but I'm not good at this cooking stuff, I remember the last time I cook something I burn the toast but luckily grandma was able to stop it.

BOY: Eh I mean hey, we are all still learning y'know and besides, the school does provide lunch anyway so you don't have to eat this stuff.

Heh, yeah your right - I'll probably throw this out later and get the lunch school provided...

GIRL 2: Yeah, good but man - I think even if your bad at cooking, no one is as bad as Hiyoko! I mean, seriously what is she making?

I-I'm trying to make hand made sweets I like so muuuuch!

*The candy is broken apart* Da-Darnit, why is this haaard!

BOY 2: Hahahahaaa, dang she really isn't that good! What a clutz!

GIRL 3: I know right, it's funny she can't make her favorite thing right!

Sh-Shut up, I'm trying at least; you guys are jerks!

...

*Hiyoko runs out of class*

(Darn them, they all suck! Why are they making fun of me, it's not fair at all!)

Those guys think their soooo much better then me... I'll show them, I remember the teacher often let's the kids eat the food the made around lunch time...

Hmm, I think I thought of an idea... heheheheee...

...

...

...

*At lunch time, the teacher walk out and Hiyoko sneaked in*

*Hiyoko walk over to the table seeing all the kids food that was made* Good, this is what they left, so that means...

Yoink! Now it's all mine, I can eat this now and show those brats! *Hiyoko ran off with the food*

'I decided a way to get back, is by taking their lunches and eating it for myself since I deserve it.'

[moonsidesong]

played till the end of the Starlo fight, wouldve loved to do more but i got work in the morning so i dont really have time to delve into a new area or listen to big loredump monologues lol.

i really like it! really good stuff. noticing a pretty common motif in characters bringing up jobs/employment/some sort of duty. interested in seeing where thats headed.

more under the cut!! just scattered little thoughts nothing really comprehensive

martlet's stupid molten rock puzzles sucked bad (the physics for that second one were actually abysmal and i spent way longer there than i shouldve) but the rest of them have been fine. i kinda liked the minecart ones. puzzles aren't really why we're here though, obviously, so its not like, a super big point against the game that one of them sucked. LOL

snowdin was notttttttt my favorite segment of the game. mostly for the rock puzzles and also the backtracking for the fetch quest was kind of annoying.. i know that its optional but like, im the kinda person who wants to try and see everything i can so obviously im gonna go for that!!!!! plus i got a real good item out of it... On a lighter note i think its funny how pretty they made snowdin because it leaves the impression that its only gotten uglier in the past few years . like what did you guys do in there

the mail thing is fun. i really like the mail. nothing else to say i just love funny little extra dialogue

the rhythm fight was fun! it took me a good handful of attempts but i felt like i got a little better at it every time which always feels good when it comes to hard boss fights.

ok that stupid evil starlo attack where he both shoots at you and rings the bell got me really bad but eventually i got good at the rest of the fight just enough that i had enough Above Max health to just bruteforce it. i love being good at video games btw

and like on that note ok listen i get the appeal of starlo now i love him super fun character but anytime he said literally anything me and bestie would just point at him and say Grown ass man and that only got funnier when he started losing it and trying to kill this random little baby because he thinks its their fault his friends are mad at him. Grown ass man

i think flowey being Sorta your ally and also the chief saving mechanic because you're not a particularly determined guy is really neat, i was wondering going in how they'd deal with that since flowey says outright in real undertale that Frisk is the first time that ever happened. kinda just waiting for him to stab me in the back tho i know its gonna happen that boy is too effed up and fake and sick in the head for it not to happen ess em ayche

i know some people think Ceroba's design is a little too out of place, and like, maybe a little, but if im honest i think its more the sprite than the design itself? i think its just like, a tad too ornate for undertale. i think if she had less pretty shading and maybe her bow was a little sloppier people would complain less. which is kind of a funny thing to say. man i love undertale. either way it doesnt really bother me, its a fangame let em have fun

this has been my series of disjointed thoughts! ill probably have more when i finish the game. obviously dont tell me anyth wait hang on hold on my evil horrid bestie just spoiled thg. JUST SPOILED THE GAME!!!!! DO YOU SEE THIS!!! EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

actually the most evil person i ever met. dang. man. kicks a little rock. stares at the wall. well i guess ill still play the game anyway

thanks for reading my post goodnight

[wheredostarsgowhenyoudie]

Wooooh. Just finished The Last Immortal. :) :) :)

And since it is completed, I am now allowed to give spoilers from the novel Shen Yin or Hidden God by Xing Ling hahahhaa. Gosh, you don't know how much I wanted to fangirl with someone over this hahha!!

Thing is, I love the drama! I love the story and many more things about it.

But dang it, because the novel is even more heartbreaking.

WARNING: NOVEL SPOILERS BELOW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. (Many things are not included/changed in the drama, so this may seem unfamiliar.)

.

.

.

Disclaimer: Let it be said that it was very, very hard to find good english translations for this novel. I had to endure reading robot and google translation. XD

The points below are spoilers I noted from what I understood of what I have read.

Low and behold...

1) Yuan Qi's sacrifice

🪷A thousand years ago, when Yuan Qi used the spirit sword to punish A Yin, Yuan Qi had already been dead.

See, the power of chaos can bring the immortal souls to life. So when Gu Jin became a god, he used his power to ensure the reborn of everyone they lost on Daze Mountain. He did it at the expense of his own life.

Feng Yin learned this too late.

2) The last battles

🪷Feng Yin joined the contest for the role of heavenly empress. Ajiu disguised himself to join it with her. They were together fighting Hua Shu and Hua Mo.

While this was happening, Yuan Qi was using all he has to seal the purgatory. Bibo was with him, his heart breaking at learning that Yuan Qi only had a body because of the Spirit Sword. All that he was seeing was nothing but a piece of a soul still fighting to save the three realms.

His friend Yuan Qi had long been gone. The power of chaos was no more.

Now, these next parts are from the epilogues.

3) Feng Yin's Dreams

🪷After Yuan Qi's death, Feng Yin keeps dreaming about him. In those dreams, Yuan Qi will tell her, "As long as you're here, I will always be by your side. Believe me, I will never leave you."

4) Ayin's forgotten lifetimes

Did you ever wonder what happened to Ayin in all those lifetimes she had lived in her tribulations?

Remember in the drama how Yuan Qi visited every reborn immortal from Daze Mountain but they couldn't seem to remember him?

🪷 In Shen Yin, that piece of Yuan Qi that clings with A Yin, the very part of him that saved himself in the drama, that piece had been with Ayin in every lifetime in all the tribulations that she had.

In every lifetime that she lived, there was a person who had been a constant, always with her, always looking after her, always trying to save her and failing no matter how hard he tried.

He always looked after her from one lifetime to another. But at every end, he took away her memories of him.

5) Feng Yin goes to the god realm

🪷Feng Yin forced her way into the god realm to plead Gu Jin's parents for help.

But Shang Gu just told her that Yuan Qi is her own flesh and blood. If she could save him, she would have done so already. She told Feng Yin to go back as it wasn't her time to enter the god realm yet.

6) Uncle Devil God

🪷 The devil god appeared before Feng Yin. He said he's there to sight see. Oh, and he also wants to save his eldest nephew, Yuan Qi, who doesn't even look at him.

Feng Yin had no qualms believing the devil god if he says he can really save Yuan Qi. It made the devil god very amused.

The devil god was kind enough to reveal the fact that long ago, when Feng Yin's souls were scattered into the world, Yuan Qi took a piece of his soul for her. And this soul has been with her all along. The power of chaos had been with her affecting her karma in every reincarnation. Yuan Qi's soul and Feng Yin's soul were intertwined. So if she lives, then he would not die.

When Feng Yin asked him why he's telling her all these, the devil god answered that many years ago, a man told him that a devil is a devil and will never be recognized by all spirit and is meant to temper the spirits. He believed all these and so he played his role. But Feng Yin showed him that fate can be changed, and so he wants to give it a try.

Feng Yin used that piece to revive Yuan Qi.

7) Scheming true god in-laws

🪷Meanwhile, in the god realm, Bai Jue is asking Sang gu why she didn't just tell Feng Yin that Yuan Qi could be saved when she came for them.

Shang Gu replied that the son (P.S. she actually calls Yuan Qi 'bastard' lol) is just like his father. He lives as he says and dies at he says. She also wanted to teach her daughter-in-law (aka Feng Yin).

They could not help teasing each other, as always. It was cute haha.

8) Yuan Qi and Feng Yin's married life

🪷In the novel, they had a daughter and Yuan Qi calls her princess. They banter about who she takes after, and Feng Yin asks him who is more important, her or their daughter? XD

When said daughter goes missing, the hint is for them to look where there are handsome immortals. Hahhahaa.

She totally took after them.

Shen Yin link:

Epilogue link:

NOTE: Before you freak out, those links are Chinese and Indonesian. YES, I KNOW. I did say I had to read robot and google translate lol. So to read it in your language, log in to google. Open the link in mobile. At the upper right of the google tab, click on the three consecutive dots and select 'Translate' (to English or whatever language you need it translated).

Enjoy! :)

[dndeed]

Crit Role Miniature Rollout: C3E47 The Fey Key

With Andrew Harshman

An archive and analysis of the minis used on CR.

Something I really appreciate about this episode is that it illustrates how useful miniatures and maps are even outside of initiative. Great for Metal Gear Solid espionage shenanigans and for chase sequences. Also, I do enjoy a good usage of fire minis.

The demolition is on, it’s time for Crit Role Miniature Rollout Campaign 3 Episode 47!

The List

Mats by Mars: Green Hills Tabletop Wargaming Play Mat

Dwarven Forge Wilderness

Dwarven Forge Ruins Arches

Dwarven Forge Fire

Dwarven Forge Dice Reliquary Artificer Hero Furnace Portal

Printable Scenery Rampage System Observatory

D&D Spell Effects: Mighty Conjurations Spiritual Weapon

D&D Spell Effects: Spell Effects: Wall of Fire

D&D Wild Beyond the Witchlight #48 Jabberwock

Modified Reaper Miniatures Drago Voss Kryn Soldier

Multiple Modified Reaper Miniatures Red Mantis Assassin Kryn Soldier

Pathfinder Rise of the Runelords #27 Malfeshnekor

Baldur's Gate Descent Into Avernus #44-45 Narzugon & Nightmare

Two unknown enemy minis

Unidentified Castle

Assorted buildings

Assorted scatter terrain

The Best and Worst Mini

Big Boss Man Baldur's Gate Descent Into Avernus #44-45 Narzugon & Nightmare

The ominous fellow riding the dorky dragon is a pretty unique model. This minis is a regular transformer. A mounted and onfoot model all in one! What a deal. So I respect the utility and the coolness factor. But the pose is just too dang bland. Super cool design though. And while Narzugon the armored knight is mounted, you can use the legs-only model as some sorta homebrewed Awakened Aeor Asskicker Automaton. So all-in-all, pretty good.

The Biggest Mini

Fey Dragon D&D Wild Beyond the Witchlight #48 Jabberwock

No wonder the Alice in Wonderland Jabberwocky got killed by a vorpal sword. Look at that ridiculously long neck, how could you miss it?? Of course it's gonna get beheaded. I dig this sculpt. Very gnarly and alien.

The Returning Minis

Guards Modified Reaper Miniatures Drago Voss Kryn Soldier

Woh-ho-ho, what do we have here- another Xhorhasian military sighting. The far left model has appeared a few times as a Kryn soldier. And now, more modifications of this same Reaper mini. Matt must have gotten a bulk discount.

The Unknown Minis 

Guards

So maybe the guard on the left is another Drago Voss Kryn Soldier with some extra kitbash. As for the right model, would like a closer look at this. Guess we'll see if we get one.

See ya next sesh!

#critroleminiaturerollout

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #314: "Along Came A Spider..."

February, 1990

Guest-Starring the Amazing SPIDER-MAN! INTO THE VOID!

The world has apparently been replaced by a void but yet the headline is "Spider-Man hangs out with Avengers"?

Weird priorities, cover text and also title of issue.

Jarvis is on the cover but doesn't get a "guest-starring Edwin Jarvis" caption? That's BS!

Anyway.

Last times in Avengers: just a whole bunch of stuff. Atlantis Attacks and Acts of Vengeance back to back. Avengers Island sank and the grounds of Avengers Park suffered significant damage.

The Avengers have given up on the whole island headquarters thing, despite having only just moved into it. They're moving back to Avengers Park where the old Avengers Mansion was located. And they're gonna make it bigger this time!

(It was already variably big so whatever.)

Iron Man lands and invites himself into the conversation that Cap is having with I guess the construction foreman.

The guy, Mr. Withers, thinks they'll need blasting permits to expand the sub-structure like the Avengers want. But Iron Man ironsplains that the additions fit pretty closely to what's already there.

Despite abandoning the original Avengers Mansion site and moving the whole mansion to Avengers Island, all the original sub-basements were maintained, including plumbing and electrical. So that part of the new HQ construction job is already done.

He knows because Tony Stark told him, wink.

Captain America has a similar reaction that "New" Iron Man got with the West Coast Avengers.

Gosh, he certainly knows everything Tony Stark knows. And Cap knows that Iron Man was Tony Stark. But the original Iron Man supposedly died after Armor Wars. But Tony Stark is still around. And now there's a supposedly new Iron Man.

But if "new" Iron Man is Tony, why won't he admit it to his good pals?

Anyway, Thor takes a giant ball of debris from the site to deposit in a government land-fill in New Jersey.

There might be proprietary technology mixed in so they'll have to sort through it all but the land-fill will let them keep it out of the way but still under guard.

Mr. Withers: "Wow! Y'know, I've read about Thor, even seen him onna TV..." Iron Man: "But up close he does kind of take your breath away. I know. And you know something, Withers? You just never get used to it!"

Cap, overhearing this exchange: HM BUT IF YOU WERE A NEW IRON MAN, YOU'D HAVE BARELY BEEN AROUND THOR AT ALL.

Tony, just confide in your damn friends so they don't stand around =_= at you all day.

Since Iron Man somehow knows everything about the sub-basements, Captain America decides to head off on a mission of his own.

With his pilot, John Jameson and the newly fixed Quinjet. Yes, the one that crashed during Acts of Vengeance has been made like new.

I suppose if Quinjets get destroyed as often as they have been, it saves money to repair what can be.

Cap's mission?

Recruitment!

Cap has John hover outside Sersi's apartment so he can go inside and proposition her.

No, not like that.

Sersi is decorating for Christmas. While Eternals aren't really down with Buddy Christ, Sersi also doesn't let a good excuse to party pass her by.

She also wants to bang Cap probably but he's here on business. Between the Negative Zone trip and her help in Atlantis Attacks and y'know, there is an Eternal vacancy since that Gilgamesh guy went on medical leave... Sersi, will you join the Avengers?

Meanwhile, Thor is carrying the large garbage ball New Jerseyward when suddenly the world goes photo-negative and he drops the dang thing.

And as unluck would have it? He dropped it right over a school!

Dangit, Thor!

Thor yells at the mortals to scatter but realizes that when the ball drops, its going to shotgun razor sharp shrapnel everywhere.

His only other thought is to hit the ball with Mjolnir, which solves a lot of problems but wouldn't this time. It'd just knock it down faster.

But then a wonderful sound: thwiiippt!

And then vvrrooosh!

Tethered by something, instead of hitting the playground, the ball of garbage swings like a pendulum.

This gives Thor the opportunity to throw Mjolnir from a lower vantage point. Throw it so hard it embeds in the ball. Then he hops the fence, books it to a big, clear area, and summons Mjolnir (and the garbage ball) back to himself.

He catches it, pulls out Mjolnir, and sets the garbage sphere down.

A guy: "Wow! Thor... That was somethin' else!!" Thor: "Verily? What was it then, I wonder?"

Thor is down with modern slang.

Thor calls Spider-Man to come out, since he recognized his webbing tethering the trash orb.

He asks if the wall-crawler also felt the world go photo-negative.

And not in the exact same way, no. But something made his spider-sense scream at him.

Thor realizes that this is bigger than a giant ball of garbage so he abandons that where he set it down. And tells Spider-Man they need to get to Avengers HQ like now!

Spider-Man: "But... But I'm not an Avenger...?? Thor...?"

Oh, Spider-Man! You act like you've never been dragged into a crossover or guest star spot before!

And I know you have.

Meanwhile, at Sersi's apartment, both Sersi and Captain America felt the photo-negativity too.

Cap describes it as feeling like "my whole head had turned inside out" and it is very alarming that Sersi felt the same. If it floored too strong people like them, what are normal peeps feeling?

No, really, what are normal peeps feeling? In the Thor drops garage scene, we only see people reacting in fear to the giant garbage drop, not being floored by photo-negativity.

But over with Cap and Sersi, pilot John Jameson is so affected he can't fly the Quinjet and Cap has to budge him over to take the controls.

John Jameson: "Awful. As if... something had got inside me and turned every cell in my body upside down. I haven't felt anything like it since I was freed of the curse that used to transform me into the Man-Wolf!"

Okay, so, John is/was a super-powered weirdo too. Maybe its only affected superheroes and adjacent people.

(Also, Sersi decided to join the Avengers, at least in regards to this newest crisis. And she molecularly shifts her duds into a fur-lined version of her green swimsuit costume.)

The scene shift proves me wrong. All the construction crew have been knocked a loop by the whatsit. Which Vision (oh, hi, Vision) calls "some kind of flux, an atomic inversion."

And Vision's robot ears can hear thousands of people around the park moaning in pain. So the effect is widespread.

Iron Man himself is about as weak as the normal construction dudes but his armor is keeping him upright and moving.

Captain America and co arrive, reporting that the inversion effect was as widespread as Sersi's apartment.

Iron Man: "That's bad. As an Eternal, she's in complete mental control of every atom of her body at all times. For her to be hit..." Sersi: "... The effect must have been most powerful and insidious."

A good reason to have a super-powerful character on a superhero team is not just for how good they can beat people up. But so they can feel disturbances in the Force and go 'guys, shit is BAD.'

Meanwhile, the PolyDyne Lab with Professor Harker and Nebula.

Nebula in her generic blonde lady disguise and the professor are also woozied by the photo-negativity. The professor calls it an unexpected glitch but can't explain why it happened.

Nebula: "Old fool! Your so-called compressor holds the key to vast power, and you tell me now there are things about it you cannot predict?"

She calls her Rigellian henchman, Gunthar, who is in a spaceship orbiting Earth and wow, geez, he was knocked out by the effect too.

It's widespread enough to affect orbit!

Damn, Professor Harker!

Scratch that, Gunthar checked the sub-space communications grid and the effect actually covered AT LEAST the entire galaxy!

Damn, Professor Harker! You've moved up from blowing up your own house.

Nebula changes gears from yelling at Harker to being impressed how powerful the compressor is. She has Gunthar (that is such a penguin name) calculate the full extent of the effect.

Gunthar: "I have already done so, my lady... But I cannot believe my findings! According to the automatic scanners, at the precise moment the Earthling Harker's compressor reached within .0000000000000000001 percent of its maximum efficiency... the entire universe flashed out of existence!"

Holy shit!

Nebula is surprised that she stumbled assbackwards into such a source of power. So is Starfox, who is lurking in secret on Gunthar's ship.

He had no idea Nebula would come so close to becoming as powerful as Thanos or that Starfox would find it so difficult to stop her.

(Hey, Eros, a thought? Just blow up the PolyDyne facility. Duh.)

Gunthar cautions Nebula that while blinking the universe out of existence IS neat and it seems safe to continue testing, some undefined, mysterious "he" might be aggroed by all this and then bad things.

Back at Avengers Subbasement Serving As Headquarters Until The Mansion Gets Rebuilt, Captain America and Vision contact the West Coast Avengers.

Hank Pym confirms that the photo-negativity atomic inversion effect was even felt as far as California.

Hm. I think this scene contacting the West Coast Avengers should have gone before we learned the effect went as far as THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. Learning that it affected California is a bit of a 'no shit' situation. The Avengers are behind the audience.

(Also, I wonder when this is happening in conjunction with the Evil Scarlet Witch stuff. That arc happens right after Acts of Vengeance and nobody fell over shouting 'OW, MY ATOMS!' so I have to assume this is after all of that.)

Sersi finishes her psychic scan and reports that everyone on Earth felt the same effect.

Vision extrapolates that such a widespread effect MUST be outside the four fundamental forces.

I don't follow his logic but it's leading him in the right direction.

Vision: "In effect, something which cancelled out those forces." Wasp: "Canceled as in...?" Dr Pym: "That's impossible, Vision. if the four forces binding our universe together were to be cancelled..." Vision: "... The universe would cease to exist. Which is precisely what seems to have happened, Dr. Pym."

Wow, Vision. You really logiced your way into exactly what is happening.

Now the Avengers aren't behind the audience so much.

Hank guesses "the only thing that could really pack enough power to achieve the effect would be another universe encroaching on our plane of existence!"

Huh. He predicted Secret Wars (2015) way before it happened.

Captain America recalls that the Fantastic Four encountered the Beyonder or someone similar recently and wonders if the photo-negativity is a prelude to another Beyonder invasion.

Hank doesn't want to think about that. And unfortunately, there isn't enough data to make a good theory on the cause. They have no choice but to wait for it to happen again and hope that it doesn't.

Back at the PolyDyne lab, Nebula starts shouting at the lab people, telling them to start up the compressor again.

Nebula: "That was nearly it! That was the ultimate power I seek!!"

A goggled lab man protests the flux was a totally unanticipated effect and Professor Harker backs him up. BECAUSE. His calculations indicated something like this could happen... he just didn't tell anyone because it would have gotten in the way of him getting funding.

You dipshit!

YOU CALCULATED THE UNIVERSE MIGHT BLINK OUT OF EXISTENCE AND YOU BUILT THE MACHINE ANYWAY?

Go to your room!

Nebula is equally angry in the opposite direction.

Nebula: "You dare speak so to the granddaughter of Thanos? I have crossed and recrossed the universe seeking a source of energy that would elevate me to the position of power and fear he once commanded! I shall not be frustrated now!"

Two of the lab workers briefly discuss what the hell Nebula's deal is. She wasn't part of the deal between PolyDyne and Professor Harker. So either she was Harker's secret benefactor all along... or she's nuts.

GUYS. SHE'S NUTS. She's talking about ultimate power and Thanos! Someone pull the plug!

Starfox shows himself to Gunthar and knocks the Rigellian out with a judicious application of his PLEASURE POWER.

You're not beating the creepy powers allegation yet, Starfox.

He takes over the radio and tries to contact the Avengers but gets choked out by another of Nebula's minions before he can get further than "Starfox calling the Avengers!"

Jarvis does report to the Avengers that Starfox tried to contact them.

Sersi: "Eros? Of the Eternals of Titan? What's wrong...?" Captain America: "Easy, Sersi. I know your own race of Eternals is distantly related to the dwellers of the Saturnian moon, but there may not be anything to get upset about here..."

Jesus, Cap.

She's thousands of years older than you. Give her some credit for controlling her emotions. Reflexive sexism isn't a good look on you.

Jarvis backs up Sersi's worry because Starfox was unable to complete the transmission before it was cut off. And because of the way it was cut off, Jarvis guesses Eros didn't cut the connection but was stopped.

Captain America checks and sees that the Subbasement's communications equipment managed to track the signal to beyond the orbit of the Moon.

Iron Man suspects that it must have something to do with the current crisis. He interfaces with the Subbasement's computers to run the data through his armor systems.

Cap once again =_= at Iron Man and thinks he's AWFULLY familiar with all the Avengers equipment. Could Tony REALLY have briefed a completely new guy so thoroughly?

Tony, just TELL them. God.

Iron Man finishes tracking the signal and takes Vision to go check it out.

As those two tear out, Thor and Spider-Man tear in.

Spider-Man wonders if they should go with Iron Man and Vision, wherever they're going. But Thor says nay because they didn't come all the way to Avengers Subbasement to NOT find out what's going on.

They arrive just in time to get hit by back to back photo-negativity.

I don't know why but the idea that briefly not existing hurts like hell is kind of funny to me.

The Avengers are blinking in and out of existence and fuck ow. Their atoms don't like it!

I don't know what effect that would have realistically because what here is realistic? But if I had to guess an effect, I'd guess... mostly mental effects. Confusion, dread, stuff like that. But, no. It hurrrrrrts.

Even though the Avengers were waiting for another flux, now that they've gotten three in a row, the Subbasement's instruments can't tell them anything substantive.

Cap asks Sersi if she can do anything about this barrage of not existing.

She grants that hypothetically it is something she can do.

As an Eternal, she controls every atom in her body by force of will. And of the Eternals, she is the most skilled at molecular transmutation.

Hypothetically, she should be able to protect all the atoms in this room from the effect.

Even though another flux comes while she's preparing, Sersi holds strong and successfully protects the room.

Sersi: "Whatever force this is, I shall not let it master me! I am Sersi! I am an Eternal born! I... WILL... NOT... FAIL!"

But... even though she succeeded, Spider-Man notices something very odd on the external security feed.

As in, there is no outside anymore.

Universe gone.

What a place to end an issue!

Gotta laugh at Spider-Man seeing a blank monitor and (correctly) leaping to the conclusion that the universe broke rather than that the monitor did.

Also, gotta laugh at Sersi choosing now to still keep being horny for Cap. I have no idea how she ended up with Black Knight instead. No offense to Dane but some offense to Dane.

Next week, more Evil Scarlet Witch.

I'm getting excited about Avengers (East Coast) again. It's been kind of spinning its wheels during Byrne's run and then back to back events. But I'm looking forward to seeing where this one is going. And the other book has Evil Scarlet Witch so at least I have one book that I'm excited to read.

Follow @essential-avengers because I'll never flick the universe off and on like a light switch. I'm courteous. Like and reblog and comment and applaud as the mood moves you.

[just-a-carrot]

Iggy's auto skill is his dorky smile. Which would be fine BUT it's highly overpowered and his alt exacerbates this issue with him also being a cat. A CAT!!! He's absolutely destroyed the meta and desperately needs a debuff or else the game balancing is entirely off-kilter. It's fine to carry early, but he carries the whole game! Absolutely broken. His 5% chance of wandering off into the middle of nowhere during an encounter isn't enough to offset his auto. (Honestly the chance of him wandering is more like 90% but it would devolve every encounter into sending off a party member to go find him, and then you have to duke out the enemy with the two remaining members. You can always not look for him, but it starts the next encounter with a debuff, and there's not enough status clear items scattered about for that. It'd be even more broken than his auto.) This was entirely based off of the way too many game videos I play in the background siaisjdijasdij I thought it would be pretty funny to apply what they say to if OW was an RPG

LMAO THIS IS VERY GOOD

dang this is really making me wish for like, an actual fully functioning RPG version of OFW... imagine if they could have animated pixel sprite battlers and all these various skills and the crew could go on quests and such and there would be so many shenanigans and jerry would constantly be trying to foil them and there could be like cute campfire/inn scenes where iggy could have moments with different people and there could be crafting and magic and and and and and and...

sob

if i actually had any skill when it comes to animated pixel art and rpg game design i would so love to do something like this...

[gureshinlover]

Here’s more jamrock! This is the part about Jukou and Tsumiki✨

Here are the links to the drama track on youtube and spotify. 

Translation of [Prologue: TRACK03] on below:

[Prologue: TRACK03] 

Kid: Ah, it’s Jukou-niichan! Niichaaan ! 

Jukou: Did you listen to what the teachers in the facility said, and be a good kid?

Kid: Mn, we did! Even cleaning and laundry, we’re helping out properly!

Jukou: Is that so, you’re amazing

…Here, I got my salary so I bought a lot

Kid: Woah…! It’s candy! Jukou-niichan, thank you always!

Jukou: Mm… Ahem. Then, all soldiers, get in line!

Kids: Yes!

Jukou: You guys, I’ll give everyone equally so don’t scatter!

Kids: Yes!

Teacher: Jukou-kun, thank you always.

Jukou: Sensei… Don’t mind it. I can’t do any better anyway… The fact that I have lived until this point is thanks to my mom… and the teachers in this facility. I want to repay even if it’s little.

Teacher: Jukou-kun…

Kid: Jukou-niichan, give us candy quickly~

Jukou: Yeah yeah, got it

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Jukou: (Everyone got happy today too.)

(I’m glad…)

*stomach growling*

Ah… *sigh* I’m hungry…

(Dang it…)

(There is nothing…)

(No food or money…)

(I’ve got nothing…)

(Nothing…)

(…The city is noisy.)

(To think that it’d be heard even in a slum like this.)

(Because of that broadcast huh…)

(Annoying)

Tsumiki: Aahh, how insistent…!

Jukou: Hm?

Tsumiki: Ah, sorry—? It’s not like I told the fans, ok—

Jukou: (Wha…)

(Is there a famous person on the main street…?)

Reporter: Please wait, Tsumiki-san!

You just announced that you’ll be participating in Ragga Clash, but what are your intentions!?

Say something please!

Tsumiki: *sigh* Intention? If you’re a member of this country, wanting to become Number 1 of the reggae world is expected.

If a reggae audition hosted by Oneness is starting, it’s normal to participate!

Also, I’ve liked reggae since I was little, so I’ve got confidence you see!

… I wonder if it’s surprising? Well, it might be a bit different image from the me in the dramas and movies though. So, please look forward to it.

Everyone might get amazed about my talent too.

… Is this enough?

Reporter: T-Then, do you have any comments about One Paisen who suddenly conceal himself?

Tsumiki: Hmm, even if you ask…

…Hm? If that person disappeared, does it mean I’m the person with most fame in this country right now!? Waah, if so then I might even conquer the world~

Just kidding. Can you mail to the office for more questions? If we make more noise here, we’ll be troubling people around us.

Reporter: Then, lastly tell us something about Oneness!

Tsumiki: Like I said, I don’t have anything to say! I’ll be aiming for the top by myself, that’s it! Can this be over now! Don’t follow me anymore please!

Reporter: Eh, w-wait a bit, Tsumiki-san! That way is—

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Tsumiki: ….Crap. Before I noticed it, I might have come a dangerous place… This area is the slums right… hm?

Jukou: Ragga Clash… Oneness… Even entertainers are participating, it’s like a festival commotion.

Hmph, but, the ones performing with such minor feelings, I’ll be the one throwing them off stage… I gave my life to reggae…

It’s different with that entertainer… This audition is my chance to get close to him…!

To that bastard who pushed me and mom to hell…

Wait for me, Silent Killer...!

Tsumiki: Um--

Jukou: Eh- Ah- Uwah! T-t-t-the entertainer from before-

Tsumiki: Wearing a gas mask and all, is the air around here that bad?

Jukou: Eh, n-no, no no no, i-it's not like that... I-it's just a hobby, so...

Tsumiki: Hmm, such an unusual hobby. Hey, I overheard a bit just now but you'll join Ragga Clash too?

Jukou: Eh! T-t-that's, um... I'm intending to.. join...

Tsumiki: So it's really like that? Also, I don't get much, but you said stuff like "I'm different from an entertainer like that" too, right?

Jukou: *gasp*...! S-so so so so sorry!

Tsumiki: Eh? Why are you apologizing? If you think you're different, isn't that fine? Isn't it the truth after all?

Jukou: Eh...

Tsumiki: I also would feel 'sorry' to be treated the same with a suspicious guy like you? And I'm not planning to lose.

Jukou: Guh-

Tsumiki: Ah, right right, I've got something to ask you, can you tell me the way back to the street-

Jukou: I won't lose too...!

Tsumiki: Eh?

Jukou: Ah, ahh... I'll be making return to the headquarters! Farewell!!

Tsumiki: Ah, wait! ...What the heck. Weird guy.

Fufu, but even a guy like that will be participating huh. It's a type I never had around me before. I'm looking forward to the audition!

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

Holy dang. Now personal notes about my theater, no one laughed at the jokes more. And I thought the audio was odd at times, maybe they could’ve turned it up more? Anyone else had that or do I just prefer a more engaging audience and subtitles?

Anyways. Spider-verse. I rewatched the first one and recalled the glitching, I thought originally it was exposed to the collider and infected as such if the different dimensional thing wasn’t true. Called if either way. Then the whole canon event with the child in red, maybe I’m reading into it too much because maybe the canon kid wearing is just a symbol itself and not a red string of fate that threads the canon web events together. And then Miles is in dimension 42 because of the spiders origin while 42 is said to be the answer to life the universe and everything as we learned in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! Miles is the answer to his story!!!!

I give Across the Spider-Verse a 10/10

Sp to comment on the theater thing, my theater kinda went through the same issue, I've noticed it with the last few movies that I've seen at that same theater, honestly.

But yeah, for the most part, the audio was fine, but it was only when the music would be blaring was when we couldn't hear the dialogue, like the opening bit with Gwen or when Miles was getting chased by the spider society.

(Also, as much as I liked Hobie, I could not understand a dang thing he was saying through most of the film. It's like his audio was lower than the rest, and he spoke so fast and low that I couldn't catch it in time and they were already moving on. That was annoying)

My theater is a bit of a small one compared to other the other ones, it's only has 8 auditoriums inside of it so it's really small, so Idk how to properly look for showings that have the subtitles on the screen even though they said "it's available", it's frustrating cause I would definitely see these films with subtitles in a hot minute.

And the audience? It was pretty empty in there, and everyone was scattered around, so I did hear a few laughs, and definitely everyone groaned out when the cliffhanger happened. So maybe it was just the audience you were with that day. I had one guy in front of me playing a candy crush like game while the trailers were playing, which was entertaining.

But yeah, that whole reveal of the 42 spider and how it wasn’t even from Miles' home dimension was quite a whiplash effect. I've seen some people say that they saw the twist coming, I honestly didn't, and I was freaking shook as hell when they revealed this. It was so good.

[fuck-you-too-world]

I have a thought,

Tim is the embodiment of Gen Z and the reason why DC disrespect him a lot is because they saw the potential and how chaotic he could be because he's just so... How do say this, he had the most normal past (as normal as any Gotham kids could get and being a nepo baby) compare to others who had tragic back story.

Tim tragic back story didn't start until he take the Robin mantel, so I think DC is scared of Tim's potential especially with his mentality that is so flexible. Like, this boy is labeled as the coffee addict-sleep deprived-tech guy-that has too much money-too much work-and could drop dead anytime, just like gen Z (except the money part).

Then the chart just made me think of it even more! Tim is literally us as gen Z but he has money, training and no adult supervision! The intelligence is debatable cuz I think he usually has the brain cells but most of the time lost it, he can be as harmless as he is apocalyptic danger level all just because he felt like it. He's mostly harmless cuz he lacks motivation.

Like imagine! (He has so many war crimes I wanted to add more so he can have a special folder with more folders inside dedicated for one war crime saperated based on timeline, planet and dimension)

Tim : Feeling bored, might piss off Luther later cuz his life is too peaceful rn

*proceeds to take over the economic world and become a shadow emperor and open up charities just because*

Also Tim

Tim : Feeling a bit feral and kinda want to have a historical vibe today

*save planets and became emperor of several planets and he rules it really well to the point he has religion that worship him*

Then he's also

Tim : This family (Waynes) is so fucked up, they need help fr fr

*blackmail Batman after he failed to blackmail Nightwing, become a therapist cuz he can't fix his family so fix others*

Near death experience? You wish!

Tim : oh, look it's Jason in- is that a cheap Robin costume?! Ew!!

*got beaten cuz he's too busy thinking about something else instead of focusing in the fight, plus he saw the kid he sort of replaced still alive -a bit murdery- but alive which is good news for his 'fixing Wayne family project'!*

Tim in his depressed and apathic era

Tim : Hm... He said no killing but is it killing if I gave them warning but they choose to ignore me and got caught up in the explosion? No, no it's not. *shrug* Good enough.

*proceeds to bomb Ra's bases and make the creepy immortal rat man loses hair and gain gray hairs at the same time*

Near death experience number unknown? Nah~

Tim : oh wow, I manage to finished all of the assignments and mission right on time! Damn, this is a record! Oh, look at that, the sky looked so clear! Too bad we can't see starts in Gotham, welp, not a bad day to sleep! I can finally sleep!

*sigh out in disappointment when He got caught and land safely on the ground, mourning the sleep he'll never get*

His response is always so relatable and mood to the point I need gen Z artist or something to get inside DC and just let out your chaotic-idgaf-feral-racoon-self so Tim can just be his true self and grow into his potential! I need to see him in his more chaotic nature with flexible moral because dang, he's just so US sometimes.

Or is it just me? Honestly, I saw this post on Pinterest and immediately went to search the original post on timblr -pun intended- just so I can let this out of my head.

Alright, thank your for coming to my Ted talk. Scatter!

i find the dischotomy between the batfam's potential to kill vs their real-world willingness to kill very interesting! so I made a graph because I'm a nerd

[ahb-writes]

Comics Review: 'The Grand Odalisque' & 'Olympia'

The Grand Odalisque & Olympia by Bastien Vivès, Florent Ruppert, Jérôme Mulot

anthology

burglary

European comics

thief

My Rating: 2 of 5 stars

Carole is the experienced thief; she's a skilled planner and knows precisely how to take control of the room. Sam is the muscle; she's practical, rides motorcycles for stunt work, and is good at pretending she isn't nervous. Alex is an irrepressible idiot. Insisting these three women broach some semblance of camaraderie to steal a few massive paintings from Paris' most respected art institutions is a difficult ask.

The Grand Odalisque and Olympia are an impatient gamble. These graphic novels feature art that teases beautiful colors and a remarkable architectural design aesthetic. The book also wields deliberately formless character art with washed-out facial expressions, which leaves readers with a plethora of continuity errors, awkward exchanges, and unintentional comedy. The graphic novels feed a duplicitous cycle of characters consistently bailing one another out of their own messes. Carole, Sam, and Alex comprise a fun but frustrating, exciting but chaotic cocktail of marginally plausible art thievery.

Stealing giant paintings from famous French galleries is all fun and games until your inexhaustibly simpleminded partner forgets her cue. Plundering the wealthy under the guise of party shenanigans is a daring enterprise until the French Special Forces raid the dang place. Plotting a massive, three-part heist of the Petit Palais makes for good exercise until you remember (a) one of your partners is nine months pregnant and (b) a mafia assassin is sleeping on your couch, just in case things go sideways.

The duology makes for a quick, enjoyable read. And although one might readily roll their eyes at the prospect of three bickering women being capable of pulling off such feats, the books' primary delights rest in the artful framing of each heist rather than their sloppy execution.

The books' occasionally spectacular environmental design come very close to convincing readers that each book's character development isn't as terrible as it really is.

The side-room to a flourishing European disco is flush with green lighting and floral ambiance. The glass ceiling of an art museum shatters, scattering thousands of shrapnel over twisted and expressionless marble statues. The background art is delightful. But it's a distraction.

In between detailed, wide-angle shots of grand museum architecture, one finds characters who stumble, repeatedly, and complicate an otherwise feasible narrative. Some characters are solid. Sam is tough but insecure, and despite regularly being labeled the crew's getaway driver, offers plenty of skill and support in the way of strength and flexibility. But on the other end of the spectrum, Alex is a waste of space.

The sad truth is that Alex is profoundly incompetent. Typically, the creative team weds her naïve and spontaneous disposition to the story's blunt humor (e.g., faking attraction to an assassin to get his guard down), but more often than not it sidetracks the narrative in excruciatingly cancerous ways. For example, Alex derails a plan to break into the Louvre by flying to western Mexico to save a gun runner she doesn't know but insists she's in love with, or, in the titles' opening scene, ignoring Carole's call for help because she's busy fighting with a non-boyfriend over a text message.

One finds it hard to trust the character dynamics when one-third of the equation routinely sabotages the remaining two-thirds.

To wit, Carole is the star: She gets the blueprints, she calls the weapons dealers, she negotiates with black-market brokers, and she's adaptable when her partners invariably screw things up. Where Alex privileges recklessness (e.g., alcohol, drugs, astonishing feats of clumsiness), Carole exerts impulse control. And where Sam goes wide-eyed with uncertainty (e.g., fretting over splintering the crew's goal), Carole reminds the women that levelheadedness typically wins the day.

If either The Grand Odalisque or Olympia narrowed their point of view to focus exclusively on Carole, then the narrative would've gained far more than it would have lost. The graphic novels conjure clever criminal activities beneath a colorful tapestry native to whatever French museum happens to be within the sights of these three ladies. Also, the comic books offer brief but kinetic action, as well as a few cool chase scenes, albeit relegated to each tome's Third Act. In the end, after arduously side-stepping Alex's rife stupidity, which tangles much of the narrative, one finds the books are quite entertaining.

❯ ❯ Comics Reviews