#Sentient little doggos

[maiuoart]

It's been a while since I drew this Edgelord--

Regal is very royal; Normally I don't draw him with a smile, but have this.

As a treat. ♥

[hogwartslegacyreactions2]

Hii I just thought of this so no plan just fun, what are the professor's reactions to meeting MC for the first time and seeing a dog with them, somehow by some (alot) of luck survived the dragon attack and the first goblin attack in the bank.

Low key just an excuse to show off my brat girl who gets anxious like me so she's my best friend and I couldn't imagine going away for school from her lol

A/N: you have such a pretty doggo ❤️ I think I'll base her off of D&D familiars

HL PROFESSORS REACT TO MC'S FAMILIAR

The dog that followed MC around everywhere they went was more than just an ordinary pet, she's MC's familiar. This means she's sentient with human-like intelligence (and stubbornness), she could disappear and reappear on command (or at will), they had a special telepathic connection, they could sense each other's emotional state, and MC could see through her eyes at will.

ELEAZAR FIG: He loves her! He bent over backwards convincing the headmaster and deputy headmistress to allow MC to have their familiar around school. He also talks to her as if she'd talk back to him, even though she is strictly connected to MC.

MATILDA WEASLEY: She's very unsure. Familiars are beasts not of this world and can be unpredictable. She's only convinced by Fig getting MC to swear that their familiar will disappear during classes and not to tell anyone else what the dog really is. Now, if they cause trouble of any kind, MC is on thin ice.

CHIYO KOGAWA: She's a little surprised a dog was allowed at Hogwarts, but she doesn't care much. Thinks the dog's cute.

AESOP SHARP: He doesn't allow any pets in his classroom for obvious reasons, but if he sees the dog while out and about, he'll toss her a dried piece of toad meat. He had a dog once upon a time, so he's a bit nostalgic.

ABRAHAM RONEN: He losses his mind every time he sees her. Willing to break the "no dog in class" rule. He must love on and pet her every chance he gets. He showers her with presents; from treats to toys to hats.

MIRABEL GARLICK: She's allergic to dogs. Not too much, but her eyes water when MC's dog is near. She still gives her a pat. Every dog deserves pets.

MUDIWA ONAI: She knew what MC's dog was as soon as she saw her. She gives MC special crystals and herbs. "For meditation. Bonding with your 'dog' is very important, and these will help." She winks.

BAI HOWIN: Dogs are a fairly rare sight in the wizarding world, something is off but she can't quite put her finger on it. She's suspicious of the dog's true nature.

DINAH HECAT: She's glad to see more than just cats running around Hogwarts. Makes the day more interesting. She gives the dog a little pat when she sees her.

CUTHBERT BINNS: Doesn't even notice the dog's existence. Just keeps doing his thing.

SATYAVATI SHAH: She appreciates how well behaved the dog is. She never sees it chasing any of the school cats. Doesn't pay her any mind otherwise.

PHINEAS NIGELLUS BLACK: He's not a dog person. They're smelly, dirty, loud and obnoxiously needy. He was only convinced by Fig convincing him that the dog was necessary for MC's emotional well-being and denying them the dog "would look bad".

[bluehairlaunch]

5 Lesser Known Dragon Age Species (that are intelligent)

Honorable mention, Mabari hounds. Yes, the doggos you probably named Spaghetti in the first game have human to near human level intelligence, being specifically bred by Tevinter mages.

Even more intelligent than the Mabari are the Halla stag, the first of which was the elven god Ghilan'nain, who is likely one of the big bads of Veilguard. It's my pet theory, because the world of Thedas is a crapsack world indeed, that the original halla were transformed elf slaves, and the Tevinter magisters later copied this, creating the first Mabari from their own slaves.

The Fex

This species is actually apocryphal, only being mentioned once by David Gaider, the creator and original lead writer of Dragon Age, in an interview:

Question: Are there more sentient races in the Dragon Age universe than the ones we know about?

Answer: Uh yes! Yes, there are. For instance, there is a race that was native to Par Vollen when the Qunari arrived that we have not shown yet. They're called the Fex, F-E-X, and uh, you don't see them outside of Par Vollen very much. But yeah, there definitely are, and maybe there's even some beyond Thedas [mischievous look]!

The Scaled Ones

Because the dwarves can never catch a break, the Scaled Ones warred with them back in ancient times long before the creation of Darkspawn. As reavers and dragon cultists have been known to grow scales from drinking too much dragon blood, I'm going with these guys are to the Old Gods what the dwarves are to the Titans. Maybe if the Scaled Ones had survived longer, the Blights wouldn't have happened as soon as they did or even at all...

Executors

So you know that Thedas is just a continent, right? That the Kossith (who became the Qunari) and humans came from elsewhere. Well, these guys did too... Although so far they've been content just watching us while inside our closet dressed like Superman. Oh, and if you haven't read Tevinter Nights yet, go do that right now.

Ghast

The goblins of Thedas, these fuckers make adorable little noises that sounds like Roaring 20's gangsters. Could just be me. Regardless they are capable of using tools and magic and live in groups of one hundred or more underground, because Thedas is like a mullet, business up top, party in the back.

Firesprites

Yes, Thedas has cute lil' pixies. Well, maybe not for long, since only a single colony of them existed by the Fifth Blight. And they're from the Korcari Wilds, so it's possible they're extinct now, or just as forgotten as the Fex, since they're from the Tabletop RPG (which was great btw).

So why should Firesprites be preserved and added to the endangered species list?

1. They fly (always)

2. They sing (to communicate)

3. They eat (poop)

And there you have it

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Wolves And A Door"/"A World Between Worlds"

Things get Force Weird as we approach the final stretch.

Live reaction version.

Right so I'm probably going to be cannibalizing some of my "Ezra Bridger as a thematic Chosen One in Star Wars Rebels and the messianic imagery of “A World Between Worlds”" essay because even though I still want to make that its own separate post someday, there's going to be things about these two episodes that I have to bring up and observations that will crossover with that essay when and if that finally gets finished.

I'm going to try to be very sparing with the caps too, because I've got two whole episodes to cover and ghksajhfkjahkjh there's way too much pretty to show off, I honestly don't know how I'm gonna do it guys.

I love that after the somber musical fog they put us through last episode they start us off with bouncy plinky pizzicato strings and Loth-cat cuteness. They were like, "Hey, we know things have been heavy lately and they're gonna be again, but in the meantime have kitties sitting on top of doggos and feel for a moment reassured that there is still goodness in the world."

Zeb's skepticism re. the wolves is a little silly given that they've already shown that they're intelligent sentient creatures.

Ezra's already showing signs of the serenity and dignity he takes on as de facto leader of the Lothal rebels. Hera actually kind of cedes that role to him, and Ryder has certainly already taken several steps back out of cynicism.

So it falls to Ezra to lead them, to plan out their attack strategies, to be their head.

He's matured so much I'm so proud of him.

The wolves are deeply connected to the Force, and to Lothal. Ezra is too. In a way, he's of their kind. And after accepting his task from them last episode they consider him officially part of the pack it seems, because they readily come to his call.

Ezra's unique ability to connect, once again an invaluable asset.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The tufts of grass that wobble as the wolves walk through them.

Ezra's favor with the wolves extends to the others, so they are all able to climb on board and hitch a Force-assisted ride back to the northern hemisphere where the Temple is.

Love this sequence. The pounding drums. The sound design. The slow phasing of the wolves into the ground and disappearing soundlessly into it, with just a whisper of wind in their wake.

I can't get over how the Loth-wolf visions keep going back to Kanan's "You want a ride?". Filoni has mentioned that Ezra's tuned into the "echoes" that are particularly relevant to him while inside the WBW and I guess the same must apply to the hyperspace wolves tunnels. It's fascinating, we've always taken hyperspace for granted but since it's part of the galaxy, it has to be part of the Force as well, so it makes perfect sense in a way that ancient Force guardians like the Loth-wolves, or creatures just intimately connected with the Force like the purrgil, can make their own hyperspace tunnels naturally, in order to pass through time and space.

"It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."

Something I really love about the whole concept of the World Between Worlds is the idea that we're getting a rare glimpse at the inner structure of the Force itself, the tendons and strings connecting it together.

Anyway, sob with me about how the echoes end with Ezra's "There's just you and me." from "Siege of Lothal". It was just them, two flickering twin moons against the blackest night, holding back the darkness until sunrise.

And now it's just Ezra alone.

What I wouldn't give to know what they're talking about.

Frick his whole bearing is different. He's quieter, more somber. We blinked and he grew up, aged five years in a night.

We reach the Temple and it's as bad as we've feared, the Empire has set up all around it and the area bristles with lights and equipment. They've burrowed down to the foundations of the Temple, trying to pull up its secrets by the root, and they've wholecloth removed the familiar doors from it, leaving a gaping surface level hole.

The Temple itself has sealed itself tight, barring entry to the interlopers, and I LOVE the thematic fairy tale underpinnings of this.

There's a line in The Magician's Nephew, one of the Chronicles of Narnia and another strong influence on the show's writing and concepts, that goes like: "Come in by the gold gates or not at all, Take of my fruit for others or forbear, For those who steal or those who climb my wall, Shall find their heart’s desire and find despair."

This is another overarching myth archetype: Only The Worthy May Pass.

If your heart is true, and you ask permission, show the Threshold Guardian respect, walk humbly and seek the boon for others, it will be granted to you freely. But if you're selfish, if you lie and cheat and steal and trick your way in, brute force what you want and are arrogant, demanding the prize, you will receive your just reward. And you won't like it.

Think of the last Indiana Jones movie. Indiana Jones is the one that takes all the risk, makes the leap of faith to save his father, and is granted permission to use the Grail's healing powers. The Nazi-aligned academic rival who barged in with tanks and guns and wants to live forever using the Grail's powers, however?

Indiana Jones vibes are aaaaaaaallll over these whole two episodes by the way. The whole general feel of an archaeological adventure with an unexpected encounter with the divine, it's great.

I still think it's immensely clever that they used the recording of Thrawn to distract the Scout Troopers. Still hilariously convenient that one of them is female.

Even the music gets Indiana Jones-esque when Ezra and Sabine make it down into the hollow.

Hi Hydan!

I love him. He's such a good oneshot villain. Cordial and affably polite and yet my skin crawls whenever he threatens either Sabine or Ezra. He's another Thrawn archetype/parallel, he studies the mysteries of the Force in the hopes of understanding them, not for himself, but to grow the power of his Emperor. He plunders the wealth of the Lothal Temple not out of respect for it, but to dissect it for knowledge and power.

An absolutely seamless Mind Trick from Ezra here. So proud of him.

The matching "Oh crap!" expressions on their faces when they realize that's Emperor Freaking Palpatine on the other end of the line.

The Mortis arc is actually one of the few TCW arcs I watched in full. Sue me I love me some Force Weirdness. So it was quite a delight to see the Mortis gods returning as artistic archetypal representations of the aspects of the Force. The Light, the Dark, the Unifying/Cosmic Balance. (Even the Living Force is represented in the mural by the Loth-wolves.) Since we're exploring the very inner scaffolding of the Force itself these episodes, it made perfect sense to me to bring them back, and tie them into how the Lothal Temple operates.

Unsurprisingly the Emperor's leitmotif makes an appearance here. Palpatine already has extraordinary clairvoyent powers but they've become confused after Kanan's sacrifice. Kanan has altered the fate of Lothal somehow, and even Palpatine can't figure out why.

(Pssst, it's because the Force is actually working against you buddy, it's trying to restore proper balance.)

This moment was very mean and hurted in all the right ways.

"They'll be fine." "I used to always believe that." This hits right in the parental bone, ouch.

Harps and female vocals once again signifying the arcane mysteries of the Force.

And this is gorgeous.

Ezra and Sabine begin to puzzle out the meaning behind the mural, Ezra only able to identify the Loth-wolves and the green convor that liked to follow Ahsoka around. (We've still not been given an explanation for that one yet. The prevailing theory is that it's what left of the Daughter, acting as a spirit guide/guardian for Ahsoka.)

The golden pathways correspond to the paths and doorways inside the World Between Worlds and when they're aligned on the mural, the wolves awaken to form the portal that grants access. Only one who can channel the Light Side is able to unlock the mechanism to align the pathways, via connecting to the Daughter part of the mural.

This is one of the reasons why Palpatine needed to cheat to get inside. The other reason is that, per word of Filoni, the World Between Worlds is actually a bit choosy about who it lets inside.

Again, Only The Worthy May Pass. Ezra is connected to the Force and to Lothal, a native son of the planet, a Jedi, and he has the wolves' favor, so he is granted access.

Like Maul back on Malachor, Palpatine cannot open the door on his own.

Sabine does a pretty good job bluffing the Troopers that come to investigate her presence by the mural, buying Ezra enough time to connect to the Daughter and open the portal.

Ezra remembering Kanan's last words to him, the reminder to listen.

Rebels animation is gorgeous, I will hear no slander.

And this technique they developed to animate 2D images on top of a 3D CGI environmental surface was probably the same technology they used for mini Maui in Moana. Put to absolutely beautiful use, there's zero weird blending or edging at all, it just looks fully integrated and a natural part of the image.

Now, obviously the mural wolves need a clear space in order to form the portal but I also think they were drawing Ezra far enough away from the Stormtroopers that they wouldn't get to him in time. So that they couldn't stop him.

I'm actually reminded of a scene in Avatar: The Last Airbender (which Filoni also worked on), where Aang manages to slip in last minute through the giant door into the inner shrine that could only be opened by several Fire Sages working in tandem, and the way Roku--the previous Avatar before Aang, and a Firebender himself--seals the door behind Aang, so that even the Sages can't open the door anymore.

Ezra has a meeting with the Divine, and the Empire is not invited.

The score going full blast Indiana Jones mysticism, love it.

Like Thrawn, Hydan clocks Sabine as someone who doesn't belong there immediately, recognizing her from the incident before. The dig site is put on full alert and Troopers close in on Ezra, who's paralyzed for a moment, nervous to enter the portal.

Sabine yells for him to go.

And with determination and purpose, he does.

And the portal seals behind him.

Sabine's worry and fear. <3 Even though she told him to go, watching him literally disappear into a wall has to be frightening.

AND NOW FOR THE EXTRA FORCE WEIRD PART. :D

The World Between Worlds is a place where time and space have no meaning, because all time is present at once. Past, present, and future is all happening simultaneously inside the starvoid, which pulses with the whispers of those who have come before, and those who are yet to come. It's a liminal space, a space of transition, an "in-between" that is neither here nor there. @seleneisrising has an excellent series of posts comparing it to the Wood Between The Worlds, again from The Magician's Nephew, a seemingly endless wood with countless pools that represent different worlds one can enter and exit, if one has the proper travel implements (green and gold rings, in this case).

It is not time travel. Filoni and other writers make it very clear that you cannot, SHOULD NOT, actually use it for that purpose, because if you take something out of its proper time and space, things could go very very badly, and you could create a paradox that destroys time.

Ezra doesn't know this when he winds up pulling Ahsoka out of Malachor, but Ahsoka suspects--since she's been in this kind of Force Weird situation before--so that why she's immediately all, "Okay you have to put me exactly back where you found me." and declines to come with Ezra out his portal.

And that's also why Ezra can't save Kanan.

More on that later.

Our first series of echoes is about the Force, in general, and specific quotes apply to Ezra in particular, for the character journey he's going to complete inside this liminal space.

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." "What you need you already have. Unfortunately, you seem to be letting it all go." "I won't let him lose his way. Not like I did."

The World Between Worlds is already warning him of the temptation that Palpatine will offer, first with Kanan, and then with his parents. Palpatine will dangle the idea of undoing his loss, reversing and cheating death, the same thing he offered Anakin, if he would only just lend Palpatine a little of his power, just a small favor, just open this door for me good lad, don't you want this?

It's a trap. A trick. A lie. There is no reversing death.

You cannot go back down into Hades.

The Force theme permeates this space, floating above our heads with the stars in the vast empty void. Obi-Wan pipes in, via voiceover, to explain what we're seeing, in essence, the very scaffolding and inner workings of the Force.

Meanwhile outside, the troopers are not gentle with Sabine. Hydan tries to make nice and she sasses him to hell and back, refusing to cooperate.

Sabine trying not to let her worry for Ezra show, when Hydan threatens that the Emperor will find him inside the World Between Worlds. <3

Vocal cameos from across the Star Wars canon as Ezra crosses the World Between Worlds. I know someone has identified all of them but I don't have the list at hand. Most of them aren't relevant to Ezra in any case.

Morai appears though, to help guide Ezra to the Malachor portal. I know it was suggested that Kanan helped orchestrate Ahsoka's rescue from beyond the grave, as some kind of "unfinished business" Kanan had yet to do before he fully pass on. Some people were confused why Kanan would want to do that, he was never particularly close to Ahsoka nor was he particularly as devastated by her apparent death. Not like Ezra.

I can accept that logic from the writers though, if it's Kanan trying to help Ezra finally assuage his guilt over Malachor, give him a chance to make things better. And give Ezra a Force Sensitive ally to help find him after everything is said and done.

Kanan knew he was going to die. Knew he couldn't be there for Ezra. So he arranged a way for there to be someone to look for and after Ezra after he was gone. He knew they would need Ahsoka's help.

My thoughts, anyway.

Ezra's quiet horror when the portal activates and shows him the tail end of the Malachor confrontation. :(

It is hilarious to think about how this must look to Vader and Ahsoka. On Vader's end he's swinging down and all of a sudden a hand comes out of a shimmering patch of air and just yoinks Ahsoka away into thin air and then the floor collapses under him and he just had to go back to Palpatine and explain all of that or else pretend that didn't happen, lol.

And then Ahsoka had to wake up in a weird place after fighting Vader and unpacking all of that My Master Is Evil trauma and then see an older Ezra in Stormtrooper armor, learn that Kanan was dead, help Ezra not break the universe, fight an apparition of the Emperor, and then run back to Malachor so she wouldn't break the universe either. Girl needs a damn nap after all that ha ha.

Sabine continuing to be super uncooperative with Hydan. He eventually loses patience and lets the Death Troopers smack her a bit. She's not badly hurt but the point comes across; she needs to play nice or else.

Ahsoka looks SO confused lol.

Vader echoes sound in the background, these ones attuned to Ahsoka, responding to the revelations she has just had about Vader's true identity. As well as an echo from the Daughter, when Ahsoka notices Morai.

(This resonates with what Filoni says about the World Between Worlds in a recent interview, that it attunes to whoever is currently inside, or the person inside only truly hears echoes that are relevant to them, the rest may as well be static and noise, incomprehensible.)

Ahsoka's the one who suggests Kanan's spirit is lingering, trying to guide and teach Ezra one last time from beyond the grave, through the manifestation of the Dume wolf, and yeah, it tracks. I kind of like the notion that Kanan clung to himself just long enough to make sure Ezra was okay before he let himself move on and dissipate into the ether.

Ezra latches onto the idea that Kanan meant for him to save Ahsoka, and then tracks that thought straight into "I can prevent Kanan's death too."

But it's not the same.

Ahsoka knows she has to go back through her portal and return to the time she left, sooner rather than later in order to prevent any kind of paradoxical damage to the timeline. But she can't leave the grieving Ezra in limbo and so she rushes after him to hold back his hand.

Once again, "You want a ride?" echoes, the moment Kanan first offered his hand and help to Ezra, which must be so intimately imprinted on him that it's what he always first hears.

"You can learn what it truly means to be a Jedi." And he's about to, Kanan, believe me.

Ezra's theme plays here. It doesn't complete, never making it to the second stanza. Ezra's not thinking straight. His words echo Anakin's, "I can stop people from dying!" He's too wrapped up in his grief. He's trying once again to reach for power that isn't his to grasp, in order to stop loss from happening to him.

He is attached.

Attachment in the Star Wars universe has a very specific connotation. It has never meant love, or relationships, friendships, other people, cherished places or things. It is all about one's own mindset when relating to those things. Jedi are supposed to love everyone, selflessly. But they are supposed to understand that nothing lasts forever. Things die, people move in and out of your life, the change happens and you can't stop it "Any more than you can stop the twin suns from setting." Shmi says. Children grow up and leave home. Being a Jedi, being balanced in the Force, means you accept the transitory nature of things and let go of your fear of loss.

Because fear leads to the Dark Side. Being afraid of loss, of being without the things important to you, makes you angry at what might try to take those things. Which makes you jealous, clingy. Greedy. Makes you grasp tighter. Makes you desperate. Makes you seek for the power to keep those things with you. And there the Dark Side is, calling to you, offering you that power. Promising to help you keep those things you want.

But it's a trap. The Dark Side will consume you. It will not help you save what you fear to lose, it will instead demand their sacrifice. The desire for power will overtake everything else, every other noble intention or motivation you had. What you intended to save you will no longer care about. The Dark Side will be all there is.

So you must let go of the things you fear to lose. Let go of that fear, and it will have no power over you. Accept the loss, and do not grasp for the power to break reality, to cheat the natural order, just to spare yourself the pain of not having that thing or person in your life.

Because you cannot go back down into Hades.

You cannot turn back time. You cannot undo death.

"You can't save your master," Ahsoka tells him, so so gently because she knows how hard this is. "And I can't save mine," she accepts.

And so Ezra looks at the portal, everything in him screaming in grief. And Ezra, who has abandonment issues and so much of his own worth and validation wrapped up in Kanan--"Kanan believes I can."--who thinks of Kanan as more a father than a teacher, who is still at heart a lost little boy who misses his parents... does one of the hardest and bravest things ever required of him.

He drops his hand, and turns his eyes, and lets go.

He faces the grief and loss head on, and accepts it. Doesn't let it master him.

And thwarts Palpatine one moment more.

Because the image of Kanan was not actually him. The Dark Side will never actually keep its promises. Or it will fulfill them in a way that makes it not matter. It all consuming, always hungry, never satisfied, and it will suck you dry.

The portal Ezra was tempted by leads straight to Palpatine. Who reveals himself like a cackling demon, shrouded and surrounded by blue flames.

Yikes.

Outside, Hera and Zeb are preparing to spring Sabine free of Hydan's "company", though not before she learns the way to seal the portal again.

The lovely dichotomy of "Sabine will know."/"He's on his way." is great BTW, they have so much faith and trust in each other.

Sabine's cheeky little, "Sorry about the mess." :)

I am fairly certain, though I can't find the post from Celebration that talked about it in overview, that Dave et all recycled several ideas from the planned Season 7 arcs for TCW into Rebels. This fight I'm sure was one of them, I remember something about fighting Palpatine in the basement of the Jedi Temple, where the nexus is.

Full male chorus for this moment, love it.

Palpatine won't give up so easily. He still needs to piggyback off Ezra's permission, because the Temple accepted Ezra and rejected him. If he cannot trick Ezra into being his anchor, he will simply attempt to latch onto him from the other side by force, through Sith sorcery.

YEAH NO THAT'S TERRIFYING.

Also fanficcers once again have let me down, I need way more Bad End AUs to this scene than just the one I wrote.

"When you get back, come and find me!" An obligation yet to be fulfilled. Hopefully the Ahsoka show will finish this out. *fingers crossed*

Ahsoka runs back off into the shot where her back was to the camera from "Twilight of the Apprentice" and Ezra escapes, to Palpatine's severe annoyance I'm sure. I would not want to be in the room when that happened, lemme just tell ya lol.

OH HEY HERE'S MY FAVORITE NO CONTEXT SIGNATURE SCENE. :D

There's so many things about this scene that I love. Sabine grabbing Ezra's arm to help him up. Zeb practically holding Ezra to him as they run, giving him cover from the blaster fire. Chopper's Big Damn Heroes moment as he drives a freaking drill (one he was eyeing earlier) into the crowd of Stormtroopers.

DEAN KINER'S EXCELLENT "THE TEMPLE COLLAPSES" MUSIC CUE WHICH IS OF COURSE MY FAVORITE OF THE WHOLE SOUNDTRACK.

Ezra looking immediately to Sabine to tell him which one to activate, because he trusts she's figured it out. Zeb helping lift him high enough to reach.

Ezra connecting to the Son, the score piping in with piano to signify the Force usage. Maybe Ezra is having to call upon the Dark Side, maybe he is just making a connection, but either way it's harder than it was with the Daughter. Takes more effort. He collapses immediately into Zeb's arms right after.

But look at Ezra’s expression:

The way his lips and eyes pinch, how his face tightens.  The minute tremble in his lip. It’s not anger or fear or passion he’s channeling here.

It’s grief.

Ezra falls unconscious into a Pietà pose (more on that in the messianic imagery post) and looks incredibly small here in Zeb's arms. This is such a soft moment and it's so sweet, I love it.

The mural turns crimson red and the Temple begins to seal and collapse. Removing itself from the physical plane of existence entirely, to deny Palpatine access.

Our heroes flee, Hydan perishes, the most gorgeous animation of the show splashes across the screen as the wolves return to their place, the Daughter and Son descend, and the Father claps his hands and sinks the Temple.

Ezra is barely conscious the whole time, a lot having been taken out of him. It's similar to how he collapsed in "Gathering Forces" and "Vision of Hope" and "Holocrons of Fate", too much Force energy exhausts him. As he fades out, Kanan's voice calls out from the white light.

"The Force will be with you, always."

By implication, "I'll be with you Ezra. I'm alive inside of you now."

And then all that's left is to say one last goodbye to Kanan, across the glasslike surface of the plain where the Temple once stood, into the rising light of dawn and the fading footsteps of the white Loth-wolf.

Kanan's theme plays us out over the credits.

These two episodes contextualize, and re-contextualize SO much about the overall story. Finally we know what Ezra was meant to do, what made him so special that the Force chose him, not as the Chosen One, but as a Chosen One, with a specific destiny and purpose that he needed to fulfill.

A child of Lothal, tested and found worthy by the wolves, who was already blessed by the Jedi Temple before. Favored by the Force to enter into its innermost sanctum to protect it from those who would desecrate it, twist it to their own purposes.

Ezra's narrative importance to the overall Star Wars saga becomes immensely clear. His character development is complete, and he now has the strength to stand against Palpatine's temptations, and the bravery to make the ultimate sacrifice for his planet and people. One whose results he won't even be able to see.

Just like Kanan did. Kanan's last lesson--To love unselfishly and give of yourself, even if means losing what you hold dear, simply because it is right and you are needed--will be Ezra's final act as well. And it took being asked to let go and accept Kanan's death for him to understand.

These episodes are beautiful in theme and message. The World Between Worlds is a fascinating perfect addition to Star Wars lore. The character work is fantastic and I can even pardon the clear favoritism in managing to bring Ahsoka back. I love these episodes so so much, they're my absolute favorites of the whole show.

We're almost done my loves, let's watch Ezra's character development pay off next time. :)

[thefrogwhobarks]

I actually really like stories about sentient AI. Like, real, genuine artificial life. I think it's a little sad that people think these stories aged poorly just because of ChatGPT. I know that's not really on the top of the list that makes Generative Models really bad, but a whole set of stories getting super warped is pretty bad.

Like, yes, the AI slop has sucked so bad, and still does

I know sentient AI is not achievable in the near future, perhaps even possible. But it just feels like people have been primed to hate artificial life even before they are even born.

bringing forth a new lifeform into this world is to be celebrated. but i feel like the way it is right now, it wouldn't be :(

and it's all because big companies claimed the word AI to mean the crappy things they're trying to make money with

I guess it's all scifi anyways. It's a non-issue until it is. or something like that.

Anyways here's Pelops II, a cute doggo who compiles your notes into a publishable research paper and also helps you save the world. He will add himself as a co-writer though. Godzilla Singular Point

[mudskip-muses]

This might actually be a pretty nice place to rest his weary body. It’s dark and cool and normally quiet… Unfortunately, the breeder who won’t leave him ALONE is ruining what should be a calming atmosphere.

Having taken refuge under the bed, Kokichi growls at his boyfriend, warningly-nipping at any hands that may dare try to pull him from his makeshift-den. Squirming his small body around, he skitters around the dark with infuriating swiftness, Kokichi using whatever energy he can spare to make things as difficult as possible. Whining in frustration, ears back and tail tucked close to his body, he snaps at Gundham with a bit more force. Clearly not attempting to bite— if he wanted to, he would have latched onto something by now —but to show that his patience is wearing thin.

He’s getting tired.

Barking at Gundham, the high-pitched sound is more annoying than intimidating, despite it not coming out as strong as it normally does. Still, Kokichi voices his complaints, not doing anything to help his sorry state. — (( *shoves over a sick and Difficult doggo lmao* ))

@not-bcring

Normally when animals would fight him in a time of illness, it was because they didn't understand that Gundham was just trying to help them. Thanks to his otherworldly nature, he had the opportunity to convey his true intentions in a way the animal would understand, and usually that was enough to garner cooperation. What made the situation with Kokichi so infuriating was that he was sentient, meaning no additional magics were needed for him to know Gundham's goal, he was just being difficult. Having chased the little wolf all around the room, books and papers sent scattering, and a project or two of Kazuichi now spread across the floor, the breeder was at his wits end trying to catch his boyfriend, his body stuck halfway under the bed now as he tried to pull him out.

"Kokichi please, there is no reason to be this difficult!" First he wouldn't go to the human doctors, having turned to his beastly form in an effort to escape it, and now he was fighting tooth and nail to avoid going to the vet. "We would not be in this mess if you simply went to Mikan like I suggested!" So tired from running about the room, he didn't even bother mincing his words, the halfblood just wishing this to be over so they could both rest. "If you don't come out, I will simply bring Charlotte here, and she will be far less forgiving than I." With the advantage of Charlie being...a bit different than most humans herself, Gundham started bringing all manner of his beats to her, supernatural or otherwise, knowing that his secret would be kept safe with her. That being said, she knew this was Kokichi, and therefore would not have the gentle bedside manner she usually used for animals should he be uncooperative.

"She will drag you out by the mane and-" Cut off by the sound of the door opening, Gundham turned to see Kazuichi as he returned from class, only to realize a moment too late the mechanic had inadvertently given the little leader an escape route. He may not choose to take it, but if he did there was no telling how far he would get. "Close the door before he escapes!"

[shkataplah]

actually my favourite character dynamic is in fact "really incredibly old character" and "lil baby toddler guy" because it works and is funny and wholesome and has never gone bad ever and won't ever either

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Request:

So about FNAF Books Roommate AU

I was wondering how they would react to Reader giving them the illusion disk to make them look "normal" again.

First off, trying to replicate Afton’s illusion tech wasn’t easy. So your friends wouldn’t precisely look like their original selves, but you did the best you could to help them feel somewhat normal.

Mott looks like his original self without the bunny ears. His skin's tinted a very light blue, resembling widespread cyanosis. But he's grateful either way.

Springbonnie's is a father figure dressed in a yellow suit and slacks, with the brightest blue eyes and a big cheerful smile. It’s the perfect dad appearance that he always wanted.

For Angel, all the candy on her flesh disappears and her skin just looks a little sunburnt. It’s better than before and she cries with gratitude, learning to love herself again and look in a mirror.

The Springlock Endo takes on a human form that resembles Julius and Reed, drawing features from both. They find it kinda strange but are still happy this way.

Alec (Lonely Freddy) looks like a shorter version of his human self. He gets excited to be human again but has to be reminded that it’s just an illusion.

Plushtrap Chaser resembles his actual product (without all the organic bits caused by the Agony) and Fetustrap resembles a normal sentient Springbonnie plushie

Fetch resembles a normal non-robotic doggo, with fur that’s soft and fluffy. You really loved petting him. It feels so real.

[horrible-monstrosity]

mothermom 3 is a baaad animine

part 1: fuck these characters I thought the bit about not being able to go through a certain way because there's ants (that the player can't see) you wouldn't want to trample was going to introduce a theme of kindness and gentleness, but the game sure... tramples that early on by having your oh-so-kindhearted-and-mournable mother trample the fuck out of a sentient talking mole cricket to death right the fuck afterwards. Like, you were just talking to and playfighting with that mole mere seconds ago, and now it's thoughtlessly and meaninglessly dead, and it's supposed to be funny. And then you're supposed to forget all about it when mom dead because care and have emotions for this characters you've barely known for like one minute worth of interactions dragged out over like an hour. ok Then after bumbling along being a hollow little bag of nothing for like ten hours Lucas suddenly proves himself a detestable little cunt by just straight up stealing something he's told was a precious item, a yo-yo belonging to Porky's friend. Because, like... fuck Porky, I guess, in this geame franchise about love and heart and healing there's just this one fat kid we're all supposed to just disregard and piss and shit on and detest by default for no fucking reason just because the game narrative said so. Porky's existence was pretty weird already in Earthbound- he's apparently being abused by his fat parents, and aside from being a bit snotty and show-offy, he does at least make sure his little brother gets home safely at the beginning. He just seems like someone who needs a friend, which... actually makes Ness look like an asshole in retrospect for not just giving him some kind of help. It was kind of fine in that game because he was just a minor character, but making him some supervillain in the next game just because he was some dumpy abused kid is just... what the fuck. But anyway, whenever the plot expects us to care about Loocus and his dumb dead mom I just think about things like the yo-yo and the mole cricket and I lose all empathy. These people are assholes. You're trying to make sympathetic victims out of assholes and an asshole out of a sympathetic victim. Get your meaningless fucking sunflowers the fuck off my screen you bitch fuck

And then on the other hand there's Duster. The character who's absolutely the most deserving of empathy out of all these cunts and we're supposed to see him reembracing his shitty old life as something he should be really happy about. Like for one thing, the entire plot where he reenters the cast is stupid and makes no sense. When we hear he's at the club playing with the band, I could think of a lot of reasons for it- he could be laying low to protect the egg (seeing as how Tamzilly got pozzed and going back there would accomplish nothing), he could have just decided to fuck off and do something he actually enjoyed rather than go back to his shitty asshole dad, he could have somehow ended up far far away from the town and joined the band to make his way back home travelling with them/earn a living so he could get back. But no, before we even get to see him and see how he's acting Strong Female McDerpa Character tells us that he most definitely has amnesia. Because, like, why would he ever give up on his jackass dad and that braindead town otherwise? And then we meet him and it's exactly what we were unceremonously told it was, how rivetting. Then for some reason he decides that if he's really who you say he is he needs to... give up his life as a band member entirely to get the egg back. Can't just come with you to get the egg or until the adventure's over, nooo he needs to abandon his new life forever and ever and just go get fucked and fuck himself. fuck. let my man play guitar and also that "thiefs but good somehow because derp" shit is retarded and I hate it

Finally there's Girl Character who I refuse to even remember the name of because she's... nothing. Even her being kinda cunty about how she's sTrOnG and nOt lIkE ThoSe OthEr gIrlS is just bland. The other girls from the past two games were cute and girly and still credit to team with their strong psychic powers, why the fuck is she like this?

part 2: i've stopped giving a fuck about making this into parts fuck you What the fuck is the story of this game? You spend hours dicking around with a fucking timeskip and a ghost mansion or some shit and the game randomly namedrops the needles at some point, and then... the six or seventh chapter is just titled GUYS THE NEEDLES ARE ACTUALLY REALLY IMPORTANT YOU GUYS. Six or seven fucking chapters in, and we've barely gotten to anything resembling a coherent plot. What the fuck have we been doing up until this point again? Why the fuck do we even need the dragon needles plot anyway? Just have the main cast move from one pigmeng plot to another with things like the thunder tower, slowly working their way up the chain of command until they reach the final boss and his ultimate plan. You don't need to introduce an entire plot worth of fucking shit a third of the way into the game you fucking fuckers

The themes are a fucking dumpsterfire. Just plop some fucktarded work bad money bad bullshit in there and call it a day... Evil monkey man could have given that fucktard anything and got him to hide it in the well and it would have caused a ruckus when he came back and stole it. He could have convinced him to hide his grandma's ashes in the well- would the takeaway from that have been that honoring the dead bad? That's how fucking flat it is. If anything it just comes off as if the people of Tamzilly are just a bunch of mindkilled retards with no defence against humanity's own nature aside from shutting themselves off from the outside world entirely- the slightest contact with normal human interactions like money or having to contribute to society for a living, they all self-destruct. It's not le capitalism that made the old people home bad, it's whoever the fuck actually built it... which, if the outside world weren't basically strawmanned with the le evil pigmans and monkey abuser guy, would have been Tamzilly themselves. Which, because the strawmanning is so unbelievably absurd, makes it seem like Tazmilly is just a retarded place that somehow managed to make the old people's home this bad on their own or some shit I don't know I just can't buy it

Speaking of empathy, the game somehow manages to make the Pig Heil guys endearing even while they're actively working on the thunder tower that's cooking the dumbass town residents. Are they supposed to be abusing the electric catfish when they're cutely telling the things to hang in there and do their best? When Lucas got a jerb hustling the golems around and they managed to make it like a positive thing (the pigmangs encourage you, seemingly pay a decent wage, and even the doggo enjoys running on the treadmill once he gets into it), I thought there was going to be a tweest or at least some nuance, but the absurdity of the nice ol' piglins in the evil tower just makes it seem like it's just entirely unintentional, by writers who just have no idea what the fuck they're doing. The generic braindead modern-bad messaging and the generic brainless funny-characters-ha-ha sides of the writing clash horribly and somehow manage to mangle each other even worse than they already were.

The whimsicality is fucking dead. It's just all so forced and one-note... or, very consistently two-note in every single thing, because absolutely every single monster you meet is just two things funny stuck together. The first two games could glide smoothly between fighting enraged possessed zoo animals and weirdo people, weirdo fucking blended monsters that don't look like anything in particular, and then just sometimes the taxis that're used for decoration on roads will veer off course and engage you in battle. It's simultaneously wildly unpredictable and smoothly cohesive. And it's wonderful. But M3 is just... it leans over, shoves a megaphone down your throat and loudly informs you that "the PIGMEN have FUSED the THINGS toGETHER" and proceeds to beat you over the head with "this thing is THAT thing and THAT thing" over and over again. It's forced, mechanical, hamfisted and just not whimsical at all. And it's not just because the pigmengs aren't Giiigigigigiyasass (which could have been fixed by having them harness traces of Gig's power if that was the problem anyway), because it extends to absolutely everything- the ghosts at the mansion for example are just all absolutely fucking nothing. Like the main big bad boss is just "he's GHOST who THROWS FURNITURE and is BEETHOVEN and plays BEETHOVEN MUSIC". Because Beethoven is old thing therefore old mansion and ghosts, geddit? How fucking pathetic. Oh there's another thing, the weird aliens/conspiracy bent the first two games had is gone entirely. That's something that really helped it feel so wild yet at the same time cohesive... Actually, the game also seems to have done away with the surprise overworld sprite encounters like the aforementioned taxis. ... No wait that's right, they blew their load in the first levels with the rock lizards, which were fucking boring.

The dialogue fucking sucks. just fucking drags the fuck on endlessly for fucking ever to say barely anything, and barely anything you need to actually hear. Did Earthbound ever stop you to inform you that the TAXIS are AFFECTED by GIGUDUGDSAS like you couldn't figure that out yourself? No, they say Gigi's affected shit in a couple sentences near the beginning and let the rest of it speak for itself, pretty much. It's hard to give exact examples because I can't fucking remember any of this shit because it just slides right off my brain like ducks off of water, it's so bland and pointless. The sparrows drone on endlessly with worthless tutorial shit and then take an entire extra sentence to chirp at you and remind you that it's talking animals oh wow wacky!!!!!!! And when Duster decides he really is what you say he is he stands there going "ME IS DUSTER" over and over again like he's fucking Bimpson. You don't have anything interesting to say about finally figuring out who you really are? Okay... There's multiple fucking scenes of slow-scrolling walls of fucking text telling you absolutely nothng you don't already know except that the writers are wanking the fuck off over their own dumbass writing where in Earthbound there was like one scene of this towards the end that really just set up the emotions of the final sequences and underlined how far you'd come and shit and was a good moment of reflection and shit.

I also find it exceptionally intersting that all the people in Tazmilly before the timeskip have names and unique appearances, but anyone who only shows up after is just some generic design called "Man" or "Woman" or what have you. It feels weirdly dehumanizing towards outsiders.

This game fucking feels like the writers just fucking dumped a bunch of absolute shit down like they expected everyone to just eat it up, either because of the success of the previous games or because of the emotional manipulation the plot is laced with. The characters are all either detestable cunts or desperately need to be airlifted out into a better game pronto. And it's unsettlingly... modern in what's wrong with it. The capitalism-bad-tradition-good-mindkill-yourself messaging, the spunky female character(tm) who rubs it in your face how strongk she is (and who keeps talking even when you're controlling her while the other characters all become silent protagonists)... even the weirdly random spite towards characters the narrative has decided aren't "deserving" enough, or characters only being allowed to handle said spite and retain sympathy by cucking to it completely (Duster)... I suppose that's just a sign that these sorts of writing problems and hangups are older than that and have just become more popular/visible in recent times, but it's still really fucking weird to see.

I feel like I should be concerned that the team behind the Earthbound series also started Gamefreak and created Pokemon, though since the split obviously happened before Mo 3 I don't know how much overlap there is between staff members there specifically... seeing as how these exact same sort of writing problems have started to rear their heads in the Pokemon franchise, starting weakly in gen 6 (cough zinnia cough abandoned ship plotline cough) and absolutely fucking exploding in 7 (cough LILLIE COUHG FUCKING TAPUS COUGH AGAG V HIC CUFGH VOMIT AAGHK); I haven't yet fully witnessed gen 8 but everything I've seen of it so far looks no better, except there's no shill character (Marnie is just kinda... there), just suffering. But that's all for another post.

welp time to go watch the remainder of the game until my brain rots off

[hiimbloblos]

Just wanted to share my little first attempt at animating stuff ✨

Also I added a few little headcanons in here. For example - what if shulker boxes and enderchests had their little movements as if they were a bit sentient? If you look closely, the grey shulker box behind the doggo moves a little bit. You can't really see the enderchest under the bed, but its top moves a little bit, trust me.

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

Fl4k Fl4k Fl4k Fl4k Fl-

i didn’t die i just fell in love with that skill tree creator and have done nothing for the past few days but make skill trees and sleep for 3 hour intervals. im very excited for the gameplay on Wednesday but oh man oh me oh my i gotta catch up on a lot of posts lol

tl;dr: Fl4k is a badass. Stop misgendering them or I’ll show up at your home at 3am local time every time and then eat your spine. Bonus: Mr. Chew being an ‘Eridian skag’ is probably due to some funky mutation from eridium/slag/eridian stuff. Kinda like how Threshers have the ability to make singularities because they are native to Elpis, which is a big ol’ Eridian base (which i totally addressed in this post lol). I also gave my opinion on Fl4k’s skills in general, if you’re interested in that. Overall, a very awesome trailer! Definitely lived up to the hype.

i said it before, this trailer was one of the best ones. definitely #2 for me, Zane is still at #1 because i actually laughed during it. the music in this one is definitely the best out of all 4 tho. seems like they’re all variations of the same song, i like this one best. I need this soundtrack sooo bad.

also i know probably no one else following this blog watches one piece but like

that first footstep with the studded boot and the sound effect immediately flung me back to katakuri. god katakuri was a badass. i was so excited to see that fight animated.

mr chew spinning around is my favorite thing ever. i love that you can tell the personality of the pets just from watching the intro. 

i know fl4k is like a real badass in this trailer, but i get the feeling they’re going to end up being at least a little soft for their pets. i mean... they have stuffed animals of them ffs.

so... we’re near Sanctuary-III in this trailer? I gotta keep my eye out then. i also want to see if that one claptrap area guess i had is correct or not... this looks like an entryway for the garage so im guessing i wasn’t, but let’s seeeee

there is a raised bit up and to the left

also im wondering if this means we’re going to have to rescue ellie from the CoV.

hmmmmmmmm

hmmmmm i don’t think the signs match up.

mr chew is the goodest boy. im so glad we can pet/interact with him!! i want to know what the names of the other pets are

also, a bit off topic but

i could have sworn fl4k’s jabber was cryo/shock. it was blue, wasn’t it? i wonder if they changed it or if it’s skill upgrades change its color. i thought the upgrades just gave it better guns.

yeah it was! i guess possibly upgrading it with the guns gives it a new color scheme? maybe? this could be the gunslinger upgrade!

it looks like their jabber went through the most design changes out of all of the pets. that or this is yet another upgrade (since each pet has 3 states). maybe this is the beefcake version.

‘bitch’. i love how expressive fl4k is with just the eye. very well done.

ohhh you know what that building is in the back?

[we’re near the intro to the game!]*

and tbh i don’t think this place has the building for Ellie’s Scrap in it... i don’t see it anywhere. maybe this is the actual scrapyard and the building is on the other side?

not quite sure tbh. but at least we know this place may also be near sanc-iii, just maybe not the same area as the actual Ellie’s Scrap.

i mean... there IS a shitload of cars everywhere. i wouldn’t surprised if it’s near her garage cause it looks like a scrapyard.

but also where in the fuck are all these ‘normal’ looking cars coming from?? it’s not like we see them being used on pandora. all the ones we see in bl1/2 are clearly dilapidated and rusting. big thonk. at least the vans/busses kinda make sense.

oh yeah that is definitely the same building. [it’s the recruitment center!]*

this scene with the rakk is my favorite out of all the trailers. so fuckin cool

i do hope the jabber goes back to being blue at some point. i like the red design too, don’t get me wrong, but i much prefer the glowy blue. it’s my favorite color and you guys know i love glowing things 👀

<Huge Selection!!!> lol

cat/doggo/monkey. mr chew is my favorite pet but i love the jabber panting like a dog lol

i never knew this is where spiderant mouths were

i always assumed they were below that... f r e a k y

“he likes to chase cars”

fl4k probably took them to the scrapyard for this exact reason ngl. fl4k being a big softie to their pets confirmed

(also, notice how fl4k uses ‘he’ for mr chew. it’s almost as if they understand the concept of gender, chose their own pronouns, and your argument that they only are nonbinary only because they “don’t understand yet” is invalid! Fl4k is canonically nonbinary and uses they/them/theirs pronouns as confirmed by both SungWon Cho and their in-game skills. 

Now that you know, use they/them/theirs for Fl4k or get off my blog. Because by not doing so, you are disrespecting the devs’ wishes for this character AND the nonbinary people who find representation in them and I won’t support that. if you feel like arguing your reasons to purposefully misgender them even after knowing this, please DM me so I can block you. thanks! 

For those of you out there actually making an effort: mistakes happen, especially if Fl4k is the first NB person you’ve learned about. Just make sure to correct yourself then move on, and we’re okay. Everyone has to learn sometime and it’s better to put in the effort than not care at all. It will become second nature.)

Fl4k is such a badass, they really are way different than i expected (personality-wise), but i am not complaining. gearbox knows me better than i know myself, so i know i’m going to end up loving Fl4k anyway. ProZD did such a fantastic job, i honestly did not recognize him at first! i can tell with certain words now, but wow i am blown away. 

i hope we’re able to climb that bird’s nest lookin’ thing in the back. it would be perfect for sniping and/or placing ur clone for maximum coverage.

seriously, what a badass.

idk i feel obligated to give my opinions of Fl4k over here since they were recently released. I am digging them 100%, tho i was kinda surprised (not in a bad way) they’re not as... i guess soft as i was expecting from their character design with the plushes and the face on the backpack and the smiley face pin, but i imagine that’s different when they’re interacting with their pets. im super curious to see how this VH group’s dynamic is going to go. 

mechanically, their skills seem perfect for people who loved sniper Zer0 and in general Mordecai, with a splash of Salvador tossed in for good luck. I am a dirty melee Zer0 main and i prefered Phasewalking over Bloodwing (altho i still play mordy bc he’s best bl1 VH) so, while I am definitely going to give Fl4k a go, they’re not my main bl3 Vault Hunter, that’s reserved for Zane and his lovely ability to befuddle enemies and run around. Funnily enough, I’m not even a fan of pet classes, so Fl4k being second in my play order is pretty funny. Tho, yeah, Amara being last is also pretty weird. I guess I don’t necessarily enjoy melee, I just enjoy messing with the bad guys lol

ohh, also, I am most interested in the upgrade for mr. chew that gives him the ability to create singularities and is called ‘Eridian Skag’. 

so I’m not saying my theory that the threshers on the moon were connected to Eridians was right, I’m just saying they’re the only form of wildlife we know that has a singularity ability (outside of Mr. Chew, apparently). 

im just saying gearbox, you should hire me to write your deep lore for you cause i’d do it for free

im wondering if we’ll be seeing skags with wormhole abilities in bl3. maybe the constant exposure to slag is starting to mutate them further beyond just elemental bonuses (on badass skags). We know Maya’s phaselock has a singularity ability (so does Amara’s phasegrasp), and that is sorta ‘occurring naturally’ (you know, as natural as siren powers can get) unlike the singularity grenades we encounter which use our known technology. plus, uh, whatever happened to the destroyer’s eye in TPS that made it create a singularity/wormhole by injecting it with a fuckload of slag. that probably has something to do with this as well.

but geez i really hope mr. chew is okay with being all slag/eridium-ed up. i guess being badass elemental skags doesn’t appear to hurt them, just make them more powerful, unlike humans. maybe that has something to do with sentience, if slag/eridium/eridian stuff actually is driving bandits crazy. could explain why/if the jabber doesn’t get an element like the skag (eridian skag) and spiderant (fire) do, since they’re described as semi-sentient...

anyway.

Fl4k is cool. Definitely a neat trailer- my second favorite for sure- and the skill tree drop blew me away because i was not expecting it. im expecting a lot of Fl4k mains in the first few weeks of gameplay because they look like a lot of fun!

EDIT: i was wrong, in the newest IGN vid, it turns out we ARE near the recruitment center, because that IS the recruitment center

they gave them little orange flags! good to know!!

[shadowphoenixrider]

What do you know, I’m still on my Post-Apoc!AU bullshit!

Draggka brings the mounts she keeps over to Alt-Draenor (except her netherwing, since he’s sentient and peaces out back home), and uses those to get around. However, due to being such a good friend of the Frostwolves, they gift her a frostwolf puppy.

Pupper takes a shine to Khadgar, and bonds with him instead.

Hilarity ensues.

Draggka helps Khadgar train pupper and also learn to ride on her back when she gets big enough, so now Khadgar has this ridiculously fluffy doggo who sheds all over him and lies on him all the time. She’s very protective of her dad and his pack though, and will happily tear the throat out of anyone who threatens them.

She and Spike are best friends. She gives Spike big slobbery kisses and he hates it, and also when she lies on him, yet they’re good buddies who want their human/troll companions to be happy.

She also gives the little girls rides and is a big fluffy beanbag.

[witchangelnekora]

Meet Antibelle 2.0 ! 

They are a fusion of Annabelle the Satanic Cursed Doll (Yes, that one....) and Antisepticeye, a Virus-like Demon. See, Last year i had this idea for Halloween, that i decided to bring back THIS year for a con i’m going to.

What happened to Anti after “Darkiplier Vs Antisepticeye”? Well sure, we saw him in “KILL JACKSEPTICEYE” and the ending of that one game where we saw him chase Chase Brody away, but i had this idea....After he was attacked by Goddess Chica (The big doggo~) and Dark ran off to heal after he was attacked, Anti was low on health, bleeding heavily from his arm and his left leg, floating around to find a source of healing..

Just Anything to help him recover, since he wasn’t able to find Jack anywhere nearby to possess him and regain his energy, he found the doll case that had the doll Annabelle inside of it (Yes, the doll exists. Look it up.) And since it was as evil as he was, he used all his remaining energy to open the case up and just jumped into the doll body, combining his wounded self with the possessed toy, using her as a sort of....Cocoon or Healing-Chamber thing, to use the demonic powers within the doll itself to heal him slowly while he thought of ways to return to his real body.

By doing so, he combined his body with her soul, creating a Genderfluid Demon known as Antibelle. They found some old wrappings since the wounds appeared on the now sentient 5′10″ Demon Doll as if they were makeup, and still bleeding heavily and bandaged up their arm, leg, and even their slit-throat to hide the fact that they were actually Anti, just in a new....albeit temporary form.

They attacked the first person they saw and took the sneakers off the corpse, since the doll shoes that were on Annabelle’s feet looked horrible. So, they put their weapon in the leg-bandages to hide it, used a little magic to change up the outfit a bit to look more modern, and that’s how Antibelle was created. 

Pronouns: They/Them.

Loves: Knives, Blades, Blood, Causing Chaos, Despair, Coffee, Sweets

Hates: Hope, People in general (they are not morning people),Annoyances, Not using the right pronouns when people are speaking to them.

They still speak in a glitched way, swapping from Anti’s voice to a more Feminine version (like if you glitched out Signe’s voice) at times, so you don’t know which side is speaking at times. They also hide a necklace underneath the front of the dress, which was also stolen from the corpse they looted.

They stole a bracelet (not seen) that they didn’t realize was blessed, which keeps Antibelle from floating away, but can still escape via dark magic.

Their eyes are decorated in Red-and-Green, but their eyes will glow a bright green when angry.

They share the same powers as their separate forms, such as Anti’s Reality warping and Annabelle’s cursed body, As it’s said that those whom touch the doll are said to either be cursed by a terrible fate or get deathly ill.

(That’s all i have so far. :3)

[zorilleerrant]

okay I’m still mad about people not liking Enterprise so here are some of the reasons why it’s a good show, actually:

talks more about the interactions with aliens than other shows; explores much more the confusion of being an alien in human culture and having to learn how humans act and the feelings aliens have when humans treat their cultures as weird and wrong

but also explores the nuances of colonialism; deals with having to make decisions based on helping people, but having to decide whether or not that’s being impacted by imperialist goals and expectations. very ‘how much am I allowed to decide that another culture is harmful?’ (y’kno, that Prime Directive good shit)

having a lady Vulcan allows a lot more exploration of the sexed and gendered dynamics of Vulcan society, especially given that the traits assigned to Vulcans are masculine traits, which means a lady Vulcan is necessarily going to be read and treated differently than a dude Vulcan by their human crewmates

doggo

callbacks to other Star Treks, but in subtle ways that don’t derail the stories, just cute little additions that sometimes make you go oh

lots of alternate perspectives and interpretations on established canon, calling attention to the fact that history is not an explicit and objective thing, but rather the collected ideas of a bunch of different people who think different things for different reasons. underscored by the time fuckery that keeps coming up

actually acknowledges the idea that multiple sentient species could evolve on a planet at the same time, and deals with the interactions of those species. also deals with the conflicting goals and ideals of these different species, instead of treating them as a single Unitary Planetary Consensus, something I think the other Star Treks are constantly guilty of, especially with Earth itself

Malcolm was originally intended to be gay but the network was like hmm I think not. still, it adds a lot if you read him as closeted due to pressure from the higher ups, which I find interesting

the costumes are great because they really resemble real world work clothes, but at the same time you can see how they would evolve into the kinds of clothes we see in TOS et al (plus they’re cute)

all the time fuckery

the explanations of the time fuckery make absolutely no sense, which is just so good. like imagine you were a future society that could do time travel on purpose for reasons - you couldn’t give a solid explanation to people with no grounding in the physics of that! you’d try but all of it would just be confusing and nonsensical. I’m so fucking tired of the scifi trope that anything can be explained in three sentences just because that’s all it takes for white nerdbros to think they’re experts irl

plus the time traveler is Joe Everyman. absolutely who you would send in to do time stuff, none of these rocker hair and steampunk monocle motherfuckers the rest of scifi likes

Hoshi is my absolute favorite, and fuck you she’s your favorite too

deals with the difficulty of translating languages, obviously not to a real world extent because that would be bad storytelling, but gives details to different types of issues that come up from language to language, and some nods to the nascent Universal Translator

very adventure toned like TOS although what constitutes and adventure TV show changed a lot between the two, so there are obvious differences. still, situated in a recognizable part of the TV landscape, and has a very upbeat, curious, imaginative feel

theme song is great. like I get that people are upset they changed the music, but the visuals of the theme song are absolutely stunning, so well put together and tell exactly the right story

[rakshakarana-blog]

OOC. If anyone wants to read this AU then it’s below the cut and its VERY LONG as a warning. Context; Symmercy && Lena/Emily world building history. Dragon!Symmetra and Werewolf! Lena with a god touched twist ;D 

Aka. They’re both children of the gods and Lena is more of a grim type doggo but yes!

To begin with there was one strong standing deity, no other could stand up to it's might and let alone rival it for dominance over the world. It was a benevolent beast, a creature of peace. The original god if one were to ever label the first to spawn; Overwatch. 

 It kept the monsters, the humans, the godly beings and all living upon the earth in check and brought it's wrath upon those that dared to oppose it but as time ticked by, Overwatch grew... lonely. They watched from their perch as life went on whilst they rested alone and, for the first time, Overwatch stepped down to walk the earth-- To find companionship.

It came in the form of a sailors daughter, a girl of the sea with a fiery personality and the gift of magic within her. She caught the godly beings attention with her affinity for healing, the balance she held and, well, Overwatch could never quite figure her out. She held their curiosity tighter than most other mortals ever had. But she was still. 

Mortal. 

And life blinked by faster than Overwatch wished. So they offered her their power, a taste, a blessing for their permanent company. So the fiery haired witch with a sharp tongue was gifted with immortality and became the first vessel. Sentient and free from constraint, Moira was still free to do as she wished. Overwatch would not force another to remain in their company but Moira was a woman of her word even if it was not binding; gave words the power they hold. 

Years fell into decades into centuries and humanity expanded. With it came war, came more monsters into life-- Came more godly beings and more chaos.

Overwatch was becoming aware that this was not something they could do alone. They needed help-- They needed another being of their power, another being like them to do what they could not but they had never been gifted with the powers of creation. 

 So, Overwatch turned to their vessel and asked for their aid in creating something new. Something powerful that could help them.  And she did.

Created from golden blood, from ash and earth-- With Overwatch's power and Moira's skills, she gave the god a son. She gave the god a Name. If ever her creation grew out of control, the Name would quell them but a Name was not a thing to be taken lightly and Moira was a fickle creature with her own agenda. So she kept the Name from Overwatch; hid the knowledge of it's existence. For all intents and purposes, this creature had no Name, yet. But it was called Blackwatch.

And Blackwatch did as it was created to. It did everything Overwatch could not. It's style and methods were... questionable but never did they step over the line to warrant interference from their paternal deity.  

Certainly, the whispers from the witch of the sea did not help; soft words of encouragement to push further, to become their own being away from what their father wished.

Eventually, breaking point rose. Blackwatch broke away from their father's wishes and took the matter of justice into their own hands. It was their job to see to peace, it was their job to do what their father could not and that meant making the choices they could not even if they refused.

And with it, the land was razed to keep the peace. Lives of innocent were taken in the crossfire and Overwatch was disgusted at the actions their son had taken behind their back. With further whispers from Moira, who remained a free entity-- A godly deity within her own right after centuries of honing her powers, a women with powers that could rival most minor and major gods that were starting to bloom into being-- 

 The pair fought.  The heavens were ablaze with fire and fury.

But Overwatch could not... kill their only child. For all that they had turned Blackwatch into, they loved the being. So when it came to striking the final blow, they could not. 

 Badly wounded and crippled, Blackwatch was sealed away with the aid of Moira and left to sleep for eternity. Overwatch, stricken with grief, fractured and crumbled under what they had wrought. Their body split and their power took the form in new bodies;

The sun and skies-- A benevolent deity of justice and righteousness. Touchable by those who walk the mortal world but her presence is felt by all. The maternal goddess, warmth gracing all who are blessed by her. A recluse though. It is says that she and the moon bare most of Overwatch's guilt for their actions. 

The moon and stars-- A wanderer, A soldier, cloaked in mystery. A just protector of the innocent but haggard, worn. It is said he is patron of the vagabonds, he roams the cities and keeps peace in Overwatch's wake. The night is a safer place for his light, a reflection of the sun yet strong within his own right. He act on vigilance, atoning for the mess left by Blackwatch and in hopes it redeems himself.

The Mountains, the earth, the stalwart protector-- They say this fragment of Overwatch is a colossus being. He rests within the mountains, laughter booming and shaking the lands. When an earthquake occurs, it is often commonplace to say it is Reinhardt moving and children grow up wishing to meet the gentle giant. Legend says that the only being capable of reaching the sun and moon is Reinhardt who stands tall enough to touch both. 

 The heart of the mountain, the fire and fury, the original maker-- The constant companion to Reinhardt, it is said that they were both created together for you cannot have one without the other. Reinhardt remains impenetrable because Torbjorn remains at his heels with the gift of fire and crafts. Out of all of Overwatch's fragments, he remains the most ingenious. He remains the only to create despite Overwatch being unable to himself. It is said the dwarves were created by him and the golems are his patron beasts. 

 Lastly, there is the wanderer. There is little known about this one. Some say he is a fragment of Overwatch, some say he is merely a monstrous being. He roams the sandy dunes, striking down the bandits and the criminals that make home within his domain. Some claim to see a mere man upon a horse when visited by this one but others? A calamitous wolf with razor teeth, skin as coarse as the sands he roams.

Blackwatch remained asleep as the new gods adapted to their world. They remained entrusted into Moira’s care. Moira who has no deity to report back to, no god to reign her in nor hold sway over her. She was left completely unchecked with raw power asleep at her finger tips.  And what a waste it would be to merely... leave Blackwatch, her prodigy creation, to go to waste.

 So she begins work on re-birthing it a new in quiet whilst the world recovers from Overwatch’s ‘death’ and Blackwatch’s banishment.

It takes years, decades-- The gods have settled in their ways, they're known and legends among the people. It is easier to find some than others. The sun and moon vanish during the third decade of existence but Reinhardt, Torbjorn and Jesse? They're there. They protect the world and they live on as intended. 

The world recovers, the incident is forgotten. New powers and names rise in Overwatch's absense. A beast of control that once lurked in the shadows, greedy for power now that there remains few that can stop it. A faceless beast of scale and fur-- 

 There in rises the creatures of earth and water and fire and winds-- Elements taking life in mortal form, the lands flourishing. Life is certainly not ideal but it is calm and right for once.

But there is no warning of despair, no prophecy that allows anyone to predict the creature that slithers forth out of the husk of Blackwatch. It resembles the prior deity but it is... warped, twisted. Black gas oozes off of it and colour has bled from it's form. There is no love nor care in their eyes any more, swirling black hardened by anger and hatred. Unleashed upon the world and within the bonds breaking Blackwatch, it is reborn a new. 

 Talon.

The creature is weak to begin with, feasting upon little more than small villages and towns that it passes through. It remains close to the sea, close to it's creator and 'guardian'. A woman whose hands give and take. Life and death balanced precariously upon her finger tips.

And she is smart.  She knows allies are needed, she knows Overwatch's strength even if it happened to be in pieces. If reforged, those pieces will rekindle the sleeping deity and that would be... problematic even with Talons new strength found so Moira seeks out allies in the darker places of the world. She seeks out the beast greedy for power in it's lair of shadows and grants it a seat besides them in their reshaping of the world. 

Vishkar is all too pleased to accept, crooning at the possibility for more.There are some among the clay born, the golems, that would defect and the sea belongs to her. It's creatures will bend to her whim or she will destroy them too.

It starts as rumors. A tale to scare children into returning home before dark--

There is Something out there that will get you. A bogeyman. And then there are sightings, survivors, as Talons strength grows and it's allies do too in kind.

There is this air of unease but nobody knows the answer, nobody knows who to beg for help-- Overwatch is gone and the pantheon fragmented with half of them vacant of their seat. 

It is only when a young god, born from strife afar, calls up to the heavens and prays for Overwatch's help. The beast, hardly man yet intelligent beyond any human's grasp, pleas for just a voice to answer-- begs for an answer, anything! 

 'The world is slowly succumbing to the shadows and this is your legacy yet you hide like cowards!' The primate yells into thin air, unknowing if the words were even heeded. If they do not answer then who will? The thought makes him want to vomit.

Only one answer, he wished for and yet the chorus of many answered. Many but not all. 

The mountains tremble and move for the first time in decades, erupting with a fire that promises to spark action. The hot desert sees billowing sandstorms sweep across the dunes with a figure riding lone at the center-- 

 Even those who do not fall from Overwatch's blood heed the call. An aquatic young god trying to save his home from an ally of Talon and his human vessel blessed with an impervious shield of harsh pink. 

The dragon of the south wind turns tail upon his raging war with his brother to plead help to the cause. The centaur clans of the plains and their young god pledge an army.

And yet, the sun and moon remain absent. Not even the mountains, himself, can reach them. He never could.

But it is something. It is hope and the young ape god is never more thankful for his Name than in that moment. 

They have something.

It takes time for them to co-ordinate.  Time they do not have as a wave of death and destruction slowly washes across the world. Any population that is not safely walled up is lost. Quickly. Humanity retreat to fortresses, retreat below the earth and to safety. 

The godly blacksmith raises armies of clay and stone to protect them. Bastions and bulwarks. A line of defense for life across the planet.

A reunion between fragments is always tearful when Reinhardt is involved. Jesse is welcomed back with open arms and the world becomes aware of him properly, become aware of his nature and that the large coyote wandering the dunes was not a beast nor a burden but a god within his own right.

They are not ready when Talon's attention falls upon them. Moira says they cannot be allowed to amass more power nor influence. They must be quashed, broken-- They must be destroyed and their power? That will be ours.

The ghastly beast is a formidable foe upon his own rights and with the aid of the witch and the creator, their combined powers makes the world tremble that day.

The mountain crumbles, so many lives are lost and there is still no answer from the sky. There is no gentle caress of moonlight nor scorching sun whilst they bleed--

So they are forced to retreat and Reinhardt offers a final sacrifice to permit them to escape. His powers? Breathed into one of Torbjorn's own blood with the promise of returning another day.

There, Reinhardt remains. Collapsed into the earth he nurtured from his first breath. The tree's, the grass, the ground-- It silently weeps his sleep.

The power shift is felt by all. It passes over every deity and every creature under Reinhardt's expansive shield--

There would be no laughter that night, no smile nor hearty chuckle. Only wounds to lick and the fleeting strings of hope unravelling.

That is hardly to say that their retreat was an entire loss. Blows were struck, their army weakened and time bought.

Strength was needed again. Vishkar and Talon split ways, taking their path of war in separate directions. Moira, as ever, remained in the shadows-- Close to her creation and revelling in the chaos caused.

The young water god, splitting away from the group with his vessel and the aid of the blessed child of Torbjorn-- The new mountain, powers still fresh and new. Vengeance was to be exacted and Vishkar had been weakened by the battle. Lucio would not see an opportunity to bring down the beast to pass him.

Catching the haughty beast was of no issue, speed was always his forte-- Beating the beast, however, was no feat of it's own. Blood of all parties was spilled but, ultimately, it was the vessel that offered the killing blow. Her sword brought down to decapitate the monster.

And collectively, they breathed relief. Vishkar's power was split in two--... 

 His head and his heart, into two beings. The head formed into scales, small and coiled; eyes calculated even upon birth. Curious. 

The body? It fell back into fur. Bright eyed and eager at the world. 

 A puppy and a drake, hardly bigger than their heads. Vulnerable children... Babies.

They were weak and to take their power meant Vishkar would never return again. Lucio would never have to fear the beasts return nor worry if his home would be destroyed or corrupted under their influence but they were children.

They were infants and the group was certainly not monsters in their own right. The pair were taken with intent to return to the group. Chaos and Order birthed into the world, bathed in the blood of their sire.

Talon, however? Talon was about to stumble into the gravest mistake of it's existence.

Feeding off of the essence of life to strengthen itself lead it to untouched areas-- Lead it to a large village that thrived despite the chaos and death that circled it. The air was... different here. It was static with power but no god nor monster fell from the sky to fell it so onwards it pressed, hunger insatiable.

Fire licked the buildings, smog thick in the air and the screams of innocents deafened the sky.Talon REVELED in the pain, in the chaos as it rampaged down the streets. It watched as people fled in terror, watched as parents sent away children running unto the cruel world-- 

It watched as they cowered in corners and begged the sun, the sky and the gods themselves to please save them.

Toppling a building and snapping its maw down, devouring any within it's reach, Talon took no prisoners. Two humans torn away from their child and murdered-- 

Bright blue eyes and pale blonde hair watched in silent horror before a scream...

The sky bleeds in colour, hues of red and yellow drowning out the soft blue. The moon curls over the sun and darkness softly washes over the land. A harsh flash of white cuts through the inky blackness and rising up to meet Talon with claws and teeth bore.

The moon passes and an owl passes over head, feathers pure white with hints of yellow washing at the tip-- Talon only gets a fleeting snap before a lion-like beast is at it's throat. The battle is almost too painful to look at, too bright but blood splatters the grounds regardless.

From the fray, the powerful beast retreats for the first time in it's life leaving battle worn and tired deities in it's wake. Fur and feathers stained in golden blood as they heave. Only seconds break taken before attention falls back to their people-- The burning buildings and destruction.

It is the sun who shrinks to a more humanly form first, who offers a kind and familiar smile to the village. Offers them calm, safe haven and sanctuary as the moon aids in pulling survivors from the wreckages.

They can no longer hide.  The battle has curled up on their doorstep and their guilt, to be faced.

So it is with a small village of dirty and trembling humans does the sun and moon appear. 

Never once had Overwatch been reunited and, again, today was not meant to be. The sun mourns the loss of the mountain harder than the moon, her chest aching deep to her bone but now is not the time to mourn nor hide-- 

Now is the time to act. 

 The bloodied four pieces of Overwatch with the old and new gods rallied at their side take the fight to Talon this time. The beast is wounded and Moira can only heal so fast--

This fight is bloodier, harder-- Everyone aches and the initial fire held is a dim ember in comparison.

 But they fight on. 

It is the moon who slays Talon in the end.  The moon with claw marks down his face, spitting blood and legs trembling who crushes the beast--

And Talon's fall is the fall of all.  Not even Moira holds strength enough to stand up against the number of gods against her.

It is the sun who exacts justice against Moira, banishing her to her birth place and binding her to the sea to never step foot on land again. Let her be locked in the waves, cursed to watch humanity thrive but never once touch it again.

The moon, the sandy desert wanderer and the heart of the mountain watch as Talon's form breaks apart, watches it fragment into four--

The infants born are their responsibility as Blackwatch was overwatch’s and they failed their son.

The choice to kill them is heavy on their minds, they should but this is redemption. This is a fresh start for all of them.

So the four are taken and split.  To be kept apart but alive.

The moon takes death, takes the reaper.  He will know of his creators sins but the moon hopes he will grow to be better. However, darkness is feared again because of death. The moon is a blessing of comfort but the inky blackness that clings to it gives chills--

War is taken by the desert wanderer.  There will be no better place for something of this magnitude to thrive than a place where there is nothing but bandits that seek a fight. He hopes he can instill honour into the creature, hope he does not fail the young chaotic deity like so many others had before him.

The heart of the mountain takes pestilence.  She is a joker, a trickster but she is family. She adapts into the family and is, arguably, the happiest of the four. She is a wanderer but always wanders home. There is no judgement found at the heart and her curse is not held against her here.

And lastly, the sun reluctantly takes famine.  And she returns to hiding. She remains at the coast to watch the witch of the sea, someone must keep vigil. The sea is stormy here, the waves brutally lap and wash at the shore in anger and Ana rarely sees the sun but never does she fail to smile. A family is raised. Famine, her own blood and herself--  Food is scarce at best from fishing here but the village is warm, welcoming. They thrive despite their struggles and Amelie, well. She grows well, she grows good but she is stolen too soon. The sea claims her a few years into a happy marriage, a well loved member of the village, a dancer. A daughter--

The world recovers, stronger but warier.  They are less quick to trust the gods and lesser quick to put faith in magic. They had all bled enough from those horrors. 

Some of the gods return back into hiding, others more openly in the light but one thing is certain, if Moira breaks free from the sea then Talon will return--

[krixwell-liveblogs]

“Retreat,” Tattletale spoke, “Just don’t turn your backs to them.”

Good call.

Fog moved forward, his limbs and legs dissolving into a cloud as he advanced on us.  His pace was slow, only a little faster than we moved walking backward.

Hm. Unfortunately “a little” faster is all he needs unless it allows you to get to somewhere you can speed up or get away in some other way.

Bitch had to whistle twice to get a growling Angelica to retreat.  The dog seemed set on protecting her master, attacking this threat, and was slow to obey. 

Pick your battles, Angelica. Be like Oni.

The fog reached her, and we heard a strangled yelp, an unnatural sound from the throat of an unnatural animal.  I saw Bitch start forward.

No no no no no no

“No!” I caught her shoulder.

I might have argued, told her why she couldn’t or shouldn’t attack, how useless it would be against a man that turned to a sentient gas.  I didn’t get a chance.

Not sure it would’ve helped anyway.

While our attention was on Angelica, Night took the opportunity to blindside Brutus.  He was thrown bodily into our group with enough force to to bowl us and even Judas over.

STRIKE!

Geez, if the dogs are as heavy as I’ve been imagining, that’s some incredible strength there.

Night just stood there, standing straight, heels together, one arm outstretched in front of her.

Did she throw Brutus like that with a simple push?

I hurried to my feet, my legs and knees aching, putting one hand on Brutus’ shoulder to steady myself.  It was then that I saw the damage she’d done to him.

Noo, don’t hurt the doggos :(