#amazing again in the finale

[timegears-moved]

(totk ending spoilers ahoy)

wow ganondorf sure does love gettjng stabbed in the head huh

ya know, for all the shit i've given this game about how much i hate the story, that finale was fucking amazing. better than botw's even (i know it's not a hot take to say botw had a mediocre ending for how much i enjoyed the rest of the story).

so.... i loved the callbacks to the beginning with gloom's lair and the forgotten foundations. i loved that you can remove the rocks blocking the way to see the rest of the mural now that you know what happens (kinda strange that the murals were there before zelda even time travelled but whatever. i just gotta accept that the time travel in this game makes zero fucking sense). but it was just very cool to have a book closing situation with it. AND ALSO ZELDA'S TORCH WAS STILL THERE!!! very sweet and sentimental detail. i also liked how it was the opposite of botw's, as in botw you were ascending hyrule castle but here you're descending far far below the castle and further below anywhere else in the depths.

the atmosphere here was amazing, especially with how the power of the sages couldn't reach you. it was truly isolating and i knew that the sages themselves would show up eventually but nonetheless it was really hammering in the tenseness of the situation.

one of my gripes is honestly with the sages. they felt kinda....useless?? which feels means to say because i like their characters but it felt like they didn't have much of a presense in the final despite literally being there. i do like how tulin was like "we need to work together" when his whole thing during the rito questline was how he was doing everything by himself and had to learn and accept teamwork. if totk carried at least one thing over from botw it was that the rito continue to have the best and well-developed characters lmao (even if the impact of tulin's felt smaller. probably because he's not.... ya know....dead).

AS FOR THE FINAL BATTLE ITSELF. WOW. ganondorf's ai was fucking incredible here. also his taunting was just very funny to me for some reason??? except for when he reached his second phase and was beckoning link closer i was like okay you need to die now.

SPEAKING OF THE SECOND PHASE: LOST MY SHIT AT THE HEALTH BAR. i love when games play with the hud and that adds to the story (prof sada/turo's text boxes glitching out and it briefly flashing with "they have no intention of fighting anymore" before changing back comes to mind as something similar). it was just very cool.

third phase was also very cool with it incorporating the sky and zelda joining us (nitpick time sorry: though the fact that she is capable of recognizing link and helping him even as a dragon kinds goes against the whole "losing yourself" aspect of it. like she was clearly still in there). i don't think the third phase was as good as the first and especially the second though. it was very easy, though it was cool that if you got hit by ganondorf's attack you would permanently lose one of your hearts. it was still a good part of the fight though, don't get me wrong.

JUMPING AFTER ZELDA AND REACHING FOR HER WAS BEAUTIFUL THOUGH. WAHHHHH

as for the epilogue it was sweet but the entire story of the game let it down a bit. i felt nothing for mineru passing and that's because everybody from the past barely felt like a character to me. this is also extends to when the current sages were vowing to protect hyrule and zelda had a flashback to the old sages. like wow it's very cool that you got to know those guys zelda and i'm glad that they meant something to you. wish i could say the same considering we still know fuck all about them.

epilogue aside, the ending was wonderful. it brought this game up from a 6 out of 10 to a 7 out of 10. if only the rest of the story was of this quality.

[heartorbit]

if we could stay connected, just like this

[superfruitland]

latest brainrot - cubed bean guy

[turtleblogatlast]

I love Raph and haven’t said that enough so to be more specific I love that Raph is a soft boy who loves bear plushies, a gross boy who eats an assortment of things that are definitely better left alone, a smart boy who is more than capable of taking down villains through planning and fortitude alike, a strong boy who is dedicated to training his muscles and fighting prowess, a teenage boy who loves his brothers but is more than happy to tease and roughhouse with them, an angry boy who sometimes lets his anger take a hold of him to cover the fear, a gentle boy who is generous with hugs and affirmations to those he loves, a capable boy who takes on more than should ever be expected of a teenager, a good boy who just wants to be a hero and slowly comes to realize the cost of that duty, a good boy who has no reservations about putting himself in the way of harm coming to his family, a good boy who’s a great brother and son and person and deserves only the best the world has to offer.

[screwpinecaprice]

When your boyrfren is a morning person.

(Idk if Connie's not a morning person, but it'd be funny if she isn't.)

Connie doodles (and a Steven!)

[sophieseals]

Also I may be treading covered ground but firecracker is AMAZING pick me representation. Those drugs ARE killing her she has an enlarged heart and it will pop supe or not. She’s done all that to win the affection of a perfect representation of conservative governed patriarchy personified in homelander and he even after ALL THAT still hates her. Even when you fit every conformity, beauty standard, blame all the other women for men’s bad actions those men STILL DONT WANT YOU. And it is metaphorically and literally KILLING HER.

[mobius-m-mobius]

#always the optimist 🥰

Loki S2 Anniversary x Episode 3 - “1893”

[xx-sketchy-xx]

Lol, is this cursed, or wonderful?

btw on the asks, I’ll try and answer, but I have a lot of people asking for oc drawings, and was thinking of setting up commissions.

[surreal-duck]

some business to take care of

[gummycat12]

ZOOMNI WORLD DOMINATION!!!!!

I wish more ppl shipped this 😭 😭

[lettuceflower]

dion killing that (evil) 10 year old with absolutely no hesitation is in like the top 5 most iconic things any final fantasy character has ever done

[mangodonutss]

so i watched nimona a week ago...

[steamclouds]

Tell me all you've ever known, and when you believe there's no more, tell me again. Let me know you like you know the universe.

my arcane trickster tav Voradras and Gale, sharing a moment of magic

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

It took 2 people to fully convince Crosshair to do a 180 on the Empire - but neither of those people were Bad Batch members.

They couldn't be. What would a squad of defective clones who had been disobeying orders since day 1 know about loyalty to an institution determined to establish order for the good of the galaxy? What would they know about finding purpose in being "good soldiers"?

Now, I DO think the seeds of Crosshair's eventual defection were planted by his brothers. Hunter pointing out that "Blind allegiance makes you a pawn" and then telling Crosshair "All you'll ever be to them is a number" are statements that are proven later to be true. But it takes Cody and Mayday to drive the lessons home.

Cody and Mayday share several characteristics that place them in unique positions to influence Crosshair:

Both are regs who accepted and befriended Crosshair - Cody says he specifically asked for Crosshair for the mission, and Mayday is upfront and friendly to Crosshair right from the start. (Contrast this to the other regs getting up to move tables when Crosshair sits to eat, or the other clone troopers who walk past Crosshair to get onto the shuttle without even sparing him a glance.)

Both are commanders. (I believe Crosshair ultimately respects authority for the most part: even when he was arguing with and challenging Hunter in "Aftermath," he still deferred to Hunter's orders until his inhibitor chip was intensified and he was then promoted to commander.)

Both are loyal soldiers who have served the Empire well - again, these regs are still commanders even under the new government. And we all know how important loyalty to the Empire is to Crosshair at this point.

Both save Crosshair's life during their missions.

In short, both are regs, but they are still soldiers Crosshair can quickly identify with and trust.

I think it's key that Crosshair encountered Cody before Mayday, though. And despite their similarities, both soldiers drive home different points.

CODY

Cody is one of the few regs we know Crosshair already respected - and still respects, given that Crosshair almost smiles when he recognizes him.

(Some proof in case it isn't apparent: Crosshair goes from frowny face...

...to relaxed almost-happy-if-you-squint-just-right face)

Anyway, while Cody does drop some hints early on that he has doubts about the Empire, he is willing to carry out the mission to rescue "Governor" Grotton, showing he will follow orders to a certain extent. However, he shows more restraint than Crosshair might have: he doesn't attack the civilians despite their obvious mistrust of the soldiers, he comes to an understanding with Tawni Ames, he's NOT willing to follow an order to execute her, and he is clearly dismayed and disappointed by her death.

And so, at the end of a "successful" mission, Cody more plainly reveals the depth of his dissatisfaction with following orders against one's own moral scruples:

Hunter had said "Blind allegiance makes you a pawn." And Cody, unwilling to blindly and unquestioningly be a pawn - or act like a battle droid - any longer, goes AWOL.

But that lesson alone isn't enough to make Crosshair turn on the Empire. Instead, he needs Mayday to give him the final push.

MAYDAY

First, Mayday indicates how appalled he is by the idea of anyone leaving their own behind - which we know is a sore spot for Crosshair. But most importantly, Mayday has demonstrated since he was first introduced that he strongly believes in soldiers being loyal to and looking out for each other (which is far different than just being loyal to the Empire).

Second, Mayday unknowingly challenges Crosshair's belief that serving the Empire provides meaningful purpose. (Remember that one of Crosshair's main arguments to his brothers about joining the Empire was so they could "find purpose again.")

Then, he unwittingly goes for the jugular and rips apart the motto Crosshair had adopted.

And then, in case Crosshair has any lingering doubts about the answer to Mayday's rhetorical question, Nolan decidedly answers the question for him.

Hunter had said "All you'll ever be to them is a number," and he is proven right in the most heartbreaking way.

Crosshair had accused his brothers of not being loyal to him; unfortunately, now he sees what true disloyalty looks like. And for Crosshair - severe and unyielding - realizing that he has misplaced his loyalty by giving it to an entity that mocks him and casts him AND those he cares about aside for doing so... this is the final straw.

Thankfully, Crosshair has now rediscovered the people who are worthy of his loyalty.

[yangjeongin]

HYUNJIN BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN (2024):  ↘ D-DAY | HAPPY BIRTHDAY HWANG HYUNJIN❣️

[omdrawings]

It's been a while since I drew some of my favorite brainrot beans...

Sketchbook page 3 filled with a bit of 3D paper layering :]