#and/or him saying q!Pac is dead

[shikai-the-storyteller]

TBH the best case scenarios in my mind for Fit's lore ending on Thursday are either:

Madagio has mercy. They know what it's like to lose everyone they love, and seeing what's happening on Quesadilla Island is just a reminder of everything they loved and lost. Madagio releases Fit, and he reunites with Pac e Mike and Richarlyson, and they're all able to leave Quesadilla Island.

Or:

Madagio and Fit destroy the Federation together. Fit goes full 2B2T mode and there's nothing left of the Federation once they're finished. Madagio and Fit finally have their revenge. (And then maybe Fit can reunite with Pac + all his loved ones and they escape the Island, or reclaim the island for their own since the Federation no longer has any power over them).

Bonus: A very unlikely but "Wouldn't it be fun?" scenario would be Pac and Mike flying down on a fully-grown dragon Richas and rescuing Fit from Vacuus Island and they fly away and live happily ever after.

[ludaroace]

insane over fit's last three streams and how far in denial he still is despite being told by multiple people with varying amounts of proof that tubbo is Dead and not dead .

he watches tubbo Die and people tell him tubbo is Dead but he can't be because it's tubbo and he's just being dramatic he always does things like this . him and richarlyson were just messing around - they do that all of the time

the next day he doesn't see anyone thats not an egg really . a couple of people for like five minutes at a time, but it's really just him and ramon and then dapper which is unusual but it happens . tubbo should be awake by now . dapper tells him tubbo is Dead and he can't be . it doesn't matter that he hasn't seen tubbo since he died because tubbo will come back

sunny is awake without tubbo and tells fit that tubbo is Dead and she wants to bring him cakes like ma lenay . that some creature thing called creation is here to protect sunny because tubbo is Dead and that she needs someone to hang out with/feed her and fit & ramon can do that ! but tubbo is not Dead because the islanders don't Die here for real (ignore dan and maxo and spreen . they were special cases . the islanders don't Die .) . in the letter he writes, he doesn't believe tubbo is Dead . he might have died, but he will come back because sunny misses him (the heavily implied he does too, but if he writes that then it's real)

phil is the first not child fit really gets to talk to after what happens and he tells him that tubbo is Dead but that he can come back and of course he can ? all they need to do is get this computer thing and his purpose data which makes no sense but it's tubbo and he doesn't always do things that make sense and honestly it wouldn't be the strangest thing tubbo has done to gate his respawn behind an item quest . hell, theres a small chance he has part of what he needs by complete coincidence

[littleseasalt]

ok, let me be annoying about richas and forever relationship for a bit, cause, wow

"the next day, there was only one of them. well, it was dad forever 0_0. lets say that, he was always here"

We all know Q!Forever in the first day didn't give a shit about Richas because cc!Forever legit thought it was a bot. This led to his chat bullying him and calling him an absent father, which led to him logging in the next day JUST for the sake of beating the allegations. This is how we get this clip:

"Aaaah Richarlyson!! Hi, son! Hi, beautiful~ "Dad?" How cute! That's right son, daddy came!"

Now meta wise we all can FEEL Forever's ironic tone about it because he wasn't taking RP seriously at the time, and also this is the first time Ricardão played Richas since the first day it was 01 playing Richas. In lore, though? This is q!forevers first actual contact with his son, taking care of him and doing his tasks.

...And ever since this first day, he never stopped doing it. Because Forever would log in and Richas would already be logged in. Because Forever would do 10+ QSMP streams for the grind and his only company was Richas. Which culminated on Forever being Richas' most present father ("let's say that, he was always here"):

"he's my most present dad and the one that takes care of me the most, without him I'd be very sad"

No matter what happened, Forever was always there for Richas. Forever was there during insaneduo divorce, Forever was there when Felps got Felps'd, when Cellbit went as a martyr. Forever was there when Richas' dad's kept disappearing one by one. When Pac got kidnapped by the code, Forever and Richas IMMEDIATELY hugged each other, desperate about how their family keeps disappearing. Forever was still there whenever they thought over armor, Forever was still there despite how Richas and him were spending less time together, Forever was there to offer comfort when Richas finally opened up about what he feels when he wakes up after a Romero Richas appears.

...And now.

Richas was told of the black goo infection, but no matter how much Forever kept saying things were fine, Richas knew they weren't. He told Mike yesterday about how whenever Forever went to sleep, he would stay up to take care and look over him. And then Forever is gone, and there's this entity taking over him, threatening to hurt Forever's body to make Richas' obey. And Richas begs for BBH to be able to pull out Forever from death if things go that way. And Cucurucho shows up and takes @v@ away, and the only thing they tell Richas is that Cucurucho got him, maybe killed him, maybe hes dead, or maybe cucurucho is taking care of him.

And Richas' doubts all these options. He doubts Cucurucho is able to take care of Forever because he knows that previously cucurucho couldn't (happy pills + black goo medicine not being enough). And he doubts Forever is dead because *Forever has always been there*. That's his most active father, the one that takes care of him the most, the one that was always there for him.

"And if mom asks me today, tomorrow... I won't believe kK"

And we just. Have Richas telling this to Tubbo about Forever.

And I just. "he's my most present dad and the one that takes care of me the most, without him I'd be very sad"

"without him I'd be very sad"

[mamimiou]

Does anyone else’s heart break a little for Pepito or is it just me? I really thought he would be closer to Richarlyson because they’re siblings but apparently not. I sometimes get tired of the moments he gets jealous over sharing time with his parents and pepito, it kinda makes him a hypocrite to me.

For each of Pepitos meetings with his parents he has come in and made the attention split between the two, if not even, focus it on himself. I think Q!Carre has been the only one to not give into it and even went on to say that Richarlyson was being a big hater when they talked about the plushies Pepito had. I absolutely mean no hate, but it’s just so boring to see all the time. I guess it just hits more because it’s a sibling dynamic (I also get this way with Tallulah and Chayanne), but I think that is unfair because he also pops on and gets in when Q!Roier is alone with Pepito. Even though it would upset him if it was the other way around and Pepito was invading his space with Q!Cell. It just makes me sad for Pepito because he has to deal with the only active parent he has already having multiple dead kids, and now it’s this constant sharing and there’s not enough building between them. Like last night, Pepito tried to get his attention for the daily routine they have before he logs out but Richarlyson just started spam clicking to get his attention. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that feels this way lol.

I think I just got so used to how Q!Foolish was with both Pepito and Leonarda the same time that it kinda just made me idk.

It also honestly makes me sad for Empanada a little too, she has to share her mother. And sometimes, Q!Bagi focuses on Richarlyson more.

He’s been so off lately, like how he acted with Q!Pac over Hideduo, now I’m just wondering if there’s any reasoning behind all of it?

As well as the recent event of him destroying Sunny and Leonarda’s Farm. I just don’t understand, even if I saw his explanation. I think I understood Tallulahs approach more. There was no need to use Leonarda’s farm as a lesson. There would’ve been so much hate for Sunny if she had done something like to Richarlyson.

As someone who’s favorite egg was Bobby, I can see that there are some similarities, because Bobby used to upset others and even burned things down, but he’d get in trouble for it and no one puts a stop to Richarlyson.

I just wonder if there is some lore context that I am missing to understand why he is acting this way.

At the end of the day, there’s no reason to even be upset about it because Pepito is probably not even making it to March, and nothing will even change in this dynamic, but it is still upsetting to see.

[atthebell]

Do you have any QSMP fic recommendations?

basically everything by bravehearteds (@/leolingo) but especially:

soft edges of the world - spiderbit family fluff ADORABLE

cover me in roses - spiderbit during purgatory

the design of the two-minded creature - roier watches bolas during purgatory

fluorescent orange tulips - roier makes cellbit stop working 10/10 best genre of spiderbit fic

@/quesadillayuri's fics:

a little knight beside the campfire - very cute mystery twins + bagina fic

maybe tomorrow you'll know - v cute bagina fic

WhyB's fics:

AITA: I (26M) got into a drunken 4 hour argument with my husband (21M) and his qpp (25F) over Hatsune Miku - incredibly funny suntrio fic

Drunk words are sober thoughts - very fun suntrio + cellbit & jaiden fic

Fix what's broken - cellbit & richas post-chainsaw incident

MisshapenDear's fics:

sweet dreams - very very good horror involving cellbit having straight nightmares that feature jaiden after she broke into the fear room

almost cruelty, almost kindness - 4halo happy pills arc -- totally understandable if you're not into reading 4halo these days, but if you don't mind, this fic is utterly brilliant and so well-written.

WheelCoveredInEyes' fics:

The thing worth doing well done - THE q!etoiles fic to me, absolutely lovely, covers his dynamics with various other islanders

The burning fuselage of my days - pac & cellbit during the happy pills arc

Come out, come on, come inspired - all about the relationships between the french speakers & one another & the other islanders

assorted other recs:

Yo con gusto de matar, si él quiere - spiderbit making out during purgatory

cellbit does not enjoy the island - two-part series on qcellbit and his cucurucho-related traumas

(it's the norm for animals, it's the norm for chemicals) - cellbit struggles with being around jaiden (bird) due to being a cat hybrid. he tries to figure it out.

LOGICIEL TRISTE / NIGHT RIDER - pactoiles dungeon date 5+1

Allay your woes - cellbit during and after the felps rescue

todo lo que ato, el destino lo desata - super interesting look at qspreen through the eyes of chayanne

assorted spiderbit fluff and/or hurt/comfort:

home is where you are

i find safety in your arms

dead tired

Hollows on the old road

i find peace in your eyes

So Simple in the Moonlight

that's the deal, my dear - qcellbit gets turned into a cat and roier finds him, absolutely adorable and a very classic fic trope love it

say yes to heaven (say yes to me) - spiderbit fluff post-wedding

and finally my fave of all time, THE qsmp fic to me. this is insaneduo, so again, if you're not down to read qforever, totally get it. but if you are, and if you can stomach the tags (and i need you to actually read through all the tags, process them, and then choose whether you're gonna read the fic), then PLEASE read this. it is absolutely brilliant, so well done, and a perfect depiction of their dynamic and especially qcellbit's paranoia during this time.

if stainless steel could love you back by @/magicalmanhattanproject

this fic is hands down one of my all time favorite fics, not just in this fandom but overall, and that is sincere, earnest praise from me. an absolute masterpiece please read it if you're able.

also you can check my fic recs tag (which i'll attach here) for more if i missed any that i've recced before

[robby-bobby-tommy]

Okay, I'm obsessed with the lore.... So here's some of me theories/stuff I've noticed. It's gonna be rambling in it's worst, cuz I'm way too excited.

Firstly, let's welcome Madagio! I don't know what's up with him, but here's some info we know:

- he's from some island who is connected to Quesadilla through some system.

- he can travel through servers.

- cats are his eyes and ears.

So with this out of the way, here's some of my thoughts.

- Body language -

Honestly, it's not something important, but I really love how cc! Fit uses body language to convey his character. q! Fit doesn't sprint much, cuz he knows one misjudged step, one unnoticed trap and he's dead. He looks around, afraid of every lighting, every strange noise. He looks at cats cuz how are they even here, if not every person can survive here?

Madagio himself very reserved. He doesn't move much, showing us a difference between him and Fit.

- Roses -

Boy oh boy, do I have something to say. Despite obvious connections to Pac, recently there was another moment with exactly this kind of roses. At Philza's stream on 29th of December, at one point Ramon came to Titan and started to give away these rose bushes to some eggs and Phil. It might be a stretch, but it was very strange. Ramon explained that he gave away the roses, cuz he saw one in Chayanne's arm. But with this added context, I think Ramon's admin kinda hinted at this rule. Like the rose bush is a symbol of connection and love/trust. Fit loves and trusts Pac, Ramon, Chay and Lullah, and Phil too. I might be insane, but I adore this kind of symbolism. The roses show us who he has connections to. And now we understand what's at stake for Fit.

It's not only Ramon, who's in danger. Phil, his kids and Pac (probs Tubbo and Sunny too, but they didn't get roses) are also in the middle of crossfire. Madagio knew that it's in human nature for us to connect and getting attached to others even if told otherwise. Contractor knew that Fit won't be able to cheat or escape the deal, cuz he knew the veteran will have a lot at stake. He made this contract unavoidable. I love it sm.

- Music -

Since my post about Fit and his tragedy, I believe that a lot of decisions made about videos/lore streams are intentional. Like, back in a day, when we saw first dream, we heard "Étranger au Paradise" ("Stranger in Paradise "). And this song like fits Fit (pun not intended) like a friggin glove. Cuz even still, Fit feels like a stranger, undeserving this the heaven that is Quesadilla island. For example literally today he said smt along the lines of "What did I do to deserve a son like him[Ramon]?". He loves people around him, yet he can't show it, when everyone does it quite easily. I think Stranger in Paradise can be seen also in light of relationships. Like Fit considers Pac better, he loves him, but doesn't deserve his love. Agh

So why am I saying this? Well, you see. Cc! Fit uses a few songs to use before cinematic. And today he used "We'll meet again". And there's no connection, right? But what if it's a hint to contractor? Fit'll have to meet Madagio. Veteran has no idea when or where. But he knows they'll meet again some sunny day. Like, mb it's a stretch, but I really enjoy finding this connections. To this point cc! Fit was very intentional, so mb I have something here.

- Mon Dieu éternel, je te prie -

(sorry for probably butchering it, but anyway)

Well, now I have the most unimpressive and obvious theory, that leads to more interesting one.

During this stream it wasn't confirmed that contractor is a god, but there are a lot of hints. His name being an anagram to "I am a God" (Thank you, Tumblr user, who noticed it), he can't be hury, but is able to travel through the servers, and his first words to Fit are literally a rephrased "be not afraid", that is usually connected to angels.

Also his unusual connection to cats, that are his "extensions" Doesn't seem humain at all. Yet it isn't confirmed so idk.

Now, Black Concrete is closely tied to Cucurevil and can have bad effect on a person. The only people, who interacted with it and weren't affected at all, were Fit and Philza. Why? What if it's because they're protected by Gods? Like, fitza have a lot parallels in their lore, and mb it also hints at devine nature of Madagio? Rose protects Phil and his close ones out of kindness (I guess) and sends birds to cheer up her protège or show her support. Madagio literally does the same thing. But he sends cats not to show support, but to remind that he is always there, he sees and hears everything. Does it prove my theory? No, I guess. But it gives smt to think about.

- End -

At the end we see Fit waking up (smt that we've never seen before) and sees a cat. They look each other in the eyes and veteran convulsively shakes his head, refusing to something implied. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, and I didn't really understand what he refused to? Was he saying he didn't need contractor's help? Idk. And this whole montage of moon, cat, and Madagio is very interesting, but I can't put my finger on it.

After browsing for a literal second, I have some ideas. Moon typically represents the rhythm of time, as it symbolizes the cycle. So maybe Contractor reminds Fit how little time he has. Like, time's running out. Cats, though, have a lot of different meanings, but I guess the most important to this case are freedom and mystery. Madagio is free and mysterious, so ig it fits.

- And just my thoughts ig -

God, i loved it so much. Fit's lore is subtle yet very important and interesting. It shows a character and builds on it so much, while explaining the world itself. Guuugh I love it so much.

And here's just some screens that shows how much Fit has grown.

He is no longer doing everything for himself only. Now he cares for others, breaking a simple rule made by contractor.

P. S.

I feel like this picture rn

[acutecoral]

I have to say that that was amazing. The way everyone played, the amazing rolls, the work and effort in production, the twists and turns and just everything...that was fantastic and horrifying and was so much to take in

This campaign has made me so much happier to see them telling this story together and just how much they got into it and how much they stuck close like man

Im sad that Baghera's character had to die, but I love that everyone at the end made sure to remember her and honor her, I hope she's okay and that everyone gives their support to her, because it’s so rough to have your character die it SUCKS, but she played so well and her presence was missed and I hope she knows she did so fucking good

I love Benito's character development, and how Q had slowly gotten a hold of how it goes and you can see him just getting settled and then how he popped off, also maybe he should gift some of that luck over to Baghera because those rolls were awful

Pac's reaction to her death was Hhhhh man....I thought they would actually see Lucie's dead body since Cellbit described the monster dragging her body out into thr snow, I wish they still did that but also man...jeez, he got into it and got settled and played such a good roll

And he worked off well with Foolish's Jeffrey, and man, I do hope they get those therapy sessions together before they are gonna NEED IT

Foolish learning more about Cellbit's GM style and how he gradually got more sus over him and also just him popping off at the end??? The jar and the phone??? Holy shit??? Oh my god, it was enough for Cellbit to just go FUCK IT, THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA and went ahead and did it oh my godddddd

Roier is such a joy to watch while everything was happening, he's so into it and also just adding so much with the sound effects and it's so cute, and also just him playing Luis was great!!

Bagi!!! Man!!! I'm so sad we didn't get to see more of Carol! But like, the dice spoke! Luck favoured Quackity (again who the fuck blessed him with his luck dude he's like an Anti-Wil Wheaton), and we weren't able to see her plans of likely turning on them and trying to get everyone killed, it would have been so much fun!

I hope everyone of the QSMP who was watching has a fun fucking party and they get excited and gush about how amazing that was because it is!!

I hope to see more of them! I hope to see even more of the others maybe throwing their hat in the ring to play some games in Cellbit's universe

And CELLBIT! Man is such a good GM! I love his style of storytelling and just the world, there's so much more to see and so much we haven't seen and the mystery and world, this was INSANE. He made us feel so many things and would subject ourselves to being torn apart by creatures in his world again tenouttaten BEST

This is insane and amazing and it was so lovely to experience it like this, and just obrigada, that was a magnificent experience

Wishing them so much more joy and success and fun!

[disfrutalakia]

Imagine q!Pac an q!Mike going back to the favelas in hopes of finding their family and their son, but instead seeing f!Cell standing at the middle of the favelas.

Or in which I couldn't sleep and wrote this so my brain could have peace.

(Tw Panic Attack, but they are very brief)

They were tired, not only physically but also mentally, specially mentally probably. So they simply refused to leave the murder arena for 3 days, 3 days where Pac had to hold Mike during his nightmares, hearing his friend calling desperately for Walter Bob at least most nights, In some of them Mike called Pac name and woke up right after, giving just a single look at his best friend’s face before tears would start to fill his eyes, mind plagued by nightmares that Pac couldn’t even imagine.

Mike had never been very emotional, he wasn’t cold but, the men just preferred to push his emotions down but this time they were too strong and with too many memories attached, Pac knew his friend better that he knew himself and he knew that without a doubt Mike was blaming himself for what happened with Walter Bob, which didn’t help with the tendencies of self-guilty that the men already had, Pac could only be there for him right by his side, the same way he always was.

That wasn’t to say that Pac himself didn’t have nightmares, but they were mostly of the past, he had dreams of sharp teeth dripping with blood while an agonizing pain went up his body, he dreamed about the dead eyes of Jv in the floor of that bloody cell, they were dreams that stopped having years ago, but recently they came back with full force.

Sometimes they would hear voices around the arena, people looking for clues or just being given a tour by Richarlyson, they could reach out at those moments but they didn’t want to let their… friends, see them in that condition, with dark eyes from lack of sleep and puffy eyes from crying. The only reason they decided to leave when those 3 days were over was because Mike was fucking fuming, he had decided to stop being sad and now he was just pissed, ready to overthrow the federation! But baby steps, first they needed to go talk with their friends so with their communicators they asked for everyone who was awake to go meet them at the favelas, immediately people started to aske questions, if they were okay, Pac just answered that they would explain everything once they were at the favelas.

Usually they would like to go by train, but they needed to get there fast so teleporting was the best option, in seconds they were at the main plaza from the favela, standing there was…

- Hey, had fun at prison without me?

All Pac could see in front of him was Cell, in his bloody orange jumpsuit looking at him and licking his lips, Pac could only retreat until his knees hit the fountain and he was made to go to the floor, his breath shallow and his heart going way to fast

- Get away from him Cell! – Mike put himself in front of Pac, trying to shield his friend from danger.

Cellbit looked confused, they interacted just fine nowadays, they held no real grudges for what happened years ago (okay maybe he did a bit, but he pushed that feeling down, just like his therapist had taught him!)

- The fuck is happening over there?– Forever’s loud voice made itself present, he carried at his lap an excited Richarlyson while Bad came right after him.

- I don’t fucking know man – they could hear a very faint “language” being said but they ignored it – I went to say hello to Pac asking if escaping had been more fun without me being there to get in their way and he just… collapsed, and Mike got mad at me.

- Fuck… I think I know what’s going on – he turned to the demon behind him, who today had his long blonde hair out, which was a very common sight when Forever was around – Bad do you mind taking Richas to StarBobby? We kinda need to have an adult talk.

The kid went from his dads arms to his uncle’s, clearly unhappy since he wanted so bad to see his dad Pac and dad Mike.

- I will talk to you later okay? – Forever whispered to Bad, who just did an okay with his head before squeezing Forever’s hand in a gesture of comfort.

- I think I know what happened here.

- Great cause I don’t!

- Think a bit Cellbo, they just came from prison, where for sure a lot of traumas were relived and seeing you – Forever felt a bit awkward, he didn’t want to make it sound like it was his friends fault, but there wasn’t a better way – In their eyes right now, you probably look…

- Like the asshole that tried to kill them – Cellbit sighed, tired just from hearing those words – Look, I’m gonna go back to the castle okay? I will just ruin everything if I stay.

Forever heart ached for all his friends, with such complicated pasts that were interlined, no wonder they sometimes seemed awkward around each other.

- Want me to tell Richas to go with you?

- No, no, you were taking him on a playdate with Dapper, I don’t wanna get in the way, I will just ask Roier to come back with me.

- Alright, take care.

And with that Cellbit disappeared in a purple cloud.

Forever approached the two that were on the floor, Mike had his hand at Pac’s shoulder and they talked in whispers, whatever had happened at that prison hadn’t been good.

[thesmpisonfire]

(This is about q!Pac but please excuse the slightly blurry line between cc! and q! because it's honestly often a little blurry anyway because characters are heavily based on their cc...) Sometimes Pac drives me insane because I start connecting things. Like how he got "mad" and left when Fit said Cucuruchito flirted with him, and then Pac got That Look on his face when Fit followed him, desperately trying to explain and make him come back. And in several retellings of the kidnapping, Pac jokingly says "Yeah, I'd get kidnapped again, it was fun!" And if those two things are two sides of a venn diagram, the middle is how when Pac gets knocked down and almost dies, he seems to LOVE dramatically saying "It's over for me, just leave me..." and then watching people go "NO, I'LL SAVE YOU! STAY WITH ME!" Something about wanting validation, but only in specific ways. Something about being under the control of seemingly random, horrible things he doesn't have control over. About how maybe he sees his existence in the world as more passive. (Something about how some people try to rationalize experiences and form a worldview around that as a coping mechanism. How people often seek out not just perspectives but sometimes experiences that validate their world views.) How Fit could *be* The Horrors if he wanted to. He's skilled enough and he spent years in an infamous wasteland. He could plot in silence and fight dirty and destroy everything someone has ever built. But Fit is the opposite with Pac: he tries to protect him from The Horrors. I keep thinking about that time Pac kept stepping on land mines and almost dying, saying "Leave me, I'm already dead!" and Fit kept jumping into a fiery pit to revive him. Pac, always feeling like he's at the mercy of things out of his control, wanted to be at the mercy of someone merciful for a change. And who could blame him?

This cubito is sooooo complicated and fucked up in the head hes so fun to watch existing. Look at all of this. Hes so fucking complex

[moonflowerpetal]

Some hcs i have

-if the eggs are the old residents and richas was the one who fled to the lighthouse, he was the ones who ran away with the recipe for what the fed wants and now the fed has to redo everything, that's why they have cucurucho , which is the one made the right way but they couldn't remake it perfectly (osito bimbo)

-the current federation was inspired by a old one but didn't know how to get to the headquarters of the old one because in fact they are a group that made a riot and disassociated themselves from the old fed so the old fed hid so they (the new) wouldn't find their research and the guy who ran away to the lighthouse thought the new group that made itself the new fed would do the experiences the same way the old fed did in a ethical way but when he saw that it wasn't, he ran away

-some books that q!cellbit are finding are write by himself during the time he was working at fed

-a lot of q!bad's ghost doesn't like q!cellbit because he was the one who killed them and eated them

-when richas mess up his prosthetic leg again after the q!tazercraft have already fixed it in the week he goes to ramon for help

-when q!pac and q!fit started flirting and ramon discovers he can get another brother he started a comparison and saw that richas and dapper are very similar (dark skin, they dabble with the occult and are good builders)

-one day richas started seeing a kid following their dad q!cellbit and never understand why no one talked with they ou made their tasks until the day he finally understood

-q!bad, q!missa, q!phil, q!cellbit, richas and dapper are the only ones who can see the dead eggs since they are the ones who knows the other side in their own ways (that was before the chayanne and tallulah thing)

-one day when q!wilbur comes back and tallulah says to him that she has another father figure that she see as a uncle and he saw that q!forever and q!phil let she fight (they don't actually but she must know how to defend herself) and these kind of thing, and he says that he never allowed it, she says ''they were here all this time''

-romero richas was the leo's entity friend who was wandering before the richas's body was allowed to back to life

-one day the residents will have to choose to save between osito and cucu but they will have to find out who is the "good" one

-it will be a egg who will kill the cucurucho (probably richas for revange after all the kidnappings)

-it is already a time where the fed doesn't want the eggs to die anymore, since they saw how dangerous the residents are and they don't want to lost the only thing that allows a sense of control over them

-abueloier is a scientist at fed but neither do q!roier or melissa knows about it (at this point i doubt that this old man don't will have his own lore)

-q!cellbit and q!foolish are opposite double agents, q!cellbit tells everyone that he hates the fed but is following cucu's idea that he is actually pretending to make the residents trust him (which is not true), while q!foolish tells everyone to like the fed but is a secret agent who will seize his chance as a trusted by the fed when the time comes

[factorialsotherfandoms]

Recursive fic circles? Recursive fic circles. guestcom2 on ao3 wrote a fic based on my xcomau, and now I write a fic in my au based on their fic...

TW: memory problems, drowning, mind control, minor past oc death, q!Forever mentioned very briefly, referenced previous torture

Felps does not remember anything.

Not from those ten years, at least; he was frozen, 'inactive', held in suspension of body and mind while his nervous system was used as a computer processor. That's what Aypierre says, at least, and Felps is inclined to believe him.

It feels true, at the very least: in one memory he is in the old control room. There is a party going on, a celebration of finally taking done of the large enemy vessels - mothership, they called it then, but they know so much better now. Pac and Mike were gone, Forever was drinking and socialising, Cellbit... Cellbit was antsy, so Felps stuck to his side. Laughter and delight, and the comms team hugging each other while the mission flies back.

And then...

Then there is Leticia, and her eyes turn Tazercraft blue, and before anyone knows what is happening she has put a bullet through Commander dos Santos' skull. Cellbit could do nothing for the possessed back then, not other than shoot them.

And they could not shoot them all when they were outnumbered five to one, and the bodies they wore were their colleagues', if not their /friends/.

Even if Felps had never put down his gun.

There is a fight, and an explosion, and Matthias grabs Felps by the throat. He struggles, he fights back, but his injuries, and being suffocated...

The last thing he remembers is Cellbit screaming his name - before rubble falls and knocks him to the floor.

Cellbit does not get up, and the next thing Felps knows it is ten years later, in a strange and unfamiliar place, and one friend is sobbing into his chest while three others are missing - presumed dead - and reality does not quite fit.

And Felps?

Felps remembers nothing. He knows that he remembers nothing, that he was frozen in time - in a coma, unaging as well as unthinking - for ten. Fucking. Years.

Except...

Except that while Felps has no /memories/, there are little things.

When he's handed an alien datapad, he can navigate it more easily than even Tubbo. Instinctively he knows every inch of the software, navigating around and pulling up what they need without even thinking about it - if he thinks about it, he cannot do it any more.

Felps does not remember where or how he learnt it - maybe it's just programmed in a way logical to him?

But it happens again, and again, and again.

He finds himself reading alien texts with ease, unable to pronounce or translate them but understanding what they mean. His grasp of tactics is improved, better able to judge the moments of friend and foe in aid of bringing people safely home. He knows the names of flowers he's never seen in eighteen human languages and four alien ones, and yet not his own.

Felps does not remember anything, it's just... It's just little things.

Little things, like how he hears screams, the screams of people he's never met - begging for mercy and help and release in languages he does not know.

Or when reviewing footage he sees a recording of a Federation worker, and instantly knows what they were doing four years ago, in intimate detail, down to how many bullets it took them to kill his new colleague's friends.

Or how it feels to break a neck - to have your neck be broken.

He keeps silent, he does not tell, he drags his hands through his hair and tries and tries and tries to bring the memories to mind - but just as Aypierre promises, they are not there.

It's not memory, not really, not properly.

It's...

Iron Mouse knows, because she caught him out - she calls it a stain on his soul. Doctor Ruiz knows, because you have to tell your doctor these things - she calls it trauma, both say his brain is just desperately trying to fill in the blanks. Aypierre knows, because Aypierre is a brain scientist who was also chipped, so if anyone understands he will - he calls it just filling in the blanks, says that there is no chance of Felps having been conscious enough to dream, let alone to remember.

He doesn't tell Cellbit.

If his best friend doesn't know already, then he does not want to worry him.

If his best friend doesn't know already, then it's better this way.

If his best friend doesn't know already, then there's no need to make Cellbit think he failed.

Not when he did anything but, when this it would be at worst inconsequential and at best a useful failure.

It is just that sometimes... Sometimes Felps feels a wire in his skull, and another in his spine, his limbs withered and chained as though he can move them. He is in agony, and pain, and his very being rejects itself in a desperate attempt to expel the devices feeding from his nerves.

Sometimes Felps dreams of a fluid too viscous to be oil in his lungs, of drowning for hours upon hours upon days upon years, and never, ever being allowed to die. Of being surrounded on all sides, of screaming for help and nothing coming out. Of a pitch dark nothingness, of being alone in pain and the dark. Of begging for death, and being granted no release.

... Sometimes, in the dark, half-asleep... Sometimes, Felps wakes, and there is a crushing hole in his chest, one that screams for his friends - his family. It is a gaping open wound weeping and bleeding and refusing to scar, destruction and loneliness and desperation incarnate, carved into his very soul.

He stops sleeping alone, and does not mention it - how can he claim to have missed his friends, to have a part in their loneliness, when does not remember ever being alone?

Just smile, play it off, do not think - at most it is just glimpses, anyway. If Felps were to add up every strange feeling or flash he has had, it still would not total a whole hour.

Less than an hour in ten years?

That does not count at all.

It does not count, because he says it doesn't, and reality may be fuzzy but he knows it cannot be real.

And then...

One day, in the archive, there is Cellbit, and there is Philza, and the two are discussing a mission - perhaps even a clue. Felps captured Philza for Cellbit, but mission complete he steps aside. He means to leave them be, to curl up in the blankets, to rest, to wait for his best friend in all the worlds to be done.

Except...

Philza passes him a sheet of paper that Cellbit has drawn on, sketched out what he saw - what Philza heard.

"Exthaldor," he says, without even thinking. "I don't recognise her, but they call themselves Exthaldor. She's dressed like a mid-ranked bureaucrat."

He looks up, sees horror and fascination in Cellbit's eyes - sees a pity born of intimate familiarity in Philza's.

"I don't-"

His breath picks up.

"You saw it in a datapad," Cellbit tells him.

"Maybe," Felps replies, grasping at straws as ash settles on his tongue. "I read a lot of them, and my memory is kinda shitty."

He did not read it in a datapad; if he did, Cellbit would know it too.

"I'm getting shots," Philza butts in, a hand on each of their shoulders to draw attention from each other, and onto himself. "If I'm explaining how /I/ know those fuckers, I'm doing it drunk."

"Are you sure-" Cellbit starts, but by the time he has found a question, Philza is already gone.

Instead he turns back to Felps, holds his hand as they wait for the panic to calm, and the viscous, terrible liquid to leave Felps' lungs.

(It won't, it never will; it isn't there, and Felps was never conscious to feel it so why-?)

But it's fine, it's fine, it's just a few words, and a newfound ability with technology, and his mind getting overactive imagining what his captivity must have been like, and intrusive thoughts trying to sympathise with horrors he missed, and- and- and Aypierre tells him he cannot remember those ten years, as every part of his brain was being written on and overwritten like an abused hard drive; the fact Felps remembers /before/ is a surprise enough itself.

So it must be, it must have been something he read in a datapad.

He squeezes Cellbit's hands a little tighter.

It must have been, it must have been, it's the only logical explanation...

And it is not like they are real memories, anyway; there are no words, no thoughts, no context - just pain, and glimpses, a few words in other languages and a deep, deep longing in his soul. Nothing useful, nothing concrete even, just flashes of momentary inspiration and an impression of long hours of suffocating both literal and otherwise.

It's not memories, it's just feelings, just his brain playing tricks on him, his flesh remembering things he cannot, some programming matching his oddities, muscle memory basically! It's just-!

Well, the alternative doesn't matter, does it?

Because Felps remembers nothing of those ten years; the alternative is too terrible impossible to consider.

[dez-wade]

Since your power is out I’m assuming you want to know what happened, q!pac was chatting with q!bad and accidentally mentioned the “joke” that bad told pac which was about bad saying he’ll take him to his house someday. Bad told pac that he should stay around the racetrack and not leave it, he got pac a surprise party and had him eat some of the cake before leaving to tour him around his old base. Bagi was spying so she made sure nothing happened but pac started getting sleepy and was stumbling asking for more cake from bad. Nothing happened on camera but when pac got back to isla chume labs he passed out on the floor of the warehouse in full view so right now it’s open ended right now wether bad took him or not. Tldr q!bad basically drugged q!pac

I'm honestly speechless...

Like I don't think I can even say anything here, because genuinely what else is there to say?

Well, if Bagi finds out I think her trust in Bad is dead and buried. She's strong willed like that (apparently she refused a Cucurucho task and told she'd kill him to his face and I missed that)

I just hope Forever and the rest of favela cut him out too. Because that's fucked up man.

But you know what's really sad? If Pac got kidnapped he'd definitely try to help BBH despite all of this and I bet he would forgive him too. God, I HATE IT.

[poltergeist-coffee]

Tubbo is a force to be reckoned with

If he got kidnapped he really would do live while he's kidnapped

Kidnapping vlog

The pactoiles brainrot is real(feel free to scream about them)

Insane duo mermaid au you say? 👀

Mermaids are one of the things that the brainrot never truly leave me, it aways come back every once in a while for whatever the reason is

But yeah, the world should stop being afraid of us, like, what could we possibly do?

There's nothing to be afraid:)

Very random, but people started calling Philza and Cellbit the archivists and I get so many the Magnus archives vibes from it

And I know very little about TMA but I like the vibes

Talking about Philza...

GIVE HIS WINGS BACK YOU FUDGES

About the dead federation workers thing

I'm very... Divided(I hope that's make sense on English) about it, like, if qcellbit really did it I think some people would react in a similar way they did to qbbh about Ron(how is that guy btw? I haven't heard about him anymore) and... Y'know, he changed from the guy he used be and such

But at the same time I'm like "FINALLY", because, yeah fudge the federation:D

I dunno, perhaps if he really did it he could convince people it's just the federation trying to frame him y'know

But just time will tell

And you can probably tell to wich side I'm more inclined to

I crave the chaos

(Also I saw someone say "F bit, now it's just Cell")

Pac would swim his way outta this island if he wasn't scared of water too

At the same time I don't think the federation are above killing their workers to frame him

He's one of the most anti-federation people on that island and he got a very dubious past, sure he changed, but at the same time it would make the others wondee if he would do it, he hates the federation and after everything they've done to him, his family and the others Islanders, he would have a reason to do it

So yeah, both options are equally possible to me

"he's just like fr"

-Cellbit's discord about Cellbit probably

The devil work fast but Cellbit's discord work faster

I have found the headcanon of Cellbit's discord being some sort of entity or god(s) or something and nobody will it off me

Its just so cool

This reminds me I've said that I would make designs for the qsmp goddess and still haven't done it

I never have ideas to draw except when I do(at 3am)

How do you imagine them tho?

I could talk about it probably but it would definitely be really long because I can't write something short to save my life

Maybe on another ask:)

- 🍽️

tbh a kidnapping vlog from q!tubbo would be very very funny MKNSJHCKJA what can the federation do?? they already put him in prison?? double prison??? i think the federation really want tubbo of the island but have no way of doing it yet lol

insaneduo mermaid au are so silly… i love them so much

i tried to get into the magnus archives once but i got distracted and then never retuned to listening to it TT it looks so cool i want to get into it, especially the avatars/entities (?) like the web, the lonely, etc etc. i think you could so easily make a qsmp au with it but i’m not in it so i can’t be the one to do it TT

i heard that jaiden asked the uh federation/mods about her wings so maybe that’s how they can get them like out of canon kekw i know cc!philza would just not ask for his wings back tho JUST TO KILL US WITH ANGST!! HE KILLED NEARLY ALL HIS FANS SAYING HE KEEPS HIS BACKPACK ON BECAUSE ITS LIKE HAVING THE WEIGHT OF HIS WINGS BACK HE WILL KILL US AGAIN!! the crows are miserable

i don’t know what to think about the dead federation workers… maybe cellbit just confused what halloween decorations are and killed a man to decorate spawn with u-u i support him to do that halloween is my favorite holiday. i think with how his character is rn it wouldn’t really make sense for him to kill a worker all of a sudden? BUT if it is actually him who did it then i will support his crimes. i’ll defend him in qsmp court

CELLBITS DISCORD BEING A GOD/DEITY ENTITIY IS SUCH A COOL IDEA HOLY SHIIIIIT O-o maybe cellbit is a follower of this god because they really love puzzles/is all about mystery, that’s why they always make themselves known when there are enigmas on the server (like with q!bagi and solving it with her) (maybe the god feeds on mystery and knowledge? owo) it’s funny to think that tubbo always calls out to this god too, asking if he’s doing good and asking them for answers kamknfkns the deity is a little fond of q!tubbo because he’s silly.

ID LOVE TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS FOR GODDESS DESIGNS!! the only real idea i have is for mumza. she’s super purple and wears a huge hat like a qphilza with a veil so it hides her face. i think she might have some sort of galaxy aesthetic too because it’s pretty and she deserves that <33 she always has crows surrounding her too. I’ve seen a lot of cute designs for Mine and i think she’s be very pink like her irl lol. i think she should also get wings uwu

[scottishstoner]

Interesting and sometimes bizarre facts I found out about the making of The Outsiders (1983):

Wee pic bc cute

I may add more in time but these are something:

Tom Cruise didn’t bathe the entire shoot, stayed in character but was apparently stand off-ish but nice” and “always on the phone to his agent worrying about future projects” (source; first part the entire cast backed up and second part is from Rob Lowes book lol)

Matt Dillon was apparently wanted by every single girl lol

Matt literally walked into the audition and was like “uh…guess I’ll read for Dally” while chewing gum nonchalantly and got the part lmfao (that’s so Dally tho I understand lmfao)

C Thomas Howell didn’t even care he just wanted to be near his fucking horse?? And if he got this job he could be near his horse?? 15 y/o sappy boy .. he rlly was perfect to play pony tho So he auditioned on a whim. And he got the lead lol.

Ralph Macchio almost got set on fire during the church scene coz Francis Ford Coppola was like BLOW THE FIRE MORE and the beam that wasn’t alight for the first shot actually hit Ralph a little

Francis made everyone do tai chi before rehearsals ?? Emilio Estevez says nobody questioned it because he was a big director and when the director asks you to stand on your head you do it (dead😭 this is so bizarre)

Emelio Estivez and Tom Cruise grew up together and went to the audition together

Francis made them all room together at a motel on the bottom floor - putting them together based on what he wanted to show on screen - a closeness of 2 people who live together that he wanted to be authentic(he’s so method I can just imagine him and Tom Cruise getting along like that church on fire) so idk who was with who but I know C Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe shared a room - and Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez (Tom complained about it but was fine when it was Emilio he was rooming with)- and he got the “socs” people a nice fancy hotel and leather bound scripts and amazing copies of the book - the stars got second hand scripts from the crew and shitty copies of the book all tattered and stuff

S.E Hinton played a nurse in the movie when Dally is complaining - and she was all over that set, in every aspect of the movie (I mean who can blame her? Her characters, her world came to life), the cast called her “mum” (I spell it like mum I’m from the U.K. ok)

The entire cast use to look at Patrick Swayze as a kinda older brother type just like the movie and they’d all go to his room and talk about their characters for hours and smoking (love this one)

I knew this before but - Ralph Macchio loved the book so much that when he found out a movie was being made he was like ON THAT SHIT and he’s like ok I need to play Johnny I’ve loved this book for YEARS. Every time they’d make him read for another part he said he got really annoyed and anxious lol

C Thomas Howell and Ralph Macchio have always been said to hate each other - but that wasn’t even true, they had one argument about Thomas not wanting to rehearse because he was playing pac man lmfao - can be explained so easily - Thomas was 15, didn’t even really expect this part, but Ralph was 20 and had been dying to play this part. Anyway - Thomas said in a Q&A he was closest to Matt and Ralph on set and from the movie he only now still keeps in contact with Ralph and Randy Adderson (The head soc in the movie) (if you watch the outsiders movie documentary clip on YouTube you’ll see this is true af just by the way Ralph and him interact) - Thomas said Ralph is a 'great spooner' (and 'like a rose petal on a perfect spring morning'), in his Q&A ??? Explain?? He also said: during the runaway scenes they cut each others' hair with real switchblades.

Matt Dillon smelled like smoke all the time and Thomas Howell hated it but he smoked anyway to be authentic like the rest of the cast and fit in (HE WAS 15)

One time before shooting in a certain location Francis and the cast all stopped off at people who inspired by the books’ homes and fucking stayed there for a night?? I only know one detail: Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe had to share a tiny sofa bed lol (I think coz it’s from Robs book)

Nicholas Cage turned down the role of Two-bit - he wanted to play Ponyboy but got rejected (he’s also Francis Ford Coppolas nephew lol)

Sean Penn introduced Tom Cruise to the Sheens - who introduced him to Francis - boom - irony is that Sean was pissed off coz Francis wouldn’t cast him as Darry and use to drunkenly rant about it

Tom Cruise got really nervous about doing a backflip off a car even though Patrick Swayze showed him how to do it - and went to S.E Hinton, he said he thought he’d ate too much to do it and she said well would you be better if you threw up? He said yeah and she proceeded to fucking give him raw eggs until he threw the fuck up and he said it worked 😭 and he did the back flip fine in the movie (before the rumble) this one is burned into my mind forever btw just imagining this-

Ralph was so upset after shooting the stabbing scene he needed a hug :(( - I believe Diane Lane (Cherry) said something like “yeah Ralphie got a hug from everyone after that, really upset”

Tom Cruise offered Diane Lane the role of Lana straight up in “Risky Business” - but her father wouldn’t let her - she was 16 at the time

Francis only did the movie because a class of students in California wrote him about the book, sent a copy and explained why he’d make the perfect movie - so he fuckin did and he also done Rumble Fish movie too (another S.E book adaptation)

Patrick Swayze was constantly combing his hair - an annoying amount according to C Thomas Howell, but said it was because Patrick was nervous as he was the oldest (29) - second being Ralph at just 20 so he just was always preening himself lol cute🤌🏻 they also got back in touch a year or so before Patrick died :((

Thomas Howell got knocked out for real during the rumble - the first punch to him actually knocked him out cold

[mytastessuck]

Gorillaz: Song Machine, Season 1: "Strange Timez"

2The final frontier...until the next frontier as indicated by the album's title. A lot of guests showed up to help out Gorillaz on this album, ranging from indie acts to freaking legends. You thought Humanz was overpacked? You don't know the shit that Kong Studios was filled with when the Spacemonkeyz left. A good amount of my playlist is filled with songs from this album so let's just shut up and get on with it so I can gush about an awesome album.

1. Strange Timez

Heh, they start the album off with the titular track. That's pretty coo---HOLY SHIT, IS THAT ROBERT SMITH?! When you got the fucking frontman of The Cure singing with you about what an utter shitshow of a year it was a while ago, you know that Gorillaz has thrown away any semblance of fucking around. Everyone sounds like they're on the verge of panicking and I'm all for it. What a KO punch out the gate.

2020/10

2. The Valley of the Pagans

Beck decides to team up with Gorillaz, making it his third most important collaboration since his team-ups with The Lonely Island and Bender. This track is something that needs to be shouted out loud with the windows rolled down on a road trip and that's mostly due to the energy Damon brings to the track. Beck does a servicable job but something is missing that would put this on the level of Ultimate Beck Songs. Still, awesome track.

9/10

3. The Lost Chord

This track makes me feel things. Things that I've got no right feeling. Both Damon and Leee manages to make this one of the most depressing tracks on the album even without the context of the album. Some days all you can do go harder, go harder.

11/10

4. Pac-Man

Okay, gonna say something that even I don't like saying. This song is great...until Schoolboy Q starts rapping. I dunno what it is about the rap that turns me off. It just feels loose, all over the place and building up to something that has no payoff. It's a shame the song relies on that part so strongly. Noodle had an interesting outfit in the video though.

7/10

5. Chalk Tablet Towers

Another club anthem from Gorillaz! Nowhere near as good as "Strobelite" but definitely much more relatable (I wanna go home indeed.) St. Vincent is a great back-up on this track that's good enough to dance to, do drugs to or stare at your drink as you wonder if this is the state you're going to spend the rest of your life in...to.

8/10

6. The Pink Phantom

Pretty good tone to this song. Somber, nice crooning from Damon, 6lack's part is a bit superfluous but it doesn't detract from the rest of the son---HOLY SHIT, IS THAT ELTON JOHN?! AND IS HE THE BEST PART OF THE SONG?! I can't believe the blind old bastard still had it in you. To this day, I find myself singing "I tried to say I love you/But you wouldn't listen." to myself out of nowhere. This song elevates this album to a classier stand than anything Murdoc touched has any right being.

3000/10

7. Aries

Really nice chill-out song. Good instrumentation from Peter Hook and Georgia. I'm really underselling it but it is impossible to be in a bad mood when this song comes on. Kind makes you want to go out and, you know, actually do shit. (With a mask on though.)

413/10

8. Friday 13th

Finally some good rap. Geez, that was mean. Well, if it makes you feel any better, this song becomes a bummer if you know the context behind it. Octavian manages to fuel the nihilistic vibe behind the song that makes you wish for beautiful days to take your mind off...well, life. Bonus point for James Baldwin quote.

11/10

9. Dead Butterflies

Yes! More songs to make me feel stuff! Kano and Roxani overshadow Damon as they sing about how nothing matters but...nah, that's it. Nothing matters. We're dead bugs. We got nothing left. Let's just speak Spanish or something.

10/10

10. Desole

Man, Fatoumata Diawara is such a good singer, she can make a man tolerate the French. Second single from the album and they show that are willing to go back to songs in different languages and I am all for it. Fuck yes. Sorry for swearing. Putain Ouais.

714/10

11. Momentary Bliss

First single off the album and it is special, so fucking special. Slowthai grabs your attention by the throat with his heavy rhymes and holds you long enough for Slaves to slam themselves down on you with the increasingly-punk-by-the-second climax they crash in on. Damon can barely keep up as he makes sure that enough hype is gathered for this album through one of its best tracks.

1000/10

12. Opium

I only heard this song when I listened to the album for the first time and I immediately put it on my playlist afterwards. EarthGang kicks so much fucking ass on this track that Eddie Murphy experiences sympathy pains every time he hears the word "Georgia". These guys need more cred and they are half of the reason why you should shell out for the deluxe edition.

365/10

13. Simplicity

The title is accurate. The song is simple. Pretty calming though. And nothing offensively wrong with it. I dunno, it must feel like a let down after Opium's haze of awesomeness.

8/10

14. Severed Head

Goldlink and UMO are the bravest fuckers on the planet to bring attention to the serious problem of decapitation. With nice keys backing up their sermon, maybe people will take having all of their major organ functions operable more seriously now. I know I will.

10/10

15. With Love To An Ex

As an African-American who experiences misfortune in love myself, something about this song speaks to me. Ex-niggas may not be texting me...might actually need ex-niggas for that...but shit, your past following you does speak to me in the worst way possible. Man, fuck people.

11/10

16. MLS

Hey, it's these guys again! I'm not going to tell you where I know them from. That's for further down the road. Still, glad to know these two are able to create something beautiful that can be mistakenly picked up by a parent who mistakes it for something from the Craig of the Creek soundtrack.

9/10

17. How Far?

We lost a treasure of a percussionist when Tony Allen died. This track is proof he was one of the best in the business. Skepta doesn't let any slack fall down on his side either. Dissing the listeners while Tony backs him up with one of the best beats I've ever heard. RIP sir.

800/10

Album Score: 494/10

And that concludes the Gorillaz retrospective. Next week, we start on my second favorite band, Ween:

We will covering all their studio albums, starting with the punk masterpiece, GodWeenSatan: The Oneness. That'll take me a couple of days to write up. See you then.

[xb-squaredx]

The Unwritten “Rules” of Smash Bros. Speculation

Super Smash Bros. has become one of the most ambitious crossovers in all of gaming, featuring characters from seemingly endless franchises duking it out. With each new installment, fans eagerly make the cases for their preferred choices, and with the advent of DLC, even after the game launches fans still speculate as to who will join the battle. The most recent title, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, is no exception. As of this writing, we have six more DLC characters incoming for Ultimate, and speculation is in full swing. While it IS fun to speculate, attempting to narrow an almost infinite number of choices down to just six is quite the undertaking, so I thought it’d be more interesting to instead look at the arguments people often have for or against certain inclusions. I aim to compile the “rules” of who can and cannot get into Smash Bros. and see which rules hold water and which ones are on thin ice. Let’s begin!

NINTENDO ONLY

I’ll start with what was once one of the most binding rules for speculation. Smash Bros. was at one time, a celebration and collection of solely Nintendo-owned IPs, and despite fans pleas, various other characters from other companies surely couldn’t join in the fun. At least, until Brawl. Snake from the Metal Gear franchise and Sonic the Hedgehog himself made the leap from dream to reality as they were added to the roster and from that day onwards, nothing has ever been the same. In fact, we’re at a point now where most wish lists are populated almost entirely by third-party characters. It’s safe to say that this particular rule WAS broken and should be casted aside, however in its place another, similar rule has cropped up.

FRIENDLY RELATIONS

OK, so Nintendo doesn’t need to own the character in question…but they damn well better have been on a Nintendo console! The better the relationship between Nintendo and the game/franchise in question, the better chance they have of appearing in Smash, at least according to some people. Looking at our guests in general, this rule DOES seem to hold some water. Snake is a tad of a stretch, as the bulk of the Metal Gear Solid games aren’t on Nintendo platforms, though Twin Snakes exists, and the original Metal Gear was on the NES, so you could make an argument for him. Sonic, Mega Man, Simon and Pac-Man have made plenty of appearances on Nintendo consoles and while Microsoft owns Banjo now, he got his start with Nintendo. But then we have Cloud and Joker, who throw a wrench into the works. Both characters at the time of their playable debut had only appeared in spinoffs on Nintendo systems, with the games they made their ACTUAL debut in not appearing on any Nintendo console. Cloud famously made his debut in the first Final Fantasy game to NOT be on a Nintendo system. Over the years however, Cloud would appear in cameos in smaller spinoffs, as early as the Game Boy Advance as a summon in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and as per Sakurai’s own explanation, Cloud is meant to be a rep for the franchise on the whole, and there were indeed six other games Nintendo had on their consoles as “justification.” For Joker however, the Persona series stuck to Sony platforms, though the series they spun off from, Shin Megami Tensei, DID have tied to Nintendo, and the spinoff Persona Q was released as a 3DS title, so he gets in…BARELY.

I do find it interesting to note that, even if fans might not hold belief in this “rule,” other developers seem to respect it. When asked if Dante from the Devil May Cry series could see a playable appearance in Smash, Capcom instead stated that his own games would have to be on Switch first…and then a few months later, they put Devil May Cry 1 on Switch. Is this merely a coincidence? Maybe, but it’s pretty funny all the same. So far this rule has been bent, not broken, but I think it’s only a matter of time. This of course isn’t the only “rule” that’s open to some wiggle-room.

2 SEXY 2 VIOLENT

Nintendo is a family-friendly company and while they DO occasionally opt for more mature titles, they seem to put a lot of importance on casting a wide net and not going for too many ratings above T for Teen, or the rough equivalent in Europe and Japan. So when it comes to Smash, which is in part a celebration of all of Nintendo (plus guests), it pays to make sure THAT game keeps a similar rating. So any character addition that could jeopardize that rating is immediately suspect in the eyes of fans, and I’m inclined to agree. Throughout Smash’s life, we’ve seen how Nintendo and Sakurai have had to bow to the almighty ratings board. Items like the Ray Gun are designed to be as cartoonish as possible, and while this IS a game about smacking people around with punches, kicks, tail swipes and the like, it’s often presented in a very over-the-top manner to lower the impact. Now, there’s plenty of ways to play up the more cartoonish aspects of violence for new playable reps, but there seem to be limits. Bayonetta can’t use her gory Torture Attacks, for one, and when it comes to firearms, the series is a little gun-shy with depicting them. Snake famously only uses explosives, despite firearms being pretty common in his games. However in recent years we’ve seen some deviations from this. Bayonetta is allowed to use her guns, and Joker himself prominently uses his own gun. Granted, Bayonetta’s firing magic bullets and technically Joker’s using a model gun, but they’re still more realistic than the standard Smash shooter. So while it’s POSSIBLE to see the likes of the Mortal Kombat cast or the Doomslayer himself, I also wouldn’t hold my breath.

(Credit to @LetItMelo on Twitter)

God forbid you show any skin either! If a character is overtly sexual in their design, there’s a good chance they’ll be excluded from all the smashing going on, and we’ve seen this in various different forms throughout the series. Following the onslaught of horny players using the in-game camera to look under character’s skirts and the like in Melee and Brawl, female character models now have nothing but darkness underneath skirts and dresses. Or you can be like Rosalina and have the entire universe there. Even non-playable characters can’t escape alteration or even outright removal. Data suggests that the Fire Emblem character Tharja was supposed to be a trophy in the 3DS version of Smash 4, however the trophy does not exist in-game and the fact that her outfit is mostly a sheer bodysuit likely has something to do with it. In Ultimate in particular, the Xenoblade character Mythra had her Spirit altered; her boob window was removed and she gained tights on her otherwise bare legs. And this was just for some 2D art! Then there’s the case of Mai Shiranui, who was excluded from making a cameo on Terry Bogard’s stage, despite the multitude of other SNK character cameos and her status as one of the more recognizable SNK characters. In the Japanese version of Terry’s showcase video, Sakurai specifically states that the ratings board prevented them from including her.

But Bayonetta got in! And sure, she did, but with some concessions made. Her Wicked Weaves no longer leave her naked, only losing part of her outfit, and her more sexual traits are downplayed. There’s also Zero Suit Samus’ uh…let’s say alluring design, so there’s clearly wiggle room here, but at the same time both characters in question are still relatively covered up. I’m not saying it’s impossible for a Senran Kagura or Dead or Alive character to make the leap to playable status but I AM saying that they’d probably have to cover up or get some breast reduction surgery before they can make their debut. Still, ratings are not set in stone and over time, things change and gray areas emerge. With that in mind, I suppose we might as well take a look at one of the murkier, unclear “rules” fans have invented.

HE’S AN ASSIST, GET OVER IT

Being a playable character isn’t the ONLY way to be represented in Super Smash Bros. of course, and throughout the years we’ve seen various ways to get in on the fun. Stages, items, trophies, assists, Spirits, and Mii costumes all exist as ways to make a nod to virtually any franchise under the sun, but the question remains…if you’re already represented in such a way, do you have a shot at being made playable? Looking across the games, the answer would seem to be “Maybe in the next game.” Pit was a trophy in Melee before being brought back (and redesigned) for Brawl. The likes of Little Mac, Dark Samus and Isabelle have been Assist Trophies in one game, only to become playable in the next, and while Chrom and King K. Rool were Mii costumes in Smash 4 they’re playable in Ultimate. So far, we haven’t seen a single character make the playable jump in the same game, even with the option of DLC, but is it really such an impossibility?

Looking at items, like the Assist Trophies or even the Pokeball items, there are times when certain items won’t spawn, so it’s not too much of a stretch to say that, if Waluigi was chosen as a playable character, you couldn’t just find a way to keep his Assist Trophy from popping up in a match. This seems to happen in stages too; if a Link is playable in the Spirit Tracks stage, another character conducts the train. To run counter to that though, Ridley being made playable (and scaled down) is likely the biggest reason that the Pyrosphere stage didn’t make the return in Ultimate. That being said…Chrom is playable now, but he’s still part of both Robin’s Final Smash AND their win screens so…who can say what the actual edict is here?

Spirits are definitely a strange issue; if we take it as fact that if you have a Spirit in the game already, you can’t be made playable…that essentially means that 99% of Nintendo’s stable are ineligible and that just doesn’t seem right to me. Why limit yourself that much? Your only remaining options are brand new games that come out after Ultimate, though we’ve also had DLC spirits added in to promote a lot of these games. I’d like to assume that, at the very least, if you get in as a DLC Spirit, it’s unlikely that you’d be made playable later on. We have cases like the random Resident Evil Spirit event that casually gave us the most popular villain (Wesker) and the three most iconic protagonists of the series (Jill, Leon and Chris), which would make me question what a Resident Evil Spirit Board for a potential DLC character would look like. Why add that franchise in AHEAD of their playable appearance? Overall, I’d argue that a character with a Spirit in the base game has a chance of being made into playable DLC…but it’s a slight chance.

But then we have costumes…and this is where it can get interesting. Characters that are already playable can have costumes based off of them, as the likes of Link and Samus demonstrate, and even in the case of someone like Chrom who finally made the leap to playable, his costume still exists. But it’s the third-party costumes that garner the most attention. At launch, none of the third-party costumes from Smash 4 were in Ultimate, though as the Fighter’s Pass has doled out characters, these costumes have been slowly brought back, alongside new ones. At present, all of Namco’s costumes have yet to be seen, as well as the costume of one oft-requested puppet, Geno. Does this mean Namco will get a DLC rep, or that Geno will finally make the dreams of many fans come true? Anything’s possible, but there are no guarantees. As we can see with the likes of Sans and Cuphead, it’s also possible for characters to be added in as more elaborate costumes than your typical Mii flair. It certainly seems more likely to me that, say, Shantae could get a special Mii costume, even when she’s already a Spirit in the base game, and this might apply to other fan favorites too. On the whole though, there’s just a lot that’s up in the air regarding this particular rule. Nothing has contradicted it yet, but I can’t say I’d rule anything out in this case. If there’s ONE stipulation we have gotten confirmation on MULTIPLE times however, it’s this next “rule.”

NO GOKU ALLOWED

Smash Bros. celebrates video games, end of story, so all the cries to add in X character from some other form of media are ultimately fruitless. Sakurai won’t add Son Goku from Dragon Ball, and we won’t get Iron Man or Shrek. At present, the only characters that aren’t strictly FROM a video game, are at least intimately related TO video games. Both R.O.B. and Mr. Game&Watch are basically mascots for the NES and Game&Watch systems respectively, and they’re deeply tied to Nintendo’s own history as it is, so no one really bats an eye at their inclusion. Aside from kinda “tainting” the pureness of the series by introducing something that’s not a video game, there’s also licensing issues to consider…as well as the fact that it’d be a Pandora’s box the likes of which we’d never recover from. If Goku got in, then why not George Costanza or Spongebob or Walter White? It’d never end and the series would lose its identity.

There are still, however, a few characters that fans desperately want in the game, and they have this rule to contend with first. Geralt of the Witcher series is brought up as a possible inclusion, however the character originates from books. While the games have certainly gained notoriety and in some cases have surpassed the books in the public consciousness, that doesn’t change the fact that Geralt isn’t strictly a video game character. Oddly enough, however, he’s made the rounds in a lot of different video games over the past few years. He’s available as a character customization option in Daemon X Machina for one, a Switch-exclusive mecha game from 2019, and also in 2019 he was a guest character in Soulcalibur VI. Granted, that series has already seen guests from other mediums, like from the Spawn comics or characters from the Star Wars series. His appearance in Monster Hunter: World is also pretty unexpected, so it wouldn’t be completely out of nowhere to expect him to eventually make it to gaming’s biggest crossover, but I have my doubts. There’s also Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series, and while he DID originate in a video game, he is co-owned by Disney, and is closely tied to their properties as a result. Now, it’s not as if Nintendo hasn’t had a relationship with Disney; plenty of Disney games have appeared on Nintendo systems, but including Sora in Smash would either mean erasing any connections to the Disney characters in his games, or adapting them and subsequently breaking this massive rule and causing pandemonium! OK, it’s not as serious as all that, but it’d be a…delicate deal at any rate. Disney is pretty protective of their IPs, and Sora is also co-owned by Square Enix who is also pretty protective and hard to work with…Cloud barely got back into Smash Ultimate for one thing, and the rights for all that Dragon Quest music couldn’t have been cheap, so I feel like Nintendo wouldn’t be willing to go in on this a third time, especially with Disney’s involvement. But…miracles can happen, I suppose.

LITERALLY WHO?!

For our last “rule” here, I want to tackle one of the more subjective stipulations: relevancy. When it comes to shooting down character choices, you’ll often hear things like “that series hasn’t had a new entry in YEARS, so why would they promote that?!” or “that puppet’s been in one niche game that no one knows about!” It is true that characters in Smash do tend to promote newer games, as the likes of Roy, Corrin, Byleth, Joker and Hero show. I mean, why ELSE is the hero from Dragon Quest XI the default costume, other than that he’s the new hotness? But I think it’s clear at this point, especially when it comes to Ultimate, that being relevant isn’t everything. King K. Rool hasn’t been used in well over a decade, but he was added due to fan demand. A similar thing can be said for Banjo, as Microsoft hasn’t exactly used that IP in a while, and many would argue that Minecraft is a much more relevant rep from Microsoft if anything.

You’ll see people complain about certain inclusions with the argument that “no one knows who that character is!” but often that just demonstrates the complainer’s own bubble. Many in the West might not have gone CRAZY when Hero was announced, but Japan LOVES Dragon Quest and its inclusion is HUGE. Sakurai himself even notes this when going over Terry Bogard and SNK’s own history in the arcades. Relevancy only matters so much; if fans want them, and they bring something new and fun to the table, they have a chance. So this rule, as far as I’m concerned, isn’t one to take seriously. One man’s niche is another’s mainstream, really.

CONCLUSION

At the end of the day, Super Smash Bros. frequently makes dreams come true and breaks through any preconceived notions regarding who can and cannot smash, so I do find it somewhat of a fool’s errand to compile these “rules” and act like they’re the gospel. In truth, Nintendo and Sakurai can do whatever they want, and with enough time and money, anything is possible. There was once a time when we thought Sonic or Banjo fighting Mario and Link was a pipe dream, or hell…the entire concept of Nintendo all-stars all in one place was pretty farfetched over 20 years ago, but look at where we are now. As the old saying goes, rules are made to be broken…so clearly our next 6 characters are Doomslayer, Kasumi from DOA, Waluigi, Geno, Sora and Hank Hill. Yup. And I for one will be INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED if that is not the case!

In all seriousness, speculate away, because at the end of the day, it’s pretty fun and harmless by itself! Just…hype responsibly, OK?

Happy Smashing

-B