#based having enough icons to keep the same style during the entire post

[lovlorne]

your funeral.

you can play around with these bottoms that have even less spine than old-world jellyfish all you want. you can sit there and get guys and gals off by stepping on their throats and pocketing their money afterwards. you can try and get in bed with a girl that'll 'fight back' and immediately give up because they confused 'switch' for 'bottom' and decided to just let you top. but we both know that isn't what you want. what you want is to be taken to bed by a girl that breaks you before it even begins. what you want is to be start with theatrics, maybe push them onto the covers. pin them down. just to get thrown off the bed completely and held against the floor. you want to squawk out a complaint only to shut yourself up when they sink their teeth into your collar and dig their fingers into your ass with enough force to leave bruises in the back and blood in the front. you want to make an effort to push them off, only to get slammed back into place, and held there by one hand around your throat while the other slips around and digs into you knuckle deep. you want to try to squeal only to get cut off by them tightening their grip and curling their fingers inside you, leaving you seeing stars from how short of breath you suddenly are. when your weak will gives out, you want them to keep going. you want them to let up just enough so you can breathe, but only so they can hear you scream when they rip your earring out with their teeth and tongue-fuck the wound they just made. you want them to rock off you, pick you up, and hold you against the wall with enough force you leave an indentation in it, only to get hiked up further so they have access to your hips. you want the only thing keeping you from doubling over being one hand on your shoulder, one on your thigh. you want to feel your heart stop when those shark teeth move downwards. you want to scream your voice so raw the next two days are nothing but letting your throat recover all from how hard and fast the first climax is. and you want to be held there, and made to finish again and again, until you black out from exhaustion. and when you wake up, you want them to cup your face gently, pull you in close, and let you taste your own blood on their lips while they click the collar on your throat. the only thing i don't know you want is if you would rather the little charm say 'pet' or 'good girl.' ~b.

———— 🖤┊   HEIGHT BE DAMNED,   a lofty button nose held skyward through indignance supplemented her confidence where vertical disparity could not. deciphering whether admiration or arrogance bound her tongue would be a tall order, but one should simply count their blessings — the alternative is being interrupted come any perceived discrepancies. that being said, nothing stopped her from mentally rebuking any fallacies this cretin may have concocted.

... or she would have, had the first wave bore a flaw. a cleared throat conceded as arms cross along tautly against her bosom. a simple shot — nothing to fret over. 'twas an obvious attack, a blow low enough to put even her dick kicks to shame.    ( please. is it not normal to want a challenge? )   a rabbit - wrinkle of that nose, and its subsequent flare, adds little else.

the second wave, she admits, holds no quarter. nails dig into biceps as teeth grind against one another come her begrudgingly locked jaw. already, her gaze escapes its once cocksure position, taking solace in the right corners of shaken eyes after bright white sclera nigh consumes those irises.

there is little to say; to speak is to confirm interest, even if her words refused acknowledging accuracy: the swallow of saliva clogged up her throat, making for a potential waver even if she was to deny the accusations, and to a shark such as herself, there was no way it wouldn't be perceived as weakness.    ( haaa... the blood is a little much... i-isn't it...? it's not like anyone's here to do that to me, anyway... )   

though a dragon's exhale oft accompanies flames, hers is muted by the hand quickly clasped across her lower visage. it had been long since she ever squealed, thank you very much, but to insinuate she had not missed the attraction of possessive ownership would be a lie.    ( she gave considerable contemplation to borrowing octavio's therapist, but following through would mean admitting there was an issue to resolve )   

though running low on things to spurn, the meek, pitiful bounce of her jaw implies she had but one qualm to verbally retort, but her clamped digits keep her quiet, akin to having fingers pried betwixt gasping lips.    ( my earrings are expensive, don't damage those goods! )   in her weakness, her leg bounces, a soothing tic to keep her mind from floating astray. potential destruction of property aside, there's something… riveting about being flush against a barrier, unable to move and left to one's desires—    ( a-all right, i think that is more than enough. quit it! )   

this is all quite explicit!    ( and wrong, if anyone were to insist on prying such crude fact, er, fiction from her lips )   thrice does throat clear, a desperate attempt to remove rock from gullet. quite tough is this medicine to swallow, once bouncing ankles shifting to squeezed knees and thighs pressed taut as she corrects her posture as best she can.    ( shark teeth… someone else has those…? wait, no, that's not something to focus on! )   

no amount of clearing can free her from the clog keeping her silent. what was once out of sheer confidence had now become discomfort. the tremor in her voice, come gasp feigned as yawn, gives more than she'd like away.    ( i… i would never make such a fuss! no one can get me to yield. and… and m-my voice… i've t-trained it to stay within a safe decibel, s-so… )   

she'll cradle her own face, thank you — a necessity, considering the malfunction of her "freckles" and pupils had resulted in a short - circuit in both mind and body. with both palms shielding her from further onslaught, digits parted only when the silence marked the end of war, she swallows once, then coughs, hacking out her very heart. her glance still remains to the side, but at last, at last, the final wave, and the singer's relieved blockage, allows for speech.    ❝ c-can i request 'brat' instead? ❞   

[skyplayssplatoon3]

"How To Counter My Weapon!"

I wanna start a trend where we say what our main weapons are, and then immediately give advice on how to counter it based on our playing experiences! Not sure how it'll catch on, but I'll start!

[Disclaimer: As per everything I post, this is just my experiences/thoughts/etc, and not set in stone as law! Take what helps you, and leave what doesn't!]

If you're interested, read on! Feel free to reblog, or just make your own post in the same format!

--

HOW TO COUNTER MY WEAPON: The Flingza Roller!

The Flingza Roller is a tricky weapon! With two different swinging styles, you could say it's a neat fusion of a standard Splat Roller and a Dynamo with a little less power. The vertical flick has very impressive range! However, it is also very weak and often takes a good 2, 3, or even 4 hits to actually take someone out.

How to counter it? Take advantage of the Vertical flick flaw: BEING S L O W

I have been taken down by SO many bowled bombs and straight up ambushes because I was in the middle of a vertical flick! I can't move or react well during it, so it is an opportune time to take me out.

Also like with most rollers, if you outrange us, you already have a solid chance. After all, we don't have a throwable bomb...We have Ink Mines!

--

HOW TO COUNTER THE INK MINE: Ink well! Just be careful, especially of common paths of travel! We like to put them in places we can catch you trying to sneak. Map awareness is key! We also make an animation setting one down, so if your eyes are sharp, you may be able to catch us in the act and know -exactly- where it is.

--

HOW TO COUNTER TENTAMISSILES (YES REALLY): As much as the community hates them, they CAN be avoided easily if your map awareness is strong!

My #1 rule is NEVER group up with your teammates too close! That's a recipe for me to get a double, triple, or in very rare cases, an entire team wipe in one fell swoop! On maps like Eeltail, don't be afraid to go under the bridge for cover! (Just make sure one of your teammates aren't up there) If missiles are on just you, just pick a path and move away carefully! If it's on everyone, see where your teammates are scattering first and move -away- from them the best you can.

Sadly sometimes they may run towards you in panic; can't do much about that. Keep an eye on my special icon and have a plan of escape ready! We are also vulnerable while LAUNCHING missiles, so if you are close enough already, run in and take us out!!

In the right hands, Flingza is adaptable! In my experience, 90% of us mostly use it as an inking/support/tentamissile spammer...But if they're like me, who also uses it to be aggressive as a regular roller (and swap playstyles as needed), be careful how you approach! If given enough ink to move in, a Flingza can rush right in and start slammin' down on multiple people.

Blasters, you are my nightmare, as one shot at my feet and I'm basically stuck /dies

That's all the advice I have for now! Good luck!

[wizard-finix]

director's commentary for stygian ringlet??? 👀👀👀

OH BOY WHERE TO EVEN START

jesus christ this fic is easily the longest fic I've written to date. If you count Ghost of Mementos, it's OVER 70K WORDS TOTAL. AND IT'S STILL GOING. I've never written anything so long before. THIS THING STARTED AS A ONESHOT AND IT JUST E X P L O D E D

Actually this whole fic started after I was looking around on AO3 for PT Minato fics, and while I was bored during class I doodled what I thought Yu and Minato's masks would look like. I wanted their outfits to have some meaning to them beyond the surface-level aesthetics. Yu's outfit didn't get very far, but Minato… holy shit, once I based it off of Ryoji's outfit, it was off to the races. I immediately thought about how that awakening scene would go. and then I made a rough snippet of said scene. and then thought about how they would get up to that point and then before I knew it whoops I had a half completed fic

and then I finished and posted said fic

and then I noticed I still had some ideas left over for what happens later on

and I thought

"why NOT keep going, im having fun and the worst that can happen is I fall out of it, unfinished fics are better than no fic"

and that is how I found myself writing a longfic.

ANYWAY

my whole line of thinking for PT Minato was that I kept thinking about how Minato would bond with the PTs and how he would end up being a full fledged PT himself, because honestly that would make a prime opportunity for some really interesting character development. Minato had originally accepted the price of sealing Nyx at the end of P3, but after somehow accidentally falling back into reality and hanging out with the PTs for a while, he'd probably start to wonder if its ok to want things to be better than they turned out. his rebellion is the fact that he wants to live even though he's not supposed to. He's rebelling against his original fate, and his persona is the very person who fought against his true nature as DEATH INCARNATE just to be his friend. MAN. He'd fit right in with the PTs. (I still have feelings over these two dont mind me)

I was a little worried the whole amnesia trope would be a little dumb or dragged out too long, but it turned out to be fine. I mostly used it for plot regulation, bc I wanted him to have time to learn more about them at the same time as they're learning about him. He probably wouldn't have had a good reason to stick around long enough to bond with them otherwise. Kind of like Sophia, now that I think about it.

I've also learned a lot doing this?? outlining is a GODSEND why the hell wasn't I making bullet point lists before this

uhhhh I cant think of anything else off the top of my head, except that maybe chapters 10 and 12 were my favorites to write so far, though its real hard to pick a favorite

also if you want to see the notebook lecture doodles that spawned this entire brainrot circus here they are, some masks and a chat icon

(kinda wanna make a royal-style character art with him holding his mask but that's self-indulgent art for another day)

[wings-of-indigo]

So, Waitress is closing and Why I am Happy about that: An Exceedingly long essay Rant about Broadway

Look. Nobody's gonna read this, most likely, but it's 2 in the morning and my brain's been obsessing over Broadway (more than usual, anyway) since communing with my people at intensive this week. So, in the interest of getting some sleep before 8 hrs of dance and shitty high notes tomorrow, here goes.

I love classic, high-school-and-community standard musicals. I love new and experimental musicals. I love Disney film-to-stage musicals. I love institution musicals like Chorus Line, Cats, and Wicked; I even have a soft spot for Phantom. I am eagerly anticipating West Side Story next Christmas (seriously, I have a calander).

BUT.

As I said to one of my fellow dancers during post-class stretch (after noting his insane flexibilty and making yet another resolution to stretch more) I am Sick to GoDAMnEd DEATH of revivals, franchise adaptions, and restagings taking up the Broadway and greater theater markets.

I get why it's happening; I do. Musical theater, even shows that never make it out of Regional productions (Be More Chill, btw, I'm so proud of you bby :'-D ) are REALLY FREAKING EXPENSIVE, not just to stage, but also to develop. Broadway productions nowadays regularly go upwards of TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in costs.

Those costs are more and more frequently being met through funding by large groups of wealthy investors, who can expect basically little to no return on that investment. Only a select few shows that make it to the Great White Way do well enough to turn a profit (let alone the kinds of numbers that Hamilton, DEH, and Wicked continue to make), and more and more shows are closing in defict or once they break even. (Coincidentally, this is probably why we're seeing more and more straight plays on Broadway, especially in limited engagements. They're quicker, cheaper, and still have the same level of prestige.)

It makes sense then to assume that a show linked to an already successful property has a better chance of reaching that break-even mark, or perhaps generating a small return, than a more original idea. It's a surer bet, and we've seen it a lot these past few seasons. Anastasia, Beetlejuice, Pretty Woman, Moulin Rouge, Mean Girls... we get it. We promise. Investors want some security in an extremely and notoriously insecure market before they're willing to lay out the dough.

I get it. Everybody gets it.

And, to be fair, some of those shows are and continue to be GOOD. Tony nominees and award winners, even. But here's the problem: it's boring.

And not because I know how Act 2 ends without getting spoilers on tumblr. Unless they're younger than ten, the population of Broadway-and-musicals fans generally has a good handle on where a show's relevant plotlines are going. It's really not the wanting to know the end that keeps your butt in your overpriced red velvet seat and your eyes on the stage. It's the score, the words, occasionally the choreography, and most importantly the magicians on, off, and backstage bringing those things to life in a new and interesting way.

The antithesis of this, then, is having to watch slavish recreation of iconic scenes, lines, and characters from iconic films, presented Onstage! (TM), now with Bonus Songs! for your reconsumption. (Yes, Pretty Woman, I'm looking at you.)

Hey, I love Pretty Woman the Movie, slightly dodgy messages about feminity aside. I love it as a movie, and I really don't need to watch the knock off version of it, even if it comes in a shiny Broadway package.

Anastasia, and Beetlejuice, on the other hand, work extrodinarily well as musicals because they are NOT carbon copies of the original, somehow miraculously transplanted onto the stage.

Ironically, musicals based on original ideas are actually some of the most successful and well reviewed recent productions. Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, and Hadestown this season are all original works, and well, look at them. (Fishy, huh? Coincidence, I think the fuck not.)

Recently I got to see The Prom on Broadway, the day after I saw Pretty Woman. The contrast between shows and my enjoyment of them was well defined. I couldn't look away from The Prom, despite many of the major story beats being as obvious as our Cheeto-in-Chief's spray tan. I and the entire rest of the theater were completely engaged by what was going on onstage, both comedically and dramatically. At Pretty Woman, I found myself checking the Playbill to see how many songs were left for me to make it through and anxiously comparing the size of my thighs to the dancers onstage to pass the time (ah, pre pro Body Issues, welcome back! We all thought you'd retired!)

Three guesses which show I'd choose to see again.

When I read that Waitress was closing, the first thing I did was panic and start marking pre January weekends where I would both be free and possibly have disposable income (I've never gotten to see the show, and frankly I would like too). My second reaction was, yes, to mourn the closure of a wonderful show, but it was mixed with hopeful anticipation. Waitress had a good long time in the sun, and just like a well lived life, eventually it must and should end. It's better, in my humble student opinion, to live with memories and cast albums (and regional productions) than the stodgy life of a show that's jealously clung to its Broadway berth through the tourist-and-date-night trade (*cough*Phantom*cough*). It's sort of like your 40 something mother taking selfies in booty shorts in an effort to prove she's still 'hip' and in her twenties. Cringe.

Ephemera is the nature of live performance, and probably part of its allure. And just like in the natural world, old things have to end so that new things can become. Waitress closing is a vital part of this cycle.

Broadway has a limited number of theaters. That's a hard and absolute fact. Maybe a quarter of them are effectively taken off the market for new shows by productions apparently cursed with immortality. Waitress has just opened up another spot both physically and creatively for a new project- hopefully something we haven't seen before- and I hope to God, Satan, and Sondheim that it doesn't get filled with another franchise spinoff, celebrity jukebox musical, or -Lin Miranda forbid - yet another revival.

Why the revival hate, though? Aren't revivals an major way to revisit the landmark and important musicals of the past and bring them to a new audience?

Well, yes. They are, especially when they're staged and presented with the emphasis on letting the music and words speak for themselves and giving the actors leeway to work with the material, without the typical levels of Broadway Extra (TM) and creative meddling from the producers. (The recent Lincoln Center staging of A Chorus Line is a good example of the stripped down style I'm talking about.) But even if they have their place, once again, revivals (while valuable and cool and all that) are Something We've Already Seen.

Let's take Newsies for example. A show with a huge fan base (mostly teen, mostly girls) who I frequently see wishing for a revival.

Now, I am a raging Newsies fan. Newsies is the show that got me started on attempting to make a profession out of dance and theater. I can sing both the OBC and Live albums back to front. I may or may not have had embarrassing crushes on certain cast and characters that I will take to my grave (I'll never tell and you'll never know, mwahhaha). So, do I love and worship ever iteration of this show? Yes. Do I wish I had been able to see either the Natl Tour or Broadway productions? Hell yes, with all my heart. Do I wish the Gatelli choreography was in any way accessible for me to learn? More than I want Broadway tickets to cost less than my soul, kidney, and hypothetical but unlikely first born combined.

But do I want a Broadway revival? Hell FUCKING No.

It's over, it's done, and it lives on in reinterpretation in regional and junior productions. Good. That, to be quite honest, is where it should belong.

It doesn't need to be rehashed on the biggest stages, and to be frank, neither do most of the ultra popular revivals that have been happening. (Yes, Ali Stoker is awesome and deserves the world, but Broadway does not need Oklahoma. If you need to see it that bad, go find a high school production somewhere. I recommend the midwest.) Broadway does not need 1776 (even though I am looking forward to it). Broadway does not need a Sweeney Todd revival (even though I want one like I want ice cream after suffering through jazz class in an un-air-conditioned studio on a 90 degree afternoon with no breeze. Seriously, I might be making sacrifices at my altar to this cause in the back of my closet).

Broadway needs musicals that are at least nominally original, and if not, come from something obscure enough (Kinky Boots, Waitress, Newsies) that they can make their own way. Barring that, investors, writers, and directors, please have the courage and decency to take established content in a new direction. Please, I'm begging you. I'd honestly-and-truly much rather sit through something that didn't try to shove the better version of itself down my throat even as it bored and annoyed me to tears. If I'm going to pay $80+ to sit through two hours of something terrible (and less engaging than my dancer body image issues) at least let me get my money's worth in unique horribleness.

[escargon]

May I have context for the Doug Walker review?

I’m so sorry to do this to you, but I started typing and accidentally wrote the script for like. A rant. So feel free to just skim but The Nostalgia Critic was a very vital influence and special interest to me when I was starting to view media more critically, as embarrassing as that is to admit now after everything that has happened. Ideally you don’t have to watch his review and give him anymore YouTube clout so, technically, I’m saving you about fifty minutes and keeping you from contributing financially to a scummy channel.

Doug Walker, esteemed Critic and Online Personality for 13 years wrote a little "love letter" to Pink Floyd in the form of his ""review"" of The Wall (1982). I don't know why he thought it was a good idea, maybe because of his Magnum Anuses of reviews of Baz Lurhmann's Moulin Rouge! (Review posted 2011) and Tom Hooper's Les Miserables (review posted 2013), where he rewrote parody songs to diss those movies in collaboration with other members of That Guy With the Glasses or Channel Awesome.

I grew out of that type of content in late 2017, but had no hard feelings other than a little embarrassment for admittedly basing a little bit too much of my epersonality on being a fan of his in middle school, but respect for his work especially since he seemed like an actual critical voice in his more laid-back, less scripted videos. That was of course until the document. The Not So Awesome Document* came out about a lot of workplace harassment, and led to the majority of the creators leaving and going on to do other things awhile ago, and the dust had settled around Doug and Rob Walker, and there are only a handful of creators left at CA. 

Fast forward to September 2019. Doug Walker, The Nostalgia Critic teams up with a 3D animator and the lead singer of Slipknot and his son to produce a critical deconstruction in song of the 1982 animated film The Wall based on the Pink Floyd album of the same name.

And he just. Doesn't. Get it.

[Content Warning for the "Not So Awesome" Document: discussion of abuse and harassment both sexual and not sexual, I can't remember if it's in the document but discussion that occurs around it might make reference to a team member’s suicide. Let me know if there was anything I missed, I went through the document when it first came out and may have forgotten if there was anything else. Viewing the document is not necessary for the context of this post, but is there in case you are interested]

Or maybe he does, but he chooses to not express it because poor ol Doug made some bad decisions during the peak of CA's questionable and harmful business practices, and now he's stuck in a role.

Either way. The review sucks.

He spends the entire video mocking the style of both the music and the visuals, and weaving a weird thread of shallow modernization through visuals like cellphones replacing the iconic marching hammers, for example. There is either a lack of understanding, or deliberate ignorance on his part as to what the piece means both to Roger Waters, but also of what it has gone on to mean for those who love it. There is a reason why The Wall is one of the most iconic rock operas of all time, and its because there is so much soul and meaning put into the songs. But you know what Doug Walker, experienced critic and expert deconstructor of cinema, got out of it?

Like... Doug, if you’re out there. I don’t know how to tell you this, but Pink Floyd’s lyrics were not meant to be subtle.

PINK FLOYD’S LYRICS WERE NOT MEANT TO BE SUBTLE.

The whole entire POINT of The Wall is that it’s angsty music from an angsty place, discussing the issue of self-isolation and bottling up one’s emotions, creating a WALL in between oneself and those around them as a result of various experiences experienced in Roger Water’s life. Doug’s assessment (because at a certain point it is just incorrect to call it a review) of both the visual and lyrics add nothing to the actual work, which wouldn’t be a problem if this were a seven to ten minute video in which he expressed ambivalence, or even dislike for the on the nose lyrics and abstract visuals. Not every review necessarily has to enhance the piece, especially not negative ones.

But Doug is so self-important in his assertion that his musical “”reviews”” are his best works, and he is most proud of those. His works are not reviews, they are recreations and parodies. They offer nothing but a glimpse into the mind of a sad man, out of touch with any critical analysis skills other than “hehe he used a DOUBLE NEGATIVE. He DOES need education because he’s STUPID” (.... he almost got it, I guess.)

There are moments like this, where it seems like he gets it. But then the fact that he is a straight, cis, white gen-X hits you in the head.

Whether or not this is genuinely how Doug thinks, by throwing so much time and money at this project he is endorsing this particular reading of Pink Floyd, and all the bands who have and still are making politically charged music. Doug Walker is presenting himself in a way that is no different to the cishet, white Gen Xs suddenly giving up support for Rage Against the Machine for uh. Raging against the machine.

Did I mention this was a musical review? Because it’s a musical review. Nobody is a good singer, and Doug Walker, Egomanic, really decided that his Pink Floyd parody songs were good enough to put on Spotify, which he gratuitously advertises in the video that you can go stream it on Spotify.

Through his video that’s supposed to be a “Love Letter” to Pink Floyd, the Nostalgia Critic gives us one of the stalest takes on what is one of the most celebrated pieces of classic rock. He critiques the movie for strange visual choices of both abstract and painfully literal imagery to accompany the songs Roger Waters wrote in response to feeling as though his personal relationships, experiences, and family’s stories. I believe he did love Pink Floyd, but his interpretation tells me that he grew up and out of feeling as though society needs to change, and that Water’s music is whiny and entitled because it targets and critiques a society in which he, now a grown man, is at the top of the pecking order.

The worst part is that the only real, solid comment that we get from Doug himself is that he like the movie just fine, and he squeezes it in right at the end. How insulting to the viewers, where instead of giving an actual review until the very end of your nearly hour-long video, you put on musical skits that point out “logically unsound” lyrics or “weird and obvious” imagery as though you think you’re some meta genius.

And he still has the balls to call this a “Love Letter” to Pink Floyd. Great. Incredibly lukewarm and lacking musical talent. 1/5 stars for the effort, however misguided and unnecessary.

Anyway, so that was probably more context than I needed to give RE: Doug Walker’s review of The Wall, but as I said before he was one of my inspirations and I feel like it’s only right that now that I’m older and wiser, and have as a result developed better critical thinking skills through education and otherwise analyzing media for myself I feel it is only right to hold him to the same standard, especially when he thinks he’s making art.

[insomnihan]

han’s Entire Thoughts and Feelings on Dreamcatcher’s “Deja Vu”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

MY TIME HAS COME 2.0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FULL INSOMNIA MODE DONT. LOOK. AT. ME.

there are no read mores here so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ALRIGHT SO-

THE SONG OKAY LETS JUMP RIGHT INTO IT i wasnt expecting something lowkey sad BUT im not mad at it!!!!!!!!!! i had conflicting emotions when i desperately wanted to cry but also headbang?????? HOWEVER thanks to force and air the tears in my eyes were drying as i headbanged- LIKE this song really PUT ME THROUGH IT like that chorus didnt have tO DO ME LIKE THAT™!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT THEN THE VERSES AND THE PRE-CHORUSES WERE SLOW (and the bridge but bridges be like that in nearly all songs) WHICH IM ACTUALLY REALLY INTO it was like being in a roller coaster with the verses being the slow hill and the chorus was the fall THAT PIANO GOES HARD...................... but like in a soft way????? DONT ASK ME WHAT IM SAYING IS IM A HOE™ FOR PIANO THOSE DRUMS DURING THE CHORUS STOP IT I CANNOT I FELT THEM VIBRATE THROUGH MY BONES

like i DEADASS have nothing to criticize or change about this song its PERFECTLY FINE AS IT IS (except for like more gahyeon and dami????? pls??????)

siyeon starting the song.......................... thank you.............. I STILL STAND BY SAYING I WOULD LISTEN TO HER VOICE FOR LITERALLY FOREVER HER VOICE DURING THE CHORUS QUEEN OF SINGING CHORUSES OH BUT THEN THAT HIGH NOTE ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????? SHE DIDNT HAVE TO KILL ME LIKE THIS BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH I- and now....... im in the deja vu P L E A S E

gaaaaaaaahhhyeeeeeooonnnn her voice is so pretty!!!!!!!!!!! BUT I WANT MORE!!!!!!!!!! HOWEVER youre the second one to sing with this beautiful gentleness of a part and to be honest this part paired with siyeon starting it really eases you into the song and its quite the blessing to hear thanks- and then yknow this part right after handong........................... Heaven™

SPEAKING OF HANDONG LISTEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE AMOUNT OF LINES SHE HAS MAKES ME WANNA CRY OKAY THIS PART RIGHT HERE............................. PLS.............. (i think its just me but theres a smaller voice singing like right under her voice????) HER PRE-CHORUS PARTS ARE LITERALLY THE BEST PARTS IN THE WHOLE SONG TO LISTEN TO pls believe me when i say this its NOT bc shes my ultimate bias like i genuinely like her parts the most

sua pls i was already prepared for softer vocals and you really gave that to me and then this is absolute perfection they were beautiful and amazing OF COURSE got me feeling like i was floating on actually clouds god TAHNK YOU AND THEN YOU JUST HAD TO HIT ME WITH YOUR PART RIGHT HERE???? i understand its just the chorus but I Felt That™ okay!!!!!!

JIU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i stand by saying how your voice be powerful as hell still even during these lines VERY short but VERY effective and very good leading into the chorus i love- and then your bridge....................... B I C T H really put me in my feelings but i welcome it with EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING and with open arms.......................

YOOHYEON AKA THE OTHER QUEEN OF SINGING CHORUSES I MEAN..................................... I LITERALLY DUNNO WHAT TO SAY!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE THEIR BEAUTIFUL SOUNDING HER VOICE GOES WELL WITH THEM like i really like the parts she sings after siyeon like................. Y O O F if a feather became a voice-

i need more dami too..................... P L E A S E like obviously with their other songs i was expecting dami to be in the second verse and with a smooth rap section and the former was correct HOWEVER to my pleasant surprise SHE SANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! her singing voice suited this SO MUCH and im actually glad there wasnt a rap part at all in this song especially that SECOND PART.................. Heaven™ 2x

my favorite lyrics (x): i know i said handongs were my favorite to listen to but i like these lines dont hurt me

난 이 숨결이 허락되는 날까지 As long as I can breathe 다신 너를 놓을 수 없어 I can’t let go of you again 우린 모든 순간 함께 할 테니 We’ll be together for every moment 내 곁에서 beside me

THE DANCE OKAY IM GONNA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT ill be referring to THIS PERFORMANCE can we pls talk about how loud the fanchant is im crying and really take it in and all of their talented glory ANYWAY OF COURSE the choreography F UKCING SLAPS just so many different position changes and just alwaYS SO IN SYNC WITH EACH OTHER ITS INSANE ill just list them briefly and keep the points short this is long enough:

THE BEGINNING AND THE END BEING THE SAME...................... CERTAINLY DEJA VU-

SIYEONS TUTTING THING THANKS

handongs majestic spin

this and this with how the formation changes and how their arms swing AND the kick

ALSO in those parts in the last bullet i dunno why but i like that move jiu does when she sings IT HITS

i recall sua spoiling literally the first move of the chorus dance in that vlive THE CHORUS DANCE ALL THOSE FORMATION CHANGES LITERALLY MESS ME UP and THIS most important move in the entire choreography and they line up and its SO COOL to look at

when they lie on each other doing yoohyeons lines

handongs part again when theyre in the line and how satisfying it is to watch

THE ENTIRE BRIDGE

LITERALLY THE ENTIRE DANCE FROM START TO FINISH

QUEENS OF STABILITY

sidenote: can we talk about how handong and dami?????? literally spin during their parts????? and they sounded super clear??????

THE VISUALS SO.......................... if you had asked me two days ago (maybe a little bit of yesterday) about how i felt about this video.................. i wouldve mentioned some unpopular opinions regarding the videos look............ i mentioned to gwen @loonapunk that i wasnt TOO into it............ BUT- after finally sitting down to do this long ass post i dont hate it!!!!!!!!!!!! i think bc i have to remind myself that this song (album???? well song-) is for that kings raid game and all the visuals AND story are based off that????? i dunno BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS I LIKE TO WATCH IT

IM TOO BIG STUPID™ TO COMPREHEND THIS STORYLINE AND COME UP WITH MY OWN THEORIES EVEN NOW AND I WOULD L O V E TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU BUT THIS IS LONG ENOUGH AS IT IS SO ILL REDIRECT YOU TO THEORY POSTS (TWO (2) FROM MY GALAXY BRAIN MOOTS) THAT I LIKED:

@highsomnia NITAS POST WHICH I PERSONALLY FOUND ENJOYABLE TO READ SO IF YOU COULD READ THIS YOU SHOULD ALSO READ THAT

@in-somnias ELENAS POST WHICH WAS ALSO AN INTERESTING READ RIGHT HERE

AND THEN THIS ONE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY FROM TWITTER i dont follow her so im not gonna @

AIIGHT IMMA GO CRAZY WITH THESE SHOTS (with only small one/two sentence captions this is LONG ENOUGH):

BICTH I SAW THIS AND KNEW I WAS GONNA GET GOT™ like its just super duper INCREDIBLY PRETTY TO LOOK AT

THIS WILL BE FOREVER ICONIC™ DONT ARGUE WITH ME

this is what the calm before the storm looks like

went back to the mv film making video and turns out they got slippers on under that table love that for them

how in the hell am i supposed to interpret this exchange

okay longer section i think im supposed to interpret this more as a sister bond than a romantic one?????? i remember being taken aback and believed this to be something gay BUT 99.9% OF INSOMNIAS say its gay subtext so ill just put it like that i dunno but like i just wanna say they have beautiful smiles and im love them!!!

a youtuber reacting to this mv saying it just looks like theyre shading each other.................... anyway-

i CANNOT i repeat I CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU how Shook™ i was when i saw this for the first time i basically jumped out of my chair i couldnt i-

this mv really led me to believe jiu was the evil one.............................

POETIC. CINEMA.

THE WOMAN. THE MYTH. THE LEGEND. THE FIREBENDER. THE WOLF. LEE SIYEON. pls light me up

Symbolism™................ SYMBOLISM I CANNOT COMPREHEND GO TO THE THEORIES

MORE SYMBOLISM GO TO THE THEORIES

T H E M

NOT ONLY IS THIS VIDEO SUPER AESTHETIC™ BUT THE SEVEN (7) MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN IN THE WORLD BLESSING US ONCE AGAIN WITH THEIR PRESENCE AND ALLOWED THEIR ROYALTY VIBES SHOOT INTO THE MESOSPHERE INTO REAL LIFE KILLING ALL OF US

THE DANCING SCENES WITH THE TEASER OUTFITS...................................... AT EASE.....................

LITERALLY NO COMPLAINTS MOVING ON:

JIU

L I S T E N KIM MINJI YOURE A FULL PRINCESS this pink fluffy dress with the flower crown in this picture............................ i may have cried- like a lot of people were trying this look to persephone and im HERE for that concept for her and like the white outfit AND black outfit is probably super symbolic again im too Big Stupid™ anyway when i saw that black outfit in the teaser........................... i was attacked jiu with a sword is just EVERYTHING i wanted and more

SUA

LITERALLY I CANNOT- her hair being wavy looks SO GOOD on her THIS BLACK DRESS WITH THE FLOWERS she is always a Serve™ WE KNOW THAT but her visuals just HIT DIFFERENT this time lighter colored hair really suits her and then of course she looks FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC in the dance scenes in the white and the black that low pony tail pls

SIYEON

purple on this woman just shoulders and collarbones out being Beautiful™ ALL THE WHILE staying ON BRAND with herself and was wearing pants good for her G O D i just love the way her hair looks in the white and gold outfits like it just LOOKS PRETTY to me i dunno how to describe it also her with a pony tail WHAT ARE YOU SO PRETTY FOR-

HANDONG

i just................... want closer shots of this.................. CLOSER SHOTS IN GENERAL OF HER ACTUALLY like LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL™ SHE LOOKS HERE I WANNA SEE MORE OF IT??????? PLS??????? nothing gets me weaker than her hair being styled exactly like in the picture i just love that her royalty and regal vibes and looks were FINALLY realized and WAS BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT

YOOHYEON

THIS MV MUST CONVINCE ME SHE IS EVIL BY SHOWING HER FOREHEAD first of all the first outfit turning her into an Actual Entire Princess™/Queen™ that red one i dont really understand SHE MAKES IT WORK THO THEN THAT BLACK OUTFIT LISTEN yo it was like getting hit by a whole truck full speed i wasnt ready and i just wanna admire that yoohyeon and gray colored hair is an actual match made in heaven i just have to say-

DAMI

i love this suit and the patten on it so much this outfits color (what is that teal????) and her hair color is such a GOOD PAIRING and on her SHE JUST KILLED ME WITH HER SOLO SCENES i wish i had more to say about her and her outfits but what else can i say other than that she is INSANELY ATTRACTIVE AND I WANT HER TO STEP ON ME???????

GAHYEON

she really broke my neck when i saw her the first time LIKE DEADASS LOOK AT THIS PICTURE i had fallen for her and i cannot get up when i saw this outfit in the other shots like the black top and the see through sleeves but her skirt is like different colors she really Served™ in this outfit bangs usually look cute but in her solo parts she was coming for my heart like miss lee gahyeon pls-

BONUS TIME: B-SIDE TRACKS (just short thoughts and point out specific parts i liked lmao)

Intro:

their intros always slap are you kidding me-

The curse of the Spider

i wasnt ready for this bop to slap me in the face on my spotify that chorus didnt have to do that to me THAT GUITAR DIDNT HAVE TO DO THAT TO ME i love the way dami and handong sound in this song i mean wrow-

favorite lyrics (x):

소름이 끼칠 만큼 It’s chilling 도망치고 싶어질 it makes me want to run away 그런 두려움일 테니 such is this fear

Silent Night

B I H C T i knew when i heard this in the highlight it was going to be my favorite one IT REALLY WOKE SOMETHING IN ME these lyrics i cant- gahyeon and handong hurted me with their lower registers Y AL L YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE HURTED ME THAT D R O P DID

favorite lyrics (x):

겨눈 칼 끝은 a blade directed at someone 결국 돌아오게 돼 eventually returns 더 다가오지 마 don’t come closer

Polaris

this song is as if i was wrapped in the thickest blanket i got and im resting on the softest bed in the world with a fireplace going nearby and i could finally rest peacefully bc the lord knows i need it- i really cried a little bit listening to this pls leave me be i legit cant pick a specific member i liked the most for this song i just love it and everything it got

favorite lyrics (x):

그게 너라서 행복해 I’m happy that it’s you 그 많은 인연 속에 Among those numerous connections 수많은 사람 중에 Among those numerous people

LIKE im so completely satisfied with every song on this album and im completely in love with it!!!!!!!!!! the only ‘issue’ i really had was with the mv visually but as you read i warmed up to it lmao LIKE IM JUST SO PROUD OF THESE WOMEN AND HOW TALENTED AND HARDWORKING THEY ARE like i have to say the japanese release?????? and this????? being so close to each other????? you telling me they learned TWO (2) different choreographies one after the other???? i absolutely love this album and i desperately desperately DESPERATELY want so much more success for them bc ITS WHAT THEY DESERVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is supposed to be just about the overall mv and deja vu but i might as well just type what i feel lmao

IN CONCLUSION: MY INSOMNIA ASS IS BOTH ALIVE AND DEAD BUT MOSTLY ALIVE I LOVE THIS IM STREAMING

i have to bring this back its relevant again:

[call-me-gatt]

Roleplay Rules/Guidelines

I realized that I didn’t have one of these posts on my blog, so I figured I should probably put something together so it didn’t become a possible problem in the future. That being said, the following are the rules and/or guidelines to role-playing with me on my blog. Or, things to know just in general.

This is a heavily headcanon based blog for Velvet from Hazbin Hotel- (created by Vivziepop) I will be using my own personal headcanons and ideas for my version/depiction of her, as well as the small tidbits of information given to us during the official streams. This is because, as most of us know, Vel only got about 5 seconds of screen-time.

This blog is also mildly/moderately selective. I’m willing to RP with almost anyone, however. Though if you’re attempting to do something crossover related, you might have to explain to me what fandom or verse your character is from. Or, if you’re a multi-muse blog you may have to explain which character you’re using at the time. The usual.

I prefer to use paragraphs and longer structures when I roleplay. Maybe not necessarily a novel’s worth, but at least 2-3 well written paragraphs. I will, however, shorten it down if you don’t really provide anything on your end. Roleplaying with someone is a little difficult when they don’t give you anything to work with. That being said, the *actions* roleplay style gets on my nerves and I really don’t think I can handle it for too long.

I’m not gonna focus on shipping, but if it fits? Hell yea, I’m down for it. If that’s your intention, however, drop by my DM’s (not my askbox, my DM’S) and lemme know! However, when it does come down to shipping I may or may not have a few favorites that I won’t mention here.

I do like to under-complicate things. I don’t like to mess with the icons and fancy formatting or fancy texts because it’s honestly not worth the hassle, in my opinion. If you wanna do it, go for it! I just don’t wanna mess with them lol. (God knows that if I used icons I’d lose the entire folder of them)

Do not ask me to RP anything fully NSFW with you. Sure, making a suggestive comment/passing tease in a storyline is a bit different than a full on sexual thread. Those are more fun to do in private with people I actually know and am comfortable with. You’re better off sending one-off asks than a full sexual starter. I will not respond to it.

If you’re interested in interacting with me, message me or send me an ask please! Or, make a starter/new text post and tag me in it. I also don’t mind prompts from those reblog memes I like so much. (Regarding the memes, I do like reblog karma, as well. Not always, but on the occasion.)

Not all of my RPs are going to be in the same world/verse. Don’t worry about conflicting with someone else on my page.

If I forget to reply, just poke me in my DMs! Sometimes I forget-

Keep in mind that I am using this blog to develop my interpretation of Velvet herself as well! Things may change in the future. Not enough to cause problems, I hope, but they may.

This blog is independent! I have this one and sideblog that I shitpost on, but this one is my main blog. This is where I am most active and as of now Velvet is my only muse. Whether or not this is going to change in the future I don’t know for sure.

If I follow you, know that either I wish to roleplay with you in the future, or you consistently post things that I enjoy. I very rarely follow people just because.

SIDE NOTES: 1. If you wanna follow my side-posting blog; @aphelixnn (lol self promo) 2. If you wish to interact and you have one of these rules pages you’d like me to look at, please send them to me! I’d like to be able to actually find them.

[akalegos]

Could you tell us a little about your characters?

Y E S !

but due to me having at least over a thousand characters I’ll just give a quick summary of the 25 I manage to dig up over 3 sketchbooks.

Y’all can pick and choose which of them interest yall or who you wanna hear more about!

Also because I’m extra, I made sketch icons for the 25 characters, info under the cut

I’ll talk a bit more about my actual Original Characters first, starting with

Aiko! Otherwise known as Echo

- A marked individual in a steampunk world that gets mixed with magic, because I like both of those things

- Echo runs an underground lab that does helps the underground world with replacing body parts, illegal surgeries etc etc

- Even though she marked, which puts a bounty on her head already, she is well respected by the community for not cheating for your money, stealing your cash, or shanking/killing you mid-surgery

- however, Echo does long for adventure and sometimes do get bored in the lab

oh yeah,, Echo like stealing eyeballs, so if you’re low on cash and wouldn’t mind losing an eye, you know who to call!!

Bonus:

Here’s Echo’s boring, undeveloped sidekick!! I don’t like her and I don’t know how to make her better. Yes, she doesn’t have a name.

here’s my god playboy that left “heaven” due to having an early mid-life crisis, I call him God boi cause;

- He goes by many names! 

tbh, he’s probably the closest character I have to being genderfluid/-neutral? I’m not sure,,

- The god has many powers, from lightning to shapeshifting

- The shapeshifting part allows him to change every part of himself, allowing him to change depending on his situation.

- God boyo, or originally Aristide, is obsessed with the idea of perfection. A god should be perfect, if a god is out of line, he is no god. 

- Same goes for him, which means whenever something is wrong with him, it affects him, extremely

However, leaving the land of gods to live among humans aren’t all perks

- Aris isn’t immune to diseases or injuries. In fact, he actually fell down and died on impact when he came to earth, being reborn into another child immediately.

- He doesn’t gain his memories back automatically tho!! He has to have a major shock to the brain in order for him to remember his previous lives

- Sometimes the shock isn’t enough either, when you have a thousand over lives, you won’t remember every single one of them. So forgotten lovers coming back to haunt because your brain hates you? That’s everyday for him!

i just,, i like playing with the concepts of god,,

Up next we got Ayeka Himura! A japanese student going to a neighborhood, but still a pretty good, school living close to poverty due to her father’s constant spending habits and obsession with art supplies. With the household lacking a mother due to wacky shenanigans, Ayeka takes care of her two younger siblings and the house, all while maintaining a very well-paid job and slowly loosing interest in actually studying for a good, honest job.

also she likes birds!!

Yes her design is heavily “based” off Toga but I love her current design too much to change it, h e l p

So like,, I suck at chinese and I made ocs that exclusively spoke in chinese to help with that but I’m still stuck at 40~marks

I forgot his scar but remembered his earring i hate myself

my og chinese kiddo! he was was first to come and I love his design ever since

he radiates fuck you energy except the girl below. He’s neighbors with her and they acknowledge each other existence ever since. he has a dumb cliche crush on her and is a bit protective of her because nothing says having issues than latching onto someone that makes you happy

Only this girl got named!! even tho she was the second character.

Li Shen, yes she doesnt have a surname, is apparently main ho now, according to my old oc chart of my “main” ocs

She’s the group’s resident sweetheart and really does not want you to do stupid shit, stop doing stupid shit. She tutors my son up there ^^ even though he’s actually smart and just refuses to do his work properly. But she still deeply cares for him.

As well as the girl below shdifhd

the last girl of the ching chong trio and the reason I had to switch up my son’s design is this girly over here! Her design was too business-y and formal so I enrolled all of them into college. A rich girl who doesn’t know how to deal with her g a y thoughts. Tried sending Li Shen some flowers once. She didn’t realize attaching her name would be a good idea and son got a good laugh.

i like paranormal stuff so they apparently look into that shit in their spare time. They’re all actually really fun characters to do prompts with I swear!! send some in and I’ll write them

I had a previous concept for son and Li Shen before last girl came and if yall want me to talk about it,,, i found my sketchbook with the old ideas,,

NEXT UP IS MY OLD GIRL ELORA!!

Elora herself used to be a fan character but I pulled her out and wow\

cant fucking believe she used to be straight for Vylad

shes the outgoing, fun adventure type! bit of mommy issues here and there tho,, I don’t want to say too much since I have an entire for her +

her now upgraded bro, Vincent

i really like the name vincent,,

also now he has mommy issues

Ead, the knight who used to have armor

I hate drawing armor 

he also have issues

AND IRIS MY SWEET GIRL IM SO SORRY

she doesnt have that much issues tho

basically I made elora and her bro have mommy issues, I’m sorry in advance if that spoils anything

I, sometimes, post about these 4 over on @eloradiesismydocsname​ and its a gay ol’ time

not that gay tho because uhh,, medieval times,, but I need prompts for a modern au of them and I am happy to talk about their personalities and even go semi in-depth for any of them!!

here we have ghoster.png,, which is her file name cause I didn’t name her,,

A horror enthusiast + film student that goes to a supposedly haunted shack to film her upcoming project with the boys. wacky shenanigans occur and the boys left leaving ghoster here to starve and eventually fall to her death. But because it’s my oc i get to bring her back from the dead, now hungry as ever and will fucking eat you, its not a kink thing, shes just that hungry and angry

tax fraud.png

a robo girl that i created during social studies cause they were talking about taxes and i just went, “what if,, a robo runs on taxes,,, and like,, she haunts you down for not paying your taxes,,” thus she was born! I don’t know what to name her but she is set in the future so-

Time to go future-apocalypse style because I love that setting too and was upset that I didn’t have any ocs in that style. So I created Alex A. ! A cybrog filled with memories of the previous generations as a sad attempt to preserve human life.

He’s accompanied by his sister/cousin idr i didn’t draw an icon for her, didnt like her design. they go on a hunt for food and to return with nothing. She gets to meet this other dude who has a plant arm im pretty sure i based him off someone’s elses oc but i cant remember. The 3 are forgotten. Kinda want to bring them back tho.

Neon! A character set in the future utopia of lazy people, where gamers rise up. its the best I can describe her story without getting too deep. She the new hacker on the block, joining the underground gang of elite hackers. She’s another one of those wacky characters that just has fun. I mean, when you know your way around codes and the world you live in is full of it, would you not take advantage of that?

as for fan characters,, uhh,, i have em

STARTING WITH MY WIFE!

Alexzandra Zara oh my god i forgot to draw her necklace and shirt

anyways,, Alexzandra is one of the more older ocs I have that didnt get a big revamp. Only an au I develop to the point I forgot the actual shows and the original cast are a little different from the source haha what? She’s the emotionally unstable german war veteran, yes the wife thing isn’t mutual, and haha shes only 27~. I cling onto her so much?? She’s hits a lot of “edgy” points but I still love her cause idk,, the story I made for her is something I hold dear cause Alexzandra was one of my first ACTUALLY DEVELOPED CHARACTER. Is it wrong to say I hold her really close to my heart? Is that weird? probably a little cringy sorry haha. I probably project a little into her which might have strengthened my love for her ack. Her story delves more into the depression very unstable needs to talk to someone side and i get scared talking about my wife’s story online so uhh, idk ask me specific questions about her, I’ll be more inclined to talk.

Dr Watts! The spoiled ass dick that stole dst Wilson’s house and yes this is a dst oc, yes im slightly sorry.

He’s just fun?? almost ran a blog with him and a friend’s oc. He’s your typical uptight old science gramps that took advantage of the fact that no one knows his real name that he calls himself a doc. He’s not. I put everything about him up to a 9-10? He’s one of those wacky characters and I love him for it! His story is really wonky tho so might need help solidifying that part 

and from the angry old man to my sweet man that will adopt you even if you’re noisy or call him ginger. Pilot here is a TF2 OC I made to interact with other tf2 OCs cause some of them are fun and i wanna join in :((

He’s the Canadian stereotype, and yes, he adopted scout, that was one of my character notes. 

Like the actual cast of tf2, there’s barely any real story to him. I only gave him a vague I don’t know my past but hey, i fly really really well. He participated in war unlike certain men but he’s still really nice and will only kill you if you hurt his family. Which he doesn’t know so he just considers the cast his family. He keeps mentioning a wife though, pretty sure he doesn’t have one but you do what makes you happy son.

Ai! an oc I HEAVILY revamped oh my god i hate her old vers. So if yall remember my random shouting of missing my og son, Aru. Here’s his bff. cause he barely has any actual friends that give a shit. And I just cant have that. but here’s your yandere revamped into a last minute addition. I actually feel like I did Ai a lot of justice. I don’t want to delve too deep cause I will start making charts. I’ll do that in a separate post if yall are keen

Isamu Aena! a mp100 oc I made by accident cause idk,, I was thinking about lolita fashion and all of a sudden, the actual oc I was going to make turned into a mob psycho oc. She’s one of my few ocs where her sexuality matters (she’s gay yeah) cause it plays a role in her storyline. She went from being “manipulated”/used to Mob’s wingwomen. She spots out things that can help him in the romantic department cause she’s into romance. A student of the school Mob infiltrated and a fantastic tailor, not to mention a pretty decent pyschic. wait where do models get their lolita stuff from,,

im gonna ignore that and move onto Lillian Yi! Who, i swear i did not meant for it, is very close to lloyd. I mean,, none of the ninjas were with him after s3, who you think he’d meet. Lillian is a survivor from the Great Devourour and yes I’m still pissed LEGO stole my backstory for Lillian to use for Harumi. FUCK YOU LEGO, i still love both of em tho,, The event did leave a big scar and it made Lillian job jumping for a bit, ending at Chen’s Noodles in S6~, where ya know,, stuff got better. She was a medalist for gymnastics and continue the activity, even after her parents’ death, to please others. She was already lost at the time so staying in the sport would help, right? Needless to say, after being rejected at a cop academy for youths, or something similar, she gave up for a while but got back into the idea of saving people by using her skills she already had. It helped with the weight and feelings and meeting the green ninja was a very big bonus. Also Lloyd dubbed her the “mysterious stranger” when she refused to speak in fear of her identity, slight shame, and maybe a bit of being star struck. It helped Lloyd too in a sense where he had something to distract him from Zane’s passing.

 Their relationship was eventually formed, strong and almost unbreakable, except for harumi but uhh thats a different story. Throughout the seasons, they stayed close and lloyd was always comforted by Lillian went times get ruff.

Also Lillian is my most light-hearted characters and I think that says a lot

Then there’s Nite “I don’t want to be your dad”. A character that is supposed to be in the ninjago world but barely interacts with the main story and only stays in his self contained plot. He was supposed to get a bf but uhhh idk. He’s the master of shifting and streams that online, taking out small crimes, and is actually really shy and doesn’t like interacting with people.

also haha fortnite

Nora Akino, the sin of despair! its an ad thing, I think. She speaks only in a foreign language that only Odin understands and is either big gay for Ava or Maggi, she can’t pick. And yes she did drink the vial, when TITAN attacks your planet and you accidentally die, how else can you meet your family again? also my grandpa walked in and said she looks like royalty. cool-

she wouldn’t leave my hand for like,, 3 days or something

Petri, a fellow troublemaker at camp campbell’s music camp. She managed to pick the camp because apparently a parent who doesn’t acknowledge your hard work don’t read the fine print! Please let David adopt her,,

LASTLY! Yukimaru Atsuko, hero name; Gummie. She goes by Yuki and is a big dick. She’s a studious student but gets more thrills on the actual battlefield. Living with her uptight grandma and her big bottom energy bro, she has the dom energy thing going. and apparently folks on G+, or the people who comment about her, thinks she’s really pretty, which was oddly a thing back before UA. She’s the dick you can like, not like Bakugou but she will definitely want to fight Bakugou. 

A gum-related quirk is not full of perks when its only your hands. I’d dive more into her like her insecurities and stuff but I’ve been here for probably 3hrs. Sorry anon.

Also I’m so sorry to anyone who reads this all the way through.

[verdigrisprowl]

Feb 11 Dancitron Movie Night - Venom

Due to the fact that rabb.it has fucked up its interface, it’s now impossible to copy/paste the chat more than a few lines at a time, AND it requires messing with the code to even copy/paste the names. Because I had to go the fuck to bed, @slenderwave compiled the log instead of me tonight. Thank u slendy.

Also we probably ain’t gonna have any more movie nights until we find a site without a fucked up interface.

Prowl liked the movie more than he indicated; while actually at the movie, though, he was mainly busy being shaken by the uncomfortable parallels between being Venomed and being Bombshelled/Devastatored. He probably said more to Soundwave tonight about what being under Bombshell was like than he has sum total to anyone else so far.

Specs– ((rabbit is such a shit)) Soundwave– *Soundwave–’s so on time this week it hurts. Everything’s set up, everything’s laid out, and he not only has himself parked at the edge of his couch seat, but he’s already nibbling a little silver ingot - one of several snacks on a small tray on his lap.* ((oh GOD the color)) Prowl– ((… fuck. FUCK.)) Specs– ((I had to manually type in the goddamn URL because trying to paste it in is apparently fucking illegal)) Prowl– ((you can’t copy/paste names anymore.)) SCProwl– ((ah fuck Soundwave– ((oh FUCK)) Prowl– ((it only copies the text, not the names. this is going to make logs impossible)) SCProwl– ((oh for fucks’ sake Specs– ((rabbit fucks up everything the movie)) Soundwave– ((i’ll take the logs tonight and look into how to make this work later in the week. don’t worry about it)) SCProwl– ((it looks like a text screen on a phone and i hate it Specs– ((I KNOW RIGHT)) ((oh and it doesn’t autoscroll at least for me so)) Soundwave– *Anyway, bad site design choices nobody asked for and possible future transfers to other sites if any of them are sufficient aside, here we are, and there he is, as ready as ready can be.* Swerve– //that was ridiculous and way more efort than needed rabbit Soundwave– ((deffo looking for another site before next monday. gotta see if anyone else got their shit together or if this is as good as it gets)) SCProwl– *i suppose that means she’s here as well despite rabb.it’s attempts to make that as annoying as possible* Swerve– //smokey mentioned cytube last week as an alternative? but i don’t know if they checked it out to see how it works yet Soundwave– ((noted)) *Soundwave– absently waves the little bar of silver in Prowl–’s direction as a greeting… then remembers WHICH Prowl– that is and pings her a proper Hello instead.* SCProwl– *nods and pings back before finding a place to sit* Twincast– ((*aggressively changes icon* Specs– *enter dragon! it is Palentine’s day, so she’s brought heart-shaped snacks with the Cybertronian word for “friend” carved, iced, and just generally placed on the centers. Other than the fun shape, it’s the same selection as usual. No magnets today.* Hello, Soundwave–! Windchill– (( Jesus H Crust you guys I leave for a few months and Rabbit goes to poop. More than usual. )) Twincast– ((ikr. I’m just glad the text wrap is apparently only broken on my desktop Swerve– //from what i’ve seen text wrap is more broken on firefox than chrome but seems to vary in general Soundwave– [[Greetings, dragon. Feeling filled with friendship today?]] Twincast– ((ah, yeah. I use FF exclusively, so : ’) RIP my soul *quietly enters room as if he doesn’t randomly disappear for months on end* Specs– Isn’t that human friendship holiday coming up? I don’t know if you theme for that one like you do for the human scaring holiday, but just in case, I thought I’d make them thematic. Soundwave– *Soundwave– glances at Twincast–, back to the screen, and then RIGHT back to Twincast–. Well that’s a sight for sore optics right there, isn’t it.* [[Greetings. Rumble is not in attendance tonight, if you have brought your… friends.]] Blaster– ((WHAT THE FRESH FUCK RABBIT!? Twincast– Nah, just me tonight. Though, I’m sure Rewind would be disappointed to hear that, if he was Soundwave– [[Frenzy requested he theme to this human holiday, yes. Said this one was perfect for it.]] ((rabbit is a pile of butts, i’ll be looking for alternatives as soon as i can after tonight)) Blaster– ((It went…badly, trying to get here Twincast– ((same. clicking the link kept redirecting me so I ??? had to pull some copy+paste black magic Windchill– (( It used to be a good livestream alternative, I don’t understand why they’d make it so hard to actually get into a room. ‘Cept it didn’t even ask for a name when I typed the url in, it just bypassed it so as best as I can tell the whole vetting process is entirely ineffective. )) Swerve– //same Blaster– ((ditto, kept redirecting me SCProwl– Which human holiday are we not observing this time? Specs– ((I had to type it in manually)) Windchill– (( Yup. )) Blaster– ((yeah Swerve– //i like how their 'this is the new rabbit’ window too was all like 'people asked for this!!’ no. no we didnt Specs– I’m glad I themed, then! I hope the snacks meet with Frenzy’s approval. Twincast– ((I think we’re perma invited to this group now, though? At least that’s how it worked for the subgroup I made the other day Blaster– ((literally did not ask for this, I liked the old one damnit Swerve– //seems so based on how i’m still in smokey’s from sat night Tarantulas (( is here ooc for the Good Goo Content and hopes rabbit doesn’t ruin the fun Soundwave– [[Valentines’ Day, as far as he knows. It is when humans consume large amounts of chocolate and appreciate their closest friends and companions. He is told the beings in this film adore chocolate as well and have very close relationships.]] Swoop– ((AHA!)) Twincast– ((WELCOME Windchill– (( YOU MADE IT )) Swoop– ((Dude. Fuck rabbit forever. I shouldn’t have to type the damn URL by hand.)) SCProwl– Chocolate is a type of food, right? Swoop– ((Thanks for coming to the rescue man 😮 )) Windchill– (( Ur welcome. )) Blaster– -don’t mind Blaster– making his way in, for once NOT looking half asleep/dead on his feet- Swoop– ((Wow. This update seriously sucks. It doesn’t scroll down when I send something to the chat. I’m manually scrolling. No way that’s going to get old. Bleh!)) Windchill– (( Gonna go grab a drink that fiasco has got me SWEATING brb. Or maybe it’s this houserobe but you know what. I’m gonna blame rabbit anyway. )) Soundwave– ((stop taking the remote, it may bug out and i can’t get it back)) ((not you, just a general thing)) Windchill– (( I was about to ask I didn’t even notice. )) Prowl– ((I fucked around with a rabbit style and got a way to copy/paste everything again)) SCProwl– ((it gave it to me automatically when i first jumped in, think it’s another issue with this new look Windchill– (( Could be, maybe they’ll get rid of the issue because I can’t imagine that it’s intentional. )) ((Or, don’t want to imagine. )) Specs– ((bots suck enough without having them able to control the remote)) Prowl– ((so we’re back in business, except now I’m fucking pissed off)) Soundwave– [[Yes, chocolate is a human fuel. It is easily melted and not of much value to their internal systems, but they seem to like it.]] Specs– It probably tastes good to them. SCProwl– Not unlike some of the things Cybertronians consume. Soundwave– ((i mistimed by two minutes but whatever - GRAB YOUR SNACKS AND USE YOUR BATHROOMS here are your warnings we start at 8)) ((VENOM // Violence, blood, and death, exposed broken bone, scientific/medical abuse, animal death, body horror, the general grossness of the unbonded symbiotes, seriously bad flashing lights (after eddie fucks with the keypad), moderately bad flashing lights (during a fight scene), I don’t know what you’d call eating out of the garbage but definitely that, vomit, misogynist language, people being in other people’s minds.)) Twincast– *finally slides into seated position–because guess who just realised they were still standing?–and waves at the other Blaster–!* Swoop– ((Dear god. Is everyone having to scroll to keep up with the chat or is it just me?)) Twincast– ((scroll is working… ok for me? my posts get slightly swallowed into the void tho Windchill– (( Mine is automatic, it seems to be affecting everyone differently. )) Swerve– //i’ve noticed that i only hae to anually scroll if i change tabs; as long as i stay in rabbit it auto scrolls Swoop– ((It doesn’t move at all when someone says something new. I’d refresh the page but I might never make it back here.)) Windchill– (( Sorry to hear it’s being an Extra Butt though. )) Blaster– -blinks at the other, waving slightly in confusion- Hi? Prowl– ((mine’s autoscrolling)) Windchill– *He’s here, uglier than ever and wearing one (1) more accessory than usual.*

Swerve– //are you using FF? from what i’ve seen people using firefox have more issues than people using chrome Soundwave– ((everyone. and because i really don’t want to spend all night on a good movie complaining about stuff none of us can change: - yes i will be looking for alternatives but i can’t promise they exist - yes the chat probably will not autoscroll for most of us - this update is a trashfire - i don’t know how to fix it and i’m sorry, i only found out about it an hour ago - let’s just do what we can with what there is tonight all right)) Swoop– ((chrome)) Specs– (mine isn’t autoscrolling even on the tab- and I’m using chrome)) Blaster– ((mine throws my replies into the void Specs– ((yessir slendymun)) Blaster– ((kaaay Swerve– //rip Twincast– @boom Sup? *he is reasonably sure you’re one of Nocturne’s… things. gotta say hi!* Windchill– (( Thank for subs. )) Swoop– *scampers in, oblivious to any theme or upcoming holiday* Windchill– *Ignorance is bliss.* Blaster– Um…. Swoop– HI : > Soundwave– ((no prob, i use them myself so i get it)) Windchill– *Will stop blocking the door with his butt maybe.* Blaster– Do….do I know you? Soundwave– *Soundwave– kicks back. It’s time. He’s been looking forward to this ever since it first appeared on his human datanet feed.* Swoop– *waves at said butt* Windchill– *His butt would reciprocate but that would be weird, so he waves with his hand instead.* Twincast– Maybe not, but–think you know'a friend of mine. Looks a lil bit like our host *kind of. Slendy is a unique beast* Windchill– Swoop–. Swoop– hi Blaster– …………….. Windchill– Hi, you Swoop–. Soundwave– *Glances to Twincast–. Now who’s he talking about over there?* Swoop– HI! Keheheh. You a bad door. No moving. Windchill– You know. I could make all sorts of inappropriate jokes about openings with that…but I won’t. Blaster– I’m…yeah, we met Swoop– Me Swoop– like jokes : > Windchill– *He’s gonna find a spot on the floor to sit instead.* Who knows, maybe you’ll hear some other jokes. Swoop– *scampers in and begins his Bird hunt* Blaster– …………….. Windchill– Ah, yes, the poison movie. Blaster– Hey, uh, Soundwave–? Twincast– Hope he didn’t traumatise you too much – Twincast–. Blaster– formerly Windchill– About poison. Soundwave– *There is no Bird tonight. There is enough trouble keeping up as is. Soundwave– wants to enjoy this his own lone self.* [[Yes, Blaster–?]] Windchill– Wait, no. *Has to cup his chin and recheck the definition of poison versus venom.* Eh. Swoop– *is CRUSHED by the lack of Bird and SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHHHS* Blaster– That…thing. Did it just posses the woman? Windchill– *Snickers.* Blaster– And no, he didn’t Soundwave– [[An investigative journalist breaking into scandals and coverups? He approves of such nosiness.]] Smokescreen– ((OH THERE WE GO Blaster– Just…um…wait Soundwave– [[And yes. It does seem it did.]] Blaster– You used to be named Blaster–? Smokescreen– /Smokescreen–’s running in and is hopping onto the couch./ Soundwave–! Soundwave–, how are you? Twincast– Yeah, changed it post-war 'n got this fancy, blue paint scheme to boot. Blaster– Ah. Thanks. Swoop– ((I was getting bacon what’d I miss)) Soundwave– *Soundwave– startles and automatically flips Smokescreen– overhead and down onto the floor. DON’T DO THAT TO HIM.* [[…He apologizes.]] Swoop– *climbs Windchill– to perch* This a GOOD movie? Smokescreen– /OW- Smokescreen–’s staying on the floor for a few minutes, but gives a thumbs up. That was pretty cool, actually!/ Soundwave– ((eddie brock is an investigative journalist, he’s picking up a big report with the guy at the head of the Life Foundation and doesn’t really want it cause fluff piece but has to do it)) Windchill– Dunno, Swoop–. We’re gonna find out. Swoop– ((thx)) Someone DIE? Soundwave– [[He is fine. A little surprised. Obviously.]] *Pause. Lean forward.* [[…Are you injured?]] Blaster– ….so, okay then… Windchill– I guess there was a rocket crash with dead people and a mention of some kind of murder, so yes. Someone died. Smokescreen– Haha, sorry, Soundwave–. Didn’t mean to surprise you! … I’m fine, probably. Just lemme lie down for a little more. Swoop– Crash and die means proooooobably good movie : > Smokescreen– … Can you show me how to do that, Soundwave–? Blaster– …. Windchill– It’s a great start. Prowl– ((as the child of a journalist I am personally offended by how shitty and immoral an investigative reporter he is)) Soundwave– [[All right.]] *He pauses again, then offers a small orange crystal.* [[…Snack? While you’re down there.]] Blaster– Okay, on the grounds that I used to be a reporter, don’t do that. Windchill– Earth is already in space. Everything is in space. Swoop– Them kissy facing. That gross. Windchill– You Swoop– gross. Soundwave– [[And he can show you how, yes. Not tonight.]] Prowl– ((to be fair: it is ENTIRELY valid for an Eddie Brock to be written as a shitty immoral investigative reporter.)) Swoop– Me Swoop– not in space. Me Swoop– on shoulder. YOU gross Windchill– I am gross, thank you for noticing. Soundwave– *Soundwave– would do that. … Not to Prowl–. He wouldn’t break Prowl–’s trust. But he’d totally do it to another bot.* Prowl– ((but the movie acts like we’re like… supposed to side with him for it.)) Blaster– ((Blaster– is just a lil offended. Not much, but just miffed at him Swoop– *points at Windchill–* Ew Windchill– *Sticks his gross glossa out at Swoop–. Likewise.* Smokescreen– Thanks, Soundwave–, that’d be a cool thing to know! And- and yeah. /Smokescreen–’s taking the crystal and is plopping it directly into his mouth./ Soundwave– ((i got the impression we weren’t supposed to like that he did it? everything points out he was a jackass)) Windchill– (( Yes, it bites him in the butt later. )) (( But I’ve seen this a few times so I’ll be quiet. )) Swoop– *blows raspberries* Soundwave– [[Hmph. No surprises regarding Drake’s reaction.]] Windchill– What a delightful sound. Right in my ear. I love it. Blaster– -sighs- Swoop– Kehehh! *points* No eaaar! Ear a human thing. ((eddie looks so shocked)) Prowl– ((so have i; i still feel like we’re supposed to feel bad for him. he doesn’t, like, change.)) Soundwave– *…Takes notes. DEFINITELY don’t do this to Prowl–.* Smokescreen– … Why is she giving him her ring? Windchill– I have audio receptors and they serve the same function as ears. Guess which one is easier to say? Blaster– ….. SCProwl– To end their courtship is my guess. Swoop– EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeearrrrrUH Blaster– Oh. That really DID come back to bite him Prowl– ((see up here he’s getting consequences. that’s good, that’s valid. but it’s only at the start)) Twincast– Huh Smokescreen– Huh. So is that a ring he lent her or something? Windchill– Everything out of your mouth is an earful. You Swoop– noisy. Swoop– *licks Windchill–’s audio* *extra slobber just for you* Windchill– *SHUDDERS, complete with an ugly face.* Specs– She grabbed a… fish? With her bare hands? SCProwl– Courtship gifts are gifts. Meant to be kept by the receiver. Returning it is a clear gesture of rejection. Swoop– *chirps* Soundwave– [[The ooze creature is so…]] *Hand motion. What’s a word.* [[Oozy.]] Windchill– *Isn’t even going to try to wipe his ear off. Gross.* SCProwl– *not sure the ring was a courtship gift was but it seems like the most likely guess* Swoop– Booger Windchill– My thoughts exactly. A booger transplant. Swoop– Ewwwwwww *grins* Windchill– That’s quite an assumption but okay. Soundwave– [[…They have used precisely one animal. That is insufficient data.]] Smokescreen– He’s… Not a very good scientist, is he? Swoop– Me Swoop– an animal : > Blaster– -shudders- Soundwave– [[Not at all.]] Specs– Clearly not. How many people did he apparently kill? SCProwl– Impatient for the results he wants. Windchill– Are you Swoop– a wild animal? Blaster– That’s disturbing Soundwave– [[At least three.]] Swoop– *is so damn helpful tonight, it’s a shame Bird isn’t here to be helped* Me Swoop– VERY wild! Windchill– *Ear cleaning is so helpful.* I thought so. Swoop– *would lick Bird* Windchill– I’m empty, too. Swoop– Empty? Windchill– It’s a joke. I made it just for you. I thought you liked them. Swoop– ((Wow. He didn’t jump in and make it worse. I’m kind of surprised. I don’t know I’ve ever seen that in a movie before.)) Me do! :V Windchill– So, there’s a joke for you. First one. Swoop– Do it again Windchill– So soon? Swoop– Yah Windchill– These things take time… I’m not ready. Swoop– Slow keheh Windchill– Maybe so. Blaster– ….ow Windchill– Maybe…slow. Swoop– Slow *pokes* poke Twincast– *may be guilty of being that neighbor once or twice* Windchill– Excuse me sir that is my person that you are poking. Swoop– *bobbles his head in a nod* Soundwave– [[…Does he not know what he is there for?]] Smokescreen– Man, Eddie makes me look like I’m doing amazing in comparison Windchill– You making fun of me for being slow? Is that how it is? Blaster– He’s about to find out Swoop– *continued bobbling* Windchill– This man is very dramatic. Prowl– *arrives belatedly and reluctantly* Soundwave– [][][] I? [][][] Windchill– That’s the word I’m using because the others aren’t so polite. Soundwave– *Soundwave– glances at Prowl–’s late arrival. … Well, this isn’t the best scene to come in on, is it.* Prowl– *stops and stares at the screen* Windchill– Maybe you Swoop– slow. Swoop– No no no. Me Swoop– FAST!!! Blaster– -covers face- Windchill– Faster than I am? Prowl– *… tiredly closes optics. he chose a hell of a time to arrive.* Twincast– Mmm, no, that ain’t healthy Smokescreen– Is… Is that normal for humans Swoop– YAH! Me Swoop– waaaaaaaaaaaay faster. Fastest Best Windchill– Eh, you’re probably right. For now, anyway. Smokescreen– /Smokescreen–’s finally starting to get up from the floor to sit down on one of the arms of the couch away from Soundwave– Oh no Swoop– You Windchill– going to be faster later? Soundwave– *You know what, he’s just. He’s just going to make his greeting to Prowl– very subdued and start it with a mark of apology.* Windchill– When I can transform again? Yeah. Now I have to walk everywhere so I do it as slowly as possible out of spite. Swoop– Spite? Who you mad walking at? Windchill– Me probably. Swoop– *slow blinks his confusion out* Windchill– *Just smiles.* *Points* Cat. Blaster– ….huh Windchill– That’s not creepy at all! Blaster– That explains a few things Swoop– This movie so TALK. When Us do crash DEAD again? Blaster– -mostly about his own career, and the 'side-effects’ of it- Windchill– Uh, maybe later? Swoop– Fastforward Smokescreen– Hey! Cats have people they like Soundwave– [[That is a blatant lie. That cats do not like anyone.]] Smokescreen– Yeah! There’s a Ravage that adopted me! Soundwave– *…Cautiously invites Prowl– to come sit down? At least if he’s going to dislike the movie he can be seated comfortably while he’s uncomfortable with everything else.* Swoop– Sometime, uh, sometime Us watch COMP-i-lation videos. For fights and guts and stuff. That more fun than talk movie. Prowl– *starts. right, yeah, he hasn’t sat yet.* *sits stiffly.* Windchill– Then go watch one of those instead of complaining about what we’re watching now, Swoop–. Swoop– Nooo. *holds onto Windchill–’s helm* Us ALL do. Together. Fun. Soundwave– @P: [[If there is anything you need while you are here - /anything/ - …please, be certain to tell him.]] Smokescreen– … Eddie, Aliens are real Specs– Cats simply have standards about who they /do/ like. Blaster– …..wouldn’t this place have cameras? Windchill– Not when the plot demands it. Swoop– ((This seems like a talk y'all should have had in the car)) Smokescreen– Man, secret walls are always a bad sign, aren’t they? Swoop– Plot 😛 Smokescreen– Like, it was like that in Gotham too Soundwave– [[Always and ever, Smokescreen–.]] Windchill– Maybe we’ll see more goo. Prowl– ((they talked about the weather and how the LA angels were doing all the way here and then she was like “oh right shoulda mentioned the aliens”)) Smokescreen– … I guess no walls are secret for me, though, haha. Swoop– Goo is okay : > Windchill– Killer goo. Blaster– …….. Soundwave– [[…He assumes the goo motionless on the floor is de– oh, it’s the homeless human.]] Smokescreen– oh no Windchill– Why is she frozen? Blaster– ………. Swoop– ((omfg did he really just randomly mash buttons)) Prowl– *grimaces at the noise and lights* Blaster– -covers face again- Soundwave– *Of course they’re preying on those with no alternatives. Of course they are.* *Ugh, the lights.* Swoop– Her choke : V Prowl– *grimaces even harder at the living thing oozing over and under his skin* Smokescreen– Is… Is she gonna be okay Windchill– Dead people. Are you happy now? Swoop– *bounces a little at finally getting some fights* KEHEHH Yah! SCProwl– I sincerely doubt it, Smokescreen–. Smokescreen– He was like “I’ve never climbed a fence THAT high before” And then he woke up at home Windchill– What. Smokescreen– Oh… /Sad, Sad, doorwing droop/ Swoop– Kehaha! Him KILL tree. Soundwave– ((lmfao smokey)) Blaster– That’s…most humans should’t be able to do that Swoop– ((omfg)) SCProwl– ((lol smokey Prowl– ((lol)) Swoop– ((he is the most confused koala)) Soundwave– [[…He is going to go out on a limb and assume that none of this athletic ability is normal for Brock.]] Swoop– *immediately busts up* Out on limb Windchill– *Brows furrow.* Swoop–. Smokescreen– This is a mood Swoop– HI Windchill– *Shakes head.* Blaster– Um…. Smokescreen– … This is extremely relatable Windchill– Why are we being made to hear these gross eating sounds. Blaster– UM Swoop– Him Slag eat like that Smokescreen– oh … He’s kinda weak, huh? Blaster– Ah, there we go Soundwave– *Shudders. Disgustin– WELL THEN* Windchill– I mean, I eat off the floor and out of the trash sometimes. Blaster– !!! Prowl– *shudders at the voice* Swoop– *loses it again at the high pitched scream and KO* Smokescreen– Same! Sometimes, you just gotta have floor food SCProwl– Ugh. Windchill– Extra flavour. Floor flavour. Sometimes tastes oddly of feet. Smokescreen– I can’t say I know what feet taste like! Swoop– *holds his footsie up for Windchill–’s inspection* Windchill– They’re nothing spectacular. Swoop– *wiggles his borby toes* Soundwave– *Watching date Prowl– out of the corner of his optics. Part of him wishes Prowl– hadn’t put himself through this if it was going to be this tough. Another part of him appreciates the glimpse into what it must be like for Prowl– based on his reactions. Mostly, he just wishes it hadn’t ever needed to be a problem.* Windchil *Is immediately distracted by the foot in his face. You know he’s gotta do it.* Swoop– ((Lola, go fuck 'em up!)) Prowl– … That’s another one, isn’t it? Smokescreen– … /Watching Windchill–. Is he gonna do it??/ Windchill– *His glossa snakes out and strikes like a viper in case Swoop– tries to change his mind.* *Gotta lick fast.* Blaster– …… Soundwave– [[Yes. There is one that broke loose during the crash of the Life Foundation ship that brought them to Earth. It is that one.]] Swoop– *SQUEAKS but doesn’t pull away because he isn’t a putz* Blaster– I…what….what is going on here? Smokescreen– …… I’d do this Primus Windchill– *Is watching the debacle on screen with exactly one eye.* Swoop– ((omg I have never seen such a fantastic embodiment of the munchies)) Windchill– Your foot tastes exactly like a foot. Congratulations. Swoop– Good : > Windchill– What happens if you fart in a lobster tank? Smokescreen– /Oh dang he thought Windchill– was gonna bite Swoop–’s feet off or something./ Blaster– ….um… Windchill– Do they die? Well, that one’s dead. Blaster– Is……is he…. Swoop– Bubble Prowl– *it’s just a sustained grimace* Windchill– You can put your foot down, now. Unless you want me to lick it again. Which would be weird. Swoop– ((I’ve seen lots of characters called trash over the years but this man is the first one who is actual literal trash)) Windchill– *points* Dog. SCProwl– ((garbage man, dumpster fire trash loser Prowl– ((they do real good at making him look like absolute garbage)) Swoop– You Windchill– weird kehhehhh! *sets his foot on Windchill– for the grossest footprint* Windchill– You’re the one who wanted your foot licked. You think I lick things for fun? Swoop– Yes Windchill– You’d be right. Swoop– Kehehehheh Soundwave– [[…Is it the magnetic fields or sound?]] *Pity neither would work. He thinks. He hasn’t tried the sound, but Devastator’s a whole different thing.* [[Ah. Sound.]] Smokescreen– Liver failure? SCProwl– Fascinating. Prowl– *that was an amazing visual representation of what it feels like to have a monster in your head. and, of course, Prowl– hated it* Specs– I think human livers are also slightly mandatory, yes. Blaster– -he could do it- Smokescreen– What do they do? Swoop– ((this voice is a hair too close to Audrey II. It’s making me expect a song.)) Smokescreen– Do you have a liver, Specs–? Windchill– I leap up and act weird when I get hungry, too. SCProwl– ((feeeeeeed meeee, eddieeeeee Prowl– ((“does it have to be fresh? does it have to be mine?!” “actually lobster will do”)) Swoop– Weird how? Keheh Smokescreen– ((PFHPFHF Specs– I do! It processes methanol into formic acid, amongst other things. I don’t think human livers need to do that, though. SCProwl– ((bwahaha Windchill– Apparently eating garbage is weird. Blaster– ((HAH Smokescreen– Really? Why? Swoop– Me Swoop– BOMBER. Me do lots lots of flying and stuff. Soooo. *pats his belly* Weigh stuff for right amount things. : > Specs– Humans typically don’t have methanol in their bloodstream, right? Smokescreen– … Methanol? I have no idea, Specs–. Soundwave– *Slooooooowly tries to close his mouth as tight as possible.* Windchill– Because…nobody else wants to eat it? Are you implying that you poop on people, Swoop–? Windchill– It’s a biological antifreeze, for my species! But humans don’t live in the snow all the time. Swoop– *cackles* BOMB poops Soundwave– [[He is up to something. His voice suggests it.]] Smokescreen– Don’t trust him Prowl– His lab full of human experimentation suggests it. Smokescreen– oh no Windchill– Burnt. Swoop– Me : > Smokescreen– EDDIE Windchill– Some people never listen. Soundwave– [[The lab as well, yes. But he meant without seeing evidence of intention at the time.]] Swoop– *LOSES it* *this comedy is on his level* Windchill– Um excuse me that’s not a bug. Rude. Smokescreen– I wish I had goo Swoop– *stares, wide opticed and delighted* Prowl– *… Prowl– figures Soundwave– is probably dying of curiosity by this point, so…* @S «Devastator doesn’t talk to me.» Soundwave– *Lets go of the tray on his lap and pulls his feelers back in. Those will just be staying in his chest all night, yes.* Swoop– *in awe* Wicked! Windchill– I’m not even going to comment on goo right now. Smokescreen– Soundwave–, any idea where a bot can get some goo? Windchill– Just eat them. Swoop– *clacks his jaws together to let everyone know where he stands on the biting off heads discussion* Soundwave– *The tiniest blip of surprise. He wasn’t expecting that. He was wondering that, but he wasn’t expecting it.* @P: [[But you have reacted to architecturally destructive visuals before. Is it emotional instead of verbal, or…?]] Swoop– *is glued to the scrreen, loving this* Soundwave– [[He does not know where to find goo. He would not tell anyone here if he did.]] *That’s the last thing any of them need.* Swoop– *taps his heels against Windchill– as he chirps to himself* Smokescreen– Like- it doesn’t have to be that goo. Windchill– *Tolerates this.* Smokescreen– Just some goo to touch, 'cause it looks pretty cool. Prowl– @S «Emotional. Sometimes he makes… something like noises. But he doesn’t talk.» @S «… Bombshell talked.» Swoop– *claps* Windchill– *Could make jokes about lubricants…but is saving the dirty jokes for later.* Swoop– WHOOOOOO! Windchill– You like the explosions? Swoop– DUH! Windchill– I like the colour, it’s very fancy. Swoop– Me Swoop– could blue fire with some copper : > Windchill– Yeah, like how they make fireworks with different colours. Swoop– FACE fireworks! Soundwave– @P: [[Noises. Like screaming or growling, then?]] *That made sense. Maybe he needed everyone to have a coherent mind? No, Devastator had called him through Prowl– before. Someone not in control, then.* [[…Did he talk like this? Like the creature does to the Brock human.]] Windchill– Uh, yeah. Swoop– DEAD KAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA DEEEEEEEEEAD Soundwave– *…THAT is certainly one advantage of having one of these symbiotes.* Blaster– ….that oh wow Prowl– @S «LIKE that. It’s not actual audible sounds, but it /feels/ like roaring.» *he considers the question for a long moment.* «… No. It was a lot worse than this.» Windchill– That’s a lot of teeth. I approve. Swoop– KAH! BITE! Windchill– *Nods.* *He has a certain appreciation for biting the heads off of enemies.* Soundwave– *oh, it’s got Soundwave–’s teeth* Blaster– -actually squeaks this time- Windchill– I like this goo guy. Prowl– *shudders at venom’s little speech* Smokescreen– Rude! Swoop– ((Was that a NOSE BOOP?)) Smokescreen– ((YES Blaster– Yep, okay, no Soundwave– @P: [[He imagines there was never a 'we’.]] *Oh, did it HAVE to say it was in his head? Really?* Prowl– @S «… That was closer to what it was like.» Blaster– The CHILD SCProwl– That’s why this is called Venom? *Disappointed. There’s nothing venomous about the symbiote.* Smokescreen– Renal? Swoop– Gots Windchill– Hey no looking at your phone while driving, lady. Prowl– @P: [[That is - obviously you did not want a 'we’. He is trying to say, he doubts Bombshell spoke to you in any manner other than ordering.]] Windchill– I’m calling the police. Soundwave– *points to the police for Windchill–* Windchill– *He appreciates the assistance but refuses to look.* Prowl– @S «You’re correct. Nearly everything Venom said to him could have been something Bombshell said.» Swoop– ((WE <3 )) Smokescreen– ((WE SCProwl– Could they be poisoning their hosts? Would a compatible human even exist then? Blaster– -ohprimusheightsno- Windchill– Most things are less ugly from a distance. Blaster– Stop looking DOWN Windchill– Defeated by a plane. Smokescreen– Awww. Man, that is the nastiest sweatshirt ever Twincast– ((asfgh Prowl– ((i fucking love)) Swoop– ((are they fucking flirting)) Smokescreen– ((Yes Prowl– ((you know it)) Blaster– ((AWESOME Swoop– Whoaaaaaaa *starry optics* Swerve– //i know it’s canon in the comics that they;re like, married but sometimes i’m surprised that they allowed that much implied flirting in the movie Windchill– Oh, nice. Prowl– ((married with a BABY)) Swerve– //yea lmao Swoop– *in awe* Me Swoop– wanna do that….! : V Prowl– ((… multiple babies but like only the latest one counts)) Windchill– How did she get in? Soundwave– ((y'all ain’t wondered why i said venomtines day lmao)) Prowl– ((they weren’t ready to be parents before)) Windchill– You Swoop– do what? Smash people with other people? Swoop– *Snickers.* Yah! Soundwave– @P: [[He is sorry. That it was what it was. … And thankful that he can speak to you as he does. He often wondered, but - this is very - it is clarifying.]] *Oh, the scared and needing help bit tugs his spark. Damn it.* Swoop– ((And thus Eddie learns that it’s best to just listen to someone else because he has no goddamn sense)) Blaster– Oh, he’d /hate/ me Prowl– @S «This really doesn’t give a very good glimpse of it.» Soundwave– *Kind of glad she’s trying to help, at least.* @P: [[It was more than this?]] Swoop– ((Omg Venom and Annie fuckin got each other’s backs)) Swerve– //venom a+ wingman? Swoop– ((dealing with this terrible garbage man they love)) Prowl– @S «God, yes.» Windchill– Fantastic. Prowl– ((see that there is kind of the beginning and end of his entire self-reflection on the fact that he screwed things up royally)) ((and it came with prompting and didn’t really indicate that he has any understanding that everything ELSE he did was wrong)) Windchill– Gross. Swoop– Punch it Prowl– ((the rest of the movie is like “oh… yeah… this dude really IS a villain… eddie was good for standing up for him, probably, and isn’t it sad that he doesn’t have a job.”)) ((like he’s explicitly characterized as a “loser.” as a person who failed. not as, for instance, an “asshole.” losers are victims of circumstance, not the architects of their own failure.)) Blaster– ((DOGGO Windchill– Oh joy, this is gonna be an interrogation scene, isn’t it. Swerve– //i love the movie but yeah in this case he’s only seen as a loser because he was an asshole in the first place and didn’t really seem to grasp that entirely Swoop– Whoo! Swerve– //still love that doggo tho Prowl– ((that’s why I said i’m disappointed at how we’re expected to sympathize with him. they started off strong–making everything his fault, having him say everything is drake’s fault and annie calling him out on it–that was great stuff)) ((but by the end it’s Poor Eddie The Loser Was Right All Along)) Soundwave– @P: [[Is it permitted for him to ask for more explanation? He knows you do not like to discuss this business in detail, and would ask the alternates of his that were controlled, but he has not encountered any in person. He would like to understand more - understand you. If you are able at this point in time.]] Windchill– *Smacks lips at villainous monologue.* Swoop– *leans over to see what the smacking is about* Windchill– *Smacks more.* Prowl– ((and maybe symby sees him as a loser because he sees himself as a loser, rather than as an asshole–but the more the movie goes on, the more that “eddie is the jerk here” narrative fades away)) Swoop– *mimics the smacking* Soundwave– *Starts at Riot’s appearance* Blaster– …….. Swoop– ((gay)) Windchill– *It’s a chorus of smacking with no snacks to smack on. Tragedy.* Smokescreen– Is… Is that where they’re stored Swoop– *doesn’t know what we’re doing but it’s a team sport now* Windchill– *Smack smack smack.* Prowl– @S «… For starters, Bombshell didn’t let me copilot.» Windchill– *Stops smacking.* Blaster– HOLY-! Windchill– Wow, boobies. *Resumes smacking.* Twincast– ((weakass ladyvenom design Blaster– Um…. Swoop– ((does this count as a threesome)) Prowl– ((i choose to believe that kiss was entirely symby)) Windchill– WHAT. *Fluffs up.* Swoop– King Blaster– I’m… Okay… Windchill– *Grunts in displeasure.* Blaster– Not going to ask Swerve– //i think i like the comic version of klyntar’s more tho than the mcu version Windchill– Awkward, but I’m going to laugh at this. Yes. Smokescreen– ((awwww Prowl– ((i prefer comic venom entirely)) Swoop– Laugh at what? Windchill– My mate’s name is Riot. Prowl– ((the movie version is fun but it’s not my preference)) Swoop– Sweet : V Swerve– //i havent read enough of the venom comics to know him outside the mcu but i do at least know the klyntar in the comics enough to prefer them to mcu’s SCProwl– ((this isn’t mcu. it’s its own thing Prowl– ((~*venomverse*~)) Blaster– ….-muffled snicker- Swerve– //gfhbg yeah i just. refer to all of the live action superhero movies mcu at this point lmao Windchill– …My Riot isn’t that goopy, though. Swoop– You suuure? Windchill– Not usually. Maybe sometimes. Prowl– ((*sees a new batman movie* “grimdark mcu is at it again”)) Windchill– Can’t fight for shit either. Swoop– Whoa! Him get BUTT kicked! Blaster– ….. Swerve– //lmfao i mean Windchill– What a mess. Blaster– What the heck? Windchill– Well, that didn’t last long. Blaster– Annie! Swoop– You Soundwave– can beat up EVERYONE in this movie. Prowl– ((two nerds pathetically smacking each other is the best part of the fight)) Soundwave– @P: [[You have great willpower; the amount of control he would have to have taken - what he’d have to exert to keep you held in–]] *He’s thinking about how much it would take from himself.* [[…You saw Unicron’s control of Megatron. Could you speak to - or at - him as Megatron did? Or were you denied even that?]] Swoop– ((is it just me or is everyone else waiting for venom to get all hot and bothered by his host beating up someone elses’ host?)) Windchill– Dead. Soundwave– [[Perhaps. He’s never encountered a symbiote.]] *And he didn’t do so well against the Unicron up close.* Swoop– D E A D Windchill– Is… Is the sound of the rocket not enough? Prowl– @S «Willpower shmillpower. He didn’t have to exert anything. That’s not how the mechanics of it works.» Swoop– KA BOOM! Windchill– Double dead. Blaster– -covers face- Swoop– drown dead pretty boring dead Soundwave– @P: [[Hm. Closer to a virus?]] Windchill– If you say so. Swoop– Do Do say so Windchill– Not enough explosions? Swoop– Drowning boring. Blub blub fish nibbles. Windchill– Okay. Why are his lips so big Prowl– @S «He severed the connection between my brain and my body.» Soundwave– *Sits up straight.* Tarantulas (( OOPS SORRY (( didnt mean to take remote Smokescreen– ((theif,, Tarantulas (( stealin spide Swoop– ((venom omg buddy)) Smokescreen– ((sneaky spide Soundwave– @P: [[…That is more horrifying than anything he had imagined it was.]] Swoop– ((this is a real romcom good god)) Windchill– Dog. Blaster– ((STAN LEEEE Windchill– *Gasps.* Swoop– Nom nom bite Windchill– There are rules about eating people? That’s news to me. Swoop– Me Swoop– bite LOTS of people Not eat tho Windchill– Luckily, I don’t care much for rules so like, whatever. Just bite? Why? Are you mean? Swoop– ((I hope that writing job pays well because his food budget just went through the damn roof)) Yah, mean : > Windchill– Cool. All of my friends are mean. Smokescreen– “I have a parasite” Man, what an excuse Blaster– ((not hungry anymore Prowl– *mutters* I’m calling Devastator a parasite from now on. *it’s not a term of endearment.* Swoop– ((Wait wait… that was the line from the trailer that they made all ominous.)) Prowl– ((the trailer was so misleading)) Swoop– ((no kidding)) Windchill– (( Oh yeah I’ve had discussions about that one. Marketing at its finest, as usual.)) Blaster– ((it was Prowl– ((venom is menacing toward eddie for all of five minutes and then immediately starts falling in love with him)) Swerve– //yeah when i went to see it originally i expected that scene way way earlier Specs– ((that’s the power of tom hardy)) Soundwave– *Approval ping after the parasite Devastator comment.* Windchill– Edgy. Swerve– //this def sets up for a sequel tho so i’m curious if they’re gonna follow thru on it Swoop– Him not very red ((little on the nose but I’m okay with it)) Prowl– ((i’m disappointed that eddie wasn’t a beefy mulleted blond, but tom hardy is just SO GOOD at being gross in that hoodie, i’ll take him too)) Blaster– ((HAH Swerve– //lmao Windchill– *Stretches exactly one leg.* Smokescreen– ((im still so glad the lobster tank scene was unscripted and he just did that Windchill– That sure was gooey. Prowl– ((I KNOW it was brilliant)) Swoop– ((Tom Hardy did a good job for sure. Normally, when people say “you look terrible” to someone in a movie, it’s a cue on how we should be reading things. In this movie, he actually looked fucking awful.)) Prowl– ((he did. he looked nasty the whole movie)) Swoop– ((Was it really? That is beautiful)) Swerve– //im so glad it was god Specs– *the dragon stretches* Thank you for having me, Soundwave–! Swoop– It pretty good fights : > OH! Us do Mad Max now : V That good fight movie : > Windchill– Had some explosions. Soundwave– [[You are welcome, dragon.]] Swerve– //is this a deleted scene //also wow rabbit did u need to cut off the last post of the chat Soundwave– ((yes)) Prowl– ((this is a great scene and i’m so upset they took it out)) Blaster– ((pffff Swoop– ((So damn good)) SCProwl– ((Venom is gonna make Eddie a better person via cannibalism and tater tots Swoop– ((I saw pics of Eddie getting carried away fro mthe lobster tank too)) Soundwave– ((public stream end marker: 10:00)) Windchill– *Rolls his shoulders. Will this dislodge the dinobot?* Smokescreen– So, uh, Soundwave— you up to maybe dance again sometime? Swoop– *has stayed on a bucking T-rex trying to dislodge him, this is nothing* Windchill– *Sways from side to side.* Soundwave– [[Another time, Smokescreen–. Not tonight.]] *And not to this, for sure.* Swoop– What you dancing for? Windchill– Excuse me? Dance? How dare you suggest such a thing. I’m trying to get you off. Swoop– yuh HUH dance Windchill– Ineffectively. Swoop– Oh Then you suck at doing keheheh Smokescreen– Aww, okay. I’d be up to meet up with you to dance sometime, then! It’d be fun. Windchill– *Grunts his agreement.* Soundwave– [[Perhaps after a movie that is actually fun.]] Twincast– *staaaands. maybe he wasn’t so chatty tonight, but he’d be rude to not give their host a ping goodbye. Maybe next time~* Windchill– You’ll have to get off sometime. Soundwave– *Perhaps next time indeed. Farewell, Twincast–.* Twincast– ((I was so engrossed I forgot to RP. It was fun!! Thanks for streaming : D Swoop– ((I know the movie might have MEANT to imply that Annie was lying about the kiss being Venom’s idea but Venom literally never missed a chance to try to smash them together like Barbie dolls so I 10/10 believe her.)) Nuh uh Smokescreen– … I thought that was fun Windchill– Yuh-huh. Swoop– Not if us DIE here Soundwave– ((you’re welcome!)) Windchill– Oh. Well, sure, but why would we die here? Smokescreen– Oh! Oh, I know a good dance song for us, later. Have you ever heard of Cascada, Soundwave–? Swopp *is joking but he’s got a back full of missiles if we want to end it all* Blaster– ….-yawns and stretches- Swoop– so BORED from these songs us DIE Windchill– *Snorts.* I like them. Swoop– no Windchill– Yes. Blaster– Anyway, thanks for that, but I have to go now. Hopefully to sleep. Swoop– nO Windchill– I’m not having this argument with you. Blaster– Goodnight. Swoop– yes Soundwave– [[Goodnight, those leaving.]] Swerve– //nini friendos Windchill– No. Soundwave– [[And of course he has heard of that. Again, though: another night.]] Swoop– *squeaks* YES Smokescreen– Cool! I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for the crystal- and I still REALLY want you to show me how to knock bots down like you did earlier! Windchill– No, you can’t make me. *Squints at the squeaking next to his head.* Swoop– Can too Smokescreen– /Smokescreen–’s finally getting himself up, and is dropping by the bar to grab a drink before he finally goes home!/ Windchill– No. I have a date later and you, *he points over his shoulder at the Swoop– in question,* want no part of it, so you have to get off and like, not waste my time. *Stands up, Swoop– or no Swoop–.* Swoop– a DATE? :V Windchill– That’s what I said. Swoop– *PERKS UP* TOP GUN Soundwave–, us watch Top Gun? *bounces right off Windchill–* Windchill– *Oh, thank god.* Soundwave– [[No, not right now. Now it is time to leave.]] Swoop– : < But Top Gun good movie, Soundwave– Soundwave– [[Then go home and watch it with your brothers.]] Swoop– Them LAME No flying Windchill– Goodnight, thanks for goo movie, have fun telling Swoop– no for the next several minutes. Swoop– : > Soundwave– [[Goodnight, you are welcome, and he absolutely won’t.]] Swoop– Howwww about a LITTLE top gun : > Just flying parts! Windchill– I guess it’s not for everyone. Bye Swoop–, I’m leaving you here. Sucker. Swoop– *clearly has better taste than Windchill– since he is fighting for TOP GUN* Windchill– *Clearly.* *Waves, and backs for the exit.* Soundwave– [[On your way, now, Swoop–. There is no Top Gun here.]] Swoop– *gives the BIGGEST SIGH IN THE WORLD* fine Windchill– *Normally picks up straggler children to deposit home, but is apparently choosing to be irresponsible and leave it for Soundwave– to deal with.* Swoop– You Soundwave– boring boring Windchill– *And he’s gone before that can change.* Soundwave– [[Yes. What a terrible bot he is. Best you go and leave him to do dull paperwork and listen to people talking for hours without any fighting.]] Swoop– *knows he’s being teased but doesn’t NOT believe that’s what’s going to happen so he blows raspberries all the way out the door* Soundwave– *What do you know? That worked.* Prowl– *gives Soundwave– an expectant look* Soundwave– *Looks back and then around. He’s… he’s not actually sure what to do now. This was a Bad Night, movie-wise.* [[Do - would you like to clean, like the last time, or -]] *Twitchy fingers.* [[We could walk through the settlement nearby, or - anything else you would prefer to do. Actual paperwork, even. He does not know.]] Prowl– You mean doing paperwork and listening to people talking for hours WASN’T the explicit plan? Soundwave– [[Oh. He said that mostly to be rid of Swoop– in a timely fashion, but he has nothing against it if you would actually like that. He has plenty of the first, and the second could be either of us. Or someone else, if you had them in mind.]] Prowl– *… humor ping* Soundwave– *Oh, a joke. Okay, he’s got it now.* [[Ah. His apologies. That actually IS how he likes to spend his nights sometimes.]] *He forgets himself and smiles the teensiest bit.* Prowl– Me too. Sans talking, usually. Soundwave– [[He sees. … Do you have paperwork with you? We could work on that together. Sitting together, that is. Obviously, he is not entitled to type up your reports for you.]] *Pause.* [[Though he could do so with extreme speed.]] *Shakes his head.* [[A good and comfortable shared silence is never to be taken for granted.]] [[…Unless you meant you prefer someone else to do the talking, in which case he has plenty of tales he could tell you.]] Prowl– No, I don’t have paperwork with me. I—don’t know what I want to do. *it’s partially untrue. he does know what he wants to do—go home and be alone for a while—but he can’t have that. he’s never going to be alone again.* Soundwave– *Considers this.* [[You could do nothing, in a sense.]] *Small hand gesture.* [[Sitting and resting, sleeping, doing something unimportant for no reason other than it is fun. That sort of thing.]] Prowl– So, the usual movie night options. *beat.* … The usual besides interfacing. Soundwave– [[A fair point, if an important one. Such moments tend to be good for us both. Though he would like to clarify that he was not thinking of interfacing. He may not have the ability to sing, but he is not tone deaf.]] [[He will clean before it is much later. Experiment with what you care to do at the moment as you like; all he asks is that if you decide what you wish to do is something away from him, you interrupt to bid him goodnight first instead of simply popping away. An acceptable deal?]] Prowl– Mm. I’ll help clean. *that’s something productive he can latch onto. he doesn’t want to just sit and stare around* Soundwave– *Nods and motions toward the couches. Bridge away!* [[…He doesn’t suppose he could get you to help with the upstairs, the Kangaskhan, and the outer walls as well? Being away for a week tends to inspire his deployers to leave things undone.]] *Humor ping.* Prowl– Sure. Maybe not the—the Genghis Khan. I’d rather not have to worry about stepping on organics. Soundwave– [[Oh, they’re very sharp when it comes to not being stepped on - but better to err on the side of caution, yes. Still. He should introduce you to them some time, now that they have air masks.]] Prowl– Another time.]] Soundwave– ((aw man you can’t edit now? booooo)) [[Another time. Not now. Very well, here and the upper floors - and perhaps, if you still feel up to it and are not afraid of heights, he will show you how the deployers scrub the outer walls. And how he does. Both very entertaining.]] *Another small smile, because the first wasn’t as much of a problem as he’d expected. He’s trying to be a distraction. Primus only knows if it works.* [[Come, come. Everything to its place, now.]] *Affection, times three.* Prowl– I’d hardly call that “heights.” It’s only a few stories. *height’s relative and his universe’s Cybertronians are durable. he gets to work bridging the couches back where they belong; there’s a moment of hesitation before he remembers to return the three pings.* Soundwave– [[You’ve never met Blades, have you.]] *Soft huff.* Prowl– Sure. I’ve known him since before the war, we were in Security Services under Sentinel Prime. Starscream forced him into a combiner recently. Soundwave– *Puts the snacks he was crating back on the bar and turns to look at Prowl–, mouth in a small o and everything.* [[…Were it anyone else talking, he would suspect that of being a joke.]] *Shakes his head and goes back to packing.* [[Another reason to see Starscream deposed, he supposes. And he is sorry to hear of your - friend’s? - fate.]] [[He did mean his own, however. Grounder turned extremely unwilling helicopter turned grounder again. He would be surprised if Blades is even capable of jumping anymore. Poor mech.]] [[…Perhaps there’s a link somewhere in this misfortune of theirs. He’ll note it on the map.]] Prowl– I’ve never heard of mine ever being anything but a helicopter. And since I’ve known him since before extensive body mods were allowed, I suspect that’s his original shape. *all the couches are in place, he’s going to find something else to clean.* Not friend. Just longtime acquaintance. Soundwave– [[Longtime acquaintance, then. Still - he would not have wished that on him.]] *Mopping behind the bar while he’s there.* [[Do the two of you speak now?]] Prowl– He and his team have a standing invitation to contact me if they—need anything. They haven’t utilized it recently. Soundwave– [[Disappointing.]] *Maybe it would be good for Prowl– to have someone who Really, Really Gets It he could talk about it with, instead of Soundwave–’s fumbling attempts? Then again, that means someone else had to go through it. He doesn’t know. Unpleasant and sticky situations he never gave much thought to before the war ended.* [[But understandable, in a way. Some pains are too personal to share so easily.]] [[…Thank you for trying to explain it to him earlier, while he is thinking about it. He knows he does not fully grasp all of your situation, but he will continue to try. He would like to always be someone you can rely on to listen to and hear you when you speak about it. You deserve that.]] [[Enough of this room. Let us go clean upstairs. It needs it more anyway.]] Prowl– *a jerky nod* Thanks. For listening. *it sounds hollow right now, when he’s tired of thinking about it; but he knows that later on when he’s less exhausted he’ll be grateful for it.* Lead the way. *and up they shall go.*

[getdestroyed-staydestroyed]

F.A.Q

Why didn’t you draw an answer for the ask I sent you?

It’s important to understand that while asks are a fun thing for me to do occasionally, and a fun thing for yall to see: this is not an ask blog. Ideally I want there to be more pictures/comics/other content than ask answers at any given time on here. The thing is I get a LOT of them, often every time I answer one or post art of a character people send in 2-3 more. Between that I get a steady trickle of them constantly even when I don’t post. I could potentially spend all my time drawing ask answers but that’s not what I need to use my time for. If you send it off anon I’ll try to think of a verbal response at least if I don’t draw a response. If it’s on anon, your rolling the dice for the chance of a picture, I’ll just be honest with you here.  

Can’t you just make a separate ask blog then?

I do not have nearly enough time to further split up between running this main, and a potential competently new art blog. It wouldn’t be a smart use of my energy. I’m sorry.

Do you do art trades/requests?

I’m usually really stretched for time outside of my full-time job and other family/life obligations so it’s rare that I find the time to do trades. Usually I feel bad about them since I’m always getting my half done way later. I appreciate the genuine interest, but it’s just not really a feasible thing for me for the most part. As far as requests go I rarely ever do them, even if they have to do with my own characters. You’re welcome to send an ask suggesting something but there is ZERO guarantee I’ll draw it, just understand that. 

Are you open for commissions?

I currently am not. Usually when I open I do a quick “heads up” post with a hard date, followed on that date by the official opening post with all the info. You’ll have plenty of forewarning before I do. I also do substantial warnings before I close.

What art materials do you work with?

I actually answered already that in a previous ask right [here]!

What digital program(s) do you use?

Photoshop Creative Suite 3 (CS3) is the only one I use. It’s what I use to do my coloring, digital screen-tones, and sometimes text and speech bubbles. 

Could you do a tutorial on how you do [insert technique here]?

I’m flattered that you think my techniques or style are something worth emulating or trying to learn from, but at the moment I don’t really have the time to put together a comprehensive step-by-step of my artistic process. This is exacerbated by the fact that half of said process is done traditionally instead of digitally anyway so I couldn’t really screen cap stuff. Thanks for asking though, who knows, I might have time to try and slap something together in the future! 

Can I tag your artwork/characters as “kin” or “me”?

Sure, that’s fine. It’s always important to ask though since not everyone is OK with it, so thanks for doing that. It doesn’t bother me at all though, so go ahead and tag away. 

I really like your art and you seem like a nice person; could we be friends?

I’m very grateful that through my art and my interactions on here that I come across as a kind and friendly person. Unfortunately I’m also a very strong introvert and I can gas out on the energy to talk to folks very easily. I’m grateful and so happy for the friends I have but I also have a LOT already too hahaha. It should also be stated that for anyone; introvert or extrovert, making friends completely depends on how you and the person connect or “click”. Some people you grow close to naturally and well...some you just don’t. There’s no way to force it, and there’s no way to just decide it. If I decline a request to share messenger info or to chat with you please don’t take it as offense. 

Do you accept fan art?

Yes I do! I only ask that you don’t involve my characters with any NSFW scenarios that have minors (under the age of 18), or any scenarios that involve or employ elements of racism, sexism, or transphobia. You better show me when you finish it though!

Can I make my own fan character from one of your races/worlds?

Go for it. I don’t have any hard rules or locks on any of my races since fan characters aren’t really canon within my stories anyway. Just like with the fanart, I only ask to see them when they’re done!

What are your inspirations?

There’s nothing wrong with that question in itself, but I don’t really know where to even start in answering it. Without being too long winded: it was mainly a beginning base of anime when i was younger that later evolved into several amateur/semi-pro/pro artists on this website and others. I don’t have too many published/professional American/European folks I could rattle off the top of my head. If you want a starters guide on who some of those online people are you can slog through the icons of people that I follow to the right on my blogs main page. 

How do I get a style like yours? / How did you get your art style?

It is absolutely imperative to understand as an artist that style is less of an aesthetic object, like a shirt that you put on and wear around, and is more like the personality of the person wearing the shirt. An artists style is inseparable from their identity. It’s a result of thousands of hours of absorbing media subconsciously, integrating what they like, and discarding what they don’t. It’s shaped by what they see, what they have access to, and what they don’t. It’s shaped by their surroundings, and upbringing. Explaining to you how I got my current style is as daunting as answering the question “How did you become the person you are today?”

My style will not be the same tomorrow as it is today. It’s something that’s organic and constantly growing and slowly changing (as it should be). As long as you keep exposing yourself to new things, new experiences, places, people, techniques, concepts, media, ect. you will in time have your own style.  

When are you going to do some actual comics and where are you gonna post them?

GOOD QUESTION, AND I DON’T BLAME YOU FOR ASKING. Ever since I finally finished commissions at the end of 2017 and got some owed art out of the way during the first month of January, I’m working on clearing out some of these asks with some answers. After that I’ll be refocusing on finishing Step-Monster Vol. II first which will probably get put up on my Deviantart (Don’t worry. I’ll put up a link here to it when it’s done). I don’t have a hard date for it right now but I’m aiming for late summer possibly, since I’m trying to do the entire last Volume II with all it’s chapters in one big go. 

After that I wanna start tackling small one-shorts at first before moving on to longer-form stories. By that point I plan to have a dedicated website for them up and a Patreon going maybe too! 

Pineapple on pizza: yes or no?

Yes, and if you say I’m wrong we’re gonna fight. 

[bestfungames1]

New Post has been published on https://bestfungames.com/marvels-avengers-review/

MARVEL'S AVENGERS REVIEW

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MARVEL’S AVENGERS REVIEW

Marvel’s finest have never looked or sounded this good, but their best efforts feel in vain.

By Robert Zak September 07, 2020

As the Marvel’s Avengers campaign ends, to be replaced by samey missions, it reminds me of the dual identity of so many superheroes. Avengers straps on its tightest, glossiest spandex for the campaign and dazzles with its moves, but once that adventure ends and it returns to the daily grind of a multiplayer-oriented endgame, it blurs into the crowd. Inoffensive, yet indistinguishable but for its famous superhero superstars.

The frustrating thing about Marvel’s Avengers is that for the first few hours, you see hints of what it could have been—a visually spectacular and satisfying adventure—but then a functional, unoriginal loop of missions takes over, and you realise that that’s the actual game you’ll be spending most of your time with.

The campaign offers a simple story, following future Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan as she seeks to reassemble the Avengers following a disaster that creates a wave of new superheroes labelled as ‘Inhumans’. You’re pitted against floating-head-with-tiny-limbs, MODOK, who’s intent on wiping out all Inhumans with the help of AIM’s Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini and her army of robots.

A pretty regular Marvel setup then, and beautifully written, animated, and voice-acted throughout. I found myself actively looking forward to the cutscenes and snippets of in-game banter.

R relationship between Bruce Banner and Kamala Khan unfolds beautifully. Banner’s unsure body language and mix of irritation and avuncular care he shows towards Khan—whose chirpy teenage optimism is just what 2020 needs—is a masterclass of voicework and mocap. It also elegantly addresses the fact that, to a 30-plus curmudgeon like me, the fresh-faced Khan can be kind of annoying, but her convincing character arc soon gets me completely onboard.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

Given the amount of big names the campaign has to introduce, it’s understandable that not all the relationships get the same level of attention, but each character still entertains as you bring the Avengers’ floating command centre back to life. The villain MODOK, with his pustulent, hypertrophic head that seems to swell up with every scene, is brilliantly brought to life. The performance turns one of Marvel’s goofiest-looking heroes into a memorable, eerily soft-spoken villain.

However, once you’re aboard the Avengers’ Chimera ship, it becomes a little too obvious that you’re being roped into the publisher’s long game. You walk around on deck as your Avenger of choice, picking up time-limited challenges from vendors, buying gear using real or in-game currency, and using a map to freely drop into missions set across several biomes around the world. Some you do solo, others you do alongside up to three other Avengers, who can be controlled by AI or online players. I’d play with others where possible, and it speaks to the simplicity of the missions and combat that there’s not too much need for communication or a balanced squad.

I did get to play online alongside Hulk wearing a Hawaiian shirt and fedora though.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

PERFORMANCE

I’ve been reading a a little bit about performance problems on PC, but can say that my experience has been mostly stable. There were a couple of odd bugs during the campaign that forced me to restart the game, and multiplayer matchmaking has been very slow from my experience, forcing me to give up after minutes of waiting multiple times.

The combat is a curious mix of classic brawler moves like juggling, suspended aerial attacks and light-heavy combos with the counter-and-dodge-based style of the Arkham games (there’s even a move where you jump over a shielded enemy’s head to break their shield). Little icons on the edges of the screen tell you how close a missile or laser is to blasting you away, while enemy melee attacks are telegraphed by coloured circles, which let you know whether to dodge or parry them. Get enough attacks together, and your rage meter fills, letting you unlock spectacular special moves like Iron Man summoning his Hulkbuster mech, or Ms. Marvel turning into a long-limbed giantess resembling a wacky waving inflatable tube girl.

The icons give you a lot to think about while filling your screen with a confetti of mechanised enemies and special moves executed by your fellow Avengers, and it doesn’t always feel like you—or even the game itself—can keep up. A couple of dozen hours in, I’ll still often dodge instead of parrying when the enemy attack circle is white (dodge for red, dammit!), and that all-important telegraphing of enemy moves isn’t entirely consistent, and the camera’s a little too close for comfort – great for ogling Hulk’s slabs of back muscle, not so great for managing space in a scuffle.

Playing as the speedsters of the group, Ms. Marvel and Black Widow, feels much better than Hulk, whose lumbering style doesn’t sync well with the already slowish animations and floaty jumping physics. High-flyers Iron Man and Thor, meanwhile, definitely offer a buzz as you can freely swoop into battle from way overhead of your buddies. Unfortunately finer aerial maneuvering and attacks are fiddly and much weaker than melee. It may be fun to fly, but the action’s really on the ground.

But in a game so much about fan service, there’s something to be said for making each superhero feel unique, even if that is at the expense of balance. The characters move and attack just like you remember from the movies or imagine from the comics, right down to the disinterested way Hulk toe-pokes chests open. During these little moments, and amidst the on-screen muddle when you string together a bunch of counters and executions before letting rip with a hero’s special move, the superhero fantasy successfully shines.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

The bigger problems come later. Missions may be set all over the world, but levels themselves are sparse expanses of snow/forests/city where you hunt for crates hidden in metal bunkers guarded by faceless robots, before proceeding to complete a main objective—destroying a few structures, or holding onto some control points, Battlefield-style.

The game tries to spruce things up with awkward platforming segments and hunts for SHIELD stashes (essentially a slightly better stash among endless stashes), but they’re visually ugly and unvaried, in stark contrast to the elegantly animated and designed superheroes that run around them.

Also, for some reason the ‘Power’ level required for various missions is all over the place, greatly restricting the amount of missions you can tackle. I was quite up for a boss-fight mission that SHIELD offered for their daily challenge (which improves your faction rank with SHIELD, which lets you buy locked-off gear yada-yada), only to find that I was dozens of levels below being able to do it. These are the kinds of things that can be smoothed out over the coming months, but as things stand a good chunk of the endgame remains level-gated.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

Back aboard the Chimera, the metagame of daily challenges, endless gear upgrades (with daily ‘specialty’ items) and missions becomes particularly noticeable post-campaign. Without the more bespoke campaign-specific missions and story to break them up, the monotony begins to set in, and while there is an obsessive feedback loop to repeating missions, upgrading your gear, and improving your character in perpetuity, you don’t even get to see these gear upgrades. The only aesthetic changes are different costumes, which are a hard to find, and otherwise locked behind higher levels and real-world currency.

There’s nothing too egregious about the microtransactions, which are purely cosmetic and also include emotes, nameplates and execution animations, but there’s nothing particularly satisfying to work towards in the endgame either.

Perhaps a fleshed-out single-player campaign will never be enough to satisfy Avenger’s marketing aims. The story is worthy of Marvel’s movie canon, but it’s too short and ends up being a shiny wrapper for what’s currently a rudimentary game-as-service.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

This comes with the caveat that it’s just getting started, and there have been plenty of online-oriented games that started slowly. There’s enough button-mashy mileage in the combat system, especially as new heroes get introduced as DLC, but it’s the mission design and loot loop that let it down. It’s just not strong or varied enough to justify the long-term investment the game wants from you.

Not that justification beyond a 14-hour campaign and ‘it’s your favourite superheroes and they look amazing’ is needed for a day one purchase, based on the game’s early sales. But if Marvel’s Avengers wants to keep loyalists sweet and expand its player-base, it needs a lot more flesh on its vibranium skeletal armature. If only the game could carry some of its narrative prowess from the campaign over into the endgame.

[aion-rsa]

Star Wars Squadrons Tips and Tricks: Best Loadout, Fleet Battles, How to Drift, and More

https://ift.tt/3iDBYHf

Star Wars: Squadrons finally released on PS4 and Xbox One last week, letting players step into the cockpit of several iconic starfighters and take part in frantic first-person space battles. The single-player campaign does a pretty good job of showing you the basics in terms of flying and dogfighting, but for players wanting to do much more than simply bullseye womp rats from their T-16, there are plenty of other important tips and tricks worth knowing to dominate in the galaxy far, far away.

We’ve got a range of top tips that can improve your piloting ability, from best maneuvers and strategies for Squadrons’ multiplayer to some of the best loadouts to take with you. Here are a few things you should know before jumping into the game as well as some tips that have worked for us so far:

General Flight Tips & Tricks

Excelling in Star Wars: Squadrons is much like the Force in that it’s all about balance. Gameplay is heavily centered around diverting energy to one of three systems: Engines, Lasers, and Shields. It’s absolutely pivotal you learn where to divert power in any given situation.

Every battle begins with power evenly spread across all three systems by default, but diverting it solely to engines lets you fly faster, focusing it on shields will allow you to better fend off barrages of enemy fire (especially when attacking big capital ships), while maximizing your ship’s lasers boosts weapon damage and cooldown. Fortunately, you can control all of this with just a tap of the D-pad on a controller.

The other big aspect of flight you need to master is the throttle. Managed entirely by using the left stick on your controller, pulling back on the stick allows you to slow down, whereas pushing it forward will increase your speed. The key here is to always keep moving, edging the throttle up whenever you want to chase down foes and ratcheting it back if you want to gain a successful lock. It’s also important that you slow down before making very tight turns or else you’ll likely end up crashing against something.

Rolling will likely feel challenging at first, as that’s also controlled by the left stick, while the right stick is tied to your camera. Toggling the left stick to the left will send your fighter rolling to the left while toggling to your right will roll the ship to the right. Maneuvering can be a little dizzying at first, but a good rule of thumb is to lock on to your objective with L2 while flying, whether that means following your flight leader, an enemy fighter, or locking onto an objective.

Most importantly, avoid being stationary for too long as otherwise you’ll be a sitting duck out there. Fortunately, your droid companion can repair damage to your ship, replenishing your health by a certain amount. If you’re playing with a controller, hit L1 to repair your ship. This mechanic operates on a cooldown as well so you’ll need to time repairs just right when in the middle of a battle.

As far as more advanced maneuvering goes…

How to Drift

Drifting isn’t a technique you’ll use often in Star Wars: Squadrons as it requires a great deal of effort, but it’s a maneuver of use to advanced players wanting to better shake enemies off their tail. You are first taught drifting in the single-player campaign, but unfortunately, although you have to perform this technique correctly once to proceed past the tutorial, it isn’t explained by your Vanguard Squadron cohorts all that well.

Here’s how to perform a drift in the game: it essentially boils down to reaching your fighter’s peak boost speed, quickly cutting off power, and then boosting again while simultaneously turning at the same time. On a standard PS4 or Xbox One controller, this means diverting all power to your engines by hitting left on your d-pad, letting your boost meter fill up, and then clicking in the left stick to engage a boost. Just be sure to not hold down the left stick as if you were sprinting in an FPS.

From there, wait until you reach the height of your boost, before clicking in the left stick to shut down engine power and then turning in your desired direction and boosting again. Congratulations, you’ve pulled off a successful drift.

Best Loadouts

Knowing which is the best loadout for your play style in Star Wars: Squadrons comes down to understanding how the game’s starfighters work. Each is reserved to one of four classes – Fighters, Bombers, Interceptors, and Support ships – with their own strengths and weaknesses. You can check out a helpful guide to each fighter in the game here.

That said, all ships can be further customized to your liking by unlocking and equipping different primary weapons, auxiliary components, countermeasures, hulls, shields, and engines. That might sound like a lot to keep track of but the ideal way to find your best loadout is by picking a class that suits you and then customizing it from there.

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The X-wing and TIE fighter are both Fighter class vessels that serve as decent all-rounders, so it’s these two we’ll make some suggestions for. There are slight differences to how both handle but here’s our basic suggestion:

In terms of your left auxiliary, always keep the Repair Droid attached as it’s a free health pack. Then, with your right auxiliary, equip Ion torpedoes if you want to temporarily freeze your enemy’s systems to earn a few seconds for some easy hits. Alternatively, though, barrage rockets is your best option if you want to just deal mass damage. Hull, Shields, and Engine will be dictated by your preferred speed, health, or damage – and we’d always go Seeker Warheads for Countermeasures as it’s an almost guaranteed missile evasion whenever an enemy locks onto you.

EA has provided some suggested loadouts for each class if you’d like to dig deeper. Just click on the class you want to learn more about to check out the loadouts:

Fighter

Bomber

Interceptor

Support

Fleet Battles Tips & Tricks

Fleet Battles serves as the main online competitive mode in Star Wars: Squadrons, pitting two teams of five against one another in an epic tug-of-war. The goal is to take down your enemy’s flagship, but to do this you must whittle down their smaller vessels to build your team’s morale.

The mode has three phases: 1) Dogfight against enemy starfighters, 2) Destroy Capital Ships, 3) Destroy the Flagship. The first phase is straightforward, wherein you must use all tactics and techniques learned so far to take down as many TIEs (if you’re Vanguard) or New Republic fighters (if you’re Titan) as possible. The best way to move on to the next phase is to specifically target player-controlled ships, as they net you a greater amount of Morale than the AI ships.

After decimating enough starfighters, you’ll move onto the next phase, which requires you to take down two Capital Ships. Be sure to deplete their shields as fast as possible using Ion-powered weaponry, unloading damage to the hull section using a bomber class vessel when the hull is fully exposed. Remember: in Fleet Battles, you can change ship class at any time, so feel free to switch fighters based on your current objective/strategy.

Finally, after destroying the two Capital Ships, you can focus on the Flagship. The key here is to locate and target specific defenses and subsystems. EA suggests you use Interceptors to take out turrets, Bombers to disable shields, and Fighters to destroy shield generators. Taking down the Flagship is always a challenge, but one you can overcome with good communication.

IGN has posted a helpful video showing how each phase in Fleet Battles works in case you need some visuals:

How Glory and Requisition Work

Squadrons thankfully doesn’t feature any microtransactions, but there are two unique in-game currencies you’ll need to earn to unlock items for your ships. The first, known as Glory, strictly relates to cosmetic items unlockable for both your New Republic and Imperial ships, which never directly affect gameplay. Glory is easily earned by leveling up, though you can accrue a lot more by completing Daily Challenges (found in the main menu) or advancing up your Fleet Battles rank during the game’s Battle Pass-style Operations, which is set to refresh every eight weeks. Earning Glory is worth it, if only for the chance to customize all your ships on the inside and out.

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Requisition is the second in-game currency you’ll earn. This currency directly affects the capabilities of your ship. You use Requisition to purchase additional weapons, abilities, and upgrades that can quickly turn the tide of battle when used correctly. Earning Requisition, however, is also pretty easy. Just level up through general online play until eventually you reach the maximum 40 level cap that allows you to buy everything available. Obviously, we’d advise purchasing the upgrades most suited to your play style first, as Requisition becomes a lot more elusive when you reach higher levels.

At the moment, these are the keys to success in Star Wars: Squadrons but we’ll keep you updated as we discover new tips, tricks, and secrets about the game!

The post Star Wars Squadrons Tips and Tricks: Best Loadout, Fleet Battles, How to Drift, and More appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[yungvenuz]

GAMES OF THE YEAR 2017

First off, 2016 GOTY, and Runner Ups 

2015 GOTY and Other GOTY

2014 I don’t think I did any actual post but it was DROD Second Sky and Full Bore

This year I had five clear stand-out favorites! I didn’t include any AAA titles because if I have to read one more word about Zelda in the next month my head will explode.

5) Hollow Knight

I almost excluded Hollow Knight based on the above provision of no mainstream games allowed, because I assumed that a game with its level of polish would have to have a large team behind it. Finding out that the team was essentially two people (and some of their personal friends brought in to record a few voice lines each) was jaw-dropping, particularly the fact that nearly every art asset in the game came from a single person. Holy shit.

If I had to pick a single reason Hollow Knight is on the list, it would have to be Quirrel, a traveler you meet several times throughout the course of the game. The final encounter with him at blue lake was truly exceptional. It’s the sort of scene that makes me wish I could just leave the characters there to reminisce and stop worrying about the plot altogether.

If I had to pick a second reason for including Hollow Knight, it would be Zote the Mighty.

4) Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

Getting Over It’s trailer didn’t immediately grab me, despite my being a fan of Bennett Foddy’s previous works. I figured there would be a limit to what could be drawn from a somewhat obnoxious physics gimmick and found art. 

I was totally wrong! The concept tempted me, and I eventually gave in and got it out of curiosity more than anything else. What sets Getting Over It apart is its narration, provided by Foddy himself, which discusses the game, its influences, the culture it’s a part of, the feelings of the players, and more. It’s a deadly serious game, despite one of its trickiest early challenges being a floating curvy playground slide. 

It’s also a game that can wipe out an hour or more of progress in a few stupid seconds, and fully aware of the power it holds over you as a result. At first, Foddy will fill the air spent trying to navigate your way back with inspirational quotes from a range of authors on the topics of hardship and failure. Particularly gruesome failures are matched with blues songs (all in the public domain, in keeping with the game’s dedication to using only free second-hand assets).

In an interview he did for a podcast (this one) after the game released, Foddy called his core intention “Anti-Design”, the process of exploring game mechanics that deliberately diverge from the seemingly objectively correct design decisions that have been distilled from decades of game making. It pays off not to take the conventional wisdom as unimpeachable gospel, as Getting Over It demonstrates-- its popularity with streamers and youtubes gave it multiple weeks on the best selling charts on steam during a highly competitive season.

3) Card City Nights 2 (Also available in app form!!)

This is a self-indulgent entry, since a lot of the fun of the Card City Nights series comes from the characters that are drawn from Daniel Remar and Ludosity’s rich catalog of freeware games, all of which I’ve played and loved. Even without the nostalgia, though, it’s still a wonderfully silly and funny game, and the card game component is well done too.

The game is played on a combined playing field of 6x3 card slots. Each (well, most) cards have arrows pointing to other card slots on the field, and cards are activated once three cards of the same type have been connected along these arrow chains. There’s a lot of depth to figuring out the right balance of damaging cards to play and making sure there’s ways to activate them, and there’s a lot of room for combo or trick decks to play as well.

I don’t have a ton to say about this one, except that I found almost all of the jokes to be funny, and it has some seriously great #aesthetic too.

2) Wuppo

In recent years I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated with the failure of open world games to accurately represent civilization and society. there’s something grim about stepping out of a town with thirty npcs in it (each with their own fully fleshed out backstory!, as bethesda might describe it), and then traveling to a settlement filled with “bandits” or “raiders” and killing twice that many people in a single building. No matter how many sacks of skulls decorate the area to designate the people I murder as evil, it’s striking that the supposed enemies of progress and civilization so vastly outnumber the people I’m supposed to help. And if the bandits aren’t programmed to do anything but sit around a table trying to eat a meal until I smash through the door of their abandoned castle/vault/scrap fortress, that muddies my justification even further.

That’s not to say such games can’t be fun, but I feel cheated whenever they describe themselves as open world games. When a game bends over backwards to the player’s perspective, when every npc can be talked to until their entire life story is known and every friendly city is surrounded by a hundred dens of villainy, that’s about as closed an experience I can imagine.

Wuppo is the first game I’ve played that truly matched my conception of an open-world experience: one in which it’s up to you to fit yourself into the world around you rather than bending the world to your will. There are hundreds of other people filling the streets of Wuppo, all travelling, or eating, or working, or playing. You won’t talk to most of them, but the way they fill the world provides authenticity to the cities you visit. There’s a save-the-world plot that shuffles in near the very end of the game that I honestly think detracts from the experience, since I think the true joy of Wuppo comes from the low stakes of the opening premise, of trying to find a new house to live in.

It would be remiss of me not to bring up Matt Thorson’s An Untitled Story (downloadable for free from the sixth from the bottom icon on his website) here as well, a game that very closely matches Wuppo in its gameplay, graphical, and plot style. 

1) Monolith

Monolith follows the roguelite formula set by Binding of Isaac and refined by Enter the Gungeon. It hits all the notes it needs to: it’s fun to play, boss attack patterns are just the right difficulty, and there’s enough variety in each run to keep things fresh, but what really sets it apart is its setting. 

The game casts you as a scavenger exploring an abandoned tower in a ruined city; not much is known at the start except that it was apparently the birthplace of “the power eternal”, a source of infinite energy which turns out to be the imbuing of ghosts into objects to provide them with powers or keep them charged. Some unknown disaster destroyed the facility long ago, and now the tower’s halls are filled with loose ghosts, mechanical defense systems, scientists that tampered with the power eternal for their own ends, and beasts that have nested in the ruins. 

The different factions don’t have a direct impact on the gameplay, but they blend together to create a perfect mix of horror, fantasy, and science fiction cues that work really well for the game. On top of it all, the tone is eerily upbeat in the early stages, what with the feline scavenger offering upgrades and advice between runs, or the impossibly cheerful stage one music (helpfully labeled as “Tonal Dissonance” in the soundtrack). Stripping away those cheerful tones as the player approaches the deepest layers of the tower serves to set the mood for the final boss fights without any words needing to be exchanged.

I also appreciated that the upgrade system in Monolith is more stable than the games it takes after. While there is variety in the weapons, their powers are roughly equivalent and allow the player to skew to their favorite style of play. There are burst weapons, and steady damage weapons, and less powerful weapons with defensive abilities like blocking incoming bullets, but there’s nothing that will instantly clear your way to the bottom as can happen in Binding of Isaac. This also means there’s never a run that gets two or three floors deep and runs out of steam and has to be restarted. 

[asfeedin]

Tips for Making the Best Tuna Melt

[Photographs: Daniel Gritzer]

On April 19th, Virginia Senator Mark Warner posted a video on Instagram that horrified a nation. In the video, title simply, ��Tuna Melt,” Warner stood in front of a modest electric stove in a bare home kitchen and made what he described as one of his favorite recipes, one he said he’d learned as a kid. He described it as a way to “go back to basics” and get through these difficult months of coronavirus and quarantine.

His tone was earnest, his recipe choice humble, but, boy oh boy, there was no forgiving the string of culinary sins he proceeded to commit against bread, condiment, cheese, and fish. First, he squirted thick globs of Hellmann’s directly onto soft, un-toasted slices of white sandwich bread. Then he scraped big chunks of poorly drained tuna directly from the can on top of that, attempting and failing to mash down the stubbornly dry flakes of canned fish with a fork.

After that, he slapped a couple slices of cheese on top, proudly proclaiming himself a “two-slice man,” and then put his creation in…the microwave. What came out could only be described as an abomination.

At the very same time that Warner was massacring his tuna melt, I, as if guided by fate, had already started my own efforts at the sandwich’s redemption. I was on a mission to create the most righteous, and undeniably delicious tuna melt I could—and, though I didn’t know it at the time, restore order to the Tuna Meltiverse.

The tuna melt is an American culinary icon—admittedly one hell of a strange one—and so instead of declaring from high on the mount my own rules for the perfect tuna melt, I wanted to build these commandments as democratically as possible. And so I asked the people, What makes for a good tuna melt? The answers poured in, and they were more varied than I ever could have imagined.

The range of opinions on the “right” cheese, the “right” bread, the “right” flavorings, the “right” textures and temperatures convinced me that no single “perfect” tuna melt exists. Instead, there’s an infinite number of potentially perfect versions, each reflecting the diverse tastes and experiences of the people who share, if nothing else, the conviction that canned tuna and melted cheese belong together on bread.

The resulting commandments are better than I could have ever come up with on my own because they take this diversity into account. There’s even a tidbit of wisdom from Warner, proof that even the worst tuna melt isn’t entirely terrible. The recipes I created to accompany these commandments are equally diverse: Instead of a single tuna melt recipe, I’ve created three, each representing a tuna-melt archetype. There’s the “All-American,” a diner-esque creation that strips the tuna melt to the basics of fish, cheese, mayo, and white bread. Then there’s the “Jewish deli-style,” which offers a tuna salad flavored more assertively with celery, sweet relish, mustard, onion, and dill. And finally, there’s the one with “The Works,” which in my recipe’s case includes bacon, tomato, avocado, pickled jalapeños, and more, but really just serves as an example of how personalized a tuna melt can become.

A Jewish deli–style tuna melt with rye bread, Swiss cheese, and a tuna salad spiked with celery, red onion, dill, and sweet relish.

To be honest, I suspect Senator Warner knew more than he let on when he decided to share his tuna melt how-to. The signs that he was in on the joke were there from the beginning—the self-aware editing and captions, the shocking close-ups and clumsy execution, the suggestion that “unless you’re a professional chef, you may want to pause the video so you can keep up,” and, perhaps most telling of all, the gorgeous Mediterranean mortar and pestle that could only be in the kitchen of someone who knows a thing or two about good food.* I think he wanted to get us all talking, and it worked.

*I reached out to Warner’s Digital Media Director for comment on the mortar and pestle and was told Warner’s daughters are much better cooks than the Senator. Still, even if he can’t cook as well as his daughters, merely being in the same family as someone who would know to invest in a mortar and pestle of that caliber would lead to some culinary knowhow.

Thou Shalt Use Whatever Bread You Want, But Respect its Proportions

An open-faced tuna melt needs a thicker slab of bread than a closed sandwich does; in fact, roughly twice as much so that the proportion of bread to tuna salad remains fairly consistent.

It must be rye! It must be white! No, whole wheat is where it’s at! Opinions on bread type were strong and varied, and, after testing numerous versions, I’m gonna be honest with you—I really don’t care.

No, that’s not it. I do care. I just like them all. Different breads can work well in different tuna melt constructions. The key, then, isn’t determining the best bread for a tuna melt, it’s in understanding the role each kind of bread can play in a specific recipe.

Rye is great in a Jewish-deli style tuna melt that’s seasoned more assertively with relish, dill, and celery, and finished with melted Swiss cheese. White bread is great on an All-American diner-style tuna melt made with little more than Hellmann’s and slices of Cheddar or American—the “basic ‘wich” of tuna melts (bonus points if you pair it with a can of TaB). Sourdough, brioche, challah, boules, and baguettes—you name it, and it can make a good tuna melt if it’s thoughtfully combined with the right cheese and mix-ins (although it’s best to avoid using bread with an open crumb, which would make for a very messy melt).

Here’s what does matter about the bread: You need to respect its proportions. Too much mayonnaise-y tuna salad becomes grotesque without an appropriate amount of bread to cut its fishy, fatty intensity. But how thick the bread needs to be depends on both its tenderness and whether you’re going with an open-faced construction or not.

Heartier, more rustic bread with more chew and crust should be sliced thinner than light and fluffy white bread, since it’s more work to chew through. The slab of bread used as the base for an open-faced tuna melt, meanwhile, should be approximately twice as thick as the same type of bread used for the two pieces on a closed version; assuming the amount of tuna salad is equal on both sandwiches, a double-thick single slice ensures that the ratio of bread to tuna remains consistent when going open-faced.

These are ballpark ratios and will depend on the specifics, of course, but I found the sweet spot to be in the following zone: For every five-ounce can of tuna, you should make either two open-faced tuna melts on one-inch-thick slices of bread, or two closed sandwiches with half-inch-thick slices of the same bread.

The other important thing with the bread is to toast it properly, but that one’s so important it gets its own commandment…

Thou Shalt Toast Thine Bread Properly

While I’m sure most of us can agree that Warner’s steamy microwaved sandwich bread isn’t the way to go, that’s where the consensus ends. I tried a bunch of toasting options from dry-toasted to mayo-slathered to oil and butter-basted bread and beyond.

Dry-toasting the bread, which I did carefully over an open flame to get some nicely singed edges, was tastier than I expected, and helped keep the sandwich from seeming greasy. It’s nice to know that dry-toasting works, but we still need to work out the best way to use oil or another fat during toasting for a more traditional griddle-style sandwich. This is key, because managing greasiness is a primary concern for such a rich sandwich.

A good tuna melt has contrasting textures: melty cheese, fluffy tuna filling, and tender bread that’s crisp as can be right on its surface. The risk with most toasting methods in a skillet or on a griddle is that you accidentally add an excess of oil or butter to the cooking surface, since the cooking surface is larger than the bread you will toast on it. The bread, acting like a sponge, soaks it all up, and before you know it you’re eating a mayo-rich tuna salad, with gooey melted cheese, on grease-laden bread. It’s a gut bomb.

Step one in avoiding this result is to brush the bread with fat before toasting instead of adding the fat to the pan or griddle. By brushing the bread you can evenly and thoroughly cover the entire surface of each slice without over-saturating it.

Step two is toasting both sides of the bread, which, just like with a well-made grilled cheese, delivers a more pronounced crisp texture when you bite into the sandwich.

Step three is to be thoughtful about the fat you choose for greasing the bread. Oil makes for the crispiest toast. Butter is tastier, but its water content can hamper surface crisping, something that was pointed out to me by the chef Jason Vincent on Twitter, and which I confirmed in my own tests.

Clarified butter would solve this problem since it no longer has any crispness-hindering water in it, but most of us don’t keep that on-hand in our home kitchens and are unlikely to make it just for a tuna melt. One method suggested by Vincent is to toast the bread with oil for maximum crispness, then lightly brush the toasts with melted butter after to add just a touch of that rich dairy flavor flavor; it’s a method that works well. Another, which I stumbled on when adding bacon to one of my melts, is to toast the bread in rendered bacon fat if you happen to have some available. In the end, melted butter works well enough on its own, though it’s harder to get quite the same degree of crispness on the bread, so you just have to keep that in mind.

As for slathering bread with mayo for toasting? It’s a popular trick used for grilled cheese sandwiches, but I didn’t like it for tuna melts. They have enough mayo as it is thanks to the tuna salad, and adding more to the bread only risks a heavy-handed vinegar tang that pervades every layer of the sandwich. It was my least favorite option.

Thou Shalt Smash the Tuna to Smithereens

One of the big questions many may wonder is what kind of tuna to use. Oil-packed? The watery stuff? Some $15 jar of imported Spanish tuna? This one I already knew the answer to from my earlier tuna salad tests: When it comes to a mayonnaise-based tuna salad, it really doesn’t matter. The addition of mayo masks differences in tuna type. In most cases, a basic water-packed tuna, or tuna in its own juices is fine, no need to pay an olive-oil premium.

What does matter, though, is how you handle the tuna, and the secret is to absolutely smash it into tiny shreds with a fork. Tuna muscle is lean, which means that well-done tuna, which all canned tuna is, is incredibly dry (the exception is tuna belly, sold as “ventresca,” which is way too fancy and pricey for a tuna melt). That dry texture will be detectable in the final sandwich unless you pulverize the tuna so thoroughly that every last muscle fiber is coated in mayo.

It’s not hard to do, it just takes a fork or stiff spatula and some committed stirring and mashing. Keep at it until every last flake of tuna has been crushed and incorporated into a light and fluffy cloud of tuna salad. You’ll find the tuna also hold and binds with the mayo once it’s been completely mashed.

Thou Shalt Add Lots of Mayo, Then Soak it Up

A good tuna salad doesn’t skimp on the mayo—as we just established, canned tuna is dry and needs all the moisture help it can get. But a funny thing happens as you spoon mayo into your tuna: Right when you get to the perfect amount, the very last dollop that erases any hint of lean-fish dryness, the tuna salad becomes just a tad too loose.

The solution came from Serious Eats contributor Allison Robicelli, who tipped me off to one of her favorite tricks: adding panko bread crumbs to tuna salad. A couple spoonfuls of panko is just enough to soak up and thicken the excess of mayo, but because panko is such an airy bread crumb, the result is a tuna salad that still seems lighter and moister than one without panko made using slightly less mayo.

Tuna salad made with panko is light and fluffy, but not runny, as seen by the whipped-cream-like mounds here.

If you don’t have panko, don’t worry, just cut down on the mayo slightly and do without (don’t add other, denser bread crumbs!). The tuna salad won’t be quite as light, but it’ll still be good.

As for the mayo itself, in most cases good old Hellmann’s (or another regional favorite like Duke’s) is the way to go. Those tend to be thick and creamy, making a tuna salad that’s less slick and runny than one made with fancier store-bought or homemade mayo—and I say this as a card-carrying member of the homemade mayo society.

Though Shalt Choose a Good Melter, and Then Melt It

So many cheeses work in a tuna melt. Cheddar, American*, Swiss, Gruyère, Pepper Jack—even low-moisture mozzarella. Which one you use depends on your preferences and the flavor profile of the tuna melt you’re making. I like Cheddar on a basic diner-style melt, Swiss on a dill- and relish-packed version, and Pepper Jack for a tuna salad spiked with pickled chili peppers. Which is to say, you’ve got options.

* Full disclosure, as good of a melter as American cheese is, I find it adds a goopy texture to a tuna melt that I don’t love. I’d take Cheddar over American any day on my melts, but I know not everyone will agree with that, so go with whatever you prefer.

What matters, though, is that you actually melt the cheese. It is a tuna melt, after all. You can sometimes pull this off in a skillet as you griddle the sandwich, as long as there’s enough time for the heat to penetrate through the bread to the cheese slices. You can also use the broiler to melt cheese on top of an open-faced melt, or a hot oven to give a final dose of heat to get your cheese melted. Whatever you do, don’t skip this step, and maybe try not to resort to the microwave, which will steam the sandwich and destroy any crispness it might otherwise have had.

Thou Shalt Use Two Slices of Cheese

The bottom cheese on the toast, before tuna salad and another slice of cheese go on top.

Senator Warner got this part right. Two slices are the way to go, though unlike Warner, who put both slices of cheese on top of his tuna, I think it works even better to sandwich the tuna filling with melted cheese both above and below. Once again, two slices of cheese is a proportion thing. Any less and it’s skimpy—it’s a warm tuna salad sandwich without enough of that essential melt. Any more, though, and the sandwich risks veering into gut-bomb territory. You can do it, but proceed with caution.

Thou Shalt Weigh The Tuna Melt Down

Pressing a closed face tuna melt as you cook it is an important step. I do it when I toast the bread slices, since the added weight ensures even browning and crisping all over and helps the heat penetrate into the slices more quickly.

I also do it after I close the sandwich, to help it all become a seamless whole, because a good tuna melt shouldn’t seem like a bunch of components stuck together. It should instead fuse into a distinct entity, in which it’s hard to determine where the bread transitions to cheese, and where the cheese transitions to tuna.

The exception? I don’t weigh down an open-faced tuna melt—that’d just be a mess.

Thou Shalt Avail Thyself of Whatever Add-Ins You Want

There’s a lot to be said for the simplicity of a perfectly made plain mayo-based tuna salad on toast with melted cheese. But there’s also a world of variation that’s possible with flavorings, mix-ins, and sandwich add-ins. Here are just some ideas:

Panko bread crumbs (see above about why)

Celery

Onions and shallots

Chili sauces and hot sauces

Herbs like parsley, dill, tarragon

Capers

Olives

Mustard

Mayo (duh)

Scallions and chives

Relish (sweet or dill pickle) or other minced pickles

Chopped hard-boiled egg

Pickled chili peppers like jalapeños

Soy sauce, Worcestershire, and other umami bombs

Bacon

Avocado

Tomato

Lettuce

Spices like garlic or onion powder or coriander seed

Potato chips (particularly salt and vinegar)

Some of these are best mixed into the tuna salad, some should be layered on the sandwich, and a few work both ways. That’s a large part of the fun of tuna melts—there are so many possibilities, all of them delicious. But if you’ve learned one thing after all this, I hope it’s to pay attention to the basics, because without that, you’re lost. Senator Warner, you hear that?

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[bludhavenbird]

SO! Since my blog’s starting over from scratch--One of my main motivations to restart was to properly document my cosplay progress as I get back into this hobby that I’ve really missed and ofc re-upload work I’ve done in the past.

That being said, first post up will be the MadMax!Nightwing variant look I put together last year. 

The initial inspiration for this actually came from tumblr user thewelshqueen back when she did a Mad Max Fury Road inspire Wonder Woman cosplay. I remember sending a few questions their way over what the process looked like for their cosplay while also sharing that they’d inspired me to give it a shot too. In the months before SDCC 2016 rolled around, I approached my friends with the concept of extending the theme to a myriad of DC characters and before long we all set to work!

Now admittedly with our limited time and budget we didn’t get to roll out as many of the characters we wanted or customize each individual look to the extent we hoped but it was still a super fun concept and one I really hoped I’d get to revisit later on--and now the opportunity’s coming! 

I’m busting this one back out and I’m gonna be revisiting/refining this cosplay in preparation of another MadMax!DC group with a more Titans-centric theme consisting of Nat as Starfire, Emanni as Raven and myself as Nightwing. I’m super excited to get another shot at this one, and I’m super pumped to see the group together once it’s all assembled at WonderCon2018!

I’ll try to periodically post updates as I continue to modify and evolve this look, especially since I’m trying to push myself to better document my cosplay work and progress. In the meantime, enjoy some of the limited progress shots I DO have from last year! I added some notes in each image about the process but I’ll put more technical stuff under the cut in case anyone’s interested!

Images (1-2): From concept to realization - I was lucky enough to remember which sketchbook had some of my original sketches for the cosplay. Obviously, the look is heavily based on Max’s own design. Early on I toyed with a more ‘war boy’ type of look for Dick, but I kept getting pulled back more towards being influenced by Max simply due to the visual possibilities involving the Nightwing insignia on the Shoulder piece and jacket. 

The henley in the original design was scrapped in favor for a grey t-shirt that, while not very well visible in the last picture is actually a self-designed ‘Bludhaven Police Department’ shirt. Due to further backstory development in the revisit of this design, that shirt’s gonna be scrapped for the cosplay and I’ll have to find a replacement for it.

Image (3): In hunting for a jacket, I knew I wanted to go with something non-contemporary. I opted for an 80′s style jacket for a few reasons: The original Mad Max was released in 79′, a secondhand jacket would already have a nice worn in or used look, and most importantly -- 80′s jackets provided me a better chance of finding a base jacket that would actually fit. I kept an eye out on eBay and ended up finding a nice women’s Bermans jacket for a decent price. It’s actually worth noting the jacket in the final image is the second jacket I bought for this cosplay, simply because the first one I bought was a different company and style, and ended up way too big for me. Before any painting could be done, I first had to remove the jacket’s iconic shoulder pads and then I actually went to a local tailor to have the sleeve professionally removed because I didn’t have the proper tools on hand to attempt that modification with any real confidence. One thing to note here is that the entire right sleeve has been removed, unlike the iconic half-sleeve that Max  sports. 

Image (4): I ended up buying two types of paint for the jacket. The base white coat shown here is the initial couple layers of white Tulip fabric paint. I’d never modified or painted anything other than a denim vest before, so there was a lot of research and trial/error involved here. In the end, even though Angelus paint is designed to be applied to leather-type surfaces, I knew the white would be necessary to get a nice pop of color and I figured the white Tulip fabric paint would help prevent wearing/cracking of any additional paint layers on top. So far over a year later of a handful of wears and tub storage in the garage, it’s held up well! Luckily, this is a cosplay that can only benefit from cosmetic wear or damage, but you always want that to be controlled chaos, so I’m hoping to prevent any possible cracking or chipping here.

Image (5-6): Close ups of the base coat. I think it took 2-3 coats of the Tulip paint to have a nice even color, and the borders during the painting process were maintained with blue painter’s tape.

Image (7): At last, the Angelus paint was applied! As previously mentioned, this portion was the biggest headache. I needed to keep track of how many coats each portion of the jacket had to make sure it stayed even, and after hours and hours of applying and staring at blue paint, you end up not knowing if you’re where you want to be in terms of the overall look or opacity of it. That said, I think I probably ended up applying about 9 coats of blue paint to the jacket before I allowed myself to call it done?? It’s tough to say, but if I think back that feels about right. 

Image (8): A WIP shot of the cosplay with the majority of the pieces together, no makeup. Here you can see a glimpse of the BPD shirt I designed for the cosplay, as well as the finished jacket complimented with painted fingerless gloves. The shoulder piece makes its first appearance here to, but just with a base coat of black applied at this point. I had originally bought youth football pads for this with the goal of modifying them myself using a Mad Max cosplay site for a tutorial. But lack of time/resources/money led me to try and search one out. I ended up finding an Etsy shop were someone sold dystopian costume pieces, including shoulder pads. I lucked out in finding a piece that seemed like it would fit me, and that (thank all higher power) rested on the same side my sleeve had been removed. 

Originally, the shoulder was a black padding piece with alternating yellow stripes, but I repainted it to match the insignia and arm line of the jacket as best I could. 

Looking back, I think there’s some more modifications I want to try and apply to pull it further away from Max specifically to just fit into the world overall. I think I’m gonna try to add more spikes, diy defensive feathers on the look, and once that’s done I’ll apply Fuller’s Earth to give the overall costume a further desert wasteland worn and weathered look to really tie it all together!

There are some other parts of this cosplay I haven't documented here, in part there were pieces I had to abandon because I ran out of time! But I’ll try to upload stuff as I revisit the boots and escrima sticks along with the other pieces that may evolve as I prepare this cosplay for WonderCon 2018. Please keep an eye out if you’re interested! For those that read this mess, hopefully it was somewhat interested or maybe even helpful in your own cosplay pursuits. Feel free to hit me up with any questions regarding the process or products I used, especially if you’re thinking of trying them out and are unsure about anything. 

[clarencenicholsonata]

How to Use Instagram to Drive Sales Like A Marketer

Instagram has proven itself as a business platform that brings results. It’s no longer about candid pictures or random selfies. Instead, it’s become a space for up and coming brands to make a name for themselves alongside corporate giants.

Gathre, a brand created by two moms, specializes in items for the home like outdoor accessories, yoga tools and leather goods. It used Instagram for a summer campaign and saw a whopping 81% increase in revenue based on Instagram ad spend as a single summer ad campaign.

Instagram knows the potential it holds for businesses. Over the last few years, it has built a community for a global audience, enabled shoppable posts, and checkout features to capture sales without asking potential buyers to switch platforms.

At the same time, anyone who has created a business account knows, just having an account isn’t enough. There’s a lot more than goes into growing your sales with Instagram than most people let on. In this article, I’ll be showing you in five steps to use Instagram to drive sales.

1.Optimize Your Business Instagram Account

Before you start promoting products, you’ll have to optimize your Instagram business account

What you’re doing here is ensuring that when potential buyers search or discover your brand online, your Instagram profile will have the information and contact details to prevent them from turning away.

Add a Recognizable Photo and Username

One of the worst mistakes you can make is to have an unrecognizable username and display photo. If you’ve already got this part down, you can skip to step two, but if there’s the slightest chance that you might want to make a few changes, stick around and let me show you how it’s done.

You’ll want an Instagram username that’s the same as your business name so that searchers can easily find you. That’s what shoe brand Payless did.

Whereas Red Lobster took a creative approach by using two red lobster claws as their profile image, which sums up what and who they are.

Claiming your business name might be easier said than done if you were late to join Instagram. With more than 500 million users on the platform every day, someone might have already taken your Instagram business username.

If your original username is gone, just add a variation to it, and you’re good to go. Take Later, for example: someone else has already taken the username @later, so the marketing team used @latermedia instead.

Need help coming up with an Instagram Username? Check out Plann’s fun guide to creating Unique Usernames for Instagram That Will Get You Noticed.

Include a Link to Boost Traffic to Your Site

There’s no point in getting sales with Instagram if you don’t promote your website link on your Instagram channel. Drop your link your Instagram bio to boost website traffic and sales.

Instagram Example: All Bird

An Interesting Bio That Hooks Followers

People will often scan your bio and photos before deciding whether they should follow you.

Think of your Instagram bio as an elevator pitch to get people hooked on your brand. You can write a simple line or use up the entire bio word limit of 150 characters.

Here are two brands with great Instagram bios:

HUM Nutrition

Nike

2. Create an Instagram Marketing Strategy

If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. Create an Instagram marketing strategy for your business so that you can set goals and actions that align with your content. A strategy also helps you to measure how effective your Instagram marketing is in terms of the type of engagement, revenue, and the impact you want your brand to have.

Now more than ever, a marketing strategy is critical. With Instagram's changing algorithm working on over 95 million posts every day, you're going to need a plan to push your brand above all that content and noise.

You can use the following to get started on your Instagram marketing strategy:

1. Create a Marketing Goal Why are you marketing on Instagram, and what do you want to accomplish? It's a given that you'd like to increase sales. But how do you intend to do it?

It could be as simple as planning to sell x amount of products per month, get more subscribers, increase repeat shoppers or all of the above. Whatever the case may be, it's wise to start with one goal at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed.

2. Create a Content Marketing Plan Now that you have a goal in mind, you'll need to create a content marketing plan that will complement it. Your content marketing plan is the key to creating amazing content (we'll talk more about that later), and it'll help you to keep your sanity when you're coming up with content ideas to post on Instagram.

Here’s a detailed guide to show you How to Build a More Complete Content Marketing Strategy to start seeing some Insta-famous results come your way.

Pro Tip: If your already have a content marketing strategy but the results are underwhelming, here are 6 reasons your content strategy isn’t working and 25 tips on how to fix it.

3. Social Media Strategy (Checklist) What's a social media checklist?

It's a daily, weekly, and monthly to-do list for your social media accounts. It helps you manage your Instagram account with ease, without feeling overwhelmed with comments, likes, and messages constantly flooding you.

I've created a step-by-step guide on how to make a social media checklist so you'll be handling Instagram like a pro in no time. Get started and download your free social media checklist here (no email required!)

It can seem like a lot to take in, but if you want to start using Instagram to drive sales to your business, you'll need to get serious about how you handle it, or you'll just be posting with little to no results. Take it from me: a well-executed plan pays off in the long run.

3. Boost Engagement on Instagram & Strengthen Customer Relationships.

Engage with Your Instagram Followers

No customer wants to walk into a retail store and be ignored; the same goes for customers going to your Instagram page.

When customers are ignored on social media or notice an inactive brand on Instagram, they'll most likely unfollow you or buy from your competitors.

That’s something no one wants, so start engaging!

Engagement increases your social media presence, builds loyalty, drives ROI, and attracts new followers.

Take a look at 720 Sweets & Etc. answering customer questions about their locations. As simple as it is, it can also drive foot traffic to your brick and mortar store.

Fitness brand Equinox has over 200,000 followers, yet they still take the time to engage with their followers by candidly answering and liking comments.

When you engage with followers, you should naturally promote your product website or store. Try not to make it seem forced. For example, Primark's Instagram account occasionally suggests customers come into their store to buy their products, or they ask customers to share how they style Primark pieces. Here’s an example below:

4 Effortless Ways to Engage with Followers on Instagram

Ask them a question about your products

Answer their questions in the comments

Recommend products they might need or want

Talk with them in the comments section

for feedback about your services or products

Jumpstart Your Instagram Engagement with Contests

Social media contests are a marketer’s growth hack when it comes to getting more followers, more engagement, and generating leads with the serious potential to drive massive sales.

Brands like Hydroflask make giveaways an essential part of their Instagram marketing strategy to gain more followers and increase sales during holidays. They host giveaways every three months and partner with complementing brands to make each giveaway prize even better than the last.

For example, for summer Hydroflask got over 100,000 likes and over 50,000 likes and comments with their partnered giveaway with Pura Vida's Stickers.

4 Most Popular Types of Instagram Contest:

Like-to-Win or Comment-to-Win: USANA Summer Giveaway

Follow To Win: The Beauty Spy

Tag -A-Friend : Tono & Co.

Click The Link In The Bio To Enter : World Photography Organisation

Pro Tip: Just like Facebook, you'll need to follow the contest rules. You don't need a lawyer for this one, but instead use this Complete Instagram Giveaway Rules Guide (With Examples).

Answer Your Instagram DMs

When you're using Instagram for business, managing all of your direct messages, comments, and replies can take up a lot of time! Sometimes you'll have to answer the same question, over and over (and over) again.

But keep at it! Answering direct messages and comments is essential when it comes to maintaining engagement with your new and current followers. Luckily, Instagram now offers saved replies in your direct messages, so you can save yourself the trouble of typing.

How to Use Quick Replies

Open your profile and tap the button with three lines in the top-right corner of the screen. This will open the sidebar menu where you can access your Instagram settings.

Next, tap the settings button and scroll down to Business Settings. Here you should see an option for Quick Replies.

Tap the “+” button in the top-right corner to create a new quick reply.

Once you’re happy with your quick reply, tap the ‘Save’ button in the top-right corner (you can always come back and edit or delete your quick reply later).

When you go into your direct messages to access your replies, you can click on the icon below:

4. Drive Sales with Instagram “Shopping”' Content & Features

Now that you've shaped your Instagram into a lean, mean sales machine, it's time to produce, package and deliver content and features to drive sales on your Instagram.

Promote Your Products with Creative, Professional Photos

Share your products, events, and giveaways on your Instagram profile.

You want to ensure that you promote your products with creative, professional photos. Since most online shoppers can't physically touch the product, they need to see your products in a good light (no pun intended).

Your customers need to see what they’re buying. The product image needs to be professional or placed in a lifestyle setting so that they can imagine a product in their day to day life. One of the reasons most products on Instagram sell so well is the high quality in product photography and display.

No matter how good your product is, without the right pictures, shoppers will still hesitate to click ‘Purchase’.

Everlane's Instagram shows off their products and pieces with fun lifestyle and product shots.

If you're on a budget or need help taking better product images, Hootsuite's got you covered with a step-by-step guide on How to Take Good Instagram Photos on Your Phone.

Sharing content in your Instagram story is an easy and effective way to expand your reach. With Instagram's 'swipe up" feature to drive customers to your website, you can capture a few sales in between.

Write a Killer Caption That Sells

A common mistake that most brands make on Instagram is trying to "hard" sell products to Instagram followers. Instagram was made for connecting first. Business became a part of it later. Try soft selling to appeal to Instagram’s Social Culture.

Think of your captions like mini-movie trailers or sales pitches; you don't start off the bat by saying ‘buy now’, not unless you have a monster of a following of loyal buyers like Nike or Old Navy.

The length of your caption can vary, despite popular belief that it should always be short, that may not be the case. Take Herbivore, for example, when they posted about their discount for their 8th birthday. It's a bit lengthy, but it's engaging:

Instagram Example: Herbivore

You can also use hashtags in your captions. Hashtags help to make your post discoverable for people searching for your brand or the products that you offer.

You can incorporate hashtags to make your captions more actionable. Take Chinese Laundry, they use the hashtag #ChineseLaundry for brand awareness and #TapToShop to let users know they can tap the image for Instagram shoppable posts.

Instagram Example: Chinese Laundry

Use Instagram Ambassadors to Share Your Brand

Using Instagram influencers has been proven to drive to drive sales. Around 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, and 40% purchased something after seeing it on Instagram.

Now major brands like H&M have been known to use influencers for every fashion collection.

According to Mediakix, influencer marketing is expected to grow to a $5 – $10 billion market by 2020. More and more influencers are popping up each day, as more brands begin to take up dedicated influencers for their own.

You don't need an influencer who has millions of followers. You can use micro influencers who have between 5000-200,000 followers. More and more marketers are looking to micro-influencers to deliver affordable, professional and amazing content.

Pro Tip:Here are 7 Reasons to Use Micro-Influencers to Boost E-Commerce Sales.

5 Best Tools To Get More Sales On Instagram

LinkTree: Linktree allows you to turn your tiny Instagram website link into a sales funnel for your business. Take a look at what happens when you click on Wishpond’s Instagram Linktree URL:

Like2Buy: Owned by Curalate, Like2Buy was the first company to offer brands the chance to turn their Instagram posts into shoppable images. Brands like Target and Sephora trust Like2Buy to help drive sales for their Instagram marketing.

Instagram Shoppable Post: Once your business has a product catalog via Facebook connected to your Instagram account, tagging products is as simple as tagging a person in a post. Instagram shoppable posts are marked with a “Tap to View Products” pop-up or small white circle with the shopping bag icon.

Instagram Checkout: March 2019, Instagram dropped the checkout feature vendors had been waiting for. Now, not only can you tap to view a product, but you can offer viewers the chance to use the “Checkout on Instagram” button on the product page, so shoppers can pay for their order without leaving Instagram.

Once the buyer’s first order is complete, the information will be stored securely for convenience the next time they shop.

Instagram Stories Shopping Stickers: Similar to the regular Instagram shoppable posts, you’re able to tag physical products from their inventory or e-commerce platform. When you click on an item in Instagram, you’re able to view the item name, price, and description.

You can use Instagram Stories stickers on both images and videos, and there are four different types of stickers. It is restricted to certain countries, just like a shoppable post.

5. Beat Instagram’s Algorithm & Measure Your Success

So your content game is strong, and your account has taken over the gram. To keep that success coming, you’ll need to watch out for Instagram’s ever-changing algorithm and measure your success so you’re on the right track.

How to Beat Instagram Algorithm

Every year, business owners over the world grumble about Instagram’s algorithm as they try to grow their following, but there are some good intentions behind it all.

At the end of the day, Instagram’s algorithm, like YouTube, rewards content with high engagement. The not-so-secret sauce to beat the algorithm is to stay consistent with your content strategy and online activity. Wolf Software shows it best:

Just like a fish swimming upstream, the moment you stop moving, stop being active, you risk losing your pace.

Don’t fall into the trap of post-it-once-and-forget-it. Keep up with these Important Instagram Algorithm changes, and you’ll be able to use the algorithm to work for you.

How to Measure Your Instagram Success

You’ll need to go beyond how many followers you gain for the month. New followers aren’t always paying customers; they’re new leads you can turn into potential customers. That’s to say that having 10,000 followers isn’t the same as 10,000 orders. Maybe a small fraction of those customers purchase from you, and an even lower percentage become repeat customers. Which is why it’s important to measure your success, and take a close look at the impact your Instagram has on your revenue.

Look at your engagement, how many queries for prices and orders you get along with how many people complete purchases on your website after coming from Instagram. From there, you’ll begin to measure how successful your Instagram is when it comes to driving sales for you.

Summary

Here’s a quick recap on how to use Instagram to drive sales and grow your engagement:

Optimize Your Business Instagram Account

Create an Instagram Marketing Strategy

Boost Engagement on Instagram & Strengthen Customer Relationships.

Drive Sales with Instagram “Shopping”’ Content & Features

Beat Instagram’s Algorithm & Measure Your Success

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been on Instagram for a while, you can use these tips to push you in the right direction.

Which tip was your favorite, or which are you trying now? Comment below and let me know. I’d love to hear!

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