#but I've had enough. I'm not particularly strong or resourceful

[dogearedheart]

kinda sucks that fall is such a weird time in my life. same for winter tbh. getting closer and closer to my birthday also doesn't help because I feel like I'm walking in circles

[hazbinsponsoredbyvee]

I heard you do request, can I request a staticapple fic, where vox meets Lucifer for the first at the hotel and his meeting with him is more pleasant than it was with Alastor?

This gave me the perfect opportunity to also detail some of the lore of this blog!

Sponsored by Vee

Vox adjusted his bowtie and took a deep breath before knocking on the front door of the recently rebuilt Hazbin Hotel. He was expected, of course. He wouldn't just show up to Alastor's little pet project without calling ahead, but he still had plenty of reasons to be nervous - not the least of which was who he was meeting with.

He fixed a brilliant smile on his face as the door was opened by the King of Hell himself. "Hello! You must be Vox."

"The one and only!" He reached out to shake the hand of the shorter man, noting as he did that he was even more attractive in person. "A pleasure to be meeting you, sir!"

Lucifer shook his hand cordially, but Vox could tell that his polite smile was strained. Not altogether surprising - the King wasn't known to be particularly fond of Sinners, after all. "I suppose you should come on inside! We can talk in my office."

He stepped into the entryway of the hotel and motioned for Vox to follow after him, leading him through the corridors of the building. Vox looked around as they went, taking in his surroundings.

"You did a good job with the place," he noted.

Lucifer glanced back at him, faint surprise in his eyes. "You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't see much of the inside of the last hotel, but it looks great in here!" It was certainly far from Vox's preferred style, but he could still appreciate it for what it was.

"Thanks!" Lucifer's smile was perhaps a bit more genuine as he paused at an open doorway and ushered Vox inside a good-sized office decorated with family pictures.

"So," he started as he sat down behind his large, ornate desk. "You said you wanted to talk about sponsoring the hotel?"

"I do!" Vox immediately confirmed, taking a seat across the desk. "That was quite the showing you all put on on Extermination Day! Whether or not Sinners can be redeemed remains to be seen, but what I do know is that there's something special about this place. And with my help, I know we convince the rest of Pride of that, too."

Lucifer quirked a lopsided smile as he leaned back in his chair. "Nice sales pitch. Now, what do you actually want out of this?"

Vox blinked, his own smile faltering for just a second. He wasn't used to people seeing through him so soon - or at all, really, with the exception of certain Overlords. He quickly considered his options, and then he sighed, leaning forward with his hands held palms-up in an expression of honesty.

"The hotel was strong enough to take on an entire Exorcist army and eliminate their leader. I know the potential for a powerful alliance when I see it, and growing in power is at least half done through the connections we make. But I promise you, I have the influence and resources to be of benefit to your endeavor, whether I believe in it, or not."

Lucifer raised his eyebrows. "Honesty. Not something I'm used to with Overlords."

"Well, with all due respect, the other Overlord you've worked with, from my understanding, is Alastor. And deceit and secrecy is his first language."

"No kidding," he chuckled. "Just one of the reasons I can't stand the guy."

Vox's screen lit up in absolute delight. "You have excellent taste, your majesty! Alastor is, without a doubt, the worst."

"Finally, someone agrees!" Lucifer beamed happily as he leaned forward, picking up one of the rubber ducks on his desk and fiddling with it as he spoke animatedly. "I don't get why everyone is so enamored by him! I don't like him being here one bit, but Charlie insists. And I don't get it!"

"He knows how to be quite charming when he wants to be," he muttered with a faint grimace.

"Well, I've yet to see that side of him!" He laughed, setting the duck back down and pressing a finger against its back so that it emitted a small squeak.

"I like the ducks," Vox commented, nodding to the one the King was currently messing with.

Lucifer seemed to just realize what he was doing and pulled his hand back with traces of embarrassment showing on his face. "I just... like having something to fiddle with sometimes!" he explained a touch defensively as he crossed his arms.

"Me too." He shrugged, pretending not to notice the King's awkwardness. "I have a shark bobblehead on my desk. I do the same thing."

"Really?" he asked with seemingly genuine interest. His smile returned in full force as he relaxed, dropping his arms from their defensive position. "Neat! So, you like sharks?"

"Oh, yeah. I have five of my own," he said in the air of a proud parent bragging about his kids. "All electric."

"Ooh! I'd love to meet them!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Come over to the tower sometime, and I'll introduce you," Vox promised with an honest smile.

"Thanks!" The excitement on Lucifer's face dimmed down to a small, but still genuine smile. "I've gotta be honest, when we set up this meeting, I kind of expected more of the same from you as from, well, Alastor. But you're different."

"Well, Alastor and I are rivals in the media industry, so that's not surprising!" he said with a laugh. "But I assure you, if you agree to partner with me, I won't let our rivalry interfere with any hotel business."

Lucifer looked up at him with a thoughtful smirk. "Bet it'd piss him off, though..."

Oh, Vox definitely liked this guy. "Ha! It definitely would!" he agreed with a smirk of his own.

"Not that I'd make a decision based off that!" he quickly amended.

"Oh, of course not! Besides, there are plenty of other great reasons to partner with me!"

Lucifer grinned as he picked up the duck again and leaned back in his chair with the air of one settling in for a good conversation. "Well, I'd love to hear them!"

[sugurushimura]

Either I made this up or this definitely was a thing but I remember reading one of your posts about what higuchi's childhood was like and the economic situations of the time. at the end of the post you suggested you might expand on it in the future so I was wondering if you had any fresh thoughts on the topic?

yes, i mentioned this briefly in my higuchi analysis! @mikami also talked about this topic before here, and i recommend giving that post a read since it's a large part of what got me thinking about the circumstances of higuchi's youth in the first place.

i'm not a huge expert on the japanese economy, especially from before i was born, but i do have a few more thoughts on this. higuchi was born in 1972, at the very tail end of the japanese economic miracle. the 1973 oil crisis marks the end of it, but the japanese economy withstood the impact and remained strong (from my limited understanding) until the asset price bubble burst in 1992, which just so happens to be the year higuchi turned 20.

so higuchi grew up during a very strong time for the japanese economy. since he's from a wealthy family, i imagine he would have lived well even if the economy had been worse; what's more important imo is that times were good and the higuchi family was optimistic. since the japanese economic miracle started in 1955, depending on his parents' ages, it's possible that they didn't even remember a time before the miracle. (personally i think his father is older than that, but ymmv.)

higuchi grew up in a financially optimistic environment and had the idea that his bright future was not just a possibility, but a certainty. as he went through his schooling, i think he always had the idea that it was all stupid and not worth putting effort into since he was going to get a cushy corporate job when he grew up anyway. he was a mediocre student; he had enough resources to ensure that his work was passable, but was only rarely motivated enough to do particularly well. higuchi jiro, in my mind, was always a strict and cold man, and while higuchi never exactly fell behind his peers, he certainly fell short in his father's eyes.

more than academic success, i think higuchi focused a lot on his social standing and what his peers thought of him. unfortunately, he struggled to find somewhere he fit in. despite being a rich kid, the idea of rebellion was always cool to higuchi, and deep down he longed to be special and rebellious in a way that you can never fully be when you're trying (however halfheartedly) to live up to higuchi jiro's expectations. the other rich kids who he hung out with only tolerated him; every counterculture movement he brushed shoulders with rejected him. his luck with women was never very good, either; the few relationships he had in school were mostly shallow and ended unceremoniously. by the time he graduated, higuchi had grown into a somewhat lonely person thirsting for approval and belonging.

eventually he graduates and goes to university for the customary degree before setting out for an office job. i really don't think there was any significance in picking political science except that it's generally employable and seemed more interesting to study as an 18 year old than business or a similar degree did.

i've grown fond of the idea that at some point between high school and yotsuba, higuchi decided to quit college and flee to the states before very quickly being robbed of his illusions and returning to japan. i've tossed it back and forth, and i think what happens is this: the economy crashes in the middle of higuchi's college years, and he realizes abruptly that getting a job might be harder than he thought, and that the job itself will almost certainly be more difficult to maintain. he grows angry at the world for seemingly fucking him over right before he could've benefited from the economy as a working adult, and it occurs to him that maybe all this work won't be worth it in the end. in a moment of anger and desperation, he books a plane ticket to america, embarking on what was supposed to be some sort of glamorous soul-finding journey. this doesn't go as well as he'd hoped, and ultimately he returns to japan with a man his father hired to find him. this unpleasant, embarrassing experience resigns higuchi to the corporate life he'd planned on previously.

so ends his life as a child and begins his life as a childish adult, and so cements a strong "i deserve better than this and everyone/the world is out to undermine me" complex. i guess that's what happens when you don't get the future you feel you were promised.

[wolfsbanesparks]

Howdy, I'm freezing over here in Texas rn 🥶 Anyways, I've been thinking about Pretty Little Thing. Sunny has disappeared, as far as we, the readers know. This may mean the kidnapper/killer(s?) are able to overcome Sunny's odd ability to charm people. That, along with the fact that you've said in the past that the killer collected body parts for trophies (something like that, I think), makes me really afraid of whoever this person could be. Mentally strong enough to overcome the Sunny charm and wicked enough to hack kids apart. Oh dear... it makes me wonder if this person has meta abilities or magical powers that have been helping them or someone who's been aiding them.

Also, is it just kids? We've seen that many kids have gone missing, but I raise a question, has any adults? (Besides Captain Marvel, obvi). Billy’s been going down a rabbit hole, originally thinking just Scott was missing, but then finding out even more kids and friends of his are missing. If he investigates further, I'm afraid he'll find something even worse.

Bonus: I've been brainrotting in this little freeze, so I started thinking thoughts. What if the super sons caught wind of the missing Captain Marvel, and set out to Fawcett to help their fathers and prove themselves, only to end up missing like Billy :0

oh geez, ignore this if you want, but your fic is just so lovely ❤️

Oh poor Sunny!

His powers definitely make him a unique victim in this line up, though for the purposes of this story he is one of the street kids (albeit one that has a much easier time making money/getting basic necessities than most)

I love your theories for the killer(s)! There's lots of possibilities for how these kids were taken, all of them with lots of interesting possibilities! You bring up a really great point that there could easily be adult victims as well that no one has noticed, not even Billy who has been focusing on looking for missing kids.

Would you be mad if I said that Sunny's abilities is what got him taken? That it got him noticed and made him a target?

it would be so interesting to see the Super sons in this type of situation because they are smart and powerful with a lot of resources that Billy doesn't have, so it would be interesting to see how they would go about it (especially as outsiders to Fawcett City).

I will say though that the two of them would most likely never actually be targeted. They have large families that care about them (Wayne's are famous billionaires) so their disappearances would be noticed and investigated immediately which would be a major risk. And if they were somehow taken as Robin and Superboy, that would bring in people like Batman and Superman which would be an even greater risk. The only way the Super Sons would be attacked would be if they managed to get too close to the truth and needed to be taken out.

They target the most vulnerable people (namely the homeless) for reasons that will become clearer once Billy is abducted, but part of the reason is that people won't notice a missing street kid (particularly one that had technically been missing for some time). It's low risk and allows them to keep killing for as long as they want. It's one of the reasons Billy is in danger--he's fundamentally more vulnerable than other kids his age, more vulnerable than other heroes. He is in a very unique position to not only figure out what's going on, but also be part of the targeted population himself.

Lots to consider! I love thinking about these different aspects of the story with you!

[waheelawhisperer]

regarding my last ask, you mention RWBY: Amity Arena as being particularly bad. i have never heard of this game before

if you have time, and are willing to humor me yet again, i would love to hear your wisdom

First of all, I'm sorry it took me a week to answer this. Work has been absolutely brutal (I've regularly been leaving the office between 8:00 and 9:00 PM for like 2 weeks now) and I really haven't had time for anything that takes actual effort. Please bear in mind that A) I'm tired as hell, and B) this game shut down in early 2021 so everything I'm telling you is based on memory that would potentially be spotty even if I was at my best.

To start with, I'll give you a brief explanation of what Amity Arena was before getting into the reasons why it sucked ass. RWBY: Amity Arena was a PVP mobile game where the goal was to destroy your opponent's base (which consisted of a central tower and two turrets to defend it) located at the other end of the map using a collection of units derived from the show. Each player had a deck of eight units, which they could deploy into one of two lanes corresponding to the two turrets. The units in question would advance toward the opposing tower, eventually converging on the base structure, and could potentially wander between them via the use of skills or by targeting enemies that stood close enough to the border for them to lock onto and follow.

The player deployed their characters by expending a resource called Aura. The player had a maximum of eight Aura, which regenerated at a set rate over time. Each unit cost a fixed amount of Aura, ranging from 1 to 8. The order of the cards (representing the units) in the player's prebuilt deck was shuffled at the start of the match and then cycled in order as the player deployed units. The player could hold four (I think?) cards in their hand at a time, and as they played a card, the next card in the deck would appear in their hand.

There was a great deal of unit variety: units were broken up into melee and range, grounded and aerial, and some cards could deploy singular strong units and others deployed swarms of weaker units (for example, Scythe Ruby deployed one powerful fighter, while White Fang Gunners deployed three relatively weak ranged fighters), and some cards had special skills they could activate to gain an advantage (Shadow Blake, for example, could dash a short distance and leave behind a targetable clone, making her very good at drawing aggro and switching rapidly between lanes, while Shield Pyrrha could throw her shield, dealing damage to all units in its path).

(If you've noticed something about the naming convention for the units above, you're on the right track: I'm about to talk about the gacha system)

So, there were a few ways to actually acquire units to add to your deck: first, you had to progress far enough up the ranks to actually unlock them. There were specified tiers that you moved up through by winning enough, and each tier gave you access to a broader selection of units. After every game, you'd get a randomly generated crate that you could open to get currency and copies of cards. Once you had a card, you could upgrade it with additional copies, and you could use the currency you got to buy stuff in the shop (new units, cosmetics, crates, premium currency, etc). I'm not going to go into exactly how the different currencies worked, mostly because I don't remember, so suffice it to say that like a lot of other mobile games, you could buy shit with real money and it fucking sucked.

Like every gacha game (or game with gacha elements), the rates were awful. Units were divided into four rarities: Normal, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. The unit distribution in each rarity was reasonably balanced early on, but as the developers added more units, it started to skew toward the Legendary category because adding new basic units didn't make money and adding rarer units did.

To give you an example of how much money, consider this: I remember one of the relatively big-name players (inasmuch as a RWBY mobile game has big-name players) would regularly roll for units on release so he could stream himself using them and give the playerbase an idea of what they did. When Sienna Khan released, this man spent 800 fucking dollars trying to get her. He wasn't even going for duplicates. He just wanted the character.

(IIRC this guy spent low 5 digits total on this game, it was insane)

This was an egregiously bad incident that didn't represent the average player experience, but I'm including it to point out that trying to even acquire new units, much less stay competitive by enhancing your cards with duplicate copies, could get real tough real fast.

(You also had to go for duplicate copies of your core units, because matchups could swing significantly if the opposing units had enough of a level advantage - say, by allowing them to survive burst from a unit that would counter them at equivalent levels)

This is before we get into the way the game balance was consistently and completely fucked. I won't bother listing every single instance, but I will go over some of the more egregious mistakes in terms of unit design. Let's start with...

Neon Katt: Probably the single most hated character throughout all of Amity Arena's run, Neon Katt somehow managed to be more annoying in the game than she was in the show. Upon deployment, Neon skates toward the opposing tower and taunts all units that enter her range. Sounds like an okay unit idea, right? Well, you're not wrong, but they fucked up the concept. First, Neon is cheap as hell (costs 2 Aura). Second, she was initially invincible until she hit a turret, so she could run down a lane and get chip damage for free while also providing utility in the form of her taunt (Neon was a major contributor to the godawful chip meta where you just spammed long-range skills that could hit structures and avoided interacting with your opponent as much as possible until the game was over). Third, her weight value was Heavy at launch, meaning she could actually push other units, which lead to the hilarious and annoying Disco Bear strat (deploying Neon behind an Ursa Major, an extremely strong, slow, and durable tank) and pushing it at top speed into the turret while preventing it from taking damage along the way.

Nobody liked this. The playerbase begged for nerfs. The devs eventually patched out Disco Bear by making her weight Light and decreased the range of her taunt or some shit idr, but it took seven fucking months to get an actual nerf, which they did by changing her from being invincible to having an HP value of 20. Normally, that would mean she dies in one hit, but they set it up so that she only takes one damage per hit, meaning you had to hit her 20 fucking times before she'd finally die. They eventually nerfed it down to 14 or 15 or something, but then they buffed it back to 20, so fuck them and fuck Neon lol

Baby Death Stalkers: Not as obviously obnoxious as the rest of this list, but they warped the meta in insidious ways by invalidating a shitton of single-target melee units. Baby Death Stalkers dropped five relatively fragile melee units with high damage and attack speed for the low, low cost of 1 Aura, allowing players to both hold a cost-effective counter to a large number of units in reserve and cycle their deck at minimal cost when necessary. Baby Death Stalkers hard countered most single-target melee units without an AoE skill or high attack speed because you could drop them around the target and force them to land five attacks to clear them, during which time the Baby Death Stalkers could attack uninterrupted with their high damage and attack speed as the target killed one, turned, reacquired a target, and repeated the process. This was how you got the comical and frustrating sight of in-universe badasses like Ren and Winter getting their asses kicked by five baby scorpions.

Using Baby Death Stalkers to counter a higher-value card often gave the player a 2+ Aura advantage, something that could rapidly snowball, and even if there wasn't a target in the field to hard counter, you could just drop them in front of one of your own higher-value units as a cheap meatshield or toss them out to cycle your deck by drawing a new card for minimal cost.

Jinn: Jinn is what happens when you think Neon isn't obnoxious enough and decide to make a unit that's actively worse for the game. She's also what happens when you look at the issues with both the playable meta and the game experience as a whole and think "that's not a bug, it's a feature!".

To start with, Jinn was a Legendary card, which meant that not only was the game continuing to release a disproportionate amount of higher-rarity cards (that made money), actually getting her was a pain in the ass. Yay, gacha.

Jinn was capable of stopping time around any unit for 7 seconds (i.e. everything caught in the blast was essentially frozen as it was. It couldn't take action, but nor could it be harmed). This meant she could be used to protect vital units by freezing them so that they didn't take damage from active effects or weren't prioritized by enemy units or to counteract enemy threats by freezing them until the player could deploy a counter or bring a skill off cooldown, and she could do it for two Aura. This is already insanely strong, but Jinn was a structure, meaning she'd just sit out on the field without moving into range of the enemy and could be used multiple times if she survived until her skill cooldown refreshed, and her incredibly low cost meant she could both provide enormous amounts of utility insanely cheaply and help cycle the deck as needed.

To make matters worse, Jinn was very obviously not playtested, both because she was broken as shit and because she initially stayed on the field long enough that if you could cycle the deck quickly enough, you could deploy two copies of her and make your towers permanently invincible, forcing a draw at worst. You could literally just say "fuck it" and prevent your opponent from even having a win condition.

(and also some of her early interactions were bugged as shit - if she used her ability on certain units during their skill animations, she could make them invincible and jump structures to the top of their priority list, so if this happened you had an unstoppable juggernaut hell-bent on destroying your towers to the exclusion of all else)

Finally, Jinn enabled a shitton of other cards that would've otherwise been okay without a get-out-of-jail-free card vs. their counters. Some of the cards I talk about later just got... so much fucking worse with Jinn. Holy shit.

White Fang Gunner Barracks: This was honestly the card that gave rise to the worst meta I've ever played. White Fang Gunner Barracks was a structure that would periodically spawn a White Fang Gunner (relatively weak ranged unit), which was pretty forgettable initially because it took a while and only spawned one at a time for a cost of 5 Aura, but then they fucking buffed it so that it spawned two at a time. It also spawned three Gunners upon expiring or being destroyed. Three White Fang Gunners is a 2-Aura value as it is. That means it only has to spawn enough Gunners to grant 3 Aura in value to pay for itself. It spawns 2 Gunners per wave. Each Gunner is worth two thirds of an Aura unit. One wave is worth 1 1/3 of an Aura unit. If the structure survives to spawn 3 waves (which it almost always did unless you had one of its small number of counters on hand to deploy immediately and the opponent couldn't protect it from those counters with Jinn), it's not just paying for itself, it's giving you more value than its cost (6 Aura vs. 5)... and it could just keep spawning Gunners. This thing stayed on the field for 45 seconds. It spawned a wave of Gunners every 7 seconds. That's 6 waves of Gunners if not stopped - 12 total Gunners from the waves, 3 Gunners from the destruction/expiration effect, for a cumulative 15 Gunners and 9 Aura of value. Admittedly, it took time for the Gunners to build up, but once they did, they could mow down a tower in seconds and you had to constantly dedicate a response to them, while the Barracks was a set-and-forget card that let the player using it focus on other parts of the battle while it did its thing.

Gunner Barracks defined the meta for six straight months. Every team had to have one of its small number of counters, all of which could be negated by Jinn and most of which were higher-rarity than Barracks and thus it was easy to level up Barracks to the point where it could survive the burst/DoT output of units that ostensibly dealt with it. This was genuinely the least fun I have ever had playing this game.

Chip Meta: I won't go into the Artillery Arena chip meta a ton, but there was a very obnoxious point in the game's lifespan where the primary method of winning was to use cards with long-range abilities that targeted enemy turrets directly to chip them down with minimal response. It was boring and uninteractive and most people hated it, much like they hated the way the abundance of AoE and presence of Baby Death Stalkers invalidated both large swarms of units and a number of single-target units.

Launcher Nora and Rifle Pyrrha: These two units were late additions to the game that were meant to help provide counterplay to the bullshit that was the White Fang Gunner Barracks, among other things, but they were annoyingly overtuned on launch and the game died before anyone could bother balancing them properly.

Launcher Nora was a unit with massive attack range (one of the three highest in the game, iirc, and one of the very few units that could outrange turrets with their basic attacks) and high AoE damage. Being a Rare card, she was easy to upgrade, which meant that she'd often just barely survive things meant to kill her, and her absurd range meant even getting to her without a skill with the range to either close the gap or just outright hit her could be extremely difficult. If properly protected, Launcher Nora could just sit on the field and tear your base and forces to pieces with very little counterplay.

Rifle Pyrrha wasn't as bad, but she was still an example of the devs kind of rushing stuff out and not giving a shit. Rifle Pyrrha was a cheap (3 Aura) ranged unit that had a long-ranged active skill automatically kited backwards after every basic attack, making it hard for melee units to catch up to her. She absolutely shat on things like the stream of Gunners coming out of the Barracks, but represented just... one more frustrating thing to play against in a game already full of them.

This isn't even getting into the way so many units and interactions were outright bugged and how much shit just didn't work. The Apathy were a unit that periodically duplicated and initially had no cap on the number of copies they could create, meaning that if you left them alone long enough, they'd just fucking spawn enough additional Apathies to crash your goddamn phone. Checkmate was supposed to make allied units in its AoE temporarily invincible and sometimes just didn't. Sienna Khan's skill regularly bugged out. Etc etc.

Compounding every one of the game's problems was the fact that the developers were extremely unresponsive and regularly ignored community feedback. Neon went untouched for ages despite the community crying out for changes at every level of play, units like Jinn and Barracks took far too long to be addressed for the community's satisfaction, even basic QoL changes or new features the community had been begging for for years never got implemented... Like, it was real bad. Units were extremely over- or undertuned and stayed that way for a long time, patches gradually went from addressing large numbers of units to only addressing a few, the devs stopped responding...

And eventually the game just died. The incompetent balancing drove players away (the playerbase decreased to the point where most people who still bothered with the game could identify the bots the devs seeded the lower levels of the ladder with so that newer players had someone to play). The devs went AWOL around December 2020 and just kinda stopped pushing shit and the team running the social media (official Twitter, community Discord, etc) admitted that they had no idea what the fuck was going on. The game went a month or two without any new content while the community wondered what the hell was happening and posted memes to cope, and then there was an official announcement that the game was shutting in January 2021. I don't know if the devs just sucked or if the killing blow was really Rooster Teeth's influence. I know RT had a hand in it because they were pushing the dev team very hard to ship new units in time for Volume 7 of the main show's release and that led to a lot of the problems mentioned above with the game balance, but I don't know how much responsibility each party bears.

Well, that's my half-remembered history of Amity Arena. As with almost everything else Rooster Teeth has ever touched, it remains an object lesson of what not to do.

Sorry it took so long, I've been very busy.

[yupuffin]

I had no plans to play Star Rail. But I've been curious for a few months.

I didn't want to make any impulse decisions like I did with Genshin Impact, so I didn't act on my curiosity until a couple of days ago.

I didn't think I'd be able to handle both Genshin and Star Rail at the same time; I envisioned the possibility that Star Rail might be like Genshin where it sucks me in right away, and Genshin has effectively been my life for the last three(ish) years.

I tried it out for a couple of days, and was conflicted about whether I wanted to continue playing -- to commit, so to speak -- because it didn't give me that strong initial draw that Genshin did.

I proceeded to severely overthink it (almost definitely an anxiety symptom of some sort), and grew increasingly confident that this was, in fact, a good thing.

Some of you may recall that I had inadvertently caffeinated myself earlier on the day I downloaded Genshin back in February 2021. 🤣 This compounded with a few other things, including an impending sexuality crisis, that led to a lot of acute emotional symptoms, some of which were good, but some of which were very bad and persisted residually for up to several months. Even though the beginning was rough, I loved the game from the start, and to this day it remains a prominent source of joy for me.

I don't have to hold Star Rail to the same expectations as I did Genshin Impact. That's simply not realistic. Star Rail isn't Genshin Impact. But it doesn't have to be Genshin Impact. Like any other game, I can just play it as long as it brings me joy, and when it ceases to bring me joy, I can stop playing. That's the important part. That's what games are for!

So for the past couple of days I've been balancing the two, and I've noticed they actually complement each other really well, to the point that switching between them enriches my experience in each game. As exhilarating as the real-time combat in Genshin is, I feel very focused and relaxed with the turn-based combat in Star Rail, and I like seeing my character be able to stand alongside the others at the same time. And then, when I go back to Genshin, I further appreciate the fantastical, vivid, and colorful environment design in Teyvat that remains one of my primary draws to the game to this day, alongside all of the familiar characters I know and love.

Plus, I think switching between the two is an effective measure against burnout. I've played Genshin every single day for 1,047 days now, so remaining vigilant for burnout has always been and continues to be a necessity, and I think I've gotten pretty good at it. I've completed all of the major story that's currently out, and I have enough Primogem savings that I'm never actively stockpiling for a new character, so at this point it's not necessarily to invest a lot of time into it unless I feel particularly inclined to, and most of the time, my goals are pretty small, like completing the limited-time events, gradually exploring a new area, or something mundane like remodeling my Serenitea Pot.

But the nice thing about Star Rail is that, mechanically and structurally, it's very similar to Genshin, so I can continue to live the experience of progressing a story and building characters, down to the methods for gathering resources. Still, obviously, being a completely different game, it keeps the experience fresher than it would if I simply replayed Genshin. Plus, since I'm not caffeinated and didn't make any impulse decisions this time, I can progress at an easy pace instead of hurrying through it. 🤣

It's a game -- something experienced for fun -- plus, I'm not in the same mental and emotional state as I was three years ago, thank goodness. I don't have to commit. I can just enjoy it and go along for the ride, whether that's for one more day or 1,047 more (and beyond).

As heard in the Kumoricon 2023 18+ Lip Sync Battle:

"Choo choo, motherfuckers."😂

[jinn-mori]

SDS Thoughts | S1 E13 (Part 1)

I've got lots to talk about with this episode!

Enough to have to split this post into two parts.

Hehe... heh...

Can y'all tell the autism is winning?

Howzer

My boi is starting to have his 'Are we the baddies?' moment. HE'S SEEING THROUGH THE PROPOGANDA! He's starting to question the goodness of the Holy Knights and the villainy of the Sins... all because of Diane. Diane put herself at risk to help a civilian while the other Holy Knights were wreaking havoc. And when a Holy Knight attacks both Diane and the civilian, Howzer rightfully calls bullshit on that guy as Holy Knights are supposed to protect the citizens of Liones. And who did that instead? One of those 'horrid criminals', one of the Sins. And it was Diane specifically, whose sin is envy. And envy is a sin rooted in tearing down others, a very selfish sin.

It's here that we see a prominent theme in SDS: Things aren't always what they seem. We see it through Diane and Howzer, a Sin being selfless and a Holy Knight not snitching on her.

While I am more than willing to call Nakaba out on his more... questionable writing decisions, I will definitely give this man his dues when appropriate.

Diane

And speaking of Diane... Good fucking Lord this was definitely Diane's time to shine with Gideon. And King wasn't kidding with that lake analogy for Sins and their Sacred Treasures. While we've seen the power a Sin can wield with their Treasure through King, Chastiefol's strength is in its versatility. Gideon's strength is in its sheer destructive power, which really shows you how fucking terrifying the Sins are.

I fear the day someone lets Diane play Whack-A-Mole.

Helbram

So I recognized Helbram's English voice right off the bat as the same VA for JJBA PT3 Joseph, which is Richard Epcar. Well, the VA for Human!Helbram anyways.

Also, I don't remember much of Helbram's backstory, but I do know that he had a love for humans but that love was ultimately his downfall and his tipping point into hating humans. And Links Skill, his magic ability, works best when a lot of people are lending themselves to the user of their own free will. And magic is a reflection of the user, so maybe Helbram's magic reflects a desire for connection.

Elizabeth

Anyone who says Ellie is weak is full of shit. She doesn't need to be kicking ass to be strong. How is she strong then? Her conviction. Elizabeth Liones is many things, stubborn and determined are two of them.

Heck, even Griamore comments on how strong Elizabeth has become. Not physical strength but strength of character.

Ban and Spell Beads

I wrote down some notes about the spell beads which also happened to include notes about Ban. Now, do note that I'm watching SDS in the English dub, so I'm quoting from there.

My general observation regarding spell beads is that they seem to be used for more supportive things. Magic users specializing in healing and defense don't seem to be very common, the only ones we see with those specialties throughout the series being Griamore, Hendy, King, and Elizabeth. So, my little crack theory is that due to that lack of supply, spell beads fill in the demand. They're a lot easier to carry with you than a healer or defense person and much less on resources.

But where does Ban come into this? He fucking steals Jericho and Guila's spell beads. He comments "You have some fun little toys" in reference to the spell beads. Now, this could just be taken as him being an ass to Jericho and Guila - particularly Jericho - but there could be another way to take it. Ban's magic and immortality basically cover him in all the areas that spell beads cover, so to him, they are toys.

Now, as for the rest of the episode... Ban is losing his shit. It's enough for even Hawk to comment on how Ban has lost his usual cool. Why? Because Demon Meli, that's why. Up to this point, Ban is the only Sin we know to have interacted with a Demon. So while Meli is far above a Red Demon, Ban knows enough to grab Elizabeth and King and book it out of there like a bat out of Hell. It could also have to do with the fact that Ban's immortality was having a malfunction due to Jericho having Demon Blood in her and imbuing her weapon with Demon magic.

A lil' sidenote here: During Cursed By Light, we find out that the Sacred Fairy Tree is closest in elemental stuff to the Goddesses' magic. And it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to say that the Fountain of Youth is in the same ballpark. So it makes sense that Demon stuff wouldn't vibe with it and thus it fucked up Ban's healing factor.

[goldenguillotines]

I'm violently demanding all of the emojis for Kou, actually

"Ah.. Curious are we friend?"

🌅- Do you have a certain routine for starting your night?

"I usually have a cup of coffee and read whatever emails have come in.. Usually I'm coherent early in morning.. so I try and get to the inquiries that people send during the morning time.. Sometimes some of the managers don't get around to sending their correspondence until later."

👽- What is your stance on aliens? Should they be treated just like mutants?

" Hmm.. I don't have much of a stance on that. I think regardless of mutations or origins.. you should be treated with respect and equally.. Along as you aren't causing problems for anyone else or hurting Alternia itself."

🌞- Have you ever gone out or gotten caught out of your hive during daylight? What happened?

"No I haven't. I don't know if I would.. not sure if I'm safe to go out there.. but even if I was. The undead would certainly eat me alive."

💀- Are you strong enough to face shadow droppers on your own if faced with them?

"Maybe. Maybe.. I'm not sure. I'm not particularly versed in a fight. Even if their only goal is to kill me. I certainly wouldn't allow them to take me down with them.. and I would definitely run. I'm rather quick on my feet believe it or not."

🛌- Do you sleep in a recuperacoon or do you rest in other accommodations?

"Recuperacoons are for grubs, no? Retired mine a very long long time ago.. and no use of having it in my place.. I have a bed. Rather small though I have been meaning to get a queen maybe."

🤳- Do you use trollian? If so, what is your handle? If not, do you use any messaging system?

"I have one.. but I don't use it. Please warn if you send me a message. glisteningComposure.. I think I've had a few before.."

💅- Do you have time or resources for self care or small luxuries?

"I don't have much free time.. I'm not struggling with money or such.. Just my time. I do think a little bit of self care that I do is making sure I eat and maintain my spaces I work with.. I don't also enjoy frivolous things or much decor. So.. maybe with some time that can change?"

🌌- Have you ever wanted to travel intergalactically? What would you look for in a place to visit off planet?

"Not particularly a thought I've had. I know some that travel tell me they wish they could ge feet down back on Alternia.. after all. Isn't your first home always your true home?"

🍳- What sort of cuisine do you normally eat? Are you openly okay with items labelled only as grubsauce or grubloaf?

"I usually make something quick or light. More like cut up fruits and vegetables.. or maybe a soup out of a can. I'm not gifted with cooking.. but I'm not awful either."

🚌- How do you normally get around/travel? Would they ever be able to afford their own scuttlebuggy?

"Walking or public transportation believe it or not. I could purchase purchase a vehicle of some kind.. however I don't believe it would be of too much use to me. Just another thing I have to keep track of."

🌃- Do you prefer to live in a rural area or more populated places with communal hive stems?

"I prefer city living in all honesty. It eases some of my worries and concerns. I find that in mote heavily concentrated areas like the one I live in... Some do ignore me or dont notice me. Which is a good thing. Usually there is a fair bit of gawking and staring.. Plus.. I've found most places in the cities a bit more progressive than what I first believed."

🎭- How do you access entertainment? What is available to you to do for fun?

"We all have our television and such... access to the internet. I do find myself enjoying those cafes with open mic poetry occasionally or a movie. Though most of the time.. I opt for a film in a separate window and my work in another."

🩺- How do you access healthcare? Do you have access to doctors or do you have to rely on other forms of medicine?

"If I do feel bad.. Usually I self medicate or use my intuition to avoid most if not all of my visits to the doctors or hospitals. If worse does come to worse.. I have a friend I can ask for some assistance even if they might not enjoy seeing blood."

🔮- Do you believe those who claim to be gifted with the ability to see ghosts or talk to lusii telepathically? Or do you think they are lying?

"I think anything is fairly possible. I've seen odder powers.. and besides. Chuckle voodoos are a thing.. along with Ceruleans manipulation. Why wouldn't that be a thing?"

"There must be minor influences of everything. Such as lusii being drawn to someone.. spiritually drawn without exactly being able to see the spirits.. I think it depends."

🧿- Do you believe in horrorterrors? Or do you believe they're just scary stories?

"I'm doubtful but I leave myself open to changing my mind about these things. I've been told some of Alternia's older generations are more knowledgeable.. such as The Threadweaver. He apparently is knowledgeable of such.. Which is quite funny for someone like himself."

🤖- How do you feel about drones? Do you try to avoid them when they come around?

"I do have my thoughts.. though I never cross them. I try to make myself a little bit scarce. Last thing you need is to be chased by a drone in broad moonlight for looking at it a little funny."

♥️- Do you think that pity should still be considered the normal feelings for a red or would you say love is a more common practice to look for in a mate?

"For some reason.. I've never considered pity in red the 'common' thing.. Or maybe times have changed. Usually most I've seen, have genuinely had love on the forefront of their minds when chasing after someone for their red. Would ge a miserable relationship if the other was putting pity into these feelings."

♦️- Do you think it's dangerous for lowbloods to be pale with highbloods?

"I think it depends on what caste.. I know when Purple, Violet and Fuschia's tempers flair.. If you aren't physically prepared for that. Might be a bit messy.. Though. Not all lower bloods are pushovers or weak. Not exactly on par with their castes strength.. but enough to defend one's self.. and how about the reverse? What if that lower blood was stronger than the high blood? Wouldn't that be dangerous as well?"

♣️- Do you have any interest in an ashen, or do you see it as obsolete in current day?

"Ashen is rather childish.. No? If you need someone to interject on your spades.. I believe that says a lot about your relationship than anything... and I certainly couldn't imagine having to do that either."

♠️- Do you think pitches should only be based on hate, or do you believe they should also be based on a strong rivalry as well?

"Im no spades expert. But there is challenge between spades and romance. A type of love behind it.. even if people would get colored in the face about it. They certainly love that person.. but not in red nor pale of course. I believe there's a type of rivalry and a bit of care that goes hand in hand. Not particularly full blown hate.. Of course there's loathing.. I just don't think defining it so starkly is correct."

🔱- How different do you think Alternia would be if the planet wasnt ruled as a tyranny? Would it be better or worse?

"Alternians would always revert back.. I feel it... Another event for history before another Sea dweller sits on that throne. They'll out live all of us and then some. I suppose it makes sense why it's always been this way."

🪦- Do you believe everyone should be given a proper burial or is it a waste of time to have gravediggers?

"In a perfect world. Yes. However don't you think it's funny? The ones who do get burials are all higher bloods.. and if they're lower.. I usually find them at unmarked Graves being reclaimed by nature.."

🪖- How do you feel about the ever looming threat of being put into the fleet if called upon by the empress to do so?

"If the emperor for some reason called apon me of all people. I believe I could dodge it.. by providing other assistance where necessary or maybe just becoming scarce. I'm not much of a fighter."

⚖️- Do you believe the justice system works, or do you feel justice has to be taken into your own hands?

"Sometimes justice comes after the fact in unexpecting ways. Though our system helps occasion. Most is swayed by what lines others pockets or even who has the most clout.. It is a tricky line. But innocent blood should not be spilled in the pursuit of what is right."

🃏- What are your thoughts on organized religion?

"To each their own. If it allows them to feel more comfortable with the inevitable without harming others.. so be it."

🎄- Do you celebrate holidays of any sort? If so, what ones?

"Not particularly.. though if I was invited to an event or maybe even a gift during the times. I would not make a fuss. Certainly seems pointless as I have no one to celebrate with."

🐚- Are you afraid of the beach or ocean? If so, what reasons?

"I actually enjoy the beach. It's rather calm and pleasent."

🐾- What is your lusus like? Are/were they around often or do/did they normally leave you all by yourself?

"Hm. I don't believe I recall my lusus in all honesty. I do remember most of my grubhood was spend by myself. I was never in danger.. but suspicion tells me perhaps my lusus was poached."

🔥- Have you ever done something (outside of murder) that most likely should be considered a criminal act, but either wasn't or was just swept under the rug due to your status?

"Nothing that I'm aware of. Perhaps hiding my blood color could be considered one.. but otherwise. No."

[the-anonymous-vent-blog]

this feels so silly to come to vent blog but here i am lol

i feel like i'm never going to grow out of my insecurity. i'm not insecure in the way i see it portrayed with everyone else. i'm fourteen and if these are what hormones are like i don't think i can do it. i've always had anger issues, i've always been sensitive and i've always been unhealthily jealous but as i've entered teenagehood, it's only gotten worse.

i'm constantly, always lashing out at the people i love and getting angry at them whenever they call me out on it. i hold onto grudges even weeks after the incident has passed and tell other people about it as if it just happened to make myself seem like the bigger, better person. i form wickedly strong attachments to people that i've just met and create such unrealistic standards of who they'll be that when they inevitably don't meet them i come apart at the seams and feel like my life is over and i need to take drastic measures for two weeks, then i lose the attachment and form an arguably worse obsession where i'm bitter and angry and jealous and want nothing but the worst for them but they dont feel nearly as vividly as i do so i feel stupid and it creates this cycle that im really fucking sick of because i've never met anyone who loves or hates as strongly as i do and i feel like im going crazy

i am such an awful person because of my insecurity and i hate myself for it

it's been so long and i'm so young and i know yo7 cant get rid of insecurity overnight andnit's a "self-love" thing but i'm really, really suffering. i wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy. i have periods of time where i'm good, i feel really fucking fantastic and i don't care about other people and online shit and i think "i was just being dramatic, im actually fine" and then something small happens and i fall apart all over again and it gets worse every time

i dont even know what to do. im sorry if this is too much to put on a vent blog, please ignore this if it is im just feeling weird and it's 9pm and thats probably why im so emotional right now i just want to know im not alone

🍎

Alright first things first- never base your perception of anything on the way books or shows, any kind of story made for entertainment, portrays them. They can help if the team making them is particularly attentive, but they little inherent benefit to being accurate.

Good news- It isn't just hormones. Yes, hormones can make your issues worse and cause instability, but there is always something you can do to fix this problem by your own hand.

Additionally, you just happen to be asking someone who's gone through something very similar!

Bad news- I got through the worst of it through sheer force of will, heavy dissociation, and several years of unwilling social isolation. So lets hopefully avoid that for you! (Even if it does, its really not the end of your life)

Its going to really tough. I mean it. Sometimes it'll feel like you're not making progress at all. Sometimes you won't want to get better. You might make some Bad decisions.

What do to- therapy. I often recommend therapy, because seriously, it is heavily underrated. Your therapist can provide you with many exercises, resources, and its very good to have someone listen who can respond in a constructive manner. I was able to get therapy because my highschool offered it for free, and by my second year I was old enough to make those decision without parental permission thanks to local laws. See if your school, local community center, or other provides similair services.

Support system! A good support system is essential to getting through this. It's going to feel counterintuitive, but stick around those people that didn't meet your standards. It's important to build a social network, and upon learning to tolerate them, you may find yourself truly loving and caring for one or several of them.

Journaling! When having trouble with your thought processes, this is very good! You can get an overview of your stream of consciousness, physically get a look at the areas you need to improve on, and take steps to correcting your attitude. Changing the way we think is important to healing, and this can help catch harmful thoughts. It can also help you catch bad ideas before you try to execute them irl.

Overall- ^^These are just the things I feel are most relevant to your situation. There are many different steps you can take, and plenty of resources online to help you determine whats best for you. THE most important thing however, is to want change. That seems easy, but none of this will change fast. This is the sort of thing that can easily take years. It takes a determination that can be easy to let go of in favor of instinctual reactions and whatever gives you dopamine. These emotions will come and go, and the best you can do is sometimes simply trying to not let them drown you.

Remember, you're not irredeemable. You're just a kid, and being a kid is fucking difficult. <3

[sdyuteiaok]

Ok, not too much of a slog, some relatively quick and easy wins in the Explorer Gold mines, but still gonna take a few more days at this rate since I only go to four wins per day for the most part. But I did change my deck and got rid of the more signature cards (Liliana Dreadhorde General, which was painful since it's such a neat card, but realistically, it rarely comes down, and when it can, it's usually not the best idea, so it had to go; the 2/1 that ETBs to wipe a graveyard, draw 1 lose 1, or create a Pest--this one was mainly as a get outta jail free card main deck against graveyard decks, but those haven't really been around lately, and we've got excellent options in the sideboard anyway, and the dream of cloning this for more options with Kiki-Jiki only ever comes up extremely rarely since you'd rather be cloning your Ravenous Rats to soft-lock the opponent out; and then I also cut my Nighthawk Lhurgoyf since it so rarely connected, particularly when it was at its beefiest, and like all these other cards, I notice, has such high potential but realistically never really lived up to it, and the allure of comboing off with Kiki-Jiki rarely ever pans out (I did bleed out when I kept drawing off of the dead clone when Liliana was out against an opposing Sheoldred, oddly enough). Anyway, the card I brought in to replace these are three Werewolf bleeder guys, since it kind of achieves the other functions all in one card: it snipes the grave, it changes the card supply--the ward discard is crucial to eat away at opposing resources rather than my prior focus on putting me up on cards, it might be more valuable just to deplete the opponent while my stuff continues to work and build the constriction (still kept Angrath, which is a great source of constant discard and can randomly swipe and kill a lowdrop, of course). And then of course, the Werewolf itself is a scary threat that can get even scarier, which the other cards are just too hoop-jumpy to be of a similar threat. Liliana is devastating when she comes down, but by that time, the game can be completely out of hand otherwise, so getting the threat down early and crushing down from that early phase makes a huge cumulative difference. And then of course, it combos well with Kiki-Jiki if you need to hit the gas or eat more of the graveyard. I guess the main thing that was keeping me off of this card that is otherwise up my alley (love bleeder effects, love Werewolves, love black creatures) was that this card is such a known factor. But I still have some good flavor in Angrath and my Ravenous Rats selection--I have a 2-2 split between the Snail one and the Detective one, and I routinely soft-lock people out with it, it is in no way a rarity. And one of the deciding factors in cutting the 2/1 Strixhaven guy was that more than once, when given the choice between cloning that or one of my Ravenous Rats, it was always the Rats which was the correct choice, to keep the opponent at bay from rallying back. So while it's hypothetically or conceptually strong to clone that Warlock every turn, and I've done it a couple times, it's usually not the best move. So it's a really cool card, but just isn't what we need here at this time. With that, I'm happy with how hard these Werewolves hit, and how much the progress the gameplan, and I hate to say, I don't miss the others much at all, though Liliana is certainly a shame to lose. But again, how many times have I ever even cast her? More often she rots in my hand. And when she comes down she either wins the game or was a lot of mana for not a whole lot before she's killed then the board's wiped. She really needed to cost a mana less at least in order to be in the ballpark, but at present it's just too much to swing. Quietly looking forward to playing out the deck some more, as this configuration seems to be doing pretty well. And then I thought MH3 was coming next week, but I guess it's actually in three weeks?! So still some time to go, might be able to squeeze in one more Thunder Junction draft, but I dunno.

[firstumcschenectady]

“Mixed Multitude” Exodus 12:33-42 and Acts 2:5-11, 41-42

I love our “We Cry Justice” reading today (#25 by Daniel Jones) and the hot take on “mixed multitudes.” I loved the MLK quote it started with too, including, Pharaoh '”kept the slaves fighting among themselves.” This “trick” of having most of the resources in a society “float” to the top while leaving the multitudes fighting for the crumbs is well known, and unfortunately still well used. Take a look at governmental budgets and then the people advocating for various just causes – who accidentally end up fighting each other to prove the imperative nature of their own concern AT THE cost of the others. (Fixable, it turns out, by fixing the regressive tax code so it doesn't magnify inequality.)

Mr. Jones points out that Ancient Egypt was “an empire based on violence and injustice that sacrificed lives to the accumulation of wealth and its paranoia, viewed the murder of children as a fair price for keeping control.”1 I can't decide if I should respond “OUCH” or “PREACH” to that one. He goes on to say that the mixed multitude – the Israelites and those who suffered along with them in the empire – built a new society based on God's laws. “This higher law proclaims the accumulation of individual wealth to be immoral and demands freedom for enslaved people, forgiveness of debts, care for the environment, and the responsibility of everyone to their neighbors.” And THAT's why we call it the Promised Land.

The holiness of this mixed multitude, seeking shared goodness for each other instead of competing with each other and creating community out of shared need is found in Acts 2 as well. We normally only focus on Acts 2 on Pentecost, but it is another example that when God's Spirit is at work, people are bonded together across boundaries that might otherwise seem too impossible to cross.

God seems particularly committed to mixed multitudes.

Now this is funny thing to say right now I think. This week I've watched the incredible power of God's spirit move in the intractable-until-now United Methodist Church and all of a sudden there is hope abundant! And, truthfully, that hope abundant comes BECAUSE of disaffiliation, it comes because we split. It comes because we BROKE bonds.

Part of me - ok, a really large part of me – wants to simply say that those who left identified with the oppressor and oppressed God's beloveds and we are better off without them. But God has said to love our enemies, and I'm pretty sure being that petty isn't appropriate for a preacher... while preaching at least ;)

We who value the wide diversity of God's creation may find it easy to hear about the mixed multitudes and the amazing ways God's work to overturn oppression pulls people together. But I also know that we who value the wide diversity of God's creation sometimes find it really hard to deal with those who... don't.

Right?

It's OK, I know I'm right.

It turns out to be easier to be in a mixed multitude where people agree mixed multitudes are awesome than it is to be in a mixed multitude where there is a diversity of opinions about the value of diversity.

Or, maybe there is a bigger truth here. God's amazing work to overcome oppression and pull people together is REAL. But it is hard to live in community – there are ALWAYS differences. I think often of the story a little later in Acts when the incredibly diverse Body of Christ in its infancy already had issues with food distribution being fairly managed. Humans come into community with differences. There is no community without conflict. There is no community without bias. There is no community in prefect agreement – except maybe those who all defer to a strong-man leader.

The truth is that God binds us together. And, I think sometimes we get to the point when the best choice is to let some bonds go. Because not everything is now as it should be. We know this about marriage itself – there are times when two people have hurt each other enough that the best, most loving way forward, is apart. This week showed very clearly that all the dreams I've ever heard God dreaming for The United Methodist Church are possible – now that we're broken. And, to be fair, I hear from those in the Global Methodist Church that they think all the dreams they ever heard God dreaming are now possible there. The issue has ALWAYS been that we hear God differently.

So I've been thinking about what the moral, Christ-like response is to those with whom we have fundamental-values-level-differences. And I hear the echos of Jesus on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” and I think that's the actual start of it. I hear it in Martin Luther King teaching about the goal of his work being to bring everyone together, not to bring down the oppressor. Let's hear him:

Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you. Here’s the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to you and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don’t do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with bitterness because they’re mad because you love them like that. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. “love your enemies.”2

So, dear ones, I'm going to keep on loving the Global Methodist Church, because I deeply believe God asks me to. Further, I believe there are people in that church who need it, and others who will need it. And, apparently, we are supposed to love Christian Nationalists too – even when they misrepresent our tradition. (Pulling no punches today.)

I guess no one every said being a follower of Jesus was easy, huh? But, friends, it is the season of Easter and we are told over and over again that God is Love and Love wins and NOTHING, not even death, can stop God's power of love. So, dear mixed multitude, let's keep on loving on EVERYONE even when they don't seem to know how broad God's love is yet. Let's be accused of being naive with our love. Let's be radical, and a little too broad with it. Let's be like God. Amen

1We Cry Justice #25, page 110.

2https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/loving-your-enemies-sermon-delivered-dexter-avenue-baptist-church

[enderwomansmp]

𝔸𝕝𝕝'𝕤 𝔽𝕒𝕚𝕣 (pt. 1)

A/N: Hello! I'm new to Tumblr but I have a lot of things piling up in my drafts and I've been sitting on this idea for the longest time, so I finally decided to write it and share it! Tbh this is mainly self-indulgent filth surrounding c!Dream and the reader right before the first ever L'Manberg war, and thus contains adult themes and some darker themes so stay safe!!! However, I made the decision to split the story into two parts, so as to set the scene a bit more and give some slight background to the reader's situation, although the other half is up on my page too as I'm publishing them at the same time. Therefore part one is mainly just a tense and kinda angsty prequel between reader and Eret. I hope you'll all enjoy it though! :)) (view part 2 here)

Warnings/genre: oneshot, c!Eret and reader (platonic/ambiguous), slight violence, angst, kidnapping

You sigh heavily with your lungs' full power as your aching right wrist moves to wipe the sweat off your brow, your left hand gently closing the creaking wooden door of the large chest in front of you shut. After hours, you had finally managed to gather enough netherite weaponry, armor, tnt, and potions for the entire population of L'Manberg, all in preparation for tomorrow's dreaded war. It's not that you didn't have faith in your small yet mighty, walled nation- in fact, you had full faith that yourself and the rest of the fellow, skilled L'Manbergians would fight for your nation no matter what- however, you nonetheless wanted to prove to the nation you cherished so dearly how much you cared and subsequently had set yourself the task for gathering as many resources as possible within the past 24 hours, largely succeeding judging by the now almost overflowing wooden chest before you.

Unfortunately, the young nation of L'Manberg, of which you gladly joined many weeks ago, was currently the target of the rest of the DreamSMP's, and particularly the Dream Team's, possessive eye. There existed no doubt that your closely knit community of Fundy, Tubbo, Eret, Niki and of course the founding fathers of Wilbur and Tommy meant the world to you, so upon hearing Dream's threat and declaration of war ring out into the air, yelling with conviction and slight smug amusement, of which repulsed you, about white flags of surrender by dawn, you did not hesitate to do everything in your power to protect your beloved nation and friends. Hence how your chest now heaved, limbs aching and blood flowing with adrenaline, your entire body completely exhausted from hours of mining, travel, brewing and endless running, your body still looming over the wooden chest before you with a soft smile of pride gently decorating your lips, catching your breath as you marveled one final time at your loot before turning on your heel to leave the temporary storage shed within the walled nation.

With a light shriek you felt your whole body flinch in defensive instinct at the sight of a looming figure before the exit to the small building. However, as a familiar and low-pitched voice rung out a greeting into the room, you felt your chest deflate as you exhaled a breath you didn't realise you were holding, shoulders somewhat relaxing.

"You gotta give me some warning before you sneak up on me like that," you chuckle out as your body calmed itself, peering up inquisitively at Eret who stood before you.

"Sorry, I figured someone as supposedly strong as yourself would be able to brace themselves better though," the tall figure jested, chuckling at your slightly flushed, embarassed cheeks.

"Sorry I had enough common sense to think no one was still willingly awake at midnight and therefore was scared," you retorted stubbornly with a mischevious expression, before adding "so, what are you doing here and awake so late anyway, Eret?"

Momentarily, you could see the way their eyes darkened somewhat at the second half of your words before they grinned properly at you once more.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I mean, you've been in here a little while so I assume you collected a lot of stuff- you must be tired too," their smooth and unassuming voice answered.

Wordlessly, you turned on your heel once more as Eret's towering form now loomed over you from behind your smaller one, both of you staring down at the old wooden chest which you opened to reveal the masses of resources you had so meticulously collected ahead of tomorrow morning. Your tired yet prideful smile as you once again marveled at your handiwork began to fade somewhat as you took note of the way time seemed to continually pass despite your form now being trapped between a stoic, unmoving Eret and a large chest.

"So uh, yeah... this is some of the stuff I collected- I think it should be enough to combat Dream and his buddies, right?.. But, erm, would you mind moving so I can go get some shuteye, Eret?" your voice, slightly unnerved by Eret's distinct lack of movement and silence, the only sound emitting from them was their soft breathing which you could almost feel fanning out against your neck.

Strangely, you can almost feel their wide smirk before you manage to maneuver yourself to face the close-by form and see it, trying now to leave as you spoke. Something felt wrong here. Oh-so wrong.

You attempt to slide past Eret's still painfully silent and now incredibly unsettlingly stoic and sinister position, only to find a set of hands reaching around either side of you to rest against the chest, effectively caging you where you stood, their smirk growing into a wilder shit-eating grin which made your blood run cold. Before you could speak and move once more, Eret's monotone voice spoke with a foreboding chuckle,

"Y/N, I'm sorry. You did great job, really. You have a talent and you're very resourceful, just it's a shame it has to end in vain"

"W-What do you- quit being cryptic Eret! The prank is over, you spooked me at the entrance before, now let me go to bed so we can fight tomorrow" your words flew off your tongue in confusion and sprouting roots of panic.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. It's so sweet you want to help, just a shame you won't be around to see how it all unfolds tomorrow," Eret once again chuckles darkly, muscles visibly tensing as their body still looms completely static above you as though they were the physical embodiment of a sense of imprisonment itself.

Their words stung like arrow wounds as true, unadulterated panic set in. You weren't going to be here tomorrow.

Gone from L'Manberg completely.

Why?

Heart racing at a million miles an hour, you watch Eret's eyes glimmer with an emotion you cannot and do not want to be able to place as they move to grasp your wrists now. Fight-or-flight setting in, your hands work on a panicked autopilot to retract away from Eret's own and draw an iron axe from your inventory, swinging wildly in fear and ultimately causing Eret to dash backwards away from you, frustration now hanging off their features like a slick, metaphorical tar. Spotting an opening underneath their now outstretched and defensive arms, your whole body runs and ducks underneath said limbs as you charge towards to wooden door mere feet away from you.

Then you fall.

A glare like no other, eyes empty and haunting as they bore into your own and a grimace of sorts tracing their lips, Eret stared down at your fallen-down state, their foot positioned below your aching ankle where your mind immediately assumes they deliberately tripped you up. Like a deer caught in headlights, your body attempts to lurch back to its feet but is frozen by Eret's deeply disturbing expression, your hands unable to even reach for your dropped axe as their foot now moves to kick it out of your reach and then lean a little too hard on your wrist, ensuring your movement is fully hindered as you laid, hyperventilating on your back on the floor.

"I told you already Y/N, I can't let you keep helping them," Eret stated with a conviction that made your stomach lurch with unsettled nerves and fear.

As you attempt to struggle for your freedom once more, Eret simply leans over you, not only now able to grasp your wrists like he intended before, pinning them securely to the floor, but also lean the weight on their knees against your ankles, ultimately rendering your form a merely shaky, frightened mess, choking on your own shivering breaths.

"W-Why?" your voice shakily croaks out, throat suffocatingly tight and tense as you felt your eyes tear up.

You had trusted this person with your life. With your everything. Just like the rest of this community. And yet your desperately searching eyes can find no remorse in their malicious gaze.

With a grin that was nothing short of fit for a horror film, Eret chuckled quietly to themselves, arm reaching into their inventory cautiously before retrieving a lump of blunt coal. Then suddenly the world becomes dizzyingly blurred like an illusion or nightmare. And then your head begind to pound with extra bloodflow and excrutiating pain. Your vision spirals in and out of deep, void, black subconsciousness and your whirling reality as Eret leans back away from you with malevolence.

They had tried to knock you out with coal.

Why?

As if to answer your internal questions, you vaguely hear an uncaring, deep voice drawl out slowly a response, your eyes beginning to lose the fight against closing lids, subconscious finally invading your once-wary state.

"It was never meant to be, Y/N"

[marsbutterfly]

The Scientist’s Gamble - Part 1

Summary:  "Attention! Commander Erwin has sent me here today with an announcement! In exactly one month an expedition will take place outside the walls!", Moblit pauses for a second, paying close attention to the reactions in front of him. "The goal of this mission will be..."

Note:  I would like to thank my amazing wife for editing this fic for me, I know it wasn't easy and I love her very much. She has been nothing but supportive from the very beginning and her help is extremely appreciated as I try to find own my writing style in a whole different language. She's amazing and I'm very lucky to have her in my life!

Next Chapter

AO3 Version! | Wattpad Version!

"Wait... So we're going outside the walls to capture a titan so that Squad Leader Hanji can experiment on it?" someone asks from the back of the room.

"Well... Yes, but it's for the good of humanity," Moblit says while he holds the bridge of his nose. The expression on his face tells you that he did not agree with this, but he is willing to give it a go so long as life inside the walls could take its next step towards the truth. "The Commander has given his OK, so this operation will be moving forward. Now, how she managed to convince him to agree to this is beyond me..." His voice disappears as he walks out of the room, all the while scribbling on his clipboard.

As soon as his silhouette is out of sight, the room starts to fill with murmurs.

"That's such a waste of resources!"

"We should be out there killing titans, not this!"

From your spot in the corner of the room, you begin to write in your journal everything you might need to prepare for the expedition, such as a new training schedule and what arrangements would need to be done.

"Y/N?" says a disembodied voice, startling you a bit and pulling you away from your to-do list. "Y/N? Are you in there?"

You look up to see Eren waving his hand in front of your face, almost failing to catch your attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry," you say, not looking at him, and not really sorry. "What were you saying?"

He laughs. "You really are hopeless. Would you like to come train with us?" He gestures at the Cadet group as they walk out the door.

"Oh, not today," you say, "I need to head back to my room to collect some of my notes and deliver them to my Squad Leader. I wouldn't want our next expedition to be delayed, you know!" Although you try your best to remain serious, the enthusiasm in your voice is undeniable.

He rolls his eyes and allows his lips to curl into a smirk, "We'll catch up with you later then!" he says while walking towards the door and just like that, you're alone in the classroom. Packing your things, you make your way out. You read the notes in your hands as you walk, making sure you only need to make one quick stop before heading toward the lab.

Once in your room, you look underneath every book, paper, and pile of clothes. You try your best to find your notes on titan deterioration, but quickly realize they are nowhere to be found.

Did you not bring them back after the last expedition? No, you remember seeing them just a couple of days ago. Could they be with old reports? No, you just checked. Did someone take them? At that moment, you realize that just may be what happened. After what happened with Annie Leonhardt, you didn't know who you could trust, and as a result, you've been being extremely careful not to misplace your paperwork.

Yet somehow your most important piece of work is missing. Slowly but surely, panic sets in. "What will I tell Squad Leader Hanji? I don't want to disappoint her," you mutter, taking a deep breath. Panicking won't help right now, so you do your best to pull yourself together, and gather all the other papers you need before making your way towards the lab.

You knock on the lab door rather loudly a couple of times.

"Come in!" Your heart skips a beat at the sound of her voice calling from the inside of the room. You open the door slowly, remembering past instances of her dropping glass beakers when startled. Luckily Hanji is just sitting at her desk, writing reports. Likely about the most recent past expedition, probably where she got the idea of capturing yet another titan to serve as her experiment. At least that would give Eren a little bit of a break. He really needs it.

"Squad Leader Hanji, I brought you all the data I've collected about titans from previous expeditions. The most common sizes, our studies on abnormal..." Your hearts speeds up as you notice her looking at you, but you can't bring yourself to face her as you speak again. "I can't seem to find the papers about their deterioration. All the details we've collected seem to be lost. I'm so sorry, and I'll keep looking for it. If I can't find it until tonight, I'll write you a new report from memory, I swear." You can feel her eyes on you, and it gets a little harder to breathe. Your lungs try their best to keep up with the speed of your rambling.

"Well, Y/N," Hanji says, getting closer as she walks towards you. Tears of frustration well in your eyes, and you expect the worst. You worked so hard to become her assistant, to earn this. The thought of it all going wrong would be enough to break you. You're vaguely aware of her rifling through papers on her desk.

"It's alright, dear! I have them right here. You must have forgotten them here last night. I reminded you to grab them but you seemed to be in quite a hurry." Hanji could sense the uneasiness coming from her assistant, her face softening as she pulls you into a hug, and it's desperately what you need at that moment. You breathe a sigh of relief now that you know you didn't mess this up. At least not this time.

You let your mind wander to last night. You had spent hours copying the indiscernible scribble-scratch of Hanji's field notes. You think of how you called her over to translate a particularly messy section, and you think of the way she gently touched your arm before her hand slid along your skin as she reached for the pen. The hairs on your body instantly rose, and combined with the chills going down your spine, you couldn't help the embarrassment that flooded through you. Before she could've said anything, you got up and ran, wishing her a hasty goodnight on your way out.

Your cheeks burn. No wonder you misplaced your papers.

But realization hit you; Hanji has her arms around you in a warm and comforting embrace. She's holding you, cradling you. The heat in your cheeks spread across your entire face, a dark shade of red replacing your usual skin tone. One of the reasons you wanted to be her assistant in the first place was to spend time with her. Your crush on Hanji isn't something new and has never been a secret. Everyone seems to know about it... except Hanji herself.

"Are you all right? Your heart is beating so fast," Hanji says, breaking the silence between you two. She pokes two fingers against your neck to feel the pulse, but you swat her hand away. You quickly pull away while looking in the other direction, hoping she doesn't notice your embarrassment.

"I'm fine, Squad Leader! Do you need my help with anything today?" you say, gathering enough strength to sound like you aren't melting before her eyes.

"Not for now. Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll be mostly filling out paperwork and preparing the lab to receive our new visitor," she beams, and the stars in her paired eyes with the excitement in her voice is more than enough to bring a smile to your face.

Hanji grabs your shoulders. "All I need is for you to study our past discoveries, but mostly prepare yourself for all the new ones we're about to make!" She begins to gently shake you, rocking you back and forth in her excitement. "Make sure to practice your 3D maneuvers as well, I wouldn't want to lose my favorite assistant!"

You feel your blush deepen, and wonder how she doesn't notice.

"Of course, Squad Leader," you say.

.

During the next four weeks, you spend your days mostly with your friends in the hopes some of their strongest skills rub off on you.

Mikasa teaches you how she handles her blade. You try your best to learn from her, but handling swords isn't your strong suit. But still, there is a noticeable improvement in your form. Thanks to her, your blades can firmly and precisely cut through a titan's nape without any problem.

Eren and Jean argue over who would help you with 3DM air movements until they finally agree that it would be best for both of them to assist you. This plan lasts less than a week until finally after you break up two fistfights and countless arguments, the two of them come to the conclusion that being around each other is worse than a death sentence. You start to practice on your own, but they manage to teach you a few new tricks, like being able to do a backflip before slicing the titan's neck, that way you would be able to move quickly and proceed to another titan in a matter of seconds.

Armin sits with you every day during lunch and dinner, keeping your knowledge on Titans sharp. He shuffles through bundles of cards as well as notebooks full of information. He quizzes you every day and corrects you when you're wrong. He's the most helpful of them all.

Reiner and Bertholdt do their best to train you in hand-to-hand combat. You won't need it, and Annie was better than they are, but they must have sparred with her enough for some of her moves to rub off, and you figure there's no harm in being overly prepared.

Krista teaches you what she knows about how to care for wounds with ingredients you can find in the forest. She shows you how to wrap an injury and how to do it quickly. Nothing new, but she is very good at helping others. Ymir shows up halfway through Krista's splinting demonstration, and you're pretty sure she only stays there so she can play the part of swooning, Injured Scout. Every so often she would let out a long sigh and moan about her fake injuries. "I'm so hurt Krista, please take care of me," she says. "If I survive this injury, please marry me Krista." You don't ask Ymir for help with anything, you know all she really puts effort into is charming Krista.

Sasha and Connie... well, they're certainly a good distraction when you need a break. Sasha tells you her hunting stories, and when she notices you're interested, her stories become much more dramatically performed. She recruits Connie to help her put on a play, and he plays every character in her stories: Sasha herself, the injured animal, even the sound of the wind as it rushes past the trees. They are exceptionally good at making you laugh.

The night before the expedition departs, while you're in your room packing your bags and triple-checking your list making sure everything you might need is in it. Everything seems to be in order. Flare guns, medical supplies, a toothbrush and comb. A sudden knock on your door pulls you away from your thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Y/N, can I come in?" says a familiar voice, and your heart skips. You nearly give yourself whiplash as you turn your head.

"Yes!" you call out, and the door creaks open. Your eyes meet Hanji's, and a familiar feeling overtakes you.

"I haven't seen you in so long. I miss you," she has a gentle smile on her face, and you feel your cheeks reddening as usual. Why must your body do this to you every time she's around? You signal for her to come inside, and Hanji closes the door behind her.

Hanji sits on your bed while reaching for your hand. She takes it and pulls you closer, excitement in her eyes. As soon as you readjust next to her, you impulsively wrap your arms around her shoulders. It takes Hanji by surprise, but she is quick to return the embrace. If only you had the courage to tell her how you feel before you leave tomorrow... but you can't risk clouding her mind with such thoughts. She needs to have a clear head tomorrow, and you need to be there for her no matter what. She may not know how you feel, but you need to remember her like this, just in case. You touch the rough fabric of her jacket, inhale the scent of her hair, feel the cold and hardness of her glasses press against your cheek. You just hold her, needing to feel her like it's the last thing you'd ever do on this Earth.

You wish you could stay forever in her arms, but you manage to pull yourself away after a few seconds. Hanji gives you a soft look. "What was that about?" she asks.

Your face feels so hot you're surprised you don't burst into flames. That familiar feeling takes over your body while your brain processes everything that just happened.

"I missed you too," is all you can say. "So, did you want to tell me something, Hanji?"

Her slight smile disappears. She takes a deep breath, as if the air in her lungs is about to be stolen, "I'm just a little nervous about tomorrow. I thought you might be able to help me calm down, but it seems like I didn't even need to ask," she says, smiling. "Do you feel ready?"

"Yes, I've been practicing to make sure I will not be killed tomorrow!", you say, forming fists with your hands and positioning them on your hips. You're proud of everything you've accomplished with your friends' help during these past few weeks. Hanji starts laughing, and you beam with pride. You hope this is what she needed.

When her laughter subsides, Hanji lets out a contented sigh. "I honestly don't know what I would do without you around," she says.

Your eyes widen, and you get embarrassed again. You can't help but look away. Her soft hand touches your shoulder, "I should get going now. I need to look over some details before we leave in the morning." She squeezes your shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

You nod. "Of course, Squad Leader."

.

"Our mission, the expedition to capture a Titan, will now commence! Give up your hearts for humanity!" Commander Erwin's voice echoes clearly throughout the scouts as the gate opens fully. While screaming, he signals with his arms and the horses sprint outside the wall in formation. The gate closes behind them with a heavy thunk.

The sky is a beautiful shade of blue, with very few clouds. The cold breeze against your skin brings chills everywhere it touches. There are goosebumps all over your body, but the excitement rushing through your veins is enough to keep you warm for now. You've been preparing yourself for this for the past month and you feel like for once, luck is on your side.

Right next to you rides Hanji. Her laugh rings out louder than dozens of thundering hooves and yelling Scouts. The Commander had asked you to stay by her side at all times, mostly to keep her from getting herself killed, and judging by the twinkle in his eye, you could tell that your affections were noticed even at the highest level of the Scouting Regiment.

As the formation rides out, Hanji takes a moment to meet your eyes, and you smile at her. Today is going to be a win for humanity, you think to yourself.

You could not be more wrong.

[af1899]

First steps with Halloween Sophia (my build in FEH)

So, the [Tempest Trials+] for Oct/2021 started today and I've been grinding it until 15k, but had to sleep and go somewhere outside in-between plus look for more SNES music, because I never have enough. 🙂

Anyway, I've just managed to get both copies so here's her current build, with [Pact Blooms+] on the wait list, she'll get it once I get 20k [Hero Feathers]. So, here's the build I have on her for now:

Note: for appreciation talk, refer to this post.

What can I say? I really like Sophia, so of course I went all out for her with whatever I had to spare, most noteworthy my only Plumeria. 👁

Either way, I'm happy with how she's turning out to be: a powerful magical tank.

As for the [Accessory] I've given her, it's Owain's [Wings of Darkness], they're just pretty cool and match Sophia's color palette so well in this version, her sprite is really cute and charming too.

As for my thoughts on her stats, artwork and quotes, feel free to read below.

First of all...

Resources

Datamine and stats

Artwork

Quotes (text + voice)

Stats

Well... this is certainly not what I'd have hoped for, considering what's her OG form like, then again, she has a low defence growth and thin-paper defence in Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals, so this statline should make more sense, still, it feels a tad generical, too focused on her magical tanking ability, and fliers aren't exactly the best options for tanking in general, with some exceptions, but Sophia will do a great job at soaking magical damage, even with base kit alone, she's also our first blue tome flier obtainable without [Orbs], making her somewhat special.

Also, the only super asset she has is HP, but there's like, no reason at all to take it, DEF and RES are super flaws, so since you need to choose a bane, SPD is overall best... still, the lack of proper super assets is kinda disappointing...

Even though her statline is not what I wanted (perhaps slightly better DEF in exchange for some RES), I'm still happy with her alt and will make her work somehow.

Anyway, should you need more units from her home game, and particularly someone adept at a role like hers, she'll do nicely, make sure you don't miss the free copies regardless!

I rate this statline: 7/10

Artwork

I have to say it, it's too beautiful and adorable, bringing the best of her charms while complimenting her design's color palette creatively and in the right season of the year. She may not be fond of scaring people but she's still enjoying the festivities and shows happiness in her special artwork.

I've noticed the reblogs to my artwork post and can say we can collectively agree how cute she looks in the new artwork and attire.

Speaking of her attire, I get strong "goth bride" vibes from it, but of course I know it's a dress for the "harvest festival", I definitely like the creativity on both it and the whole concept in this alt, revolving around spiders and cobweb as "spooky" elements that are part of the Halloween thematic like we're used to see.

Even her srite is that amazing.

And the spider plushie is cute as a button, I like the animation when Sophia throws it in the air before grabbing it back.

I rate her artwork: 10/10

Quotes

«I must give thanks for the land's generosity...and for yours. I will etch this feeling into my heart.» ― Sophia when given an upgrade.

«I...had some extra candy, so...I thought we could share.» ― Second 5★ profile voice clip.

Gosh, both her quotes and voice clips are so lovely, giving us a good idea of what's she like: a calm and gentle girl usually exhibiting shyness, the unusual kind of personality you'd expect from people that practice dark magic.

Still, I feel like her voice overall went a little farther from her persona, Wendee Lee still does a nice job voicing Sophia, that's for sure and I do recognize her talent... it's just I think the best and closest feeling of Sophia you'll get throughout voice clips is most likely from the VA's work in 2017 with Sophia's original version, in which she sounded slightly higher pitched and soft-spoken, at least to me, that feels more in character.

I rate the voice acting and quotes: 9/10

Overall satisfaction and final considerations

From my POV, I consider she was really well done overall, despite the minor "issues" I've found, nothing I'd really complain about (unless something was done terribly wrong).

As a character, she's really precious, and, as a unit, she can become a strong magical tank, she may not be the best but you can be sure you can rely on her, plus being easily attainable really helps.

Btw... planned build

I'll focus on her key stats, which are attack and resistance, some of her skills in this planned build are already down, but I don't possess [Mirror Stance 3] and [A/R Far Trace 3] sources for now, fortunately though, Hapi was just added to the regular blue pool, hopefully she'll spook me, because [A/R Far Trace 3] is such a great skill like the rest of the {Trace} family, though they're somewhat hard to come by.

I also want [Close Ward] on her but it's not necessary, it'd help her with facing dragons, which would be nice.

I'll also think of something that might work for player phase, part of the reason why I've chosen ATT for stat asset, I think it's the most flexible and useful choice overall.

[yuzhousky]

[Part 4][200529] WYX Weibo update

Rough trans:

"I'm really sorry! A few days ago, I took up everyone's public resources (taking up no.1 hot search --> attract the public attention) because of my personal problems. I feel that my behavior is particularly annoying. I'm really sorry! I had got married with Mr. Huang Jingyu, but because of some principled problems between husband and wife, we got divorced two years ago. I have had happiness and many good memories, and there are some knots in my heart and obsessions that I have been unable to release. I think these are my own problems, and everything comes from my heart not being strong enough. I am sick, the doctor said. I think I'm really sick, otherwise how can I be so selfish and want to end my life, am I eligible? I am not. My life was given by my parents. A lot of unwanted things have happened. Many lives have been lost in this epidemic, everyone is struggling to survive, and I, as a little person, even want to say goodbye to the world. I don't know where my courage came from, I am ashamed of my thoughts and actions. That day, my uncle, aunt and many family members visited me (at the hospital) and I was lying in a hospital emergency room while being comatose, I feel so sorry for my family, and there are many friends who care about me, I've made my you guys worried, I'm really sorry! In the past few years, I have noticed my changes, which is a very bad feeling. It is like a black hole that there is no exit in an infinite loop. Many times I feel that I am particularly happy, but I will soon feel that I am a redundant little thing in the world and can be thrown away anytime. I really hope that I can live a decent life. I don’t need to prove to anyone that I've lived well. Not many people care about that. I think I should feel this world and live with all heart. I have repeatedly asked myself why I live, what is the meaning of living? Today I don’t have to ask myself anymore. I know the meaning of my life. Life is very important and fragile. Suicide is a particularly silly thing. We should feel the world well, although there are many malicious people in life. But God is fair, kind people need to feel it by themselves, to experience this wonderful and beautiful life, accept love and give love! I'm really sorry for setting a very bad example! Another thing is that I don’t have children. As for why people think that I'm a single mother, let the person who should explain speak it out. It doesn’t matter if they don’t explain it. I don't want to waste more time, it's not worth either. Cyber ​​bullying is terrible, but this is a society ruled by law, please be kind-hearted! Sorry, and thank you! Thank you guys again and please do not disturb!"

So WYX's assistant accused Jingyu of making up the story that WYX is a single mother in order to 'whitewash' his same-sex film. Ok let's take a look at all the rumour in 2017 when Zhuo Wei (a famous stalker/paparazzi) posted a video saying that JY and WYX were caught to be dating:

>> I'm sorry but how could it help JY if he distorted the truth that WYX was not a single mother? Just the scandal of dating with a woman is strong enough to get rid of his role in the BL film, so whether she had a child or not, it's really unnecessary. But only until now does she clarify it to show that JY took advantage of her back then in order to abandon his role in Addicted?

Many questions are left unanswered.