#but also. Twilight is still super weird for that.

[dungeonmalcontent]

Twilight, but it's a reexamination of the way elves age in most fantasy universes.

"I know what you are. You're skin is pale and you're unbelievably fast."

"Not that fast. Marginally faster than most people. On average."

"Sometimes you speak like you're from another time, I've never seen your ears... and I've only ever seen you eat root vegetables."

"Just say it"

"no, you have to do the line..."

"*fine* Say it, out loud."

"You're an elf."

"Cool. Now can you please just not tell anyone about this?"

---

"How old are you?"

"I dunno, like... 460."

"But you don't look older than 17."

"I spent about 50 years looking like I was 10."

"And how long have you looked like you were 17?"

"uh--probably 200 years? I don't know. We don't age in reverse dog years, there isn't math for this."

"Ugh, Sindreth, you're so stupid."

[yumeka-sxf]

In addition to Yor's epiphany scene, this scene was the other one I was most looking forward to in season 2 - a scene that, in my opinion, is one of the most Twiyor-ish scenes in the series so far 💖

Why is it so significant? Because there was no reason for Twilight to put on any Loid Forger acting in that moment. He wasn't conversing with nor being scrutinized by anyone. So why would he give that soft smile followed by such affectionate, comforting words as "お疲れ様/otsukaresama"? (this can be translated in many ways, but generally it's something you say to thank someone for their hard work).

The answer is because it's something he truly felt...he understood the sacrifice Yor made for Anya's happiness and genuinely appreciated it (if only he knew the sacrifice she made on the larger scale, lol). While he's a bit perturbed at first since some onlookers were snickering at him, it didn't take long for him to soften and then graciously carry his queen and princess the girls back to the ship 😭

But Twilight overall was really soft in this episode and I loved it~ From his blush upon seeing Yor to the several times he gave that same soft smile when talking with/looking at her...I think Anya was right when she called him out on the ship about missing his wife 😅

I liked how the anime conveyed his shock when noticing her bruised face...what must have been his thought at that moment? 👀

The scenes of the family activities translated better in animated form in my opinion. While they were each only a single panel in the manga, they lasted a few seconds each in the anime, plus the addition of the insert song helped the with the comfy, wholesome vibe~ Also the part where Yor inadvertently chucks Anya across the ocean is still hilarious.

Loid's dorky skip at the beginning of the episode translated very well in animated form too 😅

The ending of this chapter in the manga always felt a bit rushed to me...it quickly jumps from the aforementioned scene of them returning to the ship, to suddenly being home, reuniting with Bond and Franky, having a meal together, then Twilight meeting Sylvia, all within a few panels. Even though I wish the anime added more than just some additional scenes of the ship leaving the island, I felt it flowed much better in the anime since, just like the family activities, each scene in the ending lasted a second or two instead of being a single illustration.

But I love how this chapter/episode ends, with Yor, Anya, and Bond napping while Anya draws about her family vacation. This seems to take place the next day or maybe later the same day they got home, so makes sense they'd still be tired from the trip!

By the way, the manga has this additional scene showing that Olka and company are safe. Weird that the anime didn't stick it in at some point.

Also, the anime team didn't have to go so hard with this episode's key visual but they did...and I love it 😍 Might actually be my favorite of the key visuals so far!

I was very happy to see the "surrounded by liars" panel finally animated! This is such a funny scene and a great way to fully wrap up the cruise arc.

I also burst out laughing at Yuri's locker 🤣

Damian is surprisingly laid back in this episode. I think the reason is because Anya's antics aren't directly involving him. He tends to go total tsundere only when she's actually talking to him, lol.

The new scene of Yor getting the keychains for her coworkers was a nice addition! Guess it's canon that Yor and Anya didn't sleep for the entire trip back, lol. Glad they got to spend family time on the ship too! (though I wish we could have seen Yor's reaction waking up in Loid's bottom bunk bed, haha. He must have brought her to his room since he wouldn't know where her room is. Unless she woke up before he even put her in a bed, in which case she would have been super embarrassed knowing he was carrying her around in public 😆)

Looks like next week the anime will be changing the order of things a bit and giving us the Becky home-wrecking and Fiona chapters (the latter of which seems to have some anime original content?) The Becky chapter is one of my favorite stand-alone chapters...I'm already dying of laugher thinking about it 😂

[delightfullyquirkydoodles]

Okay, buckle up, friends and neighbours, because it's time for:

THE DOOPLISS DISSERTATION

(Obviously, you should take all of this with a HUGE chunk of salt, since I'm not only an internet-poisoned fandom blogger, but also a former English major with a penchant for over-reading.

Still, I spent a long time writing this, so I'd appreciate it if you gave it a read.)

So before we talk about Doopliss himself, I feel like we should talk about Creepy Steeple, since a lot of the topics I'm going to be touching on relate to the actual building.

Neither the original Gamecube version nor the Switch remake really bothers to explain what Creepy Steeple actually is.

None of Goombella's tattles say anything about the building's intended purpose. The name vaguely implies that it's a church of some kind -- in Japanese, it's called Odoron Jiin, or "Astonishing Temple" -- but that's still not very helpful.

Still, for the purposes of this analysis, I'm going to assume that it's meant to be a church.

This brings me to the Steeple's stained glass window, which shows a scary-looking Doopliss standing over some piranha plants.

From a design standpoint, I'm guessing that this detail was added to give the location a spooky vibe, but from an in-universe perspective, the implications are wild.

Like, who designed this? How long ago? And why? What the heck is it supposed to represent?

Unsurprisingly, the game offers no real answers, but I have a couple of theories.

The first is that the people of Twilight Town (or their ancestors, or something) created the window in Doopliss's honor.

Stained glass windows often depict saints or angels, so maybe the Twilighters used to worship him? Like, maybe Creepy Steeple was once dedicated to him and then, for whatever reason, the worshippers decided to leave?

It's not super likely, but I didn't want to rule out any possibilities. This is a weird freaking temple. Literally anything is possible, as far as I'm concerned.

My second theory is that Doopliss designed the window himself. He seems like a guy with a lot of spare time, so it's not too much of a stretch to say that he came up with the idea and then spent weeks building it by hand.

He could have also bullied the Boos into constructing it for him. I dunno. I just have this mental image of him pulling pranks on them and generally being a nuisance until they caved.

The bottom line is someone wanted to Doopliss's face to be front and center. And if that someone is Doopliss himself, then hoo boy, there is a lot to unpack here.

Maybe I'm projecting, but it feels like Doopliss is wrestling with some major self-esteem issues.

Despite being an incredibly powerful shapeshifter who somehow cursed an entire town, he seems very childish. He spends all his time watching TV and coming up with new jokes. He throws tantrums when he loses. He wears a party hat, of all things.

Based on that, I'd say that he's probably starved for attention. He's probably pretty lonely living in Creepy Steeple all by himself (doubly so if my theory about the Twilighters is correct).

I'd even go so far as to say that his scheme to turn the Twilighters into pigs is motivated by this need for attention. I mean, what better way to get people to notice you than to cause a town-wide panic?

I feel like the disguises he uses over the course of the main story also support this theory.

Though Mario, Zip Toad and Professor Frankly are quite different from one another, they all have one important thing in common: they're famous. Mario's a world-renowned adventurer, Zip Toad is a well-known actor and Frankly is a tenured professor whose students love him.

Doopliss even alludes to this after stealing Mario's body, telling him, "You're so popular around here! I just love being you!"

By transforming into beloved figures, Doopliss can get the attention he craves.

I also think that this is why he joined the Shadow Sirens. Sure, Beldam abuses him almost as badly as she abused Vivian, but at least she notices him. That's better than nothing.

The most conclusive piece of textual evidence is found in the epilogue. In her letter to Mario, Goombella explains that Doopliss has joined Flurrie on-stage in her production of "Paper Mario".

Obviously his shapeshifting abilities make the play a lot more realistic, but why would he bother participating in it at all? This guy was a villain for most of the game. Why would he suddenly decide to join up with one of his enemies?

Because, as far as I can tell, he's not a villain. Just a guy who's sick of being ignored.

I dunno. Doopliss's motivations have never been super clear, but I feel like there's more to him than meets the eye.

If you have any thoughts or ideas of your own, feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

[panlight]

Imagine Bella being immune to vampire venom. Edward wasn't able to suck all the venom out and her body ended up used to the small amount of venom left over and she's bitten again and can't change.

GENINUELY one of my favorite AU scenarios.

And I personally think it makes more sense than the biology behind Renesmee's existence, but your mileage may vary.

In my head it works sort of like a vaccine; she's been exposed and now has the antibodies to fight off the effects of venom. She doesn't feel pain when bitten (other than the pain of teeth breaking her skin) and she can't be turned.

It totally upends all her plans and puts a REAL obstacle in place for her and Edward to be together. Before it was just Edward not wanting to turn her which, sure, is a problem but a fairly easy one to get around: she knows a bunch of other vampires, one willing to try to turn her (Alice) and another with a proven track record of successful turnings (Carlisle). It's not impossible.

Her being immune does make it impossible though. I could be here for the tragic impossibility, how there's no way for them to be together forever now.

But I ALSO think that in such a scenario it might be possible to make a cure for vampirism from Bella's blood. I think if you want happy fairy tale ending for your vampire story, the way to do it is 'unhappy vampires become human' not 'unhappy human becomes vampire; other vampires still have same problems that made them unhappy.' Good for Bella she was following her bliss as a vampire in BD, but I never got how Bella being happy made things any better for Rosalie, or Esme, or Carlisle, or Jasper. Emmett and Alice were reasonably happy as vampires already, or Alice at least didn't know anything different. Rosalie and Esme wanted to be mothers, not aunt/grandma. And Renesmee literally grows up so fast they're missing out at most of those baby/toddler/childhood experiences anyway. Plus Breaking Dawn doesn't really address the issue of whether Bella lost her soul or not, or if Renesmee even has one at all. Edward's happy in BD but will it last or will his worry start creeping back in with time? He's got plenty of it.

But if Bella's blood could be used to make a cure and the option to become human is a thing . . . that gets SUPER interesting to me. Who would take it? Is it reversible? Like, could Rosalie and Emmett become human, have a couple of kids, age until their 30s or 40s and then ask Alice and Jasper (who presumably stay vampires) to turn them back? Or is it one way choice and they become immune to venom like Bella is? Part of me thinks Carlisle deep down wants to be human more than Edward and Rosalie even do (he has crafted his whole vampire lifestyle around being as a human as possible--a job, a wife, kids, a house . . . all very weird for a Twilight vampire) but would the knowledge that he could help more humans as an immortal doctor than a mortal one hold him back? Would he and Esme stay vampires to watch over Edward and Rosalie/Emmett if they all became human? Would the Volturi see this power to turn vampires human as a threat, a weapon?

And just the irony of the one person who wanted to be a vampire being the one who can't become one and whose blood has the power to turn the vampires she loves and envies human. Delicious.

[lil-frenchfri77]

Begin Again

Summary: Ever since Bella came back to Forks things between y/n and her boys have been different. Embry and Quil stopped answering phone calls and texts, they’ve even been avoiding her everytime she shows up at their house. So y/n does the only thing she can think to do, she latches onto Jacob just like Bella, and when he starts acting like Embry and Quil did, she makes the decision to not put so much effort into a friendship that is clearly one sided. But what happens one day when Sam’s pack is in town at the same time as y/n and her new friends and two certain boys imprint on their former best friend? And what happens when a former best friend doesn’t feel the same way?

Author’s Note: Hello to everyone that is reading this! This is my first ever time writing a fanfic, so (if you’re reading this) go easy on me. I would love to hear any feedback anyone might have in the comments. Super excited to be writing this Twilight fic, I’ve been inspired by others authors on here to take my own spin with Stephaine Myers characters, none of which I have any ownership to. This doesn’t really follow the Eclipse movie timeline, I'm making things up and stretching the timeline. So this is basically my own story just using Stephanie’s characters and some of her themes. There are also some other characters in here that I don’t have any rights to, I just thought it would be fun to put them in this story. I don’t know how long or short this is going to be, I might be able to get my ideas across quickly or this might turn into a few chapters. If you’ve read this far I love you and I really hope you like this!

(Also not beta read cause I can’t afford that)(Dividers from @enchanthings here on Tumblr)

Y/n/n means your nickname 

Embry Call x Fem!Swan!Reader x Quil Ateara

Slight Stiles Stlinski x Reader

Chapter 1 | Master list | Chapter 2

Things had been weird lately, with Bella back in Forks, the Cullens, and your friends on the reservation. It seemed like everyday more and more of your friends were leaving to go hang out with Sam Uley and his pack of assholes. Now it was just down to you, Embry, Quil, and Jacob. It’s not like you’re not fine with that, Embry and Quil were your best friends ever. So you were fine with just the four of you hanging out all the time. But they got so hostile of you whenever Edward or one of his siblings came around to talk to you or Bella. 

It was getting absolutely exhausting trying to mediate things between them. You didn’t want to have to choose between your boys or Bella, but if it came down to it, your choice would always be your family and by extension, the Cullens. Although it seemed like you wouldn’t be getting a choice anyways when Embry and Quil stopped answering your texts and calls. They were never home when you came to visit and see what was happening to them. You had even tried asking Jacob if he knew anything but he swore up and down that he had no idea. 

You never expected to see them hanging out with Sam and his pack, jumping off that stupid cliff. You had never felt more betrayed. They could do whatever they wanted to but it hurt that they felt the need to drop you, without any kind of explanation and go hang out with the few people (at least you thought) you mutually disliked. It was obvious that they weren’t going to talk to you anymore so you did the only thing you could think of, you left them one last voicemail in hopes to get through to them. 

“Hey, it’s me. Um, I know we haven’t talked in a while, but I still miss you guys. I saw you the other day, hanging out with Sam and his boys. It’s fine, I guess. I just thought that we were better friends than that. I mean, we’ve been inseparable since we were 6 but that’s not really the point of why I called.” You took a deep breath, trying to stop yourself from rambling some more. “I don’t really understand why you started hanging out with Sam but you have free will so I can’t stop you. But I miss you guys, and I still want to be friends. I don’t want to permanently lose you both because I can’t get over this petty dislike I have. So, call me back. Please. I want to talk about everything, but if you truly want nothing to do with me anymore then I won’t bother you again. This is goodbye, then.” 

2 months later

Life wasn’t the easiest thing anymore. The boys never called you back, which you expected but it still stung. You still had Jacob, but it wasn’t the same. Jacob knew how much Embry and Quil’s choice had affected you, but there wasn’t much he could do to help you. He couldn’t just tell you that they were werewolves. So he did his best to try and raise your spirits. You were wholeheartedly grateful you had him during this time. 

Bella wasn’t much help either, she had just been broken up with and she was rotting away in her room. It appeared as though life was hating the Swan girls right now. As much as you wanted to wallow in your own pity you knew you had to be there for Bella. It’s not like the kids from school were going to help her, and honestly Bella wouldn’t want them to. So you spent months trying to help Bella, you didn’t want to lose your sister too. 

“Please, Bells. Just talk to me, tell me what’s going on in your head. I’ll do anything to help you, you just have to tell me. Tell me what I can do for you, I want to take all this pain away. I know this isn’t about me or dad but we’re so scared for you Bells. We love you so much.” You plead  with her. Tears welled up in your eyes when she turned away from you and went back to looking out of her window. You walked out of her room before she could see or hear you start to cry. 

“Whoa, slow down there kid. What’s happening?” Charlie stopped you in the hallway. His hands gripped your shoulders as they shook with silent sobs. 

“I can’t watch her wither away like that dad. She’s changing so much, and I don’t know how to help her. I hate Edward for what he’s putting her through and he’s not even here.” You spoke through your tears. Hiccuping in between every breath you took. 

“Y/n,” Charlie whispered, cupping your cheeks and making you look up at him, “We will get her through all of this okay kid? You and me will bring our Bella back. I know it.” He assured you as genuinely as he could. Truth be told, he had no idea if he would be able to get his daughters back to the girls they were before all this happened. He was grateful that you seemed to be okay so soon after the Embry and Quil situation. He didn’t know what he would do if both of his kids were nervous wrecks he couldn’t console. 

You nodded at him instead of answering back. You knew he was just trying to make you feel better. As much as you wanted to stay and keep trying with Bella you had to go to school. You couldn’t miss any more days this week or you would fall too far behind. 

After getting dressed you head downstairs where you say goodbye to your dad and meet Jacob who’s waiting for you outside. Lately he has taken to riding with you to school and then walking back to the reservation afterwards so you weren’t alone in the mornings. It was also a way for him to keep an eye on you and Bella. 

“You know, you don’t have to keep doing this Jake, I’m perfectly okay with getting to school by myself.” You told him today. It has been on your mind for a little while now. 

“I know,” he chuckles, “but I like to. Sometimes I don’t want to be alone in the morning so I make you suffer and force my presence on you. You’re going to have to get used to it.” Jacob simply shrugged. 

You get quiet after that and it worries him, but before he can ask you what’s wrong you beat him to it

“If you ever want to be friends with Sam and everyone else, please don’t cut me off too. I don’t think I could handle that.” Your hands grip the steering wheel tighter as you pull up to a red light. You can’t bring yourself to look over at him, as you not so patiently wait for his answer. 

“Y/n/n, I will never abandon you to be friends with Sam and his pack of douchebags. Okay? It's you and me against the world now.” He says in such a loving tone that it brings tears to your eyes for the second time that day. “Oh god, please don’t cry. I totally didn’t mean for that to happen.” 

Watching him panic while he tries to get you to stop crying does the trick, and you start to giggle at him. The rest of the drive to your school is silent with the occasional sing along moment to whatever is playing on the radio. When you finally arrive at school you're in a much better mood. 

You say goodbye to Jacob and head into the building, putting on your headphones and turning the volume all the way up. Someone knocks into you from the side sending your phone and headphones sliding across the floor. 

“Oh my god. I’m so freaking sorry!” Apologizes spill from the mystery boy's mouth as his friend, the one who pushed him into you, hurries to gather your things. He turns around to his friend on the floor and hisses out “Dude. What the hell??” 

It wasn’t surprising that you had to clue who these boys were. When you were friends with Embry and Quil you didn't really talk to the people you go to school with. “It’s fine.” You shrugged it off, not wanting to create a problem with these two. 

“No, its not fine. I totally didn't mean to smash into you. Scott’s just an asshole.” The boy throws his friend, Scott, under the bus. “I’m Stiles by the way.” 

“I didn't mean to push him into you miss, I didn't even see you there.” Scott pipes in, before quickly realizing what he said. “OH! I didn't mean I didn't see you at all, like you're just hard to see. Cause you’re not hard to miss. Not that you're always in the way! I've never seen you before so… I'm going to stop talking now.” Scott sheepishly tugs at the collar of his shirt. He seems to be sweating now. The incredulous look on your face seems to shut him up well enough for his friend, Stiles, to get a word in. 

“Wow dude, that was bad.” He’s trying to hold back his laughter now. “I think what he's trying to say is that he was so preoccupied with being an asshat that he wasn't paying attention to our surroundings.” Stiles says it a lot more eloquently than Scott had and it makes you giggle. 

They both stare at you like you've grown a second head. “That was the worst apology I have ever heard in my entire life.” You state after getting ahold of your laughter. “I’m y/n. I accept your terrible apology, and it's okay that you haven't seen me around before, because to be honest. I've never seen either of you around before either.” 

They let out a breath of relief and apologize one more time, sounding more coherent and sincere this go around. Scott proceeds to ask you what you have for the first period and surprisingly you have the same class as them, so you all walk to your class talking and getting to know each other. When you get to class you part ways to your seats with plans to meet after class. 

Your class schedules were pretty similar, especially yours and Stiles. In the classes you and Stiles shared you decided to move seats and sit next to each other, getting in trouble a few times for talking too much. You were getting along with him so well that he invited you to sit with him and his friends at lunch. And since you didn't have any other plans you took him up on his offer. 

When lunch time rolls around Stiles follows you to your locker where you get your food before heading to the cafeteria to meet up with his friends. The table quiets down when the two of you approach. “Y/n these are my friends: Lydia, Allison, Issac, Liam, Malia, Kira, and you've already met Scott.” One by one his friends say hello and introduce themselves to you. This wasn’t at all how you thought it was going to go. You assumed that they would only give you a cursory hi and go back to their conversations, but they seemed genuinely interested in getting to know you.

[rinstaro]

Hyrule, wild, twi, time, and sky’s reaction to reader squirting on them for the first time? How would they deal with the reader being super shy after?

ur a genius. i love this ask MWAH let me give you a kiss. i’ve been having a hard time writing but i really like this idea

i played around with formatting here lol, looks weird.

cw: squirting obv, overstim, coochie eating, praise, breeding kink in times, he also calls you pup, fingering, doggy, mating press, reader has a vagina no pronouns

minors do not interact.

hyrule

will be shy himself! he’s in such belief that he did that to you. he made you feel so good you squirted on him. i wouldn’t be surprised if he came right there or even came untouched. and even then, he’s hard again immediately. he'd flush with excitement, asking you over and over how good it felt. it only makes you more embarrassed.

you whimpered his name over and over as the knot in your stomach began to unravel. he groaned into your cunt, lips attached to your clit. you looked down at him, shuddering at the sight of him staring back at you like a starved man. your orgasm hit abruptly, causing your legs to kick out and your cunt to spray all over his face. your boyfriend almost choked at the sudden orgasm that hit him, staring at you wide eyed as his cum pooled onto the sheets. once the both of you caught your breath, you apologized profusely.

"n-no! it was, fuck, it was so hot, sweetheart. c-can we... i wanna try that again.”

wild

oh he’s smug. he’s so proud of himself. he’s always doing things for others but pleasing you was special to him. he stops for a moment to just watch you gush and then goes down to kiss your clit. he'll quiet your embarrassed cries by telling you how pretty you looked.

your chest heaved as you tried to catch your breath. your legs trembled in his hold, his fingertips leaving small bruises on your thighs. he stared down at the spot where you two met. your soaked pussy was still fluttering around him. when wild looked back at your face, you were whimpering in embarrassment, arms hiding your face. he chuckled softly, gently moving your arms out of the way.

"f-fuck babe im sorry-"

"no no, baby, you were so pretty. you think i can make you do that again before i cum?”

twi

an animal. you don’t get a chance to be shy because he doesn’t stop, not even for a second. whether he’s drinking down your cum or fucking you through your orgasm, he needs you to do it again. he needs to taste it, to feel it— he just needs more and will go for as long as he’s allowed.

you hid your face in the pillows, the soft material muffling your wails. twilight wouldn't let up, pounding into you as if he didn't know when he'd get the chance again. he'd been desperate, barely giving you a chance to breathe as he ravaged all of your sensitive spots before manhandling you onto all fours. you felt your orgasm coming, and he could too. "go on 'n cum, you deserve it, doll." you obeyed without a word, sobbing when you squirted all over the sheets. his thrusts never stop, making you squirm to escape his grasp.

"not done yet. i want you to drench me, 'kay darlin'?"

time

a menace! will tease you about it relentlessly both degrading and praising you. immediately goes to make you do it again, watching your face the entire time. he wants to watch your face this time as you cum so hard that you soak him. it because his goal now to make you squirt at least once every time you have sex

your dear husband had you in a mating press, dick stretching your poor cunt as far as it could go. your eyes were crossed as you let out little 'ah-ah-ahs' at his harsh thrusts. time wanted to fuck you full, making sure you had at least 3 loads in you by the time he was done. he wanted you stuffed full with a kid asap. time felt you clenching around him and began to play with your clit, making you feel so good you could cry. you shrieked suddenly, body seizing up as you came. “dirty, dirty pup," he called. you whined, uttering a quiet 'don’t look, please' that made him chuckle and grab your chin. "you squeezed me so hard, felt so good. you're so messy... could you do that again for me, dear?”

sky

lets you ride it out and then asks you what the fuck was that LMAO. like he knows, he's just so surprised that it happened out of no where. he wasn't even trying. but now he's going to have to make you cum like that every time. so he's gonna take his time making you cum on his fingers, his tongue, and his dick. it may take a few nights but he is determined.

your sweet boyfriend had been in between your legs prodding at your g spot with his fingers for what seemed like forever. you'd already cum twice, but this one felt stronger. your moans rose in volume as you finally caved, sensitive cunt gushing all over sky's arm. sky didn’t know where to look. his soaked hand, your trembling legs, or your fucked out face. you just sprayed all over him and you were mortified. you pulled your legs in, turning your head and hiding your face from him. he smiled down at your form. "don't be shy, sweetheart... need you to do that again. on my cock this time. maybe on my face later if you're not too passed out. pretty please? wanna feel your cunt squeeze me like you did my fingers."

[mon-chef]

FREE THOUGHTS ON CLAIRE BEAR

(from an ARDENT sydcarmy shipper)

• I’m finding it really hard to keep disliking Claire. (I don’t actually think I ever did.)

• Claire is deeply kind and also deeply bland.

• Do I pity her? Yes.

• Do I believe her and Carmy should be together ? No.

• Do I think her and Carmy are even good for each other? I definitely think Carm could stand to experience her kindness and some softness but no way, in the long run I don’t think they would be good for each other. (That’s neither of their fault’s tho)

• I don’t see her as some conniving villain that’s trying to steal Carmy away from his responsibilities, I see her as just a girl who wants to be with a boy she really likes (and who could blame her).

• I just don’t see it as her duty to keep a grown man focused on his job. In my opinion Carmy is all the way in the wrong. He’s wrong for not honoring his commitment to the team (AND TO SYDNEY!!!!!!). He’s also dead ass wrong for using Claire as a means of distraction. I get that he might not be aware that he’s doing it,but is still his fault and not hers.

• NGL it is wild that she “tracked” Carmy down after he gave her a fake number. If it had been me, homeboy would absolutely never had heard from me EVER AGAIN Like that’s so embarrassing. Technically it worked out for her so props, I guess, but Jesus she lacks shame is persistent.

• I think the fandom can be so unfair to Claire and it’s making me feel defensive of her. Even though initially I felt like she was a super unnecessary character. (Sort of like Renesmee in Twilight (like what is even the point of her?) I understand CLAIRE’s relevance to the narrative now I guess (thanks to some people’s meta posts) but I could probably still do without her tbh. I know there are reasons to dislike her but to frame her as some she-devil who’s manipulating a helpless man is textbook fucking misogyny. It is really weird that people cannot see that.

• I will be a SYDCARMY stan TILL I DIE and it hurts me to say this but I think them calling her Claire-Bear is sooo adorable. I mean think it’s stupid that they call HER that but it is such a cute nickname and it aligns with the Berzatto family nickname and I wish that Sydney got something similar. (This is could still happen,,,,,maybe)

————————

Just throwing some thoughts at the wall maybe I’ll expand on these later.

[mj-ackerman]

I just checked the jp version. In the jp version Loid said 「頑丈すぎる.....!!!ヨルさんの蛮行に晒され続けた結果なのか？」/ “He's so tough...! Is this the result of being continuously exposed to Yor's barbaric strength?”

Idk but this is so funny to me. This also proves that Loid / Twilight is totally aware of Yor's super strength but still doesn't see or think of it as suspicious or weird. Or maybe he actually did think it was weird for a "NORMAL" city hall clerk to have that kind of strength but he's keeping a blind eye to all of Yor's red flags so he could keep her as his wife.

[the-moon-files]

Aaaaa, hi!! I'm the anon who sent in the fairly recent ask with the Guide!Reader ideas (martial artist mention, Dehydrated Ganon, strength possibilities, Ganon not being able to escape from Guide!Reader's voice, etc)! I'm really glad that you liked my ideas so much!! 😊 I was so pleasantly surprised to see you expand on my discombobulated thoughts, haha! Thank you so much! ^w^ I loved reading them!!

I said that I made memes for the Guide!Reader/Space Orc concept, and now I shall deliver them >:D Firstly, I'm super sorry that I took so long to share these with you!! Life decided to kick me in the shins for a hot second 😭 And secondly, I made a LOT of images for this one,, Fair warning, this is going to take up a lot of space 😭 orz

But anyway!! Here are the text memes first:

Guide!Reader: We’re playing Scrabble. It’s a nightmare.

Wars: Scrabble? Scrabble’s great.

Guide!Reader: Not when you’re playing with Zelda, it’s not. She’s out here putting in words like “ephemeral” while I’m putting in “dog.”

☆

Guide!Reader: *pointing out Magic Powder* Legend, look, it’s the good kush!

Legend: …This is the Rupee Store, how good can it be?

☆

Ravio: Hi, welcome! Are you part of our Super Savers Shoppers Club?

Guide!Reader: No, I’m not.

Ravio: :D :) :| Oh.

☆

Legend, looking into a banged-up Water Temple: …It’s trash.

☆

Time, whenever Guide!Reader uses modern slang: We need IRL subtitles. What are you even saying.

☆

Guide!Reader: My Furby died in my arms when I was a child.

Hyrule, has no clue what a Furby is: I’m so sorry for your loss.

Guide!Reader: It wasn’t a loss. I had never felt more like a god.

☆

The Chain: *getting told off by Time*

Guide!Reader in the back: …

Guide!Reader: *starts playing the ukulele* 👁👄👁 🎸

Time: 🧍

☆

Four, talking about Guide!Reader: So, I’m interested in someone…

Dot: :D Oooh! What do they look like?

Four: *slow realisation*

Four: I don’t know

Dot: Wh

Dot: What do you mean you don’t know?

☆

Guide!Reader/Ganon, about hearing Guide!Reader every dang game: The universe has a sense of humour, and I respect the commitment to the bit, but girl please.

☆

Guide!Reader, to Link once they reunite with the Chain: Now… *puts hand on his shoulder* We’re back on our bullsh*t.

☆

Guide!Reader and Wild, meeting Sidon for the first time:

Guide!Reader: …Would.

Wild: Would what?

Guide!Reader:

Wild: (Name)? Would what?

☆

Wind: When you become famous you’re called a legend because your leg ends.

Guide!Reader: What? 

Wind: Your leg. It ends.

Guide!Reader: I’m not a linguist, but I think you’ve got it wrong.

Wind: Are you saying your leg doesn’t end?

Guide!Reader: I mean, at some point it does, yes.

Wind: Then what’s the problem?

☆

The Chain, waking up at dawn to get ready:

Guide!Reader and Sky, just trying to process being alive:

☆

Guide!Reader/Time: You need to get out of bed faster than this.

Sky, struggling: I’m giving it all he’s got, boss

☆

Guide!Reader at Ganon: Your anger amuses me. Please don’t find inner peace. Please.

☆

Guide!Reader, playing through LoZ game: *at an annoying NPC* Let me ask you a very fair question. What do you do successfully? Quickly. :|

Link, trying not to laugh:

☆

Hyrule, probably: I hate it when a recipe tells me to add two cups of onions. They don’t come in cups. They come in onions.

Guide!Reader, head in hands: Please

☆

Hyrule/Twilight, looking at two NPCs: Are they lovers?

Guide!Reader, who knows the lore: Worse.

☆

The Chain, enjoying Guide!Reader’s affections:

Legend: 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️

☆

Legend, defending himself from the “You like him” allegations from Wind: 🤸🤸🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

And now, onto the images- I hope you don't think the sheer amount of these memes is too excessive or anything!! 😭 /gen

Aaa and that's all the memes I've got! I hope you like them,,! orz

I'm also still pretty new to Tumblr, so I'm sorry if the format looks a bit weird,,

Oh, but also?? That last point you mentioned in your most recent post about the cultural differences between humans and Hylians on physical affection/touch?? I am VERY excited to see that,, 👀 👉👈 

U HAVE NO IDEA HOW IN LOVE W/UR BRAIN I AM RN

IM SO FUCKING ECSTATIC TO SEE THESE >>> ANYTHING IVE EVER WRITTEN U MADE MEMES??? FOR MY BS?????? DAOHGHOAKJSALKGFS;NDFKNDNFKJBDBFLN;

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

BLESS YOU, BEHEAMOTH SCREAMOTH MY BELOVED <3333

HAVE THAT HYLIANS V. HUMANS AFFECTION CULTURE POST HERE, THE ONLY PAYMENT I CAN THINK OF FOR THIS 😩😩 🛐 🛐 🛐

I LIED ITS TOO LONG, ITS GONNA BE A SEPERATE POST COME BACK AND PLS READ IT AS PAYMENT (but dont read the nsft/w if ur a minor)

BRO u got all the energy, and the dynamics i was pushing ilysm 🥺🫶

like the Hyrule = beloved agenda ive been pushing, bc i need more underrep links content, the way u carried the ganon eternally getting haunted by guide reader voice?? 10/10 ahdsfkhadl

AND WIND’S CONSTANT ENERGY OF A YOUNGER BROTHER LOOKIN U DEAD IN THE EYE LIKE “u kiss the homie (singular not even plural) goodnight?? Brother, that’s GAEY.”

u have no idea what this means to me, the impact, the understanding u have to have of my bs to make these, and how many posts youve read of mine?? im so sorry for ur loss w/my rough writing lmao

thats how you know youve made it tbh is if someone makes memes of smth u made, anyway day brightened, complexion clear, depression medicated, by this post

I HOPE BOTH SIDES OF UR PILLOW ARE COLD, UR PETS CUDDLE U EXTRA, U GET ALL THE GRADES/GOOD WORK SHIFTS U NEED

Peace out my beloved <3,

🌙

[cafecourage]

feral twilight feral twilight feral twilight

or, i am once again simping for feral twilight

Everyone likes a Feral Link. ☺️

- hard to get twilight to even be feral. You have to have that man let go of the metaphorical leash he has on his wolf instincts. Even then it won’t ever be pointed at you since he doesn’t want to get violent by accident and hurt you.

- If you did talk him into getting to that point there will still need to be some time before you see it. When you’re lucky he could wake up and in his morning brain let his body take control and just lazy lay on you. Nippling at the nape of your neck maybe leaving a few kisses. He isn’t going to let you go once he gets started but it’s going to be very sweet.

- Now on the flip side Feral Twilight when he is at that state of no thoughts or little thoughts just wolf brain. He is super protective which isn’t saying much since it’s Twi. But I’m talking about having you in his arms and not letting you go sort of protective. He isn’t going to let even other links near you if you were in that much trouble. He basically guard dogging you.

- Feral Twilight might also be a bit… weird because Twilight in such a state of no thoughts that he would start doing things he wouldn’t normally do. He is still a good boy! He will listen to if you say no. But he is gonna only listen to you and like Time or Wild. So handling him might just be up to you in the long haul. As again him getting to an animistic state means probably a lot of danger. So you’re really the only one that can look after him, also being the fact that he is clinging on to you most of the time anyway.

- Most likely Feral twilight would be the result of two things. A monster battle that results in you getting hurt. Which god speed for that poor soul. They will be dead in minutes. Twilight when this happens will almost be unstoppable since all reservations are gone. They hurt you. They will perish.

- The second is if Twilight is Wolfie for too long. If he stays in wolf form he is going to have a hard time breaking habits he did before. So it’s not feral as its wolf brain going BRRRRRRRRRRRR.

- Lastly and this is the most extreme case. FD Twilight is dangerous. He is probably the most feral Twilight can get and will chase you down if you run away. It’s a hunt and your his prey.

- I fully believe Twilight won’t even remember what happened when he was put under that much pressure. Nor should he know, he will get guilty and ashamed of it. Being a wolf isn’t something he really sees as something worth boasting about. So Feral Twilight might be a secret until someone asks about it. Then he will piece the pieces together and have to explain in better details.

[bokettochild]

The Chain and Magic

Your magic reflects you more than your body.

Wild's magic screams Death to most people. Unnatural, Broken, Wrong. This thing should not be here. This is a thing, his magic doesn't label him as Hylian anymore, he's not exactly Hylian anymore anyways, so why would it? Instead, magic users see a hylian but their magic will scream at them that that Thing is dressed as a hylian but it is Something Else piloting a hylian.

Four's magic also says Broken. Shattered, pieces, not quite right. He's confusing because he's in pieces, but the pieces don't fit together anymore. They look like they could, but once you look closer you realize that they're just slightly Off and while you could force the pieces together, it still wouldn't Fix him

Twilight's says Darkness. Warmth and love and darkness. His magic feels like a person holding you while you sleep. It's got a dangerous side to it, but not scary. Like, yes, he is a big doggy, he will watch over you but yes, he will bite if you pull his tail, so just don't pull his tail, okay?

Sky's is terrifying. He's pretty and he's sweet, but magic users take one look at him and wonder why a god is standing in front of them and if he's going to smite them? His magic says Strength, Courage, Protection. Once you know what he's protecting, you avoid that thing like the plague lest you upset him

Time's magic is Twisted. His is Wrong in ways that make magic users flinch. He's not like Wild, where his magic says "I shouldn't be here" or Four who says "I'm not all myself, I'm many of myself" Time's magic screams "I am more than myself but I cannot tell where I end and where the foreign begins". To magic users, Time is like a human centipede, or Frankenstein; there is just pieces of him and other Things all sewn together by magic in a mess that Should Not Be. It's kinda gross, for magic users, to be around him honestly

Hyrule's magic is strangely tame in comparison. He's fae, he has fae magic. Yes, the Triforce adds some weird crap, but he's just like, super powerful Fae. He is like a troublesome child someone dared to let drive a car; he has resources to end the world, and while he's not inherently bad, you're not sure if you can trust him not to do it "for fun". Like yes, Hyrule is responsible, but that fae part of him is always screaming for trouble.

Warriors' magic is Dangerous. Unlike Sky who is Blatantly Can Kill You, Wars' magic feels like a sleeping dragon. It's not going to hurt you. Yet. It's strong, but it isn't doing anything right now. Get him on the battlefield though and he is Dominating, Magic is surging and threatening and screaming. He has two settings, sleeping and Kill You and there's nothing in between.

Wind's magic is the quietest. His magic is soft, a whisper. It's not because he's weak by any means, but more because his magic is soft and natural and it's just... the wind. The waves. Granted, it can get violent, but unlike the others, Wind has excellent control over his magic because He Has To. the wind needs to keep going even when he's in shock, it has to stay steady even if he's angry, he Can't let it get too strong because it'll blow the ship into danger. Wind's magic is reminiscent of a dancer, fluid and graceful, controlled, but strong.

Legend's magic on the other hand is the most ungodly combination of what the actual crap? Where Time's is like someone took so much and stuffed it together, Legend's is like a house with many windows, and each time you look in a window, there's something different. His magic isn't blatantly Wrong, but it does flicker in and out as New Things. Monster magic? yeah, he's got that. Hylia's magic? Oh, yeah, you can sense that when his emotions are running high. Dream magic? dude is steeped in the stuff, but you have to look to find it. Death magic? Oh yeah better believe it. you touch that lightning scar that runs all over his left side and it's like Death herself is holding your hand. Dude's magic is screwy, but not Scary. His magics are all kinda only see-able by those who are similar, so it chameleons around with people so they can't ever sense anything strongly unless their magic is the same. In which case Oh! Same! Friend! Magic users (ahemHyruleahem) love him to death because he just feels Familiar, but if they could see how Much and Many magics there is, they'd be a little scared.

[bepisbee]

i had ideas 👀 about vio getting addicted to dark magic and being the monster instead

plz lmk if you think its worth a fic :)

He doesnt even realize it becuase he spent so long around Shadow/the dark mirror openly diffusing dark magic like a humidifier. Until after they all finish the quest and suddenly hes not around it anymore and he gets sweats, shakes, mood swings, blood pressure drops. He doesnt know why until he visits the tower becuase hes sad and misses shadow. falls asleep there. 

the symptoms are gone when he wakes up.

he does his best about it. never tells the others and never goes back to the tower. He hides between the library and his room and becomes nocturnal to avoid the others seeing him. eventually the major shock and withdrawl symptoms stop but theres still thst itch he cant scratch thats always crawling under his skin. constsnt anxiety thst theres part of him missing now.

when they get older he cant take it anymore and gives in. he spends a day at the tower with the shattered mirror and hunts for material. resources, magic wells, heavy spots, books, studies, scrolls, spells. When hes in the dark magic for more than an hour his eyes start doing weird shit. not that he knows that rifht away ofc. they turn black in the sclera and slowly the ice blue turns purple.

He doesnt return for weeks

trying to amass some sort of personal portable dark magic source thst doesnt bring about the end of the world via dark mirror power well. preferably with an on off switch. he manages to be able to condescne some into a liquid form and bottles it for testing later. planning on trying it in a space not affected by “shadow ozone” for potency and relaiablility and effect length. he stays on it longer by channeling the magic in the air through himself

the colors come to find him and they think hes fucking possesed or smth.

he ends up having to tell them or they were gonna execute him for turning evil. hes worried they still might. They warn him off building a magic well and offer to help him kick his magic addiction.

he declines. he realized earlier if he can command a small enough power well that is disconnected from the sacred realm he might even get shadow back. (using different source, twilight realm over dark world?) plus he LIKES the feel of the magic and he isnt having different thoughts than before.

colors are obviously SUPER SUS about this plan but dont want to push him away. once hes determined he WILL do it. if they disagree he’ll just do it behind their backs and be unsafe and possibly hurt himself. or worse connect it too big of a source and attract the attention of gannon or other awful evil beings. reluctantly they all agree to help or at least let him be with this with more warnings to be careful af.

super worry squad

they leave him alone so they dont also get dark magic addicted (they cant though, only vio is susceptible becuase he is the part of link that holds his bad/evil thoughts or is even capable of using dark magic).

he takes his research home when he isnt succesful by the time hes out of food and supplies. he takes his liquid shadow essences bottled up with and goes home with the colors.

theyre there to support him this time around. 

he keeps researching and testing his essence on himself and channeling dark magic and using it to create sources. on accident he overdoses himself and gives himself permanent changes (hand claws, black gradient fades into his skin tone, sharp teefs, eyes remain black sclera) locks himself in his room in shame and fear and when it doesn't go away, panic. Eventually they get vio to let them in and he tells them about it. cue supportive family moment. Red helps file their claws down and Vio practices how to talk without cutting his tongue or biting it or his lips. It’s a struggle with the claws until they get filed down. They flare back out when he gets emotional though.

This ends up giving him a boost, altering his body, altering his magic channels. He now naturally flows dark energy in his magic. he gets to making a small source from a pendant he makes. Hs fuels enough power (with permission and supervision) and summons back Shadow and uses up his source to create a shadow body of dark magic mixed with earth and light magic. (essentially a gollum/elemental ) shadows body is dependent on Vio’s magic instead of the mirror now but it's not a problem since the alterations. If he gets hurt Vio can just fix him by feeding his body magic.

happy ending vidow :) and vios the monster this time!

[bixels]

How do you pick out colour pallets for your characters? (Specifically the Mane 6 human designs) they're so good!!

I'll stick to the Mane 6 so far.

I paired everyone up first so I can design their colors as duos: Rainbow Dash + Fluttershy, Rarity + AJ, Pinkie + Twilight.

Rainbow and Fluttershy are noisy vs. quiet (visually).

Rainbow Dash obviously needs to be super colorful, but I couldn't go total blow-out rainbow with her, which isn't the goal of the design challenge. To stick to the era, I gave her scarf tie and pants colorful but natural dyed-thread colors: teal, orange, pink, green, and red. The vest, on the other hand, was given the bright primary colors of her rainbow-lightning-bolt cutie mark (the diamond patterns are meant to look like a bolt or explosion). Each character gets an accent color too for shadows, and I gave Rainbow a deep purple to make her skintone pop as much as possible.

Fluttershy's the opposite. I designed her palette to be duochromatic: just rose pink and yellow, with a hint of mint green. All her colors are very desaturated as well, though the yellow clothes help her stand out. Unlike Rainbow, any ornaments in dress come in small places, like lace edges, small butterfly patterns, bows, and earrings, as I feel Fluttershy would still enjoy accessorizing.

Rarity and AJ are cold vs. hot (visually, again).

Rarity's given very artificial, unnatural colors to give an impression of wealth and status. I decided to go with a deep blue rather than purple so she doesn't get mixed with Twilight's palette. I also kept her mostly monochromatic to give the sense of neatness and grace. Her palette is simple enough: pink skin, blue clothes, teal accents. Variations come in the clothing itself: patterns, accessories, fur linings, buttons, etc.

AJ, on the other hand, is given very earthy, warm tones. I actually referenced Minecraft terracotta blocks when designing her.

I made green her primary color since no other character carries it. The red and green's meant to make her look a bit like an apple. Weird note, but I'm really proud of the dark teal in her jeans. It looks great against the orange of her chaps. AJ's palette was surprisingly hard to pin down, as I was afraid the yellow/orange skin-tone, hat, and hair would muddy her face. Had to fiddle with it a lot to get it where I want (oftentimes, the green would make her look like a park ranger), but throwing in a blue shadow accent really helped pull everything together.

Haven't gotten to the last two yet, but Pinkie's is definitely going to be crazy and bright. Here's a sneak peak of it, actually:

Thanks for the ask! I really like talking about my design process.

[linkeduniverse-writing]

General LU Headcanons part 1

Heya! So I'm starting this blog with some general headcanons about the boys, I think I'll divide it in three parts so it's not too long. First up are Four, Hyrule, and Legend! Hope you enjoy :D

Part 2 Part 3

Four

It takes him so long to emerge from sleep

Like he'll be in a haze for like 20 minutes, not able to form any coherent thoughts

Which is kind of a surprise because he's one of the early risers, and is super reactive once fully awake

He tends to talk to himself a lot, mostly when he does something or thinks through a problem

It's mostly to exteriorize all the noise inside his head tho

The others aren't as weirded out by it than he feared, and he's thankful for it

Whenever they're in a market or just in a town, he always finds himself drawn to craftsmanship

Like if they need to interrogate people about monsters and stuff, he'll go ask artisans mostly

He feels more comfortable around them

It feels like home

Also he likes to compare his work to other blacksmith's

He feels like he has a lot to learn still, and he's very curious about how the craft has evolved with time

He doesn't know first aid and the scent of blood makes him sick, but if his teammates need tending he'll do his best

He tries to see their wounds as metal work needing repairs

It helps him keep his cool

But he'd rather leave it to someone else

Hyrule

Another early riser, but he hates it

He loves sleeping in and wishes his body would let him sometimes

But oh well, when it's time to wake up it's time to wake up

He's a very light sleeper too, like the wind blowing in the leaves above would wake him up

He hates it

Botany nerd

Loves keeping track of the new plants he finds along the way

He always asks the Link from the Hyrule they're in if he knows about it, and will pick them up if he can't get an answer, to study them later hopefully

He rarely can, but when they have a moment he'll either find a plant book (and a Link who can read it for him) or straight up ask someone if they know about the plant

He's always so polite and genuinely curious, people can't help but answer

He accidentally set Sky's stuff on fire once when showing off his fire magic to Wind

Sky was too impressed to truly be mad at him tho

(Also Hyrule replaced all of the stuff that couldn't be repaired, don't ask him how)

He doesn't mind blood and grime and gore, but can't handle anything with maggots in it

He'll stitch up anything, he'll put bones back in place if necessary, but one bug? In a wound? Don't count on him

He can keep his calm even before the grossest injuries, which is why he's often fixing up the others after a fight

He rarely uses his healing magic tho, he knows he'll tire too easily, and he can't help them if he can barely stay awake

So potions potions potions

He's a gentle caregiver but you better do as he says when you're hurt

Legend

A heavy sleeper, and he dreams a lot, but he never remember them

Probably for the best if you ask him

He usually wakes late, but never truly rested unfortunately

That never stoped him from being immediately efficient and fully awake tho

He knows he has a reputation of being sharp and closed off, but he's a really good listener

He's the kind of person curse the world with you when you vent until you're in the right headspace to find a solution

He kind of encourages the others in their dumbest ideas just to see what'll happen

(not the too dangerous ones, of course)

But he's curious, and after all the adventures he's been through, he believes that if he survived all of this, surely Wild will survive trying to cook a bomb flower

He did, but Twilight almost died of stress

He's the one who helps Warrior with refilling their inventory when they're low on supplies

He's a great negotiator and can get them twice the supplies for the same price

He's sometimes even charming enough to get them all a free meal

It's his favorite skill

He doesn't mind blood but will not look at broken limbs

Not his own, not other's

He tries to keep his cool around the others to not make them panic, but he really hates broken bones

If one of them is hurt, he'll try to distract them and make sure they have water and enough heat

He'll also keep them in place if they move around too much for Hyrule or Warrior to work on them

He's not gentle, but he's still reassuring somehow

[celestialpaperhaze]

Now that more people have played TTYD, I wanted to compare and contrast a few things between that game and Super Paper Mario. In particular, this post will focus on...

PARTNERS AND SIDE CHARACTERS!

The Thousand-Year Door really shines with its partners and side characters, in part because every chapter allows one of these side characters to be a protagonist. This also ties into the "each chapter has its own subplot" idea that SPM lacks, at least in the beginning.

! SPOILERS FOR THE THOUSAND YEAR DOOR !

(and minor spoilers for Super Paper Mario)

Chapter 1 allows Koops to have a mini-arc where he’s avenging his father. Even though his father turns out to be alive, this adventure to defeat Hooktail marks an important development in his character that leads him to continue traveling with Mario. In SPM, while the first chapter does drop a few key pieces of information on the Ancients, there's not really a clear subplot or side character to follow.

Chapter 2 starts out with Punio and his desire to rescue his sister, and branches out (heheh) into the Punies trying to defend their home. Meanwhile in SPM, there's a bit of a sub-plot with Mimi and Merlee that places them both in the spotlight, but that's mostly it. If the chapter had given a little more attention to the other prisoners of Mimi's debt scheme, then maybe it could've come close to establishing the environment in the same manner as TTYD.

Chapter 3 kind of puts the entire cast of the Glitz Pit in the limelight, since you don’t really know who’s who until nearing the end. I can’t really argue that it makes Jolene the protagonist because that reveal comes only once the chapter ends--but after you realize Jolene's role in the mystery of the Glitz Pit, it becomes clear that she is a key protagonist in chapter 3, and the revival of Prince Mush serves as the completion of her arc. Again, chapter 3 of SPM could've pulled this off by giving characters like Carrie some more involvement in defeating Francis; after all, she was a victim of his weirdness too, right?

After playing the first three chapters of TTYD, you begin to feel more invested in the plot of the game. However, the first three chapters of SPM are weaker in terms of establishing interest, which is largely why many people who first played the game didn't stick with it past this point. However, around chapter four, the tides begin to turn!

Chapter 4 of TTYD follows the people of Twilight Town, as you are immediately introduced to the plight of their pig curse. However, after the first battle with Doopliss, the chapter places Vivian in the spotlight. Vivian becomes the protagonist in this chapter as she finally learns to overcome her fear of her sisters and fight for what she believes in. Chapter 4 of SPM actually has Squirps as a side-protagonist, so it comes pretty close to matching TTYD's pattern here.

Chapter 5 puts Flavio in the spotlight. He is...quite the personality! He's a flamboyant, arrogant coward who's given a Brave Moment during the climax of the chapter. In SPM, we have the conflict of the Cragnons and Floro Sapiens in the forefront of the chapter, which helps better establish the world of chapter 5.

Chapter 6, being all about solving mysteries, puts your partnership with Pennington in the spotlight, thus making The Penguin With the Improbably Large Brain a protagonist of the chapter. In SPM, chapter 6 focuses on the Sammer Guys as their world is on the verge of erasure.

Chapter 7 puts the main plot of the Thousand-Year Door back in focus, so there's not much of a sub-plot. However, you could still argue that TEC is made into a protagonist for this chapter, given his act of sacrifice at the end. And of course, Super Paper Mario has Luvbi as a protagonist, and her arc with Jaydes and Grambi as a sub-plot of sorts.

In chapter 8 for both games, all the strings tie together and the focus is placed primarily on the climax and conclusion of the main plot! For SPM, this includes focuses on each villain in turn (O'Chunks, then Mimi, then Dimentio, then Count Bleck and, to a lesser extent, Nastasia).

Because TTYD's writing allows you to be close with all of the partners and side characters you meet, parting with them at the end feels like a real goodbye. Even though you know you can just reload your save file, you still have the sense that you'll miss these people and this world you've gotten to know so well.

Despite all my love for the game, I do have mixed feelings on how effectively SPM pulls this off. I think they definitely give enough attention to the game's main cast to make the players curious about them after completing the main story, but I don't feel that this sense carries over to all of the side characters and worlds from throughout the game. I'm still fond of the characters in Super Paper Mario, of course, but it's not in the same "I feel I experienced something with them" kind of way that the Thousand-Year Door does so well.

TL;DR - Each chapter in The Thousand-Year Door gives some side character a chance to serve as that chapter’s protagonist, which helps better establish the characters and worlds in that game. However, Super Paper Mario does not do this to the same extent, especially in the earlier chapters, which I believe is part of the reason many people found SPM less engaging than TTYD when it first released.

[lilxmoo]

Little things Amie and Jay did in AC that are actually quite important and I think deserve recognition

KAL👏 NOT 👏 BEING 👏CREEPY 👏 like guys he could have been a weird Jacob from Twilight "i imprinted on you" SO EASILY. But instead, by offering to leave and by always respecting Auri as a person before all else (throughout the whole series btw, it didn't stop once they're together), they actually show that he genuinely loves her rather than just being creepily attached to her against her will. Every step in their relationship is decided by Aurora, giving her full autonomy, but she ALSO asks for consent from him so they don't just assume he's ok with whatever just because they're bonded. It could have been so weird but they dodged that bullet really well

SCARLETT IS NEVER SLUTSHAMEDDD!!! I didn't think about til recently, but having a female character who is sexually active, sexualizes herself and has many partners is never a joke in this series, which is wonderfully refreshing. In fact, it's a subtle but really helpful insight to her character, with her desire to be loved instead of just loving, how detached she feels from her dad and her general desire to experience attachment that she hasn't always received. It's also not something she does simply because "she has to", she genuinely likes it, and that's never painted as a bad thing.

Having a queer character be religious. The whole United Faith thing is never really explored (which is probably good, it could have gotten way too political way too quick), but it's clearly inspired by Christianity. With Finian being both part of what is essentially a Christian and also a bisexual man is such good subtle representation that I WISHH there was more of in media. Just a silent acknowledgement of, "hey, these things don't have to be separate, being both is ok "

No alien species is wrong, and no conflict has a clear right side. Again, kinda under explored for the sake of trying to not be super political, but there is a silent yet pretty pointed show that every conflict is pretty grey. They don't justify murder or racism, but they kinda show, "hey, terrans and Syldrathi BOTH did good and bad things in this war. Terra attacked innocent Syldrathi, but Jericho Jones was a peacemaker. The Syldrathi did not ask for war, but Caersan was still a mass murderer anyways." Just an extra tiny layer of depth which helps with it feeling more real.

Subverting the, "I can fix him/her" trope. The characters aren't "fixed" by their love interests. Their growth is inspired by their partners, but also by their friends and experiences, which is much nicer. They say, "you CAN'T fix them. But you can encourage them to grow", and I really like that, I think its much healthier.

Neurodivergency. I'm not sure if Zila is actually meant to be autistic, but as someone on the spectrum myself, I definitely see her there. And her not understanding social ques isn't painted as something she needs to learn, it's painted as something EVERYONE ELSE needs to accept. Not change themselves for, that's important, but accept. Whenever someone criticizes her for her lack of social awareness, it's not a joke or a narrative criticism of her, etc the "You understand how everything works except other people" line. If anything, they are showing us that she does have feelings, that empathy is still important for her even if that's not something that's actively shown, and that these types of statements are hurtful, not helpful.

Trauma has consequences. Amie and Jay have talked about this in interviews, but they have always said that they stop believing a story when a character dies and then everyone just moves on, because that's not realistic. And that really helps the story and characters feel believable. Cat's death isn't only shown through Tyler being kinda sad. Every single character grieves her, not because they were close but because they knew her, which is very realistic, and for Tyler specifically she quite literally haunts his narrative, just like real death does, especially of such a violent kind. His grief drives him to make decisions which end up changing the course of the story, as does Kal's trauma with his dad, and everyone's past experiences, they all matter, and drive the storyline forward. Very realistic and very well-done.

They end the story where it needs to end. I'm a big advocate for not stretching out stories beyond where they need to go, and they do it well. Like, it's a sci fi space opera, they could've made it fifteen books long if they wanted, or made sure they had enough books for every squad member to have a cover of their own (which i wouldve loved to see, but anyways), but instead they said, "this is where and how it needs to end, and we're not gonna milk it."

Representation is subtle. The best kind, in my opinion, is when it feels real, and here it does. Fin and zila aren't constantly discussing being queer, they just have a conversation about if Saedii is hot, similar to Scarlett teasing Auri about Kal. Aurora being half Chinese isn't more important than her being half Irish, they both matter but neither overshadow her as a person. They become reminders of home, not reminders of her differences.

This was WAYYY too long, I apologize, but I was tryna think on why this story doesn't feel weird where in a lot of places it normally would. So here's my ramblings :D (noone is gonna care but oh well I put it out somewhere lol) anyway amie and jay know how to write surprise surprise