#but it has to be done - otherwise i'd just keep going lol

[skeefee-sky]

'Little adventures in Rescuing.'

@thunder-tober Day prompt: 14 - Cliffside Characters: Scott, Virgil, John and Jeff Tracy, Thunderbird One Word count: 720

Last minute entry in an idea that literally came to me last minute >w< This one’s a, different kind of ‘Tracys meet the Thunderbirds’ story… an AU outside of my AU, if you will x’D Another long one >w> but I’m totally okay with it <w<. A little race takes a turn when a fall over a cliff is involved. Someone they weren’t quite expecting comes to their rescue~.

🩶💚🧡 TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB 🧡💚🩶

When you and you little brothers want to go adventuring, you go adventuring, just maybe making sure you stay in Dad’s eyeline. Following the leader wherever he may go~ Scott didn’t mean to lead them so far away…

He did at least stop when John called out to them. He turned to look back at Virgil, black hair slightly windswept from the run his younger brother had taken after him.

“You did good keeping up, Vee!” he praised.

“Yeah but, we gotta go back,” Virgil insisted, pointing back to where John was waiting a few paces away. “Johnny says he still can’t see Dad.”

“We won’t go too much farer!” Scott admitted, taking a few steps forward before he broke into a run again. His younger brother let out a noise that half sounded like a whimper and a groan, before following. John dropped his hand when he watched his older brothers run off, fidgeting with the sleeves of his sweater. Did he go after them? Or wait for Dad to catch up and come find him? He looked back in the direction they’d come, turquoise eyes scanning along the path before he made up his mind to go sit by a tree. He’d wait there.

“S-Scott! Slow down!” Virgil was calling after his brother; the two of them still in their run through the trees. “This is farer!”

“No it’s not!” Scott called back, turning a little to glance over his shoulder. “It’s the same! We-…!”

He was abruptly cut off when he stumbled on a tree root and tripped, letting out a soft cry of panic. Virgil was quick to stop before he ran into him, concern in his brown eyes when he found his big brother had ended up on the ground.

“You okay?”

“… Yeah,” the older softly huffed, taking his hand when he offered for help up. In their moment of pause, the two took a second to brush themselves off, sending dust and dirt off in small clouds as they patted down their clothes.

“John didn’t come with us?”

“Mn-mn. I tried to tell you,” Virgil insisted with a shake of his head. He watched as Scott started wandering again, but didn’t make a move to go after him. “Come on, we gotta go back, Scotty…”

“Just, a little longer…” Scott mumbled, slowing down his wandering as he approached the clearing on the other side of the trees. Virgil begrudgingly followed, speeding up to catch and pull his brother back when he stepped to the cliffside. There was a river running below them, and a waterfall off in the distance… possibly the one they’d recently had a picnic at.

“Can we go back now?” Virgil urged.

Scott was peering over the side of the cliff, as best he could without leaning out too far, trying to get a better look at something. He almost hadn’t heard his younger brother’s question. He just, couldn’t quite see-…

“Scott!”

Virgil had let out a soft gasp as he watched his brother slip, tried to grab him, but they’d both been pulled down by gravity. Scott clung to his little brother, but there was nothing else to grab on to…

It had happened so fast, but suddenly their fall was cut short; both still landing slightly harshly on the surface underneath them. With a tight grip still on Virgil, Scott blinked, looking up at the shadow cast over them. He could only squeak out a gasp.

“Are you alright, little ones? You’re lucky I was here.” Visored eyes watched them; the silver rocket keeping her tone low as she scanned over them. “Wasn’t too much of a fall hm? Could have been worse if I hadn’t spotted you.”

“Giant rocket lady…” Scott mouthed in a whisper. Virgil carefully unburied himself from his brother’s side, peering round to see who had spoken; brown eyes widening.   

“Who…?”

“Scott! Virgil!” Dad had come running; Dad had heard them! Dad was here, and he’d brought John, who’d been gripping onto his back for dear life when he’d started sprinting at the sound of a scream. Chest heaving to get his breathing back under control, he stared astounded at the scene before them. “What…?”

Scott merely sat up in the rocket’s hands; a wide grin spreading across his lips. “Can we keep her!?!”   

[lucalicatteart]

Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 4: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

The winning option of yesterday's poll was that the adventurer should offer the Well Creature some bread and soup ….

"Completely unsure how to even begin to interact with the strange creature from the well, The Adventurer recalls reading in a book once that 'food is a universal language', or uh.. something like that.. thus, some hearty soup and bread would surely bridge any communication barriers... probably. He serves the little cannister of broth cold, straight from his bag just dumped into a wooden bowl, mostly because he's far too nervous to try and start a fire with someone watching.. hopefully they won't mind the food not being warmed..

After gently placing a single bread roll next to the soup, he steps back, gesturing towards the meal with an uncertain smile. The creature pauses, sniffs around, then promptly disappears back into the darkness. Just as The Adventurer begins to sulk over his apparent rejection, something stirs behind him... With a rush of creaking and plopping noises, the creature resurfaces, revealing it's massive serpent-like body as it hoists itself over the crumbled stone of the well's edge with it's many arms. It cracks open it's mighty jaw just far enough for a tiny blue tongue to slither out, then politely slurps at the soup, delicate enough not to spill any.

Stumbling backwards in shock, The Adventurer simply sits there staring the entire time whilst the creature happily (and rather quickly) enjoys their meal... Seemingly appreciative of his kind offerings, another strange slinking arm creeps up from the depths of the well, daintily opening a velvet sack with it's claws and laying out a small assortment of items onto the grass. Still a bit shaken, but also never one to turn down a free gift, The Adventurer senses that the creature intends for him to take any single item of his choosing... but, which one?"

[yumeka-sxf]

My thoughts on Spy x Family: EYES ONLY Guidebook (English ver) - part 3

Continuing from my previous two posts, this will be my last post discussing the English version of the SxF manga guidebook "EYES ONLY." I'll discuss some of Endo's and Lin's comments on specific chapters, some of the included concept art for the series, all the Twiyor tidbits the book has to offer, and conclude with a couple things the English version of the book omits.

Endo's and Lin's comments on specific chapters

There's at least one comment from Endo and/or Lin on every chapter of the manga from when the book was originally published (up to chapter 61). Unfortunately I can't cover every single comment, but I did want to highlight a few (more will be covered in the Twiyor tidbits later on).

So Bond wouldn't have actually died from Yor's cooking then? Good to know her cooking isn't that bad, lol. Also that's a good question, Lin, maybe you should ask Endo? 😅

Lots of great info about the cruise arc. Makes sense that they had to plan it out many months in advance and keep revising it to patch up plot holes. All that work definitely paid off! Interesting that they almost considered not having Loid on the ship at all. Glad they didn't because otherwise we wouldn't have gotten one of his best outfits! 🤣 (can't wait to see this piece of work in color in the anime!)

Incidentally, the scene Endo mentions where he "managed to make Yor look pretty cute" is this one (she does look pretty cute here).

My favorite comment of Endo's about any chapter has to be this one for chapter 56. Never change, Endo 😂

And lastly, some good comments about chapter 59 (Becky visits the Forgers).

This is one of my favorite stand-alone chapters so I'm glad it was well received. Funny how they kept going with the joke instead of ending it "normally"...but when you have such great characters and setups, good comedy writes itself!

Below is Endo's commentary about Henderson, not a specific chapter, but thought I'd point it out since he mentions Henderson is the only character he's done a shower scene for...not anymore!

Also, while not related to a specific chapter, I do like what Endo says below about Loid and Yor's "dark sides."

He enjoys drawing them this way, which is cool, but he's also cautious about not overdoing it and saving those expressions for important situations.

Concept art

Most of the pre-serialization character designs included in this book were also in the exhibition pamphlet, which I already discussed thoroughly here (wish I had remembered these were in the fanbook so I wouldn't have put so much effort into trying to read Endo's scribble notes). So I'll just mention a few of the most notable things.

As I discussed in my post about the pamphlet, Franky was at some point intended to be the uncle of the family. Though I do think it would have been fitting to make him the uncle, I also like the main focus being on just the "nuclear" family, with the uncle and other characters having supportive roles.

An interesting note about the beta version of Yor is that she seemed to be more like Fiona - she was in love with Loid right from the start, to the point of trying to eliminate Anya! I doubt this is something she would be doing all the time as it would have been difficult to make her a likable main character if she was always trying to kill her daughter...in all likelihood, she would have tried to kill Anya at first before eventually learning to love her as a daughter. While I see how this could work for an intriguing character arc, I'm glad Endo decided to make Yor a loving mother to Anya right away, and not make her feelings for Loid an obsessive "love at first sight" kind of thing.

Twiyor tidbits

Being the shipper that I am, I tried to see if I could pinpoint any Twiyor subtleties throughout the book, as vague as they may be! 😂

Below are excerpts from Loid and Yor's character pages where we're given info on their current stance about each other.

Love the emphasis on their bond of trust ❤️

Below are excerpts from chapters 14 and 35, probably the most Twiyor-heavy chapter pages in the book.

This confirms that Loid did indeed interpret Yor's kick as her not having any romantic feelings for him.

Below are comments by Endo and Lin for chapter 30, where Fiona is introduced.

Endo's line is a little ambiguous here, but I think he's saying how people sympathize with Fiona because she's "doomed to lose," which is...telling 😅 (does Fiona's loss automatically mean a Twiyor win?)

Endo says he likes the "You're strong, Yor" conversation, one of the most Twiyor-ish scenes in the series so far! 😊 Lin also mentioned how they got to use that theme again during the Becky chapter.

Weird that he chose to highlight this line of all things as Loid's "Family Comment" for chapter 10. Could this and chapter 79 be more foreshadowing for an eventual "Twilight vs Thorn Princess" showdown? 👀 Or maybe he just likes teasing fans because he knows it's something they fantasize about.

English version omissions

There's an additional Endo interview that's missing from the English version of the book: an interview with him and Kazumi Takayama, a former idol of the group Nogizaka46.

At first it seemed very odd that they would leave out just this interview, but after discussing it with others on Discord, I realized it's because it has to do with an idol. Apparently getting licensing rights for anything that has to do with a Japanese idol group is very difficult, which is further hindered by the fact that Takayama isn't even part of that idol group anymore, which makes getting the content green lit for official release overseas even more taxing. So probably Viz decided it wasn't worth the trouble and just left out that interview. But thankfully u/Nemshi on Reddit posted a fan translation of it, which you can read here. They talk a bit about SxF, but most of it is just general questions they ask each other.

And the other thing missing from the English version that I really can't understand is the inside cover! Another great 4th-wall breaking joke from Endo (I added a quick translation of the Japanese version below).

Unlike the Takayama interview, I have no idea why they didn't include this. They include the inside cover as an extra page in all the English volumes, so why not here? Very weird.

---

And that's all I'm going to share for the "EYES ONLY" fanbook! Honestly, there's so much great content in the book that I didn't touch on, like info about East/West relations, about Eden Academy, Endo's comments on all the designer chairs for the volume covers...and lots more. So definitely get a copy yourself if you can! It's a must-have for any SxF fan 😁 Books like this aren't officially released in English very often, so the fact that Viz thought it was worthwhile to make this proves how much of a hit SxF is!

<- Return to Part 2

[yuri-is-online]

Omg pls make Yuu Crewels bio kid. It makes everything messy and tangled when it comes down to it. Like were they put up for adoption because Y/N couldn't handle the responsibility at the time? I am assuming Y/N is from another world? Or even just far away land in TWST. Wait...I just remembered you said Crewel is a possible homewrecker?! Does that Mean Y/N has someone else arranged marriage style and they wanted Crewel instead. What if graduation they had a steamy night as a 'one last time, cherish you forever but also we're starcrossed lovers' fumbled protection and 9 months later Surprise!Yuu. There's so so many possibilities and i don't want to over talk if it's not going to go that way lol. Anyway, hope your doing well otherwise! Love all your Yuu Too stories!

Oh hello Nonnie! It's been a moment nice to see you 🩷

Crewel has his age listed as 32, so the exact timeline for bio kid Yuu isn't really there, unfortunately :/ He'd have been around 16 if we keep with the "cannon" ages and if we go with writing NRC as an actual University then there's even less time. Otherwise I'd jump on the chance for the drama because this entire fic is such a soap opera. Maybe I'll write something with this concept for the mafia ayuu ｢( • ﾍ •) that way it's the best of both worlds.

The reader in this fic is isekaid for the first time while on a date with their boyfriend. When they return to their/Yuu's world, they are so determined to pretend that nothing is wrong they do whatever they think a normal person in their position would do. This includes dating and eventually getting engaged to someone. The homewrecker accusation is something of an inside joke between them and Crewel because of some things y/n said when they first met. But Crewel is deadly serious about it, he doesn't give a shit about either of those guys. He's... not really on his best behavior for this one lol

Yuu is a troubled kid who reader adopts because they relate to them. The two have a close bond, and while Yuu knew about "Divus" they didn't know about Twisted Wonderland. I wouldn't say they think of Crewel as a father figure (at first anyway) they just like him better than reader's current fiance.

Actually now that I think about it this is sort of a Halloween version of a Hallmark movie except no it's not... Halloween is important to the fic though so I'm really grinding to make sure it's done on time.

[hughiecampbelle]

10k Follower Ship Celebration! ❤️🤍💙

My loves!!!! This is so wild!!! THANK YOU!!! Thank you for supporting me and my silly writing. Thank you for the likes, and reblogs, and especially the comments (it's embarrassing how much I reread them lol). Thank you for being here and loving The Boys/Gen V as much as I do :) I don't want to get too sappy lol, but writing has been the one constant in my life since I started this blog. It's gotten me through the worst times in my life and I know, no matter what, I can always come back to it regardless of how long it's been and find so many of my friends like no time has passed!!! I want to show my love by opening up ships again, but this time they're gonna be a little different (in a good way!!!) Please be sure to read the rules and remember all requests are open!!! Xoxoxo❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙

RULES:

Only one ship per person - I wanna make sure it’s fair for everyone and that I have time for everyone :)

These ships are only for the The Boys and Gen V fandom!- It’s what I feel inspire to write right now, so any other fandoms will not be written for with these ships!

Specify! - Please specify which fandom you'd want to be paired with, gender you'd want to be paired with, and, if it is an issue, who you don't want to be shipped with (ex: I'd love a ship from Gen V, for any character, just not Cate Dunlap)

Please be kind! - I am one person who is doing this to show my love and appreciation for the fandom as well as the people who are constantly supporting my silly writing. Please remember to be kind when requesting and please try not to make demands, if that makes sense? I love doing ships, but sometimes the attitudes around them can turn something fun into something discouraging and quickly lead to burnout

SHIPS ARE OPEN: August 24th -> October 16th

ANYTHING SENT AFTER WILL BE DELETED UNLESS SPECIFIED OTHERWISE!

WHAT TO INCLUDE:

The most important thing would be to include what gender/s you’d want to be shipped with and if you want The Boys, The Seven, Gen V or either/no preference to be paired with! I wouldn’t want to ship anyone with a character they’re personally uncomfortable with :) I will 100% respect your request!

Because these are going to be aesthetics, I think the most important things to include are what you look like, your personal style, personality, type of people you typically like/date, favorite things about yourself, interests, hobbies, favorite books, movies, bands, animals, harry potter house, favorite places, dream jobs/homes/lifestyle/future, pet peeves, etc. Basically anything that you find unique to you! Things that can't really be put into aesthetics are things like mental health issues, etc. so please try to limit that kind of information.

WHAT WILL IT INCLUDE:

Because these ships are going to be different from the last ones, I want to keep it a surprise, but just know it'll include an aesthetic of your relationship and maybe even a little blurb of writing!

PLEASE REMEMBER:

I’ve done this before under the #johnnyshellby-ships / #jammesbarnnes-ships / #kaitbishop-ships (my old urls) so I’m gonna tag this #hughiecampbelle10k-ships in case you’d want to block it for any reason!

I’ll try to get to these asap and they’ll be posted between other posts and requests, but please understand I am one person so they might take some time! Xoxoxo❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙

[misc-obeyme]

Hey! How are you? As your requests are open, I'd like to take this opportunity to send you one.I wanted to know how brothers react to an MC who is the eldest of a large sibling group and who is used to dealing with all the problems that younger brothers can cause. Take care of yourself and have a nice day

Hi there, anon!

Okay, time for a tidbit about me, I'm the youngest of two. So I wrote this mostly based on what I have heard from others about what it's like to be an older sibling to many younger siblings. It always seemed to me that the eldest has to take on a bit of a parental role (as we see with Lucifer). So I wanted to capture that while still indicating that the brothers see MC as a love interest lol. Hopefully I did okay.

Thank you for the request!

the brothers react to GN!MC who is the eldest of many younger siblings

Warnings: none!

Lucifer

Eldest sibling solidarity. It's nice to have someone who understands what he has to deal with on a regular basis. Just knowing that you get it means a lot to him.

Okay but he's going to enlist your assistance now that he knows you can handle it. Expect to be his counterpart, you're probably the nicer one, which makes it easier for him to be even more strict. Help him keep his brothers in check, MC. He needs you.

Considering he sees you as his partner in authority rather than one of his own younger siblings he needs to deal with, he's going to get very protective of you. Will absolutely chew out any of his brothers that give you grief.

Appreciates how responsible and helpful you are. Starts to wonder how he ever managed to get by without you. Doesn't admit to this often, but when you're alone, he'll let you know just how much he appreciates you.

Mammon

Oh no, not another one. But don't worry, he's used to this. He's had to deal with Lucifer for just about forever, so he can handle you. He actually listens to you and pretty much just goes along with whatever you say.

Will absolutely back you up when it comes to the younger brothers, too. If he's the one who's part of the problem, all you have to do is look at him a certain way and he'll stop immediately. Sides with you in every instance.

Appeals to you when Lucifer is being strict, especially if he's been strung up again. C'mon, MC! Ya know he didn't do anythin' that bad! Get Lucifer to let him down, would ya?

You find he responds much better to positive reinforcement than punishment. Due to the results you achieve with this, you can usually talk Lucifer into letting you deal with him when he's done something problematic again.

Leviathan

He's wary of you at first. An eldest sibling who's used to dealing with younger brothers? So what, you're just a nicer version of Lucifer, is that it? Maybe not. Maybe you're just as bad as Lucifer! Might avoid you at first.

He'll come around, though. And he finds he doesn't mind if you start scolding him. It's completely different from when Lucifer does it. And he actually listens to you, too. Finds he doesn't like to upset you.

Comes to you for help. When he needs something, he's always at your door. Especially if it has to do with one of his brothers. You always know what to say and what to do. Can you please help him out, MC?

Isn't as good at backing you up as his older brothers, but definitely will stand with you in solidarity if needed. He begins to trust your judgment and if things are getting crazy with any of his brothers, he knows you can help to set everybody straight.

Satan

Absolutely does not listen to you in the beginning. Especially if you seem to team up with Lucifer or otherwise help Lucifer keep the younger brothers in check. He's going to chafe against any kind of authority, even if it's you.

When he sees how you are, though, the way you seem to understand him better than anyone else, he actually changes his mind. He considers you to be reasonable and more often just doing your best to keep things from getting out of control.

Begins to appreciate the dynamic you bring to their family. Eventually starts coming to you for help with things. Tries to make helpful suggestions when he can.

If he gets angry, you can calm him down. If he's really going at it with one his brothers, a calm word from you can be enough to break through it. He'll see what he's doing and actually back down. He's sorry, MC. Thank you for keeping him grounded.

Asmodeus

Oh, you're used to younger brothers, are you, MC? Just you wait. The older ones aren't really any better in this case. Trust him, things get can absolutely unhinged here at the House of Lamentation.

He listens to you, though. Asmo never really fights too much with Lucifer and he's not about to start fighting with you, either. Anyone else is fair game, but he doesn't see you as a threat. And if you start to look stressed, he will do what he can to help with that.

Okay, but if you're going to be all older sibling with them, he's going to make sure you have some time to relax. Sometimes you need to take a break from wrangling demon brothers, you know? Let him give you a massage or something.

Will absolutely step in and tell off one of his brothers for stressing you out or arguing with you. He doesn't care if they do this to Lucifer, but can't they see that you're different? You don't deserve their nonsense and he won't stand for it!

Beelzebub

Beel loves how in control you always seem to be. Lucifer does a good job, but he's also busy with council work and other such things. You always seem to have time to work through the problems that might arise. And it makes him feel like everything will be okay.

Doesn't like it when his brothers fight or get into trouble, so he's glad when you're able to divert these issues. Trusts you completely. Always listens to you. Backs you up if need be. He's always on your side, MC.

Does things that he thinks will make life easier for you without being asked. Brings you snacks just because he thinks you look tired. You're always taking care of him and his brothers, so he wants to take care of you, too.

Another one who will fight back on your behalf, but does it much more quietly. Gives his brothers disapproving frowns that actually make them feel bad so they back off. He's pretty easy going but he can be scary when he wants to be.

Belphegor

Not at all impressed. So you're an oldest sibling, too, huh. He doesn't care. He doesn't need you or Lucifer or anybody else. He's perfectly capable of cruising through life the way he always does.

Will not appreciate any attempts on your part to get him to be more responsible. If you push him too much, he will get bratty. He'll talk back, but he'll also just ignore you entirely. Really arguing with you is too much work, so it's easier to just go take a nap instead.

Due to Beel's influence, though, he will eventually just follow along with whatever. After an initial phase of brattiness, he'll decide he doesn't care enough. Beel likes you, that's good enough for him. He'll just follow with whatever the two of you want.

You're not so bad, MC. He likes the way you sometimes take control of situations where his older brothers are being really noisy. It makes it so he can sleep without being disturbed and he appreciates that. Just don't get too stressed out. He wants you to rest, too.

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[shepherds-of-haven]

Sorry if this has already been asked before, but have you ever thought about writing a sequel to SoH? I know you said it would be a stand-alone book, but I think a sequel where we explore different continents would be extremely cool. I just love these character so much and idk if I’m ready to say goodbye. I know we still have a bit left but still…

Hi there, this message has been sitting in a long queue of messages I've fallen behind on answering for a while now, but I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to send it! It ended up being extremely thought-provoking for me, and you may have single-handedly made me reconsider my stance on a Shepherds sequel! XD

I always planned on this entry being a standalone game, though I was toying with the idea of eventually writing a sequel that follows a separate cast of characters (aka different protagonist and companions, though with room for potential cameos with the old characters). Pretty much like how Dragon Age does it! I won't go into the potential plot details now, but I was thinking it might take place sometime between 10-15 years in the future, and it would follow "a new generation" of Shepherds in a different locale. I've sort of hazily cobbled together ideas for the story/main premise, but companions outside of the main protagonist have eluded me at the moment--I really need to focus on this game, its DLC, and my next book first, so I haven't given it too much thought!

However, your comment has unearthed some feelings I've been having about a potential sequel, too! It's hard for me to feel like I'd be ready to say goodbye to the cast, as well... It's so easy for me to write them because they've been in my head for so many years, and starting an adventure in the world of Blest with different and new characters admittedly feels a bit strange. It's like having to hang back a grade while all of your friends graduate high school and then looking around at the incoming freshman class like "welp, I guess you guys are my friends now! 😒" lol. I'm torn on the issue: I don't want to not challenge myself or refuse to move out of my comfort zone as a writer--in short, I don't want to be the kind of writer who recycles the same characters and material because doing something new is daunting to me, and I don't want you all to feel like I'm making endless sequels/trying to recapture old magic and should just move on to something new, either--but I do love my cast and I'm not sure yet if I should definitively say, "No, their chapter is done with this game and it's on to the next!", because I can see so many adventures happening to them even after this story is over!

The problem lies with endings--there are so many different endings planned for this game that I hesitate in treating any of them as the true or canonical one, but otherwise trying to account for all of them in a sequel feels quite impossible to accomplish when I wasn't planning on a continuation--along with other logistical concerns that I can't get into at the moment. Like, what if you end the game with all of the Shepherds except Halek dead? What if your friend ends the game with all of them alive, but the MC is dead? This game alone is already 1 million words, but a direct sequel would probably wrack up hundreds of thousands of variations based on all of these choices in its first chapter alone! 🤔

That's why I figure DLC is the happy medium here: you can expand on or create new content and adventures for the characters, but slot them into the timeline wherever you wish, like in between Chapter 7 and 8, etc. And episodic adventures might keep things small and streamlined enough that I can update them more consistently, rather than hacking away at one giant sequel game!

Aaaaaanyway... All this is to say: I have a lot to think about! Absolutely nothing has been decided yet (not even close), but these are just some of the things I've had rattling around in my head. Thank you again for your sweet and honest words: I'm glad you're so fond of these characters and would miss them. I would, too! But whatever ends up happening, I know this game won't be the last time we see them. :)

Thanks again!

[meanbossart]

Asks about VaM, art advice, and miscellaneous stuffs

HI! Real quick please refrain from referring to Sad Sack as S/S for the uh... Obviously reasons LOL We call it "sads" for short!

If what you're asking for are recommendations for a website to host that kind of thing, Neocities, Twitter, Itchio and as you mentioned AO3 are all perfectly good options! Patreon too (depending on how gnarly you're planning on getting) but I'd suggest keeping that as a secondary host option because I don't think it lends itself super well for getting your work circulating. I believe Bluesky allows that kind of thing too, but I'm not too sure since I don't use it.

Now, If you're asking about public reaction rather than guidelines, anywhere you go you might find people that don't jive with the work you do 🤷 just be upfront about the type of content you're making right off the bat to avoid having anyone stumble upon it by accident to the best of your abilities, otherwise, I wouldn't worry too much. I know we're constantly exposed to examples of overwhelming harassment and "dogpilling" happening to others but... Truth be told, most of us won't ever get to the size/internet level of fame where we experience that. I think the threat is a little bit... Overstated, nowadays. Not to mention that most of the time people are getting harassment for things that have nothing to do with their work, and rather relating to their behavior and attitudes. Play smart, be responsible, and be honest! Whatever comes next is in god's hands LOL

Thank you for the ask! Not sure I was of much help 😅 but frankly when you're just starting out it's best to focus on getting the work done first and just throwing it out there, wherever it may be. You can worry about technicalities like that later!

I GOT YOU MAN the full sketch is now up on my patreon!

YES AND YES WHETHER IT BE STORIES OR ART OF DU DROW AND YOUR CHARACTERS SLAMMING PINTS TOGETHER BE MY GUEST PLEASE

I love seeing everyone's take on my weirdo so much, anything is honestly welcomed!

AW DUDE thank you so much! Especially for suffering through the mammoth of a story that ANE turned into - writing has never been my strongest point so I'm always shocked to hear from people that enjoy it 🥲

About the booze question, honestly I'm not picky at all, I usually go by price and by that I mean whatever is cheapest LOL but I prefer a dry white as far as types go.

You only have to pay for it once! You get a code that unlocks the software and all of it's features and you're free to cancel your subscription after that. At some point the code might change or there might be an update that requires subscribing again - but that seems like a very rare occurrence so I wouldn't worry about it.

OH NO I HAVE DEFINITELY TRACED MY OWN REFERENCE BEFORE, but not entire poses! When something is challenging I'll make a point of drawing it out the usual way.

I can remember a couple of instances from Nick and mine's comic where I traced pictures I took of myself, just as a time saving measure. Again like I said in the post, there are several ways to employ tracing your own material that is perfectly acceptable. I have also traced bare-bones 3D backgrounds that I made for the same reasons.

I know you specifically asked about tracing when something's complicated, but I still wanted to be upfront to demystify the practice under different circumstances. The rule of thumb is to never use it when you know it would be inhibiting your skill development!

Happy to hear you wanted to pick up the skill! I definitely understand the urge too LOL since playing BG3 and becoming so invested in the stories and characters my art has improved a ton, simply from forcing me out of my usual style and making me want to capture different moods and scenarios - finding something you're passionate to draw is, frankly a great damn start.

I replied to a bunch of asks asking for pointers and advice a while back, one of the questions was very similar to yours and I still stand behind the advice I gave then. Hopefully you can find something helpful here! https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/740543514692173824/some-art-advice-asks-ive-been-meaning-to-reply

HMMM I don't usually think of myself as the best teacher/tutorial guy, but funnily enough I can think of a few things about this topic that I could elaborate on lol. If I do that in the near future, I'll put it up on my patreon (for free as with everything else.)

If there are any specific things about it that you (and anyone else who would be interested in it, for that matter) find challenging and would like for me to focus on, let me know!

---

That's all for now folks, and as usual thank you so much to everyone who's left a nice compliment, word of encouragement or funny tidbit in my inbox as well! I can't reply to you all individually, but I see and read all the messages I get c:

HAVE A LOVELY REST OF YOUR WEEK

[truessences]

So because PlutoTv has a Yu-Gi-Oh channel, I've been watching it and now it just makes me want to do another binge, it's been a while since I've done a proper YGO marathon. But I just wanted to say, because the Ceremonial Duel is on currently... I have a lot of thoughts. I know the first time I watched it, I cried because wow.

I think it's crazy that in order for Atem to move on, he had to lose the duel to Yugi and if he won, then he stayed. I get why it was that way but still crazy.

But the big thing is, why couldn't he just stay? Why did he HAVE to give up his second chance at life again? He barely got to be Pharaoh it seems like because he had to defeat Zorc and sealed it away with his soul and all that, which top tier King move. So why couldn't he stay in the present with the new family he's created and a new life?

Here's the thing, I understand why people would be upset by it, but I am of a few minds about that decision. If he was going to be able to stay, would he somehow get his own body? Through magic? OR would he continue to share a body with Yugi? If he's gonna keep sharing with Yugi, I'd rather him move on too because that's not really living and that's not really fair to Yugi, Atem or even the others. They would still call Atem "Yugi" even when they had other things to call him later on, "Yami", "Pharaoh" and then later "Atem".

If he did get his own body, would he look like his actual self? A black man? Personally, as a black woman, who first watched this show as a black kid and saw glimpses of a black Yami (before knowing his true name), that's actually kind of important to me lol. That would be disappointing to me otherwise.

So, while I understand why people would be upset that after everything, Atem didn't get to continue his second chance at life, unless he was able to somehow get his body back in order to actually live his life, and not have his soul trapped in a body that isn't his... I'm okay with the bittersweet ending.

Also, his return in Dark side of Dimensions was so good, he didn't even have to say a word... god I love Yu-Gi-Oh and I love Atem so much... and Yugi of course lol. Gotta give my boy some love too.

[w1f1n1ghtm4r3]

so i like the april fools shuffle units a normal amount. i have done redesigns for almost all of them and i draw them A Lot.

rambling additional notes on all of the redesigns below

a couple notes if you ever want to draw any of these redesigns for yourself at any point: i'd appreciate being credited for these redesigns (obviously anyone not redesigned i don't need credit for lol) and you don't need to follow my specific skin tone + hair/eye color schemes i have laid out. those are how i personally like to draw the characters and i've included them for anyone who might want to stay completely accurate to my redesigns, but you're welcome to use your own preferred color schemes for the cast when drawing them with these outfits!

now onto the fun(?) stuff

aoharu is pretty straightforward with redesigns, its basically just leoni but with a sun theme instead of stars. adding the image for the color palettes for the unchanged designs just because it has the notes for ichisaki too (their changes were too minor to completely redraw them, in my opinion).

ichika remains entirely unchanged design-wise other than adding a sun pin to her suspenders. saki stays mostly the same too, other than changing the design on her armband and switching her pigtails for a ponytail (in an attempt to seem a little more mature/imitate airi's hairstyle/move on from her childhood self since she's started to believe that honami and shiho want nothing to do with her and ichika anymore).

not too much to say about airi and ena's outfits either, i wanted to go a little more cute with airi and cool with ena, but there's minor changes with both of their hairstyles, with airi switching her pigtails for a ponytail as well (moving on from her idol days but still maintaining her usual sort of style) and ena's hair being a bit longer/messier.

yyj is definitely the most drastic, they're the only unit where i changed every single character... i have a lot of trouble drawing the mmj outfits, but also the lighter color scheme and clover theme just didn't really make sense for yyj to me? so instead i went with a mainly black and character color combo for their color schemes, alongside gold and white to accent it and a more spacey/dreamlike theme. everyone's black and white are slightly tinted with their character colors too!

they're split into pairs for matching accessories, but it doesn't mean much otherwise. kanade and an both have the dangling star charms and a single larger wristband (with those being on opposite sides from each other) as well as no buttons on the front of their outfits, while both hinomoris have the large bows on the backs of their outfits, smaller wristbands on both arms, a legband, and star shaped clips (like the other pair, the clips and legbands are on opposite sides from each other) and they do have buttons. they're split differently for the same style outfits though, with kanade/shizuku and shiho/an being the matching pairs this way.

kanade has the most obvious design changes. i swapped her character color to a medium-light blue rather than red, because tbh she kind of stood out too much if she was still red. she's not meant to be the leader of the unit, she doesn't want to stand out. her hair is a lot shorter than canon and she usually keeps it braided for practice and performances (and leaves it loose otherwise) (both the haircut and style were initially suggestions from shizuku). shes the only member of the unit to wear tights and to lack any star shaped hair accessories.

shizuku i don't have that much to say about, i had designed kanade first and then shizuku to match. its pretty straight forward i think? she's got the tallest socks not counting kanade's tights though.

for both an and shiho i wanted to go a slightly cooler/less feminine direction, while still sticking to the general theme i had going. which lead to the shorts and vest combo! otherwise the only notable change with either of them is that an's changed her clips to two regular gold ones and she's got a ponytail now when they practice/perform, much like kanade's braid.

fts was both very fun and an absolute pain to redesign because on one hand, i can do whatever i want, on the other hand, it's like vbs there's really no consistent theme to carry through everything. except a lot of layers i guess. so my goal was to kind of merge their casual aesthetics with something more vbs-like.

tsukasa wearing his jacket incorrectly was inspired by my own tendency to do so whenever i get too warm. i think he just does it because he thinks it looks cool though (its a little silly and a pain to keep it on but he's committed to the look). also leaving his middle layer as his fish jacket from his casual sprite was a funny little thing i thought worked for him.

with rui my goal was just pockets. lots of pockets. they're probably hiding little robots and tools in those pockets. i should have put more pockets on their pants too but oh well. combine that with wanting some obnoxious bright greens and blues and at least one item that kind of clashed color-wise with the rest (their pants in this case) and this is the result. the sketch doesn't convey it well but their black jacket and pants are both kind of loose, while the green hoodie and tshirt underneath fit okay. also their hair is kind of long if they ever untied it, but no one ever sees that.

hapisen for the most part sticks to their canon sprites, just simplified slightly for my sanity. mafuyu's costume still drives me insane to draw though, that's so many layers to think about.

other than questioning my sanity every time i draw mafuyu, there's only one change from her sprite, which is making her hairtie one decorated with pompoms much like a lot of other parts of her costume. i just thought it tied things together a little more.

the upper half of haruka's outfit is more or less completely unchanged (other than making it fit in a way that looks slightly more masculine), but then i replaced his skirt with pants and gave him boots (wxs meiko, who is the sprite haruka's outfit is originally just a recolor of, wears heels). i figured if i was going for a more princely sort of design for haruka then changing those felt fitting. beyond that he's obviously got shorter hair (a choice he makes after seeing kohane decide to change herself, wanting to embrace the genuine person he wants to be beyond the idol people knew him as) and that's about it. hits this guy with the transgender beam.

kohane's outfit is really just a bit simplified from the original with sizing/proportions of elements adjusted to (in my opinion) suit her better. the ribbons in her hair felt like a cute addition (and i like to give kohane ribbons in general), while her hair length is an in between of her two standard canon ones, longer than the usual one we see but shorter than pre-canon/early mainstory. her glasses are optional, she changes between them and contacts with how she's feeling for the day and what kind of shows hapisen is planning. the more intense the show, the less likely she is to wear her glasses.

kyushumi was kind of intended as niigo but without one member in a mostly white outfit since they don't have someone like kanade who is intentionally trying to save people. although they're also a little happier off anyway, so they don't need someone like that. they're my most drawn shuffle unit, so also probably my most thought-through redesigns.

each design takes slight inspiration from a member of niigo (nene/kanade, minori/ena, honami/mafuyu), but that was just kind of as a personal guide for what kind of vibes to go with for the outfits. they've all got personal touches to them.

nene's hoodie is very loose on her body and arms, but a normal fit in the length, and her shorts are actually long enough to be seen. she just wants to be comfy, she's tired a lot, very low energy girl. glasses because i think nene should wear glasses anyway, so as opposed to canon nene who i like to believe just favors contacts, this nene does not.

minori is pretty obviously similar to ena's outfit, but there's a few nods to mmj in here. she's got clover shaped earrings, the pattern along the bottom of her dress is meant to resemble the tips of the clover leaves from mmj's symbol, and her shoes are just the mmj unit outfit shoes in different colors.

the goal with honami's outfit was simply "how little skin can she have exposed" because i imagine her being more worried about that than usual here. so long sleeves, long skirt, high collar, etc. her hair is longer (for no particular reason tbh, i simply liked how it looks) but still styled the same, and she's got a solid red scrunchie now. the four buttons on her outfit are all meant to look like the moon, two full moons and two opposite facing crescents. also i will never stop joking about the fact that she's naturally the second tallest girl in the cast (not counting vs, then she's third tallest) and i gave her tall heels on top of that. she is towering over all of her unitmates here.

while you're welcome to use these designs for any (non-incest) ships you'd like, i do have a personal list of ships that are canon to my own au with the shuffle units, which is what i originally designed these for. the "canon" ships are

ichika/saki

ena/airi

honami/kanade

akito/touya

mafuyu/rui (qpr)

haruka/kohane

mizuki/nene

however you are not by any means required to follow these specific ships! i have no desire to enforce the ships that go with these, so draw whatever ships you might prefer with these designs. i'm happy to see anything!

anyway if you made it this far congrats on surviving i know this is a lot of text o7 i hope you've enjoy my silly little character design insanities ^^;

[aemondsbabe]

I'm so sorry this is quite big 😭 don't feel like you have to read it all.

Thank you so much for answering my ask about what you thought of the episode, I so adore speaking with you about it because you're genuinely sensible about things. <3

I completely agree with you, on everything! I see so many people calling Aemond all sorts of things; misogynistic, power hungry, evil, villain, and so on. But I think that's such a... shallow way of seeing things, isn't it? It upsets me to see it, I feel like they don't consider the bigger picture when saying that about him, don't consider his story or everything else that happened.

I think the look on his face, how he was damn near tears, when Alicent touched him says so much, shows so much of how he's truly feeling in that moment, it's like his mask slips a little; as you said, I feel like a bigger part of his actions come from how hurt he is by her and her own actions towards him, directly and otherwise. How she blames him for the war and still holds affection for Rhaenyra, as we've previously talked of. I agree that he maybe does feel compelled to punish her, and with reason; as you said, to him it looks like abandonment; abandonment from the only person who was ever on his side, damn, of course that would hurt and get him reacting more with his feelings than his mind. But overall I'd still dare say Aemond loves his mother quite a lot, so much about him revolves around her; and as Ewan himself has said, it's something Aemond wants, he's seeking that approval, that love, he wants to make her happy and proud; but ultimately he's going about it the wrong way, yet the only way he knows.

Also yes! His scenes with Aegon definitely feel like brothers bickering, I would never say that he hates his brother, much less that he meant to kill him. I just agree with all you said about it!

And yes, again lol, I also think the way Aemond presents himself to the "public" is not who he is at all. And this is, again, literally something Ewan has said on multiple occasions (I mean, what else do people need to believe it at this point) how Aemond feels this need to put up a ruthless and cold facade to protect himself, to keep himself from appearing weak because if he's all powerful, no one can hurt him - and honestly, I think it makes a lot of sense given what he's gone through and especially given the glimpses we get of the real him during his vulnerable moments (that I too, deeply wish we got more of). Because even if the writing of the show is not perfect, I do think that this is what they, and especially Ewan, are trying to show with Aemond.

I think a lot of people fail to see that, and sometimes they almost make me believe it too :'), so I thank you for reminding me that he's not inherently evil or uncaring.

- Lyra (I feel like some kind of identification is long overdue 💀)

first of all, never apologize for a long ask! i love long asks!! my favorite thing is hearing other people’s takes on things and sharing opinions and building off of what each other has to say so genuinely, i love this shit!

i agree with everything you have to say! honestly most of my opinions of aemond are based on what ewan has to say about him in interviews because (sadly) the show isn’t giving us much to work with. that’s why i try not to hold it against people who are against him (or anyone else for that matter) or who don’t see the dimension that is there — shitty writing will build a shitty audience.

so much of the show and who the characters are lives in subtext and requires people to read between the lines, which, when done well and utilized sparingly can be quite interesting and entertaining! but it almost feels as if there’s too much grey area while being too little at the same time — i feel like my hand is being held in the wrong places, if that makes sense.

also! your ask made me realize that there is suuuuuuuch a parallel going on between aemond and how young!alicent was in season 1 when otto got sent away!!

like at that point in time, alicent had no one at the red keep she felt she could trust fully. her father is gone, rhaenyra has lied to her, and she’s been played like a pawn onto viserys. she’s alone, or at least feels that way. that’s also when we started seeing her lashing out a little, granted in small ways but still — lashing out.

now if we look at aemond, i think he’s in a similar position. he feels he can’t trust his mother anymore because she’s “abandoned” him for rhaenyra and is upset about luke. he was never close with aegon so that’s out the window. helaena is upset with him about aegon. he can’t trust criston because criston is in bed with alicent (idk if aemond knows that but the man isn’t dumb and alicole weren’t exactly subtle) and is loyal to aegon, at the end of the day.

everyone that should conceivably be there for him isn’t — whether that’s actually true or his own insecurity. he can’t even go back to the madame anymore because aegon ruined that. he’s cornered and he’s lashing out.

and it’s such a fantastic parallel between him and his mommy, aw! 😂😅

anyways, thank you lyra!! i so enjoy hearing from you 🩷🩷🩷

[skylathescholarly]

My brain has been struggling to support Newsies brainrot and Batfam brainrot, and the result shouldn't surprise you.

Two words: Batfam Newsies AU.

I was struck with it halfway through watching a live production of the Broadway version (amazing), but it would probably be more based on the 1992 movie (childhood favorite, I know it better. As in I can quote it all to you.)

So hear me out- I think Jason as Jack Kelly. In 92sies, Jack Kelly is a fake name, so his real name revealed at the end can be ✨Jason Peter Todd✨! But like, grew up on the streets, no living family, watches out for the younger/newer kids, frustrated with the system. For him, I think, Santa Fe would be a lot more metaphorical, since I can't picture him wanting to leave Gotham, but Santa Fe (the song) just is Jason, you can't tell me otherwise.

Tim as Crutchy, and here's where more of the Broadway comes in, because I love their sibling dynamic in it, and it's a little less so in 92sies. Still there, but not as much. The live show I saw had a younger girl as Crutchy, and their dynamic was just amazingggg. Anyway. Maybe he ran away, maybe his parents died early, maybe they just ditched him, whatever. He does this now.

Dick as Davey, Damian as Les. Now their personalities don't match up quiiiite as well, but I think it could be done. If Dami's a little younger, perhaps. I'm thinking Dick got shuttled into the orphanage and met Dami, and bc it's still Gotham, the orphanage sucks and they're supposed to go make money or whatever. I dunno, that's the tricky bit.

We can keep Snyder, Medda (unless you wanted to put Selina there, but I don't really see it.) the Delanceys and Weasel, and the rest of the gang of newsies as is, unless anyone has suggestions for them. I'm all ears!

I'd go by the movie for this and have Clark Kent be Bryan Denton, the reporter, mostly because I can't really think of anyone to fit the role of Katherine, and definitely not someone I'd ship with Jason. Plus then, Pulitzer can be Lex Luthor and that's amazing to me lol.

And finally Bruce as Governor of New York Gotham, Teddy Roosevelt! I'd definitely have him play a larger role. You have Jason/Jack hitching a ride on his carriage from the Refuge, and then maybe trying to steal his tires or something later on, they talk, blah blah blah, strike stuff.

Of course, at the end of the strike and all, the brothers are closer than ever, and the nice old Governor is like "mine"

I don't know if this is even coherent, but please feel free to add your ideas!! If you use this to write a fic (please someone, I want to but I'm so busy, maybe eventually) just make sure to credit 😊 if there are any Newsies x Batman fics, PLEASE link them!!! I'd love to see it!

[14dayswithyou]

🥲 Ren being a goading and possessive lil shit tho and in the OFF CHANCE Teo's forking over that 10k absolutely refusing to pony up just like "I said if you WANTED IT, I didn't say I'd GIVE IT to you. Damn tho guess u really want my bitch. Sucks to be u lol ✌ peace I'm gonna go eat them out 😎"

✦゜ANSWERED: CRYINGGGG IN THE CLUB /pos

Pleaseeee T_T Ren would purposefully video call Teo and make sure that the camera was facing the ceiling, before slotting himself between your legs and giving you the best head you've ever experienced in your life.

He'll keep going until you're finally starting to make some noise before he moves on to prepping your hole with his tongue and fingers.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Teo can't seem to bring himself to end the call because... Well. He'd be lying if he said he hasn't thought about you in a similar position in the past.

But instead of Ren, it's him that's sandwiched between your thighs. He's the one making you keen out with such a wanton and needy voice, not that lucky, pink-haired bastard. And it was his name you were calling out, not the man who hacked his Tesla and drove it into a pond for the hell of it.

And just like Ren had done minutes prior, Teo aims his camera up at the ceiling as well, before the sound of his belt buckle clanks against the floor and echoes around an otherwise empty room.

You're far too absorbed in Ren's ministrations to notice the sound, and even more so when he looks up from between your legs with a devious glint in his eyes.

He's added a few more fingers inside of you now, and with a practiced flick of his tongue, Ren has you crying out his name while you desperately buck your hips and writhe against the sheets

His own cock is straining painfully against his jeans as a wet patch begins to form — though he pays it no mind once he feels one of your hands gripping tufts of his pink hair while the other bunches up a fistful of your pillow.

Just a few more twists and curls of his fingers is all it takes before you finally reach your peak — and you climax all over Ren's face with a high-pitch moan of his name.

You could practically feel the smugness radiate from him as Ren reaches over to your nightstand to pick up his phone, before sending Teo (or rather, his roof) a shit-eating grin and ending the call.

Later that night, Teo receives yet another message from an unknown number that read: “20k and i might let you taste it as well”

[coldgoldlazarus]

Some stray Metroid Prime 4 thoughts in brief, that I didn't feel like making their own posts:

On Sylux and the writing:

Really hope Sylux is a good, complex, nuanced antagonist. Gimme that Cyclosis lore, too!

I am admittedly a bit worried that this being pre-Fusion (not that I expected it to be otherwise, but still) means they might not be able to do as much with the Federation as I'd hope for, but hopefully it can still do some decent foreshadowing. (Post-Fusion MP5 tho pls)

Apparently the lead writer has done some amazing work with a Star Wars game (Fallen Order?) though, so feeling more optimistic about the writing after learning about her

Since she did dialogue writing for that game, I kinda wonder if we might get to see/hear the return of some of Samus's internal monologue. I know Other M's reception makes that kind of unlikely, I'd be leery of that if I was the people at Retro, but I honestly think it could be done right. More of a Fusion-esque noir narration that characterizes her well could be what we need to heal from that.

Think I already said this, but just in case I haven't; hoping Sylux survives this so they can pop back in after Dread and be like "Told you so!" lol

On the gunship:

Gunship still has the bottom hatch. I bet Samus comes out of the top when there isn't a proper landing pad with reliably even ground, such as that spot she popped out in the trailer

The addition of red trim around the windshield is a cool touch, makes it look a bit more aggressive somehow. Like the gunship has dramatic tearful red-rimmed eyes or something

I like how she sent the gunship off immediately after getting out; she learned from Ghor

ZM gunship was destroyed. Prime gunship's fate unknown after Hunters, possibly just sold off to make way for the next two. Classic gunship and Corruption gunship seem to be alternated between depending on needs of the mission; rv camper van versus well-armed speedy one-seater. Then classic was destroyed in Fusion and she switched to the purple one full-time, instead of going back to the Corruption one. Could we see the Corruption gunship get destroyed here, clearing the way for that?

On the timeline:

Also curious if this will use Sylux's Metroid and the Mochtroids to create a serious enough Event to lead into the extermination order in Metroid II. Might kinda conflict with my desire for nuance, but I could see some ways to thread that needle

Also wondering if we might see Samus be a little bit more flawed and morally compromised here, coming off of Corruption and leading into Metroid II. Rewatching the extra ending for Corruption, it tends to get overshadowed by her grieving beforehand and the Delano 7 afterward, but for a moment after dismissing the powersuit, she has a bit of a darker expression. I wonder if that was meant to imply some subtler, more lasting impact of everything she went through there, that Beyond could expand on further. Or it could just be a determined expression that I'm misreading lol

Wouldn't object to them finally taking another stab at Meta Kraid, but pls no Ridley unless we absolutely 1000% need him here. In general want that to be the policy going forward; keep the recursion to a minimum unless it's necessary.

I don't seriously expect this to be post-Super (as interesting as that would be) because of the date, since the dates given are so infrequent and inconsistent. But I could see the emphasis on that coming first thing, plus the time travel, be used to finally clear up that inconsistency and put hard, definitive dates on stuff going forward.

On the possible time travel stuff:

Kiiinda wondering if they'd use the time travel thing to branch off the Prime series timeline from the 2D games for more creative freedom going forward, (sorta like the Star Trek Kelvin timeline) though I don't think it's likely. Would be interesting though

Torn between wanting to see the time travel used to get new angles on familiar places, versus just wanting to have mostly new stuff

Time travel used to foreshadow Fusion/Dread Metroid Samus pls, like the Hordika plotline in Bionicle being foreshadowed by Vakama's visions in the Tahtorak comic

As I said previously, also wondering if they'll use Sylux's Metroid and the time travel thing to patch the whole "Metroid Prime in the Impact Crater" inconsistency and bring things full circle

On gameplay and possible multiplayer:

Gameplay-wise, I just like how classically Prime it looks; obviously I want new gimmicks and mechanics and expect those will come in due time after that intro, but I'm glad they're not trying to completely reinvent the wheel and make the baseline more like traditional FPSes. This is Prime 4, not Metroid Doom, and I appreciate that (as someone who respects Doom)

Torn on multiplayer since I've heard whisperings on that; don't want it to become too geared toward that sort of thing and wind up with an influx of like, toxic CoD fans or something

But I wouldn't object to a Hunters-style multiplayer, (maybe paired with upgrades for more parity with singleplayer) Especially since Sylux is a factor, even if the story is just them and Samus, they could still use extra hunters for the multiplayer

Corruption's trio being included somehow would break my heart but make my day, even if they'd be difficult to balance mechanically

Revisiting the Hunters and Corruption casts through this would be great, but would also love if they added even more all-new ones on top of that. (Maybe a few more gals?) Let's keep building this out! Samus is the best of the best, but I wanna see the rest of the best xD

On the overall experience:

Honestly far and away most excited for the new places to explore! But I ironically have the least to say about that rn since it's such an unknown

Would love to see unique new biomes, I guess, kinda like I mentioned in my big wishlist. Maybe a coastline with cliffs and coves and beaches? Maybe badlands, with one huge long continuous canyon instead of several smaller ones? (Maybe even with a flying boss fight through it, like one of the early abandoned concepts for Meta Ridley) Something even crazier?

At any rate I love how that rainforest in the preview looks, and I especially love the foggy chasm with that huge bridge off to the side

On that note, the additional shots of the rainforest on the JP website all point away from that direction. I bet you there's an awesome fucking view of whatever's on the other side of that bridge, that they're saving for a later trailer. Or possibly something plot-relevant that they're saving for the game itself

Kinda torn between wanting to see a little bit more of the places we'll be visiting, versus wanting nothing else so I can go in almost completely blind

Really really looking forward to hearing the new title theme. Would be cool if the main menu takes after the logo and has a big black hole or something in the background

[nocturnal-desolation]

Hello sorry for tagging. I am very sick, my asthma is at its maximum level, my nose freezes, I have no medicine or food. I am in bad shape financially, I am a black disabled, who uses multiple medications, I pay for my food and lodging

Unfortunately I do not have all the resources to keep me safe, that is why I need your help, whatever you can contribute to me will be of great help.

Would you look at that… I have a prime example of how to spot a scam in my asks. It's not very well done, just well enough that some people might fall for it - and some have even reblogged it. You've been redirected to the Fraud Detection Unit, which will take it from here. (actually it's still just me, I'm the fraud detection unit, we have "Fachkräftemangel" in Germany, sorry, jk)

Seriously though… First of all, I'd like to address the fact that it's incredibly sad to play with people's emotions like this. You should be ashamed of yourself, but I'm sure you're not. It's the same with scams asking for help and donations for people and families in Gaza, which has come up a lot recently and is even more despicable because there are actual fundraisers going on (which are official) and these people are in a terrible situation. So to exploit that worldwide sympathy or solidarity and use the inhumane circumstances of these or other people for your scams is disgusting to the core.

But back to this particular ask and blog… The text itself makes no sense. Like, not at all. For example, a " freezing nose" is not a typical symptom of asthma. I've never had asthma, but I'm pretty sure your nose doesn't freeze up when you have asthma. What are you trying to tell me? That you got asthma in the middle of a blizzard? Sorry, I can't help you with that. "Get out of the blizzard!" is all I can tell you. And what is the "maximum level" of asthma? Is that some kind of asthma end boss? Sounds more like you need an ambulance, not money...

That's why it's important to be fluent in English if you want to pretend to be a native speaker. I can't help you there either. I can barely speak my own language, let alone English.

Some other things everyone should notice or look for when getting messages like this:

blog was created fairly recently, no consistency, just reblogged some random things (like posts from 'tumblr staff' lol - no offense) to have something on it at all + obviously otherwise empty blogs that are just begging for money or reblogging other similar posts all the time are even more suspicious

something I haven't seen before either is "Black Lives Matter" being used as bait to appeal to those involved in the movement

randomly generated usernames (what is "toosaladgarden"? I've never had a salad that was too garden, so I don't know - not too important, but in this case it doesn't help to be convincing)

no bio, no age, no country (usually not important, but in this case it is)

non-transparent fundraiser, no one knows why this exact amount of money is needed (I think it even went from $1700 to $1900 since yesterday if I saw that correctly lol) and how the supposed current donations came about (you could put any number in there)

randomly contacted

scammers often use tactics such as emotional manipulation and urgency to evoke sympathy and to prompt a quick response

lack of details, very vague in general, limited information about specific circumstances

But that made me curious and I wanted to know more. You (the scammers) were "smart" enough to use a profile picture that can't be easily traced back to the original source, I'll give you that. But that's a problem for you, because it seems to be the only picture you have of this person with this child, so you had to use it everywhere…

And that's why I was able to trace your picture back to a Twitter / X account that goes by the name "Aska" and the handle askafarao… which also engages in very, very obviously fraudulent requests for money. Every few days or weeks since August 2023, this "X" account posts nothing but new "reasons" why the money is needed. And it's quite funny how little effort they put into it, because the reasons are not creative and half of them don't even add up. But most importantly, somehow there are a couple of different email addresses for different paypal accounts with different names on them. I think we can all agree that unless you're trying to hide something, you don't need more than one name… right? Unless Paypal is going to close your accounts all the time, or you're afraid they will because they're detecting fraudulent activity, you don't need more than one account, right?

TL:DR Let's make this part short and sweet: If you get a message like this, or see a similar post, be aware that it's a scam. Don't reblog it and don't be like, "But what if it's true…" It's obviously not, and when I saw the X account, I actually had a good laugh because this account is a complete mess, even for a scammer.

[bestworstcase]

Any thoughts on "The Sky is Falling"? I happened to be listening to it the other day and went "wow, this seems like something BestWorstCase would have Thoughts about", but searching your blog didn't turn anything up on it. If Tumblr search has failed me (probably not for the last time), I'd be interested to see what you've written before; otherwise, I'd be interested to hear now :)

ough i do have thoughts. many thoughts. idk if i’ve ever posted them, partly because i argue with myself a lot about whether it’s a hound song or an ozma song brfghks. much as i’d like it to be the hound for rotating him reasons, though, i do think ozma is a stronger textual reading.

unhinged about songs hours ->

the motif of the sky falling obviously calls to mind the chicken little folktale, of which there are numerous variations but in all of them the kerfuffle over the sky falling is hysterical: the danger is not real. in some versions of the tale, a sly fox incites the panic on purpose at the beginning and then eats the frightened birds who turn to him for help at the end.

the song’s narrative placement also connects it to atlas, and thence to atlas telamon, the titan who holds up the sky on his shoulders. (not the world—that’s a common misconception; classical images of atlas shouldering a globe depict the celestial sphere. it’s the sky.)

so we have on one hand the apocalyptic motif of the sky falling, and on the other the very real danger to atlas, conflated together: if atlas falls, so too must the sky… except that ‘the sky is falling’ is idiomatically an irrational fear. atlas may fall—that danger is real—but the world will not end if it does. the song’s central motif implies paranoid hysteria.

there is also the latin maxim fiat justitia ruat caelum, let justice be done though the skies fall. i go back and forth on whether i think the writers specifically have that in mind, in relation to this motif, but: “it’s important not to lose sight of what drives us—love, justice, reverence” and “in pursuit of a new world, no cost is too great.” fiat justitia, ruat caelum. that’s the salem perspective.

and i bring that up because of sacrifice:

Born an angel, heaven-sent Falls from grace are never elegant Stars will drop out of the sky, The moon will sadly watch the roses die In vain, Lost, no gain But you’re not taking me.

and

Show them gods and deities, Blind and keep the people on their knees. Pierce the sky, escape your fate, The more you try, the more you’ll just breed hate And lies. Truth will rise, Revealed by mirrored eyes.

with its similarly apocalyptic imagery (‘stars will drop out of the sky’/‘pierce the sky, escape your fate’) in relation to ozma and his task, and salem positioning herself in opposition (‘but you're not taking me’/‘truth will rise’)—fiat justitia, ruat caelum.

hence, ozma song.

‘the sky is falling’ is directly a dark mirror to ‘touch the sky’ but it’s also—i think more interestingly—a sardonic reflection on ‘until the end’ if one reads both songs as articulations of ozma’s perspective.

emotionally, ‘until the end’ leaves off here:

Love brings us dreams, But grief makes the heart burst at the seams. As light fills my eyes, I’ll picture me beside her, And pray that I’ll inspire, I promise I’ll be here until… …our story has been told. Til our bodies break down every door. Til we find what we’ve been looking for.

it’s a dream—a fantasy—ozma finding hope in this imagined scenario where he can be with salem again. i’ll picture me beside her.

and then she, uh. captures him:

Here comes another nightmare, Another fever dream. The horror just won’t stop, An endless scream, But this is not subconscious; We’re not imagining. We’re wide awake, This is reality.

lol.

‘until the end’ is very lovelorn and idealistic, and also fundamentally passive: though “desperate to make amends,” the promise ozma makes is to… wait. to do nothing. to hope for salem to make the first move.

and well. she does. this is what ‘the sky is falling’ is about, the collision of ozma’s romantic fantasies with the harsh reality of the situation.

Our world’s Lost without a soul. We’re losing all control, Not getting closer. Every day is just another dose of torture. Now we pay the cost. The race is lost, This nightmare’s Our real life.

points.

OSCAR: It should not be this hard getting people to just cooperate. OZ: And yet, it’s something I’m becoming increasingly concerned about.

this is what oz is worrying about all morning while the hound stalks oscar across mantle, how difficult it is to get anyone to “just cooperate.” because—contrary to the popular fanon—he is in fact still committed to his task and he does still, on some level, believe that remnant is damned and its people are missing something fundamental; his secrecy and manipulation, his guiding interest in silver-eyes and maidens and elevated ‘guardians’ and ‘symbols of hope,’ his all speak to his lack of true faith in humanity. and that traces back to what the god of light told him.

(since people love to cite ozpin’s commentary on ‘the story of the seasons’ as “evidence” that he’s abandoned his task by misinterpreting “I fear that if unrestricted magic use were possible, the results would be chaotic and catastrophic” to mean that ozpin thinks people are better off without magic rather than ozpin justifying his efforts to control the maidens; here’s part of his commentary on ‘the two brothers.’

Whether or not you believe in the Brothers, or in this story in particular, the underlying message still holds value: We are burdened with responsibility for our world, and we share a common destiny. Like the twin gods, we are intricately connected with one another, and if we can learn to work and live together, we can create things greater than the sum of their parts. Remnant survived the Great War, but while the four kingdoms now cooperate and coexist, our bond seems tenuous. We have a fragile peace, and in some ways, we are more divided than ever. Even if the gods aren’t real, even if they don’t return to judge us for our deeds, we should act each day as though they are arriving tomorrow. In the end, we will be the arbiters of our fates. We will either create a beautiful, peaceful world and live in harmony together or destroy ourselves and our planet, and the gods will judge what we have chosen.

in which he not only states his belief in his mandate and the inevitability of divine judgment outright, in plain terms, but also repeats the same fear he confided in salem thousands of years ago, that despite finding happiness or achieving peace, he worries that people are “more divided than ever.”)

thus: “our world’s/lost without a soul/we’re losing all control/not getting closer.” oz has become “increasingly concerned” about how hard it is to “get people to just cooperate.” and so “every day is just another dose of torture,” because, well…

To live free or die, it’s all the same. The enemy was right, there’s no reclaiming. In waves of shame, We’re desperate to make amends

…he knows salem is right. his task is impossible; things can never go back to the way they were. the old world, the world of the brothers, is gone and trying to reclaim it will achieve nothing but destroying remnant.

and yet he cannot bring himself to believe it, because to him this would amount to condemning the world, to admitting that remnant is broken and irredeemable and must be destroyed because it cannot be saved. to him, salem’s rejection of the mandate is horrifying—tantamount to a a declaration that nothing in the world is worth trying to save.

in her mind, rejecting the mandate is an act of defiance: remnant does not need to be saved because there is nothing wrong with it, and where he sees damnation, salem finds freedom. and that’s what ripped them apart.

‘sacrifice’ makes this point also:

Did the things you thought you should, All the things they said were good. All your faith in ancient ways Leaves you trapped inside a maze. […] Even with the lives you stole, Still no closer to your… goal.

that ozma’s faith in the god of light imprisons him in a futile, impossible quest because he can’t escape his belief that the world is broken, that salem’s freedom is really damnation. he achieves so much—he united the four human kingdoms after the great war and ushered in an era of unprecedented worldwide peace—and still, in ozpin’s own words, he sees only that people are “more divided than ever.”

the chorus of ‘the sky is falling’:

Better cover up your eyes, my friend, The sky is falling, Can’t outrun the ruin of our lives. Be prepared, we’re near the end, The final days are calling. Hold on now, The sky is falling down.

similarly echoes the motif of blindness that appears in ‘sacrifice’ (“close your eyes now, time for dreams/death is never what it seems” and “show them gods and deities/blind and keep the people on their knees”) and, more obliquely, in ‘until the end’ (“love brings us dreams/but grief makes the heart burst at the seams/as light fills my eyes/i’ll picture me beside her” -> the light is death, the light is love, love brings us dreams and death is never what it seems).

the first two lines of the chorus are also a direct inversion of ‘trust love’: “better cover up your eyes, my friend/the sky is falling” vs “trust love/and open up your eyes.” which is salient because ‘trust love’ is chiefly about ozlem; it’s in conversation with ‘sacrifice’ and ‘until the end’ and on top of the central motif of love restoring sight there is also, “if you could only open up a door/spread your wings and fly away from here/write yourself into a fairytale/all your problems would just disappear.” the you is ozma.

and that makes ‘trust love’ + ‘until the end’ + ‘the sky is falling’ really um, pointed foreshadowing:

All you have to be Is here in reality Leave your fantasy You’ll find the key  To victory I know the dark’s returning And the fires of hate are burning But the lies can’t hide what’s true When love’s alive

in one sense ‘until the end’ is the fantasy and reality ensues in ‘the sky is falling’, but in another—deeper, more important—‘until the end’ is also the truth which ozma keeps hidden from himself, and ‘the sky is falling’ is the act of self-deception; better cover up your eyes, my friend, the sky is falling.

so all of this—all of it—this is the false narrative oz has constructed about himself and salem, his blindness:

A curse that’s Never-ending This path with No escape No sudden death We’re trapped In slow decay These words are Not symbolic The torment’s All too real Eternal enemy Our fate is sealed We slide Further down the hole The damage takes its toll Helpless and broken Failed to stem the Tide of pain The floodgates open Now it’s one more sin As evil wins And misery steals Our lives

notice too how this section of the song reflects darkly on the hope and longing expressed in ‘until the end.’

ozma let himself imagine a reprieve (“time falls away/but pain always finds a way to stay/the tears that you’ve shed/will find a tree to water/but only when you’re stronger”), which he now scathingly reminds himself is impossible: his curse is never-ending, there is no escape even in death, he’s trapped in slow decay, his fate as her eternal enemy is sealed.

he admitted to himself that he wished to make amends and for just a moment he let himself believe that he could (“and stare with pride into the face of fear/in our finest hour, i’ll be standing here/and should we fall to darkness/this power i will harness/i promise i’ll be here until the end”), and now he mocks himself for it: he has done nothing but decay, corrupted more and more with every lifetime as he becomes unrecognizable to himself; the damage takes its toll. helpless. broken. he can’t make the pain stop, he can’t fix anything, he can’t save either of them.

oz found enough courage and hope to crawl back out of his darkness and try, once more, to do the right thing—to make amends—and what happened when he tried? “i’m not upset that you left. i’m upset you came back.”

that conversation, oz trying to apologize and being told that he’d done wrong again, made a mistake again, happened at most an hour or two before the hound caught them. one more sin as evil wins, cue the chorus.

and then the song turns inside out. (pour one out for the terrible rap 😔)

Lost all my hopes And dreams Watch my life flash By in scenes And it seems there’s No soul on the  Video screen But I’m green tryin’ To figure out what All of it means Staring at the casket Hoping to move past it Knowing things will Never be the same And that’s it Cold soaked as I stand in the rain Feeling nothing but pain Until I see you again

clears throat. not a metaphor. this is about the lost fable—ozma very literally watched his life flash by in scenes, narrated by jinn in ozpin’s own words, and then he retreated into isolation to think about it. not to brood or sulk but to reflect; he comes back with a very clear idea of what he did wrong and how he wants to change because he used that time to, well, try to figure out what all of it meant, knowing things will never be the same.

and that’s it?

this part of the song is an emotional echo of the regret and longing expressed in ‘until the end’; “love brings us dreams/but grief makes the heart burst at the seams/as light fills my eyes/i’ll picture me beside her/and pray that i’ll inspire” -> “cold soaked as/i stand in the rain/feeling nothing but pain/until i see you again” it’s the same idea.

that salem is his hope, his comfort. deep down in his heart of hearts ozma… wants to see her again. ‘until the end’ hints that it isn’t a coincidence that oz makes his hopeful return in the same hour that salem reaches atlas. here, too, “nothing but pain/until i see you again.” a flicker of hope. because the hound is taking them to her.

and then:

Feel the waves crash Loud and hard Oh God Lost control I think I’m gonna lose it All my sanity’s slipping away Oh Lord Press record I’d die without the music Each breath is closer To my death Except that which is, This life There’s none left Let my demons live on Through my legacy Study my pedigree I need therapy

he catches himself feeling that small glimmer of hope and freaks out. lost control, sanity’s slipping away. every breath is bringing him closer to death, oscar will die, his demons will live on in his next host, he needs therapy. why did he even think that?

where you seek comfort, you will only find pain. his heart knows that isn’t true, but ozma is still fighting tooth and nail to force himself to believe it; cue the chorus. better cover up your eyes, my friend, the sky is falling.