#but. my basis for shipping them is a lot weaker then. most other ships i enjoy

[sailorfutaba]

Essay on Char + Garma's friendship

Garma and Char get shipped. A lot. Pretty much for a couple where one party dies halfway through the series. While I also ship it, I think there’s a pretty good canonical basis for there to be some genuine feelings of friendship from Char’s side, given how Sayla shows us that he's capable of human warmth.

Essay below the break.

Part 1: Sayla's relationship with Char.

Let’s start by taking a look at Sayla, the person that Char is shown as caring for the most over the course of the series.

Compared to Char, Sayla is well-adjusted. When they meet during the war in 0079, Char seems to have an image of her as ‘gentle’, which has likely not changed since she was a little girl. Origin does indeed show Sayla working as a nurse and enjoying her cat. A ‘gentle’ child who shows empathy for other living beings is most often one who has been cared for and carefully nurtured. In contrast, Char is ruthless, to the point of sacrificing a neighbour’s son to get where he wants to be, ie taking revenge on the Zabis. 

Both of them have lost their parents early on. Being uprooted from a safe state and having one’s safety removed so permanently at an early age is extremely traumatising, especially if the new caretakers are strangers. They don’t know what afterschool activities the children enjoy, they don’t know how the child likes being comforted. It basically robs the child of it’s identity. 

Further, when siblings lose their parents, it’s common for the older sibling to undergo ‘parentification’, taking over the parents’ role of looking after the younger one(s). This is very stressful for the older siblings, and can contribute to a state of arrested development. Essentially, it’s a sacrifice. Older sibling’s wellbeing is sacrificed, in order to keep the younger one safe and secure.

Since Char is the older brother, it’s plausible to believe that he’s been taking care of Sayla, acting as a stable rock while the two were moved around. Even if she’s shown as having a good relationship with Teabolo, we don’t know what she was like when they were first introduced. 

Once Char sees a way out, he leaves Sayla in a place of safety. He protected his sister for as long as he needed to, and now he can finally rest from this responsibility. It’s not that he doesn’t love his sister - He does. He’s just likely tired out from looking after her, and wants to focus on his own goal for now, now that he knows that she’ll be safe for the foreseeable future.

Since most of his childhood has been spent protecting Sayla, it’s natural to assume that this is the one sort of human bond that he’s most accustomed to having. He knows how to look after, and perhaps comfort someone whom he perceives as weaker than himself.

Fig 2. 'Friendship' with Garma

Enter Garma Zabi. Regardless of whether we take origin’s characterization into account or no, he’s still kind, though sheltered, both qualities that could have endeared him to Char, who just left his one font of human warmth behind. It's not hard to see him looking after Garma in the ways he knows how, after having cared for Sayla.

Hanging out with Garma is advantageous to his cause, he can climb the ranks using Zabi influence. He can also more easily start on his plan of killing the Zabis. If he started by killing their beloved, youngest son, huge grief would likely befall the family. There’s also the option of using this proximity to murder another family member, if Char plays his cards right.

But he doesn’t.

Char now has someone to protect, and he seems to like it that way, judging by the fact that he hasn’t killed Garma or any of the Zabis during his years in the academy. He might have tried several times, ultimately coming up with the excuses, like, ‘it’s not time yet’ ‘I have nothing to win from this yet’ or ‘I still need him alive’, but that’s only speculation on my side. It’s also possible that he decided that a war would be the perfect opportunity, or that he could still use the Zabis in some shape or form.

But even with that said, the fact still stands that Garma’s friendship is a great opportunity, and he never ‘cashed in’ on that. Ultimately, killing one of the Zabis would have caused Garma grief, and potentially set him on the same road as Char. And as much as Char hates the Zabis, he might not have wanted that for Garma.

Once Char is farther away from the academy and no longer seeing Garma regularly, focusing on revenge gets easier. Char now has more chances to identify his weaknesses, one of which is Garma. Just like Sayla was, before he ditched her.

So Garma has to go, because Char is trying to get rid of everything standing in the way of revenge. Including the things that make him feel like a human being. This is supported by the following lines from Zeta Gundam episode 5:

“He felt that expressing his own individual emotions… Was the most important thing to overcome in the situation.” Part 3: The Headshot

Despite having been discounted as a weakness and removed, Garma is still on his mind, 25+ episodes later. After stating outright that he was not interested in revenge on the Zabis, Char kills Kycillia with a headshot and the words ‘One final present to you, Garma. I know you always got along with your sister’, thus showing that his mind is still with Garma, first and foremost. This wouldn't have happened, unless Garma really was important to him in some way.

In the original draft of Gundam, Char was meant to commit suicide after this. If we assume that this was at the front of his mind at this point, that means that this was meant to be his final words. Perhaps he was planning to see Garma gain, who knows.

Conclusion:

Char’s one main bond in life was acting as protector to his sister. There is ample evidence to assume that this carried over to his bond with Garma, influencing him to halt his plans of revenge. This would eventually lead him to kill Garma, in part to attempt to remove everything standing in the way of his grand revenge on the Zabis.

[mathmusic8]

I posted 805 times in 2022

That's 685 more posts than 2021!

76 posts created (9%)

729 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@winterinhimring

@accidental-spice

@ladysongmaster

@musewrangler

@rwggrace2

I tagged 800 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#star wars - 429 posts

#xd - 201 posts

#clone wars - 180 posts

#<3 - 102 posts

#nature is gorgeous - 76 posts

#kenobi show - 67 posts

#kenobi spoilers - 66 posts

#love this - 57 posts

#random - 46 posts

#thanks tumblr - 45 posts

Longest Tag: 122 characters

#i work in tech support for an engineering company now so i'm not an engineer but i'm exposed to the field on a daily basis

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I've been studying the Old Testament this year, and I happen to be on Job today. I listened to it for the whole 2 hour drive back home from my parents' house today, and I have a few takeaways:

1. Job's friends were jerks

2. Job understood this, and I loved his response--he called them out on it, stood up for himself, and taught them the gospel

3. After listening to everyone else give their spiels, the youngest one in the group (Elihu) basically said "okay boomers, I've been sitting here waiting for you to finish this whole time, and the Spirit's telling me to speak up and I have thoughts, so listen up." And then basically says "God is awesome and the definition of goodness, so all y'all need to spend more time thinking about that instead of trying to sound all wise and crap." It was entertaining.

4. Then the Lord comes in and gives us some awesome tidbits about how involved He is in the lives of all His creations. And Job drinks his Respect juice. And the Lord reassures Job that he's good. And that his friends are jerks and need to repent.

5. They did repent in the end, so good on them

22 notes - Posted July 24, 2022

#4

Star Wars Fic Recs on AO3

Family Friendly, some have mild language:

Mathmusic8 - Lost and Found - Fives and Kix, deals with a lot more than Fives and Kix. Also Only Partially Applied, which explores what might've happened if the clone's control chips were just slightly weaker

Epsilonderidani - Vode An, the first “Fives Lives” fic I ever read, still one of my favorites. Fives centric

Cuthalion97 – everything. Humor is 11/10. Start with Misadventures of Jedi Generals if you don’t know where else to go. Clones and Jedi generals centric

Inksplots - Nobody Listens to Kix and Just for Kix, great humor, huge inspiration to me for Kix's characterization. Kix centric

YoungestThunderbird – “Arcadia” series plus other works, very soft and fun. Clone centric

Wishfulthinking1979 – “Empire Reimagined” series plus many, many other wonderful AUs, including but not limited to Modern Day in England, Western, Tall Ships, and more. Firmus Piett and Max Veers centric (two side characters in the original trilogy)

Morwen_of_gondor – occasionally writes with Wishful, has excellent works too, working on an incredible Republic Commandos fix-it series called Cin Vhetin. Generally clone centric

MeridianPony – Dominos, time travel fix-it, very good characterization. Fives and Echo centric

Ariel_Sojourner - Back From the Future: Episode VI The Clone Wars, time travel fix-it, also Skywalker Family Values, a (very crack) fantastic Parent Trap AU, pretty broad cast but I guess generally Luke and Vader centric

LadyVader23 – Darth Vader Goes to Therapy, crack fic, absolutely hilarious. Luke and Vader centric

Gaeasun – "After the War" series is super cute and fun. Sticks and Stones Did Break Their Bones, crack fic, Fives and 501st centric, pretty fun. I enjoyed Oh Captain my Captain, too. Works are usually centered around Tup and Dogma. Their angst doesn’t always end with fluff, so mind the tags. Clone centric

Leias_left_hair_bun - specializes in softness and sometimes angst, but mostly kids being kids and I love that. Of toddlers and ARC troopers and its sequel The return of the toddler (Nibbler) are great places to start. Clone centric

sheApunk89 - "Wilder mind" series, Force sensitive Rex gets trained by Obi-Wan. It's been a hot second since I read this one, but I remember enjoying the ending and the fact that Keeli was there. Rex centric

Triscribe - "Vod'e An" series, clones show up back in time at pivotal moments around their Jedi, lots of delightful cameos. Clone centric

AllyMoslof - Operation: Don't Wake the Commander, hilarious crack-fic about a shiny who takes his job way too seriously. Excellent twist. Clone centric

whymylife - --and Your People Will Never Be Destroyed, a fantastic fic where clone cadets piece things together early and do something about it. Cody centric

BonesofBeowulf - "Stars and Beskar" series, pretty unique AU. Has great humor, action, and characterizations. Jango and clone centric (though they aren't technically clones in this fic)

Whathenshallwesay - For The Glory, incredible post-Order 66 double-agent Cody fic. Great humor, drama, and plot. Cody centric

Killbothtwins - The Legend of Liob, a hilarious 212th shenanigans-turned-fix-it. Cody centric

smilebackwards - "Mission Reports" series, a collections of one-shots in an AU where Qui-Gon lived and now has to write his own mission reports. Very soft, hopeful, processing grief, and comfort. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan centric

WeyrWolfen - Eidola, a post-Order 66 fic where Rex and Ahoska head up a clone-rescue organization. Lots of fantastic OCs, emotions, humor, and rich setting-details. Clone centric

Mind the tags and ratings, all have strong language below the cut:

Cac0daemonia - Will You Walk With Me, very good writing and gorgeous art. Other works have adult content, so mind the tags. Waxer and Boil centric

Hollyoakhill - The Intruder, fairly clean thriller/horror, excellent ending, incredible art. Clones and Obi-Wan centric

BlueSunshine – “The Desert Storm” series, very very long, incredible writing and world building. Mind the tags–it gets a bit dark in certain places, and there's a lot of swearing around certain characters. Obi-Wan centric as well as other various people

31 notes - Posted March 24, 2022

#3

Asking for prayers

One of my nieces had a seizure last night and passed away this morning. She was a teenager and like a sister to me. We’re going to miss her so much. Please pray for us, especially my sister and her husband. This wasn’t their first loss recently and they still have three little ones at home.

God is good, the resurrection is real, and we're so excited to have my niece back with us someday

46 notes - Posted July 13, 2022

#2

Did anyone else know that "umbra" means "A region of complete shadow resulting from total obstruction of light"?

Hats off to the folks who named the planet of Umbara. Nicely done.

59 notes - Posted May 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

It just occurred to me that Daiyu was Leia's first time off Alderaan

No wonder she looked a little shell-shocked to nearly run into that huge alien--it was probably the first moment she finally felt safe enough to run off on her own, to really look at the world around her, and then she realizes how different it is, and how lost she is, aside from this strange man who she's known for like 10 minutes and he smells bad but he got her out of that room and speaks softly and seems to be trying to be gentle, even if he's bad at it

91 notes - Posted May 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[pepperpixel]

Back on my ableiris bullshit lol. Featuring a comic that was meant to be a sequel to a pic I never finished! (It was just able picking iris up. Which I've drawn before ghgh). I still think this comic is cute tho! Its iris trying to pick up able as revenge.. and then getting cain to do it for her lol

I actually first sketched this comic out at least a year ago! But I immediately lost all motivation or ability to get it anywhere further than the sketch, so. it's just been sitting around for a year gathering dust,, Judging me. I finally. Finally picked it up again and tried finishing it a couple of days ago. By. Giving up trying to line it and just trying to make the sketch look as nice as possible. Which worked... really well actually! Which is nice!

((Also also.. even tho this comic itself is rlly old I'm starting to realize... I rlly do fall back on "character A carrying, trying to carry, or failing to carry character B" in my art a LOT. It's like. My go to concept when I wanna draw something cute or funny between two characters.... so. Idk ghghg I should probably try expirementing more with different scenarios for character interaction.... its just. Being picked up is so nice... lol idk man))

[tomdutch]

So you’re fine with wanting sex scenes from bridgerton characters but people shipping spideychelle is a freak? Ok

?????? firstable i never said either of those

1) my post abt bridgerton said i’d like a bath scene where the characters introduce the skincare stuff one of them uses and was talked abt a lot in season two, ppl can bathe without fucking although idk why i expect you to understand anything related to bathing considering how musty this ask is.

2) i never said mj/peter shippers are freaks, all i’ve done is criticise a FICTIONAL dynamic bc its basis is weak and its execution even weaker. i’ve done that for so many other franchises’ couples but y’all are fixated on one in particular to live your fantasies through. if you interpret that as an attack on your person then that ain’t my problem. learn to read and get thicker skin.

and secondable

1) bridgerton is an r-rated romance show based on smutty novels wherein 20+ year old adults engage in, you guessed it, romantic plot-lines.

2) mcu spider-man is a non-rated disney trilogy abt a now 18 year old boy who who was a high schooler for most of it and who got bit by a radioactive spider that gave him superpowers.

if i have to explain to you why one should get to have sex scenes while the other doesn’t then you’re already too far gone and would spend your time better soaking your head in an ice water bucket than on tumblr.

[autumnblogs]

Companion Piece 4: Reproduction

This was initially going to be a standard daily reading post, but I decided to turn it into a companion piece since it turned into a bit of an essay.

https://homestuck.com/story/1071

Time for another main theme; and actually, I would like to call it the main theme!

Homestuck is about reproduction.

Why did I wait for this panel to talk about it? The answer is that it’s one of three panels (at least - there might be more I’ve missed) that clue us in to the fact that the same thing is going on in each of the three situations where it appears.

Dave is the first victim. Tavros is the second victim. Jake is the third victim.

https://homestuck.com/story/1072

“thats really all there is to say on the matter.”

The code phrase that goes along with the imagery of our hero thrashed on the ground, messaging on their phone.

More after the break.

According to my reading, Homestuck is structured around a trio of relationships that take the form “Abusive Mentor -> Reluctant Student” where the pairs are respectively Bro -> Dave, Vriska -> Tavros, Dirk -> Jake.

It should be pretty obvious that reproduction in the biological sense is something that Homestuck Is About - Sburb, the main fixture of the webcomic’s mechanics is the reproductive cycle of universes, the way that reality propagates itself. Shipping is all over the place in Homestuck, and from Act 1 onward, characters are entertaining the possibility of relationships with one another as the author teases the audience with the possibility of any two particular characters getting together, before circumstances conspire to make them incompatible.

But Homestuck is about other kinds of reproduction too. Cultural reproduction, for example. As the guardians pass down rituals to their respective wards, as the Trolls’ dancestors communicate with them from across time through journals, treasure troves and the like, as the kids absorb pop cultural expectations about what it means to be men and women, the Culture that surrounds them is reproducing itself through them. They conform to the image of the times by adopting the symbols of mass media, and by playing out the rituals that define living in 2009.

Personal reproduction, too, exists in Homestuck as a microcosm of the large-scale cultural reproduction going on in the background radiation of the characters’ lives. Each of the abusive mentors is focused on transforming their desired ward into a copy of themselves. Bro tries to beat all of the softness out of Dave, and expects him to be interested in the same things that Bro is interested in. Vriska subjects Tavros to brutal physical and emotional violence because she sees him as weak and wants him to be strong - she wants him to be cruel and violent, more like her ideal of a strong troll. More like her image of herself as the ideal troll. Dirk spends an awful lot of time telling Jake that he needs to be more like Jane, telling Jane that she needs to be more like Jake, because the reality is that he wants both of them to be more like he is, and as Jake’s rough-housing “buddy” he denies him things that he needs to survive on the basis that they will be worthless to him unless he can seize them by way of violence.

In all three cases, the attempt to reproduce the self in the student serves not to empower them but to subordinate them to their mentor. Dave becomes traumatized and learns to hate and fear the sound of clanging and grinding metal, fear that he’s living under constant surveillance. Tavros becomes so incapable of dealing with stress and violence that he spends most of the second half of his session dreaming uselessly on Skaia. Jake becomes so afraid of touching another person that he decides that y’know? He’d rather just be alone for the rest of his life.

Reproduction is in the very fabric of Homestuck, all throughout the variety of instances that Doc Scratch will refer to later as Circumstantial Simultaneity. Certain poses are replicated between totally different characters as they have emotionally similar experiences that tie into the same core themes of the comic.

Certain phrases are repeated ad nauseam as the comic calls attention to its own recurring, recursive nature.

Each of the first three quarters of Homestuck - Acts 1-4, Acts 5-1 and 5-2, And Act 6 up through Game Over set up these three relationships, and once each one is set up, the rest of the comic is spent knocking it down, before the final quarter of the comic ultimately serves as the stage for each of the students to determine how they’re going to move beyond their abuse.

Because cycles of abuse are a kind of reproduction. There’s no easier way to turn a human being into an abuser than to subject them to abuse. And Homestuck seems to suggest that cycles of reproduction are frequently subverted into cycles of abuse. Any time reproduction is used for another reason than to build up, to beautify, to make something exist just so that it can exist - any time reproduction is used as a form of hegemony, to replicate one’s self instead of producing something new, it turns stagnant, and toxic.

There is no place in Paradox Space for stagnation, for trying to keep things the way that they are, for the preservation of particular images and particular forms the way that we remember them.. There is no place in Paradox space for immortality, the self-congratulatory, the masturbatory, the incestuous, the cancerous - for individual cells, or for individual selves to live forever, and keep copying themselves ad nauseam. Every living thing in Paradox Space is slated to die, because it’s how Paradox Space cleans up the old, and makes way for the new. Death and Birth are always intertwined. You can’t hold onto your Mom or your cat forever, Rose. You won’t live forever, Dave. You can’t watch Con Air the same way ever again, John. Your friendships have to come to an end some day, Jade. But every time something in Paradox Space dies, every time the act of reproduction takes place, it makes Paradox Space a richer, healthier place. The old is lost, but old things are recombined with one another, and diversify, leaving behind things that bear the hallmarks of the old, but are each special and different from the old, and from each other, in their own unique ways.

Reproduction, in the world of Homestuck, is an act that has to take place entirely for the benefit of the children, not for the benefit of the parents. Any time the reproducers use Reproduction as a tool by which to profit, to hegemonize, to immortalize themselves, it creates something that makes Paradox Space a weaker, sicker, frailer place.

[multixmused-moved]

@roleplay-abiogenesis2​ Tell me some headcanons you've got for Biggs' childhood and growing up~~ ((will help me brainstorm for my muses and potential shipping!))

I headcanon that he grew up in sector 5 at the Leaf house with Wedge (and later met Jesse and her family) because both of his parents died when he was really young. He had a tendency to shadow the teachers, learn what they taught and how they taught. It was how he learned to cook and he usually volunteered first on chores and cleaning. Because he was one of the children who had been there the longest and was one of the older kids, he had a tendency to keep an eye on all the younger kids. He felt responsible for them and their safety, which led to him asking someone (either a guard or a passing hunter/merc or one of the older teachers, I’m still working that out) to teach him how to shoot and fight to defend himself and the others. Once he did that, he would take up little jobs fighting weaker monsters for extra gil. He was also usually the one picked to run errands to other Sectors like 6′s Wall Market and 7.

He started to naturally take over teaching and caring for the younger children around 16/17, officially becoming one of the teachers by the time he was 18. (Wedge and Jesse had both probably branched out to their own things by then). He’s good with the kids. Understands them better than most of the other teachers because he’s seen and grown up with, a lot of different types. He was able to get a place in Sector 7 instead of taking up a bed in the Leaf House,  because it was cheaper to live in that sector than 5 or 6.  He only joined Avalanche, and Barret’s at Wedge and Jesse’s behest and always intended to go back to the Leaf House one day.

In some cases I headcanon that he knows both Aerith growing up, since she lived up the street with her mother and their flowers and he was probably there when a young Tifa arrived in Midgar and had no where else to go before settling in Sector 7 but that’s on a muse to muse basis depending on the muns of those characters. 

[skekheck]

if your still doing character thing: skekmal

Yeah I’m still willing to do these: they’re a lot of fun!

Why I like them

There’s this lure about him like we know what kind of character he is, but there’s still an air of mystery to him. We get a pretty good idea what the other lords do in their day to day lives. SkekMal’s seemed way more interesting, battling against the elements and hunting whatever he could find. I really want to know the history with some of the trophies he wore. Not to mention, that unspoken relationship he had with Rek’yr. I mean they were on a name basis. As I recall, no other gelfling referred the skeksis by name, only as lord or by their title. 

A lot about skekMal is so interesting. Like how there are legends surrounding him by gelfling and podlings, referring to him as “the Hunter”. How he lived off the lands instead of relying on the Crystal (at this seemingly). But his most interesting aspect is his obsession with the hunt and how it shows deeper roots into his hidden fear of death. SkekMal’s whole philosophy hunting down worthy targets and wearing their remains somehow giving him strength. Thus, keeping off death’s doorsteps. I also feel like, besides enjoying the carnage of his hunts, he’s desensitizing himself from death. The more he kills, the less he’ll fear it. This is also why he has a great distaste for the skeksis court and their way of life. SkekMal sees how much they deteriorated, becoming weaker, closer to death. How much they rely on weaker beings for resources, being pampered and drowning in useless trinkets. The endless squabbling that goes on in the court about things that in the end don’t matter. He doesn’t want to become like that. He needs to keep himself strong and get stronger. That’s why he dedicates his life to the hunt: it’s a way of self-preservation. 

I’ve been thinking about skekMal wasn’t always this obsessed and that he may have had a better social life when he was younger. I’m under the assumption the skeksis are social creatures, seeing how they have their own cliques and friends. And while I think skekMal still had a similar bad attitude in his younger days, I feel like he was more mellowed out enough to have some friends. But as they got older and fears of their mortality sprung up, skekMal completely changed. He began dedicating himself to his profession, spending much longer time by himself. He grew more wild and untamable and the others began fearing him, maybe even moreso than before. No one wanted him around so they rarely summon him (and only do so under extreme circumstances). That doesn’t mean skekMal didn’t have any social contact. Despite how fiercely independent he is, he relies on the Dousan to guide him on hunts. And seeing how he and Rek’yr are on a name basis, I’m sure he has made similar connections over the years. But it’s not enough for him. I’ve read that social isolation leads to increased aggression and violence so perhaps this is why he’s so violent (and isolation probably amplified these traits). 

Why I don’t

This stupid bitch is the reason why urVa had to sacrifice himself. If skekMal wasn’t such a feral bastard and maybe chill the fuck out, they’d both be alive. 

Favorite episode (scene if movie)

Episode 4 is the best. Not only because he makes his debut here, but also features skekMal’s fight against Rian and Ordon. Which, in my opinion, is one of the best scenes in the series. 

Favorite season/movie

I mean, AOR. I could count the book series, but he is a waaaaay different character there (even between books: he seems way different in Flames than he was in Shadows). Also he’s a by far more interesting character in AOR than in the book series. 

Favorite line

“Nothing can stop the hunt!”

Favorite outfit

I do like him with the metal mask he wore briefly, but his bone mask is a LOOK.

OTP

It’s no secret that I ship MalVa. It’s the best one. You can fight me on that. I’m all about that self love!

Brotp

Talked about possible friendships he could have had in another post, but I also wanted to bring up skekSo. Like I talked about in skekSo’s post, I feel like the two would have an unspoken respect and fear of each other. SkekSo is the only one that can control the Hunter and that takes some skills considering how wild he is now. I can see that the two got into a pretty bloody fight and skekSo came out the victor, asserting his dominance over skekMal. Or he could have seen the Emperor beating skekShod to a pulp for even questioning his power and that might have gained some respect for him. Or might even be a combination of both. I also feel like out of all the other skeksis, skekMal might still see skekSo as powerful as he was in his youth and would hold him in high regard over the others. 

Head Canon

The Dousan Clan heavily influenced skekMal, especially in regard to his philosophy. The Dousan already live a similar lifestyle: only living off the land and what’s provided for them. They’re nomadic and don’t have a permanent residence. Plus, they have a spiritual belief for the cycle of life and death. The skeksis fear the Dousan for this and therefore not only limit visits to them, but also are the only clan that cannot become a castle guard. I feel like all of this would at least intrigue the Hunter. The more he spends time with them, understanding their culture begins inspiring his lifestyle. When he saw that the Dousan wore bones and believed they were charms, he inherited this belief. All of his trophies are his own charms: charms that give him power. 

Unpopular opinion

Every now and then I see people hypothesize that MalVa was Dark Heart, the urSkek that ultimately caused the Great Division. The Creation Myths imply that it’s SilSol, since you can tell it’s skekSil being torn from urSol. But even if they didn’t, it would suck if MalVa was the one and they both died without having that addressed. Or having it to be addressed and they’re already dead so what’s the point? Also since Dark Heart was a musician and urSol is the chanter, that’s an easier deduction. Additionally, skekSil has qualities of a musician, being able to pitch his voice and using words to sway others. Also on multiple occasions in the series he’s seen orchestrating/ordering the podling musicians. As dark and evil as skekMal is, he doesn’t hold a candle to skekSil’s own wickedness. 

A wish

Seriously hoping that Rek’yr and skekMal’s relationship can be explored in the prequel series. Also flashbacks of young skekMal would be nice. 

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

I mean he’s already dead so… it’s already happened LMAO.

5 words to best describe them

Wild | Persevered | Bloodthirsty | Unpredictable | Ambitious 

My nickname for them

Feral with variations (like bastard, bitch, asshole). 

[sirloozelite]

Civilization VI AI Battle Royale: The Empires of Africa

Time for round two me thinks. I’m gonna autoplay the AI battle of the African Civs this time round as per @swgoji2001 choice. 

But again, before I get it going, let me give you a brief overview of the competitors and their strengths and weaknesses. 

Competitor number one is: Egypt: Led by  Cleopatra

Egypt is a bit of a funny Civ in this game. There were the first Civ I ever played as in the game, and they kind of underwhelmed me a bit if I was being honest. Sure, they were very good a building across rivers to get unique boosts, and their ability to build Sphinx is nice... but aside from that they don’t really have anything going for them. If Cleo wants to win, she might consider just staying out of the way and building up whilst the others go to war. That however is unlikely to happen.  Still, don’t give up hope @eru-kat. This could be Egypt's game. You never know. I hope it is.  XD

Competitor number two is: Nubia: Led by  Amanitore

Nubia is one of the most powerful Civs in the game... at least early on they are. They possess a unique archer unit that is better in every way than the normal archer, giving them a strong advantage in combat. Not only that, but they can produce ranged units 50% faster than everyone else can too! If left alone, they can snowball out of control very quickly.  But it doesn’t stop there, as Nubia can also build their infrastructure of their cities up 20-40% faster than any other Civ as well!!!  Put simply, they are very very very dangerous.... at least in the early game. Mid way through they start to lose some steam, and become as stale as any other empire. This will be when they are at their weakest and most vulnerable. 

Competitor number three is: The Mali: Led by:  Mansa Musa

The Mali are my choice for this, and they are one of the most unorthodox Civs in the game. They suffer from a massive -30% production debuff, making them slower at building everything! To counter this however, they make lots more gold! This means that the Mali play style is to buy lots and lots of things rather than building them. If they have a large economy, they can buy lots of things really quicky! It’s just a case of getting to that point first.  The Mali are also at home in the desert, and are known for being strong with religion too. If Mail wants to win this, he better start filling his pockets with gold. 

Competitor number four is: The Zulu: Led by  Shaka

Very few Civs in Civ 6 scare me when they show up. The Zulu are one of them.  The Zulu are focused entirely on military. They will build, conquer, kill, and repeat. They can build armies faster than anyone, often swarming over players before they’ve even reached the medieval era! Their unique unit is one of the most powerful units in the game in the Impi. It is faster to produce than the normal Pikeman it replaces, is cheaper to maintain, and is stronger too! A horde of these can bring down pretty much anything! The Zulu are, suffice to say, the biggest threat to the other competitors in this round. However, if they are targeted early or by everyone at once... they will fall just as swiftly. Only time will tell if they win.  Good luck to your champion @rangerslayer-97, not that your gonna need it. I’ll be shocked if the Zulu don’t win this!

Competitor number five is: The Kongo: Led by  Mvemba a Nzinga

The Kongo are an odd Civ. They can’t create a religion, but always seem to demand you give them yours if you have one. That said, they do have a strong grasp of everything else to make up for their lack of religion. They are not particularly durable, nor do they have a strong military basis, but they are experts at expansion. Left alone, they could easily dominate the globe! If they are attacked however.. well... it was nice knowing you Kongo. 

Competitor number six is: Arabia: Led by:  Saladin

The Arabian Civ is a master of science and religion. They are guaranteed to get a religion during the course of the game, giving the unique buffs and advantages over the rest of the world. Their religion is also used to further enhance their science output as well! They will have more advanced tech than the rest of the world at every stage of the game. If they want to win, they need to stay ahead and destroy those that are weaker than them. If they wait too long though, their chances of survival are slim. 

Competitor number seven is: Phoenicia: Led by  Dido

Phoenicia is, at it’s heart, a naval superpower, rivalled in game only by the Norwegians. Whilst not an expert at land, the seas of this round will belong to Dido at all points of the game, making at least 50 % of the map under her control. He rapid ability to build ships faster and stronger makes her a formidable force at sea, but as said before, on the ground she is weaker than most. If attacked by, say the Zulu, Phoenicia’s chances of victory are slim. Still, they are fast at expansion as well. This could go either way.  Good luck to your champion @swgoji2001

And so there we have it. Our seven competitors. Now to go away and see who wins the war for Africa and goes through to fight against Gandhi in the finale. 

I’ll let you lot know what happens. XD

[purplesurveys]

998

survey by starsareonly2nd

How many text messages are currently in your inbox? I don’t know if my phone can provide that particular feature. Suffice it to say there’s a ton because I don’t really do spring cleaning with my texts and I’ve kept messages since getting this phone in 2018.

Is your profile picture in color or black & white? All my profile photos have been in color, and I think I’ve only had to have a black and white photo once.

What's your favorite Christmas movie? Love Actually.

Did you dress up for Halloween this year? If so, what were you? We’re gonna be having a virtual Halloween party at work on Wednesday and I’m thinking of just going as Dora the Explorer again since I wasn’t able to maximize my costume last year anyway (the Halloween party I had gone to didn’t allow shorts - wtf? so I ended up wearing orange pants and looking nothing like Dora) and this time around I also actually have bangs to complete the look. But idk, the party announcement says we also have 30 seconds each to impersonate the character, and I'm just not extroverted enough for individual presentations like that. I’m heavily leaning towards skipping the entire thing because of that one instruction, but we’ll see.

Are there any posters in your room? Of what? Yuh, Nam Joo Hyuk.

Do you read Rolling Stone? I don’t think I ever have.

Which Harry Potter book (if you read them) was your favorite? I read up until the blue book, but I don’t remember which one I had enjoyed reading the most. I do remember breezing through one of them and finishing in just a couple of hours, so I’d say that was my favorite.

Do you have any stuffed animals you still sleep with? No.

What kind of cell phone do you own? iPhone.

Do you have any pets? Yes :)

Are there currently any accessories in your hair? Sure, a hair tie.

Are you involved with any clubs at your school? I was in two organizations in college andddd in high school it was mandatory to be in a club, so I was in one for each year.

Do you have an MP3 player? What kind? I used to own an iPod Nano.

What's your favorite sport to watch on TV? Wrestling!!! My first love, forever and always.

How many people live with you? Four. Parents and two siblings.

Are you good at any styles of dance? Haha, I wish. I’m a terrible dancer.

Do you think that your hair looks better curly or straight? Neither. It’s best when it’s wavy.

Where was your default taken? It’s not a photo of me, first of all. It’s from an episode of Bojack but I can’t remember which episode it’s form.

Have you ever been to another country? Yeah, several times.

Do you prefer cats or dogs? Dogs.

What was the last thing you ate? Kwek-kwek. My grandma made so many pieces for us when she came over yesterday <3

What's your desktop background? It’s of a mountain range and is one of the provided backgrounds in my laptop.

What was the last movie you saw at a theater? For the billionth time, Knives Out.

Did you think it was a good movie? No, but I’m biased because I hate that genre. I’m fairly sure it was well-received and that it’s objectively a good movie.

Are you afraid of spiders? The ones we have here are super tiny and look pretty harmless, so no. But I’ve seen how freaky spiders can look like in other countries and I understand why so many people are terrified of them.

Did you carve a pumpkin this year? If so, what did you carve into it? No, we don’t practice that here.

Which Disney movie is your favorite? Toy Story makes me the happiest.

Are you the youngest, oldest, middle, or only child? Eldest.

If your power were to suddenly go out right now, how would you react? Annoyed at the inconvenience, but glad that my laptop is at 88% and that I have a bunch of tabs with surveys so I can at least do something; unbothered because the weather is cold; and pleased that I have enough mobile data to keep myself from getting bored. Overall I wouldn’t mind it, hahaha

Do you enjoy photography? I don’t enjoy doing it, but I like looking at photos, sure.

What's your favorite thing to do at the beach? Swim and allowing myself to relax and let go in the water.

Are you afraid of heights? Not for most situations, but if I had to do an extreme stunt or dare that involved heights then yeah it would.

If someone were to cut you in line at a store, would you speak up? No, but I’d take a photo of their back and share it on social media and call them an asshole to release my annoyance. I’d probably try to sneakily elbow them as well, just so I can sleep soundly at night.

Are there any foods you enjoy baking/cooking? No.

What website would you say you visit the most? Definitely YouTube.

What book are you currently reading? [continued from yesterday] I don’t think it’s still fair to say I’m reading Midnight Sun anymore. I haven’t opened it in about a month now, even though it’s constantly on my desk just right beside the laptop I work on.

Is it for school or just because you want to read? It’s because I do want to read it and because I like Twilight hehe. I’m not in school.

Are you going to any concerts in the future that you know of? I’m just waiting for my third Paramore show, whenever that is; but otherwise no and I have no clue who or when the first post-Covid concert is going to be.

Do you play any instruments? No. I can play some tunes on the piano but it’s cheating and I don’t count it, because I’ve only memorized which keys to press and I don’t actually know how to read notes or use the proper fingering.

Are you looking forward to the new Alice in Wonderland movie? This question is so cute considering it’s been a literal decade since that movie came out...anyway, no, I didn’t look forward to it as I’m not a fan of the genre.

Do you get seasick? I do but I can handle my stomach for the most part. The only time it got really bad was during my cruise, and the only reason I didn’t throw up was my dad has a cabin at the bottom floor of the ship, where the shaking was a lot weaker.

When was the last time you hung out with your friends? This is so painful to read lol...last week of February.

Do you drink soda on a regular basis? Nopes.

Are you currently wearing a hoodie? No but I can do with one right now to feel cozy. I just don’t feel like getting out of my chair.

What's the weirdest food you've ever eaten? Gulab jamun was personally a unique experience, but weird has a negative connotation so I’m avoiding that word.

What was the last sporting event you attended? I think it was like a UP/Ateneo volleyball game, which was the only type of UAAP event I attended anyway.

Do you understand Shakespeare? Nope, that’s why I got books that had the modern-day translations right beside the original text lol. I mean I would probably be able to understand it if I exerted time and effort into reading Shakespeare, but I don’t have either, so.

Is there a bookshelf in your room? Nah but the top of my closet acts like one.

Do you need to wear glasses at all? Yes, all the time.

What's your favorite genre of books? Anything non-fiction, so books on history, memoirs, etc.

Do you think it's too early for Christmas music? Not in the Philippines. Christmas for us starts in September :) Anyone’s free to put up Christmas trees and lights or listen to Christmas music as soon as the clock strikes 12 midnight on September 1st.

What's the longest you've ever gone without speaking? Maybe during my dark days in 6th grade? I was super depressed, had no friends, had a strained relationship with my entire famly, and was holed up in my room all day long. It’s very possible I went several days without talking then.

Does your house have a garden? I wouldn’t call it a garden but we do have several trees and plants around the house, yes.

What color is the shirt you are wearing? It’s multi-colored stripes.

Do you know what brand of toothpaste you use? Colgate.

When was the last time you were on an airplane? Early 2019.

Do you have a permit or license? A driver’s license, yes.

Did you walk any long distances today? Nope. So far I’ve only gone down to the kitchen to fix myself a cup of coffee.

Are you currently wearing any make-up? I’m not.

How do you feel about bands covering old pop music? I personally don’t like most covers but I don’t take it against the bands. I just won’t listen to those versions.

Are your nails painted? Never are.

Do you use correct grammar online? Sure, unless I want to use bad grammar on purpose.

Do you agree with the statement that Miley Cyrus is a bad role model? I don’t think she even ever claimed to be one, so that’s an unfair accusation. I personally never had a problem with her and I admire her confidence and boldness in her performances and other things she does. Slide Away in particular is a very beautiful song.

Do you give out cards on Valentine's Day? No.

What are you listening to right now? I can hear the wind lightly blowing outside, but thankfully it’s no longer as violent as yesterday.

[ben-the-hyena]

@reikiajakoiranruohoja I assume you meant SkekTek for my AU. If not, sorry but I didn't understand lol

So SkekTek wasn't born rich but in a modest family. Very early, the skekling showed signs of ingeniosity, able to create diverse gadgets, be interested in any kind of science and improve many machines to the point his parents thought he could intens a famous science school from an early age. Being younger, weak, shy, introverted and more of a genius than them, most students were jealous and bullied him, which had him isolate himself more. Fortunately for him, he had a bodyguard in the person of his best friend SkekSa ; her richer family was their neighbours, and the 2 children had been friends since they were babies feeling almost like siblings. She beat up his bullies on a regular basis and often dragged him on adventures out of his comfort zone, but his curiosity always had him agree ; they liked building ships together. They had projects : one day, they would enter the imperial court. It was easier for SkekSa since she already was of a high class, but SkekTek was determined to enter it with his resume alone. And they both became courtiers and celebrated

SkekTek not being a noble or a bourgeois and again being a weak nerd was often mocked and bullied despite how much he was useful, having him become even bitter. They needed him and yet treated him like trash !? What a shame. But he couldn't leave. This had been his goal since childhood. He would show them that ONE DAY they would praise him. Whatevee the invention or the reason. Plus, whenever SkekSa was around, she protectee him from the other members of the court, him being her "egghead" and her being his "pirate". Sadly the more the centuries passed, the least they saw each other because the more she spent with the Sifas which had him almost jealous and sad. They still kept a correspondance but around current days she would come to the capital only once or twice a trine

SkekTek never truely any regret in hurting himself (cutting his arm and leg and a vein to replace them with mechanic parts to improve himself as he was growikg old and weaker had a lot of people worry about his sanity) or torturing and killing for science which particularly panicked his parents when he tested atrocious things on a fizzgig pup as a child "for science" ; it was a sacrifice he was willing to make to become even more of a genius and make science progress. Plus whatever, Skeksis were superior anyway, others were inferior and made for Skeksis' needs, he was sure. But he did have a soft spot every few trine for an animal originally meant for tests and had many many pets during his long life, his favorites being these furby kiwi birds. In fact, as immoral as he was on his trst subjects and slaves, SkekTek did have a heart for some extent. After some decades in the castle, having had pets woke up his maternal instincts and had him decide to have children on his own. Problem is in most of my HC continuities and that one too, SkekTek is aro-ace. The idea of a mate seemed useless and of sex alone disgusted him. So he simply went to the sperm bank (IF CYBORGS CAN EXIST IN THRA WHY NOT THAT) and had himself pregnant with a son, and later loved the experience so much he did again and got a daughter, and finally after a third time and got a child. Being a single mother of 3 was very hard but oh so worth it, he adored them, and would later adore his THIRTEEN GRANDCHILDREN HIS KIDS WOULD GIVE HIM KNOWING ALL THEIR NAMES AND TASTES AND DIFFERENTIATING THEM ALL

This improved little family of his did complete the void in his lonely heart, but he still missed SkekSa, the godmother of his children they called "Auntie Pirate". But at least they still remained friends... until the Gelfling War. He had never understood why she had married a lowly Sifa and worse had adopted 3 children to raise them with her, one was a Skeksis ok but 2 were Gelflings ! How could she have gotten herself so low !? She was a Skeksis ! He never truely liked talking about her family and didn't answer, changing subject, on the letter she had written to him asking him to be their godfather in return. This did hurt her and left a huge tension that would never heal. And with the war, it worsened. SkekTek panicked at the idea of SkekSa getting killed or imprisonned for treason and found her in person begging her for her and her Skeksis son's safety to give up on the Gelfling of that so called "family", come back to her senses and return safely to the capital. She refused, and they argued, spitting poison at each other out of rage. In his bigottee ways, SkekTek thought she had gone crazy after spending so much time with Gelflings and other the seas and almost regretted that stupid SkekGra in her life ; Skeksis loved a second time so tarely, them being usually a species mating for life... why did she have to be one of the rare exceptions !? He coldly offered her one last time to return home, maybe with the Gelflings of her family passing as slaves so they would all be safe, but she refused to leave her home and have them treated as slaves. They coldly told each other farewell and never saw each other again. When one of SkekTek's children asked him whatever happened to Auntie Pirate, SkekTek snarled "Auntie who." and avoided speaking about her ever again. To him, she had betrayed the Empire. Betrayed him.

That war did have bad effects on his psyche driving him even more mad and sadistic than he already was, just slightly less since he still has a loving family in that AU. But SkekSa's case was indeed only one of three problems. The second was the Peeper Beetle incident : SkekSo, alarmed by his new diagnosis, asked for SkekTek for more clarifications and be sure, which he did after having examined him. He was in a terminal phase. Alarmed, SkekSo, who would later snap and start the war, demanded him to tell no one about his condition... none of them knowing SkekSil was listening. The latter spread the rumor so quickly hald the Empire knew in only one day. Furious, the Emperor summoned the Chamberlain and accused him, which he didn't deny, invinting to flog him, scold him... and that he should not have repeated what the Scientist had told him. Needless to remind you where that unfair lie led to. As for the third problem, it was the Garthims. FINALLY. HIS BIGGEST INVENTION ! HE CREATED LIFE AND NOT JUST ANY LIFE, BUT LIVES THAT WOULD HELP THE EMPIRE ! HE WOULD FINALLY GET THE RECOGNITION HE DESERVED- Except SkekUng was named Garthim Master, tasked to tame them, and SkekTek was just ordered to build more and keot being treated like trash. That day, he completely gave up. He sarcastically became a bootlicker and became even more of a sadist, having given up any hope. So why not being as awful as the others. He rejoiced at SkekSo's death... maybe his "cures" helped a little in the process

At the beginning of SkekUng's reign, SkekTek caught Kira that had been tasked by her mother to spy on the laboratory. A Gelfling test subject for his new tortures ! How delightful ! He gladly bounded her to a chair and prepared his tools for a new idea of his (adding Gelfling elements in a stronger form of Garthim), but he had not noticed Fizzgig had followed in, and didn't notice him until he bit his ankle. In pain, SkekTek squirmed so much he slipped and impaled himself on the machine he had planned to use for his new creature project. In short, he dies too in that AU except this time he gets funerals and there are people mourning him there... even SkekSa

[sometimesrosy]

Why do you think CL was toxic? I've seen you ( and lots of people from the fandom) talking about it a couple of times but never in length. I always felt that while their story seemed sweet, there was something not right about it. Btw it's ok if you don't want to answer this because CLs might come after you. Thanks for your amazing metas/reviews/analysis ❤❤

Thanks for abbreviating the ship name. That makes things easier.

Long story short (I keep trying to make my long stories short and it rarely works,) CL reminded me of my relationship with my emotionally, psychologically and economically abusive ex husband. From very early on, even before they were romantic. Actually from where L coerced Clarke into agreeing to let TonDC be bombed. I experienced that coercion on a bi-weekly basis in my relationship the last few years, every time he ran out of money (for various nefarious reasons) and he would force me, with dire emergencies, to give him money, or I would suffer. He used many of the same techniques that L used on Clarke.

The connection between my relationship and CL continued through betrayals, isolating, “the carrot and the stick,” through gaslighting, threatening the loss of important things, creating enemies out there that made us a team, hinting at suicide, and culminating in Clarke staying with L to “protect” her people even though staying made her weaker and incomplete. I was triggered by Clarke staying and, much later, realized that was because I stayed in my abusive relationship for my children’s sake, when I wished I had left when I first thought I should, and I ended up being nearly destroyed by staying. I had a full on panic attack over that episode and it took me a long time to get over it.

My emotional truth with the CL story is that it mirrored my abusive marriage, and I used CL as a fictional couple to analyze my OWN relationship and trauma and get some perspective on it. It doesn’t trigger my PTSD any more, but when you first start seeing emotional abuse as a real thing, it’s very hard to stop seeing it.

CL, in many ways, illustrates an abusive relationship.

In many other ways, if you don’t see that dynamic, it illustrates many wonderful, dramatic, romantic tropes. 

I never tried to force anyone else to abandon their romantic interpretation of CL, I just wanted to talk to people who had experienced something similar and saw the darkness, so that we could talk about it and get something out of it.

I’m not even sure I really like defining it as “toxic,” because I think that is a trigger word and minimizes the story and ship and also what an abusive relationship is. 

I can interpret CL in other ways, too. Not just from my personal experience of abuse. For instance, I think the story of L as a shadow of Clarke is fantastic, and falling in love with L was a way for Clarke to make peace with the darkness in her own soul... this reinforces both the psychological interpretation of season 3 and the Jungian interpretation of Clarke’s hero’s journey. 

I think Lxa’s story is that of a tragic hero. And if you were to interpret it from HER POV, it would be the story of a powerful leader who was on top of the world but through hubris and her own fatal flaws, sees herself and all she worked for destroyed, leading to her fall. This is a story like Macbeth or Hamlet, and makes her story a good one. Not a happy one though. Tragic. This story thread makes Lxa the hero and Clarke the love interest and the political grounder story is the true tale. Bellamy doesn’t really factor into it, except as a rival for Clarke’s attentions who is rather vanquished. But that story starts in mid season 2 and ends in mid season 3 and is over. It’s not the main narrative. And it’s not a romance, it’s a shakespearean tragedy. 

As a romance, I don’t find CL romantic enough. It falls short for me. I don’t like romances with great power differentials, and the romance I saw on screen was too political and not authentic enough for it to get me in the heart. Neither of them were honest or open or vulnerable with each other, and I need that in a romance. That’s a personal taste thing. And outside of my feelings about abuse. It’s interpreting it without the abuse lens.

I don’t talk about it much because I got harassed pretty badly by the CL fandom over it. And it’s not a major point of the narrative anymore, so I’ve moved on for the most part.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

CSUAVS... LAST PART? Guys, how do i end this?

Spending the afternoon with Coran, Lance had no idea where the vargas went. It's been around lunch time that Kre'el had passed, but by the time the others came up to the bridge, the sky outside was mostly painted in a deep purple. Hiding his holopad, Lance was still in shock from Kre'el passing. He'd cried into Coran's arms the tears he hadn't been able find when Keith was with him. Due to Kre'el's information, he had to make some hard decisions, and face some truths he didn't want to. He hadn't even realised he'd slipped into work mode until Coran had pointed it out to him while he typed up everything he could remember about what Kre'el had said. The other planet. The rest of her group. That weird alien who's name had started with "P". Coran was helping him put together what Kre'el had said because it wasn't fair to ask Keith to feel anything else but what he felt over Kre'el's death. If Keith had been there, he would have sided with him, listened to him... coddled him. This was a puzzle that Lance had spent so long on, dating back to when he was still tracking Klearo down. Together he and Coran had searched the star maps for likely planets. They'd searched the ship logs for any unusual signals going back to when the Telula first became his. The fact the ship had caused so many time anomalies was the basis for the their search as they complied a list of the most affected planets, and spaces where it was possible that another entrance such as the one to the outpost existed. Of course, all of this was a well educated guess. Lance able to rule out maybe a third of the planets on their list from having visited them to offer relief or chasing down a bounty. After spending most of his time asleep since arriving on Daibazaal it felt good to be doing something that could be actually helpful to Shiro and the Blades... even though he also knew that everything he was doing was a bandaid measure to hide the rest of his tears over Kre'el. Thoughts of all the "what ifs" were threatening to send him spiralling again. The itch beneath his skin to scratch or cut constantly niggled in the corner of his mind. It didn't matter how many times he told himself he wasn't that man anymore, the thought that he'd been right about being recorded while being tortured was almost too much. Work kept the memories from forcing their way forward... but as their work came to an end, the full force of the memories started to spread through him. The stain on his heart pumped through his bloodstream with every beat. He had a choice to make, and whatever he chose, the outcome was too heavy for him to take on alone.

 Leaving Coran to decide it was time to return to the palace, his friends were ushered away as Lance remained in place. His weird "space uncle" hadn't only brought gifts for Daehra and ship, he'd also brought the names of two seperate therapists he thought Lance might be able to connect with. If ever he needed to talk to someone, or have someone talk him out of doing something incredibly stupid, it was probably about now. The anxiety gnawing at him was only growing worse. His temper flaring into something a kin to a tantrum as he threw his holopad down, and stalked from the bridge. Tearing at the collar of his shirt, he felt like he couldn't breathe. As if there was something inside of him bursting to get free. He wanted to run. Not as in fire up the Telula and take off, but run as in run until he couldn't breathe and there was nothing left in the world other than the feeling of accomplishment and fatigue. He'd been too scared to spar with everyone else in case he lost himself in his memories, plus regular scrapes and run ins with all kinds of people wanting you dead tended to keep one in shape... He hadn't had to do much of that lately. His extended recovery had left him feeling weaker...

 Lance wasn't thinking of anything other than running. The nervous energy bubbling away. Jogging down the loading ramp, the moment his boot crunched on the gravel beneath his feet he was running. With no destination in mind, and no idea where he was going, he embraced the feeling.

     *

Running himself until he couldn't breathe, Lance hunched forward his hands on his legs as he tried to suck down air. His body drenched in sweat as gave up on standing and threw himself down to lay on the middle of the road... or path. They were roughly the same size for no good reason, especially towards the outskirts of the inner city.

 Staring up at the night sky, the content sigh about to form on Lance's lips evaporated as a long wet tongue dragged across his face as large paws landed on his chest

"Gargh! What the quiznak!? You're a menace!"

Yipping happily, Kosmo dumped his whole weight down on him

"What are you doing?! Where's your human!?"

"His human was still catching up"

Craning his head backwards, Keith was jogging along the path? he'd just sprinted up

"What are you doing here?"

"I saw you take off. I've been following you this whole time"

 Lance fended off another attack from Kosmo, Keith coming around the side to wrestle with his wolf. Kosmo not giving up his human cushion. Wrapping his arms around the doper animal, Lance hauled him up as he sat up

"I didn't even notice you were there"

"I noticed. It didn't seem like a fleeing run, so I hung back. Everything alright?"

Not really. Kre'el was dead and now he'd stopped he was thinking about it... mostly because he didn't know how to talk to Keith about it

"Kind of. Coran and I got a fair few leads on potential planets that another opening could be near... How was your talk with Shiro?"

"Good. Ok... yeah. I went and talked to my team, then mum found me... I was coming back to see when I saw everyone leaving, except you"

"That's because I was... you know what, sit down. I can't talk to you while you're up there"

"Were in the middle of a road"

So this was a road? Not a path? Galra really needed street signs... or idiot signs

"No ones here. Besides, I'm still catching my breath. I got a bit carried away"

"You were running for the last varga. I'm not surprised"

 A varga wasn't horrible. Letting himself flop back, Keith lowered himself to sit next to him, resting his hand on Lance's hair

"I feel like you've been thinking again, babe?"

"Mmm... that's because I have been"

How he'd snagged Keith would always remain a mystery to him

"I also have the feeling you're going to tell me you're taking off again"

Stupid Coran. He couldn't keep his mouth shut. Opening his mouth, he closed it again as he tried to pick his words. Sighing at him, Keith moved his hand away

"You just got here. You don't have to rush off into battle after battle... Can't you just... rest?"

Keith sounded hurt, and somewhat annoyed with him

"Did Coran tell you?"

"What? No. I haven't talked to him. You've got that look on your face like you've gone and decided something again"

 That... That stung. Especially when Keith hadn't let him explain. Of course he'd decided something. That's what was what happened. First he did the "think", then he did the "do", and sometimes the "think" happened during the "do... When he'd been with Coran, he'd done the "think" extra hard due to Kre'el. Keith was stirring up his anxiety again. The choices he'd made were hard and harsh... but if he was ever going to move on, he had to leave the past in the past... and Dios, he wanted to move on with Keith.

 "You're right. I'm leaving again. Kre'el said a lot of things that I've been thinking about while Coran was helping me out. I was trying not to think of her, but that didn't work as well as I told myself it was, so I talked with Coran and we made some decisions"

"So you decided with Coran you're leaving?"

Keith still sounded bitter. He couldn't blame his boyfriend for not getting it when he had no idea what Lance had decided. He just wished Keith was a bit more willing to let him explain himself

"No, I decided I was staying on Daibazaal until the end of the phoeb, then I was intending on taking my boyfriend home. Kre'el got me thinking of family... and I really wanted to see my mum... 'cause, you know, she was a mum. I want to talk to mum... I want to take you home and introduce you to everyone... I want to show you places that I used to love... and I want to meet your dad. I want to see your shack again... I'm taking Kre'el's ashes back to Earth, to bury her on our farm. She... she wanted to be with her daughter in the end, but I don't know where she was buried... so I thought I'd bury her on the farm"

"You want to stay here?"

 Seriously? Had Keith not heard anything else he said?

"I want to stay with my boyfriend. I asked you to take those last few steps with me, and now that I'm at the end, I'm stepping aside. Coran helped me with it. I want to find those people, if by some chance they're still alive, but... I want to be with you more. I want to cherish my time with you, and for... for the sake of my mental health, we agreed it was time to let Shiro take on more. The Atlas and the Blades. Even if I found them, I don't have a magical pod to cure them. I want to take you home for Christmas. I want to tell my family I'm your husband. That I want my life to be with you. I'm not going to tell them everything. I don't think they need to know everything, but I have to tell them I'm with you, because out of everything, I'm not ashamed of that. So yes, I went off and made decisions aga..."

 Kosmo was forcibly pushed off his lap as Keith launched himself on him. His lips pressing a firm kiss to Lance's as he rolled them so that Lance was straddling Keith's lap. Breaking the kiss, Keith sat up, holding him tightly. The half-Galra's face buried against his neck

"I thought... but... you..."

"You're not making much sense"

"You're really going to stay?"

"I thought about it before. You know, when I was stuck in that stupid hospital. About what I could do and what I couldn't... then I was thinking about what's more important to me. I couldn't make my mind up there because I couldn't shake the depression of having everyone smothering me. Chasing leads and leaving you to tolerate me, or accepting that... accepting that I'm out of my depth and that I still have a job I can do. So yeah. I want to stay. I want to help you out around here... Even if all I can do is provide intel on planets that the Blades might want to investigate... or lend an ear when you're frustrated. You're what's important to me. I know you... might have doubted that. Especially after I sent you to talk to Shiro so I could talk with Coran"

 None of these decisions had been made lightly. He'd sobbed into Coran's shoulder every mixed up thought he had, until he helped him understand that he was still trying to do too much alone. Especially while battling his PTS over everything Kre'el had put into to play, and withdrawal making him its bitch. Lance didn't want to give up on Kre'el's people, but like he said, he wouldn't be able to give them the help they needed... and he had no idea what to do with any of the data that was on board the prison ship. It didn't benefit the job he wanted to do. Any names that needed chasing up, he could do that. He could do that in the course of continuing his work as a part time bounty hunter. Shiro had the advantage of being able to open wormholes, so once someone was apprehended, he'd be able to call through to him, or to Daibazaal or to Altea... He just... had to keep pushing out of the safe shell he'd built... or nothing would move forward... he wouldn't move forward.

 "Shiro gave me a few points too. About talking with my team..."

Shivering in Keith's lap, Keith moved to start pulling his jacket off, the Cuban moving to accomodate him without thinking. Lance not paying enough attention to notice, already jumping onto the next train of thought. If he was taking Keith home, he was going to have to deal with all the judgmental overly religious family members... wait... What about Acxa? She was like a sister to Keith, and in some weird way, if she married Veronica, they really would be

"Do you think they'll want to come to Christmas? It'd be nice to show Acxa the farm, Veronica would probably hesitate to ask"

"I think they'd love that. Christmas isn't a thing out here, so they're probably going to be confused..."

Placing his jacket over Lance's shoulder, Lance leaned down to inhale Keith's scent. God. He loved how his boyfriend smelt. Nuzzling into the warmth, he was so fucking lucky to have Keith

"... but it's a nice idea. Are your team coming?"

 Nodding, Lance hummed. He might not have thought everything through, like where everyone one sleep, and how the others would go in church, but Kre'el had reminded him how important family was... not he didn't know...

"I want them to. I didn't think I'd want to go back so soon, after telling mum I wasn't ready. I think maybe that was... me still trying to prove I don't need to be babied. I'm not ready to show people my hand, or my scars. I'll probably... show you some really embarrassing sides... and you should probably know I had... a lot of problems adjusting without Allura..."

Rubbing his hands up Lance's arms, the smile Keith gave him was filled with love

"I know you didn't have the best time with your family. But I'd like to meet them all again. I'd like to be there as your boyfriend. You're not lying to them by not telling them everything, before you get that in your head. We can take it slow. We don't need to tell them any more than what we're comfortable with. So while you're here, with me, we'll talk about it. We can call your mother, and talk to her about Christmas. That way she knows we're coming"

"Will Krolia come?"

Keith frowned at his husband, Lance's heart giving an uncomfortable flip

"Mum's not big on Christmas"

"I know, but... I might just be being selfish here, but a full family Christmas. Curtis and Shiro have probably got their own plans... but we can invite him too. I really... I really want to have a family Christmas with you. My family and your family..."

 He was talking to much. Lance knew he was talking to fast but all of it was coming out like word vomit. If he went ahead and made all these plans with Keith, then there was no way he could back out.... but at the same time, he was worried he was being selfish by asking Keith to come home for Christmas. Keith probably never had a proper Christmas when he was in the foster system. He probably never experienced the let down of socks and jocks as child... or eaten way too much then thrown it all up in the shower because the water was too hot. He'd probably never gone to church and sing carols, or set off home made fireworks... All the things Keith had probably missed weren't fair. He wanted to be the one to do all of this with him. He wanted to see the way Keith's face would light up. He wanted to see his family fawn over his boyfriend, who'd probably be as confused as his team over what was happening. Yeah. He was definitely being selfish... Keith might not even want to celebrate Christmas. For him, the day more than likely held no special place in his heart...

 The Cuban's smile fell as he forced himself up from Keith's lap, Kosmo threatening to knock him over as he "nudged" Lance's leg looking for attention

"I'm sorry. I was being overbearing. You don't have to come if you don't want to, or if it's too hard... My family is kind of massive, even without my team there... and it's not like my family knows I'm bi, apart from mum and V... my extended family can be stupid about things like that... I still love them, but they make me mad... I shouldn't have pushed all this at you. We haven't even sat down..."

 Climbing off the ground, Keith scooped him up off his feet. Strong arms wrapped around him just below his arse

"You're talking too much"

Spinning him around, Keith lowered him down and immediately moved to cup his face, while Lance was trying to prevent Keith's jacket from slipping off

"You're a quiznakking idiot, babe. I'm terrified of meeting your family, but you are my husband. My accidental husband that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I just said we can call your mum, make sure it's ok. And... I love you. I shouldn't have been so moody before... I didn't want you to go so soon. I still don't feel like I've actually... like I've actually caught you. I feel like you're going to float away from me the moment I let go. I can't guarantee I won't mess anything up"

Biting his lip, Keith looked away

"Hey, no. Trust me, Mullet. Most of them will absolutely love you. The important ones will. Mum already counts you as her son"

"But I didn't..."

It was too dark to see if Keith was blushing, the streetlights a tad too far, yet Lance had the feeling he was

"But, what?"

"I... I didn't even ask for your hand in marriage..."

 Letting out a laugh, Lance didn't expect to be laugh so hard on the day he'd lost Kre'el. Insulted, Keith pulled away, turning and starting to stalk from him. Jogging the few steps, Lance grabbed Keith's arm

"Babe, wait"

"No. You laughed at me"

"I laughed because nobody but you would do that these days. Seriously. I'm my own person, not a possession. I'm the one who gets to choose who I want to be with. A decaphoeb ago, if anyone had asked for my hand, I probably would have shot them up with tranquillisers and left them in a dumpster. But you and that mullet of yours went and tore down all my defences. Threw my life into chaos and decided that I wasn't as dirty and disgusting as I feel. You know my secrets, you know I'm a mess, but you still tell me you love me... It took me movements but I'm getting there, aren't I? I'm getting better, right? I'm starting to believe you're not going to dump me and run... so much so that I want us to work off base on different missions... I've fallen so fucking hard for you. I still have stuff... I can't tell you. And stuff I don't know how to get through... but I... with you, I want to work through it... I can't guarantee I'll never have another panic attack. I can't guarantee I won't relapse. I can't even promise you I'll stick to not hurting myself... because for so long, it's been the only thing keeping my monsters in my head... but I can promise you I want to make you feel happy every single day, even on my bad days because I love your dorky arse"

"Lance, there's only one thing I want you to promise me?"

"What's that?"

"That you'll talk to me. Don't stop talking to me"

Snorting, Lance slid his hand down to hold Keith's, his head resting against Keith's shoulder

"Babe, might I remind you I never shut up?"

"You know what I mean"

"I do. Sometimes I might need to work it out a bit before I can let you in. But I will... And you have to make me a promise too"

"What's that?"

"You have to talk to me too. I won't push your past, but when you're upset or angry, we need to use our big adult words. Even if you're as confused and messed up in the head as I am, I need you to use your words. I want to be someone you can be proud of, and someone you can really rely on"

"Babe, you've always been my stability"

Giving another laugh, Lance nudged his husband

"If you're relying on me, we're both screwed"

"At least we'll go down together"

"Keith and Lance, neck and neck"

Lance could almost hear Keith rolling his eyes at him

"When are you going to stop that?"

"Sometime around the twelfth of never. But, you know, with the brain damage I wouldn't be able to tell when the twelfth of never comes"

"You're incorrigible"

 Nudging Keith again, Keith nudged him back. There was still so much they needed to talk about, but walking by Keith's side under the weird purple sky of Daibazaal, Lance felt lighter and happier now that the self imposed weight on his shoulders had eased by sharing the load. Things weren't great. His anxieties were taking issue with being out in the dark with Galra around, but he was holding his panic down because he was so quiznakking happy that Keith would be coming with him back to Earth. He wasn't a mother, and couldn't understand that maternal bond, but he knew if he wanted to one day have a family with Keith, he first needed to make amends with his own. He needed to apologise for nearly tearing them apart. For running. For all the missed calls and avoidance measures he'd taken... They'd forgive him, at least say they did. But his previous behaviour would be there lurking in the backs of their minds. He wanted to show them he wasn't spending nearly every night drunk to drown the pain of Allura leaving, and that he'd found someone to love all the good and bad sides of him. He adored Keith. The man bent over backwards and always had his back. They couldn't change the past. It's always be there, and his anxieties would never truly leave, but as long as he kept walking forward, he had a chance to work through everything.

 Smiling softly, Lance rubbed his cheek against Keith's arm. Anxious to return to the Telula or Keith's room, somewhere they could be alone to form their plans

"You wouldn't have me any other way"

"No. No, I really wouldn't"

[bloodofthecovenants]

Bede ekeri - Character Sheet

Basics

Full name: Unm¯æte healdend or as he prefers, Bede ekeri (He doesn’t have a middle name) Nickname(s): Guardian Title(s): Guardian of the sea’s Sex: Biologically genderless Gender: Male (Will happily take they/them or she/her though, Doesn’t mind either way) Height: 6′7 Age: Approximately four thousandish Zodiac: Virgo Spoken languages: English (Semi-functionally), Old english (Proficiently), Old kalosian (Proficiently)

Physical characteristics

Hair color: White Eye color: Purple Skin tone: Pale Body type: Thin but toned with a surprising about of strength Voice: Deep, really deep actually, He looks feminine but his voice usually has people reeling to correct themselves, Main VC: HERE Dominant hand: Right Posture: Stands tall, Usually flat on his feet, Always alert. Scars: Many across his hands, Chest , Legs and a huge one on his abdomen. His back is surprisingly mostly unmarred. Tattoos: None Birthmarks: He has blueish purple freckles across his shoulders and just slightly up his neck. Most noticeable feature(s): His eyes, The pupils shrink or grow like a cats in low/high light and are a deep purple mixed with shots of pink that are just a little TO bright for a humans.

Childhood

Place of birth (Hatching): The inner sanctum of shamouti isles Hometown: Unknown Birth weight/height: three pounds, 17.5 inches (Baby lugia are tiny!!) First words: It was a chirp, He chirped at first Siblings: N/A Parents: Both deceased Parental involvement: Father died before his hatching, Mother’s influence until he was one thousand (Still young for a legendary) Children: Eight known children, All now deceased due to old age (I still have to draw/name them)

Adult life

Occupation: Sea’s guardian, Trainer (Kind of) Current residence: Shamouti isles Close friends: Cyrus (And of course giratina), Grovyle, Kharon, Fae, Karma, Kiwi, 02, Pascale, Silver, Cynthia Relationship status: Main verse with wanttoshine’s grovyle, Ship verses with a few lovely others Financial status: Secure, He’s a legendary and you’d be surprised how much lost, expensive stuff just waits at the bottom of the sea. Criminal record: Murder, kidnapping, Arson, Theft, the list could go on. He was a criminal at one point. Vices: He tends to almost obsessively collect things and never let them go simply due to the fact he gets overly attached.

Sex & romance

Sexual orientation: Bisexual Preferred emotional role: submissive | dominant | switch Preferred sexual role: submissive | dominant | switch | Libido: Pretty high, It’s pretty much on a who’s his partner basis, Unless he’s in heat. In which case, it’s literally he thinks about. Turn ons: Biting, breeding, hair pulling, Degradation, praise, Shibari, Sensory deprivation, there is more, a lot more but those are the big ones. Have fun. Turn offs: He’s open to most things, just..just don’t be NASTY Love language: Playful, Caring, Likes to bring shiny things as a attempt to woe whoever his ‘mate’ is. Relationship tendencies: Hard time accepting compliments but will praise his partner to hell and back if they say anything even remotely bad about themselves.

Miscellaneous

Character’s theme song(s): ;You can be king again’ Hobbies to pass time: Collecting, exploring, Learning. Sparring, Gardening, He doesn’t have a lot of set hobbies. Lots of new things! Mental illnesses: There’s probably a lot going on there that hasn’t been diagnosed, PTSD is visible, but besides that. He hides it well. Physical illnesses: Weak immune system (Essentially different bugs from a whole different time period where bathing was minimal, Vaccinations didn’t exist, most medicine was placebo + Sustained injury that made him weaker), Injury to his leg that occasionally flares up and makes walking difficult. Left or right brained: Right-brained Fears: Failure, loss of control, Losing his loved ones, Losing what he’s gained, Not having a choice. Self-confidence level: Terrible, Literally terrible, he hides it well but oh my god. It’s bad and the sheer amount of self deprecation has already dug a hole through two planets. Vulnerabilities: Dark types, Electric types, Mentions of being a failure or being a freak.

Tagged by: Nobody i stole IT tagging: It’s dangerous to go alone, take this!

[pixelgrotto]

The horrific Resident Evil playthrough, interlude three

I just finished watching all of the Resident Evil movies I could get my hands on. When I told people I was doing this as the last part of my great year-long playthrough, they all let out groans and said something along the lines of, “Ugh, don’t you wanna end on a good note?” Undaunted by these words and fueled by my ability to tolerate crappy cinema, I moved forward, courageously making it through nine of these suckers...which, to be fair, ranged from surprisingly enjoyable to just as terrible as everyone warned me about. 

Before I begin, it’s important to note that we’re dealing with two separate film series here. There’s director Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil Hollywood films, which are the ones that most people know about. Then there are three Japanese-made CG movies that are canon and co-exist alongside the stories of the games. The Anderson movies are...mostly ass. The Japanese ones are okay. 

Let us start with the ass first. 

Resident Evil - The first RE film came out in 2002, which means that what little CG it has is laughably dated and it’s refreshingly small-scale when compared to its sequels. The movie’s a fan fiction remix of some themes from Resident Evil 1, except with none of the characters from the games present. Instead, we have Paul W.S. Anderson’s wife Milla Jovovich taking center stage as Alice, the former head of Umbrella security in a secret base called the Hive that goes to hell when some dude tries to steal viruses. The entirety of the action takes place in the Hive, and we get a surprisingly tiny number of monsters, with just your garden variety zombies, a few Cerberus and a single Licker showing up. Even though she does run up a wall and kick a Cerberus in the face, Alice is at her most realistic here (she turns into a dual wielding mutant with the ability to make the camera go into slow-motion whenever she wants in all the other films), there’s a nifty laser grid scene that all the sequels keep referencing when they want you to feel nostalgic, and the Hive’s sentient AI, the Red Queen, is compelling enough that Capcom eventually stuck her in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Aside from this movie being full of British actors who do REALLY awful American accents, sounding like they all have mouths full of sausages, Paul W.S. Anderson’s first take on Resident Evil is probably the most watchable one he made. 

Resident Evil: Apocalypse - Okay, this one is watchable too, but in more of a popcorn-munching “lol, this shit is dumb” way. It steals the general plot of Resident Evils 2 and 3, with Raccoon City getting infected, but ups the cheese by a hundred. Alice is now a thirteen-year-old boy’s version of a BADAZZ woman, with lots of guns and a bare midriff, and she teams up with Jill Valentine, who resembles her game self in looks but not exactly in personality. Together, they’ve gotta escape Raccoon City along with Carlos Oliveira, who is possibly the only character from the games who is done a great service in these Anderson movies, which make him much more likable even if they couldn’t find an actual Hispanic actor to portray him and had to settle for an Israeli instead. Oh, and Nemesis shows up, because one of the dudes from the first movie who accompanied Alice into the Hive gets experimented on and turned into what honestly looks like someone’s Halloween costume. The writers commit a cardinal sin at the end of the flick by humanizing him, having him suddenly remember his TRUE SELF and help the good guys, but aside from that screw-up I admit that I had a goofy grin on my face throughout several parts of this movie. After Nemesis blows up the Raccoon City station and murmurs his one line of dialogue- “STARRRRRSSSS” - I even kinda felt like clapping. So yeah, Apocalpyse is idiotic fun.

Resident Evil: Extinction - Here’s where the movies stop being mildly entertaining and become varying degrees of either “meh” or just plain bad. Extinction’s biggest problem is that it makes the weird decision of having the entire PLANET be wiped nearly completely clean by Umbrella’s virus, giving the franchise the most generic setting imaginable for a zombie flick - a post-apocalyptic world. And even though this film features Claire Redfield and actually has Alice fight a Tyrant that looks the part, I feel that by turning the environment into Mad Max the filmmakers missed the entire point of the franchise. Resident Evil isn’t really about a “what if” scenario with mankind dying and zombies taking over the world. Instead, it’s about how humanity manages to cope in a time where zombies are used by corporations for terrorism purposes - hence the franchise’s “bio-organic weapon” catch-phrase for its creatures. It’s about how brave people live on in an era that just happens to feature biopunk monsters as a deadly fact of life. It’s about the evil that resides within a world that is pretty shitty, but hasn’t completely gone to shit. By turning the whole planet into the same ol’ zombie playground that we see in most popular fiction starring these workman-like horror tropes, Extinction - which probably thought it was upping the stakes - instead just feels sorta dull, and anyone who views the film today is probably going to see it as a weaker version of The Walking Dead. Oh, and it ends with Alice discovering clones of herself, which will only serve to screw with the loose continuity of these movies as they go on. 

Resident Evil: Afterlife - This one starts with Alice’s clones raiding the Umbrella facility in Tokyo, and the whole sequence - which feels like it should be the finale - is reduced to a few minutes of special effects in the beginning. (This is foreshadowing for the next two films, which both end with hints of giant, climatic battles that mostly happen off-screen, if at all.) The first thing that I noticed when watching this was how slow-mo kicked in every five minutes and how the camera seemed to linger on bullets, and I eventually remembered that this film was released during Hollywood’s obsession with 3D during the early 2010s. This explains Afterlife’s IN-YOUR-FACE-IN-THREE-DIMENSIONS action scenes, which are initially pretty in a music video sort of way but become overdone and tiresome as the movie goes on, kinda like a Zack Snyder film. (I place Paul W.S. Anderson in the same “style over substance” category of director as both Zack Snyder and Michael Bay, by the way.) Anyway, Afterlife deals with Alice teaming up with more survivors to try to find a secret ship haven free of zombies. Along the way she runs into Chris Redfield, who looks more like a janitor than the jacked BSAA agent that he is in the games, and Chris and Claire Redfield have a quick sibling reunion and fight Wesker in a scene with choreography shamelessly stolen from Resident Evil 5. It’s pandering fan service and sort of diverting, but ultimately none of it matters. Chris disappears after this movie and is never seen again, and Afterlife is more interesting as a specimen of 2010 3D excess than it is as an actual narrative.

Resident Evil: Retribution - Retribution amps the pandering fan service that Afterlife dabbled in to new levels. Ada Wong is here, played by Li Bingbing but dubbed by her original voice actress, Sally Cahill, probably because Li’s English isn’t that great. Leon Kennedy and Barry frickin’ Burton show up, both looking pretty much like their in-game counterparts. Even Michelle Rodriguez and a few other faces from Paul W.S. Anderson’s first Resident Evil flick make an appearance, thanks to the fact that this movie has clones up the wazoo and uses them to handwave away any series inconsistencies you could think of. So you’re got fan service for the people who like the games and fan service for the folks who liked the first movie, and on top of it all the film has the extreme 3D that its predecessor possessed and a buttload of battles because it all takes place in a giant Umbrella simulation facility full of stuff that can easily be wrecked. By now the plot to these things has gotten more scrambled than my eggs in the morning, but I will say that thanks to its inclusion of classic characters, Retribution is more or less tolerable. There’s even a bit of characterization this time around, thanks to a little hearing-impaired clone girl who Alice takes under her wing and begins to care for, and the movie ends on an okay cliffhanger in a Washington DC under siege, promising epic things to come in the next movie. Unfortunately... Resident Evil: The Final Chapter - I really did not enjoy The Final Chapter for a myriad of reasons. First of all, the Washington battle promised at the end of Retribution never happens. Instead, we fast forward to several months later, when Alice is (big surprise) the only survivor, and EVERYONE she was with in the last flick - Ada, Leon, the little deaf girl - is gone and never mentioned ever again. Wesker, who Alice was working with in Retribution, is back to being a bad guy for poorly explained reasons. Another bad scientist dude that Alice killed in Extinction also returns for even worse reasons, because supposedly Alice only offed his clone three movies ago. But wait, this “real” bad scientist dude is also revealed to be a clone as the TRUE bad scientist dude shows up in the movie’s last act! AND THE ULTIMATE TWIST (look away now if you actually care about spoilers) is that Alice is HERSELF a clone of the original daughter of the Umbrella corporation’s founder who died of a degenerative disease and served as the basis for the Red Queen AI. The idiotic thing is that this daughter was said to be the progeny of Dr. Charles Ashford in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, but this movie retcons her to be the spawn of Dr. James Marcus. The Final Chapter, in fact, screws with continuity to a degree I have rarely seen before in a long-running film franchise. Yeah, the framework tying this series together got weird as soon as clones were introduced, but previously it seemed that Paul W.S. Anderson at least cared about his own messy fan fiction. Here? It’s like he forgot what he’d spent the last 15 years building up to and ended on one sloppy fart. If this weren’t bad enough, The Final Chapter is edited in that god awful “shaky cam, lots of fast cuts” way that I hate. In fact, I counted something like twenty cuts in a scene of a few seconds when Alice is attacked by a creature, which means that this film won’t just baffle you with its disregard for continuity - it’ll give you a headache too. 

Resident Evil: Degeneration - After watching an array of live-action flicks that took random Resident Evil threads and mashed them together with the elegance of a splattered turd, it did feel good to switch things up and move to the CG movies that were actually put out by Capcom. This 2008 offering takes place in between Resident Evils 4 and 5, stars Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy, and deals with a virus breakout in an airport and some of the pharmaceutical company backstabbing that occurred in the aftermath of Umbrella’s destruction. It’s all stuff that feels like it could have come from a lesser gaiden game - perhaps in the same vein as the first Revelations title - and it kinda gives off that “so-so anime movie” vibe, especially because the dubbing always sounds a tad off. Nevertheless, Degeneration’s still a breath of fresh air compared to the Anderson series, and there’s a nice gag where Claire’s searching for a weapon in the airport, someone hands her a physical umbrella, and she looks at it and is like, “Hm, didn’t see this coming.” (Lollerskates.) The main issue I have with Degeneration is how “plasticky” everyone looks - it’s hard to realize how far computer animation has advanced in the last decade until you look at Degeneration’s stiff visuals and compare them to the other CG films. Also, Leon’s characterization is terrible. He’s meant to be a super serious badass, I guess, but he mostly just looks like someone rammed a Samurai Edge up his sphincter. I prefer my Leon Kennedy to be the “Don’t worry Ashley, I’m comin’ for ya!” version from Resident Evil 4, or at least a dude with a little sass to him. The guy in Degeneration is about as interesting as a board.  Resident Evil: Damnation - Damnation is a noticeable step above Degeneration, both in computer animation, which really got better from 2008 to 2012, and in all-around presentation. The dubbing’s still somewhat wonky with that same anime movie vibe, but the characterization is on point, and Leon, who’s taking center stage once more, is just like his RE6 self. Speaking of RE6, this movie channels that game’s themes of international terrorism with a plot that involves rebels in a made-up Eastern European country using Lickers and Las Plagas in an effort to fight for their freedom, only to learn that lo and behold, the nefarious female president who’s seized control of their nation has her own B.O.W.s - in the form of Tyrants - at her disposal. Leon’s caught in the middle of this mess and ends up befriending some of the rebels, and Ada Wong’s also infiltrated the country to manipulate the president. Ada and Leon’s interactions are as insubstantial as they’ve been in pretty much every game that isn’t the recent RE2make, but we do get a cool fight between Ada and the president, who for some reason knows substantial knife fu. There’s an even better battle between Tyrants and Lickers in a city hall square, and Leon gets throw against pillars, regularly takes hits that would kill a normal person and pilots a tank alongside one of the rebels who looks a lot like Chris Redfield but isn’t Chris Redfield. This dude serves as the film’s sympathetic character - a guy torn from his peaceful existence thanks to political wrangling and is tricked into using B.O.W.s to try to achieve a brighter future. It ends with the fella severely injured but learning how to live and move forward in a world infected with nefarious bioweapons, which is the very theme that the Anderson flicks ditched around movie number three. So good work for side-stepping previous failures and recognizing what Resident Evil is all about, Damnation. 

Resident Evil: Vendetta - If Degeneration’s a so-so anime movie, and Damnation a good anime movie, then Vendetta is just a good movie in general, with no “anime” distinction needed. The dubbing’s finally pretty decent, for one, and the story takes place in between RE6 and RE7, teaming Leon and Chris Redfield up with - HOLY CRAP - Rebecca Chambers, who’s been AWOL since Resident Evil Zero. They’ve gotta stop an arms dealer from bio-nuking New York and doing nasty things to Rebecca, who resembles his dead wife, and along the way Leon pilots a motorcycle on the freeway with his feet while shooting at Cerebrus with his hands. Nearly all of the movie’s considerable action segments are punctuated with rapid fire John Wick-style gunplay, and it works. It’s like the folks who made this film realized that the coolest part of Resident Evil 6 was the point where Leon and Chris point their guns at each other for a few seconds before deciding that they need to put their differences aside and cooperate, and even though you could conceivably fault Vendetta for leaning heavily towards the “action” side of Resident Evil rather than the “horror” side, it’s a well-paced film that finally gives us a substantial interaction between two series mainstays beyond the one minute they shared with each other in RE6. Also, people are still posting GIFs from Vendetta’s action sequences all across Tumblr and forums whenever arguments break out over whether Chris or Leon is TEH COoLER Resident Evil protagonist, so Capcom obviously did something right. If we get another computer animated film, I imagine it’ll lean more heavily towards horror since that’s where the series has gone recently...but hopefully the path of improvement that we’ve seen from Degeneration to Damnation to Vendetta won’t be broken. 

And with that, whew, I’m done with RE movies, at least until the rumored Hollywood reboot that’s supposedly drawing inspiration from Resident Evil 7 comes out. (It can’t be worse than The Final Chapter, I suppose.) I can’t say that my friends were wrong when they warned me that half of these would be shite, but I also can’t say that I ended on a bad note, because Vendetta was pretty good.

After all this, my grand playthrough and consumption of all Resident Evil media is about to finish Next post I make will be a last look at the franchise as a whole...and what a year’s worth of zombie headshots taught me.  All screencaps taken by me. 

[icypantherwrites]

Voltron Season Seven: Thoughts and Reactions

As you can see, I am out of hibernation mode ;p Just finished up a bit ago.

My thoughts in no particular order on season seven. Prepare for a few unintelligible spazzes and random questions that like, why were these not answered? Oh Voltron writers, you and your plot holes. Tagged with all of my previously mentioned ones so here goes!

Okay, so Adam? As much as I didn’t care for how he wasn’t supporting Shiro, I was excited by his role and inclusion in the story! Also, haha, I laughed because I named the one character in my Keith and Shiro backstory Adam and he’s a pilot too, haha. They definitely aren’t the same one because mine was a jerk, but I love that somehow I still got that name. (or maybe that’s how he and Shiro got to talking after Shiro confronts him for what he said to Keith? hehe. Look at me ;p)

But then. When they were mobilizing to fight the first wave I’m like, is Adam a pilot? And then we saw him and then his ship blinked out… gosh. Shiro at the wall with his name broke my heart. There’s a lot of regret there. Definitely something I wish had been further explored, but I’m not surprised they didn’t. There’s a lot that has been skipped over already.

So… Shiro has a disease that gets brought up once, never impacted him at all in the first six seasons and… never mentioned again? Er… what was the point of that exactly? (clone body not have the illness?)

Oh baby Keef. I cheered when he punched Griffin. Glad to see Griffin has grown up since then. But uh, can someone confirm for me the new cadet pilot with the glasses. Is her name… Wasabi? Usagi? And while I adore my Keith backstory this one was endearing too. And his dad died in a fire? Gosh. I had a feeling after the fireman refs but to hear it confirmed. Sad.

Where did Axca go? Like, she left the base with the Paladins and they have no resources to provide her a ship. So…? I’m curious with her popping up at the end behind Krolia and Keith at the grave… interesting. Once it was disproved that she wasn’t Keith’s twin I thought she might be Krolia’s sister but no mention when they met so… hmm. Curious and curioser. (does she like Keith? Hehe ♥ I admit I think they’re pretty asthecially pleasing together and I love Axca’s new design.)

Veronica is a fucking badass. As soon as she showed up on screen I’m like, that’s Lance’s sister. My sister was like, no, and I’m like, uh, her name is Veronica, coloring is the same including the blue eyes and in that really crappy family projection photo from season one there was a relative in a military uniform. Damn, I love her so much. Almost cried when I thought she died (twice xD). Also, her teasing Lance about Allura and her little smirk smile there? I died. So fucking cute.

This is my personal preference but I did not care for the game show episode at all, nor the “reason” behind it. There were a couple cute moments in it (all of them choosing each other to leave and I winced when Lance kept being called the dumb one and could taste the angst) but overall, my least favorite filler. And this coming from someone who adores game shows xD

The “lost in space” episode also wasn’t high on my list. I loved the idea of it and them forming a circle (that was so flipping cute) to stay together with the check ins (and a note to Keith and Krolia’s time together) but the words exchanged? I get it and didn’t mind but they never *really* resolved it. Not really. And some pretty hurtful things were said. Also, the fact they have almost fatal oxygen depletion based upon Keith’s indicator and their weary lines under their eyes, but then they literally bounce back full power to fight? Just throw the realism out the window. Just like the castle of lions losing all oxygen in a matter of hours two seasons ago xDD

How have we ever survived without the space wolf? Seriously? I’m bummed his name is not Yorak but I’ll take Cosmo. Very cute! Love how keith is waiting for the wolf to name himself. Oh, sweetie.

The Blade of Marmora luring with the Druids was delicious. Loved that bit. Glad Kolivan made it out. Wasn’t surprised when Krolia left the main cast; it was getting crowded and given that the writers have difficulty managing characters on a regular basis at times the more the less merrier.

On that note, loved Romelle in the first episode but she practically disappeared for the rest of the season. Disappointed. Thought her and Hunk were hilarious.

Same token bummed Matt was offscreen for most of it. But again, see above.

The three year time gap was interesting. Never really explained well either; pretty much I think a way for earth to get completely overrun by Galra. On that note, loved all of the Sam episodes, think the new pilots are pretty neat additions. Particularly love… Usagi? Wasabi? Kinkade too; a man of few words and I adore his name. Iverson too was a pleasant surprise and I loved his apology to Keith later and his constant backing of Sam. Also, Collen is a badass too. I do have to give credit to the writers; they make some amazingly strong female characters and it’s such a breath of fresh air (from watching YYH it was a stark reminder how things have changed over the years in terms of representation across the board on many things).

But one woman I did not care for was the Admiral. Boo hiss. I also hate that I called her turning on them as she was adamant throughout the entire thing about protecting earth in “her way” and I was waiting for this move. She did save the Paladins lives but she endangered them in the first place so… I acknowledge her desire to protect earth but am disappointed in how her character was played out. (and honestly, why the fuck would she trust Sendak to keep up his end of the deal? Why? Bit of weaker writing there).

Speaking of characters… where’s Haggar? At the end with the giant robot my sister and I were arguing who was driving it; I was Team Lotor and she was Team Haggar. Nada to both of us. Very interesting with that result too;  how was one Altean doing all that? Hmmm. And with the colony missing something is definitely up.

The Hunk family feels I was not expecting and loved them. I was glad he didn’t endanger the team anymore after he found his parents were not accessible, but dios I felt so bad. It’s hard especially to see Lnace and Pidge with their families and he with none. Loved his and Keith’s moment too. ♥ Keith was particularly awkwardly sweet and I loved it.

And Lance’s family! Gosh. Him hugging his niece and nephew broke my heart and then his being mobbed by his family stomped it into the ground with love. So. Beautiful. My boy has his family and I am so so happy.

Speaking of the families! Haha, I’m excited that I was write in that both Lance and Hunk’s families are stateside and I am going with my headcanon of Arizona (Garrison location) given how they were *right there* to be rescued. My childhood besties idea for Lance and Hunk when Lance immigrated over is still well and strong!!!

Back to Lance. I was so so so excited to see him getting some really nice shots and pieces in this season. The sword (c’mon broadsword, let’s see you come back too), the giant cannon gun, the amazing sniper shots (hoshit don’t get me started on that part, I love good sniper cover and damnnn ♥) his attempts to seat everyone in Lions (whoops xD), his stepping up to really support Keith and be second in command... just so much good stuff for my boy ♥ I was freaking out when Red didn’t come right away in the summoning thing after he and Veronica went under fire, but I’m like, Red always does things differently. And then she came in like ajdfkajfklda right when Lance was closing his eyes and thinking it was the end and just, so good. Great timing on that part.

Shiro’s new arm… loved the angst and pain as first one didn’t calibrate xD I’m terrible. I will admit I’m not sold on the design; very bulky and I dislike that it’s not attached; that’s not a proper hug! But I am happy he has one so will go with that.

Er, this is getting long. Last few.

How was Shiro breathing in space in fight against sendak? Someone, please tell me. But also yesss, loved that the two of them had a final fight. Brings back memories. When Keith saved him I really wanted a throwback to the “as many times as it takes” but alas, no go.

On Sendak… is he the main big bad? He sure has quite the Galra fleet. How do Ezor and Zethrid’s turn to piracy factor in? Was expecting something else with Lotor given their mentions of him early on. Is space just one giant war out there right now? We never really found out any details and here I was expecting Axca to fill us in.

The Atlas turning into its own Voltron was super cool. Loved all of the fight scenes although I admit I get bored with all the constant blasts so would have liked those shortened down and more character stuff, but it is a show geared for little kids so… boom boom pow.

The very end speech via Shiro had me on my toes as I didn’t think any of our team died but I was legit slowly starting to panic that somehow the new cadets were going to be the new Voltron pilots because ours were unavailable Phew, not the case! Loved the little hospital scenes popping around, particularly Lance’s nephew wearing his helmet and then Keith waking up to Krolia there. Oh, and Matt getting a hug from his mom! (and that ponytail! ♥ I love guys with a nice ponytail, mm, weakness).

Overall giving this season a 7/10 rating. Not my lowest, definitely not my highest. Very much appreciated though having a longer season to watch.

If you have thoughts feel free to comment on the post! I will not be posting any asks with spoilers in the ask until next Saturday though so best way to get a response is comment here. What did you all think of the season?

[random-legacy]

Let’s Talk About Voltron: Defender of the Universe

I started watching Voltron after finishing the latest released episode of Miraculous Ladybug, and because I had seen a lot of memes/edits/mentions of the characters. Apparently they were supposed to be pretty strong personality-wise, and have many traits that I as a viewer would be able to identify with. Also, many of my favourite artists had been drawing Voltron, and a couple of certain characters in particular. Speaking of couples, I was very eager to wrap my mind about Klance (or Laith as the writers themselves prefer), the ship name for the romantic relationship between two of the lead characters - Keith and Lance. I love those bean boys.

The series has a total of seven season, with the next and assumed final season airing this year - 2018 - in November. I very much like the idea of it as a whole. Four teens (and then Shiro) finding super advanced technology, becoming the paladins of the great lions, forming Voltron, and defending the universe from the tyranny of the Galra empire and King Zarkon. The idea in itself promises many awesome moments. First of all, they are in space! However, as the plot actually proceeds there are quite many things you could question. I am aware of that this is a kid’s show, but that fact should not affect the way the show has been written. But I will return to this later on. Moving on to characters!

The characters are beautiful. Perhaps a little stereotypical, Keith embodying the “brooding bad boy”, Lance being a charming womaniser, and Pidge intelligence itself. However, these stereotypes are not, contrary to belief, a hindrance in the actual characters development. The relationships that are formed are reasonable and are presented naturally and smoothly. After watching some episodes you realise that the amount of character development you get is enormous, and does not at all feel forced. And for that I applaud the writers.

The plot is at times a little confusing (especially the time gap when Keith and Krolia live on the space whale (?) during two whole years, making him 21 years old in S6) One can wonder why that certain information was so badly conveyed, or perhaps it was only me that did not realise it. However, there has been examples of when time gaps such as this one was ingeniously performed, such as after the battle between Voltron and Lotor. 

Speaking of Lotor, who was acting as the second main antagonist in the series (Zarkon being the first), I always found him very interesting. However, as an antagonist very weak in characters. His motives did not seem to have any kind of reasonable basis, and in the end he destroyed himself because he was overwhelmed by his own greed for power. The fight in itself was stretched out way too long than necessary and was quite anticlimactic and unsatisfying. 

Zarkon was the first main villain in the series. Lotor was the second, and Sendak the third. Haggar was supposedly acting from the shadows all this time pulling strings. First of all, we were led to believe that the whole point of the series would be defeating Zarkon, which they did but immediately a new threat sprung up. A much weaker threat with no real motive to do evil except gaining power in the form of energy. Enter Lotor. But then exit Lotor because he - Oh hail Voltron - was defeated. Now has the villains finally come to an end? Not at all, for here his Sendak, a completely second-rate villain, introduced in Season 1 as Zarkon’s right hand man, and during the Lotor arc as a competitor for the vacant throne. All in all, hopelessly forgotten, constructing a seemingly random attack on the paladin’s home planet with the hope of gaining the lions that he can’t even maneuver. I believe you all can guess how that went. The most surprising thing was how tiny Earth managed to fight off I don’t know how many Galra fleets and fighters with just one never-tested-before battleship, and the lions (who did not even participate from the very beginning of the war). That the planet would have survived as well as it did (and the Garrison in particular) is ridiculous. They had in total one single particle barrier. Sendak could have easily shot it down, but no. The Garrison, the only Earth force having a single chance at having any kind of impact on the many fleets hovering above them, remained where it was. And that is one giant plot-hole. Also, the random evil giant robot appearing in the last episode with seemingly no reason whatsoever, and on top of that revealing an Alteian as its power source? I am sad to say it but the finale of Season 7 was a let-down to me.

To mention one more thing that was a complete let-down was the relationship between Shiro and Adam. I had expected more, but what I got - death! - was not very pleasant. I have read some statements posted by the writers off the script to better understand their reasoning for killing off Adam after making such a  huge deal of introducing Shiro’s boyfriend, and have come to terms with it. it does not, however, change my opinion that that revelation was trash. But what I do love about it is that Shiro’s sexuality was introduced in by-passing. They did not make a huge deal out of it, because why would they? Shiro being gay and having a (had a) boyfriend fundamentally  doesn’t change anything. The story remains the same. Apart from that it was a huge disappointment. But there is still hope, I suppose. Season 8 still remains, and it is a fact that dead characters occasionally come back to life. We’ll just have to wait and see.

But entering something else entirely. What this series, in my opinion, lacks in plot, it makes up for in characters. The main cast are Shiro, Lance, Keith, Hunk, Pidge, and Allura (one could also count in Coran here but I will refrain from doing so). As stated before the relationship between the characters are developed smoothly and very naturally. Keith and Lance goes from being rivals (one-sided as it may be on Lance’s part) to close friends. Pidge and Hunk gets to show off their bright minds, and Shiro, being the leader that he is, acts as a father figure, or a brother, to the whole team. Allura acts as a symbol for overcoming differences between people, she being a different race (alien race; Alteian) but still forming close bonds of friendship with the members. The characters are diverse and relatable. They are from all over the place, with different mind-sets, opinions and sexualities. They are what makes the show as great as it is, and of course this kind of amazing characters make some lovely pairings. There is one pairing in particular that I have grown very fond of; Klance. Lance and Keith are the ones that have had the most development. From rivals, to team member, to close friends. They are each others opposites in many ways, but also complement each other. And they’re both cute as hell. They basically have everything that makes for a great ship. 

To be clear, I am not trying to force my opinion on anyone else, simply stating my own thoughts. I do not wish for any ship-.wars, claims about “forcing obviously straight characters into being gay”, or any such things. This is a show that I have grown to really appreciate for their characters, and I will not tolerate anyone spoiling that for me.

Well, this has been some of my thoughts about Voltron: Defender of the Universe. I will eagerly await the final season, and hope for more sweet moments between my beloved cast.