#feel cathartic haha

[raz-writes-the-thing]

Nightmares No More

Tenth Doctor x GN!Reader / Requests are: open and encouraged

Summary: It's no surprise that your nightmares pick up again since beginning travelling with the Doctor, but the Doctor has just the fix.

CW: angst, soft fic, comfort, reader has nightmares

DW tag list: @nyxiethesimp (please inbox me to be added to a tag list)

Nightmares were kind of a given no matter where, who or what you were. At some point in their lives, most people, or people-adjacent (read: aliens) would experience a nightmare. You, who were, in fact, a person and not person-adjacent, were particularly susceptible to nightmares. You always had been. 

It had been a particular source of contention for you when you were younger. Especially when you reached the age where you wanted to watch horror movies but couldn’t unless you wanted to spend the next one to fifteen days without sleep curled up in the blankets in terror. 

And yet, despite this, when the Doctor had asked you if you wanted to go and travel through time and space with him, you had said yes. You had said yes despite the horrors you were sure to and did face. Repeatedly. The Doctor had started to notice that you were slowly growing less chipper, the bags under your eyes growing darker by the day. He was growing concerned. 

Currently, you were asleep in your room and the Doctor was looking through the TARDIS records to see if he could find anything that might be causing your lack of interest in things. He was not having much luck. 

He was almost ready to give up for the day and head to bed himself when he heard a loud shriek. He rushed towards your room immediately assuming the worst. He was good at that, particularly when it came to his mortal companions. He’d lost enough of them. No more. 

His hand slams down on the bio-scanner button. The TARDIS overrides the scanner for him and the door opens with a whoosh. He steps inside, calling your name in a panic. 

He finds you sitting in your bed, tears tracking down your cheeks with your arms wrapped around your knees. He leans on the end of the bed, hands brushing over your face, your arms and over your legs- checking for damage, or bites. Anything. 

“What’s wrong?” He rushes out, cupping your chin to raise your line of sight back up to him. 

“It’s nothing,” you chew on your lip, averting eye contact. You brush each cheek against your arm to wipe the tears away and give him the best approximation of a genuine smile you can muster. “Sorry, stubbed my toe.” 

The Doctor raises a brow at you in disbelief. Your smile slips into something a tad more genuine. He could always see right through you. 

“Ohh, come on, now,” he tuts amusedly, but even he can’t hide the look of concern colouring his eyes. “You shouldn’t lie to your Doctor, you know.” 

You roll your eyes and let out a little puff of air, preparing to tell him the truth. 

“I had a nightmare,” you said simply, wiggling your socked toes for something to focus on. Another tear streaks down your cheek before you can release your knees to wipe it away. 

The Doctor releases your chin to wipe it away and clambers over the bed to sit up against the wall next to you. He draws you into his chest comfortingly.

“Nightmares, huh? I get those too. Not as much fun as travelling through the Chasm of Jewels, are they?” 

You scoff and relax into him, releasing your knees to stretch out. Your heart was beginning to slow now that the dream was over and slowly slipping away from you. 

“No,” you agree quietly. “They’re not.” 

The Doctor is uncharacteristically quiet for a moment, rubbing your shoulder softly. 

“How long have you had them?” 

You shrug and tell him how you’ve always had them. They had just been getting worse of late. He hummed thoughtfully, wondering if there was something that may have triggered them for you. 

He pressed a soft kiss to the side of your head and leaned his own against yours. Such a soft and caring affection. You suddenly wondered why you hadn’t told him about your nightmares before. Of course, he had them too. How could he not?

The Doctor was busy wondering what he could possibly do to make them better. Perhaps a potion from Raxos Five? Something from Earth, perhaps? Whale sounds? He’d heard whale sounds were good to sleep to. He’d tried them once but found himself too enraptured by what they were saying to actually fall asleep. 

And then the answer presented itself to him in the form of a soft snore. You had fallen back to sleep on him. He sat perfectly still, listening to the soft sounds of your breath. You must have been tired. How long had this been going on for? 

The Doctor closed his eyes and smiled. Oh, yes. This was much better. 

He stayed like that all night, laying in quiet comfort as you slept without disturbance for the next several hours. Of course, companionship was the answer to this question. The cure for your nightmares. You’d just needed someone to be there for you.

And the Doctor was more than happy to fill that role for you. Happy to stand guard and keep those demons at bay. 

And he was happy to do it for as long as you needed him to. You didn’t really notice the change at first. You’d fall asleep somewhere on the TARDIS and when you woke, the Doctor would be speaking softly to himself by the controls, or he’d be sat next to you. You’d go to bed and the Doctor would follow along to tell you about some story or legend from another planet, and when you woke he’d be near then too. Never too far away- just in case you had a nightmare. 

On rare occasions that became less rare the longer time went on, you’d wake to him cuddled up to you. Sometimes asleep, sometimes reading something, sometimes just staring off into space. Either way, he was just… always there. 

He was always there when you had nightmares, too.

And one day, you’d realised that it had been quite some time since you’d actually had a nightmare at all. You also realised that it had been quite some time since the Doctor had slept in his own room. The two of you had just gravitated into this new routine. It was safe to say it wasn’t a routine you wanted to give up. 

The Doctor had noticed this too but wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to give up the closeness he’d fostered with you. He didn’t sleep much, but when he did, he’d found that he didn’t have quite as many nightmares as he did before. 

That, and, well, he simply enjoyed being close to you. 

And that was in his books- a good enough reason as any other.

[windydrawallday]

DARKEST STAR

Another Music Album Design, but this time commissioned by @/glamouruniverse (IG) so, I put the extra mile into making this gorgeous! To the point it even surprised me, and wow… took a whole month in contrast to Lockdown's half a month process 🔥. Still, was WORTH every careful design decision because… just look at that!!

A shame this time the photo session was a bit so-so because my amazing brain said "Let's use some cloudy backgrounds" and so the white light bounced A LOT and made it difficult to take clear-sharp shots tsk. But really: in hand looks beautiful. But I had fun! Especially when using those tiny golden doves (I sculpted them myself!) to accompany the compositions x3. I learned a ton with this too, and to be more careful next time I work with more of these in the future (for now, I'll wait until next year and prep a better comm sheet) because… it's quite taxing, not gonna lie haha ay.

Once more, thank you for the support to my client and anyone who enjoys my experimental works and wishes to see more of them 💖.

To the ones who know my work: what happened that I avoided putting a Depeche Mode song in the playlist?

Oh hohoho, I DID! But is a sort of Bonus Track, signaled in the Spine as "VIII"... and is the title of the whole album. I love that song so much:

"Stay as you are, the Darkest Star Shining for me majestically."

[tieronecrush]

y’all ever just wanna find somewhere to scream?

i wish i could go outside and scream without consequences but unfortunately i live in a city and would have cops called

[stoatsaturday]

WHEN I SAY I'LL GET USED TO A WORLD WITHOUT YOU BUT I'D RATHER JOIN YOU IN HELL

[im-no-jedi]

man... I genuinely hate that I can’t scroll through the tags anymore. it was part of my daily routine for SO long, but after the season finale, the tags are just doom and gloom, along with plenty of complaining. there’s no joy to be found there anymore. even all the fanart is depressing.

I just... I want my source of comfort back. I’ve lost my main source of comfort and now have to create everything myself. even my mutuals are going through it, so pretty much all the content I’m seeing is all sad and angry! which is understandable! but also, I just wanna be happy again, ya know?? 😫

[tortademaracuya]

I hate seeing people I hate reflected in the actions and mannerisms of people I love. I want the whole world to burn

[spacedumbo]

This just in! Human mortal beats the snot out of narcissistic demon that was beefing with them

This is a advertisement to read @gwninja fic Someone Worthwhile on ao3

Go read it it’s amazing, I don’t give a crap if it’s y/n it awesome read it!!!

[inkykeiji]

hi, it’s the anon who mentioned nicole dollanganger before. if im messaging too much please let me know fr. i think im just happy to talk with you about ur work bc ive followed you for ages now silently.

completely understand what u said about nicole, there’s a lot of her songs that i have to be careful listening to bc they’d heavy. i understand if they’re too much for u too listen to but just wanted to say for me that the main songs that remind me of your touya and touya in general are dogwood, you’re so cool, angels have wings and my baby. some of them might be pretty heavy to listen to so understand if you can’t!

anyways, hope you’re having a great day!

hi hi!! <3 omg please don’t ever think that! sometimes it can take me a moment to get to them but i want you to know that i appreciate every single message you send i pinky promise!!! i’m literally in awe and so incredibly thankful that people read my work and discuss it with me and interact with me in general! it means so much to me, genuinely <33

yes!!! exactly!! ah so i’ve actually heard all of these before! dogwood is so touya-nii/his reader it’s actually unbelievable. i can’t remember who recommended this song to me but i was just blown away by it. i really want to listen to her newest album but i’m so scared >.< i can’t explain the way her work makes me feel, it just hits so incredibly close to home and i always end up with chest shattering sobs by the end of a listening session.

i talk about you’re so cool here (along with a whole dang essay on all the songs anon recommended EHEHE) & only angels have wings really really reminds me of tnii’s reader as well but even in a broader and more general sense just like, any relationship with dabi because i genuinely and truly do believe that ‘love’ with him would be so fucking obsessive and all-consuming and co-dependent to the point where you’d do anything to stay with him (and him you).

my baby has been recommended by at least two separate anons and i literally love it so fucking much like this is one of her songs that i can listen to without crying or feeling really emotional after!!! my baby reminds me of tnii for sure but it especially reminds me of tag!dabi;;;; possibly because he drives a cadillac HAHAHA but i also just feel like this song rly encompasses their whole relationship so well <333

WHEW i rambled hehe but thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me, anon!!! i love music so much esp pieces that have such intense lyrics (as u can probably tell from my fic titles HAHA) <3 i hope your weekend went well!!! enjoy the week ahead <3

[eyes-talks-ocs]

This newest chapter. AHHHHH🩶🩶🩶

This is what I crave. The fucked up sense of hurt me.

This chapter really scratched an itch in one of the most perfect emotional ways.

💀 Spin Cylinder / Episode Four / Chapter 04 is now live at winterandwords.com

If control is your weapon, temptation is mine.

📖 Read it on winterandwords.com HERE

💻 Book summary and tag list on Tumblr HERE

🏷️ TAG LIST @indecentpause @pertinax--loculos @revenantlore @talesfromaurea @thegreatobsesso

(new line to appease the Tumblr link gods) @thespacelizard

[amazinglyashy]

hello, idk if you're open but if you dooo, can you do HC of lads seeing MC being more...brutal? since we all know our mc is badass but kind right, but what if sometimes she slipped and her darkness come forth more than she usually let on? hahahah idk it just after all mc been through she's more than validated to be villain u kno. so yea! thankchuu

Just a heads up, I am ALWAYS open, it's just a matter of when I get to the request, so as long as you're patient, anyone can send in anything anytime!! :D And ooh, this is an interesting one, but something I've definitely thought about haha. MC's been through a lot, and I feel a lot of readers also have too, and there comes a point when you gotta say screw it, I'm mad now. (I'll also say I'm still really grumpy about how little we get regarding MC's grieving during certain points of the story, and the lack of how the Li's all react as well to the news, no matter how little they know about the situation :/) Thank you for the request <3 hope you enjoy!

Love and Deepspace Li's reaction to seeing you finally snap

Rafayel -

He's somehow... not surprised.

But can you blame him?

The amount of rage Rafayel carries in his heart is constantly, constantly threatening to bubble up to the surface and boil over the edges of his last remaining ounces of humanity. The amount of cruelty on the basis of pure rage that he could commit is not a volume that he is proud to carry, but something he carries heavily though.

So seeing you finally snap is... almost cathartic.

He knows what he's been through, hell- he knows a great deal of what you've been through. Even in the distant past. It would be a wonder if you weren't angry. If you weren't seeing things. If you hadn't 't been simmering up to your breaking point from microaggressions and trauma stacking up and up until-

Here you were.

And for him, it feels like you're doing something of your own volition- feeling something that was entirely your own. Devoid of any outside influence or need to be the kindest person in the room. To keep your head down, path straight and narrow.

And despite the sheer amount of power he possesses in comparison to you, he will admit if asked- that he was just a little bit afraid at first. Even if just for a moment.

And damn, he was proud of you.

Zayne -

Calmly, he watches you.

It's out of character, sure, given how you usually are. Even when you're rude or abrasive, it's never anywhere near... something quite like this.

But the other thing is- he has a good grasp on the human psychic, just from his medical knowledge, even though it isn't his main area of study. He knows what it takes to truly make someone snap, both from personal experience and from his findings in research.

He also knows the extent of things you have been through that have been building up, cumulating into this moment before him where you have finally just broken.

Depending on the level of rage and cruelty you reach, he may stop you, or he may let you go. Either way, his actions are calm and calculated, no matter how he might disagree with, agree with, or fear your actions. He knows someone needs to remain levelheaded in this situation, and he's more than capable of taking on that role.

Gods forbid once you calm down that you feel guilty. If what you did was uncalled for or wrong, he'll discuss it with you, but if there was justifications to your actions or experiences and trauma that had led you to your moment, he'll just pull you into a hug slowly, his expression even.

He'll say it if he needs to, but his actions will hopefully tell you that nothing, nothing you do will ever change his love for you.

Xavier -

He's startled.

He himself is used to having complete control over his emotions, to the point where he can disguise them exceedingly well to maintain a calm aura. So seeing you fully snap and head down a warpath, it's... shocking.

But he's not entirely surprised.

Honestly, he would be more surprised if you had never got this angry at all, given the things you had told him under the covers in his bed, after a particularly late night in his apartment watching movies together.

You've been through a lot.

He knows that.

He knows how it hurts.

So when you finally rage, it takes him a few moments for even the thought of stopping you to enter his mind. And even when it does, he first has to have a small battle internally on whether or not letting you go off and have your cathartic moment is better, even at the cost of a little bit of destruction.

He'll stop you if it's particularly dangerous though, even if it means having to wrestle you away from whatever it is that was taking the brunt of your anger.

Otherwise, he'll just let you go.

Whenever you're done though, if you dare try and steal a glance back towards him, afraid that you may have scared him or made him scared or angry with you-

He'll just flash you a small, comforting smile.

Sylus -

Sylus spends the majority of his time in a cesspool of seething rage, backstabbing psychopaths, and fake smiles that take advantage of the weak and needy.

Anger for himself, anger towards others, anger to benefit others who can't seem to get angry themselves-

If anyone knows what fury is, it's him. Whether secondhand, personally, or just being around it for so long, he knows the emotion intimately well and every single shape or form that it could possibly take.

Still, seeing you suddenly lose it is... surprising.

He likes it.

Not in a way where he's turned on necessarily (though it is an additional feeling), but the enjoyment stems from constantly seeing you put others before yourself- watching you make yourself small so that the people around you could be big- and now finally watching you take what you deserved in his eyes.

He won't intervene unless you're doing something he knows you'll deeply regret later, instead favoring watching you until you've burnt out and finished to the end.

He's mostly quiet, he knows it's probably not something you want to talk about, like most people wouldn't want to after a particularly vicious outburst in an argument. But he can't help a few small comments.

"I'm surprised. I never thought the kitten had such big claws. You really surprised me, sweetie."

[luminouslywriting]

Falling asleep on the Bob guys

Nonny, this is such a darling request! Sorry it's taken me so long to get to it :) I hope you really enjoy and are having a great day! Reminder that my requests are open and I love the spam!

Cut for length, paragraph format below:

Dick Winters:

Dick Winters is the type of man to be caught off guard in the softest of ways. He's not expecting you to fall asleep on him and he's still trying to talk over plans when he realizes that you're totally and completely out. It's at this point that he gets this really soft expression on his face and just decides to treasure the moment since you never know what will happen. He stays awake and keeps a wary eye out for any sort of danger that might befall the two of you. And he might murmur a few sweet nothings to you while you're asleep since there's no harm and foul for that.

Lewis Nixon:

Honestly, he's rambling and rambling and is waiting for you to reply to anything that he's said and mid-ramble, he looks down to find you asleep. Kinda makes this amused expression on his face and then presses a short and sweet kiss to your forehead. He's perfectly content as a kitten, curling up and falling asleep next to you. Especially if you're the one who fell asleep first—he's not about to move you or wake you up haha.

Ronald Speirs:

Realizes you're falling asleep very quickly and just goes kinda quiet. He doesn't have the heart to move you or wake you up so he can move, so he just sits there with your head on his shoulder and finally has a minute to just be calm and relax in peace. It's honestly a cathartic experience for him and he gets to reflect on your relationship, which endears the situation even more to him.

Buck Compton:

Gets this really goofy smile on his face at the fact that you're asleep on his shoulder. He absolutely adores seeing you this peaceful and will press a kiss to the crown of your head and snuggle in real close to you. He's the type to probably fall asleep with you, even more cuddled up and practically spooning at that point.

Carwood Lipton:

A softie who softly tells you a story until you are solidly asleep on his shoulder. And then he's slightly blushy and shy about the entire thing, but he's not about to move—he's no idiot. So he just wraps an arm around you and murmurs a soft goodnight. He'll treasure this memory for the rest of his life and wants to wake up next to you every single day henceforth.

Joe Liebgott:

Literally the sassiest mf—the minute that you fall asleep, he's out here glaring at anyone who walks by a little bit too loudly or is talking too much. He'll shush and tell someone to get the hell away from the situation bc no one is about to interrupt your beauty sleep. Not on his watch. He's also slightly smug and definitely thinking about sex in the future and how your married life would be.

Donald Malarkey:

10/10 a great person to fall asleep on. He's a solid choice, if only for the fact that he's ultra respectful and kind about things. He'll sit there patiently and untangle your hair while you're asleep and just relax. It's honestly just as calming getting to be around you while you're asleep and it becomes a tradition between the two of you.

Eugene Roe:

You cannot convince me that he isn't the best choice here. He gets super soft and almost emotional about the fact that you trust him enough to fall asleep near him and on him. He'll murmur lullabies in a half-whisper in French and stroke your hair and rub your back soothingly until you're totally asleep. He absolutely loves you and that'll be the last thing you hear before you're totally out for the count.

Bill Guarnere:

Doesn't realize you've fallen asleep until he turns to hear your reply or comments from a story he's been telling and then realizes that you're totally out. He gets this kinda goofy grin and just snuggles up real close to you. He's very honored that you feel safe enough to fall asleep in his presence—and he's not about to lose that trust for literally anything. You mean the world to him.

Joe Toye:

Slightly panicked?! Which doesn't really make sense, but you're literally asleep and he's just not about to let anyone interrupt that. He'll glare and make menacing motions to anyone who's too loud and he just wants to cuddle up next to you without anyone giving him shit. Not that anyone would—but you know, he's got some worries. Either way, he's real gentle about the entire thing.

George Luz:

Probably happens in a foxhole amidst some jokes and laughs to keep spirits up. And when you don't respond, he gets a little worried and then glances over to find out that you're just asleep on his shoulder. Gets this shit-eating grin on his face and he's definitely gonna tease you about it later (but not in front of anyone else). He's secretly very pleased that you fell asleep on him since he's got a big crush on you anyway haha.

[nightwonder7]

Hey! I discovered your Tumblr like, now haha, I loved your art and your Norton AU! I wonder, other than Norton, How did the other survivors and shape-shifting Hunters deal with it? Does Alice also change to Little Girl?

AAaaaahhh I'm so late to this ask! ;<; But thank you so much!! Q////////Q I'm really glad to hear you like it!! ;U;

---------

So I'll just get Orpheus out of the way first; as Novelist and Nightmare had release dates very close to each other, I like to think that he has always had both forms in the eternal manor, and thus didn't really have any learning curves where he had to adapt to another faction. He was the first identity switch character and kinda adjusted to both at the same time with his new living situation.

---------

Luchino and Joker I feel like had a similar experience becoming survivors after being hunters for so long, but handled it differently. So characters with identity switches are often described with the id/ego model, where one side acts on impulse and pleasure, and the other on morals and rationality. Hunters seem to represent the id, and survivors the ego for these guys.

So imagine someone who has been a hunter for a long time suddenly snapping out of this impulsive, freeing mindset when being reminded of their morals and values. I imagine it as a "waking up from a long nightmare" kinda ordeal. They weren't hunters before entering the eternal manor, but were twisted and forced into such roles upon entering for whatever reason. I can see turning into their survivor mindset after so long in chaos as sorta cathartic. But also an emotional roller-coaster. The denial of their new vulnerable position as survivors. Getting used to their old bodies again. The sinking realisation and regrets of everything they have done while being "free" that has gone against their morals and values. Navigating the jungle of gaining trust from the other survivors as well as learning or relearning how to work in teams.

I can see Luchino would approach it as a bit of an experiment. An opportunity to explore his new position with curiosity and fascination and learn from it. He'd probably handle it the best out of everyone tbh. Joker would need a lot more time to adjust to the changes. Perhaps he'd have a long period of being reticent and depressed. In denial while he comes to term with his predicament.

I have gotten a few asks about Luchino's and Joker's identity switches that have given me a few ideas that I intend to draw some day.

---------

This ask came before the announcement of Hullabaloo, but I'll say a few words about him regardless. It's probably similar to Norton as it is a situation of a long term survivor turning into a hunter. But I feel like Mike would have a harder time with it. In Fool's Gold's case, it was gaining the freedom to express all his pent up emotions. He is happy and relieved, albeit on a surface level. Hullabaloo seems like an empty husk, tormented by the pain from a life that imploded. All those negative emotions coming back to him in the eternal manor and twisting him into this wraith-like shape. Perhaps as a hunter he doesn't really realise what he is doing when in a game? In his hunter mindset, he is only focused on bringing justice to his tragedy and doesn't care who it affects. Snapping out of it after a game would be... interesting nonetheless.

Furthermore, Mike was probably more liked by the other survivors than Norton. And he was super popular and loved at the circus. So seeing everyone being suddenly on edge and distrusting of him (maybe even hated) would hit him hard. Whereas Norton was kinda used to people not liking or caring about him.

On a more comedic note, I can definitely see Mike forgetting his dual roles at the manor from time to time. At least the other survivors have learned to play along after all the shenanigans with Fool's Gold.

---------

Now to Alice... so technically in-game, Alice is Memory and vice versa. She is considered an identity switch character. However, I see them as two different entities. My reason for this is that the other identity switch characters have one thing in common; no matter what faction or form they take, they are the same person with the same names. Fool's Gold is Prospector, and he is Norton Campbell. Evil Reptilian is Professor, and he is Luchino Diruse and so on. One represents the ego, while the other represents the id. How others perceive them under the influence of the drugs happens to be the form the id takes. Memory is straight up a hallucination conjured up by Orpheus. She shows up when Orpheus as a detective is alone, so she is not there in place of Alice. Furthermore, Little Girl's name is Memory, not Alice; maybe because she is a memory from Orpheus' psyche. Then there is the whole can of worms of whether Memory is human or not cause she can teleport and sync with other survivors in-game, but I don't know if I can use that as an argument when there are flying lizard-men and humanoid rock piles gfshgfjskd

Though I'll say some of this could change with AoM3. Perhaps the little girl will be how Orpheus sees Alice during this event. But it would be a little odd if that is how he perceives Alice under the influence of the fear drugs, cause Memory is not some scary monster; she is the representation of the past Orpheus is longing for. And perhaps there is another reason for why she goes by a different name than Alice. Furthermore, I feel like we don't know enough about Alice or Memory to pinpoint if Memory really is a part of Alice in the id/ego model, or if she is just an ideal version of Alice in Orpheus' mind. But as things stand now, I'm seeing them as two different entities. In the Eternal Manor AU, Orpheus' imagination is apparently so strong that it has conjured up a whole person.

So yeah... that's the best I can explain my thoughts on this.

[classicanalyzer]

LEGO Star Wars Rebuild The Galaxy Thoughts

"Nothing makes sense, and everything's mixed up, and that's okay. Things fall apart, but maybe they can come back together better than before." Sig Greebling

Rebuild The Galaxy is my favorite out of all the D+ LEGO SW specials. I really love the connections to LEGO and SW, including the previous LEGO SW shows, especially Freemaker Adventures. Michael Kramer did an amazing job with the soundtrack, Sig's and Yesi's themes were well-composed.

Part I

"For someone who spends all his time telling stories about heroes, you have no idea how to be one. Maybe that's why you like history so much. It's over and done, but your life isn't. There's so much ahead of you if you'd just try, but you're afraid." Dev Greebling

Sig Greebling is such a cool name. I really love how he's a literal in-universe SW fan, yet someone who actually wants to be normal despite his Force sensitivity. I find it funny he's a literal Nerf herder. I do emphasize of how he wanted to avoid all the expectations if people know he's Force-sensitive.

I love the reference to Wookiees originally being a part of RotJ before being replaced with Ewoks.

Fennesa is a cool-looking world. Yesi Scala is another cool name (I get reminded of Scala Ad Caleum from KH haha). It's too bad Sig's indecisiveness and inability to step out of his comfort zone translates to his social life, even his crush. The background painting showing the sunset is so beautiful.

I really like how the Ackbar Troopers are the Clones in this universe. They must have chosen Ackbar as the main host due to his skills since he was a skilled warrior and leader, but definitely also for the memes out of universe. I also love how Phase I was used because the Kaminionans designed the Phase I suit based on aquatic species like themselves and would fit the Mon Calamari Clones.

The fighting animation and choreography for Yesi's fight against the Ackbar Troopers are so well animated. I laughed seeing that one Ackbar Trooper shooting with two blasters. I can see why Sig likes Yesi. Also ooff, Yesi lost her father in this timeline to the Empire. You can feel the bleak state of this galaxy under this Empire. At least, Yesi's desire to fly among the stars and not live in a backwater world is still there. I like how Sig also mentioned how Rancors are actually misunderstood intelligent creatures.

Double ooff, Sig's brother is now Darth Devastator "Dev". At least we finally get our first on-screen appearance of Jedi Bob!

Part II

"Being a hero is easier when you don't know the cost...Sig, the Force doesn't work that way. The dark side is loud and obvious like a big, mean Gamorrean kicking you in the head over and over. But the light side, the light side of the Force is just a whisper in the back of your mind." Bobolian Afol "Jedi Bob"

Darth Rey as Dev's apprentice feels so wrong about the intentional nature of aspects of this new universe. Jedi Bob!...or rather Bobolian Afol lmao (I also love how the markings seem a bit faded which signals his age). I love this cynical Jedi who sucks at fighting but is amazing at the Force...which is what a true Jedi should specialize in.

FREEMAKER LORE! THE FORCE BUILDERS ARE BACK! I love seeing them once again and hearing Bob recap them feels cathartic.

Ewok Bounty Hunters is one thing but bounty hunter C-3PO channeling his Triple 0 and HK-47 vibes in a Naboo Royal Cruiser with gold plating feels so right yet so wrong in the best ways possible. Yesi really has a lot of baggage with her wanting to prove herself and redeem herself for accidentally getting a rebel base captured.

Mos Eisley Marina made me die on the inside lmao. Tatooine isn't boring anymore lmao. I do love how this is a nod to how the BoBF and Legends mention Tatooine being once covered with oceans before becoming a desert world.

Like father like son indeed, however, even Anakin wouldn't go that far to cheat. I do love how Luke and Anakin use the same Podracer. Poor Max Rebo.

I love how Maul in this galaxy is much more relaxed and happy. At least, in this galaxy, Maul gets to live his life without the tragedies in his main galaxy life.

I love the implication that Nubs is well-known in the main galaxy that Sig knows about him. I'm incredibly confident that Darth Hammerhead is Rusty. Even in another universe, nobody remembers his name lmao.

That brief Duel of the Fates theme playing when Darth Jar Jar appeared was so hype and chilling. His line goes unironically hard.

Part III

"I know you can't restore a galaxy once it's gone because I tried to restore my own, and I failed. In the galaxy I'm from, things were simpler. I was a Padawan on Alistan Nor, learning the secrets of Force Building. I'd heard rumors about the Cornerstone. The more I read, the more obsessed I became. Was it possible to remake an entire galaxy? I needed to know the truth. My Masters forbid me from searching for the Cornerstone, but I wasn't exactly good at following orders. There were so many rules. I just wanted to do things my own way. I thought I could control the Cornerstone. I never thought -- When I left that temple, everything was different. My galaxy was gone, Sig. And yours had just been born." Bobolian Afol "Jedi Bob"

We truly reached the pinnacle of miniaturized Death Star tech with the Dark Falcon lmao.

Darth Jar Jar definitely isn't dead and I love what little time we had with him.

I love the lights looking like the Binary Sun and the music playing as Luke looks towards them.

I love how Palpatine in this universe is a cynic who gave up on fighting. I like that fascinating take on this alternate Palpatine. The new Jedi Council (I like the faded and scratched markings similar to Jedi Bob signals their age and tiredness of a seemingly hopeless war) is insane with Jedi Vader (I love that this is a SW Infinities comic reference, it felt cathartic to see it realized in visual media), Dooku, Cad Bane, Jannah, Lobot, IG-88(?), and even Jabba. I really love that Jannah has more to do here including her actress returning to voice her.

Greedo being the Han of this universe was so funny. He even has the Rodian ears for his Slave I Firespray ship lmao.

I love how Yesi recreates the energy in TFA when she does smth incredibly insane with Greedo's ship. Sig saying I do feels like his and Yesi's "I know" moment. And a Star Trous mention. I also feel like Yesi's point of how you fix the mistake got to Jedi Bob and got to him into revealing the truth. I love how Grevious is one of the rebels in this universe.

Alistan Nor!!! THAT'S THE FORCE BUILDER WORLD AND IT WAS MENTIONED IN FREEMAKER ADVENTURES.

Damn, this Han really became just like his mentor in the old universe. A true scoundrel.

God that twist of the old universe never coming back is gut-wrenching...especially since Jedi Bob is the only survivor of his old universe. The story of Jedi Bob is beyond tragic. One simple curiosity into the cornerstone left him the only survivor. Spending all that time alone in the Temple to make sure it doesn't happen again...only for it to happen again. I also really love how the simple galaxy is represented by 4:3 aspect ratio and all LEGO figures are the classic yellow designs.

WHEN SERVO WAS DESTROYED, I FELT MY HEART BREAKING APART. God that was heartbreaking to see, just like many heroes before him in his stories, to save his friends Sig gave himself up.

Part IV

"The tales of my galaxy. The tales of people like Dev. My Dev. I don't wanna forget them. They matter." Sig Greebling

God the intro with the sad music and Servo shutting down just hurts me in ways I cannot comprehend. The collapsing logo really showcases we're in the endgame.

I love how Yoda is voiced by his Young Jedi Adventure VA in this show. It is heartbreaking to see Ian Han hate Yoda given the very first major LEGO SW special (The Padawan Menace was one of my first non-SW movie experiences in my childhood).

Even if Dev is mentally messed up, I really like how he came around to having a brother and want to be brothers. I like how Sig realizes this is all a fantasy of a galaxy he can never restore. He fights to save this galaxy now.

I'm happy Tico got to a substantial role in this show alongside Rey. Reusing the Nobody line toward Darth Rey was pretty cruel.

The space battle was shot very well and I love the designs of the Calamari Destroyers.

Dev's breakdown was pretty disturbing to see and how he took the rage and lack of happiness in his life to put his idea of "order" and to take control of his life. Especially how he sees himself as beyond redemption and the point of no return.

The quote I used for the introduction quote is beautifully anti-nihilist.

The fight is so well choreographed and so peak, especially when the brief moment the windows were destroyed and the energy shield was activated. The fact the Nerf herder stick came back to be a major turning point in the fight against Dev is great. It was heartbreaking and I got a bit misty-eyed to see Dev ultimately decide to remain evil.

My heart repaired itself as Servo was reconstructed. The old galaxy is gone but the stories will live on. And leave it for Servo to interrupt Sig and Yesi's tender moment haha.

The ending shot with the new crew really felt like the passing of the torch between the Freemaker Adventures to Rebuild the Galaxy. I hope we get to see the Freemaker cast, especially the Freemaker family on Alistan Nor.

Also, The Landolorian and Evil Grogu has been so hyped as the sequel hook alongside Darth Rey and Tico being in charge of the Empire.

This is such a great show and I can't wait to see more LEGO SW stories set in this universe.

I love the score by Kramer who is also responsible for Ninjago’s score (alongside Jay Vincent):

[lunisoular]

just saw your ghost asl au and OH MY GOD MY HEART

i fucking love au crossovers and i immediately thought of the ghost asl boys seeing themselves grown up. or just a comparison of them. like how fucking painful (cathartic?) would it be to see what they could've been. to see the way that luffy, seventeen, laughing on the going merry with his crew? ace, twenty, with all his brothers and sisters and his pops, smiling? sabo may hurt even more, seeing how their brother would have been lost to them regardless—even if it was temporary, even if he really was alive. im just.

like ace or sabo seeing grown luffy and being so sad at what his little brother could've—no, should've been

sorry your au makes me feel things i haven't cried this hard over an au in a very long time i'm afraid i've already injected at least 5 shots of this directly into my brain. they live in my head now. i'm putting them in scenarios and crying about it.

haha funny u mention that. my friend (@/lesbianstanleypines) has an au where ace lives but can see ghosts and we’ve talked about a crossover between the two many many times. i even wrote a little bit about it a while ago :3c

i love crossover aus too dont even mention them in my vicinity

it’s such a bittersweet thing cuz like hey ! in one world we got to grow up and be pirates !! but it’s also like oh, in one world we got to grow up and be pirates

luffy would be awed because he always is, what’s cooler than future grown up versions of urself ???? but ace and sabo can only feel that awe for a few seconds before it grows sour and they watch with a little resentment because that could’ve been them. if not them, that at least could’ve been luffy

why did they have to pay so severely for a simple mistake ? why was it that their wish to stay and protect each other was what killed them before they even got the chance to wish for other things ?

[blue-ten]

Windows 11 and the Last Straw

Bit of a rant coming up. TL;DR I'm tired of Microsoft, so I'm moving to Linux. After Microsoft's announcement of "Recall" and their plans to further push Copilot as some kind of defining feature of the OS, I'm finally done. I feel like that frog in the boiling water analogy, but I'm noticing the bubbles starting to form and it's time to hop out.

The corporate tech sector recently has been such a disaster full of blind bandwagon hopping (NFTs, ethically dubious "AI" datasets trained on artwork scraped off the net, and creative apps trying to incorporate features that feed off of those datasets). Each and every time it feels like insult to injury toward the arts in general. The out of touch CEOs and tech billionaires behind all this don't understand art, they don't value art, and they never will.

Thankfully, I have a choice. I don't have to let Microsoft feature-creep corporate spyware into my PC. I don't have to let them waste space and CPU cycles on a glorified chatbot that wants me to press the "make art" button. I'm moving to Linux, and I've been inadvertently prepping myself to do it for over a decade now.

I like testing out software: operating systems, web apps, anything really, but especially art programs. Over the years, the open-source community has passionately and tirelessly developed projects like Krita, Inkscape, and Blender into powerhouses that can actually compete in their spaces. All for free, for artists who just want to make things. These are people, real human beings, that care about art and creativity. And every step of the way while Microsoft et al began rotting from the inside, FOSS flourished and only got better. They've more than earned trust from me.

I'm not announcing my move to Linux just to be dramatic and stick it to the man (although it does feel cathartic, haha). I'm going to be using Krita, Inkscape, GIMP, and Blender for all my art once I make the leap, and I'm going to share my experiences here! Maybe it'll help other artists in the long run! I'm honestly excited about it. I worked on the most recent page of Everblue entirely in Krita, and it was a dream how well it worked for me.

Addendum: I'm aware that Microsoft says things like, "Copilot is optional," "Recall is offline, it doesn't upload or harvest your data," "You can turn all these things off." Uh-huh. All that is only true until it isn't. One day Microsoft will take the user's choice away like they've done so many times before. Fool me once, etc.

[gloriousburden]

Why are we just supposed to forget that Loki is a Frost Giant? This is A BIG THING!!! This is the big dark secret, the scandal, the controversy, the tragedy, the horror, the origin, the defining moment, the catalyst, the turning point of no return, and now we're just expected to ...not think about it?  Or treat it like it's no big deal, as if it's the same thing as saying Loki has a double-jointed thumb, it's just useless information now? Or laugh about it, as if it’s some kind of embarrassing, hilarious accident of birth Loki deserves for existing?  Can you imagine how incredible, how cathartic, how satisfying it could have been, if only? If only.

OH MY GOD YES!! Between the play (Supposedly written by Loki though he felt immense shame over being Jotun, as well as the overall discrimination against Frost Giants from Asgardians…) from Ragnarok, the Loki/Sylvie blanket scene (I don’t care if it was flirting. NEITHER OF THEM WOULD GET COLD FROM A SMALL BREEZE. I DON’T EVEN GET COLD FROM A SMALL BREEZE!), and "Because I see a scared little boy shivering in the cold and you kinda feel bad for that ice runt." From Mobius being like the only reference to Loki’s heritage in the series?! Ugh.

“Am I cursed?”

“Laufey’s son?”

“So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?

“What, because I.. I.. I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?”

“You know, it all makes sense now, why you favored Thor all these years, because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!”

“I’m not your brother! I never was!”

“He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?”

(These quotes make me so sad. Poor Loki. He really went through so much.)

Yes, because the same Loki who was in so much distress about his heritage would crack jokes about it and talk openly about it in front of the common people of Asgard, who view Frost Giants as monsters to tell scary stories about to their children, and enemies.

If Loki didn’t find out that he was a Frost Giant… a lot of things would have gone differently not only for him, but as well as other MCU characters. It is essential to his character, and should’ve been talked about more outside of it being used to belittle him, comedy relief, and outside of AUs such as the What If? episode.

It is so unfair. I do also wish it was talked about in TDW, though I know the movie wasn’t necessarily Loki centered.

Haha guys he’s blue and adopted and a runt. It’s so funny and totally not an essential part of his character. It’s not like he’s deeply affected by any of this, or anything. 🤦🏻‍♀️