#fire motif on the gear

[flightybuttlass]

"how did you predict this?!" babes, Hangman all but outright said this would happen in his return promo

pov: you were mean to Hangman >:(

[nezz-cringe-crib]

not not not normal about the machinery/technology themes in L's english musical lines it has me in a grip.

all the characters actually have such clear themes and motifs but i especially love how L's is so subtly crafted.

there's obviously "The Game Begins." very clear machinery themes. pixels and code and blahblahblag sad technology boy. BUT IT CONTINUES IN OTHER SONGS TOO!! WHICH IS SO NEAT. AND THE PLACES THEY CHOOSE TO PUT IT IS SO GOOD in fact here's a whole list of bits i can pinpoint:

Secrets And Lies: - "All of the data has been analyzed" - "What other data does he have to see?" - "The truth is hard to sort out"

The Way Things Are: - "The cold, hard truth / Can't shut it down... / You can't turn it off" - "I won't let who I used to be... / Get me out of sync" - "I'll turn into a different me / Not so cynical / Not so clinical" - "Frame by frame / I see this movie in black and white / Shot by shot / Minute by minute..."

The Way Things Are (Reprise): - "I win the game / Gotta calculate one last trick"

The Way It Ends: - "Go through the motions like the hands upon a clock" - "I'm like a software program caught inside an endless loop / Just bad code that keeps repeating" - "It's like I'm hitting all my marks, as if I'm acting in a play / So out of character, yet somehow not a shock" (THIS ONE I LOVE THIS ONE IM TALKING ABOUT LATER) - "My camera's cloudy lens now / Takes much darker pictures than before" - "See it flicker, hear it humming" - "The message that it sends now / Sounds exactly like a closing door"

i bring all of this up to not only point out all the little machinery bits bUT TO NOTE WHEN THE MACHINERY ISN'T PRESENT AND IS MOST PRESENT.

the only songs where we lose the theme of technology in L's lines is when he's with light. "Stalemate" and "Playing His Game" aren't on this list. L doesn't use many technological terms in those songs. the only ones that pop up are said by light (ex: "Does he see pixels, not dreams") and that's because it's about light trying to follow L's machine-like thinking.

in fact, "Stalemate" (i think, it's late and i don't wanna check all those songs again) is the first time L uses some kind of human analogy: "Just like two actors on a stage / Go through the motions that we both rehearse... / Eyeball to eyeball / We'll see who blinks first."

IT'S BECAUSE HE'S WITH LIGHT. LIGHT MAKES HIM HUMAN.

IN FACT IT MAKES HIM SO HUMAN THAT WHEN LIGHT KILLS HIM IT LIKE SENT HIM THROUGH FUCKING SHOCK. WHICH IS WHY "The Way It Ends" AND "The Game Begins" HAVE THE MOST MACHINE BASED TERMS.

we are introduced to him as a robot, and it is stripped from him when he meets the one case/person that makes him feel alive, and suddenly it all hits him like a truck when the one thing giving him that sliver of humanity is what kills him. that line-- "It's like I'm hitting all my marks, as if I'm acting in a play / So out of character, yet somehow not a shock"-- encapsulates it perfectly. L is used to hitting all his marks already, because he has been raised as a machine, but with light those marks have been different. he has not been hitting them out of code, he has been hitting them out of precise and willing action. he did it with the fire that sparked inside and kept him burning, not the cold hard gears he was raised on. but playing with fire means melting everything you once had. it's gone now. it is what he has always done but it is no longer him.

note the shift from "eyeball" to "camera lens." note the mix of personification with machinery in "hands upon a clock" and "flickering" to "humming."

L lost because he was too alive. L died because for a second he was human.

[onlyangel4]

booking of the century. drew mcintrye. final part.

drew mcintyre x returning!reader

part one // part two// part three // part four

synopsis: triple h books you four years since your last match and a lot has changed but the man you fell in love with all those years ago still has your heart.

author's note: thank you so much for all the love on this series, love y'all

series taglist: @leo4242564 @sweezthi

y/ninsta posted a story

written: got the biggest match of my return, coming for you chelsea green.

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“are you really not going to tell me whether you are winning tonight or not?”

“that’s not my decision, boss man wants to get your genuine reaction to the match, i contractually can not tell you anything”, you spoke looking up at drew.

the two of you stood backstage drew’s arms wrapped securely around your middle, chin rested on your head just holding you close waiting for your cue to go out and start your match with chelsea green.

it had been six months since your return and you had been dating drew for three of those months. most of those on smackdown knew about your relationship because the two of you could not keep your hands off one another. storyline wise you had remained loyal to drew, especially during his matches against damian, you were always there as a distraction as the storyline was that damian had feelings for you but as drew was what you had known before your hiatus you had stayed loyal to him. your characters were not dating but backstage interviews always showed the two of you standing just a little too close, leaving plenty to the imagination.  

“i love this gear”, drew spoke as he tucked a strand of loosely curled hair behind your ear. you had designed your gear, wanting something special for your first major match since returning to the company, you were dressed in a striking set inspired by the legend of the phoenix. the vibrant ensemble featured a blood red base with shimmering gold flames licking up the sides of your fitted shorts and sports bra top. the fabric was sleek yet sturdy, designed to hug your figure while allowing full movement in the ring.

embroidered feathers, detailed in shades of fiery orange and deep burgundy, adorned your shoulders and wrists, adding a dramatic, winged effect with every motion. a matching gold belt with a phoenix emblem sat proudly at your waist. to complete the look, knee-high black boots featured flame patterns curling up the sides, and your elbow pads bore delicate phoenix feather motifs.

“you look like you’re ready to set the whole arena on fire,” drew added with a proud smile, his fingers tracing the embroidered flames on your arm making you smile up at him.

 “oh i am”, you smirked giving him a wink before a producer came up to the two of you alerting you that it was time.

the sweeping camera shot began with you and drew backstage.

 “chelsea has talked about this match like it is going to be easy.”, you began  “she keeps on bringing up my ring rust or that i have not held a title in 5 years, but the thing is i’m not the same person i was back the. Iiam so much stronger now. because i have been reborn”

with that you stepped out into the arena beside drew. your intro played through the arena but it was different. you were debuting a brand new intro song, back from the dead. you thought it was the perfect song for your entrance especially since the song from before your hiatus felt too soft for this new elevated in ring persona of yours.

the walk down to the ring was perfect despite not being practiced, drew looked like your silent guard dog as he walked beside you, glaring at anyone who shouted anything negative at you, despite not many people doing so there were still a few fans that did not like you. they saw you as abandoning the company and only returning when it suited you and not the company.

as you made your way to the ring your eyes spotted a little girl with a sign that read “y/n is my hero”, without hesitating you stopped at the girl slipping your entrance jacket off your shoulders, “it might be a little big for you but keep it for when you are older”, you smiled at the girl giving her your jacket standing there long enough for the girl’s mother to take a picture of you with her daughter and you grinned ruffling the girl’s hair, "keep being brilliant"

drew hopped onto the apron, pulling the rope down allowing you to climb into the ring with ease, you blew him a kiss before he stepped down to his ringside position.  

the music then changed to chelsea’s track and she made her way towards the ring flanked by both piper and elba. that was the one problem with your in-ring persona not having any friends on the blue brand. drew could not get involved with any of the matches, so you had to be more creative about things. and for this match you did have a secret weapon up your sleeve to help counter this disadvantage.

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the match was gruelling, it had gone on for twenty five minutes with Chelsea giving her all while you left it all out on the mat. elba and piper had helped chelsea several times, with piper even giving chelsea a steel chair at one point and distracting the ref so she could crack you over the back with it. and drew was there yelling at the ref for allowing that to happen you just smirked winking at drew before hitting chelsea with a nasty right hook, getting the message across that you weren’t going to go down without a fight.

there was a turning point in the match, you were run down struggling to stay upright and chelsea had cornered you in the ring, she gave elba a nod signalling that she was to help her pull you out of the ring and onto the hard floor. But instead elba just smirked and hooked her arm around chelsea pulling her out of the ring and tossing her hashly on the ground. piper was distracting the ref and chelsea was left laid out on the floor giving you enough time to catch your breath.

“did you really think i just happened to join your side the same week y/n appeared, this had been my plan all these months”, elba taunted chelsea, “you underestimated me just like you underestimated her”

you laughed breathlessly at your friend picking chelsea up and tossing her into the ring again. you performed your finisher and despite piper trying to get involved elba neutralised her.

“1. 2. 3.”, each counted seemed to take forever but the crowd erupted as the ref grabbed your hand pulling you to your feet.

“introducing your new u.s. champion y/n y/ln”, the announcer roared and your mind was racing. of course you knew were going to win but it had just hit you that this was really happening. that you had returned to the company you loved and you were finally healed enough from the loss of your mother to run back into the arms of the man that you had fallen in love with all those years ago and return to a career that you loved. you had completed your dreams. the camera zoomed in on your face as actual tears formed in your eyes. yes it was a mid card title, but it meant the world to you.

you were brought back down to earth by a strong arm wrapping around your middle. Drew had joined you in the ring, pulling you close to him. now this part was not planned but drew could not help himself, his large hand came to your cheek wiping away your salty tears. and then he leant in and captured your lips in a soft kiss, the crowd going wild as you just melted against him. he slowly pulled away from your lips, “i am so proud of you”, he spoke.

“that must be why triple h didn’t want me to tell you”, you laughed.

just so fucking glad that you had picked up his call all those months ago.

you were home.

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y/ninsta

liked by drewmcintyrewwe, rhearipleywwe, trinity_fatu and 789,728 others

tagged: drewmcintyrewwe

y/ninsta: spoiler alert, it has all been real x

view all 12,982 comments

drewmcintyrewwe: my champion

y/ninsta: i love you so much

trinity_fatu: so happy to have you back

y/ninsta: so happy to be back

user4: couple goals

user5: haha fuck you damian priest

comment liked by drewmcintyrewwe

user6: i am so happy for you y/n

user7: you gave my daughter your jacket last night, thank you so much she hasn't let go of it since we got back

[marshy-berries]

can you draw (mcd) nana :3

nana! laurance long and short hair vers, nicole, and gender icon lillian!!! i’ll be getting around to the other requests soon hopefully!!! ><

sorry i just want to get my thoughts and hcs out XP

nana is more cat-like in my hc! shes got claws and slit pupils, and some light fuzz on her cheeks :3

laurance (laurence?) is just,,, i have a lot of thoughts. i love kind of viewing him as a character that came back just slightly *wrong*…

also just the scar on his eyes, idr how he went blind but thats there

i kept him a canon pretty boy… i gave him a baby face sorry,,, but i imagine him with a slightly longer face, the striking princely type ig?

nicole i just… she was one of my first girl crushes, and she deserves muscles!!! she be punching tunnels through the ground i mean?? idk y the gear motif just go with it

lillian! shes cool! idr much about her, but she was the ‘masked man’ that made the garmau laurmau love triangle really start on fire, right?

[hrizantemy]

if you were to completely redesign the Illyrian, how would you do it, what would their culture be and what would they look like??

The real Illyrians were an Indo-European group who lived in the western Balkans, in what is now Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia, and parts of Croatia and Serbia. Their culture was tribal, warrior-based, highly spiritual, and deeply connected to land and kinship.

1. Name & Language Roots

First: reclaim the name “Illyrian.” Instead of being a shallow placeholder for “aggressive bat-wing men,” the name should reflect a proud, tribal confederation of clans—descended from ancient highland warriors. Their language would include roots from Albanian and Proto-Illyrian dialects, with oral poetry, songs of mourning, and epics sung around mountain fires.

2. Social Structure: Tribal Confederacies

Real Illyrians lived in tribal federations, each with its own chieftains and warrior aristocracy. I would bring this into canon: the Illyrians aren’t just “camps”—they’re sovereign tribes with loose allegiance to the Night Court, and their loyalty is bought, not owed. Each tribe has a Council of Elders and Chieftains, with some practicing elective rulership where war-leaders are chosen through ritual trial, not bloodline.

Matriarchal clans exist too—older than any patriarchal power, passed through the line of sky priestesses, who once clipped the wings of men as divine penance. The current system of oppression? A perversion of ancient tradition twisted by power-hungry warlords and Rhysand’s court, who exploit internal conflict to keep them divided and dependent.

3. Religion and Spiritual Practice

Historically, Illyrians worshipped nature spirits, serpent deities, and mountain gods. In this fantasy adaptation, Illyrians would revere the Sky-Father and the Stone-Mother—two ancient beings who gave them wings and stone to live between worlds.

Wings are sacred. Wing-clipping is not just mutilation—it’s sacrilege, and the resurgence of this practice under modern Night Court control is a political weapon to suppress rebellious bloodlines. Warrior-priestesses once guarded shrines on the highest peaks where only those who could fly were permitted to worship.

Death rites involve sky-funerals: the dead are burned on high plateaus so their spirits can ride the wind to the afterlife. The wingless are buried in tombs in the valleys—a mark of shame in some clans, a mercy in others.

4. Economy, Craft, and Innovation

Instead of being portrayed as “poor savages,” the redesigned Illyrians would be fierce highlanders with a rich barter-based economy. They trade obsidian, leather, mountain herbs, and metal alloys unique to their region. They have smiths who forge armor and alchemists.

Flight gear is advanced: aerodynamic cloaks, harnesses imbued with wind glyphs, and helmets carved to honor ancestral beasts. Wings are treated with reverence—oiled with sacred resins, decorated with clan paint before battle, bound in mourning when a loved one dies.

5. Gender & Power Dynamics

Gender in real Illyrian society wasn’t well-documented, but fantasy allows us to expand. In my version:

• Warrior women are common, especially in the tribes that still worship the Stone-Mother. In some clans, only women can lead raids; in others, daughters inherit land and wings.

• Wing-clipping is not universal. It’s a divisive cultural trauma, used by colonial forces (like Rhysand’s Night Court) to weaken female power within rebellious clans.

• Marriage customs involve bonding rituals and trials of endurance. Love matches are common, but political unions are sacred treaties.

6. Aesthetic and Visual Identity

Visually, these Illyrians would draw from traditional Balkan dress, war paint, and ritual tattoos:

• Heavy layered wool cloaks, silver-studded leather, and hand-stitched embroidery.

• Feather motifs, not batlike, dominate their wings and clothing—suggesting eagle or falcon heritage.

• Skin adorned with ancestral ink, marking clan history, flight achievements, and personal victories.

• Their wings are shaped more like a bird of prey—sleek, powerful, elegant—and more distinct from other fae for anatomical and symbolic reasons.

7. Language, Stories & Music

Real Illyrians were known for oral tradition—so these new Illyrians would sing their lineage, tell stories of queens and serpents, and compose elegies for daughters passed through generations.

Their music is haunting, polyphonic, and full of harmonies sung at mountaintop festivals during solstices or blood moons. Instruments would include stringed zithers, bone flutes, and drums carved from trees.

8. Relationship to the Night Court

Here’s where it gets juicy.

The Night Court uses the Illyrians as disposable soldiers, but in this version, the Illyrians are not passive. They remember their history, their gods, and the betrayals of past High Lords. There are Illyrian liberation movements, traitor lords secretly allied, and young war-chiefs dreaming of independence.

TL;DR:

The redesigned Illyrians are inspired by real-world Balkan highland warriors—fierce, proud, complex, deeply spiritual, and politically fractured. They are not a monolith of misogyny, but a tapestry of survival, resistance, and memory.

[marquaismakesthings]

It's been a while since I've made one of these, huh?

Starting off with the Neon Tetra Dualies! The pun was there. I had to use it. While the design doesn't necessarily match the colors of the actual fish, I thought it would be awesome to have a set of vaporwave-esque tetra dualies. However, this new color palette does make them darker than the actual dark tetras, perhaps creating even more confusion around the weapon's kits and designs. This particular kit was made specifically in the name of distraction. With their four rapid dodges and the capability to keep firing as they dash, a wielder of the tetras becomes a perfect skirmisher. Throwing a torpedo before rushing into a fight just creates one more thing for opponents to focus on, opening up more opportunities for the dualies to create chaos on the battlefield. The Kraken extends this, being a mobile special that allows the user to displace and distract, either netting lots of splats, or letting teammates initiate a push.

As for the Luxury Flingza Roller: I took inspiration from those fancy-ass fountain pens that I'm sure everyone has wanted to own at least once. I personally think that the gold-and-black motif looks great on this roller, and I can see it being a result of a gear collab between Enperry and Foil (hence the logo on the nib). As a dynamo roller user, the flingza always feels ridiculously mobile for having the same vertical range. However, I do feel that it struggles a little more than other rollers when trying to attack someone who's on a ledge or behind cover thanks to its high reliance on the vertical flick. Enter: Triple Inkstrike. The special is great at area denial, being able to force opponents away from a zone or pressure them towards one. Splash Wall adds to this aim, being a sub weapon that can do the same thing, in addition to potentially allowing the user to perform vertical flicks at a safer distance.

[atefingersdagger]

Hunger Games Chariot Fashion (Districts 1-6)

Inspo for descriptions and depictions in art and fics

District 1: Gold, Gaudy, and Attention Grabbing

For luxury, there's platinum and diamonds, but gold is also timeless in terms of symbolizing. It stands out, is quite gaudy (which pleases the Capitolites), and mixes it with bright colors and jewels captures attention. Attention of which is very District 1.

Staples for District 1 chariot designs:

Golden parts

Diamonds and jewels

Royal, Ancient Egyptian motifs (as mummies were buried with their luxuries)

District 2: Architecture, Chainmail, and Metal

District 2 can be symbolized with metal for their weapon making. Silver is a rather obvious option. The chainmail can symbolize the warrior-like attitude the tributes have, their preparation for the Games, as well as their unfair advantages. But using architecture designs could symbolize the quarries and stoneworking of the district.

Staples and motifs for 2:

Architecture-like designs (drawings of flying buttresses, romanesque, brutalism, along with other building inspired looks)

Metal: Gold, silver, platinum, even rusting copper or iron could symbolize the harshness of 2

Chainmail/medieval armor

Designs of weaponry such as the knives on the dress pictured above

(Not pictured here) Ancient Roman motifs along with Viking designs to symbolize the warrior-like attitudes

District 3: Coils, Circuits, and Wires

Technology can be symbolized with coils and wires in reference to what connects one form of tech to another. Glowing/screen designs are also fitting. Circuitry as well to reference the inner workings of tech.

Circuits

Wires/coils

Glowing materials/designs

Keyboard buttons

Screens or holograms being utilized

District 4: Flowing Waves and Scales

Skirts/materials that flow like water or have an ombre design to symbolize that shallow vs. deep end of a body of water would work for District 4. Anything with scales to reference the sea life rather than just the water can be used creatively. Or anything that looks like a moving wave might catch the audiences eyes (think the fire effects Cinna used but instead to form wave and splashes)

Flowing fabrics

Water effects

Scales or other sea lide textures (such as fringes that look like jellyfish)

Ombre that looks like a shore leading to the ocean.

District 5: Solar and Shiny Suns

District 5 can be symbolized with anything that converts energy into power: solar panels, windmills, power lines, etc. Using symbolism for the sun/heat/light can also symbolize the district.

Shiny materials

Sun/solar

Windmill/spinning parts

District 6: Moto Jackets and Racing Gear

For transportation, it's easy to symbolize with something like tires or car parts (like that one time Lady Gaga literally wore a piece of a car for a photoshoot and red carpet). Motorcycle jackets/gloves and racing gear along with helmets would be good for the outlandish chariot looks. Anything spaceship/inside of a vehicle could be applied too.

Motorcycle attire

Racing gear

Parts of plans, trains, and automobiles (see what I did there?)

Spaceship like designs (H.R. Giger inspired designs)

Some of these examples are silly/outlandish to fit in with the Capitol, but I wanted to take into account creativity as well as some respect for the Districts and their labor. Along with some designs that might make the tributes feel more powerful rather than like laughing stocks (such as Cinna's designs for Katniss)

Next 6 Districts in a separate post!

[leidensygdom]

yay ask box open! your designs are so lovely so I am very curious, how do your design choices for all three of your characters play into their lore?

AHHHH TY!! Oh man this is a bit of a dense question bc these guys' designs are very interwoven

Relé's is maybe the most straightfoward one, mostly because I haven't done his post-campaign fit yet. He's descended from a powerful fey and a minor air elemental deity, and his heritage actually caused him some major issues due to his physical body struggling to reconcile the divine power of both sides. Hence, the asymmetric crystal chunks, the tree-like branches- to represent the fey bits, and the cloudy hair, from his air genasi part. If you lookj closely, his belt and neck-piece have a shiny iridiscent crystal there. It's actually bismuth, from Urion- a bismuth earth genasi. His post campaign fit also includes some parts alluding to Yxala, like the brass gear with an orange X-shaped crystal. The X-pattern in the hanging cloth is also related to her.

Uri's design (pre-campaign on the left, during-campaign on the right) has a lot more going on. The pattern on the inside of the poncho is actually shared with the one Yxala had inside her cloak in her first design (done by @zephyrbug actually!), as well as the lil metal piece in the poncho- which Yxala also had in said design. Relent was introduced later on, but the crystals in the little hair rings are meant to be reminiscent of him. Their BBEG design has a few more allusions- Notice the gears as a necklace and earring. The X-shaped hair thingie for the ponytail also belonged to Yxala, and one of Relés branch is tied around one of the locs. Even the tail burning at the tip ties to Yxala- whose tail is on fire lol. Some of these details were actually also Zeph's idea, who designed their final boss look!!

I still need a clean ref for Yxala's post-campaign fit, but you can see a few things on the one of the right! The left was my first reference of her, and things have been adding ever since. The bismuth horn is meant to honor Uri, and she got it made after one of the BBEGs broke the original. She's also got a Relé branch tied around a braid, and another one to hold her ponytail. There are veins of bismuth and orange crystal in one of her arms and left side of the chest, referencing both Uri and Relent- (Who being an eladrin, does have an orange form!). These came up after she was resurrected after the final boss. She's also going to have one of these gear earrings when I get to her final design. Even the braids were meant to reference Urion. She ranged from braiding most of her hair at some point to just a few sparse ones, but it's still there.

Her armor design had a lot of callbacks too, including to characters outside the polycule, and a large wirey gauntlet also related to Uri's entire thing with wires.

So, um, yeah, these three have a lot of little reocurring motifs between themselves!! I can't wait to get the final references done >:3 Thank you so much for the question, and sorry for the wall of text!

[wsjyuyuyuau]

Enji Todoroki/Endeavor (My Hero Academia)

Name: Enji Todoroki/Endeavor

Series: My Hero Academia

Gender: Male

Status: Alive

Family: The Todoroki Family

Flower Motif: African Fire Lily (Cyrtanthus ventricosus)

Flower Meaning: Passion

Weapon of Choice: Broadsword

Associated With: Interdimensional Hero Club

Hero Form Appearance: A blazing combination of a fiery gladiator’s gear and YuYuYu’s Hero Form outfits. The undersuit is a jet black so that the brighter colors can stand out, those colors being crimson red flanked by bright orange and yellow at the lower half of the pants, the lower half of the sleeves, and the tailcoat. Accent colors include dark blue, blue, white, black, gray, silver, gold, green, cream, and hints of umber. The boots, gloves, and belt all have patterns of the African Fire Lily, and the only other accessory is a pair of wristbands that look like the flower in bloom- and the flower’s petal shape can be seen in the collar and tailcoat.

Full Bloom Gauge Location: Right Shoulder

Guardian: Surtur (Based on the Fire Giant of the same name)

Favorite Food: Spicy Dumplings

Parallel To: None

Bio: Enji Todoroki, AKA Endeavor, is the Pro Hero with the highest tally of resolved cases in history, husband to Rei Todoroki, and father of Toya, Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Shoto Todoroki. Formerly the No. 2 Hero, he took the place of No. 1 after the retirement of All Might. But what he doesn’t know is that we’ve got a whole angry mob of fans who want to see him… spayed and neutered. Hehehehe…

[ghostiezone]

@intertexts im being haunted by pd parahumans au. officially

some Thoughts under the cut hehe

WILLIAM:

I like 2 think he wears a LOT of body armor especially if his power involves leaving his physical body vulnerable. i think he'd take every precaution possible to protect it w armor/the majority of his costume being darker in color. since his powers wouldn't require direct contact with other people PLUS he's really the only one on the team with close direct family members to protect with his identity, he'd keep the majority of his skin covered/concealed and use loose bulky clothes + the cape to change his silhouette. bold of him to have fire motifs in his costume design and not actually have fire based powers <3 I'm totally bullshitting the classification numbers but I think his breaker level would be higher than the master level since he doesn't always have the greatest control over the wisps (they do their own thing sometimes it's fine)

DAKOTA:

I REALLY like the idea that at first glance everyone EXPECTS him to be a brute. but hes not. he's just insane about martial arts training and has built up a lot of muscle because of it. has the least protective costume. VERY little armor on him, doesn't like the restriction/weight of armor. has a ton of scars from a combination of that lack of protective gear + putting himself in front of teammates in danger + the insane amount of training he does, basically pushes himself to the limit constantly. has a lot of big pockets in his pants, usually keeps things like extra bandages and snacks in them :] belt around his waist is like a karate black belt. doesn't wear shoes, keeps hands and feet bandaged basically at all times.

VYNCENT:

also keeps a lot of bare skin showing in costume, mostly on his arms in order to use his powers. has a lot of belts that look pretty useless/only for aesthetic reasons but uses them to hide a lot of little concealed weapons in case his powers backfire and he can't use them immediately. pretty well trained in melee combat. the most lax with his identity, but is still somewhat careful about it. the highest power rating on the team, but also the one with the least amount of control over his powers. it takes him a while to get used to using someone else's powers, so it's general knowledge among villains that you DONT want to fight him more than once in close succession (and if you do, to stall the fight/draw it out as long as possible because he can only use his powers in short bursts. gotta wear him out). he's the most comfortable with using williams and dakotas powers (and on rarer occasions, tide's) but still can't fully control them

SIDE NOTES:

- when asked who the leader of the team is, william will say it's dakota, dakota will say it's william. vyncent will say either of them depending on the day

- I like 2 think tide kind of takes the role of director piggot ? since she seems the most like their caretaker/mentor. except it's different with tide, he's a little more directly involved with them 1) because he genuinely cares about them and they care about him and 2) because he's also a cape, he can more directly kind of teach them the rules (?)

- ashe joins the team way later and there's a little but of strain because of it. this is mostly from william, who gets jealous easily and doesn't generally do well with new people (he defends himself by saying putting two masters on the team makes them unbalanced, really he's just a little jealous that ashe is master 8 and he's only master 5) HOWEVER. eventually they end up being the ones that hang out the most out of costume <3

- THINKINGGGGG A LOT. ABOUT HOW ASHE JOINS THEM BTW. I think I need 2 read more worm before I actually decide. learn how the prt responds to certain things. i.e. how does this kid with a villain dad end up on the wards (right now im considering a chariot situation where he originally joins as a mole . but then decides he likes them <3 this could also contribute to why william doesnt like him at firsr because hes the most likely to figure that out. )

- thinking a LOT about the leviathan fight. i don't exactly know how to put those thoughts into words rn but. tide gets OFFICIALLY sent to the leviathan fight bc of his water powers and i think maybe. they follow him when they're not supposed to. but then they get to stay because they're already there and the rest of the heroes are not gonna turn down more hands in the fight. (somewhat similar to the meatball planet situation)

- extreme ghostkicks codependency. that is all

[shallowseeker]

The inherent shame in loving angels: Dean & Castiel

I think 14x09 The Spear & 14x10 Nihilism have some marvelous built-in lines pointing to the guilt concerning angelic possession.

Pamela Barnes's presence and subsequent blinding in Dean’s dreamscape is so, so fascinating. It implies that, despite what Dean says in The Spear, Dean is strugglingwith what the reality of Cas is and a new perspective on the brutal knowledge of what his presence means.

Take these lines from The Spear:

CAS: You seem good lately. Happy, even. [ Dean is getting gear from back seat ] You -- We have a broken tape deck, we drove this whole way without music, and you did not complain once. DEAN: [ Closes car door ] You know, I guess I'm just fired up. I mean, look. We got -- We got Jack back. When was the last time we had a big, no-strings-attached win like that? CAS: But now we have Michael. DEAN: I know. CAS: And, Dean we're taking a big risk going after the spear like this. DEAN: I know we are.[ Stopping Cas ] Listen to me. Michael conned me. Kept me trapped and drowning inside my own body. Now, when you and Sam were possessed by Lucifer, I -- I thought I understood, but I didn't, not really. So, yeah, if we get a chance to trap him, I'll take that, but I won't be truly happy until he is dead and I kill him. And now I have a chance to do that, so, yeah, I'm good. Let's go.

On the outside, Dean is happy. There's just one thing left to defeat, and then, maybe finally he can be happy. (We know from 12x23 that his happiness, the 'everything he's ever wanted' includes his makeshift little family: Cas, Mary, Jack.)

But Michael's possession left him psychologically injured. Angelic power and possession is on his mind. He's still struggling with the horror of what that felt like.

He does not mention the elephant in the room--that Cas not only know what's like to be possessed, but to possess.

///

Then, we see Pamela Barnes in 14x10 Nihilism, and yes, she's conspicuously dressed in Hell and wing motifs. Michael reminds us that it was Cas who pulled Dean from perdition, and then we get this:

(Flashback to Pamela's eyes being burned out) DEAN (looks at Pamela, whose eyes are now pure white): You're blind? PAMELA: Yeah, I've been blind for a while. Thank Feathers here for that one. CASTIEL: That was -- Dean, that was an accident. ♪ And I'm searchin' for a rainbow ♪

This is Dean's subconscious. It's taunting him that he's been blind...for awhile.

It's an ominous undercurrent reminding him that yes, he's loved Cas for awhile, and yes, that's blinded him to what Cas truly is. His subconscious is struggling and balking at the new perspective he has on Cas's human victims. Pamela was an accident, but Jimmy wasn't. Countless others weren't either.

He can't help but think about it, and he's desperately suppressing it. He loves Cas. But Cas blinded Pamela, like he blinded Dean. And Dean loves him anyway, and that's horrific, isn't it? He can't have that. They can't possibly deserve that happiness together. They're both here at the expense of others. It's frightening and ugly and drowning him with guilt.

Beyond Pamela lies the specter of Jimmy Novak. The ugly truth is that the third member of Team Free Will stripped a man of his free will so utterly.

And yet, Dean's subconscious is chanting, “I love you. I can’t help it.”

It's true what they say: love is blind.

[pillowfriendly]

27) What's their spirit tamagotchi? Or an animal you associate them with?

on account of my obsession with the living dead ability and using it to explode kethry whenever possible, ive given her the phoenix motif! requisite fire aesthetic coming from exporting dragoon's dragonfire dive and the suzaku sword.

keeping the bird theme for arcadion, as the reaper gear (her main DT class) is all dark and feathery too, so her ring name is blackbird :)

[stellari-s]

30 day twst challenge: day 18

favorite groovy card art?

for me it's ortho fairy gear ssr groovy! the glowing water lilies in a dark background, the purple glass wings, the striking but beautiful light pink fire-hair, and flowers that cover half his face makes this piece so enchanting to me 🩷💜

with how serene he looks with his position and expression, there's something very picturesque and sentimental (?) about it. but overall, i think i am also biased toward floral themes or motifs too! ☁️

[dynared]

I wanted to like EarthSpark. I think it does some interesting things. I really like Twitch, they somehow got me to enjoy Good Guy Megatron and I love Bumblebee’s almost meta characterization. But it just felt like a very weak show which never explored its concepts with any depth. That and the finale was a garbage fire. Oof.

Though I think one of my biggest problems is the weird disdain for humanity as a whole. Where you’re either part of the absurdly kind and accepting main family or stupid and/or evil. Where even the slightest discomfort with the people who dragged humans into a massive war they had no business with makes you despicable while the robots deserve to be treated well no matter how awful they are. I get it’s meant to be a bigotry allegory, but if I’m honest I just think it’s a really bad one. I’m not even a person who generally likes the human characters in Transformers stories, bar a few exceptions, but it really grinds my gears.

I also just get the really weird feeling from it that the writers aren’t comfortable writing for kids. So everything just feels dumbed down to an at times condescending level and feels weirdly afraid of interpersonal conflict beyond the first batch of episodes. Though I could be exaggerating. I’m kind of glad it got a second season since I think it can improve but I somehow doubt it will last long.

I don't want to hate Earthspark, or come off as a contrarian just because I like super robot stuff and don't like IDW stuff. I mean, there are things to like in Earthspark, but as I've discussed with a friend of mine, Earthspark feels like it's a bunch of characters in search of a plot. For better or for worse, I associated Twitch with Suletta Mercury because the two had that similar wide-eyed innocent energy and red motif, which endeared me to her almost immediately. I can take or leave Megatron as a more sorrowful/heroic figure, but at least he felt like he was genuine about wanting the kids to avoid the mistakes he made.

The problem is as characters, they don't really do anything. GHOST and Mandroid, as much as I adore Diedrich Bader's usually (he is the guy you want when you want a more Silver Age Batman) were not interesting villains because they weren't allowed to really do much besides be a blunt bigotry allegory, while at the same time, not really fitting the allegory. Readers of the recent Skybound comics know the kind of damage out-of-control Decepticons can pull, and humans aren't exactly being unreasonable in not wanting to deal with giant killer robots whom Earth's military has no reliable way of stopping, besides the goodwill of other giant killer robots, and a population that feels powerless. Considering Skybound has been implying such a situation horrifies the government into founding Codename: GI Joe specifically to combat the Decepticons, people are well within their rights to be scared. It's not a good allegory because most oppressed people don't have built-in chainguns!

The IDW era of Transformers stories, I presume as a reaction to the Michael Bay movies and the Unicron trilogy, did have a significant and notable hatred of the human characters. I mean, Cyberverse has a human in one scene. One. I think it's just using that framework to make your bigotry allegory, except the allegory doesn't work, and people have resoundingly rejected shows like Cyberverse.

As for your last point, I don't know if it's a case of the writers not understanding how to write to a children/family audience (if there's one thing kids hate, anyone hates, it's being spoken down to) or if they're just that adamant about hammering the life lessons to the detriment of everything else, hence the low stakes, flat villains, and blunt allegories.

I feel like most of my negative comparisons ultimately are based on the fact that the Skybound comics have proven that there's a better way to do this since those comics seem to be the first time since Animated that people writing Transformers stories get why people like mecha/super robot stories. And while I have no idea how the second season will turn out, I'm admittedly not expecting them to have learned their lesson. Then again, with the rumors that they want to get the live-action TV show going again, I imagine we're going to be in this weird sort of "leftover IDW" style writing malaise for a while since it will likely be years before enough Skybound comics are ready for a proper adaptation.

[aqueousablution]

(April 2023) Happy final day of Lesbian Visibility Week!

Original post body under the cut:

I've talked about it a fair bit already in the posts of the WIPs, but I decided to repurpose my old D&D character Éclair and her girlfriend Rosamund as characters in the same setting as sorXa, though they'd certainly be in a different resistance cell from her and her comrades, and possibly might never meet.

Longer alt text describing Rosamund: On the left, a Black human woman in red and white armor with some gold accents, worn over a loose grey jumpsuit. She has a backpack of sorts, which is red with a white-trimmed yellow light on top. In her robotic right hand, she holds a black and white labrys-like axe with a beam of yellow energy emitted like a spearhead. On her armor and axe are circular yellow gem-like adornments, some of which are emitting light (mostly on her right side and on the axe, as well as on top of the backpack). Her belt buckle and the buckle for the collar of her jumpsuit resemble upwards-facing horseshoes. She's about half a head taller than the gynoid.

Longer alt text describing Éclair: On the right, a gynoid with short, curly black hair, glowing white eyes, slate grey artificial skin on her muscular-looking body, and pale golden adornments on her arms. Dark lines run from her tear ducts to her cheeks, and then down her face, and she has pale golden headphone-like structures in place of ears. She wields a three-lobed bollock dagger (or sorts) in her left hand, and electricity courses from her hand across the weapon. Light is emitted from the three gem-like parts on her "gauntlets", as well as the one set into her left shoulder. She has a small pistol strapped to her right thigh, and she wears a khaki cargo jacket that has been converted into a vest, as well as a black neckerchief with a boxy lightning motif. She's about half a head shorter than the human.

Some design notes under the cut:

Originally Éclair was a Dex-based human Fighter descended from the vaati (think the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, not the Zelda villain, though his English name was probably based on them), so she had some control of storm magic. Taking inspiration from that, she's now a gynoid who can use the electricity generated by her body offensively, and she primarily focuses on covert operations (if her MO were a gameplay style, Metal Gear would be my first point of comparison). I simplified her weapon set down to just a dagger (based on this one, apparently of French origin) and what's basically a PSS silent pistol (I considered giving her a buster gun, but I figure that's too visible if she's in a scenario where she needs to go unnoticed, and I figure if she's ever in a scenario where kinetic projectiles are ineffective she can probably just go Sheev Palpatine on her enemy's ass); previously she had a Swiss saber, a bollock dagger, a bow, bolas, throwing knives, a backup shortsword... you get the picture. The nodes on her body only glow when she's channeling electricity through them, so they're not much of a concern as far as sneaking is concerned. The clap of her dummy thicc asscheeks, though...

Rosamund never got much development because the campaign fizzled out before she actually showed up, but she was originally conceived of as a human Cavalier Fighter and later switched to being a Marshal (basically my own homebrew conversion of the 4e Warlord to 5e; her subclass was Warlord, even, which in my take on the class was basically halfway between Fighter and what the class was normally). Her armaments were much closer to what she has here - a fairly typical trio of pollaxe, longsword, and rondel dagger. She also wore red plate armor (with a sallet, of course) and had a horse named Friedrich Wilhelm XXXII. Here she instead has a labrys that's kinda sorta like a pollaxe (just one that has two axe heads instead of a bec de faucon or a hammer), which can also be used as a really weird hand-cannon by firing beams from where the energy-dague is currently, and then she also a robotic arm that can punch like a motherfucker is she's disarmed (she uses less intrusive prosthetics - if any at all - when she's not expecting a fight). She also has a shield generator on her left arm, which takes the same batteries buster pistols use (you can see the bottoms of two of them, one on either side), and is projected from the large nodes on her forearm and hand. I'm still not 100% sure on where power for the labrys-cannon comes from - I'm thinking it's that generator/battery on her back, and the red on the inside of her robot hand is some material that allows the transfer of power into the labrys-cannon's haft. Her robotic arm is also part of how she can even wield it in the first place, given its heft. As far as her role in this setting, I'm envisioning that she's normally part of a squad of mech pilots, where she's their officer, though I imagine her mech would be on the small side relative to others in the setting - more like the walkers from Sonic Adventure 2, or one of the smaller types of ride armor from Mega Man X at most. And then when needed, she can pull her axe out of its holster on her mech and start busting heads on foot, as well.

[moosh2727]

A Lyrical analysis of Jet The Hawk's theme "Catch Me If You Can" (Sonic Riders Zero Gravity remix)

(The lyrics are going to be in bold and slanted for easier understanding)

"No turning back We are born to dream In a world full of seeing What we never could reach"

Using the context of the second game, this first part is a reference to the ancient babylonians and how they waited for their engine parts to descend to earth. They witnessed so many shooting stars hoping that one day they'll find their engine parts to go back home. "Air time makes on the wind, I'd be Like life, right by Just a blur you see"

Hints of the first game can still be seen in this remix since "Air time" refers to one of Sonic Rider's core mechanics. It is also a general reference to how their Extreme Gear rely on air and how they are very fast.

"One mind, too wild Stuck in divinity Hawk tail, wing, claw Heaven sent a jessy A speed rush tweak To a melancholy victory Your chance, don't stand"

"One mind, too wild" can refer to how Jet is very egotistical, (but loveable) crazy kid and how he undeniably has a one track mind. "Stuck in divinity" HAS to be a reference to the Divine Wings, for those who aren't in the know, the Divine Wings also known as Babylon Garden is the Babylon Rouges/Babylonian spaceship that Jet and the other's rouges ancestors once inhabited. The lyric "Hawk tail, wing, claw" are all tricks in Sonic Riders. (thanks magical-pun-girl for telling me)

"Heaven sent a jessy" A jessy is an actual skateboarding trick and since the extreme gear (specifically the hoverboard-motif extreme gears) have a striking resemblance to skateboarding. Also, in Sonic Riders there's a trick you can do named jessy.

"A speed rush tweak" reminds me of the level Nightside Rush but I think thats just a coincidence. Again, correct me if I'm wrong but tweak might also be another trick you can do in the original Sonic Riders.

"Your chance, don't stand" Is pretty obvious, Jet and his gang are gonna beat you!

"Not one near My class of heat The rule of the wind Is to never get beat"

This whole portion just proves Jet's competitivity. He doesn't believe anyone will surpass him so when Sonic does occasionally, he is suprised.

"Don't hedge, don't hog You're put to test Like Jet, as hawk I'll rattle your nest"

The funny wordplay never ceases to make me smile. Most of the corny lyrics aside, "I'll rattle your nest" is another bird reference. 💚

"I never come down I'm high alone Bred from a genie With wings and throne"

Jet is always up in his head and constantly pushes away and belittles his teammates, you can tell that in his theme with the lyrics "I never come down, I'm high alone". It can also be how he loves to be in the sky and fly around with no one else on his mind.

"Bred from a genie with wings and throne" Is a reference to how the Rouges ancestors are genies and birds, including Jet's responsibility with being the air (no pun intended) passed from generation to generation.

"Jet-fire hawk The sky is me All for the speed I was born to be Born to be Born to be"

The word "Jet-fire" could be a another reference to Jet's name and his extreme gear. And for the rest, it showcases how Jet was born to be the leader of the Babylon Rogues.

"Catch me if you can There's no turning back Reach but never catch Catch me if you can You can't fathom that Wonders you can't have"

The lyrics "Wonders you can't have" could refer to the rogues being world renowned thieves. Meanwhile, the rest of the lyrics show Jet's and the rogues eagerness.

"Catch me if you can Catch me if you can No turning back We are born to dreamIn a world full of seeing What we never could reach

Air time makes on the wind, I'd be Like life, right by Just a blur you see

One mind, too wild Stuck in divinity Hawk tail, wing, claw Heaven sent a jessy

A speed rush tweak To a melancholy victory Your chance, don't stand"

I've already covered this part.

"Chaos in the emeralds Life is ephemeral What'cha gonna do? Nothing's perpetual"

This part showcases Jet's "life is short so I'll do what I want when I feel like it" attitude. "Chaos in the emeralds" Not only sounds cool, but is an obvious reference to the chaos emeralds.

"World domination Advanced technology Haven't got the interest In that form of glory"

This portion is a reference to Jet's dialogue in Sonic Riders "I haven't the slightest interest in world domination or advanced technology." This is also another showcase of Jet's selfish desires.

"Put me in the air And my speed will leave All in a shine Like a miracle weave"

This whole section just shows how much Jet loves riding, how he weaves through the air as his board shines. 💚

"I just won't stop The treasure's with me I said it before I was born to be"

You can feel Jet's devotion to being a thief and his confidence radiating off him with this part.

"Catch me if you can There's no turning back Reach but never catch Catch me if you can You can't fathom that Wonders you can't have Catch me if you can We are born to dream Nothing can't be done

Catch me if you can There's no turning back Reach but never catch You can't fathom that Wonders you can't have Catch me..."

Like stated earlier, The lyrics "We are born to dream" are about how the Babylonians dreamed of going back home and how Jet, Wave and Storm are all born into the Babylon species.

Thank you for reading my incredibly long autism-fulled lyrical analysis, this is my first time doing something like this so there may be a couple of mistakes.