#general arc 3 RaM

[mothpawbs]

edit: yooo part 2 is out go look at it!!

royal gals from arc 1! i used this as a way to further illustrate and explore my fashion headcanons, and i love how these turned out. design notes under the cut!

CORAL: i wanted her to look deceptively kind and bubbly, so i tend to draw her big and round like a whale. two inspiration for her design are king dorephan from breath of the wild and granmamare from ponyo. i give her a big coral crown and pearl jewelry. she has a lot of teardrop shapes bc she's probably sad about a lot of things

GLACIER: my favorite queen <3 i wanted her to look regal and no-nonsense but kind. with the exception of her crown, most of her accessories are very sleek and minimalistic. and of course i had to give her glasses because i'm obsessed with giving dragons glasses. i can't decide if the spikes on that crown are opal or enchanted ice, but the studs are black tourmaline.

SCARLET: the og bad bitch!! i love designs that make her look like the world's scariest, swankiest peacock, and the animated wings design was a huge inspiration here. her face markings are meant to look like a helmet. the mail vest she's wearing here is more for show than protection, an ostentatious piece she wears around the palace rather than something she'd don in battle. this is generally the fit i imagine she would wear to court sessions and arena matches.

MOORHEN: i would love to know more about her tbh. i like the colors i gave her, i think the shades of brown work really well together. the cord around her neck represents her sibs, the knot having four coils to symbolize each of them. she has agate embeds all over her, with the majority on her horns, wings, and wrists/ankles. i imagine she has tattooed wing membranes as well.

GRANDEUR: i wanted to make her look regal and positively ancient, and i think i succeeded well enough. her frill shape vaguely matches glory's, as well as her affinity for orange and gold color accents. the flowers are based on tropical rhododenrons.

BATTLEWINNER: ooo she was fun. basically no opportunity for fashion, as i'm sure anything she'd try to wear would burn or melt in her lava bathtub, but i got to do some fun scarring on her. her snout is all scratched up, one of her horns broke off at some point (i imagine that happened during her throne challenge, and that nightwings spar with their horns like rams or deer. she probably got slammed into a wall or something) and her ears are all kinds of shredded. any water vapor around her face and neck tends to solidify into ice, building up into big sparkly icicles over time.

[casscainmainly]

I know your not really much of a Jason Todd fan but I kinda wanna hear your opinion on this. Is the Bruce Wayne Brainwshing Jason Todd still canon? If so so you think it’s out of character for Bruce to do this.

Also how do you feel about Bruce’s characterization in modern comics in general actually?

Honestly it’s one of the reasons I’m kinda hesitant to read the comics, because while I’m super interested in all the lore- both Batman himself and his family (especially Cassandra she sounds awesome I love characters that show unwavering, intense dedication to compassion)I DONT want to read comics where Bruce is like, a completely awful paranoid asshole with none ofhis redeemable qualities (I got interested in Batman via clips of the JLU/BTAS)And according to a lot of Batman fans his characterization in this respect has been on a downward spiral for years now.

Like I’m not even a “god dad Bruce Wayne” person, I think his actions regarding Stephane Brown make a lot of sense for him actually and play into the effect that Jason Todd’s death has on him well and kinda wanna read me about that outside of fanfiction.

PS.Sorry if this ask is long and kinda random, I know this is mostly a Cassandra Cain blog.

Interesting question!! I'm not an expert on Bruce or Jason, so I'll answer to the best of my knowledge. I'm assuming Bruce brainwashing Jason is a reference to Gotham War, when he injects fear toxin into Jason's brain to make him afraid anytime he experiences adrenaline. I haven't read this so I can't comment too much, but this breakdown is useful if you want context for what led Bruce to this moment; it did happen in an in-continuity comic, so yes, it is (unfortunately) canon.

Some things to note for the context of Gotham War is that Bruce is grappling with Zur-En-Arrh, a sort of second personality. While this doesn't make it good writing, Bruce is not 100% in-character when he injects Jason. Whether or not that absolves him of wrongdoing is questionable, but it's a little unfair to Bruce as a character, and even to Chip Zdarsky as a writer, to think the thing with Jason was meant to be an in-character moment. So while I do think injecting Jason is out of character, that's kind of the point of the arc.

That's not to say the run is well-written. I can't judge myself, but many people dislike this run for numerous reasons. But this is just one of Bruce's modern runs - there are many more amazing Bruce comics out there. Ram V's Detective Comics and Scott Snyder's Absolute Batman are two fantastic takes on Bruce (though the latter is an alternate universe and ongoing, it's so far extremely entertaining!).

There will always be better and worse times for a character's characterisation, and you will encounter some horrible stuff in canon, but you'll find some life-changing stories too. You sound like you genuinely want to delve into comics, so please do! Don't let the risk of reading something bad stop you - there is so much good in here, stories that will make you laugh and cry and stick in your mind forever.

Since you're specifically looking for dad Bruce Wayne stuff, here are some recommendations!

Batgirl (2000): a very nuanced portrayal of Bruce as a dad to Cass. Definitely not a Good Dad Bruce at all, but he genuinely loves her and tries his hardest. 5/10 on the Good Dad Bruce scale.

Tynion's Detective Comics (2016): very good starter comic in general for the Batfam, and Bruce has numerous sweet moments with Tim and Cass (Steph too, if you count her as a kid). 8/10 on the Good Dad Bruce scale.

Robin & Batman (2021): not 100% sure if this is in continuity, but it's 3 issues and a lovely depiction of early Dick and Bruce. Features very realistic mishaps on Bruce's part, but sets up the foundation for a strong, beautiful relationship. 6.5/10 on the Good Dad Bruce scale. (This is also getting a sequel featuring Jason!)

World's Finest: Batman/Superman (2022-): an ongoing series that is pure comic book fun. Robin!Dick features heavily here, and there's some wonderful Batdad moments. 8.5/10 on the Good Dad Bruce scale.

Tom Taylor's Nightwing: probably the best dad Bruce in modern comics, and has very sweet moments with Dick throughout. One big caveat is the characterisation can be off, so I recommend this only in the context of Bruce being a good dad to Dick. 10/10 on the Good Dad Bruce scale.

You also can't go wrong with either Batman and Robin (2011) or (2023), which focus on Damian and Bruce (haven't read either but 2023 in particular seems to have good dad Bruce). Batman & The Signal and Batman & The Outsiders (2019) have great Duke-Bruce moments, while Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batgirl is the best Steph-Bruce stuff we'll ever get that isn't wildly out of character. Batman and Robin: Year One is currently coming out for more Robin!Dick and Bruce relationship cuteness and drama.

I hope that answered your ask! I am mostly a Cass blog but I do love to talk about other characters so no need to apologise :)).

[fantastic-nonsense]

Hi! I was looking to see if you know of many comics with Batman's villains at the lead!? (Besides Harley and Selina, who've had multiple series and are pretty easy to find). Other than the "Joker" Novel and Penguin: Pain and prejudice, i couldn't find any. Any good suggestions for Joker, Ivy, Two-Face, or any other villian from the Batman universe?

the tldr is that Ivy has several, Two-Face has a handful, the al Ghuls have a couple, and everyone else has had a couple of single issues starring them.

In general, the Batman Arkham series functions as a Batman Rogues Gallery "Greatest Hits" collection. While most of the stories collected in these trades don't feature the rogues as a protagonist, they all explore the characters and their backstories/motivations and feature them in a starring role!

On principle, I generally refuse to recommend Joker comics. Clown man has enough stuff starring him and they're generally easy enough to find without me promoting him more than he already is. Also, to be honest with you I occasionally go out of my way to avoid stuff starring him because he's frankly bored me ever since DC decided to emphasize him as a psychopathic serial killer instead of a funny villain with a clown gimmick.

However, The Joker's Five-Way Revenge (Batman vol. 1 #251) is a fun read, Joker: The Man Who Laughs and Joker's Last Laugh are both good, and Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles is decent as well. Another fun one that's a little out of the box is Superman: Emperor Joker.

Other than that...I generally recommend the following for Ivy:

Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy (basically an 'Ivy Greatest Hits' collection)

Batman: Poison Ivy (1997)

No Man's Land (yes, it's long. No, Ivy's not a 'lead'. yes, it's also ground zero for Ivy's redemption arc and features her in a major role)

Gotham City Sirens (2009)

Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder (specifically Vol. 2, Family Tree, and Vol. 3, Rotworld: The Green Kingdom)

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death (2016)

Poison Ivy (2021) by G. Willow Wilson (curently ongoing)

Ivy also pops up in Ram V's Catwoman (2018) run and pretty consistently in Harley's solo books after 2015.

For Two-Face (my beloved), read Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory (which function as a double feature). Then read any of the following:

Batman: Faces (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #28-30)

Batman: Two-Face (1995)

Batman Annual #14: "Eye of the Beholder"

Gotham Central, which has an extended Harvey-Renee Montoya subplot

Batman/Two-Face: "Crime and Punishment"

Batman/Two-Face: Face the Face (2006)

Two-Face: Year One (2008)

Batman and Robin (2011) 23.1: Two-Face

Detective Comics #1020-1022: “The Ugly Heart”

Two-Face: One Bad Day

And for a couple of stories that aren't Harvey-focused but feature him as a prominent antagonist...read Robin: Year One, A Lonely Place of Dying, and Batman: Prodigal.

For the al Ghuls, apart from the Batman Arkham collections you're primarily looking for Tales of the Demon, the Demon Trilogy (Birth of the Demon, Bride of the Demon, Son of the Demon), Batman: The Chalice, and Batman Annual #26 (the prologue to Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, which is also fun). Two of Damian's Robin solos (Robin: Son of Batman (2015) and Robin (2021)) also prominently feature Talia. There are...certainly other options, if you want to read about the al Ghuls, but they're rarely well characterized in those (except Talia's LexCorp CEO arc; all hail Talia's Lexcorp CEO arc).

Clayface (the Basil Karlo version) prominently featured as a protagonist in Tynion's Detective Comics Rebirth (2016) run.

Everyone else...apart from stories where they're the prominent antagonist, there were several Villain takeover issues during the period of Batman and Robin (2011) when Damian was dead, Year of the Villain had a few issues focused on the Batman Rogues, and the One Bad Day series focuses each issue on a different Bat Rogue.

There are plenty of other stories centered on various members of Batman's Rogues Gallery, but hopefully this gives you a solid starting place!

[climbing-ivy-rp]

Mod Intro:

Wren | They/Them | Owner

Hi there! I'm Wren, general admin and jack-of-all-trades. Climbing Ivy has been my brain baby since I was an edgy thirteen-year-old in a few different forms, so I'm very happy to get it out in the world. I take care of a lot of overarching plot/concept things and any side tasks the other mods don't handle. My personal tumblr is @wander-wren

❧ My characters are Honeywillow, a quietly rebellious hunter, Fawnrose, the brutal ranger deputy, Charredsun, an intimidating but anxious fighter, and Flickerpaw, an awkward, grieving apprentice.

❧ Committing to the bit is my specialty; I'm here to latch onto offhand comments and plot bunnies and run away with them.

❧ I have a character creation problem and I cannot be stopped. Everyone gets bonked with the trauma stick.

I'm excited to see what you bring to the server and eager to accept suggestions, questions, comments, & cats. 🐾

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Hey! I'm Skye, the mod of Climbing Ivy focused on original character submissions and records. I'm the one who keeps up the allegiances and similar documents, as well as approving any and all new OCs. My personal tumblr is @handstotheskye

❧ My character is Frogstep, meek unless you know them well and quietly thoughtful of others.

❧ This is my first major online RP but I've already had so much fun with it!

❧ Catch me going in-depth about everyday events as if they were stories all their own.

Hope to see you on the server, and I can't wait to see the character(s) you bring to the table!

Scout | They/Ram/Ae | Lore Mod

Hello all!! I'm Scout and I am Climbing Ivy's lore-focused mod! While Wren handles the brunt of lore and writing for IvyClan and Skye is in charge of approving characters, I help fill in with worldbuilding, event planning, and such! You can find me over at @ramblingsfromthemoss

❧ I play Shrikestar, IvyClan's current leader, and Wildfire, an outspoken rebel.

❧ I'm a huge fan of collaborative storytelling efforts like this and will happily talk your ear off about them.

❧ I accidentally created IvyClan's first "big ship", YarrowDown!

I look forward to meeting you, feel free to ask me any questions you might have <3

Cloudy | She/Her | Social Media Mod

Hi everyone! I'm Cloudy, and I am Climbing Ivy's newest mod, focusing on the social media side of things. I'm the main person running this blog, and I also manage the AO3 collection. If you leave an ask or a comment on either site, I'll probably be the one responding! My personal tumblr is @thestarsstillfall.

❧ My characters are Spiritclaw, a ranger disillusioned by IvyClan's strict hierarchy; Featherstrike, an outspoken, rebellious hunter maintaining favored status through his exceptional skills; Rockpaw, an aspiring warrior being drawn along a dark path; and Pebblepaw, an idealistic healer apprentice trying to find her place in the world.

❧ I love character arcs and character development in general! I'm always happy to discuss characters, whether they're mine or someone else's.

❧ Sometimes I take random details and expand them into full-fledged parts of the worldbuilding or narrative. Some of my best ideas have come from there.

I hope to meet you on the server, and feel free to talk to me about ideas, suggestions, characters, etc. :)

[dark-night-star-light]

Spirit Animals: Immortal Guardians (Reread pt. 9)

DISCLAIMER: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOKS ONE THROUGH SEVEN IN FIRST SERIES, BOOKS ONE THROUGH THREE, TALES OF THE GREAT BEASTS, AND TALES OF THE FALLEN BEASTS.

Masterpost

Chapter 1

“If only she could turn right around and go home” (1). Interesting first line . . .

“I wish I had a spirit animal, Kaiina thought. Then I’d always have company . . . ” (2). That’s . . . actually a good reason, wow.

“‘How could I have summoned Dinesh?’ Kaiina asked in wonder. ‘And why to me?’” (5). Yeah, is it, like, random . . . or . . . ?

Woah, Zerif speaks the local languages . . . ?

“ . . . but this one was white . . . ” (7). Has Kaiina never heard of a polar bear before? Don’t they teach her about these things???

“The polar bear and the boar had spread out” (8). Okay, so she does know what a polar bear is.

“ . . . saw two more tattoos appear on the man’s chest: an eagle and a ram” (10). Uh . . . when does he take Arax??? That wasn’t in Tales of the Fallen Beasts . . . 

Chapter 2

“But now Myriam was too busy playing host to worry about that - the ibis kept busy greeting each newly arriving bird . . . ” (13). Oh, that’s so cool. 

“ . . . Myriam had spent the day following them around, keeping tabs on which was the most beautiful” (13). That’s so funny. I imagine the peacocks being like, What is this thing following us around?

“She gathered lichen and wedged it into the narrow black crack, wetting the patch with pond water” (14). Isn’t the Evertree in the middle of Nilo??? It’s near a pond???

“ . . . The tree was dying” (15). I genuinely forgot why it’s dying. I know it’s something to do with the Wyrm, but I don’t remember how.

Chapter 3

“In Zhong, she’s perfected a serene smile, warm enough to honor the person’s interest but chilly enough to discourage handshakes and questions” (16). Parallels to Meilin’s very first chapter in Wild Born?

“Lately Jhi had started to take Meilin to task whenever she slipped into rudeness. It was very annoying” (17). See, this is the dynamic the Bile robbed us of in the first arc.

“Essix the Falcon is not a messenger pigeon! Essix eats messenger pigeons for breakfast!” (18). Why didn’t Rollan just send a messenger pigeon? 

 “ . . . and I’m not asking this lightly. But you must come to Greenhaven as soon as you can . . . ” (19). This does not sound like Rollan at all.

Rollan signs his letter “Your Rollan” and then in the immediate next paragraph, Meilin refers to him as her “friend”. 

Abeke has gotten even more muscular! Slay!

“But Meilin knew what her friend would really want her opinion on. ‘I like your new skinnier braids’ . . . ” (20). When has Abeke ever shown interest in hairstyles, though???

“‘Oh no! What have we done?’” (21). This quote is so weird??? I don’t know, it just feels off.

So far, the vibe in general feels weird . . . 

“ . . . Abeke said, looking at Kovo with something almost like sympathy” (23). Why, though??? Why is she sympathetic?

“‘You’re polite as always, Takoda,’ Rollan said to the boy, a complicated expression on his face” (24)). I feel like I remember Rollan being suspicious of Takoda . . . is that what this is???

Kovo drawing the Wyrm symbol on a landscape??? What is the landscape, though??? I don’t remember this . . .

Chapter 4

“‘I came down here to study while we were training’” (29). Literally when??? When did Meilin ever go to the library???

“The tortoise blinked its rheumy eyes at them and yawned” (30). I wonder if Meilin ever thought of the tortoise as being slow, like she did with Jhi.

“‘ . . . the Lost Lands is contained in here’” (33). Stetriol also had a nickname??? Eura’s the only one without a nickname, now . . . 

“At the elbow, where the living tendril ended, the knob of it throbbed and shifted, curling into new visions of the same shape” (38). So it’s in a spiral shape even as it squirms up? That’s odd.

Chapter 5

“ . . . and now he was going to lose the people he loved most in the world because of it” (39). Is he??? Also, awwww, that’s cute (that he thinks of them as the people he lives most in the world). 

“He felt his face twist into a humiliated scowl” (39). Oh my god, he’s becoming Meilin.

“Rollan wouldn’t give up. He threw his arms around his friend. ‘You’ve been disgusting ever since we’ve known you’” (40). It’s so awesome that I can actually see the character growth from the last arc. 

“‘Rollan and Abeke are our best trackers. . . ’” (42). Getting the feeling that I missed something? Rollan can track? 

“Meilin and Rollan were staring at each other with moony longing . . . ” (42). Why do they do this in front of other people???

“With one move, she’d told him she wasn’t scared of his sickness” (42). Personally, I think that moment is far superior to Meilin and Rollan staring at each other.

Chapter 6

“Takoda had spent his life in sandals, and now he was wearing a pair of heavy boots he’d borrowed from Conor” (44). I feel like I remember Takoda living somewhere else before the monastery??? Did he really wear sandals? Or did he go bare foot before that?

“He probably wouldn’t say no if they asked him to be a Greencloak someday” (45). Kovo would, though, lol.

“It was a moment that would forever be seared in Takoda’s memory . . . Takoda couldn’t imagine a spirit animal relationship more different from his own” (46). Funny, because Meilin’s relationship was pretty similar to Takoda’s during the first arc.

“ . . . the Great Beast that had nearly conquered the world - stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the leader of the Greencloaks” (48). Symbolizing the new relationship that the Greencloaks forged with the Great Beasts in general?

“If only he and Kovo knew more than ten symbols, he could explain the danger” (50). He can explain the danger anyway, right? Kovo understands Common.

I forgot whether Kovo recognizes this place or not.

“‘Kovo saved your life’” (53). Okay, so Kovo killed Briggan, who bonded to Conor, who killed Kovo, who then saved his life. Parallels???

“It was like the earth itself had a mouth, open and hungry, waiting for prey to fall in” (54). If they’re in the mountains between Zhong and Eura, how do they get to Nilo, where the Evertree is? Because this is where they fall, right?

I do not remember Kovo and the others fighting over the door??? Huh.

“Calmly, as easily as if it had been made of wet paper, Kovo reached up and plucked off his collar” (59). So ominous.

Chapter 7

“‘. . . and we’ll stop in and say hello to all the shop owners you stole from back in the day’” (60). Okay, I need Rollan to go back to that Valdez guy and push him around a bit. Just a bit.

“ . . . memories of the handsome blond boy resurfaced in unexpected moments” (62). First Shane reference in second arc!

“‘Many of the people of Northern Amaya are nomadic, following the herds throughout the year . . . ’” (63). Rollan doesn’t sound like Rollan at all.

“‘Where to?’ Rollan asked. ‘Anywhere!’ ‘No seriously, where to?’” (64). It feels like they swapped Rollan and Abeke’s personalities? I kind of like it, though. More foil theory fodder.

Rollan caused a stampede??? Wow, I clearly remember close to nothing from this book.

This whole scene is very . . . different??? In a good way, though. There isn’t much Rollan and Abeke friendship in the first arc, so now that they’re alone, it feels strange. But I like it.

Chapter 8

“‘Meilin,’ Conor said in low tones. He placed a tentative hand on her back. ‘I’m as angry as you are . . . ’” (73). Conor and Meilin friendship is all but nonexistent in the first arc, but it feels like they made up for that in the second arc.

“‘King. Worthless,’ Takoda translated” (76). King??? Who’s the king? What king??? Is it Takoda?

“‘I have to tell you that I miss him’” (76). Doesn’t putting your spirit animal in passive make you stronger to some extent? They fought off the “bonding sickness” from the staff at the end of the last arc that way.

“Stop it, Meilin. Terror is your enemy” (79). Giving major first-book-Meilin energy.

Chapter 9

“‘You have more in common with Kovo than you think’” (82). Conor getting mad!

“ . . . the torchlight seemed to have the monster dazzled” (83). The Many’s weakness being light is not something I remember. 

“ . . . a spiral, just like the one on Zerif’s forehead . . . ” (84). I wonder if Conor thought that Zerif would eventually become one of these things.

“The light bomb seemed to affect the ghoulish creatures much more strongly . . . ” (87). I wonder if the Wyrm itself is sensitive to light? Or Zerif?

“Then Takoda gasped, like he’d been punched, and in a flash Kovo became a tattoo on the boy’s neck” (88). Why does it hurt for Takoda to take Kovo into passive state? Did Kovo want it to hurt? Can he do that?

“Although she closed her eyes to slits, they streamed tears, even in the dim light” (88). Oh, so it’s just because the Many are Sadreans, not because they’re Many. 

“‘It’s okay,’ came a voice Conor knew as well as his own” (89). Aw, Conor-Meilin moment(?)!

“‘You’ve come to stop the Wyrm . . . ’” (91). Why does Xanthe think that? Was there a prophecy or something?

Chapter 10

I kind of wonder if the city or tribe you’re from is like a last name in Erdas. They say “Abeke of Okaihee” and “Rollan of Concorba” as someone would say a full name.

“Abeke longed to see her father and sister again” (96). Why??? They are literally so abusive . . . this is just one thing about this series I’ll never accept.

“‘I’ve never seen a horse take such an instant disliking to someone’” (98). Rollan’s horse rivalry saga continues. 

“ . . . The leopard lay down in the earth, head resting on her paws, and started up at him” (98). Wasn’t it mentioned that Uraza didn’t really approve of Tellun in The Evertree? Also, in Tales of the Great Beasts, she never, ever bows down before Tellun. Neither do the other Great Beasts . . . ?

“‘You make him sound so serious.’ Anda laughed. ‘I just think of him as my elk. And I’m his boy’” (99). I still think it was definitely a choice to have a leader of the Great Beasts. I also like Anda’s attitude toward Tellun. Less awed, more of a “oh, yeah, ha ha, that happened” type. 

“‘My elk is silly most of the time; I’m not sure why he’s being so serious today . . . ’ . . . ‘Why didn’t you ever tell me you were that important?’” (99). This line makes no sense. Anda knows that the elk he summoned is Tellun, but didn’t realize he was important? What exactly did Tellun tell him?

“Though she and her family had worked through their differences . . . ” (100). When??? It went straight from Abeke’s father saying he didn’t care about her at all to Abeke and her family “making up” at the end of The Evertree. 

“‘They could gossip in the woman’s tent and sip herbal teas together’” (101). Oh, he’s a sexist. Also, if he believes so much in gender roles, how come Anda told Abeke that the men would have loved to go hunting with her? Wouldn’t they have scorned her just like her father?

“‘ . . . I’m closer to my family now than I ever was before I left Okaihee . . . ’” (102). That’s unfortunate. She’s closer, or she’s just learned to put up with their abuse?

“At the sight of his son’s crying, Anda’s father’s face tightened into a frown” (103). Presenting, the manliest masculine manly man, who can’t handle the sight of a guy crying.

Chapter 11

“ . . . Xanthe looked even more like the strange beings that had attacked them . . . ” (105). Can’t tell if Conor is trying to say Xanthe looks like the monsters, or that the monsters look human. 

“ . . . Meilin allowed Xanthe to help her to her feet” (105). She what???

“ . . . the rising air smelled vaguely like the hot stones his mother had once used to warm his bed . . . ” (107). All I could think about reading this was that one scene from the Shadow and Bone show.

“Conor smiled as he imagined [Meilin’s] outraged expression” (108). Conor and Meilin’s relationship is peaking in this series. Said this before, I think, but there are no good Conor-Meilin moments in the first book. At all (in my humble opinion).

“‘Are you scared of heights, Meilin?’” (111). I don’t remember this at all??? I think she was scared of spiders because of the Drina situation and the Webmother, but heights???

“ . . . it seemed some Sadreans had spirit animals, too” (113). Right, but before the Second Devourer War, they would’ve had bonding sickness, right??? Right??? Because they didn’t have access to the Nectar??? Plot hole???

“‘Our man of mystery,’ Meilin said in amazement as she watched Takoda stride forward and introduce himself to the nearby Sadreans. ‘Shy with us and assertive with everyone else’” (114). Yeah, why’s that??? Just pointing it out doesn’t change the fact that it makes no sense.

“‘I’m not afraid of heights, you dummy’” (115). Oh my god, this is too funny.

“By the time they’d stepped onto the city’s rock floor, Conor and Meilin were breathless with laughter” (115). That’s so cute . . . they’re acting twelve again!

This trap system is really cool, it just needs some archers and it’s good to go.

My guess: the screamers fail somehow, and that’s how they get attacked by the Many (I seriously don’t remember anything about this plotline). 

“‘This shows the founding of Erdas’ . . . ‘ . . . become the civilization known as the Hellans’” (121). Where did the Hellans come from??? How do you “found” a whole world???

“ . . . Briggan and Jhi and Uraza were pictured near one another, friends even way back then” (122). Where’s Essix? Also, it’s funny, because in Tales of the Great Beasts, Uraza insults dogs and glorifies cats. Kind of want to know Great Beast Uraza and Great Beast Briggan’s relationship.

“‘He told the Hellans about the danger of the Wyrm and gave us our task . . . ’” (123). Right, but doesn’t Kovo hate humans?

“ . . . ‘the Evertree’s roots withered, and the Wyrm’s egg dropped . . . new roots began to grow where the old had been . . . much weaker than before . . . the fall cracked the egg, allowing small gray parasites . . . to spill out’” (123). I think it’s so interesting how they managed to make the original series’ climax be the cause of this new problem.

Ooooooookay, I was wrong. The screamers did work. 

“His body broke into shudders, and he couldn't make it stop” (126). Conor had a panic attack?

Chapter 12

“Aynar had mapped them a trail that would lead back to the Tellun’s Pride II . . . ” (132). Wait, so, Tellun literally gets stolen in the time it takes to go back the same way they came? Wow. That’s . . . sad.

“‘Anda is scratching the leader of the Great Beasts’” (133). How come nobody had this reaction with the Four Fallen? I mean some did, but Rollan was all “oh yeah, I summoned a Great Beast”, like he wasn’t in awe or anything???

“‘It’s confusing to me, too. It’s Tellun, but he’s not using his boomy voice’” (134). Again, Essix wanting to follow Tellun is so weird. Like, I just think the idea of a leader of the Great Beasts is a stupid idea in general, but whatever.

How did Rollan not see anything in the north, when an attack came so soon after?

“‘But I think he can communicate freely with any animal he meets’” (138). So, Tellun can: turn a desert into a lush forest in a matter of minutes, communicate with any animal he meets, and invoke awe. Is it just me, or are his powers all over the place?

“‘My father and I only started to understand each other recently, but our love was there all along’” (138). Okay, that’s it. Did they just refer to the relationship between Abeke and her father as “loving”?

“He dreamed of Artica, of balancing on an ice floe with Meilin . . . ” (141). Is this a reference to the fact that Fire and Ice is the first book in the series with major Rollan-Meilin moments?

“He recognized this awful pain. Rollan had felt it once before, under a bloodred sky at the end of the world” (142). Wasn’t that bonding sickness caused by the Staff of Cycles? And the bonding sickness is gone now, right???

Ohhhhh, so the bonding sickness comes from the Evertree being sick, and the Evertree is sick again . . . so . . . there’s bonding sickness again???

Chapter 13

“[Kovo] roared” (147). Why’s he just roaring at the Sadreans??? Is he good?

“Each of the elders came forward and did the same, choosing a different part of Kovo to honor . . . ” (148). I do not remember this ritual . . . at all.

“Immediately Jhi was covered in color . . . She looked delighted by it” (148). The elders: *doing an ancient ritual* Jhi: Play time!

“Xanthe scrutinized the panda’s belly, then she, too, threw her arms around Jhi” (149). But she just met Jhi???

“‘This isn’t precisely what I’d call a feast, not exactly,’ Conor said . . . ” (149). Conor being rude? No way . . .

“ . . . or, more distantly, her mother” (152). Her mother died giving birth to her, though???

Huh, Meilin also had a dream about Rollan and her rotting bond.

Jhi can stop noise???

“They’d gotten the high-speed summoning down to a science . . . ” (155). How high-speed, though?

“ . . . Conor managed a wicked grin” (157). Who is this guy?

Wow, Meilin be using the Many like a surfboard.

“ . . . he took her trembling frame fully in his arms” (165). I can’t get a handle on Takoda despite reading a whole-ass chapter from his perspective.

KOVO IS JEALOUS???

“‘Give her a second!’ Takoda snapped” (165). Honestly, yeah.

“His eyes were a bit too wild. His smile was a bit too stretched” (170). Did the Wyrm change him physically besides the parasite, though?

Chapter 14

“ . . . cruel Gerathon was the one who most often stalked his dreams” (171). Why??? Shouldn’t it be Kovo?

“Gone were the days of allowing Zerif to call the first shot; Abeke gave no warning before letting her arrow fly” (172). Parallels to shooting Zerif in Against the Tide? Also, when had she ever let Zerif call the first shot?

“Anda had started to flee . . . ” (173). So he’s flight out of fight-or-flight.

“‘Tell me, plainsboy, you only just summoned the Great Elk. Have you mastered his dormant state?’” (176). Okay, but Tellun died first, meaning that he was reborn first. So shouldn’t Anda have had enough time??? To learn? In Tales of the Fallen Beasts, Dawson summons Rumfuss into passive, so . . . that means that Anda should’ve also had enough time to learn to summon Tellun. Also, it’s up to the spirit animal, so Tellun can just go into passive if he chooses???

 “ . . . the mysterious figure wore a long, stiff crimson cloak. Even if there hadn’t been a hood hanging low over his head, a curious mask - a single white plate, like one huge scale of a reptile - covered his features. The stranger stride forward fearlessly, the fingers of one leather-gloved hand flexing and unflexing” (179). I love the Redcloaks’ outfit, actually. I love how it manages to cover every part of the body, the body, the face, the hair, and the hands. Also, the masks are supposed to be reminiscent of their spirit animal, right? So how come Shane’s isn’t a crocodile???

“But with one long stride, the red-cloaked stranger was in front of Abeke” (180). Awwwww.

Okay: unpopular opinion (probably . . . ): I don’t like that Anda lost his spirit animal. I think that Shane should’ve showed up earlier to help save Tellun, then disappeared as usual. Anda would’ve joined Rollan and Abeke and it would’ve helped us flesh out Tellun and his powers more. But now, all that’s left are broken relationships.

I get that it was to set up a sense of failure and hopelessness, but instead, the failure could’ve maybe come from letting Anda get so hurt?

Final thoughts and rating:

I really liked the description of Sadre. It was done pretty well. The colors made it seem so foreign, and I like that. The newer Conor-Meilin bond is so good. I don’t remember a single moment in the first series where they had such a moment. I did like Xanthe as a character. Rollan and Abeke’s relationship is amazing in this book as well. Conor getting angry and being rude in some places was something I enjoyed personally, because it shows his development from the last series. Kovo returning, and this time being on the side of the protagonists was an amazing direction to take the story, because it explains how complicated the first arc really was. I really like how mistrustful-but-grudgingly-playing-nice relationship between the group and Kovo was cemented, as well. 

Rollan didn’t really feel like Rollan for parts of the book, and while I get that it’s because he matured, it’s possible to mature a character and still have them be recognizable. I thought Anda losing Tellun was straight up unnecessary. We could’ve finally learned about Tellun’s powers, but instead Tellun gets taken and we don’t. I still don’t understand how the Sadreans had spirit animals without getting the bonding sickness, since they didn’t have access to Nectar. I absolutely despised the way they’ve glorified Abeke’s relationship to her father, and especially after she’d come such a long way to understand that family sometimes wasn’t biological. I also didn’t like that this arc wasn’t even a little foreshadowed in the first arc, though that’s a more minor thing. 

Rating: 9/10

[voidsteffy]

Thoughts on Ram's character in "RRR" and why?

It is my feeling in general that everybody's arc in RRR was incomplete except Bheem's (woah lemme explain stop with the tomatoesss!!)

Because the thing that hinges Ram to the story apart from being a Gay Coochie-coo is that he has to help in making his village, and thereby India, independent. Obtaining arms for the people is just a radical vehicle to that goal. But because of the time restrictions, his character seemed to have been hinged on only the arms proclamation which just reduces whatever development he has (whether pos or neg) by the interval.

Don't think I don't give credit to his character and his arc at all after reading my above words. I just wish that all the characters I see would be developed and used fully. Being good, bad, hero, villain, anti-hero, morally gray, himbo etc doesn't matter to me as long as it is fully developed.

Things I love about him:

1. His loyalty

2. His trauma

3. He's so stupid

4. Even if it to be at an advantage, he seeks approval and is people-pleasing so it's like looking in a mirror🫦

5. For the first half, I had a hope that he was going to be just a power-hungry indian to just have for himself (well developed of course) but ok that hope was nice while it lasted

Ram Charan essays the character with ease post his collaboration with SSR in Magadheera which I like. Watching him as ASR Raju is like stepping into old shoes that you have worn for a long time through thick and thin.

[2015mai24]

Axis’ Gear｜ミヤ（MUCC） 配信ライヴ用にシステムを再構築！

MUCCの無観客配信ライヴ＜～Fight against COVID-19 #3～『惡-THE BROKEN RESUSCITATION』＞が、去る2020年9月20日に開催された。最初のリモート・ライヴも含めると今回で3回目となるオンラインでのライヴだが、サウンド・エンジニアも務めるギタリストのミヤは配信での音質にも一切妥協なし。これまで2回行なったライヴで改善点を洗い出し、配信用のシステムとしてさまざまな機材を再構築したそう。今回は取材班も新型コロナ・ウイルス対策を万全に特別に現地へ潜入、ライヴ機材を撮影させてもらった。

文＝編集部　写真＝星野俊（機材）、Susie（ライヴ）

今回の無観客配信ライヴ＜～Fight against COVID-19 #3～『惡-THE BROKEN RESUSCITATION』＞では、多くのギターが登場した。気になるサウンド・システムの前に、まずはミヤの使用ギターから見ていこう。

Guitars

Yamaha Revstar RSP20CR ルックスに惹かれて購入したそうだが、サウンド面も気に入り最新アルバム『惡』のレコーディングでも活躍したヤマハのRevstar RSP20CR。現在は6弦ギターのメインとして使っているが、今回はセットリストの内容的に登場する場面はなく、メイブリー・ギターズTLタイプのバックアップとして用意されていた。改造点はなく、オリジナルの状態で使用している。

dragonfly Border Custom 666

ドロップCチューニング用のギターとして用意しており、今回はアンコールで演奏した「ハイデ」、「TONIGHT」で使用された。本器はミヤが初めて入手したドラゴンフライ製ギターのうちの1本で、ダークで激しい音が特徴とのこと。続くトランス・ダーク・グリーンとはコントロールが異なり、こちらは一般的なボリューム＆トーン、3ウェイ・ピックアップ・セレクター。

dragonfly Border Custom 666

ウォルナット・カラーのBorder Custom 666のサブとして用意された、トランス・ダーク・グリーンの同型モデル。コントロールがボリュームとハイ／ロー・パス・フィルターで、ふたつのミニ・スイッチは各ピックアップのコイルタップ用。ボディの意匠は友人のペインターによるもので、背面には近年のお気に入りブランド＝アースクエイカーデバイセスのステッカーが貼られている。

Fender American Acoustasonic Telecaster

アコースティック・サウンドが必要な「月の夜」、「月の砂丘」で登場したフェンダーのAmerican Acoustasonic Telecaster。通常はポジション5の“コア・アコースティック”で使用し、「月の夜」のソロではポジション1のエレクトリック・サウンドを選択して演奏していた。ソロ中にはチョーキングする場面もあったが、弦はアコースティック用のブロンズ弦を張っている。

Fernandes TE-85

ミヤが高校生の頃に入手したフェルナンデスのTE-85。インディーズ時代から弾き倒してきた本器は、“ほぼビンテージのボディ”ということで、搭載されているEMGピックアップとの相性がどんどん良くなってきているそう。枯れたきらびやかなビンテージ・サウンドを最大限生かすよう、クリーン・サウンドが印象的な「流星」で使用された。本人曰く“手放せない1本”とのこと。

Hapas Guitars SLUDGE 727

近年ミヤがお気に入りのドイツ製ブランド＝ハパス・ギターズ。本器は今回のライヴでメインとして活躍した1本で、2020年7月頃に入手した個体だ。TLシェイプで7弦のエクストラ・ロング・スケールは初代ハパス・ギターズと同様だが、リア一発仕様で音も硬質かつモダンな印象とのこと。今回はドロップGチューニング用として用意された。「惡-JUSTICE-」、「CRACK」、「World’s End」などで登場。

Hapas Guitars SLUDGE 727 Custom Shop Limited

Instagramでひと目惚れ、直接連絡すると“日本ではまだ売ったことないけど、送れるよ”と言われ購入したハパス・ギターズのSLUDGE 727。実際に弾いてみるとサウンドもミヤ自身とマッチし、メイン器となった。メイプル指板で“サンバースト・モデルよりクリーンな音”とのこと。ちなみに、前出のサンバーストが3本目のハパス・ギターズ・モデルで、2本目はサンバーストの6弦仕様をオーダーしたそう。

Mayones Regius 7

ポーランドを拠点に展開しているメイワンズのRegius 7。ミヤ曰く“ハパス・ギターズとは真逆で、すごくバランスが良い”とのことで、高音域から低音域まで分離感も良くきれいに出力されると語っていた。音も“ゴツゴツしすぎていない”ため明るめの曲で使用するそうで、今回は「My World」で登場した。ボリューム・ノブがはずされているのは、弾いている時に右手が当たってしまうため。

dragonfly EXL-7st

ミヤがdragonflyと共同開発したEXL-7st。2016年頃まで7弦のメインと���て活躍していた本器だが、今回はハパス・ギターズのバックアップとして用意され、登場はなし。ボディはフレイム・メイプル・トップのホンジュラス・マホガニー・バック、ネックがメイプルで指板がローズウッドという材構成。メイワンズRegius 7と同様、ボリューム・ノブがはずされている。

MAYBURY Guitars Recycled RAM T-TYPE

イギリスのメイブリー・ギターズが手がけた、スチーム・パンクな見た目のTLタイプ。古材や廃材を活用した“アップスケーラー・ギターズ”というシリーズをラインナップしており、本器もそのひとつだ。ミヤはInstagramで見かけてデザインが気に入り、怖いもの見たさで注文したそう。古材を使っているからか、“めちゃくちゃビンテージの音がするんです”と本人も語っていた。

続いて、配信ライヴ用に��ップデートされたというサウンド・システム周りへ。

PEDALBOARD SECTION

各セクションの内容は下にて詳述するとして、まずはボードの全体像をご紹介しよう。

クリスタル・ピアノが設置されたサブ・ステージ用のボード。

こちらがメイン・ステージ用のボード。左側のボードAを主軸に、右側のボードBを飛び道具的な用途でプラスしている。

テック操作用の拡張ボード。

ボードA（メイン・ステージ用①）

A1ーFREE THE TONE／JB-82S（ジャンクション・ボックス） A2ーFREE THE TONE／ARC-4（プログラマブル・スイッチャー） A3ーFREE THE TONE／EFS-3（EXスイッチ） A4ーJHS Pedals／Muffuletta（ディストーション／ファズ） A5ーJHS Pedals／Colour Box（コンソール・シミュレーター） A6ーMORLEY／Bad Horsie Liberty Wah（ワウ・ペダル） A7ーJ.Rockett Audio Designs／ARCHER（オーバードライブ） A8ーFREE THE TONE RM-1S（リング・モジュレーター） A9ーBOSS／DM-3（アナログ・ディレイ） A10ーBOSS／PS-3（ピッチシフター／ディレイ） A11ーJHS Pedals／Little Black Buffer（バッファー） A12ーEarthQuaker Devices／Disaster Transport SR（MODディレイ／リバーブ） A13ーBOSS／CE-1（コーラス） A14ーCooper FX／Generation Loss（Lo-Fiフィルター） A15ーMXR／M234 Analog Chorus（コーラス） A16ーGamechanger Audio／PLASMA COIL（ファズ） A17ーFREE THE TONE／PA-10G（プログラマブルEQ） A18ーSonic Research／ST-200（チューナー） A19ーFREE THE TONE／PHA-1（フェイズ・インバーター） A20ーFREE THE TONE／MB-5（MIDIスルー・ボックス）

ギターからの信号はジャンクション・ボックスA1を経由してスイッチャーA2へ。スイッチャーA2はEXスイッチA3でコントロールを増設し、各種ループをコントロールしている。まずファズ系を管理するセパレート・ループ8に入り、A4、A5を制御。ループ1にはワウA6、ソロ用のループ2はA7〜A8、ループ4がA9〜A12を経たのちボードBへ続く。ループ5はコーラス用でA13〜A15、ループ6がA16からボードBへ。ループ7には��ログラマブル・イコライザーA17で、必要な際にインサートする。ループ3はボードCのARC-53M（C1）へ。

ボードB（メイン・ステージ用②）

B1ーFREE THE TONE／JB-82S（ジャンクション・ボックス） B2ーBOSS／TE-2（エコー） B3ーBOSS／DM-2w（アナログ・ディレイ） B4ーDEMEDASH／T-120（MODエコー） B5ーEarthQuaker Devices／Afterneath（ディレイ／リバーブ） B6ーEarthQuaker Devices／Ghost Echo（ゴースト・エコー） B7ーGamechanger Audio／PLUS PEDAL（サステイン・ペダル） B8ーAnasounds／AGES（トレモロ） B9ーEarthQuaker Devices／Aqueduct（ビブラート） B10ーBOSS／PS-5（ピッチシフター） B11ーAnasounds／Spinner（EXペダル） B12ーJHS Pedals／Stutter Switch（ミュート・スイッチ） B13ーShin’s Music／Perfect Volume（ボリューム・ペダル）

こちらのボードBは、ボードAのスイッチャーA3のループ4とループ6につながっている。ループ4がA9〜A12からジャンクション・ボックスを経由してボードBのB2〜B7という順につながっている。ループ6は、ボードAのA16からジャンクション・ボックスを経由してB8〜B10と順に接続。B11はトレモロB8のEXPペダルで、演奏中にプロペラを蹴っ飛ばすと、回転速度に応じてトレモロのスピードを変えられる。残念ながら今回のライヴ映像には収録されていないようだ。B12はスイッチャーA3の前段に配置されたミュート・スイッチで演奏中の休みパートの際に踏む。

ボードC（バックステージ側）

C1ーFREE THE TONE／ARC-53M（プログラマブル・スイッチャー） C2ーVoigt-Kampff／Big Muff Mod（ファズ） C3ーEarthQuaker Devices／Sunn O))) Life Pedal（オクターブ・ディストーション） C4ーJ.Rockett Audio Designs／ARCHER Ikon（オーバードライブ） C5ーEarthQuaker Devices／Plumes（オーバードライブ） C6ーAnasounds／UTOPIA（アナログ・ディレイ） C7ーLeqtique／ProVoost（ブースター） C8ーGFI System／Specular Tempus（ディレイ／リバーブ） C9ーapi／TranZformer GT（プリアンプ／コンプレッサー／EQ） C10ーFREE THE TONE／ARC-4（プログラマブル・スイッチャー） C11ーFREE THE TONE／EFS-3（EXスイッチ） C12ーOne Control／Minimal Series AB BOX（ABボックス） C13ーSonic Research／ST-200（チューナー） C14ーKORG／Pitchblack Custom（チューナー） C15ーBOSS／FS-5L（EXスイッチ）

メイン・ボードAのスイッチャーA2のループ3にこのボードがつながっており、中央のC1を始点に各ペダルが制御されている。ファズ系としてC2〜C4、メインのクランチとしてC5、ディレイとリバーブとしてC6〜C8を用意。C9はラインの音に味付けをするために、すべての前段に入っている。スイッチャーC10はスイッチャーA2のスレイブで、テックが操作する。C2はイギリスのヴォイト-カンプフによるビッグマフ・モディファイで、見た目を気に入り購入。Bass、Trebleコントロールが追加されているほか、歪みのキャラクター調整、筐体ジャック側にある“メーターの針の振れ具合”を調整するツマミなど、ユニークな仕様だ。ABボックスC12はテックがチューニングする時に使用する。

ボードD（サブ・ステージ用）

D1ーShin’s Music／Perfect Volume Hybrid（ボリューム・ペダル） D2ーFREE THE TONE／JB-21（ジャンクション・ボックス） D3ーFREE THE TONE／ARC-53M（プログラマブル・スイッチャー） D4ーAnasounds／SAVAGE（オーバードライブ） D5ーEarthQuaker Devices／Disaster Transport（MODディレイ） D6ーBOSS／DM-3（アナログ・ディレイ） D7ーJHS Pedals／The VCR（ボリューム／コーラス／リバーブ） D8ーJHS Pedals／The VCR（ボリューム／コーラス／リバーブ） D9ーBOSS／TU-3s（チューナー）

クリスタル・ピアノが設置されているサブ・ステージ用のボードで、フェンダーのAmerican Acoustasonic StratocasterとフェルナンデスTE-85���つないで使われていた。接続順はまずボリューム・ペダルD1に入り、ジャンクション・ボックスD2を経由してスイッチャーD3、各ペダルをループさせたのち���D2を経由してKemperへ出力される。D3のループは、D4〜D8の順番どおり。D7＆8のThe VCRは用途違いで使用しており、D7はコーラス用、D8はクリーン・ブースター＆リバーブとしてかけている。このボードではディレイやコーラスがおもに使われ、歪みは基本的にKemper側で設定しているそうだ。Acoustasonic StratocasterもKemperをDI的に使用しており、今回は“このアプローチがすごく良かった”と語っていた。

AMPLIFIER SECTION

続いてアンプ・セクションとして、ラック・エフェクトも含めて見ていこう。全体はメイン・ステージ用とそのバックアップ、そしてサブ・ステージ用という構成だ。メイン・ステージ側をA、サブ・ステージ側をBとして、まずはAを紹介する。

アンプ・セクションA

A1ーKEMPER／Profiler Rack（プロファイリング・アンプ・シミュレーター） A2ーBOSS／SE-70（マルチ・エフェクター） A3ーBOSS／SE-70（マルチ・エフェクター） A4ーDrawmer Electronics／DS201（ノイズ・ゲート） A5ーNEVE／3415X（マイク・プリアンプ） A6ーFURMAN／PL-PLUS DMC（パワー・コンディショナー） A7ーFREE THE TONE／ARC-53M（プログラマブル・スイッチャー） A8ーBOSS／OC-3（オクターバー） A9ーBOSS／PS-3（ピッチシフター／ディレイ） A10ーKEMPER／Profiler Rack（プロファイリング・アンプ・シミュレーター） A11ーBOSS／SE-70（マルチ・エフェクター） A12ーWarm Audio／WA273（ステレオ・マイク・プリアンプ） A13ーFURMAN／PL-PLUS DMC（パワー・コンディショナー）

以上がメイン・ステージ用のアンプ・セクションA。3枚目の写真に映るケンパーがバックアップ用で、写真1枚目のケンパーとほぼ構成を同様にセットアップしている。ポイントはA5やA12などのプリアンプで、このあたりが“ライヴならではの空気感”を演出する要素だそう。A7はアンプのセンド／リターンにつながれ、マルチ・エフェクターA2、ペダルA7〜8をループさせてプログラムしている。

アンプ・セクションB

B1ーKEMPER／Profiler Head（プロファイリング・アンプ・シミュレーター） B2ーBOSS／SE-70（マルチ・エフェクター） B3ーWAVERIDER／WR-81（マイク・プリアンプ） B4ーNEVE／1066（マイク・プリアンプ） B5ーNEVE／1066（マイク・プリアンプ）

こちらがサブ・ステージ用のアンプ・セクションB。フェンダーのAcoustasonic Telecasterを使用する時はケンパーをDI的に使用するため、B3〜B5といったマイク・プリアンプによる“演出”が重要になってくる。

2020-11-22

quelle: guitarmagazine.jp

[rajasthanlime]

Lime Dust Control Measures in Steel Mills: Best Practices

Steel mills play a crucial role in our industrial landscape, but they also generate significant environmental challenges. One such challenge is lime dust, which can impact air quality, worker health, and overall efficiency. In this article, we delve into the best practices for controlling lime dust in steel mills, emphasizing the importance of safety, productivity, and environmental stewardship partners with the best steel manufacturers in india.

Understanding Lime Dust

Lime, also known as calcium oxide (CaO), is a critical material in steelmaking. It serves several purposes, including:

Slag Formation: Lime helps create a good slag, facilitating the removal of impurities like sulfur and phosphorus during steel production.

Arc Furnace Performance: In electric arc furnaces (EAFs), lime provides a safer platform to withstand high-intensity arc plasma.

Basic Oxygen Furnace Reactions: In basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs), lime plays a role in violent reactions.

However, the handling and processing of lime can lead to the release of fine particles—lime dust—which poses health risks and environmental challenges.

Best Practices for Lime Dust Control

1. Proper Selection of Limestone

Quality Matters: Choose high-quality limestone for lime production. The limestone’s composition affects lime quality characteristics.

Calcination Process: The calcination process involves burning limestone at high temperatures to produce lime (CaO). Modern kilns (vertical and rotary) are used for this purpose.

2. Effective Calcination

Temperature Control: Calcination occurs at temperatures between 800°C and 1000°C. Properly controlled conditions ensure optimal lime quality.

Energy Efficiency: Modern kilns improve energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions, and minimize operational costs.

3. Lime Dust Mitigation

Dust Collection Systems: Install efficient dust collection systems to capture airborne lime particles.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Workers should wear appropriate PPE, including masks, goggles, and coveralls.

Ventilation: Proper ventilation in work areas reduces dust concentration.

Wet Suppression: Spraying water on lime piles and conveyor belts minimizes dust dispersion.

Enclosed Conveyors: Use enclosed conveyors to prevent dust escape during transportation.

4. Environmental and Economic Impact

Slag Quality: Lime quality directly affects slag quality, which impacts metallurgical results and refractory life.

Productivity: Efficient lime dust control enhances overall productivity.

Cost Savings: Proper lime management reduces operational costs.

Environmental Benefits: Dust control contributes to cleaner air and a healthier work environment.

Spotlight on Rajasthan Steel Manufacturers

In Rajasthan, several best steel manufacturers in rajasthan contribute significantly to the industry. Let’s highlight some key players:

Rajasthan Steels: Based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan Steels supplies top-quality steel products and houses renowned steel brands1.

Jai Bharat Steel: With over 65 years of experience, Jai Bharat Steel is a leading supplier of quality steel in Rajasthan. Their commitment to excellence and innovation sets them apart2.

Other Notable Companies: Rajasthan hosts various iron and steel companies, including Shri Ram Industries and Santosh Steel3.

Conclusion

Lime dust control is essential for steel mills to ensure safety, productivity, and environmental responsibility. By implementing best practices, steel manufacturers can optimize their processes while safeguarding workers and the planet.

Remember, the best steel manufacturers in jodhpur, India, and Rajasthan prioritize efficient lime dust management alongside their steel production goals

[mobile46]

CES 2024: Lenovo introduces new ThinkBook laptops and ThinkCentre Neo desktops

Lenovo unveiled its next-generation ThinkBook laptops and ThinkCentre desktops.

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid can be used as two devices, either separately or together as a laptop.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo desktops come with Intel Core i9 processors and an NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPU.

CES is equipped with the latest Thinkbook laptops and ThinkCentre Desktop Abhinav AI features shown by Lenovo in 2024. There is also an interesting new convertible known as the ‘ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid’. Let’s find out what exciting the new lineup has to offer to users.

Table of Contents

Lenovo ThinkBook laptops: features, specifications and price

1. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid

2. Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 4

3. Lenovo ThinkBook 14i Gen 6+

4. Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 5

Lenovo ThinkCentre desktops

1. Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo Ultra

2. Lenovo ThinkCentre neo 50a 27 Gen 5

3. Lenovo ThinkCentre neo 50a 24 Gen 5

Lenovo ThinkBook laptops: features, specifications and price

1. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid

Thinkbook Plus General 5 integrates a home Windows 11 laptop with a Viosya Android tablet. An Intel Core Ultra 7 processor provides strength to the device in laptop mode. It has a 14-inch 2.8k OLED display. which has been paired with an Intel Arc GPU for graphics in its laptop mode. It comes with 32GB LPDDR5X RAM and PCIE GEN 4 SSD storage up to 1TB. This powerful combination ensures the best performance. It offers good connectivity options including Wi-Fi 6E, two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, and one audio jack.

The top also acts as a standalone tablet with a half 14-inch, 2.8k OLED display. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ General 1 provides strength to the processor device, and it runs Android 13. With 12 GB memory and 256 GB storage, it emerges as a competent device in itself.

DISPLAY: 14-inch, 2.8k OLED display

CPU: Intel Core Ulter 7 processr

GPU: Intel Arc

RAM: 32GB LPDDR5x

Storage: 2TB Gen 4 PCIe SSD

Price: $1,399 (~ Rs 1,16,151)

2. Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 4

The latest Intel Core Ultra Processor Power Power 13x Jean 4. which is combined with an Intel Arc GPU for graphics, Here is a quick detail of the device.

DISPLAY: 13.5-inch ultra-narrow bezel display, 500 nits brightness

CPU: Intel Core Ultra Processors

GPU: Intel Arc

RAM:  32GB LPDDR5x

Storage: 2TB Gen 4 PCIe SSD

Price: $1,399 (~ Rs 1,16,151)

All Information Here...

[govindhtech]

AMD RDNA 3 vs. Intel Arc iGPUs : Gaming supremacy

When compared to AMD RDNA 3, Intel Arc iGPUs on Meteor Lake CPUs

Since AMD began providing its APUs with powerful integrated graphics, Intel’s advantage in the iGPU market has steadily decreased. AMD’s hold on the market was solidified at the time by the Vega iGPU family, but with RDNA, the red team opened up a whole new range of products that offered small PCs and handhelds with top-notch graphics performance. As for Intel’s Iris Xe solutions, its graphics performance was lacking and will now be greatly improved with the release of the Intel Arc iGPUs in the Core Ultra line. To provide competitive gaming performance.

Under the code name “Xe-LPG,” three different Arc Alchemist iGPU configurations are installed in Intel Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” CPUs.

There are three different configurations available: eight, seven, and four cores. When utilizing faster memory, like LPDDR5X, the GPUs can overclock to 2350 MHz (Core Ultra 9 185H) and provide a significant boost in performance. Along with other things, these GPUs support AV1, XeSS (DP4a), and DX12 Ultimate.

All things considered, these Intel Arc iGPUs are a crucial part of Chipzilla’s most recent CPUs. Since They have already seen synthetic benchmarks for the Intel Arc iGPU, today’s news focuses exclusively on gaming benchmarks. Golden Pig Upgrade (Bilibili) carried out the tests, which comprised testing a variety of games at both high and low settings and 1080p resolution.

The highest configurations of the AMD RDNA 3 and Intel Arc iGPUs seem to be quite competitive with each other, winning an identical amount of games at low 1080p resolution.

The Arc iGPU of the Core Ultra 7 155H outperforms in 7 out of 8 games evaluated in the 1080p High testing. Even yet, the RDNA 3 graphics solution trails behind the Core Ultra 5 125H. Additionally, the analysis demonstrates that the Meteor Lake CPUs are now nearly as fast as the discrete GTX 1650 Max-Q GPUs and far quicker than NVIDIA’s MX solutions.

Because of the 100 MHz clock speed differential, the Core Ultra 9 185H’s iGP clearly performs better than the Core Ultra 7 155H. The LPDDR5X-7467 memory is used in the results, which explains why the RDNA 3 GPUs do not scale as well as the faster Meteor Lake Arc iGPUs.

Although having quicker RAM is usually desired, it should be remembered that these computers are always more expensive. The Meteor Lake laptops are priced in a very expensive sector based on their prior prices. Consequently, it is important to recognize that AMD has a price edge with its Ryzen 7040/8040 range of laptops. The power efficiency performance data is the last one. It demonstrates that while AMD is superior at lower TDPs below 25W, Core Ultra 100H CPUs outperform AMD Ryzen 7040 “Phoenix” CPUs in the graphics domain at 28W TDPs.

With TDP ratings of 9–15W, Intel also offers the more power-efficient Core Ultra 100U processors, which would be a better option for entry-level and mobile gadgets that are anticipated to enter the market in the upcoming months.

The Intel Core Ultra Arc iGPU outperforms AMD’s RDNA 3 iGPUs in gaming, according to tests published by a number of tech sites. Tests conducted by Dave2D, HardwareCanucks, and Jarrod’s Tech all demonstrate competitive placement versus AMD’s RDNA 3 GPUs and considerable performance increases over prior generation Iris/UHD GPU systems. These figures also provide insight into AMD’s possible decision to maintain the same specifications and clock rates in its RDNA 3 GPUs for the Ryzen 8040 “Hawk Point” update.

AMD can likely provide a performance bump in places where they are not as strong as they could be, or when the Intel Arc iGPUs is only marginally faster, via driver upgrades. Although Intel has also issued a new driver, should anticipate more advancements on the driver front from both sides as competition in the Intel Arc iGPUs market is expected to resume.

This will be particularly important for the next generation of gaming handhelds that utilize these Intel Arc iGPUs solutions, which are built on the AMD RDNA 3 and Intel Arc architectures. When tiny PCs are released, it will be fascinating to observe the full potential of Intel Arc iGPUs, as these chips can scale up to 115W (Core Ultra 9 185H) and have unlimited access to greater power, which can result in notable performance boosts and excellent overclocking capabilities. The Core Ultra iGPU department has more enhancements in store as additional devices and solutions become available, so these performance figures are only a taste of what’s to come.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[luliho]

For the Echoes thing: 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 22, 35

THANK YOU FOR ASKING 💖💖

1. I generally think Celica is more interesting and she's more different in terms of FE Lords. So in a vacuum probably Celica. But I'm such an Alm's Side fan that Alm generally comes out on top. I'm too invested in the Ram Village Group to leave him out. So probably Alm.

3. This is such a lame answer but Atlas. He's kinda like Tobin and so I was like yeah that's my guy. Celica is my other favorite, as well as Valbar's trio. They're fun.

5. This is hard! I think most of the good parts get praised a lot. I think the base conversations are a really nice thing and idk how much they're talked about as a mechanic. I think it's great to have character development tied to the timeline in the story. I think it could return separate to supports, it's nice to get a view of how the characters feel about what's going on right now and helps tie non-plot-relevant characters to the plot.

7. Other than the characters definitely the overall plot/theme about the gods. Sometimes I just think about how cool it was that the Valentia gods had physical form and are just kind of around. And then they die and humanity has to learn to live on their own. It's so poignant and interesting. And when they have to CHOOSE if they're going to kill the god. That's so crazy. And Tobin isn't sure if his family will survive. I think it's one of the most interesting FE plot points. I like it so much better than Evil Dragon God. The gods felt human and there were stakes and consequences for what happened to them. Friendship is stronger than the power of the gods not because it can take down a dragon but because your friends will help you when no greater power can!!!!!

14. Thank you for asking this specifically <3. FE4 is probably (hopefully) coming but my choice if I could have anything would be some kind of 4+5 dual release. I think Thracia's characters need the Echoes treatment more. Most of the Genealogy cast is iconic and memorable with strong personalities, and the in-game conversations make the lack of supports bother me less. But FE5 1. Has such fun levels and 2. Has so many characters who have very little to them. And I'd love to return to those guys and come to love them with the added depth. Like Carrion is cool and I like him and I used him for a few levels, but you could do so much with his dedication to Leonster. He could be so much more. And that applies to a lot of the cast. I want to see their relationships fleshed out too. I have many thoughts on what I would do for a Shadows of Thracia lol

22. I think Celica's route as a whole and especially Conrad's subplot could have been a lot better. Conrad should be a BIG DEAL but he just kind of isn't? Also I think the pacing in the early game is kind of slow. There's a lot of dialogue for levels that weren't built to have story, you know? In Gaiden there wasn't a dialogue there so sometimes it makes the story drag when we add it to explain the current battle when nothing important is really happening.

35. Please IntSys any Tobin at all I'm begging you. On my knees. Crying. I have 1500 orbs I refuse to spend before him what more do you want from me. I think Valentine's would be cute but the chance has passed since we had Valentia Valentines. Summer no. Christmas no. Pirate? 👀. But actually I want one of the ones where it's clearly Post-Game Tobin. I want to see him after he's come in to his own and accepted who he is and what his role is. I want to see his arc completed and have him say some nice things looking back on the game. And I want him to have a cool outfit.

[suffarustuffaru]

So, have you read Re:Zero Mimagau IF/Genderbent If? What do you think of this if route? A lot of people have complained that it's boring because it's basically just changing the names and keeping the general plot the same, but I personally kinda like it a lot?I didn't expect Tappei this troll to come up with something like that,but maybe he just ran out of ideas and improvised...

Some of the little details that were changed because of the gender reversed were interesting, like ram jokes on subaru are more refined and less aggressive in general ;male rem behaviour after (s)he was saved changes from female rem into a positive, smiling and relaxed version of him, but they way he bonds with subaru is different from rem, to avoid problems(sexual offenders), imagine it kind of like reinhardt is with felt etc.

But I'm a bit disappointed with the male Emilia's personality, I personally thought that since he's a male elf he'd be a bit more cold and reticent than was in the main canon, and then the male version of satella's name is actually "Luna"! I don't know if Tappei is hinting at something or he's just trying to troll with us lol

Although I enjoyed Mimagau IF, but some of the later plots and scenes can be very weird and even creepy because of the whole gender reversed.

my apologies it took a long while for me to answer to this ask T^T i put it in my drafts bc i wanted to think about the topic in depth bc this is Super interesting..... and then i forgot about it on and off oops HAH. but no i havent read the genderbend if!! i WOULD but there is only so many rezero side stories i can get to and so mimiagau is only at the bottom of the list bc like you said the plot is similar to canon anyway and i got other side stories i need to finish!! but im Definitely intrigued by mimiagau thats for sure <3

HAH yeah maybe tappei ran out of ideas and decided to make a genderbend au for funsies but he Has shown an interest in playing with gender a bit via the natsumi arc..... and yeah keeping mimiagaus plot similar to canon is, you know, a good way to save time and effort on it but i 1. really adore all the names that tappei chose for everyone, given the vast majority of characters are gonna have their names changed bc biological sex changed, and 2. i also appreciate the minor changes tappei makes bc it Makes Sense thatd it change bc its a genderbend au. some things will just Inevitably change bc of that fact, yeah. bc of societal gender norms and other things like that. plus the fantasy worlds opinions on gender are interesting bc its Definitely a mixed bag....... like how rezero in general is a mixed bag in terms of how misogynistic or not it wants to be. like rezero will read like r/menwritingwomen bc of all the times tappei INSISTS on mentioning boobs, or female characters sometimes having questionable designs, but then rezero turns around and creates truly iconic characters like echidna or anastasia or *insert many other great female characters here* aljsdlf or the beautiful character arcs that beatrice and emilia have in arc 4 for example HAH.... a mixed bag for sure!! and the fantasy world has all sorts of stuff... like you know theres all the world ending powers and powerful positions various people can have regardless of gender, the royal candidates in canon being all women but theyre referred to as "kings" either way, but then theres stuff like crusch wearing masculine clothing being a Big Deal + general emphasis on ladylike behavior, etc etc... also homophobia and other such things like that exists HAH. so its interesting to me.

again i havent read genderbend if but the changes you did mention are interesting yes!! and it makes sense... male ram making more aggressive jokes with female subaru Would be more frowned upon and you know the way male ram and rem present themselves would be more frowned upon if they acted exactly the same as they do in canon. like you said, theres just different expectations there bc their genders are flipped o.O societal expectations both from us the viewer, the world of rezero, and tappei which is very much what the point of a genderbend au is - i mean the moment you make a genderbend au it shows your opinion on gender whether you like it or not i think :o youd definitely have to think on how thatd change the plot in minor or major ways!! and its like every person is gonna have a different take on rezero genderbend au fr T^T which i also find super interesting.

yeah so as for male emilia / emilio - the idea of him being more cold compared to canon is fascinating.... i have slightly mixed feelings on it though bc im like "WAIT BUT WHICH DETAILS WOULD CHANGE AND WHICH DETAILS WOULD NOT CHANGE BC OF THE GENDERBENDING" as i said earlier. like you could go in so many directions with this. is (female) puck gonna be more lenient with emilio???? is female puck gonna be just as controlling as male puck in the same exact way, or is it different since emilios a boy with slightly different societal expectations????? would luna and emilio by proxy be feared Even More bc theyre guys now?? (probably not bc rezero fantasy world just recognizes Power above all else right bc theres equality there. but still important to ponder about ig.)

but yeah anyway SO MANY QUESTIONS are swirling around in my brain about this bc genderbend au = you can do SO MUCH with this. so much. but yeah as for emilio, my personal thoughts on it is that emilia and reinhard in canon mirror each other A LOT. they have softer personalities partly bc of their trauma helping to shape them, partly bc thats just who they are, partly bc theyre kind of admired (reinhard) and feared (reinhard and emilia) by the whole world so of course theyre gonna be softer to combat that bc Anything they do can be taken the wrong way. so like while i think adelheid might be a little softer than reinhard and emilio might be like a little more uptight and formal than emilia bc Societal Things i Personally think emilio and adelheid would likely still act pretty similar to their canon selves. bc emilia does have moments where she acts cold or a bit uptight so maybe emilio would have more of those moments bc that (being Softer and vulnerable) would Probably be a bit more frowned upon as a boy yeah!!! while adelheid i can see having to balance like. noblewoman expectations vs sword saint expectations too bc the energy i get from canon is that attitudes towards sword saints are mainly the same (intimidation,, fear,,, admiration,,, theyre tools for the government,, etc,,,) but the vibes to me is like. female sword saints vs male sword saints are seen a Little differently. just a little bit. if that makes sense. more societal norms at play here HAH. then again there Are female knights theyre just not on screen that much unless youre a sword saint.

and luna!! :D great name imo i love that name choice. i think its probably bc emisuba / emilias moon motif in canon + tappei had to find an astrology name aljsdlfj i wonder if he has more reasons to choose luna though? or maybe the dude was just like "hmmm i cant keep satella ig...." though tbh i kind of thought hed just keep satella pfft cool that he chose luna. bc again - emisuba moon motif!! :o bc the phrase "the moon is beautiful isnt it" = "i love you" also................. and yeah tappeis a troll too theres that HAH

as for the later plot beats being weird and creepy bc of gender reversal - they were already like. weird in canon though tbh with everyones canon genders aljdsfljsdlfj i think its just more apparent with gender reversal partly bc societal things and partly bc maybeee male characters torturing female characters happens often enough throughout fiction anyway?? not that the other way around doesnt happen but like. i dont know how to explains this HAH but yeah gender reversal makes things feel a little wack but it was ALREADY wack in canon tbh. i think as long as its treated with nuance its fine though hah and also as long as. subaru doesnt get magically tortured More bc shes a girl now. if that makes sense. no misogyny or misandry please!! though. im gonna be real i think tappei would be more fair with the now male cast in genderbend if. just bc rezero and its tendency to either hate or love women either on purpose or on accident HAH.

OK ALSO AS FOR SUBARU people always have different takes on genderbend subaru (my take is that subarus ALWAYS genderqueer either way okay...) and i think its interesting how people interpret subarus like. interest in isekai too + subarus personality in general......... like what changes bc of the gender change??? is subaru still interested in the same KIND of isekai stories?? does subaru gravitate towards shoujo now or is subaru still like into more shounen esque things bc either one can happen!!!!!!! is subarus personality more disapproved of now that shes a girl or is it less disapproved of - in the sense that people might interpret a girl doing it vs a guy doing it differently. and then theres audience opinions too bc like if subaru WAS a girl from the beginning people might have different opinions on her but also some people think subarus annoying either way (which fills me with sadness...). but also fem subaru had HER OWN NATSUMI ARCS OKAY... THIS IS REAL TO ME. TAPPEI BETTER HAVE INCLUDED IT. BUT ANYWAY yeah. interesting ways to take genderbend aus theres a gazillion different directions you can go in. this was not very coherent i think but genderbend aus are very interesting to me!!! though of course my own opinions and experiences regarding gender and gender roles are showing aljsdflj bc that IS the nature of genderbend aus.

ALSO toxic masculinity in rezero is like. a Very Important thing with characters like subaru and julius so its like. youre gonna have to find a way to explore that in Different ways with genderbend au bc those kinds of issues arent gonna go away. theyre gonna manifest a bit differently, probably. and its probably gonna affect the Now Male cast too.

[ao3feed-crimeboys]

【Ａｎ　Ｕｎｌｉｋｅｌｙ　Ｄｕｏ】

by tittypic

It's Tommy's birthday today. Happy birthday to him...- there's just this one small issue. Wilbur is slowly losing himself, Dream is constantly giving him more reason to be suspicious and angry all the time, Technoblade is doing nothing to help, and Tubbo is too busy with Manberg to do anything.

So Tommy leaves Pogtopia on April 9th, when he is 14 years old. Since he is never normal, he comes across an inconspicuous book next to his Pog Tree, which is by the Pog River.

That same book brings him to the future, 5 months later in September 10th, he's crashing through the roof and landing on top of a man- he knows this guy, what's his deal with the ram horns?

Then it occurs to Tommy he has landed on JSchlatt, the man who exiled him.

Just one thing. Why had he been alone in his office at night, looking depressed as shit? Turns out, Schlatts birthday was tomorrow. Nobody needs to be alone on their own special day, which was what Schlatt was planning on doing, even if they've been a dick, so now it's up to Tommy to lead the man down a path of really dumb adventures and showing him how fun life is while they all get an early healing arc, we don't care.

Words: 3, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Dream SMP, Minecraft (Video Game)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Wilbur Soot, Technoblade's Chat (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Phil Watson | Philza, TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Alexis | Quackity, Fundy (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Original Animal Character(s), Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Other Character Tags to Be Added

Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit, Technoblade & Phil Watson | Philza, Queen Elizabeth & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Alexis | Quackity & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Jschlatt & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)

Additional Tags: TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Pogtopia on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Break (Video Blogging RPF), Chaotic Toby Smith | Tubbo and TommyInnit, Bombs, Help, Good Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Goat Hybrid Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Wilbur Soot, Older Sibling Wilbur Soot, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel, The Void, Fix-It of Sorts, Birthday, Fluff and Angst, Crack, Song: E.T. (Katy Perry), Communication, Mentioned Floris | Fundy, Mentioned Dream SMP Ensemble, Duck Hybrid Alexis | Quackity, Winged Alexis | Quackity, Past Alexis | Quackity/Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Needs More Dinosaurs!, Guns, Angst, Panic Attacks, Why Did I Write This?, Emo, No Smut, No Romance Involving TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Platonic Relationships, Family Feels, Internal Conflict, How Do I Tag, Alternate Universe, Mentioned Karl Jacobs, Mentioned Niki | Nihachu, Baker Niki | Nihachu, Goat Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Chaos, I Don't Even Know

[venus-of-the-hrdsell]

I just think it's extremely evident how DC doesn't care about Zatanna at all when

1. They just add her back to a justice league line up just to kill her off

2. They interrupted the arc Ram V was setting up for her on the last Justice League Dark Annual after she made a deal with Mister E

3. Several variant covers, and only one of them features her with the rest of the team (the one shown on the picture).

4. She doesn't even have a commemorative statue. Nor Dinah or Ollie either, which is also good to point out.

5. None of her team mates are shown on the funeral previews, I hope I'm wrong because that would be to add salt to the wound.

In general I'm just rambling right now but I'm so mad because DC has had her relegated to teams for a decade when she's easily their most popular magic user and the moment they give her more spot light they decide to kill her off?

Like you would think that for a character who has a movie in works they would be more focusing more on her, but I'm done having expectations for DC.

[livelymon]

Pls make some more fluffy Bedrock bros content, I am on the verge of kicking C!Techno arc and I really need some fluffy content. It is totally fine if you want to tho, I will have to make do.

It's been so long since I've answered my asks (thanks for patiently waiting guys), so I've completely forgot what the C!Techno drama was, but I'm here to provide some content for the trying times that have already passed XDDD

Under the cut I'll leave you a teaser for my Jealous!Bunny!Techno fic, it's... kinda fluffy (I mean Techno is definitely fluffy, bunny that he is), I don't have too much pure fluff to offer right now though, so Jealous!Bunny!Techno it is!!! I hope you enjoy anon <3

He comes across Tommy and Wil right where Phil said they’d be. Outside the Pub. They’re standing close together, laughing about something stupid and-

Wil is standing where Techno is meant to stand. Acting like the brother Techno is meant to be. And just… being a general nuisance. Techno really should just stab him, it doesn’t sound like a good idea to do when Tommy is standing right there, smiling at him though, so…

For now Techno plans where he’d hide Wil’s body (the body would never be recovered in his den, but he’d rather the moron was nowhere near anything that belonged to him) as he hops over to his little brother. 

“Ah, Techno,” Tommy’s eyes light up as he sees him (as they should, Tommy should be thrilled whenever he sees Techno). “I was just- ah!”

Techno rams into his side, nudging his head into Tommy’s hair as he glares at Wil from over Tommy’s head. He’s pressed up to Tommy’s side completely, so he can feel as Tommy represses laughter to feign irritation.

“Techno! God, get off of me! You're as clingy as Tubbo!” Tommy only makes a token effort to try and nudge him away, not really caring if Techno is there (he never really cares when Techno drags him into a bunny pile, Techno always feels him sink into the warmth of Techno’s fur).

“No one is as clingy as Tubbo,” Techno says, even though it’s very much not true (look how he and Tommy lean into each other, seeking affection that the both of them truly deserve). Alas, where he’d love to remain in this moment for the rest of eternity, they have more pressing matters to deal with. “Who’s your friend?”

Wil stands within the shadows of the Pub, hiding from the bright sunlight that would surely burn him; hurt him if his Phantom features are anything to go by. He lurks in those shadows with a grin that is not deserved as he observes the two brothers in front of him.

“Wilbur Soot,” the phantom introduces and… what a stupid name. Wilbur. “Tommy and I are like brothers.”

Tommy squawks and pulls away from Techno’s side (a side he should not be breaking away from), to jokingly hit Wilbur. 

“That’s my line, you arse! I’m meant to say we’re like brothers and you’re meant to pretend to cry!” Tommy argues and-

Techno… Techno wants to shove himself back into Tommy’s personal bubble (their personal bubble, really). Wants to pull him away from this threat, but… 

‘That’s my line…’

‘Like brothers…’

Techno doesn’t know how he feels, but he knows he doesn’t like it. He’s… he’s rarely motivated to do something without carrots involved, but right now… Right now he’d bribe someone with his entire stock of carrots just to be able to end Wilbur’s existence.

[300iqprower]

Hot take: Aigis should not have been a romance option.

Blazing Take: Panderingly retconning Aigis into being Persona 3’s canon romance instead of Yukari explicitly undermines Yukari’s character arc and wholly ruins the point of Aigis’s character.

[Spoilers for Persona 3 to follow. It’s old but if it hasn’t been spoiled for you you should absolutely play it by any means necessary yo ho ho and an extra gig of ram]

I can sum it up with this: “Aigis’s premise was not Robot Discovers Love, it was Robot Discovers Guilt” (and the game at one point explicitly states as much)

See while it’s nice to pretend Aigis was a “love at first sight” thing and a robot just magically fell in love because “protagonist detected”, Persona 3 isn’t that shallow or contrived a story. Persona 3 is not a game about love, it is a game about the despair that comes with fate, “Dread” if you will, and that runs central to every character with Aigis being no exception.

Aigis is drawn to Minato/Minako because of what’s housed within him/her, and throughout her time with the group slowly learns emotion. Her ability to feel human emotion is an explicit part of her design. She doesn’t discover emotion because of them, but she does feel things she doesn’t understand, namely the complex emotions P3 heavily focuses on such as the despair that comes with powerlessness or the crushing fear and dread of certainty. And the main thing she feels that she wants to understand that people just decided was love was guilt, guilt for the fate she sentenced the protagonist to, guilt as she realized the kind of crippling depression of isolation that Minato/ko had endured their entire life. Persona Arena even goes on to show deep down such emotions were one of that few that could inherently resonate with Aigis assuming experience was anything like Labrys’s. This sense of guilt is, depending on the medium, either implied or outright stated during the moonlight bridge scene that reveals Aigis’s connection to the protagonist.

So to go and take all that and instead change what compels Aigis from guilt to love isnt just pandering (especially considering Persona 3FES didn’t ACTUALLY consider Aigis a “proper” romance option) but it’s replacing a deeply meaningful concept with a vastly more generic and vapid one with original intended love interest Yukari caught dead in the blast zone. Generally robots learning emotions is only ever power of love trope or a homicidal AI rage situation. Seeing a robot awaken to emotions via complex negative and distinctly sapient concepts like guilt is both unique in itself, and in the greater scope of persona 3’s themes it’s also a powerful message about how it may seem easier to seal oneself off and live unfeeling but doing so can come at great cost to those around you, and while such feelings can terrify oneself there’s also other emotions that come with the bad and make it worth it to live life to the fullest even knowing the bad comes with the good. The former is the life Aigis lived at the start and part of what Metis results from, and the latter is her personal revelation and the core philosophy she lives by after, driving her actions in both the Answer and even Persona Arena.