#gonna have to get the artbook by itself

[eggbertith]

$550 for this y'all got me fucked up

[graphx]

tpn artbook things I noticed!

MATCHING YUUGO AND RAY VEST IM GOING TO EXPLODEEEEEE

Norman with a gun is so funny to me. He is trying so hard to look cool but he is a bird with hollow bones, the recoil from that lil thing would send him to the floor faster than Ray slapping him

stop pretending ur helping Norman, Don is literally doing all the work behind u

he is so scared to be next to ashye even in the poster (rip zack's nose scar)

the fact that norman looks so much like Nat in the concept art XD is that a cowlick or a halo???!?!!

(CHARLIE BROWN????) I regret pointing this out to my sister because now it's my pfp in her phone

vincent's sense of style will never be anything less than amazing. Look at Cislo he is SO READY for game night :D (JEMIMA AND ZAZIE WITH STUFFED ANIMALS AUGHHHHH)

HES IN HIS COMA EVEN IN THE ART IM- jail. jail for a thousand years. right next to his dead dads too IM DONE

have a Dominic it will make you feel better

Paula not knowing how party poppers work is adorable.

what they deserve (im embarrassed to have andrew's face in my camera roll)

look at Ray and Gilda pretending not to care about their little brothers (they love them more than life itself)

HE IS CARRYING THEIR THINGS JUST LIKE A DAD SHOULDDDDDD (upgraded from old man to walking coat rack :D)

why does phil get a father figure that hasn't died D:/ (jk love that for him more stronk phil plz)

YELLOW EYED VIOLET AND BROWN EYED PHIL JUMPSCARE

(my sister: gillian is dying in the bg

me: this ani't about her)

Barbra 🤝 Gillian stealing demon masks and keeping them as souvenirs

EMMAS LOST SHOE!!!!!!!

.......i'm not gonna say anything here........

there was no Don glow up he was always beautiful to me

little bunny revenge arc

he slept in the dining room???? because he didn't wanna go in the old rooms of his siblings where he wrote poachers DDDD:::::::

the ominous messages behind them!!!!!!

[fraeuleintaka]

Capcom Museum Investigations Sketches

This is the 66th post in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Countdown: 15 days left until release!

Today's topic: concept art sketches from the Capcom Museum Ace Attorney Investigations Exhibit!

The Investigations exhibit on the Capcom Museum website has tons of amazing artworks, backgrounds, sketches, promotional material and even the old promotion video for Investigations! The exhibit itself might be closed by now (sadly) but you can still access all the art and stuff they posted including these sketches below. They're originally from the artbook but I had first seen them on the Capcom Museum website and they're lovely so I wanted to talk about them.

This one shows a bunch of concept work done for the life-size figurine of Miles for the Investigations promotion booth back then. The highlighted parts are considered to be particularly important for Miles to look like Miles, that includes the line between his eyebrows and the lock of hair standing out at the back of his head. It's often exactly these kinds of details that make characters suddenly look wrong if they're missing even if you don't actively notice them when they're there. I also love the image of Miles with just his waistcoat on, we've never seen him like that before! (Definitely gonna use this for future fanfic endeavours.)

The next two sketches are particular favourites of mine, they're from the Investigations main trio and I always love seeing them together! The first one shows them rushing to get somewhere (the scene of the crime, most likely). Miles is running in front, very focused and determined, followed by Gumshoe closely behind, with a more concerned look on his face. Kay looks like she's flying or jumping from somewhere above them, her arms stretched and her scarf flapping in the wind reminiscent of an action hero. It's a wonderfully dynamic image, even at the sketch stage, and I'd love to see a fully drawn and coloured version of this. It's amazing how all their personalities come through in such a simple action and how well their team dynamic comes across. Miles as the serious leader, Kay always rushing in headfirst as dramatically as possible and Gumshoe lacking a little behind but always there to support. So nice!

The second one shows them sitting on something (probably a bench) and, again, I love how their personalities and dynamic is expressed in just the way they're sitting! Miles is in the middle with his hands folded on his crossed legs and facing slightly upwards with a very serious expression like he's thinking about something particularly difficult to figure out. Kay is on his left fully croaching on the bench instead of sitting like she could jump up at any time, ready for action. She doesn't look quite as serious but still contemplative propping up her chin with her arm and looking off to the side. Gumshoe has his legs parallel to each other, his feet on the ground and his back straight, the perfect picture of how to sit on a bench. He looks completely relaxed with his hands in his lap and a happy smile on his face. Such a nice contrast between the three! I'd love to have this one fully drawn and coloured too but it's great in the sketch stage as well.

The last piece is a series of sketches done for the cute little comic that came with the Investigations 2 orchestra soundtrack (the final version with translation can be found here). Just from the sketches alone you can roughly tell what it's about, the intro is dramatic with Miles, Kay and Gumshoe all looking distressed, then the reveal that Kay and Gumshoe are wearing baseball gloves and hiding, to a final extremely rough sketch of Miles finding his broken King of Prosecutors' trophy with the culprit clearly being a baseball. Great little comic and the sketches already deliver so much! It's honestly amazing that Gumshoe would agree to playing catch in Miles' office considering he's the one who cleans and is so protective of it. Maybe he thought, in his naivety, that nothing would happen or that he could clean any mess they made before Miles returned... At least it was "only" the trophy that Miles isn't so attached to anyway but I can't imagine him being very happy about them playing ball games in his office 😅 Daily shenanigans of the Investigations crew!

[koskela-knights]

The Art of Alan Wake 2 book spoilers

Making this its own post becos I'm gonna be a negative on this one :P

To be honest, the art book left more to be desired. There are surprisingly few chapters in it with 165 pages.

Foreword

Characters

Environment

Acknowledgements which is just 1 page with the team names

I have Alan Wake Illuminated (as pdf) which sort of serves as an Art book for the first game and it has about 176 pages and 8 different chapters including: unused material, casting, prototypes...

In the few chapters, there's a small intro text/commentary but besides that, not much extra commentary which I severely missed. I always love reading about the process, seeing the sketches, unused ideas, snippets of dialogue or script, etc. and I kinda hoped/wished they would give us more insights about the whole process again with this art book.

Compared to other art books I've seen and have, it remains lacking in that department.

So what's in the book? There are concept sketches about the characters and environment and some 3d renders but most of it I've already seen on ArtStation and during the live streams. Maybe those livestreams are also a reason they didn't put much commentary into the book? Still, a shame because I don't know if everyone has watched those dev streams + I would really love to know more about the design process of the NPCs. Why did they give Saga this hairstyle, why put in these character details, what made them decide to give Alan a more formal suit...? (just some random questions)

Even having a short description of all the featured characters (like those character cards they did on Insta) would've been a fun addition to give the book more body.

(And as a Koskela fan, I feared I wouldn't get more new BTS material with the art book and sadly I'm right)

Lowkey also surprised to find nothing about Yötön Yö. No script pages or photos or concept art. Again, I really wish we would've seen more about that short movie because it rightly deserves more spotlights and acknowledgement. I think in one of the live streams, they also showed the storyboard for the game? Would've loved to see that for the short movie. Show us the uncut ideas (if I believe they intended it to be even longer than the 30min we got?)

And what about the story itself? It's such a mindfuck and wild ride of a story, I think many fans would've been happy to see more insights about the story and the narrative choices. Alan Wake 1 even shines a light (pun intended) on the story and ideas that were thrown around until it became Alan Wake as we know it.

So yeah, I might've had my hopes too high up (lmao as usual when it comes to Koskela content)?

But in general, I feel they could've done more with the book, showcase more of the thought processes behind such an amazing game. Because truly, the art of this game deserves to be shown and to be elaborated on beyond brief chapter introductions on 1 page and brief descriptors.

Idk if it has to do with the company they collabed with or not? From what I've heard from someone else, the Control artbook was legit and detailed.

[monsterblogging]

Like basically if you're going to try and figure out what's Pacific Rim "canon," you're gonna have to deal with the fact that literally every possible source you can get your hands on has mistakes or outdated information of some kind. The novel, the artbook, the comics, Beacham's blog, even the movie itself - none of it is free from problems. Best you can do is try and compare them with each other and use your own judgment to decide what makes the most sense.

[softichill]

How is tok? Ngl I feel like I kinda want to get it but Rainworld plus hi-fi rush is expensive birthday stuff. Speaking of which what are you going to do for your birthday? I plan to get games then sleep. It's my first day of the week I get to rest on after all. Mom is getting me some wax melts. She likes to get me cheap crap for my birthday and it wouldn't be so bad because she's a retiree but she often gets stuff I did not ask for. This year she asked! Yayyyy! That's a great thing and real progress because I'm not gonna stretch her wallet thin. I'd just like some trinket I like. Sis wanted an artbook. I also hate cake. Too sweet. I would eat a steak or taco though. Prolly going to make beef tounge to eat. Been meaning to make Julia Child's receipt for a bit. The episode of Jamie and Julia I watched that gave me the idea is a classic. I'll try to transcribe the idea so if you want the recipe let me know. I think it gets cooked in wine though, so you're prolly not going to be allowed to make it. Your parents could! Have a bite of Bulletproof by La Roux to cleanse your pallete.

It's fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I recommend it to anyone who played botw but I get holding off, Nintendo stuff tends to be very expensive.

I'm planning on having something lowkey!! my parents gave me an early bday present (Cirque du Soleil performance!!! Having the intermission rn) which ig the gift itself isn't very lowkey, but my parents won't be here on my actual birthday so gkdbfksbgj. Also I adore cake, I could eat it for all my meals for a week

Sadly I don't rlly like things with wine in them but thank you for the offer!!! It sounds tasty

Enemy by Imagine Dragons! Stuck in my head all day. Help

[rassicas]

Haikara Walker Pages 179 - 193: The Inconvenient truths of Kamabo Co.

More artbook translations! These ones I translated a couple years ago (except for some stuff on page 188, just did that now lol), but they needed to be spruced up a bit and moved to a more readable format other than shitty discord screenshots on a twitter thread, so here it is. For the most part I’m not gonna bother translating the handwritten text since it’s usually just design notes. (scans by @milkiemilkshake)

[178 + 179, which is the first image i posted] A huge, mysterious company that creeps in the underground world

 The inconvenient truths of Kamabo Co.

During our coverage of the Deepsea Metro, our reporters saw a huge underground experimental facility. According to the sea cucumber conductor, the company that operates the facility is called Kamabo Corporation. In order to find out more about Kamabo Co., our reporters infiltrated deep underground.

[180 + 181]

Beyond light's reach, unusual sights spread in the deep.

[180] In recent years, the existence of the Deepsea Metro has become clear and has garnered attention. Surprisingly, each station is said to be an experimental facility of a company called Kamabo Corporation. Our reporters had a hunch that more secrets were hidden further in the Deepsea Metro. We received a CQ-80 and a CQ Card from the Telephone, who called itself "The Tour Guide to the Promised Land," and started the investigation. As we hopped on the subway, we were greeted by a squishy and blue sea cucumber conductor. "Overcome the challenges of each station, and gather the four thangs" are the words we went by. As we arrived at the first station, we couldn't believe our eyes at the extraordinary spectacle. There were Octarians whose bodies were so unthinkably blue, and objects from back in the day, floating in the air, defying gravity....  And when we listened closely, we could hear mellow sounds, unlike anything heard in the squid's world. What does this facility do? Why did it develop in this way underground? And what is the "promised land" told by the Telephone? We will continue our coverage further. 

[Page 181, bottom left] Inside the facilities of the Deepsea Metro, medical instruments and equipment can be seen everywhere. Although the hospital-esque atmosphere isn't completely there, there are traces of some clinical trials that have been conducted. As the mystery of the dim and lifeless facility deepens, one could shudder at the thought of it.... 

[Page 181, bottom right] The upper image shows Octarians who are dressed in protective body suits, who appear to be doing some sort of research. What is the huge object in the center? The lower image is of the NILS Statute, which is the center of Kamabo Co.'s facilities. Details will be described later, but it’s understood that it was created through advanced science.

[182 + 183]

Aiming for the "Promised Land": to the core of Kamabo Co. and the NILS Statue

[182 bottom left] While surveying the facilities found along the Deepsea Metro, our reporters found a huge statue called the "NILS Statue."  Upon closer examination of it's interior, seven areas could be seen, with names based on the organs of the humans who once thrived, such as the "Coccyx Prison" and the "Villi Control Zone."* This is Kamabo Co.'s most important facility, as it has more blue-green Octarians and advanced equipment than the facilities in the Deepsea Metro. Through unforgiving Octarian assaults and near-death experiences with the traps strung about, we barely escaped through the top of the statue with our lives. The salty sea breeze comfortably caressed our cheeks, and the radiant rays of the sun shone as it set. In the distance, we could see the region of Inkopolis. Is the world we live in the "Promised Land" the Telephone spoke of? [* translators note: While in the English version it's all just "(name of organ) Phase", the JPN version gives the areas names that are more specific to what actually goes on there. I figured it would make more sense in this context to tell what goes on in those areas.]

[183 with the arrows and 5 little pictures]  The top of the head, which is the final area. There's several devices alongside each other that one can't even imagine what they’re for. There's a gaping hole where the mouth and the right eye are, and there seems to be something in them. Yet the more you look at it, the more beautiful and graceful it looks. ↑ An elevator is installed in the "Spinal central hole". This mechanism that runs through the center of NILS statue is like a spine of a human. From the elevator, you can get to a long and narrow ladder that lets you leave to the surface. It's really long, how many steps are there?.... ↑ An energy core is hidden around the "Diaphragm control tower" and "Peristalsis flow passage." When it is set in a certain place, the core supplies a tremendous amount of electricity to the inside the statue. At first glance, the core looks like a Zapfish, but its power is beyond comparison. ↑ The abdomen of NILS statue. This area is fully prepared to keep intruders away, as it is packed with things such as moving scaffolds and life-threatening lasers. Sometimes the Telephone's voice can be heard through the CQ-80, but one can't tell what it's saying, as the transmission gets cut off. ↑ An area located around the waist of NILS Statue. Since weapons can not be found anywhere, one must use stealth to advance. Move slowly, as any sudden movements will expose one's whereabouts to the Octarians. [183, small text by the cut open statue]  An image showing how the internal structure of the human body has been applied to that of the NILS statue. While looking at the statue, we can't help but wonder: are we just something that gets digested through its body? The rumor that the NILS logo represents a "stylish turd"* suddenly has some truth to it.

* [translators note: literally says "kakkoi unko". take that as you will.]

[183 handwritten captions] [pointing to the top of the statue's head] Mem Cake [bottom right] Digest everything and knead it well, and it'll turn into one thing→ 

[184 + 185]

Revealing Kamabo Corporation's Eight Secrets

[184] As a result of searching all over the Deepsea Metro, these eight confidential documents related to Kamabo Co. have been found. These documents show devices that aren't seen in our world, but if their functions and purposes can be explained, then maybe we can reach the hidden truth and essence of the company called Kamabo.

File no. 1 Telephone  [184] A machine installed at the central station. Although it appears to be a piece of telecommunication equipment that was used ancient times, it seems that it was made by combining some of the latest technology. It has the function to detect an ID from an Octarian's body and discern individuals. Removing the back cover confirms it has an elaborate internal structure.

File no. 2 Ticket Examiner [185 top] Ticket gates and dressers are set up at the entrance of each station of the Deepsea Metro. After getting off the metro and choosing a weapon with the dresser, it appears that there's a system in the ticket gate that opens when the specified amount of CQ Points are paid. When one returns to the dresser after clearing a mission, they can receive a Mem cake. File no. 3 Goal Point [185 bottom] The goal point provided at the innermost part of each experimental facility starts up by painting the device with ink, and stops after a certain period of time elapses. It's a device that has been confirmed to be seen even in the Octarian residential areas, but the ones in the Deepsea Metro are shaped like a pen or a push button. [translators note:  The goal point likely looks like a pen because the words for "ballpoint" and "goal point" are extremely close in Japanese.]

[186 + 187]

File no. 4  Target [186 top] The kind of targets that looks like a cube can be set up on the ground, or are often arranged in stacks. The durability depends on the size of the frame. The kind that looks like a round balloon floats in the air. They say that after a certain amount of time passes, it soars up into the sky. File no.5 8-ball [186 bottom] A huge sphere with a big "8" drawn on it. One can roll it around using the momentum of the ink fired from a weapon for example. It is a fine product that boasts of it's sturdiness; if it falls from a high place, it wont get a single crack. It seems that challenges can be solved by rolling it in accordance with the on-site neon signs, and by hitting the bumpers.

File no.6 Traps [187] Traps found within the body of the NILS statue. There are blueprints of a large device that ejects blue-green Octarians that have been packed in boxes, a wall-mounted ink laser, and an energy core. How dreadful would a secret have to be for one to guard it with traps? [handwritten text by the power core] -On a closer look, it's a nucleus-like part of a baby Zapfish. It actually is an egg. -The baby is blobby. -The energy is captured with the socket

[188 + 189]   File no.7 NILS Cannon [188 top]The NILS statue seems to exemplify the dignity of Kamabo Co. Set in its oral cavity is the NILS Cannon, a device that radiates an enormous amount of energy, said to hold the surprising power to remake the world. When it's triggered, our world may be destined to fall....

[188 bottom, by bottom left image] The top of the NILS Statue's head. There are huge tanks and countless antennas and radars that catch radio waves of some kind, reminiscent of an advanced chemical plant or military facility. Just what was this place made for? [188 bottom, by image at the bottom of 189]  The mouth area of the statue operates like a ventriloquist's dummy, and the NILS cannon is deployed as if it's being spat out. The cannon is filled with bright green ink. Upon closer inspection, there seems to be something mixed in among the ink...?

[190+191] File no. 8 Thangs  [190] It gets installed in the Central Station, and as told by the Telephone, it leads to the "promised land". In order to get there, one needs to collect "the four thangs". One can't even imagine what the individual parts do, but according to these top-secret blueprints, one can guess that it's something that kneads. Is that the Telephone in the part that looks like a lid? [advertisement on the right side of 191] Aim for the promised land Mass Recruitment of capable beings Overcome challenges at each facility in the Deepsea Metro, and do the simple job of finding just four "thangs". Even the inexperienced are warmly welcomed, all that matters is if you're motivated! If you can collect the four "thangs”, you will be invited to a bright utopia!! <Application Requirements> Working place: In the Deepsea Metro, all facilities Reward: depends on the challenge Working time: as much as you like Holiday: up to you Remuneration and benefits: depending on your skill Others: you will be supplied with a sample kit*, CQ Card, and a CQ-80 Contact: Deepsea Metro Central Station

[* translators note: The "sample kit" is the name of the bag attached to your ink tank that expands and explodes when you fail a test. JP splat twitter made a post about it, but the SRL never translated it for some reason.]

[bearded-shepherd]

Let’s Talk: Raya and The Last Dragon (no spoilers)

Alrighty, so I just finished watching Raya The Last Dragon and overall I enjoyed it.

You can tell there was quite a bit of world building in this movie but the downsized of it is that it’s a movie. Though i was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to explore more about the different cultures in the movie, but I understand why...

It’s hard enough to create a world with multiple cultures that plays a big part into a general story itself.

Different media can present world building in different ways. The easiest (in my opinion) is through comics compared a movie is a challenge to face. I honestly feel that Raya The Last Dragon should have been a show instead of a movie (heh, maybe in the future, who knows), so they explore more in the world building and the characters.

So the art direction... (more so a character designs)

Before I get to it, the movie is beautiful, I love the floating city of the Talon, each place is so unique in itself.

shit is beautiful bruv...

Anywho...I’ve seen quite a lot of complained about a specific character in the movie and (not gonna lie) I understand why, I made jokes about it too when it was first announce. 

Listen, I do art for a living (atm) and... (imo) ja, it’s not the best anthropomorphic design of dragons; They all felt like a copy and paste. Compared to other animals and companions, it feels a bit out of place (maybe there’s a reason for that, since she is the last dragon).

However, when they did the story telling in the movie, the dragon designs looked good and I kind of wished they implement more of those details from that to the 3d models.

...not all character designs are going to be great and it happens. Move on I guess, I honestly like her human form a bit more and... I mean

you can’t say ‘no’ to that smile, like come on

I would love to get my hands on the artbook in the future and so concept sketches for the would and characters.

The story was good, it kind of held itself back (hindering the movie) a bit to keep it “kid” friendly which I think they shouldn’t have. The consequences and actions didn’t seem too dire. Overall they could have delve a bit deeper.

I’m also a sucker on the “new found family” trope so... I love that shit ok. They all cute af.

And before I end this off..

these 2... If they ever make a sequel of whatever, I hope they can explore a bit more between Namaari and Raya characters

Good stuff, go watch it if ya can.

[naswoop]

Anonymous:

note: i ramble a lot here again. so for everyone's sake ive decided to turn things in parentheses blue 😔👊

anyways i realize itd be kind of awkward to say more stuff. so ive decided to separate this into two different asks due to the change in topic because Man Do I Have Thoughts. Like. All The Time Every Day. this is more of a stream of consciousness thing than an actual theory

but like. you know how "the king IS siffrin" or whatever is a thing. like. a theory that i think most people have?? after finishing the game??? (source: i successfully convinced a friend of mine to get the game and during our post-game conversation she did tell me that the king being siffrin somehow was an idea she briefly had)

and i think weve talked about it before and that. like. how unlikely it is that the king IS siffrin due to the fact that its. uh. too obvious?? well i thought of two (2) more reasons that its (probably) not true:

1. since you own the artbook youd know that siffrin's pronouns are he/they and the king's are he/him. unless future!siffrin decided "hm... today i will go by he/him :)" theyre probably not the same person

2. i faintly remember going through adrienne's twitter and seeing that last year's april fools joke was something about "the king is the only queer character in the cast and that the rest are cishet. ha ha just kidding!!" and since that implies that the king is cishet (...does it??? i am very bad at reading comprehension sometimes) i feel like thatd be a very weird joke to make in reference to a character who has been explicitly confirmed to canonically be both non-binary and ace

HOWEVER. i do think itd go verily hard if siffrin was like. "the prince" or something. i KNOW this is like the third time ive suggested the idea of siffrin's title/character class changing into something else and im SO sorry but please bear with me here. basically. i am thinking about flowey undertale's line of "i am the prince of this world's future". that's literally it. also please ignore the fact that "prince" is also the name of a homestuck class thing i literally havent looked at homestuck since 2019 so i dont remember what each classpect is all about BUT @any homestucks who may be reading this if reading this makes you end up classpecting siffrin as a prince of time then i WILL cry/j /lh

(if i remember my homestuck classes correctly though then a prince is someone who destroys their aspect or destroys using the power of their aspect. so a prince of time would be someone who either destroys time itself and so leaves everything in a timeless state (such as. oh i dunno. freezing the very flow of time itself) OR someone who destroys using the power of time (e.g. freezing living beings in time and thus effectively "killing" them). hm. [imagine me glaring very hard at the king right now])

anyways im not gonna suggest the idea of a character who goes by "the prince" in sasasa and then leave without any further explanation. so like heres my own two cents on it while working under the assumption that siffrin IS said prince. basically. i have very mixed feelings about the idea of siffrin being the king's kid or something (plus! look at the man! he clearly doesn't have a wife! and as divorce anon let me tell you, he's divorced at best!/j) and besides. judging from the shape of siffrin's crafts and what the artbook itself says on it he's PROBABLY not from vaugarde (although i guess to be fair the artbook never explicitly states that siffrin ISN'T from vaugarde so i guess it could be like. deliberate trickery and tomfoolery. maybe being the prince just makes you Built Different™ and turns your crafts to look like that. i dunno. but personally even though i think the concept of siffrin as "distant traveler returning to the hometown they haven't seen in a long, long time" could definitely be done well i have unfortunately grown too attached to the idea of siffrin being from some faraway place. and besides. isn't four (4) vaugardians a Bit Much? im pretty sure much of the appeal for sasasa's main cast is something something found family + people from all walks of life and places all over the earth and whatever coming together and becoming the closest of companions. so i feel like making the researcher the sole foreigner kind of defeats the point.) so my idea on how being the prince works is that its like. a weird messed up magical "natural order of the universe" thing where "the king" and "the prince" are magical titles ushered and forced onto you by the universe/fate itself and being the king. well. being the king just gives you unimaginable power over time and also makes you Like That. meanwhile being the prince kinda uuuh. you know. may make your craft turn into stars regardless of what it should be but DEFINITELY makes something very, very bad and traumatizing involving time happen to you which may or may not be a time loop where you die repeatedly (the time loop could be caused by something else! who knows! the main point is just to make the prince have an awful relationship with the concept of time and/or the passage of it. see: the king's whole motive being to freeze the flow of time itself because he could not handle the change that inherently comes with the passage of time). in conjunction with my previous "exile siffrin" theory this COULD be why they got exiled. either way, when the current king dies, then the current prince gets dragged screaming and kicking by fate itself like "come here. you will become the sole ruler of a tyrannical monarchy whether or not you like it <3" into becoming the new king or something. this promotion may or may not be immediately apparent to the new king. i dunno. i made most of this up on the fly. i DO think itd be very messed up in a fun way though if it is written in fate itself that the current prince will be the one to kill the current king. and hey. what do you know. siffrin is the one who ultimately deals the final killing blow to the king in the true ending.

(ps. this has literally nothing to do with the rest of the theory (if you could call it that) but what are your thoughts on the idea of like. the rest of the bosses in sasasa2 being named after chess pieces. with the combination of the king being named the way he is, the game being in black&white, siffrin's colors being mostly an inversion of the king's (siffrin has (a patch of) black hair but is dressed in white, meanwhile the king has white hair but is dressed in black), fate being a reoccurring theme in sasasa so far and it being a Bad Thing, and something something about a pawn (who is destined to move only in a straight line until the end of the board, much like how siffrin cannot stray from his journey until the very end) getting promoted when it reaches the end of the chessboard, i personally think itd be VERY cool/g)

Wait, holy heck, I didn’t know asks could come in blue

I'm gonna post this now and type a response later because it's been in my inbox for far too long, but heck yeah more theories with Divorce Anon time

[fireemblemtcg]

“The Cipher Frontier!” Issue 58: “Cipher Will Never Die!”

"The Cipher Frontier! With Emma, Shade, Yuzu, Randal, Alice, Val, Niamh & Poe" was a regular column on the Fire Emblem Cipher website which summarized upcoming news concerning Cipher and other Fire Emblem materials. It was presented by the eight mascot characters. The following is a full translation of the 58th and final issue of the column, which was originally published on 31 March 2021.

More Fire Emblem Cipher translations!

Hello, everybody!!!!!!!!

It's been over five years since Cipher launched - and, for that matter, The Cipher Frontier! itself...

And today... we bring you the last one!

Sniff... So this is really it...

Aye, it certainly is a bitter occasion.

With the moment upon us, I find myself overcome with emotion. Yet at the same time, I cannot help but sorely wish that this day had never come at all.

Well, it... It doesn't bother m-m-me... Not... one...

BWAAAAAAAAAAAH! I C-C-CAN'T TAKE THIS!

E-easy, milady! You swore before we began that you would not cry!

I, too, owe very, very much to all of you, so... I am very sad.

Where there is a beginning, so too shall there be an end... It is an inevitability.

Still, one might argue that as long as there are still decks to play with and opponents to challenge... Cipher may be played for eternity. So think not on this as the end, for this is but a milestone of life.

Sniff... So this isn't farewell?

Not in the least! All of our players can still continue to get together to play Cipher. So as sad as you might be now to see the game end, the feeling won't last! And I, for one, would like to close out our final day with a smile.

To that end, I propose that we all share some parting words. You first, Emma!

Alrighty! Well, I've been here since the beginning, but... Back then, I was an absolute noob, wasn't I? I didn't have the faintest idea what a "Tea See Gee" even was!

But then I learned so much from Shade, and I presented news, participated in Tryout and Gathering events, and watched Live Broadcasts - and all of that gave me the chance to grow so much.

And then as the days went by, we got to meet Yuzu and Randal, Alice and Valjean, and Niamh and Poe, and we all always had a riot of a time playing Cipher together... It's all been like something out of a dream!

Lastly, I just want to say thank you...

To all of you who've been reading our column to date, thank you tho thuch!

Ha! Is that a slip of the tongue I hear?

Why, I do believe it was... And of all the words to flub, at that.

H-heh heh heh! I guess I am still just a kid after all... But mark my words, I'll be working even harder to become a mature, full-fledged knight! Okay, let's try this again... Thank you all!

Well, I'm next! I was primarily tasked with hosting this column and presenting news.

But the work introduced me to more and more friends, and to a constant stream of announcements that were news to me myself... To lose it is like I've also lost my reason to exist, but at least I am left with fond memories of it all.

My desire to convey the appeal of Cipher to others hasn't wavered in the slightest, but... this is the last time it will ever happen here. Alas. Still, I will always be rooting for all of you, even if we don't see each other.

There will always be a bond between us - always. Remember that whenever you play Cipher and see our cards. On this, you have my word! This has been Shade, shepherd of wayward lambs, saying farewell!

Alright, then. You're next, Yuzu!

...

Huh? Yuzu! What's gotten into you? Would you just get out here?

Er, forgive me. When everybody's gaze turned upon me, I could not help but immediately seek shelter...

Oh, yeah. You never did like public speaking, did you, Yuzu?

Of course! We had a devil of a time convincing you to come out at all for your very first column.

E-enough! That was many years ago: a d-d-difficulty that I have long since moved past!

Hrr-hrr-hrr... heh-HEM! L-l-let us, er, begin anew.

I am Yuzu. My contribution to this column was to introduce cards that afforded new styles of play... only to let a haze of utter passion promptly consume me and hence spend my every waking hour crafting decks from them and trialling them in matches.

You always were one to cry, "I must test these cards at once!" and throw yourself into obsessive research.

As such, I have acquired an eye for strategy, forged in the fires of Cipher, to incorporate into my prior mastery of the martial arts - and with that, at long last, I have come to an understanding of the very heart of warcraft.

Further, as a consequence I may declare with confidence that, should I ever find my brother, I shall be able to hold my head high for all that I have grown in his absence. For that, you have my most heartfelt gratitude. So end my parting words!

Thank you, Yuzu. Right, it's your turn, Randal!

Huh? Oh, right then!

I've got a motto: always take your games deathly serious, and always make your own fun on the job… And, well, this has been my chance to prove those words true.

I mean yeah, I'm a wanderer at heart; I might've stuck around a bit too long... but that's just because this was all a hell of a lot of fun.

Oh, I agree... It was a HELL of a lot of fun!

GAH! It's... It's you!

Well, well. We have a stranger among us!

Pah! "Stranger," indeed. This hair, this face, this ribbon... None of this ring a bell?

Eh? Do you... do you mean Randal?

Indeed! I am...

...His son, no? It is nice to meet you!

OI!

What are you on about?! I AM Randal, just from the past - younger than the one you know!

It's happening again! The exact same argument!

This really must be the end, if HE'S here...

This is how you treat me? I have to hear that the last column is happening at the eleventh hour and make a mad dash to make it in time?! Bloody hell...

What is this? A being under the thrall of the Boundless Chaos? How intriguing. I must conduct a thorough examination at once...

H-hey! What are you doing, Niamh?! You look deathly serious... Oi, that's enough! Stay back! I... I've got a sword!

Well, er, I'm just about all out of time, but I just want to say it was a hoot being on the Frontier. Hope I see you all again someday. Adios!

He vanished?! Still more intriguing...

Sigh... What a pain in the arse, if I do say so myself. Although... I must admit, we do agree on one thing: I'd also be glad to see you all again.

This might be one farewell, but here's hoping we cross paths once more! And if we do, hey, why not play a match with this old fart? And that's all she wrote from ol' Randal!

Thank you. Next, let's hear from Alice and Valjean!

Heh heh! At last! Shall we, Val?

Yes, milady.

The two of us made our debut circa Series 10, and ever since that day, the Frontier never failed to be a most thrilling time. Would you agree, Val?

Yes, milady.

My objective in making this journey was simple: to experience much in my travels, such that I might someday return home and become a great ruler indeed. But instead, I first became a most superior, most brilliant Cipher player! Utterly invincible! Favored by fortune! And whatnot. Didn't I, Val?

Yes, milady.

I remember... that every time a Cipher release day came, I would be up all night from their eve, crafting decks and playing matches with the others. Oh, it was such fun! Wasn't it, Val?

...Yes, mi... mi... milady! Sniff...

V-Val?! What is the matter with you?

I am most moved. That my most capricious liegelady could at last find in Cipher such an engaging hobby, such good company, and such a source of training - and that she could grow so greatly as a woman.

Val...

We have been truly blessed to have had all of this: all of you, who welcomed us so warmly into the Frontier fold, and all of the Cipher players out in the world. I wish to offer you my gratitude for everything.

To be honest... I have something to say on that matter myself. Thank you, truly, for everything. I will never, ever, ever, EVER forget even a single day that we spent here together!

Nor shall I!

...Having said that, milady, I fear that you are still yet unready for the throne! From today onward, we must redouble your original leadership training efforts! I fully intend to prepare for you an intensive study regimen.

I-I-I beg your pardon?! You will not speak to me so! If I see even a single incorrect mark, you would do well to prepare yourself, for I will work you to the very bone for the rest of your days!

By all means, do it. But be prepared, for I have a lifetime's worth of admonishments at the ready.

Heh... Best of luck to the two of you!

Your turn, Niamh!

I was present from the 37th column onward... To be precise, it was in the "Love and Bonds Special Talk CD" audio drama that came as a set with an artbook, sold at Comiket 93.

My inquiry and research into the miscellaneous phenomena of this world, and the Boundless Chaos in particular, shall continue, but...

...

Well?! Don't tell me that's all you have to say!

...No. To me, my inquiry into Cipher represented the introducton of a new, major challenge into my life. Cipher decks... Gameplay... Which solution is correct, and which is optimal... As yet, I still have found no answers. As such, it is vital that going forward, I collaborate with a broad sample of Cipher players and find an answer...

So what you're saying is, you enjoyed playing Cipher with everyone, and you're gonna keep playing forever!

That, er... Ahem! That's pretty much it.

Cryptic remarks if I ever heard them, but certainly Niamh-ish.

Right, let's keep this going with Poe!

Only a year and a half has passed since I was welcomed to this column, and sadly, in the end our association has been brief. But I was able to have a very fulfilling time with you.

Attending that Winter Comiket thing with all of you, playing the "Recite and Play: Heroes Iroha" card game being sold there... They were very happy days.

And in all of that, I have always been monitoring Niamh...

...

Hee hee... You have been a good girl here, have you not? I do nothing to good girls.

If one of you becomes wicked, at that time I shall... Heh... Heh heh heh heh heh...

So, I pray that we never have an unpleasant reunion, and end my speech. Thank you. This has been Poe!

Heh... Let's keep that warning in mind.

...With that, have all of us spoken?

Tsk tsk... We aren't actually finished just yet! Since this is our last column, allow me to call upon a special guest!

...A guest? Wait, you don't mean...

Ta-daaaaa! Here he is!

Hello, everyone! I am Kawade, the producer of Fire Emblem Cipher.

K-K-KawadeP!

My, what a surprise!

The publication of the final Frontier coincides with, at last, the end-of-March termination of event support for Cipher. So I thought I would share a message for all of our readers and Cipher players.

If you count from when Cipher was first announced, roughly six years have passed. That's a long time, yet it's just flown by... These have been very busy years, but also wonderful ones, absolutely full of memories and events.

In that time we've constantly taken on new challenges - not just the production of Cipher itself, but Twitter content, live broadcasts, and staging events all around Japan.

And through all of that, we've had the chance to meet so many fans of Fire Emblem and Cipher... That was not only the most fun part of all, but a part that made us happy.

Although, we were unfortunately unable to hold any of our planned events for our final year, and for that I am truly sorry to all of you.

Still, we staff stuck with it to the very end, and as a result were able to complete Cipher as a fantastic game that can be played for years and years to come. For that, we are proud of ourselves.

It was thanks to all of you, who kept on supporting us, that we could continue our work to this standard all the way to the final series. I am overcome with gratitude to you all!

Production might have come to an end, but Fire Emblem Cipher will never die! It would make me happy if, every now and then, you might bring your cards out and play with them. Thank you all, truly, for everything!

And that concludes KawadeP's remarks!

Whew!

That, I believe, is everything that we wished to share.

Aye, I've got nothing to add.

So I suppose this is it: the end of the Cipher Frontier's long run.

Er... Shade? Can I say one last thing?

Hm? What is it, Emma?

Thank you for taking the lead in hosting this last one... And thank you so much for all the things you've taught me!

(Emma...)

H-hey! That's enough of that! You're about to make me cry, and that wouldn't be ending this day with a smile, would it?

Heh. I guess not!

So hey, let's give them one last, enthusiastic That Thing before Shade bursts into tears!

Very well, then. That Thing it is! This has been The Cipher Frontier!

With Emma...

Shade...

Yuzu...

Randal...

Alice...

Val...

Niamh...

...and Poe.

Now, then...

Let's do it, everyone!

One...

Two...

CIPHER!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!

...

...

...

...

FIRE EMBLEM CIPHER The Cipher Frontier! With Emma, Shade, Yuzu, Randal, Alice, Val, Niamh & Poe

Emma Emma continues to train in order to become a full-fledged pegasus knight. Her tireless Cipher training also continues, but she has yet to show much improvement at the game.

Shade Veteran mage that she is, Shade continues to teach the next generation. Many seeking to become almighty Cipher players have come to her, only to struggle bitterly under her tutelage - yet at the same time, to Emma and the others, she remains a nurturing guiding hand.

Yuzu Yuzu embarked on a journey of martial training, all the while following whispers of her brother's whereabouts... although evidently, she does return from her travels from time to time, bearing souvenirs, to partake in Cipher matches with all of her friends.

Randal Randal made a truly once-in-a-lifetime wager, only to go into hiding thereafter. Some rumors attest that he won, and that with that windfall he secured for himself a carefree life of quiet leisure in some southern land - others, that he met with a catastrophic loss, and was hence forced into labor in someplace.

Alice Alice's travels continue, as she seeks all the experience that she needs to become a true leader. Although at first she struggled, she grew to thoroughly enjoy it, and so she will persist in her journey without ever taking a break to return home... Or so she tells herself, at least.

Valjean Valjean continues to travel all across the land with his liegelady. Witnessing Alice grow ever stronger and wiser by the day, he cannot help but feel conflicting feelings of joy and loneliness beneath the privacy of his helm.

Niamh Even as she continues in her pursuit of wisdom, Niamh silently carries out research into Cipher. Her seminal monograph, "A Compendium of Cipher Decks," is over 100 volumes in length, and by all accounts is still in print to this day.

Poe Poe vanished in her hunt for evil, and her whereabouts remain unknown. However, according to the afterword of "A Compendium of Cipher Decks," she and Niamh have since fought to the death on many an occasion.

The End...???

[theonceoverthinker]

I wish I could be happy, but I’m not

(I made a thread of this on Twitter this morning, but I’m going to elaborate on it here because as you’ll see in a different sense on this post, character limits are BS)

So I'm not gonna lie, I think the line about Clover that many in my neck of the fandom are getting excited over isn't the loving acknowledgment of how Qrow felt about Clover that many seem to think it is. 

Follow me on this one:

Is it good that Clover was finally explicitly brought up? Yes. 

Did they do it in a terrible way? YUP, and I'll explain how in just a moment. 

Am I surprised? Less than I ever wanted to be.

Actually, before I begin, because I KNOW people are gonna come after me for this post one way or another, I just want to ask those people if they think I LIKE being this negative? Do they think I LIKE being so cynical towards a show that I used to have so much fun with, a show that I was starting to trust? Don’t you think I want to be excited about Volume 8 with everyone else, and that prior to Volume 7, I wasn’t having the time of my life thinking about and enthusiastically waiting for the new episodes.

No, believe me, I’d be thrilled to enjoy this new volume with everyone else, but after the waking nightmare that was 7X12 (An episode that keeps getting worse and worse the more you look at it, as if an evil version of a Where’s Waldo artbook), CRWBY made it pretty apparent to not trust them as far as I can throw them, to guard my heart, and to temper any positive expectations I have for this show because they can and will likely let me down.

Full disclosure: I’m not watching the volume itself in the traditional sense: I’m having the context of the scenes explained to me by a wonderful friend, and seeing and reading the dialogue and facial expressions of the scenes through gifs, pictures, and the like on various Twitter and Tumblr blogs. That having been said, I take confidence that I am getting an accurate and complete understanding of the Qrow scenes.

Okay, let’s go...under the cut because this got LONG!

The line that starts with "The thing that really stings..." is the line in question, just in case there was any doubt since Qrow speaks a fair bit in this episode (Yes, I’ve read through the full line, but this post is already gonna be long enough without transcribing the whole thing, here it is if you haven’t checked it out yet). It comes up right after Qrow talks about Clover's death.

“The thing that really stings” is a crucial opening line. It implies that on a list of important matters pertaining to the given topic being touched upon, what he’s about to state is the most important of them.

And what does he go on to talk about after that opener? 

Semblances. Just semblances, or rather, just his semblance.

Qrow talks about how he was finally entertaining the notion that there was somebody he could be around without having to worry about his semblance complicating things, but that he now believes that possibility was nothing but a childish dream.

This line (which I HOPE is just accidentally clunky because I DO want the Staff Theory to be true so we can start to recover from all this BS in a way that lets me keep enjoying this series) is a lot more harmful to the Fair Game relationship than anyone in the Clover and Fair Game fandom seems to think it is. I genuinely don't want to rain on anyone's parade because I know a large part of my fandom is pretty excited about it, but I can't leave this alone. 

I'll be frank: This line implies that Clover's death on it's own (The act of the character of Clover dying, his entire being, personality and all) isn't as important to Qrow as what that death symbolizes. All it does is just talk about how Clover meant he could be around someone and not have his semblance mess things up.

It doesn't discuss the bond they formed over their time in Atlas together. It doesn't discuss how Clover was someone who was addressing his self-loathing and absence of a team or how they cared about each other. These things would imply that Clover meant something to him as a person outside of his semblance.

Now did the paragraph need to go into detail about or even discuss Clover and Qrow’s bond? Not necessarily, but with a line starting with "what really stings" that only on to talk about Clover as he relates to his semblance undercuts what made Clover's character so beloved in the first place.

Clover fans didn't fall in love with Clover because of his semblance. It was an interesting aspect of his character, sure, but it wasn’t the only one by a long shot.

We fell in love with Clover's unique personality, how he was cocky without the pompousness or bullying that tends to come with that cockiness, as well as his emotional softness and how it contrasted with our expectations at every turn, even extending to his support-suiting weapon.

We fell in love with how Clover, even dealing with people he was technically sort of opposed to like Robyn Hill, he made every effort to be diplomatic, careful towards her election, and sincere. 

We fell in love with how Clover, unlike the rest of his team, was the notable exception to the rule of the Ace Ops not being friends with their teammates.

We fell in love with the many, many interesting visual aspects of his character design, both individually as well as how closely they mirrored Qrow’s.

We fell in love with the concern he had for Qrow, someone who Qrow was finally on an equal playing field with and could grow to trust as well as willingly and happily team up with.

We fell in love with Clover’s persistence in getting close to him and having Qrow come to a place where he could acknowledge his own worth.

So understand that this line says that the thing about Clover that left the biggest impression on Qrow (And by extension in terms of the show’s meta narrative, the audience) was not that character that we cared for because of who he was, but instead that Qrow cares more about how Clover benefitted him personally on a strictly utilitarian level than the actual connection he and Clover shared as people.

That sentiment does an incredible disservice to Clover's character. Despite what those who defend 7X12 felt, Clover was a character with dimension (And by no means was an Adam, just to stop that garbage comparison in its tracks before it comes up again). What that line does is callously strips away that dimension to make Clover almost something closer to a one-note manic pixie dream boy, and only for the purposes of his semblance, at that. 

That’s not good writing, and it shouldn’t be as revered as it presently is (I know the episode’s only a few hours old at the time of writing this, but this seems to be the line’s perception by the Clover and Fair Game fandoms).

More than anything -- more than the possibility of Jailbirds becoming canon, or the lack of connecting Clover and the staff this volume -- this sentiment that Clover’s only worth came from his semblance said by Qrow himself (The character who spent a lot of time bonding with him) makes me worried about whether or not we will actually get a Clover revival. 

Again, I don't want to ruin anyone's fun (Though I know I risk it just by making this and will probably be subject to all manner of online torment as a result because that’s just the way things go around here), but I think we Clover fans need to acknowledge the dangerous wording of this line and temper our expectations accordingly.

Today's Clovember theme is 'wish.' I'm not gonna stop wishing for Clover's return. I'm not gonna stop hoping for Clover's return, either. 

However, I don't want another 7X12 to happen to myself or the various others in the fandom that I’ve grown to care about this past year again. I can’t ignore a bad sign when it’s staring me in the face, leaving such a foul taste in my mouth in the way that this is. Fair Game Buddies and Clover fans alike, please just be careful. I love you all.

[spongebob-connoisseur]

oh yeah didnt nick also want spongebob to be a kid because nick didnt think him being an adult would make him relatable to kids (however you look at spongebob and what kind of timelines and universes or something spongebob is technically a kid at the start of the series being 12 haha) and they also wanted him to attend a school so thats why hillenburg made him attend boating school

Yeah they did! Hillenburg was basically was ready to walk out if they kept insisting the sponge be a child. It just wouldn't work if he was a complete kid. I also feel like it would ruin the charm of the show since sponge was a kid but without the restraints of being a kid like parents, rules, school. That kind of stuff.

Spongebob was intended to be a manchild of sorts. In the artbook it describes him like how Stanley Laurel from Laurel and Hardy. They have wives and responsibilities but still act childish and get themselves into silly scenarios. He's also been described as kind of a PeeWee Herman and Jerry Lewis. He's got responsibilities but also a kid at heart.

Hillenburg didn't mind much the compromise of putting spongebob in boating school because it lead to the creation of his favorite character; Mrs. Puff.

Ya kno about him being a kid when he got his job at the krusty krab and the whole kamp koral thing. It kind of works out? Ignoring Sandy in there and all the other problems of KK. Kamp Koral establishes itself as taking place in 1999 and spongebob getting his job at the krusty krab in the future. The episodes are taking place in the future, not at the same time of their air dates.

I always suspected the show takes place in the future and not at the air dates of the episodes because it didn't make sense that he'd get his job at 12 and with the employee of the month awards he has, he should have been 30+ years old by the time of the 1st movie. That's not even touching the awards he has in the episode Employee of the Month. Kamp Koral surprisingly fixed this problem. The whole Spongebob timeline is kinda scrambled (if one even exists at all) but we can at least guess where it begins now.

Now I'm not getting into the whole drama of kamp koral. I know on a post like this I would get questions but I'm utterly exhausted. I just think this detail works and that's all I'm gonna say.

[shinneth]

Spill the tea on Stevinel (just because I saw one for conniverse) And yes, I'm not on Anonymous. Because I'm a proud stevinel shipper and no one's going to stop me from loving it, also your blog is cool

And you know what? That’s the right attitude to have! People should be free to express what they ship without shielding themselves with anonymity. I don’t blame the people that do these days - antis are fucking dangerous people - but goddamn, people. It’s fiction. 

So I commend you for shipping Stevinel openly and proudly! Hard to believe it’s actually considered a bold and brave move just to be open and honest about harmless preferences these days. 

That said, I’m sorry it took so long to get to this. I felt you deserved an epic, given how unexpectedly successful my tirade on why Connverse is a shit ship with an undeserved golden reputation was...

But the truth is, even though I’m very much a Stevinel shipper, it’s definitely not my OTP.

And it’s very tricky for me to figure out how to spill the tea on Stevinel in a way that’s distinct from me doing the same with Stevidot.

Because, well, let’s face it: these two ships, beyond being very similar in nature, have also endured identical hardships from the fandom.

All the death threats Stevinel fans get from the raging antis for daring to ship something so “problematic/immoral/wrong/not Connverse”? 

Stevidot fans have been treated that exact same way for years. And still are. For the exact same reasons.

Both Stevinel and Stevidot shippers are valid, but the fandom constantly turns a blind eye to Rebecca Sugar’s husband who also worked on the show outright saying gem x human ships are FAIR GAME.

And also turn a blind eye to the recent interview where Sugar herself stated that the gems are more like AI - a conclusion I and many others deduced ages ago just by how gems are portrayed in the show. 

But by god, they’ll hang on Matt Burnett’s word that “grown gems” are a thing even though canon itself explicitly states that GEMS DON’T GROW.

Just like how despite Maya Petersen outright admitting that Aroace!Peridot is just her headcanon, people treat it like the fucking gospel now.

(no offense to anyone who’s committed to that particular headcanon - I just don’t really see it with Peridot in particular and it’s really fucking stupid to claim it’s 100% canon when the source herself explicitly said it wasn’t)

Well, it’s canon that Spinel kissed Steven and he didn’t turn into dust. And Steven was already well on his way down the path of self-destruction at this point in time; he would’ve gone monster whether this happened or not. 

Also, how often does a character get the “heart eyes” expression for just a platonic love?

If there was ever a scene where Connie or Steven had heart eyes, no doubt most of the pricks would scream “YES!!!! UNDENIABLE PROOF THAT THEY’RE IN LOVE!!!”

But when it’s Spinel, suddenly it doesn’t count? Really?

How convenient.

There’s also the stupid idiots who saw the conceptual development of Spinel in that movie artbook and saw some vague color keys during a conceptual stage and claimed that Spinel was “family” to Steven - which of course must mean “related” and therefore must make Stevinel an incestuous relationship! 

Which is bull. Also shit. It’s already common knowledge that gems don’t work that way. She was the designated playmate for Steven’s mother. Nothing more.

Of course, most gems who come in Steven’s orbit end up being sort of a family to him. 

But everyone seems to have this impression that a gem being part of Steven’s family means they become additional surrogate mom figures.

And yeah no, that’s dumb and wrong. Garnet and Pearl are really the only ones I’d consider actual “mom figures”. Amethyst’s more of a big sister. Everyone else can vary depending on perspective, but I’ve never seen any of the other gems as anything close to a motherly figure for Steven. Any time I see shit about Lapis or Peridot being regarded as “gem moms” to Steven, I laugh my ass off. They are so not moms or any kind of authoritative figure for Steven. Bismuth at best is more of the fun-loving aunt.

There are more roles in a family than just a paternal/maternal substitute. In fact, I believe Steven has considered Connie to be part of his family well before they hooked up in canon.

(as a side-note, I love how people who are allegedly SO squicked out by age gap ships totally pardon Connverse - you guys realize Connie was 14 in Future, right? Possibly 15 depending on the time scale? There’s gonna be a point in the relative near future where Steven is 18 and Connie isn’t - why don’t I hear you assholes angst about that “atrocity”, huh?)

I honestly do consider the CG B-Team as part of Steven’s family, but more in a loose sense. But by that same token, I consider Connie as part of the family in a similar manner. 

Especially since Spinel was shoved off to live with the Diamonds after the movie - and the Diamonds themselves have a very fucked-up relationship among themselves to the point where I honestly hesitate to put a familial label on it at all - it’s extra stupid to try and paint Stevinel as something with incestuous overtones when it clearly doesn’t. 

Spinel does happen to be a perfect representative of how full of shit antis are about age gaps, though. 

While Peridot’s age has always been left vague, we know she can’t be 5K or older due to being an Era 2 gem. Due to her utter lack of knowledge of Era 1 events (or being completely sold on the Diamonds’ propaganda) and her general inexperience with her own equipment - as well as her ability to quickly adapt to Earth - I always headcanoned Peridot as being especially young. Like, younger-than-Steven young. 

Mostly because Peri’s attitude reeks of Gen Z - also because it’d be nice for a change to have a gem who isn’t thousands of years old like literally every other noteworthy gem in the show. We need a representative of gemkind who hasn’t been around for ages. 

Of course, Spinel’s backstory proves that even if they went the boring route and made Peridot thousands of years old just like everybody else, it wouldn’t really mean much of anything. She’d be no less of a valid romantic option for Steven regardless of age.

Spinel is several thousands of years old, and the movie explicitly shows us what exactly that amounts to for a gem.

As I mentioned earlier, Sugar sees the gems more like AI. Spinel remaining in one spot for several millennnia, not moving an inch, not speaking to anyone, not seeing anything other than a gradually-deteriorating garden... yeah, and somehow, despite all that, Spinel’s still very childlike per her design. She had literally no room to mature or accrue life experience: Pink Diamond basically hit the pause button on her entire life.

Even though she’s several thousands of years old, through no fault of her own, Spinel’s mindset remained unchanged. It wasn’t until Steven inadvertently came into her life that she became twisted - understandably so after finally realizing she’d been abandoned by Pink. 

But she still didn’t completely lose her true self. Spinel realized on her own that Steven didn’t deserve to suffer just because his mom was a negligent asshole. She also came to understand on her own that unlike Pink, Steven truly cared for her no matter what shit she threw his way. 

Steven could give Spinel the care and attention she always deserved; something Pink totally denied her while deceiving her into wasting away with her abandoned playground. He could be the one to give Spinel the love she always deserved but was either denied or manipulated into believing she got. 

Honestly, this is more than enough to warrant building something more between these two. 

The age gap is irrelevant. The two have chemistry. They aren’t related.

(and honestly, this is fiction - these details are largely irrelevant in fiction anyway. I’m only bringing it up because it doesn’t take much research to find that every label the antis put on Stevinel is complete inaccurate Diamond propaganda bullshit)

Stevinel is FINE. Let people ship it if they want to!

Um... is that good enough?

Honestly, I’m not gonna lie: Stevinel’s pretty goddamned popular; so much that I’m a bit jealous of it. I enjoy the ship a lot, but I’ve been keeping it at arms-length all this time. I’m looking forward to when I can write my own brand of Stevinel interaction when I get to introduce her in my series, but that’s still a while to go. 

Also, there’s almost zero Peridot/Spinel material, let alone my Peridot/Steven/Spinel OT3. And Stevidot material is still hard to come by; I’m noticing Stevinel’s still quite a bit easier to find by comparison. 

So in a way, I feel many other unpopular ships deserve some tea-spilling sooner than Stevinel because Stevinel at least still has a sizable fanbase. Same can’t really be said for a lot of similar ships here...

A lot of this can apply to other Steven x gem ships, honestly. 

But I guess I haven’t been showing Stevinel much proper love due to my devotion to my superior SU-AU. I can only hope I can soon reach a point where I can have GA Spinel react to Steven, since their dynamic will be significantly different.

(and then one day I’ll finally make the Peridot/Steven/Spinel OT3 fic!!)

Until then, I can only hope I did Stevinel some justice here!

[yakocchi]

hello it is me i’m here to convince u to vote for one of these BMP events to be officially posted ON THE YOUTUBES in this Reprint Event Election they’re holding for the 10th Anniversary. oh my

The site for the event is here (click the little banner with Sieg and Kuon for the survey itself)

bc u see, there are a lot of events up where i’m like... why is this even eligible to vote for ( ´_ゝ｀) a lot of them have already been reprinted on LT/Party already and even a few were reprinted again on BMP2. the fuc i wanna see the events that haven’t reappeared ever

I’m probably gonna translate the routes of the event that will win... if i care about said event (´;◞౪◟;) this is my only form of bribery, forgive me

u should vote for one of the events behind the cut ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

So there’s 15 BMP1 events to choose from, but take it from me... only like maybe half of them are worth even looking at bc the rest have either been reprinted once or twice. either that, or they’re relatively older compared to some of the others in the roster and we should pick the shiny newer ones. imo 

the way they phrased it makes it sound like they just have all the code rotting in the back (which they do) and all the other events will once again be sent to the shadow realm when this is over. man i hope not, some of these haven’t seen the light of day in... like 4-5 years 

So these are the few events I personally will promote:

嘘つき片想い～プリンセスの桜涙～ The Lying, Unrequited Love // The Princess’s Sakura Tears

Routes: Original 6 Princes + Yakov + Zain (Theo Bonus Story) Recap: This event was a love triangle event where the routes consisted of the main character getting MC in the better ending and the alternate character the normal ending. This is your typical “muh pathos” event where you feel bad for the character that ends up having to watch his unrequited love (MC) go off with the other man. i mean granted, bmp1 never really had much emo events for the princes themselves. usually the angst was reserved for the butlers LOOOL

Why you should vote for it: For one, it has all the route characters as event routes. It even has a story with Theo (!!!) for the All Clear prize but idk if they’re gonna post that too The other reason is DRAMA bc the love triangles were like this:

bruh they did theo dirty like that, squaring him up with a grown ass man

素肌で感じるPrinceの愛❤～朝までシーツに包まれて～ The Prince’s Love, Feeling His Naked Skin // Wrapped Up in the Sheets Until Morning

Routes: Original 6 Princes + Yakov Recap: This event was the corresponding White Day event to the previous Valentine’s Day event (but that one isn’t eligible to vote for bc idk) anyway this one had an additional bath theme, aka most (all? the chibis were all bath related so) of them involve bathtime with ur boo and stuff. it’s less cute and more hot trust me look at these CGS THO:

here are the thumbnails for the ones i don’t have. lol voltage makes it pretty easy to find the image urls for some stuff so:

as i got these i realized these are in the artbook. bah but i’m too lazy to take it out and snap pics  Why you should vote for it: cuz it hot and has nekkid princes haha i am a simple girl 

“It’s because I heard your bold confession.”

執事とイケないジェラシーNight～愛のスパイスは独占欲❤～ A Naughty Jealousy Night with the Butler // The Spice of Love is Possessiveness

Routes: The 6 Butlers + Zain (Yuri Bonus Story) Recap: honestly back when i played bmp1 i just kinda napped through the butler events so i could get a cute skirt so you’re on your own here i do think i have CGs from this event... i just dunno which ones they are PERHAPS it is this one? i dont know it’s been so long well if not you can enjoy these i guess

Why you should vote for it: voltage: u can have one butler event, as a treat this is the only event with the butlers as route choices up for election. Honestly I would’ve much preferred the triad event set of “im getting married to my butler guy” but those have to all come together and it seems that the current BMP fandom is already pretty uninterested in the BMP1 butlers except Yuri so... rip. 

王子様のプロポーズ❤～キミにかける永遠の魔法～ The Prince’s Proposal // The Eternal Magic Cast on You

Routes: The 6 Princes + Yakov Recap: I’m pretty sure this was the 5th (and final) Anniversary Event for the princes. It was a glimpse into the future where the princes are now kings and stuff. ...It’s not as exciting as you’d think bc most of the routes just involve doing duties as a queen and how stressful that is. ah reality. in my fantasy country game. But still, it’s a unique theme for an event. I actually have all the routes for this lol, I’m just too lazy to crack that old zip open and go through the less interesting dialogue ( ´_ゝ｀) like the yakov route is her getting stressed out about having to lead the opening of Sanct Sybil’s new design school and even former-workaholic yakov is like “waifu why u gotta bring work into bed” and then the wil event was them having to plan an event together for some stuffy nobles or w/e and claude judges them (bc yea he cares but still) the whole way through. have we not suffered enough claude-terror for a decade

Why you should vote for it: This is the last Anniversary event BMP1 had, and it’s about them as kings. They have the 4th and 3rd Anniversary events also up to vote, but... that seems kind of backwards to vote for imo. I remember the 4th anniv one and it was... all right. that one was before yakov had a route tho so mc and him were only acquaintances zzz

so yea those are the events i would like to see posted. Thank u for readin my garbage!!

[markoftheasphodel]

So, Leif is coming to Heroes again in his guise of “Unifier of Thracia.”

Been reading some meta/discussion on here, Reddit, and SF that hammers home to me that a lot of people haven’t played (or read) FE5 and so don’t know the full scope of Leif’s background... and also don’t know how FE5 & Leonster are echoed in FE16. Let’s take a little look at what House Leonster-- King Kalf, Prince Quan, and Leif-- and their partisans & retainers got up to in the name of unification, shall we?

1) Leonster exacerbated the poverty and famine of its southern neighbor Thracia via trade embargoes. This is the sort of situation that usually results in violence (see: Archanea Kingdom & Macedon) in Fire Emblem. This was also policy under Leif’s grandfather and by all accounts his dad Quan was on board with it.

2) House Leonster’s plan for resolving tension on the Thracian peninsula was via unification. Northern Thracia had three other ruling houses and Southern Thracia was ruled by a Crusader-lineage king (Travant). The games make it clear the Travant/Quan conflict wasn’t gonna end in diplomacy and the FE5 artbook makes it explicit the other houses of Northern Thracia weren’t much pleased with Quan’s antics. 

3) After Quan and Kalf died and Leonster fell, the House Leonster partisans responded by regrouping in Alster and plotting the assassination of the Empire’s new client king, Bloom. Assassination is murder. Retainers of House Leonster are canonically down with murder.

 4) Leif cherishes the idea of getting revenge on both Bloom and Travant. Bloody revenge. “This is what kept me alive all this time... I've lived for this alone: to choke the life from you with my bare hands!” says Leif as he meets Travant in battle for the first and last time. The only rebuke the game provides in FE4 is when Leif’s guardian Finn cautions him to not get killed in the process of executing his revenge on Bloom. Actually, their revenge, as Finn is 110% down with killing Travant. Finn is also 120% on board with forceful regime change, which is where Leif learned about it in the first place.

In short, House Leonster, despite being composed of vivid and sympathetic characters, is pretty damn morally nuanced for being the protagonist “good guys” in FE4 and FE5. The princes of Leonster and their retainers are A-OK with unification of the peninsula by force, up to and including the removal of the opposing house by regicide, and with straight-up murder if that’s what it takes to resolve a vendetta and/or remove obstacles to unification.

What makes this OK? Well, for one, the entire milieu of Jugdral in which just about everyone else is as bad or worse. Jugdral is a land in which executing child prisoners is the standard M.O. and merely kidnapping them makes one better than the times. House Leonster is juxtaposed with House Thracia, led by Travant, who openly admits his hands are bloodied and his soul is damned. So there’s context.

The other thing is that House Leonster and its supporters and allies pay dearly for this, again and again. Quan pays for his ambition with his life. If Leif ultimately becomes a good and wise king (The Sage-Lord) of the peninsula, it’s not because a sense of grievance and entitlement was instilled in him from infancy, it’s because of the hardships he suffered in a lifetime of exile, loss, and hard knocks. The handful of surviving Leonster partisans Leif has in his fold at the end of FE5 have lost just about everything save Leif himself and their honor (and in Xavier’s case, the honor itself is tarnished). Nobody’s unscathed by this generational conflict. 

TL;DR-- Leif’s role as “Unifier” is super-interesting and people really wanting to get deep in the weeds on FE16 and its moral shading need to take a long hard look at FE5.

[eirenare]

The moment I saw all these concept art pics for the first time my chest hurt and I was so close to crying honestly lol

Ben with goatee (<3), the eclipse piece (we been knew), Rey with cool clothes (including black ones omg) and lightsaber staff (YES), Dark Rey vision apparently (*frantically grabs popcorn*), Ben sitting like that (Force have mercy asdbflfnff)... Just so much good stuff, kriff

It disappointed me, though, to see no Reylo kiss there :( But well... *shrugs* Also there’s no Palpatine and no Exegol (although I’d say that the giant structure in the eclipse piece looks like an earlier idea of Exegol’s), which is interesting and suspicious

And I’m also super suspicious too as to why the artbook had been delayed but also managed to get out so early... Like, did it go out early being incomplete? Are they still adding stuff to it and that’s why they delayed it? Maybe they thought it was a safer date to release it anticipating reactions? I was going to say “what if they took stuff from it because of how the movie ended up being”, but that would mean they’d have to almost entirely remake it probably lol (although what I’d love to see remade is TROS itself tbh)

Anyways, I’m awaiting for my TFA and TLJ artbooks (and the TFA junior novelization, yay!) to arrive next week because even though TROS is a dumpster fire (I’m still so surprised, sad and angry at that honestly) I’m just gonna keep love in my heart for the other movies of the sequel trilogy and some bits of TROS, and my hope alive for Ben Solo’s return one day (hopefully sooner than later) <3