#hes a good boss ! which is unique to his group since this is in a plot with uhhh the seven deadly sins and other large groups

[moeblob]

Scorpio

The most toxic man alive but also a very well trusted and respectable boss and leader of the Zodiac.

[blankwashed]

PART 1 PART 2 IS HERE!

Satoru Gojo (role play, praise kink, katoptronophilia)

Satoru looooves to role-play, even when the both of you aren’t having sex. Why? Because having the pressure of the world on your shoulders is not something anyone likes. This was an idea suggested by you when you first saw him stressed. At first, it didn’t have anything to do with sex but you thought, hey, why not. Surprisingly, Satoru accepted your idea.

Ah yes, of course Satoru has a praise kink. The man himself gets pleasure whenever he hears praises from you. “Such a big cock, daddy” “Your fingers give me so much pleasure, Toru”. He has this kink ever since he was born but only sexually when he met you.

Katoptronophilia. Similar to the second kink, he loves himself. Whenever you’re away or on a night out with your friends, Satoru would sit in front of the mirror, looking at himself while jacking off. Hands around his own neck, choking himself as if it were you. But when he cums, he strangely will moan his own name.

Nanami Kento (melolagnia, praise kink, breeding kink)

Kento definitely is triggered sexually by music. Listening to jazz and R&B are his favourite whenever he's with you. Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday are his go-to choices while fingering you with his thick and calloused fingers.

It's clear as day that Kento has a praise kink. It makes all the difference when you're his boss. "Such a good report, Kento." "You deserve a promotion, Kento.". Totally gives him a boner when you say it.

Daddy Kento would surely have a breeding kink, in my opinion. The way he leads his workmates already shows his natural dominance and protectiveness. He would risk his life for them without a second thought, displaying a level of commitment that is undeniably attractive. You can picture him, strong and commanding, taking control in the bedroom with the same intensity. The very thought of him, his firm hands on your hips, his deep voice promising to breed you, ignites a fire within you. The way he moves, the way he looks at you, everything about him screams power and control, making you crave his touch, his attention, his love. Suguru Geto (breeding kink, group sex, dirty talk)

Suguru's breeding kink stems from his desire for control. The thought of his partner carrying his child excites him, a way where his dominance is shown.

Whenever Sugu has group sex, all he thinks about is control and exhibiting dominance. He would be in command and be satisfied by others. He wants to be in control of your pleasure. "Do as I say" or "You're mine to use" are some of the phrases he would say while he sees how wet you've become.

He would surely be into dirty talk. Sex doesn't have to always be in the bedroom for him. Raunchy texts and photos that he sends to you would assist you in getting off. Choso Kamo (blood play, protection kink, vore)

Choso would use his power to manipulate blood to enhance intimacy and control in various ways. His ability to control blood could be used to create intense, unique sensations during intimate moments.

We all know that Choso is very protective over his siblings. The act of safeguarding someone would heighten his arousal, making him feel powerful and needed. He would say "trust me, princess” or "i'll make you feel good" whenever your anxiety kicks you on the bed.

The idea of consuming or being consumed, of holding life and power within himself. Usually, Choso would be a softie, a blank canvas so this fetish taps into his intense desire for intimacy and control. He gets off with the concepts of protection and possession Toji Fushiguro (gagging, dd/lg, money kink)

It's clear as day that this man has a gag kink. If you don't think so, then I don't know which Toji Fushiguro we're talking about. BUT, he definitely shows his s/o tons of love and care. Everything is consensual but who wouldn't want Toji to wrap his big hands around their neck?

This is pretty cliche but the man loves power. It doesn't matter what kind of fantasy we're talking about but there's no doubt that he wants you to be his little. Or a switch. "ride daddy just like that, slut" or "how's this feel, princess?"

AH OF COURSE, money. Imagine this, you coming home from work with your pay in hand. The whiff of money would remind him of the times when he was broke and desperate for it. His eyes would darken with a mix of hunger and nostalgia, a reminder of the struggles he faced. The sight of you holding the cash would ignite something primal in him, a desire to reclaim those moments, but this time with power and control. The both of you would role-play as a thief and victim to spice things up.

[sunderingstars]

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ PENACONY VOICELINES ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

— what the stars reveal: analysis, elation!sampo

— word count: 2.2k

— overview: (as of 2.4) a look at sampo’s voicelines throughout penacony, focusing on identity, views on the masked fools, sparkle, and masks.

— i will not be focusing too much on the dream bubble since it is included in my “notable topics” analysis!

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ IDENTITY REVELATIONS ⌝

Note: I am still slightly unclear on the delineation between Sampo and Sparkle!Sampo during the Trailblaze Mission, so this analysis will be assuming Sampo is the one who takes us to the Pepeshi Salon & Dream Bubble, or that Sparkle!Sampo is at the very least capitalizing on connections and motifs that Sampo already has during these scenes.

Starting off with a bang, let’s talk about perhaps the biggest theme of Sampo’s on Penacony: identity. Up until this point, Sampo being a Masked Fool was largely unexplored; with the exception of the Aetherium Wars dream bubble and Rivet Town TV screen scene, there wasn’t much detail given to his function within the Fools. However, there are quite a few things we can take from the Penacony quest(s):

He has a VIP card to the Pepeshi Salon and seems to be on good terms with an important person there.

He wants to “reveal the truth” through convoluted means and implications.

He is an “old timer” and Sparkle is in possession of his mask.

From this, we can reasonably assume that his status (or charm skill) is high enough to land him a VIP card for a place that is extremely strict about who it lets in. He obviously holds some type of sway in Penacony beyond just another member of the Masked Fools, as shown by him eventually being able to get the items he needs. 

Furthermore, the theme of age is continued from its usage in Belobog, with Sampo referring to himself as an “old timer” to Sparkle. What is notable about this, however, is that it is a departure from the more general use of “old pal” and “old guy” to something with a specific meaning — “old timer.” “Timer” is often used in reference to profession, and usually unique to experienced positions at that. Different forms of media often use “old timer” as a way to delineate an experienced member of a group; for example, if someone refers to themself as an “old timer” in a mafia movie, they are definitely someone to watch out for, usually an experienced hitman or former boss. It has become a way of showing how characters downplay their power to those around them — “oh, I’m just an old timer” (said right before they take out an entire crime syndicate solo). After all, the oldest tend to be the wisest and most practiced out of everyone. While it can still be used in more common settings (like old members of a group just being stuck in their ways), I think it’s clear that this isn’t Sampo’s case. Taking into account everything present in Belobog’s story, it’s reasonable to assume that “old timer” is a way of him referencing a more powerful or experienced status. 

Which leads us to the dream bubble. Sampo’s dreamscape is interesting, to say the least, with heavy indications of wanting to say something that can’t be said. He constantly circles back to the idea of “revealing” the “truth” — not merely hinting at it, but fully uncovering it for others. However, he doesn’t seem to be able to do this in a straightforward way. Instead of just saying what he wants, he has to rely on the metaphor within a metaphor of the dream bubble. It isn’t entirely clear if the “truth” he wants to show has to do with Firefly, his own identity, Penacony as a whole, or some combination of the three. One thing, however, is clear: he is very insistent. This seems to be something important to him, important enough to go out of his way to formulate and guide us to experience. 

Which is why it’s so strange that he doesn’t use that silver tongue of his to “reveal” it directly. If it’s so important to him, why not tell us? Why not, at the very least, imply it with his own mouth? My theory is that he can’t. Not that he won’t, or doesn’t want to, but that he is physically or mentally incapable of doing so. This may be due to the potential repercussions he’d face from others, or it may be due to a more eldritch power binding him shut. To me, the dream bubble seems like a scream. Some part of him trying to reach out to us, to tell us something important, despite being separated by soundproof walls. His insistence on truth seems less like a bit and more like a cry for help, trying to get through to us despite us having no way of knowing the real situation going on.

Whatever his identity is, he’s trying to let us know in the only way he can. Personally, I see a direct tie between the size of “big Sampo” and Phantylia, so perhaps the “revelation” is of Emanator or Aeonic status (but that’s just me!). Either way, there’s definitely something he wants us to know. There are limitations to his identity, but that won’t stop him from trying to find workarounds.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ "CLOWN'S ITEMS" ⌝

Let’s take a detour for a moment and focus on the items Sampo requests from the Pepeshi Salon. Given that these items are used to directly create the dream bubble (which relies on Sampo’s personal dreamscape), they seem important to discuss when talking about his identity and potential backstory. 

(Note that these are labeled the “Clown’s Items” — not the “Fool’s” items. While Masked Fools are often referred to as “Fools” (and Sampo is specifically referred to as this by Sparkle’s team voiceline), these items indicate a higher status. A fool is often someone who is unaware of their foolishness, someone less aware of their own antics than that of a clown. It is also important to note that clowns are often experienced performers who are paid to do a job. Simply put, “clown” would be a more sophisticated way to refer to someone within the Elation, a more serious and dedicated title.)

Similar to Sampo’s eidolons, I see these three items as taking narrative form. 

First: “The Moment of Betrayal.” This likely refers to an “inciting incident,” something that completely turned Sampo’s world upside down. With all of his emphasis on trust throughout his dialogue, it would make sense that he potentially has a rocky relationship with it; or, at least, trusting someone that eventually would betray him. This could go several ways — the ones that stick out to me are: Aha as an Aeon somehow being upstaged or betrayed or otherwise lured into a joke that turned sour (the specifics of this could get iffy, but given Aha’s proximity to mortals wouldn’t be entirely out of the question, especially if They were lured into mortal form or into taking power away from Themself as a joke); a part of Aha being betrayed by another part (betrayal of the self), something akin to the masks casting the silhouette out or the mind leaving the body behind; Emanator!Sampo being hurt or otherwise led astray/stripped of power by Aha or another Emanator (being the butt of a traumatic joke rather than the one making it); a Sampo that, after being constantly mistreated by the Elation, was subject to a moment that “broke the camel’s back”; and general abandonment or deception that led to a horrifying revelation.

Second: “The Cloud of Doubt.” After the betrayal occurred, doubt began to set in. Sampo’s faith in the goodness of himself/others/the Elation began to wane, most likely taking the form of a confused haze similar to a “cloud,” an ever-present reminder of loss. It also implies a state of dissociation, of shock, the quiet, stretching time after something occurred that he couldn’t quite process yet. But the doubt was still there, hanging in the background, fermenting.

Third: “Everlasting Hatred.” Eventually, this doubt would morph into hatred, either turned inwards or outwards depending on the specifics of the betrayal. Sampo would carry this within him, always keeping his target in mind. The “everlasting” quality of it, the inability of it to fade, would lead to it further strengthening, further fermenting, most likely influencing his overall plans and endgame goal. This is most likely where we are in the present, with the “truth” he so desperately wants to reveal to us potentially including details like these.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ VIEWS ON THE MASKED FOOLS ⌝

To put it simply, Sampo is tired. Worn out. Exhausted, even. He constantly carries the air of exasperation when talking about the Masked Fools, the kind of energy reserved for a parent watching their kid flush car keys down the toilet again. We know he places an emphasis on dignity and respect in his own view of Elation, so obviously he would butt heads with the idea of a group like the Masked Fools who are dedicated to sowing chaos purely for the sake of laughter. We see most of this in Black Swan’s companion quest, with Sampo calling the smoked red herring a “cringe joke,” then asking “Have you dealt with many Masked Fools before?” when Black Swan says Sparkle’s sense of humor sticks out to her. This seems to be his way of generalizing Masked Fools as 1. telling “cringe jokes” (i.e. being unfunny) and 2. being all the same, not necessarily unique but instead sharing the same sense of humor — “cringe” humor at that (this could alternatively be read as all Masked Fools having extreme and unique senses of humor, which in turn makes them all “similar” in their uniqueness). 

Additionally, in his conversation with Sparkle, he wants her to stay away from Belobog and even says, “… the Elation Miss Sparkle seeks… isn’t something ol’ Sampo can stand by.” While this is a conflict with Sparkle specifically, it can also be applied to the Masked Fools writ large since Sampo seems to see them as similar to each other. (It can also be reasonably interpreted based on the Masked Fools subscribing to a shared ideology.) In this way, the Masked Fools’ idea of Elation is not just something that Sampo disagrees with ideologically, but is something he is actively trying to keep away from the people and places he cares about. “Stand by” additionally implies a source of frustration or anger spurring him to take action; being so overwhelmed by emotion that he can’t put up with it anymore and refuses to support this ideology. Sampo presents a more mature and balanced idea of Elation, while the Masked Fools are pure youthful insanity. It’s clear that while he technically respects all people’s ideas of Elation, he doesn’t have to support or tolerate what he views as too dangerous.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ SPARKLE & MASKS ⌝

Lastly, there is definitely something going on with Sparkle in relation to Sampo. It is never revealed why Sparkle has his mask or how she got it, only that it’s in her possession and she gives Sampo the means to find it. It’s unclear if Sampo gave her the mask to begin with or if she stole it, or if it simply made its way around to her through other means. We also aren’t clued in on if Sampo potentially left it with her for safekeeping — essentially “giving up” his power willingly with the intention of coming back for it — or if he gave it to her as a way to specifically keep it away from himself. Alternatively, we don’t know if Sparkle could have taken his mask just to fuck with him, or if there was a deeper reason for her to hide it. 

The idea of Sparkle “giving” the mask back to him after he does something for her could support the theory that she took it originally, but the following line from her asking why he “suddenly want[s] to take back [his] mask” could point to more intention on his part of handing it off to her. There seems to be somewhat of a disconnect here; Sampo’s lines seem to see Sparkle as having taken or otherwise having full control of his mask, while Sparkle’s lines seem to see the mask as something she was just holding onto for Sampo until he wanted it back. “Giving” and “take back,” after all, mean two very different things. “Giving” implies authority on behalf of the giver, whereas “take back” implies authority on behalf of the taker. Either way, Sampo wanting his mask back seems to be a surprise to Sparkle, most likely because he hasn’t expressed any want to use it for a long time. 

Whatever is going to happen on Belobog, it’s clearly bad enough for Sampo to need more power than he currently has. The severity depends on his status — if his higher status is only by experience and title, then the issue is mild. If he’s an Emanator, it’s more serious. And if he’s an Aeon? Whoo boy. Whatever makes an Aeon risk complete transformation back into an eldritch entity is a huge problem indeed.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MISC. ⌝

Firefly’s hilarious Wattpad introduction for him: “large palms,” fingers that are “slender and nimble, “emerald eyes.” I’ll say it, she absolutely sold me on the dramatic aspects of his appearance. Like, noting that he “walks in long strides, but his steps are light and barely audible” so he doesn’t leave footprints reminds me so much of that one Twilight scene LOL. Also, that description is so hot wtf?

More “old friend” references scattered throughout the quests (for more explanation, see Sampo’s Belobog Lines).

“Entertainment for grownups”? “The adult side of things”? Don’t mind if I do ;)

(I think 99% of the problems in my life could be fixed by making out with him sloppy style.)

Sampo distrusts Firefly, perhaps almost omnisciently, but Firefly also distrusts him. As much as he tries to help, he’s not completely in the clear.

In her voicelines, Sparkle mentions Sampo having “lines he won’t cross” — while I’ll explain this more in another analysis, the main question I pose is: Won’t? Or can’t? Aeonic or Emanator restrictions could look an awful lot like being a buzzkill to an outside observer.

The dream bubble is a dream within a dream — dreamception. Perhaps this links to Sampo’s own identity — an Aeon within an Emanator within a Masked Fool (or any combination thereof).

Sampo, despite eventually making that deal with Sparkle, is a lot more straightforward in this quest. Not in the sense that he’s any less cryptic or confusing, but that he doesn’t seem to be trying to outright deceive us as much. In fact, he’s trying to guide us and look out for us — even going through the whole dream bubble thing as a way to warn us about multiple things.

— There are heavy themes of disguise throughout Penacony; we know from Sparkle that the Masked Fools are already capable of disguising themselves easily (or at least she is). I wonder how much more powerful or adept at disguise Emanator or Aeon status would be. 👀

Overall, I feel Penacony brought a lot of great information for Sampo’s character. Unlike Belobog, his scenes here focused more on identity and function within the Masked Fools, which I found to be a nice way to balance out the more “personality-heavy” scenes of Belobog. I’m very interested to see what more is revealed in future plotlines!

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ જ⁀➴ thank you for reading to the end!

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© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[ihatechosingnames]

IPC and related characters

With the release of Jade's kit, something clicked in my mind.

I believe the devs did their jobs on choosing the path and the kit for their characters (the elements are more random on most characters, not on everyone since a lot of characters fit their chosen elements, like March has Ice because of her special Ice powers, than we have Bronya with wind element while she is a soldier fighting in an ice age setting), because the kits of three of the Ten Stonehearts have something in common and that can lead to theorizing that is something in common with all of the Ten Stonehearts. I'm talking about the follow-up attack.

Two is a coincidence, three is a pattern and we have a nice pattern here. And also, their paths (Hunt, Erudition and Preservation) say a lot about them and their jobs.

Topaz is a character following the path of Hunt and it's so fitting for someone who goes around to collect debt. She is actively "hunting" debts. Her stone is a yellow topaz, which is a birthstone for November and it is said to inspire "hospitality and friendship" and "produces an enduring, radiant energy", fitting Topaz's personality, she is friendly and cheerful, when not at work mode. Also, the topaz is a stone for protection.

Aventurine is a Preservation character and all of his kit is around gambling. For someone who gambles a lot, having the role of being a shield seems to be contradictory. But I don't think so, Aventurine gambles with his life to protect himself (like he did by gambling with Jade for his own freedom). The aventurine stone is a stone that urges to take new opportunities and helps someone grow as an individual and it's associated with luck and good fortune. Exactly like Aventurine himself, which is blessed with luck.

Jade is a character that follows the Erudition and we have seen her in the last Trailblazer Mission, doing both works for the IPC and works for herself. Her granting wishes shop made me think about Yuuko from xxxHolic, a story about a shop where a witch grants wishes with the clients paying an exact price for their wishes. And their prices go from memories to objects and also good luck. It's kind of a complicated story made by CLAMPS with their other story, Tsubasa Chronicles. If you know them, you should have found the resemblance between Yuuko's and Lady Bonajade's shops. The green jade is a stone that represents the heart (in the chakra system) and also the green color of jade was the color to use for the dead. Its symbolism includes associations with nobility and wealth, both things associated with Jade, since Topaz comments that for her, Jade is akin to nobility and obviously Jade is associated with wealth, a lot of it. Another thing is that jade is considered a protector of generations and she seems to "protect" both her juniors, Topaz and Aventurine. We don't know a lot about her to say anything related to her job and her path, but from what we have seen in the quest, she uses a lot of knowledge to make deals, like she is aware of the other side's budget to make deals with advantages for her side.

Back with the one common thing. The follow-up attack. This one I associate with Aha, the Aeon of Elation, since in Simulated Universe, by following this path, the follow up dmg is increased, and, the virtual paths are linked to the real ones. So, the Elation has a relation with the follow up attack. So, how come, three people belonging to a group "devoted" to the Aeon of Preservation have all a follow-up attack on their kits?

We know that their boss is an Emanator of Preservation, one of the very few who are working inside the IPC, but he is also an eccentric that surround himself with "unique and extraordinary" people, because Talent is the most precious investment of all. Could it be that he is an Emanator but not completely of the Preservation? This is speculative but what if Divergent Universe shows that Paths can fuse? We already know that Paths can be assimilated in another, like Order with Harmony, and that Phantalya was trying to merge the Destruction with the Abundance, so, what if Diamond, while being an Emanator of the Preservation, is also a follower of the Elation? I know, we still don't know a thing about Diamond and we have still seven more stonehearts to be released before saying with certainty that follow-up attack is part of the kit of every stonehearts. And we also have characters that have follow-up attacks in their kits and have no relation with the Elation, while having characters related with the Elation (Sampo and Sparkle) who actually don't have anything like a follow-up attack.

In conclusion, this turned up to be more an analysis on their stones that on their kit, with a bit of "why the paths they have actually fit their story" and lots of questions. I'm sure, the follow-up attack is an important part for the Stonehearts, I'm gonna bet on it.

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

A Quick Look at Logos

I wanted to write this down to get my thoughts on paper because, yes, Wish'adel is insane but she's the Chalter of Flingers she's got crazy numbers but Logos is a lot more interesting because what he does is more unique and honestly I think he fulfilled my prophecy a while back: they're inevitably going to power creep Eyja, and I think they did it.

First, module and talent. Logos has the same Delta module as Ebenholz, meaning he does Necrosis damage, and it improves his first talent. His first talent gives him a decent chance to attack another random target when attacking for less damage (importantly, this can be on the same target) with some slight crowd control and if they're under necrosis burst, it deals additional Elemental damage.

This talent is pretty good but not exactly stellar in most situations, and amazing in others. If you're fighting a group of enemies, chances are this will just results in some decent spread damage, but against one enemy this is big fat free DPS increase that makes Logos a lot scarier.

His second talent is a small flat RES reduction and a small flat Arts damage increase, which helps Logos a lot. Logos will always deal okay damage against most enemies.

Logos' Skill 1 is crazy. If you've ever used the Besieger Relic in IS4 and watched Typhon show off why she's IS4's incredibly special girl, this is Logos being Hypergryph's incredibly special boy. The instakill threshold for a maxed out Logos is 2,565 HP. That's pretty respectable on its own and puts a wide swath of enemies both in "instantly dies when entering attack range" and "will die upon taking any reasonable amount of damage", but remember, that's without buffs. If you use Skadi the Corrupting Heart's and Warfarin's S2 on Logos, that HP threshold jumps to 4,155.

Since the remaining HP is deal as damage to another enemy, it is VERY easy for large groups to suddenly have massive chain reactions where enemies instantly die, deal damage to another enemy, and that enemy also instantly dies. This skill is great, it's one of the most efficient skills at clearing out large groups of trash.

Logos' Skill 2 is deceptively powerful and his strongest boss killer kill on his kit. Due to the scaling damage increase and the insane attack speed triggering his first talent repeatedly, this skill ends up having a really high DPS that's all extremely compatible with attack buffs and Inspiration. It also gives Logos 90 RES, which essentially gives him 16,000 HP against Arts damage, and has good skill cycling time. I wanna see Logos and Mandragora trade beams.

Oh yeah this is also great for piling on Necrosis damage btw.

I want to say this is the kind of flashy S3 that won't really see use over his other skills, but it's really hard to argue with a skill that, at base, gives him 3,420 ATK and lets him hit 3 enemies at once. The primary gimmick of this skill is stopping and absorbing enemy projectiles, and I think this does probably have more uses than the funny showcases against Talulah, but this is just a good skill for having an on-demand mini Volcano.

There's a pretty reasonable chance this might be Logos's best skill in IS too, just because a skill that reads "quadruple your ATK" goes insane with literally any additional stage ATK buffs. Survivor Contract in IS3 already let's you do insane shit, and I genuinely wonder if getting to 6 digits worth of ATK is possible with Logos.

There's something to be said that Eyja's S2 is still really good, and I don't necessarily want to disagree. But I think what Logos brings to the table is both very powerful and very unique, and I think players are going to find that they edge much more into bringing Logos into squads than they do Eyja.

I mean you can also use them both, the cops can't fucking stop you.

[copingbrainrot]

𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡

Chapter 1: Hello Richmond

Summary: Embarking on a new job as a Richmond PT, you’ve experienced an interesting reunion with an old friend, as well as welcoming new faces and new beginnings.

Canon Rewrite starting from s2. Eventual Ted Lasso x Reader, but we will be focusing on friendships for now :))

Warnings: Swearing, no y/n usage

Word count: 2k

***

Funny how the universe works sometimes, coincidences that accumulate, points of entwining fates in the web of life. It’s a fascinating and scary notion to experience. Case in point, Doctor Sharon Fieldstone is standing beside you in the Office of the Richmond Head Coach for introductions. Who would’ve thought that the job you accepted at London would reunite you with your ex-therapist after years? 

She has not changed since the last time you saw her. 

“I just wanted to introduce you to Dr. Sharon Fieldstone. She’s going to be looking after Dani. And here’s Ms. Reader. She’s the new PT, replacing Dr. Salsbury after that incident.” Wincing, Leslie Higgins introduced you to the group. Despite the curiosity, you don’t dare ask what exactly happened. 

“This is Nathan, Coach Beard, and Ted Lasso.”

You looked around the group of men, familiarizing their faces. Notably, you observed Nathan's bashful wave, Coach Beard's pensive and analytical gaze, and the amiable expression on the mustachioed face of Ted Lasso, the head coach whose demeanor exuded warmth and friendliness. You see him stand.

“Oh, you don’t need to stand,” Fieldstone protests.

“But it makes it a lot easier to do this.” 

The head coach of Richmond is twirling in circles, singing a spontaneous song as a unique way of welcoming you. The other two men enthusiastically join their boss with improvised vocals and thumps, in a display, which is, honestly, quite impressive.

“Consider this song our way to greet you. Hey!” The three shouted.

A beat passed. 

“So I understand that Dani has developed a case of the yips?” You laugh internally as Dr. Sharon just ignored their antics.

“Hey!” The three physically winced loudly.

“Okay, that’s two weird things in a row. What’s going on?” 

Failing to suppress your laugh, you covered your mouth, prompting all of them to direct their attention toward you.

"Apologies, had a little something in my throat," you interjected, feigning a cough for added effect. "Please, go on," you continued, waving your hand in a gesture to encourage them to resume.

“Well, Doc, we don’t like using that word around here,” Coach Lasso says.

“Why?” 

Hesitancy is seen in the head coach as he glanced around at his co-workers to try, silently urging one of them to take charge of the conversation.

“Uhm… How do I? Why y’all looking at me? He’s the one who knows everyth—” pointing at Coach Beard, “Oh okay, all right. Well, Doc–”

“Doctor.” Doctor Sharon interjected. 

"Right, yes, of course. Sorry. Doctor, it’s a superstition?" he concluded the sentence with a hint of uncertainty.

The therapist nodded in understanding, as if to say here we go again. “I see. Well, the yips…”

You find it amusing to witness grown men react so strongly to the word "yips," and can't help but laugh internally that you've seen it happen three times in the last five minutes.

“... are not a superstition. They are a mental condition, one that can be fixed with discipline, not denial.” 

“So, then, you’re pretty confident that you can help us out with Dani?”

What a strange thing to ask, Coach Lasso. Is he doubting her capabilities as a therapist? It's akin to asking, "How can you be certain that you’ll be making a difference?"

“Are you good at your job?” It seemed Doctor Sharon also had the same interpretation. The tension in the room was palpable. The tension in the room became palpable as the coach glanced around, uncertain if the question was a bait to demonstrate his competence or an expression of arrogance.

“Don’t worry about them. Put all bullshit humility aside and be honest with me. Are you good at your job? Yes or no?” The sharp-tongued Doctor Sharon strikes again. She had always been efficient, swift to discern the underlying causes of people's issues. It’s fascinating to see. You’ve missed your old friend… while it may be unprofessional to view her as a close confidante given your previous client relationship, she played a significant role in your mental journey, especially in years past. You always regretted not keeping in contact with her after she left. And, now that you have the chance, you yearn to be more than just her former client and co-worker – you want to be her friend.

Coach Lasso finally replied, “Yes.”

“I believe you. Well, as good as you are at your job, I’m twice as good at mine.” All are shocked at her words and you couldn’t stop yourself from chuckling under your breath at their faces. 

A beat passed.

In unison, the men chimed in with expressions of gratitude, "We're very lucky to have you," "Thank you very much," "That's good to know," and "Thank you for coming here" were all spoken in a synchronized display of thanks. 

“Right, so where should I be conducting my sessions?” 

You finally cracked and laughed aloud. All eyes on you. It was the first time you’ve met eyes with Doc Sharon, looking at you strangely. “I– I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help it. That was rude of me. But seeing as we are all now acquainted with each other, I will have to step out to go begin talking with the players, if you all don’t mind.”

“Oh sure. Yes, yes. Nice meeting you, Doc Reader.” Coach Lasso was first to react.

Waving, you remembered leaving the office with a tiny smile thinking, “They seem fun.”

***

Having just completed interviews with the first half of the team for your preliminary checks, you decided to grab some lunch. On your way to the dining facility, you spotted Doc Sharon walking.

"Hey Doc, you still don’t take shit from anybody. Just as fun as I remember," you said with a grin, attempting to engage in conversation with your former co-worker. Your intention was to glean some comments on the morning’s events. Seems like a safe topic to start with.

"Please refrain from addressing me so casually in the workplace. It's unprofessional," her tone was cold. You were taken aback by her sentence. 

"I’m sorry, Doc Sharon, I—" you started, only to be abruptly interrupted.

"It's Doctor."

"Doctor Sharon, I was just thinking that because we’ve shared the same workplace for a few years, I assumed we'd built a rapport. Why the sudden hostility?" you asked, attempting to understand the shift in her demeanor. 

"I prefer maintaining a clear boundary between my professional and personal life." 

That does not explain the hostility. But you tried to give it one more chance. 

Tone soft, you attempted to invite her to chat, "Alright. I just thought we could catch up a bit after work." 

"There’s no need for that, Reader. Although, I appreciate your offer. If you'd excuse me, I have some work to attend to," she curtly responded, signaling the end of the conversation.

What the actual fuck was that?

***

After completing the update for the player database, filled with your comments suggesting potential modifications to their training regime, your initial plan was to head home. You’ve decided to put your conversation with Doctor Sharon on the back burner, for now. The first priority is the job. 

Mr. Higgins had introduced you to the entire medical team before extending introductions to the higher-ups and coaches. Everyone was welcoming, and it was remarkable how quickly you had grown comfortable in the space within a day—comfortable enough to confidently ask questions about their systems and set-up shop in one of the offices. 

Your thoughts drifted back to a conversation with the players earlier, prompting you to take a detour. You rapped on the door, finding Coach Lasso alone in his office.

“Hey Coach, Sam told me you were rear-ended by a football this week. Mind popping back to the treatment room real quick so I can take a look?”

“Oh, no need for that, Doc. I wouldn’t want to make a fuss.” You scowled internally with his reaction.  

You dislike it when people deny care when injured. They do have their reasons, but in your years of service, it’s better to have injuries checked out especially as athletes, no matter how minor. People are entitled to healthcare and to deny it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. You were hired exactly for this reason, for god’s sake. 

"Well, I believe it wouldn't set a great example for the players if their own head coach refuses medical care when injured, wouldn't you agree?"

Stilling, he looked at you like a deer in headlights. You have half a mind to stop yourself from chuckling. After a brief pause, he slowly nodded and admitted, "You got me there, Doc. My bad. Yeah, okay. I'm free now if that works for you?"

At the treatment room, he was lying face down on one of the beds while you took a look at his lower back and saw nasty bruising, prodding softly to gauge how much pain it registers on the coach. 

"So, how's the new gig treating you?" Coach inquired, seemingly steering the conversation to cut through the lingering awkwardness. You can handle conversation. 

“I think it’s going well. I had a chance to meet with the boys earlier– how’s the pain here? – conducted their preliminary checks, and had the chance to talk to them. They’re all quite polite.” You reply, moving to a different region on his sizable bruise. Coach Lasso let out a tiny sigh.

“"Hmm... still tender there– That’s good to hear. Some days, them lot are wilder than cattle escaped but they’re good kids. If you need any help rounding them up, you can count on me.”

Chucking, you replied, “I'll definitely take you up on that offer sometime, Coach. I’m looking forward to working with all of them — You can sit up now if it’s not too painful — Doctor Sharon should be able to assist with that too. I heard what happened to Dani and the dog, Earl? It’s a tragic thing to happen.”

After a brief pause, you rummaged through the storage to get an ice pack.

“Yes, we’ll do anything to bring Dani back to his chipper self.," he responded, his voice carrying a hint of strain and uncertainty. Curious of his reactions and his question from earlier, you decided to probe further.

“Do you think she can’t do it?” Coach Lasso's response was quick to deny it, exclaiming a series of "nos" with growing intensity. "No, no, no. Nothing like that. I just—I just wish I knew how to help Dani as well."

Despite Doctor Sharon’s demeanor in your interaction, you've never harbored any doubt on her abilities. She is an incredible therapist, one who truly cares for her patients and genuinely invested in their well-being. And you know it better than anyone, as you've sat on the other side of the table as one of her patients.

"Well, if there's anyone who can handle it, it's her. Healing is not linear nor does it rely on one person. I think it always takes a collective effort. It's sort of a trio deal—soul, body, and mind, I suppose. You take care of the soul, I handle the body, and Doctor Sharon tends to the mind." Handing the ice pack to the coach, you continue, "Here you go... I'd recommend applying an ice pack for the next 24 hours. No more than 15 minutes at a time, and repeat throughout the day. Once the swelling subsides, we can transition to warm compress. If the pain becomes unbearable, let me know, and I'll provide you with some painkillers."

The head coach fixed his gaze on you for a moment. “I appreciate your words, doc. Thanks for that. And thank you, too, for the check up. I’ll be pretty as a peach come tomorrow. And hey, If you even need some help, for anything at all, just holler down the hall.” 

Chuckling, you nodded. “Alright then, Coach. Thanks for your time. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

____________________________________________

Hi everyone!

This fic is follows the POV of Reader (who is honestly more of an OC without the name). This fic is cross-posted to AO3 with the same title.

Anyways, some notes to consider:

1. Reader is closer to an OC without a name. She has a past and personality. Probably asking why not just give her a name? I could not commit to it; thus, Reader will be used. No y/n usage.

2. Reader is upwards of 30 :))

3. Author is not a football fan nor a PT. All of it came from internet research. Feel free to comment if I got something *horrendously* bad.

4. The idea just came because I really wanted to befriend Dr. Sharon.

With that being said, let's have fun!

[shyce-overgod]

Worshippers of the Dead

This may very well show how not up to date I am, but since I've never seen it mentioned or referenced, I might as well make the proper observation.

The boss at the end of the Cave of the Dead is a trio of NPCs made up by Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, and Cerah the Old Explorer.

We call them the "Gank Squad" or "Graverobbers" or whatever else because unlike other group bosses, they don't have a common denomination. Yahim, Alessia and Ricce are the Ruin Sentinels. The Belfry Gargoyles are, well, the Gargoyles. But these fuckers at the end of the Cave of the Dead don't seem to have a common name. Until you look at the soundtrack.

The name of the song that plays when fighting this trio is called Worshippers of the Dead

And that gives paints them in a new perspective. Worshipping through imitation is something we see a lot in the Dark Souls setting. Dragons and Nito are the two main examples that come to mind. We see that Afflicted Graverobber is dressed like Alva, and Ancient Soldier Varg like a Havel Knight. And Cerah... Well, Cerah is dressed like someone. All three dressed in imitation to someone who died, at the heart of a cave dedicated to those who have died. It's easy to conclude they are tomb raiders, specially when one is literally named "graverobber" but the theme song just implies something else.

And I want to go into detail about each of these guys.

First in line is the Afflicted Graverobber, dressed in Alva's armor and dual-wielding berserker blades. The chances of this being the real Alva are minimal, if you ask me. Firstly, Alva's armor is not unique, as we know that Maughlin the Armorer just sells it to you (and, arguably, any of his other customers). Secondly, the weapons he is wielding might be the wrong ones. I'll bite the bullet and refer to the Seeker of the Spurned dark spirit in Dark Souls 3, who calls itself Alva, wears his armor, and is defending a corpse with Zullie the Witch's clothes. I'm inclined to believe that dark spirit is what remains of Alva, although how and why he ended up in the Ringed City is beyond me right now. The point is that this dark spirit wields a murakumo, which description in Dark Souls 2 reads

It's not conclusive in any way, but it could easily be talking about Alva. He was Alva the Wayfarer; he travelled the world. Further, his armor is all about being fairly lightweight but providing good resistance, which I think parallels this weapons description of having a considerable weight but smooth slicing.

All this to say, Afflicted Graverobber is imitating Alva, donning a replica of his armor and fighting with similar enough weapons.

(Or! Imitating a knight from the same order as Alva's, if you think he was part of one.)

I believe Ancient Soldier Varg is pretty self explanatory at this point. He wears a Havel set and wields a dragon tooth; he is imitating a Havel Knight. I don't think he is imitating Havel himself, because the chances of seeing a dead Havel Knight would be much higher than seeing Havel's own corpse (consider: all of his knights wore the same armor).

Finally, Cerah the Old Explorer. Easier conclusion is that Cerah is wearing Lucatiel's mask, becasue at this point Lucatiel's quest is over... But I don't like this idea one bit. Lucatiel gives you her mask. Why would this fucker have it, who isn't even wearing her armor?

And that's just it. Cerah isn't wearing the whole of Lucatiel's set. Had the Old Explorer received the mask in a different world, that would include the armor, and to properly imitate Lucatiel, Cerah would have to (and could) wear the whole thing. Additionally, it would be odd For Cerah to be worshipping someone who just died, compared to the other two worshipping people who died long ago. Hell, Lucatiel didn't even die as far as we know, she went hollow. And Alva and Unknown Havel Knight #33 both died, hence the worshipping.

Lucatiel's dialogue the first time we met her implies, to me, that her mask is not unique. She says:

You are an odd one. Normally, people keep a safe distance when they see this mask. But you…

Why would people avoid her when seeing her mask? Is she really that famous? Maybe in Mirrah, sure, but in Drangleic? Yes, you can make an argument that her mask is well known all over the land and we just approach because we've lost any memories about that, but that's just not a satisfactory explanation, y'know?

To me, it sounds like there is a group of knights who wear this mask. A group notorious and dangerous enough that people who know about it would try to avoid them, but secretive enough that when they irremediably disappear, the mask can still be known as Lucatiel's Mask much, much time later (Dark Souls 3) (although that point is null if you think the mask in DS3 is the very same of DS2). I don't think it's the shadow knights of Mirrah. Lucatiel doesn't use magic nor gives the vibes of someone who "carries out unspeakable tasks." So maybe an elite order of Mirrah knights? Maybe whoever her Lord was back in Mirrah would make his knights wear this mask, and the guy was notoriously merciless? Aslatiel also wears the same kind of mask...

Regardless, I believe Cerah found the final resting place of a knight from the same group as Lucatiel's and, like the other two, decided to wear the armor to worship that dead through emulating them. Maybe the reason Cerah wears the black leather armor is because this knight's armor wasn't available or was in too bad a state to be worn.

Long story short, I think these three are interesting, and I hope I gave you something to think about next time you go to fight them.

[sonicasura]

JJBA: Jonathan's Toonventures

Yeah, you read that right. I've seen so many Pizza Tower posts full of Jojo references, whether from the game or not, that it was time for a change in pace. Plus experimenting with Jonathan is always fun as he probably get used to insanity better than the other Joestars. Let's delve in deeper shall we?

After his final encounter with Dio, Jonathan wakes up in an alleyway near Peppino's Pizzeria. Now our gentle giant is in a Who Framed Rodger Rabbit scenario where he's a normal person while everyone else are toons but there's an additional twist. Should Jonathan get subjected to a cartoon style gag then he immediately becomes a toon himself!

A temporary condition since it only lasts between 30 mins to 1 hr 12 mins before he reverts back. This strange change later becomes a unique ability to Jonathan as he begins to understand and cultivate what he calls 'Toon Shift'. His toon form looks like himself but less definition to him.

Think Johnny Bravo without the shorter legs and a bit more balanced upper body ratio. Jonathan is found by a concerned Gustavo as the man still has some injuries from the last confrontation against Dio. Most notable being a large scar around his entire neck. Basically the guy looks like he been mugged by a gang.

Jonathan soon finds himself staying in Gustavo's apartment until he gets back on his feet. To not feel like a bum, the man decides to work at Peppino's restaurant. You can bet our anxious chef felt intimidated considering Jonathan is built like a brick wall but his kind demeanor eases any wariness.

It takes a long while before Jojo explains the supernatural side to the shit show he been through. Peppino and Gustavo only know the basics such as Dio being the sadistic foster sibling that made Jonathan's life hell who is also a dangerous criminal. For now, the three manage the pizzeria together away from dangerous sanity.

You can bet that Jonathan may have brought a boon of customers to the restaurant. Handsome buff dude whose a sweetheart tends to draw admirers especially if the person has the Joestar charm. Combine that with good tasting food at a great price and Peppino's finances are recovering from heavy debt.

The tale isn't restricted to just Pizza Tower as AntonBall/Blast are also in here. It's mainly because references between the two games tend to be found in either media plus both development teams supported each other. (There is literally a tweet from Summitsphere saying Anton is married to Peppino! You can't make such a post without being on good terms.)

Anyway Jonathan tends to get wrapped up in Anton and Annie's shenanigans too. Particularly the Ball Incident which almost ended with the red man getting banned from Peppino's restaurant. Good albeit very impromptu way to make sure his Hamon don't get rusty.

Jonathan still retains the abilities he gained during Part 1 although his Stand is gonna be a discussion for a different post. Peppino, Gustavo, Anton and Annie are the only ones who know about Hamon. Injuries tend to be common with the group so Jonathan is usually in charge of first aid. (Also the designated driver whenever alcohol is involved.)

Do know if someone calls Hamon 'Fancy ass breathing' then Annie and Anton are the ones who started it. (Jonathan can only imagine William Zeppeli's reaction to that particular joke. The man would probably whack them both on the head.)

Of course the peace doesn't last long as a certain pizza flavored nutjob decides the time has come to threaten Peppino's business. Jonathan ends up joining in on the events of Pizza Tower. Perfect place to explain how you exactly got isekaied into a cartoon universe! Although he gets separated from the group multiple times throughout the journey.

The most notable case is on Floor 4's Boss Zone. (Peppino might've threatened Mr Stick to hand over the Boss Gate without pay once he found out.) Jonathan stumbled around there quite awhile before he made it to the abandoned pizzeria.

Ironically enough Peppino came inside only to find his friend having tea with 'Pep'. The boss genuinely thought Jonathan was a potential customer to the abandoned pizzeria. Fight still happens as Peppino is the target of Pizzahead's hostility thus Pep's enemy.

Jonathan tries to stop the two from killing each other. (Not the first time a Joestar tries to make peace with an enemy.) The bluenette's nature does reach through as Pep lets them escape and doesn't join the boss rush thrust against the group.

Although Peppino definitely made Jonathan take partial responsibility for the walking eldritch horror at work when he shows up at the restaurant after closing hours. (Pep stays with the anxious man as he rather not leave him alone in the diner and not make Gustavo's place more crowded. Jonathan is apartment hunting.)

Now Jojo still wonders how everyone else is doing back home. If Erina's doing well considering the last time he saw her was amidst an attack by Dio on their honeymoon. Something he muses about whenever Anton invites the group for drinks. (Jonathan does get dragged into the construction worker's latest job.)

The man will get answers soon although not in a way he suspects. After all, why should he be the only one to get dragged back into chaos? Plus everyone deserves to gets a taste of cartoon insanity.

[300iqprower]

Some random non rankup-specific mechanic ideas i've had for FGO:

Staggered: Lower-grade immobilize debuff, like a weaker stun. Reduces an enemy's per-turn-actions by 1 for as long as they have it. If inflicted on a allied servant, one of their command cards dealt that turn will be unusable

Turmoil: Chance to inflict NP Seal every turn.

Despair: Chance to inflict NP Seal and Skill Seal every turn.

Enrapture: Chance to charm each turn (Dispels early if the unit that inflicted it leaves the field)

Make lethal damage qualify for activating "if Instant Kill is successful" effects

Unique Imperial Privilege: All servants with imperial privilege have core and unique effects to make up for the per-chance nature. They will always have the Attack-Defense-Heal at somewhere between 60-80% chance to activate, but after that have a huge variety of effects with chances as low as 20% that have effects specific to what kind of ruler they were in life.

--- Also just ffs if you're gonna have random chance activation dont make it so the effects have absurdly high scaling make it so there's just a fckton of them that's like the basics of balancing RNG in RPGs, through quantity over quality.

Stop being so coy about NP Damage Resist the cat's outta the bag you idiots we all saw you give it to KP, now make better use of it because enemy NP damage has only become more bullshit as time has gone on.

Delay-until-use buffs: Like instead of having a set number of evade charges, you gain evade for 1 turn the next time you are hit before damage. Basically the opposite end of things, where you have the flexibility of using it early but you don't have the ability to also to spread it out over multiple turns.

NP Transformation: Under certain conditions such as being afflicted with a specific debuff(s) or having a certain level of overcharge, a servant's NP becomes a completely different one, not just a different color. EX: if Cu is solo with overcharge, his NP switches from Gae Bolg to Riastrad

And on that note, just Skills that different/additional effects when solo in general. You don't even normally have multiple servants in a grail war give us more tools to have awesome solo situations, they shouldnt exist purely because of massive oversights in how certain skills like guts work or how certain servants' overall kits ended up.

Special Target Focus: Trait-specific target focus, much like Special ATK and DEF skills.

Make Instant Death Resist affect the damage dealt by Instant-Kill NPs as well since it literally cannot proc on bosses

"Apply to Master": Buffs that are not reliant on any one unit continuing to be on the field. So long as you the player are there it remains active for its intended duration. Would be unusable during special story fights where Ritsuka (and any possible substitute such as a crypter) is not present in canon.

Put in more class advantage manipulation. This isn't a specific idea i'm just fcking tired of having to so heavily group servants by class. Why is Roland the only Paladin who's realistically a good teammate for Charlie. If not this, then at least you could add the next thing

Pair Up/Mounts: We have at least a couple dozen "best friends/lovers" pairs of servants, 2 centaurs, multiple dogs one of which straight up has a rider infused with it, and what is literally the horse of an already existing servant. You would think there'd be some sort of inherent bonus for fielding relevant duos together but no, you can field Red Hare and their master together and there's no synergy whatsoever. Bullshit. Give us an inherent Riding mechanic or make certain automatic buffs based on fielded units standard. You can save the game-changing stuff for things like Jason having a dedicated kit for it (even though he actually doesnt and that one skill isn't enough on its own but that's a whole other matter) but ffs I should not have trouble using Red Hare and Lu Bu together, or have to rely on the summer variant of Akuta to get her to work well with Xiang Yu

Just let us pick our turn 1 cards already or at least add a fcking shuffle option instead of making people burn AP and sit through the same fcking intros and loading screens over and over for CQs and major boss fights over pure RNG.

[ecargmura]

Paradox Live Episode 5 Review - Found Family And Blood Family

What makes a family? That’s the theme of this episode. Two opposing teams, one biological and one found, contemplate on what it means to be family. I do like how there are two perspectives on family from cozmez and Akan Yatsura. It really shows off that anyone can be a family as long as they choose to do so and not take them for granted.

In Akan Yatsura’s case, what family means to them is not losing anyone precious to them ever again after the Suiseki group’s boss died in a raid years ago. Because of this, the group reformed and the group became a new family. As a family, their vibe is much different from TCW. While TCW has a chill vibe, AKYR are very loud and rowdy. The beginning showcases that with Satsuki and Reo fighting as the eldest Hokusai watches, the dad Iori lazes about, and the mom Zen yelling at them to stop fighting. Like both TCW and AKYR, you cannot deny they’re a very harmonious family.

They’re also a found family as they chose to be with each other over being with their biological family. It seems like all the kids in AKYR come from difficult families, which is why they’re so close. Satsuki was abandoned by his biological parents for being too wild. Reo had to separate from his family due to financial difficulties. Hokusai’s father is in prison, and because of that he was isolated from society as he was branded a criminal’s son. They all had rather rough lives, which is why they’re so tight-knit.

The episode is from Satsuki’s perspective as he tells Kanata of cozmez what it means to be family. I think it’s really interesting that the one with the found family is lecturing the one who has biological family. However, what Satsuki says isn’t wrong. Family is precious and cannot be taken for granted. I particularly liked the scene with Reo and Hokusai—the one where Reo mentioned how annoying it is to search for family and feels as if Kanata was overprotective of Nayuta, but Hokusai retorted that he’d do the same if Reo or Satsuki were gone as he gives him a head pat. I think that moment is sweet since Reo did mention that his own family never looked for him, so knowing that Hokusai would search like a madman for him got him all flustered.

Speaking of cozmez, I do wonder something about Nayuta. There’s something that seems a bit…off? I can’t really put it into words and it’s just something I’ve detected. There is something rather cryptic about him. Was he really out on a walk and took a nap? And there’s his words to Kanata when they were arguing. It was as if he wanted Kanata to be free and such. Hm, maybe it’s just my imagination…

Anyways, while Iori and Zen weren’t much of a focus, I can say that they’re fine as fuck. Man, Paradox Live has some QUALITY character designs. Fun fact: all of AKYR are designed by Harada, a well-known BL mangaka; you might know her for her works such as One Room Angel, Yatamomo, Nii-chan, Color Recipe and more. I was quite surprised she designed the entire group because they’re rather unique and a step up from Harada’s usual designs for her original works. Anyways, back onto topic, I quite liked the three kids after watching this episode. Satsuki’s rough around the edges and a bit of a wild child, but he has a good heart. Reo’s adorable and cheeky, but is rather cynical. Hokusai is quiet, but knows how to handle people and situations well; the one thing that surprised me the most about Hokusai was his age; I looked it up and the tall green cabbage man is…24???? Iori and Zen are 28 and 27. Did the creators just throw dartboards to pick their ages or something?

The voice actor choices for all five of AKYR are quite interesting. Iori is voiced by Takayuki Kondo, who’s most known role is being the Japanese VA of Phoenix Wright in the Ace Attorney games. Zen is voiced by Shima, who is an utaite. Hokusai is voiced by Shunichi Toki, a rather rising VA who’s name I’ve seen in several stuff recently—one of his recent roles is voicing Freminet in the Japanese dub of Genshin. Satsuki is voiced by Tasuku Hatanaka, who is known for voicing Yuma Tsukumo from Yugioh Zexal and Reki Kyan from SK8. Reo is voiced by Shougo Yano, who’s most known for voicing Mafuyu Satou from Given. These are quite the interesting voice actor choices and I’m glad to see them because they have interesting rap style. I particularly like Hokusai’s voice the most because it’s soft, sultry and gives him a mysterious vibe.

Their song at the end was actually quite nice. It gives a more…Japanese feel in terms of background sound? I’m also quite surprised how well their voices mesh well together. I really like how they manage to make every group sound distinct from the other.

Also, before I end this review, I want to asks something. Did my ears deceive me or the ramen guy had Junichi Suwabe’s voice? But Suwabe also does the ending song as Buraikan? I know that he voices the black haired guy as he showed up in Episode 3…but ramen guy had white hair while Buraikan guy had black. Are they the same person? Are they twins? Why was there an emphasis on the ramen guy towards the end? Who is he?

I’ll end the review here. I do wonder who the next episode will be about since the title was shrouded in green. What are your thoughts about the episode?

[ladyluscinia]

man i have been eyebrow deep in your blackhands tag for most of the afternoon and i am co signing izzy with murderbestie anne bonny. let this stressed lil dude have a friend that isn't his codependency partner/boss please. and yes, let ed be jealous and possessive as fuck - it's unhealthy but so fun! which seems like a long way to say: do you have any izzy&anne thoughts??

I have been sitting on this ask for a while (like, months 😅) because I was super excited for murderbesties thoughts and did not feel I had the time to do them justice, but today is the end of my holiday so huzzah!

My Izzy and Anne thoughts are numerous! My Anne thoughts in general are numerous, so let's see if I can wrangle them into some kind of order...

Ok, so my Anne and Izzy murderbestie agenda started in this post, and I've been mentally building it up since then. I've also been mentally entwining it with my Izzy and Jack thoughts (especially since posting my JackHands manifesto) but I don't think I've actually posted any of the Izzy + Anne + Jack (+ Mary + Edward) stuff. If I ever write a fic with side characters I'll probably incorporate some version of it all (possibly even if S2 contradicts it) but that could be a very long wait so no point in keeping close to the chest.

I guess the best place to start would be basic Anne headcanons?

---

Anne Bonny

First, more-uniquely me thing... I know a lot of people in the Izzy sphere take their headcanons back to everyone sailing together under Hornigold - no offense intended, those are fun - but I think it adds to Hornigold's terror factor if he really is more just the demon from Edward's childhood (and Jack's), so Izzy and Anne both come into the story post-Hornigold. Izzy shortly after Edward and Jack escape, and then Anne after Jack sets out on his own.

I am a huge fan of disaster woman Anne Bonny. She is not cool. She is not suave. This woman is Calico Jack's First Mate and she matches his energy exactly! #LetWomenBeAwful

I am also a huge fan of lesbian Anne Bonny. This is in part because I love the idea that she genuinely respects Jack and likes him for his personality, and she cannot even blame trashy horniness for it. And Izzy needs a bestie with zero sexual tension to offset the whole everything he has going on with Edward, so win-win.

So Anne is Jack's Izzy - devoted to him, they've been together forever, kinda codependent but handling it better on account of not actually having massive unaddressed romantic and sexual feelings, an excellent pirate team, etc. Jack is actually impressively cunning under his frat bro exterior, and Anne has got some faintly hero-worship "Yes Captain"-ing going on too, just to really drive home the parallel (though she's a lot more boisterous and yet somehow subtle about it than Izzy). I also had thoughts on the prospect of her mutining Jack.

Complex Relationship Stuff

Anne and Izzy got along great from the start. Izzy had developed a fondness for Jack's personality before he struck out on his own, and Anne is enough like him that she easily clicks into the friend group the first time they meet back up. Also Izzy and Anne get paired up by fate for a few sidequests that cement their bond independent of Jack and Edward. They both are very good at killing people. Murderbesties for life! 😘 Anne also calls out Izzy being stupid obvious about his tumultuous love life and she conveys "I get it. Not in an In-Love-with-my-Captain way, but in a Deep-Devotion, I'd-Die-for-Him way so..." and then she becomes Izzy's Edward-Drama drinking buddie.

Important related point - Anne and Edward aren't really friends. Like she is very much Izzy's friend / Jack's platonic wife that Edward is professionally cordial with, and she does make him feel a bit like the odd man out when she visits. This is important for "world doesn't revolve around Edward" reasons, drama reasons, and funny reasons.

The drama reasons are Edward's abandonment issues getting him all worked up and possessive about Izzy having a friend, only soothed by the fact Izzy always comes back and Anne's exclusion from the romantic rival category.

The funny reasons are Anne, completely wasted, grabbing Izzy's shoulder, failing miserably to look him dead in the eye, and slurring "Leave the bastard, you're too good for him. He's a fucking... A loser. Loser bastard!" and Izzy replying, equally drunk and scandalized, "He's Blackbeard!"

Anne's romantic advice to Izzy is usually along the lines of Dump Him, but she also gets pissed at Edward on Izzy's behalf like a true bestie. Her reaction to the whole Stede thing would be a treat. Izzy frequently discounts her romantic advice because he a) is way too deep in this toxic marriage to back down that easy, and b) knows she has her own disaster thing going on with Mary so clearly is in no position to be giving advice. (This is true.)

Edward, meanwhile, is professionally cordial with Anne. He respects her skill, thinks Jack picked a good First Mate, and acknowledges her place in Izzy's life (begrudgingly, and with many private freak outs). He also feels a wave of dread every time Anne rolls up to the ship and considers her a bad influence, which is hilarious to everyone in their social circle (ex: Spanish Jackie). Izzy is a lot more chill and reckless around Anne, and she's not going to be the responsible one so Edward kinda has to... and he's not great at it. Goes from fun to anxiety inducing real fast. He's relieved when she has to get back to Jack, and thinks she's a bit better when Jack is around (mainly because Jack is leading the plans).

(Mary can help with responsibility - being a bit more of an escape plan oriented follower - but she's got those "what happens, happens" vibes and gets caught up in Anne / Jack's wake super easily.)

Cycling back to Jack, when I say Anne is his platonic wife I mean they totally got married for an insane plan once and she knows all his business, so she naturally does have an opinion on her boss's massive torch for Izzy. Mostly that it's kinda sad, but Calico Jack is her guy even more than Izzy, so she's also kinda rooting for him in that way where she doesn't really want to think about them together but hopes he moves on from Izzy happily. Jack does not get the "stop waiting for scraps of affection" talks like Izzy does, despite maybe deserving them more. He's also better at not wallowing in his rejected love when Izzy isn't in front of him, though, so that contributes.

And finally the Jack / Mary / Anne mess. I play with different dynamics for this one, but crucially Mary has (at least in the past) hooked up with Jack, and is hardcore into Anne, but their relationship is plagued by commitment issues.

If I'm feeling SteddyHands mirroring, then usually Mary is going back and forth between Jack and Anne and they have a weird thruple thing going on, only they act more like it's an open relationship / not that serious on all sides (because of the commitment issues all around) and then get pissed at each other for the same act. The ideal final form is "This is my girlfriend, Mary, and this is her [X]friend, [XXXX]." Followed by Jack and Anne calling each other husband / wife for a joke.

If I'm not feeling mirroring, then I do think it's really fun if Anne has to deal with dating her boss's ex that he's still on good enough terms to flirt with even if it's definitely over, and Mary has to deal with her girlfriend being more devoted to her ex than her for the rest of time, even if it's an entirely different kind of devotion. Also Jack and Anne are still platonically married and it is weird as fuck.

Izzy approves of Mary. He thinks she's a respectable pirate, absolutely lethal, and she gets bonus likability points because she's been backup on enough raids that she treats Izzy like a weapon of mass destruction when battle planning and he's very flattered.

Izzy has also been Anne's drunken sympathetic ear through issues with Mary or Jack (or both, when Anne gets that in her head), and he has - entirely obvious to the irony - listened to Anne sob over how she can't live without Mary and responded "Have you told her that?" (Anne had not, and would not when sober again.) He is self aware enough that he's never once advised her to drop Jack and go sail under someone else, though.

Random Other Thoughts

Hmm... Oh! Big one - I think Anne has mad tattoo skills. She's done a few of Edward's and some of her crew members (and a few small but gorgeous ones for Mary), but her real masterpiece is a really complex ship and waves on Izzy's back that she did over multiple sessions and adds details and touchups to pretty regularly. Izzy doesn't let many people tattoo him and Anne is at the top of the list.

Anne and Stede get off on the wrong foot, like, instantly. Stede is still in his "trouble remembering Izzy exists" era and entirely fails to hide his surprise that he has a friend, Anne thinks Stede is boring as fuck and openly boos his suggested activities, Stede gets the Calico Jack First Mate reveal and sours even faster... It's a whole thing. If we're doing SteddyHands she thinks Izzy is actively losing his mind when she realizes he's even considering doing that.

The murderbesties do lots of murder. A typical Anne visit is short and sweet, where she catches Blackbeard's ship because she wants to borrow Izzy to back her up on a precision naval fort strike or something. They get drenched in blood, kill a bunch of people, and usually rush to get back to the ship with their loot before anyone notices. This leads to a very relaxed and bloodstained Izzy, Edward having trouble looking pretty much anywhere else, and Anne placing bets with veteran crew on when the two of them will disappear. Later Izzy and Anne split the most expensive bottle of booze they managed to grab before she heads back to her own stuff.

Anne slept with Spanish Jackie once, out of curiosity more than anything. She recommends it. Izzy still insists she was so deep in celebratory booze that there's no way she fucking remembers enough to recommend shit. Jackie doesn't kiss and tell.

---

I think that's plenty of thoughts for now. I wish I was the kind of fic writer who could have a whole series about these two out by now, but alas. Headcanon / fic concept posts will have to do.

Thank you for the chance to gush on them and get all my thoughts in one place!

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Legend of the Dragon S1 Ep 14-26 Watch and Rewrite

Remember how I wrote that by the midway of the show, it was really picking up steam with more tension and intrigue between the siblings and the guardian world in general? It delivers by making Ling more human and less psychotic, Ang is less naieve, and there are far less slo-mo. Actually, in some episodes there is none and when they do use it, it's for appropriate dramatic purposes instead of filler.

Now, it's not without its flaws. The animation is still wonky at times, and it haas its generic melodramatic moments like there was four consecutive episodes in a row where Ang shouts at Ling when she leaves again. And I know it's supposed to be angsty but I just keep thinking of

Without the romantic conotations of course, but the melodrama yep.

Luckily it dies down. The humor (especially the sibling teasing) is top notch, creepy final boss villain, has some unique guardian powers and expands lore. The second half is a vast improvement and nicely sets up urgent business for season 2.

Now to the episodes, beware spoilers unless you want to watch it on youtube.

Sister, Sister has Ling split into four when she steals the rabbit armband and you can imagine the headache everyone has in having to deal with an angry Ling, a depressed, apathetic Ling (that is Valley Girl for some reason), hungry Ling and peacemaker Ling. Zodiac Master has the biggest migraine of all when he gets overthrown by the Lings (literally, he's literally thrown off his own ship) and goes to the gang for help. 

While he relaxes in jail (confirming that regular Hong Kong police think he's a nutcase), the group goes to the Rabbit temple where the rabbit guardian, Hye has Ang all aflutter with a crush and Bengail with jealousy.

While this is mostly an amusing episode, I found the attempted character romance to fall flat on Bengail's side. While Ang is clearly experiencing his first crush (that's not going anywhere) and appreciates Hye's sympathetic ear in regards to his complicated feelings on his sister, Bengail's jealousy felt petty as she wouldn't even admit to her feelings. I just appreciate Hye for her maturity in playing along with Ang's crush and assuring Bengail that she has a role at Ang's side and can't be replaced. But tbh, I found her VA's high, soft voice to be lowkey annoying. 

I would rewrite this to have Bengail's jealousy over Ang's crush lead to a real fight over Ang feeling unsupported. He knows he shouldn't trust Ling and he mostly doesn't but he's tired of everyone dismissing his hope that she'll change. Everyone expects him to forget that she's his sister and they had seventeen years of history, good history. She wasn't always an evil psychopath and he feels like he's the only one who remembers that and he's tired of being called naive and a fool when she's the only family he has left.

Then Bengail can go into her own feelings since Ling had been her friend too and why she's much harsher on her. 

Otherwise, this was a fun episode with plenty of funny moments too and wit as Ang tricks the Lings into turning on each other as they figure out who is the real leader and whose the clone. Also apparently the only thing the clones agree on is shopping which is so random but funny. It does highlight a flaw that while the Lings go shopping, there are no background people. Maybe the clones scared them off but it’s more likely the animators didn’t have the budget to populate Hong Kong which makes it feel very empty. 

Associating with Vermin: Another good episode where Ling tricks Ang into believing the rat guardian,  is actually her in disguise pitting them against each other before she ambushes them and takes the rat band. 

By the way, the rat guardian is a feisty twelve year old girl, Ming (I think she's around the age) whose armband allows her to shapeshift into different animals (mainly rats and snakes) and wolverine claws. Literal wolverine claws! So cool! Seriously, why do they make the guardian powers so much cooler than the protagonists?

And while the rest of the episode is predictable in how they team up to take her down using  's knowledge of her temple, it's full of funny lines. Like when Ling does the villain monologuing explaining her deception and complains no one recognizes her brilliance. 

And -- just roasts Ang the entire time like when she says that the only protection she needs is protection from someone stupid enough to be tricked by their own sibling and he's supposed to be the golden dragon, not an oversized twit. 

Also Xuan Chi getting to be the voice of reason is always fun switch of personalities. 

Shell Game brings the return of the monkey band when Azng finds that a museum curator has it and in his attempt to not tip off the Zodiac Master goons that are spying on him, he accidentally lets the curator place the armband on a suit of samurai armor. 

No problem right, they just go back and steal it back. Yeah, Zodiac Master gets it first and brings the armor to life so he can use it like a jacked up samurai monster with monkey powers. 

Unfortunately since he cast a spell of evil it bites him and Ling in the butt when the samurai turns against them with another enemy of my enemy team up that ends up blasting the samurai to pieces and the monkey armband is lost to the wind again. 

If I had to change the episode I would just remove the trite fight between Ang and Xuan Chi on the morals of stealing and give Xuan Chi a bigger moment to shine as retrieving the monkey band is so important to his arc. There had been a moment when Xuan Chi decides to fight the samurai armor on his own because it's his armband and duty, it is played for laughs as he quickly runs at the armor's might. If it was played straight, it would have added more bathos to this fillery episode.

Thief of Power: A big time thief breaks into the dojo, seeking revenge on Master Chin. But before he does, Master Chin goes to Vietnam and the gang goes to get answers from Shoong and Chin. Yes, it's backstory time!!!! 

Apparently, Tommy the thief was actually the Pig Guardian whose greed led him to abuse his powers for thievery so Master Chin put him in jail. The big surprise is that Master Chin and Shoong were the ones that secretly broke him out because they needed him to complete a sacred ceremony to recharge the pig armband for the next 12 years. An interesting addition to the lore here is that one retains the power even in disgrace which explains Tommy's awesome moves and tank-like build. 

So it's up to Ang, Bengail and Xuan Chi to keep Tommy from getting the pig band while keeping him within the temple for the ceremony to work. It was cool interplay and this might be me getting used to the show but I feel like there was less slow mo in the fights so that was a plus. 

Horse Play had almost no slo mo! We’re getting places and by that I mean, Xuan, Master Chin are heading to the horse temple which Chin warms that things aren’t as they seem. 

That’s certainly true as Ang has to trust his instincts rather than his eyes to find the temple under the lake. I just find the setting choices for each temple cool especially as the horse is supposed to represent 

From there, Ang fights the Eternal Maiden who initially disguised herself as Manaho, the horse guardian but was so touchy feels and seductive that you know she’s bad news. 

At the same time, Chin and Xuan Chi find the real Manaho who warns they have to get the armband back before the volcano explodes. 

It all ends as predictably as expected but I thought it was a solid plot with good fight scenes. I would just give Manaho more of a personality, tying it back to the horse zodiac, specifically fire horse by showing her high spirited enthusiasm and well, fire. Something to make her more distinct as a character. 

Darkest before Xuan was a fun episode giving the pathos to Xuan that was missing in Shell Game. After being easily bested in a fight by Zodiac Master and Ling, Xuan feels more down about his skills as a sole combatant. His self esteem takes a further plunge when the former monkey guardian comes and rips him a new one. 

To be fair, he’s a grumpy old man the others don’t like as he considers them just kids and Bengali is more pretty than a warrior. And he’s bitter that Master Chin made him retire for Xuan to take his place. 

So Xuan goes to the dark side and gets a shadow band. Why he thought he’d be able to use it without getting corrupted, I have no idea but he gets corrupted. 

There’s fights and eventually Ang and Bengali save the day and remain Xuan of his worth but evil!Xuan is super entertaining. I just generally like Xuan’s arc of insecurity, confidence, slide backs and so on. 

Venom has a ticking clock plot when the Zodiac Master sics his cobra on the snake guardian, Cobra (I'm guessing that's a psyudenom or else her parents knew the future) poisoning her. And without her snake armband, she’ll need an alternative antidote or the snake armband, whatever comes first.  

Oh and their doctor from the mainland is an actual shapeshifting snake.

Pretty decent episode and has cool moments like Ang getting to use his dragon armband and Bengail’s Tiger armband in tandem. Like that’s the kind of creative action I want to see (tho I still they could have gotten a lot cooler than what they did do). Plus Zodiac Master backstory, apparently he had been the Snake Guardian before he turned evil. That explains why he attacked the snake temple in the pilot. I just wish they included it earlier and maybe showed a bit more of Cobra instead of her being unconscious for most of it. She was all British and badass in the pilot, she should be conscious more.

Empower the Darkest Ling brings back the spirit of the Emperor of Yin who possesses Ling into a dragon snake hybrid to with the power of shadow tiger/dragon/snake. He is on the hunt for one more armband since he needs four armbands to come back to life. 

Know who else is on the hunt for the shadow armbands? Ang and the gang because while the shadow armbands keep the world in balance, they're still corruptive.

It ends in battle, it’s not Ang vs Ling but Shoong and Ming come to help for a big guardian showdown.

And while Ling won't admit to being thankful for their help in un-possessing her, she says she's not ready to go back. Being possessed by the emperor gave her in even more power than what she would have with just the shadow dragon band or the golden dragon band. She wants more. 

But in big twist, she comes back to the dojo with the shadow tiger and shadow snake bands, warning them that the Zodiac Master cannot know but she is worried what would happen if the Emperor was resurrected. It cannot happen. 

It shows that there's still good in there. She doesn't want the world to end and it gives Master Chin hope for the first time that she can change. 

I know it all sounds like the plot for the second to last episode or part 1 of a finale. It's only the midpoint but I'd argue it would make a better finale. 

That’s why the only change I would make is to rearrange the episodes. Zodiac Master trying to resurrect the Emperor should be a bigger deal and should build to the finale instead of popping up midway and having a bunch of episodes in between. 

So I would switch The Last Dragon to episode 11 since that’s when Ling starts showing a hint of good again and is more willing to truce and help her brother. 

I would put the scene of Ling giving the shadow armbands to Ang in the end of Emperor of Darkest Yin since that would be after the emperor tries to suck her into the tomb, thus sparking her fear that she's in over her head. 

Spy Hard then would be ep 24 where Ling fights against the Zodiac Master for trying to corrupt the dragon temple. It’s then she realizes how far she has come from her original goal to get the dragon band and double cross Zodiac Master before he does real harm. Because again, she wants to win with honor. 

Then it can segue to Empower the Darkest Ling as episode 25 where Zodiac Master seeing that he is losing control on his second in command, has the Emperor possess them both in an attempt to seize more power and irreparably corrupt Ling which it does by sparking her thirst for more power and goes into the finale of Double Dragon as episode 26. Yes, much more angsty, dangerous and in keeping with the episode title.

Hair of the Dog has a mad scientist turning into a man-wolf, one powerful enough to overthrow Chow Chow (the dog guardian remember) for man animal supremacy.  

Luckily, Chow Chow’s pug heads to the dojo for help, preventing another Golden v. Shadow Dragon showdown. It’s a classic writer’s trick when you want to make someone sympathetic, make them like or rescue an animal. And even though I know what they’re doing, it does work to see how much Ling cares for the pug dubbed Cruiser. 

The episode also improves her in another way. After they all save the day together, Ang once again offers Ling a chance to stay, even get all the pets she wants. And Ling shows that she has gotten over her petty jealousy of her brother. She no longer cares about being Golden Dragon, but she cannot return because she doesn’t want to give up her shadow dragon.

The only thing I would change in this episode is the pug. Yes, he’s adorable but it would be more culturally significant to have a pekingese or a shih tzu since they were bred in ancient China to guard their temples just as the guardians guard their temples. 

 X Games Guardians: In the early 00s, there was an interest in the skating craze. X Men Evolution did it, Scooby-Doo did it and now Legend of the Dragon is trying to show how hip they are with the kids by having some young skaters unintentionally steal the ram armband from Zodiac Master. 

From there it’s a game of “keep away” with different skaters trying out the ram power as the gang tries to get it back before the Zodiac Master blasts them all in fury. 

It would be pretty forgettable but it’s saved that they have Ling on the side of good again and bonding with the original thief/street urchin, Jungi, who she sympathizes with trying to be let in the inner sanctum of the big kids (or in Ling's case, becoming a guardian) and pushed aside (though Ling kinda deserved it).  

A way to fix this episode would just get rid of the slang and x games references. Keep the interest in skating since that will always be popular but try to not to date it. Also, make the teens more competent so they aren’t outmaneuvered by a bunch of preteen skater street urchins, I mean that was just embarrassing. 

Lost and Found has more revelations for the twins about their supposed dead family members. After fighting with the ram guardian, he accidentally let it slips that she seems so similar to her mother. He supposedly dead mother. 

So Ling goes to Ang so he could ask for answers from Master Chin. And yep, she’s alive but amnesiac and the former ram guardian!

Another solid episode that expands the backstory, improves the twins relationship with some good banter and doesn’t end too sappily with their mom automatically regaining her memory. Rather she’ll try as she reacquaints herself with her old yet oddly familiar home. 

Monkey See Monkey Do: For Xuan Chi's birthday, we go on yet another search for the monkey armband that leads to a walk on the evil side for Xuan. Well actually, a walk on the wild side since the evil mask Xuan Chi puts on to make up for his lack of power turns him into King Kong. I am only a little disappointed that they didn't take advantage of the scenario to do a classic king Kong holding Zodiac Master on top of the temple scene. 

Anyway, Xuan Chi learns his lesson not to use evil to his advantage, it will only corrupt you. While I like that they have the monkey armband be an ongoing arc, this one felt repetitive in the lesson of the day and in the scenario.

The only intriguing parts were Ling's willingness to tip off the good guys to prevent Zodiac Master from getting all the armbands to resurrect the emperor, and Ang talking King Kong Xuan with the classic 'Fight it, I know you're in there" speech.

Others may find it a cheesy cliche, I still enjoy the trope. I feel like it could have been stronger by having Ang recount Xuan's growth throughout the season and their friendship. You know, really pull the heartstrings. 

Double Dragon: I have no rewrites here. This was a good finale that has almost all the guardians returning, and Bengail and Xuan get their own spotlight moment in the final battle. The Emperor has a cool design. And it has Ling facing the ultimate temptation when the resurrected Emperor of Darkest Yin goads her to getting the golden dragon armband so she can have the power of yin and yang in ultimate balance. 

I just wish Ang had just a big chance to reflect on his growth and how he's progressed from slacker, naive, and undisciplined to the wise, competent Golden Dragon he is today. Also Cobra didn't return and no one turned into a dragon, still waiting for a cooler power upgrade there, but maybe that will be revealed in season 2.

And for the first time, I realized just how dark skinned, Ang and Ling are when in Golden/Shadow dragon form. I must have been oblivious but it does feel weird. Both as a race thing and the artists couldn't keep a proper color palette thing.

Also cliffhanger, it has a very intriguing cliffhanger that will make fighting Ling and Zodiac Master small potatoes.

[alwek]

OC POSTING;

Tag: System Pulse

Group 2

Yumi: She's group 2s healer. She can use her power over ghosts and spirits to revitalize others, or slowly suck their life force dry.

She grew up in a small town. Things were difficult for her, but overall good. She mostly ever had to deal with deadly animals attacking her families farm, which she was easily able to defend using her unique command of spirits. While this ability made most of her townsfolk afraid of her, her family was very protective, and made sure that despite her ostracization she had a happy life. She joined the resistance against the conglomerates when they forcefully tried to take her farm, and killed her mother and older brother in the process.

Kathrine: Leo's younger sister, she has feather magic. This magic lets her fly for a short time and glide as long as she needs. She can shoot the feathers from her wings as well, but they still only have the strength of feathers and don't do much more than stick in the top layer of the skin.

After Leo found the original group, he sent word to Kat to join, and she left her own search for their parents killers to join him in the fight against the conglomerates

Lily: She's one of the most powerful witches on the planet. Unlike most others, Lily can use all types of magic, but has a preference for ice, psychic, and plant magic.

She grew up in the same city as Sigmund and spent most of her days going clubbing and doing various drugs. One of the Conglomerates eventually got wind of her powerful magical abilities, amd has been trying to kidnap her for experimentation since.

Sigmund: Made of flesh and fire, Sigmund has a mastery over fire magic. He can swap between a human form and a form that looks not unlike a squid made flame. He uses his power to produce jet like flames that cut and cauterise almost anything (depending on the oomf he puts into it) and can also use it to fly around.

He grew up in the same city as Lily. Sigmund was born into a powerful crime family and was used by its boss as an intimidation tool and deadly weapon. Most of Sigmunds early life was goofing off until being told to go kill people by the boss. Eventually, he realized the boss was only ever using and manipulating him, and so he left the crime family. After running into Lily for the first time, he joined the rebellion against the conglomerates

[my-pokemon-rambling-blog]

My opinion on the Arc suits: What. The. Fuck.

First, the logic behind it. Like, the connection between each character and Arceus, and whether the character needs the alt or not. An alt needs to be relevant to the focal point of the design.

It has been four(?) years since the last Lance alt in this five year old game. Meanwhile, Steven is getting alts like no one’s business! Cynthia got some great treatment too. She got the Giratina suit, the Alola pseudo-legendary alt. Also, she has three themes across the board. Most of the champions have a decisive theme. Most…

Hm…I guess who doesn’t have a decisive theme out of the Champions. HM…

Seriously, why does Giovanni get a decisive theme instead of Lance? All the other champions get a decisive theme(to my knowledge)! So why can’t he?

The only way for Lance to get an alt is to be tied with Steven and Cynthia. Why can’t he and Clair get alts together? They’re literal cousins! Silver is also another alternative solution. Do I see/understand the dad!Lance son!Silver head cannon so famous in the Lance fandom? No not at all. But at least it’s something.

Moving on to Steven, what significance does Steven have with Arceus? I know this applies with Lance, but at least he’s from Johto which has some connective tissue with Acreus and Sinnoh, but Steven? He doesn’t have any connective tissue that links him with Arceus (to my knowledge). He has more connections to Rayquaza or the Lati duo more than anything. Besides, Hoenn’s husband would relate to Regigigas or Heatran than anything. Steven doesn’t have anything that can connect himself to Sinnoh other than that one place in Sinnoh in the post-game(?).

As for Cynthia, uh… I have nothing to really bitch about. She has a strong connection to Arceus, especially with her bloodline. She obviously has interest with Arceus since she’s a history nerd (and she’s proud). If anything, Cynthia really fits the bill with the Arc suit idea. I can’t really complain here…which is great!

Secondly, the characters’ synergy with each other. A character alt should have a good connection with the other characters receiving the same alt. For example, Feh’s choice for who gets an alt makes sense. Marth’s bridal alt is paired with Caeda’s bridal alt because they are canonical husband and wife.

The whole Steven/Cynthia/Lance connection is shown in Masters. They’re the final boss of the main story I think. I didn’t finish it because I was wrapped up in getting characters I actually liked. Their relationship in the mainline games is… nonexistent. However, Steven and Cynthia share similar interests that being geology and archeology. That’s it. The whole crux of the trio is that they’re powerful trainers who got to Champion level and help you defeat the evil team. That’s it.

Now another principle in what I’m going to call “Alt/Skin Law in Video Games” is the designs. Do they have a common theme? Do they have some unique details that sets each design apart? Does each design carry the essence of each character as individuals and as a whole group?

The arc suits DO fit the principle. Do they look good? Not really. I had just played Xenoblade Chronicles and when I saw arc suit Cynthia, I mistook her for Mythra. I’m not kidding. I wish they made all the clothes white. It’s annoying it doesn’t. Lance with a white cape would look good. The orange could change to purple or gold to match Arceus. The underside would be a light grey. Steven’s design is weird. Why aren’t the pants white? Make the pants white. It’s so annoying. His original color palette is just perfect. Just invert the black. Simple as that. Anyway, back to Cynthia, why are the hair accessories green? Make them whatever color Cynthia is supposed to represent for the Arceus form. I get Lance is dragon. That’s just common sense. Steven Stone being steel Arceus makes sense too. Cynthia? Make her ??? type or Stellar type. Makes sense. She isn’t a type specialist, or a triple type specialist in Steven’s case (which leads me into a head cannon I just thought of just now). This also helps with the foreshadowing with Volo and the champions.

Anyways, that’s all. I know I said Wally was gonna be soon, which he will, but it that takes time because he’s my favorite rival, and this doesn’t take as much time for me

[bersergner-blog]

Escape from Tombstone - Beat ‘em up Culture (pt.2)

...continued:

POW Stages are long and dull. Could really use bosses, as constantly groups of enemies getting dumped in feels like a slog. Enemies have too much health. A grab and down attacks would help. It takes too long to throw knives leading to you just getting punched. Some of the more cinematic elements such as the breakout and helicopter are fun and the combat has a bit of a meaty feel to it but it all feels pretty flat, repetitive and ugly. Enemies stumbling back or doubling over from punches can be cool. But enemies are way too beefy and it all just adds to the feeling of slog. Enemies seem designed for ultimate annoyance. They move faster, hit faster, run away from you, leap in with giant hit boxes, sometimes dodge your fire sometimes don't, run away when on low health, etc. A dull repetitive slog that feels overly long even at only 4 stages and is a shining example of all the worst qualities people accuse beat em ups of. The setting and idea are cool and having 3 different walk cycles shows a lot of visual care went in as well as crawling which happens a total of once. It all just feels all over the place.

Robo Army Finishers are kinda cool and you can turn into a car. The different types of special moves and building them up is a kind of neat idea but doesn't really add too much. The battle toads style rope descent is a nice change of pace but largely this is pretty dull and straight forward. At least levels don't outstay their welcome. Base enemy designs are kinda cool but some enemies look super dumb. Guys on bikes is a weird but very typical beat em up addition and fun in a tongue in cheek way. Some unfun enemy designs such as little spiders and dogs that can only be hit when they jump to attack. Some enemies run away from you to just outside of your reach which is never fun. Hazards that only affect you, not enemies. Quite a few attacks that just look like normal movement (final boss and some enemies).

Final Fight Feels good. Good music. Stages are nice and short leading to great momentum. Always seeing something new. Interesting enemies with only one or two attacks. But they are very interesting such as sneaky jab outside fighter and knife man who has throw and lunge, axel who blocks a lot and encourages grappling. Makes for interesting enemy Compositions. Surprising amount of story telling with it's little cutscenes such as getting abducted at the door by the great andore. And confusedly spinning around or car man when you trash his car. The special stage sections are a cool change of pace. Works surprisingly well as a solo experience. Which not many of these games do. Could really use some movement options such as a dash or tech roll on knockdown. Hagar having the shortest range directional throw sucks since he's so slow it makes some bosses a nightmare such as copman. Always cool little setpieces like the barrels being rolled in twice and then more people appearing when you're facing an andore. Fairly fun boss fights. Little unbalanced kit. Jump kick seems extremely good from Guy and Cody. A back-attack would really work in this game. The transition from day to night could be a lot more impactful and cool. You spend a lot of. Time indoors and the lighting never feels different. Obviously hard to do and we're not criticising these games for the lack of these elements but we're working on what we could improve. Punching a molotov out of the air!!! Gauntlet at the end is actually fun and highlights the variety of enemies and unique archetypes. Hagar jumping grab fun. Amazing enemy names. Molotov kicking madness with Guy during Gauntlet. Corner fighting to offscreen is a little too strong a tactic. But the alternative of enemies using abilities from offscreen would be worse. Sometimes the enemies' attack patterns do seem to create some unavoidable damage situations. Final boss is a great idea, being able to smash his chair and grab him out of it after how much he was avoiding you feels great. Might be one of the better versions of these type of characters. Taking to it's logical conclusion with Urban Reign.

Battle Circuit Tokusatsu inspired nonsensical but with a fair bit of plot and some fun lines. Great enemy and character designs. Very cinematic. Combos are fun if a bit limited. Ground follow up and defensive options would be appreciated. Fun enemy designs and some fun srt pieces. Feels a bit like it doesn't really build to anything really. May be trying to emulate that Saturday morning cartoon episode feel though. Plays great. Lots of options and the coins and upgrade system keep you invested.

Warriors of Fate Good variety of moves (jumping attack, neutral grab, directional grab, grab jump, clearout move, special input move, down and jump move). Getting on the horse is awkward but interesting. Introducing new enemy types alongside bosses is weird. Chopping enemies in half. Game is long but has decent variety. Some uniquely built levels for a beat em up lots of spectacle and cutscenes and different weapons actually feel somewhat different. The later three characters feel less complex because of less grapple depth but having a Ranged character is interesting and with a full "party" it might be something special. The final boss not fighting back and having the time limit for two different endings is interesting if a little cheap.

King of Dragons Large cast of characters and lots of diverse enemies. Blocking is cool (especially how it pushes you back), getting new equipment is cool. Lots of levels. Ambushes from. Ranged enemies. Levels are short and digestible with a boss at the end. Keeps the momentum up. The orbs of special moves you have to hit to activate are an interesting idea. The transition to the gold of the dragon in the final level is visually very cool. Diverse biomes. Parrying attacks feels cool. Enemies could be more interesting in how they attack. Some neat surprise enemies such as mimics.

Armored Warriors Diverse attacks (dash attack, downward stomp, long range attack, combo, weapon attack) and how they change with different parts, the whole picking up parts system is cool. Variety in gameplay. Great art (pretty much goes without saying for Capcom) But the whole thing feels very chaotic and all the lumbering machines get in the way of Readability. Nonetheless levels are short and punchy and the story gives enough context to keep you pushing and wanting to see what's next. The levels are cool if a bit basic.

The Punisher This is one of my favourite arcade beat ‘em ups and was part of Capcom’s licensed arcade series. It brought a lot of variety to the combat and really felt like a step in a new direction. It featured multiple special moves, interesting enemy types, more options from a grapple and occasional shooting segments where the screen would be rushed by enemies and the player would draw a gun locking onto the closest enemies and attempt to clear as many as they could. The second player played as Nick Fury and featured their own continue screen and music.

Alien vs. Predator Another personal favourite, another licensed Capcom arcade. They were absolutely on fire at this point. Featuring multiple playable characters (including humans and predators) all with unique abilities, combos and special moves as well as a lot of pick-ups and weapons and even some “vehicle” sections. Stages were nice and short and the game never takes it’s foot of the gas pedal.

Dungeons and Dragons - Tower of Doom/Shadow over Mystara Yes, Capcom made a licensed Dungeons & Dragons game. Two of them in fact and they’re great. Featuring absolutely top notch visuals, a lot of move variety, different stats that affected the gameplay, level ups, equippable items and a host of spells to cast and monsters to slay, these two games are a riot with a group of friends.

[wispisstillverybored67]

Death Blow

>"Sale, you wouldn't even know what to do with the money. Do you even have a crew of your own? What could two low-level crooks possibly hope to accomplish with 5 billion lire?"

"...A hitman! And if you two idiots want to make it out of this car unharmed, you WILL send me the results of your search. Understood? (5 billion might work as a suitable token for the others)"

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>"I see you glancing towards the side. You don't find the joke very funny?"

"Do not lie, Formaggio. It is beneath you."

"Who me? Carry on, you two."

>"...Shut up. Shut up! Everyone, shut the hell up...! SHUT THE FUCK UP EVERYONE!! I can't... Hear..."

>"Aw... Little Narancia. But this is certainly a... unique way of killing someone. I'm sure a certain doctor over on the special unit would be proud with that idea!"

"...Alright, alright, geez! I was just making a suggestion, you two!" 

>"This isn't my battle, so I have no reason to find Trish Una. Here, take this!" 

"How're you going to explain this to your capo... Still, I hope that we aren't enemies once we meet again. Bye, Narancia!" 

______________________________________________________________>"Ooo, let me see! ...Yo, just HOW DID you get all this info?! Show me Leone's next!" 

>"Bro! Stop lying to yourself! We don't need two masochists on this group!"

>"Motherfucker, I asked you first! You can't claim any kind of superiority, can you?! This is exactly why I hate you, Leone... Can you not be so fucking difficult for once, you dick, and answer my question?!" 

______________________________________________________________>"Here's my 2 cents now that he's gone: It's all a bunch of bullshit. He can run his mouth all he wants, but the truth is, there's nothing else that separates us, besides our own standards... The gap that divides us assassins, and the common filth that prowl the streets is just that; a gap in the canyon. And Prosciutto doesn't like to admit it, but for all his talk of the gap, he implies that, to mature, you have to fall into the gap... You have to lose your standards to regain them, and to become stronger. But don't take it from me, I see it all the time, and it happens to the best of people..."

>"Uh... Let me see. ...Um, Pesci? Prosciutto's nowhere to be found-"

"I knew you had in in you!! Okay, I've got it! I'll go look for Bucciarati and the others, while you and Beach Boy finish the deed on my shout! See ya Pesci!" 

>"I have no interest in seeing the little fisherman grow up. Snuff them out quickly, you two, and let's hurry up and claim Trish Una before the day ends. But first... some ice cream?" 

>"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a stereotypical rich boy? Probably not, right? But you sure as hell don't act like one, that's for sure."

>"Okay, this guy is called Krow, and his level is titled 'Krow's Nest'. As expected, he's only the first boss. The eggs are most likely from a divorce. Again, since he's the first boss in the game, he doesn't have anything really noteworthy, but pay close attention to him as he's defeated. Did you notice the thing leaving the body? Correct, that's the soul of Krow. Do you think we'll encounter it later on? ...Bucciarati, are you even listening to me? 

"...Oh, right, I should head back. It wouldn't do good for us if I stayed here any longer. Byeeee, Bucciarati!" 

>No no, you're fine. I'm not interested in the girl now. Here you are, one little guy! See ya never!" 

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>"Hehe. You really think they are, Melo? Actually, don't answer that, do you have any pills on hand? As it turns out, not even Proscuitto's immune to the despair of death..."

>"Hey, Melo, which one do you think would go best in beating the Champion?"

"Oh. Oops." 

>"Hey, Giovanna. I just noticed, looking at your Stand... Were you the one that killed Polpo, indirectly of course?" 

"I'm not really gonna use that answer for anything, I'm just curious."

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>"Oh, you've just reminded me. I need to go return the copy of 'Death In'-Actually, it may be best if I don't finish that title."

>"Come now, hurry up! You need to go after them! Hurry Ghiaccio! Run run run! Wheeeee!"

______________________________________________________________>"Look, I'd love to watch you two make out in public, but we have men to hunt down. But, just in case... Can you keep the white-haired man alive, and bring him to me? The goth one, yes."

>"Not cool. And why is there only 5 of you with the girl now? What happened to, oh what was his name, Fugo? Why is he not with you?"

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>"You all can go shoot my hands off if you want, my Stand is only focused on my fists, if that helps. And I can't keep vouching on my own innocence, so I'll just hang back here."

 

>"You know, Trish, maybe if we, my men, I mean, were more thorough in our search, this wouldn't have happened... Oh, don't look so surprised. But that's all in the past. And one of us, Nero, is already heading to Sardegna right now. He thinks I died alongside the other guys, and wishes to avenge us all. And the little underboss is heading there as well, under orders. They are, admittedly, not important to me. Not ever. But I do not want to know if they would attempt to kill the other as penance. If I'm there, they'd hold off on attacks, and the underboss is my ex-boyfriend as well, so he wouldn't want to kill me if he was ordered to do so. We all have to go to Sardegna for our own goals, but to think that reducing Carne from the Special Unit into a pincushion would bring this disaster to you all. Well... I'll go head to the cockpit." 

>"Yeah, I should leave here. Hope we'll never see each other again, Bucciarati and friends! Wahoooooo!"

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>"Nero... I get it, but you yourself seem... heavier now. Is my guess on where you came from correct? You of all people, too... Why do you look so sad?"

>"I see, and where and what time should I go when you call? ...Ah, okay. That works. Thanks Nero." 

>"Doppio... Ugh, what IS that smell?! And what happened to Nero... Urgh, get away from me! And for the love of sardines, take a goddamned shower!" 

"NO! SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! WE ARE SO NOT GETTING BACK TOGETHER AFTER THIS!!"

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>"Huh, so it does follow the slightest descent. Oopsie! That was useless!" 

>"Doppio...? *sigh* Look, I meant what I said. I don't even think I find you the least bit attractive. Never have, never will."

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>"Hey... What gives? I was enjoying myself in there. Can you put me back in... whatever that was?"

"Let's see... It was dark, and like I was drowning in ink. But it felt so peaceful... I heard the voices of my men in there, talking to me as if their heart still  beat. The nine of the great hitmen, whom I thought didn't care of me at all, talking to me about mundane things... And Doppio, I heard him as well, his gentle voice as if I didn't say that I never liked him at all... The only thing that would've completed it... would be Big Sis's voice again too. Why did you pull me back out here? Hello, Giorno?"