#his favorite is 358/2

[multifairyus]

And if I said Hobie was Axel coded…what then?

[autumn-may]

love thinking of sad traumatized edgy characters in normal situations but not in a ‘how do you think X event affected the way they handle everyday life’ kinda way but in a ‘what do you think 358/2 days rikus hair care routine is like’ kinda way

[catboygirljoker]

[Video ID: a clip from an HD cutscene from 358/2 Days. Xemnas says, "or, whether he destroys her first and takes back what is his, there is no change to our plans." Xigbar cocks his head and smirks, then Saix is shown glaring. end ID.]

this is. one of my favorite scenes in all of kingdom hearts. it's so funny. them being juxtaposed like this implies they're looking at each other but there's no context for WHY theyre looking at each other like this. i like to imagine that this is just how they passively interact with each other while xemnas monologues

[dreamsy990]

so 358/2 days, amiright? heres my thoughts

this game is just. god its an emotional rollarcoaster

i guess ill start with the things i dont like!! which is mostly the gameplay. i dont really mind the mission structure shockingly (i like being able to roam around but having a clear goal makes things easier for my adhd ass, and i think the miniature storylines are very good for the most part) but i simply could Not get into the combat. especially coming off of kh2 it feels so stiff and unfun to play the only part of the game where i enjoyed the combat was fighting riku at the very end. i think the panel system is okay but i dont like that levels take up space. why did they do that.

story-wise, i dont like the retcons!! a lot of the ones i take issue with are very minor but things like roxas only fighting riku once instead of the implied multiple times (even the dialogue doesnt make sense when you change that, why does roxas say 'how many times do i have to beat you' when theyve only fought once?) are the kinds of inconsistencies that just annoy me.

im also a little bit annoyed at the very concept of this game at all. i think roxas worked just fine as a character without this game. it feels sort of unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. also, xion. i love xion, dont get me wrong, but i dont think she adds anything to the series over all. thats not to say she doesnt add anything to this game because shes a great character and i love her, but shes just. kind of like this game in that if you got rid of her i dont think it would really change the narrative so much.

BUT DESPITE THAT ALL!!!!!!!! i fucking ADORE this game. it is genuinely so full of charm and soul that i just cant bring myself to dislike it. i think this is one of the best written games in terms of dialogue. every scene (at least for me) hit exactly as emotionally hard as i think it was meant to. i was laughing at demyx's antics and crying at xions death and yelling at saix and i think thats exactly how the game is meant to be seen.

days at its heart is a slice of life. its working a 9 to 5 its going through a depressive episode its losing friends its grieving its making fun of your coworkers its living. its a game about life and i love that.

this game really did make me forget that axel roxas and xion dont get a happy ending. i spent so much time looking forward to them making up that i forgot that roxas ran away. hell i almost forgot that xion died.

days is emotional and its story and its characters are just so fucking good. the conflicts all felt very real and you can tell exactly where everyones coming from. the way axel roxas and xion fall apart hits so fucking close to home. but god damnit if axel had any good communication skills like half of this could be avoided

its also one hell of a love letter to axel's character. hes always been one of my favorites (he recently earned first place) and i think this game does him a lot of justice. hes trying to do good. he wants to keep everything together he wants to be there for his friends he wants to make things right but he just cant. its just AUGH its so fucking good

that thing about axel's characterization really also applies to roxas. i dont have much to say about him beyond the fact that i think it does his character very well. also tism. hes so autism.

i kind of like the very limited graphics too. sue me i enjoy low quality games. the hands are not animated and they all have two expressions (blinking and not blinking) and their weapons are flat and im living for it. the very few fully animated cutscenes are good too!!

the (real, i dont count riku) final boss is unfortunately very easy. you can just stand directly in front of her and mash a she wont hit you its too easy but vector to the heavens did mess me up a bit. also earlier scene but "ill always be there to bring you back" with the other promise playing over it? fucked me up man. yoko shimomura is once again killing it

i cant believe roxas didnt get to go to the beach.

i have to give this game a 9/10. its writing is incredible but the gameplay could use a lot of work. its just not fun to play. but again the characters, emotions, and music all make up for that tenfold.

[firestorm09890]

Organization XIII Coded Avatars

Hi howdy

I was scrounging around in the depths of the khwiki and ended up on the Avatar Menu page. I never played kh coded (...this is technically from Kingdom Hearts Mobile) and I know very little about its gameplay but there was this side mode where you could make custom avatars and there were a bunch of pre-set ones, all with unique usernames and quotes

There’s one for every member in Organization XIII.

Please look at them.

DaSuperior “Avatar Parts, empower me!”

Fr33sh00tr “Pet goldfish? As if!”

Whirlwinnr “‘Love’...my outfit? Bah.”

TheChillE1 “Avatar pets? Fascinating!”

SilentHero “On your last legs yet?”

ZexyScheme “You cheat? Deplorable.”

LunaDVine “Expecting a mission?”

Flamesilox “F-L-A...Got it memorized?”

N♪cturne “My new song melts faces!”

GambleOfF8 “Scratch card? I'm game.”

AssaXIn8 “The Keyblade must be mine.”

SavageNmph “Do I detect DISTRESS?”

Key2DestNE “They ran out of sea-salt.”

Never4get “We meet again.”

Let me reiterate that these are from an official Kingdom Hearts game

I was going to make a cute little graphic or something but I decided nah I want the pngs to be downloadable straight from the post

Other notes and some (lots of) rambling under the cut

Avatar parts and scratch cards are references to mechanics related to the Avatar Kingdom as a whole. No idea what avatar pets are supposed to be though- I think he might be referring to buddies

Shoutout to Naminé being assigned mouse. Also “Shadow Dawg”. Also Roxas as “Dog 3″ is sending me- this isn’t what this post is supposed to be about

There’s this thing called the “Avatar Sector” where you... clear a bunch of floors or something idk I’ve never played the game

But after every ten floors you get a new title! For the sake of time I’m just screenshotting the table and pasting it in

And each Organization member has one of these titles. From the bottom up, we’ve got:

Junior Diver: Roxas Diver: Demyx, Marluxia Senior Diver: Vexen, Larxene Sector Mod: Xaldin Sector Admin: Zexion Sector Master: Axel Architect: Xigbar Wizard: Lexaeus, Saïx, Xion Legend: Xemnas, Luxord

I’mmmmmm not sure what the pattern is there? Or if there even is one???? It’s not physical strength, or ability, or importance in the Organization, but it doesn’t look to be entirely random... Considering this is from a side mode to KH Coded it’s probably better to just not think about it but hey now you know

Various ramblings on the things themselves:

Da Superior..................

Xigbar’s quote is a reference to that “Do you always have to stare at me like I just drowned your goldfish” line from 358/2 Days. this might be common knowledge but I like to cover my bases

shoutout to tumblr user @/ fr33sh00tr for being one of the uhhh 3 people I’ve seen ever reference these things

wow they really play up Xaldin’s hatred of love to a comedic level huh

the username Whirlwinner SLAPS though

Vexen’s mouth is the only one of the Organization that’s not pink/scarlet! Peculiar!

Lexaeus’s quote is a reference to the time in 358/2 Days when he hit Roxas really hard. Another L for Lexaeus fans 😔

also his eyes are gold for some reason?? clearly doesn’t mean anything here but why

aesthetic probably. xigbar’s eyes ARENt gold

ZexyScheme 💀

fun fact Zexion uses the word “deplorable” TWICE in Chain of Memories (only once in the English version of Re:CoM but he does indeed say it twice in the Japanese version). This is the third time. It’s not a very common word or anything so I think it’s his favorite word lmao

Axel’s username is a reference to the silly little nickname Xigbar uses for him in Days which makes me think Xigbar came up with all these usernames

shoutout to Demyx

something about the way “Do I detect DISTRESS?” is written is so funny to me, she sounds SO excited

XION AS NEVER4GET......

it’s definitely Xion btw because they all have numbers ascribed to them and Never4get is the only 14

that’s it

Thank you so much for to reading my post

[bryce-bucher]

Midwest Lost Post #1

Introduction:

This is my second time writing this post because I pressed ctrl z on accident at the end of my (very long) first attempt and apparently tumblr doesn't have a redo button. I am going to scream. Anyway, Midwest Lost is a souls-like set in the American Midwest in which you play as an angsty teenage boy with a big fuck off sword. My main inspirations for this project are the mainline souls games (also bloodborne psx), metal gear rising revengeance, and kingdom hearts 358/2 days. The best way I can describe my goal for this project is that I want it to be a fun, earnest, introspective, and emotionally raw teenage drama with a focus on atmosphere, narrative, and cool bossfights. As you can probably tell this project is the most early in development of the three I'm currently working on.

Story:

I'm not going to go into too much detail here because I want to avoid talking about spoilers, and, also, anything is subject to change at this point. The gist of it is that you are playing as an emotionally troubled teenage boy who (figuratively and literally) hides behind his big ol' sword. His ultimate goal is to leave his dead-end home town behind and make a better life for himself. The first obstacle of many in this goal is the protagonist's abusive stepfather who serves as the introductory bossfight of the game. I have a lot of ideas for bossfights that I am extremely excited about, but I'll avoid talking about them here so that I can show them off when they are more developed (one of them I'm excited about is a mom van). The game is likely going to be 50% exploration of a vibin small town and 50% fighting bosses, so most of my effort is going into those two things. The game's story is going to take place in chapters with various time gaps between them. This will allow me to set different chapters in different seasons, and, most importantly, it will let me set a chapter on Halloween night. The last thing I'll talk about in regards to the story is that, as absurd as the subject matter may get, I want to avoid the game feeling irony poisoned at any point. I want the game to feel earnest as that is how I'm feelin' while making it.

Mechanics to Appease a Goopy Goblin Gamer Brain:

I would describe my enjoyment of games as a medium as belonging on a spectrum where the left has experiences that touch me in an more complex emotional sense, and the right has experiences that are pure serotonin injected straight into my soul. The souls games sit comfortably in the middle. This is because the atmosphere, storytelling, and general vibe of the souls games is really harrowing and beautiful, and the gameplay gives me the kind of intense brainworms that lead me to play through it twice a month. Before working on my current three projects, I hadn't really worked on something that I intended to necessarily be fun. In a way, I'm sort of getting out of my comfort zone by making something so mechanically heavy. It's been a nice change of pace to learn that I can focus on atmosphere and gameplay without either of them feeling creatively unsatisfying. Something you must know about me is that I have an immeasurable fixation on dodge rolling, and I think it's one of my favorite mechanics of all time. All this to say I put a dodge roll in my game, and I think it's feelin' really good.

Animation is Hard:

(But if I'm being honest, I'm getting there.)

Souls-likes are sort of unique as a genre in that animation is extra important in them. In something like a platformer you might have a bad jump animation that makes the gamefeel all wonky, but the jump itself will still work the same. In contrast, a 3D-Action game like Dark Souls is very dependent on its animations to control timing, spacing, and telegraphing on top of the gamefeel. Before starting this project I didn't really know if I had the animation chops to pull something like this off, but heading straight into the deep end has, I think, really helped me improve my animation skills quickly. The moment I got the stepfather's "lunge + spin knife around" attack implemented (as pictured above) I got a lot more confident in my ability to probably make this game feel pretty dang fun. Recently, I had to make 8 different strafe animations and it strangely didn't feel like a chore at all. I'll talk about that more next week since it's related to the mechanic I'm currently working on.

Drinkz:

The main healing items in this game are a variety of energy drinks, coffee brands, soda, etc. that each have their own unique effect. In the above gifs you can see the two that I have currently implemented. These are the green and blue varieties of in-world brand "Vlade Energy". The green one is the most basic heal item, and it's the one you start off with. It allows you to take two sips per can with each sip healing a good deal, and you can roll out of the drink animation at anytime; however, cancelling the animation also discards any sips yet taken while still using up the can. The blue one stacks a passive buff on the player that allows them to heal by dodging through enemy attacks. I'm really happy with the presentation of the heal mechanic with the fun particles, the sfx (take my word for it I guess), and the animation of the protagonist throwing the empty can away.

Music:

The game currently has none. I'm looking to commission a bunch of artists to fill up the soundtrack with some banging Midwest Emo or songs that otherwise have an indie feel. If you make music and are interested in doing a song or two please hmu. It'll be a p long while before I'm actually worrying about getting music in the game, but I thought I'd mention it. There is also gonna be some fights that have tracks way outside of the Midwest Emo genre, so don't be afraid to hmu if you are making different types of stuff.

Conclusion:

I wish I could talk more about this project, but I'm gonna have to wait until it's further along. Next week I'll be talking about my strafing / sidestepping mechanic that I'm currently implementing, so I'll see ya then. I'd like to end this post by mentioning that the amazing portrait of the main character seen in the health UI was commissioned from lonesomnia. I cannot stress enough how much I love how that piece came out.

[demifiendrsa]

KINGDOM HEARTS - Steam Announcement Trailer

Japanese version

The Steam versions of of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind will launch on June 13, 2024. Each will be available to purchase individually, or together as the all-in-one Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece collection.

Overview

Multiple Kingdom Hearts experiences are coming to the platform, specifically:

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind

Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece (bundle that includes all the above compilations)

Across these titles, you’ll experience the “Dark Seeker Saga” and play through Sora’s humble beginnings on the idyllic Destiny Islands, his fateful meeting with Donald Duck and Goofy, and ultimately to the trio’s climactic battle against the forces of darkness.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX features textural updates to its graphics, while purchasing Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind or the Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece bundle will give you a new platform-exclusive Keyblade: “Dead of Night.”

Of course, with a new platform comes a new audience, so perhaps you’re fresh to the Kingdom Hearts series, and wondering: what’s it all about? Read on and we’ll go into everything coming to Steam:

What is Kingdom Hearts?

Surely everyone’s heard of Kingdom Herts—it’s been around since 2002. Well, just in case…

Imagine if you took some of the most popular Disney and Pixar characters of all time, and some of the most popular Final Fantasy characters of all time and smashed them together, like a kid playing with action figures.

Then add in amazing original characters, a sprawling story and a generous sprinkle of Tetsuya Nomura magic, and what you get is an incredible action-RPG series that’s quite unlike any other series out there.

That’s Kingdom Hearts.

Which games are coming to PC via Steam?

Multiple Kingdom Hearts adventures are coming to Steam—you can see the full list below.

You may be thinking: “Wow, Square Enix – that sure sounds like a lot of Kingdom Hearts!”

Well, you’re right—it’s what’s known as “the Dark Seeker Saga”—the epic adventure of Sora and friends that spans from the first game in the series to its shocking climax in Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind.

Here’s a detailed rundown of what’s available:

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX

This compilation contains four full games, with two additional story experiences for good measure.

Kingdom Hearts Final Mix – The game that started it all, remastered with high-definition visuals, improved controls, a reworked soundtrack, and more. This is the game that introduced us to Sora—a brave lad with big feet and a bigger heart.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories – Set directly after the events of the first game, Sora, Donald and Goofy enter the mysterious Castle Oblivion, and stumble into an adventure that’s forgettable in the best possible way!… That’ll make more sense when you’ve played it.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (HD Remastered Cinematics) – This story focuses on Roxas, a new character with a special connection to Sora. The compilation features cinematics from the original game, enhanced with additional text and remastered in high-definition.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix – The second numbered game reunites Sora, Donald and Goofy in an epic adventure across some of the most memorable and unexpected Disney worlds in the series. Like Tron—Tron‘s in here!

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix – Prequel time! This game turns back the clock to before Sora ever wielded a keyblade and shifts the focus onto three new characters: Terra, Ventus and Aqua. It’s an emotional adventure with a wildly entertaining battle system—there’s a reason it’s a real fan favorite.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded (HD Remastered Cinematics) – This hi-tech tale takes Data Sora into the digital world to seek an answer about a cryptic message. The compilation features enhanced cinematics only.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

This collection of games is a real dream for fans. It contains games that focus on some of the most popular characters in the series, Sora, Riku and Aqua, and set up the climax to the saga.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD – Sora and Riku take their Mark of Mastery exams to become true keyblade wielders. Things do not go as planned – if you thought your exams were stressful, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- – Made specifically for this collection, this episode gives you control of Aqua, following the dramatic ending of Birth by Sleep. It’s a short and sweet adventure that leads directly into Kingdom Hearts III.

Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (movie) – A high-definition movie that goes back in the timeline even further than Birth by Sleep. It tells the story of the Foretellers – but who are they and what will they mean for the Kingdom Hearts series?

Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (Downloadable Content)

The Dark Seeker Saga reaches its climax in Kingdom Hearts III. The Guardians of Light gather for the final battle against the forces of Darkness

Before that though, Sora must travel through a whole new set of Disney and Pixar worlds. He’ll team up with Buzz and Woody to explore a toy store, untangle a mother’s sinister plot with Rapunzel, soar across the skies of San Fransokyo with Baymax, and much more.

The PC version also includes the “Re Mind” downloadable content as standard. It features additional story content, some of the toughest and most exciting boss battles in the whole series, and loads of additional features, including gameplay modifiers and photo galleries.

[runawaymun]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by: @zealouswerewolfcollector @melestasflight & @niennawept - thanks guys!!!!

Under the cut for length.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

43 total. 26 on my reg runawaymun account, and 17 spicy works under spicy_runawaymun.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

466,324. Geez.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently just Tolkien. Mostly focusing on early third age and late second age. I used to write for Stargate and Doctor Who but that was like ten years ago.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

To Partake - 842 kudos - Longfic in progress. Elrond/Celebrimbor set in the second age, based loosely off The Rings of Power but it's really gone off the rails now because I didn't like some choices in the show and am trying to fix them haha. Show knowledge is honestly not needed because I stop following it after like the seventh chapter. Mostly an Elrond character study disguised as porn.

And the Stars Shine the Same - 695 kudos - Longfic, complete. a look at early third age Rivendell as told by two kids from proto-Rohan who get adopted into Elrond's family out of harsh and traumatic circumstances.

Beneath a Boundless Sky - 520 kudos - longfic and in progress. Sequel to above. Much wider scope. Dealing with the politics of proto-Rohan and exploring Fram's rise to power, while also keeping a firm focus on Elrond, his relationship with Maglor, and his relationship with his family. Oh yeah, and there's an eldritch monster in the mix (one that isn't Elrond that is!)

A Gown Spun from Starlight - 400 kudos - Thranduil x Reader insert oneshot. Mostly fluff.

Supine - 358 kudos - exploratory kidnap fam multi shot. Mostly Maedhros-centric.

Tinúvion - 289 kudos - Oneshot. Elrond and Sauron meet and hiss at each other and fight over Gil-Galad for 1972 words. Sauron shits his pants. Transitive property Luthien-Elrond.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! Sometimes often my spoons are low so I am not always as fast as I like. But I endeavor to respond to everybody!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ohhhhh. Let me think, here. Probably That We Are Still - in which Elrond has a foresight nightmare about Cel's death and they have sex about it, which fixes nothing.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of them have happy endings, because I love happy endings and I've written a good deal of fluff! I think And the Stars Shine the Same has the happiest/most satisfying ending, though. But it's an unfair comparison because it's a longfic. But Never Doubt I Love (Russingon) has a happy/bittersweet ending that's one of my favs. And Equinox (Elrond and Lindir's first meeting) is just pure sugar haha.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not that I recall, honestly. Hopefully it stays that way. I've gotten one or two slightly homophobic comments but I believe the commenter meant well. It was a weird experience.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes! I find exploring how characters are sexual really really fascinating. It's like a microcosm of everything -- of their relationships, of their trauma, of their securities and insecurities. It's so interesting and fun! And especially the journeys that characters can take sexually, learning to open up and explore :) it's very rewarding. All of that is over on my spicy account. It's nearly exclusively Celrond but there's a few others in there.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've written a few, but none on AO3. My favorite was one I wrote a long time ago where SG-1 (Stargate SG-1) got into a tangled up mission with the Eleventh Doctor and River. I also do a lot of daydreaming and play in my free time imagining my OCs from my original works winding up in middle earth. :)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've had someone offer but if it wound up happening, I wasn't tagged, so I am not sure! But receiving the offer was very nice <3

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not any of the ones posted to AO3, but @the-commonplace-book and I have collaborated on a lot of work together! I'm always open to collaboration. It's so much fun.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

CELROND CELROND CELROND. Though Brimbrond is becoming a close contender now!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

All of them, really. I try not to doubt I will finish things and just trust my process. I am a naturally slow writer who's a perfectionist and tends to hop from project to project, which is why I focus myself on one or two longfics at most, and I just let the others percolate in outline form until I finish something. I used to not finish things ever and it drove me crazy, so I try my best to stay focused so that things will always get finished in their due time.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Prose. Action and horror. Long character arcs -- especially the unfolding of characters who are recovering from traumatic experiences. I have a pattern haha.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions of settings and characters (I know what they look like in my head and have to actively remind myself that this image isn't downloaded into someone's brain). Politics and schemes. And IMO I am not good at twisty plots. I tend to write pretty linear progressions with few unexpected surprises.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic.

I like peppering individual words here and there, or perhaps small phrases. Pet names, absolutely. But nothing more than that. IMO adding in language can really help ground a story in the worldbuilding.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Funnily enough, Tolkien. When I was a kid I set out to rewrite the entire books just from Merry and Pippin's perspectives. I did not get very far.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I think it's honest to god And the Stars Shine the Same. I am obviously fond of To Partake, but Stars just is in its own special category for me. It came to me at the exact right time in my life when I really needed it. It's a very personal story, and it revived my love of writing and reminded me why I liked doing it.

I am rather late to this and I am not sure who has been tagged and who hasn't, so forgive me if I tag someone who has already done this! But no pressure tags for: @emyn-arnens @jaz-the-bard @lordgrimwing @greyjedijaneite @maglor-my-beloved and whomever else would like to participate!

[themattress]

Favorite Crossover Villains

Terra-Xehanort - Behind the storyline of Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts II lies one power-hungry madman: Xehanort, top apprentice to Ansem the Wise. Desperate to escape what he fears is a meaningless existence trapped in the shadow of his esteemed mentor, Xehanort unleashed a universal apocalypse of darkness and even became a Heartless himself, bearing the stolen name of his mentor: Ansem. At the same time, a Nobody version of him named Xemnas was created, who pursued his own, potentially even more dangerous quest to conquer all worlds. Whether as Ansem or as Xemnas, the sheer epic grandeur conveyed by this guy is something to behold. When you stand on equal grounds with the likes of Maleficent or Chernabog, you're a top-tier villain.

Rumpelstiltskin and Peter Pan - Once Upon a Time has an abundance of villains, but two of them really distinguish themselves from the crowd. The most obvious is Rumpelstiltskin, who for all intents and purposes is the main villain of the series, responsible for at least 75% of the problems. For five seasons (let's ignore those last two, shall we?) he is a complex character - tragic, pitiable and even admirable in addition to being a loathsomely selfish schemer; a powerful demon known as the Dark One who at core is a coward who never fully overcame his childhood trauma. Oh, and the one who caused said trauma? That'd be the other stand-out villain, Rumple's father Malcolm, who abandoned his child in order to make a pact with an Eldritch Abomination and become the boy who never grows up - Peter Pan. This evil version of Peter Pan is like all of Rumple's worst qualities times ten, with none of the positives, and as a result is the most frightening and despicable villain the show ever had. Adding to this perfect portrayals by Robert Carlyle and Robbie Kay respectively, including fantastic chemistry with one another, these two were the crown jewels of fairy tale evil-doing.

[cryoriku]

roxas asking axel what love is is one of my favorite scenes of all of 358/2 days... oh just imagine it. axel's been a nobody for quite some time, but his circumstances were normal, and he could remember his past life. although he wasnt human anymore, he fully understood what it was like to be. and everyone else was like that too. then roxas comes along with no memory of his past life and very little idea what its like to be human.

but i bet it didn't strike axel, the difference it made, until that very moment. imagine how jarring it would be to have someone with full sincerity ask what love is! when its not like theyre a robot, but instead someone, near your age, who technically isnt but looks and acts and feels human. i mean, you can even SEE how taken by suprise axel is by his stuttering of a "excuse me?" following the question.

but mostly its just heartbreaking (hee hoo funny joke). 358/2 days man..........

[wrestler-smash-or-pass]

Weekly Wrapup 12/17/23

Top five smashable wrestlers this week:

Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash

Hikuleo - 86.0% smash

Hiromu Takahashi - 77.0% smash

Sonny Kiss - 75.3% smash

Zack Sabre, Jr. - 72.7% smash

More stats under the cut, along with my observations, commentary, and some of my favorite tags...

Bottom five smashable wrestlers this week:

Undertaker (American Badass Variant) - 34.8% smash

Raven - 38.9% smash

Andrew Everett - 41.6% smash

Scott Hall (Diamond Studd Variant) - 43.7% smash

Drew McIntyre (Young Variant) - 57.0% smash

Most total votes this week (most enthusiasm)

CM Punk - 527 votes

Hook - 449 votes

Hangman Adam Page - 447 votes

Zack Sabre, Jr. - 363 votes

Sonny Kiss - 324 votes

And least total votes this week (least enthusiasm)

Andrew Everett - 173 votes

Scott Hall (Diamond Studd Variant) - 197 votes

Raven - 211 votes

Hiromu Takahashi - 230 votes

Hikuleo - 236 votes

The closest match was Scott Hall (Diamond Studd Variant), who lost 86-111.

Top Five Overall

Kris Statlander - 91% smash

Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash

Hikuleo - 86.0% smash

Rhea Ripley - 84.2% smash

Eddie Kingston - 82.8% smash

Bottom Five Overall

Vince McMahon - 3.9% smash

Kane (Corporate variant) - 10.1% smash

Triple H (Terra Ryzing variant) - 18.6% smash

The Boogeyman - 22.6% smash

Brock Lesnar - 23.2% smash

Top Women Overall

Kris Statlander - 91% smash

Rhea Ripley - 84.2% smash

Julia Hart (Spooky Variant) - 81.9% smash

Chyna - 78.2% smash

Penelope Ford - 72.9% smash

Top Men Overall

Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash

Hikuleo - 86.0% smash

Eddie Kingston - 82.8% smash

Kenny Omega - 82.1% smash

El Desperado - 80.3% smash

Top Tag Teams

The Golden Lovers - 80.4% smash

Best Friends - 66.7% smash

Motor City Machine Guns - 65.5% smash

Young Bucks - 43.8% smash

Average Smash Rating

Week 1: 52.7% Week 2: 57.7% Week 3: 54.4% Week 4: 62.9%

Thanks for being cool about the CM Punk poll. He's a very polarizing figure, so I really appreciate the fact that everyone was able to keep their tags civil. CM Punk received the third most smash votes to date (358 smash votes, compared to Adam Page's 386 and Eddie Kingston's 365). Punk Also received the 8th most pass votes. He just received a ton more votes than anyone else.

Onto other news, you guys massively prefer older Drew McIntyre (79.3% smash) to young Drew (57.0% smash). Tumblr maintains its reputation for being the "sexualize that old man" website!

I really struggled to find a good picture of Hook for his poll. He looks like my little brother, so it kinda felt like I was perusing my baby brother's thirst traps to show off to all the other horny weirdos on the horny weirdo website. It was easier than looking at all the Boogeyman worm photos, at least.

I'm thinking of running a few demographics polls in addition to the regularly scheduled smash or pass polls. Data on favorite wrestling promotion, sexual orientation, and age might make the poll results more interesting. Feel free to send in suggestions for other questions to ask. I can't promise I'll use all questions submitted by the community, but you guys will no doubt think of something I forget.

Some favorite tags this week

@discow1tch on Zach Sabre, Jr.: #you gotta see him twist a couple guys into pretzels before you fall for him

@samixayn on Hook: #if you love me you will bend this twink in half

@samixayn on Motor City Machine Guns: #is there not an eiffiel tower emoji or can i just not spell eiffeil.

@arthausen on Hook: #smash but he has to call me daddy and danhausen has to be there

@mancewarner on Hook: #passing bc he needs to be humbled

@pavlovean on Undertaker (American Badass Variant): #maybe if i knew where he was on january 6th and it wasn’t the capitol

@debbiechanclub on Hikuleo: #oh that's drilla in the first photo#and then he's holding a drill in the second#intentional op or not? lol (Answer: no it was not intentional. I am not that clever)

@daddywrasslin on Hangman Adam Page: #SMASH SO HARD MY NEIGHBORS NEED A CIGARETTE

@regalityandcoffee on Andrew Everett: #he looks like hed ramble to me about Pearl Jam for two hours (He looks more like a Tool fan to me, but yeah exactly)

[sailforvalinor]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

Awww thank you! I don't actually have a ton of fics up right now, and they're all one-shots, but here are a few:

Legend's Innisfree: A Legend of Zelda fic in the context of the Linked Universe comic (which I highly recommend, by the way), a comic where multiple different Links get thrown into the same time and have to figure out what's going on. The fic follows the Hero of Legend (nicknamed "Legend," from "A Link to the Past," "Link's Awakening," and a few other games) and the Hero of Hyrule (nicknamed "Hyrule," from the original "Legend of Zelda" and "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link"), both the heroes from the Downfall Timeline. Because Legend's games come right before Hyrule's, Legend often gets characterized as his mentor. This fic kind of explores that dynamic, as well as reflecting on Legend's doomed (?) relationship with Marin in Link's Awakening. I also got to work in some of my favorite folk songs into this one, which was a lot of fun! It's been a few years now since I wrote this one though, so looking back on it I would definitely do some revising, lol.

"I Will Never Be Like You": Another Legend of Zelda/Linked Universe fic about Legend and the Hero of Time (called "Time," from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, also for reference he is a lot older than the rest of the heroes in Linked Universe and is married to Malon). The heroes find themselves in Hyrule's Hyrule, which is a desolate, ruined place, and Legend has to grapple with the realization that despite everything he did to protect Hyrule, it still inevitably falls to ruin. Also, his buried resentment of his Hero of Time (who fails and is killed by Ganon in his Downfall Timeline) bubbles to the surface. (The Hero of Legend isn't my favorite Link, he's just easy for me to write about for some reason? Lol.)

"Lead, and I Follow": Legend of Zelda (but not Linked Universe), a quick Twilight Princess character study from Midna's point of view. This was a fic that was meant to be a couple paragraphs and then got wildly out of control because my feelings about Midlink are varied and complex. (Also, the title is a line taken from Tennyson's "Gareth and Lynette," which reminds me a lot of them.)

Blindfolds and Treasured Words: A Kingdom Hearts fic, set during 358/2 Days, following Riku and Namine right before Riku leaves to retrieve Xion--and the last time they see each other as themselves before Kingdom Hearts III. Rikunami is very beloved to me (although admittedly this isn't a super shippy fic, you don't even have to read it as that, although the tone is meant to be romantic).

[is0gild]

I got tagged by @superfan44 to do his 100 Favorite Movies Challenge. Rules are simple: create a list of 100 of your personal favorite movies in alphabetical order and share it, then tag others to do the challenge.

I thought coming up with 100 movies would be hard, but once I got started they just kept coming and I actually had to remove some from the list when I was done to stay under 100 haha! List under the cut :)

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

358/2 Days The Movie (2013) *

Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

Army of Darkness (1992)

Back to the Future (1985)

Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Big Hero 6 (2014)

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Chicago (2002)

Chronicle (2012)

Coming to America (1988)

Deadpool (2016)

District 9 (2009)

Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Evil Dead II (1987)

FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Frozen II (2019) **

Get Out (2017)

Ghostbusters (1984)

Ghostbusters (2016)

Groundhog Day (1993)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Hancock (2008)

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Hook (1991)

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Independence Day (1996)

Interview With A Vampire (1994)

John Q (2002)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) ***

Labyrinth (1986)

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Megamind (2010)

Memento (2000)

Men in Black (1997)

Moana (2016)

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

School of Rock (2003)

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)

Serenity (2005)

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Space Jam (1996)

Spaceballs (1987)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Spirited Away (2001)

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Tangled (2010)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

Tetris (2023)

Thank You for Smoking (2005)

The Avengers (2012)

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The Iron Giant (1999)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

The Mummy (1999)

The NeverEnding Story (1984)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Princess Bride (1987)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Titan AE (2000)

Treasure Planet (2002)

V for Vendetta (2005)

WALL-E (2008)

Warm Bodies (2013)

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Wonder Woman (2017)

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Zombieland (2009)

* Does this one actually count as a movie? Feel like it's a bit of a stretch, but it does say "The Movie" right there in the title xD And it's ME, I feel like my list would be incomplete if I didn't include something starring my fave fire boi lol! ** What?! Frozen II on the list, but not the original Frozen?! That's right, it IS possible for one of a person's utmost fave characters of all time to be in a movie they thought was only okay xD Don't get me wrong, I do like Frozen, it just didn't make the cut for this list! Frozen II on the other hand came out in theaters at a time when I only had to pay $15/mo for unlimited movie tickets and I loved it so much, I was seeing it 2 or 3 times a week x'D *** I know rules didn't say to point this out, but I feel like I had to do it anyway: Utmost. Fave. Movie. Of. All. Time. RDJ and Val Kilmer in a comedic whodunit? Movie gold! Watch it. It's good!

Okay, now to tag people! Remember this is just for fun, absolutely no pressure to actually do this, only if you want to! Tagging: @basiliskonline @daughterofkyne @astranovus64 and to anyone else reading this who thinks creating a list of your fave movies sounds fun, I tag you as well! :D

[catboygirljoker]

What were your thoughts about KHearts before you got into it vs Now having been into it? Also late welcome to the community hope you've had fun!

thankyou :D!! i have had fun, sitting in my little crevice and exporting my xigbar images and xigbar posts. im happy that people have connected with it in some way :]

thoughts about KH before i got into it:

for some reason i was under the impression that the games were about a boy who has dreams about disney worlds. and he has regular size feet in the real world and only has big feet in the dream world. i also think he traveled with mickey and not donald or goofy

also for some reason i was under the impression that ventus was sora's dad. it was not until i actually watched the cutscenes in birth by sleep and saw lea and isa that i realized OH. this is NOT as far back on the timeline as i thought it was

images of a spiky red boy and a spiky blond boy and a black haired depressed girl eating ice cream together with lots&lots of people sobbing in the replies. (REALLY emphasized the slow creeping emotional dread of that game for me. like golly i sure hope i dont get emotionally destroyed like all those other people! and then i , was)

when i was in middle/high school i had friends who were super into it, but i was never able to play it because my parents had a policy of No Consoles. we were allowed to have handhelds, though, because my family took frequent road trips, so when i found out that there was a KH game for DS i said to a friend "oh, cool! dyou think id be able to play it without playing the other games?" and she looked at me, and looked at her copy of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and said "........no"

only ~15 years later do i realize how funny of a question that was

thoughts about KH as i was getting into it:

too numerous to count. i shall attempt to keep it moderately brief

last year my husband listened to a podcast called "lore dump" where people explain the lore of different media to each other, and they did an episode/series on kingdom hearts, and i heard some pretty WaCkY sTuFf (i specifically remember them explaining what the recusant's sigil is, in the context of xigbar explaining that they'd been tracking sora and riku through the story of DDD)

found a vod of one of my favorite streamers streaming 1 and 2 to benefit abortion rights in texas, and i was like, well, here's my chance, heh, im gonna understand all of the WaCkY LoRe

i start up the stream. within the first 15 minutes i Get it. like it feels very dated in a lot of ways but i instantly understood what made people connect so strongly with this series. even as someone who didn't grow up with any attachment to it, and was a little put off of it even by how into it my friends were, to me kh1 is just pure high octane nostalgia. the tone is so specific and warm and bittersweet. i cried multiple times during the ending. it just really got to me! i was hooked!

when i fixate on a media property i like to have a hot person to chew on. i really. really thought it was gonna be axel. he is exactly the kind of character i would've fixated on when i was younger, when i had friends who were into KH. older mentor figure character who takes younger characters under his wing. associated with fire. projects brash confidence. k,ills people. he's a really good character! i love him a lot! every time he appears on screen i get on all fours and start barking! and there's all this fanart and merch and...then i got distracted......

hey blake in early 2023. it's me, blake in late 2024. have you heard of kingdom hearts. yeah. yeah youre gonna get really into it. yeah youre gonna have the longest running blorbo since you mega-fixated on the tenth doctor when you were 14. yeah. yeah um. you know the clip where the guy says "me? i'm already half xehanort!" and sora says "that's..nuts!"? yeah that guy? yeah. yeah. that guy. the half xehanort guy. yeah youre gonna make a fool of yourself online for that guy.

[somewhereinchaos]

— Read more for explanations:

Mewtwo ( Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back ) "Humans may have created me, but they will never enslave me!"

I know Mewtwo is a very obvious pick, but he NEEDED to be here. The first pokemon movie is one of my favorite childhood movies and Mewtwo was always interesting to me. A confused being questioning his worth + the horrors of human science and people betraying him and trying to use him for destruction. It fits Shadow so perfectly.

Cloud Strife ( FF7 ) "Our promises.. What if the memory was all just a lie?"

So Cloud is a walking mess of different complexes. I especially take inspiration how he deals with PTSD, his imposter syndrome and him being tormented by false memories and struggling to remember what is actually real. Cloud would rather NOT open up to others and tries to distance himself even from people who just want to help. But on his journey he learns that some things you can't do alone and his caring, more heroic personality starts to show itself more. Cloud is also hilariously blunt, so there's that too. Shadow core.

Bernkastel ( Umineko ) "Don't you ever talk about my past again!"

Bernkastel was imprisoned within a cruel fate and after struggling for a long time and losing her mind, she finally created a miracle and escaped, becoming the witch of miracles. It's because of this that she can't abandon others who are experiencing something similar.. but she's also not a very good person. She's cruel and sadistic, and has forgotten the concept of pain and fear after centuries of being superior to others. What's.. this got to do with Shadow? She's someone he could become because of the pain of being an immortal and eventually losing everyone he cares about. His bad ending.

Haku ( Spirited Away ) "You'll be safe with me. No one will hurt you."

Haku is a good inspiration for Shadow's protective side. Strict, but selfless. More than willing to stick his neck out for someone he cares about. And while sometimes his intentions are unknown to others, he wants to prove it to you that he can be trusted. A good boy.

Xion ( Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days ) "...Special just means different. Because I'm a mistake."

358/2 days is an awful, sad game. Xion is full of self-doubt, she was created to do one thing, but she doesn't know why she's doing it and doesn't even understand her own emotions. She's shaped by the people around him, she becomes very curious about the world and desperately tries to become her own person, but in the end she can't escape the fact that she was created to be just a tool... Shadow, too, was a blank canvas when he was created, but once he was shown kindness he started to develop a personality .. and then it was all ripped from him. I feel like Shadow and Xion would get along so well. They're both sad balls of misery ( i love them. )

Sesshomaru ( Inuyasha Manga ) "This one is my prey."

It's. fucking. Sesshomaru. I'm sorry but the idea of an emotionless, cold warrior/monster who thinks others are pathetic and who does things alone but eventually softens just a tad and finds something worth protecting . but also he stays an asshole and thinks you should go die.