#hopefully they can keep this up

[dokidokitsuna]

So about Frye's recent Splatfest victory...even in the beginning, playing on her team felt different from usual, and I had a suspicion about it... And after reading a tweet about the Autobots vs. Decepticons Splatfest from way back when, the suspicion grew stronger. And after seeing the final results, the suspicion was basically confirmed: The one factor in these lopsided Splatfests that's gone largely overlooked is how well each theme attracts older vs. younger players.

For many sets of themes, like the food themes, this isn't as noticeable. Everyone likes food, so the stats are gonna be muddier. But for more philosophical themes like the one we just had, I think the contrast was strong enough to actually affect the results. 'Save the World' (as it was localized pretty much everywhere outside of Japan) is a VERY kid-oriented option, especially compared to the other two choices. What child wants to do the Same Ol' thing at the end of the world?? How many kids even have a concept of what a 'Bucket List' is (and even if they do, would they recognize the phrase)...?

This would explain why Team Big Man, which usually either matches Team Frye or wins outright, did so poorly this time around...their performance was likely dragged down by an aggressively younger player pool.

It would ALSO explain why the Splatoon developers' obvious attempts to give Frye the most attractive themes kept backfiring: crowd-pleasers tend to attract kids. ^^; Meanwhile, Big Man and Shiver would have older player pools thanks to their more niche options, and end up winning more of the matches anyway.

If they really wanted to hand Frye an easy win after her year-long losing streak, rather than thinking along the lines of "Moldy Shoelace vs. 10-CARAT DIAMOND vs. Piece of Lint", they should have been trying stuff more like "New Club vs. New Apartment vs. New School". Y'know, make sure Frye's theme is something adults specifically can relate to, in order to attract older players (and thus, more experienced players) to her team.

[jarah]

Dun meshi has an iron grip on me

[mblue-art]

"…heh. you ran all the way here? can't resist free treats, huh." "Pff, hah. Of course."

🎯 >>

[tullecake]

some silly metal doodles because i looooove them ^^

[kirby-the-gorb]

[deoidesign]

Hey I have to go on hiatus after tonight's episode and I'm not sure when I'll be back, and all orders are delayed. I'll keep you updated and hopefully it won't be long.

[al-luviec]

sensei morro ref (is it really an au if it's part of your personal canon)

[halacska-fins]

queer or just european ? ?

[starry-bi-sky]

"Stillborn? No, still born" Danyal au -- VLAD MASTERS THE BITCH HIMSELF

*Points at Vlad* THIS MFER GOT SOME TEEFS TO HIM. !! Okay okay, Vlad Masters in the stillborn au is different compared to most of my other aus in the fact that I am far more heavily leaning into his original ambitions of wanting a family and being desperately lonely. Because you know what wanting a family implies? Wanting to be a parent.

Fucked up father figure that could've been Vlad. Complicated love-hate relationship between the only two halfas in existence.

Danny hates Vlad, but he hates even more that he's genuinely considered his offers of mentorship. Vlad is the only halfa around, and they both have fire cores. Danny has these powers he doesn't understand, can barely comprehend some days, and can't control. But Vlad does. Vlad can. And Vlad wants to help him. He's the only other person who can get close whenever Danny runs too hot. Whenever his igneous hair cracks, splits, and spits back out into magma and his friends can't get close, Vlad can.

His hair is made of magma, which runs so hot that people need specialized suits in order to get near it. He physically cannot get close to the living as a ghost unless he's calm enough for his hair to cool into igneous rock. Which isn't as often as he would like. And sometimes he's too hot for other ghosts to get near unless they have fire cores -- which Vlad has.

There have been many times when Danny's having a meltdown (literally) and gone somewhere to be alone, to let his anger and hurt and loneliness overflow and spill out, that when he's come back to, Vlad's right there with him as an anchor. It's desperately frustrating, it's the only time they can get along. They don't say anything, Danny just turns and clings onto the only person he can touch as a ghost.

Its not fair. Vlad wants to kill his foster dad, and Danny can't let him do that. But he wants to be trained by the man, he wants his help and wants what he can offer. But Vlad can't step away from his revenge long enough to let him. It's just not fair. He thinks for a moment that maybe it could work, and then Vlad does something to remind him that no, it can't.

Vlad Masters sees too much of himself in Daniel Brown -- from the way he holds himself, to the defenses he puts up, his quiet anger that builds and builds and builds until it explodes. That simmers beneath his skin. All the way down to the fact that they have matching cores. This boy is cut from the same cloth as him, and by god does he want to help him. He's always wanted to be a father, and Daniel Brown is too much like him for him to ignore. He genuinely, truly cares about Danny and his wellbeing.

He wants to help him, child just let him help you. Let him kill your foster dad so he can adopt you himself and help with these powers that terrify and intrigue you -- he knows what that's like to have something that you can't control, to have a heat that you can't cool down from. "We're in the same boat you and I, let him help you please."

But his methods are all wrong, and Danny is too much like him -- stubbornness and all -- for him to agree when they oppose each other so greatly. But again, Danny is much like him -- which means that Vlad is equally stubborn, and in every single one of their fights he's parental. He's annoyingly parental. He drops his interest in Maddie to focus his efforts in trying to coax Danny onto his side. It's like trying to get a traumatized cat to trust you, and on some levels it works. It's like he makes some progress, and then moves too quickly and the cat immediately runs off and you have to start back from square one.

TL:DR; Vlad and Danny both want to find family in each other but they're too different to get along and ultimately they are doomed by the narrative to be at constant odds with one another unless one of them is changes, and it doesn't matter who.

[sasoop]

Wanted to finish Red and Blue together, but I've been fighting for my life on Blue's piece and I've been real busy as of late so, here's Red by himself! This adult Red design belongs to @spadeprincesss who let me draw him! Thank you again for letting me do so when I had barged into your DMs and begged at your feet like a mad man! I am so (not) normal about this au!

[thebramblewood]

Settle in, folks. It's time for a little story.

Previous / Next

Helena: Do you ever sleep?

Caleb: [distractedly] Rarely. It’s the benefit of an all-plasma diet. Hunting expends more energy than anything else.

Helena: Is that why Lilith always threatens to rip our heads off if we interrupt her beauty sleep?

Caleb: Oh, she barely needs a reason to make threats. What’s keeping you awake?

Helena: Why didn’t you stop me from feeding on that man. You could’ve gotten in my head and told me not to.

Caleb: I can’t be your conscience, Helena. That sort of willpower has to come from within.

Helena: [mutters dejectedly] You say that like it’s easy.

Caleb: Of course it isn’t easy. But it is possible.

Helena: I nearly killed him. She wanted me to go all the way and I almost did.

Caleb: You restrained yourself in the end.

Helena: Only to sit back and watch her finish the job!

Caleb: You’re hardly alone in that regard.

Helena: She tried to push you too?

Caleb: [meditatively] There’s no such thing as a good vampire. You’ll make mistakes, which is why you shouldn't strive to be perfect, just better. The point of no return is to stop believing you can be better.

Helena: I need to understand her — and why you stay with her. Caleb, where did all this begin? I tried to ask how she became a vampire, but she only told me to talk to you.

Caleb: [cagily] I’m not sure it’s my story to tell.

Helena: But she never will, and doesn’t it involve you as much as her?

Caleb: [after a moment’s silence] Focus on my thoughts.

Helena: I’m still not very good at this.

Caleb: Come closer. Physical touch strengthens the bond. Relax, Helena. Close your eyes. Let me show you.

[lailoken]

Over the past few weeks, some extremely difficult and triggering stuff has been coming up in my life relating to acute trauma I experienced as a minor. I have done a lot of major healing from this trauma, and I know that recovering from traumatic events is an ongoing process, but even still, I have been truly shaken to realize just how much hurt and confusion there still is to untangle inside of me. This has also been a lot to contend with during what has already been an unusually hard and painful year.

While seeking solace from my Spirit Kith, I have been told rather directly that what I'm dealing with is the spiritual equivalent of a broken bone that healed improperly in some places, and that I am finally capable of mending that "structural damage." However, I was told firmly, but kindly, that the only way to fully remediate this wound is to re-break and re-set the proverbial bone, which is an inherently excruciating process.

I feel extremely self-conscious sharing anything about this, but I do so with the hopes of not living with shame, as well as helping others to understand another aspect of my continued struggle to keep up with social media as I seek the help I need. So, thank you for being patient with me and remembering that I am human this past year. It has been a rough one for me, but I am determined to make the best of it.

[driftingvoid-155]

Vanessa, nightguard, standing flashlight in hand, staring at the thing caught in the lights beam vs Michael, resident zombie, failing miserably at trying to smuggle bags of popcorn down into his hideout in the basement

[dariusaurs]

wait i just realized that the ending didnt actually make it clear what the nublar 5 will be up to in s3..

[buttery-chaos]

drawing has been soo hard but I finally managed to draw them again guyz 🙏

[deoidesign]

Time and Time Again comes back tonight!

Thank you all for being so patient with me, I know it was a long hiatus.

My health was struggling, my arm was (is) hurting, and I decided it wasn't worth it. I'd rather be slow!

So thank you for giving me that grace, and I hope you'll be there with me for the rest of the series.