#i also have no idea if meteor is the right term for it -- i think (and hope) it is but Who Is To Say

[tgcg]

argument

its a big one

TG: alright this is probably a bust

TG: more i think about it how the fuck do you even make a marinara

TG: can i even alchemise cheese or do i gotta like alchemise the milk and curdle it myself

TG: how do you even curdle

====================

TG: make a goddamn

TG: curgler

TG: whatever

TG: internet archive gonna pull through

====================

CG: ALRIGHT DAVE

TG: shit

====================

CG: YOU BETTER BACK THE FUCK OFF. I DON'T KNOW WHERE IN BULGEMUNCHING VIRULENT FUCK YOU GET THE IDEA YOU HAVE ANY RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD THINK ABOUT MY OWN GODDAMN PLANET. SORRY TO HAVE TO DEAL A BLOW TO YOUR IMPOSSIBLY INFLATED FUCKING EGO, BUT HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED THAT YOUR SIDE-EYE SLACKJAW HOPELESS DEADPAN BULLSHIT BEHAVIOUR IS ACTUALLY INCREDIBLY FUCKING CONTEMPTIBLE AND DOESN'T PUT YOU ABOVE OTHER PEOPLE? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT?

CG: OR DID YOU JUST ASSUME FROM THE MOMENT YOU FOUND OUT I'M A REVOLTING FUCKING MUTANT LOWBLOOD FREAK THAT I'M SUDDENLY NOT ALLOWED TO LIKE THE IDEA OF MY LIFE MEANING SOMETHING AT SOME POINT?

TG: okay you are wildly misquoting me where the fuck did that come from

TG: also you scared the hell out of me

TG: im just trying to science some pizza here

====================

CG: OKAY THEN, DAVE! EXPLAIN TO ME AS WELL AS YOUR AMBLING ONE-NOTE SMOOTH EXCUSE FOR A 'THOUGHT'SPONGE CAN

CG: IN SOMEWHAT COHERENT TERMS, ALTHOUGH I KNOW THAT'S A TALL ORDER:

CG: HOW YOU SAYING MY ADOLESCENT DREAMS OF BECOMING A THRESHECUTIONER ARE "FUCKED UP AND IRONIC IN A NASTY ASS WAY" DOESN'T QUALIFY AS UNDERHANDEDLY KICKING ME IN THE MANDIBLE PRONGS!

CG: YOUR AUDIENCE AWAITS YOU WITH BATED BREATH! TAKE IT AWAY, M.C. BRAIN HEMORRHAGE.

====================

TG: okay i dont

TG: know how you got a hold of that phrasing because i said that shit in confidence

TG: get out of my business bro

CG: NEWSFLASH, ASSHOLE: THIS METEOR IS A PHYSICAL, LITERAL LOCATION WE'RE BOTH IN. IT'S NOT A FUCKING PRIVATE CHATROOM. THIS MIGHT BLOW YOUR PITIFUL MIND BUT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY HEAR OTHER PEOPLE TALK WHEN THEY HAVE TO SHARE A SPACE! BRO!

TG: ugh

====================

CG: AND IT'S VERY INTERESTING YOU ACCUSE ME OF MISQUOTING YOU, AND THEN SUDDENLY TURN AND SPOUT FROM THAT SHITTY DRONING GROANSHAFT OF YOURS THAT I'M INVADING YOUR PRIVACY WHEN I DIRECTLY QUOTE YOUR SMARMY LITTLE SHAMEGLOBES!

CG: WOW! TURNS OUT KARKAT IS ACTUALLY BEING GENUINELY FUCKING UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING — WHO KNEW, RIGHT? WHO WOULD'VE GUESSED THAT I ACTUALLY HAVE GENUINE COMPLAINTS TO LEVEL AGAINST THE PEOPLE WHO GO SPOUTING HOOFBEASTSHIT ABOUT ME BEHIND MY BACK TO THEIR ECTOSIBLINGS?

TG: no dude can you shut up a second

CG: I MOST CERTAINLY FUCKING WILL, THANKS FOR THE OFFER! I'M NEVER TELLING YOU A GODDAMN THING AGAIN, SO I HOPE YOU MANAGE TO GAIN SOME WRINKLES TO THAT VESTIGIAL FLAWLESS ORB FLOATING AROUND IN YOUR CAVERNOUS NUGBONE FROM ALL THIS. I HOPE IT WAS WORTH ALL THE EFFORT ON YOUR END.

TG: listen!!!!

====================

CG: MHM! MY AURICULAR CHAMBERS ARE WIDE OPEN!

TG: jegus

TG: okay

TG: i have no defense for my literal phrasing but how expeditiously did you shadowstep the fuck away after i said that

TG: because that is some shrek tier "princess and ugly dont go together" level misrepresentation of my sweet self

TG: like if this wasnt obviously a heated platonic argument we were having i would probably be digging what the reference even if it was a shitty trope

====================

TG: i just

TG: have been thinking about some things and none of those things have got an iota of a thing to do with you or your blood

TG: thing

TG: man

TG: i dont know why you think id be so pressed about your vein juice its like

TG: a normal ass color for a normal ass guy

TG: and obviously it was a major fucking deal from how you talk about it but it doesnt need to be anymore

====================

TG: the thing is i just dont like have the same attitude as you about fighting and stuff and thats not something i am getting into right now but i am gonna make it expressly clear

TG: that its just kind of fucked up for me to sit my ass down and listen to someone spew gold and medals and confetti colored shit going googoo all over tall and loathsome ass bloodletters he never knew

TG: and have him tell me he wants to be the best guy at combat since samurai fuckin jack

TG: and thats my capital B business believe me the emphasis is there

====================

CG: SO IS THIS ABOUT ME WANTING TO BE PART OF SOMETHING YOU DON'T AGREE WITH? BECAUSE THRESHECUTIONERS DON'T EVEN FUCKING EXIST ANYMORE. I LITERALLY COULD NOT DO THIS IF I TRIED AT THIS POINT, SO YOU CAN UNKNOT YOUR “KNIGHTY WHITIES�� ABOUT IT.

TG: being anti-military is not my point but damn if it isnt a thing thats probably true anyways so good job sleuthing that out

CG: WHAT IS YOUR POINT, DAVE.

TG: bluh

TG: i just said i dont wanna talk about it man

====================

CG: OKAY,

====================

CG: OKAY.

CG: I MEAN. IT FEELS KIND OF IMPORTANT TO THE CONTEXT OF THIS WHOLE UNAMBIGUOUSLY PLATONIC ARGUMENT WE'VE BEEN HAVING

CG: WHICH I'M RELIEVED WE AGREE ON BY THE WAY

CG: BUT IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO KNOW I'M NOT GOING TO WRING IT OUT OF YOU. IT'S FINE.

====================

CG: …IF YOU DECIDE AT SOME POINT THAT YOU WANT TO TELL ME THOUGH, MY RUMBLE VESSELS ARE STILL OPEN.

TG: i swear youre making those up on the spot at this point

CG: I'M KEEPING MY LANGUAGE'S ART ALIVE, DAVE. IT'S BASIC DECENCY TO THE PLANET THAT RAISED ME.

TG: heh

====================

TG: yknow we got these things called anatomical snuffboxes

TG: its got that right amount of vague nose wrinklage to it that i feel like youd be right at home saying that

TG: snug as a grub even

CG: WHAT PART IS THAT???

TG: its that little weird bone bit that sticks out on the back of your palm when you flex your thumb right

====================

TG: look

CG: HUH. LOOKING AT THAT IS KIND OF WIGGING ME OUT.

TG: yeah its kinda gross rose told me about it

TG: but anyways

====================

TG: are we cool

CG: I MEAN… I GUESS SO. YOU WEREN'T ACTUALLY INSULTING ME, RIGHT?

TG: hell no dude never

CG: OKAY. I COMPLETELY RESCIND THE MYRIAD OF WAYS I JUST INSULTED YOU. AND I'M SORRY.

TG: nah i know its just fluff at this point

====================

CG: I STILL DON'T APPRECIATE YOU TELLING ROSE THINGS I SAY TO YOU IN CONFIDENCE. THAT WAS BETWEEN YOU, ME, AND MY NOW NON-EXISTENT HOME PLANET ROTTING AWAY TO A CRATERED GRAY HUSK IN ANOTHER DEAD UNIVERSE.

TG: i swear that was like the only thing its just that she gets it and i cant keep my mouth from going on about the gettable stuff

TG: they call me the babbling brook the way my flows so audible

TG: i wont do it again

CG: NO,

====================

CG: I GET IT HONESTLY.

CG: I'M BASICALLY THE NUMBER ONE PROPRIETOR OF AIRED GRIEVANCES IN ALL OF PARADOX SPACE AND THEN SOME, AND I'D ALSO BECOME ITS BIGGEST HYPOCRITE IF I HELD IT AGAINST YOU.

TG: thanks

TG: but i mean

TG: at the gigantic risk of sounding uh

====================

TG: ………..

CG: ?

====================

TG: well

TG: i kinda just think youre better at being a guy to chill out and watch movies with than a guy to tangle fists with

TG: and i dont think theres anything wrong with being that

TG: i think its cool

====================

CG: …THAT'S AN ALARMINGLY BRAZEN OBSERVATION TO MAKE OF SOMEONE YOU'VE KNOWN FOR ABOUT THE SPAN OF SEVEN SEASONAL EQUINOXES, DAVE.

TG: i dont know what that means but it sure is probably

CG: AM I ALLOWED TO ASK WHAT EVEN GIVES YOU THAT IMPRESSION????

TG: i just got that inkling about you man

====================

TG: and you can do whatever you want with that info

TG: throw it in the load gaper or whatever if you want i dont really care

TG: give it a swirly and slam it in a locker call it a nerd break its glasses whatever

TG: but beyond this whole lord english thing weve got going on i am pretty content to never aggress my fellow man slash alien slash monster again if i can help it

TG: i think thats pretty fair given what thats been like so far

====================

TG: and yknow its cool to have some company when im waxing emotional over the narrative depth of click starring adam sandler which we are watching next by the way

CG: UGH, FIIIIIIIIINE. JUST TO MAKE UP FOR CALLING YOUR THINKPAN SMOOTH AND SUPERFLUOUS.

====================

TG: score

TG: we should argue all the time

CG: SNRK

[redrandomposts]

ooo clarifications for the alnst x orv crossover

- i wasnt calling till "secretive plotter" as his constellation name owo it was more like "florist!character" where the word before the exclamation mark describes what the character is like in the au hehe

- constellations dont need to sponsor incarnations to watch their channels! they can simply come and go as they please. hades is also very likely to still watch ivan regardless of sponsorship since ivan is connected to dokja and hades is like a doting, concerned father for dokja LMAOOO

suitor vs grandfather lowkey fighting to sponsor ivan 😭 ivan gets an unholy amnt of coins sponsored to him by both sides and hes like lmao better get some use out of these ...

two paths for this au : ivan gets sponsored by hades, or ivan gets sponsored by till

- ivan being sponsored by hades also means he's getting sponsored by persephone in extension and gets skills and stigmas that stave off death like theyre cheat codes but aren't technically cheat codes 🤔 puts a stop to all his dying but it also means he's now more reckless w himself bc "undying stigma lol ✨"

- ivan being sponsored by till gets him spammed with [Constellation <insert name here> is looking at you.] at the most random times. his skills and stigmas would be related to ivan's themes/imagery in alien stage (the planet saturn, meteors, stars etc). they would also definitely get a shared fable called <Constants Till The End> or something because they ARE each other's constants am i right haha

as for till's constellation name... i was thinking something like <Unbound Songwriter of Bygone Times> or simply <Unbound Musician>

(i also have constellation names for ivan and sua since i have this OTHER alnst x orv crossover where ivan and sua are the outer gods disguised as constellations this time, just throwing it out there LMAO)

— 🌦️

hi again 🌦️!!

i seee... but also, i'm pretty sure constellations have to pay more to send "messages" for unsponsored streamers.... maybe i'm tripping, but also i'm clearly refusing to reread orv, so.

sometimes grandparents love their grandchildren more... like mine. if my father and grandparents didn't have conflicting political views, it'd be different, but alas. i'm more loved. thus, ivan's more loved, because im pretty sure the grandparents are convinced kdj did some fucked up shit to pass down his self-sacrifice. which, fair, shattering your soul is pretty fucked up.

why do i love unbound musician?? unbound is a really nice term for till...

a shared fable... forever attracted forever doomed... haha jk actor au exists and they're together (copium??) so.

some skill ideas from till:

-meteorite escape: a recreation of the night till and ivan escaped, except till stays. this gets rid of negative effects, but their mentality becomes childlike.

-muse: an investigative skill that can tell you about something in the form of song.

-another us: watch a potential outcome of an action in third person.

-obsession: mark a person or thing to track them until they die or something lol

-shallow emotion: force another person to be obsessed with you, even wanting to die for you.

my god i'm tired and its showing it's time to pass out

[ashwii]

Celestial AU FAQ

Usually I prefer pinning my favorite artworks to the top of my profile, but over the last couple weeks I've gotten MANY repeat questions about my rottmnt celestial AU. I never mind answering questions, but I want to limit how many asks I answer to keep everyone else's dashboard's in mind [i.e. I don't want to clog up other people's tumblr with several asks that have been answered in the past.]

Below is a list of general frequently asked questions regarding my celestial au. Even more detailed information and questions can be found in the "#celestialFAQ" tag on my blog.

What is the Celestial AU?

It's a ROTTMNT au where Leo, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey embody celetial bodies. Leo embodies the stars, Donnie embodies the Moon, Raph embodies the Sun, and Mikey embodies the comets.

Can you tell us more about what they are?

Leo is the stars — he overlooks the stars as a guardian figure. While he thinks of his stars as his children, he is also an embodiment of the stars — he IS the stars. They are one and the same.

The same goes for Mikey and his comets. Although, while Mikey specifically embodies and overlooks the comets, he also overlooks all them zippy lil' things in the galaxy [meteors, asteroids, etc.]

Donnie and Raph are a little different — Donnie specifically ONLY embodies Earth's moon, and is the overlooker of all the other moons in the universe. The same goes for Raph and Earth's Sun.

Are there any other characters in this AU [Splinter, April, Drax, Krang, etc]?

[As of writing this] The only other characters in this AU are April [an astronaut who works for NASA / an aspiring astronaut], and S.H.E.L.D.O.N. [a robot made of lost junk and lost space tech that Donnie found]. I do not plan for there to be any other characters in this au, as I mainly want to draw and focus on the turtles.

There have been lots of fun headcanons in the askbox about who else could be in the au and what they would embody, and I think that's great! I love all the fanart and creativity everyone is doing for this AU, I will never be mad at exploring fun ideas [I've even doodled some of these ideas for fun] — as for what is "canon" in the AU though, at the moment I'm going to keep it as the turtles, April, and S.H.E.L.D.O.N.

What's the lore behind this AU?

There is no real lore behind this AU, just a bunch of fun ideas in a fun concept. Lots of other people have had fun coming up with their own lore and ideas for this AU, and once again, I think that's great! There's so many ideas other people came up with that I love — but again, in terms of "canon" and what I'm willing to draw, there's no legitimate lore for this AU.

The Sun is also a star. Does that mean Sun!Raph has a special relation to Star!Leo in some way?

Yes! Leo and Raph have a very strong special connection in this AU because of this.

Do the celestials control what they embody?

Control isn't exactly the right word — say for Star!Leo, for example, he's more of a guardian figure to the stars. "Control" implies that the stars have no personality of their own whatsoever, but that's not exactly true. They almost have their own little life to them — like a healthy tree —that Leo can understand since the stars and Leo are one in the same.

What are Moon!Donnie's alternate phases?

Moon!Donnie's alters are Blood Moon, Harvest Moon, Blue Moon, and Super Moon. Moon!Donnie's design also changes some depending on the phase of the Moon [eg. During the Full Moon phase, Donnie has no shadow up his arms and legs. During the New Moon phase, Donnie is all encompassed in shadow].

Is there any more info about these phases?

During Donnie's Blood Moon phase, he tends to be a little more mischievous and violent. He's ready to kill, no questions asked.

During his Blue Moon phase, he's a little sadder than usual. He's not breaking down every minute or endlessly sobbing — he's more just a little blue (heh) and the unending river of tears just comes with the phase. He just needs some cuddles and comfort during this time <3

Harvest Moon Donnie is a happy lil guy! He's a little chipper and cuddly during this time, hapoy to help and talk with his brothers on end.

These phases don't COMPLETELY change his personality — he still the same Donnie, but just with little changes to his overall mood.

There are many more types/names for the Moon [Snow Moon, Worm Moon, Flower Moon, etc.] — will you be drawing those as designs for Moon!Donnie as well?

While I think I may sketch out some of them for fun, in terms of "canon" to the AU, I want to keep it limited to what I listed above in the previous question.

Are there any alternate versions of the other celestials?

Sun!Raph gets sun flares when he's upset, and I have a Nova!Leo design in the works. I haven't thought of any alternate versions for Comet!Mikey, but I don't think he needs one, haha.

What happens during an eclipse?

During a solar eclipse, Raph gives Donnie a hug from behind. During a lunar eclipse, I like to imagine that Donnie is hiding behind the earth because he ticked Raph off.

Can Star!Leo feel it when any stars die?

Yes, he does. I explained in much more detail in the "#celestialFAQ" tag, but when his stars die, it hurts him some emotionally and physically.

Whenever the Sun [Raph] would explode in the future, Star!Leo will be out of commission for a while because of how much it would hurt him.

What is Star!Leo's relationship with the stars?

Leo is the stars, point blank. He is the personification of them. He's all the stars, he is them, they are he. One and the same. BUT there's also a special relationship there — Leo looks at the stars like they're his children, almost. A very deep connection and love. The stars feel that deep love for Leo too, they see him as almost a guardian figure. They love him more than anything, and Leo knows that.

Now HOW can the idea that Leo looks at the stars like they're his children, and the idea that Leo is just straight up the personification of the stars (him being all of the stars) both be true at the same time? Ah — no real answer there. It just kind of is, and it's more of a feeling that I myself have. That's just the way that I personally feel Leo's relationship with the stars is, even if I'm never able to describe it quite perfectly, and even if it's confusing to everyone else lmao.

Do the celestial turtles still have their weapons like the canon turtles?

Yes they do — Star!Leo has katanas made of constellations, Moon!Donnie has his staff made of shadow, Sun!Raph's fists fire up, and Comet!Mikey's comets and meteors spin around him and he can shoot them where he pleased.

Is this AU meant to be accurate about how astrology and space works?

Not at all — there are a lot of inaccuracies in this AU. But what's the fun of making an au like this if I have to keep everything pinpoint accurate! This AU is for good, fun vibes, and it's ok if not everything matches up with exactly how space works.

Can I make fanart/fanfics for this au?

Yes, you can! If you do, please tag me and lmk, I'd absolutely love to see what you guys make. Oc's and fan characters are welcome as well.

[gofancyninjaworld]

Hello!!

I would like to ask. What do you think of the negative reviews regarding the current direction of the OPM manga?

I have seen a lot of negative opinions that OPM is going to failure because of Murata (and even ONE), because the Blast Vs Void fight has been uncertain for a long time since the manga break, and then we were introduced to the neo heroes arc. That many have found it boring since the story of the ninja village was interrupted, and that the last chapters have been very short and it feels that the work progresses very slowly. In addition, OPM has had constant redraws and the last arc of MA and cosmic garou was somewhat controversial for its resolution, added to the redraws.

In addition to this, I see that people support that the work completely forgets about Saitama, pointing out that the main character is not forgotten since he practically does not appear (beyond the covers). Finally, I have also seen that some people point out that ONE has decreased the quality of the work because of being involved in other manga. And that OPM has lost quality completely.

I would like to hear other opinions, because I feel that they are somewhat exaggerated. But honestly I have been frustrated not to see Blast and Void fight, and I feel that many people waiting for this fight makes them lose interest in Neo-Heroes because they feel like they introduced this reunion at a bad time. I feel that Murata and One are overlapping these WC arcs, and developed in parallel. But that's my speculation....

Lol. I laugh now because the reality of watching OPM being made is a bit like the pitch experiment. It flows but not a timescale that makes sense to sit and watch it.

I started following the manga in 2016, right at the tail end of the time when Murata would only get a storyboard every 2-3 months, and would often post only a handful of pages of redrawn stuff. Then it went to every 2-3 weeks with month-long pauses but at least new story, 15-20 pages. Then it started to be 30+ pages at a time, every 3-4 weeks. Then it started to be 30-ish pages at a time, every other week. ONE has managed to deliver storyboards consistently enough that there's a whole generation of people who joined in the last 3-4 years who have no damn idea it was ever any different.

This is far from the first time that many updates have gone into making a single chapter: Saitama vs. Genos, the Giant Meteor, all the chapters of the Alien invasion, King, to just name a few, advanced a few pages at a time over many weeks. This is not the first time that Saitama has been gone from the story for months: when it's compiled, he's away from the story for only a few chapters but it sure doesn't look that way following chapter-to-chapter.

And as for redraws, BITCH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE STORY WHERE THE FIRST CHAPTER WAS REDRAWN FIVE TIMES! If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know, I don't know what does. I used to tell people regularly that if you don't want uncertainty, buy the volumes or wait for the anime. That's when you'll see the story as it was intended to be seen. Want immediacy? Then you have to make peace with the fact that this work does change regularly.

As for whether it has lost quality... make your mind up for yourself! 'Quality' is a meaningless term without a set of criteria. A good quality F1 racecar is a poor quality 18-wheeler -- and vice versa. So what quality are you referring to? Sure, I've heard some people grumble about having fewer panels they can hang up on the wall as decontextualised art pieces but they're losing the point of the panels as being moments in a sequential story. There's people who are annoyed at it not being the webcomic with nicer art, to which I say, 'DUH!' The manga has only one job, and it's the only quality criterion on which I judge it: does it delight me? Its only job is to entertain... hopefully enough to induce you to part with some disposable income.

If you're not entertained, give yourself permission to drop it. Life is short and excellent works are many: don't hang onto something that doesn't bring joy to your life. The OPM manga delights me. If that changes, I will drop it.

Hope that answers your questions.

[theomnicode]

Hello! What do you think about how the society in OPM accepts that King is the most powerful being in the world? While Saitama is hinted at what may become a danger to society if his strength were to become known? Considering that King has (accidentally and through his own fault) stolen Saitama's merits?

Sorry this one took a bit to answer, I had other business to attend to. This one is another long piece, but I dropped a tl;dr at the end lol.

Honestly though? I think it's perceptional bias.

Perception bias is a broad term used to describe different situations in which we perceive inaccuracies in our environment. It is a type of cognitive bias that occurs when we subconsciously form assumptions or draw conclusions based on our beliefs, expectations, or emotions.

There are several subtypes: Implicit bias: individuals hold attitudes towards people, or associate stereotypes with them, without being aware of this. Fundamental attribution error: individuals tend to blame their failings on circumstances around them, but consider that others are responsible for their shortcomings. Selective perception: expectations about people or situations affect perception.

King is revered as a strong hero and so people would accept and expect him to have strong abilities. Child Emperor pictures these abilities and describes them to King. (Cpt 152, Check) King is also tall, large and mysterious man who somehow exudes a strong aura of being strong willed, capable and a just person. But the public does not know him well enough to actually see through their bias: A physically weak and anxious man who just tries to live his life in peace, but who has heart of gold, wise beyond his years and incredible sense of justice.

Yet despite all this, I worry for King a lot, because the cognitive bias working against him is too strong, almost unnatural. It makes little sense about why this false image is so strong, considering he nor Saitama have THAT many actually proven feats on record or even publically observed. I mean, Saitama literally destroyed a meteor and got accused for it and killed Sea King and the public turned against him...and yet none of those actual, legitimate feats are being exaggerated to this degree like Charanko describes them as in Chapter 192: Level up.

Charanko's examples are so utterly ludicrous without a single shred of actual evidence that the utter shock being told they were lies of it was enough for him to at least start shaking off that cognitive bias and question his perception and seeking out the actual truth. The guy is completely overlooked as just being a weak nobody comic relief character archetype, but he is strong willed, like when he had the guts to attack Garou in direct confrontation.

But I mean, look at this thing, this is completely absurd. Where is the entirety of OPM people's critical thinking skills?

Who in their right mind would seriously believe rumours like solar system destroying level of bomb with a bonus black hole from some rando dude on the internet? Or King not having even been born yet, somehow being the second coming of christ itself?

Plus there is only one goddamn mythology piece in this entire manga that even closely fits the bill of a human(oid) character's birth being foreshadowed and that is OPM's God's mural in a place where literally nobody has seen it before.

Who the F would even be crazy enough to imagine up and spread such a rumour that King, of all people, is actually OPM God who legit nobody even knows exists? So absurd. :D

(Above image is from volume redraw)

It's such a malicious and cruel rumour too, capable of sowing distrust and discord in the entire Hero system when people stop believing in their heroes because they think the entire system is a lie. And they would blame King for it, thinking he's to blame for the lies because he broke their idea of an hero fantasy.

The only hero I can think who actually knows about OPM God is Blast, but he's not malicious. Zero motive whatsoever.

I heavily suspect Psykos for spreading it because this kind of rumour could only come up straight from the source itself. Because she's an alarmist (Cpt 175, Visitor) and OPM God has her in his backpocket to emotionally manipulate. Fubuki might uncover some more information to discover the truth, but I'd take it with grain of salt because Psykos appears to be under some kind of mental illness, possibly psychosis, as Fubuki has pointed out that she had never been a tough girl and something changed her. But I'm no detective and I'm not void of any bias, so here's a sherlock holmes quote:

"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth? We know that he did not come through the door, the window, or the chimney. We also know that he could not have been concealed in the room, as there is no concealment possible. When, then, did he come?"

Honestly, the magic man in the sky is prolly doing it, we just don't know how because there's not enough evidence, only context clues.

-*-

Bang on the other hand, cannot shake off his bias even if his heart is in the right place. But he was just directly told face to face by King himself that he is weak and he still refuses to believe it because he stubborny keeps believing in his own biases, thinking he's always correct.

Old people do oftentimes think they're always correct don't they? Because they're oh so old and wise and experienced. He does the same thing with Garou and Garou won't accept it.

-*-

Anyways, I worry for King's flailing mental health for reasons because he's thinking about self-harm and he wants to unalive himself by monster hand because he thinks it's already Game over for him.

The cognitive bias around people's minds is actually and ironically, shielding him from the cascading effects of the mass public outcry since he's not ready to face it yet. He lacks willpower, that mental fortitude, to withstand that kind of attack on his psyche. He might do it if people suddenly just snapped out of that cognitive bias.

Some might even say... that he's the cognitive bias itself. King can bullshit so effectively because he's can literally project bullshit out of his every orifice if he needs to. If say, he needs to protect himself or other people. And as long as people keep their cognitive biases, it would help him sustain the image that he's strong and not be hated by everyone if they suddenly snapped out of their cognitive bias. So you could say that...the cognitive bias is helping him survive and protecting him.

A cognitive bias is a systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment. Individuals create their own "subjective reality" from their perception of the input. An individual's construction of reality, not the objective input, may dictate their behavior in the world. Thus, cognitive biases may sometimes lead to perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment, illogical interpretation, and irrationality.

Look, they're instantly second guessing themselves. Seems to be working very effectively. And Atomic Samurai did some incredible mental gymnastics to convince himself that just by sitting there, King just casually cut the apple even when he saw nothing and nothing literally happened in front his very eyes. (Chapter 189, Blade test.)

At least he has Saitama at his back, because Saitama has a bullshit radar a mile wide and Saitama believes he can change to be stronger. He respects King's opinion to do what is right despite knowing he lacks real power to be that force of change himself. He does not appear at a glance to show implicit bias towards King. He originally saved the guy just because he needed saving and then did it again, despite not knowing a thing about King, aside from the assumption that he must be a strong hero, even if he was asking for information to form an opinion. And then tries to dig deeper into that and questions the logic of King running away and showing lack of bias with his objectivity. (Chapter 38, King)

So as long as Saitama believes in King, he probably won't come to any real harm. But Saitama also has to believe in his own ability to actually help King if the need arises and act upon it, because otherwise it'll just be 166 chapter redux in the absolute worst case scenario.

-*-

So, about perceptive biases towards Saitama, they come out in negative light by default unless proven wrong by him directly.

I'll let the following panel demonstrate. (Chapter 55.7, Sense, vol 20 Extra)

The judge became immediately biased without any reason and attacked his integrity and pretended to know all about him when he actually knows nothing, despite this being ONLY a hero suit contest, not a character judgement and ignoring Saitama's explanation to why he likes to wear what he wears.

The judge won't acknowledge what he saw with his plain eyes as he refuses to believe what happened, Genos is showing different kind of bias because he too, is biased in favour of Saitama and thinks Saitama should win a hero suit contest just because he's strong, despite objectively having a really bland and cheap outfit even HE didn't like. Like a cosplay contest gone wrong if the judge just picks their favourite without any objectivity to their actual suit or performance and what is the point of the judging in the first place. Other people, despite cheering him on...show their true facets with their snide negative comments with their leaps of logic, attempting to tear him down for his good deed and nobody criticises them.

Now for a different kind of perception bias. (Chapter 16, Passed the exam)

Chewing gum might on a first glance, seem very disrespectful when towards authority figures who want your full attention because it inherently implies that the person is too busy chewing gum rather than paying attention, thus creating bias.

However the act of chewing gum in a situation where one wants to study and retain information has been seen as beneficial by studies.

Turns out, chewing gum may have more effects than simply making your breath smell good, or giving you something to do when bored. In fact, some studies show chewing gum can actually increase feelings of relaxation, increase attention, lower stress levels, and improve memory.

Saitama has shown even at the early stages of his teenager years that he DOES actually possess the attention span to study...as long as the subject actually interests him and he has selective interests. Despite all the chatter around him, he's able to tune them out and focus on his study. Give him something really dry and boring that just won't seem to stick and his attention span will waver, because attention is a resource to be managed.

Things like studying psychology can have their humble beginnings often in the interest in what affects human health, because personality types who are keen about bettering others like knowing what makes people tick in order to help them.

So it can be assumed that Saitama, knowing he has a poor attention span in boring seminars but has studied the subject before, anticipated this and simply brought chewing gum to help him focus just a bit more. Unfortunately, Snek became hostile to him and Saitama completely lost his focus and his attention wavered. This is how negative perception bias affects Saitama in his everyday life.

Another example of this selective attention span is where he watches the television because he's also interested in bettering the world as a whole, again because he likes helping other people and it brings him satisfaction. He often watches tv as an adult as well, to the point of doomscrolling. He even has Mob Psycho shirt on, a nod to ONE's other series to show that he's very empathic at his core. (Chapter 8.5, 200 yen, Vol 1 extra)

However, it is also shown that Saitama is incredibly sensitive to baseless judgement, hostility, bias and outside influence and he will get defensive and angry when faced with such and when challenged. (Meteor and Sea king fiasco) People like this who also have high moral integrity like Saitama has shown time to time again, also care great deal about their reputation in other's eyes, because it shows to them if they are doing a good job or not in their moralistic actions. Like a peer review.

Not getting any good feedback and instead met with various levels of hostility just conditions them to not try at all because they think it's their fault that everyone is against them. So Saitama early on has been faced with conditioning and now for instance, he thinks he just can't learn anything new even if he made an honest attempt. He has become insecure and self-critical and will think of himself in a negative light. (Stagnation and growth, chapter 76.) He has effectively build cognitive biases about himself and his true identity.

Here is Saitama attempting to unravel the cognitive bias around himself because he made a self-discovery. King, in his infinite wisdom, gives Saitama some objective perspective when Saitama immediately wants his second opinion about his perspective surrounding this new discovery. King, bless his heart, attempts to genuinely help Saitama but he misses the point of the discussion when Saitama was trying to see if he could bounce his ideas around, such as throwing a video game analogy to King that Saitama knows he SHOULD understand well. Saitama is just very poor at expressing his words due to his upbringing and loneliness and detatchment from emotions, especially without properly parsing it out first. He often thinks a lot louder than he seems to talk, which is why he's often misunderstood.

That is, unless he apparently connects on a deep level like with Genos and then the two of em could talk about anything and everything that comes to mind for days or until they run out of breath lmao. (Maji Drama CD vol 1, Saitama makeover)

King's perception bias towards Saitama is because he just does not know him well enough and his perspective is a bit skewed because of media influence that bring him comfort for his own emotional loneliness...because Saitama is always hung up about something or another because he has so much issues it hurts. King just does not see it or is not willing to believe "Super strong Saitama" could possibly have any issues since Saitama hides them well.

Saitama has far too much free time to think and ruminate, but his own cognitive biases stop him from seeing his true self without all the negativity surrounding him. The negativity of things such as his upbringing as a lonely boy who's sensitive to hostility. (Chapter 15.5, Brushing up, vol 2 extras)

-*-

Perception bias also serves another more...sinister purpose for Saitama. Psychological conditioning. There is potential evidence for deprivation of basic needs, conditioning for violence for protection and subliminal messages for suggestion, among other things. I won't go into details because I'm afraid of also potentially spoiling stuff, so I'll keep the suspense. :D

Here's maslow hierarchy of needs pyramid that explains about our intrinsical needs as human beings to have wellness in both body and mind.

Being deprived of all these needs is akin to mental torture. But so is facing all of the underlying issues at once via hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy if the patient is sufficiently dysfunctional in a societal setting like Saitama happens to be. Especially if the therapies are performed...poorly.

CBT has shown to be the most effective intervention for people exposed to adverse childhood experiences in the form of abuse or neglect Criticism of CBT sometimes focuses on implementations (such as the UK which may result initially in low quality therapy being offered by poorly trained practitioners. However, evidence supports the effectiveness of CBT for anxiety and depression. Evidence suggests that the addition of hypnotherapy as an adjunct to CBT improves treatment efficacy for a variety of clinical issues. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its symptoms have been shown to improve due to implementation of hypnotherapy, in both long and short term. As research continues, hypnotherapy is being more openly considered as an effective intervention for those with PTSD.

In short, in order to heal mentally, Saitama may need to face mental torture because he has such strong willpower and such strong mental barriers shielding his vulnerabilities on a basic primal need. He can essentially dip himself on lava and ignore the shock reaction from the extreme heat (Chapter 112, Sacrifice) and does not even need to breathe in space and does not notice the extreme cold or pressure of space nor the sun's harmful rays, that's how strongly he shields himself from outside influence. (Saitama vs Garou fight, cpt 167-168) But there only needs to be a sufficient trigger.

ONE sent Saitama home to restore his energy levels in Chapter 197, What only I can do...because he's going to sorely need them for the upcoming confrontation.

Empty Void's ability to genjutsu people casually and cause parallel shifts in the reality and using these to abuse emotional dependencies is like a loaded Chekov's gun on Saitama's forehead. Because Saitama has been roleplaying to re-learn his emphatic skillset after he had suffered too much mental trauma and he's done that a lot with Genos just via interaction. I heavily suspect that Saitama's emotional regulation and empathy suffered when he became too strong and he was emotionally blunting himself.

So, if they so happened to use Genos against him and trigger his PTSD, there's no telling how Saitama will react.

Saitama more than likely has some mental illnesses like disorders and at the very minimum PTSD, not just depression, which can be used maliciously against him and the entire OPM world. There is one more thing about psychological conditioning, but I'm not gonna say it out loud here on this meta, I'm afraid to spoil it. :p *rubs hands gleefully*

There is also a high chance that if he's stressed enough and sleep deprivated enough, he could honestly go into psychosis if the entire world suddenly turned on him because he's sensitive to criticism and hostility.

Psychosis is a condition of the mind or psyche that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior that is inappropriate for a given situation. There may also be sleep problems, social withdrawal, lack of motivation, and difficulties carrying out daily activities. Psychosis can have serious adverse outcomes.

That's where he would truly become a danger to both himself and the entire Earth he's living on if he starts to have delusions, hallucinations and becomes out of touch with reality and also paranoid. So unless Saitama's mental health is adressed in a proper environment, he's a ticking time bomb till someone pulls the trigger on that PTSD and other issues he has. Empty Void can easily do exactly that by abusing his attachment to Genos in a cruel way, just like he tried to do with Flash and Sonic, starting from Chapter 200, Void.

Even seemingly normal, kind and well-adjusted people at the core can become very unpredictable when under high amount of duress and psychosis.

As underlined above, everyone always seems to default to the negative viewpoint of Saitama due to their perception biases and if Saitama's true strenght became more know...public would outright fear him simply because they cannot understand the scale of how powerful Saitama actually is, abnormally strong. Like they'd suddenly become prey to some unknown entity. Add in Saitama becoming more and more loose with his inhibitions from things like sleep depression and they'd have a huge mess in their hands.

Even Garou who fought against Saitama with everything he has, is completely shocked about how insane Saitama's abilities are, because they defy physic laws like it's nothing, so Garou goes "This is insane! What the hell IS this monster!?" when Saitama sneezed jupiter apart. (Awakening of the gods, chp 168)

Saitama has also shown dubious morality by attempting to punch and kill Garou to avenge Genos, but not really thinking or caring that the entire Earth would become collateral damage like Blast mentions as he portals and contains the explosion in Earth atmosphere. Chapter 166, Squared & Cpt 167, I.o) Saitama's mental state, when normally calm and seemingly well-adjusted, was thrown out of the window when he saw Genos died on him and has now become a PTSD trigger. He literally vented out all that anger in his fist in a massive clash of divine power, as told by the Blastice league.

So if perception bias surrounding Saitama was to turn sideways and he'd get dumped the pressure of the world against him, the consequences might become...bad. Saitama needs to be able to regulate his emotions far better in order to withstand mass scale attack from public opinion. Otherwise ONE is playing with fire with Saitama's mental health state, because he does NOT react well to criticism an such and will lash out like he did during the meteor incident, but far worse.

Thus, a danger to society.

-*-

Tl;dr: King has always been viewed in positive light so people perceive his powers as good thing and non-threat because they believe King is a great hero, whereas Saitama has always been surrounded by negative preconceptions about whatever he seems to be doing and public opinion about his hero status is not good, so Saitama busting out his massive, unknown power would instead cause uproar and mass scale panic that someone is even capable of such.

Thanks all for reading and thank you itsmaferart for this question. :)

[artbyblastweave]

So on balance I generally do enjoy Mark Millar, and a big part of why I enjoy Mark Millar is that a lot of his superhero stuff demonstrates the same awareness about the genre that Worm does- the sense of an unstable equilibrium, that the center cannot hold in the superhero universe as typically presented. Jupiter's Legacy, Super Crooks, Old Man Logan, Wanted, The Ultimates. Arguably Civil War. I have a whole other post buried in my drafts about how that bleak throughline keeps cropping up in his cape work. Specifically in his cape work, also- the man has written a lot of lighthearted, at times almost cloyingly sincere and optimistic one-off miniseries in other genres. Starlight: The Return Of Duke McQueen, Huck, Chrononauts, Beyond. In tension with this cynicism about the capes is the fact that he also clearly believes that superheroes are really cool, and on some fundamental level a really deeply noble and empowering idea. Even Wanted, which is probably the most thoroughly tasteless thing of his that I've read all the way through, I recall as having had this interesting subtext of anger over the fact that there's an audience for a superhero work as cynical and grotesque as Wanted. ("Fine. We took all the whimsy and wonder and derring-do you claim to have outgrown out back and shot it. The corpse is cooling. Are you happy yet? Dark enough yet? Mature enough yet? This is what you wanted right?") Anyway, I think Kick-Ass the comic suffers gigantically from a failure to break in one direction or another, in regard to that tension. It gets very, very close to saying useful and interesting things about the genre at several points but keeps undercutting itself by transforming back into the object of its own attack. There's this initial line of questioning, right, which is, "what kind of person, in real life, might actually try this? How would it go?" And the comic has some compellingly miserable answers to that question! Everyone in costume is chasing the same power fantasy, clinging to the idea of being somebody. Dave is, in his own words, motivated by "the right combination of loneliness and despair," and he's not competent. He alternates between minor wins and brutal hospitalizations, the first two issues and change is just the world punishing him for being dumb enough to try this, and for the most part he's a LARPer, a self-identified asshole. Red Mist is a rich kid playing with his father's money. Big Daddy and Hit-girl are framed as the "real deal", genuinely competent in their ability to dish out violence, and the comic to some extent has the self-awareness to recognize that people who were actually any good at this would be even more horrifying than the LARPers. The Reveal that Big Daddy was an accountant- that he made up a tragic backstory and made his daughter a human weapon in order to pursue an escapist fantasy- genuinely lands like a meteor! But it fucks it up, because it also needs to be cool, cool enough to keep our attention, and so it pulls an about face. The horror of Hit-girl gets subsumed by the realization that she's also the coolest thing in the whole book, almost loadbearing in terms of having actually cool and interesting things happen on-panel, and so the end of the book turns into the exact kind of superviolent revenge story it was initially skewering as unrealistic and disconnected from the much more grounded grief and loss Dave is experiencing at the start of the book. Dave's costumed escapades goes from being an obviously stupid and egotistical attempt to claw back control of his life to... an actual method by which he claws back control of his life, and not in a way that feels terribly well-earned!

The sequels double down on this- alternating between "in real life this would be cheap and stupid and tinged with anticlimax" and "woooo! Let's ape Tarantino until something cool happens!" and honestly, that feels less worthy of analysis because what I'm pretty sure happened there is that the movie blew up and created A Demand For More Kick-Ass. In general what it feels like fundamentally happened here is that you ask, "what if superheroes were real," you land on the answer of "they'd look stupid, be stupid and die badly," but what does that leave you with? It's not like that wasn't the obvious answer already and it's definitely not eight issues of material. He can't pull the trigger on having everyone involved die badly in meanspirited ways to drive the point home, and he never quite threads the needle back to the reconstructive middle ground he badly wants the book to inhabit, the "real heroes work in soup kitchens and look out for their neighbors" area. Things just happen.

That said, the gag about the astroturfed swear-word "Tunk" is fantastic. 10/10, no notes

[homestuckreplay]

JIP (Jest In Peace)

(p.246-247)

WELL.... GOODBYE JOHN I GUESS????

I've watched this like six times in a row and while not a lot happens, the not a lot also manages to be extremely ambiguous. The command is 'John: Take bite of apple' but we don't actually see him take the bite, and we know both he and Rose have refused commands before. So what happened? Was he simply not hungry? Paralyzed by fear? Not all that bothered about dying? Did he take a bite as the explosion happened and we didn't see it? Is he alive????

It would be a bold and shocking move to kill off the goofy main character at the end of act 1, and I hate the idea of it, simply because I think there's so many cool places John could go as a character. Plus it's hard to see what could happen next in the story without him - it makes so much more sense if this is the first 'level' of Sburb completed, and future acts deal with subsequent levels of increasing difficulty and danger.

The meteor impact definitely happened, but in the words of TG, "how big is it". Size comparisons to various geographical landmarks and my mom's dick aside, I have no sense of whether this destroyed John's house, John's neighborhood, the continent or the world - further complicated by how Sburb definitely has the ability to precisely target some things and exclude others. We saw the red circle around John's house that TT couldn't manipulate outside of, so I can fully believe that a meteor would just affect that part, and anyone watching from their windows would see John's house go up in a column of fire like the one on p.247.

Speaking of the neighborhood! We finally got a large scale establishing shot, and it is horrifically normal and depressingly uniform. There are about 400 identical houses on John's side of the river, and what looks like more on the other side. A lot of the yards have trees, there's a lot of lawn and green space around, a large concreted area like a parking lot in the top right, and a couple of roads out of town (though we don't see anyone outside and driving, which is kind of weird since I would have expected someone else to notice the meteor too and freak out and try to run away - unless only John can see if due to being the Sburb player)? Even weirder, we see John's dad's car in the driveway, but nobody else appears to have a car or a driveway to put one in. Is everyone homestuck except John's dad? Is driving the secret power of the clown?

On p.247, we see the curtains close on Act 1, evoking The Theater. Homestuck as a play is not something I've considered, but the theater is the origin of the term 'fourth wall', which has been directly referenced on p.61 and implied throughout with 'our' ability to give commands to the characters. Interestingly, we never saw the curtains open, like we arrived late to John's birthday. This makes me wonder if we missed anything that happened before p.1, and if the story might go back and fill some gaps.

I really hope there isn't too long of a break before Act 2 starts - it's killing me to (still) be uncertain about John's fate.

[vegetableharvester]

About Aisha Maximinius, profile #2.

---

About:

• Hair: "My hair is... Uh, what's the word, hazard, I think? Well, sometimes, it gets tangling that I broke many combs and uh, frizzy that my hair or something... Anyways, my hair's normal."

• Hats: "I love hats, especially the sturdy ones. Since the sturdy ones never get burn or get a hole from something, so yeah... Although I don't even know why did I love hats to begin with."

• Class: "I honestly can't decide where to focus on, all because I kept thinking about the pros and cons that I just, started to learn anything as much as possible... Truth to be told, I don't even know what I was doing."

• Food: "My favorites and least favorites? Well, I don't have any tastes when it comes to food, but as long as it's edible and parasite-free, I'll eat it. And I don't eat any food with poisons, because I don't want to get bedridden for another day and miss something else."

• Remembering things: "It's easy to forget, especially names. AND ESPECIALLY THOSE NAMES WITH COMPLICATED WORDS, like Ighar, uh, whatever it's pronunciation and I can't remember that much name, so I just nickname things, like Money-man and Tarsier Watcher. And one time, I mistook the name Beringer as Burger and said that infront of him, I never felt so embarrassed in my whole life... But at least, it's different than me accidentally ramming into some unknown islands and crashing my ship. Then getting scolded for many times."

• Ship: "My ships? Well, I only bought the Caravel and the rest are history. So long story short, pirates broke my ketch and nearly killing my crew in it, so in revenge, I killed the pirates and stole their brig then redecorated it as mine, and I kept their treasures, so thanks I guess..."

• Magic: "First things first, Earth Magic is the Best! Like I can create golems with it and then use it for exploration with a less hassles and also, it's great for defense since I could just build walls and I can make a fortress! But the downside is I lacked to much to do those that my dream of having a 300 army of golems were nearly impossible. And hey, at least I can mash people with flying rocks that looks like meteor, imagine the terror on their faces."

• Father Figure: "I was once asked that question, but I could only say nothing because I don't remember who's my parents so does my past. Then, if thinking someone who's nearly a father figure right now, is Edward. Well, he taught me some few things like ship navigation and gaining a sense of direction because I get lost easily, so for that question—that I looked at him as my answer. But someone said "Oh no, many maiden's behind my back said he's a Daddy, not a Father" and I was like "Huh?!" then that person disappeared and without a trace. Look! I get it, but please, don't think of him like that!"

• Romance: "I don't really have any time for those, since there are many things that needs to be dealt with. But, if we're talking about my personal standards to date with someone, he should be more stronger than me and richer than me, and also has more connections than me so I can do things easier. Plus, it'll be great if he's not my enemy or related to any of my enemies, since I don't want to be involved in some drama... Don't speak about my crimes in Ravenna though, I don't want to talk about it."

• Ruby Vermillion: "That woman, honestly, what's with her?! Like, in the middle of the daylight, she just attacked me for no reason at all. Girl! Lemme get that hat first because it's limited edition, girl! And, she just like "Where's my mother?" this and that with angry eyes, and I was like "HELLO?!" I mean, I don't even know her or her mother st all. Then, well, I just found out that she mistook me for having any connections with the Order, though it's true but more on—negative terms, since well, long story that I already forgot."

• 'Winter White': "I... Had no idea what's going in his mind. We barely met but I hated him already. Okay, first off, he attacked one of my crew then leave him in deep and grave injuries, then second, HOPPING into my boat and just told me "Edward is the Daddy" and OH BOY, he nearly—Nearly bomb the whole Sailor Lodge with me on it with many gunpowder stacked under the ports, but good thing someone intervened, I nearly died! So does everyone in it! And it's no wonder why the Grand Navy are on his trails everyday. Jeez, I hope he stop doing more trouble."

[rawmeknockout]

Your possessive Dadatron got into my brain with the cyberformed liason. While poor obsessed Rodimus is not being left alone with the Liason he's also one of the handful of bots outside of the medics that consistently remember the Liason was a wholeaft adult human and treat them as such, along with Rung, Swerve, Perceptor and Whirl.

This also leads to Megs and Mags being shocked when the Liason just matter-of-factly tells Rodimus, "I'm not opposed to the idea of a potential date in the future, but right now I don't have enough coordination in this body to try Meteor surfing. Worse the medics said Interfacing is out untill I have some concious control of my transformation sequence preferably after I've scanned an altmode."

Just two old Mechs clutching their pearls stunned In Horror while Rodimus is blithly is going on with the conversation.

"Wait you haven't scanned an alt yet?! I thought you'd checked all the potentials on the Lost Light?"Rodimus looked shocked.

"I did but nothing clicked or activated the sequence." The Liason shrugged helplessly. "It's not like this frame had one preloaded."

"Huh you should have told me. Next time we get off on a planet you should come with me and Drift and Ratchet. See if any of the wildlife triggers-"

"I forbid it! Ultra Magnus choked out. The other three mechs turned to look at him.

"Ultra Magnus," Megatron sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please don't discourag Rodimus when he makes sensible seguestions."

"I, no." The Duely Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accords gathered his wits. "No Rodimus' seguestion regarding his alt mode acquisition was not the issue. The conversation with regarding Interfacing however-" The Liason cut him off voice flat with uncharacteristic frustration.

"I do not have the spoons to say this gracefully or diplomatically right now so I'm going to be blunt. I am an adult human, note the term adult, in the frame of cybertronian newbuild. I'm currently experiencing frame dysphoria and body dismorphia. And you can add gender disphoria because i have a gender and if this frame I'm in lined up with it I would be a femme!"

"I'm aware of what interfacing is. In the before times," the Liason gestured curtly at their frame, "I had quite a few lively slightly tipsy afterwork discussions at Swerve's compairing and contrasting human and cybertronian sexulity, sensuality, and romanticism. Which Rodimus took part in. Spark play, Plug and Play and feild play arent options for humans but Valve Plug is" Ultra Magnus' engine choked in shock. Megatron took a reflexive back in extreme discomfort.

"I dont think I need to hear about that!" Megatron cut her off hastily. It was a mark of his discomfort and Ultra Magnus's distraction they both missed Rodimus pulling a packet of Cesium Crisps out of his subspace.

"No Mechs, these are exactly some of the sorts of conversations that need to happen with anybot who steps up to Parent me if this is permanent. Be my Mentor," she added to clarify the twin looks of confusion. "I am a middle-aged parent of grown children with an ex-husband who remains a dear friend now that he's out of the closet. I know the two of you are both trying to parent me. God and Primus both forefend my body dies of old age before Brainstorm and Perceptod can fix me because the number of Mecha on this ship who are psychologically capable dealing with the complexities of mentoring a newbuild that is simultaneously a sentient organic who is of analagous to their devlopmental age are profoundly limited."

"How about Rang," Rodimus seguested just a bit too cheerfully around a mouthful of snacks.

"Rung, unfortunately, as my therapist has a professional conflict of interest. And since you guys have, between all your factions, a grand total of two therapists left alive it's not like switching providers-"

"Oh! Liason! There you are!" First Aid called out, cheerfully oblivious conversation he was saving Megatron and Ultra Magnus from. "Ratchet just commed me, he's looking for you. He's freed up his schedule to chaparone err moniter Brainstorm and Perceptor while they run some tests on you. Well mostly Brainstorm needs the monitering. If you could come down to the lab?"

"Oh best not keep them waiting then," Rodimus put in quickly husteling First Aid and the Liason off down the hall. "I'll walk with you, Mags and Megs have to go on shift on the Bridge."

Well this ended up longer than I expected. The characters that live in my brain just started talking and went for it.

How do you reckon Protective UM and Possessive Megatron are taking this conversation? Or this type given that Liason suddenly went from generic insert to proto-OC with a backstory while I was typing. I cant be the only one on here who's had a character grab the plot ball and run away with it for a bit.

Megatron is fine with them having a life before even tho it’s not preferred but they’re a MECH now and he knows better (this is a lie) than anyone what type of mentoring you need he’s completely ignoring this conversation bc that was your life as a human, this is your life now

Magnus is conflicted but ultimately he still keeps other mechs away. you may have some knowledge of Cybertronian sexuality, but it’s not just the interfacing that’s the problem. All the mechs on the lost light are fucked up and aren’t just looking for vanilla sex.

[yanderes-galore]

Romantic Gamzee Makara with human reader pls pls pls im begging... also dunno if it makes any difference in the hcs but the reader is also a mind aspect!

I think I'm going to focus on the human bit as idk if the aspect matters if that's fine? It may be easier but I briefly mentioned/implied you're in the Mind aspect. Either way, would love to write for Gamzee again.

With this concept I didn't make an AU, I tried to keep it close to canon.

Yandere! Gamzee Makara ♑️ with Human! Darling

(Mentioned at times you may be Mind Aspect)

Pairing: Matesprit ❤️

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Troll/Human pairing, Manipulation, Stalking, Delusional behavior, Mentioned mass murder/murder, Religious themes/worship yandere, Primarily sober Gamzee, PDA, Possessive behavior, Forced relationship, Forced affection, Blood mention, Sadism, Violence, Social isolation, Swearing.

I feel Gamzee would get along with a human faster than the other trolls.

For example, compared to his Moirail Karkat who dislikes the idea of flushed feelings with humans at first, Gamzee wouldn't mind it too much.

Humans may not understand quadrants all that well, but Gamzee's feelings in this concept are simple enough.

While Karkat is his Moirail, he wouldn't mind trying to make you his Matesprit.

That should be easy to understand, right?

Humans tend to have flushed feelings for each other, you'll figure it out he's sure of it.

Gamzee shouldn't be a yandere that's hard to deal with, when not sober.

When you speak with him or talk to him before he's sober he's actually really nice to be around.

Gamzee probably falls for you by watching your progress through the game and befriending you through the chat client.

He's somewhat invested in your life, enough to feel you mean something to him at least.

When he talks to you and gets to know you he's just so comforting and interested?

You don't have many issues when talking to him.

In fact, some of the other trolls have trouble tearing him away from the screen to speak with you.

It's great to know he's having fun trolling you... but there's other humans to talk to?

In terms of being a yandere it's not shown much when he talks to you.

He acts a bit delusional at times with you but nothing too bad.

You can usually overlook it.

By delusional behavior I mean he acts like the bond between you is closer than it actually is.

He also believes meeting you was fate due to his religion.

You often either get him asking if you're having trouble in your game session or him babbling about someday meeting you.

He's a bit... strange, but he becomes a presence you're used to through your session.

Honestly, by the time you meet Gamzee he may unfortunately be sober in this concept.

The moment you arrive on the meteor with Rose and Dave, you'll meet a Gamzee much different than the one you were speaking to in the chat client.

You were actually sort of excited to meet Gamzee when he talked about his friends and meeting you.

He admittedly hyped it up for you.

But the troll you meet isn't anything like the laid-back and helpful Gamzee you thought you knew.

No, when you meet Gamzee on the meteor, from what you heard he's crazy.

As a result you are no longer excited to meet him.

You choose to stick by Rose and Dave while on the meteor.

Karkat seems to be hesitant when he meets you but you manage to ask him what the hell happened.

According to Karkat, Gamzee was the cause of most of his friend's deaths.

Not only that but Karkat has developed a fear of being watched, especially when he's talking to you.

You ask why talking to you is such an issue...

You're told Gamzee has been obsessive about you ever since you started your session.

Even though you've reached your God-Tier, Gamzee can still be an issue.

He's strong, he's fast, he's insane in many ways.

Talking to Karkat only warns you that you may also be in danger.

Even in the Mind aspect, the stress may cause you to be indecisive and unsure what to do in the situation.

You still need to get used to the whole God-Tier thing like Rose and Dave.

Gamzee, surprisingly, is out of your sight for the most part.

When you roam the meteor he carefully stalks you like a predator.

He's so happy you've managed to make it this far... all with his past instructions.

Gamzee no doubt waits awhile to watch you before coming out of hiding and greeting you.

There's no need to be so scared... it's just him!

Gamzee thought you also wanted to meet him, no?

Damn, what has Karkat told you?

Did he paint him out as a monster?

His Moirail just doesn't understand that this is how things were meant to be....

Even in his more sadistic mindset, Gamzee still treat you as if you're close.

He looks at you with a smile and he's a bit too touchy.

You don't understand his intentions until he actually explains his idea.

You and him were meant to be Matesprits.

By now you'll know what this means.

It disturbs you greatly, especially with Gamzee giggling, singing the proposition in a giddy tone.

He tells you he's been waiting, he confesses he's loved you for awhile now.

You feel trapped when he closes in on you.

You look through your mind and try to find a decision, something to get you out of this.

Your mind draws a blank when Gamzee wraps himself around you.

The purple troll gleefully tells you about his murders, how he was so frustrated at the fact he didn't have you yet.

He tells you how he's felt so alone without you, how he's been wondering when he'll meet his Matesprit.

You fear to go against his wishes.

Sure, being a God-Tier means you may just come back if he kills you.

But Gamzee can't seem to die either?

You're forced to comply with his wishes once he closes in on you.

Gamzee is rough, too.

He kisses you roughly, probably is also the type to bite.

He doesn't care if others see his display of PDA.

What are they going to do if they see? Chastise him?

They've all seen what he's done, he could wipe them out rather quickly.

Plus, PDA just allows Gamzee to show that you're his.

He'd be possessive when sober and doesn't mind displaying the fact you're his Matesprit.

Regular Gamzee is a yandere for cuddles, sober Gamzee also falls into this category.

When Gamzee isn't busy he'll drag his Matesprit to a corner of the meteor and hold you tightly.

The corner is no doubt covered in blood but it doesn't affect the troll.

You, on the other hand, feel ill.

Gamzee is very unpredictable, which may be a reason you struggle picking an outcome with your aspect.

He seems to care deeply for you and Karkat despite his insanity, but he terrifies you.

He could brutally murder someone, be completely splattered in their blood, and run to you claiming it was all for you.

Speaking of which, Gamzee has potential to be a worship yandere.

He treats you like you're a divine gift and worships his Matesprit for that.

His Mirthful Messiahs, his Lord, has rewarded him.

As a result he praises you often and hates to leave your side.

He's frequently seen draped over you in some way, pressing his face into you and giggling like a deranged clown.

You make him happy, his human Matesprit.

Karkat may disapprove a little bit but he doesn't say anything.

If he shows any sort of dislike towards you, if he expresses dislike towards Gamzee's decisions, he could die.

Karkat doesn't HAVE God-Tier, he's only more terrified to be around you.

You can understand, right?

Anyone not a God-Tier has to deal with the equivalent of an angry guard dog threatening to tear their throat out when they talk to you.

As a result you prefer not to talk much to others.

It's hard to be yourself with Gamzee prowling somewhere close, waiting to strike.

Overall, Gamzee loves his human Matesprit no matter the aspect.

He doesn't care if others are scared to be around you or if you feel isolated... you only need him anyways...

You're HIS motherfuckin' Matesprit, HIS ONLY, is that clear?

[triptychgardener]

Do you have any headcanons about the characters youd like to share?

That is pretty broad but I'll see...

I like the idea of Kanaya and Jasprose on Earth-C referring to each other as ex-wives. It drives Rose insane.

Despite not being his biological kids, I think June and Jane inherited Dad's freak strength. It starts kicking in during their late teens, when they get very confused why the rest of their friends *can't* lift up an entire refrigerator.

Dirk when on Earth C gets really into fitness and "healthy eating." Lots of vegetables and real food. Unfortunately his taste buds are so flavor blasted from years of junk food that he hates it. He also does not know how to properly prepare vegetables. He still eats them though.

In terms of like Gender/Sexuality that hasnt really come up in Early June, I tend to HC Terezi as being on the ace/aro spectrum. The way she interacts with other people, especially Dave and Karkat, gives me the feeling that she really likes flirting and teasing way more than putting a label on a relationship. She acts frustrated when Karkat asks what they are romantically, her and Dave despite flirting during the game basically only refer to each other as friends on the meteor, and literally just looks like theyre hanging out together. She likes physical things if she's weirding people out but feels otherwise more reticent to touch. This is probably a part of why Vriska drives her kind of insane, being unable to quantify what she wants from Vriska. They settle into the pale quadrant in post-retcon, but I don't think that's entirely right for them either. It's one problem that the quadrant system most definitely cannot fix.

[calamitaswrath]

Cal Lucia plays Fire Emblem Path of Radiance: Chapter 17

WE’RE BACK!

Oh, I did not think that Tibarn and his birds are getting involved in this as well. Guess I was right in my assertion that this is kind of the midpoint of the game.

Seeing the Heron Laguz be referred to as “Serenes” really kind of trips me up, because my main association with that name is always the place. But I guess it makes sense that it is named after the people who live there.

Not too much interesting stuff here in terms of base conversations, but what was there was pretty fun. A random priest who used to work for Oliver and whose parents participated in the massacre at Serene’s Forest, which makes for some nice worldbuilding.

Devdan meanwhile – this man may not be the deepest guy at first glance, but pffft, his philosophizing towards Ike was nice.

Kind of an odd thing to note that the forest no longer has any colour specifically. I thought it was just burned down, and not anything else? Or was there some kind of magic involved?

First map of the chapter wasn’t too bad… but oh boy, I’m starting to see why I put this off. You can’t exchange units at the second part, and can only pick two characters who are there as reinforcements… urgh.

Reyson got special destruction magic? Can he please also have that when he joins?

Okay, even if it’s a bit frustrating that the characters you pick as reinforcements don’t join you right away, the fact that all of them seemingly get unique quotes is a really nice touch. Also the fact that the second map has a different objective than the first.

Somehow took me until the second map, but there are swamp tiles on these maps? No wonder that my horseback units had some trouble going through some areas. That, and that the enemy riders took the long way round to get me. Still not much trouble actually getting through this map.

Third part of the chapter! I figured that Leanne would appear around these parts, but I didn’t really have any idea how she plays into things.

And for these parts it was actually convenient for me that I was streaming this chapter for a friend who’s Normal enough about these games to know the ancient language text by heart, and could just translate them for me on the fly (though not fluidly). Granted, you can easily tell what Leanne is saying based on the context and how the others react to her, but it was still nice.

Anyway, while it’s a bit annoying in terms of gameplay, it is actually a really nice touch that for this chapter, Ike basically has Leanne “rescued” at all times. It cost him half his speed for me, but you know. Still a nice touch.

Another new objective for this map, too, which was really nice! This one definitely appeared more overwhelming than it actually wound up being, though. For a map where you have to survive for ten turns, I already cleared out the enemies way before that. Final turn there weren’t even any enemy reinforcements anymore, which I think might have been because I blocked the spots where they would have spawned.

Tibarn staging an intervention to get Reyson off the destruction magic. Dark destruction magic, not even once.

By the fourth part of this map, I was definitely running out of characters I wanted to have as reinforcement, though. I wound up giving Astrid and Mordecai another shot, but I still don’t really wanna use them as much.

Thank goodness though that I already promoted Jill and everything – she helped me take out the meteor mage on the second turn. The rest of the map wasn’t really worth mentioning, and Jill also landed the killing blow on Oliver. I would’ve liked to let Ike do that in the hopes of some unique dialogue, but Tibarn and his guys were already well on their way to him, so I doubt that he would have made it.

So, in the aftermath of the battle. Sanaki apologizing for the massacre at Serene’s Forest is a nice a gesture, but like Reyson says, that alone shouldn’t be enough to work through all the hatred. Still important to make a start, though.

Eyyy, another animated cutscene! The voice acting remains wonky at best, but this one was nice to look at. So, everything as usual, really.

And Soren continues to have Problem™. Wonder how long it’s gonna be before we get into those.

Next part isn’t technically part of this chapter, but I’ll include it anyway.

lol @ Ike’s “urgh do I have to" attitude towards being made a noble

Promotion time! And I got Ike to level 19 before that, too so good timing on that.

[kozykricket]

yknow what why dont i just put out my terraria build ideas that i havent quite gotten to (or some that ive gotten to a bit) out there?

so. ofc theres gonna be new furniture sets in 1.4.5, and i def wanna get building around those. those seem fun (fallen star set, aetherium set, etc) but theres also like. the lihzahrd furniture set exists and ... yknow, i think building an underground temple of my own for a jungle pylon seems quite fun. maybe it'd make the witch doctor feel a lil at home. could have an alchemy kinda area um, also i think it'd be awesome to make an iceberg with a home inside of it. like. im reminded of a certain iceberg you can swim inside of in subnautica below zero... has a cool interior. twists and turns, then u surface and . its like a cave ! i'd love to live in an iceberg heh i think a ghost pirate ship with the shimmered pirate would be a cool build ! could use lotsa fog machines and ofc gravestones for the graveyard biome i think meteor and sunplate furniture could really go together well if painted right, they both feel like. really unique "high tech yet in a fun way" vibes though speaking of high tech i think it'd be cool to build an abandoned overgrown laboratory in the jungle, for housing your planter boxes. if only i knew how to build metal stuff and make it look nice..

in terms of shimmer theres lotsa stuff i think u could do. ofc theres crystally hallow kinda place.. or clouds are also cool. but i think just making shimmer into more of like, a secret hotspring area would be cool. make it into like, pools that cascade down into each other.. maybe its even like some cave aquifer that opens up from a big ol tunnel in the ocean, and the further down into the oceans abyss you get, the more shimmery and ethereal (aethereal?) the vibes get

okay heres a real fun one: shimmer can change how NPCs look. so. have a seecret nightclub looking uh. neon... well. ig a fashion club of sorts with the clothier and stylist. tbh shimmered steampunker is very fashionable too. and just have like, a very Pool looking pool of shimmer in there. could store lots of vanity items there! call it the uhh Shimmer Salon or something. a ... mirage club. maybe the entrance to it is on the surface but only appears at night time bc . echo coating stuff. or something. disco balls ! and most recently, im thinking "yknow, granite caves look cool in the jungle. could contrast the jungle really interestingly with a granite elemental themed house, or a manmade detailed granite biome of sorts"

but also you could apply that to like... a mushroom surface build? have it be some weird granite-shroom grotto? you CAN paint glowing mushroom grass and do some funky stuff...

oh, and also you could do a yin yang kinda vibe for an underground base made of half marble and half granite. cus theyre like, opposites

in terms of places in games i think would be cool inspirations? area zero from pokemon SV, as well as any stage from the risk of rain series. and ... maybe some certain lategame areas in slime rancher. if you're bold, a rain world outskirts style place would be cool i think the best places to take from risk of rain could be a combination of both of the games' snowy places.. as well as ror1s temple of the elders and ror2s sky meadow. sundered grove is also very pretty but i think it'd be hard to really nail the vibes of oh and. minecraft ancient city? mayb..e...

...and now you see how i overwhelm myself ! lots of ideas! i think ill try and just focus on granite or maybe a hallowed crystal themed area (oh , and i have an unfinished TOTK sky island build. actually 2 of them. different takes on the idea. i think zonai stuff could be cool...)

FINALLY: what i want to do for my next world where i spawn inbetween 2 hills, is fill in the area between them with lotsa dirt and make a burrow like. rabbit burrow kinda vibe area. or a Mound . an anthill. a.. yea i think a Burrow like moles or rabbits make would be cool. just a big one. for people to live in. cool mega-spawnbase idea !

[8km-2]

YOU FINALLY ALLOWED ASKS BLESS YOU MAGIC 8-BALL AKSHD <3

Ok, do think Eileen and Gehrman ever met? Did they get along? What are your ideaaaasssssss

akdsjlhbf yeah figured i might finally open it, i mean it has been over a year and i don't see any porn bots sending asks... (if i jinx myself istg)

I'm assuming they had to have met in the hunter's dream at the very least right? Because Eileen talks about dreaming before you go and fight bloody crow.

Anyways during the hunter's dream, I don't think Gehrman really talked much about his personal life so whatever talks they had, it would be around the hunt. I mean Eileen doesn't talk much about herself either in the game... idk they both seem like pretty guarded people that don't show much vulnerability unless it's with someone they trust a lot. So i think if they only meet in the hunter's dream, it would be more like an acquaintanceship.

But I like to think if Eileen went into the dream before bloody crow betrayed her, she would've reached out to Gehrman and lead/start up a lot of their conversations. I do hc when Eileen grew close with bloody crow, she let herself be a lot more open with people like Gascoigne, Henryk and maybe Djura too (seeing them as friends instead of like coworkers). It's just when bloody crow breaks her trust she reverts back to her old ways becomes a lone wolf crow.

But if they met before the dream then I think they would've gotten along really well. Especially if they met after their kids managed to chip away at their frosty exteriors akjfhfd.

I thought maybe since both the burial blade and the blades of mercy were made with siderite they might have found the meteor together but that would imply she was the first hunter of hunters and that doesn't really fit with the lore... Idk it seems like the hunter of hunters existed way before Yharnam got hit with the beast scourge. This also kinda implies Gehrman wasn't really the first hunter but more like the first hunter of Yharnam... which yeah idk this timeline hurts my brain.

So I then thought maybe Eileen was first a doctor before becoming a hunter? I like to think she probably treated Gehrman so many times she gave him some sort of special discount (he was always up to no good back when he was younger ajksda).

But yeah that's all I've got so far in terms of ideas, thank you for the ask!

[blasphemousclaw]

hello! I've been reading a lot of your posts about the Carian siblings, and I was wondering if you had any more thoughts on Radahn? If you ask Iji about Jerren, he actually talks about how Ranni is the first heir in the Carian royal line. I was curious if maybe the reason Ranni and Rykard are so close is that they're the two older siblings. There's also the whole thing with Radahn halting Ranni's fate (and thus her plans) by holding back the stars. He was taught Gravity magic by an Alabaster Lord (a race who came from space/a meteor), so maybe he uncovered the dangers of the monsters/outer gods in space that way? Rykard obviously cares for Radahn since he has a portrait, but Ranni never talks about him.

hi!! yes I have a lot of thoughts on Radahn, this turned out kind of long-winded oops

I generally read Radahn as being motivated by a desire to emulate Godfrey’s heroic ideal… so regarding his challenging of the stars, I think that he did discover the threats of space during his training, but that he simply saw the situation as an opportunity to play hero and prove his worth. I think that halting Ranni’s fate was merely a consequence he either did not consider, or considered and chose to move ahead anyway. While this must have damaged his relationship with Ranni, it also doesn’t seem like Radahn intended to ‘side against’ his Carian family. Jerren, Radahn’s right-hand man, explicitly works for the Carian royals, and Rykard was on good enough terms with Radahn to send him abductor virgins to help defend his castle. And while Radahn’s idolization of Godfrey puts him on the Golden Order side of things, he’s clearly no Erdtree zealot — his main decorative motif is LIONS, there isn’t a single Erdtree depicted in sight. This tells me that what he cares about is specifically Godfrey’s heroism, not the Erdtree system itself. Plus, I think any Erdtree zealot would balk at the idea of having an abductor virgin guarding their castle, aka the iconic weapon of the Lands Between’s most famous traitor and blasphemer lmao

I wonder if Radahn’s need to prove himself is a combination of him being the youngest (with an older sister who’s both heir and empyrean, and an older brother in a respected position of power), and Radagon (a father he looked up to as a champion) leaving him. Perhaps he’s compensating for the fact that he feels unworthy? There’s no direct evidence for any of this, but it does make a lot of sense… the quote on his armor description, "I was born a champion's cub. Now I am the Lord of the Battlefield's lion." …there’s a lot you could read into that

[scary-senpai]

speaking of giant meteors...

(not fandom-related by fandom adjacent, involves some writing stuff):

I'm in the writing program at Second City, and we're putting together our grad show (which is virtual! so in theory anybody can make it). The teacher selected the final sketches from all the work we've done over several terms. He selected two of my scenes:

one of my scenes was about a failed grocery shopping trip (which had unintentional but obvious OPM vibes), and that actually got used in our audition packet which was really cool

the second scene he selected was about a questionable medium and their "mystic fishbowl" that allegedly provided visions of the past and future. It has some Mob Psycho elements going, but it was mostly inspired by a Past Life Regressions workshop I attended with my mom. It was supposed to be about (white) people doing spiritualism badly, but the teacher really liked the idea of someone coming to a psychic for comfort and learning that all he's ever done was die in infancy, which was part of the original joke--assuming we did have accurate past life readings, most of them would be boring, and probably short. Anyway, I wrote the scene and I have mixed feelings about it, and also I needed a new ending (in the original version, the medium learns she can't actually communicate with ghosts, she just has co2 poisoning and the only message from beyond is 'check your fucking carbon monoxide detector!', but I think it would also be neat to do a reverse Scooby Doo, like 'you're right! I'm not a white, upper-class capitalist! I'm actually a ghost--and I would have gotten away with it, too, if not for you meddling kids!') anyway it doesn't matter because I have a new running joke, and the joke is "this character keeps dying" and if that's the joke, well, there's really only one way to end the scene. Oh, and also, this 'fishbowl of misery' psychic reading is all being done over Zoom--