#i don't heckin know either

[rayyanishere1]

trying to act normal but unfortunately my version of "normal" is from 2019 and im still a fucking weirdo

[the-drayster]

drayton do you have a crush on anyone.. its for a friend

Uhhhh

I don't really know? I mean.

I get the romantic feelies for people pretty easy, so it's kind of hard for me to tell. I don't realize when it's happening, I mean. It just sort of happens and then I have an "Oh shit" moment and then I carry on with my life.

People get so obsessed with whether or not they're in a romantic relationship with whoever they have feelings for and I just. Want to be near them. Sure, I may WANT to be in a romantic relationship, but I'm not going to die if I'm not. I just want to be near them. I'll wait for them to make the move, I guess is what I mean.

That being said, when I am flirting with people and asking them out on dates and crap I usually don't mean that romantically. Platonic date. I'm just like that I guess.

[yukipri]

So I've been trying out the new Star Wars Hunters game that came out on Mobile & Switch recently!

I haven't played many brawling type games like this so I wasn't expecting much, but I've actually been really enjoying it so far! I've probably put too many hours into playing (especially since I was super sick around launch and didn't have much else I could do), and I hit max level 50 and Kyber in ranked a while ago... (yeah, playing too much, I know...)

Thought I'd share my initial thoughts though, since I've put in the time!

Note: Some folks have apparently been playing the beta version for a while, but I've only started playing since the public release.

Stuff I like about it so far:

-The really creative and fun SW universe characters is the best part. A blind Miraluka sniper? (Diago) An Ugnaught driving a Droideka? (Slingshot) Literally two Jawas in a trench coat??? (Utooni) They're fun and have great personality, you can read their blurbs here. I like how they're all voiced and also all have their own theme songs (which are honestly heckin catchy)!

-Controls are very intuitive. Again, I am not much of a gamer and have very little experience with these kinds of games, but I picked it up quick. I play on my iPhone and it's great.

-The graphics are GORGEOUS. It looks beautiful, everything moves stunningly smoothly. Honestly it's hard to believe this is a ftp game.

-So far it's very much ftp friendly! Most of the money locked stuff are just cosmetics, and even then there are tons of free ones. One of the characters, Aran Tal, is currently behind a not-too-expensive paywall, but he'll apparently be available for free soon as well.

-The skins for the characters are fun and creative! Imara Vex has one that looks like Durge, and Zaina has one that kinda gives me adult Omega vibes. The store has an active rotation of skins that you can buy with either irl money or in game currency, and apparently old event skins eventually end up in the circulation too. Here are just a couple of my favorites:

-I love the locations! Each one is very Star Wars vibes and has lots of cool lil in-universe elements, like pod racers going through Mos Espa (they can run you over). The time period is New Republic era, so everything is relatively plausible for that time period in universe.

-There's a bunch of different game types, so you don't get bored, and they each have different challenges, and different characters who shine in them. It's unfortunately a bit addicting.

-The events aren't too grindy or tedious (so far).

-I really appreciate the different modes you can play on! The main two modes are casual and ranked, so it's possible to play low stakes and just level up your characters in casual, or try to challenge yourself more in ranked. I appreciate how the limited time events that sometimes throw you into random characters you might not be experienced with are never ranked, so it's okay to suck. Character leveling is the same in both casual and ranked. And I appreciate the Training mode too, where you can try out all of the characters so you're never in a "wtf does this do" in a PVP environment. I get so anxious during PVP if I don't know what I'm doing.

Stuff I hope they improve on:

-Playing with people + party invites are kind of a pain. The invites disappear really quickly, so it's really hard to time it so you can actually play with your friends. It's also hard to know whether the party is going to be playing ranked or casual, and if ranked you can't see the ranks of the folks in your party before agreeing to join, which is a little nerve wracking.

-This is less a complaint, and more just general frustration, but ranking up is pretty tedious near the top, which is to be expected I suppose. Through Aurodium, it was generous because you earn so many more points when you win than when you lose, but in Kyber, you win/lose the same amount. You are judged by your team score, so losses bring down everyone's rank, and it feels like you have to take three steps back for every one. Kyber players are comparatively more competent, but I've been in some...unfortunate matchups before. (As of writing this, I'm in Kyber III, but I've been bouncing between Beskar II~Kyber II for the past two weeks...will I ever make it to Kyber I cries)

-I think they started with a decent batch of characters, and I know this game just came out of beta and the team said they'll be expanding on them! So this isn't really a complaint either. But in the future, I hope they add more female characters (currently only 4 female characters out of 13 total, which feels a little skewed), as well as more support characters, who always feel lacking.

I'd love a few more "popular" iconic Star Wars species to have characters in support. Maybe a Togruta apothecary? A Nautolan water medic? A Pantoran doctor? And personally, I'd love a super buff Twi'lek lady as a tank! Either way, lots of possibilities to look forward to, especially given how much I love the characters so far!

So far, I've been playing on my iPhone and it works pretty smoothly, though I've heard of some Switch users having trouble with lagging/connecting. I think I've only been booted out once, and even when I'm forced to pop out of the app for a moment (last night, I got an Amber alert that paused my screen), I was able to continue playing with barely any pause, which is honesty impressive. I've heard controls are easier on Switch, but I think I've been doing okay on mobile.

Have you tried this game out??

Here's the launch trailer if you're interested, it's Pretty:

And a self plug!

Feel free to add me, I'm Akaz!

I main Skora (Rodian support) and prefer to play her in ranked, but also have Aran Tal (Mando, he's my baby boi), Sentinel (Stormtrooper tank), and Diago (Miraluka sniper) also at max level. Working on leveling up the others in casual mode!

I'm very happy to play casual mode with anyone! (and I play casual mode a lot to level up my less-used characters, and recommend spending some time there for new folks before diving into ranked)

I'm also happy to play ranked!

(but be warned, you'll kinda want to know what you're doing, or they will slaughter you in Kyber)

I might type up a follow up review giving my thoughts on each individual character and maybe some general tips idk

[ourtalechara]

OKAY NEATH! FANS LISTEN UP

(analysis of Mr. Pages verse of the MV that I spent a while creating coming up)

I just showed Down Here In London to my singing teacher and luckily for us she a) has a bigger monitor than the phone screen I usually watch Neath! on and b) is heckin' smart, and instantly figured out "pridesolated" as pride + isolated. Which totally checks out! Byron is infact both of those things!

"Promtscivious" is a bit of a difficult one. I didn't ask my teacher what she saw in this one, but she studied it for a moment, and based on her reaction, and my own analysis I assumed she found either promiscuous or prostitution - either of which could be there, but I believe that promiscuous is much more likely. Mischievous is also definitely in there. What I'm uncertain about is to whether there are two words, or three. It's not quite spelled like promiscuous + mischievous, and while that could just be a spelling error (intentional or otherwise) it could also be another word nestled in there.

"Posthumorous" is clearly posthumous + humorous. I'm not quite so sure what this is saying. Posthumous refers to the fact that Harry is dead, and humorous... I'm not quite sure. I mean, I know what the word means, but I don't see why it would apply to specifically Harry moreso than any of the others...

As for what the heck "maudlimiquitous" means, we're still totally lost.

But there's more we can learn from the music video!!

For one, according to the census forms, the ministry representative is named "Stuart Pendium"

Which is really fun!

The full census form cannot be read in any shot, but from what we can read, it looks like this (text in brackets is inferred, while ellipsis indicate the presence of unknown words):

The very top reads "[MINI]STRY OF ACCOUNTING & RECOUNTING", directly under that is a box with big letters that say "[C]ENSUS FORM"

From what we can read, the text directly under that says

"...[E]NUMERATING AND CHRONOCUMENTATIONS OF LONDON'S ... [T]HEIR WHIMS, FANCIES, AND INTRIGUERIES. BY ORDER [OF THE MASTERS] OF THE BAZAAR.

...[T]O THE OFFICE OF MR. PAGES WITH ALL DUE EXPEDIATION"

To the right of all of this is a seal of the ministry of accounting and recounting.

Underneath that the questions begin, the first box holding "MINISTRY REPRESENTATIVE", "BADGE NO.", "CITIZENIZEN", and "ADDRESIDENCE". On all forms, the ministry representative is Stuart Pendium, and the badge number is 19910508.

The questions underneath read "Q1: How many people live in this establishmentation?", "Q2: Is anyone in this establishment enam...rificated o...", and "Q3: How would one define their occupatory pursuits?"

All of the questions are answered as such:

[CITIZENIZEN: R]obert "Honest Bob" Rackett

[ADRESIDENCE:] The Singing Mandrake, Veilgarden

Q1: ...[i]nformal lodger at the Si[nging Mandrake] in Veilgarden. A tenant of C[assie] Haversham and fellow propriet[or]... was unavailable for comment.

Q2: "I should like to find myself ... and a heart with which to share ... no such fortune in such ende[avors]

The only thing I was able to make out for the third question was "absolutely legal"

[CITIZENIZEN: Byron Bri]mstone

[ADRESIDENCE: The Bra]ss Embassy, Ladybones Road

Q1: ... do not count in s...bers as ... end"

Q2: ...[s] and desires abound here; but w[a]... they of yours?"

Q3: "Our duties pertain to planes beyond your limited understanding."

CITIZENIZEN: Cassie Haversham

ADRESIDENCE: The Singing Mandrake, V[eilgarden]

Q1: A residence of the... lady Cassandra Hav[ersham] ... prietor ... [Haversham] [u]na[cc]ounted for? ... [lod]ger Ro[bert [R]ackett]

Q2: ...ons indul... [w]hich to...

Q3: ...er... led ... [i]ng. .. - dan[c]e[d]

While other forms can be seen, none of them are readable.

Additionally, many things on the table are connected via red string. Cassie is the one with the most connections (two strings pass by the pin on her picture, as opposed to the one that everyone else has). By the string connecting Harry and Bob is a scrap of paper with the words "Met with" written on it (likely meaning that the two have met each other at some time). Due to the positioning, one could read it as adding onto Honest Bob's word, making it "Met with Maudlimiquitous" (likely unintentional, but not entirely impossible). In between Byron and Cassie is a scrap of paper with "Fell impassionated with" written on it. There is a pin stuck in it, and the Cassie - Byron string passes through it. There is also another scrap of paper, which isn't attached to any string, and isn't near anyone in particular, but can be found above Byron's head. It seems to say "Regrets mee[ting]..."

There's more stuff I could mention, but this is already long and stuff and I'm tired.

[comickergirl]

I thought it would be kinda cool to try and make a tier list with my own drawings and, in hindsight, that was maybe too ambitious, given I had more manga titles this year and less free time for fanart, but regardless, here we are! Gonna hide additional thoughts on some of the books under a read-more for the terribly curious. XD

Going in order from top to bottom, left to right:

Snow White with the Red Hair: ...No. There is too much to say. I'll need to return to this some other time. XD (Actually I'm gonna skip the other 2023 titles on the tier list as well)

King in Limbo: LOVED this one. Possibly one of my favorite that I read this year. (Am I biased because it takes place in San Francisco? MAYBE SO.) Really great sci-fi series with a crime/murder mystery element, and Rune and Adam make for a great mismatched 'buddy comedy' duo. Also... *cough* Am I excited for the Your Forma anime? Yes. Do I think King in Limbo did the same plot but better and first? Also yes. *cough*

QQ Sweeper/ Queen's Quality: Look this title has everything, okay? Action, romance, comedy, horrifying nightmare monsters, tips on window cleaning, what more could you want, really?

Wolf's Daughter: A Werewolf's Tale: THANK YOU SEVEN SEAS FOR LICENSING THIS FOR PRINT THIS YEAR!

Library Wars: Admittedly I'd tried this one a handful of times before and struggled to get into it (also I don't care for the anime) BUT. I told myself to stick with it and lo and behold, loved it. Such a charming cast of characters.

Immortal Rain: I recall encountering this in either middle school or high school and loving the art, but I don't think I read past volume one. Really enjoyed reading the whole series through.

Wolf and Revolver: How can an unlicensed title rank this high, you ask??? V I B E S

Rose of Versailles: Listen I felt genuine anxiety over the fate of Marie Antoinette and if that isn't the mark of a skilled storyteller right there, I don't know what is.

Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom: IT'S SO CUTE AND CHARMING and way funnier than I thought it would be??? Also reminded me of The Thief and the Cobbler a fair bit, in terms of tone and art.

From Far Away: Feel like this had a bit of a slow start but the main draw, in my opinion, is Noriko. She’s such a sweet, determined heroine.

Children of the Whales: I actually have some nitpicks with this one, story-wise, BUT. It’s so impressive from an artistic standpoint and unique in its world building that I just gotta give it to ‘em, you know?

The Hachioji Specialty: Tengu’s Love: How can a manga with only two volumes out rank this high, you ask? IT'S ADORABLE. XD In all seriousness, I love that it’s a ‘fish out of water’ story that doesn’t infantilize the woman so that the guy can save her with his worldly ways. Refreshing! And I say again: so. Heckin’. CUTE.

The rest of the titles all tend to fall in the same sort of, ‘I liked this!’ area for me, except fooooor….

Fushigi Yuugi: Listen LISTEN, it ranks real low and I’ve got complaints about the plot and pacing BUT. I’m glad I read it and would like to someday dive into the sequels because it is clearly a genre-defining staple. Maybe I’d like the anime better?? (I liked the first volume of the latest spin-off! XD)

SECRET BONUS ROUND! Most of these had a physical edition of their first volume drop at the tail end of the year and as such, felt a bit too last minute to draw, but they generally all fall in the ‘solidly entertaining’ tier:

Stomp, Kick, Love Blade Girl Love, That’s an Understatement Agents of the Four Seasons* In Another World, My Sister Stole my Name*

(*These came out less recently but I forgot to write them down! XD)

SECRET BONUS ROUND: 2023 EDITION! These didn’t make it onto my illustrated list that year but I *have* read ‘em:

Red River (Note: If I had to pick a soap-opera-esque, sprawling, vaguely historical isekai fantasy, I prefer this to Fushigi Yuugi) Prince Freya

SECRET BONUS ROUND: SHONEN/SEINEN EDITION! Nozaki Kun Your Forma Dahlia My Dear Detective Noragami Tropic of the Sea Opus Seraphim The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store The Golden Sheep

And there we go! :D

[oops-all-concrete]

Hello lovelies, 💘HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!💘

I'm back with more BG3 headcanons! Today's prompt is;

💕Modern AU; Ways the BG3 (romanced) companions are idyllicly sweet with Tav!💕

No spoilers! Tags are; A whole heckin lot of fluff and cuteness!

Lae'zel -

You have to be careful with what you say around Lae'zel. Made a minor comment 3 months ago that you wanted to revisit somewhere in the Sword Coast? Get packing, you guys are all booked to go. Asked Lae'zel to get you candy on the way home? She has 3 full bags. Say that comment her folks made last time you visited made you uncomfortable- you have a paragraph text apology from all of them the next day. She's not just someone who wants to spoil Tav, she fucking will. (If Tav manages to talk her out of going nuts with the pampering, she's surprisingly sentimental. You bet she keeps a rock in her pocket that reminds her of Tav)

Shadowheart -

She is so excited to post you. She doesn't like social media and tends to keep to herself, but after watching Tav post pictures of them both, she wanted to do the same. The minute she gets even the smallest romantic gesture, she's scrapbooking, she has a wall of Polaroids joined by a horde of hand made sketches, she's putting together little snack baskets and mailing them to Tav, she's about as obviously head over heels as a person can be, really. She's always got a camera aimed at Tav, even if they're just for her. (A good 90% are just for her eyes)

Wyll -

This man never plays games/gets online with both sides of the headphones in. It doesn't matter if the game is online, offline, urgent, time sensitive, dependent on his concentration- if Tav so much as makes a peep, he's out of his seat and across the room. Hells, he takes every chance he gets to go give Tav some attention. In the drift of leaving the waking world, Tav will definitely hear a little "One minute, Tav needs me" despite them not asking. Some footsteps. And then moments later, the warmth of the duvet being tucked all over their body and a gentle kiss to the cheek. Whispered "I love you"s and then a quiet. "I'm going to hop off for a few hours." So you can have some quiet.

Karlach -

She's one of those people that really makes you realise you have good taste in other people. Like, you can't think of a time you went on a walk and she didn't pick up some trash, help an elderly person across the street, immediately offer her seat to a pregnant woman. No matter how prideful Tav might be or not, there's a pride in the admiring looks other people give her. Little girls pass in the street and say "mum, I want to be like her when I grow up!" Everything she does makes Tav proud to be with her, yet somehow Tav is always the one under a spotlight to her. "Oh, me and my partner-" this. "Oh, my partner-" that. "I'm so proud of my Tav. Ugh, I am so lucky" she insists at every turn.

Gale -

He's a night owl, much to Tara's dismay. Wether that's because he can't sleep, he likes being awake in the dark hours or- his brain won't stop nattering at him for a gods damned minute, but either way. He's probably working, quietly cleaning, organising Tavs things so they don't have to worry. In quiet moments, between possibly making them breakfast because of course he's up that early- he's just kissing Tav on the forehead, gently, trying not to wake them. He needs them to sleep but there is not a moment in his day where he doesn't think: "Does Tav know I love them? Can I remind them once more? Even if its just for my peace of mind?" Because he will not rest if he has an inkling his live for Tav isn't at the forefront of their mind.

Astarion -

If you even suggest to this man that you should do matching outfits, he's excited. He always wants to take the wheel, but also wants Tav to have a foot in the idea. He will give ideas left and right, opinions up and down. He doesn't care if it's a date or not, cringe solstice photos, or just gym clothes, he's all for it. If you guys didn't have matching pyjamas already, you have them now, congrats. (If he's still a bloodsucker, he'll definitely still go out of his way to learn how to cook for Tav. Tokyo Ghoul rules though, so Tav gets to taste test a lot. Only the best for his little capri-sun) Overall he's just unashamed and excited to be with someone who very obviously wants to be his, visibly as possible.

(Bonus Halsin!)

Halsin -

This man lives for shared activity. He's quite alright on his own and can allow Tav their space, but going to get massages, haircuts/styles, wine tasting is his total vibe. Just relaxed gatherings together. Nobody lives a spa day like this man. It allows a level of intimacy that nature intends. Cleansing. Careful. Close. He will learn how to do Tavs hair and makeup if asked. Will take pleasure in being able to undress them and put them to bed at the end of a long day. Go on hikes and camping trips, walks through the woods, carving names into rocks and bringing back souvenirs to press into a book that's only getting thicker.

[ariascent]

warning for extra sappiness at 3 in the heckin' morning!

i didn't think i would get to this point again in any of my blogs, and i'm so so grateful that i have had the opportunity to meet and talk to and write with so many wonderful people. people like my newest friends, my refound old writing partners, decade celebratory anniversaries with my best friends, and general revelry of the people who just burst into my dms and scream about their characters to me!

i know there are plenty of people who i accidentally neglect to talk to, and those who have stayed during my move and the chaos that has come after, i can't thank you enough. i know it's a tough time, but you can count on me for making things either super silly or super serious in my content. sometimes really fluffy!

i can't begin to say how much this means to me, so i will use this moment to promote some people i have a deep fondness for under the cut. that you should TOTAL follow and give some love.

@stellafortunae ─ my roommate, my silly and anxiety riddled roommate. she always has such unique ideas, and has allowed me to use them for a good portion of my blogs, and for that i can't be more grateful. she's been the "heartless" to my "nobody", reacting emotionally for me to reflect and see where the logic is. i can't be happier to have known and eventually move in with her this past winter.

@zodiac--muses ─ MY GIRLFRIEND!!!! THAT'S MY WIFE!!!! MY BEAUTIFUL SIGNIFICANT OTHER!!!!!!! if you aren't following them what are you DOING!!! all of their ideas are so cute and so adorable, and they play so many exciting and fresh ocs that would be able to adapt to nearly any setting. you should definitely give them a look-see.

@lycorisbloomed ─ shakes u shakes u shakes u. love yourself you degenerate whore! but until the moment you can declare your love of the beauty that is yourself i will do it for you. i will love you for you, and you can heal at your own pace. you should definitely follow vex, because vex is just an anxiety riddled fox kit and i ADORE them.

@novastrae ─ MY CHAT. MY CHAAAAAT. hehehe. if i have an insane idea at any point ever, i know danny's got my back. if no one has my back in my shitty but fantastic ideas that will get one of us crying, i know danny's got me.

@veloriaharmonia ─ SCREAMS AT OWN ASS. the worldbuilding?! the character personalities?!! the way that everyone in the world and in the alternate universes interact with the outside world or worlds beyond??!! sign me up scotty, SIGN ME THE FUCK UP FOREVER. not to mention, indulging me and my insanity about our ships. screams again.

@ichigokurosaki ─ eli i would die for u and i need u to know this. i don't knw much about bleach (i followed u on spiderman/peter) but every time you post about ichigo there is so much love in every word you type and i can't begin to fathom having that love so deep that you would pay attention to the slightest mannerisms... i can actually. it's why i love ya so much bud.

@draconicfool ─ the way u put up with my shippy ass self. smh. BUT NO REALLY!! IF YOU WANT A REALLY WELL DEVELOPED OC WITH BEAUTIFUL ART AND A BEAUTIFUL DESIGN AND A COOL BACKSTORY FOR EVERY AU?! GO GIVE LYCO A FOLLOW!!!

[exoticalmonde]

The Evealia Guide Through Babel (event) - Part III

Last time we left off, things are going absolutely terrible. There's a Sarkaz that is gone insane with sorrow for his comrades and his son, so he's taken it with himself to go destroy the Leithanien he's noticed lurking around Kazdel.

Leithanien. From Babel.

I'll just let you read this part on your own for cinematic value.

GOOD GOD ALRIGHT

Damn it... Ugh.

He is sent to Theresa, but he's so out of it that he doesn't even realize what is going on. He very happily tells her that he killed the traitorous Leithanien and has avenged his son, along with all the others who died in battle.

He's taken away since Theresis doesn't want Theresa to be the one meting out punishment like that.

It's strange though, because he doesn't use Arts, but the guards were hypnotised. Somebody on the outside is at fault for this. Yet, the Military Commission refuse to investigate, because the victim is just an outsider to the Sarkaz.

Babel is to remove itself from all political activity too and finally make some clear boundaries between what it can and cannot do on Kazdel.

In a different light, we get to see Theresa and Theresis as caretakers for Ascalon.

Theresis gives her knife back and teaches her, briefly, about how she should sharpen it since warriors should treasure their weapons, while also being considering on who it gets to cut.

Theresa is much softer on the approach. Asks her about what she likes in the city.

Despite that, Ascalon feels like she can't really hate the gentle Sarkaz. I SCREAMED when Theresa offered Ascalon to touch her horn. Is it a way to show affection? Vulnerability? Whatever it is, WHY did I not think of this sooner. That's so heckin adorable.

Theresa cleans Ascalon's wound and teaches her that weapons can't heal these - only time and medicine. So one day she can wake up and learn that it doesn't hurt anymore.

That much, Ascalon agrees with.

Babel Classroom, Kazdel

…

Well, nobody showed up to class.

Except Theresis, who is there to confirm that the casualty report from the Military Commission states a lot of children have gone. Those who survived - their parents refuse to let the outsiders of Babel teach them. Plus, many of the Babel teachers left - out of fear.

Even if Theresis thinks Theresa is wasting her time, he waits with her upon her request.

IT WASN'T FOR NOTHING!!

Down, Dog.

ARRRGHBFEUSUGIH MY HEART.

I hated him, okay? I hated Manfred in the way you'd hate a handsome scrimblo, in the way where I'd be ashamed to say that I like him; like how people who love stinky cheese don't want others to know, they just sit in the corner eating it and hope that nobody is going to notice the smell.

I liked him for his perseverance before and because he was so very 'aware' unlike other leaders we've seen in the past. Meanwhile, I'm being set up with this charming little creature that just wants change for the better, wants peace, and wants to help.

HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME ADMIT I LIKE HIM?!

Now I suddenly wish he does not die. Now I get upset when I remember I derogatively called him Milfred out of rage. I never managed to pass CC 9 or 10, I forgot which one was Ashring, but now??? I'm mean to NOT be upset???

I hate it here.

Within Kazdel, Goodluck and his son are… either waiting for the worst to happen or they're morning the loss of their third family member. Goodluck can't really stand sitting around, doing nothing, so he is planning to become a mercenary and make the people who hurt his wife pay.

Before departing he gives her name to his son - Odda. And promises to teach him how to fight with her weapon once he returns.

---

BB-3 Before

Silent Crack

[Today, though, we face the tragic reality of disunity and betrayal.]

Eight Years Ago...

Summer, 1086

Classes are being held in Kazdel, secretly. Kids have to keep their voices down and they're not allowed to tell anybody about what is happening inside their secret little base of operation.

The war between Kazdel and Leithanien never stopped, so for 18 years they've been pursued. A lof of people feel into despair, either from the ghost of war or the infection.

Within the Scar Market, Goodluck picks up a commission - some teacher in Kazdel has been saying too good a thing about Babel. Somebody is willing to pay to shut them up.

We learn that it's been a while since Goodluck was in this part of Kazdel. Although Goodluck doesn't remember a lot of things, he remembers the look of his front door - the address where that supposed 'teacher' might be hiding.

Inside, said Teacher is really doing good. He's teaching the children that the Sarkaz blame Babel for their misfortune since they have nobody else. Babel brought the enemies, Babel's medicine makes Oripathy worse, Babel this and that-- and children nod along, because they probably hear that from their parents a lot.

It's not quite so, though; they can't take things at face value. That's why they have to see, learn and think for themselves.

Odda notices somebody at the door. Everybody scrambles to hide before he opens it and sees...

Surprisingly, it's Ascalon.

She scans the sparsely furnished room and understands.

...

She says 'Thank you for sheltering him. But you must leave'.

It's clearly a warning for oncoming danger. The teacher has to go. Odda stays by the door - a habit of his since he was little. As if he was waiting for someone familiar to come back home.

From the shadows, Goodluck recognises him immediately. He's unfortunately already bound with his own mission and knows there's only one way to ensure his child gets a better life.

Ascalon makes the decision for him. Her mist shrouds the corpse, erasing all traces of its existence.

[The passing of a life in Kazdel is akin to a speck of dust falling to the ground, unheard, unceremonious, and unnoticed.]

[His luck ran out.]

Manfred seems to also have been in the area at the time of this occurrence. They fight a little, both at friendly terms, though they serve different sides of Kazdel.

It drives up a memory of another time they were sparring.

THEY EVEN LAUGH TOGEHTER, because Theresa helps Manfred down by levitating him to safety.

Though adorable, we're back in the present with Ascalon and Manfred fighting. There's a misunderstanding between their approaches I think. Manfred has remained by Theresis' side because he thinks there can be a different approach to the future they're looking for. Since the start Theresis has been hesitant with Theresa's plan, so now they have parted ways.

On the other side, Ascalon has turned her back on Theresis out of anger that he'd allow the others in Kazdel to badmouth Her Highness and her choice to stick with Babel.

Manfred is more understanding than ever though. It's not really the twin sovereigns who had to make the decision of parting. It's just circumstance. Perhaps the prophecy.

They're so caring for each other though... These four care about each other so much I want to put them in a box and keep them together forever.

Sadness isn't over by the way~

Because Manfred appears on Odda's door with his dad's... remnants. Odda doesn't really remember him, but Manfred doesn't make much of it as he presents the items and explains:

[There have been some disturbances in the city, and I'm afraid your father... I'm so sorry.]

[Wh-Where did you find them? Was there...?]

[There was nothing else left at the scene. I'm sorry.]

[...]

[What's your name?]

[...Odda.]

[If you need any help...]

[No... no, I'm very grateful that you brought these back. It's been a long time since I last saw him... this is enough. I don't have to wait anymore... He's not coming back...]

[Do you have family? Or friends you can count on?]

[I can take care of myself. Besides, we see things like this every day in this city, no?]

[...]

[I-I'm sorry I gushed, sir. I just feel like I know you, somehow... I'm sure you're busy. I won't keep you any longer.]

[My condolences.]

THIS IS NOT FUNNY

WHAT THE HECK ITS NOT FUNNY, YOU'RE NOT ORIGINAL?!?!?!?!?

I've never cried so hard in my life, oh no I'm broken.

---

BB-3 After

There's been an accident - feelings are mixed.

A father beat his child for trying to defend the Teacher, and the Teacher fought back with the father to defend the kid. In the end, both of them were going to die from their injuries. He was set upon by the angry crowd and it escalated from there. The turmoil dragged in everybody - Civilians, Babel, mercenaries, even the Military Commission.

Somebody blew up the Babel office building, so then Royal Court troops were involved.

Theresa has made the decision to remove Babel from Kazdel. It's become way too dangerous for any of the personnel to stay any longer, since they're now completely unwanted. Odda immediately signs up to leave with them.

Out on the streets, the dying teacher is mocked by the Sarkaz soldiers, but he's actually seeing an invisible to others little banshee - Logos. He was there in the classroom and learned a lot from the Teacher.

Even if others did not believe it so, the Sarkaz Teacher is welcomed by the myriad of souls and he's guided to them with the little banshee's song.

[It is an elegy that commemorates the passing of an ordinary Sakraz.]

['You were talking about the future of Babel in the lesson, but you didn't get to the end. What were you going to say?']

['I believe... that Babel will die someday. I hope I'm wrong.']

In the court, Laqeramaline is saying goodbye to Theresa. It's a sweet conversation they have, with the Banshee Queen being as truthful to her beliefs as she is supportive to Theresa. She also knows there is no other way, so all she can do from the position of a mother is hope for the best.

[blankd]

(I was going to attach this text to a reblog but I lost the original post, I'm appending more text to make it stand on it's own since it's a topic worth discussing IMO)

The Problem with Taash, an opinion from a ~*Mixed Race Queer Person and a Writer*~

spoilers for Veilguard and Taash's quest- while I haven't seen the ending of the game yet these are egregious writing issues that a 3rd act revelation isn't going to fix

Taash is technically not a "bad character" in a vacuum, they are bad because they are in a Dragon Age game with preexisting lore and this game has writing that is inconsistent with the tone and setting of the previous entries.

Their language is as anachronistic as the rest of Veilguard's main cast dialogue, with disbelief finally shattering at the idea that this Dark Medieval Fantasy suddenly manifests a damn about the gender binary, much less echo the same contemporary terms of 2024 Americans. If they took the time to come up with their own term (or god forbid, something UNIQUE to the setting), I PERSONALLY wouldn't quibble about it. The use of nonbinary is just a symptom of a bigger problem, bad/weak writing, and it is the most emblematic of the lack of care or priority in keeping DA's tone consistent.

Some may argue that using "modern terms" is good, but like anything that isn't a capsule of a specific time period, this kind of writing will age POORLY at best.

More subjectively, but still related to the bad writing problem: I initially didn't mind Taash being blunt and immature, but when no other companion pushed back on them (and Rook is mostly an enabler), it rapidly wore out its welcome. As the focus shifted (with the grace of an anvil) that their plot would be about Gender, I felt the interesting avenues for the character perish in real time. I KNEW more unique in-game hooks were being sacrificed to focus on this, and later scenes would show I wasn't wrong. I PERSONALLY would have preferred if Taash was NB out the gate so that their personal quest could be about literally anything more unique to Dragon Age.

The real crime is that the game literally sits you down to have a 101 chat, despite it being an M-rated game, it's insulting to everyone involved. That this is an inexorable part of Taash is not a "win" unless your litmus for quality is built entirely on reactionary "owns". If you are part of this group, I ask you to consider how practical it is to punish an audience for the words of people who are NOT in that audience. The people who were already reacting with disgust about the option to be NB in the character creator are NOT going to make it to Taash's personal quest.

Some may argue it's "good" it's mandatory, but to that I beg the question of what is LOST by having Taash being NB right out the gate. I know what the game would gain- it would have to actually put something else into Taash's character and maybe we'd be spared the hamfisted sensitivity conversation about pronouns. Like for fuck's sake the end of the world is happening, but sure let's pause the Dark Fantasy Apocalypse to attend an HR meeting in a pirate queen's office- yeah that's the MOST interesting thing that could happen there.

But really this all acts as setup for how despite taking great pains to make sure the player understands that Taash is NB (and that's heckin' valid), they then "have to decide" which SINGULAR culture they will embrace/identify with.

I genuinely don't know why this beat is here at all, but it's baffling to bludgeon that gender is not limited to a binary while presenting CULTURE as mutually exclusive. That ROOK has any input at all is just as staggering display of either a disrespect for the fiction or the player, or both. If you're going to have a sacrificial Very Special Episode character, you can't have it end as having shifted the same 'problem' over to a different topic.

I don't hold ill will to anyone who likes Taash as a character, but as a writer, queer rep is WELL beyond a character looking at the camera and saying they're Nonbinary. "But people will argue against it, they HAD to!" That is a bullshit excuse, GOOD writing doesn't cater to bad faith losers. The painter does not paint for the arsonist.

Misc Points I disagreed with more directly but had no real segue points (and some futureproofing against people who might use these to disregard what I've said): "Taash is only getting crit b/c they're BIPOC coded and queer [therefore this crit is founded in racism]" -Neve and Davrin ARE BIPOC, so unless they are bundled with the "unfair crit", this is not a substantiated assumption. As a tangent, if we're going to dig this deep whatever happened to the outrage at "making 'nonhuman species' NB". Diversity WIN the most inhuman party member is NB! (I personally don't have any strong feelings about that point, but I'm familiar with this being a common complaint from those who seek NB rep.)

"Taash gets crit but these NPCs don't [that's suspicious]" the NPCs don't have cutscenes dedicated to them coming out. The NPCs keep the game moving, but Taash's ~journey~ requires the player be invested and give input which creates the strange dissonance that Taash is trading out their mother's approval for Rook's (which is weird since NEVE is the one that introduces Taash to ~queer identities~ but is relatively ABSENT for the rest of it). Party members ought to have a sliver more autonomy- they can hook up without Rook, yet they can't be true to themselves unless Rook is there, what are the writers implying or achieving with this? The writers also tip their hand about what they want, defeating the point of having options at all in any of these scenes. The removal of player agency is not going to endear ANYONE to this character!

"Taash is also autistic [and is being unfairly criticized]" Taash can still be unpleasant and the lack of pushback from others is what makes it irritating since it comes across as the writers holding back for the sake of optics rather than committing to writing sensible to the fiction.

[flowers-inverted]

Ok so I'm reading the lyrics of the s1 Link Click intro song (Dive Back In Time by Ready The Jaws) and... Is this a love song??

Like here's some quotes from just the first minute ok?:

"It didn't take too long to realize

Something has changed in the back of my mind

Your eyes, there ain't nowhere left to hide behind."

"Without you I don't know if I could take this road.

Chase you to the end of the world

"Something secretive hidden inside your mind

Just to say your name once more"

All the heartaches and the smiles never faded

I know you'll be by my side when we make it"

Like.. am is this just a me thing or...? Cuz it's a donghua afterall yeah? Is Link Click secretly gay fr? It's not right? Can't be...

There is also the thing about how you can't really be gay on Chinese television. They censor tf outta shows from queer books and manhuas (example: The Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation. If you didn't know it was bl going in, unless your gaydar is at potent as mine, you probably wouldn't notice watching it). Link Click doesn't have source material so there's nothing we can reference here either.

The romatic undertones in this song really don't help me ignore the little dings in the back of my mind watching this heckin show I swear-

Ugh anyway don't judge me.

[spectralgecko]

I swear my world is bugs right now. It's getting cold and all of the Critters™ are coming inside, and they do not have the decency or self preservation to remain properly out of sight. Especially the spiders. the others can be relocated most of the time because they aren't terribly skittery, but spiders?

The jumping spiders - who I haven't seen too many of - are all called Bob, and they both don't build webs (at least much) and usually have the common sense to hide when there are Humans in the apartment, so they're safe. And I don't tend to mind them much. They're too small and their legs are too short to be properly startling.

Then there's Bob's Cousins, who are generally kill on sight, at least if they're anywhere besides the entry. Extra nope if they're in the bathroom, bedroom, or have built a web somewhere. Of Bob's friends and relations, we have:

Billy, the spider in the bathroom that may or may not still be there, spider in the kitchen that's deceased now courtesy of The Sonnets of Shakespeare that could have been Billy or might instead have been Fred, spider on and then in my heckin file box now also deceased because I took it outside (equipped with gloves because yeah) that I'm gonna call Joe. And Keith, a spider that I vacuumed up first term and then my roommate set the vacuum in the closet except she pressed the release button. So Keith is either dead or somewhere in the closet.

At one point there was a Steve by the AC unit. He stayed in one place, hid most of the time, and ate unwanted bugs, so he was allowed to stay. The AC is taken out for the winter though, so he got evicted to who knows where.

Oh, and then the random stinkbugs and ladybugs. And occasional lacewing fly. Cuz... yeah.

Bugs.

[delicateartisantrash]

I am really sorry for your current situation. I, unfortunately, had to endure the pain of leaving a beloved home for an uncertain one too, and I know how much it hurts, plus family shit. If i could afford it, I would help. As I'm really useless other than for offering comfort, here's a comfort piece for you.

The world is full of beautiful people and you're one of them. Don't ever say you're useless because you're not.

This literally just. I'm actually bawling right now. Thank you. This does bring me comfort and I need that comfort so it's fucking perfect and you're doing exactly what you should be which is only as much as you can safely do, and i'm so thankful for this precious doodle.

I needed that.

Yes Beaky. Errithing's gonna be okay because imma work my butt off like i am really heckin' good at doing and sell art and do werk and we'll make it work :sob-happy:

And hugs and love to you, too, hon. It sounds like you're in a much better position now which I so sincerely hope is the case, and hugs to you either way ;w;

[kira-quartz]

For the ask game: Carryshipping (you can do the individual pairings involved if u want), thiefshipping, irateshipping :>

Blarhgsjkhgkas sorry for the wait 😓 (And sorry the Carryshipping section is such a mess, 😂)

SEND ME A PAIRING

Carryshipping

I don’t know them enough | wtf | why | just NO | tolerable |��they’re okay | cute | awww | babies | hot | I will go down with this ship | and I won't *mumble mumble* and surrender~ | there will be no white flag above my *shrugs* | they're in love, and *gives up and googles the lyrics* | OT3

Okay, so I didn't forget about your other ask; I've been trying to will myself into a state of feralness (turns out I can't do it on cue, 😅!), so I might as well do it here:

AAAAAAAA

MY GLORIOUS CANOE-TYPE THING

LOVE THESE CORNFLAKES

THEY ARE THE CUTE

THEY ARE A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF MY BRAIN

hfvlΩß˙b,jfuzgakuwfhzlgbakug;aoeyoliahliuhougkujdrstewtkuvcfsfm

Like, think about it. Puff, Buddy and Protect are all adorable ships on their own. You have the sweet, polite little nerd who loves all things creepy and the former gang member with a heart of gold who's terrified of the occult and also happens to be a nerd. You have the two lovable idiots who've been best friends for years, who know each other like they know themselves. You have the tough-looking guy who's actually a massive softie and the gentle, fragile-looking cornflake with all this hidden inner strength. So you put all three of them together and there's this whole sun, moon and Earth dynamic where their personalities complement each other in different ways and it just works!!!

Joey and Tristan would always be there for Ryo and remind him as many times as they need to that they want to be there for him - no more disappearing into the Isolation Pit for him if they can help it. I think he'd bring out their softer sides; partly because he's so heckin' adorable, but also because he wouldn't judge them for showing vulnerability.. In the past, they've both had problems with toxic masculinity and felt pressured to act tough, and while they've both come a long way by the time I usually imagine the Carryship setting sail, they probably still have some lingering Stuff. But Ryo's just... himself. I don't think he cares about whether or not he measures up to some made-up standard, and he wouldn't care if other people do either. I see him as a good, sympathetic listener - if anything's bothering them, they can talk to him about it, but he won't push them to talk if they're not ready. (You know how he spent most of the Téa vs. Mai Duel comforting Yugi? Yeah.) Based on some of his dialogue from his Duel Links event (and not just with Joey), I HC that he's really generous with compliments too. If he has something nice to say, he just says it, so there's this kind of funny, kind of interesting contrast between how sincerely he expresses his feelings for Joey and Tristan and how sweet they are to him, and how those two act towards each other: i.e. not too differently to how they did before they got together. They might be a bit more openly affectionate (mainly physically), but they're still Joey and Tristan, and they'll still bicker almost as much as always, 😂!

In between the bickering, Joey would be *vocal* about how much he loves them, and often cheesy as heck (Ryo finds it cute; Tristan "secretly" does too but covers it with a sprinkling of snark. Joey is not fooled in the slightest. Tristan doesn't really mean for him to be.) He's quick to cheer them up or offer encouragement when they're having a bad time, and I can see him encouraging Tristan to stand up to his dad about the factory situation and pursue his own dreams - they deserve to be happy and he'll fight anyone who says otherwise (not necessarily physically because he's matured since canon, but still!) He and Ryo would be so cute nerding out over games together, 🥰. He gets to enthusiastic about things (he threw himself right into that first Monster World session) and that would mean a lot to Ryo. (Tristan's willing to join in, but he's not as passionate about it as they are.) With his interest in model-building, I think he'd appreciate the work Ryo puts into his dioramas too. And they can both be Odd Cornflakes at times - Ryo might be the Weird One of the three, but Joey did call the original Duel Disk a "cup ramen thing", 🤣. I bet they'd occasionally wake Tristan up talking about whatever completely random thought popped into one of their heads at 2am, 😂.

Tristan will keep them grounded and be the voice of reason as usual... unless he's getting swept up in whatever Joey's doing, because let's face it, with these three, there *will* be moments when no one has the brain cell and it's just skittering around unattended. (Do brain cells skitter? Serious questions asked on my bloggo.) He's sometimes a bit confused by Ryo, but that doesn't bother him. He's accepted that there are some things he just won't get, so he's just going to concentrate on doing what he does best: loving and supporting Ryo unconditionally, as well as keeping a close eye on any occult stuff that's going on - *no one* needs to get possessed again. (Joey will watch from a safe distance, (read: "over Tristan's shoulder like when he found out that Shadi was a ghost", 😂), but no matter how terrified he is, he'll still be ready to take action if things start to go wrong.) If anything's wrong with either of them (and he always notices), he'll go out of his way to help, even if all he can do is listen, which happens more often than he'd like, especially with Ryo. It's not always easy, though, so they make sure to let him know they appreciate him, and be there for him when he needs it.

Overall: 200/10, can't believe no one named it before I did.

Thiefshipping

I don’t know them enough | wtf | why | just NO | tolerable | they’re okay | cute | awww | babies | hot | I will go down with this ship | OTP

It's been a while since I've really thought about them, but this is probably my favourite ship for both of them, mostly because of the fandom's portrayals. None of these options really fit them for me, though? 😅 They're an entertaining mess. A pair of heckin disasters. XD

Irateshipping

I don’t know them enough | wtf | why | just NO | tolerable | they’re okay | cute | awww | babies | hot | I will go down with this ship | OTP |

Well, I haven't seen much art for it, but I like the idea of it! It'd be interesting to see how it happens, with the whole brainwashing thing and Joey's tendency to hold grudges. They'd definitely have to address that, 😅. (Oh, and about your reply to my ask: what exactly is a hamster-like death? 😂)

Thanks for asking!

[front-facing-pokemon]

I LOVE THE SMOLIV LINE!! I USED ONE ON MY TEAM THE BABIES!!!! THE BABIES WHO I LOVE SO DEARLY❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ BY THE WAY ARBOLIVA’S EYES AREN’T CLOSED THEY JUST LOOK LIKE THAT YOU CAN SEE IT BLINK IN GAME

AAAH MY MISTAKE!!! I HAVEN't looked at it very closely to be honest. never really used one on my team or really looked at it at all beyond 1. this blog and 2. filling the pokédex. but! y'know. good to know, i suppose!

WELL!! i didn't look deep enough into it to be giving competitive advice, evidently. either way this sounds like a recipe for frustration for your opponent in a battle against this, i feel

really? i guess i don't really know what the internals of game freak and the pokémon company look like. i know he made the battle tower theme in swsh and a few songs in sv, but almost every music-uploader on youtube just credits everyone who composed for the game on every song, which means i saw his name pop up a lot. obviously i know this doesn't mean every single person hired worked on every single song, but i at least figured his greater involvement on scarlet/violet meant they were keeping him around. or perhaps i was just hopeful. though i'm not sure what your source is on this claim, either—you're pretty sure. it doesn't REALLY matter and i don't even remember the context i mentioned toby fox in (was it about lechonk's name? it was probably about lechonk's name. in which case, like… yeah, of course i don't know that he made that name. it's almost a joke because of how out-of-touch nintendo and tpc famously are—but maybe they tuned in like five years ago when everyone was saying "le chonk" and decided to cash in on that. i don't remember who it was who said the name was based on "lechón" as opposed to "le chonk," but i desperately hope that individual was correct as opposed to Everyone I've Ever Met's initial reaction, that being that it's a reference to the "heckin chonker" memes from half-a-decade-plus ago) and tpc isn't gonna tell us anything anyway so!

re: pawmo. i agree. though i think i summarized my thoughts in the tags of the posts themselves

re:charcadet: do i need to make another "most original joke of all time" post

[graysparrowao3]

🚀 👓 annnnnd 📗 for the ask game!!! ☺️

Well heckin' beans, I was truly spoiled by this ask game. Thank you Darcy for the ask and for sharing all the details about your Tav! 💛

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

(@keepyourstyle was gracious to ask this here, and I got carried away having never thought about it much before. I will be less unhinged and more concise.)

The short(er) answer is I do not outline. I actually think one of the reasons I stopped writing was that all the advice I saw at the time was regarding planning and outlining and I was so bad at it I felt I wasn't capable. Turns out it just in part stifled the creativity for me.

As far as creating as I go, I'll say 2 main things I do:

I start with dialogue that speaks with me, usually moments with emotional content or subtext and just keep adding dialogue all over the place with line breaks between in a non linear way, building, editing, moving it, until a narrative has formed and then I gradually fill in all the gaps with description, action, etc.

I add things that are not yet revealed to the reader, even if I don't yet know them either. The main example is at the start of the "What If" Rolan fic, Lia throws something at Rolan. This turned into a heavy thematic element throughout the story, but I didn't know what she threw at that point. When I'd let it sit for a while it was able to find an organic space in the story for what felt right as it occurred.

👓 What helps you focus when you write?

(@lemonsrosesandlavender kindly also asked this here! I'll add onto it a little differently.)

I used to say music, but actually I find that distracting now. Sometimes I'll put on headphones but not actually play anything, which does help. Basically as few distractions as possible, and nothing interrupting my flow.

Also, the physical space being somewhere I feel both comfortable but not too relaxed, able to give my entire attention to the writing. Giving time and space away to let the creative juices reboot before coming back to it. Not forcing it when I'm too stressed or otherwise not in the right headspace. Making notes whenever a small idea or line pops into my head so I don't forget it and can use it to spring off later when I've got more time or energy.

📗 Do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? If so, what about?

I have written non-fiction as part of my field, broadly with regards to mental health, but my god, if I could ever have some original fiction out there I think young me would think I finally made it.

I always wrote fantasy of some kind. One thing I was working on revolved around siblings and their shared traumas (no surprises I was drawn to Rolan, Cal, & Lia). The other thing I was working on also featured found families but had more romance. Neither are anywhere close to a publishable standard, I've been having a lot of fun just writing low pressure with fanfic and community for a bit, but "want to" have other things written? Absolutely.

[mmriesoftvat]

CHARACTER ANALYSIS: WANDERER VS CYNO.

i've talked extensively to people about my thoughts on this, so i'm going to preface this entire post with my OPINION that wanderer is playing around during this fight. he's incredibly strong and has hundreds of years of fighting experience over the other contestants. he was ordered to keep an eye on them, not to actually harm them. THAT SAID, "playing around" also doesn't mean not doing anything. he's clearly still fighting, but i think the difference is that he's enjoying himself more than he anticipated. and of course, there are contestants that brought him a decent enough challenge and even tested his skills. but ULTIMATELY wanderer was not throwing his full strength into the ring. he was taking it easy and holding himself back. please don't come at me.

that said, let's get on with it!

here we have our first screenshot. he's not touching layla, he merely is taking the diadem from her. it's a huge blink and you'll miss it moment, and i had to slow the video way down to capture this shot because of how fast he's moving. had he been more serious, wanderer would have at least done something more. this is the first hint we see that he's holding back/taking things semi easily. he's just taking it and going.

i really love this shot of her confusion. layla has no idea wtf just happened. wanderer is a zoomy boy, okay? very "hi bye!". i love it. she's heckin confused, probably didn't even see him.

oh but faruzan definitely saw him. now she's mad. it had just been between her and layla, and now EVERYONE'S there, all fighting for the diadem. competition just got more high stakes for her. go faruzan, get your crown.

THIS was the first moment i realized wanderer wasn't being serious. if he were actually competing, he probably wouldn't have slowed down/stopped to stare at faruzan. everyone else was in it to win. he's just holding out the diadem and. dare i say, even taunting her? hat guy you silly billy.

bonus dialog after he stole the diadem right out from layla's arms. again, zoomy and zippy boy.

look at he go.

this is the first time he's being targeted. notice how he's not attacking her back. he's attacking her device in self defense.

self. defense. though, i will admit that he does throw out some half assed blades later on, but for now, he's protecting himself.

so far, yet again, he's moving in self defense. i don't know for sure if he knew the others were laying in wait and purposely flew toward them. i feel like tighnari definitely planned on hitting him, but wanderer is flying at the moment, and is still moving fast. quick reflexes though, i'm impressed. wish i could be like that.

this is his expression to cyno's weapon being thrown in his direction. to me it looks focused, like he's thinking on the spot and less "i'm going to demolish this guy." wanderer is actively thinking while moving. either for strategy or to dodge, but i love the tiny detail in that his gaze is focused right on that staff, and he looked very in the zone. and of course in the next shot, he uses his own abilities to knock the staff away.

now cyno, on the other hand. cyno is also very focused. he's definitely not playing around. that expression, what little we can see of his eye, very much screams "i'm going to pummel you into the ground." he wants that card. he's here for the win and he's going to take it.

the fact he lands and immediately starts running tells me he's NOT going to hold back. he's throwing his all into this. i love the contrast between him and wanderer. wanderer seems more focused/thinking on the spot on how not to hurt them. whereas cyno is looking to win and wanderer is someone he can target. especially considering wanderer is still holding the diadem. to me it also is very telling how low to the ground cyno is. he's still hunched forward, that guy has speed on his side and he's using every bit of it to get to wanderer.

here is wanderer, readying himself to attack cyno. and again i say he's holding back. because in the next shot-

he's landing on cyno's staff.

i've already talked about and reblogged recently a previous post where i went into detail over how strong wanderer is. if he really wanted to, that staff would not have stopped him from kicking cyno's face. we know cyno is strong, he's incredibly strong. but wanderer is also hyper strong and can do things that i don't think cyno can. plus, it looks like, to me at least, that he didn't even aim for cyno's face. the staff came up to block cyno, and wanderer immediately landed on it. there are a lot of things he could have done to take cyno out, but DIDN'T. every time i think about this entire cutscene, this moment right here is the biggest giveaway that wanderer's not being wholly serious. he landed on the staff and stared down cyno, and then jumped off. cyno may be taking this fight serious, but wanderer is holding back.

wanderer DOES throw out an attack, but i feel like it's him knowing that cyno's also fast as hell and can dodge easily. going back to the beginning, he didn't hurt layla or faruzan because he didn't want to hurt them. since cyno's also very strong, i'm pretty sure wanderer was comfortable enough to throw something out, knowing cyno could handle it. in that same vein, i don't think he got that chance with tighnari earlier, because he was too busy dodging all those arrows. i digress.

wanderer attacked because he knew cyno could easily dodge.

like so. cyno's able to block the attack because cyno is a very skilled fighter. not that none of the other contestants aren't skilled, but wanderer also just stopped to stare at faruzan rather than attack her. he had every opportunity to throw his anemo at her and layla, but he's only doing it with cyno. probably because cyno is also very fast and quick on the reflexes. still, it's a cool scene, it's my favorite cutscene in the entire game.

i mean, look at the way cyno's sliding to dodge. guy's practically doing the splits. but no, more seriously, look at the expression on his face. he's just as focused and determined, though i still think they're both focused and determined for different reasons. like i said earlier, cyno wants that card, wanderer just wants to do his job and make it out without anyone getting seriously hurt.

again, wanderer being really fast and dodging cyno's attacks. he's still throwing out his anemo, but he also flies around to make sure cyno's paying attention first before attacking again.

it's hard to see since even with the video playing really slowly this is what i'm able to get. but cyno was able to block the attack. the fact that wanderer waited until he could tells me he was holding back. were he more serious, he wouldn't have waited. at least, i don't think.

cyno is running so fast here it looks like he's gliding. maybe wanderer is a little more serious at this point. here is an opponent who can match him in speed at the VERY least, if not strength. i would even wager to say he's impressed. he's used to being the lone wanderer, hating the world around him and belittling everyone for being weaker than him. but here comes cyno who can match him in terms of speed and agility. who WOULDN'T be impressed by that? so maybe wanderer is a little more serious about who he's up against, especially considering they've been fighting each other more than anyone else in the competition fought each other. in this last round, at least. doesn't mean overall wanderer is completely serious over the whole competition.

another act of self defense. though i think in this case he didn't exactly have a choice. cyno caught him off guard. wanderer didn't have time to dodge or launch a counter attack -- cyno was too quick for him. no choice but to block the attack.

i feel like in this moment, it looks like wanderer wants to keep fighting cyno. the stare down is really intense, and it's intimidating when you see that cyno's surrounded by electro. the guy is ready to destroy something. i feel like, at least for the briefest of seconds, they both forgot about the competition and were more interested in fighting each other. but kaveh was attached to faruzan's device and flying in really fast.

bonus, i love that layla and faruzan have just been. standing around the whole time. i don't know where tighnari went. probably looking for another angle to shoot wanderer with.

just because wanderer is distracted by a flying kaveh, doesn't mean cyno is. more proof that wanderer isn't completely serious. why else would he turn his back on an opponent? cyno's not distracted, he's gonna get that diadem and win. he's so determined.

kaveh isn't even a threat. he's flying right by everything, probably too panicked and confused to let go of faruzan's device. but wanderer is reaching out anyway to spin him around. which, to me is the whole point: he may have had some enjoyment and flying around, but ultimately, the diadem was not his to take and the competition wasn't his to win. cause if he wanted to win or cared at all, he would've just taken the diadem to the podium himself. which wasn't what he was ordered to do but that's beside the point. the entire fight was nothing more than idle time wasted (and some unspoken bonding with cyno, i'm convinced of it.)

he's actively spinning kaveh around, though i think the device kaveh is still holding is helping. i don't think wanderer really intended to hurt anyone, he's just moving them around, toying with all of them.

cyno's still coming for the diadem. he wants it. but wanderer purposely holds it out. maybe he planned for it? because cyno succeeds in knocking it out of wanderer's hands. it goes flying up, leaving it open for kaveh to use his toolbox to grab it.

which of course, the force sent kaveh tumbling head over heels right to the podium. had wanderer not grabbed him and redirected him, wouldn't have happened.

the rest of the scene is kaveh basically winning the competition. but my ultimate conclusion is that wanderer was holding back. he didn't start attacking the other contestants until cyno came along, because cyno is just as terrifying as he is. i feel like wanderer enjoyed the fight, and would have continued had kaveh not shown up with the device, which provided a perfect opportunity for wanderer to redirect him and send him flying to the finish line.

wanderer was in the competition because of orders, and didn't NEED to fight. he could have continued to toy with everyone, but cyno brought out a different kind of focus in him. i'd like to think he enjoyed that fight, but he was definitely holding back. there were moments where wanderer could have kicked cyno in the face or launched him, but he didn't. and the only reason he attacked was in part because he knew cyno could dodge, and in part because he was keeping cyno distracted long enough for kaveh to come flying in.

it's another testiment to wanderer's strength and even character development. it's one of the reasons he's my favorite character, because while he's still the loner and an asshole at times, he does show his respect toward people in his own way.