#i know some of these sound comedic without context

[shadowoftheraven15]

Lines from the Kung Fu Panda film series (+ additionals) that make me want to eat drywall

"I'm a monster! ...A monster no one wants." // "You are not a monster. You are just a little girl."

"Stop fighting. Let it flow."

"The hardcore do understand. But I can't watch my friend be killed."

"Having you in Po's life doesn't mean less for me, it means more for Po."

"...I'm already awesomely proud."

"Why did he go and save China? I know why, but why? He's just one little panda..."

"I'll be back before you can say 'noodles!" ... "...Noodles."

"My parents hated me, do you understand?!" // "They loved you. They loved you so much that having to send you away killed them."

"The young lord set out to change his fate. But what he did next only sealed it." // "Shen returned to his parents full of pride, but in their faces, he saw only horror."

"I thought if anyone could make me, not me, it was you!"

update: "I was wrong, I'm sorry! Run! Run!"

[hardly-an-escape]

for @bucktommypositivityweek Saturday 8/17: nicknames and terms of endearment | naming conventions | 1300 words | rated T

Tommy wasn’t much of a nickname guy. He shortened names, of course – he wasn’t the kind of asshole who insisted on calling Hen Henrietta or Eddie Edmundo – but Howie was almost always Howie, not Chimney, even after they reconnected, and the handful of other firefighters they knew with goofy monikers were still almost always referred to by their given names.

Buck had asked him about it, once; he’d assumed that an Army pilot would have been all in on nicknames and callsigns. But Tommy had simply shaken his head and said something about how, in his experience, they always came from negative moments.

Haven’t you ever noticed that? He’d said. They’re almost always based on something bad. A mistake or a close call. I don’t know, I just don’t think people should be known for something they fuck up when they’re a probie, or a raw recruit. When they’re still learning.

And Tommy wasn’t wrong; most nicknames did stem from some kind of fuck up. Usually something funny or ironic, but not always. To Buck it seemed almost like a kind of hazing ritual – maybe rite of passage would be a kinder term – like, can you really join the club if you can’t handle a little joke? But Buck also saw Tommy’s point. Saw how the loss of a name could mean the loss of agency, loss of identity, loss of control over one’s own person in a context when so much control had already been willingly given up. To service, whether that meant the military or the LAFD or just being the guy always willing to step in and do something.

Buck saw that, even if he didn’t feel it himself. For him, getting a nickname had been freeing – had been an opening up, a door to an identity he’d wanted for a long time without being able to name.

Becoming Buck instead of Evan had been – it was hard to describe. He’d always secretly wanted a nickname, wanted something cool and casual and jocular, something to show that he belonged somewhere. But Evan didn’t exactly lend itself to shortening or rhyming, and nothing he’d done in his youth had ever set him apart. Not in a way that mattered; not in a way that stuck.

He’d lived more than twenty five years of his life being Evan and feeling vaguely uncomfortable about it – until the fire academy, when someone had called him Buck and he’d just run with it, made it happen, finally carved out his own little niche in this world that suddenly meant so much to him.

And that’s how it had been – he’d just been Buck – until Tommy came along.

He hadn’t meant to introduce himself as Evan, when they met in the hangar. In fact, he hadn’t introduced himself at all; Chimney had been the one to make introductions. “Tommy, allow me to introduce you to your flight attendants for this evening’s little jaunt: Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz. Boys, this is Tommy Kinard, formerly of the 118 and currently probably regretting picking up my calls.”

They’d all shaken hands, faces serious. The weight of the moment and what they were about to do was heavy on their shoulders, despite Howie’s wisecracking, and it hadn’t even occurred to Buck to throw out his usual line about his nickname. And later, during his tour of Tommy’s station, it hadn’t really registered for Buck until they were halfway through that the other man had exclusively referred to him as Evan. It felt too late to correct him by the time he’d noticed.

And besides, he’d realized – much later – how much he liked the sound of Evan coming out of Tommy’s mouth.

Neither of them were big on pet names. Tommy would throw out the occasional sweetheart, which always made Buck melt a little inside, but it wasn’t a regular thing. Buck sometimes went for baby in intimate moments – babe, with what Tommy called “a tone,” if he was being a bit of a brat – but it was often as much for comedic effect as anything else.

They mostly just stuck to names. For Evan, the novelty of murmuring Tommy as he kissed his boyfriend’s Adam’s apple or his stubbly cheek or down the line of his happy trail never seemed to wear off. The masculine body under his hands and lips. The masculine name on his tongue.

He asked Tommy, once, after explaining his own weirdly complicated history with his name – and his parents, and his dead brother, and his long unwitting search for an identity – why he went by Tommy, not Tom or Thomas.

“I guess it sounds a little juvenile, doesn’t it?” Tommy said. “For a guy in his forties.”

“I mean, I don’t think so,” Buck said. “I think – I don’t know, I think it fits you. Like, I’ve heard other people call you Tom, but if I called you Tom, I feel like that’s a different person, almost. Someone I don’t even know.”

“I feel the same way about Buck,” Tommy admitted. “Hen says it, I don’t even blink. I know it’s you. But if I say it? It’s like, who is that.”

“Yeah.”

Tommy shifted a little on the couch. Plucked at his jeans, wrapped an arm around Buck’s shoulders and then immediately shifted again so he could run his fingers through Buck’s hair.

“I’ve told you a little about my dad,” he said eventually. “About how we don’t… get along. Never did, really, even when I was just a kid.” He paused, for long enough that Buck looked up enquiringly, only to see Tommy staring off into the middle distance.

“But I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that I was named after him,” Tommy continued eventually.

“Wait, really?”

“Really. I am technically a junior. Thomas Edward Kinard, Jr. He actually wanted my birth certificate to say “the second,” but my mom put her foot down.”

“Wow. I had… no idea.”

“I stopped using the junior a year or two into my stint in the service. Dropped it completely when I came out to Los Angeles. Changed my driver’s license and just… didn’t put it on the paperwork. I’m sure that won’t come back to bite me in the ass someday.”

Tommy laughed, short and sarcastic, and Buck frowned. He’d only heard that laugh a couple of times, but he didn’t like it. He wormed his way out from beneath Tommy’s arm so he could take one of his broad hands between his own, petting over hairy knuckles and a calloused palm.

“Have you ever thought about changing it? Choosing something new?” he asked hesitantly.

“No. Never. He took enough from me, over the years,” Tommy said harshly. “He doesn’t get to take my name, too, even if it did come from him. Besides, it pisses him off enough that I went by Tommy past the age of sixteen. Changing my name would feel like… would feel like giving in.”

“I get that,” Buck said thoughtfully.

He squeezed Tommy’s hand one more time, then put it aside and climbed carefully into his boyfriend’s lap. Tommy let out a soft grunt of surprise as Buck wound his arms around his neck and tipped his face up for a kiss.

Buck obliged him. “Well, for what it’s worth,” he said softly, lips brushing against Tommy’s, “I love your name. I love how it sounds when I say it. Tommy,” he murmured, and Tommy swallowed hard. “It fits you. I don’t know how else to say it. It’s you. And I – I love you. So I love your name.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d said those words, but it was still new enough that they tasted fresh and exciting.

“I love you, too,” Tommy said quietly. “Evan,” he said, and kissed him again.

this was supposed to be something fun and silly based on this post but then it developed emotions and that's why it's a day late.

[darkfictionjude]

About your angst vs lighthearted games question.

So, I don't think this question truly applies to me. Well, not in the sense that I could give you a clear preference.

First things first, I will avoid both extremes. I despise purely comedic stories and what not, so if it's something like that (imagine a sitcom like scenario), I will just skip it. But I also find totally unappealing a game that is 100% bleak and where it seems clear there's 0 chance for a good ending. My reasoning is that a game without stakes is bland and a game without "reward" (aka good ending) isn't worth my time. I think a good game has both angsty and sweet and/or funny moments, but ultimately the player CAN obtain what can be considered a good ending out of it. Otherwise, why put the effort, you know? So any game I play, it means I'm under the assumption good endings are possible, even if the path there is very angsty or even hard to achieve.

Now, I do love drama, but I basically like a story that has balance. If it's only angst, I will get bored. If it's too positive, I will get bored too. I'm a sucker for hurt-comfort, so it tracks.

To give more context to my opinions, it basically all relates to interactive vs non-interactive media. In non-interactive media like movies or books, you just have to watch or read the piece of fiction you're "witnessing it", and that's it. You don't have to "actively" DO anything. Since you're not putting in any "actual effort", you don't need a "proper reward". It sounds weird said like that, but basically, because of that, I accept that sometimes a piece of non-interactive media has a bad ending or that it's fully lighthearted without stakes because, you know, I'm just there watching or reading it and I don't have to "fight for it". But with interactive media, the player puts in real effort. It doesn't matter if it's a classic RPG where you have to literally fight, explore the world and what not, or a text based game like IF and VNs where you have to make the right choices and think about your decisions. At the end of the day, you are fighting for a reward and facing the consequences of YOUR actions. And so, if I decide to do that, I need a reward at the end of the journey. Some people will say that there's catharsis in a bad ending sometimes, but I personally don't experience that. I didn't hate all bad/sad endings to pieces of fiction I witnessed, but every single bad/sad ending just left me frustrated and was the opposite of cathartic, even if it wasn't always hated per se. It was always a "not bad as a whole, but the ending was mediocre". Only exceptions are "objectively bad" endings that to me feel "subjectively good" for a reason or another, but this is too much of a case by case thing.

So yeah, all in all, I most like balance of angst and lightheartedness.

Honestly, my main criteria to decide I will play an IF are: 1 - that the game contains romance (this is not a must in other types of games, but I play IF for that specifically). 2 - that the game allows me to have a male MC. 3 - that the game doesn't have random aspects, and if it has random elements, then it has to allow saves or have checkpoints (I'm a "one canon playthrough kind of player, so I need to be able to easily recreate the same results on each playthrough, meaning if random elements are into play, I need to be able to save scum easily).

As long as these two conditions are fulfilled, I can be interested in the game. Well, obviously, some kinds of plots won't appeal to me, but most of the time it can work at least in theory.

Sorry for rambling! It's an interesting question that ties in with a lot of thoughts I have about fiction as a whole!

I’m kind of like you tbh

I don’t mind bad endings in IF but I don’t want that to be the only type of ending but I do LOVE bad endings or sad endings in other media forms

For WWC the endings I have in mind go from bittersweet to really bad. I can’t add a completely happy Disney ending cause it doesn’t fit the tone. But like the bittersweet will be 70% happy

I also only play games which allow romance and not just any romance I need it well written I’ve played IFs where the plot and writing is superb but then the romance feels flat, like it was added last minute and to fit a quota. And I see this when they do the tell and not show of romance cause like give me DETAILS.

Which is also something I don’t do in stuff like books (I gravitate towards those that have little to no romance) and in movies I like the ones where the couple don’t end up together

I also don’t play gender locked games 😭😭 and it’s for 2 reasons 1) so much of the media I’ve consumed has been about men and at this point in my life I just make an effort to go to things that have women in important roles or allow me to play as a woman 2) I like gender to be commented on in game and I just find that looking through the eyes of a woman is much more interesting (again this is my opinion)

I’m also a one playthrough person and the only things I change are romances. I do dislike that save mechanism on like Hosted Games and CoG are at the writers discretion cause I hate having to start over cause I fucked something

[a34trgv2]

The Problem With Exposition Dumps

In any form of entertainment, it's important to establish some context for the events of the story. There is a right way to do it and a wrong way. Dumping exposition onto the audience is most certainly the wrong way. For this post, I'm going to explain my problem with exposition dumps and how to better convey exposition. And in case you're wondering, no, I'm not going to put down writers who use exposition dumps as "lazy" or "pathetic."" My intent is always to educate, not belittle.

You should be familiar with what an exposition dump is as they pop up everywhere. In movies, TV shows, video games, radio podcasts and etc.. Characters will stop the story dead in it's tracks to spend more than a paragraph talking about lore, character backstorys, or the setting they're in. This makes for boring entertainment because at that point, the characters are just spouting random trivia from the story bible and not actually telling a compelling story. I'm all about fun facts and interesting lore, but not at the expense of good storytelling and creative world building.

Let's dissect this clip from Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Moon Girl says that she's tired, yet the way she's animated in the clip leads me to believe otherwise as she's not panting or sweating. She also mentions that the bad guy is getting stronger, then asks "but how?" I can suspend my disbelief enough to get behind a child prodigy befriending a dinosaur and fighting bad guys in New York, but I don't buy for a second she doesn't know what a troll is. But okay, let's actually assume she doesn't know what a troll is (as unlikely as that sounds); she should still put 2 and 2 together when she sees that everytime she takes his petty comments personally, he gets stronger. She should've known before this particular clip that he was feeding off her negative emotions like a parasite, or in this case, a symbiote. She then zooms in on the troll and realizes that it's a symbiote before spelling out for the audience what a symbiote's weakness is. First of all, even if people didn't know what a symbiote was, you could've still showed us what it's weakness is by having Devil roar immediately. Or better yet, leave it a mystery to be solved in a latter episode because it honestly doesn't matter too much in the context of the episode. Second, you mean to tell me this kid knows what an alien symbiote is but not a troll? This makes her less of a relatable kid who just so happens to be smart and more like a socially inept outcast who's so caught up in science and math that she's basically stupid when it comes to being a human. Not only was this exposition dump useless, but it was also poorly constructed based on what we already know about Moon Girl and what kind of girl she's supposed to be.

Is there a way to give exposition without it feeling pointless and boring, though? Actually, yes. One of the best examples I can think of is the opening to Samurai Jack. It perfectly sums up the main driving force behind Jack's quest with the late-great Mako's chilling and sinster voice, and eerie flute plaing, and the still images that look like ancient Japanese artwork. The lines used are also vague enough for the audience to fill in the gaps and we're told just enough to be invested in the story. Exposition can also be told in a way that's funny, such as in the Wander Over Yonder episode The Ball, where Beeza nonchalantly explains to Wander and Sylvia that the world is ending (again) at the paws of a giant space puppy. The comedic timing is on point as Tara Strong gives a very relaxed and soft spoken delivery as Beeza mentions cannibalism and starvation as possible fates for her people. Exposition can even be sung in a banging musical number, such as Part Of Your World from Little Mermaid, One Day More from Les Miserable, or the iconic Oompa Loompa songs from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In the hands of the right storyteller, the exposition scene could be an audience member's favorite moment from the story.

As the saying goes, less is more. This is especially true when you're writing exposition. Dumping exposition on the audience will either frustrate them or bore them to sleep. If you're gonna give exposition during the story, try having it delivered in a way that's interesting; i.e. during an action scene like in Kung Fu Panda, a funny scene like in The Bad Guys, or in a musical number like in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Just because exposition is necessary doesn't mean it has to be boring. Exposition is the avocado of storytelling. Alone, it's as bland and boring as paint drying on a rainy day. With the right ingredients, though, it can make for some pretty good guacamole. See you next time ✌️

[howlingdemon13]

Something that I think we don't talk about enough is Beetlejuice and all the cartoonish sound effects that follow him.

This is rambly, but I'm making this surface-level analysis/speculation/headcanon everyone else's problem. >:3c

Ignoring the cartoon (since that's expected in the soundscape of an animated show aimed at younger audiences), Beetlejuice himself is accompanied by over-the-top sound effects in the film and musical that just aren't really present for other characters (at least not in the same way they are for him). While it's obviously to make his scenes funnier, I love the idea of them being an extension of his magic. Either he finds it funny for his actions to be accompanied by goofy sounds and times them himself for comedic effect, or they're a totally subconscious thing/he doesn't even need to think about doing it.

Especially in the context of moviejuice being more malicious than his counterparts, it's an unsettling dichotomy of this centuries-old conartist/manipulator being accompanied by goofy noises. And, if he chooses to actively magic these sounds into exiestence when he's interacting with the people he's tormenting, it implies that he enjoys the victims' suffering and finds it funny enough to go the extra mile to make it humiliating. They do seem to be tied more to when his magic is being used rather than happening in response to what he's physically doing.

I feel like the idea of intentional sound effects is true of musicaljuice, too. Yeah, he's meant to be more sympathetic while still being manipulative and selfish, so I feel like he does it to make himself goofier since he's so painfully lonely and lacks social skills (literally being invisible will do that). It could also be because of some anxiety, but I don't want to project too hard. I'd even go so far as to say that he thinks the sound effects make him less-intimidating.

There's some evidence to suggest that the sound effects are intentionally done since musicaljuice breaks the fourth wall in multiple instances across slight variations of the show (DC, Broadway, tour). Whether it's putting on a show to intentionally mislead the Maitlands/Deetzs (and by extension the audience), or trying to come off as funny in the hopes that it'll make up for his more obvious flaws, it's anyone's guess. Personally, with how desperate he is for friends and for someone to break his curse (we know he's not above manipulating people), I'm more inclined to believe it's a little bit of both.

That said, I also like the idea of them being a result of how Beetlejuice (musicaljuice specifically) interacts with the material world. He's an anomally (half-ghost-half-demon) at best and an abomination at worst. There's a part of me that wonders if the physical world outside of the Netherworld cannot handle his very existence without an assortment of "glitches" happening as a result of his mere presence (like the stretching sound that happens when he phases through walls and tables for example).

And, to really stick to my wishy washy thoughts on the whole thing, the toony sound effects are a bit of both. A reminder that the world of the living can't really handle his existence, but he's embraced it and made it his own. It's now a part of his shtick. It defines him as different, but he owns it and has as much fun with it as he can, or manipulates the ability when he sees fit.

And you know I will be abusing the toony sound effects thing in anything I end up writing.

[thewhizzyhead]

before I sleep, here is my definitive ranking on all the NPMD songs and some rambles on why I placed them there - also the ranking is based on how much I vibe with them (music production and lyricism have different rankings)

1. Hatchet Town (aka the hatchetfield trilogy theme song like this tune perfectly encapsulates the chaos Hatchetfield has to go through with every Starkid project pos-2018 and I love it - kinda wish it was a number that is more integrated with the plot with the kids tho BUT I REALLY DID LIKE that this melody was quite prominent in the other songs too)

2. High School is Killing Me (I've watched many teen centered musicals and believe me when I say that this song is one of, if not, the best introduction numbers out there for this genre - also it's a really great opening hook for a show)

3. Nerdy Prudes Must Die (FUCKING AMAZING HONESTLY - amazing way to REALLY re-establish a villain back from the dead and to establish the main theme for the nerds here: "I'm Not A Loser" (tho i fucking wish that motif was used a bit more))

4. Just For Once (everyone cheer for Lauren Lopez flexing not just her high tier soprano skills, but also how amazing of a fucking actor she can be like the concept of this song is quite layered and to pull it off both comedically and emphatically takes great lyrical and acting prowess)

5. The Summoning (a well-anticipated onstage introduction to all 5 of the LiB that balances out befuddling neon-entertainment with genuine fucking menace)

7. Cool As I Think I Am Reprise (A FUCKING GENIUS REPRISE I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW COOL I FIND THEM RECONTEXTUALIZING THE OG SONG AND IF I LOVED YOU TO FIT THE SITUATION AND BOTH OF THE CHARACTERS GROWTH. LIKE IN TERMS OF THEMATIC IMPLICATIONS WITH CHARQCTER DEVELOPMENT, THIS SONG AND ITS SCENE WOULD BE THE TOP)

6. If I Loved You (I think this song could be a bit more honestly like I know how much Starkid has explored Steph and Pete's relationship in their other projects and I was really hoping that they would have it more portrayed here - however the song is a bop nonetheless and it matches neatly with their themes and the harmonies are top tier. I placed this higher than the next just due to my personal bias like I really do like the song)

8. Dirty Dudes Must Die (A GREAT TWIST THAT MAKES ME WANT ANOTHER MUSICAL ABOUT GRACE CHASITY'S DERANGED SELF - also the new context of the song Grace is reprising here makes her a villain even scarier than MAX of all people but that's just me)

9. Literal Monster (A very catchy beat and well structured song that provides a good introduction to a jock-bully with the god complex. also kinda foreshadowing to nerdy prudes must die)

10. Cool As I Think I Am (the instrumentation reminded me of Dear Evan Hansen ngl fjsjd but it really does sound like an I-Want song from a teen-musical which is of course what they are going for - it sounds very nice and earnest though and I loved how it was utilised in the reprise. However I still fucking wish that the I'm Not A Loser motif was used more)

11. Dirty Girl (look I'm sorry for ranking this quite low on the list but like there is no fucking way I'm using this as bait to lure other people in like they'd be scared away I'm sorry fjdjs BUT I love how Will and Angela perform this though like top tier starkid performances ever - its not just what I would listen to on repeat personally jgjdjs)

12. Go Go Nighthawks! (This one gets plus points because of FUCK YOU CLIVESDALE GO GET FUCKED. otherwise its nice and cheery and perfectly shows how happy everyone is without Max but um I kinda wish it could be a bit more especially in terms of showing how happy the other nerds are now that Max is gone but that's just me)

13. Bully The Bully + Bury The Bully (Look I couldn't decide which was better like they both are the same melodies so like gjxjs these two are cute though and I liked seeing the 5 kids bonding in Bully The Bully since we don't get that many scenes with them)

14. The Best Of You (the pop-punk happy number is a staple of teen-centered musicals and it does really sound nice - just isn't that much of a standout compared to the others.)

[theneighborhoodwatch]

i have been trying to make this into a coherent post for days and have gotten Nowhere so you will have to put up with this borderline incoherent trail of thoughts instead. okay here we go:

dorelaine sounds like it was meant to be a mondegreen of darling (or vice-versa depending on what perspective you're seeing it from) which lends some credence to the WHRP's insistence that ronald dorelaine Must be the creator of welcome home (again - "must be," not "is," which is odd.)

wally as a self-insert for dorelaine? this information sponge who kind of exists to learn from his friends/loved ones on our behalf, the audience surrogate, a slate so blank he didn't know what a clown was until someone asked him to draw one. what about a character like that would cause someone to draw on their own traits to write him?

in that same vein, wally being not only a self-insert but an Ideal Self? if so, what about the above traits would have been Desirable to dorelaine? wally being representative of a desire for some kind of "fresh start"? or perhaps of flawlessness by way of (initially) not knowing there are flaws to be had? ignorance is bliss and all.

y'know. i was talking about this in a metaphorical sense and was gonna go on about how like i wonder what it will look like the further things progress and wally deviates more from this aspect of himself (assuming he hasn't already. dorelaine probably was not quite so attached to his house, for one thing) but i think this might be one of the only contexts in which a literal(ish) possession story could work - i.e. how far do you think someone would go to discard their original identity and become their ideal self?

i was gonna elaborate on that but then i realized i was just describing the season one plot twist from surviving romance.

[spoilers for surviving romance, obviously] by which i mean: yknow how it turns out that the protagonist, who is now the MC of the novel the entire story takes place in, actually used to be the author of the novel? and the whole thing was written in an attempt to justify her own suffering (without actually unpacking any of her trauma or the defeatism that was beaten into her by her circumstances) by giving her idealized self-insert (the original MC) a happy ending after a series of borderline comedic acts of cruelty - something she felt she would never be able to achieve herself? and how she only remembers this after repressing it long enough to form relationships with the other characters in the novel after being thrown into a life or death situation and realizing that they all have a lot more depth and interiority than the original novel's narration afforded them? yeah? Yeah.

that's not the Whole plot twist but it is the part of it that's the most relevant to this post.

but hey, maybe there's no literal possession/reincarnation/transmutation/Whatever stuff going on. in fact, for now i'm confident in that not being the case, at least not literally. but i still think if wally being some kind of self-insert or at least being based on ronald dorelaine in some capacity is canon, then it is worth noting bc like. wally As We Understand Him so far exists to absorb and reflect the world around him and the people in it in order to guide us, the audience. if he turns out to be a self-insert on top of that, then he also exists to reflect his creator in some form. for as much as everything seems to revolve around him (even when we Know for a fact that whatever happened had an effect on the other neighbors as well) it's kind of hard to imagine wally existing as his own guy; he always exists in relation to something or someone else.

one has to wonder how he feels about that. he seems confident that it will all work out in the end (whatever "it" is) but, well. this Is a horror story.

something about what i said a while ago, about the puppets being more affected by unconscious decisions - "things left unsaid," in particular.

still think about Metaphorical hauntings in welcome home though. that one guillermo del toro quote - "What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? A moment of pain, perhaps. [...] An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber."

"ah but doesn't home also lend themself to a good possession story?" so close! i think whatever's going on with home is closer to necromancy/a state of Undeath than anything else. i will not be elaborating at this point in time <3

..... possible future holy trinity imagery with dorelaine, wally, and home? father/son/holy spirit? unlikely but Could you imagine.

ah. i think here is when the thoughts run out. thanks 4 reading.

[hugduckhesgay]

About Fluffybird, what do you think about the ship? What is your opinion and analysis about the relationships between the two?

righto heheh let's crack into these chuddy Ds--

tldr; fluffybird is the purest ship and it would be great if it became explicitly canon

first of all, I think the creators shipped fluffybird before they saw all the fanart! Duck and Red Guy's interactions even in the webseries have sweetness, and can be perceived as a suggestion of romance. Though these interactions could be platonic as well, the possibility of romance is there, and that's all any slow-burn romantic storyline starts as. maybe one day i'll list those telling moments, but that's a lot of work. lol. Back to the creator's shipping, idk, that's just speculation, but I think they easily had a fondness for red guy and duck's brand of affection for each other.

There are random moments that are just so shippy. I think these have all been pointed out by other ppl. Duck painting Red Guy as Red Guy stands like that?

c'mon. The fact that they both want to be the dads? why put that idea in our heads? When red guy says his fav color is medium brown and duck's eyes are MEDIUM BROWN? I like to think that everything the creators have chosen to do is intentional and serves some kind of purpose other than comedic value... could be wrong there, but it's what I'd like to think. oftentimes the jokes have meaning behind them after all.

As for their dynamic, it is really interesting and nuanced! I don't rly see any hate between them, tho there ain't nothin wrong with liking the "divorced" dynamic. what I think is that they are made unaware of the feelings they have for each other. The 3 are constantly in a state of disorientation. I've seen people say that the fridge scene is one of the only times they get close to voicing their genuine thoughts and feelings without being controlled in some way, and I agree. however, when it comes down to it, duck displays great attachment to red guy, always looking at him for protection or initiative, wanting to be a family with him, etc. for red guy, well, we all saw what happened when duck died. he lost his damn mind, and he didn't expect to. it's like, as I said, he has feelings for duck that he isn't conscious of.

i have a bad silly theory that duck and red guy were in love and together before they became puppets or something lol. i dunno, it's possible for all we know.

now i want to address the arguments against having red guy and duck having a canon romantic relationship ((and it seems like very few people seem to have arguments! this fandom is fluffybird all over<3). it sucks, but i feel like most of these arguments are charged with homophobia or just romance shaming. romance is already present in the show, and it's all been cishet (superficially. B nice if chars came out as trans canonically? Lol). Yellow and Speshul One, Yellow and Clair. Regardless of context, romance is already present, and why does no one get upset about it? Because it's cishet, i'd argue. no one even notices it. now these are obviously satirical presentations which i thank god for, but it's still there.

we also already have tender moments between the three main guys. people might argue that 'why can't two guys just be friends?!?!' yeah, they can, and they are across 99% of media. is 99% of portrayals not enough? there is so little lgbtqia+ content that this argument is just ridiculous.

there's the argument that romance would 'ruin' the show somehow. sounds like an internalized problem to me tbh. adding romance wouldn't detract from the existing elements of friendship; it would embellish that, presenting a unique relationship that does not conform to the restrictive standards of society. (this would not be the case for a cishet romance, though I won't go into that.)

if people have a problem with fluffybird, I think they really gotta ask themselves why, really question where those feelings of discomfort are coming from. it's not like i'm asking for a nsfw scene. i think red guy and duck would have a romantic love language that is completely unique, like their confession to each other in the fridge scene. The way this show subverts tropes and makes things so weird, it would be so cool to see how it handles a genuine romance. I imagine it would be cuddly and lots of sweet words to each other, like what they do now but more explicit in that it is romantic love.

Anyway fluffybird is the purest ship I ever

[granvarones]

My memories are a sacred place. Some may say I am addicted to nostalgia, and maybe, on some level, I am. But aren't most people? My visitations to yesteryear are not rooted in the longing to relive the past but rather a way for me to time travel and have conversations with my younger self. Conversations about what we both have survived, what we both witnessed, and, of course, re-examining the songs that got us through.

In the late 1980s, I shared a bedroom with my mother and three young brothers. While that sounds like a crowded situation, I remember spending a lot of time alone. This solitude allowed me to sing and dance to songs blasting from our clock radio. One of those songs was, in my opinion, one of the greatest pop songs in music history, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship.

Released in January 1987, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" was the theme song to "Mannequin," a whimsical and quirky romantic comedy about a struggling artist who falls in love with a mannequin brought to life by an ancient Egyptian spell. Starring Brat Packer, Andrew McCarthy as Jonathan Switcher, and Kim Cattrall as Emy, "Mannequin" is a story about love, acceptance, and friendship. This is punctuated by the bond between Jonathan and Hollywood Montrose.

"I never thought they'd hire anyone stranger than me." - Hollywood Montrose

Portrayed by the late Meshach Taylor, Hollywood Montrose is a Black, flamboyant, gay window-dresser who, on the surface level, is the comedic relief but is a central part of the film and its narrative about living fearlessly. Jonathan, who is viewed as weird by co-workers, finds an ally in Hollywood. Their bond and the fully realized character of Hollywood were not lost upon me as a child. I knew it transcended my personal reality; I just didn't have the language to express it.

Fun Fact: In a 1990 interview, Meshach Taylor shared that his portrayal of "Hollywood Montrose" was informed and inspired by friends he made as a cast member during the National Tour of Hair in the early 1970s.

The film's soundtrack is anchored by the Diane Warren co-penned and produced by Narada Michael Walden timeless gem, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." A power ballad without the schmaltz, the song perfectly encapsulates the magical vibe of the feel-good film. At first listen, the song's message of love's perseverance can come off as cheesy, but in the context of when it was released, coupled with the queer representation of the character Hollywood, the song's lyrics resonate even more deeply.

"Let 'em say we're crazy, what do they know

Put your arms around me baby, Don't ever let go

Let the world around us just fall apart

Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart"

"Mannequin" was a box-office success that captured the hearts and imaginations of moviegoers. While not a critical darling, it was a reminder that sometimes the most fantastical stories that invite us to suspend our beliefs are the most touching. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" was just as successful, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in April 1987. The following year, the song was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards.

I remember watching this film over and over at my grandmother's house. I loved everything about it: Kim Cattrall as the beautiful mannequin that comes to life, the music (seriously, the soundtrack slaps!), and, of course, Hollywood Montrose. I was also moved by the friendship shared by Hollywood and the film's protagonist, Jonathan Switcher, a dynamic that challenged the norms of the time in 1987.

Yes, there are valid critiques about Hollywood and the stereotypes surrounding all flamboyant gay characters in cinema. But for me, Hollywood was a cultural touchstone, a joyful and bold representation of the LGBTQ+ community during a pivotal time in history. His audacity made him a mighty warrior. And for my younger self, who was always at war with classmates who teased me, Hollywood modeled that one could fight back and win!

I am grateful that my younger self saw a character like Hollywood in a movie the entire family watched. In the late 1980s, there wasn't much for me to choose from in terms of queer representation in mainstream media, especially during the years when the AIDS crisis was escalating. I am grateful that as an adult, I have been able to watch this film with my son and be reminded that Hollywood was a Black gay character that was vibrant and ALIVE during a time when so many were dying.

"And we can build this dream together

Standing strong forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now"

[chrysanthemumgames]

// Modern AU // How would the RO's type? Who would speak in perfect grammar and punctuation, or who would spam emojis and memes a lot? (Scouring the AU tag I don't think this has been asked before but I'm sorry if it has, have a good day!!)

I vaguely remember answering something similar to this, but I don't think it was this exact question, so I'll go ahead and reply heh.

Hades: Types as he speaks; complete words, punctuation, capitalization. Has trouble interpreting emojis and some abbreviations. Will occasionally use an emoticon if he's concerned something sounds too harsh or blunt, because he knows he's not good at conveying tone.

Hermes: Meme King. 'Spam' is a term for people who aren't as good at picking the correct five memes/gifs for a situation as he is. How does he always have the exact ones handy? Who knows.

Charon: Generally grammatically correct, few abbreviations or lapses in punctuation, but usually types in lowercase. Uses emoticons instead of emoji, as Hades does.

Pyri: Lots of abbreviations, some of them not really conventional. Never capitalizes anything. Pretty frequent but not overwhelming emoji use, unless it's for comedic effect. Has a subsection of Hermes's memes on hand, and very much enjoys being able to slip a good one in before he does, but it's a losing battle to keep up with his whole set, so they don't try. Most likely of the group to answer a question with a gif.

Alekto: Oscillates wildly between very terse and very elegant prose. In the former mode, still uses punctuation and capitalization and such. Never contributes memes, and her most frequently-used emoji is the eyeroll one.

Hekate: How formally she types depends on context, but usually she's quite casual, and will throw in the occasional bit of slang or emoji without trouble, and she always understands what other people mean with theirs, even when it's just a series of emoji Hermes is dropping into the group chat.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I've listened to the last couple of episodes of the Ed Gamble and Matthew Crosby show on Radio X, because for the last two weeks it's been the Matthew Crosby and Nish Kumar show, and I really really like listening to Nish Kumar talk. That podcast is one of the few where I've decided I will pick and choose and listen to a few episodes if they have on someone I particularly like, without feeling obligated to listen to every episode (of the few shows that I've set out as exceptions to my completism rule, two are Crosby-based as Pappy's is another one, though I know at some point I will end up going through all of Pappy's Fun Club). And for most of the episodes of the Gamble/Crosby podcast I've heard, the guest who drew me to that episode was Nish Kumar.

I do like listening to Ed Gamble talk as well, it was no slight on him that this week I picked two episodes where he was away (being replaced by Nish) to jump into that radio show. But I think I am getting enough Ed Gamble from other sources right now. Spent yesterday going between the Crosby/Kumar thing, and listening to Ed Gamble... hopefully not really physically attack a guy until he drew blood during a podcast recording in 2008. I mean, I'm pretty sure they were just pretending on that. Hitting something else to make the sound effect. But they put in a lot of fairly believable detail on that lie. I mean. There's no way that was real. Physical assault is an actual crime, and you can't commit crimes on podcasts, even if it's 2007. It had to be a lie. The Ray Peacock Podcast is sure an experience.

Anyway. As I'm getting more than enough Ed Gamble, possibly too much Ed Gamble, from my Ray Peacock Podcast completist run, it was nice to have the much more chill, just jump into an occasional episode of Matthew Crosby on Radio X to balance it out. And these couple were fun. It was also nice to hear from Producer Vin again, who is the best. I have decided he's the best one. He's one-upped Chris Skinner off The Bugle as my favourite in that role.

Anyway, I have dedicated much of this blog before to cataloguing comedian football gossip, so here's some more of it:

I enjoyed that greatly, as I do any clip in the more specific sub-genre of comedian football stories called: Nish Kumar's trash talk:

Of all the comedy events that I don't get to see because of the Atlantic Ocean, those yearly Alex Horne-organized Chicken vs. Egg comedian football matches are pretty high on my list of things I'd most like to see. I see why they don't film those, but I still wish they would.

I love the phrase "Achilles Brain". I might start using that, in real life. There are many terms we use to describe athletes who perform much better in practice than in competition because they struggle with the mental game. My old coach used to call them "head cases", which I found quite offensive, as a person in that category. I guess the term wouldn't necessarily have been offensive if he hadn't specifically meant it in an offensive way. But if you're going to be offensive about it, it's much better to go all the way and be over-the-top offensive for comedic effect about it, and go with Achilles Brain. I'm going to start telling athletes they have to work on their Achilles Brain.

Good chat, Nish. Every time I hear Matthew Crosby talk I'm reminded of how much I like Matthew Crosby. Also, for anyone listening to this without context who may be concerned, I am genuinely sure that Ed Gamble didn't break a guy's nose during a podcast record in 2007. They just fairly convincingly pretended he did. But I do not recommend listening to the Ray Peacock Podcast. It's very funny and I'm hugely enjoying it and I recommend it to absolutely no one.

[fanaticsnail]

Just read "run away with me"

Snail you can't keep getting away with this!!!!!! There were Jane Austen/Bridgeton vibes but in the best way, they didn't conflict with the typical comedic and upbeat vibes of One Piece at all it just Worked. The wistfulness of wanting to live and be loved and I seriously appreciate how you respected it as a dream? Bc they weren't centreing their dream and life around another it was about what they wanted. The way Luffy had so much respect for that dream as well was so touching, it reminded me of Meg from Greta Gerwigs Little Women. How Greta had said that Meg was almost ashamed of wanted to find love & a family, but she knows her dream and has enough courage to fight for it

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSN5gUm6R/

^it made me think of this edit I saw once and had to SCROLL to find again

(also, I love how everyone was like "she's hot" - thanks, I know 🤭)

Song-wise, I thought immediately of "arms unfolding" by Dodie (hEARTBREAKING) - it's a song not about from the singers perspective but about two people who fell out of a relationship and decided to give it another go, but it could also work for someone hurt by love once and trying again. Similarly, "Ready Now" by Dodie as well has the same vibes of learning to trust and open up again, not necessarily to love but to accept that people can be kind

It also made me think of my fave artist for the last two years Leanna Firestone. Now I could talk about her songs for ages BC there is a multiverse within them, she will have lyrics that reference previous songs and I can and have written notes and paragraphs recording the references. Specifically, it made me think of "Reincarnation" and "Love of my Life" (and you should listen in that order if you do) which is about how she had a situationship who didn't work out ("you just didn't like me that much"). She put so much into it that she was scared she'd lost the love of her life and that she'd be nothing without it ("Phantom Pain / the rapture" < one of my fave songs) only to realise that love works through reincarnation so she has a new love of her life.

So, because I now have brain rot, here are some of her songs and who they remind me of:

"Google Translate" (context wise, Not Good. This was the bad situationship. However, it is very cute) - Sanji!! From Sanjis perspective. The singer learnt french in highschool so the love interest will translate things to tell her, including "Je pense que Lea est tre Jolie" (you are pretty), and she knows that the L/I doesn't fall as easily as she does (sound familiar?) So she will tell him 'i love you' in every other language instead so she doesn't jinx it

"Gambling Addiction" Sanji! Singer has a gambling addiction and keeps betting everything on relationships and people, but keeping up hope.

"Smitten / Vulnerable" (her album has two songs back to back in one song, bc some of them are short) Sanji again! "You smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing that I'd ever seen, then you apologised and you covered your mouth because you're insecure about your crooked teeth, but, can I just say this; I'm kinda glad that you never got braces, because I like your smile just the way it is". He deserves to be loved just as fiercely as he loves!! Vulnerable is about being vulnerable but knowing that he likes that about you because it means you feel safe to open up.

"God and the Government" Sanji once again, OR Luffy. Saying you didn't think you'd ever want to get married but you would for this one person. "I'd paint the picket fence white, put it up myself, say 'i can do it alone' you'll tell me you know but you'll still help, and that's exactly why you'll make the perfect husband"

"Strawberry Mentos" Luffy Luffy Luffy LUFFY!!!! This is so Luffy. The love interest keeps eating her favourite candy (strawberry Mentos) so she'll taste it when they kiss, and L/I is so sweet she's going to get cavities but it will be worth it. So she buys and eats black licorice even though she hates it just to see him smile at the taste. And the description is so Luffy "you're deliberately kind, you make efforts to share your time, you're not afraid of your feelings and you're not afraid of mine, I never knew love could be soft, I never knew love could be light, and now I'm so helplessly sugarhigh on you"

"(redacted)" Sanji or Nami. The song is actually about a girl, she likes the singer and the singer is pretty sure she likes her back but doesn't want to give her hope and use her as an experiment, very sad. (The singer did turn out to be bi and wrote a short song about it, but didn't release it)

"TN / I always knew" (but just focusing on TN, not the other one). Anyone, but kinda Usopp vibes. Long distance love song about wanting to meet up and show someone the places you grew up and the previous versions of yourself. And even if they end before the visit, she still wants them to go there because she knows they'll like it

"Suneater" anyone (particularly Luffy tho). It's actually a song about Tamaki Amajiki from Boku no hero academia. The singer was a fan and wrote a song about one of the characters. She compares the love interest to being so bright they swallowed the sun, but she only swallowed the moon and reflects his light. Lots of metaphors about seeing stars and constellations, and comparing them to constellations, being eclipsed, heaven and earth colliding when they met, being the moon to someone's sun. "I will keep the tides in tune if you will make the flowers bloom, and gravity will do the rest and pull me back to you, just like Hades and Persephone, the boy who ate the sun and me, you have brought sunshine to the dark side of the moon"

"Right Person, Right time" any! As opposed to the song "You just didn't like me that much" where they weren't the right person at the wrong time they just didn't like her that much. This time, it's the right person so it's the right time. Very sweet

And if you're in the mood for angst, I would suggest

"Do you wanna be friends?" / Newly unrequited (yes that's the whole name, including the ""). Song about being in a situationship and then getting asked to be friends, and deciding to do it despite the pain bc you want to have them any way you can. Followed by a song apologising for breaking your promise to be friends because it hurts too much

Or "Burnt out" (breakup song, very painful, you just have to listen to get it)

Sorry for the long ask, but I really love the artist so I got some serious brain rot (other than these love songs I'd suggest anything from the 'Good Grief' EP, which is less love focused and quite sad except for 'Foreverever' which is much more upbeat and about being a teenage girl forever because 'her pain is my pain I'll carry her with me', or "Alone Forever Probably", or "Least Favourite only Child")

HELLO YOU! I have never seen Little Women, but after that edit: I know I'm going to absolutely adore it. I love Bridgerton - I didn't think I would, but now I'm a hopeless romantic and I can't not watch it. The soundtrack for the whole series speaks to my soul.

Balancing occupations in the One-Piece world and centralizing romance is a tricky feat, especially because I wanted to lay out all of my angst at the Happy-Go-Lucky Captain.

The Luffy Fic with the Dodie Suggestions: arms unfolding and ready now absolutely fit. I adore her tone, very beautiful, romantic and whimsical: "She" could also fit that fic, from Luffy's perspective.

Now, I'm going to link the Leanna Firestone songs here for future reference:

Reincarnation

Love of my Life

Phantom Pain / the rapture

Now then, onto your song suggestions for future fics. I adore listening to new music and sharing melodies to aid in writing.

You are putting me to WORK today, @sexc-snail!

Sanji:

Google Translate

Gambling Addiction

Smitten / Vulnerable

God and the Government

(Redacted)

Luffy:

strawberry mentos

right person right time

MHA: suneater

Usopp:

TN / I always knew

Misc Break-up:

Do you wanna be friends

Burn Out

Good Grief

Foreverever

Alone Forever Probably

Least Favourite Only Child

I love her indie-tone and the almost spoken-word mixing peacefully with the melody. She does pain and angst exceptionally well. The way she uses her tone to dance along rhythmically brings me way back to the high school days in band and orchestra studies: I cherish being drawn back there, truly.

I can't wait to get to writing more! I'm glad you enjoyed the Luffy fic, I wasn't sure how to go about writing for him, but I'm very happy with the way it turned out in the end.

Masterlist here, just in case!

[soartfullydone]

Would you ever write a historical fiction story? Would you ever write one of those Non-fiction But Artistic Liberty stories? Would YOU ever write a Fated Mates story?

Would you ever write a historical fiction story?

I would love to find the inspiration for one because I truly love research. That's probably one part of higher education that I deeply miss. The Hades/Persephone novel sorta had some of those historical fiction elements, but it's too firmly in the category of mythology to be considered anything else. In truth, I most love historical fiction that has a tinge of fantasy, magic, or magical realism to it. Yangsze Choo's Malaysia novels, The Book Thief narrated by Death, Like Water for Chocolate, those have all really stuck with me due to how wonderfully married the historical is with the fantastical. Knowing me, I'd gravitate to a 1920s mafia story, something pertaining to the Golden Age of Piracy, or that sinful, gothic, immortal romance with Count Saint-Germain set in Victorian London (thanks, Code: Realize). I think the only other historical figure I've ever been intrigued to write about is Vlad Tepes, hardly original.

Would you ever write one of those Non-fiction But Artistic Liberty stories?

No. I don't even have to think about it, really. It's a miracle that I ever read anything nonfiction, and always with the intention to learn. Writing it sounds dreadful. I'd want to be Profound and Intellectual, but without being able to lean on emotional impact and my silly goose tendencies (I can't not slip into something comedic if I see the timing for it), it'd just come out Very Researched but Very Dry. It's kinda funny because I just waxed poetic about historical fiction; surely this is but a hop, skip, and a jump away? Yeah, straight into a ravine, feels like. Now that I think about it, all the best ~Based on a True Story~ things I like are all screenplays, and I never got close to learning that craft.

Would YOU ever write a Fated Mates story?

Sure, if I could break everything about it that's mainstream. "Mates" would never be referred to, even in a soulmate context. No A/B/O-lite shit. I'd rather just show it instead of ever say it. I would want people to read it, declaring that these people belonged together no matter where or what or who they were. So, honestly, I see a work with two characters whose existences are always linked, for better or worse. I see a lot of time skips, of existing in different periods, states, genders, worlds. A lot of tragedy with their time cut short, with death, with fleeting opportunity. Of one being alive while the other is waiting for them in Limbo, in Elysium, in Yomi. A lot of hope, too, with rebirth, with seeing each other again and falling in love anew, however brief. And then, there are the times where they don't fall in love. Where they're only friends for a season before going their separate ways or bitter enemies until death, each falling to the other. But always, always that spark of recognition. I know this person. I've seen those eyes before. No matter what, they cannot escape each other, but even when that realization is its most bitter, still, there is a strange kind of peace to be found in it. After all, isn't it a relief to have your existence be for a purpose, even if it's for someone else? To know you can shout into the universe and always hear that one person shout back, even if it's late? Even if it's just the once?

[the-nysh]

There's someone in Twitter saying that they turned Tatsumaki into a Mary Sue because she defeated the Tsukuyomi guy alone. That person needs to know first what is truly a Mary Sue. Also they say that Fubuki has been turned into a comedic relief side character because she didn't do shit when the other espers showed up.

They even say that they sacrified good narrative for Tatsumaki looking sexy. What.

They're WC elitist by the way, I don't have to say more (they complain about the changes without accepting that the manga took a different route long time ago therefore the context isn't going to be the same)

???? What indeed. Good thing I haven't seen it. (Sounds like the same people who claimed how Garou was turned into both a Gary Stu and comic relief character now too, like c'mon.) Having dislikes, preferences, concerns, and legit criticisms are one thing, but this sounds more like throwing around buzzwords and non-reasons to find anything minor to complain out (how miserable; some of these guys seem like they're just hate-reading out of obligation/spite at this point.) But do what you must to mute/curate your twitter timeline to filter out nonsense!

[fayesdiary]

Hii can I ask about your OC ideas for your fe game concept? Ooo and do you have any ideas for an overall story? 🤗

(Follow-up to this post)

First of all I AM SO SORRY ANON FOR TAKING SO LONG TO ANSWER THIS

I don't know what is it about my OCs and concepts, I want to talk about them but every time someone asks me about them I just procrastinate answering until the end of time😭

Anyway, here's all my main concepts, but they all have their posts where I go more into detail about them!

No. 1 - Gaia

The first OC I ever made is Gaia, a princess able to wield earth magic!

Her whole deal is that she constantly tries to hype herself up as this larger-than-life hero of legend (like the one she was named after) complete with theatrics... But it's all a facade to hide her massive impostor syndrome.

Basically, she'd be the comedic rival in a shonen.

But it turns out her impostor syndrom is kinda justified, since she's adopted. Which wouldn't be a problem if she didn't live in a world where the right blood gives you suoerpowers. And yes, this means she doesn't naturally have access to her earth magic and only does so temporarily because her parents secretly infused her with some of their blood without her knowing, which is not a viable solution for the future since bloodlines play a massive role in politics and basically every noble has access to some special blood. And if word got out that Gaia was adopted and her parents were infertile all along...

Gaia's whole story is about her whole world crashing down in multiple place, and finding her place in a world of demigods.

I don't have many ideas for her world yet save from being so reliant on bloodlines like Jugdral, but a few other ideas I had in mind were of it being a world where all dragons have gone long extinct but their legacy heavily influenced human culture, and the main villain trying to transfuse within himself every kind of Divine Blood in existence and using all their powers to become a new god and remake the world.

No. 2 - Sci-fi vs fantasy

The second main idea for an FE concept is one about fantasy vs sci-fi, where your typical FE world is invaded by a corporation from outer space, and the whole game would be about that dichotomy.

Two different cultures shown in a way very similar to Fates, with its separate sets of classes and weapons, two different campaign that take place in the same continuity where you play as a magic scholar trying to fight back against the invaders and a rogue engineer who becomes part of a rebellion, and a third final campaign to wrap the story up.

Basically the entire game would be about discussing the differences between the two worlds but most importantly the unlikely similarities, the fact magic and technology might secretly be connected and whenever the two can exist in symbiosis with each other.

Also a loose idea I had was of the local Divine Dragon being the descendant of a space tribe (because fuck yeah space dragons), where its monarch has been seized by the corporation and either has been turned into their ship they use to conquer planets or turned into an AI, and having the final fight be a confrontation between the two.

No.3 - Global turn count and time loop

Third and final main concept is one where you have a global turn count that affects the world and story, complete with a time rewind mechanic where the protagonist Kayla teams up with the local Dark Dragon to figure out what caused the end of the world and stop it, with a lot of context-sensitive dialogue in the style of Undertale and Hades. I went more into detail about this concept in a previous post.

And as a bonus small idea, I pictured an FE game that takes place in one of those cozy post-apocalyptic worlds where nature has taken back modern society, if only because a Fire Emblem with that setting sounds cool as shit

[gimblegamble]

Wait why did I private this, this shit is hilarious.

OUAW posting don't mind me.

Why did... why did we leave Witchlight Carnival only to drown in the swamp of sorrow-- I already hate Prismere I wanna go home. 🥲

edit 1: nevermind Gideon is peeing everywhere

edit 2: STOP PEEING ON EVERYONE

edit 3: oh my god his fucking legs

edit 4: 3 points of dick damage

edit 5: hell yeah back in the game anyways fetish swamp

edit 6: I love it when ✨something happens✨ and Derek gets to act like he has rabies

edit 7: ah, they've killed him

edit 8: I'm gonna throw up, he gave her the signal whistle

edit 9: I like DM Andy but I just realized how bro him and Mace sounds like IRL. Also like how feral Twig is for Nikkie

edit 10: [Nikkie creating Twig]: these bitches ain't going nowhere without an NPC to drag them along, time to take this in my own hands.

edit 11: [Nikkie]: can I, as a DM, use the word 'hole'? [Everyone]: NO

edit 12: Dang, I can't even imagine how hard it would be to simultaneously DM and be a player character in a DnD session Nikkie is so cool

edit 13: jesus Twig is OP, she killed like 50 rabbits while semi concious

edit 14: I can't wait until OUAW blasts me with sadness while also telling me about piss and nudist cats with fused legs

edit 15: [Mikey]: can I draw on this? [Derek, without an ounce of hesitation]: I'll kill you

edit 16: Derek setting up a future werecat fight

edit 17: Torbek 🥺

edit 18: Nikkie's 'yes, and?' game is fucking phenomenal

edit 19: [Derek not having any enrichment for an hour and a half]: time for curses?

edit 20: its so funny they all just looks so much happier whenever they get cursed

edit 21: despite all the shittalking they all still care about eachother so very much I'm gonna cry

edit 22: Kremmy's eldritch blast hasn't hit an enemy in a while

edit 23: "It didn't ask for this" the funniest fuckin phrase so far (in context)

edit 24: the penis nose curse is always so funny

edit 25: "no he didn't give me a condom, he gave me a folded up piece of paper! probably some resistance code-- oh, no there's the condom" - Kremy

edit 26: Torbek's back! :D

edit 27: proud nudism is contagious.

edit 28: ITS FRIGHTENINGLY CONTAGIOUS

edit 29: JESUS GIDEON IN LOVE IS 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

edit 30: its always ironic 😔

edit 31: It'd funny because, out of all of the party, it's usually Torbek who keeps track of lore things with the fairy dragon and ClapperClaw

edit 32: NEW CURSE TABLE

edit 33: got my hands on the unedited stuff and????? they're pretty ship friendly??????

edit 34: everyone's clown-sonas are turning out pretty nice

edit 35: " YOU CLOWN BACK UP YOU SILLY FUCK, LET'S GO!"

edit 36: "Torbek just wants to go home" "you are home, you're with us" Immediate waterworks, I'm sobbing

edit 37: something about nickles and Kremy finding silicon breast forms that somehow fit perfectly.

edit 38: my favourite part of the whole play was Hootsie.

edit: 39 the Gideon taking damage every time Mace laughs IRL bit damn near killed me

edit 39.5: Kremy's condom collection grows

edit 40: oh my god NIKKIE! The lore drop from what's basically a comedic bit. AAAAAAA

edit 41: nooooo I love Torbek 🥺🥺🥺🥺

edit 42: say what you want, they really know how to break tension in a good way

edit 43: not the carlfish nooooooooo

edit 44: my head hurts from laughing too hard, I think I'm having heart problems (in a funny way)

edit 45: I'm gonna burst a blood vessel laughing too hard.

edit 46: When will Gideon realize that flirting with Frost is like flirting with a brick wall

edit 47: please stop giving Torbek the bananyas, I cannot think about his long fingers pushing bananyas down anyone's throat again.

edit 48: waiting for a confrontation where the other person doesn't silence Gricko

edit 49: wheres Torbek 🥺🥺🥺

edit 50: "I'M NOT GONNA MISS YOU YOU LITTLE BITCH!" - Twig

edit 51: taking a peek in saltmarsh and-- MUMBO JUMBO MENTION LFGGG

edit 52: why does andy sound like a twink

edit 53: me every time I see my name in the patreons list

edit 54: Derek's Monty voice scratches an itch in my brain I never knew I had.

edit 55: back to OUAW, I really can't get over Mace's regular speaking voice, he has such a jock voice and he says shit like 'jujutsu kaisen' like nothing else... like a jock otaku, a jotaku

edit 56: you know it's back when even Nikkie goes "NOOOO 😭😭"

edit 57: the universal fear of accidentally destroying a bag of holding... Frog of holding?

edit 58: I don't like the shadow demon :( I don't like the frog of holding :(

edit 59: oh its not a frog of holding?

edit 60: I'M SCREAMING, CALL THEIR NAMES KREMY CALL THEM RIGHT NOW

edit 61: TORBEK NO

edit 62: yeah no, I wouldn't be able to watch this without the twists, I'm sorry, I don't- I can't with the fails I'm gonna eat concrete

edit 63: TWIGSIE NO

edit 64: TWIGSIE PLEASE

edit 65: I can't do this tonight man

edit 66: TORBEK NO

EDIT 67: THE WIKI LIED TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

edit 68:

edit 69: nice

edit 70: Kremy... Kremy Kremy Kremy... you are such a simp for your husband. Down horrendous. Down appalling even. I once knew someone like you, I put him in ✨situations✨.

edit 71: wait is there some Briggsy/Torbek stuff anywhere? genuinely curious because of their connection in that oneshot 👀

edit 72: can we not let Torbek end a fight ever again? I don't like being lightly misted by blood and gore everytime he shifts

edit 73: alright alright, listen I'm in it deep enough that I will definitely watch prime okay? I'm doing it piss backwards though and will maybe watch it when I'm done catching up with everything else. I'm trying to speedrun OUAW (badly because I watch the unedited shit + avantris and chill stuff) and I thing I plan on watching Uprooted or Edge of Midnight next. A lot of my motivation for all of this is because of EVERYONE at the table's enthusiasm with their lore like Andy theory crafting at the mere mention of prime plot points? Mace's general everything with anything??? I'm just... in it you know? I love them. I'll watch prime Richie I will. dw about it

edit 74: ASS BACKWARDS NOT PISS

edit 75: LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE LORE

edit 76: I need somebody to look at me the way Mace looks at anyone on the table who drops lore unfamiliar to him. Curious, focused, a bit apprehensive, staring you down as if he wants to bore holes on your forehead.

edit 77: whiplash again... my neck will never be the same

edit 78: I... CANNOT do this... not again. I"M NOT FUCKING STRONG ENOOOOUUUUUUUGH

edit 79: what the fuck even. NOT HOOTSIE MOTHERFUCKER

edit 80: jesus fucking christ

edit 81: I have recovered

edit 81: Torbek 😭