#i'm very set in my ways and a little bit of a complainer in case you haven't noticed

[the-physicality]

i actually hate the cable cam for a lot of reasons but mostly because there is no second angle on the dt block from last night. if you know of one please let me know.

[autistichalsin]

Two questions because I like hearing your thoughts:

What do you think Halsin's biggest flaw is?

And

Is there anything in his writing that you just don't vibe with / would like to see changed?

So, I am going to put two here for his flaws, just because what I perceive to be Halsin's biggest flaw is something a lot of people don't like being stated as such, because it's an extension of something that can actually be a good thing.

Halsin's biggest overall flaw: he is self-sacrificing to his own detriment, which also results in him brushing off his own pain/trauma. As a result of this, he also has a habit of developing hero-worship for those care for him the way he cares for others, I.E. the player.

Halsin's biggest flaw that can't be seen as an extension of a good trait: He can't control his basal instincts/urges very well. Not only can he not control his bear (the transformation into it and his actions in that shape) very well, but he also has lines in combat that rival the Dark Urge's in bloodlust; "let our enemies' corpses nourish the ground!" "May the carrion birds grow fat on you!"

Things I would change about his writing:

So... Most of the things I would change, I would not because I have a problem with them, but because I'm tired of others complaining about them (I.E. make his flirting banter with SH in act 3 only trigger if you're polymanced, make the Drow orgy start only at your invitation instead of his suggestion, etc). The highest on this list for me is the Minthara ultimatum (which still hasn't been implemented). I would like to see them make Halsin's case stronger; point out the Absolute still hunts him, make it clear how much Minthara triggers his trauma, let him talk more about things that happened to him in the goblin camp because of her- with her continued lack of remorse (she never even as much as says she sympathizes with what happened to the Grove) helping make his case. Also, make it more clear that what happened to the Tieflings was the result of this (because this scene was written to only trigger if the Rite of Thorns happened); show how haunted by their deaths Halsin is. People wrongly think Halsin had no stakes in this argument, when the truth is that they just didn't remind the audience what they were.

For things I actually would want changed... well, I'll put that in two categories, the things that could be changed while keeping the game mostly the same, and then my "pie in the sky" things.

Realistic changes:

-Halsin's post-Drow dialogue is tweaked just a bit more to fix a line from Tav that comes off as condescending, and to clarify some things (did Halsin's captors' house fall out of favor, or were they attacked by a lower house that wanted to unseat them? Halsin says both, but these are two different things in Drow culture). Maybe the house and the house that wiped them out get named, as well.

-While Halsin's act 3 arc was good considering how little time there was, I feel that there needed to be more highlighting his transition from nature-focused to people-focused. We see his anguish at the failures of the city, and the early stages of him dreaming for better, but I wish we could have had more of a bridge to him deciding his commune is the answer. I'd like to see a scene with Halsin adopting Yenna/inviting her to the commune once he starts it, a scene with Halsin's decision to found his commune and inviting the first group of refugees, that sort of thing.

-Make a quick tweak to That infamous party banter that makes it clear chimeras pass the Harkness Test in this setting so that people stop using it as justification to claim Halsin fucked the boar at the Grove (yes this is a thing). Or cut it entirely, I guess.

-Go back to the planned concept where Halsin's scar was in fact from a battle. It being from a shebear doesn't inherently bother me, but I liked the idea of it being a reminder of how badass Halsin is.

-I wish we had more lines reminding us what an amazing healer Halsin is past act 1.

-Fix a few of Halsin's lines so that he sounds as concerned about the Shadow Druids' influence as he should. He brushes them off a bit too easily, especially in the line patch 6 added where you could show him the note sent to Kagha.

-For the love of God, let Halsin get pissed off if you as a Drow Tav/Durge threaten to sell him back into slavery. Make him break up with you on the spot, maybe even leave the party- and if not, lose a huge chunk of approval at least. Players who make Astarion bite Araj rightfully get chewed out- Halsin deserves the same. It doesn't have to be rage, either; it could be hurt, or fear, or some combination of the above. But please, a line that evil deserves something more. They would never pull that on any other character.

Pie in the sky things that would probably never happen but I wish they would:

-After Halsin's Drow confession, we get a chance to suggest to him he might want a turn as a consensual submissive, complete with a sex scene of the player dominating Halsin.

-A scene with Astarion and Halsin bonding over their shared trauma.

-Reintroduce parts of the original concept for the Shadow Curse plot. I don't have to have the Halsin accidentally killing Isobel bit, but I liked the plot with the Promise dagger and him using you as a beacon to find you once he goes in the portal. It was so romance-coded; I'd argue it was even more romantic than Halsin's actual romance plot!

-Let us watch Halsin win over the orphans going to his commune. For pure self-indulgence reasons, make at least one of them a baby.

-A resist scene for Durges. I don't care if it would always be platonic, and yes, go ahead and give Minthara one too. Just please?

-MOST OF ALL, Origin Halsin.

[marsbar17]

im like a woman in a desert dying we are so depraved of bloodhound x reader stuff pls just give anything at this point 😭😭😭🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲

Don't worry pookie I am here to quench your thirst <3

Bloodhound is honestly my favorite character to write about and this one flustered me a bit dbsbbsjska

CONTAINS: established relationship, alcohol consumption, jealousy, possessiveness but in a non-toxic way, a little bit of spice, not full on smut but it gets pretty spicy >:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrating a win was very popular amongst the legends. Mirage often invited everyone to the Paradise Lounge for some drinks and good laughter, even the less cheerful legends attended most of the time. Caustic could be found sipping beers and glaring at people, while Ballistic complained on and on about how they didn't even serve good tea.

Today, you sat at the bar between a very tipsy Fuse and an arguably even tipsier Valkyrie. Mirage popped in and out of the celebration as he served customers, but he always made sure your glass was full with whatever drink you desired.

"Mate! That wingman shot was bloody beautiful!" Fuse practically yelled into your ear as his metal hand clapped you on the back, making you wince slightly. Somehow, you had managed to pull off a win after responding in the last ring with only a wingman and one other teammate at half health. I guess whatever god is out there took the wheel because suddenly your aim was the best it's ever been and you downed the last two enemies with two headshots.

"I know, Walter. You've told me about fifteen times since we sat down." Rolling your eyes, you down the rest of your drink before scouring the crowd of legends to try and find Bloodhound. They said they'd be there, but you hadn't seen them yet. Although, it's hard to find anyone with the flashing lights and the alcohol starting to take effect.

Giving up, you turned back to your empty glass and smiling friends. If they didn't come, that was fine. They usually didn't enjoy settings like this anyway, they only only came to guide you back to room after you got wasted.

"The old man's right, though." Valkyrie added in, dragging your attention away from Bloodhound and back into the party. "Seeing you hone into the fight always surprises me, I swear your whole energy changes. It's fucking hot."

The pilot said it so nonchalant, taking a swig of her drink and signaling to Mirage for another like she didn't just call you hot. You couldn't tell if the heat on your face was from the alcohol or how flustered you felt. Probably just the alcohol.

"I'm gonna hafta agree with Valk on this one." Fuse said, still quite loud. He put his arm around your shoulders. "You make bloodlust look bloody sexy. No pun intended." His laugh is deep and booming, shaking your body as he leans on you. What the fuck is happening? You knew the two of them were flirty drunks, but you'd never had their affections directed at you before.

Again, you found yourself looking around the room, and this time you spotted Bloodhound leaning against a wall, watching you. Fuck. They were mad, you could tell. Even without seeing their expression you could practically feel the anger rolling off of them. The fact that Fuse was now playing with strands of your hair and Valkyrie had her hand on your upper arm didn't help your case at all.

You quickly got up, saying a small goodbye to your companions before making your way to a pissed off Bloodhound. They didn't even wait for you to get to them before they walked out the door, leaving you to hurry after them.

"What was that, elskan?" Their voice surprised you as you left the building, and you whipped your head around to see them beside the doorway. They leaned again the wall once again, arms crossed over their chest.

"I'm sorry, Hound. They were drunk and they surprised me and I didn't know what to do and I didn't mean to let them keep going and I-"

"Hush." Bloodhound interrupted your nervous rambling, holding a hand out in a 'halt' gesture. You shut your mouth as quickly as you possibly could, not wanting to anger them any more than you thought you already had. Before they continued speaking, they led you around the side of the building into a less visible alleyway. "I am not blaming you, I simply wanted to know what happened."

They weren't mad at you? Thank the Allfather. Having Bloodhound mad at you was something straight out of a horror film. Your body relaxed, but you still kept your head down instead of looking into their face.

"They got drunk... and we were talking about my win." You started your explanation again, slowly this time to avoid rambling. "Their compliments started getting flirty, and then they started getting touchy. I should've pushed them off, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You are not responsible for the actions of drunken fools." Bloodhound grabbed your chin with a gloved hand, lifting your face to look them in the eyes. Well, where their eyes would be behind the goggles of their mask. "I trust you, elskan. I know that you are mine, and you would not betray me. Especially for someone like Walter Fitzroy."

You laughed, the tension leaving you as you slowly let yourself process the fact that they weren't mad at you. From the way their shoulders jumped slightly, you could tell they were laughing too.

"However," Bloodhound continued, letting go of you and reaching behind their head. "It seems like our other other companions need a reminder of who you belong to." You heard the familiar sound of their mask being unclasped, and soon enough you were really looking into their eyes as they set their mask along with their respirator onto an old wooden box beside the two of you.

You couldn't even speak before they grabbed your waist, spinning you around so your back was pressed up against the rough brick wall. You could only gasp as their hands gripped at your skin and their face nuzzled into your neck, leaving small kisses along your jawline.

"You are so beautiful. So perfect, ástin mín." Bloodhound muttered praise as the kisses slowly became more desperate. They nibbled at your skin lightly, not enough to hurt just yet. You looked towards the alley opening and whined slightly.

"Hound, someone could see us..." You grabbed at their shoulders, trying to push them back away from your neck. They pulled back, not even looking at the alley, only into your eyes.

"Would you like me to stop?" Bloodhound rubbed soothing circles into your hips, keeping your attention on them and not the possibility of someone seeing the two of you.

"No... but what if they see your face?"

"They will not. I will be too busy giving you tons of pretty marks."

Bloodhound didn't let you speak again as they dived back into the crook between your shoulder and your neck, sucking on the skin harshly. You couldn't suppress the moan that left your lips no matter how hard you tried, and you quickly slapped a hand over your mouth to muffle any further noise. They just continued to mutter praise into your skin while they savored every reaction you gave them.

It hurt, and you squirmed in their bruising grip. They were determined to mark you up until they were satisfied and wouldn't settle for any less. It was a miracle no one managed to walk past the alleyway while Bloodhound ravaged your neck and collarbones. It wasn't like you were being quiet either, the intensity at which they sucked and bit at your skin was enough to make tears well up in your eyes and to bring so many sinful noises from your mouth.

"I should just take you right here, where anyone could see how good I make you feel, elskan." They whispered in your ear, making your knees buckle and your eyes roll back. Good thing they were holding you against the wall, or you might've just fallen to your knees right then and there.

After what felt like forever, their teeth stopped grazing your skin and their grip on your waist loosened. You could feel their tongue darting out of their mouth to lick at and soothe the dark bruises they left on your skin. Your moans and whimpers turned to soft whined and sighs as the pain slowly faded into dull numbness. Bloodhound took a couple of steps backwards, looking at their work with a smirk.

"Absolutely gorgeous, kæri. Now, everyone will be able to see your devotion to me." They gave you one last look before grabbing their gear and putting it back on.

You just finished wiping any stray tears from your face before Bloodhound grabbed your hand and led you back into the Paradise Lounge. They escorted you back to your seat at the bar, giving you a pat on the head before walking back to the wall you saw them at before everything happened.

"....Bloody hell." Fuse's mouth was practically hanging open as he stared at the dark purple and red marks that littered your skin. "Didn't take Houndy to be the possessive type." He just laughed and shrugged before going back to his drink. Valkyrie had disappeared sometime during your absence, and all that was left was two empty soju bottles and a $20 bill on the bar.

"Yeah... So where did Valk go?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for requesting, I hope you like it!

Reminder that liking and reblogging my work really helps me as a creator, and it takes like 10 seconds so why not support a little gay gremlin author

Requests are always welcome! They help me get the inspiration to write and produce more content for you! Request anything that's on your mind :)

[onigirio]

Hi! I love ur workk!! :) Could i request percy x child of apollo where hyacinth flowers bloom where they walk and they can summon them? (Yknow, bcz of apollo)

🐝: TYSM! i really liked this concept but i feel like this may be too short...lmk if you want a part 2!

camp half blood was no stranger to miscellaneous flora. after all, it was a camp in a forest, so there was bound to be a lot of plant life. however, recently, percy noticed a drastic increase of a new kind of flower, especially around the apollo cabin.

normally, he would ignore these things since flowers weren't his forté (he left gardening to the demeter kids) but the way the flowers were popping up seemed...too intentional. they formed intricate pathways from cabin 7 to the dining pavilion, or to the shooting range. hades, they were even popping up during capture the flag games!

damn his curiosity, but when percy noticed a new path, how could he not follow it. it's like someone was leaving a trail of bread crumbs for him to follow. the flora went from cabin 7, to the big house, to the dining pavilion. sometimes he would get mixed up with the different paths, but keen ocean eyes noticed that the colours differed from day to day, and today they just so happened to be blue

of course they had to be blue.

it was like the gods were poking fun at him. now everyone was wondering why percy jackson was walking around camp with his eyes glued to the ground. as far as he knew, he was going to get duped. this seemed like the perfect set up for a youtube prank video. fortunately for him, that wasnt the case

the trail of blue flowers led up to the edge of the strawberry fields, and right at the fringes sat someone overlooking the fruit as they baked in the summer heat. percy didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned, because yay! he wasn't getting pelted by eggs or falling into a pit of snakes, but at the same time, he wasn't sure what exactly this meant.

before he could ask the mystery kid about it, they turned around and immediately started blushing and rambling about cleaning and distractions. the ocean eyed boy only caught something about a "stupid sun god" followed by a significant amount incoherent mumbling. when they finished, percy just looked at them with a confused expression and they sighed

"my bad, i thought you were coming to complain about the flowers" they said sheepishly.

percy could only smile, "no, I'm not here to complain I just- decided to follow the weird trail of blue flowers".

this caused them to laugh, a sound that clearly had the ability to make flowers bloom considering the reason he was there. it made his heart run laps in chest.

"they're hyacinths" they clarified, unable to hide their amusement with him, "they bloom wherever i walk, because apollo had a crush on this guy named hyacinthus or something. either way, it's not exactly the best combat ability" they said with a small laugh, and it seemed that today percy's heart decided to be a track star

"If it's any consolation, I think they're very pretty" he took a seat next them, sitting criss cross applesauce as they overlooked the strawberry fields

"thanks bubble brain"

percy quirked an eyebrow at the new nickname they had given him. usually he'd feel a little bit offended, but after seeing the smile on their face, he couldn't help but smile too.

"what? you're that poseidon kid right?"

percy laughed, "well, yeah. does that make you buttercup?"

"they're hyacinths, bubbles" they reminded him with a playful nudge, "and my name is (name), but buttercup is also accepted"

'note to self ' percy thought, 'stop and smell the hyacinths more often'

[polyamzeal]

Hi. I saw you give advice before and I was hoping you could do the same for me. No pressure to though. Thank you for your blog by the way, I'm pretty new to this and it has been helping me a lot.

My partner and I opened our relationship up a few months ago and he started dating a friend he's known for a few years. I've met her before as his friend before they started dating, and also as sort of a branch of the friend group. But I would not call the two of us friends, just acquaintances.

I'm new to poly and I've done reading and research and I'm very aware of my position as the girlfriend who was part of the original couple. I've been trying my best to be a better person than I really am but I don't really know what to do. I want to make her comfortable and I want to make my partner happy but I feel like sometimes I end up overextended and hurt. But I don't know if thats just because I'm being selfish. I don't want to be controlling or demanding; I want to support their relationship. I just worry I'm not a good enough person to do so.

I will admit I have a lot of jealousy issues and insecurity issues, but I try not to bother my partner with it, and I refuse to even let my meta know about it. I always encourage my partner to spend time with her and not me whenever she's with us in a group setting (house parties, etc) because I live with my partner and we get to see each other any other time. I also avoid my partner and don't show affection to him when she is around because I don't want to make her uncomfortable by "staking a claim" or anything like that. So I end up ignoring him or pushing him away when he reaches out to hold my hand or hug me. He has told me he feels hurt by this but I've explained to him my reasoning.

The other day the three of us hung out. I was under the impression that she wanted to talk so I encouraged it but there was some miscommunication and it ended up turning out to just be a group hang out between me, my partner, and my meta. We went to grab lunch and he chose to sit with her instead of me and it hurt a little but it's literally something I would have told him to do so who am I to complain. But we didn't end up doing our usual ritual of sharing each others' food because I didn't want to make my meta uncomfortable and I didn't know how she would feel about cross contaminating spit because my food came last and they had already shared with each other. I felt kind of left out because I didn't get to do what I normally did with my partner while watching them do what I would normally do.

Afterwards we went to a bookstore to walk around but it was so crowded that moving as a group was pretty impossible so I split myself off from them. I was already feeling the third person on the sidewalk effect because I was the third person and I was feeling a bit lonely at this point. I figured it would be two birds one stone to just let them spend time together and I would get to nurse my hurt away from them by pretending I was going on an adventure by myself. At this point the idea of going out by myself sounded more appealing than hanging out as a group. And I continued to distance myself when we went to grab dessert. I saw her hugging and leaning her head against my partner's chest while we were waiting in line so I just physically turned away and determinedly scrolled my phone instead.

Long story short I felt like I was third wheeling their date but I don't know if it was because it was in my head: these were just friendly things they were doing in a friend group situation and I was reading too much into it. Or if it was because I was inflicting it upon myself: my policy of no affection and trying to make myself scarce when they could spend time together causing me to feel isolated. Or if it was because it really was the case that I was third wheeling them. Am I justified for being hurt here or am I just being jealous? This is a genuine question.

My partner's dream is to live in a big house with a group of friends. This would include me and my meta. This would also mean I would not show my partner affection unless we were in the privacy of our own room. Am I taking it too far? Would I be controlling or demanding to say I do not want my meta living with us? I don't want to be the "girlfriend that has veto power from the original relationship" I really don't. I want to support him but I think I would be miserable living in a house where I cannot be affectionate with my partner. Am I supposed to move out so they can live together instead?

I'm sorry for bothering you with all these questions. Again, no pressure to answer. I just don't know if I can do poly without having some sort of hierarchy where I am the primary of this relationship. I want to get married to my partner and that is a deal breaker for me. Does that make me bad at poly? I don't know what to do. I don't know if there's a resolution where everybody can be happy.

It sounds like there are a lot of assumptions being made here about the metamour. I would be very curious to know the metamour's experience with non-monogamy and just her overall thoughts on he relationship. She got into a relationship with your boyfriend knowing he already has a girlfriend. So unless if she is truly trying to cowgirl him and steal him away from you (it doesn't sound like she is) then I am sure she is making allowances too as to not step on your toes. So I think you have 2 options here.

1- You go full parallel polyamory. When he sees her, you don't see either of them. When you see him, she is not around. This style gets a bad reputation sometimes but it is a legit style that does work for some people and it might be what your needs want.

2- All three of you need to have an emotional conversation about what intimacy looks like when all together. Explain to your metamour that you want to be able to touch your boyfriend and not feel like you are trying to hurt her. That you want them to be cute with each other but sometimes it will make you a little jealous and how you can all cope with that. Definitely not saying you and your metamour need to be best friends that hang out together without your mutual partner but you are both on the same team so that will require a little more communication and just working together. That isn't going to happen if everybody is too scared to talk about jealousy or insecurities outloud.

One last thing. Don't be afraid to show your character faults, that is part of being in a relationship with someone. You should be telling your partner that you feel jealous or insecure. Do so when he is in a good headspace to talk about it and be clear that just because you are feeling those things that isn't a demand for him to change his behavior. Just let him know that it is happening and you are working through your feelings. It is very likely that you can both come up with fair compromises that keep everybody happy.

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Splatoon 3 Version 8.0 patch notes breakdown

A bit late with this one, as I didn't have the time to write it last night, but nevertheless, here's a quick rundown of the patch notes for version 8.0, which should release in a couple of hours as of time of writing.

First of all, the Sizzle Season 2024 content is being added, but will not be available for another 24-ish hours. That includes:

A new Catalog

The new stage Lemuria Hub

Two new main weapons, two variants of those main weapons, and six alternate sets for preexisting main weapons.

14 Tableturf cards

Two new songs by SashiMori

The renovated Hammerhead Bridge and Barnacle & Dime, which will be taken out of stage rotations when the update becomes available.

Wandercrust Journey 6.

Additionally, this patch also adds data for the new Triumvirate King Salmonid fight and a new Grizzco Weapon, as well as the new Splatfest features, both of which will not become available until a later date.

With Sizzle Season 2024 stuff out of the way, let's move onto the changes that will be available right away, starting with Stage Changes, which there are a lot of.

In addition the Hammerhead Bridge and Barnacle & Dime changes, Museum d'Alfonsino, Um'ami Ruins, Brinewater Springs, and Scorch Gorge are all getting layout changes, with Museum getting some extra changes in Splat Zones and Rainmaker specifically. Eeltail Alley, Hagglefish Market, Flounder Heights, Marlin Airport and Manta Maria are all getting "slight" changes, while Crableg Capital and Bluefin Depot are getting slight changes in Turf War and Splat Zones, and Clam Blitz, respectively.

I'll be entirely honest, until we see these changes for ourselves it's impossible to gauge just what these changes will be like, but I am willing to be optimistic given just how much improvement we've seen in the Stage design over the last year or so. I think they'll be slight improvements at worst.

With that said, let's move onto Main Weapon changes, starting with a bunch of weapons getting the exact same change.

Sploosh, Jr, Aerospray, Luna, Clash, Carbon, Splat Roller, Inkbrush, Octobrush, and Dapples will all now deal 10% more damage to Splash Walls. I'm not sure why this was listed on each weapon individually and not just all collected as a Splash Wall change, but I digress. The intent here seems to be to make short-range weapons specifically, better at dealing with Splash Wall, the users of which they'll generally be outranged by to begin with. It's a small and specific change, but it's not one I think any of these weapons will complain about.

N-ZAP will now be able to fire for longer before its hits max bullet spread. In case you didn't know, all shooters that have bullet spread have a property where that spread gradually increases the longer you hold ZR, which slowly goes back to normal if you stop firing, and now that'll take longer on N-ZAP specifically.

N-Zap didn't really need this buff, but it's also not something that moves the needle much to begin with. It's pretty rare outside of low-level turf wars that someone fires for long enough to the spread to be a major factor, so it's fine. It's just a very strange change.

Moving onto more deserved buffs, L-3 has its damage increased by 2, taking a full three-hit burst from 87 to 93 damage. This is not a significant change, but 30 is a pretty important damage threshold to hit, as it combos with a lot of things, and it does mean that getting even lightly chipped by almost anything at all puts you in one-shot range, so watch out!

Rapid Blaster now starts recovering ink after firing about 3 frames faster. It's another nice little buff, though like N-ZAP it is kind of strange this weapon is being buffed at all when it's in a pretty good spot right now.

Now here's something interesting, Tri-Stringer will now paint the ground better, and will now paint lines more consistently. Turfing has always been one of Tri-Stringer's biggest weaknesses, so this is a very nice buff!

Last but not least is my favourite change in the entire patch. REEF-LUX now charges at full speed while in the air, similar to how Squiffer works. This is just a fantastically cool buff if you ask me, it's one of those things that seem insignificant on paper but can really change up how a weapon plays in a major way. It wasn't until after Squiffer got this change in Splatoon 2 that the weapon really came into its own, after all.

With Main Weapon changes down, let's move onto Points for Special changes, of which there are four (technically three):

Big Swig Express and Painbrush are ten points cheaper, and both variants of E-Liter are ten points more expensive. Not a lot to discuss here, so let's move onto Special Weapons:

The rails that indicate the Reefslider's path will now ink the floor as they extend forward, potentially allowing you paint over an enemy's feet before running them over. The rail will now also follow moving terrain, which is a change I'll admit I am not sure what it does? We'll just have to see when the patch goes live.

Big Bubbler now paints the ground inside of the shield. A nice quality of life change that could potentially be used to do some silly things in Splat Zones, if you're so inclined.

Ink Vac will now paint the ground behind you while it's active. Nintendo specifies later on in the patch notes that this is because they want you to be more reliably able to use it while retreating, and yeah, that's what this change will do.

For our final Special change, Splattercolor Screen now deals more damage to Beakons, Sprinkler, Splash Wall, sponges, and the Rainmaker's shield. Like with the Ink Vac changes, Nintendo specifies what the purpose of this buff is in the patch notes, and in this case it's to reward people more for using the Screen well.

And that's all the balance changes for this patch, but there is actually one more Main Weapon change that is not listed with the rest, because it's a bit different:

These changes are very wordy, but the TL;DR is that Squeezer now has a hard cap on how fast it can fire, which is the same as its regular fire speed. That might sound like a completely pointless change, and I thought so initially as well, but it seems the intent here is to not have the weapon be improved by turbo controllers, as they can let you mash ZR at much, much faster paces than intended.

With all that said, let's round things out with some miscellaneous changes:

If you roll or dash into the Rainmaker shield you'll now slide off it, as opposed to the game continuously attempting to place you where the shield is at and dealing a bunch of contact damage to you, splatting you almost instantly.

You'll now start the next season in S+0 if you were top 1000 in the previous season's X rank.

Squid Beakons are now accounted for when awarding the Super Jump Spot medal, which I am frankly surprised wasn't the case already?

I lied, there is one more Main Weapon change. Grizzco Dualies now deal 5 more damage with their actual bullets. That means they three-shot Chum now!

Reflected Drizzler torpedoes will now collide with terrain less, reducing the situations where you shoot one back only to have it immediately crash into a ledge it just barely touches.

Finally, purchasing the Expansion Pass will now net you 10 free Sheldon Licenses. If you've already bought the Expansion Pass then you'll be given the Licenses after downloading the update. Just in time for ten new weapons to be added as part of the Sizzle Season!

[bildads-shoes]

Ever since I saw this incredible post I've been thinking a lot more about the book vs show differences, and one of the things my brain keeps returning to is the very different presentation of Heaven and Hell.

In the book, I feel like the majority of the time Heaven and Hell are mentioned, it's simply in reference to them being adversaries. They're often just referred to in the context of being Aziraphale and Crowley's bosses, both equally uninterested in humanity or the details of their employees' actions. Hence, we really do see them as not being so different from each other, and dislike them both equally. Personally, I feel this is a bit different in the show.

In the show we actually get to see Heaven and Hell. We get to see Beelzebub for more than a couple of lines, we get to meet Gabriel, and we get to feel the atmosphere of Heaven and Hell as settings.

In terms of their general vibe, the difference feels pretty stark. Heaven is empty, cold, unfeeling; every interaction between the angels we see is laced with mistrust and two-faced scheming. Hell, on the other hand, does have emotion; it's a deeply unpleasant space, of course, but the way the demons complain to each other feels more honest. Take Uriel and Michael: we've seen them throughout both seasons, yet I can't recall either of them expressing a single honest feeling. Shax and Furfur, on the other hand, have had a lot of honest moments both with each other and with other characters. In a bizarre way, Hell becomes more relatable, more likeable, in the show.

Of course, there are massive issues with Hell, but they don't necessarily come across at first glance. The really dark aspects are almost always played off with jokes, to the extent that we don't talk about them that much. Beelzebub is pretty well liked from what I can tell, despite evidently having extensively tortured their employees - but it's part of a funny scene so we instinctively overlook it. Gabriel, on the other hand, seems widely loathed; he's just blatantly a dick in Season 1, and we don't see enough of him actually as himself in Season 2 to balance that out. I'm sure that's also in part due to fake-Aziraphale's trial being resurfaced in Season 2 as a serious, traumatic event for Crowley. We aren't shown the impact that Hell's treatment of Crowley had on Aziraphale, so once again Heaven ends up seeming like the more 'evil' side.

So I suppose it's no surprise that we end up having more discussions surrounding dismantling Heaven in Season 3, with Hell's toxicity being a slightly lesser topic of conversation. It does instinctively feel a little like Heaven is the 'bad one' in comparison, whereas we have to actively analyse those throwaway/comedic moments to acknowledge the massive issues with Hell. Therefore, to me, that neutral/equal presentation of the two 'bosses' in the book is no longer the case in the show.

Perhaps this is all because the show is shifting more towards commentary surrounding religious institutions as opposed to the Cold War energy of the book. Or perhaps we'll be explicitly shown more of Hell's dark side in Season 2 and will return to truly seeing them as equally bad. Or maybe you have a totally different interpretation (please let me know 👉👈). I don't know man, I just needed to get this thought out honestly lol.

[imtrashraccoon]

I'm trying lovelies, I really am! Here's Day 2, even though I'm five days behind now...

@starlikeswomen

First & Next Chapter

Chapter 2: I Guess We're Roommates??

Word Count: 1,384

You felt a little bad that Scar had to sleep on your couch, especially since he was so tall, but he didn't complain about soreness the following morning, so you put your worries aside for the time being. There were more pressing issues anyways, such as how he would get home or your lack of Monster food.

Actually, you didn't have much food at all since you hadn't had time to go shopping since moving in. You apologized to Scar but he assured you that he would be fine for now. Apparently, he was capable of eating Human food, it just required him to use mana to absorb the nutrients rather than them being absorbed on their own. Still, you figured it would be better to pick up some groceries sooner rather than later so that he wouldn't risk completely running out of mana.

After whipping up a quick breakfast, you figured it would be a good idea to finish unpacking your apartment. It would make things a bit more homey for your guest and finding the stuff you needed a lot easier too.

From his place on the couch, Scar watched as you moved back and forth while trying to figure out where to put things. He'd shed his trenchcoat and shoes the night before and you had to admit the gray plaid flannel shirt he was wearing underneath looked good on him. You weren't sure how he did it, but despite being a skeleton, he filled out his clothes quite well. You would rather die than ask about it though.

"Do You Mind If I Help?" he asked after a little bit.

Partway through attempting to hang a picture frame, you turned around and gave him a confused look. "What? You're my guest, you don't need to do anything."

He only raised a bonebrow as you returned to hanging the picture, although you couldn't quite reach the nail even while standing on your tiptoes. After a moment of this, he sighed and stood up. Before you could ask what he was doing, he gently took the picture from you and effortlessly hung it up.

"Are You Sure That You Do Not Want My Help?" he asked, giving you a slightly smug grin.

Feeling a little embarrassed, you glanced away and began worrying at the hem of your shirt. "Well alright... But, only if you want to!"

"I Would Rather Help Than Sit Around And Watch You Continue To Struggle."

For the next few hours, you worked together to organize the apartment. Scar proved to be very good at putting together furniture, which was helpful since you'd lost most of the instructions ages ago. When you complimented his skills, he described the process like solving a puzzle and that he enjoyed putting things in their proper place. All in all, the arduous task of unpacking turned out to be almost fun with his help.

You had a feeling that he'd never seen an Xbox before if the curious looks he gave you while setting it up were any indication. You explained what it could do but the moment you said "video game" he seemed to lose interest. His brother was apparently more into that sort of thing but he did mention that he enjoyed watching documentaries. That led you to showing him how Netflix worked and while he didn't say much, you noticed his scarlet eyelights brighten at the sheer quantity of content, all at the simple press of a button.

When you took a break for lunch, you gave him a crash course on how the appliances worked, just in case. He got a little annoyed at the insinuation that you were worried he'd start a fire but in the same breath quietly thanked you for taking the time to show him.

"Human, Can I Ask You A Question?"

Mid-way through your sandwich, you could only hum in response.

"I Would Like To Know More About You," Scar continued. "Do You Have Any Family?"

You nodded and managed to swallow before answering him properly. "Yeah, I got two older brothers and as far as I know my parents are still kicking around somewhere."

He tilted his skull curiously. "You Do Not Speak With Them Very Often Then?"

You frowned and glanced away before answering. "No, I don't, and I'm happy keeping it that way."

"Understandable."

You nearly had to pick up your chin from the table.

"Why Are You Looking At Me Like That?" Scar huffed. "Your Relationship With Your Family Is None Of My Business, So What Right Do I Have To Pry?"

"O-oh." You felt your cheeks heat up. "You're right. It's just that whenever I've told people about it, they usually suggest that I'm wrong for not wanting to talk to them."

"Humans..." He muttered and rolled his eyelights.

You cleared your throat awkwardly. "You mentioned earlier that you have a brother? Can I ask what he's like?"

Scar paused for a moment and narrowed his eye sockets at you ever so slightly, as if trying to gauge your intentions. "He Is The Antithesis Of Lazy And The Most Obstinate Monster There Is..." He paused before adding in a quieter tone, "But He Is My Family And I Do Not Know What I Would Do Without Him."

You smiled a little at that. "He sounds interesting, I wouldn't mind meeting him sometime."

"Trust Me, You Do Not Want To. He Is A Complete Sleezeball That Flirts With Everyone Even Mildly Attractive."

"Well, if you say so," you chuckled. "He almost sounds like the opposite of you..."

"Indeed," he remarked gravely. "We Very Rarely See Eye To Eye, But At The Very Least, I Can Count On Him To Watch My Back.

"Is he as tall as you?"

Scar got an amused look and chuckled softly. "No, We Competed A Lot Growing Up, But Height Is One Of The Things I Was Able To Beat Him At."

You chuckled as well. While he seemed to only have harsh things to say, you got the feeling that Scar really cared about his brother. Even if they didn't always get along, it must be nice to know that they would look out for each other if things got bad. That was what family was for, right?

A shrill whistle startled you back to the present.

To his credit, Scar only looked mildly alarmed at the disruption and glanced towards your bedroom door where the sound had come from.

"That's just Pickle," you reassured him. "The spoiled brat is probably annoyed that he only has normal food to eat today."

"Ah. You Have A Pet?"

You nodded and stood up to put the dirty dishes in the sink. "I'll have to introduce you. He's a little green bird called a budgie and I've had him for...maybe three years now?"

"What Does He Like To Eat?"

"Mostly normal bird food like seeds and nuts, although I occasionally give him treats like fruits and vegetables. His favourite is actually bananas but I think he mostly just likes to shred the peel."

Scar nodded slightly and stood up, pushing his chair in as he did so. "I Have Not Seen A Budgie Before But He Sounds Entertaining," he commented.

"Oh, he is. I think you'd really like him."

Glancing around at the apartment, you smiled at how much progress you'd both managed to make. "Thanks for helping by the way, you really didn't have to."

Scar rolled his eyelights and huffed. "Well, I Wanted To, But You Are Welcome, Human."

"If you want to take a break, we could go get some groceries? After all that work, I'm craving something sweet anyways."

"It Is Your Decision But I Do Not Mind Either Way."

You grabbed your wallet and keys. "Good, because I think Pickle will hold it against me if I don't get him his fruit fix soon."

Scar chuckled quietly and followed you outside. After you'd locked the door, he asked, "I Take It You Like Sweets?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say I have a bit of a sweet tooth. What about you, big guy?"

He shrugged. "I Do Not Indulge Very Often But I Do Enjoy Sweet Things On Occasion."

"Then there's no reason not to go all out, huh?" you suggested teasingly.

[givepie]

Hm! I feel a rant coming on! Everyone duck!

MY THOUGHTS ON THE HYPERIA STORY AND ITS THEMING. ALSO A GENERAL RANT ON COASTER THEMING.

Let start with a general question: what counts as theming?

To me, theming is the set pieces, pre-show, and anything laid out in a rides area to help develop a story. Most of the time this helps world-building more than anything. To me, even music can be a piece of theming because it helps to set a tone. For example, when riding Smiler, the laughter sounds almost manic and it makes you realise straight away that something is off, before you even step foot into X-sector.

Anything that DOESN'T fall into this classification such as website and app pages, falls into "storytelling". In a theme park, it is almost impossible to tell the entire story from one repeated instance inside of said story. To tell a complicated story like that of the Smiler, it would take so much exposition, which is very much not the point and would take away from the experience as a whole.

So storytelling isn't a bad thing, it's how they handle it.

To me, there are three behemoths of theme park theming and storytelling worldwide. That I know of.

Baron 1898, X-Sector post-Smiler, And Forbidden Valley post-Reborn.

Baron 1898 is pretty easy to grasp while you're there, even as a non-speaker of the language. You're going on a mine tour and 3 ghost ladies are PISSED that you're going down there. The actual theming is downright impressive ans I would love to see it in real life. You can then look up the story to find out who the ghosts are, who the Baron is, and how the mine came to be. Really good treat for people who decide to look.

Forbidden Valley has a story that has remained relatively consistent throughout the years. It has wondering actors that establish the world in a realistic yet entertaining way rather quickly. There are an official operation; there are people opposing the operation so there is something sneaky going on; there is a tour group taking advantage of the centrepiece so the Alien is a tourist attraction in this universe, too. Just little things that help put together a bigger picture.

Of course this starts coming apart a little bit when the audio starts explicitly telling you what is happening, but it still holds. You see someone's office, a crashed helicopter, weapons for warding off the alien. All things to help build up this universe you are now ankle-deep in. And then there's the 3 pages on the Internet that break down the story for you, which can also be seen in the shop.

Finally, of course, there's X-sector. It doesn't usually have roaming actors, and the theme suits better that way. Without the roaming actors, you see that the Ministry are secretive. Trying to stay out of the limelight, except for the skeleton crew they send out to keep the coaster safe and operational. It shows a tone.

However, people casually wondering what this is about can never get an easy answer. Cause the answer is spread out across what remains of a decade-old marketing campaign. Fun for people who want a deep dive, not so fun for people who are just lightly curious. The website barely tells you anything either.

But, on a positive light, the story is so complex it keeps a fandom. Not many coasters have that. It's an insane accomplishment.

And I have a theory as to why. Now, stay with me here I think I'm about to upset some people:

It has aspects of social and political commentary. "Not everything is political" ALL GOOD ART IS A COMMENTARY ON THE TIMES AND CIRCUMSTANCES YOU WERE RAISED IN SIT YOUR ARSE BACK DOWN.

RIGHT, so, Smiler is a story about the government dedicating an organisation to keeping people artificially content to keep people compliant. What are Brits notorious for doing, in comparison to the French?

Doing fuck all. This wasn't always the case. We would riot, we would strike. Now we strike but while the other half of the country complains and just tells the strikers to sit back down and take the mistreatment. We are miserable, we complain, and we go about our day. And that's the joke. Its funny. So why bother changing it?

And if we can't be bothered changing something cause it's funny, what happens if they make everything purposefully funny? They'd never have to deal with the strikes in the first place.

The government functions off of our social compliance, which can come from making jokes at our own expense. We even see it now with our drowned-rat-faced PM as he continues to make a fool out of himself so he's funny. If he's funny, we want to see him more. That's a valid strategy nowadays.

Smiler. Is about how Keep Calm And Carry On is a stand against progress.

Smiler. Is a political and social commentary on the people of Britain. You're welcome.

Anyway!

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO THE NEW WORLD-STAGE COASTER IN STAINES?

The problem is: it doesn't. Instead of taking inspiration from its sister park, Alton, Thorpe decided to take inspiration from Icon and its shoebox station.

Where is Fearless Valley taking place? When is Fearless Valley taking place? What point in the story are we looking at here? The issue [only issue, really] with Hyperia, is it entirely relies on storytelling and a few bits and bobs in the queue.

Remember the shortcoming in Nemesis? Where you can get a good grasp of the story without it being blasted in your ear? Yeah here they straight up tell you the story, too. The theming has BECOME the storytelling.

Next question: what is Hyperia, the coaster, supposed to be? Yes, we know the story is that a goddess called hyperia overcame her fear of the sea by building wings and escaping the island she was trapped on [for some unspecified reason. Is hyperia evil?], but what IS the coaster supposed to be?

Smiler is the Marmaliser, the machine that transforms you into a smiling advocate. Nemesis is the tentacles of the monster overtaking the metal that pins it down. Baron is the track the drill takes to get into the mine.

What is Hyperia? Are we following Her as she soars, were we stuck with Her; the Icarus to her Daedalus? Are we following in her footsteps as part of a ceremony Her followers reenact for her blessing? Are we supposed to be Her? It's never really specified.

The station is chocked full of a last-ditch attempt of theming, which in comparison with the whole lotta nothing you get from the queueline? It feels cramped. It feels cheap. It barely feels like it belongs on a stage alongside Taron, Velocicoaster and Voltron Nevera. If they didn't have the budget to do the storytelling and the theme, they should've gone for theme.

Any story with no theme feels cheap and artificial. Any theme with no story still stands out and has breathtaking scenes. If they focused more on the white-gold colour palate and maybe had a few statues around and about they could pass it as some sort of pantheon, like climbing Olympus.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm disappointed in all aspects of the Hyperia theming. It feels lazy, tacky and underwhelming when you consider Swarm is a 5 minute walk away. I'm hoping it improves at some point.

I geniunely think the stone head of Collosus is much better than anything in Fearless Valley and its inconsistencies. The Black and gold buildings feel very sleek and out of place for a story ultimately about a goddess who forged. She forged her own wings. She forged her own bravery. Shouldnt the building look a little home made? Where are the bolts? The soldering? I want to see her anvil and hammer pride-of-place, not shoved in the corner of the station.

Cmon thorpe. Get your arse in gear.

[kazoosandfannypacks]

summary: sabine's been having a rough day, and though she can't quite put her finger on why, she's pretty sure ezra can make it a little better. set on lothal during season 4. word count: 1K a/n: i hope you guys like this fic! let me know what you think; your reblogs here and comments on ao3 mean the absolute world to me! shoutout to @kanerallels for betaing this one! taglist:@laughingphoenixleader @accidental-spice @kanerallels @piraterefrigerator @jedi-nurse @dootchster @lucasbridger @redroverrider @light-umbra @commander-tech {if you’d like to be added to or removed from my Sabezra taglist, let me know!}

also on ao3!

The Bad Day

 Sabine's day was not going very well.

 It all started innocently enough. Waking up from a nightmare, only to find she'd overslept. Tripping on her way out the door. Chopper pulling a poorly timed prank. Hera getting upset at her for attacking Chopper because of his prank and sending her by herself on a supply run— a chance to cool down, Hera had reasoned, but it only steamed her up more.

 Then there was the guy in the market whose catcalling would've been met with her fist if she hadn't been carrying the crew's supplies and trying to avoid imperial suspicion. And then the upcharged groceries that never seemed to fit their supply budget. And the annoyed screams of Zeb when she returned without his beloved space waffles that had been so significantly overpriced, she figured she could skip them this time. Then the angry words she'd yelled as she'd stormed out. Then Kanan trying to ask her what was wrong like he was some kind of dad.

 That was the last straw. Usually, she didn't mind her family on The Ghost. But today? After the dream she'd had last night? The last thing she needed was more family to worry about.

 She left The Ghost in a huff, thinking maybe some time by herself would calm her down, though she knew the opposite was often the case when she was left alone with her thoughts.

 But then she saw Ezra, tinkering with some circuits on the underside of the ship, lost in his own little world, a Loth Cat curled around his leg.

 Now, Sabine had never been known to have an affinity for hugs, and she'd also never been known to have an affinity for Ezra, but something inside her told her a hug from Ezra would make this nightmare of a day a bit better.

 So, she marched up to him, fists clenched, her mere frustrated presence scaring away the Loth Cat. Ezra, however, didn't seem to notice her right away, instead watching the Loth Cat run into the distance.

 "I need you to give me a hug," she said, quickly, sharply, as if upset at herself for saying it and stopping herself from stopping herself.

 Ezra turned to her and smiled at the sight of her, but with deep confusion in his eyes.

 "What?" he asked, then shook his head and blinked a couple times, "wait, why? Is everything okay?"

 "I'm not talking about it," Sabine said, knowing what would happen if she tried to talk about it, and not ready to cry right now, "I just need a hug. Don't make me change m...."

 Before she could finish speaking, she was in his arms. On any other day, if she'd even let him get this close, she would've complained that he smelled like Loth Cats and mechanical failures, and about how sweaty he was, and how whatever kind of starship grease he'd been using was all over his hands and staining her shoulder pauldron and her sleeve— but with everything that had happened that day, she almost didn't notice, and if she did, she certainly didn't care.

 He'd pulled her in so quickly, she hadn't even the chance to hug him back— not that she needed to, instead clinging onto Ezra's shoulders in front of her as tightly as she could.

 She wasn't sure when he'd gotten taller than her, but she was glad that he had, because his heart's gentle beating beneath her ear calmed her own heart rate down as well. She hadn't noticed how cold she'd been until Ezra's arms closed around her, his warmth quickly spreading from her back and arms all the way down to her toes and her fingers.

 "Is this okay?" Ezra quietly asked.

 "Yeah," Sabine whispered.

 As he held her, held her close to him, neither of them backing away or making it weird, Sabine's stress floated away, like a leaf in the wind, like every layer of hardships she'd faced that day peeled itself away from her, and when they were all stripped back, maybe it wasn't so hard a day after all— except for the nightmare she'd woken up from.

 Even an eternity in his arms couldn't fix that one— not that she normally would've liked the idea of spending an eternity in his arms, but this sacred moment made it a tempting prospect.

 She heard him sigh as his arms slipped out from around her and he took a step back from her, though his hand still rested on her shoulder.

 "Are you okay?" Ezra asked, his gaze seeing through her rough exterior.

 "I just," she shook her head, "just a bad dream."

 "In the middle of the day?" Ezra asked, and though anyone else could've meant it sarcastically, he seemed legitimately confused.

 "No, last night," she explained.

 "And you're still stressed over it?" Ezra asked, and when she nodded, he added on, gently, "may I ask what it was about?"

 "The Empire," Sabine said, letting the words come out angrily rather than risk letting sorrow herald them, "somehow they'd recreated the Duchess, and they," she let a deep breath fight against the tears she knew would betray her, "and my family...."

 She couldn't bring herself to say it, and she didn't have to. Once again, Ezra cut her off by pulling her into a hug— and this time, she hugged him in return.

 As her head hit his chest, she found that her tears fell faster than she could stop them, and hoped Ezra wouldn't notice a few teardrops mixed in with all the sweat and grease on his shirt.

 "I couldn't stop it," Sabine said, "I had to watch...."

 "It's okay," Ezra said, his hand moving off her shoulder so he could cradle the back of her head, pulling her closer to him in support, "it was just a dream." 

 "It felt so real," Sabine said, through gritted teeth.

 "I know," Ezra said, the softness in his tone smoothing out the rough edges of hers, "it's okay. Your family is okay."

 "And what if they're not?" Sabine asked, pushing a little bit away from him, though he didn't take his hands off her shoulders, "what if the Empire tries again?"

 "Then we'll stop them," Ezra said, "we always do."

 Sabine wanted to argue, but she knew it was pointless to try and disagree with those reassuring blue eyes and the confident smile below them.

 "Yeah," Sabine nodded.

 That was all she said. That was all she could say, and she hardly even looked at him when she said it.

 But it was apparently enough for Ezra. His smile shifted ever so slightly, and Sabine responded with a smile of her own.

 As one last comfort before she inevitably put up her walls and shut him out again, he pulled her back into his arms, close to his heart.

 And Sabine sighed with contentment as she returned his embrace.

 Maybe today wasn't going so bad after all.

[autistichalsin]

I know I am in the extreme minority, but there hasn't been a single change Larian has made to the game post-release that I have worse than neutral about, and most of them I consider moderate to extreme improvements. There are some added lines I didn't like per se, but I never liked those less than what was (not) there originally. Some examples (most Halsin-focused because those are the ones I pay the most attention to)

Neutral:

Changing Gortash's note

Allowing the Dark Urge to have a flirty line with Gortash (if that has been confirmed)

Changes to certain dismissal lines

Halsin's line if you show him Kagha's letter

Spawn Astarion's response if the player sleeps with Mizora

Some of the new lines for Halsin re: Baldur's Gate, Shadow Druids, etc

Liked:

Additions to the epilogue that let you talk to your (former?) love interest if you went to hell with Avernus, rode dragons with Lae'zel, etc

Other new lines for Halsin re: Baldur's Gate, Shadow Druids, etc

Scenes dealing with Vlaakith path Lae'zel ascending, the implications of this, etc in the end

Loved:

New kisses

Camp idle behaviors

The Halsin-Minthara ultimatum

The epilogue party

Halsin's expanded post-Drow discussion

Halsin's platonic path

The updated lines when spawn Astarion gets burned in the sun

Cuddling cinematic post-Drow foursomes/moresomes

The new bad ending sequence, both in terms of animation, and the fact that now romanced Minthara or Ascended Astarion who encouraged the player to take over are spared by the player (if anything, I feel they could change this bit MORE and give us more of the aftermath of the player thralling their friends and loved ones)

The new note in the epilogue from Archdruid Francesca, mentioning sending Ormn to live with Halsin at his commune

The new Speak With the Dead lines for Halsin if he dies to Orin instead of in the goblin camp

Karlach's ending with Wyll and/or the player in Avernus

The option to tell Halsin you want to join him at his commune

... Etc.

I can think of nothing off the top of my head that I think made the game worse. At worst I might go "strange to add that as it didn't change anything," I.E. Halsin's non-reaction to Kagha's note. I didn't hate it- I just felt it added nothing. (Maybe it's a way of setting flags for the dialogues specific to Halsin knowing about the Shadow Druids in case the player didn't investigate Kagha before finding him?) But I can't think of anything that made the story/my experience worse in any way.

I know people keep complaining that Larian is "listening to some fans over others" and such, but to me, I don't think they have done that? Very few of these seem in any way like they were influenced by fan complaints (and the few that were, were, in my opinion, definite improvements, I.E. the player/Wyll going to Avernus with Karlach, Halsin's additional post-Drow dialogue, etc). And of course, Larian has shown they also have no problem NOT adding things when it goes against their vision- they have repeatedly shut down requests for an expanded evil path, haven't added to Wyll's story despite very loud fan outcry, haven't made Halsin monogamous despite a very vocal group of fans calling for this on the Larian forums and Discord... etc. It clearly isn't number or loudness of the fans influencing 95% of these changes- it's Larian adding things that already fit in their vision.

I guess it is also baffling to me because I'm used to games that are either from series that have been dead for decades or are rushed out just as money grabs (Pokemon) with little attention given after besides minimal bug fixes and content for paid DLCs (cough, Pokemon). To see a game that reflects on their story (or just general experience, like their constantly giving Cazador buffs in tactician mode) and constantly changes what they think should be is, in my opinion, pretty admirable. I truly don't understand all the outrage- to me, it's a sign they care about their story and want it to be the best they can make it, even after people have already paid them for it.

I know i'm in the minority here, but the changes make me respect Larian a lot more than I already did.

[bunnakit]

hellooo i love reading your opinions but im too shy to ask you this off anon so here it is. I’m like you enjoying the sign and loved the direction of the recent ep so I don’t really understand the divisive reactions on tumblr esp since twitter seems to always heap praise on the show. what are your thoughts on how phaya tharn’s relationship has been paced? and how do you think it may be concluded? I saw some people on here being disheartened and expecting a sad ending but I don’t really see that to be the case and I for one have loved their r/s pacing and also the mythology (my main gripe would be some of the way the cases were handled). but what’s your opinion on that and why people here are more divisive about the show? (While all opinions are valid some of the criticism almost feels nitpicky but I would love to hear your thoughts on this!)

QUICK NOTE- ANON SENT THIS BEFORE THIS SATURDAY'S EPISODE, SO THIS ABOUT EPS 1-8 hello love!! sorry it took me a bit to put together my thoughts and feel like my brain was put together and, well, i still haven't accomplished that but i didn't want to leave you on read any longer. also you're ALWAYS welcome to DM me here or discord or wherever! but i totally get being too shy lol despite how i am on the dash i am also very shy

so, i can kind of understand where people are coming from in that there wasn't a lot of courting between phaya and tharn which may make it seem like their relationship was fast tracked. idk, i'm not entirely sure what other people's thoughts are on it, i've kind of just been scrolling past posts that have complained or seemed like they didn't like it. i welcome everyone's opinions but i don't always want to read all of them (and i expect people not to read mine if it's not for them.)

i think it's important to keep in mind that courtship can look different for everyone and while they didn't go on dates, didn't overtly flirt, etc. they've been performing a delicate dance between each other and flirting very much in their own ways (from the hat tugs, the sparring, the attitude.) sometimes flirting is being obnoxious, getting on someone's nerves simply because you know how. half the time my husband flirts with me is my driving me fucking crazy because he's the only person in the world that knows exactly what makes me tick.

i think it also helps to keep in mind the fantasy element here; that wansarut and sakuna live inside tharn and phaya and are drawn towards each other and i think sometimes tharn and phaya's own feelings and attraction have to play catch up. i think some elements of their dynamic were very much both tharn not wanting to get close because of his fears but also not fully realizing the depths of his feelings because they seemingly came out of nowhere (wansarut.)

overall, i've really enjoyed the pacing, enjoyed how they've fallen together through various circumstances, how we've seen tharn's resistance dwindle until he finally had to let himself have the object of his desire. i also think it's a very adult relationship, it's really not all that messy or complicated once you remove the fantasy elements. sometimes desire comes first and love comes later. sometimes things begin physical and end in love.

there is no set roadmap for romance or relationships and to pigeon hole BL couples into a set pattern is a little silly in my opinion. their journey just looks a little different, it doesn't mean they aren't in love. we also have to keep in mind that there's so much going on in this show plot wise that to focus more on romance and courtship would steal time away from other elements that are already struggling to get addressed.

"but doesnt that mean the show is trying to do too much?"

sure, but i'd rather a show strive to do too much than do too little. i love to see the ambition and the passion behind it and even if things aren't concluded perfectly there's so much the sign has done right (addressing that men are also victims of sexual assault, constantly reminding us that tharn - while smaller and seemingly more 'effeminate' - is still every bit as strong and capable as phaya, the continuous reminders that they are a switch partnership, showing us that sex can be goofy and funny with khem and thongtai, etc.) i'd much rather all of this than to watch a show that made me feel nothing at the end of the day and the show has done SO much to educate foreigners on Thai culture. (the copaganda could go tho, we all know i'm an ACAB bitch so i DO have to wear blinders during those scenes lmao)

sorry- i got a wee bit off track. ANYWAY how would i like to see it concluded?

i'm a little torn because there are so many ways i'd be happy. i'd be happy if they finally rid themselves of chalothorn forever and were finally able to be together in peace. (i think everyone's ideal ending)

i'd be happy with a timeline where phaya dies to protect tharn in a reverse parallel of their first life, with a renewed promise.

i'd be happy if they died together and began the cycle once again.

two of these i recognize are HELLA unpopular opinions, but there's really not much this show could do to make me unhappy as long as they stick to the story and the narrative foils they've put in place. i think the only thing i would be unhappy with is if something felt like it came out of left field.

thank you SO much for this ask. i was so flattered i read it out loud to my husband the other day. i'm always SO open to asks like this and really find it so sweet that anyone out there values my opinion at all, i'm just a silly little guy

[curseofhecate]

Doomed from the very start

Edmund Pevensie x Female!Reader

In which they didn't know who each other was, yet they still fell in love with one another.

1.4k

tw: clinche, and it's giving fairytail (or maybe it's just me).

This is set after the first movie. Both Edmund and reader are aged up. Maybe around 16 or 17.

Yesterday's masquerade ball was all everyone seemed to talk about. Maybe because it was the first one Cair Paravel had hosted in a while or maybe because it was the first one organised by the Pevensie siblings.

Most people they encountered with congratulated them. Susan took great pride in it, as she was the one who was responsible for organising every little detail. Peter, who was The High King, also took great pride in the ball's success.

Under any other circumstances, Edmund would be the first to complain about his brother's ego that only kept growing. But that wasn't the case today. The boy had barely been able to focus in anything else but her.

Last Night, at the Ball

The younger king of the two couldn't be seen, hiding in the shadows and avoiding any short of people that walked his way. From Peter, who wanted him to meet the rulers of near kingdoms and talk about, well some short of politics, to pretty princesses his age, dressed in beautiful gowns asking him to dance with them.

He preferred to keep his distance from the crowds, opting to hide in the dark corners of the room, from where he could easily see people dancing and conversing.

The soft music coming from the orchestra. the constant but subtle chatter and the occasional laughs, the clinking noises the glasses made had him feel both nervous and at ease in the same time.

He could be dancing with the prettiest girl of this entire magical world, but he didn't. Instead he sat there, leaning against the wall, watching the events of the night unfold before his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked. The raven haired boy immediately turned his head to face a girl. Maybe it was because of the mask, black with silver details, that did a really good job at disguising her. She seemed familiar, as if he had seen her in a picture or randomly passed by her someday without realising it.

Her eyes were a beautiful shade of e/c and Edmund found himself getting lost in them. Shaking his head he snapped out of it, mentally taking notes of her appearance. Her skin tone, her h/c hair that were pulled into an elegant bun, the black dress she was wearing.

Everything about her had something magnetic, something that pulled him towards her. The boy sighed, realising he had been starring for way too long without answering her question. "I'm hiding from my brother".

The girl looked at him and smiled. "Your brother must suck then" she said. "Well, yeah sometimes" he admitted. The girl looked at him up and down, as if taking in his appearance. The young prince didn't fail to notice as a soft pink tainted his cheeks.

The girl chuckled at the sight of him blushing. "What's your name?" she asked. Edmund was surprised. No one had ever asked for his name since his crowning, it was well known that he was King Edmund the Just. "I'm Edmund" the boy answered, and for once he didn't feel like he had to pretend being someone else.

The girl shook his hand, an act unusual for girls, as most greeted him and his siblings with a curtsey and not a handshake. "What's yours?" he asked, letting go of her hand. "That's for me to know and you to find out".

"Hey, that's not fair!" the boy complained. "I told you my name so now you owe me yours".

"Is there any other way I could repay you that's not telling you my name" she asked hopefully. She knew the moment he learned her name he wouldn't want to be anywhere near her. She was no fool, she knew of the rivalry between his kingdom and hers.

The boy thought about her offer for a bit. "How about a dance then?" he asked hopefully. He wanted a chance to hold her and touch her as they swayed back and forth. He wanted to know what her touch felt like.

The girl agreed, knowing deep down that not one part of her could resist him. And even though she shouldn't, she knew she was already falling for him.

When the song ended, he took her hand and dragged her in the middle of the room. He stood there, placing a gentle hand on her waist as her arm found his shoulder.

The orchestra started to play a slower tune and they started dancing. Edmund was trying not to step on her feet, but it was clear he was failing miserably. "Sorry" he'd apologise. "I'm still not very good at this".

"It's fine" the girl would respond. "It took me years to learn how to dance properly" the girl chuckled, thinking back to the countless times she spent trying not to step on her partner’s feet.

The smile he gave her lit a flame in her heart. She was melting on the inside, and it scared her. The girl was used to being independent and confident. But something about Edmund made her feel shy and completely dependent.

By the end of the song they both had lost control over their feelings. They had fallen in love with one another, yet still pretended they didn't.

The boy smiled and let go of her waist, but still grasping her hand. He pulled her with him, walking towards the wide open French windows that lead to the balcony.

"Where are we going?" Y/n asked, a laugh escaping her lips as the boy continued to drag her. "Just follow me"

The made their way down the marble stairs that lead down to the garden. The music of the crowded room was fading with every step they took.

Making their way through trees and bushes the boy stopped in front of a fountain. It was made from white marble, a statue of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty decorating it. The sound of water flowing form under the goddess' feet was the only one that could be heard in the quiet of the night.

"It's so beautiful" the girl voiced out, amazed by the sight in front of her. "It really is" the boy agreed. Only he was talking about her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the girl asked softly, noticing how close her face was to his. "You are really pretty".

The boy's hand rested on her cheek as he slowly took off the mask that was hiding her face. Y/n didn't say anything, nor did she try to pull away or stop him.

The mask fell off his hands as he gazed at her now unmasked face, refusing to believe how pretty she was. How could someone be so beautiful?

There was no reason to pretend anymore. "Would it be weird if I told you I like you" the boy asked in a hushed tone. "No, I think it would be weirder if I told you I feel the same way".

The boy leaned in, lips brushing against hers. He looked into her eyes one last time before closing the distance that remained between them.

Their lips connected and time stopped for the both of them. If they could stay like this forever they would.

But they couldn't. Eventually the pulled apart, both of them struggling to breath. "This is wrong" the girl spoke. They boy' expression turned to a confused one.

"What? Why?"

"You'll learn eventually" the girl sighed before pulling him in for a second kiss. This time it was longer, full of passion and love. The girl pulled away, resting her forehead against hers.

"I have to go" she said, taking a step back.

"Wait!" the boy shouted alarmed grabbing her wrist. "Can I have one last kiss?"

The girl nodded and leaned in for a third time. This time it was more of a goodbye kiss.

The ghost of her lips still lingered over Edmund's, even when she said godbye to him before walking away. Turning back one last time the girl looked at him, as if trying to mesmerise every feature of the boy's face.

"Y/n"

Edmund just stood there, watching her walk away. Y/n. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

Only when she was completely out of sight did he realise who she actually was and why she seemed familiar.

And in that moment he knew, they were doomed from the start.

[olderthannetfic]

While we're on the topic of Mainstream Publishing Discourse...

There's a lot of discussion about how a lot of sci-fi/fantasy written by women and especially WOC that is not YA gets miscategorized as YA on Goodreads and other sites like that. And sure, sometimes it's unfair and just misogynistic/racist. Like, no one should be calling NK Jemisin's writing "YA."

But sometimes you get writers who will make that argument about where you're like.... okay, the reason people keep thinking you're YA is because of actual features of your writing that are similar to YA. Like if R.F. Kuang (she's the one I feel like gets complained about the most lately and I recently read Poppy War and Babel and agree with the complaints) wants to stop being seen as YA, she could maybe learn to have enough faith in her readers to not feel like she has to mention the moral of the story - that is already obvious from every other feature of the story - explicitly spelled out like 50x. She also seems to assume that her reader will disagree with her unless she does that, which is a strange thing to conclude about "colonialism bad" which I don't think anyone who is picking up Babel and reading the description on it is going to go in thinking the opposite of! And that is what makes it feel like YA: because so much YA is designed as intros to "serious issues" for teens that writers assume don't pick up on that stuff without explicitly being told (which I think is a bit insulting to teens, but whatever, it is the genre convention and it is why by 15 I was already reading books for grown-ups in both my free time and my classes). You don't NEED to do that and if you didn't, way fewer people would think your books are YA!

Or like Erin Morgenstern, you'll be seen as YA less if you were able to construct a coherent plot and characterization and didn't instead seem to be going entirely on aesthetics and vibes. Or like Casey McQuiston, whose books absolutely do read like YA books that just have more explicit, fanficcy sex scenes in it. You cannot be shocked people think of Red White and Royal Blue that way when it has such a YA-tastic romance premise that there have been multiple actual YA books since that were blatant rip-offs of it.

I also saw a post about how a lot of these books seem to be set in things like "magical boarding school" or focus on teen protagonists and like, yeah, I feel like in general if your books keep focusing on teenagers in a very similar to way books written FOR teenagers, you can't be shocked that people keep thinking they're YA. Of course there are books about teens that are for adults, but they are usually approached in a very different way with different plots.

Anyway, I do wish people would stop assuming that books that are clearly not YA "are YA" because they are sci-fi/fantasy written by women, because it just makes it that much harder to talk about the ones that really do feel like YA in ways where the authors should probably take that criticism to heart a little bit more. Someone like Kuang clearly does want to be writing for a more adult-litfic-style audience, and should probably listen to the people telling her that her books are too didactic in a way that feels insulting to people who aren't BookTok YA readers.

I tried to bring that up to my book club though when we read Poppy War and one person wouldn't stop shouting me down about how it's "just sexism and racism." And I had to keep shouting back, dude, yeah, I know that's what the discourse is. I know that's why writers like this can brush that off. I'm saying though that in this case, I think some of it's warranted based on how *the book is actually written*

--

[ladykailitha]

Hello,

I am probably being a mom about this (having been described as a mother hen even before I had my own kids), but I have a very different take to the two most recent gifs of Joseph Quinn I've been seeing today.

Both of them were at a film festival where he is very dapperly dressed in that cream suit with the black button down. I can't find the gifs right now, so you're going to have to hope I describe them well enough (writer power activate!)

The first one is of him standing with another man, older and taller than Joe. The man puts his arm around his shoulder and Joe makes this funny hand sign, like he was trying to do the horns and the peace sign at the same time and then just ends up awkwardly waving.

And everyone is going on about how cute and goofy that little wave was. But I think people missed the part where as soon as the other guy puts his arm around Joe, his arm holding his jacket immediately goes up and knocks the other guy off. Then you can see him go "oh shit" and he turns it into the awkward wave.

And for me it's that little "don't touch" move that makes the wave a little less cute and little bit more, "poor Joe!" Because he shouldn't have to turn him setting his boundaries into an awkward wave as to not get in trouble.

And the second one. Joe is talking to someone else but it doesn't seem like the person is a guest (the guy is wearing a t-shirt and shorts). He's got something in a wine glass that he is holding both casually and stiffly. And he appears to be upset and he's saying something like "that's just how I am" or something like that. Which I originally thought he was saying "that's not how I am" but the second word looks more "just" and the third looks more like "how" the more I'm watching it.

First off I don't like how the shot is framed. It looks like someone filmed it from angle where Joe didn't know they were filming him. Well, same for the other gif, too. Because in both he's not looking at the camera filming him. I get at events like this people are going to be filming all over the place, but these two both seem to have caught something they shouldn't have.

In the second one's case he looks like he's having an argument or something.

Now here's where I get really uncomfortable, because if this is after the awkward wave, this could be him complaining that he didn't want to be touched like that and "that's just how I am". Because if that's the case whoever is doing the filming of these caught Joe in the act of having his boundaries violated, by violating further those boundaries.

I don't know. I could be reading too much into it. Projecting my own feeling on him. But it does look like that to me. And this isn't me saying "oh you can't find it cute!" because I'm not. I'm just saying he doesn't look comfortable and we should examine why.

And since this already too fucking long, I'm going throw in another Joseph Quinn problem I have.

How different he looks from Eddie Munson to his other roles or just in general. I can't find the article now (shakes fist), but Joe talked about how on Stranger Things he dropped 10 kilos or 22lbs to play Eddie so he looked younger and was more sinewy. That he fasted, gave up carbs and had one coffee a day to look the way he does in season 4.

Like actors shouldn't have to do that shit for roles. Isn't there a healthier way to do that? So when that one picture popped up today of Joe looking into the camera I saw someone tag (could have been @vecnuthy) that it looked edited in some way. But it was the most Eddie like I'd seen him look since the show dropped. And if it wasn't edited that means that he dropped those 20lbs again.

And of course I hope that means Eddie's back but even if it is or it's for another role, I hate how thin he looks in that picture (and I love his "slutty Eddie waist") means he's crash dieting and that makes me sad.

Sorry about this. Just...ignore me I guess. But I don't think we talk enough about how actors go through this shit as much as actresses do just in different ways.

[sardonic-the-writer]

—bad luck buddies

SUMMARY | sometime in between filling in for carver and completing your mission with ladybug, the two of you manage to have a few laughs

PAIRING | ladybug x reader

REQUESTED | no

WARNINGS | strictly platonic, spoilers for bullet train, hit men, guns, mentions of murder, etc

WORD COUNT | 600+ words

AUTHORS NOTE | very goofy man. funny too. a short little one shot this time though sorry. wasn't having a good night tonight and just wanted to get this done

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"Are you sure I can't get you to give up the number for Barry?"

A gruff voice chuckled next to you as you both through foot traffic, hair bristling in the wind.

"Sorry (Y/n). Gotta keep him all to myself. I can recommend another therapist, though."

Laughter.

"Are you two done talking yet, or should I wait untill you've finished to give you the mission details."

A smile blossomed on your face as the earpiece nestled snugly in your ear buzzed with the sound of Maria's voice. You spared a quick glance at the man next to you, his own expression riddled with amusement—the twinkle in his eyes a dead giveaway.

"Sorry Maria." You grinned. "But Ladybugs' new mindset has me rethinking some of the ways I do my job."

"See! That's exactly what Barry was talking to me about. Put a positive mood out into the world, and it comes back to you." Ladybug snapped his fingers with a triumphant smile, much to the chagrin of Maria. Who by now had sighed in your ear more times than you could count on both hands.

"Please don't tell me you two left the guns in the locker."

You could practically see her pinching the bridge of her nose right now—smudging that weird eyeliner she always insisted on applying. Probably regretting letting the two of you fill in for Carver; that bastard. It was bad enough that separately the two of you barely scraped by on missions. But together? Even you had to admit that the universe seemed to push against your every move. Hence the whole therapist talk. It was high time you tried professional help. At least that's what your targets told you right before you stabbed them in the neck.

"Hey don't sweat it boss man. Er—lady." You readjusted your coat, briefly stopping to apologize to the few pedestrians you would bump into. Didn't expect train stations to be so busy at this time of day. "You said this would be a breeze right? So no guns, no problem."

A beat of silence.

"Your lack of response tells me that you either see the brilliance of the situation or hate us right now." Ladybug scratched at his scruff, nearly knocking his ridiculously chunky glasses astray meanwhile.

"I'm thinking the second one." Maria deadpanned. All she got in response was a cheeky grin from you and Ladybug.

Quick work was made of hopping on the bullet train as you both continued your banter, footsteps falling in sync as you padded up and down the carpeted iles.

"Now you're looking for a breifcase—"

"Could you be a bit more specific?"

"Let me finish (Y/n). You're looking for a silver breifcase with a train sticker on the handle."

"That's not at all ironic." Ladybug cracked a joke, lightly setting his arm on your shoulder to prevent you from toppling on him as the train began to move with a hiss. To which you sent him a goofy salute.

"Fuck it's cold in here. You couldn't have picked a warmer train to stash this case?" You complained, half to Maria and half to Ladybug. Both rolled their eyes, albeit one more playfully than the other. A few nearby passengers didn't seem to take as kindly to your loud complaints though, tossing a nasty look or two.

"Well sorry if the twenty million in cash didn't ask before picking a route out of Tokyo. Did you want to ask the current handlers about a change in plans?"

"Nope." You popped the p while continuing to meander after Ladybug. "I'd rather snatch it from under their noses thank you very much."

Ladybug turned around momentarily to join in on the conversation, clearly buzzed about the promise of a short and easy trip.

"After all." He grinned. "How difficult could this job be?"