#if you can guess all three kings you're impressive

[sylphy]

if I had a nickel for every time my fave was named king, i'd have 3 nickels.

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippets: Free Day Friday

Prev

Trespasser, In Which Jak Gets Another Bad Idea

When he'd hastily redressed and stumbled out of the garrison locker room before anything else could happen, Jak quickly found himself confronted by that Strom guy again.

"An hour? Really?" Strom pursed his lips disapprovingly. "You think we have some magic supply of water to spare?"

"Lay off, we weren't washing for an hour -- much as I'd love to," Daxter argued, "The big guy fell asleep!"

"In the shower? Isn't that dangerous?"

Jak shrugged. "How would I know?"

Strom decided after a moment that this fell under the category of "none of my business". He sighed and waved for Jak to follow him.

"The king says we're to put you up in the barracks for now." He eyed Jak's face, somewhat startled by how much younger he looked under the dirt. "How old are you?"

Jak shrugged. "Midway through seventeen-ish. I think. My "guardian" wasn't exactly a reliable source."

More things to file under "none of my business"

"Oh...kay..." Strom did his best to move past one or two odd questions surfacing in his mind. "Well that narrows down which dorm you're in, at least."

"How so?"

They stepped back out into the late afternoon heat, onto the main road through the Gate District. The burning sun barely touched Jak, deflected by his wet clothes as if he were wearing his own air conditioning. He decided to pretend it had been intentional. Just in case someone asked why his clothes were all wet.

They were led towards the end of a row of houses built into the city wall, leading to an impressibly high flight of stairs into some kind of coliseum. Strom did his best to explain as he led them up the stairs, but he wasn't usually the guy they called for rookie orientation for a reason.

"It's um. So- okay look. The Arena sublevels are divided into three floors: the hospital, the armory, and the barracks. Barracks are split between militia, citizen candidates, and teenage Squads."

He didn't explain Squads.

"You're going to end up in that last one -- probably Dorm 4, that's where they put orphans or unregistered foundlings."

"Orphans?!" Daxter chirped indignantly. Then he paused. "I mean. I guess it's accurate, but you didn't have to say it!"

They didn't end up in Dorm 4.

The Resident Advisor took one look at the slightly dusty, slightly soggy, boy and ottsel and assigned them to an empty bunk in the second hall, Dorm 2. Jak was handed a canteen and a folded set of sheets before being unceremoniously ushered down the hall and into a sparse dorm room holding two bunk beds. For the moment, it was empty.

"Lights are out at 9 bells, no exceptions unless you got a case of the screaming meemies," the RA said gruffly. He pointed at a bottom bunk without sheets -- Jak's, apparently.

"You're responsible for keeping that bunk at least clean enough to pass weekly room checks. Check the schedule on the wall if you want to know when mess hall is open. If you miss that, you can hit the markets, but you're on your own for paying for it."

Jak eyed the bunk uncomfortably. He was responsible for maintaining this bed? He probably wasn't even going to be here that long! He cringed when the RA pushed a twelve by six metal box across the floor with a terrible scratching sound.

"That's your footlocker. If you want a lock, get it yourself. You kids keep losin' em and now we're out." The RA snorted. "But most of the squad in your room is on home rotation this week, so you only have to worry about maybe Sam stealing your stuff. He won't, by the way. Too busy training."

He turned to go, then turned back quickly. "Oh. Gotta confiscate your gun mods, so don't lose your marbles when you get your gun back plain."

"The rot you do!" Jak protested, "I earned those!"

"Don't care." The RA shrugged. "None of your dormmates have and I don't want 'em getting ideas about "borrowing" em."

With a stern warning not to start any fights, and to not miss allotted mealtimes if he didn't want to go hungry, the RA keft Jak alone with Daxter. They stood in the center of the room, blinking incredulously.

"Well..." Jak said after several seconds, "It's not a cell."

"Or an alley," Daxter agreed.

He hopped down and examined the mattress. Nothing fancy, but it was miles better than they were used to.

"Here, gimme the fitted sheet."

"What's a fitted sheet?"

"The one with the stretchy corners." Daxter pointed. "That's the one that goes on the bottom. Wraps around so it don't get pulled off if you roll around a lot."

"...oh. Weird."

Jak handed the thing to Daxter and watched in fascination as his friend set about attaching one corner at a time. It looked difficult.

Before he could offer help, his talk-box activated. That was a bit of a surprise. They'd been traveling for two days already and nobody had made a peep. Daxter had thought they'd have noticed the first time he turned off the location tracker!

"Jak! Jak, where are you?!"

Samos. Jak's stomach churned.

"Don't know," he answered flippantly. "I think we just got put in an orphanage."

"Don't be ridiculous! Get out of whatever nonsense you two knuckleheads have walked into and get back to Main Town! Something is going on, and I need time to investigate without those blasted Deathbots shooting at me!"

"Life's hard."

"What did you just say?"

Jak scoffed, feeling a little of the bubbling anger of dark eco in his core.

"You can't handle a little gunfire? You didn't have an issue making a couple kids walk into it daily. You'll figure it out."

"How can you say something so horrible to me?! I raised you to be a hero, Jak! You sound like that mercenary!"

Jak snorted."Well good. Sig's the only adult in that city I still trust."

Samos sputtered for several seconds in helpless, bewildered anger. Then he gathered himself.

"Get over yourself, Jak! Lives are at stake! I don't care what you're playing at, you turn around and get back here before something worse happens!"

Jak rolled his eyes. The sage sounded like Ashelin. He tossed Daxter the top sheet and studied the foot locker, wondering if he should use it.

"Nah, can't."

"What do you mean "can't?"

Jak shrugged as if Samos could see him. As if Daxter hadn't placed a piece of tape over the lens when he got tired of the spying.

"Oracle says I'm not done out here. Wherever "here" is. Lay off, wouldja? The Precursors sent me out here!"

He listened to Samos's stunned silence a moment before dryly asking, "Did you think they only spoke to Onin, or-?"

"But-" the old sage stammered, "But why would the Precursors send you from us when our need was greatest?"

"Probably because yours isn't the only city in the world? There are other people out there, Haven can get over itself," Jak flung the sage's words right back at him.

"What makes you think there's anything beyond the walls other than ruined wastes?"

"Those eco shipments for Praxis were coming from somewhere," Jak reasoned. Then his voice darkened to match his mood.

"There's no law that says I can't investigate. Sandover may have turned into Haven, but that doesn't mean I'm chained to it. You people already tried that, remember?"

"Jak!"

"I think the Precursors want me to find out who else survived," Jak said, though he wasn't sure that was it at all.

"I'll let you know if I find any sages."

"But Jak-!"

"Have to go, Samos. That hall monitor guy didn't say comm calls weren't allowed in the dorms but I need this thing, so I'm not taking chances."

He ended the call before Samos could make more than an outraged cough. When he looked down, Daxter was watching him with a funny expression.

"What?" he asked, a bit defensively.

"Nothin," Daxter said, unconvincingly. Then he gave a bittersweet grin. "Just never heard you stand up to Loghead like that before."

Jak looked away. "Should've been fighting him from day one. Like you. You knew he was bad news from the start, didn't you?"

Daxter rubbed his arm ruefully. "I um. I don't got a lot of memories of my folks. I was pretty little when the shark got em. But I remember my old man saying "Never trust a man who won't apologize to a kid", and then Samos came through dragging you. An'...an' you cried that whole first day, kept pointing to the sky and making a circle with your arms. And Samos ignored you."

Jak swallowed hard. "I don't remember that," he said softly. "Or much of Sandover at all now."

He sat down on the floor next to Daxter. The thanks he'd given Samos just weeks ago sat sour in his stomach. The real person he should've thanked had been right there beside him and he'd overlooked him just like Samos always did.

"Daxter?" he said gravely, "Thank you. For everything. All of it. I wouldn't be here without you."

Daxter leaned against his shoulder. "Well duh," he joked, trying to lighten a somber moment, "Heroes don't leave their sidekicks with weirdos! It goes against the bro code!"

Then he sobered.

"For the record, I don't blame ya for not knowing he had his hooks in ya. He um. I mean, you were real little, y'know? I think you maybe stuck with him at first because he was the only familiar face, and he used that against ya."

Jak laughed bitterly. "I wonder if I'd have had the guts to say all that if he was actually here?"

Daxter recognized the beginning of a spiral and elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Well he ain't! And we're not gonna will that into existence with what-ifs!"

He scurried up onto the bunk and spread out in the middle of the mattress.

"Ahhhh! Hey, are you gonna know which morph gun is ours when we get the key to that gun locker?"

Jak pushed him to one side and, after a moment's debate, unlaced his boots.

"The stock on mine looks striped because of all the tally marks on it. The others are completely blank."

"Oh! Didn't see that!"

Reluctantly, Jak took off his goggles and gauntlets and dropped them into the foot locker. At least if it didn't have a lock, he could get them back out at a moment's notice. His knife and amulet he kept on him.

The Call hadn't subsided. He still felt it, and he still didn't know what it meant. So for now, that seemed to mean staying in this hostel/barrack/orphanage combination with more Wastelanders than he'd ever known existed. At least they were Wastelanders and not soldiers. He would've slept on the streets before letting them put him in a dorm with soldiers.

The wall schedule said that the cafeteria didn't open until 6 bells after noon. That left roughly an hour before they could find out if they were allowed to take anything from it.

For a time, Jak occupied himself by polishing his channeling ring with his damp scarf. Daxter tried and failed to braid Jak's hair, but the condition it was in was just too poor.

"Pal," Daxter said reluctantly, "I don't think these mats are comin' out."

Jak sighed in resignation. He'd wanted to avoid this -- the only haircut he could remember had been a traumatic buzzcut because a KG accidentally spread bugs through the cell block -- and got himself a spot in the cell two doors down from Jak when the bugs spread to Errol. (Who was absolutely hideous with a buzz cut, and was in utter anguish about his "beautiful hair". Couldn't have happened to a nicer person. It had been the absolute highlight of Jak's entire year.)

Jak took his knife, sheath and all, from the back of his belt and held it out to Daxter.

"Do what you gotta do," he groaned, "Just don't cut it all off."

The roommate who wasn't on "home rotation", whatever that was, came back midway through the haircut. In his state of exhaustion, he didn't actually see Daxter.

"Your...hair is falling off," he mumbled in confusion.

"It's on purpose," Jak said.

"Oh."

Sam leaned against the door to pry off his boots, then blinked.

"Wait, what?"

"He's getting a haircut, doofus!" Daxter sniped.

"Ohhhhkay, the kangarat is talking." Sam dropped his boot and stared with very wide eyes. "Cooooolll coolcoolcool everything's cool."

"Ottsel, not rat," Jak corrected. "Daxter is sensitive about that."

"...uh-huh..."

Sam swung a gear bag up over the top of the top bunk bed post. With little effort, he swung himself up the ladder after it. Apparently he shared the bunk Jak had been assigned.

"Are you new? I don't remember you," he yawned.

"First day here," Jak admitted, "still dunno what's going on."

Silence for a few seconds. Then, "So...does that mean you came from Outside?"

"I guess? Don't know how I got here from Haven, but I'm not complaining."

"Oh."

Sudden Sam was leaning over the rail of the bunk, spiky blonde hair falling in his face.

"No kidding? Me too! I mean, I ran away from Kras, but. Stowed away on a cargo ship and got caught at the docks."

Kras. The name was familiar. Something to do with racing, but Jak hadn't been paying attention.

"So you planning on the Arena too?" asked Sam.

"I still don't know what the Arena is," Jak said pointedly. "Is it for races?"

"See, that's what I thought at first!" Sam exclaimed, "But apparently the only races they do in there are Leapers. It's kinda a community place? Big meetings, festivals, executions, games, theater, combat trials-"

"Festivals?" Jak was mildly intrigued.

"Executions?!" Daxter was not.

"Yeah man. Though to be fair, there's so many ways to die normally outside the walls that it takes a lot to get the death sentence around here. You have to do something really bad for Lord Damas to kill you himself. Like "engaged in the slave trade" or "abused a kid" or "betrayed the city to enemies" kind of bad. Stuff that dishonors a warrior's name for life. Otherwise he gives you a chance for pardon in combat trials."

Jak squinted up at their temporary roommate. "How...does that work, exactly?"

Sam rolled back onto his mattress with a noncommittal sound.

"Depends on whatcha did I think. Smaller offenses you gotta fight a metalhead. Bigger offenses get you more than one metalhead. If it's bad but not death sentence bad, you fight other Wastelanders who already know how you fight."

"Remind me not to get on these guys' bad sides," Daxter stage-whispered.

"So then why would I enter the Arena if I didn't do anything wrong?" Jak pushed.

"Oh yeah, that's the other thing. Civvy candidates who want to be permanent residents gotta prove they can survive the three main dangers of the Wasteland: enemy shooters, treacherous terrain, and lava. So the king makes us do combat trials simulating those conditions until he's satisfied that we won't like. Immediately die if he lets us outside."

Jak considered this for a moment.

"Fair enough," he decided.

"No??? It's not??" Daxter finished slicing off the last mat and gave Jak an appalled look. "Precisely none of that is normal!"

Jak swept the clumps of hair onto the floor and leaned back to let Daxter continue braiding what was left.

"So...you prove you can handle yourself, and they let you stay?"

Sam reappeared over the rail. "Well, you also gotta prove you're willing to work. They don't like lazy people out here, everybody does at least one thing that keeps Spargus operational, even if it's just sweeping the sand out of the stables -- which is about all they let me do on account of last time-"

"What happened last time?" Daxter asked as he finished tying off three fishbone-braids.

They could almost hear the wince.

"I...kind of...failed so hard at wall patching that I dropped an entire bucket of wet clay on a district representative. He got a concussion. It was bad."

There was a chagrined silence, but then Sam rallied. "So yeah, I'm not allowed near construction equipment anymore and I can't switch chores yet. All kids get maximum one job a day, but you get to pick what you do once you either turn nineteen, or get through the third trial."

Wheels were beginning to turn in Jak’s mind. He'd never given much thought to the future, but what if he just. Didn't go back to Haven? What if the crisis ended and he didn't go back? Might be nice to have a place like this on standby.

"So that what the grouch-in-chief said you're training for?" Daxter asked.

"Yep! Already got my first amulet and gun mod!" Sam said cheerfully. "First full trial hurts like a son-of-a-cob, but at least Scatter rounds are non-lethal."

"No they're not?" Jak sputtered.

"Yes they are?" Sam wrinkled his nose. "Scatterguns are what they give kids and civvy candidates because it's not live ammo?"

"No," Jak argued, "You can definitely kill with Scatter rounds. It just takes like six shots."

Sam stared at him with wide eyes.

"What the rot, dude," he whispered.

"What?!"

"You're telling me you've killed people with a practice gun?!"

"Well- well Haven doesn't know they're practice guns!" Jak defended.

"Okay..." Sam grimaced. "Well. Don't do that in your first trial. Only way anyone is supposed to be able to die is if they try to prioritize hunting an opponent over avoiding lava."

"None of this is making me want to try this Arena thing!" Daxter complained.

"What's the second trial?" Jak ignored Daxter's complaints.

Sam looked a little unsure suddenly. "Yellow eco trial. That's um. That's going to be my first combat to the death. And not many candidates signed up for this month's trial so it's just me and three others against a Marauder crew they captured."

"Marauders?"

"Colonists from the mainland," Sam explained. "They're wannabe Wastelanders and I'm pretty sure they're all insane because they run around out there with no shirts, ever. They also run most of the slave trade between Haven and their colony."

Jak's eyes darkened.

"They're slavers?"

"Yep." Sam shuddered. "I've seen some of the survivors brought back when the Wastelanders raid their camps or when Marauder defectors start a riot. They've been through it. And like half the Arena Guard are survivors of the Marauders, so the ring isn't where you wanna end up if you're a blood merchant."

"It's not the guards they should worry about," Jak muttered darkly. Before Sam could ask what he meant, he looked up. "So if you get through three trials, then what?"

"Full rights as a citizen, same as if you were born here."

There was a glint in Jak’s eyes that only Daxter could see, and it Concerned him.

"Ja-aak, nooo-" Daxter groaned, but he knew it was useless.

"I'll go in with you, when they do the trial," Jak offered. "World could always use one less slaver."

"For real?" Sam raised his brows. "You've only been here a day, dude. You need to do some training before you're ready for that."

"Haven's an active warzone," Jak retorted, "and I got forced onto the frontlines for a year. I'll be fine."

"I mean. If you're sure," Sam relented, "I wouldn't mind the company."

"I would," Daxter grumbled under his breath. "I have some objections!"

So, it turned out, did Damas.

[1moreff-creator]

Danganronpa One Shot: Pre-Release Analysis

Let's gooo!

In case you're not aware, for the last sixteen days, there's been a countdown of sorts going on in venus-is-thinking's account, and I've been excitedly following it along! The big reveal happened today: a fangan called Danganronpa: One Shot, hosted in the account av-multifangan!

For now, we have little more than a title, an announcement post, an FAQ and an About Page. Which I hope don't have secrets in source code or anything because I don't know how to chekc that :p

But is that going to stop me from talking about it? Hell no! I'm going to follow this from the start, and that includes early theories based on literally two pictures and a countdown. Mainly character talents and the such. Let's get into it!

What we Have

As stated earlier, literally two images and a countdown.

So... yeah not a lot. However, I feel like the poster with the wheel could give us an idea of tone, at least. Seems on the more lighthearted side from first impression, even if a killing game will inevitably have some pretty sad moments to go along with it. At least that's the impression I get, could be wrong! There's a big theme of games of chance with all the imagery of wheels, money, poker chips... as well as weapons like guns, knives and nooses, as expected of a killing game. Particularly, we see American-looking $100 bills, which combined with the names of the characters, could suggest an American setting. But hey, it's a prediction post; if I get things wrong, I get things wrong!

The comment on the names is a nice segue for the reveal that the tags of the announcement post include the names of the characters!

Now, venus specifically claims the names are secret, but I actually have a guess of what each name refers to. I could be completely off, but I think the names might be listed in Countdown Order. So Sixteen is Vanessa Bravo, Fifteen is Jeff Breeze, etc. It fits decently well, makes some sense, and I have exactly two evidence points for it, which could very well be coincidences. So again, I might be completely wrong on this :v

There's also a surprising amount of last names which... are just words? "Love," "Breeze," "Bravo," "Hall," "Long," "Walker," "Young." Hell, "Rey" and "Torres" are words in Spanish ("king" and "towers" respectively). I assume it means nothing, but I do find it amusing.

But there's one name that's interesting to me above all others. "Mark Dros." Because it just so happens that "dros" is the acronym of Danganronpa: One Shot. Now, this could just be a coincidence, or even a very meta hint of a fake name/mastermind/something like that, but if it's not a coincidence, what I find likeliest is that Mark's last name is not revealed at the start of the series. Be it because Mark doesn't remember it, or because Mark's hiding it, or something else; if Mark's name is not initially revealed, then venus and accirax would be forced to tag Mark alongside the acronym of the fangan to differentiate this Mark from the countless other Marks out there.

Am I cooking? Am I burning down the kitchen? Who knows.

Anyways, let's actually get to so-called "character analysis." I'll refer to them by their number in the countdown (I'm not confident in the name guesses as you can see :p), which can be tied to the cards by color, and from the cards to the wheel via face recognition. It's going to be extremely embarrassing if I somehow get the wrong wheel sprite from the card drawing, so let's hope that doesn't happen!

I'll mostly go in Countdown Order for organization, though... it'd feel wrong not to start at the beginning, no?

Seven - Ace of Hearts [The Protagonist]

Pronouns: Any

Color: Hot Pink*

Countdown Symbol: Penny

Card Frame Symbol: Pennies

Wheel Color: N/A

More-or-less Confirmed Name: Ellis Ortiz

*(Note: These colors are taken from the ALT text of the countdown pictures. None of them use "plum" so they're acceptable in my eyes /ref :))

Those deep in the DROS lore (so, me and maybe two or three other people so far :p) know that Seven's countdown post was the only one accirax reblogged apart from 16 and 1, saying she did it for "no reason in particular." This is one of the things that made me think Seven could be the protagonist, which I was seemingly right about, but I could have never expected her to actually be played by accirax! This sort of roleplay format is really interesting, and I'm very curious to see how it plays out!

Well, I should point out that Seven isn't technically confirmed as the protagonist, but he may as well be. That means they're the only one with a confirmed name, as both the About post and the FAQ state accirax played Ellis. Ortiz comes from the tag. This is evidence point Nº1 for the names being in Countdown Order, as Ellis is listed seventh to last.

Apart from that, my previous guess of Seven being the Ultimate Lucky Student (based on the coins and the number seven being considered lucky) seems to hold up pretty well. The theme of chance and luck has only been made more prevalent with the announcement post, though it's to the point I almost wonder if Seven might be the Ultimate Game Show Contestant or something to that effect instead. However, since the About page claims some knowledge from THH is required, it's not unreasonable to assume this is a Hope's Peak class and thus needs a Lucky Student.

Plus, Ellis being Lucky would continue the age old tradition of Lucky Student protagonists: your Makoto Naegis (THH), your Yuki Maedas (DR Another), your Teruko Tawakis (DR Despair Time), etc. What this luck looks like is impossible to know so far, but since Seven seems like a relatively confident person at first glance, my best assumption is that he's aware of his good luck and uses it for their benefit. That's probably the guess I'm least confident about btw.

Seven's also connected to the Ace of Hearts, and looking at their glasses, yeah that makes sense :v The card is connected to new beginnings and love, which seems pretty in line for a protag.

Anyways, as a final note, I really love Seven's design and Vibe. Really fun looking protag, and since she's played by accirax, I would be foolish to expect anything but peak from them :D

Then again, the rest of the characters were written by venus, so I would be foolish to anything but peak from them either ;)

Alright, now we can start with-

Mascot

Pronouns: He/him

Color: N/A

Countdown Symbol: N/A

Card Frame Symbol: N/A

Wheel Color: Pink

Suspected Name: N/A (but probs Mono-something :p)

Right, this guy. Not included in the countdown, this little cameo in the announcement post is the only reference we have of this thing's existence. That means I genuinely have no guesses on what's going on with him.

I can't even know what I'm looking at, necessarily. It looks like a gem, maybe? I'm very curious to see this guy's full design, because I feel there's a lot being lost in translation to the wheel sprite :v

Alright, now we can start with Countdown Order. Jeez.

Sixteen - Queen of Clubs

Pronouns: She/her

Color: Lime Green

Countdown Symbol: Headphones

Card Frame Symbol: Headphones

Wheel Color: Pink

Suspected Name: Vanessa Bravo

Although headphones by themselves are a bit too vague for me to have made a guess from them alone back during countdown ages, the addition of a microphone in her card makes it seem that Sixteen is the Ultimate Singer! Or something to that effect, obviously exact wording is impossible for me to guess. In any case, I’m sure watching her perform would get anyone to say “bravo!”

… I’m very unfunny.

On top of that, while card symbolism is always pretty hard to pin down due to the large variety of possible interpretations, the queen of clubs' association with confidence and self-love seem in line with Sixteen's seemingly animated stage presence... I say, having exactly one picture of her. As always in these fangans, the persona of any performer will always come into question, so whether or not she's really as confident as she seems is yet to be seen. First impressions can be wrong, after all!

Anyways, I really like her design, her little hair accessory is everything :D

Fifteen - Jack of Hearts

Pronouns: He/they

Color: Teal

Countdown Symbol: Umbrella

Card Frame Symbol: Umbrellas

Wheel Color: Red

Suspected Name: Jeff Breeze

A cool looking guy to be sure, I... have no clue what Fifteen's talent may be. The towel they're holding makes me think the umbrellas are actually parasols, so maybe something like Ultimate Resort/Hotel Manager, Ultimate Tour Guide, Ultimate Vacationer, something to that effect?

Regardless, Fifteen looks like a relatively chill guy, which certainly fits the Jack of Hearts' connections to youthful love, passion, honesty and adventure. Seems like the sort of guy you'd really love to "shoot the breeze" with, huh?

... I gotta stop. These names are all gonna be wrong and this is gonna go from unfunny to straight up silly-

Fourteen - Queen of Spades

Pronouns: She/her

Color: Red

Countdown Symbol: Spade

Card Frame Symbol: Clubs, hearts, diamonds, spades

Wheel Color: Red

Suspected Name: Antonia Cisneros

Oh... oh she looks cool... and vaguely evil... Chat I fear I might have found a future favorite. Her smug little smile and and appealing design have enraptured me lol.

I particularly love the fact all four suits of the French deck are represented in her design; the club and spade accessories in her hair and belt (maybe?) respectively, the heart shaped dress, and the (I think) diamond earrings, she slays so much I worry she might "slay" a bit too literally if you catch my drift.

That aside, it seems my original guess of Ultimate Gambler or Poker Player or something to that effect remains solid, what with all the card imagery in her accessories and the cards she's holding. Especially notable given the series itself has quite a large theming around games of chance. Hell, all the characters are represented by cards in the French deck in the Header picture.

That could certainly imply a larger degree of importance for Fourteen than other characters. I expect her to be a common mastermind guess, but I personally think it'd be cool if she was the main killing game "antagonist," a la Byakuya. Of course, she doesn't have to be, but she's currently my best guess of who the "antag" might be, if there even is one at all.

This is especially so since the Queen of Spades can be associated with intelligence and logical judgement, which makes it seem like we might have a bit of a girlboss in our hands. As much as I'm excited to see all the characters, Fourteen is one that particularly intrigues me. Can't wait to meet her!

Thirteen - Queen of Hearts

Pronouns: She/her

Color: Gold

Countdown Symbol: Teacup

Card Frame Symbol: Laurel leaves, crown?, undetermined

Wheel Color: Pink

Suspected Name: Paris Hall

Speaking of girlbosses, Thirteen seems to be actively telling me to "spill the tea, sis" in her card, which is awesome. She looks like she'll be fun.

I originally didn't have much of a guess of what talent she might have, though Ultimate Tea Maker or something to that effect might still be the best guess. However, the combination of her color being gold, the crown-looking thing at the top right of her card, and the Laurus Nobilis leaves at the top make me consider she might be royalty? Ultimate Queen/Princess? Not impossible for sure. Though it would be pretty funny to call a monarch after the capital city of one of the most notoriously anti-monarchy countries in history, assuming I got the name right of course.

(...Should I mention that Cisneros, which could be Fourteen's last name, is the name of a historically important viceroy? Does this imply a thematic connection to Thirteen? I almost wanna look a bit deeper into it, but that's speculation on top of theories on top of speculation on top of theories, so I'll hold off for now)

In any case, I'm sure she'll be quite fun. The Queen of Hearts is associated with compassion and emotional intelligence, so I'm sure she'll be a good person to have around during the killing game! ... Provided we ignore the associations 13 has with bad luck :v

Twelve - King of Spades

Pronouns: He/any

Color: Dark Red

Countdown Symbol: X

Card Frame Symbol: X

Wheel Color: Red

Suspected Name: Aidan Ho

I didn't know what the X could represent on Countdown Day Twelve, and that hasn't changed just because we've added more Xs to the situation :v

Indeed, Twelve is one of the people for whom I have no guess of a talent. He's so weird that I don't even know what's happening with his hoodie??? Is Twelve wearing a half-blue, half-red thing??? What is this.

To be fair, though, the duality might be the point. The 12 in the countdown image was also split down the middle, although what this duality theming could imply is beyond me for now.

Very emo looking, though, I'm sure it'll be fun to see what his Deal is. The King of Spades holds similar meanings to the Queen of Spades, so I could see Twelve and Fourteen being a pair of sorts. Also potentially not, you know how this works.

Very mysterious dude... I'm excited to see where Twelve goes!

Eleven - Jack of Spades

Pronouns: They/them

Color: Orange

Countdown Symbol: Theater Masks

Card Frame Symbol: Theater Masks

Wheel Color: Orange

Suspected Name: Taylor Long

Really love the design of this Ultimate Actor (or something else theater-related)! They look pretty befuddled by that book, I wonder what they're reading?

I found conflicting reports on what the Jack of Spades symbolizes, but it's something along the lines of cleverness and hard work. Possibly a smart individual, then, and the fact they seem to be studying something in a killing game seems to corroborate the "hard working" thing. I'm interested in seeing them in action! It won't be "long" until we get to see how well that applies-

I gotta... I gotta stop.

Ten - King of Hearts

Pronouns: He/him (I really hope I'm not wrongly assigning the wheel things lol :v)

Color: Pink

Countdown Symbol: Rose

Card Frame Symbol: Roses

Wheel Color: Blue

Suspected Name: Davis Love

Ah, the classic trope of the "sopping wet cat guy," I suspect this one will be a big hit in the Tumblr crowd! Definitely connected to romantic love in some capacity, not just because I'm suspecting his last name is "Love," but more so because of the "they love me-they love me not" game he's playing in the Header image and the roses he's always accompanied by. Not to mention the King of Heart's connections to love and empathy and deep emotions.

Can't exactly tell what the pin he's wearing is, but it might be a rose too. Very Crystal Gem coded, this guy.

I wonder if "Ultimate Romantic" could be a valid talent, because that's the vibe he's giving me. Hey, I've seen weirder! If not, then I don't have many guesses of what he could be :p

Nine - Ace of Spades

Pronouns: They/them

Color: Purple

Countdown Symbol: Question mark

Card Frame Symbol: Question marks

Wheel Color: Orange

Suspected Name: Mark [Dros]

Ah, the classic Ultimate ???, huh? Well, maybe not, but that's my best guess for Nine! The mirror they're holding up could be a representation of them trying to remember their own identity, their talent... and possibly, their last name.

Indeed, the fact that "Mark Dros" happens to fall on Nine is my second evidence point for the name order I'm using. It's a theory built on top of a theory built on top of a guess, but it's what I have for now :v

In any case, I'm sure I'll love them. I'm always a sucker for mystery characters, be it in the form of weirdos like Okazaki Hanano (Tetro DR Pink), cryptids like Mai Akasaki (DR Despair Time), or as seems to be the case here, amnesiacs like Izanami Hoshimiya (DR (He)artless Deceit). And the mystery with this guy is exacerbated by the fact that the Ace of Spades has the most conflicting interpretations we've seen so far. It can represent power, authority, success, and good luck... or bad luck, defeat, and death. Quite literally impossible to tell what's going on, which is only fitting. Very intrigued by this one...

Eight - Queen of Diamonds

Pronouns: She/they

Color: Bright Blue

Countdown Symbol: Scalpel + Wizardry 8 reference

Card Frame Symbol: Scalpel

Wheel Color: Red

Suspected Name: Vivi Mitchell

Ah, my archnemesis.

The backstory here is that Eight's countdown image released after I had spent the entire day, from eight in the morning to five in the afternoon, in uni, and my brain was a bit fried from several hours of class and three hours of lab work. That's my excuse for fucking up not once, but twice with that image. Not only did I first think their symbol was a paintbrush (despite having checked ALT text for every day prior), I then proceeded to confuse the word "scalpel" for "chisel" and therefore assumed Eight would be a sculptor. You're allowed to laugh at me.

Anyways, third time's the charm, Eight is likely the Ultimate Surgeon/Doctor or something to that effect, and will most likely be our designated autopsy performer for at least the first few trials. They seem to be pretty upbeat from the one (1) image we have of them, so I'm sure they'll be fun to have around. The Queen of Diamonds seems to mostly represent wealth and power, which means... I don't know. Eight makes good money? :v

Also, still no idea what Wizardry 8 is, if anyone has any guesses on why that reference exists, please tell me pretty please?

Six - Ace of Diamonds

Pronouns: Any

Color: Brown

Countdown Symbol: Illuminati Symbol

Card Frame Symbol: Illuminati Symbols, but radiant

Wheel Color: Blue

Suspected Name: Kennedy Rey

It looks like Scott Smajor got a little too obsessed with Bill Cipher and turned into a Drew Flamboni kinnie. I wonder how many references it takes for no one but me to understand a sentence :v

In case the illuminati symbol wasn't enough, the red string she's holding, associated with insane cork boards filled with random connections, fully cements Six in my mind as the Ultimate Conspiracy Theorist, or something to that effect. Not sure what the rectangle in their shirt is meant to be, but I guess that'll have to wait for the actual release.

The Ace of Diamonds generally represents wealth and success, which makes me wonder how it could connect to Six. I guess... he might just be rich. Final note, while I'm still uncertain if I got the names right or not, if I am right, venus would be kinda crazy for calling the conspiracy theorist Kennedy, knowing the conspiracy theories surrounding JFK xD It would be iconic of her I think.

Five - Jack of Clubs

Pronouns: He/him

Color: Light Blue

Countdown Symbol: Page

Card Frame Symbol: None

Wheel Color: Orange

Suspected Name: Robert Smith

Now this one's interesting. While Five's countdown symbol of a page with a bent top right corner is etched into his design, being the pin he wears, he's the only character not to have any symbols on the frame of his card. I already had no good guesses for his talent before, just kinda throwing in Ultimate Writer or Ultimate Coder or equivalents as provisional guesses, but now they seem even less likely. Because the lack of symbols on the frame of his card could actually mean the page represents something different.

I think it's possible Five is meant to be a "blank slate," which could mean he has no talent at all. Of course, there's also the possibility that his average-ness is actually his talent, something like Ultimate Blank Slate or Ultimate Regular Person or Ultimate Guy. I'm probably way off, but who knows!

The Jack of Clubs has a few different meanings, but they're generally positive. Creativity, intelligence and sincerity seem to be the main themes. So I'm sure Five will be Perfectly Normal and have Nothing Wrong with him :)

Really curious to see this one!

Four - Jack of Diamonds

Pronouns: They/them

Color: Dark Green

Countdown Symbol: Gear

Card Frame Symbol: Gears

Wheel Color: Blue

Suspected Name: Grace Thomas

Another design I love at first sight, I really dig Four's vibe. They seem pretty straightforward so far; an Ultimate Mechanic or something to that effect (I am overusing that phrase so much), they give me the impression that they'll be a voice of reason within the killing game. The Jack of Diamonds seems to reference a "messenger" who helps people achieve financial goals, which extrapolated to the killing game, could imply Four will be some kind of important support. Probably will be helpful in trials, they seem smart. Entirely possible I might be off, but that kinda fits the vibe I'm getting from them.

Let's just hope the associations the number four has with death and misfortune aren't relevant...

Three - Ace of Clubs

Pronouns: She/they

Color: Light Gray

Countdown Symbol: Fountain Pen

Card Frame Symbol: Fountain Pen

Wheel Color: Blue

Suspected Name: Cass Torres

Another one that looks like they know what they're doing, Three seems to be some kind of Ultimate Writer or something to that- you know what the phrase is. The Ace of Clubs is connected to creativity, prosperity and good fortune, which certainly fits an Ultimate Writer. Bit ironic I don't have much else to write about Three, but what we have of her seems pretty straightforward so far. We'll see how much of that is wrong later!

Two - King of Clubs

Pronouns: He/him

Color: Orange**

Countdown Symbol: Omega (uppercase), 2 stylized as Lambda (uppercase)

Card Frame Symbol: Omega, Lambda, Phi, Psi, Theta, Sigma; all uppercase

Wheel Color: Pink

Suspected Name: Noah Walker

**(Yes, the ALT text for Two and Eleven describe their colors the exact same way. That's kinda funny)

If I had no idea what the hell the Greek letters were about in the countdown image, I have even less of an idea of what they mean here. Is Two the Ultimate Hellenic Scholar? As in, a scholar focused on studying Greece? Certainly kinda gives frat bro vibes. Surely, if he was the Ultimate Linguist or something, there'd be more than Greek letters, right? Why is he so confusing?

Anyways, he seems like a pretty positive person, but who knows. The King of Clubs represents leadership, intelligence and authority. I mean... sure? Maybe that applies to him? Yeah I have no idea. Two's a bit of an enigma for me :v We'll have to wait and see!

One - King of Diamonds

Pronouns: Ve/ver

Color: Dark Blue

Countdown Symbol: Heart in Hands

Card Frame Symbol: Heart in Hands, hearts, people holding hands, peace symbol

Wheel Color: Orange

Suspected Name: Harper Young

While I originally thought One might join ver apparent distant cousin Whit Young (DR Despair Time) as an Ultimate Matchmaker, the inclusion of the peace symbol in the card frame and One giving out sweets (kinda funny, given ver countdown image came out in Halloween) makes me think it's something more along the lines of... Ultimate Pacifist? Ultimate Activist? Ultimate Make-Other-People-Feel-Good-Person? Some vague title that refers to helping others with love and peace in ver heart, be it through volunteer work, activism, whatever. I'm thinking something along the lines of Tsuno Manami's Ultimate Superhero (Tetro DR Pink), if you catch my drift.

In any case, what I'm certain of is that One seems to be a very sweet and kind person! Even if the King of Diamonds, representing mostly material wealth and authority, seems like a weird fit for ver (btw if I use these pronouns wrong please tell me. I looked them up but I'm still not entirely confident I'm using them right :v). However, the King of Diamonds can also represent ethical success and bring positive energy to a reading (?), so it might not be completely off from what the rest of the information we have of One.

Finally, there's one variable I've been listing for these characters which I haven't really addressed yet, and that's the wheel color. Here are the full groups for each color:

N/A: Seven

Pink: Mascot, Sixteen, Thirteen, Two

Red: Fifteen, Fourteen, Twelve, Eight

Orange: Eleven, Nine, Five, One

Blue: Ten, Six, Four, Three

What could this mean? Well, uh... anything. Friend groups, shared themes, simple coincidence... I have no way of knowing what the connections could be, or if they're even relevant at all. I'm just noting them down for future reference :)

Anyways, that's all folks! Geez, how the hell did I write so much about a fangan that has practically no content so far? No wonder my other posts reach such ridiculous word lengths.

Hope you enjoyed! If you made it this far, you deserve a little treat! You can ask One, heard ve's passing them out. See you later!

[aimlesspixel]

Isat Scintillation - Side Stories V1

I more so wrote these as a way to practice getting a feel for how the different character's think and act but since they are events in my fic I figured I may as well put them out there! Please make sure to read Chapters 1 and 2 first before biting into these.

Mirabelle

Mmph, Siffrin still looks like their pushing themselves a bit to keep up this pace. Don't they know how important rest is for recovery? He doesn't want any of us to worry i bet. I know we're going to reunite Bonnie and Nile but that doesn't mean that we can't slow down.

I wonder what Bambouch is like I know it's close to the sea but not much more than that. I'll ask Bonnie sometime.

Still I can't believe we managed to save Vauguard. We really do owe Siffrin I overheard her talking to them back when we just finished discussing our plans and if she's right we really didn't have any chance at victory without them. I'm so glad that we managed to save them from the time loop.

"Mirabelle is something wrong?"

"Oh madame! No nothings wrong, just lost in thought i suppose." "Alright well I'll leave it at that then I'm not particularly good with feelings. Besides that though i was curious if you'd like to discuss books?"

"Oooh would you really?! I have so many to recommend! Like the cursing of chateaux castle! And-"

"Slow down, yes I'd love to and please don't shout in my ear."

"Oh• sorry Madame."

"You were excited, in my endless magnanimity i shall find it in my heart to forgive you this time."

"Of course Madame I thank you graciously for your forgiveness (with a giggle)."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Odile

Working too hard huh? Siffrin definitely worked too hard back in the house especially with the almost ending the world business... It's been bothering me a while, how come Siffrin and the king both knew wish craft? I mean they did start the loops (according to that star looking fellow named loop and our conversation with them) with wish craft they accidentally did so how did they know about it?

My best guess is with the last thing the king said about his country. If they're from the same place that may explain it.

Actually that explains a few other things too like why Siffrin said they can't go home and their poor memory I mean the whole thing with the king was no one could remember his country right? I can't imagine how that would affect someone who grew up there and moved to live elsewhere before everyone couldn't remember.

"We know you're all excited to see us but we need to find an inn so we can rent a room for the night." The kids apologize and run off. Honestly I'm glad we have the time to talk with the locals and such, not having the stress of Vaugaurds imminent doom looming over is a great change of pace.

We've come through here once already but we were collecting orbs then so I'll just ask the defenders around here.

"Welcome! Welcome! Are you looking for a room today?"

It's a bit impressive how fast Vaugaurde is able to continue regular operation after such a large scale emergency. "Yes what kinds of rooms do you have?"

"We have single, double, and triple bed rooms available"

No reason to change tradition "The three bed room please."

"Of course here's the key I'll show you to the room"

The room is pretty spacious for a three bed inn room. Maybe they're treating us since we just saved Vauguard. That's probably it honestly. Well i wont deny a little special treatment as long as we're still paying properly

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Next Side Stories collection will feature Isabeau and Bonnie btw so hopefully you're looking forward to it!

[sanvirtheobserver]

SMG4 Fanon: FOOD WARS, The Second Course

I officially bring to you my first fan-written episode, as well as the prologue of my new fanfic Taking Flight.

Hope you enjoy!

____________________________________________

We begin in the gaming room, where we see Tari on the couch playing Lies Of P, Luigi playing some pong by himself for some reason (and somehow still losing), Bob and Boopkins playing that weird ass version of Monopoly they like, and Mario on the computer ordering some Pizza.

Pizza Chef: What kind of toppings would you like?

Mario contemplates the meaning of the question for a moment, wandering deep within the wrinkles of his brain in search of an answer. But that didn't work so he just resorted to smashing the keyboard and bury the digital chef in toppings until we are left with an abomination of an order that will be ready shortly.

Mario: PIZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

And he's off to go get the goods, zipping by Meggy who has entered the room with her own box of goods in hand. Surprisingly enough, we also see Whimpu and Belle tagging along.

Belle: Whats got him all worked up?

Meggy: Eh, you know how Red is around food.

Boopkins: Oh! Ko'nichiwa Whimpu-sama, it's been a while.

Whimpu: It is good to see you too, my Furui Yūjin.

Belle: Oi rags, I got the vials. Bushmaster's blend.

Bob: Oh hell yeah! I'll get the vase!

Belle: Aces.

As Bob go gets the "vase" and the weebs start catching up, We see that Tari has just beaten the Puppet King. She collapses into her seat in releif as Clench starts cheering. And it only took them 35 tries.

Clench: THATS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE THE MVP! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE THE GOAT! THE GOAT!

Tari: *heh* Oh, hey Meggy.

Meggy: Hey Tari! Guess what I goooooooot.

She then noticed the box Meggy's hands, which was more than enough to get her on her feet.

Tari: *gasp* Is that.........?

Yep, within the box was none other than Gnomeson's gourmet candies. We look to the window seeing Gnomeson himself.

Gnomeson: TASTE THE RAINBOW MOTHER******!

Tari: Oh my gosh, you actually found him!?

Meggy: Yeah, we met up at the gym and he hooked me up.

Tari: Then what are we waiting for?

Meggy takes a seat and they both......um.....I'm struggling to find a cigarette analogy to describe this. Anyway, they both take a lollipop.

We then shift perspectives to SMG3 and SMG4 as they begin to head out.

SMG4: Oh C'mon, Three. This'll be fun! ...........Y'know, as long as you behave yourself.

SMG3: I will, I will! Geez, you're the closest thing to a mother I've ever had.

Just then, Mario triumphantly returns with his bounty of 10 whateverthef*** specials. Nice and piping hot.

Mario: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- Hm? Oh, hi SMG4! Hey, where are you going?

SMG4: We're heading over to Bloopersville to meet up with FM and X. Apparently they got new looks sometime after the whole Lawyer Kong thing.

SMG3: Yeah, I can't wait to see how dumb they look now. Just wait until they get a look of me.

SMG4: Yeeeaaaah. Anyways, we're gonna be gone for a bit. Don't you have TOO much fun, now! Heh heh..........also at least TRY not to set anything on fire, okay?

Mario: Pingas.

SMG4: Close enough. Let's go.

Now they're off on their ~~honeymoon~~ trip, leaving Mario with an...........idea.

That's right, IT'S HOUSE PARTY TIME!!!!

The main hall is a buzz with games and laughter. We see Bob and Rob cheering on Kaizo as he bobs for corn, Chris and Swag playing Pin The Tail On The Teletubby with Luigi, Boopkins teaching Jub Jub how to play Bakugan, Shroomy doing some target practice, and Whimpu showing off his cool rock collection to impress the ladies. Well, more like lady since Melony is the only one who's actually paying attention to the shiny things.

Whimpu: And this is Neodymium glass. It can actually change colors depending on the lighting of the surrounding environment.

Melony: Wooooow! That's so cool. What does that one do?

Whimpu: Oh, this is just Mahogany Obsidian.

Saiko: It's a wonder how she's still awake.

Belle: Honestly, I can't blame her. It's like a Spanish soap opera. You don't know what the hell they're saying, but then you start to piece together what's happening then your hooked.

Saiko: You really have gotten a lot softer, haven't ya.

Belle: Oi, Pot. You got something to say to the Kettle?

Saiko: *chuckles* Alright, alright. Forget I said anything.

We see Tari and Meggy headed to the party table with their Gnomish Candies..........where Meggy noticed Mario with his Pizzas coming over as well. Mario then takes notice of the girls and their Candy. It was when their gazes met that thing's started to get quiet. Everybody took notice of the two staring each other down at the party table.

Meggy: Hey there, Red. What ya got there?

Mario: Pizza. How about you?

Meggy: Oh, just some candy.

Mario: I see.

The energy has changed. Meggy turned her gaze to her fellow Sweet Tooths, and Mario turned his gaze to his fellow Greasy Bois. The line has been drawn. The board is set. All the pieces are taking their places. Their gazes meat once again. A fiery determination glowed within both.

Mario: So................what happens now?

A rhetorical question. You know what happens now. Brace yourselves people, for you are about to witness a...........

Mario & Meggy: FOOOOOOOOD FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!

And here we go! The main hall is a Frenzy as sweets, spice, and everything completely unhealthy roars through the air. Kaizo and Bob clash blades, their movements as swift as lightning as sugar and grease flake off like sparks with each strike. Whimpu lays down suppressing fire with a fan of Pretzels as Belle showers the room with a hail of Doritos. Shroomy is blasting condiments in all directions, Saiko's KFC hammer shakes the earth with every impact. Chris and Swag take artillery positions, raining down rock candy artillery as Melony retaliates against Luigi's Unicorn Lollipop Lance with her Pizza Sword, all while Boopkins, Jub Jub, and Tari act as field medics for the Sweet Tooths. We then pan over to Mario using his Pizza Shield to deflect the projectiles of Meggy's M&M16.

Meggy: It's no use, Mario! I have the high ground! Surrender now and we can end this quickly!

Mario: You wish it would be that easy.

Mario throws his hat, but Meggy dodges into the air. She aims down sights towards Mario. All she needs is one clean shot and-

BAM!!!! A surprise sideswipe sends her skidding. Luckily, Tari was able to catch her. Both were shocked to see none other than Pepperman! Mario catches his hat and plops it on with a smirk.

Mario: Thank's for the save, Peppino.

We pan over to see Peppino Spaghetti and his whole crew tipping the balance of the battle. It looks like Mario called in backup this time around, leaving the Sweet Tooths outnumbered by the Greasy Bois.

Meggy: Dammit.........FALL BACK TO THE CAFE!

And so, the Greasy Bois are victorious as the Sweet Tooths are pushed back to SMG3's Café. A Pizza Tower is placed on top of the Castle as proof of their dominion. An impressive win, but this was just the first battle in a war that has just begun.

Behind the Cafe's doors, the Sweet Tooths have regrouped and are now planning their counter attack. Boopkins and Jub Jub are preparing what appear to be makeshift candy explosives. Once the prep work is done, they gather around Meggy as Tari lays out a map of the Greasy Bois' Pizza Tower.

Meggy: We're never gonna end this war if we can't retake the Snack Table, and we can't take back the Snack Table without getting through that Tower.

She points to four different areas of the map.

Meggy: Mario and the Greasy Bois have the Table stashed at the top of the Tower. They may outnumber us, but we'll have a better chance if we can deal with each floor without alerting the floor above. Once we've reached the top and all the ICDs are placed, we deliver our last payload to the Table and bring the whole thing crashing down.

Tari: We lost our last battle because we couldn't take them all at once, so this time we'll need to take them on one floor at a time. It is crucial that we stay together in order to have the numbers advantage against each single floor, so no slacking behind and no rushing in alone.

Luigi: The ICDs are ready for transport Ma'am.

Meggy: Excellent. Any word from our scouts?

Chris: Front door is a no-go. Too heavily guarded. Swag had to stay behind to cover our escape. God be with him.

Bob: Our best chance is to enter through the window of SMG4's room. That will give us the clearest path up stairs.

Meggy: Alright then. Remember to stick together and stick to the shadows. Do not engage unless I give the order. You need to take someone out? Do it quietly. Everybody ready?

The whole team nods in agreement. Meggy turns to Tari, who gives a confident smile.

Tari: We can do this.

Meggy: Then what are we waiting for? Let's give em a good ol' fashioned Sweet Tooth Surprise!

And so the Sweet Tooths are off, preparing to make their move under the cover of night. Kaizo notices them mobilizing as he scouts from the roof of the Castle.

At the peak of the Tower, we see Saiko and Belle dragging Swag to the foot of Mario's Pizza Throne. By his side is Peppino, watching down upon the interloper with a judgemental gaze.

Saiko: Kaizo saw this one skulking around the Main Lobby.

Peppino: I see. What exactly were you doing here, hm?

Swag: Oh, nothing. I was just waiting on a date.

Peppino: Is that so. And who exactly is this date of yours?

Swag: Your mom LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

And just close that, he was sent to THE PIT! Which in reality was just a kiddypool full of Extra Hot Marinara Sauce that REALLY stings when you get it in your eyes. It was then that Kaizo had arrived to deliver the news.

Kaizo: The Sweet Tooths are making their move. It looks like they plan on taking the fight to us. We should act now.

Belle: HA! I say let the Gutbags try.

Whimpu: But if they get here, they could take our table and all will be lost!

Peppino: Indeed. Without the table, our Golden Crispy Kingdom will be lost forever! We must mobilize and-

Mario: No.

All eyes turn to Mario as he walks to the edge and turns his gaze to the Showgrounds below.

Mario: Let them come. Let them see our glory and try to stop us. These Grounds are just the beginning. We shall soon spread across the Mushroom Kingdom. Then the country. Then the world. All shall know the glory of the Greasy Bois! AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Well that escalated quickly. Though, I've seen worse paths to world domination than a house party turned civil war.

Anywho, the Sweet Tooths enter through SMG4's Room Window, with Meggy and Bob quickly dispatching some Pig Cops.

Bob: I love myself some fresh ham. So good you could ea-

Meggy: Bob I swear to Greg I will actually murder you.

Once the room is secured, the rest enter and Tari is the first to enter the main hall, her Candycane Crossbow at the ready. Luigi and Boopkins are right behind her as they make their way up the staircase. At the door, Luigi uses his Astral projection to peer into the floor above. Apart from a few Cheeseslimes, the coast seems to be clear for the most part. He returns to his body after locating the entrance to the tower.

Luigi: Alright. We should be clear to proceed.

Clench: I don't like this. It sounds like we're walking into a-

?????: Going somewhere?

The trio quickly turns to see Saiko, Kaizo, and Melony on the edge of the balcony. Boopkins quickly aims his Dessert Eagle as Luigi readies his Unicorn Lollipop Lance, but Tari is frozen in fear with her back to the door desperately trying to get it open.

Saiko: Well well well..........

Saiko makes her way towards Tari as Kaizo and Melony face off against Boopkins and Luigi. Tari raises her crossbow as Saiko approaches.

Tari: Stay back! I'm warning you!

She fires a Candycane, but Saiko catches it with ease and crushes it in her hand. She then rips the Crossbow from Tari's hands and pins her against the door by the shoulder.

Clench: Hey, watch it! It takes hours to get a jacket looking this good.

Tari: I.......I'll never surrender to you!

Saiko: Come on, Tari. You can be so much more than this. Just come with us, and we can have a little talk.

Their talk is interrupted by a boot to Saiko's face, courtesy of Meggy. Saiko tries to retaliate with a swing of her hammer, but is intercepted by Bob and sent flying off the balcony with a well timed parry. Chris arrives, pulls Tari aside, and blows the doors wide open with his FR-GL.

Chris: Come on you apes! Do you wanna live forever!?

Bob: Keep going, guys! We'll hold them off!

Tari snaps out of her shock and makes her way through the door alongside Meggy, and Chris. They all make their way to the entrance of the Pizza Tower, where they encounter Shroomy with his dual condiment cannons.

Shroomy: Stop right there! No sugary treats are allowed beyond this point.

Chris: Don't worry. I got this.

Tari looks over to Chris preparing something. He swiftly slides a can of sugar frosted sardines right at Shroomy's feet.

Chris: Wait for it.

Shroomy: I will now require your immediate and unconditional surren-

Suddenly, a bear rips it's way through the woodworks, scooping up the sardines and thrashes Shroomy around before dragging him screaming below the floorboards. Looking back on it, I realize having so much unguarded food in a location surrounded by woodlands that are full of wild animals *probably* wasn't the best idea.

But enough semantics. It's time for our PIZZA TOWER ANY PERCENT SPEEDRUN. Our trio blitzes through each floor with breakneck pace Meggy's aim is swift and true. Chris' explosive ordinance blankets the battlefield, and Tari.......well, she's too busy trying to keep up while also setting up each ICD within the tower. Their progress is interrupted with the arrival of Peppino along with Pepperman, Vigilante, and The Noise. The battle is intense, as each side throws everything they have at one another.

Vigilante: Ya got moxie, kid. But ya'll need more than that.

Meggy simply smirks as she notices Pepperman coming in hot from behind trying to get in another sideswipe. But as Vigilante unloads a hail of bullets, Meggy expertly dodges and Pepperman ends up passing right below her. He gets riddled with bullets as he crashes into Vigilante, taking them both out.

Meggy: That enough *Moxie* for ya?

Pepperman/Vigilante: My scrotums.

We then cut to Chris facing off against the Noise, who isn't really fighting him so much as trying to bore him to death with an "intimidating" speech.

Noise: I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire PT armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my-

Chris just pulls out an RPG and blows his ass to high heaven. That just leaves us with Tari setting up another ICD before being confronted by Peppino, who uses his signature beyblade attack. Tari panicks as she frantically tries to avoid getting ripped up, but is driven into a corner.

Peppino: Give up, blue girl. Your gaming skills are no match for the Spaghetti Family Swag.

It is then that Tari notices a crate next to her labeled "Materiali Pericolosi". Seeing no other option, she quickly rummages through the crate as Peppino goes in for another attack. But right in the nick of time, Tari manages to force feed him a freshly baked pizza. With Pineapple. The crime against Italy is too much for Peppino to handle as he collapses onto the ground screaming and defeated. Tari very awkwardly steps around the suffering Italian man and regroups with the others as the trio makes their way to the final battle. They make their way to Mario's Throne Room, where Bell is ready with her Takigun and Whimpu is using Rob as a Spear as they guard the Snack Table.

Belle: C'mon ya Muckers! Ya feeling lucky?!

Whimpu: Surrender now if you value your lives.

Rob: Please put me down I am very tired.

Meggy: Let us handle the goons. You just focus on delivering that payload.

Tari nervously clutches the last ICD as Meggy and Chris lock and load.

Chris: This is for Swag, you Greasy Bitches!

Chris kicks off the fight with a barrage from his FRGL, while Belle and Meggy exchange hails of gunfire. Tari makes a break straight for the Snack Table. Whimpu is in hot pursuit, rearing Rob for a surprise attack but is then intercepted by Chris's boot.

Chris: Keep going! I'll cover you!

Whimpu proceeds to swing Rob around like a hammer at Chris, much to Rob's motion sick dismay. Belle is still preoccupied with Meggy as Tari see the table. But right as she is about to set the device...........

Mario: Hey stinky!

Tari looks up and is shocked to see Mario standing on top of the massive floating Pizza with a sinister face.

Mario: Your pathetic resistance ends now, Sweet Tooths! Me and Pizzaface here are gonna show you what's for! With our combined pow-

But just then, Pizzaface flips around and flings Mario straight into the floor.

Mario: HEY, WHAT THE F***! We're supposed to be working together!

Pizzaface: YOU THINK I FORGOT OUR LAST MEETING, MARIO? THE ONE WHERE YOU ATE ME?

Mario: Oh.............I sense I've made a mistake of some kind.

Pizzaface then goes on a rampage, crashing into everything in sight. Belle is unfortunately caught in one of Pizzaface's attacks, knocking her unconscious. Whimpu drops rob and heroically catches her in his arms before running away to safety. Chris and Meggy open fire on him, but are then sent flying with a whip from his green pepper mustache. Meggy is flung towards the balcony, hanging from the edge, whereas Chris is flung into the PIT where Swag is.......chilling, for some reason.

Chris: OH GOD MY EYES AAAAAAAAHH!!!!

Swag: Oh hey Chris. I just made some Bloody Maries.

Tari is petrified in fear as Pizzaface stares her down with a sadistic grin. She crumples to the ground, clutching her head as she braces for the end. But just as all seems lost........

Clench: Hey, Tari........

Tari turns her attention to her robot arm.

Clench: We have a mission to complete. Remember?

Tari: I......I don't know what to do. Everyone's down and everything is falling apart. Clench.........

Tears begin to well up in her eyes.

Clench: Listen to me. I know you're scared, but that hasn't stopped you before, has it? Remember that time Waluigi turned everyone into zombies and tried to take over the world, and you saved everybody by beating him at a fighting game?Remember when Meggy was abducted by that lizard weeb guy, and you joined the assault on Anime Island to save her? Remember when that Zero guy tried to recycle the universe and you joined the fight to beat him? And surely you remember the time you were stuck in some kind of bootleg Westworld and created your own pocket dimension to save everybody? Those were all scary too, weren't they?

Tari contemplates Clench's words. Those moments WERE scary.......yet that didn't stop her from helping her friends when it mattered the most.

Clench: You don't need to be fearless to be brave, Tari. You just gotta do what needs doing.

It was in that moment Tari felt something. She got back up to her feet and gazed defiantly straight into Pizzaface's Pepperonis. Her fear didn't disappear......it just didn't matter anymore. Clench was right. You don't have to be fearless to be brave.

Just then, Tari's eyes lit up with a vivid azure hue as a surge of energy coarsed threw her. Meggy managed to pull herself up just in time to see Tari levitating in the air. From her back emerged a pair of translucent blue wings crackling with energy. Tari then flew into the sky, breaching the clouds as the first sight of dawn broke. She then rocketed back down at Mach speed, her robotic arm crackling with power as it made contact with Pizzaface's cheese. The two crashed through the tower's floors, before breaking through the Castle's roof. Both Greasy Bois and Sweet Tooths present ceased their fighting as a massive crash shook the foundations of the Main Hall. When the dust had settled, they saw a crater in the main hall riddled in Pizzaface's mechanical remains. At the center of the crater was severely mangled Pizzahead and an unconscious Tari.

We then cut to later in the morning. SMG3 and SMG4 return to see the Castle abuzz with activity. The war was over, the Pizza Tower was destroyed, The Sweet Tooths and Greasy Bois have reached a truce, and the festivities had resumed. We see Kaizo bobbing for corn as Bob, Rob, and the Noise cheer him on. We see Boopkins, Jub Jub, and Melony sitting down as the Vigilante tells them the story of how the military once bombed his buddy Keith. Whimpu is once again showing off his rock collection to Belle, who seems to be actually paying attention this time. Chris and Swag are laying back and enjoying some Bloody Maries as Shroomy arm wrestles Pepperman. At the foyer we see Peppino and Mario spinning pizzas and playing tunes on the turntables. The SMGs make their way to the Gaming Room where they see Saiko and Meggy watching over Tari as she lays down on the couch.

SMG4: Looks like we missed quite the party, huh?

SMG3: I'll say, judging by the hole in the ceiling. And the Crater in the main hall. And the ambulance outside. And the tower pieces every- WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?

Meggy: It's a long story. How you holding up, soldier?

Tari: Just fine, captain. A little dizzy, though.

Saiko: I have to admit. You did quite a number on poor Pizzahead. I didn't think you had it in you to even fight someone, let alone.........THAT.

Tari looks down at her robot arm.

Tari: Yeah. Neither did I.

SMG4: Well, the Castle is still in one piece for the most part, so I guess it's fine. It's definitely gonna delay the second floor, though.

Saiko: Hey, how was your trip to Bloopersville?

SMG3: ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSING! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT FM GOT ABS AND I DIDN'T! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!?

SMG3 continues to be a deva as the camera zooms out from the Castle and into the woodlands, where we see.......something........moving in the trees as the screen fades to black and the credits role.

[real-jaune-isms]

By Any Other Name

Usopp: Hmmm... well I don't know...

Zoro: The hell are you doing staring at our wanted posters?

Usopp: Just trying to get some creativity flowing. We get these nicknames and epithets from the Marines or other folks we cross, but some of them just don't feel right, you know what I mean?

Zoro: I guess I do, yeah. I've been a pirate longer than I was a bounty hunter, and they still call me 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro.

Usopp: Right. And I like the authority to it, but it puts way too much attention on my poor head to call me God Usopp.

Zoro: Hmph~ So you're trying to think of better names in the hopes we can start getting the word out ourselves and pray it catches on?

Usopp: Exactly! Want to help?

Zoro: Eh, why the hell not? So we start with Luffy?

Usopp: We would, but if we changed his from Straw Hat Luffy then we'd need to worry about changing our whole crew identity and symbol. What would it even be changed to?

Zoro: I dunno... 'Rubberman' Luffy? He's got that new form that's white hot like the sun or something, but the Sun pirates are already taken. 'Sun God' Luffy would be way too grand for him anyway.

Usopp: Yeah I think that one is best left alone. What about you? If 'Pirate Hunter' is out, what do you want the headlines to call you? 'Three Sword' Zoro?

Zoro: Yeah that seems pretty dead on. Might be getting a little ahead of myself, but pretty soon it'll be 'World's Strongest Swordsman' Zoro.

Usopp: *rolls his eyes* Riiiight. I'm sure Sanji would say you deserve 'Mosshead' Zoro or something like that.

Zoro: I bet he would, and I'd be all too happy to tell people he goes by 'Pervert Cook' Sanji. He might actually prefer it to his crappy family name though...

Usopp: Yeah. 'Black Leg' Sanji isn't too bad, but he's been doing his whole flaming legs thing for so long, I feel like that should get the attention now.

Zoro: Then he's 'Flame Leg' now, easy.

Usopp: Alright smarty swords, if it's so effortless then you come up with the rest of them. How about Nami?

Zoro: 'Thunder Witch'.

Usopp: Me?

Zoro: 'Sniper King', embrace the old persona now that you've proven you have the skills.

Usopp: Wow! That's actually really gratifying, thank you. Alright, Chopper.

Zoro: 'Monster Doctor'.

Usopp: Ah, points out both of his strong suits, I like it. Robin?

Zoro: Hmph. 'Bookworm'~

Usopp: Are you kidding me? With everything she can do, you'd give her a nickname for how much she reads??

Zoro: Ugh... 'Flower of Knowledge' then?

Usopp: That sounds like something Sanji might call her, not exactly intimidating to the rest of the world.

Zoro: Fine. 'Demon of the Void Century'.

Usopp: Ooh, now that's a good one. Franky?

Zoro: 'Walking Battleship'.

Usopp: Nice, sounds powerful. Brook?

Zoro: 'Bonesman' would be too on the nose, huh?

Usopp: Not that he has a nose, yohohoho~ ...Sorry, I couldn't resist doing a little impression. But nah, funny as it is, it's probably not a good name for the wanted posters.

Zoro: I dunno then, 'Soul King' is a good name on its own, maybe 'Rattling Swordsman'?

Usopp: Yeah, that could work if we needed an alternative. What about Jinbei? 'Knight of the Sea' and 'First Son of the Sea' are pretty damn good epithets.

Zoro: They are. Maybe 'Tide of Liberation' or something.

Usopp: That's pretty poetic, I like it. Alright, guess I'm satisfied, thanks for the help, Zoro!

*he gets up and leaves*

Zoro: *picking up Robin's poster with a half smile* Heh... maybe I should call her bookworm, it's kinda cute for her. Better than 'Demon Child'... that one sure as hell doesn't fit her beauty. Really, she's more of an angel... 'Brilliant Angel' Nico Robin.

Robin: Consider me swooning, 'Stunning Samurai' Roronoa Zoro~

Zoro: The hell?? How long have you been standing there?

Robin: Since 'Thunder Witch'. *closes the door to the room* Now let's have a little talk about what you like calling me~...

[cloud-somersault]

Just wanted to comment that I found your post about the five pillars of magic and who is proficient in which so incredibly interesting! I was actually kinda surprised that Little Star had no experience in Shadow because I’ve gotten the impression that Macaque had more of the role of teacher with them than Wukong did at that time, and he had MK delve into it a little, but I guess the circumstances were VERY different with Macaque actually training Star but manipulating MK to siphon his powers when they first met (actually intrigued about your take on that in the Constellations verse) but obviously you as the author have more info on the characters than we as the audience do.

Poor MK is the only one not proficient in an area yet 😭 but tbh considering he’s so young compared to the rest of them and has been training officially for even less (I guess approximately a year? Maybe more or less? Idk the timelines help) then I think he’s doing real good! My guess would be that he’s gonna master either Celestial or possibly Elemental first since I guess that’s some of what Wukong had been teaching him so far and we know MK takes after him a lot in certain areas? Plot twist would be if you have some mega angst planned and he ends up mastering Death first (I remember Wukong mentioning that the golden flowers of his birth might have appeared in the Underworld too?), orrrr maybe he’ll end up being a Jack of All Trades, Master of None? Anyway MK baby I believe in you 🧡

Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked that post, I should reblog it more so others can see 😭Macaque did have a strong role in training Little Star, but the prerequisites for training in shadow are difficult...and not exactly something that sounds fun. To Little Star, magic is fun first and foremost. I don't think they'd be interested (or patient enough) to train in shadow magic. Macaque would respect that.

Huh. 🤔If I had to explain in a constellations!way or how I see it happening, Macaque was manipulating the shadows in MK's heart and mind, pulling on that emotion of wanting to be a great student, powerful and cool enough so that Monkey King would be impressed by him. We know, at this point, that MK was wondering if Wukong thought he'd made a mistake in choosing MK as his successor. Macaque would've honed in on that feeling of inadequacy and used it to his advantage.

So, then, Macaque could give power to MK in that way. Once Macaque can control/see the shadows in someone's heart and mind, it's exceptionally easy for him to manipulate them. Macaque can give them nightmares, conversely, he can also prevent nightmares by this same manipulation (this will come up later). I'd like to think that he needs to have some feeling to go off of, y'know. A way to get his foot in the door. Training with MK in season 1 was Macaque finding that way in, and he grabbed hold of it, and...the reset of the episode happened. That's how I'd explain it, anyway. So MK doesn't know shadow magic formally. He's just felt it and somewhat controlled it...kind of.

No, MK is not proficient...yet. In Constellations, the first three seasons of the show took place in two years. Right now, in the epilogue, we are in...May! Of the third year (yes i have this fic planned down to the timeline, leave me alone). The epilogue will end in, roughly, September. MK will be training that whole time.

So he's been training for about two and a half years. I'd say he's making great progress! He's mastered the 72 transformations, and once he's directed his celestial magic to interact with all of the elements, he'll have crossed another milestone. For magic proficiency, we have to think...smaller. Like by individual spells. For an immortal, time is nothing. For MK? Every second counts, and he's learning fast. He's great at cloud-somersaulting already after his first attempt. That's fucking astounding since it even took Wukong some time to master. You're right that he's doing great!!

MK is focusing on celestial and elemental right now, yes. This will come up in chapter 6 of the epilogue. And! In chapter 3, Macaque and Wukong discussed the order of teaching MK the elements. In their minds, that means MK has a solid foundation in celestial magic, enough so that they can push him to do more elemental things.

Interesting that you'd mention death magic...what a plot twist that would be, indeed. 😁We'll have to see what happens. But! I do love the idea of MK being a jack of all trades. I just love characters like that. But, if I were to put a celestial primate in that category right now, it'd be Macaque. But that's just because he loves magic so much.

Wukong did say that MK's birth made golden flowers bloom in every realm (this is very important) along with an earthquake. So! Golden flowers from MK's birth are in the Underworld! Wonder what happened with them, huh.

Maybe we'll find out~ 😉

[lonepower]

@curlyparmesan replied to your post “hi! guess who's alive! this is just the page from...”:

You made that?? It's so good!! I know nothing about Hollow Knight but it looks so pretty.

​BWEH THANK U 😭-

but also oh man okay now i have to yell because this game. it's like. ok. so the game is about this little bug

(absolute creature. unauthorized fucking thing.) known variably as "the knight", the "little ghost", "pale thing", "small friend"- the point is they don't really have a name, or an identity, or any memories, or any personality, or anything. (spoiler alert: they have all of these.)

the game starts with you entering "Hallownest," a deteriorating subterranean kingdom of bugs that has been slowly rotting for an unknown amount of time as a mysterious infection consumes it from within. the king is missing; the queen has barricaded herself into her home out of an unspecified grief; all but a handful of citizens are dead; and nobody wants to sleep, because if you do the infection will come to take over your dreams and drive you mad. and dying doesn't free you from this because it just fills you with goo and puppets your corpse around! fun.

so your job as this little creature is to find out what's causing the dreaming sickness and put a stop to it.

there is a way you are supposed to put a stop to it. this is the easiest, worst, and most horrifying ending.

describing the story any further would delve into spoilers that are absolutely more fun to discover (and going lore-hunting is at least half the fun of the game - make sure to explore everywhere), but like. these little 16 pixels will RIP your HEART from your BODY. they will cause AGONIES. you'll be on the floor crying about bugs and you WILL like it.

as far as gameplay goes, it's a 2D sidescroller/metroidvania style, which put me off it for a long time because i haaaaaaaaaate metroidvanias. i actually started it, got past the first boss (which is a testament to how good it is in and of itself, because usually i get to the first enemy and am just like "nah"), went "oh right I hate metroidvanias," and gave up. and then about three days later i was like, "...but I want to know what happens next." as it turns out, it's actually highly moddable, so I stuck god mode on and played through the entire thing three times in about a month. I've actually weaned myself off of it for a couple of encounters, which is even more impressive! Troupe Master Grimm also headlines my very very very short list of "bosses I not only tolerate, but actively enjoy" (alongside essej from control + tom and hel from ghostrunner. that's the entire list.) combat is... still hard, but can be rewarding - it's mostly timing-based and there's a parry mechanic whose window is so fucking microscopic but actually managing it is really satisfying.

(also, like-

-i can't even go into details because it's BIIIG spoilers but like. the way two of the characters parry. like their stances and stuff. i'm screaming and wailing and tearing out my hair over the Implications of that-)

and the MUSIC too. the THEMES and MOTIFS. the way certain characters' leitmotifs creep into different areas or into other characters' themes... POETIC CINEMA. i could, have, and will continue to listen to the main theme, dirtmouth bgm, and city of tears bgm on repeat for hours. (also bonus favorite boss theme. the fact that this man is not a Tumblr Sexyman(tm) continues to boggle me-)

another thing I really like is that you're not the only adventurer in the world. there's not really a companion mechanic (though there are some upgrades that will give you little minions, and you can kill a clown and he'll give you his son as a reward), but there's a couple of other characters you can encounter periodically across the game who are on their own quests, which depending on your actions you can help bring to fruition or not. it just feels like the kind of thing you don't see very often? but this kingdom is known in-universe to draw adventurers, and there... actually are other adventurers. idk. it's neat.

anyway. play hollow knight. it will hurt you but you won't regret it.

[ethtyn]

ll2 liveblog: etho's pov

love the way he just throws us into the action with "you have 24 hours to live, good luck," everybody scatters. you're so right king the rest of the rules are totally unnecessary <3

fucking. then he makes skizz explain the rules. girlboss behaviour tbh (LOVE that we get the boogeyman back !!!!!!)

"(keeping all of the moss) is what i wanted to do too, but i didn't want to get blamed for it, is pretty much what it boils down to" me as fuck. also, second of the three G's (gatekeep).

MARTYN ASKING WHAT THEIR IDEAL FINAL MEAL WOULD BE AND SKIZZ'S ACCIDENTAL PAUSE AFTER "MY WIFE"

pLEASE THERE'S SO MUCH MARTYN IN THIS EPISODE ALREADY. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF THEY DON'T TEAM

like. look at them.

PLEASE PEOPLE STILL THINK ETHO HAS A BOOGEYMAN TEXT DELAY 😭😭😭 aaaaand that makes all three Gs, LET'S HEAR IT FOR GASLIGHT.

i know it's like asking a fish to breathe normal air but Etho please i am trying to manifest a Martho (Etyn?) team up PLEASE stop making him think you're boogeying 😖😖

(i'm five minutes into the episode btw aren't u so glad i haven't been doing individual posts this whole time)

NAURRRRRR NOT SKIZZ ALREADY 😭😭😭 Grian's "i see the rules don't apply to you?" lmfao

BRO ANOTHER BOOGEY IN 7 MINUTES OF VIDEO? please. my heart

HELLO?????? SKIZZ AGAIN???????? SKIZZ STOP BEING ALONE I'M BEGGING YOU DUDE

WAIT i didn't even realize this breaks timmy's curse, at least for first green death of the server. n*ce

Scar with the fall damage 💀 ppl are dropping like flies LOL

bro the fact that Etho's stuck with Martyn this long. i am going to THROW UP. pleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASEPLEASEPLEASE...

"i'll give you some wood as a...as a reward" ayo ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

it's actually really interesting seeing exactly how much video is being cut out. we're 11 minutes into the video but 30 minutes have already gone by in the session. i don't remember exactly but aren't sessions 2-3 hours? cutting that down to 44 minutes is fuckin impressive in that case actually

"okay so we've proven that none of us are the boogeyman right now" HAVE WE GRIAN?? because i heard Tango super unconvincingly say he wasn't and NO ONE ELSE.

"did you flinch? did that freak you out?" you little freak. i love you and am kissing you on the mouth

KCMXKFKD Grian buying Etho's loyalty with a diamond sword..."i will serve you however you wish"...GRITHO ENJOYERS WINNING

I'M CRYING i paused to write that last point and then IMMEDIATELY upon unpausing Grian's like "good, now kill Martyn 😈" and Etho's like. "actually? 🤔 Martyn wya 👀" STOP IT. STOP KILLING MY MARTHO DREAMS.

aaaaand they left him in the Nether. i hate it here OTL

i was so focused on Skizz whispering sweet nothings into Etho's ear (giving him a lovely compliment) that i didn't even notice Jimmy and Joel dying in lava until Martyn asked if it was a boogey kill LMFAO helpppp

WAIT STOP. EVERYBODY SHUT UP.

"CAN'T BELIEVE YOU REPLACED ME WITH A COW, ETHO"

"HE KEEPS ME COMPANY AT LEAST"

I HATE THEM.

"oh, so you're gonna make a boat with a new friend, hey Joel?" [Bdubs voice] ETHO STOP IT.

Jimmy's "sorry Rancher 🥺" after Joel kills the cow 🥴🥴🥴

wait where tf is the enchanter this season? did Grian finally get a clue and use spawn protection if they did a single enchanter again?

hello again Martyn 👀

"can i buy your silence about this spot." "i guess so. you got any diamonds?" "how 'bout wood, you want some wood?" Etho stop trying to give Martyn your wood 😩

oh RIP Cleo, they really are playing on hard mode from the first episode this season

Scarcledubs teamup? 👀👀👀

the way Etho looks at Bdubs after he says the breed stock comment. the dismissive "i'm not interested". i need to lie down (is already lying down)

THE WAY HE INSTANTLY TRIES TO YOINK BDUBS WHEN CLEO ASKS IF HE HAS ROOM ON HIS TEAM (she is so Tired lmaoooo)

I JUST REALIZED THERE'S NO REN THIS SEASON....DEVASTATING

i am so sorry 👇🏻

"do you wanna be our dad?" "...i don't think i could handle it."

👆🏻 sorry again.

this bit is going weirder places than i just took it tbqh

Etho confirmed not 43 (yet)

Pearl & BigB teamup??? also Pearl double-fisting diamond hoes on the serial killer server is objectively so funny

Etho sowing discord and distrust wherever he goes my beloved <3

HELLO AGAIN MARTYN...BELOVED...PLEASE STAY. look Etho is even setting up by himself... there's room for you too...

SKIZZ AGAIN I'M FUCKING LAUGHINGGGGGG (also RIP impulse)

"got me...got me excited" ETHO I AM BEGGING YOU.

Martyn accidentally killing their last cow with the fucking lava bucket 😭😭 you can tell he's genuinely sorry too JFNFJCKFKF

SOMEONE DROPPING A FUCKING LIT BLOCK OF TNT DOWN A HOLE AND PRAYING IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. no way that was a Martyn boogey attempt he's so much more calculated than that?????

it's so endearing to me that Etho's first instinct is to call people by a nickname out of their usernames (that isn't what everyone else calls them) unless they're a closer friend (Littlewood, Skizzle, etc). also RIP BigB (it was Martyn, turns out 😩)

this whole negotiation with Cleo. "Cleo let me steal your cows 🥺" "no." "🙄🙄🙄🙄 FIIIIIIIIINE" god the POUT. obsessed. also SO proud of him for getting over his fear of Cleo one attempt at stealing her cows at a time <3

i haven't watched Martyn's POV yet but if he fucking fell down one of Etho's holes to his death i am going to CACKLE WILDLY especially considering Etho made a comment about it TO HIM (i think) earlier in the session. "i've done this in every smp i've ever joined and people fall down them and get mad at me" LMAOOOOOOO

we got a "take care, bye-bye" 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺💖💖💖💖💖

[meandmyechoes]

Kingohger ep11

welp the world of kingohger is ending again

oh the mysterious debut bgm (same as Rita ep4)

QUEEN bee themed bug???!?

oh they are FEEDING the kagu racles girlies this week

robot Gira with a V hand is so cute

jokes aside Himeno's plan sounds most likely to work? Shugoddom people sure loves a god to worship. And it goes so well with Gira's love for theatrics lol

Himeno inviting Rita to speak every time is SO CUTE RITA HIME IS REALLLL

i thought they would force Rita in by saying they gave false witness hoho tho i guess the exact quote is that "Racles won the duel" but they had not stated how

HA didn't thought of Moffun to Issho would be an Ishabana production but of course it is in hindsight lol

"sh…shiranai" they hesitated!! RITA YOU LIED

the nods and blinks are so damn cute

THANK YOU THE RETURN OF RITA SCREAM

Rita being the voice of nerds again with "no spoilers" (whisper)

"stories are lies but beautiful stories can bring happiness" …foreshadow?

ahh the relaxed melody ver. of inferno is so good here

at this point it's almost like Kingohger does the usual sentai shenenigans i'm having a dissonace of how Oudou and glamorously fairy tale last week was

So the boss wanted the heroes' best all in one place togethrer to defeat them!!

only all three COMBINED is that secret treasure??!?

okay that key for THAT lock and it became WHAT is SO COOL

Jeremy's makeup looks like a court jester!

THE BUGSPRAY. TURNED THEM BACK INTO STONES. (i think?)

Still not sure about how soul gem works?? oooh so is that how the three legend gods turned into stones 2000 years ago??

is it that if you're locked in stone form you can't turn back to mech form unless released? how did racles turn the Kabutan gem purple so that he could control it? Soul gems and Mech should be separate things because we see the other 4 kings has one in the cockpit... What does the soul gem has to do with the bug god's consciousness???!?!??

Ou ni naru otoko?!!!!!?

not sure i heard this part correctly... Jeremy strikes me as a time-traveller at first impression but i don't know how they can handle that plot on top of whatever Kingohger has already going on against its 'once upon a time' fairy tale vibe (so I don't want them to go in that direction).

However, Jeremy could still be a really old almost-immortal? maybe he's from 2000 years ago as well? (Jeremy-Noel theory intensifies where he's just another species)

speaking of which Jeremy/Gira/Masahi/Taisei do have a lot in common, they share hobbies and even look alike, can see how they both got into final rounds of audition.

[dedahblog]

I know that the ichiiruki fandom likes to ship Ichigo and Rukia's zanpakto together but honestly I don't think Zangetsu and Sode no Shirayuki can get along.

As far as the anime portrayal is concerned, Sode no Shirayuki is basically a tsundere and who's between Ichigo and Zangestu is the tsundere ?

I think you get where I'm going. Silly drabble under the cut about Ichigo x Sode no Shirayuki brotp potentials

Ichigo : ...

Sode no Shirayuki : ...

Ichigo : Nice weather, right?

S n S : ...

Ichigo: So ! Chappy told me you're the only all white zanpaktou.

S n S : ...

Ichigo : and the most beautiful one ever created

S n S : You lowly human, are you trying to court me ?

Ichigo : We've been silently staring at each other for 2 hours waiting for Zangetsu and Rukia to come back. I'm just trying to make small talks and what was that gross thing you just said right now ?! Don't even joke about it, idiot.

S n S : All that talk about being the most beautiful zanpakto is meaningless. What does a sword get from being beautiful ? If anything the beauty of the zanpakto is the reflection of the soul of its weilder.

Ichigo (scratching the back of his neck slightly smiling) Ha... Rukia admires you a lot. I'm happy you feel the same.

S n S : W-what are you talking about ? Who feels the sa- I'm just stating facts ! It's not like I'm writing poems about Rukia sama in my spare time or anything !

Ichigo : Hey ! Hey ! What's wrong with writing po- I-I mean who cares about that ! It's not like Rukia is that pretty pretty pretty

S n S : How dare you badmouth Rukia sama you lowly-

Ichigo : I never said Rukia isn't pretty pretty ! I'm saying she's just pretty pretty pretty. See ! You're the one denying your feelings for her !

S n S : Well, I never said she's pretty pretty. I'm just saying if you want to call her pretty pretty pretty you should at least call her pr-

That's when, Rukia and Zangetsu came back from the bunny theme festival.

...

Three days ago, Ichigo was willing to go with Rukia and was actually excited despite his "Hmm, I guess I have no other choice."

It was until he saw the tv ad, that he swore he would never go to "this childish festival" "Like who do you think I am ?? I have a reputation ! Your creepy rabbit obse- aarg" **Rukia's violence on Ichigo**

Of course, this was only an excuse.

The real reason was that he saw someone dressed as a bunny in the tv ad with a similar outfit to the one from a horror manga he watched when he was 6.

A movie that traumatized him ever since.

He didn't even have to ask Zangetsu to go instead of him because the latter was already aware of Ichigo's trauma.

As a part of his soul, he also watched that movie simultaneously and was also freaked out when he saw that tv ad.

However, he thought that if he let Ichigo go to that festival, all his inner world would filled with creepy serial killer bunny and Zangestu wouldn't be able to rest even one eyelid.

That's why he went.

Aside from the fact Rukia insisted on having a photo with that bunny in particular, the festival wasn't that disastrous experience. Althought the cheesy cuteness of the chappy dance was too much for him to handle, Rukia's company made it worth it

To sum up, Zangetsu was glad it was over until he saw Ichigo and Sode no Shirayuki yelling at each other.

Rukia,on the other hand, was deeply concerned. She had never seen the calm and collected Sode no Shirayuki so heated up. But seeing her indulging Ichigo's idiocies warmed her heart "She's an idiot after all. I'm glad they get along, right Zangetsu ? "

However, Zangetsu wasn't impressed at all. He said to himself "King has found someone who's going to fuel his tsundere behavior even more". Him being the first victim of Ichigo's emotional constipation and inner frustrations, he braces himself for the dark future awaiting for him.

Zangestu : Let's go back do that tummy bunny dance challenge.

Rukia : I thought you said on the name of murder and blood lust, you would never do it

Zangetsu : Well, I need something to stop reminding me of some dark upcoming events and this dumb challenge is the only thing that can help me right now.

Rukia : (too concerned to notice he insulted chappy) ... do you need to talk about it ?

Zangetsu: I wish I could tell you.

[universaltribalsimp]

"You're now the Pokemon Champion! …Or, you would have been, but you have one more challenge ahead. You have to face another trainer. His name is… ROMAN REIGNS!!"

Listen to set the mood.

Imagine the following scenario. You have been on quite the journey through this new region. You have finally conquered the Elite Four and just when you think you are the new champion, a door opens and all you see is a white light. Upon stepping into the light, you take a brief moment to admire the room. It is much more massive than you expected but it is also very office-like, baking in a low light thanks to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the torches in the four corners. The walls are painted white with several black pots of red flowers attached on both sides. It is very cozy - even homey - but you can still feel the intimidation about it. Perhaps the most intimidating and interesting part of the room is a large table stretching out to the other side. This table is so long and so wide that it would fit perfectly in some king's castle and at the other side of the table sits him. The Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table, the best of the best.

Roman Reigns: So… You actually made it. Very few people made it to the Elite Four and even less than that made to me. I will admit, I am impressed, but this right here… is where your journey ends. I've been reigning over this league longer than you've been alive and if you think a guy like me is going down to a kid like you, well guess what? (He pulls out a Timer Ball and lightly tosses it in his hand) Prepare… to acknowledge me.

As soon as he snap his fingers, the beat drops and he sends out his first Pokemon onto the table.

Inspired by Truegreen7 and his series of giving celebrities and famous people Pokemon teams, I finally decided to give Roman one of his own so that my brain can't finally rest on this idea. The Heel Pokemon Incineroar is quite possibly the most obvious choice, given his current "Tribal Chief" gimmick. Aegislash is a nice little nod to his time in The Shield and being that he was born and resides in Florida, Alolan Exeggutor is kind of a must in my opinion. Revavroom is probably a bit of a strange choice in your eyes, but it represents his appearance in Hobbs & Shaw, a spin-off from the Fast & Furious franchise. A franchise that's all about fast cars and family. Speaking of family, Kangaskhan is another fairly obvious pick, representing Roman being a family man and his love not only for his kids but for the kids in general. Finally, we have the Teamwork Pokemon Passimian to represent Roman's history in football - both in high school and college. Honorable mentions to go Hawlucha and Zamazenta, the latter being another reference to the Shield and the former representing Roman performing a suicide plancha - albeit very rarely, but still. The only reason they didn't take the team is that Hawlucha is much better suited for Rey Mysterio and I feel that Zamazenta and all other legendary Pokemon are better suited for Hall of Famers.

And just because, if Roman were League Champion, Incineroar and Kangaskhan would have access to its signature Z-Move and Mega Evolution respectively. Also I just now realized that I gave him three Alolan Pokemon on accident. Well, Roman has Samoan heritage, Samoa is part of the Pacific Islands alongside Hawaii, and Alola is based on Hawaii - why am I making this connection after the fact?!!!

[theadventurerslog]

King’s Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder | Part 3

The Adventurer’s Log

King’s Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder Part 3

Time to deal with a witch, deal with the town's assorted issues, get some ant pay-off, and cross a mountain.

Now I had the protective amulet it was time to go into the forest and finally deal with that witch. She was quite put out that her magic didn't work and we ended up at a bit of a stand-off.

For fun I tried offering her some of my items like the custard pie. She wasn't terribly impressed, saying "Don't try to bribe me with that, dearie! I'm not dumb, you know."

With my bit of goofing around done, I dealt with her as you're meant to: the bottle with the genie. The witch looks at and opens the bottle and out pops the genie and she meets the same fate as Graham when I'd tried to open it last session. After 500 years the genie is free at last and now it's time for the opener to be trapped for 500 years instead, so in she goes and they both disappear. Problem solved. Until a few centuries down the road I guess?

I examined that tree and while there was a little door thing, it was locked and I couldn't do anything about it. Yet. Remember this!

With the witch gone, I was able to more freely explore and I came across her home.

As dangerous as it looks it's all pretty safe now, though I didn't put any effort into seeing if you can fall off anywhere. Inside her home I found a small gold key, a fancy spinning wheel, and a pouch of three emeralds.

Everything was all well and good except there was seemingly no way out of the forest.

Or is there?

Those little eyes in the shadows there actually belong to little elves. If you toss out one of those emeralds, one will jump out and grab it. Graham makes a motion to try to catch him but fails. If you throw out all three emeralds you'll just lose them, so you need a way to trap one of those elves.

Good thing I helped the bees. If you use the honeycomb with the path, Graham will squeeze its honey out creating a nice sticky pool. Then you can toss an emerald into it, an elf comes out to grab it and gets stuck. Graham picks up the elf and they cut a deal: Graham lets him go, the elf will show him the way out the forest.

One of those boulders was a critter! Sadly, I didn't get to interact with it. It shuffles aside then hides back under its rock and won't talk or come out again.

The elf takes Graham to their caverns underground and then in return for the emeralds gives Graham a beautiful high quality pair of boots, claiming, that they always pay back what's given as if they don't just take all your emeralds and skedaddle if you don't trap one.

Still we have some nice, slightly too small for Graham, boots!

There's a route from the cavern back to the entrance of the forest and we're free much to Cedric's relief.

I started to head back to town and made it as far as the screen with the bakery when suddenly a rat comes running down the path chased by a cat. This is a one time opportunity that if you mess up will leave you soft-locked a little later. You gotta throw the boot that was found in the desert at the cat which then runs off. The rat, now safe, thanks Graham and promises to help him should he ever need it before hurrying away to go back to her children.

From here I went to double check my notes, only to realize I'd completely forgotten to look for the golden heart the witch stole from the princess. In a bit of a panic moment I reloaded a save I left at the witch's house, but I had already scoured it pretty thoroughly. Then I remembered the tree with the locked door. Yeah, I forgot that. Thankfully, back to my newest save I was able to just walk back and unlock it with the small gold key and there was the heart. I was a little concerned I wouldn't be able to get back to the elves' caverns to get out of the forest, but thankfully I was able to, although the elves were all gone.

I went back to the weeping willow and returned her golden heart. She transformed back into a princess and tossed aside the harp. It was a very pretty harp and she was just like 'nah, don't need that piece of junk anymore.' The prince shows up then and they leave together.

Well, if she doesn't want the harp, it's Graham's now!

At this point, I still had the cloak to get from the tailor, something to do with the shoe shop, the sled to get from the toy shop and a problem with getting captured at the inn.

From the willow tree spot I found my way to a grandpa gnome and his grandkid. I was able to give him the spinning wheel and in return he gave me a marionette. It's a special spinning wheel that spins straw into gold.

I wasn't quite ready to deal with the town things just yet. There was one more thing to get. Back to the haystack for a very special moment. Interact with the haystack and...

We’re the ants! Led by King Antony! We’re coming to help King Graham! We’re the ants! Led by King Antony! We’re coming to help King Graham!

Helping out the ants earlier pays off. The ants find a golden needle and King Antony gives it to Graham. This song gets periodically stuck in my head now. I think it and 'bugaloooo' are just gonna be those things that stick with me forever.

Now we're ready to go.

I went to the tailor first and traded the gold needle for the cloak. Turned out the tailor had lost it last time he'd gone to visit the inn. It would have been nice to have been told he was missing it in the first place, however. There are no clues given of any of this short of the old saying 'like finding a needle in a haystack.'

I brought the marionette to the toy shop where the owner was most impressed and traded it for the sled, though thought he was getting the better deal here. Graham was okay with that though.

Then the shoe shop. I gave them the pair of boots from the elf, and it was the best pair the old couple had ever seen and they'll be ready to retire off of selling it. They gave me a cobbler's hammer since they won't be needing it anymore.

And finally the inn. The innkeeper and his thugs discussed their last job until Graham interrupts and they capture him. Graham is tied up in a cellar and can't get out of the ropes. This time, however, the rat we saved from the cat shows up to chew through the ropes.

The rat is happy she could help and runs off again. I scooped up the rope of course, but the door is locked with a rusty padlock. The cobbler's hammer is needed here to break the padlock, so if you do this place before or without the saving the rat you're hooped, and if you do it before helping the shoe shop owners you're still hooped. So many softlock opportunities!

Anyhoo, the door leads into a kitchen where I found a leg of lamb in a cupboard and was able to take a side door back outside.

That was everything I needed so I started to head back to the path that leads into the mountains, but first I came across the area where the gypsy camp was. They've moved on now, leaving an empty clearing except for a tambourine. Of course I scooped that too.

Now there's a healthy inventory.

It occurs to me that I may have forgotten to mention that Crispin gave me his old wand. Well, there it is. It's been useless for now anyway.

The tambourine is used to scare off the snake guarding the path. Then it was onto the snowy mountains.

Better put that cloak on or you'll freeze in time. I'm not sure how fast it happens and I should have tested. I missed a death opportunity for shame.

The next screen led to a cliff. There were some tree branches sticking out of the cliff face and I tried attaching the rope to those, but once you start climbing the rope the branch breaks and you die. I got briefly stuck here before finding there was an outcrop of rock I could use the rope with instead.

Then there were some stone platforms to jump across.

I thought if I pointed at the stone he'd jumped across. No... he fell and died. Have to use the action verb on them to get him to jump.

The fun doesn't stop there. After crossing this area into the next area, a wolf shows up! And grabs poor Cedric and slides away down a hill with him. There's only one thing to do now!

Die from hunger.

The game does warn you Graham is getting hungry. I just pushed it.

After reloading and eating part of the leg of lamb now it's time give chase.

Wheeee!

He launches off the end and the sled breaks on impact but Graham is okay other than disgruntled at the sled breaking.

The path continues. I could see an icy stony sort of palace in the distance and closer at hand was an eagle. The poor thing was starving and couldn't even fly now. I gave him the rest of the leg of lamb and he thanks Graham before flying away. Yes, if you don't help the eagle you'll be softlocked a little later.

I started to approach the castle when two wolves came out and escorted me the rest of the way. Graham was brought before Queen Icebella. Cedric is locked in cage.

We're intruders in her land and she starts to have the wolves take Graham away when you're given the opportunity to do something. Play the harp! The beautiful music warms her frozen heart, just a little, and she's willing to give Graham and Cedric a chance if Graham does something for her first. A yeti has invaded her crystal caves and if Graham can take care of that she'll let him and Cedric go. She sends one of the wolves, Sir Greywolf, to escort Graham to the caves.

So. Yeti time. If you talk to Greywolf Graham wonders how he can handle a yeti that's surely at least twice his size and far more powerful. Come on, Graham, you've dealt with a dragon and a giant among other things. This shouldn't be that big a deal.

Greywolf has nothing to say in particular, not his problem so it's onto the caves and yeti shows up.

"What an abominable situation Graham has found himself in."

Of course I had to die once.

There's some time while the yeti approaches to do something. An inventory of items, but what can be done?

It's... it's custard pie time.

Use the pie on the yeti and Graham throws it at its face. The Yeti paws at it and in its stumbling... falls off the cliff.

Pie truly does solve all problems. And that's why you can't eat it back went you got it. Eat a pie; be doomed to a yeti. This is apparently one of the more infamous puzzles and...yeah.

I poked into the caves which are indeed full of crystals. With the hammer I was able to take a bit of crystal before I went back to Sir Greywolf and was taken back to Icebella.

She stays true to her word and releases Cedric. Sir Greywolf took us back to the path that led to the ice caves and there's another path we were able to take. Can't go back to see Icebella though. Sir Greywolf blocks the way.

Further mountain traversal led to a winding path going up and Graham almost makes it when a giant bird swoops down and scoops him up! I guess if Cedric had to be snatched earlier, it's only fair Graham meets a similar fate?

Graham is dumped into a nest with a giant egg. There's a gold locket which of course I grabbed. Priorities here. then the egg starts to hatch releasing some very hungry birds .

Things were looking real bad for Graham here, but never fear! The eagle we helped before shows up and carries Graham away dropping him off on a beach where Cedric is waiting. If you didn't help the eagle, Graham is doomed to getting eaten...

Cedric couldn't find Graham anywhere but is relieved to see him now!

I took an old metal bar off the beach and stopped here.

It was quite the journey over that mountain, but we're getting ever closer to Mordack's castle! Of course there'll be more adventures along the way...

--

Points: 158/260

Deaths: 24

Time: 3:26

[all-the-fun-of-the-cirkus]

so here's every album i heard for the first time in 2023

grace under pressure (rush) - heard signals last year and loved it, so i thought i'd finally cracked rush. i have not cracked rush. it's the last two albums again, only not as good. best song - afterimage

the bends (radiohead) - i do not like 90s alt-rock, so i am very annoyed at how good this is. can't remember half the songs but as an album it works surprisingly well. best song - street spirit. or my iron lung if i'm in the mood

ok computer (radiohead) - a very good album! not enough classics to be the best album of all time!!!1!! i've come to see radiohead as possibly my favourite second-tier band; lots of great songs, not enough genuine genius. although the climbing up the walls/no surprises/lucky run of tracks is almost enough to convince me otherwise, bc this works really well as a cohesive album. the cacophony of fitter happier, electioneering and cutw makes no surprises sound like the most beautiful song on earth. best song - one of that run. probably lucky

king of limbs (radiohead) - three good songs on side two sandwiched within a load of dull noise. everything else off here sounds better live anyway; bloom in concert is just jawdropping, but this version's just enh. best song - give up the ghost

moon-shaped pool (look i was having a moment) - typical radiohead. lovely atmosphere, nothing offensive, just not enough great songs. best song - ful stop, although i'm warming to present tense

peter gabriel 1 (guess) - turns out sometimes you can just fuck around with no idea what you're doing and accidentally stumble into a pretty good album. best song - moribund the burgermeister (also best title)

hard promises (tom petty) - every petty album is three or four bangers and a load of enjoyable filler. best song - the waiting

a song for all seasons (renaissance) - perfectly listenable, and i haven't felt the desire to listen to anything off it since. best song - title track

the construkction of light (king crimson) - blah. self-ripoffs, monotonous, lifeless. get heavy construkction instead, everything from here comes to life and you get the best songs off thrak and some cool improvs too. best song - prozakc blues (yeah fuck you it's great)

transgender dysphoria blues (against me!) - shut up, i'm a cliche. pop punk is very much not my sort of thing, and most of this didn't leave as much of an impression as it has on a lot of people i know. one or two tracks did hurt, though. and the one-two punch of paralytic states and black me out is a nice way to round things out, i love black me out as a defiant "no things WILL get better if i have to fuck someone up to do it" closer. best song - true trans soul rebel

interview (gentle giant) - if anyone else listened to albums by against me! and gentle giant this year i'll be astonished lmao. anyway not the unlistenable trainwreck or complex masterwork people proclaim it to be, it actually feels kind of throwaway. all of the songs are okay (well, not convinced on timing or design) but together they don't quite work. best song - i lost my head, which absolutely rules

the missing piece (gentle giant) - this, however, absolutely warrants its reputation. best song - memories of old days

giant for a day! (gentle giant) - it's good! yeah, i said it! shame the only people who hear it are prog nerds, bc it's cheesy and dumb, and the lyrics are atrocious, but it's a solid pop album. best song - thank you (my version of the album has single edits as bonus tracks that shave a minute off this and words from the wise, and i think it's to both their benefits)

ode to quetzalcoatl (dave bixby) - it's fascinating how much more interesting hardcore christian folk becomes when you realise the singer's trying to convince himself just as much as he is the listener. an excellent, moody listen, although it's not something i'm gonna stick on regularly. best song - lonely faces i guess? it's not really an individual track album

i'm in your mind fuzz (king gizzard & the wizard lizard) - oddly disappointing. monotonous, barely enough ideas to fill out a regular song, let alone a 12 minute suite (i'm in your mind sounds great, cool riff, nice groove, and then it just... doesn't stop. it just keeps going). at times it brings out the sort of kitschy flaming lips quirkiness, when it becomes a bit more enjoyable, but it's fleeting. not impressed. best song - satan speeds up, i guess (can't count the opener as its own song, that'd be like saying my favourite track from wish you were here was shine on part 1 or something), although i do enjoy the intentional banality of her and i's song portion

fox confessor brings the flood (neko case) - at time of writing i've just listened to this for the first time. i'm going to have to listen to it a great deal more. sheer poetry, absolutely outstanding lyrics, evocative, cryptic, emotional, always compelling. the actual songs live up to them, too, and the arrangements! always interesting, spicy dissonance thrown in regularly, frenetic background playing that didn't have to be there but really enriches the songs... i'm going to have to digest this more. best song - margaret vs pauline

i'm not counting the gazillion king crimson live albums i listened to (guess who found the starless boxset going cheap!!!) or we'll be here all day. suffice to say chicago 2017 rules, mainz 1974 rules just as much and the night watch/amsterdam 1973 makes crimson sound like the greatest band in the world for eighty minutes (the other four minutes is lament)

[creativearcades]

The Future of Arcade Gaming: Predictions and Trends

When you think of arcade games, the first thing that comes to mind might be "those were the days." However, have you considered that arcade games are actually becoming more popular again? While they may not be as popular as they were in the 90s, the popularity of arcade machine games is still on the rise. 

So, let's dive deeper into the world of arcade gaming and see what it's all about.

Nostalgia Brings You Here

Picture yourself in a gaming parlor with a bunch of people rooting for you. It's still a rush of excitement, and the joy of winning makes cabinet games famous. Games like Street Fighter, Ninja Turtle, and Pac-Man were especially popular. They were so addictive that you could get lost in them for hours. 

However, nowadays, people's tastes have shifted when it comes to stand-up arcade gaming. Let's take a quick look at some of the games that have captured our attention in recent times.

Star Wars

Everyone knows Star Wars, right? It's an arcade game that has been around for ages and still manages to capture people's attention. Atari incorporated it back in 1983, and they have continued to release newer versions to keep up with the times. Whether it's the classic rail shooter video arcade from '83 or the latest release of Star Wars Jedi Survivor, the game never fails to bring the same thrill and excitement each time.

King Of Fighter

Fighting games have always been popular, and The King of Fighter series is one of the best out there. Players choose their fighters and battle against each other, creating a great experience. The first game was released back in 1994, and the latest version, The King of Fighters XV, was released in 2022. This latest version of this arcade machine game offers three different modes: offline, normal, and tournament.

Jurassic Park

If you're a fan of movie-based games, then you definitely can't miss the Jurassic Park series. The video arcade version of Jurassic Park is just as exciting as the movies, and they've even released a new version in 2022 called Jurassic Park Evolution 2. With stunning 3D graphics and cool characters, this game is a must-play for fans of the franchise. 

Technology - Moving At The Speed Of Light

Did you know that the arcade gaming market was worth USD 3678.50 million in 2021? And guess what, it's predicted to grow by 1.99% in the next 4 to 5 years. That's pretty impressive, but will it keep up the same growth in the future? It's hard to say, but we do know that technology is constantly evolving and fueling the growth of the console industry.

Arcade games will continue to evolve around technology, and in the upcoming years, where the metaverse will take place, we need to be sure about a resurgence in classic arcade machines. Can we imagine the gaming industry in technologies like: 

Virtual Reality, 

Artificial Intelligence, 

Cloud Gaming

Meta Verse. 

Free to play

What Does The Future Of Arcade Gaming Hold?

The gaming industry is massive, but when it comes to arcade gaming, it seems to be falling behind in technology. However, there are still plenty of people out there who enjoy playing stand-up arcade games. No matter what the future holds or what kind of technology is introduced, Creative Arcades 

will always have a place for you to relive your nostalgia. After all, those classic games are still our favorites. Who knows, maybe one day arcade gaming will become even more realistic with advancements in technology.

[moodymisty]

I love your writing so much! Can you do some headcanons on how the bad batch would react when the reader, their new medic, is actually a girl but they never new because she always wore her armor and helmet all the time? Maybe they walk in on her changing or when she’s getting out of the shower

Authors note: I'm so glad you like my stuff! And ask and ye shall receive, I hope it's what you wanted

Relationships: Hunter/Fem!Reader, Tech/Fem!Reader, Echo/Fem!Reader, Wrecker/Fem!Reader, Crosshair/Fem!Reader

✦ Tech ✦

Tech ends up accidently stumbling in on you when you're finished taking a quick shower and putting your body glove back on, towel still partly around you. He instantly becomes the embodiment of 'frozen in time'.

He wants to walk away but, would that be rude? But it's rude to stare; Should he apologize or just pretend he saw nothing?

It's a good few seconds of silence before he awkwardly coughs and apologizes, and shuffles out of there like his feet were on fire.

But now he has a moral dilemma; You had clearly kept the armor on around them for a reason, but this isn't something exactly he can forget now.

He has trouble forgetting anything honestly, but it certainly doesn't help that on first impression he thought you were quite attractive, and he can barely keep his head on straight now.

Help this man, he's having like three different moral dilemmas at once.

✦ Hunter ✦

Hunter knew right away; The differences in scent between male and female are too obvious for someone like him not to instantly notice.

However it didn't really register, until he saw you buckling on your armor in the far back of the Marauder out of sight.

It was the first real moment of him seeing there's a woman under there, and not another clone. Which to him was such a dumb thing to think but at the same time it just didn't, click.

But now that it has Hunter finds himself second guessing himself when he speaks to you. He's obviously confident in your ability, it's just that he doesn't want to seem like an ass.

He's just not... used to being around pretty ladies.

✦ Wrecker ✦

For Wrecker, this is the shock of a lifetime for about a three days at most. You'd been in the middle of taking your armor off to shower when he'd barged in just demanding to show you something he found, and in the heat of the moment forgot you were in here to do something private. It didn't help that you'd forgotten to lock the door, and so he barges right in, only to see you in the process of taking off your underwear.

His face quickly goes hot and he shuffles out of there, before realizing what he'd just seen. Had he missed a memo?

Because last he'd checked, no one else had told him their medic was actually a cute lady.

The next day is a little awkward because bless him he doesn't know how to act, but things end up quickly going back to just how they were.

Wrecker's the king of just rolling with it, so he's a blessing, in all honesty.

✦ Crosshair ✦

Crosshair is the one who’s most likely to say something stupid, before trying to backtrack. The man can't really help but be snarky, even when he probably shouldn't because you’re still soaking wet from your shower.

It's a bit of a shield because now his mind is whirlpooling over the fact that the medic that's been so close to them, treating their wounds and working with them is apparently some beautiful woman and he was never disclosed-

Most of the others will try and drop it or forget, but Crosshair is the one who will bring it up every now and again, trying to get a rise out of you. He'll stop if you really demand him, but if you don’t mind; Expect a few snarky jokes every now and again when you get on each other's nerves.

Which not only isn't hard to do, but is also very fun for you.

✦ Echo ✦

Echo has always tried to be respectable to the few women he’s met, so when he spots you trying to change into a new body glove in private, he quickly ducks outta there, then realizes just who has had such a detailed look at his body, more so than anyone else.

Of course it’s you; Because Echo has the worst and best luck out of any clone.

He admittedly is a little bit more awkward now for a short while after, because he's not really sure how to be.

It's just; How is he supposed to watch someone working on his cybernetics so close to his body, knowing what you look like?

He gets over it, and never serves to be anything less than respectful, but he can't help if his face gets a little hot sometimes.