#in fact going into it blind will give you a unique experience with it and that’s what’s so beautiful

[harmoonix]

🎐Spirit of the Wind🎐

(Astrology Observations)

🎐 - Juno/Moon in Air Signs, these natives are looking for communication in their relationships, they are so good at expressing themselves in love & very devoted to their partners

🎐 - Aries Moons/Moon in the 1st house natives are very confident even if they don't always show it they give that energy sometimes in their personality

🎐 - I think Mercurial Moons (Gemini and Virgo moons) may get triggered the most and maybe sometimes Leo Moons too

🎐 - Lilith aspecting Saturn can bring conflicts especially with their dad/older brother/cousins/grandfather's and so on like there is always someone toxic in their family

🎐 - Moon aspecting Juno natives can be the most clingiest people, they will attach to your heart and will never go

🎐 - North Node sextile/trine/conjunct Jupiter can face many opportunities/benefits in their lives/journey/path, (in harsh aspects is like you are blinded from them and you can't see the opportunities you have in front of you)

🎐 - Pluto square/opposite/conjunct north node will mostly experience a rebirth with every thing that happens in their lives, I met so many natives with those aspects who are so experienced in their lives

🎐 - Moon sqaure/opposite/conjunct Saturn can tend to have a nostalgic mood/aura around them, something about them reminds you about the past

🎐 - Venus in Air houses (3rd,7th,11th house) have the best humour in a love/friend relationship, they will know how to comfort you both emotionally and physically

🎐 - Venus in Virgo/Venus in the 6th house will share their nurturing/healing energy with those who need it, these placements are healing and awaken type of natives

🎐 - Neptune/Pluto conjunct the ascendant will feel like they belong in the world, they can feel sometimes outcasted or maybe out of the crowd but that's what makes them unique they're just born different (in a nice way I love them so much)

🎐 - Uranus conjunct the ascendant will make the native very creative, they are the type of people who come off with the best ideas and the best plans for everything

🎐 - Sun opposite Lilith (h12) can attract other people only with their presence, Lilith can feel very strong when aspects the sun but when it's opposite, it will share that energy to themselves

🎐 - Lilith (h12) square/opposite/parallel/conjunct Moon are so seductive at first and is the fact that in contact with others it will just make them more curious about your life

🎐 - Uranus in the 7th house can make the native confused about their relationships and love life, they're like "What tf happens in my life now"

🎐 - South Node in the 9th house natives can feel very detached from religion/religiously detached and honestly you can't blame at all for that. Is the south node energy

🎐- Although im still not sure if Jupiter represents the husband in modern astrology instead of Mars but in vedic chart Jupiter it still represents the husband and i love to read about it 😭✋🏼

🎐 - Think at Vesta Asteroid (4) as a the point where your soul feels at home, feels safe, feels free. For example I have my Vesta in the 2nd house (Venus rules that house, and I tend to believe food brings me soul happiness especially chocolate 🍫✋🏼😭)

🎐 - I honestly love natives with Scorpio/ Sagittarius or Capricorn in big 6 because they honestly don't give a single f about what people say about them, really

🎐 - Someone asked me if the people with moon prominence in the chart feel the Intensity when the moon is changing signs and phases 😭✋🏼 yes they can, I feel like crazy when the moon is at first quarter

🎐 - Okayyy so there is an asteroid opposite to Lilith (h12) called (White Moon Selena h56) honestly is a good asteroid, is like a pure energy in your birth chart but in the same time it shows what things bring you happines, use this chart to identify what can bring your happiness

🎐 - I think I never mentioned before but Sun in the 6th house natives really can shine everywhere they go with their nurturing energy

🎐 - Do people with asc - pluto aspects seem maybe rude/harsh at first😭? Is because they have the Pluto aura around them which can make them seem like a bad guy, but they can be the sweetest people

🎐 - Moon at the 6°, 18° degrees really so observe everything in the room even the small details like wow idk how they can be so focused on everything and analyzing every detail

🎐 - Neptune in the 1st house natives or Neptune aspecting the ascendant may have something unique about their skin like moles or maybe birth marks? maybe freckles too

🎐 - Uranus in the 9th house natives can end up travelling to places they never expected, like those people who wake up in the middle or nowhere or "I never imagined I would travel here" kind of vibe

🎐 If you have Saturn in Cancer or Saturn in the 4th house you kinda have a lot of family karma, and generational karma as well. Is not bad but try to not blame yourself for this

🎐 Pluto in the 7th house is one of the placements I wish I had in my chart because I just love the meaning behind this placement is that the relationships change you very intensely and the same happens with Venus - Pluto aspects, if you have both you are more wise/mature in the future relationships

🎐 Gemini/Sagittarius and Pisces Mercury can indicate a person may talk too fast/bold way of talking/sometimes they can be a bit too harsh in their talking too

🎐 Juno in the 9th/12th house can indicate that you may find your lover in a forgien country or somewhere away from your home maybe while traveling

🎐 Juno in the 6th/Juno in Virgo can indicate a spouse/specific person who loves to take care of their mental health a lot they actually have a very healing energy

🎐 Juno aspecting the ascendant people will see you as someone ideal to marry/or to date (Unless they are like "Would you like to have kids* yeah my Juno rejects these things.

🎐 Juno in the 11th house or in Aquarius can indicate a spouse/specific person who appreciates your *weird* side, and also someone who gives you freedom

🎐 From Tarzan's jungle we did a bigggg jump back in the north America to visit the indigenous American culture because 😍😍😍 their culture is extremely beautiful and unique and here we met Pocahontas which by way was based by the legend of Pocahontas🎐

🌲🌲First let me say they are so beautiful if you think Pocahontas is pretty you need to look for how indigenous north American people look like (Slightly different from the south american ones but still share a close thing together). Their connection with nature and with the earth is very pure 🌲🌲

Have a very beautiful day to all of you who read my notes, Harmoonix ♥️❤️

[brekkie-e]

Ok. I am all for giving Veilgaurd the space to be it's own game and appreciate it for what it is, but every time I see a person who openly talks about only getting in to dragon age this year or some other nonsense go off about how long term fans hate the game cause they cant handle change I see red.

I mean, to be a Dragon Age fan, you have to be able to accept change. Change is at the core of the experience. Whether that's a good thing or bad thing is a different question. But if you're a long-term fan of the series, you've succeeded in the task of accepting change.

The criticisms of Veilgaurd are, in my opinion, a little unique to the franchise. For all Inquisition tweaked certain lore and it irritated a lot of people- it did so with self-awareness and intention. I am thinking about how it did the Dalish dirty in many respects. For all I do not agree with that writing direction, the game itself atleast acknowledges it is 1. New information. 2. Dependent on the clan. 3. Gives you the room to roleplay your character according to previously established lore. This is just one example, of course.

Veilgaurd is unique in the fact it ignores much of the series pre-established lore and in no way owns up to it.

I have seen a lot of hateful comments about how Origins hasn't been the framework of the series since 2009. And yeah, sure to a degree that is true. The gameplay certainly got tossed out. But in many ways, Dragon Age 2 is a direct continuation of that world and setting. DA2 and Origins and the lore they established are solid and share a vision. Play as a Mahariel and engage with Merril's clan. It's the same world. The same npc's. Inquisition does not deviate that far from that vision when you look past the companions all playing devil's advocate.

I really don't think everyone disappointed with this game or finding it lacking are "blinded by nostalgia." Most Dragon Age fans will be the first ones to tell you the franchise is a mess. But acting like the games that established it as beloved to it's fans are no longer relevant is so nasty to me. You as a newer fan would not be able to play Veilgaurd if the older fans had not made the previous titles financial successes. If they had not kept the love for the series alive, this new game would never have made it out of development.

The game is good. It's enjoyable to play. It's not without its charms. It should be given room to shine for what it is. It's a miracle we have it given the development journey it went on.

But it's also a massive smack in the face to many people who loved all three previous titles. And that's a bad thing. And I hope future titles remember the lore and tone of the series better.

These two things can both be true.

[thisisutl]

The real dog that inspired Ghost Trick's "Missile".

As many people on Tumblr have already pointed out, Ghost Trick is a game that is best experienced going in fully-blind. It offers amazing puzzle-based gameplay, a charming cast of characters and a unique story with plenty of twists and turns that will leave you both stunned and fulfilled by the end. My one true regret with the game is that I can't experience it for the first time again.

So, in trying to hype up the game for its release on Steam, Switch, Playstation and XBox, I decided to go for a novel approach: Instead of gushing about the game and potentially spoiling it for you, I will instead offer some facts about the real-life dog that inspired one of the game's most memorable characters. Knowing those facts won't spoil the game for you and will in fact make you appreciate its story a whole lot more, so feel free to reblog away, adding any facts that I might have missed about the game's Charismatic Cheerful Capable Caring Canine.

You know… This adorable little guy: 

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Missile Takumi!

Missile was a pomeranian Puppy adopted by Shu Takumi on 2007. He was named after a dog appearing in Gyakuten Saiban 1 (aka Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 1). The dog in the original game was a throwaway gag, not essential in the overall game’s story. The real-life  little pomeranian however proved to be an essential part of Shu Takumi’s life.

(Source)

(More facts after the break)

Missile was Shu Takumi’s best friend. The little doggie was always there for him, always available to lift his spirits with a cheerful bark when he was feeling down and always offering a friendly paw even in the gloomiest of circumstances. Missile was a truly loyal friend, offering unconditional love and friendship, helping Shu Takumi get over even the most difficult of times.

(Source)

So when time came to make Ghost Trick, a game about ghosts, regrets, mystery, loyalty, friendship and ultimate redemption, it was perfectly natural for Shu Takumi to give his best little friend a part in the story.

The game’s developers didn’t initially want to put Missile in the game. They didn’t have a problem with putting a dog as a character, they had a problem with the fact that the dog was a Pomeranian and they would have problems animating his fur in-game. Shu Takumi however insisted and eventually, after meeting the little doggie and falling under its charm, the developers relented into putting him in the game in all his Pomeranian glory.

(Image from lparchive)

Not only did they put him in the game, in fact, they went above and beyond in capturing his charm perfectly. They studied his moves and mannerisms, in order to get his movements down pat.

(Image from lparchive)

Missile’s iconic in-game bark was actually a recording of sound-designer’s Nobuyuki Shimizu Labrador Retriever who was coincidentally also named Missile! Shu Takumi wanted to record his own Missile, but Shimizu-san also wanted to put a part of his own dog in the game and Takumi eventually relented.

So, yeah, Missile in the game was voiced by Missile. Just not THE Missile.

In order to make up for not recording his own dog for the game Shu Takumi made a “character song” for Ghost Trick’s Missile:. 

Yes, those barks you hear in the song are recordings of THE Missile, no substitutes this time! This is how the little Pomeranian used to bark!

The song was made to celebrate Ghost Trick’s 3rd year release anniversary and even though the song talks about Ghost Trick’s Missile, a lot of the behaviors mentioned in the lyrics (such as Missile’s tendency to climb on the sofa and then needing help to get back down) are things that Takumi’s pomeranian friend used to do.

The song was later remade by CAP-JAMS and included in the soundtrack of the 2023 remaster of the game.

And, yes, the original Missile’s barks are still there.

If it’s not perfectly clear, Shu Takumi really wanted to tell everyone how awesome his little dog was. He made the little dog an essential part of Ghost Trick and stealthily  made the world, at least that small part of it that played Ghost Trick, fall in love with him.

Ghost Trick was released under critical acclaim, even receiving a nomination for Gamespot’s Best 2011 Puzzle Game, but the fact that it was released near the end of the DS’s lifespan and a lackluster advertising campaign made it 2011’s “Best Game You’ve Never Played”.

The game, however, slowly gained a cult following and within that following, the story of Missile resonated with everyone and became one of its standout points. He might not have been the player-character but he was definitely the show-stealer.

(To tell any more would be going into spoiler territory, but seriously go buy and play Ghost Trick any way you can. It really deserves a bigger audience).

So beloved was the little dog in fact that when Ace Attorney was eventually adapted into an anime, the animators couldn’t resist putting him into episodes 13 and 30 of the first and second season respectively. In fact, in the anime Missile was indirectly responsible for the “class trial” incident that shaped Naruhodo/Wright’s life.

Before you ask, no, Missile was not voicing himself this time (something about working with animals and children). He was voiced by Tomokazu Seki in the Japanese version and by Kyle Hebert in the English dub. Still a nice tribute to Takumi’s little doggie.

One final Missile fact that I can’t find a proper segway for is that Missile also got along surprisingly well with Wagahai and Sankichii, the cats that later also entered the Takumi household, though, the way Takumi tells this, it was the cats that called the shots more often than not. 

Missile passed away on the 10th of November 2018. The way Shu Takumi puts it, the valiant little doggie waited for him to return from the US, to spend some final time with him before passing on. We don’t know the exact details just that it was sudden and unexpected.

(Source)

Missile is no longer with us, but his memory lives on. He will always be remembered by Shu Takumi as the friend that always was by his side… and always will be with him.

…and he will always be remembered by the gaming community as the little Pomeranian that stole everybody’s hearts and made Ghost Trick a truly memorable experience.

MISSAIRU TONDEKE! 

(Missile’s Launched!)

[snowmeow03]

I suddenly realized that as a pegasister, I have never formally drawn ponyplates (hoofplates??) in my way, so suddenly (literally 3am in my time zone) I wanna give it a shot.

I thought about Gaster's cutting, and in theory, since he's not a skeleton anymore, shearing his fur is obviously the best choice. But I feel that it doesn't capture the vibe of him “ripping apart his own body", so in the end, I chose to let him cut his horn. Hmm, maybe the body part full of magic is a must to create baby ponies.

Theoretically speaking, it's more reasonable for both of the brothers to be unicorns, but when I pictured Papyrus, I see him more as a pegasus. Well perhaps there're some pegasus in pony Gaster's family tree. But there's kind of a problem that Pegasus can already fly, how can I show the "special" of Papyrus? So, like, why not make Papyrus only have one wing! Perhaps another one was chopped off by Gaster to prevent him from escaping or something. Sans, I really can't imagine any way to disguise his blind eyes as well as showing his unique eye sockets, I mean, since he's not a skeleton anymore (again). In the end, I chose the latter between fidelity to the character and making sense, although this made them a bit less recognizable (sadly)

I hesitated for a long time about the cutie mark. Gaster’s was more straightforward, I needed to came up with something that is related to science but can also reflect the fate of "doing experiments", so I settled on this thing (funny enough, I still don’t know what it’s called, even though it’s probably common knowledge...?). In fact, I also want to express an abstract concept of "recording", including recording the timeline, "recording" the changes in Dreemurrs' and the underground world, and "recording" Radic's actions? Unfortunately, I really can't find a way to reflect the fate of falling into the core on it! The cutie marks of the brothers is much more difficult because they do not have a very specific hobby/lifestyle (like science for Gaster) to represent themselves, which is complicate - if I have to pick, I think their representative items are scarves and socks (...!) - although Papyrus loves puzzles, using puzzles as cutie mark cannot reflect his most important principles and personality, and Sans is even more difficult to handle. In short, their representatives are very abstract, and I find it so hard to summarize their very selves with a single mark on their flank! At last I tried to consider after combining the characteristic of "brothers", positive and negative. I always feel that Gaster's red scarf represents his kind heart, inherited by Papyrus along with the scarf itself, so it naturally occupies a place in his mark (unlike socks to Sans, lol). Sans' mark is more abstract, those things can actually be seen as dissipating dust or as a part of lost head, representing, uh, some obvious things...I guess? I actually even considered using the shapes of the souls Gaster gave them, representing Gaster himself who plays a huge part in their lives, but well it's a little bit tragic if you think about that, their lives should be less of him (in the sense of experiments), so I didn't do that in the end.

I also considered about the clothes. Well...Different from monsters, ponies normally don't wear clothes, in this situation it'll be weird if Gaster specially made lab clothes for the brothers to wear, so I l just let them go naked. Once again, the recognizability has unfortunately decreased...! (also about Sans' clothes, I don't think ponies actually "need" pockets...right?)

Yeah and about the plates, I literally cannot figure out where the plates should go, Gaster was trying to make sure the brothers suffer as he wanted to cut ties with them (at least that's what I thought), so they can't be anything like horseshoes. Tags on the ears are great, but still a little bit off, and I can't think of any "plates" fits both settings of pony and handplates... So I ended up going with brand marks (actually I set this for Dreemurrs in alterplates as well). As for the placement? I think they shall be the lower half and it'll be too screwed up if they were on the cutie marks, so hind legs it is. I don't think ponies wear pants, so I made the brothers wear leggings.

btw I think the brothers got the cutie marks right after Sans yeeted Gaster into the core (welp)

[le-fruit-de-la-passion]

I ran here after your response to that musical!reader headcanon and the mention of Jekyll and Hyde has me SWOONING.

I saw a local production where the woman playing Lucy went out into the audience during "Bring On The Men" and flirted with people, she even sat down on her friend's lap!

What if musical!reader did that to Viktor 🤭

OH MY G O D THATS SO COOL???

Viktor would DIE. Like actually just pass way. Stop breathing and ascend to the next plane of existence. Glorious Evolution TM.

Viktor is usually very appreciative of music. It's similar to mathematics, in many ways, equations of numbers and notes put together for a new and unique sounding result. He does enjoy theater as well from time to time: it requires a lot of practice, experience, trial and error... by that logic, musical theater should be an art form just as objectively interesting in his eyes.

If what you're doing on stage right now is musical theater, though, he's having a VERY hard time staying objective about it.

It's nothing short of dirty. From the corset that hugs your waist and reveals way too much of your generous chest, to the way you're spreading your legs invitingly for the entire audience to see, everything about you screams sex. He's absolutely transfixed, incapable of looking away from the way your hands touch your own body to the beat of the invisible orchestra.

He's only pulled away from the moment when some students a few seats away start loudly whistling and whooping for your attention, like this is a strip club and not a college play.

THAT'S when he starts to get mad.

He's suddenly very aware of the fact that there's about a hundred other people in the room, students and faculty members, watching the same performance he is. How many of them will imagine you in their bed tonight? How many of them are imagining you in their lap right now?

The smile on your lips speak louder than a thousand words: you're enjoying this, the thrill of the stage, the eyes undressing you while you sing your pretty little song about getting fucked by nameless strangers. Even worse, he's certain you're taking pleasure in knowing he's got front row seats for it, that you've effectively got him powerless and chained down while you're giving a show he should be the only one witnessing.

You've flipped over your roles as student and teacher, and now, he's the one who has to sit silently and drink every word from your lips. It's devilishly clever.

He would be genuinely impressed if he wasn't burying his nails into his cane with one hand and trying to cover the tent in his dress pants with the other.

The projector suddenly moves; it follows you as you're going down the few stairs from the stage to the floor, heels sharp against the concrete floor.

So lets bring on the men

And let the fun begin

Your eyes finally meet his. They're filled with bright sparkles from the stage lights, teasing and provoking. Tauntingly asking if he's ready for what's next, when you both know he doesn't have a say in the matter. The show must go on.

'Ah, shit' is the only thing that comes across his mind before you sit on his lap, the spotlight blinding him.

A little touch of sin

Why wait another minute?

Your movements are calculated and precise, applying just enough pressure on his clothed cock for you to feel how hard he is, without granting him any relief. The audience cheers; he thinks he's having an aneurism.

You bat your mascara heavy eyelashes at him, abandoning the play for a triumphant instant. 'See?' he can almost hear you say. 'I knew I'd get your attention eventually. What's your next move, professor?'

Oh, he is going to make you regret this.

[askinkiskarma]

I have a lot of thoughts about arcane and rather than dealing with them on my own i thought i would try to write them out and see how other people feel and maybe have a conversation about it, because the beauty of art is sharing it and seeing it through your own eyes, as well as others’ - the beauty of art is its ability to ignite and spark a conversation… a change.

Arcane is very important to me, because of what it represents - humanity, in all its aspects and kaleidoscopic facets, in all its glory and in all its misery. What made it unique is how inherently relatable and universal the feelings and experiences the characters go through and how inherently human their problems are at their core, and whilst they were able to keep a lot of those sentiments in season 2, I feel by act iii they forsook a lot of what made arcane special.

Very rambly thoughts ahead, I do apologise, and please tell me yours, I would love to speak about it and process it.

To me arcane was always about class struggles, about oppression, about what happens to the oppressed when they are pushed to the brink, about how that affects a person’s journey and their fates, and putting faces to those struggles on both sides of the equation - vi, an orphaned child who was forced to grow up too quickly and parentified to the point she felt like she had no value outside of being a protector; jinx - a brilliant mind who fell victim to trauma because there was no one able to help her outgrow it or deal with it; silco - a man who has seen the oppression first hand and chose to fight it regardless of the sacrifice it took. I could keep going and going but Arcane was a phenomenal display of character and morality, and an almost perfect attempt at the shades of grey that make most of us who we are. No character was without flaw, and no character was unjustified in their actions in their own minds and due to their own particular set of circumstances.

I think most of the gripes I have with season 2 stem from two overarching themes: time and ambition. But before I go into this, let me praise it for a bit because despite all my grievances, I still think it is the best animated piece of art of all time and I still think it's better than 99% of anything I've ever been invested in. Although almost redundant to even talk about, I want to shine a light onto the animation. I have to give so much credit to every single person involved in bringing this series to life, because it is a spectacle from the first frame to the last, and the amount of talent, effort and passion it took to do this can never be put into words.

I will bring up things I loved about it as I'm talking what I didn't, because they are very much entrenched. My biggest complain about season 2 is that, the fact that it was only one season. I believe everything they've set out to achieve and every plot point they introduced could have been properly addressed and done justice in in one more season, and therefore, none of the problems I'm about to go into would have ever been an issue.

Imagine this: season 2 starts exactly as it did, with the first three episodes dealing with the aftermath of jinx's actions and the loss that drives Piltover into deplorable reactions, with Caitlyn and Ambessa at the helm, descending into fascism, Cait driven by blind rage and the prejudice she's been fed her entire life without an active effort into trying to overcome it, Ambessa driven by ambition and desperate attempts to one-up the Black Rose organisation. However, the season progresses differently - to me, this conflict and its consequences should have been what this season was about.

Simple yet deeply impactful, tackling the themes they set up in the last season, tackling the intricacies of what would lead the characters into their actions - for Cait, expanding on the way grief, fear and guilt makes you regress back to your most ignorant, primal, selfish self; for Vi, the way a lifetime of being told she's responsible for everything and everyone and her unbridled desire for love and family made her abandon her core principles and join the people she hates in order to kill the monster she thinks she's responsible for creating; for Ambessa, the way her deeply embedded and deeply repressed fear of the Black Rose coupled with the Noxian belief in strength and sacrifice and war made her give up one her core beliefs that warriors are forged through blood sweat and tears and not through magic and reach out to Singed, therefore becoming an almost caricature of herself etc etc etc.

That coupled with the overarching conflict between Piltover and Zaun, how Piltover's actions are the breaking point for Zaun, as well as the personal conflicts between Jinx and Vi, Mel and Ambessa, Vi and Cait, potentially Jayce and Cait once Jayce realises Cait has become someone she would have absolutely despised just a few weeks ago, would have made for a compelling and powerful season that kept to much of the themes of the first season and could have been the stepping stones for a larger conflict that could have been introduced but not expanded in this season - Viktor and the Hexcore, the bigger battle between humanity vs the arcane, the Black Rose and their involvement in everything.

Season 2 would introduce Isha as a positive role model for Jinx and a way that Jinx would be able to be rescued from the nothingness her life had become - Isha could have been a symbol for Zaun, and the reason Jinx would decide to become the face of the revolution for Zaun independence. Season 2 could have ended with the Jinx and Vander moment in the prison, or with her reaching out for Vi after her KO in the pits. Season 3 then could have dealt with everything else, and been a great way to introduce other characters and other conflicts (Mel and the Black Rose), which I assume will be part of the next series about runeterra.

I think this season and what it was trying to achieve was great, but its biggest downfall was that in its ambition, it fell short of what made it great. Because whilst the fighting and the animations and the moments we did get with the characters were great, there wasn't enough time to make them justified or fleshed out, and in that, we lost the essence of what people loved the most about Arcane - the eye to detail, the accuracy in character writing and portrayal.

I loved seeing Cait and Vi together and I loved seeing them get into conflict - I did not, however, love that Caitlyn went from being a dictator to redeeming herself in basically one episode with no consequences for her actions. Vi should have been mad, she should have been furious, she should have held her accountable and she didn't. I wanted them to have a much earned sex scene, but not in a prison, which overlooks the insane amount of trauma Vi has suffered in Stillwater and how insensitive doing it there comes across as.

I loved seeing Jinx and Vi reunited - but for a story that started and was always at its core a story about two sisters, there was not nearly enough done to explore their very complicated and tumultuous relationship and bring it to a satisfying conclusion. Not one scene in which they talked about their issues, where they opened up about the past, where they resolved anything before Jinx eventually died, and then, not even one scene of Vi mourning her or what her death represents to the overarching story or to Zaun.

I loved seeing Jinx get better, and her character was actually the highlight of the show for me this season, but a lot of it felt rushed and not properly explored - by the beginning of act 2 she seemed basically perfectly sane, and even after losing Isha, she seemed perfectly in charge of her emotions and was able to surrender herself and make perfectly rational decisions, which doesn't seem in line with all we know about jinx. Not to mention Isha was never mentioned once in the whole of act 3, and neither did Jinx becoming a symbol for Zaun amount to absolutely anything in the end.

I hated how much like the fandom, and the characters themselves, the writers seem to overlook Vi completely. She got the short end of the stick at literally every turn and I thought she would have gotten a semblance of justice in the end, but she didn’t. She forsake everything she knew and believed in because Jinx needed to be killed - Jinx was actually better and fixed herself without any of her involvement, so she betrayed herself for nothing. She finally opens up to Cait and cries in front of her, begging her not to change because she’s already lost everything - Cait betrays her like 5 minutes later and attacks her, abandoning her, then comes back like nothing happened and Vi doesn’t give a shit and forgives her immediately. Finally gets Vander and Jinx back? Loses them both again in the span of a few days. SHE EVEN FUCKING GOT A BAD ENDING IN THE HAPPY ALTERNATE UNIVERSE WHERE EVERYONE ELSE WAS HAPPY LIKE WTF. I could keep going and going about Vi and all the ways she was done wrong but I’d be here forever so let’s move on but #justiceforvi

I liked the Jayce and Viktor conflict and I actually believe everything they've done with that they handled well, since it was basically the main plot of the season, and I loved the way ekko's storyline intertwined with theirs, but this could have been handled even better in a season dedicated to it, and I wish it hadn't come at the expense of Jinx, Vi, Cait and the conflict between Zaun and Piltover. Watching this show felt a little bit like watching season 1 of game of thrones and then halfway through season 2 we're actually in season 8 and the white walkers are here and nobody cares about the iron throne anymore and everything that happened we're supposed to forget about and focus on jon snow vs the night king and it's so confusing cause I kinda cared about Ned Stark and who killed Jon Arryn and i’m kinda still mad that Cersei killed Lady and I’m still curious about Bran and his visions and Varys and the importance of choosing a leader who cares about the small folks and and and ???

This is such a long post and I’m very sorry and I’m writing it on my phone so it might not even make sense but I needed to get some of it out because this has taken over my life.

I probably will have more thoughts as I’m processing this more but for now pls tell me i’m not alone and pls tell me your thoughts 🤍

[decadeofjoy-au]

Helllloo! I come baring GIFTSSSS. It's a while since I dropped by aome stuff and I wanted to say, Thank you. For including my little OCs in the story ☺️. And for making an engaging AU. I Love hearing other people's OCs and charactaristics, what makes them unique and being creative with them. So, I've decided that I wanted to do fanart of one of each OC from (Almost) All the artists. As a Gift! For you and the community because I appreciate you all. 😊

And here's some interactions from my boys Aether and Usher with the others.

Patty the Putty Dragon (Terra Louis) - anewbieartist356 - Usher: One of the other few experiments Usher likes to be around. He likes to give the "big pink dragon teddy bear" a hug whenever he sees her, or if hes stressed out and needs a hug.

Homebuddy Johanns - Geekyri - Usher: Saw that they tend to act like good friends to each other whenever he's at school. So he made them matching friendship necklaces alongside the help of Aether for them to wear. As a token of appreciation. - Aether: He was forced to come not because he wanted to but because Usher was too shy to hand out the necklaces alone and he wouldn't let his friend hanging. Other than that, he doesn't care much about the giant plush.

Silly the Slime Snake - Sweatycowboyqueen - Usher: The few caretakers that he's somewhat okay with. He would simply wave at them from afar but never interacting with them as much unless needed to. - Aether: He on the other hand openly don't like the slimey fella. Too sticky and it tends to get to places so he prefers to be clean and Not covered in slime. And maybe stay 6 feet away if he could.

Scraps - Scrappythescrapstrap (Also sorry for using the old design, I drew this before the recent one appeared) - Usher: Likes how nice and kind she can be and finds her design pattern unique but too shy to interact with her so he just admires her from afar. - Aether: Doesn't like that her motherly attitute reminds him of his mom so he also just watches from afar. "She looks like Frankenstein's teddy bear plushie if he gotten creative". < His words.

Luccy Piccy - multydraws - Aether: He's okay with seeing her around whenever she comes by. So he just waves, and openly comments on the fact that she has four arms, neat. And suddenly he would need to catch himself from asking too many questions about which orange Really came first.

Type and Talk Tommy - Portalling101 - Aether: When he first saw them, his first was to Kick Them! I mean he do tend to let his intrusive thoughts win sometimes. Other then that he doesn't really have an opinion since he rarely sees them if not ever. - Usher: Basically the one keeping Aether's intrusive instincts in check from the others. And he also has no opinion on them since he rarely sees them other then feeling weirded out the first time.

Hug-A-Gotchi & Joseph - DoctorTan (I… honestly know little about Joseph so I just assumed shes a tad bit eccentric based on her photo. Im sorry if I got it wrong. 😞) - Usher: Joseph probs showed off her Hug a gotchi a ton to Usher whenever she could. It even got him excited to see the Hug a gotchi too, but prefers not to ask to play it since its Joseph's personal toy.

Caleb - icanexplainwhythisnameisbad - Aether: He finds him rather cool actually due to him always appearing out of nowhere whenever he could, so he sometimes would have conversations with him. Though he tends to forget that he's blind half the time and would bluntily blurt out words he would later in his life maybe regret once Caleb jumpscares him from behind. Aether - "Hey its over here! What are you blin-" Aether realized too late as Caleb turns and stares at him. Aether - "Uh…" Caleb - "No go on. Say it. I liked to hear the punchline."

So sorry Mr Story & Corelex. Your OCs sound Amazing and Cool but I dont have an art reference for me to draw 😭. And even with the info of their appearance I really dont want to butcher the design. So… as compensation, here's a bonus comic of Ushers failed gift giving.

Bonus Comic: Usher tried to make his usual gift giving gift for Handyman as he does, but ended up messing it up and starts crying out of shame. Aether is no help either. Let's hope Handyman doesn't do the same to him.

🪽omg :0! This is AMAZING I bet everyone would be happy to see this of their own OCs too!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[pokegyns]

My hot take is that there are tons of incredibly misogynistic women orbiting radblr that get away with it because they have dyke in their username (Before anyone trys to say I'm some sort of phobic, I'm a lesbian, I just have an actual personality outside of my sexuality, unlike a lot of these women lmao)

controversially, i believe you're right!

lesbians are not somehow inherently smarter feminists.

in fact, sometimes not being opposite-sex attracted can give us many blind spots to the het/bi experience, and we can paint them all with a very wide brush and puff our chests and say that we just Know Better, and we are the ppl who should be loudest about issues that actually don't affect us directly at all, such as the 4b movement.

we are dykes, and while things like 4b/abortions affects us laterally, as anything feminism-related does, we are not denying ourselves a sex/dating life the way het/bi women are right now. we do not lose out on sex or a happily ever after the way they do, let's be real here. THEY are the ones most impacted, and it's okay to say it. it doesn't mean we don't have our own struggles. same as abortion/etc issues - yes, assault/abuse is common in all female folks, and lesbians are targeted in uniquely awful ways that NEED to be talked about more, and are often downplayed by het/bi feminists, but let's be real... if we are not having dick appointments left and right, we are waayyyy less impacted by abortion/etc rights and we usually don't really know the day-to-day struggle of someone wanting sex and/or romantic love but having to face very high risks. it must be a super complex, twisted feeling inside oneself, having to deny smth so very human because the fucked up part of the male community has harmed female people so badly for millenia, to the point where het/bi women need to deny themselves a love/sex life out of safety and to prove a point to the patriarchy. like that is a fucking TRAGEDY. and 4b queens are brave as hell for doing so, and my heart also goes out to them because... they shouldn't have to. they really shouldn't have to.

and i would be a hypocrite if i said "c'mon just give up dick" and other dehumanizing, short-sighted phrases i see thrown around, because...

a) i would never give up pussy or romantic love, and i 10000% know i'm too much of a romantic to remove myself from the dating world even if i had been born het/bi, i would still risk it and take certain precautions, even if many exclusionists would say it's not enough and if i get hurt it's all my fault and they get to say "i told you so" and use me as a warning tale to stop other women from non-homosexual dating/sex... same as what women get when they go out at night alone and get hurt. [shitty feminist voice] what did you think would happen dumbass?! never do it again!!!

and b) i personally think there's value in willing women having their feminist-raised kids growing up in our modern patriarchal society, instead of only conservative parents raising the next generations. yes, it's always a gamble, and little boys can become terrors. but imo, for those who know they will have kids regardless, i'm glad when they raise those kids with strong feminist values however they can. you can see it as harm reduction for the future girls growing up. many feminists believe harm reduction is bullshit and useless, but i don't.

lesbians, sometimes, use our homodyke woke points in ways that can get pretty childish and unnecessary. often, we're talked down to, shamed, and face lesbophobia in even feminist spaces, especially libfem spaces; but other times, we can be incredibly short-sighted due to not having het/bi experiences, and it can actually end up really harming other women in ways we just don't hear about, or aren't willing to hear about. it's okay to focus your feminism 1000% on lesbians & febfems and be a strict exclusionist. i also see value in different branches of radical feminism focusing on different issues. and, as a feminist, i seek to gain as much knowledge as possible about diverse female povs.

i take my hat off to all my 4b sisters, and i promise to be a good ally to those most affected by abortion rights & those involved in the dating world who put themselves most at risk for assault/abuse, all for the sake of love and a good sex life. that takes guts. some ppl may call them selfish and naive, and say that if they get hurt it's all their fault, but personally i will not let go of their hand. and i hope they can help fix things from the inside too, in their own way.

lesbians are not immune from internalized misogyny.

lesbians are not immune to stupid catty mean girls shit.

-mod pika⚡

[vivianbernadetteaurora]

When introducing, it's brittany, bitch, miss brittany jean spears.

If you're a millennial, this woman means so much to you.Even people think who are millennials who would be interested in this lady were and still are everybody's rooting for britney spears because of all the stuff she went to and also for the fact that she gave us so much of herself. I mean, how do artists make money anymore? They don't, and the same level of fame doesn't exist because this is partly why I think. I remember being 910 years old and being obsessed with even my brother had a poster more for the sexiness of it all, but I always prefer to his poster. I have the one where she's in Brown in the hallway. With the blinds round her, like glitter blinds, but over the years, we've seen ripped Britney deteriorate have men who'd treated her like garbage. This often happens whose sagious women are as well, and I always say, mars in, Virgo is the lowly to placement of the Mars signs purely for the fact that these get overssexualized degradated Or some kind of punishment in that kind of way I mean, look at the way just in b.Ieber treats hailey. I think it's pretty sickening. I mean, she is a powerful witch if she manifested going out with the man she kind of stalked. That's one powerful witch there. And look at the power of brittany, these people seem unbothered, but then they posed really unhinged videos, pam Anderson, I'm looking at you too. I've never been a fan of hers. I was always a Bobby Brown girl more with ex. Wives of Rock and her relationship with tommy Lee, but before it got destroyed by them to get together even though he d been engaged to bobby for eighteen months. Who also has our mars in virgo and was on star search, as well as brittany, but for modelling.

But miss Brittney, she was going for a really serious postnatal's depression. She talks by and her book and she talks about when she shaved her head and what were the reasoning behind it like? If you look at it really, it's not even that much of a crazy thing now wouldn't be seen as that anyway, so many girls now. Do what they like. And they are unique, different ways of being, like, that's something some girls would just do on a saturday night and it's empowering.And she said she knew is a big part of what made herself and I think at that point she didn't want to know she had enough of the paparazzi, she'd had enough of being told she was a shit, mum. And then this dush of a man comes into her life who she has 2 children with takes. Everything takes the children had full-time custody, but we know Britney's not well. They say you can't be in a conservatoship. Unless you have like dementia or something, maybe she does. Maybe there's more going on than Really is, I mean If they weren't making money out of her and she wasn't even allowed to buy a coffee. There should be some sort of what lord protects her and look after her, but not one, whether he looked steal all her money.Yes, lou taylor and the churches of hollywood.I'm looking at you. I mean, can you believe this even kris jenner has one.

And I also think as well as the drugs, this is what has fucked up justin bieber, as well as the beauty experience from allegedly usher, but also p diddy. Anyway, Brittany gave us a youth for so many years. That beautiful smile that can make a room melt. She had that appeal that these aquarius moons have e g marilyn monroe and princess diana. They have this aura of tragedy almost around them, but, they are the most beautiful souls.

Brittany was the girl who was so influenced by Michael Jackson in her dance routine. She wouldn't just give us a song. She would give us a hell of a hot dance routine. I mean, i've just seen her practising rehearsals recently, and she just does so amazingly. This can also be an indicator of having Mars in your 12 house as well. And she always talks about how the paparazzi take unflattering pictures of her we've especially due to weight. Then in the COVID time she got married to that Sam guy and the wedding seems so weird and her ex-boyfriend, who she married that one night in Vegas, even came to try and stop it and he was like. What are all these roses everywhere? This is freaky. This isn't normal, and to be honest, it isn't. Looked like it could have even been cgi. Why do they keep doing this to Brittany spears? I'm getting sick of it, and she just isn't the same anymore. They made her talk in this baby voice, almost like parasitele on. Maybe this is why these two had quite a lot in common. Anyway, brittany, you will always be a queen to us and you serve cunt.

[autumnmobile12]

About the Infant Skull in the Belmont Hold

Trigger Warning: Sensitive topics below.

In a post I made last year, I pointed out the small skull in this display is case belongs to a baby.

The 'crack' down the center of the forehead is a frontal suture which closes between the ages of three to nine months, and to showcase the fact it's not just a cracked bone, the animators included a fontanelle between the bony plates of the skull, which closes before the age of two.

There is the skull of an infant in the Belmont Hold.

So what's the story here?

Theory 1: The Skull is a Vampire

This could have been a human baby that was turned by a vampire for whatever reason. Maybe this was some vampire's twisted idea of a pet. Maybe it was a horrifying, psychological trauma where a human woman lost her baby and after becoming a vampire, turned an infant into a vampire so as to never experience that pain again whilst tragically blind to the fact an immortal infant would never grow up.

If either of these were the case, whichever Belmont found this child could have viewed his or her death as a mercy. Since the baby would be immortal, it would be impractical to keep it alive forever, not to mention almost cruel because what kind of life is that? And it would be equally inhumane to leave the vampire to starve to death, so the options are limited.

The skull was brought home not as a trophy but as a specimen to study and serve as a grim reminder of a harsh reality.

...

Theory 2: The Skull is a Dhampir

Carmilla's above comment gives me the vague impression that it's not unheard of for a vampire to have a child with a human and then turn the human into a vampire, creating a family unit. (Just the way she says it. Like the unspoken line was, "You married a human, you succeeded in getting a child off her, so she was free to become a vampire after, no?" Turning Lisa after Adrian was born was the next natural step in her mind, so it baffles Carmilla why Dracula's wife remained human.) So maybe dhampirs are uncommon, but Alucard is far from the first one to ever exist.

So if the skull belonged to a dhampir like Alucard, this opens up another set of possibilities, but before I go into those, I want to address the Belmont Clan's potential view towards vampires and human-vampire hybrids. It's not clear if Alucard needs human blood to survive. He eats human food, but so do the vampires. Lenore comments they get their essential nutrients from blood, but whether or not this also pertains to dhampirs is up for debate. In the Gresit Underground Keep scene, it does look like he had some form of blood transfusion system possibly sustaining him, but this could arguably be a life and death situation. As in, he doesn't need blood to survive, but it can also save his life if need be.

There's also the possibility the blood-drinking is not the same across the board. (Say Alucard doesn't need blood to survive, but another dhampir was saddled with the shitty genetics that make blood a requirement.)

For the Belmonts, I can see dhampirs being a controversial subject. From Leon to Trevor's time, there are four centuries and countless individuals with their own set of similar but unique values and opinions, so it would be understandable for various Belmonts to have points of contention as well as shifts in viewpoint down the generations as new information about the enemy comes to light. Some members might have the stance of, "Dhampirs do not need blood to survive, are not a threat to humanity, and therefore it is unnecessary to hunt and kill them," while others may have taken the more extreme stance of, "Dhampirs are unnatural creatures that do not belong in this world any more than vampires do." Without the precedent of Alucard and Trevor having a common enemy, there would be nothing to sway the entire family one way or the other.

So if this is the case, the skull could have come from a vampire family similar to Dracula, Lisa, and Alucard's, and that family could have been discovered by a Belmont who made the decision to eradicate the them, including the dhampir for whichever reason:

The existence of dhampirs hadn't been discovered/confirmed yet, so the infant was assumed to be a vampire and it was viewed as a mercy killing out of ignorance. (Remember, Trevor thought Alucard was a vampire when they first met, so there is no visual difference between the two species.)

Dhampirs are assumed by the Belmonts to need blood to survive and are therefore a predator to humans that needs to be put down, again out of ignorance or just plain malice.

This particular Belmont was a heartless psychopath who had no qualms killing an innocent baby just for existing.

...

Theory 3: It's a Dhampir and the Belmonts Have a Really Fucked Up History With Dhampirs

There is also the possibility the mother of the dhampir child was a human woman that was raped and impregnated by a vampire. (Surviving somehow...?) In this scenario, there is a woman terrified by the idea she is about to birth a monster and goes to the local vampire experts for help. The Belmonts take her in until she delivers this unwanted child and the fate of the baby dhampir is entirely in their hands, which brings us back to the mentioned controversy among the family members.

If the mother abandons her 'monster' child, the Belmonts are left which the choice, "Do we kill it before it grows up to kill someone or do we give it a chance and let it live?"

Another possibility is the dhampir was brought up within the household for the purposes of 'studying' or 'rehabilitating' its nature. Say the family discovers dhampirs don't need to subsist on human blood and are relieved. "Wonderful. Dhampirs can live as humans and there is no need to kill them." The dhampir grows up happily among his or her adopted human family.

But then there is a tragic accident where he or she doesn't know their own strength and fatally harms a family member. The Belmonts then make the decision: Lock them up or execute them as a monster.

Based on this precedent, the family then closes off the idea that dhampirs can live as normal humans forever and they subsequently commit infanticide against any future dhampir children that cross their path, a blanket decision based entirely on a one-time misfortune.

Theory 4: The Belmonts Were Not the Cause

This again calls into question how dhampir physiology works, but maybe the infant died of an illness of failure to thrive. Alucard is strong and healthy, but that may not be same for other dhampirs, especially ones that may have been rejected as a 'freak' by both humans and vampires. He had the advantage of having a loving family and a safe environment in which to grow up. Other dhampirs might not have had the same good fortune and their health suffered for it. (Or they got dealt a bad hand in the gene pool.)

As for how the skull wound up in the Hold, it could have been one of the 'weird stuff' the Belmonts found and brought back home with them.

This could also apply to a situation where a vampire killed a rival family and kept their skulls as trophies, and the collection simply wound up in the Belmonts' treasury after destroying said vampire.

"It's like a museum dedicated to the extermination of my people, so no. Not thrilled."

Whatever the truth of the skull, I'm inclined to believe Theories 2 or 3 because this scene struck me as a very subtle nod to how no side in a war is completely innocent. On the one hand, vampires like Carmilla, Cho, Godbrand, etc. hunt and toy with humans for sport and view them as lesser beings, and so the Belmonts seeking to eliminate them would be an understandable measure to protect humanity.

On the other hand, the presence of the infant skull indicates a tragic and bloody history of poor choices, old prejudices, potential atrocities committed by the 'heroes,’ and generational trauma. A past history even Trevor isn't particularly proud of for all the pride he has in his lineage. It really showcases the line between man and monster and aligns with the recurrent theme of 'we can be better than this' that occurs throughout the series.

But let me know if you've got any theories/headcanons different from what I have listed above. I'd love to hear it. Crediting Theory 4 to @thetvpenigma. Thanks for your help!

[lahotelbellamuerte]

𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗟 𝗢𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗢𝗡 - floor six. her scorching touch

series masterlist ! current: her scortching touch ! next: ! !floor under construction!

pairing; slight five x phoenix warnings; phoenix being a menace! crushes beginning to grow word count; 5.9k notes; I forgot to post this one, some pls teach me to count what the fawk LOL!

GROWING UP WITH MONEY would usually mean having a much easier life. And for the Magnolia's that was only partially true. They were able to buy their daughter a much easier time with her disability. Getting her teachers to help her heighten her other senses. Teaching her how to defend herself from those monsters who were after her. 

For a long time, Phoenix hated being alive. She hated the fact that she was gifted such powerful abilities, but wouldn't be able to see. Never got to experience seeing the sunsets or the sunrises. But she couldn't blame her mother or father as her birth was a unique occasion. 

Like some of the other kids in the world, she was born through a mother spontaneously. And once her mother found out a rich man was flying around the world to buy them. She did all in her power to make it so that her daughter was hidden from the man. Something deep within her felt the man was deep danger. 

Ella was able to give her daughter a normal childhood, well as much as a blind child with powers could have. 

After the incident on the cliff, one would think people would feel bad for Phoenix. But it seemed no one really did. It gave them more of a reason to hate her. Each and every day they found something new to torment her. 

Shoving and pushing her into lockers, and walls. Calling out names in the halls, taking her cane, and glasses, and throwing them. All jokes to make her life any harder. What's worse is no one else stepped to help. Not faculty, not students, she had no one. 

So after some girls had drenched her with water in the bathroom, she decided that had been it. Walking out of the school she walked and walked never looking back. Throwing her bag on the floor in anger. 

"What did I do that they hate me so much?" she huffed walking further the down the road. 

Hair and clothes still dripping, "It was a stupid accident! Did they think I just killed them for no reason? They beat almost to death for crying out loud," she had been talking to herself ranting.

She ran her hands through her blonde hair and sighed, "And I'm the bad guy? They were going to kill me and call in an 'accident'"

Out of frustration she stomped her foot and screamed loudly. Covering her ears and clenching her eyes shut in anger. 

Somehow she didn't hear the crack in the air as she disappeared from the country she was born in. After calming down for a while she looked around, "Okay where the fuck am I?" she whispered. 

Now, not to be a bore or anything, but this was the first time she had properly moved a far enough distance with her abilities. Sure her mother did her best training her, but let's be real. How is someone who has no ability going to train a girl who is blind and has the power to destroy the universe?

Yeah, exactly you don't. You hope for the best and that she isn't evil. And that she won't willingly destroy everything in existence. 

Let's just say that little old Phoenix was far from home. I'm sure you remember her mentioning how she was a whole-time hopper. Well, it started at the ripe age of twelve. The first location was Yosemite forest in California. It took her about two days to get out. 

Rather than being worried about her safety, this was the first time she had felt free. So she took it to be a sign and continued to jump from place to place for about 20 years. 

You read that right, she was thirty years old running around fulfilling her freedom. In those years she was able to learn more about herself and her abilities. Reigning them in to be fully in control. 

Learning to fight with efficiency, without breaking a sweat. And best of all to fuck around and do all the things she wanted to do. 

Visting all the Disneys (California, Florida, Tokyo, France,) she enjoyed being able to use her blindness to get all the things she wanted. The real world was much kinder than her schoolmates. Going to national parks, learning new languages, well to speak them that is. 

It was all fun, even when the whole Commission got on her ass about not traveling in time. She loved the chase of cat and mouse. They never won, always had to return home in a body bag. 

The Commission was evil, but breaking in was one of her favorite things she ever did. 

Twenty-two-year-old Phonix had dyed black hair and round black glasses on her face. Long sleeve turtle neck matched her black ankle pants. Not to forget the converse on her feet. Oddly no one questioned her as she walked right in. 

They all smiled and waved calling her Eight. She hummed to herself, thinking herself more of a nine in a half. But no matter walking into the building she moved to a room that had plenty of books. The manual of some sort, shoving it in a bag she brought, then ran her fingers thorugh the spines. Then her eyebrows raised as she felt bumps on her spine. 

It was braille, who would've thought? Careful to choose only the ones she needed she stuffed her bag and left the room. 

"Eight where have you been?" an older woman with white hair asked. 

The girl froze and smiled, "Oh you know around..." she replied. 

"Are you on a mission? You have an accent, and also changed the appearance," she said gushing a little too much for her liking. 

Phoenix gave a fake nervous laugh, "Oh how did you know? You are so good at your job, doing..." she paused and was silent for a while, "...Stuff."

The older woman paused and blinked for a moment, "I truly don't know what your husband sees in you," she then replied walking off in the opposite direction. 

After the woman was long gone, Phoenix took a breath, "Who is this lady that I look like apparently," she mumbled walking down the halls. Waving and nodding as others greeted her, "Seems she's popular too," she grumbled at the end. 

Room after room the dark-haired young adult learned new things, well using sound more than anything. Luckily this place was full of televised or voiced things, and people were way too willing to help. 

When lunch rolled around, she sat on the roof of one of their buildings, with a bento box she stole from someone down there. 

"You're not Eight," a very British voice says near her. 

Phoenix paused in her eating, "And you know this how?" she asked then paused, "Not that I'm confirming or anything." 

The Brit snorts, "You have an Australian accent that is way too natural for boring-ass American Eight to do," she starts walking closer to the young woman, "And the bag beside you has many stolen books. Some in braille, and I know blondie isn't blind." 

Phoenix finished the tray of food and put it down, raising her hands, "Alright you caught me, what are you going to do?" 

"The names Lila by the way," she paused, "I won't do anything, I'm just bored from all the rules sticklers." 

Standing from the ground, she stuck out a hand, "I'm Phoenix." 

Lila laughed, "Like the firebird?" 

The Aussie nodded, "Yup the whole burn and be reborn from your ashes," she replied picking up her bag and then walking off. 

"Wait I know who you are!" Lila called catching up to the girl, "You've been causing trouble all through the timeline, you're lucky they haven't sent Eight after you yet." 

Phoenix turned her head and snorted, "My doppelgänger? What is she going to do?" 

Lila shrugged, "She's one of the best agents in the company. Never failed a mission." 

"Yikes, that means she has killer instinct aye?" 

"Never hear the end of it from my mother, she says I should be more like her. But won't let me meet her," Lila replied as they began descending the stairs. 

The young girl turned to Lila and pat her shoulder, "Well if she's never failed a mission that means she sticks to the rules," she started with a frown on her face, "I, on the other hand, have fun," she begins to laugh. 

As they reached the bottom Lila looked over at her, "What will you do?" 

"Cause a little trouble, go back to making the timeline shit. Then take a break," Phoenix said as she walked towards the main building, but stopped when Lila was following her. 

"I like you, Lila, don't go into that building." 

Lila paused and nodded, there was something about the Eight doppelgänger that she liked. Not a rule follower, liked to have fun, and was blind but could kick ass. 

"Will I see you again?" she asked watching as the girl paused. 

Turning with a smirk, "It's not the last of me you'll ever see." 

And that was true. That day she watched as Phoenix walked into the building and never come out. But she did hear the fire sirens going off, then a few windows blasting sideways. Screaming and people running out. Then the bullet sounds began to ring in the burning building. She rose a brow when flashes of red could be seen through the windows. 

Lila smiled at the sight, she was a badass, "Now, that's cool." 

Then the Commission was let know if she was ever spotted she was to be killed on the spot. 

On a spontaneous meeting with many of the field agents, one particular one rolled her eyes, "How do you lose someone? Do you even know what she looks like?" 

The Handler scowled at the voice, her eyes landing on the cloudy blue eyes, "You'll know Ms. Eight," she replied with a sarcastic smile. 

The blonde sighed and stood from her chair, not caring about the screeching it made. She would find this Phoenix,  and end it. 

I'm sure you're asking yourself, "oh god did she go and find herself?"  Well, what happened was that Eight Hargreeves is the smartest person possibly to exist—until she died. 

She did find herself, and almost killed her, but let me tell you the story. 

Phoenix had just turned twenty-five and she celebrated with a great killing of a few Commission agents. In her defense, they were going to kill her in return. So she flipped her new hair due over her shoulder. 

Well, that's at least what the hairdresser did, purple hair with a blunt fringe right above her eyebrows. With a smirk, she turned and left the alleyway, her cane clicking every step ahead of her. 

But she froze as she felt someone across the streets, "Oh shit," she mumbled the turned on her heels running away from the woman she hoped never to run into. 

Her cane was long forgotten as she ran, shoes clicking as she continued to run. That was until a strong force threw her onto the ground. 

"Have you forgotten me, [redacted]," the woman's voice called. 

Phoenix gasped at the name, "How do you know that name?" she hissed getting up fist clenched. 

Eight rose a brow at the sight of the red energy emerging from her hands, so much power, "I don't want to hurt you, but why are you after the Commission?" 

"Why do you care? They're going to kill me anyway, so why not win first?" She called then ran forward her fist glowing red. 

The blonde dodged it grabbed onto her arm and rolled her back onto the purple-haired girl. Bringing her over to her back onto the ground. 

Phoenix rolls out and stands, "and what you're going to kill me now?" 

The blonde scoffs, "I could, easily," she replied running forwards and missing a beat to punch her in the face, but she dodges it. This made her smile and moved her leg up and kicked her far. 

With a groan the young woman rolled far, she's strong, she thought to himself standing and her hands began to glow as she began to float in the air. 

But Eight didn't wait for a second, conjuring her lasso and tying around the floating girl. Lifting her own foot in a high kick, she moved the lasso on her foot, then slammed it down, bringing the purple-haired girl onto the ground with a harsh tug. 

"Jesus christ lady where did you learn to fight?" Phoenix huffed getting up, running again and this time lifting things up around her. 

Eight smirked and began rolling out of the way of the flying objects. The saw came too close and straight-up punched it to pieces, "I had a father who wanted me to be perfect," she huffed and blinked away to appear behind the floating girl. Punching her back onto the ground. 

Not once has the purple-haired girl landed a hit on the woman. Lila might've been right that she's lucky that she wasn't her hit. It wouldn't have been long before she was killed. Especially with how easily this woman was able to throw her around. It was like she knew what was going to happen. 

Just as she was getting up Eight blinked next to her and punched her. Then again to punch her, then to kick, punch, until finally, she activated her powers, the purples, blues, and oranges, hitting her right in the stomach. Sending her through the buildings.

As her back hit the ground, Phoenix knew she barked up the wrong tree. This lady was a lot stronger than she ever thought she could be. 

"I'm not strong [redacted], I am trained in what I do," her voice came her hair softly falling back onto her shoulders, "And you have a lot to live for dear child."

Getting up Phoenix sighed, "What do you know about me?" she said stumbling feeling the large crater she made on impact.  

Eight shook her head, "Not much for now, but I do know some serious shit is coming, and you are going to help me fix it." 

The purple-haired girl laughed, "How am I going to help you if I barely know how to fight, I bet you weren't even trying." 

The blonde kneeled beside the young woman, "I may have not been trying, but I know you'll get better. Just have faith Phoenix," she replied tapping the girl's forehead. 

Phoenix blinked and looked around, "What the fuck happened to me," she mumbled moving to stretch her back, hearing small cracks as she did so. 

Her memory wasn't erased it was just repressed to come back later in her life, but Phoenix didn't know that of course. 

Anyways, after her little birthday there, she felt inclined to learn to properly fight. Using her ability she moved thought out the world to learn all types of combat. It took her a couple of years to really get into it. She was impressed by the end of it. I mean how many blind people do you know who are blind and can fight? Don't say Matt Murdoc...

When she turned thirty, the woman decided it was time to return back home. Her parents had seen her since she left Australia all those years ago. Boy was it hard to jump back from a whole other timeline. It was weird, some kids named the Umbrella Academy were famous in the past timeline.

She was able to successfully—well kind of, return back home. Like a couple that we know, when they tried doing a large jump like that, it doesn't always go to plan. And just like them when she returned, it was back to a fourteen-year-old. 

Let me quickly recap the rest. When she returned her parents were weirded out why she looked so young after so long had passed. They were able to kind of get it when she explained the situation. Even with her young age, she did the best she could. Opened a repair shop with a local bike gang. 

Momma wasn't happy, but mentally her daughter was a thirty-year-old. And couldn't yell at her for the tattoos she began to collect in a quick amount of time. But was proud nonetheless. 

After that, she grew to be the eighteen-year-old we met when Hargreeves changed their timeline and ended up here. Kickstarting the end of everything, and meant slowly returning the repressed memories in Phoenix's head. 

I'm guessing you want to know what happened to Eight's grave? Well, I can't tell you obviously that's the whole point of the story, but what I can tell you is—she was never buried in the first place—

AS THE DUO REACHED THE END OF THE ROOM. It was clear the chimp knew who the blind girl was. He took a long drag of his cigar as he looked at her. 

"You look good Phoenix," he said his face not changing in sentiment as he glanced at her. 

The girl nodded holding her cane, "Pogo," she greeted. 

Five looked between the two, "I don't have time to know why know each other." 

Pogo looked at her partner up and down, "I won't tattoo you, I barely did hers," he said blowing out another puff of smoke as he looked over at him 

"Well, I'm not here for the ink. I'm here because you and I have a mutual friend. Not the Bird, but Sir Reginald Hargreeves." Five explained hands still in pockets. 

Pogo paused for a second, "Whatever he wants, I'm not interested," he said turning back around to deal with his customer. 

Five frowned at his words, "I don't think you understand. I'm one of his children," he paused, "From another timeline." 

At those words Pogo paused his word to turn to look at Five, "Another timeline?" he asks out loud but only chuckles. 

Five looked around and notices that the large buff men were getting closer. So he motioned for the teen girl to get closer in case things were to get dirty, "As crazy as it sounds, you and I have met before he starts, "Back in 1963, when you were a diaper-wearing chimp in dire need of a manicure. I don't know if you remember, but I have a scar to prove it," he finishes and pulls his collar to show him. 

Pogo finishes packing, "if what you're saying is true, I'd be talking to a man well into his sixties. Now if you'll excuse me. I've had a very long day," he finishes turning to put on his sunglasses. 

As he turns everyone starts to surround them, Five moves closer to Phoenix as they do.

"Time to go back to mommy," one of the buff guys says to them. 

What was accidental was one of them behind shoving the purple-haired girl. Stumbling forward her glasses slipped down her nose. Lifting her head, one of the guys made eye contact with her. 

But her pale grey eyes were only like that for a second before they began glowing an eerie red. The man gasped but froze as then a stream of red energy followed the room of men. 

"Excuse me, my friend and I have work to do," she replied reaching up and pushing her glasses back up her nose. They walked ahead only to stumble. 

Five caught her arms as they walked out of the building where Pogo had gone, "Jesus what was that?" he asked a little frightened about how they all were held hostage without her doing much. 

She shrugged and giggled, "I don't know we had to get out of there. I'm drunk so nothing serious would happen to them." 

"You are never drinking again,"  he hissed and pulled her by the hand as they reached to see Pogo ride off. 

"Hey, I need your bike, It's an emergency," he told one of the men on a bike. 

The man scoffed, "Think you have me confused with someone who gives a shit," he replies and rides off. 

Five sighs as he watches him go off, "Bird get behind and put your arms around me," he says and pulls her arms around his torso. 

"Why—" she screams as her voice gets pitchy, her arms holding onto him tighter. 

Five blinked and threw the guy off the bike, "Oh my god! A death machine!" she screams. 

He turns his head with a smirk on his face, "Have you never been on a bike?" 

"Idiot I can't see!" she yells arms tightly holding onto him, "I think I've become sober from this!" she yells onto his back as the wind brushes against them. 

Five can't help but chuckle at her fear, not missing her arms tightly wrapped around him. So much for a girl who had just scared a room of fully grown men. 

"Don't laugh! If you make us fall, I will kill you," she yelled over the wind, her arms holding him tighter if it was possible. 

The teen boy's small smile didn't fall from his face, "Don't worry, I know how to ride a motorcycle," he paused still looking ahead, "You won't be dying on my watch." 

Phoenix could only nod against his back, still very much afraid. The world moving in blurs of lights around her. This was the first time she decided to trust Five with her life. 

Five only hoped that the ride wasn't for nothing. Feeling a little calm with the wind blowing against his face. Without thinking he moved a hand down to the smaller hands tightly wrapped around his torso. He squeezed softly, a silent way of asking if she was alright. Realizing what he had done, he sighed knowing she still hated his guts. 

But his thoughts fell silent when he felt one of her own hands squeeze back at his hand. Suddenly he was acutely aware of her cheek against his back, her warm hand against his. Her thighs were close to his body, all of it feeling like she trusted him. With the thought at the back of his head, he only smiled slightly. 

A couple of hours later, the sun rose high in the sky, the duo still rode past through the greenery. The two silently communicated with the squeeze of their hands. Something so intimate yet, so silent. 

"Senses up Bird, we're coming up on Pogo," he told her as he tuned the bike into a pathway. 

She nodded, "Thank god, I hate this death trap." 

Pulling to a stop, Five kicked the stand on the side of the bike. His eyes looked around at the trailer and the woman sat on a chair reading a book. Stepping off the bike, he turned to help the girl off the bike. Taking her hand as she swings her leg over the bike. 

Hand still in his, he watched her take a breath, "Well this place is full of trees huh?" she mumbled. 

"I still find it odd that you can sense everything around you," he adds letting go of her hand and moving ahead to the woman sitting on the chair. 

The woman looked over at the duo and rose a brow. A teen boy wearing a whole suit, while the girl had a cane in hand, blind, she thought to herself, "Can I help you?" the woman asked, putting her book down. 

Five stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Need a word with Pogo," he simply said to her. 

The woman looked him in the eye, "No Pogo here, pumpkin," she said using a cute little nickname. 

Phoenix snorted at the pet name, "Pumpkin my ass," she muttered under her breath, not missing the harsh feeling that Five gave her a look. 

He clenched his jaw and looked back at the woman, "Okay," he said and stepped forward, but stopped when the woman stood from her seat. 

"So, I suggest you get your ass off my property. Before I call a truant officer," she said putting down her cigarette in hand and giving him a look. 

Again the girl rolled her eyes under her glasses, "Welp that's nice for him," she says and walks forward past the two of them her cane tapping the leaves softly. 

Five furrowed his eyebrows and pointed at the girl, "Why did you just let her walk past?" he asked annoyed. 

"Let him through Tammy," the voice came through. 

The teen gave the woman a slight smile and moved around her to follow the girl. 

Phoenix climbed onto the small trailer, "Love the whole trailer," she says pointing around with her cane. 

The chimp rolls his eyes as he smokes, "And you're still equally as annoying as I saw you a few years back kid," he says to the girl with the vibrant hair. 

She smiles at the thought, "Awe why do you talk to your favorite friend that way?" 

Five was confused, "How do you two know each other?" he asked as he moves to sit in the booth with the chimp. 

Pogo sighs at the question, "Don't believe this girl is all that innocent. That place you got her from—" 

Phoenix cringes, "Pogo don't—" she tries to intervene. 

The chimp lifts a hand to silence her, "She's Mengie the owner of the shop back in Australia," he simply says thinking the teen boy would know what he meant.

Five snapped his neck towards the girl near them, "Your name is Mengie?" he asked in disbelief, that the name was such a big secret was Mengie. 

"No you idiot," she hissed and smacked his head. 

Pogo shook his head, "No, her name isn't Mengie, she's a leader of an Australian gang," he adds. 

"And that's any better than it being your name?" Five adds looking again at her, but she just shrugs. 

"Just tell him what you're here for," she quips, but only smiles when she hears the pistol click, so then she turns to the sink and spots a bottle of liquor. Five won't know, she thinks to herself and picks it up and drinks from it. 

Pogo just takes a sip of his drink, "You must be either dumb or desperate, to find me, and have her around," he says motioning to Phoenix, "Which is it?" 

Time after time, he keeps hearing that voice. Chris, Eight's dead words, and now Pogo are all ringing the bell. How powerful is Phoenix that she has people vouching for her, without trying? That it was a good thing that Reginald didn't find her. 

Rather than voice the thoughts in his head, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the skin, "You tell me," he simply said. 

Phoenix just cringed at the sound of the skin slapping the table. Then she shivered as she felt a powerful wave come from near the area. Who had powers that big, she thought to herself. 

Pogo just picked up the skin, "That looks like my work, but I never did that tattoo," he says and throws the skin back on the table. 

"Not yet, you haven't," he says, "I cut it off my 100-year-old self." 

The chimp hums, "Ah, so desperate," he adds taking a sip of his drink. 

"You would be too if you knew the entire universe was at stake," the boy says seriously. 

Pogo takes a sharp inhale, "So it's happened," he said and unlocks the pistol, knowing he wasn't a threat. He reaches into the side of the table for something, then hands it over to Five, "Ah, here it is. Look familiar?" 

Five grabs the notebook and compares it to the skin that had the tattoo. 

"Reggie was obsessed with these symbols. It's a sigil. A symbol thought to have magical powers," he says as Five looks over the symbols. 

Five scoffs softly, "Dad believed in science, facts. I didn't respect much about the old man, but I respected that. Hoo-ha was not his thing. It's gotta have a rational meaning," he says as he continues looking over the symbols. 

"I don't know, but he referred to it as Project Oblivion," Pogo told Five not knowing much about the symbol. 

Phoenix took a sharp inhale putting the bottle back down at the skink. She felt eyes on her as she did. He probably remembered the two both muttered on actual old Five's deathbed. 

Five leaned closer to the chimp, "This project. I need to know more," he said one of his hands clenched tightly. 

The purple-haired girl searched in her head to remember anything of what he was talking about. Oblivion...oblivion...oblivion. It was almost like a lightbulb went off in her head. 

In the strange dream when she passed out at the Commission, the very adult-looking Five had said this to her. 

His blue eyes trained on hers, hands on her shoulders, "Oblivion..." he had said to her. 

But she needed to know the whole story, why was he talking about such a word? What was happening, and why was that version of Five in her dreams? 

Pogo's voice brought her back to the present, "It was a kamikaze mission. He was preparing the Sparrow children with the expectation they might never return. That's why I gave those children all those pills, to keep them safe from him." 

"Great, now Klaus got him sober, amazing honestly," she snorted taking the glass cup from Five's hand and drinking it in one go. 

Pogo sighed and looked over at the girl, "Then Project Oblivion is staring again, and you are all in danger," he paused to give the now probably drunk girl a look, "But this time you have her to help you, use her wisely." 

Five and Phoenix gave each other a look, "You know about my whole witch shit?" the girl slurred waving her hands around her face. 

The chimp chuckled taking a sip of his drink, "Dear you're one of a kind. I don't know anyone else who is blind that is able to dodge bullets without a second thought," he muttered taking another drink. 

Five took back the glass from Phoenix and poured himself a drink, taking it in one go, "I should probably get that ink. Complete the loop," he said putting the glass down. 

"Are you sure?" the chimp asked looking at the teen worriedly. 

The time traveler chucked, "Oh, I don't think destiny cares whether I am or not," he paused and turned over to the purple-haired girl, "Want to do the honors?" 

Tammy who sat in the back cleared the table and nodded, "Bitch is cruel, ain't she?" she thinks allowed getting up from the table. 

The teen girl smiles at Five, "It's your first isn't it?" she asks reaching forward to unbutton his vest. 

The two face to face, "No, got a small one on my wrist courtesy of my father," he says in a much softer tone, feeling as she delicately unbuttons his vest. Then watching her manicured fingers move up to loosen his tie, "How many men have you taken ties off huh?" 

Phoenix just smirked, "Don't ask questions you don't want answers to," she mumbled moving to unbutton his white button-down, she let her hands briefly brush against his chest. Before turning to Pogo, "He's all yours Pogo," she finished and moved away for the chimp. 

"Let's get started then," he says and it wasn't long before his tattoo machine was buzzing and marking Five's chest. 

Five couldn't help but feel guilty as Pogo began his marking. The brief tingling from Phoenix's finger still lingered on his skin. He shouldn't begin to care for her. She wasn't his wife, not the woman he promised to love forever. Yet, why was he worried as he looked at her down the bottle of liquor? Ever since they arrived he couldn't help but notice she began drinking a lot more than it looks she can handle. 

After getting Tammy to take the bottle from Phoenix, and tying her to a chair. She fell asleep listening to the buzzing of Pogo's tattoo machine. 

Finally, Five was able to relax and just sit until he was finished with the art piece. 

Pogo's eyes never left his machine as he continued, "You care for her don't you?" he asks suddenly causing Five to sigh. 

"I don't know, I guess I do. She looks so much like Eight," he then says closing his eyes and getting a glimpse of the blonde. 

The chimp hums, "Well Phoenix is a good one. She may look like she doesn't care, but she does," he pauses to wipe away some of the ink, "She's gone through a lot as a kid. Don't underestimate her. She can help you." 

Five nodded lightly, "Does she have a drinking problem?" he then asked. 

Pogo only snorts for a problem, "A little," he says, "She's always had bad luck with drinking. Can never hold it down, but really starts to drink when something is eating at her."

The two then say nothing for the rest of the tattoo. Both of them drowned in the sound of the buzzing of the tattoo machine. 

"You're all set kid," he says a few hours later, rolling his chair back and rubbing ointment on the fresh ink to set it.

Five got up from laying down and began buttoning his shirt, fixing his tie, and his vest, "Thanks Tammy for tying her down after she got a bit aggressive," he said reaching for his jacket and shrugging it on. 

The woman put down her book and smiled with a slight nod, "No worries, not the first time we've had to put down the girl," she says with amusement in her voice. 

The time traveler looked over at the chimp behind him with a brow raised, "I'm sorry what?" 

"We've known the girl for a couple of years," he paused to light a cigarette, "She makes a mean gang leader, like I said don't underestimate her." 

There was so much that he still to this day didn't understand. How is the girl that was completely wiped out from a couple of drinks? He just hoped when she did explode she was still on his side. 

He just moved forward and untied her from the chair, lifting her to his shoulder. Arms securely around her thighs against his chest. Turning to face the duo in the trailer he waved, "Thanks again," he called, then went with a crack. 

[shyolet]

i've not played either of the betas of monster hunter wilds because i prefer going in blind and getting a full experience my first time with a game, but based entirely on the last three games that have come out i am admittedly a bit nervous that it'll not quite be what i enjoy from the games

also, in saying all of this, i want to make it clear that i love the newer games quite a bit, monster hunter is my favorite series, they just have strayed further from my tastes in favor of wider appeal and marketability

like, mhx/mhxx's combat was unique and really interesting in a lot of ways, but felt at times like it was restricting tools and strategies that had always been a part of weapons with the newer moves available being primarily for the sake of flashiness and spectacle. as a result of that, the lasting impression i got from playing (and admittedly never finishing) it was that the creative play during combat that i adored from the series prior to it felt stifled in comparison since i no longer had access to the full set of options my weapon was capable of to use during optimal contexts also i'll never forgive it for what it did to insect glaive

with monster hunter world, i adored it going in but feel almost no motivation to return to it the way i repeatedly do with monster hunter 3u and 4/4u especially. i think this is in part because it simplified out a lot of the background non-combat related elements of the games that drew me in. like, in the older gens resource management is near constantly on your mind, you have to cycle item priorities and monitor currencies in the farming/trading sections based on what you're running low on or what you intend to do. it's a chore, sure, but it ends up being engaging. planning for hunts becomes as much something to focus on as the hunts themselves. your choices in what you prioritize matter, and you're punished if you don't give them the attention required. in world, there are so many ways to obtain items passively and without thought that its rare to run low on anything

in fact there seems hesitancy to punish players whatsoever? if you forget to restock on items, you can at any camp and don't even need to keep track of/remember a lot of the field items that have been present since the first game like whetstones. if you forget to eat, youre able to anywhere you go and even between carting (on timed intervals). on top of being able to dodge to cancel out of more moves than ever in combat, you have so many mobility options that it ironically ends up harder to learn fights since you're not as required to time things precisely as you're getting the feel for a monsters moves. the open nature of the levels meant you could no longer step out of a room to recover, so healing had to become less a risk that required reading when a monster gives you time to do so, now giving you the ability to move while drinking potions with the stages having dedicated healing spots and your palicos constantly hand delivering heals or the moxie food skill. between all of this, the feeling that's been central to monster hunter since the beginning, that the odds are constantly stacked against you as you slowly improve with the monsters having advantages over you in every way (mobility, navigation of the stages, damage), is lessened. it becomes a power fantasy

the equipment system is no longer a balancing act of positives and negatives to each piece that you need to spreadsheet out to optimize since it's now just a strict points system to boost skills to different tiers. i find it a lot less fun to think into and pre-plan build ideas since there's usually a clear and simple way to get what you're wanting from your armor, and rare drops aside you get so many more parts per hunt to do so. i get that not everyone was into the more complex and involved systems, but the thought and time requirements gave a weight to the hunts and your build that's no longer present, and i find myself zoning out while playing a lot more instead of being drawn deeper into the admittedly exceptionally beautiful world they've crafted

as a final point, i find turf wars to be a poor design choice. in a developer interview, it was stated that the reason they added visual damage numbers into the game was in part to obfuscate how people noticed that watching two monsters fight was just standing around for a bit, and that it was boring after the initial awe wore off. seeing how much damage the monsters do in comparison to you, stripping away chunks of the fight you'd otherwise need to actually play, feels like a very artificial and uninteresting way to justify its inclusion

rise did improve a lot on the core combat changes that mhx had made with its weapon attack choice system, and even made turf wars more of an active element the player has agency in, but it's overall faster, flashier, and simpler than ever, with the risks and required deliberate timing of every move being solidified as a thing of the past. the maps are far emptier since you can spiderman around them or sprint through them on a mount, and gathering is instantaneous.

older monster hunter was just more willing to inconvenience players, which was one of the strongest points of the series. the devs recognized that inconvenience benefits immersion, it makes choices matter and clicks together the various overlapping systems in a way that makes every minute of play have weight and meaning that isn't present in the newer games to me. i miss having to make shopping lists of parts and resources, to pour hours into theory crafting builds, to have to memorize fights so well that every frame felt important. i get that mh1-4u appealed to a far more niche audience, but for those it clicked with it ended up being really special

[ciaossu-imagines]

Teito Klein Headcanons

Teito’s not the best singer around but he enjoys singing. He finds it calms him and he’ll often find himself singing to himself under his breath when he’s really stressed out or going through something really emotional.

Teito’s really bad at managing money, not really having had much experience at having money of his own that he can spend. Money tends to burn a hole in his pockets and he feels the need to go out and spend it immediately. Often he spends it on gifts or things for the people he cares about. He doesn’t have a lot to give the people in his life and it’s always something he feels a little guilty about, so whenever he has the opportunity to buy something or gift something to someone he likes, he jumps on the chance. He’s not the best at thinking up gift ideas but he tries to really put thought into them, though he often chooses either too practical things or things that have no practicality at all.

Teito does know how to sew, but most of his sewing is clumsy and just gets the job done. He’s never gotten, and will never get, the knack of blind-stitching, so all of his sewing projects have very obvious threading on them. To try to prettify his sewing attempts, knowing this trait of his sewing, he chooses thread in bright colours or colours he finds particularly pretty to sew with, though they often clash with the colour of the fabric he’s using. In a little twist though, I could see Teito as someone who would pick up knitting without too much difficulty and who would be really good at it naturally.

Teito can pop and crack most of his joints. He cracks his neck immediately upon waking up, just as a force of habit, and can crack his knuckles, knees, shoulders, and toes. It grosses out those around him sometimes, honestly.

Teito hates being mistaken for female. He assumes it’s because of his short stature and more youthful appearance, both things that he wishes he could grow up quickly and change. He’s a little jealous of people with more muscular frames and I think he’d be the sort of person who would choose weightlifting and such as exercise forms in an attempt to reach his goal. However, despite hating being mistaken for female, he doesn’t really have a lot of negative thoughts about dressing up as female if the need for it arises. To him, clothes are simply clothes and don’t necessarily represent who or what he is. If dressing as a female gets him to where he needs to go, he won’t think twice about doing so and he’s cross-dressed before in the past several times. Going along with this, because he doesn’t necessarily view his clothing choices as indictive of who he is, he’s rather casual about what he wears and doesn’t give a lot of thought to his fashion choices.

Teito wouldn’t really care if he were to ever need glasses. In fact, he tends to think that glasses look cool on people and, when he sees someone wearing a pair of frames that is unique, either because they’re patterned or some non-standard colour, he will compliment the person on them. He’s definitely tried on both Hakuren and Castor’s glasses before, just out of curiosity as to what he’d look like in them.

Despite Mikage and Frau both having a marked interest in porno mags, Teito has only looked inside one once. He immediately was so embarrassed, nervous, and somehow guilty feeling about doing so. He blushed extremely hard and he just didn’t find it a pleasant experience. To him, such displays of nudity and sexuality are something precious that should only be shared with someone you care about deeply, not something that should be put up to titillate and gain money. Of course, given that Teito has seen the dark side of sexual slavery, this also colours his negative opinion towards pornography, which he views as similar exploitation for money.

Teito is really prone to nightmares. He sleeps through most of them, though anyone in the same room with his sleeping self that he wakes up with these nightmares will notice that, while sleeping, he cries during these nightmares. He hardly ever remembers them fully upon waking up, though certain images or sounds will remain with him and he’ll find them hard to shake.

Teito doesn’t like action movies and he especially hates horror movies. He just doesn’t see the appeal of them. He sticks to more family-friendly movies and he especially loves comedies. His love for comedy movies and television shows will lead to him watching stand-up comics and he’ll gain an appreciation for that art form as well, gaining quite a few that he really likes. He has very negative reviews though on insult comics or those who always make other people the butt of their jokes and, as an audience member for a show like that, he might lose his temper and start shouting at the comic, leading to him getting forcibly ejected from a few venues.

Because he’s had very little to call his own, when Teito has a place to call his own, his own furniture and living space, he takes great pains to keep everything neat and cared for. He treasures everything, even if it’s second-hand, thrifted, or cheap and ‘disposable.’ To him, just being able to have those things is a kind of miracle and he deeply appreciates getting those little miracles. If he spills something, he’s quick to wipe it up. He treats any spilled food or drink on furniture right away with stain remover or spot remover. While his cups and plates are either second-hand or bought from the dollar store, he’s gentle and delicate with them when he’s using and washing them and he’d be upset if he ended up breaking something. When others give him things for his living quarters, he goes to a lot of effort to take care of those things and they become little ‘treasures’ for him.

[girl4music]

DOM: “It’s a weird character to play guys. I’m not gonna lie. It’s very strange …. It’s an interesting balance. I think that there is a darkness and yes, that is absolutely going to be present. And there is intention to serve the greater good that is in many ways sort of like a blind faith - thinking that this is for the greater good of all. She feels that this is the only way. This is her calling. Like she’s surrendered to the forces that be that are telling her that this is where she needs to be and this is how she needs to serve. My thought about my experience with Gooverly in Season 2 - I almost see it in the same way that you see flickers of her coming through and fighting the other force that has come into play. So like you see these flickers of her really coming through and fighting it. And I think that that shows up here as well.”

KAT: “I’m not 100% sure if she’s evil. Or I don’t think she is.”

DOM: “She’s not evil. She is not evil in her intentions at all. She’s doing it for the greater good and stuff but perhaps the things that are being fed, the rules and regulations of the way that she should go about saving the world are perhaps uh… maybe even unconsciously dark and not actually serving the greater good.”

KAT: “It’s a very complex scene. I think it’s beautiful that she becomes a guardian of sorts. The Angel’s Shield. Who knows what will happen with it in the future. I don’t know if she’ll have any supernatural elements to her or what that’s gonna look like. But I think if it is - ‘cause Nicole has always been very human through the whole journey of the show and I’ve always really liked that about her - I do think that it’s very clear that that is her destiny in whatever realm it is. Whether it’s as a normal person here on Earth or if it’s more in the supernatural realm, she’s always going to be a guardian and a protector and that’s just the core of who she is.”

It is a very complex scene because there’s a lot of layers to it. There’s a lot of layers to Dark Angel Waverly and the Angel’s Shield that they haven’t really delved into that hopefully they will in ‘Vengeance’. But otherwise - I think it’s an extremely simple scene that just conveys a lot of complex emotions and themes.

The thing is is that Waverly fears for Nicole’s life because she’s not supernatural like she and Wynonna and Doc is. Despite Nicole being a cop she tries to protect her from supernatural danger as much as she can. This unfortunately leads them to be on opposite sides often because Nicole desperately wants to be a part of the supernatural lifestyle so that she can be with Waverly and be more involved in the way she lives and Waverly doesn’t accept that until late Season 4. It’s a huge part of the whole PTSD crisis that Nicole goes through early in Season 4 in losing her faith and confidence in herself because she’s lost her Waverly.

In fact that’s what makes the whole sacrificing scene far more profound. It’s Waverly coming out through Dark Angel Waverly because she realizes just how serious Nicole is about trading places with her as a supernatural guardian of the Garden of Eden and she is sort of battling with her concerns about that at the same time that she’s battling her own supernatural arc. So in a way - that scene is her relenting. Allowing Nicole to have more control over their unique lifestyle. Giving her the permission to become something more.

That sacrifice scene is so beautiful because it’s a statement of love and devotion and respect from both sides. The beginning of treating each other as equals because they’re always going to be worried about each other’s safety but at the same time, they have to trust and have faith in that they can use each other’s own powers and strengths to see each other through the dangers and the hardships. It’s a marriage after all.

Can’t let the worry of loss limit your love’s potential. Especially if she was meant to be of the supernatural.

It’s a sacrifice and commitment on both sides…

For Nicole and for Waverly.

And that’s beautiful…

Because that’s love.

That’s true love.

And they say a similar sentiment in their vows. That they’re going to try and put aside the worries in order to give each other the support and respect they need to be their own power and their own hero in their lives.

NICOLE: “Waverly, my beautiful angel. You are the smartest and the kindest person I know. I promise to stand by your side for all of life's adventures, and always pack a safety harness, just in case. I promise to hold your hand when the firelight grows dim and that my love never will.”

WAVERLY: “Nicole, I thank goodness every day for that bullet-proof vest. Without it, I would never have known a love so strong and mighty. I promise to love you. I promise to stand beside you, as equals, for the rest of our lives.”

It’s a statement of: “I love you enough to let go of the worry and pain it will cause me to lose you so that you can have an exciting and fulfilling life of your own”

It’s peak respect what they give each other in the end because they know what each other are capable of and they trust that they can fight the good fight. And you do not see that kind of love displayed in TV art/entertainment at all. Especially not between women because of the whole two parts equals a whole thing. Which is just bullshit. Complete utter fantasy rubbish.

Yeah, the sacrifice scene is absolutely my favourite WayHaught scene of the entire show - hands down! It’s simple dialogue but there’s just so much in it. It’s masterfully written, directed and portrayed. I could go on and on about it. Write a 10 page essay if I have to.

IT’S. SO. FUCKING. GOOD!

[the-crystalized-cosmos]

We see a lot of people claiming that microlabels (especially in the queer community) don't serve a purpose, or that people aren't putting their focus in the right area, or that they're essentially 'overlabeling'. And honestly I want to talk about this and break it down. Because a lot of time the combative arguments are just calling it out as harmful rhetoric, which is true, but we don't talk about what microlabels actually do for communities enough. And while we of course don't need to justify their existence, we should actually talk about the change and influence they're causing! Because it's important and a good thing.

As a disclaimer, this will mostly be talking about queer microlabels. That's where we see the most discourse, and I have the most familiarity. But this can definitely apply to other communities, and I will touch on that later.

First off the statement that microlabels don't serve a purpose has always been beyond wild to be. To start there is the most obvious part of them giving names to experiences people live. Feelings people have. That is more then enough purpose. But importantly, tied into that, they give people the right and ability to define *themself*. Which is so important in a world that is constantly trying to decide what we can and cannot be. Being able to take that power into our own hands, not just with common labels (which is also important) but to fully create something and say "this is me" is so important. It is a way to gain back power people have been trying to strip from us for so long.

Beyond that we have several whole communities built around microlabels. And that community is so important. Not only do so many people find a home there, because they find others who are like them. Who also have a very unique experience and need an equally unique term. But there's an important solidarity there. Because so many people use labels that only a couple others use, you have a community that is so diverse. One that does look to learn about others experiences a lot of the time. One that supports, *celebrates*, those differences. I'm not blind to the discourse in the community, of course I'm not. But there is so much solidarity that doesn't get talked about. Having a space where you can exist around people with identities that are wildly different from yours, is important. And the overarching fact that both of yours are really unique, even if the details are wildly different, still creates a sense of community. And that's so important, especially to baby queers who are starting to find themselves.

This doesn't even mention the fact that it builds that sense of resistance against being "the right type of queer". Microlabels are one of the most fought about things, one that gets thrown under the bus so much. So so many of us learn to be "the weird queer". We learn we don't have to be acceptable to the mainstream. That's so important. Learning not to live by others standards of what's allowed and what's not is a huge thing that needs to happen if we want to see major change. Having a community that does that naturally is impressive to say the least. We learn not to give into what they want us to be. Because what they want us to be is not queer in the end.

Going even deeper into parts of the community, archivist and archving is a huge (though often overlooked) part of the community. Their work is so important. Preserving queer history, no matter how mundane, is important. It shows we have been here. We have always been here. And there have been several times where there have been what people expect to be "minor" terms that became big. You never know what will be a cornerstone of the community one day. I know we have found several major/common terms that don't have that history any more. Furthermore it does promote just looking into queer history in general. Looking at the historical use of a lot of terms, especially ones like fag, dyke, tranny. How they have been used in our community as identities for so long. How they have been taken from us as identities, terms we're no longer allowed to use to define ourself because they're "bad". Looking into that history, is important. Preserving that history is important. It allows us to not lose important parts of our journey. To not allow that to be taken from us. And that's just terms. There's so many every day parts of history we never would've known without the microlabel and especially archiving community. So many events that have nearly gotten lost to time.

Other things we see especially in the microlabel community is the promotion of exploring yourself. Allowing yourself to be wrong. Which is such an important part of self discovery that isn't talked about enough. The idea that you don't have to be right. That you don't have to put that pressure on yourself to find the perfect label. That's so important. As well as allowing yourself to decide how what terms, if any, you use. So many people think that just because there's so many terms in the community everyone has to have a million and that's all we ever want. When in reality, we see so much talk about the freedom to choose. Yes the freedom to choose what terms fit you best, to choose how you define the terms instead of the terms defining you, but also the freedom to choose none. To choose that labels don't work. To choose that maybe they do, but it's no ones business. To choose that you just don't care enough to bother. And that's equally as important as being able to create a label that is hyper specific to you. The freedom to identify how we want is so so important. To not let others decide what we are. That's what we want in the future.

This doesn't even address the fact we see people complain the microlabel community is having "too much fun"? Which is, a wild thing to say.

People should be allowed to have fun in their identity. To not have to take everything seriously. So what if those terms are just something they enjoy. Having fun in your identity does not hurt anyone. In fact that's important. It allows people to explore more parts of themselves, without fear of judgement or exile.

It also leads to people being able to decide how important their identity is for them. Maybe it's super important and they want it to be treated as such. Or maybe they just want to bring home a partner one day, or casually mention they want to go by a different name at breakfast and everyone will be cool with it. If we only treat our identity as something serious and strict, we'll never reach that.

Like I said, we see this mostly in the queer community. It has one of the biggest microlabel communities out there after all. But honestly? You can change out queer for just about any other community that has its own microlabel community and all of my points still stand. Alterhuman is another bigger one we're familiar with, and while we haven't seen nearly the same amount of hate, I'd be lying if I said we didn't see it. But everything I've said here still applies. And that's because fundamentally microlabels have a lot of influence. They're important in so many ways people don't talk about. And again, we shouldn't need to justify their existence. That's not what this is meant to be. We should actually acknowledge their importance though. What they do. Being able to look at how different parts of larger community have influence is important. And who knows, maybe someone will look at microlabels in a new light because no one ever talked about it like this before.

[friendly-neighborhood-furry]

birthday gifts!! a littel photo album for meself 2 remember it by :3

first was a little dino-themed blind bag my partner got for me! the paper bag was so cute :3 the sticker was also cool i might steal it for my water bottle-

here's everything that was in it! items are listed from the top-left down

dinosaur lanyard

rex and ankylosaur notepad

beautifully rendered tyranosaurid postcard

kaprosuchus print

t-rex keychain-bookmark-thing(?) not sure what it is but ive seen them around before & theyre cool. the reverse side has just the rex's eyes framed in it >:3

sticker for something called "The Devils Demons". not sure what that is but hey if theres dinos i might check it out

holographic triceratops fossil sticker (this ones def going on my water bottle)

adorable carnotaurus acrylic keychain/bagclip. i love how dino lovers have embraced the silly carnotaurus from Prehistoric Planet

edmontosaurus (?) pin, also from The Devil's Demons. guess its a character?

sonic 3 action figure set!

sonic and shadow's eyes light up if you press the button on their chests :D i cant wait to pose them in homoerotic situations

modeling clay! this thing is heavy lol

Shin Godzilla DVD! Dad got this one for me and i'm so touched that he remembered me talking about how much i wanted to watch a few months ago.

i've heard a lot of good things about it from the horror circles i'm in, so im very excited to watch it :3

fun fact about me, the first Japanese film i ever watched was Ponyo, except the Ponyo DVD we had wasn't in English, it was the original Japanese version with no subtitles.

not ideal, but i have fond memories of watching it that way as a young child. i didn't know what they were saying, but the acting and visual storytelling were so strong that i still understood what was going on and was invested in the plot and characters. a few years ago i rewatched the film in English, but it didn't feel the same. oddly enough, i prefer the version of the film i cant understand (◠ω◠) (> ω <)

this DVD being original Japanese (as in literally shipped overseas from Japan) reminded me of that, and it brought everything full circle in a nice way. even though the film itself is far from whimsical or comforting in any way haha

this one was a few days early: my friend got me the new skins for Squirrel Girl and Rocket Raccoon in Marvel Rivals! :3 i would've added a screenshot of Rocket but i hit the photo limit 😭💔

what can i say i'm a furry that likes women and the beach. sue me

okay warning: photos below are of an animal skull. if you don't like that, don't click the read more/keep reading button. thank you!

by far the coolest present is from my aunt: its an actual raccoon skull! my mom thought it was a beaver when i first lifted it out of the box lol.

surprise! i'm into vulture culture (*^▽^*)

a bit morbid, i'm aware, but i don't really have a problem with it. i'm a science nerd and i find all parts of nature uniquely interesting, including death.

for as dark as the subject is, the community is very supportive and empathetic (at least in my experience). the folks on the VultureCulture subreddit are very kind and happy to help with identifying animal remains and giving advice on preservation for scientific/artistic display.

according to the box, this skull came all the way from Nebraska! i'm in California, so that's already crazy, but it shipped to my aunt first and she lives in Georgia! this little critter had quite the journey.

it probably lived in & traveled around an area about three square miles max until it's passing, so to think this little piece of it made the transcontinental journey from Nebraska to Georgia to California... i dunno, its kind of beautiful to me. its little soul got to see the wonders of the great-wide world.

anyway, i love it and i'm very excited to put it up on display o(*^▽^*)┛also excited to post the display photos to r/VultureCulture >:3