#in which getting to know me means getting to know...that i ramble a lot

[rawserhh]

my thoughts about the season 4 first episode!

spoilers across the cut!

i’ve seen a lot of mixed opinions so far..so i decided to make my own ramble about what i thought myself! there’s a lot of things i enjoyed and some things im partial to and some things i think would’ve been better not in the episode at all

i think it’s also important to remember that it is the first episode of the season, and while it does give a glimpse of what may be to come later on, it doesn’t necessarily mean everything is final completely. characters change as episodes are made which i feel is an important aspect of any analysis . with that said, there are some things i still want to comment on that seemed to have changed, starting with the pros:

the animation is really bouncy compared to ii2, and seems more expressive in general! i really think the animators outdid themselves with it, it’s genuinely really appealing compared to ii3 imo. the coloring and backgrounds are amazing too, and kept me invested the whole time . i really liked in this specific scene how the hospital reflects salt and pepper as objects (similar to how fans fantastic features and inanimate insanity infinity did, with the pink and heart theme)

it makes me happy to see the writers don’t forget about characters like salt who only have had big roles once or twice, it makes a lot of fans happy and stays true to their character.

the new voice actors are incredible too, and i think the voicing in this episode in general was just really well done :-) not much to comment on here, i just think the new voice actors were awesome. it’s nice to see more of them outside of the remaster too!

i loved seeing old debuters come back, along with some new characters too. the designs for jack and tapey are pretty awesome and had me excited to meet them. i hope we get to see more of how they develop and interact with other characters

also cheesecraft is back is that not awesome. it’s on java if anyone is interested LOL. i really like how they’re tying back to season one again, especially since early season 2 seemed to shy away from it a lot

i also enjoyed the starting plot/rising action, the idea of a sanitized, overly protective society that was created to avoid anyone getting hurt in any way is a cool way to stem off from season 2. especially protecting glass objects like lightbulb is really cool to me, she looks very cute in blue lol . i hope we learn more about it and shimmer power in general!

the play at the beginning portraying the way the contestants see mephone and mepad was really interesting to me, and showed a lot more into their characters, especially characters who weren’t seen in season 3 like floory and bot.

i see a lot of people upset about how mephone was portrayed, but i feel like people are failing to realize that it’s the writers intention, the contestants hold resentment towards mephone, so he is going to be villainized by them even when he isn’t. remember that most of contestants see mephone as their host and abuser, so they aren’t going to necessarily be overjoyed to talk about him (in play form or not). im 100% certain that the writers aren’t going to throw away mephone or 3gs just like that. things require time to be shown or explained, and with a 30 minute episode only so much can be done .

with that said, there are some things i really didn’t enjoy in the episode, im possibly more bewildered and confused than anything.

?this beginning. we learned about the red line game inside mephone, but never any other game requiring basketball of any sort. maybe i missed it somewhere, but it requires a lot of interpretation to understand what’s happening . also, how did 4s manage to meet these guys? did he remember them from season 1, or just met them inside mephone? it’s really hard to empathize with these new characters 2 minutes into the new episode, even though it’s supposed to be a heartfelt scene. we don’t know them yet, so it had little to no impact .

the town in general confuses me a lot too. how were these jobs assigned to everyone? some people seem to dislike their job more than others. how did everyone agree on what should be built with the shimmer magic? HOW does the shimmer magic even work? did the metag just decide to abandon meeple?? a lot of these things feel like they were just thrown in for comedic effect without much else behind it, which feels a lot more tainting to me, unless it is yet to be explained in a later episode

it feels like too much is happening at one time, like too many mini plots and characters were trying to be squeezed in 30 minutes. it felt like tpot, but more in a negative way. this kind of pacing doesn’t really seem to fit the ii characters as much

to backtrack for a minute, one of the things that made season 2 almost everyone’s favorite season was the storyline. each episode had dedicated segments to each character, without feeling pushed to only one storyline . in this episode, it felt like it was rapidly switching from one thing to another, while trying to fit in comedy and character progression only seconds apart, giving it a tacky feel to me. i felt like i couldn’t blink without something new happening, new characters and getting a feel of what the season will actually be like.

in all honesty, it felt like too much at once. i feel like it could’ve been better if it was stretched out a bit, so we can actually learn about the new characters and how season 2/3 characters interact with each other. a lot of it just feels so out of character and weird,

another issue i kept seeing happening was telling instead of showing. it felt like every action a character was doing they announce it, instead of just doing it. for example, it felt like fan kept on mentioning over and over again what made the old show so enjoyable, when instead an example could’ve been shown instead, like contestants enjoying something that was only in the show.

it’s stated that the shimmer power helped them rebuild and rejuvenate their society, but they don’t show how! everything felt so explicitly stated or not stated enough, making the episode less enjoyable to me

in all honesty, i’d give the episode a 6/10. it has its work, but it’s what’s expected from an opening. it feels like it gives too much away while also not saying enough at the same time. however, the visuals and new style of characters are stunning, and i can’t wait to see how it improves in the future. i think it just needs some time .

that’s all my thoughts on it, though i may add later if i feel like it :,D thanks for reading my thoughts

[ocelotted]

i need u all to know that this panel is my roman empire like. there are three things i'm thinking about at any given moment two of them are the Stresses of Life and the final one is this goddamn panel. this cemented rui as one of my top favourite ghouls in my mind and was also an INCREDIBLY formative influence on my characterisation of him [incoherent rambling under the cut]

at this point in time i'm pretty sure that rui and mc do not know each other very well at all. they met on the galaxy express and had some minor interactions since then but they're like. acquaintances pretty much. and yet LOOK AT HIS FACE,,,,,, that's some tragic romance lead type shit. of course you could attribute it to a bunch of situational things: they're under attack by an anomaly, innocent lives in danger, stakes are extraordinarily high etc etc but. imo that doesn't explain the sheer heartbreak on his face

now a very reasonable explanation is this scenario being an incredibly stark reminder of his curse and how it inhibits him. instinctively he reaches forward to save her and then stops himself, horrified at the prospect of almost killing her without meaning to, terrified by the fact that she's throwing herself headfirst into danger, and saddened by the realisation that right now there's nothing he can do to save her. the hopelessness and frustration that would engender is captured incredibly well in his expression and it makes good sense. perhaps this is my personal biases talking but i just don't think that's the face you'd make if it was just a regular acquaintance in front of you.....

anyways my actual point of discussion here is the reason why rui seems so attached to mc in particular!!

firstly going into his traits as depicted in canon and in my interpretation of him. right off the bat rui strikes me as someone who loves easily and loves hard (or at least would prior to being cursed and made to put all his barricades up). i don't necessarily agree with his descriptions as a playboy, but i do see him as a sort of accidental heartbreaker in the sense that he would just give love so freely and genuinely that it would hurt him and others unintentionally. as of now he seems very settled in this easy front he exhibits (mc describes his behavior as being befitting of a host after all) but there are times where that facade cracks and this panel is, i feel, the first time the audience is privy to it. we literally see his heart bleed on his face and it is really really jarring since we finally get to see him as something more than a cheerful flirt.

now i know this goes against what i said about this not being a face you'd make for some random acquaintance BUT i do think that mc being there specifically has some weight.........

overall i think that this panel serves as a really great summary of rui and mc's dynamic as a whole. there's a lot of emphasis in the narrative and in their interactions on them finding common ground in the form of their curses - but we also see that the respective ways in which their circumstances force them to navigate life at darkwick are very different, and that in itself is really huge for their dynamic.

mc's curse and her bond with the sage ring incentivise her to interact with the world as much as possible - it's repeatedly affirmed that she needs the ghouls' support to ensure she has the best possible shot at breaking it. she's constantly running from house to house, getting wrapped up in their business, always on the move. for many of the ghouls she is indeed a sort of mirage - lingering out of reach because even subconsciously, she is distanced from these people to minimise the hurt her eventual demise/transformation will cause.

rui's curse, on the other hand, inhibits him from engaging with the world. he definitely can, and he's proficient at it by nature, but it's always with a pronounced degree of caution and he is very much isolated from the so-called 'human experience'. he's cooped up in obscuary 90% of the time, doesn't attend classes, does chores, gardens, rinse and repeat. with that has to come a profound sense of just being left behind as the world passes by. being secure, but stagnant, rooted to one place because venturing anywhere else is such an incredible risk. it's pretty much the exact opposite of mc's own set of circumstances. i find it a really interesting parallel, even moreso in the context of their relationship

no wonder he seems so attached to her - ironically or not, mc represents a sort of hope for rui, an affirmation that being cursed doesn't have to mean being cut off almost entirely from the world. that you can still live and love and be loved by people without fear!! and imagine how painful that attachment must be when his existence is (as i said before) so confined in comparison!! watching her move about from one thing to another, ostensibly getting further and further away while barely being able to reach out (in a literal sense) himself due to his own curse....... so close yet so far. that's got to be painful

in conclusion: rui is a sweetheart of the highest order and i'm chewing on his and mc's relationship + crying myself to sleep each night over this panel

[gowerhardcastle]

A very interesting, at least in my opinion, has crossed my mind. For all that I’ve ever written, there has always been some underlying theme, or rather a point, or even multiple points, that I’ve wished for readers to get from my works. And so I was wondering, in all of your works, have they all been created that way as well? Do your stories have those underlying points, and also, do you think that stories can be created without some hidden meaning behind them? Some message, that authors wanted to portray in an artistic way?

I had to think about this one for quite a while.

My first impulse was to just say, "No, nothing in particular. I just want to write a funny story."

But then I thought a little more, and here is the actual answer.

Some of you probably know that I'm an English Professor and have been for quite a while. My whole life has been about the written word--about cultivating it, showing its value, teaching about it, and trying to create beautiful prose.

If my games are about anything, they are about how much I love language. I know my games are not for everyone: when I read articles about how the typical university student has trouble getting through thirty pages of literature in a *week* whereas it used to be more the norm to assign 100+ pages, that tracks with my experience as a professor. And I know that a game like mine, which is very, very long, has a very mannered writing style, has a highly literary sensibility, and asks a lot of time from the reader is never going to be a breakthrough hit the way some games are.

I'm okay with that, because I'm writing the kind of game that I love, and it's meant to appeal to people for whom reading millions and millions of words is not an intimidating thing, but a treat.

As a professor who also teaches first-year writing, and, alas, some online classes, I am also deeply, deeply in the trenches dealing with AI writing, and it makes me very sad for people who are depriving themselves of (what I think of) as one of the most beautiful and human things you can do, which is to write. I don't want to make it more of a thing than it is, but when I feel feelings like this, writing my game is the thing I can reliably turn to as the antidote.

The slow process of creation (I've been at this sequel now for five years) and a lot of attention to detail and to the beauty of the writing is how I resist. The essential innocence and joy of the world, delight in language, and the laughter it inspires is my small resistance to things.

When I sit down to write, practically every time, I hope that someone will read it and laugh. Whether that's a hidden meaning or an artistic theme, I doubt, but that's what I hope for.

If you would like to play a very long demo of most of the first two chapters, read stories, short essays on game design, and read various rambles on interactive fiction, and in the process, fight the system (?), why not visit The Noble Gases Club?

Here, you can find stuff like a discussion of frame narrative, a sample of a character design of Juniper, and a discussion of my "straight shot" approach to the current chapter I'm working on. All free (for free members)!

It's highly literary 1930s England, in a P.G. Wodehouse inspired world where all shall be well.

[natihoneybee]

Kagi’s School Trip Buddy

Woahh okay everyone’s freaking out about chapter 31 dropping tonight/tomorrow (I am too). So in an attempt to calm my nerves, I tried to work on another theory post or whatever type of ramble this is.

Ughh idk idk OH MY GOD this was originally going to be a Hirano and Niibashi analysis post, but while looking for material I stumbled upon this INCREDIBLE easter egg and decided to prioritize this instead (fear not, I will get to Hirano and Niibashi’s dynamic later). Now this could be a stretch, but I’m pretty sure…

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW ABOUT JEALOUS-KUN.

Based on the timeline in Hirano and Kagiura, Vol 1, chapter 3, we know that the second year students’ school trip happens in November. In The Second Years Light Novel, chapter 2 Kuresawa’s Flashback (The School Trip), we follow Kuresawa’s point of view on his second year school trip and there are several scenes about Kagiura. And while going through these parts in the book, Kagiura is discussing Hirano with a friend. And I have a suspicion that Kagiura is actually on the trip with Jealous-kun. I KNOW I KNOW, you’re probably thinking whaaat. But please hear me out.

Look at these passages from the Second Years Light Novel, pages 28-29 and 58-61.

Pages 28-29

I overheard someone saying, “Why’d you pick Hokkaido? I mean, I know it’s a little late to ask, but most of Class A went to Hawaii.” I guess one of the guys nearby was from Class A. It was a little unusual. The guy talking to him was obviously from some other class. Our school had a lot of different programs, which was part of what gave each class its own special character. I don’t want to say that was the whole reason so much of Class A had chosen to go overseas together, but that was part of it.

“Well, Hirano said he went to Hokkaido…”

“There you go talking about that ‘Hirano’ again! Who is he anyway?”

“Not telling.”

Hirano, like, Hirano? The upperclassman? I thought. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but my ears picked up that name specifically. It made me glance to the left.

Big: That was my first thought when I saw the guy nearby, the one who had mentioned Hirano. He was taller than I’d expected, maybe even taller than Sasaki.

~

Besides being taller than average, this person looked really… manly. I’d always assumed a seme would be the forceful go-getter of the two, but I realized now that an athletic type like this would make a pretty good partner, too.

Page 58

Just then, I heard another voice I thought I recognized. “Oh, someone gave me one of these once. So they really sell them here!” I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but when someone is talking right next to you, it’s hard not to hear them.

“Hey, that’s the thing you’ve got on your phone. And it’s a limited edition–they only sell it here! Wow, it really exists! So that person you like got that for you?”

Intrigued by the mention of something limited-edition, I sneaked a peek at the shelf to find two guys looking at cell-phone charms in the shape of a weird-looking dog. It had a massive head, with a sort of afterthought of a body… it was a dog, wasn’t it?

“Yeah, that’s right,” said the tall guy. I thought he’d been in my car on the ropeway… i was pretty sure. In the daylight, he looked more muscular than he had that night; he definitely seemed like an athlete. His back was to me, so i couldn’t see who it was, but more striking than his build was his gentle voice.

“So what’s with this Hirano guy anyway? He’s cool and kind and sweet? I can hardly picture an older guy who would give someone a weird-ass thing like this.”

Hirano again?

“Huh…”

Page 60

“He’s supposed to be blond and handsome, right? I’d like to get a look at him!” the second guy said.

Blond? Blond! It all matched up too perfectly… As i was thinking, the line was moving, carrying me away from the two guys with the phone charms.

“Hmm… I think maybe you’ve seen him in the mornings,” the first guy said.

“Mornings? You mean, like, on television? Is he an actor?!”

“Yeah, no.”

If they were talking about the Hirano I was thinking of, then what was this about mornings? Mornings… greetings… What else happened in the mornings? Sometimes the Disciplinary Committee ran uniform inspections. Was that it? No, that was stretching it. Those inspections didn’t happen very often. But then again… I couldn’t reject an idea just because it seemed too convenient.

Page 61

That was when I noticed the two guys I'd overheard in line had moved to a shelf near the register.

“Hey, they sell earrings here. Is he still wearing the ones you got him?” the buddy asked.

“Uh-huh,” the athlete replied.

I felt a shock: That did it. Hirano… He wore earrings, didn’t he? Was this really right? Should I be taking a naughty little imagining like this seriously?

Who is Kagiura talking to here?

The guy from Class A that Kuresawa refers to is obviously Kagiura, but the guy he’s with is someone from a different class. Neither Class 2-A (Kagi’s class) or Class 2-B (kuresawa, tashiro, miyano’s class). So I’m assuming he must be from 2-C or 2-D (is there a Class D?), even though there hasn’t been much discussion yet about Class C or Class D.

Initially I thought it may be Niibashi, however, there’s no way it could be him either because:

This friend Kagi is talking to has no idea who Hirano is. With all the questions he’s asking and how frequently Hirano is coming up between these two, it almost seems like this friend just recently learned about Hirano and about Kagiura having a crush. Kagiura has talked Niibashi’s ear off over Hirano, and Niibashi has met Hirano before. Also, the way this friend is speaking and asking about Hirano, doesn’t sound like Niibashi.

We know Kuresawa would have recognized Niibashi if it was him. In Second Years Light Novel, chapter 3 (also from kuresawa’s pov), page 77 he mentions Niibashi, “The teacher did most of the instructing, with one student helping out as an assistant—Niibashi, a second-year from Class A. I knew him for his refined good looks.”

Kuresawa also notes that he “knew all [his] roommates in [their] six-person room (Second Years Light Novel, 36). That includes Miyano, Kuresawa (self), Tashiro, Karasubara, Shirahama, and Hiwatari. So, Kagiura’s friend couldn’t be Shirahama either or anyone else in this room.

We can conclude that Kagiura’s school trip buddy knows that an upperclassman named Hirano is Kagi’s crush, Kagi’s dog keychain was a gift from Hirano, and that Kagi gifted Hirano earrings.

Kagi tells his friend that he may have seen Hirano in the mornings. Kuresawa thinks to himself that it’s possible Kagi is referring to the Disciplinary Committee uniform inspections, but that the inspections didn’t happen very often and that was stretching it. But let’s remember: this is from Kuresawa’s perspective. It’s limited to what he knows. We know more about Hirano and Kagiura’s morning routines. So what else happens in the mornings? Well, Hirano and Kagiura study together, they sometimes eat breakfast together, and Kagiura goes to basketball practice in the morning. If Kagi is telling his friend he may have seen him in the mornings, then his friend must either live in the dorms as well (unlikely cause then he’d know who hirano is) or is on the basketball team with Kagi. It’s possible that come November, Hirano might stop by once in a while to watch Kagi’s morning practice.

Kagi’s School Trip Buddy is:

Possibly from Class C or D

Possibly someone from the dorms

Possibly from the basketball team

Someone Kagi has confided in about his love for Hirano

On pages 59 and in Bonus: A Short Little Something, we barely see Kagiura’s school trip buddy. From the front, his hair made me think he looked more like Muroi, but he’s a kouhai so he wouldn’t be on this trip. In the bonus chapter, the back of his head kinda reminded me of jealous-kun’s haircut from the back. Although, the color seems lighter than jealous-kun’s black hair. I wonder if Harusono did this on purpose to conceal Kagiura's friend’s face for now.



HiraKagi’s Relationship in November/School Trip Timeline

On page 28, Kagi’s school trip buddy asks him what Hirano is to Kagi, “Who is he anyway?” and Kagi answers “Not telling.” It’s possible that Hirano and Kagiura are:

trying a dating trial at this point

actually dating and are keeping it a secret

delaying making it official to stay roommates

actually did elope and are married and are secretly husbands while still in high school.

Tbh I wrote that last scenario as a joke, but then I remembered Hirano started wearing a ring on a necklace in OCTOBER. Hellooo that halloween extra where he’s all over kagi?! SECRET HUSBANDS.

If Kagiura goes on his school trip to Hokkaido with jealous-kun, they may actually be really good friends at this point in November. Like I think maybe we’re looking at a rivals (one-sided on jealous-kun’s part) to friends development in the late summer. Whoever Kagi is buddied up with on the school trip is clearly someone he trusts enough to talk in depth about his crush on Hirano and is someone who is kind and understanding of Kagiura liking a guy. Anyway, I could be totally wrong about the school trip buddy being jealous-kun, but I think it is based on his character appearance growing and the timeline. Who knows, we might actually get a name for jealous-kun by the time we reach November in the HiraKagi timeline.

[verstappenalty]

I'm thinking about that godawful article about Oscar and the 'a bully like Max Verstappen ' bit is reeeeeaaaaaally irks. Because every time I see someone call Max a bully or mean, I roll my eyes and try not to get too heated about those bozos' nth attempt at making him the villain, but some other times I take a step back and realize A LOT of the public opinion of Max is like this because a good chunk of them (not pointing fingers but we all know who they are) forget about cultural differences and that it doesn't just apply to stuff like food or architecture. Cultural differences also come in the form of a different attitude and way talking and that's why half of Max's words fly a mile above their heads or why his tone gets misinterpreted so often. My man is Dutch. Having interacted with a bunch of Dutch when I was abroad, those people are brutally honest, sugar coating isn't really something they do, especially if they don't think it's warranted. That's why the likes of the British and Americans - to name a few - get so offended by how brutally honest he is because to them, he comes off as curt, skmetimes even harsh. I'm not saying Max can't being a little shit sometimes (and god knows I love him for it) but a lot of the stuff he gets flamed for is basically just him answering their fuck ass questions or having an honest and unfiltered reaction. To only quote recent stuff, him saying he doesn't understand why Oscar got penalized for what he did Silverstone when a bunch of others didn't when they did the same before isn't him being petty and trying to point fingers at other drivers, but actually denouncing the stewards inconsistency. Another one: last year's Quatar GP when George threw his tantrum and Max said he lost respect for George and didn't like how two-faced he acted, a lot of people were quick to call him mean when all he did was voice a perfectly fucking sound and, as far as I'm concerned, normal opinion when it comes to hypocrisy. God forbid, he was straightforward with it instead of trying to not be offensive which comes off as 'bullying' because the world is so warped into USAmerican culture of hypocrisy and damage control that someone who was raised in a different way with different cultural traits is seen as mean for simply not mincing their words. And in the end, that's what pisses me off the most, especially when so many people have come forth saying Max is just super nice and chill and all around a dear to work with. But for people to understand that, it would entail for those idiots to see past their cultural bias and preconceived ideas and none of them have the brain capacity (nor maturity, if we're being honest) to try and see past that.

And oh my god I rambled so much I'm so sorry for just word vomiting in your ask box (thank you for your patience if you read through all THAT sorry OTZ)

when my friend first tried to get me into f1 (about a year before I actually got into it, sorry friend), the two things I knew about max were that he had cats and that people thought he was kind of a dick. when I finally got into the sport it was like two days before I messaged that same friend just saying "oh it's so obvious he's not a dick, he's just dutch" and she was SO happy i got it hahaha

but yes, it's important for people to look a bit closer and examine if a person is genuinely being rude or if they're just saying something in a way you're not used to. I know I have been misinterpreted in the past bc kiwi humour is VERY dry and sarcastic and if you're not used to that it can be jarring! was a huge adjustment for me when I first left the country. unfortunately a lot of media and thus online opinion is saturated in US cultural norms which don't necessarily prioritise things like honesty.

[grandpa-swamp]

rambling about my thoughts of Waelin becoming (and being separated from) Sheogorath here as these thoughts came to me between dreams last night lol:

I’ve been thinking a lot of how madness would overtake Waelin and what that could look like, because him becoming that kind of… quirky character that is traditional Sheo doesn’t sit right with me. Knowing how serious and grim he can be his madness would reflect that tenfold, an almost eldritch and quiet insanity. He’d probably be largely silent, rarely speaking, only muttering one-word responses or whispering incomprehensible maybe-truths into mortal ears. But more in line with madgod tradition his impulsivity would be dialed to 11, often making serious decisions and irrevocable disasters occur on a whim- cuz he ‘felt like it.’ But all this with a completely straight, deadpan face, hardly even laughing at or enjoying his own acts of insanity.

He’d go blind (literally and metaphorically), losing sight of the noble knight he ever was. He’d be so sedentary that he’d go years without moving from his seat in the Shivering Isles. His ‘favorite’ pastime would probably just be watching the mortal world fall to shit without him around, eager to see if one day it’d all just end before his very face. He’d screw with mortals every now and then, mostly his own worshippers for bothering him by means of prayer or summoning. Hell he might have even had a hand in the Void Nights (which correct me if I’m wrong but there is no definitive reason for this event I think?) but given how much I like to draw comparison of Waelin to Lorkhan I think it’s a fun little connection.

Oh but I think he’d set his sights on completely fucking with his fellow Daedric Lords even more in traditional Sheo fashion. Especially any lord who has fucked with him in the past, like Mehrunes and Azura. Just whatever he could do to spite them all, to infiltrate their plans and wreak havoc to their worshippers.

None of the Daedra would recognize him as the man he was before, none but Hermaeus Mora- who would know his past and glimpses of his future (esp way down the line with being Dragonborn and with Miraak). Herma would probably be the only one to not outright despise Sheo-Waelin, instead interested in learning about the man he was before and what drove him to his circumstances. It only makes sense to me, that the Lovecraftian ripoff prince would be on better terms with the Prince of Madness than the rest lol. Not that Sheo-Waelin would give a shit, only entertaining that mass of eyes and tentacles cuz he had fuck else to do.

And then of course this fun all being cut relatively short when Waelin is returned to his mortal form, when the world does actually need him again. This could have been divine intervention, or simply a mechanic of bearing the hero’s soul (starting a new game, in typical self aware ES fashion). He doesn’t know. He just woke up in that dang cart, still blind, but with a decently clear head, picking up where he left off mentally right before he mantled Sheo.

Obv this is up to every persons interpretation, but in Waelin’s case I think he was blessed as Dragonborn right then and there. Of course this coming as the biggest insult to him for a variety of obvious reasons. Perhaps Waelin’s return to Tamriel was by the hand of Akatosh himself, not only to pay penance for his shirking of duty, but to give him a chance to properly move on. But as I’ve said in other posts he is not happy to be back and almost wants to let the world end around him, still retaining that apathy from when he was a Daedric prince. But thankfully he meets the right people to push him along and get the job done.

Worth mentioning that his split from Sheo was not a clean cut, more like a halving of their spirits. That’s just how I explain why the Sheo you meet in Skyrim still retains memories of being HoK, but acts more like the typical madgod having lost the aspect of Waelin’s personality. Yet still retaining that blindness, Sheo doesn’t recognize (or maybe he does?) Waelin when they meet again, and vice versa in a way. Though they have each other’s memories, they hardly see the other as themselves, and move on as such.

[shuggymaniac]

Bittersweet scene I thought about but would probably would never write:

((Been collecting first in my draft box))

Shanks and Buggy find the Oro Jackson which was hidden for decades by Sunbell.

Now, Sunbell tried to take care of the ship the best he could but after a long time especially the aftermath of Roger’s adventures the ship will basically fall apart from just a touch. Which he tried to explain to the 2 Captains but they were too excited and happy to see the old ship that they didn’t listen as they boarded the Oro Jackson.

Sunbell was in complete horror as he watched them climb into the old ship and closed his eyes waiting to hear the sound of old wood cracking and breaking followed by the sound of screams as Red and blue fall. But the sound never came.

“Hey! What are y’all doing down there? Get up here already!”

Shanks and Buggy shouted for not only Sunbell but also their crews to board the legendary ship. Everyone was in awe but not as much as Sunbell who was still hastint and in shocked as he watch the crowd of grown men acting like children in a toy shop scatter around and nothing breaking or falling apart because of it.

Benn, lights a smoke: so this is the legendary ship that reached the end of the earth?

Yassop: thought it would be bigger.

Buggy: Show some fucking respect you idiots!!!!

Mohji: amazing!! So this is where captain Buggy trained to be strong!

Cabaji: think of all the things it saw.

Shanks, laughing: Yes our Dear Oro Jackson had carried us through many things from the harshest of battle to the joyful night parties.

Buggy, bend over the front of the ship and giving it a gentle pet: Sorry for being gone for a long time Oro, I missed you a lot you know.

Shanks: Hey I missed her too!

Buggy: Not as much as me!!

Sunbell watched as the two captain who were still the little boys in his eyes pickered over who missed Oro Jackson more. Buggy started talking to the ship about his own ship and Shanks joined in.

Buggy: I call him “Big Top” he’s very flashy!! With amazing colors and a an elephant in the front!

Shanks: well, mine is called “Red force” and I have a giant red dragon in the front with horns.

Buggy, rolling his eyes: well, does your giant dragon can shot canons at the enemy because my amazing elephant does.

The my have a minor fight before the crew asked for a tore around the ship, they split and the crew members mix up, doesn’t matter if it was their captain or not each member went with the captain who seemed to have more interesting stories to tell. During of which they always made sure to refer to the Oro Jackson as a third person, which the crew caught on to.

Cabaji: I don’t mean to sound rude, but why do you talk about the ship as if it was a person?

Buggy: Because to us it’s more than just a ship you can sail on.

Shanks: we Sailed the Oro Jackson since we were babies.

Buggy: we don’t know which island we came from or what is our Origin, but we know the Oro Jackson.

Shanks: you guys have towns, island, and even seas to belong to, but we didn’t belong to one place.

Buggy: we belonged to the Oro Jackson and wherever she took us.

Shanks: she is our island, our county…

Buggy: Our home.

Sunbell reared up at their words, not knowing that their boys had such great connection with the ship. Shanks’s crew just smiled with understanding look while Buggy’s pirate burst into tears admiring how loyal their captain was to his home.

When everyone leaves the ship, Shanks and Buggy taking longer than most to leave, to give the Oror Jackson one final proper goodbye before they leave, the ship start to break and fall apart. Everyone was startled and took a step back while Shanks and Buggy stood horrified making Sunbell pull them back so they they won’t get hurt by a flying nail or sharp wood.

When they were met with the crumbling remains of their home Buggy breaks into loud sobbing as he rambles about fixing it while Shanks sobs silently behind him. The crew watches helpless not knowing how to calm the two captain, neither did Sunbell who saw the grown men revert to their child self.

They didn’t calm until they heard a presence between them as one arm place on each shoulder and the sound of a women, a sound that they used to hear when they were children but stopped as they became adults.

“I’m so happy to see you two one last time, you’re the only ones I couldn’t say goodbye two properly, but now, seeing you strong with so many friends, I’m relieved.”

And then it was gone.

Shanks and Buggy would look at each other with shocked tear filled eyes, asking each other silently if the other heard it too, and it was confirmed with their faces frowned again and they continued crying but this time into each others arms.

[scrapyardboyfriends]

If they’re gonna have John do the same thing over and over again, might as well show Aaron reacting to it. Now that Robert has been brought into the mix, there really should be a reaction. Not only does it allow John to see how this affects Aaron, it can be used to push John over the edge. Problem is, we have no idea if the writing is intentionally leaving him out and not taking advantage of the situation or Danny just had regular time off so he wasn’t around to film.

I mean yeah, we don't know if his lack of screen time lately is just his regular holiday/time off schedule or if there's any intention behind it. I mean it is what it is. Doesn't make it not frustrating.

I think the other problem is not knowing when the John conclusion is going to be. Because obviously they can't really start having Aaron become Plot Aware or too invested in Robert because that's going to move more quickly toward the climax of this story and I don't necessarily want it to be repetitive. But I also don't just want Aaron to disappear entirely either. Like, let him be involved in the Nate stuff more, let him be in scenes like the surrogacy one. Where is this Mack story we were promised? Is he going to get to weigh in on his best friend's maybe divorce? He's already been somewhat brought into the surrogacy story so he could be used there too. But will they? Or will he just continue to languish in the background or off screen doing nothing? I know I was asking for longer Robron scenes before but it's not even about that. I just want him to be a character in general. Sigh.

Like Robert has 500 plots going right now and Aaron isn't even a part of the one he's actually in. So let him be involved in others outside of that one.

I mean again, it is what it is. A lot of my ramblings are just me processing my thoughts on the story and I clearly have a lot of them. I'm not like "angry", it's just very much not how I would have written this story, even in the confines of the current show. But whatever, I'll get over it. Hopefully in the end, we will get decent Aaron content and good Robron content. Clearly they care as we saw with the bridge scene and the prison scenes. All of those feelings are there waiting to break loose. I'm just getting impatient on the Aaron side cause he's not getting to do anything (and hasn't had much to do for 6 years) and Robert is getting to run around doing EVERYTHING haha, which I love, don't get me wrong. I'm enjoying the hell out of Robert's return. I'm just here waiting for Aaron's character to return from war. I hope it's worth it in the end.

[welcometogrouchland]

my Stephanie Brown hot take is that she should get mad bitches now that she's single in comics. Yes yes shipping BUT the one time she had sex she was punished by the narrative via teen pregnancy. I think she should be allowed to have as much sex as she wants with zero consequences. Could be a lot of sex, could be a little. Point is she should get to do it without getting narratively baby trapped this time. she should get them pregnant, actually.

[babacontainsmultitudes]

AH. So that's why they put that content warning. I see!

[cankersoregirl]

I was afraid I’d lose him. So I got there late. And… as I entered, I saw him about to take pictures by himself. The first thing that I felt was… I wanted to hug him. No matter how bad I was to him, he’s still there for me. Every time that I’ve fallen or torn apart, he always runs up to me. He’ll come running and hug me. The same goes for this time, where he shows up. Am I happy? I’m really delighted. I really am. I’d like to thank Save for always being by my side till this very day.

DMD Friendship the Reality: It Takes Two EP. 5

[thatsmellofrain]

to the people saying jinx could never reciprocate ekko's love in the main timeline because of everything she's been going through... i need you to examine your unconscious biases against mentally ill characters

[dreamsy990]

YAY I GOT THIS DONE ON HIS BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAJIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YOU RUINED MY LIFE AND ALSO MAYBE SAVED MY LIFE. WHO THE FUCK KNOWS I DO LIKE YOU A LOT THOUGH

[candyheartedchy]

It must be nice not having to bottle everything up.

[burningcheese-merchant]

I'm really sorry for asking, I hope this isn't an intrusive question. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I've noticed you've toned down your burningcheese posts. Are you taking a break? I hope this ask doesn't come around as being demanding or intrusive. I just really miss seeing burningcheese since there's hardly anything on the tags anymore from what I've noticed. If you are taking a break, please don't feel pressured to answer this post. You deserve a break after everything that's happened

Have I? Doesn't really seem like that to me... But I guess I don't know? Feels like I've been posting and reblogging stuff about them like usual. I guess not? I've been posting a lot about the fankids recently, is that it? Those don't count as burningcheese posts? Haha

But yeah uh I'm sorry if I've given that impression. This ship is still infecting my brain all day every day dont worry haha. I guess i just. I haven't been doing well recently. Nothing to do with internet drama or anything I don't care about that. I've been facing a lot of genuine hardship irl. and i guess it's starting to show on here? Maybe? I'm not really sure. In any case i do apologize if it seems like I'm losing interest or anything like that. Promise I'm not. I'm always thinking about them lol they're a plague. They're a curse. Devsisters owes me reparations at this point. Or rent money for the space in my brain they've been squatting in. Tenant's rights don't exist in my mindscape, they're in big trouble

[moonshapedbox]

in the process of buying my first car finally (yay!!!) and i’m working with a local family business and they got a perk where if u buy a car from them u get a free insulated water bottle with their brand name on it…and my salesman glances over at me (i’m in my complete alternative look) and while he’s explaining the process he smiles and says “we can get the water bottle in black don’t worry” and i smiled SO big bc this is the first time my alt lifestyle has been acknowledged without me having to bring it up it made my entire day !!!!!! YESSS I’M AN ALTERNATIVE GIRLIE!!!! it’s sooooo validating :3