#it's definitely really weird animating like this but it was also surprisingly simple

[reidfaulkner]

Learning Blender for work, it's pretty fun.

Rig made by Christoph Schoch.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Summer 2024 Anime Overview: DEAD DEAD DEMONS DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION

A giant mothership is hovering over Tokyo. The aliens haven’t done anything or even made themselves known yet, but Japan and America are already trying to blow that UFO up, and show off who has the best weapons, causing many civilian casualties along the way. While all this happens, two girls are just casually living their lives. But are they as normal as they appear?

One thing I want to say is if you watch this anime and care about being intensely spoiled, do not watch "episode 0" until you've finished episode 16. It actually slots chronologically between episode 16 and 17, and that's where the episode took place in the manga, so I have no idea why they did that. Fortunately I had someone to warn me about that, so I will be that someone for you.

Dead Dead Demons DeDeDeDe Destruction or De x 8 as I will be calling it, can be really tough show to watch—not because it’s bad, it’s very good, but because of how depressing and visceral it is at times, and how devastatingly accurate it is to the shitshow of our world. This tends to be balanced a bit by the touching friendships (and possibly? More?) of the very likeable cast of teenagers…but you also feel a huge sense of dread about their safety as things ramp up and their stories deepen.

The anime goes hard on criticizing the military industrial complex, Japan’s government, America’s government, xenophobia, treatment of immigrants, rich people, and conspiracy theorists. All things I also hate, so that’s great. What hurts is how you could easily see the events happening—waging war on the aliens despite no provocation, people using an app to to hunt down and slaughter them...

It shows how even some of the protestors of the genocide use their movement to cover their own selfish motivations, meanwhile countries taking the situation as an opportunity to vie for power and dominance, rich government officials lie to their people and abandon them…obviously there's a lot of commentary here on how we dehumanize immigrants and minorities and enable genocides for capitalism and political power.

It's very bleak, and there were a lot of episode that had me just feeling sad, especially comparing it to current events. But there's also this interesting focus on normal people trying to live their lives during this alien "invasion", and the kids who still go through the dramas and upsets of everyday life. And especially the “I’d burn down the world for you” intense emotional relationship between Kadode and Ouran, the two teen girl leads.

Ouran is the main lead, and she’s a chuuni beyond chuuni, acting wacky and cheerful and spouting nonsense-- except if you pay attention, she's saying some pretty valid things—critiques of capitalism, war, government surveillance—but then following it up with something wild like “and that’s why I should rule the world”. You get the sense she’s cloaking an awareness of how shit the world is in humor, and as the show goes on and as her surprisingly intense and weird backstory unfolds, it becomes clear why that is.

The relationship between Ouran and Kadode is the center of everything--their bond IS the show. It's that kind of ride-or-die, I'd-kill-for-you, I'll-be-by-your-side-even-if-the-whole-world-is-against-you, in-every-life-i'd-find-you-and-love-you, soul-bonded, fiery devotion and love. They are the most important person in each other's lives, full stop. It's those kind of relationships that are so transcendent it goes beyond simple definitions of romantic and platonic. In other words, my kind of shit exactly.

But, as far as romance goes, Ouran, at least, is definitely queer and the depths of her determination to keep Kadode safe in a world that wants to destroy her girl that would make Homura Madoka Magica blush. (Kadode is more ambiguous, but she’s definitely soul bonded with Ouran. And honestly should just date Ouran because god she needs to be rescued).

There’s also a gentle empathy for marginalized people underneath all the horror—the girls befriend an alien trying to survive in the guise of a human, and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that the first person our alien tells absolutely everything to is the gnc/potentially trans person of the group, Makoto (To be specific, they seem to still be figuring out their identity, but they definitely present feminine and specifically came to Tokyo because their small town wouldn’t be okay with how they like to dress). The way Makoto immediately shields their alien friend from others when they make the reveal that they saying “Don’t let them see, it’s not safe” and how it’s followed up by the alien reassuring Makoto that their friends will be okay with it if they take their wig off to swim...it makes the metaphor extremely clear, and it’s always nice when a series can explore marginalized characters both textually and metaphorically.

Through the kids, we get kernels of hope in this story, a reassurance there are kinder people in this world, and a hope that kindness will endure.

As depressing as the story can be, what it has to say is important and it doesn’t hold back in making you see what it’s going for—from the “Cool Japan” logo flashing right before the  Japanese government gives a weapons demonstration that will later kill citizens and destroy innocents...

...to the Trump-alike American President (and let me tell you it’s startling to be watching a show in Japanese and suddenly Donald Trump impression in perfect English) *(had to use the manga here because Crunchyroll didn't close-caption this part :/)

Then there's the American tourists, who were clearly va’d by someone really good at English, potentially a native speaker, and it’s incredibly funny how much of their dialogue has “fuck” in it and seeing the subtitles skip over that. Also much of their dialogue is treating the devastated Japan as a tourist attraction and saying how funny it all is to them. Logan Paul has entered the chat.

De x 8 very clearly hates America and recognizes it as a blood thirsty colonial power, which is correct, but the show is just as hard on it’s own country, saying the Japanese government would happily get back on the colonizing horse if they had an excuse, and many citizwns would mindlessly support them.

A small thing I appreciate is far from the usual anime aesthetic where everyone is blandly cute, the anime gives a ton of people ridiculously cartoony features that make everyone distinct—and being goofy looking is not meant to indicate a character is stupid or ugly—Makoto’s a super sympathetic character with giant cartoon buck teeth and one character that’s even pointed out as pretty has like, a pig snout nose. (It also makes it so the character noted as being drop dead gorgeous...actually is, instead of coming off as just as conventionally attractive as the rest)

Soooo a lot of good stuff going into this story. Let’s talk about some caveats.

There’s a continuing storyline between Kadode and her adult teacher, who takes her to his place to have sex with her. When he does, she ends up ditching him because of her feels for Ouran (gay) and I thought that would be the end of it, but nooope he’s a groomer, they pick up dating again when she’s in college, literally months after the previous encounter. The dude is presented as a scumbag, he cheats on his girlfriend, he seems generally apathetic, his clear discomfort with Kadode calling him “sensei” shows that he knows what he’s doing is wrong …and ultimately the relationship is shown to be unfulfilling, with Kadode directly stating so and acknowledging he’s just advantage. That doesn’t stop it from being uncomfortable though, especially since it’s confirmed he and Kadode have sex eventually (offscreen, thank god) and honestly, I felt it dragged on way too long. The first encounter pretty much demonstrated everything we needed to know about the whole thing in my view.

And of course there’s a ton of potentially triggering content in a story like this—from genocide to suicide to child murder to almost anything you can think of. Also like, one character has a sister complex, but on the milder side for anime. One where it’s conceivably platonic, and it’s not like he goes after her boyfriend Yuri Forger style, so it doesn’t bother me too much. There's also a good dose of fatphobia. And finally moment where a woman reveals she has ADHD (which I've never actually heard anyone say in anime so I actually got a little excited the more fool me) and then is almost immediately shown to be faking it.

The ending…is another big sticking point for me. It feels disconnected from the rest of the series, mainly focusing on a character we barely know and likely don’t care about and spending very little time with the characters we do, presenting an interesting status quo and immediately abandoning it, and while earlier episodes of the series presented "actions have consequences and we gotta live with them" as a major theme, it was suddenly like, actually they don’t!

The ultimate ending, again, hinges on a decision from a character we don’t care about and honestly feels like a deus ex machina. It felt almost like the author really wanted a happier ending but knew that wasn’t in line with the story he’s told so far, so he just tacked it on. Or maybe it was an editorial mandate, who knows. I think the most satisfying way to see watch episode 1-16 as its own pretty satisfying complete story (which works really well), and then treat episodes 0 and 17 as their own separate thing, a potential additional ending but not the definitive one. At least that’s what I did.

Overall, De x 8 is a show with a lot to say and it gives you plenty to chew on. While it is often depressing, it is very rewarding. The unbreakable bond between two messy girls, as well as the moments of ordinary joy and small human/alien journeys are the core of the show, and what makes it shine. I definitely encourage you to give it a watch. It's being really slept on, and it shouldn't be.

[momo-shut-the-fuck-up]

So i ve done the main story in infinity nikki and im gonna stop playin now, before i squeeze the game dry of content and have nothing (new) to do on release.

Time for a lil review/thoughts post

I m not gonna review every single mechanic in the game, simply things that stood out to me or that i wanna talk about. I also wont add more images, i kinda want ppl to see the world for themselves... i ll share more when the game comes out tho.

There s a lot of text under this. Tldr, i like the game i think it's a solid, enjoyable experience with a good gameplay loop, the story isn't for me, and i'll keep playin of course. And u should try it too if ur device wont blow itself up tryin to run it.

Dress up

The bread and butter of Nikki games... it's good as usual. Game doesn't shy away from long skirts or coat tails or complicated ballgowns just cuz nikki can run and jump and dash now and i'm very happy bout that. There's some clipping issues once in a while, but it's nothing major and the clothes we do have in the game are lovely. There s an evolution system for some of the sets, which makes em a diff color.... usually they can evolve once, but i saw Three extra evolutions for one of the UR sets and that scares me. Bcs to evolve them u have to craft the suit again. So u have to pull 4 copies of a suit to max it out..

Combat

Game's definitely succeeding in its quest for being cozy. There's no real stakes, combat isn't difficult in the slightest but i do welcome it- super simple but it's pretty fun regardless. The boss fights were surprisingly creative and fun for what they are, it's just unfortunate that you have to do them more than once or twice (crafting mats)- but they do change what the boss does so it's different depending on what mat u are farming for... and u can claim double or triple or however much stamina u got-le of the mat after u complete it once. So that s rly nice.

Exploration

I actually think it's really really good. Again this isn't a difficult or complicated game, not yet i guess... but with the major goal being "get new clothes" and "take pretty pictures maybe", the open world feels actively engaging to participate in. There's collectibles everywhere, little challenges you can do that are diverse but quick, styling battles, collecting everythin from animals fur to bugs to fish, and allll of this brings u closer to that never ending goal of woo more clothes.

However even if a challenge doesnt give you a blueprint, it's still just. Really Nice to exist in this world. It's very whimsical, as expected of Lilith, and the world has a combination of realism and cartoon artstyle that is just soso appealing to me. It's genuinely how i would've imagined miraland to look in 3d. Shame it's not the same miraland we know..

Story

Hmm... silly is one word i could use for it. Cute also. The story isn't doin anythin bad per se, and i did start skippin dialogue near the end w the pieceys because i want to keep at least Some part of the story for the game's release... but i get the gist of it, and it s just not my thing.

It feels like a story made for children, and it definitely would get a G rating. Easy and simple to follow, there's moments of tension or sadness sure but with the antagonist bein a literal babie lookin cutey fairy with a grown man's voice, or the creatures that i'm interacting with are a bunch of. Fuckin weird lookin big eyed balls of fabric that look closer to plushies than somethin Alive... it's all so silly and dramatic sometimes i can t help but cringe.

Part of it is a me problem, if u just open ur heart and free urself from the cringe the story is fine. It's just a little too kiddy for me and i so desperately hope it won't stay like this forever. My prayers might be answered though, there's a whole war beyond the borders and we have refugees around... shit's lookin bad for Umbrosa.

Other things i noticed that i liked:

The effect on nikki's skin when it's raining, she actually has water dripping down her face... its so cool

Momo capes are actually kinda neat ngl. Especially cuz the fucker follows u around everywhere, at least i can bedazzle him

Npc models look really good im a fan. They do suffer from "everyone is very beautiful" syndrome, which makes some of the npc villains look/sound ridiculous, but they have kid-teen-adult-elderly versions of models (i never see teen models in these games! Its cool!) And some body variation. The grandmas look so lovely i cry

The dark skin tone is really dark, and it looks quite nice and natural.

The lighting engine in this game is just rly good in general. God bless UE5

The edges of the map where there s forest, which u obv cant go thru, the forest is made to be darker, thicker.... i m a huge fan of this idk y. It's not just *invisible wall in front of an open field* nopee cant go there lets explore that area later tee hee. And it looks good to boot.

Camera function is p robust, has more options for changin brightness/saturation/contrast etc which i feel Shining Nikki lacks.

Some of the creature designs are so good man i looove themm <3.... the pieces are awful tho. Ok creature design is a hit and miss sometimes but the stray hatty? Peak. All the weirdy fashionable animals? Peak.

Bein able to quick switch thru ur saved sets while in the overworld is real neat

Oke that was it. Bye

[argumentalist]

You know, I don't love the original Mobile Suit Gundam. And I didn't think the RX-78-2 Gundam was that great. But the more I build the more I appreciate this iconic design.

This is my first time building an Entry Grade kit. I guess I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but this kit genuinely surprised me.

We've got a bunch of these weird double runners. A1/A2 molded together. I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't just call the whole thing the "A" runner.

The molding is fantastic on this kit. Nice, sharp details. And the gates are virtually nonexistent. According to the instructions you can pop this thing together without any tools at all - not even nippers.

I used my nippers out of habit, and a glass file here and there... But, yeah, probably not needed.

I used a gold Gundam Marker on the eyes. They were just molded in yellow plastic and I didn't think they popped enough.

Fun fact - there's no black plastic in the head. That darkness around the eyes is just a shadow created by gaps/recesses in the plastic. Some smart engineering there from Bandai.

Surprisingly good articulation here in the torso - there's a couple joints in there to allow a fantastic ab-crunch.

And I'm loving the colors in this plastic. That yellow is nice and rich.

The color separation is also very surprising in this kit. There's no stickers at all. That "v" in the crotch is a separate bit of yellow plastic poking through the red. There's High Grade kits that don't have color separation this good.

The arms and legs are honestly kind of a let-down after the rest of this build. They're very hollow with very simple joints. The articulation isn't great. And it all feels very tight and stiff.

If I understand correctly, this is what makes it the Full Weapon Set kit - the addition of effect parts for the beam sabers, the beam javelin, hyper-bazooka, and Gundam hammer. A nice little bonus considering how cheap this kit is.

I wish there was an effect part for the beam javelin - that grey plastic doesn't look great. But I guess that just means I'll have to paint it.

This is everything you get in the basic Entry Grade RX-78-2 Gundam kit. While you do get the handles for the beam sabers, there's no effects parts.

I painted the sight/lens on the beam rifle with a yellow Gundam Marker - again, it just looked too plain in the grey plastic.

While the joints are stiff and the articulation isn't great, it can still pull off some very nice poses. And the light weight combined with the stiff joints mean that it'll hold any pose just fine.

That beam javelin just doesn't look great out of the box. And due to how the handle and hands are designed you can only hold it way down at the base. I'm definitely going to have to paint it eventually... And I might modify it a bit so it can be held up on the shaft.

This is really a very surprising kit. Much, much better than I was expecting.

The build was very simple and fast. It didn't have the satisfying complexity of a Real Grade. It doesn't have the heft or weight of a Master Grade.

And it's a very simple, anime-accurate design. There isn't a lot of surface detail to panel-line or anything like that.

But it looks really good once its built. And all of that simplicity means it should be very easy to customize.

I'll happily build another Entry Grade kit. And I'm already thinking about interesting ways I could customize one...

[toomanyplotbunnies-sendhelp]

Hello and welcome to (the true) Day 14 of "Let's Explore My Plot Bunnies"

Today, my brain decided to be very... resourceful, for the lack of a less polite word, and remake the Cat!Shen Jiu fic from *checks notes* Day 4. Only now, instead of Shen Jiu being the one transformed into a cat, it's Liu Qingge.

The current title for this is "Paw Prints in Your Heart," and I do intend to make it a LiuJiu fic.

The premise is quite simple:

Liu Qingge was injured in his latest mission. He falls unconscious at the base of Cang Qiong Mountain, and, unbeknownst to him, his body turns into that of a cat. Shen Qingqiu is the one that finds the injured tuxedo cat and takes him (he did check; it is a boy) back to Qing Jing Peak for treatment.

When Liu Qingge wakes up, not only does he find himself to be a cat, but also he finds himself in the care of the (surprisingly gentle) person he hates, Shen Qingqiu.

Now, imagine: Cat!Liu Qingge has to stay around the Qing Jing Peak because his paw has a bad injury and ends up being in the same room as Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan have their (admitedly one-sided) argument of the day. And after Yue Qingyuan leaves, Shen Qingqiu, feeling the anger rising, decides to vent to the only creature here that will listen to him and not interrupt - cat!Liu Qingge. So, Shen Qingqiu speaks (read: vents) about his past, about Yue Qingyuan, about all the other Peak Lords, about everything that he can really vent about.

Needless to say, Liu Qingge has a ton of things to think about now with all these revelations.

Then there is the monthly Peak Lord Meeting... at which Liu Qingge is missing. Most of the other Peak Lords don't really find a problem with this as it is well known that Liu Qingge loves to hunt monsters so "he is most likely doing just that" is what they argue. Shen Qingqiu, on the other hand, finds it weird since, as much as that brute annoys him, Liu Qingge doesn't miss the Peak Lords Meeting without announcing beforehand.

And so, Shen Qingqiu starts a one man (and one cat) search party for that idiot brutish shidi of his. Their first destination? The Red Warm Pavillion. If there is anyone who knows where esteemed cultivators can be found based on rumors, it is the Madame of the Pavillion - who is also the most trustworthy source of information Shen Qingqiu can find.

Some details to note:

I feel OG!Shen Qingqiu would prefer cats to dogs, mostly because as an orphan on the streets dogs would fight with you for food (looks at Wei Wuxian), while cats - especially in cold/rainy days - would snuggle with you. Not because they like you, but because they like the body heat you can provide for them.

Cat!Liu Qingge definitely gives Shen Qingqiu a lot of snuggles after he vents to him. Both as an apology and as comfort.

Shen Qingqiu tried to talk with the other Peak Lords about how strange it is for Liu Qingge - of all people - to dissappear without a trace or a letter. The other Peak Lords, unfortunately, ignored him. This is why he takes it in his own hands to find Liu Qingge.

Liu Qingge feels a lot of guilt after he learns more about Shen Qingqiu and about the reasons behind most of his actions. He vows to treat him better once he is back to his human self.

This could either take place before Luo Binghe is on Qing Jing Peak or after - like the first 2 weeks after he was admitted. Either way, the kiddo is chugging vinegar - first because his Shizun likes the cat better than him; second, because by the time Luo Binghe arrives at the sect, Shen Qingqiu has a boyfriend.

So what do you think? Good? Bad? Brain has been on crack for far too long? Let me know!

Honestly, this idea just came to me today - probably 2 hours before I post this, actually. The better way to explain the plot would be "Shen Qingqiu vents to his newly acquired cat about his entire life, without knowing that said cat is actually his shidi, Liu Qingge, whom he doesn't like". There is something special about the whole "venting to an animal that is actually a human cursed/transformed into an animal" trope I see in fics. It's soo damn cute and agsty at the same time. I love it so much.

But enough rambling from me. I hope you have a great day/night and that you take care of yourselves!

See you tomorrow,

-TooManyPlotBunnies-Send Help

[fruitsofhell]

It's time for me to unleash the inner crazy Metal Sonic lover within myself and talk so so much about this mother fucking fucker Chaos Sonic!!! (image taken off a post by @/littleaipom)

Ok so what I love so much about Sonic Prime is how much mileage it's getting out of the multiverse concept. It's a good multiverse cause it's surprisingly simple compared to the sort of MCU clusterfuck we associate the term with now. It's just Sonic AUS! And I really love that cause to me if anything screams Sonic media, it's AUs and canon divergence and wacky takes. I think this series is great at that, internally and with inspiring that in fans. What also makes it so great in Sonic Prime is that it has so much confidence in that. In the entire show the only normal characters are Sonic and Shadow, everyone else Sonic makes a connection with is a whole new spin on the old cast and its GREAT. I love Nine to death especially, he's definitely one of the best shatterverse characters.

But I think I have a definitive new favorite character now in Chaos Sonic, because he is that fresh new confident take on an old character but with such an underutilized one in Metal Sonic. I adore Metal Sonic, he's my favorite Sonic character and in my opinion the absolute most slept on. Sonic's robot doppelganger should absolutely have as much love as Shadow - his more serious and hardened antihero rival - and Knuckles - the stubborn immovable object to Sonic's steadfast unstoppable force. But he doesn't!! And it's tragic!! There is so much to do with Metal, with the Sonic created by the man who hates him more than anything, one of his first true rivals who was made to be his perfect antithesis, yet we get so little. But atleast in Chaos Sonic we get an awesome fucking take on him!! It's not Metal, but like I said about Sonic Prime as a whole, I LOVE how this show plays with the characters.

I see a lot of people pitting Chaos and Metal Sonic against each other or putting down one when talking about the other, but they're really just amazingly complimentary takes on the same character. The way it would be weird as hell to say either Nine or Tails is the better version of the character or something. Chaos Sonic's personality is of course what stands out the most between him and Metal Sonic, and while for some people it makes him unbearable or insulting to the OG Metal, it's one of the things I love most about him too. It's the complete opposite of what Metal and most robo-doppelgangers in the series, and especially Metal, are known for. Metal Sonic is all of Sonic's deadliness but none of his heart - he is a Sonic stripped of everything that makes him that energetic blue hero and reduced only to his power, speed, and obedience. He's a very cold a serious take on the robo-doppelganger that encapsulates the theme of classic Eggman, which was to do what nature did but better and deadlier. He's a very dehumanizing take on what Sonic is to his enemy, a potential tool like the rest of the animals and natural resources he abuses. Chaos Sonic is less like the (classic) Sonic Eggman wishes he had, but what (modern) Sonic is to him - this annoying, vain chatterbox who still manages to trounce you no matter how little he takes the situation seriously. Metal Sonic feel like a cold and calculated project driven by nothing but Eggman's frustration that something free and alive that he should have control over him still eludes him, and Chaos Sonic like just a project of pure spiteful mockery. Which I think very well represents how the relationship between Sonic and Eggman has changed to pit them more often as equals with their back and forths. And I really love how well both of them use this assignment to bring out these different aspects of Eggman and Sonic's relationship.

I think Chaos Sonic also specifically speaks to the New Yoke universe very well more than just being Sonic but more annoying. He is absolutely annoying and talkative just to mock Sonic, but stuff like his comments about Sonic being "smelly" and how he wants to be a brand star bring to mind really fun ideas about how he's like a commercialized version of Sonic too. I would love if he was integrated into New Yoke and you could see the Egg Council using him as a brand and he just loves it because he's an equally capitalistic jerk. It's a fun twist on Sonic's ego next to the more obvious one, that if Sonic didn't have his convictions he would very easily fall in line with the vanity of Eggman's worldview. Those are the moments that kind of make me wish that normal Metal Sonic had more speaking roles where him being an anti-Sonic in ideology could show. We atleast have the funny projection of him torturing animals from Sonic CD. I do still think that through Metal's sole commitment to beating Sonic and proving himself superior he does an equally good job at being that ideological opponent though, just in a quieter way befitting his era. Chaos Sonic represents Sonic's vanity in a personality sense with his want to be in the spotlight, and Metal Sonic in purely mechanical sense - just wanting to prove nothing but the fact he is better. And that single-mindedness makes him a great foil to Sonic who is a very wild and free-spirited person and never lets his ego and need to be the best define him more than his loyalty to those ideals. Meanwhile Metal Sonic entirely defines himself by his abilities and need to be a specific identity created by others. Something that makes him really damn tragic in a way I wish for the life of me was explore more.

Chaos Sonic doesn't HAVE to be an existential tragic mess... but I mean if they're gonna bring him back, he should have moments of that on top of just being awesome to watch fight and emote. OH MAN I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN INTO HOW EXPRESSIVE HE IS. Once again, something totally different from Metal Sonic that only improves both characters in my eyes. I can't get enough of either of them! Whether it's Metal Sonic's intimidating silence or Chaos Sonic's "teehee giggle ^_^" attitude towards violence, I think both have some great chilling moments to them. Chaos Sonic's voice too is so good, it's probably my favorite voice performance in the show. It just has so much energy, and makes every line sound so genuine no matter how stupid. But at the same time he has good range too! When his voice gets low and serious or angry it's effective (atleast to me)! I mean that guy managed to make "You're too slow!" sound playfully venomous, I love it. With Metal Sonic it's maybe a bit harder to pin down what makes his stoicism work so well. Every character in the classic era was silent to a degree, so it's hard to say his silence stands out. But that's actually I think where I'd say his lack of expressiveness is genius. He manages to mimic the look of Sonic in body and face so much more naturally than any of the other doppelgangers but still in this sleek and blank way that is just amazing. Like I stare in awe at the design of this beast. Classic Sonic is very good at providing character through expressive animation and sprites, and Metal Sonic's lack of any yet ability to still feel like he has the face of a character and not just some robot makes him intimidating.

Which brings me to their overall designs. Metal Sonic is such an enduring Sonic character despite the long list of robo-Sonics because as I was saying before, the design is just too good. It is beyond aesthetically pleasing, straight up gorgeous - which makes him so effective. He truly does feel like Sonic's equal and possibly even superior in mechanics and LOOK, he makes his mechanical and flesh peers look clunky and outdated by comparison. Sonic but polished to an unnaturally perfect finish, with those dead glowing red eyes that house none of his soul. Genius fucking design. I woefully cannot say that I think Chaos Sonic is an equal in that, but it might be physically impossible to make a better Metal Sonic, and he does come damn close! Specifically because he does take the cue of the more natural eyes (every other sonic-robo has some sort of distinctly robotic visor), but still does something new and catching with it in the bike helmet-like screen. It takes everything perfect about that aspect of Metal and builds on it for this version of him, the dark void of blank pixels is replaced with a very beautiful yet icy blue that contrasts the red eyes very well. I've seen many fan designs that use those red eyes for expression, but it is best a choice here than on the original Metal for the reasons I said above. It's so clear how much fun the animators are having with using them to emote without making it feel too natural by giving him a mouth or something. I also really like his chest rocket, it feels a lot more streamlined than Metal's, which helps with how energetic and mobile he is. Metal screams sleekness and speed, but in a very artificial way with how much his rocket takes up his design. Like I said, there's no beating Metal due to the sheer simple brilliance of his design that is totally a product of such a complex concept being perfected in the classic era. In general Sonic Prime tends to make designs a bit more complicated than what would pass as the peak of series design, but they still own in their own right. Chaos Sonic is a great example of this where he is noticeably more busy of a design than Metal but with very clear shapes and colors that make him fit in with the overall series style.

All this praising and blabbering to say. Metal Sonic is the most important thing to me, and Chaos Sonic is also the most important thing to me cause he and Metal just complement each other so fucking good. That's really what a good alternate take on a character should do! Feel fresh but still very flattering to the blueprint, explore different directions the original character could've taken to make you appreciate the execution of those aspects even more. Chaos Sonic is the best example of the show next to Nine. When I think deeper about it some of the other shatterverse versions don't go AS HARD with this, but they all feel like fun takes that do feel like they came from aspects of the original characters. Plus, that's why Nine is the hook, he is a very well developed "what if" for Tails that explores how much of a difference a friendship can make in someone's life. I also just in general really enjoy it when a story says, "Yeah, sometimes people react to issues by being antisocial as easily as they react by being docile when they don't have the space to be sensitive". It's not like... handled explicitly with that much nuance, but the nuance is there in my heart. Also damn, speaking of Nine I didn't even bring up how cool "Eggman (kinda) tricks Tails into making a Metal Sonic using his knowledge of the real Sonic" is. It's epic, and I actually really hope it's more explored, as well as Chaos Sonic in general. I feel like the writers, animators, and VA had way too much fun with him not to bring him back. I would love nothing more as a poor starving Metal Sonic stan-peasant...

[dolphs-world]

Ideal Roster

There's a few ways to answer this question. The issue most often run into is an overabundance of 3rd party reps. These should be placed sparingly and fit within the artstyle of Smash. Again, Snake is fine but it would be weird for Leon Kennedy, Lara Croft, and Gordon Freeman no matter how important they are to gaming history. Importance is another thing. I had a friend suggest the characters from 'It Takes Two', an indie platformer. Whilst interesting they are nowhere near important enough. Shovel Knight could only get in as an Assist Trophy and Cuphead and Undertale are Mii Costumes. Another problem is the phenomena of the 3: Scrimblo Bimblo, Iconic Kickpunchem, and Popular McJRPG Guy; i.e cute mascot platformer, fighting gamer, and anime sword fighter. Now, I think there are enough anime swordfighters, you can't top Sephiroth and Hero, and the only other fighting series missing is Mortal Kombat. I wonder if an unstylised Scorpion would feel like Snake, so out of place that he fits right at home. I am very partial towards platformer mascots, I think they are the most fun characters. But let's not forgot that no one cares about Banjo-Kazooie now that they're playable. For a platformer mascot to be in the game, they'd have to be really unique. #1 ~ New rep for each series. DK, Kirby, Starfox, Mother, FE, Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing, Xenoblade, Street Fighter, FF, Castlevania, and every other one off are fine. I think they are perfectly represented. But if they were to have more: Dixie, Bandana Dee, Krystal, Porky, Lyn, Viridi or Phosphora, Tom Nook, Stupid animal from Xenoblade, Chun-Li, Celes Chere or the Black/White Mage, and Alucard. For potential/noteworhty one offs: Shy Guy for Yoshi, Jody Summers or Samurai Goroh or the Skull, Ashley or Mona or Jimmy T., Raiden, Eggman, Bulborb, Roll or Zero, Glass Joe (for jokes) or Soda Popinski or Mr. Sandman. No one else needs more or the character would be too similar. Now what about the major franchises? Mario, LotZ, Metroid, and Pokemon. Surprisingly, I think Pokemon needs the second most amount of work is Pokemon. Gen 2 has a joke character, Gen 4 has a clone, Gen 6 & 7 are actually pretty great, Gen 3 and 5 are missing, and Gen 1 has 6 reps (and Gen 8 & 9 suck). So Smeargle, and Gardevoir, Oshawott. The only one I need to defend is Smeargle. 2 things: Gen 2 sucks with Pokemon designs, Smeargle has a paintbrush tail. Simple as. Also, make Lucario special. Metroid. 3 Metroid reps are Samus and with Ridley now another big monster would feel unspecial, sorry Kraid. So, keeping in mind what I said about uniqueness, an actual Metroid or a Chozo. Mario. Definitely not Waluigi, remember Ridley is too big for Smash? Neither do I. King Boo, King Bob-omb, Koopa Troopa, Paper Mario, or a Hammer Bro. Now I'm just going to say this now, I don't think Mario needs any more reps so I'm not going to explain my choices. You know who does need a revamp? LotZ. Darunia, Midna, Hestu, and Tingle. All of them. Put them all in! #2 ~ MIA Golden Sun, Chibi-Robo, Advance Wars, Starfy, and Wrecking Crew, Excitebike, Waverace, Jam with the Band, Clu Clu land. Honestly, you could put the main character from each game in but there's such thing as too much representation and I think these characters work best as Assist Trophies. But, with the new Mario Movie, they should add ... Eggplant Man!

[haljathefangirlcat]

And now, for something completely different... a few Inkheart headcanons, specifically about Smol Feral Trash Cat-Dog With A Knife. Così, de botto, senza senso, as we say here. Some I've picked up through the years by reading other people's headcanons or fic and then developed (if you can call any of this stuff "developed", lol) by building up on ideas I liked, others date back all the way to when I read the books in middle school.

I think it's safe to say that most of the fandom knows "basta!" means "enough!" or "stop!" in Italian. Which... yeah, pretty great name for the kind of violent criminal whose victims would be screaming that kind of thing, at least in a book series for kids. But, like other people who've spent probably too much time thinking about it at some point or another, I do like to imagine a more Watsonian explanation for it being a real, if surprisingly well-fitting, name rather than a nickname he earned during his time as a fire raiser. Mine actually hinges on the fact that, back in the day, before reliable contraceptives or safe abortifacients or even just the idea that there was nothing weird or bad about being married while not having children or sex or not being married at all, couples who ended up with more kids than they could feed would sometimes name the hopefully last one of them Ultimo or Ultima, meaning "last", as a sort of... auspicious name, if for a given definition of "auspicious." I've even heard a story (which, admittedly, might be a urban legend, as I've seen it mentioned in a few places but with no source) about a couple who called their last children Ultimo, Definitivo ("definitive, conclusive, final"), and Finiamola ("let's get it over with!", or "let's stop this!"), each time hoping the new kid would also be the very last... so, yeah. Long story short, I imagine Basta as the youngest child of poor parents living in a small, crowded house, who by the time of his birth were just about ready to say, "Enough with this! If we get another after this one, we'll just carry it into the woods and leave it there, and then it'll be up to whatever animal/fairy/kindly passerby to kill it or raise it!" I also like to think he actually has an older sister named Ultima, running around somewhere in the Inkworld... even if, for both obvious reasons and more headcanon-y ones, he hasn't kept in contact with anyone from his family ever since he officially joined Capricorn.

About the "more headcanon-y" reasons: I once read a fic (I thiiink it was on Fanfiction.net? Probably not AO3) where, as a boy, Basta killed his own father, an abusive drunkard, to prove his loyalty and ruthlessness to Capricorn. Needless to say, I loved it! And went on to incorporate part of it in my vision of Basta as a character. In my own headcanons, I'm not sure if I really see Basta's father or even both of his parents as that actively hateful or violent towards him (if only because I'm not quite sure if singling out just one boy among so many children in that way would quite work, realistically speaking about an in-universe Medieval-ish fantasy world... unless some of those many children died young due to hunger, illness, or simple lack of supervision. Again, in-universe Medieval-ish fantasy world) but as I love that bit in Inkheart where Fenoglio talks about Basta's unhappy childhood, how worthless he thought he was, and how easily he clung to Capricorn, I do picture him being severely neglected and receiving very little in the way of kindness or affection both inside and outside of his family. Perhaps being either dismissed or unfairly blamed for being the runt of the litter and not big and strong enough to help more around the house, or in the fields, or in whatever failing business his father might have owned, given how he's not exactly tall and physically imposing even as an adult? Anyway, I do find the idea of him being miserable in his early life and initially clinging to Capricorn as both a magnetic, irresistible symbol of what neither him nor anyone in his family ever had and his one real hope for money, power, and generally something better, then coming to see him as this godlike figure, as well as a new, better father he'd be willing to exchange his perhaps equally distant but much less impressive (and much less interested in finding some actual use for him) old one for (even at the cost of a very cold take on "out with the old, in with the new"), incredibly fascinating.

For something less dark, more crack unless you consider the implications: building up on the fact that yes I realize we're never given anyone's exact height in the books, no I won't get over the idea of him being essentially a pint-sized menace and Capricorn's very angry, very menacing chihuahua, it amuses me (way more than it should) to think that at some point, probably when he was still one of the youngest among Capricorn's men in the Inkworld or when he and Capricorn were on their own in our world, someone definitely tried dismissing him as a threat (maybe even by making fun of him) due to his height and build... only to immediately, sorely regret it.

Still on the possibly disturbing crack side of things: he makes a big show of hitting on women, particularly the maids in Capricorn's village, and there might actually be some desire under him just liking to pose as this Big Intimidating Man showing off his power by making women in an already inferior or subservient position to him squirm in discomfort... but if any of them should ever respond positively, even just in an attempt to get protection or some sort of special treatment out of him, he wouldn't know how to handle it. Like, it would temporarily short-circuit his brain. The closest he ever got to getting a woman to acknowledge his flirting in any significant way besides pulling back from him and reaching the nearest exit as fast as possible is probably that time a girl rejected him by telling him he had bad breath and then he killed her with snakes and resolved to chew mint leaves for the rest of his life because he's such a confident person. Even Roxane probably never exchanged more than five words (mostly to the effect of "get lost!" and "fuck you!" on her side) with him.

For the last one, a bittersweet one: Basta actually liked Fulvio, the black jacket who got read into One Thousand and One Nights in exchange for Farid. A lot of Capricorn's men did, really, but I like to picture Fulvio as a boy from our world, probably coming from a poor, dysfunctional home, that Basta in particular kind of took under his wing (as much as Basta could do that for anyone...) because he saw something of himself in him. This is, ofc, based on nothing but my hazy memories of reading the Italian translation of Inkheart, where I'm 90% sure a bunch of black jackets are ready to beat Mo to a pulp as soon as they notice Fulvio has disappeared and Basta himself gets all in Mo's face and tells him he will personally make him "pay dearly for Fulvio."

[max1461]

Hmm.

So I think there is a spectrum of types of received narrative, on the one end those that are "sticky" and on the other end those that are not.

"Sticky" received narratives are ones where, for one reason or another, I find it unsurprising that they stick around. Narratives that have obvious currency for some people, whether or not they're true. A lot of the most socially important narratives are like this. An example of this type might be the idea that (cis) women don't go into STEM as often because of some inherent brain trait, as opposed to social factors. It would be convenient for a lot of people if this were true (just as it would be convenient for other people if the alternative were true), and so it has obvious appeal. And furthermore, because social and cognitive factors are famously hard to disentangle in an unambiguous way, no matter which side of this debate you fall on you can pretty easily construct a non-contradictory worldview in which it's true. So, it's a sticky narrative. People want to believe it for obvious reasons, and they can believe it easily without egregious self-contradiction, and so it sticks around. Unsurprising. The narrative itself has a clear stickiness to it.

Non-sticky narratives are those that don't have any clear source of stickiness, at least to me. They may or may not stick around, but when they do stick around, it's unclear to me why, because they seem so unsticky! An example of a not-sticky received narrative is the idea that fish are, in general, not very intelligent animals and don't have complex social behavior. Maybe this belief has social implications in like, niche vegetarian circles, but for most people I think it doesn't have any. I'm not a fish intelligence researcher, but as far as I can tell there are a number of fish species that are quite social and surprisingly smart. I also don't think this is like, a hotly debated topic among researchers. Schooling fish pretty clearly display some social behavior, and there's no a priori reason to expect it to be either simple or complex, so if you study them and find out they're doing relatively complex stuff that shouldn't be, like, shocking. I don't really think it should feel any particular way. It seems to me like an extremely neutral fact. And this is the impression I've gotten from reading a pop-sci article about it here or there over the years: "Huh, I guess they found out betta fish can recognize each other and act differently around opposite-sex individuals that have seen them lose in a fight vs. those that have seen them win. Cool fact."

So fish intelligence doesn't really have social implications, and it's pretty easy to see just by reading about it there are some (perhaps unexpectedly) smart fish. So this narrative doesn't seem to have inherent stickiness; it doesn't seem to be the sort of thing that people would find themselves attached to, and find themselves able to convince themselves that it is definitely true regardless of evidence.

I want to clarify that I'm not saying it's false. I don't know much about fish intelligence, and if I had to guess, I'd guess they're probably less intelligent than tetrapods, on average. But am I really committed to that belief? Is it the sort of belief that I would be really troubled to find out is wrong, or which I estimate is wrong with high probability? No, of course not. I just don't really know, and finding out it was wrong would produce at most a response of "huh, weird".

And yet! When I remark here or there about fish social behavior that I've read about, with really surprising consistency, I get a lot of pushback. Even when I'm not making extraordinary claims. People seem, like, abnormally, unexpectedly resistant to the idea that there are somewhat smart fish, for reasons that I don't fully grasp. Where is the stickiness here? Why do people care so much? I don't get it!

[maskyartist]

*slams in* yall thought you saw the last of my headcanon rambles about specific characters but yall gonna see me today YALL GONNA SEE ME-

anyways Augustus Aquato headcanons for yall!! :D this is gonna be kinda all over the place cause, unlike my other rambles, Augustus has an actual story??? and isnt just kinda thrown into things as a 1 dimensional antagonist or background character? so its a lil disjointed but idk im here to ramble n vibe

Augustus time babeeeey

- puttin it out there, this man is bisexual and u cant convince me otherwise like hes got the vibe anyways-

- before he and Donatella branched off together to make the Aquato Family Circus, he was definitely part of a bigger, more well funded production to keep things afloat for himself and his Nona. in my heart n soul, he used to also do animal taming. had a lion n tiger n they were both the sweetest damn things to him and he loved em both very much.

- Augustus is actually the YOUNGEST in his family, having two brothers before him. so in a weird way, he gets where Raz is coming from when it's revealed just how he feels.

- hes got hydrokinesis just like the rest of his family, of course, and im of the full belief in visualizes into the snakes that Maligula also had. a sign that while his powers are his own, he still hasnt forgotten what this power did to his country. what this power did to his family. its a trauma that'll never leave, but it gets easier to face it when he knows HES in control of the snakes, not some other force or person.

- alternatively, hes awful at pyrokinesis. this man nearly set his hair on fire once hes terrible at it. he tries very hard! hes able to do sparks or light small embers within his control! but once it starts to grow it gets worse.

- he gives up parts of his meals for his kids or his Nona. he also definitely eats last out of the family, gets his first bowl when others are gettin seconds, cause he likes making sure everyone has enough to eat for the night and for tomorrow.

- he still speaks Grulovian! shouldnt be that much of a shock this is here but he didnt just forget the language when he was brought to the states. he and Nona still talk in fluent Grulovian, and he definitely teaches it to his kids. its a bit of a learning curve for them, but its still something he does try to keep up with. it'd be a shame for the language to just kinda...die out yknow?

-THIS MAN LOVES HIS KIDS. i should NOT have to say this but some of yall need a reminder. Augustus isnt the perfect father, he never has been and never will be, but the fact is that he holds an undying love for his kids and thatll never EVER change.

- hes actually pretty smart but like...mostly with math n numbers n stuff like that. Donatella usually leaves the money counting to him since Augustus does quick math in his head like no ones business. numbers are surprisingly simple for him and he weirdly likes the counting? its easy stuff. this also means his kids will sometimes ask him random ass difficult math questions and he'll answer just flawlessly in record time. so far no question has bested him yet.

- but to backpeddle off that last one, anything besides numbers? yeah hes all heart no brain. cant do science thats not his thing, and he knows the bare basics for a few things but yeah his high knowledge points are train-related smarts, numbers, and acrobatics related.

- SPEAKIN OF TRAINS!! he's loved trains ever since he was a lil kid in Grulovia. he'd watch em exit the station with such childlike awe and wonder and that feeling never faded no matter HOW old he got. he doesnt really have the money for his model train hobby, but he managed to save one lil train from being destroyed. it needed repairs so he brought it to bed with him to poke n prod at it so hes still got that one, but other then that he kinda just enjoys trains from afar. he also knows so much about how they work? like so much. he could be an engineer if he didnt have the circus goin.

- hes a great singer. old love songs sung to his wife while swaying gently in the dead of night, gentle Grulovian lullabies when his kids cant sleep, SUPER old Grulovian songs his Nona taught him and they sing together sometimes. music is just an important thing to Augustus so he sings a lot.

- this man is the sewer. learned from Nona on how to do the patches. Dona COULD do it but Augustus usually spots the rip or tear first so he usually just starts lookin for fabric before Donatella can offer to do it herself. they dont MATCH sure but it adds character. plus he thinks its sweet when his kids go to him for fixing rips or tears or adding patches to their clothes.

- there is quite literally, NO place Augustus would rather be then where he is right now. he has a beautiful, smart wife, 5 wonderful, albeit dramatic and a lil bratty, kids, and his aunt even if their relationship is a bit...rocky right now. he wouldnt give up what he has for the world. he loves his family, he truly does, and he hopes now hes able to do them proud by being better then who he was before.

|

alright thats all i got rn, maybe another day i'll draft out my whole backstory idea for him cause i got thoughts but for now enjoy this Augustus content. or dont! idk all this is my opinion n thoughts. but i love Augustus so i got so many thoughts n feelings

[the-slasher-files]

Ah I'm so glad to see requests are open, I hope this one is alright! May I request Jason, Bo, and Vincent (or just Vincent if you want), with a very physically affectionate s/o? Like, tries to hold their hand often, leans on them, just always tries to be in physical contact.

Yay!! Ok I am back writing for other slashers, but I will say I am very rusty, so this is definitely not my best, but we are getting there. Andrei is slowly easing his jaws on my brain and I’m ready to get back into regular writing! I also added Michael to this list, simply because I miss writing for him... anyway I hope you enjoy🔪💕

SLASHERS WITH A PHYSICALLY AFFECTIONATE S/O

INCLUDES JASON, MICHAEL, BO, and VINCENT

JASON VOORHEES

At first he doesn't know what to do with you. Jason has not been touched in like 50 years, so go slow.

Once he gets used to all the touches and he wants to give you equal affection but Jason doesn't really know how.

He will either be extremely gentle or rough when he goes to show you affection, he's only been brutal for so long and tbh man doesn't know how to act.

But he adores your affection. He might jump a little at it but after a while, he will completely lean into it and nuzzle your head with his mask. Once he gets the hang of the affection, Jason is gold. When you lean on Jason he will instantly lean into you as well. If you hug him he will hug you back and stronger.  

A big thing with Jason is physically affection since he cannot talk so this is very very important in the relationship.

Jason’s favourite pastime is just running his broken and scarred fingers along your body and stroking your hair.

There is something so intimate about him just touching someone gently. After years and years of murdering just having someone near him who loves him means the world.

On starry nights Jason would love to take you to the dock and just cuddle watching the twinkling stars and just holding you.

Just go slow and you will earn yourself the best slasher cuddle bug.

MICHAEL MYERS

Surprisingly Michael is a huge lover of physical affection, he just doesn't know how to show it properly.

The way he chokes you, holds the blade to your skin and the way he wants your face to twist in fear upon seeing him.. that’s his twisted affection.

You will have to show him proper affection, but on his terms or else you might get a knife to the neck.

Just be very careful with him. It is like dealing with a wild animal, Michael is not something to just be played with, he is unpredictable and always has a dangerous edge behind him.

Go slow in teaching him. Sitting on the couch next to Michael is honestly probably good enough for him but if you suddenly just lay your head in his lap he might jump slightly but he will not remove you... unless you caught him on a bad day, which 80% of the time.

A good way to start is to hold his hand or run your fingers along his thigh when you sit together.

There however will be once in a blue moon when it is late at night and he is curious. Curious for genuine affection, do not take this for granted or do not think that this a normal occurrence because this is rarer than a shooting star.

On that one night Michael will put the knife down, snuggle close, and run his murder hands along your body or in your hair, but in a good way, not a way that sparks fear. Again, go slow and he will let you pet his wavy brown locks and trace his scars. This is when you know Michael loves you.

Basically, you need to do affection on his terms or else he might stab you.

BO SINCLAIR  

This is tricky because he loves affection but hates it at the same time. Bo is extremely touched starved and might jump at your small touches or he might think you are trying to do something to him.

For Bo it is no touches or it is sex. There is no in between.

He will think your gentle touches to his arm are supposed to mean you want his dick. Eventually, Bo will settle into just loving the tender kisses or gentle touches for what they are, not sex.

To be honest, he loves the affectionate side of a s/o, it makes him feel so loved and wanted, anything to make his ego or pride swell he is there.

When Bo is working on his truck and you ask to hold his hand he will roll those baby blues but do it anyway. He will never admit to loving the affection but he really does.

He loves when you lean on him or hug him or even kiss his knuckles.

Surprisingly Bo is actually very good at returning the affection. Even though he had very abusive parents he most likely got to see what a real relationship was like and how to treat a woman.

I think he is honestly more needy than his s/o for affection some days. If you are in the kitchen making dinner Bo will place his large oil-stained fingers on your hips and rest his chin on your shoulder.

Bo’s favourite thing however is at the end of the night when he has his beer and is watching some crappy comedy that you come to sit on his lap and run your small fingers through his brown hair. He loves it

VINCENT SINCLAIR

Now Vincent is different from his brother, but the same in a few ways.

He always got the affection from his parents instead of Bo which I think makes his level of touch starved higher because he had it so much then it was suddenly gone, but he won't flinch away or give you a weird look, he will lean into it.

Vincent loves affection but I feel it needs to be in certain areas, like his hands and arms vs his face. He is deeply insecure about his face and it will take you a long long time before you can touch, stroke or kiss it. His arms and hands work constantly and a s/o that kissing them and massages he would absolutely adore.

With his working hands, Vincent has strong and skilled fingers, great for returning your affection. Could be as simple as holding hands to massaging you after a long day.

With Vincent, he will have little no to no problem giving the affection back, just not in front of Bo.

He thinks you are so cute going up to him randomly and sitting on his lap or hugging his back. He really missed the soft gentle affection that was ripped from him.

[nincompoopydoo]

DEBRIS AND MISERY

CURIOUS MINDS THINK ALIKE ; PART 5 / ?

PAIRING: Loki Laufeyson x Female!Reader WORD COUNT: 3.1k SUMMARY: Through guessing games and walking on eggshells, it’s you and Loki that dance the strange choreography of two curious minds trying to figure out the other. A/N: Slow moving chapter! If any of you speak Norwegian and know that sentence is wrong, please tell me! I took a risk, not sure if it's worth it. Anyways, I promise there’s more stuff coming in the next chapters. Tell me anything about this chapter, what you love, what you hate. Enjoy xo gif from this gifset by@marvelheroes WARNINGS: Swearing? More paperwork. support my writing through ko-fi💖 MASTERPOST ; MASTERLIST

The narration of Miss Minutes accompanying the grainy animated graphics of a training video on how, why, and when a branch of a timeline is reset seems to be the source of Loki’s absentmindedness. If he is typically referred to as outrageously and mostly unnecessarily communicative, it is his mind that beats his mouth—the tumult of his thoughts is loud and overwhelming like the people who amass at taverns every evening to drink themselves silly whilst singing jolly drinking songs until the wee hours of the morning. Except, his thoughts are far from jolly. He, mastermind of language and a silver-tongue, has no words of any language to describe the complexity of his mind with accuracy.

Kraftig regn som faller i en fossende elv.

Like heavy rain falling on a cascading river. Water from the sky on water streaming through the ground—thunderous raindrops from above against the river that strikes every rock of every winding turn.

Those were the words of his mother.

Maybe, that’s how his mind should be described.

It’s the mechanical creaks of spinning wheels against the polished floor that pulls him out of his thoughts and finds that he had been staring blankly at a page of men riding jet skis of a magazine he'd nipped from the stack of junk on Mobius’ desk for the last minute or hour. A second or a day? He isn’t sure.

Time works differently at the TVA.

“Hey Casey,” he hears you chime, the cart squeaks as it pulls to a halt. “Do you have a paperweight or something I could use?”

There’s a sound of rummaging as the clerk searches the drawers. Loki restrains the urge to look.

“Uh, yeah...Here.”

“Thanks.”

Probably an infinity stone.

The clerk then wheels by, pushing the evidence cart as he casts a cautious glance his way.

Right. He did threaten to gut him like a fish earlier on although the threat was not as deadly as he intended but proved to be surprisingly effective. Yet, Casey is probably the type to be afraid of his own shadow, he would comply with any sort of threat even if it isn't death.

Pathetic. But amusing.

The training video continues to play in the background, and Miss Minutes’ stupidly charming and cheery voice is starting to sound like gibberish to him. At this rate, it’s white noise to him—attention elsewhere but somewhat listening to a certain extent. He loves multi-tasking and isn’t afraid to admit he’s great at it though it likely plays a huge factor in contributing to the uproar of his brain. It’s why he doesn’t get any sleep for most nights.

There’s just...so much to think about.

And now, it’s filled with the reminder of how you met another version of him. Somewhere. Sometime. An inferior Loki, obviously.

Suddenly, the jet ski magazine becomes less interesting, his mind fleeting.

Discreetly, he spins in his swivel chair and sees you through inked writings and diagrams on the glass partition of your cubicle. Your coat’s discarded, and you have your sleeves rolled up, looking less formal, less tense than before. Yet, still as fierce with that constant scowl of your brows. He watches you bring your fingers to scratch the left side of your cheek and notices a vague resemblance of a fading scar.

He hadn’t seen that before.

The glowing orange hue of the soul stone sits idly on top of a stack of papers beside you.

Loki makes some sort of contemptuous noise in his mind at the sight.

The TVA is a strange place. The thought of a cosmic organization that overlooks all of the time doesn’t make it any less weird and neither do the uniforms—dull color combinations and collars that never seem to end. And the Time-Keepers, well, he isn’t sure what to make of that. Things are a little too straightforward, too simple for handling such a complex matter of the universe—Time. It doesn't make sense.

You spark his curiosity. You had a connection with him. Another Loki trusted you to a certain extent. He wonders what makes you so special, that Mobius was willing to try everything to convince you to help.

He also wonders what your name is.

The clearing of his throat comes off as a sudden and disruptive sound that resonates clearly through the somewhat silent environment of the office floor. A subtle way to gaining your attention although it's proving ineffective. You continue to flip through documents, scribbling notes on a notepad.

He wheels his chair closer to you. For a moment, he catches sight of a white mug amongst the mess. It says, 'Rocket scientist at work.' There’s no way a person as intimidating as you have that kind of mug.

He clears his throat once more.

Still nothing. It’s like he doesn't exist to you.

Then, he notes your vague attempt to fight down a growing smile.

Oh. Oh. You—

Hm.

He scooches closer and taps on the glass partition a little too aggressively.

“I know you can hear me.”

His tone comes out in a sing-song manner. Finally, your eyes turn up to meet his. They are different from when you first saw him emerged into the hallway. Less angry and shocked. Now, you just look unimpressed.

Loki somehow thinks it’s a great idea to charm his way to you.

A grin finds his way to his lips, curving widely with oozing allure.

Or so he thinks.

“Pardon me, but I believe we haven’t properly met and I didn’t catch your name earlier on.”

You don’t say anything, only blink in response.

Tough crowd.

Loki shifts in his seat.

“...What is your name?”

He articulates his words with care, and he doesn’t know why he finds it a need to tread lightly around you. Like with a touch, you will transform into a fiery beast from his childhood nightmares and eat him alive.

You and Mobius are polar opposites—personality-wise. It’s a wonder how the two of you get along.

Do you scare him? No. Definitely not.

Do you intimidate him? Perhaps. But, he will never admit it.

Maybe it’s the way you’re gazing at him with that constant, deafening deadpan look.

Then, you finally give him an answer.

“Agent.”

And with that, you're back to scribbling notes on a notepad.

Agent.

Loki scoffs silently to himself.

Well, that turned out to be completely pointless.

He turns his back to you, returning to scanning through Mobius' jet ski magazine within his grasp.

Loki doesn’t see how you’re now staring at the back of his figure, tapping your pen against the notepad absentmindedly.

Curious minds think alike.

-

You needed a change of scenery.

With all the noise of the muffling narration of the training videos from Mobius’ desk, you began to feel like you forgot how to do your job. The only job you were created for. The disturbance seems to be putting your brain into a frenzy and it’s preventing you from getting your head straight on report protocols. Trying to think of better words to describe the things you’ve seen on Sakaar that weren’t words that meant trash and didn’t end up sounding unintentionally sexual, is where you draw the line.

Times are hard for the variant turned analyst.

The archives are serene amid your solitude. Extensive tables hidden between shelves of identical-looking binders that expanded throughout the hundreds of floors of the building. The spot that overlooks the three looming statues of the Time-Keepers is your favorite. The occasional swish of a passing elevator calms your nerves from all the frustration and pressure ever since you were released from your arrest. You’re just happy to be somewhere familiar although it’s not home.

Although all distractions are gone, you manage to find new ones as you gaze at the glowing ‘357’ signage from across the building as you decide to let your thoughts run for just a little while. You feel like you’re looking through foggy glasses and your brain feels like it’s about to shut down any moment.

Dream away the pain, then.

Then, you hear a voice from afar. Two voices. It’s Mobius; you’ll recognize that quintessential Texan accent anywhere from the times he would rave about a new jet ski magazine he’d found on a mission...something along those lines.

Much to your chagrin, you also hear Loki with that irritatingly posh accent of his.

You should probably move somewhere else. Run and hide before you're being pulled even more into this mess because you know Mobius is trying to get you to spend as much time with the variant turned analyst to gain trust.

You’re still not sure how it’s helping with his case. Loki has better trust in Mobius than you as far as you’re concerned.

Before you could even gather the mess of your files, the two men you’ve been trying to escape are already by the desk you’re sitting at. You suddenly notice the stack of files on the other end of the desk, not remembering seeing the archivist putting that there.

Crap.

“Let me park ya at this desk and don’t be afraid to really lean into this work...”

You look like a deer caught in the headlights, signaling to Mobius that you really don’t want to share a desk with Loki. He continues to speak to him, ignoring your silent plea. Then, he gestures to the seat across from you.

There’s still time to leave.

Mobius addresses you with the stretch of his pointer finger.

“You, keep an eye on him. I’m gonna get a snack.”

Well, too late.

With a turn of a heel, you and Loki watch him walk away and pass neverending shelves of the archives. Once again, the two of you are left alone in the silence and the white noise of the TVA.

You meet each other's eyes at the same time, struck with the thought that you and he will probably be seeing each other a lot until the Loki variant is arrested. Plus, you’re tired of giving him the cold shoulder although you believe he deserves it.

This is a different Loki. The one who’s still power-hungry. The one who still wants to rule.

Time to start fresh.

You notice he now wears a jacket, a color somewhere between green, grey, and brown with a striking image of the TVA’s official badge above his chest. The lapels of his jacket jut out in an attempt to replicate his sense of pride and confidence.

He must have been on a trip with Mobius to the Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin, 1985. Oh, how you would kill to tag along. Everyone who knows you knows about your obsession with Earth’s music pop culture, specifically the 1980s. It explains the cassettes you have lying around. Your apartment has more of it.

Unfortunately, you're grounded. That's reality.

Thus, you decide that Loki deserves a second chance because he’s also somehow looking at you for some kind of approval. You’re starting to wonder if this is the same Loki that was tapping aggressively on your cubicle earlier on.

With an open palm, you gesture to the empty seat surrounded by stacks of binders and folders. It's the first time he has experienced some kind of acknowledgment of his presence that you weren’t ranting or screaming about. Oddly calm. Oddly inviting. Momentarily, he shifts in his stance, eyes darting between a fading figure of Mobius rounding the corner and to the seat, across from you.

The air is tense. However, still breathable.

Loki slides into the seat, legs shifting under the desk as it brushes against your by accident. You shoot him a pointed look, and he responds with a coy expression, blinking at you innocently. It’s mischievous.

Classic Loki.

You turn back to your case file, ignoring the way his gaze seems to burn holes into the side of your face for a fleeting moment before flipping a binder open from the stack to his left.

-

You snore when you sleep.

Loki wouldn’t describe it as a snore; it's more of a wheeze. Soft and subtle but it’s there, cutting through the ambiance of the archives, drifting and resonating in his ears. Through turning pages, uttering words to himself for his amusement, and having an irritating lady shush him for that, he realized how it became a lot quieter. The grazing sound of pen furiously scribbling words onto the yellow notepad has stopped.

Then, he hears it. Your pathetic snores. Your cheek is unceremoniously pressed against the back of your hand while the other holds the orange pen that’s still pinned down on the paper, mid-scrawl. The tip of the ballpoint pen sits idly, halfway through the curved stroke of the last letter of the word, ‘debris.’ He cranes his neck, face tilting in an attempt to read the chicken scratchings of your handwriting.

0132: L1190 hauls me through the time door and I miserably land on Sakaar, the planet of wastelands and debris.

You are quite...miserable. In a comical way. And he knows how much you hated your time on Sakaar—Mobius warned him of your apparent irritation in reminiscent of being stranded and then having to resume paperwork immediately. He wonders if he, too, is the reason for another boiling rage.

Apparently, you were pardoned on behalf of not only Mobius but the Time-Keepers as well.

You, an agent, are recognized by the holy and almighty Time-Keepers.

You, an agent, who sleeps with your mouth agape.

The statues of the TVA’s creators loom over him like they’re watching his every step. Every movement. Every lingering thought. Right now, he has the urge to uncover, perhaps deduce, the holes within this whole mess. In a carefully calculated and discrete movement, he reaches to prod you on the forearm. You don’t move.

He prods you again.

You still don’t move.

Now, Loki is trying to chat up the archivist who watches him through narrowed eyes, glasses framing the austere and rigid structure of her face, in favor of files that turn out to be classified.

Classified, classified, classified. Only able to gain access to his own file.

His journey from the desk proved to be useless and unproductive although the much-needed stretch somehow made it a little worthwhile.

When he returns, you're surprisingly still asleep, brow twitching and lips still parted.

Aren’t you supposed to be keeping an eye on him?

The pen you held has now left your grasp, rolled over to his stack of binders. He notices the words inscribed on it, ‘Mars is there, waiting to be reached.'

Through your fury and chaos, he knows there’s a part of you that feels, a part of you that loves. And you love everything about the Midgardians’ space program. It's shown in the way you cling to collected memorabilia.

There are dark circles that adorn your shut eyes, barely hidden under your lashes. You’re exhausted, fractured.

Loki is having a difficult time trying to suppress how he likes the way the frizz of your hair glows against the glowing table lamps from the desk behind you. You’re raw, flaws presented on a silver platter for everyone to see. Maybe, that’s the reason why you entice him the way you do.

He’s staring. Right. Back to work.

Loki returns to running through neverending case files, engrossed in the pixelated monochrome images that accompany the monospace typeface of endless reports.

Then, he sees it.

‘Destruction of Asgard’ in big, bold, and red letters. It glares at him sharply, images of his once divine home of Asgard, crumbling at the feet of Surtur. Buildings, people, engulfed in the flames of the fire demon. The prophecy of the end, Ragnarok—it was meant to be.

His home, it still was. Although an untrue Asgardian.

He knows how it ends. He knows he dies. He wishes his true self, the one on the Sacred Timeline, could have done more.

He doesn’t realize the forming tears that linger. He doesn’t realize that in the sense of premonition, you’ve awakened. He doesn’t realize that even with sleepy eyes, you notice the grief that glints in his eyes.

���Are you okay?”

With three words, you’ve struck him with those eyes that seemed all-knowing. You see through the facade he has created, sealing the true nature of what is truly a child that is afraid of his destiny and to lose all he had ever known. His mother, father, and brother. His people. You see through it all.

You know that face. You’d seen it on Sakaar when he sat at the doorstep of your makeshift home, watching the splintered moon drift through the star-lit sky. You’d seen it in yourself through the dusty reflection of the screen of the tempad.

He longs for home. He longs for family.

For a moment, Loki sees Frigga in your eyes.

Then, his world shifts, hauling him back to reality. It’s you who’s across his way, not his mother. Loki blinks, partly to get his head straight with the excuse to blink away the sting in his eye. He shifts in his seat, rolling his neck and squares his shoulders.

“Yes. I’m alright. It’s just...”

Trailing off, he clears his throat. You follow his gaze and from your spot, you catch sight of those deafening crimson letters. Maybe, it was the spur of the moment. You blame your drowsy state, but there’s a growing warmth that spreads across your chest from the pit of your stomach. It’s subtle, a spark, but evident. Before you know it, you’re uttering words that leave your lips faster than your brain could perceive.

“I’m sorry.”

You don’t know when was the last time you said those words and meant it. Loki doesn’t know when was the last time he’d ever heard those words addressed to him, spoken from the lips of a stranger. Until now.

You mean it. He sees it in the curve of your brows.

Loki swallows, nodding curtly. For the first time, he has nothing to say. And as quickly as the moment comes, he brushes it off and so do you. Whatever is reminiscent of a residing unknown feeling, bubbling within, has disappeared.

He sees your hand reach for the pen and for a while, he thinks you’re about to reach for his arm.

But no, you’re back to scrawling notes on the paper and he’s back to studying useless documents.

It doesn’t take long for the two of you to fall back into your normal antics as you find yourself chasing after Loki, who abruptly left the desk with wide eyes.

Curious minds think alike. Mostly.

TAGLIST:

@lareinedususpense

@poubxlle

@mystoragehatesme

@the-maroon-panda

[stellocchia]

Haven’t watched Sapnap’s lore yesterday, so here’s a few thoughts from watching it today: 

“Where is Quackity?” it took a few months to ask, but at least they he got there in the end

“Do you know that gods of death like apples?” Is- is that a Death Note reference? 

George: “I did some cleaning up the other day”, no he didn’t. That was Tommy and his entourage of babysitters

They fixed the El Rapids poster

MEXICAN DREAM!!!!

Ghost MD???

Sapnap and George not figuring out that MD is a ghost until he tells them is just further proof that they are a couple of himbos...

“George, why id Dream always hurting our friends?” 🥺. Because he’s an asshole and Sapnap and George both deserve better

Well... Sapnap is not wrong. Dream, Eret and co ARE the ones who destroyed Mexican L’Manburg. Quackity destroyed El Rapids, not Mexican L’Manburg. It’s also interesting that this implies that MD only lived with them towards the very beginning of their country

“George has a sleeping issue” it’s finally acknowledged in canon, so now I can be happy!

Okay, MD canonically opened a store in the afterlife. Also he definitely interacted with Wilbur, Tommy and Schlatt. Which generally makes me think that it’s not as lonely over there as we thought?

Why is attraction to animals so normal in this universe...?

MD misses Mamacita... 🥺

“You’re telling me the guy who can fucking kill people, fucking exile little kids, fucking put him in- he can just stay in jail man? I’m gonna go in there an fucking kill him man! That’s what he fucking deserves!” MD is a Tommy apologist and that’s really all I need in life

Oh Sapnap knows someone tried to kill Dream but doesn’t know who? That’s interesting...

“Last time I saw him he wasn’t even talking” oh Sapnap... god I feel sorry for him. Because, like, Dream had no problems talking to Tommy when he went. Or Techno now. But he didn’t bother with Sapnap...

Sapnap just wanting to check on Quackity because he misses him is actually kinda sweet

“It’s okay to cry, you don’t have to hold in your feelings” Sapnap being the most well adapted person on the smp once again!

Hmm, more Limbo lore, this time from MD’s Limbo: he still got tired in the afterlife and needed to sleep. Ooooh, and he dreamed about that one George’s lore stream I guess? The one where George saw him again?

So killing a ghost while they’re holding the totem doesn’t work to bring the person back to life. Pretty sure the revive book is the only way at this point...

New Drem to add to the collection! This time it’s American Dream, not to be confused with Dreamwastaken, who is also american

They gave me a heart attack 2 times already making me think they’d kill Shroud. I swear if they do I’m becoming a Sapnap anti

Is Mexican Dream just a very high American Dream? 

“Quackity, money, Las Vegas” that should be enough to figure out where Quackity is for them

They got to Las Nevadas!

Awww, and now MD has been invited to Kinoko Kingdom. Sort found family once more?

MD does have favourites among his friends, and he’s definitely another one of George’s simps

Welp. MD did say he would have to go back at some point...

And that was it. I’ll give a couple of my thought on it under the cut.

This was fun honestly! Not too intense, but it was a good way to reintroduce Sapnap (and George surprisingly enough) back to the lore. It also gave us some more info on George’s weird Dreams, specifically how some of them seem to be connected to souls in the afterlife. 

Also, MD keeps being the most based character in the smp. Just saying, c!Dream would have been killed off in season 2 finale if he didn’t have the resurrection book and he would have fully deserved it. Also love how the 2 things that where enough for MD to decide Dream deserved death was being killed and Dream exiling Tommy. It’s a nice reminder of the fact that he did, in fact, see a bit of exile. And an acknowledgement of the fact that the exile was unjust regardless. 

Also, it was a nice setup to remind us of Sapnap’s protectiveness over Kinoko Kingdom and to show how much he wants to see Quackity again. It was pretty simple in the execution but it worked well I’d say.

[via-the-ghoul]

Various Little Misters headcanons (part one)

(Part two: here)

Chameleon

He/they

Aroace

Barely ever talks to anyone who isn’t a mister, and even if you are a mister they have trouble starting a conversation

Has an echoey tone in his voice

Pretty curious, loves watching nature documentaries

Has a habit of just Standing There

Is the second highest on the “wants to be a normal person” list, second only to Laugh, of course

Pre-mister-ifacation they helped worked on the advertisements for Wondertainment products, they were actually one of the later misters to be created and thought it seemed cool, they would regret it immensely, if they remembered his previous life well enough.

Headless

Gay

Has memorized the entire Nightmare before Christmas script

Gets along pretty well with the other misters, him and Sweetie are bestie goals

Chill goth

Has also memorized the entire Corpse Bride script

Acts like some dramatic villain but he’s really just a nice chill guy, he’s trying to be all fun spooky

Still hopes he will eventually find his old family

Pre-mister-ifacation he was one of Reginald’s many cousins, he was looking for a fresh start and well

Laugh

Bi

Knows like, a lot of really weird insults.

Gets along with Fish best

Reginald made him literally unable to swear, he tries and he just makes a honking sound.

Has three moods, angry, sad, and smad

Really enjoys painting

If you put all the misters in some kind of ranking device where it would show how much they wanted to not be anonymous then Laugh would be above everyone by like. Thousands.

Pre-mister-ifacation he was one of Hot’s friends (also before Hot’s mister-ifacation) and also unemployed. Hot was letting him stay at his house one day and he was ranting about how everything seems to be going wrong and how lonely he was and Hot was like “well I have a job idea for you” and well

Forgetful

Still questioning his sexuality

While he’s still bound to forget it he’s still a lot better when it comes to stuff other misters tell him

Has trouble getting along with the other misters, but Hot is somehow the coolest with him

Like, really good at chess. He has no idea what he’s doing but he’s good at it

Stepford smiler

In horrible, horrible denial over so, so many things, from Smiles’ horrible, horrible fate (which he’s the only mister apart from Redd to know about), just how bad Redd went down, to Reginald’s death.

Well of course he doesn’t like his anomaly

Just a normal Wondertainment employee pre-mister-ifacation

Shapey

Genderfluid, uses any pronouns

Pan

Their forms tend to be like, really good at hugs

Chill with Lost

His personality tends to change between forms but is usually friendly

If she’s around someone they like for long enough their forms tend to be stuff he thinks they’d like

Knows a surprising amount of oddly specific facts, really good at trivia games

She’s fine with her anomaly but she fears no one else like his ideas and that stresses them out

Was also a normal worker pre-mister-ifacation, thought they’d be more useful as a mister

Soap

He/they

Ace, attracted to girls romantically

His time at that factory fucked him up badly, it’s really hard for him to trust people now

Except for, well, some of the other misters. The more chill ones.

Sleepy.

“The tropes ‘likes spooky things’ and ‘is easily frightened’ can coexist. It’s me I’m in hell.”

Animal lover, will pet a dog for 5 minutes straight

He would like to remove his anomaly very much.

Pre-mister-ifacation they worked for a confetti company Reginald tended to order from.

Hungry

Pan, aromatic

Insomniac, afraid he’ll accidentally eat someone in his sleep or something

Gets along pretty well with like all of the other misters (except Redd. No one gets along with Redd. Redd doesn’t get along with Redd. Smiles does somehow but-)

One of the more chill misters.

Genuinely cried watching Radio Rebel

Sweaters sweaters sweaters

Would like to not live in fear of accidentally eating a child

Pre-mister-ifacation worked in Wondertainment’s candy business, retained absolutely no food-making knowledge

Brass

Bigender, he/they, might actually be Mekane but no one actually knows including Brass

Ace/aro

Knows things they definitely should not know and will just casually bring up said stuff in conversation

Kinda like the cool big bro of the other misters

Doesn’t understand any modern lingo whatsoever

Listens almost exclusively to vocaloid

Really likes nature

Before being a mister, he [REDACTED]

Hot

Gay

“Superiority ’complex’? I find it quite simple, really.”

Is constantly done with everyone else’s shit

Tells really good jokes but no one would ever believe you

Takes everything way too seriously

Surprisingly softens up around kids, he’s like a completely different person

Sweetie

Trans lesbian

Is genuinely as sweet as she acts but would not hesitate to throw hands if she hears you talking shit

The cool big sis of the misters

Her fav music genre are those vocaloid songs that sound really cute but have like really fucked up lyrics

Two emotions: cute and death

Big Darkest Dungeon fan

Also worked in the candy wing before becoming a mister

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Yesterday's Lie" from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who absolutely won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

Here it is! The midseason finale of The Owl House Season Two! An episode featuring Luz going back to the human realm, is hyped up to heaven about how painful it'll be for the audience, and features more anxiety by how Creepy Luz is a thing. And BOOOOOOOOY howdy were fans not ready for this. I'm sure as hell not ready for when I wrote this intro at *checks time* thirty minutes before watching the official premier. Yup, the words you're reading right now are from me in the past, when everything was still pure and simple. Whereas future me is still probably destroyed by the events that transpired. Isn't that right, future me?

Future Me: Actually, it wasn’t that bad. The ending hurt, sure, but other than that, it wasn’t too painful.

Wow, that is some neat input! At least, I think it was. I wouldn't know because I literally wrote that after watching the episode. With the words you're currently reading being written at *checks time* twenty-six minutes before the premier...this whole intro is confusing, isn't it, future me?

Future Me: Sure is.

Yeah, it's definitely confusing. In any case, let's dive into this spoiler-filled review as we find out together just how painful this episode was! Take it away, future me!

Future Me: Will do! Major spoilers ahead, folks!

Now, let’s review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Luz’s Room: We only see it for a short time, but everything about it just screams Luz. The pile of weird-looking stuffed animals, the witch hat in the center of the floor, and the fact that she has bunk beds, a single child's dream (Or so I've heard). It's a small thing, but I love it.

Vee: Here she is! The character previously dubbed Creepy Luz who now turns out to be yet another new addition to the ever-growing list of characters that we, as a fandom, would give our lives for. Because holy s**t was Vee the best type of expectation subversion. Showing us all the ominous ways of how she basically took Luz's place made fans assume that Vee was an evil doppelganger. Turns out, she was just a tortured soul that was desperate to live a new and better life and lucked out in finding Luz's. What Vee does is...questionable at best, but seeing what she went through with the experiments Belos pulled on her, you understand why she would do it. And I personally love it's that same background information that makes Vee resentful of Luz of all people. Luz's life is a relative dream come true, and running away from that would be insane to someone who spent most of their existence through imprisonment and experimentation. It's an intriguing point of view, even though it's admittingly flawed given how it's mostly Camila that seemingly made Luz's life bearable. But the flaws don't matter. What matters is that you can see where Vee is coming from, and to me, personally, I think she's understandable enough to make me root for her to have some kind of happy ending. Whether as Luz or as herself, I'm hopeful to see Vee get some semblance of peace.

Camila: *Round of applause* Don't mind me! Just taking the time to love how all them sons of b**hes who thought Camila was a bad mom are now heavily invalidated. 'Cause, guess what? Camila is a fantastic mother, both to her daughter and her daughter's doppelganger! Allow me to walk you through the highlights:

How Camila looks like she’s not okay with the fact that "Luz" is clearing out her weird stuff, seemingly acting too different to the Luz she knows. Added to the fact that Camila doesn't like it.

How Camila drove Luz to camp whether than letting her take the bus

The fact that Camila takes that box of junk back in, not willing to part with the tin foil sculpture Luz made.

The way she was willing to play along with the game she thought Luz was doing, supporting her daughter's creative mind that Camila admits to being glad to see.

And, best of all, the willingness Camila had to help this poor creature, despite the lies it lived.

It's that last part I really want to touch upon, though. Because an action like that shows just how much Luz's heart comes from Camila. The kindness and generosity of helping this poor creature, who she has every right to run out on, proves how Luz learned to be everything she is today through Camila's own loving heart. Vee was scared and hurt, and the second Camila saw that she was then more than willing to help because of it. It's something that Luz would do, and it proves that even though Camila didn't exactly get everything right, she's still a great mom where it counts.

“A new life”: A perfect line.

Initially, it makes audiences think that it has everything to do with replacing Luz. It's only through future context that we know it's about escaping the s**t show Vee once lived through that it's clear she's talking about starting over. It hits us with intrigue on the first viewing, only to hit harder with the feels during a second. Really well-done.

Luz in the Mirror: A well-done surprise that makes fans curious about how this even happen in the first place. Kudos to you, writers.

The New Portal: I don't mind that they found a way to build this off-screen. Showing Luz and the gang slowly building a new portal would have been a little too tedious to watch, and it's so much better to just start this episode out with it. Besides, maybe we'll get the slow and steadier version now that we've seen how quickly building one might not have been the best way to go, given how fast that thing fell apart.

Luz Between Dimensions: I have no clue what the hell that place she was in is called, but it's awesome! The overall design of the realm is the correct type of unsettling, like it's oozing with mystery, but it's somewhere that you probably don't want to be in for too long. Whoever designed it deserves all of the credit because I don't want to even think about all the hard work that went into making this look as well-made as it was.

Luz Resisting to See Amity: What? Luz and Amity are adorable, and seeing Luz's immediate thought about seeing Amity makes my shipping heart scream with glee. Don't judge me!

Hiding Luz’s Dad’s Face: Well, that was a fun story while it lasted.

So, it turns out that Luz's dad really was a part of Luz's and Camila's life at some point, but not anymore. As for why remains to be seen, as we don't really know yet if we'll see him make an appearance. I'd say that the odds are high that he will, given how much of a point this episode made about keeping his face hidden. Shows don't usually do that unless the goal is to hype up some official reveal, and I can't wait to see what comes of it.

Luz Telling Herself to Count to Five: Hey, more evidence for how I relate to Luz! I know how it feels to be all panicky about a specific situation, and I only got better when I took the time to calm down for a bit. Sometimes, I even tried the "count to x" method that Luz used...it never worked, primarily because it made me feel worse when people told me to do it, but I still tried it! Plus, there's also some narrative foreshadowing when after Luz says five, the realm shows her Vee, or Number V, which is a pretty cool detail you'll notice on a rewatch.

Luz Helping Vee: I gave Camila praise for helping Vee in the end, but that doesn't abstain Luz from her own set of recognition. The second that Luz realized that Vee wasn't really a threat and is far from evil, our favorite human does what she can to help and even makes a deal where they're both happy. Because, of course, Luz is that perfect of a protagonist who is more than willing to help others in need. And it's why we love her so.

Looking for Magic that Eda Left Behind: A pretty cool idea that gives Luz and Vee a chance to bond and giving us an insight into Eda's past antics and misadventures in the human realm. Not much I can add to it, though.

Gravesfield: It's surprisingly not as jarring as I thought it would be to spend an episode in the human realm. I thought for sure, after all that time in the Boiling Isles, there would be something off about walking around a normal environment for a change. Turns out, it's almost easy to get used to. Or, for me, it is.

But I will say that there's this neat use of colors when comparing Gravesfield with the Boiling Isles. In Gravesfield, the coloring looks dulled down and standard, which is a stark contrast to the bright vibrancy of everything we've seen in the Boiling Isles. It's a subtle way of showing how things are different, aside from the major discrepancies we could come to expect. And I think that's why I appreciate it much more.

Eda’s Called Herself Marylynn in the Human Realm: Hang on...hang on...do you mean to tell me that the crack theory about Eda being Stan's ex-wife is actually true?

...

...What even is this show?!

Vee Making Friends with Camp Members: This shows the most apparent difference between Luz and Vee. Where we see Luz is already fearing the many ways that could go wrong with interacting with teens, Vee revealed that she adapted to her situation and had a chance to make friends. The implications of this are worth discussing another time, but for now, I'll say that it's pretty intriguing that we gain this much insight into both Luz and Vee through such a small thing.

Belos Wanting to Learn How Basilisks can Drain Magic: ...Didn't Raine say that Belos was taking away magic? If so, I think we can figure out how he's doing it. The question now is: Why?

Jacob (The Curator Guy): This guy was a riot. At first, Jacob seemed like a threat with the way he trapped Vee and was apparently stocking her, but the second he goes off about his conspiracy theories, it becomes clear what type of character he is. And was it a blast seeing how much of a crackpot this man is. It wasn't cool seeing him wanting to dissect the precious angel that is Vee, but I still chuckle about things like his "Flat Eather's Certificate." So while he's not that much of a threat, he's still fun to watch.

The Owl Beast was in the Human Realm: ...How did that happen? When did it happen? And how the hell did Eda get out of a situation like that?! Who knows, but it's still a shocking piece of news to learn.

Luz Telling Camila the Truth: Hey, she faced her fear after all! Although, the results aren't as pleasant as when Amity faced her fear two weeks ago.

Camila is a Veterinarian: ...One insignificant reveal...managed to destroy so many fanfics. I mean, we probably shouldn't have just assumed Camila was a nurse...but what the f**k else were we supposed to think?! Sorry for seeing the scrubs, and the first thing that came to my mind was "nurse" and not "vet."

By the way, that had to have been intentional, right? There's no way that Dana Terrace didn't think we'd assume Camila was a nurse. She'd had to have put off a reveal like that just to trip up her fans. And if that's the case, then that is a major d**k move...but that's why I mildly respect it.

Two Human Brothers went to the Demon Realm: Turns out we don't have to be in the Boiling Isles to learn more about it. Because now we have more information about how two humans were taken to the Isles with the help of a witch, thus setting up a grander reveal if it turns out that one of the humans was Philip and the witch was Belos. Because if that's true...then there's more of a history between those two than we thought.

Jacob has a Training Wand: This helps me believe that it's highly likely for Jacob to make a return and to have a power boost for when he does. After all, focussing all that attention on the training wand is way too convenient for it not to come up again in the future. Meaning we're most likely going to get more pain from Jacob if he shows up again.

Camila Beats the Crap out of Jacob for Vee: ...Writers, don't make me choose between Camila and Eda on who's the better cartoon mom. I know Eda's technically not a mom...BUT I STILL DON'T WANT TO CHOOSE DAMNIT!

Also, the sandal...just...

Why the f**k does Camila have a sandal in her purse? I don't know. Is it still funny that she does? Most certainly.

Camila and Luz’s Talk in the Rain: Ooooooooh, I was not ready for this...

I wasn't ready for the crying.

I wasn't ready for the hurt in Camila's eyes when she found out Luz chose to stay in the Boiling Isles.

I wasn't ready for Camila asking if Luz hates being with her that much.

I wasn't ready for Luz profusely stating how it was never Camila's fault.

I was not ready for Camila to tell Luz that she'll try to do better.

And I definitely was not ready for Luz to barely have enough time to promise that she'll come back.

This episode wasn't the twenty-two minutes of nonstop angst that I thought it was going to be...but this short scene more than make up for it.

Luz Tries to Stay Strong: Yet another thing she unwittingly learned from Camila. Camila tried to keep a brave face when Vee was with her and Luz, most likely not wanting to tear either of them down in the process. Luz does the same thing here as she avoids talking about the details of what went down in her sort-of journey back home. And seeing her clearly fake smile slowly droop into an uncertain frown, it uh...it definitely tore me up inside.

WHAT I DISLIKED

I want to say it's perfect, but there's one major issue that really bogs this episode down.

Continuity Error in How Vee Replaced Luz: Having Vee take Luz's place the same day Luz appeared in the Isles is a smart idea on paper...if it wasn't for the fact that it's impossible.

Because Eda closed the portal door the second that she saw Luz, meaning that there's no way for Vee to go to the human realm. It's a major plothole that makes no sense, and it might just be the first time ever that this series wasn't so closely knit with its story. Which ends up taking a dive in quality in the process.

IN CONCLUSION

I'd say that "Yesterday's Lie" is an A-. Everything about Luz, Vee, and Camila is incredible, combined into a story that ends in tragedy and uncertainty for the future. That plothole may drag things down a bit, but everything else is handled so well that I'm not lying when I say it's easy to forgive and forget.

(And that's ten episodes in a row without a single stinker. HOW THE F**K DOES THIS SEASON KEEP WINNING?!)

[leonameowzz]

TW Boys vs Durians

So my dad just bought some durian puffs for the family & that’s what prompted me to write this 😂😂 I personally love durians but ik there are many who can’t stand the smell. Just curious dear readers, but how do you feel about durians?

Scenario: G/N!MC feeling homesick and craving food from home asked Sam if he was able to obtain durians for them. The businessman was glad to oblige, for a decent price of course! How he gets them we will never know, but now MC has a whole bunch of these exotic fruit, so they set out to each dorm wanting to share some and feeling curious about everyone’s reactions.

*Bonus: Grim literally eats suspicious looking black rocks off the ground, so eating a durian is nothing special to him as he wolfs down the fruit hungrily. The Ramshackle dorm will definitely reek of said fruit for many days but neither of the occupants really mind~*

Riddle wrinkles his nose after catching a whiff of the durians. Because of his strict upbringing, he never got to eat too many different types of food unless his mother told him to. However being the dorm leader, he knew he had to set a good example to his dorm members, so he bravely took the first bite. It was definitely a strange flavour but he didn’t seem to mind too much.

Trey has actually heard of durians before given that his family runs a bakery, although he has never tried them. He gets used to the strong smell pretty fast and asks MC if he could keep some to use in baking for the next Unbirthday party. MC happily agrees and recommends making puffs, crepes and even chocolates.

Cater probably has the worst reaction out of all the Heartslabyul guys. He immediately backs up after smelling the fruit, refusing to get closer even with ADeuce constantly teasing him. It’s only when MC remarks that it would make for a pretty popular Magicam post does Cater approach, quickly using his camera’s burst mode to snap multiple photos.

Ace being quite adaptable, also gets used to the strong smell easily. He’s usually up for a little challenge and doesn’t mind trying out this new fruit. It didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped due to the mushy consistency but he managed to swallow his bite by downing it with some water.

Deuce is not the most enthusiastic about trying out this foreign food and the smell definitely didn’t help, but he musters up the courage to try it anyway, since it was MC who brought it. Didn’t help that Ace definitely taunted him to eat it. He actually takes it pretty well (even better than Ace), shyly remarking that he had eaten some pretty nasty stuff during his delinquent days.

Leona picks up on the foul scent of durian from a mile away, and it’s safe to say that this lion is definitely not eating whatever “fruit from hell” as he calls it, that MC had brought. He grumbles to them to remove it immediately as he doesn’t want to stink up the entire dorm, especially his room. MC had anticipated that reaction but comments slyly how lucky they were to be graced by the presence of two kings that day. (Durians are known as the king of fruits & Leona will always be king in my heart)

Jack initially thinks that MC had brewed a potion wrongly or something because they smelt weird. After explaining the situation, Jack apologetically declines trying some due to his sensitive nose and MC totally understands. Though they can’t help pouting slightly since they realized no one from this dorm would want to eat durians because of the off-putting smell.

Ruggie is the only Savanaclaw member who dares approach MC from the mention of food. Are they sure it’s not rotten? He can’t help feel suspicious because of the scent but decides to take MC’s word for it. With his deft hands, he swiftly takes some durian flesh and stuffs it into his mouth, while pinching his nose with his other hand. Secretly he willingly ate it knowing that he would be able to slack off on Leona’s duties since the scent would be stuck on him.

Azul gingerly pokes at the soft durian flesh as it oddly reminds him of his squishy octo-form. This is certainly something you don’t see everyday and he’s contemplating if it would be able to sell well in Mostro Lounge. He urges MC to share their findings regarding everyone’s reactions with him, promising to sign a mutually beneficial contract with them should the majority response be positive.

Floyd exclaims loudly about the durian odour but doesn’t seem too put off by it. He is definitely intrigued and even tries chomping on it in an effort to see which is stronger: his sharp teeth or the durian spikes, much to MC’s horror. He remarks that the texture is similar to the shellfish that he eats, and probably the only reason he’ll eat more is to tease people who hate the smell.

Jade is also intrigued but has a more subdued reaction as compared to Floyd. He’s not one to shy away from questionable food being a mushroom collector. He politely accepts the piece offered to him, thanking them for letting him try something new. Like Trey, he asks MC to let him keep some so that he may try experimenting with it for a new menu item.

Kalim is excited when MC cheerfully offers him some durian to eat as usually it’s the other way around where he throws a huge feast for them instead. He does comment on how it smells funky but doesn’t hesitate to taste it (at least after Jamil tried it first). Kalim has had his fair share of exotic foods so isn’t too bothered by the texture or smell. While the durian could never compare to his favourite coconut, he still enjoys it nonetheless.

Jamil isn’t too bothered by the smell either since he’s used to the scent of strong spices in their cooking. Besides he knows he will have to try it first regardless, since Kalim would be eating it. He is still thankful towards MC and even brews some refreshing tea to pair with the durian. Jamil chides Kalim who initially suggests throwing a durian party, but wouldn’t be against making some durian chips with MC since it was simple enough.

Vil is surprisingly not bothered by the strong smell, though he does remind MC to stay outside the dorm so as not to frazzle the other students. As a dignified celebrity he must always keep his cool, though he is tempted to eat some after hearing that the fruit is rich in nutrients and promotes healthy skin. Unfortunately he can’t due to having a photoshoot later but he’s definitely down to try some on his off days.

Rook is caught off guard initially, both from the appearance and smell of durian. He’s quick to recover but declines trying some, mentioning how he has to refrain from standing out when stalking his prey. Also MC swears they heard Rook muttering something about turning the spiky shell into a hunting weapon of sorts, though they choose to brush it off for their own safety.

Epel brushes off the smell like it’s nothing, which makes sense given his upbringing (I mean he literally made his own fertilizer and wasn’t fazed by that stench at all!)  He’s eager to try some stating how manly it would make him since even the Savanaclaw people didn’t dare eat it, and ends up really enjoying it.

Idia panics upon seeing MC approaching his room holding the durian, thinking he is about to be attacked. Is this revenge for him beating them during the recent gaming night? And wow the smell was definitely something... He sarcastically remarks that if the spikes weren’t enough to kill anyone, the smell would definitely finish them off. Not to worry though, Idia has a super air filtration system built into his room that nullifies the stench easily.

Ortho is busy scanning this fascinating fruit and updating his already extensive database. Even if he can’t actually taste or smell it, he does want to be knowledgeable about it since MC claimed that it was one of their favourite foods.

Malleus is grateful that MC considers him a close enough friend to let him try something from their home. Humans certainly eat some interesting things don’t they? Still he feels some sort of kinship towards this fruit, perhaps it’s how the exterior seems intimidating to many, in contrast to its soft interior. He teases MC to be careful when handling the fruit so that they don’t prick their finger on the sharp spikes.

Lilia doesn’t hesitate to pluck a piece of durian from MC while hanging down from the ceiling and proceeds to munch on it, not fazed at all. He smugly states that it’s an acquired taste and thanks MC for letting him taste such exquisite food. His eyes twinkle in excitement when MC recounts how delicious durian ice cream is and volunteers to make some for the rest of dorm.

Silver is definitely woken up by the sudden pungent smell but relaxes after seeing his master and father calmly eating away. Lilia encourages him to try some which he accepts, although he falls asleep again not too long after. It is definitely a rare sight as no woodland animals gather near Silver that day, most likely avoiding him due to the smell.

Sebek almost screamed at MC for bringing something so foul-smelling into their dorm but held his tongue after seeing how excited they were. He would be spurred on to try some since Malleus had no problem eating it despite really not liking what he was about to put in his mouth. After all he couldn’t call himself a bodyguard if such a trivial fruit stumped him.