#like this is only a small segment of what they've been like

[theminecraftbee]

today on hermitcraft: joe attempts to help oli understand the economy!

[lychgate]

Echo brain comic?? My beloved?

this one's pretty new and id like to in the least get some segments drawn up if i can

i went balls deep in depth about my personal ideas of Echo's structure and how it works, it has much more writing rn then art lemme get some snippets:

tech and echo begin digging around in his wiring as echo's health has lately began to decline rapidly. Blood transfusions are becoming daily, exhaustion occurs much quicker, and newest to the issues are these seemingly random seizures. They've attempted many outside options at remedying the problem but it was becoming urgently clear that the only way to get answers would be to open up his system and understand exactly how his body operates from the inside out. Echo is mostly on edge because he fears finding the answer that is he's just doomed to die soon, and that his body was in no way sustainable outside of that fridge. He fears the idea of dying so much that he has manic considerations of being put back in some sort of stasis chamber. Death, which he never feared prior to the citadel, but now he's come to be you know uhhh quite traumatized from it. But he also hates the idea of that fridge!! caught between two terrible options, wowie here ill add some more breakdown of that in a read more if anyone is interested in paragraphs of bullshit:

as for a brief descriptor on the shit on his head and body, from this paragraph:

Tech: these rivets across your skull are not simple ports one can just plug into. They're a very unique structure, containing an extremely delicate, but long system of thin metallic fibers wiring throughout your brain. These 'rivets' then act as anchors to those metal fibers, which then respond to very specific electric signals that we can access at the nodes on the surface here. If the signals sent are not exact. Well. Echo: yeah I get it I get it.

and some write up on how Tech begins to diagnose the problem:

Eventually Tech will find his way into deeper functions of the brain, finding shortcuts that were already developed by the Techno Union scientists for the sake of their own equipment likely. Categorized sections for monitoring all sorts of chemicals and levels within Echo's body, most of which were left on an automatic function to regulate.

Tech begins to understand that the key issue is that this program, and these automatic functions, were fitted for exactly the stasis chamber Echo had been put in, and if they want to begin fixing Echos phsyical body, he would have to start going in and coding line for line, functions that pertain to the body on a sustainability outside that fridge. Some functions were completely turned off, being that Echo was getting fed certain synthesized chemicals thru the machine, his brain had to be telling itself NOT to produce said things naturally.

But it's all very finicky work that requires continuous maintenance and updates, not much unlike a patch update to any other computer program, except this is Echo's life. It's an impossible amount of code to do in any short time frame, and so Tech will begin splicing lines of code from similar organic droids with systems of similar complexity.

They handle these sessions once per week, giving time for Echo's body to catch up and adjust. At first he begins feeling some nausea, his heart rate starts rising, but he insists something feels good about it and urges Tech to keep going. Echo begins to feel warmth back in his body, his mood increases, after about a month hair begins to grow again, muscle mass fills in what once was skeletal limbs, nail beds regain a lively shine. Besides a few errors in updates like over producing a chemical or small bouts of insomnia, everything seems On Course.

and then:

So now we get into the meat of the drama, which is a lot of Echo mania and identity issues:

By this point Tech has outfitted much easier screw on parts so they can go in and out of this program faster (the set up previously was hours of work) so pulling that up he theorizes that he will have to do more then just reverse programs that the Techno Union set up. Tech now believes he'll have to create NEW systems, as the old program appears to be getting corrupted from all of Tech's editing. The seizures are, at this point to their best guess, coming from this. That parts of his brain are literally crashing, and soon he's going to start having more serious issues like bro is gonna just have a massive stroke at some point. Tech points that out all regular voice and Echo is just 'great im back in the mental swamp' Now that Echo's learned that he has corrupted files eating away at his brain, and that the chance of having a massive stroke is like inevitable, he's back to feeling like anxious shit. It doesn't help that this will take Tech a lot of time to figure out. Truthfully he's putting as much effort as he can into it, but this is when Echo begins to get Really mentally unwell. He's both worrying and also trying NOT to worry out of fear that it's going to complicate the program even more. Echo begins to have identity issues, coming to rely more on the mechanics then the organics that make him. He doesn't feel like a human with robot parts anymore, he feels like a robot with human parts.

and it keeps going like there's parts where echo is begging Tech to up programs on dopamine generation and Tech has to turn him down cause that would just be creating an addiction problem, situations where Echo starts trying to mess with his own brain, situations where he tries to kill Tech, its a lot of rambling but im not a writer, like i can't write for shit and I'd like to try and draw it instead

[felassan]

Snippets from shinobi602, cut for length.

Comment made after the character trailer, before the gameplay reveal:

"I know I sound like a broken record at this point but I'd really wait for the gameplay footage before writing it off. I agree that the tone of the trailer isn't how I would have personally revealed the game lol. But it's definitely a mature story...(with classic DA humor of course) I think people will come around when they see it in motion." [source]

Comment made before the gameplay reveal:

"I just got a sneak peak at the gameplay being shown on Tuesday. A small sample, but enough to get a good taste. It feels like a much better Inquisition to me. Absolutely not Fortnite or Overwatch." [source]

Comment made before the gameplay reveal:

User: "Maybe this gameplay showcase is going to show us all the character creator options, the RPG mechanics and skill trees, the expansive dialogue choices you can make, the minute to minute gameplay and how the world works." Shinobi: "You won't get all of that. But it's a solid chunk. This is just the first step in a long several months ahead. They have to save stuff for more beats down the road too or else you run out of gas lol." [source]

Comment made before the gameplay reveal:

User: "Very excited to see a glimpse into that for the gameplay reveal, hoping the game's beginning is as memorable as the other entries" Shinobi: "It is a massive boost in quality for the series. I'm not talking art style or anything, but just in terms of sheer quality and technical fidelity. Really hard to keep my tongue bitten lol, but I'm excited to see what everyone thinks tomorrow." [source]

Comment made after the gameplay reveal was teased:

"Yup, that's what it looks like, but there's so much more goodness. Looks amazing imo." [source]

Comment made before the gameplay reveal:

"it feels like the ME2 of Dragon Age." [source]

Comment made before the gameplay reveal:

"Oh just wait. The hair tech is phenomenal in this. Even I was thinking "aye is this a Bioware game!?" lol." [source]

Comment made before the gameplay reveal:

"They look different but to be honest the more you see them, the more you get used to it. I love the way Harding looks now. It's more stylized, but also a huge boost in technical fidelity in Frostbite." [source]

Comment made after the gameplay reveal, before the press who saw the demos at SGF shared about what they saw:

"Pretty much every person I've talked to across a dozen different media outlets, ~95%'ish, has walked out of the private demo sessions with glowing praise." [source]

-

"I don't mean there aren't any open ended areas to explore. But it's a tight game, with a focus on not wasting the player's time with bloat. They took a lot of that feedback from Inquisition." [source] [re: the game not being open world in design]

-

One preview from a large outlet basically boils down to 'Bioware is back'. [source]

-

"I'm optimistic. From conversations I've had, they are genuinely serious in trying to make a Bioware classic here. They do not want a repeat of Andromeda or Anthem. I can only go based off what I've heard obviously - haven't played it. We all have our opinions on the combat, but they learned a lot of hard lessons since Inquisition, taken a lot of feedback to heart, and want this to feel like that tight, structured high quality experience we used to get from them. Andromeda and Anthem came in hot at launch. I felt some warning signs before those came out, but here? Right now they're just polishing. It's all polish from here to release. I'm really hoping this is the start of their return to form. That team's been through a lot, I hope it works out for the best." [source]

-

User: "I think there certainly is a decent contingent of legitimate dissatisfaction or concern around the game, but I'm not sure that that's an overwhelming segment, but I do think it's something BioWare in EA should not and cannot ignore." Shinobi: "They've definitely taken notice. There's a lot more to show between now and launch." [source]

-

"One thing I'm particularly happy about and can't get over is how much better the hair rendering is. It might be a small thing to some but it looks incredible. It's in another stratosphere compared to DAI." [source]

-

"Everyone in the previews was gushing about how robust the CC is in Veilguard so there might be a decent chance to make some wild Qunari designs." [source]

On the Next Mass Effect:

"ME will look very, very good. Don't worry." [source]

[weirdmarioenemies]

No one stopped me but myself, but I'm back to ranking all the Super Mario Galaxies

Sorry this took so long! Mix of some busy weeks and some low energy. These are long posts! Takes a lot of time to write them.

Hello, everyone! Today we're approaching the top of the mountain. The very best galaxies these games have to offer... at least to me. I know I've stated this a lot but like, opinions are totally subjective, and what appeals to me may not appeal to you and vice versa! But these ones appeal to me and quite a lot.

By the next entry, we will have covered all of the galaxies there are, which is pretty exciting. You can expect it on some Sunday, but given how the last few weeks have gone, I won't make any promises about the specifics of when. And if this is the first time you're seeing one of these posts and want to catch up, I've got you covered. Here's part one, part two, part three, and part four.

With that out of the way, I think we're about good to go! Let's start covering some of the best these games have to offer!

20. Grandmaster Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Grandmaster Galaxy should be grateful we're not ranking the galaxies in the order you play them, or else it'd be dead last.

If I'm not mistaken, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was the first game to feature a very long, very difficult gauntlet as a "final test" of sorts, and here it is! This is another of those things that has basically become a series staple of Mario games at this point, with similar levels existing in 3D Land, 3D World, and Odyssey, and given they've latched onto this concept so much, it's probably not controversial to say that the first instance of this probably did something right.

And it did! The Grandmaster Galaxy throws a number of different obstacles at you, from a segment where all you have to get around is those Yoshi Tongue Flower Things, to a segment with electrical mazes, to a segment where you have to dodge Ring Beamers around flip-swap panels and disappearing platforms, to a segment with some tricky pull star timing. I would go ahead and say the segment with the flipswitches and Sentry Beams is on the easy side, but that's towards the start, so it's probably fine.

The first run of the galaxy is challenging, but also feels a bit like a "practice run," giving you room to acquaint yourself with each step of the galaxy before the Perfect Run, where you have to do the whole thing in one go with only one health. This is the time where I admit: I've only ever beaten the Perfect Run with help from a Co-Star Luma. Is that cheating? I dunno. I never promised I was great at video games! Only good enough to 100% most of the game and beat the Grandmaster Galaxy non-perfect run, and still do the Perfect Run with a little help. ...That counts for something, right?

Either way, I think Grandmaster provides more than an adequate challenge, making it succeed as both a test of skill, and as a finale for the rest of the game to build up to.

19. Matter Splatter Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

If you exclude boss missions, I'd say Matter Splatter Galaxy is probably the best one-off galaxy in the first game. Actually, the Garden in general is a really good dome. This is the first of its galaxies I'm covering on this list! (As long as you don't look at the Hungry Luma standing outside. I question how much Snow Cap Galaxy single-handedly weighs down this dome if you're willing to include it.)

I've kinda ragged on a lot of the smaller-scale galaxies in the first game, and while the small scale is maybe part of the reason I've been more dismissive of them, as a whole, I think what hurts them more for me is that I rarely find their gimmicks all that unique or interesting. If a gimmicky one-off galaxy has a good enough gimmick? Then yeah, I'll love it to bits! And Matter Splatter Galaxy has that "good enough gimmick".

I touched on this one a bit when talking about Sweet Mystery Galaxy, what with how both make use of the "what you can see is all that's there" concept, but as a whole, I think Matter Splatter does it a bit better, due to the lack of player control. It adds an element where you have to consider when you want to approach, and makes for some fun improvisation when your timing is off. You lose out on some of that improvisation when the location of the ground is something you have more control over, you know?

But what truly escalates Matter Splatter to me is how much variety they get out of its gimmick. For the first half of the galaxy, droplets of matter will "light up" the ground you can walk on, with the ground gradually fading until another drop hits the same spot. It's a fun test of pattern recognition and timing, and it comes with both 2D and 3D segments for a bit of added variety! As a whole, I'd say I generally prefer this half of the galaxy since it feels a bit more distinctive, but it's not like this galaxy suddenly becomes weak in the back half.

The back half switches things up, focusing on large, moving "spotlights" you have to keep yourself in, changing to a bit of an autoscroller, where you have to swiftly adjust to whatever obstacles are coming up ahead, now testing your reflexes and improvisational skills a bit more. Once again, we get both 2D and 3D segments for added variety, and the mix of the galaxy's unique gimmick and autoscrolling format allows for some really fun misdirection in this part. It's a fun switch-up that doesn't depart dramatically from what makes this galaxy so great. All of this comes together to make a one-off gimmick galaxy that feels like it truly gets the most out of a unique concept.

Before I move on, though, I want to talk about the Spring Mushroom. The Spring Mushroom is a weird power-up. It's pretty infamous, and like, for good reason. It's difficult to control, it feels kinda jank to use at times, and most people find it more frustrating than fun and like. I'm not even gonna say I disagree with that sentiment! And yet somehow, against all odds, every galaxy that prominently features the Spring Mushroom has ended up scoring really highly for me. Are these galaxies just great in spite of featuring the Spring Mushroom? Is the Spring Mushroom's jank secretly a good thing? Or is there just something wrong with me? The answer is probably a mix of all three.

18. Bowser's Galaxy Generator

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Oh hey, it's the finale of the main Super Mario Galaxy 2 campaign! These big finale boss missions are always great, and while I think Galaxy 2's doesn't quite stack up to the first game's, I'd still say that I'd consider it a worthy successor. It still absolutely succeeds as one last grand mission to close out the main game.

Like any good boss galaxy, I love Bowser's Galaxy Generator for its length and sense of variety. Possibly even more so than the Galaxy Reactor from the first game, the Galaxy Generator seems to try testing your knowledge on everything you know, featuring most of the game's brand-new power-ups, save for the Rock Mushroom and Bulb Berry. I think this idea of focusing on the game's new content was the right call, since it helps it feel a bit more like a finale to Super Mario Galaxy 2, specifically.

The level is also adequately challenging! I find the Yoshi segments towards the end to be the toughest, with the Dash Pepper segment being tight enough that even the smallest mistakes can be punishing, while the Snake Block section afterwards requiring some pretty tight reflexes to dodge the Magmarrghs.

With that out of the way, while the level is solidly challenging, I do think the final boss fight is a bit on the easy side. Both the asteroids and Bowser are big enough that landing the hits isn't too much of a challenge, even in the second phase. Heck, arguably less so in the second phase, when replaying this level, I always think of that phase of the fight as being sort of a freebie.

But I also wouldn't say it's a bad fight -- it does a good job escalating the game's previous Bowser encounters, and ground pounding asteroids into a massive Bowser while hurtling through space definitely has a sense of grandeur that I really appreciate. Maybe it could've been a little more difficult or a little longer, but it's certainly memorable, and still very fun, so the fact it's not as difficult as it arguably should be doesn't bother me that much, and doesn't hamper the Galaxy Generator from its S-tier position.

17. Flip-Out Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I find it a little weird that this is the penultimate galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, you know? Between the boss rush and ultimate challenge levels, you have this weird one-off gimmick level that introduces a variant of a gimmick seen back in World 1, just with an added twist. I guess they wanted the final Hungry Luma galaxy to be a parallel to the first one? I'm not really sure. None of this matters of course, because Flip-Out Galaxy is fan-flipping-tastic!

Yeah, I know that doesn't hit as hard as a real F-bomb, but we try to keep the blog at least somewhat family-friendly, you know? And also the pun!

Anyway, as you may remember, I love Flip-Swap Galaxy quite a bit. Top-notch weird gimmick galaxy, always a joy to play. So I think it goes to say that I love this more difficult spin on its gimmick just as much, if not even more, if the rating hasn't spoken for itself already. Flip-Out Galaxy shifts the focus from the red and blue Flip-Swap panels to red and blue walls that pop in and out when you spin. And of course, that means it's time to perform some Wicked Wall Jumps! This is what that weird short mission in Honeybloom Galaxy has been training you for!

Since this is the penultimate galaxy in the game, it's a pretty tricky one, since a poorly-timed spin can take out not just the walls you're jumping on, but the floor underneath as well, and you'll have to spin a lot when alternating between red and blue walls! Timing will also prove important, not just for exiting a wall jump and spinning to give yourself solid ground to stand on, but also for a segment where you have to keep wall jumping until the spikes underneath you recede, which becomes especially difficult when you throw in the Cosmic Clones...

On that note, I love the decision to use specifically the Cosmic Clone mission for the second Green Star here, and putting it towards the end, too. Makes grabbing it a bit trickier, which is nice for a galaxy this late in the game! Flip-Out does pretty much everything I'd want it to -- it brings back a great old gimmick, changes it up in a way that feels unique, and uses it to craft a fun, albeit challenging late-game mission. My only knock against it? It being so late in the game means you have to play a lot to get there, and they crowd so many of the game's worst galaxies before it, just to rub salt in the wound. But hey, if it's for a galaxy this good, it may as well be worth it.

16. Cosmic Cove Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I know a handful of people have been disappointed by the low rankings I gave to a lot of these games' water galaxies, so consider this an apology. Well, an apology of some sort, it's not like I decided to move up Cosmic Cove a bunch because people were upset that I didn't like some of the water galaxies. It just happens that I felt a lot of them suffered from having weak missions, hampered a bit by somewhat janky underwater controls. Give me a water galaxy that mitigates both these problems, and I'm sure to fall in love with it. "Underwater" is like, a pretty notable part of My Brand! There's a reason I've put three water galaxies on today's list, everyone!

Case in point: Cosmic Cove Galaxy! Cosmic Cove Galaxy is just gorgeous. I'd say that it's aesthetically one of the strongest galaxies in Super Mario Galaxy 2, which definitely counts for something! I mean, have you heard its music? The harps and pianos create such a relaxing atmosphere, and it sort of reminds me of the music in the next entry on our list...

But let's not get ahead of ourselves! Cosmic Cove isn't surviving on looks alone, because it's a pretty fun galaxy to play as well! I think they hit a really nice balance here, where the underwater sections have a somewhat linear path to take, so it doesn't feel like you're wrestling with those Janky Water Controls, but if you decide to go off the beaten path, there's a good bit more to see than you'd expect, which is nice, given this is a very pretty galaxy and one I enjoy spending time to take in! Obviously there's less to do once you've frozen the water, but having a big open plain to skate around on is also pretty fun. And while we're talking about ice skating, the Hungry Luma star is probably the second best bunny chase in the Galaxy games.

And let's not forget the second main mission, either! The underwater sidescroller is really neat, especially when they start having blocks of water floating in space, and even moving on their own. I think this is another of those concepts they brought back in Super Mario 3D World, if I'm not mistaken! It's such a memorable part of the galaxy, that I sorta forget there's that planet with the Spin Drill and the Micro Mecha-Bowsers and the Fizzlits at the end, but that planet is fine too.

Cosmic Cove manages to do a seamless job blending aesthetics and gameplay to create one of the series' most memorable galaxies. And it introduces us to Snoodles and Fizzlits! Those are like, maybe two of my favorite enemies. Bonus points for that!

15. Space Junk Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Can I be honest? Space Junk Galaxy is one of those galaxies that mostly made it this high for the vibes, above all else. Don't get me wrong, I like Space Junk Galaxy a lot. I think all the missions here are fun, if I was rating it on gameplay alone I'd probably still rank it highly. Space Junk on its own is a solid A-tier galaxy, but I think this is one of those galaxies where the atmosphere brings it up a tier higher for me.

While most of the galaxies in these games focus on the grandeur and excitement of exploring the cosmos, Space Junk Galaxy takes a more melancholic approach to the setting, the idea that outer space is mostly, well, space. Space Junk Galaxy isn't really focused on having big, exciting setpieces. Space Junk Galaxy is about everything inbetween, from lost spaceships, to small asteroids, to well... miscellaneous space junk. And I think it works in its favor!

I could make the same argument that I made against Gusty Garden Galaxy, that Space Junk Galaxy feels like it was cobbled together from miscellaneous bits and bobs of larger levels that were getting too big, but in this case, I think that's the point. To the extent that something trying to be a cohesive level design in a 3D platformer can at least, Space Junk does a really good job capturing that feeling of emptiness, in the best possible way. The first mission here, which largely consists of Mario floating through space via a trail of Pull Stars, may not be the most exciting mission, but it has such a specific atmosphere that I can't help but say it may very well be one of my favorites across both games.

Admittedly, this is the part of this review where I have to concede that Space Junk's biggest strength is probably also one of its biggest weaknesses, that a galaxy so focused on all the emptiness and in-betweens of space struggles to find enough content to fill out six missions. The second mission basically has none of the atmosphere, instead being a weird Airship mission with a boss fight at the end, and then the third mission has another boss fight, because what else are you gonna do here? Don't get me wrong, these are still fun missions, but I think they end up working against the general atmosphere and tone that this galaxy sets up in the first mission. I think this is one that would benefit from the sequel's smaller-scale galaxies, with two "main" missions, and a comet or secret star or something.

Still, this is a galaxy that is fun from start to finish, and when it goes for being atmospheric, it nails it. I mean, have you heard the music here? This has easily gotta be a top 5 song across both games for me, I love it so much. While I think having fewer, more focused missions could've benefited it a little, Space Junk Galaxy will always leave such an impression on me that I can't help but feel like it's one of the standouts from these games.

14. Cloudy Court Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I've mentioned before how a few of the galaxies in Galaxy 2 feel like they're meant to be "sequels" to galaxies from the first game, and Cloudy Court is no exception, feeling like a bit of a follow-up to Gusty Garden Galaxy. I mean, you have the grand orchestral score, you have the "garden in the sky" theming, you have lots of segments where you're riding on wind currents, even the Japanese name, "Cloud Garden Galaxy" ends up harkening back to the first game's "Wind Garden Galaxy". I think there's a reason they showed this one off a lot in the game's earliest trailers.

That being said, while it does feel a bit like an attempt to capitalize on Gusty Garden's success, in many ways to me it also feels like a refinement of Gusty Garden, taking some of the concepts that worked there and expanding on them a bit to make something that, to me at least, feels more interesting and cohesive. In my review of Gusty Garden, I characterized it a bit as a galaxy largely carried by its music, that otherwise felt like it could've been thrown together from leftover assets from galaxies that had gotten too large. Cloudy Court manages to avoid that feeling pretty easily, it was pretty clearly built from the ground up, and given how much it changed from the initial trailer to the final release, it seems like one they spent a lot of time on trying to get just right.

And in that regard, I think they largely succeeded! Cloudy Court manages to hit on the familiar elements we love about Gusty Garden, but also manages to hold strong on its own, with a number of distinct and memorable segments. I don't know why the drum trampolines are here, but I'm not complaining, it's fun to have them! And the combination of the wind currents and the Cloud Flower makes for some very memorable platforming challenges. And some fun secrets, as well! Obviously as a Galaxy 2 entry it's gonna be a bit more linear by default, but even then they manage to hide a lot of 1-Ups here, adding a little extra reward for going off the course, which you know I always appreciate.

While a lot of "sequel" galaxies end up falling flat to me when they struggle to live up to what came before, Cloudy Court is one of the rare exceptions that not only lives up to its predecessor, but in my opinion, surpasses it. I feel like we think of Gusty Garden as a better galaxy than it truly is, but Cloudy Court simply is that good, which to me, makes it a contender for one of the series' very best.

13. Boo Moon Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Man, it's hard to go wrong with ghosts. Nice for an appropriately spooky galaxy to end up at #13, huh? Maybe that was a little deliberate on my part, but it's not like I don't think Boo Moon Galaxy deserves it.

Boo Moon Galaxy is so, so stylish I think. I feel like Super Mario Galaxy 2 goes for a bit of a "storybook" aesthetic, so why not have a galaxy that leans into that a bit? Stuff like the dark maze at the beginning, poison swamp folding up at a 90 degree angle to match the snake blocks, the crescent-moon see-saw planet, and the haunted house pop-up book at the end are all such distinctive visuals with a bit of that Storybook Feel to me, and end up making for a galaxy that manages to provide a very fun twist on an already fun theme.

Not to mention that this is also a decently tricky galaxy! I gotta be grateful for those musical notes that spawn the three 1-Ups during the Snake Block section, because I've fallen into that poison swamp more than a couple times, especially when going for the secret star, and even more so when going for that one Green Star. The second mission, which I believe is the sole appearance of the Boo Mushroom in Galaxy 2, also involves some precise timing as you weave your way through Octoboos, particularly towards the end.

I'm a sucker for a good ghost galaxy, so this one was probably gonna get high marks no matter what, but with a stylish and distinctive aesthetic, that's enough to bring it up to a top-tier with a fittingly spooky number. Happy Halloween, everyone!

I mean, it's September. That's basically Halloween.

12. Tall Trunk Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Really, shoutout to World 3 of Galaxy 2 just giving you a choice between two absolute bangers right off the bat. I think Tall Trunk ends up just barely winning out against Cloudy Court for me, but the two are really close in quality, and no matter which I'm in the mood for, I know I'm in for a great time.

Like Puzzle Plank, this is another galaxy that brings such a high level of unfiltered joy whenever I reach it in a playthrough. Maybe there's something about these big galaxies made of wood, I dunno. Probably also has something to do with the music. Yeah, I know this one just borrows the music from Yoshi Star Galaxy, but I always associate it with Tall Trunk first and foremost. Unlike Puzzle Plank however, I think Tall Trunk feels a bit more fully realized -- I never really feel underwhelmed playing through Tall Trunk, which let it climb a good bit higher on my tier list.

Tall Trunk is a galaxy not only with a great aesthetic, but two very fun and very distinct missions! The first mission is a showcase of the Blimp Fruit, and I love how it gets used in so many different ways, from climbing a tree, to searching for Star Chips around a cylindrical planet (Super Mario Galaxy 2 has a lot of those, huh?), to making your way through a long spiral to grab the Power Star. Then there's the slide, which weeeeeee wheeeeeeeeeee yippeeeeeeeeeee wahoooooo!

It's fun.

This galaxy also has to get bonus points for being the home of the Whittles, arguably the best Galaxy NPCs. Don't get me wrong, the Gearmos offer close competition, but the Whittles are just too adorable. Also, the Tall Trunk Galaxy is a sacred site to the Whittles, giving us one of few glimpses into Religion in the Mario Universe.

I think I have to agree with the Whittles when it comes to this galaxy: "Treetop. Good." Truer words have never been spoken.

11. Flipsville Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Oh hey, I've talked about this one before! I mean, clearly I have to enjoy this one a good bit to give it its own post with some in-depth analysis, though I hate to say, I still have yet to figure out who's selectively breeding Pupdozers, why they'd be doing it, or if that has even happened at all. Sorry. I know you're disappointed in me. Maybe I'll have the answer next time I talk about Flipsville.

I did sort of go over my opinions in that post, though more of it was dedicated to talking about the galaxy itself, so I probably don't have to fear repeating myself too too much. To reiterate: I think this one is great! The gimmick of the grates that reverse the gravity of the galaxy is really really neat, and this galaxy uses it in some interesting ways, particularly during the autoscroller where you have to flip at the right time to avoid running Mario into spikes. (That being said, my favorite usage still gotta be that one Green Star that you can only reach by taking a leap of faith from underneath.)

Also shoutout to the Pupdozers as an enemy design that takes advantage of this gimmick! I'm pretty sure they're only in this galaxy, so I may as well talk about them here. I also have to shoutout this galaxy's distinctive aesthetic, "weird 1950s suburban house" is not really a level theme you see in video games often, and it gives this galaxy more than just a unique gameplay gimmick. I really dig it.

Speaking of digging, I do remain a little iffy on how the second mission shifts focus to the Spin Drill, I feel parts of it end up feeling pretty similar to the Spin-Dig Galaxy, but the gimmick of flipping between the two sides of the planets remains in tact, and the final room with the gravity walls that switch in time with the music where you have to use the drill to grab Silver Stars or Purple Coins is really cool, so I can't complain about it too much. I mean, it's not like it makes this galaxy any less fun, y'know?

Flipsville Galaxy will always stand out to me as one of the most distinctive galaxies in the sequel, both in its theming and in its gameplay, and for that I will always consider it a personal favorite!

10. Slimy Spring Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Slimy Spring Galaxy is one of the most atmospheric galaxies... well, I was gonna say in Super Mario Galaxy 2, but it's really one of the most atmospheric galaxies in general. I'd say that as a whole, the first game typically wins out on atmosphere, but there's a few places where the sequel really shines, and more than any other, I think Slimy Spring showcases that.

Slimy Spring Galaxy is so, so very claustrophobic. You're given a green shell, and from there, it's a long, linear swim through a narrow underwater cave. Besides the very start, there's hardly any coins or air bubbles to refill your air meter, so you have to rely on what little air you do have to make your way to the end. And believe me when I say that these tunnels are designed to be just long enough to run you to the very end of your air meter. You only really get a brief breather in the middle, and with limited air, mistakes made in this galaxy can be especially punishing.

I love the way Slimy Spring Galaxy puts you in this distinct state of mind. Watching your air slowly run out while making your way through a dark, seemingly unending tunnel can be a bit nerve-wracking, but obviously the game's not gonna present you with a galaxy that's impossible to beat. You just have to trust that the game's gonna take you where you need to go, and try to avoid letting any obstacles this galaxy throws at you trip you up. Admittedly, I still see my fight-or-flight reflex kick in when I reach the Gringills.

Slimy Spring Galaxy is one I've really only grown to appreciate more and more with time. It's not really one of the game's most "fun" galaxies by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn't really feel like it's trying to be -- the rest of the galaxies exist to be fun, so what does it matter if Slimy Spring Galaxy tries to do something else? Slimy Spring Galaxy is pretty much unrivaled in its atmosphere, and for that, it has easily become one of my favorites.

I really love the sunset at the end of Slimy Spring. It sort of feels like the game saying that even in the most uncertain of times, everything's gonna turn out alright at the end. I feel like I'm being a bit wax poetic here, but I dunno. I think Slimy Spring Galaxy just does that to a person.

9. Honeyhive Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

So remember how earlier I said this was a top 10 Galaxy? Well how many of you guessed it'd show up at #9? Congratulations if you did! I'm sorry I don't have anything to award you, besides I guess my review of Honeyhive Galaxy, but even people who didn't guess correctly are getting that... Sorry.

Whatever. Honeyhive is great! I mean, you've seen me talk about it when talking about every other bee galaxy. This is the honey-gold standard all other bee galaxies strive for, and few can achieve...

What makes Honeyhive so great to me is its sense of scale. It arguably has the largest starting planet across both games, with lots of little nooks and crannies that all get utilized throughout its many missions. I get the feeling you wouldn't even need to add more to this galaxy to give it a full set of missions, but Honeyhive Galaxy is here to spoil us anyway, because it's Honeyhive Galaxy, and it's great. It does a very nice job making each mission feel familiar, yet distinctive, which I really appreciate.

I also think it does a really good job showing off the Bee Mushroom, with lots of high ground that becomes much more accessible with it, plenty of water to show off its main weakness, lots of flower and cloud platforms you can only access with it, and honey walls to climb up. Not only do you get to spend time among the bees, but you get to join them. Become one with the hive.

Oh, and have I mentioned that the main missions here are all super great too? The first mission is the big showcase for the Bee Mushroom I mentioned above, but the second has some fun platforming through a wooden obstacle course, and the boss fight against Big Bad Bugaboom is always a blast that makes some great usage of the Bee Mushroom. The Purple Coin and Luigi missions are sorta whatever to me, though I appreciate the Cosmic Mario race and the weird shortcuts you can take in it, I think it's nifty.

Really, I think the thing holding back Honeyhive from an even higher spot for me, and this is pretty unfair, is the fact that it's so early in the game, that the novelty of it all has kinda worn off for me. It's hard to get excited about Honeyhive when it's a place you have to go to early in the game, you know? But again, that's a small gripe that ultimately changes nothing about just how good this galaxy is. It's sweet as honey!

8. Deep Dark Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Deep Dark Galaxy is one of those galaxies that always kinda surprises me when I play through the first game. It's one of those galaxies I never really think about all that often, and I'm rarely that excited when I get there, but then I play through it and go "wait a second, this one rules!"

I'm wondering if it's because it's in the Garden, where it has to deal with some serious competition. Being "that water galaxy with the dreary atmosphere in the way of Dreadnought and Melty Molten" isn't exactly the most flattering look, but at the very least it makes for a galaxy that always manages to surpass my expectations. Hopefully, putting this one at #8 will make me stop forgetting how good it is once and for all.

Still, I don't think counting the dreary atmosphere of this galaxy against it is really fair, because that's kinda what it's going for -- it's literally called "Dungeon Cave Galaxy" in Japanese. And you know what? For a Dungeon Cave, I love how silly they still let this Galaxy be! Stuff like the weird inflatable duplicate of the Gateway Planet, the weird floating circus platform, and that planet where you have to ground pound tennis balls into a watermelon to make it grow are such odd things to put in a galaxy like this, but I think they all end up working in its favor. The added surrealism makes this place so much more memorable.

And man oh man, I know I've talked a few times about how I love galaxies that let you goof off and do whatever, and I think no galaxy does that better than Deep Dark. I swear, in my latest playthrough of Galaxy, I spent more time in the spawn beach area than I did playing the rest of the mission. For an area that looks to have so little going on, there's lots of hidden goodies to look for, and shooting yourself out of the cannon at the Gateway and Octoguy planets is so, so fun.

While I'm sort of lukewarm on the mission where you swim through Guppy's eight rings, everything else in this galaxy I think is super fun, from the Kamella rematch on the pirate ship, to the aforementioned weird watermelon planet, to even the untimed Purple Coin mission! Usually those untimed exploration-based Purple Coin missions are never my cup of tea, but in this case, I think the combination of a smaller area to explore, better utilization of the underwater areas, and no places to fall off makes it feel a lot less grueling to me.

Deep Dark Galaxy is a great galaxy that always surpasses my expectations, and for that I think it deserves a spot in my top 10.

7. Freezeflame Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Freezeflame Galaxy is so cool. And also so hot. That's kind of its whole gimmick. I feel like I made the same joke with Shiverburn Galaxy. Whatever. Freezeflame Galaxy's missions consist of an excellent ice level, a pretty good fire level, and a combination of the two, to make a galaxy that is as varied as it is fun. I will come forwards and say I like the Freeze part of this galaxy a bit more than the Flame part, but again, both are good.

I love the feeling of verticality you get from the ice sections. I love that upwards climb with all the varied obstacles and Ice Flower platforming, followed by a pretty fun boss fight against Baron Brrr. And then you can climb the other side of the mountain too, with its own varied obstacles and platforming challenges! Let's just say this one's good for my inner West Virginian mountaineer, okay? And then you have a Purple Coin mission that makes you climb both sides, which might be a bit much, but I'm glad they were being thorough.

But while the peak of the mountain may be the peak of the mountain here, it's not like the fire mission isn't doing any heavy lifting here, either. It's no Melty Molten, sure, but the Fire Flower gets used for some pretty fun timing puzzles, and I appreciate the use of the Galaxy games' gravity shenanigans halfway through. Really, most of my gripes with this section come from how the Fire Flower is handled in these games. The fact you need to spin to activate it, combined with how it stops you in your tracks when you throw a fireball just doesn't feel very good at all, especially when you throw in the timer. But that's not really this specific galaxy's fault, is it?

Gripes about the Fire Flower aside, I'm happy to say this galaxy's two great tastes taste great together as well! I'm a little bummed it takes until this galaxy's third mission to put the fire and ice together, but when they do, they use it very well, making for fun segments where you switch between the two, followed by a memorable segment where you use the Ice Flower to skate across lava. And on that note, I really enjoy the Cosmic Mario race here. Lots of places where I decide to take a risky shortcut, and it doesn't pay off and I fall in a Black Hole. Classic.

The Freeze and the Flame aren't perfectly balanced, from the levels to the Flowers featured within (no seriously. where was the Ice Flower in Galaxy 2), but both are very enjoyable, and the combination of both in one galaxy makes for a very memorable location. Not surprised at all they decided to revisit this idea in Galaxy 2.

6. Chompworks Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Look, I can spend all day talking about the gorgeous atmosphere of Cosmic Cove or Slimy Spring, or the exciting challenges of Grandmaster or Flip-Out, but when you ask me what my favorite galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is, I'll probably say it's Chompworks, because I'm only human, and I love Funny Chain Chomp Factory Galaxy. This is literally a place where Mario enemies are made! How can I resist?! There's Star Bits arranged like Chomps in the sky and everything!

I just love everything about Chompworks, from the music, to the theming, to the gameplay itself. It's one of those very unique galaxies that always stands out in my head, and if you know me, that can only be a good thing! I really appreciate the light timing puzzles they incorporate into this galaxy, the balance of needing so set everything up just right so the Chomps can reach their goal, but also not get too close because as you may realize: getting hit by a huge ball of steel rolling at you, even at slow speeds, hurts a lot.

I really like the active role this galaxy gives you in Chomp Production, how even when the Chomps start rolling, you'll need to make some adjustments to its path if you don't want it to crash early. Like, this galaxy has one of the rare inclusions of Flip-Swap panels outside of Flip-Swap Galaxy, just for the purpose of crafting a puzzle that can use them, and I appreciate that! If anything, I feel like there's room to elaborate on this mechanic even further, but I'm not gonna pretend that this galaxy isn't doing more than enough already. I think the Cosmic Clone comet is a fun enough shake-up, since you're gonna need to stay in one place a lot for some of the challenges.

You know, this factory doesn't seem very efficient. All their assembly lines are weird obstacle courses that need manual intervention, and most of the Chomps get destroyed at the end anyway. The Gearmos always chastise you for your poor efficiency, but maybe they wouldn't need Mario if they just built a more efficient factory. You see Gearmos? This is why you're only the second best Mario Galaxy NPC species. If nothing else, feel grateful your horribly-designed factory is a really, really well-designed Video Game Level.

Circling back to what I said about the Spring Mushroom earlier, same sentiment applies here. Not a great power-up on its own, but when I reach the mission that uses it here, I never see myself going "Ugh, the Spring Mushroom?", probably because the level is designed with it in mind, and the trickier control scheme is kinda the point. That being said, if you really don't want to use the Spring Mushroom, know that there's a fun optional challenge in trying to beat the level without it! As far as I'm aware, it's possible, and I know I've had my share of fun backflipping over Chomps in the past.

Is Chompworks Galaxy the best galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2? Maybe not, but since when has this list been about objective quality? I don't want to pretend I'm presenting anything other than my personal opinion here. Chompworks Galaxy appeals to my autism brain in some incredibly specific ways, and with a mix of that and its unique theming and design sensibilities, managed to end up at the top of Galaxy 2 for me. Sorry you couldn't make the top 5!

Speaking of the top five, I think they're all worthy of their own post, as I've hinted to a couple times at this point. It probably shouldn't be too hard to figure out which ones they are via process of elimination, though I do find it fascinating that after Galaxy 2 generally performed better, all the top 5 are from the first game. Again, Galaxy 2 is a remarkably consistent game that clusters around A-tier, while Galaxy 1 has some higher highs and lower lows.

The finale for this series should be ready next week, or the week after, or the week after that, or the week after that. I'm not really sure anymore. There's a Splatfest again next week, so I'll probably want to tune into that (Go Team Frye!) but I also have fewer galaxies to cover in general, so it might not take along as this one. Then again, I probably have more to say about my favorites... Either way, thank you for reading the series up to this point! Nothing matters more to me than knowing that people will listen to my ramblings about 10-to-15 year old Videos Games.

[majorproblems77]

Sacred realm, Sacred realm, Sacred realm!!!!!

OH BOY, I AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE

Prepare yourself for the most excited screaming you've ever heard because this update is wonderful and I love it and I'm so excited about it that I'm writing this instead of sleeping and it will be worth it.

Set the clock its 12.45am lets see if I can do this before I have to go to bed for the morning shift.

Alright, now for the important stuff! Sacred realm belongs to @zelda-the-sacred-realm, and all art from the comics belongs to the comic artist. I've got their permission to do these!

Link to the comic can be found here! :D

Now, get some popcorn and if your like me probably an energy drink too and lets goooooo!

Firstly...

HI

HELLO THERE

OH MY

Big evil big bad. Who's hair is stunning i could never ngl.

(Investigates)

It's awesome to see the black knight like this. (I believe that's right? Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Though im trying to figure out what he found unexpected? Is it Sky? Is Sky the unexpected thing? Good, No body expects the blorbo to come out of the medallion and whoop ass.

Self-sacrificing boy please you are in pain

Cinnamon roll link please i know you're not used to this, but he's got this

He's so damn pretty dammit, pretty boy right here. Hylia chose him for his looks first, 10/10.

Yesssssssssss

GET THEM! GET IT!

THE FACT THAT THEY JUMP IN FRONT OF HIM IS GIVING ME SO MUCH LIFE THEY ARE LIKE PROTECTIVE UNCLES OF THE SMALL CINAMON ROLL.

Like low key look how Sky is moving he's pushing towards time but moving more to the right to do so then time is. Which would indicate that he's moved rather quickly to get in front of this thing.

They have to protect the small hero and it gives me life.

Okay, this all but confirms this isn't the first time they've done this.

Oh and it has to be said

BY THE POWER OF STUBBORN FRIENDSHIP!

That's a practised spell

(using a few panels from this update here) Chapter 4 - part 1

So, I think that the last time the spirits gathered was sometime around when Twilight was still alive, we know that Time had direct contact with Twilight because of the comic panels in the last update.

We also know that Time recognised Sky when he first appeared in the last update.

So there one of two explanations

The medallion or something akin to it has been used in a previous hero's journey. And so some of the spirit already know each other

Or being a spirit grants them foresight that they can just fight with each other like this.

Im more inclined to lean towards the first one at this stage because of that recognition from time but to be honest I think we need to meet Twilight first before we get any answers about that.

I am also going to assume the element that time yields is Electricity (Or time haha.)

It looks like lightning, but we've also seen him use a time spell so I'm not entirely sure at this stage.

Gonna lean towards lighting tho, it suits him

YEAH GET HIM!

He looks so tired, and the lines against him have been growing longer. I assume its more and more of the barrier sucking his energy away.

Pretty boy alert

i am once again an advocate for the Sky is the Best Bean Club he just needs a nap he's going to be fine

Also, Medalion jails for Sky because he's eepy.

I assume this is how we are going to keep Sky out of this arch, he is too tired and is resting from doing this now. I hope we see you soon blorbo!

HA

This made me chuckle, Time just grabbing him by the waist like the child he is brings me joy (Im aware Link isn't a child but he is in the cinnamon roll outfit right now so he is a child)

And time is older than him and is at current the only one who can help with the current predicament.

We interupt the end of this post for a Sky appreciation segment because he is the best bean and is my blorbo and got a bunch of great panels this update

He

Being the hero

Jumping into harm's way

The face of determination

He

Sleepy

Sleepy boy we got sleepy sky and I love him

Okay im done, We shall get back to the end now.

That's everything from me! :D

I hope you enjoyed my rambling please do let me know if you spotted anything I didn't! Thanks for hanging out with me and for uhh, also hanging out as I yell excitedly about my blorbo because, to be honest, I love him and it wouldn't be something from me if I didn't soooo....

Yeah!

Thanks again to the artist for letting me do this! I really appreciate it!

Have a great night!

[morose-melodies]

Yandere of your choice with a s/o who misses their family? What would be the yandere reaction??

me first, family last| yandere! dottore x reader

content warning: manipulation and dottore is very controlling

"you miss your family all of a sudden? why is that?"

dottore's tone lacked any true interest in the conversation, but he asked anyway because he knew it would make you feel better.

"I've felt this way for a while now... and i just miss them, it's been so long since i saw them," you replied, your legs swinging on the edge of his work table, watching as he cleaned up his laboratory.

"how long has it been since you last saw your family, (y/n)?" dottore asked, as he ran a cloth across his counter, briefly glancing back at you.

"years. it's been years... and, I want to see them again," you hesitated to say that, wondering how dottore would react and respond but you needed to get it out.

dottore paused, why didn't he foresee this? looking back to the beginning of the conversation, of course, you were going to say that. of course, you'd want to go home. he sighed, gripping the cloth into his hand before asking, "did you part with your family on good terms?"

"kind of... they didn't want me to leave, but I wanted to, so I did... even though they didn't want me to," you pursed your lips. maybe they don't want to see me?

"hm," dottore dropped his cloth and turned to face you, "they wouldn't care if you came to see them... especially after so long. it's best to not waste breath over trifle matters such as that... get up, (y/n,)" dottore tapped at your knee and you got off his work table.

dottore dripped some cleaning solution onto the table before wiping it off. "wouldn't that mean they'd be happy to see me?" you back away towards the door, watching as dottore swiftly moved around his laboratory while he cleaned.

"no. they've most likely already gotten over you leaving and accepted they'd never see you again. surprising them wouldn't be the best thing to do." dottore turned to face you again, and did a small "shoo" motion before cleaning the door.

"but... what if they DO want to see me? what if they miss me? i- I miss them, I want to see them... i-"

"oh, hush. what are the chances that they truly miss you? you left them, what makes you think they'll want to see you?" dottore tuts, watching as your expression went from neutral to upset.

and without another word you turned on your heels and left, slamming the door behind yourself.

the next few days were terrible.

you were obviously unsatisfied with your last conversation with dottore but there was only so much he could do to smooth this out.

he could let you visit your family but there was a problem - a year back he had a segment of his report to your family that you had disappeared a few weeks after making it to sumeru.

he could find a way to wipe the memories of your family from your head but such an advanced thing would take quite some time to perfect.

or he could simply not let you leave this manor ever again.

he was leaning towards the last option the most.

... or he could let you visit your family under the surveillance of a segment - your least favorite clone to be specific.

the sole purpose of that segment was to ruin any trip you went on. whenever you want to leave the manor, dottore lets you leave with the segment and each time you come back to the manor, you're upset, frustrated, or in tears, crying about how much you hate that segment.

he did this with the idea that one day you'll get tired of having to go out with that segment and just choose to stay at the manor with him instead of going anywhere.

so with that in mind, dottore prepared a trip for you to visit your family. dottore approached you one morning, you were sleeping at the dining table, and he seated himself beside you and placed a hand on your back, and you jolted away.

"hm?"

"if you're still wanting to visit your family, I've planned a trip for you to visit them, it will be brief, though. you'll see them then come back immediately, understood?"

"you're letting me see them? thank you! than-"

"go get dressed, your ride awaits you." he then stood up and left the dining room.

dottore heard you rushing around, getting prepared, fixing your hair, getting dressed, and packing clothes. your heart was beating violently against your chest, and you were excited.

you dragged your bag behind you and pushed through the front door and that's when you saw him, dottore's worst segment.

he stood at the side of the carriage, tall and proud. you shook your head, turning on your heels, about to go back in to complain to dottore but before you could, the segment grabbed your arm and said, "come now, we must hurry to the port or else, we may get left behind."

you grieved silently as he helped you into the carriage.

...

needless to say, you came back to the manor in tears and with a tight fist. dottore brought you in, a hand on your back as he tried to counsel you.

"t-they weren't even there! they were gone! I... I couldn't when see them," you cried, shrugging dottore's hands off of you, "I'm so mad! I hate that... that clone of you-"

"drink this (y/n), and explain to me why you couldn't see your family..." you sniffled as dottore placed a warm drink into your hands, you parted your lips to speak but, "ah ah, drink this first," dottore pushed the drink towards you and you took a sip from it.

"they moved... i- I don't know where they are! they're gone... gone forever, I'll never see them again, never again." you cried, unable to control the distaste you felt.

"it's all going to be okay," dottore tilted your chin up, "this is not the end of the world, (y/n), your world shouldn't revolve around them," dottore then pinched your chin before releasing you from his hold.

this was, of course, a part of his plan, he figured he might as well make sure you never worry about your family again, they were just hindering you.

and they weren't gone forever, heh, just on a SMALL trip. upon hearing the news that their house was infested, (thanks to dottore and his segments) they'd have to leave so the infestation could be dealt with, that's all.

at that moment you went quiet and silently wept.

these are the moments that count, dottore reminded himself before taking the drink from your hand and putting an arm around you, he pulled you against himself.

"is my company not enough for you, (y/n)?"

you shook your head and mumbled into his shirt, "it's just... i just miss my family."

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Your post about Ty Lee and Azula having history that Mai doesn't have with Azula is interesting and something I haven't heard before...would you mind elaborating? Thank you!

Thoughts on Azula. Thoughts on Mai. Thoughts on Ty Lee.

Not quite what I said. What I said was that the show did a better job portraying the complicated history between Azula and Ty Lee than it did Azula and Mai.

Obviously, we know canonically that Mai met Azula around the same time as Ty Lee in the academy and that they've been 'friends' ever since. Mai also gets recruited shortly after Ty Lee does.

The difference is that we see Ty Lee enthusiastically greet Azula only to then flinch and very hesitantly say in a way that implies deep fear that she will not be joining Azula's venture as she's finally happy being in a small third-rate circus. Azula then lights the circus on fire and not so subtly threatens Ty Lee into joining at which point Ty Lee pretends everything's fine.

In a small segment of an episode we get a window into what is clearly a very fucked up relationship between these two and a lot of information on Ty Lee as a character (that her cheerful persona is just that, a persona).

Mai, on the other hand, watches the events in Omashu with disinterest and derision and then appears to join up with Azula with no hesitation because she's bored.

Now, the problem is that Mai is a different character and that she doesn't show what she's thinking. In retrospect, she knew that hesitation would only bring harm to herself if not her idiot family put in charge of this city they have no idea how to handle, she has no choice but to join Azula's commando team and doesn't waste time pretending otherwise.

However, because the show doesn't tip its hand about Mai until much later in the series, it's hard to get a read on her beyond "ah, Mai is bored again I see", which makes her a weaker written character than Ty Lee who we get a lot of complexity from in very few scenes.

Now, it'd be hard to do especially when Mai's more of a secondary character anyway, but I feel like given what they were going with her we needed more of her, Azula, and Ty Lee to really pull off her character the way it needed to be by the time we get to the end of the series.

[lakesbian]

It was Jessie, lying beside me with her head on my shoulder.  The covers were thick, down-filled, and heavy, and the two of us were relatively small given the massive size of the four-poster bed. I almost hated to get up when I had this.  This was entirely new.  I knew part of it stemmed from insecurity, but having Jessie this close wasn’t so usual. Her hair was so messy, and I was just about the only person who got to see it like that.  She had dents on her nose where her spectacles usually sat, and she had scars reaching around her neck and at her chest where her nightgown didn’t wholly cover her, and I knew that again, I was one of the rare few that got to see it.

okay first of all what the fuck was up with the terribly grim quarantine segment that was placed before this section that's labeled "present." because if that means it was in the past, that's a fucking lot to just skip over, especially the sy/jessie parts when they've had literally 0 downtime amid a bunch of slogging fights. and if thats in the Future . Well. Dont love that either.

and second of all. why in the world is it not usual to have jessie that close. did this man just straight up forget that he was going to be writing them as getting into a relationship, as indicated by the conversation they had SEVERAL arcs ago about doing that. sy was sleeping in bed with lillian when he was like 13, truly what reason is there for sy as a 16 or 17 or 18 year old boy (<- all listed ages for him in recent chapters lmao) to not regularly sleep in the same bed with jessie when they both anticipate theyre going to literally fucking die within months or a year and they both semi-regularly express wanting to cuddle or sleep in the same bed. like. Why? What the fuck are you talking about, not usual? why is it easy and natural to depict sy being extremely close and regularly romantic with lillian during the parts where they're dating, but then when it comes to him considering a girl who's been in love with him for literal years to be his Most Important Person (<- this is something he says) while they are both Literally going to fucking die soon, they get like one VAGUELY romantic scene every 7 chapters and there's a bizarre void of intimacy? what the fuck do you mean it's not usual? i think we all know what the difference between lillian and jessie is when it comes to why they're written differently like this. good fucking lord wildbow what do you mean it's not usual. get your goddamn hands off jessie and sy you cannot be trusted with this i have to take over

[purpleghoul87]

fnaf movie baseless speculation

I am an ardent Mike Schmidt = Mike Afton defender, and so these are my current thoughts after watching the new security video from the troll game.

First of all, link to the video for the uninitiated:

Onto my initial thoughts!

The emphasis on the forest, alongside the bottle of pills on the desk, that at one point gets grabbed by someone, makes me seriously think about FNAF 4 and how dreams were mixed with reality.

It has bugged a lot of people, including myself, as to WHY there is a Freddy "saw trap" that we see Mike trapped in from multiple trailers. Well, in my totally biased opinion that is because we are witnessing a dream, or more specifically, a nightmare.

It is common for people to bury their traumatic memories, especially if that trauma occurred as a child. It would make sense that Mike wouldn't want to recall what happens.

And are we REALLY acting like nightmares are a STRETCH in this series? We have been over this time and time again.

I just think that its funny that we keep getting little glimpses of William---er i mean---Steve Raglan---only in that office scene. It's bizarre, for such an 'unimportant' character to receive so much screen-time in all the trailers and such. But of course we know that he is William Afton. We have known this since the casting was announced. So why then? Why do we only see such a small fragment of footage of him? (of course, outside of the spring-bonnie suit I mean).

Well, to delve further into the land of speculation, I believe that is because other scenes he is in give away too much of the plot they are keeping under wraps.

I made a joke about it, but it is odd.. that they choose to refer to Mike Schmidt (again, something that we have known since the cast announcement) as just Mike.

So! Back to the new footage.

"Garrett!"

At approximately 2:05 of the video one of the bottom cameras cuts to a someone screaming the name Garrett. Now, to me this is young Mike. In the background I see the same trees from the forest we keep cutting back to. Which one? oh yeah, the ones where we see a discombobulated Mike, seeing dead kids!

Now... wait a second... what do we have here?

From the new footage. A brunette boy, wearing a long sleeved green shirt and blue jeans, running in a patch of dry grass....

I don't know about you. But the sky colored background, with the long narrow lines, can only mean one thing. Trees. And a sky.

Speaking of the pills. RIGHT AFTER we see the saw trap on the monitors, and it goes to the next footage... we see a hand come on screen to take away the pills.

Saw trap (nightmare) + Pills on desk still

No more pills.

(Yes. they come back later in the video. But the point being SOMEBODY GRABBED THEM after seeing the saw trap footage).

Oh yeah. speaking of the Freddy "saw trap"... where does this attack you? Oh yeah. On the head.

That couldn't possibly be someone's repressed memories about an extremely traumatic event about a certain head injury coming to light in visions or nightmares. Could it?

ONE MORE!

Saw trap appears again.

Pills -- no pills -- they've disappeared again. Interesting. (They actually fade in and fade out of existence in this segment-- but I think I'm gonna hit the image limit soon so... see it for yourself.)

Thanks for reading my rambles. <3 If I find more I'll make a sequel to this post and I'll link it in the reblogs.

[kookiecrush]

Hey 😊

What are some tk moments for you that made you completely sure of them being together? Like those moments where you can just cannot pretend that they aren't a couple 💜

Hi 😊 hmm, when I think about it, rather than specific moments, my belief is based on all the moments, big and small, that have happened over the years. They might not mean much on their own, but when you put them all together, it becomes quite clear and creates something beautiful. But there are some that stand out to me, and these are a few of them.

▪︎The ily sign during their Chile concert in 2017 - it's the way Tae subtly shows Jungkook the sign behind his back and the way Jungkook acknowledges it by gently nudging Tae's hand with his own. I just think it's such a raw and tender moment between them. Even though they're standing on a stage in front of thousands of people you can tell that moment was meant to be something private between them. It wasn't fanservice, I don't think it was even really meant to be seen at all. Tae was worried about Jungkook because he wasn't feeling well, and showing him ily was his way of letting him know that he was there for him.

▪︎Jungkook asking Tae, "Am I your friend?" During Summer package 2018 - although it's more about Tae's reaction to what Jungkook says for me. Jungkook was being cheeky and basically put Tae on the spot, causing him to appear quite flustered and speechless. The word (chingu) isn't the issue as all the members were using it to introduce each other during that segment. Jungkook even referred to Yoongi, who is his hyung, as "chingu." It seemed to me like Jungkook wanted to tease Tae about the status of their relationship being more than "friends," and Tae's reaction was very telling.

▪︎The "Private conversation" comment - we all know by now that k-army have said the "Private conversation" phrase is usually used in a romantic sense between couples and that it's also slang for "making out." Both Jungkook and Jimin's reactions to what Tae said is interesting. Jungkook looked slightly taken aback, instantly checks how long he's been on vlive, and then says, " Everyone, I guess I have to end it quickly." Which is funny because at the beginning he said that he was going to stay on live for a really long time, but as soon as Tae tells him to stop, he does. And then Jimin's reaction is to get close to the camera and start making kissy/teasing noises while smiling. Although quite bold, this moment doesn't really surprise me because taekook were pretty wild at times back in the day. Over the years they've obviously matured and learned to be more subtle and discreet.

▪︎Hiding in each other's lives - it makes no sense as to why they would need to hide the fact that they're sharing a room, or hide the fact that they're in the room when the other one is on live. This isn't an issue with any of the other members, and it relates to them being separated and their interactions together being reduced on screen. There's enough evidence (behaviour and voices in the background) for me to be confident that this has happened multiple times. One instance I'd like to point out is a Jungkook live in 2019 where Jin, Jimin, and Tae join him in his room whilst he's on live (the one where when asked what they where doing Jungkook replied "date" causing an awkward silence and Tae to start randomly clapping). Tae asked, "Who's room is this?" Which caused Jin and Jimin to look surprised because taekook were sharing the room but trying to hide it. Later on during the live, Jungkook asks Tae when he's leaving, and he says, "weren't we using the same room?" Exposing them both. And then when Tae finally does leave, he only pretends to because after he's "gone," we see the wrapper from the sweet he was eating earlier being thrown from a direction off screen and Jungkook keeps glancing to the right, the direction in which Tae "left."

▪︎Dates/trips for just the two of them - the most important thing to note about the Atomix date/Paradise hotel stay/Namsan date is that as far as we know, they were alone. There were no staff or managers with them. Those dates were something they did on their own for just the two of them. The Atomix date was on a day the restaurant is usually closed, so it's safe to assume they were the only ones dining that day, and you need to book in adance so it was something they had planned. I don't need to say that staying at the Paradise Hotel together sounds like a romantic staycation. The Namsan hotel also required booking in advance, and if I'm not mistaken, you have to book a hotel room to eat there. These all seem very much like intimate and romantic dates to me rather than two friends having a casual dinner.

There's many more, but I'm going to have to stop here because this is long as hell already. If you made it this far, I'm sorry 😂

[starlightshore]

Howdy! I've got a handful of questions after watching the trailer for Angel's Lullaby and reading the write-up on Gamejolt:

Do you plan on the game being fully voice acted? Or were the VAs there just for the trailer?

I'm asking this in good faith, out of curiosity: where did you get "prin" as the gender-neutral form of prince/princess? Did you create the word yourself or did you find it somewhere? (If the latter, where? I reckon it could be a valuable resource)

Do I understand correctly that all this means the game will have multiple endings? And, if it's not a spoiler, will that include the possibility of saving Monsters from being trapped under Mt. Ebott?

Thanks in advance for the answers! And I can't believe that this White Human society from hundreds of years ago has better trans rights than modern times (or at least it seems to).

But also if I'm being honest I don't like the word "prin", it sounds incomplete somehow. I have come up with the word "princep" (PRIN-sepp) in my own projects as a different gender-neutral form, but maybe the only reason it sounds better to me is because I created it. Okay have a nice 2024 bye

Happy New Year! sorry I haven't gotten around to responding, my b!

let me try answering in order:

No voice acting in the game. I just wanted to connect the voice-acted animation segments and the gameplay, otherwise, the gameplay would feel a lot more "stiff" or "static" in comparison. This is a VERY text-heavy game so voice acting is completely unfeasible.

just from searching around for gender-neutral terms for a royal child. i personally like prin because it's simple and to the point. I expect people to have different opinions and preferences but I'll go with what I like haha

very much a spoiler. I'm actually doing a massive rethink on the game but what has been planned was that you'd get 2 main routes of the game: pacifist-monster and no-mercy-human. Not sure if that'll stay the same or not. 3A. Yeah, Mythosa Island is a lot more progressive but it's in part to not alienate the game for modern audiences and to un-ground the story a bit. Real History is dark and fucked up. I can critique it, but I want to keep it to a "video game" atmosphere. So we're not going to address things like Slavery, Racism, and Transphobia in an Undertale game. I'm not a historical expert and a lot of the history has been "gamified" by it being an isolated island originally ruled by monsters. A lot of stuff can be chalked up to: "This is a small portion of the human race (who are originally poor) and they've lived peacefully with monsters for 100 years. Their ideals are not going to reflect medieval Europe accurately."

very much so. I want to do commentary on museums and how art can be stolen/destroyed for the sake of the enjoyment of those who go to museums. like, I'm sure there's some good to museums, it's good to preserve history and teach it to others and seeing up and close can make a difference. but it needs to be ethically sourced. like we could do both, come on. How much of this is subtext vs. text will depend on how the team and I handle the tone. Like, I do want to talk on darker/serious topics but I don't want it to be too straightforward and break the video game immersion. ALL art is communication and thus has something to say -i just need to control how it says what I want it to say.

But thank you so much for the kind asks! Happy 2024 and beyond!

[lesbianrobin]

i understand ur post but i have a byler mutual saying almost the exact same thing about if they make mlvn endgame because to give will one sole love interest and put him through that much trauma and struggle to accept his sexuality only to have the guy reject him and end up with his sister is homophobic writing and u probably dont agree but i find it hysterical that st have managed to get themselves into such a conundrum that their only option is to introduce mikes secret twin of the opposite sexuality thats been there the whole time so they both get a happy ending. surely this is a perfect plan and there are no flaws whatsoever and everyone will be satisfied

SMCKSKXJSNKE i was literally just talking to sarah about how they've written themselves into a corner by reintroducing the stoncy love triangle in s4 because BEFORE they could have been like yeah steve is over her and now he's finding fulfillment outside of romance etc etc but now they've reignited stancy for some fuckin reason (my fingers are crossed for that theory that says since the upside down is stuck in 1983 it was making steve and nancy's 1983 feelings come back) and suddenly they'll be pissing off Some segment of the fanbase no matter what they do.

re: byler i think. well first of all i think that byler isn't even remotely on the radar of casual viewers as an actual possibility and i don't think it could happen in s5 bc the vast majority of viewers would be like where the fuck did that come from. second of all my el argument is partially a joke but also it's just fundamentally a very different situation where like. for will if byler doesn't happen nothing gets Worse for him shit just stays the same. for el if byler happens something Must get worse for her like she loses her boyfriend of 2-3 years. they're in different situations.

third of all i think it's very silly for people to act like will Needs for mike to like him back in order to be happy when like. it's not The Crush that's making will miserable it's being closeted in a small town in the 1980s and feeling like he can never have what he wants and be truly happy in life. mike liking him back would not fix the misery he feels at having to hide this part of himself from the world.

yknow in s3 robin is a sorta closed-off character who's snarky and prickly at times and she only really opens up in the russian torture scene + the bathroom scene. and in the bathroom scene she is Terrified to tell steve she likes girls but she confesses to having a crush on tammy thompson and... steve makes her feel okay about it. he makes fun of her crush and robin feels Normal and Safe and they laugh together and by the time s4 rolls around robin is a much more open and happy person than she was back before she'd come out to steve. she's more herself. and you know what never happened? tammy thompson never liked her back. robin didn't need a girlfriend. she needed love and support and validation from a good friend. she needed to find comfort with herself and her sexuality and all the other parts of her that she hid behind a tough exterior for protection.

as much as i hate watching will scenes bc noah schnapp can't act for shit, i am kinda looking forward to seeing him finally openly addressing his sexuality in s5 and maybe realizing that his childhood crush on his best friend not being reciprocated isn't the end of the world. i think if will could move on and let mike go (in the romantic sense not as a friend) it might also feel a bit like letting go of all his pain over the past few years and starting over with a clean slate. obviously idk what exactly's gonna happen in s5 we're all just making shit up right now but i guess that's kinda what i hope will happen with him.

it makes me sad kinda that will's most dedicated fans are more preoccupied with getting him a boyfriend than like... self-confidence and shit. but i'm not actually that sad bc i kinda don't give a fuck about will anyway

[beepbananabus]

Alr you gotta say the first thoughts in your head about Vanoss and Delirious GO!

it drives me insane how they are each other's exceptions (or at least, jon is to evan)

for example, evan has built up this asshole repertoire where he bullies everyone ceaselessly EXCEPT for jon. he will apologize to him (GTA when he destroyed the bear memorial (and in that same video, he killed moo by accident but didn't apologize), small GMod mistakes like misplacing props, skits gone wrong, and several other instances). he will try and amend his mistakes with him. evan will straight up ditch a whole bit just so that he can let jon join in (minecraft; the nether star fiasco (even brian who started the bit was like WTF evan)), jon will run away from the others and let only evan tag along with him (also in minecraft. they even state outright how pissed the others will be LMAO.) and share items with him for no reason (minecraft. again. chick-fil-a scene (focus on evan's inventory)), and evan will just laugh the hardest and the softest (genuinely for no reason other than jon's laugh. the joke was already over by that point) around him?? and there IS a noticeable difference. btw. im not losing my mind over this.

evan's mood will do a complete fucking 180 when it comes to jon (a little bit of a longer clip because it needs to be established what their mood was PRIOR to this and how SHARPLY it changes once jon is in the picture), even for stuff that he should JUSTIFIABLY be upset about**

(i was also so tempted to also mention all of their friend's feelings ABOUT them but this is about THEM. however, i wouldn't mind spilling about that either)

** this is a way longer tangent so ill put it under a cut (SPOILERS FOR ONE OF EVAN'S AMONG US VIDEOS INCLUDED)

video here, (starts at the timestamp, also time stamping this one bc this segment is longer than what youtube clips allows for.)

for context, jon and evan are playing among us with other people. evan is an imposter and fools around with jon (this is not an exaggeration) before locking him into storage. his imposter crewmate sneaks in, kills jon and runs off, but in the meeting that follows afterwards, jon accidentally exposes evan by not muting his mic, getting evan killed.

INSTEAD of being angry at him (yes. this is a video game but they've been pissed over lesser things), or even a SMIDGE of being upset, evan instead goes over and COMFORTS him.

LIKE. i can VERIFY to you that that has accidentally happened before and all other times, people in this game have been LIVID. they've been PISSED. these are gamer bros that are easy to launch into a cursing fit. yet he doesnt.

(yes, evan does have a rep for not exploding into anger but he shows himself being upset in other ways. none of those are present in that video.)

Notes:

6.06 - 8:40 is one of those scenes that makes me?? lose it?? /affectionately

because its a MIX of things.

evan is playing with jon here. and im not talking about like. playing as in playing the game. he's doing a bit with jon and jon only and it reminds me of like, stereotypical girls when they get a guy to chase them while giggling, like they're PLAYING TAG right now. just the two of them.

evan didnt even kill jon. evan probably WASNT PLANNING TO. he was just messing around with jon probably and was going to leave him alone after this, like i kinda wish jon didn't die to see what evan WOULD've done

just??? their fucking BANTER in general, then their soft comfort at the end?? like that is INCREDIBLY out of their gamer persona, like i cannot state this enough. they have their moments together and GODDDD YEAH.

when they're dead, prox chat is off. they didn't NEED to be that close to each other to talk and yet they are (also. grizzy is nowhere near them and yet hes engaging in the convo, meaning that presence is not mandatory)

[bustyasianbeautiespod]

Do you guys have podcast recommendations? I'm caught up on everything I listen to, but you guys are my favorite podcast, so I assume we have similar tastes

AWWW i'm so honored that we're your faves! grey is no longer a podcast listener so i (crystal) shall be the only answerer

in terms of people-watching-a-thing podcasts, i've enjoyed:

doctor huh- two brothers, one a former doctor who watcher and one who... only knows about it from social media... watch nuwho eps in a random order

zero to zero- three friends watch dc/marvel properties and respond w fun and funny levels of haterism. i have enjoyed ALL of this despite never once touching something they reviewed. on maybe-permanent hiatus

LMNOP- the only good cbs elementary podcast. also on maybe-permanent hiatus

i've been meaning to watch that- i've listened to less of this one, but it's hosted by manika dulcio, who we had on our s4 wrapped, so if you liked her there check her out on her home base!

as for fiction podcasts, listing my fave subscribeds below! for some of these, the first few eps are kinda rough but i've found them all resoundingly Worth It eventually! also if you, babpod listener, care about this, all of these have queer main characters and i'll bold the ones where the main char is explicitly a poc:

hi nay- "a supernatural horror fictional podcast about Filipina immigrant Mari Datuin, whose babaylan (shaman) family background accidentally gets her involved in stopping dangerous supernatural events in Toronto." v rich lore v good at being creepy! (ongoing)

the silt verses- what if every single folk deity was real and hungry and society ran on ppl being sacrificed on telephone poles? incredibly sexy writing like SO sexy (ongoing)

midnight burger- space diner adventures and friendships! they recently dropped a 3-hour beautifully audio-engineered season finale they've grown so much since the beginning. great cast and fills you w so much wonder about The Universe (ongoing)

greater boston- an expanding cast of chars tell the story of the forming of a new city on the boston red line train cars. makes u wild about community and interconnectedness and local politics and how no one is beyond compassion while also having like. cheese robots (ongoing)

within the wires- what if a world war led to a worldwide cultural shift that decried all tribalism starting at the family unit and babies were separated from their parents at birth? extremely interesting world and formats though i do think it's kinda tired after s4. i think listening to s1 then reading the companion novel might be the Move (ongoing)

unwell, a midwestern gothic mystery- what it says on the tin! lily returns to the fading small town she grew up in to care for her mom. there are ghosts and town history and wolves in the woods. some rlly beautiful and complex family relationships and friendships, great vibe and sound design (complete)

parkdale haunt- p classic haunted house horror (well i say classic. there's also an influencers cult) which i also consider a Top Friendship-Focused Media (complete)

alice isn't dead- usamerican road trip show about the horrors of freedom. spn wishes. love jasika nicole as a VA (complete)

the pasithea powder- epistolary space bisexuals after a war that left them on opposite sides. excellent interpersonal drama and aliens (complete)

wooden overcoats- v funny british funeral home rivalry show antigone funn is the weirdgirl extraordinaire (complete)

monstrous agonies- nice soothing ten-minute segments of a supernatural advice show. i think i've mentioned it as being the anti-spn in terms of the monster rights and monster-human cohabitation background of the world (complete)

midnight radio- ten-episode small town radio show ghost romance. it's an excellent annual fall listen if you have a saturday free (complete)

mabel podcast- ONE OF THE PODCASTS OF ALL TIME. if you care about women you will like this podcast. i've always found anna and mabel so revolutionary and freeing to listen to. horror podcast about fairies and a house that loves (creepy edition?) you (long hiatus)

brimstone valley mall- silly delightful y2k demons in a mall (long hiatus)

the far meridian- magical realism story about a girl living in a teleporting lighthouse. sweet and melancholic (long hiatus)

khôra podcast- greek myths in space. i need to hug all the characters (long hiatus)

ty for this ask i love podcasts i need to catch up on them!

- Crystal :)

[kunstmull]

Bauhaus v Buck-Tick

Originally written as an addendum to this great post but it got so long it might as well have its own post.

As much as I keep saying, "I wish I had that deep, decades-long history with Buck-Tick", I do have that ancient connection with Bauhaus / Love and Rockets - I spent a significant part of the 80s obsessively watching Shadow of Light, Archive and The Haunted Fishtank (gee, wonder where Mr. Imai got that word from?)

The first thing that drew me to BT, when I discovered them off an "old Visual Kei" playlist - was that, where other VK / J-rock bands seemed to have Metal as the fundamental building block of their DNA, BT had Bauhaus. (And it's interesting how both bands have such a strange relationship to the genres they spawned - Bauhaus invented Goth as we know it, but very few Goth bands actually sound like Bauhaus - ditto BT and VK.)

But here's the thing: when I went to write this post, I could think of half a dozen BT songs, where I thought "OMG, this is a direct rip of Bauhaus" - but when I went back to the Bauhaus song I thought it imitated to compare them? The BT song was clearly inspired by Bauhaus, I could hear elements of the composition, in particular the visceral, noise-based, non-technical, abuse-the-guitar sound pervert style of Daniel Ash. Bauhaus, inspired by dub reggae and funk, flipped the script around the role of the guitars - in Bauhaus, the bass was the most prominent element, carrying both the groove and the melody, leaving the guitar to occupy a semi-percussion, semi-atmospheric role. In many BT songs, the bass drives the melodic structure, while Hide creates atmospheric waves of sound and Imai punctuates the rhythm with discordant squiggles of noise, playing against what the others are doing. The effect is electric! But it's very Bauhausian.

But again, I can't ever find a Bauhaus song that sounds exactly like what they've done - I can only point out the elements they've lifted and very cleverly repurposed and re-positioned.

Let's start with an early track, Iconoclasm:

Notice how it starts with a discordant, alarm-like guitar siren before the sped-up disco bass joins in? Once the rhythm section get going, it's clear that Imai's siren-guitar guitar is playing against the grain of tight unit of Toll, Yuta and Hide's funk groove. And then the surreal lyrics are strung out over the top in long disjointed segments that form yet another complex interplay with the drums.

Now let's listen to Bauhaus:

-starts with a discordant guitar siren -sped-up funk and bass kick in -surreal strings of lyrics glazed over the top in disjointed segments

They're not even remotely the same song - different chords, different melody - but the building blocks are the same, and they've been assembled in an almost identical arrangement. Other Bauhaus songs that clearly informed this era of BT include the frenetic groove of St Vitus Dance and the withering Small Talk Stinks. (This influence is even more clear in the studio version of Iconoclasm, where you can hear them lift the background voices and double-vocals.)

Did Imai stop his pilfering when they went Cyberpunk? NO, OF COURSE NOT

Now come on, Kunstmull, this sounds nothing like Bauhaus, right? This is much heavier, more doom, more low end.

RONG!

Listen to what Imai is doing the way he's playing, syncopated against the rhythm section with that weird, repetitive, OCD tick-tick tick-SCREE scratch that makes the song so compulsive.

Where have we heard that sound before? Hmmm...

Daniel Ash's rhythm is ever so slightly different - it's SCREE-tick tick tick, but it's syncopated against the rhythm section in exactly the same way. (Also watch out for the gratuitous theremin noises in the background, LOL, Mr. Imai has never used that trick either, has he?)

Obviously the arrangement and feel of Of Lilies And Remains is very different from the BT track - BT are much heavier, much darker, much more intense... oh, kind of like Stigmata Martyr (where Ash is showing how he makes the guitar-string-scratch noise)!

It just shows how creative and how original BT are, that Imai can lift something so distinctive and easily recognisable as Ash's riff, and yet make it wholly their own.

One more and I'll stop I promise, though I could do this all day. This was one of the first BT songs I ever heard, and it stopped me in my tracks, how familiar the arrangement sounded. (And I can't even blame Imai for this - it's a Hide song!)

I know, OK, it's just backwards reverb on the vocals, in particular the little breaths at the end of the chorus (first heard about 1:30) that makes it sound like that?

Where have we heard this effect before?

Well, this is one of my all-time fave Bauhaus tracks (and videos - I cannot tell you how many times I watched this as a teenager, and did silly cosplays intently watching lightbulbs in sunglasses and a grey suit) - listen to the backwards reverb on Murphy's voice during the bridge (about 2:20) and tell me teenage Hide didn't partake of this as deeply as I did.

It's even more pronounced on the dub version of the track, where you can hear how they did the effect in isolation.

I could do this all day!

Now I want to be clear - I am not accusing the band of plagiarism! (Anyway - Talent borrows; Genius steals - and Buck-Tick are clearly on the side of Genius here!) Mostly I'm in awe at their magpie inventiveness, the way they are able to invoke the style, the spirit and the atmosphere of the older Northampton band without ever descending into parody or plagiarism. You can hear that they never sound exactly like Bauhaus - they always sound like Buck-Tick.

But the Homage is very clever, and very appreciated by those who know.

[adam-sadmon]

Palace Review: Kamoshida's Castle

Trigger Warning: Suicide, abuse and SA

Palace Ruler: Suguru Kamoshida: As the first Palace Ruler Kamoshida introduces a lot of the thematic and sociopolitical elements of Persona 5 with it's emphasis on the imbalances of power in society in all areas, and thus starting off with something small and innocuous like a school teacher is a good means of not only building up the threat level of each subsequent Palace Ruler but highlighting the corruption in even the smallest facets of society. Furthermore, being a teacher, there is a societal expectation of trust and guardianship associated with his position, one which he and many like him in the real world weaponise.

I think were I to put into words what I likr about this arc of the game is that it strikes possibly the closest to home. The Thieves at this point in time are the smallest and weakest they've ever been and are preyed upon by someone who abuses the system's apathy towards them under the guise of a role model for all those under him. Even his first appearance picking Ann up in the rain is purposefully deceptive in its framing; a goofy looking, jovial teacher offering Joker and Ann a ride to school, where could there be possibly be a harm in that?

Visuals: First of all the thematic image of a castle and it's King I think is a decent design ethos for Kamoshida as a Palace Ruler, it's especially eye catching in its use of cobblestone hallways and oppressive stone structures contrasted with the brilliant and regal reds of its carpets and curtains and, especially deeper into the dungeon, it's emphasis on gaudy and headache inducing golden furnishings, illustrative not only of the power imbalance between Kamoshida the King and his slaves (representing in reality a teacher and his students) but of the conceited nature of Kamoshida's list for power.

Being the Ruler of Lust Kamoshida's castle does a good job illustrating this thematically, a good example being with the headless statues of female students in their gym uniforms. Focusing solely on their torsos the statues as envisioned by Kamoshida's twisted psyche literally cut off the head, and thus the person, of the girls reducing them to their most objectified parts, literally dehumanising them into objects. This theme is furthered by the blending of medieval instruments of torture like the rack and the cross with their more modern adoption as they relate to BDSM. BDSM is a theme often present in regards to sexuality in Persona 5 as it represents sex and sexuality weaponised, in Kamoshida's case, as is the case with most abusers, sex and sexual assault isn't about the act itself but the exerting of dominance over it's victims. This idea actually gets flipped in a neat little way with the awakening of Ann's Carmen and it's leashed male slaves, a representation of Ann no longer feeling ostracised and letting herself be objectified for her looks but finding empowerment within her feminity.

This visual manifestation of lust is furthered by a lot of the lighting in his palace, those same dark stone walls and floors awash in unnaturally red and even purple torchlight like one would see in a sleazy 70's porno, which leads us to

Audio: On the note of sleazy 70's porno, the Castle's main theme 'King, Queen and Slaves' is styled exactly like one with a bluesy and laid back keyboard leading an equally mellow drum snare, all fairly minimalist as if the dialogue "Pizza guy here, this one's got extra sausage" is supposed to be read over it. It's a good reincorporation of stylistic aspects of P5's soundtrack as a whole (mainly the heavy use of that bluesy keyboard) with a subdued sinister edge, a perfect musical caricature of its Palace's ruler.

In terms of the Thieves' progression this arc is almost cheating with not 1, not 2 but 3 awakenings.

Narrative: As mentioned in the segment going over Kamoshida himself I particularly like this segment of the game due to its positing of the Thieves. While the scale of their struggle is small the stakes for them at least are almost as high as they'll ever be, with the rising tension of more and more volleyball students turning up with bruises until it reaches it's summet with Shiho's attempted suicide, easily some of the darkest and realistic writing P5 has ever approached.

Now, I'm not reviewing the awakening's but I will note that the blending of the accursed anime adaptation as well his little narrative import at that point hurt Joker's quite a bit, but Ryuji's and Ann's being game standouts for me, for both the extreme pain both physically and emotionally they endured up to this point at the hand's of Kamoshida as well as flourishes like Captain Kidd telling Ryuji to 'raise the flag of rebellion' or Ann destroying the false image Kamoshida and a lot of Japan's misogynistic society has of her.

Last of note and something a lot of people tend to forget that added a lot to their situation was that at one point the Thieves were not above the risk of killing Kamoshida when that risk was presented to them. It furthers the dire nature of their situation in this arc as well as the more grounded and serious mood the early half of P5 had.

Shadows: First of note, the solidified forms of the Shadows as they adhere to Kamoshida's will blends well with the Palace itself and their design itself is solid: Brawny, hunched knights with eerily soulless metal masks for faces, with the stronger variants wearing gold. It's a good look and I especially like during the first unintentional trip into the Castle how they portray their weight and true danger.

As for the selection of shadows within the Castle they're all fairly adherent to the theme of a medieval castle, mainly consisting of western inspired folkloric or mythological figures like Jack-O-Lanterns, Kelpies, Pixies, Mandrakes etc.

They falter slightly when it comes to their symbolic significance in regards to Kamoshida's Castle representing Lust, which is why I'll note the inclusion of Incubi and Succubi as welcome appearances, but besides VERY niche bits of IRL lore like the mandrake supposedly being an aphrodisiac that's about as far as it goes.

Gameplay: One thing to note that brings down this Palace specifically which admittedly is rather unavoidable is that, being the first Palace, there is a LOT of tutorialising, with not only long intervals of mechanical explanations but lore as well, such as what the metaverse, shadows, Palaces and Rulers are, which in the long run I can see as being necessary but regardless makes replaying the Castle a slog.

Beyond that the Castle itself is fairly easy, with light puzzle elements that go by in the span of a minute which is it's only main diversion from standard gameplay.

Boss- Suguru 'Asmodeus' Kamoshida

First of all I appreciate the allusion to the mythological demon prince of the same name, Asmodeus, not only a ruler but a representation of Lust. This naming scheme comes back for every subsequent boss and every time I get a nice "heh" upon recognising the comparison and it's implications.

As for design Asmodeus is easily in the upper strata of bosses in P5, aesthetically speaking. When stripped of his pomp Kamoshida is ugly, his body ill-proportioned and almost childlike as if to present him as an ego obsessed baby, a grotesquely long tongue lolling from his mouth rather phallicly. I especially like the severed human lower-torsos floating in his goblet of wine, Kamoshida metaphorically and literally feeding on the young in a bid for power.

Royale added in some small tweaks like the inclusion of a Shadow Mishima as a weak summon which added little more than further characterisation, but hey, that's what I'm here for.

Overall Rating: 8/10