#looped at least 50 times in the making of this piece

[coconut12999]

Song: Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand

[cochineal-leviat]

Sweet Dreams, Stardust

Okay, so I have a lot of feelings about In Stars and Time. But let me say first, wow, this game irreversibly changed my brain network. For anyone who is considering buying this game, please do. I don't think I've had a story touch my heart and mind like this for a long time. And that goes without mentioning the stunning visuals and entertaining battle system. (Be careful, though, because this game handles heavy topics regarding mental health)

If you're still hung up on buying it but are curious, there is a free demo on Steam if you like to try.

Thank you, @insertdisc5, for this gem of a game. I will be turning it around in my head like a microwaveable gourmet meal for months to come.

Technically the illustration has no spoilers (unless you count Siffrin having a good nap as a spoiler). But I will be going into heavy spoiler territory under the keep reading since I need to get my thoughts on this game off my chest.

And a monochrome version because you know me, I can't help myself. Even in black and white art pieces, I will put in some colour.

And a very tiny Loop

Initially, I was going to do a piece with a theatre stage and the cast (Siffrin, Mirabelle, Isabeau, Odile, Bonnie and the head house maiden) taking a bow and finally leaving the spectacle to a life not controlled by a script and Wish Craft. But it was more fitting to put my feelings into creating a peaceful scene. Like, oof, I needed this very badly. I used sepia to make the painting warmer and added some more details like headcanons. The stars/colours might be remnants of Siffrin's transformation. Or maybe they were always there, but he never paid attention to it. Who knows.

I'm going to keep this brief. Otherwise, this post will take way too long.

I adore Siff's character. It's perfect for a game and narrative such as this. I saw a post not long ago on Tumblr going into depth about how their role as the rogue and not the hero works so well, so I won't linger on it for long. But how they would rather listen and fade into the background perfectly aligns with the player's experience of being the silent observer. (And the nodding off that changes into zoning out. It took me way too long to realise that small but essential narrative change) Oh, and the portrait change! It flew over my head until I was staring at the game menu. I was so confident Siffrin had a mischievous grin and not a frown. I always feel slightly surprised when the party asks for Siff's opinion or mentions that they have been too quiet. I felt Siffrin's excitement like my own when he got excited at finding clues to end the nightmare they were in. So I knew it would end up falling on their face because they were too excited. I just had this bad gut feeling the whole time during Act 4.

And oh boy, speaking off acts. I thought it would have been the standard 3. Boy, I was wrong. Whenever I felt I was nearing the end, I was thrown back at the start with more mysteries than answers. It made exploring the game intriguing since there is almost no information about it online (at the time of writing this post). There is the Discord, but I didn't know about it until I finished it.

This game has a lot of secrets, and I had a lot of fun uncovering them. The looping mechanic works so well in discovering little details and further leads. (even though my stubborn arse kept trying to do everything in the least amount of loops as possible. I thought the ending would be different if I exceeded a 100. My final number is 59. I am still not sure if I should be mad about it not being a rounded number like 60 or that I went over the 50 threshold)

However, it is a good thing that only some mysteries were solved. Like, what's up with colours in this world? Everyone sees in black and white, and the idea of shades and colours is only spoken of in scientific studies. They do exist and are not a part of the disaster that happened to Siffrin and their land. But there is definitely something mysterious about it. I adore how the dialogue reflects this, as the characters do not speak of shades or colours. Isabeau expresses surprise to see a streak of red colouring the sky in Act 6. It makes you think about how colour is perceived and how you describe it. (The lore inside this game is immaculate. I eat this shit up)

We never find out the name of the country north of Vanguard or what it was like. We can only infer that the beaches had black sand, with shells that shine like stars, high-reaching mountains, forests and plains. Which is vague and yet intriguing enough to make you wonder. It connected me to Siff and King because I also wanted to know. I was desperate to know. I needed to know. But in the end, we never will know because that is not the story's point. Siffrin even says in the game, that King should let go because he is hurting everyone and everything, including himself, in his desperation to preserve Vanguard. This is all the more ironic when Siff accidentally does the same with his family and the loops. I might gush more about what the country might be like and their technology in another post. This game makes me want to theorise. This is the first time I've wanted to write and post theories. ISAT fucked me up good.

Which, by the way, was genius. Siffrin and King are mirrors of each other. Siff does not have King's disastrous ambition, but their love/obsession will be the downfall of both of them. They have more than being each other's countrymen in common, and I imagine Siff despises that.

I love the fact King's question to Siffrin before the showdown was/could never be answered. Usually, in a game such as this, you must figure out how to solve everything, especially for the big bad. But that was never the goal. King is a delusional monster who will not stop before achieving his dream. He will raze everything to the ground and hurt many people because he must succeed. It is what he desires. Nay, the universe wills it. What a witless excuse that can easily be made into someone's truth. Especially to somebody who is driven mad with grief.

How King's character's done is so excellent. Because, at first, I wasn't scared of him at all. He was just the big bad, and I felt nothing much but the glory of victory when Siffrin outsmarted him by looping and making sure Mirabelle learned the shield spell that would protect the party from freezing in time. But each time you fight him, you get more frustrated until Siff figures that talking to him might be fruitful. It does, but unfortunately, you and Siffrin leave yourself emotionally and mentally vulnerable. King stops being a one-dimensional villain and changes into an actual person. Someone you can sympathise with and possibly mend peace with without fighting. You and Siffrin opened his heart for a kindred spirit and got hurt.

King stopped being a monster and became human. And while monsters are wretched, humans have intent behind their cruelty. I felt so betrayed, so angry, but most of all - terrified. I felt it when Siffrin spiralled when fighting King again after their actions caused such a catastrophic turn of events for Bonnie. Every time after that, the fight with King felt tense and nerve-wracking in a dreadful way. Because even victory could not soothe the dread I felt. (The track 'It's finally over" will forever haunt me. I already feel anxious whenever it cycles to that when I listen to the playlist)

He was not, however, the final villain, even though everything that happened was King's fault. You were always your greatest enemy (or Siffrin in this case, since you are supposed to be Siffrin). I never could have guessed that the whole reason why Siffrin could not escape the loops was because Siff accidentally wished to never let go of their friends. This reminds me of Modaka Magica, where (spoilers for the OG anime) Homura goes back in time so much that the universe ties itself around Modoka, making her a waiting egg whose wish and magic will be massive when she becomes a magical girl. The one thing Homura was trying to prevent.

(Siffrin and Homura are identical in that sense. Shy characters who are loyal to a fault but are rendered into something cold, bitter and cutting by their traumatic experiences. Only Siff has people who care about them and would do anything to save him, too, whereas Homura never lets go, making the world a worse place to live in. Yes, I did go into doomed Yuri. That anime lived in my mind rent-free in my mind for years)

The Head House-maiden not being the villain was also a great touch. I am used to the apparent antagonist turning out not to be the big bad and the trusted, friendly character ending up being the evil one. Twist villains no longer work when everyone expects them to be villains.

That was my biggest theory as I played. The second biggest being that Loop is someone who enjoys Siffrin's suffering. I am so glad that was also not the case. They are apathetic but not cruel. Never intentionally, anyway. They were like the player, urging Siffrin to go deeper into the mystery to solve it. Ultimately, I chose and made cold and cruel decisions simply because I wanted to see what would happen. So yeah, I warmed up to this cosmic star thing as the game went on and even started trusting them. Act 5 really is a punch in the gut. I am so sorry, Loop. Thank you for coming through in the end.

Oh man, this is so long, and I haven't even gone into the main cast. I will leave that for another post. They are such great characters, as are the people of Dormant and the House. (Don't think I don't see the wordplay in this game. Very clever)

Going into this game completely blind was the best experience I could have had. I felt anxious, happy and scared so severely that my neurons were rearranged. I don't know if there are more endings (aside from the obvious action of attacking Odile in the True(?) ending of the game), but I am taking a break from it to make art and write for this game before I dive back into despair-o-land.

Anywho, thank you for coming this far and reading my ramblings. Have a fantastic day or evening further! o(*'▽`*)ブ

[static-sulker]

I might maybe possibly be thinking of a modern fantasy apartment AU with the main crew. All of them being stupid ass magical roommates without tadpoles...Just letting them be happy.

Also my Tav is in there because...yeah. His name is Silk and he is such a silly guy ridden with the 'tism. Drow Warlock who sees the good in everything... Such a...A yeah...

Little notes i've been conjuring about this...

Gale and Wyll made a chore chart in the kitchen, with little magnets for each person. Astarion regularly will switch his magnet in the middle of the night just so he doesn't have to do the fucking dishes and EVERYBODY knows besides Gale and Wyll. Wyll is on the fence about it, but Gale wholeheartedly believes when Astarion lies through his teeth about never having done it.

Karlach and Halsin go on grocery runs in the mornings. Karlach goes for the running part, while Halsin comes along for the run as well as to stop Karlach from buying the most horrendous shit. The one time she went alone very early in the houses lifespan, Karlach bought like 3 bags of go-gurt, about 50 dollars worth of cheap booze, and a big piece of raw steak to cook. She burnt said steak. But she's trying now, at least.

The team will take turns every now and then to get Astarion blood from themselves as it gives Astarion a lot more energy then normal settling blood. BUT they do have "blood bags" that they set up in the kitchen fridge whenever they know nobody with the right blood is gonna be available to give him blood if he needs it. They TOTALLY get it by legal means and it TOTALLY doesn't melt Astarions heart that they try so hard to help him.

Silk finds a stray dog in the alleys of their building one day when they went out to work (they do freelance art with their magic for like startups, it's fun). After casting "speak with animals" they find out this dog, Scratch, is waiting for his owner to return. His owner was killed out by some gnoll gang downtown. When they come back from work later in the evening, they find Scratch again, still waiting. Long story short, Silk adopts scratch in their very strict "no pets" rule of an apartment. And don't get me STARTED on the owlbear cub. Lae'zel and Halsin were out, originally to get some spare lightbulbs and tools for the apartment and find the little critter getting chase by some goblins in some backalley parking lot. Lae'zel plans to ignore the thing, but Halsin assists the cub. Once done, they plan to leave, before the cub begins to follow them home. Halsin names the cub "Vauva" and Lae'zel soon becomes SO attached.

They have presentation nights, where everybody makes slideshows about literally anything. Last week, Gale made one about the conflicts of archmages and the idea of apprentices. Karlach then made a tier list on the worst monsters ever documented, Lae'zel helped with that one. Shadowheart made this whole discussion over her favorite and least favorite teas (she fuckin' hates green tea for like no reason). Wyll made one on Baldurs Gate history. Astarion made a smash or pass list of all of the political leaders in Baldurs Gate. Silk made a presentation on the weirdest underdark myths and rumors they have heard on their time above ground. Halsin presented (well more like persuaded) on getting a new herb for their kitchens row of herbs and spices set on the windowsill. They have too many and he got like 5 minutes of stand time before Karlach kicked him off.

Lae'zel hate-cleans when shes mad at somebody in the apartment. Basically, she cleans every room in the entire fucking apartment BESIDES any of said "victims" parts of the house. One time, she got into a fight with Shadowheart and threw all of the dirty laundry she had so carefully put into the laundry room back into her room just all over the fucking place. If shes calm though, the house is normally fairly clean under her and Wyll's watch. It's one of the only things they agree on.

Because every bg3 piece of content I make loops back to bloodweave, I think they would have a little reading time together. Like whenever everybody is settling down for the night and they are up for it, they take this lovely window seat couch/bed thing in Gales room and just take out a good bottle of wine and a book for each of them and just read until late. They originally did this separately, but when the two find themselves both in the living room at 2 in the morning reading, they decide in silent agreement to make it routine. They sometimes read in silence, other times just talking absently about anything. Shadowheart finds out first by coming in to Gales room late one night to return a book he lent to her to find the two both passed out, tucked away in the window, books still in hand before they accidentally passed out. Shadowheart then teases them with photos the morning after.

Karlach and Lae'zel both do these really intense shadowboxing exercises in Karlachs room whenever the two have freetime and enough energy to go through with it. It's a heated bitter rivalry in the eyes of the githyanki, but Karlach just loves a little workout with her friend! Lae'zel does enjoy the workouts, as she doesn't get many options to really let off ALL of her steam, even if she works at a gym as a personal trainer. She is constantly told shes a bit TOO rough with the clients so she has to "tone it down". So it's nice.

Astarion and Shadowheart have girls nights. Like they paint each others nails and watch like twilight together (ironically they get so heated at how wrong they get it. "Just another human writer writing about shit she doesn't get" is used a lot in their rewatches). They also talk about like...their feelings. But it's very sparse and done so by a copious amount of wine (wine with a heavy amount of blood on the side for Astarion). Both of them never got to have moments like this in their childhoods, of just pure calmness and domestic childhood enjoyment, so they make due with what they can.

BY THE HELLS I JUST REALIZED I WROTE THIS MUCH. DAMN OKAY.

[ptolomeia]

Who wants to hear my thoughts on how my disability, fatness and grief all intersect?

If the answer is not you, please press j to continue to the next post!

So, we're coming up on a year now since our disability meant we had to come to terms with the fact that we would never be able to work and had to drop out of school for our dream job and become a housebound/bedbound lump person. Now my dream job was in construction, it was unionized and extremely well paid and I was three months short of graduating when reality became undeniable. I was never going to be able to do this.

I may have been the only person in my class who had to double check the weight capacity of my harness and shock absorber, but I was fucking good at the work. One of my teachers had me tutoring classmates before the brain fog made that impossible. And while it was hard to find clothes that fit me, mens clothes typically came in larger sizes, which worked for me.

And then came MECFS, slowly robbing my life of, well, most things really. Including, but very much not limited to, my sense of identity and my dream job.

Being a poor student, I didn't really have many clothes that didn't fit with that life. And being very fat, i couldnt exactly go to a mall and buy fast fashion that suited me better for cheap. So, I find myself almost a year down the line with still not many clothes that make me feel good or happy or non additional grief.

Which brings me to my next set of issues. Due to sensory and temperature regulation issues, I can only wear natural breathable fibers (another thing that cuts me off from fast fashion). Between the exhaustion from my ME/CFS and my sensory issues, shopping is hard on me.

But HAHA! I think. I've been sewing on and off for near two decades now (ow my brain). I can just sew myself a new wardrobe! Besides, the non construction worker styles I like (vintage 40s-50s) is even harder to find plus sized, well fitting anyway. If I can't do my dream job, at least I can enjoy some expertly sewn (eh, close enough), perfectly (that could probably use some quotes) fitting clothes in a style I've long loved but thought impractical!

Except, here's the thing. Sewing requires energy. Laying out and cutting out fabric requires energy. It requires precision and focus and when I only have a few good hours a day and have to take care of myself and my home on top of my sewing ambitions...

Last summer I made a pair of shorts (two front pieces, two back pieces, a fly, a waist band, belt loops, 4 pockets and facings) in three days at the start of my decline, and that was on top of doing some basic renovations at my parents house. Last month, an extremely simple t-shirt (front, back, two sleeves and a neckband) took me... a week? More? And there's so much more I want to make working through my stash. Pj's that aren't falling apart. A new raincoat and a new fall coat. A simple 1950s style dress in a wonderfully loud plaid that would just be so much fun.

But this morning I was trying to get my jersey to lie flat and nearly ended up crying (knits are the devil fabric. Curse them and their comfort and stretch). There are days where it feels like there is nothing this disease won't take from me.

But at the same time... even if a year ago I could have trimmed assembled and cut out a pattern in one day, at least today I got to trim the papers? And even if cutting out that jersey took more fabric that it strictly needed to, at least I'm one step closer to having some new, hole free pjs.

So, even as i grieve the many many things I lost, I try to hold to what I still can do. And also rail against the world for making things harder for fat people than they need to be. Because seriously, I'm having to learn to make my own patterns (and yes, they will fit better but that is not the point) because most patterns (and definitely none of the big commercial ones) come in anything close to my measurements. This makes me extremely annoyed.

But yeah, to sum up, disability, fatness, grief, and hope all make a very complex ball. And I wish it could be easier

[wayvcarter]

🍵🌸Tea time cropped sweater🌸🍵

3x Tea time - Hobbii yarn

4.5 mm crochet hook (I tend to crochet very loosely, so I'm going down at least 1 size on my crochet hooks)

Fhdc (foundation half double crochet)

Ch (chain)

Hdc (half double crochet)

Slst (slip stitchl

Instructions in (brackets) are for the uncropped version

Size M

Instructions to adjust size will follow

Border:

R1 : 6 Fhdc, ch1, turn

R2 - 64 : 1 hdc in back loop only, ch1, turn

Sleeve 1:

R1 : 1 hdc in each row of border, ch1, turn (64 hdc)

R2 - 53 : 1 hdc in each stitch, ch1, turn

R 54 : 1 hdc in each stitch, ch 11 (ch21), turn

Body:

R1 : 1hdc in each loop, 1 hd in each stitch, 10 Fhdc (20 Fdhc), ch1, turn

R2 - 10 : 1 hdc in each stitch, ch1, turn

-> tip: add more rows here and less rows in the next part to make the neck hole smaller, it's written far too loose, it's off shoulder

R a is the front, R b is the back, in between should be 4 unworked stitches (count and use stitch markers to find the middle!)

R 11a - 34a : 1hdc in the next 40 (50) stitches, ch1, turn

At the end of R 34a, cut yarn and pull through

R 11b - 34b : start at the beginning of R 54, 1 hdc in the next 40 (50) stitches, ch1, turn

R 35 : 1 hdc in each stitch of part b, 5 Fhdc, 1 hdc in each stitch of part a, ch1, turn

R 36 - 45 : 1 hdc in each stitch, ch1, turn

Sleeve 2:

R 1 : slst in the next 10 (20) stitches, 1 hdc in the next 64 stitches, ch1, turn

R 2 : 1 hdc in the next 64 stitches, ch1, turn

R 3 - 53 : 1 hdc in each stitch, ch1, turn

R 54 : 1 hdc in each stitch, ch7

Border 2 :

R 1 : 1 hdc in 2nd stitch from hook, 1 hdc in the next 5 stitches, slst in next two stitches of R 54, turn

R 2 : 1 hdc in back loops only, Ch 1, turn

R 3 : 1 hdc in back loops only, slst in next two stitches of R 54, turn

Repeat R 2 and 3 until the end of the row 54, cut yarn and pull through.

Sewing :

Fold the piece in half, leaving the neck hole on the top. Sew along the open edges down the sleeves to the bottom of the body. Use cotton or any other wool that holds up and doesn't tear, Tea Time by Hobbii tears easily.

Border Body :

Start somewhere on the bottom of the body.

R 1 : 1 hdc in 2nd stitch from hook, 1 hdc in the next 5 stitches, slst in next two stitches of the body, turn

R 2 : 1 hdc in back loops only, Ch 1, turn

R 3 : 1 hdc in back loops only, slst in next two stitches of the body, turn

Repeat R 2 and 3 until you end up one time around at the beginning, cut yarn and pull through.

Sew together the ends of the border.

Neck hole :

Start in the middle where your back will be.

This piece is just if your neck hole is too large: Mark with stitch markers where your shoulders are. This will be the base for shoulder straps. Make sure they're symmetrical.

Put 1 hdc in every stitch. Once you're at a stitch marker, make 15 Fhdc and 1 hdc in the parallel stitch marker. Again, hdc in each stitch until the next stitch marker, 15 Fhdc, and 1 hdc into the parallel stitch marker. Hdc until you're at the beginning. Slst into first hdc, cut yarn and pull through.

Insert yarn at the shoulder, 1 hdc in each stitch all around, including the shoulder strap. Slst into first hdc, cut yarn and pull through. Repeat for second shoulder

The pattern is finished, but it's still a wip, pattern will be updated and improved

[densi-mber]

Rushing Home with their Treasures

“Ooh, what about this?” Deeks asked, holding up a tiny green and red elf costume.

“I don’t know,” Kensi said, rubbing the fabric between her fingers. “It’s cute, but also kind of ugly.” She rested her hand over her stomach, absentmindedly rubbing a few times. “Those dresses are really cute, though,” she added.

Deeks followed her gaze to the smallest imaginable velvet dress with a poofy skirt.

“That is adorable,” he agreed. “We could get it.”

“But then we’re going to end up with three possible sets of everything to cover all the possible girl/boy scenarios. Besides, we’re supposed to be getting gifts for family and friends, not the twins.”

They’d taken advantage of a afternoon when neither of them had any appointments or work to knock out some of their holiday shopping. The giant display of baby paraphernalia had sent them on a half hour detour.

“Ok, where do you want to head first?”

“Well, I thought since Rosa’s gift is probably going to be at least partially custom-made, we should probably get that taken care of before it gets too busy,” Kensi suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.” He saw Kensi give the baby clothes another look before finally turning in the direction of the jewelry department.

“How can I help you today?” the assistant at the jewelry counter asked as they approached. “We have some lovely pieces on sale today and all earrings in this display are 50% off.”

“Thank you, but we’re actually looking for a pendant for our daughter,” Deeks explained. “This is what we had in mind.”

An hour later, they walked away from the counter with pamphlets, paperwork, and the promise of their personally designed necklace in a week’s time. In the end, they’d settled on a design a series of interlocking hearts that incorporated each of their birthstones, with space to include the twins’ once they were born.

To some, it might sound slightly cheesy, but Rosa valued anything that linked her to her found family. From the pictures spaced throughout the house, to Deeks and Kensi’s names on her school forms. The necklace just happened to be a very purposeful and more extravagant addition.

“I think she’s going to love it,” Kensi said, examining the example pictures they’d been given. They strolled past a couple food vendors on their way out and she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. “Mm, cinnamon rolls.”

She gave Deeks a sly look, and he chuckled, veering off towards the Cinnabon. “C’mon, we can’t let you and the Pastry Babies starve. Especially when there’s literal pastry to be had.”

Kensi looped her arm through his, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I love you.”

“So, where to next?” Deeks asked once they both had cinnamon rolls the size of his head in hand.

Peeling off a strip of glaze-covered dough, Kensi slowly at it while she considered his question. “That boutique Anna likes is across the mall, we’re getting Rountree and Fatima’s gifts at the Christmas market, so maybe your mom’s?”

“Sure. Though we are definitely not getting items 2, 3, or 7 from her wish list.”

“Oh, you mean the lingerie, dirty truth or dare game, and aphrodisiac gift basket?” Kensi said, licking icing off her finger. “Yeah, I’m thinking we need to pass those on to Arkady.”

“Ew,” Deeks commented, giving a full-body shudder. “Ok, you want to meet up in the accessories? I’m gonna grab some coffee to wash down the sugar and hopefully burn the thought of aphrodisiacs, my mom, and Arkady from my mind.”

Snorting, Kensi leaned in for a kiss. “See you in a few.”

Deeks joined the line for one of the many coffee shops sprinkled around the mall’s main floor. When Kensi was out of sight, he ducked out of line, making a beeline for the baby department. It only took a few minutes to locate the racks of Christmas outfits they’d looked at earlier.

He grabbed the tiny green dress, smiling as he headed for the register.

***

A/N: So much fluff this densimber! And yes, I’m still manifesting twins all day, every day.

[miloscat]

[Review] Sonic Unleashed (PS3)

Modern(er) Sonic truly starts here.

Sonic Team kept pumping out the games in this era, with at least one game per year. But between racing spinoffs and Wii experiments, Unleashed stands out, a big budget blowout that represents a much needed refresh after the ignominious Sonic 06.

The Japanese title of Sonic World Adventure gives you an idea of the structure: it’s sort of like the Adventure games with levels accessed via hubs, plus NPCs and sidequests to do in between, but now we’re travelling the world! The story has Mobius breaking into pieces (taking cues from Star Fox Adventures, might I say) which Sonic must restore by visiting places inspired by real-world locations.

The locations have a lot of character, whether it’s small African or South East Asian towns, or European or Middle Eastern cities, helped by the lovely score using appropriate styles and instruments. Although the hubs are quite small, they’re packed with detail and people to chat to. And the people have fabulous and distinctive cartoony designs this time! I love this version of Sonic’s world even if the pastiche is a bit on the nose at times.

The story also strikes a good tone, with the world-ending stakes balanced by a bit of goofiness; Eggman’s bluster is punctured by a sassy proto-Orbot, while Sonic’s biggest allies are the silly mascot creature Chip and the bumbling Professor Pickle. Tails is there for occasional exposition and aeroplane rides, and Amy is also present… just imagine if she ever got to do anything besides obsess over Sonic!! Otherwise there are no returning characters which feels jarring but lets them put more focus on Sonic and Chip’s dynamic, I guess…

Of course the big gimmick of the game is the duality of Day and Night. Due to plot shenanigans, Sonic is now a werewolf (or “werehog”, a nonsensical designation etymologically speaking) and takes on a monstrous form at nighttime. With this, 50% of the game uses an entirely new gameplay style, one of the more divisive choices in this game’s legacy.

Night stages play out as slow-paced beat em ups, part of the seismic impact that God of War had on the gaming world at the time I suppose. Werehog Sonic is brawny and smashy, with Lanky Kong-style stretchy arms. This also plays into ill-advised werehog puzzle-platforming sections. The combat is fine for what it is, sweeping attacks and strong focused attacks, aerial juggling if you can manage it (I couldn’t), picking up and throwing small foes, unlocking new combos. There’s also quick time event finishers, but beyond the most basic of enemies I found the timers on these way too tight to be practical, so never used them. An experience system pervades the game and lets you up the werehog’s many stats; this is very necessary while daytime Sonic’s paltry two stats feel tacked on and less useful.

The sheer length of Night levels makes them feel more tiresome, with half an hour being a normal duration. This compounds if you get stuck on a tricky section with scarce checkpoints. Sonic games have often housed alternate gameplay styles, but this style feels like a mere genre copycat while seemingly replacing the inclusion of the rich supporting cast. This combined with damage spongey and hard-hitting enemies, a shallow guard/dodge mechanic, and questionable platforming, and I do end up with concerns about their implementation.

On the other hand, Day stages make a bold move by incorporating the boost mechanic from Dimps's Rush into Sonic Team's 3D headliner. This is a divisive change itself, although I like what it adds to the basic gameplay loop (as long as you're not just killed instantly for using it). Other new abilities like walljumping, drifting, and quickstepping join the returning stomp, slide, light speed dash, and homing attack (with reticle). These stages keep the pace up and use a lot of gimmicks—including Rivals' innovation of the boosters that spit you out in different directions based on your input—and smoothly transition between 3D and 2D for (I think) the first time. This template carries forward in future games, and I enjoyed seeing it emerging fully formed here after the fumbling steps that directly preceded Unleashed. The intense speed can lead to a lot of cheap deaths in later levels unfortunately, and we still have the issue of lives to deal with.

The final level deserves special mention, an immense gauntlet that uniquely switches you between Day and Night as you proceed through. My initial attempt with around 30 lives in hand met with disaster HALF AN HOUR in, so all of my progress up to that point was lost. Fun! This led to an hours-long session of farming for lives, exploiting the inventory system to gradually accrue infinite money, buying stacks of food items, and laboriously chowing down to get paltry experience points before my next attempt. I love it when a game wastes my time! Of course the second time I cleared it with 90 lives remaining but it still took 45 effing minutes! I think if you're putting extra life pickups directly after half your checkpoints, it might be a sign that you should rethink the system, or break up the level, or at least tone down the difficulty. For goodness' sake. Oh and the final boss fight that follows it sucks too.

Unleashed feels unbalanced. It's obviously got a budget, with high production value FMV cutscenes and big levels full of detail. You only really have to play them once though, so they stuff the game full of padding that encourages you to spend more time in the game world as if they're struggling to justify themselves: dozens of sidequests, hot dog challenge runs of the regular stages with time/ring/destruction goals, collectibles to fill the gallery. Not to mention the many DLC packs that all up nearly double the number of stages to play. It's all optional, but you are obligated to do at least some side stuff to have enough EXP to level up the werehog.

Despite the high-budget feel, the game still sadly suffers from performance problems. Not nearly as bad as Sonic 06, good heavens no, but enough to cause some frustration from frame loss and hitching. The framerate is very unsteady, even tanking in cutscenes when werehog Sonic is on-screen as the fur rendering overtaxes the game engine. Of course these drops can affect the reaction windows in gameplay and therefore the difficulty, but they also just make me wonder if Sonic Team are ever going to get themselves together. Yes I know the PS3 was hard to develop for, etc. etc. and so on and so forth.

Tomoya Ohtani is again very well deployed as soundtrack director, with highlights including the main vocal track “Endless Possibility”, the oft-reused Rooftop Run Day track, and the jaunty town tracks (Shamar is my favourite). The Night level tracks are jazzy and fun, but having one singular track break in and take over whenever combat starts—which is very often—was a poor choice that undermines the strength of the diverse soundtrack.

Unleashed was eye-opening for me in how much it established that would persist in Sonic games for the next ten years. Soon I'll even play the rest of the games in between it and Forces to see for myself! But of course, the HD version of Unleashed is only half the story... well, a bit less than that if you count Gameloft's mobile phone versions, which I do because they're quite good Rush-inspired 2D games from the peak of the J2ME era. But the PS2/Wii version of Unleashed is Dimps's first 3D game, and I'm very keen to see another take on this and whether it corrects some of the imbalances of the HD version. You might say that the possibilities are endless...?

[istadris]

heyy lm3 time loop

that is true, on the whole king boo needs to find some new trapping tactics lmaoo—but he can expend some creativity into throwing those wild plants into the crevices of the boiler room, working some magic to get the dino skeleton and shark to team up, and getting the magicians to make luigi’s head spin in the tombs. has the perfect pattern between similar surprises and completely new ones that get luigi to relax then immediately throw his guards up.

luigi approaching a certain area and being very very scared of it and polterpup catching on. puppy goes first to show that he’ll be okay.

also. gooigi. it’s not technically the same as having another person understand what he’s going through, but since luigi shares his consciences with him at times, maybe it helps him feel the tiniest less alone. this might be a stretch, but in the instances where gooigis in control and luigi’s just kinda. there. it could be a little reprieve for him and he just lets himself go numb.

the visual of them chasing after each other like children pushing each other against walls and decorations and breaking everything in sight is hilarious. a race to see who can find the next clue first. all the ghosts are peering around corners trying to figure out what is going on. yeah, they’ve wrecked the hotel ten times over before they realize they need to calm down.

i think if luigi was desperate enough to go to some extreme measures he’d try his best to get mario out of the building. 50/50 chance of him succeeding and mario definitely gets caught in the crossfire a few times, but he tries.

also, i can imagine luigi giving up on finding e gadd first after a while to save time and just setting up the lab himself. gets e gadd eventually and man doesn’t question it, just scolds him for moving one tiny thing an infinitely tiny amount to the left.

luigi’s got plans for these ghosts and he’s got the time to make it happen. if he wants it, he’ll get it. helps that they all want a piece of him.

One day you'll have to come off anon so I can properly message you and we can yell together about this AU

(joking aside, I understand if you'd prefer stay anonymous, don't worry about it ^^)

King Boo would actually find this "game" very fascinating and entertaining. He can kill Luigi over and over, and he can afford to be creative about it ! He love his art and makes all his traps as detailed as paintings.Playing with "colours", "texture", experimenting and playing with that eternal canvas...but he slowly grows frustrated of the very issue with a perpetual reset : what's the point of art, if you can't immortalise it ? What is left of your ideas if they get erased and need to be redone everytime ? What IS the most perfect way of ending this duel between him and his nemesis ?

Polterpup going first into dangerous areas ;c; You know it's interesting because King Boo never seems to acknowledge Polterpup, even if he's essential to Luigi's survival. Even with Polterkitty, it got annoyed at best by the poppy's antics. Makes me wonder if even ghosts don't dare to hurt him or if he's got his own brand of Weird Ghost Magic...

That's a very interesting use of Gooigi! For some reason ghosts still have trouble distinguishing Gooigi from the real deal, so it does give Luigi a much needed reprieve. Sinking into the strange consciousness of the goo creature until he's ready to get back out and face the horrors.

The loops are totally a Bugs Bunny cartoon at this stage. Full Looney Tunes shenanigans as they work out their frustrations and anger through absolutely petty revenges and chases.

I agree with you there, actually. No matter what, Mario's safety would still be his priority. Maybe at the cost of the other's safety, leading to some awful moments in specific loops...

Pfff, of course E.Gadd wouldn't question the situation. At least until Luigi mentions the time loop, THEN only does E.Gadd become extremely interested ! His nagging doesn't change though, to the point Luigi doesn't feel as bad as he should for "forgetting" E.Gadd here and there. He's still very helpful in figuring out some of the knacks of the time loop.

Luigi walking through the manor banging on pots : "BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!! BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!!! And preferably to fuck me six ways to Sunday! BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!!" Chambrea whispering to the Bellboy : "what is wrong with that guy ?? And why is it so hot??"

[thribby]

Endless Ocean Luminous

I wrote this as a review on backloggd.com, and I figured I may as well post it here too.

It would take a lot of work to convince me that this game was not a hit piece to prove that smaller and older franchises are not viable.

I wrote some shit down below that I'm sure has been said elsewhere and better, but I already wrote it so I'm not deleting it. I'm gonna talk about something else that I'm speculating on.

Did they want this game to be good? Let's think about this. The Endless Ocean franchise hasn't had a game since 2009, then all of a sudden (13 years later) we hear there's gonna be a new game in a few months. That's exciting and surprising for fans of the series, like me. Can't wait (although, background alarm bells were already ringing for me [I never trusted the "roguelite map," Thanatos' model looks so bad, and I think the look of the characters is so much lamer than what we had in the last games, and all of that was shown in the first trailer]).

So next the game comes out, and it's got less features and mechanics than the previous games. How come? Were we running low on development time? I hope not, it'd already been over a decade since the last game, you may as well take your time with this one. Was it a problem with the budget? I REALLY hope not, as if that's true you are charging $50 for a game you didn't quite finish (also, Endless Ocean Blue World cost $30 back when it released in the US in 2010).

Alright, so I've given them the benefit of the doubt that the game did not run out of time or money to make sure Endless Ocean 3 had all of the bells and whistles from the first two games. Which leads me to the conclusion that they had simply never planned on making Endless Ocean Luminous as complex of a game as Endless Ocean 1 or 2. They had always planned on making less and selling it at a higher price.

Ok, why would they do that? Corporate greed following the general trend of seeking higher profits for less effort? Yeah, sure. But I also think that they wanted this game to do badly. Or at the very least, they don't particularly mind if it does.

So there's a simple way to group the people who play Endless Ocean Luminous into 2 categories: people who have played previous Endless Ocean games and people who are new to Endless Ocean games. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that people who have played previous Endless Ocean games are gonna be disappointed with this one more often than not. The Endless Ocean games are cult classics and here comes this new entry that doesn't even do as much. The aforementioned "cult" of these "cult classics" will not like that. Which means that the group of people who were most likely to buy this game is now a lot smaller.

As for the new players, you just need to win them over with the fun and engaging gameplay loop! But, oh wait. There are three things to do in this game. And you must do them hundreds of times. But, who knows, maybe enough of the new players will like the game anyway.

Ok, so really, how can I believe any of this? I think this game was sort of a test. If it was popular, cool, that means "less effort with higher price tags" can work and the executives can take that idea and run with it. If it fails, the execs get to go "ahh, we should've known! these old video game franchises are so risky, it's probably best that we just stick a couple of proven franchises and non-franchise IP's." And instead of a big variety of games being produced, we see less and less of these smaller franchises, and more individual games that get shuttered after one game, because "we tried doing sequels and reboots of games once before and everybody said it sucked!" Like how Netflix cancels shows ASAP.

I really just struggle to imagine that this game was made in good faith as an Endless Ocean game when it clearly does not compare well to the other Endless Ocean games.

Here's that shit I wrote back before I decided to just write my little conspiracy theory instead:

The first Endless Ocean in 14 years and it's so much less than either of its prequels (except for the price!). No more hub world in between dives. No more walking on small islands or beaches, or even poking your head above the water, because all of that would require designing and programming an entirely different kind of gameplay, and that's a whole lot of work so why bother? No more specifically and intentionally put together maps, now it's just generated! <-that's where I got fed up with talking about the lack of content and made my pivot

tumblr exclusive thoughts:

Yeah sure, it's just a chill lofi game to relax and swim to now, and it is good that we're not treating sharks as inherently dangerous. but like, how good of a defense is that when 1: the only thing keeping the evil killer shark thanatos from attacking you is the magic sea's water which makes him a pacifist and 2: we're already in a suspension of disbelief with how marine life works in general on account of all of these freshwater and arctic aquatic lifeforms congregating in the fucking tropics of the pacific ocean (not to mention the extinct animals)

It is nice to see some of the models got better but then they also made thanatos look so bad like so so bad oh my god why is he so lumpy why are his eyes bulging out like that????

what were we thinking?? why did we do this to him?

[bionicle-ramblings]

Something that ran through my head before I fell asleep, and it has to do with the fix I wrote inspired by @sepublic

And MAJOR violence TW for this under the cut:

So remember the whole "Teridax killing Vakama over and over again" thing?

One death that came to me then was Teridax seeing Vakama in his Toa armor, realizing that said armor does wonders in protecting Vakama from harm

Best thing to do logically, then, is to remove all of that armor, see how well he can endure being trapped in time

And he does, using some power to rip all of the armor Vakama's got on his being and leaving the Toa as nothing but a gasping, wailing, bleeding, writhing mass of organic matter, one that can't be recognized as anything that was ever a Toa or a Matoran

For what it's worth, at least Vakama can barely scream, which gets annoying to listen to after having to do it for 50 to 230 times in a row

While Vakama is quiet and a useless, unmoving organic thingy, Teridax uses the advantage to admit that the time loop was pretty clever, and he may have underestimated the Toa of Fire; being a timid Matoran and an even more timid Toa that's afraid of his own destiny does lead to that

Which makes it all the more infuriating to know that he lost to that very Toa, once when the two were at the outskirts of Metru Nui and now again, with Vakama locking them both in a single moment for eternity

And Vakama, barely clinging to life and struggling to breathe, smiles and says, in a very technically garbled voice, that he's getting better at his new career by the second

Yeeeeaaaaah, that gets him killed, more specifically, it gets him thrown against a building or a wall and ripped apart some more, having muscles and bones seperated bit by bit, until he's just a bunch of pieces of what used to be living organic matter

[mayra-quijotescx]

Made it to and from the gallery on public transportation today, proving to myself It Can Be Done and I am a Strong and Independent Possum Who Need Not Get In A Car.

And I am satisfied with the knowledge that I can do this and it's only (i know, i know) like 2.5-3 hours out of that day.

but good lord.

(whining under the readmore)

Every step of the journey felt like a goddamn song by Muse from the aughts with how unsubtly and copiously it beat me around the ears with how profoundly shitty our society is.

first of all, we have a 7-mile trip taking an hour and 15 minutes each way in a major city. Even in other parts of the US, that's rightly regarded as absurd. Local Route is once every 30 minutes and mandatory to reach Trolley, on which I spent most of my journey, and from Trolley I had a fifteen-minute walk through one of the most desolate neighborhoods within the Loop to reach Gallery.

METRO has a $1.25 fare expectation of riders (having a Q Card helps because then you can stretch that fare across multiple buses instead of having to dump change at every bus you get on.) It also wastes an exorbitant amount of its budget (probably more than it gets from the fares itself, though I can't prove it) on hiring fare inspectors, whose sole purpose is to swan about on our laughably tiny trolley network harassing anyone who looks poor to make sure they paid before getting on the trolley, and to write them $75 tickets if they didn't. (I carry an extra Q Card in case this happens in front of me, and have had to intervene in such a way three times in the last year. And I don't go outside much.) Coming and going, there were three hanging about in each trolley car I was in, so I felt like I had to be vigilant the whole time.

By the time I reached [Trolley drop off point] on the towards-gallery part of the trip, I was glad for the 15-minute walk ahead of me because it meant I could clear my mind from what was a very loud trip... until the walk took me from the bail bondsman mini-district into the area directly around Gallery, which is getting flipped up into a dumping ground for new real estate investment properties despite having no nearby grocery stores, no immediate-vicinity bus routes, one food place (costly brunch joint that may or may not be a side hustle of Close Proximity Bail Bond Office #2), and downright fuckall else. There's a hastily-kludged bike line if that sweetens the deal, which I walked in for the final stretch due to the sidewalklessness of it all.

There are a couple of other gallery/studios embedded amid the runaway construction of Generic Luxury Apartment Block No One Can Afford #8953-8957, and one mostly built Generic Luxury Apartment Block No One Can Afford, lazily named "The Artist" after the class of people least likely to be able to make rent there. Lest one accuse it of being a mere unoriginal clone of 50 other similar giant boxes found in the turbogentrified Greater Heights/Montrose area, there's a small piece of genuine vintage railroad track installed out front between the sidewalk and the pothole-studded road. The piece of track leads to nowhere and connects nothing. It's too obvious to write a poem about.

I would be hopeful that all this runaway development would at least bring more people to the vicinity of Gallery and the nearby studios, but again, these look like additions to the investment/tax dodge portfolio for some rich jackoff who's like as not to have never set foot in Houston, not places that real people are going to be able to live in.

Anyway, I'm home safe, and was at least able to immediately launch myself into the shower after sweating buckets from 30 minutes of walking around in 75F weather in February, which I won't dwell on because I might get fully seized by a climate doom spiral if I do : )

[panzershrike-pretz]

top five ocs :3

Lou you like to make me suffer???? It would be easier if this was like. A top 50 ocs 😭😭😭 i can't possibly choose only 5 🥲👍 (i'm lying)

Since I have Too Many Characters(TM), I'll narrow it down to choose between the 92 (oof) that already have ther ref sheets drawn :] and this is in no particular order, it's just numbered to look pretty,,,

1. Pangea Coldwell

She's a fairly recent character I created back in 2022. She's Peggy's handler, and a second world war medic (i was in my biggest WWII era at the time). She's a gentle and kind woman, with a big heart but almost no patience at all; usually seen as smart by her peers and fast-to-act, despite whatever's in he way.

Despite her interest in medicine, she's extremely fond of ice-skating, acting, singing and reading - some of her favorite hobbies that don't include her insane dog.

Her power is that of future-sighting, though it's not nowhere near as strong as Horace's. She sees only bits and pieces based on probability, normally of the immediate future (at most, she sees only a few hours ahead, while Horace can see years in advance).

2. Peggy

The absolute sensation. My baby. THE stupidest thing to ever walk this planet. Precious bean. The devil's child, born to put everything in her mouth (and hopefully eat it before dying). The one and only:

Peggy, the Belgian Mallinois is a medical-rescue war dog owned by Pangea. Don't worry, she's dumb even while at work. She has a magical shield against projectiles, so she's a walking barrier (RIP for everyone who tries to hit her with a shoe while she howls and barks)

Things that she eated included (but are not limited to): frogs, fish, insects, rocks, shoes, bones she found where bones shouldn't be, twigs, a dead starfish, baby turtle, tried to eat a crab but failled, a hat, her own leash at least 3 timess, wood, alcoholic beverages (she's fiiiiiine), a mushroom, triessd to eat a snake, etc.

3. Constance Ezebel

The Goddess of Oceans and Curses. I consider her to be one of the strongest Gods among my characters; she's as ancient as water.

Since she was cursed to stay stuck on a Loop in Tortuga, unable to be free at sea again, she takes her anger in those who choose the waters to be their homes. She controls floods and storms, but also when fishing is good and the seas are calm. The fate of all who chose the sea lie within her hands - and those of her se monsters and creatures, who do her biding.

She's a fucking bitch who never does anything for free and usually only accepts stuff if it's paid with a soul or sacrifice,,, she also throws the best parties so she's forgiven :3 and she's half goat so she's cool

4. Stiggy the Stygimoloch

He was just a joke I turned real. He's extremely OP (the indistructable, extremely agresssives and immortal little dinosaur. Who is VERY little and VERY angry) that I turned canon because I love him so much xD

His first appearance was back in 2019 (you see, he's OLD). His backstory is that all the anger in the universe fuels him and he was created by the Gods as a weapon or something. Anyway the only person who he listens to is Miss Kestrel

He's my fave joke character and i'm very glad I made him canon (even if he lives in a forest in the middle of nowhere without ever being interacted with xD)

5. Athena Crow

Death and Freedom Goddess! One of my mains like Pangea and Peggy! Blithe's iresponsible First Mate and Constance's biggest pain in the ass (Athena cursed her to be forever stuck on land and Constance cursed Athena to forever roam the seas. They are bestfriends but also hate each other's guts)

I have SO MANY thoughts about this woman it's unreal,,,,, I love how much of an annoyance she is in general. Alway here to make a fool of herself and have people questioning why the fuck they follow her

Form this I discovered that: of my favorites the only one who is not a complete and utter imbecile is Pangea. Good for her 🤡👍

[cataplexyfirstassignment]

My piece inspired me to create a feeling of dissociation through my music. To begin with I wrote a guitar riff on my guitar and used a loop feature on one of my pedals. Once I had this loop I incorporated some gradual tape degradation on the loop so that over time it would start to slowly become an unrecognisable version of itself. This was mainly inspired by an album I love called ‘the disintegration loops’ where the album begins with a loop and by the end it sounds completely different with an attempt to mimic a lost memory degrading over time. I also added a lot of special features such as delay and reverb. I found that the reverb was most effective when I played with the dry and wet mix as it felt as if the track was coming in and out of reality. I had a lot of difficulty with ensuring that this made up at least 50% of the track as I could not add too many other features and therefore, the other elements I incorporated had to really suit the aesthetic and the purpose of the music. To achieve this I spent a lot of hours on my Korg Minilogue synthesiser coming up with really unique tones, sequences, arpeggios and manipulation of envelopes and LFOs. This was really beneficial for my learning as I now have such a larger understanding of how all these elements work in sound design and I can’t wait to pursue this further. 

When it came to layering synth lines I found that a pad-like chord structure would be a nice way to transition other elements in but I knew I couldn’t just have a pad going the whole time as it would get stale and boring. To combat this I decided to add some sequences I had come up with that had really interesting melodies that I found were more musical than just having an arpeggio playing up and down a chord. On top of this, I added some delay, compression and some eq to get rid of any harsh frequencies, reduce the dynamic range so it was a bit nicer on the ears and the stereo delay let the lush panning from each side of the spectrum feel very ethereal which was just the aesthetic I was going for.

I also tried to use the cake-layer structure and fit the elements on top of each other. Honestly, I really tried my best with this piece but there was only so many elements I could add otherwise it would not make up 50% of the track so while there is not a lot of elements going on I do like to think that there is a strong and guided choice between every production decision and I am quite proud of the final work.

In conclusion, I have learned so much this semester and I am so grateful for taking this class and gaining more of an understanding of the technical side of music through using the production as an instrument of refinement and musicality. I have attached some photos below of my logic session, my pedalboard, flanger pedal used separately and my synthesizer to show you what instruments I used throughout my process and what equipment I tried to limit myself to and really go in-depth and explore with.

[magicalgirlmindcrank]

In case you wanna know what I'm up to, it's Bandos GWD. I skipped a lot of pvm including god wars to max earlier but now I'm maxed it's time to loop back and upgrade all my gear so people stop making fun of me for wearing a fighter torso and max cape together.

Two days ago I had basically 0 KC. I sent about 40 yesterday, and 60 today to end at 102 KC total. Wanna try to get a set of 50 in (go until I hit at least 150 tomorrow, 200 the next and 250 the following day) every work night and HOPEFULLY I get some tassets and/or a chest plate? Boots wouldn't be awful ig, though I would wanna try to get the tourmaline core then and I don't really like grotesque guardians.

It's about 1/137 for any piece so it'd be almost 2x rate if I end the week dry, but I think I'll see something tomorrow~

[lbibliophile-sw]

501st Bingo - 2023 Masterpost

Bingo card started: February 2023 Fills posted: 9 (+1 completed unposted) Bingos completed: none Events cross-posted: Codywan week, 212th appreciation week, Whumptober, Haunted clones week Bingos cross-posted: 212th bingo, Coruscant Guard bingo

I don't normally focus on the 501st, so this was a fun challenge. I was particularly surprised by my pair of Kix pieces (one posted). Mostly drabbles.

Fills

Time loop | Breaking habits (AO3) | drabble | Rex They say that it takes as little as 21 rotations to build a habit. It takes at least as long to break it again.

Time travel | Out of Time (AO3) | drabble | Kix Kix is used to working to deadlines: completing training sims, saving his brothers' lives... unravelling the mystery of the chips. He is used to failing too. But this time he missed not just the deadline, but also the aftermath, the rebuilding. How does he cope when he has missed his most important deadline by 50 years?

Facing fears | Missing You at My Side (A03) | drabble | Fives & Echo When clones die, they haunt those they were closest to. So where is Echo? Why is Fives alone?

Amnesia | See no Evil (AO3) | drabble | Codywan & 212th & 501st Cody and Obi-wan stare into each other’s eyes. All in the name of plausible deniability.

Character in peril | Wave, I can see you (AO3) | ficlet: 540w | 501st OC & 212th OC 501st brothers line the ridge, ready to spring their trap. Figures in 212th gold creep through the trees, Flick’s familiar paint bright in the gloom. Keys can’t believe that the Umbarans stole his batchmate's armour, it feels wrong on so many levels.

Flashbacks | Safety Briefing (A03) | drabble | Fox & Rex Rex is transferred to the Coruscant Guard. The more things change the more they stay the same; it is not a welcome familiarity.

Angst | Memories Caught in Amber (AO3) | drabble | Rex When Rex looks at their smiles together in the holo, it is hard to believe it was taken only two years ago. He feels the weight of every day since.

Sacrifice | Forever Unanswered (A03) || poem: 120w | Fives & Fox There is the sound of a blastershot, and between one breath and the next, everything stops. Fives doesn't blame Fox, not really. He just wants to know why.

Misunderstandings | Reputation (AO3) | drabble | 212th & 501st The 501st has a reputation that makes the 212th look positively reasonable by comparison. And they exploit it.

Card

[kmp78]

"Tell me: why is it so hard for you to admit he got hurt BAD by VK and he wrote songs about it? Hm? WHY DOES IT PAIN YOU SO GOD DAMN MUCH?"

None of us know how badly they hurt each other or how in love with the other they were. It's all speculation other than that it was clearly toxic from the get-go and didn't get any better with time. My argument isn't that she meant nothing or that he's emotionless. Their breakup probably did inspire the heartbreak theme. I bet they were both hurt-they were a part of the other's life for a long time and are now expected to basically forget the other. That's not easy for anyone. But it does happen to just about everyone at least once.

My argument is that for 30 years the man's lyrics have been basically nonsense that rhymes or five words repeated over and over and some screaming. To give his lyrical vocab 50 words is being generous. Now, all of a sudden, he has fully coherent lines and legitimate slow love songs? I'm sorry. I don't buy it. Where are the ghosts? The angels? Why isn't he on fire?

NNLY has JL, we know SL doesn't count, another person, and a songwriting production group made up of 5 people. I looked them up, they've been a part of a lot of great songs!! He obviously threw in the beautiful lie bit, and I'm not saying that he didn't have the final say or opinions. But it's very much a blend of a lot of minds working around the thought of a relationship ending. It's beautiful but generic. A great ballad almost has to be so that you can connect and relate with a larger audience. I don't see anything specific in that one that just 100% fits the two of them and no one else.

I will agree LTD seems to maybe be a little more specific in the "life I live" part, but the rest is also pretty typical of a regular breakup. Someone moves on first. The one the least satisfied finds someone that gives them what the other person never did. In a toxic relationship like theirs, there's a lot of hurt caused and forgiven mistakes. The fact that they continue in that endless loop of hurt and forgiveness is what makes them so toxic.

That one had the help of 3 of the guys from the group, JL, and 3 others. That's 7 minds collaborating on each song. JL picked it out of the pile to include, but he IS singing other people's lyrics on both songs. Probably on most songs with this album. If Love These Days didn't drop his favoritest swear word 20 times, I'd say that one doesn't really feel like his either.

Again, NOT saying they didn't have a real relationship. NOT saying that he wasn't hurt. NOT saying that he didn't have suggestions and ideas and decide on the overall feel. NOT saying that he didn't write anything or use his experiences and feelings.

Take your need to relish in his pain and your need to prop her up out of it and listen to the album. There are several songs that AREN'T very Mars at all. His style and musicality have changed a lot album to album, but this is something else entirely. And I honest to God think that's why he can rattle off pieces from a song he wrote 30 years ago but can't sing most of this album that they just wrote and recorded less than 3.

Words.... so many words... 👩🏼‍💻