#lotta unique stories there

[mmmthornton]

I was at a bar in Dorchester (Boston, Massachusetts) during a major basketball game. There was a group of guys behind me talking about the game and the players in very thick accents, basically saying "Go Celts!" and whatever, and then one of them said approvingly "Yeah, except [player on the rival team]; fuck those guys but he seems like the kinda guy who calls his mah," and the rest of the table agreed.

Go Bawstahn.

anyways (I say this as someone who is deeply critical of the united states government, military, unchecked capitalism, police, etc) I am SICK of people treating america as if it has no cultural value or positives so….. I love u 85 million acres (bigger than italy) of national parks. I love u harlem renaissance. I love u groundhogs day. I love u sweet tea and fried chicken and jambalaya. I love u apple cider donuts and maizes on crisp autumn days. I love u 95k miles of coastlines and new england fisherman and hand knitted sweaters. I love u halloween where millions of people dress up and give candy to strangers and carve jack o’lanterns. I love u small talk and small towns and potlucks and bringing over casseroles to your struggling neighbors. I love u cowboys and ranch hands and arizonian cactus. I love u appalachian trail and dirtbikes and divebars. I love u sparklers and fireflies. I love u mark twain and toni morrison and emily dickinson and henry david thoreau. I love u rock n roll i love u bluegrass and hippies i love u jimi hendrix and nirvana and CCR and janis joplin. I love u victorian houses and jonny appleseed and john henry and mothman and bigfoot. I love u foggy days in the pacific northwest and neon signs and roadside attractions. I love u baseball and 1950s diners and soft serve. I love u native american art and pop art and poptarts. I love u blue jeans and barbecues and jazz musicians 

[crimsonxe]

I swear I will absolutely love if Jade is actually the awakened/true form/redeemed Stalker in a Samus-esque reveal xD Especially during Pride month (June 18th), since there's particular ways to interpret that type of thing that fits. Which also would line up with the repeated calling the story a special one. Though I can already predict there being the usual bigoted bleeting if it were to go that direction. I mean the way these arts are done

, as someone else mentioned the way they mirror each other's 3 unique weapons, and even the way the leaf/cloth/scale/whatever it is catches Stalker's attention

Lotta potential and going to be interesting to see where this goes come the 18th.

[wildfey]

Thoughts on the new investigations official art as I suddenly realised I had some (also I really like it! I actually think it's one of the best of the big AA group portraits and clearly a lot of thought went into where each character is in relation to their role in the plot and to each other.)

Images are all terrible phone screenshots sorry but I'm on my lunch break at work

1.

This is one of my fave official gumshoe images of all time. Up there with giving pearl a piggyback and fishing with Maggey. Look at them. I love them. Gumshoe and his lil puppy. Also a real cute missile. But also this is Edgeworth's game and Gumshoe is Edgeworth's friend (one of Edgeworth's closest friends - and we get to see the origins of that in aai) so it fits that we get to see the loveable gumshoe that Edgeworth sees here, right behind him, with his dog. It's adorable.

2)

AHH my faves. First of all I just love seeing Shih-na looking very cool and mysterious whereas Lang looks cool at first glance and then you look closer and realise that his pose is actually really stupid. It's very them. And they are obviously next to each other as always - Lang in front but pushed out to the side, whereas Shih-na is behind him and slightly hidden but she's actually closer to the centre which is a nice little metaphor for their positions in the plot. She's also next to Kay which is a clever nod to what we learn in aai.

(Also maggey and lotta in the background are cute too).

No notes really just nice to see new art of team Interpol.

3)

Okay so this is the bit I really do have thoughts on because positioning! Obviously Miles in the middle, it's his game after all. But having Gregworth and MVK in the background is just a fun choice - after all, they are literally his background! They are facing away from each other, going in opposite ways and Miles is in-between them! Just a nice bit of visual metaphor considering how much a theme of the games is his background and upbringing, and how Miles has to choose between these two opposing influences in his life and find a path between them (and both appear more in the investigations games then they do anywhere else so their size and influence is really significant here).

4)

And finally, Fran! Only her 13 year old design is on this poster, despite the fact that she actually appears as an adult in the game more but that makes sense, this is advertising and this is a unique design for aai. But I like how she's also in the background, she's a figure from Edgeworth's past, but in a much more active pose than MVK or Gregworth are - she remains an active player in his story, unlike them. Also she's placed next to Edgeworth and MVK, which makes sense considering their relationship.

Also I genuinely do just like this design for Fran - I think one place where aai really works is its character designs which are almost universally really well done and nice to look at visually. I like that she's a horse girl and you can tell. I like that it references her trilogy outfit but with a far less adult silhouette. It's just good.

[icycoldninja]

can i request dante with a half angel s/o? she has a trigger like the sparda families, except it's primarily used for healing - they are both devil hunters too.

Ah yes, great idea! It was a lotta fun writing this one, thanks for requesting. 💜 Hope you enjoy.

Dante x Half Angel S/O headcannons

-A devil and an angel's romance, a classic, almost always forbidden love story.

-Dante finds this hilarious as nothing about your relationship is forbidden--if anything, it's encouraged.

-You are one of the only person in the world who can tell Dante what to do. No matter what, no matter how crazy your request seems, Dante will carry it out.

-This unique skill leads everyone who meets you two to ship you as hard as anime fans ship their favorite couples.

-You and Dante going on missions together are like cookies and milk; you mesh together perfectly. He fights, you heal. You watch each other's backs, making you two the perfect duo.

-Dante used to be really worried that you'd get injured during missions, so he kept a close eye on you and always tried to stay close to you while keeping the enemy at bay--at least, until he saw your Angel Trigger.

-It occurred when he received a critical injury from a demonic sword. He went flying backwards and hit the ground, but unlike most of the time, he didn't get back up. He remained on the ground, still and unmoving. You panicked, racing over to him and channeling as much of your power into him as possible. Before you knew it, your form changed; you sprouted giant, feathery wings and your skin started glowing. Dante's eyes flew open in shock, and he beheld your radiant self in awe.

-From that point on, he never doubted your combat prowess again, and with extended practice, you learned to Trigger at will, much like how Dante's Devil Trigger works.

-Your Angel Trigger has the power to heal any and all wounds in a matter of seconds, regardless of the magnitude or location of the injury. It's a very handy ability that is more than appreciated during missions.

-When you're in your Trigger, you emit a lot of light, meaning that in extreme cases (like when Dante forgets to pay the utility bills again) you can function as a living lamp when the power's out.

-Loves to rub his face in your wings cause they're just so fluffy!

-When he has nightmares/gets too drunk and starts remembering bad memories from his past, he will snuggle up with you because your presence comforts him.

-He can't explain it, there's just something about you that soothes and relaxes him. Must be attributed to your angelic blood...

[sonic-4-episode-ii]

(bit of uhhh systemphobia/ableism in this one. interalized. shadow isnt actually ableist hes just bad a grieving)

tbh at first i dont think shadow would know what a system is

like sure, he grew up in a medical environment... but that doctoring was focused pmuch exclusively on physical disabilities, not mental illnesses.

even if he did find a DSM-I or something, he wouldnt have heard anything abt DID. though there are reports of it going back literal hundreds of years, they only got the proper term for it in like 2013, and it was pmuch nowhere in the dsm until recently.

even then, so so so many people act like it doesnt exist. like it isnt legit. even now, and especially back then.

i think that would cause shadow a lotta frustration. he tries to race sonic, just to be hit w 'sonic' aaying smt like "im sorry, love, hes not at front today. i can relay the message, though!"

tbh i think shadow would get pissed. that IS sonic. its his face, his body, his voice - ignoring the completely different tone used, one shadows never heard him use, one that barely sounds like him at all - so why is who is clearly sonic acting like they aren't?

they badger tails about it later, who gives them a straight answer they refuse. they interrogate knuckles, who tells them the massive history of DID in his tribe, which shadow completely ignores. annoyed (confused) tired (desperate) they go to amy, who tells them that - well, when sonic was a kid, he wasnt safe, so his brain split and made new parts of him that could help make him safe. now that he is safe, though, his brain still makes new parts, for any reason it wants - or thinks it needs to.

despite how clear these answers were, shadow wouldnt accept a single one of them.

sonic the hedgehog is one person. one concept. one thing.

a guy who loves adventure.

he is not the villain of his own story. he is not so sickeningly sweet it surprises even his little sibling. he is not so cruel and antisocial that he leaves people behind for months, refusing to talk for any reason other than personal amusement.

he is annoying. he is bothersome. he is pushy, and loud, and deeply immature.

he is frozen in time.

when shadow met him, he was all of these things. he still is. he always will be. he doesn't change. he doesn't grow.

amy grew two feet taller and has a part-time job, tails grew three feet and looks like an entirely new person. knuckles adopts a new fashion style every month.

sonic doesn't change. he has new clothes, but they're the same style he's had them in since they first met. he has a new cane, but that's just an accessory, it's nothing unique, it doesn't mean anything.

he's a superhero wannabee, a one-trick pony, the same phrase repeated over and over and over again.

maria used to tell shadow she saw monsters. not just the regular ones under the bed or in the closet, but standing in the hallway and staring at her, whispering gibberish nonsense words until she ran away, trying not to cry.

sonic told him that it has schizophrenia, apparently. some kinda mental disorder 'categorized by hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinkin' and behavior, and flat or inappropriate affect'.

he laughed. maybe a little maniacally.

'how's that for flat?'

shadow said it absolutely was inappropriate. sonic challenged him to a race. shadow told him only if you're prepared to lose, and the two fought for hours.

they did this constantly. at least once a week. 'enjoying' each other's presence, battling their way to the top.

this routine has been changed. shattered. because one day, sonic just wasn't home.

he could grow. he could change.

he could leave

but, half a week later, he comes back, running up from behind shadow as he takes a cruise on the dark rider, scaring the shit out of him by nearly running backwards into a building

it says it heard about that race he wanted. shadow tells him the offer's off. not taking no for an answer, it says it invites him to a race.

he accepts.

[obscureaestheticist]

DC & MARVEL are awful at publishing their own amazing stories...

Read some western comics for the first time in a while this year. I wanted to start reading more in general anyway so I added comics and manga to the list. HOOOOOOOOO GGGAAAD DAYUM some of this stuff is good! I wanted to start with DC's Absolute & Marvel's New Ultimate. I've read mostly DC but have never fully gotten into a series or mini series before. These new books were meant to be jumping on points for newcomers so I wanted to give it a try.

And I gotta say... these need more attention... By their own publishers, I mean.

Even though I only really started in the last 3 months of the year, I get peoples frustrations with these being monthly releases and the fact that a lot these you HAVE to buy individually and not part of a magazine or some other form of collective release. At least until a volume release. On top of that these are NOT easy to find, not where I live, and not online either. You need a subscription service for the digital releases and you need to find a comic book shop to even buy it physical. These aren't cheap either! If I wanted to buy, say, a manga volume's worth of issues to try and catch up, its almost 5x that of a cheap physical manga volume. And the only place you're going to be getting a volume of some of these is at a book store, not a comic shop, just because there's way more bookstores generally. By the time those volumes have released there's no gaurantee the series that you like is even still running, because they havn't made it easy to even find these to read and it might've been cancelled due to low sales. So that leaves me with a problem... I either cave in and get a subscribtion or I pirate it. I'm poor af, of course I'm going to pirate it. MOST people will. Except they won't because barely anybody knows these comics even exist. There's little to NO marketing around any of these comics. Seriously, why aren't these in a magazine?! Why aren't these easily veiwable digitally? I don't want a subscription service just to look at a few books. I'm DONE with subscription services. Even if it's just a website where you pay to read online per series, or even throwing these into webtoon behind a paywall, it'll be infinitly better. At least that way people actually get to see the amazing work they're putting out there. And... yeah, the monthly wait on these is agonising. If the wait cannot be shortened then a weekly magazine is needed DESPERATELY, because there is NOTHING in the way of audience interaction for newcomers except a very limited fandom which might be gone in a few months just cause the series could be up and cancelled at the snap of their fingers. Their websites suck... Like, straight up, they suck. Nothing unique or stylised about them, not even a bit of background music or some flare, it's trailers for games, movies, and TV. Theres not even viewer guides for comics, bits of info on the world, or even those silly "who is the strongest/fastest/richest,etc" graphics like in old magazines. there's no fun. It's painful because the stuff thats out there is genuinly good. A lotta bad, certainly, but the recent stuff is thoroughly engaging. Another thing, the issue 1 crisis. If you don't know what this is, it's publishers resetting issues back to number 1 to bump up the price. It's disgusting. Especially when it makes it a NIGHTMARE to try and find the series you're looking for... and its same name as 8 other series only seperated by a date. THESE NEED TITLES! I was reading Ultimate Black Panther and Black Panther recently... Or rather, NEW Ultimate Black Panther: T'Challa vs. The Moon Knight, and Black Panther[2023]: A King Without A Crown. The naming alone causes frustrations when trying to navigate and find a story you might actually like. King Without A Crown is a title I just made up for the 2023 release. Its a great story, the art is some of the best I've seen in any comic. And the premise is very enganging, about T'Challa having been exiled from Wakanada, returned to watch over it as a secret protector and trying to reconnect with the people in places he believed he'd overlooked. To try and deepen his understanding as a king, and as protector of his country. It's Cyberpunk Crime Thriller Sci-Fi with a mix of central African mysticism. It even comes with an official map.

It got cancelled. Only lasted 10 issues... New Ultimate X-Men / Secret Society X Men is a shojo horror mystery set in japan inspired by major works of J-Horror... and it's FREAKIN' X-MEN Nobody talkin' about it. New Ultimate Spider-Man is about Peter, married to MJ, Father of 2, becoming Spider-Man after receiving word from the future that he was supposed be a hero and that it was taken from him, and Uncle Ben is alive in this... Nobody talkin' about it. New Ultimate Black Panther is kinda slow but it's about 2 warlords trying to infiltrate and take over wakanda who are posing as this world's versions of Konshu & Ra and leads to a greater conspiricy about Vibranium itself. Nobody talkin' about it. I LOVE the absolute series. I'm a DC fan, but these Marvel works also need more love, like... guys. Not to mention Spider-Man and Ult X-Men is fanfic and fanart GOLD! LIKE GET ON THIS SH!T NOW! There are other big issues i've got with western comics but I wanted to talk about it's accessibility. I love comics and manga a lot, it was what got me to start reading in the first place, and I want these cool stories to continue in a way that is like, actually enjoyable. I wanna talk about these with people, but there's no point if nobody is out there to enjoy it with. In the meantime, if you like these stories but can't afford them, make fanwork of it. Fiction, prose, poetry, art, music, silly comments, anything. Same goes for Manga and Indie works that you like. Don't let a company's incompetence stifle your ability to enjoy art that has ACTUAL passion behind it.

[sushiwriterhere]

top gun threesomeissance 2023 masterlist

wow y'all!!! i'm so sorry for how late this is but you guys blew me away with each of these pieces. thank you to everyone who wrote, read, reblogged, liked, commented, and just in general encouraged their friends to write. so much love, and i hope everyone enjoyed!! now, in no particular order...... the masterlist:

bradley, jake, x f!reader

Up the Ante - @sometimesanalice Rooster had heard the whispers. He knew what the stories were about- the ones that had followed him and Hangman around for years. You, however, are more than happy to find out for yourself if all the rumors were true.

jake, f!reader, x f!reader's friend

You and Me and She Makes Three - @roosterforme Jake had feelings for you. And that was a problem, because he didn't do relationships. He was going to have to choose his independence over being with you. At least that's what he thought until he was presented with the opportunity to enjoy you and his freedom at the same time. 

bob, jake, x reader

three tender lovers - @sebsxphia bob proposes a solution to jake’s remarks to the marks on bob’s back. all three of you find resolution and something else. love.

(im)Patiently Waiting - @callsign-cacti You and Bob have been dancing around one another for years. Now, with Jake and Bob eyeing each other, you have a plan. Hopefully, it ends with both of them in your bed... or any bed.

mickey, bob, x f!reader

Two Turns Into Three - @foreverrandomwritings You and your boyfriend Fanboy propostion your close friend Bob with a threesome request.

javy, bradley, x f!reader

Merrier the More - @sylviebell Jake strikes out at the bar, but you hit a couple of home runs

javy, natasha, x reader

The Last Unicorn - @thedroneranger Getting caught between Natasha and Javy leads to a unique experience.

javy, mickey, x f!plus size!reader

"It was always gonna end this way" - @briseisgone [no author written summary but!] smut, polyamory, boys being bisexual boys, and a whole lotta fun

beau, jake, x f!reader

The Magic Number - @wkndwlff Beau and his fiancé discover the magic of threes.

[fangxin-guoshi]

I'm like so late but here's my two cents on the whole Levi reviving Armin instead of Erwin thing (more like me just obsessing over how much I love Levi's character xD)

So obviously Erwin is the most logical choice, and even Levi admits that himself several times.

Like everyone is aware that objectively, Erwin would've probably been most effective as an asset to their goal (armin ofc did a great job but they don't KNOW that yet). But Levi decides to revive Armin not because he necessarily chose Armin to live, but because he chose Erwin to die, as was stated. He wanted Erwin to be at peace.

While I think most characters in aot are very caring, it's displayed very uniquely with Levi bc it's not just a character trait he has, it's the thing that makes him who he is (it's also why I find the scene where Zeke forces him to fight the scouts he transformed into titans particularly brutal. Because out of every character, that is the absolute WORST situation for specifically Levi to be in). At any other point in the story, he's never made a selfish decision. He always prioritizes the mission, humanity's survival, first.

Letting Erwin die is both a very selfish and selfless decision. Selfish because he prioritizes Erwin's peace above humanity's survival, but also selfless because he cares about Erwin enough to not drag him back into the fight.

I think Erwin trusted Levi with the injection not only because he had the best chance of surviving, but also because he knows Levi is both capable of hard, logical decisions and compassionate ones as well. If the injection were given to Hange for example, they would've chosen Erwin because it's the logical thing to do. They say so too when agreeing w Armin.

That doesn't make them uncaring obviously. Making logical, sometimes difficult decisions and understanding the bigger picture is why they were commander. I also used to think Hange would've been a better choice to entrust the injection with, but now that I'm thinking about it, Levi being a very kind person is precisely why he's the best choice.

To bring someone back to life, or to let someone die can't exactly be a purely logical and objective decision just based on how useful they are. These are people's LIVES. You can't just measure them on a scale against each other. You need to understand the responsibility and have the emotional capacity to make such a severe decision. It requires a great deal of care and consideration for the person(s) in question, aka a whole lotta empathy, which I think Levi demonstrates.

He has very unique relationships with both Erwin and Armin and KNOWS them. Not just their intelligence that's useful, but their motivations, dreams, etc. which are more emotional factors, but definitely were still worth considering in his mind.

(omfg I love his character sm someone lock me away i-)

[braxiations]

Hylics Analysis - The Significance of Hylem and the Afterlife

Hi, and welcome to another Hylics analysis! I’m hesitant to call it a theory because I’ll spend the majority of this post going over what I believe to be the canon intent. Most of this stuff is, in my opinion, pretty grounded, but I’ve seen so little discussion about it online. I aim to unpack the ways hylem unexpectedly appears in Hylics, its importance to the overall story, and what its true source may be.

Hylethems

The first, and really only direct mention of hylem comes from some workers in the caves of New Muldul. The workers are seen cutting away at pink cave formations called hylethems. Specifically, they cut away at odd tendrils protruding from the hylethems presumably called fronds (which is what they’re called internally.) The fronds themselves writhe, indicating that they may be alive. The minecarts of the miners are full of these fronds. One of the miners describes hylethems as “hylem-rich cave formations.” Another, crucially, says the following:

“Glove lathing. Burrito synthesis. All starts with hylethems. Find a rich vein, translates to a lotta bones. Lotta bones.”

This gives us two uses for hylem or hylethem fronds. The fact that the fronds are what’s being harvested might suggest they’re the items of value, not hylem itself, but this is pretty unclear. Maybe the fronds are full of the hylem? Really, the two might as well be synonymous for our analysis today.

While we’re here, I’d like to take the time to clear up a piece of dialogue that I see confuse people, being an NPC in New Muldul that describes the town’s primary industry as “calthemite husbandry.” I’ve seen people attribute the word “calthemite” to both insects and juice beasts, but calthemites are a real thing: they’re cave formations. Given that the harvesting of hylethems is shown in New Muldul, I think it’s safe to say that’s what they’re talking about here.

Standard uses of hylem

Hylem is stated to have two uses: burrito synthesis and glove lathing, though the wording of miner’s speech suggests they might have many more. Burrito synthesis is odd but rather self-explanatory, and implies hylem might have healing properties for both flesh and will (this’ll be important later.) Glove lathing is more interesting. “Lathe” and “lathing” have multiple, kind of convoluted meanings, but its usage here suggests either coating or shaping the gloves. This could either mean the gloves are coated in hylem, likely as a liquid, or the gloves are cut out of pleather and shaped by… the fronds? It’s really unclear. 

The description of the tendril hand item is “The people of Mocetul shun lathing, and for gloves rely on other processes.” The long gloves are also described as “standard gestural combat garbs.” It seems clear that gloves are what enable the use of gestures, but whether or not lathing is responsible for this is questionable. The fact that the tendril hand was made without lathing suggests hylem isn’t critical to the use of gestures, however it might imply that it's the usual process that enables them. Regardless, lathing is clearly common and important and hylem is what allows it to happen.

What’s a Hylemxylem anyway?

Ah, the Hylemxylem, Gibby’s associated fortress. Before we discuss it, let’s take a look at its name. First is the word “hylem,” which is a term unique to Hylics (and also apparently the name of a music artist,) and “xylem.” In simplified terms, xylem is a sort of transport tissue within plants that takes in and distributes water and minerals throughout the plant. With this in mind we can basically translate the word “Hylemxylem” into “thing that takes in hylem.”

[Before we move on, I want to suggest an origin for the word “hylem.” This is largely conjecture on my part, but I believe Mason knew he wanted Gibby’s fortress to absorb a substance and wanted to use the word “xylem” in there. Needing a name for the substance and wanting it to rhyme, he added the “-lem” suffix. To complete it, he took from the game’s own title: Hylics. Why would he do this? Well, as we’ve seen glimpses of, hylem might be very, very important to the nature of this world.]

So, the Hylemxylem xylems hylem, that much seems pretty clear. With this in mind we can identify the pink goop flowing throughout the hylemxylem.

Seen throughout the hylemxylem is this strange, pink liquid, highly resembling that seen in the Afterlife. It fills many of the rooms, spews out of spouts, and appears to flow into the fortress via the tubes descending down into the waters. It’s this very liquid, described as “the terrestrial juice,” that Gibby floats in before his transformation. This, as implied by the name “Hylemxylem” itself, is hylem. But where does all this hylem come from? Of course, it’s possible that the tubes of the Hylemxylem bore into the ground, sapping hylem away from the Hylethems. However, we don’t need to speculate on this. In one of the few changes to the environment during the course of Hylics 2, we see where the tubes lead…

The Afterlife

That’s right. A detail I see often overlooked is that, after the raising of the Hylemxylem, many tubes appear in the Afterlife, each flowing with the pink substance that comprises the sea, up into the sky. These tubes only appear after the ‘Xylem is raised, implying they’re the very tubes pumping hylem into the fortress. A quick glance at the game’s internals confirms this, calling them “Afterlife Xylem Columns.” I really hope this isn’t ambiguous at this point: the pink liquid within the Hylemxylem is the same liquid that fills the Afterlife.

Thanks to Happy/S For Sprinkles for this photo! Also, it's a lot easier to see in-game that these tubes are flowing with the sea's liquid. You can pretty clearly see it flowing upwards.

Now, this leads me to two conclusions I hope you find reasonable:

Wait, we very clearly see the tubes of the ‘Xylem go into the ocean. Is the Afterlife in the ocean? Maybe in some weird bubble? That’d explain why there are fish flopping around in H1. Maybe it’s an underwater cave??

More relevantly, if the pink goo in the Hylemxylem is hylem, and the pink goo in the Hylemxylem is also the Afterlife goo, that must mean the Afterlife goo is hylem. X = Y and Z = Y. Therefore X must equal Z.

This is, to me at least, super interesting. Despite never being outright stated, it is very, VERY heavily implied that the sea of the Afterlife is hylem. This sea’s strange waters, mind you, comprises the pools and fountains we fall into to reach the Afterlife. It also comprises the sea that spits us out when we die. If it is true that X = Y = Z, then hylem is not only responsible for the burritos we eat, the gloves we use, or the seemingly the ascension of Gibby, but also for the repeated reincarnation of our party members. Remember how I earlier noted that burritos, synthesized from hylem, heal flesh and will? Well, that may be an extension of the life giving, healing properties of hylem as found in the Afterlife! That’s why, I believe, Mason named the substance of hylem after the games themselves. Without hylem, the story of the games wouldn’t be possible. It's a foundational element to the world itself.

This also explains the weird fixation the game has on hylem. While Mason might have some worldbuilding hidden in random item descriptions or one or two sets of NPC dialogue (the only piece of non-relevant worldbuilding mentioned more than once being Amulom,) hylem has 5, completely separate NPCs that talk about it upright (not even counting the other NPCs that talk about calthemites.) Hylethem fronds are even seen scattered around the places that Smuldunde visits for some strange reason. This conclusion, that hylem enables the events of the game, explains why; it isn’t irrelevant worldbuilding. Hell, you could even view the hylethems being mentioned so early on as foreshadowing for the Hylemxylem itself and Gibby’s ascension from the terrestrial juices. Like the ‘Xylem does, it seems likely that hylelthems sap hylem away from the Afterlife!

Conclusion

So, that concludes the analysis! Hylem is a powerful substance that enables the use of gloves and burritos, sustains the Hylemxylem, and allowed Gibby to ascend. Given the evidence we have, I think this is the conclusion intended by Mason himself. Perhaps we were all intended to figure this out on our own, but the abstract and indirect story-telling method of Hylics 2 obscured this. Hell, I’ve seen a ton of misconceptions about the Accretion despite things the game pretty directly shows us. Maybe I should make a post about that? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! I might make an addendum to this post as well going over some specific ideas like how the Moon might have processed hylem and why only Gibby ascends through it. After that I’ll probably cover either the symbols used in the world of Hylics or some speculation on Viewax. I might even put up a poll on which I should cover first!

[ask-indigo-park-swapped]

==> MOLLIE: Talk to your friends!

[Rambley]

MOLLIE: RAMBLEY! HI!!! RAMBLEY: OH! HI MOLLIE!!! MOLLIE: Helpin' with supplies, Rambley? RAMBLEY: Of course!!! You know me, always doing something to help! MOLLIE: Of course, of course! MOLLIE: What'dya think of the Isles so far? RAMBLEY: Ah... I'd say it's just below the Swamplands for worst safety violation ever. MOLLIE: Hah! Not liking the heights, huh~? RAMBLEY: Nope! But, at least this place has a distinct lack of corrosive acid. That's more than I can say for the Swamplands. MOLLIE: Fair enough. MOLLIE: Say, have you seen Salem around? RAMBLEY: Huh? No, I think they decided to stay behind at Aviary Station. Something about making more potions. MOLLIE: Ah, that's a shame. I'd have liked to explore with someone from Aviary.

RAMBLEY: Here we go! RAMBLEY: Sorry, Mollie! I gotta run supplies now! See you later! MOLLIE: Bye, Rambley!

=> Ask about how the Isles float MOLLIE: Rambley, do you know what makes the isles float? RAMBLEY: Hmm... RAMBLEY: Well, the Isles are still mostly unexplored, so I don't have a lot of information yet - but I have a theory! MOLLIE: Oh? RAMBLEY: Yep! I bet that the reason the Isles float is... gems! MOLLIE: Gems? RAMBLEY: Yep! The scouts kept finding these dark, iridescent gems on a bunch of items and even in some walls in the Isle ruins. They don't match any other gems, so I bet they're magic or something! MOLLIE: Hmm... RAMBLEY: I bet they got some... anti-gravity enchantment or something, or maybe it's just something about the gems in particular that lets them float! Negative mass! En-cloud-er! MOLLIE: But what about the smaller islands? I don't think those have gems. RAMBLEY: Yeah, that's why I only have theories. The smaller islands float just as easily as the main island, but there doesn't seem to be a consistent reason why RAMBLEY: Maybe there's some artifact inside that causes the floating, but I have never heard of an enchantment that strong. So for now, my best theory is gems.

[Trader]

MOLLIE: G'mornin', Trader! Suprised to see you out of the Snow Line. TRADER: Ah, good greetings reckless one. You wish to trade? MOLLIE: No ma'am, I just wanted to say hello. Maybe hear any rumours about the Isles? TRADER: Hmm, we do trade for knowledge... TRADER: ... an explorer returned during early dawn. Having come from deeper within, the explorer had been telling stories about what ey've seen during eir expedition. TRADER: These ruins may have once been cult grounds. MOLLIE: Aw feathers, another dead cult? At least it's in a cool place this time, and not just some spot in the woods. TRADER: If that is all, we would ask you to leave. MOLLIE: Ah right, I'm holding the line. See you around, Trader! TRADER: Likewise.

[Ruta]

MOLLIE: Hey, Ruta! Excited to adventure in a new place? RUTA: Good morning, Mollie. I am very excited to explore the Isles. It was prohibited for exploration for so long I am required to be excited to explore. MOLLIE: We're like birds of a feather, you and me! You, me, and a whole flock'a folks. RUTA: Yes! This Outpost is very crowded with explorers! Even the scouts that explored this area are going back in. MOLLIE: Whoa, really? RUTA: Yes. These ruins are quite unique after all. MOLLIE: I heard that not a lotta scouts were let in though, only flyers like avians. Wouldn't they have explored this place top to bottom already? RUTA: No. Remember that scouts only do a quick sweep over areas. More in-depth explorations like what we do are very different, and with such a new area there are bigger risks of harmful traps that were missed. MOLLIE: It sounds like you got some advice to give, Ruta. RUTA: Correct. RUTA: Be more watchful of traps, Mollie, there is no guarantee that they are safe. In addition, do not count only on your wings for escape. MOLLIE: ... MOLLIE: ... is that it? RUTA: Hm? MOLLIE: I mean, your advice is usually more ominous than that. I already know to be careful of traps, and it's not like I only got my wings. I brought by grappling gun, and emergency rope, and a buncha other stuff. RUTA: My apologies that my advice is disappointing. Nevertheless, I must continue my preparations. Take care on your journey, Mollie, and good luck! MOLLIE: Good luck on your own adventure, Ruta! I'll keep your advice in mind!

Mollie decides she idled around enough - she is itching for some adventure!

Mollie enters the TETHERED ISLES. ==>

[tobiasdrake]

Have you read the Dragon Ball Super manga? You've stated in the past that you're more of a fan of the original manga than the anime adaptation, so I was curious what your thoughts are on the current continuation of Toriyama's original manga, seeing as how the manga had some Toriyama supervision and was based on his notes.

While I do prefer the manga to the anime, I will say that both versions of Dragon Ball Super are hit-or-miss. There are basically three creatives at work with DBS.

Toriyama, up until his passing, would write story notes and some individual plot points down and pass them off to Toei and to Toyotaro. Lotta To- names floating around Dragon Ball.

...he said with no sense of self-awareness at all.

But this is Toriyama twenty or thirty years later, so he's not exactly the same creator that wrote the original manga. His memory of his own work has drifted; For instance, while writing Battle of Gods, he forgot that Super Saiyan 2 even existed and thought SSJ3 was SSJ2.

It had been a long time for him. He only got back into Dragon Ball because Dragon Ball: Evolution pissed him off. Explaining in the 30th Anniversary Super History Book:

"Dragon Ball once became a thing of the past to me, but after that, I got angry about the live action movie, re-wrote an entire movie script, and now I'm complaining about the quality of the new TV anime, so it seems that DB has grown on me much that I can't leave it alone."

The movie script he rewrote was, of course, Battle of Gods.

Famously, after seeing Evolution, Toriyama basically marched into Toei to see what they were making, ripped up the script for Battle of Gods, and rewrote the whole thing. He was just. So. Incensed. By Hollywood's butchering of his work.

So, in a twisted way, we have Dragon Ball: Evolution to thank for the resurrection of the Dragon Ball brand. I know, it's so weird.

This was Toriyama's formal return to the world of Dragon Ball after decades of just writing little story bits here and there or designing a character or two. Though just writing story bits here or there is more or less what he settled back into with Super. Toriyama would write notes about what he wanted to happen and deliver them to Toei and to Toyotaro, and the two would separately interpret those notes into their own vision.

You can tell what's from Toriyama versus what's from Toei or Toyotaro based on what plot points end up being hit by both versions versus what's unique to one interpretation or the other.

So, this:

Gohan facing down the fused Kefla and sacrificing himself in a double KO to take her off the field? That's Toyotaro.

Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken? That's Toei.

Goku has never kissed Chi-Chi in 20+ years of marriage because he's aroace and they're basically playing house for keeps? That's Toriyama.

Android 17 being the key factor in winning the Tournament of Power because his Android energy can't be sensed the way ki can, that's something that came down from Toriyama. 17 pretends to self-destruct using the bomb he doesn't have anymore; The one Krillin once used Shenron to remove from him.

But Toei has 17 emerge for the fight with Jiren, so he can briefly join Goku and Frieza in fending Jiren off - before they tell him to fuck off because he's not supposed to be in this scene.

While Toyotaro has him remain hidden under his cloak of ki-sensing invisibility for a last-second surprise.

But like I said before: Writing Dragon Ball again after twenty years away out of spite towards a bad American production, Toriyama isn't the same creative he was when this was all fresh and new and exciting. He was just as prone to characterization slip-ups and questionable decision-making as Toei and Toyotaro are.

I mean. That was even happening in the original manga. Remember that time when any part of the Android arc honestly? Good times. Nobody's perfect.

So, like I said, with Super, it's really hit or miss on both sides. Sometimes Toriyama's collaborations with Toei give us the heartwarming and beautiful friendship relationship between Broly and his new pals Cheelai and Leemo.

Or this. Especially this.

Nothing in Dragon Ball has ever, EVER been as funny as when Goku and Vegeta made Frieza hold the line against Broly, a nemesis Frieza brought to Earth to kill Goku and Vegeta. Taking advantage of his berserker rage in the most comical and beautifully karmic way possible to buy them time to work out the Fusion Dance.

And sometimes they give us yet another version of the Gotenks failed fusion joke they need to flog like a dead horse every single time a Fusion takes place in any piece of media they have ever produced.

DO YOU REMEMBER THAT TIME DO YOU REMEMBER DO YOU FUCKING REMEMBER THAT TIME IT WAS SO FUNNY DO YOU REMEMBER IT

That is Fusion Reborn, Yo Son Goku and Friends Return, DBS: Broly, and DBS: Super Hero in order.

And for his part, sometimes Toriyama's collaborations with Toyotaro gives us Goku lighting the fuck up like Spirit Korra.

And sometimes it gives us Vegeta learning how to teleport from the Yardratians but then immediately swearing off ever using it again because... I guess the move has Goku's cooties on it or something.

"Vegeta, you can teleport!"

"No, I cannot! I demand divergent character evolution from this manga so I will forever forego ever learning the cool and useful techniques that you use, Kakarot. What do you mean my dialogue sounds like a fourth-wall breaking author screed?"

This is honestly one of my "favorite" things that ever happens in Super. Vegeta refuses to learn Ultra Instinct, the ultimate martial art of the gods taught by Whis, and demands another path to the same kind of power that does not exist.

Then Beerus, a character who has long been established as vastly inferior to Whis, is like "Wanna learn this other thing that's just as good as Whis's thing I swear?" and helps Vegeta learn a new art where he... *checks notes* ...lets his opponent punch him in the face without defending himself until he dies.

This is where you end up when your mission statement is to not do the things that actually work for the intelligent martial artist and instead do the opposite out of spite. You end up with a fighting style that's built around losing fights on purpose.

Toyotaro somehow manages to shill the hell out of Vegeta and downplay Goku while also making Vegeta look like the most useless idiot ever. Ultra Ego is the worst transformation in the history of Dragon Ball and I'm convinced that Beerus helped Vegeta develop this as a prank.

He's up there right now laughing his ass off.

So. Yeah. There's a lot to like but also a lot to not like about both versions of Super. It's very different from what the original manga is, and it has very different pluses and minuses between the two versions. But there are some gems to be found here.

And the biggest gem is this guy.

[novantinuum]

Fandom: Steven Universe Rating: Explicit (Chapter 3 is M rated, though) Words: 6.3K~ Summary: A uniquely charged encounter in Rose’s Room forces Steven to contend with matters of attraction and desire he never could have predicted for himself. To what extreme is he willing to journey in fulfilling these burgeoning fantasies? And in what ways will such an experience forever transform him? (One thing’s for sure, though… once Connie’s brought into the loop, the most intimate dynamics of their marriage will never be the same.)

Here we go! All of my pre-written stuff for this story is now live.

This update is a Steven and Connie centric debrief chapter to bridge between the last one and what I have planned for the next. My GOD, can one conversation last for a long time, ahah. The two just didn't want to stop chattering XD

Be aware, this fic is primarily Stevencest in nature. It’s also about Connverse, and was born out of my desire to (ultimately) have Steven’s components and Connie work out some of their past traumas within the context of the bedroom… but the bottom line is, if you’re not open to the base concept of Steven’s components developing romantic feelings for each other, then this probably ain’t for you.

Due to this story’s explicit nature, I will not be crossposting the entire thing as I do with my other fics- please follow the link to AO3 if you’re interested in checking it out. I have also listed all of the additional tags under the cut for convenience so you can make an informed decision before you click through or not. These tags cover what the pre-written chapters 1-3 will be about.

Enjoy!

Additional Tags: Aged-Up Character(s), Character Study, Trauma, Light Angst, Language, Rose’s Room, Selfcest, Explicit Sexual Content, Uncircumcised Penis, Masturbation, Corruption scars, Porn with Feelings, Blow Jobs, Alien genitalia, Oral Sex, A whole lotta headcanons about how Steven operates as a strange hybrid fusion, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

[funnyscienceman]

do you think mages in runeterra ever feel shitty about being different from their peers. do you think the idea of being less than human or more than human or not entirely human or not even being counted as human kinda just chips away at their mental? how does it feel like to be looked at as dangerous or weird just because you can — what, flick water over from the stream to a bowl because you have a natural connection to it? because you can feel the potential for fire in the air if the right gasses or materials hit at just a certain spot? well what the hell do you mean you can't feel it? is that supposed to make you distinct from human?

i get the whole thing abt superpowers being a bad or inaccurate metaphor for IRL minorities bec the entire reason irl discrimination is bad in the first place is because it's so arbitrary and made up of lies and hatred and fear, but runeterra is literally just the words magic earth. magic is normal for runeterra. magic is literally the air and the trees and the sky and the ground. some people are connected to it, some are not, and that's fine. maybe we don't know why or how mages and non-mages happen but does the reason matter so much as whether or not a person's gonna be shitty about it?

i keep thinking about graves not having even 1 hint of a superpower, just a guy with a gun and a lotta grit, and about that devt video for the A New Dawn short where they wanted him to be completely unfazed by the magic and the spectacle. and there's twisted fate beside him, whose magic is totally unique from every other champion in the roster; we have no idea where it comes from, why it is the way it is, all that stuff — we just know that twisted fate is a mage, he's got some kind of gift of prophecy or omniscience or something to that effect, he channels it all through cards… and he just uses it to scam people and steal shit. same as anyone who's equipped with lockpicks or knives or their own wits instead.

sona's story implies demacia doesn't really have its own sign language, or at least the prejudice against magic is so deeply ingrained that sign language could be mistaken for performing magic, and so she can't really communicate comfortably with her family in public. and it's like, jesus christ, at that point exactly how many steps is that from assuming someone's summoning demons just because they're not speaking english?

arcane season 2's story is so weird to me because of this. like what exactly is the arcane? is it a separate type of force from spiritual magc, celestial magic, elemental, all that stuff? it uses runes, is it rune magic then, the stuff ryze works with? in brand's short story, ryze describes magic as wanting to be used, so i guess it wouldn't be too far off

how is it like to be a plain human in runeterra? nevermind piltover and zaun and demacia, ionia seems to be doing fine, right? noxus is just like yeah, use whatever skills and talents you have at your disposal. magic or tech or weaponry or whatever, glory for noxus smth smth. half the bilgewater cast is normal people with guns rather than magic or spooky fish stuff so it can't be all that bad

there wasnt really a point to this it's just 3am and league lore is rotting my brain. i think canonizing arcane was a mistake. or at least it wouldn't have been if riot realized they could just leave it at s1 and seamlessly integrate it into existing lore but like fuck all of that i guess. writing that first paragraph felt like describing transness but with extra steps so im now declaring both TF and taliyah as trans. you can try prying that from my cold dead hands.

[tekkenjournalist]

So, Tekken 8 come out tomorrow.

So, here is the scoop.

If you want to play a fighting game this is the one you should get, straight up. Its jam packed full of really fun stuff to do. Its 3 dimensional and its like a really cool action movie, and there are very many cool characters.

Things there are:

Story mode, which is like mortal kombats story mode but has some cool unique gameplay segments that arent just, like, fight and then cutscene and then fight and then cutscene. But theres still cutscenes, and theyre really good. Street fighters story mode is like a beat em up kinda thing but theres only like 18 cutscenes because theres 18 characters. Or some really small number like that.

So instead you got Tekken Ball

And this is a whole lotta fun and you can play it with your buddies so its not like some dumb like "Towers" thing thats like a shitty minigame you have to play.

And also you can customize your guy!

But its not like mortal kombat you can actually like fully pick and edit the color and stuff like that. It's a lot of fun to play dress up its a whole lotta fun to see what kinda crazy stuff people do with their guys haha.

It's really "the whole package" it even has cutscenes for the arcade mode for characters which is something most games arent even doing now a days. And theres 32 guys at the start which is more than most of the other games around right now even though theyve started adding more already.

And it's 3d!!! Its fully 3d and you can sidestep in either direction soooo its a LOT more deep and complex than 2d fighters just inherently. And thats before you get into the real potatoes of the game, its that, characters have like A HUNDRED moves minimum. Other games are doing like 30 moves MAX!!

Come on, what are you gonna do? NOT play tekken 8?

So I guess I'll see you in TEKKEN 8, new chaallenger!!!

[moondialdoodles]

*points at you* hoi :3

I've seen you talk bout a lotta things but nit Mario rpg so far! What makes it interesting to ya? What do ya enjoy about it? :3c

I’m so sorry for the very very long post you’re about to read.

This franchise has been everything to me ever since I first discovered it as a kid, to the point where I have most definitely obsessed over it for.. literally years at a time.

Full post under the cut due to length.

So! I’d known about these games since I was.. I want to say eight years old. I was obsessed with Mario ever since I had gotten my first console, the DSI, when I was six. I discovered the M&L series from YouTube, after begging my mom to let me watch videos there. From that point on, I discovered the game’s soundtracks, gameplay videos, etc. I’d watch them for hours on end, over and over. I was utterly hooked. Having Mario games with these cool new locations? New villains? The music that I could listen to for hours and hours on end?? An actual story? It was the best thing ever! A short time after discovering them, I discovered Mario roleplaying games on Roblox, which only fueled my love for the idea and games. Eventually I got my very first M&L game, Dream Team, on the year of release! I played it obsessively. Every day, every night, for hours and hours and hours. It never bored me. The characters had me fascinated, the humor made me giggle, just everything about the game was perfect to capture my mind, who already was obsessed with storytelling at the time. The bros themselves were the best part at first, thanks to me adoring their dynamic. I loved the games properly exploring their brotherly relationship, and how much they cared for eachother. It seeped into a lot of the stories that I’d written for them, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Really for the longest time the best part of the games to me was the bros. Though that didn’t last too long. At the age of fourteen, I’d gotten my hands on the Superstar Saga remake! After begging my parents to buy me the rest of the games, SSS was the very last game I needed to complete my collection.

This game

This game was my downfall.

If my obsession wasn’t bad before, this game started the true obsession. The environment, the characters, the music, the story, I loved it. Peasley was my favorite character out of the bunch, and he still is, of course. I never payed much attention to him until I saw the Royal brat in action. Yeahhh. Yeah. He had my heart. Smug, valiant, he somehow hit every mark for little ol me. That was the start of it all. From that point onwards, at the age of fifteen specifically, I started making a buttload of headcanons, lore to fill in the gaps, and finally, ocs. A lot of ocs. It turned into its own big ol story! It’s been now.. seven years of me doing this!! A lot’s happened, and I’ve grown a lot! Those stories have grown with me, and it’s honestly the thing I’ve poured most my heart into. It’s aged like milk, because yes, stories created when you were fifteen or sixteen aren’t gonna be the equivalent of picasso, but I still adore it and love it to bits. It’s my baby, I’ll die for that baby. It’s.. quite literally my own little love letter to the franchise and how much it’s shaped my life. My writing wouldn’t be the same without it, and neither would anything else. This franchise is a part of me, and always will be. With Brothership releasing soon, I can only see my little obsession growing.

The writing is so charming and goofy, and I have to thank the games for influencing me so much in that regard. They always make me laugh or smile, or feel so much. The animations add onto all of that, and make the game feel so… alive! The stories have always been so unique and fun, giving me years of thoughts and smiles, and the characters have always made me the happiest person alive.

M&L is my favorite franchise. It always will be. I’m so happy that I was able to discover it, and have so much of it shape my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today without it!

But, you wanted to hear why I liked M&L, so here you go! I think my favorite games in order tho have to be…

Superstar Saga, Dream Team, Bowser’s Inside Story, Partners in Time, and Paper Jam. I’ll see where brothership places when it releases!

I need to post my Mario stuff more, and maybe I’ll get to talk about all my silly things more often. If you’ve been my friend for any time at all, you know how much this franchise means to me. It’s.. a several hour long conversation, which a lot of them have had the misfortune of hearing.

Trust me, over 80 ocs and over a decade of obsessing over one little franchise does something to a girl.

Hope you enjoyed this read though, I’m glad to be able to share it with everyone!

[casually-salad]

Hey I noticed you said you were getting mean asks so I wanted to give you a nice one to counteract it! You have an amazing cute artstyle that lends so well to the horror aspect as it's so deceiving. The fluffiness of the designs is adorable and your Pinkie Pie is LITERALLY the cutest Pinkie I've ever seen (and I've been in the fandom since like 2011)!!! I love the queer rep too! Esp the polyamory. Rarely have I ever seen polyamorous mlp content in the past over a decade, so it's such a treat to see.

Something I've found so interesting with these horror MLP AUs is how much the bury your gays trope (sorta) happens. Normally it'd be a problem but in these AUs there's literally SO many other queer characters that it almost feels like queer folk are almost reclaiming the trope? It's fascinating to see!

Another thing I love with your AU is the focus on background ponies and OCs (but with the inclusions of that adorable Pinkie Pie). Usually in terms of bg ponies all you see in these AUs are Redheart, Cherilee, Derpy, Dr. Hooves, Lyra, and Bonbon imo. There's nothing wrong with any of them, but they're the main ones I've seen. So it's extremely refreshing to see characters other people haven't really used! It's unique!

At some point I might draw some fanart of your characters if I get the energy, I love them a lot even if I have trouble remembering names sometimes.

Oh and I like that you're responsive when fans have questions, so I hope you get other good messages too to fill your inbox with positivity!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH thats so niceys to me.......

i didnt get around to answering it for a bit because. i liked a little joy in my inbox (( and ive been a bit overwhelmed recently ))

i wanna say thank YOU for all the countless support youve given me for my funny little series, im happy to have you around!!!!!!! it makes me sooooo sad how often a lotta queer couples might just be used for drama ((appledashmylittleworms)) or constantlyyyy are getting murdered in front of eachother (( lyra and bonbon in like. every au )) it may be horrifying but love should prevail too!! it sucks to see a lotta stories just be one sided with everything, either they gotta have no ships because its scary or a bunch cuz its silly, you can do both!!!!!!!! i think bonds and relationships regardless of the types are really what make a story a story! and i know theres a lotta smack thrown at polyamory and it makes me so sad, i identified as poly for many years and although i dont anymore i think its CRAAAZY that people get so upset over it.... whats there to hate...... theres just more love for everyone.......

anyway- i just wanted to say thank you sooooo much for everything <3 and if you have any questions anytime id be happy to answer them, in inbox or comments or whichever works best for you!! im happy to engage and get people more immersed in my story! i know that i cant convey a everything perfectly (( thank my epic brain for that)) , i LOOOOVE answering questions. for real. i love quaestions. and although i may get nervous, please know i read everything and really appreciate it!!!!!!!!!!!1