#new name change less goo

[mauesartetc]

Redesigning Helluva Beelzebub

Hoo boy, roll up the sleeves for this one.

The Original

In my review of Helluva Boss 108, I mentioned that Beelzebub's character design put me in mind of how some DeviantArt kid's fursona might look. And... Yeah I stand by that statement. The most likely reason I can figure Viv Medrano wanted her to be dog-like was to make a reference to her Die Young music video, which featured an anthro wolf singing a Kesha song (for context, Kesha herself voiced Beelzebub and co-wrote a song for this episode).

But for those who are unaware, Beelzebub's traditional depiction looks nothing like this.

Really the only visual similarities the Helluva version shares with the Infernal Dictionary version are the insect wings, six limbs, and the crown thingy over the head. (At least I think that's a crown-? Kinda hard to tell on both counts.)

Bee's eyes get somewhat more insectoid later in the episode, but that feels like a cop-out. Wow, her eyes and colors changed. Totally a bug demon, right?

They had the same problem in Hazbin Hotel with Katie Killjoy, who's allegedly supposed to be a praying mantis but barely resembles one, even after her transformation.

I understand the desire for fresh takes on old figures, and taking creative liberties so the new interpretation doesn't feel generic. But the changes should at least make sense. By now it's pretty clear Viv couldn't care less about representing Ars Goetia demons faithfully, as demonstrated with Paimon, Andrealphus, and now Beelzebub. You could slap completely different names on these characters and it wouldn't change a thing. I posted this meme a while back but it's never been more relevant:

On top of that, what reason could there possibly be for the design to be this damn complex? Why did she need so many markings on her face? Why did she need so many layers of hair? Why did she need flowing goo for her hair, tail, and body, each requiring dedicated effects animation?

When it comes to a hand-drawn production, less is more. Any superfluous details on a character just make unnecessary work for the animators.

Anyway, here's what Viv has to say about it.

Alright, I'll admit: The lava lamp bit is a little clever. Basically it works as a regular stomach does, but on demonic steroids. But it wouldn't look so much like Viv's making this up as she goes if we'd seen Bee's stomach performing its intended function in the episode. Let her chow down on a giant piece of food (maybe that cotton candy she's been handing out-?) and swallow it, and let Loona (and the audience) see it dissolving in her transparent belly. As a general rule, if it's not shown or explained in the work itself, it's not canon. Like I've said before, Viv: Elaborate on the nuances in the story you're telling, not on social media.

Also, "Her ears are designed after beehives"? Wh...Wha? Ma'am have you ever seen a beehive.

(Hell, even if you told me the ears were inspired by the generic cartoon beehive we're all familiar with, I wouldn't have guessed. There's a difference between being subtle and being vague.)

I can kinda see it in the overall shape, but that's a very specific design inspiration that wasn't clear at all in the design itself. Same with the "animal trainer" thing: I never would have picked up on that if Viv hadn't pointed it out. If a character design doesn't visually convey all the necessary information, it's not a successful design. Show, don't tell. There's a communication breakdown between what Viv's telling us and what Bee's design shows us.

(It's possible she actually meant "Her ears are designed after honeycombs", but even then, each compartment has a specific pentagonal shape that's not coming across at all here.)

I also find it interesting that Bee and Loona have almost the exact same body type. Of course Viv's pretty infamous for samebody syndrome, but it's actually unnerving how similar these two are.

Might this be a reference to Vortex's "type"? Is this foreshadowing a relationship with Loona? Am I overthinking this? Yeah, probably. Viv's demonstrated a clear preference for tall, skinny body types over the years, so it's safer to assume that's the explanation. It's all aesthetics. It ain't that deep. Occam's Razor and all that.

Finally, Bee how the hell does your shirt work.

The Concept

So at this point it seems most logical to lean into the "bee" thing for the redesign, and scrap all the canine elements. As for the blobby hair and tail... yeeeah let's nix those too. We're going for a streamlined version that's easier to animate. And because I ignored the ringmaster look for my redesign of Asmodeus, it only makes sense to do the same for Bee's animal trainer vibe (what little there is) for the sake of consistency. I know this version of Hell has a circus theme with its highest-ranking demons, but there's never been an in-universe explanation for why that is.

Let's look at actual bees, then. A quick peek at Google has informed me that certain insect species have smaller, "simple" eyes (also known as ocelli), in addition to their compound eyes. In bees, this manifests as a triangular grouping of three beady eyes on top of the head.

In her Helluva Boss episode, Bee's full demon form has three eyes, which could be a reference to this triangular arrangement, plus her regular form has two spots on her forehead in addition to the third eye. So it's possible Viv actually did research for something. Pleasantly surprised on that front.

Next, the body. I've noticed that some folks find Bee's skinny body type refreshing, as the sin of gluttony is too often personified with fatness. And that's fair. That's valid. But consider this:

Imagine any Vivziepop character saying that about a chubby person. Imagine the series sending the message that fat people can be sexy too, and that they have worth outside of their appearance, enough for at least one character to consider them girlfriend material. That they're valued and appreciated regardless of this culture's beauty standards (which we know nothing about since the worldbuilding is as thin and flimsy as tissue paper, but whatever). Imagine if this show finally had a fat female character who wasn't relegated to the background. Don't know about y'all, but that would be refreshing to me. And when you take into account all the fat-shaming of a character who isn't even fat, portraying a fat character as attractive would be a nice change of pace for this show.

Now let's talk about clothing. In the episode, Bee's clothes show off a lot of her body, with a cutout crop top and short shorts. We can take a similar approach for the redesign (something that still shows off her chest, belly, and limbs, in keeping with the extroverted "party girl" persona), but that perhaps includes more queenly elements.

The Redesign

Because this is a redesign, many elements were already in place, but I still had to figure out how this character would look as a bee. Here's where the preliminary sketches came in. Lots of trial and error in this process.

Wrestling with this character's face got a lot easier once I realized I could mold it into a pentagonal shape akin to a honeycomb compartment. It took a few tries, but at last, I had a final sketch.

All that was left to do was test out some color combinations.

I tried a few different approaches, but in the end, this is the version I felt worked best.

I used many of the colors from the original, but pushed the orange much harder since orange is the symbolic color of gluttony as a sin. And overall it gives Bee a nice honey-ish look rather than the generic black and yellow we already see on so many bees in cartoons. I thought the colored outlines on her clothing would add a soft, feminine touch, as well.

And just for kicks, here's a quick sketch of her giant form, inspired by the Infernal Dictionary drawing of Beelzebub.

Conclusion

The canon version of this character exists in the form she does for no reason than to stroke her creator's ego. "Hey guys, remember when I animated that Kesha fan video? Remember how cool that was? Wanna see me foist this unnecessarily-complex character design on other animators while I take a victory lap?" I wouldn't mind so much if Viv animated any of this herself, but she didn't. I could almost excuse this if she had no animation experience and didn't know how much work it requires, but she does. The self-aggrandizing entitlement is just off the charts. But a nonsensical design is leagues better than a stolen one, so... brownie points for that, I guess.

[howlingday]

Jaune's Shampoo

Andromeda Gaia

"DAMMIT, NORA!" Jaune opened his shower door. As he exited, he noticed his body had drastically changed. Using a mixture of his shampoo and experimental goo found at the fiendish Dr. Merlot's laboratory, Nora had unwittingly created a mutagen just to prank her team leader.

Jaune stepped out of the shower and felt... weightless. He opened his eyes to find himself outside, staring into the night sky, but he saw more than that. He saw the shattered moon the same distance away, yet when he reached his hand to it, his arm was a column of blue with orange stars glittering across what used to be his skin. Flexing his fingers, he felt a power he'd not felt before.

"Brother, do you see this?" A voice said. Jaune turned to the voice and saw a yellow figure almost as tall as he. His face was featureless, save for the golden antlers atop his head. Jaune turned around to see the 'brother' mentioned.

"I do, Brother." The purple entity said, his features just as less with horns like that of a... a goat, maybe? Jaune wasn't sure. What Jaune was sure of, however, was the intention of the orb of energy building in the figure's hand. "Another trick of Salem's?"

"Nothing of Remnant's power could reach the stars." The golden figure answered, their own hand filled with energy. "Even if this thing does look like our collaborated effort."

"I..." Jaune gulped, or he thought he did, if his new body could allow. "My name is Jaune. Jaune Arc."

"It has a human name." The golden being said, his voice uplifted like it were filled with joy.

"It has a Remnant name." The dark being replied, his voice low and filled with revulsion.

"Then we shall clean the stars of this stain!" The brothers said in unison, their energies striking Jaune and swirling around his body. His body wracked with a pain he'd not felt before. It felt like his muscles spasmed with electricity while he was forced to curl to shield himself from the cold. Agony rocked his core. "And when this task is through, we shall return to Remnant to give them their just due."

At this point, Jaune thought of where he was only minutes ago. And even if they were minutes or centuries ago, they were memories he held fondly. He remembered Nora and Ren's bond. He remembered Yang's jubilance and Blake's... Blake-ness. He remembered Weiss' cold indifference that belied her empathy. He remembered Pyrrha's strength that complimented her kind nature. And he remembered Ruby's... everything; from her silver eyes to her innocent smile to everything else that made her so... important.

And he could not risk any of that to come to harm.

--------------------------------------------------

"Has anyone seen Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"Is he in the shower?" Nora asked, almost bouncing with excitement.

"No, he isn't." Ren answered, giving Nora a shock. "Why would you suggest there of all places first?"

"N... No reason..." Nora replied with darting eyes and pursed lips. She really was a horrible liar.

"I'm going to ask Team Ru- Oof!"

"Oh, sorry, Pyrrha!" Ruby apologized, picking up the spartan. "I didn't mean to knock you over!"

"Ruby, slow down!" Weiss chided her partner. "The last thing we need is detention on top of what we're getting."

"What you're getting?" Ren asked.

"Professor Ozpin said he needs to see us ASAP." Yang answered.

"Ooh~! What did you guys do~?" Nora teased.

"Nothing! They can't prove anything!"

"I didn't do anything, at least." Blake amended. "I can't speak for the others."

"We didn't do anything wrong." Weiss said, leading the team down the hallway. "Unless our team leader is pulling pranks again."

"I'm not! I swear!" Ruby shouted, running to catch up.

"Should we join them?" Ren asked.

"Jaune is missing, so we need to tell the headmaster anyway."

"Ooh, Vomit Boy on the loose, huh?" Yang grinned. When Pyrrha shot a glare in her direction, she winced. "Uh, when did you last see him?"

"I saw him go into the bathroom about an hour ago." Nora said. "Last I heard was 'Dammit, Nora!' before I ran away."

"So you did do something." Ren narrowed his eyes at his partner.

"N... No, I didn't..." Nora lied.

--------------------------------------------------

Before the elevator doors opened, even before the light came on and the 'DING!' was heard, there was an uproar in Ozpin's office. Looking inside, it was clear why. Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch were shouting at a tall, pale woman in a long, black dress with red markings. She looked more like a Grimm than any person the two teams had ever met. Also inside, standing off to the side, were the exchange students from Haven; the woman with dark hair and amber eyes, the young man with gray hair, the young woman with red eyes and dark skin, and the smallest of the group who just gave off all kinds of creepy vibes.

"Team RWBY... and JNPR, as well?" Professor Goodwitch addressed.

"Really, Ozma?" The pale woman said. "Sending MORE children to fight your battles for you?"

"I'm sorry," Ozpin pointed at the Haven students, "am I pot or kettle in this metaphor?"

"They're adults!"

"Is she?!" Ozpin singled out the creepy, small one. She puffed her cheeks in anger.

"What's going on?"

"Are you familiar with The Brothers?" The dark-haired woman asked.

"The Brother of Light and Darkness who created Remnant and left after mankind betrayed them, shattering the moon as they fled?"

"The same." She nodded at Blake. "And now they're coming back."

"WHAT?!" Teams RWBY and JNPR said collectively, save for Jaune who had yet to be found.

"But... But did mankind learn their lesson?" Ruby asked. "What even was the lesson?!"

"Yes, Salem, what was the lesson?" Professor Ozpin asked, his voice lilt with a teasing nature.

"Oh, shut up, Ozma!" The pale woman, assumingly Salem, answered. "Or should I call you Ozpin like everyone else you've lied to?"

"I was protecting everyone!" The headmaster barked.

"Oh, I'm sure! Just like you're going to protect us from THE BROTHERS THEMSELVES COMING BACK!"

"Will you two just-"

SHUT! UP!

Everyone in the room shook with fear. The tower was rocked to its foundation. Remnant itself quaked to its core. All eyes were drawn to the window where three figures stood in mid-air. The figure on the left touched the glass, reducing the window to sand. The three then stepped inside, passing between Ozpin and Salem.

"I've had enough bickering for the day, and it's only noon." The blue-and-orange figure in the middle said. It then patted its 'belly'. "Hopefully they're still serving lunch. I could really go for some dinosaur chicken nuggets."

"Dinosaur chicken nuggets?" Salem raised a brow.

"Wait, does that mean..." Professor Goodwitch's eyes became wide.

"Is that..." Yang gasped.

"JAUNE?!" Ruby and Pyrrha exclaimed together.

"Hm?" The figure turned to his sister and actual team. "Oh, hey, guys."

"Jaune... What... What happened to you?" Pyrrha asked.

Though his face was featureless, anyone could tell he was glaring. "Ask her." If his gaze didn't single her out, his finger did when it was mere feet from Nora's face. She gave a sheepish grin, scratching her head. Ren was shaking with how angry he was. "Thank you."

"Huh?" Nora and Ren shared a look of surprise, despite only Nora speaking.

"If it wasn't for your prank, I wouldn't have become like this," Jaune gestured to himself, "and I couldn't have fixed this problem without this phenomenal cosmic power."

"In this itty-bitty working space, too." Emerald whispered.

"Father," the golden figure said, "our purpose."

"Oh, right." He pointed to Salem. "Fix her."

"What?" Before Salem could protest further, the lavender figure snapped his fingers and all of her features reverted back to how she was before; she was human with blonde hair and blue eyes, standing in a white dress. She looked at herself, then flexed her fingers. "My... My magic..."

"Still there, but significantly weakened." Jaune said. "There will be no more Grimm creation from now on. What has not been made cannot be made."

"But... my anger... my children..." Salem shook.

"It's okay to be angry." Jaune knelt, placing his finger under Salem's chin to look at him. "But you cannot punish humanity for what only a few have done to you." At these words, the entities at his side flinched. "Take your rage and turn it into passion. Study magic, teach it to others, and the children you have lost will become children anew. And I promise, you may not feel it at first, but you will feel better."

Salem wept, and Jaune embraced her in his arms, patting her on the back as she whispered hushes by her ears. He glanced over to Ozpin, who flinched. With nod in his direction, the being made of sunlight snapped his fingers and Ozpin's body rose a few inches off the ground before he tumbled back down. He patted over himself.

"Your curse has been lifted, Ozma." Jaune said as Salem stepped away, wiping what remaining tear held in her eye. "No longer immortal, nor shall this curse be passed to anyone else. Your shadow war removed, and your shadows brought into the light. You know what you must do now; you must tell the world the truth. Tell them all and I promise I will allow no harm to come to those under your care."

"I... I can't..."

"Ozma." Jaune towered over his former headmaster. Honestly, if it weren't for the sudden ascension into godhood, this wouldn't be happening. "People have died because of your secret. People will continue to die for this secret. Only the truth will set you free and set this world right. This is the right thing to do."

Ozpin was silent for a moment, then gave a chuckle. "You truly have exceeded my expectations, Mr. Arc." He took a deep breath. "Professor Goodwitch, assemble a press conference as soon as possible. It's time for the truth to come into the light."

"Y... Yes, Professor Ozpin."

"Ozma." The headmaster corrected. "Professor Ozma will suffice from now on."

"Yes... Professor Ozma." The two shared a smile.

"Wait, that's it?" A voice barked in defiance. "You just come in here, swing your big god-wang around and everything's suddenly okay? Where were you when I was getting beaten into the dirt by my old man?!"

"Merc-"

"No, screw this sandalwood-and-chocolate-ass guy!" Mercury continued to shout, shaking off Emerald trying to pull him back. "Screw you, man! Where were you when my dad broke my damn legs?! Where were you every night he came home drunk, pulled me out of bed, and-"

"I didn't exist." Jaune interrupted, silencing Mercury. "And I know that's no excuse. Your father was a monster, and nothing can excuse his actions. But you are not him. And I am not him. You are Mercury Black, and I... am The Father."

"The Father." The Brothers bowed their heads.

"And these are my Sons," he gestured to the former Brothers, "as are you, and all of Remnant who want me in their lives will be my sons and my daughters and my children." He spread his arms wide. "And like any good father, we are here to help."

[whentherewerebicycles]

today the baby was so charming all day and only had one little meltdown at bedtime because he woke up too early from his afternoon nap and then wouldn't go down for a pre-dinner makeup nap. in addition to saying new words like "goo" and "ga" (he's clearly working his way up to a classic baby "googoo gaga" bit) he has also started calling out to people from his stroller to try to get them to talk to him. he has a whole repertoire of oohs and ahhs and little shrieks he does to try to get you to come closer and say things back to him. it is IMPOSSIBLY cute and also it moves me so deeply lol. like insane that he's only been here for four months and he's already like my number one goal in this life is to call out to you across the distance between us and hear you answer. my top priority as a baby is to reach out and touch you with my voice so you'll come stroke my forehead lovingly and have a little conversation with me. AAAAAAA it's too much it's too much!!! i have been reading my way through all these books about raising boys and they keep talking about the persistent and incredibly damaging cultural stereotypes we have around boys' emotional needs, namely that we stereotype boys as being more independent than girls, less interested in relationships, and less in need of human connection. which just makes me so sad. however sullen the teenage years might be i hope i always keep in mind this image of him as a little baby being like 'my most fundamental human need is to look into your eyes with an expression of utmost tenderness & joy on my face and know that you are hearing me.' because that never changes. it never ever changes! that is what we are all here on this earth trying to find from the moment we arrive until the moment we leave.

[rawrsatthetree]

So I’ve had three play throughs so far where I’ve romanced Astarion. Two were Dark Urge and one was a vanilla Tav.

Since so many people can’t wrap their head around how anyone could possibly help Astarion Ascend so I want to run through my thought process of why my Dark Urge Tav’s did help him.

First I’ll start with Puk, my evil bard dark urge. I think of Puk as a dark urge that Orin should have stabbed harder.

He naturally falls back into who he always was, never resisting his killing urge and love of chaos. He’s a cruel, manipulative, power hungry, monster and he loves it. He’ll take any offer that equals more power, going so far to become half illithid. His evil nature is only encouraged by Minthara and Astarion. Puk knew as soon as he remembered his heritage that he wanted to reclaim his spot as Bhaal’s chosen having already re-earned his slayer form. Puk never thought twice about Astarion Ascending, more power for his little vampire meant more power for him. And if Astarion could make him immortal all the better. He doesn’t care how it will change Astarion, he’s always been a toy for Puk: a key to immortality and fine breeding stock for ascendant dhampire bhaalspawn. Puk doesn’t mind playing the submissive little consort either, at least until he takes control of the brain and makes his vampiric master nothing more than a thrall to sit at his feet while he becomes absolute in Bhaal’s name.

Next my other dark urge Ilona, they were my first play through. I’ll admit they started out as a self insert but I’ve replayed they’re run and fleshed them out to be their own character. Unlike Puk, Orin left Ilona’s head full of scrambled eggs. They barley remember how to be a person and start off with very little personality beyond their urge. As they gain companions and spend time around others slowly the urge is joined by a new person starting to form. As this new personality arises they start to become scared of the urge realizing how they’re companions react to them whenever they let the it take control. Especially after the Alfira incident they start to resist the urge and wanting to be free of it. Of course because they’re an excellent killer and their brain is easily manipulated goo, Astarion picks them as his protector. Ilona is completely defenseless against him easily falling for his honeyed words and attention. However as they grow closer they become completely codependent on each other. As they become more and more afraid of the urge they become more and more dependent on Astarion. He’s their protector just as much as they’re his. This only spirals out of control when they get to Baldurs Gate and learn of their past, they’re terrified. They start to feel hopeless in standing up to Bhaal becoming an unholy assassin and almost ready to except their fate to become their father’s chosen puppet. They’re so wrapped up in their past they’re not sure how they feel about Astarion ascending. It seems like what he wants to do and when he promises he needs that power to protect them both to keep them both safe forever, Ilona believes him. Plus it’s not like they can judge him what’s 7000 souls when they’ve killed countless innocents for less. They just don’t have the strength to deny him and risk loosing the one source of safety and comfort they have. They don’t mind becoming his spawn, between loosing their memory and the urge they don’t trust their own mind, better to let Astarion have it. Even if one day he compels them, it’s for the best if he does the thinking for them anyways. Deep down they know they deserve how he treats them. That and with the. daddy issues deeply rooted in their psyche from both Sarevok and Bhaal part of them loves it. They’re his little consort his beloved pet and he’s their master, their husband, and father. For better or for worse they feel they deserve each other.

My vanilla Tav is an Oath of Devotion Paladin. They were never really onboard with the whole Ascension thing. They love Astarion but they’re worried about what that kind of power will do to him. They do start to falter in act 3 after facing so many horrors they’re beginning to loose faith in their Oath and fearing the worst. Maybe it would be ok, he could use that power for good! To defeat the absolute and save the city, to save themselves. When he says he wants that power so they can be safe forever, for good; they almost make up their mind then and there to help him when the time comes. They steel their resolve to stand by him just like they promised however when they come face to face with his victims tied to the ritual, they break. Looking into Sebastian’s eyes, easily picturing themselves in that cell with him, they promise he will not die trapped in that cage and they mean it. Even if Astarion hates them, they can’t let him go through with the ritual if not to save him than to save those poor souls that fell for Astarion’s charm just as they had. And when Astarion smiles at them and tells them he loves them, they feel their faith and hope return.

[rorimoon9597]

Pt 1 Pt 2

----------

Lance turns out to be a huge help as Keith's right hand. When he's overworking himself, Lance is there to force him to bed. If Keith's having a bad day, then Lance is there as silent support.

It makes Keith fall in love with him even more.

And the fact that Lance was determined to keep up his game with his eye colour. Keith admired the dedication to keeping everyone confused. So much so that sometimes, when they meet with the leaders of a planet, his eye colour changes more frequently. The looks on the aliens faces when Pidge explains that Humans can't change their eye, skin or hair colour at will is priceless.

Keith begins to feel as if he will burst if he doesn't do anything about these feelings soon. It takes having to fight Lotor to do that.

They're all in the castle, resting. They were so, incredibly lucky that Lotor wasn't able to go into the Quintessence field, that they were able to stop him. Sure, he was dead now, but better for a tyrant to be dead than alive still.

Krolia had fussed over him when he got back. Romelle nearly cried and clung to him. Coran had hugged all of them.

Then, perhaps the weirdest part of the day, Allura was able to bring back Shiro. Who had one less arm again. Keith had cried with relief at having his actual brother back.

They were floating through space, resting after the fight, and Keith was never one for resting. Even during his self-imposed exile to the shack in the desert he'd had things to do.

So he decided to go check up on Shiro.

"Hey," he said. Shiro looked up from where he was glaring at the bowl of food goo he'd been given.

"Hey, Keith. Do you need something?" He asked.

"You... Could say that." Keith walked into the room and sat on the bed with Shiro. Kosmo, his wolf that would now only respond to that name that Pidge had given him, joined them, lying on the floor.

"Is something wrong?" Shiro asked. Keith sighed.

"I'm so gay, Shiro," he said. Shiro laughed. Keith glared at him.

"I knew that already."

"Uh, yeah, because I came to you and Shiro when I had a gay crisis and needed help."

"Why are you telling me something that I already know?"

"Because! My crush on Lance has gotten worse. I love him now, Shiro. It's not just a crush anymore." Shiro gave Keith a sympathetic look.

"That's the hardest part. Even for me, and I knew that Adam's gay, too." Shiro placed his had on Keith's shoulder. "Don't wait for too long, Keith, or you'll lose your chance. Trust me on that. I waited too long with my first crush, and he ended up moving away and I never saw him again. Tell him when you think that the time is right."

"How do you know all this? Didn't you tell Adam that you liked him when you were sleep deprived?" Keith asked.

"Not the point, Keith. I'm trying to be a good brother to you, and part of being a good brother is to give my younger brother relationship advice," Shiro replied. Keith rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he said. Shiro moved his hand to ruffle his hair.

"Trust me on this, Keith. I have actually been in a relationship before." Keith can't help but smile at those words.

"I will," he agrees.

_______

They being their journey to Earth soon after that. On the way there, they pick up Matt, Rollo, Nyma and Beezer and tell them about the whole ordeal with Shiro.

"I knew that something was off! His hair floof and eyeliner were wrong!" Matt shouted triumphantly. Pidge just shook her head at her brother. Then she dragged him off to Green's hangar to start designing a new arm for Shiro.

They still had some pit stops before Earth. One of those was to pick up some of the Olkari, who were going to help with the defense system on Earth.

After they picked up Matt, Romelle asked the question that Keith had been expecting.

"What is up with Lance's eyes?" She asked.

"I have been wondering about that as well," Krolia agreed.

"We don't know, but we have a betting pool," Pidge replied. Keith rolled his eyes.

"You get far too much enjoyment out of this," he said. Then he turned and left.

He'd let them suffer if they really wanted to.

[howlingmoonrise]

tagged by the fantastic @sunriseverse! thanks sunny!! 💖

under the cut because this one is long

1. why did you choose your url?

i wanted a new fandom penname and at the time adjective + noun names were a thing. i fiddled with several different variations, tried and failed to acquire kaleidoscopicmoonrise at the time (it's mine now!!), and landed on this one. i wanted something a little spooky, especially since soul eater was my fandom at the time - though it doesn't feel like it now that my icon is a lot more sane-looking lmfao

2. any sideblogs? if you have them name them and why you have them.

uh. yeah. a stupid amount (like 30+?), so i'm definitely not naming them all. most active are obviously this howl blog, my main blog @commandersya, this one for danny phantom and gravity falls stuff, @howlingspacegoo gets some activity every now and then when venom stuff resurfaces, and some others i use for reblogging specific reference stuff. most of the rest are for fandom events i've run in the past.

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

since like 2011-2012. i've seen it all.

4. do you have a queue tag?

lmao absolutely not. i don't use the queue function, though on occasion i'll schedule posts to space them out when i'm going through a tag in order not to reblog all of it at once, or for specific dates like halloween

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

this one was for soul eater writing purposes. tumblr in general was because my cousin dragged me into it and then i realized there was a lot of bandom stuff in here (i was really into black veil brides for my first year or two on tumblr)

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

i broke ties with the soul eater fandom in a not great way and wanted to change my icon. yoi provided the perfect yuri expression with the kind of benevolent dictator smile i really like, despite that not being the original intent for it when the animators drew it ✊😔

7. why did you choose your header?

i had to check my header real quick lmfao. jason todd is just an excellent blorbo and when a good artist draws him.... 👀👀👀

8. what’s your post with the most notes?

oh gods. probably my dracula/barbie fic at nearly 3.5k notes. where's that ben affleck cigarrette pic when you need it. alternatively some ancient black veil brides photo/gif on my main blog.

9. how many mutuals do you have?

idk but i cherish y'all 💖

10. how many followers do you have?

dunno 😭 they're split across dozens of blogs so i'm not counting them all

11. how many people do you follow?

1.8k+, though i should follow more. my dash has times when it's pretty dead.

12. have you ever made a shitpost?

probably? yes. just remembered the i bit the butte psoh post.

13. how often do you use tumblr each day?

however long i'm online on my laptop, more or less. so a sizeable amount of hours

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

LMAO. i was in both voltron and yoi fandoms, writing for and running events for "problematic" ships. take a wild wild guess.

15. how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts?

hate them. 90% of the time it'll make me automatically skip it. for the other 10%, if it has relevant info on the op's original post and that little sentence is on the comments then i might go back and reblog from the op just to get rid of it

16. do you like tag games?

love them!

17. do you like ask games?

see above

18. which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

i have uhhh. some. olderthannetfic, nemainofthewater, i think also colubrina for a while there, off the top of my head.

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

if friend crushes count then several ✊😔

20. what is the last song you listened to?

the cramps - goo goo muck

21. what are you currently watching?

i am. so bad at finishing things so like a bajillion shows. the double i might drop despite it having been very very good until like episode 30-something. meet you at the blossom i need to finish like the last two eps. wandee goodday i need to finish four episodes iirc. i was in like episode 5 of century of love. i was on episode... 17? of my journey to you, which if i power through shall be for the antagonist sidepair/trio rather than the main characters. i was also at episode 16 of new life begins, which was fairly good and i do want to continue though i keep forgetting i have that tab open somewhere.

22. sweet/ savoury/ spicy?

savoury!

23. what is your current relationship status?

single and ace so not planning on changing that!

24. what is your current obsession?

the spirealm/kaleidoscope of death, and mysterious lotus casebook

25. what are nine albums/ songs you've been listening to lately?

- La P'tite Fumée - Cypher - Brody Dale - Don't Mess With Me - Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster - Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) - The Cramps - What's Inside a Girl - Linkin Park - Heavy is the Crown - Miyavi & PVRIS - Snakes - D-A-D - Sleeping My Day Away - Aerosmith - Dream On

no-pressure tagging! @junemermaid @a-memory-a-distant-echo @snorlaxlovesme @where-the-water-flows @nemainofthewater

[quirkwizard]

Time for one I’ve been curious about for a while. How about double X food?

Now all I can think of is Twice trying to make friends with the Trash Trio when he stayed with the Yakuza.

New Quirk Name: Dinner Party

This Transformation type Quirk allows the user to grant themselves a far more pronounced mouth and teeth. The user's mouth is much stronger in this state, capable of eating their way through metals and concrete with ease. When the user eats the genetic material of another person, they can make a duplicate of them, forming it via a black goo they make their mouth. The more genetic material they eat, the better the duplicate they can make. The user can supplement these duplicates with other materials they eat, working to improve the copy they made by filling in the gaps. While these often result in less human-looking duplicates, they tend to be more stable and proficient. This gives the user a good mix of options, able to supplement their forces with their duplicates. If nothing else, the user can always just bite people. Though this does heavily rely on the user's ability to consume the right materials, especially genetic samples, and manage what they have already eaten so as not to burn through them. For all the changes, the duplicates can still be weak and unstable, making them easily destroyed. Getting too close to the original or straying too far can make for unstable and rebellious duplicates.

[revalentine2]

The Part Where I Fight My Dad - Team Objective plays Pokemon Emerald

Hello, loyal viewers! Last time we caught a new super special friend! However...

As lovely as this Baltoy is, I'd rather bring my current team along to handle our next objective. The next battle is no place for new blood...

Petalburg city. My dad is the leader here, now. I've been away from family for such a long time, but then I moved back in with mom, only to immediately leave to pursue my ideals...the ideals of promoting OBJECT POKEMON, that is!

...Anyway. I'm just not sure how to feel about this..

...Dad is waiting at the back of the gym. Time to head in. Let's steel ourselves...

PETALBURG GYM, I'VE COME TO...Wait, dad, what are you doing out front. What? My badges? Wait-

Oh

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Fiddlesticks.

Uhhhhhh.

we're goin' back to Dewford

Brawny or whatever your name is, let's make this quick. Family emergency.

OK Thnx bye

back to Petalburg-

Ugh. Stinky, hairy creatures. I never understood everyone's obsession with these guys, especially not my dad's. I never was much into them in the first place, but after I discovered my love of Object Pokemon, he and I became more distant. It had to be because he didn't agree with my tastes.

It must have.

Let's do this, old man! I'll teach you a lesson! About OBJECT POKEMON!

Stop being so happy!

Bulwark, you've been my lead into every gym battle (that mattered) before, and that's not going to change now!

Teeter Dance, yikes. Hit through, Bulwark! Come on!

We hit ourselves once, but now we finally get off the Mud-slap! Lower its accuracy!

It's missed a couple moves by now! Big damage, Metal Claw into Iron Tail! Take it out!

Spinda's done! Nice job, B-oh come on dad, Really? You're switching into your ace immediately?

...Hm. Maybe this isn't a bad thing after all...

Bulwark! Just like before! You know what to do...and Slaking has half the turns to fight back from this!

Dad had just been spamming counter, but now that Slaking's low it's going for Faint Attack...doesn't do much, but that messes with our plans a little. Still, we persevere!

Slow it down with some Rock Tombs, Bulwark!

Now, Goo Goo! Come in and give it some Screeches!

Goo Goo took some hits, but now it's time for my own ace to hit the field! StepStone, come in and defense curl! That now boosts the power...

...of ROLLOUT! Faint Attack did a lot, but with minimum defense even this first should be enough to KO from here...

And it is! StepStone, Rollout into his next sloth thing, too!

Rolling! Rolling! Rolling! You can't stop the rolling!

His final pokemon! Take this last Slash hit, StepStone...

Yes! 5 HP! Now, land the Rollout!

YES! We DID it! My team conquers yours, Dad, with less pokemon used from my side! What do you have to say to that, huh!?

...What? You're just...proud of me? Happy and a little sad-Dad, what are you saying?

You...wanted to understand my interests and you...didn't know how? And I never reached out, so...it just went quiet, between us?

...Maybe I do need therapy.

I don't know what to think of anything right now. Except-my team. I'm proud of them all so, so much. They've really come into their own in battle. They're all beautiful and wonderful Object pokemon. I love them. I know that much.

I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. Maybe I just need to consider how I do it.

And Dad...I'm sure there's an object pokemon out there for you, too. Do they have Porygon here?

Team: StepStone the Graveler (F) Bulwark the Aron (M) Skybomb the Koffing (F) Goo Goo the Grimer (F) Patricia the Nosepass (F) Sungaze the Solrock

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Today's official Splatoon twitter news gave us a gameplay video showcasing the Heavy Edit Splatling in action. It has the kit of Curling Bomb and Tacticooler. I've seen a lot of people be confused by what makes this weapon different from the Heavy Splatling, and while it doesn't have any big gimmicks the way a lot of weapons have, the big thing with it is that it has less range and a slower charge time than the heavy, but a faster rate of fire and (from the looks of it, it is kind of hard to tell) very high accuracy. This is a weapon that will be scary to face down in battle, that's for sure.

That aside the trailer didn't give us too much new insight, aside from one thing: Custom Goo Tuber has Ultra Stamp, meaning its full kit is Fizzy Bomb and Ultra Stamp. I'm not a Charger main, and I've barely touched the Goo Tuber, so I'll let y'all Goo fans decide for yourselves if that's good or not.

That aside, we did get one other significant reveal today, namely, the reveal of this season's catalog:

This time, all of the new gear is in the first half of the Catalog, because the second half has a bunch of returning gear from the Drizzle Season 2022 catalog, instead. I think a lot of people will be tempted to look at that and say that it means this catalog has less new stuff than the old ones, but that's not really the case, at least not to any significant degree. All of the new gear (5 hats, 6 shirts, 5 shoes) is brand new, with no returning gear from the old games. With the exception of the Fresh Season 2023 catalog (which introduced an entirely new gear brand) every season has sprinkled in old gear into the mix, which broadly speaking wasn't even catalog exclusive but could be bought in the store with the other old gear that got added, making their catalog slots essentially filler. With that in mind this is still the catalog with the least brand new stuff (which previously went to Chill Season 2022 with 17 new gear peices), but I have to imagine that a lot of the dev time devoted to gear was spent on the Adjust Gear fuction, and personally that is a tradeoff I am willing to make.

All that said, I'm not much of a fan of them putting old catalog gear in the new catalog. It'll be nice for newer players who missed the season altogether, but for a lot of players, the reason they didn't get the gear was the necessary time commitment, and by putting all of the new gear in the first half, those players are being locked out again. Additionally, while making all of the new gear easy to get is nice for enfranchised players, they'd very likely finish the catalog anyway, so it doesn't really change their position much, either.

Also, there being no returning gear in the catalog will be a pretty bad look if there's no returning gear in the patch itself, and with Gear Adjustment being the big new thing, that sounds kind of likely to me.

[krewssleuth]

# — wait, don't go! give my brother back!

i'm back ladiess, with a genshin au!! lets goo. it's pretty minor since i have no patience n just wanted to post. next one would be game-wise so look out! (also the headers are based on their regions) who: all what: genshin! au type: hc? idk mayn

Lore-wise Ranking —

Strength: Draco, Gold, Lunar, Funneh, Rainbow

Agility (Attack Speed + Sprint): Rainbow, Funneh, Draco, Gold, Lunar

Intelligence (Street smart + Academic): Lunar, Draco, Funneh, Gold, Rainbow

Rainbow

"Oh my god! Are you okay? Let me help you up, you sure you're alright?" 

A pickpocket born from impoverished soil. She is forever grateful for whatever she has, had, and will have. The woman roams Teyvat's seven Regions. She despises the wealthy businessmen and women, cursing them for not sharing with the less fortunate. Quick at her feet, Rainbow was never caught as she uses her skills to take from the wealthy and give to the unfortunate. She will forgive but never forget. Especially not what they did to her hometown.

Quality |  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Weapon |  Sword Element |  Pyro Body Type |  Tall Female

Voice-Overs/ Story & Combat

Chat: Memories |  Look, it's my favourite shop to get perfume! Ah. The perfume recipe for this old timer never changes... Still reminds me of Mum.

About Us: Fairytales |  ...The end. Let me tuck you in now, it's getting late. Another story? Hmm... Ugh, you're lucky we have some spare time. Okay, just one more! Then you have to take your nap, got it? Alright, here goes.

When the Sun Is Out |  Ugh, the sun makes the area too bright! Someone'll surely notice me. How frustrating.

Feelings About Ascension: Conclusion (Ascension Phase 6) |  Holy, that's a lot of money. You really shouldn't have! *sighs* Thank you. Really.

Fallen |  Thank you... for everything.

Gold

"You must be the Traveler I've been hearing of! Say, you are always referred to as 'Traveler'. What's your name—your real name?"

A runway fashion designer, she holds the title of the sweetest and kindest fashion designer out there. She came home to Sumeru and brought the idea of modern designs and her idea of slow fashion. Many youngsters admire her environmental sustainability and understanding of their style choices, unlike their elders who claim it "useless" to care for the environment through clothing. Nevertheless, she will continue to push her agenda to the public and open their eyes to the truth of fast fashion.

Quality |  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Weapon |  Bow Element |  Geo Body Type |  Medium Female

Voice-Overs/ Story & Combat

Chat: Bothering Your Mind |  Alright, I recognise those eyes. What's the matter? Do you want to talk about it? ...Stubborn as always. Come find me if you need me, I'm always free for a talk.

Character Idles |  Let's get a move on! We could be shopping or getting a bite.

Receiving a Gift: III |  Oh my god, ergh! Oh. You, made this? ...Um, it is alright, I suppose. Excuse me. *coughs* I'm gonna puke.

Heavy Hit Taken |  Ow, my arm! What the heck was that for?

Joining Party |  Oh! I just baked some pizza, want to try some? Nice and crispy, just how you like it.

Funneh

"What the heck, dude? HEY! You damn-! Stop that thief!"

The bubbly ninja of the Shuumatsuban, she is loyal and grateful to them. She was previously known as Yawane, named by staff in the Shuumatsuban. She renamed herself, finding individuality in creating her own sense of self-identity with a brand new name. She lives to prove herself worth, always being put down for her loud and fun personality which is unlike a quiet, stealthy ninja. While Sayu was the epitome of sleep, Funneh was the embodiment of wake. 

Quality |  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Weapon |  Claymore Element |  Hydro Body Type |  Medium Female

Voice-Overs/ Story & Combat

Chat: Work |  The pay's good, what more can I say? ...Um, the staff are nice? Well, at least half of 'em are.

More About Funneh: I |  To be honest, I prefer taijutsu much more than ninjutsu. Thus, many thought I couldn't do ninjutsu. It is wayyy less complicated, which is why it's my primary fighting style! Don't underestimate how easy it seems, though. I spent hours of training to have enough stamina and energy to use it daily!

Elemental Skill |  Get back here~!

Deploying Wind Glider |  Woohoo! I could get used to this. (Not recorded in Profile)

Low HP |  Someone's getting fired up... And that ain't you, trust me.

Lunar

A self-taught witch, she used to travel to Sumeru to eavesdrop on lectures given at the Akademiya. Due to her colourblindness, she almost thought she was given a Hydro vision and she would rather die due to how badly she wanted an Electro one. Lunar was so ever grateful to see that logo of the one and only Electro element, thanking the gods for getting the element.

Quality |  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Weapon |  Catalyst Element |  Electro Model Type |  Tall Female

Voice-Overs/ Story & Combat

Something to Share: Games |  I don't play games often but I really do enjoy them! Just need someone to play with me, that's all. I can't blame them though, a twenty-year-old scholar wanting to play hide-and-seek? Who am I kidding?

Lunar's Hobbies |  I do quite like drawing and doodling. Though, is it really a hobby if that is what I do all the time, besides work of course.

When It Rains |  Ahh, to just be able to lay back and draw while listening to some jazz. I envy those with flexible timing in their job. Why did I even choose such an unforgiving jobscope?

Opening Treasure Chest |  A new potion, maybe?

Sprint Start |  I'm not a fast runner, okay!

Draco

"In all my years, I have never found someone else who enjoys roaming Windwail Highland, in the night."

The man himself, the supposed Head of the Sakai clan. He fled from Inazuma ever since his father's death, refusing to face the consequences of seeing any of his indirect family. Draco wiped his old name and last name, heading to Mondtstadt to find peace. He even switched his weapon from sword to polearm. His body, mind and soul may be tenacious, but his heart still roams that forsaken mansion.

Quality |  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Weapon |  Polearm Element |  Dendro Model Type |  Tall Male

Voice-Overs/ Story & Combat

Chat: Invitation |  Hey! You're the one who was out in Windwail that night. Would you mind joining me tonight? We could head somewhere else if you wish.

Chat: Hair |  My blonde hair? I know, hideous, right? Don't tell anyone, but my natural hair colour is black. What is it? You're making it seem obvious that everyone knew that. Am I that bad at hiding-? *coughs* Whatever... I should change it back? Well, since it is coming from you, I will certainly keep it in mind.

Ally at Low HP |  Watch it! Let me take over.

Heavy Hit Taken |  Urgh! You'll regret that.

Joining Party |  Fate has brought us together again, it seems.

[brendathedoodler]

Oh now I'm very curious about the serial Luigi-variant adopter Mario AU :D

So it all starts with Gooigi.

Mario is introduced to Gooigi after being rescued from the painting in Luigi’s Mansion 3. Luigi explains it by saying, “this is Gooigi, a goo clone of me made by the professor by accident (I think it was an accident). He’s slowly been gaining sentience and I can put my consciousness into his body. Any questions?”

Mario has many but this isn’t the weirdest thing they’ve dealt with and he decides it would be best to just move on and rescue the Princess.

At the end of it all, Mario is very persistent about Gooigi coming home with them. Luigi is attached to him, Mario is attached to him, and they both wanna see what he can learn to do. Gooigi seemingly likes them back, and generally tends to follow Luigi around and copy him, and he’s even started doing the same thing to Mario!

E Gadd allows it, but they have to send him monthly progress reports. Mario and Luigi immediately agree.

Little brother 1 is acquired!

Gooigi adapts to his new home life very easily. He’s not capable of feeling bored, so he often ends up just standing around. He likes to copy the things Mario and Luigi do, even if he doesn’t understand it. He’ll sit and watch tv with them, he’ll pretend to read a book, things like that. Gooigi likes easy, repetitive tasks and takes a liking to cleaning and gardening!

The next to be acquired are the baby versions of themselves.

I imagine that Mario and Luigi are not native to the magic universe (also known as the Altworld). They’re from a different universe (the Earthworld), and fell here one day. They were already adults when it happened, and while they feel more at home here than they ever did in the Earthworld, they still wish they could’ve said goodbye to their friends and family.

Anyway, timeline shenanigans, alternate dimensions, and outright time travel lead to them traveling with their baby selves. Just as Mario and Luigi had no way to return home, it’s discovered that their baby selves will also be unable to return home.

Of course Mario and Luigi adopt them! They can’t think of any other way to handle the situation, of course they adopt them!

Little brothers 2 and 3 acquired!

The first thing Mario and Luigi do are give the littles new names, since having multiple Marios and Luigis has already gotten confusing. The littles help pick their new names, and they settle on Mateo and Louis.

Small children need a lot of love and attention, so their lives start to revolve more around Mateo and Louis. It’s a huge change, much larger than Gooigi joining them, but they’re happy!

Mateo and Louis adapt to this new situation really well, all things considered. The main issue is they have trouble communicating with people other than their brothers. Being the children of Italian immigrants to the USA, Mario and Luigi spoke Italian at home and learned English through TV and preschool. Mateo and Louis aren’t quite school aged yet, so they speak almost exclusively Italian. Fine for Mario and Luigi, not so fine for everyone else.

Mateo and Louis greatly enjoy going on adventures, but Mario and Luigi stick to the less dangerous ones for the littles. For the more dangerous ones they get close friends to watch them (people like Peach, Daisy, and sometimes Peasley). Mateo and Louis don’t understand the difference between a normal adventure and a world-saving quest, and often get upset when they don’t get to come with.

Still, the arrangement works and overall everyone is happy!

Finally, it’s Mr L.

The incident with Bleck happened a few years back. At some point Bleck reappeared with Tippi (apparently he was now in therapy), and overall the Mario Bros are now on good terms with most of Bleck’s team. Mario is very cautious about Nastasia, though.

Anyway, Mr L and Luigi get split one day after Luigi goes and tests some modified power ups from E Gadd.

He tries a bee shroom that gives him an extra set of arms, a super bell that makes him a catboy, a fire flower that made him a fire bender, and finally a double cherry that gave him Mr L.

Seconds after becoming his own separate person, Mr L immediately tried to beat up Luigi. He lost that fight. He then tried to fight E Gadd. Luigi bested him again. Mario came to pick up Luigi and Mr L tried to fight him too (he lost).

Seeing little other option, the Bros took him in, and Mr L only agreed because he didn’t really know what else to do (and because Luigi promised to help him get revenge on Dimentio (who’s already dead so he doesn’t really need to keep that promise)).

Mr L doesn’t take the situation well, and actively attempts to cause problems for everyone. He just found out his entire life is a lie so he’s acting out like a rebellious teenager.

Dealing with him is extremely difficult, and there are several occasions where Mario and Luigi debate keeping him there at all.

Then one day Peach hosts a private go-kart competition with her friends. Mario and Luigi love these competitions, and she knows they need a healthy way to get out some of their frustration.

Anyway, they leave Mr L alone with his go-kart for literally five minutes and when they come back he’s already torn the thing apart. They’re frustrated at first but don’t want to deal with it. They just let him do that for a few hours.

They come back and Mr L is the happiest he’s ever been, and eagerly talks to them about the modifications he’s making to his kart.

As it turns out, part of Mr L’s issue is that he didn’t have a goal in life anymore. His purpose was to serve the Count, but now that everything he’s ever known is gone, he didn’t know what to do with himself other than antagonize his ‘brothers’.

They let him do whatever the hell he wants with the go-kart, and begin encouraging him to get more hobbies too. Finally he’s opening up to them, isn’t antagonizing them as much, and starts to work on becoming his own person.

Brother 4 acquired!

Mr L bonds pretty heavily with Mateo and Louis, and ends up becoming the primary babysitter whenever Mario and Luigi go out and do stuff. Fine by him, he’s content to have a few helping hands in his workshop (the garage), even if said helping hands are loud, gross, and pull his socks down when they’re bored.

He also works on distinguishing himself more from Luigi. He grows his hair out longer, changes up his jumpsuit, stuff like that.

90% of the family au is pretty much “how do Mateo, Louis, and Mr L end up different thanks to the different circumstances?” Which is one of my favorite things to explore! Plus there’s plenty of wholesome family moments (like the littles coming to Mr L’s room to sleep) and hilarious sibling shenanigans (the time Mateo, Louis, and Gooigi tried baking cookies while the other three were out of the house).

[azems-familiar]

WoL Thonkers: 6, 7, 14.

6. Who was their Azem? What were they like, and were they different from your WoL? Who were their family, friends? Or, if you don't care for the Azem angle or went in your own direction for their past self, how so? How does your WoL feel about their Ancient identity?

oh man you're asking me theeeee long questions. let's goo

Lelesu's ancient was named Seleukos. you've seen some art of them but if you want to peruse things i tag them the same way i tag her so it should be easy enough to search for. they have two moms, who i haven't yet named - one owns and runs a bakery, and yes, absolutely loves experimenting with new flavors and fillings and things, and one works as a secretary in the Capitol, though i haven't decided which Seat she's affiliated with. they had a pretty good relationship with their parents growing up, and were also close to Helios's parents (though less so with his dad, who was a keywarden in Pandaemonium before an accident there killed him). their absolute best friend is of course Helios, who they're only three months younger than, as well as neighbors with, so the two of them grew up together and basically did everything together as kids since their parents know each other pretty well. Seleukos also has some casual friendships with other kids they grew up around and some of the people they were students with in the Akadaemia Anyder.

obviously, their closest relationships however are with Helios, Hythlodaeus, and Hades - Helios is their best friend and other half, Hythlodaeus is their life partner, and Hades is a wibbly-wobbly nonromantic partner and close friend. they are also good friends with Venat (who was their first mentor), Pashtarot (their second mentor, and Halone (they work together), as well as Themis!

Seleukos is only Azem sometimes, depending on the verse we're in. when they aren't Azem, they work as a traveling judge, and are Pashtarot's confirmed successor, but have not ascended as of the Final Days. no i have not come up with Pashtarot's mask or anything because....yeah. we'll get there eventually.

as for how they're like Lelesu - the two of them are actually pretty similar in many ways. they have a lot of the same personality, similar morals and ideals, and similar fighting styles, though Seleukos relies more on magic than Lelesu does. with all her memories of the past regained as of post-endwalker, Lelesu considers herself a sort of natural extension of Seleukos - not the same person, since they were raised in very different times, but close enough as to not matter terribly much. she takes the legacy she inherited from them very seriously!

originally it was definitely complicated but honestly the reveal that the reason all these confusing feelings she was having about Amaurot and Emet-Selch and Hyth's shade were because of a past identity really did end up being a relief, because it was an explanation.

i could go more into this but. this is probably enough for this post.

7. Have they gone through any physical changes? What scars have they collected, and how do they feel about them? Did they sprout horns or other features as a result of spells or pacts gone wrong? How did light corruption impact them? Or have they walked away miraculously unscathed? Are they more peculiar for how eerily unmarred they are?

yes! though not as many as other wols i know. Lelesu obviously gets some minor scarring and things just from a very active combat life, but three of them are important: the first is a long scar down her torso from Zenos in Rhalgr's Reach, where he left her badly enough injured she had to return to Ishgard for several days of recovery. the second is a thin scar across her cheek and lip that Elidibus-as-Zenos gave her in Ghimlyt Dark when she collapsed. the third is probably the biggest one - when she and Corrain fought Zenos again on Ultima Thule, Zenos shatters her glasses and drives shards into her right eye, scarring the skin around it and blinding her. while the chirurgeons and the fast actions of the Scions saved her eye itself, it's gone totally silver from scar tissue.

she does also have some changes from the Light corruption! previously, her hair was black, and she dyed parts of it a pale green, because she thought it looked neat. after the Light cracked her soul, though, parts of her hair bleached pure white, a white that not only continues to grow in but that can't be dyed over. only a few people know the truth of it and that it isn't just a new color trend for her, and she likes to keep it that way, even though she no longer struggles so much with the changes. they were an uncomfortable reminder when she first got them.

she isn't too terribly upset with the scars, thankfully, but she was worried after Ultima Thule that Aymeric would no longer find her pretty - something he quickly reassured her about.

14. Do you have any headcanons for what happened post-Ultima Thule? What kind of injuries did they suffer, or did they walk it off like a boss? Did they take a lengthy vacation, did you shove a time skip in there before 6.1 hit? Or was it quickly off to the next adventure?

oh boy do i! in fact a whole outline section of them! the tldr version is that there are two years between Ultima Thule and taking the boat to dawntrail. during that two years we fit the void arc, pandaemonium, and myths of the realm, as well as Lelesu having her daughter Ismene. she also takes a month or so to recover from the injuries she sustained on Ultima Thule (addressed in the above question), and needs time to rebuild her strength. while she's recovering, she learns pld and adds it and her new weapons to her arsenal.

6.1 begins 3 months after Ultima Thule. both it and 6.2 happen first, and then Lelesu goes back in time while Corrain is still recovering and does p1-p8, working with Themis, Lahabrea, and Erichthonios. the Garlemald/reaper part (this is 6.3 iirc) happens once she comes back to the present, then p9-p12, then the rest of the trips to the Thirteenth and fights and things. all of this together takes about 9 months, meaning that it all settles down again about a year after Ultima Thule. Lelesu spends the next 6 months helping recovered ancients (Emet, Hyth, a resurrected Elidibus and Lahabrea, and a few of the remaining Ascians whom Emet was able to hunt down and cure of tempering) work on plans to build a "New Amaurot" and teach about their history and culture; she gets married to Aymeric and gets involved with our version of myths of the realm here. Corrain is finally able to walk around again, albeit with crutches/cane. ~6 months prior to dt, Lelesu gets stuck on light activity/etc when she finds out she's pregnant, and there's a decent gap of time here where everyone mostly just rests, recovers, maybe travels a little, and things settle down.

Wuk Lamat shows up to ask about the succession rite when Ismene is a month old!

[counterfeitphantoms]

aj short story

uhmm a short story regarding the queen in OITT and plasm... little drabble :]

-

Given the other options, the Queen had thought she had made a great decision; bringing another king around- a mimic, no less! A king that could finally squash those pesky animals' trust in one another, a master manipulator who could tear the Alphas apart from the inside out!

What she hadn't considered, though, was just how bothersome this young king would be.

Sure, she thought. They've all started a bit... uncertain. Weird, even. Chloro, with her ever-growing disdain towards other phantoms. Golgi, with their awkward, geeky demeanor. But those two had- mostly- grown away from those traits as they aged.

And so she expected that to play out the same way with this new king, Plasm. She waited for them to find their place within the hive.

And waited.

And waited.

And yet, here she stood. Carefully observing each and every phantom in her most hardened, battle-ready battalion. Her gaze fixed carefully on each troop for at least a few fretful minutes, before shifting over to the next tense phantom in line. 

Plasm hadn't been seen around the hive for a few days. That never happens- it couldn't! 

They always had to show themselves at least once a day, be it by scaring the soul out of some poor ground soldier by taking the form of an armed animal, or awkwardly informing the queen that they- in their foolish, reckless stupor- had broken yet another vital cog in the fortress.

They had to be up to something. And the Queen wasn't stupid! Busy? Yes. Frustrated and about to snap? Absolutely. But not stupid. She knows her kings, like the back of her tentacle!

Wait.

She blinks back over to the heavy soldier she'd just examined. A deep orange heavy, whose name is Sludge, if she recalls correctly- a loyal soldier, with scars to show it!

...But this heavy had no scars. The color was right, the size, the behavior. But it seemed to lack Sludge's battle-worn demeanor.

With a quick, sudden movement that gained shouts of terror from her soldiers surrounding her target, she scooped the heavy up before it even noticed her suspicious once-over. 

" Young King! " She chided, her singular eye narrowed in a specific kind of certainty many residents of the Hive knew all too well. The previous terror covering the faces of the surrounding soldiers melted into amusement.

" Do you think this is appropriate? " 

A pause from the faux-heavy, then a plea;

" Your Highness- I, uh, don't- " 

The Queen cut them off, quickly, and firmly,

" Plasm. I know it's you. Don't try to act coy with me. "

The heavy stiffened a bit. Shit. They had been caught.

With a childish, frustrated groan. The form of the large phantom simply seemed to dissolve. First into goo, and then slowly but surely, into a much- much larger form. Their previous burgundy color changing to a much more vibrant, ombre violet.

"Mom! I was having fun- it was harmless- Sludge allo- " They were cut off, yet again.

" No excuses! I don't have time to hear it, you know the hives have been especially busy these past few weeks with the planned invasion! Right now is not the time for your shenanigans! " The Queen snapped, hoisting the king up with one tentacle.

Sometimes, just sometimes, she wonders if she made the right decision with hand-raising each and every unique king. This one was certainly testing her patience. A constant thorn in her side that never seemed to-

She blinked.

" ...What did you say, dear? "

" I said Sludge allowed it! He's off with his buddies somewhere in the fortress! " Plasm blurted, defensively. Their defiant leer never faltering.  

Her one eye narrowed further, somehow. Into genuine, unfiltered rage.

Plasm could wait. She thinks maybe, just maybe.

She would have to have a talk with someone later.

[agearinthevastklok]

Thoughts on AotD

I like that "it's about fear" very much announces the theme of Nathan's own fears of failing and self doubt, which stem from his constant perfectionism we've seen since s1. This is really emphasises in Nathan telling everyone he doesn't know how to write the Song of Salvation and subsequently crossing 'band' off - he is filled with self doubt and fear and is unable to find safety with that. This hits especially hard when you get that "is this the wrong song?" moment that hits so sudden and so hard. I think the "come back" line also really feels full of that fear - his fear is reinforced by loneliness and abandonment and grief and it's so, so powerful when he really becomes vulnerable in that moment.

The entire funeral scene is almost unbearable it felt like way too many things to deal with all at once made 100% more painful because they were ruining the funeral. I wish the bit with Nathan had happened back at their home because I had to keep stopping it just to cope with how much second hand cringe I was getting seeing that all happen in front of all those people at the funeral.

Skwisgaar using his own name/3rd person in speech feels new?

Charles' character seems to have changed quite a bit but I'm obsessed with literally all of his scenes because they pack so much punch. From his speech at the start to his return with the fans, his cool as fuck fight, his final smile - i literally cherish them. "Those are my spiritual savours you're fucking with" knocked the breath out of me.

The character arcs are so good! Nathan's "Life might actually be precious" at the start to realising how to write the Song of Salvation at the end. Murderface putting himself out there to help Charles after being convinced he had no value at the beginning. General Crozier's entire redemption arc.

Also character relationships really do so much here. Toki and Skwisgaar's dynamic becomes far more caring and close with Toki literally looking after Skwisgaar despite still bickering. The whole band getting emotionaly upfront with Murderface about needing him and that beautiful "but you always feel it" line is so so good. Pickles knowing Nathan's order perfectly, their "see you on stage" moment, hugging Toki, being so parental, honestly doing the Most for them all. Nathan's relationship with his parents being still loving and full of supportive words. Toki getting Deaddybear back and Nathan saying "you're one hell of a motherfucker" to Edgar in that fond voice. Murderface honouring Knubbler before the song. Nathan calling the band his family. Hell, even Nathan going from despising the fans to opening his hand to them and eventually thanking them, it's so good. And, yeah, his "relationship to music" bit with the visual metaphor penis, i thought that was good too!

Character confrontations are also really good! I LOVE the bit where Skwisgaar confronts Murderface in that really intense voice- probably my fav bit of voice acting in the whole film. Also Pickles cofnronting Nathan and making him realise why he'd failed his task (with that hilarious "this is weird" commentary from Murderface).

The animation is GORGEOUS - especially in scenes focused on Murderface. There are some very heavily anime-influenced moments which are sometimes beautiful and sometimes a little jarring. Nathan also somehow suffers from some off-model moments a few times.

The artwork is also gorgeous! Backgrounds, stained glass, graphic design, so much beautiful work! Similarly to the animation, there is some very anime-esque scenery I found jarring compared to what MTL usually looks like.

The humour is really great! Knubbler falling down those stairs had me wheezing and the gong breaking is funny both times. Murderface's "like us" funniest joke in the whole movie. "That was upsetting!" made me cackle. Nathan's conversation with Salacia was also very funny but I felt that was at the price of a less dramatic character confrontation.

The amount of 'men in female roles' is so good. Mother Pickles and Sister Toki are doing so much gender for me especially because of how much Pickles just COMMITS to that. "bring mommy his scotch" "you're the absolute best mother" both excellent for my heart. Also "you are the beast daughters of the apocalypse" offers so much gender feeling.

Nathans weird awkward moment during the "your role" bit is very endearing somehow and feels very similar to his sense of humour when he learned he could make a silly voice in the shower

There's some great one-off lines. "Sunshines rainbows marshmallows man" my beloved. "Good rock talk" love that. Nathan's entire realisation sequence at the end calling fans the army of the doomstar and that they're the great reuniting is just very fun final moment stuff. "It's about what we do when we fail" LOVE that as a line esp as they do in fact fail to prevent the metalocalypse and they have to pick up and regroup and try again.

Big whale god my beloved.

I really like how Nathan's voice becomes very breathy and weak compared to his usual growl. For a character who consistently has such presence and power it's such a choice to have his iconic voice be the signifier of his internal weakness. This feels especially interesting when we really see Nathan's raw physical strength when he rips himself from that metal wheel.

Seeing the retreat being destroyed scene by scene was actually very sad!!!! As well as all those Klokateers, especially after Doomstar Requiem

The character deaths hit harder this time around! Knubbler calmly sacrificing himself while Nathan desperately slammed against the barrier not wanting to see another person sacrifice themself for him, that hit hard! Edgar's sacrifice with that "my brother, my love, i'll be with you" was so heartwrenching especially after the "do it all for my brother" in Doomstar Requiem. Even Senator Stampingston has such a visually grotesque, dramatic death I enjoyed that too.

The drowning/near death moment was SO strong, however the jarring animation was particularly notable then and the "or all will die" line seemed ? weirdly unfitting given all dying anyway seemed to be the plan. I LOVE that eerily quiet way they handled nathan doing cpr for so long though

"gear in the wheel of the klok" "go into the water" those song references rock so much i love that.

probably a bad take but I sorta wish the resulting Song of Salvation had been....more??? i guess after the musical diversity of Doomstar Requiem i was expecting something completely next level. it's a good song dont get me wrong and i LOVE the lyrics! i guess i just expected some sort of 10 minute genre-mixing thing to really shake up stuff

I love the final scene I think it really tied off the series in a very strong way

Remember when this was a comedy etc etc

[bearmemesreviews]

FotW: SDMI - Beware the Beast from Below

Welcome to Freak of the Week, where every Sunday I tackle something Non-Skylanders since that series has a billion characters I need to give their own individual reviews. Fotw is my way to get more content out on a decent schedule, tackling the Monsters, Villains, and Foes who take turns every week to harass the Hero of their specific media.

For these first few months we'll be covering a series dear to my heart, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Every episode covers a crook who, for reasons that will become known eventually, decides that the best way to successfully commit a crime is to dress up as a giant crab or Cthulhu while doing it. Luckily a gang of budding stoners and college dropouts are there to solve the mystery and do the job the police are too lazy to do themselves.

Points to realism.

Let's begin with our introduction episode, and first baddie, The Slime Mutant!

Backstory: Sewer Workers working underneath the town of Crystal Cove knock down a wall revealing a hidden cavern system that contains barrels of unknown, radioactive material. These caverns seem to run underneath the entire town and will come back in several episodes holding their own mysteries.

The Sewer Workers, playing into their roles as the pre-intro horror movie victims they are, decide to pop open one of these barrels to investigate further. This seemingly unleashes a mutant made of radioactive slime, who thanks their help by cocooning them in vibrant green goo.

Please appreciate how horrific these cocooned victims look and remember this when we get to the reveal.

Design: The Slime Mutant is a humanoid creature with exaggerated human anatomy whose skin is see-though. It's covered in a coating of iridescent green slime and has a muscular body type with a cinched waist. Its skull has needle-like fangs and glowing red pupils in its empty eye sockets.

While most of the anatomy we see through its slimy epidermis is bone, similar to a cartoon x-ray gag, some of its skeleton still retains muscle tissue around limbs, neck and lower jaw which gives the monster a really cool appearance reminiscent of someone who's been half-melted in cartoon acid. The muscles also seem to exist as a way to explain how the creature moves, as its body lacks the full viscous stretchability most slimes have. It instead lumbers around like a zombie, with muscle tissue remaining in places where they'd be needed for movement. This attention to detail is especially fun when you realize who the culprit is and why they'd include that detail.

Combined with the show's sharp art style, it turns a pretty simple creature concept into an iconic new monster. Its powers include the ability to petrify, and also mummify(?), victims in its green slime - which it blasts from its palms like a Dragonball character.

Reveal: Mystery Incorporated is hailed as one of the best interpretations of Scooby-Doo, taking the concept and allowing its characters to exist in a setting that changes every episode as it ditches the episodic formular of past series for a story-driven reboot with multiple arcs and an overarching mystery each season. It's still Scooby-Doo however, so every episode follows the same formula more or less.

You get two or three suspects (oftentimes just additional named side characters tied to the plot of this episode), whoever the gang settles on prematurely as the culprit is innocent, and the gang traps the crook and unmasks them at the end of the episode.

Our first suspect is Franklin Fruitmeir, a strange clown man who recently moved into town to sell his dessert product, which is neither ice cream nor gelatin, but something else entirely. Scooby ends up tasting the slime mutant's goo and discovers that its ooze is not radioactive waste, but radioactive frozen treats.

One can only imagine what it does to your insides if getting covered in the stuff turns you into a pickled corpse.

We never really get to see what happens to the sewer workers in this episode, so I assume they died.

Our first culprit is Professor Emmanuel Raffalo, who worked as a science teacher at the gang's school. Turns out that he was going to use the caverns to dig under Crystal Cover bank to rob it - framing Fruitmeir for the crime by using the dessert product in his scheme.

Yes, it is because a teacher's salary isn't cutting it anymore.

5/5 -Great Start with a unique execution of a classic monster, who doesn't love slimes?

[kissorkill16]

Remember: A Sky High Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: Years after they all graduated, the Sky High gang are just remembering their high school days while looking at the moon.

It was 10:43 at night, and the group of new heroes were just sitting on top of a building, watching the moonlight after a long day of crime fighting.

Will Stronghold. He was getting stronger and stronger each and every other day, and flying higher than the birds in the sky. Layla Williams. She was getting better at her chlorokinesis, and she wasn't the same pacifist you used to know before. Sure, she's still nice and sweet, but she'll become a little less nice if you provoke her.

Warren Peace. His pyrokinesis was also getting stronger, he was able to move fire in all shapes in sizes, even transform into a dragon. He was also kinder and sweeter, and not the same hothead he was back then. He was, but just not as much as a jerk. Zach Braun. He wasn't the same glowy dork you used to know, now not only could he glow in the dark, but he could also manipulate neon and fling balls of acid at things.

Magenta Lewis. Her shape shifting powers were getting better, she's not the same goth guinea pig girl, she could change into many different animals now, too. She's also got the hang of hand to hand combat. Last, but not least. Ethan Bank. He wasn't the same puddle of goo you used to know. Nowadays, he was a hydrokinetic that could breathe underwater and talk to fish. Kind of like Aquaman, but better.

As the heroes kept looking at the moon, Will suddenly had a strange thought come to mind.

"Remember Sky High?"

The group turned their heads to look at him.

"Sky High?"

"Yeah. High school. Do you remember it? All of the crazy times we had there? My favorite times were in Freshman Year."

Layla looked at her lap for a minute before answering.

"Yes, I actually do remember Sky High. I couldn't say Freshman Year was the best time, but we did have some great memories there."

"Like what? Power placement?", asked Magenta.

Layla turned to look at Magenta, "Oh no, absolutely not. Embarrassing people in front of everyone else and deciding whether or not their powers are useful? That was my least favorite memory.", she said. "But I will admit, while I wasn't exactly happy about being placed in the Sidekick Class, I was happy to be with all of you. Not only that, but Mr. Boy was really nice.

They all nodded in agreement.

"And Warren, you were such a jerk back then. No offense, but whatever you were mad at Stronghold about, get over it.", said Magenta.

"He was pissed that my dad put his dad in jail.", said Will.

"I'm still not 100% over it, Stronghold. But I've come to accept that whatever happened with our dads had nothing to do with us."

Will smiled at that. He sometimes liked when Warren recalled his old words from some time ago, and he was even happier to know that Warren wasn't holding a grudge anymore. Ever since Barron Battle was released from prison, Warren was nicer to Stronghold and has called him by his actual name a couple of times.

"What about the teachers? Does anyone remember the teachers?", asked Ethan.

"Don't forget about the students. Half were absolute saints and others were sacks of shit.", Zach replied.

"Language!", Layla scolded.

Zach rolled his eyes. "It's true, though. Remember Lash and Speed? They were the biggest sacks of shit in the history of high school. All the dunking people's heads in the toilet, all the shoving people into their lockers, and stealing our lunch money. I'm not apologizing for speaking the truth."

"Never apologize for speaking the truth, babe. And don't forget Penny Lent, she was also a huge bitch.", said Magenta.

Ethan rolled on his back and put his arms behind his head. "But not all of the students were completely bad. Like you said, some were actually pretty chill. Freeze girl, Larry, Carbon Copy kid, that one guy who has six arms, the other guy with acid spit, the girl who can turn into a ball-"

"Ethan, I thought you memorized everyone's names."

"Sorry, all of this crime fighting has clouded up my mind. I'll have to revisit the old year book once I get the chance."

They all started laughing at that.

"But back to the teachers. Coach Boomer for example.", said Will.

"Yeah, believe it or not, Coach Boomer was my favorite teacher."

The group turned to look at Warren.

"For real?", asked Magenta.

"Yes. I won Save the Citizen a couple of times before you guys came to Sky High. He told me that even though I was the son of a supervillain, I was the best fighter in the school. Probably better than Lash and Speed."

"No freaking way, man.", said Will.

"Yes freaking way, man.", replied Warren.

"What about Mr. Boy and Mr. Medulla?", asked Ethan.

"Medulla was a little bit of a jerk, I had to refrain from calling him Megamind a couple of times. But he was surprised I knew how to build a ray. Mr. Boy and I didn't really speak to each other, but I thought he was kind of scared of me. I didn't really blame him, I had an intimidation factor and dangerous powers, but I thought he was kind of nice."

Layla turned to look at him, "Well let me tell you something about Mr. Boy. He was the best teacher ever. He didn't treat Will any better or any worse than the other kids in the Sidekick Class, and he helped the Commander in a lot of his journeys. He also caught baby Jetstream when she was about to hit the ground at the homecoming dance."

"Wow.", said Warren.

A moment of silence.

"Remember the cafeteria fight between Will and Warren?", asked Magenta.

Everyone's eyes widened at that memory. Of course they all remembered the cafeteria fight. Warren doubled over and started laughing.

"Oh yeah, I remember that!", Warren said in between giggles. "I was extremely pissed at Stronghold for mentioning my dad! I tried to kill him that day!"

Will glared at Warren.

"It's not funny! I almost shit my pants that day."

"I know, and it was so fucking funny!"

"Language, you two!", said Layla.

A few moments later of their bickering, Warren stopped laughing and Will started sulking.

"I still kicked your ass that day, though.", murmured Will.

"I didn't know you were going to get your powers that day, Stronghold."

"Whatever."

Zach was the first to change the subject. "Remember when Layla pretended to date Warren to make Will jealous?"

"I do.", said Layla. "I panicked when Will asked me who asked me to homecoming, so I just said the first thing that came to my mind."

"And that's how I ended up with you people.", said Warren.

Warren still kept the secret of accidentally falling in love with Layla while pretending to date her, he thought it didn't matter. It didn't matter, he was with Freeze girl now, and that crush was a secret he was taking with him to the grave.

"You love us and you know it, hothead.", said Magenta.

"Don't get all smug about it, rat girl."

That's when something else came to Will's mind.

"Oh my gosh! Remember Gwen?"

Everyone turned to look at Will.

"Gwen Grayson?", asked Layla.

"Yes."

Warren scoffed. "Of course we remember Royal Pain in the ass. What about her?"

"The day of the homecoming dance and you guys were escaping from the gym, that's when me and Layla shared our first passionate kiss."

Layla's face heated up at that memory. "Yes, that was my favorite memory of Sky High. I just loved that moment."

"Ah yes. I just loved the day where we saved the school from falling out of the sky, and proved that we're not heroes or sidekicks, just people.", Zach said.

"I loved when Gwen turned all of the students into babies. Sure it was a part of her evil plan, but still, everyone was so freaking cute that day.", Ethan squealed.

Will got up and started floating away from the building. "Yes, all of those great times at Sky High. But if I had to choose my favorite times, it was all of the fights."

"Why the fights?", asked Ethan.

"If Warren never tried to kill me that day, I would've never gotten my super strength. If me and Warren had never won Save the Citizen, you the sidekicks would still be bullied to this day. And if Gwen never threw me out of that window, then I would've never gotten my flight powers."

They all knew Will was right. The fights were the best memories of high school. Not because of fun or because of attention seeking, but because something good came out of it. Will floated closer to the building towards Layla, and Layla gave Will a big kiss.

"I didn't really like the fights, but you're right. They were the best parts of high school."

Will put his hands on Layla's, and kissed her again.

The sweet moment was interrupted by the sound of a loud crash and boom coming from the distance, and they all immediately knew that there was a bank robbery going on.

"Do you guys want to take care of this dork or let the cops handle it?", asked Will.

"Tear this bitch apart.", everyone except Layla said.

"Alright, let's go."