#parallels galore!

[burned-lariat]

The Robinson/ashford family being against Spencer reminds me of the quartermaines being against Zander when he first got with Emily.

Hmm...interesting...

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Lenny + Midge + Parallels, Callbacks, & Foreshadowing (Seasons 1-5) 

+Bonus

[kedreeva]

Hey! So I've been following you since you posted a lot about good omens in 2019ish? I remember you talking about wing fics vividly, but I just want to ask:

How are you doing after season 2?

Good! I enjoyed season 2, and I look forward to seeing how things resolve in season 3.

I think there are a lot of folks upset about various things, for various reasons, a lot of which boil down to "the season didn't go how I wanted it to/thought it should go" or "the season didn't end wrapped up neatly like S1 did." Neither of which, imo, are fair judgments of a season that a) isn't that person's story and b) was meant to be a bridge not an ending. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, of course, and to their feelings, but I do wonder how many have taken honest assessment of those feelings and opinions.

In my opinion, it's unfair to claim a story is bad JUST because it didn't do what you wanted it to do. It's not a bad story just because characters didn't act how you predicted or wanted, either. Some of the responses I've seen hinge almost entirely on "but canon didn't do what fanon/I decided is best" usually with the caveat of "before I even saw the season" and that's... ignoble at best. It's fair to criticize poor storytelling, but I feel like you have to have the whole story, or most of it, to do that, and we don't have that. We're actually smack in the middle of the story, by my judgment.

This season was never meant to be The Whole Story, we have known for a long time that there is a season 3 planned (whether or not it's ever able to come to fruition is a separate issue, it has been planned since a long time ago). As such, I don't think it's fair at all to the story to be angry that the season didn't stop at a nice, neat, happily-ever-after, because this isn't the end of the story.

To quote one of my favorite authors, Peter S. Beagle: "Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit; unicorns may go unrescued for a very long time, but not forever. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story."

They cannot have a happy ending until they've fixed the problems, and even before the end scene there, problems abounded. The unicorns are still unrescued. It's still the middle of the story.

[lemotmo]

I hope this isn’t an annoying message, because it may be a long one and kind of off topic. You can always ignore it if you need/want to!

I think you’ve posted something ER related on here before, so I assume you’ve seen show? Again, disregard this if you haven’t and this ask is annoying or pointless for you. But ER is my comfort show, and I rewatch it pretty regularly. So it’s funny, I just got to the part in season 7 where Dr. Weaver is spending a lot of time with a psychiatrist, who is open and out. And they’re having dinner in one scene, and the other doctor mentions to her that she’s somewhat interested and wants to know what they’re doing, and Dr. Weaver gets kind of flustered and is like, well I’m sorry if I led you on but I’m straight, so I never even considered this a possibility. Well, in one of the very next episodes they kiss and then begin a relationship.

So it’s funny to me that some people saw Eddie’s “I’m straight” as a concrete sign from the show that nothing will happen between him and Buck, because to me it was basically an official confirmation. No straight character points out that they’re straight. That’s just redundant storytelling. You have a character say that when they’re about to do something decidedly NOT straight.

I just thought it was kind of funny that I watched that episode of ER almost right after the new episode of 9-1-1. Good timing, and I just wanted to share my amusement with someone, so thanks for listening!

Hi Nonny! Noooo, this isn't an annoying message at all. Don't worry.

It's very interesting. I remember Kerry Weaver, but I had forgotten how she struggled with her sexuality in the beginning. It's been a while since I've rewatched those episodes.

The parallel to Eddie is insane. I agree, him saying out loud that he's straight didn't serve any purpose. It's being used as a way to make the audience actively start thinking about his sexuality.

There are no concrete signs in TV-shows. Everything has double meaning and so does this.

Thank you for sharing this Nonny!

[blastedking]

Universe: Stargazer I - Chapter 16: Angus  I

Look who it is. The angry lad!

[molination]

so yknow how fu hua always had survivor's guilt because she thinks she hasn't done what she could have done. what if in hsr, (assuming marshal hua is fu hua and she retains her memories) there is some supernatural thing ending the hsr world and at that moment she sacrifices herself (i know nothing about hsr).

like here is the scenario, himeko drives the star rail to that supernatural thing to k word it by exploding the star rail on it, but that means she k words herself. fu hua can't handle the fact she is going to send another himeko to her death so she temporarily intercepts the train, gets himeko to safe ground, and conducts the train to sacrifice herself instead and there nothing you can do about it. then you hear her last words over the comms talking about how kiana saved her once, referring kiana as a brave compassionate girl, and also say something how she used to be so weak and helpless and all her life she did what she told to do and not what she was meant to do. Then her speech ends with her bitterly saying that she doesn't believe in second chances.

[jojoblessed365]

So Far Away From Yesterday

Jess has had to deal with a lot of blindsides in his lifetime, but he wasn't prepared to become a widower and the single dad of a six year old daughter in one afternoon. Spiraling in grief, he moves back to Stars Hollow to be closer to Luke and Doula. Five years later, Jess is still attempting to get parenthood right- his daughter is in the early stages of adolescence and his teenage sister thinks it's time for him to move on. What happens when he crosses paths with Rory? Is it the universe's way of telling him that his story with Rory isn't over yet? Or will he continue to be faithful to the woman who left him six years prior?

A first collab with the ever talented @ernestonlysayslovelythings!!!

You have been nothing but the best with taking an idea I had out of the blue at 2 am and then waking up to find you have written the first chap and making me cry!!! It has been so inspiring and exciting working with you on this one!!!

Strap in folks- it's a bumpy ride!!!

Check out the first chapter here:

[shallowrambles]

I love that John is problematic, actually, anon. That's the appeal. When I say I like that crusty old bastard, it's knowing he's a Problem with a capital P.

Besides, it's a series full of Monsters with a capital M. John isn't uniquely Bad compared to the other characters, and realizing that is kinda freeing, actually.

Exhibit A: Rowena forgave/looked away from Sam and Cas for their part in the killing of Oskar because they're just animals doing animal things; Winchesters doing Winchester things. She couldn't forgive Crowley, because he's her family--he isn't supposed to do the uncaring animal things to her. That's why she verbalized her glee about Crowley's son Gavin dying.

We tend to see that when "animals do animal things," they're only doing what's in their Nature. It's not personal.

Exhibit B: When Crowley non-consensually fucks, then kills a bunch of queer Christian-coded swingers just to put in a call to Hell at the beginning of season 11, the fandom politely looks away. Because (a) Christian-coded swingers don't have the right aesthetic; in fact become "silly undesirables" even to a gloriously queer audience (b) most importantly, it's just Crowley doing Crowley things.

Not personal. Funny, even.

All that to say, fandom doesn't hate John because he's uniquely evil. Au contraire, he's probably objectively less evil than many of the characters we actively see on our screens. We only hate him because of who he wronged and how. We can almost hear Dean in our heads, yelling at Henry Winchester, "Your responsibility was to your family, not some glorified book club!" Or like the woman in the My Bloody Valentine, "You can't keep choosing work over me, Jimmy!"

There's inherent tension in doing work, going to work, keeping family safe, getting them battle-ready etc. etc. etc. versus the heartwarming business of proper caretaking and spending time together.

John's not allowed/supposed to be an animal out doing animal things, even if it's in the name of the Greater Good. Because he wronged his own family. Violence is good in a man; it makes him a hero even, under the right circumstances. But the violence should not be targeted inwards under any circumstances. That's not allowed to do to your own family, only outsiders' families. That's how society works.

This is why our reaction to John is kind of...outsized compared to other "bad: characters, even early-days Rowena. It's why even though John (and maybe even Lucifer) aren't objectively always leagues-worse than other characters, talking about them with any nuance gets you branded "BETRAYER" and bashed with hate-anons.

Aside///It's also why Dean's reactions to Cas are so outsized. Because Cas has an unspoken responsibility as family protector. Same as John had, though John was a failed family protector. (John is a father. Cas is and has always been a narratively "overworking husband." Yes, even when they imply the other is childlike; that's how spouses do; getting mad when the other doesn't understands their specific area of expertise or doesn't rise to the occasion as expected. Women tend to get infantilized for having opinions/not loving enough and men tend to get infantilized for not being tough enough/stepping up to the plate etc etc)

[wheelercore]

Reading It and thinking about First Shadow

[jadeluz-official]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice review - Beetlebabes Galore 

My rating: 8.7/10 

As far as sequels go, this one pays great homage to the original. More spoiler review under the cut. 

The Good

There's some great things about this film, BJ chasing Lydia down, Delores chasing Beej down, Wolf chasing everyone down, it kinda felt like a wacky hunger games. Of course there were problems with pacing, but it's just as gross and crude, if not more than the first movie. 

The wedding. God the wedding is so bonkers and pretty. I wish it just went on for a little longer. I know MK was running low on time at that point but the visuals with the church are so pretty. The blue/green atmosphere is something else. 

We get confirmation that Lydia is BJ's "love of his life" and fully intends to marry her again pretty early in the film. God Beej was such a loose canon in here and it was so fun to see him again. Every single scene he's trying to win her over, and Lydia's just not having it haha. This whole movie was such a shipfest and you can honestly leave the ending up to interpretation. I personally think they're married - they don't need rings. That scene where they end up in the bed was enough confirmation for me. 

The parallel with Astrid and Jeremy floating and Beetlebabes floating was my favorite thing the whole movie. Jeremy lets Astrid fall and won't help her back up but Beetlejuice makes sure he has a firm hold on Lydia. There's something about manipulation and revenge with Beej/Delores & Rory/Lydia too. Beej is coming from a place of genuine, disgusting love. Everyone else is doing it for their own gain. 

Wolf was also so fun to watch. He's a great addition to the BJ franchise as like a cop/criminal duo with him and BJ. I would've loved to see more of them interacting. Astrid's dad was also a total sweetheart. I wish he had just a little more time in the film. 

The Bad

I will say, the ending was very dissatisfying for BJ. He had done everything asked again, and Lydia signed an actual contract for the marriage this time. He saved Astrid from the Afterlife and saved Lydia from a doomed marriage. But hey, at least we got a hand kiss and that's all I needed LMAO 

Delores. Everything about her felt like an afterthought. We don't really see her much after she smashes Lydia's photo. She's made to be this huge threat and we don't really get to see it. There was a lot of missed potential drama with BJ and Lydia putting on the rings (which were cut, damn it all). I do like how they smashed Rory and Delores together with the sandworm though, girl was definitely thinking about going for him 😂

Astrid. She wasn't a bad character but she wasn't great. She was just very naive and I had a hard time liking her character. The Deetz are the opposite of naive, so it just felt off to me. And especially because Delia bites the bullet by venomous snake bites. It just felt like they were dumbed down just a tad too much. Lydia was the only one who kept a strong head the whole film. 

The tone of the film vs the trailers. In the trailers, we see a very serious nature about the film. Whereas in film, there's so many plots going on in such a small timeframe, it's a little hard to take anything seriously. And speaking of cut, the editing crew makes a hard zoom onto the ring on the floor and never does anything with the shot. There's def some editing issues/plot issues that got cut or scrapped. We'll have to see when the official script releases.

So....

It's a mess. But it's a fun mess. The visuals are beautiful, the characters are fun. It's such a fun rollercoaster of emotions. I'd definitely go see it again.

[inkpotsprite]

I came up with this AU a while back - probably a few months after I stumbled into this fandom - and it's been bouncing around in my head for a while. (Excuse the scatterbrained nature of this post, I'm just writing my thoughts as they come)

Tim Drake meets Peter Pan (OUAT edition)

I mean, he's the perfect candidate for a lost boy. Neglected, lonely and will probably become scarily loyal to the first person who offers him a way out of that. Not to mention, he's smart, has loose morals (I mean, he did stalk and blackmail Batman) and can be a little ruthless at times, he'd be Peter's right hand man in no time.

So, he lives as a lost boy for a while, but finds Peter's ways of doing things too dark or cruel and, being the baby genius he is, escaped from Neverland, back to Gotham.

But also, we could combine this concept with the Tim joins the family early trope. Like, he goes to Neverland a couple of times, but also starts connecting with the Waynes, so that could be part of the reason he's able to let go of that loyalty to Peter, because he's got something better waiting for him. He never tells the Wayne's about his time in Neverland, worrying that they'll see him differently due to the morally grey things he did there as Peter's right hand man. Tim deals with quite a bit of imposter syndrome and insecurity, but ultimately, he's more happy than not.

Then, a few years later, Damian comes in and is all, well, Damian about things which makes things take a bad turn for Tim. The family is bad at balance/communication and Tim "Abandonment Issues" Drake is a very unreliable narrator at times, so it's angst galore. Then Peter turns up again.

Tim goes with him to Neverland, this time with the intention of staying forever.

Or, we could go another route and look into Damian, a kid whose whole life had been uprooted as he's sent to live with a father he's never met and with a family with vastly different dynamics to what he's used to. He's not neglected, but he's certainly lonely. Especially when being held up to expectations and moral standards that he finds impossible to comprehend after being raised by Talia and Ra's.

So Peter comes back, but he takes Damian instead, as a way to lure Tim back to Neverland. And, even if he doesn't like Damian much right now, of course Tim will go after him because that's his little brother and no way in hell is he letting Peter take him.

We could even sprinkle in a little backstory about Peter knowing Bruce from when Bruce was a kid, after his parents died. Now, two of Bruce's sons are missing and he has to find a way to Neverland.

That's where Jason comes in. Jason Todd, the ultimate lost boy who never was. Not for lack of trying. Peter's shadow swooped down to get him when he was living on the streets, but Jay isn't some naive kid, he's a Gothamite, a Crime Alley kid and he knows that if someone - even that someone is a creepy shadow person - grabs you and tries to get you to a secondary location, you fucking fight it with all you have. So, Jason never makes it to Neverland. Instead, he fights so hard that the shadow drops him, right onto Captain Hook - Killian Jones' - ship. They bond, Killian teaches Jason the ropes, but Jason ultimately decides to go back to Gotham for whatever reason (maybe Killian messes up or Jason's trust issues get the better of him) and he leaves.

We could also play around with parallels between Bruce and Peter. Both taking in lost, lonely kids that no one else wants, having them fight battles, Peter could even hit Bruce with that 'at least my boys will never die' as if forcing them to live forever in eternal stagnation is so much better.

While in Neverland together, Tim and Damian start to bond over their feelings of never truly belonging anywhere. That they'll be forever defined by what they did over who they are. As they grow closer, Tim reassures Damian that he will always belong with him, to give him the chance to prove it.

Meanwhile, Bruce, Dick and Jason are on their way to Neverland. And Peter is ready to start playing the game.

... And that's all I've got so far.

[randomishnickname]

Must-read Destiel fics - my superduper Nov. 5th rec list

Three years ago, on the blessed day of November 5th, 2020, I had:

never seen an episode of SPN,

only had a vague inkling of what the two pale coconuts were on about,

and I hee-heed and ha-had with the rest of Tumblr about the love confession scene and the Internet errupting in an unparalleled craze

At first I thought, that's it.

Then ... I got curious. I watched some YouTube Destiel supercuts. I read some fic (I think @andhumanslovedstories beautiful Cas/OC fic was my entry point?). I read meta. I watched some more YouTube scene packs. I read even more fic. I watched some of S4, some of S1, some random fan fav episodes. And then Destiel lodged itself so deeply, thouroughly into my brain that it took over and hasn't relinquished control in the last two years. The most tenacious, pervasive brain worm to date.

This ship got it all, and this fandom got it all, and there's such delightful, powerful, batshit crazy, romantic, expertedly crafted fanfic out there, it's like being a starving child in the world's biggest candystore.

So without further ado, here's some of my very favorite fics from this infinite trove, with all my thanks to the wonderful writers who keep delighting and awing me with their dedication and craft. There'll of course be some recency bias at play but you can browse my bookmarks over here to chose from over 100 excellent and well-curated SPN stories.

💕CATEGORY: SWOONWORTHY💕

Wildly romantic fics that warm you up from the inside.

It Won't Be Perfect by someonetoanyone (10K words) Summary: Dean daydreams about what it'd be like to let himself love Cas freely.

Why I love it: the humor, the spot-on characterizations, and the quintessential late season Destiel-ness of being so deeply love with your best friend that it's too big to actually do anything about. Just. So warm.

Rock Lobster by Ginger Fail (13K) Summary: Cas decides that the lobsters Dean planned to cook need to get back home. Impromptu beach vacation ensues!

Why I love it: This road trip story is fresh and invigorating like a sea breeze! Fun, entertaining and full of deep, deep fondness.

Seek to Know You Better by ahurston (32K)

Summary: On a road trip, Dean and Cas play the 36 Questions That Lead To Love.

Why I love it: They’re so deliberatedly, carefully starting a relationship here. They try so hard to bridge the gaps and meet each other halfway. A very mature take on love that feels nourishing.

☢️CATEGORY: BRAINWORMS GALORE☢️

Fics that make you go BARK BARK BARK.

samson went back to bed by piesexuality (9k, @twoheadedcas) Summary: Cas strikes a deal with Chuck - keeping his family together comes at the price of their free will.

Why I love it: What if Cas got his revenge for the Mala'ak box? What if love came at the price of everything you've been fighting for? What if a story twisted the knife oh so sweetly? Each word of this one lands a punch. Made me insane in the best of ways (cue pinned fanart).

In sickness by @saintedcastiel (41K) Summary: S4 redux but Castiel has a fetish: giving Dean the sniffles.

Why I love it: This one is soooo. Can barely find words for it. It taps into Cas' early season alienness and psychosexual obsession with Dean, brilliantly demonstrates Casdean vs Samruby parallels, and each word is just. Perfect. ARGH!

so much smoke in a hall full of mirrors by AreYouReady (6K, @autisticandroids ) Summary: Godstiel is losing his heavenly war. Crowley provides a compliant Dean-doll for him to release his frustrations upon.

Why I love it: Urgh, this one is sooo dark. Taps into the scary, intimidating and alien aspects of Godstiel so well. Gore, consent and psychosexual issues galore. Delicious.

Special mention: In a Parked Car, Exhuming Ophelia by @an-android-in-a-tutu (17K). Still need to comment properly ;)

💣CATEGORY: EMOTIONAL WRECKING BALLS💣

Angsty fics that tear you to pieces to remake you better.

What Used To Be Mine by someonetoanyone (48K words) Summary: Dean never makes his apology prayer in Purgatory - Cas dies, Dean mourns.

Why I love it: Oh god, this is a heavy hitter. Just, straight up insurmontable grief, packaged in poetic, raw language to make you shed tears and tears. Loved it so much.

Ignite your bones By ilovehowyouletmefall (67K, @angelinthefire) Summary: Dean accepts Chuck's deal: killing Sam to save the world.

Why I love it: Cruuuuel cruel premise for a story that doesn’t pull its punches. It gets dark in Dean’s head and everyone around him suffers. Wonderfully written. The ending set my brain on fire.

Right Where you Left Me by outdean (93K, @armandgender)

Summary: Cas comes back from the Empty after 10 years to find Dean married to another man.

Why I love it: This one is a riiiide. When grief has become a part of you but your love comes back… When you return from the dead and have to carve a new space into the world for yourself... nothing is easy here, but the emotions are INTENSE. Also, autistic!Cas for the win.

Special mention: Who Ya Gonna Call? by saintedcastiel (50K) and Clear skies in spring by enochianprayer (WIP)

💥CATEGORY: EPIC RIDES💥

Expansive, wild adventures with lots of ups and downs

Spirit of the West by teen_dean (140K, @urne-buriall)

Summary: An 18y old Dean grew up on a horse farm – cue veterinarian Castiel. The summer of a lifetime ensues.

Why I love it: So this is one of my very favorite stories, ever ever, and I cannot recommand enough to immediatedly suscribe to the author’s Substack to be able to follow it in „real time“ next summer. It’s cinematic, rich, full of darkness and light, it’s everything a story can aspire to, I’m just. I just really love it.

Second Verse, Same as The First by LaLaCat1 (135K)

Summary: Endverse!Cas is sent back to the start of S1 and is determined to make things right this time round.

Why I love it: a desperate and badass Cas, unfridging everyone, a thrilling plot, moments of awesome for the entire cast, gripping action scenes, a romance for the ages… this is a genuinely amazing story.

back road, black road by eden22 (167K)

Summary: 18y old Sam gets kidnapped by Hell on his way to Stanford. Dean tries to deal.

Why I love it: So this one’s not Destiel-centric but does have wonderful Destiel moments. It’s also very heavy on the gore and the angst (NOT for the faint of stomach), but expertly crafted, fascinating and frankly it deserves more love. Held my breath for half the read and never knew where it’d take me.

Special mention: It's The End Of The World (As We Know It) by tiamatv (140K)

🤪CATEGORY: DESTIEL INSANITY🤪

Uproariously funny stories about the intricate rituals these two weirdos get up too.

Life Skills by ilovehowyouletmefall (26K)

Summary: Dean teaches a newly human Cas how to be „a real man“.

Why I love it: Dean coming to Big Self-Realizations while trying to have platonic threesomes with Cas is so perfect. Very endearing, tender and funny. Also, smoking hot sex.

the cheapest room in the house by biggaybenny (89K)

Summary: Dean downloads Grindr for Cas

Why I love it: Just. Late season Dean being deranged about Cas’ sexuality while everyone watches on in utter confusion. Equally hilarious and deeply moving

according to all known laws of life by @sobsicles (29k)

Summary: Cas comes back from the Empty to a Dean who won’t stop playing gay chicken.

Why I love it: They are both such petty, insane weirdos in this one. They said „can every situation be turned into a squabble“ and didn’t wait for an answer. So funny, so tender

Special mention: Wedding Vows and Negotiations by GingerFail (6K)

That's it, enjoy and leave your writers some much-deserved love!

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Chenford Week: Day 2: TV Tropes Day: Favorite Season 5 parallels

[my-shields-are-down]

YAY! Oh I love this!

#Flirty

[lemotmo]

I tried to copy it but for some reason it won't copy and I need someone else to know. Ali answered an ask comparing Taylor and Tommy and mentioned all the similarities but pointed out something I had not even realized. They both kissed Buck over an Islands in the Stream cover from Madney and then Jennifer (it was worded better but younger what I'm saying 🤣). Those relationships really are mirrors of one another. What are your thoughts on the Taylor/Tommy comparisons? I'm so curious to hear yours now as well!

Ah really? So sad that it didn't copy. But I'm sure you got the gist of it.

That's an interesting comparison indeed. I knew about this one actually.

When Jennifer sang that song during the wedding scene I immediately noticed how a part of the lyrics matched with Eddie and Chris and it just fit them so well. I forgot what the specific lyrics were, but I remember thinking that this couldn't be a coincidence.

Then later I read about the Taylor & Tommy connection and I was even more convinced that this wasn't a coincidence.

Here we have the iconic Madney singing their song as friends, when it was obvious that they were crazy about each other. Then in season 7, we have the iconic Jennifer singing their song for their wedding. Talk about an epic love story. 😍

Both Taylor and Tommy were 'surprises' for Buck. He didn't set out to have a relationship with either of them. He just kinda fell into something with both of them.

With Taylor it remained 'casual' for a very long time until it grew a bit more serious when Eddie had been shot. Buck wasn't in a great headspace back then, worried about Eddie and traumatised because of the fact that he saw him get shot in front of him. So Buck was in a fragile state when Taylor came to his apartment, kissed him and they started something. Basically, Buck fell into a relationship and who was in the middle of it? Eddie.

Sound familiar?

It should, because seasons later in season 7, we get the same scenario. Once again Eddie got hurt, but this time he was the one to do the 'hurting'. Why? Because he was jealous of Eddie spending all of his time with his new friend Tommy. So he lashed out in frustration and hurt Eddie. Once again, Buck was in a fragile state over him hurting his friend, unsure if Eddie even wanted to talk to him. And who shows up? That's right. Tommy. The man came to his apartment, seemed very surprised that Buck had been after his attention, kissed him and they started something. Once again, Buck fell into a relationship and who was in the middle of it? Eddie.

So yeah, the parallels are definitely there. We all know how Bucktaylor ended right? Buck kissed Lucy, asked Taylor to move in with him out of some misplaced sense of guilt, told her about Lucy and then proceeded to break up with her after some time because he realised she wasn't what he needed.

Following that pattern...

Lucy isn't there to kiss anymore, so who could possibly come in between BT this time? That's right: Eddie. Now, I don't think they'll take it as far as kissing this time. Buck will most probably come to some realisations about his feelings for Eddie and then proceed to break up with Tommy, because he will realise that Tommy isn't what he really needs.

So yeah, that's my take on this Nonny. I hope it makes some sense to you. I'm not delusional enough to ever think that my answers will ever be as eloquent as Ali's. But I always try to do my very best.😋

[jovial-thunder]

Lancer Tactics devlog

I'm gonna try out posting my ~monthly devlog roundup here as well. These suckers are glorified changelogs with anecdotes and gifs galore. Let me know if this is something you like seeing show up on your dash?

Map Editor

Got units able to be placed/deleted/moved in the mission editor

Can paint/remove command zones in the editor

Can paint minecraft-like terrain blocks in the editor

Can paint/rotate multi-tile props in the editor

Can edit unit character sheets and portrait via the editor

3D maps

Did a bunch of art tests with 3D mech models, provided by GeneralChaos, which we ended up deciding not to go with to keep things simple.

To avoid the can of worms that is animation, we'd have to lean into a static "tabletop minatures" aesthetic which we decided is not a style we want to be stuck with. By sticking with 2D sprites, we avoid falling into a sort of uncanny valley; it's easier to get away with not animating a 2D sprite than it is for a 3D model.

 We also experimented with 3D terrain. We decided to make a rule that the visual style for a piece of terrain should match its mechanical effect: obstructing terrain that you can't move through, such as rocks or buildings, will be in 3D, while non-obstructing terrain like trees will stick with 2D sprites.

Hooking up the 3D camera to follow events like movement and attacks did a LOT for making it starting to feel like it's cohering into an Actual Game™

Implemented cover! And an attack preview! Cover works by aiming a ray from the target to the originator (technically to and from each voxel of each, respectively, to handle size 2s shooting above size 1 cover) and tracking all the terrain blocks it hits (how we'll handle non-terrain hard cover TBD). I think I have it working according to Perijove's cover rules manual, but I'm sure there'll be edge cases to work out. This is a case where things are significantly simplified by working in squares instead of hexes; hexes have a lot more possible weird angles you have to deal with.

Re-added what I'm stubbornly calling Combat Popcorn; little bits of text that pop out when you use abilities and attacks.

UI & game screens

Added ability for the engine to show UI that's anchored to the game world via a little word bubble line but also stay on screen as the camera moves around.

Got word bubbles working; you can now write dialogue in the mission editor, hit playtest, and see it work in a mission! (it does actually translate correctly now; this gif is just from a bug I thought was funny)

Got ability effects mostly behaving appropriately again, including muzzle flashes. The easiest way to handle them ended up being NOT billboarding them so they always face the camera (like all other 2D sprites in the game); instead, I put them on a plane parallel with the ground and just spin them around the unit to point at wherever their target is.

Did some work ironing out our tooltip system. The standard in CRPGs these days is this kind of nested labyrinth of tooltops that you see in Baldur's Gate 3:

I Did Not Want to try and figure out how to wrangle that much UI, so we're instead opting to cap the nested tooltips at the second layer. You can lock a general tooltip for e.g. an action and then mouseover various items within that tooltip to get glossary definitions...

...and then instead of having those glossary tips be lockable/mouse-overable themselves, I collect all related terms to that glossary definition and let you tab through them.

Added skin overlay functionality to the portrait maker, enabling textures like scars, tattoos, stubble, and vitiligo to be applied to just the skin and not extend off into space.

Midway through writing this update, Carpenter sent me this gif of the randomization button working! There's a still a bunch of skintones/assets missing and a few are a bit janky, but it was exciting to start seeing the range of these lil freaks (affectionate) that this editor can create.

Mourning cloak license!

This is the one I'm probably most excited about: I did a bit of a content dive and implemented a basic character sheet + all Mourning Cloak traits and equipment. They don't have fancy graphics yet, but the weapons and systems can be added via the character sheet and used in-game.

It took a little under a day, including adding soon-to-be common mechanisms like bonus damage. This is great news in that it means the engine we've been building for so long in the abstract seems to do a great job in handling comprehensive actual game content, and that it looks like we've set ourselves up for success when it comes time to buckle down on churning that out.

I'm sure other licenses will come with unique difficulties (I fear the day it comes time to do the Mule Harness // Goblin CP) but I'm feeling good about it!

Vertical slice?

Taking a step back, the pressing question on my mind has been "when will we have a playable early access build?"

I was originally hoping for Feb/March, but what we've internally been referring to as the "3D cataclysm" has pushed everything back by at least three months, so the target for the first alpha build is now in May. So, ah, thanks for your patience! Seeing things come together, I've become more and more convinced that moving to 3D was the right call.