#peon army

[elgaberino-mcoc]

REVISED & NEW WISHLIST ICON: BROOD

This listing was previously “No-Name (Brood)” the character from Planet Hulk

We think some people were just seeing “Brood” and upvoting. It makes more sense anyway, to have a single listing to let Summoners ask for Brood in @MarvelChampions.

[randomnameless]

I saw your post about dumb points people make so that Dimitri and the Kingdom come off as worse and to justify Edelgard invasion and I was wondering if you have heard the one about how people try to use Duscur amd Sreng as a excise?

Like they claim that the Kingdom bad treatment of both nations makes them morally evil and that they deserve to be wiped out and conquered in return or that Dimitri has no actual desire to free Duscur and is just using them.

But they always conveniently forgot that the Empire has done the same thing to Brigid and Dagda in the past or even the fact that Edelgard is openly using Brigid

Imo that also explains why Petra completely falls flat as a character, because we have the situation where she is Adrestia's hostage, and could really bring something to the table about imperialism, power (in)balance and...

We have Nopes, where, iirc, Pat tried to lolcalise the part where she wonders why Faerghus used to see Duscur as something else than a land to be conquered before the Tragedy, when Adrestia always set its sights on Brigid - but bar that?

In this situation - a character being a literal hostage of another - I would have expected more than 5 throw away lines and the insulting (Petra is a princess, not the daughter of a fisherman, you really want me to believe she never learnt the language of the juggernaut trying to invade every saturday? Apparently Brigid people know how to speak Fodlanese, if her paralogue is any indication!) trope of "doesn't know the language".

(and yet it speaks volumes about how Adrestia treated her, even if it's not realistic : the child under house Goneril's "good care" is more fluent than her even if he has difficulties to pronounce Mercie's name, whereas the commoner who was saved and cared for by the prince is perfectly fluent in both languages, and even taught him some Duscurian in return!)

But ranting about Petra will take another post altogether, especially how she is perceived in certain, hm, corners of the fandom.

Let's say people living in said corner of the fandom embraced their favourite png's rhetoric, and the famous "Adrestian double standard" even in their real life interactions (with other fans). And it when it doesn't apply, they just create it.

I remember early on after the first Nopes leaks how people tried to piece out (10k years of lore!!) how Sreng and Faerghus's borders came to be, and some "devoted fans" immediately jumped on the Faerghus BaD wagon.

But conveniently ignored Wilhelm the Sailor, writing how he utterly failed his campaign to invade Dagda, off handedly mentions how Brigid people are "savages" and prefers to die there than to face the Emperor of the time who's going to be very pissed that he didn't manage to invade Dagda.

It's more or less (10k years of lore I'm telling you!) explained Sreng and Faerghus/Gautier fight over ressources, but why the fuck Adrestia wants to "adrestianise" Brigid and Dagda? For ressources or just to spread the might and glory of Emperor Ionius III ?

Saying Dimitri doesn't want reparations for Duscur and to cleanse Duscur's name is like saying Rhea's ears are round - you have a better chance to win an argument against a potted plant than against some people who aren't even talking about the game.

[royalbstrd]

i must go to bed but - the fact Cullen doesn't just join his men in battle but throws himself on the front lines with them says a lot about the kinda person he is

[sudensk-the-stallionist]

Although i certainly find universal nuclear disarmament to be a morally correct and honourable goal, it's also very clear that a reasonable part of those campaigning for it are very entrenched in anti-communist views - focusing with much strictness on the development of nuclear warheads by the DPRK, China and Russia (which isn't socialist, but nevertheless). At best they criticize the gigantic war industry of the US, but only by liberal metrics of "we should only have the necessary" and stuff like that. However, it is also clear that the development of nuclear armament - although not the main priority - should, very clearly, be something that socialist states now and in the future must consider. Even if not full blown nuclear armament - at least ICBMs and others like it. For it is not a mistake or an insanity that the DPRK, for example, has developed nuclear warheads; it knows that it is the subject of constant international harassment and it is prepared to have what is, for now, the most powerful rhetorical weapon against this. Future socialist countries should, yes, follow this! And, you see, a big number of communists mainly in the West (and to great extents elsewhere) do not see military strategy and development post-revolution as important. And this is stupid! Foolish! Russia was the subject of an inter-imperialist gangbang from all sides, and it only survived to form the Soviet Union with the development of a strong, renewed Red Army, big in bulk and in equipment. And socialist revolutions in the future will also need to have this: they'll need a Red Army, Red Navy and Red Air Force. And communists NOW should think about how this needs to be developed and need to learn strategy and need to be active within military circles (although, of course, in the imperial core the military is a much clearer peon of international capital than in the global south, so things are harder in this stance). Socialism here, now and in the future will certainly be striked with the combined forces of capital tumbling down on any form of organized proletariat. This happens to countries contrary to the imperialist USAmerican order, socialist or not: it imposed a military dictatorship in Cambodia in 1970, it couped Chile in 1973, it annihilated Grenada in 1983, it helped oust Aristide in Haiti in 2004, it destroyed Libya in 2011 - not counting many others. This means that developing a strong, truly proletarian armed force and developing means to defend it long term beyond that - ICBMs, and, of course, following the correct Korean path, even nuclear missiles - are crucial for the establishment of socialist states. And only when socialism is triumphant or on its way to triumph may these rhetorical and physical defenses of socialism be dismantled. Or only if the capitalist world surrenders all of it at the same time. However, believe me: they won't. As such, i'd say that in the 21st century, Lenin's little formula can be adapted to: Communism is Soviet power + electrification + ballistic missiles, in a gross simplification. The basis, the development and the defense.

[thaern]

Nandor: We must gather an army to fight against the forces of the capitalism and Capital Industries so they don't use us as peons and throw us away like trash

Guillermo: it's ok if our paths are different, you don't have to fight just because we are separated and things are different, is not like my boss is my new master or anything (proceeds to answering a phone call from said boss giving him total attention)

Nandor totally not jealous at all:

[shaykai]

Modern AU Durgetash scribble. It’s important to me that you all know they go on joyrides together- and if Vat is driving he purposefully speeds through speed traps with only the worst of intentions. Gortash is only slightly irked that he keeps murdering the peons of his future army

[makanidotdot]

I was enjoying your old Tyrande, Malfurion and Illidan arts but I have to ask because I never read any of those books but am morbidly curious - what was going on with Azshara and Illidan and Azshara and Tyrande, what was she doing to them? 😭

Lol Azshara was basically just doing Saturday morning cartoon evil things, she's supernaturally sexy and seduces ppl and stuff for power. Tyrande is captured cos Azshara's forces know the Stormrage bros + Tyrande's army are fighting against Azshara and are generally being meddling kids, plus Tyrande has just been made the new high priestess. So Azshara is just taunting her and saying she's going to be her new slave/handmaiden, which I think is implied would actually have worked if Tyrande's Elune levels weren't as high as they were? Azshara's magic is powerful enough that even her statues compel everyone including Tyrande to drop to their knees and worship her.

And then Illidan's thing is Azshara just fucking with him after he gets Sargeras juiced. And I think with both, Azshara's also just trying to make other peons jealous, Vashj of Tyrande and Varo'then of Illidan? She's just being generally evil and horny. Her whole motivation for summoning Sargeras is she wants to bang someone actually worthy of her so lol

[magpie-come-east]

Also Hornsent grandam for the ask meme because she’s cute and deserves more love

favorite thing about them

Frankly I love everything about her. I love her design. I love her dialogue. I love that she is initially hostile but softens up as the story progresses. I love, even then, she never actually trusts the player wholly (she thinks you are a Sculpted Keeper, that's why she loosens up). Despite her sharp tongue and stinging condemnation, she shows over and over that there is a loving old grandma buried beneath the ash laid during the war. She's old. She's been watching her friends and family die all her life. She's watched her way of life slowly go extinct. But she faces the player with dignity. She makes soup with love. She tells the player to take a nap. She tells you to beat Messmer's ass.

least favorite thing about them

This is a petty detail, but it kinda bugs me that she says 'by the look of thee, another of Messmer's peons, methinks' about the player. Then later when the player wears the Divine Beast Dancing Lion mask, she mistakes them for a Sculpted Keeper because of their smell. I believe her horns made her blind, hence her recognition by scent later. But at the beginning they make it seem like she is still sighted. It feels like a minor oversight, but it bothered me haha.

But Gramma is perfect otherwise!

favorite line

"For what reason dost thou falter, villain? Enact thy sordid work with fullest pride. Else tuck away thy tail and leave for good. Loathsome issue of the rotten strumpet."

These lines are just so badass. She is an old woman 'looking' her would-be assassin in the eye and saying 'Do it, coward. You won't.' With a couple of lines we can see what a strong and proud woman she is. She fully expects to die, not understanding a Tarnished is not an agent of Messmer. But she refuses to be humiliated or cowed.

"I cannot presume thou didst not suffer... Please, I ask thee, allow thyself some rest. None of the tower would dare interfere. And if one should, I'll see to them myself!"

I also love this one. Once she lets her guard down she really is just a grandma. She is glad that Messmer is dead. But more than that, she is concerned about you. It's genuinely sweet.

brOTP

I think all the Horned Warriors love her. She bosses them around and they all crave her praise. Like I said, she's a Grandma.

I also feel like her and the Omen Twins would get along eventually. She'd bust their balls so hard, and they'd bite back just as hard.

OTP

I don't actively ship her with anyone. But since she grants the player the spirit of her own son to guard them, she probably had a partner at some point. Someone who likely isn't around anymore either ;;

nOTP

She wouldn't be caught DEAD with a non-hornsent lover lol

random headcanon

The Grandam is a respected leader in Belurat. Not because she was elected to or inherited any great position. But because she is one of the few elders of her clan that remembers the cultural practices that Messmer's armies are stomping out. Even the hornsent people call her Grandam because she's basically a grandmother to them all.

unpopular opinion

Hornsent Grandam isn't mean. If her 'rude' lines were given to Messmer to say ya'll (general) would be lapping it up. To be honest, I don't think most people dislike her, so this isn't really an 'unpopular' opinion. But all criticisms I see about her character are immensely bad faith. She's not 'fuckable' (ie, she's actually elderly) and a woman. So she must necessarily be dunked on to prop up the mediocre man that is her enemy.

song i associate with them

I dunno the Cult of the Lamb soundtrack.

Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club

[seldomdrawncherubs]

Whats your thoughts on a Knight of Space?

UU: oh, my specialty!

UU: in a normal session, the space player breeds the universe frog and the knight protects them as they devote their focus.

UU: this lends an UnfortUnate damsel-like qUality to most of Us, which many of Us dislike...i do wish I was considered competent enoUgh by the game to do it myself, as gratefUl as i woUld be for the help.

UU: for yoU, thoUgh, i woUld say that yoU have that wish fUlfilled. yoU are yoUr own defender, despite the drawbacks.

UU: perhaps yoUr session is small...

UU: the knight is often overbUrdened by aspect, responsibility, and facade. I am told karkat did not sleep at all dUring his session...that woUld take qUite the toll.

UU: then yoU have dave, picking Up the slack of completing a scratch in a single day whilst protecting the space player. and being the time player to boot...

UU: latUla was perhaps the best off, and even she had her fair share of problems, keeping Up her exterior and pUtting the care of others before herself...

UU: having to take both bUrdens at once is hardly fair. the other players in yoUr session had better help yoU! I hope yoU find sUpport for yoUrself as well even oUtside sbUrb; taking on mUltiple bUrdens is difficUlt.

***

uu: SINCE MY SISTER. WAS VAGuE. ABOuT WHATEVER COOL POWERS YOu WOuLD GET. I AM HERE. TO TELL YOu ABOuT THEM.

uu: IT IS NO SECRET. THAT SPACE SuCKS ASS. ESPECIALLY COMPARED. TO THE SuBLIME ASPECT. THAT IS TIME.

uu: BuT YOu COuLD SHIELD YOuR FRIENDS WITH ASTRAL STuFF. AND MOVE AROuND QuICKLY. AND GROW AND SHRINK YOuR TEAM. TO SuIT STRATEGIES.

uu: SPACE PLAYERS. TEND TO BE GOOD WITH STRIFE. WHICH IS GOOD. BECAuSE YOuR ASPECT. DOES NOT DO MuCH. EVEN JAKE'S ANCESTOR BITCH. uSED A GOOD STRIFE SPECIBuS. AND THE KANAYA BITCH. SOMEHOW MADE STuPID MAKEuP. SAW SOMEONE IN HALF.

uu: I LOATHE TO ADMIT IT. BuT THAT WAS SORT OF COOL. DO NOT TELL HER I SAID THAT. OR I WILL BOIL YOuR EYEBALLS.

uu: YOu KNOW WHAT? FINE. YOu MIGHT BE uSEFUL. AS A PEON RANKED SOLDIER. IN MY ALPHA DEATH ARMY.

uu: DO NOT LET IT GO TO YOuR HEAD.

tumut

***

UU: yoU actUally complimented a woman???

[rolkstone]

The DiMaggio Crime Family info

(this is based on my AU which I have been developing with @fernikart57 and @ghosttrickfan9887 )

The Big Boss: Joel Fontana (OC by Fernikart57)

He comes from a long line of men of the same name. The first one came to the US to find a better life; his son found a much better life in crime, which he in turn taught to his own son. This current Joel is the fourth in the line and is perhaps the most bitter and angry, due to his extremely toxic upbringing and the feeling that no one likes him.

He eventually takes a seat on the Mafia Commission and spends more time in other cities, but he got his start in Springfield.

The Boss: Don Vittorio DiMaggio

His ancestor had come to the US with the first Fontana to help get them set up. Vittorio has always been a very level headed, calm, almost sweet man who found a lot of solace in his friendship with Fat Tony. He was groomed to be the boss since middle age and carefully, quietly, led things under Joel's eye. Eventually he takes over the DiMaggio crime family in Springfield and New Jersey.

He found love in his earlier age but because he was in love with another man, his father went nuclear. Vittorio had to leave his love forever. Now he continues to stay away from men romantically and collects cats.

The Underboss: Marion Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico

His ancestors worked faithfully alongside the DiMaggios; Tony was a sort of Mafia prince from a young age. He had everything going for him and he really embraced it. He was close with Vittorio from the start and took pride in being a good enforcer for him.

He later meets a woman named Anna Marie and they hit it off almost immediately. He later has a son with her; she dies later.

Since Don Vittorio is a very hands-off leader, Tony is seen to be the boss of the crew by many. Tony does not at all mind getting his hands dirty or helping his men do tasks that usually only peons do.

He's always been a bit chubby, but as he aged he put on the pounds. He's content with that.

The Consigliere: Armin Tamzarian aka Seymour Skinner

Seymour started his life as a criminal, but when he joined the Army, he seemed to put that behind him, especially when he met a man who inspired him to do better. He became the principal of the elementary school and an important figure in the society. But as time went by and the school funds dried, Seymour desperately turned to the Mafia for a loan.

Since he couldn't pay it back in money, Tony allowed Seymour (after having a cute meeting at a restaurant) to pay him back via tasks, like administrative or other nerdy jobs. Eventually they fell in love and a lot more responsibility was thrust upon Seymour.

He's gone through a lot with Tony, lost a lot, gained a lot. He's changed quite a bit, but is still the same sweet, deferential man he's always been.

The Co-Consigliere: Dan Gillick

He started working for the Mafia when he walked in on his old boss talking to some goons. He was threatened and promised to stay quiet. He was always good with numbers; eventually his boss "gave" him to the Mafia.

The mobsters never really respected Dan, especially as he tried to get them to curtail their spending. He had to make sure they weren't hemorrhaging money. At least because he's such a little, frail guy, no one tried to get physical with him. Don Vittorio respected and liked him a lot.

The Top Enforcer: Giovanni "Johnny Tightlips" Silencio

He was part of Carina's (more on her later) crew in New Jersey, still under the umbrella of Don Vittorio and Joel. Johnny was transferred down to Springfield after a series of gang wars took out of a lot Tony's men. Johnny was always so cool and sharp and aloof; Tony had a man-crush on him from the start and still admires him. However, the two can often butt heads as Johnny has a rather independent spirit.

Enforcer: Paulie (OC by me)

He's an older member, a middle ranking capo who's been stagnating in that rank for years now. He's bitter and resentful but decent at his niche job: making collections for the Numbers Game. He often works alongside another mobster.

Enforcer: Jimmy "The Scar"

He's been with Tony from the beginning, though in his early days he was ordered by Joel to spy on his own colleagues. This made him quite unpopular, but when he took the order to pretend to be a cop so he could spy on them, he started to regain some esteem. He's always been level headed and calm and pretty easy going; the guys end up liking him despite his ugly beginnings.

Enforcer: Max "Legs" Legman

He has an explanation for his nickname; he just never gets the chance to tell it. He's one of the few trans members of the crew, and no one knows until the information is forced out of him later. Probably due to an injury. This is partly why he is very stand-offish and touch averse.

He ran away from home at a young age and met Louie, another young runaway. They did what they had to to survive; eventually Louie was picked up by the local Mafia crew due to his Italian heritage. Legs is not Italian, but Louie made it clear they are a two part deal. Now Legs is the crew's medic, having a special talent for it.

Enforcer: Louie

Brash, thoughtless, careless, but with a good heart for a life of crime. He loves Legs but sense how he pulls away; he is constantly trying to get close, then pulling away. He's almost gotten whacked before due to his mistakes, but so far squeaks by because he's willing to do just about anything for Tony.

Peon: Frankie "The Squealer" Veloce

By all rights, he should be dead many times over. He has a compulsion to spill secrets, the more important the more it physically hurts him to keep it in. He is deeply insecure and painfully aware of how "little" he is, in many ways. He just wants to feel big; he wants to feel like he matters. His biological family has always been distant and sort of just pushed him into the Mafia.

Sometimes Tony sends Frankie to the cops to squeal about less important things to distract them.

Peon: Carmine Veloce (OC by me)

A recent member. He's trans and has no idea what he's doing. He barely passes but if the other guys realize, they don't say anything directly about it. He's usually made to do shit jobs like cleaning up and dissolving dead bodies. He's Frankie's cousin, but Frankie doesn't know about his new identity.

The New Jersey Crew

Led by Carina D'Amico, this satellite crew runs things in Newark, New Jersey for the benefit of Don Vittorio and Joel. The crews are primarily independent of each other though will sometimes visit each other or join up for battles.

Boss: Carina D'Amico (OC by me)

She was born Silvio D'Amico, and was raised as a Mafia prince alongside her brother Tony. She was sent to New Jersey as a youth to establish a crew there. She ruled her crew with an iron fist as Silvio for many, many years, knowing something was wrong but afraid to address it in this extremely toxic and macho world of the Mafia.

She started transitioning only recently. There are many in the Mafia who still know her as Silvio, though few make the mistake to call her that. Don Vittorio admires her a lot and has set the standard for his entire Family to respect her.

Underboss: Fausto

A hot headed man whore with many boyfriends, Fausto is Carina's trusted leg breaker. He's her main enforcer. He's tough and brittle, but there's a sensitive heart down there somewhere.

Consigliere: John Lawson (OC by Fernikart57) (not pictured)

More level headed, but also very cruel. He keeps the books for Carina. He is too fragile to fight physically, but his ability to run numbers in his head makes him scary to debtors.

Medic: Layla "Flake" (OC by me)

She got involved with the Mafia when her brother took a job from the wrong man and got imprisoned. She went into debt trying to help him. She met some peons who worked for Carina and eventually met Carina herself, offering whatever she could do instead of money. She's been studying to be a doctor, but was stopped by lack of funds. Carina pays her well now, but keeps her on call at all times.

Enforcer: Floyd (OC by Fernikart57)

A sensitive, careful guy. He lost his arm in a battle; however is the primary driver for the crew in their modified car.

Enforcer: Gregorio

A nasty middle aged guy. He's a smooth talker, a real lady killer, but he's genuinely violent with them too.

[cosmica-galaxy]

How would your Oc’s and mimic’s react to the human being able to summon creatures that are friendly towards them

Camron would find them pretty cool! Some can be ridden, some are protective, and there are even a few that are adorable that just...exist. It's so nice to have so many new creatures to interact with that are friends to the alliance! DJ would find them all pretty neat! He enjoys the musical summons and the dancers. Entronachs and various other summons are pretty cool to watch as well! How did humans fall to near extinction with powers like these?? Vee would find them beneficial to the cause and as an extension to yourself. There's plenty of interesting variations in what you can summon and he always gets surprised when something new turns up. There's even one that looks like a fluffy feline...and it has taken a liking to him...he'll sit down for hours and pet it. It's very calming. Buddy doesn't get the appeal for your summons. Don't you have them? Why do you need more beasts?? Are they even true pack members or are they the equivalent to peons?? He doesn't have a good grasp on these summons and magic nonsense...plus, they all smell strange. Pal will only have limited sight, sensitive smells, and excellent hearing to go off of...and each member that you summon is different from the last. Plus, they're friendly! How many recruits did they get?? It's like a whole army joined the alliance! He's impressed with your diplomacy! He can't tell what has been causing that periodic fizzing sound, though... Fiend is grumpy and would probably bap at the more social versions of your summons. It's like a damn crowd in here!! He'll be swarmed with overly affectionate bozos before bouncing up to the ceiling and leaping away to make his escape. The only good thing about these summons is when they LEAVE.

[howlingday]

SURPRISE INSPECTION

Watts: I said, what's wrong with your hair?

Cinder: Oh, uh, I... ran out of... product.

Watts: (Scratches on paper)

Cinder: What, is that going to count against me?

Watts: Personal grooming is a factor, yes, but determining your ranking in the Children of Salem is a calculus of many criteria. For example, your "lair" also doesn't impress.

Mercury: Well, we're still working out the kinks. We just, uh, weren't expecting you guys doing this today.

Watts: WHICH IS EXACTLY THE POINT OF A SURPRISE INSPECTION! (Turns to Cinder) You let your peons speak out of turn?

Cinder: Oh, no, he's not a peon, he's my second-in-command. The, uh, henchman army is right over here.

Watts: Army? Pft! Spruce Willow rolls with a bigger squad. And these uniforms are so tacky and drab!

Cinder: Who are you, Sienna Khan? (Turns) Emerald, sweetie, can't you help?

Emerald: I'm sorry, Cinder, but as a member of the Council of Salem, I can't interfere with Councilman Watts' impartial decisions.

Cinder: Then why are you here?!

Emerald: (Gives her "the look")

Cinder: (Gulps) S-Sorry... Uh, so, give it to me straight. Am I qualified to arch Ruby yet?

Watts: After extensive and careful thinking, it is in this Councilman's opinion that you shall be awarded the CoS ranking of... five.

Cinder: FIVE?! MOTHER-

Mercury: (Covers Cinder's mouth) Uh, I know we're still shaky, but don't you think five is a little low?

Watts: It is extremely generous, all things considered. It takes more than a bucket of paint and cheaply knit uniforms to turn a fishing boat into a battleship, Ms. Fall.

Cinder: But what about my captured Grimm? (Points to a cage with a tentacled monster) Isn't that worth something? Six? Seven?

Watts: Ah, yes... That. (Shoots past Cinder)

Cinder: (Turns to broken hologram projector, Turns back Watts standing by empty cage)

Watts: Five.

[randomnameless]

Drankengard done (land 2!)

A lot of nice things in this part, so far it feels like the most FE-like land, and some characters from this land are really interesting!

l firstly love how the plot starts with "we have to rescue this midget prince from 100k soldiers" in one of the few defend maps of this game with various catapults and other engines to attack/defend against a cluster of loldiers coming at you - that was nice compared to the nigh useless ballistas and other engines in FE.

Granted, Gilbert's defining moment after being revealed is basically protecting his vassal from a gotoh-like character who's twice his size and more or less recruiting her for the defend map -

(localisation thingie : no "kisama" for eng/fr script Gilbert, sure it's kind of complicated to put it in words - like an agressive "you" - and yet it gives some nice characterisation, after Amalia rekts Leah and while Gilbert is standing seconds before being surrounded by 100k peons in front of someone who's basically stronger than anyone else around, he is still angry and pissed for his friend's sake) -

Just before being upset at asking our party - aka a foreign nation who was at war with his for the last few decades and revealing that his dad only granted asylum to the princess of said foreign nation to marry her to his heir to conquer it later on - for help.

Hopefully for him his game is no Triangle Strategy, so no one will actually tell him to eat shit because he wasn't the one who liberated the land even if he participed to instead worship the "foreign" person who led the liberation army.

Hell, idk what kind of PR campaign Gilbert and his few loyal soldiers pulled out, but some NPCs are really acting as if he liberated his kingdom single handedly lol

His relationship with his elder brother was sort of developed in the main plot - but more in the equivalent of the support convos - but as I said in another post, I really loved that part where he feels like he's still a second prince, and if his older brother returns, older brother should get the crown even if older brother feels like dirt for failing his country and his father, and became a wandering... mercenary who's busy saving priestresses from jails (and leaving them in the middle of battlefields).

Ultimately, they reunite and more or less solve their issues, and Ludwig manages to tell him that he wouldn't be half the king Gilbert is, because Gilbert is the one who led a rebellion and ultimately led Drakengard free, is loved by this people etc etc.

TBH, while it was short, this was a nice character arc -

(complete with the support/rapport convo just after the final map I unlocked where Gilbert, wanting to know how the common people live in his kingdom, gets plastered with the a random worthless bandit/merc who's freaking out from the entire situation lol)

The other major character from Drakengard is Virginia, the MC's older cousin!

We first see her being kind of pushy and overbearing, sometimes taking the initiative to do rather extreme stuff (wanting to fetch her axe instead of recruiting the earlier worthless bandit/merc), but she's still deferring to the MC, save for a certain mission - because, and kuddos to the game for going there, while Virginia's story is basically a tragic Marth's, aka, when her kingdom was invaded she had to run away to a foreign state for asylum but without any Jeigan, she believed for 10 years and never stopped believing that she was the only one who survived, and thus it was her role and duty to restore the Cornian line on the throne and take back the country from the evil Empire.

And... MC pops up, as the rightful - aka the son of the late queen as opposed to her mere niece - heir thus Virginia's hopes of becoming the Queen and the one to restore her nation vanish.

So kuddos for the game to basically have Virginia tell her cousin that while she was happy to see him and learn he was alive after all those years... she also felt jealous, because the 10 last years she spent having this dream and hope to be the one to restore the country... vanished in 10 minutes lol.

She's not going to challenge Alain's claim to the throne and instead will support him.

Granted, this moment becomes ten times more interesting if you do her own mission before - aka the one where she zerg rushes against the dude who slaughtered her retinue against the advice of Jeigan Joseph and becomes a dreaded green unit (who loses her promotion somehow???), running in a battlefield full of catapults to have her vengeance.

Remember when I said one of her first defining moments is when she asks to be handed her axe to get rid of a worthless merc instead of recruiting him? Well, her words back then were something like "your men died for you, so you can't beg for your life" or something like that, we learn in her own mission that she was basically talking about herself.

Basically, kid!Virginia was supposed to have her Jeigans and Cain/Abel/Draugs and they were supposed to escape and run away together to Drakengard... but they were slaughtered by some general of the evil empire who thought bringing her head would make a good offering to the evil emperor, so the Jeigans, Cains, Abel, Draugs etc etc laid down their lives to allow her to escape - we have a voiced FB with a few images and a battle cinematic, where the knights basically say they will die to make sure she'll be able to escape, and will slow down the evil general with their corpses if needed.

The entire platoon of knights died, and Virginia has been carrying this trauma for ten years, dreaming of having her revenge but never once confiding in anyone from Drakengard about it - not even in her (Gilbert's) vassal Leah who she seemed to be close too earlier.

Short story, the general holds a fort and is supposed to be called back to the evil empire's capital for some reason, and instead of waiting for his departure to recapture the fort, Virginia storms at the general to have her revenge (accompanied by the knights who were just squires when she had to leave, and thus couldn't be there when their senior knights were slaughtered and want revenge as much as she does!).

You have to send Joseph to talk to her to have her turn blue again (and promoted again thank gods) and the re-recruitment scene is cool for 2 things :

1/it's Joseph, not Alain who talks to her because her beef and the one who talked to her and the one whose plan is ignored is Joseph - I love it when the MC isn't at the center of everyone's universe

2/Virginia during this convo notices her friends/knights are injured (they have the injured sprite) and realises she was going to send to their death the last remaining members of that platoon, chastises herself and her next battle lines are something like "I won't let them die/bleed anymore" or something and it's fucking powerful because hey, besides some "vengeance is empty" that she will get later on herself, part of what makes her see reason is the realisation that her allies are injured and were going to die in her quest, and she can't have that anymore (nice ludonarration moment here, Virginia is a tank, if her allies are injured, it's because she wasn't tanking well enough!).

"Vengeance is empty" moment : the evil general who slaughtered her former knights doesn't even remember the people he slaughtered, or the mission where he hunted her, aka, she's been obsessing for 10 years over something her so called "nemesis" forgot.

End of the map, the realisation that her vengeance was nothing + she put her close allies' lives in danger (+ the little bit of salt when she mentions that Alain is the Cornian Royal people should follow because he is royalty) make her want to leave the army as fitting punishment - which, you know, coming from a series where some lord basically goes 1VS1 against the guy who killed his dad and who was followed by his kid sister who put herself in mortal danger but only receives a scold from his not-mom and slap on the wrist just makes me side-eye FE Tellius' writing even more.

Anyways, while I read on redshit that some people were pissed because "wah wah Virginia is a character who does foolish things and there are consequences about it she should be exiled forever or something", she obviously doesn't leave the army because, all of her close allies ask her to stay. Hell, Alain only gives one or two sentences that are dispassionate compared to the other 4 - again to show that MC privileges aren't everything at least plot wise - but the main voice is Leah's - aka her (well) Drakengard retainer!

When earlier Virginia told her that this story and her choice had nothing to do with Drakengard - because it's about Cornian knights who died during her flight from Cornia - Leah now reminds her that she became someone important for Drakengard too, and you know, the 10 years she spent here ? It's not just only background to give some fluff for a teatime line, no, it has more implication, if not only to have this moment where Leah says that Virginia's pride, bravery and hope to restore her country also influenced and inspired people (Gilbert, the second son who had to assume the role of the King when no one else was left!) around her and made the people of Drakengard also hope to liberate their country - if she leaves now, the named character from Cornia will miss her, but also "Drakengard" in general.

To cement her words, after this map we can talk to some Drakengard NPC who's all "wow Princess Virginia is so cool she defeated the bastard in charge of this fortress!" and while idk if Leah's speech + that NPC were added to make the ending where she becomes the queen of Drakengard (save for Alain marrying his cousin) more plausible, but it was a really nice addition.

Adding to that the fact that Virginia is the one who's basically telling Alain (and informing the player) about various map hazards like geysers around the land, giving some backstory about the desert along with Leah and also the one who tells the party about a sort of shortcut/secret passage and yes, we get it that she lived for 10 years in that land and knows it enough to act as a guide, but also that the people around know her.

I mean compare with a game where some dude apparently went to a school in a foreign capital but when he marches on said foreign capital or talks to people who also attended that school he never mentions it - it's like night and day.

Final "daw" moment that is both tied to her character but also, another example that Alain isn't the center of the universe... Virgnia is the one who tells Alain to talk to Aramis (the eldest prince who became a merc!) and ask him to talk to Gilbert to put his worries aside about the throne and the succession and ust, to reunite with his younger brother.

The characters concerned (Gilbert and Aramis) thank Alain for giving them the occasion and push to talk to each other - not knowing this was something Virginia planned, because while hers and Gilbert's issues are sort of similar (the not "legitimate" heir who took the mantle of restoring their country to glory and believed it so for the last decade, only for the legitimate one to return), she has a good enough read on Gilbert to know that he needs to talk to his brother to put his doubts and questions about his legitimacy aside and accept that he is the King.

Coming from a series with "avatar scissors", the bonds and links between the characters was really something I enjoyed, Alain will not pop up and tell Gilbert that he is a good king and should get over/or deal with his doubts about his brother, Alain isn't the one who gives the most meaningful speech about why Virginia is important to Drakengard and hell, we don't even see the exchange we know he had with Aramis to convince him to talk to Gilbert, because the most important scene here isn't the Alain-Aramis dialogue, but the Aramis-Gilbert one. Gilbert doesn't want to free his Kingdom because he envies Alain or Alain told him to do so, it's something he wants to do being inspired by Virginia.

In a nutshell, Drakengard's major characters were a good surprise and their stories and quests were cool.

More minor character wise...

We get the Drakengard version of the same plague we saw in Cornia, but instead of having "clerics" perform experiments on infected people to find a cure, the accent here is put on a wyvern knight who was to enforce a lockdown, to prevent the plague from spreading and well... no fines in this setting, instead she runs them through with her spear.

IDK how that game would have been received just after Covid lol

All jokes asides, just like the Cornian version of this plot heavily suggested, the plague was devised by the evil empire to cut down the forces of the rebellion and make sure this land would be able to be conquered easily.

Why are the imperials killing people? Well, it might have to do something with the fact that the totes-not-gharnef old sorcerer guy is a necromancer...

Leah's quest explored a little more the background info that "Drakengard and Cornia used to be at war" thingie, with random green units also mounting a liberation army but refusing our help, and we know how this ends with green units, we basically have to save them.

Map ends with some Drakengardians - who swore allegeance to the evil Empire? - still willing to fight us, and Alain asking Leah to please ask them, as a Drakengardian (?) to surrender because if someone from Cornia asks them they will refuse.

Also it's a bit of a character exploration, for once the usually demure + always in the back behind Virginia asks the Liberation Army to do something and insists even if people refuse, straight up saying that in that case (if they refuse) she's going to help the green NPCs herself since she's strong enough to do so and it's cool because I think at one moment Virginia sighs/laughs, but not in a derogatory way, but more in some "damn she's becoming like me" way - which is alluded to in ther rapport conversation, Leah seeks to emulate her bold and fearless (being a green unit) behaviour.

I haven't seen a lot of convos with the desert people we recruit - thank goodness we're far from Hyzante's clichés even if the "people in the desert are bandits and former prisoners" trope is still here, but given how the ones who attack us were brainwashed by the evil Empire, it's not as aggravating as, well, Nopes or Hyzante.

Gameplay wise :

Damn if promoting your units cost medals, but it's so worth it to have more than one action (at least) per turn ! It also means we can use entire new strategies because now the turns are at least longer than one round each!

Drakengard fills the Jugdral quota with the group of units coming all at once at you sometimes lol, but I loved the aesthetic difference that ultimately became gameplay difference between this area and Cornia, basically we have more mountains to less space to manoeuver the non flying units, the enemies use AoE engines to ruin you or at times, AoE map abilities from their own units to deal some annoying amount of damage.

The cities are larger so instead of fighting in a meadow with one or two small buildings here and there, at times the fight takes place in an entire city, so again, it means reduced mobility and of course, desert sucks because, just like FE, you can't move well in the sand.

Lolcalisation wise :

Virginia "I have never been fond of court formalities" says a desert full of bandit isn't a place for "royalty like us"? When the "us" is both her and her cousin reknown for their martial abilities?

What the fuck does it mean ?

At least in FR it's "a lot of people avoid this place" and not just "royalty like us" - which doubles as ridiculous because in the "people avoid this place" it's again the trend of Virginia being a tour guide of Drankengard, telling Alain that people from Drakengard think about the desert, eluding this part is also, in part, eluding part of the knowledge Virginia has about Drakengard.

I think the localisation took the "royal pride" that defines her and exaggerated it to "royal arrogance".

IDK if the meaning is the same in english, cretin is an insult like in french, but damn if you say to someone the are a "crétin" they will feel offended and insulted because that's way more rude than calling someone an idiot!

:/

And I also have a bone against whoever thought it was a good idea to throw "pseudo elvish" words in the localised script (sadly we followed this :'() when the japanese audio doesn't use them at all, was it to pretend the evles from Fevrith have a different language because Tolkien shall be universal, or what?

Elf land doesn't see that interesting plot wise compared to Drakengard, and I'm not saying this because of my Alcina bias lol but I'll just have to wait and see!

(poor hodrick is being slaughtered by those pesky pointy ears and their hybrid attacks, tfw armor not withstanding magic is universal, I'll have to promote Miriam asap to protect him or just bench him :/)

[ryhmus]

Sweetheart makes a movie

Sweetheart and some Sprout moles are watching a recently made film about her own wedding and how Omori and friends interrupted it, except they changed everything to favor the donut duchess. The friends are crudely drawn while Sweetheart is drawn like a high budget anime protagonist. She easily defeats the friends in a single blow and flaunts her victory over them.

Movie Sweetheart; "OHOHOHO! Although I could have done it so many times before this time. Now because I am so much more powerful this time. This is the time when I finally destroy you, peons. This...Is the time...TO DIE!"

(*Sweetheart guffaws to herself in her seat*)

Sweetheart; "Oh yes! marvelous! Subjects? I think we have something special here...~"

(*An incredibly handsome looking Movie Spaceboy suddenly appears from his ship in the film and kneels before Sweetheart with a proposal ring*)

Movie Spaceboy; "But Sweetheart, all I ever wanted was to be your loving Husband."

Sweetheart; "Wait what?"

Movie Kel with a terrible southern accent; "We just wanted you to get back with your boy friend in the hopes that it would stop you from marrying Hero and being so...evil, *aw-hyuck*" [dies]

(*Movie Sweetheart seems moved by this*)

Movie Sweetheart; "Wow, all of a sudden out of nowhere, I've come to realize, I have a tendency to compensate for my insecurity and loneliness by being egotistical and ruthless. But you, Spaceboy, saw the one thing I really needed was not an army of stupid adoring fans or self romancing, or power..."

Sweetheart;"No no nononono!!"

*Movie Sweetheart reaches for Movie Spaceboy's hand, they look each other in the eyes and kiss*

"...But a true lover."

A montage plays out showing the couple going on a date and doing romantic things together while they do things like having a dinner, or frolicking in the flowers, having a sleepover and such.

Sweetheart; "What's going on!?"

Sweetheart is losing her mind watching the absolute atrocity before her. In the back of the theater, Kel is doing his best to hold back laughter from a seat in the back. Sweetheart stands up and storms down the aisle to the film director, giving him a furious glare.

Sweetheart; "I said, I wanted this to be true to life! All you did was make a cartoon where I almost succeed in marrying my dashing Hero, then those children and my ex show up ruin everything!"

Director Mole; "Yeah but that's what always happens."

(*Unamused, Sweetheart snaps her fingers and the director is grabbed and dragged away to the Dungeon, she turns to the rest of them*)

Sweetheart; "Burn it...BURN IT ALL! Never let anyone see this cartoon, ever. Especially not my miserable ex husband!"

Co-director Mole; "Well, we would your highness, but this is being broadcasted live all over OTHERWORLD."

(*Sweetheart pulls out a notepad and begins frantically scribbling sketches in it*)

Sweetheart; "What? No! We have animate a new ending where I wed my Hero and destroy those insolent children!"

(*Sweetheart's pencil snaps causing her to Throw down notepad in rage*)

"Agggghhh! Animation is so hard! *turns to face camera up close and breaks character for a moment* People who do this for a living deserve more credit and respect!.."

...

...Sunny suddenly wakes up from his dream with a puzzled expression before shrugging and getting back to his adventures in HEADSPACE

Original dialogue from Wander over Yonder

[eponastory]

DMC OC WEEK DAY 5

Lilith

Lilith is a character I set up to appear in 'Parts of a Whole' as a possible ally for the twins. I got her character details and an outline made just for the story arch I was working on.

Then, I suffered burnout with that series and ended it.

She could still appear in my newest series, but I think she would make a better antagonist.

Basically, she is Sparda's mother.

She has a very big role to play in the new series that will solve a mystery we've all been trying to figure out since the first DMC game hit shelves. She will also bring along her entire retinue of generals and peons that will prove to be a challenge for Dante and Vergil.

I don't want to spoil anything about my headcanon and her place in it.

All you need to know is that she has an army and she has a goal. That is it.

As far as her personality, as soon as we get to her, you will see exactly what she is like.

Her human form is modeled by Lady Gaga.

I used AI to make her demon form.

[donfadrique]

I've decided to re-watch “The Mark of Zorro” (1940) to cheer myself up. 

I have sort of a plan: 1) watch the black and white version (in the old Soviet dubbing) and write down an emotional brief review in the process of watching it; 2) watch the colorized version; 3) watch the movie in the original dubbing; 4) perhaps write a full review.

I watched this movie a long time ago for the first time (I wanted to watch famous films with Basil Rathbone). But unfortunately, I didn't get to watch the movie properly, and all I remembered were a few scenes. I didn’t like Tyrone Power then, and only this year, after taking a closer look at him, I changed my mind. So this is the first time I'm watching Zorro'40 carefully.

Before we start, a few words need to be said. (However, the film has my full attention from the very first frame, and I'll have a very hard time pausing and writing down these notes!)

First of all, I am not a native English speaker, so I apologize for any mistakes.

Secondly, after watching the movie I want to give my assessment of a) screenplay, b) cast and director’s work, c) posters, costumes, locations, camera work, soundtrack etc. Also, I wanna find the answer to the question, what makes the movie a masterpiece for me.

A separate topic is the homoeroticism of "The Mark of Zorro". We know that Diego's flirtation with Captain Pasquale was part of his plan to eliminate his enemies, but was there a "gay message" in the film, as some movie reviewers claim? Perhaps it was ambiguous humor or an analogue of modern fan service for those viewers who positively evaluate same-sex relationships? Let's try to figure it out.

So, let's start.

1/🗡️

Wow, Diego receives his military education (!) in Madrid (judging by his uniform, he is a hussar), he has a reputation as a duelist (he was nicknamed "Californian cockerel") and, probably, a womanizer. It is not yet known how old Diego is, but the actor (Tyrone Power) is 26, which means the screenwriters were most likely focusing on the canonical novel by Johnston McCulley.

I also really like the design of the credits, the preface and the first lines of the characters, as well as the costumes and the balance between realism and spectacularity of the movie (and this spectacularity is the result of the work of the film crew and fencing skill of actors, and not modern computer graphics etc).

2/🗡️

Aha, "Cadet Vega".

And, saying goodbye to his comrades, Diego thrusts his saber into the ceiling.

"Leave it there. And when you see it think of me in the land of gentle missions, happy peons, sleepy caballeros, and everlasting boredom. Wine! A toast, señores! To California! Where a man can only marry, raise fat children, and watch his vineyards grow."

The most amazing thing is that Diego gives the impression of a very mature and strong-willed person. Like a military general, not a young cadet :) I have three explanations: 1) Tyrone Power himself was like that, 2) he played Cadet Vega like that so viewers would later see the contrast between true Diego and his dandy mask, 3) both factors. But, of course, Power was not just a talented and good-looking actor, he was a charismatic person. A fine choice of an actor to play Zorro. Moreover, Power had a Spanish-like appearance, which is important, for my taste. And his slim body would allow him to convincingly play both a dandy and the "elusive ghost" El Zorro.

3/🗡️

Before I continue watching the movie and taking notes, here are a few interesting facts about actors and my thoughts out loud.

🎭 Everyone knows that Basil Rathbone was one of the best swordsmen in Hollywood. But perhaps not everyone knows that he was twice the British Army Fencing Champion, a skill that served him well in movies and allowed him to even teach actors Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power swordsmanship. (By the way, Rathbone was awarded the Military Cross in 1918.) And! He said about Tyrone Power, "Power was the most agile man with a sword I've ever faced before a camera. Tyrone could have fenced Errol Flynn into a cocked hat." Rathbone's opinion was worth a lot, because he was not only famous for his fencing and acting skills—he was a mega-celebrity (well, years ago I became interested in "The Mark of Zorro" precisely because Rathbone starred there; I had never even heard of Power xD). And yup, as we already know, the movie became a hit, and 20th Century-Fox often cast Power in other swashbucklers in the years that followed.

🎭 The fact that Flynn and Power were lovers can only be of interest to us because Power, due to his bisexuality and communication with homosexuals, was able to play ideally a man who pretended (?) to be interested in the same sex. But since Power's Diego was flirting with Rathbone's Captain Pasquale, I was interested in his views on same-sex relationships. Rathbone probably had a positive attitude towards them, since in 1926 he was very angry about the censorship because he believed that homosexuality needed to be brought into the open (Rathbone was arrested along with every other member of the cast of "The Captive", a play in which his character's wife left him for another woman).

🎭 So far, I like everything about "The Mark of Zorro", except that the screen image is reminiscent of "Captain Blood" (1935), not "Gone with the Wind" (1939), filmed in Technicolor. Perhaps modern viewers often underestimate Zorro'40 precisely because both versions of the movie, black-and-white and colorized, seem "old-fashioned" to them.

An interesting fact. According to Hollywood legend, Rathbone was Margaret Mitchell's first choice to play Rhett Butler in the film version of her novel "Gone with the Wind".

🔥References (if you need them)🔥

Rathbone, Basil (1962). In and Out of Character (Ebook ed.). Lanham, MD: Limelight Publishers.

Higham, Charles (1980). Errol Flynn: The Untold Story. New York City: Doubleday.