#shipshape game

[chiropteracupola]

finally... the blonde sailor collection...

(l -> r: ben hawkins, jack aubrey, william laurence, røde ruben, alexander smollett, chadwick goodfellow, & gwilym parry)

[ben, goodfellow, and parry have been lent to me by @benjhawkins, @natdrinkstea, and @sailorpants, and the delightful idea of collecting this lad pile was inspired by @gigamuffin!]

[chiropteracupola]

rat time rat time rat time

[liquidcrystalsky]

so i found out on Shipshape Cargo Co there are flying fish in the waters in the background ! n i wondered, are these actually low Polly models ?? if u what do they look like ?? i thought i might ask u out of all peeps xD i found out from this tweet

holy HELL was this hard, i had to hex edit some files because switch toolbox is dumb trying to find it particles from certain file formats but whatever i got it!

it's actually a model, and from what i can see, there's not a texture, it's only done actually with vertex colours!

here it is in blender. yes it's a full model and not just an image. The raw model file is here:

https://file.garden/ZRWmCDccGFWyKuzh/FlyingFish01.dae

In blender you want this for the material setup, using a colour attribute node. replace principled with whatever material thing you want

[shaykai]

Okay so I need to hurry up and finish replaying ME3, the Dragon Age series, and PMD EoS, because as soon as Baldur’s Gate 3 drops I don’t think I’m going to play anything else ever actually

[atyourperil]

🥛 [MILK] What is your OC's relationship with their biological parents like? What about their relationship with any non-biological parental figures?

FOR SAT

HI WYATT TY FOR THE ASK!!!!!

their relationship with their parents was pretty good throughout their childhood, but they do not really keep in touch once they’ve moved out & their vision starts/paranoia increases, which contributes to their feelings of isolation while on the seals.

wrt non-bio parent figures, they only really have the one - @frosteee-variation’s drafty shipshape (though @courfeyracs-swordcane’s azalea recused could probably be something approaching a parent figure if she put her mind to it). the only seal who came close was probably pidge (they weren’t anywhere near close enough with anyone else on the team, the only people sat even bonds with are zamanda, kumi, millenia, june, eliot & ikari ) but while pidge was probably the closest with (& nicest to) sat, she is a close friend, not anybody’s parent.)

sat started out as very very antagonistic towards drafty, pretty much entirely avoiding them out of fear & anger, which went on for ~3 weeks. drafty & sat do end up having a conversation about how sat got to the Guys & they both realized they’re more similar than they are different (the plot of the satdrafty fic i talk about all the time lmao). drafty feels a lot of protectiveness toward/sympathy (masking a LITTLE pity) for sat. drafty realizes pretty early on that sat is going to kill themself trying to live up to the seals’ memory if nobody stops them, and drafty helps sat memorialize & grieve their teammates in a healthier manner than they would otherwise. i think they also bond a lot over being living warnings that will never actually be heard, and being permanently in the wrong time, and both not really knowing how old they are. i’m really normal about how similar they are despite how fucking different their lives seem. they’re also both haunted & i think that 1) drafty is one of maybe 3 people sat willingly lets see them when they’re actively haunted & 2) they help each other learn how to better cope with being haunted. they both kind of grow & help each other heal by virtue of getting to know the other. i’m super fucking normal about them.

[trendynewsnow]

The Adventures of Mario & Luigi: The Brothership

Mario, the iconic plumber from Nintendo, is well-known for his vibrant personality and high-pitched voice. While many fans cherish his action-packed platforming adventures, the Mario & Luigi series of role-playing games often flies under the radar. These games not only ignite the imagination but also demand a precise sense of timing and rhythm, particularly for your right thumb. The latest…

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

To preface this, I know there are parts of this that make me look bad. I know. I've been a substandard boss and I should've taken care of the situation a long time ago. But I'm in a bind and I really just need to know if I'd compound my assholishness by doing the main thing I'm about to ask.

I manage a manufacturing business that also has a delivery component. We make the product and make sure it gets where it needs to go--which I'm sure you understand isn't as easy as it used to be, with Amazon and Temu and all of those nipping at our nose. The manufacturing sector is working fine, no complaints, absolutely shipshape. It's in deliveries where the problem starts.

We have a newer employee who...let's just say stands out from the rest of the bunch, who are mostly old guard. They're reliable, I've been working with them for years, but they're set in their ways and have been giving the new guy shit, especially over his appearance. It's not even about something he can control, poor kid, but I don't want to get more specific than that. I've been so swamped with getting everything ready for the holiday season that I dropped the ball and let them treat the kid pretty poorly. I know I can't dictate what they do outside of work, so them leaving him out of social events was out of my hands, but I've caught them calling him just awful things when they thought I wasn't around. I should've come down harder but I was afraid our productivity would suffer as a result. (And if I'm honest, I thought a little bullshit would toughen the kid up. Our industry isn't for the faint of heart, after all.)

But now we're down to the deadline and I think he's our only option. He's the perfect choice, and the kicker is it's BECAUSE he's different from the rest of the guys. But I'd feel like a bit of an ass if I asked him to swoop in and save us after the way everyone's treated him. WIBTA if I asked Rudolph, with his nose so bright, to guide my sleigh tonight? Time-sensitive question, sorry mod, but maybe just this once you can move it up the queue? After all, I did bring you that Pokemon game you wanted more than anything when you were ten!

What are these acronyms?

[flonbowe]

MAJOR BROTHERSHIP SPOILERS, ESPECIALLY RELATED TO ZOKKET!

You have been warned

So they’re like, a toxic relationship right?/hj

OK JOKING ASIDE These two are very interesting to me, and since we've known about Zokket longer, I'll be talking about him first in this thread of reblogs and posts

Zokket

So to get the elephant out of the room, I earnestly don’t believe he is just Cozette brainwashed

Like Aside from small details like the body shape being larger than she is, Zokket's voice sounding very much so different in not just the voice bleps, but in his actual grunts and noises (Especially so before his boss fight), there's things like Zokket's personality, behavior, hell he's even flat out referred to as a separate person a couple times.

Cozette after being freed only ever mentions being under Reclusa's control, and putting on a mask to become Zokket. A mask that breaks once Zokket is beaten.

The way Zokket is defeated, the way the Glohn energy flees off of Cozette's body, coupled with the fact it was specifically a mask Cozette said she donned to become Zokket, tells me outright that Zokket isn't exactly brainwashing, but instead a type of spirit or possession used to carry out Recluse's will. Now All this to say Zokket is his own person, and a very interesting person. Unlike most other Mario characters, he's a very flat character. Intentionally so don't get me wrong, that's the point. He's focused more on numbers than people. He doesn't "misremember" names, he actively doesn't care. His first proper scene is him misnaming the Extension Corps multiple times, with him getting more aggravated the more they try to correct him. He visits Shipshape a couple times through out the game, and most of those visits usually end with him mocking the idea of having connections and overall being very bitter. He's a cold cold man, and even during his boss fight he revels in making the bros hurt each other. There's also some interesting extra details via hidden logs from Cozette while being possessed, and Zokket writing his plans through her body. Quoting from those logs "The egg says its name is Reclusa. Yes, it told me its name, and that makes sense. The egg speaks directly to my brain. The egg has also shared this important truth. Loneliness is sublime . The egg only SEEMS not to move. But it definitely speaks in my brain. I now know my only calling: the resurrection of Reclusa. Loneliness is sublime . All connections will be severed. Reclusa will rule a new era of isolation. Once I have completed my task, I, too, will know the bliss of isolation. Loneliness is sublime . Approximately 284 hours, 56 minutes, and 29 seconds until the resurrection. "Beyond the Glohmatic Ray" "I have distilled the isolate energy from Spite Bulbs. That will be the source for Glohm. I can then focus and amplify it through the Great Lighthouses..." "The So-Called Extension Corps." " I met these buffoons on Slippenglide Island and employed them as generals over my army. They are intensely incompetent but loyal. Do they seek glory, or are simply afraid? They will be superfluous after the rebirth. I will need some means to dispose of them" "Building an Army" "My soldiers, my hands in the wide world, are simply junk repurposed and rebuilt. I gave them language so they might cooperate., but it is absurd to see these junk piles speak. I cannot imagine a place for them in the new world after he is reborn. They will suffer. They may rebel and become ungovernable. No matter--they are ephemeral things." after Recluse was revived, Zokket intended to torture the Zok Troops, his minions, of which HE created. Zokket doesn't just hate bonds, but seems to actively wants to break them. He strayed from his goal of reviving Reclusa by using some of the Glohm to make handheld rays to make people miserable and hate each other, instead of just using the Lighthouses for Reclusa. He threatens the Corps when the revival is almost complete, which would have come to fruition anyway had they succeeded. Zokket seems to fully understand bonds, and despises them. He's not apathetic, he's actively resentful... Except For Reclusa Excluding voice clips, the only time he laughs, is here.

His only use of positive language, and its when he's dying, where he should be at his lowest. Instead, he gets excited, happy, happy to see his Great Inspiration finally return to this world. For a man who hates bonds, he seems to have a great deal of care for his master. A master he was willing to die for, who he was destroyed for. Not even Connie, who he can't forget because of Cozette's lingering consciousness, all Zokket can muster for her is remembering her name, unlike Reclusa. So Who is Zokket? Zokket is a very cruel, bitter person. He's distant and calculating, planning and very exact, very precise ways to revive his master. But he's also sadistic, planning misery for anyone and everyone involved in his plans, for the goal of isolating the world for his master, Reclusa. a master, who he has a deep level of fondness for, the only person he actively shows happiness towards, a person who he spends his alone time with, his purpose, his great inspiration. That's Zokket (At least, my thoughts as to who Zokket is)

[pianokantzart]

After that last ask im wondering: what are your criticisms, if any, for the game?

Well... I've already touched upon my critiques for the way Luigi controls. Heck, about everyone has complained about the switchup between the A button and the B button on his action select screen.

Luigi's AI also has a little bit of trouble keeping up with you if you parkour across some areas too quickly (albeit never to a game breaking degree, and 99% of the time he's golden.)

There are some tutorials that are pretty hand-holdy, but they are very easy to skip past if you already get the gist.

Another tiny issue I have is the way you receive side quests. Sometimes you encounter someone who needs help, sometimes you'll find a message in a bottle while fishing, but most of the side quests just kind of... show up in you select screen like the bros have extrasensory perception. I think it would be better if there was a bulletin board on Shipshape you could stop by and read in order to know the available side quests. That tiny detail would do a lot to make the world you're exploring feel a bit more real.

Speaking of the select screen, it is... fine... but very generic. However, I always think back to the original Superstar Saga with the suitcase/passport theme, and how cute and charming that was.

Given how long you're going to spend in Brothership's select menu trying on new gear and forging battle plugs, I think it would've benefitted highly from an aesthetic upgrade. Like a nautical theme or an electricity theme or something...

But yeah, 25 hours in and those are the only complaints I can think of so far. Mostly just tiny quality of life and visual tweaks.

[istadris]

do you have any theories to what the plot for brothership will be?

I do!

So first of all, we know the plot will start in the Mushroom Kingdom while the brothers are living their life (and for Luigi that means getting in trouble)

Until a portal appears from their hand holding after Mario rescues Luigi.

Now, this is pure speculation based on the preview and a split second moment of the video, but I suspect that while Nintendo clearly doesn't want to rely too much on Illumination for inspiration, the movie might have inspired a scene in which Mario and Luigi try to hold on each other while going through the warp zone portal, but are separated, with Mario taking around his surroundings.

We know that the Shipshape will play a key role in the adventure: it's very likely it serves as the main hub, going from island to island and catapulting the Bros from its canon.

Since it seems to be the place where they meet their main allies (Connie and Snoutlet), it'll probably be their tutorial area : as such, I expect Mario to be temporarily separated from Luigi at first, so the player learns to control Mario alone, before he soon finds Luigi (and the player learns to control both brothers at once).

I don't expect an extremely convoluted plot, this is a Mario game after all. However, Mario & Luigi games are RPGs, which means a lot more dialogues and exploration than the mainline games. The M&L games also like to feature some twists here and there, and a rather clever writing despite their simplish stories.

So far, the bad guys seem to be the Extension Corps guys, the Gorumbla and that skull guy in a top hat, who seems in a position of power compared to the other three. Gorumbla seems to stand out in the theme compared to the others, so I expect he's more of a "you disturbed me in my nap and I'm ANGRY" boss than a real antagonist.

I expect a "Revolution" type of story : the electric-style habitants of the island live in harmony, until a group of jerks decide their way was the only one to follow and started bullying around the locals. Mario & Luigi get roped into the conflict as most of the habitants aren't fighters (and that by virtue of fighting back against bullies, they paint a big target on their back)

I also expect a bit of Technology vs Nature conflict, with the bad guys being all about technology over everything while the good guys are more nuanced and acknowledge the importance of nature in their life.

Top Hat Guy still puzzles me. What is his goal? He doesn't look like most of the electric-themed characters, what is his common goal with them?

Peach's appearance is very intriguing to me. Recently, Nintendo has given her more proactive roles (playable in the Rabbids RPGs, SMB Wonder, the main role in Showtime, an active role in the movie...) and I hope they keep with this trend of leaving behind her damsel in distress past.

The one time we see her in the trailer, she's with several local characters (all electric-coded, like Connie, Snoutlet and the Exension Corps) and Dorrie. A thing that stands out to me is that they all wear an orange piece of clothing, including Peach. It leads me to believe they're a crew or squad, and that Peach, once sucked into this place like the Bros, decided to stick with them while Mario and Luigi stuck on the Shipshape. Or maybe they're all part of the Shipshape crew, and rescued Peach (or the opposite). In any case, I expect Peach to have her own side of the adventure until she's needed with the Bros.

Is there a link with Connie's orange symbol on her hat? Although it looks more like a seed, to tie with her theme of tree-ship and growing plants.

Bowser is a full enigma so far. His moment in the trailer only shows him shooting at something, and the text on the website is ambivalent on whether he'll be a friend or a foe. I hope for the former, the Bros and Peach teaming up with Bowser against a common foe. But while the M&L games love to give Bowser depth and moments of allyship with our heroes (BIS, SS), they also insist on how Bowser is a bad guy after his own goals (DT, PiT).

And now for the places of the game they might visit :

First Island : with the red grass area to gently ease the player into a new place, the cliff providing the first environnemental challenges, and the first boss being a big brute with easy patterns to counter.

Obligatory Fire and/or Ice Island :

Flower/Nature Island, with one of the bosses being the monster plants

I'm running out of room for picture, but I suspect there will be a High Tech Island, with the big city (and probably one of the first confrontations with the main bad guys)

I don't know how accurate my predictions will be, we still don't have much; but this is how I see things going so far!

[ominosus]

all cards on the table — sebastian sallow x fem!reader x ominis gaunt part 2

Ah, yes... this is a long one... I might write a third part... continuing where this part leaves us... let me know what you think ok byeeeeee ❤︎♥︎❤︎♥︎❤︎

plot summary: older sebastian sallow x fem!reader x ominis gaunt — During one of your regular game nights with the boys at Gaunt manor you find yourself in an unexpected predicament when all cards are put on the table when a bet is lost. Confessions of well-kept-secrets from several years unshackles lust and longing you thought you'd take with you to your grave.

warnings: 18+, talking about masturbation, consumption of alcohol, kissing, rough play, choking (but nicely, hehe)

Read the pilot here ♥︎

”Mercy, mercy!” Sebastian cried out underneath his pale-blond friend who hovered above him. You couldn’t help yourself but observe the strained muscles underneath their shirts while they manhandled each other. It made your cheeks blush, but it wasn’t something that couldn't be blamed on the firewhiskey or the fire itself. Breaths of laughter left them both as they parted with matching grins on their faces. All it took was a good tumble and they were tiptop, shipshape, good as new. Boys, you thought rolling your eyes at them. 

It wasn’t a normal occurrence for Ominis to behave this way. Him getting so defensive about something wildly peaked your interest. ”It’s no fair not telling me.” you spoke, looking at them both panting on the floor. Ominis turned to where you sat. ”Since when did we start to keep secrets from each other?” you added, innocently, knowing very well you had an array of secrets tucked away far from their nimble reach. By the looks on their faces, both Sebastian and Ominis had their own secrets tucked away from you. ”Perhaps-” Sebastian started before being cut off by you.”I know.” you spoke. ”Since neither of you have the guts to tell me, you little wimps…” you teased. ”Hey, I do have the guts to…” Sebastian’s low voice fought back, but you didn’t care to listen. Knowing very well both of them had a hard time declining a bet, especially when their pride was at stake, you pushed on. ”-how about we raise the stakes for our next game? If you dare, that is.” you finished, with a sly smile, looking down at your lap.

Ominis sighed out a laugh and grunted lightly. Sebastian looked at you with a rather unreadable look on his face before he pulled up one corner of his lip. ”Raise them.” he countered, shrugging his shoulders unbothered, before turning his head towards his friend who now laid flat on the floor with his hands in his face. ”Two against one, I’m afraid…” he spoke, feigning empathy. Ominis pulled himself off the ground before sighing, his hair in a disarray after their tussle. ”Go on then - but I’ll have you know, we’re raising the stakes for you too.” he spoke, earning a rather sinister smile from Sebastian who hummed in agreement. ”Oh, that we are.” Sebastian added. ”Sure.” you shrugged, cooly. Now Sebastian laughed at you. ”We’re not going to make it easy for you, as we otherwise always do…” he spoke gazing at you with his dark eyes, tugging at your chest. You rolled your eyes at him. ”Right, right…” you spoke. ”All along I thought you’ve been nice because you’ve been clever enough to know your own limits, but since it’s only been out of the pureness of your heart…by all means, give me your best, Sallow. About time then, isn’t it.” you mocked him. Ominis laughed as he shook his head, inhaling sharply. ”Merlin.” he spoke, before turning his head towards Sebastian at his side who looked positively wicked. ”Well, if you’re so sure of winning, place your bet… don’t be shy.” he spoke never breaking eye contact. ”Well…” you spoke, now you were the one dragging out your l’s. ”When I win…” you spoke, smiling arrogantly towards your friends. ”- Ominis and you will come clean about whatever happened yesterday…” you added, leisurely. ”-and, you’ll also loan me your secrecy sensor.” you finished, happy with your own bet. You needed it for an upcoming hunt for ancient magic, knowing you’d have to interrogate a wizard or two, and wanting to make it quick work you threw in the relic that belonged to Sebastian in the bet.  ”Why?” Sebastian asked, furrowing his eyebrows. ”Because I need it.” you answered, as if the answer was obvious. ”You know what, I don’t want to loan it. I want it. You’ll give it to me. Fair and square.” you added with a proud smile on your face. Sebastian raised his eyebrows, shaking his head.

”And when you lose?” Ominis suddenly spoke, looking towards you with his blue and foggy eyes. You huffed at his sly peak. ”If I lose…” you spoke before being cut off by Sebastian. ”No, no, no you won’t… You don’t get to choose. You chose for us, we’ll choose for you. Fair and square.” he mimicked you. His eyes had grown even darker. ”When you lose, you’ll do whatever we want you to do during the remainder of the evening. You’ll be our very own entertainment. If we say dance, you’ll dance and if we say sing…” he continued grinning before being cut off by you. “I’ll sing. Yeah, I get it.”You laughed at him, raising an eyebrow. ”Sure, whatever…” you agreed quickly, not knowing what you were agreeing to. ”Make me drink an entire bottle of firewhiskey, dance on the table, give you intel on the next poor witch who’s robes you’ll try to rip off… How awful! Merlin, save me!” you mocked-cried, thinking they would retort or add something to the bet, but to your surprise they remained quiet, just gazing at you. You felt a nervous little pit take shape in your stomach as you sensed that you might have overplayed your hand already. ”Alright, let’s get on with it.” you finished.

The game seemed to go on forever and everyone wanted to come out with the upper hand. The room was quiet except for the crackling fire, the sound of glasses clinking against the table every now and then, and rain whipping against the large windows. The mind games were out of this world as you all tried to psych each other out, using every foul tactic you could remember, all but trying to back out of the bet, of course. Ominis remained collected, it was mostly Sebastian and you who bit at each other’s necks. As time went on your self-assurance faltered as you were dealt weak card, after weak card, but you tried to not let it show.

”Struggling?” Ominis asked you, tongue in cheek. ”You’d like that, wouldn’t you.” you scoffed, making Ominis tug at his lips. ”Oh, he definitely would…” Sebastian whispered where he sat making Ominis cut his foot into Sebastian’s leg, making him winch. ”Whoops…” Ominis spoke, insincerely. You were beginning to realise that the odds were against you and you felt like a mouse caught in a room full of hungry snakes. ”Prepare to lose, y/l/n.” Sebastian spoke, grinning at his cards. ”What should we make her do first, Ominis?” he added as he looked up at his friend. ”The dungeon beneath the left wing hasn’t been properly cleaned in a while…” Ominis spoke, languidly. ”Perhaps she could start there.” he added. You narrowed your eyes at him. ”That’s too mundane, Ominis.” Sebastian added. ”We can do whatever we want... remember that.” he spoke musingly. Ominis’ cheeks changed into a crimson colour as he clenched his jaw at his friend’s words. ”There’s no limits.” Sebastian added, looking at you. ”Oh, ha-ha…” you mumbled, but you sensed an urgency forming in the back of your head. ”There’s definitely limits.” you added, while focusing on your cards. ”Oh, no there isn’t.” Sebastian answered quickly. ”You should have made that clear before the game started. Too late now.” he finished before he pulled a new card from the pile in the middle of the table. You tensed slightly at his words. He’s serious, you thought to yourself. Too serious. You couldn’t help but enjoy the tension growing in the air but it also scared you since it was new and unfamiliar territory. Sebastian had always teased you, but not like this.  

Merlin forgive me, you thought to yourself as you planned an illegal escape. With your fingers you rubbed the cards in your hand – slowly, so that they wouldn’t notice – and the numbers, shapes and colours steadily began to shift, turning your hand of nothing into a straight flush. Second best hand, not too obvious of a cheat, hopefully… you thought to yourself. ”Ready?” you spoke, feigning confidence. ”Ready as can be.” Ominis answered. ”Always.” Sebastian grinned before he placed his hand on the table. ”Flush.” he spoke, sure of his hand. Your heart was beating fast knowing that you would’ve lost if you would have played fairly. Too close for comfort, you breathed. Ominis sighed as he placed his cards on the table, a grin growing on his face. ”Four of a kind.” he spoke, proudly. You almost panted as you glanced at his card, thanking the gods none of them had the same cards as you have conjured up in your hand. Sebastian rolled his eyes. ”Lucky bastard.” They both turned their attention to you. You felt dirty having cheated, as if the room knew and hexed you for it. You huffed out a nervous laugh, making Sebastian believe Ominis had won, but you promptly placed your cards on the table. ”Straight flush.” you spoke, thinly, eyebrows slightly raised. Sebastians eyebrows furrowed. ”No way…” he spoke, moving closer to your cards. Ominis merely sighed before he massaged his eyebrows with one hand. You laughed nervously again as Sebastian nosed your cards. ”You better believe it.” you spoke quickly. ”Really, very, sad… for you… of course.” you added, fumbling on your words a little. ”So, how about that bet, huh.” you finished with a cheap grin making both Ominis and Sebastian frown at you. ”I can’t believe you’re stealing my secrecy sensor, you little minx.” Sebastian spoke sourly. You shrugged at him, raising your eyebrows. He turned his head towards Ominis. ”Go on now.” he said to him. ”Time to confess. Those were the rules…” he added before leaning back into his armchair, smiling coyly.

Ominis sighed. ”Yes, alright, alright… last night…” he started, pulling each word out like thorns, reluctantly, before pausing completely. Sebastian rolled his eyes at him. ”Oh, spit it out. Appease yourself.” he spoke. Ominis clenched his jaw, shook his head and sighed. ”Fine.” he spoke, looking towards Sebastian. ”Yesterday, Sebastian lurked - or should I perhaps say spied - on me while I…” he faltered, a heavy sigh leaving his shoulders. ”-pleasured… myself.” he finished, cringing at his own words. Clearly hating himself for how he phrased it. A giggle left your lips. ”Is that it?” you snickered. ”That’s nothing.” you added quickly. ”I mean I did that yesterday too. There, now you won’t have to feel so embarrassed about it.” you laughed unknowingly as you looked at them, both now turning their attention to you. ”Oh, did you now?” Sebastian started, loosing focus of the former matter before quickly returning to it. ”-no, wait a minute-” he interrupted himself. Ominis was still looking at you. ”We’ll get back to you.” Sebastian spoke quickly, pointing a finger at you before turning to Ominis. ”We’re not quite done with your confession, are we?” he finished. Ominis was still facing you. A heavy sigh left his lips as he relaxed his shoulders. ”I suppose we aren’t…” he added, playing nice. ”Go on then…or I will.” Sebastian warned him. Ominis remained quiet. He couldn’t make himself say it. ”Alright, then I will.” Sebastian spoke. ”Yesterday, as I - alright, I spied a little - so what? Hard not to when you could hear the things I heard - you’ll understand in a moment…” he spoke looking at you nodding his head. Where are we going with this, you thought to yourself. Ominis had turned to face the fire again, trying to hide the redness of his pale cheeks and neck. ”So I realise what is happening – and I’m not a creep…” Sebastian spoke, earning a huff from both Ominis and you as you disagreed. ”You definitely are a creep, Sebastian.” you spoke, earning an annoyed look from him. ”Funny…” he retorted, eyes dark and starring straight at you. ”Do you want to hear it or not?” he asked, rather seriously. You looked towards Ominis who looked strained. ”I’m not…” you began. Sebastian sighed, fed up with how long it took. ”He masturbated to you.” he spoke bluntly. You turned to him just in time to see him raise his eyebrows. The air in the room shifted, it felt thick all of a sudden. You weren’t sure if it was the firewhiskey or if some universal force had put a spell on you all. Sebastian kept talking, but you zoned out completely. ”Didn’t you, Ominis? Giving her sultry orders and singing her sweet nothings…”

”I see…” you whispered, fumbling for what to say. ”That’s also… rather… normal, isn’t it, though…” you added somewhat unconvincingly, knowing very well that he occupied your thoughts last night, as well as several other nights. Not only did Ominis cloud your mind when you needed to get yourself off, but so did Sebastian… and it did mean something, even if you’ve tried to tell yourself that it absolutely didn’t. Having been so close to each other for all these years, and them being unfairly attractive, made it hard for you to form a stronger bond with anyone else. Merlin knows you’ve tried. You pined for them in secret. They had their own little space in your mind, safely tucked away from the real world. You kept it strictly friendly, not wanting to put your relationship on the line for something potentially short-lived, reckless… albeit… probably… incredibly… fucking… amazing…. Your cheeks burned hot as you caught yourself daydreaming and breathed out a thin laugh. I’m in a hazy fever dream, you thought. 

Sebastian wasn’t quite done with his confession. ”And what is most crucial to this story is that he has been whispering your name into oblivion since Hogwarts… ever so devoted.” he added. Ominis turned towards Sebastian now, looking rather angry. ”She didn’t need to know that.” he spoke, but Sebastian was quick. ”Oh, but she did.” he answered. You felt your stomach curl at the thought of Ominis whispering your name. Your cheeks burned violently at the image that appeared in your head making you sigh heavily, before you snapped back to the room in which you found yourself in. You weren’t quite sure if you were dreaming or not. ”You’ve been drooling after her for years, Ominis! It’s exhausting, really, even for me… I’m just trying to help.” Sebastian finished. Ominis shook his head, laughing somewhat sinisterly, quietly. You thought he would curse him there and then but instead a sly smile creeped up on his lips. ”Well, aren’t you kind, Sebastian.” he spoke. You couldn’t help but sway a little at his current demeanor, after what you had just heard, it made your toes curl into the rug beneath your feet. ”Perhaps I should return the favor?” he added, raising his eyebrows. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at his friend. You only had time to think what the hell is going on when Ominis turned to you and opened his mouth. ”Sebastian is also irrevocably and completely besotted with you.” he spoke. This made you cough out a quite aggressive, ha. Sebastian turned to Ominis, face redder than before. ”What are you on about, mate?” he asked through gritted teeth, not as self-assured as before. ”Well, dear Sebastian, Ophelia told me.” Ominis answered quickly, smiling at his friend. You gulped. ”Oh, did she now…” Sebastian uttered quietly, not looking away from Ominis. ”She did, after you abruptly ended it with her, and she desperately tried to find answers to why - wondering who this y/n was, if it was serious or not, if she had any chance of winning you back with time, et cetera…” Ominis spoke languidly. ”You can’t blame the girl, really.” he added, before breathing out a hefty sigh. ”She was heartbroken.” he finished, cooly. ”Well, at least I try to get her out of my system. ” Sebastian punched back at his friend. ”You only whine and pine in the darkness of your big manor…” he added, more quietly. Your hands flew to your face covering the expression that grew on it. Merlin… what is going on, you cried in your head. ”Perhaps I don’t want to get her out of my system.” Ominis countered quickly, calmly. Your hands dropped slightly as you looked at him. ”…and neither do you.” Ominis added, earning an irritated laugh from Sebastian. ”You think you know me so well.” Sebastian mumbled, cheeks flushed. Ominis didn’t answer, he merely raised his eyebrows and shrugged, because you all knew he did. 

Your mind was about to explode. I’m dying, Im sure of it, you thought to yourself as the entire room spun. Suddenly Sebastian turned to you. ”Anything you’d like to share?” he spoke rather mockingly. ”No?” he pushed before you could even begin to say anything. You felt unfairly outed by him. He rolled his eyes at you. ”If I recall correctly I heard you mumble that you think it’s normal to masturbate to the thought of a friend… So, I gather you’ve done it yourself?” he asked, raising the pitch of his voice. You huffed and before you had a chance to reply he cut you off. ”Tell me, how many friends do you have now again?” he added, almost cruelly, making your frown deepen. ”Hm?” he pushed, again. ”Well, I don’t know about you… but I only think about things I desire when I enjoy myself… Counterproductive otherwise, don’t you think.” he added quietly. You just looked at him as he held your gaze, making that feeling in your stomach twist tighter. ”Don’t you, Ominis?” he asked. You turned your attention to your firewhiskey, trying to find some sort of refuge. You felt both of them facing you. You heard Ominis sigh. ”Why yes… I do.” Ominis agreed. ”Say, what did you think about yesterday?” Sebastian asked you. ”A friend, perhaps? Since it’s such a normal thing to do.” he mused, dancing across his words, knowing he had caught you in another one of his traps. Ominis turned to you now as well. ”It’s only fair that we all share.” Sebastian added. ”That wasn’t the bet.” you countered. ”Perhaps not, but it’s good sportsmanship.” he spoke quickly, still looking at you. ”I dare say it is.” Ominis joined in, which caught you slightly by surprise but, then again, you understood that they wanted to even out the playing field, because you were miles above them at the moment, which they didn’t like.

The thought of both of them longing for you, wanting you, made your chest tighten by the lack of air. Coughing slightly you tried to find whatever composure you could muster. ”Come on now.” you spoke, afraid to meet their gaze. It felt as if they had finally realised you were a mouse amongst snakes. ”Just a second ago you were at each other’s throats and now you're ganging up on me?” you added. You tried quite desperately to wrap your head around all that had just floated to the surface while holding on to your own secrets for the life of merlin. ”That’s- that’s not fair at all.” you huffed. ”Come on now, love…” Sebastian countered. ”Don’t act all coy and innocent all of a sudden. You wanted this. We’re well past fair.” he added. ”That we certainly are.” Ominis chipped in. You huffed out a short laugh.

”No- no, we’re not… and I also didn’t know what this was.” you spoke, refusing what had just happened. This will change everything, you thought to yourself. ”Don’t involve me in this.” you spoke, shaking your head, knowing that if you dove deeper, you could never return. Ominis sighed and pushed back the chair he sat in. ”Darling, you’re already deeply involved in this.” he spoke. Him calling you darling made you feel positively delicate. For the love of Lilith, I’ve opened pandoras box, you thought to yourself as you tried to figure out your next move. ”Well, I know for a fact that y/n drools over you too, Ominis…” Sebastian suddenly declared, turning to you and grinning sinisterly. Your jaw dropped to the regions of hades and back. I will kill him, you thought to yourself as you tensed up immensely where you sat. Sebastian reveled in your reaction. All flustered and at a loss for words. Ominis’ frown lifted into a question mark instead. He tilted his head slightly. ”That’s not funny.” he spoke, unamused by his friend's antics. ”No, it’s not.” both you and Sebastian spoke at the same time, making Sebastian grin even more wickedly. ”Jinx.” he spoke quickly, pointing at you, catching you off-guard before he quickly continued.

There was a certain haste to this matter, as if he was loosing patience. You could feel it linger in the entire room. ”No, it isn’t funny…” he repeated himself. ”-but it is true.” he added. ”She takes advantage of you being blind, you know.” he added. You froze at his wording and you had no idea how to react. ”The way she stares at you sometimes, merlin…” he added. ”No wonder no other girl dares to get too close to you. She has her name written all over you.” he finished. You huffed, shaking your head. ”You’re a foul git, you know that.” you spoke through your teeth. ”Oh, I know, love.” he answered. ”Do you deny it?” he asked you, rather seriously. ”That you’re a git?” you clapped back. ”No, I don’t.” you bit at him, making him smile at you. He was unbothered at this point, seeing you loose your cool in front of him. You caught your breath. You couldn’t deny it, because it wasn’t a lie. Ominis just listened, his misty eyes resting somewhere on the table. You pondered lying as you looked at him but felt unable to. ”No.” you answered, quietly. ”Happy?” you asked Sebastian who shrugged at you, and just as he was about to open his mouth, Ominis turned to you. ”I always thought you liked Sebastian…?” he asked, sincerely. You sighed heavily. There it was, you thought to yourself. You wanted to sink beneath the sofa. You wanted to apparate out of there. All of your senses were running high and you thought you’d either faint, melt or seize to be completely. This is exactly what you wanted to avoid, choosing, picking a side, because how could you, and when was it ever on the table? You felt dizzy. Even Sebastian had grown quiet, both now looking at you. You shrunk where you sat. ”Well, it isn’t that simple…” you whispered. Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows as he leaned closer. ”Wait a second…” he spoke, quietly, collecting all the pieces, before he breathed out a short laugh. He looked positively delighted. ”You’re in love with both of us, aren’t you.” he almost whispered, leaning even closer. ”In love…” you huffed, meekly. ”Don’t be ridiculous.” you added, but you couldn’t look at them, which was a huge giveaway. The room had become quiet, uncomfortably so.”You tiny-little-rascal…” Sebastian suddenly growled. You looked up at him. Your eyes traveled to where he was looking. Your cards lying on the table were turning back into their original state. You gulped nervously. ”Fuck.” you spoke underneath your breath. ”What?” Ominis spoke, unaware of what had happened. ”She cheated.” Sebastian answered his friend. The look on Ominis’ face scared you a little as his expression changed before tilting his head, a small strand of his blonde hair falling across his eyes. ”Oh, did she now…” he spoke quietly. 

Sebastian crowed quietly as his lips curled. ”Oh, you’re in trouble now.” he warned you. His dark brown eyes glimmering in the low-fire-lit room but he couldn't help but melt a little at your rose-kissed-cheeks and somewhat frightened expression. He’d seen you fight inferi, goblins and trolls, but he’d never seen you this nervous before. He enjoyed it a little too much. Your heart was about to leap out of your chest onto the table for their picking if you didn’t do anything soon. You felt exposed. You hated it, but you also wanted it. You felt conflicted. There was two thoughts in your head: give in to temptation or run from it. Your heart was speeding up within your chest as you and Sebastian locked eyes. You thought you’d melt at the way they had turned their full attention to you. It felt as if they were peeling you right open and you wanted to flee before they got to the core. Sebastian pierced his eyes at you, as if he could read your mind, steadying himself for what was about to happen. Ominis’ fingers were tapping the table on your other side, as a clock ticking down. ”y/n, you better not-…” Ominis spoke quietly before being cut off.

Without thinking about it you bolted backwards across the back of the sofa, locking your eyes on one of the doorframes in the room. You could hear Sebastian’s chair being pushed back as quickly as your feet met the ground, which made adrenaline pump madly through your veins. You couldn’t help but release an ocean of giggles as you sprinted forward, releasing some of the evenings built up tension. You felt utterly drunk on adrenaline, firewhiskey and lust coursing through your entire body. You could hear Sebastians quick footsteps closing in, making your heart leap within your chest. Just as you were about to reach the door you heard it lock itself as you felt a strong hand grasp onto the fabric of your top. You yelped loudly as you heard it rip at the seams by the mere force before Sebastians entire body crashed against yours – pushing you against the door, forcing one of your arms behind your back while gripping your waist with his free one. You whimpered at the impact, shocked at his strength that you’d been completely unaware of until now, knees weakening at the sensation of his warm body enclosing yours from behind. You stood heaving closely pushed against each other for a little while. You became brutally aware of how incredibly inviting he smelled – awakening something in you. You wanted to turn around and bathe in him – it made you feel faint – but Sebastian didn’t budge even a little.

”Who did you call foul now again…” he whispered into your ear, panting slightly. He pressed you even harder against the door, making you gasp for air as he buried himself deeper. He enjoyed this far too much. Leaning down towards your neck he breathed you in, his groans vibrating quietly against you. ”Fuck, you smell good.” he spoke slowly. You felt the tip of his nose grace the skin of your neck, sending shivers down your spine. Sebastian pushed himself even closer, wanting to melt into you, rip all your clothes off, and fuck you into oblivion then and there, but he composed himself and instead bit down hard on your now exposed shoulder from having ripped your shirt. You whimpered out an uncontrolled high-pitched-sigh at the feeling of his teeth digging into you and him pressing you even harder against the door. It was as if he wanted to consume you. ”Be gentle.” Ominis suddenly spoke from behind you both, sternly. ”And why would I be that?” Sebastian answered him by speaking it into your ear. ”Hmm?” he hummed against you as he pressed his hips against you lower back. You gasped as you felt the outlines of his tensed-up-body against you. ”Do you want me to be gentle?” he whispered to you, knowing very well that you enjoyed it. You merely whimpered softly at his words tickling your ear, making him hum again. You heard footsteps close in on you. Ominis’ figure now appeared in your gaze as he leaned against the door next to you where you were pinned. ”Perhaps cheaters don't deserve to be handled gently.” Ominis spoke, quietly, reaching up to your face and allowing his hand to travel across your burning cheeks before he grabbed ahold of your jaw, pausing at your lips before tracing them with his thumb. He felt himself twitch at the wetness of your lower lip. ”No… she needs a firm hand.” Sebastian added. It felt as if your entire stomach flipped inside of you.”Perhaps I do.” you mustered, out of breath and deliriously drunk on them both. You just managed to see Ominis sly smile before Sebastian swung you around, backing you up against the door and crashing his lips against yours.

Your legs caved completely as the high of his lips moving against you rushed through your body. Sebastian took an even firmer grip around your wrists, holding you up, pinning your arms above your head with one hand and pushing your hips against the door with his other. He didn’t ask for permission but forced your mouth open as he pushed his tongue against yours. You could only manage to whimper at his commands. Ominis bathed in the sounds that came out of your mouth as he listened to how Sebastian’s hand traveled from your hips to your thighs, clawing at your skin – dragging out soft vowels from you against his lips. It all sounded even better than he had ever imagined. ”I want to eat you up.” Sebastian whispered against your lips. ”Go on then.” you answered, completely ensnared by him. He hummed against you. ”Don’t tempt me.” he growled before pulling away, making you gasp at the sudden loss of his touch. You looked at him backing away from you slightly. His dark eyes clawed at you. You looked over at Ominis who stood massaging his head, shaking his head slightly. You were incredibly high on endorphins and absolutely bewildered to the situation you all found yourself in. You couldn’t help but smile at Ominis, who tried to control his own thoughts. He had always been the more reasonable one.

”Get on your knees.” Sebastian spoke quietly, making both you and Ominis turn towards him. You understood that you had all crossed a line already and that you couldn’t return. So, what point in trying… You merely did as you were told, slowly sinking to the floor while looking at Sebastian. Sebastian took a few steps closer before grabbing ahold of your neck and forcing your head upwards. ”You’re going to do exactly as you’re told, little grifter…” he spoke with a low voice. You grinned at the new nickname, making him tighten his grip. ”Do you understand?” he added. You wanted to pull him down to your lips again, but knew you couldn’t and that he wouldn’t let you. You nodded. ”Uh-uh… Use your words. You’re not allowed to go quiet on us now.” he spoke, looking at you like prey. You gulped against his firm hand. ”I’m going to do exactly as I’m told.” you spoke, word-by-word, quietly, slowly, not breaking eye contact. You saw how your words bounced in his head as he heaved heavily, having the exact effect you wanted it to. Sebastian leaned down, erasing the space in between you, still looking into your eyes. His warm lips brushed against yours. You looked at his eyes, his freckles, all of him. Heavens, you thought. He smirked at you before his expression turned rather gentle. His sudden change of demeanor made your heart flutter madly. He bent down further, pressing a rather tender kiss against your lips before pulling away, making you sway, eyes still closed as he still looked at you. A devious smirk now growing wider on his lips as he looked at someone behind you. You felt Sebastian’s hand around your neck release its hold while a gentler hand took its place from behind you. Ominis’ hand slowly traced your shoulder, collarbone and neck before his body pressed against your back as he completely grabbed onto your jaw again, pulling your head straight upwards so that you could see him standing behind you.

”Good little grifter.” he spoke quietly.

[nightowlssleep]

While I love Dual Destinies I'm not above wanting to rewrite certain elements so

Case rewrite: (I'm giving Athena more cases guys!!!!)

I'd set it up as the following:

Turnabout Countdown: Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council

The Monstrous Turnabout: Apollo as the attorney, Athena as co-council (Trucy tags along to investigations)

Turnabout Reclaimed: Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council (Pearl tags along to investigations)

Turnabout Academy: Athena as the attorney, Apollo as co-council (Phoenix and/or Klavier tags along to investigations)

The Cosmic Turnabout: Apollo as the attorney, Athena as co-council (After Apollo leaves, Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council)

Turnabout for Tomorrow: Phoenix as the attorney (no co-council until the mood matrix segment) (Trucy, then Pearl tags along to investigations)

(In my rewrite Phoenix only gets his badge back right before Turnabout for Tomorrow, therefore while Athena doesn't get a lot more cases, she still gets Reclaimed and The Cosmic Turnabout)

• Firstly, Turnabout Countdown: I personally like that this game has a non linear first case, I think it works with setting up the mystery with Apollo and even Juniper

I think letting Athena take over the case is a very good start to seeing her character BUT THAT'S WHEN PHOENIX HAS TO COME IN AND TAKE ALL THE SPOTLIGHT

God I hate that, I get it, it's Phoenix's grand return but still, LET ATHENA DEFEND

Anyways in my rewrite, Athena has her panic attack, Phoenix comes in as co-council (Doesn't have his badge back yet therefore can't take over the case) and helps Athena through the case, nice mentor moment 👍🏻

• The Monstrous Turnabout: I like that this case happens from Apollo's perspective, I'd like it if it would feel a bit more like AA4 since (to me) it's very reminiscent to Turnabout Corner

Anyways I don't have too many gripes with this case, maybe more Trucy to tag along with investigating cuz I'd like to see her and Athena interacting

As for Athena I like that she has an "observing" case where she can see how a more experienced attorney handles a case

I also like that Phoenix is mostly missing from this case (my personal explanation is he's taking the bar during this but he only gets his badge back much later cuz the bar association is still a bit ehhh about letting him pass) (dw Edgeworth helps out with getting it back)

• Turnabout Reclaimed: Oh I love this case

Probably my favourite in the second trilogy (going to an aquarium right before I watched it probably helped with the enjoyment tbh)

Since Phoenix is still missing his badge Athena has to defend (she's also the one who's a big fan of Shipshape aquarium and begged Phoenix to help them so I don't even get why Phoenix gets this case)

I like the idea of such a silly case being Athena's first, I could also see Phoenix using this opportunity to pull Athena's leg a little, so the we can still feel the Beanix in him

Like he agrees that the agency will take the case and Athena assumes that he'll make Apollo represent the orca but instead he turns to her like "Athena you'll take the case, since you're such an eager fan" and that way Athena can experience getting messed with by her boss but also let it be a learning opportunity without it being an overtly traumatic first trial (I don't think he wants a repeat of Apollo's first trial lol)

Anyways student mentor moments, while Apollo and Trucy are practicing magic tricks in the office or something (could be foreshadowing to the fact that Trucy will get her own magic show in the next game)

• Turnabout Academy: No notes for this case's trial segment really, I just wish Klavier would act a bit more like himself, and Juniper acknowledging that her costume was inspired by Lamiroir (It could be a cool call back, like Juniper watched *that* specific performance and really liked Lamiroir's outfit and decided to recreate it or something and Apollo could point it out so we get more of the "I like Lamiroir's aura" thing he says) (Capcom tell him that she's his mother I beg)

I like that this time around Athena jumps to promise defending Juniper, that's good

Also maybe more AA4 call backs?? Maybe a Kristoph mention?? Please??

• The Cosmic Turnabout: Disclaimer: I don't remember much from this case so if anything is wrong, feel free to correct me

I like how mysterious the whole eye patch thing is even though we're in Apollo's perspective, it also makes sense that he'd take the case

To add to the tension I'd mention Phoenix being worried about still not getting his badge back and that's why he can't be there in the gallery (He's arguing his case with the Bar association with Edgeworth probably or something)

I like how hurried Blackquill is during this trial too, he's convincing himself and trying to project that Starbuck is the Phantom because he doesn't have more time and he wants to finish his mission of chasing ghosts seven years past even if it's not the truth, I think that that was done well

I'd like for Athena to notice this, point it out to Apollo, but since Apollo is already on edge about Athena I'd like to think he takes it as "Athena is more worried about a murderer than our case, than about my friend, than about me... Is this a sign?" And that (and the explosion) could be the last push for him to dip from the agency and go on his own investigation (maybe reaching out to Kristoph...? Hmm? Mr "Evidence is everything in court"?)

As for after the explosion, I'd like to think Apollo left the case to Phoenix (cuz he was convinced that Phoenix would get his badge back by that time) but since Nick is still missing his badge Athena decides that she'll take over and defend Starbuck

Anyways all goes the same Athena gets arrested, and with no attorney left in the agency... What now?

• Turnabout for Tomorrow: Phoenix leaves the courtroom alone

Trucy who witnessed the whole thing from the gallery, runs up to him, similarly worried about "what now?"

Phoenix gets a call. From who? We won't know for a bit but we can assume (It's Edgeworth)

Anyways, at last, there's another attorney in the agency who can help... Phoenix got his badge back

Now finally being a full fledged lawyer again, him and Trucy go investigating, we get father daughter moments, unravelling the mystery of the Cykes and Blackquills, everything goes mostly as it happens in canon, after Trucy gets kidnapped Pearl tags along and when Phoenix and her are investigating the space station, Edgeworth shows up with Phoenix's lawyer badge in hand

They're facing eachother in court again

PHOENIX WRIGHT, THE TURNABOUT TERROR, IS BACK IN COURT

Anyways epic return (instead of the random come back in the dlc case???) (Like it's funny that he's defending an orca but still)

Everything else happens like canon, except Athena gets to hug Blackquill after he's freed because they're siblings your honour and she's been working seven years for this to finally happen

Happy end and celebration at Eldoon's Noodles obviously

And that is my AA5 rewrite, thanks for coming to my TED talk

[bowletta]

my thoughts on mario and luigi brothership!

(spoiler-free edition!)

(click here for the Major spoilers version)

I will sort my thoughts into 3 categories: the good, the bad, and misc (not necesarily good or bad just in the middle)

The Good:

+ the animation. I didn't think theyd be able to recreate the charm the sprite animation had, but they nailed it.

+ great job translating the 2d sprites to 3d models. This was one of my biggest concerns when the game was revealed, but as much as I miss the sprites... they did a good job. Love how they added the blue accents from sato's early m&l artwork.

+ the cutscenes look so good. Very charming

+ probably the best boss battles in the series. Every one (except the 3rd lighthouse one >: [ ) was the perfect balance of fun and difficulty without dragging on too long.

+ extremely fun combat (jump attacks, hammers)

+ the characters. I really really enjoyed the characters.. I wish they cut a few of them to give others more screentime, but I was surprised how attached I got to them

+ the extension corps. Early on i thought they were just a rehash of the bffs from bowser jr.s journey... but I feel that they executed it 100 times better. I wont spoil, but they have a good arc : )

The Bad:

- I think the #1 problem plaguing brothership is the pacing. It is atrocious. The first 5 hours are so boring. It really drags its feet to get anything interesting happening. The villains arnt introduced until nearly halfway through the game. Why.

What sucks is I feel like if you can get past the first ocean, it starts to get really good! But looking back at all the leakers quitting a few hours in... I cant blame them.

- adding onto this, bros moves and battle plugs. It takes 5 hours to get your first bro move. You are stuck with standard jump and hammer for the entire first ocean. As much as i like performing those moves, it got old fast. You get bros moves so far apart, and several of them are introduced so late I didnt bother trying to learn them.

I wish the battle plugs were introduced sooner as well, I think it wouldve helped make the early combat more interesting.

- game feels way too long and bloated.

- why do you select luigi's actions with 'A' in battle. Why is there no option to change it. I struggled with this and fumbled my attacks literally until the 4th ocean. Why.

- frame rate issues. Upon booting the game I thought 'oh this is rough'. But then I got used to it. But as you progress, and more people join your ship, it gets bad. By the end, shipshape island is a choppy powerpoint presentation. I could hear my switch's fan struggling from my couch lol.

- weakest soundtrack in the series. Its not even close. Theres like 5 tracks I like, but that doesnt make up for the other 40+ being so unremarkable, esp when its one of the franchise's highlights.

- timing when counterattacking enemies is wildly inconsistent. With some, the timing feels too generous (the flying flower enemies) and other times it feels frame perfect (lakitu)

Misc:

> Theres so many instances where I cant tell if its supposed to be a homage to older games or just copy pasted from them. Theres a character introduced very late who is very similar to another late game m&l character. The extension corps and the bffs. Etc.

> the timeline is kind of confusing... Like how long ago did concordia break up? How long did it take connie to grow the tree on shipshape? Like did this take place months ago or decades ago??

>them reusing peach and bowser voice clips from 15 years ago (bis) was very funny

final thoughts:

id give brothership like... a 7.5-8/10. Is it the new best mario rpg? Absolutely not lol. It has some serious issues but... I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I think it couldve used a few more years in the oven, but overall, it was cute. Definently a contender for the new generation's super paper mario.

1. superstar saga

2. bowser's inside story

3. brothership

4. partners in time/dream team

5. paper jam

[xb-squaredx]

A Final Look at Splatoon 3

A little over a year ago I put out this post going over my frustrations with Splatoon 3 and my hopes that with another year of planned updates they could address these issues and end on a strong note. As of this writing, Splatoon 3 seems content complete without any plans to add any more substantial content, so it’s time to do a deep dive on how this game spent its final year of updates and come to terms with how this trilogy will close out.

REWORKS AND ROADMAPS

First off, let’s recap my main complaints from the original post and see just how Splatoon 3 addressed those points: I had issues with the game’s online stability, the seasonal update cycles, Salmon Run’s reward system and the quality of the multiplayer stages. To be honest…very few of these complaints were addressed, though I kind of expected that. The online experience in Splatoon 3 is largely the same now as it was back when I made that post, and any alleged improvements aren’t all that noticeable to me. Rooms still break down at random when matchmaking, and you still see a lot of players disconnecting at all points of a match. There was a patch not too long ago that seemingly tried addressing lag issues in matches, though I can’t say I noticed any major differences. For a while the game seemed to disconnect me and then punish me despite doing everything in my power to stomp out issues, though that did diminish greatly over time. Other than that, it’s the same ol’, same ol’.

I didn’t expect the seasonal content droughts to really be addressed and they also went mostly unchanged. In fact, we got LESS per season near the end with less weapons and stages. There was an attempt to improve the frequency of the various Challenges with wacky rule sets though. I’d still argue they were too infrequent and I was often not able to play even when they were active. There was a fun one where Rollers were super-fast, so that was neat I guess. Salmon Run also received a patch that awards players some silver and gold scales per shift if you do all your rewards, but that’s a bandage being slapped on that game’s horrid economy that comes too little too late. The shop still makes you buy things just to see what else is on sale and the prices are still FAR too high most of the time. There’s only one thing I think this game really did that felt like they were responding to criticism and that was regarding the stages.

For one thing, many of the later stages added post-launch got better with time. Starting with Drizzle Season 2023, I think the devs were finally willing to budge on some of their early design decisions with stages. Crableg Capital had a lot more verticality for starters, with Shipshape Cargo Co. having a lot of wide open space and multiple ways to get around and into the enemy side of the stage. From there Robo ROM-en was a really fun stage with a good theme and an interesting lower route that allowed you to actually flank your opponents. Marlin Airport made use of fans that would move platforms around for an interesting stage gimmick too. Our final brand new stage, Lemuria Hub, was an interesting take on asymmetrical stages with more moving platforms as a hazard to make it stand out. Admittedly, Bluefin Depot’s return was a bit underwhelming but it still has a very unique layout that helps it stand out. But the real talking points here were all of the stage reworks.

Starting with version 5.1 Splatoon 3 would start doing stage reworks as they have done in the past two games. First up was Mahi-Mahi Resort, which ended up addressing a lot of my problems. The stage was made a lot bigger even before the water levels dropped, with the side routes on the left side being made bigger and a better flank route overall. It still doesn’t hold a candle to Splatoon 1’s iteration of the stage but it was a great step forward. That said…I think we kind of peaked there. The subsequent reworks for Mincemeat Metalworks and Undertow Spillway were a lot less impactful. They did make the stages a bit better with extended routes out of spawn or slightly reworking the middle of the stages but they were still largely the same and barely count as a rework in my mind.

(Compare the launch version of Mincemeat Metalworks (LEFT) with the reworked version (RIGHT). Sure they're some changes, but at a glance could you even notice?)

The Version 8.0 update ended up changing MULTIPLE stages at once though. Hammerhead Bridge and Barnacle and Dime would also receive reworks, alongside multiple other stages getting smaller changes across a few of the modes. That said, these final reworks were a bit all over the place. Barnacle and Dime did add a new route on the left of the stage and slightly reworked paths out of spawn which was appreciated, and Hammerhead Bridge did extend the routes out of spawn a bit alongside a one-way drop into the middle of the stage on the right side of the stage…but the stage itself was still a glorified corridor. In the other ranked modes (aside from Splat Zones), these changes were barely notable. When it comes to the other assorted changes, some ended up being more notable than expected. Eeltail Alley added some blocks that allowed you another way to get up to the center bridge (though only in Turf War), and the changes made to the lower flank routes on Museum d’Alfonsio and Brinewater Springs were pretty major changes. Adding a random block here or there on Manta Marina…doesn’t really set the world on fire though. Oddly enough, Um’Ami Ruins received a lot of changes that I count it as an unofficial rework, getting a completely revamped right path out of spawn with a new ink rail to get to the middle of the stage faster. To be honest, this game did end up changing more stages than I thought they would, and we are definitely in a much better place with stages now then at launch or even a year ago. But at the same time, the issues these stages faced are systemic and would take way more time to change than a simple patch would allow. I can only hope that Splatoon 4 isn’t afraid to let players ink walls and have more routes to get around. I feel like making sure stages could be modified for extra modes like Big Run or Tricolor Battles, alongside all of the other ranked modes led to stages feeling less dynamic and interesting across the board. Still, as perhaps my biggest beef with this game, I appreciate the effort. With that said though, let’s talk about some of the NEW stuff the final year of this game’s content cycle would give us.

SPLATOON GOES ROGUE(LITE), WITH A GRAND FINALE

Teased way back before the game even officially launched, the single player expansion was hotly anticipated…and they ended up taking quite a bit of time to release it. That said, I think it ended up being well worth the wait. Side Order ends up serving as a bit of a follow-up to the storyline from Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion while also being a very experimental side mode. Side Order is a roguelite adventure, with Agent 8 having to scale a tower in a digital world in order to take out the embodiment of order itself to save Pearl and Marina. Players start with a weakened main weapon but each floor they ascend gets them a random power-up that can help turn the tables. For every given “run” of the game, failure or not, you get currency to purchase permanent power-ups to ensure the next run goes smoother. It ended up being a lot of fun with some really addictive gameplay that kept me playing until my thumbs hurt. While maybe not quite as large as Octo Expansion was, it was definitely filled with more than enough to keep me coming back again and again until I cleaned my plate and did everything. All the power-ups cataloged, runs with all the weapons, and even the special run with the Order Octo Shot with no upgrades. For Nintendo’s first crack at a rogue-lite I’m happy that they nailed it so well, and it makes me hopeful future Splatoon games continue to experiment with their single player content. If nothing else, Splatoon seems to always nail their single player modes.

That said, as the end approached it was clear that we’d have to say goodbye…and the game did everything in its power to ensure the final main Splatfest would be one to remember. The Grand Festival didn’t just feel like the finale to Splatoon 3 but a celebration of the entire trilogy. All three main idol groups came together to form the Now or Never Seven, performing for an extra-long Splatfest that lasted three entire days. For this event players were also transferred to a completely different locale this time around, the Grand Festival Grounds near the desert crater where our story first began in this game. It felt like a real full-circle moment, and the fact that the developers went and made a HUGE venue filled to the brim with characters and little details that would only be used for three days was pretty impressive. We live in a world where game devs do everything they can to reuse assets and make sure players see everything they worked hard on, and a lot of this stuff was only available for three days! You know, assuming you don’t own an amiibo of the idols.

Adding to that, prior to this event we got a sneak peak of the final Tricolor map, the Grand Festival Bowl with the final Big Run of the game. Once again, introducing content that wouldn’t be readily available afterward, it was a cool way to tease the stage. The prompt for this final Splatfest was also an interesting one, asking players what they valued most: the Past, the Present, or the Future, with the three idol groups all picking a side to represent them. In the end though…it was a blowout. The power of nostalgia dictates that people value the Past more (or maybe they just like the Squid Sisters the most?), and while Present had a decent showing…in the end Future ended with zero points. How fitting that the final Splatfest of this game would once again demonstrate how hard it is to balance three choices without creating a third wheel that doesn’t really contribute to the greater outcome. That bummer aside, I think the Grand Festival was a really special sendoff for the game on the whole. It’s worth noting we’ll still see reruns of some seasonal Splatfests as time goes on, so it isn’t the TRUE end to the game, but its close enough. That said…as good as this finale was, I do think the true final state of the game does come up a bit short.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

With confirmation that no more major updates were planned for this game, fans will have to more or less accept Splatoon 3 for what it IS rather than what it COULD be. I do find it strange that, for a game as obsessed with the number 3 as Splatoon 3 is, we never did get third kits for weapons at all. It is worth noting Splatoon 3 has more weapons than either Splatoon game before it even WITHOUT third kits though, so I’d argue there is still a lot of variety. That being said, the lack of more options for some weapons can really hurt, especially when you consider the long wait some weapons had to even get their second kit (Bamboozler mains I feel for you!) thanks to the seasonal updates. The fact that we got brand new weapons such as the Decavitator right at the end of the game’s life with both kits at once stings all the more.

Considering how much work this game put into multiple versions of stages for certain modes and events, I am a little shocked a final update didn’t let players do private room Tricolor Battles or even be able to add on the modifiers from the random Challenges. Seeing as Shifty Stations became fair game after the Final Fest of 2¸I don’t see a reason for not implementing something similar for the likes of Tricolor stages, or even Big Run stages. I understand that making something limited-time only makes it feel more special (I even just praised this about the Grand Festival), but considering what past games have done it’s hard to feel like 3 isn’t dropping the ball a little bit.

Just so we’re clear here, I still think Splatoon 3 is a game bursting at the seams with content. Between two solid single-player experiences, by far the most stages and weapons in the series (especially if we’re counting variations for modes like Big Run or Tricolor Battles), a more fleshed-out co-op mode with Salmon Run, it even manages to have smaller stuff like a card game hidden within. Both Splatanas and Stingers are interesting new weapons and some of the other new weapons added later on in the game are pretty interesting. I’ll still hold firm that the Zipcaster is one of the coolest special weapons they’ve ever made. The game has a lot of technical polish and the visuals, even if they aren’t a huge leap from past games, feel all the more refined. I put hundreds of hours into the game across these two years and some change, and I enjoyed the vast majority of it. Playing with friends on the weekend was a pretty common activity, as opposed to the other two games that eventually boiled down to dusting it off every so often for a Splatfest and then turning it off again for months at a time. Splatoon 3 is a great game and in a lot of respects a great finale to the trilogy, but I won’t deny I still feel a little let down.

We have no idea what the future holds for this series now. Final Splatfests have had some impact on the next game in the series. Marie having more of a role in 2’s story, or the entire “chaos” theming for 3 on the whole…so who knows how Past winning will impact the hypothetical Splatoon 4. The devs have mentioned the trilogy closing the chapter on the current plot, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a total clean slate moving forward. Maybe we’ll get a game set in the past to get more of that juicy lore. Maybe we’ll get a game that’s geared more towards design elements from the first game even! One can hope, I guess. The Splatoon trilogy has definitely had its share of ups and downs, so I don’t want to paint this as something that only 3 had going on. The first game was at times an unbalanced mess, since it was a new IP that wasn’t sure what it wanted to be yet. The second game got rushed out the door to hit the launch window of the Switch too, and had its own share of strange design decisions (here’s looking at you, Sting Ray). With 3 I had hopes the devs would finally have the time and resources, not to mention past experiences to draw from, to make the best game in the series and…3 was not that at all. But it was also a game made during a pandemic, with a new Nintendo online infrastructure, on top of being on aging hardware that may or may not have once had a “pro” version in development. All things considered I think Splatoon 3 came out OK. It still delivered on a sense of style that stands out from the rest of Nintendo’s games, and kept me coming back for more even with all of these issues, so clearly they were doing a lot right. Whatever the future holds, I’ll always be down to make a mess with some ink.

Stay fresh.

-B

[liquidcrystalsky]

What are your favourite splatoon maps for each game mode (turf & ranked)?

And what are your least favourite ones?

favourite map is probably shipshape? idk its hard to pick favourites.

i dont like flounder heights too much but i really enjoy it on tower control, inkblot is pretty good in clam blitz, like a lot of maps i don't really like usually have some mode where its good

i really dont like humpback pump track.

[ghostlightfic]

B, K, and L for the fic ask game!

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

Hmm... bits and parts maybe? mostly i base Character Traits off of myself rather than Story Beats. my life is not that interesting LMFAOOO

K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

uhhhh well you'll find out about that one day 😳 sowwy

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

i usually reread through chapters a good few times before posting! i don't usually change much, mostly just small wording things, grammar mistakes, etc. i also reread it once right before posting just to make sure everything's shipshape! typically about an hour or so before it goes up 😊👍