#splicer spoilers

[missmirakell]

Sloane: It's like tapping into the Taken's comms.... Sometimes I hear... whispers...

Xivu Arath right in my fucking ears: I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!!! CHOKE ON MY SWORD, YOU LITTLE BITCH!!!!!

[laurarolla]

NODE.OVRD.AVALON

So, Destiny 2 dropped a mission that actually opens like one of the old-school secret missions.  No hints, no warning, just find something strange and investigate.  Awesome stuff.  But it does raise a few questions about some of the events and the nature of the Vex network.

We enter the network as Misraaks’s request, and travel through, doing some platforming and fighting some really rough battles with vex swarming while inputting access codes (easier to enter than the ones in the campaign, thankfully).  As we go along, we see effectively data ghosts of Asher Mir, and they disappear when you approach them.  He’s not entirely part of the network, it seems, but living in it, sneaking through and manipulating security for us.  As the final encounter, we are treated to the return of none other than Brakion, the boss of the Pyramidion strike from Io before the planet vanished at the end of Season of Arrivals, with Asher having gone down into the Pyramidion to collapse it, preventing the witness from having direct access and seemingly sacrificing himself in the process (second best self sacrifice of the season, because Brother Vance’s lightless blind trek to seal the infinite forest damn near makes me tear up everytime I think about it). So... if we finally kill Brakion this time, does it stick?  Is the vex network similar to the ascendant plane regarding the nature of Vex consciousness?  If not, is it ever actually possible to truly destroy a Vex if they are connected to the network?  The Undying Mind, Panoptes, and Quria are generally considered dead for good, and while Quria was killed in the network, she was a special case due to being part Taken.  Undying Mind was killed in the Black Garden, and Panoptes was killed inside the Infinite Forest.  Do the vex just... not ever actually die? Also, did Asher bring us into the network for one last moment of vengeance against Brakion, or was that just a nice bonus in addition to what he really wanted us to find?  Regardless, I’m glad to see the seasonal stories getting follow-up, and this seems to support the return of Titan and Sloane for Season of the Deep even more now.

[macgyvertape]

Very excited to see Shohreh Aghdashloo play a threatening villain, and OP you mentioned you weren't into The Expanse, but I'm so excited Conductor!Maya has the same kind poise and flair of Chrisjen Avasarala (minus the swearing) but with the morality and conquering plans of Winston Duarte.

The Vex could use more faction antagonists with a personality, so I really hope she sticks around past this season in some way or another.

Saw a gifset of Shohreh Aghdashloo from her role in The Expanse, and though that show isn't my thing, I got to thinking about how sassy the character was in those gifs, and thinking about Lakshmi in D2. I got to thinking about how Lakshmi was apparently a copy of Maya Sundaresh, and how Maya apparently went a little off the deep end prior to her "death", and the creation of the copies of her.

And how in one of his videos, Byf made a really interesting point that she does have the capacity to be a more potentially Vex-aligned antagonist.

Even though I'm probably divesting my interest in D2 after The Final Shape, I think it'd be very interesting to see that. A version of Maya that has existed long enough in the Vex Network to use it to her own ends, to become a threat to us. If her personality is anything like what I saw in that gifset of Chrisjen Avasarala from The Expanse, I think it'd be interesting. We desperately need another sly, sassy antagonist.

Or, you know, just a better antagonist than... *motions to old vape-head Witness*

[scolop98]

i've been binging a shit ton of worm fics over the last two months so have some memes about some of my favorites

(all fanart from the wiki unless stated otherwise)

My Girlfriend Is Terrifying by Gowonzu

Here Comes The New Boss (Nothing Like The Old Boss) and Hostile Takeover by HowlingGuardian (Elpis art by DamnVlado)

Goddamn Teenagers by dc2008 (sonic art by wormapiller)

The Weaver's Web by Fabius Maximus

more under the cut!

Absolution by Quantumsheepery

Splicer by Draconic (art by Abyranss)

Operation: B.U.T.T.E.R.F.L.Y. by NullenVoid (art by Stardust-Firelight)

Denial by Nara'la

Trillium Waltz by Idiom Alpha

Intercession by VigoGrimborne (but specifically from this deleted scene)

Exodus by Ld1449

Now Entering Spoiler Territory! (for Visitors from Afar and Desparate Times)

Visitors from Afar / Voyagers from Afar by Fabius Maximus

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Pleasures by R3NN41SS4NC3 (and piperfurby?)

[antihibikase-archive]

Pokemon Blight / Blur : Comprehensive Masterpost

Since I talk and write about my rewrite a lot, I understand it might be hard to get into and/or understand/keep track of! 

So, to make things easier, I decided to compile the very essences of my rewrite and its major changes to the BW/BW2 story in one post!

Links to other posts will be found at the bottom!

If you wish to read some of the posted fics and drabbles I have for my rewrite, they can be found in @antihibikase2​!

Edit 1/10/24 : A formal introduction fic to this verse, Pokemon Blight / Blur - Hero of Static, has been published to both my writing blog and ao3! For those who follow that story and wish to know more through that instead, please be warned that this contains lots of spoilers.

Summary :

“There is a hero of truth, and a hero of ideals. Fighting over what they seek, the legendary dragon splits in two.

But there's more to it than what is told, and becoming a hero isn't without it's sacrifices.“

For the most part, the story of Black and White and its sequels play out the same; the hero hails from Nuvema Town, accompanied by their best friends, meets N, takes down Team Plasma, disappears, and a new hero fills out their shoes.

There are some changes, however. 

Blight ( Black and White Arc )

The hero in this story is Hilbert Blackburn, an earnest youth from Nuvema Town. 

Accompanied by his best friends Cheren Slater and Bianca Alabaster, their party of three, eventually four, venture out into the Unova region hand in hand. Before the fourth gym badge, in the lively city of Nimbasa, Bianca meets a trainer named Hilda Weiss, who had already completed her journey beforehand.

Things take a turn for the worst when they encounter a man named N, and a strange group called Team Plasma has a strange fascination with them.

Traveling as a group, Hilbert discovers he is being built up to be the Hero of Truth who will clash with Team Plasma’s king, N, who represents the Hero of Ideals.

But in the hero's story, both the princes of truth and ideals are accompanied by a party of three.

A warrior, for boundless strength.

A scholar, for adaptive knowledge.

And a heart, for unwavering emotion.

Blur ( Black 2 and White 2 Arc )

Two years after the defeat of Team Plasma, Nathaniel “Nate” Blake of Aspertia City is set to receive his first Pokemon, intending on becoming Unova’s new heroes alongside his best friends Hugh Obsidian and Rosa Whitefield.

Accompanied by the Aspertia City’s new gym leader and its trainer school’s sole teacher, Cheren Slater, the group finds that Team Plasma is attempting a revival that involves using the dragon of the boundary, the beast of ice- Kyurem.

Along the way, meeting familiar faces and new ones alike, Hilda discovers that Team Plasma is planning something nefarious with the use of Opelucid City’s prized DNA Splicers, and Bianca discovers that there was only one Heart in the legends,

all while Cheren roams Unova with half of his heart in tact.

Major Changes from Canon :

The Story of The Legendary Heroes :

The story of the Legendary Heroes has been expanded upon; both heroes, who are unable to come to an agreement, were advised by The Priest to go on separate journeys, accompanied by their respective Warrior and Scholar, in order to seek truth and ideals respectively.

In addition, The Hero of Truth’s party has The Heart.

The characters in the story of the Legendary Heroes reflect the heroes and rivals of modern day Unova, in terms of both personality and appearance; the Hero of Truth is Hilbert, the Hero of Ideals is Nate.

The Scholar and Warrior that accompany the Hero of Truth are Bianca and Hilda respectively.

Similarly, the Scholar and Warrior that accompany the Hero of Ideals are Rosa and Hugh.

The Heart is Cheren. Most versions of the story assume that there is one Heart for each party, when in reality, there was only one of them. In addition, some versions of the story omit his existence entirely.

The Priest is N. Though the Priest is a supporting character in the story, and not a member of royalty, history has been altered and changed throughout the years that Ghetsis’ family mistook the Harmonia name for that of royalty, when in reality, the Priest was an advisor.

Though not important at first, there is a character in the legends known as The Doctor, who resembles Colress.

There are many other characters with roles in the past, such as The Gambler (Grimsley), the Artist (Burgh), etc.

As the story goes, the parties of Truth and Ideals travel separately in pursuit of what they believe in. At the end of their journey, they meet the legendary dragon, but fight over who is more worthy of its power, and by extension, the throne.

Unable to pick a proper path, the dragon splits itself in two, and The Heart is unintentionally killed in the process, being used as a sacrifice to give birth to Reshiram and Zekrom.

With the grief of losing The Heart, both princes abandon the throne and wander Unova with their respective dragons. The Warrior and Scholar of Truth remain in the kingdom to take over the throne, as well as the Scholar of Ideals. The Warrior of Ideals follows after his prince. The Priest extends his help to the remaining party in the kingdom, and they work together to help Unova prosper.

It is said that the ghost of the Hero of Truth wanders the sunken Relic Castle, searching for The Heart. 

Similarly, it is said that the spirit of The Heart wanders the sandy beaches of Undella Bay, searching for his precious Pokemon and his prince. 

Black and White Storyline :

Team Plasma’s goal is not only to have N use Zekrom to command the people of Unova to release their Pokemon, but to recreate the story of The Legendary Heroes to sway their beliefs.

Additionally, Zinzolin leads a part of Team Plasma known as The Order of The Heart- a religion revolved around the revered Heart in one of the versions of the story.

Hilbert and Cheren start traveling together after Castelia City.

Despite not being the main character, Hilda is the one that sees Bianca being forced to go home by her father in Nimbasa City, rather than Hilbert. The girls start traveling together after this.

After the events at the Cold Storage, both duos start traveling as a party of four, completing the party of the Hero of Truth. The party only stops traveling together before Hilbert steps into Victory Road. Though Cheren chases after Hilbert like in canon, Bianca and Hilda initially intended to only watch Hilbert’s matches, before N’s Castle rose from the ground.

After the Unova League raids N’s Castle with the help of Bianca summoning them for help, Sages Rood and Zinzolin take Bianca and Cheren hostage, keeping the Gym Leaders at bay and forcing Hilbert and Hilda to proceed alone. 

N’s sisters tell Bianca of N’s past, as well as the real meaning of the story of the Legendary Heroes. Meanwhile, Cheren is used as a sacrifice, and is brainwashed by Zinzolin to fight against Hilbert, using Cheren’s heart and Hilbert’s rage to trigger Reshiram’s awakening.

While Hilbert becomes champion after he assists Looker in apprehending the sages, he realizes Unova is in a state of unrest and relies heavily on him for reassurance. Unable to take the pressure, and wanting that same pressure to be lifted off the shoulders of his friends, he leaves Unova with Reshiram.

When Hilbert leaves, he leaves behind a Cinccino and a letter for Cheren.

Black and White 2 Storyline :

Zekrom is captured by Team Plasma at the start, alongside Kyurem.

Nate and Hugh travel together, accompanied by Cheren.

Rosa is an on-off companion, sometimes journeying with the boys, but sometimes staying behind in cities/towns to partake in the activities.

In the final battle, Nate, Hugh, Rosa, and Cheren approach the Giant Chasm together, while Bianca and Hilda stay outside to contain the damage.

Instead of Ghetsis having Kyurem use Glaciate before it fuses with N’s Dragon, Zekrom and Kyurem have already merged by the time they get into Giant Chasm. 

In the midst of the battle, the dragon is in the process of splitting up on its own, and is commanded to use Freeze Shock on Nate. 

Cheren takes the hit for Nate, nearly killing him and serving as a sacrifice once more. Nate’s rage at Ghetsis completely awakens Zekrom and successfully pulls it away from Kyurem, and Reshiram arrives immediately after, along with N and Hilbert.

Ghetsis, Colress, and the Shadow Triad are apprehended at the end of the story.

General Lore :

Hilda is a Pokemon Trainer who has already completed her journey beforehand, but was unable to become champion. Having found herself in a state of boredom as one of the strongest trainers in the region, she spends her days at the Battle Subway.

Rosa is a Pokemon Trainer who drops her league challenge at the start, having decided to travel to figure out what she wants. She finds herself jumping hobbies, particularly between partaking in Pokestar Studios or the Pokemon Musical.

Despite being chosen by a dragon at the end of Black and White, the dragon that accompanies N, Zekrom, leaves his side at some point before the start of Black and White 2, cementing his status as not the Hero of Ideals in the story, but rather, The Priest.

Pre-BW2, Cheren is sent to Flocessy Town to be kept out of the media and to help his mind recover following the brainwashing from Beheeyem. Three months into his recovery, he is scouted to be one of Lenora’s successors, and starts training in a condo at Castelia City, mentored by the Striaton Triplets and Burgh.

Pre-BW2, Bianca begins her studies as Professor Juniper’s assistant, and is often summoned by Fennel to assist in her research of the Dreamworld. Her connection with Musharna enables her to “travel” through the Dreamworld, wherein she meets versions of her friends represented by the part of them they hide the most.

Hilda catches the Bouffalant that belonged to Ghetsis, rehabilitating it and giving it a new home. She later gives this Bouffalant to Hugh.

Each of the protagonists and rivals are associated with legendaries/mythicals; Reshiram for Hilbert, Zekrom for Nate, Genesect for Cheren, Meloetta for Bianca, Victini for Hilda, Landorus for Rosa, Keldeo for Hugh, and Kyurem for N.

There is heavy Kuroshipping and Shiroshipping in the story, and becomes a major plot point for the Hero of Truth and The Heart.

Colress is a major character in BW- he is the doctor of the league, and pops up during certain times, including the aftermath of the events at N’s Castle.

Yancy appears near the end of BW, though she and Curtis only have major roles in BW2.

Characterizations of the BW/BW2 Protagonists :

Since the protagonists have no canonical characterizations (Pokemon Masters EX being the closest), I gave them my own characterizations, which may affect how they interact with other characters, as well as their teambuilding!

Hilbert Blackburn

An earnest trainer from Nuvema Town, perhaps a true example of what it means to be a trainer and a champion. Hilbert Blackburn is described to be someone who wears his heart on his sleeve, whether that be a good thing or not. He wanted nothing more than to enjoy his journey with his best friends, but was thrown for a loop when he met N at Accumula Town.

He’s kind and polite, the kind of honest young man most mothers would dream their son of growing up into. He can never refuse someone when they ask for his help, and he trusts in his instincts. However, while it seems he’s plainly open about his feelings, he’s shown some cases where he gets incredibly jealous over other trainers that intrigue Cheren, who he has had a crush on for so long.

By the end of BW2, all he wants is to live his life beyond the titles of champion and hero, and moreover, he wants to live a normal, peaceful life with the people he loves. He starts by trying to “save” his beloved Cheren from his role as The Heart- and succeeds.

While he was partially inspired by Black from Pokemon Adventures, their personalities and goals are still vastly different. Associated with fire-types, particularly the Emboar line and Reshiram, as well as Braviary.

Hilda Weiss

A spunky experienced trainer from Nimbasa City, though perhaps a bit cynical, Hilda Weiss has finished her journey four years ago, journeying at the age of ten. However, she was denied the position of champion, not because her strength was lacking, but she had grown arrogant and forgotten the joy of battling alongside her Pokemon.

She’s considered the life of the Battle Subway four years later, having become someone who lives their life to the fullest, enjoying the thrill and rush that battles bring her. She’s forward with her intentions and her feelings, which put her on odds with certain people who think she has a tendency to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong. This is most obvious with Bianca’s father, who she often butts heads with.

By the end of BW2, she hasn’t settled into a singular position to call her own, but she finds herself content at being someone that her precious friends have grown to rely on- not wanting for history to repeat, she takes charge of the operation of retrieving the missing relics of the party, in hopes it would defy their fate. Associated with a multitude of Pokemon, but particularly the Elemental Monkeys.

Nathaniel “Nate” Blake

In a completely opposite direction from Blake from Pokemon Adventures, Nathaniel “Nate” Blake of Aspertia City is exactly the average Gen Z child; filled to the brim with energy, speaks his mind, and very, very hyperactive. Though perhaps this is part of his charm, and what makes Zekrom sees him as more worthy of its power.

Initially someone who admired Hilbert for his heroics, he discovers the reality of heroics not being as dazzling as it seems, especially when he sees how it makes the people around them cry. Wanting to live in a Unova where he and everyone else is happy, he decides to become a hero that brings smiles, and he starts by accompanying Hugh in retrieving his sister’s Purrloin. He grows to admire Cheren greatly, fondly referring to him as his “big bro”.

By the end of BW2, he is crowned the new champion of Unova, though his journey doesn’t end just yet. He wishes to use his new position as both champion and hero to help his friends recover from the pain Team Plasma had caused. Settling into his role as the Hero of Ideals, he reluctantly works together with Hilbert to be heroes worthy of The Heart reborn.

Associated with electric and bug-types, particularly the Tynamo line, the Sewaddle line, and Zekrom, as well as Jellicent.

Rosa Whitefield

Seeing the state of Unova after what Team Plasma had done, Rosa Whitefield of Virbank City inspires to spread smiles like Nate, but in a different manner; instead of becoming a hero, she wants to become a shining star in an otherwise bleak reality. Dropping out of the Trainer School, she partakes in several activities such as acting in Pokestar Studios, and making her Pokemon shine through the Pokemon Musical Theater.

Sharing the same sense of mischief as Nate, they brighten up everything in their path through their youthful energy, which grows increasingly difficult as Neo Team Plasma starts making its round throughout the region, threatening to encase it in ice. Though she is not a proper league trainer by any means, Rosa uses what she’s learned in Pokestar Studios from Brycen and Sabrina in order to support her friends to the fullest, with some of her “support” being in the form of utilizing her skills in acrobatics as a form of distraction for the enemy. 

By the end of BW2, she starts to become a household name through her acting career, though she wishes to use her newfound influence to help her friends recover from the pain Team Plasma had caused- but first, she hits the books, and decides to lend her aid to Bianca as they piece together the final parts of the legend.

Associated with a multitude of Pokemon, particularly Pokemon that are available in Pokestar Studios, such as the Riolu line, Solosis line, and Vanilluxe line.

Additional Posts and Links for References :

This post is getting too long already, so here’s some separate posts I’ve made regarding the worldbuilding! I’ll add this as I make more.

Main Cast : Nuvema Gang Character Sheets + Aspertia Trio Character Sheets + Pokemon Teams of The BW/BW2 Protagonists + Mega Evolution 

Supporting Cast : Full Names + Past Lives + Curtis and Yancy’s Roles

Misc. Character Posts : Cheren Slater Masterpost +  Something About Bianca and Babel + Symbolisms and Goals

The Legendary Dragons: The Legendary Heroes and The Party + The Unovan Legend, Truths, Ideals, and Misconceptions + Pokemon Parties of The Parties and The Priest + The Order of The Heart + The Ghost of Relic Castle + The Spirit of Undella Bay +  The Doctor, Acro + Acro’s Circumstances + The Doctor And The Eyes + The Doctor’s Many Identities 

Worldbuilding: Arcana Motifs + The Relic Song + Relic Castle Arc

[dumbass-duo-showdown]

No dammit

Uhhh

Why bioshock peak game

SPOILER FREE!

1: what even is bioshock

Bioshock is a narrative driven FPS horror adjacent shooter franchise with 3 games (1,2 and bioshock infinite) All exploring themes of different ideologies. The first two games, the dlc of the 3rd game, and the tie in prequel novel takes place in the same underwater city, Rapture, meanwhile the 3rd game takes place in the sky city of Columbia (no, not the capital of the USA), it explores mainly ideas of free choice, basically roasts Atlas Shrugged for the first game, 2 focuses more on collectivism, and infinite more on religious extremism.

2; setting

Not talking about bioshock’s settings is like talking about fire emblem and ignoring how it’s basically chess but with anime character. The first two games are in a dystopia. An art deco dystopia where the world has been turned upside. Meanwhile Columbia, unlike its previous counterpart is all bright and sunny, you can sense that something is wrong. Each part of Rapture showcases the minds of the great (medicine, botany, entertainment) but twisted, you’re shown the remains of what’s left. It’s even shown more in 2 because it’s 10 years after the original game.

3: gameplay

Now bioshock uses both “magic” called plasmids (and vigors in infinite) and regular weapons like a wrench, a machine gun, a chemical blower, and crossbow. It also got a hacking system in one you will either love or hate. Now one way you learn about the lore about bioshock is via audio tapes, which makes you want to explore the parts of the game more.

Also the themes of choice, this will go down into the next part

4. Enemies

This is mainly about the big daddies! Basically, they’re the icon of bioshock, even more than Ryan, Elizabeth, and Atlas. They’re 7ft tall men in a diving suit. In the second game you even play as one! Then there’s also other enemies like the splicers (aka the people who remain after rapture who isn’t a main character you can’t kill), the handymen (from infinite, are men “cured” of their illness only for them to be extremely sensitive to everything and stuck in a metal suit), and of course. The little sisters, present in bioshock 1&2, they’re What the big daddies protect.

That’s all I can say before I go so far.

Part 5: voice acting

Now for a game where most of the dialogue is via audio logs, bioshock sure has amazing voice acting. Everything from the speech at the start of the game to the speech at the end. Every characters voice is memorable. But I warn you, if you’re a persona fan, playing infinite is just “kanji is morally not as good and has a gun”

Part 6: characters

It has some really great characters, not like you will like them, rather that they’re just well written. Everyone from the main antagonist to the character with 3 audio logs. Even background characters in infinite. You get a sense that they were people.

Part 7: conclusion

It’s great! Just, have a strong graphics card if you’re playing on pc

[nynnph0]

mini(ish)-rant on ryans death

(aka me going crazy over a two(2) decade old game and its main antagonist becuz i think i know everything bout him[slash jay])

spoiler warning for the first bioshock game

any game, and anything in general is up to the viewer to interpret. dont get me wrong, i understand that.. BUT i hate when people say "oh, ryan killed himself to prove that you/jack is a slave, and follow orders without a second thought." NO. that is a very surface level of understanding ryans speech. not much thought was used to come to that conclusion. (i mean that very light-heartedly, i promise. :( please dont take it to heart.)

the main reason andrew ryan founded rapture was to escape everything that was holding man back from his fullest potential. that was part of his ideology that he held so dear to him. freedom, just like the usa, that ryan loved once before, was a main staple to him coming up with the idea of his new city.

now, fast forwarding a while, fontaine was using plasmids to brainwash the citizens of rapture into doing his dirty work. ryan noticed this, and decided to do the same. but how he differed from fontaine was he used his plasmids to win back the population to be on his side again. he also did it so he could have an army of his own to fight against fontaine if anything goes wrong.

with the two biggest men in rapture desperately trying to control all of rapture, a lot of the people became mindless zombies, aching for more adam to aid their delusions.. aka splicers. by the time ryan realized what he had done to his people that once looked up to him, it was far too late. again, most of rapture was braindead at this point. ryan had went against his own principles and ideology just because he wanted to beat fontaine in a game of chess.

knowing this, ryan now had come up with the idea of ridding away his biggest sin. he was going to have the player(jack) kill him, as you are the perfect embodiment of the word "slave". in his own eyes, this was the only way ryan could become somewhat okay with what he did to the citizens of rapture and going against his ideals that he once cherished so dearly to him. to the point that he would die for them. which, in a way, he later did.

the end

----

i was scrolling on the bioshock subreddit recently and most of the posts that i saw that were "analyzing" the "a man chooses, a slave obeys" soliloquy ryan made where only analyzing it on a very surface level. they were reading what ryan was saying, but not taking into consideration why he was saying these things.

idk it annoyed me so i wanted to make this dumb essay-esque rant to make myself feel better. im very sorry if this doesnt make sense, i didnt proof read it that much :')

[everydayyoulovemeless]

I'm sensing that you wouldn't be opposed to talking more about Bioshock 🤔 Soooo... favorite levels in Bioshock 1 and 2?

1: It's gotta be Arcadia/Farmer's Market for me, for the atmosphere, Julie ofc, and as far as the Farmer's Market goes, where else can you take out a Splicer by using telekinesis on a wheel of cheese or a sausage and hurling it at them?? (On easy difficulty at least 😂). Fort Frolic is iconic tho.

2: I think I like Fontaine Futuristics best. Can't really explain why, but I loved roaming around there with my named security bots. Pauper's Drop gets second place.

HI THANKS FOR ASKING

You’re so right, Fort Frolic’s iconic and it’s the one I gotta go with 😭😭 the splicers covered in plaster only moving when you look at them reminds me of the weeping angels (from Dr Who? I think?) and horror games are a love of mine and it really just scratched that itch for me. Also the whole idea of it being a sort of mini-Vegas in Rapture is the sickest thing, it’s like a giant Dave and Busters.

The locations in Bioshock 2 went crazy imo. They were all so memorable but Persephone wins it for me. The Sinclair lore drop had me smiling and kicking my feet (even if it was just him abusing people) and the adrenaline rush I got with Subject Omega (trying to avoid putting too many spoilers) showed up :( got me in tears. What a banger of an ending tho, nothing would've ever prepared me for that level.

[tired-spider]

Reasons I wouldn't Survive my Favorite Pieces of Horror Media:

Because I'm not an idiot, I know I'm not surviving these things. When applicable, I assume I'm in either a medical or scientific job/role, as I already work at a hospital, and my goal is to work in pathology.

Spoilers for all the mentioned stuff in the tags.

The Thing: I like dogs too much. I would have been cuddling that thing for hours before I put it with the others. Also, being part of the team preforming the dissections would increase the chances of infection.

Bioshock: Healthcare work already has a high rate of workplace violence. With the presence of splicers and Adam in Rapture, the rates are probably much higher.

Reanimator Series: Nearly every time something is reanimated it's violent, I'd probably meet the same fate West does in the original short stories.

No one lives under the lighthouse: I've played through the game once, and I never found the shotgun. Another issue is I also don't know how to use one, so if this was a real situation, regardless of whether or not I found it or not, I'd be kinda screwed.

[mewintheflesh-2]

Ayo I gotta kwestions for your Don't Trust Dr Fuse Au

Did he fuse himself with pokemon or does he rather not do it on himself and just has others be the ones suffering?

If he is, which one is he fused with?

Also did he have any... shall we say, failures?

HE DID!! He fused himself with Pokémon one too many times though, and the DNA splicers don’t really perfectly separate the DNA of the two specimens they’re used on, so he has quite the bit of random Pokémon DNA floating about in him. It makes it difficult for his body to keep human form, it’s sort of like a Belos situation.

He doesn’t mind being in pain but he does enjoy seeing others suffering so much more

Andddddd the one Pokémon he decided to permanently fuse with was a vessel of Arceus itself that it had given to a trainer he managed to get his hands on. Thooough… this had left him with some undesired results. *COUGHCOUGH*hegotcursed*COUGHCOUGH*

As for failures… only a few of them could really be called failures. But I think that is getting into a little bit of spoiler territory >:)

[jaybug-jabbers]

Pokemon Infinite Fusion: A Review

Hey, folks. As you may recall, I've played a couple pokemon fan games by now that use pokemon fusions as their central premise. So when I heard of a new fusion game that boasted a whopping 176,400 possible fusion combinations, I obviously had to try it out. I've written a little review of my experiences below. (Contains mild spoilers about game mechanics and features, but I do not spoil any major plot points)

Introduction

Previous fan games, such as Pokemon Fusion Generation and Fusion Generation 2, have been very enjoyable forays into the world of pokemon fusion, and the number of fusions available from those games already felt incredible. It provided for so much entertainment and experimentation. And yet, the world of pokemon fusions has been expanded even further. Pokemon Infinite Fusion, while not quite infinite, is named very appropriately, since the number of possible combinations may as well be infinite. The game takes place in Kanto/Johto and contains all the original pokemon from those reigons, as well as an expanded Dex roster that also offers selections from gens 3 - 7. This means the total number of base pokemon ends up at 420. And the wild part? Is that you have complete freedom to fuse any two pokemon from this list. If you do the math, that means there are 176,400 possible total fusions. You may be wondering how on earth someone made a game where this is even possible.

The biggest catch here is that not every single fusion has hand-crafted sprites. Instead, it often draws from a sprite pool that has been generated by the popular Pokemon Fusion Generator website. You might remember back in the day when this website first rose to popularity and sort of kicked off the original pokefusion trend among fans. The site works by mashing the sprites together in a way that roughly makes sense. Here is an example:

As such, the sprites often look a bit awkward, but they give a general idea of a fusion. Many pokemon fusions rely on this database of sprites, since as you may imagine, hand-crafting 176,400 combinations is no small feat.

HOWEVER. There still are over 50,000 hand-crafted sprites in the game for fusions. The number is simply staggering, and this was accomplished because many, many different sprite artists contributed to the project. What's more, new hand-made sprites are still being made all the time by the community, and you can even make your own and easily add them into the game yourself. For example, if you wanted to make your own Caterpie/Gyarados combo to replace the auto-generated one above, you can! This game is truly a labor of love on a massive scale, and it's inspiring to see.

In my opinion, the system that Infinite Fusion has works well. When it comes to in-game trainers, they almost always have only pokemon with custom-made sprites, so it doesn't feel too jarring to play. Meanwhile, the auto-generated sprites allow for the total flexibility and freedom of combining literally any two pokes. Also, while some auto-generated sprites are extremely awkward, many of them are actually quite passable and some could even be confused as custom sprites. So don't let the fact that not every single sprite is custom-made put you off, because I promise this game is still such a joy.

The Fusions

The main draw of this game, of course, are the fusions. So let's address them for a bit. How exactly do they work in this game? The basic premise of the game is very simple, but effective: the Silph Co has invented a new product called DNA Splicers. These can be bought at any Pokemart. They are a single-use item that will allow you to fuse any two base pokemon together. (Lorewise, the DNA Splicers are based off the item in Pokemon Black/White 2 that is used to fuse Kyurem with Reshiram or Zekrom) And that's it! When you select the two pokemon, you have a choice of 2 different fusions. Just as with the original Pokemon Fusion website, you can combine a pokemon by choosing one species for the 'head' and colors and one species for the 'body.' This influences how the fusion looks, of course, and also impacts exactly how the stats are combined in the resulting pokemon, too. Later on there's also a nice product in the Marts that is a 'DNA Inverser' that lets you immediately create the inverse fusion, as well. It's quick and easy, no muss, no fuss. You also can unfuse pokemon at any time.

In this game, you will encounter trainers with pokemon fusions all the time, as well. Because the DNA Splicers are a hot new fad, pretty much everyone in Kanto wants to try them out. This means that fighting trainers in this game is guaranteed to be endlessly entertaining, because you are seeing new fusions literally all the time, throughout the entire game. The Gym Leaders and E4 (and your rival) boast some of the most exciting combinations, as they should. Also, you will see fused pokemon in the wild, too, in addition to the normal base species. This means that even just exploring or grinding is continually entertaining.

The fusions function in game pretty much as you would expect. Their movesets are a combination of the two base pokemon. Their stats are a combination of the two individuals. When you first fuse them, you get to choose which of the Abilities you'd like to have for the resulting fusion. The Types are generally combined so that the first typing of the Head pokemon is mixed with the second typing of the Body pokemon. As for evolutions, those exist independently. So, for example, if you have a Charmander/Caterpie fusion, it will evolve into a Charmander/Metapod fusion at level 7, and then a Charmander/Butterfree fusion at level 10, and a Charmeleon/Butterfree at level 16, etc.

A pretty reasonable question you might have is "how the heck does the game even handle this many fusions"? I'm gonna be honest, I have no idea how they fit this many pokemon slots into the game (including a Pokedex that has all of them!!) Obviously it would be impossible with a ROM hack, but of course this is a fan game and thus does not operate under the same constraints. (That said, the number of pokemon it handles is still incredibly impressive) I do know the game total filesize is understandably quite large if you choose to download the 'standard' version of the game, because it has a butt-ton of sprites. Fortunately, you can opt for the 'light' version of the game if you'd rather not download all those sprites at once, and the game can connect and download sprites as needed. This is the version I use and it works great.

As for the fusions themselves, I love the vast majority of the sprites. They run the gamit from pretty straightforward fusions to intensely creative and clever designs. Some look very cursed in a good way, and above all, they're sure to be entertaining, if nothing more.

I will make one brief note of warning: there are many artists contributing to this game, so naturally the sprites will vary. Occasionally there is a sprite I find that I would personally consider to be . . . not matching the tone of Pokemon (Parasect/Ursaring for example has bloody stumps for its forearms, with dripping blood, which to me just feels a little too gory and out of place for Pokemon) or something that's bordering on inappropriate. The slightly 'inappropriate' ones are sprite fusions made for particular pokemon species that are known to be sexualized by fans (namely, Lopunny and Gardevoir). I have not encountered anything overtly inappropriate, mind you-- but some are clearly sexualized, and that understandably can make some people uncomfortable, myself included. Fortunately that's quite easy to avoid, as you merely need to avoid fusing pokemon of those particular species.

Other Features

So, the devs of this fan game are very frank about the fact this game does not focus much on plot. It is, in their words, essentially "Pokemon Red, but with fusions." That said, there is a basic plot to this game that is slightly altered from the usual Red plot. Team Rocket is up to no good, but their schemes now are strongly linked to the exciting new fusion technology. I won't spoil the storyline, but I do want to say the climax of the story is very satisfying and especially rewarding to hardcore pokemon fans.

Additionally, Infinite Fusion offers a lot of delightful QoL upgrades and bonus content. It boasts a ton of sidequests, mostly streamlined by offering a Hotel in towns where the sidequest NPCs are gathered (and a way of easily tracking your quests and rewards). The game also allows you to rematch trainers as much as you'd like, and trainers' pokemon grow stronger and will even evolve when you rematch them enough times. This is very convenient if you'd like to do some grinding. There are a lot of modern pokemon moves added to the game, Fairy typing, and plenty of other modern upgrades. The game also offers an integrated Randomizer mode, a speed-up button, a WonderTrade simulator to give you all kinds of random fusions, battle facilities and other goodies to maximize its replayability and its streamer/YouTuber-friendlyness.

Some of my favorite features include Pokeradar for finding rare pokemon and Hidden abilities, which includes a very handy display of all possible pokemon encounters in a given area once you've discovered them all. Another useful addition are in-game items that replace the need for HM moves, but are integrated in a very reasonable way. Basically, you start off needing to use HM moves, but eventually can earn special items that replace the need for HM moves. Usually you end up earning these items around the time you'd like to replace the HM move with a more useful moveset, so it works out very well.

I think my most favorite thing, though, are just all the NPCs with changed dialogue and fun jokes and nods that the game contains. You can tell a lot of love went into the game by fans who truly do love Pokemon. Some of these references include nods to Pokegod rumors, details from manga or anime, other pokemon games and other video games, and so forth.

There are a lot of little details, including an updated Safari Zone and even a Team Rocket black market, where you can purchase pokemon and unique items! As such, I want to emphasize that there's plenty to explore and see, despite the plot being largely the same. And with a full Kanto game + Johto & Sevii islands postgame, there is plenty of content.

My Run

Pokemon is a game largely defined by choice. While "catch them all" may be the catchphrase they introduced in the US, that has never truly captured the spirit of pokemon. Pokemon is more about the ones you choose. Pokemon Infinite Fusion expands that power of choice to the nth degree, so much so that you can very easily suffer from decision paralysis. In a game that gives you 176,400 pokemon to choose from, how can you possibly decide?

I handled this question by narrowing things down a little. I often do all-bug challenge runs of pokemon games, so I decided my run would be limited to bug types only. But even with that narrowing things down, the number of options were still quite dizzying. I definitely did a lot more team shuffling and changing than I normally do. I know I spent hours just fusing things to see what they'd look like. (There's a very handy website to speed this process up, allowing you to preview fusions.) It was overwhelming at times. But ultimately, I did settle on a final team.

Surprisingly, this team often didn't consist of my absolute top picks of fusions. For example, the Yanmega/Kabutops I have looks awesome, but I think I like the sprite of Butterfree/Kabutops a little bit more. However, my choices were constrained by things other than mere aesthetics. I did want a team with decent synergy and coverage, too. I think that's an interesting thing to think about. In life, you may not even need to be the Very Best to still be an excellent pokemon-- or to be chosen.

Sasspora - Parasect/Ninjask - Bug/Flying - Infiltrator - Silver Powder

Moveset: Screech/Aerial Ace/X-Scissor/Spore

Notes: Sass unfortunately suffers from never learning a really good Flying STAB in his learnset. Aerial Ace was the best I could do for him. Still, Spore abuse and his fantastic speed take him very far.

Zippy Zap - Beedrill/Jolteon - Bug/Electric - Volt Absorb - Amulet Coin

Moveset: Quick Attack/Dig/Thunderbolt/Thunder

Notes: This fusion emphasizes Beedrill's weaker stats when compared to the inverse fusion. Despite that fact, Zip Zap continued to be invaluable on my team all the way through to the very end, hitting above his weight. He offered vital Electric coverage and was a check to fellow Electric types.

Pomegranite - Butterfree/Rapidash - Bug/Fire - Compound Eyes - TwistedSpoon

Moveset: Tailwind/Flare Blitz/Fire Blast/Psychic

Notes: Compound Eyes + Fire Blast is pretty cool lol

Peekaboo - Yanmega/Kabutops - Bug/Water - Swift Swim - Rocky Helmet

Moveset: Night Slash/Air Slash/Surf/Aqua Jet

Notes: I knew I had to fuse the Horseshoe Crab/trilobite-inspired Kabutops with a bug type; he was just too cool to pass up. Night Slash was very useful coverage on Ghosts, which may not come up often but when it did, it saved us big time.

Purple Rain - Ledian/Flygon - Bug/Dragon - Levitate - Soft Sand

Moveset: Fly/Bug Buzz/Rock Slide/Earthquake

Notes: When I was playing around with fusions, and I un-fused my Ledyba, it suddenly turned into a shiny. My guess is the game re-rolls things when you un-fuse pokemon so each time you un-fuse a pokemon, there's the chance they become shiny. It was pretty cool, but the best part was the shiny in this game was purple. A million times better than the actual shiny. So I had to use it.

Flygon was the perfect chance for that. We all know Flygon should have been Bug/Dragon, as it's based on an Antlion, both the larva and adult. Finally, Flygon could fulfill its true destiny. EQ and Rock Slide may not have been STAB but they both were essential to the team. The wide range of resistances was very nice, too.

Leonardo - Articuno/Armaldo - Ice/Bug - Battle Armor - Leftovers

Moveset: Brine/Freeze-Dry/Rock Blast/X-Scissor

Notes: My final 6th slot was kind of an uncertain one for a while, until I decided Bug/Fairy would be fun. For a long time I went with a Armaldo/Clefable fusion. I found it underwhelming and decided to change; an Ice type could still act as my designated dragon-killer. There wasn't any sprite done for Articuno/Armaldo at the time I was playing, so I did my best to make my own and added it into the game.

Conclusion

Play this game! Seriously, it is so good and you'll have so much fun. The replayability is practically infinite, and if you're especially passionate about pokemon fusions, you can submit your own sprite edits to be included in the sprite packs that everyone can download! The game has appeal for everyone, from super casual players, to streamers, to challenge runners and everyone in between.

Happy fusing!

[unlikelyandco]

PSA

This blog, of-snakes-and-men, and theseverance does not follow the current events of Destiny 2 since the mun is absolutely fed up with the game. The last effort to keep up ended with the Season of the Splicer for me, and after that I only know bits and pieces. 

I do not care about spoilers though, so if you really want to RP something from the current events, I can totally read up on something particular. Otherwise every thread happens in the (non-)specified past.

[lepoppeta]

For the fanfic ask thing: 6, 7, 8, 17, 22, 23, 26, 29, 35, 39, 42, 49, 68 and 75 c:

6. What's the last line you wrote?

"... he may yet make a surprisingly great trainer!"

Victor couldn't help the sneer of his top lip, or the darkening of his brow, or the way he parted his teeth just slightly and asked: "What do you mean, 'surprisingly'?"

Title: To the Victor Goes the Spoils

Fandom: Pokémon (Sword & Shield)

Relationship(s): Victor/Hop

7. Post a snippet from a WIP.

Brassius has no classmates to celebrate with; no teachers to particularly thank. Within the month, he finds an empty warehouse studio in Artazon for his fantastical sculptures and fills the gardens of his new home with roses; agave; blackberries.

Title: Carnivore

Fandom: Pokémon (Scarlet & Violet)

Relationship(s): Hassel/Brassius

8. Post an out-of-context spoiler from a WIP.

"Jack we have to go."

"... I can't."

"We have to, pet. We'll be found if we stay here, and to be quite frank..." he trails off, wincing. He folds his lips together ponderously and tries again: "... to be honest, you don't look like you could squash a roach, let alone kill a Splicer."

Title: Dark and Familiar and Deep as the Sea (re-write)

Fandom: Bioshock 1 + 2

Relationship(s): Jack Ryan/Atlas

17. Do you have a writing routine?

Absolutely not.

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

Fandom and music have always gone hand in hand for me, so most of my titles end up being song lyrics!

I usually write with a title in mind, but sometimes it changes during the "drafting" process.

23. What is the easiest and what is the hardest: beginnings, middles, ends?

Beginnings are easier, certainly.

Endings are very difficult for me. I have a hard time conceptualizing a good stopping point in my stories; a lot of the time they keep going of their own volition, but not necessarily linearly.

26. What's your least favourite part of the writing process?

Drafting.

I can't do word vomit; I can't write things badly on purpose; I don't entirely understand how drafting works. Someone needs to take my brain and my hands and do it for me so I can have the template muscle memory to do it on my own.

29. What's something about your writing that you're proud of?

I like to think that I'm quite good at dialogue, and I think I'm getting better at making my overall prose snappier and more minimalist.

35. What's your favourite fic that you've posted?

Overall? Probably At the End of the Line (Maybe a Diamond Ring). It's relatively well-written; the ending actually ends somewhat cleanly; it paces well compared to most of my other works. I'm pleased with it. I wouldn't change it.

More recently, I'm quite fond of My Lover Stands on Golden Sands, but I also don't like the ending all that much anymore. I feel like it just... falls off at the end.

39. Most self-indulgent WIP?

I wouldn't strictly call it a WIP, but I still have a few passages from a completed Nuzlocke (OmegaRuby / X) that I was going to transfer into a prose format. It has a lot of headcanons and self-insert-y elements without it being a straight-up self-insert fanfiction.

42. What's your favourite title you've come up with?

Mentioned above, I have two (named) Pokémon stories in the works. One is "Carnivore" and one is "To the Victor Goes the Spoils". I like both.

Out of my published works I think Dark and Familiar and Deep as the Sea is my favourite (although this fic I'd hardly consider to be published in its current state). The Blue Tide Pulling me Under is also pretty up there.

49. What fic of yours would you say is the best introduction to you as a writer?

I don't think I can accurately answer this because I kind of know what I want my writing to aspire to be, but I don't really know what it is. I don't know my own quirks, I only can hazard a guess as to what I would want them to be. It would probably be a question better posed to a member of my audience rather than me.

However, true as I may think that is, it's a bit of a cop-out answer. If I had to choose I'd probably pick Athair. It needs to be re-written, though.

68. Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way that you do?

My one true fanfiction love is Hang the Fool, and that's probably influenced me the most in terms of style. It's a story that's repetitive without lingering past its welcome; it's very articulate while still being descriptive. I admire it greatly.

75. Is there a particular fic that your readers gravitate towards that you didn't expect?

My five most popular works are as follows:

Aphrodite

Athair

You're Gonna be My Bruise

Frame and Wire

The Blue Tide Pulling me Under

I don't understand why Aphrodite is ranked so highly. Maybe because it's my oldest Bioshock work and has simply been around the longest? I think it's pretty crap now, but I also think some of my newer stuff is worse.

You're Gonna be My Bruise I think is the biggest surprise. I truly think this is my worst one. It's too short. It's written poorly. It is simply bad. Why do you people like it so much?

[danco110]

Fic idea for future reference, maybe panned out over a few smaller bite-sized pieces and stringing together a few of the preexisting ones. Or, knowing me, probably to just sit here and gather dust for the foreseeable future.

(Potential MOM spoilers? Kinda?)

Bladehold has fallen to the Phyrexians. Although she mounted a valiant defense effort, Ria Ivor is compleated and joins the Orthodoxy, fused to her noble steed. Initially, she revels in her fellow Phyrexians’ cohesion, a unity that she had to lobby and argue for months to achieve from the Mirrans in defense of the city. But, Ria quickly comes to look past the facade. She sees that Norn rules the Fair Basilica with an iron fist, and those under her rule are no happier than they were prior to compleation.

Disillusioned, Ria defects during an infiltration mission to the Dross Pits, and sets out on a journey through Phyrexia, learning on her way that there are others who have similar doubts about Phyrexia’s mission. Also, several members of the defense force were compleated as well, scattered through the layers, and many of them share similar grievances. Ria’s travels reunite her with friends and teammates both new and old, and give them all the idea to all band together once more, in defiance of their praetors - Norn in particular.

But Ria is not the only source of dissent among Norn’s ranks. In the workshops in the corrupted city of Bladehold, several splicers have been in covert communication with other compleated artificers hailing from the Hunter’s Maze and Surgical Bay. Ironically, the splicers only wish to exchange information on specifications on how they build their golems, but Norn’s paranoia concerning the other praetors makes such correspondence a dangerous game.

Tensions come to a head when Norn decrees that the golem foundries are to be phased out and replaced with a lab for researching augmentations for Realmbreaker. The workshops will be closed, and the splicers recycled into their base components. Norn was surprised to discover, however, that the workers did not in fact eagerly anticipate their imminent demise. Rather, the splicers - now joined by their contacts from the other layers - have organized something of a revolt, with workers and golems occupying a modest portion of the city.

Ria and her group decide to strike back against those who had forcefully conscripted them. Coincidentally, they ride back to Bladehold to find it swarmed by angry workers and their creations. The two groups of rebellious Phyrexians join forces, and are met with heavy resistance from only Norn’s loyalist remnants, left behind to secure the city after the invasion. With Norn herself and most of her forces distracted with the planeswalker incursion, the loyalists lose a hard-fought battle to the rebels’ combined numbers.

Just a little catharsis to make up for the somewhat disappointing final chapters of the MOM story, is all.

[abyssalcleave]

fuck it - its 2am and I need to sleep but lets take a look at the new weapons we are getting with lightfall, shall we?

//SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!!!

these are probably the new legendary expansion weapons. we see a hand canon, and a sniper. also a fusion rifle and a pulse rifle (?). the weapons look very clean and I hope bungie is gonna release the shader as well. <3 very interested in the hand canon especially. <3

// Final Warning uwu sidearm - pretty sure thats an exotic? kinda reminds me of cryosthesia 77k from splicer (man i love that gun - i should use it more). even tho we don't have a sidearm meta (like i would care what meta we have lmao) but I still enjoy a good sidearm. also very pleasing to look at imo.

// Deterministic Chaos exotic machinegun next <3 its promising a lot of fun and as a void hunter main (i won't ever be tired of saying that) i am very interested in how it feels ingame. (but we also got a very good legendary machinegun this season too - we will have to wait and see i guess.) I'm a huge fan of the aesthetic at least! its super pretty <3

// Winterbite STASIS GLAIVE?? YES PLEASE!! when glaives were introduced in witch queen i was looking forward to getting an stasis one too and here we are! it looked very good in the trailer and I am super excited for it as well! + it just looks so dope, doesn't it??

I've been watching all the trailers quite a few times now and I am so so excited to see what bungie brings into the game with lightfall. Its only a month now lads! we got this!

[heroftruth]

Pokemon Masters spoilers & thoughts

Two Kyurems was very confusing and not explained? I am also assuming both Hilbert and Ghetsis had DNA splicers if Black Kyurem was formed and Ghetsis had planned to fuse a dragon.

I had expected Ghetsis to not be able to make the OG Dragon given game freak has never released a design of it. But tbh I had expected the reason to be because Ghetsis was defeated or the DNA splicers alone weren’t powerful enough to fuse BOTH Reshiram and Zekrom with Kyurem. Not… whatever conceding that was.

Anyways loved seeing all the protags and N’a character development.