#the Adventure Zone live show spoilers

[somelazyassartist]

Very minor TAZ: Live in Seattle liveshow spoilers below

Trying desperately to draw art for theTAZ liveshow but I've been so excited the last few days I've barely slept and all I can think about is the fuckin g way Griffin said "go to the Pike Place Market and throw a fish idunno, get a fucking job!" (paraphrasing) and because my brain is so fucking tired I can't seem to make myself draw anything but that right nowhelp

[taz-vs-urmom]

never thought i would hear griffin mcelroy say the words “through the whalussy i hear her voice” in a transylvanian accent but here we are i guess

[lucretiaadventurezone]

once again talking about dadlands to push my briquette hoggins x science dad agenda

[kristiliqua]

the adventure zone balance Spoilers !!

the “last” meeting (in stolen century) between merle and john has me in a vice grip bc like . with johns Entire monologue about how existence and living is horrible , i cant help but think how ,,, wrong he is ? like he proves himself wrong , even

he literally Says that he enjoys the meetings they have together in the parley room . he enjoys talking to someone and playing a fucking chess game

and yet he says that living is Horrible ? while he enjoys the closest thing to Living he’s had in years ?

and i just think about ,,, if merle were smarter and more argumentative in proving himself right , he wouldve pointed that out . but thats not who merle is . (and i dont think it wouldve changed Anything about the outcome anyway lmao)

john loves preaching his own beliefs (he was a public speaker ffs) . while merle just said “okay” and “fuck off” , and thats it

and Man i dont even remember if this was in that same meeting or in a different one (i think it was the same one) , but merle asking “are we friends ?” is just . GOD . what a killer fucking question

of Course he doesnt ask anything important to the crew’s travels of beating the hunger . he doesnt give a shit about that

merle was the first person to connect with john in so long . he made him feel contentment , laughter , joy , and he made him feel sad when he stopped taking johns shit when john spat on the idea of them being “friends”

merle cared about their little meetings , even if he didnt learn much tactical info . he enjoyed them , even when they all ended in his painful death .

did john not care ? because he sure did Hate the idea of them being friends

but him saying “huh . i feel sad .” and reaching out to merle during the apocalypse shows that he really Did care . a lot . and he missed those meetings , he fucking learned how to parley just to talk to merle for the last time , because he knew that — one of them was going to die that day . permanently , this time . and he had to leave it on a better note

[secretlystephaniebrown]

Hi! I know you've talked a bit about maps of Gotham and I was wondering if there was any canonical or pseudo-canonical place where Stephanie was originally from. I'm working on a fanfic about her and I've been searching through wikis but I can't find anything

Steph is from Manchester, a suburb of Gotham! It's not on any of the official maps, annoyingly enough.

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #648, (Steph's second appearance! Agnes Belligner is apparently Crystal. Retcons!)

We also from that same issue learn Steph's approximate street address!

That being "115~ South Holden Street, Manchester New Jersey." The picture that we generally get is a suburb, but a less-nice suburb (unlike Bristol, the suburb where Tim is usually located in this era).

Steph's house is described as being about "forty minutes drive" from at least parts of Gotham.

Batman (1940-2011) #643 War Crimes Part 2: Minor Discrepancies

This house in Manchester generally appears to be Steph's house throughout her tenure as Spoiler and Robin. We see it on a variety of occasions throughout Tim's time as Robin. Adventures in Steph (and Tim's!) neck of the woods are generally explained as being "Gotham County" instead of Gotham City, with features like Steph's father being chased by a county sheriff rather than the GCPD.

Robin (1993-2009) #57 "Date Night" (Yes the sheriff's name is "Sheriff Shotgun. Okay then.)

During No Man's Land, Steph and Crystal don't evacuate, with Manchester being outside of the evacuation zone, although earlier issues showed some potential damage to the Brown House.

Robin (1993-2009) #58 "The Stranger"

(I say potential, because the same cracked-wall effects were used in basically every building in that issue... including Tim's new house in Keystone.)

Later into No Man's Land, when most of Gotham is, well... a no man's land, Steph and Crystal are shown still living a relatively normal life in the suburbs, outside the evacuation zone, clearly showing that while they were affected by the earthquake, they're not on Gotham Island properly, which makes sense.

Robin (1993-2009) #68 "War Beneath the Streets! Part One: Rats!"

This generally appears to be their home through the end of Steph's time, including through her run as Robin, as seen in the issue where she takes on the mantle.

Robin (1993-2009) #126 (A Life More Ordinary)

After her death and return, Steph apparently transfers to Tim's school despite having previously dropped out and been studying for her GED.

Once she becomes Batgirl, Steph and Crystal seem to have moved to Gotham City properly, since Crystal is working at "West Mercy Hopsital" in Gotham City.

Batgirl (2009-2011) #1: Batgirl Rising: Point of New Origin Part One.

Hope this helps!

[sofasoap]

Ner Kar'ta

Pairing : Din Djarin x f!reader. 

Summary:  Din claiming back what is rightfully his.

part 6 and finale to Heartbreak

MAJOR Warning : Bit of spoilers for Season 3, turn back now if you haven’t watched it. 

N1 is cool, but it is too small. Din got something else. 

Mature theme. strong languages.  All mando’a are from the good old google, soooooo might be full of mistakes. And the timeline and lores might be a bit funky. It’s AU. just… roll with it. 

English isn’t my first language, so I apologise for any mistakes. 

A/N: I really want to thank @groguspicklejar , @deakyjoe and all the readers to push me to write this series, I had a lot of fun writing this. Never would I thought from turning from Din fanfic reader to Din fanfic writer.  One of my new year resolutions was to be more creative either to start to write or draw.  So thank you, again, for pushing me out of my comfort zone. 

MASTERLIST for the previous stories to this 6 and half part fic.

Bird chirping, sounds of waterfall in the distance slowly waking you up. You buried yourself deeper into your silky bedsheet and duvet, trying hard to fall back to sleep. Not often you get to sleep in such a nice comfortable bed since you went on the run. Turning a little, searching the warmth of your riduur.

A stinging sensation followed by a dull headache pulls you back into awakeness. Slowly opening your eyes, you were met with an unfamiliar yet familiar ceiling, one that you wake up everyday since you were young. Shocking realisation hit you. 

YOU ARE ON NABOO. 

“... I have new information from Bo-Katan where the living water might be in Mandalore. There might be a chance it’s actually safe. The curse might be a lie after all.” Din murmured into your hair. 

“I was planning to make a trip there before Karga called me unexpectedly about the bounty.” He pulled away from you a bit, “I don’t want you to leave my side but I have to do this on my own, I have to redeem myself.” Although you don’t really agree with his fixation of redeeming himself and angry with his own Covert is so readily to abandon him after what he has done for them? Deep down you know this is very important for Din, you just have to let him do it. But something is nagging you, nudging you that it would not go all smooth sailing as he wishes, So you encourage him to take his son with him. “Take Grogu with you. Show him Manda’yim. Beside, I am sure our little ad’ika would love to go on an adventure with his buir.” our ad’ika 

You will be safe here with Fett under his protection. So he thought. So does everyone else. Who would be bold enough to harm the Daimyo’s personal ward? How wrong they were. Din should know your parents wouldn’t put the bounty on you with only one guild. Their desperation trying to get their last chance of getting their golden pelikki back? 

You were grabbing dinner from the cantina for both you and Peli, as per usual, same old routine, when the bounty hunters ambushed you. “Your riduur put up a good fight.” Fett apologised when he handed the vibroblade that you dropped back to Din, “ We found two dead bounty hunters in the alley, fatal stab wounds right in their neck.” Din smiled sadly. Pride swells in his heart. He knew you wouldn’t give in so easily. But guilt took over his heart . He should have left Grogu with you on Tatooine. Grogu would have saved you with his power. But he barely survived his redemption journey himself with unexpected enemies. A karking mythasour. If it wasn’t for Grogu and Bo-Katan’s help, he wouldn’t be here. “ I am sorry Vod, I broke my promise to you. I didn’t expect them to be so bold to intrude into my territory.” Din shook his head. “ No one expected this, what happened has happened. At least we know she is still alive.”  She better be alive, Din thought. The only hope he had was the bounty specifying you HAVE to be brought in alive. You were no use to your parents if you were dead. He only just got you back into his life, his clan of three back together again. He can’t imagine losing you again, FOREVER.

Think Din, THINK. 

Sad cooing sound brought him back to reality. Grogu looked up at his buir, ears down, as if asking where you were, where is his other buir, while tapping on his darksaber. He’s got an idea. Not the one he really wants to do. But he has no choice but to save his riduur, his heart. 

“I thought it might be time for you to wake up.” Your nanny fussed as she helped you out of bed. “ I am sorry about the new scar on your face. I have put some bacta cream on it, hopefully it will heal up in the next few days.” 

You look around your bedroom. Nothing has changed. The decoration, the bookshelf, wardrobe. Seems no one has touched anything since you ran away that night. 

You knew your parents wouldn’t give up so easily. You let your guard down too much thinking under the Daimyo’s protection you will be safe within the city limit.  Should have known there are always the unexpected factor and the bold ones that will go for the big money bounty in desperation. They ambushed you in an alleyway near the cantina, you have forgotten your blaster (again) back at the workshop, but you were glad you carried Din’s gift on you all the time. You manage to fend off two of the bounty hunters, when the third snuck up behind you, jabbed you with some sort of tranquilliser agent, and you blanked out afterwards. You touch your face, feeling the fresh scar added alongside your old one. You sighed and thought to yourself sarcastically, good thing you are married. Din never cared about the scar on your face. You remember on your wedding night, after both of you coming down from the blissful high, he gently caresses the scar on your face.

“You don’t need to be ashamed of your scar. The Mandalorians are proud of each scar they bare. Proves of battle and triumph from the struggles you have been through“ 

A nudge from your nanny brought you back into reality again. She pulled out a dress from the wardrobe. “Your mother has organised the suitor to meet up with you today.”  She mentioned as she help you to put on the dress. “The diplomat’s son?” Eyes widen, you begin to think how many days you have been knocked out or your parents' efficiency in organising meet-ups is faster than speed of light. To sell you off to the highest bidder. 

“ Yes, it seems they really want you to be their daughter in law.” You rolled your eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. You have disappeared for so many cycles, one would have thought they would have given up by now and moved on to find a more appropriate socialite to marry.

Looking at yourself in the mirror. As much as you despise the woman who has given birth to you, you have to admit she does have very good taste in fashion. Subconsciously your hand goes towards your stomach. Feeling of flutter emerges from your heart as you place your hand there. “... I am glad to see you again, ad’ika” your nanny whispered as she put on some hair accessories and a veil over the side of your face, to cover up the scar. “ I am too, I miss you a lot while I was away. I hope the family has  treated you well.” You see your nanny’s sad smile in the reflection of the mirror, that says it all. They wouldn’t have forgiven her lightly for letting you run away that night. “ … I can’t stay. I can’t follow my parent’s wish to marry the diplomat’s son.I .. I am already married. To a Mandalorian.” you confessed after a brief silence. You see your nanny’s eyes widened with surprise and start laughing softly. “ OH my child… all the stories I have told you about our people really made an impact on you, didn’t it?” Finishing off the last bit of the make up, she turned you around, holding your face, lightly. “ I hope he’s been treating you well?” “ Well… he was being a big di’kut but eventually redeemed himself.” She laughed at your choice of description of Din. “ I am glad. I am glad you found your happiness.” wiping away tears in her eyes, she pulls you up from the chair, giving you one last over before heading out of the room for the meeting you've been dreading for. 

Walking down the corridor, you took note of possible escape points and routes. You know chances of you slipping away this time round is pretty slim. You know how good the security system and guards are around the estate. If anything they would have changed and upgraded the codes since you were last here. 

Cyar’ika.. I miss you.. Please come and get me soon. 

Your father sat on the chair, nursing a glass of Blossom wine, while your mother pacing up and down the large parlour room, waiting anxiously for the guest to turn up. They haven’t changed a bit, you thought. The tone of mockery after you greeted them, not even bothering to ask after your welfare, the time you spend on the run.  Fusses over how you should be behaving after the “ very important guest who can change the future of the family” shows up. Same old same old, like nothing has happened. you thought, setting a bounty on your own flesh and blood and eagerly selling her off again. All of sudden the servant slams open the door to the parlour. “My.. .My lord and ladies!!” , they panting away. “What is all the fuss about??? Is the guest here yet?” 

They shook their head. 

“There's an unexpected visitor, he.. He said he’s King of Mandalore and.. And demands his wife to be returned to him at once!” Your heart soared. DIN. Your riduur has come for you.  But… what is the deal with ….

Right behind the servants, you see A WHOLE GROUP of Mandalorians, with Fennec and Boba Fett, led on by Din, marching down the hallway straight for the parlour.  All the servants dodge out of the way in fear, giving way to the group. 

You heard your nanny’s light gasp beside you, that is when you noticed the darksaber in Din’s hand. Instead of his tattered cape, he is wearing a full length dark coloured fur cape. Regal was the first word popped into your head as you took a good look at him. You were in awe of the aura he is emitting right now, leading his people to come and demand your return. You didn’t think it could happen again but you have fallen in love with Din all over again. A joyful coo and scream caught your attention, you noticed Grogu jumped out from Fennec’s arm and proceeded to leap towards you. You rushed forward and scooped your son up into your arm. “Oh ner ad, pehea Ni mirdir gar.” (Oh my son how I missed you). You hugged him tightly.

“ What is THAT disgusting thing you are holding?!!” your mother shrieked. You turned around,facing towards your mother, glaring at her, “ His name is GROGU, he is MY son, my ad’ika. And mother, father, I would be watching your mouth in front of my husband.”

“ Your.. Your husband?!” 

Smiling sweetly, you tilted your head, “ Yes, my husband. The King of Mandalore. Didn’t you two always want me to marry into a high society? Now you have your wishes granted.” Turning around again, you held a hand out towards your nanny, pulling her along as you stride towards Din, head held up high. Stopping right in front of him, making an exaggerated curtsy as you jokes, “ Quite an entourage you have brought with you, my Mand’alor.” The large tall Mandalorian in blue armour elbowed Din when he just stood there, not replying, just staring at you through his visor.  Din was awestruck by your appearance as soon as he burst into the room. There you were, standing in front of the room, sunlight streaming in through the window.  The breeze blowing the veil that was half covering the face, and the beautiful white backless long sleeve dress, with a silver neckpiece holding up the dress. It accentuates your figure perfectly. His riduur, his Queen.

Your parents were still screaming and demanding an answer in the background, Din pulled you beside him, raising his darksaber towards them.

“ If you don’t want to cause a diplomatic situation here, I would strongly suggest you shut your mouth up.” taking a step closer, he growled, “ And if you dare to set another bounty on her again, you would have the whole covert of  Mandalorian waging war on you.”  Not even waiting for an answer, he turned around and led the whole group out of the room, leaving your parents behind.

Din’s arm never left your side until the private landing platforms for ships in your parent’s estate. There you see several space crafts, including Din’s , parked there. You gave Grogu a big kiss on his forehead before letting him down as he waddled towards Fett and Fennec. As you stood back up, Din pulled you into a tight embrace. “ I am sorry I came late…” You can hear the emotion in his voice, even through the modulator. You pull his helm down for a keldabe kiss. “ I have no doubt you will come for me Din.. I never doubt it.” you whispered back. He swore this will never happen again. Once is too much. He can’t forgive himself for letting it happen. “ Stop it Din, I know what you are thinking. It’s not your fault.” You gave him a light slap on his chest armour. “ I should have been more careful and carried my weapons around.”

As if you have reminded him of something, he took the vitroblade out from his side belt, and handed it back to you. 

“So, Mand’alor?” You smirked.

Din sighed, “ Long story…” 

“ Oi, love birds,let’s get out of here. You can give each other hugs and kisses later.” The blue Mandalorian from before barges into the moment, hurrying everyone to move along. Din turned towards him, presumably glaring at the Blue Mando, “Do you have to  Paz? I just got my riduur back.” Paz, you assume is the name of the Blue Mando, started laughing. Back to your home. Where you belong.

The ship landed softly on the grass.  The ramp landing opened slowly, Grogu and the two children ran out into the field, screaming and laughing. You waddle slowly down the ramp with a blanket under your arm. With you heavily pregnant with the third child, Din nervously hovers around you. Afraid you will fall apart any moment. “Din, I've been through this twice. You know I am not going to crumble apart just by walking!” He knows it, but him being so overprotective with his family, he just couldn’t stop fussing. 

After the bounty event from few cycles ago, Din explained to you how he became the Mand’alor. He knew where to find you, with all the details on the bounty puck, as you have mentioned to him once your family was quite known on Naboo, so it was an easy lead. But he couldn’t just march into Naboo, causing a scene, there will be a high chance both of you would never leave the planet safely, without a new bounty set on both of you by the republic or a whole army of Naboo soldiers chasing both of you down.  Din had no choice but to claim his place as Mand’alor with his ownership of Darksaber, and also to ask Paz for help. “You will owe me a big time, Din Djarin.” Paz warned. “ And you know I still want to challenge you for the right to the darksaber…” Din mentioned Paz’s riduur gave Paz an earful immediately after, growling at him for putting his greed for the saber before your safety. The Armorer reluctantly agrees to let few of the members of the covert to tag along, after Din promises to bring them back in one piece. Just to scare your parents. He assured the Armorer. Several younger members of the covert eagerly volunteered, wanting to travel off planet to see the outside world. The rest was history. You returned to him with no further complications, and Paz still gives Din grief about challenging him to the saber but one look from his riduur, he shuts his mouth up.  You spread the blanket out onto the grass, and with great effort, lower onto it. Took awhile for you to get comfortable, you are so far along, you can pop any day. “Cyar’ika.” You heard Din whispering behind you as he pulled you into his embrace. You leaned back into his chest with a sigh as you closed your eyes. He nestles his head, as you notice, without the helmet, into your neck. 

“I cannot wait to meet our ik’aad.” De’javu hits you. This is like the dream, the one you had a few cycles ago. But this time, it’s real. Your family. Your riduur. 

The Force really has been guiding and pushing everything along, hasn’t it? 

This is your clan, Clan Mudhorn, clan of five. Soon to be six. 

Grogu loves Uncle Fett and Aunty Fennec, and Peli of course 🙂

Well that is it folks. My brain juice has run out for this series, and I think this is the fitting end the clan deserves. Thank you all for coming along on this journey, I didn’t expect people would be reading it at all hhahaha. Spread the love for our space husband and the little green pea!

Taglist: @frogtits1 @memester-png

@jake-g-lockley

@novaethecosplayer

@foxgirl95

@gloryekaterina

@varientlyvisual

@flowersgirl02

[discet]

Have you ever played a game called Sea of Stars?

I have! I have some complicated feelings on it

So First off, this game is absolutely gorgeous. The sprite art style that they used throughout the world is a love letter to the 16-bit era while taking advantage of modern tech to make it even better. It's that thing that some independent games manage to do, where it looks like the old games felt even though if you set them aside by side, it is much better.

Mechanically I also had a BLAST with this game. It's core battle system is fun and has a deceptive amount of depth to it. It also utilizes the Paper Mario style of 'every attack and ability is also a mini game' that I have always loved. Traditional JRPG's tend to make me zone out during combat but Sea of Stars had been turned into almost every encounter. The progression always made me feel like I was getting more powerful without ever making the encounters ahead feel trivial.

In addition to all that, this game is clearly a love letter to Chrono Trigger, in it's perspective, world design, humor and more. The world is beautifully rendered and feels like a lived in space. It is by and large a light hearted and hopeful throw back to the games of old.

All that said. The Actual Story-Telling frustrates me to no end. A lot of things work, but a lot of things really, really don't for me. While I can rant about this forever, I will focus on my frustration with the main trio. Spoilers Ahead

So this game is ostensibly about Zale, Valare, and Garl. Zale and Valere are both chosen ones imbued with the magic of the Sun and Moon and destined for greatness. Garl is their childhood friend who they are separated from traumatically after one of their misadventures ends with Garl losing an eye and his two friends being dragged away for training in isolation for their futures as chosen ones.

They don't see each other for years. Now, trope-savvy girl like me was expecting for Garl to reappear as a rival to the heroes, bitter after losing an eye and being told he couldn't cling to his friends.

BUT NO. Like, within hours of the pair being released from their training to Do The Plot, Garl shows up, scarred eye and all and insists on joining them to support them in their adventure. And its just cute and wholesome and he's an endless well of positivity and lightheartedness in the story. I know some people found him annoying, but I loved Garl. He is just so genuinely enthusiastic about the world and its mysteries that it was contagious.

Unfortunately, Zale and Valere, by comparison, are pretty flat characters. They are both fairly stoic, serious minded adventurers who have basically the same dynamic with Garl. In most conversations they will respond exactly the same. Mechanically their kits cover very different bases in the combat system, but as characters, they have the same personality.

That said, my love of Garl, and the gameplay carried me past all that.

Then when Garl sacrifices himself it really actually got to me. Like, genuinely choked up. The music, the visuals, the writing really make his sacrifice feel both tragic and necessary for the story to finish.

With the desire to not let his sacrifice in vain carrying me through the last few plot beats.

Now the initial ending, is very clearly a set up for the secret ending. The big bad you've been opposing all game basically sicks his top Lieutenant on you and that's basically the final boss.

So of course you do all the end game stuff and unlock the secret ending where... Garl... doesn't die. The heroes use time stop shenanigans to basically swap Garl at the moment of his sacrifice with a shape changer you meet after his sacrifices. Which meant all that heart wrenching drama that had really genuinely gotten a reaction out of me... was all pretend. Was all acting from your shapechinging friend who just let themself be buried in a grave for a few months to keep the timeline in check. Garl was fine! He was just chilling and you get to finish the game properly now!

And that. Fucking sucked. I finished off the true final boss cause I mean I had worked hard enough for it but all of my investment had kind of drained away at that point.

The fact that several plot beats were actually in reference to the studios first release (the messenger) a game of a totally different genre and vibe to Sea of Stars, basically made the story weaker overall.

It's like. They were close. They were so close and it just lost me at the 5 yard line.

[magicofthepen]

Here’s a tag directory for my blog! (Not every fandom on this list is something I’m currently into – I’ve included old fandoms if I have a lot of posts in the tag.)

The Gallifrey audios were my main fandom from 2019-2023 ish, and in fall 2023 the October Daye series became my current main fannish interest (although since the Toby Daye Discord server is way more active than Tumblr, I’m mostly in there).

If you follow me and haven’t listened to all of Gallifrey, I’m happy to tag for spoilers past the audio of your choice – just let me know! Same thing for if you follow me and would like me to tag October Daye spoilers past a certain book.

Currently tagging for #gallifrey spoilers post-Time War 1, and not tagging for October Daye spoilers. (Note: Gallifrey tag directory includes Gallifrey characters/relationships through Time War 3 and October Daye tag directory includes October Daye spoilers.)

my stuff

fic tag | ao3 account edits text posts answered asks fic talk

main fandoms

gallifrey audios tag directory october daye tag directory

(note: those are separate posts because I hit the link limit on this post.)

audio

big finish ( non-gallifrey ) the adventure zone ( balance / amnesty ) the strange case of starship iris the mortal path wolf 359 second star to the left

tv shows

doctor who avatar: the last airbender legend of korra steven universe steven universe future she-ra and the princesses of power good omens merlin ( merlin text posts ) taskmaster once upon a time

movies

star wars the old guard everything everywhere all at once marvel cinematic universe

books

the locked tomb leagues and legends the alliance trilogy the adventures of amina al-sarafi wayward children wayfarers this is how you lose the time war percy jackson / heroes of olympus warrior cats artemis fowl

musicals

wicked hadestown come from away cats

games

stay?

general

creative arts: art | writing | worldbuilding | publishing | fiction | poetry | music | dance | theatre | fashion | figure skating | bookbinding | video essays

tabletop games: dnd | general rpg tag

recs from others: books to read | general media recs natural world: animals | nature | gardening relationships, gender, sexuality: relationships | lgbt+ | gender things | sex ed | polyamory politics & social justice: us politics | racial justice | black lives matter | decolonization | environmentalism | environmental justice | climate change | reproductive justice | disability rights | accessibility | neurodiversity | labor rights | palestine | ukraine

brain things: mental health | brain soup

fandom: ao3 | dreamwidth | tumblr | fandom

other topics: space | food | health (us health insurance system, vaccines, etc.) | electronics | time loops misc: reference | ‘for later’ | general (catch-all) tag

[my-name-duki]

3,5,7,8,13,15,22,25 c:

Happy Headcanons

3. what is your muse’s favorite hobby?

Out of all the many, excessive hobbies Duki Nuki has accumulated... his favourite has gotta be goldsmithing. Making jewelery is his favourite comfort activity after a long day of gathering, adventuring, or hugely traumatic encounters!

5. what does self-care look like to your muse?

Self care, to Duki Nuki, is intentionally hanging out in lower-danger areas and helping out the occasional passer by, reminding himself of what it was like to be in their position.

7. what would your muse consider a perfect day?

That's a tough one... being with Furbi or Wulfric already makes his day pretty darn good! He probably recently experienced what he'd call a perfect day in taking a break from heroics and simply gathering and showing off to Furbi, and then having the chance to chat to him...

8. what does your muse love doing with other people?

Any time spent with another is time well spent for Duki! Even if they're doing completely different things or they're in their own zones, just having someone around to share the sights and sounds of the environment they're in makes Duki feel at peace.

13. what would your muse consider their best physical feature?

His sunglasses. Also his hair.

THE ANSWERS TO THESE NEXT QUESTIONS ARE ACTUALLY STORY SPOILERS! BREAK, DON'T PRESS THIS UNTIL YOU'VE GOTTEN THROUGH HEAVENSWARD!

15. what is something that’s made your muse so happy they’ve cried?

One of Duki's most distinct memories is at the climax of the Dragonsong War, in the final showdown against Nidhogg. When he saw that he was being aided in his most crucial moment by Haurchefant and Ysayle... Duki was, at the time, too overcome by a need to do his duty to Ishgard to really feel it out, but when he got to his bed that night... the floodgates were thrown wide, knowing that the two of them, who he so looked up to, were still with them in some form.

22. what does your muse consider the most beautiful place they’ve ever been?

Duki's been all around, and so far, he'd probably have to say Hingashi is the most beautiful place he's been to. There was just something about the colourful and lively architecture, and the way the sun dances on the water, that just struck him. That's why he was so motivated, immediately, to climb Hingashi tower - just to get a better view of the sea!

25. during difficult times, what is something your muse holds onto to get them through?

His House Fortemps shield, which he still uses in his Paladin kit, is definitely a go-to for him. Else than that... he'd probably have to say his old Anima weapon. It's a sign of achievement for him, of progress he never could have once imagined making, but the glow of the weapon reminds him that, despite everything, he did - and he had something amazing and beautiful to call his own for it!

[checkoutmybookshelf]

My Favorite Star Wars Book Ever

At this point, my deep and abiding love of the Star Wars EU Legends Continuity Books is no secret, and I have apparently pissed off a few people who were fans of Kenobi (the book, not the the show). Them's the breaks in the fandom that is helmed by Anakin *bring the goddamn drama or get off my stage* Skywalker. (Please realize that that is said lovingly; I am HERE for Solo/Skywalker legacy shenanagins.) And speaking of legacy shenanagins, the fact that this book is the culmination of arcs for so many characters that we have literally been able to watch grow up and survive many adventures as the Yuuzhan Vong threaten to annihilate the galaxy is what makes it my unequivocal, hands-down, ride-or-die favorite Star Wars book. Let's talk Star By Star.

*Spoilers abound below the break*

So, like many Star Wars books, the plot of Star By Star is pretty darn straightforward: The Mission to Myrkr to kill the Voxyn Queen and it's immediate aftermath, interlaced with the fall of Coruscant to the Yuuzhan Vong. (For anyone who needs a refresher or an explanation, let me direct you to the one, the only, the wonderful Wookieepedia.)

What makes this book absolutely fucking AMAZING is a combination of the character work and worldbuilding, much of which comes to a glorious head in this book--as well it should, this is very much the turning point of the Yuuzhan Vong war. It also launches a solid half dozen long-ranging new arcs for characters that I just adore.

Normally I do my best to have coherent, organized thoughts about books, but at this point what I really want to do is just a big, messy, disorganized list of stuff I love about this book. So, in the immortal words of Captain Han Solo: Punch it!

The whole concept of the voxyn and the voxyn queen. Let's be real, predators bioengineered to hunt down and murder the crap out of jedi with their ability to sense force-users, sonic blast roars, acid saliva, retrovirous-laden paw pads, and a poisoned tail barb. These things are horrifying and genuinely felt like a threat to the jedi, which honestly got kinda hard to do sometimes in the EU. The big "they're all cloned from a single queen" is a wee bit video game weak spot/boss fight, but honestly I'm not complaining given the sheer grind that this mission becomes.

The Jedi Strike Team Dynamics. This TEAM you guys. This team is an absolute disaster from start to finish. Not only do you have all three Solo kids with their sibling fuckery dynamics--specifically Jacen and Anakin's crippling fundamental disagreement on force use ethics that ultimately is a rehash of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's debate about the living vs. unifying force but in an apocalyptic combat zone--but almost every member of this team is potentially a disaster. You have Tenel Ka, Tahiri Veila, and Zekk on the team, who are collective love interests for the Solo siblings, and I'm pretty sure that sending siblings and couples on life-and-death missions is not a good idea because instincts and motivations get all sorts of fucky and tangled. Then you have Alema Rar, whose sister gets acid-in-the-faced-to-death by a voxyn in chapter 1 of this book, which is just a disaster waiting to happen. Then you have the friendship dynamics with Raynar Thul, Lowbacca, and Tesar Sebatyne, which arguably carries over some of the young jedi knights dynamics that never got solved. This team was a TIME BOMB, and frankly the fact that they managed to pull this mission off is a miracle.

The Battle/Force/Jedi Meld. So, not only do we have a team full of hideously complicated and unstable relationships, but they spend the entire goddamn mission in a meld that basically lets them all be in each other's thoughts and feelings and share extreme physical sensations, including pain. Which like...The Vong are major pain fans, so this might have been a poor life choice. Plus, it sets up some of the complicated stuff with Raynar and Jaina and Zekk in the Killick War later. *weird telepathic forearm rubbing* That said, I love the idea of the battle meld, and it really is just a great ride to watch this shred the team.

The Yuuzhan Vong Worldbuilding. Literally the worldbuilding for the Vong in this whole series is A+ horrifying and fascinating. We just get a lot of it here, and it's used to excellent effect.

Anakin's Death. Ok, so this was fucking heartbreaking, and it might seem like a weird thing to put on a list of things I love about this book. But what makes this death just an incredible read is the quality of the writing, the impact on the mission, and the fact that this death sets Jacen on the path to becoming a Sith Lord, pushes Tahiri into becoming the badass she grows into, fundamentally changes how we think about the unifying and living force, and honestly adds some stakes because if the Solo kids aren't safe, then literally ANYONE could die here. This death is so critical and changed so much and was done with respect and weight.

Borsk Fey'lya's Death. We don't love this Bothan. He's kind of a dick. But uh...I will give him credit for buying time for people to get off-planet during the fall of Coruscant, and for blowing 25,000 Vong to hell along with him.

Lando Calrissian Being the Only Adult in the Room With Eyes. Lando delivers the strike team to the Vong, but before he does, he starts a fight. Lando Calrissian HAS EYES IN HIS HEAD and can clearly see the lines along which the strike team is destined to fissure. He tries so hard to get them to air it out before the mission and to clear the air. It doesn't work, but he TRIED, and that's more than Luke or Han did. I guess that's what happens when you're a farmboy who has never had to lead a pre-fractured team and a gruff loner who did everything himself. Lando though...Lando understands that even Jedi have fracture points and conflict points. Give this man more credit.

I think that more or less covers the things that I love about this book. If you love the EU Legends Continuity, I strongly recommend this whole series. There are more good and great books than there aren't, and the Yuuzhan Vong are such great antagonists.

[yourfatherjustinmcelroy]

I have so much to say about the adventure zone dadlands

I mean okay we know that I love Brennan Lee mulligan he’s so cool and the McElroys are what got me into dnd so the first dadlands was already like a godsend when they released it.

SPOILERS FOR THE TWO DADLANDS TAZ EPISODES

But this new episode? Dadlands 2 electric boogaloo??? Holy shit. The fact that they developed lore at an adventure zone live show is bonkers insane to me I love these fuckin guys

And the corn hole mechanic and the catch thing??? And the fact that SIMILAR colonies of categories of people exist??? With the Mothership????? That was fucking incredible, the idea that there might just be these different societies of familial roles it’s hilarious and also I love it unironically. Are we gonna see like,,,, I don’t know, a garden of children? (Sour patch kids, children of the corn, cabbage patch kids, etc)

Anyway, that ending was great, the fuckin expansion on how Disney world plays into it at all was hilarious, science dad is sexy as hell still, he’s just a lil deranged and I love that for him

Please listen to dadlands if you haven’t, and if you’re the McElroys PLEASE continue dadlands live shows they bring me so much joy they’re absolutely perfect okay thank you have a nice day

[somelazyassartist]

Oh shit I've been out of the TAZ loop for MAYBE two weeks bc I've been temporarily focusing on Dungeon Meshi and in that time nobody told me TAZ Live! in Seattle came out????

[spacehippieface]

I made a bunch of predictions from the announcement and up to the release of The Super Mario Bros Movie, some joking, some half-serious, some for real, and now that the movie’s out, I figured it was time to fully revisit them and see how I fared. SPOILERS AHEAD. I might get review-y.

The Toads will act like Minions and dominate all marketing and merchandise. JOSSED. The Toads are just people. Just mushroom people living their lives in Toad Town.

Bowser will be voiced by an unfitting former A-lister trying to reinvent himself. JOSSED. I’M SO SORRY, I WAS SO BITTER AND WRONG.

He will make jokes and references which will leave the movie dated upon arrival. JOSSED. He is both menacing AND a dork, and it works! His love ballad in the top 100 on iTunes is proof enough there.

The trailers and TV spots will feature copious usage of Van Halen’s Jump. However, this will not be in the movie or its soundtrack album, instead replaced with a vague cover version by Pharrell Williams. JOSSED. The trailers mostly used Black Hydra’s Super Mushroom. The actual licensed pop songs used in the movie were....well, interesting. Choices were certainly made.

The film will perform moderately well at the box office in Europe and America, but will be banned in China and Russia due to a 30 second sequence involving Birdo in a fashion show set to Born This Way. YES AND NO. Birdo is nowhere to be seen, but so far the film is doing VERY well. Russia haven't got it at all, but they're not getting anything new or nice until they stop being dicks in Ukraine.

Despite lacklustre reviews, it will eventually attain a cult following akin to Shrek and include a subculture of people who unironically really want to fuck Kamek. YES AND NO. Critics are slamming it, but fans are having a fine time! However it’s not necessarily Kamek people are eyeing up, but Bowser, when they’re not shipping him with Luigi. Or possibly even when they are.

Before going to the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Luigi are going to have some sort of big argument or estrangement, leading them to be separated for the bulk of the movie, only to realise they needed each other and reunite for the final battle with Bowser. YES AND NO. They are separated, yes, and do reunite in the third act, but there's no estrangement. Far from it. Their brotherly bond is just so important to them, and saving Luigi is Mario’s sole motivation on his adventure. They're lost without each other and that's just so sweet. “Nothing can hurt us as long as we’re together”, indeed. 

Bowser will kidnap Peach as a last ditch power grab when whatever’s happening with the Stars goes sour. KIND OF? Bowser only wanted the Super Star in the first place so Peach would be impressed enough to marry him, and when just having the Star doesn’t work out, he manipulates her into marriage by threatening Toad, and by extension all the other Toads. A kidnapping by coercion if you will.

There’ll be a market chase sequence, where Mario will pass Waluigi who’ll let out a long Charles Martinet voiced “waaaaah” and look knowingly at the camera for an uncomfortable few seconds. JOSSED. This is a Waluigi-free zone.

Alternatively, there’ll be a post-credit scene back in Brooklyn where we see Wario, voiced by Charles Martinet, picking his nose and declaring it to be a keeper while Waluigi cleans the toilet in a maid costume and discovers a pipe to the Mushroom Kingdom. JOSSED. That is NOT what we get in the stinger. I still kind of want to see it though, I think it’s a damn funny image.

That classic Super Mario Bros overworld theme is going to be used a lot. Like, we’ll all be sick of it by the end of the movie. YES AND NO. It IS used a lot, but not overbearingly so. There are a lot of other musical nods and motifs from the games, from SMB 1 to Odyssey and then some. The GameCube noise was very nice to hear too. Brian Tyler did a fantastic job on the score.

There’ll be a Minion on the Illumination title card who eats a mushroom and grows too big for the screen. Alternatively, it’ll be a small group of Minions doing an acapella version of the end of level theme. YES AND NO. We do see a Minion, but he’s in a kart ready for a race. I wasn’t expecting that one.

[spacevampires]

so this gets a little dark and im drafting it over time because i have a lot of thoughts but the adventure zone is one of the biggest things in my life so far

i discovered the adventure zone properly when i was in the mental hospital. it was only my second time and they were, like, 4 years apart and i was in a whole new state and environment and thought i knew what to expect but was horribly mistaken. i was dealing with psychosis at the time, so i got put in the "violent" unit unless/until i could earn being in a better unit (spoilers: they rlly didnt like transferring ppl dealing with psychosis out of the violent unit). due to this, the unit didn't have games, books, or what have you, we had to share what people had brought or had dropped off. my now-fiance offered to bring some stuff in, and in the collection of stuff were the TAZ graphic novels.

i must have read through those 6 or 7 times. i love D&D, i rarely got to play though, and various stuff makes reading hard, but i kept reading those books and they were easy enough for me to get through. when i got out, we picked up the 4th and 5th books and i started listening to the podcast.

i don't have great focus either, so i'd listen to TAZ while walking, heading to work, any time i could get my brain to focus on it basically. i'm (as of writing this) still only up to ep 47 (the eleventh hour arc), and it still means so much to me.

TAZ has made me laugh when i could barely get out of bed. taako's monologue on being a fully realized creation kind of helped me come to terms with some other stuff i was dealing with (like, i've got DID and sometimes it's really hard to see myself as a whole person, and as much as that's still a struggle, it kind of helped me process that i'm not just a fragment of my own imagination, i'm like. an entire person. even if i am a little fragmented lol). some of the times the boys get reassured or supported, it feels like i'm being supported, too, even though it wasn't directed at me. theyre all living and growing together and maybe im living vicariously through them or something but every time i listen, something hits me in just the right way to make me feel like maybe i'll be okay after all. i mean, if trés horny bois can make it through all that, surely i can survive this lol

i don't think i needed a hero. i didn't need some wild fantasy where theres someone who swoops in and saves the day with seemingly no problems. THB might be a trio of pretty powerful people, but they don't execute everything perfectly, especially not first-try. they're still people with their struggles and mishaps and even if they always manage to save the day, even if they're quite literally living in a magical fantasy world, it doesn't feel quite so unrealistic. i didn't need a perfect hero, i just needed some people i could relate to to really show me that it'll be okay, that i'll get through this even if i fuck up seven ways from sunday.

the adventure zone made me feel like things might be okay for the first time in a long time.

[orange-s-mario]

key/explainer. Under readmore for spoilers:

Mon-El/Lar Gand/M'Onel/Champion/Valor ...is a bit complicated due to various legion reboots. Originally Clark thought he was his brother or a menace pretending to be his brother which lead to a tragic misunderstanding where Clark sends him into the phantom zone to save him. He's named Mon-El since Kal found him on Monday. He gets released in the 31st century and has adventures with the legion and marries Shadow Lass. Then during 5 Years Later, they basically replace Superboy with Lar Gand leading to lore where Lar Gand was behind many of the planets in legion of superheroes. Like many other legionnaires he has a time paradox duplicate, this time duplicate replaces the 21st century Lar and has to relive that part of his life. Then Zero Hour happens and he teams up with L.E.G.I.O.N. for a bit. Kon is the one who sends Champion to another dimension to save him from lead poisoning. In the 31st century he takes the name M'Onel which is martian so that people don't treat him as a messiah. In the third legion reboot, he wasn't actually a member of the legion but Mon-El was in the phantom zone (details are unclear). After Infinite Crisis, it's basically back to original continuity though Mon-El has some more 21st century adventures, including basically being the Superman of Earth while Clark is on New Krypton. He also meets Jamie Harper. After Bendis makes his own legion, this lore is all ignored in favor of making him a biological descendant of Clark and Zod. Although for some reason he's still called Lar Gand in one issue. He also shows up in CW Supergirl and The tomorrowverse. They're bad adaptations of the character

Cir-El was thought to be a future daughter of Superman, but was actually a personality/creation of Brainiac 12 (a future update of Brainiac) grafted onto a girl named Mia. She sacrifices herself from continuity to cause the future she's from to not come pass.

Strange Visitor is Sharon Vance who had the energies of Kismet absorbed into her when Clark saved her in Smallville. Later during a trip to metropolis, a lightning strikes the plane she's on and combines Kismet and Sharon into one being of electromagnetic entity. After saving the plane's passengers, Sharon was left amnesiac and drawn to the laboratories of Professor Emil Hamilton, who discovered that her energy field was dissolving. Hamilton gives her a modified version of Superman's old containment suit to control her powers and help her maintain a solid form. Sharon Vance reappears in Rebirth and is basically revived and initially blames Kara for it, she then joins the justice foundation

Vartox (also see here) s a Superman "rival" character introduced in the bronze age. He's older than superman and like many superman characters from Pre-crisis is the protector of his own Planet. Later on he falls for Lana. He generally had stronger powers than Superman and energy powers. This version of him first appeared in Superman (1939) #281 and last appeared in Superman (1939) #392. The Post-crisis version (and other aliens) were forced by brainiac to serve him or their homeworlds would be destroyed. He also showed up in Power Girl. The new 52 version shows up in Channel 52 and Harley Quinn & Power Girl. The last he's appeared was as a member of Superwatch in The Green Lantern. Also apparently an adaptation of him exists in CW Supergirl

Davood Nassur was a Quaraci refugee who lived in Little Quarac, an ethnic Quaraci neighborhood in Metropolis. Davood was among the people forever changed by the Invasion. When the Gene bomb was exploded, Davood, along with all those with latent meta-powers, sickened. After a cure was found, Davood developed minor superpowers: he could float an inch above ground and levitate smaller objects. One night, a dying courier gave Davood and his sister a package, while they were working as Lexcorp secretaries. The package contained a belt which was a secret prototype that can boost whatever metahuman capabilities the wearer might have.

Khalid/Sirocco is the conscience, guilt, and emotions of Khyber. He has air powers and is immortal

Chameleon Collie is a member of the Space Canine Patrol Agents (alien canines with human level intelligence who fight galactic criminals, and who invited Krypto the Super-Dog to join them on their adventures). His power is shapeshifting

Marsboy was descended from people from Mu that fled Earth before disaster struck and thus built a rocket ship to Mars. Sutri was exposed to radiation from an asteroid and decided to become Mars's protector.

Freight-Train is a member of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit, a task force specialized in resolving criminal matters that were otherwise considered too extreme for the average police officer to handle. He has super strength, super speed, and super durability

Inspired by @upswings latest quiz, A Superman family version. I do not expect many people to make it that far. The lowest amount of appearances a character had in upswings's quiz was 2 so there is no one-offs here

...yeah

"Feel free to tell me if these names are out of order for you (that is, you recognize a name below your first selection). I like data and also, this was really hard to calibrate."

i like this bit from upswings's poll so I'm having it on mine as well

[umbra-staffed]

OOOOH what if imbalance is a prequel set in the ipre pre-starblaster voyage…..thb first impressions/meetings…..how everyone ended up at the ipre….interviews for the mission….