#the designs in this game were all so peak and very pleasing to look at

[five-crows-in-a-trenchcoat]

I was feeling particularly horrible about myself today and was totally unable to do anything I’d normally do, but I tried out roblox phighting and it made me feel a little bit better for a while.

I was so unbelievably bad at it bc I suck at all forms of combat games. But the people in my lobby were really nice, and I guess maybe being bad at video games with a bunch of strangers for an afternoon was what I needed.

You may now have a vinestaff for your troubles bc she was the only one I could actually play as

[genericpuff]

holy crap okay so

I'm two episodes into Kaos

normally I keep my expectations pretty minimal because, let's be real, the Internet - and especially Tumblr - has a tendency to severely overhype new series to be way better than they actually are and it often leaves me sitting there like "that's it? that's what people were freaking out over for weeks?? that was just a bunch of cheap ships and tropes that i've seen 123785902380 times before" LMAO

BUT thankfully compared to other series like Hazbin Hotel and The Amazing Digital Circus, I haven't been worn out on excessive fandom exposure prior to watching Kaos, so I didn't really know what to expect going in besides what folks have told me so far - it's a modern-day Greek epic, and it stars Jeff Goldblum as Zeus (which is, unsurprisingly, peak casting).

That said, I'm very pleased to say that so far, the show is absolutely blowing me away. The set designs, characterizations, weaving of all the players into a central narrative led by a very coy narrator, all of it feels both refreshing and respectful to the source material at the same time.

so uh yeah that LO animated TV show... we have reason to believe now that it's gotten picked up by Amazon Prime, at least according to the showrunner's LinkedIn and posting history from February of this year that seems to imply LO may have been picked up by Amazon-

(but still, nothing's really been confirmed because they're being so tight-lipped about this you'd almost think it's because there isn't a show happening at all cough)

But even then, that means at best we still won't see anything of the LO TV show adaption for another 2-3 years, depending on how production goes.

Why am I talking about LO right now? Well it should be obvious - Kaos double-whammied LO by beating it to the punch at its own game.

I mean, just look at the creative choices alone in the design of the Underworld and its rulers, our beloved Hades and Persephone.

And yes, the entire Underworld is color-graded like this, something so simple and yet effective in communicating the nature of the Underworld and what it stands for - a place where the past lives on through the dead, paused in time, devoid of the vibrant color grading found in Olympus - or "Olympia" as its been named in this retelling - which is, by the way, a visual treat to take in every time it's featured.

(and yes, that is S-tier-companion Billie Piper on the left, but I will not tell you who she's playing, you actually really should go into this show as blind as possible for the thrill of figuring out these characters as they're introduced <3)

That's not even getting into the narrative structure of the plot itself or the phenomenal casting and acting, but again, I don't want to spoil too much as the show is quite new, and I want to actually finish watching the show myself before I get more into the details of its story and how it delivers it (I'm very much hoping I will still be singing this show's praises at the end of its 8 episodes, please for the love of god don't jump the shark, I don't think my heart can take that kind of pain again.)

All that's to say though, Kaos is, so far, exactly what us disappointed fans of LO deserve after all these years, and frankly, I feel like whatever is coming for the LO animated TV show is really gonna have to step up to the plate to both live up to the bar that Kaos has set as well as stand on its own without being affiliated as a cheap Amazon knockoff living in its shadow. Sounds a little familiar and a bit ironic, doesn't it?

[nugromancer]

Veilguard Photodump (Spoiler Edition)

End Game Spoilers (mostly me gushing ab art direction (￣y▽,￣)╭ ) under the cut

I can't get over how stunning the light and colour design is in this game. Funniest thing I noticed was that, while treading through any area, there were a lot of very obvious "Photo Opportunities" where the map designer was like Hey. Hey. Come over here for this little bit of treasure haha. Oooohhh but maybe you can take a moment to enjoy the view? (we worked so hard on it please look pleasepleapspslelpeas) And it's banger after banger of beautiful scenery!

I want to get on this level where I can convey something so gd big. It's much more obvious how massive a Titan is when Rook is in frame, but even without, that's a big lad!!! Huge sucker for a good cloud cap that lets the sun peak through. Literal Silver Lining.

This shot from the end of the Corruption questline (and if you complete the Dreadwolf's Memories + Convince Mythal to help) is great. Like our lady's dragon form is beautifully lit, she's got a spotlight and everything!! And it looks natural. It looks like the sun managed to poke through the blight on this one place.

Also allow me to giggle and kick my feet because not only does Dragon!Mythal's design FUCK (look at that tri-crown horn formation like YEEESSSSSS THAT'S MY BITCH!!!!)

She's also PINK AND PURPLE?? LIKE HELLO??? The lighting is absolutely saturating her scales (plus she's breathing lightning, which glows violet/blue, adding to the effect) so it's brighter than it probably is. But what a fantastic coloration none-the-less!!

End-game Arc doesn't fuck around either. The gold ring from the eclipse against that eye-searing magenta is just. Augh. Ough. Foreboding has never looked so damn pretty.

(Also this general area is one of my favourite places in the Lighthouse. The lighting is just so on point. I have a dozen other photos of this section bc I always stop to admire it lmao.)

That magenta is striking. You'd expect it to be solid red across the board! But once we're in the "real" world we get those warmer tones you would normally associate with this sort of thing... But now that I think ab it, it's probably from the amount of smoke rising from the antaam encampment. The Crossroads don't have pollution! Of course it'd be more jewel-toned! I wonder what our sunsets would look like if there was less of that. Sigh. Anyways--

The Regret Prison. Probably my favourite sequence in the game. Yes I love colour, but let's not forget CONTRAST.

It's soooo easy it end up with a horrible clashing of shapes if you don't balance contrast. So you gotta Contrast the Contrast... by reducing the Contrast. Yes there's depth-of-field shenanigans (making lines blur the farther from the viewpoint they are) but there's also mist/dust/atmosphere. I love this shit.

Not to mention that subtle introduction of colour by incorporating greenery (still heavily desaturated, as to not be glaring/distracting) as you make your way through the map. Like. The starting area was desolate and devoid of life. Any plants you saw were dead. Bare-bone roots. But as your proceed you find Life scattered around. Hope.

I didn't get a proper shot/video clip of the end sequence for this quest, where you're walking across a barren expanse and can see the ritual sight erect itself piece by piece in the distance as you get closer. That sequence knocked me out it was so fucking good!!! To the person(s) who all made that happen, I'm sending them a big sloppy kiss on the cheek it was so elegantly executed. <333

Anyways I feel like I said a lot without saying anything at all but hopefully this was somewhat interesting to someone thank you for coming to my TEDtalk <3

[abyss-ice]

Food fantasy diversity issue

Gotta put the word. I'm mad.

Food fantasy isn't the worst game about diversity and skin color... I know but.

It isn't the game with the best rep AT ALL.

You know, I love this game, I love the lore. But this doesn't mean I should be boot licking everything. I have the right to criticize and ask for improvement.

Let's start with the first issue. Skin color. The game of course has more east Asian and European food so it's natural that white skinned characters are the majority. However I noticed that more than half the design of the supposedly more tan or melanined characters are pale or ashey asf. I swear I know they are darker than the white white, but damn I'm as tan as them but I'm actually not tan and I'm white skinned. Artists, please stop being scared to color your character's skin with actual COLOR. Also almost all of them are white haired for some reason. I won't lie about the design some white haired were peak ( Ganache, Reuben, Tomahawk) but a lot of them only have white hair to make their skin appear darker. Also btw the excuse "yeah but you know that not all people of this country are dark skinned" is invalid. Ganache and Reuben are respectively French and United-Statizen. Both these countries are mainly white. So heh.

Ganache and Reuben

Second issue, the orientalism. When I see the dark skinned characters and especially the Middle East food souls, they are often portrayed wearing revealing clothes. If you do some research, it's very weird with their culture. "Yeah but the white characters also wear revealing clothes" Que Neni. If you compare the ratio, obviously dark skinned or just the tan ones are a lot more "fetishized". Always revealing their belly and for what ? Nothing because their outfits are based on fantasm and stereotyped views (belly dancer) about what the middle east looks like not the real traditional clothes which is a shame for a game about food diversity. Food eaten in Muslim countries for Ramadan wearing these ....

Knafeh and Shawarma the worst of them all

And third issue. A lot of them just don't have ethnic physical features. I can understand that this clashes with the artist's art style but I swear it's not that difficult to draw curly and kinky hair. You know it's not that hard to download brush on CSP. Brushes that help you to draw afro hair style.

This food IS FROM ZAMBIA but man looks like a Middle East/American native. Not African from Zambia.

And this is the end of my rant.

"the game company is Asian that's why they don't add a lot of diversity." First research, second, Dislyte, Pokemon both are Asian companies with rad black and poc design. Excuse refused. Don't try to justify culture erasure even if it's not done with a malicious intent. ( And Hoyoverse is NOT a role model. Being better than hoyo at skin diversity isn't a feat. It's the bare minimum)

And yes maybe I'm just a hater "You should just go play another game if you are just gonna hate", man. The bar is so low that I can't even wish for improvement for a game that was my first Gacha Game and a part of my teenage years ?? If you thought like everything I wrote between the quotation marks, I urge you to broaden your horizon and learn about these often misrepresented cultures.

Bye

[cosmic-navel-gazin]

Finished Felvidek and had a grand time!

Thought I'd do a lil list of things/moments/details I loved off the top of my head:

gave cursed coffee bean to a chicken and it mutated. Did it for science

game's got some twin peaks vibes, some monty python, a tad of hylics, along it a bunch of other ingredients, but it feels very much its own thing with its own identity

pear man and his daughters deserve the world, wish we hung out more

there's a fight with an invisible enemy, all your attacks miss because your guys can't see shit and I was laughing just imagining Pavol and Matej swinging their swords at nothing hoping to slay the forest fiend. Very Don Quixote, I love it.

the PS1 style cutscenes are sooooo beautiful I love them to pieces, they drip with style and charm. I knew I needed to give this game a go the moment I watched the trailer and was greeted by the cinematics. God I love them so much. And not just the syle but the directing itself, the way shots are framed, god...

I love the character portraits for everyone. There's so much detail and everyone feels unique/like an actual person with distinct features. From the Priest's very punchable face, to Pavol's grin to Josef's sexy ass... From main characters to NPCs to enemy sprites, I love everyone's design and colour coding (don't know if it was intentional but the purple for the cultists was neat, seemed to subtly imply early on that they were being funded by rich folk, since pruple is associated with nobility, power and wealth)

speaking of character design, shout-out to this lil guy, look at him please

Numnut the drunkard my beloved, I recruited him and less than a minute later he fell on flat ground into a nearby river (and drowns???). I reloaded a previous save to see if I could have him in my party a lil longer. I took a different path, got into a fight. "yay I get to see him in action!"- I thought. I used his one special move, called: 'good idea', and Numnut proceeds to punch his own face, dealing 90 damage (not even in the endgame did I deal such high numbers!). THE Character of all time, he drowned again after that and I'll never forget him.

BALLOON IN THE MIDDLE AGES! (possible Andrei Rublev reference? I can dream...)

just, the way things are worded:

cutting people's ears after killing them as spoils (and giving the ears to a maiden, as you do)

there's a quest where you have to cut a man's tattooed buttock to give to another guy, and it's all for nothing, you ruined a man's ass for nothing. I love it. The dialogue during this whole section had me dying.

I love that there's just this guy who lives in the castle's well. And our boy Pavol thinks it's a great idea to throw a bomb in there to make him come out.

this:

there's these lil inisghtful and mournfoul comments on the dead bodies you leave behind. Like, expressing regret at all the senseless violence and death or how cheap life is here. And I'm not sure if it's Pavol or Matej making them. It makes more sense for it to be Matej but I kinda like the idea of it being Pavol's comments, these small moments of introspection and realization in the midst of a drunken adventure. You've been engaging in all the violence while pissed drunk but then after you kill your opponents and look at their corpses... and it's like this sobering moment, before you're back at it with all the merry-making (I also like that a lot of these bodies don't disappear and just remain on screen, and you can see the carnage your guys leave behind in their quest)

the whole adventure felt to me like, this series of odd little events in a knight's life before it's passed down, told by and retold by different people, and after many generations it's been touched up and made more coherent and noble than the clusterfuck it actually was. Before it became a narrative I guess is what I mean

it can get a bit wordy and hard to follow but I really like the old timey way the dialogue is written and its dry sense of humour

there's these little subversions of gaming tropes that I found really fun too! Like as soon as Pavol's wife and your falling out with her is introduced you may expect a reconciliation between the two, or a moment where you have to save her and prove your worth and love to her to win her heart. As you would expect from a story with a knight and a damsel. But no she hates his guts lmao tries to murder him too! (tho I do think Pavol took her in that balloon ride at the end). There's also the fact that I am not allowed to play minigames! Josef wants to play tabletop games but your character always replies no. No minigames for you son! And like, this feels especially catered to me as someone who, more often than not, will dread whenever a game will introduce some sort of card game or the like. I was so happy that wasn't forced on me for once! Couldn't believe it. Kinda felt bad for Josef tho, I'm sorry Pavol doesn't wanna play Pexeso wth you.

the battle animations! I'm particularly fond of the eating porridge one, or the chugging down a bucket of sour cream, and the petard

the little *slaps face* animation

Pavol and Matej as a duo and the whole tavern scene with the two exchanging clothes

the lil moments of humanity where Pavol talks about his broken life and sense of self

the rare moments when Pavol stops grinning

it goes without saying but the art is absolutely gorgeous. Its nostalgic monochrome melancholy speaks to me on a deep spiritual level. Inject it directly into my bone marrow please. Shout-out also to the ost, it fucks and has tons of bangers. The Hrad track, the one that plays on Josef's castle... god... love at first listen, and have been listening nonstop for the last few days now while going on walks.

[dorksmithery]

Bora's Master Adventures, aka I played AkuNeko doodle compilation

Working Title: Lato enamored me with his penchant for violence and extremely polite speech but the designs were so banging that I had to illustrate my silly experience playing this weird but very loveable game. Fennesz is here for moral support.

Note: I only really have read up till the end of the Ball arc. Though I do know some spoilers from watching the stageplay clips and listening to the stageplay album, all the following doodles are my first impressions from the game up until Episode 1, Part 2, Chapter 32 (´･ω･`)b

All translations are my own work.

Obsession at First Mention

"There is a butler who lives in the basement floor called Lato, please be careful around him." "Oh no." "He (Lato) might become my fave" *He indeed became my fave lol

I looked at the red flag Berrian gave us and went "Oh okay. So I'm a bull now ig" It did not help that his design is so memorable but all the butlers have super distinct designs that have so much character packed into them. TBH I think my favourite design goes to Fennesz, the butterfly motif is enchanting and the way his outfit both matches and clashes against Haures is so fascinating.

(We will not talk about how I struggled so hard drawing Berrian. Bro should not be that difficult to draw)

Daimeshi Jamboree

"I'm (Ore) the master of the Devil Butlers!" "Ah.... That might have been too aggressive..." <- Usually uses Boku "M-Masterrrrrr....."

AkuNeko having the choice to play either as a female or male Master is peak actually?? Like it changes nothing lol but just having that option is so good. I use Boku and Watashi as my Japanese personal pronouns of choice so reading the Master option as Ore was jarring www I'm just a polite liddol guy, pwease

I did like the village scene tho. Ammon is probably the character I've changed my opinion fastest about, he's just doing his best and a little bit of an idiot about it. I will hear no slander about him.

The Greatest Honour I can Give

"Wear the outfits please." "A-Alright..."

"U-um..." "So this is the type of thing you like~" (Fennesz is wearing one of Lato's outfits while Lato is wearing one of Fennesz's outfits)

Get in the fucking dress boys

I like to cycle between Fennesz and Lato on my homescreen but whoever is on there is wearing a dress either way. I did indeed use screenshots to build the base of the last photo but one day I really do want to sit down and just try and learn the AkuNeko art style bc its so distinct and the colours pop so well while staying with the gothic aesthetic.

Fennesz is unexpectedly very cute when he blushes....

Animal Ears Gang

Muu is cute methinks. Not as annoying as other mascot characters but theres a lot of potential for him to grow in the story! I hope we get to see him grow up to be a wonderful butler ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

I honestly wasn't expecting to like AkuNeko all that much. I only really got into it because of the stageplay so to realize that the game is just as fun and the art is something I could definitely see myself trying to learn is really nice. The features like the study and stretches is also weirdly helpful? I've been using it every so often and setting up my own 15 min writing sprints with Lato breathing down my neck the whole time is actually kind of funny.

Will I continue playing? Who knows. The fact that my reading comprehension has improved by leaps and bounds since I downloaded the game is irreverent

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

Binged Nocturne yesterday, so here are my spoilery thoughts on the matter, in no particular order:

Watching this season was certainly an experience. Neither I nor my sibling have any knowledge of the Castlevania games beyond "there's a guy named Alucard who kills his dad multiple(?) times and also Belmonts are the player characters probably," so it's not like we were expecting anything, but there were a lot of "oh wouldn't it be funny if" or "I bet they'll do X" moments BUT THEN THEY ACTUALLY DID. "Why don't we continue this conversation somewhere more comfortable?" (Oh lol he's gonna fuck that priest.) *smashcut to Orlox and Mizrak naked in a bed together* (OH WAIT WHAT?!!?!)

"There's an underground secret passage to the abbey." (Uh yeah and how do YOU know that? 'I bet she fucked that old man.' Pfff I bet she did. 'I bet he's Maria's dad.' Ehhhh I mean maybe? Bit far-fetched.) "But then we wouldn't have had Maria!" (*unified unholy gibbon screeching*)

(I'm not saying this series is bad, I'm just going to be a little disappointed if absolutely nobody from the original series gets even mentioned.) *Alucard shows up at the very last second* (Oh we are winning this season! 'We are WINNING!')

Orlox served astronomical levels of cunt and I hope he continues to hang around being a nebulous problem for everybody else for the rest of the series. And then go be evil and gay somewhere else at the end, like Striga and Morana.

While I respect the power move of Drolta's heel-less platforms and the environmental storytelling of "ooh wow look how vampires can balance effortlessly on floating heels like it's nothing" personally speaking it did look a bit. weird. Like just give her stilettos, man.

Drolta was otherwise an absolute delight to watch for every moment of her time onscreen and her character design was absolute peak. Every outfit and hairstyle was immaculate.

Maybe this is just me having read up on her a lot, but having Erzebet Bathory be mixed with the Egyptian goddess Sekmet was... jarring. She was a Hungarian noble and had absolutely fuck-all to do with anything further south than the European frontier of the Ottoman Empire, so even the "drank a goddess's blood and got possessed a little bit" still feels cobbled-together and forced.

Personally speaking, I think it would've served the writer's "dread vampire Messiah come to swallow the sun and usher in a new age of blood and doom" purpose if they had EITHER the vampire Erzebet Bathory who committed all of her (mostly mythical/exaggerated) serial killing crimes and then some, OR an ancient vampiress infected by drinking a goddess's blood. You either pull the cachet of an infamous vampire-tangential historical figure or make up a story about a vampire being consumed by and becoming a channel for something more powerful than even them out of whole cloth, but please don't do both. Especially when both versions originally had nothing to do with each other.

We all none of us deserve Eduoard. I hope he gets to transform into something more human-looking by the end of the series (so he doesn't get mobbed) and then go home to his nameless boyfriend and live happily ever after. Maybe after kicking the Abbot's teeth in, since he deserves it.

Speaking of which, this was Annette's season. Richter may have had his name on the tin but this season was for her and she killed it. Absolutely stole the show, man.

I love the way her summoning was animated and find her realistic for both her age and her time period in terms of enthusiasm for revolution and a tendency to act with emotion rather than thought, but Maria was just kinda... also here. Presumably she'll have more to do next season.

[m0ther-of-p3arl]

i know you’re poison

(robert aeor high au p13)

masterpost

hey!! so i wouldn't normally ask this of you, but we're in teh endgame of the fic now, things are really starting to come into shape. so, if you're willing, would you mind reblogging?? it would mean the world to me, and since we're in the culminating chapters, there's really not too much to come from here. writing this fic has been a dream come true for me as an author (robert aeor high is actively my longest work ever, as well as the one i've had the most fun writing) and i am genuinely so happy to be able to share this with you all. just something to take into consideration as we reach the endgame of this fic!!

...although Father is a loudly destructive, angrily defiant blowhard, Scott’s known ever since a very young age that his sneaking, scheming mother is the one he really needs to be afraid of. And even now, as she leads him by his arm into the kitchen, making snide, passive-aggressive comments about the way he’s dressed, her inch-long nails cutting into his arm, Scott finds himself curling in on himself, his old submissive habits taking over automatically, by design.

or, alright bitches time to finally meet scott's mom!! fairly short chapter but the next one's gonna explain a lot of shit

TW: cults, implied murder by flamethrower, mind control, mind games, implied murder of a minor, manipulation

please lmk if i missed anything!!

(3543 words)

Scott’s mother hooks him gently by the elbow and leads him inside, just like in all the old movies, her smile the same as he remembers it, slippery and snake-like, charismatic and smooth, her personality exactly right and without a fault for what she is- a cult leader. She’s wearing a long, slitted black dress, her piercing cyan eyes the same shade as Scott’s and tipped with the darkest winged eyeliner he’s ever seen. Her siren scales shimmer in the artificial light, and Scott catches glimpses of purple, green, yellow, and blue, all at once, reflected in them.

The edges of Mother’s lips are curved up in a salacious smile, blanketed under her signature deep crimson lipstick, a shade so dark that at this point, it might as well be purple. Her hair, exactly the same bright teal color as her eyes, is slicked back into a tight ponytail, showing off her smooth and unwrinkled forehead and defined widow’s peak, the ends of her hair reaching almost to her waist.

“Ah, Scott, I’ve been looking for you,” she smarms, some facsimile of warmness edging into her voice, a tone that Scott’s come to know to be fake, smothering her voice in honey. “But then I came home, and your father had kicked you out. Despicable, absolutely despicable! So, naturally, I told him to get out and find his own home.”

Scott nods along amicably, because as he’s learnt from years of experience, the best way to stay out of his mother’s way is to keep under the radar and not spark her anger. As anyone could tell from even a few minutes in her presence, the best, no, only way to describe Mother would be that she is a power-hungry, scarily intelligent diva. 

Coming from one of the richest families around, Karissa Major lived a sheltered, spoiled childhood in which she was generally given anything she asked for. As a result, she became extremely smart- because instead of asking for toys like a normal child, the only things Karissa ever wanted were books. And not fiction books that you’d think a child would like- Karissa only read books on psychology, on the human psyche, eventually graduated from college with a masters’ degree in psychology at sixteen, afterwards scooping up some hapless gorgon twice her age from his own wife, seducing him with her singing until he left his one true love for her. That was Scott’s father.

When Karissa married Scott’s father, named Andre Piccolino before he took her name, her fortune had doubled, even tripled, in size- money rolling in from every corner, rich friends, patrons left and right. The ample flow of cash only seemed to grow when Karissa managed to form a special “friend group” who she calls “the Watchers”. As far as Scott knows, they live life in the mountains in a secluded, secret compound- one his mother’s been at for the past year, and one he wouldn’t set foot in if you paid him (providing he was suddenly allowed to, of course. Scott’s been banned from the Watchers for as long as he can remember.)

Yeah, the Watchers. Her cult. Karissa demands half the profits of all her members as soon as they move in, and if they dare attempt to leave, her wrath is… well, let’s just say no one’s attempted to leave the cult in about seven years, since a particularly harrowing incident involving a girl, seventeen at the time, a dark forest, and a blowtorch.

Her body was never found, most likely burnt to a crisp. 

Scott only knows about this… incident… due to overheard conversations his Mother had on the phone when he was young.

Because although Father is a loudly destructive, angrily defiant blowhard, Scott’s known ever since a very young age that his sneaking, scheming mother is the one he really needs to be afraid of. And even now, as she leads him by his arm into the kitchen, making snide, passive-aggressive comments about the way he’s dressed, her inch-long nails cutting into his arm, Scott finds himself curling in on himself, his old submissive habits taking over automatically, by design.

“So, um, what exactly are you doing here?” Scott asks flatly, earning a shocked look from Mother as he interrupts yet another mention of The Watchers and how “we would love to have you, really, darling.”

Huh. He supposes he’s not strictly unallowed anymore.

“Well, I’m coming back to check on my darling baby boy, of course. So, Scott, tell me how it’s been going. Tell me… everything.” Her irises briefly flash a dark, instant pitch, like a void pulling him in, trying to pull everything out of him piece by piece by piece. Because right. She’s a siren. Scott should have known Mother would do this at some point.

He tries to keep his mouth closed, he really does, but she’s too powerful and she knows it- her lips quirk up a centimeter further in genuine triumph as Scott’s own lips part and he begins to recount the story of the past few months, every last detail. His mother listens intently, her hands clasped underneath her chin, elbows resting on the stone table, as the sky gets darker and darker outside. Hours must have passed by the time Scott finishes, gasping for a breath.

The only part he manages to leave out of his lengthy tale are the memories he and Jimmy have shared.

“Well! Thank you so very much, Scott, what a positively lovely storytime.” Karissa claps her hands together decidedly, her smile growing wider by the minute, a cheshire cat grin that unnerves Scott to his very bone. “So, about this Jimmy- would either of you be interested in a little something my friend group has to offer? We’re thinking of putting on a little show, and we were wondering if you and some of your friends would consent to be the, ah, actors, let’s say.”

Scott’s first instinct, one he feels down to his inner core, is to say no- to yell it, scream it in Karissa’s face, and run from the house, as quickly as possible. He doesn’t want anything to do with his mother, or the Watchers, or anything they have to offer- Mother has ruined his life more times than he dares to count. But her smile is so inviting, so warm, and he’s certain that despite it all, she really does want what’s best for him…

This time, Scott catches the faint scent of siren magic on the air as her eyes start to go black, shaking his head violently and sending a glare in her direction. “Cut it out, Mother. No, I don’t want to be a part of another one of your twisted little experiments- you think I don’t know what happened to the kids from the first one?”

Karissa raises one eyebrow so high that it almost disappears into her overly defined hairline, an expression of strict disappointment plastered atop her features. “Impressive, Scott. I’m glad you’re finally beginning to take your siren side into account. This does, however, make things a lot more… difficult, I’ll say, for us.”

“Because you can’t control me on a whim? Yeah, I’d say that’s a good thing, actually. I don’t want anything to do with you, it was a mistake to come here in the first place. I need to leave, I need to go, Jimmy’s probably going crazy looking for me.” Scott stands, roughly pushing away his chair, and turns to leave, with every intent of getting out of this wretched place and back to the comfortable safety of Jimmy.

“I know about the rapport, Scott.” Mother’s voice drips from behind him like honey, and his shoulders clench, stopping him in his tracks.

“...The what?” Scott asks, dread welling up inside him for some unknown reason, sticky and pulling at his insides.

His mother sighs dramatically, throwing her hands up into the air like the diva she is. “The rapport! Really, you’ve not had quite the best education in the ways of sirens, have you?”

“My education is fine, Mother.” Scott clenches his teeth, still with half a mind to just forget about whatever she’s on about this time and leave. But she’s got him hooked, and she knows it, her snaking grin growing somehow even wider- Scott swears that her mouth shouldn’t be able to stretch that far, it’s almost unnatural how stretched and strained her face is.

“A rapport is an emotional and mental bond a siren, or, in your case, half-siren, can share with another sentient being. Rapports are only formed between two people who have great trust and respect for each other, and they can manifest in a variety of different ways. I could sense the magic of it on you as soon as I took your arm when you first walked in the door. So, tell me- how has your rapport shown itself, and who did you decide to share it with?”

Scott doesn’t want to admit that his mother has struck him speechless, but she has. For the first time in the last few months, everything is almost too clear, as if he’s been squinting through layers of clouded glass that have suddenly and miraculously been wiped clean. “Wait. That’s what it is? The thing me and Jimmy have?” The words are out before he can stop himself, curiosity creeping into his mind, pushing out any coherent thoughts.

“Oh, so it’s Jimmy, is it?” Karissa asks, her smile dropping for the first time so far, to be replaced by a slight and subtle sneer. If Scott hadn’t spent all of his formative years with the woman, he’s not sure he would’ve even noticed the negative expression. “Scott, I’m not like your father. I’m not against you having a boyfriend- in fact, I had a girlfriend when I was younger. I am many things, but a homophobe is not one of them. But, still, I do have my worries- didn’t you say he was homeless before that? Not to mention the fact that he’s an avian… I’m not sure if I want you to associate with their kind, they’re awfully… scruffy. Not fit to interact with people of our class.”

Her words take Scott by surprise, though honestly, at this point in their relationship, they probably shouldn’t. “That’s- that’s not an okay thing to say- what the fuck, Mother? Jimmy is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met, and John and Laura are better parents than you and Father ever were.” Now that he knows his mother can’t control him through her magic, Scott suddenly feels a whole damn lot more confident. Of course, even without her siren powers, Mother is a master manipulator, but at least now he knows that if she tries her magic again, he has a way to cancel it out.

“Hm,” Scott’s mother mutters noncommittally, scrutinously looking over her nails with faked interest before meeting Scott’s eyes, where her wide grin has grown back on her face. “Anyways- are you interested in learning more about the rapport, how to manage and utilize it, et cetera?’

As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, (because if he didn’t know his mother was a terrible person, he sure does now) Scott is. He’s insanely interested, he’s never really had a chance to learn about this part of his heritage, of his backstory- and if it’s special, what he and Jimmy share, he wants to find some way to control it so they aren’t both just bowled over by memories whenever emotions get too high.

“Yes.” He voices the answer against his best judgment, he says the wordsAnd that’s it. Mother has him in checkmate, there’s no getting out of this, and from the look on her face, he can tell that she knows she’s won. Once again, she’s won.

“Fantastic!” Karissa claps her hands together again, kicking off her spiked heels under the table and grabbing Scott by his shoulder, steering him upstairs and into her study, a room Scott’s never been allowed inside until now.

“But, of course, no knowledge comes without a price,” Mother smiles with a fake, dripping sweetness, grabbing books down off the bookshelves of this unfamiliar room, her long, turquoise nails a striking color against the black binding as she pulls a particular volume off the shelf.

To be honest, Scott had known this was coming: he knew there was no way his manipulative, power-thirsty mother would simply teach him the ways of sirens, it really wasn’t even a possibility that there wasn't a catch. Sometimes Scott wonders what would have happened if he had grown up with different parents, and then he realizes it’s a miracle he isn’t as fucked up as others in his situation have been. For the most part, he’s a genuinely kind, empathetic person, and he’s surprised, when he thinks about it, that he hasn’t turned out differently.

“Okay, what’s the price then?” Scott asks skeptically, bringing his thoughts back to the matter at hand. He leans cautiously up against the closed, creme-colored door, shoulders tent and alert.

“I want you to participate in my experiment.” The words flow off Karissa’s tongue smoothly, like honeyed butter, so confident that Scott can’t even imagine something else his mother might have said.

“Of course you do,” he mutters, pursing his lips and trying to conceal the intense fear rushing through his veins.

“I promise, it’s completely ethical,” Mother smiles in such a way that makes Scott certain it’s not ethical at all, sitting down at the desk and picking up the books she’d grabbed from the shelves.

“Somehow, given your history, I highly doubt that.”

“Oh, quit your grumbling,” his mother simpers, poking Scott in the middle of his nose on the way out the door, books carried effortlessly under her arm. “Come on, it’ll be a fun bonding experience for you and your boyfriend! And you can bring along some other friends too! Of course, I’ve already advertised throughout your school and gotten several submissions from students who want to join, but it just wouldn’t be the same without my favorite son in the competition.”

“I’m your only son,” Scott points out, following his mother (like a lost puppy, little as he wants to admit it) as she sashays through the halls, back downstairs, and into the basement. “And also, what do you mean ‘competition’?”

Mother hums, infuriatingly, and Scott can tell she knows she’s got him on the hook. “Oh, you know, a little game. A few of my friends’ kids are going to be participating too, and of course, you will be paid handsomely. Would you like me to list off the people who have agreed to join?”

“...Sure.” 

“The first person who signed up, almost immediately as I put up the fliers, was this boy named Grian, an avian. He goes to your school, doesn’t he?” Karissa doesn’t wait for an affirmative answer from Scott, one that she quite obviously already knows, instead barreling on. “I saw a certain spark in Grian, so I’ve given him some… special privileges. Two boys, best friends named Impulse and Skizz, signed up as well; I believe they go to the public school downtown? A couple others too. Oh, and I can’t believe my silly mind, I almost forgot to tell you that your dear friend Joel has also signed on!” The woman claps her hands in a satisfied manner, and Scott wants to throw up.

It is very clear that she hasn’t forgotten, she never did, she’s just been holding onto that bit of information as a last resort. Scott doesn’t want Joel alone in anything his mother’s concocting, especially not if it has something to do with the Watchers. If he wasn’t checkmated before, he certainly is now- there is no way he’s letting Joel deal with whatever horrific experiment his mother has concocted this time. 

“Fine. Fine! If you’ve managed to somehow get Joel roped into this, I guess I’ll join! It’s not like I have any choice, anyway.” Scott spits out the words like poison gracing his tongue, and he can see the edges of his shades frosting over from his anger out of the corners of his eyes.

Mother’s cheshire cat grin grows even wider, her heavily mascaraed eyes opening wide in mock surprise. “Oh, Scott, thank you so much! I knew I could count on you,” she smiles, sighing dramatically as if everything would have been ruined if Scott hadn’t decided to play into her sick little mind games.

“Yeah, great, cool. I’m going home.” He’s done. He’s so done with his bitch of a mother, why did he ever think it could be different, she’s always been like this, always-

“This is your home, dear!” Karissa looks somehow offended, and the utter irony and sickness of the situation chills Scott to the bone, a disgusted sneer moving across his features as naturally as a skim of oil slimes across the surface of a cup of water.

“No. It’s not.” As Scott walks out, Mother makes no move to stop him- but he can feel her eyes searing into his back, almost hear the way her teeth click together when she smiles. She doesn’t call out until he’s already halfway down the garden path.

“Scott, darling! Come over, this time tomorrow, and I’ll teach you about the rapport, what it means, and how you can harness it. Don’t forget to try and get Jimmy and Owen and Shelby into the game, there’s a limited number of slots!”

Scott’s back tenses at the word game. 

Nothing good can come of this.

As he steps through the now-deserted streets, he pulls up his phone to check for notifications he might have missed, and inadvertently realizes it’s somehow well past midnight. Where did the time go? What has he been doing all day? Jimmy must be worried sick-

His phone rings, and speak of the devil, it’s the canary himself. Scott picks up immediately, pressing the phone to his ear, Jimmy’s voice panicked but still coherent on the other end.

“Scott, thank god you picked up! Are you okay? What happened, where have you been?! Owen and I have been so worried about you, and John and Laura were just about to call the police to file a missing persons report- but I insisted calling you one more time and thank god I did, please get home soon, we’re all so worried-” Jimmy takes a break to breathe, and something seems to snap in him, his anger pouring through the phone and almost making Scott flinch.

“Scott, where the fuck have you been?! I haven’t seen you since noon, you’ve been gone for more than 12 hours, I was so scared, explain yourself right this fucking instant! Or I swear to god-”

“Jimmy, I’m fine, I’m fine.” Scott tries to disregard the pang of affection he feels for his boyfriend, because he was worried about him, someone was actually worried about Scott- “My mother was in town, so I decided to pay her a visit. I lost track of time. I’m sorry.”

“Losing track of time is three or four hours gone, maybe five. YOU WERE GONE FOR TWELVE AND A HALF HOURS. I know you have a better explanation, a real explanation, and I want to hear it. Now. Also, wind back: your MOTHER was in town?! You mean the abusive, manipulative cult leader mother who I’ve heard oh so LITTLE about?” 

“Okay, okay, let me get home, and I’ll explain everything, I swear.”

There’s silence on the other end, and Scott feels a bit of anxiety set in. He’s really made Jimmy worry, probably Owen too, and he can’t even imagine the panic that must be going through John and Laura’s minds right now. Scott swallows deeply, quickening his pace and stepping down the well-tread route to his home. He doesn’t look behind him as his mother steps out onto the deck and watches him go, a manipulative, wide-toothed smile painted ferociously across her face.

“I’ve got you now,” she whispers, quietly, as Scott’s heart thumps green in her enhanced vision. He doesn’t know it yet, but he doesn’t have a choice in whether he participates in her game or not. It’s not an option anymore.

But Karissa, through years of reading psychology books in her free time, through years of leading her cult (yes, she does admit it’s a cult- not that she would to anyone’s face)- through all this, Karissa has found that the best way to make someone do something you want is to make them feel as if they’ve got a choice.

Even when they absolutely do not. Scott has been ensnared, and because of his rapport, so has Jimmy. Now, it’s only a matter of time before they realize it themselves. It’s only a plus that Scott has already agreed of his own free will to participate in her game.

A quiet laugh spreads across the post-midnight town, a cackle that sets deep into the bones of any who hear it, tossing and turning in their sleep. Oh yes, Karissa is ready. She has been ready for as long as she can remember.

[dansconcepts]

A Day in the Life of a Gamer!Kaede

Or: my talentswap au in a non-despair setting with a focus on Ult. Gamer Kaede and some moments feat. a Reserve Course Tsumugi, Ult. Bartender Shuichi, and an Ult. Magician Kokichi.

Being at Hope's Peak is strange, but in a good way. Of course, she gets to meet all kinds of people that she wouldn't have met unless they were watching her stream or are in the same lobby as her. And they're all with some quirk one way or another, which makes her feel less like a "Gamer Freak" around them.

Experiencing the diverseness of the people in her classes and even outside of it is something she loves dearly. But... of course, there's always going to be something slightly strange...

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

Every so often, she notices a girl with very long blue hair and glasses standing in the doorway. She wears the signature black ribbon and long-sleeved white dress shirt that Reserve Course students wear. While RC students aren't banned from being around Ultimates or anything (how messed up would that be?), their classes are in different areas. It's just inconvenient for them to be walking back and forth unless they've got friends here. And evidently, this girl does, because Rantaro meets her out in the doorway. He always invites her in, but she always rejects it.

Today, she's out there again. She's almost like an NPC, following her designated pathing outside of her class door. Unfortunately for her, Rantaro had stepped out. She must not have known, because she's standing there in her idle animation.

She could:

> Go back to her game [which would probably lead to the girl just standing out there until Rantaro comes back] > Tell her about Rantaro [which would probably lead to more interesting dialogue options]

“Hey, um, Rantaro went to the bathroom, he should be back in a few minutes.”  

The girl looks up at her and quickly looks away. She frowns. Did she do something wrong?

The girl meets the blonde's stare, and her eyes widen considerably. “A-ah, please don’t mind me, I’m just very plain…” 

“Hey!” Kaede pouts. “Don’t say that, I’m sure you’re amazing! You’re very pretty, to start!” 

Tsumugi smiles, pity in her gaze. “That’s very kind of you, but I don’t have a talent. I really am plain boring…”

“No, it makes you the most interesting person here!” She gets a skeptical hmm, and she figures she'll need more interactions with her to convince her. “I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Gamer. Nice to meet you…?” She pauses with a tilt of her head.

“Tsumugi Shirogane, just a plain ol’ person.”

“Yeah, we’ll work on that.” She even sounds like an NPC…

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

She's finished up a map on Project Sekai and about to start a new one, only acutely aware of the familiar purple blur that always comes up to her seatmate when-

“No, Kokichi, I’m cutting you off.” Shuichi frowns, moving a cup with dark liquid away from the boy whose arms are crossed on his desk.

Cutting him off-? 

“But Shumai!” He whines, even crying hysterically.

“A-are you serving Kokichi alcohol?!” Kaede screeches. She believes in Shuichi, but she knows he has drinks in his lab to mix with...

“He is!” Kokichi giggles.

Oh goodness, this is way worse than she thought!

Shuichi only lets out a heavy sigh. Upon catching her highly concerned look, he shakes his head. “No, he’s lying. It’s just Panta with some root beer. I don’t even know how he can drink so much of this stuff…”

She lets out a huge sigh of relief. She couldn't imagine dealing with a temporarily debuffed Ouma, and an inebriated one at that...

“Nishishi~! It's because of your amazing skills!”

“That's very kind of you, Ouma...” The boy flushes.

Kokichi frowns. “Yikes, you really believed me? It was a lie.”

“I doubt it.” She interjects. “You're very talented after all, Shuichi, so-” She yawns. “-don't listen to him.”

“Kay-ay-day, he knows that lie was a lie! Righttt, Shu?”

Shuichi blinks slowly. “...Right.” He turns to her. “You stayed up again, didn't you?”

The reminder has the bags on her eyes feel heavier than ever. “Ah, is it that obvious?” She chuckles sheepishly.

“A little.”

“Ha! More like really obvious!” Kokichi snickers. “Here, I have just the thing!” He hands her a flower. It's a sunflower.

She takes it gratefully. “Thank you Ouma, this is quite pretty.” She holds it up to her face and-

“EEP!”

Drops of water drips down her face.

“Kokichi!” Shuichi gasps.

“Kokichi...” Kaede warns lowly.

“Wow, you really are tired if you fell for the easiest trick in the book.” It comes out as a tease, but Kokichi's frowning. He pulls out some cloths from his sleeve and offers it to her.

She takes them gratefully, wiping her face off.

“Are you alright?” Shuichi asks, his brows furrowed.

She stares down Kokichi, who stares back at her.

She hears Shuichi gulp.

“Ultimate Magician? More like Ultimate Clown.” She grins.

Shuichi sags in relief.

“Heh, you really were worried, weren't you Shuichi? Haven't you dealt with tension between patrons before?”

“I have, but it's more unnerving when it's between friends...”

“Aw, you consider me as a friend, Shumai? How adorable!” Kokichi coos.

“I do too!” She pauses. “Sort of...”

“WAHHHHH! You're so mean Kaede!” Kokichi cries. “Did gaming so often make you forget how to interact with people or something?!”

Oof. She frowns. That was super effective...

She stares back down at her phone and thumbs at it.

“Quit it Kokichi.” Shuichi firmly snaps.

“I guess...” Kokichi sighs dramatically.

Later that day, she finds a tiny Kirby in her dorm. It would make a great charm for her phone.

But how did it get here? Her brows furrow.

Alas, she knows a magician never reveals his secrets.

[bellmo15-blog]

Dante outfits based of how much I'd wear them.

Been a while since I've done one of them silly little things hasn't it? Well I'm back with a new one of these that's a lot simpler than the Batsuit or Spider-Man suit ones. Mostly because there aren't that many of these costumes in game lol!

As I'm sure a lot of you have seen already, last month I got a pic of my self insert sona dressed in Dante's outfit from the original Devil May Cry. And there were very good reasons for that. Aside from Devil May Cry just being one of my favourite franchises of all time Dante's outfit in the original game just really, really appealed to me a lot that I had to get my sona dressed in it one day. I mean most of Dante's main outfits are great anyway. And while I likely won't be getting another pic of my sona dressed in his drip for a while given the amount of other ideas I want to get drawn for me I thought I might as well resurrect this kind of tier list I made a few years ago but for Dante's drip! I was also considering every other character as well, or at the very least every playable character, but decided to limit it to Dante just cause. I feel like I've wasted enough time so let's get into...

Good luck trying to convince me to take these off: It literally speaks for itself! My favourites of the funny demon mans outfits. From his original design from the first game plus the coatless version from 3 and his outfit from 2. Then again, who doesn't love his outfit from 2? It's commonly referred to as one of the only good parts of Devil May Cry 2 for a reason!

Would still love to wear: Then we get to the ones that I would pretty much still love wearing as a backup if his 1 and 2 costumes were not available to me. And yes, you are seeing that right, the Desile branded costume from DMC 2 is on this tier for me. Yeah, I know it's pretty much just one big product placement for a real life fashion brand but I also don't really care because I kind of really like it. And beyond that is pretty much every other main Dante costume in this series from 3 to 5 because they still look just as good to me. And also this one funny beach themed costume from Peak of Combat. Enjoy seeing it in this tier because pretty much every other outfit from PoC beyond this is downhill for me. Oh and also Dante's look from the upcoming Netflix anime. (PLEASE don't be cancelled 2 seasons in!)

Ehh, maybe: The ones I pretty much have very conflicted thoughts on to be honest. First there's the Sparda costume which I've never really known how to feel in general and it looks like it'd be WAY to expensive and hard to maintain for me. And then you got the EX colours for Dante's 4 and 5 outfits. I don't know, these colour swaps for the outfits just look fine. And then there's some of the other Peak of Combat costumes which I have no idea how to feel about them. They feel, how do I put this, over designed? I don't know, they feel like they got two much going on in them to me.

The amount of beer I'd have to consume to even consider wearing these would also kill me: Yeah, don't act like you didn't see the placement of these costumes coming. Even as someone who actually does like the 2013 reboot because I really don't think it's as bad as everyone makes it out to be I would not pick these outfits to wear casually in any capacity. They don't have the same "cool factor" I'd argue the other Dante costumes do. Which really sucks when you look into the development history of the reboot and see that they did originally try to make it look somewhat more like classic Dante. And spoiler alert, the remaining 2 Peak of Combat costumes aren't any better either. The former has the same issue as the reboot costumes and the later... yeah I'm not a fan.

Oh and then you got the coatless version of his DMC 3 outfit with is literally just him in pants. I have no real strong feelings towards this costume one way or the other.

And... that's pretty much it!

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

With Entropy Effect's Early Access version releasing in just a few hours, I wanted to go over some of what we've learned from trailers, reviews, and sneak peaks that hasn't come up while I was analyzing the character spotlights.

Of course, do take time to note that I am writing this before even the early access version has dropped. What I discuss here may prove inaccurate to the game we'll get tonight, or the full release we'll see in the future.

Let's just have a little fun with some last minute speculation and analysis!

The gameplay visuals that we've seen so far have looked absolutely gorgeous. I love the character models and the way that battles turn into a light show. I'm a very simple creature, I can always be pleased with some colored lights. The environments and battle effects also look great- this game has very strong art direction. I mean, look at this!

Which really surprised me, and still confuses me, when compared to the artwork they've chosen to use as the face of the game.

Yeah, unfortunately we're gonna start this post with a little negativity, but it should be the last of it, so please be patient.

Or feel free to skip this rant, if you'd like to keep your coverage positive, or just read about what we know about the gameplay itself.

But seriously. What is this key visual. This is just the Central Fiction character select artwork!

Okay, correction; it's the Central Fiction artwork for most of the characters. Poor Hibiki doesn't even get his character select artwork, he's left as the odd man out with his CF story mode battle sprite.

And then there's Es! What did they do to Es!? I don't know enough about graphic design to be able to tell what happened here, but something about her face looks like they tossed her art, and only hers, through some kind of AI filter. She's been weirdly smoothed out and she looks way paler, and more gray, than the rest of the line up. This straight up hurts to look at.

For the first few months after Entropy Effect's announcement, I thought the game was fanmade, because all the key visuals they were pumping out were (and, thus far, still are) made up of the basic official art that appears as the first images when you do a google search of the characters.

How did this get greenlit? They really couldn't afford to pay an artist? I can't even say "they couldn't afford to hire and artist" because, looking at the gameplay, clearly they did! They hired some very good artists! Why not write one more paycheck to get some cover art out of the incredible talent they already have on board?

Okay, okay, SaltFest is over. Coping and seething have been reigned in. Let's get into the fun stuff.

Trailers so far have indicated that the story of Entropy Effect is original, with no clear connection to that of the BlazBlue series- although it seems to share a significant amount of thematic elements with BlazBlue.

The story looks kind of cyberpunk, revolving around a world filled with these little robot guys. Our main character seems to be called "ACER," though whether that's their name, a descriptor, or a title, there's no way to tell- at least, for a few more hours. Sources claim that, similar to BlazBlue's story, there are themes of a looping existence, looming destruction, and fighting to ensure the very existence of a future.

Something that stood out to me in trailers, but I haven't seen spoken about anywhere, are these things called "Phenomena Fragments." They seem to showcase scenes from the lives of human figures in this gray dust-like particle effect.

If I had to make any guesses, I'd say this looks like a post-humanity story, with our ACER using the BlazBlue cast within some kind of simulation.

One thing we do know is that the word 'Entropy' in the title will be integral to the plot, as some cutscene dialogue warns of an "Entropy Shoreline" that may threaten to bring an end to the world our protagonist lives in. The robotic inhabitants of this world also seem to have some kind of god figure, though not all of them believe in it.

Those who have played the game say that Entropy works as a mechanic in the game that increases the difficulty of the run as it builds. I'm interested to see how it plays into the story...!

The full truth of the story will remain a mystery, at least for another hour, but all reviews that have spoken of it so far have been very positive.

Now let's move on to take a look at some of the gameplay!

I saw this screen a while back, with what looks to be 30 available places for characters. At first, I assumed this meant that the game would have 30 different playable characters- I mistook this for a character select screen. Keyword being mistook.

Instead, it looks like the 30 slots on this screen are to save up to 30 builds from previous runs. We see the same screen again here, with two different versions of Lambda saved on it, and the other characters in different positions than the one above. As I'll discuss later in the post, previous runs of the game will be used to pass on certain skills to your next character at the start of a new run. So this screen will probably end up looking different for all players!

The real character selection screen loops, so there's no way to know how many characters will appear in the final version. However, the company has confirmed that there will be more than the seven we'll see in the Early Access version.

The seven characters playable in early access Entropy Effect are Ragna, Noel, Hakumen, Lambda, Kokonoe, Hibiki, and Mai. The games animated trailer (which also looks great, I don't know what happened with the damn key visual) also shows us Jin and Taokaka, who will likely be made playable with the full version of the game. Considering Naoto is the face of the game's Twitter and YouTube accounts, I expect to see him in the final version as well.

As for characters appearing as enemies, Bang's NPC subordinates from BlazBlue's story mode have been shown to appear as generic enemies in certain stages, and both Arakune and Susano'o have appeared as bosses!

After selecting which character you want to play as, you're taken to the screen I mistook for character selection, where you can select two characters you've played as in previous runs, called "Evotypes" in the game. You can have your new character inherit abilities from them- the number of abilities you can inherit from your chosen characters seems to depend on how well you've been doing in your runs, as each run earns some kind of grade. This explains how we've been seeing characters using one another's abilities, such as Hibiki using Hakumen's lightning, in the trailers!

While playing, you earn points called "Potential," which can be used between stages to purchase new abilities. This seems to be where characters unlock their movesets from the BlazBlue fighting games.

There's also a second type of choice players can make as they develop their run. These are called "Tactics." Unlike the abilities unlocked by Potential that seem to be exclusive to characters unless chosen as inherited Evotypes, Tactics are universal and can be purchased for and used by any character.

In a video on his experience playing the game early, Twitch streamer Veedotme says the game rewards you for selecting Tactics you haven't used before, so consider trying out everything before you start picking favorites! Veedotme's review also clarified a lot of what I comment on in this post, so please check out his work!

Interviews claim that the game's early access version will have roughly 100 Potentials and roughly 200 Tactics to choose from, though there could be even more in the final version of the game.

It seems that the early access version will include 10 different stages, with 13 levels each, along with a few other modes of gameplay such as a challenge mode were the stage bosses become even more difficult. I've mentioned it already in other posts, but I like this 10 and 13 number theming, as both numbers have been pretty important to the BlazBlue franchise. It's another sign of serious attention to detail from the developers.

And, well, if I want to get this post out in time to be able to watch some of the first streams go live, I'll have to wrap it up now. Thank you for reading, and if you're interested, please share your own experience with the game in the coming days!

[selfindulgentsillinessbracket]

Why Each Character(s) Were Chosen, or, Why These Sillies Are Special To Me - CHAPTER 1 of ??

This is a series of posts documenting why each silly in this bracket is in this bracket & why they're each special to me.

These will be getting fairly personal & I may ramble on too long but I want to be sincere so I won't hold back my overly silly manner of typing if need be.

These will be covered in order of appearance on the brackets from first to last contestant(s).

#1. Wario & Waluigi

Wario is straight up my favorite mario character. No cap. He's number 1. His character, his games (Wario Land is peak 2D platformer with the only series beating it in existence being Donkey Kong Country), his moveset. He's a king if you ask me. Waluigi is by all accounts my other fav. I'm so mad they refuse to use him in the Wario land games. The one series he SHOULD be in. I demand they treat him better. Anyways love these two goofballs & they've always struck a chord with me. I'm all about the goofy rivals. Wario & Waluigi are just pure fun. Love em. Also play Wario Land 4 because it's literally peak. I promise you it's worth your time.

#2 Calvin & Hobbes

Back when I was a wee lad, the thing that made me wanna do art in the first place? That was comic strips. In particular, Calvin & Hobbes, & Garfield. These two series are why I'm an artist. I owe it all to these two along with that fat orange cat. But we'll get to Garfield later, for now, let's focus on Calvin & Hobbes. They were the first ones I was introduced too. I didn't read Garfield til a few years after I met Calvin & Hobbes. I loved these two. And their comics are timeless. The writing is just out of this world with how smart & hilarious it is. It doesn't matter that it's from the 80s or 90s, they still ring true now. They're still God damn hilarious. These guys made me wanna make my own comics. Which led to me making my own characters. Which led to me becoming an artist. Thank you Calvin & Hobbes. Thanks for shaping who I am today.

#3 Squeek

Ok so there's not much to cover here. Squeek here is from a game called Oddworld: Squeek's Oddysee. Never heard of it? Yeah of course not, it was canceled. Like many Oddworld games sadly are. See the teason I have SO MANY oddworld reps on this bracket is 1. Yeah oddworld is extremely special to me. But 2. I'm hoping it'll cause more people to give the oddworld games a shot. They're so underrated. Legit my favorite story, world, lore & narratives in all of gaming. Squeek is a character who from what little we know, he's got so much potential. His lore is tragic and depressing but that makes you want to see him beat the odds like how Abe & Munch did. Squeek was meant to be our third protagonist. And maybe someday he'll get that chance again. Anyways please I implore you guys to give this series a shot. They're not perfect, but there's so much to love.

#4 Zoey

Ok Zoey is a character who I need to get personal to explain why she was a special enough OC to be in this bracket. So this is gonna be a long one. Zoey has been around for a while now. I mean like a while. She was created back in March of 2016. Yes I actually remember the exact time she was made. So yeah, that's her origin. The very first artwork of Zoey ever made has the original time saved on the upload date. Lucky us, bc we know her time of creation.

Zoey was officially created on March 3rd, 2016. Here was the first drawing of her. Comparison to her current look included :)

Now I know what you're thinking, yes this does look awful. I was not nearly as good at art back then. 2016 was a terrible time. But after that Zoey was just left forgotten, never had a real idea what to do with her. Until this past year, I uncovered her. And with a new design and finally having a solid personality to give her, she was given life. My life. Because the personality she ultimately found was just mine. She is quite literally the definition of a self insert. When I write Zoey I am literally just writing myself. Or to be more accurate, I'm writing a very cartoonishly exaggerated version of myself.

The fact people vote for her at all, it genuinely got me to cry more than once. It means so much to me. Bc Zoey means so much to me. So, thank you. And Zoey thanks you all too, she's humbled & would hug all of you if she could (and if we both were more open to physical contact but autism yknow yeah)

Next Chapter of this coming idk anyways Polls are still open so voting is still here for group 1 & 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[moonstrider9904]

I'm about to go on a probably incoherent ramble about how Bendy is indeed peak character design but also how shocked I am at the fact that I'm enjoying a horror game so much

Context: I'm not a fan of horror at all in any of its forms. Movies, games, literature, none. Nope. On all fronts, there is no reason why I would find my interest piqued by a horror game, of all videogames, and I certainly didn't dwell over to it because it's a horror game.

I found Bendy and the Ink Machine because every so often I like to browse around for music new for me, and I stumbled upon the songs that were created for the game, with my favorites being Build Our Machine and Welcome Home. Debating internally, because I know I am naturally very adverse to horror as a genre, I decided to watch a gameplay of it to test the waters and opt out in case I felt like it (thank you, jacksepticeye, for having played the game years ago)

So with that out of the way I kinda just want to scream WHY AM I OBSESSED

WHY am I finding it so enjoyable to feel inside a chilling environment, why is that rush such a.... well, a rush?!

And I really think it comes down to Bendy.

When I first saw Bendy, this very unique, very stylish character designed in the style of the old Disney cartoons, I thought "Cool!" And yes, he is indeed, very cool - his design is fuckin' amazing.

Now, the very first time I ever saw Bendy was in the video for Gospel of Dismay, so my first impression was cool looking character who dances and moves up and down! So cute! Cool!!! And, sure, listening to the song a first time was like super sweet and all-

Then I actually paid attention to the lyrics, and I realized "Ok, this isn't the bubbly pal I'm thinking he is"

To make the story short, I finally decided to watch the gameplay because I watched Welcome Home and realized he's fucking unhinged - and you know me, guys. I'm not really a stranger to an unhinged boi with an interesting design

What I'm really trying to get to is:

Look at this dude (reference intended)

IT'S A SCHMOL BOI, RIGHT?!

RIGHT?

(more below because this got really long lol)

No, you see, the thing about Bendy is that you're meant to have this first impression about him, and you're meant to associate those white gloves and those big pac-man shaped eyes with Mickey Mouse and others, which gives you a little mislead to follow, say, a "sense of comfort" when you associate him to things most of us have known as children.

But, have you noticed that a lot of those old Disney cartoons can feel creepy at times?

Bendy gives you this first impression because sure, he looks good and chummy, he was designed to be that, even ingame. Always smiling, dancing, etc.

What happens with Bendy is that the more you look at him, the more you stare at that unwavering grin and look into the shape of the eyes, something becomes unsettling. Bendy's first impression morphs with time the more you look at him and the more you watch him, for example, in the music videos; he appears angry, cocky, mocking, etc, no longer just the happy smiling dancy boi TM you first believed him to be. And, what's more is, you don't even need the rest of the music videos or the context for this to happen, staring at him is enough for you to, at one point, become unsettled by his presence. (love that word for this lol)

Taking Welcome Home as an example, which is the animation that ultimately made me obsess over this character's design (gosh, if you haven't watched it, do so!!) you see Bendy juxtaposed: what he was meant to be with what he's become, and you see some expressions like these (and these were seriously just my favorite look at that unhinged BOI-)

And, my favorites, which precisely show a spiral from what could have been to what turned out, and the pain felt over it in some deep corner (these frames are in one same sequence):

Please, give me characters who show pain over what's happened to them shifting into the fury and rage that they feel because it's happened to them--I want to forgive you, I want this to be better, but I'm furious that because of you I am in this living hell and it's been so long that this is the only way i know now--this is good shit as far as my historic preference in characters goes

And don't let me forget THE UNHINGED BOI:

talk about unsettling-

and this was all progressive. The more you see him, look at him, see that he's not the smiling happy boi, you fear him more - understandably. The concept is very logical and not revolutionary in itself, but what I'm saying is, applied to this character, it's pulled off incredibly well thanks to his base design. (Kudos to the animators who worked on this!)

What's even more mesmerizing to me is that this is the exact same principle the game uses in its own gameplay. Yes, when you start playing Bendy and the Ink Machine, you know you're in for a horror game and you expect certain things, and I'm not an expert on this since it's my first horror game pretty much ever but I expected jumpscares and gory images and shit.

While there are a few in what I've seen so far of the game, and the gore is ink rather than blood, the game doesn't rely on this.

No, the game lets you play through it in an eerily silent environment, where in many corners you will see that same. smiling. face. staring right at you, unblinking, unmoving. Watching you. Little by little, you learn of Bendy, you learn of Boris, of Alice, you learn of the people who put their lives (quite literally) into them and slowly, the game becomes more unsettling, filling you with a greater sense of dread the more you become immersed in it.

I think I'm so obsessed with this game currently because it's pulled off so well that even I, someone who runs away from horror, am captivated and mind-blown by this (but also, it's not a brutal, gross horror like what I would never engage with, rather a subtle horror that builds up in the environment that almost feels more psychological and is, I believe, harder to pull off).

[ravenspeakrp]

Welcome to Raven’s Peak, Pea, we’re excited to have you! Matthieu Roberts (Fae, Niko Terho) has been accepted. Please be sure to stop by the CHECKLIST for the follow list, tags to track, and other reminders.

OUT OF CHARACTER 

NAME: Pea PRONOUNS: She, her AGE: 35 TIMEZONE: PST TRIGGERS: n/a

IN CHARACTER 

FULL NAME: Matthieu Roberts SPECIES: Fae AGE: 27 DATE OF BIRTH: February 20th GENDER IDENTITY: Cis male NEIGHBORHOOD: Blue Horizon Marina OCCUPATION: Stockboy WORKPLACE: The Pantry Basket POSITIVE TRAITS: Empathetic, expressive, spirited NEGATIVE TRAITS: Elusive, overemotional, clingy LENGTH OF TIME IN RAVEN’S PEAK: Entire life (more-so the Stygian woods, in another plane of existence); mere days in the physical city FACE CLAIM: Niko Terho

BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGER WARNING: n/a

A life of ease and enjoyment, where curiosity is nurtured and adventure encouraged -- so starkly different to the real world. While Matthieu has parents, his experience growing up was under the guise of many in a communal sense. They all helped raise each other and in the end, the elders had final say. Peace, respect, and love; everything was usually light-hearted and free, where self-expression was exalted... As long as it hurt no other living soul.

Matthieu had always been a curious, wandering sort that liked to explore the old and the new. Even in a community where freedom and harmony were so important, a baseline of rules had always been understood -- many to do with never harming others or disrespecting nature, but the most important was to stay in bounds. There was a limit, to one's exploration, because to go any farther meant to risk one's self and the others, should outside and unfriendly entities discover where they all live and play. Nothing prevented them from going farther, of course, it was simply understood that one shouldn't wander too far and they certainly shouldn't play around the portals. There were wives tales and dark stories whispered in their ears about those portals, all designed to keep their fae safe and happy where they were. But of course, being so wild and free and indeed, mischievous little creatures, many sought more than their precious bubble. He was one such soul.

From a very early age, Matthieu would allow his curiosity to get the better of him. No words of caution could dampen the fae's natural inclination to discover his world and theirs. The young fairy would see himself through many portals to the other side-- to another world completely, that was so very different to his own. It was harsher, heavier, realer. Here he discovered books, and sailing, and all kinds of new foods. Matthieu was a sneaky one, he had a knack for being there in plain sight yet somehow overlooked. The boy also took many a thing that didn't belong to him, naturally collecting whatever fascinated and could be carried back to his little hidey-hole.

There was one portal he cherished above all others, that opened through to a certain place which seemed to cater to all walks of creatures. Raven's Peak. Matthieu wandered from its dark forest one day, only to discover a friend his own age -- their name was Cricket. They were a creative soul, that came up with great stories and games for them to play so often, that Matthieu would occasionally bring a fae friend along so they could all have fun together. But he never stayed for very long and only Cricket ever seemed to see him, to the point where their family and others simply assumed Matthieu was no more than a figment of imagination. An imaginary friend, if you will. One moment, they could be giggling together and the second Cricket got called upon to look away, the fae boy had disappeared again. Though as they grew older, the visits became less often as interests and tastes changed, and he forgot how to find that doorway for a while, too.

He was like any young spirit, a fair-weather leaf in the wind that chased the newest and most sparkly. Matthieu's existence has always been a privileged one, not because of wealth for they had no concept nor need of it, but because he was given leave to do grow into his own person. Accepted within his community, loved and encouraged in whatever pursuits he fancied. All he had ever known, was warmth and security. Theirs was a colony well hidden and protected, they held no concerns of being discovered by those of dark nature. That isn't to say there was never any strife in their beautiful world-- there were fae that naturally leaned away from the light, but whatever happened to them, Matthieu remained blissfully unaware of their being cast out and disillusioned to find their way back. So to him, everything was hunky dory all the time.

So when their world was shaken and portals cracked, chaos erupted. Suddenly, his world was bleeding out into theirs and their home was left open to the dangers of the Outside. He wasn't the only one that wandered too far to see what was going on, and suddenly lost his way back.

Matthieu found himself dumped back into the Stygian woods he had long since forgotten. Raven's Peak was just ahead, so the now young man walked forward, to face what new adventures lay ahead.

EXTRAS

FILLING CONNECTION: no, but was given permission for the cricket connection from audi <3 INSPIRATIONS: PINTEREST

[beels-burger-babe]

All is Fair in Dice and War

***Soooo, @bagelsinatoaster I love this request. However, you didn't specify which board game and as I am a huge nerd I decided to take some creative liberties and combine this with another idea I've been meaning to write which is: MC introducing the demon bros to Dungeons and Dragons. I certainly had fun with this and I hope you like it!*** Summary: Leviathan's world is flipped upside down when MC tells him there is a game that basically allows him to be the Lord of Shadows in real life!! He demands that his brothers join him as MC introduces them all to the chaotic shit show that is Dungeons & Dragons. For once, it was a peaceful day in the House of Lamentation. Lucifer was lounging in the living room with a cursed record playing softly in the background. For once, Satan had willingly joined him and was sitting by the fireplace, thumbing through a book on the human world. Belphie had been passed out on the couch when he arrived and was still laying there with an impressive puddle of drool collecting near his mouth. Even Asmodeus and Beel had joined in, with Asmodeus gently humming to himself as he painted his nails and Beelzebub happily munching on a snack as he enjoyed the sight of his family getting along. Yes. It was perfectly quiet and peaceful, and Lucifer didn't even have any traces of his regular migraine. But of course, nothing good lasts forever. Everyone jumped as the door slammed open and a wide-eyed Leviathan dragged you into the room. The two you very closely followed by Mammon loudly complaining. "Oi! You're gonna hurt them! Cut it out, Levi!" Lucifer sighed and closed his eyes, momentarily mourning the peace that he had just barely begun to enjoy, and closed his book. "Leviathan, let MC go. What are you freaking out about this time?" Lucifer regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth. Levi looked at it with the expression he only ever got when his limited edition Ruri-Chan merch arrived; his eyes were wide and glittering with excitement while his face bore a grin so large that Lucifer was surprised it didn't rip his skin. The third-born was practically vibrating as he let go of your wrist and pushed you forward. "Tell them! Tell them about the game!"

You laughed at Levi's excitement and casually rubbed your wrist. "I was just telling Leviathan about a game that we play in the human world called Dungeons and Dragons-" "You get to make a fantasy world that everyone plays in, and everyone makes characters. You can be a wizard and cast spells against a huge monster! Or a war hero fighter that has been betrayed by his brother! Or a noble knight who is looking for his lost kingdom! And the best part is that it's real!" Levi interrupted, nearly jumping in place as stars danced in his eyes. You put your hands out towards him to try and calm him a bit. "Well, not entirely real. It is played in person, but it's a role play tabletop game, meaning it mostly relies on the players' imagination. That is unless you have thousands of dollars to spend on 3D maps and figurines of your characters." Levi's eyes grew even wider, if possible, as he started shaking his hands up and down. "I CAN HAVE A FIGURINE OF A CHARACTER THAT I MADE?! GAAAAAAAAAHH!" A pillow flew across the room and hit Levi square in the face as a now awake Belphegor glared at him. "Will. You. Shut. Up?" the Avatar of Sloth hissed as a dark dangerous aura grew around him. Beel gently patted his twin's head in hopes of calming him. Leviathan pouted as he noticed no one else seemed to be getting excited about it. "C-Come on guys! This isn't even a video game! It's a thing that we can all do together and personalize it to be something that everyone will like. It'll be fun! Right MC?" You nodded as you gently tossed Belphie's pillow back over to him. "Yeah. I love D&D. I played it all the time in the human world. There's action, suspense, and even romance if you really wanted it," a couple of the brothers perked up at that. "I could put together a one-shot for you guys to try it out if you'd like? I'll help you make your characters, and we can all get together for an evening and play it sometime in a couple weeks." The room went quiet as everyone thought it over. Most of them had no interest in the game itself, but if it was organized by you... "I'm in," Beel decided with a nod. "I think it will be fun. All of us trying something new; it could be neat." Satan casually flipped a page in his book, "The creative aspect of it is definitely appealing. We'd be the masters of our own fate, and that most certainly piques my interest." Asmodeus smirked as he put the cap on his nail polish. "And you said it could be whatever we want? My, one might say that this game could help our wildest fantasies come true~" he made sure to wink at you as he giggled. Belphie, who had only just got back his pillow, scrunched up his face in disgust and launched it at Asmo. "Don't make this weird Asmo," he looked over at you and shrugged, "So long as you do all the work in putting together the character thing, sure. Why not?" Mammon looked over at you from the corner of his eye. "Ya mean to tell me, that you can make it so I'm some awesome, rich, and powerful prince?" Asmo scoffed as he pushed the pillow off his lap. "Please Mammon, even the world of make-believe has its limitations." Mammon blushed as he growled at his brother. You just chuckled and teasingly elbowed his side. "Don't listen to him, Mammon. There is a set amount of how much money you start out with depending on your class and background, but I'm sure we can find something that will make you happy." The second-born blushed even more as he grumbled quietly under his breath. Lucifer tilted his head in thought. "I suppose that if everyone else is playing, naturally I must as well," he stood and began to make his way to his office. "I look forward to seeing what you come up with MC." The next two weeks were spent planning and carefully figuring out the details of the one-shot and the characters that everyone was going to play. Levi was, of course, the first one who came to you to build his character. The two of you spent hours going through the Player's Handbook and sourcebooks to find the perfect build to recreate the Lord of Shadows. In the end, you put

together a human fighter that you gave a couple magic items to make Levi's vision really come to life. It seemed basic, but for the Lord of Shadows, it was perfect. The moment the two of you finished, Levi dove to his computer and ordered a custom-made mini that looked exactly like his character. Satan was genuinely interested in the game, especially after he learned about all the lore and rules behind the different classes and races. You had just been chilling in your room one day when the door burst open. Satan stood there with wide eyes holding a copy of Volo's Guide to Monsters. "MC, why didn't you tell me there are cat people?!" You chuckled, knowing exactly where this was going. "They're called tabaxi, but yeah, they're basically cat people. Would you like to play as one?" He scoffed and snapped the book shut. "Is that even a question? Of course, I'm playing as one." After some discussion and bouncing back and forth between classes a couple of times, Satan settled on a tabaxi druid; that way he not only looked like a cat, but he could speak to them as well. After a few days of you spending time with his brothers focusing on getting their characters ready, Mammon came to you wanting the coolest, most epic character ever. At first, it was clear that he wasn't fully invested in the process, but as he saw the customizable options and all the cool stuff that his character could have, you got his attention. You ended up designing a golden teifling rogue (you tried to tell Mammon that teifling usually wasn't yellow, but he gave you such a sad look that you couldn't say no) that was decked out with piercings and gems all over its horns and tail. He tried to act like he wasn't that excited about it, but one day during class you caught him doodling what looked like a stick figure version of the character on his sheet with a big smile on his face. Asmodeus came in shortly after Mammon finished,

insisting on having the most charming and beautiful character there was. You tapped your chin at the request. "I mean, stereotypically bards are extremely charming and...well seductive...almost too seductive. But that's only thei-" Asmo had hearts in his eyes before you could even finish. "That's what I want to be!" You sighed and made a mental note not to include any dragons in the session as you marked Asmo down to be an elven bard and helped him create his character sheet. You hadn't heard anything from Lucifer for nearly that entire first week, until one day as you were lounging in the living room, he walked in holding a stack of resource books. "Ah, MC. I've been looking for you. I wanted to inform you that I will be playing a half-elf multiclassing as a paladin and hex-blade warlock." You blinked at him as he put all the books down in front of you. "O-Oh. Would you like help putting together your character sheet?" He just grinned and began to make his way out of the room once more. "I've already done it. I must admit that this was quite a bit more interesting than I thought it would be," and with that he was gone, leaving you to try and figure out what had just happened. With only a few days left until the one-shot, you had to go find the twins and get them to make their characters. Beel apologized like crazy for you having to track him in down in order to get his character made. The poor guy was in the middle of peak Fangol season and had completely forgotten. Once the two of you sat down in the kitchen with an empty character sheet in one hand and snacks in the other, Beel gave you his full attention. He put a lot of thought in his character and wanted to make it really good since he appreciated that you were doing something that they could all do as a family. He bashfully decided to play a halfling. Not only did the little creatures share his love for food, but he thought it would be neat to try being small for once. His class was also a surprise. After carefully flipping through all of the class options, he had eventually settled on a cleric. "They're the healers, right? This way I can help the others if someone gets hurt." You gave him a huge hug then and there. Belphegore, on the other hand, was not so easy to work with. "Belphie, come on. Just flip through the book and choose something!" He groaned into his pillow and rolled onto his side to glare at you. "I told you I would play if you did all the work for me. Me flipping through a book is work. It's not happening." After an entire hour of trying to get him to cooperate, you gave up. In retaliation you made his character a goblin barbarian, just to drive in the fact of how much of a brat he was acting like.

Finally, the day came for you all to play the one-shot, and much like you expected, it was complete and utter chaos. You had tried to maintain some structure and keep everyone on track, but it was hopeless. Levi and Satan were taking the game seriously and, Diavolo bless them, were the only reason their party was making any progress. Mammon was trying to pick-pocket every non-player character that they met while Asmo distracted them by flirting. This worked great for them until Mammon got caught and would've died from the resulting injuries if it wasn't for Beel. Speaking of Beel, the poor fella was trying his best to do well in the game but kept getting confused by all the rules and different stats and modifiers. Belphegor spent most of his time, trying to explain it to his twin, but in the end, Beel accidentally ate his dice and Belphie passed out on his shoulder. And then there was Lucifer. He had been mostly quiet the entire game. Surprisingly, he let Levi and Satan take the charge in any investigations and puzzle-based interactions, but he did so with a smirk. You had a funny feeling in your stomach that he was up to something, and you were right. It was the final boss. Satan and Levi were on the edge of their seats, having worked so hard to get the party to this point. You smiled, knowing that one of the best parts of D&D was finally taking down the big bad. In this case, you had prepared a beholder for them to fight. It would be no easy task. The fight should have required them to work together in an epic battle of wits, magic and melee attacks. Only, when everyone rolled initiative, Lucifer went first. The eldest smiled as his eyes sparked menacingly. "For my bonus action, I'd like to use my hex blade's curse on it, which allows me to add my plus four proficiency bonus to all damage, and makes any rolls of nineteen or twenty critical hits. I will then use my long sword with divine smite at third level to attack him and attack him again using my extra attack," barely giving you time to process what he said, Lucifer rolled his dice twice. "And that would be a nineteen and a natural twenty, meaning they're both criticals due to the curse. That should hit, yes?" "Wha-" You could only watch as Lucifer, now with twice the amount of damage due to his critical rolls pulled out a disgusting number of dice and rolled them all. And of course, with his luck, they all rolled high. "So that's 90 points of damage plus the extra damage from the curse and the bonus from my duelist ability per attack, brings this 102 points," he smugly perched his chin on top of his hands as the table gaped at him. You gulped and looked down at the beholder's character sheet, "Y-You just took o-over half of his hit points in one round..." His grin widened at the information, "What, like it's hard?" You never got the chance to finish the game, as Satan burst into his demon form and pounced on Lucifer, the eldest laughing like a mad man, while Levi tore up his character sheet in a fit of jealous rage. Levi never asked to play with everyone again after that. ***This was just so self-indulgent and I just- I loved it. It combined two of my favourite things and I have never been happier. This was more crack than fluff, but either way, it was fun and I hope you nerds out there enjoyed it 🥰 Thanks again for the request @bagelsinatoaster!*** Taglist: @mimik248 @roseytoesy @ester-is-here

[howtofightwrite]

God of War's Thor: More Realistic Than I Expected

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Thor design from GoW. I don’t mind it but I was wondering if it was true that he’s the “peak of male performance” because he looks like a powerlifter. Would being that big make him a better warrior?

My boy! pic.twitter.com/5hPocTewBJ

— Raf Grassetti (@rafagrassetti) September 9, 2021

So, this was actually more realistic than I expected. My recollection was just the very difficult to make out version that appears in a single cutscene of 2018’s God of War, and Raf Grassetti, the art director for both GoW 2018, and GoW: Ragnarok has published preview art of Thor from the sequel.

The fat isn’t a problem. We tend to associate fat with physical inactivity, but, you will see fat like this develop on people who are highly active, depending on their diet and environment. The overall development is consistent with someone who engages in wild levels of physical activity on a regular basis. My biggest gripe is just hand size, and that’s more of a nitpick, probably informed by game design, (so it makes sense, and is a reasonable concession.)

Mjolnir’s proportions are still a little goofy in comparison to real weapons, but, it is a mythical artifact forged by the Dwarves, so, it’s not like this is a real complaint. Just something to keep in mind if you want to give a warhammer to a mortal character. This is nearly universal with how Mjolnir is presented in visual media, so it’s fair that’s a trait unique to the artifact (even if there’s no mythological support for that interpretation.)

I’m pleasantly surprised that they gave Thor his correct hair color. We tend to get a lot of stuff influenced by Stan Lee’s version of the character, but in Norse myth, Thor’s a redhead, with a massive beard. (Ironically, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla screws up this detail as well, giving Thor a dirty blond beard and hair.) There’s a little irony here, the Marvel version of Thor, actually looks more like his wife, Sif; who was remembered for her golden blonde hair.

The mythical figure is known for his “firm muscles,” but that layer of fat can easily mask a very solid physique. If you’re really wanting a contextual justification, a layer of fat to protect against the cold would have been an easily understandable to the people originally telling these stories.

What you’re looking at is someone who can operate in extremely cold climates. Probably skip meals for days at a time without it seriously affecting them. And, to quote someone from that Twitter thread, “goes up into the mountains and wrestles bears.” Though, given this is Thor we’re talking about, it’s more like he goes up into the mountains and beats giants to death.

This is not the chiseled physique of someone thirty minutes away from fainting because they dropped all their water weight to look good. This is the body of someone who works (or fights) for a living, and built up a lot of mass from that activity.

I don’t know where you’re getting the, “peak of male performance,” line, but, in general, yeah, if he were human, and engaging in the insane feats attributed to Thor, that’s roughly what you would expect him to look like. (If we ignore pesky details like death from alcohol poisoning.) It doesn’t make him a better warrior on its own, but it does mean he’s probably going to arrive in good condition and ready to fight (pretty much) wherever he goes, and that is a massive boon.

I wouldn’t jump to the, “you may not like it, but this is peak performance,” meme but that is a very plausible presentation.

-Starke

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God of War’s Thor: More Realistic Than I Expected was originally published on How to Fight Write.