#the payoff will be legendary

[zombie-eats-world]

I love that the whole set up of Luffy not realizing he must have had a father would actually lead in great to him realizing he doesn’t have a mom in the traditional sense. It’s almost like Oda’s setting it up like that 😏

[diaryofageekgirl]

Aether Beyond the Binary moodboards 15/17: Mixed Dough by Mikki Madison @mikkimadison

Aether Beyond the Binary is an anthology by @duckprintspress, featuring stories of characters with genders outside the binary exploring modern-esque worlds changed by magical aether!

[ice-sculptures]

is it just me or does byler remind anyone else of korrasami

[cerastes]

Legitimately can't stop thinking about the brilliance of Degenbrecher's introduction as a playable character.

We've known Degenbrecher for a long, long time before this event, and even before Break The Ice, actually: Before Arknights even released, Gnosis and Degen can be seen in this pre-launch trailer at 0:14.

Degenbrecher existed for years as this larger-than-life figure shrouded in rumor and fame, with an almost supernatural countenance to her presence in the corner of the narrative she inhabits: The three-time Grand Champion of the Kazimierz Major, the dreaded Black Knight, the peerless warrior, who has the strength of ten knight companies on her shoulders alone. Spoken of in equal parts awe and fear, her stint in the knightly competitions were legendary in how one-sided they were whenever she took to the field, and Platinum even comments that her portraits on the gallery of champions all make it seem like she doesn't even age, adding a supernatural element to her legacy. All we know is that she's currently SilverAsh's bodyguard and no doubt part of why his faction is so formidable, as it would be for anyone who has a one-woman army on their payroll. When we are finally introduced to her formally in the narrative, she's all business, no non-sense, in the middle of her job, and boy howdy is she good at it: We know the kind of juice Rhodes Island Elite Operators have, they are really, really strong, and yet all Sharp can do is stall for time against her, with tacit understanding that no matter how much he tries, he is NOT overcoming her.

There is not a single thing anyone present on Doc's side can do to actually overcome Degenbrecher during Break The Ice, so the very best thing anyone could do was stall her. THAT is the winning move, or at least as close to one. She's that formidable, and then some. We only see her in business mode here, with a small glimpse to her more noble nature in that she is nothing but non-self aggrandizing compliments for Sharp for being able to even fight her, even if there is no chance he can beat her, because most people just take a single swing from her. When Doc's plan succeeds and we reach the climax, she simply sheathes, says "Well played", SA recalls her back to her pokeball, and we are left letting out a sigh of relief that we made it in time.

Then, for some more years after that, that's our impression of her: Unsurmountable. We don't know much more about her other than she is simply not someone you measure up to. This, by itself, isn't particularly unique, both as a concept or in the cast of Arknights, but it leaves you to wonder exactly what is she beyond being Unsurmountable. Who is she, actually?

Then, The Rides to Lake Silbernherze happens, where she is the main character, and after all those years of mystique and grandeur, of guessing and wondering, we finally can see her not as a plot device, but as an actual character: The very first scene is her covered in blood and raw jumping on a moving train for some mysterious purpose. Oh god, oh no, why is she soaked in blood already? Is she already in Terminator mode?

Then, in the best possible payoff of years of mystique and build-up, we learn that Degenbrecher, the person, not the plot device, the person, is fucking hilarious.

She's covered in blood because she stopped by a nearby farm to help farmers deliver a farm animal, which covered her in blood given how messy births are. She apparently didn't have to do this, and just opted to because, well, she was there, they needed help, and she's in a perpetual state of down to clown.

While pursuing possible dangerous elements to Kjerag later, she stops by to talk with tourists and recommend good spots to sightsee and eat before resuming her chase Looney Toons style.

She looks the same in the three champion portraits because she didn’t like the photoshoots so she skipped them. They were just reusing her photo.

She'll have the single most mundane conversations with the simplest people in midst of off-handedly mentioning that she quite enjoys fistfighting avalanches -- in a setting where this is not at all normal or feasible -- just to test herself. Reactions to her saying this vary from "hey is this a bit" to "oh, Degenbrecher, you card, we saw you do that the other day, next time I'll bring my camera".

She's a combination of Bugs Bunny, Sakamoto-kun, and Broly, and her main gimmick is that she's a reasonable, normal ass person in terms of personality sans the more overt feats of power like fistfighting avalanches. She's just Someone, who just happens to be mind-bogglingly strong and skilled with the greatsword and with swordbreakers.

This is doubly hilarious when you compare her to other one-woman armies we know: Nearl's dialogue is entirely composed of flowery promises for a better tomorrow and heroic declarations, Saria has woman pain 9000 and hasn't had a good day in years, Skadi is afflicted with survivor's guilt which in turn lead to a potent-self loathing and rationalizing her mere presence is what causes tragedy to those around her. Degenbrecher, in comparison, is just happy to be here, enjoys a good fight within reason, loves challenging herself, and honestly is quite content with stuff like paperwork or small talk. She's the friend you call to help you move or when your pipe busts or when you need someone to take care of your kid for a few hours if you're going to be late home due to work. And she puts her entire god damn pussy into it, too, you bet your kid is going to have the time of their life if Degenbrecher is on babysitting duty. Degenbrecher chips in for pizza night. Degenbrecher helps you change your flat tire.

The essence of Degenbrecher is that the rest of Terra is going through some really dire, really interesting times, to say the least, but she's on New Game+ just sort of doing side quests, overleveled as hell and with her shit figured out, and she decides to be as funny as possible about it.

[comicaurora]

just a bit before i found out abt ur aurora comic, i was like. really disheartened abt the state of popular media at the time coz like streaming services were churning out “all episodes of the season released today!!!” series and well-thought out plot twists with satisfying payoffs were becoming “less trendy” what with ppl going “is it really a plot twist if we guessed it tho 🧐”

n like idk i just wanted a taste of a good, most likely episodic, character-driven, brain-scratchingly-wholesome-group-dynamic story again. like atla or thundercats or deltora quest

and you and aurora came in!!! and i was just so happy i found ur story coz it reminds me of being 9 years old on a weeknight, tuning into the latest episode to watch my blorbos track down the Legendary Macguffin and Fulfill The Ancient Prophecy. and this isnt like a dig at aurora being tropey and predictable!!! honestly, i respect u so much for using the tropes while not letting them do all the work in ur storytelling; u have the wheel and the tropes are tools u use

basically, this is just a long-winded way for me to say thank you, reading aurora makes me feel like an adventurous and hopeful kid again

THANK

[linghxr]

My 2023 in Mandopop/Chinese music (update & recs)

It’s been too long since I last shared some music recommendations/updates on what I’m listening to! Admittedly, I haven’t been discovering as many new artists because I’m busy listening to 薛之谦 on repeat. But we'll focus on the new.

You can check out my Spotify playlist featuring these songs (plus bonus ones). In addition, I’ve included YouTube links below.

五月天 / Mayday 五月天 is a legendary band, so of course I knew of them and had heard a few of their songs over the years. But I never proactively sought out their music until recently. I still haven’t had time to dive into their back catalog, but I’ve already found some songs I really love.

《我又初恋了》 I actually really didn’t like this song the first time I heard it, but it wormed its way into my brain. It’s just a lot of fun! Non-serious songs can be good too.

《转眼》 My favorite 五月天 song <3. I’m probably too young to fully appreciate the lyrics, but they make me feel so nostalgic and bittersweet, like transitioning to a new chapter of life and leaving the old behind.

《因为你 所以我》 This song didn’t stand out to me at first, but it grew on me! I caught myself humming it a lot. It‘s kind of corny, but it sounds so full of hope.

陈奕迅 / Eason Chan I first started listening to 陈奕迅 a couple years ago after my Album a Day August challenge, but I’ve found that his music has grown on me over time. I believe I’ve only mentioned him once before, so I thought now was a good time to highlight my favorite of his songs.

《之外》 This is probably my favorite 陈奕迅 song. The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness, but the overall song has a smooth, light sound.

《娱乐天空》 You know a song is good when it’s over 6 minutes long but feels like it flies by! It makes me want to get up, get moving, and be productive.

《烟味》 This song is dramatic, and I love it for that. Also has a hint of orchestral flavor.

《淘汰》 One of 陈奕迅’s most well-known songs—for a good reason. It has big Cpop ballad vibes but is definitely livelier.

白举纲 / Bai Jugang You’re going to notice several mentions of 披荆斩棘 in this post. That’s where I “met” 白举纲. I instantly liked his voice and loved seeing him with his “brother” ��瀚宇 and “dad” 张晋! You may also see his music under his English name, Pax Congo.

《被动失控》 This is the only song on the list you could headbang to.

《Shy Boy》 I love this song because it’s cute and includes a children’s rhyme that I learned as a kid: 找啊找啊找朋友 找到一个好朋友.

苏诗丁 / Su Shiding At some point last year I did a one-month free trial of Apple Music. It was an interesting experience because the recommendations were very different from what Spotify tends to show me. I’m glad Apple Music led me to 苏诗丁!

《LUCIFER（傲慢宗罪）》 All I can say is that this song exudes coolness and confidence. It also has a fair bit of English, but honestly I had to look up the lyrics to tell what some of it was.

《梦幻病》 This song is from the same album. It’s dreamlike but gets more frantic as it builds. Overall, it’s just a bit…unsettling.

队长 / Young Captain I learned about 队长 from a random post on Instagram about his concert in Malaysia. I think these songs might have gone viral on 抖音 or something. I was surprised I liked them so much because they both have some rap (I’m not a rap fan), but it was love at first listen.

《11》 I love how this song builds towards the end. I spend the whole song waiting for the crescendo, and it’s great payoff.

《楼顶上的小斑鸠》 This song is like the slightly mellower sibling of the one above. But I ended up liking this one even more.

金志文 / Jin Zhiwen 金志文 was another artist who Apple Music recommended to me. I definitely need to explore his discography more but haven’t had the chance to do so yet. But he has some good stuff so far!

《自娱自乐》 Smooth and relaxing but in a fun way. Simple and no-frills but will put a smile on your face!

《远走高飞》 This one feels like enjoying the breeze on a beautiful sunny day. I also enjoy the duet with 徐佳莹 version.

163braces 163braces started out as a YouTuber posting song covers. I have watched a couple of her covers, but they didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I was pleasantly surprised by her foray into original music. I look forward to hearing what she does next!

《控制》 The song I would want as my “soundtrack” if I were a video game character. It’s energetic and loud.

《murmur》 Honestly this song is pretty similar to the first one. Sometimes I have trouble distinguishing them. But hey, if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

小鬼 / Lil Ghost 小鬼 did what I can best describe as “pulling an MGK” by going from more rap to kinda pop-punk? That MGK album was my guilty pleasure when in came out, so I’m all for 小鬼’s new direction.

《Last Day》 This song really gave me MGK vibes. It’s about half in English, but I often don't even notice when he switches between languages.

《不良少年》 I just know I would have loved this song so much in high school. It’s an angsty teen anthem. 

《为明天写封信》 I can totally imagine this song playing at the end of a 2000s teen movie! Maybe while showing a montage of the main characters graduating.

《无所求必满载而归》 by 陈粒 / Chen Li This is technically cheating because I have recommended 陈粒 songs before, but it was at least a couple years ago. I heard this song covered on 披荆斩棘的哥哥 and immediately looked up the original. Honestly I should have known it was a 陈粒 song because you can totally tell it’s her style.

《轻红》 by 曹杨 / Young I keep coming back to this song! It’s from a drama soundtrack. I was super surprised the first time I listened to it because I thought it was going to be a typical ballad based on the first ~45 seconds or so—it wasn’t. There is also another version by 陈雪燃 (the king of cdrama OSTs). But I actually prefer the 曹杨 version.

《时光机》 by 吴克群 / Kenji Wu I was introduced to 吴克群 via 披荆斩棘2. He was instantly one of my favorite contestants after his team’s amazing ��新地球》 performance (check it out). This song is bouncy and a little dreamy. I kinda want to hear a remix with Harry Styles’ As It Was. I just wish it were longer than 3 minutes!

My Spotify Wrapped

I have a tradition of sharing my Spotify Wrapped, and I wanted to continue the streak in some form. So here's a quick rundown.

Top genre: 华语流行音乐 Representative city: Taipei Minutes: 21,750

Top artists

薛之谦 / Xue Zhiqian

林宥嘉 / Yoga Lin

五月天 / Mayday

李荣浩 / Li Ronghao

陈奕迅 / Eason Chan 

Top songs

《木偶人》 - 薛之谦

《狐狸》 - 薛之谦

《骆驼》 - 薛之谦

《转眼》 - 五月天

《后来的我们》 - 五月天

Also, fellow Mandopop fans should check out the Mando Gap newsletter. I stumbled upon it this year, and I know it’s going to be a great resource for discovering new artists in 2024!

[razorblade180]

Topaz:What am I?

Ratio:Ugh, ahead of your time I suppose.

Topaz:Louder! What am I?

March:A trend setter.

Topaz:What am I!?

Moze: *sighs* A trend setter….

Topaz:I said what am I!!?

Feixiao:A trend setter!!!!

Topaz:They didn’t want to see the vision! Now they have no choice.

Aventurine:She’s really eating this up.

Jade:Wouldn’t you?

Robin:I haven’t seen her this happy since I showed up.

Topaz:Now all we need is the option to have a follow up healer.

Lingsha:*opens door* Did someone call me?

Everyone:….

Caelus:I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Best. Investment. We’ve. Done.

Stelle:You brought her onboard because you thought she was hot and knew nothing else.

Caelus:And yet the payoff has been legendary.

[sepublic]

Actually it's utterly hilarious to me how Hayley Wong, storyboard artist for The Owl House, posted one of the first pieces of Lumity art ever on this site during Season 1A; So before we even got the trailer for Grom and whatnot. And the whole time she had to clarify in the caption below that it was just fanart, that she didn't know anything about how the show would go due to being an artist and not a writer, she wasn't making any promises nor guarantees. And like you get it because you want to avoid accusations of queerbaiting and disappointing people, while also establishing limits and boundaries. Uh-huh. Just covering one's bases.

...And then Enchanting Grom Fright comes out later that year and it turns out Hayley boarded the whole scene with Amity's fear only to dance with Luz. And with how long production takes place and how far ahead of time it happens, that means she did and knew all this when she posted that Lumity fanart in early 2020. Meaning she could've just as easily NOT included that whole disclaimer and not suffered any consequences for the fairly quick payoff that happened afterwards. Utterly amazing. Like again professionalism and standards and whatnot, plus avoiding giving out spoilers by framing it as just a guess but. Legendary.

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Blades In The Dark idea: The currency of your criminal underworld is abstract. A Coin is usually worth the same amount to anyone - though it may need to be converted from artwork to letters of credit, or from gold bars to a list of double agents. In this particular instance, your payoff for the latest daring score is a coupon for “buy 10 assassinations, get one free” with 9 stamps on it already. It’s worth four Coin, simply because of the legendary assassin who will honor this deal.

[lokiondisneyplus]

Warning: This story contains spoilers for the Loki season 2 finale, "Glorious Purpose."

Loki ends with its titular god claiming his throne — just not the one he expected.

The Marvel Disney+ show concluded its second season this week, seemingly saying goodbye to Tom Hiddleston's Loki. In an effort to stop the universe from collapsing in on itself, Loki learns to control his "time-slipping," using it to go back further and further in time. With help from Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), Mobius (Owen Wilson), and O.B. (Ke Huy Quan), he tries again and again to fix the TVA's temporal loom and prevent a meltdown. But every time he goes back, he fails, and he spends literal centuries reliving the same events over and over.

Eventually, Loki admits defeat and chooses to sacrifice himself to save every universe. Walking toward the temporal loom, he grabs the very fabric of space-time and uses it to build a throne of his own, weaving the threads together to create a tree. (It's a nod to the legendary world tree Yggdrasil from Norse mythology.) With that, Loki essentially crowns himself master of the multiverse, watching over every timeline as a lonely god. It's the ultimate selfless act from one of Marvel's most notorious villains — a villain who once sicced an alien invasion on New York to get his dad's attention.

Here, executive producer Kevin Wright breaks down the series' emotional finale — from the throwback line that Hiddleston improvised to whether this is really the end for Loki.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you decide this was how you wanted Loki's story to end?

KEVIN WRIGHT: I think we knew in season 1. Once we were going to do a season 2, we knew that Loki would end up on the throne. That was always the easy thing. The question was: How do you want that to feel for the audience? There's a version that's triumphant and super heroic. There's a version where it's an evil turn. But it was always about the emotional journey we wanted people to go on. It was about building that journey to be as cathartic as possible and to feel like a payoff for six movies and 12 episodes over 12 years with this guy. It was always about building that arc to be as fulfilling as possible.

Most of the episode is dedicated to this sort of time loop, where we see Loki trying over and over again to get things right and fix the loom, almost in a Groundhog Day kind of situation. What was fun about getting to do that endless loop?

Even in season 1, we always wanted to do a Run Lola Run thing, but there was never space for it. So once we started going into loops this season in the writing process, we thought, "Oh, let's finally do it." So much of that is total credit to Paul Zucker, the editor of the episode. That montage wasn't scripted per se. We knew Loki was going to be rerunning things, but it wasn't written exactly the way that it played.

A really fun thing, though, was that our cast — outside of Tom — had no idea what we were doing. They understood that he was rerunning time, but we shot a very different ending to episode 4 that was not the real ending. All the cast thought something very different would happen. We would send them away on lunch breaks, and Tom would take his lunch later, and he would just keep shooting with [directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead] with a skeleton crew. There were very few people that fully understood what we were building in that finale. So, for that core team, I think there was a lot of satisfaction when everybody was able to sit down and see how it came together. It just felt like this little secret.

What do you remember most about watching Tom film those final scenes?

Two moments really jump to mind. The first is a little bit of a longer story. There's the scene with He Who Remains, and that was scripted one way. We had this fear, like, "Is this going to feel like we're retreading the same ground as season 1?" Would it be fulfilling? We started shooting one day, and anybody in any creative field will understand this: There are days where the words are right, they way you're doing it is right, but it's just not adding up. Something was missing. We knew we weren't nailing it, and I had to make the call. That is really scary, when your first AD just wants to keep moving, and I said we were going to stop shooting.

Tom went and sat down with our script supervisor and basically did this insane crash course in 30 minutes of every line that had been said on the whole series. Then, he went for a run around the lot at Pinewood [Studios], and when he came back, he was like, "I know what this needs to be now." Then, he and Jonathan worked out what it was going to be, and they sat down with Justin and Aaron and me and Katie Blair, our production writer. They just quickly rewrote this new scene and shot it. It was just the pinnacle of what Tom does. He has such a finger on the pulse of this entire series and how that scene had to go. In a moment, he was able to reconfigure it with all of our collaborators.

The other thing is that final line before he steps out toward the loom, which is the Thor line, which was not scripted. Right before we were going to shoot that, Tom came and pitched it to me, like, "Should we do this?" We were like, "God, why did we not write that?" It was perfect, and it was 100 percent Tom.

I wanted to ask about that line, where Loki turns to Sylvie and Mobius and says he has to do this "for you, for all of us." It's a direct throwback to one of his lines in the original 2011 Thor. So that was a Tom Hiddleston improvisation?

It was 100 percent Tom. We had already done a few takes of the first part of that line, which was, "I know what kind of god I need to be." And on the final take, Tom said, "Hey, can I try this?" As soon as he said it, all of us were like, "This is going to be the take." It almost gave me Truman Show vibes, that final sign-off, looking straight down the camera. But that story gets to the heart of how Tom is always trying to make things better. We just had to build a series that could give him the framework to have those creative pivots. Everyone would just kind of throw their hands up and say, "Geez, this is why this guy is fantastic."

With Loki in charge of the multiverse, this could affect how (and if) we might see Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror in future Marvel projects. For you, where does this finale leave Kang and his future in the MCU?

I'm going to tread probably infuriatingly lightly, but for me — and I know all the filmmakers agree — we think everything is there on screen. I think all the details are there, and there is a lot that people haven't picked up on, or haven't fully understood what is being said. The key to the future is in that conversation with Sylvie, and this doesn't necessarily undo any of those threats. In my mind, it's what Sylvie said: "At least give us a chance. Let us fight that battle for ourselves and define our own destiny."

I also wanted to ask about that final shot of Mobius in Ohio, where he's standing there silently, watching time pass. Why was that the right ending for Mobius?

In the big picture of the show, we wanted this to feel like a real ending. We wanted to give closure on a number of things, and we didn't want to do anything that felt like it was just teeing up a new story. But you could plant new seeds that could become new stories. My feeling with that scene in Ohio is that it's Mobius overcoming a personal obstacle. He just had to go and look. The show is not telling you whether he's going to stay there, or whether he's going to go back to the TVA. I think both are possibilities. But the important thing was the character growth of him going to do the thing he has been avoiding. I think it took what Loki did to cause Mobius to go, "I have this opportunity. This opportunity was given to me by Loki. The least I can do is go."

So that being said, is this the end for Loki? Is this a season finale, or is it a series finale?

I'm thinking of it kind of like a comic run, and this is the end of that comic run. I know [head writer Eric Martin] has said this a lot: These two seasons were two chapters of the same book, and we wanted to close the book. That was a challenge from Owen in between seasons: He was like, "Nobody has the courage to close the book! Let's close the book!"

Again, I speak for myself and not Marvel, but I am certainly pitching ideas of where I could see certain stories going. I think there are a lot of stories you can tell at the TVA, and we are just scratching the surface on that. I would love to see more stories with Loki, and I think Tom would continue to play this character until he is Richard E. Grant's Classic Loki [laughs]. But I don't think that means you need to have this story every year or every two years. It's about doing it when we have a good story to tell. I would love to keep working with these filmmakers.

We built a really awesome team, and if Loki is Breaking Bad, maybe there's a way for this team to keep telling stories with our version of Better Call Saul — whether that's with Sylvie, with the TVA, or with a new Loki. But we only want to do that if we have the right story and it can be just as fulfilling as this one. After all, you can't be the God of Stories if you're not going to tell more stories.

[tobiasdrake]

The 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai is a master class in setup and payoff.

We all know how tournament arcs go. The final round is going to be the arc's hero versus the arc's villain. Everything before that point exists to provide character work and spectacle moments, but there's rarely any ambiguity about where the tournament is going.

Poorly done, the lead-in matches can end up feeling like filler. Like the story's just spinning its wheels. Decently done, they give characters a chance to stand in a spotlight they wouldn't normally receive by the rest of the story, and let them shine in individual moments even if they aren't going the distance.

But a well-written tournament uses those lead-in matches to lay groundwork, planting seeds that will eventually sprout into the finale.

The final match of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai comes in hot. This tournament had previously been a sports movie arc about the rival schools of Kame-senryu or Turtle Style and Tsuru-senryu or Crane Style.

Ten thought he'd vanquished the star athlete of Kame-senryu, Yamcha, in the opening round. In fact, he rigged the ballots to ensure that he could face Yamcha right off the bat. But things took a turn when he found out that one of Yamcha's juniors, holy shit, killed his master's brother, a legendary assassin and a top-tier master of Tsuru-senryu.

It's at this point that the story stops being about the school rivalry. Instead, it becomes a mission of avenging Tsuru-senryu's lost honor by vanquishing Taopaipai's killer. Ten isn't playing by tournament rules anymore; He wants to kill Goku in the ring.

Only. He doesn't, really. Locked in the fight of his life with Goku, Ten falls in love with the competitive atmosphere itself. He loses interest in avenging Taopaipai and becomes more enthralled by the prospect of simply proving his worth in the tournament itself.

It's at this point that the fight stops being about either of those things it was before. It's no longer a contest between Kame-senryu and Tsuru-senryu. Neither is it about revenge.

It's just about these two martial artists standing on the world stage, ambitions blazing as they reach for the lofty title of Strongest Under the Heavens. The only thing that matters anymore is the pure sport of it.

And what a sport it is. This fight is an incredible summation of everything that led into it. Throughout the arc, we get to watch Goku and Ten take each others' measure. We see the special care and attention they're paying to each others' matches, and we watch them grow from their own.

In Goku's semifinal match with Krillin, we see him break out an incredible vanishing technique.

Special attention is drawn to Ten's ability to follow Goku's movements, as he explains to the reader exactly what Goku is doing.

Setup.

By introducing this move here, we're ready for its faster-paced return in the final round - and we're already primed for Ten to counter it.

Payoff.

But Ten wasn't the only one paying attention during the semifinals. When Ten fought the Muten-Roshi in his guise of Jackie Chun, Goku got to see Ten's signature move: The Taiyoken or Solar Flare.

Incidentally, he refers to this as a Shin Tsuru-senryu or "New Crane School" technique, implying this isn't part of the standard Tsuru-senryu playbook; He created it on his own.

As with Goku's semifinal, getting to see Ten's semifinal gives Goku a leg up on the competition, as this advance preview of Ten's signature move gives him a chance to glean both how it works and how to counter it. We get to see Goku and Krillin discuss the limitations of Ten's technique.

Setup.

This gives Goku the forewarning he needs to be ready for this technique when Ten breaks it out in their match.

Turning Ten's attempt to capitalize on Goku's blindness and vulnerability, into an opening for a counterattack - through a little bit of sneaky-handed filching.

Payoff.

Neither of these guys is winning this tournament with the same tricks that carried them through the semifinal, that's for damn sure. But it's not only their matches that play into this finale. Krillin's fight in the quarterfinals with Chiaotzu - the only real fight Chiaotzu's ever had in this entire series - serves to establish Chiaotzu's psychic abilities.

Setup.

Chiaotzu can telekinetically bind a person, leaving them helpless to attack. It doesn't win him the match, but it briefly allows Tsuru-sennin to rig the finals in Ten's favor.

Payoff.

This ability, set up in the quarterfinals, is what gives Ten the opportunity to realize he doesn't feel right winning like this, and to choose fair competition and sportsmanship instead.

It's easy to keep focus on how Goku and Ten are feeling about this move, because we've already been introduced to the ability itself. What is happening here doesn't need to be freshly explained, allowing the pace of the fight to be maintained.

Speaking of strange abilities we don't need explained, the preliminary rounds of the tournament, typically an easy wash, have one character introduced with surprising gravitas.

In the preliminaries, Goku faces King Chapa. One P, Viz. It's Chapa-O, named for the Italian dish chapati 'cause Toriyama likes his name puns.

Despite not happening on the world stage, this match is nonetheless treated as a serious tournament fight. Goku still wins the fight handily, but not before Chapa has a chance to show off his signature technique: The Hasshuken or 8-Armed Fist.

Hasshuken is a speed technique, built around moving your arms so quickly that it blurs visibility and creates the illusion that you have eight. Chapa hits Goku with this technique, but we see that Goku's fast enough to see through his moves and counter them anyway.

Setup.

In the finals, once he gets serious about competition, Tenshinhan unveils another esoteric ability: Shiyoken, the Four-Armed Fist.

No optical illusion this time. Tenshinhan's devised an ability to physically sprout two extra arms to enhance his fighting.

But four arms are for suckers. Hasshuken can give you eight.

Payoff.

We've already seen Goku face down and defeat Hasshuken and we know he's a quick learner. So it's no surprise when he whips out the technique on his own, much later in the tournament, to counter Ten's Shiyoken.

Nearly every move of this final match stands on the shoulders of the material that came before it - Right down to the final blow. By this point, it's been long established that Ten and Chiaotzu can fly.

It may seem odd these days when everyone who is anyone has mastered it, but the levitation technique Bukujutsu was originally a signature technique for Tsuru-senryu. Everyone else cribbed it off of Ten.

They stole his Bukujutsu/Levitation. They stole his Taiyoken/Solar Flare. Fucking thieves, the lot of Kame-senryu. Turtles be stealin', yo.

In his desperation to win the finals, this becomes Ten's final ace in the hole. By destroying the tournament stage itself so there's nowhere to stand that isn't out-of-bounds, Ten can remain suspended in levitation and force Goku into a ringout.

The best Goku can do is take a huge jump, but that will only carry him so far. He needs to know Ten down to the ground before the ticking clock of gravity ends this match. He only has one option to reach with.

But it's useless.

During Ten's quarterfinal fight with Yamcha, it's established that Ten has the ability to cancel and reflect the Kamehameha.

Setup

This was the first official fight of the tournament. It's a piece of context that has sat on the characters' shoulders for everything up to this point, and we even see Goku attempt a Kamehameha earlier in the final round before thinking better of it.

Payoff (Kinda)

He remembers that Ten can cancel his Kamehameha. It would be a waste of his energy to try for it. Instead, he saves his strength for the longer fight ahead.

This, in turn, is what makes it so suspenseful when Goku is forced to resort to it in this very last exchange. Having no other option, Goku is forced to fall back on a move that cannot work. The outcome of the tournament now depends on an attack proven to fail at the very start.

And then it hits.

Payoff (For Real). Deflect that, asshole.

Though Ten still wins the tournament by sheer dumb luck of Goku hitting the ground a second before he did, this is nonetheless a thrilling solution to a problem created by the opening match of the arc.

This is what the entire final round of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai is: A series of payoffs fired off in rapid succession to plot points and abilities and ideas that had been sprinkled throughout the entire arc to that point. A fast-paced frenzy of a fight that rarely needs to stop to explain itself because everything was already layered out in advance.

This is top-tier tournament writing, and anyone seeking to write a tournament arc would do well to study what it has to teach.

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

Just read another merthur fic that made me fully insane, so time for my weekly fic rec.

Best use of Galahad in a bbc merlin fic I’ve ever read, also just best pull from arthuriana ever, I won’t spoil it but if you’re familiar with the Arthurian canon you may know of a very important piece of King Arthur’s legendary accoutrement that never made it into the show, well this fic makes the most brilliant use of that piece of the legend, I may never recover from it.

Also the characterization goes crazy, even Uther and Kilgharrah’s characterization is incredibly good and oh my GOD the merthur resolution in this is nuts. I wish it was like four times the length honestly. SO very good, the only problem is that it ends at all.

33k, E, contains side Morgwen and temporary Merlin/OMC with the endgame Merthur payoff of the century.

The Other Prince by Merlinfirstlastalways

Summary:

“Gwen, it’s terrible,” Merlin said. “He’s polite! He’s kind, even!”

“And that’s a problem?” Gwen asked, dryly.

"I’m going to have to go through an entire week serving the perfect Golden Prince, and then go back to my Prince Prat, and I think it’s going to break me, Gwen. He’s going to get me used to it, and then it’ll be back to mile-long lists, and being called stupid instead of spectacular and how am I supposed to handle that?”

Gwen said, hesitantly, “I thought you liked Arthur?”

“I do,” Merlin said, sounding even lower than before. “I have to.”

* * *

When a visiting Prince visits Camelot, and takes Merlin as his servant during his negotiations with The Crown, Merlin finds himself being seen in a way he'd always wished Arthur would see him, and doesn't know what to do with any of it.

[endversewinchester]

What are chapters 39-41 of Legendary and why are they the best out of Stephanie Garber’s writing? They are the payoff to everything she’s been building up from the start of the book.

First, we properly meet Dante and we get to know him. From his tragic backstory of a bastard boy no one wanted, not even his first love, who he became magical for. What did he do? Shut down emotionally and build a fake identity who was much cooler and far more beloved than his real self ever was.

And then we have Tella and her equally large fear to love. Because she felt cursed and unwanted after being supposedly abandoned by her own mother, and being raised by a father who only loved himself. So she convinces herself love is for the poor stupid people who are willing to give their hearts to others (knowing they can be broken).

Dante wasn’t meant to fall for Tella. But he did. He let her past the mask of Legend and allowed her to truly know him, and himself to harbor feelings for her. By the end there he doesn’t care about getting the cards and the powers within them. He wants her love, and is even willing to make death pacts with powerful strangers to ensure she’s safe.

And Tella, who refused to fall even for the stories she was told of this fantastic magician, finds herself unable to match the image of the villain she made up in her mind with that of the guy she fell for. And she embraces him, and embraces that love, no longer being afraid of having her heart broken.

And then it all falls apart.

Because while Tella is not willing to give Dante up, she is still the little girl that wants her mother back. And so the love she just embraced within herself is used to sacrifice herself, and get trapped in one of the cards to save her mother.

Dante of course can’t deal with that. So he saves Tella and starts the apocalypse, but this is the second time loving so deeply had devastating results. So he shuts down again. Snaps the mask of Legend back into place and leaves Tella on those stairs because he is fucking terrified of being hurt again by someone he loves so deeply. And so fulfilling Tella’s own fear of having her own heart broken.

Literally all of their actions match the characters we saw this far to perfection. Stephanie is amazing and this series deserves to be in filmed media at some point.

[dailycass-cain]

I apologize for the delay, but here are my thoughts on Detective Comics #1086 where we enter the end stage of Ram V's Tec run.

Reading the issue has left me a little 😭as we get numerous payoffs to prior areas of Ram V's run here. Namely, the stuff with Two-Face and looks to be the next stage of his story path in this and I'm terrified for both personas.

They both know the real identity of Batman now, and I want to see someone play with this idea eventually instead of stuffing it back in the box (which will happen).

It's just that this does open new ideas for Two-Face as a character, given both them and Jim know the truth.

This issue does introduce a new player to the mix. Though it may feel last minute to some, it doesn't. An ulterior message on Ram V's run here has been legacy.

It makes more sense as to why she shows up now given we've seen the Orghams. Barbatos. Batman. Etc.

That's where it hit me on the careful selection of Bat Family members in his run. Each person has a stake in the legacy of the Bat.

This wasn't about "preference" this was about the legacy of Batman. And we have all three here at last.

Jean-Paul was the picked heir of Bruce when "Knighfall" saga occurred. While I do wish we had more new antics of him in the cape/cowl. You only need to read "Knightfall" saga to grasp that.

The same goes for Nightwing as we've gotten "Prodigal" along with several years of stories during the Grant Morrison era (along with Pete Tomasi and Scott Snyder too).

Cass has some stories of her commitment (James Tynion IV's Tec run for example). But none are nowhere near as legendary or easier to access than that.

That's where the realization dawned on why she's gotten more a showing here than them. Cause new readers do need to be reminded of this.

She's got that same drive. She just had the drive before meeting Bruce as the run has pointed out.

The whole moment of Bruce laying it all out what they've all got to do to prevent this scheme by the Orghams. And the group shot of them?

Chills.

Because reading this run as a whole. Ram V has been building to this group shot and man artist Stefano Raffaele just nails it.

So yeah, we're at the end game of this run and I cannot be more hyped to see where this all goes.

Yeah, Cass is safe (along with Dick and Bruce). But I want to know where the journey truly does end. Man, what a journey this run has been.

[markrosewater]

I don't dislike outlaw, but I don't see how it makes sense as a single-set mechanic. For Limited, things would be a lot cleaner if you just added a new Outlaw creature type. For Constructed the backwards compatibility is useful, but a single set's worth of payoffs isn't enough to make it worth building around.

So I think batches like outlaw would work more effectively if you intend to use them regularly rather than as single-set mechanics which might possiblysee a return several years later.

For 4-of, 60-card formats, there are plenty of Outlaw mattering cards. You don’t need that many when using four copies.

For 1-of, singleton formats, there are four legendary creatures that care about Outlaws.

Both have 31 years of creatures of the five relevant creature types.

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 120

A play on Assassins Creed ... hmmmm ... where are we going with THIS then, Samuel? Okay ... yeah, I'm not really sure I'm feeling this one, guys. Oh ... okay, I think Robbie's commitment to the bit is starting to win me over, at least ... but yeah ... I think that one ultimately failed to really make an impression on me ...

Robbie has an announcement? Wow ... good on ya, boy ...

IS IT coming to an end yet, though? You guys have to FINISH THE GAME first, after all. I'll believe this is it when IT IS it ...

Anyway, so what NOW? Big cliffhanger, so now for the payoff ... where are we going? IS THIS gonna be a TPK? I mean I'm very nervous about it now ...

Oh yeah, that's right, Braius you ARSEHOLE!!!

ALREADY?!!! Crap! ROLL INITIATIVE!!!

Dorian tries to do something WHILE HE CAN ... a 9th Level Foresight? Okay, then ... doing one for himself, then ... best time for it, then ... hope you learn something RELEVANT, Blue Boy! Save the day! EIGHT HOURS?!!! Oh, that's just ... yeah, that is pretty SEXY ...

Laura's ALREADY looking for a giant Kaiju member to suddenly make an appearance ... yeah, reckong Mastt's right. Terms of service would have something to say about that ...

ROLLIES!!! Always fun ...

"Braius the Betrayer" ... yeah, the boy's NEVER gonna live that down, is he?

Dorian flies right into the middle of this whole situation ... careful, cutie! Orym would be pretty upset if something happened to you right now! Mass Cure Wounds? Nice one ... Robbie: "Oh, do you see this?" Marisha genuinely geeks out seeing the score ... 25 HP back each! Beautiful ...

Chetney Wold lands right in the thick ... yeah, he's going at it! He gets slashing with his claws ... first misses ... oh, I should think 27 WOULD hit ... but a Dirty 20 DOESN'T!!! Oh man ... that means it's some serious high AP ... at least he gets ONE hit in ... Crimson Rite! Yup ... oh shit, Psychic Feedback? Oof ... not so good ... ANOTHER NAT20? Oh, so he DOES get a hit on that last ... YEAH, that's more like it. Nice one, Travis!

Wait ... the head is now GONE ... Laudna (gasping in wonder): "We killed it!" Yeah, I don't think so ... no, that's much worse ...

Imogen casts Blade of Disaster! Oooooooh ... dump on that head, Imogen! KRISSSSSSHHH!!! 2 attacks! First hits! Oh, lots of dice maths for the damage! 34 points! Going again ... ANOTHER hit! 20 this time? Okay ... that was BONUS action? NOW for the action, then ... okay ... oh boy, Laura's trying to do something SNEAKY ... Mind Sliver? On the HAND?!!! Madness ... amazingly it actually WORKS!!! Bizarre, but GO OFF, girl!

TWO Legendary Actions? Oof ... Shriek of Oblivion? This sounds potentially scary ... OH MY GOD THAT'S HORRIFYING!!! O.O ... roll well, guys! SIXTY-TWO POINTS of Necrotic damage? Nightmare!

Ashton does dsome dodging round to get to Fearns and takes his attack ... oh yeah, 32 DEFINITELY hits ... BOOM!!! Oh TWENTY-ONE hits? Okay, so we got the magic number, then ... another POW!!!

Another Legendary Action ... The Evolving? Excuse me? Gods help us ... AAAAAAAAHHH!!! Holy shit those are HORRIBLE rolls for us! O.O

Laudna DOES NOT take out her ball-bearings ... no, you're NOT playing Beau right now, Marisha ... Hunger of the Shadow Shard? Bloody hell ... Dead Girl's getting SPOOKY right now ... I love it! Suck that Essence, Laudna! 11? Ugh ... so not much to glean from that, then ... nuts ...Shadow Walk? Nice ... and it's a BONUS action? SWEET!!! Okay, full-on spooky teleportaton! I love it ...

Orym sprints round and jumps up onto Braius' shoulder, uses him as a springboard to leap onto the head ... careful Wee Man! Meanwhile thanks to Braiu's Truthbearer, Predathos' attack of opportunity DOESN'T WORK!!! Nice! He starts slashing away with Seedling ... wait, Condense Glass? NOT FAIR, Matthew!

Maw of the Red End? Oh my GODS, Matthew! These Legendary Actions are really gonna hurt us! FUCK!!! Orym just got CHOMPED ON!!! And a Dirt 20 is NOT ENOUGH? Oh fuck ... wait, he just got EATEN?!!! O.O NOOOOOOOOO!!! Wait ... oh thank FUCK for Misty Step! THat was almost HORRIBLE ...

MORE limbs? FUCK!!! Meteoric Slam? Argh! Catapulting Blow? Marish: "All this shit is made up!" Laura: "Tell him that!" Not sure that's gonna make much difference, guys ...

ANOTHER claw! Oh fucking hell that's a TERRIFYING mini! Watch out, Imogen! AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Miracle Devourer? Oh for fuck's sake ...

Fearne throws some 4th Level Scorching Rays at it ... that's FIVE attacks! That's a Hit! And another! Nat20! Yes! Yet another! Whoa, ALL FIVE ht their target! Fucking BEAUTIFUL, Ashley! You're a BEAST right now! Roll that immense amout of damage dice! Here we got for some complicated dice maths ... O.O ... 30 points of fire damage ... another 8 on top of that ... nice ... BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! And now Mister chucks more flaming shit ... another hit! SPLAT-PHWOOOM!!! Matt: "If a massive kaiju could look icredulous from being shat on by a flaming monkey, this one would."

Marisha THOROUGHLY FOILS Matt with the most well-placed Critical Roll EVER!!! The reaction is VERY well deserved!

Braius casts Staggering Srike at 4th Level ... "My god will reward me when I SMITE YOU!!!" It misses? Balls ... second attack HITS though ... double the dice? Oh boy ... this should be interesting ... Divine Smite too? Ooooooh ... oh my fucking GODS that's 77 points of damage on a single attack! O.O DEVILMAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!!!

Dorian gives himself some positive reinforcement and casts and 8th Level Crown of Stars ... that's NINE MOTES!!! This shoucl be interesting ... attack the hand! At advantage! POOM!!! Nice one!

Chetney jumps down and slides to the head ... he swings with Turmoil ... NAT20!!! Nice! And a second hit! 29 points of damage, then 22! Plus the Thunder damage! KRAKADOOM!!! Blood Curse of Bloated Agony! Yeah! Go off, Old Man!

Is Predathos about to try and GROPE Fearne right nw? XD ... Marisha: "I've seen this hentai." Screech of the Ravaged Mind? Oof ... again, that's NASTY!!!

Imogen shifts round for a sweet shot ... she TRANSMUTES her Lightning for a nice fat explosive THUNDERBOLT ... at EIGHTH LEVEL?!!! Bloody hell, Laura ... O.O ... and it fails ALL of its saves ... oh damn you, Legendary Resistance! Laura DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH dice for this damage roll? XD ... I love it when that happened ... 48 points of Thunder damage! KRAKADOOM-KABOOM-BOOM!!! Oh ... WHOA!!! One of the claws just SHATTERS!!! O.O Fucking hell ... another Spectral Blade attack ... A CRIT!!! Yes! Thats TWELVE D12 of damage! Yet MORE serious dice math! 59 points of Thunder damage! Fucking AMAZING round, Laura! You're a GODDESS right now!

Ashton runs and JUMPS at the head ... oh that DEFINITELY hits! With a Chaos Burst too! Lightning! Perfect! POW!!! Next hit ALSO hits! Another Chaos burst! Psychic damage this time! BOOM!!!

Laudna is now out of position so Marisha has to completely rethink her tactics ... thinking, thinking ... what IS the range on Bane? Marisha: I;m coming, I;m coming." Laura: "Okay!" Sam: "Very clinical!" XD ... Fireball? Old school! At 3rd Level ... and she DOESN'T CARE if she gets Braius while she's at it cuz she's STILL pissed at him ... plus Fearne's IMMUNE to fire ... PHWOOM!!! 8 D6 of Fire damage! Nice ... and it FAILS its Dex save too ... 24 ppoints of damage! Then she Quickens for a Chill Touch ... 30 total DEFINITELY hits! 20 points of Necrotic damage and he CAN'T regain hitpoints until HER next turn! Fantastic!

Orym springs onto the crystal ... oh, that DEFINITELY hits ... so he keeps slashing! Second misses, but third hits! CRACK-CRACK!!!

The head MOVES?!!! Balls ... but only ONE limb shifts ... Another Shriek of Oblivion? Bollocks ... oof, that's so horrible ... save well, guys! Half of 67 points of Necrotic? Oof ... shit, yeah ... Fearne is DOWN ... Mister's shaking her right now desperately trying to wake her up! NOOOOOO!!!

Ruinous Claw? GODS NO!!! Stop, Matt! We can't take it! 52 points of Slashing damage? Oof ... Shield? Oh thank fuck, well done, Laudna ...

Ashley rolls a death save ... O.O ... please work ... a Nat1? That's TWO instant failed saves! NOOOOOO!!! She has ONE LEFT!!! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck ...

Braius is NOT gonna help her right now ... "Show me your nipples and persuade me." Boobies? Try it, Laura ... Liam: "Her heart's not in it." Okay, I guess that DOES work, then ... come on, Braius! Titties! Just SAVE HER already! He takes it as a Divine Sign ... XD ... he rushes to Fearne and uses Lay On Hands to get her back up ... phew ... thank the horny gods ...Sam: "For my bonus action, I will --" Travis: "Rub one out?" LOL ... then he Inspires Laudna with a FANTASTIC painting ... oh, she's CONSIDERING forgiving him now ...

Another claw strike! Balls ...

Dorian floats up to engage the claw ... he draws his sword and starts hacking away ... 27 definitely hits! Oh my GODS he basically CHOPPED THE HAND OFF!!! Beautiful! He floats to the other hand and gets swinging again ... yeah, 30 ALSO hits! Defensive Flourish? Ooooh ... and a Healing Word for Ashton! Nice ... 29 points back! Sweet ...

Another claw atack and Fearne's PRONE so it has advantage ... oof ... Shield? YES!!! Bloody USE IT!!! Oh thank fuck ... perfect ... that was almost SO BAD ...

Chetney clicks his Boots of Speed to rush to Imogen, then uses the Staff to cast Blink on her ... really? Interesting ... and now he just COLLAPSES from exhaustion ... XD

Fucking hell this is already EXHAUSTING ...

Imogen uses her spinning Blades for another attack ... 24 points of damage! Now 9 points ... hmmm ... now she shifts and throws a 6th Level Lightning Bolt ... BOTH fail! SWEET!!! Double the damage! 84 points of Thunder damage! KRAKADOOM!!! BOTH of the arms are DESTROYED!!! And she BLINKS OUT!!!

Ashton is out of range so he just rushes in as close as he can ... no joy this turn, then ...

Laudna recasts Mirror Image on herself, then Quickens an Eldritch Blast ... gods bless Spell Sniper ... so that's FOUR hits with one a CRIT!!! Beautiful! That's 50 damage on a cantrip! Magnificent!

Orym runs up to Fearne and pours a healing potion down her throat ... that's 44 points of Health back! Nice ... and now he's covering her too so she has EXTRA AP for her next turn! Nice ... good old Orym!

No Shriek of Oblivion! Good ... more limbs, though ... BALLS!!! Screech of the Ravaged Mind? Oof ... more saves, then ... roll well, guys! Balls ... even with a 20 Fearne STILL takes 35 points of Psychic damage ... so much for all that healing ...

Ruinous Claw again ... ouch ...

Fearne staggers up and casts Flame Blade at 6th Level ... with Sneak attack? Nice ... holy shit ... NATURAL 20!!! Matt: "Holy shit, you can READ THAT DICE!!!! Oh the incredulity! LOL ... oh this is gonna be a FUCKTON of damage ... lots of dice AND it's DOUBLED ... O.O ... 37 doubled ... SEVENTY-FOUR POINTS of Fire damage! SSSSSSHHHHHHWOOOOOMMM!!!

Braius just STRIDES UP to the head and starts swinging ... Staggering Smite! 30 definitely hits ... a 3rd Level Divine Smite! 51 points in one hit! But he MISSES his next hit, wasting a 5th Level Divine Smite! Bollocks!

Maw of the Red End again? Shite ... this time it's going for Ashton ... a Nat20? SHITE!!! Silvery Barbs? Oh that's a BEAUTIFUL SAVE, Fearne! Marisha: "Witches be bitchin'!" Even so that's A LOT of damage dice ... halved, though ... strength check! 26! Phew ... so it DOESN'T eat him ... thank FUCK ...

Dorian casts Healing Word on Ashton ... 20 points back! Then he starts hacking away with his sword again ... ANOTHER NAT20!!! Beautiful ... with Blade Flourish TOO ... oh nice ... this is gonna be another BIG PIECE OF DAMAGE ... another hits after ... nice ...

Chetney races to Ashton and drops a healing potion off to him, then flanks Braius ... he starts swiping at the head with Turmoil ... BOOM!!! KA-POW!!! Beautiful ...

Imogen pops in and Transmutes a 5th Level LIghtning Bolt ... Sex save means it succeeds, so only half damage ... BOOOOO!!! Not fair! That's 30 altogether, then ... nuts ... but at least it does SOME damage ... then she uses a Sorcery Point for a RANGED Shocking Grasp ... but its MISSES?!!! Bollocks ... so she Blinks again!

Ashton starts whaling on it with the hammer ... Reckless? Go for it ... with a Chaos Burst ... Cold damage ... that's 54 points of damage altogether! THWACK!!! Thief of Defeat is so sweet ... 31 definitely hits ... another Chaos Burst ... Acid damage! BOOM!!! He burns the Shard of K'Mort and turns entirely crystal ... FANTASTIC ...

Another claw attack on Dorian ... oof ... and now it aims a Telekinetic Vacuum at Laudna ... Marisha: "What if I pop out a titty?" Matt: "Ive already seen it!" Crap ... she gets sucked right up to it ...

Wow, this REALLY puts Marisha into a bind ... she has no choice but to move away ... Mirror Image? I don't like this ... so it BITES HER ... shit! That's a lot of damage ... PLEASE don't be eaten ... oh wait ... can Chetney save her? OH MY GOD TRAVIS you are a fucking HERO RIGHT NOW!!! Fucking BEAUTIFUL save! She thanks him as she rushes away for some good range ... finally she turns and hurls another Eldritch blast at the head ... all four hit with TWO CRITS!!! Holy shit ... that is SEVENTY POINTS OF DAMAGE from an Eldritch Blast! O.O ... yeah, she just POURS this damage on this bitch right now! Pure furious retribution! Finally she chucks a Hex at it and that's it for that turn ...

Orym rushes in and uses a RANGED ATTACK with Seedling! Holy fuck ... beautiful move ...

The head moves again ... damn it ... oh, they're RIGHT IN IT now ... it can just attack EVERYBODY now ... O.O ... SEVENTY-THREE points of Necrotic damage? Sweet FUCK ... Dorian is DOWN?!!! Fuck! Braius too? Shit ... thank fuck Fearne has Evasion, she doesn't take ANY damage ... that's a CRIT against Chetney ... O.O ... 52 halved? Oof ... ANOTHER attack on him? ANOTHER Crit! Laudna throws Slvery Barbs in to counter that ... thank fuck ... Oh ... that's a NAT20 on the THIRD ATTACK against Chet ... 58 points halved ... FUCK!!!

Fearne moves into a better position and throws a Scorching Ray at 4th Level at him ... five attacks ... FOUR out of the five hit! Sweet ... 35 points of Fire damage!

Mister chucks some more flaming shit at him ... BOOF!!!

Another claw attack ... and YET AGAIN it's going for Chetney! 30 points of Slashing damage! Shite!

Braius fails his first Death save ...

Maw of the Red End .aimed at Imogen ... shit ... Imogen is chomped and it BREKS HER, she is DOWN as it SWALLOWS HER!!!

Matt chooses to call a break NOW ... O.O

Dorian succeeds his first Death save ... phew ...

Chetney uses Turmoil to fling a Shatter at the head ... 38 points of Thunder damage! BOOM!!! He Misty Steps behind the head, staying JUST out of range ...

Fuck ... Matt just made that SO MUCH WORSE for everybody AGAIN ... O.O ... it's DIGESTING Imogen now and she IMMEDIATELY fails a Death save - she will DIE next round if she fails again ... FUCK!!!

Ashton is FULLY WILLING to let Laudna KILL HIM for a Hail Mary if it works ... that's badass ... he goes to the head and tries to FORCE THE MOUTH OPEN ... oh you badass stone punk I LOVE YOU ... holy shit Taliesin you steely eyed missile man! Beautiful strength check! Oh, Reverse Whisper? Fascinating ...

Holy shit what IS that t-shirt ... my gods Robbie WHEN did you do THIS sexy shoot? You look INCREDIBLE ...

Reaching down the throat Ashton 5tries to drag Imogen free ... another Strength contest ... oh that is BEAUTIFUL ... wait ... he LEAVES THE HAMMER and just pulls HER free so he can be ABDLUTELY SURE that he can make this work ... but she's OUT of the maw now ... okay, NOW what is he gonna do? Since he's now changed BACK and he's just a WRECK ...

Laudna gets up to the head and casts Void Puppet ... it takes on the form of Otohan? HOLY SHIT ... she USES ASHTON'S HAMMER for this ... okay ... a Disintegration ray? Nice ... if this works it will be AWESOME ... she has to roll 12 or higher for this to work ... or it will backfire CATACLYSMICALLY on Ashton ... 9? OH MY FUCKING GODS ... O.O ... how fucking bad is this going to be?

The head burns a Legendary Resistance to succeed, but the hand fails ... she SERIOUSLY fucks it up, but it could have been MUCH more impressive ... oof ...

Orym drops his Hex and instead shoots a vine out to grab Dorian and drag him into relative safety before pouring a healing potion down his throat ... 15 hit points back and he is UP ... oh man, that;s a ROMANTIC moment in the middle of this shit ...

Another claw attack this time at Orym ... and Wee Man is now DOWN ... fuck ... right in front of Dorian! NOOOO!!!

The head is going for Laudna ... Mirror Image? Please work this time ... YES!!! Thank fuck for that ... a claw attack at Ashton ... halved means 23 points of Slashing damage ... now at Fearne ... a Crit? MATTHEW!!! COME ON!!! She burns her Silver Barbs ... but it still does damage ... FUCK!!! She's out AGAIN!!! But at least she burns HIM while he does it ...

Mist is PISSED right now so he just FIRES his Flame Seed at it ... POW!!!

Fearne fails 2 Death saves ... FUCK!!!

Braius ALSO fails a Death save ...

Dorian struggles up. taking in the ruinous scene around him ... he swoops STRAIGHT UP above and then dumps a Mass Cure Wounds onto the group ... 29 hit points back to EVERYBODY, while he holds back from himself ... oh you sweet, SWEET man, you're too pure for this world ... finally he Inspires Braius. That's a beautiful round, Robbie ...

Matt? What are you doing? He just shredded all but THREE hit points right back out of her again ... YOU BASTARD ...

Chetney rushes to the head and swings at it with Turmoil ... two heavy hits! 38 points of damage ... but he takes three back himself ... second hit is 33 points of damage ...

The head moves AGAIN ... and goes for Ashton ... Dreadful Misfortune? Oh nice ... BEAUTIFUL move, Ashton! So Predathos just BITES HIS OWN TONGUE instead! XD ... beautiful ...

Imogen forces herself up on her hands and knees ... oh ... fuck ... the Ring of Remembrance? Shit ... what's THIS gonna do? Oh my god, if this doesn't work she's going to DIE ... She has to roll a 4 or higher ... oh my fucking gods the tension right now ... O.O ... TWELVE!!! Holy shit ... oh my gods this is going to be INSANELY powerful ... and she can use a Sorcery point to Transmute it too? HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!! She's changing it from Fire to Thunder ... so it's a Meteor Swarm? Wow ... Laura ... I think you just WON THE GAME ... I cannot WAIT to see how this works ...

Robbie (to Laura): "Have you ever been happier with a fistful of dice?" Oh my gods, I know ... O.O

This is already SO MUCH DAMAGE and it's only the FIRST HIT ... 154 points of damage ... sweet fucking OH MY GODS ...

Imogen is LITERALLY RAINING FIERY HELL on this fucking thing right now ... O.O

Marisha: "She is the Storm, baby!" She is indeed ...

Matt: "Imogen Temult, how do you want to do this?" The table collectively LOSE THEIR MINDS ...

Pure havoc. Everybody just has to COVER UP and hope for the best as rocky devestation pours all around them ... meanwhile Imogen is just a glowing Exaltant Ruidusborn GODDESS right now ...

Oh, so the little child version of Prdathos is back? Interesting ... oh, it's breaking apart? They're drfting away and merging with her ... right, so what DOES this mean?

Laudna pulls the Mask out again ... and it just crumbles in her hands ... hmmmm ... not the best sign ...

Yeah, reckon it's best to just GET THE FUCK OUT of this place while you still can, guys ...

Liliana? Oh yeah ... best get to her quick ...

Whispers? For Travis NOW, when he's trying a smell check on Lliana? What does that MEAN?!!!

SERIOUSLY guys, you need to LEAVE!!! Go now!

This whole thing's turned into the clamax of Krull right now ... they're running out of the Black Fortress as it's collapsing around them! AAAAAAAAHH!!!

Healing is good, you guys better get yourselves back into SOME semblance of passable shape while you're moving ...

Imogen Messages Caleb ... oh hell, Liam has to start shuffling through his Character Sheets to check what Caleb has right now ... so they're all just mopping up the remains of the battle, looks like ... okay, this is a victory, then, but a messy one ...

Could Ira get them out? Or Planerider Ryn?

Imogen tries to Message Ryn now ... okay ... oh here she is! Hey! She might be able to help? Nice ...

Roll a D100? Crap ... not a good sign ... 74? Apparently that's good ...

Planerider Ryn is IN DA HOUSE!!! She's missing her arm, but otherwise in one piece ... nice ... She can take EIGHT of them and herself ... so somebody gets left bebhind no matter what if this includes Liliana ... hmmmmmm ...

Laudna has that elf amulet from the place near the Secret Entrance? Nice ... that could do it ...oh ... wait, maybe not, then ... crap ... I don't know, it's confusing ... hmmmm ...

Yeah, this is all very complicated ... I have a feeling this is PROBABLY going to go spectacularly wrong ...

Somebody has to get in the Hole no matter WHAT we do, just PICK one of you ...

You're running out of time here, guys! Do something NOW!!!

Dorian goes in the Hole! Hold your breath!

A doll? YES!!! hat's do it! Perfect ... Ryn has a focus points now. TIME TO GO!!!

WHOOSH!!! They've teleported! Let Dorian out of the bag! Phew ... oh wait, there's somebody here!

A massive army? A mixed bag ... oh, it's the forces of Vasselheim? Interesting.

The Dusk General? Sounds cool ... and there's some ANGELS too? Wow ...

Crap ... has Imogen just become a target? Not good,. not good ... now what do we do?

Scary arse goliath woman ... doesn't sound too pleasant ...

Oh hell, is this all just gonna kick off? These people don't seem to like each other ...

Okay ... this MIGHT be salvagable ... be VERY CAREFUL about what you do next, this could go bad REALLY EASILY right now ... O.O

Yeah, sounds like Vasselheim would be the smart place to go. Let more qualified minds take the lead on this ...

Roll good, guys ...

Yeah, Dorian does have his charms ... XD

Oh the angels are like an official ESCORT now? That's pretty cool, actually. I hope that's a GOOD sign ...

The Ruidusborn in the group are, like SERIOUSLY SHINY right now ... that's all kinds of hot ... O.O

Lake Umamu? Nice ... they're back on Exandria, then. Now what?

The Ashari! Hey! Finally, some friendly faces ...

And Ryn's tagging along, that's good ...

Vasselheim! As required ... perfect. Wow ... yeah, this place is READY for some shit ... and this is where Matt calls it a night.

Right ... so sounds like the next episode is potentially a proper climax for the campaign, then ... I guess we'll see. Is it Thursday yet?