#there's a Starcraft line

[forgottenbones]

You Don't Need To Read Theory To Be A Leftist

[velinxi]

Hana visits the ones she couldn't save

(The words say “the grave of Song Min-joon Number 1 StarCraft player” It’s a reference to Hana’s really obscure overwatch 1 voice line where she says she just can’t beat her dad at StarCraft)

[drunkenskunk]

So I've been playing a lot of Helldivers II, and it's really fun!

(at least, it is when the servers are working lmao)

However: there is one thing about the game that annoys me. It's the same thing that always annoys me whenever drop pods are mentioned in science fiction.

Nobody ever seems to get them right!

Whenever drop pods show up, they always seem to depict each pod as a single projectile rocketing towards the surface of a planet, usually behind enemy lines. They're the logical sci fi evolution of airborne infantry dropping in by parachute, because a lot of military sci fi tropes have trouble moving past WWII. And, y'know, that's fine. That's not the issue I have.

The issue is the single projectile part.

It's almost like every writer who includes drop pods forget that anti-aircraft weapons and SAM sites are currently a thing in the real world and would almost certainly still exist and be better in the science fiction space future. Those drop pods rocketing towards the surface would present the juiciest targets imaginable and would almost certainly get shot out of the sky before they even got close to impacting on the surface.

Annoyingly, the only sci fi that I know of to ever get drop pods right is the first one to ever do it: the Starship Troopers novel by Robert Heinlein.

Now, say what you will about Heinlein - and I do, quite often. For the most part, he's not that great of a writer, and his politics are terrible. The man was an asshole who loved writing wet farts of fascist porn, and the novel absolutely pales in comparison to Paul Verhoeven's 1998 masterpiece of satire, where he took one look at the book, rolled his eyes, and started making jerk-off motions.

But when I first read the novel when I was, like, 6 years old, I was a dumbass child and didn't notice (or care) about the... I mean, I'd call it "fascist subtext" except that it's literally just The Text. No, what drew me in was the one singular thing Heinlein was actually good at writing: technical sequences, written from an in-universe lens.

The way he described how the drop pods actually work in the first few pages of the novel - and, more importantly, how they don't immediately get shot out of the sky - is great! It makes sense, it's easy to understand (because Johnny Rico is, let's be honest: an idiot, he's not going to give you a complicated explanation), and it fills in a plot hole you never realized was there.

For as many faults as the man had as both a writer and a human being, and for all the many problems the rest of the book has, that first chapter - and specifically the drop pod sequence - is a great hook.

Like, this is the template for drop pods. This is The Thing that people are referencing whenever drop pods show up in sci fi, like in fucking Halo, or Starcraft, or Warhammer 40k. And everyone always seems to forget the single most important thing about this infantry delivery system: the countermeasures.

I dunno. This is just one of those things that's always annoyed me.

[askagamedev]

Recently, Jason Schreier revealed some bts talks with Blizzard devs who told him that they were trying for an RTS for years but were denied by execs. I understand that execs weigh risk/reward in terms of profitability but from the consumer side, these sorts of reveals makes it seem like innovation is being stifled and shifted to the indie scene like the nothing but superhero movies. What's it look like from the dev and creative side?

Creatives want to be creative, so they pitch creative stuff. Executives care about the bottom line and return on investment. Unfortunately, the real story in the AAA space is that experimental and niche games like RTS games don't have as much of a potential market anymore. The biggest RTS in the world was Starcraft 2, and [Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty didn't earn as much as the glowy mount in World of Warcraft] at the time.

"But why not just form smaller teams?" you might ask. The problem here is that the game development specialties don't typically lend themselves to being evenly distributed between smaller projects and larger ones - every project needs at least a tech artist, an engine programmer, a strong generalist programmer, etc. just to get off the ground. These kind of roles are rare and highly sought-after in the industry, while the others - character modelers, environment artists, level designers, gameplay programmers, AI programmers, texture artists, UI artists (and so on) aren't needed in the same numbers on small or big projects. If the studio doesn't have a good distribution of work for these devs to do, that inevitably leads to layoffs.

We want to make these games, but the feasibility of such at a studio with a large headcount of varying discipline distribution is a numbers balancing optimization game. The incentives and needs are more than just "we want to do this" - the biggest question is "Can we make this game idea work financially within the studio constraints?". Some studios have tried to make it work - Double Fine focused their development on smaller titles, Crystal Dynamics tried some smaller Tomb Raider titles, my own studio is currently trying to get approval for a new game, and so on, but it is a much more complex problem than "we want to do it but the executives don't want to".

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[sukunasun]

any drafts or thoughts u want an excuse to post ..?

spearheading the 'geto is good at games' campaign until he gets the recognition he deserves. losing one game of street fighter isn't fair evidence when he's literally an all-time taiko no tatsujin great at eighteen. just look at the marks and ridges on his worn-out game-branded drumsticks tucked under his bed, yes he has them for optimal performance. tossed next to the—just as worn—converse chucks. he always manages to score a 'perfect' in DDR, and owes it to the shoes. the staff knows he's here when they hear beethoven virus booming through the speakers, shoulder-length hair pushed back with a metal-wired headband while the group of local kids stand around the console with sparkling eyes, admiring the master himself.

but he doesn't brag. modest and so tight-lipped about it, face cringing the moment you ask about the shiny holographic trophy sitting in his dorm closet. he's busy with pulling your panties off under your skirt, pleated and pressed to perfection as he sinks his fingertips into soft flesh. ask him about anything else, anything but his starcraft II championship trophy.

all the things he could do when left alone with you on a hot summer's day like this but he pouts and sulks over a lost bet. exacerbated by the fact that his best friend won't shut up about it. brings it up every time they pass by the arcade or a mcdonalds. "remember that time you—" gojo doesn't even get to finish his sentence, laughing at the way geto's eye twitches involuntarily.

geto swears he's over it. forget that he still has that same urge to revisit old fighting games, his face scrunched up in concentration as the selection breezes past every character but ryu and his brawny muscles. he doesn't have a reason why, only that it's the one he remembers choosing that very day.

fuck it, he thinks. there are worse things, but the fact that gojo's got his hands on his own ps5 the moment it drops makes his blood boil. ready to snatch the console for himself when the man can barely steer or walk in a straight line. everyone assumes gojo satoru is great at everything, praises him for it, honoured one or whatever. pfft. geto knows effort is exactly what he lacks. "this is so hard!" gojo whines, already bored when he's yet to get past the tutorials of final fantasy vii. because he doesn't have the knack for it, this is where talent or bloodlines won't help, arcade games and their simple mechanics won't do now that he's left to traverse rpgs and action-adventures. it's why he gives the controller over to geto, leaving his hands free to clap and smack his broad back in excitement when he finishes the game in two days.

and he isn't always this competitive. geto likes when there isn't so much of a challenge too, when he can take his time decorating his island with the twins, their inputs are of utmost importance. loves that you sit in his lap as he patiently breezes through different maps in mario kart. feeling your kiss on his cheek as he crosses that checkered finish line in first place.

one kiss turns into two, then three and more. soon after he's found a new challenge in the form of making you come undone as many times as he can. pleasure dom is not a label he gives himself, it's one he has to earn. oh how you feed his ego, he feels so terrible. this isn't about winning, this was about loving you, making you feel good, but he's too selfish of a lover.

arch your back, strike a pose, preferably in a bayonetta costume. he takes his time, he relishes in the feel of leather, pulling the zipper down the middle with his teeth, and tries his best to resist ripping it apart. you've really outdone yourself, so thoughtful. he peels it off your body slowly, sensually. enough of a gentleman to appreciate the finer things, although not as much that he wouldn't pull out before he jerks himself off over your face. rectangular glasses that sit askew now painted with his seed.

loves making you shake and tremble, acting like he's unaware of how expertly his fingers play with you, his touch had been curious the first time, now he inches closer with familiarity, settling into a steady rubbing rhythm over your slickened cunt, teasing your clit each time he skims it before plunging his fingers inside. probing against a spot that has you leaking all over his sheets. it's not stars in your eyes but tears, hot and streaming down your face when he won't stop despite your garbled pleas. how you whine and dig your fingernails into his biceps, a little scared but so very excited, ecstatic even when he pulls out a bad dragon and you swear he's your soulmate.

[asksythe]

We know Nie Mingjue died of qi deviation, but i quite often saw the fandom also called what happened to Lan Qiren inside mingshi and Wei Wuxian in the lotus pier's ancestral shrine was qi deviation as well.

Can you explain what qi deviation actually is?

Thank you 🙏

It's "magical psychosis".... caused by improper cultivation practice or a detrimental state of mind.

Psychosis in a regular person is scary enough. But what about when someone who has superhuman strength and an unthinkable degree of control over their own body starts undergoing violent psychosis? What about when this person can warp reality itself (as is often the case in high xianxia genre)?

That's the simple way to explain a qi deviation (or as Nie Huaissang refers to them in the book 走火入魔, this term can be understood as "to be so consumed by an obsession that one succumbs to madness"). To understand Qi deviation, you have to understand cultivation, though. And that's a fair bit harder to describe in simple terms without being stymied by the cultural barrier.

A simple way to describe cultivation is that it's the process where people slowly turn themselves into biological magic (qi) reactors (like a Mako reactor from FF7 + the Zerg Hive from Starcraft). This process takes years, decades, or even centuries, depending on the specific story. This process requires very careful conditioning of both the body and mind over the years (i.e. building the reactor).

Just like with building a reactor, if you use shoddy materials or if the blueprints are lacking, or if the reactor starts taking in questionable supplies, or if the environments are stressful, problems can happen. And problems can be anything from a minor hiccup, a pause in operation, the reactor failing to expand further and stagnating, or the reactor going kaboom (i.e. the Nie's terminal problem).

I can see why people call what Wei Wuxian experienced in Lotus Pier's ancestral shrine a qi deviation. He was in a heightened state of emotion. They just came back from the second Siege, so he was already exhausted both physically and mentally. Then he had that fairly onesided altercation with Jiang Cheng. He exhibited the classic symptom of bleeding from facial orifices. It does line up, doesn't it?

In the case of Lan Qiren, uh... I guess? So this is the passage concerning Lan Qiren in the book (Wuji, the first volume of MDZS simplified Mandarin):

Lit (It's my translation. I never read any English translation, so it may be rough, but it should carry the meaning):

…Lan Qiren, who originally had lost consciousness, sat up straight. He was bleeding and smoking from the seven orifices on his face. His beard pointed up straight. His finger pointing at Wei Wuxian trembled. (He) hoarsely said: "Stop blowing! Scram! Scram right away! You can't--"

Before he could finish saying "can't" what, he spewed up blood and fell back down, once more deep in unconsciousness.

So it's the same physical symptom: bleeding (and smoking!) from the seven orifices. The prior stressor is the Lan failing the invoking ritual on Nie Mingjue's hand and were injured when the hand retaliated. So that's on par with Wei Wuxian after the second siege. It's not just Lan Qiren, but every other Lan in the chamber other than Lan Wangji and the Lan disciple who managed to escape. Lan Qiren also sat at one of the key positions in the array used to suppress the hand, so he would suffer a worse bounce-back attack.

And then Wei Wuxian entered the picture....

Are we to understand being in Wei Wuxian's presence and hearing his "atrocious" flute blowing to be such mental stress that it pushed Lan Qiren from 'wounded and unconscious' straight into 'qi deviation' territory (which is capital S serious for a cultivator) ??!! Is Lan Qiren that fragile, or does Wei Wuxian just have that much of an impact on him? 😦

I guess it is.... 😅 if we are meant to take it humorously.

In any case, there are actually resources in English if you want to dig deeper into this phenomenon/concept:

Although if you want to completely grasp qi deviation and such cultivation-related topics, I recommend you read mainstream xianxia books (as while they are amazing, MXTX's books are oft-criticized for being threadbare in regards to the cultivation aspect.) or play cultivation games (I play Overmortal. It's fairly easy and free to get into. It's pay to win though. If you only want to get a better idea on cultivation, it's a good option).

[slavikreimu]

✨Thoughts from the shadows✨

Again me! And again with the headcanon wagon! This time, I want to share my thoughts on the games that the characters of Yu-Gi-Oh would play.

I'll start with Yugi and Atem. Based on their specifics and tastes, I think they would like card games, or strategies. They understand them so well that they could easily break into the esports league. Until that time, they had been developing their tactics behind the board games that were in Sugoroku's store.

Games: Hearthstone, StarCraft, Inscryption

Next - Jounouchi and Honda. My guess is that they have been playing games since the days when computer clubs appeared. These are mostly popular games of the present time, where cooperation and teamwork are appreciated. Together they develop tactics, and even know the loopholes in the games. They mostly play shooters.

Games: Call of Duty, Counter Strike, Quake champions, Fortnite

Anzu almost does not play with friends, because of the weak computer. Jonochi or Yugi let her play in the computer club, but she didn't like the genre of games they played. But she had no equal in dancing games. To do this, she goes to an arcade club or plays on Jonochie's console.

Games: DanceDance Revolution, Just dance, Dancerush

Kaiba has a huge potential in strategies. Coming to the computer club, everyone understands one thing: "the master of strategies has come." He has been participating in the esports league for longer than Yuga, and has extensive experience. But every time he goes into a game against him, he loses with a 50/50 chance.

Game: Heart's of Iron, Cilivisation, Red alert, Heroes of might and magic

Ryo plays almost the same game as Yugi and Jonochi. But his personality has a different opinion. Yami Bakura loves games where the atmosphere is gloomy, scary monsters and just moments when the aesthetics of the area puts pressure on you. Re is also not against scary games, but he rarely plays them.

Games: Outlast, Silent Hill, Clocktower, Phasmophobia

This comrade is the very embodiment of cruelty. And he will tell you 1 out of 1000 ways to make the victim scream. Give him games, with an abundance of cruelty, and even dark ones that almost cross the line. He doesn't have a chance to play these games at home, but there's Bakura and his friends, right? He is not allowed into computer clubs because he scares visitors with his laughter and muttering.

Game: Postal 2, Manhunt, Hotline Miami, Dead by Daylight.

I'll stop for now. If you're interested, I'll write the next post with other characters!

And remember: Even if you have a different opinion, it's okay. Everyone has their own headcannons and vision for the characters! It will also be interesting for me to read your suggestions!

✨

[laguzmage]

Its kind of a shame Blizzard had to go in the shitter in more ways then one because I still to this day think that Starcraft is one of the better Warhammer knockoffs almost if not on par with the og itself. I'd go as far as to say that 1998 blizzard's idea of being legally distinct is "Instead its hicks in space and also like every fourth terran line is just lifted from Aliens" is brilliant

[usercelestial]

personally as cute as I think all the shipping stuff is im a little more preoccupied with the glimpse at pre-fall crowley because of a couple things. first it's made explicitly clear that crowley heavily outranked aziraphale; to the extent that at their first meeting aziraphale is just a random angel he thoughtlessly summons to assist him with starcrafting. aziraphale is infatuated with angel crowley on sight but crowley barely registers him. secondly we don't actually get angel crowley's name- aziraphale introduced himself, and crowley never bothers to reply, either too focused on his work or just being completely dismissive of someone he views as a subordinate. either way. he never says it and aziraphale never learned it.

nooo i know right, that's such an interesting idea that i'm excited to see explored. crowley and aziraphale had met before eden but crowley must have been such a different person back then.

i'd love to see that different side of crowley when he was an angel, maybe he's a little pretentious and stuck-up about his work so he doesn't pay attention to others. of course he wouldn't really care about aziraphale that much, what initially drew them together in the garden was the fact that they are both obviously not a typical angel and demon. when they meet on the wall, crowley perks up at aziraphale telling him he gave his sword away, disobeyed god, and was questioning whether or not he had done the right thing, behavior obviously not exhibited by many angels. this is where crowley starts to develop feelings for him. aziraphale is different and crowley recognizes this when they meet for the first time as angel and demon, not only because he's fallen and knows that only fallen angels are supposed to have doubts but also because he used to be an angel himself and he knows first hand how angels are supposed to act and think and aziraphale is the complete opposite.

but where they actually first meet crowley wouldn't have much of a reason to pay attention to aziraphale. before crowley fell, he was just an angel, one who is only just about to find out how different he is not only to the other angels but also the other demons. a perspective he didn't have pre-fall.

i think that information does re-frame that first interaction after crowley had fallen. he's a new person with a new name and a new perspective on heaven and hell and really sees aziraphale for the first time under this new identity. who he was before, his rank, it didn't matter because he still fell and i truly believe that crowley feels there is something fundamentally wrong with him because of it. that's part of why hozier's take me to church feels so impactful in reference to crowley's character because, disregarding the romantic themes there, it also conveys that in the eyes of the church, if you can't conform, there is something fundamentally wrong with you. crowley feels like he was born sick and there is no forgiveness for that. he asked questions, he got it wrong, it wasn't on purpose, he didn't think any of it was serious, until suddenly he was free falling into oblivion. he seems to just enjoy pushing the boundaries until one day he pushed too far and fell out of line. i don't believe he was aware there would be actual permanent repercussions for that pre-fall, possibly because of his rank in the heaven hierarchy at the time. he didn't have the full picture, he was stuck in his work, in the hierarchy, and possibly didn't realize those rules applied to him.

and it's not that aziraphale was a perfect angel, he had doubts and questions, it just seems that his cognitive dissonance and genuine fear of repercussions (again repercussions that crowley may not have been aware of pre-fall) prevents him from fully committing to them. part of what probably worries him about crowley so early on is that he does see how crowley likes to test things, how curious he is and ultimately how similar they really are even if aziraphale is better at ignoring those urges then crowley. one of the main differences between them is that crowley got punished while aziraphale slid under the radar.

what i'm saying here is that crowley pre-fall seems like an entirely separate person from the crowley we know now, for better or for worse, because obviously falling was a traumatic experience that gave crowley a lot of issues with self-hatred and a distorted way of viewing himself but it also gave him a broader perspective that frames crowley's character and contributes to the growth of his relationship with aziraphale.

[masochisticallygrumpy]

top 3 monster girls, go

I spent too long thinking about this question.

Disclaimers

I will be including sexual appeal in my choice; I know this is implied, but I wanted to state it. It is also not the only criteria I will be using to pick my top 3 monster girls.

However, sexual appeal does eliminate a lot of options under these categories:

Minors

Pokemon. Some may pass the Harkness test due to their intelligence, but people get weird about Pokemon, so I won't consider it. Gardevoir may be as smart as a person, have the figure of a woman, and talk in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, but I just don't want to go to the Pokemon well for this list.

Those that may not be minors but still really look too young for me. This eliminates a lot of BHA characters, and I'm certain some of them are still minors.

No robots :(

I'll also stick to media that I have consumed for my choices. This will be relevant for a few honorable mentions later on.

I can't list a character that I am unfamiliar with, so I'm sorry if your monster girl of choice isn't mentioned.

I don't watch a ton of anime these days, so I haven't watched Monster Girl Doctor and most anime featuring monster girls.

I did read some Monster Musume, and most of the girls seem pretty one-directional. While a lot of them have strong sexual appeal, they kinda stutter there.

I like that Interspecies Reviewers gets pretty kinky with its monster girls, but the treatment of Crim gives me the ick, so I haven't really had a desire to see all of it.

I will be excluding demi-humans (i.e. elves, dwarves, orcs, etc.).

Listen, the answer is pretty much always smash when it comes to demi-humans, but they don't really capture the "monster" element that I'm looking.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MY TOP 3

3. Panne, from Fire Emblem Awakening

Some would probably argue that Panne classifies as a furry rather than a monster girl, but it's my list. This is more of a sentimental pick, because she was my first Fire Emlem waifu and likely formative in my sexual deviancy.

I'm not generally a fan of slapping animal ears and a tail on someone and calling them a "monster person." However, Panne has way more going on her design than that with distinctive armor and shorts that are simply made of her fur. In addition, her people have a distinct culture that she talks about, and I like when she talks about it. I think that background fleshes out her character enough to keep me intrigued.

I think the big thing that separates Panne from your typical furry or person with animal ears/tails is her ability to transform into a giant rabbit-beast. To me, that's evocative of werewolves, which fall firmly in the venn diagram overlap of furries and monster people.

Maybe it's just me, but that ability to transform makes me question deep down if I'm ready to get it on with an intelligent monstrous rabbit. That's the real monster in Panne.

I probably would.

2. Kerrigan, Queen of Blades from Starcraft

Source: https://rafater.artstation.com/projects/2kWwJ

I've only played Starcraft 2 once, and that was almost a decade ago, but I think Kerrigan is the perfect balance of "Dangerous monster" and woman that I crave. I'm also a sucker for a fallen hero archetype, so she's got me there. However, I do remember that she regained her humanity and free will for a bit, so she does pass the Harkness Test.

She doesn't keep her human appearance for long, because she fully embraces the zerg after presumably, her love, Jim Raynor, dies. However, she keeps her free will this time! Maybe I'm just a romantic, but I'd love if a woman embraced the monster within her to avenge me.

I never finished the Protoss campaign, so I don't know what happens to her in the end, but I like to imagine that she and Jim got freaky.

1. Midna, from Twilight Princess

Midna really balances on that line between demi-human and monster girl for me, but what pushes her over the side to monster girl is her color palette, almost alien head proportions, and her multiple forms.

I confess, I would get freaky with imp midna.

Also,

Would.

Midna's appeal isn't all sexual or aesthetic either. She's sassy, mischievous, and devoted to her people. She's an admirable character. She can make me laugh, which goes a long way. I like her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Honorable Mentions

Medusa from Greek Mythology

I have a ton of respect for Medusa. She was a victim of Poseidon and Athena, and she only turned home invaders to stone. She got done dirty. There's a feminist movement thing I've seen that celebrates Medusa. I like her as an icon a lot.

Karlach/Lae'zel

If I had played Baldur's Gate 3, these two girls would probably make it to the top 3 easy. I just haven't gotten around to it. I'm sorry.

Alcina Dimitrescu

I feel like I had to mention Lady D somewhere. I haven't played RE Village, so she doesn't make the cut. I think I have a lot of conflict about her. Like, yeah, I find her very sexually attractive. She's tall, well-dressed, got a nice aesthetic going. She's certainly got that dangerous quality of a monster, but that's just kind of about it. She causes a lot of conflict in me emotionally too. There's sexual appeal, but I should be afraid of her in the context of the horror game, and I don't want to just overtly sexualize any woman I see. Maybe I've tried conditioning myself too strongly about that. Idk, there's an ick in my gut. Maybe because there's no outcome where I don't end up dead if we were put in a room together. I understand that some may find that appealing. I'm also not into hardcore femdom. I'm way more into gentle stuff. She does reach that perfect height for me when it comes to mini-giantess/giantess stuff. I like that.

Ahsoka Tano

I like Ahsoka, and I know she's grown up now, but I primarily see her as a minor still. I'd have more to say if I hadn't fallen off of Star Wars a few years ago, but she deserves some recognition.

World Of Warcraft Vanilla Succubus

You could throw a dart at any of the playable races in WoW and I'd likely say "smash", but they primarily fall under demi-human category or furry. However, I consider demons to be monsters.

Vanilla WoW Succubus, my beloved

She says the darnedest things.

Those polygons hit me at a developmentally important time of my life and likely had a hand at me looking at other polygons. I don't think I'd consider monster girls without her.

Thank you, if you made it this far. Tell me your favorite monster girls.

@kingdedede8 This ask took a large portion of my day

[ranboo5]

Regarding Cranboo, I vaguely remember something about enderfeds (it has been so long I am sorry) what did cranboo do in his backstory for the feds to be after him again? I forgor :(

The thing abt cRanb is that they were made as a fucked up little spy. While the fucked circadian rhythm thing is a thing endermen generally do, Ranboo was spliced together from enderman and what I am making an executive decision to call adostra after those things from StarCraft right now, the important things abt which are the following: 1) it is regarded culturally/mythologically as the source of love, and 2) in concert w/ the enderwalk cycle some quality of it functionally overloads enderman memory cycling & such to create a guy that can strategically memoryhole things not really on command but with at least Some efficacy. Physiologically induced Tactical Repression. This gave them fantastic amounts of issues from the get go that their upbringing would do nothing to solve (he was however arguably better off than his "sister" Eksvayq from the same batch, who was basically given neuralink)

But for what one may ask? The lab was part of/funded by an ~insurrectionist state at war with the End monarchy. None of the Enderwalkers were frontline as they were meant to smuggle information across faction lines anyway but war is hell, Ranboo has their first experience playing quadruple agent as they are meant to do, water weapons are developed, the End monarchy eventually gets his ass and Eksvayq's and Eksvayq is Horribly Killed, and after a string of lying, cajoling, and managing to be overlooked in favor of more lethal priorities, Ranboo manages to escape and flee

The lab loses a lot of functionally The Notes On Ranboo's Creation as well as everything stored within his skull and they desperately want him back for this

[adhdo5]

On one hand it was based and funny of me to make my OC care about StarCraft II. On the other hand I'm trying to crawl across the finish line of this stupid fucking communications class (already really difficult because I am so demoralized from my previous failures but I'm doing it) and the only thing in my head is just cooing over him like he's a bug in a terrarium

[brodinsons]

"Instead of highlighting the character's Jewish origins, 'Man of Steel' features a Randian Christ-figure who commits genocide against his entire race, then causes multiple mass casualty events."

I apologize in advance for the incoming rant but I am sick and tired of sitting quietly for this relentless bullshit and at some point, enough is enough. I'm not naming the individual I'm quoting because I'm not interested in starting fights. This is my space and I'm venting a collective decade of frustration and anger.

Noun. Randian (plural Randians) A follower of Ayn Rand.

God damn, y'all just can't help yourselves, can you? You just slurp up every bit of nonsense from all those puffed up "YouTube Essayists" with god complexes from 2015 and take it as fucking fact.

Not to mention, y'all cannot seem to let a random baseless accusation from a disgraced sexual predator go. That's him! He's the one who started it! The very one to fling the first scrap of "Zack Snyder is a Randian Objectivist who hates Superman and is poisoning the DCEU!" bait out into the twittersphere for the rest of the ravenous bloggers to jump on. I refuse to take anyone's treatise on the modern superhero myth seriously if this is the depth they'll stoop to in the middle of their piece.

Snyder made one single offhand comment about maybe adapting 'The Fountainhead' (for its aesthetics, mostly) years ago and now he's a sexist racist fascist objectivist and the root of all evil.

Objectivism: "The exceptional people among us have a divine right to decide our fate and we should not oppose them."

Does that sound like the message of any of his DC films? Movies that end with speeches about heroes wanting to be on the ground to do good in crises and how good humanity can be despite its faults? What about MoS specifically, where the ultimate immigrant allegory struggles to find his place in a world that does not accept him yet still fights for and protects humanity because this world is his chosen home?

Not to mention, where the fuck is this genocide-committing Jesus Superman? Clark t-poses out of the Black Zero one goddamn time while looking sadly back at his dad because Snyder is a visual filmmaker with a penchant for dramatic shots and everyone loses their fucking minds. He goes to the Lutheran church he presumably attended with Martha & Jonathan as a child to seek the counsel of Father Leone because Clark Kent is not canonically Jewish (may the memory of his Jewish creators be a blessing). There's stained glass iconography of Christ in the background at one point because it's a Christian church in middle America. Clark himself never once espouses any religious lines or strict beliefs. Nor does he position himself as a "Christ-figure", either through himself or via the story??????? He doesn't want the responsibility that comes with putting that suit and cape on. But he does it anyway because he understands the stakes when shit gets real and he refuses to let his adoptive world pay for unwittingly bringing the worst remnants of his old world here.

Also, Clark only kills one person: Zod. The U.S. military "bombs" the Black Zero with the starcraft that brought Clark to earth in order to re-open the Phantom Zone and send Zod's forces (the pack of militaristic extremists known as the Sword of Rao) into it. Given what we know of the Phantom Zone in various canons, that's a fate almost worse than death. Then, after being given an ultimatum that either he dies or Zod will, he makes the impossible choice that will haunt him the rest of his life to save a human family moments from being obliterated by Zod's heat vision and kills the general. Nowhere in this catastrophic battle did he "commit genocide against his entire race" (did everyone forget that he himself is the Codex's host and therefore the living possibility of Krypton's rebirth?) or "cause multiple mass casualty events".

I understand that the scale of fictional damage was perhaps a touch more realistic than the near identical scale featured in all of the Avengers movies. It's fine if it's not your thing. Move along. That discomfort still doesn't give you enough leeway to point the finger at a rookie Superman on his first day on the job and say "all that destruction and death was his fault". He tried to take it out of the city! Zod—a vastly more experienced military leader with blind genetic fanaticism on his side, by contrast—refused to allow it. His goal was the annihilation of earth and as much collateral damage as possible (preferably the entire human race). Clark had to stand between humanity and that with zero combat experience and no clue he'd be forced into a no-win scenario to stop the carnage.

I'm tired. It has been ten years. I'm so fucking tired. Can you people give it a rest? None of you are the ultimate authority on superheroes and positioning yourselves as something dangerously close to that with these twitter threads and blog treatises and reviews full of big words in nerd outlets only poisons the fandom well further.

You are allowed to dislike things. You aren't even required to justify that dislike. What you aren't allowed to do is declare something objectively bad based on nothing but your own subjective reaction to it, then invent criticisms that aren't even applicable to the thing in question.

The day we lost the ability to differentiate between "I did not enjoy this media so I guess it wasn't for me" and "I did not enjoy this media and therefore NO ONE SHOULD BECAUSE REASONS I WILL INVENT FROM SECONDHAND HEARSAY" is the day media literacy ceased to exist in pop culture.

[dwarvenbash]

Something a little niche today, the Touro heavy Mech and Buckmaster light Mech from Brigador!

These neat little killing machines actually come packaged with a few weapon options, allowing you to mix and match a bit, which is very true to the original game's spirit.

Especially fell in love with the Touro even more as I was putting it together, it's a very cute little lump of pewter that is quite satisfying to hold.

If you've never heard of Brigador before and are curious, more info about that and these little guys under the cut!

For the accurate Brigador experience, it's best to keep reading while listening to this track on loop:

Now, although those are miniatures up there, Brigador is a video game rather than one of the table top variety. While that may be a distasteful prospect to some, I can assure you it is still quite fun, as evidenced by this screenshot:

There are like fifty levels and I've beaten (nearly) all of them with every loadout, evidence of me doing as such with the really hard ones have been conveniently omitted in this screenshot however.

The game uses these awesome old-school 3D prerendered sprites for everything, which really scratches my nostalgic itch for that old Diablo/Starcraft look (or any 90s RTS for that matter). Here's how the Touro and Buckmaster look in game!

They're somehow even cuter...

The excellent art direction coupled with some really solid writing made Brigador a staple game for me. Whenever I have a couple minutes to kill and I'm at my computer, I'll usually just boot up Brigador and try to clear some challenge I've been working on. It's a very relaxing habit, despite the tone of the game which is actually quite grim! (Hopefully this doesn't reflect on me badly...)

Anyway, enough about videogames, we're here to to discuss miniatures!

Now while I am still very pleased that the developers of Brigador decided to release their own pewter miniatures based on designs from the game, I must warn you, my dear reader, that these sculpts may have some pretty gnarly flash and mold line issues. I can't say anything for sure, because all the pieces on my Buckmaster were free of residue and too much flash, but both of the Touros I picked up still had enough mold release where they needed a wash, and their chassis pieces had pretty big chunks of flash. I had picked up two to convert one into a Corvid mech (I can't decide between a Sweetheart or a Fatshoe) anyway though so it isn't that big a deal. The Touros were the first models they released, so I'm sure they've worked out the kinks at this point.

All that being said, I still had a good time putting these guys together and I'm very excited to paint them up in their proper NEP livery. I think I'll put them on Battletech hex bases since theyre about the right size and could work as stand-ins for some underdog Inner Sphere mecha, perhaps.

Funnily enough, these miniatures are also technically 1:144 scale, which is exactly the same scale as a Gundam High Grade model kit! Here they are next to a 1:144 scale Pilot to give you a sense of how big they would be in real life:

Something very satisfying about being able to do this with miniatures. I wish Battletech played this nice with regards to scale...

....aaand now compared to a Mobile Suit:

Makes you realize how ridiculously huge Mobile Suits are, huh?

One shot from the Touro's Abbot could probably still blow that poor Leo up, though...

Thanks for reading this far! This one has been especially indulgent, but it's always fun to talk about something underrated in the hopes more people will check it out.

Going forward on here, I'm considering making more "short-form" posts (yes, it is possible) with more quick updates on what I'm working on. Most miniatures probably won't necessitate an entire screed to accompany them either, believe it or not. I'll still be writing up long ones like these though; I have a long, long list of opinions and diatribes and I am desperately trying to spare my loved ones from being subjected to them. Most importantly, though, it's fun to write about this stuff. :P

[drawn-on-phone]

Hive Fleet Update! (Projects and Paints)

Dissertations are tough. They kind of mean I only get to bit and bob at things when I get the chance. Still I did get some painting done, some models built, and 2 kitbashes (no paint) done this year. I also have a better organized list of units and models to get so I'm not buying everything my poor executive function gets it grubby eyes on.

So first up some paint!

I've gotten a 10 unit squad of Termies and 5 Genestealer finished (not pictures).

Probably going to go a bit easier on the spotting for the rest of the batch (about 50 primed and needing paint) so I can use these guys as unit "leaders." I also have a pack of hormagaunts primed and based needing to be painted as well/

On to the thing I feel I have time for: Kitbashing. (I know I can paint, but I don't get the same feeling of accomplishments as I do with smooshing units together) I've kind of come to a decision I'm bashing to make the Dr. Moreau ideas more aligned with a "Daughters of Norn" concept. Think corrupted Terrans from Starcraft but 40k. Lots of biomechas honestly, with a wee bit body horror.

First is the a Flesh Eater Court Termie. Spine Fists + Basic Ghoul body. I need to Green Stuff the arms a bit more, but he is together and is one of my favorites for how simply he was to make. I have an idea that it's akin to the Arco-Flaggelent, but I need to get more Hormigants to make it closer to the original unit in Sisters.

Next is my Corrupted Moren Val / Paragon Warrior. Necropolis Stalker + Tyranid Warriors. The "control arms" are custom made out of spine fists and rippers, and of course the head is GSC Reductus Saboteur. Not sure if I'll make more or not, but she definitely need mold line removal and paint.

Final one is a Neurotyrant / Corrupted Celestine. It's Lady Olynder + Psychoge base with a Neurotyrant Arms. I really life how this one turned out, but its currently curing.

2024 / Future Projects

Thanks to my fancy list I have new projects planned for next year.

I have a Sylvaneth Vanguard Box incoming to try and more more "Biomecha" units. More info on that later.

First is converting a Lady of Vines into a Deathleaper. I have the Lady of Vines form a deal earlier this year, I just need to source some Lictor parts to finish the conversion (with "driver" in chest). figured this could also double as a Moren Val since the Paragon Warrior is a weee bit smaller than Val's actual base (50 instead of 60).

Converting Drycha (have one) into an Ol' One Eye. She is the right size, and there are already some easy fits for the claws and shell. Feels like the perfect unit for the Biomecha theme.

And that's about it for updates. The goal is to focus on Sylvaneth conversion for this year. If I finish those I have plans to dip into Daughters of Khaine to turn the Khinerai into specialized Gargoyls, the Medusai into Ravengers, and maybe a Morathi into a Trygon. But those are super hella long term plans, esp. since I still need to paint my gaunts and Leviathan Box.

[deusexlachina]

Antisocial DAO Part 4 (Tower of Ishal): Meet the first two party members I respect

In which I forge a friendship with the bravest humans I have known: Soldier and Tower Guard.

Me and Alistair are given one job: Go to the Tower of Ishal and light a fire to signal Loghain's loyal troops to heroically save us. Unfortunately, darkspawn start besieging the bridge to the Tower, much as I burn bridges with those around me.

At the tower, I find two young men named "Soldier" and "Tower Guard." These are curious names, but I'm glad to meet some new companions. I can't wait to bond with them at camp!

For the first time, I have a full party, and here I will note that there are two ways of playing Dragon Age. One possibility is just to control your character and let your party's AI handle everything else. This is relatively immersive, and it's viable because this game has an excellent AI-crafting mechanic that is refined in DA2 and...is completely dropped in Inquisition.

The other way is to play it as Real-Time Tactics, using hotkeys to switch around who you're controlling. You can even click and drag, or press ctrl-A, to select everyone, in case you really want this story-rich medieval fantasy to have that Starcraft feel to it. I started the game with the first style, but I've moved on to the second due to the difficulty spike.

The Tower of Ishal is one of the hardest levels of the game for a number of reasons. You have at most one mage (the best class by a large margin), and it's too early for any of the really good builds to come online. Soldier and Tower Guard are also quite weak people. Nonetheless, I respect them more than Alistair: they do not judge me for my foreign ways, frightening magic, or the Miasma which follows my body everywhere. I will have to find non-combat roles for them later in the game. I don't need social skills to impress them. They fight by my side without a word.

There's a room in the Tower where you can free several dogs to help in the fight. They don't follow you further into the Tower. But darkspawn do follow you, and they will follow you right into a room full of hungry dogs. I repeat this process of luring enemies into Dog Range, slowly advancing my menacing battle line of pets.

I then meet the dogs' one weakness: area transitions. I will have to leave these good boys behind. Which is a shame, because I'm about to meet the reason this Tower is so hard: the Ogre.

The Ogre can fatally grab any of you in melee range, which would be bad if three of your party members were melee fighters. It also has AOE attacks with knockdown and preposterously large hitboxes - with its sinister powers, it can ram you without being anywhere near you. I Paralyze it as much as possible, which is very little, since it usually resists.

I must use the elusive tactics of the Dalish. That is, I run away almost the entire fight and hope it doesn't ram me while my redshirts try to backstab it and hope it doesn't turn around and grab them.

After a long fight, the Ogre has nearly killed me, Alistair and Tower Guard, but Soldier charges forward and deals the killing blow, getting an amazing animation where he knocks down the Ogre, jumps on it and stabs it in the heart.

I like this animation better than his usual one where he flails with his sword and somehow misses a huge Ogre right in front of him. It's a much better trick, this one. I wish he'd led with it. Nonetheless, Soldier has earned my respect. He may be a human, but his bravery and loyalty have carried us to victory. I would be proud to have him join me in my quest, along with his brother-in-arms, Tower Guard.

Unfortunately, they both die in a cutscene immediately.

RIP Soldier and Tower Guard