#this things the biggest scale its drawn in in a

[zero-art-or-braincell]

Scars

[httpvomitello]

OMG, the evil turtle 😭 our ROTTMNT boys will have to be very careful when approaching that little menace. Imagine that tiny monster destroyed all the guys’ things in just a small moment of inattention, and it even seems like it wants to take a bite out of one of its new big brothers (bringing back memories of when the evil turtle destroyed the toys it was given and almost ate Gumball when chasing him)

(Donnie is seeing himself lmao)

It seems we are still in the moment of dealing with the evil turtle 😭😭😭. Hope you like it ♡♡♡♡

Leo prided himself on being calm under pressure(he's not), but the tiny turtle perched in your tank was testing every ounce of his patience. You’d introduced the little menace as “Snappy,” and Leo had thought it was cute. That was before Snappy made it his personal mission to wreak havoc on everything in his path.

It started innocently enough. You’d stepped out of the room for a moment, leaving Leo alone with Snappy. He knelt by the tank, admiring the little creature.

“Hey, Snappy,” he said softly, tapping the glass. “You’re kinda cute for a tiny guy, huh?”

Snappy blinked lazily, then, with a sudden burst of energy, launched himself at the glass, mouth open like a miniature shark.

Leo jumped back. “Whoa, easy there!”

But Snappy wasn’t done. In the blink of an eye, the turtle had somehow escaped the tank and was now on the floor, scuttling toward Leo with alarming speed.

“Uh, (Y/N)?” Leo called, backing away slowly. “We’ve got a situation!”

Snappy lunged at his foot, sharp little jaws snapping dangerously close. Leo dodged, but not before Snappy caught the edge of his bandana, tearing a small hole.

You'd better never know how that little turtle jumped so high.

“That’s it,” Leo muttered, drawing his swords. “I’m not losing to a turtle.”

When you returned, you found Leo standing on your couch, swords drawn, while Snappy circled below like a predator stalking its prey.

“What the heck is going on?” you asked, barely holding back laughter.

“This thing,” Leo said, pointing dramatically at Snappy, “is pure evil.”

You scooped up Snappy, who immediately went docile in your hands. “Oh, come on, he’s harmless.”

Leo shot you a look, holding up his torn bandana. “Harmless? Tell that to my gear.”

Snappy blinked innocently, and you swore you saw the tiniest smirk on his face.

Raph wasn’t easily intimidated. He was the biggest, strongest of his brothers, and he’d faced countless enemies without flinching. But nothing prepared him for Kai.

When you introduced your pet turtle, Raph had laughed. “This little guy? He’s adorable.”

Kai, however, seemed to take offense.

It started when Raph bent down to get a closer look. Kai stared at him, unblinking, before suddenly lunging at the glass. The force rattled the tank, and Raph blinked in surprise.

“Feisty, huh?” he muttered.

Moments later, while Raph was distracted, Kai somehow escaped. When Raph looked up, the tiny turtle was scaling his leg like a mountain climber.

“Whoa! Get off, you little psycho!” Raph yelled, trying to shake Kai loose.

But Kai held on, snapping at anything within reach. By the time you returned, your apartment looked like a tornado had hit it. Raph was standing in the middle of the chaos, and Kai perched victoriously on his shell.

“What happened?” you asked, wide-eyed.

“That thing,” Raph growled, pointing at Kai, “is a demon.”

You gently picked up Kai, who immediately nuzzled into your hand like the perfect angel.

Raph narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, sure, act all sweet now. I know the truth.”

Kai blinked at him, and for a moment, Raph swore he saw a glint of pure mischief in those tiny eyes.

Donnie had always been a man of science, fascinated by the natural world. When you introduced him to your pet turtle, he was intrigued.

“This is Rio,” you said, gesturing to the tank.

Donnie adjusted his goggles, leaning in for a closer look. “Fascinating. A testudine of this size usually displays docile behavior, but he's... ugly.”

Donnie forgot for a second that he was interacting with a turtle of the same species as him. But you preferred to keep it quiet.

Rio blinked up at him, deceptively innocent. Donnie tapped the glass lightly, and Rio responded by launching himself at it, teeth bared.

Donnie pulled back, his brow furrowing. “Interesting.”

While you were in the kitchen, Donnie began jotting down notes, observing Rio’s behavior. But when he turned back to the tank, the turtle was gone.

“The fuc—”

Before he could finish, Rio appeared on the coffee table, where there were some of Donnie's inventions. The tiny terror moved with precision, knocking over delicate equipment, biting through wires, and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

“No! Not the prototype!” Donnie yelled, lunging forward.

Rio evaded him effortlessly, scuttling under the table. By the time you returned, Donnie was on his hands and knees, the coffee table was a complete mess.

“What happened?” you asked, struggling to keep a straight face.

“Your pet,” Donnie said, holding up a chewed wire, “is a menace to society.”

You picked up Rio, who blinked innocently at Donnie. “He’s just a little curious.”

“Curious?” Donnie muttered, glaring at the tiny turtle. “He’s a walking disaster.”

Rio, of course, looked perfectly content, as if he hadn’t just destroyed hours of Donnie’s work.

Mikey was thrilled when you told him you had a pet turtle. “A little bro? No way!”

You brought him to the tank, where Ash was lounging on a rock.

“This is Ash,” you said.

Mikey leaned in, eyes sparkling. “Aw, look at him! He’s just like me!”

Ash, in response, lunged at the glass, snapping aggressively.

“Whoa, chill little dude,” Mikey said with a laugh. “He’s got some spice!”

While you stepped away to grab snacks, Mikey decided to introduce himself properly. “Alright, Ash, let’s be buds.”

He opened the tank to get a closer look. That’s when Ash made his move.

In a blur of tiny limbs, Ash escaped, landing on Mikey’s lap. At first, Mikey laughed, but then Ash began his reign of terror.

The tiny turtle scuttled across the room, knocking over Mikey’s skateboard, biting into a pizza box, and even shredding his skateboard design.

“Yo! Chill, dude!” Mikey yelled, chasing after him.

By the time you returned, Mikey was tangled in a mess of torn paper, pizza slices, and an upturned skateboard, with Ash sitting smugly on his chest.

“What the fu... What happened?” you asked, struggling not to laugh.

“Your turtle’s got mad ninja skills,” Mikey said, wide-eyed. “I think he’s trying to take over the world.”

You picked up Ash, who immediately snuggled into your hand. “He’s just a little energetic.”

Mikey sat up, shaking his head. “That little dude’s got more energy than I do.”

Ash blinked at him, and Mikey swore he saw a mischievous gleam in those tiny eyes. “I’ll be ready next time,” Mikey muttered, narrowing his eyes. “Game on, Ash.”

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hello! May I just start by saying that your blog is one of the most helpful resources I've ever come across! The physiology of love has been particularly helpful for writing a very logically driven character who would absolutely go on a tangent about that kind of thing!

Now, I've encountered a recent roadblock in writing the relationship between that character and a very esoteric driven character (if you can't prove it with logic, they believe in it). The two are in a romantic relationship and get along very well, they respect and even make time to go to events regarding each other's interests/beliefs.

The problem is, they bond by debating. Like, they debate about the possibilities of the supernatural existing, do ghosts exist, etc. They don't argue, that's the key here. I... don't get it. To me, debating is arguing. If I believe something very strongly that I can back up with facts, I can get riled up in seconds if someone even jokingly goes against me.

Could you help me understand debating? Or even why some people do it to bond? It's my biggest struggle with writing these two characters and every time I try to research myself I just keep getting "benefits of debating" articles.

Hi! The first thing that came to mind after reading this was studies on sensation seeking.

Sensation seeking - the tendency to search out and engage in thrilling activities as a method of increasing stimulation and arousal.

Perhaps your characters experience debating as a thrilling activity.

Zuckerman's Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS)

A questionnaire designed to measure the extent to which a person needs novel or exciting experiences and enjoys the thrills and excitement associated with them.

Contains 4 subscales, each containing items and phrases as a forced-choice between two distinct options:

First is thrill and adventure seeking, with items such as “I would like to try parachute jumping” versus “I would never want to try jumping out of a plane, with or without a parachute.” These items ask about desire for outdoor sports or activities involving elements of risk, such as flying and scuba diving.

The other scales are experience seeking (e.g., “I am not interested in experience for its own sake” versus “I like to have new and exciting experiences and sensations even if they are a little frightening, unconventional, or illegal”) These items refer to the seeking of new sensory or mental experiences through unconventional or nonconforming lifestyle choices;

disinhibition (e.g., “I like wild, uninhibited parties” versus “I prefer quiet parties with good conversation”). These items indicate a preference for getting “out of control” or an interest in wild parties, gambling, and sexual variety;

boredom susceptibility (e.g., “I get bored seeing the same old faces” versus “I like the comfortable familiarity of everyday friends”) reflected in items that refer to a dislike for repetition, routine work, monotony, predictable and dull people, and a restlessness when things become unchanging.

If we look at each subscale, perhaps your characters are high in "experience seeking" and "boredom susceptibility" and this might be reflected in their love of debating. As a whole, perhaps they both have what is called an HSS personality.

High Sensation-Seeking Personality

If you have this type of personality, it means you prefer to live your life with boundless energy and enthusiasm. You constantly seek out new experiences that will delight, surprise, stimulate and invigorate you – and you may indulge to excess.

Typical Characteristics of High Sensation-Seekers (HSS):

A continuous need for novel and diverse experiences that stimulate them*

A low boredom threshold*

Dislike of routines*

Doesn't respond well to authority or rules and regulations

May not be able to resist impulsive urges

A tendency to make unusual choices that may frighten those around them

HSS personalities often:

Are drawn to high-risk hobbies and sports

Build relationships that contain chaotic elements*

Like music, art and cinema that is daring and stimulating*

Challenge people by provoking raw and intense emotions*

Are fast and sometimes reckless drivers, which may be reflected in their history of accidents or speeding tickets

Become restless or depressed and even more desperate for exciting experiences if sensation is denied*

*Perhaps these characteristics and behaviours apply to your characters.

And we can always use The Five-Factor Model of Personality to help us understand certain traits and behaviours.

Using this model, we could say that your characters likely have high levels of openness and extroversion, and may not be as agreeable, to explain their love of debating.

(Of course, in reality, psychological tests and qualified assessors are needed to make these conclusions using these models, but I think that they can also be used by writers as guides for character building and development.)

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Thanks so much for your kind words! Really happy to hear the Physiology of Love post was helpful for you. Hope this one would be too :)

[alexanderwales]

Roguelite LitRPG Theorycrafting

I had a great idea for a litRPG that takes its inspiration from roguelites rather than JRPGs or Skyrim.

I do not have the time to write such a novel, and will not have time to write it into the foreseeable future. But I do have time for some theorycrafting:

A classic roguelite of the current generation has variable powers and powerups drawn from a small pool that change the character of the run over time. Maps and enemies are boundedly random. When you die, you might have some meta progression, which is usually in the form of unlocks. Sometimes this makes the game easier, but often it just adds in variety. You go until you win or die, and then you go again, starting from nothing.

To start with, I think this has to be a time loop, because it fits that pattern too well. I wrote a blog post about time loops, and would include some ideas and variations from there.

The protagonist starts every loop as a total scrub, but gets to select from a few options at the loop start (or just after) and then at either intervals or with things accomplished. The pool of powers needs to be fairly small, but large enough that we don't see repeats all that often. We want a protagonist who is forced to make the best of a bad situation.

There are a few cool things about this, but the biggest is that we get to see the protagonist solve the same problems in different ways. One one loop, getting into the compound is easy, because he has flight and invisibility, but on another loop, it requires a firefight because he's got a laser belly and can absorb flesh to regenerate. The protagonist presumably has goals, so we also have some stakes built in: all runs are not built the same. When you're on a "hot" run where it seems like everything is going your way, you can't immediately grind your way back to that if you fail. Stakes are one of the things that are sometimes lacking in time loops, so we're solving that problem as a byproduct.

Similarly, a weird power build can take the story in different places. You're able to walk through stone, and all of the sudden you realize that you can penetrate the defenses of the mage academy. You strike while the iron is hot, and uncover things that would, in a normal run, be locked away from you.

There are problems here. The biggest is that I think a lot of audiences would cry about the author's thumb being on the scale, because audiences will always cry about that no matter what. Which powers get offered to the protagonist on any given run will be under scrutiny though, and even things that aren't forced will feel like they might have been. Readers don't like that, particularly litRPG readers, who sometimes come to the genre for a sense of "fair play". I'm not sure there's a way around that, though this is one of the rare cases I feel like an author rolling dice might actually make sense, so long as it was done in a way that would be difficult to fake. This might make for a worse story though, since the author would have less control of the plot.

One of the other things that interests me is ... what if the world changed in the same way it does in a roguelite? In a normal time loop story, the world is static and predictable, but wouldn't it be interesting to write a story in a time loop that acted more like Rogue Legacy, where there are certain "anchors" and patterns to the world, but much that is random and different? The protagonist wakes in the same apartment building every time, but sometimes he's next to a park and other times it's a train station. There's a corner store three blocks away that's always exactly identical down to the misalignment of the Mars bars, always with the same woman with a streak of blue hair behind the counter. Is this meaningful, that everything changes except the things that inexplicably don't? Almost definitely. It's another mystery to unravel with every new run and a new, diverse set of powers under your belt.

There's a chance I write this at some point. There's always a chance. But I think sometimes it's good for me to sit down and think about the possibilities, then resign myself to moving on without devoting the next month's word count to something that's captured my fancy.

[kisaraslover]

first thing first Kaiba's blamed for his godlessness, lack of faith. a pretty conservative notion if not for the. uhh. canon gods and magic everyone frequently witnesses. but when i rewatch the first episode again for the 85th time i cant ignore the dichotomy drawn first, not between Kaiba and Yugi, no, between Kaiba and Grandpa Muto.

as annoyed as he would be to hear this, i think the biggest reconciliation he needed to have was with the only man with "Father" in his name, who preached faith, who sicced his loyal and faithful offspring on Kaiba to take him down, and the man who Kaiba fought for the fundamental symbol both of them claim. the impertinent youth scorned by traditional elder is such a classical, parental tale.

but since the compromise most mainstream family movies reach fucking sucks and is more often than not tipping the scales in the favor of -sometimes just straight up awful- parents, Kaiba would take 1 single step towards Grandpa Muto and not budge an inch. his whole entire story culminates in this: Blue Eyes IS more than power. ONLY Blue Eyes White Dragon. its his pride and soul, its his sole blessing and its the only thing he knows and believes in. which HAS to mean Grandpa Muto gives it up, by his own logic. the boy believes. the image of godless shameless drug addict sex pest youth suddenly melting down to something much less offensive. its the aging tradition finally accepting change. its the old man finally letting go of iron grip over the young man. illusion of control that was long rejected by the youth finally fading in the old mans mind. its him accepting kids will be alright, that there is strength and honor in their way of living, that scolding will never achieve what accepting and supporting definitely will.

its not that Kaiba is such a benevolent, generous, perfect good man worthy of forgiveness and approval suddenly. its that he, like everyone else, will live a life and be shaped by it, and the only thing this father figure can do is offer support. Kaiba would spit on his face if he knew Solomon Muto came to these, rather paternal, conclusions about him while handing over the taped BEWD card. but the old man is fine with that. he keeps his mouth shut, not to further shame the young man taking the card with his head bowed, eyes sad with reverence and regret. he isnt who the boy is bowing down to. hes happy to witness his faith at all. hes happy knowing he wont even mourn his own loss of the card from the joy of seeing the boy's love for it. that Kaiba didnt even ask for it, that he assumed Solomon would give it to him. thats what makes him happiest.

Kaiba's people first come to his shop a week after. they brought documents. deals with KC for his shop to be a minor partner, with selling privileges. he laughs heartily.

[danganronpa-ship-tourney]

If you want to make propaganda you can view the submissions here but please know the second tab which also contains the reasonings submitted has like every TW so be prepared!

Right now the rules of the next section of the tournament are as followed

You WILL be civil to the shippers of the ship you think is worse, no I do not CARE if it's abuse or incest or the most problematic thing in the world, we will be CIVILIZED. If I catch you spewing toxic shit about how all shippers of a ship are horrible terrible people who need to die you WILL be blocked. We are not here for a guilt trip! We are here to have fun being dramatic! Small PLAYFUL pokes are fine, but everyone should have fun even the shippers of the ship you think is worse.

I shouldn't have to specify but be like, actually decent about what you say, I had a person in the forms wishing rape on a character and like bro take that up with your ao3 search results not me or anyone else here. So like, yeah the characters are just characters, but theres a difference between edge and potentially being intensely triggering and uncomfortable for literally no reason.

If you want to make propaganda I advise either light hearted gags at a ships expense,

Example of a light hearted gag would be like a picture of Junko sitting on Mikan kneeling into a bench and a caption like "would you really not vote for this?" thats hilarious and doesn't target actual people.

Or you draw art for the ship that gives you less despair, branch out a bit. Never drawn I dunno Ryoma x Kirumi before but you think its less toxic then uhh Hajime x Mikan? Well here's your chance to try drawing some Ryoma x Kirumi! Make propaganda for the ship you want people to NOT vote for!

I can't enforce this but the tag you want to use for anything you create for this should be "#Despair Ship" this is so people can filter it out more easily. I'm here to cause fun, not make people frustrated because their tag got overrun.

Again I also can't enforce this but remember the point isn't to find the ship that's the most abusive, or the most toxic, its to find the ship that gets the most despair. For instance there are very few ships on the list I find personally more despairing then kokichi and shuichi, and that's because it's a lot harder to stumble on some of the more kneejerk offensive ships compared to how I cannot escape kokichi and shuichi making out no matter how hard i try. Like I said I can't enforce this but if you're wondering why a ship you think is more inherently toxic is losing, this is probably the reason why.

I am also a single person, while I have a friend who is here on the sidelines cheering me on, I hand made the bracket and everything else about this. If the brackets aren't perfectly balanced or a ship you don't like didn't make the cut, remember that I am just a single person.

Voter fraud is allowed and encouraged I'm not a coward this is the voting fraud website if you're determined to make a thousand sock puppet accounts just to make sure Celeste x Togami is the winner then that's the biggest possible powermove and I respect it. Also I guess I accept bribes now, because I think it's funny.

Thank you for all the support I've gotten! While rather small scale compared to other polls, the fact I've got people sending asks and following means a lot to me. Even if I barely get any interaction from here out, I still had fun and am happy to have done this. Voting will either open Saturday or Sunday but if I forget and it's a day or too late then feel free to shake me in the asks by short term memory is Not Good

[electricbluebutterflies]

Hello I know these are a lot but for the ask game:

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Oh, this is a TREAT for me, thank you!

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

I don't edit. Like, ever. I let the concept flow through me and then post immediately. So... 1??

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Let's do a broad one here that I think applies to almost everything I'm actively writing at the moment (with one exception y'all may try to guess if inclined) - all of my girls run colder than their respective partners and all of them are clingy during sleep as a result. Circumstances and size differences are irrelevant here, this is just as much a part of my Type as the personality dynamics I'm drawn to.

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

I've been exploring my practical-femme side / what that actually means for me and the depth and the power of it and what to do next with it. Also, my position and interests within another one of my creative outlets are changing in a kinda surprising way so there's some reassessment going on there...

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Bad formatting / not enough paragraph breaks. Also, depending on the ship, some specific characterization choices make me nope out.

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them

Right now I do not, sigh. Apartment barely has enough space for me let alone a little furry love.

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

First three people who come to mind:

@judgmental-eyebrows - my non-romantic soulmate, best friend of 10 years and counting, constantly sending me gifsets of stuff we don't overlap on and listens to my rants about the same... I could go on, she's perfect and I love her

@tricksypixie - DOES at least know what's going on with all of my shinies because I drag him down with me, sends cute prompts for all the things

@missgrantscheerleader - only one overlap at the moment but she leaves the best comments on those fics

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

Not anything specific consistently, but whatever I've been listening to will find its way into what I'm turning out. Lately I've been in existential-crisis mode and that means a lot of Lana Del Rey and I think that comes through a bit...

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

I'm happy with any comments I get, but I do especially like when people highlight specific lines of dialogue they like. I think that's my greatest strength as a writer and I like the confirmation.

[adobe-outdesign]

Thoughts on the Spearow line? I feel like it needs something, like a mega or regional.

The Spearow line's always been one of those lines that just kind of Exists. It could be considered a meaner counterpart to the Pidgey line, but the Pidgey line at least has three stages (plus a mega) and a clear theme with the colorful long feathers, while the Spearow line has absolutely nothing.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest issue with this line is the lack of a theme or distinct visuals. The primary color is brown, and there's nothing that really makes the design pop in either stage. This makes both fairly forgettable and redundant in the face of the Pidgey line.

Anyway, Spearow's actual design is okay. I like how it's almost akin to a kestrel or shrike with the hooked beak, something usual for first-stagers. The red wings also provide a bit of color, though they're somewhat diluted by Gen 1's colors being under-saturated as a whole. I also find the underbelly interesting; it's drawn as if it were scaly, but as far as I can tell it's just meant to be feathery all around. Which is a shame, as a bird with reptilian scales on the underside would be a neat concept.

However, there are a few things visually that don't work that well. The black on the neck feels pointless, as you can barely see it underneath the head feathers. Said head feathers also feel very messy and awkwardly placed, screwing up any potential interesting patterns or colors it could've otherwise sported.

I think if you removed the bottom neck feathers and the black areas, made the tips of the head feathers red, and made the base of the tail feathers and legs black, you'd have a similar idea but with better color placement. As is, it's not bad, just kind of "meh".

Fearow at least gets a few point for having a really interesting body shape. It's a bird, sure, but it's a mix of various birds instead of just being based off one species. This unique body shape also prevents it from being too similar to the Pidgey line, which is far more hawk-like in its final stages.

However, Fearow still struggles with a lack of concept. Even the Pokedex doesn't have much to say about it, aside from the fact that it's a species that hasn't changed much over the years.

The visuals are also still an issue. It's got even more plain brown on it than Spearow, and there still isn't much of a strong visual focus. The red has unfortunately been reduced to only appearing on the head crest, and the black is gone completely (raising the question of why it was there to begin with). I could easily see it sporting a mostly black body with red at the top of the wings and on the tail, but alas. Like I said, the actual shape and monster-y look is fine, but it still needs something else to stand out.

I think the best thing to do with this line might be a regional. An evolution/mega evo/other gimmick from wouldn't be bad, but Fearow already looks pretty powerful and there's not a lot to build off of in a way that would feel justified. With a regional, the line could get a refresh and a theme, maybe even a new typing.

One possibility would be to make it flying/dark, as the line is noted to be aggressive. Maybe Fearow's beak is extra long and it's mentioned it stabs other Pokemon with it, like a bizzaro shrike. Or perhaps a regional becomes more color in order to mimic Ho-Oh; we've never gotten a convergent line that's a pre-existing species, so that could be a potentially interesting angle to look into. They really look similar already, and the colors and markings could ultimately be different enough to still make them distinct.

So overall: this line is fine, but pretty underwhelming. The concept (or lack thereof) and plain visuals leave us with two potentially interesting birds that are ultimately overshadowed by other, better bird lines. Hopefully GameFreak revisits this one sometime soon.

[denimbex1986]

'If there's one thing Wild Blue Yonder has proven about Doctor Who, it's that the show was in dire need of a real space oddity.

Russell T Davies returning to the beloved sci-fi was overwhelmingly exciting for a huge amount of reasons but one of the biggest for me is that he knows just how to write a truly weird episode of Doctor Who - and when I say weird, I mean really quite unhinged.

The second 60th anniversary special, which saw David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate's Donna Noble return, was mysterious from the off, with Davies not wanting to spoil anything about it, even swerving questions in interviews and Q&As when conversations turned towards it - and clearly for good reasons.

It had the luxury of being out there because The Star Beast did all the groundwork. The introductions and re-introductions have been dealt with, the meta-crisis is basically solved, we've had not one but two aliens of the week, and the Doctor and Donna are back in the TARDIS on their way to who knows where? Cue a huge, and completely bizarre, adventure.

Making a pit stop in 1666 to slightly interrupt Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity (oh hi Nathaniel Curtis), the pair end up on a spaceship at the edge of the universe, facing a very slow countdown to self-destruction. Along the way, they meet terrifying deadly doubles of themselves with just a spot of body horror for good measure.

From the off, Wild Blue Yonder is a bit unsettling and really gets into its stride in what could have been a filler scene with the Doctor splitting off from Donna to fiddle about with some spaceship parts. With the episode beautifully cutting between the two rooms, neither the Doctor nor Donna are alone, instead joined by very creepy doubles who have their memories, mentioning Gallifrey, and Donna's grandfather Wilf.

Tennant and Tate's performances have always been brilliant but they reach new heights as their characters are forced to confront gigantic replicas of themselves with sprawling arms and gaping jaws, complete with horrifying smiles. It's certainly not a completely unique concept, with comparisons surely set to be drawn with at least Jordan Peele's Us. But it's executed brilliantly.

It's the perfect question to present to the characters and one that can only be presented with these specials as the Doctor and Donna reunite - can they tell each other apart from an imposter? It's also beautifully simple. After the busyness of The Star Beast, and what looks set to be utter wonderful chaos in The Giggle, we needed a full episode of the Doctor and Donna together. Little did we know we'd get double for our money, plus a beautiful moment with the late Bernard Cribbins at the end.

Doctor Who is no stranger to being completely weird. Many of the most iconic, and most widely loved stories are - including Midnight, Blink, and The God Complex. Some of the weird ones are more divisive (looking at you, Love and Monsters) but Doctor Who wouldn't be Doctor Who without them. As well as the Time Lords and the companions, the Master and the monsters, weirdness is in the very fabric of Doctor Who.

Amid the Disney deal which is bringing Doctor Who into a new era, it's one of the things the show can't and won't let go of and one of the things that makes it so different to everything else on TV. Seeing Davies so seamlessly bring us a new truly mad episode - one that will have non-Whovians wandering into the room and gawping in complete confusion - is just what we needed.

I'm still waiting for perfection from Davies' 60th anniversary specials but Wild Blue Yonder is nearly there. It brings back what I loved about Doctor Who from Davies' first era, with added budget and the scale that affords, giving us a properly bizarre and mysterious adventure.

Long live Doctor Who being absolutely unhinged.'

[black-arcana]

ALBUM REVIEW: Worlds Collide Tour – Live In Amsterdam – Within Temptation

WITHIN TEMPTATION embark on a symphonic odyssey live in Amsterdam with a new visual and audio experience recorded at their posthumous 2022 Worlds Collide Tour. The show, rescheduled no less than four times from the beginning of the pandemic, marked the homecoming of the Dutch gothic rockers, who co-headlined the sold-out tour with alternative behemoths EVANESCENCE. Released alongside a 64-page hardcover artbook, the live recording chronicles the band’s most iconic releases of the last three decades, drawn from their eight studio albums. 

The stage is set with steampunk paraphernalia, including a supersized mechanical head whose eyes ominously glows within the gloom. The blackened recording of Winston Churchill’s first broadcast as prime minister, with echoes of the Nazi’s seemingly-unstoppable occupation of France in 1940, swells into a symphonic explosion of string instruments. Our Solemn Hour the opening song is commanding and gripping, providing powerful agency for those in the crowd and watching at home. 

The show continues full steam ahead with Faster, which is energising, but perhaps a little too early in the show as it is arguably their biggest hit with the most Spotify listens. Paradise (What About Us?) hits harder with live vocals from the crowd. Vocalist Sharon den Adel breaks to reflect on the “crazy things happening in the world right now” pushing into Stand Your Ground. Adel is then lifted into the air, with blazing phoenix wings, for the beginning of Angels. Standout moment. 

EVANESCENCE‘s Amy Lee joins the band on stage to conquer The Reckoning. The vocalists match and compliment their vast ranges with cascading choruses, and a powerful moment is captured as Adel and Lee lock hands as the song finishes. Adel hits notes with stunning accuracy, letting her voice shine in every song. Musically the recording is tight, but sonically begins to veer during Supernova, as the poppy riffs seem almost out of place in a show with such ferocity. Dedicated to Adel‘s late father, this track is held up by its emotion, but the Runescape synths don’t produce enough power to match the rest of the set. 

The set then follows with some of the industrial outfit’s newer tracks, including Don’t Pray For Me, which at the time of recording came from their not-yet-released but anticipated album Wireless. The song is an impressive display of the band’s capabilities, but the pre-recorded voiceover is jarring in a live setting. Adel is hoisted into the air again for All I Need, which contrasts wonderfully against the intense power of the previous sets. The ballad gives the set the much needed breathing room it needs, before the band leaves to begin the encore. Adel thanks the crowd before Ice Queen begins to play, a throwback that goes down spectacularly with the crowd singing back to the band. They finish with Mother Earth, an uplifting ending that provides the endnote a set of that scale needs. 

The live album is sonically mixed well, and compliments the playing on stage. Visually it’s spectacular both in the design of the stage but also the lighting that really packs a punch. Industrial riffs melt into the cool synths, as the band commands at times the impressive pyrotechnics. Most importantly, the crowd empowers the band, reacting to their every move with devil horns like a glue that holds the recording together. Tight drums set the standard of the sound in the Ziggo Dome with tenacity, and ultimately WITHIN TEMPTATION prove that they can provide a powerful experience for anyone watching.

Rating: 7/10

[mokadevs]

Recently finished fgo’s olympus so here are some bleary unorganized thoughts on it and my frustrations before i drift off to sleep

i think my biggest problem with olympus is that it over promises.

I think that the set up is amazing. Not referring to atlantis, though atlantis was great as everyone and their mother has said, but the whole sequence of a) entering olympus and b) exploring olympus is incredible. I think its one of the peak examples of fgo constantly being able to make you feel like their are Actual stakes in the narrative despite you as a player knowing that the tree will inevitably be cut and you’ll see the cosmos denied screen flash by again. Running through the city

Hell, Demeter’s entire entrance was bone chilling. I think she has the best mech design of the olympus gods in my biased opinion, and seeing her drop down before the animated screech she lets out that destroys the city was incredible. Truly the first time i saw it i went Holy Shit.

Then… i wont say the lostbelt flops after that but there were a few key areas that it left me wanting.

Personal preference out of the way, ill say the constant deus ex machinas - whether it be for the good guys or the bad guys (if the bad guy has a deus ex machina, is it called that?? Anyway) - started to get a little irritating after a while. The stakes were so, so high at the start, and demeters victory felt so barely clawed for with so many bits and pieces coming together that certain other fights felt like. “Well, okay then.” The twins revealing caligula and then saying “we didnt wanna say we had him for dramatic effect!” was really eye roll worthy, for example, and to be honest i dont really understand how we were able to shmoove our way out of aphrodites mind control hellscape, which was annoying after again i loved demeters fight So much

ill note there that these are things that didnt work for ME, in MY OPINION im sure other people feel other ways about it and i am happy for them for it :]

I think that parts of the lostbelt felt… rushed, and i didnt feel like the power scaling of chaldea matched narratively. With how much trouble we had for a single fighter at the start, i felt like in universe things got too easy with too little justification.

I was really disappointed with dioscuris writing, and also weirded out by the fact that there were twin humans and twin gods but very little was drawn about their connection…?? I was so certain that they would have some sort of relationship, or at least a cool narrative foil, but all we got was the twin humans hating the dioscuri because they killed their friends, and a cheap line about adele criticizing the girl twin for always following what her brother said.

I feel mixed about chaos, because in the moment i was emotionally moved but in retrospect it feels like a bit of a cheap non-foreshadowed reason for musashi to die epicly. Though maybe it was foreshadowed and i missed it; ill have to reread, but for now it just feels Too out of the blue to feel good.

But i think the thing that i think i disliked the most was “actually zeus was going to fuck off in the end and abandon the humans here letting them die so this lostbelt was evil from the start and gudako is objevtively right for this”

And like. Thats so AGGRAVATING for the lostbelt that was drummed up to be the one that would give us the most trouble, the lostbelt that was supposed to be the model one.

What i really wanted out of this lostbelt was a lostbelt that was objectively better than earth. That really? The only reason we could justify destroying it was for our own survival. Not because the lostbelt was in some way flawed, but because we have no other choice. With how sickly killing the first lostbelt felt, i really wanted lostbelt 5 to blow me out of the park with the emotional weight of killing a world and it just. didnt even try. It threw in some half assed line about why this lostbelt was well and truly evil

Which like! Honestly if it had been done well enough i couldve been fine with, couldve been happy with. But the twist that zeus actually was going to fuck off? That chaos was going to destroy all the humans anyway?? That zeus brainwashed the other gods to his side anyway????? I felt zero sympathy in destroying this lostbelt and i wanted to, SO badly

And i am All Here for a more in depth take on how humans have twisted robots into gods. How these ronots thought they could love humans but didnt hold the capacity for it!!! Honestly that concept is super cool!! I liked it!!! But like. The way it was delivered left a bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to care more about the tragedy it had wrought.

I wish that zeus’ defeat was something like… in attempting to defeat zeus, chaldea accidentally/maybe on purpose? Endangers the people of olympus. And through the motions of protecting them, zeus burns and falls to ruin. And as he lays there, he realizes that as much as he wants to care for these people hes protecting, he doesnt. And hes dying for what he feels is nothing.

If i put more thought to it i could come up with more ways the god plotline couldve been bettered on. But like. A third act twist where the reader is reassured that this lostbelt is undeniably evil is really one of the worst options they couldve taken at that point. Basically everything else i can forgive but that felt really sour in my mouth

And finally . I loved kirschtania and caenis i did cry. I could say more on them but itd be fairly incoherent especially when im this tired. Just know that i really really like them

[ryxmas]

for the wol think thonkers, 4, 8, 11, 18, 24, 27! i know its been a minute so i can link you the post again if you need it lol

4. What do they do in their down time? Do they have any hobbies outside of Primal-slaying and world-saving? Are these lifelong hobbies or recent interests?

The main thing is that Solara's a tinkerer! Before he came to Eorzea, he was working under (and eventually became) a Goldsmith in Kugane. It’s something he picked up when he was in his teens after seeing these items at Reunion from a foreign merchant that no one was interested in buying. So some of his downtime in ARR was spent with the Goldsmith's guild. Some of it translated well to machinery which he also found himself drawn to, especially after his time with the Skysteel Manufactory. A lot of his ARR and HW and early StB post patch was spent learning from and working with the Ironworks and Skysteel Manufactory. Which contributes to why those groups know him better than the Scions for most of the story. When shit really hits the fan and he doesn’t have the time to work with either the Ironworks or the Manufactory, he puts that creative energy towards his own weapons. Making and repairing stuff is how he eventually connects with the rest of the Crystarium. So some of the Crystalline Mean quests are canon since he does that during his recovery period in post ShB. And I imagine that he becomes a bit of an omnicrafter (sans Alchemist and Culinarian) over the game's timeline. I haven’t decided how post EW looks for him in terms of hobbies though. And I gotta think about some other smaller scale hobbies he might have lol. 

8. What is one of their biggest regrets? Has it had an effect on how they act moving forward, for better or worse?

Choosing just one of his biggest regrets is hard so here’s some back to back lol. There’s several that are kind of in the same ballpark. His behavior to the Scions during Shadowbringers are pretty up there (and more so the latter). And he works towards making amends throughout Shadowbringers post patch and Endwalker. Not quite as high of a regret are his interactions with Hien. He doesn’t regret interfering with Hien’s plans in Stormblood in the slightest, but he does know he took it a lot further than he reasonably should have, which is what he feels bad about specifically. And those two have a bumpier road to reconciliation. I've yet to explore how or if Solara's Myste would manifest (if they do) regarding his guilt over the people he could not save and the people whose lives he unintentionally negatively affected. And among his regrets competing for the top spot are Haurchefant and Ysayle's deaths. He didn't get to know some of the others (e.g. Minfilia, Papalymo, and Moenbryda) to have massive regrets over them, but Haurchefant and Ysayle were some of his closest friends during that point in time. And because Solara only becomes a tank after Heavensward, I think it would make sense if he picked up tanking specifically because of Haurchefant and Ysayle (both of whom are tanks) dying. But these events (and honestly Ishgard as a whole) feeds into his general distrust of city state leaders when he knows they’re hiding things, which affects his perception of and behavior towards Hien and the Exarch later down the line. And I want to say that especially after Ysayle dies is when Solara becomes a lot more hesitant to connect with new people in his life, at least until ShB post patch. 

11. Despite everything, is it still you? Has the core of who they are as a person remained true through everything, or have they been changed by what they've experienced and learned, for better or worse? 

No. Solara has pretty solidly changed on two major facets (and Shadowbringers was his "get torn down and rebuilt from the rubble" arc). The first is that events of the story wore away the ambition that he had before he came to Eorzea. And the way his initial dream of “I want to Khan and Khagan” became such a shitfest that he’s very averse to both ideas now. I need to figure out how long Solara is Khagan because the Naadam is a yearly event. While he doesn't want to, for the sake of being involved in the politics of the region, he might continue to participate until some time in Endwalker/Endwalker post patch where he decides to stop being involved in the Naadam (because I HC that each expansion is roughly one year). And even after EW, I think Solara is a bit aimless now that there isn’t a giant existential crisis. He’s picked up the pieces of his interpersonal life and has made a lot of repairs, but hasn’t really figured out what he wants for himself. The other is that Solara becomes a lot more selfless and heroic as a result of everything. This is a “The mask becomes him” situation where there was a lot of heroism that Solara did early on that grated against him because he thought that’s what he should do in his position (and what he thought his brother would do) and not necessarily what he wanted to do. But it slowly does just become the way he naturally thinks and sees things. Like I imagine early Solara to have thought processes similar to ARR Alphi, he just didn’t act on them because he’s just more aware of how to handle people and that behavior doesn’t suit the WoL image he was trying to craft. And I also have to give a lot of credit to the twins for inspiring him in this regard, especially Alphinaud because Solara sees so much of himself in Alphinaud that there’s a level of “Alphinaud grew and learned and succeeded in a way Solara wished he did”. And that’s not a tone of envy, but of deep admiration and beaming pride. 

18. How do they feel about the work they do? As the Warrior of Light they're tasked with quite a lot of violence, is it something that comes naturally to them or do they resist it? Are they merciless, do they try to spare as many lives as they can, or do they fall somewhere in between?

The first part of this question is already loaded, damn LOL. But I don't think Solara likes being the WoL. He'd really rather it wasn't him, but this is what the situation is and he has to deal with it. He likes helping people, or perhaps more accurately he's grown to liking it. He likes that he's making a difference. But he wishes at the end of the day, it didn't end up all falling to him. 

As for the questions regarding violence, I honestly think Solara's indifferent to it. To a large extent, violence has always been a part of Solara's life or at least hanging over him as a specter. From his mother taking him to flee the Garlean occupation of Doma, to growing up on the Steppes and losing his adoptive brother during a Naadam, to even the fact that his heritage from Doma is that of being bodyguards to the royal family. He just takes it as a fact of life and in a fucked up way, it comes naturally to him when he’s in a situation that calls for it. He isn't going out of his way to take lives, but he isn't making an effort to spare people (unless told to). Not including extreme cases like Zenos, (so mostly talking about foot soldiers on the opposite side of the battlefield here) it makes little difference to him if he takes someone out by killing them or knocking them out. With some exceptions I can think of being parts of StB (e.g. anything on the Steppes and also he might be more careful to not kill soldiers that might be conscripted from the nations he's trying to help free) and fighting tempered after they find a cure. 

24. How do they feel about Hydaelyn? What was their perception of the Mothercrystal in the beginning, and how did that change by the end, if at all?

I haven't put too much thought into Solara's belief system to be honest, or if he's even a religious person. I don't know if it makes sense for him to pay any mind to Hydaelyn until the initial calls though. And the initial calls from Hydaelyn and awakening the Echo were pretty distressing to him. And he's always had a buried fear that he might actually be tempered somehow due to Ifrit's comment back in ARR and the uncertain nature of the Echo. This fear only gets exacerbated during ShB. And also after shit hits the fan during late ARR post patch with Moenbryda dying because he doesn't have the Blessing of Light at that moment and then Minfilia disappears and becomes the Word of the Mother, Solara has a largely negative opinion of Hydaelyn for most of the story. And then Hydaelyn remains silent, which doesn’t help the situation. But contextualizing this over what he learns in Endwalker and thinking about Hydaelyn in the context of Venat makes everything click for him. He likes, trusts, and understands Venat. He retains complicated feelings over everything, but he doesn't have an explicitly negative opinion anymore. Because Venat the Ancient who chose what she thought was the best possible action in a slew of only terrible choices is a lot more easy to accept and forgive than Hydaelyn the faceless, unacting, Mothercrystal who intervened once to keep her weapon alive but not any of his allies. Hydaelyn made Solara feel like a tool and a puppet and Venat made him feel like a friend and accomplice, which made all the difference. 

27. How well known are they? Does everyone know their name as the Warrior of Light, or have they managed to maintain some level of anonymity? Do they prefer it that way, and do they have any struggles resulting from it? (Getting stopped on street corners VS awkwardly avoiding questions.)

Solara being a max height Au Ra is just going to get noticed lol. Especially since there aren't many of them outside of the Eastern regions, which are the regions he's most often in anyways lol. I don't think he can go anywhere after Stormblood, and especially after Endwalker, without being noticed. So it's probably an “everyone knows his name” situation, especially in the East because he was a political figure there for some time. He does wish he retained some anonymity but people generally leave him be. His resting bitch face is canon and deters a good number of people off. And also his (self) destructive behavior during Stormblood post patch was pretty public and also scared many people off. It's one of those situations where the people that do talk and interact with him (which are often children) say he's nice and friendly (late Stormblood post patch excluded) and everyone else is like ??????

[maniacwatchestheworld]

I love how Batman gets knocked the fuck out by Two-Face hucking a coin at him here. I wonder how much a silver dollar minted in 1922 actually weighs, because I don't think that I've ever seen one in person before. But according to my dad who has presumably seen them in person before says that they were actually quite large. Like often times Two-Face's silver dollar looks comically large in some of these panels. Actually it might be more to scale when it's drawn as a larger coin than a smaller one.

So here are some coins I have. Sometimes Two-Face's coin is depicted as a quarter. Often his silver dollar is portrayed as being about the size of the Susan B. Anthony dollar coins. This Australlian 50 cent coin was the biggest piece of actual currency that I could find around the house... But apparently actual silver dollars as they would have been printed in 1922 would have been closer to the size of the novelty Pokemon Sword and Shield coin that you see here than any of the others... According to my dad at least.

So apparently Two-Face's coin is actually a big ol' honkin' thing! Maybe it would have been heavy enough to knock someone out with a good throw! Because let me tell you. This novelty coin is not very heavy at all. Its probably made out of tin or something. Makes a good sound when it's flipped tho.

[raytm]

southernwood :   how seriously does your muse take themself ?   do they prefer a solemn   &   intellectual atmosphere or do they delight in jokes   &   banter ?  / @tenshujo salvia : is your muse possessive over people or things that matter a lot to them ? how do they express that possessiveness , or lack thereof ? / @starspurn amaryllis :   what is something or someone that your muse takes pride in ?   how do they express that pride ?   goldenrod :   does your muse believe in luck or fortune ?  why or why not ?   where do they believe these things come from ?  sunflower :   what brings your muse the most joy in life ? / @dupliciti

sparkle does not take herself seriously, however, a satirical take on the concept of solemnity is very much a farce she would participate in. she revels in a transposing identity, in being able to accurately discern and replicate if not create of her own volition, people, histories, truths. she can find delight in many a place, both in the asinine and in the most severe. inherently, she is not one to tie herself to a true sense of severity, i think one of the biggest parts of what makes me intrigued about sparkle as a character is the fact that she appears untethered to most things and able to delve into a great many without any particular, lasting attachment to them. she could take herself very seriously, or not seriously at all, depending on the circumstance and if it were to her own elation.

to a degree, yes, but aren’t all people. is what i feel she would tell you but, she gives off a certain degree of not being restrained by concepts such as possessions or people. however, perhaps this is interchangeable also, considering her mask, the girl who preceded sparkle, who gave sparkle her identity ( or perhaps she didn’t, again it’s impossible to tell with her because she has such a penchant for lying or making things more interesting than they are ) was maybe someone / something that she is possessive of. reading her lore makes me inclined to believe that the person sparkle is now emerged from that initial spark, so it would be that spark which birthed her elation, thus she may be protective / possessive of it. It’s her’s after all. But she also gives off the vibes that she would be pettily possessive over things just to see the way it makes others feel / riles them up. 

she takes pride in her performance, in her capacity to deceive others with her immaculate impressions. she spent a great deal of time studying others in order to be able to personify them, to wear their face and play their role. she expresses this in her splendid acting, be it small scale, or large scale, where eyes can fall upon her is where she’s drawn to being. I do not think there is much she takes in pride for apart from this, it seems to be where she draws her elation from and where her identity emanates from. I think it would be rather amusing if sparkle had say, small rituals she did before certain performances / acts that she believes, perhaps with a sort of ingenuous flair, enhance if not guide the course the act will take. perhaps innately linked backed to aha and knowing that which satiates the laughter also satiates herself. luck is bestowed upon her because she plays the part designated for her, if that is guileless belief then perhaps, she is indeed so.  elation, steeping herself in the delirium that arises from anarchy. sparkle revels in the uninhibited essence of her own elation at any given time, causing other’s strife, witnessing the marionette perform in the way she has devised for it, seeing plans come to a splendid, anarchic fruition. she also enjoys saccharine snacks, effervescent beverages. she is someone who can enjoy both life's intricacies and its simplicities. another thing she truly enjoys is being able to deceive others with her imitations, with the time she dedicates to studying, comprehending and purloining others mannerisms there’s something quite satisfying about the look of credence on their faces when their friend has been replaced and they are none the wiser. 

[animehouse-moe]

Sabikui Bisco Volume 4: Karmic Crown, Florescent Sword

So I was thinking of writing out my thoughts on this volume yesterday, but there was just stuff in the back of my head that didn't really line up. Pieces that wouldn't fall into place, so to speak. For the uninitiated, Shinji Cobkubo writes each volume of Sabikui Bisco with a (typically) single word theme, this volume being "rules".

It took me a bit to wrap my head around, but Cobkubo really does stretch the concept of the theme. Societal rules and systems, upspoken rules, even laws of nature. It's incredibly far reaching, and really does account for some of the more curious pieces of the volume.

Regardless of theme though, I'm so helplessly drawn in by Cobkubo's writing style. The fights are so electrifying, the drama so intense, the comedy rolling off the tongues of the characters effortlessly. Sure, it can stand to be a little literal with what it does, and the combat is purely relative. But, I think it's far more enjoyable approach that suits Cobkubo. There's no worrying about scaling, there's no concerns about trying to make stuff "believable", Cobkubo just gets to write about kickass stuff from start to finish.

Also, I'm still in love with the light novel art style. I really love how messy and sharp and stylized it is.

Pivoting to more specifics of this volume, I was a little concerned at first with how things would work out. We were coming off the tail end of the "original" end for Sabikui Bisco, but Cobkubo found a worthy enough continuation of the story all things considered. Bringing in the concept of other genetically altered beings, though originally meant for labor and slavery, was a good angle and keeps things rolling off the biotechnological beat we've been rolling with. It also seems like it's starting a new leg in the story overall, moving past the single volume approach we'd seen in the previous three, so I'm very curious to see where it all ends up.

In between that all, I was curious to see how much Cobkubo would bring up previous endeavors with Bisco and Milo. At the start there wasn't much, but the further that we got into it, the more they came to the surface. The biggest thing being Milo's rust powers showing up again, because early on I felt like it was a pretty important thing to neglect. The same can be said about Bisco's Rust Eater powers, but similar to Milo's, they serve a very specific purpose in the volume. Both effectively take a backseat to the genetically altered people, the Benibishi, and their unique abilities. It might take some getting used to, but the Benibishi are definitely the main focus of this volume, so Bisco and Milo's... roles, so to speak, are different from what they were before.

So sure, we've seen supporting characters that have important roles like Amrini Amuri from Vol 2 and the Bloody Battle with Lord Kelshina or Tirol in vol 3, but this is different. It's not the supporting piece, it's the core piece. Shishi, the effective main character of this story, comes to Bisco and Milo very early on, and in fact we start this volume with them. It's very interesting, and their entire appeal and purpose continues that feeling. It's not quite that Cobkubo has a different writing style, but more so a different perspective of the world now. That now that Bisco and Milo have saved it, they're able to extend the reach of their stories and lives, and experience even weirder and crazier stuff, and I'm here for it really.

Sabikui Bisco is at its best when nothing other than the moment matters. To quote Cobkubo himself,

Chaos, creativity, and curiosity are Cobkubo's greatest weapons, and as the world expands beyond his initial vision, we're seeing those tools continue to get sharpened, to carve out even more elaborate and eccentric stories and ideas. And at this point, the sky's the limit with what Cobkubo could want to do.

[rulesofhearts]

There would be more doodles, but my hands been hurting like all hell, this is my oc Ebony! (Plus her little sister Lottie, but i havent drawn her much yet) Ebony is a smug little bastard and i love how her outfit makes it to where her pose doesnt always have to make sense cause she looks awesome either way

More information about Ebony (and a little about lottie) incase anyones interested!

She used to be a bartender, but when she took her little sister and left their home she and Lottie became performers in a way, using their different magics to put on shows to get money to keep travelling.

Speaking of Ebony's magic, i dont have a name for but its a defensive magic in like, the most literal way. She can make orbs with high durability on a small scale, and on a much much larger scale she can make protective orbs around buildings, or even entire towns, granted the protective capabilities are greatly weakened in relation to how big she makes the protective bubble, spreading the magic thinner and thinner the larger it is

The way she uses this to preform is by forcing a lot of her 'mana' into the protective bubbles, making them very colorful and bright, captivating her audiences via the visual display as well as showing off the protective capabilities in things like having a volunteer jump off a high spot, only to use her magic to protect them from any danger at the last moment. (I took a lot of inspiration from circus acts, if you couldnt tell) the biggest downside to all this is of course after their shows she often has issues summoming her magic for a couple hours, due to using so much to make her spells look pretty and captivating for more money!

I havent actually decided what Lotties magic is, but most of their family has a defensive type magic, so i know itll have to be something with a primarily defensive use