#unhinged ramblings of a madman

[componentcables]

Alright, wake up Honey. Time for my 10pm Rant about Splatoon Side Order Theory

Thank you for coming to my Impromptu TED Talk.

I want to see Side Order live up to Octo Expansion. O.E did some amazing things with the story and lore of Pearl & Marina and it would be a crying shame for them to shoot themselves in their foot by making Marina the main villain or god forbid force her into the role with Mind Control or bringing back an older already used vilian like Tartar or something. Marina is shown to be incredibly smart, especially with technology, so it would be hard to believe that she was used by someone else. And I'd hate to see any form of Hypnosis being used.. Since it just robs her character of importance and just makes her a 'reward' sort of like Callie from splatoon 2s story mode.

Side Note: For Splat2s base storymode, It would have been interesting to hear the two parts of the squid sisters have some sort of dialogue in that story. It's obvious that Marie cares about Callie to go to these lengths, but outside of some sparse moments in a handful of levels, we never see it in game outside of the final fight. It would have been interesting to have Callie be a much more present threat to the player in maybe the boss battles or something. It would've been really cool to maybe have her talking to Agent 4 throughout the final few levels to intimidate them and Marie would have some sort of reaction to it.

Honestly would hurt to see Marina be relegated to a 'damsel in distress' when it comes to Side Order. She deserves the agency and there's CLEARLY some theme going on with Marina in the tower itself. With the various imagery of Memcakes (the collectable from OE) being either made or packaged to go somewhere, and the fact that there's various bits of memories from Marina like the baby mobile, Children's toys like Wooden blocks, and specifically pink pianos being held in stasis or again, being transported somewhere.

Personally, I don't want there to be any big villain or world ending threat.

Here comes the big theory:I think it would be more interesting for the plot-point of her(Marina) choosing to stay in the Spire due to Sunk Coat Fallacy.

To me, it fits character more to be wrapped up in her managing and repairing the Spire to where she might as well be trapped in an endless flow of Micromanaging the well oiled machine she made. Rather than her being Trapped at the top of the place she might as well have built with her own two hands. Genuinely I think it would be an amazing idea for the main conflict being Pearl, Agent 8 and Acht be the ones to physically go over to Marina sort of like an Intervention. At least Pearl would understand that Marina didn't mean to hurt anybody, but their main concern would be her own physical and mental health since she's.. More or less walled off everything that isn't her work for the sake of keeping things running smoothly if at all. It would be hard to justify abandoning a project that you either put years of planning into(like the few years between splat 2 ending and… We'll, now) or something that Just ballooned so much in scope that it literally needs the constant maintenance and checkups for it to not collapse on itself.

She's probably spent a shit load of time and resources on something she clearly cares about for one reason or another (hopefully to help others). To actually guess as to what exactly the Spire does would be foolish since its less than a week away.

We even see the spire itself show signs of damage in that new trailer so there's probable chance that something unintended is happening if that wasn't obvious from how… Literally everything around it is dead and bleached sand and coral.

My reasoning is that Marina had some… Genuine concerns about the world falling into chaos in splat 2. She felt rightfully scared that she'd never see Pearl again if there wasn't some sort of order with the world. So thats my best guess.

But I know this.. Well, won't happen due to how the main Side Order Trailer starts with the player character of Splat 3 falling asleep On a train. And the fact that the description of the DLC describes it as a 'What If' scenario if Order one the Final Fest. So I'm fully expecting things to be as non-cannon as can be if I'm lucky.

Side Topic Act II:I don't want the reward to be another playable species.. Since the main draw of Octo expansion Was the octolings, a feature people wanted since the beginning.. It would Really suck for there to be something like 'Salmon-lings' since the Salmon in game have a… Shit ton of lore dedicated to then as an entirely different society with unique well, everything. So to go back on that design for a basic looking humanoid salmon.. Thing, would again.. Be shooting themselves in the foot. I think the big reward other than Inkopolis Square, would be the various weapon skins. It looks like every main weapon in the game, or at least slot of them, have some sort of Prototype version that's used in the Spire simulations. And I'd imagine that beating the Spire with that weapon, unlocks that skin for multi-player use. Not as a separate weapon, but as a literal togglable thing for the weapon you already have. It would be that extra bit of motivation to play with the weapon you enjoy to get a unique variant of it or something. That, and the option to tint your fingers and tentacles. Since Color is another big theme with Side Order. And it's another thing people have been wanting since the 2nd game.

[polmitzz]

if i made a list of fictional crushes u would all judge me so badly like. herobrine is on that list. i will not say more

[misteria247]

Fiddleford, Ford, and Stan watching Pacifica, Dipper, and Mabel do something insane during a field expedition

Ford concerned but impressed: I honestly don't know where these kids got this behavior from.

Stanley proud and ready to intervene if they need it: Ey whoever taught them, taught them well Sixer! I mean look at the nibbings! They're a force to be reckoned with!

Fiddleford nervous about their safety: Goodness gracious! If they're not careful they'll really be hurt! When I find out who taught them this reckless behavior I'm gonna-

Fiddleford coming to a horrifying realization: Oh sweet Lord they learned it from us.

Stan and Ford wide eyed: Oh shit-

[phoenixkaptain]

My favourite part of the Kekkai Sensen manga specifically is that every issue begins with “The secret society Libra fights in the darkness to preserve balance in the world. This is the story of the battles and everyday lives of members of this society.”

And it explains everything you need to know. The manga doesn’t have an overarching plot because it isn’t focused on a plot, it’s focused solely on the characters. The characters’ interactions, the way they respond and react to each other, the way they help or hinder in situations, other characters’ responses to the interactions of others -

Kekkai Sensen, Blood Blockade Battlefront, is a slice-of-life manga. I love that.

[allfillernothriller]

Welcome to Unhinged Hours, a series of posts that will be tagged as such in which I will overshare my cringiest and most awkward thoughts because I've no self-control over my need to vent. And who knows. Might help someone else.

Don't mind the dubious syntax and weird grammar.

[cw brief mention of abuse]

When I was 17-19, I was mortified to discover I was attracted to (much) older people. During my early twenties, the majority of my crushes were in their thirties. I knew the age gap was too big and I was too young, so I did nothing about them and naively thought this was something that would fix itself with time. I thought "at least I know I find people in their thirties attractive so I just have to wait to reach mine and date people my age then" (lmao good one past me). Well. As I'm inching ever closer to said thirties, it's more and more evident that the issue clearly did NOT fix itself, those old crushes are nearing their forties and I haven't stopped carrying them in my heart. They're attractive in new ways. When I look at pics from back when I first developed a crush, I find that my current 27yo self isn't physically attracted to their 32yo self I was originally attracted to anymore. And I know for a fact that 21yo me wouldn't have found 38yo [redacted] hot. But current me is still attracted to current them (38yo [redacted] is indeed very hot). And you might wonder what's the issue here, so lemme tell you. I've been frequenting online feminist spaces for a decade. I've read countless accounts of teenage girls and young women who were manipulated and abused by older partners. I've read an inordinate amount of warnings, the gist of all of them being “don't date older folks during your formative years, don't believe them when they call you 'mature for your age'”. And let me be crystal clear — I still think it's relevant and infinitely important to relay those accounts and protect girls and young women, and help them spot red flags and predatory patterns. It absolutely is, I am not blaming feminism for my existential struggles. I am simply giving you context. The thing is, I've internalised this as “don't ever pursue older folks, period” (which is a completely different thing, I knew that then and still know it now but couldn't help it) and as a result I've been lugging around self-inflicted guilt and shame for years (and don't I love the internalised biphobia that adds to it when the person happens to be a man /s). And these crushes I've been telling you about? They're one-sided! They've never expressed any interest, so that's always been a safe situation for me, but did that prevent any self-loathing from taking root in my brain? Course it didn't! I can't seem to shake the feeling that there's something wrong with me and I've grown tired of this. Scolding myself over human emotions is getting fucking old.

That brings me to today's crisis — at which point in one's life does it get easier to accept? How old is old enough to stop caring about the age gap? When will I stop blaming myself? How do I drop the guilt?

Because if it was "just" the fact that I'm still swooning over the same people (who are now soon-to-be 40), that would be too easy, wouldn't it? But nooo I just had to go and get a new crush on someone who's already in their forties. Where does this end, please?

(You might've noticed that the overuse of the word 'crush' and choosing to focus on the physical aspect of attraction here is a poor attempt at a euphemism. I mean some of them are simple crushes, as for the others... past a certain point, still calling them crushes is just denial on my part. I'm basically fooling myself.)

“This is a crisis. A large crisis. In fact, if you've got a moment, it's a twelve-storey crisis with a magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24-hour porterage and an enormous sign on the roof saying 'this is a Large Crisis'.” (Blackadder Goes Forth, ep. 6)

[iamhonmoony]

get gabrieled

I'm in disbelief

[whimsicalcotton]

5am feverish editing Go

[celestialastronmy]

"I just watched The Legend of the Gobblewonker, and I’m curious—how does it use its narrative structure to play with conspiracy theory rhetoric? How does it both mimic and subvert the typical strategies used in real conspiracy theories? I’d love to hear your take on how the episode pulls this off!"

That's an interesting question since I've wanted to rewatch Gravity Falls. I'll try to answer the question to the best of my knowledge.

"Conspiracies and Lake Monsters: How Gravity Falls Spins the Truth in 'The Legend of the Gobblewonker"

In the quirky little town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, there are plenty of weird secrets hidden just out of sight. But what if those secrets are really just a cover for an even bigger mystery? Gravity Falls is full of spooky creatures and strange events, but maybe its biggest trick is how it uses storytelling to mess with us. This analysis dives into “The Legend of the Gobblewonker,” the show’s second episode, to explore how it mirrors—and twists—the usual tricks of conspiracy theories.

The Set-Up: Planting Seeds of Doubt

From the very outset, "The Legend of the Gobblewonker" primes its audience to question reality. The episode opens with the promise of an exciting fishing trip, a seemingly mundane activity that serves as the perfect cover for something far more sinister. But why fishing? Why now? These are the questions we must ask ourselves as we peel back the layers of this carefully constructed narrative.

Dipper and Mabel are presented as ordinary tweens on summer vacation. But are they really? Their uncle, Stan Pines, exhibits suspicious behavior from the start, insisting on this fishing trip with an enthusiasm that borders on desperation. Is he merely an eccentric old man, or is he deliberately steering the children towards a predetermined encounter?

This initial set-up mirrors a common tactic in conspiracy rhetoric: the idea that everyday events are not what they seem. Just as conspiracy theorists might argue that a routine government operation is actually a cover for nefarious activities, "Gravity Falls" suggests that a simple fishing trip could be the gateway to an earth-shattering discovery.

The Legend: Constructing an Alternative Narrative

Enter Old Man McGucket, the town kook who bursts onto the scene with wild tales of a lake monster known as the Gobblewonker. His frantic warnings and seemingly deranged behavior are eerily reminiscent of the "whistleblowers" and "truth-seekers" often central to conspiracy theories. But is McGucket truly unhinged, or is he the only one brave enough to speak the truth?

The show cleverly positions McGucket as an unreliable narrator, much like how mainstream media often portrays conspiracy theorists. Yet, by doing so, it simultaneously plants the seed of doubt in the viewer's mind. After all, in a town where the impossible is possible, who's to say the ramblings of a madman aren't actually profound revelations?

This construction of an alternative narrative – the existence of the Gobblewonker – mirrors how conspiracy theories often present a competing version of events that challenges the official story. The episode invites viewers to question the nature of truth itself, a hallmark of conspiratorial thinking.

The Quest: The Illusion of Investigation

Dipper and Mabel's decision to abandon their grunkle's fishing trip in favor of hunting the Gobblewonker is a pivotal moment. It represents the allure of the conspiracy – the temptation to seek out hidden truths rather than accept the mundane reality presented to us. The Twins journey into Scuttlebutt Island is framed as an investigation, complete with camera equipment to document their findings.

This "investigation" phase of the episode closely mimics the way conspiracy theorists often conduct their own research. There's a focus on gathering evidence, no matter how circumstantial, and interpreting every sign and symbol as potential proof of the theory. The children's excitement at finding a suspicious footprint or hearing strange noises mirrors the confirmation bias often seen in conspiracy circles.

However, the show subverts this trope by repeatedly presenting false leads and red herrings. The footprint turns out to be from a beaver with a chainsaw, and the strange noises are revealed to be mundane in origin. This clever misdirection serves a dual purpose: it maintains the mystery for the characters while subtly critiquing the tendency of conspiracy theorists to see patterns where none exist.

The Revelation: Deconstructing the Conspiracy

The climax of the episode, where the true nature of the Gobblewonker is revealed, is perhaps the most brilliant subversion of conspiracy rhetoric. The monster is exposed as a mechanical construct, operated none other than Old Man McGucket himself. This twist serves as a metaphor for the often-disappointing reality behind many conspiracy theories when subjected to scrutiny.

However, the genius of "Gravity Falls" lies in its ability to layer conspiracies within conspiracies. While the Gobblewonker is debunked, the episode ends with a tantalizing glimpse of a real lake monster. This final moment epitomizes the conspiracy theorist's mindset: even when one theory is disproven, there's always another, deeper mystery lurking just out of sight.

The Meta-Conspiracy: Gravity Falls' Self-Awareness

What if the true conspiracy of "The Legend of the Gobblewonker" isn't within the narrative itself, but in how the episode manipulates its audience? The structure of the episode – from the initial doubt, through the investigation, to the revelation and lingering mystery – mirrors the emotional journey of falling into and out of belief in a conspiracy theory.

By engaging viewers in this process, "Gravity Falls" creates a meta-commentary on the nature of conspiracy thinking itself. It invites us to question not just the events within the show, but our own susceptibility to conspiratorial narratives. The series as a whole often plays with this self-awareness, but "The Legend of the Gobblewonker" stands out as a particularly clever example.

Rhetorical Strategies Employed and Subverted:

1. Appeal to Skepticism: The episode encourages viewers to question the official narrative (Stan's fishing trip) in favor of a more exciting alternative (the Gobblewonker hunt). This mirrors how conspiracy theories often position themselves as the "real truth" behind mundane explanations.

2. The Expert Outsider: Old Man McGucket serves as the archetypal conspiracy theorist – someone who claims special knowledge but is dismissed by mainstream society. The show subverts this by revealing him as the hoaxer while still maintaining the possibility that real mysteries exist.

3. Pattern Recognition: The children's quest on Scuttlebutt Island plays into the human tendency to see patterns and meaning in random events. The show cleverly subverts this by repeatedly revealing mundane explanations for seemingly mysterious phenomena.

4. The Cover-Up: The mechanical nature of the Gobblewonker could be seen as a metaphor for how conspiracy theorists view official explanations – as elaborate constructs designed to hide the truth. However, the show flips this on its head by making the conspiracy itself the cover-up.

5. Moving Goalposts: The final reveal of a real lake monster after the Gobblewonker is debunked mimics how conspiracy theories often shift focus when one aspect is disproven, always maintaining that deeper truths remain hidden.

6. Emotional Manipulation: The episode's structure takes viewers on an emotional journey from doubt to belief to skepticism and back to uncertainty. This mirrors the emotional rollercoaster often experienced by those who engage with conspiracy theories.

Conclusion: The Truth is Out There?

"The Legend of the Gobblewonker" serves as a microcosm of the larger themes at play in "Gravity Falls." It simultaneously indulges in and critiques conspiratorial thinking, creating a narrative that is at once engaging and subversive. By structuring the episode to mimic common conspiracy theory rhetorical strategies, the show invites viewers to examine their own relationship with truth, skepticism, and the allure of hidden knowledge.

But perhaps the greatest conspiracy of all is how "Gravity Falls" manages to package these complex ideas into a seemingly simple children's cartoon. As we peel back the layers of this episode, we must ask ourselves: what other truths lie hidden within the colorful animation and witty dialogue of this series? The answers, like the real Gobblewonker, may forever remain just below the surface, tempting us to dive deeper into the mysteries of Gravity Falls.

Remember, in this town, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, and nothing is ever quite what it seems. Keep watching, keep questioning, and never stop searching for the truth – no matter how strange it may be.

[coolmayordamien]

A little Darkstache songfic for @willywarfy

Song is The Midnight Crew, Eddie Morton

"Dar-dar-Darkiplier," a monotonous, glitchy voice stammered tonelessly, breaking right through the entity's concentration. Dark scowled down at the paperwork that he had finally had a second to take a stab at, took a deep breath, and then trained the scowl on the android that was loitering in the doorway to his office.

"Wilford is ha-hav-having a malfunction," Google informed him, seeming completely unconcerned. "He is in the stud-d-dy, screaming and waving a gun-"

"Is anyone else in there with him?" Dark interrupted, hurriedly organizing the papers before him as he spoke. While screaming and waving guns around were honestly pretty typical behaviors for the man with the pink mustache, if Google said that the man was having a "malfunction", that could really only mean one thing.

"No one else was with him at the time," the android answered promptly, and Dark was relieved to know that Wil probably hadn't had much of an opportunity to hurt anyone in the midst of his crisis.

"I'm going up there. Don't let anyone else near that room until I say otherwise, do you understand?"

"I un-understand," Google nodded, his suspicious gaze following the grayscale man all the while. He wondered what Dark did to stop these attacks. It was probably something so horrifically violent that the android shuddered just thinking about it.

--

Dark heard Wilford before he saw the man, heard the bangs and crashes as it sounded like the madman was going out of his way to destroy the room that contained him. Heard the agonized cries, heard him scream in fear and anger and confusion as he tried to remember things that he wasn't supposed to remember, as he called out for friends that he would never see again, and for help that would never come.

Dark was going to have to do, instead.

He cautiously opened the door, observing the damage that had already been dealt. Discarded papers drifted through the air, gently fluttering down to land on a floor that was littered with shredded books and broken glass. It seemed that Wilford had shot out at least one window in his panic, and gotten almost all of the lamps.

Wilford, who had backed himself into the corner furthest from the door at Dark's arrival (the most secure position in the room, of course) and who was watching the entity with a sharp, unhinged gaze. His hands were shaking as he pointed a gun at his friend, his breathing rapid, his voice high as he rambled.

"Wh-who…Damien?" the hopeful note in his voice would have pierced right through Dark's heart, if he'd had one. It confirmed his suspicions about what kind of breakdown they were having here, though, and while it was one of Wilford's more emotional kinds, it was also the easiest to deal with.

"No, no, no, you're not Damien," the Colonel corrected himself, his grip on the gun tightening. "He doesn't look like…he's not…what are you?! What sort of awful place is this? First the robot, now a prime example of homo necrosis! I assure you, sir, that I am well up for the privilege of putting down a walking bag of bones such as yourself!"

The wild glint in his eyes became even sharper and more disturbing as his voice lowered with the intensity of his emotions.

Dark sighed lightly, hating what he was about to have to do. Wilford had better really appreciate him for this later.

He turned his back on the gun-toting lunatic as if he were completely unphased by him, humming under his breath as he began to unbutton his suit coat, hanging it primly over the back of the most intact chair.

"What the hell are you doing?" William cried, enraged. "Keep your damn clothes on, you fool! Tell me where my friends are! Tell me what you've done to them!"

Ignoring the questions completely, Dark said loudly, "I hate a moral coward."

The silence that followed his declaration was tense with shock and confusion, and that was enough to encourage the entity to continue, spinning on his heel as he offered his old friend a big, vaudeville smile.

"One who lacks a manly spark," the entity continued, pantomiming a challenge to fisticuffs as he loudly tapped a heel against the wooden floor.

"Are you out of your mind?" Wil demanded, lowering his gun. Dark ignored the irony of that question, an act that he decided was so damn altruistic that he probably deserved a medal.

"I just detest a man afraid to go home in the dark," he said cheerfully, trying to work up a bit of a song as he slowly made his way closer to his unstable companion.

"Well…I mean, don't we all?" the gunman agreed, unaware of the fact that he was holstering his weapon as he spoke.

"I always spend my evenings where there's women, wine, and song!" Dark sang happily, inching ever closer amidst his wide, friendly gestures. He was beyond pleased to see a flash of recognition in Wilford's suspicious eyes at the familiar old tune.

"But like a man…" Wil trailed off, confusion overtaking the fear and anger that had fueled him only moments before.

Delighted, Dark threw caution to the wind, gently tossing a friendly arm around his old pal's shoulders. "But like a man, I always bring my little wife along!"

The Colonel laughed; a lovely, hearty sound as he swooped Dark into a hug, the force of which threatened to crack the entity's spine like a twig. It was a nice feeling, that hug, but it wasn't a Wilford hug.

"Damy, you silly blighter, why didn't you just tell me that it was you in the first place?" William chortled, waving a condescending finger as he lectured, "I could have shot you!"

Before Dark could respond, Wil had him in his arms again, orchestrating the pair of them both in a silly, friendly, affectionate dance that didn't fit the tune or theme of that song at all, and it never had, and it didn't matter how many times Damien had complained about the awkwardness of trying to slow dance to a vaudeville tune, it had never mattered one whit to his fun-loving friend. This sort of thing was madness, after all.

"I'm a member of the midnight crew!" William laughed, spinning Dark quickly as the entity struggled to follow along.

"I'm a night owl-"

"And a wise bird too!"

Together they sang, breathless with laughter and dancing, "Home with the milk in the morning, singing the same old song!"

Chuckling, they collapsed into each other, holding on tightly as William tripped over the mess that he had caused, dragging the pair of them down into a giggling, teary-eyed pile. The hysteria bubbled up inside of them both, dragging the moment out so long that it exhausted Wil. Dark knew the exact moment that the emotions reached a crescendo in his friend, felt the difference in the grip the mustached man had on the entity's middle, heard the difference in the way that the two sides of his friend breathed, and knew that he had done his job.

"Dark?" Wilford asked softly, breathless with laughter from a joke that he didn't even remember being a part of. "What are we doing here? Isn't it…isn't it late? I thought that you were doing paperwork. And I was supposed to…to go to bed, right?"

That was exactly the case, and Dark finally let himself wonder what exactly had occurred during that process to set Wilford off. It didn't really matter right now, though. After he finally got his old friend to bed, he'd go over every inch of this room to see if anything in there could have possibly triggered Wil's memory.

"Nah," he said casually, forcing himself to his feet. "Early to bed and you'll miss all the fun!"

Eyebrows furrowed as he allowed the entity to help him to his feet, Wilford asked, "Is that from a song or something? It sounds a little familiar, but I'm not sure…"

Dark forced himself to laugh a little, reaching for his suit coat once again. "Just something that an old friend and I used to say. Come on. Let's get you something sweet, and then it's off to bed, I think."

Dark loved Wilford, he really did. Wouldn't trade him for the world. But it had been nice to spend a little time with his old friend.

[applepies-and-starlight]

Was Ishmael always your favorite from day one, or did Canto 5 swing things in her direction?

So, she wasn't like, my favorite favorite day 1, but I did have a higher opinion of her compared to the rest of the cast (barring Ryoshu and Sinclair as food name oomf was making propaganda about them like a madman), her initial demeanor also gained her extra points because I generally gravitate towards characters that Actually Respect The MC/PC i won't say no to unhinged characters can we at least pretend to be civil during work hours and not treat me like a dog? It makes me sad :(

And then Canto V dropped.

Normally, this wouldn't be. That Big of a deal, if it was in literally any other position I'd just go "oh cool, so that's what happened" and moved on.

Problem: there was probably at least 20 different sleeper agents in my brain. And all of them involved Azur Lane

(Context for confused LCB moots: Azur Lane is Arknights' weirder, hornier cousin set somewhere in a WW2-adjacent period where all of your units are warships given human form known as Shipgirls (official term: KAN-SEN) and you fight against a robotic menace known as the Sirens)

(Editing Apple: putting this under cut because... oh lird. It's long.)

I had this like, entire ramble I wanted to go off on but at some point I didn't know where to take it lmao, but the basic idea is the following:

I got into Azur Lane last year because of spite and (eldritch-ish) pirates (Hello Royal Fortune!)

Got dragged into lore rabbit hole

Got convinced to read eldritch apocalypse fanfiction of Azur Lane (Whispers of Saturn)

Loved the fanfic a lot, started making Pirate shipgirl ocs based off the fic's concept (eldritch creachurr)

First iteration of Whaleship Essex created; whale-like mermaid-siren figure who has albinism and is a little Too trigger happy with whale murder

Made her look like Ishmael LCB because haha funny reference

Devs went fuckshit crazy with the anniversary event; Marco Polo was raining the wrath of God (who, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, was a false god), the god in question was fucking up the world with a weird white membrane (which, now that I think about it, kinda acted like pallidification), the french were getting back together, everything is great

I try to add the false god(s) into the lore timeline of my Azur Lane shit, cue updates happening to Whaleship Essex where she's the only survivor of her group and knows that someone else also survived but blames them for not being able to Do Something about it

New Pirate event happens

Devs stole 2 of my OCs and made them canon (hi, Hind; hi, Galley) and they also happen to be close to Whaleship Essex while they were my OCs

I work around what the Devs have given me and decide that they're in a state of kinda died-but-not-really (long story)

(Note that I came up with all this oc stuff around like. November or something.)

Overall my hype for The Sea™ and eldritch horrors have reached an all time high

Canto V releases; I learn about it while trying to make a Limbus AU for Murder Drones

I decide to check it out because. Water.

Doomed sailor yuri

"Holy fucking shit did I just predict Canto V with my OC that's completely unrelated in every way except for the fact that she looks A Lot like Ishmael???? What?????"

Present time; I have been stuck in the Limbus hole ever since (and apparently my brain has delusionally stuck itself onto our favorite ginger sailor so uh. hi fellow ishmael irls!)

Sooooo... yeah

Basically we wouldn't be here if the stars didn't align at Halloween 2022 and Manjuu + Yostar gave the AL fans someone who isn't a pirate

[frostise]

“   So apparently the bad vibes I’ve been feeling are actually ‘severe psychological distress’. ”

𝐀𝐁𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐅   ┇   not accepting

it's taken louise the whole day to stop the tremors in her body from shaking too violently after being hauled out of the few electroshock therapy rooms in the asylum. she mumbled incoherent insults with drool running down her chin and the guards leaving her cell without a care in the world. louise grew quiet as the lights were cut out for the night. there was a moment of silence before the familiar sounds of arkham's ambiance settled in, containing unhinged ramblings of a madman and mournful cries travelling through the open pipes outside her door.

there's a long pause and a shuffle of blankets from killer frost's cell, as if she was debating on sparking a conversation with renfield or ignoring their distress. for the briefest of moments—she considers trying to sleep despite the pain but how could she when the buzzing of electricity was still lurking underneath her nerves and filling her ears everytime she closed her eyes? maybe talking would help keep the static in the back of her mind.

❝ t-that's... ❞ frost's raspy voice quivers without permission as she wipes away the drool with the back of her palm. a pillow was pulled against her chest in a vice-grip, a reminder to keep herself grounded, to possess the leftover control she had on her body before the doctors took it away with a simple flip of a switch. ❝ ...that's arkham for ya. n-never gets better. n-never. never. ❞

[some-pers0n]

infodump about tf2 ships por favor

i am very curious about the silly violent gay old men

You have no idea what you've just unleashed. You just asked me, the person who has to have an opinion on borderline everything, my thoughts and feelings on the ships for the game I've been hyperfixating on for over half a year.

This is gonna be probably a long one full of unhinged and disjointed rambles about Science Party, so click if you wanna see that. I love rambling about TF2 and these guys, which is funny since 99% of this is me being delusional and making stuff up (despite talking about it like it's canon).

Now, I should put something here first and foremost. I don't actually...ship any of the characters romantically that much. Even my OTP is literally a queer-platonic pairing. It's mostly because I see the mercs as all being good buddy chum friends, despite them all being queer as hell. Yes, I love and reblog ship art and ship discussions like a madman, but I think my aro/ace brain just likes thinking of them more as all being pals. Also doesn't help I headcanon a third of them as being aro/ace (though only one is negative/repulsed by romance and sex, the others are neutral and positive respectively).

I suppose let's start off with the ship that's entirely rotted my brain: Science Party, or Engie/Medic. I don't think I've quite been this obsessed over a relationship as I've been with this one. Like,, any other ship I've encountered, I either like or don't like them. If I like them, I feel inclined to make content about it and just have some fun with this.

Not with this. I think this is the only ship I've ever encountered that I actually 'ship' with how passionate and in-love with it I am about it. It's quite fun and has lead me to start writing my newest longfic as well.

Science Party I just...adore. The dynamic of two evil geniuses together already ignites a neuron in my brain, but there's more to it. Medic is an unhinged and impulsive wildcard that does anything that crosses his mind. He's got an extremely inflated ego and a pretty big god complex. Then, you got Engie, who is like Medic in every regard as well. The catch is that he's a bit more controlled. Don't mistake that for him being more sane or anything though. I feel like he admires Medic for just dropping everything and not giving a shit about looks or appearances, instead being his true, uninhibited self.

Then you get to the interactions and just...me little heart... I've always envisioned Medic as being an uncaring and apathetic guy when it comes to others and their concerns. Low empathy, if you will. However, as his relationship grows with Engie, he begins to care about him just a smidge more, which is saying a lot for Mr. The Healing Is Not As Rewarding As The Hurting. He cares about Engie, enough so to be partners with him rather than friends.

Oh, I should also probably explain that a bit. Medic doesn't exactly like being 'friends' with people, so instead he's partners with Engie. I like the word, partners. If you also notice, I only use the word 'partner' in SAR whenever I'm referring to their relationship.

Anyways, Engie helps Medic open up and feel a bit more. But how does Medic help Engie? Well, I feel by being his unhinged and 'he has 57 mental illnesses and is banned in most public spaces' self, Engie sees somebody he wants to be. Medic doesn't care. He is happy and unchained by responsibilities and a commitment to be a functioning member of society. I could go into why Medic feels this way, but I'll probably end up just saying something along the lines of: "SOCIETY! SOCIETY!!!"

So, Engie has got some issues for lack of a better term. Even as a merc, Engie likes keeping up that mask of being a light-hearted good ol' Texan. He likes that persona, not only because it's the one he's always used but it's just a nice, likeable personality, but he also likes the idea of just going 'fuck it, we ball' like Medic. Medic encourages him to be more creative and detach from that sort of mindset. He tells him that he should do what makes him happy as opposed to doing what his family wants him to do.

They're just...really nice together. I don't know how else to put it. I always saw them as really similar in that regard, both being intelligent and highly regarded members of the team for their supportive roles. Beyond that, they're both clearly nuts in a similar way. They're just...the sillies. I love them.

I've got a lot of opinions on a bunch of other ships, but that's a discussion for another time (or until somebody pokes me about them). Science Party is the one I feel the most about by far, though.

[misteria247]

When Fiddleford first called Pacifica, it'd been a spur of the moment thing. The manor that evening had been a bit too empty had been a bit too overwhelming. Making him twitchy and uneasy. Especially with his memory issues. When he'd grabbed the phone, he hadn't known who to call. After all, Ford was away with Stan and Dipper and Mabel were back home. Despite what they'd all told him, he couldn't bring himself to dial their numbers. Which led him to dialing Pacifica's. When she had picked up, she wasn't exactly happy but once she heard the older man's voice she quickly forgot her irritation. It was obvious that Fidds wasn't doing well, that he needed a distraction. And Pacifica Northwest was talented in doing just that. So the teen just talks.

She talks about her day, about her shifts at the diner. She talks about the customers and her parents and just anything that comes to mind. As she talks, Fidds slowly becomes less anxious, focusing instead on the girl who's voice was grounding him. Reminding him of the current time he was in. He wasn't in the junkyard, wasn't back at the shack back in the 80s. He was here, at his home in the year 2012/13, talking to his apprentice Paz on the telephone. They end the call when Fidds' voice is no longer shaking or changing pitch. And afterwards it becomes a thing.

Whenever Fidds just needs a reminder, he'll call Paz and she'll just talk to him. Distracting him from his paranoia and anxiety. He never tells her anything, not wanting to burden her with adult issues. But Paz doesn't need him too, because she's smart enough to figure it out. And eventually the favor gets returned when Pacifica calls Fiddleford, upset and barely keeping her composure as she talks. And he listens, giving her advice and just being there for her in a way very few adults are.

It becomes a peaceful reprieve for both of them. Just hearing the other talk on the phone and forgetting for a small amount of time the weight of the world.

[phoenixkaptain]

Thinkin bout Cryptid Luke…

A few ideas I have…

Luke in Legends’ continuity rebuilt the Jedi Order, but in Disney’s continuity, he did not. And while I strongly dislike Disney’s version of Old Luke, I do like the idea in my head of a lone Jedi operating without any Order (which is not what Disney’s Luke is, so I guess there’s nothing really there…)

Like, in the days of the Old Republic, you had to ask the Jedi for help. The Jedi sometimes stumbled on problems, yes, but they mostly responded to cries for help.

Luke doesn’t have that option. Yes, he can respond when a Force Sensitive calls for help with magic rocks, but for the most part, he is just wandering. He is going where the Force guides him. He is just… not there, blink, there.

I like the idea that things go to shit, Luke shows up in his ominous black hood, Luke solves the problem, then Luke vanishes as quickly as he came, with no trace he was ever there.

However, side idea: Luke travels with his motley crew of children. But, THEY are ALSO crypids!

Like, you are a citizen of some planet. You are just standing on a corner, waiting for a space bus, looking at a space newspaper, and you glance up and see an ominously cloaked figure standing on the opposite side of the street. You cannot make out any features. It is dark out, and he is standing beneath a space streetlight, but all the light does is cast his face further into shadow.

Quickly, you look back down, hoping that the ominous shape across the street hasn’t noticed you. You feel a chill run down your spine. You sneak a glance back up, only to find that there is another black-cloaked figure, standing right beside the first. It is half the first’s height, but it’s also cloaked in darkness.

You look down again. You hear a noise, like moving fabric, and look back up, worried the pair is approaching, only to find another small, ominous shape has joined the first two beneath the space streetlight. You can’t bring yourself to look away, and so watch as another black-cloaked figure emerges from behind the tallest one, the first one.

Finally, the shape moves as though inclining its head. You feel your heart begin to race as it slowly turns to face you, and the streetlights finally illuminate a mouth. A mouth that is baring a smile full of sharp teeth, right towards you.

A space bus suddenly drives past, blocking your view for only a second. But, as the bus passes, the four shapes are gone. Vanished without a trace. The streetlight goes out. You decide that you should never smoke death sticks again, despite the fact that you have never smoked a single death stick in your entire life.

(Luke was going to the grocery store with his children. He was just trying to wait for them to catch up, since he got lost in thought trying to figure out how many vegetables to get. He noticed that the person across the street seemed scared, and so tried to smile reassuringly, but there was a noise in a back alley that he and his three students darted over to check out. It’s a cat. The four of them are very pleased.)

Or, I like to think that there’s a rumour that if you say “Skywalker” in an Imperial base, Luke Skywalker will show up and destroy the place. Most of the Stormtroopers and older people are like “psh, yeah right. Jedi can’t hear their name across the galaxy.”

But, slowly but surely, the whispers of Skywalker’s name are dying out. Because he. Keeps. On. Appearing. Right after anyone says his name, even if it’s in a whisper.

(Luke just so happened to be in the area. It was the will of the Force ¯\ _(ツ)_/¯ )

There are so many options for Cryptid Luke! So! Many! Options! This man does not know how to enter a conversation like a normal person, he just appears from the shadows and scares people. Most of the galaxy think he’s just a myth created by the New Republic and the Empire. The leftover Jedi themselves think that he’s just a myth made up by the New Republic and the Empire. Nobody believes he exists aside from the people who have seen him, but even they are half convinced that they made him up.

I just would like Luke to randomly show up, kill some Imperials, scare some other Imperials, adopt another child, then go home. It’s my ideal.

[firestarter91]

Dead and Buried - episode three

Still not feeling it with Cathy who grows ever more cold, distant and unlikeable. She doesn't have to be soft or nice but I do need to root for her in some way. Frankly, if anyone needs locking up it’s her and Michael’s father in law Jack lol.

Sadly, I don't give a shit about Cathy’s supposed trauma over her long dead brother because I've been given so little context about what happened to feel any empathy for her or gain sufficient understanding as to why she's behaving in such a suddenly unhinged manner.

Sorry to those Cathy supporters out there but at this point she looks utterly self absorbed and psychotic, the only people I feel any real sympathy for are Sally, Lena and yes Michael.

I still don't know exactly what he did but I guess this was seen by the writers as adding yet another layer of mystery and suspense to the proceedings. The flashbacks might as well not be there for all the good they do, they should aid the storytelling in some way, another fail.

Anyway, long rambling spoilery thoughts below.

Nursing a hangover next morning in the kitchen with Lena is Michael, whilst Andrew has lost his phone somewhere, we can guess where it’s going to end up. We then see Cathy at home enjoying a bedtime cuddle with her hubby. Meanwhile Sally is discovered outside her door by her other half Gary and taken to hospital, Cathy’s informed and sobbing goes to see her.

Sergeant Cooper (one of Jack’s disciples) interviews her, she suggests Michael could be involved, she tells him he killed someone a long time ago, Cooper points out that he hasn’t committed a crime recently, ‘NOT THAT WE KNOW OF!” She retorts, she lies to Cooper and said she’s not had any preexisting relationship with him. Cooper says leave the sleuthing to them (you know that’s not going to happen).

Lena is ringing her son’s phone to try and locate it and sure enough she finds it near where Sally was attacked, Andrew is getting into more trouble, he’s cheated on his exams. Cathy is comforting Gary, she knows he had nothing to do with it. Andrew gets a 3 day suspension and Raymie needs to tell his parents so which one will it be?

Cathy goes to Lena at the cafe to commiserate some more over their shared man troubles. Lena unwittingly tells Cathy that Michael came home last night drunk and bruised. Cathy tells Lena about a woman being attacked and to be careful. Lena has to go and collect her son, she looks disturbed.

We get a flashback showing a scene before the kissing in the back of the car, Michael warns her to be careful, her brother’s a headcase and if he finds out she’s seeing a ‘proddy’ there’s going to be trouble.

Back to present day and Cathy is busy doing some more shit stirring, she calls Cooper to tell him Michael’s the one who did it, she’s exultant, she’s got him!

Back with the McAllisters Jack is busy poking his nose once again where it doesn’t belong, he’s at the office giving Michael a pompous ass condescending as fuck lecture on his perceived faults and telling him about Sally who he assumes Michael already knows full well about and demands to see his hands. I’d deck him at this point but Michael has the balls thankfully to tell him to back off and leave him alone. Jack taunts him, reminds him back when he first met him as a young lad he was scared of his own shadow and now he’s acting the big man. Michael rightly points out he’s not that lad anymore.

He’s understandably pissed off at the way he’s being interrogated, worse Lena has been gabbing, Jack knows he has black outs and doesn’t remember things. He tells Michael, lets pray together, bloody hell what a fucked up family situation! Michael rolls his eyes, he doesn’t want to join hands and pray with Jack, he tells him to stop, he’s now ranting away like a madman. How he’s put up with that for so long? Michael walks out.

Sally wakes up, she doesn’t remember anything. Michael is home, he says sorry to Lena for getting drunk and letting her down, he tells her that her father’s poison (no kidding), she asks about Sally, he says he didn’t attack her, so what about his hands? He fell over and he can’t remember how she says. Lena says that daddy told her ‘you prayed for forgiveness’ Michael says ‘I prayed for a fucking break!’ Which makes me laugh but yeah he’s in a really fucked up family situation here. He sees that Andrew’s home and Lena tells him about what’s happened at school and about the phone.

Cathy is calling to speak to Gary to ask how she’s doing, turns out Sally quite rightly doesn’t want to see Cathy, she’s told Gary about Cathy’s involvement with Michael and she’s scared her attack had something to do with Cathy’s meddling. Cathy’s pissed, it was him wasn’t it she says. Gary tells her Sally doesn’t remember anything. Cathy instead of feeling shame at being culpable in getting her best friend injured is just angry and continues to convince herself it was Michael.

She goes to her therapist I presume for validation, she won’t be getting any there lol just some good non advice and sure enough when she asks her do you think this was my fault, we get the usual ‘it’s not for me to say’, seriously what’s the fucking point of them? It’s the easiest way to make money off vulnerable people. She asks if Cathy thinks it’s her fault, Cathy just wishes Sally hadn’t told Gary so no mea culpa here. She admits Raymie has told her this wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been stalking him in the first place. Exactly!

Therapist asks was she stalking him? No she was just ‘keeping an eye’ on him, what’s that saying the therapist says ‘it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye’ and Cathy retorts ‘in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king’ Oh boy she’s lost it, truly gone. Therapist asks her does she truly believe she’s the only one who sees what’s going on? Cathy’s asked about her meds which we know she’s no longer taking, although frankly I doubt even with her pills it would make much difference, she’s fixated. I don’t see any genuine remorse here about Sally’s situation.

Cathy is angry and throws her meds prescription away that the therapist must have given her, she calls Cooper again to get an up-date, he tells her that Michael has been eliminated from their enquiries. Naturally she’s furious, he says the investigation is ongoing and tells her to keep her nose out (again). Lena and Michael talk to Andrew, they mention Sally, they’ve seen his search history, Andrew says he was curious about her and took a look, his phone must have dropped out there. Jack drops around like the eternal bad penny, Lena (of course) invited him around to talk to Andrew about school, oh ffs can’t Lena do ANYTHING in this family without her fucking religious psycho dad getting involved? Seemingly not. Lena asks Michael should Andrew be going to the school dance? Ask your father he says and walks out, touche! Andrew is now put under interrogation by Jack.

Andrew is back in class, Raymie is called out of the lesson by the head, they’ve let him back in, it’s down to Jack of course, seems he has some weight with the school board and Raymie didn’t help himself driving the boy home in his car, that’s twice now he’s got involved with this boy out of school, he won’t suspend him this time, Raymie feels humiliated but can’t do anything and has to go back into class.

Cathy’s driving Raymie to the dance, likewise Michael is driving Andrew, honestly at this point the person who deserves being buried is Jack, to quote Michael ‘Jesus Christ the fucking old fucker’, he’s told Andrew about Michael’s past, he asks straight away ‘da says you murdered someone’, Michael says it wasn’t murder it was manslaughter, he wanted to tell him, so why didn’t you Andrew asks, Michael doesn’t answer. Andrew also knows he had an affair with Sally, he heard his father trying to blame him for the knickers. Michael says sorry he only speculated it was him because he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. Andrew is upset, is Sally going to die? Michael reassures him no, so she’ll be able to say who attacked her?’ Michael says yeah quietly staring at him, looking reflective.

They pull up at the school and Cathy spots their car. Andrew says try not to kill anyone yeah as a parting shot to his dad who tries to reach out to stop him leaving, Andrew shrugs him off and gets out, Michael says he would do anything for him. In his wing mirror I presume he spots Cathy but I’m not sure in any case he drives off and Cathy follows. He goes to the cafe/bar where they previously had a meeting, she parks up behind him but doesn’t get out, he goes inside. Andrew is drunk and throws up, he’s in the toilet trying to clean up. Raymie comes in and asks if he’s okay, Andrew tells Raymie about his dad and what he did.

We cut away to Michael alone at the bar drinking, it’s late by now and he gets up looking slightly unsteady on his feet, he gets into his car. Meanwhile Andrew is crying saying his dad killed someone, Raymie tries to comfort him, Andrew is shirtless as Raymie said he could have his top to change into when he was in the toilet. Suddenly Lena and the head come in and sees them hugging and she says what’s going on? Raymie says nothing he was just tipsy.

Meanwhile Cathy is tracking Michael who is still drinking, Raymie calls Cathy, he wants to come home, he asks her what she’s doing and she lies and says she’s just picking Sasha up from the sitter. She then loses Michael at a junction as he jumps a light. Lena is talking to Andrew in the car, she’s upset at him, he’d like her to keep quiet, no she won’t shut up after his grandad went in there (the school) and fought for him. He tells her to fuck off and gets out the car, Lena really needs to stop involving Jack in every single aspect of their lives because it’s clearly tearing their family apart. I bet she doesn’t even fart without asking his permission by this point. Lena runs after her son but he’s legged it into the night.

We see a glimpse of someone behind the wheel of a car with some flowers coming into what presumably is the hospital car park, they get out, it looks like a bloke but it’s difficult to make out from the camera angle and lighting, we then cut to Sally’s room and she’s being suffocated by someone using her pillow. Lena meanwhile is calling Michael who’s not answering his phone. This is meant to be a busy city hospital very late at night but no doors are shut and there’s not a soul about the corridors or ward, even when the machine starts beeping to signal there’s a problem, it doesn’t last long but no one appears to stop or notice. I presume we’re meant to believe it’s Michael but that seems way too obvious for this drama which loves dropping red herrings everywhere.

So we end it there with the denouement next week. It’s a suitably dramatic ending and we now have a dead body (probably not the last) so things have got really serious and whilst this drama hasn’t gone off the rails totally yet it’s looking like it could go that way, there’s also too many co-incidences for my liking. They could have ditched the whole Raymie business, that link with Andrew at school and his increasing involvement feels a bit weird, it’s like they felt they needed to add another layer to the drama but I’d rather they had focused elsewhere.

The problem with this series is that the writers haven’t done enough to engage me with Cathy’s story, they refuse to even say what Michael actually did, okay we gather it was manslaughter but I need to know more and the flashbacks don’t add really much further context which is frustrating.

I don’t understand Cathy and more importantly I don’t care, she’s a woman on a mission I guess but to do what? Kill him? Put him back in jail? Upset his life? She’s utterly self absorbed, refuses to admit her actions are bringing others into danger or distress and if anything her brother looks like a right nut job in the brief clips we’ve seen whilst Michael seems like the sane and sensible one. Like Ingrid in The Killing Kind (the last serialised drama Colin was in) they’re making it hard for me to muster much sympathy for the main female lead as she becomes increasingly coldly focused and distanced from those around her.

[whee38]

Trump Rambles Like A Madman In Most Unhinged Rally Ever