#wow i rambled a lot huh. anyways

[cerulean100-blog1]

we’re back with wind breaker, 88-92 spoilers under the cut

-Sugishita going from happy to pissed as soon as he saw Sakura and co on the roof was hilarious, he was not about to handle that

-poor Nirei went through the ringer of emotions that whole conversation, my boy was streeesssed by the end

-Sakura being the one to have a clear head and resolve to do what they have too while everyone else is scared of of the shadows returning and dragging Furin back to its past, man I love it when things are set up and paid off

-ooogghh the visual language, the burnt wasteland when talking about what Endo does to those he beats (and how it looks similar to Takiishis inner world later on), the tree shadow when talking about Furins shadows, the slightly different art styles used for flashbacks, i fucking love art

-*looks at Takiishis pearls and leopard print jacket, looks at Nii-sensei saying Endo likes gyarus* yeah that checks out lol

_get you a friend like Nirei who will do your gacha dailies when your busy

-all of Sakuras friends working to get stronger so they can help him, uweeeee

-I love all the callbacks in 92, Anzai hanging out with Tsuchiya and Nagato again (did he get a haircut?), the girls Kiryu and Nirei helped showing back up (which made me notice all the young girl characters in the series have names ending in a) lol), Sakura/Suo/Kiryu all passing up the invitation to the wrestling restaurant again, Sakura smiling again, really love that with this upcoming arc bring a culmination of all the previous ones

-not Anzai bring the one to chew out Suo for completing Sakuras willingness to jump in head first to things when he’s the one who brought it up on the previous chapter lol

-s/o to that one kid in class 1-1 who had the fuzzy black hair, he seems fun I hope he gets a name at some point

-also I’m reading on mobile so no pics but that one Ume panel in 90 where he’s leaning down so his elbow is going into the next panel? Chefs kiss I love that shit

[bunnyboy-juice]

awawawawawawa

[theunconcernedembalmer]

Blog directory

I finally decide to organize everything here

My Count Blog (Joseph + Claude) // My Embrace Blog (Victor)

Art tag: unconcerned art / unconcerned collab

Comics tag: unconcerned comic

Mun tag: its me the mun / unconcerned ramblings

RPs: unconcerned reply

Events

1. Exorcist event (100 followers)

2. Joseph and Mun event

3. 250 request fest (250 followers)

4. chibi muffin event

5. aesop draws

6. Exorcist 2.0 (400 followers)

7. 550 skin event (550 followers)

8. Fenix/Birdsop (700 followers)

9. mun got a new pen

10. cookie event

11. Gatto event (~800 followers)

Comic series

1. Exorcist event (intro / extra)

2. Modern Ghost AU

3. Exorcist 2.0 (intro)

4. Modern Ghost AU 2 electric boogaloo (in progress)

Miscellaneous tags I happen to have: mersop, simp au, gen/shin flavoured, modern au stuff, the drama tm

[writereleaserepeat]

Chemical Romance

Loosely inspired by @justplainwhump's story Pet Safety. In Pet Safety, the MC drops some details that suggest Romantics in their universe can be chemically altered to need another person nearby. I thought this was a brilliant idea and ran with it for a short story (that I haven't really edited or revised, fuck it we ball).

Summary: After countless trials and many failed experiments, X001 is the first chemically-altered Romantic available for sale. The scientist responsible watches over his subject as she is introduced to her buyer - and carefully-tailored chemical match - for the first time. X001 soon learns what it's like to need someone more than she needs life itself.

CW: institutionalized slavery, implied medical whump, chemical modifications, fade to black noncon/dubcon

X001 knelt patiently on the plush carpet beside the chaise. She could sense that her handler wasn’t quite as patient, particularly with the way he kept twisting the leash between his fingers, a gentle tug on her collar each time.

Perhaps her handler was just as excited as she was. Not just excited, but nervous. X001 hadn’t been this nervous since her first days in training. Today she was going to meet her new owner, her Master, the very person she had been working so hard to learn how to please. A chill ran up X001’s spine, a sensation she was barely able to swallow down. She couldn’t let her nerves show, not now, not when it mattered the most.

Voices murmured outside the door, warm words running together, the comforting hum of idle conversation. No commands came for her, not yet. X001 was certain if there was a command, she wouldn’t miss it. Every sense was attuned to her handler, and soon, to her Master. Her handler had told X001 that if her new Master was satisfied with their trial, she would get to go home with them.

Home was what she had been working so hard towards, wasn’t it? It's what she was made for.

---

“As you can see, ’01 is a physically spectacular specimen,” Val said as he gestured towards the one-way glass. The girl knelt unmoving where she was nestled in the thick pile of the carpet, her posture perfect, and her brilliant green eyes fixed glassily on some distant point. As unflattering as the training facility uniforms could be, it was hard to mistake the delicacy of her petite figure, and impossible to tear one’s eyes from the thick russet curls that cascaded down her shoulders.

At least, that’s what Val had been told to regurgitate from the facility’s marketing materials.

“That’s why I chose her,” the buyer said, his gaze transfixed on the subject, not once turning his attention back to Val.

Perhaps Val would have been irritated if he was in marketing. But that wasn't his business, never had been. He continued, unbothered.

“As you’ve surely been reminded by the purchasing agent, X001 is the first product available for sale with these particular modifications. Although our experimental models have shown great success and promise, there is no guarantee that X001 will perform to specifications.” Val also regurgitated this, all but verbatim, from the materials he’d been given. He wasn’t a salesman, no, he was a scientist.

It had been years of hard work and tireless nights. It had been dozens of destroyed products, specimens that were ruined beyond refurbishment, and millions of dollars of company money poured into equipment and supplies. It had been begging his superiors for another chance, promising them that he would make the company's next cash cow.

Eventually, it had also been a success.

“I hear you,” the buyer said, the patience in his voice slipping. “I’ve been told that same thing at least ten times now. I think it's worth the risk, especially for a pretty thing like that.”

Val’s grip on his pen tightened. He’d waited for this moment for many months now, and it was finally here. It was time to prove himself.

His heart thundered inside his chest, and Val nodded to himself as much as the buyer.

“Very well. Are you ready for your trial to begin?”

Lust dripped from the buyer’s tongue as he answered.

“Absolutely.”

---

A clicking tone came through the intercom, a sound which seemed to signal something to X001’s handler. She didn’t move as he unclipped the leash from the ring on her collar and pulled away. He took a single step, then paused, and she felt his hand rest gently on the top of her head.

“Remember your training. Don’t disappoint me, ’01.”

“Yes, sir.” The demure whisper was one she’d practiced until she’d become hoarse, but today, it was as smooth as honey. X001 was merely grateful it hadn’t cracked under the nerves that strained her body.

The comfort of the hand disappeared. Her handler exited the room, leash in hand, leaving X001 alone.

She knew what came next. It would settle in her stomach within the next thirty seconds, and over the course of five minutes, it would buzz throughout her body like electricity. That insatiable longing, the primal need to be close to a human person, would begin to broil to the surface. Her skin would get covered in gooseflesh, like she had been plunged into an ice bath.

To be isolated like this, utterly alone in a room, would slowly become agony.

X001 thought back briefly to the time before her body had been weaponized. Early in training, before she’d been dragged to the medical wing every morning for new injections and infusions, she hadn’t felt like this. She could be alone in her cell for hours, sometimes days, and be perfectly content with the solitude. Not just content, but grateful.

That had changed, though, and she didn’t know why. They'd done something. Something she'd never have the privilege of understanding.

All X001 did know was that she needed someone. She needed them now, at her side, before the pain in her chest became unbearable. Her handler, a different handler, her Master. Anyone would be enough to settle the unease.

---

“As you can see,” Val explained as gestured towards the subject that sat beyond the glass, “we’ve engineered a nervous response upon isolation from human contact.”

It had hardly been a minute since Handler Jones had left the room, and already X001 was trembling where she knelt. Muscles strained beneath her supple, tanned skin; her effort was apparent as she tried to keep still. Those stunning green eyes, once unblinking, now fluttered nervously.

The warmth in his stomach spread as he watched his experiment succeed, fulfilling his decade of promises to his superiors. Val continued his explanation eagerly.

“Part of this response is conditioning, and part of it is the chemical manipulation I discussed earlier. Her very brain chemistry and nervous system function have been altered to make her not just crave human contact, but require it for survival. The moment you walk in, you should notice her relax. She’ll be inseparable from you. Even in her sleep she’ll reach out for you, her body telling her that she needs your touch.”

The buyer hummed beneath his breath, and he watched ’01 tremble with a languid smile.

“And what if I do leave her alone?”

“That, sir, would be one of the most painful things you could do to her.”

---

Seconds became minutes, and the aching in X001’s chest mounted. Her heart fluttered uncontrollably, her muscles ached, and her head spun. Her training slipped away so easily when she got like this, when she was alone. The only thought she could hold on to was the thought of touching someone, curling up against their body, sinking against their naked skin. It was the only cure for her present sickness.

She dug her fingernails into the soft skin of her palms. Her hands were still folded neatly in front of her, but the subtle flexing gave her something to distract from the pain wracking her body.

No, it wasn’t pain, not exactly. She knew pain, she’d grown accustomed to it. This sensation was need. It was like thirst, or hunger, or desperation for air. Every part of her thrummed in its cadence.

Then the door handle clicked open.

It took all of X001’s training not to throw herself at the man who’d walked into the room. In an instant the discomfort in her body began to ebb, but the fluttering of her heart continued. She wanted to be touched, held, comforted. It was the only cure for the ache deep in her bones.

Although she hadn’t looked up at the man’s face – she wasn’t permitted to – she was drawn in by the intricate designs on his well-polished shoes. The well-tailored pants and unscuffed leather dripped with and air luxury, and a scent of burnt vanilla and whiskey seemed to follow as he entered.

The man sat down on the chaise beside X001, and she had to clench her teeth to stop from leaning into him. Her handler had made it incredibly clear that she was to remain in position, as perfect as she had been trained, until she was granted reprieve. She listened attentively, straining for the sound of a command, hearing as he settled into the soft plush of the furniture, then-

“Release. Come up here with me.”

X001 didn’t need to be told twice.

---

Val couldn’t help but smile, his cheeks aching as he watched years of work pay off before his eyes. ’01 slunk up onto the couch with that effortless fluidity all Romantics were trained in. She slid into the spot beside the buyer’s body, already cozy against his chest without a moment of hesitation. Her chin tucked against his collarbone, her nose buried against his neck, and her body shifted with a deep sigh.

“Shit, she never had this reaction with the test sticks you had us use in training,” Handler Jones said with disbelief.

“That was a very low dose of the buyer’s pheromones,” Val explained, attention only partially on the handler. A mere handler could never understand the beauty and complexity of what was unfolding beyond the glass. “She’s never been given unrestricted access to the source. It must be overwhelming her.”

“Bitch better be able to remember what we’ve worked on these last few months,” the handler grumbled.

If she couldn’t, Val wouldn’t be surprised. The experimental models had been almost delirious when they were first introduced to their chemically engineered pheromone match. This had been the most successful of the chemical alterations he had been pioneering, and X001 was absolute proof of that.

All humans had this reaction, at least, to some extent. Despite having some of the weakest noses in the animal kingdom, the human body still sends messages to other humans in smelling distance. And in these messages the body conveys arousal, genetic compatibility, and desire.

What Val had done was nothing more than play with these senses inside a laboratory's sandbox. It had taken a couple of years of development and chemical tweaking, but Val had finally developed a course of treatments that would make the buyer’s scent irresistible to the product. The treatments overrode the product’s innate senses, the natural desire to find genetic compatibility, something that only the subconscious animal mind could know.

A few weeks of daily injections and that innate instinct was overwritten. The product's true nature had been wiped out, replaced instead with the extact chemical makeup of their new buyer. The scent of the buyer would be irresistible, intoxicating. It would immediately invoke lust, and when coupled with a Romantic's conditioning, it would naturally create the ideal product.

The waitlist for chemically-altered Romantics had already surpassed the waitlist for standard-issue Romantics. After all, who wouldn't want their perfect match, a divine creature that believed in its animal mind that its owner was its perfect match?

---

X001 had never experienced anything like it before. The scent flooding her senses was not merely sweet. Sweetness was something found in baked goods, or the treats that her handler snuck her when she was performing well. This was ambrosia, a full-body sensation that drew her ever-closer to the man on the chaise. It was like the space beside him had been built just for her.

No matter how close she drew herself to the man’s skin, she couldn’t get enough. It was all she could do not to drag her tongue across the hot flesh. She was burning with need, the urge to sink deep into him and never leave.

Hands ran through her hair, across her hips, but she hardly felt them. Instincts from her training took over and she let them move her body. All she cared about was getting closer, her skin warm with the desire for contact with his. All of X001’s instincts were filling her with the need to be with the man, a need even greater than her own need to breathe. It was beyond intoxicating.

Relief and pleasure coalesced as his smooth hands grabbed her hair, her waist, her neck. Bliss. Relief. The understanding in her mind that this was her purpose, and this man is exactly who she was meant for.

If this was truly her Master, she couldn’t imagine anything better.

---

"Hey, labcoat, isn't your job here done?" Handler Jones asked as the buyer began the more intimate engagements of his trial run with X001.

Val pursed his lips and reclined in the seat in front of the one-way mirror.

"I'd like to see the fruits of my labor in action. You've worked in X001 for what, four months? I've worked on this project for more than nine years. This is my moment, my success."

"Whatever you say, man," Handler Jones muttered. "Call me when the bitch has had her fun. I've got two new trainees to worry about, no need for me to watch the show."

Val merely waived the handler off. Solitude is what he needed now, the opportunity to bask in his own success. After all, he deserved it.

No, the thought idly as a grin crept onto his face, I deserve one of these for myself.

[aqqleshiqqing-archive]

sorry i have way too many good things to talk about with this little gremlin brother of mine sjdjdhhsjejkekjdkss

ok you see this volume cover yeah? (aside from me punching a wall over how everyone's in here together) it gives a good taste of how every dexholder uses fly on their 'mon - i won't go into detail about how each kid got their 'mon but the way they were picked up on is really unique from the others.

red has an aerodactyl (mf carries red like a baby)

blue has a charizard (the most practical way to fly a pokemon ig),

green has a jigglypuff (which! actually is just a balloon with helium iirc, and she doesn't like flying types - again, won't explain why but each kid has a good reason for their preference),

yellow (pokespe-exclusive dexholder! very sweet kid) has a butterfree (makes yellow look like a cute fairy which is so adorable),

silver has a murkrow (probably the most badass one, look at how silver poses)

crystal has a natu (looks a little funny how this round ass bird can carry her but I respect that)

and here's gold....

okay. okay

"jil isn't mantine a part flying type there's nothing wrong"

YEAH BUT LIKE THIS IS THE MOST UNNATURAL WAY TO FLY - GOLD LITERALLY MADE A MAKESHIFT GLIDER WITH A DAMN MANTINE WITH REMORAIDS TO HOLD DOWN HIS CUE STICK AND HE FLIES THEM LIKE SO ARGAHRIAA THIS GOOFYASS I LITERALLY CANT WITH HIM I LOVE HIM SO MUCH YOU DONT UNDERSTAND /P 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

EVEN BETTER THAT THESE REMORAIDS ARE LIKE THE GUNS OF THE OCEAN SO THEY JUST. SPIT WATER. gold has a fucking shooting glider isn't that the most terrifying thing this kid could come up with - isn't he like ELEVEN YEARS OLD OR SOMETHING. he really said work smarter not harder though he definitely pulled this one out of his ass and by sheer luck was able to decide on this

the thing that really cements this is the actual dynamic between mantines and remoraids, it's like how certain species of fish has a beneficial relationship with larger animals like sharks (scrapping for leftovers on the bigger animal) and it's most definitely applicable with the mantine and remoraid, they have a commensalism relationship. thank you science for teaching me that gotdamn.....

[suiana]

bruh i was talking to my friends about our types in guys and i said "i like boyfailures, absolute losers" and rambled about how they were just so cute and I'd be going 'yeah that's cool babe, tell me more about your pokemon and dinosaurs☺️' but then later on in the dsy i realised bro what if i AM the loser and someone thought of me like that 😵 therefore i give you yandere! golden boy x loser! reader

basically you're a loser who doesn't think they're a loser. you're the type of loser who talks a lot of shit online about how 𝖘𝖎𝖌��𝖆 and hot you are when in reality you can't order a meal without hyping yourself up for 5 minutes beforehand.

you'd be pretending you're hot and mysterious but the second someone indicates the SMALLEST hint of anything you're interested in, you go on full on rambles and rants. then you snap back to reality and realize that hey! you don't even know this stranger! and just... walk away.

you're the type of person to go to the doctor with your mommy because you're scared to talk to doctors yourself and you'll look at her when the doctor asks any question, expecing her to answer for you. 'so what's your name? looks at mother' ahhh reaction.

yeah. basically, a loser. with hyperfixations on anime/game characters that you consume millions of content of. you probably sleep with plushies too and read fanfiction before sleeping. or you're doomscrolling reddit/tiktok/some form of social media and sleeping at 3 in the morning.

enter, him.

the golden boy. the perfect boy with perfect grades and a perfect body and- basically everything. he does like 3 sports, speaks 5 languages, everyone loves him, he graduated from an ivy league or an ivy league equivalent, and he's going to inherit his father's company! rich, tall, handsome. he has everything set out for him. cool beans.

anyway!

you don't know how, and you don't know why, but this man is now in love with you. you... probably met him while working your minimum wage job at some fast food restaurant.

"hi, i think you're really cute. would you like to go out on a date with me?"

"h-huh? erm..."

yeah, you don't know how to react so you just malfunctioned briefly before taking another customer's order. but he wouldn't let up. not at all, because he'd find your socials and have HOURS of conversation with you, on total accident, of course! no dirty work involved. totally. just pure coincidence, just like god or whatever is above intended!

"heh, must be my aura that allowed me to get that limited edition skin... what do you think, best friend?"

"yeah, this is the one guys. I'm marrying them."

"what did you say, best friend?"

"oh, nothing at all ☺️ go on with your rant, sweetie."

by some stroke of luck, definitely not him pulling some strings, you get a job offer that somehow is related to- wow, what do you know! his company! so you leave your boring 9-5 job and sign the contract. what a nice friend he is!

"here, just sign down on the line and you'll be able to start working right away."

"wow this contract is really long, best friend."

"haha... right, I'm definitely just a best friend..."

a contract that definitely does NOT bind you to him. yeah, no, definitely not. nuh uh. what? you're trying to read the fine print? there's no need for that! it's all just boring stuff...

yeah, definitely no conditions that will allow him to legally keep you trapped with him... and should you ever try to leave. well, it's just not possible.

but hey! at least now you get endless cash and you even have this cool best friend who really seems to spoil you!

oh, and now he's asking to be your boyfriend.

"sorry, you're not my type... i like the losers. boyfailures, even."

"sweetie..."

..

...

yeah, so now you're dating. it's all cool. yeah, you... totally don't mind this.

"best friend can we get some chicken nuggets? i really want some chicken nuggets and fries, best friend."

"it's boyfriend, sweetie. but of course! anything you want ☺️ we can get those chicken nuggets and more if you want."

okay well, at least it's not that bad... he's rich and handsome, he spoils you and loves you! like those guys in fanfiction, right? maybe a little too much though.

"sweetie, I'm throwing away all your merchandise of this man thing, okay? I'm replacing it with merchandise of me."

"don't tell me you're already throwing it away..."

"☺️"

"we're OVER."

[moinsbienquekaworu]

I finished S1 a few days ago! I think I watched up to 2x10 yesterday? The one with the fashion factory worker being exploited.

That's wild!! Great mind think exceedingly alike, damn. I think it might be a whole week now, I believe I started it Sunday evening. (When I lived alone I did Sunday night pizza + ice cream + media, it was a lot of movies when I was catching up with the MCU but it's been known to be TV shows also, and now that I'm back with my parents I wanted to keep the vibe going and watch stuff regularly)

Are you watching Leverage also?? <- positive and joyful surprise. Because I started the show not even a week ago, I needed Something to watch and Tumblr has been telling me how good it is for years on and off, so I gave it a shot and yeaah..... Those posters were right it is good. It just feels wild to happen to be in sync with someone I know on watching a show haha

I JUST FINISHED THE FIRST SEASON IT'S SO DAMN GOOD

I started around the same time I think that's crazy !!

what episode are you on ?

[leavingsunsets]

alsgakdgaksh sorry I know you just answered my request but, but, but what about dcst characters reacting to a reader who has a problem with daydreaming (maladaptive daydreaming)

basically they get so lost in their mind that they start acting out or quoting(? their thoughts, from the outside it just kinda looks like they're talking to themselves but they've got a whole movie in their mind 😭 (i legitimately subconsciously tripped myself because i imagined a character falling to the floor)

take care and don't rush <333

whooo this was a doozy. had to do a little research for this one, so i get to give yall some good rep or atleast make it feel a little more accurate tehee. anyways with this population sampling liberty ive decided to get 5 characters, 4 guys and 1 girl. enjoy 😋.

"𝔇𝔞𝔶𝔡𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔪𝔢𝔯?"

[𝖣𝖢𝖲𝖳 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗐/ 𝖺 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗋.]

𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙠𝙪 𝙄𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞

Might be a little confused at first. Like, especially if it's at random times. Maybe he's busy tinkering with something, and you're in the same room. You do or say something and he automatically goes "huh?" because he thinks you're talking to him and you go "huh."

It takes some adjusting for him, but he learns much faster than the others. Though it's kinda funny during the beginning stages because whenever you said something aloud he'd pause whatever he was doing to stare at you blankly, and if you didn't look his way after a few seconds he'd take it as you weren't talking to him and resume his business.

He's a curious bugger tho so he obviously glances over at you sometimes to see what you were doing, whether you were both alone or not.

Seeing as your attention is a little harder to grab, he's got a custom habit of either patting or holding your shoulder. Like "yo [name]," and a little shoulder tap.

But with this development, it seems you've also learned to do the same. Now that he's used to you talking to yourself, to show that you're speaking to him, you have to either tap him or say his name.

Overall, pretty chill about it, even talks to you a lot just to pull you out sometimes.

𝙏𝙖𝙞𝙟𝙪 𝙊𝙠𝙞

Our sweet, underrated, heart of gold who I couldn't find nice aesthetic manga banners for (sorry for the jumpscare). Bet you didn't expect to see him on the list, huh?

Just a little longer in terms of adjusting. Like Senku, is a little confused and goes "?" when you do things randomly. Sometimes, you are interrupted because whenever he is in vicinity he's just bombarding you with questions.

"Hi! What are you doing?" "Were you talking to me?" "What's that mean?" "Were you saying something?" "What is that gesture?"

You either give him a very detailed description about the scenario in your head or just BS it.

"I was communicating with the trees." "Wow! Really? You can do that?" Accepts whatever choice you pick anyway. He will listen intently and he will take it literally. An open chance to tell him whatever you want and he would not suspect you at all. He is very intrigued at this new type of acorns called "Deez" that you found in the forest. Apparently it's part of the "Ligma" family of trees? Wow!

Easily snaps you out of your daydreams because his voice is just loud enough to do so.

You get to enthuse with him sometimes, and he will happily listen.

𝙏𝙨𝙪𝙠𝙖𝙨𝙖 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤

Also a little underrated, I swear.

Problem with Tsukasa is that he's a little nonverbal so when you do or say something, he just stares at you. Hulk of a man watches in confusion as you play out a whole soap opera or something.

But hey, what is Tsukasa if not a kind and gracious man?

Tries to understand you, and is a good listener if you ever need a guy to ramble to about this. And hey, gives him more insight on your mind in general.

Keeps a slightly closer eye on you, or is just more aware of your predicament in general.

This Tarzan would genuinely be gentle about it like he'd check up on you and stuff. Talk to you, or even sit down with you, maybe a little chitchat.

I imagine you as a duo would be him sipping nice tea and enjoying the garden meanwhile you accidentally drop your cookie in the milk so you borrow his teaspoon just to scoop it out and he lets you. Very weird analogy but he is just kind??

An enigma, overall doesn't change his usual equitable treatment towards you.

𝙆𝙤𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙪

I already had a vision of her reaction to this. Like, as an inquisitive type, she'd most likely ask you questions all about it as soon as she notices it. More answers lead to more questions. Forgive her, she's only curious.

Similar to Tsukasa, she wants to be aware and informed. Wants to know about what you're thinking about sometimes. "Hmmm..." and just watches you from the branches.

Of course, watchful, and vigilant. Observer type. If ever you're too out of it to notice something potentially harmful coming your way (or vice versa), she'd be there to tug you back to reality.

She's most likely less patient than Tsukasa, not the type for a sit down kind of conversation, but would still let you ramble while you both pick apples or smthn.

Overall a nice gal who wouldn't mind it at all.

I feel like she's the complete opposite of a daydreamer, so it's hard for her to understand what it's like. Still, she tries to be considerate and talks with you whenever she can as a way to learn about it.

[bluecapsicum]

hi Blue! I am absolutely IN LOVE with the "Reports From Unknown Places" series. If you don't mind me asking, how did you learn to draw the clouds and the sky so well? I've always found the prospect very daunting, but you draw them in a way that simply amazing! Do you have any tips for brushes/practice?

Hello!

Thank you so much for the message, and your kind words! I'm so glad you enjoy Reports.

I completely understand how one might find drawing the sky daunting. I still regularly give myself headaches when working on reports. Everyone has their own issues when it comes to drawing, though.

For instance, this might sound a bit absurd, but one of my main issues as an illustrator is that I don't think well in 3D, and I ended up realising that I was unconsciously thinking about the sky as a flat image. When I started drawing clouds as objects moving in space, everything became a little easier.

(This is the kind of epiphany that I had. Truly a revolution in my mind. Now I can totally rotate clouds in my brain.)

This all came about as I kept on drawing more and more, sure, but the most important part really was watching clouds for myself, as much as possible, and to try and notice things every time. It's mostly silly stuff, especially at first, like oh yeah, I guess clouds produce shadows on other clouds too. Wow! Or, huh, this cloud doesn't have the same density throughout, so the light scatters differently inside of it.

Because it's all fundamentally physics, it ended up sounding incredibly simple once I had noticed it. Of course! It's all logical! I had just never connected the dots before I saw it in person.

So I also bought some books, and watched videos (all those airplane videos are fantastic), read websites, looked at pictures. Everything was helpful in one way or another. Listen, I knew about cirrus and cumulonimbus and that was pretty much it, at first. So looking at diagrams about how high cirrus are in comparison to stratocumulus, for instance, was a revelation. Looking at the life cycle of cumulonimbus explained so much for me.

These are studies I did on the side of Reports, in November 2020, then April 2021, and the third one in September 2023:

I think I'm able to look at these and tell that I got progressively more confident because I understood what I was drawing a lot better.

If I had to say, a few concrete things I learned that work for me is being bold, not to be afraid of contrast and sharp edges, and to treat light as an actor of its own. I can't find it right now, but I once read a quote by (I think!) Cezanne that went something like "I'm not painting the mountain, I'm painting the air between me and the mountain". I think it's the most helpful thing I've ever heard for painting and drawing. It's obviously especially relevant here. The air changes everything.

Anyway, I could go for ages more, I'm totally rambling, so I'll just leave a few references I find helpful:

The International Cloud Atlas

The Cloud Appreciation Society

What's This Cloud

In the end it's just fun, and good for the soul, to spend quality time with clouds, so nothing is ever lost!

[xoxodropletsneedsmorefanfics]

Soon to be Wedded | Jeremy King x Reader

Short-ish fic inspired by me wishing Jeremy could’ve brought JB as his date at Cove and MC’s wedding (I know it probably would’ve been too difficult, but still)

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE WEDDING DLC!!!

“Oooh, I can’t believe we’re really here. Look at this place!” You squeal in awe, admiring the wedding decorations combined with redwood trees. Jeremy follows closely behind you, his shoulder scrunched in show of his discomfort. “Mm, it’s nice…I guess.” He sighs, he glares at you when you nudge him with your elbow. “Ha! Wow, you’re actually giving out a compliment? Huh, you must like these guys a lot. I can’t wait to meet ‘em.” You tease.

Jeremy rolls his eyes and instinctively shoos your arm away from him with a groan. “…Why did I bring you along again?” He sighs “Becaaaaause, you’d be unable to handle a social setting as big as a wedding without me.” You state. “More like you were acting like us being apart for a weekend was the end of the world.” Jeremy scoffs, one side of his mouth turning upward into a smirk. You let out a soft hum in response, “But it is the end of the world!” You gasp.

“No it isn’t.” Jeremy says bluntly “It is! How can I be happy without my precious Jerebear somewhere nearby? You are my world!” You whine truthfully. Jeremy cringes, his pale cheeks burning red. “…Gross.” He groans, you only grin at his reaction as you approach the wedding planner. “Ah! You must be Jeremy. And is this your plus one?” Baxter asks with a polite smile, taking in the two of you.

“Yep.” Jeremy says dryly “I’m his girlfriend.” You add confidently. “You didn’t need to tell him that.” Jeremy sighs, staring at the ground. “After how hard I worked to keep this relationship going? I should make us wear T-shirts. Or, who knows, this wedding might be the push I need to get the ball rolling for our future wedding.” You snort, Jeremy just glares at you in annoyance. Baxter watches the two of you, his smile unwavering. “Well, if you ever need a wedding planner I’m available.” He tell you, “Please. Don’t encourage her,” Jeremy sighs, shifting uncomfortably with a blush “Can we take our seats now?” “Yes, of course. You two are seating over there, second row.” Baxter says, not wanting to make Jeremy more uncomfortable.

“Great. Come on.” Jeremy says “Go on, without me. I need to get Mr. Wedding Planner’s number-” Jeremy grabs you by the hand and drag you away from Baxter without another word. He knows you’ll put up less of a fight because him touching—let alone holding your hand is super rare.

……

“—Cove…thank you for always being there. I want to thank you for…everything.”

Jeremy watches the scene with a blank expression, only reacting when he hears a sniff beside him. He looks at you knowingly, “…Seriously? You don’t even know these people.” He sighs with a quiet voice as he turns his attention to you “I know. But they just seem so pure. It’s adorable.” You whisper back, tears pricking your eyes. Jeremy stares at you with a dumbfounded frown, but eventually force himself to return his gaze to the actual focus of the wedding.

…

Jeremy sips his drink, quietly listening to you ramble on about how nice the wedding was and how groovy it is to have the reception in an aquarium of all places. “I hope you’re taking notes, Jerebear. I’m hoping we have our wedding at the archery range.” You state, Jeremy frowns at the thought, “That’s awful…” He groans “You’re not gonna ask why?” You huff.

“I don’t need to know the reason. I already know it’s gonna be stupid, cheesy, and pointless…” Jeremy grumbles, but that doesn’t stop you from telling him anyway, “It’s because the archery range was where you first said you lov-” “Ugggggh.” Jeremy groans, dropping his head into his arm. “I should’ve left you at home…” He sighs, “Love you too, Jerebear~�� You snicker, making the poor boy’s eyes widen even more than before. He sighs with a blush spreading all over his face.

Out the corner of his eye, he sees Cove and MC approaching. Jeremy sits up with an exaggerated sigh, eyeing the couple awkwardly, secretly hoping they didn’t hear any of this conversation. The pair greet the two of you with matching smiles of admiration and curiosity. Jeremy awkwardly stands to be closer to the couple and further from your flirting. Cove speaks first, “You came!” He says happily, his blue eyes lighting up. Jeremy’s tired pout remains, “Happy wedding, you insane people. Why did you invite me to this?” He asks.

You watch in amusement as MC smiles kindly, “Because we wanted you here. Thank you for coming. And thank you for actually bringing a plus one. We were hoping to either meet your girlfriend or Pran.” They chuckle. Jeremy shifts uncomfortably before MC pulls Jeremy into a hug. His shoulders tense and his eyes are wider than ever, “Let me go.” He hisses out, his cheeks becoming an intense red. MC smiles apologetically, “I’m sorry. Are you ok?” They asks. Once he calms down, Jeremy only sulks more, “Whateveeeer…” He sighs. Cove smiles, the two of you make eye contact. Suddenly his familiar smile drops into one of curiosity and amazement “O-oh! You’re Jeremy’s girlfriend, right?” He asks. “That’s right. I’m Jeremy’s other half,” You say with a toothy grin that Jeremy knows far too well “Glad to know he talks about me.”

“Yep, still forcing him to be happy?” MC asks jokingly, “Pfft! Yeah, it’s my favorite past time.” You laugh. Jeremy rolls his eyes, opting to pay attention to anything other than you and MC’s conversation. Cove turns to him joyfully, “Thanks so much for coming. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.” He states. Jeremy scoffs, “True. It would’ve been better.” “Well, it’s nice of you to want to come and share the suffering.” Cove chuckles, earning a smirk from Jeremy.

“Misery loves company.” He teases dryly, Jeremy raises an eyebrow at the sight of MC giving you a number. He sighs knowingly and shakes his head. Jeremy gazes over the wedding once again, taking in the reception. Cove soon joins you and MC in the rambling about your lives and relationships. “I guess this is one of the better functions I’ve been too.” Jeremy sighs. Despite his quiet voice, he catches everyone’s attention. “Better than our prom?” You ask, Jeremy rolls his eyes “Anything is better than that.” He smirks. “Scum. Heartless scum.” You huff.

Meanwhile, MC and Cove look at Jeremy in shock, “You’re saying something nice about our wedding?!” Cove squeaks out in surprise, the noise almost makes you laugh. “It’s not earth shattering.” Jeremy says “Pfft! Yeah, right. If I look outside, will pigs be flying.” You joke, Jeremy shoots an annoyed look your way. “I appreciate that, Jeremy.” MC says sweetly, Jeremy looks away in discomfort. A sharp gasp is heard a distance away.

“You guys are here too?! That’s so cool!”

You look over your shoulder to spot Shiloh approaching, Jeremy does the same—he frowns in pure disgust. “Shiloh? What the hell are you doing here?” You ask once he’s close enough, “Ah, right. Jeremy wouldn’t have told you. The three of us are childhood friends.” Shiloh says happily, he gestures to Cove and MC. “Huh, small world.” You say, Jeremy glares silently at Shiloh.

Shiloh stands in between you and Jeremy, “Hi.” He greets, now that he’s fully apart of the mini reunion, “Hello hello, Shiloh. Glad to see you’re still a suck up. How that’s working how for you now?” You hum. Jeremy responds before Shiloh does, “Couldn’t this have waited until that terrible ‘group reunion’ I’m certain we’re gonna have to go in six years or whatever?” Jeremy sighs. “What?!” You and Shiloh share disapproving shrieks, MC and Cove watch the scene with matching smiles.

“Come one! Once group mates, always group mates.” You whine “She’s right.” Shiloh unsurprisingly agrees with you, “We shouldn’t hold off for that. If there’s a chance to hang out, we’ve gotta take it!” He urges. Jeremy groans, “Of course that’s your perspective on things. Life is an endless series of disappointments.” He sighs through grit teeth. Cove smile drops into a look of concern, you wrap an arm around Jeremy’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about Jerebear. He’s always like this. This is your wedding, focus on that happiness and ignore Mr. Grumpy.” You tell Cove confidently. Shiloh nods, “Yeah! And at least there’s free cake. That’ll be something, right?” He adds. Jeremy’s annoyance turns into shock, the two of you stare at Shiloh in surprise. He only chuckles and turns to Cove and MC, “Jeremy has a soft spot for baked goods. He’s probably excited about it.” He tells them. “Really?! I feel the same way!” Cove says happily.

You grin and raise a confused eyebrow, “How’d you figure that out?” You ask curiously. But again, Jeremy doesn’t give him a chance to answer, “Why do you remember that? We haven’t spoken in years. Shouldn’t you focus your efforts on remembering dumb things about her?” He groans gesturing to you. Shiloh giggles, “I’d never forget anything about either of you, Jeremy.” He states. Jeremy cringes and you laugh, “Yep. You’re definitely still Shiloh.” You say “Of course! Who else would I be?” Shiloh asks with a bright smile.

“Someone better maybe? Or at least someone less grating about how unpleasant they are.” Jeremy sighs, Shiloh’s chipper mood doesn’t fade, “Nope. I’m just me. The three of us should catch up! Let’s get drinks.” He says. Jeremy finally realizes your arm’s still around him and he shrugs you off. You pout, “That sounds like a terrible idea.” Jeremy sighs, he grabs your hand and nods goodbye to Cove and MC before he pulls you to the bar with Shiloh trailing eagerly behind. “Bye! Congratulations!” Shiloh shouts to the couple. The couple shouts goodbyes back.

…

You rest your head on your palm, watching Baxter announce the bouquet toss. “Oooh, Jeremy! You should join.” You giggle, elbowing him gently. Jeremy nudges you away from him “Uh, why would I do something as pointless as that?” He asks. “Because it’s fuuuuun! And you gotta get that bouquet! Fight for our future wedding!” You squeal. Jeremy cringes, “That’s a terrible reason…” He groans “Besides, it’s not even guaranteed I’ll catch it.”

You shake Jeremy and whine, “Just try! I’m just gonna keep bugging you until you do!” Jeremy glares at you, but ends up standing up. He stands on the outskirts of the already forming group, Jeremy ignores your cheers of support and begrudgingly holds his arms out. “Excellent. The bouquet toss begins—now!” Baxter announces. Everyone watches MC closely. MC fires a quick trick shot towards the crowd, many scramble to try to catch the bouquet of poppies, but the only person who remained still was the one to catch them.

Jeremy frowns miserably when the bouquet perfectly lands in his arms. He does his best to keep the bouquet as far as he can from his body. Jeremy looks over his shoulder to lock eyes with you, a wide grin is on your face. “Don’t you even start.” He says in disgust, you blow him a kiss and Jeremy cringes more..

“Stunning work from our winner: Jeremy!” Baxter chuckles into a mic. “Congratulations on your future wedding!” MC giggles, Jeremy glares at them while you enthusiastically shout back a “Thanks!” The other guest laugh and let out chuckles of their own. Jeremy miserably huffs and returns to his seat. “Pfft! I can’t wait to tell your parents the good news.” You tease, Jeremy rolls his eyes “I’m sure they won’t be happy to hear that I dumped you at someone else’s wedding.” He scoffs. You stick your tongue out at him and giggle.

…

Jeremy silently places the bouquet on the hotel’s dresser. He glances at you as you work to blow up the air mattress, it was the only way Jeremy was going to sleep in a hotel and he wasn’t going to change his mind. At least you were able to convince him to spring for a king size air mattress the two of you could share.

“…I’m glad I got to meet your other friends, Jerebear. It makes me happy to know there are other people who know how much of a treasure you are.” You coo, “Stop hanging out with my mom.” Jeremy sighs. “Never. She’s basically my future mother in law.” You snicker, you gently poke the air mattress, “It’s done.” You announce. You stretch your arms, “Who gets the shower first?” You ask, there’s only a brief moment of silence before you quickly add “Ooh, we should take one tog-” “No!” Jeremy said firmly.

“Come on! It’s not like it’d be the first time.” You huff, Jeremy removes his shoes and leaves them by his suit case. “It’s hard enough I have to use a dirty hotel shower. Having you join would definitely kill me.” He sighs, pulling out the blankets he brought, “I’m sure the showering together wouldn’t be the only hard part.” You joke, wiggling your eyebrows, Jeremy throws the blanket over your head. “You’re just mad I’m funny!” You laugh, Jeremy walks to the bathroom with a disgusted look. He shuts the door, the last thing he hears is your growing laughter.

“Together for life, Jerebear! In sickness in health! Ooh, that reminds me. I gotta text Pran the great news~”

[misc-obeyme]

hihi i randomly got struck with the thought of Solomon accidentally making MC immortal like him

Like I can't remember where it was said that he accidentally cooked something, or made a drink to make himself immortal and hasn't been able to recreate it. And one day he recreates it on accident without realizing, and MC consumes it for whatever reason

Just the years passing by and MC not aging, they look the same after 50 years, and no one knows how it happened. Or maybe none of the brothers notice because time passes so differently, or they don't want to jinx it/get their hopes up? It takes a family member of MC to comment for anyone to start questioning what happened

Alternatively: it could be intentional. Who knows. That's why he always wants to share his cooking

I'M SORRY I RAMBLED I JUST HAD TO SHARE THIS WITH SOMEONE AJSJDJ

Dearest anon, you need never apologize for rambling. This here is the blog of a never ending rambler, and such activities are thoroughly encouraged!

Anyway, I LOVE this idea. I have a lot of feelings about Solomon and his immortality. The game is always vague about how it happened when it comes up, but the general idea I've always had was that it happened by accident. (Whether or not this is true is up for debate, I think, and they could have plans to retcon this in nb, but for now let's go with it.)

It's a really cute idea that he keeps sharing his food with MC in the hopes that it'll make them immortal. I think Solomon might feel guilty if he did it on accident and therefore MC didn't have a choice in the matter. I think being immortal has caused him a lot of loneliness and suffering, so he would want to make sure it's what MC wants.

But MC wouldn't deal with immortality the same way Solomon had to because they would have him. There would be two immortal humans instead of just one on his own. So I think he'd accept it if MC wanted to be immortal. Like if MC was just like hey you know, I think I'd like to be immortal...

Well now Solomon's thinking about it. And if Solomon's food is so terrible because he's constantly pouring magic into it without realizing, who's to say he doesn't accidentally put magic into something he's cooking that would make MC immortal?

He's just in the kitchen, being his usual chaotic self, accidentally makes some basic dish that's full of magic and when MC eats it, poof!

It tastes totally normal and nothing dramatic happens to indicate it caused anything. When MC eats it, they're actually pleasantly surprised and proud of Solomon because wow he made something edible for once! Good job!!

Fifty years later, their aging sibling is like how the hell are you so young looking still??

MC calls Solomon like uhhhh so I think I might be immortal...

Solomon's just like huh you don't say? That's crazy, MC.

Because at that point, he's already figured out what happened. And since MC said they wanted to be immortal... and secretly this is what he wants too... well, he's not gonna say anything about, why would he?

Menace sorcerer.

I love him so much.

[cyberdragoninfinity]

wild dana spotted howling and barking about yugioh arc-v out in the parking lot

oh BOY oh boy it's bout that time again. i can't believe it's been OVER A YEAR (?!?!?) since i last did one of these 'i just finished a yugioh here's my little rambly retrospective about it' posts but we are BACK!!! Finished my first ever watch-through of Arc-V last Tuesday after some 8 months of it putting me through the spin cycle and now as it's wedging itself permanently into my psyche i need to talk about its Everything or i will explode. so LET'S SWING INTO ACTION!!! I'M TAKING CONTROL OF THIS DUEL STARTING NOW!!!

[SPOILERS ahead for this decade old anime, of course]

WOW. YUGIOH ARC-V, HUH. before i started it watching it, I knew two things: A.) every single bit of knowledge I'd learned about it from Duel Links events or otherwise had me so, so, unbeliebable fucking hyped. I was absolutely certain this Yugioh was going to be so full of Danabait and completely fry my brain like an egg on the griddle. I had to physically restrain myself for TWO YEARS to keep from jumping the gun and watching Arc-V before I'd finished all the series before it (a decision I'm ultimately thankful for--Arc-V hits kind of fuckign crazy as a chaser to four other yugiohs.). And also, B.) when people Talk About Arc-V they always talk about it in a Very Particular Way. like. it's hard to describe. I feel like you know it when you see it. There is the full range of human emotion in the way people talk about Arc-V. People talk about Arc-V like its a confusing, malicious specter haunting their living room. And this admittedly got me even more hyped to watch it.

And then I watched it and here I am and I KNOW NOW. I KNOW NOW WHY PEOPLE. TALK ABOUT IT LIKE THAT. FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART: WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT. SLASH POS. SLASH NEG. SLASH SECRET THIRD THING.

Arc-V is a fucking MESS. It starts out SO strong and then it starts setting plot threads on fire and writing conceptual checks it absolutely cannot cash. It falls down the narrative stairs like it has a goddamn death wish. It introduces 342052805 characters and then forgets to do anything with 99% of them. It does things to its girl characters that makes the back half of 5Ds's girl writing failure look like the height of feminist theory. If the stories I've heard about its deeply troubled production are any indication it is some kind of MIRACLE this show got made and aired at ALL. IT'S LIKE WATCHING A CAR WEAVING THROUGH TRAFFIC AT 90 MPH ONLY TO PLOW DIRECTLY INTO THE SIDE OF A PARTY CITY.

and goddamn if I didn't have a FUCKING BLAST watching it. GODDAMN IF I DIDNT HAVE SO, SO MUCH FUN. goddamn if Arc-V might very well end up being my FAVORITE yugioh out of ALL of them when all is said and done. WHOOOOOPSSS!!! 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴

like. imo Zexal is absolutely from a quality/art direction/narrative/everything standpoint leaps and bounds better than Arc-V. Definitely one of my favorite cartoons I've ever seen period, and most people should give it a shot. Such a beautiful work of art. But Arc-V....... girl they put something In this one. My pre-show hype was absolutely warranted. This show is just one blast of Shit That Makes Dana Crazy after another. Every character absolutely delights me and is my best friend. I'm going to be losing my mind over Yugioh Arc-V for the rest of the year and maybe forever.

As usual I primarily watched the dub, with some sub episodes sprinkled in if I got tipped off about a big change, or just if I wanted to see what was going on back there. (glad I did, of course, for a number of reason--least of all that Arc-V's OPs and EDs are SO fun and so charming!!) (THOUGH SIDE NOTE: THE DUB OPENING SHREDS SO HARD IM SORRY. IT'S UP THERE WITH THE GX DUB OPENING FOR ME. CAN YOU FEEL THE FUCKING POWER!!!!!) Anyway, gotta say, really was blown away by this dub!! It's tied with Zexal for what's imo the 'best' yugioh dub--the majority of the voice performances were just fantastic (truly all the love in my heart for Michael Liscio Jr.'s performances as the yuboys, they all have such unique and charming voices and im OBSESSED WITH THEM.) and having watched some sub eps side by side with the dub it's really cool seeing a dub that genuinely tried to faithfully translate Most of the Original. idk it's just a really solid localization to me!! I loved it a lot!! ALSO IT'S EXTREMELY FUNNY. I SAY THIS ABOUT EVERY DUB BUT IT'S TRUE. there are line reads in the arc-v dub that have me SOBLAUGHING.

anyway. I like to do these little subsection breakdowns in these little retrospective roundups, so let's get into the weeds with it:

Stuff I Didn't Like: loooooooooong inhale through my nose. looks at you with mildly pained eyes. alright. let's get this one over with.

though I did really try to go in as blind as I could/avoid most spoilers with this one, I did inevitably get spoiled by some things from Duel Links, but in the case of. uh. Riley Getting Turned Back Into a Baby At the End. 👶🏼 I AM glad I had that spoiled for me, so I knew it was coming. Because if I didn't know that was going to happen and that clocked me over the head I would have been on the NEWS. I WOULD HAVE BEEN, SO MAD. HEY, YUGIOH: WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 👶🏼👶🏼👶🏼👶🏼👶🏼 WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO RILEY!!!!

"character gets permanently turned back into a baby for Critical Plot Reasons" has gotta be one of my LEAST favorite tropes in anything, it's NEVER GOOD. AND IT'S ESPECIALLY BAD HERE!!! Riley is such a good character, he's got such an interesting arc going on, and THEY JUST RIP THAT TO PIECES. SO RILEY'S JUST FUCKING GONE NOW I GUESS. COOL. ALRIGHT. SURELY THERE COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER WAYS TO DEFEAT ZARC. SURELY. just. good GOD. it was a small miracle to me when this happened like 8 episodes before the end, it was like ripping the bandaid off early, it was like "oh thank christ i got past that. ok well whatever happens it cannot possibly be as bad as the shit they did to riley"

^ (and imo it wasnt. thank GOD. actually let's talk about that)

LIKE. MAKE NO MISTAKE ARC-V'S ENDING IS CONFUSING AND CLUMSY AND SO STUPID AND NOT GOOD. WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH DOES THIS SERIES NEED EIGHT EPISODES AFTER ITS BIG BAD DUEL.WE COULD HAVE WRAPPED THIS UP IN 2-3!!!! it feels like watching Chopped and the contestant has 20 seconds on the clock left and theyre like "i gotta make my whipped cream" like WEEEE DONT NOT HAVE TIMEEE FOR THAT!!!!! WHAT ARE WE DOINGGGG. why are we dueling jack AGAIN. FOR TWO EPISODES. EVERYONE IS YELLING AT YUYA LIKE ALL OF THIS IS HIS RESPONSIBILITY AND FUCKING IS IT??!?!??! HE'S 14. AND THEN THOSE EPISODES HAVE THE GALL TO THROW SO MANY COOL IDEAS ON THE TABLE (Gong fully exploring dueltaining, the Dimensional Highway, etc) AND IT'S LIKE. COOL!! WISH WE COULDVE HAD THIS ANY OTHER TIME THAN THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND!!! WHAT ARE WE DOINGGGG

BUT all that being said, the way people talk about that fucking last episode I was expecting some genuinely godawful 'zuzu is yuyas mom again like in the manga' tier absolute nightmare scenario. i literally made a secret prediction chart of what insane plot twist i assumed the last episode was going to drop on me.

AND THEN THE LAST EPISODE WAS JUST. FUNNYBAD. just a run of the mill whimper at the end of eight episodes we KIND OF REALLY DID NOT NEED. THE SHEER AMOUNT OF RELIEF I FELT. like absolutely i think going into it completely blind/encountering that ending watching live I would have been pissed, folks are rightfully frustrated with it, but I WAS TRULY. EXPECTING MUCH WORSE. IT ENDS LIKE A FAKE TUMBLR POST. "AND THEN EVERYONE CLAPPED" ASS ENDING. I DO HAVE TO LAUGH

^ YIPPEEEE SIX CHARACTERS HAVE EFFECTIVELY STOPPED EXISTING YAAAAAYY (😬😬😬😬)

ALSO, IN GENERAL. SPEAKING OF. GOD. THE BRACELET GIRLS. YALL ARE SO COOL AND THEN POOR LULU AND RIN DIDNT GET TO DO A GODDAMN THING EXCEPT HAVE WORMS IN THEIR BRAINS!!!! HELL ON EARTH!!!!!! WHY DID THEY DO THATTTT GAHHHHH again!! show that introduces SO many characters, so many FUCKING COOL CHARACTERS, and then does NOTHING with them. Or hits them with PARALYZING NERVE GAS FOR 20 EPISODES. CHRIST!!! WHY DO ARC-V GIRLS SUFFER MORE THAN JESUS. LEAVE MY GIRL ZUZU ALONEEEEE

TO THAT END, ARC-V JUST MAKES; SO MANY CONFUSING CHARACTER DECISIONS. AND CHOICES. why is Yuto just out of the picture for like 60 episodes!!! Let him be Yuya's brain buddy!!! WHY WASNT HE. DID YOU NOT WANNA ANIMATE HIM FLOATING NEXT TO THE DUEL RUNNER??! BE REAL. It's like. GRAHHH In general Arc-V has a pacing problem that is like. Atrocious even for yugioh's bad pacing problems. This series needed to be 400 episodes long. I like the IDEA of a yugioh with a big cast, spending episodes cutting between different groups of characters like some kind of bulky YA fantasy novel, but in practice it got. Real Muddy. RIP Xyz dimension arc you shoulda had so much more to you. And then there's that combined with this way it's trying Really Really hard to ape the themes of the past yugiohs ('dont forget to have fun,' grief/moving on after loss, classism) but it's hitting every damn branch on the way down and just completely fumbling ALL of them, it's not actually doing much to Earn being able to have those kind of themes resonate properly. IT'S SUCH A BAFFLING SHOW. IN THE THEMES DEPARTMENT. AMONG OTHER THINGS. "DONT EVER BE VISIBLY PUBLICLY SAD" IS A FUCKING INSANE MORAL. AND IT TAKES THAT SHIT WITH IT TO THE BITTER END. WHY IS THE FATE OF THE WORLD HINGED ON YUYA MAKING A BABY LAUGH. WHERE AM I!!!!

god. god. ok. ok im calm now. im sure in the coming weeks i'll have more barking about arc-v's various fumbles. but i'll leave it at that for now, i wanna talk about stuff i DID like now lol

Favorite Season/Arc: ok well. this actually is a hard question. um. hrm. LIKE. I'LL GET SHOT BY SNIPERS IF I SAY IT WAS SYNCHRO ARC BUT ALSO

IM SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYY I GOT THAT DOG IN ME (A BACK HALF OF 5D'S LIKER'S SOUL.) and unfortunately I WILL go in there and think about it that hard (the absolutely fucked to hell sociopolitical situation happening in Arc-V New Domino City and how it contrasts with the NDC in 5D's) (one thing about me I love weird fucked up yugioh old people I love those bitchass old centrists apparently governing the entire dimension and doing a piss poor job of it it's just like contemporary American politics!!!!!!) ROGET WAS JUST REANIMATING DEAD PEOPLE AND PUTTING MIND CONTROL CYBERNETICS IN THEM AND WELL YEAH SURE I'LL BE NORMAL GRIP ABOUT THAT. NORMAL. i need to make an arc-v AU Aporia so fucking bad THEN YOULL ALL SEE *talking to empty room*

YES synchro was way too fucking long. but regretfully i love turbo duels and will never not be charmed when yugioh puts guys on motorcycles that have no business being on motorcycles. DAMN I JUST FUCKING WISH YUYA AND YUGO GOT TO ACTUALLY TALK AND MEET IN THE SAME ROOM THOUGH!!!! BUT ANYWAY!!!!

im. kidding at least a little, I actually thoroughly enjoyed like...all of Arc-V's seasons/arcs at least a little (barring a lot of the Weird Post Zarc Duel 8 Episode Dead Zone.) The first 50 episodes really are just peak banger Yugioh, I do love action duels to absolute bits (though Action Spells. Uh. Need Some Workshopping 8| If I See Evasion One More Time Im Gonna Lose It) and the shit especially that first season does with the crazy Action Fields is AWESOME. GENUINELY. GO DUEL IN THE VOLCANO. DO A FLIP. RIDE YOUR MONSTER. it's practically running on Pokemon universe logic i cant NOT love it. And well Fusion Dimension arc does just have a whole lot of episodes that make me go cuckoo bananas crazy. Truly something for Dana in every crevice of Yugioh Arc-V.

Favorite Characters: god I do think like a solid half of why I think Arc-V may be becoming my top fav Yugioh is that the cast is just, really Really fucking good. Like yes so many of them are underutilized but the time we Do get with them really just shows off what delightful characters they all are. Half the reason it took me so damn long to finish was I was having so much fun and was going to miss seeing them!! IT'S GENUINELY HARD TO PICK A TOP LINEUP OF FAVS. THERE'S SO MANY DANABAIT GUYS IN YUGIOH ARC-V. YES EVEN THE SYNCHRO ARC GUYS. LUCAS SWANK I MISS YOU SO FUCKING MUCH.

The Lancers alone are SO good, theyre up there with Team 5D's in terms of Favorite "Main Yugioh 'Friend Group'/Organization". Group of guys who kind of have horrible synergy and only like 3 of them are actually competent. Declan came up with it when he was 13. Funniest group of teenagers imaginable, I love them all. LIKE .YUYA MAY BE MY FAVORITE YUTAGONIST??? IM NOT SURE YET BUT. I DO LOVE HIM A LOT. HE'S A PATHETIC WET PAPER TOWEL AND I WANT TO GIVE HIM A NOOGIE. SLASH POS.

And I mean I'm always gonna be Z-one biased but I do like Zarc as a Big Bad a lot too... damn if I don't love Just Some Guy Has Become God and Is a Huge Tool About It <3 WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE THIS!!!!

ah. but. of course. i'd be remiss if i didn't bring up. Rainbow Carrot Rock Your World.

hey guys. why'd it happen again. why'd the Yugioh Carrot and Company get in my head and completely fry my brain AGAIN!!!!!!!! ORANGE CARROT. PURPLE CARROT. YELLOW CARROT!!!!🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕 YUGO ISNT EVEN MY TOP FAV BUT HE'S IN MY HEART AND IN OUR HOUSE FOREVER NOW. meanwhile i dont want. to talk about what yuri is doing to me. if i think too hard about this little purple freak i'll start going bonkers ballistic chewing my leg off. I like all the yuboys but he is especially. Gripping Me. La Cucaracha Loca. My shithead gay son.

dennis needs his own post he's just. a Lot. may very well be one of the funniest yugioh characters ever. Among Other Things. his dub VA's performance needs to be marked as culturally significant. AND THEY JUST KEPT BRINGING HIM BACK.

IN GENERAL, AS I WAS COMPLETELY EXPECTING, FUCKED UP AND EVIL DUEL ACADEMY REALLY DID ME IN I love you Fusion Dimension kids I love getting sick in the head thinking about card game child soldiers.My Actual favorite Arc-V character may just straight up be Sora..... I just like him a lot. He's got a really solid character arc, his deck rules, he's a little fucker AND an absolute real one. Just 10/10 little guy.

GOD WHAT EVEN IS MY TOP FIVE FAVORITES. UHHHH Okay Sora and Yuri for sure, and Declan, I love Declan. Yugo..... god. GOD IS THE FIFTH ONE DENNIS FOR REAL. I FEEL HIM IN MY BRAIN SO BAD. AAAAUUGHHHH (Runners Up: Yuya, Yuto, GONG MOTHERFUCKING STRONG!!!!!!, Rin my girl my badass mechanic girl IM ON MY WAY. I'LL THINK ABOUT YOU THAT HARD., Riley, Arc-V Aster unfortunately a Dana Guy ever. Why Is He Here. He Didnt Even Go to DA in GX. But all of this is subject to change in coming months as the entire cast continues to hit me with weapons. An honor and a privilege to induct these characters into my Blorbo Hall of Fame)

Favorite Duel: HEY QUICK QUESTION: WHY ARE ARC-V'S DUELS SO FUCKING WEIRD. LIKE. NARRATIVELY. There's like 4352984589 ties and duels that get cut short and DUELS WE JUST NEVER GET TO SEE THE FULL OUTCOME OF ON SCREEN?!?!? WHAT WAS GOING ON THERE. It feels like another symptom of arc-v just desperately trying to bite off more than it can chew 😭 Frustrating!! And god I LOVE the zaniness of Action Duels, but we neeeeeed to do something about Action Spells... GRABBING AN ACTION SPELL SHOULD NOT BE THE CRUTCH OF YOUR WHOLE DECK.........

coughs. anyway. My actual honest to god favorite Arc-V duel is Yugo vs. Celina in the Friendship Cup <3 IVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE BUT IT'S JUST SUCH A FUN ONE. It's got some great character moments on both sides, a yugioh girl Getting to Be Cool, the colors are gorgeous, it's SO funny, I just get such a kick out of it....I think part of what I Do like about the Friendship Cup is it really shows this sense of kinetic energy that the WRGP in 5D's really needed. I also really like the Shay vs. Dennis Friendship Cup duel for just going completely off the rails. Blow Up This War Criminal and The Whole Stadium With the Giant Bird Satellite Cannon. DOES NOT GET MORE YUGIOH THAN THAT!!

for all its weirdness Arc-V has a LOT of really fun duels that i enjoy--Shay vs. Sora is beloved for a reason, it also goes hard as hell. So many Season 1 duels are just a goofy blast, I really need to rewatch the quiz show one. For as much of an unnecessary mess as those last 8 episodes are, I DO really like Yuya and Dennis's duel too (THAT GETS REALLY REALLY GAY AT THE END???!?!? ARE WE ALL SEEING THIS.)

Hell even the Zarc duel started making me kind of sick in the head--watching Yuya's friends passing around his pendulum necklace while trying to save him makes me turbo emo WHAT CAN I SAY!!!

Arc-V also has the thing I had with Zexal where there's just some individual episodes that are absolute bangers for me. i love the Prison Break episode, it's fucking INSANE. HIP HIPPO SAID FUCK COPS FUCK THE PRISON SYSTEM!!! I love the episode where Gong and Dennis duel. FOR HOW LONG IT DID DRAG SYNCHRO HAS SOME REALLY FUN ONE-OFF EPISODES which I just really enjoy. Also love when Zuzu and Sora beat the shit out of a pack of cops. Based for that for real.

i do also love Yuri and Yuya's duel. Of course.

Other Miscellaneous Gushing/Shrieking/Losing My Mind About Yugioh Arc-V For Good and Bad and Everything in Between: arc-v arc-veeeeee yugioh arc-fiveeee theres just so MUCH. TO TALK ABOUT. THIS ONE'S GONNA BE IN MY HEAD FOR EONS I FEAR. THINKING ABOUT THE EVERYTHING. The sheer amount of narrative traits that make me specifically lose my mind (in a good way. as opposed to. the babyfication making me lose my mind. in a Real Bad Way :////) that they crammed into this. It's like digging in the treasure chest of elaborate fanfics I was writing in my brain in freshman year of high school. The Sick and Twisted Evil AU Version of Duel Academy. The Trained to Be Weapons Child Soldiers. Mind Control Reanimated Corpse Brain Chip. Alternate Dimension Selves. All of the Split Different Dimension Bullshit. Soul Splitting and Soul Fusion Framed as Fucking Terrifying. It's good I didn't have Arc-V growing up it would have been doing IRREVERSIBLE THINGS TO MY DEVELOPING CREATIVE BRAIN. INSTEAD IT'S DOING THEM TO ME NOW.

(side note, re: terrifying soul fusion: Arc-V is SO FUCKING SCARY SOMETIMES?!?? Like "ohh i wish yugioh was still a horror story" DAWG ARC-V ROUTINELY HAS SOME OF THE MOST DREAD-INDUCING CONCEPTS GETTING FLUNG AT YOU AT 90 MPH. SKIP BOYLE FORGETS HIS DAUGHTER EXISTED AND IT'S ONE OF THE MOST HEARTBREAKINGLY HORRIFYING THINGS IVE EVER SEEEEENNNNN )

The shit Arc-V does with Yugioh's themes of identity, these "when does a piece of yourself stop being you and start being their own person?" "what happens when multiple free standing people are one person" type ideas, you KNOW that makes my Aporia Turbofan ass go CRAAAZYYYY. AND THEN IT HAD RELIGIOUS MOTIFS TOO <3333 YOU'RE ME AND IM YOU AND IT DOESNT MATTER WHO DOES WHAT THE DEVIL WILL COME BACK REGARDLESS 😊💞💞💞

Arc-V takes such bold swings at things and 95% of the time it misses the ball entirely and spins up and out and directly into the fireplace but that 5% of sheer genius and thematic weight hits like a truck. Is Arc-V good? FUCK IF I KNOW. PROBABLY NOT. BUT ALSO YES IT IS. BUT ALSO IT'S NOT. BUT ALSO IT'S SOMETHING SO SPECIAL, AND I LOVE IT. That first like 50 episodes makes for such a good yugioh starter course tbh, the way it goes over different summoning methods and is very engaging and energetic, and then the rest of the show is an 18 car pileup of Card Game War that makes me automatically like DONT. START WITH THIS ONE. WATCH ANOTHER YUGIOH OR TWO FIRST AND THEN COME MELT YOUR BRAIN IN HERE. AND THATS SUCH A WEIRD DICHOTOMY TO HAVE WITH ONE YUGIOH. weird like everything else with arc-v i suppose. :,)

For all the mess and all the madness there truly is so much I love, though. I love the character dynamics, even when the show isnt doing much more with its cast--Yuya and Gong's friendship may be one of my favorite 'yutag and best friend' bonds, it's SO sweet and I'm going to be mad forever that Gong isn't more popular in western ygo fandom. I love the DUEL MONSTERS!! Performapals are SOOOO sillygoofy I have to adore them, the dimensional dragons all kick so much ass I love you Clear Wing my big legless weirdo. I love Shay's increasingly bigger Bird Guns. I LOVE FRIGHTFURS!!!! I LOVE D/D/DS!!!!! SO HAPPY TO SEE THEM ON ESPECIALLY SCREEN AFTER PLAYING THEM FOR MONTHS IN DUEL LINKS. MY FREAKY DECLAN DEMONS. I love the miscellaneous callbacks to past iconic monsters and funky weird AU retrains of the Legacu character's decks. Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend my friend Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend

I also do love that Arc-V in theory is trying very hard to be a celebration of past Yugiohs, but it's also instead being completely fucking insane with its 'tributes.' Oh you like Heartland City from Zexal? It's a carpetbombed warzone now! LIKE... HUH!!! When Lazar showed up at the end of season 2 i SCREAMED. I WANT TO KNOW THE LOGIC OF THESE CHOICES. THEY DONT MAKE ME MAD OR ANYTHING REALLY IM JUST FASCINATED BY THEM. i cant really be too angry at arc-v I'm just. transfixed. at every baffling choice it's ever made. I've really truly never seen a show that's so thoroughly felt like some kids doing a roleplay on a forum somewhere, players dropping in and out and mods not really knowing what to do with the lore anymore as things become more and more convoluted. I watch arc-v scenes and i can picture the text RP in my head, the players' forum signatures and all. It's truly some kind of feat to achieve that inherent vibe, that's for sure.

ok im running out of steam i think... what else. god. Yugioh Arc-V is just.... such a teetering Jenga tower of a show, a complete nuclear meltdown of clumsy writing and fantastic vocal performances (dub and sub) and confused handling of its own lore and occasionally some of the fucking coolest most intense expressions and gorgeous shots of any yugioh

I held out on watching it for so long cuz i just fuckin KNEW it was going to grab me by the brain and swing me into the wall and WELL!!! I WAS RIGHT!!!! SHES A MESS BUT SHES MY MESS BABEYYY!!! IS ARC-V GOOD? MAYBE NOT BUT, BROTHER, I FUCKIN LOVE WHEN YUGIOH IS BAD ❤ ive been a disciple of Bad Yugioh for 20 goddamn years and im not stopping now!!!!! I love you Pendulum summoning you insane busted ass mechanic. I love you all four completely fucked up dimensions. I love that they localized Maiami to Paradise City. I love the little nods to past yugioh things (like fusing with a motorcycle <3 Primo Moment...2!) I hate you Leo Akaba explode and die forever (though 'parent going mad trying to bring their child back' do also go me a little bananas.) I love the kickass shots of Yuya's monsters being set in the pendulum scale.I love Sora's relationship with Yuya and Zuzu. I love every fucked up crazyass expression Yuri makes. I love the sense of character design in this show. I love the Action Duel start chants. I love seeing the Synchro Math again and the Overlay Units and the deeply unsettling fusion hand gesture kids use with Polymerization. I love that third ED thats just the Lancers dicking around in different locations and having fun. I love Declan and Riley's complicated but deeply loving bond. I love when characters RIDE THEIR DUEL MONSTERS!!! AND I LOVE THAT DESPITE EVERYTHING I ALREADY WANNA SEE THESE CHARACTERS AGAIN. THEYRE MY FRIENDS!!!!! THEYRE IN MY BRAIN!!!!! MY KIDSSSSS

I KNOW NOW. WHY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ARC-V LIKE THAT. AND IM ABOUT TO START TALKIN LIKE THAT TOO. YUGIOHHHHHH!!!!!

[sylus-little-meow-meow]

The Parfait: Part 1

Caleb keeps tabs on the girl walking ahead of him.

She's got her head tipped back towards the sun and she's humming to herself, the plastic back tucked into the crook of her arm swaying from side-to-side.

She's completely oblivious to the world around her. 

She appears naive, but apparently she's a qualified hunter like her older sister. 

Caleb spent the last few days digging into Sylvia's background.

She hasn't made a move to tell her about him just yet and he's not sure when she's planning to.

So he wants to make the first move before she can. 

He'll prepare himself for any outcome.

He refuses to lose pipsqueak again. 

The ditzy girl that he's observing heads for the crosswalk and it's then that Caleb sees the perfect chance, her foot just barely grazing the road when he yanks her pack.

???: Huh?

The girl unplugs her headphones, the song blasting to a point where Caleb questions how she hasn't burst her eardrums.

Caleb: Sorry.

He quickly puts up his hands in a “I mean no harm” gesture.

He won't cause any trouble for her and her sister. At least not right now.

Caleb: You weren't paying attention and almost walked into traffic. The sign is red. See?

He nods towards the other side of the street.

The girl stares at him with her lips slightly parted. 

She's looking at him like the girls he used to attend school with, a slight flush on her cheeks.

This might be easier than I thought. 

He gives her a smile, knowing full well how to use whatever assets are needed in order to complete his end goal. 

Caleb: Careful leaving your jaw hanging like that. There's birds flyin’ around here, you know? 

The girl clamps her jaw shut. 

Before she opens her mouth again something seems to snap her out of her silence and she's stepping forward, standing on her tippy toes.

Caleb blinks and takes a step back.

Caleb: Hey. A little personal space, please?

His smile is still friendly, but underneath he's annoyed by the reaction.

Lumi: Oh, sorry. It's just…

She points to her own eyes.

Lumi: Did anyone ever tell you your eyes look like little galaxies? The mix of purple and pink is so pretty. 

I'm so jealous. Your eyes look like little galaxies. 

Another voice folds over Lumi’s as though they're one in the same.

Pipsqueak used to tell him that too, back when they were still kids and living with gran. 

The girl rambles on.

Lumi: Not that I'm trying to hit on you or anything. Did it sound like that? I hope it didn't sound like that? Man, is it warm out today or what. 

Caleb wants her to stop talking so he speaks up.

Caleb: Don't worry, I didn't take it the wrong way. And yes it is pretty warm out today. Seems like a nice day for grabbing a drink, don't you think?

Lumi blinks at him.

Lumi: Are you…asking me out?

Caleb: And if I am?

He doesn't specifically say that he is. 

She's not his type. He's only got eyes for one girl, but he'll let her interpret the question how she likes. 

She blinks again looking flustered.

Lumi: Oh, wow. Getting asked out in broad daylight. This is a first for me, oh um…

Caleb: Yeah?

He broadens his grin. He knows what he's doing. 

Getting closer to this girl is the first step and considering that blush earlier, he figures she'll say yes.

Lumi: Oh, that's so sweet and all, but um—I'm not really interested in dating someone I don't know based on looks. I'm sure you have a lot of girls lined up at your door anyway so…yeah.

She rocks on her heels, looking away from him.

He didn't expect that, but he easily rolls with the punches and softens his expression.

Caleb: I was just messin’ with ya. I figured I could use some company while I go grab some drinks. It'll be my treat. 

The girls brow furrows.

Lumi: That's…not a nice way of teasing someone you don't know. You could really hurt someone that way. What if I'd said yes?

Caleb: Ah—

Again she throws him for a second loop.

Caleb: You're right. I'm sorry, that was rude of me. You just reminded me of this girl I know and that's usually how we joke around. 

He reigns sincerity, but if it works…

Lumi studies him for a moment.

Then she breaks out into a slow mischievous grin, like she's plotting something. 

For a seemingly naive looking girl she looks devious. 

Lumi: For that, I think I deserve a drink and a parfait.

She nods to herself, tapping her chin as she shows him her back.

Lumi: Because, you know? I just don't know if I have enough energy to carry myself over there and back to where I was headed if I'm not promised either or. 

The look she throws over her shoulder at him is outright cheeky. 

[chnt-confessions]

this is a rant that spirals im warning you on incoherence

hi. I think theres something in the fact that marisol is a shortening of “our lady of solitude” in spanish. (if i am asked why it is spanish i WILL go into a rant abt the colonization of the Philippines)

Like, shes one of the first characters mentioned and was THE first to notice elijah who, also i think elijah was chosen VERY specifically as the prophet to name him after the prophet elijah from the bible as opposed to say, moses, enoch or joshua (WOW joshua is a biblical name i wish i was lying) (i feel like its obvious he wouldnt be named after enoch, his main book isnt even biblical canon) Why? the sheer amount of just- godly smiting Elijah causes, but also the fact that he resurrected a woman's son. speaking of a woman’s son, cut the baby in half. (i was raised w this story, so i wish everyone would know it, but obv some wont) Essentially two women bring king solomon a baby and say one is the mother, he says cut the baby in half and only the real mother cares. Which, weird. Anyway another one of king solomon’s names was JEDIDIAH. King Solomon said to kill a child, Elijah resurrected one, but not before causing the mother a lot of grief. Elijah also got taken into heaven by a golden chariot of fire and horses which I THINK mirrors the pyre. Also Sydney is one of the few non-biblical name of the main characters, it coming from old english and meaning “of the wide meadow”. which, huh theres a lot of nature names in chnt. Soren, as a name is derived from a CATHOLIC SAINT who is the patron against bad luck a drought, thats weird but if in soren’s head makes sense that he’d believe that.

uuhhhh will come back w more rambling once i unlock anymore core catholic memories™

WOAAHH

[emlan]

Finished DLC!

Here's some Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree ramblings, spoilers under cut.

.

.

.

.

. DLC catered to me a lot since I'm a Zanzibart cutscene enjoyer who loves map exploration and Vista money shots but I'm kinda HUH-cat.clip when it comes to some new lore bits and in general the world feels divorced from main game even though main game characters and topics are around?

I don't remember how much souls DLC tied into the other story, but I'm using The Old Hunters from BB as base and it really added extra value to its world and characters and there's just nothing new of real interest in SotE from what I can see…

In a vacuum I can only appreciate even more (literal) brother on brother action but Miquella seemingly being deeply obsessed with Radahan is so out of left field??? Granted I'm not an lorester but what I remember as Miq's key things from flavor text when it comes to ties to other people is him being sad about being unable to cure Malenia of her rot and also sad about not being able to grant Godwyn his true death. The only ties to Radahan is by proxy of his sister fighting him? (Was she even fighting him just to bring bro his crush to him? This makes Caelid getting nuked by her even more of a waste.)

It's so out of nowhere that the Epic Prime Version of him comes off as a cheap soyjak pointing bit pandering to Radahan fanboys (pretty sure he's like no1 fav guy for players right), but fanboys will obviously not be happy about him just being a hollow shell again (?) that might not have wanted anything to do with Miquella (?) so I just can't see this as satisfying for ANY kind of player even on a full Gamer Dude to Deranged Fujoshi spectrum? I imagine deep lore enthusiasts also feels a bit… Ambushed.

I'm not against Miquella doing dark unpleasant or just stupid desperate acts since it was already a popular theory that he was a brainwasher type, but the issue for me is that I'm not sure if this Miq/Rad union is "intended" to be read in such a twisted way even when it's the only way I can read it.

Though I guess the fact general consensus going from "wow Mohg is so messed up claiming Miq no matter Miq's consent" to "wow Miq is so messed up claiming Radahan no matter Radahan's* consent" is poetic….?

*I'm writing Radahan here but really it's also a synonym for 'Mohg' considering he's the one getting desecrated the most.

I'm sure I'll end up watching some vid or writeup making pieces fall into place later but I can't believe Miyazaki is handing me visual age gap brother incest and all I can do is force a strained smile in response!!!

Anyway general whining time:

As much as I love filling out up the map I feel there was too much big "empty" areas. Climbing the dragon mountain was the worst presentation of anything I've seen in a FS title, extremely cheap unfinished filler feeling with the spirit jumps instead of at least adding some kinda atmosphere like the open flower/gravestone fields. The Abyss gimmick overstayed it's welcome since it's too miserable checking if you missed a shiny somewhere without your horse, but at least the stealth parts was such a non-issue it might as well not be there.

While I like that you can see several inaccessible areas from where you stand, and I do think it leads to some fun moments when you're taking a random path halfway across the map and ends up on the other side as an a-ha moment, it was a bit frustrating not being able to tell more clearly how to reach sections. Plus I would've died 10000 times from drops if it wasn't the fact Rainbow Stones protected me from making bad choices.

What mindbroke me most was trying to get into the flower field area north east, having an "oh boy, beating this guy will let me reach it for sure!" moment for both Gaius and Sunflower was such [record scratch SFX]. I did figure posing in front of the statue was most likely the entry afterwards but somehow I had missed the gesture needed (most embarrassing DLC moment considering I tend to fine comb pretty well and the gesture pickup is just sitting there out in the open………. why am I even admitting this shameful thing). Watching trees get knocked over from something moving under the water in the church district was really cool and unnerving and then you realize it's just branch dragon number 800……………..

The wicker men has a great design but fighting them was either a boring slog or a frustrating jankfest trying to toss the bombs right. Peeved that you HAVE to use a furnace pot for the sleeping one blocking the ruin puzzle, hefty should've been fine too.

Bosses are too hectic/aggressive for my taste but that's just business as usual for ER so whatever, last boss really is way too punishing compared to other Hard bosses tho, in fact I just watched ending on YT since I'm stuck still on them :V Camera also makes a glorious return as the toughest challenge of them all.

Think my biggest highlights was seeing the bizarre finger/tongue path under the church and the finger mom boss visual itself and the black humor of the miserable living jars stumbling around with the pot on their head. Ansbach is a hot new waifu and it's very precious how such an upstanding man stays all-in loyal to a Deranged Satan (said lovingly) soooo cute you actually get a "Um, so about how Mohg died…👉👈" prompt with him. There was more NPC voice lines than I expected which was fun. St Trina's design was very neat and shoujo manga. Having to sip syrup 4-5 times instead of the classic Third Time's The Charm is a crime however and I missed making the Trina fanboy jealous until it was too late :/

The open world for all of Elden Ring is such an incredible experience that I'm happy I got to play and I had such a good time and I can't imagine any other studios will be able to reach these map heights but I also hope they never make an OW game again because it's too much when you "need" to replay it.

[cru5h-cascades]

(play this in the background while reading this post plz it'll enhance your reading experience I think)

Wow... 2 years flew by fast, huh? To think that just two years ago we finally got hands on the 3rd funny cephalopod activities game after a year plus of waiting...

I remember watching the S3 direct live 2 years ago. Boy did I go crazy when they showed off the splatana wiper for the first time (I really wanted swords in Splatoon and then they finally became real!) and laughed my ass off when they showed off the Big Shot. And then there were the few days or weeks of dodging spoilers left and right because people ended up getting the game early.

And then I finally got to play the game myself. And I loved it. And would play it every day after school.

And soon enough Side Order got announced. Boy did that teaser send chills up my spine. Y'all if I had a nickel for every time Nintendo made a freaky teaser for a game that had a bunch of cryptic imagery and was accompanied by music box music that really got me asking wtf I'd have two nickels, which isn't much but it's weird that it happened twice AND WITH GAMES THAT I LIKE BTW (people following know damn well what that other trailer I'm talking about...). And then I'd spend the next few months posting about datamine whenever they came out. And then last September (a year ago at this point if I remember correctly)...

THEY GOT ANNOUNCED TO BE IN SIDE ORDER. TO SAY I WAS EXCITED WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. I WAS ON CLOUD 9 FOR THE ENTIRE DAY.

A few months later Side Order came out. I played the first 10 levels the same night I finally got access to the DLC and was searching everywhere online for the music that played in Marina's boss fight shortly afterwards. Man... to think that was just a few months ago...

And then July rolls in. I was vibing to the Death of Slim Shady and my blog was filled to the BRIM with posts about Emio the Smiling Man 'cause I just wanted to figure out what tf is up with that funny bag man. One morning I woke up to my phone blowing up with Tumblr notifications. I check out Tumblr and somehow my random ass final fest concept PREDICTED THE FUTURE MONTHS IN ADVANCE. I post about my amazement about predicting the grandfest theme and resume posting about Emio shortly afterwards.

And then that brings us to now. Waiting for the grandfest results.

It was an honor splatting with you guys. I've been a Splatoon fan ever since I saw an ad for the 1st game on TV. This game means a lot to me and this splatfest was a lot of fun. To think this might be the last new splatfest theme for a while (I say last new theme and not splatfest in general since there's some stuff in the game's code pointing to the possibility of rerun splatfests)...

I can't wait for what the Splatoon devs have in store for us next. Next year marks 10 YEARS of Splatoon. We're definitely going to be getting some new Splatoon stuff next year. A milestone like that can't be ignored.

Anyways, I hope you guys liked my rambling about the silly cephalopod game (with a side of bag man and Eminem). Stay fresh, off the hook, and keep dripping ink you guys!