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theboombutton · 3 months

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Bad Fictional Data vs Fictional Bad Data

WARNING: This post will include discussion of a name that might be Alice Dyer's deadname. I won't be calling Alice by this name or using it in the context of that name being a pointer to Alice, but I will be using the name, uncensored, when talking about where and why the name appeared in chdb.xls .

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You may know that as part of the ARG, the sleuths on Statement Remains uncovered a document called chdb.xls, allegedly a list that has something to do with The Magnus Institute. There's a list of names, ID numbers, first and last names, dates of birth, and information apparently related to each person's "score" in an assortment of psychological/personality tests. Three of the names in particular have stood out in a lot of analyses: Samama Khalid, Gerard Kaey [sic], and Connor Dyer.

You likely don't know that the commonly linked version of the spreadsheet, ported to Google Docs and linked in the TMAGP ARG Masterdoc, is presented out of order. (I'm guessing they didn't lock down editing until it was already all out of order from various people messing with it - totally understandable, this is not a callout post, thank you for making this easily accessible to people.)

But let me tell you about something I discovered by looking at the spreadsheet in its original order, and the almost certainly incorrect rabbit hole of theorizing it has sent me down.

Bad Fictional Data

Until episode 2 I had the same thought about the Dyer listed in the spreadsheet that I think most people did: that it was Alice's deadname, and that she had therefore been one of the Institute's young subjects. But after Alice had absolutely no reaction when Sam mentioned the Magnus Institute to her in episode 2, I now think this is significantly less likely.

Don't get me wrong: it's still reasonable to think that the Dyer listed in chdb.xls is Alice. Maybe she had some kind of supernatural experience that wiped her memory. (It probably wasn't that Alice was too young to remember, as the Dyer on the spreadsheet is listed as being at Piaget Stage 3, which occurs from 7-11 years old; but it's always possible that the Magnus Institute was using the names of legitimate psychological tests to hide their tracks when recording more esoteric data.) The point is, this isn't hard evidence that Alice has no connection to the Magnus Institute; it just made me go looking for more evidence.

I went back to the spreadsheet to look for more clues about whether or not this was Alice's deadname. What I found instead was some extremely sloppy fake data at the bottom of the spreadsheet.

For context, here are first ten names in the spreadsheet:

Note how each ID begins with the name's first and last initial.

Now check out the last ten names:

Not only do these IDs no longer always match their subjects' names, they occur in order: CD, EF, GH, IJ, KL, MN, OP, QR, ST, UV. The first names of each pair match the first letter of each ID, but many, though not all, of the surnames don't match the second letter.

My first thought was that whoever Rusty Quill had contracted to generate these names had gotten sloppy at the end of the list, created the IDs all at once using this alphabetical pattern, and picked names to fill in that roughly matched the IDs. But hey, we could use this to our advantage! Any name that was filled in as part of a series of IDs with an alphabetical pattern like this could be removed from consideration for red string analysis - we'd know they were meaningless fakes added by a lazy contractor, and not clues or characters that might show up again later.

Scrolling back up the spreadsheet, we can see the person generating the data having more care the earlier we go. We find the beginning of the AA/BC/DE/FG/HI pattern at line 136, but at first, the names mostly conform to the initials they've been given. JK09874 "Josie Jordan" at line 154 is the first break from the "first two letters of the ID are their initials" pattern; and breaks occur more often the further you go down the sheet.

Scrolling up to before line 136 (AA09911 - Aaron Atkinson), while the pattern isn't yet at AB/CD/EF/GH levels of obviousness, the first initials are still in alphabetical order. Zoe Hart follows Yara Logan follows Xavier Freeman follows Wyatt Edwards. The data creator skips a few letters - for example Niamh Fenton is followed by Phoebe Emmett, and S and T are together in the same line in Skye Travers.

We can follow this less-obvious version of the alphabetical pattern up to an abrupt break right at line 118, above which the IDs don't follow an alphabetical pattern at all. (They might follow a different pattern, but it's not one that I've found yet.) So that means we can discount all the names in line 118 and below as purely fake, generated lazily by a contractor, and not worthy of our attention for the purposes of red-stringing. Right?

What the fuck?!

(highlight is my own, it is not present in the original document)

My first thought was that the sloppy data generator had done the funniest thing imaginable, sending everyone on a wild goose chase about Alice's deadname just by having the name "Dyer" on the brain while looking for a surname that started with D. This would be Very Funny. No plot relevance, no implications, just the brain fart that launched a thousand theories.

My second thought was that maybe Connor Dyer was the last legit name on the list, and whoever started filling the rest of the sheet in with alphabetical junk data was inspired by the "CD" initials in the first place - whoever it was went on from there.

These are both valid thoughts! But I prefer my third thought:

What if it's on purpose?

Fictional Bad Data

There is a very obvious break between the set of data that doesn't look obviously* fake, and the set of data that is immediately identifiable as such. If we assume that this was intentional - and I want to reiterate that it all being unintentional is still a very real possibility here - why would someone at Rusty Quill want the data to be structured like this?

If the sharp dividing line between reasonable-seeming data and obviously fake data is intentional on RQ's part, it would suggest that we should take the data above row 118 as in-universe real data, and the data below row 118 as in-universe falsified data. It suggests that someone, either at the Institute or after its demise, was adding nonexistent children to the roster of The Magnus Institute. Why would someone want to do that?

There are all kinds of possible reasons, but here are a few off the top of my and my theorizing buddies' heads:

Financial fraud (institutional edition). If the Magnus Institute received funding on a per-child basis, they'd have an incentive to inflate their numbers.

Financial fraud (researcher edition). One or more people on staff were blowing off their child-analysis sessions and recording fake numbers for fake children. This would be ballsy as hell if they could be fired for it, but it was the Magnus Institute, so there's decent odds they couldn't be.

Scientific fraud (faking conclusions edition). The Magnus Institute in the Protocolverse claimed to be doing research on giftedness in children, which is the kind of thing that you'd normally publish in a scientific journal. It's not unheard-of for dickhead academics to falsify data to generate statistically significant results, since statistically insignificant results aren't going to get you published.

Scientific fraud (obscuring paranormal bullshit edition). If the Magnus Institute was using legitimate psychological test names to record Fear-related test results, it's possible their results showed different patterns from what you would expect from the real tests. They could have added the fake children to balance out the dataset as a whole.

Pseudonyms. The children are all real, the Institute just started using fake names for them for privacy purposes. They couldn't go back and change the names they'd already written properly for some reason. Probably something paranormal.

Those are all pretty interesting possibilities, and if we could narrow them down, it might tell us something about what things were like at the Magnus Institute before it burned down!

And the other big question is: why did RQ make the dividing line between the two sections, the first likely-fake entry, Connor Dyer?

One straightforward reason could be as a troll, a red herring to watch fans get in a lather over. And once the community inevitably noticed all the obviously falsified entries, RQ could eat popcorn and watch us lose our minds over whether or not that's even a real entry! (That sounds really fun, I would absolutely do that.)

But let's dig a little deeper, and look at what Connor Dyer being on the border between the real and fake entries would mean in-universe. Because of its position as the border between real and fake, it would be very easy for that entry to be accidentally included in the wrong group - a real research subject discarded as fake, or perhaps more interestingly, a fake research subject accidentally reclassified as real.

Remember, if a name is fake in the context of the Magnus Institute's research, that doesn't mean that the name itself is made up. If I was trying to think of a name that fit the initials CD, and those were the initials of my next door neighbor's kid, I might just write their name in as a lark. Especially if it was my first time trying to get away with falsifying information: this is a kid that verifiably exists and lives in the area.

My theory, supported primarily by my love for The Implications instead of actual evidence

Twenty years on, after all institutional memory of the fraud was long gone, trans icon Alice Dyer applies to work for the OIAR - an institution that (according to this theory) has an unofficial preference for hiring former Magnus Institute kids.

They are very confused when Alice proceeds to act nothing like a former Magnus Institute kid. It doesn't occur to anyone that her entry might have been falsified. What reason would anyone have to do that?

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* Of course people with a background in data analysis or statistics will see immediately that even above line 118 this is a wild-ass dataset that would raise red flags for falsification, but at least it's not "the alphabet over and over" levels of obvious.

#tmagp theory #alice dyer #tmagp arg #chdb.xls #tmagp speculation #tmagp #the magnus protocol #cw deadnaming

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tossawary · 2 months

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The passage where Sha Hualing loses her clothing:

"Next, this world proved itself to be truly that of a fanservice-packed stallion novel. After Sha Hualing was blasted away, she let out a single delicate scream, and the gauzy red cloth draped over her body - that had barely covered anything in the first place - also tore to shreds, eliciting a series of alarmed cries from the onlookers. She cushioned her landing with a beautifully executed roll, propelling herself to standing in a single movement. Demons were indeed bold and unrestrained; even though her entire body was censored out, Sha Hualing wasn't ashamed in the slightest. She spitefully tore off the cloak of a subordinate beside her, carelessly throwing it over herself.

"I underestimated you today," she said. "But we will definitely meet again in the future! Let's go!" "

Volume 1, Chapter 2, page 130.

I still wonder what "her entire body was censored out" means here. My assumption here (and when something similar happens later on) is that Shen Yuan is just ignoring the full-body nudity here. He is looking away. He is mentally applying black bars. This is a naked 15-16-year-old and he is NOT paying attention to that.

Honestly, I'm not sure whether or not I like this detail. On one hand, yeah, nipple slips and other flashing would be an inevitable side effect of wearing the skimpy clothing of harem stories, especially when you're wearing to battle. That's a realistic thing that would happen and I do find that a little funny. I do like the fact that this flashing happens quite quickly, no one appears to make that much of a deal out of it, and Sha Hualing covers herself quickly without feeling too much embarrassment. Despite this being an artifact of PIDW's sexy bullshit, it's treated practically here. Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge are not attracted to the demon teenager at all.

I can't full express what my issue with this nudity. I guess would prefer that if this had to happen, it had also happened more and to adult male characters as well, leaning into the sheer absurdity of living in the PIDW world. Shen Yuan loses a shirt to the Skinner Demon, and then later loses clothing again in the Water Prison, so that's something. But why not also have Liu Qingge lose a little more clothing in the Ling Xi Caves? Maybe Luo Binghe's blast of demonic energy during the Immortal Alliance Conference could have taken off Mobei-Jun's shirt? I'm going to be keeping track of the contrived nudity situations going forward.

It would be fun to write a fic in which the characters just... practically and tiredly deal with a world designed to eat clothing. It's not sexy. It's embarrassing, but mostly, everyone is very done with this.

#tossawary svsss #tossawary rereads svsss #sha hualing #shen qingqiu #liu qingge #shen yuan #fic ideas

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penfz · 6 months

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A Face to the Name

Sukuna x FemReader (Modern AU)

Summary: After a long a** break of settling in, getting Aika settled in, finding a babysitter, and overall just avoiding going into work physically… Y/N now has to physically go into work Lol

A/N: I’m currently making a Master List of this series. There, I will attempt to put it in an actual timeline. No promises though.

This story part does take place after The Beginning though.

Warning: mild swearing, mention of choking (in a non physical sense)

Sukuna x FemReader Master List

Welp. Y/N hated this. You were perfectly fine working from home. You enjoyed not having to actually pick an appropriate outfit for work. Cause if you could go to work in your track-pants, you most certainly would. You also enjoyed just casually sitting in on meetings through video call, making yourself a sandwich as you did. Now you guarantee during those meetings, you would be expected to at least say something, and you most definitely would not be allowed to make a sandwich during it.

With one more sigh, you left the house and drove to work. But not before grabbing your lunch bag, which Yuuji and Aika had left a sweet note about enjoying your first day at work. Such darlings.

On the other side of the street, Sukuna was already grumbling in annoyance. The sections manager was finally making an appearance at work, and he wasn’t sure what to make of them. Mostly cause they actually never said sh*t during the meeting. They muted their microphone and blocked their camera during meetings, stating that it gets extremely loud and distracting in her house.

Now Sukuna knew for sure it was a female because she often sent emails to him regarding certain deadlines and projects. And she always signed it off with her name and position. Now Sukuna should have probably done the same back, since it’s appropriate to sign off your name and position when writing emails within a company. But yeah… he never did that Lol So she always called him “Mr.Sukuna” since his email had his first name in it. That low key made him laugh, only cause he knew it probably annoyed her. She was a stickler for “proper” and “appropriate” when it came to work, Sukuna couldn’t help himself in wanting to annoy her just a little.

The house was already empty, with Yuuji leaving early to drop off Aika to school. The same Aika who had insisted on her and Yuuji leaving a sweet note in his lunch… addressed to “Suki”. Brats.

“I hate this.” You mumbled under your breath. And you weren’t lying. Physically being at work was weird. You were a section manager for a large project firm. You had moved cities with Aika after being promoted to a higher position, but it required you to move to a different city. No complaint on your part though, you were moving back to the city you called home, where family was. Being away from them was hard enough.

You were getting a tour of the office, being introduced to coworkers, putting faces to the names that you’ve read through your computer screen from time. In fact, you were looking for a certain person, a Mr. Sukuna. The guy, you assumed it’s a male anyways, just did little things to irk your soul. Why couldn’t he just send the documents to you if he was already done? Why wait till the deadline to do so? Why couldn’t he just answer you in a timely manner? Especially when the indicator says that the guy read your message. And why couldn’t he just sign off his name properly in emails?! So you wouldn’t have to use his first name, which you got from his work email address!

“Oh, this is Mr. Itadori.” Your colleague introduced. And instantly, your head shot up. Someone with the same last name as your child’s babysitter? Possibly a coincidence in last names.

It most certainly was not a coincidence. The man before you looked exactly like Yuuji, his pink fluffy hair a dead give away to that. But the tattoos, the large body structure, the intimidating look he gave you, this was probably Yuuji’s older brother. And he was right, he is scary looking. But scary good… cause for some reason you couldn’t take your eyes off him. Took everything in you not to laugh as youu remembered Yuuji’s words.

As if Sukuna thoughts differed from your own. He took one look at you, and he already had one word to describe you. Cute. Your body language gave off a timid vibe. Understandable, he is a pretty big guy. But this was his new manager? On screen you gave a very demanding and confident presence, but that’s probably because you were behind a screen. That was what he liked. As much as he could describe you as cute, you weren’t necessarily his type. He liked confident and bold women, not to much the shy type. There was something about a woman who could take the lead with no hesitation, that made Sukuna melt.

“Hi, Mr. Itadori. Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N L/N.” You introduced with a deep bow. Sukuna could only smirk, definitely a timid one.

“Nice to meet you. Look forward to working with you.” Sukuna replied, he definitely was going to enjoy teasing you in the future.

Now this time, Sukuna was baffled. Trying to keep the impressed smile off his face. He was definitely wrong in his original thoughts of you just being “cute”, and he was definitely wrong on you not being his type. Cause you most definitely were.

There was a meeting today, with your boss wanting to formally introduce you to everyone, as well as a meeting about the current projects and its timelines. There was some overlaps in the projects, resulting in slight disorganization among workers, all of them trying to figure out which part should be done first. Which resulted in missed deadlines, all of which you felt could have been avoided.

When you were called upon to address the matter with your own thoughts, Sukuna couldn’t wait to see how your timid self would respond. But in your own head, you could only sigh as you feared you’ll be looked at as a tyrant in the workplace. Oh well.

“I disagree.” You spoke up when it was your turn to speak. All eyes were on you now, with your answer defying all previous agreements. “This will certainly lead to sloppy results. The deadline is soon approaching, let’s fix the timeline of things. Have the bigger details handled by senior staff, and smaller ones handled by the interns. They’ll have to learn eventually anyways how things work in an actual work setting.”

“Giving those kind of tasks to the interns is what could result in sloppy results.” Someone else argued.

“No. Those interns worked hard to be exactly where they are now.” You explained. “Give them the chance to prove themselves and to succeed. They’re in this position cause this where they went to be, so give them that chance.”

“That’s still risky.” Another fought.

“What’s risky is this that you actually think that your current plan is working, when it's clearly not.”

Welp, you just dropped a truth bomb there, and Sukuna couldn’t help but smirk. He almost barked out a laugh. Almost.

“I agree with Y/N.” Sukuna declared. “This debate is honestly a waste of time. We either continue with what we're doing, or we follow the princess' lead and listen to her."

"Sukuna." The boss had lightly reprimanded him with using such an inappropriate to describe you. He always feared Sukuna would catch an HR complaint with the way he spoke. But it's not like you complained.

Nope, you definitely didn't complain. Instead you slightly blushed at the sound of the nickname coming from such a deep voice such as Sukuna's. You had to remind yourself that you were at work and to relax.

Once the meeting had ended, in your favour actually, you had either been applauded for your decision to change things. Or you were looked down upon for it, especially cause you were technically new to the your current position. But you had not let any of the whispers around you, stop you. And Sukuna noticed that. Just like a predator eyeing it's prey, Sukuna was now eyeing you.

Extra:

"Hi Suku- nii, how was work?" Yuji asked, seeing his brother already in the kitchen cooking dinner.

"It was fine brat. Where are you coming from anyways?" Sukuna asked, no pleasantries what so ever. But that never bothered Yuji.

"Oh, Aika's house. I was helping her with her homework before her mom came home." Yuji explained. "Aika said she wants to come here for dinner tomorrow. Is that ok?"

"Yeah it's fine." Sukuna answered back, not really paying much attention to things as he did the task at hand. No, his thoughts were still on you. The way you dominated your colleagues, the way you spoke to those higher then you with no remorse in your comments. That kind of personality had Sukuna in a choke hold, and his thoughts were strictly on you.

"Suku-nii."

"What?"

"Did... something good happen today?"

"What the fcuk?" Sukuna questioned as he turned to face his younger brother. "What are you on brat?"

"Cause you're burning dinner." Yuji answered innocently. He didn't want to admit that his brother got absent minded whenever his thoughts were on a girl, or he had a good date.

"FCUKKK!"

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #sukuna x reader #sukuna x y/n #sukuna fluff #soft sukuna #modern sukuna #sukuna au #jjk au #jujutsu kaisen au #sukuna x y/n au #sukuna x femreader

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adultswim2021 · 2 months

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force #93: “A PE Christmas” | December 13, 2009 - 11:45PM | S08E01 regular series version aired March 15, 2010 @ 12:00AM

It’s the Aqua Teen Christmas episode, in which Shake and Meatwad steal Public Enemy’s identity and try to cut a rap record to sell on Christmas. It’s a pretty bad plan because they record it on Christmas eve and Shake sorta just believes the CD will appear in stores on Christmas day. The stores aren’t even open on Christmas day!! SHAKE COME ON!

Mostly this one just consists of two scenes: one where the Aqua Teens attend Christmas mass and Shake acts childish. There’s a nice crowd scene filled with people from previous episodes, and for some reason the monsters are all sitting on the opposite side of the room. You hate to see a segregated church on Christmas. Then there’s the scene in the recording studio, with Shake and Meatwad coming up with bad ideas and recording them. The gag at the end of this, where Shake takes a big shit and it winds up on Meatwad’s track for Silent Night, is pretty low-brow, but it’s maybe the funniest thing in the episode. I don’t want to like it, I’m not about that life.

This episode featured a bit of a twist where it turns out that Shake was filled with eels, hence his violent butthole outbursts. The original broadcast of this ended with Shake in jail, because he broke into a Better Buy store to see how his record was selling. He gets exploded to death after a bunch of eels burst out of him. When this episode aired as part of season seven, they added an ending that sorta explains that the Eels belonged to Chuck D (flagrantly misidentified as Flava Flav on the ATHF wiki).

This one’s pretty lame, TBH. There were things in it I liked, but the best thing being a poo poo joke really should sum it all up. It also mildly perturbed me that this one airs between the live-action episode and the official season premiere “Rabbot Redux” which includes some continuity, so I numbered it according to the in-season air order. It also airs in some fucked up order on DVD! I don’t know why! I don’t know why they do that!

Oh yeah I also liked the part where Shake rudely bangs on the glass in the recording studio. Pretty funny.

EPHEMERA CORNER:

youtube

15th Annual Holiday Content Marathon (December 18, 2009)

An evening of Christmas specials. Also scheduled was “Gary’s Posse”, a promo that aired for a show that didn’t actually exist; in fact, I forgot all about this. Gary’s Posse was put on the schedule for AM this evening, but it was just a repeat of King of the Hill. Swimpedia (where I got this and nearly all of my scheduling information from) uncovered the fact that this is actually just stock footage from Julien Tromeur called "Afraid of your sexual fantasies." The promo advertising Gary’s Posse was just a gag.

10:00/2:00 King of the Hill: Livin' on Reds, Vitamin C and Propane (Schedule Promo Falsely Announced Gary's Posse at 2:00 AM)

10:30/2:30 King of the Hill: 'Twas the Nut Before Christmas

11:00/3:00 Robot Chicken: Dear Consumer

11:15/3:15 The Venture Bros.: A Very Venture Christmas

11:30/3:30 American Dad!: The Best Christmas Story Never

12:00/4:00 Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future

12:15/4:15 Aqua Teen Hunger Force: T-Shirt of the Dead

12:30/4:30 Moral Orel: The Best Christmas Ever!

12:45/4:45 Moral Orel: Honor

1:00/5:00 Baby Blues: A Baby Blues Christmas Special

1:30 Tom Goes to the Mayor: Rats Off to Ya!

1:45 Sealab 2021: Feast of Alvis

5:30 Home Movies: The Adventures of Cho & Amy Lee

MAIL BAG

KON writes:

Worth noting about THE VENTURE BROS S04E07 "THE BETTER MAN"... it features the use of the Dana Snyder character completely unironically going "sooo... that happened." Granted this was right before that became the exclusive domain of MCU-type dialogue, but it still hit my ear about as harshly as any Bush-era slur. Nasty!

OH YEAH! I think I made note of that but for some reason it didn't make my write-up. i couldn't tell if that was bad writing or if that was an intentional character thing, but usually characters call each other out for saying stuff like that. So, that happened.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #aqua teen hunger force #Youtube

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cheetahsprints · 5 months

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(If you don't like mentions of a slash ship featuring certain anthro hedgehogs just scroll past!!!! Quickly!!!)

TL;DR (You can skip this blurb if you want the full story)

I went from being like neutrally aware of the Sonic franchise characters' existence to totally obsessed practically overnight with Shadow and Sonadow. Went full speed ahead brainrot on them because of a freaking dream where cartoon (unspecified) Sonic & co accidentally entered the dimension of live action Sonic. Shenanigans ensued, most notably a dreambrain-hatched live action Shadow fighting his cartoon version because of his attitude toward Sonic & co.

(End of TL;DR)

[Text wall below for details]

A few nights ago I had a random as hell dream about Sonic the hedgehog and I am now here I have watched freaking Sonic Prime on Netflix because the mental images wouldn't leave me alone so I treated it like a weird message from the universe e send Help

My only previous interactions with sonic stuff was some person I followed on twitter for something else posting art of it (mega long time ago), watching the sonic live action movies why I have no idea (super long time ago), and that joke game that went surprisingly hard The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog which I completed even though the minigames to progress got hard AF for me (pretty long time ago) and like even before all that I knew of Sonic from ads, memes, and various posts on social medias. But I didn't fully engage with it.

Side note: the twitter posting was mostly sonadow and I would look it over like uh-huh ok the vibes check out and just keep scrolling like lsdfkjdskl but that is pretty much the main reason I knew Sonic/Shadow existed but at the time I didn't actively seek it out or try to learn more.

Onward...

My brain is so so so weird and the dream was somewhat vivid like watching a movie omg where the live action sonic and pals met the cartoon versions of the characters?? even though I never watched any of the cartoons before??? as such it wasn't a specific series, I just knew it in the dream they were from a generalized cartoon universe

Specifically it was Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in the movie group, while the cartoon group had Amy and Rouge instead of the other two alongside Sonic, who I only even really knew about because of the April Fool's game. And Shadow was also there in both groups because why not I guess and they (the Shadows) fought each other because the movie one thought the cartoon one was a jerk lmao idk? Yeah my subconscious decided it couldn't wait for Sonic 3 and made up its own version of movie Shadow.

Early in the dream there was also a little kid clone of Sonic who belonged with the cartoon group. There were some cute interactions but in nonsensical dream fashion that character just disappeared later like he was never there lol

…There was some plot about the cartoon group needing to get back to their dimension because Sonic accidentally got them blasted into the movie one somehow... after watching Sonic Prime I'm like my dream was so FREAKISHLY similar to that show's plot, but I SWEAR I knew nothing about the premise of SP before the dream. Although, in the dream they were like... multidimensional travellers doing hero stuff and had met other variants before, just this time it wasn't intentional and it messed something up.

Uh getting off track... (which the dream itself did a lot tbf)

Anyway, what I remember is the movie dimension made the cartoon group look in the more realistic style so at first Shadow thought the actual movie group were the ones from his dimension (Shadow & Amy got separated from Sonic & Rouge) and was rude to them because he was so ticked off blaming Sonic for being a dumbass and yelling at Tails for not preventing whatever happened or something, so actual movie Shadow appeared like. don't talk to my friends that way asshole and beat the absolute shit out of him. There was an explanation Tails gave that the movie Shadow was more powerful for some reason I don't remember and Amy told cartoon Shadow to stop trying to beat him. But yeah bro was so pissed movie Sonic had to step in and physically stop him because he wouldn't listen to and/or overpowered anyone else. He reminded Shadow that the other Shadow was still him, in a sense.

Cartoon Sonic and Rouge appeared and Sonic started bickering with cartoon Shadow. but the movie versions were best friends so they were watching them like wtf is wrong with y'all. Movie Shadow got fed up quickly and punched cartoon Shadow again and stood protectively in front of both Sonic versions bristling and wouldn't take his eyes off his counterpart. Cartoon Shadow was so goddamn confused by Shadow's protectiveness and asked how Sonic had made movie Shadow his loyal bodyguard (derogatory) Amy and Rouge like explained the backstory to the movie crew, which is fuzzy to me but it was something along the lines of, Shadow had been brainwashed to rival Sonic, tricked to think that Sonic was evil (unbeknownst to that Sonic who in his pov had this random edgy hedgehog start attacking him out of nowhere during a mission) and they had a lot of intense fighting before Shadow found out the truth. But the two of them never quite got over the misunderstanding. Listen I didn't know Shadow's backstory, literally none of it, but I have read the wiki since ok

Meanwhile movie Shadow, in the dream, was made and raised in a lab and similarly believed he was made as Sonic's rival/equal. Behind the scenes some government thing or whatever were afraid of Sonic's power and wanted a backup plan. But some evil guy stole and unleashed Shadow. At first it was basically just a duel, Shadow admired Sonic, but the evil guy had put a chip in his head that when activated made him try to kill Sonic. Eventually he was subdued and the chip deactivated- and despite everything Sonic insisted Shadow come with him to his home and the rest was history. This unfolded in like flashback style.

There was a funny part where Shadow questioned Sonic's home like "What kind of base of operations is this?" In a very unimpressed tone. Sonic said sarcastically "Oh, sorry if you were expecting my own Fortress of Solitude." And I guess Shadow was allowed to watch tv because he got the reference and shot back "Does that make me Lois Lane?" Didn't make a whole lot of sense sdlfkjds but movie Shadow delivered this line very confidently and flirtatious and just walked away leaving Sonic shocked LOL

And then later Shadow complained that the government people would always rewind and loop the villainy parts and he never got to see if Lois and Clark kissed (It's been too long since I watched any Superman movies so I couldn't tell you if this makes sense) and Knuckles teased him for being a romantic, and then the whole team binge watched every Superman movie.

In the "present" at some point movie Sonic and Shadow pulled their alternate versions aside and like told them off for being mean to each other lmao cartoon Sonic was kinda like uwu I didn't know Shadow had feelings he's like a lone wolf and like was surprised by his counterpart's vehemence. Movie Sonic told cartoon Sonic that Shadow can be a great friend if you give him a chance. I don't remember the Shadowses convo much but it was a lot more chill despite the fighting before (though still prickly) because Shadow's reasons were more valid and it was more of a pep talk from movie Shadow that if he opened up more it might give the others around him more opportunity to know and accept him.

I remember there was this one specific heavy emotional line in the dream that stuck with me when I woke up said by cartoon Shadow about Sonic, "He's my best friend but I'm obviously not his" DFKLJDSKJ

Additional small detail that movie Sonic and Shadow had known each other for over 2 years during dream events. And they were quite close and in sync. But still bantery

My brain basically conjured a LITERAL FANFICTION in my sleep and I have been thinking about it a lot What's hilarious is I knew next to fuck all about these characters my brain pulled the plot points of this dream out of its ass

Typed out, this dream probably sounds a lot longer than it was... the "scenes" just felt oddly detailed for how mashed together and quick passing they were.

But yeah I kept thinking about the dream and like daydreaming more scenes and it somehow turned even more into Sonadow (like, I imagined Cartoon Sonic & Shadow finding out in a very abrupt way that the movie versions were an item. <- to my delight I did find a fic with a premise very similar to this just not movie universe related. Also played with the idea of Sonic and/or Shadow accidentally kissing the wrong counterpart in their excitement at being reunited which Awakened Some Things for the receiver of the unexpected passion😂 )

The dream kinda acted as a base that inspired daydreams to spiral out from my brain without permission but I just... mentally jumped into it because ships sometimes grab you like that.

And Sonic Prime made my sprouting interest worse, basically fuel to the fire, so now I am obsessed with them... like what a fucking way to get into a ship

#sth #sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #sonic prime #sonadow #shadonic #swearing #long post #since it was a dream there's of course a lot of holes in my memory #so if anyone reads the full thing don't examine it too closely lol #I think movie Sonic and Shadow were not explicitly a couple in the dream but the dream was very much implying it or at least the possibilit #I... haven't played any of the Actual games :(#I did try the uhh Sonic Frontiers demo on the switch (some time prior to dream)#but the gameplay didn't seem like my type of thing #does this make me a fake fan /lh #does it help that I binged the twitter takeovers - why are they so fucking funny? - and read Shadow's entire wiki page?#originally rambled about this dream in a discord group chat with half assed grammar but I tried to clean it up a bit #I am normal (lie) about these hedgehogs

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the-haunted-star · 6 months

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My humble thoughts on The Marvels

The Marvels is a fun, brisk (perhaps too brisk), light-hearted buddy super-herione adventure. However, the things that Marvel has been struggling with lately are unfortunately still in the play with this sequel. The plot is pretty thin and the villain is another of Marvel's typical shallow, one dimensional type baddies. While we can certainly understand and even sympathize with Dar-Benn's motivations and why she's doing the things she's doing in this film there just isn't enough meat on the script bones for actress, Zawe Ashton to work with although she well with what she's given. The same goes for the plot. The acts that the villain is perpetrating on the planets and its people in this film definitely qualify as high stakes material but the film's pace is so rapid that it ignores any opportunity to show some emotional stakes for the victims of the villain's atrocities.

So while the film downplays these aspects it chooses to focus more on the relationships between the three heroines. In that respect it does a decent job of bonding these three young women along the course of the film into a sisterly dynamic. Each have issues with each other positive and negative and by the end they've been able to work through their issues and understand each other better. Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani have good chemistry together with Iman continuing to charm and delight as Kamala Kahn/Ms. Marvel. Sam Jackson is great as Fury as usual and has some of the funnier lines in the movie. And let's not forget Goose the cat/flerken who kinda stole the show in the first movie. She's back and is involved a lot more this time to equally humorous results.

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the fights in this film. I thought they were hard hitting, well choreographed and fun to watch. The fight between Monica and Kree soldiers in the Kahn's house was a stand out sequence which I thought made clever use of her powers. The end fight between the trio and Dar-Benn was also equally exciting . The visual effects were very good and consistent throughout which is another area where Marvel has been struggling lately. With this film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Loki Season 2, the VFX quality appears to be back on track.

Honestly my biggest gripe would be with the marketing department for this film. The amount of trailers, tv spots and clips released for this film was ridiculous. I only watched the first two trailers and maybe a couple of the tv spots and I felt like I had seen most of movie already. I watched the rest of the clips afterwards and was shocked at how much more of this movie was spoiled in the clips I hadn't watched beforehand. Even the surprise cameo and part of the fricking post credit scene was shown in a couple of the spots! If you're someone who did watch every bit of footage that was released I can honestly say you saw most of the movie beforehand and that's unfortunate. Given the film's short runtime you can rest assured there was a lot of material cut from the final film. I've already noticed a few things that were in the marketing footage and test screening leaks that were missing from the final cut.

Overall, despite a simplistic story and a forgettable villain this movie is still a lot of fun. While it is mostly standalone in nature, it is also very much a sequel to not only Captain Marvel but WandaVision and Ms. Marvel as well. (Surprisingly there's zero reference to Secret Invasion despite the Skrulls having a role to play in this film but that's probably for the best given how poor that series turned out to be.) The post-credit scene however is a game changer and hints at some exciting possibilities to come. ⭐⭐⭐

#the marvels #captain marvel #ms marvel #photon #brie larson #iman vellani #teyonah parris #zawe ashton #dar benn #marvel cinematic universe #goose the flerken #nick fury

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thousand-winters · 1 year

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What are your favourite tlh characters and why?

Hi there! ✨

If you have seen my blog the past few weeks, you probably can guess some of them, but here we go:

Grace

I feel like Grace is one of the most complex characters we've ever gotten in TSC and it feels like such a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly aware that these are YA novels, so I generally don't expect the books to be super amazing, I know what I'm signing up for, but that's precisely why I like her so much. Her personality is very unlike other female characters we've gotten in the series and I don't mean that in a "not like other girls" sense but in the sense that it caught my attention immediately, because CC doesn't have the best track of giving her girls gray morality without treating them like they suck for that.

I guess I was always curious about her? Even in CoG she gave the impression she was more than she seemed, and reading her backstory in CoI just made me hurt for her and root for her to have a happy ending after so much misery. There's something really satisfying about characters that have faced so much hardships finally getting a chance to simply be.

Alastair

Oh, boy. When I first read CoG and I read about Alastair, he felt to me so much like my older brother that I loved him immediately. It helped that I found his snark incredibly funny. However... as I kept reading TLH, he actually started reminding me of, well, myself. For many reasons, but let's not get too personal here, haha, let's just say I found his flaws, his struggles, and his stubbornness to go on in spite of that very relatable. How could I not love him deeply and dearly?

Aside from my biased reasons, I also find that his character is written very consistently and I loved his character arc (I stand by how simplistic some things felt in COT, but even so), how he had his highs and his lows, that was very nicely done. He also feels like a complex character because he's allowed to fuck up badly and it doesn't get swept under the rug, though I would say they go the other way with him and Grace by being too harsh, but I'll take my wins where I can.

Christopher

Oh, Kit, sweet Kit, you were the best of them all. Christopher is such a great character because, while mostly ignored the first two books, he's endearing practically without trying. CC's books have this thing where sometimes they try to convince you a character is likable for X reasons and it simply doesn't work for me that they tell me that I should love a character.

Christopher doesn't have that problem, they kinda present him to you as this klutzy nerd, but he's so much more than that. His logic helps him be the most compassionate and kind from the group, no matter what the narrative tries to tell you. He's perceptive, he's fair, he's fun. Who doesn't like Christopher even if he isn't their favorite? He knows what he is and what he wants and he follows through with it, he's such a pillar of the group that passes unnoticed because he's always in the background, but by the gods, he's so good.

Honorary mentions

Thomas and Ari.

I adored Thomas in CoT, though I must admit he doesn't spark my curiosity and excitement quite like the other three did, in the way that I would get immediately engaged the second I saw their names on the page. Nothing wrong with him, just my personal preferences, but he was truly funny and sweet and I quite liked that!

Ari... I do like her, in a way, I wanted to like her so bad, but she's trapped as the love interest in Anna's narrative, and given that I have no love for Anna's character or their pairing, it was hard for me to enjoy her appearances. She didn't have a chance to shine on her own, but when I think of all the ramifications of her story, I swoon a little. She could be so interesting.

#thank you for the ask!#this doesn't feel super coherent but since it's subjective bc it's about my faves that's probably fine #grace blackthorn #alastair carstairs #christopher lightwood #thomas lightwood #arati bridgestock #ari bridgestock #the last hours #tlh #the shadowhunter chronicles #tsc

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missizzy · 1 year

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Rambling about Legend of Vox Machina casting credits

So like everyone else, I've heard about IMDB putting up cast credits for the first half of The Legend of Vox Machina's second season. There's been the delightful news, of course, such as Matt voicing Victor, and Robbie and Aimee getting to do voicework for the show. But looking at the actual episode credits for everyone, there's some interesting news as well. This will contain spoilers:

Arranging this more or less by actor, just to make things easier for myself as I scroll down IMDB's page:

Matt: Voicing Umbrasyl in at least episodes 1, 5, and 6, Craven Edge in episodes 2,3, 5 & 6, an adaro in episode 3, Victor in episode 2, and Purvan Suul in episode 4. We'd expect to see Umbrasyl in the first episode, obviously, and 6 makes sense, too, since we've got credits for Kevdak and Zanror in that episode as well. But I wonder what he's doing in episode 5, exactly. Meanwhile, it seems Grog holds onto that sword at least until about the time it turned on him on stream, though that could still happen any time before his fight with Kevdak (where, in the trailer, we saw him using his axe instead). Also, it seems Vox Machina will be fighting as aquatic monstrosity in place of the beholder, which kind of makes sense. Victor's appearing in the most obvious episode for him too. The really interesting voice credit is Purvan Suul, and for the episode right after the Sunken Tomb. While I am very much hoping for Age of Arcanum flashbacks, that would be a little late for them. I wonder if Vax is going to hear from him while communing with the Raven Queen.

Liam: Voicing Vorugal in episode 1 only, at least in the season's first half. So again, why is Umbrasyl in episode 5 when Vorugal isn't?

Esme Creed-Miles & Gina Torres: Voicing Cassandra and Keeper Yennen in episode 1 only. We're probably not going see much of Whitestone during the season's first half.

Indira Varma & Stephanie Beztriz: Voicing Allura and Kima in episode 5, with Allura also in episode one. 1's obvious enough; it's a little odder Kima's not in that episode, since the series puts her in Emon already, but perhaps that was just how the editing went. 5's a little more interesting. The assumption is it'll involve closing the rift in Pyrah, but I wonder if we'll get a flashback to them imprisoning Thordak. Or if they'll even come to Pyrah to help seal it, but that raises the question of why neither of them appear in the between episodes.

Kelly Hu: Voicing Anna Ripley in episode 5. Which is really interesting, especially since Matt's credits for that episode are only for Umbrasyl, Trinket, and Craven Edge. So if she's not buying gunpowder from Victor, and she's *probably* not showing up to kill Percy just yet, what is she doing??

Sunil Mahotra and Eugene Byrd: Voicing Gilmore and Jarrett only in episode 1, at least in the season's first half. Which makes me sad, and worried for Jarrett's survival especially. I don't *think* they'd kill Gilmore...

Will & Mary: Voices Kash and Zahra in episodes 2-4. Which makes sense, mostly. Hopefully we see them heading for Whitestone in episode 4, since they apparently don't go to Pyrah.

Fred Tatasciore, Janet Varney, & Kestrel Riegal: Voicing Korrin, Vilya, and young Keyleth in episode 5. Obviously we're getting a flashback to Keyleth's young years in this episode. It also leaves uncertain whether or not Korrin will show in Pyrah, since he could just be in said flashback. Keyleth's aramente trial's obviously going to become sealing the rift, so perhaps she'll have to do that without her father's help.

Lance Reddick & Cree Summer: Voicing Thordak and Raishan in episodes 1 & 3. But not, apparently, in episode 5, so if there is a flashback of Thordak being imprisoned, perhaps he simply doesn't say anything in it? Raishan would also have to free him silently, but perhaps that part will simply be implied. Episode 3's also a little bit of an odd time for them to be appearing instead, though perhaps the series just wants to keep track of the two most important dragons even when they're away from our heroes.

Alanna Ubach & Tony Plana: Voicing the sphinxes in episode 6, with Ossysa also in episode 2. The main question is why Ossya's in episode 6, but it might just be Vox Machina remembering her words.

Troy Baker: Voicing Syldor in episode 3. Which is does not make sense for Syldor to make a personal appearance in, so I'm pretty sure we're getting either a flashback or one of the twins hearing his voice in their head. Cue the angst!

Ralph Ineson & Abubaker Salim: Voicing Kevdak and Zanror in episode 6. Which Umbrasyl is also in, so obviously, we're getting at least one scene of Westrun, probably as setup for the following episodes. No credit for any inhabitants to Westrun though, so we might even just see them forming their alliance.

Ike Amadi, Robbie, Aimee, and Sumalee's appearances in their specific episodes are all pretty self-explanatory.

Not appearing in the first half of the season: Dr. Dranzel and Kaylee! We know they're in it, but apparently not in Vasselheim? Perhaps in Westrun? No credits for Henry Winkler either, but it makes sense he'd only appear once Vox Machina actually reaches the city.

#critical role #the legend of vox machina #legend of vox machina #lovm

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postguiltypleasures · 11 months

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My Peak TV journey *The Marvelous Mrs Maisel*

Prior to the final I made some predictions about where the show would end up. one was that Esther would grow up to resent her mother like Lorelei resented Emily Gilmore. I was right about that. I also speculated that maybe this was the story of how Midge could make anybody laugh, but could not make it as a comic. I was wrong about Midge’s career.

I liked the flash forwards but some of the choices of people she would be involved with seemed more funny peculiar than funny haha. It implies she was involved with Mike Nichols after that first season episode where she did not know about his act with Elaine May and almost ended up in a Nichols and May knock off act. The flash forwards made a big deal about her working with Bob Hope which tracks with aspirational dialogue from earlier in the series. While Hope had a long and successful career, meaning I understand why he was chosen as the symbol of what success i the field looked like, he also fell incredibly out of fashion starting in the late sixties. As a choice, it says Midge never quite seemed “young” in her career. Which, I guess makes sense.

That said I really liked the final season. In earlier posts about the show I acknowledge criticism that the Weisman’s players by goy actors were so much more likable than the Maisels, played by actually Jewish actors. This season seemed to recognize it and subtly corrects.

The elder Maisels were suddenly hilarious, if still crass and unkind. The Wiseman’s reliance on their housekeeper Zelda, who got married and retired over the season revealed some very unappealing aspects of their characters.

The show sometimes felt like it took place in 1960 for multiple years. As a series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel didn’t exact love the time period in which it took place, so much as it loves the pop culture from its time. It never made me want to be there, just to keep watching people in their colorful, well tailored clothes. But it was not particularly critical, nor interested in a “this is what led to things being the way they are now” type of rational for its existence. As a choice it’s doesn’t clarify, but doesn’t let you wallow for the good old days either. Sometimes it felt like every year on screen was 1960. This disinterested ambivalence occasionally led to wanting to me I’d want to fact check it, but rarely actually doing it. The one time I did was regarding Clark Gable’s death, which I thought stool place a year after the season took place. I was wrong.

In the final episode there was an establishing shot of the Ansonia indicating that is where Midge live in 2005. Later she makes a comment about Yoko Ono being one of her neighbors. Ono famously lives in the Dakota, several avenues from the Ansonia. I was going list this as another thing that makes me doubt the interest in veracity o the series. Then I found this discussed in this post finale interview with Amy Sherman-Palladino. It’s a fictional building in a fictional timeline. Don’t make a big deal about it. Some how this made define with it.

I want to end this by praising the actors who joined the series late players.

Some how I forgot that Julie Klausner joined the series late in the fourth season, but she regularly had me giggling over her appearances in the final season. (Interestingly, Klausner is not a Lenny Bruce fan.)

Alfie Fuller is new to me and she was so great as Dinah. I hope Dinah has as great a management career and I look forward to seeing Fuller in something soon.

Reid Scott is such a charming bully as Gordon Ford, you almost don’t resent his character’s success. (Though I think the no writer on the show rule was a good one)

I’ve liked Chris Eigeman since those Whit Stillman films and I really liked seeing him run the Village Voice here.

Jason Ralph, (Rachel Brosnahan’s real life husband) had some very funny bits as Mike, especially in relation to Suzie. Seeing him here mostly made me think how I want to see him as a lead again.

Nina Arianda has intrigued me since I saw her play Stan Laurel’s wife in Stan and Ollie. She still does as Gordon’s wife/Susie’s ex, Hedy.

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finnismyoriginalsin · 1 year

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S2 AU Titled Show me that bloody black horizon (also this might change).

Part of Finnlena ficlet series where Finnlena stuff/Finn/doppelganger stuff happens, but mostly what if Elena negotiated with Finn instead of Elijah, this story might come all together sometime...

I left off with Bonnie astral projecting and seeing the coffins, and her revelation that Finn and Kol were out for revenge against Klaus for their untimely daggering, in Kols case not half as long as the 900 year old daggering of Finn, whom she learned from the witch ancestors had never deserved it.

----

Finn (the actual noble brother) had tried to keep his family in line, and they rewarded him with a dagger they never once thought of taking out; this lead to 900 years of semi-conscious torment, hearing snippets of conversation he was not supposed to hear, knowing the secrets his family kept when they poured out their dearly if redundant hearts things they know they could never tell a living soul, and who was Finn, but the perfect listener wrapped up in his decayed clothes.

If they didn't look hard enough, they wouldn't even of noticed him under the tatters and dust, if not for that awful dagger sticking out his emaciated chest----looking more and more like a desiccated mummy with each passing century? Decade? Even they lost track of the time he was entombed for an almost literal eternity.

We're they to blame when he listened and listened, and they talked to him too, in some vague way of redeeming themselves against their greatest sin of all. Did they think of the horrors of the semi-conscious state he was in, of the vivid dreams, the madness that had overcome him from his lack of use of magic and the unending torment of his thoughts and entire existence in this horrifying state? They must have had as they too had been through the same. But maybe since they were not daggered as long, they hadn't experienced what he had.

So by what right did they keep him there? What self righteous indignation did Elijah harbor to keep him trapped in that box? What betrayal did Klaus think him possible of if he was let out?

And Rebekah? She talked to him the most, trivial things about boys, but also the deeply profound hurt Klaus could dole out. Sometimes even by Elijah. He did not blame her cowardice of never releasing the dagger from his chest, he knew Klaus's wrath more than anyone. He did not blame Kol whom he hardly got on with whilst a vampire and could feel entombed right next to him at times. But Kol was a different story, and with their combined dark magics, they may get their revenge after all.

-----

Elena did not heed Bonnies advice for them to at least stick together, if she undaggered Finn she would be doing it on her own. She would not ever risk her friend in this most dire of circumstances. There were too many variable's, and getting out by the skin of her teeth was Elenas way.

-----

She had brought a crow bar and some packets of blood, plus a knife just in case (though that likely would cause no harm), and she had on Alaric's ring, just in case things got extra hairy and she died next to the coffin.

What she didn't anticipate were the runes covering the tomb. And now she wishes Bonnie were there.

She waves this off thinking, maybe, just maybe the magic had worn off by now and goes to work with the crow bar instead.

She's there for over 2 hours, sweating through her clothes before she finally moves the coffin lid an inch. She almost shouted in triumph before making a mental note to keep the shouting to a minum and mostly to herself.

She pushes and pushes and finally, the lid is mostly off what appears to be the top half of his body, she internally smirks at the idea of trying to get that dagger out via his feet and legs.

But the smell.... God the smell is horrific. She'd been around death long enough to be put off by the smell, but this is a whole other level of disgust. Why didnt she at least think of some heavy duty mask or, and looking inside, gloves. What she would give for some gloves, she could at least hold her breath.

Her cell phone, of course had no signal, but checking the time she had until at least dawn to get him up and out of here with none the wiser (Klaus wasn't on the scene yet, and Elijah she had once again daggered when Bonnie mentioned he could not be trusted with Klaus's demise).

Kol was of course in one the other coffins. But she was not ready to wake one original, let alone two...yet. And Rebekah, though she silently mourned a teenage girl in a 1000 year old body, she had yet to think of if she should undagger her. If she had a part to play in Klaus's demise.

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TBC....also not beta'd and written at 4 in the morning and cannot forget @katherineholmes for cheering me on and @ryoryeonggu for helping me to iron out Finn very possibly having magic powers and a kinship with Kol bc of them, thank you guys! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

@katherineholmes, @sevensistersofsussex, @kaizsche, @ryoryeonggu, @livlepretre, @vicioux, @vasilisarheadragomir, @lovesomehate, @victoriahughes, @papatundespainknife (if you like Finnlena 😊)

#finnlena #finn x elena #finn mikaelson #elena gilbert #TVD #the originals #original groupie #myfanficTVD

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duhragonball · 10 months

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Super Dragon Ball Heroes 1-6

We’ve reached the final (planned) stop on the 2023 Dragon Ball Apocrypha Liveblog, and it’s the most apocryphal series of all, the Super Dragon Ball Heroes web anime!

Here’s the deal. In 2010, Bandai Namco published a trading card arcade game called Dragon Ball Heroes. Then in 2016 they updated it to improve the user experience, and renamed it Super Dragon Ball Heroes. A manga adaptation of the game began in 2017, and then in 2018 Toei began this “original net animation” to promote the game.

My engagement with the DBH franchise has been superficial at best. Mostly, I just rock out to the theme songs when I find them on YouTube. I’ve never played the games because I have no idea where and how to play them, and the gameplay doesn’t look all that compelling to me. I think some of this stuff is only available in Japan? I’ve never bothered to find out, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

And yet, I’m somewhat familiar with the story mode from the games, as they involve the Time Patrol, which I wanted to research for the fanfic I’m writing, part of which serves as a prose adaptation of Xenoverse 1. I even wrote a guest appearance with several characters from DBH, and I might use them again down the line. Also, the manga contains some backstory involving Towa and Demigra, who also appear in Xenoverse 1, and feature heavily in my fic. So I’ve read some of the manga, and I watched some of the web anime, but mostly for the purpose of scraping them for useful lore.

From what I can tell, the entire thing is a mess from a story perspective. The game has been around for 13 years, so it’s clearly a success, but the manga feels completely removed from the story the game tries to tell, and the web anime seems to go off in a completely different direction from that. At its core, Dragon Ball Heroes is mainly about answering the question “Wouldn’t it be cool if you teamed up with Super Saiyan 3 Vegito to fight Dark Demon Baby Majin Hatchiyack?” The answer is obviously “hell yeah”, so I don’t understand why we need a manga and anime version to tell stories that don’t really touch on what makes the game fun.

Mostly, I wanted to run through this web anime for the sake of completion. The whole thing is up on YouTube, ripe for the viewing, but I keep losing track of which episodes I’ve already seen, and I can never remember what the hell happened. So this is where we put the “log” in “liveblog”.

We’re starting today with the first six episodes, which make up the Prison Planet arc of the show. That may sound like a lot of ground to cover, but these episodes are short, so we’re only talking about 40-45 minutes of footage.

The story begins with Goku and Vegeta training with Whis on Beerus’ planet. Also, the Supreme Kai is here serving tea, and then Future Mai runs over, so she’s here too, apparently. According to Shin, they came to Beerus’ planet so Trunks could train, but this scene make it look like Mai came here alone, which I’m pretty sure is impossible. Maybe Whis or Shin brought her, except she was supposed to be with Trunks, so why is everyone just now finding out he didn’t make it?

To be clear, this is the Blue-haired Trunks and Future Mai from the Zamasu arc. When we last saw them, Whis had arranged for them to take refuge in an alternate timeline where Zamasu hadn’t killed everyone yet. It was also made clear that they would never return from that world, but SDBH just has them dropping in like it’s Sunday brunch. Now, you might be asking “Didn’t you just say Xeno Trunks was a character in Heroes? Why isn’t that version of Trunks in this show?” And to that I say: Don’t worry, he’s in this too, just not as much.

Then this shady-looking dude named Fu shows up and tells everyone that Trunks is trapped on “The Prison Planet”. Vegeta asks how he could possibly know that, and Fu explains that he’s a friend of Trunks and he investigated his disappearance. I like how skeptical Vegeta is of this story. “My son doesn’t have friends, get the fuck outta here.”

So Goku, Vegeta, and Mai travel to the Prison Planet, which is just a bunch of clip art of planets from our solar system clustered together and surrounded by cartoon chains. It looks stupid as hell, like they told the art department “We need a prison planet design, and make it as literal as possible.”

There, the gang meets a second Goku, who can turn Super Saiyan 4. This is not the same Goku from Dragon Ball GT, and official sources refer to him as “Xeno Goku”. He’s an agent of the Time Patrol, and when he encounters the other Goku, they get into a classic superhero misunderstanding and fight. Then Fu shows up and it quickly becomes clear that he’s the one behind all of this. Xeno Goku is on a mission to apprehend Fu, and Fu brags that he uses the Prison Planet to trap powerful warriors for his experiments. Fu tricked Trunks into coming here, then used him as bait to lure Goku and Vegeta. Xeno Goku pretended to get caught in order to infiltrate this place, but that suits Fu’s purposes, since he’s trapped here now.

He tells them to find Trunks themselves, and says something about how they’ll have to gather the Dragon Balls on the Prison Planet. Xeno Goku has one, but the other six are in the hands of the other prisoners. This sounds like a pretty decent gauntlet for the good guys to go through, but this whole idea gets abandoned by Episode 2.

Meanwhile, Trunks wakes up in a cell with a prison uniform and some sort of tracking bracelet on his arm. Then the wall opens up and he runs out into a city. Then Cooler attacks him, seeking the Dragon Balls. This seems like a pretty cool premise, more authentic to the “Prison Planet” title, but this is all dropped immediately.

From his lab, Fu watches everyone and seems extremely pleased with what’s going on, although he never explains why, or what his plan is. Get used to this, because this is pretty much all he ever does.

Meanwhile, he’s got this other guy locked away. His name is Cumber, the Masked Evil Saiyan, and he has a Dragon Ball too. At the end of episode 1, Fu says it’s not quite time for him to get involved yet. In Episode 2, Cumber breaks free and heads straight for the good guys to attack them.

Goku tries to punch Cumber, but Cumber has this weird power where if you touch his ki, it makes you go berserk. That sounds pretty awesome, except it only happens to Goku here, just once, and then it never gets brought up again. I notice I’m saying that a lot here.

Also, berserk Goku’s skin is darker for some reason, which I like better, actually, except this is supposed to signify Cumber’s dark energy corrupting him or something, so that seems kind of problematic.

Fortunately for Vegeta, Trunks and Cooler show up to help. Yeah, Cooler’s on our side for this. Apparently he and Trunks came to some sort of understanding between Episodes 1 and 2. The prison clothes were pointless, since Mai brought along Trunks’ own clothing, so he changes out of them to join the fight.

During his captiviy, Cooler heard from Fu about Golden Frieza, so he decides to try that for himself and succeeds immediately. This is treated like some big game-changing moment, as if fans haven’t been photo-shopping Cooler since 2015. Cooler than goes “I think I shall call this form.................... Golden Cooler!” like there was any possible other name he would have used.

Goku finally comes to his senses, but then Cumber breaks free of his restraints. Trunks goes in to distract him while Goku and Vegeta use Potara earrings which the Supreme Kai gave to Mai before they set off on this trip.

So it’s Vegito Blue vs. Cumber, and things get so rough that Vegito has to do a Kai-o-ken on top of Blue. Here’s a picture of Golden Cooler just standing there like an asshole watching.

Vegito seems to gain the upper hand, but then Cumber reveals he knows the fake moon technique, and he turns into a giant ape. I’m not sure why he’s this orange color, unless this is meant to be like Golden Oozaru tainted with evil ki or whatever. The thing is, they keep calling Cumber an “Evil Saiyan”, but he hasn’t actually done anything that evil. I mean, he choked out Trunks, but there’s plenty of regular Saiyans who would do the same thing if they could. “Evil Saiyan” implies that he’s some kind of next-level evil, like hanging goat entrails over his altar to Moloch or something.

His first ki blast causes Vegito’s fusion to dissolve, but perhaps more importantly, Cumber’s fighting at such an intensity that it’s damaging the giant chains that seal the Prison Planet off from the rest of the universe.

Goku and Vegeta decide their only chance now is to cut off Cumber’s tail, and Trunks flies in to back them up. Mai watches from the sidelines, and she’s got two more Potara earrings. Wait, how many of these things did Shin give her, anyway?

At this point, Fu finally notices the cracks in the seal on the Prison Planet and goes to the battlefield to scold Cumber in person. He takes out his sword and does some sort of technique to dispel the fake moon and reverse Cumber’s Oozaru transformation without cutting his tail.

Fu withdraws, apparently satisfied that he’s brought the fight down to a more acceptable level. This pretty much puts us back where we started, except Goku’s now using Super Saiyan God to fight Cumber, even though we just saw Cumber give Vegito a hard time at Super Saiyan Blue. Cumber seems to recognize the God form somehow, but he never explains his reaction to it, and this never gets brought up again.

Despite Fu’s intervention, the chains break away completely. You’d think this would upset Fu, and he is upset, but not because of this...

No, he’s upset because, while he was away, someone found his lab and wrecked it. Now he can’t monitor the battle, which disrupts his experiment.

Cumber wrecks Goku’s shit, which knocks him out for a while, but fortunately Xeno Goku and Xeno Vegeta show up to defend him. Seems that they were the ones who wrecked Fu’s lab, and I guess that explains where Xeno Vegeta was until this moment. He was scouting out the lab, waiting for an opening.

I don’t know why the other Vegeta isn’t getting involved in this fight. I think he’s okay, but he just stands with Trunks and Mai watching the battle. I mean, Golden Cooler is doing the same thing, but I think we’ve already established that Golden Cooler is just an asshole.

Xeno Vegeta suggests that they fuse, since Cumber’s one tough bastard. He hates fusion, but he’s willing to make an exception. So for those of you keeping score, this is the second fusion in less than six episodes.

So now it’s Super Saiyan 4 Vegito vs. Cumber, who decides to bust out Super Saiyan 3. You can tell because his eyebrows are gone. This seems weird, because base Cumber was giving Vegito Blue a hard time, so the only conclusion I can make here is that SSJ4 is stronger than Blue, or Cumber’s transformations don’t mean much.

Vegito 4 seems to beat Cumber, but then Fu shows up again to confront the jerks who broke his lab.

Then Cumber rejoins the battle, and Fu observes that the seal on the Prison Planet has been broken. And he seems... happy about this? If this was what he wanted all along, why did he cancel Cumber’s Oozaru form? He says that “they will revive soon”, and leaves.

I like how he uses his sword (swords?) to cut an X-shaped portal for himself. That’s a nice touch.

Xeno Goku wants to chase after Fu, but they have to rescue the others from Cumber, who’s fired a giant ki blast at them. Regular Vegeta complains about Regular Goku just lying there passed out, when...

Goku suddenly wakes up and goes Ultra Instinct. While he fights Cumber alone, the rest of them teleport back to Beerus’ planet. Xeno Goku and Xeno Vegeta say their farewells and head off to continue the hunt for Fu, and I guess everyone just assumes that Regular Goku can save himself when he’s ready.

Just as Goku beats Cumber, another portal opens up, and out comes... Zamasu? And he’s got a posse. They grab Cumber and leave.

This leaves Goku alone on the Prison Planet as it explodes. Nice callback to the destruction of Namek, except Goku can use Instant Transmission, so why isn’t he?

Back on Beerus’ planet, the Supreme Kai of Universe 6 suddenly shows up, and he breathlessly informs Vegeta and the rest about an invasion in his home universe. Dammit, now I have to look up his name. Fuwa. The Supreme Kai of U6 is named Fuwa. Glad we settled that.

Vegeta’s like “I’m a bad enough dude to save Universe 6. Let’s rock.”

So yeah, this is a bunch of nonsense. There is a plotline running through all of this, but Toei presented the first six episodes like it’s a single story arc, and it’s more like the first leg of a larger story arc. There’s hints of something more ambitious here. Trunks’ prison uniform and the Dragon Balls suggest that they might have been planning to spend more time in this setting, but instead the whole thing explodes in less time than it takes to get a pizza delivered.

This probably goes without saying, but there’s too many characters in this thing. We have two Gokus and two Vegetas, and both pairs fuse to make two Vegitos. It’s fanservice, I get it, but it’s over before we can really get into it. Golden Cooler literally doesn’t do anything. I mean Mai doesn’t do much either, but that’s because she doesn’t have any powers. I don’t know which one irritates me more.

I like the idea of Cumber, but they never fleshed him out. Fu keeps teasing details about the guy, but we never find out where he found Cumber or how he got him here, or why he wears that mask. At least Cumber is still alive so he can return in future episodes and hopefully give us the scoop, but I’m not optimistic that we’ll get much.

#dragon ball #super dragon ball heroes #2023dbapocryphaliveblog #goku #vegeta #fu #cumber #trunks #mai #fuwa #cooler #whis #supreme kai #vegito #i'm not tagging the xeno version and that's final

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its-rat-time-babey · 2 years

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Headcanons, Speculation and analysis of Bard Magic:

This is part of a series where I analyze and make headcanons about each form of magic.

[Bard] [Oracle] [Potion][More coming soon]

Bard magic is simultaneously the most freeing and most restricting coven. On one hand you have the ability to cast a wide variety of spells, some of which can technically be considered wild magic because it creates effects that imitate the magic of other covens, but on the other hand you have the fact that this magic must be cast through music and musical instruments. You can’t use spell circles for the majority of bard spells, all magic enhancements do to bard magic is make it louder and palismen are almost completely useless.

Bard magic is cast through sound. The bile sack is still used to give said sound it’s magical effects but in the long run it’s just sound.

Bard magic also cannot be cast with spell circles. There are a couple exceptions like the containment spell that holds and summons the bard’s instruments, but all spells that actually affect the world around them must be cast through some sort of musical instrument.

This is why palismen and staves in general are almost useless in bard magic. The entire point of staves are to easily create large spell circles, and bard magic doesn’t use spell circles. The few bard spells that do use spell circles don’t need a massive staff either, as they’re all mostly storage and transportation spells. You don’t need to create a spell circle the size of your own body to summon a lute. Plus trying to hold a staff and a musical instrument at the same time is just asking for trouble.

This doesn’t mean that bards don’t have palismen though. Many still have palismen, they just don’t actively use them when casting spells. Bards often have palismen to help them when they’re not actively playing music. Doing things like helping clean and maintain the instrument and helping memorize new songs. Palismen are also used for travelling long distances.

The palismen of bards are commonly creatures that are associated with sound and music. Creatures that can mimic sounds like parrots and songbirds are the most common bard palismen, but as long as it can work alongside whatever instrument the bard uses it’s a valid palisman.

Skara’s spider palisman is an example of a bard palisman that works alongside their instrument. As a bard, Skara knows how to use more than one instrument, but Skara’s main instrument of choice is a lyre, aka: a stringed instrument. So if a string on Skara’s lyre breaks, her spider palisman can very quickly fix it by making a new string out of web.

Also worth stating now before I start talking about how bard magic works is the fact that there are a few universal spells that every coven can learn, those being the basic elemental spells, Fire, ice and light/basic magical energy and shield spells. These four spells are classified as “universal spells” and everyone, regardless of coven, is allowed to learn and use them because they’re so basic that it’s impossible to NOT learn them. How to use energy, ice, fire and shield spells is taught in all tracks because they’re that basic and important to learn.

Now on to how bard magic works.

Bard magic is cast through a musical instrument, and the notes played and general sound of the music affects the spell being cast. The more complicated the spell is, the longer the instrument must be played. For example, A basic energy blast fired from the instrument only requires one note, while a more complicated levitation spell requires an entire song (raine’s rhapsody).

The tone and tempo of the song also heavily affects the spell. Faster, more chaotic songs tend to be more destructive while slower, more calm songs tend to be less so. You can play the exact same song at a different tempo and get a completely different effect.

Bard spells can even imitate the spells of other covens. For example, a bard can play a song that causes small illusions to appear around them, a trick that is commonly used when attempting to tell stories through song. Bards can also do things like make plants grow or wither and even heal injuries.

But these imitations have strict limits. A bard can make plants grow faster with a song, but the second they try to make the plants do anything other than grow faster or wither away the spell becomes classified as plant magic and the coven brand stops the spell. They can summon illusions, but can’t make them too realistic or it becomes illusion magic. They can heal injuries, but only a small amount before it becomes healing magic. And so on.

In general, bards are powerful, but it’s a double edged sword. You have access to a wide variety of spells, but it must be done with an instrument.

I’m sure you can see the first problem here. Playing an instrument is difficult, and what instrument you play can change everything about how you cast spells as a bard. A portable instrument like a violin, lyre or recorder is extremely useful as it allows you to move around while playing, but they can be hard to learn. All instruments can be hard to learn. I’m speaking from experience here. I could never play the clarinet or guitar properly and I can just barely play the piano. Some instruments just don’t fit the individual.

A stationary instrument like a piano or harp can also be used for bard magic, but they aren’t exactly useful in combat or out on the field because it’s a massive stationary instrument and can’t be moved around easily in the middle of a fight. Some bards get around this limitation by using enchanted instruments that can move around on their own, a bit like a musical vehicle. Most Bards also attempt to learn a variety of different instruments, some big, some small, so they don’t have to rely on just one instrument, but like I said before, some instruments just don’t fit the individual.

There’s also whistling and singing, which like all instruments has it’s strengths and weaknesses. For the obvious strength, you don’t need an instrument to whistle or sing, making it a powerful source of bard magic, but this comes at a cost.

For whistling, that cost is the fact that it can only cast simple spells. Even if you whistle a long song that’s meant to cast a complicated spell, it will only cast a basic one. Whistling simply doesn’t have enough power to cast powerful spells. Raine’s whistle transmutation is one of, if not the most complicated spell that can be cast through whistling.

For singing, that cost is the fact that singing is extremely complicated. For one, the lyrics of the song don’t matter at all. You could sing an entire song about plants and not affect the smallest sprout. All that matters is the notes, tempo and tone of voice. In fact, using lyrics actually makes the spell harder to cast because each syllable of each word can count as a note, and you need to make every note be just right for bard magic to properly work. So lyric-less singing, like opera is actually the best choice when casting bard magic with singing.

Singing also takes much longer than using an instrument. A magic bolt is just one note when using an instrument, but to cast that same magic bolt with your voice, it takes several seconds of singing to charge the spell and one final note to fire it. This can be tiring both for the bard’s voice and their bile sack.

There’s also the danger of missing a note or playing a note wrong. Bard spells rely heavily on playing the correct notes at the correct time. Playing the wrong note during a song could at the very least seriously change the spell in unpredictable ways and at the very most cause the spell to backfire and quite literally blow up in the bard’s face. The more complicated the spell the more dangerous a mistake becomes.

There’s also the number one weakness of bard magic: it relies purely on sound. If you cannot hear the music, you cannot be affected by it. This rule even applies to bard spells that physically affect things. A bard can fire a magic blast that cuts through metal like a warm knife through butter and have it hit a person point blank, but if that person can’t hear the spell, it’ll hit them and have no effect. The person won’t even feel it. Just like I said at the very beginning, in the long run, it’s just sound.

In combat, Bards are strong against Beastkeepers, because a lot of bard spells, and I mean a LOT of bard spells can calm down and even control beasts. Hell, some bard spells that have nothing to do with beasts have some sort of effect on them just as an unintentional side effect. So beastkeepers have a very hard time using beasts during fights with bards, which is their entire specialty.

Bard are weak against illusionists. This is because illusionists have access to two spells that can make all bard magic next to useless. The first is a silencing spell that mutes the entire area. This literally removes all the power that a bard has because no one can hear their music now. The second is just basic auditory illusions. An illusionist can force the instrument of a bard to play the wrong notes or force the instrument to sound off when the bard is playing it, causing the instrument to constantly backfire whenever it’s played.

#owl house #the owl house #headcanons #the coven system #bard coven #please tell me what coven up you want to see next #because I AM making more

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benilos · 4 months

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I don’t know anything about your timeline so bleas share 🥺🥺🥺

In case that's hard to see, synopsis is Downfall Timeline is:

-Era of the Hero of Time's (Adult Era Failure), brings on the Second Imprisoning War of this entire timeline set, which is the sealing of Ganondorf Dragmire (OOT Ganondorf)

-Era of Light and Dark (A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening and Oracle games Link, then about 60 years after we see the A Link Between Worlds/Triforce Heroes Link)

-The Golden Era (this was just in the Hyrule Historia Timeline i actually cant remember what occurs here cuz i dont really actively use this era)

-Era of the Decline (Zelda I/II), followed by the journey of Marrel Typhlo (Cartoon Link)

-Era of the Split (this about a few thousand or so years after the Decline, and includes the events of the Hero that split Ganon's soul into four as told in Hyrule Warriors, there were a number of non-named Heroes and fights against Ganon during this time, but this era specifically features a Timorine Ganondorf, as Timori often has a tribe of Gerudo that live on the opposite side of Gerudo Desert from Hyrule's end of it.)

-Era of Peace, the thousand year period between the Split and the War Across the Ages

-Era of the Merge, (Hyrule Warriors and the War Across the Ages, also the point at which the timelines re-merge into the Converged Timeline, which goes precedes BOTW and the First Calamity and all of that.)

Enjoy my word vomit that makes no sense under the cut

The Downfall Timeline includes Pierce, Tyrant, Tear, Ravio, Lucky, Linkle, Cartoon Link, etc and their buddies in their Eras and all that.

Most of these eras are kinda unique in HB as they all see a LOT more interaction with my crafted sister-country to Hyrule, Timori (which is considered the Light World counterpart to the Twilight Realm, aka Twilim.) It also sees just, a lot more space travel rather than time travel then the rest of the timelines, cuz we get to see more of Holodrum, Labrynna, Hytopia, Lorule etc, as well as a LOT more traversal of my Dark Worlds, like Trigivin (Lorule's Dark World, as Lorule is considered a Light World in my series), and Fayris (the actual Dark World to Hyrule). The only one that doesn't get shown as much is Twilim, other than Lepus's appearance, as he's a Twili. So much of this does not make sense lmao, I gotta remember not everyone was here for the days of the HB discord server.

This is like, my favorite of my timelines though, because for one it has the most people in it and is my most finished end of the Paths in HB (timeline paths). Lucky (HW Link) has probably the most fleshed out background, Pierce (ALttP Link) is my most influential Link, as him veering from the Path he's meant to take could literally wipe out the majority of Hyrule, Lorule and multiple other worlds because of his lineage and what his lineage ends up accomplishing. The Tepir line (Linka Tepir being Pierce's real name) is my most well-tracked family in this series too, cuz it includes the entirety of the Royal Family after ALttP as well as almost every Link that succeeds Pierce.

I put Hyrule Warriors into the end of the Downfall Timeline mostly cuz i just feel like it fits so perfectly there? Like, idk I always felt like it fit there best. When the Era of the Merge occurs, theres a period of time spanning maybe 4 or 5 generations, where all three timelines just, meld together? It happens in such a way that somehow, no one can tell. Once the generations that were there when it happened are dead and gone, no one actually realizes that their world is completely different. It has a slight brain fog effect on the people that come after, and also kinda has a hand in creating the idea of the Era of Myth later into the Merged Timeline, so as Hyrule progressed into the much more advanced form its in by the time of the First Calamity, that fogginess on what exactly occurred prior is what makes people so unsure whether or not that time actually existed. Which also has a hand in why Rauru and Sonia believe theirselves to be the founders and first royals of Hyrule, because there are no records left at that time. They're going off of pale remnants of legends and theories that constantly contradict each other due to how the timelines merged. Nothing seems to add up so its regarding as tall tales and bedtime stories. I'm going to freak out I could word vomit about this for ages.

#skull talk #links meet #links meet au #loz #loz au #hyrule-bound #downfall timeline #hyrule bound #hb #friend hero #totk #hyrule warriors #fuck it im not #tagging everything hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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mell0bee · 2 years

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Amphibia Character Appearances Statistics

I just spent the past like, hour and a half making some graphs for some reason, so here it is! I used the wiki (the 'sightings' section on the character pages) to track every time a character appeared!

(IDs in alt text)

some info before we start:

I broke the episodes up into 11-minute segments, meaning double-length episodes like "True Colors" are two episodes and "All In" is four episodes. I counted each character that appeared to appear in every 'part' of each episode, even if they don't actually appear in all of the eleven-minute segments (which is Bad Statistics, I know, but I think it works out fine because it gives extra weight to the longer episodes).

So in total, s1 and s2 have 40 "episodes", and s3 has 38.

I only counted "debut" or "appears" from the wiki, so no non-speaking appearances, flashback appearances, or mentions.

I didn't count Darcy-only episodes ("Froggy Little Christmas", "The Core & The King" and "The Beginning of The End") for Marcy, because imo it's clear Marcy isn't in control/present, the core is. I did count "Olivia & Yunan" for Marcy, though.

I was mostly curious about the Calamity Trio, Sprig, and Andrias, but I could add more minor characters like Grime, Olivia, and Yunan if there's a demand for it! (I don't think I want to add Hop Pop or Polly though, because their appearances are practically the same as Sprig's).

SEASON 1 APPEARANCE TOTALS

Marcy and Andrias have no appearances in S1

Anne: 39/40, 98%

Sasha: 4/40, 10%

Sprig: 39/40, 98%

S1 cumulative appearances over time:

(X axis is the episodes, Y axis is the number of total appearances per character, so if a character appears in an episode their total appearances will go up over time, I hope that makes sense lol)

S1 Facts:

Anne and Sprig appear in the same amount of episodes (hence why Anne doesn't show up in the chart)

The only episode where Anne and Sprig do not have speaking roles is "Prison Break", which is also Sasha's debut.

Anne, Sprig, and Sasha all appear in "Anne of the Year" and "Reunion".

SEASON 2 APPEARANCE TOTALS

Anne: 38/40, 95%

Sasha: 7/40, 18%

Sprig: 37/40, 93%

Marcy: 20/40, 50%

Andrias: 8/40, 20%

S2 cumulative appearances over time:

S2 Facts:

The only episodes where Anne doesn't appear are "Toadcatcher" and "Barrel's Warhammer".

Those are also the episodes where Sasha has solo appearances without any other characters listed.

Sprig has the same absences as Anne, but he has a non-speaking role in "New Wartwood".

Marcy has no solo appearances without any other characters listed.

Sprig and the Calamity Trio appear together in the same episodes from "The Third Temple" onward.

The only episode where all 5 characters appear is "True Colors".

SEASON 3 APPEARANCE TOTALS

Anne: 35/38, 92%

Sasha: 17/38, 45%

Sprig: 34/38, 89%

Marcy: 7/38, 18%

Andrias: 15/38, 39%

S3 cumulative appearances:

(sorry for weird Y axis intervals, I really wanted the total to be 38)

S3 Facts:

The only episodes where Anne doesn't appear are "Turning Point" (non-speaking), "Olivia & Yunan", and "The Core & The King".

Sprig has the same absences as Anne, but also doesn't appear in "Sasha's Angels".

Sasha appears without any other listed characters in "Turning Point".

Andrias appears without any other listed characters in "The Core & The King".

Marcy appears in "Olivia & Yunan", and doesn't appear again until "All In".

Also, if you're curious, Darcy appears in "Olivia & Yunan", "Froggy Little Christmas", "The Core & The King," and "All In".

SERIES TOTALS

Anne: 112/118, 95%

Sasha: 28/118, 24%

Sprig: 110/118, 93%

Marcy: 27/118, 23%

Andrias: 23/118, 19%

And that's it! Let me know what you think! I'm sure I messed up something somewhere lol.

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self-proclaimed-chaotic-good · 2 years

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Readying For Battle | Bruce Wayne x Reader

Prompt: Dog

Words: 3119

Fandom: The Batman (2022)

Warning: Attempted mugging, but nothing intense or graphic. If you’re familiar with my style of writing, you should know that they’re mostly slow burns.

A/N: This was finished weeks ago but I kept nitpicking at it and never posted it until now. I swore to myself that there won’t be any more characters to introduce, but I might do it again. Clearly, I have not learned my lesson about having multiple characters to keep track of at once. But I think that this character is the most important one of all!

Part of [The Batman’s Doctor] Oneshot series.

Summary: A mad scientist is on the run and your friends may have been more involved in it than you thought. Meanwhile, Bruce is required to make a public appearance at the annual charity event where he suspects Dr. Woodrue might make a move.

You weren’t sure how you were going to go about addressing what had happened all those years ago at Woodrue’s lab with Pamela. There had been flashes of odd behavior from her that you hadn’t caught the first time, now that you were thinking back on your interactions with her. They were so brief, that you couldn’t for certain know if it was due to the accident or if work was getting too much for her. Could be all of the above.

Harleen would have been a good choice to approach first to help you talk to Pam, but you were afraid that she’d differ from the subject. She was fiercely loyal to her loved ones and she’d do anything for Pam, you had noticed over the years that you had known them. Pam came first.

They were both busy with work, so it was hard to get a hold of them anyways. So, you dropped it, giving yourself time to plan your approach. You also needed to get things in order to help Bruce get ready for the upcoming charity event.

“How are you going to explain the cuts and bruises if you’re just going to keep throwing yourself out there?” you scolded Bruce as you cleaned his wounds.

He grunted. “They’re not that noticeable. I do have a mask and suit that protects me when I fight.”

“Yet, you have a doctor living in your house.”

“Unlicensed doctor,” Bruce muttered, prompting you to press down on one of his bruises.

He let out another grunt, watching you work. He relished the warmth from your hands, their gentle yet firm touch, moving with such practice and precision. Normally, he’d only bother you when the wounds were too much for him to treat on his own, but lately he’d been too exhausted to bother with the minor injuries, or at least that’s what he would say. Alfred had given him a knowing look and walked away when he overheard.

Once he was all fixed up, he threw on a wrinkled white shirt lying around in his room and made his way over to his desk, notes and CCTV screenshots scattered across the surface. He had been tracking Dr. Woodrue for days now and he didn’t press you to ask Pam and Harleen about him. They used to joke about it with dark humor like how you would complain about your manager from your part-time job, but actually sitting down and discussing it was another thing. So, Bruce had been looking into Woodrue’s previous associates and his past research to get an idea of what he was dealing with.

“Woodrue’s laying low, but an event big like the one at city hall… any bad guy would make a move then. They want the attention and with all those people and the press, it’s a sure way to do it,” Bruce said.

“Speaking of the event,” you said, standing up leaning against his desk, “I heard that Mayor Real wants you, as the main donor for the Gotham Restoration projects, to give a speech.”

Bruce grimaced, slumping back in his desk chair. “Why?” he practically pouted at you.

“It’s formalities,” you said with a shrug.

He frowned, thinking he would rather deal with a lab filled with poisonous spores than give a five minute speech in front of Gotham’s press and elites. You wondered what he was like at board meetings and if he ever gave all his attention to them or if he was always thinking of the next case as Batman. Surely, the board members were used to his behavior by now.

“Want me to help write it?” you offered. He nodded. “Okay. I don’t think she’s expecting anything grandiose from you anyways, just something formal and straight to the point. Anything else would cause you physical and mental pain.”

He shot you a playful glare before yanking out his desk drawer, plopping down a notepad and a pen on the desk, his long fingers sliding it over to you. He leaned back in his chair once you picked it up and clicked the pen.

“So,” you started, clearing your throat dramatically, “‘People of Gotham’... no. ‘Good evening’. Yes, simple. ‘Good evening and thank you all for coming to our first charity event for the Gotham Restoration projects under Mayor Real’. Anything you want to add?”

He hummed, resting his chin on his fist like he was piecing an advanced puzzle together. “Is that not enough?”

You shook your head. “No… I think they want more than that. Maybe a small anecdote? A shout out to the other contributors and the workers? Stuff like that.”

He scrubbed his face with his hand and sighed. “This is going to take a while,” he muttered.

Apparently, it was a last minute decision to have you go with Bruce to the event at Alfred’s insistence. Bruce did not want to expose you as a close associate of his to the public due to prying eyes and the enemies of both Bruce Wayne and any potential threats that discovered his dual identity as Batman. With Alfred’s reasoning of you being an extra pair of eyes and also as someone that could help make the public outing tolerable, Bruce relented.

“No way I’m letting you go defenseless,” Bruce said.

While you had gone out to run errands and pick up both of your outfits, Bruce had stayed in his Batcave making something for you. He didn’t say what it was, only that it’d be a prototype since he didn’t have enough time to fully develop and test it out. So, you left him to it, saying to text you if he needed anything else while you were out.

When you had first gone out to do errands, Bruce had offered to give you the keys to the Rolls Royce, to which you had heavily declined. There was no way you were going to risk driving something as expensive as that and it was completely unnecessary for the mundane tasks you had to do. Imagining yourself taking his Rolls Royce to the grocery store made you snort in amusement. Besides, you had pointed out, not many people drove that kind of car in Gotham. It’ll draw attention.

You had finished everything without incident, leaving Bruce’s outfit hanging by his bed to remind him that it couldn’t be avoided. Alfred and Dory didn’t have anything for you to help them with, so you decided to go do some personal shopping for once. Alfred called out to you to be careful just as Bruce resurfaced from the Batcave and watched you leave again.

It had been a while since you were able to relax on your own, walking around Gotham at your leisure. The once flooded districts had improved now that the seawalls and reconstruction of the surrounding buildings were close to completion. People were going about their business, having to work their life around the new developments of Gotham. Positive developments, everyone hoped. Cleaning up Gotham was far from an easy task and Mayor Real had her work cut out for her. Still, the city’s healing needed to start somewhere.

Sitting down on a bench in one of the small park areas, you indulged in your sandwich as you people watched. Halfway through your meal, you heard loud and aggressive sniffing nearby. Turning your head, you saw a German Shepherd standing next to you with their eyes locked onto your sandwich.

Looking at this rude newcomer, you estimated that he was still a puppy, probably around one years old. He had a scar near his eye and what looked like bite marks near his neck where there was no collar. You frowned, taking out your phone to look for the nearest animal clinic or shelter.

He sat next to you at the foot of the bench as he waited, his dark eyes never leaving the sandwich even when you were moving around. Deciding to just call the shelter instead, your eyes left the young German Shepherd for just a moment. There was a nibble on your hand before your sandwich was yanked away and you could only watch as the pup trotted happily away. Still, you reported him to the shelter and started to make your way back to the car.

It was an easy task, getting to the car without incident, but it was another thing you had failed at. You had parked the car a few blocks away, thinking nothing of it as it was one of the few parking spaces available in the area. As you passed an alleyway, an unwashed gloved hand shot out and twisted your arm around, tossing you against the brick wall with a thud.

“Give me your money!” the man growled, towering over you with a pocket knife in hand.

“Seriously?” you hissed, moving to take out your wallet from your bag.

He waved his knife an inch from your face. “Come on, come on.”

“Hold on!”

Your snappy attitude earned you a smack across your face, leaving you disoriented at the sudden whip of your head. You lost grip of your bag, dropping it to the dirty concrete. He huffed, snatching it quickly with his back towards you. When you regained your bearings, you noticed a small figure at the end of the alley.

The German Shepherd from earlier growled, baring his teeth as he posed to pounce at the man. The mugger screamed at the dog in an attempt to scare him off, but it only provoked him further. He launched himself towards the man, biting the other end of your bag and tugging hard with another growl. The mugger struggled, moving to cut the dog to let go. You used this chance to barrel into him, smacking his body against the wall as soon as he lost his footing. He dropped the bag and ran as the dog chased him down.

You wasted no time rushing to your car, checking the pockets of your bag for anything missing. Fortunately, the mugger didn’t have time to grab anything before that dog came. You were so tempted to bring him home with you, but you weren’t sure that everyone at home would be okay with it. There was enough stress dealing with Bruce and his moonlighting as Batman as it is. You would just have to hope that the shelter had managed to find him and make sure he gets into a loving home.

Never did you imagine yourself accompanying the Prince of Gotham, Bruce Wayne, while in a custom tailored outfit for a fancy party. Yet, here you were, walking down the stairs after getting ready. Bruce was already waiting with Alfred, the two speaking in hushed tones about the plan for tonight. Bruce believed that Doctor Woodrue would make a move at the charity event and had made preparations for it.

Their conversation paused as you reached the landing, Bruce’s eyes immediately locking onto you as you made your way towards them. You suddenly feel a twist in your stomach as you stand in front of Bruce expectantly. A part of you was hoping that he’d comment on your appearance, the last time seeing you this dressed up was when you were kids. Instead, he hummed, smiling as he fished something out of his pocket.

He remained true to his word and made you your own gadget, a watch that looked to be taken straight out of a spy movie with its wide yet inconspicuous touch screen and smooth band. When you had pointed that out, he smiled, saying that that was the point. He knew that you loved spy movies.

“Be careful, you two,” Alfred said, his brows furrowed as you both made your way towards the garage.

It was one thing when Bruce went off on his own to fight crime, it was another when you were also getting involved. Although it was his idea in the first place for Bruce to bring you as his plus one, your admittance of getting jumped a few days ago had spiked his worry. You were lucky that the mugger had not taken anything or harmed you. You had mentioned that a dog you had met in the park had actually helped you with the mugger, thus your plan of convincing him and Bruce to get a dog commenced. At this point, he was willing to consider it.

“It’s okay, Alfred. If something happens to me, it’s all on Bruce,” you joked, making Bruce roll his eyes.

“You think I don’t know that?” Bruce muttered, nudging you with his shoulder, “That’s what the watch is for.”

“Oh, really? I thought it was just my boss finally getting me an Apple watch instead of a raise.”

“I can get you both if you want,” he deadpanned.

“Must be nice being that rich.”

“It is if you’ve got something or someone to spend money over.”

Alfred stood to the side, his worries subsiding, but something else was brewing. He looked between the two of you, a smirk creeping up his face. He wondered if you were aware of how close your faces were and how both of you had not stopped smiling since your banter started. He made a promise to you to not tell Bruce what had happened with the mugger, knowing that Bruce would have gone as far as to prevent you from going outside by yourself again if he found out.

“Just… look out for each other,” Alfred said, “That means clear communications and no wandering off to investigate something on your own.” That warning could be directed to either one of you, so you and Bruce nodded.

“We’ll be fine, Alfred,” Bruce assured him.

“It’s not like we’re the type to mingle,” you added.

“Exactly. You’d rather lose focus and look for danger than have a five minute conversation with the socialites of Gotham.”

There was nothing to say to that. He knew the two of you too well.

Reporters lined the steps of the city hall, flashing away at their cameras as each and every attendee steps out of their vehicle and escorted up to the large double doors. Bruce had taken to driving the two of you in the black Rolls Royce that he was fond of, handing the keys to the valet once he reached the bottom of the steps.

Your heart had been hammering against your rib cage during the entire ride there, grounding yourself by making a mental checklist for the evening as you fidget with your new watch. Enter city hall, make the rounds with Bruce, speak to the mayor, have Bruce give his speech, attempt to mingle with people, keep a lookout for suspicious activity, then make excuses to retire for the night. Hopefully, nothing happens tonight.

Bruce held the door open and helped you out of the car, eyes scanning the crowd as he placed his hand on the small of your back. He had slowly been making public appearances for the past few months, but the reporters still go wild at the sight of the reclusive billionaire, more so now that it was evident that he had brought a plus one.

“Stay close,” he whispered as he guided you towards the stairs, “Remember about the watch. If we ever get separated, activate the earpiece with it. If you’re in trouble or get lost, activate the tracker.”

“This is far different from the birthday party you had when you were six,” you said, marveling at the scale of the place as you crossed the threshold.

“And unfortunately, we have to have a more active role in these gatherings. No more standing in the corner or sneaking out to the balcony for us.”

“We could, just that it might be taken as a more scandalous act than two kids avoiding the grownups.”

“Those were the days,” Bruce sighed before spotting a familiar figure approaching the pair of you. “Speaking of…”

“Well, look at you two!” Luke called out with a grin, arms open wide as he swooped in to give you a hug, effectively pulling you away from Bruce who was frowning during the exchange. He turned to Bruce and smirked. “Wayne! Come here!” Luke gave him the same treatment, slapping his back for good measure.

You watch Bruce stiffen at the sudden embrace before relaxing, his body familiarizing with Luke’s energy and friendliness. You weren’t sure how long it had been since the last time those two saw each other, but it never mattered to Luke. He was always open and accommodating with the ability to pick up a conversation from where it was left off years ago.

Bruce gave him a small smile. “Still a menace,” he said.

Luke threw his head back and laughed. “Still so awkward. Come on, we’re old pals. We’re in this together, facing off the vultures and hyenas in there.”

“Hey, why are you more excited to see Bruce than me?” you teased.

“Well, I already saw you days ago,” Luke said, slinging an arm around your shoulder, “But Brucie? It’s been a long time. A really long time. See, you and me? We’ve been keeping contact off and on over the years. I got radio silence from him.”

Bruce grimaced. “I’ve been busy.”

Luke nodded. Bruce was a man of a few words, always had been. Luckily, Luke had known him long enough that he didn’t need a whole sentence or paragraph to know what was going on.

“Hey, it’s alright. I’m only teasing,” he said softly, wrapping his other arm around Bruce. “You’ve been going through a lot, so I understand.”

“It’s good to see you, Luke,” Bruce said, pulling away from him.

“It’s nice seeing you guys again. Just like old times, huh?” Luke gave you one last side hug before regarding the two of you. “It’s things like this that makes me feel glad to be back.”

“So, not much, is there?” Bruce said, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

Luke punched his shoulder lightly. “I gotta head back into the fray before my old man starts making leaps and thinks I’m up to no good.”

“It’s a reasonable assumption,” you said.

Luke chuckled. “See you guys around,” he said, walking backwards, “Maybe we can all get a drink some time.”

“See you around, Luke,” Bruce called back with a small wave, watching him jog back to find his father. As soon as he was gone, Bruce nudged you with his shoulder. “When were you going to tell me that you ran into him earlier?”

“Oh, uh, slipped my mind,” you said casually with a shrug, “Saw him at the Iceberg Lounge. Ready to go in?”

Bruce shook his head. “No, you?”

“Nope.”

#bruce wayne x reader #battinson x reader #battinson #the batman imagine #batman imagine #dc imagine #more of Luke Fox near the end #introducing Ace because I want Battinson to have a dog #this took forever for me to feel comfortable posting

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