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#iconic of them if i'm being honest
syn0vial · 7 months
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too many posts in the astarion tag like, "if you like astarion, it's only bc you liked [some dude character i don't give 2 shits about] first 😏"
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tiny-cloud-of-flowers · 6 months
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Oh, I should probably be specifying who I am when I send people asks, shouldn't I
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youssefguedira · 5 months
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One of the fan casts I’ve seen a lot is Hunter Schafer as Zelda. Thoughts?
image for reference because i had to google who hunter schafer was
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i could back it? she'd definitely be able to pull off like. oot or twilight princess zelda (by looks alone i haven't seen her act) really depends on what they're doing story wise. but ultimately i don't particularly care what the actor looks like as long as they are believably link or zelda to me and i just. don't think the kind of "major hollywood actors" that people toss around when talking about it could really have that effect because they're too recognisable? if that makes any sense. also a bit of a tangent but i don't know if i WANT the zelda movie to adapt an existing game or a new one, though if i had ti guess it'll adapt something connected to botw/totk and that timeline if it is in any way tied to a game because nintendo is generally trying to move away from the 'traditional' zeldas so to speak
for context this is the hypothetical cast in the article i was reading earlier:
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like i respect timothee but i think seeing him as link would just make me laugh. he's a perfectly good actor i just don't vibe with this. mr. holland. can we be serious here. respect the inclusion of dev patel and steven yeun but i think this would only work in a post-oot movie that was a tragic retelling of what happens to the hero of time / an exploration of the effect of All That. which won't happen but i think they could pull it off. we're very much dependent on how old link and zelda will be but if i HAD to pick from this list i'd say aramis knight (in ms marvel) because he's not as immediately recognisable and also he's around the right age for Link That Lives In My Head
moving to the zeldas. florence pugh are you KIDDING me. again i respect her i think ms pugh is very talented. but i don't think i'd want her to play zelda. ultimately it comes down to the fact that link and zelda are almost always teenagers and i want the movie to lean into that. especially because AGAIN this won't happen but i would like an examination of the impact of being declared Saviour Of The Entire World at approximately 12-17 years old. though i guess this could also work with an adult link and zelda but that would lean towards more of a drama than a Big Action Fantasy which is what this will be. zendaya again can we be serious i don't think this would work. personally i'd go w/ kathryn newton or stephanie hsu on this list tbh. or hunter schafer i think she'd be a pretty good choice on vibes alone but ive never seen her in anything (euphoria?)
the article also included these as cast possibilities for minor characters and when i tell you some of them made me choke on my water
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i respect natasha lyonne as navi because that could be funny. the others are just. really. something
sorry this answer was super long and also not coherent i should inform you that i am running on approximately 2hrs sleep today. so. but if anyone wants to further discuss zelda PLEASE do i am going through a mini phase rn
also as a second tangent. my ideal zelda plots:
skyward sword zelda during her time on the surface because you could have some REALLY good conflict between her goddess side and her human side and the way she slowly realises she has to manipulate link
zelda becoming sheik in oot!!
my roommate pointed it out the other day but i haven't been able to stop thinking about it since: majora's mask stop motion movie in the style of gdt's pinocchio. directed of course by mr Fucked Up Fairytale del toro himself
#imagine with me. deku link animated the same way#the last one is my favourite zelda movie concept. bc i think gdt would nail the tone and themes of majora's mask#neon answers#anonymous#ive been zelda posting a lot today because i Miss. my zeldas#fi would be weird to cast id prefer it if she was just. animated#like id prefer if the whole movie was animated but#also i don't think fi will appear beyond references if i'm completely honest. same thing with botw/totk#jeff goldblum tingle. imagine this for a moment#he COULD pull off twilight princess tingle tbh#i think if i wanted them to adapt a game skyward sword's got the strongest story for me#we've got emotional intrigue. a good starting point for the introduction of Iconic Things. wouldn't be any zora or anything but#also i LIKE skord and i want to see link cry when zelda seals herself away on my cinema screen#+ i think there's potential for further exploring zelda's side bc you couldn't just. film the dungeons#i think in terms of making a movie botw/totk will lend themselves best to 1:1 transfer#even if they don't really Have a story and the calamity storyline has already been done. the 4 dungeons would cut down Link Running Errands#i just don't think a game can be adapted because you'd essentially lose a lot of the plot points due to runtime#so i think it'll be original. probably something to establish the botw / totk timeline fully so nintendo can stop worrying about the other#games etc. sorry that was me being cynical but. anyway this has been a lot of rambling#again. 2hrs sleep. but feel free to drop more asks my way i love talking about zelda#zeltik has a video rn abt the potential for mocap/heavily cgi zelda movie and like. sigh#i WANT something like the dnd movie with its practical effects i DON'T trust cgi to look that good in current conditions#there's exceptions but are they really gonna make that much of an exception for the zelda movue
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tinylantern · 11 months
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The bots are getting smarter with their URLs
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leechandoki · 1 year
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I had to report and block at least 8 people presume to be bots (sorry if you are legit).
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! CHANGE YOUR ICON, HEADER, AND DESCRIPTION, AND REBLOG SOME STUFF EVEN ONE FANDOM OR RANDOM POST IS COMPLETELY FINE (Avoid reblogging "charity posts" you will be seen more as a bot if you do reblog or even post about it).
There has been a rampant of spam bots that use the default themes, please!! Distinguish yourself from them!! (I like the default icons don't get me wrong they are just funky shapes but if you don't make yourself look different from those bots then you will be seen as one. You can keep the icon just ya know... don't make yourself look like a bot)
Liking posts will not help you now because those bots have been liking random posts now to encourage users to click their profiles. I'm so sorry to legitimate users but PLEASE MAKE YOURSELF SEEN NOT AS A BOT!!
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idyllicidols · 4 months
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Desire.
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Shin Yuna. The world sees her as a world famous idol, a paragon of beauty of grace. An individual to look up to, a person to aspire towards. Some might see her as untouchable, in a social sphere somewhere near the clouds. But she is more than just an idol with a hectic schedule and a busy life. Yuna is a real life human being, and every human has their flaws, their desires, their dark secrets that they need to keep hidden from the world.
And right now Yuna sure is living up to desires.
"You gonna do it? You gonna cum on my face?"
There she is, the picture perfect idol, sitting on her feet, naked as the day she was born. Surrounding her are three hand selected males, her hand vigorously pumping the cock directly in front of her. Yuna's eyes are firmly set on the glistening knob that her hands are wrapped around, her fingers nimbly moving from tip to hilt, her thumb digging into the meat and tugging and massaging with ferocious intent.
The other two aren't just standing idly by—they're groping and spanking whatever they feel like, an opportunity like this one is unheard of, but a gift Yuna loves to indulge. You see, underneath that cute and bubbly personality, and beyond all her flawless photoshoots and iconic concerts, the fact remains that Yuna is, above everything else, a cock obsessed slut.
The feeling of multiple hands and several hard, throbbing members grazing her petite body always fills Yuna with a pleasure that no amount of her fingers can ever truly match. The pinching of her nipples, the light and harsh spanks to her ass, the feeling of a cock throbbing in her hands. All of these things send her reeling into euphoria.
"Do it! Cum on my face. You gonna make me work for it? Do I have to suck you off? Make you cum by slurping your juices? My hand not enough?"
Her questions comes with a gentle lick to the underside of his shaft. It makes the cock twitch violently in Yuna's firm grip. He's already reaching his climax, that much is evident to Yuna. The only thing she needs now is for him to vocalize.
"I'm gonna... Yuna, I'm..."
"Come on, babe."
With a guttural moan, Yuna feels her cheek being covered by a blast of sticky warmth, followed by spurts of cum across her lips and chin and nose.
She looks down, mouth gaping, tongue hanging out, eye's narrow. The feeling of the sticky substance smeared over her skin, a marking that has her feel warm all over.
"Who's next?!" Yuna moves away from the well spent man, turning her attention to the other two behind her. One has his hands clasped to Yuna's ample ass, the other never stops roughly groping and grabbing her tits, pulling her nipples this and that way.
Yuna doesn't even know these lucky bastard's names—and that's precisely the point. All she knows is that they're some of her biggest fans, and because Yuna's not one to disappoint her supporters, the only reasonable thing for her to do is invite them back to her hotel room for an honest to God gangbang.
No real names, no exchanging numbers. Just a night of fun.
It's Yuna's idea of an ideal way to unwind before an important gig, and she's taking it upon herself to fully indulge.
"You know I offer more than just hand jobs right? My mouth, my pussy...my ass."
Yuna puts some emphasis when she says the word ass—she knows how taboo it is, to be an idol who loves to be fucked in her forbidden hole. Tempting over eager fan boys is such a power rush to Yuna, especially since she always gets what she wants in the end. And tonight will be no different.
Not only does the sudden spurt of her words catch the other two guys off guard, so do her slender fingers, that have already found their way around the nearest cock.
She looks up into his eyes, practically staring into his soul.
"So what do you say sweetheart? Which hole do you wanna fuck? Do you want my mouth? Is it my pussy you craving?"
Yuna smirks.
"Or maybe," her other hand slowly reaches to her asshole, "you're gonna shove your cock right here and treat me like a total anal slut."
She isn't quite touching her tight hole, but her fingertips hover tantalizing close. Close enough to make the guy think of exactly what she's describing, all the dirty details, from start to end. And the mere thought is starting to make him go crazy.
"Have you ever done anal before?"
Her soft and playful tone is hard to resist. This entire experience has left the guy totally speechless. He shakes his head, unable to verbalize any words of any kind.
"Well what do you say Hun? Wanna pop your anal virginity with a world famous superstar?"
Yuna doesn't even give him a chance to answer—she bends down on the bed, ass up face down, spread apart in a position that leaves her totally open to her new fuck buddies.
He watches in absolute shock and disbelief as Yuna playfully wiggles her plump behind, teasingly caressing her puckering asshole in a display that leaves him unable to hold off. He licks his fingers, saliva coating his palm as he reaches forward to insert his middle finger into Yuna's butt. She wasn't lying; Yuna is an anal loving slut, a star whore, and this position is making her squirm. The soft, coos leaving her lips are proof of the immense arousal coursing through her veins. The fact that her pussy is dripping means even more.
"I don't want your finger," Yuna turns back, staring into his eyes again, "I want your cock."
He pulls his finger out with a lewd squelching sound, only to replace it with his cock—hard and pulsating, a sheer result of the slutty actions from the girl splayed out in front of him, seemingly on a platter.
The tip presses against Yuna's eager asshole. She starts to whimper, just slightly, an involuntary reflex as a wave of pleasure fills her veins. It's about to begin, and that moment is like heaven to Yuna.
"Do it," she utters, more quietly now that the tip of his cock is pressing up against her most private place. "Don't tease. Fuck me in the ass. Do it. Please..."
Those few simple, begging words are the green light the guy has been waiting for. A cue to fully penetrate her rear, spreading it open with a searing, heavy thrust. It doesn't matter that it's his first time—Yuna loves to fuck. She loves it in any position, anywhere, in any circumstance. Yuna was made to be fucked and tonight is no exception, that is a fact.
So the feeling of his heavy prick ramming her open, and the sweet, familiar burn that comes after sends Yuna into a total blissed-out state. Even though this is what Yuna was begging for, the thrusts are slow and inexperienced—her new living dildo seemingly afraid to hurt his favorite idol.
"Don't be gentle! Fuck me hard, deeper...please, please! Wreck my asshole!"
Those words are enough. They spur the young man into action, and instead of taking it nice and slow, Yuna feels her whole ass shuddering at the rapid pace her lover is now setting. It hurt. Oh God did it fucking hurt.
The kind of pain that leaves her feeling filled with the greatest pleasure. The kind of pain that reminds her that she's alive—not some brainless idol robot with an image to protect. Yuna is a woman with sexual needs and she's not afraid to admit them.
"Faster, don't stop. More, oh God yes!!" Yuna is spouting out all the right things and it's certainly having an effect. "Fuck me!" Her hands grope her perky ass cheeks, trying their hardest to keep them spread open for the fuckfest raging on in the depths of her backdoor.
Her insides felt great to her new partner, especially as he gets more adventurous and drives her over the edge of euphoria with a thrust here, a squeeze there. His hands are gripping her hips, driving his rock hard length further into her cavern.
It must have been such a fucking miserable sight. The third guy in the room ignored and forgotten, sporting a massive erection whilst sitting on the edge of a King sized bed. Yuna didn't even notice it, nor did the guy currently drilling her ass. But she definitely notices it when he lifts her head and presses his tip against her slightly parted lips. The action catches her off guard, almost. It's just a quick glance and a lust filled smirk, but the quick understanding between them has her open her mouth to swallow the intruding piece of flesh.
"You want me to suck your cock while I'm getting fucked in the ass?! What a joke!"
The man looks dejected. That is until Yuna licks her lips and flashes a coy smile. She shakes her head, waves of dark hair falling around her cheeks and onto her back.
"I'm not gonna suck it. But you can fuck my face. Spit roast me. Make me choke me on your cock, choke me as his big, hard dick fills my little asshole."
Yuna opens her mouth, her tongue laid flat and waiting to be invaded. There's an overwhelming desire to be filled from both ends, a carnal hunger. If that's what it takes for her to receive this much pleasure, then so be it. She just wants her holes stuffed, fucked hard until they're so worn, so well used that her mind blanks into total ecstasy.
Yuna sucks and moans and mewls as he's driving his cock down her throat. Any cries of pleasure from being torn apart from behind gets muffled and lost under the garbled and sloppy sounds of the face-fucking.
She takes his cock hungrily into her mouth, bobbing back and forth, not even worrying about the gagging sensations or the burning in her throat, or the spit dripping from her mouth, nor even her eyes beginning to water.
The taste, the scent—the full sensory overload from receiving both a full frontal assault on her gag reflex and a rump fuck all at once is driving her crazy. Her clit is swollen and sensitive, and everytime she shakes her ass to guide his cock deep inside, her clit brushes against the silk-soft sheets and tenses something tight and coils deep within her core.
It builds, tighter, hotter—and the wetness trickling out of her needy, untouched cunt only aids the thrusts from his eager tool.
Her whole body shakes and trembles. A total body orgasm as she's used and abused by two strangers, faceless tools for her sexual pleasure. They take her, use her, violate and violate, spanking and penetrating wherever they pleased.
And through it all she takes it with grace, glee, and happiness. The pain mixed in with the pleasure was intense. Overwhelming. Every time another palm cracks against her reddening cheeks, every time that she's choked and pounded harder, deeper, it leaves her begging for more. Every thrust from either end sends another surge of the hottest, fiercest tingling through her veins. Yuna's completely submerged into the moment, so lost within it. A cocktail of sheer masochism and perverted need to be nothing but an object for her boys' enjoyment.
Then it happens, with another hard thrust into her slutty backdoor, everything snaps—and Yuna screams into a prolonged, euphoric moan. She cums, and she cums hard. Her second one in such a short space of time. It's so intense—so overwhelming.
It takes a whole minute before the world starts to spin again, the rush and adrenaline is almost too much, the double penetration pushing the boundaries and making Yuna realize how she could die right here, right now, and still not care. She almost forgets she's an idol for a moment, the label seeming so alien and irrelevant as the rest of her facade disintegrates along with her mind and body, dissolving under a sea of pleasure. Slowly fading as her partner finally bursts with an eruption of hot, thick, cum, coating her insides, filling her ass until it can hold no more and starts leaking out onto her skin and the plushy fabric of the covers.
The constant moans of joy must have been too much for the man occupying her throat. Cuz shortly after her ass is stuffed full, so is her mouth, spurt after spurt, sending Yuna straight into an orgasmic daze.
It's incredible—such a heavenly, amazing, thrilling and powerful feeling of a double load pumped into both of her holes.
She swaps from feeling like an object, a fuck toy, something to be used and abused, to just Yuna. Yuna who craves pleasure, needs love, and wants a feeling of validation that she's doing her very best to fill up with constant sexual trysts and promiscuous nights. It doesn't work though, because she can never truly be satisfied. No man, no orgy, no gangbang has ever been enough, never even been close enough. But when it's all over, these times, these moments are what Yuna lives and breathes for.
There's four bodies on the bed, laid out and completely wrecked—Yuna, the man with the enormous cock that spread her anal walls, the man that got the handjob of a lifetime from none other than Yuna herself, and the forgotten dude who eventually got to fuck her throat. Yuna can barely see or talk after being ravaged, but even still she's smiling like the cat that got the cream—because in essence, she had three extra large creamy loads.
It's not enough, no amount of cock could ever satisfy Yuna, but this is good enough for tonight. Tomorrow brings another night. Another night to find a nice gentleman to stuff her pussy that was left unfulfilled, left on the verge, twitching and ready to burst. But tomorrow is a worry for the future—now is the time for rest and relaxation, for recovery.
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fixing-bad-posts · 3 months
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i sent you a mean anon a little while ago and even though you didn't publicly post or react to it I still feel really bad. I'm sorry. it was uncalled for and generally very rude. it's easy to get in your head on the internet and forget the people in your phone are real human beings - this is not an excuse but rather a kind of explanation? regardless. I'm sorry. I hope you have a nice day
um holy shit???
okay listen. to be 100% honest y’all, four days ago, i published an anonymous hate message because it was so badly composed that it made me laugh. immediately afterwards, i sent myself an anon message pretending to apologize on behalf of the first anon. to be clear: that apology was fake, and i wrote it to make fun of the original hate anon.
but this? this is real. i did not send this to myself.
hey anon... genuinely, thank you for apologizing.
i haven’t the faintest clue which of the deleted hate anons yours was, but regardless, i actually really appreciate that you came back to apologize. sending anon hate is a rude thing to do, but i would be lying if i said i’d never done it. it was years ago, and at the time it felt justified and cathartic. obviously i regret it now, and instead of sending anon hate, i just screenshot the posts that piss me off and turn them into blackout poetry (as i’m sure you’re all aware).
but i guess what i’m saying is: i understand. it's hard to see the little tumblr icons as people with full lives. however, i am a real person. and you know what? i forgive you. please don't feel bad about it anymore. no harm done, and i’m sure that if we met in real life—at some pride event, or at a craft fair, or farmer’s market—we would get along.
i wish you well 🩷
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galoogamelady · 4 months
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I'd like to ask, did you actually watch Human Centipede before drawing "Red Flags" ?
Yeah, I watched it with my friends on Discord. We thought it would be a horrible movie with torture porn and lots of gore, but it was kinda tame and competent compared to our expectations. I would've made it way more nasty if I'm being honest. (I know the other movies in the series are much darker and provocative.) I mostly just wanted to see what sets or props were iconic enough to make it into the video: the house exterior, pool room, riding crop and towel. I didn't want to use imagery of a real centipede, an actual human centipede or a syringe, partly because I know large groups of people have pretty bad phobias around them and also youtube monetization is a picky bitch.
But no rest for the wicked, Tom is FoRcInG me to watch more movies.
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queerfables · 8 months
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A dash of nutmeg...
Look I feel a bit like I'm throwing soup at a dart board and calling it analysis, but I have some thoughts about Aziraphale's magic words in episode 4, and it's going to kill me if I don't share.
The thing is, these words have been nagging at me since I heard them. They sounded familiar, and I've been trying to figure out why. Today, it finally clicked.
Banana. Fish. Gorilla.
Those initial three words are all key words from Crowley and Aziraphale's drunken conversation about Armageddon. It's right at the start of things, when Crowley convinces Aziraphale to help him stop the world from ending.
We'll start with the fish, because they come up first.
"The point I'm trying to make," [Crowley] said, brightening, "is the dolphins. That's my point." "Kind of fish," said Aziraphale.
Their entire exchange here is hilarious and iconic but I'll try to keep this to the point. After some banter about the difference between fish and mammals, Crowley argues that dolphins don't deserve to be caught in the crossfire when the kraken rises and the seas boil. Which conveniently brings us to:
"Same with gorillas. Whoops, they say, sky gone all red, stars crashing to ground, what they putting in the bananas these days?"
Banana. Fish. Gorilla. It got me curious, so I searched for other places these words show up in the book. There's nothing I think is really significant: a couple of things are described as banana flavoured, fish show up in rains that herald the impending doomsday, gorillas aren't ever mentioned again. If I'm on the right track at all, I think this part is here to signpost a connection between this string of words from the show and the specific moments in the book.
If that's true, it must be pointing to something. What's left? Shoe lace and nutmeg.
Shoe lace.
The word "shoelace" isn't actually in Good Omens. Neither is "shoe lace" with a space in between. There's a couple of unremarkable descriptions involving shoes, and one miraculously conjured lace handkerchief, and then - and then. Right at the very end of the story, we have Adam, grounded by his parents, being described as "a scruffy Napoleon with his laces trailing, exiled to a rose-trellissed Elba". It's tenuous. I could dismiss that as nothing. Except Adam's laces show up again, and it's the very last passage of the book.
If you want to imagine the future, imagine a boy and his dog and his friends. And a summer that never ends. And if you want to imagine the future, imagine a boot . . . no, imagine a sneaker, laces trailing, kicking a pebble; imagine a stick, to poke at interesting things, and throw for a dog that may or may not decide to retrieve it; imagine a tuneless whistle, pounding some luckless popular song into insensibility; imagine a figure, half angel, half devil, all human . . . Slouching hopefully towards Tadfield . . . . . . forever.
I'm not ready to say much about what I think the significance of this passage might be. But an allusion to the book's ending does feel significant, doesn't it?
The one thing I will say, for people who may not know, is that this passage is riffing on a line from Orwell's 1984. The line it's playing on is a lot darker: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever." I think it's probably relevant that this is referencing a book about a totalitarian regime. I also think it's probably relevant that it's taking that reference and twisting it into something much sweeter, more optimistic and empowered.
I'm still thinking through all the connections and implications, though.
Nutmeg.
And that brings us to "nutmeg". I have to be honest, I wasn't hopeful. I didn't remember any references to it and if I were betting, I wouldn't have put money on it appearing in the book at all. But the word does show up, and it shows up exactly once. Crowley is reminiscing about a cocktail he had once, made out of fermented date-palms. It's part of a conversation with Aziraphale, where they discuss losing the Antichrist. And here's the really interesting part:
"You said it was him!" moaned Aziraphale, abstractedly picking the final lump of cream-cake from his lapel. He licked his fingers clean. "It was him," said Crowley. "I mean, I should know, shouldn't I?" "Then someone else must be interfering." "There isn't anyone else! There's just us, right? Good and Evil. One side or the other." He thumped the steering wheel. "You'll be amazed at the kind of things they can do to you, down there," he said. "I imagine they're very similar to the sort of things they can do to one up there," said Aziraphale. "Come off it. Your lot get ineffable mercy," said Crowley sourly. "Yes? Did you ever visit Gomorrah?" "Sure," said the demon. "There was this great little tavern where you could get these terrific fermented date-palm cocktails with nutmeg and crushed lemongrass-" "I meant afterwards." "Oh."
Book Aziraphale differs from his characterisation in the show in a few ways, and this is the big one. In the book, Aziraphale is much more cynical about his own side, and much more aware of heaven's flaws. Here, he's convincing Crowley that the threat heaven poses is just as serious as any threat from hell.
If I'm right about any of this, if these nonsense words mean anything at all, I think they are saying that heaven and hell are two sides of the same very nasty coin, and more to the point, that maybe Aziraphale is more aware of it than he seems.
I need to think about this more, still. I'm not sure if I really think this connection is something, and if it is, I'm still figuring out what sorts of conclusions we might draw from it. But if the script is trying to point us to these three sections of the book, maybe there's a deeper analysis to be had here.
I do think it's interesting that the last two words each only show up in one section of the book. It's not like I'm skipping around trying to decide which passage involving shoe laces is most relevant - it shows up twice, only in the last few pages of the book and only in relation to Adam (and in particular, humanising Adam. He's Napoleon in exile, but he's a kid with trailing laces. His future isn't a boot stamping on a human face, it's a sneaker with those same trailing laces - and a stick that his dog can choose whether or not to chase).
I could talk myself in circles on this point, so I guess I've got to open it up to the floor. Am I making something out of nothing with this? Or do you think there could be something here?
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ofswordsandpens · 3 months
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just finished episode 6…. truly don’t know how to feel about these changes. would love to know your thoughts bc i’m just kinda baffled by some changes tbh
Mixed feelings as always:
Percy's dream slapped. I loved Kronos's actor. It felt perfectly eery. No notes.
No percabeth late night convo on the truck. This doesn't surprise me given we sort of did that on the train already, but now there's just another iconic book moment that we'll get bits and pieces of, but never actually get to see in its entirety/original setting.
I did vibe with the glass prism tool for the iris message and it was pretty cool. The Percy + Annabeth argument was great but I'm gonna be honest, Luke being like "you're arguing like an old married couple" was laying it on a tad thick to me idk idk. I know I'll probably be in the minority there lol but I think it would have liked the line better if Percy and Annabeth got more embarrassed to his statement but they both reacted to it like :/ so it just felt heavy handed on the show runners part more than anything
Lotus Hotel vibes? Lackluster. Uninspired. It just didn't capture that outrageous paradise for kids feeling from the book because they turned it into Hermes' hangout so there's a whole bunch more adults than kids. Basically felt like if you took the movie's version and turned down the energy of it by a mile lmao. (Which is also ironic given RR's post about it today).
And of course the kids immediately know what's happening so like. No fun mystery. No Percy figuring it out. Just them being like "omg we need to be careful" and then immediately separating from Grover lmao.
Okay. LMM's Hermes.... it wasn't bad. Thankfully there was no singing. He was fine. It's more or less that turning the Lotus story line into a Hermes' storyline was like an "okay, I guess we're doing this" thing. I mean I guess we finally introduced something for the non-book reader's to pick up on that Luke might not have the best relationship with his dad (and consequently the gods). But like, nothing about this storyline is something that isn't introduced later on in the books. Nor was it better or more interesting than the original lotus storyline in the books.
Again, its the constant replacement of everything fun and silly and absurd in the book and turning it into a very serious moment, is just like, killing the energy. Seriousness is good. Silliness is also good. The book balanced it greatly. The show struggles here.
Glad we got a Pan mention tho!! Finally!
But um 4 pearls, so no dilemma about who to save. A part of me is relieved because the show's created like 3 other sacrifice convo scenarios so its gotten bit reductive, but Sally being a part of the equation is an entirely different dynamic and now that dilemma is theoretically gone. (unless he loses one of the pearls?)
And Percy's missed the deadline?? Right?? So like? I really don't know what we're doing anymore. In the book the deadline was pretty strict lol. Here I guess the deadline was like, a loose suggestion? Percy's walking into the middle of the god's battle field with master bolt in his hand? Idk.
Overall things in the show feel messy and way less cohesive. They seem to know that certain things from the book are important but not necessarily why, or they'll introduce events or plot points strangely late or way too early.
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anniflamma · 22 days
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a question do you have designs for the cathonic gods(underworld gods) you know Hades,Persephone, their kids, Thanatos, Hypno, and Hecate?
I just think of Hades and persephone being good parents and all the underworld gods + Hermes being aunts and uncles to them. 😊
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So, this is all I've got for now!
Hades! Ahhh… I don't know if I managed to convey exactly what I wanted to do with him. He's such an iconic character, so it's pretty hard to avoid the goth man stereotype. These drawings of him aren't really finalized yet, but they're a step in the direction of what I want.
So, in a sense, when Persephone is in the living world, he becomes this typical dark man, clothed in shadows. And when his wife comes over, she dresses him up! His hair gets decorated with flowers and plants. This "form" of him is when he goes full-out drag! That's it!
But I also think the trickiest thing when designing him was due to his brothers. I don't want them to look alike. And, well… My take on Poseidon is a big hazard. People already think that he looks like a god of death, which was my intention. I wanted him to represent death to Odysseus in Epic the Musical. I even thought of making his clothes black, but I realized that people would definitely think he was Hades instead. So Hades's color scheme had in mind with Poseidon's. Poseidon has black hair, Hades has white. Poseidon has light skin, Hades has a tan. To be honest, I even don't really like that I gave him a purple white dress....
Hmmmm… now that I'm looking at these sketches… I should have added body hair…
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wilcze-kudly · 9 days
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I think the reason I'm a bit iffy about most zutara shippers who call themesleves "pro Katara" (and lets be honest the tags pro katara/katara deserved better are mainly people building themselves a moral highground of "if you disagree with me, you clearly dilslike Katara and want her to suffer") is just the hypocrisy of it all.
Katara's consent was violated by Aang, yes. But Zuko threatening her and being a fucking creep in the "I'll save you from the pirates" scene was sexy and not at all the nightmare of any sane woman.
Katara's role as a healer is treated as her acting subservient and her loosing her feminist icon status. Unless she's healing/offering to heal Zuko.
Aang is immature and childish. But we will handily ignore Zuko, a whole ass 16 year old who's heir to a country throwing a temper tantrum because his girlfriend dared to speak to another man. [Frankly, in my opinion, Zuko isn't really ready for a serious romantic relationship, but yall arent ready for that conversation]
Aang is supposedly misogynistic, but Zuko's many instances of actual misogyny are swept under the rug. Aang is shown in canon to be incredibly supportive of Katara defying the patriarchy.
Supposedly Aang makes Katara do all the housework. Despite there being evidence to the contrary. Zuko has just recently learnt to brew tea.
Katara being the Avatar's wife is supposedly degrading. But if she were Zuko's wife, I'm sure she wouldn't be just a baby maker. (What a horribke thing to call a woman btw. Tall call your own mothers baby makers too???) Despite the fact that Izumi's mother hasn't even been mentioned by name in tlok. But yeah. She'd be afforded the respect she deserves I'm certain.
Aang is, on most accounts, supportive and respectful of Katara's opinions, even when he disagrees with them. Zuko openly mocks people who oppose him. I am going to make a longer post on the Southern Raiders episodes and how all of you watched that episode blindfolded or smth.
Aang comparing Appa being kidnapped (his last connection to his genocided people, the last vestige of his happy past) to Katara's anger over her mother is bad. But Zuko comparing mommy leaving his ass to Katara's mother getting brutally slaughtered in front of her ? Silence.
Aang supposedly needs Katara to mother him and that's a bad thing. But Azula, Mai and Ty Lee having to gentle parent Zuko almost everytime they interact is never talked about, despite the uncalled for verbal abuse that trio goes through from him.
Aang and Katara's 2 year age gap is creepy. But Zuko and Katara's 2 year age gap is fine. My bigest gripe with Zutara lovers is them completely erasing Katara's childishness and immaturity, in order for her and Zuko to have this mature, sexy relationship. She's 14, guys. 14.
This post really isn't meant to decry Zutara. I just want people who ship Zutara to get off their high horse of feminism and to accept that they're no better than the rest of us ship loving freaks. Wanting the main girl to bump uglies with the broody emo twink doesn't make you a modern day suffragette. Disliking a main canon pairing isn't a measure of your love for a female character.
Grow up.
Enjoy your ship like a normal person.
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spectres-n-soap · 2 months
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I Scream and Scream, Can You Hear Me? - Soap x Reader x Ghost
Content Warnings - Pregnancy Complications, Screaming, Angst central.
Series Masterlist
Main Masterlist
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You spill your heart out and the tears don't stop. "I don't want to do this." You admit first, "I can't do this." Mrs. MacTavish stares at you, her mouth going dry as you go on. "He's supposed to be here. Not you." You look at Simon who looks like he was just struck by lightning. "Johnny is meant to be here and he isn't and it's eating me alive." You sob and grab at your head before she's pulling your hands back down. 
"I didnae ken." She whispers and you shake your head as the tears roll down your face. Your stomach hurts and you can't even tell if it's from the baby or how much emotion is trying to drown you. 
"I love him and every time I see your husbands and daughters eyes it's him. He's fucking everywhere but here with me." You yell and they exchange looks.
"You should lay down love." Simon mutters and places a hand on your upper arm. You practically snarl at him as you push his hand away.
"Don't touch me! I didn't even want you here but you forced yourself into my life."
"I'm just-"
"I don't care! I don't care. I don't care." You repeat. "Johnny is dead and I know that, you know that, everyone here fucking knows that! Yet here you are, trying to take his place." 
"I'm not trying to take his place."
"Then why does it feel like it? Why did you sit in my office every fucking day waiting for me, to force me into letting you help? Because you wanted to take his place, that's why." You stand up quickly and yank yourself from Mrs. MacTavish's grip. "I didn't even want this fucking baby shower!" You rip down the decorations. "Take your presents back, I don't want them." You push a bag into Mr. MacTavish.
"If ye didnae want it then ye should have told us." Mr. MacTavish says and he doesn't even sound angry. Not even disappointed. Shocked and sad. You yank open the closet door and grab the box filled with mementos and his ashes.
"I can't take it." You storm into your bedroom and Simon tries to follow you with Johnny's parents right behind him but you slam the door and lock it. "Leave! I don't want to see any of you!"
"Love-" You slam your hand on the door and yell at him not to call you that. That you aren't his love. You're just some girl Johnny got pregnant before he died. Simon sighs and looks to the parents, Mrs. MacTavish hides her face in her husband's chest who holds her. Her body shakes with silent sobs. Simon's lips thin but he herds them out of the flat as he ignores the way his stomach keeps sinking. 
You're lying in bed, stomach cramping as you cry into your soaked pillow. You're holding his bag of ashes close to your chest when the tears run out and your throat hurts from wailing. Everything hurts if you're honest with yourself. Your eyes, stomach, feet, throat. Your back of course. You lay on your side and stare at the wall, light from passing cars shine through the window and onto the wall is the only change. You can't recall crying like this when you found he died. Just a bitter numbness that consumed you. You want the numbness back. It's better than rage and sorrow and guilt. 
It's better than being aware of this hole inside you.
Your phone was off, the battery had died hours ago and only now do you reach for the charger and plug it in. You hiss when your baby kicks at you. "Bugger off." You mutter as the screen lights up with the phone company's icon. It surprises you to only see a few texts from Johnny's family but Simon had made up for their lack of texts and calls. Your hand shakes as you enter your code and unlock your phone. Your thumb hovers over the messaging app before you quickly lock your phone again and toss it away.
You turn over onto your other side and shut your eyes
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You cringed when you landed hard on the mat again. It did nothing to stop the throbbing in your head as you glared daggers into Gaz who grinned at you. Cheeky fucking bastard. He didn't need to say anything for the taunt to be loud and clear.
What's got your head in the clouds?
You glanced over at Soap who was currently using the weight rack with Ghost spotting him. His tank top was cut low and his sweat made it nearly see through. His grunts of effort made your head fuzzy. The confession you had whispered with kiss swollen lips also kept replaying in your head just as his cheeky smile lived in it. 
"I ken." 
"Come on." Gaz laughed and pulled you up. "If you're gonna keep ogling at Soap I don't wanna spar."
"I'm not ogling." You defended and Gaz rolled his eyes.
"Sure and I'm the queen of England." He laughed and you punched his arm.
"I'm not." You insisted and he shrugged.
"Then beat me like I know you can."
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You sit up with a start, a scream tore through your throat as your nervous system fills with white hot pain. You grit your teeth as your stomach cramps over and over again, tears run down your cheeks as you curl in on yourself. You try to breathe through it but somehow it makes it worse. You reach for your phone, hands quivering but find nothing where it normally is. Then you remember tossing it away from the bed and you curse yourself. 
Fighting through the pain, constantly reminding yourself of when you got shot in the arm and shoulder that one time, you crawl towards the edge of the bed. You can see your phone on the floor and you reach for it, barely able to touch it as you drag it closer. You unlock it with your fingerprint as a sob escapes you. You look at the contacts and for a moment, you consider calling Simon. You stare at his contact for just a second longer then dial 999. You struggle to talk to the operator between gritting your teeth and sobbing through the pain but manage to feed her the information she needs to send an ambulance.
You hear your apartment door shatter and for some reason, you think of the repair bill that you'll need to pay later as the medics rush to you. You can't hear them past the ringing in your ears or the pain that keeps everything drowned out whenever the ringing subsides for a few moments. Black dots swim in your vision as the medics talk to each other and then the world snaps to black.
The first thing you smell is the sterile scent of a hospital room and then the lights burn through your eyelids, you groan but can't find the strength to shield your eyes. Then you can hear.
"What happened?" A gruff voice asks.
"The doctor thinks stress has put more risk with the pregnancy. Did something happen yesterday? Something upsetting Mr. Riley?"
Tag list @h0n3y-l3m0n05
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mrs-monaghan · 5 months
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Lots of jikook moments..and it again proved that they were always attached to the hip and love spending time together and I love to see it. But let me be honest also ...all the interactions between them..all are just friendly..like two best buddies who are so comfortable with each other.. teasing each other and love to hangout. Nothing more. And again...99 percent moments were from jimin's side not jk...as always. And it all makes me more strongly believe that they are not a couple especially if you also consider jk's leaked video with that woman. But again...their moments are cute and I love watching them so I'm happy.
Oh how I loath people like you. I prefer antis who are clear where they stand. Not hypocritical assholes like you. Screw off. Screw all the way off. I see right through you.
And again...99 percent moments were from jimin's side not jk...as always
As always. Is that so? Okay, sure asshole. Let's take a look then, shall we?
First we will begin with my all time favourite, satellite Jeon.
Notice how he's hovering behind Jimin? Notice how Jimin excused all other members and JK didn't leave his side? Didn't start walking until Jimin himself did? How did Jimin initiate JK sticking by his side, exactly?
Here, they BOTH looked at eo at the same time.
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And here.
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So yeah, JK was in on that too! At the same time, asshole. At the same time.
JK grabbing Jimin by the waist and pulling him in.
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Feel free to check out my pinned post for the gif so u can see how cocky JK is about it. Jimin did not see it coming. So no, he didn't initiate it.
JK pulling Jimin.
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Jimin trying to fight it but JK refuses to let go.
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I dont see how Jimin can initiate getting pulled??? Do you?
JK massaging Jimin.
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The act is being done by JK. Understood?
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BOTH play boxing. It's a Jikook thing. Feel free to look it up.
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BOTH taking photos of eo
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Jimin just standing there and JK play punching him
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One again Mimi doing his own thing and JK doing whatever the fuck this was.
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Its hot. Its sexy... its sweet. Its ICONIC. And JK initiated that shit.
JK is the one who started dancing with Jimin
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JK putting a bottle in Jimin's hoodie
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JK knew Jimin was shirtless so he unzipped his hoodie. You know, like one does
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And this right here, this debunks that thing you're saying... how you saw nothing other than brothers. Nothing more. JK preparing his and Jimin's perilla leaves
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It will be my pleasure to remind you that JK believes that only a lover can and should, perilla leaf his partner.
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And yet, look how naturally that came for him. Oh! That's right, Jimin didn't ask. JK did it off his own violation.
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Speaking of lifting... Finally, the moment we Jikookers have been waiting for; Jungkook carrying Jimin. I'll say that one more time, JK is the one carrying Jimin
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Please don't misunderstand, when I say finally I dont mean these are all the moments. These are just the ones I grabbed. There is more to come.
And again...99 percent moments were from jimin's side not jk...as always
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Jikook is a two way motherfucking Street, bitch! Watch your fucking tongue next time you wanna insinuate that Jimin is the only one who puts in the work.
Bitch.
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xanasaurusrex · 3 months
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Hii, I've read your Percy Jackson cabins headcanons and I loved them! They're are soo good! Could you please write for the Aphrodite cabin?
⇢ ˗ˏˋ aphrodite cabin headcanons ࿐ྂ
a/n: so it's been a while since i've posted some cabin headcanons, and i LOVE aphrodite kids, and i've gotten a bunch of requests for aphrodite cabin hcs 😭 i'm sorry it took this long, i'm getting back into the cabin hcs but i'm focusing on fics rn, but yeah! i hope you all enjoy this, and thank you to everyone who requested aphrodite cabin! taglist: @asvterias @lvrue @thewritingbarbie @kroumi @ravisinghs-wife
so aphrodite kids are generally pretty cool
they're naturally very outgoing and caring people, who love big and hard and are wonderful people to have in your life
but they can also be a bit of a handful
they tend to have very big and dramatic emotions, and they cry at a lot of things
every aphrodite kid had the experience of being labeled a crybaby when they were younger
they come by their emotional-ness naturally
aphrodite kids are naturally very flirty as well
like they're the kind of people that flirt with their friends no matter what
which you would think would make it difficult to tell when they actually have a crush on somebody, but it doesn't for some reason, you can just kinda tell
aphrodite kids are not shy when they like someone
aphrodite kids are the type of people who as soon as they come to the conclusion that they have a crush on someone they just flat out tell them
obviously this doesn't happen every time because there are some aphrodite kids that are more shy, but for the most part, that's just the type of person they are
so not every aphrodite kid has the ability to charmspeak, but they all have a better skill at convincing people to do things for them
like it’s not charmspeak but they are naturally more charming/convincing
obviously kids who get the charmspeak gene are much more convincing than other aphrodite kids but you know what i mean
weird little quirk about aphrodite kids, they love sugar cookies
they could not tell you why, they just really love them for like, no reason
aphrodite kids are also huge matchmakers
like HUUUUGE
do not tell an aphrodite kid who you have a crush on if you don't want them to start trying to set you up with that person
although, if they do it's a good sign, because aphrodite kids really try not to matchmake a person with someone they don't like, because they think that's really mean on both parts
aphrodite kids were the kids that were dating in elementary and middle school
and saying "i love you" two days in, let's be totally honest
they also were totally wearing makeup at like 10
not that that's necessarily a bad thing, other demigods probably wore makeup at 10, aphrodite kids are just so much more likely
although it's a common misconception that aphrodite kids always wake up at 5 in the morning to put on an elaborate glam makeup look for everyday wear
that is not true
well, in some cases it is, but it's much more common for aphrodite kids to just wear casual, feature-enhancing makeup for everyday
don't get me wrong, when there's an occasion, they JUMP at the opportunity to go full glam
aphrodite kids also do other demigods' makeup when they need it
also, if you ever need a personal stylist, go to the aphrodite cabin beacuse they LOVE it when people need fashion advice
they often give it anyway, so it's extra nice when people don't yell at them for telling them how to style their orange camp t-shirts
yes, the camp half-blood orange shirts are iconic, but there are definitely aphrodite kids that have wanted to change the color to something a bit less... harsh, as it's hard to style something so bright
aphrodite kids LOVE making friendship bracelets
you know, the ones with embroidery floss that you tie knots to make, and you like tape it/tie it to your water bottle
aphrodite kids make those all day every day
they have a little plastic drawer thing that has just SO MUCH embroidery floss in it, all the colors you can imagine, complete with a few printed out templates that they sometimes use to make some fun ones
they give these out to literally everyone
they make sure that everyone in camp has at least one friendship bracelet made by them
they also like to teach kids from other cabins how to make them, and whenever an aphrodite kid gets a bracelet made by someone other than an aphrodite kid, they get so happy
their hearts just warm so quickly
it's adorable to see because their whole face lights up, and then they hug you, and it's so cute
they've even given a couple to chiron and mr. d, and they actually wear them
chiron doesn't wear them as often, because he likes looking formal sometimes
but mr. d wears them all the times
it's so funny, because mr. d claims that the campers are the bane of his existence, they're so annoying, but if an aphrodite kid hands him a friendship bracelet, he looks at it for a second, nods his head, and then slips it on his wrist to add to his collection
the collection is getting a little bit too big for his one hand, so he's started putting them on his other wrist
everytime this happens, the aphrodite kid that gave him the bracelet makes fun of him for being a softie, but he just rolls his eyes and goes back to sipping his coke while watching the lake
aphrodite kids are also super touchy
they honestly have all the love languages, but their big one is physical affection
they LOVE hugs
they LOVE holding hands
they LOVE kissing
obviously the kissing is only in a romantic aspect, but you get it
if you're friends with an aphrodite kid, they're going to hug you all the freaking time
they just love showing their love for you by squeezing the air out of you!
aphrodite kids will hold hands with you platonically as well
obviously, if this makes you uncomfortable and you don't want to hold hands and/or hug, they'll respect that, but they kinda won't think to ask you if that makes sense
they'll never be like "are you okay if i hug you?"
but if you ever tell them politely that you don't want to be hugged, they won't hug you anymore
aphrodite kids are also crazy passionate
about literally everything
when they have a passion for something, they have a passion for it
like, they will dedicate their whole heart and soul to something because they love it
they just have a lot of love in their hearts that needs to go somewhere
another random thing: aphrodite children were born to be fangirls
(and boys but you know)
they all have a celebrity crush that they are obsessed with and will like dedicate their life to watching edits of
(if i was a child of aphrodite, it would be dior goodjohn)
(what am i talking about it already is)
they also have a love for art
like specifically art from the renaissance period, they LOVE that
they just can appreciate a really beautiful piece of artwork, because they see beauty in everything
there's a common misconception that aphrodite kids are mean and stuck up, and there definitely are mean and stuck up kids, but there's mean and stuck up kids from every cabin.
aphrodite kids are honestly some of the nicest and kindest and most loving people you'll ever come across
they do have a tendency to throw temper tantrums every once in a while, but not in the way that like a toddler throws a temper tantrum
like i said, they just have a lot of big emotions, and they don't always know what to do with them
aphrodite kids are also often overlooked in a battle sense
everyone thinks that just because they care about their appearance, they won't be good soldiers, but that is 100% NOT TRUE
aphrodite kids are amazing at fighting and battle, maybe not as good as others, but they are good and can hold their own
don't underestimate them, though, because if you do, they make it their mission to prove you wrong
also, when aphrodite kids set their mind to something, they make it happen
so if someone makes a comment about them not knowing how to use a sword... let's just say they'll show you they do
all in all, aphrodite kids are super fun to be around, and they're the kind of friend that you can depend on no matter what, so it's always good to have an aphrodite kid in your corner
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cerastes · 1 year
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so Drimo for those of us who do not know what is the Armored Core series about [leaves out convenient soapbox for no reason]
If you asked a room of 100 people nowadays, "do you guys know FromSoftware?", the majority of them would stand up and answer, "oh, yeah! The guys that made Dark Souls, right?" You would hear about people wondering when Bloodborne will be ported to PC, or when it will get a sequel. You would hear lamentation for the lack of Sekiro DLC. You would hear praise and anticipation for Elden Ring DLC.
If you were in 2008 and asked a room of 100 people, "do you guys know FromSoftware?", maybe 4 would stand up and say "Oh, the guys that make Armored Core, right? My cousin had it, it looked ok."
The truth of the matter is, FromSoft was a niche studio before Demon's Souls planted a seed and it grew into the massive tree we know as Dark Souls, and its countless branches lush with beautiful flowers, like Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring. It even inspired nearby trees, all beautiful in their own right! Trees like Code Vein, Nioh, and others.
But I'm not here to talk about fucking trees and their god damn branches.
I'm here to talk about the sterile wasteland, the wilderness of fallen angels, where the ocean meets the sand. I'm here to talk about pre-Soulsborne FromSoft, when FromSoftware was an unknown, niche, small video game developer barely hanging on to relevancy. They had games like King's Field. They had games like Shadow Tower. They had games like Armored Core. Hell, all of these games still live on in Soulsborne! Did you know? The notorious Mushroom enemies that punch your entire lifebar out from Dark Souls are originally from 1999's Shadow Tower:
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Iconic boss fight, Seath the Scaleless from Dark Souls? He's originally from King's Field 2!
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The well-loved bald rascal with a penchant for annoying fighting styles and kicking, Patches? Originally from Armored Core! Lucky Patches AKA Patch the Good Luck:
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The Moonlight Greatsword? That's originally from King's Field:
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Knight Commander Dragonslayer Ornstein? The Bloodborne Reiterpallasch? Armored Core originals, baby:
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The truth is, Soulsborne is as dear to old school FromSoft fans such as myself as it is because it carries the past of FromSoft, it carries part of all the old games. The old, niche, unknown FromSoft that we fell in love with lives on in this new, successful, popular FromSoft of nowadays, all without selling out. FromSoft's design philosophy and mission statement has always been to make things that are out there, that aren't generic, that have that slab of esotericism to it, that are inspired and raw and difficult and challenging and oh so rewarding. Soulsborne wasn't a surprise hit. Soulsborne exists built on a foundation of trial and error that carries in its DNA years upon years upon years of difficult, niche titles. I've not even mentioned all the Tenchu references that Sekiro has! How the Powderkeg weapons from Bloodborne are mostly Armored Core weapons scaled down to human size, such as the iconic Stake Driver being the mighty Kiku from Armored Core!
Armored Core was the biggest franchise FromSoft had prior to Soulsborne. The biggest. And it wasn't too big, to be honest. A rather niche, unknown game franchise with numerous titles that did just well enough to justify sequels, with strong cult followings, Armored Core is all about that mecha high octane action, right? Well, it's 50% about that mecha high octane action! Your average Armored Core is a high intensity, breakneck fast game full of machine guns, laser swords and huge explosions when you're in the field, but in order to be able to do that, you must construct your machine, your Armored Core, piece by piece. Not just the chest core or the head piece or the arms, we're taking about generator, radiator, targeting system, thrusters, subsystems, all of that! And each given piece has a stat screen that looks like this:
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This is a single laser rifle's stat screen. Every piece has about this many numbers to it. As you can imagine, it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but for those that took the time to understand it? That familiarized themselves with the game well enough to just be able to look at a piece and understand what it did and roughly how well it performed? Oh, this was to die for. The amount of unique builds, of mechs that were your very own, unique creation, catering to your own specific tastes, was basically infinite. You could make your own dream gameplay machine, that operated in exactly the way you wanted it to. 50% of the time, you were in your garage, tinkering, mixing and matching different parts to improve your Armored Core more and more, to make it better, comfier, stronger, cooler.
Do you know what was influential in Dark Souls' success? And I say this with all the love in my heart, as a massive Dark Souls fan: It was simplification. Dark Souls is a different beast in many regards, of course, compared to Armored Core, but what Dark Souls did was simplify the Armored Core formula, in both comparative gameplay execution and building, and focused on other aspects, like making incredibly cool unique enemies, polished combat, great enemy placement, the works. But end of the day, Dark Souls is a simplified Armored Core. You're not boosting around and firing laser weapons in Dark Souls, but the fundamentals are all there: Tempo based fighting, with intensifying speed, lots of numbers to play with in order to optimize your character to your preference and needs, and the flexibility to switch around builds to certain degrees, more so in the mid game and late game. Hell, the ever-present "little plain white number above the enemy that shows you how much damage you did recently" and how Poise works in Dark Souls are both originally Armored Core things. Most every Armored Core veteran that I know, myself included, that played Dark Souls just felt it click naturally after a bit. Because it's an extension of Armored Core (and King's Field/Shadow Tower).
Armored Core, since its inception, has been about being a mercenary in a callous world where companies that are as powerful as countries, plural, wage in economic war with each other. Rarely has there ever been a good guy in Armored Core, it's the pristine FromSoft absolutely horrid and doomed world narrative that they love so much. You can even go into debt! Your rewards at the end of any mission are affected by how much ammo you consumed and how banged up your AC got, you have to foot the bill for repairs and ammo (unless your client specifically states that they'll cover it for you), and if you don't perform too well and end up going into sufficiently big debt? Why, you forcibly get put into the Human-PLUS program to offset your debt, which actually makes your stronger, since it gives you the ability to ignore Total Weight restrictions and gives you infinite energy! At the cost of, you know, your humanity. At that point, you're literally just a corporate drone with more machine than brain in the nogging. It's a fancy Easy Mode toggle, so to speak, that comes with lore. This game is from 1997. Even from back then, they were making stuff like this. The setting of Armored Core is ruthless, cruel, and brutal... And yet, beautiful, the little things, they are there. But I won't tell you about them. You have to find them yourself. The beautiful things only have value if you find them in a horrid world by your own merit.
This is true for Armored Core, and this is true for Dark Souls.
Armored Core, on a personal level, is what I grew up with, what inspired me as a child, the kind of storytelling that gives you a few explicit morsels, and the rest, figure it out yourself. Armored Core is basically what came before Dark Souls. I consider Soulsborne sequels to Armored Core. They are so very alike.
Brutal gameplay, challenging management, ruthless storytelling... It's heaven.
Armored Core is a series of a gaming era long gone. Armored Core is the opposite of "cinematic experience" games. Armored Core is brutal, it wants to test you, it grants you no quarter, but it wants you to succeed. Armored Core wants you to master its management systems and its high speed combat. Armored Core wants you to be a sharper, better you.
Armored Core is a video game series about giant robots blowing each other to bits.
Armored Core is both a test and teacher, and it wants you to win. It wants you to become the you that can beat it.
Armored Core loves you. Armored Core will do all in its power to prevent you from winning. Armored Core knows you can win, which is why it tries so hard.
Armored Core is a good video game.
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