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max-the-many · 5 months

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Start here:

('body a day' #12: six)

So it worked! Or at least I felt like beeing a whole lot closer to it. The calamity of the moment really seemed to help, although I was pretty confident that the energy was there before aswell.

I wanted more! I wanted to understand it! Although that cute guy, Neill, by the way, was pretty neat, I couldn't help but think of ways to explore my possibilities further.

And as I ventured ways to do it I came up with an idea. But first, I really needed some time to settle a bit, so after finding some money in my pocket I treated myself with a little breakfast at a Café.

My idea was to go to a sauna. Chill environment, rarely many people. It was perfect! Or at least I hoped so. I frequently went for it ever since I tried it out years ago. So I headed towards the one near my flat, fortunate to have enough money left for it.

At that time it shouldn't be that crowded. Non the less I really felt my nerves going there, scanning each guy walking bye, even some girls, wondering how it'd feel like beeing them and even wondering, if there was others, looking at crotches, pecs, jawlines, movement in a very different way.

When I arrived I almost trembled at the checkin' as if at any point someone could catch me, know, what I was up to. Suddenly every look made me feel like they knew, they could see in my eyes, that I wasn't the guy they we're looking at.

So I was totally in my head when I ended up in the lockers, undressed and put the towel around my hips. Things did really come to me. To do my experiments in private was one thing, to confront myself out and about was on a totally different level. Or at least it felt like that now.

Slowly I got myself steady again. It wasn't as busy at the lockers either, so I found myself standing infront of the mirror, taking the view of that cute boy in for the first time since I left my neighbor so suddenly. He was such an eyesight. How his lean body moved with every breath, jis smooth chest, his probably very cute ass which I didn't examine at that point not to raise extra attention, although probably nobody wpuld have really cared. Or at least not in the way I was worried about.

I took a last inhale before I headed to the sauna area. It wasn't that big as it was mainly a part of the gym, consisting of three dry rooms with various temperatures, a diving pool and a cool down area.

I entered the first room randomly in deep need of just some space to get out of my head. It was empty, so I found a spot and tried to give my mind a rest. With every breath images emerged, bodies, sensations from the last days, weeks even since I found that orb, since I merged with it so intuitively as if my body was waiting for it, my soul, my self.

I got calmer, focused on my breath, the heat, ion the sweat building up on my body, that boyish body that wasn't that far from my own.

Eventually I circled back to my original plan. I felt ready. So I got up, out of the empty room, heading to the others. The locker room, as far as I could tell through the frosted glass doors, still wasn't that busy. But when I peaked into the tjird room there was somebody lying on the upper of three levels.

When I entered, I saw an older, daddyish guy, relaxing with closed eyes. His moderately hairy body really was quite well in shape, his front leg up so I couldn't see his otherwise uncovered manhood.

After a moment of entrance I devicided to sit right infront of him. This moment was as good as any.

So I sat down, tried to collect myself, trying to remember the feeling I had back infront of the couch. I started breathing deeper, my hands on my thighs, closed my eyes and focused on my body, my breath, the heat, the drops of sweat running along my skin.

But as soon as I started to feel myself stronger, I felt motion behind me.

It was the guy, bringing himself in an upright position. I looked up, nodded. And he repliedcbefore he got up to leave.

Well, bad timing, I thought. So I stayed. If it was the fact that I sat directly infront of him in an empty sauna, it would help following anyway.

I stayed calm, injoyed the heat, waited for my turn. And after a while, the door opened again. A lanky dude entered, longish hair. Why not, I thought.

He positioned himself across the small room, put his towel on the middle level and layed down. An opportunity as good as any.

So I focused again. This time noticably quicker, looked up once to see the guy closing his eyes.

Warmth, sweat, breathing in and out, my pulsing heart, the lifting chest. And there it was, small bzt noticable, that soecial kind of warmth, of energy, growing, expanding. And I was taking my time, trying to contain the rush, even expanding tome, space for it to develop naturally. And it did! Grew into my head, spreading tongle all across my body, making me almost dizzy.

But as soon as I felt it almost ready, almost burting through my chest I teared my eyes open, my pulse raising, my breath getting heavy, my mind screaming for help!

This is too much! My body, that body, I had to get out! So I grabbed my towel, pushed me up from the seat and rushed to the door, peering to that guy.

It was so close! That energy felt so strong! And I stumbled out, across the room towards the lockers without thinking, opening the door, already feeling better out of the heat, still feeling that glow in my chest, and as my eyes caught the sight of someone standing infront of the lockers my hand dove into my chest to return in sight with that glowing orb, headlessly aimong for that person, hand forst until I lost my conciousness...

---

My head pulsed when I returned, feeling tense, sitting on a bench. I lifted my hand to my forehead. It felt different, that I noticed right away, just before I realised something sitting on top of it. I opemed my eyes to see girthy thighs. Definately not the ones from cute Neill.

I looked around. Where was he! Still dizzy it took a moment until I saw him right besides me on the floor.

"Oh shit" I worried before going down to him.

"Are you OK!?"

Images of my own body appeared immediately. Not again! I felt his head. No blood. Felt his chest. It seemed to move.

Every inch of me begged for him to be ok. This sweet, pleasant boy! Enough that I took advantage of him!

I got closer, resting on my knees, turning him onto my thighs, covering his intimates with the towel he was still holding on to.

"He, talk to me" I gently stated, noticing my new, deeper voice. What body had I ended up in? I couldn't really make it out as I was hardly able to find my way before. The thighs though looked pretty promising.

But enough of that, I commanded myself. That boy needed to be save! I really couldn't bare it if I had caused any harm on him.

"Neill!" I spoke again, hardly aware of the fact, that knowing his name could really cause irritation. But whatever! He probably wasn't aware of anything anyways.

Then... a twitch on his eyes. This time, I kept myself from saying hus name again.

"Where..."

"Are you ok?"

He opened his eyes.

"I guess so" he replied faintly. "Who... "

"You just bursted out from that door!" I stated truthfully. But keeping myself out of this instantly made me feel the guilt, that I had. But what was I supposed to do. It wouldn't help anybody in any way.

I tried to help him stand up as he merely managed to keep the towel in place.

"I guess I... was in the sauna" he tried to make sense of all. "Puh... it really must have gotten into my head"

"Seems like it" I confirmed, relieved, that it seemed to start coming together for him. Or at least I hoped. "Better sit down for now"

It really felt awful to see him like that and made me think of my neighbour, and the guy on the beach... how did all of that affect them?

I turned to the locker, trying to act normal. Was that guy arriving or leaving? I just now realized that I only wore a cap and some pretty short shorts. The look down also revealed what appeared to be a beast of a body.

I grabbed the phone I saw in the open locker. No lock. What a relieve.

"See u at 10" I noticed a message. Seems like he just arrived.

But I didn't feel like seeing anybody like that at all. Plus I really craved seeing what body I ended up in. So I looked for a mirror and headed towards it after a quick check on the other guy. He still sat on the bench behind me, looking pretty wrecked but quite ok other than that.

So I went for the mirror. And what a sight it granted. The guy I literally crashed into was a hell of a beast, forcing a big chuckle to raise on his angled jawline.

"Not bad at all!" I let his voice sound again, feeling his neatly trimmed beard, marveling at his hefty pumped arm while moving it.

I couldn't help but snap a pic with his phone when I noticed Neill trying to get up.

I rushed towards him "Easy man! Don't overdo it! You really seem pretty challenged"

"All good. I already feel better" he stated, keeping his hand on the forehand while still having trouble keeping himself umright.

"Maybe you should lay down" I suggested, already starting to get him towards the door to the sauna. He didn't fight it so I managed to get him to one of the loungers in the cool down area.

He seemed rather ok there, so I left, not without slight worries, but I convinced myself that he'd be fine...

Next part:

#body a day #prompt #male posession

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tvrningout · 4 months

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i grew up on disney | plots & dynamics ft. chiyoko

if you see something that you would like to write, please tap the heart and i'll approach you <3

main verses

gimme old classmates from school and college who see she's kinda the same but also very much not the same; gimme old friends who dropped her back when she was getting bullied in middle school and who feel bad about it now; gimme people who used to be really close to her before she transferred to a new school; gimme any and all dynamics with history <3

i was thinking that chiyo got her tattoos done by yoshi's older sister, but!! i wouldn't mind letting someone else take that role. it'd be a kinda neat dynamic bc she would need to build trust with this person to get some of the tattoos in more revealing areas, yet :' ) she probably hasn't revealed much of her life to them. i'd love that dynamic of being close yet distant and trying to bridge the gaps

as a mangaka, chiyo has an agent and employees at publishers she deals with often enough; she has fans who she might run into; she has people who might work with her to animate her manga; and she might work with others to bring their own stories to life! gimme work-related connections pls and thanks <3

since chiyo has history with kojirou, her ex, that impacted her greatly, i would love to kinda explore that with someone, be it in a romantic plot or between friends. chiyo encounters ko bc of her work ( he, too, is a mangaka ), and it's clear that there's something unresolved between them at least on her side. someone should force her to talk about it : )

using this post as a visual aid bc even though chiyo doesn't easily admit why she doesn't ask for help, this still captures the essence of what i mean when i say i want her to meet and be pushed by someone who notices a lot more than she'd like them to. i want them to notice her habits and call her out, be it in a bit of an admonishing tone or a comforting one. crack that shell wide open!!

big pain if anyone ever actually wrote this with me, but: your muse developing feelings for chiyo and working up to confessing to her, and she looks so sad. she stops them and her eyes are a lil shiny bc they're her best friend, she loves them, but she doesn't love them the way they want her to. and she's so scared of losing them -- they can see it, feel it when she grabs their hand. she's scared of ruining everything if they finish their confession bc it's happened before. she doesn't want to lose them bc her dumb heart can't return their feelings. maybe there's an ending where they get together, or maybe they work through the awkwardness and they're closer friends for it, but either way <3 pain <3

jjk

ngl, i might end up rewriting chiyo's jjk verse, but for now, i'd love to see her frustrated bc her sorcerer colleagues and friends are all risking their lives while she has to just let them. she can only watch from the sidelines and provide support when she's able to as a manager, and she hates it a little

she would have been in school around the time of all the mess with geto was going on, i think about a year or two behind them? so there's a chance for pre-established connections as same-year classmates and seniors and whatnot

gimme chiyo chastising the younger sorcerers for being reckless but also acting as an older sister figure who looks out for them pls and thanks <3

spiderverse

this scenario! bc oooh conflict : )

in general, be it with canon characters or oc's, i'd really love someone to get chiyo to talk about shiori. she meant a lot to her -- chiyo doesn't casually date, nor does she date anyone that she didn't first befriend over a long period of time. and the thing is!! chiyo never actually got to admit her feelings to shiori. so there's a lot of unresolved feelings concerning her, and i just want someone to get chiyo to talk about it.

shiori was her universe's gwen, so i do think it'd be interesting to see chiyo interact with any version of her. they're different people, but i think chiyo would be wary bc gwen dies in certain universes and!! she's not in a position to handle that emotionally rn

gimme all the mentorships pls and thanks <3 the more i write her in this universe, i do think she'd get along with just about anyone tbh -- she just might disagree with them on occasion, but that's normal and healthy and makes for some fun threads!

big bonus points if her mentor is friends with her mom, yuzusa! i want someone to help her with that awkward situation pls :' )

i love multiverse shenanigans, but i also love the idea of chiyo having regular friends/mentors/etc. who discover she's jorogumo! so gimme that too u3u

ALSO give me her universe's harry!! bc they're supposed to be great friends, but things are weird and strained after the whole green goblin thing!! that wasn't her harry, but chiyo knows it could be one day, and i so badly want to write how that friendship is affected by that knowledge. do they manage to break canon? do they not?? let's find out!!

dorverold

tbh i think chiyo would default to learning about herbs and how to utilize them for healing and poisons and whatnot bc her physical ability would be a fat 0, but that just means your muse could attempt to teach her how to fight and laugh when she falls on her butt :’ ) and maybe there’s a lil physical tension too bc sparring means getting close and sometimes pinning a person’s arm behind their back and taunting them : ) but yeah, if you laugh at her she’ll get mad and competitive and that’s always a fun dynamic! gimme sparring partners for her!

i'd also love someone to just straight up not trust her at all bc her background story is vague and convenient as is her connection with mal. i want someone to think she's a spy working for edmund or maybe an evil spirit trying to sabotage the free army. i want someone to confront her and chiyo goes " man do i wish i was a spy but actually the truth is so much more far-fetched "

lemme brainstorm a lil more for this one and i'll add more later <3

bg3

man if i don't want a mentor/mentee dynamic between chiyo and another druid. halsin naturally comes to mind bc chiyo comes from the same grove, but i'd be happy with any muse who fits into a mentor role <3

in general i pre-established connections, so anyone from the grove, her former village, or whatever other connection we think of would be cool!

chiyo struggles with her faith a lil bit in this verse -- she believes deities exists, but she struggles to believe that they really care about the mortals who worship them. she's respectful towards them and whatnot, but when she prays, it's like going through the motion rather than believing she's heard. i wanna explore this with a muse who is pretty devout, especially bc i'd eventually like to touch on the favor that eilistraee shows chiyo

chiyoko " i feel the weight of everyone depending on me " hisakawa vs muse who thinks she needs to stop worrying so much about others and think about her own self interest for a change

since she naturally ends up assuming the role of " tav " and thus the leader of sorts for the group, i'd love to explore the discomfort that actually brings. just because she can't stop herself from helping others in their time of need doesn't mean she's having a good time doing it asdf

#pls be proud that i managed to write so much oh my gosh #thankfully the spiderverse chunk i could copy and past but man the rest i had to think about #that's all i got for now though -- i gotta get ready to see my brother and his family later #and ofc if you have an idea of your own that you wanna toss at me pls feel free to like this post too!#this is just meant to be a starting point bc plotting can be hard especially with the way i can be uvu #i grew up on disney | wishlist

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cadyrocks · 3 months

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So I know that CAD is often and widely considered a punchline in the circles I run in. And not without reason - the early stuff is all pretty terrible for a variety of reasons, Loss is a tone shift so stark and out there that it can't help but be funny*. The jokes didn't work, attempts at being serious didn't work, and it rarely rose past the level of "mediocre Penny Arcade knockoff" (and, let's be honest, I don't exactly think very highly of Penny Arcade).

But for some reason, I never stopped following that RSS feed. And... uh... I regret to inform you that at some point in the intervening years, CAD got pretty damn good.

Some context: the most recent run of CAD focuses on our longstanding protagonists, Ethan and Lucas, in new personas as superheroes. Lucas can make DDR arrows appear, and Ethan can respawn after death. They're not exactly A-Grade, but for someone who's as much of a complete moron as Ethan is, being able to die without consequences is a pretty useful power to have. A power which "The Troll" (a minor villain who he previously dropped off a building, with some ambiguity as to how hard he tried to save him), appears to have taken away at the conclusion of a genuinely pretty solid arc about overcoming his ego. Or maybe not! It's unclear. But, y'know, you can't exactly test whether or not your power of respawning after death works, and if you've spent your whole life living without any kind of mortal peril... It'll fuck with you.

This arc, which, on the whole, works really well. The tonal shifts between comedic violence and earnest superhero drama feel natural and earned; Ethan is relatable enough that we can understand his pathos and feel what he's like even as he tries to raise money for a new graphics card by draining all the blood from his body, getting annoyed when the blood "despawns" on his death. Lucas similarly makes a sympathetic and effective supporting character.

The art isn't exactly gonna take the comics world by storm, but it's professional and has a consistent style without simply copy-pasting everything, a huge step up from the early stuff we all make fun of. If you told me this was a DC comic... well, it'd be a pretty big stylistic shift from the usual DC fare, but it'd probably wouldn't be the worst-drawn comic on the shelves. To be fair, he's been doing this for 20+ years, so you can expect some growth, but some people wouldn't necessarily expect much growth from Tim Buckley, so that's a pleasant surprise.

In addition to this, there's a few other projects under the larger CAD banner, and most of them work pretty well. The Starcaster Chronicles is a bit bogged down with melodrama but is generally an enjoyable sci-fi romp with some neat ideas and character turns (I really love the reason why Cort, our main character, turned into an outlaw). Console Wars, while a very dated concept, is still pretty funny when it shows up.

All in all, CAD has matured and grown with its author, and can comfortably take up the mantle of "a pretty solid webcomic", and that's probably worth mentioning every once in a while if we're going to keep making more and more obscure Loss memes.

*Although, worth noting, it was apparently based on real life experiences of the author he was processing, so while it's still really bad, it does feel a little mean to treat it like a huge memey joke. That ship has very much sailed, but, uh, I get why he banned HBomberguy from his forum. That was, I think we can say in hindsight, kind of a dick move on Harry's part.

#ctrl+alt+del #CAD

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basedkikuenjoyer · 4 months

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A Marvelously Wonderful Life

1102 was a very tough chapter to write about. I usually have a draft ready from the Raws, but here there were a few angles I had to look at it from. So y'all are getting a Christmas bonus. On the surface this is just a cool, cool chapter. We split between Kuma and Bonney's stories, showing the former's side of known events. It's so moving in it's own right, do remember part of why I choose to focus on the meta narrative aspects is because it's hitting very close to home. And y'all this one's a doozy. Bookends. So this flashback begins with Ginny saving the day at God Valley the way she did and now ends with Kuma setting a precedent for the exact narrative trope we're looking for? Showing hidden sides of known events.

That's it, that's like...the entire foundational building block of all this weird shit I've said. Kiku was perfectly set up to do this with all of Wano, but it'd really start looking like a new recruit narrative fast. It's not just saying that the same way anyone could do that, we've pointed out several specific places where you could guess something happened based on context clues. Miss Unassuming is kinda the #1 archetype to pair with a twist told that way. In essence, this flashback starts and ends by setting a precedent. That's one way you could look at it, given I can tie both to Victoria Cindry is blowing my mind.

You cheeky lil shit. Don't worry, I'm not getting ahead of myself. This could just be a last note of the flashback and next chapter we're back to fighting Saturn. Kuma pops in to save the day with a last ounce of humanity, the miracle we didn't see with Cindry. Tomorrow we'll talk big picture, why I still wonder if this is a red herring walking the same line as Yamato. But first we have to ask the basic question, where does 1103 go from here? Because it can do that...but did we see it? A repeat of how we came back from the big cutaway. When we skipped the night in the lab. Is this the start of us coming back to that? Don't forget that was a double-bluff too.

That is an intriguing possibility. Always cool when you see the concept you expected but in a different way that's instantly so much better. Yeah, that is the way to play with the flow of this narrative. Skip the night, get to the high drama, fill in the night, finish the fight. To me, if that's what we're doing then this is almost assuredly heading towards the "Double Rashomon" idea. There'll be one more segment away. Maybe it's the alternate take on Wano. Maybe that's through Sword and Drake's report. Maybe it's the two Stussys as a pretext to let Marco do it. Maybe it's something completely different with or without alt-Wano as the fourth, real one. Neat right?

Crackle. Oh man, story's picking up another frequency again. There's something I'm left with here. Kuma's a total patron saint of teddy bears and genuinely good dudes everywhere. He's so cuddly and sweet and I know some of y'all are gonna hate me for this but he's also kind of a trusting idiot. So it's interesting you have that "Bakura" split personality element seep in.

We've broached this subject before, it's where Okiku was an evolution of Himura Kenshin. Which is really just the difference between a man making big, grandiose axioms about nonviolence vs. a sensible, pragmatic woman who will bear the burden of doing what's necessary as a last resort. Remember how much Kuma's sacrifices troubled Ginny. A little more grit and realism from the very spiritual Kuma probably would have been better for everyone involved, but at least people end up remembering you as a figure like Oden.

Makes this little crackle very interesting. It theoretically works as a Chekov's Gun; a way for Kuma to have a happy ending if Vegapunk snuck it in anyways. Or it works as a roadmap for where Kuma, saintly as he may be, fell short and is part of something bigger. Recall, we do make a point of showing something similar out of Vivi losing her cool in a tense conversation with Cipher Pol. (Psst, and Stussy setting up still struggling with personal identity issues that are silly to worry too much about.)

#one piece #post wano musings #chapter 1102 #bartholomew kuma #jewelry heckin bonney

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b0nesy · 6 months

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CARMEN SANDIEGO WACA HCS

A lot of people don't know this about me as well, that I really like warrior cats! I've designed a few designs for everyone to gaze at because my favorite thing is designing. First up, WOEICS

WOEICS is very heavily headcanonned, as every design will be. This carmen as you can see is shown very elegantly and graceful with an intimidating looking design with the dark colors, mean stare and her big build. WOEICS carmen was inspired by a headcanon i saw by @carmbby , who had once commented in a thread we had made on her out of coat design. They had made this ADORABLE headcanon saying carmen would make herself look bigger to scare away predators, followed with a tiger emoji. Carmen is actually very scrawny under all her fur, but tries her best to keep her fur puffed out to look big and scary like a tiger, while also resembling one. Carmen is most likely a rogue in this one or maybe a made up clan thats like "VILECLAN" or something since i dont think carmen is that edgy or creative.

WORD/MATH DETECTIVE

This design was just a kinda whatever goes goes. I really like the idea of the lines being stripes, kinda like how you see in garfield, it kinda represents the detective design's linear style, as you can see in the ear, which i might make a reoccuring thing. The detective design I was kinda clueless on. I did like the idea i was going for, a smug looking attitude while remaining a silly look and design, differing from WOEICS. I like to think shes more bubbly and friendly than WOEICS because she has less trauma and is just there to spite you. I like to think she's a rogue that likes to seek havoc on putting clans on edge. I made her chubbier in a sense that maybe she steals a little too much prey. TREASURES OF KNOWLEDGE CARMEN SANDIEGO

Holy moly as im writing this im getting so tired, BUT I LOVE DESIGNING THESE GUYS. Yet again, Treasures of knowledge has been kinda winged with some simpe ideas to base it off of. First thought was the yellow that splotches everywhere. I like to think TOK carmen is very confident and out there, and that this yellow represents her in the spot light, since its a very light color. I made her a ginger tabby because i think shes a little stupid but i still love her. The white splotches was just a neat addition, i think the splotches make her unique to everyone else, like how she's so vibrantly red that shes often called "lady in red" TOK would be a rogue disguised as a clan member. She's got allegiances in every clan under different warrior names, she comes and goes as she pleases and and easily one of the most popular at gatherings, if she ever shows up. I like to think TOK likes to cause mischief within her clans, bouncing around between clans to leave a few scents here and there, a few muddy paw prints in windclan territory where there is no water, or a shadowclan prey within thunderclan. NETFLIX CARMEN. (final one!)

I had a lot of thoughts when creating this one. I'm not a big fan of the reboot. I just never could put myself into liking it. Despite that, I'd like to say she's still being added to this list. She's an important piece of media to the carmen franchise, and i think it'd be unfair if I didn't. My design wasn't lazy when i came up with the idea to make Netflix and WOEICS the same. I had the idea that the netflix is still an apprentice to this very much older and wiser carmen of WOEICS. Netflix still learning and growing. I also think the WOEICS would be her mother in a sense, not only because of the design, but the way NETFLIX pushes itself off of WOEICS as a basis for her lore and characterization. I like to think Netflix is a lot more kinder and energetic than the most of them, the youngest of the bunch too. She's an apprentice to probably one of the clans, or many. I like to think all the older carmens are her mentors, and teach her all about the different values of life they have. I like to think she takes off of WOEICS a lot and finds herself to look all big and scary just like her mother, not understanding this is her defense mechanism.

the little baby and her mama :3

#carmen sandiego #where in the world is carmen sandiego #where on earth is carmen sandiego #woeics #netflix carmen sandiego #word detective #warrior cats #waca #warriors designs

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everglow-synth · 1 day

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@mortau asked way too many questions 6, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22

Damn, dude. Alright, let's do this.

Other characters/muns you’re interested in roleplaying with?

Frankly, if I had to pick one group of characters, it'd be Yakuza. I want to get more use out of my Yakuza muses over on my multimuse. That being said, as far as characters and muns go, I'm usually pretty open and I really enjoy OCs.

Would you get along with your muse?

I'd like to believe so. I won't go as far as to say that Matthew is a self-insert(I mean for starters, he's Brazilian-American, I'm white as shit), but I do have a lot of similar interests to him. Now whether that was intentional or just a side effect of him being my muse is up in the air, but I have a feeling he and I would be pretty chill.

What’s your opinion on blog themes? How do you feel about your own?

I feel like blog themes can be neat, but I think they're a pain in the ass to deal with. I'm kinda neutral on the ones I'm using right now, and I think the coolest one I have right now is over on the reboot blog, @everglow-synth-reboot, but even then because of the HTML lock shit that tumblr implemented, I've just moved onto using a Carrd anyway. It's gotten to the point where my newest sideblog, @golden-lynel, doesn't even have a theme, and is dash only.

What’s something that would make you unfollow a mutual?

Truth be told, there aren't a whole lot of things? I tend to be fairly chill, and I also more or less vet my potential mutuals? But as a hypothetical thing it'd probably be just outright harassment as a big thing. There's a whole slew of others I could think of, ranging from stuff like actual predatory behavior to just being a petty piece of shit, but I don't think I've really run into that problem overall.

Three big no-nos to do or say to your muse. (their ‘berserk button’)

Hurting his friends is a huge thing. Hurting anyone definitely due to his heroic nature, but those closer to him are much more precious.

Threatening the Lounge itself. This is his baby, he put in a lot of work to make the place a comfy spot for people, and he's not going to let it go down without a fight.

To a lesser extent, "You won't; no balls." Because then he'll do it, and when he succeeds, he's going to be super annoying about it.

Three interesting little tidbits or facts of your muse.

Matthew, and Polycus as a whole, was made based off of a Dungeons & Dragons 5e supplement known as Lasers & Liches. It's very fun, I highly recommend it if you play 5e. It turns the whole game into a silly Saturday Morning Cartoon, complete with new classes based on stuff like Sailor Moon and Kamen Rider. This is why magic is a huge part of the world, as well as stuff like dwarves, elves and orcs being present in Neo Arcadia.

He once swallowed a quarter on a dare. It took three minutes of him choking, drinking water, and nearly throwing up to get it down. He doesn't know what happened to it. He is still scared to this day.

Despite living there most of his life, Matthew still gets lost in Neo Arcadia sometimes. It gets so bad that he literally needs to climb up the highest building he can find just to get his bearings, usually meaning following billboards and business signs to get around.

#;distant beats (ooc)#mortau

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mythandral · 11 months

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If they were to vacation, where would they choose and why? Can they truly relax during a vacation or is it a struggle to do so at all?

(I have an agenda)

also asked by @sundered-souls, thank you!

Oo hmm, let's think. Climate wise, for an ideal spot, it'd be somewhere on the cooler side that isn't super sunny. I think he prefers somewhere built up to open space, or alternatively underground - he's most at home and most comfortable in twisty caves, but tall buildings and windy site streets can also do the trick! And the people are a plus - remnants of Kyth means he enjoys finding out about the people of a place a lot.

He's not allowed to chose Ishgard because he basically lives there. Sharalyan seems like the next best bet of the places we've seen, or a city in Hingashi at a cooler time of year.

(Or, very specifically if it's with Joda - he would actually love to explore the Garlean subway system. It's cool and dark and subterranean and has neat engineering stuff in it. Weird vacation spot, but each to their own.)

Whether or not he can relax depends a lot on what else is going on, if there's important stuff he's not arround for that he feels like he's supposed to be doing he'll struggle with it. Enjoyment can still be acheived - he just needs to be kept busy doing stuff. You would really have to try to relax him, but it's not impossible.

It's 100x easier if it's in a quiet period and he can take a breather. He'd be far more willing just to wander or take in the sights without a need to be active. And he'd probably sleep a lot.

#ask meme

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jorrmungandr · 4 months

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(○｀ 3′○)

Uff-da fee-ta, I am exhausted.

Took a trip into Tacoma today to look at some apartments. I've been slowly winnowing down the places I'm interested in online, it's been tough, there are just so many available. And all pretty affordable, too.

Took the train in, that was fun. That'd be my new commute, streetcar to train, but I'd only do it like 2-3 times a week. I don't really need to be in the office as much as I am, I really only do it because it's so close so close that there's no reason not to.

First place I went was The Ruby, which is up in a quieter neighborhood right near a park, and a really nice grocery store. This is a brand new building, just opened last summer, and it's nice but a bit... small. Every place I looked at felt a bit claustrophobic. They're clearly trying to cram as many apartments in here as possible. But also it just feels kinda... shabby, somehow. Really nice views... from one side of the building, the other just looks over an alleyway (and the park).

The guy showing me around was nice, though. I dunno, it'd be the easiest choice. Very similar to where I am now, basically every floorplan is available, it'd be a painless process.

Went and got lunch at a place called the Art House Cafe, which is more of a sit-down-restaurant kind of cafe than the coffee shop I was hoping for. You just can't tell from google maps, sometimes. It was fine though, I got an eggnog latte and a tasty scramble.

Then I had some time to kill, and desperately needed to charge my phone. Went downtown, and found a little place to do so. There's like a weird open public common space in an old court building. A lot of Tacoma has this "preserved history" feel to it, honestly. I kinda like it.

Second place was The Astor, right in downtown Tacoma. Literally like across the street from a bunch of government offices. It's an old bank building, a skyscraper built in the '20s, just recently repurposed into apartments. They still have the vault in the basement, it's like a lounge now. Neat, but... a bit spooky.

The apartments were nice, but the one I was most interested in was taken literally hours earlier, someone else had a tour and applied on the spot that morning. I looked at another one-bedroom and a studio, which were nice but not the same.

The studio is probably what I'd go for... but it is a bit small, smaller than my current place. But I dunno, it would be nice and cozy, I could really fill the space.

I'm particularly tempted by this one because they're trying to fill it up, so they're doing a deal where you get two whole months of free rent if you move in in the next two weeks. My current lease isn't up until the end of February, but heck, I could just pay it and move, since I'd be living rent-free at the new place.

Went and got some of those Good Bagels at the Thriftway, then took the train back home. Much to think about. I'm definitely gonna sleep on it, at least. Maybe the floorplan I like would be available again in a couple months....

#pext toast #mundaneposting #apartment hunting #Tacoma

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banana-milk-enthusiast · 7 months

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beat Forspoken, and while I probably will write an in-depth review down the line cuz i have many thoughts, I'm just going to pointform my basic thoughts while it's still fresh.

PROS

Great designs all around, the Tantas look so breathtaking with their extravagant designs and yet it doesn't take away from their world, it fits just right in. Absolutely love it.

Good world building most questions i had were answered either through the main story or extra archive stuff. Nothing felt too weird yknow

Gameplay gameplay gameplay. The magic system is literally amazing. I dont think I've had this much fun fighting in an rpg in a long time. Theres so much fun variety so you can focus on whats comfortable for you while also looking sick as fuck. Have i mentioned how good the battle system is cuz i avoid playing mage in every game because its such a slog but here its so fast paced and hits hard. Perfect for me.

The music is soooo good, I love the main theme and find myself humming it literally all the time.

Great graphics but maybe a lil too many particle effects but otherwise really pretty.

The story is technically a pro. Like its good, not bad, not great, just good. Basically something you'd find in the YA Fantasy section, thats the kinda quality it was. Which isn't a insult I did enjoy the story and characters. It just needed polish, fix up the dialogue and trim some of the story fat and i wouldn't have any complaints tbh. Probably would do better as a book series tho ngl, not sure what game format would have saved it.

Shoutout to the accessibility options. I'm glad more games are including these. I'll never understand complaints about them though, like just dont use them if you dont want/need to thats it.

ALMOST FORGOT THE COOLEST THING. THE NAILS. I'm sorry but the idea of using nail art to inscribe magic runes to give you buffs is the coolest fucking idea ever, why has this concept not been used till now. We always see rune tatoos or written on gear and stuff im fantasy media but this is such a neat ideaaaa and im forever thankful for it. Her capes are cool too I guess, with there was more variety rather than recolors tho. Kinda wish we could also get different outfits for her tho. Those jeans probably chafe.

CONS

THE OPEN WORLD IS SO BIG FOR NO GODDAMN REASON. I honestly wish this wasn't an open world game tbh, its so unnecessary. Halfway through the game, i got so frustrated and ignored everything that wasn't story points cuz getting everywhere takes so damn long, especially early on when you dont have fancy parkour or stamina. Easily its biggest fault for me.

I understand they thought it'd do way better than what happened but planning out a story as a trilogy in the gaming industry is not a smart move. I've yet to play the dlc so idk if we get closure but the loose ends werent a great way for the game to end.

Oh, the dialogue. Its easily one of the gamest weakest points. Like the type of dialogue i was writing in my original stories when i was 13 (not that ive gotten any better tbh). Basically, it's not what you expect from such a vaunted company. Frey is great when shes excited or angry, which is most of the time, but occasionally, they'll hit me with the cheesiest line I've heard in years, and idk how to handle it. Like the stuff she says in the final chapter is honestly so robotic, there is no natural flow present. Which is a pity cuz the actress was killing it tbh, like she definitely carried the lines with her emotion. Unfortunately, it couldn't save them. Like if it was something they dropped on ps3 or wii, it honestly would have done fine. What i mean to say is the dialogue is very outdated in this age of gaming. im actually surprised how out of touch it feels. Especially since otherwise its a solid game all around. Regarding Cuff and Frey banter you do have the option to make it less frequent or just turn it off but i never really found them annoying regardless.

Maybe its just me but the control scheme feels so weird, the games makes you feel like you should be gliding most of the time but holding O while spaming all those trigger buttons feels so awkward to me. But then again I also didnt care enough to change the control scheme so.

#migght come back and edit this as i think of stuff #can genuinely say i like the game though absolutely worth the 30 dollars i got it on sale for any more is a robbery #will probably come back to this when i finish the dlc to see if my mind changed on anything #forspoken #forspoken spoilers #long post #cannot post break on mobile so sorry to ya'll timeline

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magnuficent76 · 8 months

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Pokémon the Caedes would have and why because Bored in Class

MARY [their mom] (Not really a trainer, just thinks Pokémon are Neat)

- Audino [It's a very sweet looking Pokémon and its also often associate with medicine, something she wanted to pursue before she decided to settle down with Lucio. She'd call it Vanilla or something and it'd be her 4th spoiled baby (see 3rd spoiled baby below).

- Larvitar [It eats dirt and Mary is a farmer, so opening up the extra space is a big help for her ! She treats it like a little guy and loves carrying it around despite the fact it weighs her own bodyweight.]

LUCIO [their dad] (Rock type)

- His team is entirely utilitarian, since Lucio constantly is travelling and battling and whatnot, but he does have some affection for the little guys. Like everything else in this man's life however, he is very very bad at showing love and often comes across as cold because of it.

- Rhyhorn [It's big, its sturdy and, much like Lucio himself, its very grumpy and old. Probably his starter to be honest.]

- Onix [No funny business type of guy. I just think it fits with his permanent scowl and ever so disturbing stare.]

- Graveler [see above]

- Aggron [All work no play Pokémon. Probably main damage source in the team]

ARCHER (Psychic type)

- Ralts [Eventually grows into Gallade, but his dad only got him one because Archer had a bowl cut and thought it was funny. Also just kind of a good starter in general. Helped Archer through a lot of weird times in his life :]]

- Rotom [Mostly a convenience thing but also connects to another character in his story. It plays inconvenient sound effects. Constantly]

- Magnemite -> Magneton [Was bonded to his brother's Beldum, and wouldn't let go even if you threw it far away. Eventually got really attached and just never let go. Kind of an exception in his team since he doesn't really battle with it.]

- Espeon [Evolved from an eevee he stole rescued from some bandits. Acts as his third eye and partner in crime, and is the only thing that Archer considers to be as smart if not more smart than himself. Loves this thang to death, would absolutely kill for it. And he has.]

JONAH (Steel/Electric type)

- Lilipup -> Stoutland [Not really for battle, this is more of a service dog. Has been with Jonah since forever, and he loves it to death.]

- Mareep -> Flaaffy [Silly wee lad, technically his starter since it was given to him by his mom...until]

- Beldum -> Metagross [Listen man if you show this guy a cool ass robot you BET YOUR ASS he's gonna use it as his main Pokémon. Bonded to his brother's magnemite, and a real powerhouse of a creature. It can probably level a building if it wanted to but its still very gentle, which is probably why Jonah loves it so much.]

V V V Turns into V V V

M3PH1ST0 (Steel/Electric still, but more aggressive)

- Ampharos [After everything that goes down in act 5, Ampharos evolves after a really tough battle, and now it is choosing violence. No more mr nice floof.]

- Metagross [Still the same guy, but now it is FIERCELY protective of Mephisto and refuses to leave its side or go into a poké ball. Everyone in Mephisto's team got traumatized along with them <3]

- Magnezone [Stole its brother's magnemite after their last battle, and brought it to its full potential... totally not because the Metagross would've cried if its buddy wasn't coming along for the ride.]

- Rotom [Stole this mf too <3 no leaving anybody behind ever again]

- Flygon [Not really theirs, just holding onto it until... a certain someone comes back for it. Still very nice to it because its a big ol' lil guy.]

#magocs #my oc stuff #original character #my writing #pokemon team #pokemon #ocs #my ocs #random stuff #silly tag #caede tales #fan characters #oc: mary #oc: lucio #oc: archer #oc: jonah #oc: mephisto #i was bored tag #the pokemon teams saga

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doubleddenden · 2 months

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I had a rather interesting thought- and this is by no means me saying I want this for Pokemon day.

Re that idea that's been circulating around for a gen 2 and 5 mashup- what if it isn't quite that?

If you look at the paradox pokemon from SV, a bunch are gen 2 and 5 Pokémon, or Pokémon that can be found there (Magneton in Johto for instance). In fact, in addition to the swords and beasts, there's Donphan and Volcarona, which are gen 2 and gen 5, and both have 2 forms.

If this hypothetical gen 2x5 game were to happen, maybe it wouldn't so outlandish if the legends AND starters were paradoxes themselves. Perhaps the starters being the first evolving paradoxes, or the first non evolving new starters.

And possibly as a Legends PALDEA game instead of Kyurem or Celebi.

Just hear this completely hypothetical idea out:

Legends Scarlet- box legendary is either a Paradox fusion of Reshiram and Ho-Oh akin to Iron Valiant but ungabunga, or possibly the "imagined" beast fusion we technically never got. Starters are more primal versions of the Johto Trio that either evolve or have a Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee effect of being single stage but just getting stronger.

Legends Violet- flipped. Zekrom and Lugia as a possible robot fusion, or the "imagined" robot swords of justice fusion. Starters are robo versions of the Unova Trio, see above.

I highly doubt it'll happen, but I won't take it off the table entirely for the following reasons:

1. SV's story and lore have too many holes that still need filling for a satisfying conclusion (and I am aware most likely GF think what they have is satisfactory, they're wrong but I digress)

2. There's entire history lessons for Paldea that builds up a shit ton of lore that the game doesn't really do much with.

3. We all know Game Freak needs way more time, and what better time saver than to just re use assets from SV, edit a bit, remove cities in favor of villages and castles or something, and then building from there?

I don't think it'd be a new DLC, as SV the base game just seems... unfixable. Not to mention they're greedy, so a full game would probably make more sense in that regard.

I still think instead we'll get ILCA Unova (gross but most likely), then Legends Unova next, then a Johto revisit on the next console to sell it. However comma I think it'd be a neat thought exercise and a wild left field prediction for something totally weird with a zero chance of happening to occur.

#pokemon

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risu5waffles · 7 months

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Hark! The Rains SofTEN, or something.

One of these days i'm going to have to bite the bullet and stop trying to work TEN into my titles. But not today.

youtube

These levels took me _all_ the way back, no lie. The cream of the (at least English speaking-side) LBP crop putting together a set of levels to teach folx how to get logic to work in LBP1, back when everything had to be done wiv physical objects. A lot of these techniques still work fine, even if they can be a little fiddly to set up, and have been completely obviated by the addition of microchips and logic gates in 2. i think the only one i couldn't get working was the non-dissolve permanent switch from the Advanced Pack. i built it just like the object from the copyable level, same tweaks, but it just wasn't staying on. Everything else tho', it all works just like it says on the tin. i played a lot of these tutorial how to logic/build a level levels, and the way they made this one into an actual environment, wiv nods at a story, really made it stand out. Most times it'd be an empty create mode environment; which, to its credit, that style _did_ allow for more to be put in a level. There were some Jside levels i've played that did, at least, make a level-level to play as you learn. i wonder what happened to all the tutorial levels. i mean, you still see a few in the wild, and they were never the most heavily represented level-type, but even still, it feels like i barely run into them any more. To come back to these levels, and there's a break in the Intermediate Pack, so you can't see how they carry the framing device from it to the Advanced, and that just gets my goat. i wanna know why we've gone from this nice office/factory in the woods to getting airlifted into what looks like a warzone.

youtube

Ratalsoni1 has been a really nice creator to stumble across this late in the game's life cycle. We looked at Climbing the Mountain a couple(?) weeks back on LittleBite-sizedPlanet, and that was a real winner. This as a follow up is, like, yeah, this kid's not just a flash in the pan. Using the hairdrier is a bit fiddlier, and it does make the first run through a bit to get used to; but i found when i gave it a few plays to really get familiar wiv it that it really is an enjoyable level. And dang, but does it look nice. The environment, in general, is spot on, but there's also a really solid set of material choices here, and the use of layers really gives things a sense of depth. The whole thing manages to avoid that sense of emptiness in LBP3 levels that we talked about in the last TEN spot. The only fly in the ointment is dealing wiv those springbolts. It's more an on me thing, but i have _never_ not struggled at least a little navigating them, and adding the hairdrier to the mix... the first time through was _just a bit_ of a pain in the arse.

youtube

Why is Hillary Clinton in this level, tho'? Like, when the aliens are all "let's distract them wiv an attractive human female" and they put a picture of Hillary Clinton on the screen, and it's just... i mean, i get the dig, only weirdo aliens would find her attractive kind of thing, but... it's such an odd little joke to find at random in an LBP level. i should look up where she was in the public consciousness in 2009. Otherwise, this is a really neat level. Setting it up as a simple "shoot down these waves of enemies" style level, and then elaborating it out into an escape the base type of deal where the level would typically end was super cool. It's chonky (a little bit to its detriment, really. i was pretty ready for it to be over by the time it was over), and there's a pretty solid set of things to do along the way. You can see some of the LBP2 specifics added in the repub, but most of this was just straight-forward LBP1 building, and this one really shows just how big some of those levels could get.

youtube

i want to go back and thank past me for hearting Sci-Fi World 2 back in the day, 'cause i probably never would have run into it again otherwise. Also i want to tell her things will be ok, 'cause she was dealing wiv a lot. i love how you can see the progress in level design and presentation over the course of these levels. Like, just in presentation, you've got an environment in 4 that is much more of itself than the one we see in 1. i do have to say i cottoned to the setting in 1 a little more, but that's very much a me thing. The downside of that progress is the techniques mdaj learns and employs are very much dependent on the fiddly physics of LBP1, and, well, that just leaves 4 broken. 3 isn't even up on their planet anymore, so i have to imagine something went sideways wiv it after an update, and it just never got repaired/repubbed. Shame that. Still, what we have left is an absolute hoot.

youtube

Another mdaj jam here, and unfortunately another that's not been well served by changes to LBP's engine. The lighting is just **so** bright in some places, like glaringly so. Also the bit at the end that's just broke so you can't progress. Hate that. Watching the video and i was, like, bitch you can just drop down and forward a layer and get out that way. i felt like such a goober, i went and played it again, and thankfully, no, you can't actually get out that way, it just looks like you can. Even wiv the level being broken, it's still worth a quick play just to see mdaj's sculpting and presentation skills. Those dragon-y dinosaur-y things are super cool looking.

----------------------------------------------------

Dang, that is just a really solid set of levels there. Not a one of them is crummy. Spoilers: this trend will not, unfortunately, continue.

i'm feeling really torn over all this bullshite going on wiv YouTube recently. Like, if it works out that adblocker is rendered non-functional, i _can_ just stop watching videos. i'll be pissed that i can't directly support other archivists like @soupum and Myravrax, but aside from the LBP side of things, and @alicerulerofwater 's Gemini podcast, YouTube videos haven't been more than bgm for me for awhile now. But, like, how i can continue to put up my own videos on a site that i'm not willing to watch? That feels sketchy as heck. i honestly don't know, what things are going to look like going forward, and this puts a lot more on my mental plate than i really needed at the moment. i guess all i can do is keep an eye on the situation, and hope that uOrigins can manage to get things to a point where i don't need to be changing my filters and fucking around wiv things every twelve hours. What a fucking mess this whole thing is.

#littlebigplanet #little big planet #lbp #lbp1 #lbp2 #lbp3 #LittleBite-sizedArchive #LBsA #fuck YouTube #Youtube

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grellestie · 1 year

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ive been playing a shit ton of darkest dungeon lately and here's my opinion on which black butler characters would be which class!!

darkest dungeon is really cool btw!! it kind of has the same elements of black butler (fucked up protag, supernatural creatures, mental health being explored in a neat way, and the running theme of everyone being the absolute worst besides like two or three people!). i really recommend it if you love sadistic video games with eldritch horrors!!

under da tag bc i dont shut up

ciel: ngl. he's the one that gets fucked over by the ancestor and has to build teams to kill eldritch horrors. which is what i thought at first

but...

after thinking, he should be houndmaster and instead of a dog, it's just sebastian, pouting. /j

sebastian: BUT SERIOUSLY- for sebby, i'd like to think maaaybe occultist? there really isn't any classes close to a demon so someone who can summon eldritch horrors to fight other eldritch horrors seems like it'd make sense.

mey rin: musketeer. obvi. she go pew pew!! and also has the WORST ACCURACY IN THE WORLD- (this is personal salt, let me live. been so close to having party wipes)

bard: honestly. highwayman. he has one(1) attack that could count as an explosive. also they kinda have the same haircut!! i think it fits also theres no real explosives in the base game sadly. UNLESS you wanna talk enemies- then there's brigand vvulf who blows things the fuck up because he can! i think that fits him too! kind of!! since brigand is kind of a massive asshole.

finny: OH GOD,,, i had a toughie with this one buuuut- im probably going to go with bounty hunter or leper because of finny's SHEER strength. he's just busted man and you can beat the entire game with leper sooooo yeah! the mean part of me wanted to say abomination but again, thats mean but it's extremely wild to me that they pretty much have the same Tragic Backstory of experimented on for the lols and now just have to deal with it. at least finny got the better end of the stick! poor abomination...

now the reapers! (in order of appearance)

grelle: hellion! she is the biggest girlboss in the game so ofc she'd fit grelle, come on now. the hellion class is extremely broken powerful and puts out an insane amount of damage! a part of me wants to argue grave robber but it doesn't have a lot of flashy and powerful moves- this is mainly considering grelle is the 3rd strongest character in the series iirc.

william: OH ANOTHER HARD ONE- but i think he'd fit being a shieldbreaker! it's a bit of a stretch but hear me out- it's mainly the weapon and it's capabilities that would make william fit the class the most!! also her defensive end seeing as william being pretty good at Not Getting His Shit Wrecked or at least as badly (book of circus is def something i needa rewatch)

undertaker: oh this bitch. i'm probably going to go with the prophet boss! the prophet defied the ancestor by speaking facts and wouldn't die no matter what the ancestor did, kind of like how taker is with the dispatch. also the fact they're both blind but hit like a fucking truck fits!!

ronald: my BOY! now HE'D be grave robber!! he's not really too strong and kinda squishy but can still be formidable if not taken seriously. also the mental image of him hitting an undead with a pickaxe to the face is funny to me-

eric: either highwayman or man-at-arms! both classes are good at taking out a lot of enemies at once and eric is pretty good at killing people <3

alan: OUGH another hard one- i think character wise (more than attack wise), he'd def fit the leper. the leper goes through it and so does alan yet they still kick ass and get the job done!

othello: this dummy! i think antiquarian would fit! antiquarians are support heroes 100% and then they hit like a truck...! a toy truck...! a toy truck that's a stuffie...! unless you get a hit off with "nervous stab" but it's not really all that worth it. OH and the move "protect me" that's pretty much the same as othello using grelle as a meat shield fits.

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crapmagak · 1 year

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Engage Drip Marketing: Boucheron

Boucheron is French for lumberjack.

Welp, it seems at long last we have ax guy. He’s been around since the first trailer, nameless, and at one point faceless. And yet here he final is. Despite how small his head is compared to his body (Maybe the proportions will look better in casual wear), I actually dig his outfit. Has a unique feel compared to the usual fighter look.

Now, lets get to the tweets…

Boucheron is a knight of the Kingdom of Firene. He is a polite and kind young man. He's naturally well-built, and is understanding too.

Cutscene tweet…

A conversation between Boucheron and Alear. It seems he likes fishing in nature.

Boucheron: "Do you do anything to relieve stress, Divine Dragon?"

Alear: "I haven't even thought about it. Are there things you do to relax, Boucheron?"

Boucheron: "Yes, a few. Like going to the mountains, quietly fishing at a river..."

Alear: "Oh! That seems fun! I want to try it too!"

Boucheron: "Then, would you like to come try with me? It'd be useful if you found something you like."

So, seems like your typical gentle giant type character. I’m rather fond of the archetype, so hopefully he has some good support. His natural build seems like an obvious point of tension between him and Etie. Speaking of which, it seems like the two aren’t siblings after all, despite their similar hair and eye colors. Oh well. He and Etie also don’t seem to be Alfred's retainers, which is more egg on my face.

Seeing so much diversity in the male characters' face shapes is still disappointing. Still, it led to someone on reddit saying the game had “Diary of a Wimpy Kid syndrome” which made me burst out laughing.

Next is the crit clip, which has some neat details to dig into.

Boucheron's starting class is Axe Fighter. An axe-wielding warrior that's confident in their strength. While they may be strong, their Defense is weak.

Ultimately, the clip doesn’t show too much we haven’t seen, but there are two things it’s got me thinking about.

First, Boucheron’s full class is Ax Fighter/ Back Up. If you remember the first trailer, one of the enemies Alear targets is titled Lance Fighter/ Back Up. However, Boucheron doesn’t have a monster icon on his class title, meaning it’s probably exclusive to corrupted. With this in mind, I’m fully convinced that the second section of classes don’t really show movement types, but class families of some sort.

So, we have…

Dragon: I don’t think this will detail wyvern riders, but more likely Alear’s personal class, and maybe manaketes as well.

Cavalry: Pretty self explanatory, housing cavaliers of each weapon type, and then paladins. I’m curious if classes like great knights, dark knights, and bow knights/rangers will be a part of this family as well, instead of things like heavy armor and mystic.

Mystic: Seems to be our mages and dark mages. I wouldn’t be surprised if more tradition clerics/ priests wound up here. Then we get stuff like sages, sorceress, and bishops.

Qigong: We have monks, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw brawlers as well. Seems the most likely place to see more original and new classes.

Heavy Armor: Where we get our armor knights and generals. Not having gimped movement seems like a huge boon. I wonder if magic armor units like Geneology Barons will return.

Flying: Where we get our pegasus knights. I also think wyvern riders will be a tier 2 class in this game for this family, partly because we have not seen any yet in these early maps. I’m also curious if we’ll see other unique mounts like griffons or kinshi.

Spy: Seems like where we’ll get archers, thieves, and the like. Promotions will probably be stuff like assassins and snipers. Perhaps the bandit units (noticeably hold their axes differently than fighters) will be here instead of back up.

Back up: Seems like it’s for fighters of varying weapon types, basic infantry.

If classes get put into these families, then I’m pretty confident we’ll be getting branching class trees in some form. For instance, an ax fighter like Boucheron may be able to promote into a warrior, or a hero. Does make me curious about units that sort of mix types, though, like great knights and dark fliers. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Either way, I really hope a famitsu article or something gives us a look as a class tree or something, cause they’re one of my favorite parts of Fire Emblem.

The other thing on my mind is the five Fieren chapters we’ve been circling around for a while. We have a windmill village, a fort/ castle, a village with monks to save, a destroyed village at night, and then ruins full of bandits. Pretty decent amount of chapters for our time in a country, especially considering Fire Emblem Pacing. I am curious, though, if the ruins will really be the final chapter of the Firene arc. Nothing about it really screams climax of a story arc, so I wonder if they’re intentionally hiding that chapter for spoiler reasons.

Now, with the Firene squad finally introduced, this does lead to some questions. Will they be revealing other Firene characters that haven’t been seen in the trailers yet? Will they be moving on to the Autumn kingdom. Will we be getting to see Lief next? It’s been two months since the reveal trailer, and we’re two months before the game is released. As such, will we be getting a trailer soon?

My best guess is… we’ll find out next week. With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet coming out this Friday, I doubt Nintendo wants to make one of its other big rpg series compete for attention. I feel like we’ll get a good look at either Lief or Prince Alcryst next week, somewhere between monday and wednesday. And in the next couple weeks we’ll probably get a second trailer, maybe even get one at the game awards.

#fire emblem #fire emblem engage #Boucheron #Are we finally moving on from Firene?

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countthelions · 2 years

Text

Dear Operator, what’s in a name?

a continuation of [this piece], taking place near the beginning of the timeline after Gaster makes the impulsive decision to take home the elemental he accidentally created. Dedicated to @/plantpretender for their support when I was feeling very low about this AU. I don’t know what else will be created for it, but like our two here, it’s worth sharing for the joy of it existing.

Gaster tends to call the operator in his apartment stairwell, ‘cause he’s got six flights to trek up and he gets tired lugging all his books and equipment and whatever else he tries to bring up from the labs up all those steps. His magic could be used to help carry things, but it’s honestly not the strongest and he’d rather save it for delicate lab work instead.��

So he usually takes a break on the third level 'cause no one lives in the rooms right by the stairs on his side of the building (he doesn't know why, but it's why rent is cheap despite being in walking distance of the subway, so he'll take whatever he can) and it gets surprisingly good cell service. Usually. There was one time it was just garbage noise until he switched to the other side of the space then it cleared up just fine. But during this pause, he asks about Names.

He’d been talking but not-really-talking to Alphys about the elemental - not-really-talking because he doesn’t want her to get in trouble either, but still desperately needing someone to hear what’s going on - and about her class because her undergrads were a really neat bunch this quarter. As always, she was very worried about their needs and making sure they understood what she was teaching them, and when one came in with an interpreter, she knew she needed to brush up on her signing with Gaster. Since y’know, skeleton talk is his first language and monster-speak is his second and sign was the bridge between them.

That then sorta rolled into the idea of Names, because of name signs and Gaster kinda stops and is like, well. shit. The elemental needs a name. I can't just keep waving to get his attention. He seems used to that sort of greeting already for reasons Gaster doesn't want to think about. It feels... wrong, and so Gaster calls the Commission line, and doesn't try to think too hard about Papyrus yet again being the one who picks up.

"Welcome to the Monster Commission Helpline, Papyrus speaking, how may we help you on this fantastic day?"

"Hi Papyrus." It might be karma or something that it's Papyrus every time actually. Gaster's trying to hide this monster who isn't supposed to exist outside of war efforts and something wants him to get caught. Not Papyrus at least. He hopes. For as rule following as the other monster is - he does work for the Commission after all, it’s probably some sort of requirement - he's never actually asked for any more information, just excited to share his knowledge.

"Mr. Elemental Research!" Well... Maybe..... Gaster tries to not fidget in concern, or look around like someone suddenly started monitoring them.

"That's me aheh..." He rubs his free hand on one pant leg, trying to get out the jitters. These calls were worth it, he reminded himself, it was worth learning more about this elemental and about what he needed and - "I bet you can tell why I'm calling?"

"Absolutely, I've got the book out again and everything." There was a shuffle, like some sort of elemental tome had been pulled from the shelves. It'd be easier if Gaster could just... get that somehow, but he was already in deep enough trouble with hiding an elemental and there was no way Papyrus would just hand it over. Also seeing him? Seeing the operator? Yeah that was a really bad idea. He did not need Papyrus to know who he was or what he looked like because then he'd tell Stratus and she would - "you still there?"

"Uh, yes. Yes! Sorry, I was," Gaster jolts, pacing the length of the little landing platform as he tried to think of a good lie. "uh, getting out my notebook to write this down." yeah that's.... that'll have to do. "Uhm, I wanted to ask about... names?"

"Oh! Give me one moment." There's another shuffle of pages, Papyrus humming quietly to himself instead of putting on the hold music which Gaster appreciates. The hold music for one is boring and two, it means Papyrus maybe isn't telling someone about these calls when Gaster can’t hear. Gaster can continue to hope and fret that that’s why Papyrus is humming.

He doesn't recognize the song either but something about it is familiar? He taps his foot along as some sort of beat - and to continue to get out the nerves until Papyrus finally answers. “Thank you for waiting! I don’t really see anything on names here. As tools, they were easily replaced by the units assigned to needing an elemental’s destructive strength, usually the frontlines, so you could look up specific units to track any historical significance between these weapons. The practice of not naming them appears to have kept up to this day.”

Papyrus keeps talking about where Gaster can look up the different commanders and units and battalions and all this other military jargon Gaster has dumped immediately into a mental box of "really not good news probably" when these calls first started but he's not listening anymore. A ringing fills his skull he knows is an increase of magic because everything in his vision goes blue and there's a static crack to the air that feels like a thunderstrike about to crush him to bone dust.

No name.

No name?!

"I'll be sure to look those up, thank you." Gaster cuts Papyrus off, hanging up. He barely resists the urge to throw his phone - if only because he unfortunately still needs it and doesn't have the money to replace it - and instead shoves it in his pocket and gathers all his stuff to hike back up the stairs. He takes them two at a time, unburdened by his load in the fury that rises.

What sort of monster creates a living creature and doesn't name them?

They're not tools, they must've had lives and beliefs and things they liked and didn't like and favorite foods - he knows what this elemental likes - and different voices and flame patterns surely and - it doesn't make sense. The heartlessness wedges beneath his teeth, and all his magic tries crushing the idea with each grind of his jaw. It doesn't make sense.

He'll have a name. Gaster thinks. We'll spend all week looking for a good one, he's gonna have one no matter what.

--------------

He'd been thinking.

Usually he thought about the books Gaster had brought him, because whenever he came home, Gaster would ask about which ones he liked best so the next books he brought the elemental would be about those topics. He was working up through the younger monster books to stuff with less pictures and more words in them too, so there were a lot of topics to pick from as language clicked more and more in his mind. This week was almost half and half words and pictures, and that felt like a really big accomplishment, especially seeing how the stack on the left - the one he put the read books in, that he understood - grow compared to its neighbor, the one where he'd have to ask Gaster for what certain words meant. The dictionary he was given helped with figuring out words too but it was more fun to ask Gaster instead, to see what the skeleton knew and if it was something related to his work. Those were the best topics he discovered, because it made whatever core that made up Gaster's magic - a soul, he thinks Gaster had called it, but it was bigger than that single word could define. His own felt bigger at least - glow like fire. When it glowed, he seemed happier too, less worried.

The worry made the elemental wonder if there was something he was supposed to do to help. There was an urge that told him he needed to protect and fend off whoever hurt his creator - but something too told him that urge had no actual target. Gaster hadn't really made him, at least, that’s what he kept saying. But he still wanted to protect Gaster from whatever was worrying him.

This worry though was his own.

Sometimes Gaster would go out to the balcony when he thought the elemental had fallen asleep and talk with someone. An Alphys. He hadn't met her yet but she sounded like Gaster. Excited about their shared topics, and worried about other things. Her worry this week was about a student of hers who needed signing. He wasn't sure what that was, but Gaster did, which helped whatever worry Alphys had. Then they were quiet for a long while, the elemental actually falling asleep before Gaster had come back in. That worry wasn't what he was focused on though, it was the names. They called each other Doctor, and these shorter names from their names, Gast and Alph - and he wanted one of those. The characters in the books he read had names. Every item seems to have a name of some kind too, like book and pan and well, elemental.

But Gaster wasn't Skeleton, he was W.D. Gaster. If the elemental was a creature like him then... shouldn't he have a name too?

The books didn't really tell him how to get a name. The characters already had theirs when the story began, but they must've come from somewhere. So he looked through all the books from this week. The stacks moved sides again, the right one to the left, then back again as he sifted again. It seems names could be given, like the nicknames were, like Doctor seemed to be too, but also the characters could choose their own. Sometimes they shed old names.

One of the fantasy books had a hero who did that, proclaiming it in front of the gathered supporters who saw how their work saved their burrow by blocking up the flood waters with their really fluffy fur, that had been something they were made fun of at the beginning of the tale. I'm not the scruffy bunny anymore! I'm the fluffiest one, and everyone will know me as that!

Their change was celebrated, and the elemental had nodded in agreement. They truly were the fluffy bunny.

So could he do that too? He didn't do some big thing like save his home but... he existed, and that felt like a good reason.

Today when Gaster left for school, the elemental did the start of his regular routine. He cleaned up after breakfast, putting those all to cool off to the side, but instead of doing the next part of his routine - looking out the window to watch pieces of other morning routines - he sat back down where his books where, and pulled all the ones he had marked especially for this day. He hadn't told Gaster he was doing this, wanting to surprise him. There were a lot of words on his list so far, the pages carefully folded in the corners - dog eared as Gaster called it when he saw the elemental doing it - so he could flip quickly to his favorites.

The books formed a neat semi-circle around him as he examined them closer. Names could be anything - they could even be an object name, but he already had one of those, so it was time for something more specific. He liked to cook a lot, so most of the ideas surrounded that line of thinking.

Pepper was the top contender. He liked adding it to their meals, liked the smell of it, how it made Gaster sneeze. He liked too how it could be multiple things - a spice, a vegetable, a color - but that also made him hesitate to choose it. It might be too broad. He was just one thing.

Maybe an action word would be better. There's peppery but I don't like that as much, he thought, setting aside the books with Item Names. He aligned their spines carefully, using small nudges to check in between each touch for any burn marks. He hadn't burned anything yet, but he knew he had to be careful anyways. Gaster is kinda an action-y word. G is a nice letter too.

He sorted through the G words, more books back to their proper stacks until a much smaller list was before him. He scanned through it, saying each name aloud to feel how it sounded, and to continue to practice speaking.

"Grinder." Hmm no.

"Glaze, Glazing, Glazed." No, he liked the 'gr' better.

"Gravy." Closer. But it was a bit off. He was... kind of gravy? Fire gravy. He made a face. Nope.

"Griddle." .... that was, getting there. The next one on the list was, "Grill."

"Grill." Oh he liked that! That had the 'Gr' and it was a cool action thing. The books about grilling food were really neat too. "Grill." It just... need something. The Y on the ends were nice, could he...? "Grilly. Grillsy, Grillty, Grill... Grillb... Grillby."

Oh.

"Grillby." He said again, fire warm, warm, warm inside his soul. That was it. That was it! That was him, he wasn't just an elemental, he was Grillby the elemental. Grillby! Grillby grinned, I can't wait to tell -

The door opened, making Grillby jump at how sudden and wide it flung, before Gaster hooked a foot around the bottom edge, and shut it behind him. A little click said he used some magic to lock it.

"Gaster!" Grillby greeted, getting up to collect whatever Gaster had chosen to take home for the day. It looked like this time it was a box of wires and tubes, probably connected to repairing the device he had been working on with Alphys. There were definitely more pieces though, Grillby peering into the box as he took over carrying it the half of the table they designated as "the work zone" with a long piece of tape to split the sides up. His soul was all fluttering, giddy to share his news but knew to wait first. It was best to stick with the routine, the schedule, before changing it up. "Tonight I was thinking we could try enchiladas for dinner. The books you got me this week had that recipe repeat a few times across them, and I think we have all the ingredients except for maybe tortillas. We might have used the last of them with breakfast - but we still have the green peppers and the cheese."

"Maybe if they're good you'd be able to take them for lunch. I mean," Grillby scratched the side of his head in thought, before pulling off his glasses to resettle them. "I can still make you sandwiches if you want those but this could be something more filling maybe? I feel like something more filling would be good."

The box was easy to unpack and place all the items into their designated areas, Grillby staring at the organization with a bit of pride making his fire curl delightedly, before turning back to Gaster who hadn't answered his question or responded to his greeting, who... who hadn't moved from the doorway actually. Grillby paused. He didn't know what that expression was on Gaster's face, still not the best at figuring out what the physical changes meant when the magic was right there for him to feel out for instead. Grillby definitely felt the magic. It wasn't the excited feeling or the worried one - maybe a little bit? - but something... sharp. Kinda like pepper. It made that protective urge bubble up.

"Is everything alright?" Grillby asked, moving away from the table towards Gaster, starting to scan around for any magic he didn't recognize, going through the motions that were as ingrained as the beat of his heart. Gaster locked the door so if someone followed up him, they'd have a hard time getting in - like I'd even let them get this far. This was his home. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to Gaster.

"Wh wait, wait, I'm s-" Gaster interrupted Grillby's thoughts with a sigh of frustration towards himself. "I'm sorry, it's. We're fine. Everything's.. well, everything's not fine but not something you need to defend or fight against. It's..." He stopped with another short sigh, a forceful one that tried to push the magic out of the air with little success.

Oh. Grillby relaxed his stance, confused. "If it's bad but not something I can fight, then what is it?"

Gaster stares for a moment, and that was familiar at least. That look said he had talked to that person on the phone, and learned something. With careful, exact words - that specific way of speaking he used to let Grillby know his frustrations were never aimed at Grillby - Gaster said, "I learned elementals aren't named, when they're - when they're created. And. You - all of them but, you - "

"I chose one." Grillby interrupted before those careful words got off track. Gaster stared again. "I uh, heard, I heard you and Alphys talking and wanted a name and chose one."

"Oh." Gaster kept staring, the rush of his frustrated magic vanishing in a little blip of surprise, as if whatever plan he had thundered in with was completely derailed. His next words suggested the same confusion as what Grillby felt in the skeleton's magic too. "Well that's. Good. I'm - really glad, that's. What is it?"

"Grillby." Grillby said, smiling in pride.

"Grillby." Gaster repeated, softly. Then he smiled too, a burst of magic that felt just like fire. "That's perfect, Grillby. You found the perfect name."

Grillby beamed, pulling Gaster further into the apartment as the warmth grew brighter and brighter from their combined delight. Gaster laughed, willingly pulled along, turning their motions into a little spin in the open living room space until they were moving and dancing just for the joy of getting to move.

"It's absolutely perfect Grillby!" Gaster repeated, and Grillby was certain his soul never felt so bright.

#undertale fanfic #grillster #grillby x gaster #grillby #gaster #w.d. gaster #lionwrites #operator au #yes this is 100% a trans analogy #because that's important to me #esp in this au #dehumanization tw #yeah there's not a lot of context thus far but I'll write a master post up of all that was going to exist for it #so it'll stop tearing pieces off my heart #but this one needed to be in full

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