In The Desert View Motel

I like this take, but I always thought that instead of Torries, Ventrue are the best match for Nosferatu for some reason

The VTM subreddit had some discussion of Nosferatu/Toreador romance the other day but the peak inter-clan pairing for me will always be Salubri/Tzimisce.

It’s the rich contrast between “I was created to be a healer. My touch erases pain and casts out evil. I can’t even feed if it would cause suffering, even if I am on the edge of starvation. My clan’s progenitor described his childer as lambs made to be sacrificed,” versus “Other clans know me by a word that means ‘demon.’ My hands are tools of torture and mutilation and even acts that are attempts at reconstruction rather than ripping apart are agonizing. My blood ties me to the land and the land is poison. The power that is my greatest strength is also a disease that is eating me from the inside out.“

It’s “Your abilities indelibly mark you as an enlightened savior while mine mark me as a horrifying monster.” It’s “I worship you because you’re everything I could never be.” It’s “I was doomed from the start but maybe if I take on the burden of violence so you can stay pure, I can find some kind of redemption.” It’s “I adore you but I’m terrified to touch you.” It’s “We couldn’t be more different, but we are both united in the horror of knowing we have no choice but to be exactly what we are.”

There's something I really needed to get out of my system for the long time, and I understand that many have probably said this before.

Look, I adore MTMTE. I respect Roberts as a writer and he made an absolute masterpiece that changed my life (literally, I've met my life-long friends over this comic) and I think that he did a fantastic job in terms of plot-twists and character development.

However, what he did specifically to Rodimus was... uh.

I know that the entire IDW universe is, essentially, a one big anthology of the works of various authors, who, let's be honest, didn't always read each other. That's how, I believe, we got an MTMTE Rodimus, who does things... that feel so unnatural to him that you can't help but wonder, what was really the reason for doing so.

When I started reading this series, I asked my friends, what do some of his actions mean – «why the hell did he even agree to take Overlord?»; «why would he allow Drift to take all the blame on himself?»; «HOW DID HE ACCEPT MEGATRON ON THE BOARD??» – and their answer was... nothing. Nothing essentially to explain here, because the only reason for these and many other of his actions I could think of, is:

Roberts needed the plot to happen. And for that, he sacrificed Rodimus's already established character integrity.

I don’t remember which comic it was in, but I vividly remember one scene from some other, not connected to MTMTE series: Optimus (as usual) refused to kill Megatron and Rodimus, his face twisted with rage, started torturing Megatron with electricity. You mean to tell me, this guy would listen to anyone and let him on the ship? You mean to tell me, he wouldn't kill him on sight the second they make the quantum leap from Cybertron, trial or not?

And, although I don't like Getaway and the way he left the entire crew with DJD, but Rodiums I got first familiar with would be just thrilled to hear all of his ideas on how to creatively get rid of Megatron, because- no, literally, what the hell was that?

Okay, I understand the fact that I'm biased. I live in a country that's currently under siege, and I share the internet space with people who, in the safety of their homes, sometimes are still choosing to humanize and sympathise with a crazy fascist dictator that would be glad to wipe them out like he does with us. I acknowledge that that's alters one's perspective a little bit. But the entire Cybertronian race (AND MANY OTHERS – let's not forget countless organic civilizations that endured genocides after genocides in Megatron's colonial expansion) had to deal with this guy for four million years.

And I get that it probably wasn't entirely Roberts' fault – IDW publishing had the universe ending planned beforehand and that's why the entire «Lost Light» sequel felt so rushed. But are you seriously implying that MEGATRON, of all people, could be reformed by one fun trip? And forgiven not just by the crew – but Rodimus and Ultra Magnus specifically??.. Mind you, they already made their mind on him before the sequel – and it absolutely wasn't the one that they would make if they weren't so heavily OOC'd.

I hate the fact that the plot just wouldn't happen the way it did without this forced character dumbing. I hate it, because I love MTMTE story, and its crew, and its captain. And its lessons. But the way of teaching these lessons sometimes makes me want to throw in a towel, because no. I refuse to believe that someone who's entire life was defined by the want to be the leader his friends wanted, could do this many mistakes that lead to their hurt (and both allowing Overlord AND Megatron, were such mistakes). So, I choose to continue to be delulu and pretend that none of this happened – and they never returned to Cybertron as well, and they achieved something more. Don't blame me, I know you all are doing the same.

God I wish

I perfectly understand that Dark Cacao Kingdom is based on Ancient Korea, but since Affogato's clothing design is a mixture of Chinese and Korean ceremonial attire, and Affogato himself is a magician and a priest teacher, can we call him Grandmaster of Doughmonic Cultivation?

I've been saying this for years

toreador haters are simply unable to see the potential in beautiful sickos

it's so important to me that aegnor is the most beautiful ethereal elf you've ever seen and andreth is like. ok. no facial features that really grab anyone's attention

what draws aegnor to her is all the things about her that seem to contradict each other. the way she looks so at home in middle earth, so at one with the heather as her bed and the stars as jewels in her hair, when aegnor knows her fëa is not of middle earth. the way she is so young compared to him, yet the way she talks with such knowledge and heaviness, and the way her eyes hint at memory long before her years, but memory that weighs on her and lends wisdom and passion to her words all the same.

he cannot help but be bewitched by her, to try to make sense of her, while knowing every glance he steals of her in the still water of the lake brings him closer to his doom. he looks anyway

Maybe it's a weird take but Shadow Milk Cookie and Elder Faerie Cookie OBVIOUSLY look like a divorced couple because they interacted like one

I really don't know what happened between them, but for someone as wise and reserved as Elder Faerie to repeat in almost every line something like «no, don't listen to him» or «no, shut your mouth, no, no, stop talking» seemed really strange to me and then I realized this lmao.

This scene is literally

Elder Faerie Cookie may not have Legendary status (which he should have, considering his lore), but he sure has the Legendary rarity, because I swear to god it's IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade this man

His soulstones in Town Square and Arena are so rare I had to wait for two months for just ONE, and it was possible to obtain him in gacha only when it was his specific banner. Even I, stuck in the whale hell in the Vanilla server, witness people having 5A Ancients, 5+ Woke Cacao and even 5A Beasts sometimes, but NEVER HIM. He's the definition of a rare Pokémon.

I don't know if somebody already talked about it, but I also don't remember finding this type of theory surrounding the inspiration origins of Crème Republic (because ofc the wiki had to make everything about the States again-)

We more or less know the inspiration for all the Ancient's kingdoms – some with distinctive cultures, some (like Faerie Kingdom) are mostly folklore. But the consensus of Crème Republic is that it's mostly something Greek or Roman that's being occupied by French for some reason.

Well, I think there is a reason for them being specifically French in a Greek-based place, because that's exactly what it is. Let me introduce you to the Latin Empire.

So, long story short: that'd explain their mostly French names and the understandable dissatisfaction of the native Cookies' of the Sea of them taking up the majority of the Council seats. Their cartoonish goodness and glory doesn't exactly match with the history (especially with the fact that in crk Vanillians are war refugees instead of, y'know, crusaders. and thank god) – but eh well, Constantinople (now Istanbul) was an ancient city with a rich history and culture even back then, and even more so now. Devsis kinda had to get rid of the monarchy in favour of more Roman-style government, but that's for the better ig?

It's still my favourite Kingdom in crk because I just love the whole warm vibes of it and it has all my favourite cookies in there, but it's interesting how people may have overlooked this obvious reference to the concept of Francocracy lol