#(also everyone has appeared in a modern comic now!)

[thankskenpenders]

After a recent interview where Iizuka said it was possible for IDW characters to show up in the games, I've seen some discussion about how the characters need to be introduced "the right way" for people who don't read the comics. And, like, this is obviously true to some extent. You want to convey why people unfamiliar with them should care about these characters, instead of just assuming everyone already knows who they are and their whole backstories and everything. (Anyone who's watched Disney+ Star Wars already has some easy examples of times where they were like "you guys already know this character from the cartoons, right?" and casual fans were completely lost.) But I think people are overestimating how much work this would actually take, especially people who argue that the characters need full-blown reintroductions in the games that depict their backstories all over again and treat them as characters Sonic doesn't already know

I think it's easy to forget that not everyone who plays Sonic games has played every Sonic game. Kids especially. Every single major recurring character in the games debuted before today's generation of Sonic kids was born, and as such every new game is someone's introduction to those characters. The games with the introductions for the Chaotix, Blaze, Silver, Omega, Cream, the Babylon Rogues, Fang, Mighty, Ray, etc. are straight up not available at all on modern hardware without resorting to emulation. To many people picking up Team Sonic Racing or Mania or whatever, those characters are already some random characters Sonic apparently already knows from some previous story. These are not things that every single person who picks up a new Sonic game is intimately familiar with. And yet the games don't feel the need to stop and recount their entire backstories every time they appear.

Also, like, even if you have played every single game, Sonic already has a long history of introducing new characters with little to no fanfare, often treating them as characters Sonic has already met. Core characters like Tails, Amy, and Metal Sonic were really just dropped into Genesis era sequels with no explanation for people who didn't read the manual (i.e.: most players). Sonic has a kid sidekick and a girl who has a crush on him and a robot duplicate now, just roll with it. The modern era would continue to do this with characters like the reimagined Team Chaotix, or Orbot and Cubot, who just appeared in the games one day with no setup. We got along just fine.

(This is to say nothing of the nature of the creative medium the IDW characters originate from, where every new comic arc is treated as somebody's first and supporting characters are periodically given reintroductions to get newer readers up to speed. We've been over Whisper's backstory multiple times now.)

Again, obviously I do want characters like Tangle, Whisper, and Surge to show up in the games with compelling introductions that do the characters justice, but I think people are overthinking how much effort that actually takes. You do not need a whole elaborate adaptation of Whisper and Surge's backstories in the games just for them to have a cameo. You can have Sonic already know them, and if the details are even relevant you can convey that stuff in other ways - brief exposition in the dialogue, context clues, in-game character bios, new stories that showcase their important character traits without 1:1 recreating the stories that have already been told, out-of-game promotional videos and animated shorts like the ones they did to get people up to speed on who the hell Fang is, etc. This is pretty basic stuff when writing for a long-running multimedia franchise.

[opennwindows]

If you can, could I request BEN Drowned fluff / smut headcanons like about himself, with his headcanon age, hobbies, facts, what he is into or would like & want in a relationship, and what he would be like with a gamer girlfriend/ s/o?

If ya taking requests rn still?✨😇😊💖

Ben Drowned general + NSFW hcs

A/N: yes!! absolutely. i love getting to talk about how the pastas do their pastaing in my mind. i have so many headcanons for everyone that im excited to share!! also sorry i forgot to include the gamer gf part but i don't think it would change a lot of what i wrote!!

btw sorry for fucking dying i have been busy 😭😭 but no one worry i will still continue to work on requests!! if anyone has any marble hornets stuff they wanna request i will zoom you to the front of the queue so fucking quick. anyways enough of me yapping.

cw: 18+ nsfw, toxic relationships, crying kink,

GENERAL

ben is mentally and physically 22, but he can be quite emotionally immature at times. when he died he never stopped growing and maturing, his soul was just stuck in limbo. think like the worst waiting room ever.

he's surprisingly tall, standing at about 5'9. he's lanky but not bone thin. could easily get pretty far in a fight without his ghost powers.

the link costume only appears when he’s in his ghost form. so for example, when he’s messing with someone on their computer he’ll appear as the canon BEN we’re most familiar with. when he’s just chilling in his physical body, he mostly wears beat up hoodies and sweatpants.

contrary to popular belief, ben's not the hardcore gamer everyone thinks he is. sure, he'll play some overwatch or whatever when he's bored but he honestly just prefers to watch tv and browse the internet. understandably REFUSES to play any zelda games. if you were trapped in a video game for decades would you ever wanna touch it again? exactly.

ben loves to draw little comics and troll (see: horrifically traumatize) people online. god forbid you get into twitter beef with this man because he will crawl through your monitor at 3am and leave you with a crippling fear of technology. dude thinks it's absolutely hilarious. a true knee slapper.

lowkey has a sugar addiction. will slam down 4 cans of pepsi in one sitting. he's very lucky that he's basically a ghost because the kidney stones would be plentiful.

ROMANTIC

you know that guy with the blown out speakers in his car, lives off of energy drinks and burnt blue razz ice elfbars, swears aphex twin is the modern mozart and works on the grill at your local wendy’s? yeah thats ben. or at least would be him if he was still human.

“why would you need a chair, my lap is literally right here babe.”

would absolutely wear your skin if given the opportunity. not in a weird way. he’s just EXTREMELY touchy.

he needs someone who is significantly more organized and motivated than him. he can go almost a week without showering and it should honestly be considered biological warfare when he tries to smother you with affection during these episodes.

after awhile of you guys dating he LOVES the idea of y’all showering together. he has a fear of water and while showers aren’t too much of a trigger, your presence helps ease his anxiety.

favorite pet names: bro, dude, dawg, babe, bitch (non derogatory)

not really a romantic but he tries his best. a perfect date for him is just getting some takeout, watching youtube, talking about stupid shit and play fighting. if you want something more traditional or extravagant then he’ll oblige to make you happy but those types of dates make him feel quite suffocated and nervous. try to save those for special occasions.

now let’s talk about his problems because just like the other creeps he is ANGSTY.

he’s probably the most emotionally stable and healthiest of the group but he definitely still has his toxic traits, after all this man is a ghost that mentally tortures and kills his victims through manipulation.

ben would never ever get physical with his partner no matter how enraged he is but he absolutely is the type to do some mental damage when he gets carried away. ben drowned? more like ben gaslighted.

the type to say some shit that would keep you up for years and then kiss you the next morning like the argument never happened. he finds it easier to ignore problems than to actively talk and fix them. you’re gonna have to teach him some important communication skills or else you’ll grow to resent him after all the bottled up rage.

a bit too brutally honest and blunt for his own good so if you have thin skin the relationship would fall apart pretty quickly. he wants someone who can drag him twice as hard as he dragged you. bonus points if your insults are consistently funny as hell.

please watch anime with him and discuss it. he would propose on the spot, especially if you play with his hair.

pro player tip: if you want him to clean his disgusting room, help him and make it fun! he just needs a little push and motivation at times. and being around you makes him want to get his shit together.

big fan of late night make-out sessions. i’m talking like 45 minutes straight of just slobbering on each other’s faces with tongues down throats. if you don’t want his hands running over every inch of your body then you’ll probably have to chain him to the wall.

NSFW

okay. so he’s a little inexperienced with his hands. he’s just a slow learner. be vocal with him about what you like!!

ben's about 7inches and slightly skinnier than average but he will have you seeing stars in record time. the dick game is no joke. he tends to go fast and deep most times.

i can see him being a switch in the idgaf-as-long-as-i’m-fucking way. dude will go with the flow and will try mostly anything.

definitely one of the least aggressive pastas during sex. he has sadistic tendencies but he’s more of a edge/overstimulate you until you cry versus a beat the shit out of you and rip hair out of your scalp type. he’s pretty vanilla given his occupation.

despite his love of roasting the fuck out of you on a daily basis, the only words that come out of this man’s mouth is heavenly praise. he looks at you like you’re the most gorgeous being on the planet and he’ll let you know it.

he loves to whisper praises into your ear while you ride him.

he's more of a receiver than a giver when it comes to oral. he'll absolutely spend hours between your legs if given the chance but nothing beats the sight of you on your knees and teary eyed with his length in your mouth.

he can be a bit of a head pusher but just let him face-fuck you every now and then, hearing his loud moans will be worth it.

did i mention how much of a crying kink this man has? you guys could be on round three and if he stares at your teary eyed fucked-out face for longer than 10 seconds he'll immediately get hard again. you'll have to beg him to give your poor body a break.

he's also into choking but only if he's the one doing it. if you try to restrict his breathing he'll panic and the mood would get ruined.

[yunsound]

Chinese Mythology: The Four Dragon Kings

Does anyone remember Ao Guang? Or the other three Dragon Kings? Or did anyone watch Ne Zha 2025?

You may then know of the Four Dragon Kings of Ancient China (四海龙王). 

Historically all four of them are male- some recent adaptations will show one (or more) of them as female just for fun. China, even in ancient times, did not have four seas around it- the four dragon kings each correspond to a body of water in the cardinal directions. 

Ao Guang

The big guy, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East, does have a “sea”: the East China Sea. 

A carving of Ne Zha fighting Ao Guang (we all remember how that went, right?)

We know and love Ao Guang since he’s the one who got Ne Zha killed (after both he and his son got their asses beat) and is also the guy who gave Sun Wukong his mythical weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Staff (maybe will make a post on mythological weapons at some point).

His third son, Ao Bing, is famous for getting his tendons plucked out by Ne Zha.

Subtitles: I'll pull your tendons out, see if you can still hurt anyone after this! (sorry for Ne Zha being kind of naked, he's a kid who was just taking a bath)

Ao Guang is the biggest, most powerful Dragon King.

In the Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods post here), he’s a big dickhead who forces people to give him offerings or he’ll bring them drought and disaster. He’s very powerful, and is the leader of the Four Dragon Kings.

He’s also the sexy dragon dilf dad in Ne Zha 2. 

I just cannot get over this character design, oh my goodness.

Ao Run

Ao Run, pronounced Ow Rwen (also sometimes called Ao Ji) is the Dragon King of the West. 

He does not have a “sea”: in fact, he rules over the biggest lake in China, Qinghai Lake. It’s big enough that we consider it a sea, I guess. It used to be considered an actual sea (like, connected out to the open ocean) probably because it’s huge, but it was probably never actually a sea. 

Lake Qinghai has shrunk a lot. You can tell in this picture: right now it’s about the size of Trinidad.

See all that dry land? Used to be lake.

It’s very blue, which is why it’s called Qinghai 青海 (blue sea). Qing generally refers to a bright blue-teal shade. 

Ao Run’s son, Ao Lie, is the dragon that is sentenced to death by the Jade Emperor for setting fire to Ao Run’s palace accidentally and destroying a whole bunch of stuff. In the end, Guanyin Pusa spares Ao Lie’s life and sends him on the Journey to the West with Wukong, Tangsen, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing. You may recall that Tangsen had a big fancy white horse- that’s Ao Lie!

You may notice in this picture everyone else's names are labeled except for the horse. It's kind of sad- he's a little irrelevant.

A huge downgrade, from being a fancy dragon prince to a horse, but you can’t say he didn’t deserve it. 

He's also featured in Fei Ren Zai (a very funny comic/animation series about mythical figures in modern-day also featuring Ne Zha, Wukong and Erlang Shen).

You may remember Ao Run from Ne Zha 2, 2025 as the sexy dragon lady with the killer sky-splitting manicure. 

Sorry, she did things to me when I first saw her appear in her human form.

Ao Shun

Ao Shun, pronounced Ow Shwen, is the Dragon King of the North.

He also does not have a “sea”, like Ao Run. His patron body of water is what’s now known as Lake Baikal (Wikipedia better not fail me, I actually had no idea where the North China Sea was supposed to be). 

Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, it’s right up there in the south part of Siberia. North enough for you?

Back when the Han dynasty was fighting the Xiongnu (the Huns in Disney’s Mulan, basically), they beat the Xiongnu in a battle here. They saw this huge-ass lake, and decided they’d refer to it as the North China Sea. Lake Baikal is larger than Belgium. A little scary, no?

In Ne Zha 2, he was the freaky purple-green guy with blades all over his body. You may remember him fighting Ao Bing in a very exciting battle sequence. I’m not aware of any myths where he’s of any significance. 

A hard pass. Sorry, second uncle. Your big brother and younger sister are much hotter.

Ao Qin

Ao Qin, pronounced Ow Chin (敖钦) is the Dragon King of the South.

The South China Sea of recent geopolitical tension fame is in fact a sea. Other than Ao Guang, he’s the only one with an actual sea. There’s not much to say about Ao Qin, he’s not that relevant.

If you remember him from Ne Zha 2, he’s the big red one who’s dumb as bricks..

The Four Dragon Kings are really not that important aside from Ao Guang and Ao Run. Ao Guang is a key mythological figure- he appears in many myths, and is a semi-major character in Journey to the West.

Ao Run contributes mainly by giving Tangsen a horse in the form of his son. Poor Ao Lie. 

In the 1979 Ne Zha Conquers the Sea, they are all seen briefly scheming with Ao Guang to go Karen-style and ask for the manager (Jade Emperor).

They're all siblings (since they have the same last name, Ao), with Ao Guang being the oldest brother. The order of ages past that is a little harder to figure out- from what I know, their ages are

Ao Guang

Ao Shun

Ao Qin

Ao Run

I actually don't know where Ao Run is in the ranking, I just know Ao Qin is younger than Ao Shun. As such, Ao Run could be either the youngest, the second youngest or the third youngest.

[s10127470]

Marvel Rivals Animated Series Concept

I know this sounds odd to say, but I legitimately want to see an animated series based on Marvel Rivals.

Like, this literally has all the makings to be adapted!

Plus, it would be pretty cool to see a Marvel video game being adapted into television, which has never been done before.

As for how it would play out.

Essentially, it follows the same plot as the video game, but a little more expanded.

Basically, after Doctor Doom and his 2099 variant caused the Timestream Entanglement, Doctor Strange and The Fantastic Four knew this would have disastrous consequences (given their experience with the multiverse)

It created new worlds out of old ones, which obviously cause pandemonium among the inhabitants.

With the existence now being known by….pretty much everyone in the multiverse, you know damn well that there's gonna be a lot of villains trying to use this knowledge for their own nefarious goals.

So, the five decided to recruit the heroes of their world to help keep the balance of this new universe intact and prevent any villains from making anything worse.

In terms of the art-style, it would essentially be the same as the game, but translated into 2D.

As for the animation, I can think of two studios that could do it.

Flying Bark Studios (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Monkie Kid, Glitch Techs) and Titmouse (Motorcity, Black Dynamite, Ballmastrz 9009).

Also, in terms of the universe our heroes (except for Peni) are from, it's essentially like an ideal version of the 616 universe.

As in, the heroes have actually reached their proper conclusions that people have wanted for years, while still going on their adventures and being heroes.

-The X-Men have actually made progress with human-mutant relations and DIDN'T get genocide'd into oblivion. Nor are they on the verge of extinction every other goddamn week.

-Bruce Banner has finally made peace with The Hulk and is now able to control him. Plus, he's finally with Betty. Yeah, remember her?

And best of all….

-Spider-Man is HAPPILY MARRIED to Mary Jane and is a father now, along with being a goofy but still mature superhero instead of an emotional-stunned man child who gets cucked on a regular basis.

Two of the best elements I could think of for this series are…..

The interactions between the heroes. We've never really had a Marvel cartoon with a cast that big, so it would be cool to see this diverse cast of characters bouncing off each other.

Some of the interactions I could see include….

-Captain America and Namor being brothers-in-arm and often bonding about not quite understanding or even hating modern trends (and rightfully so in some cases).

-Storm and Thor being best friends.

-Iron Man and Peni being friendly rivals.

-Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch being the sorcerer buddies.

-Rocket and Magik being the resident partners in crime and agents of chaos.

-Hulk and Groot being buddies.

-Luna and Star-Lord geeking out over music together.

-Spider-Man being the absolute heart of this team and essentially being everyone's friend.

-Venom and Scarlet Witch flirting with each other (I was kinda split on this one. Originally, I was gonna have SW married to Vision. Since this universe, the Marvel characters actually allows stay in relationships. However, I really like the trend of shipping Venom and SW together. So I figured they'll be an item in this universe. Actually, what other new ships could you see in this universe?).

And best of all….

-Jeff being a good boy

2. The variants the heroes will meet. This would be the Kingdom Hearts of Marvel: you never know who you'll meet next. There would faces from all forms of Marvel media. From the comics, to the cartoons, to the video games, etc. And nobody's off the table. Anyone will get a chance to appear, no matter how beloved or hated they are. However, they will be treated accordingly depending on their reputation. There would also be a lot of original universes to this series as well, in order to help diversify things.

And finally for the voice cast, it's largely the same as the game but with a few exceptions.

Cap would be voiced again by Roger Craig Smith.

Storm would be voiced again by Danielle Nicolet.

Iron Man would be voiced again by Mick Wingert.

And Spidey would be voiced again by the one….the only…..Josh Keaton!

Anyway, that's all I have.

Let me you know what you think about this concept.

I'm planning on doing a pitch bible to give a more-fleshed out version of all this.

And also, what are some variants you would love to see in this series? And if so, what kind of interactions would they have with the heroes?

[chaos-central86]

Hello, so, I don't know many people who know the character Shard but I always wanted to know how old he is, even though I searched I never found anything about it, do you know how old he would be? (I really wanted to know because lately I've been seeing a lot of fan art Of him and silver and I found it super cute)

OKAY NOW THATS A GOOD QUESTION!

It can be seen that throughout the Archie comics before the reboot, the characters do subtly age as the story continues

And in archie sonic comic lore, Shard is supposedly the first original version of Metal Sonic that we're used to seeing

So at the time of the first Metal Sonic's conception, Sonic would be around a preteen-ish age. And since Metal Sonic is to basically be a complete robotic copy of Sonic, it's safe to assume his intellect would be of that of a preteen as well

By issue 87, the OG Metal Sonic's demise is depicted by him sacrificing himself -after a change of heart- to a volcanic eruption as to allow for Sonic and Tails to escape. So he's like... dead.

BUT! At some point further in the comics, like right before the reboot, that OG Metal Sonic is seen rebuilt and revamped into Shard thanks to Uncle Chuck's hard work. He's still got the same personality, but has kept his change of heart from his last appearance. AND BY THIS POINT, A LOT OF TIME HAS PASSED. LIKE, A LOT.

So he was definitely rebuilt to have the same level of maturity and intellect as everyone else in the cast, who are all around like mid/late teens-to young adults at this point

BASICALLY, he is depicted to be around the same teen/young adult age as everyone else. However, no one is given an exact age... and SEGA has also retconned everyone's official ages in the modern day lore so SHRUGS you can basically give Shard any age that fits your fancy

[decepti-thots]

☕️ rodimus just, like, in general

I'm gonna take 'in general' to mean across the franchise here.

The interesting problem modern TF media has to grapple with when it comes to Rodimus is that he's simultaneously a very, very iconic G1 character, and also a character who exists to solve a problem Hasbro has done their damndest to wipe out of existence. That is: Rodimus exists to be an explicit replacement for Optimus Prime, who is no longer allowed to die like, ever. Not permanently! His whole personality is designed in direct opposition to Optimus. Where OP is a fairly mature, seasoned leader (even in early G1 cartoon stuff, where he's envisioned as being a lot chiller and even a bit younger than later stuff), Rodimus is a young inexperienced new-to-this guy. Where Optimus is a real 'father to his men' type, Rodimus is very much the kid. And so on. Whereas other for-the-movie characters like Arcee and Ultra Magnus can be characters independent of anyone they are replacing, Rodimus can't, but also, Optimus getting replaced is no longer on the table. It's a conundrum!

IDW1, specifically in MTMTE, really ran with that 'what is he even here for?' concept in a self-referential way. In MTMTE, at the outset, the joke is that Rodimus is a second-stringer trying to manufacture his own narrative that allows him to take on this role that has juuuust passed him by. And then it uses that to explore what, exactly, someone who is in that position is, post-war. What does it mean to force yourself into that role? What does it require you do? How do you not just appear to fill it, but actually fulfil the requirements to be that person(/character)? It's why I love that take so much; it faces the inherent contradiction dead on. And I think the way it answers it works extremely well. (That this is also a continuity where he is not young, but the war continued long enough without the status quo shift that he remained that kind of unfulfilled potential the whole time, is also interesting. That one is on Autocracy though.)

Cyberverse also had a neat little workaround. They got Optimus out of the way without killing him so Hot Rod could have that arc, with the Quintesson stuff. It was only ever going to be temporary, but they made that work with the concept, the idea Hot Rod was never 'supposed' to be in that position at this point but got thrust into it as a kind of emergency measure and proved himself.

But it does mean you can't really engage with him as a completely straightforward character, I think. Even if you killed off OP, everyone knows it won't be forever now. You could only do that convincingly one time, really. It's basically impossible now to write a Rodimus who is divorced from the metatext of what the purpose of that character was and how that is no longer why he exists. I'm curious to see where Skybound tries to take this, assuming he's planned to show up in the main comic at some point. That's such a Sunbow-influenced canon, down to its foundations. I suspect they might find it tricky to balance that, if he becomes a regular at any point!

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

sooo nick neopia's poll ended a bit ago and he lost so allow me to yell a bunch of anti-propaganda about this guy to everyone who doesn't play neopets (mostly copied from this earlier post). this is the third time i'm posting a big infodump about him, i feel like a blorbo evangelist or something.

SO BASICALLY there’s this one neopets characters. the thing that makes him unique is that he exists outside of canon sort of, in the form of april fools pranks. he’s sort of become the neopets’ april fools mascot since he’s appeared in 3 pranks so far (2003, 2020, and 2023).

nick makes his debut as a kid in april fool’s 2003, where he serves as the tour guide for the new, revamped, totally radical NEOPETZ!!

the image speaks for itself i guess. unlike in later pranks, nick is sort of just a one-off joke here, but instead of being forgotten he became a small joke within the fandom. you might find a few neopian times (neopets’ online newspaper written by users) articles mentioning how the author (jokingly) despises him.

then 2020 rolls around, and nick finally makes an actual reappearance in april fools 2020! he’s now older and apparently knows more about web design. it seems like Neopetz might’ve been his idea, because he wants to redesign the site again, only this time he wants it to be more modern and exciting. which his idea of is apparently backwards text, randomized links, and the elusive “13D.” check out his press release (ft. comic sans and showcard gothic).

during this prank, the site would spin around, go upside down, etc. as nick redesigned it behind the scenes. could find any videos of it though </3

and finally, april fools 2023 (my favorite part!). nick has gotten pretty salty over his amazing ideas getting rejected by TNT, so he spent 3 years turning into a crazy conspiracy theorist, his main goal being to uncover whatever horrible secrets TNT has been hiding. so he launched a little “website” called the sceptic tank! you can still view it here but during april fools day, his ads would cover the site:

featuring a delightful always sunny reference ^_^

clicking on the sticky notes will present you with a different theory. you can read them all written out and look at his ads here.

he also guest starred on episode 3 of neopets’ podcast at the time, nosy neopians. click here to listen to him scream at two TNT members.

to sum it up he’s a crazy insufferable bastard man who thinks he’s a genius and i need him desperately despite that. he could have been a horrible sexyman if we tried hard enough. thx for reading yaayyy <3

Fascinating. And now I will know what you mean when you tag the wildest posts with "nick neopia"

[akarisandraws]

What's your big opinion on every Sonic character don't skip any detail

Dude, do you know how many sonic characters are there?

Like a lot. So im gonna keep it on the main ones LOLL

Maybe i'll add to this tho. We'll see.

HERE WE GO!!

Sonic: He's my favourite character of all times! Such a funky fella. I love his way of thinking, (as in everyone deserves second chances and freedom is important) and of acting, with the whole attitude. He gives me a sense of freedom that i haven't felt from any other media at all! Its quite impressive honestly. I could write pages upon pages on how Sonic as a character is like the peak of literature in my eyes, but this post would get way too long. In summary tho, i like almost every aspect of Sonic the Character.

Tails: The baby! I also really love tails! I think his role as a sideckick is very endearing, and is a great balance to sonic in all possible ways. One problem with modern Tails, though. He's portrayed as a coward. And like??? That's not who he is?? Like C'mon sega.

Knuckles: He don't chuckle!! Final part of team Sonic, and Sonic's first rival! I really like the knucklehead. But as is the norm, Sega screwed him up badly on Boom. I despise that they're supposed to be the same Knuckles. Because they're not. I like Boom Knuckles, as his own character, but granted, Boom is an acquired taste.

Amy: Honorary part of team sonic! I love her! Mostly on the IDW Comics. I think they handle her excellently in there. I know that Amy is a hated character by the fanbase because most say that her only purpose is to be the "girl character love interest" and i can agree up to some point in some games, but in IDW she's sooo much better. We stan IDW Sonic.

Shadow: Yet another case of Sega making character assassination. Shadow's like, one of the most complex sonic characters there are, If not THE most complex one. And i love that! Though im very sad that Sega hasn't been able to replicate that SA2 Magic quite as well. Will SonicXShadow (heh) give him justice? Stay tuned.

Rouge: MY GIRL!! Ok so controversial opinion, Rouge's my second favourite sonic character, just because i think its hilarious that she (once) was the leader of team Dark. So She commanded a killing machine and An alien experiment. What a girlboss! 10/10 Character.

Omega: Gotta be honest, not much of an omega fan. But i really like his dynamic w/Rouge and Shadow. It's pretty sweet that they become friens :)

Cream: The other baby! I think she's the sweetest character. Like fr. I really want to see her more often on the games! Though i get why in recent games she hasn't appeared. Suddenly the adventures got way too serious. Still want her back in the games though!

Blaze: Fire princess! I fr am so salty that she isn't as much in the games. Like, what gives? She's such a successful character (With good reason btw) and you arent like, putting her in the stage?? outrageous. But yeah, i really Like Blaze. Her contrast and similarities with sonic are great! They make a great duo too.

Silver: The sweetest most unhinged boi in the sonic canon. I find it very funny that in his first appearance he was all angsty and stuff, but now he's full on optimism and sunshine. I love the juxtaposition on that behalf. Boi is cute but he can mess you up.

The Chaotix: Oh i love the found family trope. Espio's my fave for sure. He's the funny ninja, what else do you want? Though Vector and Charmy are great too. Vector has such a cool ass dad vibe. And Charmy... is Charmy. if yk yk.

AAAAND I think i'll leave it there. Should i include someone else? lmk.

Thanks for the ask!

-Akari

[edgy-ella]

Ok now that Superstars is out and people like it (mostly) can we PLEASE put Fang in the modern games/comics please. Let him talk. Give him a cooler gun (preferably some high tech laser revolver that aesthetically matches his bike). Make him a reoccurring mini boss. I don’t care. I’m just dying to see him interact with the modern cast in the games. Like:

Rouge: Rouge is a government secret agent that was formerly(?) a jewel thief. So she used to be an outlaw just like Fang, but is now one of the “good guys” while he’s still a hitman bounty hunter. Have these two ever crossed paths before? How would they interact with each other? How would they challenge each other’s viewpoints and vice versa?

Shadow: Fang used guns and bikes first! I want a scene where Fang accuses Shadow of cribbing his style. Also since Fang has been M.I.A. since before SA2 (I imagine he finally got arrested lol), it’d be funny if there was some scene where Fang’s like “what are you, Sonic’s emo cousin or something” then someone has to explain Shadow’s Lore™ to him and it just instantly cuts away to Fang’s confused yet horrified stare. Could also be a fun way to introduce Shadow’s backstory to newer fans.

The Chaotix: There’s a great arc in the Archie comics where Fang + Bark and Bean are looking for the same Chaos Emerald Team Chaotix (and Knuckles) is looking for. I honestly just want more of that. Fang and his boys bounce off of the detectives so naturally that you could convince me that they were planned to be intentional foils to each other

Silver: I think it’d be funny to have a scene/running gag where Silver, who’s from the future, goes on about how everyone in the main cast is considered a legendary hero/infamous villain by his time, then Fang shows up and Silver’s just like “uh, who are you?” and Fang is slightly offended over it

I don’t know if Sega still has their weird “classic characters can’t appear in modern games” rule, but Tailstube and some miscellaneous tweets show that the modern cast is allowed to at least recall the classic games as past adventures. So it really feels like there’s no reason to not put him (or any of the “classic” characters) in a modern title.

Sega please you’re doing so well just bring him home

[annon-secretcave]

Sonadow, Sonamy...

OK so we all know that there's a civil mid-joke war inside the Sonic Fandom about preferences between Sonadow and Sonamy, right?

And yeah I don't care barely at all about ships or ship wars and stuff, and everyone can have their opinion! But as someone who loves to relate the lore to everything because autism I really like analyzing things and it helps me understand everything better, I thought to maybe give all the canon/non-emotions related stuff to explain how these relationships, friends or something more (spoiler alert, something more does not exist in canon), work inside canon and how they would work in the far future.

REMINDER THAT THIS WILL NOT SIDE WITH EITHER SIDE MUCH UNTIL THE END ("In my humble opinion..." part)

THERE'S ALSO AN ANALYSIS! But at the end, since it's more of a personal analysis that is not fully factual, just a study of the characters.

Yeah so here it goes...

(Everything with a "*" means that it will be explained at the end with the more "sonic" stuff, less related to the ship.)

Sonamy

Realistically, Amy was created to be more of "just an addition to the Sonic team" with more female representation. She started off as just Sonic's girlfriend or love interest, even though he never showed as much interest for her as she did for him. In short, her interest in him did show since she made her first appearance, clearly showing that that would be the main or most shown romantic relationship in the franchise.

At the beginning, she was completely a Sonic fangirl and had much interest in him, specifically shown in shows or some comics... but as they realized the potential of the character, they stopped making her whole reason to be there sonic, changing it slightly, but still firing the character. This also meant that they stopped making her be "madly in love" or that interested in sonic, who was never interested in the first place. This, outside of the franchise is clearly the creators noticing the potential of a character with a heart as big as Amy's, but inside of the franchise it was probably her maturing (going from typical teenage romance-obsessed phase to just a normal crush), which was (ok this one thing is my opinion, yeah...) a big improvement to the character, to give her a story, more personality...

Now, about the ship itself... Sonamy has always been one-sided, or at least in most cases. And this had been stated and was seen clearly throughout the franchise (ok realistically I did not watch sonic boom but that one is not really canon in the main story which is the one that I am talking about). At first, maybe it was not shown in a very modern or uh... less obvious way... but listen the 90's are the 90's ok. but they showed it nonetheless. So, respectfully, Sonamy has not been canon from both sides clearly in most of the canon storyline.

Sorry Sonamy shippers...

(further study of this ship is after Sonadow, but that is a more personal review so I understand if you are not so interested)

(I'd add a single picture of these two but all I can find is FANART...)

Sonadow

So yeah I think we can all accept that no matter how gay it looks we have no proof that they are canon with facts and from a less biased point of view...

We have Sonic's line "I heart you too, Shadow" hope that's enough to feed ya xd

Nah but seriously there is an analysis to these two, it's just not that based in facts and hints like Sonamy had.

The analysis...

Now that the factual part has been explained, let's see this from a more Sonic POV, okay?

Sonic

Sonic is a character that likes to do everything, achieve everything, and be the fastest. His quote is quite literally "Gotta go fast". Of course, in a relationship, he would, not only be interested in, but also need, someone who can "keep up", as toxic as that sounds. He does not really need someone as fast as him, just someone that he can trust to be there by his side at every fight (or most of them), someone who will be at his level enough to fight by his side, otherwise it would be too dangerous. Something else that I've noticed is that the ones he is closest with, or has shown more attachment towards, are also people that can keep him with his feet on the ground, people that know when and how to say "You are not going to do this" and convince him, or, people to just keep him company and remind him who he is when he forgets (and, hey, it's Sonic, he also likes to have a few laughs).

As coincidental as that sounds, being able to both keep up and slow him down are traits that both characters mentioned earlier fulfil (yeah maybe Shadow more specifically... but shut up this is also supportive for Sonamy shippers ok LET THEM BE HAPPY LET THEM ALL BE HAPPY)

In any case, Sonic is a free-spirited supersonic hedgehog that will go wherever he wants whenever he wants, he helps people that are in trouble if he has the chance, and will fight and laugh alongside people who were once, currently are, or have tried to keep up. But being in a relationship itself is more effort than occasional visits, and Sonic knows that; he will be in a relationship with someone that can "keep up" and stand by him for the good of both of them. Obviously, he will also give, put in the effort to make the relationship work, but he knows who, when he gives 50, can give back 50, and those are people that will keep up with his adventures.

In my opinion... (the logic of the analysis applied to my train of thought, this is more biased from now on)

Sonamy

I understand why people see these two as a cute couple. Honestly, it makes sense. She does fulfil most of the traits and he does fulfil many of her expectations, from what I have seen of her...

But it's the keeping up part. Amy is a kind, warm hedgehog who loves nature and loves protecting nature. I have always had the feeling that, at some point (when she's a young adult probably), she would get a small house, near a natural area, where all her friends are, and stay there to protect them in that area. She would stay in one place that would fully grow on her and she would spend all her life there, protecting what she wishes to fight for and taking care of nature, as well as some visits every now and then to her friends if they are far away.

Sonic does not seem to like physical affection too much, except for certain moments with certain people, and the way Amy keeps asking for affection might make him uncomfortable or even bore him most of the time. In a relationship? It might just bore Sonic too much, and Amy would not change to much anyway...

I have never been a fan of the concept of a one-sided ship, due to how toxic it can be. But there is something about the way that Amy, even with her crush, respects Sonic's boundaries, that makes me feel like this is the one single one-sided ship I find interesting and perfect as it is. Sonic is not uncomfortable with her, on the contrary, he enjoys spending time with her a lot, but when she goes to a more romantic mode, he does seem more uncomfortable in most cases.

Plus... this one small part is way more of a personal opinion, but Amy staying single and possibly being a single mother feels very in-character and sweet.

Sonadow

Shadow. As cryptic as he chooses to be at times, he has shown that he cares about Sonic before, which for the character, someone who lost everything in a person who meant the universe to him, is quite a lot. He has been open- or as open as he can be- with Sonic before, which clearly makes their friendship-rivalry slightly more different that his relationship with other people. Shadow's only "problem" is that at times he cannot express himself well.

They respect each other, even if they don't always show it. They care about each other, and even admire some actions the other does. Their rivalry is not toxic, it's just competitive.

Shadow does have the traits that Sonic would be most interested in, like Amy, but in his case, he is less feeling, but he can definitely keep up and even slow Sonic down. He has followed him when he thought he could put the world or himself in dagger multiple times, but he has not shown that well his ability to encourage Sonic (yeah no he has his own way with words and that way is not saying anything, much less to someone with Sonic's high self-esteem)

Sonic loves excitement and enjoying life to the last minute, doing everything that might sound extreme just for fun. He has always admired Shadow's power and angry determination, and found him and his powers amazing, even if he won't admit it. Shadow doesn't mind living extreme situations at all, apparently even enjoying certain activities that involve the excitement of a battle of any kind. Sonic finds that part of Shadow fun to mess with, and Shadow either doesn't care or is barely angry, but actually, in a way, enjoys having someone to fight or just spend time with that won't push any emotional talk or physical signs of affection too much.

Apart from that, my pov again for the future, both of them could make great parents, and their relationship in a family could be interesting since they already act like a married couple xd but then again, Sonic does not seem like the kind of person who will just have a kid unless something "eye-opening" or lifechanging happens to him.

Conclusion

But then again this is just an analysis that would be in case he would settle with either of them for life, so it might not be the best if we are just keeping them with their current age or a bit older xd

Plus, this is more related to their personalities, facts and lore... since I'm not the most adequate to judge how romantic and other kinds of attraction work haha (aroace nation rISE)

Also, as un-biased as this is, this still has a bit of personal opinion, so don't take it too canon and stuff

And remember everyone had the right to have their own opinions, even if we don't like them. Respect everyone and their opinions! They aren't hurting anyone anyway, right? (unless it's something highly immoral or just straight up not legal worldwide)

So yeah, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you ship Sonamy, Sonadow or something else, we're all just having fun after all, and if you insult people's opinion you're just being the angry bully in the playground who steals toys and breaks them because it's fun for them, a bitch.

Sonic's got 2 hands after all, ammaright

(this is totally official art trust not al all made in 2 minutes in board with a mouse)

[vykker]

Oddworld Headcanon 6/?: Vykker Families

I was looking at concept art of the Vykkers, my beloved perfect science boys who have never done anything wrong, when I read this line:

"Headley, the Vykkers' auctioneer, is a rare case among the species. Most Vykkers are consumed by the surgical and pharmaceutical industry, but some, like Headley, work on the fringe of the family business." - The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants, Page 222.

Hearing it described as a "family business" was interesting, but I assumed it was more of a metaphor for their species in general. Not literal. But then, I saw this image:

"Humphrey and Irwin Vykkers knew that together they could bring experimentation to the forefront of modern science, as long as they stuck together."

Wait- is Vykkers a surname?

I think everyone and their dad headcanons Humprey and Irwin as being a vicious married couple. Even when I played MO for the first time as a little kid, I thought Irwin was Humphrey's comically shrill wife. They even flirt at the end of the first cutscene where we meet them, with Irwin calling Humphrey a genius and Humphrey rolling his eyes playfully like he's not loving it. So lets assume these twisted old fruits got Vykker-Married and started a thriving business empire. What does "family" look like to a vykker?

One piece of lore that I've always found hilariously fitting is that a vykker's greatest love is always for themselves. Vykkers are a unisex species and breed via self-insemination, which is often seen in snails, but even occurs in reptiles. I loved the idea of Vykkers being so self-absorbed, they don't even want to breed with other Vykkers. Now, some irl lizards perform what's called pseudocopulation, wherein the ritual of breeding triggers ovulation, but no actual breeding occurs. Not saying vykkers do this. Stop thinking about it. I said stop thinking about it! What I'm saying is, there are examples of animals not requiring another of their species to breed, but still mimicking the ritual of it, either as instincts left over from their non-hermaphroditic ancestors, or for other reasons we haven't confirmed yet.

What I'm saying is, vykkers could have the framework in place to experience romantic feelings even if it's not strictly necessary for their species' survival. Alternatively, two vykkers may pair off just for the societal benefits. I imagine two vykkers who are friends, have the same shitty values, and want to live the same lifestyles might choose to get hitched. Benefits would include a dual income lifestyle, having someone you can rely on to help you, certain legal protections and benefits, someone to manage your estate if you die, and not being lonely at home by yourself.

But also- they can raise their kids together. The vykker parenting style is something I've put a lot of thought into because there's so many interesting and funny possibilities.

First off though- how many kids do vykkers have? I always pictured them as laying a single egg once per lifetime or something. But then I noticed in this official, rendered art... Humphrey has NIPPLES!

He has FOUR nipples. At first, I thought only his bottom pecs had them, but then I saw this concept art, where its clear that vykkers are meant to have four:

Interns don't have nipples. Mudokons don't have nipples. Their chests are completely smooth. From what I can tell, the mudokon, slig, and glukkon queens- who are covered in boobs- are the only other individuals to have them. Maybe it was just added to be a creepy design element? But then again... vykkers ALSO have belly buttons. It does not appear that interns or mudokons have belly buttons, but it's a little hard to tell. Their skin is so texturized, it's possible they do have them and it's just not noticeable.

So why do vykkers have four nipples AND belly buttons?* I hate this line of questioning. I was a lot happier imaging them just laying an egg every once and a while. However, I'm not sure about that now. I think... vykkers might be livebearers. They might have 4 offspring at a time.

*Egg-laying reptiles actually DO have belly buttons but they don't look the same as mammalian belly buttons. It's more of a line. Google "corn snake bellybuttons". Theyre very cute!

Consider the following: imagine if Humphrey and Irwin had kids. Our inventions are doing well, lets get some inheritors going so they can hoard our family wealth and never share it. The two of them would have at LEAST 4 offspring but maybe 8. How do you do science and keep EIGHT babies alive? There's no way either half of this couple is going to stay home to care for them! So they invent Baby Chow. Baby Chow makes babies grow at an extreme rate- don't need to pay the babysitter as long- AND it frees up your arms so you don't have to breastfeed.

Remember when Vykkers Labs was described above as a "family business"? Imagine if Humphrey and Irwin had 4 kids each, then their 8 children got married and each of the 16 vykkers had 4 more baby vykkers.... I failed algebra in high school but:

16 x 4 = 64 vykkers!!! And that's just if three generations of vykkers had one litter each! There could be a LOT more, assuming they can be pregnant more than once, AND assuming we are looking at like, 4 or 5 generations of vykkers at this point, considering how they love to artificially extend their lifespans through surgery and treatments. And how they might just hand their kids off to the nearest intern to serve as a nanny while they immediately get back to work, thus minimizing any repercussions that might stop someone from having a ton of kids.

So when they say Vykkers Labs is a family... I think its literal. I think a lot of the vykkers we see in Munch's Oddysee are direct descendants of Humphrey and Irwin- their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and etcetera- or are outside hires hoping to marry in to their wealthy family business. I think our boys' genetics are alllll over Vykkers Labs, their laboratory that they own, and would never want to share with anyone BUT their clone-offspring.

On a related note: childrearing-wise, I picture vykkers as the worst kind of PTO moms. You know how vykkers can only truly love themselves? Well, since they reproduce asexually, that would mean that each child is a literal clone of their parent. It stands to reason that vykkers would be overly and obnoxiously consumed with making sure their clone-child has the best of everything. Not exactly love, more like control and possessiveness. More like wanting to give them everything you never had as a kid.

Can't you imagine a vykker parent, with that awful shrill voice, shrieking at some poor school counselor because their little Timmy would NEVER lobotomize the class pet, how dare you accuse him of such a thing? Or, how DARE you not let little Timmy join the Dissection Team- I have friends in the Magog Cartel, you know!!! The entitlement level would be off the charts. Every School Board Meeting would end with someone getting stabbed.

I could also see Humphrey and Irwin being like "we will raise our children communally so we never know who made who :)" then immediately getting paternity tests behind the others' back, lol

Anyway what are your thoughts? Writing this made me want to write some horrible vykker OC's who are Humphrey and Irwin's shitty entitled grandchildren.

[soviet-supersoldier]

Character Examination: Omega Red

Part 3: X-men (1991) #5

Alright, tackling part two of Omega Red’s introductory arc into Marvel Comics. X-men #5 has this awesome cover, which has actually been made into t-shirts that are now sold online and in other locations as well (I own one, I'm very happy with it).

I love this cover. Wolverine and Omega Red are both locked in battle, and the detail is incredible. You can see the cybernetics that are underneath Arkady’s hair here on the cover, something that used to be quite common to see in his earliest appearances. As the technology for his implants became more and more advanced (and likely smaller), I imagine that they became less noticeable as an in-universe reason for the detail of his skull cybernetics to be lost. Out of universe, cybernetics just seemed to lose their detail after the turn of the century (Lady Deathstrike was a victim of this loss of detail as well), and artists probably just didn't want to draw it anymore.

As this is before the bone claw retcon, you can also see the housing of what would have been Logan's claw implants inside his forearm. I always thought that was a neat detail, although with the retcon, the implant housing no longer makes sense.

So, the first part of issue #5 focuses on the X-men discovering the attack made by Omega Red and the Hand and the rescue that is made to retrieve everyone not named Wolverine. How exactly did he and Omega Red get away at the beginning of this issue? It's not shown nor properly explained how, but presumably, there was another vehicle that the X-men did not find when they were making their rescue that Omega Red and the Hand used to spirit Wolverine away.

While the X-men are regrouping, Wolverine and Omega Red speedily make the 8-hour flight (approximately, according to Google) to get from New York to Berlin (must have been one interesting plane ride. How did Arkady keep his powers/Carbonadium poisoning in check during the long flight? Used Logan?), where the next phase of Matsu'o's plan takes place. We jump into the middle of said plan, which is focused on wearing Logan down both physically and mentally so he won't be able to resist the mental probing they're doing to dig into his memories to find out what he remembers about what happened to the C-Synthesizer.

While they are fighting in the snow, it does seem that Arkady and Logan are fighting in a simulated room similar to the danger room rather than an actual snowy environment.

When reading the dialogue exchanged between Omega Red and Wolverine here, it does read rather weird with the knowledge of everything we know about their history now. They're speaking as if they know each other and their fighting styles well, saying things like "How very unlike you..." or, "You're as fast as you ever were..." This, along with snippets of dialogue in other parts here make me believe that there were originally plans to have had Wolverine and Omega Red fight at some other point in the past between Arkady’s debut here and the flashback to the Team X mission. But those plans (if that was the original plan anyway) ultimately never went anywhere, instead having the Team X mission being the one and only encounter Logan had with Arkady before the modern day. So, the dialogue reads a bit weirdly as a result. But hey, it's Omega Red’s debut, and his character is in the earliest stages of being fleshed out. Even today, so much of his story is wrapped up in mystery. I can forgive the writers for having little direction to start out with here. Every character has to start somewhere, even if it's "generic bad-guy of the week #1."

The fight between Logan and Arkady continues, and we are shown that it is being observed by Matsu'o and his crew. They note that the fight has been going on for the past 18 hours or so and they all talk about how remarkable Arkady’s stamina is. He's still going, and it's likely that he could have kept going for quite a while even after this, as he's not shown to be tired at all, while Logan is completely spent. That's probably due to Omega Red stealing energy from Logan as they fought, making Logan weaker faster while he remained strong.

Omega Red is also shown to be indulging himself a little here, as he's laughing as he's pretty much gutting Logan. As the first time that he's been able to work out in 30-ish years, Arkady probably enjoyed getting a chance to cut loose a bit and get some exercise (we'll see a bit more of his thoughts on the exercise a bit later in the issue, so I'll discuss this part more there), and this was both a performance run and a method to really tire out Logan more than anything else. I do also want to point out that there's a bit of "karmic justice" Arkady ends up facing years later in X-Lives of Wolverine #4, which seems to mirror this moment where Omega Red guts Logan:

Here, Arkady is actually possessing Logan's body and feels his guts get ripped out by Sabretooth in a moment that parallels X-men #5. He's quite literally placed in Logan's shoes even for just a moment. So, this moment in X-men #5 does seem to get at least artisticly referenced nearly three decades later, which is a detail I'm not sure people caught when they read X-Lives.

The last thing I will note on this page of issue #5 before I move on is how Omega Red immediately obeys orders when he's asked to. He doesn't continue to beat on Logan, but stops the exercise when he's told to. This really shows his military training and how it's ingrained in him to obey commands. He's a soldier first and foremost, his desires are secondary.

The process that the Matsu'o and crew are using on Logan seems to be working, as Logan's fight with Omega Red is starting to jar things loose in his memory. The most interesting thing of note is of this image we see on this page:

This is presumably a part of a collection of information Team X acquired about Omega Red’s weaponization project, and it includes a photo of Arkady in his Red Army uniform. I believe this is one of only two photos we have of Arkady as an adult before he was weaponized. The yellow colorization of the flashback always made me think that Arkady had normal skin prior to his weaponization, but we now know that he is in fact naturally albino and would have looked this pale regardless of the color of the flashback.

So Omega Red appears on this page but says nothing with regards to the conversation we hear the villains discussing. We never do learn what Arkady thinks of Matsu'o, Fenris or the others, but given that Fenris are Nazis and Omega Red is a Soviet, I doubt he has any love for being under these people's control, given what happened in World War II. After this arc, Omega Red is not shown to be associated with Fenris, staying entirety with Matsu'o. And while that has a lot to do with Matsu'o being the one who bankrolled Arkady’s return, I imagine that there were things that happened behind the scenes that forced Matsu'o to break off with them. At the moment here, Arkady does seem to be tolerating them enough to get what he needs to live. Keep in mind, Arkady was sold to these people for an undisclosed amount back in X-men #2, and he does have very strong motivation to keep working with these people regardless of personal preference. He needs to have a cure, and their treatments (whatever they are) are the only things that have been stabilizing him this far. He's not in a very good position to complain, since these people were the only ones who were willing to fix him. Use and discard when you have what you want from them and move on.

So, after a lot of action, we finally get some real pieces of introspective dialogue here from Arkady. You can tell, based on what he is telling Logan here, that he is very angry about what Logan’s actions did to him. "Let him try to sleep, if there is sleep for one whose dreams are places of darkness and despair," he says. While this could have been a reference to his own struggles, his next line of dialogue suggests this is more about his desire for Logan to be experiencing these sort of restless nights: "At least, they are if there is any justice in this world."

Arkady wants to see Logan punished. He's suffered at the hands of his Soviet handlers, experiencing many things that we are still to this day not fully aware of. He was thrown into cyrogenic stasis, and he tells Logan here that it was an experience similar to the drug-induced state that he's currently in. "Oblivion," he calls it.

One thing that often gets overlooked when people think about Omega Red is the time jump he experienced. 30 years is a long time, and a lot can and does change. Advances in technology. Culture. How world politics change. Arkady woke up to a world so unlike the one he left. The Soviet Union he was born and raised in was gone. We never are shown what his initial experience was like trying to adjust to all the change, but my guess is, based on his habits and what we know of them, Arkady presented a cold exterior that showed he wasn't affected by all the confusing, frustrating changes that he had to suddenly adapt to. But inside would have been turmoil. He would have been grieving his losses on some level but unable to openly express it, to express any sort of weakness whatsoever with regards to suddenly waking up in the future as the property of a bunch of rich foreigners. They wanted a weapon, not a man, and he had been trained to act as such. Once again, his personal preferences had to be cast aside for bigger goals.

So Maverick interferes here and allows Wolverine to make his escape. I do find it rather funny that Arkady calls Logan an "old friend," here. Buddy, you met and interacted with the guy once for maybe 4 hours 30 years ago. You got attached pretty quickly. It's probably just a turn of expression rather than anything with real meaning (and lends more credence to the idea that more of a past was originally planned between Logan and Arkady), and most likely used ironically here in light of what we known now about their connected past.

Logan gains some real speed despite his condition and runs away with his canister of goodies, all while Arkady is demanding a fight. It becomes more clear that Arkady is angry and frustrated on the next page, while Logan is quite busy stumbling around trying to stay on his own two feet. All the while, he's having flashbacks, no doubt due to all the memory treatments he's getting here:

So here we get to hear Arkady’s real thoughts about those exercises he had to perform. He's eager to start again, this time, "Without the drugs, without the watchful eyes." Based on what he's saying, he is frustrated and angry about not being able to do more to hurt Logan. He knew the whole fight in the snowy simulation was a sham, a performance run. He wasn't allowed to really hurt Logan, not in the way he really wanted. He had to hold himself in check in the whole course of that fight to please his new handlers, giving them what they wanted to see rather than showing fully what he was capable of. Once again, this shows his soldier tendencies and training. Arkady knows what the expectations are. He knows that he was bought by these people and they want their money's worth. Otherwise, he won't get the treatment he needs. So he has to perform to their standards, be their little dancing monkey. This is made all the more clear by Matsu'o's dialogue to Omega Red when he unleashes his frustrated outburst on the man after Logan escapes. Arkady owes Matsu'o everything right now, and he is the one offering him the cure he needs to live. If Arkady wants it, he has to put up with whatever he's told to.

So, the comic ends with Maverick getting a full reveal and rescuing Wolverine while the X-men break into Matsu'o's headquarters (and some wasted pages on Mojo stuff, but none of that matters for anything we care about here). It all sets up things for the next issue of the arc where we will learn even more of Team X's background and what role they played in the loss of the C-Synthesizer.

[valle-de-sombra-de-muerte]

Homestuck Reread: The Intermission (p. 1154-1357)

Read the previous post here.

Apologies for the late post. Work has genuinely been kicking my ass. But now it's time to read the Midnight Crew Intermission. You either really love or really hate this section of the story. I've always been a fan, so I'm looking forward to going through it.

The Intermission is more in-line with the spirit of Problem Sleuth than the rest of Homestuck. Hussie is returning to the old adventure game format and jokes, like this one where interacting with one item transforms it into a completely different item.

Despite being a bloodthirsty mobster, Slick is quite prone to acts of silliness when dictated by the reader commands.

I like how the digital clock on Slick's own computer counts as one of the clocks in the Felt's mansion.

I love the Felt. They're like a lineup of Dick Tracy goons. I also appreciate how this page gives subtle hints about what each of their powers are.

There are a number of times where a command to switch the POV to one character instead goes to a different character. I'm not sure if there's any logic here, or if Hussie is just being needlessly confusing in an already very elaborate part of the comic. My gut says the latter.

Doze without a doubt has the worst power out of all the Felt. It's only useful in this specific use case where he's resistant to interrogation, but that wouldn't even be needed if he wasn't getting captured all the time.

You know, "WARdrobe" was right there. I know Slick's inventory is already called the "War Chest", but is there even a pun there? Why not call it a "Battle Chest" like Battle Chess? They're living chess pieces. Come on.

Super speed is such a high tier power, yet Itchy is felled with no effort. It's kinda funny how most of the Felt have these incredible powers and could easily trounce the MC if not for the fact that they seem to collectively share one brain cell.

It makes me wonder if the MC and Felt's rivalry had only consisted of harmless cartoon antics up to this point. And it's only after the Felt "knocked over" one of Slick's favorite casinos that MC decided to escalate to murder. I'd compare it to how the '60s Batman TV show was campy slapstick, but modern Batman media has since transitioned to being much grittier and more violent.

I need a version of this comic page with Clover being shocked about Slick killing his friends.

Unlike the previous carapacians we've seen (WV, PM, AR), Slick has five fingers instead of four. I think he, Droog, and the Queens are the only ones with five fingers.

Meanwhile Deuce only has three chunky fingers. I'm not sure what the deal with that is.

A lot of people like to infantilize Deuce in the same way they do to WV. Here's a reminder that he reads erotic magazines just like the other Crew members.

See what I mean? He is a grown ass man, people.

Trace is my favorite Felt member. I like his goofy underbite and the way his coat collar makes it look like he has a shark fin on his head. His power of seeing and interacting with people in the past is also pretty cool, even if it gives him away as soon as he starts messing with them.

It's a nice detail including Deuce in the panel since Droog had alerted him to where Trace will be at this point in the future.

I love this panel. I believe Hussie just grabbed that image of the cane without realizing what it was until this point.

It's telling that the only timeline where Slick is dead is one where he died before he was able to rebuild society.

This might be a contender for the horniest page in all of Homestuck.

Biscuits has no special powers or anything, he just wants to be included. I love that.

Fin, despite having the power to see what others do in the future, was unable to react to Droog smacking him with the cue stick and getting pumped with bullets. Again, these guys are all morons.

Remember when this was the only clue we had about Lord English's appearance and everyone thought he was going to be some tall, rail-thin Tumblr Sexyman? Good times.

I'm a fan of this detached method of writing how the characters talk to each other. There's a lot of personality being conveyed in what they're saying even though none of it is being presented as dialogue. Unironically it feels more natural to read than the standard dialogue box format.

Snowman can do whatever the hell she wants and all anyone else can do is just watch. The benefits of having your lifespan inextricably linked to that of the universe.

Also, I don't think it needs to be said, but "Three in the Morning" is a god tier track.

Nearly every mention of Sawbuck comes with a jab about his weight. Don't come at me with asks saying that it's just Slick being an asshole. We all know whose "voice" this really is. (Hint: It's the guy with all the fat jokes on his Formspring).

I wonder how many people remember that Slick is a canon zoophile.

Slick's "rapier wit" strikes again!

A strong contender for most gruesome death in all of Homestuck.

So does this mean that it's set to go off a few seconds after the point Biscuits would exit the oven? If the oven behaves normally and Biscuits is just sitting in there until the timer goes off, that must be the case. The wording is very awkward though.

Cans's ability to punch people into the future might make him the most powerful of all the Felt. No wonder the MC was hoping he wouldn't show up.

I like that the detail about the shopping trip is included.

It's noteworthy that this early look at Karkat's room doesn't look anything at all like how it appears when he's properly introduced. Also, this is the sole appearance of Crabsprite, which stings a bit since we don't ever get a proper glimpse of what Karkat's relationship with his lusus is like.

This was a fun little diversion. Not a lot to talk about here other than how much I enjoyed a lot of these gags. I kind of wish that Hussie expanded upon this and made a whole adventure with these guys detached from Homestuck. It would've made for a nice follow-up to Problem Sleuth, something more true to that story's tone and humor.

But that would never come to pass, unfortunately. Now it's back to business as usual. Act 4 awaits.

Read the next post here.

[autolenaphilia]

The Woman in white by Wilkie Collins (book review)

Now this is a good book.

It’s clearly a forerunner of modern crime/mystery/thriller fiction. Admittedly, it moves rather slowly by those genre’s modern standards, it’s a good slowburn. Collins is really good at imbuing at what is otherwise ordinary domestic scenes with suspense. The dialogue scenes are often thrilling.

For example, the turning point of the plot is towards the middle of the novel, and has a long preliminary taking place at Blackwater Park that consists mostly of dialogue, but it effectively builds a mounting sense of dread.

The plot sometimes relies heavily on coincidence, but it’s nevertheless interesting in how it foreshadows modern crime fiction and the detective novel. And the evil strategem of the villains remains as cunning, shocking and diabolical as ever.

And the novel also doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is plenty of humor, and the book is still funny today. Our heroine’s Marian Halcombe’s sarcasm and witticisms stand the test of time.

The novel’s themes also resonate today. Collins was critical of the institution of marriage and the status of women in Victorian Britain, and you can see that here. Our damsel in distress Laura Fairlie is in distress precisely because of these conditions. While underage and unmarried, she is under the power of her useless and uncaring uncle, standing in for her deceased father. And after an arranged marriage against her will she passes under the power of the detestable and actively malicious Sir Percival Glyde, whose crimes against her drive the plot. The criticism of patriarchy and marriage is obvious.

Of course, the happy ending involves Laura getting married to her hero and love interest Walter Hartwright. But that seems to be Collins’ compromise with victorian propriety. He himself lived in a polyamorous and non-married relationship with two women. And as Professor John Sutherland points out in his introduction to the Oxford World Classics edition of the novel, there is a strong suggestion of a similar ménage à trois going on with Walter, Laura and Marian Halcombe, Laura’s half-sister. It’s never explicit, but they live together in the last third of the novel, are all strongly in love with each other, and remain living together in the novel’s happy ending. There is even a hint of an incestous eroticism between Laura and Marian, which I felt while reading, and which Sutherland also argues for. Things are not as conventional in the novel’s happy ending as they might seem on a superficial reading of the text.

The characterization is so strong too. Of course, everyone who has read this book loves Marian Halcombe. She is such an intelligent, witty and resourceful personality that contrasts nicely with her conventionally feminine demure damsel in distress sister. Apparently men wrote Collins asking if there was a real-life model for Marian and if she was available.

Even the other characters in the book are in love with her. This includes to her great chagrin the villain Count Fosco, who is another great character. one of the great villains in english literature. This eccentric and pompous but ruthlessly intelligent man is so fun to read about, stealing intentionally every scene he is in.

And there are other great characters. Poor Anne Catherick, her selfish mother or Professor Pesca who appears first to be a comic relief character but reveals hidden depths.

And the novel’s structure really allows the characters to shine. The novel consists of multiple first-person narratives, a collection of in-universe documents written and collected into a narrative by the characters. And each narrator has a distinct voice, each showing their character in how they write. Collins has his own predecessors in the form of the epistolary novel, but The Woman in White has itself often been imitated. Famously, Dracula took obvious inspiration from Collins.

The Woman in White through its immense influence has its place in literary history assured. And it still holds up on its own as a good read.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

Hey Ariel!

I was just thinking about the Next Mutation X-Men and their interactions with some of their multiversal variants.

And to start this off, why not start with the leader of the team himself.

NM Cyclops and 616 Cyclops would get along quite well.

The latter of which would really admire him for his heroism, optimism and incredible power.

And just to add to the wholesomeness, 616 Cyclops is also happy to know that this version didn't (and possibly won't) have to get through the same bullshit he's had to go through (especially during his childhood).

Because if there's one thing 616 Cyclops is, it's not envious.

The same also applies to 90s Animated Cyclops as well.

Evolution Cyclops would see NM Cyclops as the coolest dude around due to his powers, his personality and his experience as an X-Men.

These two would have something of an older and younger brother dynamic.

Now for the three, this is where things get a little complicated.

First we have Ultimate Cyclops.

Essentially, I was thinking that there would be two versions of Ultimate Cyclops.

The first being from the OG Ultimate Universe.

Ultimate Cyclops was one of the few members of the X-Men that didn't test my patience.

So I think he and NM Cyclops would get along quite fine.

However, he had his moments of tryhard edginess (which is standard for that universe), which I could see NM Cyclops just rolling his eyes at.

The second is from an alternate version of the Ultimate Universe, that looks almost like the OG, but has some notable differences.

Being that it isn't suffocatingly edgy.

The Cyclops of that universe would be pretty reminiscent of Evolution Cyclops, so the relationship between him and NM Cyclops would be quite similar.

As for his appearance, he would look like this.

Next we have Fox Cyclops.

Similar to the Ultimate Cyclops, there would be two versions of this guy.

The first being the one from the OG Fox Verse.

Yeah let's be real, there would be nothing positive about this relationship.

NM Cyclops would see this Fox Cyclops as nothing but a joke and a loser.

And just like everyone else, questions why the hell Xavier made him the leader of the X-Men at all.

He would also get onto him for two other things.

Allowing his Wolverine to cuck him.

His leather suit.

The second version would be from an alternate version of the Fox Verse that was actually faithful to the comics.

So there, Cyclops is actually a character and we actually see why he's the leader in the first place.

So he and NM Cyclops would have a similar relationships to the 616 Cyclops and 90s Animated Cyclops.

Finally, we have Wolverine and the X-Men Cyclops.

Now this is really depends on when NM would be taking place in conjunction to WAXTM.

If this took place after the first season, I could see their relationship being quite positive.

Since for the planned season 2, Cyclops was suppose to finally get his act together and would've gone back to being the leader of the X-Men (in addition to now sporting a new outfit in the form of a modernized version of iconic 90s uniform).

But if this took place during the first season…..

NM Cyclops wouldn't be able to stand him because of his shitty attitude and constant angsting.

And whenever WAXTM tries to step up to him whenever he's called out on his bullshit, NM Cyclops would continually prove to him that he is not the that guy.

I could see three scenes coming of this dynamic.

-One where WAXTM gets thrown through several walls by NM Cyclops, like in The Incredibles.

-One where NM Cyclops uppercuts WAXTM Cyclops, sending him flying high into the sky and falling back to the ground with a loud thud, leading to this glorious line….

-One that's basically a recreation of this glorious scene…..

@s10127470

What about Spiderman and His Amazing Friends (1981-83) and the pilot Pryde of the X Men Cyclops (1989)?

And there's also Earth 41001 Cyclops, who appeared in the minisseries X-Men: The Earth and GeNeXt (an alternate timeline where the characters aged in real time rather than being in a slow timeline), who was married to and had four children with Emma Frost (Alexander, Meggan and twin girls of names unknown).

And Earth 1191 Cyclops (who also fathered a child with Emma Frost named Ruby)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb:

The Japanese hit manga rom-com comes to print! The sweet smiles across the faces of the "perfect" student council duo hide secret, tough-as-nails personalities. These two-faced angels vie for dominance while keeping up their flawless act...but how long will it take for contention to give way to attraction? This modern spin for fans of classics like Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is already a best-seller in Japan!

All sugar, no spice, and everything nice...that's the impression the beautiful first-year high schooler and class president Otogi gives to those around her. One look from the school's "heartthrob angel" is all it takes to sweep countless admirers off their feet. But the real Otogi Katsura is no angel: She's calculating, ruthless, and sharp-tongued. When Otogi slips up and exposes her inner baddie in front of the class's other paragon, Toki, he counters by revealing an unexpected side of his own and declaring her his "partner in crime." With cupid's arrow at her back, can the "heartthrob angel" maintain her perfect act and regain the upper hand, or will she be the one swept off her feet by a fellow false angel?!

Review:

A delightful rom com about two people who appear perfect... but are hiding their real personalities and can spot the other... and possibly fall in love with one another. Otogi looks perfect to everyone around her, she's an angel to them... except thats what she wants you to think. Otogi is actually an extremely calculated, ruthless, and sharp person but has hidden it behind her mask... and then there's Toki, a fellow classmate who also appears to be the school's paragon of perfection... except he also has his own hidden personality. When Otogi accidentally reveals her real self to Toki and he reveals himself as well, he tells her that they are now "partners" in crime... but Otogi feels herself falling for the one person she definitely shouldn't be, and so begins this hilarious romance. This was such a cute start to the series and I will absolutely be reading the rest of the series! The art is gorgeous and the characters are so much fun. The romance is really soft and slow in the first book but I can't wait for it to pick up later on!

Release Date: February 11, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*