#The whole cast of ghost trick basically

[selena-the-undead-god-of-love]

sooooo I randomly decided to make a weird pseudo-sequel thingy to ghost trick for my own mind to handle the lack of official new ghost trick content. It all started with some thought experiments and has started to develop into an actual thing. Maybe at some point I'll talk about it more, but that's if anyone wants to hear about my insanity. But do know it takes place five years after the ending, and that I made OCs to act as the new cast and to make a new mystery, and it features the old cast as well. Idk I'm going fucking insane over this damn game so-

[spiderpussinc]

are the 2099 comics THAT bad in terms of racism plus other weird writing choices??? i'm starved for miguel content and would like to read the original comic run but i keep seeing the debate of the original comics being problematic and/or downright just BAD bad (not to mention miguel is supposed to have mexican heritage but he's straight up a white redhead lol)

Some people may disagree but speaking as a latinx writer; it's bad because it is racist, yes! On multiple fronts!! And beyond that, it's also bad as a complete failure of comics structure and compelling narrative.

Longpost, on readmore;

I say this as a long-time capeshit reader, as politely as possible: Miguel's comics are a *paycheck* book. As in; a series a writer does monthly to be paid for it, but with middling aspirations and downright negative characterization depending on where their mood is.

The first few issues of his 1992 run are relatively complete and well-balanced, may even trick you into thinking this story is going somewhere; but that's only because they're the /character pitch./ Ill skip to the end and tell you upfront. That 1992 series ends with the implosion of the whole "2099" line of comics (an universe that included other books, like ghost rider, doom, etc, by other writers) due to dwindling public interest and mass cancellations. The end of that run is basically meaningless, since the whole thing got retconned - and even before that a guest writer had came in and made mistaken character reveals pdavid wasnt happy with and wanted to erase before the finale. The event book that wrapped up that universe was unironically, literally called -- "2099: Manifest Destiny."

Now, I don't like Peter David's writing. I think he's obsessed with the idea of building harems out of his female characters (when he's not fridging them, or making them act ~crazy~ to further alienate them from the protagonist) and it is the kind of grueling, joyless reading experience I can only describe as making you feel Oily Inside. This goes as far as multiple stalking plotlines, the inclusion of a guest appearance from AU s/x slaver Hulk in later years, Miguel's mother being strongly implied to have been forced into conceiving him by his real dad who's the evil CEO of alchemax, general torture painporn. His broader supporting cast is so interchangeable and disposable that they were literally disposed of.

In terms of the racism; I have mentioned how he uses cultures as tokens and does 0 research whatsoever. The way it feels and the way it is deployed is through a lens of Exoticism - tourism. Miguels suit is allegedly "a dia de los muertos costume" b/c pdavid seems to think that holiday is mexican halloween. In the orig book, you'll see plenty of broken japanese and stereotypical orientalist caricatures - after killing his first love interest, pdavid introduces a japanese girl who is unironically, literally named "Xina" (that pretends to be chinese on occasion) to fill in the vacant role. Miguel himself falls right into all the usual latino stereotypes — short tempered, drug addict, sex magnet "latin lover" (this last one also applied to his brother Gabriel, who for the longest time is characterized by just Going Through A Lot Of Girlfriends). And it's kind of insane bc he's still being drawn as a deeply deeply white man, but not even that takes off the burden of the racial microagressions!!! They're the only times pdavid seems to remember that heritage! Then there's the commemorative hanging page. Since you mention the redheadedness; thats another insane thing to me. He has 0% of irish in him. His dad is Blond. Who is this man?

Most of the info in the 2099 run is either revealed to be a lie midway thru (miguel is not mr o'hara's son, nor addicted to rapture) or completely retconned away to be rewritten in new runs. Different writers have tried to come in and do miguel in other team/event books but frankly nothing stands out and most of them get marked as alternate-miguels. Unfortunately, every time marvel decided to give another shot at spider-man 2099 they also brought pdavid back. The newer books were never a success, and theyre just as filled w/ the garbage i mentioned earlier (wow! Steampunk spider-woman is given to pdavid for *ONE* issue and instantly tonguekisses gabriel before leaving, so novel. More fridging ensues. Stalking. Etc.) 2099 as an *universe* has been retconned so many times Nothing is consistent and Nothing is set on stone and frankly i think they should make it an AU separate from main canon and build a whole new world already.

The art in the 2015 + runs consists mostly of tracing, and more of that oily weird feeling applied to fem chars. Perhaps you have noticed in this entire hate review have never once spoken about Miguel's heroic plots and memorable villains --- he has none. At least nothing I can remember or distinguish. (Interchangeable, disposable, etc) There is a vague inkling of "this is an anti-stabilishment spiderman, he fights against The Public Eye, the Corporation Cops!" at the start but much like his cultural illiteracy pdavid has no real insightful politics commentary, so that dissolves into the background in time. Its all buzzwords. All of his plotlines are solved in circuitous or soap operaish extradrama ways; and while some of this is present in other superhero comics, what stands out to me MOST is how utterly fucking joyless Miguel's comics are. It's like going through a slog on obligation. They genuinely gave me a headache every time.

ATSV does a great job of reinventing Miguel and rebuilding the parts of him that showed real promise. Being a different tone-swapped spiderman, futuristic, being more on the tech-science side of crime fighting. Him being a single dad with a daughter is also new. (And he is single! There is no singular mention of marriage or a wife anywhere, he's a geneticist, multiple spider-men we see in this movie were literal clones made in tubes - i am fond of the idea he's a transmasc dad but even if you think he's cis he could have made that baby himself. Adoption is also always there.) I think its very clear ATSV didn't want to bring any of pdavids major weird shit w fem chars to the big screen on the hopes that miguel gets rebooted eventually. I think he's gay. Nobody can prove me wrong.

On that note, Steve Orlando (queer writer, also wrote for DC's midnighter/apollo) did some of the latest 2022/2023 Miguel miniseries. Another reboot! Those were "2099: Exodus" and "Spider-man 2099: Dark Genesis" - i think its campier/trying to tackle superhero plots more head on and trying to do something wide wacky cast focused at Marvel's personal request, but Miguel's future is very up in the air rn. I do really hope they reboot him into something closer to ATSV with latines at the center soon.

What I always reccomend for people curious abt miguel: read his first 3ish 1992 issues, get a general feel and close the book as soon as you feel annoyed. It won't get better. Remember none of it is canon nor has been relevant in over two decades. If you want to know the wider context of his messy chronology, check out some of the 2099 "all comics" type of youtube videos, theres some pretty easy to digest summarizations if u dont wanna waste ur time reading stuff that just got retconned again lol. Most writers now are operating on vibes and that is a freedom you should also allow yourself in your own fanwork.

Putting his panels out of context can be very funny though. (For further curiosity or tangents, there's always my meta tag)

[nickmaghighlights]

Nick Mag Highlights - Nick Mag Presents: Danny Phantom (Fall 2005)

Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here. Welcome back to my blog and the words that inhabit it. Today, Halloween comes early this year when we read through another exciting issue of Nickelodeon Magazine Presents, this time all about Danny Phantom. Boo! Trick-or-Treat! Deck the halls!

And not only is this edition of Nick Mag Highlights spooky, it’s also… pretty chill. Y’know? Just takin’ it easy, reading a handful of comics and probably a crossword puzzle or something. As much as I love researching the kind of stuff Nickelodeon Magazine includes in its articles, sometimes it’s nice to sit back and take things at face value and just see what the state of Nickelodeon was like at any given time, and these short-and-sweet issues of Nick Mag Presents are the perfect venue for just that.

But why exactly am I tackling this purportedly Halloween-themed issue in August? Well, mainly it’s because that new Danny Phantom graphic novel just came out… two weeks ago (oops). And I really enjoyed it! So I’ve since been in a big Danny Phantom mood lately. I even ended up re-watching the whole first season and had a blast doing so. This show was a real obsession of mine as a kid, so maybe this blog post is also a way for me to give it its dues.

This issue can be found online here, read along… if you dare!

Another Nick Mag Presents, another humorously wordy introduction. If you’re unfamiliar, basically all these Presents-styled issues have a panel on the first page with a character essentially advertising the book to you and talking about all the comics and activities included inside. This one here features Danny and an understandably perturbed ghost, for example. 

Since these issues were usually sold in stores as opposed to through a mail subscription, I suppose this is the issue’s way of hooking you in and explaining to you why you should buy it. I think a kid would probably be more inclined to just flip through the book and arrive at the same conclusion, but I guess this approach doesn’t hurt anybody.

But anyway, let’s see here… aw, only two wholly new comics? The Fairly Oddparents-themed issue I took a look at previously had five original comics. That’s a bummer, but at least we’ve still got variety… SpongeBob, My Life as a Teenage Robot, and The Wild Thornberrys, oh my! Even Tak makes an appearance here, two years before the premiere of his actual Nickelodeon cartoon, meaning this was an attempt to interest readers in the then-recently released video game: Tak 3: The Great Juju Challenge. Not sure if that worked.

And if you’ll take a look at that yellow, spiky bubble with words on the right there, this September 2005 issue is meant to coincide with the then-upcoming two episode-long Danny Phantom special, “The Ultimate Enemy”, which featured Danny taking on a more powerful version of himself from the future. Seems like the included removable poster is even themed around that very episode! Let’s just hope that poster is still left intact, eh?

So first up, we’ve got a page to get you up to speed on the main cast if you’re new to the show. It’s even got some new factoids for the already familiar superfans! For example: Did you know Sam is into anime? I sure didn’t.

Oh, and if you’re wondering where series villain Vlad Masters is, don’t worry, they go over him later on in the book.

On the right you’ll find an easy if not slightly amusing word puzzle, which tasks you with solving questions where each answer contains the word boo. Simple enough for a kid while still being worth the time, methinks.

Although all the stock ghost art on the page gets me wondering, how come most of the ghosts in the show manifest as typical-looking cartoon ghosts while others manifest in a human form? I guess maybe it comes down to the strength of your spirit. Who’s to say?

You’ve met the characters, now it’s time to meet the voices behind them! I’ll always take a side of interviews with my Nickelodeon Magazine, and this is no exception. The questions are cute, and I had fun reading them. Not much to say.

So we’re finally here at the first comic of the issue, and… not really a fan of this one! Yeah, sorry to start this retrospective off on a sour note but this isn’t really doing it for me. The main villain of this one is Youngblood, who already isn’t exactly one of my favorite villains from the series. But here they’ve got him and all the other characters stuck in a pretty by-the-numbers plot where Danny and co. get stuck babysitting the brat while he tries to maim them, with them of course unable to fight back lest they face the wrath of his parents (who are humongous lizard monsters, for some reason). 

If you’re even a little familiar with cartoons you’ve probably already seen quite a few takes on this formula already. And even if you like Youngblood as a character they don’t have him doing his usual pirate shtick he’s remembered for, so I’m not sure what anyone is getting out of this, really. What's especially not helping is that this goes on for ten pages, further dragging out an already tired concept. 

So there you have it, I guess. Done-to-death story with accordingly done-to-death jokes, a lame villain, and about two pages of action. I will say though, Danny and Tucker’s babysitting poster on page 2 did get a smile out of me, at least.

You’ve met the characters, and you’ve also met the voices behind them, now it’s time to meet… the rest of the characters! The villain ones! These guys really made the show for me, cause the team behind the show really just seemed to understand the assignment and made all of them really unique and memorable.

So we can see they’ve been ranked in terms of how dangerous they all are, which is a fun idea. ‘Course you’ve got Vlad at the top of, but then there’s Technus just behind him? I can’t say I remember him being notably more dangerous than any of the other baddies, I’m fairly certain he gets swept up at the end of his specific episode just like all the rest. I’m pretty sure Valerie gave Danny a bigger run for his money, and she’s down at #3.

Woah now, I’m starting to scrutinize the power levels of cartoon characters. Cartoon characters from a show I haven’t even fully watched all the way through since I was a kid, no less. Better put a stop to that before it gets ugly.

Cool little cartoons on the left there, that one on the top right is properly devious and I’m all for it. All the art is quite lovely too.

The right is… well, it’s Mad Libs, there’s no other way around it. Y’know the Mad Libs website refers to itself as “the world’s greatest word game” but I seriously think they need to take that up with Scrabble, or hell, even Hangman. Yeah I was never a big fan of this kind of fill-in-the-blanks stuff, but I guess it’s a pretty inoffensive activity to include.

Check out Danny’s dad rocking that emo hair.

And now we’ve made it to the second and last new comic for the issue, and unfortunately it’s only a two-pager. But hey, if my thoughts on the previous ten-page comic said anything, it was that I prefer quality over quantity. And this one is… okay. It’s funny enough, does what all it needs to with the concept, and it definitely doesn’t overstay its welcome. I’m again surprised by the lack of action in both of these comics, considering Danny Phantom is an action show, after all, but it’s not like the show wasn’t a comedy either, so it’s not that weird.

I guess while we’re here I could nitpick it a bit. The lineart here courtesy of series creator Butch Hartman* is a bit wonky at times. There’s the aforementioned emo hair Danny’s dad is wearing, but my main gripe is that dog robot just doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the artstyle. It being the only new original character design for this comic as well doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me. I guess the team was fine with whatever Hartman drew because he made the show after all, so surely he knows what he’s doing, right?*

*Insert obligatory comment about how much of a loser Butch Hartman is here.

Just want to give a shoutout to this pretty creative puzzle here. It actually stumped me a little when I first read it! Those monster designs are pretty entertaining too. Solid activity overall.

Next up it’s an installment of Sam Shade, which was a short-lived recurring series in Nickelodeon Magazine. Apparently the series ran from 2002 to 2005, so this may be one of the last times a Sam Shade comic was ever printed in a Nick Magazine. 

These comics mainly consist of the titular Detective Sam Shade trying to solve some mystery, sleuthing around the area in a series of detailed, wordy scenes. Likewise, you as the reader are as well tasked with scouring the pages for clues to help deduce the culprit. Each panel here smoothly moves into the next, making for something like a Where’s Waldo puzzle but with an actual narrative. It’s a really good idea! A shame this series didn’t last longer.

Hey, is that Carl from Jimmy Neutron on the bottom right there?

Pretty nice My Life as a Teenage Robot comic here. Although that’s kind of unfortunate in a way, since that means I haven’t got much to talk about! It’s pretty much a 1-to-1 translation from animation to comic here. The artstyle and writing are both on point, it’s all just in a shorter, more paper-y format.

I wonder why the aliens’ speech bubble has flowers in it. Is that a theater reference, maybe?

The design of these fiery aliens are particularly awesome - simple but effective. I’m surprised they used such a cool design in a comic that was going to be seen by way less people as opposed to using it in the cartoon. Man, this show is so cool, even its supplementary media is stylish!

But anyway, do you want to know how this story ends? Read it yourself!

Ohh man, I distinctly remember this comic. I don’t remember what issue of Nickelodeon Magazine this one is sourced from, but whichever one it was, I had it. The story’s nothing to write home about really, It's another take on the age old tale of “Squidward yells at SpongeBob and Patrick for doing something annoying, so they inadvertently ruin his life”. Squidward must have a really good lawyer for him to be able to bounce back from all the crap SpongeBob and Pat get him into.

This version of the usual story has S. Bob and P. Rick making a cake in Squidward’s image. Mr. Krabs ends up mistaking it for the real Squidward, bringing it to the Krusty Krab, and having it run the cash register, obviously to disastrous results. It’s all pretty par for the course, and there’s some funny lines to be had.

Weirdly though, unless I’m blind, I can’t seem to find any credits for this one. Not in the comic itself or at the back of the book. I’m pretty sure the artist(s) behind this one did more SpongeBob SquarePants comics though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the same writing team had a hand in them too. I distinctly remember one where all the characters turn into desserts. Or maybe it was an alternate universe where they’re all desserts? Something like that. Maybe I’ll find it and cover it on this blog someday!

And up next, it’s a Wild Thornberrys comic of all things (said with feigned surprise, having read the table of contents moments ago). And I’m just now realizing none of these comics have anything to do with ghosts, or horror, really. Quite the magazine you’ve got just in time for October, Nickelodeon!

But hey, it’s not right to judge a piece of art specifically by the context in which it is presented. Especially when it was originally published in a magazine that likely came out years earlier, probably not even around the month of October. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that, even when it comes to filling the pages of a magazine.

This comic is especially cool, anyway, as you can no doubt tell from its distinct shakeup in style!

The story has Eliza receiving some gifts from her Japanese friend, Mayumi (who was probably in the show, presumably), one of those gifts being a homemade manga. And while I’m not exactly an expert on the Japanese arts, I certainly find this art convincing and really appreciate the attention to detail. I bet any kids that were fans of manga around this time must have felt pretty seen to have one of their hobbies referenced in a rather unlikely place, and with such attention to detail no less.

One thing I can also appreciate is that this story really isn’t something they could have pulled off in the show itself (unless they studio really wanted to have an anime-themed episode and go through the undertaking of doing an episode in an entirely different, foreign animation style all on their usual budget), so overall this is a really fun idea done quite flawlessly. My only gripe is we don’t get to see a manga-styled Nigel Thornberry, but what can you do?

Oh boy, the Tak comic, cool. Now, I know these games have their fans, but I can’t say I’m one of them. I did watch the show a bit though, but I’ve heard it has nothing to do with the games, so I guess that makes me rather unprepared to tackle this two-page comic on an intellectual, researched level. I will say though that I think the Sam Shade comic from earlier pulled off this style of free-flowing, no-panel storytelling to a much greater effect. The amount of Taks they threw around the page makes it feel really busy and cramped, and they had to essentially remove the second character Tak is traveling with from the story since I guess they were strapped for page space.

But yeah, the colors are nice at least, and Tak media is especially hard to come by nowadays, so I suppose if I were more into the property, I might be more into this.

Last comic of the day, and it’s Jimmy Neutron. At least this one kinda fits the theme, I mean, aliens are almost in the same horror-league as vampires, zombies, ghosts, and all that. This is a pretty quality one to end off the book with, and in regards to Jimmy Neutron, this is one of the better ways these characters have been translated to 2D. Although the incredibly warm colors and harsh shadows throw me for a loop. Pretty good overall!

Before we wrap things up, I would like to mention that advert for The Nicktoons Film Festival on the right. I totally forgot these used to be a thing! From 2004 to 2009 Nickelodeon hosted a film festival and let viewers vote for their favorite animated short, along with letting proper animation people who know what they’re talking about vote on their favorites, too. Lots of great up-and-coming cartoonists took part in these festivals. This one in 2005 actually featured a short by J. G. Quintel that eventually was used as a basis for his own Cartoon Network show, Regular Show! You can check the short out below:

Neat bit of history there, yeah?

Even though I’m still a bit disappointed this issue didn’t include more original content, I still think this ended up being a fairly entertaining walk down memory lane. And hey, I hope you had a good time too. I’m doubly disappointed, however, that the archive of this issue didn’t come with that tear-out poster! Now we’ll never see it in its full hi-def glory.

As always, thanks for stopping by and checking out another bit of Nick history with me. Have yourself a good one, and I’ll see you all next time!

[lemon-dokuro]

Ikigusare - Oiwa-san Rock

The song, the lyrics (with an english translation by me) and some commentary are below.

Japanese, directly from the subtitles in the video:

映画 お芝居やるのなら お参りしないと祟られる お名前 口にするのなら 敬称つけぬと祟られる

そんな猛烈な呪い お江戸の時代から 今この現代まで ずっと続いてるなんて

なんて凄まじい情念でしょう なんて素晴らしい怨念でしょう どうすれば貴方様のようになれるのかしら 誰か私に毒を盛って

鏡の前 髪をすくと ズルリ ゴッソリ 抜け落ちる ご遺体 釘付けされた 戸板 川に浮かび上がる

そんな恐ろしい場面 ひどく陰惨な場面 そんな時も貴方様 お美しいのですね

なんて凄まじい情念でしょう なんて素晴らしい怨念でしょう どうすれば貴方様のようになれるのかしら 誰か私に毒を盛って

なんて凄まじい情念でしょう なんて素晴らしい怨念でしょう どうすれば貴方様のようになれるのかしら 誰か私に毒を盛って English:

Filming a movie, writing a play, Visit her grave, or you'll get cursed. Saying her name, Address her properly, or you'll get cursed.

Such a powerful malediction, dating back to the Edo times, They say it still goes strong to this day.

Such great passion, isn't it? Such wonderful hatred, isn't it? Ah, what must I do to become like you? Somebody, give me that poison!

In front of the mirror, you're combing your hair. It's so loose that it falls out completely. A corpse nailed to a board Rises to the river's surface.

What a horrific scene, what a scene of terrible despair. Even in such a moment, you are more beautiful than ever...

Such great passion, isn't it? Such wonderful hatred, isn't it? Ah, what must I do to become like you? Somebody, give me that poison!

Such great passion, isn't it? Such wonderful hatred, isn't it? Ah, what must I do to become like you? Somebody, give me that poison!

Commentary (explaination + personal thoughts):

Obviously, this is referencing Yotsuya Kaidan, a classic japanese ghost story and kabuki play. I suggest reading or watching a retelling of the story to get the whole context. This is what you'll need to know to understand the lyrics... Basic: Oiwa is the main character of Yotsuya Kaidan. The story isn't very consistent between its different versions, but the gist is that her husband Iemon betrays her and her family in several ways, mainly by killing her father and then having an affair with a different woman. That woman later poisons Oiwa so that Iemon can marry her instead. When Oiwa dies, she becomes a vengeful spirit and torments Iemon. This is a very basic summary of her part in the story. Verse 1: There's a belief that when making an adaptation of Yotsuya Kaidan, be it a movie or a stage play, the cast, crew and other creators should visit Oiwa-san's grave and shrine and ask her to bless their production, lest her curse befall them. The part about adressing her properly isn't anything I recognise, but I imagine you'd have to be pretty polite when talking to a vengeful spirit who may curse you. Bridge 1: The story is set in the Joukyou era (~1684-1688) and loosely based on an incident that happened in the Genroku era (~1688-1704), which are eras in the Edo period (1603-1868). The play was written in 1825. Chorus: Oiwa was tricked into disfiguring herself with a poisonous facial cream. That's the poison being sung about. Because of it, her eyes started drooping and her hair partially fell out, among other things. Her disfigured face is particularly iconic, especially how Iemon kept seeing it everywhere after her death. Verse 2: Lines 1-2: In the play and in adaptations, there is usually a scene of Oiwa combing her hair in front of a mirror and it falling out from the poison. From what I know, the scene is a tragic and horrific play on a type of sexy fan-service scene in kabuki plays where a beautiful woman combs her long hair. Lines 3-4: When Oiwa eventually dies (either from the poison, from despair or from both), her body is nailed to a board and dumped into a river by her husband. Later, when he's trying to fish, he catches her, nailed to that board.

Anyway, I really like this song. It sounds gentle and romantic, even though it really isn't. I like the traditional japanese feel it has despite (to my knowledge) not having any straightforwardly traditional musical elements. Ikigusare is kind of hit-or-miss for me musically, but when it's a hit, that song quickly becomes one of my favourites. The lyrics are rather nice and well-written, though I can't help but feel like some of them are pretty generic. The visuals, though, are spectacular every time and I have nothing bad to say about them. The low-poly music videos add so much surrealism and mistique to the songs, a lot of which wouldn't be very remarkable in a different entourage. The girls' stilted dancing and position switching only adds to that surreal feeling. The girls themselves have amazing designs, very simple and striking. The one-two-three eyes pattern, their image colours being very basic and distinct (RGB, literally), their constantly changing themed outfits and the unique slightly grotesque twist on a common idol persona look that each girl has make them work very well as a unit, especially a horror-themed one. Overall, a rather interesting group/artist. I have at least four Ikigusare songs that I want to translate and post. I'll do it at some point in the near future if nobody beats me to it.

[doctorstrangereview]

Strange Tales #160

Cover Date: September 1967 On-Sale Date: June 1, 1967

This issue gives us the return of Baron Mordo who has been mostly absent for over a year. The series does maintain some continuity as Mordo is still wearing his strange onesie over his bodysuit costume. Raymond Marais takes over writing duties starting this issue. I don't know who he is, but he seems to have a number of stories credited to him in the Grand Comics Database. Ms. Severin retains the art chores. And, toward the end, we see the return of another character from the very early days.

Doc is the midst of a throng of Mordo's new minions. Their rather dull robes, all identical, are a very good match for the walls of their cavern they occupy. Doc is like "Buzz off minions, I need to talk to the manager!"

Doc informs Mordo that the Ancient One was stoned (ha!) to death and now I've got his goodies. This makes Mordo made and he threatens to obliterate Doc. So nothing new here. Mordo attacks Doc who sweeps him aside with a gesture further enraging Mordo. Doc attempts to explain the whole Living Tribunal situation even showing a neat image of the Sands of Death hourglass ticking away at Stonehenge. Mordo is unconvinced. Mordo tries a few more tricks then says Uncle. But he hasn't given up, but has his minions attack Doc en masse.

The minions attack as they shout their rather uninspired threats. Because they're pretty uncoordinated they don't provide much of a challenge to Doc.

Doc grabs the guy in the turban from last issue is the instigator of all this bother. He carries him away as Mordo attempts to reassert his control of the minion rabble. Meanwhile, in a dark corner of the cave system, Doc strips the turban dude of his newfound powers and sends him back home. The turban dude, apparently, was the nexus of control for the minion rabble.

As Mordo regains control, and we see a mysterious woman complain, Doc makes a dramatic entrance.

Then Doc casts a dramatic spell over the throng of new minions.

Finally, Doc forces Mordo's ghost out of his body.

Doc explains the whole Living Tribunal situation again to Mordo. He reunites Mordo's ghost with his body. Mordo now turns back into a cowering, quaking bumbler who now wants nothing more than to leave the planet before Trib-y wipes it out. Doc responds by freezing Mordo and basically saying "Won't help me? If I die, so do you!" Doc then makes the mistake of removing the evil influence from one of Mordo's new minions and forces it into Mordo. Of course, instead of Doc's intended effect, it makes him stronger. A brief interlude reveals the identity of the mysterious woman. Victoria Bently, whom Doc rescued after being nasty to a cab driver for no reason, has returned!

Mordo agrees to help Doc and together they exorcise the remaining minions. Mordo absorbs all this extra power with the expected response.

The empowered Mordo strikes down Doc.

I think Raymond Marais did a pretty decent job on his first story, continuing a plot started by Roy Thomas. Aside from shoehorning in Victoria Bentley into the mix and revealing her identity in a very awkward manner, the story flows well. Mordo actually appears formidable until his natural cowardice takes over. And once he gains additional power he's all arrogant again. Truly a whatever way the wind blows villain. It's a good setup for what is to come. Victoria's introduction into the story may not have been graceful, but she's got a major role to play in the upcoming months. Now Mordo really needs to loose the onesie.

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 41 - Into The Riverlands by Nghi Vo

This is the third novella I’ve read because it got a Hugo nomination, and the first that I’d probably have eventually gotten around to reading anyway. I’m generally a fan of Vo’s work, and the first two volumes of the Singing Hill Cycle have been great bite-sized comfort reads. This one basically continues that tradition; I’m frankly not super sure it deserves a nomination to the most prestigious award in the genre? But it was a really fun read to spread out over a couple days, and it’s hardly the worst offender in that regard anyway.

The book’s the third in the series, but they’re episodic enough that you could probably read them in any order with no real loss. The story follows Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant, their talking bird with an eidetic memory, as the pair journeys across the Riverlands. Which are basically wuxia-land, a region of steep hills and river values full of monsters, bandit clans, and marital sects whose practitioners have superhuman powers. Chih, a cleric of the Singing Hills monastery, has a holy duty to collect the stories and histories of wherever they travel, and the novella follows them travelling alongside some of those marital practitioners and listening to (and living through) their stories.

The previous two books were mostly built around Chih learning a specific story, with the circumstances of them learning it being more of a framing device and way to introduce some fun unreliable narration. Into the Riverlands feels like it reverses that. You see it even just looking at the titles of the series – The Empress of Salt and Fortune and When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain refer to the stories Chih is hearing, Into the Riverlands is what they’re doing. Not that they don’t still spend quite a lot of time listening to stories, but they’re digressions in or parts of the present narrative, not the reason for it.

Having multiple shorter stories relayed by different tellers lets the book lean much harder into having fun with unreliably narrators, even more than Tiger did (though, being entirely honest, on an aesthetic level I kind of have more fun with the different people arguing over how to tell the same story in Tiger). Different folktales which turn out to be about the same people, or the same tale with a different cast depending on whose telling, or someone with a half dozen different names and personalities depending on just how they appear. It’s a fun trick, honestly. And having fun with how reputations and legends mutate and change is just about the only sort of story about stories and the power of narrative I can easily stomach these days.

It’s never really explored or made a point of, but as a worldbuilding note I do rather love how ‘Clerics’ (vaguely Buddhist monks, aesthetically) as a class are socially agender? I saw a post a bit back describing another series’ setting as ‘playing with genders like lego blocks’ and like, yes, good. I love books with gender systems that aren’t just points on a scale between ‘ultraviolent gigapatriarchy’ and ‘suspiciously identical to consensus 2020s feminism’. Have some fun with it.

I’m not sure how much of it was the change in setting and how much of it was just that I came into this off reading some actual literature, but it does definitely feel like the setting is getting more sort of exaggerated and fantastical with each book? Salt and Fortune had magic and mammoths and ghosts, but the drama was all court intrigue and conspiracies. Tiger introduced, well, tigers, and generally monsters and heroes that operate on a superhuman scale and getting into mythic hero bloodbaths over their passions. And now Riverlands has a whole region where wandering superheroes are a load bearing part of society. Not really a complaint, but it’s an interesting change over time.

Relatedly – look, I know it is fifty percent the name ‘the riverlands’ and fifty percent the game being my first exposure to anything like the whole genre and trope-bundle, but I will admit that when the Riverlands’ whole deal became clear my first thought was 100% ‘oh, like Exalted!’.

It is kind of interesting to compare the Singing Hills stories to Vo’s other work (thinking here specifically of her 20th century urban fantasy stuff: Chosen and the Beautiful and Siren Queen). Not even with regard to theme or subject or genre or anything – just in terms of prose. Her urban fantasy stuff’s just very fond of poetic flourishes and very imagery/metaphor-heavy narration, which I personally usually quite enjoy but have heard mixed reviews from others (and does get a bit purple even for me at points). The Singing Hills stuff by contrast is, well, certainly not minimalist or anything, but the prose is a much less striking part of the reading experience.

Probably just a matter of being epic versus urban fantasy, but the role of the supernatural elements in the two sets of stories is also kind of interesting. By which I mean – in Riverlands, there are martial adepts with superhuman abilities and talking birds because it’s the kind of setting with stuff like that, and Chih’s interactions with them are, basically, a person interacting with things that exist. In Siren and Chosen the devils and fae and sorcery are much more weighed down with symbolism and thematic meaning. They are literalized metaphors as much as anything else, and affect the world accordingly. (If that makes any sense at all.)

Anyways, it’s probably just the fact that it’s my brains central case for ‘self contained episodic stories with a single recurring protagonist’, but even more than the rest of the series I was really struck reading this how well the pacing would work as an episode of a 40-minute or so animated tv serial. (animated because being able to change styles in the story-within-a-story section and stylize depending on the narrator would be a vital part). Which is, I suppose, another way of saying that I want another 12-19 of these things.

[youngerfrankenstein]

force you say something nice... how about game recommendations! Or just games you like?

You got me into ghost trick, psychonauts and to finish the great ace attorney! Currently go through the curious village again thanks to you as well!

You got great taste in games!

Oh! Interesting :D

(Which reminds me I really need to get back to Bug Fables it was really cute I’ve just been doing a lot of game-hopping recently 😅 Which is nice in its own way!)

Hmm. I’ll try to think of games a liiiittle less well known.

First off!

Shadow Hearts is a bit of a strange game in that it is both one of the most stereotypical JRPG’s ever made and one of the most distinctive (at least from what I’ve seen)

A lot of this comes from the setting; Europe shortly before WW1. Albeit in a world very different from the one we live in, since this one has quite a few more monsters. In fact it takes quite a bit from the horror genre, and a lot of its enemy encounters are pretty horrific. The whole game is a blend of creepy and silly, which could easily go bad but it balances them pretty well! The game also plays fast and loose with real historical events and people (one of your party members is technically Mata Hari. No really.) And you travel around fighting demons and trying to protect a young woman being pursued for unknown reasons. (Like I said, JRPG.)

The combat system is also pretty neat! Basically every character and ability hits based on button presses timed to a line swinging around a ring:

Closer to the edge gets you more damage but also if you wait too long you miss the hit. Sort of a risk/reward thing. There are also a bunch of debuffs and items that mess with the ring which can make things easier or harder for you. You also have to manage Sanity Points, which go down every turn and can be used on abilities, but if you run out that character becomes incapacitated.

That’s not even mentioning the music, which is… I’ve heard it described as a mix of Final Fantasy’s music and Silent Hill’s. Somehow both melodic and discordant, but definitely interesting. I may replay this in October actually, it’s a good spooky season game.

There’s definitely some humour that.. isn’t great as well. (Oh boy! I sure do love pervert jokes!)

It’s technically a follow-up to the game Koudelka, and a couple of characters from there show up here. But it’s its own thing and not necessary to play that one at all. I haven’t, though I may try someday. From what I gather it’s a surprisingly well-written and well-acted game with an ungodly mashup of turn-based combat and survival horror for gameplay. There are also two sequels. I’ve played the first which… I still mostly enjoyed. But while I know a lot of people like it better I was not particularly fond of how it went much farther into silly territory and less creepy (though the spider made of human fingers was a neat boss) and as much as I LOVE Joachim and find it funny to have Anastasia Romanov on the team the cast felt weaker. I have not played the third and I hear it is bad.

There is also a spiritual successor coming out… sometime (supposedly next year) called Penny Blood and I’m curious how that will turn out. But overall I really like this one!

Next!

…I am going to be honest, I still do not really understand a lot of the story with this one. It’s here on atmosphere alone.

You play as Ashley Riot, sent in to a dead town to take out a cult and what follows is… something of a hack-n-slash dungeon crawler, but a more slow and methodical one. Part of the game involves crafting your own weapons from the ones you find to best exploit enemy weaknesses and getting your timing right. It is not perhaps the most spectacular, but it can be satisfying.

But you really do play it for the atmosphere. The Shakespeare references, the melodramatic tone, the unsettling feel of the town.

It’s also technically set in Ivalice but that doesn’t really play into anything.

Next!

If I’m being honest, this is a really basic game. With basic gameplay. …But it has SO much charm! You play as a gang of Sky Pirates! Who find a mysterious girl and set off to find out why she had been captured. Again very much genre staples but dang if they ain’t being adhered to with joy. The characters are loveable, the palette colourful and the music lovely! It just feels like a nice world to be in.

You probably won’t be in for much of a surprise, but you’ll probably have fun.

I will say that personally I found the airship battles could get a little slow, but they are there to break things up a bit and, I mean, if you emulate it… (it’s uh. Expensive.) And at least on GameCube the skip button for specials is holding down “z” and you WILL be using it.

Also side note that the GameCube version has some stuff added, including most of the backstory for one of the game’s main villains. So maybe go for that one.

Also!

While I know you’re familiar with this one, still briefly bringing it up.

Don’t play this game while you’re depressed.

The gameplay is kind of neat in how it takes elements from shoot-em-ups in that you have to dodge waves of projectiles while hitting back (albeit much easier) but really this is a game carried by its main characters. The core group are just, really enjoyable to watch, even as worse and worse things happen to them and they do worse and worse things. You want to see them get through things even though this is very much a world where EVERYTHING FUCKING SUCKS. Also some very neat meta writing!

It’s odd because I normally hate things like this. Really bleak tones just lead to me not caring and if characters drop like flies why should I invest in them? …And yet.

But mostly I wanted to bring it up because I’m like 80% convinced that Papa Nier and Monkey from Enslaved: Odyssey to the West have the same character model. That one is a game which I’ll only really recommend to people who want to see Ninja Theory’s earlier work but it’s alright.

Lastly YES! The game propaganda is working >:D (I’m really flattered you think my taste in games is good!!!)

Edit: GRANDIA!

Honestly similar comments to Skies of Arcadia it’s just very fun and colourful!

[prying-pandora666]

Nice to see you here, especially after all the work you put to give Azula justice on other platforms. You could even say you are Azula's aunt, you know, the kind who keeps visiting and bringing freshly baked cakes, and some other goodies, then telling how great niece she has... then you both proceed to dominate the world by being completely badass while looking fabulous.

Stay awesome and keep doing the great work.

Also since I like puns, I have to tell you are basically a walking pun, interesting choice naming yourself Pundora, by the way, or is is Pun Dora?

And since this is supposed to be an "ask", here is a question: do you play video games? And if you do, what kind of games do you think Azula would play?

Hello!!! Great to meet you! Thanks for the message.

That is the highest compliment. Thank you for holding down the fort here! I have to say it’s given me a lot of comfort to see there are like-minded fans who just want Azula to catch a break!

I would LOVE to make Azula sweets and give her some comfort! I actually have an Etsy shop where I make ATLA-themed ice creams and teas. The Azula tea is one of my favorites: luxurious, sweet, spiced, and soothing. I’d make her sweets with this tea and hope it would help her have a moment of peace.

(Azula’s Princess Chai. Actual picture from my shop. No artificial colors or flavors)

How’d you read me so accurately!? You have some Azula-level eyes there. Seeing my whole history behind my posts! Haha.

I am obsessed with puns so I think that’s punderful! One might even say it’s funtastic!

I do play video games! On occasion I act or cast for indie games, but as for what I like to play myself?

Growing up my favorite series was Zelda. Oot, MM, WW, LA, all left a huge impact on me, as did the Ace Attorney games. If I had to pick a favorites, it might have to be Ghost Trick for being the best mystery story ever!

As for Azula, the obvious answer would be a battle strategy game, but I think she might want a break from what she does every day. I think she’d really enjoy the beauty of Okami, as well as the theme of helping a fallen goddess regain her power and rediscover her true self. It might speak to her after her breakdown.

Thanks for the lovely message! That’s an insta-follow.

[thesoulspulse]

Danny Phantom Randomness (Blood Red Huntress)

It just occurred to me today that since Valerie is portrayed as an antagonist against Danny Phantom and ghosts as a whole, she was never given a full on “evil” version of herself like the rest of the main cast. We’ve basically got Dan, Plant Sam, and Pharaoh Tuck, but apart from that Valerie never got the chance to have some fun as a full on villain. Of course, there were some minor hints of some sort of corruption going on with Valerie in the second to last episode of the series when she tricks Dani into becoming bait so she could capture Danny, revealing that she’s starting to enjoy being a powerful ghost hunter which meant this wasn’t about getting revenge against him anymore. And to make matters worse Valerie had no reservations about torturing him to make him tell her everything he knows about ghosts and the Ghost Zone either.

Personally I would have loved to see some kind of interaction between Valerie and the future version of herself from Dan’s timeline or, better yet, maybe a brand new Valerie could show up unexpectedly from a timeline where she’s the founder of an even more dangerous group of ghost hunters than the Guys in White. Maybe she even took Vlad down in that timeline just like she promised to at the very end of D-Stabilized:

“Vlad Masters is Vlad Plasmius?! Phantom was right all along! And all this time I’ve been doing all his dirty work! Well, not anymore. Better watch out, Vlad… ‘cause one of the ghosts I’m hunting now is you!”

As for the main conflict here, maybe the alternate Valerie plans to invade the Ghost Zone to personally get rid of as many ghosts as possible which she can’t do without a working Ghost Portal and the only two she knows of are in the past since they were genetically locked or outright destroyed somehow in her own. Or it would have been cool to see Valerie slowly start to realize her battle suit upgrade has literally begun to infect her mind with another power-hungry ghost persona created when Technus gave it to her. That’s something I’ve seen a lot in the phandom. And lastly, if you haven’t already guessed from the post title has something to do with Blood Blossoms...

Before you ask, no, its not exactly like a Plant Sam scenario where she gains plant powers since I don’t want to make them too similar. No, the idea here is for there to be some kind of accident with some mixture either Valerie or her father is working on in Axion Labs where the main ingredient is Blood Blossoms and it causes some kind of unique anti-ghost mutation. Borrowing a bit of inspiration from my Necromancer oc, Owen Ravenwood, perhaps her blood becomes toxic to ghosts meaning she's now more or less a human Specter Deflector.

She can’t control plants or anything but what Valerie CAN do is transfer her power into any object or person to shield them from anything consisting of ecto-energy, blocking their effects and causing immense pain to the attacking ghost. This would create some great drama between her and Danny if he had no choice but to avoid Valerie because being around her makes him feel sick. Valerie wouldn’t have to rely on the battle suit anymore either since those anti-ghost powers are now a part of her thanks to that mysterious Blood Blossom serum.

Anyways, these are just a few ideas I thought of and I’d love to hear what you guys think! Maybe I’ll even draw one of the concepts eventually! But until then, hope you liked the post!

[applejuiceyjuice-art]

what type of pokemom would the main cast be? im curious on which you think tumblr would be

these are partially based on the type specialties and partner pokemon i assigned them:

tumblr - mr. rime (LOL) ok how about alolan ninetales? it’s a pokemon that lives alone and is vindictive, and it’s an ice type which i think could suit tumblr for how rude and closed off he is to others.

twitter - altaria (clouds get stormy when angry) for the blue version. maybe could be changed into honchkrow or just another version of altaria for the rebrand. I think altaria is looks welcoming and kind, but we can make it turn scary when angered. it’s still a dragon type, after all.

amino - mimikyu since andy says it relates heavily to it, basically its whole deal is similar to amino’s

discord - rotom. i like it being a ghost/electric type which both suit discord and being able to change its form and literally be a communication device (rotom phone)

twitch - i wanted to say mawile bc i wanted mega mawile as her ace but i actually like morpeko being electric, cute, but also two faced with half n half colors. idk if im satisfied w saying thats the definitive one she would be, but its hard to find a single pokemon i think fits perfectly…

youtube - floatzel bc its sooo cool and he wears pool floaties in the water. he was assigned water type n i actually do not know why, maybe bc he’s laid back? but he definitely seems like he could be a beach trainer. alternatively, he could be fire, and then i could say he could be a cinderace n show off with soccer tricks instead of surfing tricks.

TikTok - roserade because it has the red and blue roses, reference to tiktok live, and its a poison type for tiktok poisoning ur brain lol

instagram - gardevoir because its refined, pretty, and it can sense emotions like how instagram is kind of an “empath” herself. the psychic type is for her knowing a lot about everyone which, combined with the empath stuff and being good at talking to people, makes it seem like she reads your mind.

ao3 - bewear is sort of the opposite of ao3’s appearance. he is a strong, stoic, loner type who has a fondness for sweets and romance. the normal typing is the same as wikipedia, being librarians, and the fighting type is for his strictness and literal strength.

wikipedia - girafarig because its a normal type which is the most neutral type and it’s a psychic type for his inquisitive nature.

kik - tyranitar shares the same color scheme as it and i think rock/dark suits kik as a rough, abrasive person who mostly acts out of her own self interests.

4chan - tinkaton because she wants to appear cute and girlish but also can’t help being negative and aggressive or rude to others. she would like a giant hammer to hit people with, right?

reddit - clodsire, but galarian stunfisk special mention for r/stunfisk. i wanted to make him a ground type trainer in a pokemon au, and clodsire is so unassuming and squishy and nice :) reddit comes off as an ernest friendly person, but i can also see the poison type being for the more toxic forms of engagement they might partake in.

bonus:

quotev- absol, especially mega absol. its the poster child for half angel half devil ocs and edgy girls everywhere…

wattpad - alolan raichu mainly because of the color scheme and upbeat nature

twitch as a champion sketch bc im indecisive and she needs a whole ass multi type team:

[cagemasterfantasy]

Phantom Ranking (5e)

Guide

1=useless

2=often useful

3=sometimes useful

4=perfect

Whispers of the Dead 4 the ability to pick up a proficiency on short notice is incredibly useful. If you can combine this with other buffs like Enhance Ability and Guidance you can get around nearly any skill-based or tool-based challenge if you have time to prepare. Most of the time you can leave this on a low-importance skill proficiency but most tools won’t come up unless you’ve got time for a short rest. No one is going to ambush you and ask you to break out the Brewer’s Tools and make them some beer

Wails from the Grave 2 starts very slow (1d6 twice a day) but ramps up exponentially as your Sneak Attack damage and your Proficiency Bonus increase. The damage is Necrotic which is rarely resisted and it’s automatic provided that you made a successful Sneak Attack so it’s great for enemies that may be difficult to hit. Even as it gains in power you don’t want to throw this around needlessly. You’ll never get more than 6 uses (not counting Tokens of the Departed) and they’ll never deal more than 5d6 damage so you need to be strategic

Tokens of the Departed 4 I love everything about this feature. The theme is cool the mechanic is fun the resource pool is appropriately limited but easy to restore and the benefits are fun thematically appropriate, and really good. You get three benefits at level 9 but at level 13 you can recharge Ghost Walk with a trinket and at level 17 you wake up from longs rests with a free soul trinket. The first benefit is without doubt the best of the 3 and it’s good enough that you should nearly always keep a Soul Trinket handy. Advantage on Constitution saves isn’t quite as good as proficiency but it’s close. Unfortunately Phantom doesn’t need to worry about Concentration unless you take Magic Initiate or Multiclass so you don’t get to wave your token around every time you cast a Concentration spell. The second benefit helps with Wails of the Grave and it’s easily your most frequent way to spend trinkets. Wails from the Grave is a decent bit of damage by this level matching what a spellcaster can do with many cantrips. However the Proficiency Bonus usage limit won’t get you far so you can destroy a trinket to get a free bit of damage. Every time you think “is a new trinket worth my Reaction right now?” remember that it’s a small pile of easy necrotic damage when you need it later. The third benefit is basically Speak with Dead, but you only get 1 question. Otherwise it has all the same problems where the subject can be vague misleading or otherwise unhelpful. Very situational but if you can somehow make it work it’s excellent. This also has a curious edge case where the creature which allowed you to produce the token might be alive again especially in cases where your allies die and a raised from the dead. You might use this to ask a question of a creature who is currently alive leading to hilarious situations where the ghostly apparition of a living creature appears in the same room as that creature only to say something totally unhelpful before disappearing. The one flaw in the whole thing is that it falls prey to the classic Bag of Rats trick. You can kill any creature to generate a new Soul Trinket so if you have a bag of rats or access to other easily-expendable creatures you can kill them out of combat to recharge. Your DM might justifiably make some adjustments to disallow that (requiring a CR above 0 may be sufficient especially at level 9) so try not to lean on the abuse case too much. This generally won’t work with summoned creatures (they need to die not just be reduced to 0 hit points) and since death and being reduced to 0 hp suddenly mean different things I encourage DMs to start tracking death saves for enemies

Ghost Walk 4 a 1-minute duration on this would be good. A 10-minute duration on this is fantastic. 10 minutes is obviously plenty if you’re using this in combat but it’s more important outside of combat where you might need to move through walls floors or ceilings while scouting. The 10 ft. move speed is tiny but remember that you have Cunning Action so you can Dash as a Bonus Action. If you can get buffs like Longstrider they’ll do a lot to help both because any flat numeric increase is relatively large compared to 10 ft. and because you can essentially double the effect by dashing without spending your Action

Death's Friend 3 at this level Wails of the Grave deals 4d6 damage just short of its maximum at 6d6. Adding that damage to your primary target when you use Wails of the Grave means that your Sneak Attack deals 50% more damage though it’s not clear if you can multiply the damage on a critical hit. I believe that you can’t because the damage is applied to the target from a separate source rather than added to the damage of original attack like effects like Divine Smite. The second benefit of this feature ensures that you have at least 1 Soul Trinket at the end of a Long Rest. This is a crucial benefit so that you can benefit from Advantage on your Constitution saves so try not to burn your trinket the first time you want to use Wail of Souls. But since you get the trinket for free this also makes it easier to spend your last trinket right before you take a long rest. Of course you could just use the bag of rats trick to get free Soul Trinkets

Final Ranking 3 ok what if Ouija boards were a subclass? What if you got class features from talking to dead people? And what if those class features included necrotic damage and turning into a ghost? Enter Phantom. Phantom is a novel exploration of interactions with the dead as a class feature making Necrotic damage and death-related stuff available to a class with no ability to cast spells. Normally interacting with the dead is primarily done by Clerics and certain necromancy spells. Phantom has a much more direct connection to the spirits of the dead gaining proficiencies damage output and the ability to turn into a ghost. Phantom’s most novel and interesting mechanic is their pool of Soul Trinkets. These trinkets allow Phantom to fuel their most interesting features by gathering trinkets when creatures die nearby then spend those trinkets for extra damage or to ask dead creatures questions. Tragically this feature doesn’t become available until level 9. Waiting for creatures to die rather than being reduced to 0 hit points also makes it important for the DM to track death saves for enemy creatures which is a minor annoyance that most DMs are happy to avoid so discuss how your DM would prefer to handle that aspect of the subclass. Players may also find that Wails from the Grave is underwhelming at low levels compared to other subclass features at the same level. Phantom definitely builds slowly and may not feel really satisfying until level 9

[selena-the-undead-god-of-love]

MORE ON MY STUPID GHOST TRICK AU SEQUEL

This is for you @boatoverbogs

I'll just get the twist out of the way. Trent is meant to be a part of Commander Sith's assassins. Now on Sissel being a mentor, it was a thought that I will go through on but am still figuring out, but I was seeing him basically explaining to Trent what *he* can do. (as in what Sissel can do) after all Trent doesn't know about the time traveling yet, because he saved Yomiel before he even died. I have a fucking google doc on this stupid story now I can't believe it. Maybe someday I'll have the courage to make this a full-on fanfic or something but that day ain't today. Anyways, back to what I have, there's another character named Lazzie who knows Trent because he saved her, and then she allowed him to crash on her couch. They also started to work together at a silly little ramen shop I came up with that's near the Chicken Kitchen. OH RIGHT THE 8BALL! I still haven't figured him out but like- I think I might turn him into a villain to contrast Ray. Like he starts out as similar to Ray but then BOOM! near the end twist time he's bad guy! or something. Maybe I might actually make him Sissel as another Ray thing happens. My idea is that the whole new timeline is on thin ice. If Yomiel dies everything falls apart. At least that's how I see it. His death is a domino effect that ruins everything, so honestly Trent being there was the only thing keeping it from happening. Maybe that's on purpose, maybe he was lead there by the 8ball to die there to make sure yomiel doesn't die? WHO FUCKING KNOWS? NOT I AND I'M THE WRITER!

[ultimate-pacifrisk]

You mentioned in your first post that Chara doesn't particularly like Maki and is worried about Kokichi. What are the general opinions on the whole cast, from Frisk and Chara's perspective? Do they favor anyone, dislike anyone, more likely to be friends with, ectect?

(some of these may change as I write the story)

Keade

Frisk - Is a big fan, wanted to go to one of her piano recitals.

Chara - Thinks she's alright, likes listening to her play. Not surprised she killed in the end.

Shuichi

Frisk - "You don't feel like you deserve you ultimately title" mood

Chara - Thinks he's a bit of a loser, but an alright guy, is secretly proud of him when he gets more confident.

Tsumugi

Frisk - like talking to her about anime, very curious about her opinions on mew mew kissy cutie. Cosplays together

Chara - Doesn't really care/have any opinions on her other than neeeerd.

I have Ideas for their interactions :)

Rantaro

Frisk - Wants to help him figure out what his talent is/ would love to hear stories of his adventures if he has any.

Chara - suspicious of him, not sure if he actually did forget hit talent. Thinks he's interesting outside of the killing game

Kirumi

Frisk - what happens if you lock 2 workaholics into an enclosed space together

Chara - respects her work ethic, hopes they can convince her and Frisk to take breaks

Ryoma

Frisk - Understands how it feels to deal with the guilt of having killed, even if it could be argued that it was justified.

Chara - He's an alright guy

Himiko

Frisk - Enjoys her magic tricks, wants to teach her spells.

Chara - finds her slightly annoying, but alright.

Kaito

Frisk - thinks he's very cool.

Chara - he's alright, if a little annoying. Seems like he would be fun to scare 😈

Korekiyo

Frisk - he's weird, but that kinda makes them want to know more about him, also wants to see what he knows about monsters from his research.

Chara - thinks he's weird, but don't really care beyond that

Tenko

Frisk - Enjoys sparing/training with her, could do with less of the man hating tho

Chara - intense and annoying but as long as she doesn't hurt Frisk they're chill with her.

Miu

Frisk - shes cool also wonders if this was how it felt when they had the habit of flirting with everyone.

Chara - Thinks she's hilarious and that Frisk should hand out with her more.

Kiibo

Frisk - so are you actually like an ai robot, or a ghost possessing a robot body? (Also if you want to learn to sing/become a performer I know a guy)

Chara - oh hes a robot? cool

Gonta

Frisk - he's great, wonders if his forest family might be monsters that didn't get sealed in the barrier and went into hiding

Chara - thinks he's a good dude, wonders how good he is at fighting.

Angie

Frisk - Wants to learn more about her, keeps distance during the student council stuff

Chara - she's alright

I think that's everyone, some of these are probably gonna change as I write more. But basically Frisk wants to get to know everyone better, while Chara doesn't tend to have strong opinions on the others, and is usually chill with them as long as they arnt a threat to their family or Frisk.

[unknownjpegs]

could be

Another late shift. This time, no tell-tale shake of the handle or tinkling metal in the lock. It makes her suspicious. Makes her scared — usually, he announces himself. But this isn't usual: the whole shift passes. Without company.

Her stomach sours a bit about that. Melodramatic, of course. She's being silly, maybe the tiniest bit borderline. 

Oh, you don’t like me anymore? You just disappear without warning, don’t let me know what’s going on? Because we’re done, or something? Because it was just…

Matilda does not think about his fluffy hair beneath her fingers or pressing her mouth to the dimple in his cheek or anything else, for that matter, as she packs up her belongings at the end of the shift. Tucks the headphone splitter into a pocket that she rarely uses. Hopes she forgets about it, loses it within her bag's mess. Next time he decides to show up and wants to listen to some music together, she’ll only offer a pout. Say oh no, sorry, she lost it. 

That’ll show him. Disappearing. Fucking ghosting. Her eyes sting. She begins to toss everything into her bag faster, a bit more haphazard, more than a touch angry. Working herself up for — 

There’s a cough from the hallway, and her head snaps up. 

*

It’s not him. It’s the tall blond that acts as his shadow, though, so her wash of panic is lessened somewhat when they’re face to face. That's confusing. The fear ebbs away like the tide; recedes back into the dark depths of itself, leaves her confused and strangely secure on the edge of the water. 

He knows Lark. Lark knows you work this shift. Now he knows you work this shift. Lark told him. Lark talked about you?

“Hi.”

She watches him shift from foot to foot, scrub a hand through his hair, pluck at a cigarette behind his ear. His hair curls at the ends a little, but the 

“Hi.” She says slowly. “I scream really loud, by the way.” 

His nose wrinkles, eyes rolling up towards the ceiling and then away. “God. L-Last time I do a fucking favor.” Long fingered hands shake from his black jacket’s pockets, wiggle in front of her like he’s about to do a magic trick. “No need. That w-would be so much paperwork. Cannot be fucked to do paperwork.”

There’s a flash of a memory, of bobbing golden curls. It pings around in the back of her skull so quick and brutally it aches.

 “You remind me of my brother,” Matilda offers. The confession startles her but she tries not to let that show, tucking the folder and her laptop closer to her chest. He doesn’t have a whole lot of height on her, but she still has to tilt her chin slightly to look him in the eye.

She…looks him in the eye. Hm. 

He doesn’t though. At least, not for too long. In fact, it seems like it’s making him nervous. He’s a nervous sort of guy to begin with; she’s seen him around. With his slouch like Wolffe’s, with a similarly unhinged smirk, with a disconcerting laugh... Matilda’s heard the stories. Heard them from Lark, so they’re all horribly firsthand. Wild stories that she’s not sure if he realizes are as incredibly frightening as they are. 

 She wonders if he’s heard any of her. If Lark talks about her — and then she cuts that line of thinking off with a quickness. It’s a few fucks. It’s not talking to your friends. Except she’s told Nomi the basics, so…

“Uh,” he says, casting glances over each shoulder. Like he’s looking for backup? “Uh. Okay.” 

Matilda allows the door close behind her. It knocks into the heel of her boot. Borrowed, bartered for, from another girl. Another tech. Made her a little taller, a little more do not fuck with me and a little less please do not fuck with me oh God. 

He stares at her. Spooky eyes, really light, the sort of blue that some people find charming. 

“He killed himself when I was ten.” Matilda offers, tucking the bag over her shoulder tighter. She stares back at him, watches the way those eyes widen slightly. “She tells everyone it was an accident when it wasn't. My mom thinks I don’t know that, but I do. I know a lot of things people don’t expect me to know.”

“Okay.” Benny says again, but now there’s no hesitation in it, no awkwardness of a fresh connection. It’s just understanding. Okay, heard.

 ���Where’s Lark?” Matilda pushes away from her lean against the door and begins moving down the hallway. 

“Job,” Benny says from their distance. When she turns to look, he’s still standing there. Has shoved his hands back in his pockets. “He’ll be gone a week.”

Matilda pauses too. They’re maybe twenty feet from each other in this empty hallway, at two in the morning, at the end of her shift in her locked room because she’s terrified of the people on this base. The soldiers. Soldiers like him. 

“Aren’t you in that unit?” 

“Yeah.” He holds up a wrist, bandage peeking from beneath his sleeve. “M-Medical.” 

Hm. The seconds drag on as the two of them assess one another. It’s silent except for when the base’s air kicks on. She’s stood under a vent, so Matilda takes several steps back. Then she jerks her chin over her shoulder. 

“Walk me to residential.” 

He doesn’t respond, but he does move. Gives her a jerky, strange bob of his head that she thinks means to be a nod. He has to jog to catch up; Matilda never slows her pace unless it’s Nomi beside her.

They walk in silence. It’s nice. It feels…not safe, but maybe like it wants to be. Like it could be.

[fairytalefragments]

I hope you've been faring okay. I know it's been a while. Tell me about some things you've been getting into or thought about getting into lately? - Comet

✦ oh hi Comet! it's lovely to hear from you, i honestly haven't been doing super well lately but yknow. anyway, I've been very slowly watching a playthrough of all the yakuza/like a dragon games! I've only finished 0 so far but it was such a good time!! made me wish i could actually play it for myself. yakuza 0 is a prequel game, that focused on the main character of the series (Kiryu) and the fan favourite/important secondary character (Majima), it details how they came to be who they are in the main series and a bunch of backstory for other significant characters. the main plot is pretty serious and SO emotional. oh my god the Majima storyline had me sobbing!!! and the game is full to the brim with silly and ridiculous side content and super fun minigames too!!

i have also finally played Ghost Trick! I've been meaning to for literal years, ever since i got into ace attorney basically and i got the switch port and played through the whole game in like 3 days and like. i get it now. it rly is that good. ghost trick is a puzzle game where you play as ghost trying to solve your own murder! the puzzles basically work like rube goldberg machines. it's genuinely so fun and has an absolutely amazing story and fantastic cast of characters i couldn't recommend it enough!!

other than that I've also been replaying 999! I've got the axe and sub ending so far and I'm working on knife rn. 999 is my favourite game of all time so im having a great time with that haha.

I don't think there's anything im super looking to get into rn, i wanna dive into revstar at some point bc some good friends are super into and it seems rly good and definitely like something i would enjoy! and im always open to media recs if anyone has them, it might take me a while but i do enjoy getting into new stuff!

thanks for giving me this opportunity to ramble, i hope you're doing well too Comet, and im wishing you an absolutely wonderful day! 💙

[iamnotathornbird]

okay, if you're in the 60% of people that either loved or liked beetlejuice beetlejuice, can you explain to me why? because i so desperately wanted to love it and i'm still trying to talk myself into liking it, and i feel like i'm just baffled as to what magic i've missed?

cut fot spoilers.

because i did not get all the little subplots thst just felt... pointless and extraneous. delores was pointless. that whole storyline could have been cut out & the movie would have remained relatively the same. monica bellucci was (imo) cast simply because tim burton always puts his partners (lisa marie, helena bonham carter) at the time in the movie he's currently making.

wayyy too many easter eggs and throwbacks. just felt cheesy & like they didn't have any new ideas.

plotholes with civil servants in the afterlife.

astrid and evil!ghost boy plot felt rushed. the kid was cute, but to go from just meeting to hanging out to suddenly he's making out with astrid after having spent... idk. 20 minutes hanging out the day before? and then she's agreeing to go to the underworld with him???

and lydia's character development was such a disappointment. she went from being an unusually cool and self assured teenager to... a middle aged insecure lady in a toxic relationship, choosing her shitty boyfriend/fiancé/manager over her own daughter who she shipped off to boarding school? and who went from being friends with ghosts to suddenly needing drugs (and possibly having a drug problem?) to help her ignore the ghosts, all while making a career out of communicating with the dead?

plus the random musical numbers trying to recreate (and failing) the magic of day-o & jump in the line?

what am i missing here???

like, the movie (IMO) would have been better if like... cut out rory (justin theroux). lydia's just single momming it, and maybe astrid still doesn't believe her and their relationship is contentious. charles dies, so they gather back at the maitland/deetz house to clean it out because delia wants to sell the house ASAP, she never liked it. maybe the "loophole" the maitlands found that allowed them to leave the house allows other ghosts to enter now, which is how evil!ghost boy shows up & meets astrid and no one realizes he's dead at first.

somehow beetlejuice becomes aware that they're back in the maitland/deetz house and comes up with a plan to see lydia again. astrid is emo because her grandpa charles died and lydia is sad & distracted so she doesn't notice astrid hanging out upstairs in the attic, where beetlejuice maybe contacts her?

or maybe evil!ghost boy tells her he knows the maitland/deetz house is haunted and tricks her into being the one to open a door in the attic to to underworld again? and then lydia calls on beetlejuice because she doesn't know how else to retrieve her?

and then there's more richard in the underworld, maybe a love triangle thing with beetlejuice (in his mind?).

delia's character and storyline can basically stay the same though, because she was the only part of beetlejuice beetlejuice that didn't stink.

okay, so my first thoughts immediately after watching beetlejuice beetlejuice was that it was... cute. it was fine. i didn't hate it. but i don't think i would ever want to watch it again.

but the more i think about it, the more i think i hate it & i'm kind of surprised at the reviews & rotten tomato rating it has. have you seen it?