#also new superpowers! Good? Not good? Who knows but they're neat

[allwormdiet]

Interlude 3½

Nazi capes fuck off

Kayden automatically gives such awful vibes, ~ooh my daughter is still pure and uninfected by any of the things wrong with society, not that I contribute to that in any way by being a fucking Nazi~

So obviously this is my second go-around on this chapter so I know who Theo is in context, and can I just say, poor fucking kid. Truly what a nightmarish situation to be born into and have no control over

Good kid.

Fucking rancid adult. I'm glad it hurts you that he doesn't want you to have any luck, Kayden, you fucking dirtbag

Frankly I wish she would have a moment of doubt or hesitation, maybe it would mean she stops being a fucking Nazi. Or maybe she wipes out after taking a fifteen-story swan dive, either way that's a problem solved

And oh yeah, of course she just happens to be targeting the ABB, not like she could pick a fight with Coil or something

...The description of her realizing that they're closing ranks and getting stronger is a neat instance of showing Bakuda's influence from another perspective, at least, get something out of this rotten POV

It's been one week of mediocre results and you're going back to him. What a pillar of moral strength you are.

So the leader of a neo-Nazi street gang is, like, the CEO of a company that's big enough to have its own building with a logo on it.

...Does that feel a little small potatoes to anyone else? I feel like if you're an evil CEO with superpowers and Nazi sympathies you could do a lot more damage than that. Like I know Green Goblin basically only terrorizes New York City but that's because the city is outrageously dense with superhero bullshit, it takes a fucking escape velocity to leave for even an issue, and even then Norman Osbourne still found time to do the Thunderbolts thing

God this man's vibes suck so hard. Like obviously they suck, he's a fucking Nazi, but clearly that wasn't enough for him

Quick q, what does the CEO of a company need with the profits from extortion and theft? He makes more money by sitting in a board meeting, and you can't tell me that there's no way to launder money available to him

And yeah fucking, of course she's still only beating up nonwhite criminals, she's a fucking Nazi

Excuses excuses, Kayden

And yeah of course you can't shake the perspective that "the same kinds of people" are all the worse criminals, you spent a decade believing that and haven't really challenged yourself on that

Honestly I'm willing to believe that her split with Max here wasn't even a matter of ideology, just that she didn't want him to fuck up their kid

And here we see why Kayden fell into becoming a fucking Nazi, I suspect: it's that she's also a goddamn sucker. Max is playing her like a fiddle, and she knows full well that he is, but she falls for it anyway. I'd almost feel bad for her, if she wasn't a fucking Nazi

Cry me a fucking river, Kayden

Current Thoughts

Let's get back to the characters worth anything

[practically-an-x-man]

random question- do you headcanon any x-men characters as neurodivergent?

Oooooh man don't get me started-

The short version is, yes. I think there are a lot of characters that are coded as neurodiverse in some way or another, more characters where the manifestation of their mutations could be an allegory for neurodivergency, and even some "lighter" headcanons that I wouldn't want to see in canon but think have good storytelling potential outside of it.

It's a common headcanon that Scott is autistic, and I agree with it. I also think Hank is autistic, but it manifests differently in him than in Scott. I also headcanon that Scott gets chronic migraines, though I'm not sure whether that qualifies as neurodivergency or not.

Prodigy is AuDHD for sure, just by the nature of his powers - he collects skills, takes a new hobby and learns as much as he possibly can about it, masters it, then ends up dropping it and moving on to the next one? I know AuDHD is more than just that, but as someone who does the same thing, it definitely speaks to me and I think he's a good character to reflect that.

Peter Maximoff absolutely has ADHD, he's basically ADHD incarnate.

Erik has PTSD six ways from Sunday, I don't think that one even qualifies as a headcanon. Logan also has PTSD, along with Forge and most/all of the mutants who were drafted into the Vietnam War in DOFP (Alex Summers, Toad, etc.)

I do headcanon Dazzler as having some form, maybe multiple forms, of synesthesia. It could be comorbid with her mutation itself, given her abilities are to change one form of sensory input into a different form of sensory input, and that's effectively what synesthesia is within the brain. In general, I subscribe to the idea of superpowers that genuinely affect multiple aspects of a person's life - it's not just a press-a-button power to turn on, it's woven into their mind and body and genuinely affects how they interact with the world.

I also think any telepath would have to qualify as neurodivergent, given their view on the world is innately impacted by processing the thoughts of everyone around them. I don't know that there would be a specific "label" for what they experience, and I think it varies from person to person, but it's definitely a form of neurodivergency.

I also feel like clone characters are innately neurodivergent, especially in relation to developmental or age-related disorders. Studies of actual cloned animals tell us that they're more prone to neurological conditions and tend to develop age-related mental and physical disorders much earlier than they should, so I think there should be at least some sort of reflection in mutant clones like Laura Kinney. Healing factor of course would negate some of the effects, but I could see her with dyslexia or dyscalculia, or perhaps some form of memory disorder. And of course, in Logan (2017) she has a sort of selective mutism tied to trauma, which could be an neat thing to explore in writing her even outside the context of the movie.

I think there are a lot of characters that would be interesting to explore if they had some form of neurodivergency, even if it's not my headcanon for the canon character. These aren't necessarily what I'd want to see from canon, but I think it brings dimension to their stories and could be neat to explore how it interacts with their mutations.

I mean, it would be neat to see Husk with some form of sensory issues, since it would bind up with her mutation in an interesting way and could make for a cool plot. Take her mutation as a metaphor for dermatillomania, where picking at her skin becomes shedding her skin as her mutation manifests, which at best is unpleasant and at worst could be outright dangerous.

And it would be interesting to explore schizophrenia or psychosis in Magik, especially from a social perspective, since her manipulation of Limbo would no doubt be seen as a psychotic episode by others around her (angsty, but a strong metaphor for the hoops actual people with those conditions have to jump through to get recognized), and even from her own perspective it would be interesting to see how she learns to separate her actual, tangible mutation from the things she might experience with her neurological conditions.

[the-hype-on-tv]

My Beef With Barbara Gordon

I'll start off by saying this isn't any hate post to the character, merely an analysis because although she's never really stood out to me, i believe she's an interesting character and I'd like to share my point of view and if possible hear others' takes on her too

the basics, babs is the daughter of commissioner gordon and the first batgirl, later taking on the mantle of oracle (usually because of the killing joke thing, which I'll address later on)

usually the reason i don't get along with most representations of babs is because she's mostly written to be "the girl bat" instead of "the bat girl". I've only seen some clips from btas but i can mostly tell that's the case. it's a smurfette syndrome classic. i apologize if I'm getting the wrong idea out of it, though, as i said, I didn't watch the series.

when she's not written as such, she can be a good character. i love her version of the harley quinn show, i think it fits what I'd usually expect out of batgirl//oracle, a computer nerd who wants to help people and might be a little impulsive, but means well. though there's not much media of her where she's like that.

and although she's not exactly like that in the lego batman movie, i think that version is also pretty good (not when she's introduced, i think she gets better when she shows bruce that she's batgirl and yk, badass and such). not a computer nerd and also a bit older, but i think she's pretty neat.

I'll admit the fact she gets with bruce in the timmverse (specifically in the timmverse) pisses me off... age gap things are not my thing and it feels like grooming, i believe that's why it's not a very popular ship for either but the fact it's official in at least one dc media makes me sweat (cough cough and they say superbat is a stretch cough cough /j)

like i just mentioned with the lego batman movie, i have no problem with it when they're about the same age or, idk, at least he doesn't meet her as a teen or whatever. I'm not crazy for finding this weird, right?

and there's the fact she dated dick on the timmverse as well, which makes me even MORE uncomfortable. if it was me dating my father's previous lover, for example, I'd probably take that as a weird thing. dick is already traumatized enough, thank you very much.

and also she's bruce's friend's daughter? that's not so weird, i myself have friends who are way older or way younger, but it be creepy af to see one of them dating someone my age, specially if it was someone close to me, I'd be very concerned and it'd take a while for me to get used to it.

but yeah, if it's an au or multiverse shenanigans, it can be alright.

and then comes the killing joke thing... honestly, I don't know what to do out of it. I'm a new dc fan, I've been for nearly six months now, and I can't really decide how to feel about it.

on one hand, oracle is badass and shows that it doesn't take superpowers or immense dexterity or inhuman strength to be a hero. i respect her a lot, and when she's written well like in wfa, i appreciate her character as is.

but the killing joke itself... it doesn't make much out of barbara, and focuses more on her father and personally i think that sucks. i know it must hurt for a dad to see his daughter paralyzed, but joker using it as a means to make him snap doesn't seem, idk, very jokery. even with the picture things, i think babs in that situation is used more as a plot device than as a character and it makes me uncomfortable idk.

and then they made her able to walk again...? honestly that's where i lost it. there are too many versions of batgirl//oracle in my head already and that just made me more confused??

so the reason I don't like her as much is because she lacks consistency, every time I'm reading about her i gotta guess which version is it and every single piece feels more like au fanfiction of itself. like, okay, i do enjoy those, but if I'm seeking something official it's hard to understand where it's at.

but i still love her with every cell in my body when she's written like the true sarcastic girlboss that she is <3

[trident-dragion]

Over the Nexus Deck Profile: Elemental HERO Neos

A new Elemental HERO has arrived from Neo-Space! When he initiates a Contact Fusion with a Neo-Spacian he turns into a new Monster that needs a field spell to stay on the field. Guess he set the trend for Earthbound Immortals. Elemental HERO Neos is the signature card of Jaden (Judai) Yuki from the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime, and he aims to solve the Elemental HERO archetype's reliance on Fusion spells by instead shuffling himself and a Fusion material into the Deck! This sounds good, but the materials have to be on the field, and Neos himself is a Level 7 vanilla. It's not all bad though, as Elemental HERO Prisma goes a long way to make Summoning these Fusion Monsters easier. The Neo-Spacians I've opted for to use as material are Aqua Dolphin, Flare Scarab, and Grand Mole. Aqua Dolphin is independently useful as well as being a WATER for Elemental HERO Absolute Zero, Flare Scarab enables the biggest, beefiest Neos Fusion while also being a FIRE for Elemental HERO Nova Master, and Grand Mole is so good it was limited for years! To search these we play Cross Porter, as well as Pot of Duality to help us assemble our Fusion pieces. These Fusions are forced to return to the Extra Deck if Neo Space isn't on the field. Despite how important Neo Space is, we only need one copy thanks to Neo Space Pathfinder, which can fetch Neo Space from both the Deck and Graveyard! As for those Fusions, Aqua Neos is great for hand control Flare Neos is just really big, Grand Neos is just Grand Mole but without needing to attack, and if you have both Flare Scarab and Grand Mole you can make Magma Neos, who has the superpower of being REALLY big! I don't know if Magma Neos is worth it, but it's fun if nothing else. Neos isn't limited to just Contact Fusion, though, as it has two traditional Fusions as well; Neos Knight, which is made from Neos and any Warrior and is good at removal, and Divine Neos, which is made from any five HERO, Neos, and Neo-Spacian Monsters, including at least one from each camp, which can banish any such Monsters to copy their effects. Neat! The core problem with Neos is it's hard to argue any of its Fusions are better than the Omni HEROES, but at least they're accessible without Spell Cards. Here's the list: MONSTERS (19): Elemental Hero Neos x2 Cross Porter x2 Elemental Hero Neos Alius x3 Elemental Her0 Prisma x3 Elemental Her0 Stratos x1 Neo Space Pathfinder x3 Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin x1 Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab x2 Neo-Spacian Grand Mole x1 Sangan x1 SPELLS (16): Dark Hole x1 E - Emergency Call x3 Future Fusion x1 Gemini Spark x3 Miracle Fusion x2 Monster Reborn x1 Neo Space x1 Pot of Duality x3 Reinforcement of the Army x1 TRAPS (5): Birthright x1 Call of the Haunted x1 Mirror Force x1 Solemn Judgment x1 Torrential Tribute x1 EXTRA DECK: Elemental Hero Absolute Zero x2 Elemental Hero Aqua Neos x1 Elemental Hero Divine Neos x1 Elemental Hero Flare Neos x1 Elemental Hero Gaia x1 Elemental Hero Grand Neos x1 Elemental Hero Great Tornado x2 Elemental Hero Magma Neos x1 Elemental Hero Neos Knight x1 Elemental Hero Nova Master x2 Elemental Hero The Shining x2

[im-the-queen-of-stardust]

Did Jon just get himself stabbed by Melanie? He did, didn't he? He really is just collecting scars at this point.

[tiny-chubby-bird]

Please please please give me more games where I can be the monster, or someone with powers that I can use in morally ambiguous ways. It's so much fun.

Examples:

Aliens VS Predator games (you can play as either a Marine, the Predator, or the Alien. The games had many flaws of course but it was still a lot of fun to play as something other than human with a gun)

Prototype I & II (play as someone who's body is taken over by a biological weapon sort of virus with which you can do many terrible things, but you're still sorta the good guy, kinda like an anti-hero. Like dude, you can shapeshift, you can throw cars, you have badass claws and fists and more, it's so cool and gross)

InFAMOUS games (you get superpowers. Cole has electrical ones which are hella neat, or in the newer game with Delsin you get smoke, neon, video... And they're so much fun to use)

Carrion (you literally are a horrifying alien monster creature that is trapped in a huge place turned laboratory and you break out and get all your body parts back and get new skills to get past puzzles and military enemies. It's kind of short, but it's hella fun)

Dead by Daylight (I don't like the PvP aspects of it and how toxic the players can be, and how much pressure you have to work under, but that's just my anxiety speaking. What I do like about it is being the killer, because you have a wide variety to choose from, and each have their unique abilities. You can be a K-pop killer who throws knives, or you can be the Demogorgon from Stranger Things, or the vengeful Japanese ghost, the Onryō, who crawls out of TVs, and so many more. It's not the type of game I'm going for here, but it still kind of counts because you don't have to be a survivor with a flashlight, and instead be the killer who hunts down the survivors)

BioShock (I personally haven't played any but I watched my friend play the first one and you also get to have some powers you can use by modifying your body with Plasmids, like commanding wasps/bees, or using electricity, fire, hypnosis, telekinesis, etc.)

Dishonored (also haven't played it personally, but I know that you're playing as someone who got framed for murder, so you become an assassin and seek revenge against those who are responsible for everything. And along the way, you get some cool powers that help you be stealthy and kill people. Like commanding a swarm of rats.)

In short: let me be a monster, like a Xenomorph or the Carrion creature, or even Godzilla monsters, or let me be someone with awesome and terrifying superpowers I can use to do morally ambiguous things, like maybe someone who wants to take revenge for something. I don't always want to be goody two shoes, and I don't always want to be just a guy with a gun.