#and thereby befriended her

[demigods-posts]

headcanon that maybe rachel. a frizzy-haired redhead. never needed a blue plastic hairbrush. maybe she's been eyewitness to so many monsters. that she's just carries it and reassures herself that throwing it will at least confuse a monster long enough for her to run away. maybe she just had a huge collection of blue plastic hair brushes because rich people do weird shit. and she hadn't anticipated actually needing it on the quest through the labyrinth but brought it anyway. and then she encountered an evil titan time lord trapped in the body of guy in his early twenties who was eyeing her friend like a tremebling puppy in a cage and just decided she could afford to buy another one. maybe she's just that girl.

[skywheeldate]

Analyzing the Skywheel Dates

Unable to wait patiently for the Ultimania releasing next month, I wanted to provide my own analysis of the Skywheel dates between Cloud/Tifa and Cloud/Aerith.

By analyzing Cloud's behavior on these two dates, which are explicitly more romantic than the other four, I aim to understand why the dates played out the way they did and what was going through the character's heads during them.

Tifa Date:

What sticks out in most player's minds during the date is the kiss Cloud gives Tifa while riding the Skywheel, and it's easy to see why! It's the first time Cloud has kissed a woman on screen, after all. But I have seen fans state that this proves Cloud likes Tifa more, and while I hate to get myself involved in any shipping war, I feel there is a more interesting conclusion we can draw based on the timeline of events throughout both remake games.

First, I want to direct you to this caption from the Remake Ultimania:

When Cloud gives Tifa the flower, he wants to "Show off a youthful image of what he himself wants to be like"...

I think this caption is very important to helping us understand why Cloud was able to be so bold as to kiss the girl he was always too shy to befriend as a child. And I think it's linked to his new "ex-soldier persona."

See, the ex-soldier persona Cloud crafted is modeled after a person he admired and wanted to be like: Zack. Although making this new personality for himself was an unhealthy response to his trauma, I think there are good things to it, as well. For one, it allowed him to take action again and thereby begin his first steps towards recovery. In addition, it gives him courage to do things he never could before, such as strutting his stuff on the dance floor:

I don't think it's too far of a stretch to say that this extends to him giving the flower to Tifa.

So this, in my mind, explains how Cloud had the courage to kiss Tifa and why some fans might think it felt a little sudden or out of character--it's because it almost is, in a way. But let me reiterate, I don't think that's a bad thing. I think Zack's influence on Cloud is somewhat natural and, frankly, having the courage to do the things you want and have fun is never a bad thing. I truly believe Cloud is exemplifying being Zack's "living legacy" by becoming more confident and outgoing. It's a good thing!!

And let's not ignore Tifa in this scene. Before the kiss, Tifa brings up that she feels she and Cloud have become closer, but frets that she's rushing to conclusions again. She's giving Cloud a clear opening to prove his feelings for her--and frankly, after all this build up? Giving the flower, all the tiny touches they've shared? Cloud is more than ready to prove it to her, and he does. It's so easy, and he does it the best way he knows how: with a kiss. In that moment, the boy became the man he's always aspired to be.

Aerith Date:

Conversely, the Aerith date isn't quite as simple--at least to me. It's hard to understand what's going on in their heads, and I think they comparatively have more obstacles in the way of their romance.

The biggest obstacle is that Aerith has seen through Cloud's persona, and almost calls him out on it during the date. She tells him she's looking for the real him, and that she wants to meet him someday.

I believe this stops Cloud, subconsciously. While the persona he built around Zack gives him more confidence, it's still a persona. It's not who he really is. By giving into that persona at all, he is not giving Aerith what she wants. Being confident and bold with Tifa was important, because she needed proof he liked her, but here? What's important is being the "real" Cloud, whoever that is. It must have stumped him.

Aerith gives him an easy out though: she asks Cloud to let her snuggle up against him until the ride ends. And that much, at least, Cloud can manage. And he goes even further than that when he interlaces their fingers together. I think this is his way of showing that he'll be there for Aerith--not just till the ride ends, but after. He's showing her that he does, in fact, care about her, and that her selfish request isn't as selfish as she thinks it is.

I also want to bring up the lyrics from No Promises to Keep here since I think they're extremely relevant to the Clerith relationship and the hand-holding symbolism seen throughout the game:

Till the day that we meet again At our place, just let me believe In the chance that you'll come Take my hand and never let me go Take my hand And believe We can be Together evermore

The hand holding symbolizes their shared desire to be "together evermore" and the belief that they will be. The interlocked fingers display a powerful, mutual bond that cannot be so easily severed. I think this imagery is both simple and extremely beautiful.

In summary, although they are not at a point in their relationship where they're ready to kiss yet, I believe this scene is meant to show that there is still possibility for their relationship to grow and get to that point.

.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。• *₊°。 .❀

Thank you for reading till the end! I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. Feel free to use or reference this post if you found it resonated with your own interpretations of these scenes. And if you have your own interpretations to share, I would love to hear them!

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

You ever wonder what you would do if you ended up in trevat?

probably the most fun thinking exercise i've had for a bit hahah

ended up rambling on for like five minutes so it's under the cut

assuming this is an unnanounced isekai of sorts where i wouldn't want to touch the plot with a ten foot pole (bc that sounds far more interesting than just- what if i lived there),

plan a) book it to liyue harbor avoiding wangshu inn just in case xiao can sense i'm not from teyvat, convince uncle tian to let me sleep in his boat until i have money (he looks like he'd let me in exchange of stories), become a storyteller, tell stories from a faraway land (any and all stories from here, be it plots of books, movies, fanfics, whatever man), profit, make casual friends w beidou to lower the chances of ningguang sending yelan to look into my untraceable past, try not to make it obvious i know zhongli knows i'm not from teyvat (if he ever appears by my storytelling corner) and ensure he likes my stories (this will boost my corner's reputation), buy a house outside chihu rock, befriend xiangling by sharing recipies from here, learn liyue recipies and how to use teyvat ingredients from her, befriend a gaggle of millelith by feeding them 'new and interesting foreign dishes' bc the fastest way to a man's heart is thru his stomach – they will now ensure the area around my house won't get jumped by random treasure hoarders and slimes or geovishaps, travel around once i've made enough money, always return to liyue and live out a chill life w the millelith's protection, the qixing not interested in bothering w me, and zhongli unbothered by my unthreatening presence

plan b) book it to fontaine. this could go two ways depending on if i break some random law immediately upon arrival: b.1) if i don't break any law then i befriend navia by sharing baking tips w her n convice her to let me stake it out at the spina's outpost in fleuve cendre until i make money, write mystery whodoneits (hello recovered manuscript bootleg sherlock holmes) for starting cash and then slowly make the switch to villaness novels w extra mystery (you can't tell me they wouldn't be a hit there) thereby avoiding the likely fierce market competition of plain whodoneits and gaining more fame, profit, buy a house in the countryside to reduce the chances of breaking a random law by reducing the amount of gardes around, keep in touch w navia n be rightfully grateful to her (this will keep the spina on my side), befriend the melusines by sharing stories n cooking tips (they can try me w their weird concoctions) n thus further lowering the chances of me getting randomly arrested, live a chill life (also travel around n stuff obviously) with furina/focalors entirely uninterested in my existance, the gardes and neuvillette seeing me as a normal citizen, and the just-in-case friendly connections to the phantoms via the melusines and the spina via navia (and maybe the surveillance patrol if chevreusse likes my novels) b.2) if i do break some random law immediately upon arrival or too early into plan b.1, then i plead guilty and get sent to meropide (nobody down there will ever bother to look into my untraceable past and trying to argue innocent will only bring attention i likely can't afford), work dilligently until i've made enough friends among the staff, become the prison's storyteller and bard and gain credits like that, become a friendly face nobody will have any interest in harming and likely won't dare to bc i'll have made friends w all sorts of prisoners by then (plus why would you want to fuck with the guy who's literally only singing songs and telling stories. like nobody else is doing it. half the prison would jump you i think), stay down there after my time is up for the same reasons i chose to go down, hopefully be a nice helpful prisoner and a welcome fixture in the fortress, live a quiet and chill life

and lastly, the last resort plan c) book it to mondstadt, beg charles for a gig at the angels' share, sing covers of songs from here and pass them off as melodies from distant lands, avoid venti and his knowledge of music like the plague, avoid kaeya and the knights like the plague also before they realize i'm not From There, get a house in springvale, if diluc ever bartends then try to subtly let him know i'm w him on the knights issue, hopefully this raises my chances at becoming part of the staff of the tavern n the likelyhood of the rest of the staff helping me avoid the knights' suspicion, ideally just live a quiet life in springvale, if by some miracle diluc decides to hire me for the winery then go there instead and live a quiet life as one of the workers, the main objective here is to fly under the knights' radar and position myself in life in a way that venti won't either want to, be able to, or feel the need to get curious about me and try to make contact (i realize dealing w music is counterproductive to this but it's the only gig i can think of that'd work there, would require no starting budget, would allow for flexible hours so i can skedaddle if needed, i wouldn't suck ass at, and would get me a step closer to who is likely going to be my only and/or most accessible ally in staying away from the knights: diluc)

[samantha-and-nellie]

i finally read “the lilac tunnel: my journey with samantha” (shoutout to @cannon-memely for letting me know that i should actually take the time to check it out!) and i have Thoughts. full reactions from reading it under the cut

to preface this (since there is going to be a tiny bit of snark and general silliness), i did overall have a good time reading this book! i have some qualms with the storylines they chose to put in there, but i do think that the journey books are one of the smarter moves they made during the beforever era. i remember really loving the “you choose” history books as a kid, and i think the interactive component is appealing and generally a great way to keep children engaged. i could absolutely ramble on more about historical fiction for children, but let’s just jump into my (semi-chaotic) thoughts about “the lilac tunnel.”

first of all, FASCINATING that samantha apparently has a swing at grandmary’s house, since i’m pretty sure that it’s never mentioned in the original books. do we think it was lydia and gard’s, or do we think gard (or even hawkins) put it up for sam?

samantha’s got ORPHAN SYNDROME and she’s got it bad

okay. this is probably my main gripe with this book, but having this book set pre-nellie (and thereby having on option to essentially be nellie but under grandmary’s employment???) is bizarre af

on the flip side, the fact that nellie isn’t around really highlights how lonely samantha is, and i think we all know that I’m SOOOO normal when it comes to themes of grief and loneliness in samantha’s stories

WHY TF DOES EDDIE HAVE SUCH A LARGE ROLE IN THIS STORY. DEAR GOD PUT HIM BACK WHERE HE CAME FROM

elsa??? having a prominent role in a samantha story??? what sorcery is this???

yeah, super duper excited to have it reinforced that samantha is ready to accuse servants of stealing so long as they aren’t the servants that she likes

i think we’ve all had nightmares in which eddie ryland appears

samantha having an understanding of the fact that she’s transgressing by being friendly with a servant girl when this book is set prior to her relationship with nellie makes me wonder how much child workers she has tried to befriend /hj

saint louis fair mention for the movie girlies:)

i wonder if the description of grandmary’s outfit on page 30 is meant to be a reference to this dan andreason illustration of her?

the magic lantern show is really cute:) (might be thinking about writing fanfic of this but with nellie…)

samantha being shorter than the protagonist of this story after being the tall one with nellie is honestly pretty funny. smol bean samantha

awwwww gard and cornelia

HEY HEY HEY 

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

BEFOREVER I’M ABOUT TO THROW HANDS

anyways, apparently we need to re-traumatize samantha with near-drownings at every chance we get:) this is not messed up at all:)

guess we better pretend like that never freaking happened

… okay the locket origin story is pretty cute

this book has such insane emotional whiplash. what do you MEAN one piney point storyline is about nearly drowning and the other is about a moonlight swim with cornelia?!?

someone should really draw fanart of samantha wearing the protagonist’s capris (big bow and all)

tbh, kinda confused by the bike plot line in this story, cause didn’t they incorporate the bicycle short story into the main beforever books?

new career path dropped for samantha, folks! (medical field)

mmm the fear about illness is getting a little too relatable here

i love how much dress up there is in this book:) literally would’ve rocked my world as a child

not the ENTIRE RYLAND CLAN coming over for dinner. a formal dinner with eddie actually sounds so horrific

… guess that’s the note we’re ending on for me. thanks for reading my rambles, and feel free to let me know if there’s other journey books i should check out in the future!

[auduux]

COTL AU 3

Text under the cut.

Trivia:

After Narinder is made a follower, he finds Forneus, Aym, and Baal and tries his best to have a relationship with them again, more so his kits. Aym and Baal are fine with still calling him “dad” and such but Forneus has seen too much to trust him again.

Forneus moves to Anura with Aym and Baal after Heket is defeated. Her kits found her after the defeat of Narinder.

After Heket is made a follower, she also finds Forneus and tries to have a relationship with her. They were dating, once, before Heket was a bishop. Heket hasn’t gotten over her.

After Kallamar is made a follower, he will try his best to poison Joon, then calms down when he discovers Saleos is in the cult. (After being pissed at Saleos for joining the cats cult)

After Shamura is made a follower they do nothing. They chill af, Joon thought they were plotting to kill him for a long time. They make balls of spider silk with the help of Narinder or another one of the followers or their siblings sometimes. And then helps Joon knit it.

After Leshy is made a follower, he will do everything he can to kill Joon. Everything you can think of. He spends most his time in the fields, burrowed, to terrorize followers. Getting him out never works, he just curses at whoever tries while he burrows deeper into the soil. Eventually, he calms down, and Joon tries his best at befriending the odd and clearly agitated ex-bishop.

None of the bishops lost their abilities, they simply dulled. Godhood runs deep, even without a crown to help.

I tried to add in the bishops injuries from the game, like Leshy’s missing eyes. I made it so Joon gave them the injuries instead. Narinder had his wrists slit since the chains were his injury.

The crowns, save for the green crown, were abandoned after the bishops defeat. They were hidden with magic, so no heretic could find them. Whoever collects whichever crown is thereby a bishop.

Kaani(OC), the death bishop after Narinder, found the crown on accident. They knew what it was, picked it up out of curiosity, and was then bound to it, much to their dismay. They resided nowhere before it, they were a traveler. The scythe they hold was mainly for display and they liked how it looked, it would shatter if they ever tried using it. They visit the cult often. Narinder does not like them.

The rest of the crowns remain unfound. However, the purple crown is close to having a predecessor.

[gunterfan1992]

Episode Review: “Cake the Cat”/“Prismo the Wishmaster” (Fionna & Cake, Eps. 3-4)

I wish I had the strength to stay up until the exact moment these episodes are released, hurriedly consume them in a haze while writing down my thoughts, and post my review before the sun has a chance to come up. But alas, as an old man—i.e., a 31-year old—I am not quite as strong as I used to be. (Remember dear friends: Eram quod es; eris quod sum!)

In other words, please excuse me if my reviews take a day or two to post! I have to watch 'em after I get home from work!

Airdate: September 7, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jacob Winkler, Haewon Lee, Nicole Rodriguez

Directed by: Ryann Shannon (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

Like the title card I have included here, the plot of "Cake the Cat" is relatively straightforward: After finding herself in Ooo (and gaining speaking abilities thanks to a universal translator), Cake explores the world around her. Along the way, she befriends Squirrel (from season five's "Up a Tree") and accidentally destroys an outdoor market. Meanwhile, in her own world, Fionna tries desperately to find her missing pet. But after Simon tries once again to summon GOLB, Fionna suddenly finds herself transported to Ooo, where she reunites with Cake.

"Cake the Cat" might not be the deepest episode from the "Adventure Time Extended Universe" (hmm, maybe the "ATEU"?), but what it lacks in depth, it makes up for with humor. In particular, the episode manages to get considerable mileage out of Cake just acting like a normal (albeit talking) cat: she scratches people, tears things up, snatches food away, and very nearly massacres a small woodland critter, etc. As someone who adores cats and has long put up with their, shall we say, bullshit, these scenes were right on the money. Cake might indeed mean well, but she is still a cat, and cats get into all sorts of hijinks (that's part of the reason why I love them).

"This episode, out of the four that have aired so far, feels the most like "old school" Adventure Time, largely due to the allusions it makes to older episodes: For instance, one subplot in "Cake the Cat" sees the titular character scratch the dickens out of the insane "Tree Gang" from season five's "Up a Tree." (In fact, one could even make a compelling argument that the first half of this episode is basically just a sequel to "Up a Tree"!) Cake's market shenanigans and the ire they raise with the forest folk also echo the events of season two's "Storytelling" (in which Finn makes a gaggle of forest critters' lives hell in a half-baked attempt to find a good story). Like its season two predecessor, "Cake the Cat" heavily relies on the main character's obliviousness, which often leads to some great bits of dark humor (e.g., the shredded pillow man, who, while 'bleeding out' feathers, wheezes, "I… clapped for you!"). But despite these similarities, "Cake the Cat" has enough flourishes to make it its own thing, thereby preventing it from feeling like a tired retread."

One such "flourish" is the heavy focus on Roz Ryan. Most of the past Fionna and Cake episodes have underutilized Cake, treating her as little more than a sassy one-liner machine. "Cake the Cat," on the other hand, not only makes use of Ryan's acting skills, but it also lets her flex her musical prowess by having her sing the song "Cake on The Loose." Ultimately, the decision to not relegate Cake to a secondary role allows for some much-needed character development. Her interactions with Squirrel, for instance, let us know that she's a survivalist who will not tolerate bullies. We also learn that Cake sees Fionna less as a family member and more as a bossy (albeit beloved) roommate. True, these are small glimpses into an established character, but because Cake has long been underdeveloped, they help to flesh out her character, allowing her to come into her own. This is a trend that the following episode will continue…

Airdate: September 7, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Iggy Craig, Graham Falk, Jim Campbell, Lucyola Langi

Directed by: Steve Wolfhard (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

Like "Simon Petrikov" before it, "Prismo the Wishmaster" is a darker installment that subverts the levity that preceded it.

And I'm OK with that!

The episode begins with Prismo beaming up Fionna, Cake, and Simon and revealing to them the truth behind the whole "Fionna and Cake" thing: This "fan fiction" is actually a fictional universe of his own creation. Tired of constantly bringing other people's realities to life, Prismo decided to create a universe of his own. There was just a tiny problem: Doing so violated the cosmological rules that Prismo must follow as the god of wishes. He thus decided to hide the "Fionna and Cake" world in the mind of Ice King—out of sight, out of mind (literally). Unfortunately, GOLB's resetting of the crown threw a wrench into these plans, resulting in his "unauthorized crossover" being detected. This violation consequently summoned Scarab, an antagonistic "god auditor" who yearns for Prismo's job as wishmaster. The episode concludes with Prismo zapping Fionna, Cake, and Simon to Farmworld seconds before Scarab can capture them.

Before talking about the meat of the episode, let me briefly talk about the [Psychic Tandem War] Elephant in the [Time] Room: Prismo's voice. In the initial series, as I am sure many of you are aware, Prismo was voiced by Kumail Nanjiani, a talented comedian perhaps best known for his role in the HBO series Silicon Valley. There was something about Nanjiani's voice that really clicked with the Prismo character—his laid back, somewhat monotonous way of speaking just really fits with Prismo's "chill deity" thing.. Alas, Nanjiani does not reprise his role in "Prismo the Wishmaster" (instead, the character is voiced by Sean Rohani). What? you might be asking, Was there some drama? Did the actor have a falling-out with the crew? No. The answer is far, far more infuriating: Nanjiani's reps apparently declined to tell the very actor they were working for that the Adventure Time folks had wanted him back! Nanjiani has often said that Prismo is one of his favorite characters that he has had the opportunity to play, and so I can only imagine how crestfallen and mad he probably was when all of this came to light. Absolutely nothing against Mr. Rohani, but considering that the voice actor he replaced never wanted to be replaced, I hope that the studio can let Nanjiani overdub Prismo's lines for future streams of the episode. (Ya know, to fix the time line and all that jazz.)

Now, back to our review! Just as "Cake the Cat" recalls the vibes of older episodes, "Prismo the Wishmaster" also echoes with the past, feeling in many ways like a spiritual cousin to season six's "Is That You?" (the masterful episode, solely storyboarded by Jesse Moynihan, that skillfully undid Prismo's death in a way that felt neither cheap nor forced). The similarities between "Prismo the Wishmaster" and "Is That You?" are largely due to their setting (both episodes take place almost entirety in Prismo's time cube), and their shared interest in what I guess you could call "character duplication." But just like "Cake the Cat," this episode is fun and familiar, while still managing to be new and exciting.

I particularly enjoyed the episode's deepening of the already complex cosmology of the Oooniverse. Back in 2020, in the first edition of "Exploring the Land of Ooo," I speculated that the world in which Finn and Jake live owes much to the dualistic cosmology of Gnosticism, specifically the religious movement known as Manichaeism. This approach to reality views the world as fundamentally divided in two. On one side, there is the "Father of Greatness" (roughly equivalent to the Judeo-Christian idea of "God," who creates and orders reality), and on the other side, there is the "King of Darkness" (roughly equivalent to "the Devil," who embodies darkness and death). Adventure Time seems to draw inspiration from this conceptual split, with GOLB being the Oooish version of the "King of Darkness," who revels in chaos and destruction, and "Prismo's Boss" being akin to the "Father of Greatness," who is interested in order and structure. Additionally, Scarab and the various gods who govern the universe remind me of the Gnostic concept of archons (entities that rule over the day-to-day affairs of the physical cosmos), but perhaps that's a topic for another day...

Speaking of Scarab, going into Fionna and Cake, I was particularly curious how the show was going to one-up the Lich. His story arc was nicely capped off in "Together Again," and so I appreciate the producers' decision to create a new villain for this series. As someone who often deals with inane bureaucracy, I quite like the idea of a "god auditor," and Kayleigh McKee does a great job infusing Scarab with a dignified sort of malevolence. Scarab feels textbook lawful evil to me, but unlike a lot of the other baddies in the Oooniverse who are doin' it up the only way they know how, Scarab does not feel affable in any way. He's a cold, sterile regulator, akin to the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, who is interested in only one thing: eliminating his targets. In a word, he feels like a legitimate threat, and that's exciting!

Another major triumph of "Prismo the Wishmaster" is that it fully justifies why this entire miniseries is happening. One of my biggest worries going into this string of episodes was that, while fun, it would not do a good job of legitimizing its own existence. This was largely due to my own biases. After all, I've always enjoyed Fionna and Cake, but I have never adored their episodes. In my mind, they were fun excursions; nothing more, nothing less. However, "Prismo the Wishmaster" expertly grounds their existence in the Ooo that we know, demonstrating that the Fionna and Cake series is not a dull victory lap, nor is it a masturbatory exercise in excess. Instead, it is a bona fide extension of Adventure Time's mythology. Fionna the Human and Cake the Cat are now just as "real" as Finn and Jake ever were. Instead of being simple parodies, they now have a certain depth to them.

Simply put, they matter.

Final “Cake the Cat” Grade: B+

Final “Prismo the Wishmaster” Grade: A

[ace-reviews]

Anime Review: Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon

All the anime in all the world, and you guys wanted me to review the vending machine isekai. I don't mind, of course, it just... Really? The vending machine isekai? Are you really curious about my opinion, or do you just want me to justify watching it? (Not that it makes much difference one way or the other.)

Well, what you want is what you get and what you get is a review of the vending machine isekai.

it's an isekai about a vending machine

For the unitiated, the vending machine isekai is about an autistic man who bravely sacrificed his life for his special interest being Reborn As a sentient, shapeshifting Vending Machine named Hakkon in Japanese and Boxxo in English. He is perfectly happy with this arrangement, because as a vending machine he doesn't have to worry about what his face is doing and can say the same things over and over with the same inflection all he likes and people will just accept it because he's a sentient snack dispenser. He manages to befriend an adventurer named Lammis, who has super-strength so she's able to carry him around on her back, thereby allowing him to Wander the Dungeon and occasionally participate in creative and fun battle scenes (though he's more often than not he's more of an observer while character vignettes happen around him).

The vending machine isekai is a very nice series. It's fairly episodic, with a roughly even ratio of low-stakes sitcom shenanigans to higher stakes conflicts involving monsters and magic. The animation is nothing to write home about, but the character designs are cute and the performances are better than one might expect from an isekai about a vending machine. There's a tiny bit of fanservice, but it's fairly tame, and undercut by Boxxo remarking each time that it does nothing for him since he's, y'know, a machine.

This is one of those premises that runs on "Try not to overthink it." They do attempt to address at least some of the issues inherent in the fact that Boxxo technically needs to eat money to survive, but with an air of "we're not taking this issue that seriously and neither should you!" and he's shown giving his products away for free at least as often as he's shown taking money for them. If you're still bothered by the logistics by the time he's defeating giant frog monsters with Diet Coke and Mentos, this series may not be for you.

Ultimately, though, if you want something a bit meatier, you'd probably be better served by That Time I Was Reincarnated As a Slime or So I'm a Spider, So What? But if you're just looking for something slightly silly to chill with for a bit, you'll get what you're looking for here.

[wanderingmind867]

In case you missed all the other parts, this is part six of my Howard the Duck story idea: The Wedding of Howard and Bev! I'm really, really proud of this one. I think I actually came up with a good plotline:

The annual would feature Howard and Bev's wedding, which is to be held in a lavish chapel in Cleveland. All of the people Howard's met and befriended are invited to the wedding, so the guest list would include (but not be limited to): Paul Same, Winda Wester, Uncle Lee, Claude Starkowski, Jennifer Kale, Korrek, Man-Thing, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and Daimon Hellstrom. Although Doctor Strange is the only one invited on The Defenders, he brings the rest of the team with him anyways (so Valkyrie, Hulk, Nighthawk, Hellcat, etc all show up). The point is: it's a big wedding. Even the kidney lady might show up, only to get kicked out after she tries to pick a fight with our many super powerful party guests (like the hulk).

But sadly: the wedding is interrupted by more than just the kidney lady. No, it's interrupted by Bev's ex-husband: Doctor Bong! He's come to win her back and kill howard, and he's using the court of public opinion to achieve his evil schemes. You see: for months now, he's been publishing articles detailing his arduous task of raising three kids on his own. So by the time bev and howard inevitably had their wedding, bong would have control of the narrative.

Having convinced people that howard was the one who manipulated bev into marrying him (thereby deflecting his real crimes onto Howard), bong now leads an army of concerned citizens to "save his wife from that feathered freak"! And since none of the heroes attending the wedding know what to do, bev is successfully "liberated" and brought back to her rightful husband. Which means that Howard now has to head to Doctor Bong's castle and save her yet again.

Doctor Strange and Howard's other allies help him locate and access Bong's fortress, but Howard has to fight Bong alone. The others don't want to get in the way of this incredibly complicated web of romance any more than they have to. And I still don't know how Bong would be defeated, but I know that he definitely would be defeated.

And then, with bong defeated and lying in the ruins of his castle with his minions and "children", Howard and Bev take off. We end the issue with a scene from their flight back to Cleveland, showing them deciding to just elope instead. It's much easier that way. And that'll be how this comic series ends. We tied up almost all the loose ends the original howard the duck comics left behind, we brought the series back to bizarre, philosophical roots, and we managed to tell a compelling romance story to boot! Now we have all the open space for later Howard the Duck stories. Ones not forced into tying up loose ends from 1981!

[deusexlachina]

Cheesage Exocolonist Age 10: Neglect my education for levelling purposes

My life on Vertumna starts. Chronologically speaking. Causation-wise, I have lost track of which timeline, if any, was the original.

Your first job always has to be going to school. You get to choose between Bio and Humanities, so I pick Bio. It will be useful later on.

I complain about school for the sole purpose of levelling rebellion, then immediately negate that bonus by fetching candy for Marzipan so I can avoid fighting over it and thereby getting more cards in this card game [bad]. Progress in this game is often circular like this, much like the time loop from which not even death can deliver me.

As a reward, I can apply to the Supply Depot. This is immensely helpful to my career, because it levels Organizing, the only stat that lets you say no to cards [bad]. I will later repay Marzipan by becoming governor so she doesn't have to. Normally, I would not be able to work at the Supply Depot right from the start, but I show Seeq my sportsball to prove I am a jock and can lift supplies. Then I put away my sportsball, never to use it again.

I keep working at the Supply Depot for a while, largely neglecting my education because I am trapped in a time loop and have memories of countless past lives, and also because classes are suboptimal for levelling purposes.

On the social side, I try to befriend everyone evenly. I save Tammy, who doesn't realize I saved her, because nobody could comprehend the vastness of my knowledge and power. That's fine. They will soon.

[lotusarchon]

You are genuinely so real for not liking Macaque. I feel like all his fans really like him because at first glance he can be written off as a loner and introvert, something they probably relate to, and was done 'wrong'(wrong in quotations because that man is a CRIMINAL) by Wukong, who is seen as a bubbly, outgoing person, someone those fans can immediately pin as an ass or a bully without any standard proof. And they are the absolutely most feral when someone, rightfully, doesn't vibe with Macaque. Like, that monkey is a cannibal. He's not an innocent uwu loner baby, he's a grown ass man with issues. Issues that land him in trouble when he messes with the wrong people.

I find it suspicious that this came into my anons first, then the other one who's "curious" about the "unnecessary hate" towards Macaque fans. Either, Anon, you're the same person pretending to be different people, or it really is different people with the same motive of spurning arguments.

No offense to you, Anon. I'm certain that isn't YOUR intention, if you're not the same anon pretending to be someone else.

With your first statement, I agree. I do in fact also relate to Macaque, but not so much with the 'done wrong' or 'introvert' stuff. As a Macaque disliker, I relate to Macaque because he reminds me of myself. He feels like the type of person who has a genuinely hard time making friends, and has only ONE, and that one was Wukong. He feels like the type of person who would've gotten envious when Wukong had other friends, and who might've wished Wukong wouldn't befriend others. I like to think his actions are motivated by jealousy, and that jealousy consumed his mind and cause him to be a god awful person, which IS NOT an excuse for ATTEMPTING TO KILL PEOPLE AND HE'S STILL A PIECE OF SHIT.

This is my interperation of his character. I don't see the problem in relating to Macaque, but I think I understand where you're coming from. Because Wukong is genuinely more cheery and sweet, people see him as a bully. They paint him as an abuser because he's more extroverted. I want to also think that it's become much common to sympathize with villains now and hate heroes, which is unfortunate because I miss when people would love heroes just as much as the villain characters :(

You're also right about them being unhappy for people not being fond of Macaque. In my experiences, I wouldn't say feral. I'd say downright fucking deranged to tell a 17 year old kid they need to die for not liking him.

I will disagree with you on the cannibal part. We don't know if LMK Macaque committed cannibalism, and we most likely won't know since we don't ever see any type of full flashback of his or Wukong's past. Knowing LMK is a children's show, it won't be brought up either. This is JTTW Macaque's crime though, so I agree on that part, but not LMK. LMK Macaque gaslighted and manipulated MK, and attempted to kill him in s1 episode 9, purposely stole his friends in s2 episode 7 and told him that he was very much of the "hero" implying he was a traitor and as far as I'm concerned a bad person who cares for no one just for being Sun Wukong's student thereby belittling him for no fucking reason whatsoever but to paint himself as the victim (which is fair because anyone being hurt might think the same), then again tried to kill MK (and friends) in s3 episodes 1, 2, 4, 8, is the cause of Mei nearly causing destruction + nearly dying in s3 episode 9/10- which while we can argue Wukong is to blame for lying, Macaque holding Mei by the neck and threatening to kill her while beating MK into the ground with intent on killing him is just as bad if not at worst. We can argue that he did those things because of Lady Bone Demon but that's a lie, because Macaque in the past episodes acted selfishly and for himself only and cared for no one. He only switches sides in episode 13 and 14 because Mk's words vaguely reminded him of his friendship with Wukong and by some extension reminded him that maybe this petty jealousy shouldn't be dwelled upon and should also not be taken out on someone else because of his hatred towards Wukong for hurting him.

Yes I have all the episodes saved I'm that obsessed with LMK, but that's all the crimes he's committed within LMK itself. By extension, Macaque had as much role to play in Mk's trauma like DBK and his family, Spider Queen and Lady Bone Demon did, because he also planted seeds of doubt into Mk's head with the hero and the warrior story, implying he'd hurt his friends and making MK paranoid.

He's also NOT an innocent uwu baby who's done no wrong, i agree. He's an adult who is AWARE of his actions for him to suddenly take a change within episode 10 because of Mk's words. He problem is that he possibly never dwells on them, and the fans do as well.

Honestly with the hero and the warrior story, his fans believe him more than canon facts which point to Macaque also being the one who started the fight first. But eh, what would I know

No idea if you're the same anon or someone different, but I agreed with some of your points while also disagreeing with some.

People need to understand that you're subjected to your own opinions. Don't like, don't read. Don't tell people to die because of it, y'all suck.

[princess-of-the-corner]

If there's a new villain for the next-gen kids, maybe some weird magical stuff could be going on that keeps Team Miraculous from using the Miraculous themselves, thereby justifying using the kids, at least as a temporary measure.

(If you really want history to repeat, the Bee could end up with Chloe's kid by mistake, similar to how it unfolded in the Queen's Battle Trilogy.)

Someone else suggests having the past battle end in a Pyrrhic Victory, where they defeat the villain but at the cost of no longer being able to use the Miraculous. And then now with a new threat, the kids are the next best option.

I think with the kid(I need to name her), I want her to be genuinely chosen! Because the kid is good and is already befriending the adrienette kid so she'd be on the table for choices if it's up to the kids.

[kengwisi]

Vickie befriends El and teaches her to weave flower wreaths. El presents a wreath to Max. After El and Vickie become friends, Max is more accepting and kind to Vickie.

Erica is initially passive-aggressive towards Vickie, but accepts her after Vickie watches and talks about My Little Pony with her.

Vickie also joins Erica, Robin, Dustin, and Steve in the dnd and has a lot of respect for Erica as a dungeon master, thereby earning Erica's acceptance. Everyone in the party is a bit of a bitch and Vickie loves it.

[the-unholy-sovereign]

[{]¤| Hail-Satan |¤[}] Shivah; Shiva. .

The Shah of Africa "Demon" I.Overlord (Vulture) Congo-Basin: I.S H Ō G U N "Shogun" O S A K Ā ; Osaka (Japan). Death of the Falcon, between the "Owl" talons thereby envision and ensnared in the wake of day (Prey). Not knowing your prey makes it easier to kill, other-than being known as the hunted. It is more convenient to bring death to your prey. Especially upon thou victims arrival. Victory shall be displayed without disappointment. Watching all fall and die, even in the blaze of battle. My mistress; thine pet. The predator still pretending to be prey, befriended. "Death by Suicide" is perhaps more befitting of an way to die. However Adequate, especially after being disgraced by a foolish-heir.

DEMONIC I.SAVIOUR "Demon" Overlord: The device is only good if evil once professed to own it. Thou heaven is an vulture's nest for the children of abandonment. Orphan, predator of the nocturnal sky is thou mother's cannibalistic fest of an unwanted birth. Thus yearning to kill in spite of her enemies, the owl mates. (Falcons-Snared) "The Owls Pray" the guardian of the forest falls as thou victims to an predator whom chooses loyalty over survival, as of which pertains to family "Falcon Savior" (The Condor). Parallel; unto thine hunt. The hearing of an owl is faired to be more vicious than its talons. Even unawaken, hunting prey while asleep. Thence nocturnal vision onto thou hears. Pussies!

♾NUBIAN CREED: SATANIST: THE DARK GOD OF VOODOO. . . .

[biohazard-sims]

Generation 1 (Year 1)

As the sun continued its relentless surveillance over the suspiciously idyllic town, Jana celebrated her first anniversary of survival. Having ascended the precarious ladder of the Science Career to the dizzying heights of a Genetic Resequencer, Jana’s life was proceeding at a pace befitting her ambitions. Her literary endeavors, a quartet of science fiction novels titled "Solarpunk 2000" through "Solarpunk 2003," took the world by storm — or at least a moderately strong breeze, considering two of them became bestsellers.

In a move that could only be described as aggressively optimistic, Jana invested a significant chunk of her early earnings into erecting a greenhouse adjacent to her once-shed-now-somewhat-less-of-a-shed abode. This decision proved to be a masterstroke when the first winter hit with the subtlety of an airhorn at a sign language convention. Against all odds, her home-grown produce flourished, and soon most of Sunset Valley was unwittingly participating in the Jana Hazard Diet. Still, she found herself facing a problem: she hadn't made a single human friend. This wasn't for lack of trying, mind you. An attempt to befriend her boss was abruptly curtailed when a meteor, perhaps offended by the lack of invitation to the workplace, decided to make a dramatic entrance, thereby making her boss an ex-boss in the most literal sense possible. After that, Jana adopted a policy of cautious neutrality towards her new coworkers.

Jana's only companion became a stray dog she named Martini, because "she's a bit of a mix, and always seems to stir things up." Martini quickly became the Watson to her Holmes, if Holmes was a genetic resequencer with a penchant for agriculture and Watson a dog with a curious appetite for anything that wasn’t nailed down.

Jana's humble living quarters saw a transformation. The kitchen and bathroom were remodeled, moving them from "Oh dear" to "Well, this is alright." In spite of her successes, however, she would celebrate her birthday as she'd spent all her previous birthdays: Alone. Instead of taking to the streets in search of a friend or partner, however, she let her ambition carry her yet further. Perhaps a bit too impulsively, she filled out the Sims University Aptitude Test and found she was at least eligible for a partial scholarship. Given that she'd already ascended to the rank of Genetic Researcher with little more than a high school diploma, going back to school might not actually help her further her career by much, but it may at least halt the ever-encroaching passage of time.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Currently watching Wonder Woman: Bloodlines and already thinking about how cool it would be if Diana went to the Luthor family to learn about earth culture and tech, thereby befriending little Lena in the process, and watching her grow throughout the years.

Like, would Lena be envious of the time Diana spends with Lex? Would she be head over heels smitten with Diana? Would she and Diana become best friends?

What if Lex saw how close they were getting, and then conspired to drive a wedge between them by killing Lillian and staging it to look like Diana did it? Lena refuses to believe it until after the funeral, when Lex makes a final, blunt observation-- if Diana didn't do it, would she have left Lena to grieve alone?

After that, Lena cleaves to Lex, and Lex uses her intellect and devotion to create all kinds of evil tech, which is ultimately used against Diana, who recognizes some of the designs as Lena's, which is when she realizes that Lena is under her brother's control and needs help.

But does Lena want to be saved?

[bedeliabestiebracket]

Propaganda below

Piotr Rasputin

He is a very sweet guy. He could pick her up with one hand and help her climb onto the roof or dust tall shelves or whatever other misadventures she wants to have today. He is also a little silly so they would get along well.

Sherlock

"Now, while indeed they MAY have meant for you to relocate the lightbulbs outdoors, let us return once more to Occam's Razor: the supposition that the simplest explanation is most often correct. Ergo, it is far more likely that the intent was for you to flip the lightswitch to the 'off' position, thereby darkening the room, as it is a considerably more usual and useful task. Elementary, my dear Bedelia."

Mo Ran

he already gets along really well with chu wanning (similarly literal and earnest). they'd have a lot of fun together i think. mo ran would make bad puns and amelia would make them reality.