#but like. yeah. it does. that's how we started out. everything else we utilize is just to make fingerpainting easier and better

[the-entity-down-the-street]

Okay so. The New Beetlejuice Movie.

I have thoughts about Lydia and Beetz, and how Beetlejuice's feelings developed for her.

Yes. I ship them. I don't think I've come out and said it yet, but yeah I'm one of those. Block me if it bothers you. Winona and Micheal ship it, too. For the record.

Analysis under the cut

Okay folks. So, I don't believe for a second that Beetlejuice loved her in the first movie. He doesn't know her, barely interacts with her, doesn't care about her outside of having a means to an end. You can see this in how he treats the wedding, too. He rushes it and does everything in his power to stop everyone from saying his name. I don't even think they had a cake?

Now, this isn't to say he isn't intrigued by Lydia.

"I think I could get along with Edgar Allen Poe's daughter, she gets me."

Let's be real, though. He's a scumbag and a sex pest in the first movie.

This is in stark contrast to the sequel. He calls Lydia the love of his life, keeps a photo of her on his desk, fulfills all his promises to her, helps her get revenge on Rory *after* making him tell the truth about his motivations, and the DANCE SEQUENCE?? If his goal was just to escape the Netherworld, he'd have rushed the wedding vows and gotten it over with as quick as possible. And considering he has *more* motivation to get out than the first movie-- Delores coming to kill him, for real, permenantly-- that makes the second wedding even more romantic. He is down BAD bad.

So, how did we get here?

That's what I've been puzzling over for past couple days. I think it has something to do with the psychic connection Beetlejuice mentions to Bob.

@herefortheships has an excellent post that helped fill in the "why" of the psychic connection. Lydia can see all kinds of ghosts. What makes Beetlejuice different?

It's because they almost completed the wedding in the first movie. Sure, Lydia never said "I do", but they were almost there, and with this marriage ceremony being so powerful as to bring the dead back to life, even an interrupted wedding forms a link between them. Beetlejuice being such a powerhouse himself, and Lydia being naturally psychic, probably strengthens it. The closest comparsion I'd make is never closing out with a Ouija board. A very powerful, horny Ouija board.

So, this gives Beetlejuice a chance to get to know Lydia over the years. He watches her grow up, with a set of ghost parents no less. He sees her powers strengthen, and how she goes on to start a show utilizing her gift. I wonder if the show inspired Beetlejuice to start his own business?

She becomes a wife, a mother, a fully rounded adult who never loses her adoration of the macabre. I think he sees what he originally saw in Delores, and it ignites something, for lack of a better term, long-dead within him. Lydia is a much better person than Delores, too, and Beetlejuice knows that. After all, she originally agreed to marry him to save her (already dead) friends.

No wonder he's fucking smack dizzy in love. He softens, becomes a marginally more respectable person. Keeping a picture of teenage Lydia on his desk is objectively creepy, but that's also when he saw her in person last, so it makes sense.

Something else I noticed, and this kind of a tangent, but it's interesting.

He only started appearing to her again recently. Like, she'd felt him around the corners, but it's only around the start of the film that he tries to actively get her attention. I have a theory as to why. In part, he wanted to make himself better for her before making a grand entrance (reputable businessman and all), but there's something else that's more obvious.

Rory. He knows Rory's bad news, and I wouldn't be surprised if he used his connection with Lydia to spy on him. Beetlejuice probably knew he was planning to marry Lydia for her money soon. Now, he couldn't talk to her properly due to her blatantly trying to push him out, but he could still be loudly present.

Notice how when Rory summons him, Beetlejuice presents as a relationship counselor. He even says "I think there's an enabler here, but we'll talk about that later," which I think is because he wants Rory to know he sees through the emotionally manipulative bullshit.

I think he also knows Lydia was not going to believe him if he said Rory was a creep. I mean, why would she? Beetlejuice bides his time with gross out gags and other typical Beetlejuice antics. It's only after he's proven himself honest enough to stay true to his word by saving Astrid and sending her boyfriend to hell that he gives Rory the truth syrum.

He's really, really grown to genuinely love Lydia, way more than he ever loved Delores I'd say, and it's because he's fallen in love with the woman he got to watch her become.

[existencebringsonlypain]

homo sapiens are such interesting creatures

we're hairless apes with brains so big we have to be born prematurely, or else we wouldnt fit

we form communities and make governments, then take down those governments and form new ones

we sing songs to children and make music for reasons we don't understand

we break down at the feel of grasping an ancient axe because it fits our hands exactly

we laugh and we cry and we comfort each other and we care

i like to imagine the early humans. we dont know much about them

we only know them by the effect they had on everything else

which is still true, i suppose

we know tutankhamun by his tomb

ea-nāṣir by his bad reviews

and we know the cavemen by their paintings.

paints made of dirt and spit

iron that we still use today

depicting animals and people and the hands that painted them

theyd take the components and mix em up and dip their hands in and draw

swirling color on the walls

that's all we really know of them as people. they hunted and they gathered and they painted.

and they cared for their brethren and they fought and they prevailed. and they are us

they say humanity as a species hasn't changed, only our wealth of knowledge has

and i agree

because every time i set out to do a serious work of art

at some point in the process

i toss away my brushes

dip my fingers into the pigments

and swirl a likeness all my own

would you guys like to see some mediocre poetry

[pouroverpaloma]

paloma I have revivified my tumblr from its decade-long sleep to beseech you: please talk about Rolan with me because I have Thoughts® and Feelings™ such as: As the eldest sibling do you think he has an oversized and detrimental sense of responsibility that continues to impact him negatively? like during his apprenticeship, do you think he actively avoided Cal and Lia to stop them from either storming the tower themselves or worrying over him when they were supposed to be enjoying being safe in the city, etc. do you think that sense of responsibility extends to Tav or is Tav the person that makes him feel like he doesn't HAVE to be in charge and on top of everything.

also this is hazelrah on ao3!!! I cannot stop commenting on your fics to save my life

Omg hi Hazel!!! ♥️ both Thoughts® AND Feelings™, what a treat you’ve brought for me

As a preface, I’m of the opinion that Lorroakan intentionally isolated Rolan. That’s one of the reasons Lorroakan didn’t let Cal and Lia stay in his fuck-off massive tower. Narcissism and disdain for others also drove that decision, because he’s an asshole, but I really think Rolan can’t be the first apprentice he’s abused. He knew he could never break Rolan’s will if his siblings were there to support him, and, let’s be real, Lia would clearly kill him with hammers the moment he raised a hand to Rolan. He had to get him completely alone.

As for Rolan—I think his gut knew right away that something was very, very wrong with his apprenticeship, even if intellectually he’d talked himself into staying. I think he did the time-old dance of hiding abuse from your loved ones because you don’t know how to explain it, you think you can’t leave, and you’re frankly embarrassed it’s happening to you at all. Imagine him talking about his apprenticeship back in the grove, right? Now imagine him behind the counter in act 3. The whiplash between his aspirations of greatness and the awful reality of life in the tower must have been extraordinarily soul-crushing, on top of everything else. And he just couldn’t let them see that he’d dragged them all to Baldur’s Gate on a false promise.

All that to say: I imagine Rolan told himself that hiding the truth from Cal and Lia was for their own good, but really, he was ashamed and afraid of failing to make them proud.

Because yeah, he feels way more responsible for them than they could ever know or understand. He’s convinced that he has to earn his place in their family by demonstrating his utility. Rolan is caught in that awful trap of trying to deserve what he already has. It’s a self-defeating cycle because there’s no end state: he already has Cal and Lia’s unconditional love from the very start, so nothing he does can ever make him feel like he “achieved” it. He can run himself into the ground trying to earn their love, but he already has it and he’s too caught up in his own self-loathing to see it.

The thing that finally gets his head out of his ass, of course, is Tav. We see him starting to make the turn at the end of the game, when he’s master of the tower and stepping into his confidence, but from there, I think falling in love really shakes his foundations. It forces him to begin to self-reflect in a way he’s never been emotionally safe to do before.

As for how all of this plays out once they’re together! I think their dynamic is a case of unstoppable force versus immovable object. I think he’s going to devote himself to taking care of absolutely everything for them (because nothing could ever be Good Enough for Tav but goddamn it he’s going to try anyway) and Tav is going to devote themselves to taking care of absolutely everything for him (because Rolan deserves rest and gentleness and adoration maybe more than anyone ever has). This kind of all-consuming care manifests in different ways for each of them, some complementary, some adversarial. They get nauseatingly competitive about it but the sex is phenomenal.

And finally—after a while—he begins to understand that he doesn’t have to handle everything by himself in order to be lovable. He can let go of the reins and let Tav be capable sometimes, and it actually makes Tav happy when he does. Somehow, the sex gets even better.

[yowyowyaoi]

Itachi's Daily Texts from the Akatsuki, Part Two

From Kakuzu

Won't be as effective if you don't get some damn sleep.

You need to stay off of it for at least a week. I'll explain to Nagato.

How you choose to live (and die) is your own business.

Well tell him to take it easy with you. Your stamina isn't up for "extracurricular activities" like that, brat.

I'm aware. I'll deal with him later.

If you don't wish to pay it then use a candle instead of that lamp.

Once again, GO TO BED.

Your sweets consumption is appalling.

Of the three of you, I'm not sure which one worries me more. Four counting Tobi.

A gengetsu where all I have to do is sit still and money flies into my lap. Birthday present.

Your worst is likely STILL superior to his "best".

Rent is due. Utilities as well.

From Sasori

I swear your stubbornness rivals even that of Deidara's sometimes.

I'm working on a new remedy that should still the pain for much longer periods of time.

If you don't take better care of it I'll be forced to amputate. And as a warning, once I start with body modifications I find it very, very hard to stop.

SLEEP.

With as bad as your breathing sounds? The enemy would hear you coming from a mile away!

Eternal doesn't mean eternal patience.

I told him to behave himself with you or I'll take away his clay.

I wish I could help more. I truly do, child.

My thanks for the book, I'll return it within the week.

I'll admit I've thought about it but I'm not sure the sharingan would translate as well aesthetically in wood as it does in human flesh.

From Hidan

Prove it.

Mine's shorter but it's better. Not so greasy.

You'd be healed from everything if you just prayed to Jashin!!

It's a. Fucking. Fishing pole. He has like fifty! Why's he making such a big deal out of ONE?!

I did it and I'm NOT sorry.

Shit ain't my business but really isn't he too big for your sick-ass body?

Can't even tell you man.

It's not my deal but blondie looks cute as fuck when we go. Tell him I said that and I'll cut off your balls with my scythe.

You're like a fucking vampire dude. You NEVER SLEEP!

When I tried saying it Kakuzu almost knocked my head off my damn neck.

Stop being so gay and come with us. It's not like you've got shit else to do that day!

Whatever asshole.

I would rock your fucking world and I wouldn't break your ass in half like shark-dick.

Just use your creepy eyes and put him to sleep first! All we gotta do is cut off like two inches and he'll freak so bad he'll have a heart attack!

You know what? I'm gonna lend you my Jashin bible. One you read it you'll see I'm right about everything I keep telling you!

From Zetsu

You hurt his feelings, child. He said you're the only ones left of your clan and you never wish to spend time with or even speak to him.

I can smell it coming from your pores.

Time is merely an illusion.

These trips to Konoha are proving quite lengthy ...

You should probably lay low for a bit. Kakuzu finally received the credit card bill for all of those tea and dango shops.

That's a lovely idea but I doubt ALL of us could go to one place without causing some chaos.

There is no heaven and no hell. There is simply NOW, and whatever realities we choose to create for ourselves.

I believe he's started to think of himself as being your "big brother". Could be either good or bad for you.

From Deidara

Art absolutely IS a "life necessity". Heathen.

As good as friends as two assholes can be, right?

Mine got softer since I started using the eggs. It's slimy but after it sets in, it's really great.

If I wasn't goofy about Danna and EVERY OTHER man in the world died, then maybe.

Should you really be drinking?

Maybe if you went to sleep! Fucking hell you're creepier than a vampire!

Yeah but if I DID like girls I bet I'd get more than you!

I just don't get why he wears it? He's hot as FUCK without it.

Would Kisame get mad if I asked him if he wanted to come with us to the aquarium?

Just get Konan to do it. She's nice and has soft hands.

Hidan wants to but I'd rather stay home.

Yeah I could teach you but yours wouldn't explode so what's even the point??

From Konan

Thank you! I can't believe you noticed! <3

You need the fresh air, come with me for a walk.

Don't listen to him ok?

Yes and no. More so "yes".

I wish I had the time for it.

I'm almost done with that book, you have the sequel right?

It's like every single particle of dust on the road just magically finds it's way into my hair.

If you're trying to avoid back pain, I'd advise against it.

Not that I don't appreciate them but ... did you go out at one in the morning to pick them?

He talks too loud and I've already got a headache.

Thanks for letting me borrow it, Nagato's hair is much healthier now.

From Tobi/Obito

You think THAT was bad?? Try BATHING the son of a bitch!!

You, me, and Sasuke could do it though. It would be more powerful than any clan that ever existed.

Just because it tasted good did NOT mean you needed to eat that many in one sitting!

I applaud the idea but with as weak as you are right now I don't see how it could work.

He's taller than you now. Still with the short hair though.

I can see I was wrong in criticizing Fugaku's parenting style because you ARE a handful, little cousin.

Four hours of uninterrupted sleep would do you a world of good.

Why should I give that up?? It's absurdity to think that an UCHIHA has a PUPPET as a romantic rival!!

It gets so hot and itchy under this thing.

A vacation somewhere warm and quiet would be nice.

Your idea of atonement is even more fucked-up than mine.

No but HE said I had to.

I'm honestly surprised nobody has tried to kill him yet.

I wish it was so. I truly do.

It's loud but you have to admit it's better than being alone.

Come and eat.

Depends on what your definition of "helpful" is.

From Kisame

Did you eat something yet?

Did you get any sleep last night?

Come here, I drew you a bath with lavender oil.

Can I help that I legitimately worry over you?

Just a snack? Just so you have something in your stomach? Please?

The water is warm and gentle and I bet a swim would cheer you up.

I forgot how much energy they have, I ran myself ragged trying to keep up with them!

Then come let me brush that beautiful hair of yours.

I understand. I don't agree but I get it.

Then just let me kill them. Problem solved.

Come on, please, just one quick little nap. An hour max.

They invited us but I know you don't really like red meat so I said no.

Fortunately MY bed is VERY warm and cozy. Come and see.

It might shock you to learn that there are other foods besides dango and tea.

You shouldn't even have to ask, that was 1000% Deidara.

There are other, and perhaps more interesting, ways of building your stamina. <3

Never imagined that one day I'd want something like this, but here we are.

Is it a little one or a big one? If it's small just take a deep breath and use your shoe.

I love you as well but dammit brat you'll be the death of me for sure!

[victoriaspriing]

2023 writing gif-making round up

Rules (adapted for fic, gifs, art, etc.): Share what you made this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you made or just the projects you're most excited about.

I was tagged by @swearphil! thank you sm renee <33

Hii!! so 2024 is right around the corner, happy new year yayay. Actually, if I think too much about it I think I'll start crying cause like what do you mean we're less than 42 hours from staring a new year?!! 2023 doesn't feel real tbh time in general doesn't feel real but yeah anyways I'll save that convo for another time. I'm here today to reflect on all the gifsets I've made throughout this year, which let me add, has been A LOT. I'm going to start by sharing some fun stats (yes renee I'm copying you <33), and then I'll do a fun top 5 of my fave gifsets, and to finish it off I'd also like to use this to shout out some of my fave people and creators on this hellsite cause you all made my 2023 so much better and I love you all for that <333

fun statistics:

In total I made 61 gifsets in 2023

57 are heartstopper (not surprised)

3 are 911 lone star (mostly tarlos)

1 are dan and phil

In august I made 20 gifsets, which are the most gifsets I've made in a month this year

In may I made 1 gifset, which is the month I made less gifsets this year

6 of the gifsets are song lyrics edits

3 of the gifsets are heartstopper comic edits

31 of the gifsets are scenes from heartstopper

6 of the gifsets are heartstopper compilations from s1 and s2

top 5 gifsets from 2023 (in no particular order)

that one dnp gifset: I think most people know that I was and still am a big dan and phil fan, and that I spent most of my teenage years obsessing over them and giffing them and only them. Well, they went on hiatus and they stopped having a big impact on my life util they decided to come back and ruin my life again (in a good way). This gifset was the first time I giffed them since like idk 2019/2020, and it does mean a lot to me :') it's not really about the concept and the coloring, I chose this one to be apart of my top 5 for sentimental reasons, and I think that's valid.

give your friendships the magic you would give a romance: once again, sentimental reasons. when I read this quote on loveless it just spoke to me in so many levels. One of the things I love the most about heartstopper is the importance they give to friendship and I just had to make something that highlighted that and I think it turned out super good.

I think nellie loves him: well, now I think I snapped with this one akdhjahak I just love it so much. the coloring.. the heartstopper tv scenes with the heartstopper comic scenes, like chef's kiss, just perfect. of course this is not an original idea so I'd love to thank @rose-nobles for inspiring this gifset <33

mr. ajayi loves museum dates with his grumpy bf: and just like that we are back to sentimental reasons ahdhkas. well, this was one of the first gifsets I made when season two came out and it blew up. I've never had that many notes on a gifset, and honestly I think it's well deserved cause the coloring is good and I had finally just figured out how to sharpen gifs, so yeah love that for me.

I'm bi actually: I had so much fun making this one. the amount of bi coded elements and colors I included on this, I WAS ON A MISSION. the fact I made the font wobbly hsjgdjaka, I love love this gifset.

a little shout out to my faves (I hope you all have an amazing 2024)

@swearphil ☆ @barrowsteeth ☆ @narliee ☆ @cafecdramin ☆ @heroeddiemunson ☆ @nelsonnicholas ☆ @curlyhairedprince ☆ @wylanvannecks ☆ @aimeegbbs ☆ @indimlights ☆ @jelloandsugar ☆ @perrieedwards ☆ @imogen-heaney ☆ @thatwasthenightthingschanged ☆ @klinejack ☆ @birthdaysentiment ☆ @seeleybooth ☆ @sonseulsoleil ☆ @taraolssons ☆ @immortals-malec ☆ @parissquads ☆ @rose-nobles ☆ @itwasmagic ☆ @perccyjackson ☆ @naomismcpherson ☆ @neverfindmegone ☆ @charlieisverybored

Okay I think that's it, I'm so sorry if I missed someone. I'm also tagging everyone that wants to do this, just say I tagged you in it <33

[chickenoptyrx]

Ok so here's the run down since I'm too lazy to ever draw everything out :U

goin off this comic

⬇️and down here cause I ramble too much 🙄⤵️

Ok so first the next few pages I had sketched out

Ok so things to note:

• trunks is sad and like very much thinkin bout gohan and his death.

• bulma has the control device thing for brolys headband, but can't figure out how to make it work

• this thing is basically a ki battery. And what imma ramble about.. The whole sub plot here being that 1 of the big drawbacks in the future is theres just not enough power for bulma to accomplish much. Ki as an energy source should work but it doesn't interact well w earths tech, its nearly impossible to store, and even when stored it doesn't then 'power up' in a predictable/usable way like electricity.

(As a side note I stopped at this page cause I kept wanting to redesign it to have 7 obvious apatures or idk something to coincide w the 7 Chakras cause like brolys jewelry stuff also has 7 gems. But. I did none of that :U )

So anyway we see in dbz that non-earthlings have tech that utilizes ki, and paragus' control device for broly obviously uses ki, but while this battery that her and gohan were able to sorta get to work can store ki, they never found a method for converting or using it. But now it can be used and the control device gives her something to reverse engineer from, which is 1 of the reasons for wanting broly around despite him being.. the way he is.

SO ANYWAYS

This was another panel I intended to use once 17 starts attacking broly, who at this point is still very zonked out and not reacting.

So. From trunks pov. Hes already A. thinkin bout what happened w gohan and B. primed to see 'saiyans' as good guys or heros or whatever. Even if hes heard every story about saiyans as a race being bad, hes grown up hearing about goku, seeing gohan, and yknow no ones really talkin too much heavy shit about his dead dad- and his mom loved him so like he was probably good too.. right??

Lol dumbass kid.

So yeah my poor dumb stupid baby boy here is gonna jump into a fight that he does not needta be involved in to protect someone who does not need his help and won't be grateful :D cause ⭐ Le Trauma ⭐

Meanwhile, bulmas testing out her new theory(s) about the control device A. being built to send out some kinda signal and B. Being powered by ki. She's got it set up to expand the reach of that signal so she can pick up that it is reaching something without using too much power and without necessarily alerting whatever its reaching. But broly was already in a weird spot w the headbands control so this lil ping along w everything else goin on is what like awakens him to the fight or whatever. As you can see I'm not a writer.

Big cool epic no holds fight scene that im not drawing starts up. Broly terrorizes the androids but also attacks trunks cause like tf does he care? He's havin fun :>

Bulma realizes how late for dinner she is, decides not to waste the energy in the battery since its all they have of it (also she doesn't wanna admit it but she knows its like the last thing they have of gohan) and now that she knows it won't blow up she can just ask trunks to help her run more tests on the control device later. Then she realizes her kids not home any more and 3 guesses where he went :U she planning on goin out after him guns blazing, realizes she has no idea where he actually is, YadaYada, if she increases the power and range, she can pin point what this devices signal is bouncing off of and thats probably where this new alien and therefore her kid are.

By this point in the fight the androids are aware this is not goin their way, and trunks, poor dumb baby that he is, has finally managed to draw his stupid sword thats way too big for him rn. This creates an opportunity for the androids to get tf outta dodge cause see. Here's the bit. Broly was stabbed by trunks grandad as a baby. So seeing someone pointing a big knife at his probably gets his undivided attention :D anyway, luckily bulma uses the last of gohans ki from the battery thing to send out another stronger signal that zonks broly right tf back out before he can kill trunks. He runs and meets his mom on her way to save him and uh.. yeah, they go home. Soooo gohan saved trunks again even after he's dead :U im sure that'll be fine. Maybe they have a sad fight about it, idk.

Anyway. Middle middle middle.

Paragus used broly for his power to fight his battles for him, so I dont see how this situation w the androids looks very different to broly. They have the control device for their own safety sure, but I mean that was paragus's reason at first too

Then too, broly doesn't know or really care to know how to actually apply any self control w his powers so ya kinda don't want him 'helping' destroy anything- dudes just gonna nuke the planet as collateral damage and move on.

So yeah, more middle middle middle and he's training trunks to fight and trunks is tryin to get him to learn basic self control and like.. morals. And uh theyre friends or whatever. Idk man I just wanted to draw them hanging out and hadta do a convoluted back story about it that I then never actually did :D

[alterchaos]

A BATTLE BETWEEN BROS

Amy, Chris, Tails, and Eve all decide to head out on a picnic together but little do they know the adventures that lie in store for them...

inspired by: Sonic X episode 5

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: A TALE OF TWO BROTHERS

NEXT CHAPTER: SCHOOL

“WWWOOOOOAAAHHH!!!!”

“Hehehe! Pretty cool, right?”

The little girl's eyes sparkled, “Yeah it is! I can't believe you made this, Tails!”

The fox's twin tails flicked as he rubbed his head sheepishly, “Hehehe! Well, I learned everything I know from books I used to read as a kit! That and…a bit of trial and error…” He had accidentally let that last part slip, as embarrassing as it was.

“That's amazing! So you just figured out how it works all on your own!? There's no way I could do something like that…”

Curiosity got the better of her as she ran to the front of the aircraft, a cape of blonde hair trailing behind as a warm, late-spring breeze brushed against her face.

“What does this part do?”

“That's the propeller, which connects to the engine that utilizes the natural flow of chaos that surrounds us at all times by harnessing a specific frequency combined with this electrical circuitry here…”

The girl just stood there, trying to take it all in. She didn't understand all of the technological or electrical things, or even what this “flow of chaos” was, but the last thing she wanted was to make her new friend not like her.

“R-Right…the frequency t-to the chaos to the harness…”

This wasn't working.

Tails noticed the girl fidgeting nervously and trying to mutter what he said back to him. He smiled knowingly, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

“Hey, it's okay! Sonic doesn't get what I'm saying most of the time either hehe!” He winked at the anxious girl, “Sorry for leaving you behind like that. Let me start over and I can explain it better. Does that sound good, Eve?”

This wasn't right. Why was he the one apologizing for her misstep?

Still, Eve couldn't deny that she loved the kindness her new friends were showing her. Maybe it would be alright to take that in a bit. After all, if everyone else could, then why shouldn't she?

Eve beamed, her blue-green eyes sparkling in the warm sunlight as she raised her fists excitedly, “Right! I can keep up this time! I know it!”

“Hehehehe! I see why Sonic wanted to be your friend! You two are practically twins!”

If she could have smiled wider than her face allowed, she would have in that moment.

“Evelyn!!”

Smile gone.

“Hey!! Evelyn!!”

Eve folded her arms, turning her head away from the oncoming smiling and waving boy.

“What do you want, Christopher?”

She had new friends now.

Chris stopped in his tracks, a look of confusion on his otherwise cheerful face.

“I-I came to see you. I thought we could do something fun together today since it's so nice out and-!?”

“What about your friends? Isn't it the weekend?”

Unlike him, her new friends didn't abandon her on weekends or drag her along just to be bullied like Sonic had said.

Chris paused for a moment with a serious yet sincere smile on his face.

“I'm not friends with them anymore.”

Did she hear him right?

“Since when?”

“Since last night.”

“Last night? But you were home. You even brought me up to the attic to meet everyone!”

“I did.”

“So then when did you fight with them?”

Chris chuckled quietly to himself, “I didn't. I just decided I didn't want to be friends with them anymore.”

“...All on your own?”

“All on my own.”

Yep. She definitely heard him right. Since when had she been isekaied into this reality?

“But…why?”

“‘Why?’” Chris walked next to her and ruffled her hair slightly, popping a comical thumbs up and Sonic-y wink.

Well…this was…awkward…

“Because I don’t like the way they treat my little sister.”

…

…….

“Since when did we get a baby sister?”

Chris laughed out loud, “It's you, Eve! You’re the little sister!”

Yep. Definitely isekaied.

“So! What do you want to do today! It's super sunny so we could go for a walk or visit the beach or-OH! Maybe even a picnic!”

“Uuuuhhh…”

Tails grabbed her shoulders excitedly before Eve had a chance to refuse, “A picnic sounds awesome, Chris! I'll make some modifications to the seating arrangements and we can all ride there in the Tornado! I'll tell you all about how it works on the way!”

Eve turned to protest but was met with a sincere and knowing smile. Tails wanted her to take this chance and…well…if she trusted Sonic, then why not Tails too?

A sigh escaped her, “Okay. I'll go get changed.”

—-—-------------------------------------------

“WOOOOOOWWW!!!!”

Eve had never been in an open airplane like this before. Not only did the convertible top allow for a full view of the world below, but the wind hitting her face made her feel almost as though she was flying herself, a dream she'd always had since she'd seen it once in a cartoon. This wasn't exact but still, the feeling it invoked…

It was pure bliss.

The trip to Silver Valley for the impromptu picnic included Eve; Tails; Amy; and, of course, Chris. She had asked Sonic if he would join them but the true, blue friend said no. He simply wanted to enjoy the warm sunshine in a peaceful nap. Cream and Cheese on the other hand wanted to enjoy their new and exciting pasttime: children’s cartoons. It was just the four of them, none of whom Eve was all that familiar hanging out with. It made her nervous. She really didn’t want to mess this up.

“Ah! There it is, Tails!”

Eve snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes sparkling like the lake basking in the sun below. Mountains provided a gorgeous backdrop to the pocket of soft grass below. Massive pine trees lined the hillside, their tiny needles rustling in the breeze as they toppled over and crashed into the ground below…

…

Wait.

WHAT!?

Everyone’s attention snapped to the chaotic scene lining the hillside as flashes of blue and red zipped through the rapidly dwindling forest. The former seemed to be hopping gracefully from tree to tree while the latter was barreling straight through the center, the clear and obvious source of the line of downed trees.

Eve pointed at the scene in worry, “That’s Sonic! We have to help him stop that villain!”

Tails, on the other hand, was unamused, “Unbelievable.”

Amy piped in similarly, “Those two never change.”

Chris jumped in curiously, “Who are they?”

Tails kept the plane steady, not daring to interfere, “That’s Knuckles. He’s what you could call Sonic’s biggest rival…and a total hot head.” That last part he added with extra sass.

Amy looked concerned, “But why are they fighting?”

“That would be ME!”

Everyone turned to look at the large pod behind them. Inside was a large man with an equally as large mustache. What was most surprising to Eve was that he seemed to know her new friends and yet…

He was…human…

Just like her…

“Seriously, Eggman?” The unamused fox rolled his eyes, “You’re supposed to have an IQ of what? 147?”

“RRRRGGHH!!! IT’S 300 YOU INSOLENT PIPSQUEAK!!!”

“Yeah right. Then why use such a tired old tactic that never even worked in the first place? What? Didn’t have enough entertainment while you sit around and wait for us to beat you time and time again?”

“Hehehe…Quite the opposite actually, little fox.” At that, Eggman pulled out a bright blue gem and held it up triumphantly, laughing maniacally in the process.

That…gem…

It was like the green one she found yesterday…

Though she couldn’t explain it…that gem…

She wanted it…

No…

She…NEEDED it…

If only…

If only she could just…

“EVE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?”

“Huh?”

It was like her entire world whipped back into reality in an instant. She took it all in, a bit confused at first at her own hand stretched out before her, but then her eyes met the loose seat buckle blowing in the wind beneath her. It didn’t take long to realize what she’d just done.

“EVE SIT DOWN!!!”

Eggman merely laughed at the spectacle, “HO HO HO HO! Bold one, aren’t we? Fine! You want this so badly?” Hidden compartments appeared from the sides of the pod, carrying missiles ready for launch.

“EVELYN!!!!”

But it was all too fast.

“Take THIS!!!”

He tried to grab her hand as Tails swerved the Tornado out of necessity, but it was too late. In that one, swift motion, her steadiness disappeared from under her and the wind swept her off her feet. In mere moments, she was airborne with the landscape she once admired now creeping closer as an omen of the end to come.

She covered her eyes. She’d prefer not to look.

womf

So this is how it all ends. With a womf and not some comical splat. Huh…guess those Saturday morning cartoons got it all wrong.

“Gotcha!”

Or maybe not.

Eve slowly opened her eyes, readjusting her sight to the warm and blinding sun above her. Aqua eyes met those of violet, red quills blowing in the wind as he…flew!?

“Phew! That was a close one! You okay, kid?”

That was…the red figure fighting Sonic, wasn’t it?

….

“AAIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

She began frantically squirming her way free, “HELPMESONICIMBEINGKIDNAPPEDBYTHEFLYINGCRAZYREDVILLAINOUSPORCUPINE!!!!”

“P-PORCUPINE!?!?”

In one swift motion a familiar and calming face appeared next to her, smiling gently with a wink and offering his hand.

“Heh heh heh…Don’t worry, Eve. I’ll save you from this villainous porcupine.”

“I’M NOT VILLAINOUS EITHER!!!”

Seeing how calm Sonic was, had she maybe landed in the arms of another of his friends?

She looked up at the red figure again, “Wait so…why were you fighting then?”

Sonic continued to hold out his hand, “Answers later, but for now, why don’t you take my hand so we can land you safely on the ground.”

Eve nodded and took his hand before being pulled into the safe and comforting embrace of her first and truest friend.

Sonic released a subtle sigh of relief, all the tension he’d been holding finally gone in that one quiet breath. Looking back at the plane trying to outmaneuver each missile, a more serious look replaced the smile on his face as the three of them continued to fall, “Think you can take care of him for me, Knux?”

“Heh!” The red figure smiled confidently, “Like you even need to ask! Just leave this to your ol’ pal, Knuckles!” He then glided away towards the scene.

Once he was below them, he shouted out towards the plane, “HEEEYYY!!! TAILS!! FLY TOWARDS ME!!!”

The fox nodded confidently, “ROGER!!!”

In one seamless movement of the controls, the Tornado climbed higher until it was above Eggman’s pod before then turning upside down and nosediving past Knuckles.

“HE’S ALL YOURS, KNUCKLES!!!”

“TAKE HIM DOWN!!!”

Knuckles smiled, “You got it, little brother.”

As each missile exploded, Knuckles glided towards the blasts, catching the updrift from the heat and pressure, using each as a makeshift stepladder to climb higher and higher still until he found himself in a comfortable position right above the pod. He paused, pulling back his fist as Eggman began to sweat.

“W-W-WAIT!!!! K-KNUCKLES!!! W-WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO TAKING THE EMERALDS BACK TOGETHER!?!?”

Knuckles gave a cocky grin in response, “Sorry, Eggman, but it seems I’m not as dumb as you think!”

“E-EH!?!?”

“Also, it’s one thing to beat up that blue idiot…” He brought his fist downward, barrelling towards the cockpit, “BUT I DRAW THE LINE AT HARMING INNOCENT CHILDREN!!!”

CRASH!!!

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

Sonic smiled below, watching a bashed-in Eggpod fly away in erratic motions, sputtering as it attempted to fly higher. In only a few moments, it was gone.

sniff hic

“Huh?” Sonic looked down at the young girl crying in his embrace, “H-Hey…what’s wrong? Did you get hurt in the blast?”

The girl shook her head, “I-I’m sorry…it’s because I stood up that e-everyone ended up in danger. I-I didn’t mean to mess up but I-I…I u-understand if you don’t want to be friends anymore…”

The girl broke down into sobs, Sonic watching with concern before smiling warmly, “Now why would I not want to be friends with the brave and awesome kid that stood up to Eggman?”

She raised her head, wet eyes meeting nothing but sincerity. Sonic smiled big with Eve returning one of her own in like, a few final tears plopping down her cheeks.

“Right!”

The two of them looked down, the ground much larger now than when he’d first taken her in his arms.

“So uh…how exactly do you plan to safely land us from this high up?”

Sonic’s eyes popped wide.

“Uuuh…heh heh heh…I-I didn’t think that far ahead?”

…

Yup. They're dead.

“OHMYGOSHAREWEGONNADIE!?!?!?”

Sonic looked down at the trees below him, noticing one of the ones Knuckles broke bent at an angle. A confident grin lining his face, “Not today, Eve! Hang on tight!”

“SONICWHATAREYOU-!?!?”

It was too late. The blue blur held her tightly against his body, making sure to protect her head with one of his hands as he started diving towards the broken tree. Once he got close enough, he started to shift position.

“Quick! Tuck your arms and knees in like a ball!”

The girl didn’t argue, doing as she was told. Sonic then wrapped his arms and legs around her, doing his best to make a makeshift ball to protect her.

“No matter what, don’t move, okay!?”

“O-Okay!!”

Within seconds, the two of them hit the tree with a loud and sharp THUD!!! Using the tree almost as a sort of slide, the two half-tumbled and half-rolled down the trunk, continuing to pick up speed until eventually hitting the ground. The force of the impact was enough to make the two of them pop open and tumble somewhat forward yet again until they finally stopped with a resounding SPLASH!!!

Sonic was the first to rise, gasping for air and splashing with his arms frantically.

“HELPMEICAN’TSWIMICAN’TSWIMICAN’T-!!!” He then paused and actually took in his surroundings, noticing the lack of any sinking sensation. Eve was simply sitting there soaked in both water and mud, and staring at him in bewilderment. The two locked eyes and looked down simultaneously before looking back up at each other with the same bewildered look.

This…was a puddle.

“PPFFFFTTT HAHAHAHAHAA!!!”

“HAHAHAHAHHAHAAAA!!!”

Eve laid back in the puddle, splashing and enjoying the mud. She didn’t care if she was muddy or if she had a few scrapes and bruises or even if her life had flashed before her eyes just mere moments before. For the first time in her life, she felt wild. She felt confident. She felt free.

She felt…alive.

And she knew that she could never go back to who she once was. She didn’t want to. She didn’t care what it would take. She loved this feeling and she never wanted to let it go, even if it meant danger.

This was her story and now, she was finally its author.

A muddy hand reached down to help her up as the others ran over to meet them. Amy came up with the idea for them all to have the picnic together down by the lake, which was convenient considering it was the closest way to wash off all the mud. They all sat together, enjoying a meal as one and finally getting some answers. It turns out, Eggman only thought he was tricking Knuckles to fight Sonic for the emerald, but in reality Knuckles had recruited Sonic to put on a good show and steal the emerald back, which the champion in question held up with pride for everyone to see. It was a genius plan cleverly crafted by the one, the only, Knuckles the…

“E-chidna?”

“Yep. Just like that!”

“Waaaait…so you aren’t some flying red porcupine?”

“WHEEEEEEZE!!!”

“SHUT UP, SONIC!!! And I don’t fly, kid. I glide using these dreadlocks by catching the wind beneath them.”

“Oh! So like a flying squirrel!”

“WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZEEE HAHAAAAA!!!”

Without another word, Knuckles picked up Sonic and threw him into the lake, close enough to the shoreline to get out on his own of course.

That shut him up.

Eve giggled, “You two seem so close, almost like brothers!”

“What do you mean ‘almost like’?”

…

…..

“Eh?”

Tails rubbed his head sheepishly, “Yeeeaahhh…I kind of left that part out…my bad, Big Brother!”

Knuckles sighed, “I think what my littlest brother means to say here is that he, Sonic, and I are all adoptive brothers. None of us had families we ever knew and once these two met me…well…” Knuckles smiled, remembering fondly of how they first met, “They let me join in. I no longer had to be stuck alone, abandoned on that island anymore. O-Of course I still guard the Master Emerald from evil and-!?”

Knuckles noticed the young girl beginning to tear up and became flustered.

“sniff Aww…Knuckles…that’s such a sweet story…sniff”

“Uuuhhh sure. P-Please don’t cry, kid. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

Sudden wet arms wrapped around Knuckles from behind in a sassy and mocking manner, shaking him in excitement, “Knuckles, did you hear that? Apparently that makes me the sweetest little brother you could ever have, huh? Let’s hug it out brooo!”

“I’ll pass, you dope!”

“Kyaaa-!”

SPLASH!!!

“Hehehehehehe!”

Yep. With her new friends by her side and many great adventures in store, anything was possible. And that was something she would never give up again, whatever it would take.

CHAPTER END

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Never Mind the Bollocks, This One's About the Robot

Does...does Bonney just make everything a named attack? You can guess from the title what we'll be focusing on the most here from Chapter 1092. I could start by pointing out a lot of things as this quiet thread weaves ever more and more into the foreground. Seeing more of a known scene through Akainu/Bonney. Kizaru and his forlorn attitude towards duty demanding the elimination of those he has a bond with. Here's one that'll waggle your eyes, isn't Kuma right now quite reminiscent of Cindry?

At this point, we've seen enough to know at least one thing is true. One of One Piece's little tricks is every arc has a thread that's more about setting up the next. Okiku is Wano's. You know what I say; the conspicuous absence from the Ryokugyu fight and ending on Rakugo Rocky's unreliable narration after the type of story we told with her opens the door to more than that. But forget about that...Robonosuke.

So that was the original pitch right? We didn't see closure on Kiku and a lot of things because she is still on the ship this whole time and has been quietly coordinating with the Grand Fleet, a sensible niche for a new quartermaster. One it's not time to write off yet, a lot of things could still happen. The ship getting tossed is a good chance to play with that. We did lose our stated plan which was a necessary step, and I'll remind you now how easily that came about very recently. Vegaforce-01 went down. But something else happened. Luckily, we have a spare though I don't think this one can fly. This...this is where we now have to heavily consider another idea. One we've poked at before.

This shouldn't be too hard of a thread to follow. We've already raised the idea that we've seen Egghead Island before. It has the right placement to have been where Oden met Toki, which would be pre-lab. Let's assume that's true for a moment. Why was Toki there in the first place? According to Vegapunk, that robot has been here for 200 years since its assault on Mariejois. It isn't crazy to think that's why VP wanted to set up his lab here, but that was post-Toki.

One of the most consistent thoughts we've always had about Okiku's peculiarities is how well they could go hand-in-hand with the potential her actual idol was the 800-year-old woman. Toki was a huge card to put on the table and never really utilize, even moreso when you have a cryptic but major new face in the present who can carry on a separate will and keeps hanging out in the background doing a whole lot of typical "new recruit" type things.

We certainly imply Robonosuke here awoke due to the drums of liberation...but that doesn't jive. This is the third time Luffy's gone G5. At least second if you don't count the quick bit with Bonney. Egghead just did the misleading stinger. We've already floated the idea that maybe instead of the ship our newbie who quietly slipped away has been solo questing on an island that could have tangential personal significance. Putting us back at another moment where you could actually pull the trigger very easily from here, assuming you deal with a couple of logistical problems. The plan to fly away being so spur of the moment and instantly dashed works better with "oh yeah, we forgot..." at least. Remember the cloud cover skipping over the night gives us for justifying almost anything.

What if Luffy had the right idea with Robonosuke? You just needed to know his name. That relationship with Toki would make Kiku one of the absolute best candidates to believably know exactly what she found and how to use it. A scrap heap sounds like the exact right place thematically for her to do so.

Weird thing about factoring in Toki is that she could really pop up a lot of places in history. We don't really know much about her past, she took to the life of a Daimyo's wife quite well. There's also the idea Oden's journal is our main source about her. Toki just flat-out could have been a part of why Robonosuke ended up on this island or any number of things.

[mike-haters-dni]

Some S5 Ideas, Before Information Starts Coming Out And They Get Destroyed lol, Pt. I

Part II | Part I.V

Roughly ordered from most to least likely to actually happen, but I'm at most like 50% on any of these. Except for the first one which is a 100% :)

No one dies. Yeah, that’s right. Maiming is on the table tho.

The Duffs said we were getting the original groups back together so I’m running with the idea that our boys (and girl) spend the majority of the season as a unit. (yes, this is mostly about the party, I only think about them lmao)

Mike and El have twin arcs that center around responsibility. They are both officially named the party’s leaders who get the last say on anything the group does, specifically for dangerous situations to make sure the group works together. Technically El is the Supreme Leader who gets the final say if they disagree on anything and generally isn't argued with, but Mike is more often coming up with and overseeing plans. They both take this role very seriously, and end up putting perhaps unnecessary pressure on themselves. They both feel responsible for keeping everyone safe, to the point where they would gladly sacrifice themselves if it meant making sure no one else got hurt or died. Mike grapples with his own fears and starts to buckle under this newfound feeling of being responsible for his friends lives, while El also feels the larger responsibility of being the only person with the power to actually fix the apocalypse. Does this mean she has to be willing to do absolutely anything to fix it? Is she even actually the only solution? Does she have to prioritize saving the world over saving her friends?

Lucas of course feels horrible about “letting” max die and funnels his regret into training to make sure he never loses a fight again. As soon as they figure out a plan to get her back he’s on the warpath, and ends up making some game-winning (and very risky, much to Mike's chagrin) plays for the mission.

Will’s arc is about him finding his own self-worth, and ends with him getting to physically defeat the representation of his trauma.

Nancy teaches Mike how to shoot a gun.

Hawkins gets destroyed. I want it destroyed. The rot from the gates and the gates themselves spread over time and eventually monsters come pouring out, making the area completely inhabitable and everyone gets evacuated and the town is closed off. Of course, our heroes eventually have to sneak back into it to fix The Plot. Imagine a scene where they go to the Wheeler house looking for something and have this terrible “oh shit. Nothing is ever going to be the same again” moment as they see how broken down and destroyed everything is. Our homes are destroyed and there’s no going back. It’s like a metaphor.

Everyone ends up having to begrudgingly work with the government/military to fix Hawkins cuz I mean, there's no way they’re leaving the area of this insane alien disaster and someone on the Alien Disaster Response Team is going to know about Eleven and realize that she’s their best resource for fixing this (again lol). Our heroes agree to this because they don’t really have a choice, plus the military has a ton of resources that they can steal utilize.

I also want that timeskip. A lot of it is spent in a makeshift military base in the next town over trying to figure out how to approach the Vecna problem, who has been weirdly absent for too long. There’s very much a held-breath, dread vibe during this section.

During this lull, everyone trains to become apocalypse-ready, and El finally gets an unironic, non-trauma-based training arc to become the finely-honed, superpowered boss bitch she was always meant to be.

Also Dustin learns a good deal about field medicine, which becomes a skill that he utilizes at least once in a very life-or-death situation later.

The other half/two-thirds of the story is spent traveling to the heart of the apocalyptic Hawkins after confirming the military can’t be trusted.

Will gets slightly more utility out of his monster sensing powers/curse than just being able to tell that the giant ominous rumbling is danger, actually. He can more or less read their minds and sense where they are in an area, which allows the group to avoid or ambush them. It would also be really cool if there was some moment where he sensed some goal the monsters had and it was all spooky and cryptic, or he figures out a way to mask his presence from them and there's a tense scene where he sneaks through a heavily infested area to get to something. Idk, the show’s scifi magic system barely has rules anyway we can have fun with it.

Max gets woken up halfway through the season and has some important new information that is the key to stopping Vecna. I like the idea that she retains like 20% vision and her bones healed through the coma (and the timeskip cough), so she forces the boys to bring her with them on the final mission to end everything despite their reasonable concerns about her physical state. Just so we can have the whole group together.

Continuing the responsibility theme, the idea of El having to sacrifice herself to fix everything is brought up multiple times. She never argues with this—its clear she agrees on some level, but then when the moment comes for her to do the thing and die to save the world, she decides “fuck it, I wanna live actually” and fights her way back to her friends.

The one time someone (Dustin) is brave (dumb) enough to suggest El sacrificing herself in front of Mike he almost spontaneously combusts with rage and gets to say the one ‘fuck’ of the season. I would say lmao but its actually a very intense emotional scene ok take this seriously please.

Mike finally gets a real Violence Moment (checkhov did lend him a gun). As well as anyone else that wants one.

It would be fun to see Dustin like legitimately bitter and angry after what happened to Eddie. He blames the townspeople for Eddie’s death and generally lacks empathy for anyone opposing them. Not sure how that would wrap up for him though.

El loses her powers permanently at the end of the show. I just think it would be a good ending for her to finally get to be normal, and not have the government breathing down her back (as much) anymore.

Part II | Part I.V

[la0hu]

so from gabe's point of view, he missed one rent payment and will immediately be faced with us approaching him, asking him to leave. even if we bring up how he's completely removed himself from the community, how he doesn't do chores or anything around the house, how he's repeatedly expressed resentment and dislike of basically everyone in the house, and how it appears he's just rent-trapped here, for HIM it will boil down to: these people don't like me and that's why they're kicking me out.

i'm anticipating that he will say we have no grounds to remove him. that he doesn't want to take the offer of us lowering his rent for some months before he is asked to leave, like a subletter.

realistically, we either have to make him agree and at least admit he's rent-trapped in a living situation where he feels uncomfortable, unhappy, and insecure and that we are trying to help him move to a place that will be better for him -- OR we will be forced to address the root of the problem, which is the insanely low rent. we will have to raise the rent.

ira already brought up the topic about how our low rent creates an unhealthy dynamic via rent-trapping, and if talks fail with gabe, i think we'll have to bring it up at meeting regardless. currently the average rent is about $1000 INCLUDING groceries and utilities. that's insane. i'll suggest we bump it to $1500, just to piss people off, and then it'll get talked down to maybe $1200.

also honestly, if gabe refuses our offer, i would want to speak to him directly and ask him what is preventing him from leaving? if he can be 100% honest and actually admit to my face that he hates living here, why does he stay?

even if the answer IS money, he's also fucking things up for everyone else in the house, too. it puts a serious strain on everyone for this living situation to go on. it prevents someone else moving into the house who actually would want to be here and participate. it's been a source of anxiety and fear for several ppl in the house, including -- especially -- me. it's not like he's only hurting himself by trading his happiness for money by staying here. he's also trading the happiness of his housemates by staying.

it's also possible that he'll need some time to process what we've approached him with, and that he won't be able to come to a decision immediately. but i'm also scared that if we tell him something this upsetting and then leave him alone, he might spiral by himself and do something drastic, like hurting someone in the house.

a part of me wonders if i should speak to him alone. as far as i know, he despises alan and evan, he thinks connie is unstable and crazy, he thinks ira is rigid and too strict, and he thinks vlad can't communicate. maybe he thinks i'm naive and immature and too "everyone should hold hands"-esque, but that should mean hearing this come from me will make it real.

actually this is a bad idea. i need someone with me. i don't know if that person should be ira, and it definitely shouldn't be alan or connie. i'm actually starting to wonder if it should be vlad. just two of us. gabe will be angry, he might slam his hands on his knees and swear, he might stand up and start pacing out of agitation.

yeah okay, i can foresee he's going to need to express a lot of anger and fear. ira should not be there, because i don't think she handles that stuff well. vlad should be there because it bounces off him. i need to be there because -- honestly -- i am a woman gabe doesn't think is insane. he's less likely to get physical if i'm there.

he also won't agree to our offer immediately. he will need time to process everything, and things will be extremely tense and unpleasant around the house in the meantime. we might not feel safe around him. we'll have to schedule a time to talk to him to revisit the convo.

if he still refuses at that point, we'll have to keep wearing him down. and we might have to do the shitty thing that i mentioned earlier, where at house meeting, we talk about rent-trapping and about raising our rent in general. it might not actually go anywhere, but i think we're done with pretending that gabe isn't making a problem. he will feel worried that rent here will go up, and that will possibly propel him into actually seriously considering moving out and finding another place.

there's no easy way to do this. every single way will involve a lot of fear, a lot of long, tense arguments, a lot of paranoia about how he might behave. but if he leaves, it will all be worth it. that's how fucking abysmal things are

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

So, lemme give some context on why I'm bringing this theory today. I was rereading Cyanide and noticed something during chapter 10...

This line said by Morax :

"No, it would seem you instead utilize your own innate energy - this would imply your pool of innate energy is... much larger than the average Adeptus. We cannot rule out this being a human trait, but given there are no Vision bearers at the point in time... Well, regardless. It is with this innate energy that you gather the elemental imprint of the energies around you, and, likely by utilizing your Vision, parce the Hydro from the non-Hydro."(ok the many lines- I realized that more and more of his dialogue would work to support the little theory I'm about to dump here so I kept adding on lolol)

With the information received in the past chapters, some pieces started to form in my mind... We know that Ajax has some Volchiy and Zvezdochoty blood, but other then his hair and eye color along with what Rex Lapis told him, we didn't have much to show that he was a descendant of both and while his control over hydro was pretty good, it came from his tedious training. But now, now that I'm rereading... this "innate energy" that is apparently "much larger than the average Adeptus" feels very suspicious. What if it came from his Volchiy lineage? I mean, they are amphibious right? So for them and their descendants to have a natural affinity to Hydro would make sense. It would also explain why he would go deep in the waters of Luhua Pool to gather his thoughts during chapter 5 or when he went into the tank that was in the Hydro chambers in chapter 38, the water brought him comfort, it might've felt natural to go there. The fact that he could use Hydro the way he did towards the begining was probably also thanks to his Volchiy and Zvezdochoty blood, seeing how both are definitely not human, and could thus probably use the elements in a way that is more similar to that of the Adepti. So, because of that, Ajax likely has a lot less restrictions when it comes to how he uses Hydro, unlike normal Vision holders from future Teyvat. Sprinkles(it feels rude to call you Trashcan so Sprinkles it is), did you plan this from the begining? If so, then massive Kudos to you for having this much foresight on what you intend to do!

WOW, ok, uuuh I was pretty hyperfocused there haha, anyways... I can't think of anything more to add so... yeah! That's my little theory :)

i feel so seen rn,, i did in fact (more or less) plan this tysm for pointing it out;;; my efforts have been validated

(i say more or less bc some details were indeed added along the way bc they just fit, but for the most part it was all planned)

the gigantic pool of innate energy is a mix of both actually. it's bigger than the average Adeptus' because it's a combination of a human's (which is bigger than they would think they'd be, not as large as ajax', but still larger than they'd expect) and the mixed non-human heritage. they sort of- add together, which resulted in ajax having a comically large pool of innate energy. so you're correct in that it relates to his heritage, but not in that- like- he pool being huge is *just* bc of his heritage. still!

everything else is right on the money. like yeah ajax is really good at elemental manipulation but his familiarity w hydro does indeed come from his ancestry. but since he's the only human to have had control over it in who knows how long (in his world) it never really registered as odd to him that he found so much comfort in water. like- he just said 'oh well i guess im just a child of the ocean' and left it at that.

another detail to add to your theory that you might notice once you get there but i'm putting it here anyway bc now you've enabled me- ah, in the tsaritsa's monologue when ajax n co swoop in to the rescue (i believe) she mentions how it must've been his connection to the abyss what enabled her to send him back in time without completely exhausting all her energies (which would've required her to go to the brink of death to acomplish. what she doesn't know, of course, is that what made it easier for ajax to go from his world to teyvat was that the roots of his lineage were- well, in teyvat. it's not the abyss (it don't work like that), as she thought, but his ancestry. she might not have been able to send him back and then survive if he hadn't had non-human blood from teyvat in him hahah

anyway uh- thank you!! this comment made me smile like an idiot <3

[bqrf]

My friend and I were discussing how we could involve science into the use of Visions, and here’s what I spiraled into! Keep in mind this is all just us spit balling so yeah-

WARNING:

Discussion of Death, graphic injury descriptions and more

Anemo Users

first, I’d like to start off with the discussion of Anemo users as they are actually the most versatile. A common theme being they all use air compression.

This is on the assumption that Anemo users are capable of manipulating any type of air.

Beginning with one of our favorite emos with mommy issues.

The Wanderer - Scaramouche [Introduction]

He is the only known Anemo user (from what I can tell) to utilize his vision for flight. (No, I’m not counting Venti, he just makes a wind current). Something else that interests me more though, is his attack patterns.

When attacking foes with the wanderer, Yuuban Meigen has the effect which leads me to believe he is using pressurized wind; or rather compressed air.

This is further confirmed by the Description of his burst. And This is where I will now rant to you about compressed air.

Please note: most of this can apply to all Anemo users. I will get into the specifics of others momentarily.

source I will be using:

DANGERS

Firstly, what are the dangers of compressed air if not handled properly?

“Although all these occurrences are extremely rare, they are also possible. There is absolutely no good reason to point compressed air at a person, including yourself, which makes these injuries 100% preventable. Don’t use compressed air to clean your clothes, blow dust around, or hit your buddy as a joke, and you’ll be perfectly safe.”

It is also possible for a pressurized air tanks to explode when not looked after due to corrosion— or rather, it is one of the leading causes. When the water isn’t properly drained from the t ank it can weaken it until the tank breaks from the air forcing its way out.

HEAT

Compressed air is known to be hot due to the way it is created. Let���s discuss that.

Compressed air is made in chambers where the molecules are pressed together to create said air. This can be explained by 3 laws.

The third law listed above already explains it! The molecules moving so quickly together causes the heat of the air to increase!

These dangers can also serve as explanations as to why Xiao’s burst does continuous self-inflicted damage.

Theoretically, Sayu should be taking even more damage than him on just her skill. There’s of course the obvious reason of rolling around on hard surfaces but there is also the idea of her using pressurized air and wind to propel herself. I will be doodling Safety gear for all Anemo users at the end of this post.

These guys have the right idea. Though something covering their whole face can prevent the loss of eyeballs!

ALL ELEMENTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Sub section: Pyro

source:

It is a well known fact that fire is a result of vibrating atoms to release gasses. In short, a combination of fuel, oxygen and heat. What do anemo users have? Oxygen and heat (refer back to heat caused by air compression).

Sub Section: Hydro

In tandem with Pyro and heat, this can cause water to vaporize. Another known fact is that Water is found in the air. Ameno users can utilize this through air pressure to manipulate hydro as if it were their vision.

Furthermore Hydro can be compressed to make Cryo, lending itself to the next sub section.

Sub Section: Electro

sources:

Lightning is formed through droplets and ice crystals “bumping” into each other, creating electrical charges. Oxygen and air have a large role to play in this, as you need cold and warm air for its creation.

“Nitrogen is also involved in further lightning chemistry. At the high temperatures lightning generates, there is enough energy for nitrogen and oxygen in the air to combine, forming nitrogen oxides. In turn, these nitrogen oxides can dissolve in rainwater and form nitrates, which are important for plant growth. The process of usually unreactive nitrogen being turned into nitrates that plants can use is called ‘nitrogen fixing’. Lightning accounts for up to 3-10 teragrams of nitrogen fixed per year (compared to 100-300 teragrams fixed by bacteria).”

(“The Science of thunderstorms- thunder, lighting, and chemical reactions”, Compound interest, ~2018) Yes, anemo also has a grip on Dendro.

Conclusion

With everything we know it’s safe to assume Geo can be manipulated by Anemo too

Compression of Minerals creates others, Anemo as we know it is capable of compression

Cryo is created from hydro, which can be manipulated through Ameno

Through the manipulation of its molecules or Anemo induced Pyro hydro can be created, and therefore Cryo.

Most elements are dependent on Air/ Oxygen

Electro is dependent for the reactions created

Pyro is fueled by oxygen, without it there is no fire

Plant life depends on Air for survival, without it there would be no carbon dioxide to be used in photosynthesis.

BURST

source used:

Now looking back on the Wander’s burst we know it would utilize heat and pressure along with creating an unstable environment for the compressed air in order to cause this explosion.

An important question to bring up is:

How far can this compression be pushed? Assuming there is no limit— dependent on the user— it’s safe to assume it can be pushed to the point of creating a black hole, or something similar.

“Don't let the name fool you: a black hole is anything but empty space. Rather, it is a great amount of matter packed into a very small area - think of a star ten times more massive than the Sun squeezed into a sphere approximately the diameter of New York City. The result is a gravitational field so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.” (NASA, 1)

Theoretically, Scaramouche could compress matter in the air to the point of a black hole.

Taking a closer look, the effects would suggest light itself warping around the Axis, implying something with the nature of a black hole.

Black holes are created from super Novas, specifically the theory that, if the mass is large enough, no force can keep the star from collapsing under the influence of gravity. Leading this back to the wanderer, a perfect balance could possibly result in the creation of an artificial black hole.

CONCLUSION (scara)

In conclusion, Scara’s attacks can do some serious damage! Taking into account his personality: his skills can and will be used in a manner which would guarantee the safety of no one, not even himself.

Skill ideas

Heat - He burns people, what can I say

Compressing lungs - He could compress the air in the lungs of his foes leading to:

Suffocation

Converting them into essentially pressurized air tanks, of course leading to explosions

Compressing all water molecules to drown them

Black holes

need I say more

Air in the body

Your body requires air for functionality, an Ameno user could quickly cut off oxygen supply.

Good thing he doesn’t need to breathe! Otherwise, he would be rupturing his lungs every time he takes flight!

If you want further details on how he could do more damage please let me know, I can make a follow up for individual characters too with how they can utilize all of this keeping these ideas in mind.

OTHER CHARACTERS - SAFETY GEAR AND ADDITION ABILITIES

Capable of all of this: shown to have similar move set

Sucrose - Anemo CATALYST 4*

Suggested protective gear: Most I can think of at the moment is giving her headphones/ earmu ffs and better protective Eyewear. If needed a mask to cover her mouth

Yes I used an article on why you dont let your dogs stick their heads out windows she has animal ears ok

Eyewear: Effective for Windburn, and debris. Glasses isn’t cutting it!

Earmuffs: Windburn

additionally, anemo would cause constant flapping to the ears and that can do some damage. This constant trauma to the skull can cause blood to pool in the ears leading to painful swelling.

Mask or scarf: Self explanatory

Pants, or heavier clothing:

Again, self-explanatory. We don’t want parts of her outfit to get in the way, especially with the dangers of compressed air.

Hair:

Her hair is actually a good length to keep out of the way, the only issue being her bangs, which could obscure her vision.

Based on her burst I think it’s ok to assume that if pushed further she is capable of black hole creation.

(Concept, not final)

It’s not cute (yet) but safety first!

Shown to use Anemo for the creation of “physical” objects

Faruzan - Anemo BOW 4*

Known to use Air pressure, same conclusion to Sucrose. She is possibly capable of creating a black hole.

Furthermore, it is listed as “vortex damage”. Additionally, we see her use this for the creation of “physical” objects, notably her burst.

This suggests Faruzan compresses the air to create Cryo or hydro.

Suggested gear/ precautions:

Arm Guard: she uses a bow, it would be necessary

I took archery and I do not recommend shooting w/o one- they told us so many horror stories

Pants! PANTS! WHY DO THEY ALL WEAR DRESSES IT’S NOT SAFE

Protective eye gear

No lose jewelry! It can get caught in her bow, and the wind currents she utilizes, would be a fun time for no one!

Tie up her hair! Once again can get caught in the bow especially with the wind all around her.

All characters on the team would need gear to effectively cover their skin and faces if they don’t want any of this to happen.

Concept: Not final

Shikanoin Heizou - Anemo CATALYST 4*

Known to punch and kick with infused Anemo damage.

Through manipulation of the air surrounding his limbs, it is likely he propels himself forward in order to have more force. Air compression is back again! This sort of thing is often used in roller coasters.

The compressed air would be used to launch his leg or arm in a steady motion in a way where he is less likely to get hurt from the movement alone.

GEAR AND PRECAUTIONS

Closed Toed shoes- this goes for everyone!

The leg guards are almost there in terms of safety depending on the material— and anime logic— though they should be extended to cover the entire leg.

The armpit window? aka clothes: Bro you will rupture a lung, that’s no good.

If heavy enough the flowing parts can be excusable, then again that would hinder combat so maybe just scrap them.

Head gear: See the previous 2 characters, it’s a common theme at this point.

He sticks to close range combat mostly so arm Guards.

Cover the fingers!

Hair: His hair is tied up. Good job Heizou 👍

Those bangs are atrocious tho in terms of obscuring vision.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Xiao - Anemo POLEARM 5*

just keep the mask on at all times

Arm coverage

Jean and Kazuha - Anemo SWORD 5*

Arm Guards

Cover more skin

Head gear due to close range

Sayu - Anemo CLAYMORE 4*

Just give her armor at this point

Anemo Traveler

Aether:

Cover stomach, you can rupture your organs bro

More arm Coverage

Hair should be tied up better unless you want to be slapped by it.

Lumine

Snug fit clothing

Arm coverage— again

Gloves should cover the fingers.

Venti - Anemo BOW 5*

I dont care that you’re God, you need an arm guard.

FINAL CONCLUSION

All anemo users have the capacity to use every element to their advantage and can do some serious damage.

I think we now know how Venti was able to survive this long- What a goober

If you want me to go into detail on specific characters let me know!

[cerastes]

gf and I like to watch your VODs (timezones, man), and, ok, first of all, you are freakishly good at Dark Souls, you dismantled every boss so far except maybe two on the first try with just a dinky shitty dagger, so that's really metal, but also, you have converted us both to your church of leveling HP. The few times you got nailed by anything remotely dangerous, our first reaction was to think "oh yeah, he's dead" and then you'd take like maybe a third of your HP, from attacks that usually killed us outright. Maybe if we had leveled HP, we would've fared better. Also it's really funny 1) how chat called you out on your "hey man" habit, and 2) the fact that you just sort of know the frame data for every boss from what I could tell? To the point where you literally only had to focus to fight Midir, otherwise you were just reading chat and making jokes midfight? Even with Gael and Friede and shit? Is that just experience or did you datamine every single boss' frame data and commit it to memory?

Glad you are enjoying the vods, haha.

Yeah see, I take personal issue whenever people start with the whole "Soulsborne games are codified by dying in one hit" bullshit people just decided to believe because they were garbage at building characters. You can get so, so tanky in any given Dark Souls, as I've proven countless times, even here with the dagger build, and yet, this line of thought is pervasive even among industry professionals! You go play Nioh 1 or Code Vein and they fucking also bought into that! Everything kills you in one-two hits in those games because of how prevalent the objectively incorrect opinion on how the game works was and still is. And it's not like Fromsoft has encouraged it, either, you can be Very Tanky in any of their games. Even Bloodborne, which is the most touch-and-go, agility based game, lets you take some considerable damage before you keel over. Whenever I hear people say something to the effect of "oh, Dark Souls, and games like it, are just hellishly, unfairly difficult because you just die in one or two hits" all I can hear is "I'm Very Bad At This Game And Have Opinions On It Even Though I Don't Know Much About The Game". It's not like pumping your STR or DEX to 40 frame one at the start of a run does you any favors, you get shit damage from stats in the early game, stats only contribute meaningfully to damage in the late midgame and endgame, when your upgraded weapons have scaling worth shit. You're meant to level up 1) dmg stats for weapon requirements 2) everything else into weight limit, stamina, HP, attunement, etc utility and quality of life stats for your build in the early game, and you start leveling dmg stats around the midgame.

Anyways! Yes chat lets me know about my habits more often than I figure them out myself, I find it really funny, though. To answer your question, I know the frame data just from experience. I have over 1000 hours of gameplay on DS3 specifically, and like 1700 hours over the three Souls games, not counting Sekiro, Bloodborne and Elden Ring. I'm dangerously obsessed with Soulsborne but that's given me insight and the ability to do party tricks like the ones you see in the vods, like low profiling specific moves or doing the barehanded switch parries, hahaha. It also helps that I did a Soul Level 1 run of DS3 and had to learn bosses REALLY well in order to finish it.

Anyways play Soulsborne and feel free to ask me any questions about it, they are my favorite games.

[thenightlymirror]

We had a bit of a snow day yesterday.

The blizzard took out two suburban Merkavas who smashed into each other on Church street sending me out of the way. Then when I got to the cemetery, Manuel was still plowing the entrance, so I had to drive around the block until there was safe passage.

The internet was out immediately and stayed out the rest of the day. That’s Cisco phones and everything. No email. No printers. This happened once before and I asked the Help Desk to send someone to inspect the router, and they closed the heat ticket two days later. So here we are.

I just spent the day organizing all these packets I have to scan. But then we have burials this weekend so how the hell am I supposed to print tags? Only solution, I was just going to handwrite them, was to drive to the funeral home down the street.

Now, background, I’m in love with everyone who works at this funeral home. More or less. Ron, is the funniest meanest fuck alive. He’ll call the office and just start going in on somebody, and everyone else will know who I’m talking to based on how I’m laughing. Pretty sure he calls me a hermaphrodite behind my back. Fair. He keeps trying to get me to work for him.

The girls are totally insane. There’s a certain type of woman that works for this Jewish funeral home that can only be described as Exactly Tony’s Type. Who the fuck is hiring these women?

This one girl, we’ll call her Margot (though that belies how hot her actual name is) calls the office, and for some reason we just immediately decide to pretend we’re in love with each other. As a bit. A little song and dance I like to call Borderline Personality Disorder. And then she walks in, and she’s the hottest fucking girl alive. What have I done?

Anyway, my irony poisoning is as such that I am able to make it seem like a joke and that I am not insane the whole time, somehow. And it is really just a bit. It’s a great bit.

But I walk into this funeral home from the blizzard and, boom, Margot is right there. She jumps up and does this little anime girl curtsy. Fucking dying. “It’s the love of my life!” We start going in, but truth be told, I was so nervous. I totally psyched myself out. Fucking hilarious.

So we don’t know each other at all, and in between staring into each others eyes and fawning, we’ll just have these funny conversations that are like, oh yeah, so, this is what my life is like. She gets a phone call, I get the computer going.

Everybody is popping in to Margot’s office to say hi. Ron’s got these three little orthodox boys, I swear to god little boys, from Chabad down the street to bless him for a service. They look like they’re hooking him up to the internet, wrapping the telefilm around his arm. He’s going in on these little boys about “So why are you digging tunnels to steal Christian babies now?” Hahahaha these are little boys studying to become rabbis. They had the whole line down.

This funeral home hired this new young guy, Dan, with long hair. I swear, again, the hottest fucking guy alive. How do they keep getting away with this! They wrap him up too. Ron’s explaining in front of the boys how they’re in a cult. Haha I’m trying to show these boys respect. I love these kids.

I realize I’m around a bunch of people who speak Hebrew, so I utilize some child labor to check the spelling on this monument I’m working on, and of course it’s all fucked up. These family’s just trust a whole line of people with no familiarity with the language at all to make this thing that’s going to last a couple hundred years, and as I learn the language it’s like, Oh shit, I’m in a graveyard full of typos.

But they confirm this Ahron spelling I have for this guy is legit, so I figure I should head back. Margot jumps up into my arms and I lift her off of her feet for a hug. I figure when I love a place, you gotta dip in and out. Don’t overstay your welcome. I can’t imagine I’m great in large doses anyway.

Everyone else in the cemetery has left for the day already. Everyone in my office has been gone half the week anyway as soon as they heard it was going to snow for a few hours. I’m in a beatific ecstasy.

[danpuff-ao3]

More Adventures in Bookbinding

My Aries Mercury + Mars really does a gal no favors

Being both a perfectionist but also stubborn + impulsive?? A nightmare.

Following instructions is wise but why be wise when you just know you can figure it out?

Many faux leather sheets and much glue was lost to the cause

I stabbed my finger with my utility knife because of course I did

Eddie was like "yeah I was worried about getting that for you."

(Sir, I am GRACEFUL, DELICATE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KNEW --)

Measuring stuff is the worst, but that's because my brain really hates numbers. The actual math portion is Big Suck. Thank god for Google home who can answer all of my questions when I'm sitting in the middle of chaos, covered in glue, and have lost my phone.

Oh yeah my house is chaos. RIP my super nice and pretty office space, hello madness.

I did however find the white fold up table I knew we had but couldn't find for days. My next project I'm doing on that instead of my desk + cube organizers. And my lap desk. And a stool.

My paper cutter/guillotine has been living in my kitchen because while it technically fits beside my printer, it's best used standing, and I have the best height at the kitchen counter. Hopefully the fold out table will work for this but we shall see.

My "first" technically bound book is done, but it hurts me to call it the first, so I'm calling it the test run. But for the sake of transparency I'm saying "hey I did all steps but I don't want to count this one, please and thank you."

Now it is being used as a way for me to test putting a title on the cover via stencils made with my Cricut + dye markers. So far not so good, but I'm getting closer!

Oh yeah and faux leather? Not the best place to start. It's like I decided to learn a new hobby on hard mode. But on the plus side maybe this means I'll get the hard part out of the way and have an easier time with other fabrics? If I choose to use them because really, I probably spoiled myself with the idea of leather bound books.

That is the reason my tester copy turned out as bad as it did. By the end I was so desperate to get the leather to stick AND have the case fit the text block, that I went overboard and cut my chipboard too wide. Oops.

First rounds with the case (following a tutorial), the cover was a teensy bit too short.

Then by the end I was fighting too hard with the leather to care about much else.

I'd probably be happier with the test run if my measurements hadn't been so off.

Also...wax paper??? I wish someone had told me about wax paper sooner. Now I'm not getting everything stuck with glue.

I'm going to have to buy TWO boxes of wax paper today. One for baking and one for crafting.

I am really bad at gauging how even things are. I think that's ruled by the same bit of my brain as Math Hatred. Further hindered by overthinking and perfectionism. (Nothing is ever straight/even enough 😭)

Oh remember how the first copy is the "test run"? I decided the smart thing to do was to after one failure do two at a time. (Not actually smart, but ah well.)

Current stage: waiting for the leather to dry along the top/bottom edges of the chipboard. Then I get to do it all over again with the side edges.

With luck I'll have measured everything properly this time but we shall see.

Oh yeah: the multiple sources recommending waxed thread?? Bad idea. Or at least buying pre-waxed thread was a bad idea. That stuff is THICK. Easy to work with, but THICK and not pretty at all.

Round 2 I used regular thread and double threaded my needle. Less easy but a better result all around.

On that note: stitching the signatures is my FAVORITE part??

Also poking the holes. Poking holes in paper is very satisfying.

Stitching the text block is very therapeutic. Just me on my couch watching true crime videos and stitching signatures together. A great time was had.

Also, minor complaint, I got leather sheets in a variety pack. Bad idea. One won't fit everything the right way. I ended up having to glue my chipboard to two sheets but the "matching shades" are slightly off from each pack. Most noticeable and horrifying with the white leather. 😭 Will be getting proper rolls next time.

Also new hobby has confirmed that my partner is 100% into my obsessive nature.

100% Eddie is very affectionate when I'm hyper focused on writing, and also when hyper focused on binding. Causes mild annoyance at the disruption, but I choose to be happy about it.

Like hell yes my partner fully appreciates me in my element and is super into me being super into what I love. Like...isn't that precious?? I can put up with disruptions to be loved for doing what I love.

Also: when I stabbed myself with my utility knife? Eddie didn't get home until after I went to bed. So when I woke up due to my finger throbbing, he was in his office unwinding after work. And I was high on sleeping meds and exhausted from a long day of working hard. So I just sorta shuffled all zombie-like into his office and held up my bandaged finger. He very quickly deduced what happened, jumped to attention, examined my wound, re-bandaged it, fed me pain meds, and tucked me back into bed. This probably matters not a wit to you but I adore this man with my whole heart and as I was already gushing about him...why not gush more?

Hopefully my next update will have a success story, but y'know...one thing at a time!

[facelessxchurch]

Question And Answer Contain (massive) HBL Spoilers  #09

I like the way Mevolent’s fighting is described in chapter 24. “He was a giant of a man, but he moved like a dancer.”

Well, I finished, and that was a complete waste of my time.

The plot made absolutely no sense, like none. What the fuck is going on? Maybe I was purposefully not paying attention and only tuning in when Mevolent turned up, but I still have no idea where this started, or why.

I was fully expecting one of the Masked Sisters to be Malice, not Valkyrie. Dunno why, seemed obvious Darquesse would rope Malice in as her new maintenance woman. So I completely expected time travel, from the moment they started talking about the Lady of Darkness, but I didn’t expect Valkyrie at all.

When Valkyrie showed up, I started expecting Skulduggery from the future to also show his face. Surprised he stayed put.

Why does Valkyrie need Destrier’s necronaut suit to time travel now? She was already able to time travel without a suit in DoA. Is the implication here that she can only travel to futures and back again, but can’t travel backwards in time without the time travel suit?

Her suit is now also a time travel device on top of everything else it does. Ok lol

Did that part Valkyrie mentioned about her and Mevolent fighting together actually happen or did she just make it all up?

So now we have yet another alternate earth where mortals rule over sorcerers and siphon off their magic for their own petty ends

I assume that Abhor and Zeal and their stupid god will show up in phase 3. I won’t care about them then just like I didn’t care about them now

I actually liked the way Mevolent methodically killed his way through all the Dead Men. Despite everything wrong here it is good that Mevolent’s status as the one villain who will always win whatever struggle he enters into has not been compromised.

It’s kinda funny that Vile just pissed off half way through. I assume him doing that was what led to the whole necromancer thing that ended up in the mortals-with-magic timeline, but I’m not wasting a fucking molecule of neural energy to go back and figure that out

Landy needs to stop writing time travel plots. Unlike Darren Shan, he sucks balls at them and his don’t even make surface-level sense.

That said, this idea of the universe naturally reconciling damage inflicted on it by discrepancies in causality is something I’ve encountered before, in Halo, where the universe heals itself from the time dilation of huge space battles that utilize faster-than-light travel. This healing incurs a “debt” where if there has been too much heavy-weight FTL, faster-than-light travel simply fails. Predictably, Halo time travel is a lot more interesting and elegantly written than SP time travel. https://halo.fandom.com/wiki/Reconciliation_Debt

Landy gratuitously includes Dexter and Saracen kissing each other. Keep throwing more bisexuality at me, Derek, see if I give a fuck

Something weirdly cringy about Valkyrie taking the opportunity to announce to everyone Skulduggery is Lord Vile, long before he actually became Lord Vile

Does whatever stupid god is on the other side of the portal even matter in phase 3? Valkyrie instakilled Vile with the sceptre, now she has the sceptre’s power in her own body, and the power of the Boring God couldn’t kill Vile even in his weakest state. It stands to reason Valkyrie can dust the Boring God with one handful of black lightning whenever he shows up again.

No more thoughts now. Only cringe

—

Yeah, I love how Mev was described there too. I also really liked this scene.

“When Mevolent entered the tent, the temperature dropped, despite the warmth of the day. There was a coldness to the man that wasn’t caused by mere intimidation: his mastery of Elemental magic allowed him to control the temperature of his immediate surroundings. Not even Eachan Meritorious could do.“

Mev is so fucking extra lol. Like I said prior, the more I read about Mev, the more he is like Nef. They are birds of a feather if I ever saw some.

And now I see the part you meant. I’ve read straight past this bc I was distracted by Mev. But lol yeah, Landy forgot Meritorious discipline, what a fucking joke!

The plot is pointless bc by the end of it it’s not even a separate dimension, the timeline just gets erased. Bc of that, I was invested in nothing that happened past Nef’s death bc with Nef dead the current timeline wouldn’t be able to happen, so it was obvious that this would either be a separate timeline or would get a reset like UtE.

Ngl I keep forgetting Malice exists bc I care about her so little. And I didn’t make the connection between ‘Lady of Darkness’ and Darquesse until you mentioned it. I just... have so little interest in the new gods and cults. And frankly, reading them belittling FO followers while knowing that the FO are real is painful to read.

Val explained that she had to come alone so I wasn’t expecting that tbh. SP is a very tell-insted-of-show book series after all.

The fuck do I know. The laws of the SP world are vague, self-contradicting and constantly get retconned.

As if she (and the suit) wasn’t OP enough already.

Honestly, the whole there-where-more-timeline-than we saw kinda came out of left field, so I’m not sure. Like, she also said that there was a timeline where she hooked up with Skul and all the Dead Men and I’m straight up not sure if that was meant to be a joke or not. Skul also had no reaction to that, he only praised Val for flinging Mev off. But it’s totally believable that Val needed multiple attempts to unfuck the timeline.

I think that future got erased. But like I said, I call bullshit on Mev getting defeated by the necromancers. Fuck off, Landy.

Probably.

Mevolent, the villain that can only defeated by massive plot armour. Not even bc he’s that strong (he got nerfed so much) but bc the entire universe of SP shares one brain cell and he has it most of the time. I can accept the explanation that Mev was toying with them, but Baron getting beaten to death after having essentially already won was such bullshit.

Yeah probably. Landy made Vile even more OP in this book and I hate it. He made him so OP he needed him to fuck off randomly for his ending to work. I feel like the Dead Men getting brutally killed was him torturing DM fans, but I was enjoying it a lot :)

I already hate time travel plots, the fact that Landy lacks the skill to execute them in a satisfying way just makes it worse.

12. Time correcting itself has shown up in multiple media. A lot of times in relation of the person-you-tried-to-save-is-gonna-die-anyways.

13. See that one is cheeky bc this timeline is gonna get reset, so technically that didn’t happen. It’s fanservice and trolling at the same time. He’s also going back on this.

[link]

14. The bad guy also pointed out that Skul is Vile. The way he did it felt a lot like him retconning the Grimoire saying “no one knows Skul is Vile in the current timeline” as if Skul didn’t turn into Vile in front of a bunch of people in SoW.

15. Skul/Vile should have totally died tho. Destroying his physical form should have made Skul’s consciousness dissipate. He made Skul pretty much immortal unless someone like Darquesse shows up that can tears his consciousness out of him or whatever she did. This is way too OP :/ he’s becoming more and more a Gary-Sue each day.

16. Mood. This book was garbage.