#candy-crackpot

[caffinated-squid]

My Eltingville Club Crackpot Theory/Speculation

(I was thinking about this for a while but not sure if this falls under the misogyny argument. If it does, think of this as part 1/2)

I was thinking a lot about the Eltingville Club and how they became the way they were. In this case focusing on a very hyperspecific one rather than a broad summary.

In this case, this mini-essay will be less based on concrete details of the comics and more asking people to put on their tinfoil hats and listen to my crackpot theory. That being said, The Eltingville Club can be viewed through the lens of the failure of American sex ed, as well as adults not having an eye on their kids and the content they look into, all folding into how it warps their opinions on women and relationships.

There isn’t any information given on the school itself aside from characters like Bill being victims of bullying, but the US is mainly known for being shit when it comes to discussions of any type of sex ed, mainly because of the prioritization and emphasis on abstinence and scaring kids with STDs rather than actually talking about the topic itself.

* *The goal of being able to reduce sexual behavior through abstinence fails because it doesn’t actually delay said behavior, it just comes with the add on of reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes and people having no clue how their body works without it in a sexual context.

* **Also add in the context of Eltingville being a small suburb area, so these characters are stuck in a small town with nowhere to go aside from a comic shop, and probably social pariahs by everyone else not in their group of nerd friends.

It’s clear that the parents of the Eltingville Club aren’t really involved in their kids lives. Bills mom is a single mother and also implied to be abusive, Josh’s parents spoil him and lack personal responsibility for their actions, Pete’s parents both abuse and neglect him, and Jerry has neglectful parents as well. Aside from surface level, their parents don’t really want their children in their life, or wish that they were different from not meeting their expectations.

The only other adult in their life aside from their parents is Joe, who only lets them stick around because of the amount of money they drop on comics and collectibles in the store. His first appearance shows him selling adult content in the form of trading cards to children (maybe 10 years old), he doesn’t really care what he exposes to anyone of any age because the only important thing to him is profit.

From this, I would argue that Joe played a role in their lives by encouraging the club to look into content they shouldn’t be looking into, and because it is alongside content they already enjoy, it makes it easier to consume and gives them the desire to have more of it.

I partially bring this up because a lot of the stuff Pete is interested in (such as the gore/rape clips and gory comics) isn’t just something you find in the open, you have to go digging for it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Joe was involved in helping to find said content/expose it to him.

With all of the factors combined, it has left the club brain rotted with a warped idea of women, specifically being that women aren’t actual people but just eye candy and mechanisms for pleasure while also having no fucking clue about sex itself (body parts being referred to as things or characters being confused at what the hell the comic is portraying come to mind.)

Joe can take part of the blame considering he has unrestricted adult content in the open, but he was probably not the sole cause of the characters turning out the way they did, again this is more of a tinfoil hat theory, it could have happened from chat forums or a variety of other things, this is just something that has been on my mind for a while.

Credit to @sapphicsandman for this as well, I referenced a lot of the things he had to say on the topic, so this did not come from my brain alone.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Wet Cat Adoption AU Reader, before they had died due to a heroic sacrifice, has made many, MANY inventions and learned a few mutations as well, as their mutation, shrouded in secrecy, allowed them to learn anything, with their creativity being their only limit. Some of their highlights include:

• making an inator that turns rocks into candy (the rock candy candyinator!)

• making an inator that, when in use, makes every politican honest (that was a fun city hall election!)

• making an inator that turns trash into money

• writing a journal full of secrets of mutations (Xavier and Magneto and Fury fought over it, that was a whole episode with a two parter!)

• opening a homeless shelter and safe space for lgbtq+ people and those in distress (they all get free heating and air, new clothes, and a fountain that produces any drink they want, as long as they add the right soluble!)

• making an inator that turns evil people good (or turns them into diamonds if they're too evil)

Reader may have been considered a crackpot inventor by the governments and scientists, but was that all just a lie so Reader would have only them to turn to? The heroes aren't too sure anymore, but they miss their little troublemaker who made them cupcakes for their birthday, because everyone forgets Reader's, so they made two dozen in case someone forgot their enemies'...

(They're not a bad guy, they just happened to get the role of villain)

@sugar-soda @crow-crystal @wolvesbane1984 @thewickedweiner

[kopfkino-o]

hi hello it is me again this time with an acotar crackpot theory poll: halloween edition

[katyawriteswhump]

the power of love, part 9 (steddie, stobin, steve whump fic)

Steve has a habit of surviving near-death experiences then getting sick for no reason. And Eddie and those fatal bat bites? After an impossible feat of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from Steve, he’s mysteriously fixed. So, Eddie’s back to being banished, this time with Steve and Robin in tow. Eddie’s healing, but Steve isn’t… and life gets even more confusing, when Eddie develops feelings for Steve, which aren’t entirely unrequited.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

(also on AO3 here)

Steve POV continued

“Sorry.” Lying in his bunk in the gloomy cabin, Steve drags his fingers miserably across his eyes. How freakin’ embarrassing—mistaking his best friend for his parents. “Still dreaming, I guess.”

“How do you feel?” asks Robin.

“Oh, peachy! How d’ya think?” He’s beyond tired of feeling this crappy. What the hell happened this time?

Oh yes. He and Eddie kissed, and then…

“Okay, bad news first,” she says, perching on the bed. “You bled through your bandages again. Got all sweaty and yuck.” He knows this already—from the gnaw in his side, and how he’s sticking to the lumpy mattress. “Good news? The bleeding stopped. The really juicy news—we have a theory about what might fix you.”

She spouts a load of stuff about the water from Lover’s Lake giving him some kind of vaguely defined power. And Eddie sucking it out of him?

He snickers. “Did you get that crackpot theory out of the ‘The Weekly Watcher?’”

“Come on, Steve, this is way beyond a shot-in-the-dark.” He rolls his eyes. Even though he sort of agrees with her. “We need to test the theory. Eddie’s gone to fetch lake water.”

“He’s gone back to Hawkins? Is he out of his mind?” He can’t spare the energy to worry about Eddie. He still does, and it makes him feel worse.

“You all right?” asks Robin. “You’ve gone… kinda gray.”

Yeah, feeling kinda gray. He stops scowling, simply because it’s too much effort. “Is there any non-Fairyland water in this shit-hole?”

“There’s a pump.”

After he’s had a drink and splashed his face, he feels… not much better, actually. He slumps back onto the pillow with a hard sigh. “Robin, I wish it was just us, stuck in this together. You're literally the only person in my life where there’s, like, almost zero tension. I mean, we bitch at each other and all—”

“Never!” she snarks.

“Haha, point taken. It’s about nothing that ever matters, though. I know.... You'll... You know, we’ll…”

“Always be there for each other? I sure hope so.” There’s a quiver in her voice that alarms him.

“You still think one of us might not make it this time?”

“No! I mean... We've gotten through that part, haven't we?”

Sure doesn’t feel like it from here. 

“Listen,” she says, “it doesn’t have to be tense or cringy between you and Eddie, just because you like each other.”

“Yeah, right. We kissed. I passed out! Not cool.”

“Like he’s gonna hold that against you.” She squeezes his arm. He stares at her chipped nail polish, battling a fresh assault from his candy-ass emotions. “As per ever, dates keep belly-flopping into your lap! When we get through this, I swear I'm gonna slap you for—”

An owl hoot interrupts her. She scuttles to the window, crouches down and peeps out. “It’s okay,” she hisses, “It’s Eddie.”

“Your signal is an owl noise? It’s the middle of the goddamn day! Why don’t you wait till dark and send up fireworks?”

Steve grumbles for the sake of it. On the other hand, he wasn’t lying to Robin. He really doesn’t want to handle Eddie right now. He turns his face to the pillow, muffles his ears with the blanket. Someone prods him. “Steve,” says Robin. “We’ve got the lake water.”

He rolls over. Eddie’s there, brandishing a plastic bottle of clouded liquid. He fixes on Robin. “You want me to drink that shit?”

“Not unless you want to die of what half the soldiers in the Civil War did,” says Robin.

Steve shares a moment of bafflement with Eddie. “How am I gonna get shot drinking lake water?”

“They died of dysentery, Dingus! You literally did nothing in history other than crack moronic jokes and eat breakfast, did you?”

“Whatever,” mumbles Steve. He’s not sure what dysentery is. Sounds sucky. “What are we supposed to do with it, super-brain?”

“Erm, try pouring it.” Robin peels off the freshly bloodied bandages from Steve’s side, grimacing as dramatically as ever. “To be fair, this is disgusting and almost as risky. If nothing good happens, though, we can wipe it off. Yay!”

She drips on the water. For a split second, it’s ice-cold, and he hisses. “Ow… Jesus, Robin!”  

“Sorry.”

“Nothing’s happening,” he says. “Oh, hold on. Gnnng, no, no, no, no, no!” 

Steve’s flesh and blood blend into pink froth, sizzling like he’s been doused in boiling chip fat. Robin jolts backward; Steve whimpers, helpless to stop himself. Eddie, meanwhile, grabs Steve’s hand, as the unbearable scalding subsides into a strong but tolerable itch. Steve inhales raggedly, lifts his head to confirm that the bat bites have knitted again, leaving a wet mess of red puckered marks and scars.

“I guess that could’ve gone worse.” Eddie sounds spooked.

“Could’ve gone worse? It hurt like… What just happened? WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” Steve’s got a crazy urge to scream… no… run! Pushing himself up onto his elbows takes everything he’s got. “Oh my God, oh my God.”

“Ssssh, it’s okay.” Robin’s now gotten her arms around him, and Eddie’s still holding his hand. “This proves that it’s the water. You’re not flayed, or Vecnad, or Henryd or whatever. Eddie and I discussed it and—”

“What!?!” Steve wriggles free and laughs, because this is hysterical. “You discussed that without including me?”

“We never believed you’d been taken by the dark side,” says Robin, her hand on her breast. “I swear!”

“That’s not the… Ow!”

“Does it still hurt?” asks Robin.

Steve stares daggers at Eddie: “Can you quit crushing my fingers already?”

“Sorry.” Eddie drops Steve’s hand, a little too keenly—leaving Steve oddly desolate, despite his request. Other than that, he does feel better.

And grouchier than ever.

Half an hour later, he’s well enough to get up. He washes himself down at the pump, attempts to salvage his hair, then joins the others in preparing a baked-bean and banana supper. He argues forcefully that both parts can be served together, and it will taste awesome.

Which they do.

Ignoring Robin’s advice, he sips a bottle of bad beer. Eddie is clad in a clean Hellfire Club t-shirt—given to him by Henderson—and regales them with news from Hawkins. This proves depressing, given that Eleven and Hopper are now outlaws too. Then they chat about what hiding places they might move onto next.

“We’re not quite as remote as we thought here,” says Robin. “I found a track that leads pretty close, and you could probably get an off-roader all the way to the camp.” She glances at Steve. “We need somewhere really tucked away, and maybe closer to Lover’s Lake, right?”

“Why are you asking me?” he snaps. “You two seem to have all the answers. I haven’t a clue.”

Steve crawls into his bunk first. For once, sleep doesn’t clobber him instantly. Despite what he said to Robin, he has got theories—stupid though they seem—about the lake, and that time he nearly drowned in it.

He should’ve been terrified of swimming after that. He never was. Plus, he’s been dreaming about that period of his life lately. Dreaming about it a LOT, now he thinks about it.

After a while, he gets sick of his churning thoughts and sits up. Moonlight streaks through one of the high bunk room windows, revealing that Eddie is awake too, cross-legged on the floor. He’s muttering to himself, fiddling with his hair, then his hands. 

On spotting Steve staring at him, he presses a finger to his lips, picks up a flashlight, and motions toward the door. Steve pulls on a sweater and follows him outside. It’s a dry night. Banks of bruise-brown clouds semi-obscure a near full moon and a few hazy stars. It’s cool too, though Steve’s palms are getting clammy.

He tracks Eddie into a nearby cabin, filled with a ton of old rope and lumber-hauling equipment. He then remembers he’s annoyed, and folds his arms.

“Totally love how you two went behind my back and discussed whether I was flayed or not.”

Eddie plonks down the flashlight. “Kinda obvious that we had to. We didn’t tell you, because we didn’t want to stress you out, and… honestly? We never bought it. Dustin was highly sceptical—”

“You discussed me with Henderson too? That’s great!” Steve plants his hands on his hips, growing too hot and bothered to think straight: “Maybe you’re ALL idiots. Maybe I am somehow flayed! Right at the start, that Upside Down thing came through my pool. Possibly. To take Barb. Now the water from near a gate fixes me and—“

“And I make you fix me!” Eddie’s preening grin is vicious. “Perhaps I’m the source of the magical shitstorm? Did that ever cross your egotistical rich-brat mind, Harrington?”

Eddie might as well have punched him. Steve’s still reeling from the blow, when Eddie pinches the bridge of his nose:

“Look, I’m sorry, man,” mutters Eddie. “I’m pretty stressed, too. Dustin was telling me about how you got sick whenever you left Hawkins as a kid, and—"

“Wow! Good job I’m an EGOTISTICAL BRAT, because I really am a hot topic! Did Nance reel off an article for the Hawkins Post?”

“Uh, Steve?” Eddie takes a step closer then abruptly pulls short. “I apologised, okay? Why exactly are we arguing about this?”

“I… Oh Christ, Eddie, I honestly don’t know.”

Steve’s shoulders slump. How excruciatingly typical! That little egg-head Dustin had a hunch about something that’s only just occurring to Steve, and which… Shit, the whispers in his mind are scary.

This is where you come clean, Harrington. This is where you say: "I almost drowned in that lake in 1978. What if it wasn't 'almost?' What if I died back then, at eleven years old. What if something or someone in that water brought me back, and for good or evil, it's still got a hold of me?"

Does it make any sense? Would Eddie simply think him egotistical again, or stupid? Suddenly, all he wants is to forget the whole wide world, especially the freaky parts. Everything apart from… 

…Eddie.

Who is hunching awkwardly away from Steve, palpably scared to get too near, let alone touch him. The naked longing in those gorgeous brown eyes, however, is reassuring. 

“Look, I'm sorry too.” Steve licks dry lips. “I’ve been a complete asshole today, I know. It’s just… What happened when we kissed is so humiliating.”

“Why? It’s not your fault. Believe me, Stevie, I’d kiss you again in a heartbeat, if it wasn’t for… uh…”

Eddie’s adorable blushes and the silly pet name are invitation enough. Steve closes the gap between them, leans in and whispers:

“You win. Maybe we shouldn’t kiss again till we’ve figured out exactly what’s going on, but… C’mon, man, you’ve touched me plenty without any bad repercussions. I slept in your lap.” We freakin’ spooned! “There’s gotta be something fun we can do.” 

Eddie shakes his head, squirming hilariously. “You take a turn for the worse, papa bear will rip my guts out.”

“What are you talking ab… Oh, Robin? Seriously?”

“Look, I really don’t want to hurt you.”  Steve’s chest pangs, because this could be a brush off. 

Or it might not be.

“C’mon, Munson. Promise I’m not gonna break.” At that, a dirty little smile plays on Eddie’s mouth, which sends sparks through Steve’s veins. “What you thinking?”

The smile evolves into a filthy laugh. “All right, before you get out the thumb-screws—I used to have this fantasy about you. It’s totally messed-up, kinda kinky. I wouldn’t expect you to be up for it, even if we didn’t have our current, uh, issues.”

“Oh!” To be fair, Eddie is right. Steve has never been into kinky shit. That said, before this guy hijacked his heart, he’s never salivated at the mere thought of tattoos. “Um, try me?”

Eddie husks his little scenario into Steve’s ear, and Steve decides he’s totally game. 

“It’s a kook-ball daydream,” says Eddie. “We shouldn’t really—"

“You wanna tie me up, Munson? We got plenty of rope a night to kill.” He slinks his arms up and under Eddie’s t-shirt. “Let’s do this.”

Part 10

tags: @estrellami-1 @kal-ology (thank you, thank you, thank you!) If anybody else would like to be tagged on this fic or any of my writing, please let me know :) Reblogs, comments and likes also very much appreciated :) Thank you for reading so far :)

(also part of my steve whump fic series on AO3)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 10 Part 11

[zephyrstillwrites]

Here 20 other fics from my spin rec :)

Wheel 1

Bad Dream: 

Eraser by emocsibe for SheenaWilde

The Dreamer has a chance to go home, which, strangely, doesn't seem like the best choice to make.

Words: 1,642 | Chapters: 1/1

Petscop:

Clippings by oldmaker (botley)

OA child and its therapist play a board game. Disorientation ensues. What's right from left, anyway?

(A liberal interpretation of the second half of Petscop 22.)

Words: 2,179 | Chapters: 1/1

D.Gray-Man:

Contact Comfort by liketolaugh

Allen doesn't like to be touched.

Words: 3,329 | Chapters: 1/1

Sherlock:

Sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side (then, brother mine, I guess we're both occasionally losers after all). by asingleqingxin

There's been a murder at a wealthy gentlemen's club. Sherlock turns up and thinks it's his brother. Mycroft comes to set things right. Brotherly comfort ensues.

(Not the best with summaries but give it a shot)

Words: 6,105 | Chapters: 1/1

Blue Exorcist:

prepared with love by puddingcatbeans

In the kitchen, things go right for Rin. He can turn off the heat, put out the fire, clean and organize the ingredients. He can produce something good. Something that doesn’t leave anybody bruised and bloody.

on self-taught cooks and how to make a meal taste good. (hint: food is always better when shared.)

Words: 4,416 | Chapters: 1/1

Hollow Knight: 

grief is just love (with no place to go) by Morning_Glory_Skye for Justice22

There is a Ghost in Hallownest.

There is a Ghost of a dream in Hallownest.

Part 1 of to deafen the world with a wail (i will grieve for you)

Words: 18,277 | Chapters: 15/15

Hades:

Bond Forged: Zagreus by tokidokifish

Zagreus spends his time dashing about the Underworld, showering his friends and loved ones with gifts and attention, without a thought for himself.

Patroclus thinks it's high time that changes.

Words: 7,114 | Chapters: 1/1

Naruto:

An Invincible Summer by ShanaStoryteller

When Naruto is five, he's gutted by a drunken civilian and presumed dead.

Six months later a girl with ash pale hair and dark blue eyes enters the Academy.

Words: 136,306 | Chapters: 6/6

Merlin BBC:

Clumsy Only Goes so Far by Drag0nst0rm

The other servants see how Merlin's constantly injured.

They jump to the natural conclusion.

Part 11 of Even Shadows Have Stories

Words: 2,771 | Chapters: 1/1

Yuri!!! On Ice:

November's Secret by LanaBerry

Overwhelmed with anxiety and his fear of failing, Yuuri faces the issue of if he should continue skating. His best friend, Yuko, proposes a solution - if no one knows it's you, then it's less embarrassing, right? Yuuri begins to create a completely new disguise and persona.

But it works a little too well.

Before he knows it, Yuuri has become the biggest mystery of the skating world and everyone wants to know who he is. Especially Viktor Nikiforov, the idol he's been loosely basing his new persona on for years.

Words: 232,950 | Chapters: 24/24

Wheel 2

D.Gray-Man:

Memento Mori - Remember That You WILL Die by Candy Crackpot

On the brink of death in his cell, Allen managed to summon all remaining power and reverse the Noah transformation that was slowly killing him. However, he not only managed to do that, he even got thrown back a good six month. With his knowledge of the future he sets on saving his loved ones from dying again. No pairings, just friendship/family, also might be OOC.

Words: 939 | Chapters: 19

Harry Potter:

Changing Sides by Jenkt5

Regulus makes a decision that leads him on an intended suicide mission into the cave. His survival prevents the prophecy from occurring. Eventual horcrux hunting. Begins canon compliant.

Words: 307,559 | Chapters: 71

Naruto:

Until it Sleeps by Tranquilized-Night

AU: When the seal broke, Naruto expected to be consumed by the Kyuubi, but what if the power Itachi had given Naruto ensured his safety and survival? The eighteen-year-old woke up six years in the past with a twist. KakaNaru -Yaoi-

Words: 107,942 | Chapters: 19

Fullmetal Alchemist:

Sinful Hands by HaganeNoWriter

On this cold, brisk night in East City, Amestris, a life-changing meeting has occurred. When a 12 year-old boy who says he works for Colonel Mustang shows up at Hughes' door, He learns that appearances can be deceiving. There is much more to this child that meets the eye. An alternate way of how Edward met Hughes. No Pairings.

Words: 1,204 | Chapters: 1

The Big Bang Theory: (I only have French fics or crossovers for this one so *shrug*)

The Improbable Cousin by Kefalion

Harry Potter searched for any blood family he might have and on his mother's side he discovered the Hofstadter. Now he is in America for work and takes the opportunity to spend some time with his cousin Leonard, and as a result the other guys.

Words: 5,348  | Chapters: 1

Perception:

Red by Zephyr02

A deadly encounter leaves Kate's life hanging in the balance. As Daniel awaits word on her condition, he must come to terms with what happened or risk his sanity for good. *Daniel POV* *No spoilers, minor episode references*

Words: 7,082 | Chapters: 1

Detective Conan:

Unexpected Solutions by Takara Phoenix

Conan is good at getting into dangerous situations. But this one will solve his biggest or rather smallest problem. Good for one thief and another detective! SaguKaiShin, slashy threesome

Words: 4,872 | Chapters: 1

Free!:

I Quit by AveryHart1

Haru falls into a deep depression and isolates himself more than usual. What's going on? Can his friends save him before it's too late? TRIGGER WARNING! Also references to Free! High Speed!

Words: 28,332 | Chapters: 21

Vocaloid:

The Difference Between You and Me by MotherNight92

[COMPLETE] Kagamine Len has a secret. He is transsexual. He never wanted to be a girl, and hates his body for being this way. All he wants is to be accepted for who he is. However, he's scared to tell people the truth. He's so afraid of people knowing what's wrong with him. He doesn't want people to realise he's not like other guys. [Warning: BL]

Words: 59,203 | Chapters: 29

Yuri!!! On Ice:

The Piglet's Plight by pianoprincess123

A one-shot starring our favorite ship, Victuuri! In which Victor has a special surprise for Yuuri, but things turn sour when he finds out Yuuri is hiding something. *NOTE: This is a re-upload. Something went wrong with the formatting in the original upload. Please forgive any inconvenience.

Words: 2,251  | Chapters: 1

[shiroganeryo]

I got tagged by @ofdemonsandangels, thank you for the tag, Violet!

Rules: List five things you never get tired of writing. it can be tropes, themes, characters, phrases, whatever brings you joy. then tag five people!

Describing eye colors while likening them to something (a gemstone's name, a flower or a fruit of the same color, etc)

The way a character's fingers tread lovingly through the hair of their beloved, or the way they affectionately caress their face (sometimes, both!)

Describing the scenery the characters are seeing, where they're at and how the world is behaving around them while they're in silence/alien to it because their attention is somewhere else

Canon references! Many of my ideas stem from things the characters did or said in canon, so I create a bridge between their 'real' self and their depiction written in my work

The way a person watches their beloved laugh with genuineness and feel their heart swell as if they had fallen in love with them all over again

As always I'm TERRIBLE with tags, so I won't have 5, but I'd love to hear what @moonlight-blue-rose @candy-crackpot and @dollxhime have to say if they feel like doing the tag!

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Breaking down the comics: Denial is Strange (Issue 36)

Moon Knight, Issue # 36: Ghosts

Written by  Alan Zelenetz and drawn by Bo Hampton 

Now, I’m a long time fan of Dr. Strange. In fact, he’s number three on my list of favorite comics! (Number two being Scarlet Witch and number one being MK if I even need to mention that). So a Moon Knight with early Dr. Strange cross-over? Yeah, I’ll dip into that no problem! 

The first page is a note from the editor, Denny O'Neil. You see, in previous issues, they had asked where fans wanted to see Moon Knight go. They were running low on ideas and didn't know how they wanted to further develop the character, as it looked like he was going to stick around for a while. 

Since Moon Knight started in a supernatural horror book (Werewolf by Night), it only seemed fitting that Moon Knight continue to carryon his career as leaning heavily on the supernatural side of things. A fist of the moon and Spector of vengeance, they have decided to let Moon Knight continue on his path of walking the line of what lurks on the other side of the shadows. 

"Lots of heroes catch crooks. Moon Knight will be going after a different quarry. We hope you'll go with him." 

Also it's interesting to note that they introduce Zelenetz and Bo Hampton as the new MK team, when they only did three issues before the 1980s series ended and things had to get a re-vamp as MK again went in a new direction. Hmm. (He does come back periodically in later runs, but doesn’t stick around.) 

For those unfamiliar with Dr. Strange, ....things get strange. An original Marvel character from back in the day, created in 1963 by Steve Ditko himself, he embraced the psychedelic comic art style of that time. Let me put it this way, if Dr. Strange gets involved, you know things are about to get colorful, confusing to look at, and WEIRD. 

That out of the way, we open in Nubia, in Ancient Egypt during the twentieth century B.C. 

We see a classic Egyptian styled man about to sacrifice a cat for 'the demons of the dark'. He declares himself Amutef, first among necromancers and worthy to be a pharaoh. 

Okay. That's a start. 

Suddenly a bunch of men run into the room. "Seize him, priests of Khonshu!" 

Yeah, it's illegal to slay 'the holy cat in mockery of the gods.' 

Amutef declares revenge (Mummy style). "On a moonlit night, ages hence when we meet once again." 

Once the mummification of Amutef is done, the head priest prays to Khonshu that 'this enchanted pendant will keep the base Amutef's soul bound within these linen grave clothes for all eternity." 

Amutef's spirit enters into the necklace, waiting for his curse to come to light. 

And right on cue, we head to the present where we see a beautiful blond woman wearing the necklace. 

"I may have been an archeologist's daughter, but these cat mummies can still give me the creeps." 

Aw jeeze. It's Marlene. 

And we see her there with Steven at the grand opening to an Egyptian wing of a museum as a memorial to her father. 

Marlene, why are you wearing an antique Egyptian necklace? 

"It will go to the museum one day, Mr. Director. I'm wearing it tonight for the first time since my father found it in one of the tombs of the Seti Kings." 

Yeah no. 

Their social session is interrupted by a security guard trying to kick out a party crasher. 

"Listen, we get all kinds of crackpots crying CURSE every time we open an Egyptian exhibit--" 

"But I am Stephen Strange, and my conjurations have led me here. I fear that evil will be born this night--" 

(I’ll start by saying the art style reminds me of the comic art from around late 1960s, but I’m also not a fan of how Marlene is portrayed here. She’s too soft and arm candy-esque. I miss the Marlene from Bill’s days where she was capable and intelligent.) 

Also, Steven clearly has NOT heard of Strange fully if he dismisses him after that display. You’d think by now that Steven would be like ‘oh. Right. I’ve fought zombies. This isn’t that odd for me.’

A cat (belonging to the security guard?) breaks loose and instantly goes to attack Marlene. Steven backhands it easily before it can sink it's fangs into Marlene. 

"In the name of the Vishanti! Don't you see? The animal senses evil." 

"Look. How are you at sensing harassment suits, Mister Magic?" 

"Dr. Strange, this is a museum, not a circus show." 

I love how no one ever takes Dr. Strange seriously when they first meet him. Even in today's age, they just write him off as a cheap palm reader. 

Marlene notes she feels terrible and wants to go home. Steven and Marlene head home and Stephen follows above. 

Stephen…This is why no one takes you seriously. I hate to hear how he talked BEFORE he became a sorcerer. Can you imagine him in the ER? “By Gray’s Almighty Anatomy, someone hand me the mighty retractor of Senn!” 

(Stephen what is that pose? Steven…What is that lurking image of you?) 

He scans Marlene while doing what I like to think of as his Vampire flight pose. 

"Yes--But wait, there is a mystic aura about this man, Grant, as well. Then there are occult forces at work here that appear to defy even earth's sorcerer supreme, thus--" 

He lays a protection spell on Marlene that will keep the possession at bay for the next 24 hours then flies home to do research. 

Back in the mansion, Marlene gets into her usual skimpy night gown STILL WEARING THE NECKLACE. 

Look, if I ever go to bed still in a necklace that gaudy, please consider me cursed. 

Marlene is worried about the curse. She feels terrible and she's a little spooked. 

Steven Grant feels differently. 

"That black cat at the museum has got you all strung out. You'll sleep it off. As for curses... You should know better than anyone, Marlene, that these days--for sanity's sake, I like to keep a cool distance between myself and thoughts of the supernatural." 

Steven no… 

Jokes aside, we must remember that DID is a form of self preservation, protection, processing, and denial. When it comes to their DID, Stephen has ALWAYS been the first one to go "Nawh. I'm fine." and then try to strong arm his way through every situation. Marc is the first to go "May as well die" and throw himself head first into a dangerous situation, and Jake is the first to go "It ain't my problem. I'mma chill here with my buds." 

Here is classic Stephen Grant, fresh off his most recent run of self doubt and slow crawl into a mental break (for the third or fourth time) and he's living in denial land and choosing a path that he feels is the most conducive to compartmentalize and keep his distance from their trauma. 

"I try to forget that the ruthless mercenary I once was--Marc Spector-- apparently died and was reborn in a desert tomb years ago... 

Under the gaze of a cold white statue of Khonshu, God of the moon... Whose spirit I use to believe reanimated me." 

And yet you won't shut up about it. (I kid, but seriously, Steven.) 

"Believed only too well. I relied on that superstition until I'd almost lost my mind --Forgot just where Khonshu ended and Spector or Grant began." 

Why does he always forget about Jake? 

"But you helped me see that I derived my strength and abilities from my own will and commitments, not from some long-dead mythology. You redeemed my soul and my sanity, Marlene...

And I'm not about to lose either of them again. So no more talk of witchcraft, okay? Just sleep tight while Moon Knight makes the rounds." 

Steven sure is in a mood. I don't blame him. 

(I also love how depending on who tells it or remembers it, we either see bloody beaten up Marc at the foot of the statue or we see a gently and sexily sprawled out Steven rendition with a gently weeping Marlene memory. I’d love to see how Jake remembers it.) 

Moon Knight takes off and a clearly possessed Marlene mutters a classic line about “After thousands of years we have met once more, fool Thosbi. Now Amutef’s spirit, given voice by inhabiting the mortal frame, shall utter incantations of revenge.” 

Classic. 

Meanwhile, Stephen Strange is doing his own thing. 

Stephen is...wordy. I'm going to summarize the WALL OF TEXT that is his ramblings and chantings. 

Marlene is possessed by an ancient sorcerer. Steven Grant has been mystically endowed with the spirit of an ancient priest of Khonshu. 

Meeting up on this moonlit night spells trouble with a capital T and now the curse is real. 

He must get Steven Grant to cooperate with him or it will spell doom for them both. 

And then we cut to Moon Knight, still angry about the implication of something supernatural happening to him. 

"Steel and glass and concrete. There's reality for you. No room in a city like this for superstitions." 

He spots some thugs assaulting a couple and he decides to glide down to intercept. 

Yeah that…that seems about right. 

He barely manages to dodge a gun shot, his crescent dart whacks a guy right in the face and cuts him, and he barely manages to catch up with the other two fleeing villains. 

And of Course Detective Flint arrives to drive in the nail. 

"Say, everything okay? Not like you to lose your wind over a trio of amatures." 

"Just an accident, Detective--Cape got caught, you go on and treat the punks to a night in the slammer. Put it on my tab." 

And to make his night even better, Stephen Strange shows up. 

"It was no accident, Steven Grant." 

"YOU again!? Am I supposed to admire your persistence or--Wait, you called me Grant?"

"Yes, it was Steven Grant I sought, and I'm afraid your costume does little to disguise HIS psychic aura. But, that is inconsequential--It is your life, not your identity, that is in jeopardy." 

I...Could have SO much to say about breaking down that statement and we'd be here all night as I talked about the psychic aura of Steven vs. the others, his life vs. his identity, and all that fun stuff... But I have a feeling the writer wasn't aiming for that line...sadly... SO I'll leave it alone....this time. 

He tells Steven that he's in danger and Steven demands to be shown the demons after him. 

Stephen tells him that they were the ones that grabbed his cape, but he banished them before they could destroy him. 

Moon Knight still isn't buying it. 

I swear, half the Dr. Strange cross-over comics are spent with Stephen trying to convince everyone that magic is real and that he isn't full of it. 

"I have learned that you are endowed with the spirit of a priest of Khonshu whose mystic powers are needed to save Ms. Alraune from the evil spirit which possesses her." 

Honestly, while this isn't the first instance of the OG comic showing the cult of Khonshu and the priests, this is the first time someone has considered Moon Knight to be imbued with the spirit of a priest of Khonshu. 

As many of you may be aware, the current run with MacKay pushes heavily into the Priest of Khonshu plot line, which has often been dropped and lost by subsequent writers after this one. 

However, Strange is insisting that the priest himself is inside Moon Knight, while it's long been determined that Khonshu himself has imbued Marc and the others with his own power to make Moon Knight his own sort of priest. 

Let's see how this issue plays it out. 

"I would have mesmerized you without asking in order to summon the Ancient Priest within your being... But even your unconscious will is incredibly strong and I could not break through it." 

I'm cackling about this. Imagine Strange trying to get in there and just being met by a really pissed off Jake Lockley. 

"Bet on it, Mister." Steven is thinking the same thing. You know it. "My will's like granite, because that's what holds the real world out there together for me. It's my sanity." 

Oh Steven... 

Moon Knight calls Khonshu a myth and make-believe. "Do you think I'd ever embrace that madness again?" 

He calls for Frenchie. He's done with this. 

"If the spirit is not exorcised from Ms. Alraune by tomorrow night, she will be the one who knows true madness. Without the mystic aid of KHonshu, my spells can protect her no longer than that." Stephen Strange calls after him. 

Moon Knight calls him a "blasted Looney" and takes off. 

The next evening at Grant Mansion, the doctor informs Steven that he can't figure out what's wrong with Marlene. 

Steven tells her that he'll cut the Moon Knight patrol short and be back before midnight. 

(She's still wearing the necklace). 

As Moon Knight leaves, Marlene sits up, possessed again, and sending the evil spirits out after the Khonshu priest Thosbi. 

This time they attack the chopper. 

Oh no. Not the chopper! 

While the possessed Marlene chants of vengeance from the balcony, cats start to gather in the nearby tree. 

Dr. Strange arrives to the chipper and starts to fight off the invisible demons that only he can see. 

Frenchie tells Moon Knight to glide to safety. The chopper is going down. (My dear Frenchie always looking out for his friend.) 

Moon Knight refuses to jump and the chopper starts to function again. 

A particularly nasty demon shows up to fight Strange. 

"Begone, Mage, for my chaotic powers are summoned by a spell more ancient than any your mortal lips can utter." It taunts him. 

While Strange battles the demons, Frenchie manages to land the chopper. 

Side note, I do love the way they draw Moon Knight’s costume. This is the start of the era where his shorts start to actually look like shorts and not underwear outside his outfit. You also see more black mixed in with his top and leggings. While you see the muscles, he isn’t drawn HUGE and ridiculous. It’s believable. 

Also behold Strange before the goatee! It looks wrong… 

Anyways, Moon Knight is not pleased to see Strange again. 

They argue and give me my most favorite image of Frenchie EVER. 

This man. I love this man. 

Look at it. The moon hat. The lighting on his face. The relaxed sit. The smoke rings. Not one not two but THREE pens in his pocket. The gloves. The match book in his other hand. This is just another day for him. 

The copter nearly crashed for unknown demonic reasons and his BFF super hero buddy is outside arguing with a wizard about being possessed by an ancient Egyptian priest. 

Jean-Paul Duchamp I love you. 

Strange tells him that if they don't contact the priest of Khonshu within the hour, Marlene is going to be lost to them. 

Moon Knight concedes. He jumps in the chopper and they follow Strange back to the mansion. ....Why he doesn't let Strange fly in his chopper but makes him fly...You got me? 

They arrive to find the mansion crawling with cats and Marlene in a trance staring contest with one of them. 

Moon Knight decides to take a short cut to get to Marlene as fast as he ....OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. THERE ARE SO MANY Other WAYS TO ENTER YOUR MANSION! YOU BUILT IT! 

(Adds another hash tag to the list) 

Moon Knight crashing through his own window with his nunchucks out in a room full of cats. I just... He is the ultimate catboy. 

They send away the cats, who were apparently there to attack the evil. 

Stephen sets the room up for the ritual and Steven carries Marlene to a chair. "Save her, Strange... Even if it costs me my mind." 

We get some interesting art here... They made Steven look like a bad anime magical girl transformation reaction or something. I can't even begin to describe this. I apologize for what I’m about to show you. 

Flew too close to the sun with Frenchie. Now we must all pay the price with anime boy Steven Grant. 

So Strange does his thing and forces the demons to show themselves. 

"Do you think to conquer Amutef with glibness of tongue, mage?! I who was first among necromancers, who dared blaspheme the names of Khonshu and Osiris.." He summons his own demons to battle Strange. 

He summons the priest of Khonshu through Moon Knight and we get some CLASSIC Dr. Strange art. We got the symbols, we got the squiggle lines, we got the colors, we got the eyes, we got the floating heads and we even got the floating hour glass. 

As much as I love Dr. Strange, it takes me a while to read his old comics. My processing skills can't handle the barrage of EVERYTHING on every page. I’m glad it’s just a little in this comic. 

We watch the two men do battle through time and space and in King Arthur's backyard for some reason... We see the great pyramids and some temples that my geographically challenged mind does not recognize... 

Just as the battle is picking up...

"What?! I sense emotions of abnormal pitch. No! They flow from the mind of Grant. The strain on his will is too great! But he can't succumb now---!" 

We see chanting and...wait... those words... They sound familiar...

"Khonshu, Nehem kua her entet ari-na maat! Amutef, thosbi! Affirms thee no longer to be!" 

Parts of that sound suspiciously like something Harrow chanted from the MCU show. HMMMMMM....

Yeah, the battle is over and Marlene and Steven come out of their trances. 

"You've survived, Steven Grant, and your mind is whole, stronger than before. You have experienced life AND death, the natural and supernatural. You have mastered your will and become a complete man." 

Then Strange essentially does the "I must go now" thing and zips away to fight the occult forces of evil elsewhere. 

We are left with Steven thinking things over. 

"Occult forces. Like Marc Spector's dying and being reborn through the ghost of an ancient priest. You know, Marlene? I believe him. I don't for one minute like the idea...But I believe him." 

The End! 

Okay you guys… This was a wild one. It was a disaster start to finish but it did what comics are meant to do and it made me laugh and it was fun. 

The art was…all over the place. It worked for an issue with Dr. Strange, but they made everyone FAR too baby faced and pretty. What’s weird is that the next issue is the same artist but he gets his shit together and it’s back to Moon Knight nitty gritty. What the hell happened? Let’s blame Dr. Strange on this one. 

But….

Can you imagine THIS being the face of Steven Grant, Marc Spector, and slap a mustache on that and you got Jake Lockley!? THIS?! 

He’s so judgy! 

I’m dying out here you guys. Someone draw a mustache on that and I’ll love you forever. I think this broke me. 

So… Aside from the… What ever all this was… It reminds me of the issue recently with Mackay. Where we got to go into Moon Knight’s mind-scape and we got to see Marc, Steven, and Jake all work together to defeat outside forces. They worked as a team and it was their special weapon. Going after Marc? No you aren’t. You’re gonna get punched in the face by Jake and Steven (steven gonna look at you like a highly disapproving father). In this early run, we don’t have the wonderful understanding and research into DID to fully comprehend or experience this, but looking back, I like to imagine it’s there under the surface. 

I also look at the priest as not being the one that revived them. Again, I cite Khonshu himself. The priest issue can be folded into current and then building lore of the Priesthood of Khonshu. This was an early and powerful priest that happened to have a grudge against this particular bad guy. Perhaps this is where Mackay starts taking his ideas and lore from. We’re already seen other ideas from the OG run that he’s explored. If this is the case, it’s nice to see him doing his research and getting back to basics. 

So what did you guys thing? Did it make you laugh too? Are we all cursed by the Magical Anime Steven image? 

Next time I’m dipping back into the past to cover some of the issues I skipped. We’re getting to the home stretch you guys. 

[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: Odd Squad UK -- "A Tour of Odd Squad" Episode Followup, Part 1

Newbies to the fandom might not remember this, but a long long time ago, as part of a charity event for Make-A-Wish Canada, the people behind Odd Squad held an auction for various props used in the show. With it also came a tour of the set, which is how we got the infamous "Walmart canon" bit between Joshua Kilimnik and Olivia Presti.

This...may or may not serve as a continuation. Hard to tell from teaser images and a synopsis. But the vibe is very much the same.

So without further ado, let's get "A Tour of Odd Squad" below the break.

Your writer for this e- oh God.

Well that opening blurb just got yoted into the fire.

Hey, remember when "Off the Clock" established that Odd Squad has Timekeepers that are in charge of all time in the world? Remember how nonsensical that was?

Hahahahaha...ha...aah...

*low pained groan*

And your director, a newcomer to the franchise who...has only done the franchise.

Once again, I will repeat: a 10-year-old franchise is not the best place to start for amateur writers and directors, and please keep them away until they have some good experience.

He went from an agent to an advertiser within the span of one gadget zap.

'S what happens on the job. Your brain gets fried sometimes. That's why lobotomies are handed out like candy!

This...okay, it was fine when Ozzie did it, but now it's just getting stale. We got 11 minutes. Let's hurry this up, please?

Going to set aside Orli's comment (which should be answered with "how do you know they aren't clients?") to discuss something.

See, I want you guys to look at this group. Really look at it. Sweep your gaze all around. Watch the scene itself if you have to.

You will notice...you will notice...there are no children.

Now, this is very much a crackpot theory, but I'm going to pose it based on scraps of previous evidence: this is a jab at older fans of Odd Squad who may or may not have children of their own.

Making jabs at adult fans, and those outside of the demographic in general, is nothing new. Tim himself remarked a long time ago in an interview about the show regarding wearing Odd Squad costumes that "when a kid does it, it's cute. When an adult does it, it's creepy." And no, he's not talking about parents -- parents dressing up in matching costumes with their kids is normal and not creepy. He's talking about the people who don't have kids in the family but watch the show anyway and dress up in agent attire. (I can't say for certain whether those outside the demographic but are under the age of 18 fall under this branch. I wouldn't think it does, but he hasn't said anything official regarding that and I'm not sure if he's even aware teens and young adults who watch the show actually exist in the first place.)

Given how this episode is about two villains one villain joining this superfan group in disguise...it makes me wonder if this episode is some kind of "take that" at adult fans who watch the show, since adults in this franchise are often villainized.

...Ahh I dunno. Maybe it's just me being more cynical than usual. But whether my theory is farfetched or not, you can't deny that there are a couple layers of metaness to it.

Let's move on.

More fake than the smile Oscar put on at the end of "Ms. O Uh-Oh", and with none of the charm and all of the creepiness.

Smile 2's lookin' great.

THE SCOOTER'S BACK!!!! IT DO BE BACK!!!!!! AND I THINK HE DO BE RIDIN' IT!!!!!

...I'm starting to think this is the modern version of that Segway Oscar once drove.

Might as well lay down the one thing I don't like about Orwell: he needs to be stoic all the time. Real calm, like Ocean, but a lot more stoic. This line? Should be said entirely deadpan. Take a few cues from Oksana.

That's what I like.

But that's not what he is. And I'm not too keen on what we're getting.

*long sigh*

Girl with the red hair.

Pack it up, next episode.

"Just avoid taking them anywhere of interest or telling them anything interesting."

Heh...ha...yeah, I dunno, that might be hard to do. It's Odd Squad. Everything is interesting.

Well, your cousin got paired up with a chipper helpful guy.

You, sir, are paired up with an idiot.

These tours will not be the same.

Wh- lmao what is this, Owen and Ohio Mk. II?

What's more offensive: the fact that these villains talked loudly during the movie, or the fact that this Security agent recorded them during the movie?

Both are very sinful and go against theater etiquette. Recording someone without their consent also goes against moral standards.

Ohhh...so it's like "Good Egg Bad Egg" but more meta...

I'd like this math lesson in anything that wasn't meta, in all honesty.

Ohhh...y'see that's how you know they're fancy. They got swivel chairs.

I can see Otis toppling out of them every minute.

"Nine of these people aren't villains, and they deserve a good tour!"

And all of those non-villains...have children.

They can't say it because it makes no sense in the context of the episode, but you know the thought was running through Rob's mind in some capacity.

...

Fine. I will go get the tinfoil hat. Leave me alone.

take criminals to gun range

"hey, anyone wanna shoot some targets with fancy small handguns?"

It is.

The same.

EXACT.

THING.

And this guy was clearly made in my image.

Gadgets, and what they have are blue Macbooks.

I mean...to some degree, they are gadgets, so I can't complain too much...

Osgood better watch out. Man's got competition.

"Hate to say it, but this tour isn't as much fun as I thought it'd be."

Because you're adu- okay, that's a stretch. That's really a stretch.

For about half a second, I thought her name was "O'Crap", but I think it's actually "Okra" and I'm reading too much into it.

If Odd Squad got a parody, though, you know "O'Crap" probably would be one of the names of the agents.

I would have also accepted "DoorDash Danielle", because that's exactly who this lady works for.

...Look at it. It's red. It's DoorDash. Don't fight me on this.

I can already see where this is going.

The guy who got all excited about gadgets is the villain.

...Pack it up, next epi-

Ah, I see Opie's whipping out her hidden sarcasm.

*long deep sigh*

Halfway into the goddamn season and all they can think of in terms of references is to reference a mere two of the thirteen living-legend agents.

I'm not even mad. I'm not even surprised. I'm just sorely disappointed they'd slip a reference to Oscar into a meta episode.

They massacred my boy and now he looks unrecognizable because sounding unrecognizable was not enough.

Security agent

scared of the dark

Sucks for a man who has to "secure the perimeter", huh?

I...okay, but aside from him showing off his scooter...why not just give Opie the earpiece to begin with?

...FUCKING ROB.

(On to Part 2!)

[askmadcomcrew]

whats everyones favorite hard candy flavor? if any of you say cherry or grape youre wrong btw <3

Hank: Don't care. Food is food.

Sanford: I'm a root beer kinda guy. You'd think root beer in candy form would be kinda gross, but it ain't bad.

Deimos: I usually go for the fruit flavors like lemon or watermelon.

Doc: I find myself looking for cinnamon flavored ones, although I cannot remember the last time I had a hard candy.

Tricky: WHAT'S WRONG WITH CHERRY FLAVOR!?!?! ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU DON'T LIKE THE DELICIOUS ARTIFICIAL CHERRY FLAVOR!?!?!? WHAT ARE YOU, SOME KINDA FREAK!?!?

Jeb: Hmm, it has been a long time since I even had any form of candy. I suppose licorice, or apple.

Sheriff: I usually go 'fer horehound. It's kinda like root beer 'n licorice mixed together. Sounds gross at first, but I like it.

Crackpot: Eugh, hard candies. I don't like any of 'em!

Auditor: Caramel.

Phobos: Candies aren't good bulk food, I try to cut such sugary things out of my diet. That being said, there is nothing wrong with a perfectly good grape flavored candy, and due to me always being correct about everything, it is you who is wrong.

[grandhotelabyss]

You know, until I saw that clip I'd never seen Paglia in action- I suddenly understand completely why you've so persistently said that Trump is spiritually italian! I get why Paglia saw herself as the next Susan Sontag, but imo it's apples and horseradishes really. Sontag was a proper philosopher-thinker in the official vein, Paglia is something more like whatever we want to call Jung- this is why I don't think the right sort of people will ever necesarilly accept her, even posthumously (hell, I don't entirely accept her, although as with Jung anybody who throws sweeping and striking images around like she does is like candy to a writer, and I'm certainly not immune.) What would a publically-assimilated Paglianism even look like?

Yes, this is why I think elite revulsion at Trump's person is an esoteric form of racism. Anyway, though, Paglia might have been more influential than Sontag in the long run. The brand of European high culture Sontag championed no longer commands the respect it once did in American mainstream publishing, and she herself has been posthumously canonized by means she would have found despicable, namely, by stressing her gender, sexuality, and life story. It's not as if she couldn't have published a volume of feminist essays while she lived; but she didn't, and she didn't even keep writing them past a certain point (another kind of female intellectual of her generation would have written—or did write, like Audre Lorde—a book about breast cancer per se, but she wrote the exquisitely impersonal Illness as Metaphor). Sontag has left us no one thesis, since she took everything she ever said back at one time or another, while Paglia has what every thinker wants, namely, a concept attached to her name (i.e., the chthonic, which is her dialectic, her will-and-representation, her dasein, her différance, her power, her rhizome). I don't know what "the right sort of people" will do in the future, or if (since I think you mean academics) they'll even exist, but she's not anymore of a crackpot than Deleuze or Bataille or Bloom or Frye or other people who still get read in English, French, and comp lit departments. (By this I don't mean she's not a crackpot; I mean they all are, and I am too.) Even Paglia's brand of multiculturalism looks more prescient than Sontag's Beckett-in-Sarajevo Euro-universalism—and this I think is probably a dangerous development on balance, for reasons illustrated by the breakup of Yugoslavia itself. Writers and artists read her, and movie directors; if enough people like that pay attention, it doesn't matter what professors do. I think she'll last.

[opheliajupiter99]

Buttered Popcorn Pt. 4 (Killer Klowns Story)

Shawn thought to himself in silence, as the pair of Killer Klowns dragged him along into the outskirts of town, down the colorful, trodden path. It was hard -not- to think about his impending doom, imagining the Klowns like guards dragging a prisoner down death row.

He wasn't as scared as he would've thought he'd be. Maybe the absurdity of all of this was numbing it for him, maybe just the knowledge that his sister was away from all of this...that she didn't have to -see- what would happen, was keeping him calm. Or maybe, where previously there'd been a fear of the unknown, now knowing what was happening to him just made it easier.

It was probably a bit of all three. Not like it mattered now; he had to obey, or the Klowns would have reason to go back on their little deal and go find Rhonda. Maybe -that- is what was keeping him calm in reality, just accepting his fate for the sake of his sister. Regardless, he just let the Klowns drag him along, until they reached bright colors and shimmering lights of a tall, wide big top, stripped in red and yellow.

It's funny; the sight was both so familiar, the classic cartoony image of a circus big top, yet also...so unnatural. The big top looked, at first glance, to be made of cloth, as a typical tent would be, but it stood so stiff and sturdy it was more akin to metal. The unwavering pattern of the tent was unsettling as well, so perfect and seamless. There was no ticket booth, no posters advertising acts, just the endless, colorful metal.

They entered through the tent, the already sizable tent proving -far- larger on the inside than the outside, the metallic nature of the tent also growing more obvious, the interior some bizarre blend of cartoony and scientific. They approached some kind of elevator, Candy stepping backwards into and hugging him close, as Zigzag pressed upon a set of colorful buttons on a pad beside the door.

Yellow, yellow, blue. Then headed into the elevator with them. After a bit of descending, the elevator opened once more. This was a long, wide room, stretching out as far as it could in both directions, blacks dotted with specs and strings of neon in all shades. He could hear muffled humanoid crying and screaming in the far-flung corners, hidden behind oversized colorful doors, as well as monstrous, shrieking infant cries.

They walked up to one of the doors and flung it open, revealing some kind of alien medical area. Inside was a metal table, covered in bizarre tools, all just as colorful and exaggerated as everything else, a metal table with a polka dotted sheet draped over it, and another Killer Klown, this one dressed in a cartoony doctor's outfit, complete with mask barely covering his bulky face and a stethoscope, as well as clutching an odd device in one hand, looking like a cross between a hand mirror and a cellphone.

The pair put Shawn on the table, draping the sheet over him. The doctor Klown moved the device over him, it beep-booping and displaying a series of symbols Shawn didn't recognize. The Klown read over them, and nodded to the soon-to-be parents, Candy and Zigzag squeaking cheerfully at whatever information the doctor had conveyed. Candy reached out a puffy hand and gently patted his stomach, Shawn whimpering softly in pain as the little horrors inside him squirmed in response.

The pair waved goodbye, and headed back out the room, presumably to commit further atrocities, leaving Shawn all alone with the doctor, with nothing but looming dread to truly keep him company. He just sighed softly, staring up at the ceiling. Of course, he didn't know much in the way of what was going on, but this whole thing read like an alien abduction, beyond the clown stuff that is. He imagined Rhonda begging police, pleading that her brother needed help, and no one believing her crackpot story. Even with the town in ruins, would anyone -really- believe it was a bunch of Klown aliens?

Maybe this had happened before, and it'd all been covered up - and this whole thing was just going to be swept under the rug just like the last time. He rested his head against the table, sighing again. Well...none of that would involve him, so, guess it didn't matter. He was trying to find something to think about, to pass the time til these little bastards popped out of him like a Jack-In-The-Box.

He could already feel pressure building inside him; judging by how it felt, at least he wouldn't have much longer to wait. His ears teared up a bit, and he couldn't help giggling a bit, hysterical. The doctor began giggling to, Shawn's own quickly turning to a manic cackle as his sanity started slipping away. The doctor pulled away a curtain at the side of the table, revealing a bizarre cocoon, appearing to be made of cotton candy.

It was strung up from the ceiling by a hefty metal hook, perched right over the table for an unknown purpose. The purpose didn't stay unknown for long, as the doctor removed a pink swirly straw from his pocket, and poked it into the cocoon, the metallic scent of blood quickly hitting Shawn's nose. The horror of knowing what he'd been drinking before had begun to melt away, just as his sanity had, like ice cream on a hot day, as he eagerly latched onto the straw.

He suckled the blood from what was undoubtably a human corpse, his pain once more numbed, and his head feeling light. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. If he just did as he was told and ate up his sweets, maybe he wouldn't even feel it. It'd be fine...nothing was wrong...just be happy...

(@james-preble)

[shrimplymoray]

full simp list?

oh boy, it's so long and a bit of it changed as i changed interests (i dropped completely any interest in Demon Slayer so i don't really feel they deserve their place there anymore). SO far the ones that are still intact are

Madcom 

1-Hank 2-Deimos 3-Sanford 4-Doc 5-Tricky 6-Jebus 7-Sheriff 8-Auditor 9-Phobos 10-Crackpot 11-Hot dog vendor 12-M.D. Skinner 13-Mag torture 14-Burger Gil 15-Pank 16-Wank 17-Skittles 18-Quartermaster Bert

Osomatsu-san

19-Karamatsu 20-Ichimatsu 21-Jyushimatsu 22-Osomatsu 23-Todomatsu 24-Choromatsu 25-Kinko 26-Atsushi 27-Yanagita

FNAF

28-Sunrise 29-Moondrop 30-Montgomery Gator 31-Glamrock Freddy 32-Michael Afton 33-Funtime Foxy 34-DJ Music Man 35-Vanny 36-Roxanne Wolf 37-Funtime Freddy 38-Foxy

Cookie Run

39-Espresso Cookie 40-Eggnog Cookie 41-Almond Cookie 42-Madeleine Cookie 43-Alchemist Cookies 44-Vampire Cookie 45-Rye Cookie 46- Moonlight Cookie 47- Prune Juice Cookie 48- Peach Blossom Cookie

Creepypasta

49-Ticci Toby 50-Ben Drowned 51-Eyeless Jack 52-Masky 53-Hoodie 54-Bloody Painter 55-The Puppeteer 56-Laughing Jack 57-Jane the Killer 58- Jeff the killer 59- Homicidal Liu 60- Jason the toymaker 61- Candy Pop 62- Nathan the Nobody 63- Sully 64- Clockwork 65- Judge Angel 66- Nurse Ann 67- Nina the killer 68- Hobo heart 69- X virus 70- Kate the chaser 71- Rouge the proxy 72- Laughing Jill 73- William Grossman 74- Herobrine 75- Kagekao

Charisma House

76- Ohse Minato 77- Tendou Amahiko 78- Terra-kun 79- Iori Motohashi 80- Fumiya Ito

Other

81-Intruder Mandela Catalog 82-SCP-049 plague doctor 83-McCree Overwatch 84-Mollymauk Critical Role 85-Niko Nambaka 86-Uno Nanbaka 87-Howl Pendragon Howl's Moving Castle 88-Dr venomous Ok Ko 89-Kedamono Popee the performer 90- John Doe John Doe Game 91-Pink Addison Deltarune 92-Eddie Munson Stranger things 93-King Sombra MLP 94- Caleb Widowgast Critical Role 95- Kinger The Amazing Digital Circus 96- Mr. Wolf Bad Guys

Twisted Wonderland

97- Jade Leech 98- Floyd Leech 99- Lilia Vanrouge 100- Dire Crowley 101- Ruggie Bucchi 102- Cater Diamond 103- Azul Ashengrotto 104- Che’nya 105- Sam 106- Malleus Draconia (?) 107- Vil Schoenheit 108- Baul Zigvolt 109- Melleanor Draconia 110- Levan 111- Silver 112- Leona’s Tits

[viothecrapbot]

You want my hot takes? Here's a hot take. The mimic IS literally Gregory. It is the body that William built to house his dead kid, it is the stolen tech from Henry he is using to put the pieces back together MXES was HIS design to keep him there. That's why its a rabbit.

He is still not ready, he doesn't understand he's a boy. THAT is what B-7 is about, it's telling us this. He's to be kept in a game except he's the kid who learned the lullaby in Candy Cadet's story. THE LULLABY IS GAMES. HE LEARNED GAMES.

ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET? Games. Vanessa was Vanny, she came into his game to check on him and to try and stop him when he (and Freddy) went rogue.

I think there is so much more to this story than what we are given and I'm not about to give up on it yet.

And I think he will come back. He always does.

I always welcome hot takes!!

I love the insanity of this and you've damn well nearly convinced me of this crackpot theory. This litterally explains a whole bunch of random little details that no one's really addressed, like what the hell is the deal with Vanny being so playful. In a series where every detail matters at some point, this theory does provide an explanation for a bunch of them.

Now, do I believe it likely or true? Not really. But a good theory does get my gears churning in the best way and now I will obsessively think about this as I finish up my workday.

Anyway thank you for the ask anon! I look forward to hearing from you more!

[cascading-colors]

Allen the bum for @candy-crackpot

I dunno know why but, the idea of Allen in a box had me giggling while sketching this

[mananea]

You know I was thinking what if Neah grew his hair long too at one point, but because Past!A and/or Cross kept grabbing him by his ponytail and Neah had enough of being yanked around like he owed money so he cut his own hair while he reserved the right to pull their hair

Maybe he had other reasons?

But here's this, since I picture it being more realistic. Mana would break fingers if they messed with Nea like that. This idea was too fun to work with, and I chose to run the train straight into a fence and entertain other ideas lol

[houseki-no-suffering]

I really liked your theory on how gem society would be if Sensei didn't basically hand over existing human costructs. I wonder if Gems could exist without Lunarians. If Sensei prayed all descendants of humans would disappear, it makes me wonder if even despite the split, the Gems, Lunarians and Admirabilis are still connected and if one were to disappear the other two would perish as well.

Another thing to the gem-only society speculations, especially the body modification parts: what if Gems attached to themselves inclusionless minerals so they could be bigger? That way one's value may be even affected by their size. Also, if multiple variations of the same Gems occured (like diamonds as they are very common), could it happen that Gems would crush each other, then attach parts of another onto themselves? For example, I can see Dia want to take parts of Bortz so they can 'impore'

to answer to the first part of your ask: i kinda agree. i’ve been thinking something along these lines for a couple of years now, but i don’t know if ichikawa already confirmed it when she had aechmea say that all three species will disappear were sensei to pray. maybe that’s as far as this theory goes, or not, who knows

as for the second part: i love the idea. maybe it wouldn’t work with different types of gems (inclusions are usually very picky), but maybe it could work out among gems of the same kind. dunno if sensei would give rutile permission though