#city hunter rebirth

[lostcryptids]

[abyssalchronicles]

Tales of Series character designer Mutsumi Inomata has passed away, as announced via her official X/Twitter account. She passed away last March 10 at the age of 63. 

No words can describe how we feel right now. She will be heavily missed. 

Mutsumi Inomata is a major figurehead for Tales, responsible for a big portion of character designs in the series, notably in Tales of Destiny, Eternia, Destiny, Rebirth, Tempest, Innocence, Hearts, Graces, and including Xillia/Xillia 2, Zestiria and Berseria alongside Kosuke Fujishima, Daigo Okumura and Minoru Iwamoto. She has also worked on several anime as character designer, animator and animation director, such as Brain Powerd, City Hunter and The Weathering Continent. She is renowned for her brilliant use of watercolors and the characteristic jewel-like eyes of her characters.

[graysoncritic]

A (Negative) Review of Tom Taylor's Nightwing Run - What Went Wrong? Bludhaven (PART 2)

Introduction Who is Dick Grayson? What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization What Went Wrong? Barbara Gordon What Went Wrong? Bludhaven (Part 1, Part 2) What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson What Went Wrong? Bea Bennett What Went Wrong? Villains Conclusion Bibliography

Instead, Taylor readily abandons the statue just as soon as it is introduced. We don’t return to it, we don’t even use it as a set piece that can ground Bludhaven and make it feel like an actual place. It doesn’t make an appearance in any covers, nor in establishing shots. In fact, even its thematic symbolism is forgotten when Alfred’s statue is built. Such a decision is especially infuriating when one considers the fact that not only would Alfred hate having a statue in his honor, but that Alfred means absolutely nothing to the people of Bludhaven. He means something to the reader, but not the citizens of the city that Dick is meant to protect. In this, we see how once more Taylor’s online mindset interferes with his storytelling, replacing a set piece that was tied to the in-universe history of the city he was writing with fanservice.

By contrast, Humphrie’s Bludhaven is filled with specific locations that are unique to, well, Bludhaven. We have the different casinos

(Humphries, Sam. Ruthless, writer. Janson, Klaus; Campbell, Jamal, illustrator. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 37, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2018. pp. 22)

The Tiki District

(Humphries, Sam, writer. Chang, Bernard, illustrator. The Untouchable: Chapter Two: Relentless. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 36, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2018. pp. 13)

Which greatly contrasts the darkness of the docks…

(Humphries, Sam, writer. Chang, Bernard, illustrator. The Untouchable: Chapter One: Hunter. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 35, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2018. pp. 17)

And the melancholy of the sunken city

(Humphries, Sam, writer. Jimenez, Phil; Campbell, Jamal, illustrator. The Untouchable: Chapter Five:Face Off. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 39, e-book  ed. DC Comics, 2018 pp. 05)

All of it is so specific that it makes Bludhaven feel alive. It gives Bludhaven an identity rather than keeping it a generic location.

Let’s take a closer look at the establishing shot of the sunken city and see how the page is laid out to emphasize the storytelling going on in the dialogue and enrich Bludhaven. There's something so visually poetic about that last panel. The intimacy between the Judge and Nightwing, the opulent throne atop a simple boat in a sunken, destroyed home. 

It feels a bit like a visual metaphor for Bludhaven and corruption. Bludhaven is thriving because of the casinos, but they are also corrupt. And yet, despite their rich aesthetic, they are built on top of a tragedy, of a city that was lost and had to rebuild itself, taking advantage of a corrupt system that devastates its citizens while also being the only thing keeping them from drowning. 

The lighting of the page is also so beautiful. Light coming in from above, appearing almost heavenly, and yet it makes the scene so still and lonely

During Dixon and Grayson’s runs, and during Taylor’s run, Bldhaven does not have an identity outside of Gotham and Nightwing. It is difficult to describe it without relying on those two factors. It is not impossible, of course, but those descriptions would be rather bare, relying on what one wishes Bludhaven could be rather than what is actually on the page.

In The Untouchable, however, Bludhaven can be described independent of Gotham and Nightwing. Yes, those elements are still crucial to its depiction, but rather than being all that there is to it, they serve to enhance what is already there. Dick’s interactions with people from Bludhaven further fleshes out the city while also demonstrating that they have their own lives outside of their meetings with Dick or Nightwing. Guppy, Svoboda, Lucy, Dick's clients at his gym... All of them are clear products of Bludhaven, they are affected by what happens in Bludhaven, and they interact with different parts of Bludhaven. Because they are characters with their own interiority, the reader really is able to feel the consequences of the Judge's actions. 

Yet, Taylor and Redondo both refuse to pay Bludhaven any of the attention it deserves. They do not even give it the respect of making it into Gotham-light. Instead, they opt for the generic, lazy, and morally simplistic depiction that is yet more proof of just how little thought they give to anything remotely related to Dick Grayson.

Bludhaven, as it exists in The Untouchable, was built on top of a corrupt foundation, and its systems are so intertwined with the rot that you can't neatly separate them. There's no easy answer to this, no solution without a victim. It adds some nice stakes to the story, creates constraints which Dick must creatively work around, and demonstrates how Nightwing’s fight is far larger than just The Judge. It illustrates how even if Dick catches this one guy, he still has so much more to do, creating a perfect comic status-quo where the hero can progress and make a difference without eliminating conflict sources for future stories.

Through the Judge, we also get to see Bludhaven’s history, and through this evolution, we also get to see just how much Humphrey cares about Bludhaven. I have yet to encounter another writer who has devoted so much care to Dick’s city. I have yet to encounter a writer who put so much effort into making this city feel alive. Gotham is beloved by many writers and fans alike, and The Untouchable showed that Bludhaven has the potential to be just as great if only it was given to a writer who cares enough to develop it. 

Needless to say, Taylor is not that writer.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part 4. Nightwing: Rebirth. 81, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 13)

While this may be wholesome, the truth is that by giving such a triumphant moment early on in the story, Taylor robbed his characters of any opportunity to change, and any opportunity for a well-earned pay off later. In turn, this robbed the story of its ability to engage with its themes by creating a very simple morality. Evil can be manifested in different ways and anyone is capable of it. Perhaps not all of us will be uppercase Evil, but we're all capable of the smallest acts of lowercase evil by letting our anger blind us to what is right, not helping others because we tell ourselves we have to survive, upholding unfair systems because they benefit us.

The city of Gotham does something similar. We have the evil of the rogues, but we also have the crime families, a myriad of corrupt institutions -- from the police department to the justice system to the politicians who are in the pockets of those on the top – and the ordinary citizens who have been disillusioned by the hardship they face. We have greed on a massive scale but also a small and personal one that is far more relatable, we have chaos of the Joker and we have more relatable pettiness, selfishness, apathy, and cruelty. 

Some of these play a larger role than others, their influence has a wider reach, but it is the different layers that makes Gotham feel so difficult to tackle. There’s a reason why Batman's origin story works best when it's just about a mugging gone wrong, and when Joe Chill is just a simple man who fired two shots in a dark alley because he wanted a pearl necklace. There's a reason why Bruce stays in Gotham rather than trying to save the entire world all the time. Batman, after all, is not about fighting the just grander Evil, but about bringing justice to everyone, even in what may be perceived to be a small scale. 

While I do not believe Batman: The Knight was perfect (and, indeed, I have a lot of problems with it and dislike Zdarsky’s current Batman run nearly as much as I dislike Taylor’s Nightwing), I do think that Zdarsky did a good job when having Ra’s Al Ghul confront Bruce on this matter. 

In #09, Ra’s challenges Bruce to work on a macro scale, and Bruce explores that idea before deciding he needs to work on a more personal level.

(Zdarsky, Chip, writer. Di Giandomenico, Carmine. The Knight Part 9. Batman: The Knight. 09, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 13)

Bruce’s world did not fall apart because of a war or an alien invasion, but that did not mean his pain is invalid. There might be far more important things than catching a mob boss who orchestrated the murder of two circus acrobats, but that doesn’t mean that their lives did not matter or that their son does not deserve to see justice. One of the beautiful things about the detective stories of Batman and of Nightwing is that they treat everyone’s trauma with equal respect. Batman and Nightwing aren’t just about catching the bad guy, they are about giving the victim a chance to heal by offering them closure. 

You can also observe the dichotomy of these two evils in The Untouchable. The entire plot of The Untouchable is about the Judge using people’s desires to corrupt them, luring them into committing evil deeds. At the same time, the story does not condemn those who fell prey to the Judge’s promises. Instead, it portrays them as complex individuals, and this reaffirms the themes of corruption through desire and the necessity for forgiveness.

Lucy, for example, is not vilified for betraying Dick. She did the Judge’s bidding, but she is not a bad person. She is still Dick’s friend and cares deeply for him. And yet, her choices are not portrayed as excusable. The comic perfectly balanced having Lucy not be a bad guy for what she did while also making it clear that she was still in the wrong for accepting the Judge’s offer. She is not Evil but she made an evil choice and she needs to be held accountable for that. 

This plays into the idea that to Dick, people are not naturally Good nor naturally Evil. They just are who they are, they have the potential for both, and it's their choices that dictate their nature. 

(Humphries, Sam, writer. Chang, Bernard, illustrator. The Untouchable: Chapter Six: Deep Dive. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 40, e-book  ed. DC Comics, 2018. pp. 18)

And as mentioned previously, Grayson also played with such ideas when she introduced the character of Sophia into the story. 

Taylor flirts with similar ideas without ever committing to them. His Bludhaven supposedly has corrupt institutions, big men on top who oppress others in order to stay rich, but to lay every wrong and every sin in the city at Blockbuster’s feet is morally simplistic. It's flattening. Immature. It's, frankly, boring. It just doesn't work on a narrative level. Most importantly, it makes Nightwing's presence superfluous.

Once more, I must emphasize that I do not believe that one must incorporate a social commentary in the themes of one’s story. However, as Taylor's narrative seems to signal he wants to discuss these matters, I think it is only fair to point out how his actual writing is uninterested in examining the complications inherited in these subjects. Taylor wants those big, meaningful moments that claim to say something thematically important, yet he creates easy-to-take down strawman villains who can take the blame for everything while wrapping them in the trappings of social commentary. 

Nothing in Taylor's supporting characters, conflicts, villains, or city were created to challenge Dick in any way. Part of the reason why you can feel Bruce's genuine love for Gotham is that that city is always challenging him, always giving him a reason to give up, but Bruce never does. Again and again, Gotham shows itself as a place that perhaps should not be saved, that is too rotten, literally cursed to bring out the worst of humanity. It would be easier to burn the whole thing down and start new. 

But Bruce doesn’t do that. He still sees something in Gotham worth saving. No matter what he uncovers, Bruce won’t give up, and that makes us, the readers, root for Batman and root for Gotham.

Bludhaven should challenge Dick in a similar way. But in this run, it doesn't. Dick's assertion that the citizens of Bludhaven are good and there are only a few bad apples ruining it for everyone is never challenged. Dick is never asked to question his beliefs. When he decided that the solution to one of Bludhaven's biggest problems (homelessness) was just to create a shelter, Dick is never challenged for his savior mentality, he never faces push back from those above him or below, is never paralyzed by bureaucracy, never has to deal setbacks that force him to re-strategize. He's just... Proved right. And everything goes on smoothly. 

Taylor’s approach gives Dick no room to grow and no room to stand his ground. I can’t help but think how much more powerful Dick’s own belief in Bludhaven and its people would have been if, during that earlier scene when the tent city was in flames, no one came to help. Nightwing and Robin would have had to save everyone on their own, and Dick would be faced with the difficult to swallow possibility that maybe he’s wrong. Maybe the people of Bludhaven are too disillusioned to do good. Maybe Babs and Tim, both characters who are known for being pragmatic, would even tell him so. But he refuses to accept that. As he looks upon the octopus statue, Dick affirms  the resilience of the city and how it does not need to come at the cost of kindness. Bludhaven is worth saving, its people are worth saving, and Dick will continue to believe in them, even though he was just given a reason not to. 

Again, I must emphasize that it is fine if a person is not interested in writing a story about this. Not every superhero story needs to explore these real-world, complex themes. One of my personal favorite Batman stories (and one I believe should be required reading for any Batman fan) is Murderer/Fugitive. While there are certainly themes of forging of identity, the story is far more concerned with what the forging of one’s identity means in the specific context of Batman rather than that of the real world. That is not to say you couldn't do an analysis on identity about Murderer/Fugitive, but the work as a whole serves more as a commentary on Batman, and it is in conversation with the popular idea that "Bruce Wayne is the mask that Batman wears." 

And just because one wishes to engage with themes of class and economic inequality, it does mean one needs to tackle it directly. Again I must bring up the modern masterpiece that is Scott Snyder’s Court of Owls. That story beautifully uses the fantastical and noire elements of the Court and the creation of the Talons to engage with themes of wealth inequality and to explore Bruce’s complex relationship with Gotham. The secret cult, of superhuman assassins, and the murder mystery element provide enough distance between the real world issues and the story itself that Snyder has the creative freedom to play with his characters and narrative while the specificity allows him to dig deeper than he ever could should he have decided on going for a broad approach.

Taylor tries to ground his themes by using real-world issues, but he refuses to engage with what those real-world issues look like in, well, the real-world. He deals with them in the context of his morally simplified, perfect little society. As Braxis perfectly pointed out “When Dick starts a charity to help the homeless he never actually explains how that will be done, what causes homelessness, or what the homeless are asking for support.” (Braxi, Steve, “On Superman, Shootings, and the Reality of Superheroes” Comics Bookcase, September 2021)

Taylor’s Bludhaven demonstrates a frustratingly simplistic view on morality that prevents the story from engaging with these issues with the care they deserve. By not fleshing out the city, by denying Dick’s interactions with other characters, Taylor creates a world of simple morals. This means that rather than engaging with the progressive ideology he claims to care about he is simply creating the appearance  of social commentary and rich themes. This demonstrates that he’s not actually interested in the work required to make that work, only the prestige that comes from it.

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Mosaic #620 - "It's Alive"

Originally posted on September 26th, 2011

Story - Curt Lunsford, Juan Pablo Osorio Art - Jeremy Tiongson Colours - Tomoko Letters, Edits - Franco Villa

deviantART | Seibertron | TFW2005

Later revised and annotated for Transformers: The Lost Seasons

wada sez: This is the first part of the “MonsterQuest” trilogy. Per a comment from the team on deviantART: “This is our version of how the three guys that will eventually become [the Decepticon] headmasters were created, they were already existing decepticons when we first saw them in "The Rebirth". They specifically cited a piece of fanart by James Cox, which depicted the trio as the Universal Monsters—see below for that—as being the main inspiration behind the storyline. To counter them, they introduce a G1 version of Crosswise, the monster hunter from Transformers: Cybertron (indeed, Prime’s line “that’s why I asked you to come from Cybertron” has a meta double-meaning to this effect). Crosswise’s character model (see below) was designed by Juan Pablo Osorio; the process was explained as follows: “He's mostly a Smokescreen repaint but with a new head, rocket lauchers and a leg transformation like the one Jazz had. [...] since the Crosswise toy has repainted into Smokescreen and Jazz, I thought if it'd have been the other way around the Smokescreen mold would have been used in G1, with a tough of Jazz transformation scheme just to add variety to the already overused Fairlady mold. By the way, his color scheme is based on the 10th Anniversary gold/black edition of the car”. Skullcruncher’s origin story is based on Frankenstein’s monster, with Scrapper reusing blueprints from when the Constructicons rebuilt Optimus Prime into an alligator in “City of Steel”. Clean colors below.

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Semi-Finals

[image ID: the first image is of the cover for the Hello from the Hallowoods podcast. it depicts the silhouettes of trees, and a large creature emerging from behind them. it's furry, with many red eyes, horns, large antlers, and a clawed hand raised up, as if waving at the viewer. above the creature, in the middle of a red gun sight, reads: "Hello." in red text. the second image is of No Significant Harassment, a shadowy figure standing behind a sleeping pink-red, fox-like creature. their green hands seem to be holding up the floating creature. end ID]

Diggory Graves

Convinced they only lost the deadguydeathmatch because not enough people knew about them. A bit of a Frankenstein's monster scenario. Uses they/them pronouns, is dating a ghost trans man. Despite their intimidating appearance they are lovely and would go to the ends of the Earth for their friends. Their arms are for hugs and their claws are for fighting

No Significant Harassment

They're just a silly little guy. A jokester. Significant harassment if you will. Anyway, a more in depth run down: They're a city sized supercomputer built by a Buddhist adjacent society to figure out how to transcend the 'Great Cycle' (semi-metaphorical cycle of death and rebirth) in a safer way than the previous method (submerging oneself in the 'void sea' which is a mysterious golden liquid that dissolves whatever it touches). Despite being built for this express purpose NSH never really shows a pressing interest in ascension, even cracking jokes about those who are still looking for a solution. Whether this is due to indifference, dislike of, or humor to cope with being unable to ascend is not clear and really up to interpretation. Example: NSH: I wish them super good luck in that endeavor. How is it going to happen? Have the overseers gnaw through bedrock until their entire can crashes down in the void sea? BSM: Please be respectful when speaking of the Void Sea. Grey Wind, where did you hear this? CW: I really shouldn't say. He's going to attempt some sort of breeding program. Thought you might want to know. NSH: Haha with the slimers, lizards and etceteras? Surely the answer was in a lizard skull all along! He's very flippant, but does care very intensely for those close to him. NSH: Moon? It's me again. NSH: I do not know if you are receiving these. Please signal in any way you can. NSH: I need to talk to you. I need to know you're okay. NSH: … NSH: Its difficult for us to assist you over this distance. NSH: Even more difficult for us to do anything in the midst of these tantrums. NSH: Were going to try everything that we can. NSH: Just hold on a little longer. (Context for previous convo: They genetically engineered a super organism of a slugcat (the species you play as in Rain World) to help reset his coworker/sibling after her collapse and restart her systems. He was so desperate to fix her that he accidentally messed up the slugcat's (Hunter) genetic code and as a result it became riddle with the Rot (relatively similar to aggressive cancer) :( which parallels his other coworker/siblings condition who also has the rot. ) He canonically uses he/they pronouns too! Nonbinary swag! NSH has major internet troll vibes. He has sent a data pearl of "something distasteful" to his neighbors on several(?) occasions and causes chaos. If he had access to the wider internet he'd probably be an influencer So…yeah! Vote NSH this website likes the allure of heavy machinery and stuff like that so… there you go. Kind of a blorbo. End post.

[the-unspeakable-tsar]

Superhero Timeline.

10th Millennium

First appearance of humans. Some super powered. 

Proto Avengers (heavily altered humans, primordial gods, and mutant). Celestial tampering happens on countless planets. (Tamaranians, Skrulls, Kree, Eternals, etc) causing multiple humanoid aliens to exist.

Myths concerning “Elders of The Universe” and proto-tangible beings are formed by early life.

Vandal Savage, Immortal Man, Anthro, King Kull, Kyra Arg, Gnarrk. Hippolyta (first life).

Grak (neanderthal politician)

Cotati, Kree, and Skrulls discover eachother.

Atlantis forms.

“Ulysses” Bloodstone

50,000 B.C.E (Thurian Age)

Inhumans created by Kree scientists. 

King of Atlantis, Kull.

Doctor Mist.

Darkhold creates some of the first vampires.

Atlantis and Lemuria Sink.

Amazon Race born.

Selene Born.

Hyperborian Age.

Conan

Kulan Gath

Red Sonja

753, 785- BEC

Ancient Greece

Ancient Rome

Golden Gladiator

Alpha Centurion.

Rome forms a colony in South America. Nova Roma.

Rama Tut

En Sabbah Nur was born.

Wizard Shazam empowers Teth Adam.

Mad Pharaoh discovers an alien Scarab and claims to have created it.

6th Century

One of the Camelots (for there are many and they are nebulous)

Etrigan

Merlin (Merlyn)

Arthur

Shining Knight

Silent Knight

Black Knight (Sir Percy of Scandia)

Mordred the Mystic (not arthur’s mordred)

Earth was briefly invaded by Klyntar. 

New Genesis and Apokolips forms, set in a higher plane of dimension.

7th Century

Tang Dynasty was contacted by aliens the likes of Fin Fang Foom. They take advantage of their advanced technology

Jong Li Green Lantern

Viking Prince

8th Century

Brotherhood of the Shield was formed in 750.

9th Century

Diablo (Estaban De Ablo).

12th century

Crusades, the mutant Bennet Du Paris meets Eobar Garrington and clan akkaba.

Belasco born at the tail end of the century.

14th Century

Mutants immune to the black page die in the sea.

X’Hal ascends to godhood.

15th Century

Intelligent gorillas form Gorilla City.

Manhunters deviate from original programming.

Zemo barony formed

16th Century

The Black Pirate

Andrew Bennet becomes a vampire.

17th Century

Gotham City founded

Romeyn Falls founded

Metropolis founded.

1700s-1800s

Tomahawk

Uncle Sam

Frankenstein Monsters

Jonah Hex

Atlas City formed.

Hellfire Club formed

Trigger Twins

Rawhide Kid

Carter Slade

Red Wolf

“Firehair”

Irene Adler and Raven Darkholme

Sherlock Frankenstein

1859 Nathaniel Essex begins experimenting on Mutants.

1882 Wolverine Born

1900-1920s

Morpheus Imprisoned.

Tom Strong born

Balloon Buster

Mister Cakewalk

Jazzbaby

Enemy Ace

Freedom’s Five

Cult of Blood formed in Zandia

Krypton destroyed

Kal El Lands in Kansas

Doc Steele, Tazara, The Crimson Fist

Ghost Hunter, Baron Von Fang

1930s - World War 2 

Batman appears

Superman first appears

Wonder Woman appears

Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) appears.

Invaders. Captain America 1-3

Based on Project Rebirth, Vought develops Compound V, empowering Soldier Boy. Germany empowers Stormfront using a duplicate.

Justice Society of America was formed.

Seven Soldiers of Victory

Freedom Fighters

Liberty Squadron

Black Hammer Squadron

Doctor Star

Abraham Slam

Sgt Rock

Sgt Fury and the Howling Commandos

Haunted Tank

GI Robot

The Losers

Albrecht Strong born.

Magneto

Charles Xavier

Golden Gail (spawn of a shazam protege)

1950s (Silver Age Beginning)

Billionaire Oliver Queen is stranded on an island.

Hal Jordan inducted into the Green Lantern Corps

Astro-Naut dies and Astro City is named after him.

William Burnside and Jack Monroe become Captain America and Bucky.

Hero Licensing Agencies were formed in Japan, one of the first being formed by Dragon King. “Former” villain of the JSA and Acrobat.

J’onn Jonnz teleported to Earth.

Barbalien, a contemporary of J’onn’s arrives on Earth.

Colonel Weird.

1960s

Peter Parker was Bitten by a radioactive spider

Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

The Confessor

The Midnight Mink and Chippy (Short lived Batman inspired criminal)

Jessica Jones falls into a coma.

The Question

Fantastic Four

Challengers of the Unknown

First Family

Max O'Millions

Suicide Squad.

The Flash (Barry Allen)

Black Canary II

JLA formed

Teen Titans formed

X-Men founded

Captain Marve (Mar-Vell)

John Stewart Green Lantern

Avengers Formed

SHIELD

Black Rapier

1970s

Luke Cage.

Iron Fist (Danny Rand)

Shang Chi

Silver Agent framed and is executed

Outsiders

Glamorax

Putrid Punk

Black Lightning

Black Hammer I

JLI formed.

Aaron Aikman becomes a doctor and is murdered by Morlun.

Doom Patrol

Winged Victor

Original Batman Dies

Mister Unknown, inspired by Batman becomes a vigilante crimefighter in Japan.

1980s

Suicide Squad II

Checkmate

Spiral City is almost consumed by eldritch Anti-God.

Gangbuster

Daredevil

Nightingale and Songbird

All Might receives his Quirk.

The Samaritan prevents The Challenger Disaster.

Tesla Strong born.

1990s

Vought America begins to push its corporate superhumans. Their minds are twisted by Compound V. Vought refuses to seek alternatives.

Jon Kent, Cir-El Kent born. 

Christopher Kent adopted

Superman Dies.

Unteens (not super long-lived)

Hal Jordan goes evil and dies.

Kyle Rayner.

Spider-Girl

A-Next

Stormwatch

X-People

Skulldigger

First superhuman reality TV show, Youngblood.

They’re immediately met a year later by Vought’s onslaught of Superhuman reality TV shows.

2001-2019

Black Hammer II

The superhuman civil war in america.

Japanse Military creates Big Hero 6 in response to Hero Agencies.

The Super Young Team forms an act of social rebellion by the children of Japanese superheroes who reject the Hero Agency route while despising government work like Big Hero.

Little do they know, they are integral to humanity's further evolution into the super-world.

Peter Parker dies. Mantle was taken up by Miles Morales.

Skrulls invade earth.

Black Hammer II

Black Rapier retires

Jiro Osamu, the replacement for Mister Unknown becomes "The Batman of Japan"

Young Avengers Form

The Authority was formed after Skywatch and IO were exposed to the world

 Izuku Midorya receives the One-For-All quirk

The hero agency system in Japan has cracks forming and they’re big.

Green Door Opens.

Miss Marvel (Kamala Khan)

Multiverse opened up.

China formed the Justice League of China, followed by its very own Lantern Corps.

2020s

Izuku becomes a superhero once again.

Black Hammer II becomes a mother.

Miles Morales becomes a vampire.

Team Titans

First Krakoan age. Mutants who have been dead for decades return.

Hulkling unites Skrull and Kree to form a new galaxy-spanning empire.

2030s

JLA Beyond

Bishop Born (Good Timeline).

The Future State. Corporations begin to create private security to crack down on superhuman threats. Especially in light of corporate superhero projects repeatedly failing.

Superman’s dynasty ascends to the stars. 

2099

Corporations Dominate the World.

Age of Heroes is Over.

Spider-Man 2099

Avengers 2099

Franklin Richards ascends.

Superman’s Dynasty returns to Earth. It’s an ancestral land. It is in ruin.

Compound V-descended humans begin to activate their powers en masse but after 100 years of development, their minds can handle it.

30th Century

Legion of Superheroes

Centuries of Mutants, Compound V Descendants, Inhumans, Metahumans, and alien-influenced humans have fundamentally changed the definition of a baseline human.

Humanity is almost there. The rest of the universe is inching toward it too.

Golden Lantern

853rd Century

It’s a superhuman universe. 

The Justice Legion, influenced by their literal and metaphorical ancestors patrol all sections of the known universe. 

[garthcelyn]

A re-intro since I'm leaning hard into this new aesthetic with the rewrite

Basic Info

1920s Art Deco themed high fantasy

Undead creatures, fake vampires, and werewolves

"The world's most horrible gays go on a roadtrip"

Blurb

Cooper was dead, and that was only the beginning.

Lieutenant Cooper is a Templar of Omera, goddess of Death, or was at least. After fleeing her own execution, she's forced to escape the city she was raised in as nothing more than a fugitive. In an attempt to return to her temple's good graces she joins a small team of relic hunters to look for the legendary sword of house Valcari, but along the way gets involved in more than she bargained for.

Characters

Cooper (Main Narrator)- devout little cultist holy warrior with so many issues.

Raelyn Godrick (Secondary Narrator) - wannabe doctor with questionable life decisions.

Iolo Hawthorne - tall brooding fire mage with zero social skills unless you're a horse.

Val Caron - Iolo's... aunt? boss? both? Tiny gunslinging warlock who eat hot chip and lie.

Sir Barnabus Danko - The actual boss, a world famous historian who's honestly pretty lame.

Idris - A Good Boy.

Will contain:

Body horror (maggots, creatures made from corpses, surgery while awake and wet and crunchy werewolf transformations are like, my Thing)

Murder! Death! Rebirth! Murder!

Blood, naturally

Questionable relationships (cheating, implied incest, the innate need to operate on the person you love just to hold their organs, y'know, the usual)

[crimson--corvid]

cont. from [here] @gnarledbite

Well, he was hurting, alright. An explosion was rough to go through, even for a vampire. Flames had licked at his skin, which struggled to heal properly as he trudged through the plumes of thick and noxious smoke. Shrapnel was still buried in his muscles like torturous splinters of agony. It hurt, and it hurt in a way all to similar to the pain he felt upon his death and rebirth.

Memories of the War were beginning to pull at his mind, but with that last burst of destruction, the hunter base was destroyed, an they were one step closer to winning the battle for the city. It was a simple price to pay. He'd just need a damn good meal and some sleep after all that. Thank Mithras for the fortitude and resistance to flame frenzy.

Then, no sooner than he'd tasted fresh air, he was embraced into a kiss. As the teeth and what remained of lips pressed against his own, Ruairi felt the shockwave of emotion pulse right through him. That was Garrett. Kissing him. And not just a peck like men were comfortable with back in the old days, but a full, deep, desperate kiss.

The kind he'd wanted to plant on Garrett's lips for so long now. When they parted, and Garrett began to turn sheepish on him again, Ruairi knew he couldn't let it simmer any longer. He took Garrett's face into his gentle hands, pulling him back into another, more confident kiss. He wanted it to be the kind of kiss that dispelled any lingering doubt of his attraction. He put all of himself into the contact, finger's gracing up against Garrett's cheekbones and jawline.

After the moment, he pulled himself back, resting his brow against the other man's forehead and saying, "I dunno, I think the kiss was a good start." A pang of pain rung through his flesh, and he winced as he hunched over, his face moving to bury into Garrett's shoulder. "Urgh... but now that you mention it..."

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

SCARLETT JOHANSSON

SCARLETT JOHANSSON

22 November 1984

            Scarlett Johansson is an American actress and singer. She portrayed Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). She has also appeared in Ghost World (2001), Lost in Translation (2003), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004), A Good Woman (2004), Match Point (2005), The Island (2005), The Black Dahlia (2006), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), Hitchcock (2012, Janet Leigh), Under the Skin (2013), Hail, Caesar! (2016), Jojo Rabbit (2019), Jurassic World Rebirth (2025), and What Goes Around…Comes Around Justin Timberlake (2007, music video).

            Scarlett Johansson was born in Manhattan, New York City, her father is an architect from Copenhagen, Denmark and her mother was a producer. Her heritage is Jewish, her family fled Poland and Russia, and their surname was Schlamberg. She has a twin brother named Hunter. She appeared on Finding Your Roots in 2017 and discovered that her great-grandfather’s brother and family died during the Holocaust in the Warsaw Ghetto. Johansson grew up interested in music and dance and went on to work in the theatre and on film.

            Johansson dated Josh Hartnett for two years and then she started dating actor Ryan Reynolds and married in 2008. After her divorce to Reynolds, she had a child with a Frenchman who she married in 2014. In 2017 she married Saturday Night Live writer Colin Jost, and they had a child in 2021. Johansson lives in New York and Los Angeles.

#scarlettjohansson #theotherboleyngirl #theotherboleyngirl2008

[doom-nerdo-666]

Hi, I just recently got into DOOM (and found your blog). Do you have any good recommendations for fan doom mods/maps? (they range from the most popular ones to your own personal favorites or little niche levels)

I'm going to see what i can think of because there's always good stuff that not even the Cacowards bring up.

As for mapsets or wads:

Romero's Sigil is obvious as if it should be official.

Memento Mori series

Requiem

Icarus Alien Vanguard

300 minutes of /vr/

Ancient Aliens

Anomaly Report

Alien Vendetta

Back to Saturn X series

Doom 2 Reloaded

Doom 1/2 The Way id Did

Some of the Doomer Board Projects like AUGER;ZENITH and Emerald City

Doom Zero

Doom city which is pretty good for a single map

Epic 2

Good Morning Phobos

Jenesis

Japanese Community Project

Moonblood

Munity

Plutonia 2 and Plutonia Revisited

Rebirth

Scythe 2

TNT Revilution

PhobosDeimos Anomaly

UAC Ultra

Going Down

Doom 64 for Doom 2

Consolation Prize (PS1 Doom and Doom 64 but compatible with gameplay mods)

Whispers of Satan

Note that some of them could be difficult or even have things like DEHACKED enemies or whatever can get in the way of a gameplay mod.

And speaking of gameplay mods:

High Noon Drifter

GMOTA

Combined Arms

Space Hunter

Colorfull Hell

DAKKA

Legions of Bones

Vanilla Doom Plus

Legendoom Lite

MK-Champions

Corruption Cards

TrailBlazer

Project Babel

Supercharge

Samsara

MetaDoom

Doom Delta

D4T

D4V

Final Doomer

Demon Counterstrike

Treasure Tech

Bratwurst

Netronian Chaos

Highway Acceleroid Booster

Eriguns 1/2

Psychic

Cybers Monster Randomizer

La Tailor Girl

Dusted's Pandemonia

Accessories to Murder

Cola 3

Hideous Destructor

Lt Typhon

And for TC stuff

Golden Souls series

Beyong Reality

Strange Aeons

Skulldash

The Edge of Time

REKKR

Reelism 1/2

Adventures of Square

Pirate Doom

StrongHold: Edge of Chaos

Project Uber

Winter's Fury

There's probably still examples i'm missing, so this is what i thought of.

A good way to look for more is see info of people involved like if they have Doomwiki articles or accounts on other websites and see what else they did.

And because this list is already big, you don't have to look most of them right way so feel free to use your time and interest with how you look at them.

Because some of this stuff can be difficult for newcomers like certain wads and mods.

There's also what versions of GZDoom or ZDoom a certain mod could use since some mods might be discontinued while GZDoom gets new updates.

[darkdemeter]

DARKSIDERS, ALL IN ONE ISSUE COLLECTIVE

main series

・A Fate Worse Than Death ✎ next upload: TBD In an age where a new species rises from the mingled dust of angel and demon, so too does the upheaval of these invasive tyrants that tear realms apart, leaving them naught but a shell of their former hospitality. This too becomes the fate of your realm. Slaughter takes charge and you are taken as a prisoner of war - a prize handed off to one of the elder brothers of the Nephilim clan, Death. As a proud warrior, this fate is worse than... well, death. ↳ read on AO3

・Little Light ✎ first upload: (summary wip) ↳ coming soon to AO3

・Lovers In Eden ✎ next upload: TBD Love is powerfully capable. It can tear down cities, it can rip and cleave armies limb from limb. It can hurt and it can kill. This is the beautiful shadow of love. Its presence is one that many deny, however, you embraced it– even when it killed you. Because you loved him. He would leave lilies to smother your burnt out pyre. Now he will find you, and perhaps his final redemption, in a field of lilies. ↳ read on AO3

additional au content

↳ realm map / page 1 / page 2 / page 3 page 4

issues

・Watch In Silence ↳ Death / Strife / War / Fury not for sale / origin: rebirth ・Nephs In The Attic ↳ read issue

requests

✉️@_anon request: ↳ Guide Her Way Home (page) ✉️@screechinginthevoid requested: ↳ Handicraft (issue) ✉️@_anon requested: ↳ Even Death Was Once Young (issue) ✉️@screechinginthevoid requested: ↳ A Heart So Unconditional (issue) ✉️@_anon requested: ↳ A Steed Of Loyal Fire (issue) ✉️@_anon requested: ↳ Vengeance Is A Hunter (issue) ✉️@screechinginthevoid requested: ↳ Wardrobe Inspirations (issue) ✉️@_anon requested: ↳ A Healer To Chaos (issue) ✉️@screechinginthevoid requested: ↳ The Bonds Between Kin (issue) ✉️@_anon requested: ↳ A Sparring Partner (issue) ✉️@screechinginthevoid requested: ↳ Style Of Warrior (issue)

[crow-posting]

RZ and the Void

A collection of my favorite Void-related quotes, with a few of my own headcanons mixed in. 💜

For the official in-game description, click here. For fan lore, see Myelin and Byf's videos, and this Reddit post.

= = =

"The Thanatonauts say the Void is what you see in that brief moment between death and rebirth. It is the in-between, the pause." - Osiris (Harnessing the Void)

"The Void is the same in the Ascendant Plane, or anywhere. Its universality is part of its power." - Ikora Rey (Void Between Stars)

"Those who have stared into the Void are not bound by the laws of space and time." - Voidwalker D1 description

"The Vex wield impossibility as their weapon, but they're as vulnerable to it as anything else." - Ikora Rey (Null Vector)

"The space between defines the shape. The rest before the note, the breath before the word, the blank space on the page." - Voidwalker 3.0 description

"Even in the empty spaces between, there is Light." - Misraaks (Void Defiance)

"Not even the Darkness can survive the Void." - Mara Sov (Void of Alignment)

"Take your ship up to orbit and climb outside. Meditate there. You'll feel it." - Ikora Rey (Cold Cosmos)

"To harness the Void is to enter a state of tranquility, free from the clatter of ordinary matter." - Apotheosis Veil

"Walking with the Void is learning to embrace that which cannot be pinned down." - Ikora Rey (Employing the Uncertain)

"Picking it up is the easy part, Hunter. Putting it down again, well, you’ll find that it’s addictive, that power. [...] You find the power to punch through and borrow something from the other side." - Cayde-6 (The Nightstalker's Trail)

- - -

Headcanon: While mastery of Void Light requires some understanding of the Void itself, instinct seems to work just as well as advanced theories, since the Void is also associated with secrets.

"The Void requires precision. It demands mastery. The Void is bottomless—take care not to fall in." - Ikora Rey (Crystalline Contender)

"Harnessing the Void is as much a philosophical practice as a combat technique. Osiris taught me that." - Ikora Rey (PsiTactics: Void)

"Must you understand the Void to wield it? That understanding is within you already, even if you can't articulate it." - Ikora Rey (Void Melee Games)

"Some see Void Light as mysterious. To me, it is simple: It is another weapon for defending our City." - Saint-14 (Void Strike)

"Stay safe, and carry your secret Light to the sky." - Eva Levante (Null and Void)

"Void Guardians tend to keep to themselves. They like to guard their secrets, I suppose. Except the Titans. Titans are always so polite." - Eva Levante (Screaming Into the Void)

"This is true even of the devouring black hole, which remembers all the secrets it eats. It will only confess these secrets when it evaporates, 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 years from now, long after the last stars have flickered out." - Savathûn (YOU MUST)

- - -

"None are immune to the call of the Void. But only Guardians harness it for their gain." - Mara Sov (Void Ascendancy)

"Of all the Lights, yours may be able to drive [the Hive], manipulate them. Their kind is drawn inexorably to masters of the Void." - Calus (Shadow's Gloves)

"The Void does not play favorites; it comes for you all." - Ikora Rey (Deadly Fireworks)

"Once the Void has you, it never lets go." - Quantis Rhee (Chain Reaction)

"The Void bends all, especially those who resist." - Ikora Rey (Cosmic Casualty)

"Not everyone has the strength to stare into the Void and return to the surface with the power it offers." - Toland, the Shattered (Gazing Into the Abyss)

"Doesn't matter how good you are; you stay out there too long, you're not coming back. Not the same way you left, anyway." - Tevis Larsen (Graviton Forfeit)

"Keep one foot in the tangible. Diving head first into the Void would be like swimming in a vacuum." - Ikora Rey (Vacuum Sealed)

"When I start slipping into that twilight, where I'm not sure if I'm awake or dreaming, I can feel the absence. It's close enough to touch. [...] The Void just likes it when I'm running on empty." - Nightstalker 3.0 description

"Light is scarce in this place. But Quantis [Rhee] knows how to find it—how to feel for the un-ripples of the Void, to draw Light from the infinities between spaces. She knows how to roll black holes between her fingertips, and how to nock her bow with the inescapable gravities of the universe." - Orpheus Rig

"A Bow appears in my hands, and I let a single binding shot loose from the shadow. Now there are Orbs of Power everywhere. Eat, my friends. Eat." - Nightstalker description

"Feast on the sky. Gorge yourself until all starlight has been gnawed to black—then the cosmos will tremble with your roar." - Star Eater Scales

"From the space between I come. Fragments of stars burn in my footsteps. In my hands I hold Death." - Nova Mortis

"I still must confront the silence after glory; I feel the nature of the Void most keenly in these moments. I have begun, I think, to look forward to them." - Sentinel 3.0 description

"There is still and calm in the Void. I find it comforting." - Eva Levante (Voidslayer)

"I think of the Void as the hum that you must quiet everything else to hear. Am I right, Guardian?" - Eva Levante (Gauntlets: Void's Anvil)

"The Void calls to some Guardians; a subtle tug on the back of your mind." - Eris Morn (Devoid of Vex)

"Does it also whisper to you? Fear is a natural response to the unknown. But in time, the Void's voice will become familiar to you." - Ikora Rey (Into the Abyss)

- - -

Headcanon: although Void users are known for being "fearless," using the Void is less about disregarding fear and more about facing it.

"I've had a dozen Hunters ask me why it's so hard to summon a Dusk Bow. I asked 'em what they thought of the Void, and their eyes told me everything. You can't be afraid. That's the secret. No fear." - Tevis Larsen (A Ranger Found)

"It's very simple. You reach into the Void - past visions of your own death and the extinction of life, past fears and nightmares - and take what you find. I don't know why every Hunter doesn't do it." - Tyra Karn (Shard of the Traveler, Nightstalker)

"Must you all be so dark? [...] What I have done is found a way to channel the Void to draw that essence in before it is lost to the ether, to return it to Light so it can be properly bestowed back on our enemies. [...] What's so dark about that?" - Satomi (Mask of the Quiet One)

"Now, looking back, it strikes me that he talked with the arrogance of one who can always return from the Void. One who has contemplated the darkness so long he thinks of it as a friend, of sorts." - Ophidian Aspect

"Gravity seizes her. She falls forward in space and time, into the future, into the mystery. Yang Liwei is behind her. Uldwyn is behind her. She wants to be the first." - Cosmogyre IV

- - -

"The Void draws you in. It is as fascinating as it is gravitational." - Ikora Rey (Gauntlets: Singularity-Tempered)

"If you have ever felt a chill when gazing up at the stars, you know the power of Void." - Ikora Rey (Into the Abyss)

"The arrow is still broken, but it hums with a more dangerous energy: cold twilight, binding gravity, a guttering lantern in the gray mist." - Fractured Arrow

"Here, take off your helmet for a second. Smell that? Not the gasoline… The ozone. Smells like the Void." - Sloane (Scent of the Void)

"What is the void? [...] The vacuum between the stars. The smell of rot. The taste of metal. The deafening roar that can only be heard when it is truly silent." - Tyra Karn (Shard of the Traveler, Voidwalker)

"She could feel the faint call, the scent, the color that drew the eye. The Void Soul was drawn to her as she to it." - Briarbinds

"Even now, the very tip of the visual spectrum, violet-blue light, is shifting up into invisible ultraviolet, the color of speed, the color of future." - Brephos I

"A shallow cold saps the heat from Zavala's fingertips; he pulls back. [...] Banshee clinks the analyzer into a tool tray. 'Leeches a bit, kicks out Void.'" - Ruinous Effigy

"Void hungers, does it not? It yearns for the antithesis of its own profound desolation." - Into the Abyss

"That feeling where you just get hungrier the more you eat? That's the Void." - the Drifter (Circling the Drain)

"YOU WILL DREAM OF TEETH AND NOTHING ELSE." - Voidfang Vestments

"A Voidwalker's strike does more than harm you. It takes from you." - Ikora Rey (Withering Strike)

"A Nightstalker's bow leaves behind very precise scarring. Fascinating." - Ghost (A Ranger Lost, The Nightstalker's Trail)

"Void is absence in the universe and in oneself. It devours and darkens, as we do when we are in pain. There is grief here, and regret. But so too the wisdom of introspection." - Eris Morn (Legacy: Lacuna)

"When you wield the Void, you wield a key. When the Void touches life, it unlocks the Light within. Sometimes with terrrible results." - Vance (Create Orbs of Light)

"Somewhere in the Void are answers to questions we have never thought to ask." - Rahool (Deepest Purple)

"There are intricacies to Void energy only now made known to us, in the presence of the Dark." - Eris Morn (Make Hole)

"It's very similar to how you use Void Light—manipulating spacetime and gravitational fields. In fact, I would argue that Void has more in common with Stasis than it does with Solar or Arc. Perhaps they're reverse sides of the same coin." - Elsie Bray (Scalar Potential)

"What stops the Darkness from entering into the places between the stars? The answer is simple: the Void is just another type of Light." - Ulan-Tan (Talk To Ikora)

"The Void is not the Darkness. The Darkness is what it is. Void energy is like all things of this universe, it is Light seen through a prism." - Toland (Complete the Path)

"Void, Solar, then Arc. Hmm. We're not naive enough to think the order is a coincidence." - Zavala (Trichromatica)

"Everything comes from nothing. Find the power in emptiness." - Eris Morn (Void Vanquisher)

"The Traveler came out of the void that surrounds all things. Thus we know that the void is full of power. Thus we enter the void without fear. " - Toland (Shard of the Traveler, Voidwalker)

"Void takes the form of a great hemisphere, quiet and secure. As it began." - Xûr (Paraversal Defender)

"Look at Truth to Power simply. What are the topics it centers upon? Black holes. Vex simulations. Ahamkara. Manipulations of Hive tribute." - Ikora Rey (The Hidden Dossier)

"To seek the truth of the matter is to join venerated orders of Void-wielders: Nightstalkers; Voidwalkers; Sentinels. If this is your path, Guardian, walk it carefully." - Ikora Rey (Ikora Rey: Gazing Into the Abyss)

"There’s truth in the edge of Light, and beneath that truth a deeper truth, hidden from all but a few. That truth is this: monsters need not fear the night." - Nightstalker D1 description

"And what of the Sky? [...] Soar high enough, and far enough – dodge enough bait-stars, enough membranous predators floating lightly on the wind – and there, too, is darkness. What may survive in that empty space between stars? Only that which has clawed its way up." - Savathûn (Old Friend, Beloved)

= = =

Draw from the Void. Light the way.

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases July 30, 2024

Kiss the Scars of the Girls (manga) vol. 3 by Aya Haruhana

“I wish you would look only at me…” The story of the vampire girls comes to an end!! Saying goodbye to their friends and the vampire hunters, Emille and Eve are now sisters. But Emille grows worried over the fact that they haven't completed the “blood vow” and exchanged blood with each other yet. And as she listens to Eve’s dream for their future, she begins to grow more and more concerned…

Minato's Laundromat (manga) vol. 3 by Yuzu Tsubaki with art by Sawa Kanzume

Akira is unsure of his feelings for Shin after receiving such passionate advances from the boy. But after watching Shin’s performance at the sports festival, he understands the deep affection he has for Shin is not romantic love. That's when Akira runs into his high school teacher and former crush, Sakuma…!

Peerless: Wushuang (novel) vol. 1 by Meng Xi Shi

One dark and snowy night, after the Sui dynasty has come into power, a convoy sent by the Kingdom of Khotan is ambushed and massacred. Not a living victim remains–and the attackers, along with a chest holding precious treasure in tribute, have vanished. A member of Emperor Yang Jian's secret intelligence agency, the Jiejian Bureau, pursues the case: the highly successful chief Feng Xiao. Feng Xiao's investigations take him to Liugong City, where all the top martial powers across the land are coming to meet. But another intelligence agency, the Zuoyue Bureau, has business in the same city–and they have sent Cui Buqu, an ailing but brilliant man who rivals Feng Xiao. These two equally proud men immediately clash and begin a battle of wits, only to hit a dead end on the increasingly cold case. Is the answer to this mystery out of reach, or can Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu find a way to the truth?

Spread Your Wings and Fly (manga) by Nonono Yamada

Chikara is a university student working hard on his research for his childhood dream, hoping to someday achieve flight. One night, he witnesses the secret on the back of Satomi, a transfer student with a perfect body and face. The two quickly grow closer, but there is a side to Satomi that Chikara does not know. A story of darkness, hope and rebirth on the backs of two young men.

The Summer You Were There (manga) vol. 5 by Yuama

With Kaori stuck in the hospital, Shizuku is resolved to do whatever she can for her. Time is precious since they can only see each other during visitor hours, but Shizuku’s writing helps keep Kaori in good spirits. As the two girls spend more time together, Kaori’s young sister, Shiori, starts to resent how close they are. Accused by Shiori of stealing away her big sister, how will Shizuku handle Shiori’s hurt and jealousy?

The Titan's Bride (manga) vol. 4 by ITKZ

Hoping to find a solution to their marriage bed problems, Kouichi and Caius head for Alpheine, land of the elves. There they meet Reil, a sex researcher, and Dyne, a mysterious masked giant. With Reil’s guidance, the couple learns more about one another, and Kouichi decides to pick up a new skill: magic!

The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions (manga) vol. 5 by Narise Konohara with art by Marimo Ragawa

TV producer Sakairi has offered Al a chance to star in a TV drama again, and the shooting takes place in his hometown in America. Al asks Akira about going back to the States to take the gig, but…

[aradak-tribunal]

This one has great news. This one recently attended the 5th Meeting of the Court of Queens. Much was discussed in the forum and in private discourse. Many of the details of the event are only for Accord signatories, who will be sent copies of the meeting's record shortly.

What this one is allowed to share, is the following from the forum debates:

The terms Kojjal, Quazojj, and Lordak are to abandoned in an official capacity, henceforth they are to be known as Coyul.

An interhive initative of industrial revival and optional workforce mobilisation has begun, aided by the @darexirepublic offer to rebuild our infrastructure and cities.

Great Hives are allowed to invidually contact alien-hives, with the consent and observation of the Tribune.

Yexa and Xota representatives would like to interview @vegvasignal subjects with spiritual and scientific questions in regards to psionics.

And this one can share the following from the private discourse:

The Xav Empire announces its revival and vassalisation of the Qor Unity.

The Ikibat Federation and the Confederation of Aradas Hives agree once the Coyul are removed from their mutuals to establish a demilitarised neutral-zone.

Once the war tribunals begin, alien-hive Accord signatories are requested to attend for assistance in determining the right and proper treatment of Coyul war criminals.

Learning the conditions of the Coyul underlings endure under their cruel leadership, reservations will be established for the common Coyul POW and won't need to individually face the war tribunals but rather be collectively judged.

In stranger news, an unexpected image from from hunter-drones partcipating in the Great Hunt. They found a hunter-drone with many trophies, feeding Sandsnakes to a Dune-Terror after successfully downing a group of Devourers.

Only one Aradak has been said to tame Dune-Terrors, and in this time of prophecy, the Age of Rebirth, it is hard to ignore the signs. This one, and the hunter-drones who sent this image, believe that the mysterious hunter with a Dune-Terror pet is none other than the Demi-God Varakut, the Eternal-Hunter.

Varakut is said to return once a generation but sightings of him are too rare to know for certain. He hunts not just beasts, but monsters, demons, and abominations alike. Perhaps his coming means the end of the Devourers is near?

Praise the Broodmother we live in such miraculous times.

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Obscure Character Showdown FINALE

[image ID: the first image is of image is of No Significant Harassment, a shadowy figure standing behind a sleeping pink-red, fox-like creature. their green hands seem to be holding up the floating creature. the second image is of Granger, a girl with green eyes and short, wavy or curly black hair. in her hair is a red hat or ribbon. she's wearing a black turtleneck sweater, blue overalls, and a green coat. end ID]

No Significant Harassment

[NSH has beaten Akama (The Idiot (1951)), Libby Day (Dark Places), Sally Swing (Betty Boop), Shrimp (The Upturned), Oopsy Bear (Care Bears (2007 series)), Hikaru (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu), and Diggory Graves (Hello from the Hallowoods)] They're just a silly little guy. A jokester. Significant harassment if you will. Anyway, a more in depth run down: They're a city sized supercomputer built by a Buddhist adjacent society to figure out how to transcend the 'Great Cycle' (semi-metaphorical cycle of death and rebirth) in a safer way than the previous method (submerging oneself in the 'void sea' which is a mysterious golden liquid that dissolves whatever it touches). Despite being built for this express purpose NSH never really shows a pressing interest in ascension, even cracking jokes about those who are still looking for a solution. Whether this is due to indifference, dislike of, or humor to cope with being unable to ascend is not clear and really up to interpretation. Example: NSH: I wish them super good luck in that endeavor. How is it going to happen? Have the overseers gnaw through bedrock until their entire can crashes down in the void sea? BSM: Please be respectful when speaking of the Void Sea. Grey Wind, where did you hear this? CW: I really shouldn't say. He's going to attempt some sort of breeding program. Thought you might want to know. NSH: Haha with the slimers, lizards and etceteras? Surely the answer was in a lizard skull all along! He's very flippant, but does care very intensely for those close to him. NSH: Moon? It's me again. NSH: I do not know if you are receiving these. Please signal in any way you can. NSH: I need to talk to you. I need to know you're okay. NSH: … NSH: Its difficult for us to assist you over this distance. NSH: Even more difficult for us to do anything in the midst of these tantrums. NSH: Were going to try everything that we can. NSH: Just hold on a little longer. (Context for previous convo: They genetically engineered a super organism of a slugcat (the species you play as in Rain World) to help reset his coworker/sibling after her collapse and restart her systems. He was so desperate to fix her that he accidentally messed up the slugcat's (Hunter) genetic code and as a result it became riddle with the Rot (relatively similar to aggressive cancer) :( which parallels his other coworker/siblings condition who also has the rot. ) He canonically uses he/they pronouns too! Nonbinary swag! NSH has major internet troll vibes. He has sent a data pearl of "something distasteful" to his neighbors on several(?) occasions and causes chaos. If he had access to the wider internet he'd probably be an influencer So…yeah! Vote NSH this website likes the allure of heavy machinery and stuff like that so… there you go. Kind of a blorbo. End post.

Granger

[Granger has beaten Chopfyt (Oz), Wolfman (Darkwood), Gaap Goemon (Mairimashita! Iruma-kun), Forest Friend (Gris), Turnip (Chicory: A Colorful Tale), Gary (Faith the Unholy Trinity), and Stag Malinay (Krystar First Fragment)] so granger is the main character of the indie game "NeverHome" Chapter one, which is only $1 on Steam, is called NeverHome: Hall of Apathy. if ur a fan of young protags being put in RPG maker horror games, then this is the game for you!! so granger is just that… she wakes up to find herself in a strange, hostile world. she, along with the friends she makes, must solve the various puzzles before them while creatures are out to kill them… and along the way they can uncover the secrets of these never ending halls… her dynamics with the cast is also super fun… each character gets their moment or moments with granger. and what's so cute is that there's unique art for each pair that highlights the fact you cant get through these halls alone!! she also has her own theme song!! here!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_vwtmIj5cw it's called cyclical tragedy AND HERE IS AN ANALYSIS OF THE THEME!! MUSIC THEORY!!! written by my good friend @HIEMIOLA "cyclical tragedy" embodies the protagonist, granger, through the music theory behind the track and ties itself back into the main track as well. to begin with an overview of the track, the key is D minor and hte time signature is 3/4. the piece begins with a broken minor third starting from the tonic. that is, it begins on the main note and moves along the main chord, D to F. the next set of notes are C to E, which is shifted down a step. the phrase repeats again, this time D to F, then G to E, which is an inverse movement from the original sequence. even in this first part, we could tell that the protagonist begins from square 1 with a simple pattern, then tries it again when it works. however, the inverse breaks that expectation of repetition, thus showing the diverse variations of solutions she comes up with using just the tools she has (the two notes moving in thirds). just like the game, she is given a handful of objects as well as a knife to defend herself and solve the mysteries of the world she exists in. with her creative uses of the items given to her, she continues on her way through the plot. we will keep moving. the melody begins. true to the title of the track, the melody cycles around the same beginning note, D, that she always returns to at her square 1. this is a nod to the save states she is allowed to keep to make sure that we the players don't lose the game, but it also references the health bar that appears as a circle around her avatar. the melody, mapped out, is also moving in an up-down wave movement across the sheet music. granger is creative with the knife she has and the quest items she obtains throughout the story, but she is not entirely reckless. rather, she knows when it is time to return to the safe rooms to rest. to time her returns requires skill because she must run to cover without being caught by varying her path so the enemies don't corner her as she tries to return to the room. most of the time, she is successful, shown through the consistent return to the beginning note. let's keep going. i would like to turn your attention to the main theme briefly. in the bass notes, you can hear arpeggios and outlined chords. this makes up the bulk of the accompaniment in the main game theme. [mod note: the rest of the essay, and some more propaganda, is continued under a cut because tumblr will not process more text than this in an indent. sorry to split it up, please continue below for the rest of the essay and additional propaganda (including art) !]

the third variation of granger's theme also has arpeggiated chords in the accompaniment while the melody features broken chords. at this stage, the pattern switches to eigth notes instead of the quarter notes at first. with greater movement and heightened senses, she runs throughout world and befriends other people, thus interacting further with the environment. while she isn't exactly someone we would call open, she is respectful to the people she first meets and has no problems with asking them for help when she needs it. because of her openness to working together, she speeds up her progress by asking for aid at obstacles that would be too difficult for her to overcome on her own, such as asking a teammate to break things, move things, or reach into smaller holes. fusing the main theme elements with her own theme marks this step as the inciting incident that sets her on the path to escape from this world. we'll continue.

continuing the same part, we hear some secondary fifths. i'm not entirely sure if this is what you call it, but it is a nod to the parallel key, D major. depending on what theory class you take, this could also be considered the other half of the key. i dont know how else to describe it, but i digress. these are glimpses to different dialogue options she could take, glimpses to a different key or a different ending. because this game only has one chapter ending so far, we are unsure of what other paths granger will end up in; we only know that there are certainly other endings she will experience, only to begin the cycle again when the save state is loaded for players to reach another ending. both A major and G major are chords that signify different choices that may lead her elsewhere only for her to return back to the tonic or main note, D. despite this, she keeps going, as will we.

at the midpoint of the track, we see a quick shift in patterns. instead of upward leaps in the notes, the melody falls in stepwise motion. true to the plot, this is another turning point of the game when she is forced to make a choice: continue or stop. after facing the spoiler event, her once determined personality is challenged as she struggles to keep herself and her team together. despite being the headstrong protagonist who spearheaded solutions, even now she finds herself doubting and taking smaller steps, smaller risks.

even after all of this, she rises to the challenge as the melody returns to its beginning sequence. true to a protagonist she gets up again despite the events that transpired and keeps her team moving in their lowest points. the thirds return as she finds more objects to solve more puzzles to open more rooms to save more friends. this repeating part of the track only solidifies her resolve as the piece ends with a broken chord in the main key, her key, of D minor. despite everything that transpired, she stayed true to herself."

the game is also so, so charming with the art, music, and story made by the same person… its so clearly loved and full of passion!! i love listening to the game's ost on occassion!! since it's all on youtube!

ok one last thing thing!! on may 8th, the game hit 100 downloads (on both steam and itch.io). you can see the creator of the game celebrate that with this lovely drawing of granger: https://twitter.com/NeverHome_Game/status/1655761270694633472

so at most, only a bit over 100 people have played the game… id like to say that makes it obscure!!

anyways granger and neverhome!! we love to see our protagonists put in horrific situations and isn't she super cute with a lil bow on her head? she is my daughter…

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City Hunter Rebirth 11

DIRETTAMENTE DALLA SERIE ORIGINALE… …Ecco la saga del famoso armaiolo Ken’ichiro Mashiba e di sua figlia Yukari. Un flashback e il presente di Ryo Saeba riletti e reinterpretati grazie alla presenza del nuovo elemento della gang di City Hunter: Saori!