#not blaming anyone who works on the wiki

[blaithnne]

The Hilda wiki is pretty disorganised do you guys think I could get away with just adding Lauren onto there like it’s nbd

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Red Lobster was killed by private equity, not Endless Shrimp

For the rest of May, my bestselling solarpunk utopian novel THE LOST CAUSE (2023) is available as a $2.99, DRM-free ebook!

A decade ago, a hedge fund had an improbable viral comedy hit: a 294-page slide deck explaining why Olive Garden was going out of business, blaming the failure on too many breadsticks and insufficiently salted pasta-water:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/940944/000092189514002031/ex991dfan14a06297125_091114.pdf

Everyone loved this story. As David Dayen wrote for Salon, it let readers "mock that silly chain restaurant they remember from their childhoods in the suburbs" and laugh at "the silly hedge fund that took the time to write the world’s worst review":

https://www.salon.com/2014/09/17/the_real_olive_garden_scandal_why_greedy_hedge_funders_suddenly_care_so_much_about_breadsticks/

But – as Dayen wrote at the time, the hedge fund that produced that slide deck, Starboard Value, was not motivated by dissatisfaction with bread-sticks. They were "activist investors" (finspeak for "rapacious assholes") with a giant stake in Darden Restaurants, Olive Garden's parent company. They wanted Darden to liquidate all of Olive Garden's real-estate holdings and declare a one-off dividend that would net investors a billion dollars, while literally yanking the floor out from beneath Olive Garden, converting it from owner to tenant, subject to rent-shocks and other nasty surprises.

They wanted to asset-strip the company, in other words ("asset strip" is what they call it in hedge-fund land; the mafia calls it a "bust-out," famous to anyone who watched the twenty-third episode of The Sopranos):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bust_Out

Starboard didn't have enough money to force the sale, but they had recently engineered the CEO's ouster. The giant slide-deck making fun of Olive Garden's food was just a PR campaign to help it sell the bust-out by creating a narrative that they were being activists* to save this badly managed disaster of a restaurant chain.

*assholes

Starboard was bent on eviscerating Darden like a couple of entrail-maddened dogs in an elk carcass:

https://web.archive.org/web/20051220005944/http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~solan/dogsinelk/

They had forced Darden to sell off another of its holdings, Red Lobster, to a hedge-fund called Golden Gate Capital. Golden Gate flogged all of Red Lobster's real estate holdings for $2.1 billion the same day, then pissed it all away on dividends to its shareholders, including Starboard. The new landlords, a Real Estate Investment Trust, proceeded to charge so much for rent on those buildings Red Lobster just flogged that the company's net earnings immediately dropped by half.

Dayen ends his piece with these prophetic words:

Olive Garden and Red Lobster may not be destinations for hipster Internet journalists, and they have seen revenue declines amid stagnant middle-class wages and increased competition. But they are still profitable businesses. Thousands of Americans work there. Why should they be bled dry by predatory investors in the name of “shareholder value”? What of the value of worker productivity instead of the financial engineers?

Flash forward a decade. Today, Dayen is editor-in-chief of The American Prospect, one of the best sources of news about private equity looting in the world. Writing for the Prospect, Luke Goldstein picks up Dayen's story, ten years on:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-05-22-raiding-red-lobster/

It's not pretty. Ten years of being bled out on rents and flipped from one hedge fund to another has killed Red Lobster. It just shuttered 50 restaurants and declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ten years hasn't changed much; the same kind of snark that was deployed at the news of Olive Garden's imminent demise is now being hurled at Red Lobster.

Instead of dunking on free bread-sticks, Red Lobster's grave-dancers are jeering at "Endless Shrimp," a promotional deal that works exactly how it sounds like it would work. Endless Shrimp cost the chain $11m.

Which raises a question: why did Red Lobster make this money-losing offer? Are they just good-hearted slobs? Can't they do math?

Or, you know, was it another hedge-fund, bust-out scam?

Here's a hint. The supplier who provided Red Lobster with all that shrimp is Thai Union. Thai Union also owns Red Lobster. They bought the chain from Golden Gate Capital, last seen in 2014, holding a flash-sale on all of Red Lobster's buildings, pocketing billions, and cutting Red Lobster's earnings in half.

Red Lobster rose to success – 700 restaurants nationwide at its peak – by combining no-frills dining with powerful buying power, which it used to force discounts from seafood suppliers. In response, the seafood industry consolidated through a wave of mergers, turning into a cozy cartel that could resist the buyer power of Red Lobster and other major customers.

This was facilitated by conservation efforts that limited the total volume of biomass that fishers were allowed to extract, and allocated quotas to existing companies and individual fishermen. The costs of complying with this "catch management" system were high, punishingly so for small independents, bearably so for large conglomerates.

Competition from overseas fisheries drove consolidation further, as countries in the global south were blocked from implementing their own conservation efforts. US fisheries merged further, seeking economies of scale that would let them compete, largely by shafting fishermen and other suppliers. Today's Alaskan crab fishery is dominated by a four-company cartel; in the Pacific Northwest, most fish goes through a single intermediary, Pacific Seafood.

These dominant actors entered into illegal collusive arrangements with one another to rig their markets and further immiserate their suppliers, who filed antitrust suits accusing the companies of operating a monopsony (a market with a powerful buyer, akin to a monopoly, which is a market with a powerful seller):

https://www.classaction.org/news/pacific-seafood-under-fire-for-allegedly-fixing-prices-paid-to-dungeness-crabbers-in-pacific-northwest

Golden Gate bought Red Lobster in the midst of these fish wars, promising to right its ship. As Goldstein points out, that's the same promise they made when they bought Payless shoes, just before they destroyed the company and flogged it off to Alden Capital, the hedge fund that bought and destroyed dozens of America's most beloved newspapers:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/16/sociopathic-monsters/#all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print

Under Golden Gate's management, Red Lobster saw its staffing levels slashed, so diners endured longer wait times to be seated and served. Then, in 2020, they sold the company to Thai Union, the company's largest supplier (a transaction Goldstein likens to a Walmart buyout of Procter and Gamble).

Thai Union continued to bleed Red Lobster, imposing more cuts and loading it up with more debts financed by yet another private equity giant, Fortress Investment Group. That brings us to today, with Thai Union having moved a gigantic amount of its own product through a failing, debt-loaded subsidiary, even as it lobbies for deregulation of American fisheries, which would let it and its lobbying partners drain American waters of the last of its depleted fish stocks.

Dayen's 2020 must-read book Monopolized describes the way that monopolies proliferate, using the US health care industry as a case-study:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/29/fractal-bullshit/#dayenu

After deregulation allowed the pharma sector to consolidate, it acquired pricing power of hospitals, who found themselves gouged to the edge of bankruptcy on drug prices. Hospitals then merged into regional monopolies, which allowed them to resist pharma pricing power – and gouge health insurance companies, who saw the price of routine care explode. So the insurance companies gobbled each other up, too, leaving most of us with two or fewer choices for health insurance – even as insurance prices skyrocketed, and our benefits shrank.

Today, Americans pay more for worse healthcare, which is delivered by health workers who get paid less and work under worse conditions. That's because, lacking a regulator to consolidate patients' interests, and strong unions to consolidate workers' interests, patients and workers are easy pickings for those consolidated links in the health supply-chain.

That's a pretty good model for understanding what's happened to Red Lobster: monopoly power and monopsony power begat more monopolies and monoposonies in the supply chain. Everything that hasn't consolidated is defenseless: diners, restaurant workers, fishermen, and the environment. We're all fucked.

Decent, no-frills family restaurant are good. Great, even. I'm not the world's greatest fan of chain restaurants, but I'm also comfortably middle-class and not struggling to afford to give my family a nice night out at a place with good food, friendly staff and reasonable prices. These places are easy pickings for looters because the people who patronize them have little power in our society – and because those of us with more power are easily tricked into sneering at these places' failures as a kind of comeuppance that's all that's due to tacky joints that serve the working class.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/23/spineless/#invertebrates

[honesty-my-policy]

i'm so infuriated

I'm not Jewish and I'm so infuriated at the world.

I can't imagine how it must feel to be Jewish. Especially as this entire ordeal has made me dive more into educating myself about Jewish history and how the world truly has always blamed everything on the Jews.

How is everything their fault?

Even the crucifixion of Christ has been blamed on the Jews when it was a Roman tradition?

Martin Luther who is known as one of the original reformers in Christianity's history wrote a book called "On the Jews and Their Lies". In which he advocated for burning down synagogues, Jewish homes and if that didn't work, Jewish people!

Apparently, somehow, Jews caused the Black Death despite the fact that the most predominant modern theory is that due to climate change in Asia, rodents began to flee the dried out grasslands to more populated areas which ended up spreading the infected fleas they carried, thus spreading the disease. The fleas infected not just rats but ground rodents in general, so once the rats migrated the fleas could jump to any ground rodent and the infection spread.

Some of the craziest modern stuff though has come mostly from the Middle East (i wonder why)...

Apparently, Israel has remote control sharks that can attack Egyptian civilians and tourists, at least that's what a Governor of Egypt things. source

According to a fundamentalist group of Muslims called the Wahhabis, the Jews have a secret ally they've been conspiring with... the Gharqad tree. A tree, they call it the Jew tree. source Which is identified as either nitre bushes or Lycium which is part of the nightshade family, it's such a thing that the TREE WIKI PAGE TALKS MORE ABOUT THAT THAN THE TREE ITSELF source

Palestine once said that Israel was breeding super rats that could grow twice the size of a normal rat - just to chase Arabs out of Jerusalem, note this was in like 2008, where are these super rats NOW? source

The Nation of Islam (an organization) accused Jews of tricking people into thinking slavery exists??????? Sorry, "still" exists. This was originally in 1996, the gall this motherfucker had in 1996 to say "Where is the proof?" - oh, his name is Louis Farrakhan btw and there is an entire section dedicated to him on the anti-slavery website iabolish.org - his page

Also, Pokémon is a Zionist conspiracy plot to overthrow Saddam Hussein, at least, in 2001 that was what some Iraqi security personal reported. source

listen... I won't lie. I love a good conspiracy theory because to be honest, the amount I trust my government or anyone in authority is so small that just about anything could come out as true and I'd be so un-phased.

but blaming the Jews for everything when they make up an estimated 0.2% of the population versus say the 23% that is Muslim? Which there are approximately 50 Muslim-Majority countries in the world, though depending on sources the exact number differs.

If anything Christianity (32%) and the unaffiliated (16.3%) should be eyed at. Also, how come no one ever gives the folk religion people a hard time? Not that anyone deserves to be given a hard time as long as they aren't hurting anyone, it just boggles my mind to be honest.

sources for numbers cited came from this website: https://worldpopulationreview.com/

anyway, woke up this morning and just wanted to say this cause I'm mad and I want to show my support but also call out stupid people. I'm here to fight for Israel and the Jews, fuck off pro-palestine simps.

[writtenbyjeanofarc]

⋆𐙚₊ SILENCE IS COMPLIANCE. ˚⊹♡

that boy is a monster <3

˚ · .─ genre: psychological horror, thriller, smut, porn with plot.

˚ · .─ pairing: Johan Liebert x You (Fem! Reader)

˚ · .─ warnings: guilt tripping, facefucking, stalking and sexual harassment (on Johan’s end), fingering, slight praise and degradation, oral sex (you giving), sadist! top! Johan, implied threats of blackmail. Johan is unpleasant to be around as always, but HE IS HAVING FUN.

˚ · .─ summary: You, a renowned private detective working alongside Richard Braun, happen to be overwhelmed with a lingering sense of guilt that was almost painful to get rid of. It may have been your conscience taking over you after your subordinate Mr. Braun called you by the phone, confirming that your plan to execute 17-year old Stephan Joos was successful. As his superior, it was your responsibility to command a group of detectives on whether executing the accused was an option in the first place. The fear of having your name tarnished as a trusted detective befalls you, even more so when a mysterious man who has been keeping tabs on you pays you a visit.

Johan currently has plans for killing off Schuwald and anyone close to the tycoon. Because of your affiliation with Schuwald, he also happens to take an interest in you for the time being after knowing you were hired alongside Mr. Braun to investigate a “suicide.” Performing a deep dive on your position over Mr. Braun, you never knew all would be too late for you as Johan knew about the enabler behind a teenager’s death, and it was none other than you — Detective [Name].

˚ · .─ author’s note: This takes place after the death of Richard Braun. The most disturbing fact about this is that Johan’s basically just killing time here. He’s beyond evil and as we all know, this man is a walking red flag but red is my favorite color. Also, do note that I forgot most of the events in Monster, which prompted me to search up the Wiki to get caught up. So don’t be surprised if there are any plotholes. I tried my best. I now have to take a shower with how nasty I felt writing this. Who doesn’t want to see our man facefucking reader? Right. Anyhow, enjoy.

────୨ৎ────

Droplets of rain cascaded down the streets of a hollow, yet bustling town in central Germany. Ashy smoke polluted the air, if not filled, allowing you to take a whiff of what it was truly like to be in a place so dynamic, yet irresponsibly handled by authorities. On your way home, a different type of clutch has weighed in your chest — the feeling of someone’s ghost haunting you to the depths of your heart, mind, and soul. If not a ghost, then a gut instinct, a heavy one at that, pleading you guilty of a crime you indirectly committed. It was as if a pitch black hole of dread was looming over your eyesight, tracking you down until you were about to end up having a heart attack.

So you drew in a deep breath, taken aback by your pointless worries, and asked yourself: Why feel such if the guilt I’ve been experiencing has not been backed up by witnesses? Perhaps if my plan was to be discovered, the blame wouldn’t be put on me, but Richard. After all, he was the one who explicitly murdered Stephan.

On a brighter note, working as a renowned private investigator did not just pay you well. You were a superior, a senior figure, at best. Reaping the rewards you sowed from almost a decade of hard work, you collaborated with skilled professionals with great respect carried with your name. From closing cases and bringing justice, everyone of those victims you saved look up to you. You always paraded yourself as a knight in shining armor, because cleansing the world off of its taint was what you believed you did best.

Yet here you are, hands trembling as you slowly unlock the door leading to your apartment. Soaking wet from the rainfall, you sigh of relief, stripping yourself off of the protective raincoat your mother gave you. It was about 6:00 in the evening.

You could remember hearing about Richard’s death all too well, yet can’t identify who drove him to kick his own bucket. At first, you suspected the man who often hung around children — perhaps he murdered your subordinate, or maybe convinced him to drink up to a point where he couldn’t tolerate its toxicity. A part of you wanted to despise the man after he may have been responsible for your subordinate’s death. So you took a whole bottle of alcohol from your kitchen in hopes of letting your guilt fade, in hopes that your drunken state would absolve you of any sin you were responsible for causing.

Maybe if you called up your subordinate Richard asking how he was doing after murdering Stephan, maybe he wouldn’t have taken his own life. But tonight was no use dwelling on such, for you had to focus on getting drunk after every ounce of guilt thrown your way. After finishing a whole bottle of whiskey in the dining room, a plethora of intrusive thoughts began to overtake you as you made your way to bed.

The worst scenario you envisioned was becoming involved in a “scandal” that cost you your career, potentially endangering your reputation as a trusted detective. Another thought was receiving consequences in the next life for your plan to execute Stephan Joos without due process — no one pleading guilty, and definitely no chance for him to share his side of the story. You may have had a strong sense of justice, but a lingering smoke of conscience came with this gift. You didn’t know what to make of it. Regardless, you feared that the guilt would eat you away, leaving you with nothing but misery in the potentially evident afterlife.

However, the last thought was something you wanted to brush up against most. All you could think of was Mr. Braun’s warning to you regarding a peculiar young man that often hung around by the nearest orphanage. You always suspected the blonde, clad in a turtleneck and a loose brown suit paired with pants of similar fabric. Mr. Braun claims that the man’s got something planned for your mentor, Hans Georg Schuwald. But something didn’t sit right with you the moment you dreamt of his touch. You definitely didn’t want to think about it, though you can feel moisture well up in your designated area from the thought of him defiling your dignity.

Naturally, you’d want to avoid this man at all costs, and instead, focus further on investigating Fahren’s suicide. However, like Richard, you also suspected him to be a significant part of the case you were hired to solve. Perhaps he ordered professional killers to induce suicide within the victim’s will, or that he manipulated them to his will himself. Either way, you were preoccupied with putting an end to this man‘s life, as ironic as it sounds, while also absolving yourself of the sins left upon you by the now deceased Richard.

What if I’m not doing my job the way it should be done? What if I failed to meet the victims’ expectations? Am I being complicit to the fact that my subordinate put that teenager down like a rabid dog? Maybe if I didn’t push Richard to kill that young man, I wouldn’t behave as if a shotgun aimed straight to my heart…..

The clock hit 9:00 late night; your body fell unconscious hours ago, having lost track of time. You were placed in no other state but a deep sleep — no thoughts plaguing your head this time, with definitely no sense of urgency. You laid in bed bare, leaving you to fall prey under anyone opportunistic enough to take you in.

But you didn’t care. Your home was yours to live by. You lived on your own. After your parents granted you permission to move out, this apartment was the only choice you had. You didn’t tell anyone of where you lived, not even the colleague closest to you at this very moment. So it would be impossible for someone to track down your whereabouts at night this late, right?

Your momentum was ruined the time your telephone rang. Despite it being in the living room, its tone was loud and clear that you jolted awake, only to hear a couple of sounds overwhelming your hearing. The first sound was the ringing outside your bedroom, along with a doorbell that was deafening enough to awaken a neighboring apartment.

“Huh—Who…..who could it……be???“, you stammered, getting up from a drunken state and nearly stumbling to the floor. “C-coming…..!!!”

Rubbing your eyes, you got up and about while rushing to the main door. Undoing every lock, you slowly reached out to the knob, twisting it, only to be greeted with a man who seemed friendly and polite.

“Ah, my apologies,” the man laughed. “…..How rude of me to interfere in such a questionable hour. Johan Liebert, ma’am. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you as I’ve heard of your meaningful contributions to one of Germany’s best investigation teams.”

“Johan……that was his name?” you thought.

Johan continued to speak.

“Pardon me for my sudden intrusion, but I didn’t know the senior of this team was such a busy woman. I should have paid you a visit some other time.”

“N-No, it’s fine,” you replied with hesitation. “Come on in, I can make us a cup of tea.”

“Oh?” he spoke once more. “In that case, I’d love to be indulged.”

Without warning, Johan stepped foot inside your apartment unprovoked. You had the slightest idea of what he was up to, but you didn’t really care. You were half tipsy, after all.

Footsteps were heard as the main door closed, locking you both inside your apartment. You went straight for the cupboard, preparing two cups of tea for the both of you. Silence filled the air — it was almost awkward to know that you two barely spoke in the middle of it all.

You preferred your tea a little sweet, so adding some sugar didn’t really take away its appeal. After welcoming your guest with chamomile tea, the two of you shared a table, pulling the chairs out in order to accommodate each other’s presence. The atmosphere was so tense, it left you slightly lightheaded, but it wasn’t like it mattered to you.

Sipping your cup, you wanted to initiate a conversation with the young man in front of you. However, as soon as you were about to utter a word, Johan interjected.

“Not a bad night, eh?”

“Not so much.” you replied. “I just got home after an exhausting day of work. Ah, forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. Name’s [Name].”

“I know.” Johan reassured, smiling. “I’ve heard you were responsible for investigating a series of murders in this town. Quite the skilled investigator, I must say. It is to no surprise you’ve been voted as the team’s senior.”

You didn’t answer, leaving the room filled with silence as he continued to drink from his cup.

“See, I’m a law student who’s been researching a case for my report. I happened to discover that you were involved in the murder of a young boy named Stephan Joos, as he was executed by Mr. Braun. Is this true?”

Your eyebrows furrowed, walls being put up as a defense to what Johan has disclosed to you. You wanted to end this man’s life right here, only to find out you didn’t have your gun. You were about to make an alibi and leave the table, but Johan saw right through your plan, stopping you.

“Aha, well…..” you laughed. “That isn’t true. In fact, it was Mr. Braun who chose to murder that young man. I even have a recording of him telling me he chose to murder that man in cold blood. I, his superior, had nothing to do with that act. Now, if you’ll excuse me—“

“No, no, Miss [Name]…..” Johan reassured, his palms signaling that you stay where you were. “It’s no big deal. I’m not trying to antagonize you, I was just trying to confirm my findings.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s all you need to know.” you stammered. “Ah, I need to go to the bathroom, it’s just that—“

“Oh?” Johan raised an eyebrow. “Never mind. Of course you may, my apologies for the sudden reaction.”

Without hesitation, you retreated from the table and rushed to your room, unarmed and helpless. Johan’s smile dropped, arousing his suspicion on what you got planned for him. In turn, you searched through the closet in search for a gun you could use against Johan. After retrieving it, you kept the gun in your left pocket, in hopes of defending yourself against the man you suspected was a culprit behind Fahren’s suicide.

Sweat dropped from your forehead, your frail figure trying to keep things cool despite sitting eye to eye with Johan’s seemingly dangerous presence. After calming yourself down, you drew in deep breaths and kept yourself composed. It wasn’t like he was a mere stranger to you. Your subordinates have told you numerous observations about Johan, and it was just his name that you didn’t have any clue of. You only witnessed him in the orphanage where you and Braun were conducting investigations, but never had the chance to actually talk to him. Until…..

Three loud knocks came at your bedroom door, prompting you to snap out of a trance. Despite your fear, you stood up with confidence, hiding the gun in your pocket. You were armed now, so there wasn’t any need to worry much, right?

Opening the door, you found Johan still in his friendly facade, now smiling before your figure looking like a hot mess.

“Ah, Johan, what brings you here?” you asked. “I just told you I was going to the bathroom.”

“You’ve spent a long time there, so I decided to check up on you. Is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes, things are going well. Now let’s get back to work, shall we?”

“Of course.” Johan replied.

On your way back to the dining room, you suspected Johan to have caught you red-handed, but brushed it off for the time being. It’s not like he was smart enough, or invasive even, to sneak into your room unraveling the truth behind your escape. Right?

“Anyhow, please enlighten me about the victim, Stephan Joos. Do you know of any evidence that defined his upbringing? Any clues of his whereabouts? It’s impossible that you wouldn’t know of his name. You worked alongside Mr. Braun, after all.”

“Ah—yeah. Well, as a senior investigator, yes, I do know of his roots. That teenager has been subject to the abuse brought about by that place……Kinderheim 511. That place was hell on Earth, I would be better off not uttering its name.” you laughed. “So…..is that all you need to know, Mr. Liebert?”

Johan lets out a satisfactory hum, yet unconvinced in your delivery of words. He applauded you for knowing the case by heart, but he had a sneaking inkling that you, the superior, were hiding something highly significant to his findings.

“But did that give you the right to issue a murder without a warrant of arrest?” Johan’s voice darkened, with a hint of curiosity oozing from his words. Still, it was threatening enough that you took it as a personal attack. “Were you absolutely uninvolved in Mr. Braun’s pursuit for killing that young boy, uninvolved enough to let your subordinate do as he pleases?”

“What the hell are you mumbling about now?” you asked, raising your voice in defense of Johan's provocation. “I was never responsible for Stephan’s murder. You think there’s more to it than I know? You’re nothing but a young man pulling off an accusatory statement to tarnish my name. Are you not ashamed, Mr. Liebert? I can get you locked up in no time for putting the blame on me. I’m innocent. Mr. Braun’s guilty. I had absolutely nothing to do with—”

“You talk too much, [Name].” Johan interjected, his smile dropping in annoyance to your constant blabbering. “Still, defending yourself when on the verge of tears isn’t going to absolve you of your sins. Do you think your guilt will disappear when you lie?”

“No—!!!” you yelled.

“You orchestrated the murder of Stephan Joos, and you knew exactly what you were doing. Did I get it right?”

You stood up, pulled out your gun, holding Johan at gunpoint.

“……And what if I did, then?! What will you do about it?” you blurted out, defenseless as you gripped the gun with brute force. “I’ll kill you right here and then. You’re going to be held guilty for Fahren’s suicide, and eventually Schuwald will be informed of your plan!”

“Resorting to violence on a whim now, [Name]? Killing me won’t erase the lies you’ve told your victims from the moment you stepped foot into such a position. They’ll eventually know of your sins, then you’ll have no other choice but to choose the easy way out, and that is death.” Johan responded, as calm as he always was.

As you pulled the trigger without warning, you stopped dead in your tracks, realizing nothing came out of the gun. It was like your heart skipped a beat at that very moment. A fatal mistake, you would say. You were out of bullets, leaving you with no other choice but to dial the police force in hopes of capturing Johan.

“No, it won’t shoot!!!! Why?!!!”, you thought.

Johan stood up, walking straight up behind you, almost as if he was circling you — he’s watching your every move, and you knew he was doing an incredibly good job at it. You wanted to run from your own home, yet didn’t know where the telephone was as your body decided to freeze.

“Out of bullets?” Johan chuckled, gently snatching the gun off your hands as your subconscious complied with letting the unloaded gun free of your reach. He placed the gun at your front, and from behind, he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ears. Eventually, he landed both his hands on your shoulders.

“By the way…..when will you be seeing your colleagues again? Tomorrow, perhaps?” he asked, restoring his friendly tone. “Don’t you feel guilty for the murder of your subordinate? If it weren’t for your plan to execute Stephan Joos, Mr. Braun would’ve still been alive.”

A part of you wanted to succumb under Johan’s unwanted touch, another side of you wanted to resist. As Johan’s right hand ended up groping your breast, you immediately thought of coming up with a solid response — you didn’t want to be found out for what you did, but you knew Johan was capable of spilling the beans.

“H-How do you know all this…..?!” you asked, still clinging onto your pride and refusing to back down. “L-let go!!!”

“How do I know?” Johan replied, his left arm hovering downward to wrap around your waist. “By keeping in touch with your colleagues, of course.”

“How…..how long have you been watching me???”

Johan chuckled once more. “Why don’t you find out?”

Suddenly, you had to resist his sudden intrusion by pushing him away. It’s not like you wanted to be touched by Johan in any way, and tonight was definitely not the time to have your way with a man like him.

“I was thinking of letting your colleagues know about your little secret, but I’ve got other plans up my sleeve.” Johan proposed. “If you don’t want rumors getting out, then I don’t suggest choosing to resist.”

“Huh?!” you protested. “No, just no…..You can’t just pay me a visit and reveal this to my comrades!!!”

“Hm? As I mentioned, if you don’t want your secret getting out, you shouldn’t be in a place to resist. After all, you’re looking for a way to be expelled from Germany’s best investigation team.” Johan murmured, in a voice almost sultry. His right hand moved down past your trousers, palming your damp cunt with his huge, pale hands.

“N-no!!!! Please, I’ll…..fine!!! I’ll do anything you say, please, just don’t inform anyone of this!!!”

“As I thought…..” Johan’s tone remains dark, his fingers tinkering with your entrance without much effort. Swiping a finger across your folds, he gathered a reasonable amount of slick past them, up until he found your clit soaked in even more moisture. “You know…..you’re quite adorable when you squirm in such sensitive fashion, don’t you think, [Name]?”

“Ah! No!!!”, you yelled, jolting your body off of Johan and attempting to run towards the telephone. Dialing the police force was your last resort, so you ran away and looked out for the telephone. But since your body was programmed to function at fight-or-flight, your eyes wandered aimlessly, searching for the item that was out of your reach.

“It’s no use,” Johan smiled. “How do you file a report on a man who doesn’t even exist?”

“What is it that you want?! Wasn’t that enough? What have I done to deserve this? I’m onto you, kid! You’re going to tell me everything there is to know about your plans! So who are you? Who are you??!! Tell me!!!”

Johan sighed.

“What is it that I want?” he replied, moving inches closer to you. “To impose punishment.”

“It’s not like—it’s not like you’re some type of God!! You can’t—you can’t just…..let me do as you say if it means protecting my reputation! It’s not like you know everything that happened….. Do you?!” you yelled, taking steps backward and having you trip by the furniture of your own living room.

Your body aching from the pain after you fell to the floor face first, Johan approached you, reaching his hand out and intending to help you up.

“You should’ve been more careful, [Name].” Johan chuckled as he wrapped his arms around you in an attempt to carry your frame. “Here, let me help you.”

“Hands off me, you filthy piece of shit!”

“Oh?” Johan spoke softly, his hand now on your scalp, stroking it with his thumb. “I guess I really don’t have a choice, don’t I? I’ll just have my way with you if it means granting your wish, [Name]. Besides, you’re fairly beautiful, looking the way you do. It’d be a shame if we don’t spend such a grand night together.”

“Bastard!” you yelled. “Let go!!!

Johan ignored your pleas as he lifted you up bridal style, leading you to the bathroom and bringing you down to the floor where you struggled to get up. Your hair was unkempt as your pajamas happened to be soiled by dirt. Locking the door, you were left restrained by the bathroom’s tight little space, with no other place to retreat to.

“Somebody, help!!!”

“There is no paradise that awaits you, [Name]. Constantly running and falling to move past your sins won’t erase them. You’ll forever be tainted, and your actions are the one to blame.”

Johan crouched to your eye level as he began to tilt your chin up. Looking elsewhere, he began speaking once more, breaking the silence.

“Hm, you’ve always interested me the moment I entered university for the time being. You’ve always been really close to Schuwald, after all.” Johan spoke. “He even paid your dues for studying there, how sweet of him.”

“….He’s like….. a father…..to me.” you replied, slightly shedding tears out of desperation to get out of this situation. “Why…..what’s it to you……..???”

“Schuwald amuses me.“ Johan said, letting you go. See, I won’t reveal what I got planned for those close to him. There’s just more to your background that I know.”

“Just…..why……???” your body shaky as you attempted to get up, only to fail under Johan’s height blocking your view. “How long have you been watching me for?!”

“Three months. All I know is that you graduated from the same university I was attending, and that you moved out from your parents in less than a month.”

Your eyes widened at the information fed to you due to how accurate it was, but regardless, you let him continue.

“A Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, certifications from online programs held in Munich’s western block, and on top of it all, a Mid-Senior detective hired by several professionals in the industry of public and private investigation.” Johan announced, looking down at you with a seemingly false sense of humility. “Did I get it right?”

He held you still despite your futile attempts to resist him once more. Because you were slightly drunk, it was easy for Johan to take advantage of you right there and then, defiling you completely without a chance of atonement for your sins.

“N-no!!!!” you blurted out in defense, even if you knew he did understand your background correctly.

“Stay still, [Name]. You wouldn’t want to risk getting this secret out.” Johan smiled, unzipping the hem of his pants and reaching out for something hidden from your reach. “I suppose this is all you’ll hear from me. Just letting you know that I’ve been familiar with you from the time I entered Germany. There’s no other way to put it.”

“What are you planning?!” you asked. “It better not be you trying to blackmail me.”

“Do you really think I’d care enough to expose your crimes?” Johan asked, still maintaining a smile despite tilting your chin up with his finger. “Perhaps I’ll only do so if you refuse my advances.”

“…..And what do YOU want this time?!” you stammered.

“Don’t play dumb, [Name]. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Johan teased, letting out a smirk that hinted at everything but genuine. “You’re quite the eager professional yourself, I mean you never hesitated to order a murderer around, right? Why would you hesitate to please someone in exchange for cleaning up the problems you created?”

You froze dead on the spot, accepting your fate as Johan reached out for the roots of your hair, grabbing a fistful of it as he let his cock spring free.

“Such a tainted, desperate little girl who never weighed in the consequences of her actions.” Johan said with a blissful expression plastered on his face. “You should’ve been more ashamed of yourself. A senior investigator, staying silent in the face of a juvenile facing serious accusations of a crime? How will you look your colleagues in the eye tomorrow? Isn’t their senior a complicit pawn in the murder of an innocent child, hiding behind an empty bottle?”

Without further explanation, he caressed your cheek with his thumb, his other hand stroking his cock as its silhouette rested over your face. “But it’s all over. You’re going to seek atonement for the crimes you’ve committed, and that is by threatening me with a good time. Besides, you’re pretty much adorable on your own. A beautiful girl like you should feel grateful for stumbling across someone who openly shows an interest in her endeavors.” Johan’s voice is rather dark this time, exuding an eerie feel that sends shivers down your spine.

Your jaw dropped as you froze as a response to the sudden change in Johan’s treatment. Guiding his cock into your mouth, you wanted to curse, resist, and avoid his gaze as you were about to be facefucked by a monster before your very eyes.

Trying to maintain a sense of balance, you grabbed a fistful of his pants while he grabbed a fistful of your hair. Your head bobbed back and forth in varying tempos as he was in control of the scene, pushing you to comply with the pacing he liked. It felt dirty having to stumble upon a man as unsettling as he was, where his seemingly soft whispers have prompted you to believe he was harmless. Johan Liebert was his name, you thought…..and while you hated his guts, a part of you wanted to just give in to his wishes, if it meant not disclosing your plan to kill 17-year old Stephan Joos.

While taking him into your mouth, you began palming your cunt in hopes of fulfilling a favor bestowed onto you. You couldn’t speak against his remarks, so all you did was suck him off to his benefit.

Johan, on the other hand, chuckled at your pitiful state, sighing in pleasure from the flames he started. Sounds of wet, sloppy meat slapping against skin and suckling echoed throughout the area, it would be almost a crime to get caught in the act.

“Go on, [Name], do it for your future.” Johan spoke in his usual nasal tone, the sounds of skin slapping against skin growing loud as time passed. He let out a satisfied hum, expressing his desire as he rocked his hips to and fro. “Show the world how desperate you are — desperate enough to prove your worth as a savior of mankind. Even if you aren’t deserving of it, it would be nice to see you try. It’s just fun seeing people like you struggle past ethical means just to prove their purity to the world.”

You only moaned around in retaliation, and in spite of the taunts you received from a pleased Johan, you were beginning to embrace the thought of pleasuring him. It felt exciting in general for you to make a man squirm just by pleasing him orally. He obviously couldn’t get enough of you, just as you couldn’t get enough of him. However, when you thought you were getting it right, he pulled you away, leaving a string of saliva from between his tip and your tongue.

“Hm…..that was….not as great as I expected.” Johan’s smile dropped. “You’ll have to do much better, [Name]. Come on, you can do it. Think of all the victims lined up before you, begging to be saved. Would they be satisfied right now, knowing their team has murdered a juvenile in the name of justice? Have you considered how it would be like getting sentenced to death if I took your dirty laundry out for the world to see?”

Catching your breath, you were taken aback by his cruelty. What were you not doing right? You thought it was a joke, but was it?

“Begin again.” Johan commanded. “Otherwise, I’ll have to scatter your sins out for your family and friends to cherish.”

In response, you reached out for the underside of his cock, getting on your knees in an attempt to play around with his balls. You tinkered with them, held them in your palm, and bent over to plant kisses on them, boldly so.

Johan chuckled lowly at your sudden move. “Such a dirty, desperate little girl willing to do anything if it means preserving her morality. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Not one bit? Wouldn’t you be taken aback if I revealed how I was secretly recording you for my benefit?”

You shook your head, suckling at his balls like your future depended on it. A hand of yours stroked his cock, twisting it so he didn’t have to jerk it off in an attempt to assist you. This sickening wish of his to take you raw was something he wanted as a means to pass the time. You were nothing more than an object, a plaything he could fuck with while plotting to control all of Germany’s economy.

“As I thought. You really have no shame, don’t you, my dear? You cling onto purity as if it’ll save you from despair?”

After sucking him off from under, you placed your tongue at the underside of his cock, moving upward to lick past his length and onto the tip. Your lips puckered in a cute manner that it left Johan with a look of surprise, which became even more surprising when he witnessed you take all of him in one go. You did your best to pleasure him in exchange for security, which you believed would be best if you deepthroated him at that moment.

Johan threw his head back at the sight of you taking him in your throat, all out of an overwhelming heat that sparked from within. Letting out a moan, he let you take the lead as you began sucking him off in a slightly rougher approach than the last one.

To regain control over your intentions, he gripped your head and kept up with the pacing you initiated. Bobbing your head back and forth once more, more saliva coated his length, leaving him aroused at the feeling of contraction building up within his lower abdomen. The heat was, in fact, so intense that it was impossible Johan had all his clothes on.

Johan’s grip tightened as your slurps began to grow more audible over time. He let out a grin, stifling his moans and urges to curse right on the spot. To rile him up even more, you placed a hand right into his length and twisted it in a way that made him react accordingly.

“Mmmmmhhhh…....!!!“ Johan groaned, his voice slightly deepening at the forceful motion of your head thrusting back and forth. Grabbing another side of your head with his other hand, Johan was about to signal that he was close. This prompted you to get a little risqué, closing in on him by deepthroating him on the spot again.

You had to draw in a deep breath after slowing down to show him how magical your throat was. Warming his cock with your mouth was all you could do if it meant protecting yourself, so what would be better than to deepthroat him with a little effort?

As you held your breath, taking all of him made him shoot ropes of cum down your throat, everything occurring as his head was thrown back. To hide his eyes rolling back, he closed them…..firmly.

Retreating from his cock, it wasn’t over yet. He loomed over you once more, taking in the sight of your tongue out as his cum coated it. As sticky its texture was, a side of the encounter also sent shockwaves of arousal within him, leaving Johan to cum all over your face without any inhibitions, whatsoever.

“Hah, that was close, [Name]. You took me so well.” Johan applauded. “No worries, I wouldn’t……tell anyone about our encounter, or the way you executed Stephan Joos. This stays between us.”

“Oh, right…..” he added. “I believe it would be best if you cleaned up after the mess you just made.”

“The mess I made? Johan, you were the one who wanted this……” you spat.

“And what if I did?” he winked. “Just because you pleased me does not mean you’ll refuse to take responsibility.”

“Huh?”

“See, I’m leaving this town. I’ve changed my mind. I no longer want to kill Schuwald and those dear to him. I’ve grown bored of this endless little game between cat and mouse.”

“What?! So you just made this all up, and came all the way to my place only to get your cock sucked dry? Who the fuck do you think you are?!” you snapped.

“Dear, you’ll find out eventually. If I let you know my past, that is.”

Confused by Johan’s statement, he squatted before you and helped you get up like a gentleman.

“Come, [Name]. There’s plenty of things I haven’t discussed with you yet regarding my report. Keep in mind that my plans for you aren’t through yet. After all, I’ve taken a liking to you that it would be a shame for us to part ways at this very moment.”

You nodded, both of you making an exit from the bathroom to talk things through. Feeling disgusted from your cum-soaked clothes, you were ushered to meet Johan in your bedroom, where he was about to demonstrate what it’s like to truly know you.

Some secrets are never meant to be revealed, indeed.

[erinwantstowrite]

Erin I have a question ⁉️

How did you start writing LoF? Like,.not writing it in general, I mean like how did you get—or learned—or studied—all the information regarding the Batfam and their backgrounds, and also about Peter and the Avengers, etc.

Currently, I'm honestly planning on writing a small fiction about Peter ending up in Gotham (You must know your words hold a very dangerous power to inspire) but unfortunately, I don't have the right information to actually START writing it TT_TT. Do you have any tips on how I can start?

(P.S Apologies if this sounds a little confusing, I am not entirely the best at explaining 😞🤞)

There's one person to blame for getting me into DC, and it's @alighterwood

I've always been a fan of Spider-Man. He was my first hero, I wanted to be him soooo bad. I had gotten around to sort of writing my own fic for it with my own version of Peter around last year? (Very much inspired by ITSV, LoF Peter came about because he's his own universe and is based on Spider-Man lore from multiple media versions). I had never thought about writing a Spider-Man fic until ATSV, but at the time I was pretty much dead set on rewriting VLD. I got inspired after rewatching ITSV and then watching ATSV.

But it wasn't until alighterwood got me reading their favorite Batfam fics (specifically Tim) that I started to enjoy Batfam or DC in general.

(My favorite Batfam fic is "The Lone Ranger Never Had to Deal with Bruce Wayne" )

From there I started branching out into learning more about Batfam, what is and isn't fanon, and forming my own opinions. It was a natural progression into "I want my favorite characters to meet each other" and alighterwood's evil genius plan ended up working.

I've read a few comics (mostly the Red Robin series, because Tim was my intro to Batfam so I figured I'd start there) but most of my information?

Wikis, reddits, forums from years (a few of them from decades) ago, my father (who was a Batman fan as a kid) and his friends (my uncles, who were all DC and Marvel nerds), my own friends- basically anything I can get my hands on. If I had a question, it was (probably) answered somewhere, or there was someone else with the same question that made me feel better for not getting it. The internet has a BOATLOAD of information about both Marvel and DC.

It's a LOT of research and note taking, to be honest. I have a physical notebook where I take notes on lore so I don't forget it. I comb through fanon AND canon and I decide from there what I want and what I don't want/what doesn't work and what does work for what I'm writing.

But here's something to keep in mind: at the end of the day, you're not writing FOR anyone else. You're not out to please people who are 100% canon, all the time, nor are you trying to accommodate people who only read fanon material. You're writing for YOU. This part is fun for me, but could be very tedious for other people. I'm a little weird like that (I started writing essays for fun since I learned about them in school).

I like doing research. Like a lot of writers, I go down multiple rabbit holes a day. I start by googling a simple question that should take five minutes and then I see something and go "oh! What's this!?" and pick it up, and the cycle continues when I see something else and eventually remember that I was writing.

I enjoy the research and figuring out the balance. Because DC and Marvel do the same shit with their own works! Shit gets retconned, or they bring characters back from the dead, blah blah blah. The fun part for me IS going insane trying to figure out the Flash Family and their STUPID family tree, or learning about characters that were basically forgotten by everyone- even the writers. The best part is that since it's my fic I'm writing, I can go: "What's the most entertaining way I can use this?" And no one can stop me.

But if YOU don't enjoy that part, and you try to do it, you might lose your spark!! Your inspiration!! You might not have fun, and that's what writing is all about!! My thing is, is that basically every fan interpretation, whether they try to stick to the original source as closely as they can or not, IS FANON. And fanon is fun!!

Basically it all stems down to: it's your sandbox and you can play in there however you want to. And sometimes, people see what you're doing and they're like "Can I play too?" and you're like "Yes that'd be awesome!!"

If you find that you do enjoy the research, I think it's well worth it. It's very satisfying to put together all that work and then get a comment from someone where they say "OMG!! I know that reference!" or "I love this interpretation of this very obscure thing!!"

My advice for writing a Peter in Gotham fic is to know where YOU are starting at, before you start writing your fic. If you're a Spider-Man fan and you don't know much about the Batfam, try reading a comic about them, or find some favorite fics and base your information on that. It works vice-versa, if you know more about Batfam and not a lot about Peter.

Imagine there are two people sitting in front of you. One is a Marvel fan, the other is a DC fan, and they know NOTHING about the other comics. But they both want to hear your story where you have combined them. It's important that you don't lean too much into either side: you keep both of their interest by appreciating the details from both DC and Marvel.

The Marvel fan will be happy to see Peter reacting to a new world and situations, even if they don't know everything you're referencing. But the DC fan will be excited because you care about the place that Peter is interacting with enough to make a joke that maybe only they would get.

So: have fun, explore everywhere you want to, and get a little crazy. Don't worry too much about not knowing everything there is to know. I don't know everything about DC or Marvel either!

[batfammeetsspidergang]

Spider-Gang Headcanons

I was bored, so I decided to create headcanon character sheets for the Spider-Folks! Basically, this is how I personally envision the characters when doing incorrect quotes (and when writing the story le gasp). Like I've said before, these origins are mish-mashes of the comics, TV shows, movies, games, and so on, plus some minor, original ideas. (And yes, I was lazy so I copy-pasted much of the info and stats from the Marvel Wiki. Shout-out to the editors and their amazing work!)

If your favorite Spider-People aren't here, that DOES NOT MEAN I don't like them! Lmao I adore Pavitr, Cindy, Jess, etc. These are just my personal favorites. Also, I'm still tryna figure out Ham's cartoon powers, and movie-verse Miguel can go sit on a barbed wire brush XD

P.S. No ai art was used. These are all borrowed from official Marvel media.

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Spider-Man

Peter Benjamin Parker

New York City, New York; present-day

16-18 years old

5′10″ (1.78 m)

160 lbs (72.57 kg)

Eyes: brown

Hair: brown

Gender: Cis male

Orientation: Bisexual

Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and gained a suite of powers reminiscent of a spider, including agility, wall-crawling, and the ability to sense danger. When Peter learned that his beloved Uncle Ben had been murdered by a thief that Peter himself had selfishly allowed to escape, he realized that with his new powers also came a responsibility to use them for good. Since that day, Spider-Man has fought criminals while enduring a constant barrage of negative press, a stream of personal losses, and the occasional crisis of confidence. Somehow he manages to maintain a positive attitude and rarely lacks for a humorous quip when battling bad guys.

PERSONALITY:

-Peter is a geeky, shy, socially awkward, high-spirited, caring, and friendly teenage boy who is loyal to his family and friends. While his heroics as Spider-Man have given him a reputation for being a flake, Peter will always be there for anyone that needs help. 

-Since the death of his beloved Uncle Ben, Peter's vow of responsibility has led him on a path of heroism and humanitarianism. He regularly sacrifices (or sabotages) his personal well-being for the greater good. It has also meant that Peter often takes on more burdens than he can bear and blames himself unnecessarily when the city is hurt.

-He possesses an innate scientific curiosity and loves to figure out how things work. He has been known to immerse himself in personal projects for hours on end, forgetting to eat and sleep as a result.

-Though it can be difficult for him to open up with new people, he becomes enthusiastic and talkative when asked about his favorite subjects (i.e. science, photography, TTRPGs, the New York Mets).

-Peter has a tendency to use humor and sarcasm as a defense mechanism, a trait that is amplified when he fights criminals as Spider-Man. He is proud of his humor, deploying it to break tensions and lift the mood, something that has at times irritated his friends and allies.

-Peter also has a bit of a vengeful side—he once secretly used his powers to humiliate his bullies and was single-minded in his pursuit of revenge for his uncle’s death. If Peter's trust is betrayed, it can be difficult to get back in his good graces.

-His humility often teeters on the edge of self-loathing, to the point of considering himself lamer than his counterparts. These feelings also extend to his romantic relationships—Peter is often blind to his crush’s reciprocated feelings simply because he doesn’t believe they could ever be reciprocated. According to Peter, he always falls for people who are "way out of his league."

-Behind his naturally upbeat demeanor, Peter possesses a tragic and depressed side. This is brought on by the immense guilt he feels about the deaths of people he held close: Ben Parker and Gwen Stacy, his first girlfriend.

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Spider Physiology: Peter Parker possesses the proportionate powers of a spider, granted to him by the bite of an irradiated spider.

Superhuman Strength: Peter can lift up to 10 tons. His physical strength also extends into his legs, enabling him to jump to a height of several stories in a single bound.

Superhuman Speed: Peter possesses the proportionate speed of a spider; therefore, he can run and move at speeds that are beyond the physical limits of the finest human athlete.

Superhuman Stamina: Spider-Man's advanced musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than an ordinary human. This allows him to exert himself physically for much longer periods of time before fatigue begins to impair him.

Superhuman Durability: Peter’s body is physically tougher and more resistant to some types of injury than the body of a normal human. He has shown little to no discomfort when sustaining great impact forces.

Superhuman Agility: Spider-Man's superhuman agility, balance, and bodily coordination are all enhanced to levels that are far beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. Spider-Man is extraordinarily limber, and his tendons and connective tissues are twice as elastic as the average human being's. He has the combined agility and acrobatic prowess of the most accomplished circus aerialists and acrobats.

Superhuman Equilibrium: Peter possesses the ability to achieve a state of perfect equilibrium in any position imaginable. He seems able to adjust his position by instinct, which enables him to balance himself on virtually any object, no matter how small or narrow.

Superhuman Reflexes: Spider-Man's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are currently about 20 times greater than those of an ordinary human. In combination with his spider-sense, the speed of his reflexes allows him to dodge almost any attack.

Wallcrawling: Peter can cling to any surface using just his fingertips and feet.

Spider-Sense: Spider-Man possesses a precognitive danger sense that warns him of potential or immediate danger through the manifestation of a tingling sensation in the back of his skull, and links with his superhuman kinesthetics, enabling him to evade or counter most attacks unless he cognitively overrides his automatic reflexes. Additionally, his spider-sense offers him near-complete awareness of his surroundings.

Regeneration: Spider-Man is able to rapidly heal and regenerate from harm faster and more extensively than normal humans are capable of.

Web-Shooters: Spider-Man's trademark equipment. With his brilliance in physical science, Peter created these devices to fire thin strands of a special web fluid at high pressure and speeds. These enable him to web-swing between buildings and entrap enemies.

Web fluid: Created by Peter Parker. A shear-thinning liquid (virtually solid until a shearing force is applied to it, rendering it fluid) whose exact formula is unknown but is related to nylon. On contact with air, the long-chain polymer knits and forms an extremely tough, flexible fiber with extraordinary adhesive properties.

Specialized Web Cartridges

-Impact Webbing: Web-pellets that, upon impact, release tendrils that ensnare the target. -Acid Webbing: Webbing laced with hydrochloric acid. -Taser Webbing 

Spider-Tracers: Small, electronic tracers that allow Spider-Man to track objects or individuals. Typically, he plants or throws one on a departing enemy, but he can also use a launching device in his web-shooters for better range and accuracy. Spider-Man can follow the signal within a 100-yard radius by using his spider-sense.

Genius-Level Intellect: Peter Parker possesses a natural talent for science, standing out as a top student in his high school. His favorite subjects are biology, physics, and chemistry. A prodigy biochemist, Peter could understand his father's, Dr. Richard Parker’s, research notes at age 15.

Expert Inventor/Engineer: As a teenager, he developed his signature web formula, Web-Shooters, and the Spider-Tracers.

Budding Photographer: Peter is a talented photographer and has worked part-time for the Daily Bugle.

Skilled Acrobat: Due to his superhuman physical abilities, Peter easily surpasses normal acrobats and is able to perform any complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts: flips, spins, somersaults, springs, rolls, cartwheels, etc.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Spider-Man's fighting style incorporates and takes full advantage of his proper use of physical forces, momentum, and leverage, with the hero staying low and mobile while utilizing the momentum of frequent spins to come crashing down on his opponents. Peter has stated that he is self-taught, having learned many of his fighting techniques from movies and lucha libre.

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Spider-Man (Miles Morales)

Miles Gonzalo Morales

New York City, New York; present-day

16-18 years old

5′8″ (1.73 m)

160 lbs (72.57 kg)

Eyes: brown

Hair: black

Gender: Cis male

Orientation: Heterosexual

Miles Morales, a fellow student of Peter Parker, was bitten by a genetically altered spider that his uncle had stolen from Osborn Industries. The next day at school, he found that he had grown taller overnight and gained incredible, arachnid-like powers. Donning a similar costume, Miles became a budding superhero with the original Spider-Man as his mentor. Miles was the first person Spider-Man revealed his identity to, and they have become the closest of friends. Miles considers Peter a great hero, but can he live up to the legacy set before him?

PERSONALITY:

-Miles is a passionate, bright, confident, selfless, and extremely eager young man. 

-Miles' dedication to helping others stems from his deep respect for his father, Officer Jefferson Morales, and his admiration of Peter Parker as Spider-Man. He draws his passion for science from his mother, Rio, who is highly regarded for her boundless dedication to being a nurse. Moreover, being a long-time fan of Spider-Man, Miles aspires to uphold his mentor and friend’s legacy while also forging his own path.

-Like average Spider-Men, he has an irreverent attitude towards villains, although when enemies indicate psychological instability, Miles addresses them respectfully to prevent further danger.

-He has a strong love for science, having started inventing at an early age, as well as a passion for music, mixing hip-hop beats with his uncle during his early years.

-He is much more sociable than Peter Parker, and often initiates conversations with strangers in his neighborhood.

-Miles instantly fell for Gwen Stacy upon their first meeting. They’ve since become the best of friends, though a part of Miles still pines for her romantically. 

-His relationship with his Uncle Aaron is complex; while Miles acknowledges Aaron's inherent goodness, he also grapples with his uncle's shadowy past as the Prowler and their differing views on heroism.

-Miles' eagerness to be a hero is both a strength and weakness; it propels his desire to grow and assist others, but it also makes him prone to danger and reluctant to accept help. Additionally, he has been known to act impulsively on occasion. Miles also dislikes being a victim or receiving pity. 

-He initially displayed panic and insecurity due to struggling to handle even basic spider powers, and he felt unworthy of the Spider-Man mantle. When it is up to him to save the city on his own, Miles occasionally has doubts about his capabilities, often comparing himself to Peter. 

-Miles' intellect and love for others can cloud his judgment. At times, he can be too arrogant to listen to those who might know better

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Spider Physiology: Miles Morales gained the proportionate abilities of a spider after being bitten by a genetically-modified spider.

Superhuman Strength: Miles can lift roughly 10 tons.

Superhuman Speed

Superhuman Stamina

Superhuman Durability

Superhuman Agility

Superhuman Equilibrium

Superhuman Reflexes

Wallcrawling

Spider-Sense

Bio-Electrokinesis: Miles is able to generate and manipulate a form of bio-electricity that his body produces and can utilize the energy for multiple purposes. Miles has learned to discharge the energy from his hands in controlled bursts of what he calls "Venom Blasts".

-Mega Venom Blast: Arguably Miles' deadliest ability. Miles is able to emit a larger scale burst of bio-electricity from his entire body. It is powerful enough to repel a large group of opponents and destroy sturdy restraints. This ability leaves Miles exhausted after using it, and can be triggered with focus or by extreme stress. -Venom Beam: Miles has shown that he can channel his bio-electricity outward as a direct burst of electrostatic energy to knock away enemies in a stunning/concussive manner. -Venom Punch: Miles can enhance the power of his punches by infusing his fists with bio-electricity. -Lateral Repulsion: By projecting a controlled Venom Blast, Miles is able to launch himself in the air with greater force than when jumping or web-swinging.

Camouflage: Miles, including his clothing, can blend into his surroundings, allowing him to sneak up on his enemies or, in some cases, flee from them. The resulting effect closely resembles that of invisibility.

Regeneration

Web-Shooters

Bilingualism: Miles speaks English and Spanish.

Gifted Intellect: A fast learner from a young age, Miles is a highly gifted individual with an aptitude for science. He attends the Robotics Club at school and has experience in programming applications. Upon discovering his bio-electric powers, he demonstrated an impressive understanding of biophysics, throwing out possible explanations for this new power, such as electrolytes. At the start of his superhero career, he was able to mimic the original Spider-Man's fighting style by watching online videos to improve his own abilities.

Photographic memory

Skilled Acrobat

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Despite his lack of formal training prior to his spider-bite, Miles' enhanced agility, reflexes, and coordination made him an extraordinary melee fighter. He has developed his own unique combat style which incorporates a rudimentary form of boxing, Capoiera, and breakdancing.

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Spider-Woman

Gwendolyn "Gwen" Maxine Stacy

Alternate New York City, New York; present-day

16-18 years old

5′5″ (1.65 m)

125 lbs (56.7 kg)

Eyes: blue

Hair: blond

Gender: Trans female

Orientation: Heterosexual

Leaping from an alternate reality in which she was bitten by a radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy learned the painful lesson that with great power must come great responsibility. At first, Gwen used her new powers for selfish reasons, reveling in the attention it brought her. Meanwhile, her friend, the bullied Peter Parker, turned himself into a lizard monster because he was desperate to be special like her. Gwen inadvertently killed Peter during the ensuing fight, and the police blamed her for his death. Seeking redemption, she now fights crime as the amazing Spider-Woman.

PERSONALITY:

-Gwen Stacy is a spunky, sarcastic, awkward, and emotionally vulnerable teenage girl. She has a history of rejecting friendship since she can't bear to go through the pain of losing another loved one. After getting to know Miles Morales and Hobie Brown, however, she tentatively decided to give companionship a chance.

-Gwen initially put on a tough, antisocial front when she met the other Spider-People, but she has come to view the Spider-Gang as family and is fiercely protective of them.

-It can be difficult for her to look at the other Peters when they are unmasked, hence why it was initially easier for her to interact with Miles and Hobie. 

-Currently, Gwen's interest in Miles is platonic, bordering on sibling affection.

-Gwen has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, especially where her friends are concerned. On impulse, she will intervene on their behalf. With this in mind, Gwen and Peter (Spider-Man) have sworn to always watch each other's backs.

-There used to be unresolved tension between Gwen and her police officer father, George Stacy, regarding the morality of Spider-Woman’s vigilantism. Upon realizing that the vigilante he had been pursuing for years was his very own daughter, George reached out to Gwen about her problems and insecurities. Father and daughter have reconciled, and George Stacy has become Spider-Woman’s staunchest supporter.

-She is absolutely fearless in battle, but not to the point of recklessness.

-Gwen’s relationship with her bandmates has become somewhat strained since her superhero lifestyle often interferes with their gigs. That said, Gwen’s band members have made attempts at getting her to open up about her feelings and trauma.

-Gwen tends to bottle up her emotions and release them when she's playing drums, leading to her being particularly angry and distant. When dealing with people she is unsure of, she puts up fronts and walls to appear more confident and put together than she actually is.

-She hates when Noir calls her "doll."

-Her favorite band is The Smashing Pumpkins.

-Outside of music, her hobbies include skateboarding, gymnastics, and ballet.

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Spider Physiology: Gwen gained the proportionate abilities of a spider after being bitten by a radioactive spider—genetically engineered based upon the genetic template of alien spider parasites.

Superhuman Strength: Gwen can lift roughly 10 tons.

Superhuman Speed

Superhuman Stamina

Superhuman Durability

Superhuman Agility

Superhuman Equilibrium

Superhuman Reflexes

Spider-Sense

Wallcrawling

Regeneration

Web-Shooters: Twin devices, which she wears on her wrists, that trap moisture from the air to create a "web-fluid" that allows her to eject web ropes, nets, and globs. The Web-Shooters also enable her to web-swing between buildings. Given to Gwen by her universe’s Janet Van Dyne. 

Amateur Detective: Gwen has a proclivity for analytical thinking and detective work. She is also the daughter of a police captain, thus she knows some police protocols and methods.

Skilled Fighter: Gwen is a skilled freestyle fighter. That said, she is untrained and learned most of her moves from kung fu movies.

Trained ballerina: Gwen trained in ballet since she was young. Her ballet training has allowed her to be incredibly precise when moving, often walking on the tips of her toes. Evidently, her ballet experience is incorporated into her fighting style.

Trained gymnast: Gwen was a member of the gymnastics team at her school; even before her radioactive spider bite, Gwen was able to hold her own body weight and possessed an athletic build similar to that of an acrobat. She incorporated her gymnastics training into her fighting style.

Trained musician: Gwen plays the drums with her band, The Mary Janes.

🕷️ 🕷️ 🕷️

Spider-Man Noir

Peter Benjamin Parker

Alternate New York City, New York; 1933 AD

Approximately 19 years old

6′1″ (1.85 m)

150 lbs (68.04 kg)

Eyes: brown

Hair: brown

Gender: Cis male

Orientation: Bisexual or Demisexual (still figuring it out)

In another New York, in the year 1933, Norman Osborn murdered Ben Parker for encouraging a workers' strike. Seeking justice for his uncle, Peter Parker became an investigative journalist to expose corruption. One evening, Peter was investigating a warehouse of stolen artifacts. An ancient spider statue broke open and released a swarm of spiders, one of which bit Peter. He passed out and dreamed of a spider god who bestowed the curse of power on him. When Peter came to, he discovered that he had been gifted with arachnid-like powers. Thus, Peter became the Spider-Man: a dark avenger fighting for the rights of the downtrodden and waging a one-man war on crime.

PERSONALITY:

-Noir Peter Parker is an unwavering, righteous, sympathetic, brooding, solitary young man of few words.

-Peter grew up witnessing injustice in the harsh environment of the Great Depression. This, combined with his Uncle Ben’s horror stories about the First World War, made Peter distrustful of would-be leaders and political figures. He’s leery of police officers; in his world and time period, especially, police corruption is rampant.

-Unlike most Spider-Men, Noir Peter was never taught the motto "With great power, there must also come great responsibility." Instead, his Uncle Ben told him, "If those in power can’t be trusted, it’s the responsibility of the people to remove them."

-Peter’s jaded demeanor and bleak realism belie his indomitable will and inherent idealism. He will never stop fighting for truth and progress, no matter the personal cost.

-Peter is a devout socialist and liberal activist, often participating in protests for workers’ rights, racial equality, and standing against the rising tide of Nazism.

-Peter is an empiricist—he believes his eyes, no matter how implausible something may be. Ever since his encounter with the Spider-God, he has gradually come to accept that some things are never going to have an explanation.

-Unlike the other Spider-People, Peter is willing to kill his enemies if absolutely necessary.

-Peter struggles with trauma and depression, perhaps more than his counterparts. To cope and better do his job, he closes off his emotions and ignores his bodily needs.

-Peter smokes cigarettes, even though he has been warned that they cause cancer. The nicotine helps calm his nerves, and he doubts that he’s capable of contracting cancer due to his powers.

-Peter puts on a convincing, deeper voice to make himself seem older. The rest of the Spider-Gang was dumbstruck when they learned he wasn’t much older than them.

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Superhuman Abilities: Peter possesses enhanced physical abilities granted to him by the Spider-God.

Superhuman Strength: Slightly inferior to that of his mainstream counterpart.

Superhuman Speed

Superhuman Stamina

Superhuman Durability: Although he is incredibly durable, his body does have its limits—unlike his modern counterparts, he cannot sustain multiple injuries and continue to function.

Superhuman Agility

Superhuman Equilibrium

Spider-Sense

Wall-Crawling: He can stick to walls using just his fingertips and feet; however, Peter prefers a type of parkour over clinging to the walls themselves.

Organic Webbing: Spider-Man is able to shoot organic black webbing out of his wrists. However, he cannot generate webbing in a constant stream (like his more modern counterparts) and is therefore unable to travel via swinging on webs.

Night Vision

Regeneration: Slightly superior to that of his mainstream counterpart.

Pain Resistance: Ever since he was bitten, Peter no longer feels physical pain as potently as an average human.

Gifted Intellect: Peter is of above-average intelligence and possesses a natural talent for science.

Experienced Reporter: Peter is a gifted investigative reporter and very skilled photographer.

Investigator: Honing his talents as an investigative reporter, Peter has become experienced in detective work and research.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: He is formidable in hand-to-hand combat, having received boxing training from the Daredevil of his universe.

Skilled Marksman: Peter is adept in the use of and has impeccable aim with firearms; more often than not, he is able to hit his targets accurately.

Weapons: Peter has been known to carry revolvers and incendiary grenades.

Glasses: Unlike other Spider-People, after receiving his powers, Peter still requires corrective lenses to see properly. 

🕷️ 🕷️ 🕷️

Spider-Punk

Hobart "Hobie" Brown

Alternate London, United Kingdom; c. 1977-early 80s

Approximately 19 years old

5′11″ (1.8 m)

150 lbs (68.04 kg)

Eyes: brown

Hair: black

Gender: Cis male

Orientation: Pansexual

In an alternate London, foul-mouthed teenager Hobart Brown was a squatter in a fascist UK ruled by Prime Minister "Ozzy" Osborn. He was bitten by a spider irradiated by illegal waste dumping, which gave him spider superpowers. Hobie became a punk-rock-inspired Spider-Man, and he led the oppressed people of London in a revolt against Osborn and his storm troopers. Spider-Punk is defined by his rebellious attitude towards absolutely everything, and will take any opportunity to turn on an establishment, regardless of the consequences.

PERSONALITY:

-Hobie is a zealous, headstrong, brazen, uncompromising, and altruistic young man.

-Although he pretends to be an apathetic badass, Hobie clearly has a deep connection to his team and a surprising amount of respect for Spider-Man Noir.

-He is surprisingly good with children.

-Hobie is an extremely devout anarchist who chafes at all forms of authority. Whenever he is given orders, Hobie makes it clear that he’s only going along with them because he wants to. Put simply, Hobie fights evil on his own terms.

-Hobie lives by two rules: No Gods. No Masters. He hates the rich, authorities, and politicians.

-Hobie takes the Spider-Man staple of flippancy to a whole new level—oftentimes, he doesn’t even attempt to be clever with his quips, instead throwing out the harshest insults he can come up with. 

-As a musician and activist, he integrates anti-authority messages into his performances. He frequently encourages (and joins) mosh pits among the audience. Such acts are deemed illegal in his home universe… not that he cares. 

-Hobie is a terrible singer, but he argues that’s what punk rock is all about.

-With the plethora of questionable decisions he’s made just to survive, Hobie does not consider himself a role model, let alone a hero. Despite this, he still has high praise for himself and tries to project an aura of "cool."

-Hobie's boots are ladder laced. In punk culture, ladder lacing with colored laces is a way to discreetly express your beliefs. Hobie's laces are blue, which means the wearer has killed a police officer. Though Hobie remains unwilling to divulge many aspects of his life, he has mentioned that he was once betrayed by a police officer…

-Hobie enjoys playing with people’s gender expectations and dresses as androgynously as possible. He believes that it is impossible to separate punk history from queer history.

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Spider Physiology: After being bitten by a spider irradiated by illegal waste dumping, Hobart obtained the proportionate powers of a spider.

Superhuman Strength: Hobie can lift at least one ton.

Superhuman Speed

Superhuman Stamina

Superhuman Durability

Superhuman Agility

Superhuman Equilibrium

Superhuman Reflexes

Spider-Sense

Wallcrawling

Regeneration

Web-Shooters

Modified guitar: An instrument that can emit a large shockwave attack similar to Miles Morales’ "venom power." In addition, the guitar can play frequencies strong enough to cause electronic equipment to malfunction.

Cricket bat: A simple yet effective wooden bat inscribed with "Beat on the Brat," a Ramones lyric.

Engineer: Hobart is a tech genius, able to create his Web-Shooters and a functional dimension-hopping watch after studying the properties of Peni Parker’s teleportation device. He was also able to engineer his guitar into a weapon.

Skilled Acrobat: Spider-Punk is able to perform acrobatic and gymnastic moves, such as high jumps, somersaults, flips, etc. at a level far beyond the ability of normal humans.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Hobie has years of street fighting experience. He utilizes techniques that enable him to make full use of his speed, agility, and strength. However, he lacks any formal training.

Musician: Hobie is a talented musician and plays both guitar and drums.

🕷️ 🕷️ 🕷️

SP//dr

Peni Parker

Futuristic New York City, New York; 3145 AD

9-13 years old

4′11″ (1.5 m), 9′ (2.74 m) (in armor)

105 lbs (47.63 kg), 900 lbs (408.23 kg) (in armor)

Eyes: brown

Hair: black

Gender: Cis female

Orientation: Asexual

In an alternate Japan, in the year 3145, nine-year-old Peni Parker's father, Dr. Richard Parker, passed away piloting the SP//dr suit. She would be adopted by her Aunt May and Uncle Ben in New York, and they informed her that she was the last person able to bond with the radioactive spider that controlled Richard’s bionic armor. Peni accepted this responsibility, allowed the radioactive spider to bite her, and repaired the mech suit. Now known as SP//dr, Peni protects her futuristic neighborhood with her new best spider-friend and a powerful robotic suit!

PERSONALITY:

-Peni is a peppy, energetic, optimistic, intelligent, tough, and somewhat smug girl. 

-Peni’s bubbly nature is infectious, and she loves making new friends. She quite literally views the Spider-Gang as her family, even addressing them as onii-chan (big brother) and onee-chan (big sister) respectively. Likewise, she cherishes her bond with the SP//dr spider more than anything—in many ways, it’s her last connection to her father.

-A generally happy-go-lucky person, it is rare to see her sad or discouraged. That said, when grief or anxiety strike, her productivity takes a sharp decline. She is a very emotional person, and her friends’ struggles affect her profoundly.

-Peni is a responsible and dedicated individual; she has devoted countless hours to her studies and working on her father's suit. That said, she can be a tad arrogant where her work is concerned, and bristles at outside input or assistance. It can be difficult to get Peni to accept technological help or admit when she’s made a mistake.

-Peni is proud of her intellect to an almost vain degree. She unconsciously comes off as condescending when explaining her technology to others, especially Spider-Man Noir (even though he can easily pick up how modern tech works).

-In battle, she is ruthless, aggressive, and devastatingly analytical.

-She has a habit of striking magical girl or idol singer poses.

-Peni is a vegetarian but isn’t preachy about it.

-Peni has an ultra-secret candy stash hidden… somewhere.

-Her hobbies include J-pop and manga (she’s recently gotten into Boys’ and Girls’ Love).

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Genius-Level Intellect: Peni Parker is extremely intelligent, mostly regarding her exceptional scientific, engineering, and hacking skills. 

Scientist: A wunderkind prodigy, she is remarkably skilled and knowledgeable in a wide range of scientific fields.

Engineer: Peni takes great pride in her engineering intelligence, which has enabled her to create upgrades for her SP//dr armor and even invent an inter-dimensional teleportation device.

Expert Hacker

SP//dr Suit Mk III: A psychically-powered mech suit created by Peni’s father. The SP//dr suit is genetically linked to her, so only Peni may use it. The suit uses magnetically manipulated appendages for versatility, wall-crawling, and enhanced strength, and it can shoot lasers from its fingers and weld various metals. Additionally, wrist-mounted web shooters built into the SP//dr suit allow it to web-swing between buildings and entrap enemies. The suit is shielded against radiation, biological, chemical, corrosive, and electrical attacks. In the cockpit, there is an on-board computer operating system that aids Peni in accessing the internet, providing background information, and connecting with (or hacking into) other devices. The inside also has a snack compartment.

-Web Cluster Cannons: Shoulder-mounted cannons that rapidly fire web pellets. -Arachno-Mines: Tiny, spider-shaped devices deployed by the SP//dr suit. They can be attached to almost any surface, and they explode in a burst of specialized web fluid that ensnares enemies. -Spider-Drone: An advanced, long-range stealth drone equipped with a camera for spying and scouting. The drone can also be helpful when fighting large groups of enemies; at Peni’s discretion, it can discharge a beam of electricity that stuns foes.

Bilingualism: Peni speaks Japanese and English.

Expert pilot: Peni’s piloting abilities have advanced to the point where the SP//dr suit feels like an extension of her body.

Psychic link: Peni allowed herself to be bitten by the SP//dr spider—a radioactive, sentient spider (whom she refers to as her best friend) acting as one half of the CPU that makes the SP//dr suit work. Beyond piloting the suit, the spider shares thoughts and emotions with Peni.

Spider-Sense: Through her psychic connection, Peni possesses a precognitive "spider" sense that warns her of potential immediate danger.

🕷️ 🕷️ 🕷️

[mirroredmemoriez]

Amanda Young style and fem whatnot thoughts

Once again here to speak my thoughts that nobody asked for because I love documenting my brain which I have to boot up like a chainsaw. I've spoken about Amanda's appearance before! Going over her outfits throughout the franchise and such and how I believe it kinda symbolises the stages she's at- I am in the firm belief her cutting her hair was almost like a rebirth for example.

However, right now I'm looking at the ''gender representation'' and stylisation side I guess? Which, I want to state- These are my opinions and thoughts and are by no way to say I'm like the only CORRECT view and anyone else's interpretation of Amanda that's different to mine is wrong, because I like seeing everyone's various takes on her character. With that said! I see Amanda as somebody who tries to be feminine, but can't express it truly how she wants? Down to factors such as she can't afford certain things like makeup accessories, and that she needs to have more of a practical wardrobe whilst being an apprentice. Oh! Also having to hide her identity at times. (I also want to slide in the fact that I don't think she's hyper feminine or masculine, honestly? She's just Amanda really, I wouldn't personally put a label on it when it comes to that.)

The first look we get of Amanda, she's in a way more revealing outfit than her future ones whilst working under John. This could just be her style, which to a certain degree I agree on... However there also could be an aspect of performative femininity, seeing as she's not ''reformed'' at this point and it's suggested in the Saw wiki that she has prostituted herself to be able to fund her drug addiction before. Basically, catering to the male gaze to get what she wants. She's wearing a cut off shirt which exposes her shoulders and collar area a lot, something we don't see again until Saw 3- And even then it's still not as cut off as the purple one. Amanda also has fishnets, a skirt and boots on. If I had to say how I view Amanda' style myself, I'd go with Hot Topic thief and or something alternative like ''grungy.'' We've also got the fact she has black nail polish on, eyeliner and more curled out hair- Even when she grows it back, it's not as wavy as it's seen here, so it's possible she's either just heavily dishevelled or she purposely has maybe curled it out a little. Once again, this could possibly be her trying to look more appealing to others by ''grooming'' herself better. However, I also think she wants to just for herself really.

Now, we've got her Saw X look, which to me is the most heavily influenced by John. Amanda has cut off her hair to I guess kinda a pixie-bob cut? A big leap from her previous haircut which had it falling at least over her shoulders if not longer. She's also very bare faced, with no heavily noticeable touches of makeup anywhere to be seen. Her clothes are drastically more practical than her previous outfit. A form fitting shirt, cargo pants and combat boots. The only influence I feel she has on this outfit is the choker and little earring. You can't really blame her for the change though- Amanda just wouldn't be putting time into something like beauty cosmetics or making any fashion statement when she's got shit to do... Y'know like make death traps and kidnap people, activities where the way you look doesn't matter and you wouldn't want your clothes to get caught on something especially.

Before I fully move on to her Saw 2 look, two honourable mentions! These both showcase the fact that nowadays, when Amanda is out and about, she's trying to hide her identity. She can't really draw any attention to herself and that is reflected in what she wears. The Scott Tibbs Documentary look has to be one of my favourites, I love the skull trousers so much and they are definitely something she wears because she likes the LOOK, not just because of ''simplicity.''

(Amanda has them on again in the deleted nightmare scene as well, so it's a recurring piece of her wardrobe.)

(I also think this is her dressing for herself- Compared to her outfits when it comes to the games and abductions)

The pig outfit, though I believe can be slightly stupid at times, due to the fact that it's probably less convenient than whipping on something like a balaclava with a hoodie and a bit more out there visually too- It still does it's main intended job, which is to conceal the identity of the Jigsaw apprentices. With the one I've selected above, this is when Amanda is going to abduct Adam, so obviously this is still pretty early in the timeline? We can see a re-appearance of smudged eye makeup like in her introduction.

TRYING TO GET BACK ON TRACK! Here we have her ''blue'' outfits as I dub them. I'm aware there is a time jump between them, however generally what I have to say for them is the exact same? We can see that Amanda is growing her hair out more and I would say these are very relaxed fits. Saw 2 Amanda has to be one of her most basic outfits I'd say, a plain blue shirt and blue sweatpants to go along with it.... The wiki feet people are going insane too.

WOOOOO! ON TO ANOTHER OF MY FAVOURITE OUTFITS. YOU JUST KNOW SHE STOLE THAT BELT FROM HOT TOPIC I AM SO SORRY! Saw 3 Amanda to me is a mix between something like her look in Saw X and then her look in Saw (2004)- I also love the contrast between it and the Saw 2 look, a blue vs red type feel almost? You're definitely more inclined to see Amanda as intimidating here than in blue. Comparisons aside, let's look at the actual fit this woman has on! Once again, she sports cargo pants with a belt to accompany and combat boots too. The shirt isn't as cut off as the purple one as I stated before, but it leaves a lot of her collar and back area exposed. It's her influence alongside John's- And her almost I wouldn't say rebelling? But defining herself outside of him. If I once again want to go full English teacher analysis... We could make the reach and say that her physically exposing herself is paired with how she emotionally is exposed as well. Her lowest points if you will. BUT! We'll move on from that so I can ramble about some other accessories. Amanda is wearing a gold ring and a watch, nothing too out there but I wanted to point them out seeing as I am covering the WHOLE outfit. Her hair is now at it's original length, once again reinforcing the fact she is almost reverting back to her old style but at the same time redefining it? Hair growth to show personal growth. (Some more honourable mentions.)

Here we have her dress, leather jacket and DBD concept art! First we'll look at the dress. It's honestly really cute to me- The ribbon around her neck just really makes it AMANDA, otherwise there isn't too much to say on the design outside of that and it's colour. Then moving on to the leather jacket, it's something I can definitely see her wearing a lot on top of her other outfits. OK! This is getting super fucking long now, I'll try and finish off soon- I have to say I love the DBD concept art and the in game designs too, I can 100% see where they've taken inspiration from with the outfits. I'm in firm belief Amanda deserves to have her arm sleeves so where they've combined that and the Saw 3 look is URHG YES. I also enjoy their take on her leather look, fleshed out the design more in my opinion. Anyway... If you've somehow gotten all the way down here? Jesus Christ, thanks I guess? I am someone who loves over analysing things and discussing characters/movies like this, so I just couldn't help myself anymore. Oh, and feel free to add on to any of this, whether you agree or disagree! MAL OUT

[sandutita]

i debated whether or not i should make this post since i doubt anyone would even read it or care, but i think i gotta get this off my chest either way.

the absurdity of baldi's basics overwhelms me. it's popularity is so much more massive than i can comprehend. i just imagine this small indie developer who releases a game they made and cannot at all anticipate the magnitude of its upcoming popularity. the difference between one person and millions of them is too much for my brain to comprehend. maybe envy has a bit to do with these feelings of mine. i feel like whether or not your project gets recognition requires 50% skill and 50% luck; luck that people will notice and your stuff will get picked up by the algorithm overlord.

i've been drawing some baldi fanart during these past 4 weeks (and i've also been working on a baldi animation, but that's a whole other thing), but i wouldn't really call myself a BB fan? i've never even played any of the games (i'm REEEALLY pussy when it comes to horror games, even if BB isn't that scary, not nearly as scary as FNAF), literally my only exposure to it is as follows: all of markiplier's baldi gaming videos, the living tombstone's "basics of behaviour" songs (both red and blue versions), axie's "that's what i do" song, and some re-animated versions of those songs. and some shit i've seen on tumblr, too. that's literally it.

so i'm not very educated on the baldi lore at all. i did some browsing of the baldi wiki the other day and HOLY MOTHER OF SHIT THERE'S SO MUCH SHIT. so many different characters, so much bullshit, i can't even begin to understand any of it. it makes me wonder why markiplier didn't play any of the other games, why he only played the first game, the field trip game and baldi's basics plus (excluding the fan-made games). maybe he got sick of it? i dunno but i blame him for my ignorance, he should've played all of the games so i could know more baldi lore /s

there's this constant nagging voice in the back of my head saying that because i don't know enough baldi lore that i shouldn't even be making art or animations about baldi. it's a feeling i've struggled with to some extent every time i've gone through a fanart phase of some sort like this. but i fight back by thinking to myself: "i don't need to know everything about the lore because the concept of baldi and his schoolhouse alone have inspired me to create my own version of baldi's basics, something that i can mold and shape to my own liking", which i have been doing! i want to bring a different side to this, something dark and bleak, a tragic situation caused by extortion and mental instability, causing the deaths of several children. or something.

i'm not even thinking about it too much. i've realized that i always overthink things and end up not going through with my plans because i drag it on for too long, so now i am going to try to not worry too much about everything making sense, and just make the art that i want to make. no procrastination, no overthinking, just making.

i love my pathetic bald man, wearing his green sweater and holding onto his ruler for dear life like he's gonna die if he drops it. i love his blatant disregard for the safety of his pupils, i love the murderous look in his eyes and the hatred and fear in his heart. i also love it when he looks confused, but i already mentioned that in my art blog. go check out my art blog!!

[yanderes-galore]

If I'm not too late to the party, can I request a yandere concept for Daan (fear and hunger)?

I'd love to write more for Funger, yeah! Moonscorched timer not mentioned.

Yandere! Daan/Daniël Concept

Pairing: Platonic -> Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Trauma, Overprotective behavior, Depression, Murder, Violence, Jealousy, Fear of loss, Slight possessive behavior, Mentioned drinking, Blood, Religious themes/Cults, Forced/Dubious relationship.

As I have not played the game myself, I had to scour Youtube for Daan's interactions and I also found a wiki for his personality.

Honestly? He is one of the sadder characters.

He essentially grew up alone since the age of 13 due to his parents being part of the Sylvian cult.

He was originally once in love and learning to be a doctor after being taken in later on in his life.

Then he was drafted to war and came back to his family dead.

The reason he came to Prehevil was to try and find a reason for why his wife and mentor were killed.

He's a man cloaked in depression and mostly is seen alone while trying to investigate the town.

When he can he is kind to those who need it, yet he is a man followed by demons.

He has knowledge in the occult and medicine and is shown to be protective of younger characters like Levi and Marina most likely due to his own trauma.

There's a good chance as a contestant you meet him by chance.

Daan is most likely diagnosing bodies of Moonscorched villagers when you find him.

He takes note of your hesitancy yet can tell you don't really want to be alone in a place like this.

He can't blame you... so conversation between you starts.

Daan works as both a platonic and romantic yandere.

He most likely starts as platonic as he is still grieving the loss of his wife.

Daan would be protective like he is with younger contestants.

Even if you were 21 or even a little younger than him instead of 18 he shows the trait.

Daan is a yandere who doesn't want his darling to suffer or go through pain.

He knows what it's like and would try to prevent it due to him being compassionate.

Daan doesn't mind the fact you came to speak with him while he was investigating.

He likes that you offered to help, even if it's just because you didn't want to be alone.

His obsession is slow acting as he is wary of being close with anyone here but he does prove to be a helpful companion.

Your discussions are often of theories of what could've happened in Prehevil.

You even learn facts about the occult from Daan along with basic medical knowledge.

Your companionship starts pretty basic, partners for survival and investigation.

Sometimes you two share info about your past in private.

Daan appears hesitant to share at first but eventually he reveals to you about why he lost his eye and his past/reasons for being here.

You show sympathy, something he doesn't feel he needs but appreciates.

During him being bartender, if you confirm you're of age, Daan doesn't mind offering to make your favorite drink to ease the nerves.

Or if you just don't prefer alcohol he can find something else.

Daan, despite his past, would be very caring towards you.

If you're ever injured or infected with something from Prehevil he'll look into treating you.

Just because he has no official license does not mean he's clueless in what he's doing.

He'll patch you up and keep an eye on you.

Daan can be rude and callous at times, usually aimed at Karin for her theories, yet he'll be nicer around you.

Many contestants can tell you and Daan are a close pair.

Some even make rumors you're closer than many think.

Daan ignores such rumors for the most part as he's still sore about the murder of his loved ones and just...

You probably don't deserve all the baggage he carries.

Despite this, the thought does linger in his mind the longer you're around.

When he looks at you and how eager you are to help him, he feels his heart melt a little.

It's a familiar feeling.

You don't mind him venting and you keep him company.

Maybe it's just the lingering depression that's making him desperate but he does yearn for what he had before.

His normal behavior takes a shift when he begins to consider what he could have with you.

He begins to be a bit more physical with you to try and test the waters.

Pats on the back, arm around the shoulders, full on hugs...

If you're receptive to this he'll go further and further.

When you start showing resistance he backs off to not scare you.

Daan may show possessive behavior due to his potential Moonscorched form.

For the most part Daan is overly protective and caring towards you.

He no doubt has PTSD and fears the idea of losing you.

He fears he'll hurt you if he becomes a monster and he fears you'll die in front of him.

He watches your health like a hawk and never lets you out of his sight.

Even though Daan is skilled in mixology I doubt he'd use alcohol to manipulate you.

He cares for you too much for that and, like I said before, hates the idea of hurting you.

If anything Daan wants to prevent you from going through the same trauma he went through, similar to Levi.

Daan has experience in romantic relationships and would be sweet with you once he gets there.

He's slow to make romantic due to his past but once he's there?

He has you in an iron grip, like claws digging into your back.

He's jealous of other contestants at times and appears possessive due to his fear of losing you like his wife.

It could just be Rher's influence, maybe even Pocketcat...

But Daan finds himself wanting to make the other contestants bleed for you.

If he doesn't do something, they will.

If he doesn't kill them, you'll die.

He just hates the look you give him when you see him covered in blood.

He promised he'd never hurt you... look at him now.

The normally compassionate yet sometimes callous doctor surrounded by death as he looks at you with strange eyes.

Are they slits? Why does the moonlight make it seem like they're glowing?

Daan understands you're scared of him.

Who wouldn't be?

But he couldn't lose the love of his life yet again.

So maybe he'll embrace being a monster if it means the pain goes away... and he gets what he wants.

[death-in-a-handbasket]

Edgar anon is back (＾ω＾) I'm still learning details about Edgar's backstory, it's definitely good to read into his stuff so I can't add much to my thoughts from there and won't elaborate too too much. He was extremely talented from a young age and receive the attention and praises from his family and people around him, but he had grown up to find he does not share the same views on art with anyone around him, including his mentor in his childhood who he refers to as a fraud and that nobody around him is worthy of discussing art with him ^^

He is portrayed as very stubborn, snobby and rude ,, which i *despise* how people either erase that from his personality, or make him change as soon as it comes to sexual exchanges. He feels as though everyone is below him so I see no reason why that wouldn't carry over to his intimate life yknow? Nothing wrong with being a pillow princess but every time someone erases big aspects of personality for their 'soft femboy edgar' I want to jump out a window

I don't know if I think he'd be a top by traditional standards, but definitely the dominant one. Power bottom or something, i don't know, just in charge. He has an ego and I feel hed love to feed it by having someone who'd listen to whatever he said even if it was mean/humiliating, so yeah definitely mean if anything. I think he'd like the power dynamic of having someone of higher status/taller height/stronger submit to him.

I also think he'd be into bloodplay, it's pretty much almost explicitly stated he started making paintings with his own blood and went to the manor to find and use other people's.

Aghh I have to go back to work but I will be back to talk about more if you'd like! Sorry I couldn't elaborate on much rn

no worries anon! sorry it took me a bit to answer this, I was finishing up the last of my finals when this came in and I had to lock in and study x.x but a 95 on on both of my last 2 finals was well worth it 🙌‼️ so slayyy also I wanted to sit down and read Edgar's wiki page proper so I could get a sex reading on him before viewing your take 👍

now that i have done that, I must say I do agree, he has a rude streak, not that it's entirely unwarranted, his family did die around him out of illness and negligence so I can't blame him for being distrusting in those around him. Whether his mentor was actually a fraud and whether the people around him were genuinely buttering him up because they wanted money and not because they liked his art....well jury is still out on that, unreliable narrators are a dime a dozen in this media so I'm hesitant to put full faith in his view of people and not just the ramblings of someone both paranoid and arrogant.

I digress though he does read as having quite the superiority complex with a for sure aura of judgement about him, so when people make him a bottom in canon x canon fics that just makes me feel that they want to humble that man professionally, in that case just write an x reader fic because I doubt his trust issues and personal arrogance would have him submitting to ANYONE in canon. soft femboy Edgar my ass. that guy's verbal jabs could kill a man, they just saw a guy who was vaguely twinkish and decided he was a whimpery sub. [LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER] hey fandom at large. did you know feminine/twink looking men can dom. or are we just going to act massively stupid and hit them with the fem = bottom stereotype. I feel like this is also a large indicator that people are NOT reading the lore. bullshit. they do this to Luca too who is also rude and stubborn himself. sighs head in hands

anyways !!!!! I fully salute your Edgar truth and think he would be into all sorts of powerplay, and his degradation would cut like a knife for sure for sure. I think with his whole thing of hating flattery because he thinks people are lying I think he would find it strangely enthralling to be insulted, like an argument could serve as foreplay honestly, or perhaps he would like to tame a brat. I could even see him enjoying degrading someone who would worship him as a form of ugly retribution for all the lies.

ALSO AMEN BLOODPLAY LETSGOOOOOO I just know that he makes the finest of cuts and is very precise with it, I mean his og weapon of choice was A LETTER OPENER. he means business.

thank you for sharing anon !! after reading his wiki your takes def make sense and this was so fun to answer :D

[baeddel]

obviously, i'm trying to get my head around things as someone who doesn't ultimately know that much about about Palestine. i went to look at Al-Manar (Hezbollah's news outlet) and they have this article (click) saying that while in the past 'the resistance groups' of Palestine (they don't name Hamas or anyone else) have been forced to be on defense, they have been moving towards a new strategy, an offensive strategy. Al-Jazeera had an analyst on saying something similar, that this was a 'new resistance approach' (click, scroll down a bit), seeing it as a way of sending a message to other Arab states that have settled into normalized relationships with Israel that they can't have it both ways.

obviously Al-Jazeera and Al-Manar both have a specific point of view on Palestine, but i wondered how much it was true that Hamas were building towards a new kind of strategy that the rocket attack (by the way, what Iron Dome?) was an expression of, and what reasons would underlie that change. one condition is obviously the availability of rockets, something Hamas didn't always have (if this wiki article is correct, click, the last suicide bombing on Israel was 7 years ago and there were only two in the 2010s; i feel that this is a big change, not just strategically; doesn't it allow for a big change in the kind of relationship you can have between an organization and the people it wants to represent when it no longer needs to convince young people to kill themselves to carry out operations? access to rockets must come with access to new civic modes as well).

i remembered an article by Haaretz (a left/liberal Israeli newspaper; unfortunately i can't find the specific article again—i posted it on this blog but tumblr's search is awful) from years ago about the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, where they said that the IDF were blindsided by Hezbollah because the IDF had transformed itself into a counter-insurgency force to deal with Palestine and were unable to cope with Hezbollah's conventional military, taking the view that it may be impossible to have an army that can effectively cope with both insurgent 'small wars' and conventional militaries. since then we've seen the US transition from being COIN-oriented to 'Great Power Conflict' oriented, at least according to a lot of media (see WSJ, click). i was reminded of it because of the theme of the shifting approaches to war in the region.

i went to look Haaretz today to see what their view was; they seem to mostly focus on the Israeli dead and the threat Hamas pose to Israel. i am not sure what their real position is; on the one hand they're ultimately an Israeli paper so that bias isn't unsurprising, but i appreciate that they also probably can't publish treason during a war, so you can suspect timidity. one article has the headline "Israel Must Smash Hamas" (click). but the very next word is "But..."—as if to say, 'of course we support the war, we only wish it was a just one.' their rhetorical strategy is to start off talking about the cost to Israeli lives, especially civilians, but then to redirect the discussion towards Israel's internal politics, to say that this wouldn't have happened if the Israeli government hadn't mismanaged its handling of Palestine, that the government is full of corruption and that they can't effectively respond to the threat that Palestine poses. i realized that the article on the Israel-Hezbollah war was actually saying the same thing; it blames the situation on the transformation of the IDF and so forth. in this article they first blame it on the government's creation of the division between Gaza and the West Bank, their unwillingness to recognize any Palestinian authority, and their unwillingless to work towards a peace process that might have "required territorial compromise in the West Bank."

but then they blame it on Netanyahu's corruption, saying that he appointed incapable people to the positions of Minister of National Security and Minister of National Defence because they were his personal allies, and that their reforms have "severely weakened the IDF." in contrast to the Arab outlets Haaretz' analysis effaces Palestinian agency, which is actually a familiar motif to me as a radical in the West who supports the Palestinian resistance. everyone talks about Israeli settlerism, Israeli rockets, Israel's sanctions and so forth, and are happy to attribute full causal powers to these things. this is because it's necessary to convince people (and renew their conviction that) Israel is the enemy, but i think there's also a certain timidity about acknowledging Palestinian agency for various reasons (you don't agree with Hamas about anything except that Palestine should be free, you don't want to support the killing of civilians, and you don't know what relationship ordinary Palestinians have with Hamas). but Haaretz take a view that i have never seen before and which is probably very uncommon outside of Israel, which is that the IDF are actually weak and mismanaged and that's the problem, and that the situation could be better if they had a left-wing government with competent leadership committed to peaceful negotiations, and that political changes in Israel are the step forward.

[theprotagonistisdead]

The Spuffy Hotlist (according to Me)

Most of these are Spuffy episodes, some (especially the ones from Season 4) are episodes with a b-plot that is centered on Spike, and aren’t necessarily Spuffy-centered. The descriptions are partly taken from the Buffy Wiki and then changed a bit.

also tagging @me-and-snails

S2E3 School Hard – Spike and Drusilla visit Sunnydale for the Night of Saint Vigeous, the holy night of attack.

S2E10 What’s My Line? Part 2 – Buffy drops an organ on Spike.

S2E22 Becoming, Part 2 – Spike offers a temporary alliance to Buffy.

S3E8 Lovers Walk – After Drusilla has broken up with him, a broken Spike returns to Sunnydale to punish everyone to blame, especially Angel.

S4E8 Pangs – Spike tries to get help from the Scoobies after The Initiative has put a chip into his head and is taken in by Giles.

S4E9 Something Blue – Willow’s spell goes badly, making Buffy and Spike fall in love and get engaged.

S4E11 Doomed – Spike has lost his will to live without his ability to kill due to the chip in his head, but grows heartened by the approaching end of the world as the Hellmouth has reopened.

S4E14 Goodbye Iowa – Spike has become an outcast among demons since he has taken up with the Scoobies.

S4E20 The Yoko Factor – Spike joins forces with Adam and devises a plan to tear Buffy from her friends, leaving her wide open for an attack.

S4E4 Out Of My Mind – When Riley stubbornly refuses help for his physical aftereffects of Initiative drugs and goes into hiding, Buffy turns to Spike for help, but he takes her situation for his own plot to rid himself of her once and for all.

S5E7 Fool for Love – In an effort to learn about Slayers’ final battles after having gotten hurt, Buffy forces Spike to tell her how he killed two Slayers.

S5E10 Into the Woods – Spike exposes Riley’s letting vampires suck his blood to Buffy.

S5E14 Crush – Buffy’s rejection of his love sends Spike back into Drusilla’s arms, who is set on returning him to his killer ways.

S5E15 I Was Made to Love You – Spike is thrown through a window by a heartbroken young woman/robot.

S5E17 Forever – Spike decides to help Dawn, who is trying to resurrect her mother, Joyce.

S5E18 Intervention – Believing he is The Key, Glory kidnaps and tortures Spike, but he decides not to tell her about Dawn. As a thank you, Buffy kisses him.

S5E20 Spiral – Spike helps the Scoobies protect Dawn and flee from Glory.

S5E22 The Gift – Spike protects Dawn from Glory’s ritual because he’s “made a promise to a lady.”

S6E1 Bargaining, Part 1 – Spike still takes care of Dawn, even after Buffy’s death.

S6E3 After Life – Buffy opens up to Spike about what happened to her while she was dead, something she feels she is unable to tell her friends.

S6E4 Flooded – In a quiet moment, Buffy and Spike sit on the porch and talk about life and money.

S6E7 Once More, With Feeling – A demon makes the citizens of Sunnydale break into song and Spike sings about their complicated relationship and that she should stay away if she can’t decide what they should be.

S6E9 Smashed – Spike realizes he can fight Buffy. The two fight; but as tensions rise, the two kiss and sleep with each other.

S6E10 Wrecked – Buffy is disgusted with herself after having slept with Spike.

S611 Gone – A social services worker believes that Spike is Buffy’s boyfriend. Later, Buffy is hit by an invisibility gun, which gives her a sense of freedom and she goes to sleep with Spike while invisible.

S6E12 Doublemeat Palace – Buffy starts working at a fast-food restaurant and after Spike annoys her at work, she sleeps with him during her break.

S6E13 Dead Things – Buffy is framed for murder by Warren, Andrew and Jonathan, making her believe she has actually killed an innocent person. Spike tries to convince her she didn’t kill anyone by making the body disappear, even though he had attacked her earlier.

S615 As You Were – Riley comes back to Sunnydale to recruit her to fight a demon. Accidentally, he stumbles onto Buffy and Spike sleeping with each other. However, Buffy decides to break things off with Spike at the end of the episode.

S6E19 Seeing Red – Spike tries to assault Buffy, but she fights him off.

S6E21 Two to Go – Spike starts fighting to get his soul back.

S6E22 Grave – Spike manages to get his soul back.

S7E1 Lessons – Spike appears in the basement of the rebuilt Sunnydale High School but appears to have gone mad.

S7E2 Beneath You – Spike, even though still mad, reveals to Buffy he’s gotten his soul back.

S7E8 Sleeper – Buffy fears that Spike has been killing people again and finds out that he can’t remember what happened, but switches from good to evil, again and again.

S7E9 Never Leave Me – Spike is tied up in the Summers’ house, but is later taken by the First’s lackeys.

S7E10 Bring On The Night – Spike is being kept prisoner by the First, who tortures him by appearing to him as Drusilla and Buffy.

S7E11 Showtime – Buffy rescues Spike from the First.

S7E12 Potential – Buffy and Spike train the Potentials.

S7E13 The Killer in Me – Spike’s chip malfunctions, and he ad Bufy have to find a way to help him.

S7E15 Get It Done – Spike kills a demon to get Buffy back to the present.

S7E16 Storyteller – Andrew documents what is happening for future generations and Buffy and Spike get a big romantic introduction in his story.

S7E17 Lies My Parents Told Me – A solution to Spike’s trigger is found, but Giles and Principal Wood decide to try to kill him.

S7E20 Touched – Buffy is demoted from leadership by the Potentials and throw out of the house. Spike is the only one who stands up for her and comforts her in an abandoned house.

S7E22 Chosen – Spike sacrifices himself to close the Hellmouth, but not before Buffy tells him she loves him.

[recentadultburnout]

Info for writer in Thai series fandom : Chapter 19 Mythical creatures

As the title says, this chapter will be about mythical creatures, specifically Himmaphan's creatures. There are a lot of himmaphan's creatures, some more popular than others. In this chapter, I won't list all of them here, just some, and I will just do a quick introduction and some random points I can think of, not their full myth.

The link below is to the Wikipedia page for Himmaphan. In there, there are also links to some of the himmaphan's creatures too. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himavanta

This mythology is pretty famous and known across many regions, so there are a lot of resources in English already. So I think, just after a short introduction, anyone who is interested will be able to get more information quite easily.

There may be some differences between each region's version of it, but from what I saw, the differences are not that great. Especially if we look at only the character characteristics and not the entire epic.😆👍

นาค  naga

Naga is, in short, a big fantasy snake. There are quite a few types or ranks of them. They have four ways that they can be born. Opapātika, born and grows up immediately. Sansetcha, born from ashes and accumulated matter. Chalapucha, born from the womb. And āṇṭhāca, born from an egg. Water is their element.

Personally, I suspect that some of Nega's tales are of different origins from Himmaphan's tale but got mixed up when cultures merged. And that is the reason why there are so many more tales about them than about other mythical beings. But right now, I'm too lazy to actually drive in and try to verify that theory.

ordain บวชนาค When a man wants to ordain, there will be a short period during the ordain ceremony when the will gets called naga. The story involved is that back then, when Gotama Buddha was still alive, there was a naga that wanted to be a monk, but, in the end, as one of its requirements was to be human, he couldn't. So we incorporated this into the ceremony to honor him. There is a step in the ceremony where the person who is ordain has to confirm that he is, in fact, a human, too.

Water amount There is a belief that rain and water come from nagas, and the amount of water we get each year is determined by how many nagas are in charge of giving it. The more naga, the less water, because when there are more nagas, they start to be unwilling to do the work and want to push the burden on others. The maximum number of naga is seven per year.

Nakee is a pretty iconic drama about Naga. I never fully watched it, but if you are interested in Naga, this drama might be a good choice.

ครุฑ  Garuda

Garuda's appearance is part bird, part human, with a human's torso and arms and a bird's head, wings, and legs.

Garuda is a sibling of a different mother of Naga and an enemy. Their mothers are also siblings and enemies. In fact, the reason why Garuda and Naga are enemies is because their mothers made it that way. There is a lot of family conflict in this story. Garuda also eats Naga.

Garuda is one of the king's symbols. Culturally, the king is an avatar of Narayana, and Garuda is Narayana's vehicle.

(I tried to translate the word for this concept, สมมุติเทพ, but it seems like there isn't any word in English that fits.)

Queen Kakati กากี

Garuda Is one of the important characters in a famous tale about Queen Kakati. The story is that Garuda disguises himself as a man and goes to play a game with a king, and when he sees the king's wife, Queen Kakati, he wants her. So then he kidnaps her and brings her to his Chimplee Palace.

He slept with her there, and then one other guy also slept with her there. So the name Chimplee occasionally got used to hint at sexual things.

The name of the heroine also gets used for slut-shaming.

Just a warning if you want to read the whole thing. The story is heavily victim-blaming. All the guys in this story are trash, at least in the Thai version.

กินนร kinnon

Kinnon is described as a half-bird, half-human creature, or a creature with a human-like body but with detachable wings and tail.

Kinnari and kinnara are words that are also used to refer to the same mythical creatures.

We have a lot of variant words for each Himmaphan's creatures, actually. I think it's for poetry.

Suthon and Manora

Suthon and Manora is one of the stories that features Kinnon. Manora, the female protagonist, is a kinnari. She got captured one day when she removed her wings and tail during her bath with her sisters. After that, she met and fell in love with Prince Suthon. But later, Prince Suthon's family wronged her, making her flee back home. This tale is linked to the other tale. It says that Suthon and Manora's past lives are Phra Rod and Meree.

ปลาอานนท์  Anon fish

A giant fish that can cause an earthquake when it turns over.

นารีผล  Nariphon

Naripon is composed of two words: Nari (woman) and Phon (fruit). It is a fruit that resembles a beautiful girl. They have 7 days before they rot away.

คนธรรพ์  Gandharvas

Heavenly musicians and singers. Servant of a greater deity. They are pretty flirtatious beings and like to take a ripe nariphon for themselves.

I feel like they are always the asshole in every tale they feature.

นกหัสดีลิงค์  Hatsadiling

It looks mostly like a bird, but its beak looks like an elephant's trunk. The Hatsadiling is often used for decoration in cremation ceremonies because it is believed that it can carry the soul of the deceased to heaven.

There is evidence of the use of the Hatsadiling-shaped crematorium in the Lanna and Lan Chang cultures. But in Ubon Ratchathani, there is a specific tradition where they will have a person act as Sita performs the traditional Hatsadiling bird-killing ceremony.

There are a few versions of the tale that influence this tradition, but the highlight is that the woman named Sita kills a hatsadiling that has been causing trouble via arrow.

มอม  mom

The Mom creature looks similar to a mixture of many animals, including dogs, cats, geckos, lizards, monkeys, tigers, etc. It has long arms and a long, stretched body similar to that of a reptile. The color of the body will vary depending on the artist. This creature is prominent in Lanna art.

มกร  Makorn or Makara

It's statue is usually in a state of spitting something out of its mouth. It's look pretty similar to Hera. Often got mixed up with Hera. Some sources say that it IS the same creature as Hera, just an alternative name. 

เหรา   Hera

A mix of naga and (Chinese?) dragon, or a crocodile-like creature. It has four feet, and its face has both fins and a crest. It is sometimes described as a different mix, like with Garuda or a horse.

It's tale is that it tries to eat a naga but fails....

There is a statue of Mom and Hera that went viral awhile ago. It's an amateur DIY cement stair railing by a monk. It came out looking very adorable. they even got fan art and goods.

^Mom

^Hera

^The good in question.

สิงห์  lion

There are four types of lion-like creatures in the Himmaphan universe. (Not included the lion mix with other creatures.)

Kraisorn Rajasribody is white like conch shell. Mouth, belly, and feet are red like it is painted with cinnabar mixed with mercury and sulfur dissolved in lac water. Live in a gold or glass cave. It is faster than sound and has a voice as loud as thunder.

Kala Sriha is black and despises being a lion-like creature. It is an herbivore. Not that it is harmless, though.

Tinna Sriha has a red body like the legs of a pigeon and is as big as a bull. Also an herbivore. Tinna means grass.

Bantu Rajasribody is like the color of a yellow leaf. This one is carnivorous.

We use them in government logos, and some of the universities (4) have them as Faculty of Political Science logos. Each university uses a different one.

I found this website when I searched for the English spelling of Kraisorn Rajasri, and it is amazing. So this chapter ends here, lol.

And this website is for art that was created for the King Rama 9 funeral.

https://phramerumas.finearts.go.th/group-items.php?grpID=15

^ from the Fine Arts Department

^ from the Thailand Foundation

Index

[pridewishes]

i wanna try to get into enstars bc i like pjsk (even tho i am so bad at it) and also am gay but i find it overwhelming and confusing can u give me some tips or something

Absolutely, I will do my best to help! It's very, very overwhelming and a lot so I don't blame you at all! I'll put everything under a cut because I'm autistic and very excited and have a Lot of links and things!

First, absolutely watch the Enstars anime. This will go over the main points / ideas of the Main Story of the first game (aka ! era). Strongly recommend watching in sub because the dub isn't very good.

Then, watch Element. This goes over the Element Arc of ! Era Main Story. They cover this in the main anime but not as good.

There's also a movie, which I have but I don't have a link for it. If you'd like the download + subtitle file for it, just shoot me an ask or dm me at @shinobukawajiri and I can help out! But it's not super lore important or anything so don't worry.

Alright! So you've seen the anime! Now you can get into the music. You could also listen to songs before the anime, really whatever you want! For this, I'd suggest going to the wiki and picking a Unit! Check out their discography, which you can view from their wiki page and give the songs a listen. You can find all of them on YT! I'd definitely listen to a couple songs from all units to get a feel because they all have very different sounds! If there's a music genre you like let me know, and I can recommend some songs / units! There's also some Temporary Units + Shuffle Units, which have music as well that you can listen to! If you'd like some recommendations, lmk!

Now, after viewing the anime, and listening to songs, pick a Unit or some characters you like and focus on stories for them! Since there's a lot of stories it's better to just pick some favorites and go from there. Crazy:B and Alkaloid were introduced in !! era / the second game, so you won't see them in the anime, if they're of interest to you. Here is a guide for important stories from the first game for the characters in that.

To access stories for the first game / ! Era, you'll have to use the wayback machine, or you can just look up (story name) tl / translation on Google, and you should usually be able to find what you need, since they were forced to take down any tls on the wiki.

Now, there's two games as I've established. The first game is completely in Japanese, and I'd rely on Story translations from the wayback machine wiki. As for the new game, you can play in English! It's accessible from the appstore, but remember, this takes place AFTER the other game! You absolutely do not have to know all the lore / read all the stories or anything to play! I'm just mega autistic so lmao. But the English version of Enstars Music doesn't have the best translations, but it is more accessible. Though, if you become super invested like me and my partner, you can absolutely download the Japanese version of the game!

There's lots of people on Twitter who translate and things for the stories + general game things and id be happy to direct to them if you find yourself super enjoying the Series!

Basically it is VERY difficult bc there's also drama cds, stageplays, manga, but finding things translated or just finding them can take work but ofc all that isn't required. In general just have fun!!! Don't be deterred and like I said I'm more than happy to help find things or whatever anyone needs! Since my partner has been more invested for longer than me, we both can do our best to help!!

Also a note from said partner ;

to my wife’s autism anon: i am also autistic . enstars has been my favorite thing in the entire world since the ripe and beautiful year of 2019. this source is beautiful , fun , indulgent , deep as all hell , and So So So much to unpack . there is no such thing as a background character in enstars . there are 50 characters who are all so deeply fleshed out and have so much content and backstory to them so i am absolutely certain you will find somebody that appeals to you . enstars can have some pretty heavy topics at times it’s not your run of the mill happy idol franchise, but if you like project sekai (which i also LOVE) you will Love enstars . the game is so much fun , the characters are so deep and interesting and real , the stories are engaging and silly and wonderful, you will love it. you Have to. for me . stan knights

[sonadowwiki]

”Hard work” no one prompted you to do. You did this for entertainment and I don’t think anyone online is entitled to any type of “respect” or “fairness.” She got whatever from you. You and other fans got whatever from Sonic franchise. Commissions and all. Pretty sure founders of the franchise "worked hard” on that, but you don’t see them whining about it. It’s a chain. There is no originality. If you’re so hellbent on it, try taking it to court, which I doubt you’ll have a real case with. I’d rather do this over involving others since I’m the one with the main problem. 

“Fairness,” laughable. Since when was there ever real fairness in life, let alone the internet? Last time I checked, none. 

Why do I care? Why do you get to care and I don’t? That’s the implication I’m getting. I’m not the one who posted and pinned this long post pinned a long “awareness” post about it against one specific person all because you didn’t get what you want and couldn’t rely on the clout you already have. “Admitted” injustice from her? Okay, let me clarify and admit you both straight up suck in different ways. For her it’s not exactly the same way you’re thinking, though it’s not about Sonadow. I’m neutral about the ship. For you, I think you get the idea.

If you think my way of expressing opposition which I’m sure anyone can be harsher about is “aggressive” “rude,” and “gaslighting,” you’re clearly exaggerating. Turn off anonymous asks if you think I’m "insecure" and that it’s indecent having an opposing opinion and someone like myself can suspect that you seem like the type to start some more petty awareness raising against me because of my oh-so indecent opinion because I’m not one of those who are willing to kiss your behind over anything pathetic like this. 

Your answer shows what kind of person you are. All you're doing is just pushing the blame on everything else to try to justify yourself and your actions despite still being a coward and hiding behind being anonymous. Whether we have them open or not, still shows that you chose to be a coward and attack someone without trying to get your reputation ruined. You cared so much about reputation that you can't even fight us head on with a name attached through your own choice.

We do fight for what the company actually wants, whether you know that or not. And unlike the video creator, we make sure to credit everyone on the wiki. We put every link, and even link fan artists that are shown in images connected to officials. So unlike what you're trying to claim, we do respect the company and others by trying to credit each person fairly.

If you choose not to be fair, even on the internet, then that shows that you don't want to take that effort to be a decent person. You even coming out of your way to bully and harass someone in anonymous messages shows that you're not a decent person. You're just selfish in your own way and want to justify what fits your narrative. Someone like you defending people isn't a good look and nothing you said proves that her actions are not unjust.

Instead of answering the question, you ask a question back that leads to nothing. That doesn't answer why you specifically care about this issue enough to go to us and be rude and disrespectful as an anonymous person. It's not saying that we get to care while you don't, it's questioning why you go these lengths unless you're involved with the people who were unjust. And I question why you care even more as someone who isn't even a fan of the ship or the creator in the first place. Why go these lengths?

Again I will remind you we don't have clout. People may look at our things, but that's it. Telling people of others' misdeeds is not something that really has to do with you specifically unless you're part of the group that helped with it. Therefore your anger and bullying doesn't really make sense. Perhaps you're just into causing drama.

I think you need to remember that you're the one who came to bother us and get involved, whether you're anonymous or not. Trying to blame us for your actions is childish, especially when we talk back to defend ourselves against your intimidation, harassment and disrespect. If you don't want to be responded to, then don't make a comment in the first place.

You also use strawman arguments just to have confirmation bias towards your narrative. This is about an unjust action from a user towards us. Other users were more respectful and know school 101 to cite their sources. Just because someone is doing something wrong and you think that it's normal, doesn't mean that it's okay. Therefore, we showed the unjust actions of the person because what she did wasn't right. Simple.

We're not asking you to kiss up to us. We are only responding with what is morally right. You don't just have "a different opinion," you're being disrespectful to try to push your "opinion" on us or change us through your "opinion." In this case, you're projecting what you want to do to us unto us. Also, what you consider an opinion in this situation isn't an "opinion." What you're saying is that we should excuse others' bad actions because you find it okay or that those type of things should be let go. That's not morally right, therefore, that's why we stood up against it. It's like saying that stealing is wrong, whether digitally or physically. Standing up against that isn't wrong or something that should be shamed like you're trying to do to us. It's something you speak up about and tell others of so that change for the better can happen.

Lastly, the reason why we did the wiki isn't for specifically "entertainment." It's mainly because people constantly lie in this fandom. People lie about how characters are, they lie about their relationships, they lie about how they interact with one another. Showing official content was to show others how things really are instead of the fan interpretation they've been lied to with for years. Another reason was to help stop the bullying towards Sonadow because their fans constantly got bullied due to those lies, such as saying that Sonic and Shadow aren't friends, that they fight all the time, that they hate each other, that there's nothing between the two, etc. That's why we show official content to show that that's not the case.

[glapplebloom]

Amazing how a villain is more effective when he’s stoned...

It's Spring Break and the girls are on a Yacht. The same one from that music video. They all want to relax (especially AJ who is boat sick) except for Rainbow Dash. She wants action and is looking for it. Basically the dilemma of being people with powers: you got those who want to have the adventure or you got those who want to finally relax without having lives on the line. 

I’m going to skip most of the story since I’m pretty sure you know what’s gonna happen without even seeing it: the girls want to do something to relax related to them, Rainbow Dash comes in making it hard for them to relax, then shenanigans. Repeat till the next plot point. Though I will highlight one moment from this montage: when Rainbow Dash asks if anyone has seen Bad Magic, they point to the Magic Show Trixie is trying to run. 

But this is the next plot point as Trixie gives Rainbow Dash an idea: “bad magic is in response to a showing of good magic”. So her plan is to get the girls to show off their magic to lure bad magic. Too bad before she can, the girls regroup to reveal that Dash is kind of ruining the trip for them. Here comes Rainbow Dash to suggest they use magic for their concert tonight. Funny discussion about what they consider themselves but I think the youtube version from the official uploads cut off a Rainbow Dash Line.

Other uploads I found, official or not, have that same cut. Even the Wiki Transcript has that cut. I’m pretty sure Rainbow Dash said something about hero up then. But while Dash tries to convince them to use the magic, Sunset decides to talk to her privately. She wanted to be as painless as possible but Dash said she could take it. She couldn’t. Sunset just advises her to not look for trouble when there isn’t one. Rainbow Dash said nothing since we were distracted by Rarity’s current male obsession.

At the concert, it seemed to be going well until the Rainbow Lasers. The lights begin to blow up (like if it was overcharged) and the power of the ship is gone. Rainbow Dash begins to panic people thinking the ship is going down. Twilight goes to fix the ship but Rainbow Dash thinks this is Equestrian Magic. She does have a point that it is very coincidental that 10 seconds after Ponying Up all this happened.

Only Rainbow Dash goes to look as everyone else does their own things. Some for helping get the ship, others shenanigans .So no one is around to see when Rainbow Dash sees a certain symbol in the ocean. One you may recognize if you saw a certain movie in theaters. That’s right, Equestrian Magic is responsible and it's the Storm King’s magic. Sadly, she rushes everyone back at inappropriate times for them and the symbol is gone.

One thing to note: Ragamuffin, the new Rarity Boy Toy, had a father who worked at a coal mine but he wanted to dance. It's just like the play as this takes place after the first Season of Choose Your Endings. Either way, nobody believes Dash and they’re all upset with her. Especially Twilight who planned this entire trip just so they can relax. A funny exchange between Dash and Twilight I want to highlight...

Twilight Sparkle: We're not superheroes! Rainbow Dash: Oh, oh! Excuuuuse me! We're just ordinary girls who have saved the world from complete destruction multiple times! Twilight Sparkle: Uh, yes.

Technically, that would be considered Magical Girls but I would personally count them as superheroes. After Rainbow Dash walks away, most likely to do the lifeboat thing she wanted them to do, the girls are in the dining room trying to relax. Twilight feels sad for being too, meanwhile Sunset blames herself for bringing Equestrian Magic to this world in the first place. So the two help each other feel better and try to find Dash to apologize. 

Too bad they realize she definitely went out there to prove she was right. So Sunset and Twilight go to find her while the others help on the ship. Luckily it wasn’t a long lifeboat ride as they found an island that is most likely where Rainbow Dash is. They couldn’t find her on the shore but a parrot helped them realize she went into the jungle. 

Twilight is not doing so well in the Jungle. Better than Rainbow Dash who is sinking in QuickSand. You would think they would use Twilight’s Telekinesis to lift Dash, but it seems like they don’t have their Geodes with them. Rainbow Dash apologizes and admits there is no Evil Magic. And as she does, a Giant Plant Monster shows up. And NOW Twilight uses her magic. Too bad it's not strong enough to hold back the Plant Monster.

Sunset has a plan thought to escape from the Plant: let the Quicksand take them. Because it turns out it is not Quicksand... It's a portal to Equestria. Equestria Girls Rainbow Dash and Twilight are now ponies in the main MLP Universe. Some take it better than others. Honestly, this is the best part of the special. We wanted to see them interacting with their Pony counterparts and we got at least these two to meet Pony Twilight and Pinkie Pie.

So while our Pony Trio get to have a good time, the rest of the Equestria Girls have to fight off a storm that is getting stronger. It's to the point the others believe Rainbow Dash was right. I’m not going to spoil the Pony side since if there is any reason to see this special, it's this. But while they’re having fun, the others are basically experiencing the Titanic. But once Pony Twilight showed them the Storm King’s staff, that’s when they found out about the real trouble.

They immediately went back to try to help with the Staff in hand. It just took them over 20 minutes to figure out their friends were in danger, but to be fair they were in a completely different universe. And to sum up the rest of the special, the girls saved the day, absorbed the rest of Storm King’s Magic into the staff and saved everyone on the ship. So how do they get back home? Through Equestria...

Overall, it was pretty fun. You just got to sit through Rainbow Dash ruining the trip for everyone before we get to the fun of Equestria. Wish the Mane Six could meet their Human Counterparts, but that’s what Fanfiction is for.