#plus you can LITERALLY see her be effected by the deaths of the others. even after all this time

[zehecatl]

people who say Homura doesn't care about any of the other girls are so funny. like, sorry the traumatized 14 year old has learnt to decompartmentalize her emotions and trauma to the extent she rarely shows any attachment to anyone??

[tridenopmoth]

Continuation of ✨ batshit insane au✨

Everything you will see here was made and designed by Ness or @almostswagkid, we just agreed that I would post it so that it would all be in one place, so please give her some praise and some love.

Gregor is one of the hunters of G corp, who engaged in the extermination of giant bugs flooding almost the entire district. Hunting is conducted not only because of the threat, but because of the resources that can be obtained by killing: Meat, armor and venom (witch is used for research, medicine and weapons).

Hunting groups usually consisted of 3-5 people and are sometimes joined by a couple of scientists for observation and study of the bugs, for better training of hunters and the effect of venom on them. This number of people per group was made on purpose, because otherwise it starts to attract unnecessary attention, as well as, requires more provisions and medicines, which is difficult to achieve in a permanent mobile group, which goes “on the hunt” on average for a month. Hunters have their own hierarchy, which manifests itself in tattoos, and each tattoo has its own meaning: from simple “High survivability” and “For luck” (such tattoo is tattooed in the form of a ladybug) to literally giving out an achievement, like medals of honor (Gregor has just such). Every hunter also gets dragonfly wings on their collarbone when they are trained. Hunters have many peculiar habits that do not allow them to freely blend into society, which makes them shunned by ordinary people

Herman is from a family, that's been studying and hunting bugs for generations so Gregor got into the industry because of Herman and started training and hunting at a very early age. Since he was a child she used him in her experiments to find not only to find an antidote to the venom, but also to find a use for it. Because of this, Gregor is almost immune to bug bites, even if he does get a bite, it will go away in a week. Plus, scars from needles and venom overdose can be seen on his arms.

Soon enough, at the age of 17, he joined another hunter group where he met Tomah. At first they didn't get along but soon enough they became close friends. Tomah often would tell about his plans and dreams, witch made Gregor started to form goals and desires. But, sadly, he got killed on what was supposed to be their last hunting mission

Bites from bugs on others are usually fatal because the venom literally melts the old skin and muscles, and then forms a new, insect-like shell, but the degree of spread of infection and lethality depends on the immunity of each person.

Each swarm has its own queen. That's what the hunters were looking for to stop the bugs spreading. Gregor and a Herman's group killed one of them, for which he became famous. The second, the biggest and most important one, he had killed on his own, when his whole group was killed by the swarm. He was badly hurt, but the spread stopped, upon his return Herman created a prosthetic arm that worked on just the remnants of the mutation. The mutations constantly distill the blood in the prosthetic + filled its cavity with nerves, so Gregor can use it almost freely like a normal hand

The hunting industry began to die because of the death of queens and Gregor was disliked by hunters and humans alike. After a few years of wandering from job to job, he joined Limbus. Prev post "Swap Ishmael"

[blushingdread]

Knowing how the construct and Princess works makes playing the game a fun game of trying to figure out which voice did what to do this

The Razor route becomes even funnier because you're just watching Cheated stack the deck against himself. Like congratulations, you played yourself

Skeptic gets your ass trapped by fucking with the chain on the other side of Prisoner, which was ment to hold her other hand aka the Long Quiet, and THEN he gets you OUT by nitpicking about how the cabin should be changing if time is passing plus not thinking about how our not starving doesnt make sense!! Task failed successfully!!!

Cold is competely unintentionally fighting a one man war to keep the Princess as powerless as possible. All of Cold's Princesses are dead, except for Fury and Stencil. Stencil flicking between alive and dead, which is likely because of Opportunist's and Hero's thoughts being stronger than his, because in Wraith, she just stays dead. In Fury, he comes in late, and Stubbron already doesn't think she can die, so he doesnt effect her much. Cold's insistence that she's dead and easy to kill is at war with Hero's fear of ghosts and the Narrators insistence that she's alive. It's so funny when you realize that he's doing that

I always felt that Adversary!Fury was kinda overreacting. She seemed more disappointed in you. It felt really strange when she went full endless torture when thats kinda out of left field, but she makes so much more sense from Stubborn's pov!! He's the one that's supremely fucked up about the situation, he's the one yelling at Cold for his fucking audacity, he's the one who sees her in a new light after she beats you to death without a weapon when she just seemed scared and wanted to mercy kill you. Stubbon did that!!

Most princesses have a version of themselves but more. Needle to Adversary, Caged to Prisoner, Clarity to Nightmare, Den to Beast, Apotheosis to Tower, Razor, and I would say Wraith to Specter, and that's probably because the first voice you got thoughts were confirmed but now there's a second voice adding details. It's literally just confirmation bias, that's all that's happening here. Its really funny

Anyways i gotta ask what the fuck was going on in Hunted's and Opportunist's heads to make Wild? Like, I assume Hunted was thinking about when Beast dies, they'll return to nature together as one. Creating "We are a path in the woods,", but what the FUCK was oppy thinking to lead to this. Let me inside of your brain freak

[evilminji]

Hey Minji! A thought for your Star Wars things!

Who ever said the SI-OC was the only one to get dumped in SW? Just. A Creche that has several Reincarnations/Transmigrants.

Oh? My god? Just... the FIRST thing that popped into my head? Was the image of one of those "we are so Unbelievably Overworked We No Longer Fear You Nor Death" Sort of office workers/team of workers(nonspecific)?

Just... fuckin EVERYBODY knows Star Wars. Not everybody focused on the same PART of it, but the DO know it. So OBVIOUSLY? The Force decided it should bring in an A Team.

It Did Not ASK the A Team.

They are... like? 4. And sitting in a soft foam, brightly colored Creche, in their lil Jedi rompers, all sitting in a circle, looking at each other like... ( -_-) (-_- ) you too, huh?

Yeeeeeep. (God does Jerry want a cigarette. Jerry gave them up in his 20s. But he's KINDA GOING THROUGH IT, okay?!) (Sarah is hyperventilating in the corner. Her KIDS! Oh GOD. Her KIDS! She was on the way to pick them up from SOCCOR PRACTICE!!!)

Just? This whole ass team of "yeah, we know the LORE, but buddy, pal, we had LIVES! What the FUCK. Star Wars was a HOBBY!" Type adults? No one is happy and everyone wants to choke the metaphysical concept of The Force with their itty, bitty lil baby hands.

They may RIOT.

And like? Do to sheer NUMBERS? They make up ALMOST a full Creche?

Almost.

There is like... one? Maybe two? Actual Jedi Babies™ in their group? It's A Team... plus our collective children. Whom we parent. The MOST baby of babies. Also the spokesperson when they want to fool anyone into thinking they're "normal".

I want Jerry to have a fake cigarette. He's looked up death sticks and like FUCK is he putting that shit in his body, but dear LORD are the oral fixation and mental effects of a past addiction still both real, and a pain in the ASS.

If you try and TAKE his fake ass, hand made, bespoke not-a-cigarette from his itty bitty lil baby hands? He will take your KNEES. These FUCKERS won't even let him have COFFEE. Let him HAVE THIS. *hisses from the walls*

I want them to be ☆~Nightmare Children~☆

They have the power of The Force, various past life skills, an uninterrupted access to the galaxy's BIGGEST LIBRARY, close proximity to FAR too many senator AND their living spaces, and? An actual negative number of fucks to give. They can take shifts. Tag team. Be creepy, horrible, terrible, God awful nightmare creatures climbing out from your WALLS.

Somehow they keep escaping.

Down through the lower temple as they examine the hidden tunnels and escape routes. Through the vents. Forcing other jedi to become VERY familiar with where those pathways are. Sure hope THAT won't someday save your lives! Ya ungrateful, "you're grounded, stop sneaking out younglings" BASTARDS! So rude!!

The camp out in the Corrie Gaurd office. Bring the babies.

Here, you seem stressed, random gaurd. Hold a Jedi Baby. They radiate sunshine and good vibes. Are literally the Anti-Old-Man-Sith. We brought caffeine and food from the temple. Are willing to follow you around like "adorable ducklings" on patrol under the excuse that we're "training" for when we get our own soilders.

Sure is INCONVENIENT for all these asshole senators to has a witness, huh?

You gaurd my back, I'll gaurd yours. And if a certain long neck trips near the stairs? You didn't see SHIT. I'm BABY. How could I POSSIBLY have the control to do that? Now excuse me... we need to practice our "we Jedi Children can stare into your SOOOOOULS, we See All Your Sins." Wide Eyed Unblinking Predator Stare.

(O.O) (O.O) (O.O)

[mari-lair]

Oh ryuuxwq, I have many thoughts. So much so this feels like less of an analysis and more like me embodying this gif:

You have been warned, my thoughts will be below:

The theory Akane died and was rewinded back to life is one I really like, because Akane is the only character in the whole story that has two different bodies, which have been proven to be disconnected from each other (Being stabbed in his keeper form doesn't affect his human body, so it isn't a magical girl transformation. Is a brand new body)and he is arguably not alive in his clock keeper body, since he is not visible to people who aren't near death'

Which is weird, considering we never see these two seemingly disconnected bodies together, there is no "your human body falls asleep when you're in supernatural form" with Akane, no attempt to do the usual "your spirit and your body are different things" which most supernatural mangas do.

Even tbhk consider the soul and the body different things, otherwise Hanako wouldn't be able to possess Nene and 'borrow' her body.

So is not like Akane's soul is forcefully separated from his body when he transforms or that his watch literally gives him a brand new magical body. It's more like Akane time jumps forward to his own death whenever he uses his clock(?) or something equally as suspicious. Time nonsense is involved, that's for sure.

I have a theory that the clock keepers can mess with people's lifespan (said theory doesn't feel as wild as it used to now that we know they have enough power to recreate timelines, effectively changing MANY people's fate) considering Akane used to be a normal human who couldn't see supernaturals (so he wasn't near death) when the keepers were looking for recruits BUT the second Kako decided to form his contract Akane 'conveniently' started seeing them.

It's heavily implied the keepers stopped time when making a contract with Akane and being able to share their power with a human is a power in itself, so their habilities are far vast than the basic "mirai move time forwards and Kako moves it backyards." they are op as hell. Who knows if the flashback ending with Kako's clock means they went back to a time where Aoi was safe or if there is more being done here?

The thing that makes me the most confused is this:

Cause it raises the question "Can Kako rewind Akane's time now that he is an honorary keeper?" I was tempted to say "no, he can't mess with Akane's time" cause why would Mirai sacrifice herself to protect Akane if Kako could heal him as easily as a flick of his watch? I am aware Mirai loves Akane but that seems extreme of Mirai for a staged trial🤨

But if Kako can't mess with Akane's time it would means whatever they did to Akane messed with how he interacts with time itself. Do you know how insane that sounds, especially since his supernatural body grows with his human body (since his supernatural body isn't the body of a 12yo boy, like when he made his contract) everything would become 10 times more confusing if Kako couldn't alter Akane's time (plus, the idea he 'revived' Akane would become impossible)

So I went to the moment you mentioned, the one where Teru talked about Akane's lifespam being affected.

and Teru was wrong here. He had assumed Akane's human body would be badly affected by his wound, unaware both bodies are not connected.

However, both are under the assumption Kako can heal the stab wound.

Which have been proven correct (?) off pages since once the severance was over and Akane got to see the keepers again, he was healed.

He no longer has his stab wound caused by Aoi.

I now have the theory that Kako can rewind Akane's time but whenever he does it, it takes away some of his lifespan.

I think so for two main reasons, first it makes Mirai's sacrifice more serious and understandable.

I understand that Mirai loves Akane but unless there is a scene of Mirai feeling uneased by Akane's pierced and bloody stomach that we are missing, she should not save Akane? She is unbothered by dead or broken bodies, she know Kako for way longer than Akane and clearly love him lots but did not try to save Kako from his staged death, and she likes the idea of turning 'naughty kids' into sand (her rumors is about stealing people's time, and she literally lives with Kako, who can rewind time, so death isn't even relatively permanent to her)

She has always been like that, even Nene's dead didn't stick with her, she could be seen playing with Kako a few pages after the death reveal.

BUT it is important that she isn't as stupid as she acts, she understand the gravity of Nene's situation. She understands humans have lifespans and that even she can't overpower a death set by fate.

So her not wanting Tsukasa to pierce Akane's stomach, because she understands his lifespan would be reduced if Kako rewinded his time makes more sense to me: Even if the trial was a mockery, Akane's body isn't, his injury may be cured but he would have to deal with real consequences.

The second reason is because the theory that Kako's powers reduce people's lifespans would explain why Akane was able to see Kako when Kako needed him to form a contract, despite having enough lifespan to be oblivious to supernaturals before.

However, this paints Kako in a pretty dark light? It would recontextualize Kako's rewinding of the whole school and Akane's anger towards Kako during it all significantly.

It seems extreme??? Especially for keepers that went out of their way to rewind the timeline to save the students and the balance of the world? It also leave many questions about how much control Kako has over people's lifespans, or how much Akane, as a temporary clock keeper, is affected by it compared to other people?

So I'm still firmly putting this on 'cool theory to play with' territory instead of 'prediction' territory.

Regardless, it's clear the keepers are very powerful, especially Kako.

This just makes them pick Akane weirder right? They are powerhouses with the power of time and life on their hands, why pick someone as unremarkable as Akane?

I don't think is a 'you're the chosen one/your blood was in the prophecy' kind of thing. He is genuinely a normal kid of some random family. I don't think he secretly lied, cause Akane was oblivious about supernaturals before his contract and the manga never shows any signs the Aoi family is relevant in any way: No supernatural beauty, no connection to the Akane sacrifices, no suspicious wealth, or tragedy. Even Teru, who is our exposition guys have nothing to say about his family

I will admit that his past is vague enough that Aidairo could potentially reveal something 'special' about it, but I personally hope he remains a normal guy.

The "You're not special, you're replaceable" energy to his contract makes Akane's obedience to the keepers and his uncharacteristically pessimistic stance on the situation way more impactful than if it was a "YOU'RE A DESCENDENT OF THE KEEPERS OLD FAMILY ALL ALONG! THAT'S WHY YOU WERE PICKED!" situation, or something just as dramatic, and 'unique' so to speak.

I like to believe they picked Akane simply because he is a good pick. How do people always describe Akane? Responsible, dutiful, nice, wise, hard-working, stubborn. You need to have all these qualities to be trusted with a key that can change reality, someone too selfish, or too dumb, or too quick to give up regardless of their family name would be reckless with so much power.

Hell, most people would abuse the 15 minutes of stopping time that a keeper is given, but Akane always guards his power until the end of the day, and ONLY when no emergency happens did he use he pause Aoi's time to stare at her, something he always does without time being stoped anyways?? Something Aoi doesn't mind? Since she knows he is always keeping an eye on her??

So he basically wasted his 15 times cause he didn't know what else to do with it????? He really settled for 'i like watching Aoi, i'll increase a little the time i have to do this' ?? What a guy.

During his 3 years under a contract, Akane has never cheated on a test, tried to do anything he believes would make Aoi uncomfortable (like so much as poke her hand/hair/lips etc), or used to get revenge on teru. He was extremely responsible for the standard of a pre-teen who suddenly got powers (he was 12 when he first got the watch. he was a kid T-T)

He is a good babysitter to Mirai, no matter how much he feel some genuine resentment for what she did to him, he has a soft spot for kids and never want to hurt her. Just look at how gently he picks her up after he spend the whole chapter frustrated that she escaped. His hold was so loose and careful no wonder she easily escaped.

He has been working hard and doing more jobs than he should since he was a kid! AND HE DID THOSE JOBS WELL HE WAS DUTIFUL.

So he can work hard, he can do a ton of chores efficiently.

He must be one of the best interns the keepers ever got, cause they are way too happy to abuse their power and make Akane work like a dog.

So I genuinely think they picked Akane because his family name may be unremarkable as hell, but Akane as a person is perfect to have as a maid/babysitter/keeper-of-the-key-that-can-reset-timelines in the school.

[soupthatistohot]

BSD 110: An Absurdist Analysis

The fate of Aya Kōda

Since my post analyzing BSD 109 in accordance with Asagiri's absurdist storytelling got so much love, I've decided to continue analyzing the chapters thru an absurdist lens when I deem it relevant, and making predictions accordingly. I think that not only is it an effective way of reading BSD, it gives us readers a bit more hope that things will turn out okay when the plot is... like it is right now (lol).

I recommend checking out my BSD 109 post if you haven't already this since I explain the philosophy of the absurd in depth there :)

BSD 110 spoilers below!! Obviously! Also TW for discussion of suicide.

So. I really don't think the ten year-old girl is going to die.

On top of Aya being "the last hope" (more on that later), suicide is one of those things that absurdists really frown upon.

Aya's plan as I understand it right now is to add her weight to the table in order to pull the sword from Bram's body, this is why she jumps. If this works, the sword will be dislodged and she, the sword and the table would fall to the ground, which is very far below -- she would likely die upon impact.

Absurdists really don't like suicide as a solution to hopeless situations, most absurdist storytellers have their characters commit suicide because they have "given up". It's submission, giving into the meaninglessness of our reality rather than rebelling against and embracing the absurd.

We see this with Oda in Dark Era, his suicide mission is framed as him giving up on life because the orphans were killed. Of course, it also served as catalyst for Dazai's character development, compelling him to escape a situation that would have likely ended up in his own eventual suicide. All this to say that even though Asagiri chose to make Oda go on a suicide mission, the overall narrative purpose still lent itself to absurdism through Dazai's decision to defect. It needed to happen for the story to move forward as it has (and as we know from BEAST, there literally cannot be a universe in which both Oda and Dazai are alive).

So, if Aya dies now, what message does this send? It's almost certain that the world will literally end if she does, meaning that everyone's efforts up until this point have all been for naught, which, as I explained in my BSD 109 post, is the opposite of the entire point of BSD as an absurdist text. Aya is really the "last hope" right now, with all our other main characters pretty much screwed or just not present.

"Nothing is impossible for a warrior of justice. We beat the bad guys and save the world, no matter what happens."

What Aya says right here is something I'd liken to the Dazai quote I brought up with my BSD 109 analysis: "The ones who actually make the world turn are those who scream within the storm of uncertainty and run with flowing blood." Both communicate the idea that there's never an acceptable point in time to give up (suicide), that there's always something more that you can do, even when things seem bleak. Those who "make the world turn" are one in the same with Aya's concept of "warriors of justice."

Aya may not succeed exactly the way we expect her to, but she absolutely is not dying like this. On top of the absurdist storytelling reasons, she's just a child. Of course, we know Asagiri isn't above killing kids, but Aya is a bit different than the other children we've met in BSD. Her character has been built up and developed, she has a fleshed-out backstory, and we've spent a lot of time with her. To kill off a little girl we've come to care about a lot would just be cruel, plus her death wouldn't really serve a narrative purpose right now.

So, what could happen?

One prediction is that Aya adding her weight to the table does dislodge the sword and she falls, but she is saved by another character. We know Kenji and Tecchou are out there right now, we haven't seen Yosano or Kyouka in ages, etc. etc.. Basically, there are definitely people out there that could come to her rescue.

But there's an option I like a lot better: Aya's ability manifests.

Aya Kōda was a 20th century Japanese novelist and essayist, and the namesake for the Aya we know in BSD. As far as we know, all the characters who are named after real-life authors possess an ability inspired by the life/work of said author. Aya doesn't have an ability yet, so logic follows that she will develop one by the end of the series.

I'm not sure where I read this, so take it with a grain of salt, but I believe that in BSD the character's abilities manifest because of trauma. Not only does Aya live in a somewhat emotionally abusive household, but she's literally been thrust into the middle of a conflict in which the world could literally end and has decided to jump off of a tall building to try to save the world -- I'd say that's pretty traumatizing!

I'm not familiar with the irl Aya Kōda's works enough to speculate about what her ability would actually do, but there's a decent chance that because of the current situation, her special ability will manifest in order to prevent her from dying and/or dislodge the sword from Bram. This would also fit absurdist storytelling very well, she's literally doing jumping off a building as a complete last ditch effort, it's a crazy plan that probably won't work -- but her other option is to just accept death, and that's not acceptable. If she were to manifest her ability in this moment, it would reinforce the idea that rebelling against the absurd has value, that even when things seem at their worst there's always something you can do.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts! Please feel free to add anything you find relevant, especially if you're familiar with Aya's irl counterpart! See you next month ;)

Here's the BSD 110 translation I pulled the panels from.

[transmutationisms]

omg what'd you think of salo...i personally love it, though the last 10 minutes of that movie are gonna haunt me for the rest of my life

god it was so good. i keep meaning to ramble about it on here. yeah i mean, 'haunting' might be a good word for it! i do also think it's a very hopeful film in certain ways though---yes of course the mansion is representative of the broader functioning of fascist repression, but pasolini was also very much making a film About Communism & about how no repression could actually be totalising (sergio's death, the betrayal sequence, ezio/inès, the pianist). even renata's tears and pleas to god throughout the film---the reason these bother the masters so much is because, although they can possess her body, they're being faced with the proof that she and the others have an interiority & consciousness that fascism is simply incapable of stamping out. it's very effective i think in simultaneously conveying the overwhelming horror of rape and general sadism (again, standing as representative of broader systems of political and social violence---the masters are the church/state/nobility) and yet also opening up those chinks in the armour where the victims reach for scraps of selfhood.

anyway because i read history of shit i will just say. what a fucking fantastic cinematic use of shit as well. obviously there's the imagery of fascism literally producing shit and feeding it to people (at a composed and ornamented banquet), plus the more psychosexual angle where so much of the rape in the film is specifically sodomy and so, of course for the masters coprophilia/coprophagia are simultaneously the taboo they cross to punish their victims even further. and i think this loops in too with the scene where they're judging who has the best ass, and so they have everyone bent over and they're only seeing them from behind---it's that reduction of all the victims to the anus, which again is in the film a site of pleasure as well as humiliation and therefore this kind of contested site that can be used to articulate and enforce power differentials. you love to see it.

anyway yeah you could honestly write a paper on any scene in this film it's all so good. i want to watch it again at some point and i maybe also want to read some sade (though partially for other reasons lol) also i will take this opportunity to say, if you haven't read the salòlita essays, do :-)

[officialtrashbin]

Ok ok ok ok ok wrap-up thoughts on the season now that the finale is out:

First of all, DEATHBIT DEATHBIT DEATHBIT

2) ok the subplot with Rogue and Magneto actually grew on me. Like, she’s rejected him ultimately but they still mattered to each other and they still do, it’s just not romantic from her side anymore. I can’t blame magneto for not getting over her rejection I’d never be able to take the psychic damage of losing Rogue

also yeah the age gap was a little weird but I’m living for the drama and the potential for their platonic friendship. I want to make a comment about how their stint is an example of unidentified trauma becoming trauma bonding but then I have to like…write it.

3) I actually think Roberto and Jubilee were super cute and have elected to give their storylines a pass. Like they’re just kids coming into adulthood and have found comfort in each other, that’s good enough for me for now. (Though I’d like to see more of comic-accurate Sunspot being adapted but I digress. It’s only been 1 season.)

Also I think Sunspot awkwardly hanging around the Xmen slowly coming to terms with his speedran adoption is the funniest basis for an arc and have no further comments. Might write a fic later on his Struggles.

4) KURT JOINING THE MOTHERFUCKIN SQUAD BABYYYY and literally just everything about him. Being so supportive of Rogue and holding her and encouraging Gambit and just 😭😭😭😭

5) PHOENIX JEAN PHOENIX JEAN I LOVED JEAN

6) cyclops was one of my least favs in the original, this show put so much respect back on his name. I actually adore him now—plus the scenes with him doting on his grown ass man child is hysterical. Need more of it. I need this guy telling people this Hulk Hogan of a unit is his lil boy.

If Nathan isn’t seen later at a baseball game with Scott in a Summer 01 jersey and the cyborg arm badly painted over I’m committing crimes.

7) I think Storm needed way more screen time. I know there were scenes with her written out due to budget issues (and also them skipping her goodbye to Gambit made me annoyed) but like. The fact that her centric arc was put across two episodes shared with other episodes was irritating.

7.5) In this same vein I missed Bishop, I got so attached!!!! but here’s to hoping he’s kicking ass again in s2!

8) the rate in which I fell in love with these characters all over again is insane. Like harder than the original show in a fraction of the time.

9) Rogue did nothing wrong. 😭

10) Magneto definitely wasn’t right, but it’s interesting to witness how they justified his view point with Genosha and Bastion, and the ripple effect it had on people who didn’t even agree with him in the first place.

11) Cherik lmfao they were SO gay. I’m all for affectionate besties and dudes being shown as having close platonic bonds but this was Very Affectionate Besties with Seductive Grin Bedroom Eyes Charles Every Two Sentences.

12) honestly want a version of this show though where Charles stayed gone. I actually like him! I just think not having him around to help guide everyone made things so much spicier. Magneto was StrugglingTM for Real

13) Gambit’s death was so good, but I definitely figured he’d be coming back somehow because there was no way they were offing him thinking Rogue didn’t choose him.

14) speaking of, I was mostly joking in my shitposts about Death Gambit cause I had my money on a possible Sentinel Gambit with Bastion’s introduction, but the moment they went to Egypt I started clawing up all my old shit posts.

15) ROGUE DID NOTHING WRONG (lots of wrong but you know what? I love her. She can commit wrongs again.)

16) Beast was so good but I also low key wish he had a bit more screen time. His bitterness after Genosha was short-lived, I wish it had been explored more, like Charles talking it out of him or something and reminding him about their goals or…something.

17) Bastion was awesome no notes, hope he comes back as a horseman for the flex

18) hot Magneto no notes

19) hot Apocalypse no notes

20) crop top Gambit no notes

21) “His name was Gambit! Remember it!” Rogue was so beast in this season, it was cathartic watching her beat the shit out of Bastion. Her and Sunspot honestly make for a cool combat duo and I want to see them interact more.

22) DEATH GAMBIT AAAAAAHHHHHG

23) ey yo hold up does this mean Leech and the Morlochs and the perished Genosha mutants are permanently dead??? 💀

24) Logan and Morph were definitely something this season and I adored it, I adored Morph especially. Like Morph really said I Love You even if it was as Jean, I take what I can get

26) Magneto ripping Wolverine’s skeleton out like homie wouldn’t try to kill him with a wooden chair if given the opportunity. If anything now Logan has 0 weaknesses and a personal vendetta he can act upon. Rest in pieces Erik.

27) A goddess, a gravely injured Canadian, and a metaphor for gender identity walk into a bar and all 3 say “ouch” (bad joke. You’re welcome. Don’t worry guys, Storm is there so their arc will be wrapped up in about 12 minutes. Sorry can you tell I’m still mildly salty about her lack of screen time)

28) Rogue launching Cap’s shield is 11/10. Do it again do it again (woulda been top tier humor if the end credits showed him still looking for it frantically as the asteroid got closer)

Mostly that’s all I got. I have various other thoughts including how fucking HYPE seeing my fav duo Cloak and Dagger made me, but these were the key personal takeaways.

[felicjana050896]

First part:

Spoilers at the bottom, if you don't want to read it, don't read it!

maybe it's some of Rosie's "Big Plan", prepared for years…), then we have the plot of his death, that he died literally the next day after he made a deal with Rosie, because he was mistaken for a deer by a hunter, Rosie starts laughing, Alastor laughs too, but it's obviously a laugh of being annoyed, then Alastor tells her that she can toy with him however she wants, that he's been running around hell on some pointless crusade for years, playing nice in that stupid hotel because she promised him ,,power" (sorry, but I have to mention that I hate how in English one word can have several different meanings…, my native language is more precise, so it annoys me when I interpret a word in English in some way [especially when it is taken out of context], and then it turns out that the person meant the other meaning of the word… how annoying is that…, the same with the word ,,power", maybe it's mean that he wants to become some kind of ruler of Hell or that he just wants power, but judging by the plot of making a deal with Rosie, Alastor just wants power, he wants to be at least one of the most powerful demons in hell so he can continue his killing game) and instead he is now weakened and then Alastor and Rosie's song starts, my interpretation of the song is the same as in post 1 so I won't repeat.

So to put it:

Alastor wants the power to continue playing the killing game.

Alastor hates being weak.

Alastor is fed up with the hotel.

Alastor is injured and weakened.

It was Rosie who commissioned him to take care of the hotel and therefore Charlie, because she has some plan regarding Charlie.

The basic obvious now is that Rosie has Alastor's soul.

Vaggie and Charlie still don't communicate properly.

Charlie really liked Niffty :)

And Lucifer is in the hotel, but he clearly doesn't fit in with the group (he treats Angel like he doesn't matter, doesn't remember his name).

And most importantly 10, all this clearly takes place a few days after the fight, so I don't know how someone who released the leak of Alastor and Rosie's song wrote that it was from episode 4… it doesn't, because these are events right after the fight… so in my opinion, all these leaks are from only episode 1 or maybe episode 1 and a bit of episode 2, but nothing more… because the rest are probably not even in production yet…, they do this series chronologically, considering the arguments I mentioned above and the fact that all these leaks, including those from Sir Pent and Lute, are clearly set to just after the fight, where Lute decides to take revenge (I also saw post that supposedly Lute will kill Lucifer, but I don't know how much truth there is in it, because clearly the series is created from beginning to end, so if it is, someone would have to read the script to know about it…), so in my opinion we got spoilers ONLY from the beginning of the series, and the entire remaining 7 episodes (or 6 and a little, but probably all 7), is a mystery to us and there are many things we don't know, we also don't know what it will all lead to, what Rosie's plan(?), how Lute will take revenge(?), whether she will really manage to kill Lucifer(?), or the lack of communication between Charlie and Vaggie will it finally have any effect or will it just continue in silence(?) (Charlie wants to do something, Vaggie says no, don't do it because …he's giving arguments…, Charlie ignores Vaggie and her arguments and she runs away to do whatever she wants, leaving Vaggie who sighs with helplessness, ah…, it's a beautiful relationship, isn't it?, I'm sorry, but I have to, because I don't understand how you can see this relationship as healthy…, sweet- yes, but healthy…- never), plus there is supposed to be Baxter in the second season and the von Eldrichts (I think), clearly these are leaks from only the first, max 2 episodes, nothing else.

Moving on to the sketches, I saw the sketches:

Human Sir Pent, whose name is ,,HH02_CH-PENTIOUSHUMAN".

Human Alastor, who has the same name as human Sir Pent, but has Alastorhuman in the name.

Two sketches of regular Alastor, one without a shirt with a wound titled ,,HH02_CH-ALASTORSHIRTOPEN" and the other of Alastor in cannibal city clothes ,,HH02_CH-ALASTOROUTFITCANNIBAL" (which is pink and has pink shoes :D ).

And one sketch of Alastor caught by Vox, tied to a chair, with a mask on his face that shows a dissatisfied face (I am as sure as anything that the hotel team will come to Alastor's rescue, I just wonder how he will react when they save him, when will they help him?)

So HH02 is simply Hazbin Hotel season 2, while the "CH" at the beginning may mean ,chapter"..., maybe… I don't know, but clearly it is an ordinary designation that appears in sketches, and then there is the name of what applies to sketch. Plus with sketches of Alastor in his regular form, we also have shadow sketches of Charlie, which we don't have for the human versions, probably because Charlie is the base for the other characters' height.

And finally, in the leak showing Sir Pent in heaven, there are drawings on the wall next to his bed, in the very center Cherri (his love), on the left Vaggie, Husker and Alastor (as a deer :D ), and on the right Charlie, Niffty and Angel.

That's it, have a nice day, evening or night :)

[crguang]

Cabernet anon again 👋🏾 🍷

I was rereading your post on when I asked for your thoughts about her and saw your list of your favorite ladies so far. I noticed that you have Adela and Oak Casket (they’re also on my top favorites list too) and I was wondering if you could give us some thoughts or even thirsts about them. Honestly anything you give us great so I have no complaints whether you lean more into one more than the other.

Can I be this emoji 🍷? I definitely be coming back to ask for more ptn stuff so think of me as the ptn girl lol?

HIIII yes you can!! wine emoji for my cabernet anon fits so well, welcome to the circus🙂‍↕️ i have so many thoughts about oak and adela, i’ll try to condense them so this isn’t a lengthy answer.

let’s start with oak!! my attachment to her is very personal and kind of heavy so i won’t say too much but i really resonate with her. she’s experienced death even if it wasn’t in the literal sense and is constantly around the dead since; she’s alive but she’s not. she despises the living for the suffering they cause and forgets that she’s living too. she spends all her time tending to the dead, comforting them, listening to them, making it so that their last regrets are put to rest along with their consciousness. in a weird way, she’s super comforting to me because she understands how ugly living can be. i realize that it’s a sort of twisted line of thinking to believe that death is true salvation but as someone who is scared of it, it makes the whole thing less daunting and in general easier to accept. she had to hold an official funeral for herself to put her past to rest and i felt that so bad😭 i looove how twisted she’s become by being a bridge between the dead and the living world, all she hears are regrets and all she feels is the powerlessness that comes with dying, so she’s obsessed with the idea of experiencing a more “satisfying” death through Chief and that’s so… delicious. and despite how comforting i find her, she’s kinda evil lmfao, she’s the reason for so many conflicts in syndicate from selling information and trafficking goods, and she’s not afraid to use those guns like damn. i always forget about that part because she looks so nice until she whips them out in battle

oak’s design is also one of my personal favorites in the whole game. i’m a sucker for religious themes in darker stories and the priest robes made sexy is insaneee. the cross over her chest, the stole, the gloves ughhh she looks so good. the color green symbolizing immortality when she deals with death all the time because the souls she’s let rest will forever live on with her. her eyes being different color (green and pink, opposites) because she’s at once dead and alive, the only link between these two realms… the black strands in her otherwise ashen hair as if she’s been tainted in some way and carries death with her forever— the cardinal directions on the altar because she’s essentially a guide ohh its so good. plus that ENG voice does a lot of things to meee it’s so soothing and deep, she sounds exactly as she should and it tickles my brain really nicely. paired with her playful yet scary allure it fits her soooo well.

needless to say that oak is insanely gorgeous and i need to feel those hands on my hair while i go down on her and she’s praising my enthusiasm like ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh she has the same effect on me as black swan from HSR where every time i see her i have to stop and stare for a while because i can’t believe how sexy she is. how do her boobs stay in that dress. they have to be so perky for her to not need a bra. need them in my mouth until they glisten as i pull away i want her so bad. i feel like she’s a reallll moaner, her voice gets deep and slurred and raspy mm… i’ll show her pleasure she can only get while alive, trust!

on to my BABYYYYYYY. ADELA. oh my goodness i love her so much it’s incredible. i love love love charming women and she’s the epitome of that!!! my first thought about her was, “omg she’s so charming” and she’s only proven that throughout her event. she’s so cute, so kind, so selfless and holds a genuine desire to help others. she’s not manipulating chief and after they broke her shears, she even looks out for them the whole time. bringing them back to her home, changing them, making breakfast, washing their clothes?!$(!?(!?! she just wants to do some good and escape her own troubles i love and understand her so much. i have an avoidant personality so i will run from my issues, if i could erase my own memories of past suffering i would do that in a heartbeat 😭 i really understand the need to eradicate all traces of your pain and sadness, even if some of it is necessary for growth. the analogy of troubles manifesting as long, long hair until it’s all that she sees is incredibly creative and it makes the audience sympathize with her desire to cut it all off despite it causing others pain. she’s such a soothing soul that people have no issue confiding in her, her presence is reassuring and she’s always so calm… i wanna give her a hug and stay like that for half an hour, she could cure me. her voice!!!! i was not expecting the british accent but it’s so soft and sweet. i could listen to her talk for ages, it’s a shame she never has much to talk about because she forgets everything.

i love the “character wants to help others but only hurts them and themselves” trope and that’s literally her. erasing people’s memories unprompted is insane, especially when they include people who mean a lot to them, but she doesn’t see the wrong in it because in her mind she’s solving all of their worries. it’s really cute but she lacks so much nuance that it affects her as well, she wants a peaceful life yet she cuts off her own memories whenever something goes wrong which causes her to forget about the places she’s lived in and the people in it too. she’s not living any sort of life, she doesn’t know where she’s from and has no friends, she isn’t truly remembered by anybody— she’s an empty shell with a smile on her face. it’s sad how someone who so readily helps others must feel so empty inside. she says she has no worries but that’s because she has nothing she cares about enough to worry over, otherwise she’ll snip snip it off just like she did her memories of Chief. she’s learning to feel her feelings and let them pass tho, i’m proud of her <3

what happened with her mother destroyed me because i relate a lot and would have done exactly what she did in that situation, she believed that she was a burden and failed to understand that she was loved (though that’s her mother’s fault) so she ran. my hearttt.

her design is also one of my favs like look at her!!! her hair is what drew me in first and it’s so fitting considering that it’s her whole thing. it looks so good, i love the colors and the stray strands that give it a messy look, and how it gets longer as she’s controlled by the shears like it has a mind of its own. i have no idea what that contraption is on her chest but the scissors are great, and the ones from her earrings too. the leather straps/harness of her coat are my favorite part they remind me of a (sexy) straight jacket and it ties into the whole “she creates her own constraints” thing about her that i love. all in all adela is sooo pretty, just stunning. blue and black were my favorite colors for over a decade so im really biased towards her color palette hehe.

omg i really love how scary she is with the shears it’s such a harsh contrast with her personality. her ult voice line is lowkey terrifying, no wonder she’s an urban legend; “shhh… i… found… you…” in a quiet, sing-song voice is crazy

since she’s more comforting to me than anything else slow, loving sex would be soooo nice. she feels like a service top (my kindred spirit) and she’d want to “ease your worries” that way once the shears are off limits, so she’d learn your body inside and out to make you feel so so good until you forget all about what had you stressed in the first place. she can’t use her blades but we can always scissor! i’m just like her so i wanna fuck her brains out until she can’t remember anything but the words “yes” and “please” <3 she deserves to be so overstimulated her worrying brain turns to mush. wearing a coat with nothing underneath is a choice but like oak, there’s no way her tits just stay in place unless they’re perky enough which kinda drives me nuts mmhhhhh i wanna suckle them like a pacifier😞

this ended up long anyway im sorry about that hhjhgdd but in my defense they’re my favorite characters…

[horizon-verizon]

https://www.tumblr.com/biwitchenergyz/749681633275297792/one-thing-i-find-interesting-about-team-black-vs?source=share

Aemond killed Luke knowing that it would provoke a war if he did so. Blood and cheese are just the consequences of his actions...

Let's reframe it: it's the karmic and narrative consequences of Aemond's actions (as well as Alicent and Otto's). Why? Because the killing of Jaehaerys was not only a political blow to the greens bc Jaehaerys was Aegon's de facto heir (as Lucerys provided the link to the Velaryons as heir to the Driftmark seat), it was also the beginning of the entire green line's demise that was caused by the child-harming ambition of both Alicent and Aemond. Alicent, bc she plotted against a 10 year old for years. And this war--that she, Otto, and Aemond all trigger--will claim the lives of literally thousands of children' in the riverlands, in Tumbleton, in Bitterbridge, and KL.

It is rumored that Aegon, in the bk, allowed his bastard kids to live in abject poverty and even fight each other to a gambling audience. Even if untrue, the narrative of the Dance--espe through Mysaria as hamliet points out HERE--explores the effects of an adult's total authority, when coupled with children raised as inheritors of their legacies and fortunes and resources to reinforce a family's power-- on that child's life's trajectory (beginning, middle, end).

Children are and become conduits or negligent devices of the adults around them to the point of it being exploitative and they become exposed to danger in various ways in the Dance narrative. Parents and grandparents, etc., all have a particular authority over their kids' lives that carries the definitive moments of a person's well-being, and in the sociopolitical context of feudalism and traditional patriarchy, it can get easily twisted up in bids for political domination or control, bc again, to ensure your family's power and your own claim(s) you need children to inherit your name and carry all that which is attached to it; the vassals, the oaths of loyalty, the accrued resources and wealth, land, serfs or peasants tied to the land, etc. It's the next stage of the silent commentary on "innocence (of fault)", protection from "adult business", and the "purity" we/these characters forget to credit to children (Alicent not thinking Rhaenyra's sons were worth mourning or being angry over bc they were supposedly bastards; Mysaria perhaps deciding to destroy the greens and blacks trough their kids, alicent trying to make Jaehaera kill Rhaenyra's Aegon just to get back at her beyond the grave and revenge for her own Aegon's death; Jaehaerys I and Saera, etc.), esp considering how Rhaenyra loses her mother at 7; Viserys makes her his heir at 8ish or 9; and again, Alicent sets herself against her from the age of 10. Which, coupled with how Jaehaera was also female, is why Jaehaera had to die for this story to make sense.

*EDIT (9/28/24)*

You may think of it like this. The bible's Pharaoh lost his eldest male child when for years he's used the slave labor of many children or killed Hebrew children AND refused to let the enslaved go when Moses demanded it, and so the last attack on the native Egyptian populace with the killing of the firstborn sons occurred. Plus, again, it has to be Jaehaera bc she is Aegon's only girl and was his only heir presumptive atp.

*END OF EDIT*

Yes, there's the obvious personal revenge element of Daemon seeing his stepson/Rhaenyra's son be murdered and saying "you kill my/our son, I take one of yours". But to ignore how it parallels and foreshadows the deaths of so many kids--including Maelor's and eventually Jaehaera's--when it all could have been prevented by the greens' just accepting Rhaenyra' s rule is pretty asinine. This is what we like to call "layers" people.

[uglyduckling339]

@thisonewhocanbreathe wanted to read my rant so here it is !!

After watching someone play Life Is Strange for their first time, all I can think abt is how poorly treated Sacrifice Arcadia Bay's ending is.

I mean, narratively speaking even the OG game didn't treat it well. Comparing the Sacrifice Chloe ending with the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending isn't even really a fair fight; Bae>Bay has less scenes/a shorter outro, plus it has a dark tone that only gets slightly lifted by Chloe and Max locking eyes as they drive off. Part of why their breakup in Double Exposure makes sense is because the OG game literally leaves them on a negative tone with guilt and regret shown all over Max's face and body language.

When you compare that tone with the Bay>Bae ending, it's obvious the makers had a preference on the "correct" ending. The Sacrifice Chloe ending creates some form of closure for Pricefield fans (their kiss before the photo jump), and then proceed to play a much longer outro with multiple scenes. They show Max's grief for Chloe, which does makes a negative and sad tone, but then they brighten it by showing the other characters who Chloe had died for. The funeral scene, for example, highlights almost every character Max interacts with in the game. That makes the player more likely to feel good about their choice because they can see the volume of Chloe's sacrifice. Not only do they emphasize the morality of her death, but the Blue Butterfly flies in to symbolize Chloe's fate and to show hope for Max's future. The Sacrifice Chloe ending shows how sad Chloe's death is, but it also shows how Max can move forward from her grief (which is also argueably a key takeaway of this game).

The Sacrifice Arcadia Bay decision leaves fans with practically nothing to end with. Even when Chloe is alive we don't get true closure with her story. Obviously, the purpose of it's vague ending was to allow fans to decide PriceField's next steps by themselves. But even while leaving Bae>Bay up to interpriation, they could have created more scenes to fill the gaps from the ending. An extended outro could have lightened the dark tone enough to make both endings feel more equal and add hope to the future of PriceField.

This isn't the only time in the game that one choice is given more care than the other. The creators use these 'half-assed choices' often throughout the Life Is Strange games when they clearly have a preference for a certain decision and don't want to put too much energy into the opposing choice. For example, this also happens with Kate's suicide. If you save Kate, you visit her in the hospital. If she dies however, Max doesn't get any special scene to reference the suicide beyond the text about her funeral. While it would be difficult to add extra scenes due to both budget and storytelling limits, leaving choices up to players while only actually planning one proper outcome is a waste of time for almost everyone involved.

48% of players (as of Nov. 28. 24) chose the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending in the OG LiS game, and the vocal majority of the fanbase prefers it over Sacrificing Chloe. While both endings are valid choices to close out the game, it feels almost disrespectful how the games treat one with such higher regard. The open-ended outro for Bae>Bay was a good idea, but the lack of closure for fans in that decision is unbelievably obvious and their off-screen breakup is sadly a predictable effect from the lack of a true ending for Pricefield after the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay decision.

I don't have the energy to go into a rant about Double Exposure and the breakup so i'm gonna shut up before this sprials any further but yeah! It's always bugged me how one ending is obviously the "proper" one for the game. The Sacrifice Arcadia bay ending deserved better treatment than it was given lmao

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 40- Part 5

…would now be a bad time to tell her about Rue the Misdreavus masquerading as Kiki's vengeful spirit…? No, no, she's having her own moment, time and place…

I mean- even with that, it's pretty apparent Kiki still cared to a huge degree, you don't just leave everything to one person just…on a whim. Might not be much solace at this time, but I think it's still meaningful, it's still something.

Oh- oh, she's just gone, Xera couldn't even do anything to help with that. So this grave, it's…

Yup, the real deal this time, no Wasteland weirdness or ghostly tricks. I like how the game’s really driving home the consequences of Kiki's death, especially with regards to Victoria. 

I just hope we get more, similar moments like this with regards to Corey, too- it's been a while. Hopefully, once Heather is recovered from her nonverbal-ness, the consequences of his death with regards to her will be explored more. In a similar vein, I especially hope the game didn't forget Corey literally asking Xera to watch over Heather- I certainly haven't, I've made that pretty clear for many chapters now, it's like half the fuel for the character arc I've been trying to sort out for Xera. Give me those moments, give me more stuff like this, I want my heart to break even more! I can take it, I promise!!

Uuuh…what did I come here for, again…? Oh, right, the totem encounter- and navigating Beryl Cave should be easier now with Flash.

And hey, there's a mining rock in the cage we found Selene in! Missed that the first time, because of the darkness.

And a…Link Stone apparently, missed that too, I'll take that.

Now, out of the four totem Pokémon here, only Baltoy and Golett are left. Which one is gonna appear, though…?

Golett! Great! Just start by paralyzing it-

And…well, a normal Poké Ball should be good enough, right? It's paralyzed, it's low-enough leveled, I see no issues.

Bastion, a term referring to a part of a castle wall meant for defense, and Golett (or rather, Golurk) was created for the purposes of protecting people and Pokémon, and- yeah, it works.

Now, that's it in terms of encounters, but there's one more thing I looked up and wanna grab…

Listen! I didn't want to look up the Field Effect Read-Out location for Grassy Terrain, but I even more don't want to risk going into this Gym battle without knowing about the Field Effect! I'm going in blind on his team, I need every other advantage I can get here!

Plus, I just feel really disappointed in myself for not seeing this path earlier. Guess I was just that distracted by the train?

Hm- sounds like that'll be a pretty major location whenever we get access to the Aventurine Region.

Previous

Next

[cluescorner]

Nothing sadder than seeing a Reverse Robins AU where they don't include Steph as a Robin even though she'd be a far better Red Hood than Tim. It's not even fucking close. Like...are you kidding me?? Tim has no reason to die in the way Jason does nor does he have any reason to become the protector of the less-great areas of Gotham. I don't mind it as much when Tim kinda becomes his own thing (that's the appeal of those AUs for me, taking the character and having them fulfill a role they don't in canon + seeing the ripple effects on both that character and others and the story (literally the whole reason I'm doing the randomized robins) + seeing how you can still tell a story that wasn't meant to exist in the way you've made it) but when he's just straight up Red Hood-but-now-Tim...why?

Now STEPHANIE BROWN ON THE OTHER HAND! She's got all the makings of a good Red Hood. She's had the will to kill from the beginning (she was straight up gonna kill her dad, even when she didn't she still beat the shit out of him and talks pretty frequently about getting rid of the bad guys 'for good'), she's been doubted her entire existence as a vigilante, she has like SO MANY FUCKING REASONS TO HATE BRUCE IT ISN'T EVEN FUNNY, she has lived the experience of someone (her dad) getting released back into Gotham via Arkham/Blackgate's revolving door, and she's also got the fucking FIRE for it. Steph even has a built-in death that's both thematically relevant for a Red Hood and would drive Bruce to so much fucking guilt. Plus, it's more accurate! And Tim staying as the third sidekick becomes even more fucking interesting. His girlfriend, someone he loved, just died in this role because of Bruce's negligence/her own bungling. How tf does he feel about the role of a Batman sidekick now? Batman needs a Robin, but what does Robin need from Batman? And Steph coming back to see BRUCE just put TIM in the role that she literally died in? Oh she's coming back full storm.

[marune2]

Josele ida and Nacht fight part 3

I Post Here the colab whit @loosesodamarble too a end because all what written whit her is on this half death Handy and I like a a lot so I post all we did here sad it’s did not end❤️🫠

————————————————-

The sound of the biwa was strange to Ida's ears. It was understandable, as the instrument was literally foreign to Ida. Or maybe Ida was the one who was foreign to the biwa and the culture it resided in. Either way, despite being unused to the sound, the slow strumming of the instrument was putting Ida at ease.

"It seems like the spell is effective on you, Ida-san," Ichika remarked while standing beside Ida's futon.

It was true. Fujio's Sound Magic essentially massaged the tension from Ida's body to the point that she doubted her ability to move freely with the way her limbs felt like putty. She felt neither light nor heavy. If anything, Ida felt that her body was soft.

But it was only her body that was relaxed.

Ida's mind was still racing with... *everything*.

Ida would've been lying if she said she didn't see some of herself in Sterling. From birth, Sterling had been different. Not to the degree that Ida was but the child was still set apart from the rest of humanity. With one eye seeing the past and one eye seeing the future, so to speak. Ida's own powers went beyond human limitations and delved into the fathomless abyss of devilish might. The two of them also had very different views of the world. Ida saw calculable values as much as she saw the faces of the people with those data points. Sterling knew of aberrational entities that even Magic Knights weren't tasked to fight.

Had circumstances not brought Sterling to Josele and Nacht, the child would've been raised a specific way. For a specific purpose. Not given a choice of her own. Ida too, avoided a similar fate at her parents' hands.

But now with fate changed, things were so uncertain for Sterling. Ida wanted, or maybe she'd be desperate, to make sure that Sterling's future would stay safe. That the child's happiness wouldn't be taken from her. And look where that go her.

Ichika see this „Ida-San are you ok? You-

Ida rolling aside and burp up but don’t vomiting her devil part’s show up her wing’s lay protective over herself

Ichika just looking concerned „Ah I see…….

Fujio just standing up „I believe I let your alone say if I should come back

Ichika nodding“yes thank you

Then looking she over Ida and sitting to her und rubbing her wing’s „it’s going be fine ida I know you think mush but you have us here

Ida looking sickly to ichika“thank you…….I just thinking how similar Sterling and I were……..but I can’t stop thinking………..

Ichika just nodding „I can understand you but you doing good thinking is a part of grow as long you don’t overthink but you are just really concerned

Ida now stare at here“hm true it’s whas a good choice to come too you………..

——————————————

Ryu whas just preparing the comonicator whit sukehiro after a wile take he up after he did try a half a hour

Sukehiro:Ryu what is now?

Ryu:oh sorry dear friend how are you doing?

Sukehiro:stupid quistion Whit you eye what is wrong?

Ryu laughing „ok ok dear friend I just want to say we have Ida here she try to get here better but struggling right now right now life she whit ichika

"Is that all you have to tell me?" Yami asked curtly. That was one mystery solved. But that did little for the root of the problem: the tension between Ida and Nacht plus Josele. "What's Ida's mind like?"

"Eh, pretty messy from what I saw," answered Ryuu. "She's getting music therapy from Fujio. Why? Do you want your crew to handle it?"

"Nah. Keep her. I gotta work through things on this side still. But we should probably keep calling until we're sure the family are ready to see each other again."

Ryuu chuckled over the communication line. "Never saw you as the type to take charge back then, well except when it came to Ichika. But look at you. Looking out for your subordinates like a good leader."

"I learned from someone pretty smart," Yami replied with a laugh of his own.

.....

Josele quietly braided a portion of Sterling's hair before affixing a black ribbon to the finished hair style.

"Thanks, Mother!" Sterling said as she turned and hugged Josele.

"Of course, my starling." Josele hugged Sterling back and stroked her loose hair.

Things had become somewhat normal again after Josele and Nacht exhausted themselves and their magic during their initial panic over Ida. Once they'd rested up, they tried to go back to their normal routine. And that included being parents to Sterling.

"Mother..."

Josele let go of Sterling and looked her in the eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"Mhm. I'm okay. Are you okay?" Sterling cupped Josele's face and pouted. "The servants said you and Father were sick. And when I'm sick, I'm sick a long time. Are you really already better?"

Josele sighed. "Yes. Grown ups aren't sick as long as kids like you are, just so you know." She removed Sterling's hands and gave them a little squeeze. "Thank you for worrying though."

"Okay." Sterling's gaze shifted and she fidgeted in place.

"Is everything really okay, baby?"

Sterling shook her head. "I don't know why you and Father are sad right now." She looked to her card stack. "I tried to ask the cards like your friend's granny showed me but I don't understand."

"Oh..." Josele patted Sterling on the head. "Your father and I are sad because of some complex grown up emotions. But I'll try to explain. Aunt Ida was worried about you. And her being worried made it seem like she didn't trust me or Nacht to be your parents. We fought about it and... Ida ran off."

Sterling's eyes went wide with shock. Or maybe fear. "Is Auntie okay?"

"I don't know quite yet," Josele answered vaguely. "But she's strong. She'll be back."

"Why doesn't she trust you and Father to be my parents though?"

Josele glanced at the floor before looking at Sterling again. "Parents aren't always good people, Sterling. Nacht and I try to be good to you, but Ida knows of parents who didn't try to be good to their child. And she was very scared of you being hurt that way."

"B-but-!"

"It's okay if you don't understand, Sterling," Josele whispered. "What matters is that Ida does care for you. Adult emotions are hard to deal with, that's all."

Sterling bowed her head and pouted. "They are..." Sterling threw her arms around Josele. "I know you and Father wouldn't hurt me. Can I tell Auntie Ida that? Will that make things better?"

"... Maybe... She'll have to come back first so you can try."

Josele's heart twisted with worry. For Sterling. For Ida. For herself and Nacht. What a mess. What an awful mess that she had a hand in creating.

Ida can’t sleep because of nightmares and it’s happened this she sleeping now on ichika’s futon not in it but on it like a cat because she feels safe

As ichika wake’s up she see it she putting her blanket over Ida what wake’s Ida up too

Ida ground „urg uhrhfhjg oh thanks ichika………..

Ichika looking concerned at her „you looking not good the ground is hart do you want too sleep in my bed? The sun is still not up so I can lay whit you just here

Ida just stare at her „sound nice…..ok yes…..“Ida go then too ichika whit the blanket and lays there like a cat left too ichika wo put the blanket well up them and ida is warm….comforting……

Ida lay’s whit her it’s remembered her of the time she would laying whit Morgy in a bed sometimes whit Nachty cuddling up whit them and play after…..her parents would experiment whit and are done she getting sick again oh she hopes Sterling is fine…….

Ichika fells her Qi going bad again so she take’s Ida in a hug and rubbing her back what surprise Ida but she don’t do something about it her Qi going better at this „thank you ichika…….“

Ichika just sish „sure Ida you are ok I’m here for you we all here……

Ida just blushing a little „hmmhm thanks love you for this……..

Ichika blushing now too but don’t say something and they stayed for this at this point as the sun gets up

And Ida make breakfast more depression cooking again ichika letting her do first it’s comport her and tow Ida is really good in it

[avatarvyakara]

Presenting the premier Addy Brock collection from Strands of Webbing!

Starting out with diversion of a canon event because, honestly, [bleep] that noise:

52. React

"DON’T!" she screams. But Ven#m is already halfway towards the M.O.R.B.I.U.S. device, a look of determination on its electronic inFace—

Until, with a grunt, all three point one five tons of SP//dr shoves the other mech out of the way of the beam of light just in time. A nearby building fuses into a twisted mess of metal and glass, like a Vonnegut crystogram.

"What the hell was that for?" comes the angry voice of Addy Brock from Ven#m's modulator.

"Rule number one on this team: you don't get yourself killed to prove a point!" snaps Peni.

Ven#m's inFace expresses strong shock.

"…we're a team?"

"I didn't say that."

That chirpy expression looks really weird in black and neon white. It probably doesn't help that the teenager inside has a much more…smug face, and that Peni can see both of them quite clearly.

"You implied it."

"Shut up. Now help me figure out this thing's weak spot. And don’t you dare die."

(Addy survives. But Peni's not sure, after the loud squeal at the end of the fight, whether her eardrums are going to last the week.)

60. Introductions

“You’re welcome to stay longer,” she tells Gray with a little hesitation, as they sit atop the New Chrysler eating putty-cakes from a street vendor below. “You could actually come over.”

His eyes shine, but his brow wrinkles—for once he’s got the mask off. He looks like Peter Parker. He looks nineteen. (Thirty. Eighty.)

“I don’t know if your folks would be okay with that.”

“You already met Addy.”

“Well, yeah.” Admittedly, she did threaten Gray with a fate worse than death and a mech. Neither of which seemed very effective to the other Spider, who had just laughed. One Saturday she’d be very happy to forget, honestly. (But he laughed, so there was some success that day.)

“I’ve been trying to explain this to them, the whole multiverse thing,” she says, and huffs. “They still think I’m crazy. Or that I’m lying and that I’ve actually just gotten myself some shady lowlife koibito to spite them.”

Gray’s face hardens. “If that word means what I think it means, then they should know way better.”

But it softens again when he looks at her. “But a six-foot-three-inch-tall nineteen-year-old with a face like a darned sock isn’t going to be much help to you, kiddo.”

“You’re literally from another dimension—”

“And I look scary. I won’t be making it easier for you on my own, not with how you say your aunt and uncle are. Maybe you can get Miles and Gwen in on this?”

She wants to protest, but then he says: “Maybe Ham and Peter too, Make an outing of it for the whole cluster. That way the others can distract them a little.”

“...I guess that makes sense.” He’s her best human friend, and she wanted to recognize that. But even so...maybe that would be better. She was able to pass off Miguel as a Mercurial pen-pal with a cosplay addiction (most Earthers will believe anything about the decadent and obscenely wealthy and more-than-slightly inhuman Spacers), but the rest are going to be harder—her black-and-white and cartoon counterparts especially. Telling the whole story, with proof, becomes easier if there are kids her age to help soften the blow. (Plus, Peter B couldn’t look threatening if he tried.)

Still.

“You’re not scary, though,” Peni insists. “Not to me.” She grins. “You’re too much of a dork for that.”

He squeezes her shoulder, and gives her a smile no less warm for being in monochrome. “Whereas you frighten the life out of me, doll.”

She hugs him. This time around, he doesn’t resist.

“...seriously, though, what’s in that crispy paste stuff?”

“Sun-fried seaweed, Mercury-style.”

“...it’s not too bad. Tastes kinda like latkes. Like a latke dough, but you can eat it.”

“It’s pretty good. My favourite’s yungay potato.”

“Ah, a lady of quality.”

She laughs at that.

80. Comrade

Adelaide Brock is fourteen when she makes her first two real friends. People who actually get it. Who understand the thrill of the ride, and the joy of the psychic link.

They have their differences, of course. Peni’s more of a drill sergeant in the field, always efficient, applying incredible precision. Addy’s always been more of a performer at heart, and her spider (her spider), Weying, seems to sympathize. Ven#m likes the spotlight, isn’t really up to just fighting and heading home, prefers to mug for the crowds and crow over a few muggers. (And occasionally fantasizes about trapping and eating the monsters they defeat like the oversized prey they are, but that’s spiders for you.) Maybe it’s showboating a little, but hey, if you have a ship, why not display it?

But at the end of the day...Peni saved her life. Soon after, she saved Peni’s. They’re a team. They’re actually talking. And she and Weying have been working together for ages now, and New York loves them. Life is good.

Now, if only Peni would actually let her know who she keeps talking to on that weird 2D group chat of hers...

170. Hardcore

“...until ultimate termination.”

Peni blinks.

“Are you sure we’re the same person?”

Other Peni rolls her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. Even if your SP//dr is a bit...”

“A bit what?”

“You know...impractical? For fighting bad guys?”

Peni frowns. “Mostly kaiju, actually.”

“You sit in a glass cockpit and punch giant monsters and somehow you’ve survived as SP//dr for...how long now?”

“Three years. How about you?”

“Two. ...oh, no, there is no way you’re older than me. You look twelve!”

“Uh...I’m sixteen.”

“Ah, Peni! I see you’ve met Peni?” says Ham, striding through the workshop with a sandwich and out the other side. “Have fun!”

“I guess,” mutters Other Peni.

“...Dad’s death still bothering you?”

“What? No, that was ages ago.” Other Peni sighs, which helps Peni feel less like yelling at her dismissive tone (which would be counterproductive). “Mostly it’s just the job. It...kinda grinds down on you after a while.”

“...I guess I can relate to that.”

Other Peni coughs. “So...you like listening to music while you work?”

Peni lights up. “Do I? Come on, let’s get the sound started. Have you heard anything by Karam Heiwa?”

For the first time in the entire conversation, Other Peni smiles.

“I can see you’ve got good taste.”

“It’s probably a Peni Parker thing,” says Peni, conversationally. “Gray’s stuck on swing, Peter B’s more Silver Age Electric, and Gwen’s into punk, but you just can’t beat KH for tunes to work with.”

Other Peni cautiously goes through the playlist on the holographic display, as though she’s worried about breaking something. Then her faces lights up.

“Hey, is this ‘Nuke-ular’? I haven’t heard this album in ages!”

...of course Other Peni would choose the most depressing song in the mix. Still, baby steps.

183. Talk

The first time Addy stops by the workshop when Other Peni is there, Other Peni is furious at Peni for suggesting she come and say hi. Genuinely furious.

The second time—after some prompting and a long discussion where Other Peni Parker cries for the first time Peni remembers—Other Peni is there to greet her.

“Uhhhh...Peni? Is that you? You look tired. And...older.”

“...hey, Addy. It’s me. This is gonna sound weird, but...I’m from another dimension and I just...kind of wanted to see you again.”

She sounds so tender.

Addy blinks.

“It’s okay,” says Peni, coming around to the front of the space. “She’s...a friend. Sort of. But you have to keep this a secret. This is beyond mech stuff, it’s insanely important. Swear?”

Addy nods, wide-eyed.

“Good! You two have fun!”

“Peni, you weren’t supposed to—” Other Peni growls, but Peni’s already wheeling herself out.

It should help. She knows it would help her. And she’s about 90% certain Addy will forgive her, and has fifteen different prospective options to hasten that process.

...figures that when she steps back in, Addy and Other Peni give her rather evil grins.

“You know,” says Other Peni casually, “the nice thing about being the same person? It means you’re already well aware of a fair few...embarrassing incidents.”

“...you didn’t.”

“Me? No, no. We just traded life stories. If they match up, it’s just a coincidence, right?”

Addy cackles.

“I’ve created a monster.”

“Aw, lighten up, Choking Hazard.”

“Adelaide Brock, you swore not to tell a living soul—”

“Actually I just said I’d only talk about it with you. And, well...”

Other Peni laughs.

(The sacrifices one makes for the good of one’s fellow Spiders...)

238. Rudolph

“If you think I’m missing this, Peni Parker, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Addy...I don’t know. I mean, yes, you got bitten, but...I’ve never met another Addy Brock out there. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Addy tosses her head back and offers her friend an easy grin. “Then I won’t get hurt. Simple as that. Trust me, Peni. I know when to pull back now.”

Peni sighs. “Fine. But be careful, right? Follow my lead.”

The red SP//dr enters the hole in space just before the black Ven#m does, and leads the way.

And on the other side—

“Hey!” calls Miles happily, coming over to meet them. “Glad you could make it!”

“...hi,” says Addy, blushing quite pinkly all of a sudden.

Peni rolls her eyes. “Excuse my friend. Addy, this is Miles Morales, Spider-Man. Miles, my best friend and coworker Addy Brock and her Spider Weying, alias Ven#m.”

“...how are you pronouncing that?” asks Ham. “Hey, I thought me and Mister Egg Cream over there were your best friends.”

Gray looks like he’s trying not to grin. Peni can feel a blush coming on herself. “I’ve got four best friends. Addy’s the only one you guys haven’t met yet.”

“Well, welcome to the team,” says Miles easily. “And Happy Hanukkah!”

(“Should I tell him you’re a Zuhariyya Muslim?”

“Nah, it’s okay.”)

297. Tea

“So, that’s one Earl Grey for Billy, one Boba for Peni, two Green for Hida and Other Peni, one Black for Cindy, one Lemon Grass for Roshni, and one Masala Chai for me,” says Pavitr, taking notes.

“I feel like we’re inviting stereotypes here,” says Roshni.

“I don’t reckon so,” Billy replies, preemptively reaching for the sugar.

“For Peter...coffee. And a reminder of what civilization looks like when you don’t commit blasphemy.”

Pauker glares. “I told you, that was in Boston!”

“And a Peppermint for Addy.”

On her shoulder, Weying the spider bounces excitedly.

“...no, Addy.” That’s from both Peni Parkers at the same time, exasperated in different ways.

“Aw, man...”

322. Mitosis

“Don’t count on it working,” says Other Peni. “And be careful.”

Peter cracks his knuckles.

“Just gotta give it the ol’ college try.”

And he walks up to the bulky form of Ven#m. Not as nice-looking as Addy’s, honestly. And a cannibal at that. Joke about it though he may, he doesn’t much like cannibalism.

Peter doesn’t entirely know what he’s doing, but there’s always such a thing as giving it the ol’ college try.

(Granted, he never went to college.)

—what are you?—

“Me? I’m just a good buddy here to annoy you into spitting out my friend’s loved ones.”

The capsule opens, revealing a tangled mess of cable-like tentacles that snake towards him.

—is Peni so desperate that she’s sending in cartoons to aid in her futile endeavours?—

—hahahaa—

—don’t make me laugh, little piggy—

—we are Ven#m—

—what are you going to do?—

—“huff and puff and blow my house down”?—

Peter pulls out the giant horn his niece Dahlia sent back from a trip to Switzerland.

“Something like that, yeah.”

362. Celebrity

Do I get one? I get one! Wheeee! ...um. Sorry. Anyway.

My name is Addy Brock. I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and for five years I’ve been one third of the one and only Ven#m. I’m from New York in the year 3150, I have a psychic link with a spider who lives inside the robot I tried to take for a joyride when I was fourteen, and my best friends in the world are Peni Parker and Weying, the aforementioned radioactive spider.

Pretty sure you know the rest. Saved the city, mugged for the camera, saved the city again and again, had a hundredth-of-life crisis during which I, uh...we don’t really talk about that. (I’m banned from Greater Peru until I’m eighty-five, on a completely unrelated note.) But I got back up. Also, I met an alternate version of my best friend who lost her me and really needed someone to keep her laughing. And that’s me. Addy Brock, clown superhero extraordinaire. (Peter Parker? Never heard of him.) Peni may be the OG, but I’m the sequel that nobody knew they wanted but now can’t get enough of. I’ve even been to Mars on business—you know how difficult it is for an Earther to get direct to Mars, let alone for a job? Usually they hire local, or take on seasonal workers from the ecoships. This is big stuff.

...but at the end of the day, I love being Ven#m. And...I like having friends who get it. I got randomly assigned a last name matching my closest genetic relatives, but Peni and her Aunt May and Uncle Ben are the first real family I’ve ever actually had. So guess what? Ven#m is here to stay, with the Parkers, in the Republic of New York, on Earth.

As long as they’ll have me.

(“Well, then, looks like even reincarnation won’t be enough to let you get away, Addy.”

"And when they get sick of you, me and my aunt and uncle and Other Addy will take over."

“Aw, you guys. Peni Parkers? Ultimate upgrade in superhero mettle. Besides yours truly, of course.”

”How modest.”)