#tw corporate greed

[n4tural1]

I wrote a short story.

Its only a draft, so please give me some feedback :3 I hope you like it! (Tw for assassination and corporate greed)

“What I’m doing is good. What I’m doing will be good for all of us.”

My boots trudge through the wet concrete beneath me, leaving muddy prints where they stood. I glance around to check if anyone will be able to trace them to me, but all I am met with is the oppressive sight of the stores and buildings. Despite how long I've lived here, these buildings always seemed different at night. Whether it was the moonlight glistening off of the sea spray, or the sudden change in their backlighting, they always seemed to loom over me. Of course, I never had the choice to get used to the sight; being seaside meant I never saw them like this often. Then again, everything seemed darker since Apex Oil arrived.

…

It was a normal February. I just started my senior year and it was going well. My group of friends were as strong as ever, even hanging out every weekend to talk about our lives and help each other with homework. It was actually one of these weekends that we were told the bad news. My mom entered the living room, one hand on the door-frame, wearing that face a mother has when she has to tell her child that the family pet died. “Louise, can I talk to you for a moment?” Her voice was sharp and precise. The laughter in the room died.

I left my friends behind, concerned and desperate to find out why she had been so hostile. Surely I hadn’t done anything wrong, I was up to date at school, I had done all my chores, I had even made sure to keep track of the time, why was she so angry?

I wish I hadn’t thought so surface level. That way I could’ve been prepared.

Mom told me that the mayor had agreed to sell off our little seaside town to Apex Oil, and in 2 months, we would have to move.

This town, this little fishing town that grew into a great, loving community, this town that I have spent my entire life living in, this town that I have known nothing but... sold to a corporation.

My friends filed out of the room behind me. Whether they felt the palpable dread or their parents asked to talk to them as well, it didn’t matter; the end result was the same.

We all got the message. That our community was an asset to purchase.

… 

We paraded on the street in front of his new office. One of my friends found out where the CEO was working from then. Students from our school skipped school and were chanting against Apex’s presence in the chill of the early morning wind.

His car plowed through our ranks like nothing.

Most people dived. There were no casualties. But there was worse; a realisation.

The car door above me opened. I had barely dived out of the way. He steps his pristine leather shoes out of his car, and hesitates in his next step. He stares down at me, a look of disgust plastered on his face, waiting for this sobbing mess of an inconvenience to move out of the way of his path.

Our words meant nothing and our presence was only a minor obstacle to be solved.

…

The town got worse. Crime rates increased.

This was no coincidence. He was driving them up to drive us out.

Black cars circled the streets of our town, swerving to hit, swerving to kill.

Swerving to remove an obstacle.

Swerving to hit my Mom.

Was she hit because of my actions? My protest? Or just because she was an inconvenience that had to be removed for profit?

…

The cold steel of my fathers .44 Magnum revolver bites into the skin of my hand. “Is this really worth it?” These memories flash through my mind with blinding speed. I know their worth.

My target is in sight.

Splash. Splash. My boots pick up the pace as I grow faster to keep up with the man. My heart beats in my throat as I cock the hammer with my thumb. He remains with his back to me. I plant my feet in the darkness below.

The scent of the salt spray enters my nose. The memory of my home, of all I’m fighting for. 

My hands are steady, my mind is clear.

I take a deep breath.

My aim is true.

[the-silliest-lad]

In DBDA there are two appearances of Death (of the Endless) in the show. There’s her first appearance in Episode 1, where she brings a WW1 soldier to the afterlife, and the other is in Episode 3, where she guides a family killed by an abusive father. Both of these are possibles outcomes for both Edwin and Charles. If Edwin had lived to past 16, he very likely would’ve been drafted in WW1. If Charles hadn’t been killed by his “friends,” it’s not outlandish to think he might’ve been a victim of his own father. In both of these scenarios, the spirits also move on to their seemingly tranquil eternities, something neither of the boys have any intention of ever doing.

[benjaminallhope-fulltimemind]

This is a nightmare given what this man supports.

[transit-fag]

It corporate greed, there is literally no other reason than that. The engineers are overworked, tracks are in disrepair, and trains are all too long because of that simple thing

[annabeth-the-spn-nerd]

Why Is the Doctor Crying This Time? -- A brief analysis of Doctor Who Special #5: 'Joy To The World'

I have seen a few people confused about how emotional the Doctor became at the death of the Silurian hotel manager. Here's my take/understanding:

The pain he feels when unable to save someone is a fundamental aspect of the Doctor's character, in my opinion. He has a deep love and appreciation for all things, especially living things. He's seen so many innocent creatures lose their lives, especially due to the greed of others, and said others' complete disregard for lives outside of their own. He may pretend to be okay, or he may compartmentalize and not allow himself to process until later, but it will never not completely devastate him to see that happen, especially when it's happening right in front of him, and there's nothing he can do to help.

Just like Joy's mum died of COVID, completely alone in the hospital, while the Tories who made the social distancing rules were out having wine parties at the same time during lockdown, Villengard let an unknown number of hosts die for the briefcase and had no regard for the world-ending event they knew they'd cause with the detonation of the star, simply because they knew it would give them unlimited power and bring them business.

One could even argue that it's sort of Biblical, especially if you want to make that Jesus & the Star bit at the end connect some more; in the Bible, Jesus died as a sacrifice for the salvation of all, and in Doctor Who, so did Joy. They were both kind, despite often being filled with anger and/or fear. They both died at the hands of rich & powerful people with little care for the lives of others, and they both they rose ("the flesh shall rise") again, and in doing so, they saved all the citizens of Earth.

In shows like Dr. Who, I've found that sometimes the metaphors for fighting against fascism and fighting for your fellow man are seemingly never-ending. In my perspective, this special is no exception, and all the storylines can be joined together to come to the same general conclusion.

The End (at least, for now)

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! ❤️🎄

*Note: This post is not a form of sub-tweet (sub-...blog?) or an attempt to start something; rather, it is simply a collection of my thoughts. While I will nearly always accept constructive criticism and discussion, I will not accept cruelty or rudeness. I hope you enjoy this analysis, but if you don't, and if you have nothing nice to say about it, I implore you not to say anything at all, and please just scroll away. You can DM your friends about how crazy I am, but you don't have to tell me, I know it already. Thank you ❤️

[autumnoakes]

also i do still love the idea of swapping claire and leon's re2 scenarios but i cannot help but think that the scene with sherry and chief irons would have been a LOTTT worse with leon instead of claire

[alyfoxxxen]

Impact Plastics: Tennessee factory says workers had time to flee Helene’s floodwaters. Their families disagree | CNN

[aaron-valence7]

Chains made from industry; blind to their own demise

[snails-secretblog]

so i was talking to a friend and dumpster diving came up. I had mentioned I missed doing it, and even if i did want to go the only place within walking distance (dont drive rn) is all chained up (fuck you dollar gen and other big places, i know you got shit in there homeless ppl and the poor could use, fucking assholes) and they said id have to look at the laws???

like no even if dumpster diving is legal, trespassing isnt and idk about you but every shitty corp ive had the unpleasantness of working for is adamantly against both dumpster diving and trespassing regardless of time of day, season, or whoever was asking permission???

I promise you, if im making a trip to go diving i am 1) planning on being as sneaky, quiet, and safe as possible and 2) breaking at least one law (cough cough TRESPASSING) so uuuuh

Anyway anyone wanna explain how that makes sense? "Check the laws before you go diving!" umm? im p sure the laws are not favorable... bc ppl think its gross, and it would aid yknow the poor and homeless, and corps "could potentially lose money" (as my bosses have said)

like it was always knowledge to me that dumpster diving or actions around it was illegal and/or frowned upon?

anyway i may be slowly learning that i need more buddies w like mindsets (nothing against them i adore them! theyve been great to me. it just seems like theyre kinda upset w me? but like??? maybe we havent talked politics enough...)

*i am fairly young (still an adult tho) so if yall wanna say smthn or give advice feel free to add on

[certifiedsimpinggalore]

Oh to have a stalker that fills my pantry and fridge

LIKE BRO YOU COULD STALK ME ALL YOU WANT BBG😋😋

Inflation is so fucking bad we're fantasizing about stalkers leaving groceries

[alice-after-dark]

One Day I'll Do a Proper Ship Meme But for Now Here Have My Vox Agenda

Thoughts/headcanons/rambles under cut

TW for abusive StaticMoth and Vox having been a bitch to Sir Pentious.

Alastor/Vox - Do I really need to explain this one? Are you new here? I'll just direct you to search "radiostatic" on my blog. I̸͎̝͛́ ̷͙̲̊̄͐l̴̮̲̭̍͌͆ȏ̶̜v̵̞́̑͒̆e̷̡̡͉̰̍̽́ ̷̇͝ͅt̶̡̛̬̖͓̆h̴̠͎̞͕̑e̵͕̼̜̘͆̈́̃̔m̷̤̜̒

Valentino/Vox - Again, unless you're new here, you'll pretty much know my thoughts on them. Check out my "staticmoth" tag and you'll understand.

Charlie - I see so many parallels between these two and I desperately want them to officially interact in season 2. They're on completely opposite ends of the spectrum and aaaahhhhh I just want to see Vox's cynicism clashing with Charlie's idealism and it could be so good you guys. So good. I do also really like the idea of Charlie being the catalyst to Vox realizing just how much he's changed since arriving in Hell (like he used to enjoy the TV scene for the pure creativity of it and now that's all been replaced by the cold corporate greed).

Vaggie - Honestly, I just think it would be interesting. Also I really hope Vaggie doesn't have a carbon-copy reaction to him like she did Alastor. As I mentioned in a previous post, while yes, she might be cautious, she has less of a reason to be so hostile towards him. Plus their mutual dislike of Alastor would be a bonding moment, but also presents an opportunity for Vaggie to find out more about Alastor (albeit from a biased party).

Angel - I've brought up inklings of these two before, but I think them having a very complicated relationship due to their mutual connection and experiences with Valentino would be interesting, especially in regards to how they both handle it in similar yet different ways. They both bury their pain, Angel by leaning into the sexuality, drugs, and alcohol to forget how much he hates it and Vox by refusing to even acknowledge that he's in pain at all. And Vox's refusal to acknowledge it also makes him complicit in Angel's pain as well. He could do something, could try to stop it, but he doesn't to protect himself. I think seeing the two of them try to heal side by side, both from their issues with Valentino and the issues between each other, would be fascinating.

Husk - Knew each other from back when Vox and Alastor were still friends. Husk calls him "kid" (Vox was in his 30s when he died in the 1950s while Husk was in his 60s when he died in the 1970s) which annoys Vox as he doesn't think he's that much younger than Husk to warrant being called a kid. Vox knew him as an Overlord and was very shocked and kind of sad when he found out about Husk losing his soul to Alastor some time after their falling out (just one more thing to embitter him towards the Radio Demon).

Niffty - Anyone who has been on my blog when I started posting about Hazbin Hotel knows it started with these two. I think a dynamic between them would be fun and interesting to explore. Like Husk, she knew him from back when he was friends with Alastor. I like to think that Vox was literally there when Alastor brought her home with him ("What is that?" / "I'm calling her Niffty! Isn't she precious?" / "She is actively biting your arm." / "What a darling little thing!"). He was a little weirded out by her at first, but has since grown to care for her as much as Alastor does. Despite her size and lack of power, Vox fully trusts in her ability to take care of herself...he's seen things that can't be unseen.

Rosie - Vox definitely respects her for her ability to keep such tight control of a horde of bloodthirsty cannibals and actually turn them into a polite society. Despite not being very physically strong, her charisma and drive keep her on top and well respected. I like the idea that he met her through Alastor when they were still friends and though he hasn't really engaged with her too much since the fallout, he does still hold respect for her and frankly won't tolerate anyone disrespecting her. She is the only one outside of the Vees who knows about Vox practicing using his electrokinesis to heal.

Mimzy - They're not exactly friends, but she will not hesitate to approach him if she sees him. It's Mimzy so she absolutely expects special treatment. She's way more up front with him about wanting something than she is with Alastor simply because she knows Vox operates differently than the deer demon. If she wants something, she's gotta be prepared to pay up in some capacity, but Vox is usually willing to be flexible in terms of payment because she has her uses.

Sir Pentious - Okay, so I know this one is a bit awkward cause it would involve Vox actually apologizing to Sir Pentious for the cruel things he said and telling him to unalive himself, but I really think they'd be interesting. They're both innovators and creators and the two of them combining their skills would be both awesome and terrifying. I do think that Sir Pentious, while he does think all the Vees are incredible, idolizes Vox specifically for these exact reasons.

Velvette - They're both bitches, but they love the other for it. Can snark at each other for hours. They're the two who get shit done, even if Velvette can sometimes take her bitchsona a bit too far and Vox has to reign her in. Politics aren't her strong suit, but he can always count on her to take care of the business side of things.

Zestial - Based on my recent post about them, I like the idea that Vox has a respect for Zestial that he doesn't give to most other Overlords (Rosie being the other exception). Sure, he'll play nice and professional with them, but he doesn't truly respect them like he does Zestial and Rosie. I honestly see them having a mutual respect for each other (though Zestial wouldn't say he approves of Vox's choice in colleagues) and we do see in that Zestial can be a little sassy so I 100% believe if Vox had been present during the Overlord meeting in episode 3, Zestial literally would have ignored Velvette entirely to speak to Vox about the angel's death instead (and we all know how much Velvette would have just loved that).

[yearningaces]

THAT MAKES TWO LETS GO!

Tw: vauge mentions of death, murder, abortion, semi-emotional neglect(none of these things towards the reader of course)

I've been calling them the Hallewell.

They're a timeless species with very few still living and long lifespans, not thousands of years but a heafty hundreds they can live up to

Hallewell have humanoid forms either during the day or when they choose to retain them, but it's easier to do so when the sun is out or when they're emotionally calm

When they don't appear humanoid though it's a creature of nightmares, each different from the last depending on when and where they're born but the kicker is this

The moment a Hallewell is born, it will take the traits that terrifies one individual closest to them with a 'foul heart'.

Hallewell are born as a sort of boogyman for adults. Those who have been warped and twisted by either greed or envy or lust or hatred. Kids have low level boogymen to scare them, the Hallewell is a creature of nightmare that will hunt those similar to the foul hearted human it first is imprinted on.

If the Hallewell is born nearest to a human with corporate greed that's taken over their heart, knowingly sending workers into dangerous conditions with hardly any pay so that human can profit? The Hallewell will first hunt and kill that human when they're old enough. From then on they will chase down similar hearted humans, those who have fallen to greed. It will be their entire life's mission they will never stop until killed(which is near impossible, think Dullahan levels of difficult to kill) or they pass away peacefully of old age.

And for a fun fact, a Hallewell cannot make another Hallewell. They just happen in a way that no one understands because they're so rare and really undocumented. They might care for their birth families but easily outlive them and move along

NOW, they do have one weakness, and it's their 'heart'. Their moral compass and reason for being more than a hunting dead hearted being.

This person is one individual chosen by fate, in a sort of soulmate way, that the Hallewell would drop its life's duty for. This one individual can never be harmed without their Hallewell loosing it's grip on any semblance of kindness and goin mad to either stop that harm, by blatant torture and murder, or to avenge them.

If it comes to avenging their 'heart' they will go mad. That's their heart, their guiding force on how to be humane and ethical and good beyond their life purpose of hunting foul hearted humans. A Hallewell's heart being killed will lead to the most horrific event of a fully transformed Hallewell tearing apart anything and everything in sight. Only when they reach their hearts body will they stop, carry them away somewhere isolated, lay with that corpse and not move until they eventually die as well. Only moving at this point to lash out and kill anything that has risked getting to close.

If they have no body to protect until death, they won't stop their rampage until killed. Either by another Hallewell who is the only true force that could stop another of its kind at this point, or by some natural miracle.

Before meeting their 'heart', a Hallewell does good by killing off humans that make others suffer, yes. But they're horrible individuals. Not outright malicious for no reason, and often having a soft spot for creatures of innocence, willing to lend a hand in passing. But that's about it. If you're not a Hallewell's heart, they couldn't care less what happens to you. They will be harsh and cold and rude and damn well cutthroat

The only exception and hardly by anything is their own children.

If a Hallewell has children outside of their heart (which could only happen by accident and only before meeting their heart cause they are loyal to the last breath mind you)

They'll care for the parent financially and physically but will have an emotional detachment. If the parent raises the kid, great. Go along have a nice life I'll send a heafty sum of money on the dot each month that should support both of you but never reach out if you don't have to. (Not a good thing, but as I said-)

If the parent refuses to raise a kid, fine. They will but again they'll be emotionally detached. In some ways they would care by keeping the kid safe and secure, but wouldn't form a bond with them. They'd defend them if they felt it necessary but it wouldn't be out of love, moreso just duty.

If it's a female Hallewell that gets pregnant there's almost no other option than an abortion. She won't go through with a child unless the father pleads for the child and swears to leave her in peace afterwards (will still offer financial support they're not deadbeats just so heavily detached from everyone that isn't their fated 'heart')

That's where my specific character comes in

Consider this medieval times, distant little town of Newhaven

Declan is a Hallewell who preys on humans across the lands who focus on greed of power, towns who's Lord overexerts his power over people to make himself feel good, husbands or wives who abuse their family to feel stronger, those sort. Power hungry. He's a few hundred years old, an older Hallewell, has some unspoken history he keeps tabs on but for the most part travels alone. Settling town by town in humanoid form and traveling by night in the form of a beastly creature as tall as the trees and walking on all four clawed paws.

Consider a griffin but instead of an eagle head and a body split between bird and lion it's a true blend.

Feline features yet instead of fur there's soft under feathers and a more coarse layer of dark brown feathers covering them. Heavy wings with a slightly lighter color under them as well as under his stomach and chest. His head looks more akin to a soft beaked hawk, but wider, more broad, covered entirely in those fur like feathers (trico from the last guardian sort of face, but more filled out and completely covered in feathers) elongated ears, sharp large fangs, horns that tip backwards slightly and a lion looking tail but instead of hair at the end it's feathers more dense and long like on his wings. He's a big fuckin monster that does great at appearing human.

Cause in his human form he's a big burly scruffy looking dude with dark brown hair that's slightly greying at the temple and some stubble on his face that could grow into a full beard if he'd stop trimming it. He's just a big fucking dude that looks like a powerhouse (not bodybuilder but heavyweight lifter sort of build. More fat covering that muscle.)but actually is a big fucking monster hidden in that form

And as these stories go, of course, you are his 'heart'

So you decide how he acts, you're his moral compass. If you don't care about something, he won't care. If you want someone dead and gone it's already done, if you want someone kept safe give him a moment to realize he has to aid someone OTHER than you but he will with gusto. He makes up for his hatred of everything else by absolute devotion to his heart

Would 100% kneel at your feet no matter your stature in the middle of town without giving a shit cause in his eyes you're all that matters, anyone else be damned and if they don't mind their business he'll simply be rid of them

So have fun with that

[dazed--xx]

Cardinal (Series Preview)

Series Summary: If there was one thing God could say he’s ever regretted creating he’d explain there were 8. The 8 Evil Thoughts. Vainglory, Avarice, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, Pride, Envy, and Sloth are currently spending their exile living it up in the mortal world; spreading their sins into Gods most beloved creations so with determination in his heart he sends for the only things that can stop them….Their Virtues The Humility twins, Generosity, Temperance, Love, Chastity, Kindness, and Perseverance. Join them on a journey through morality, obsession, and temptation in Cardinal….

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Demon Au!

TW: YANDERE, Demon AU!, Cardinal Sins, Themes of Catholicism, mentions of religion, mentions of God, Blastphemy, smut, use of demonic powers, non-con (in some parts), more to be added as each part is posted.

A/N: So I’m officially off Hiatus 👋 so HIYA but I’ve been inspired for this for a while and I have been obsessed with the seven deadly sins since my theology class in high school and just now thought to write something about them but I’m super excited about this and I hope you guys will be too. Also anyone that has requested something your requests will be posted before this series and before one more time chapter 2 so keep an eye out cause I’m probably going to start posting those this week or next week anyway hope you enjoy the preview.

Bang Chan: coming soon

Vainglory; the sin or vice of one who immoderately desires renown, prestige, or the praise and respect of others. The desire of these things is not necessarily sinful but becomes so when it is immoderate and disordered.

Virtue: Humility

Summary: Belial, now reborn as Bang Chan as punishment for his most cardinal sin is happy with his prosperity as the CEO of Stay corporation. His employees worship the ground he walks on; his word holds more weight than almost anyone in all of South Korea, that is until a familiar foe threatens to take everything he’s built away. Now, Chan must face his largest feat yet…corrupting his virtue, Humility.

Minho: coming soon…

Avarice; an insatiable desire to gain and hoard wealth. It's similar to greed but goes even further, encompassing such things as selfishness, entitlement, materialism, consumerism, and hoarding.

Virtue: Generosity

Summary: Mammon, now cast away living his life disguised as mortal Lee Minho enjoys his days as the COO of Stay Corporation. From his many houses to the collections of automobiles he adores his cardinal sin. He indulges in his wealth, power and fornication as he so pleases bringing chaos to rain free wherever he so chooses until he’s faced with whom he only thought a myth…his virtue, Generosity.

Changbin: coming soon…

Gluttony; the over-indulgence or lack of self-restraint in food, drink, or wealth items, especially as status tokens.

Virtue: Temperance

Summary: Beelzebub, spends his days as Seo Changbin a world-renowned chef, wandering the cityscape bouncing from each flamboyant club to elegant restaurant he sets his sights on. He’d spend those days if it weren’t for the thorn in his side his virtue Temperance, a feisty archangel with a knack for ruining his fun he makes it his mission to corrupt the virtue and be the first of the sins to create a fallen angel.

Hyunjin: coming soon…

wrath; the inordinate and uncontrolled feeling of hatred and anger

Virtue: love or charity

Summary: Satan, now trapped in his mortal form Hwang Hyunjin by God due to his cardinal sins is forced to spend his eternity with his virtue, Love at his hip in every waking moment. He finds her mysterious call to his mind and heart infuriating as it drives him wild with wrath and infatuation. When he loses his ability to sense her presence everything is flipped into a world of Chaos, disparity and Wrath in which he did not cause. So, with a blood oath he sets out to locate his other half and destroy those that stolen her away from him.

Jisung: Coming soon…

Lust; defined as immoral because its object or action of affection is improperly ordered according to natural law or the appetite for the particular object (eg sexual desire) is governing the person's will and intellect rather than the will and intellect governing the appetite for that object.

Virtue: chastity

Summary: Asmodeus, now Han Jisung, a Has corrupted the strongest willed priests and popes in history. His love for his cardinal sin has him sharing the euphoria with almost every mortal he meets, that is until he comes face to face with his virtue, Chastity; the embodiment of everything he couldn’t have cast away by his own hands at the turn of the century. Her influence reaching a select few in his favorite personal hell. Vowing to show the object of his affection the true lengths Lust and absolute pleasure can take you; he embarks on a journey of fornication, heartbreak and persuasion.

Felix: coming soon…

pride; excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God.

Virtue: humility

Summary: Lucifer, hates his exile as Lee Felix under the demon Belial. He was far more intelligent than his current supervisor, he loathed his deity and their fear of anyone having a mind. He spent his days in a bore, missing his time in heaven he spends his days with visions of the precious virtue, Humility. He admonishes those that blindly follow their predestination, he detests his creator for condemning him to walk amongst these…. creatures that is until his twin brother presents him with a deal find and seal his beloved's fate…...corrupt her and get back into heaven.

Seungmin: coming soon….

Envy; sin of jealousy over the blessings and achievements of others

Virtue: kindness

Summary: Leviathan, lives his life as Kim Seungmin resenting his fellow keepers of the sins. They’re virtuous extravagant lifestyles to their most wildest dreams being fulfilled. While he had to stand there and watch, watch as the pesky humans around him found their way, watch as his brethren became successful in both hell and the mortal world. The Demon kings names bringing an icy chill up their spines at the power and influence they possess; if a demon king sets his sights on you, your soul becomes tainted with their sin until it eats the being alive and sends your soul straight to hell. He hates as his sin is the one full of disgust and had such a bad wrap, envy is what built civilization itself yet they worship Belial and the wretched deity that cursed himself, that is until he is greeted with something he’d never experienced before his virtue….Kindness

Jeongin: coming soon…

Sloth: a spiritual or emotional apathy, neglecting what God has spoken, and being physically and emotionally inactive. It can also be either an outright refusal or merely a carelessness in the performance of one's obligations, especially spiritual, moral or legal obligations.

Virtue: perseverance

Summary: Belphegor, enjoys his days as Yang Jeongin, the laid back neglectful floor manager of Stay Corporation. If you were to ask any of the mortal employees under his leadership they would say he was always at work but he was rarely ever working. His reputation was a positive one despite his hidden identity, he enjoyed watching as his floor scrambled to get report’s together for meetings he’d never mentioned until the day before. He adored sprinkling small bits of his sin around the office and watching as the floor became bored, underachieving and understandably tired. The only thing he would say he’d enjoy a change with is one particular little itty bitty thorn in his side; the one thing that he cannot stand more than actual work that sat right outside his office. His virtue….Perseverance.

[dotthings]

Some show metrics tea for you:

Except for S&L, the shows CW kept are not top 10 or even top 20 performers on the HBO Max Flixpatrol ranking metrics, while TW and GK are top 10/top 20. Both TW and GK rank consistently higher than S&L. They have at times out performed GoT and HOTD.

GK’s flixpatrol rankings currently don’t even include the US yet.

TW has been off the air a few months and it’s ranking close to og spn’s level.

CW’s no longer relevant to me, pointing this out as reminders for looking ahead. These shows have value to the IP holder.

Take some deep breaths. Things are stuck on hold due to an industry strike brought on by corporate greed so decisions can’t be made for a while.

[grim-echoes]

Any thoughts on what's up with the Accelerated Dynamics nightmare dungeon? The obvious surface is about corporate greed, but how does that relate directly to Jimmy's life like the other nightmare dungeons do?

i've been slacking on the analysis posts a hell of a lot but this is one of the dungeons i've been looking for an opportunity to talk about because it's another one of those inclusions in jatpm that i think gets overlooked because it doesn't have an immediately obvious interpretation like some others do (or, as obvious as is possible for your average jimmy fan). i've done a lot of thinking about it, and a while back had this realization (slight tw for very very brief suicide mention, also obvious spoilers ahead):

kasey definitely put a lot of his own personal grievances with capitalism into accelerated dynamics, but in my opinion it's an incomplete picture without taking megatropolis as a whole into consideration. terminal illness is extremely costly to treat and particularly in the US, it's (in my experience) much more terrifying to imagine being unable to afford the cost of healthcare than it is to actually fall ill and require treatment. even with insurance covering the cost of medical supplies and bills most people continue to struggle to feed, clothe, and house themselves, and that's assuming they do have health insurance that covers the right necessities to begin with.

i say this because i doubt jimmy's cancer treatment was at all affordable given that he's already been through chemotherapy once before, and has spent the entirety of his second battle comatose while his family continues to work not just to support themselves, but to try and save his life. this isn't to argue that money troubles were absolutely a factor in his family's life because of his illness because we don't know much at all about their financial situation--more that this is a terrifying reality for many, many families fighting illnesses, and megatropolis is representative of something that jimmy and his family don't have the luxury of anymore: leisure.

accelerated dynamics is set in a sprawling city landmarked by arcades, shopping malls, theaters, toy company headquarters, and a massive school campus, all adjacent to a high-class beach resort. it's a stark contrast in atmosphere that was likely very intentional--accelerated dynamics is devoid of personality and wonder in comparison to bonita vista or even shinryu and features workplace ambience as its area theme and visuals of skeletal employees hanged outside the office windows. i think a lot of people were incredibly disappointed in mr grouse as a character to see that his humble beginnings had led him to this point, but i think the commentary runs a lot deeper and touches on this incredibly grave aspect of illness and thus jimmy's personal life that can be easy to miss for the trees; mr grouse tells jimmy before the fight that he used to dream of his banking business growing bigger and bigger and that now, with the advent of it having grown so big that it's now expanded into an entire enterprise, he understands the power and influence that money can buy him, but more than anything he now conceptualizes how terrifying it is to lose that wealth.

his dialogue after the fight is an admission that wealth completely and utterly eroded his morals and that jimmy should enjoy his innocence while he can--this is the incomprehensible, horrifying world of adulthood that he couldn't possibly understand at this age--and it's very clear that this is (one of) the intended angle(s) of this dungeon's theme where jimmy will never live long enough to understand the complications of growing older and losing his innocence to concepts like late stage capitalism, but mr grouse phrases his dialogue like an earnest request for reflection, something for jimmy to consider in a way that his brain can more easily deconstruct--think of all the things you could do if you had practically infinite wealth, and the only thing you had to worry about was not having money.

if jimmy and his family had infinite wealth, then maybe they'd be able to afford luxury resorts and theme parks and theaters and shopping trips again. if jimmy and his family had infinite wealth, maybe they wouldn't need to work themselves into an early grave over their child's deathbed.