#Baccano! Spoilers

[agallimaufryofoddments]

Huey vs. Szilard 1935 bad end

Disclaimer: Huey's 1935 goal, while hinted at, hasn't been explicitly confirmed; this refers to my working theory as to what it is.

As alarming as the prospect of a Huey hive mind puppeteering seven million New Yorkers sounds, consider that those seven million New Yorkers (or, if not them, their descendants) might have wound up as Szilard hive mind vessels/bodies had Szilard not perished in 1930.

Is the prospect of a 7mil-vessel-strong Szilard hive mind worse than a 7mil-vessel-strong Huey hive mind? You decide.

...No, seriously. Recall that Szilard was the one pioneering hive mind research in the first place (c.f. his descendant(s) continuing that research in the European Village). An alchemist (implied LFV) stole that research and created a practical technique from it that Huey acquired (rather, LFV and Huey collaborated in creating the Twins).

What I'm saying that In other words, Szilard was on track with hive mind research and probably could have not only figured out how to 'create' (manifest?) other-dimensional Hive Minds like Sham and Hilton BUT also how to Hive Mind his own consciousness via the drug/water, which I believe is what Huey tasks Begg with aiding him in.

Sure, it might have taken him longer than it did LFV/Huey/Begg (seeing how he has often delegated the task of compounding 'drugs' to subordinates), but in a scenario where Szilard lives, maybe it wouldn't have been so easy for LFV to steal that research.

I want you to imagine what Szilard would do once he had his "Szilard consciousness drug." Why not taint NYC's municipal water supply as Huey plans to? I imagine that Szilard might try to make all of humanity his vessels.

Granted, I imagine that Huey has not ruled this out for himself, this "first New York City, then the world!" plan. Becoming a hive mind with all of humanity (and perhaps taking over any children born to boot) would surely bring Huey far closer to some form of omniscience / Ronny as he wishes to have/be. Szilard and Huey crave knowledge. Hive minding everyone else in the world (sans Elmer for H) would give them access to humanity's knowledge.

[blue-bird-lamentation]

OMG i remember these movies 😭

I was not ready to find this here (also impressed they remembered Willem instead of Sandra Bullock since she's probably one of the characters i remember the best from there)

[chongoblog]

You might think your anime opening is cool, but is it “seamlessly put a ‘previously on...’ segment in the MIDDLE of the opening and have it kick ass every time” cool?

[the-port-mafia]

I need some of famdons on my dash. If you post/reblog bungou stray dogs, d gray man, akatsuki no yona, one piece, baccano or durarara please like this post ^_^

[drfeelgreed]

speaking of the alcatraz arc i'm sorry but i don't care how well another media did a prison escape plot. nothing will ever beat huey laforet chopping himself up into little pieces and being flown out of the prison by his daughter who is many birds with a graceful blind eye turned by his other hivemind creation who is almost every security guard

[left-handed-moths]

Baccano! book 13

[closedcoffins]

this is baccano spoilers but i know theres not a chance in hell any of my mutuals are going to read baccano and get to the end of the slash much less alice in jails so do you ever think about how christopher develops an unwillingness to kill precisely because it was someone he'd backstabbed that left him lying on the pavement at the end of the slash. his own reckless desire for murder was almost the end of his life and after that he hasn't killed a single person. and i think that is beautiful that he chose to not kill but also still did not change his personality in any meaningful way either like hes just as annoying as before except now he does not condone murder.

[supaara]

started reading baccano vol 22 while i was v sleepy last night and i just remembered that ronny actually loves the martillo family.... thats so cute im gonna throw up

[stainlesssteellocust]

Baccano! Spoilers for the Twist

There’s a bit where someone hears Claire’s name in passing and assumes he’s a girl

can you imagine if Claire was a girl. Nothing else different, still into Chane and all. Can you imagine what people on here would be like. I don’t think Tumblr could survive a character like that

[agallimaufryofoddments]

Fermet: SAMPLE, sweetie, love your whole reveling in child suffering pitch. I want you to show me your best prototype. Give me the works: fuck up the kid like you’ve never fucked up a kid before. Only this time…let them live.

SAMPLE: One warped child of calamity and light coming right up, courtesy of the interlopers who rescued him from the sacrificial cutting board. What a screwed up little vessel, pure grade nightmare fuel, this one. They call him Elmer.

Elmer: you’d look prettier if you smiled :)

Fermet: no not like that

[blue-bird-lamentation]

Huey about Elmer in 2002: "He's my best friend. That's all. No more, no less. Although I could never make such an embarassing confession to him personally."

Elmer about Huey in 2002: "He's my friend. My best friend ever."

Ok...bit fruity 🤨

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Violence, spoilers, profane language

Title: Lump Your Head

Editor: Joseph Navarrete

Song: Lump Your Head

Artist: Hollywood Undead

Anime: Baccano!

Category: Action

[drfeelgreed]

Slowly, Jorgi picked up the revolver, brought it to his temple, and---

"------!"

Suddenly, he thrust the gun out in front of him and squeezed the trigger. Straight at the three brothers, his own bosses, across from him.

He pulled the trigger once...twice...three times, four, five, six......

Click

Click Click

Click-click-click

No fire erupted.

All that echoed through the quiet basement was the metallic sound of the hammer striking. It blended in with the jazz that filtered down from the floor above, creating an odd ensemble that lingered in Jorgi's ears.

"... That's very unfortunate, Jorgi."

Luck spoke sadly. Unusually for him, his eyes really did appear sad.

"Take a good look... Those're all blanks."

Berga spoke dispassionately, his face expressionless.

Jorgi was stunned; he had no idea what had happened. Luck handed down the verdict:

"... Listen, Jorgi. The three of us were grateful for all the work you'd done for us. We talked it over and came to a decision. If you'd steeled yourself and pulled the trigger yourself, we'd let you leave the group without a word. If you cried and begged for your life, we'd beat you half to death and let you leave. If you denied everything to the end, we'd cut your tongue out and let you leave. And...you chose the very worst outcome. I can't tell you how unhappy I am about that."

At that point, Luck shook his head and said nothing more.

This time, Jorgi really did despair and regret what he'd done. If he'd at least begged for his life...

Even now, it might not be too late. Just as he opened his mouth to speak---

A gigantic shoe was shoved into it.

Berga had suddenly jumped up onto the table and kicked Jorgi's face the way a kid would kick a ball.

"... Don't you make my brothers any sadder."

Eyebrows drawn together in a scowl, he looked down on the degenerate who lay on the floor. The lightbulb that hung right beside Berga's head was swinging violently.

Several of Jorgi's teeth had left his mouth, and the whites of his eyes showed under slightly opened eyelids. Apparently the attack had knocked him out cold.

Seeing this, several of the men who had been watching the poker match began to move. They picked up Jorgi's body and stuffed it into a gunnysack. Then two of them lifted the sack...and climbed the stairs to the ground floor.

After this, the gunnysack would be driven outside the city and taken to a place with a view of the ocean.

Jorgi was unconscious now, but he would probably never wake up again.

The man who knew his fate quietly stirred the vocal chords he almost never used.

"...... Damn fool..."

The only ones who heard Keith's soft murmur were his two younger brothers.

Baccano! 1930 "The Rolling Bootlegs". Chapter One, "Day One".

[affablyevilshowdown]

Small Bracket Round 1-13

Lil psycho/Lil in love (... I lied, these losers are both head over freakin heels)

Beatrice (Bibi) (I Love Amy): she makes the ^v^ face while thinking of tying a girl up in the basement. somehow becomes fond of the girl and she DOES get domesticated

Claire Stanfield (Baccano!): (under cut due to spoilers, but it's worth it!)

Claire: *Cute Mute Assassin holds knife to his chest* "It's been a while, You still planning to kill me? To be honest, I would completely understand if you were. I just thought it would be appropriate for me to go ahead and declare my love for you first."

[pb-dot]

Music Talk: Magia

Haven't talked about music for a spell, so it's time to get back on that with the song I'm currently obsessing over. I don't listen to a lot of soundtracks anymore, but there are three exceptions. The (in my opinion) best works of Ennio Morricone, Guns & Roses from Baccano, and today's entry, Magia by Kalafina from Madoka Magica.

I'm mostly going to talk about music stuff, but some (sizable) Madoka original series spoilers below the cut.

First of all, I love how this song starts. The rolling timpani (I think, it's been a while since my band kid days) into that eerily powerful choir of vocalizations that the rest of the instruments then layer in under is just such an attention grabber. The whole song comes rolling in like thunder and not even demanding attention as much as it states that you are now listening.

I also adore the vocal stylings on display here. Kalafina sings low in the register, contrasting with the higher-pitch nasal vocalizations and making the performance truly memorable, standing out both in tone and timber. The three vocalists singing in unison also adds power to the vocals and conjures up the mind of a Greek Chorus or one of many fate-tellers or -makers who work in triplicate. It tells the tale of a doomed struggle, but perhaps a heroically tragic one?

Another interesting thing about Magia is how it fits into the plot of Madoka and what it is perceived to convey. At first, Magia seems to be the theme song of the calamitous Walpurgisnacht, and the eerie power of the song appears to be an extension of the witch, who, to a greater extent than most witches, has transcended characterhood into a force of nature, an ender of all things.

It is only later, and perhaps after looking up the lyrics of the whole thing that one starts to pick up that this isn't the case. Magia is a theme song for sure, but not for the Walpurgisnacht, who is less of a conflicted character at this point than the lyrics would suggest since her motivations or even identity remains unknown, but for the standoffish and antagonistic Homura.

Now I could talk about the plot stuff around Homura in the original series for literal hours, but the relevant part here is how her story fits Magia both lyrics- and tone-wise so much better, and the point where it all clicks is the point where the show, to me at least, went from good to GREAT. Magia is a powerful song, yes, but it also feels like struggling uphill, like fighting against something that should be impossible to fight, like opposing the very plot that you're in.

There is also, I will add, a touch of vulnerability to the whole thing, the unison singing will drop away for a more personal-feeling set of lyrics. This neatly mirrors Homura's arc, as we get to see behind the cold and cynical facade, we see the young woman, a girl, really, who fights so desperately to save the one person she loves that she is willing to sacrifice anyone, even herself, even the world.

The lyrics really drive the point home, as they flit between dreams of a better future and the knowledge that this all might be for naught even if the most impossible were to happen. It might be a bit heretical to say this, but I love how goth it is. Not necessarily in that it fits the aesthetic, although I would argue it does in its way, but in how it sees the beauty in the hopeless and love in loss.

[closedcoffins]

@c4rdsharp / most written muses. ( #001 : "the rail tracer" --- claire stanfield. )

"Luck!!"

Claire's ever-enthusiastic voice carries loudly through the small room, probably quite a bit louder than Luck would like. He's usually a little more conscious of that kind of thing, but it's honestly been a while since he's seen any of his brothers, so he's just a little more unrestrained than usual.

"Wow, you look so put-together!" he comments, making himself comfortable immediately in the empty office he probably shouldn't have been able to get himself into. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I miss you guys every day. Well, even though I can manage to phone you guys pretty often, it's a lot different than seeing you in person. It's one thing to hear your voice, but it's another thing to actually see you in front of me, you know?"

He laughs, carrying on at about a mile a minute---Claire had prepared a lot of things to say all at once, and when it came down to it, he'd been unable to organize them before saying them. "Hey, are you still a hugger? I guess I was always more of one than you, but if it's alright with you, I'd like to hug my second-favorite brother. After Keith, obviously, but who'd just straight-up hug Keith like that, right? Hahaha."