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cowboys-tshot · 1 year ago

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A Beginner's Guide to Epic: The Musical

Are you new to Epic: The Musical and overwhelmed by four years worth of content to go through? This is for you! (Note that this is a work in progress post that will be added to in the future as new information and Sagas are released).

LAST UPDATED: 09/01/24

*There will be some spoilers in this! The Odyssey is thousands of years old, but Epic: The Musical is an adaptation, meaning things are different. I recommend listening to all the songs in Epic before reading this, as this guide is intended to clear up misunderstandings/confusing moments and provide context.

**All of the underlined bits are links to whatever it is I'm referring to, just in case I'm making no sense. I will try to include sources for everything, or at least indicate where I got certain information from if there's no link available.

General Info:

*This is basic information about Epic: The Musical as a whole. This includes where to find new information and content, BTS things, etc.

• First of all, here's a quick rundown by the creator himself. There'll be some overlap in terms of what I cover here.

• Epic: The Musical is created by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, often referred to as "Jay" or "Mr. Jalapeño" by his fans. This is who writes the songs, casts the characters, and voices Odysseus himself!

• Epic: The Musical was originally (pre-Ocean Saga) produced under Blair Russell Productions, but Jay has never been paid the royalties from the songs released under them (and they have yet to give back control of the Epic social media accounts), so Epic is now produced under Jay's own company, Winion Entertainment LLC. (source)

• Jay is most active on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. All videos that he posts to these platforms are generally the same, so don't worry if you can't follow him on all of them. He talks about several Epic-related things, including release dates, BTS, animatics, details about the music/story, snippets of released and unreleased songs, and also plenty of funny videos. He is very active within the fanbase, and you're likely to find him (and other cast members) leaving comments on posts by fans!

• Here are Jay's other links, including the Epic: The Musical Discord server. In my experience, the Discord server and Tiktok are the best places to get information as quickly as possible.

• Epic is still in progress. As of the latest update to this guide (09/01/24), the Wisdom Saga has just been released last week, leaving only two more sagas before the end. The songs are all part of a concept album, and there is currently no stage adaptation.

• Jay takes many creative liberties with The Odyssey for the sake of this adaptation of the story. He made a video recently explicitly saying to NOT use Epic as a basis for your knowledge of The Odyssey, at least when it comes to academic settings. Many of the things that occur in Epic DO NOT occur in the original story, and some parts of the original story have been cut out. Here is a video where Jay explains the purpose of Epic as an adaption. (I won't be including a list of differences in this post, but I might make a separate one if anyone's interested.)

• Although Epic takes a lot of these creative liberties, there are several little easter eggs sprinkled in among the actual plot points from The Odyssey. (I'll go into these later.)

• Jay will usually do a recap video before each new saga, going over all the events of the previous sagas for any newcomers.

• When a new saga is released, Jay will hold a LIVE listen-through. I highly recommend being there for these events, because they include lots of cool and important things such as:

official animations, animatics, and artwork, all of which provide insights into character design and events within the songs

Jay's live reactions (his facial expressions and little dances/lip-syncs are delightful)

details about the events within the songs that aren't made clear within the music itself (like what a character is doing, what is happening around them, etc)

Jay's comments in the LIVE chat, which includes details/easter eggs, BTS stuff, jokes, headcanons, and LOTS of love and praise for the actors and fans!

• Seeing as there is no stage adaptation for Epic, a lot of the visual elements come from artists and animatics/animations. Jay actually works with several of these artists for official trailers, artwork, and animatics/animations! Some of these artists include: Ainhoa Velasco, @wolfythewitch, @gigizetz, @_mircsy_, @drawing_angie, @anniflamma, Scilla_nimation, el_crafts, samantha_artt, and Giulia Toneatto. These people are all incredibly talented and deserve all the love from the Epic fanbase!

Info About the Music:

*I am not musically adept at all, and this post is already very long, so I am not going to list much specific information—just general common themes and some examples of them. Most of this information has been confirmed by Jay, in videos that I've linked below.

• If you're having trouble understanding the lyrics and/or the meaning behind the lyrics, Genius lyrics has the entire album and is full of helpful notes about the context within the musical. A lot of lyrics get misheard, so even if you think you understand what's being sung, I'd recommend checking just in case lol.

• The Troy Saga and The Cyclops Saga have been rereleased under Winion Entertainment LLC! This includes new vocals, altered music, etc. These were released alongside The Thunder Saga, along with new cover art. It's preferred that you listen to these versions of the songs, and NOT the originals, because Jay only gets royalties from the current ones.

• Many characters have their own musical motif, or even multiple motifs. There are also other motifs that are more general, like the "Danger is Nearby" motif.

• Many important characters have their own instrument that plays an integral part to the songs they're in. You can typically tell which instrument accompanies each character by listening to what is most prominent in a song that focuses on that character. (ex. Hermes with harps and the lyre, Athena with the piano)

• If you hear a character's musical motif or associated instrument in a song they don't play an integral part in, that can mean a few things (listed below). With the more general motifs, they have their own separate meanings outside of the characters.

That character is present, even if they're not singing. (ex. Hermes in "Puppeteer," signifying that he's listening to Odysseus' speech, which is brought up at the beginning of "Wouldn't You Like")

That character is related to whatever event/conversation is occurring. (ex. the same musical motif in "Ruthlessness" and "Storm," signifying that Poseidon is the one that sent the crazy storm)

The kind of instrument being played can indicate the emotion or tone of a scene. This is scene primarily with Odysseus, where the use of a nylon or acoustic guitar indicates that he is not being ruthless (source).

• When background vocals are accompanying a mortal, there is always a physical, in-universe source for those voices (ex. Odysseus' crew as background vocals in most of his songs). When background vocals are accompanying a god or other powerful being, there does not have to be a physical source for those voices—gods can basically summon a choir of voices at will (ex. "Ruthlessness"). (video explanation)

• Background chanting specifically is a common element in Epic songs. Typically, this chanting consists of the names of characters present/focused on in the song (as seen [heard?] in "Survive," "Ruthlessness," and "King").

Unclear/Vague Moments Explained:

*Some of the plot points, characters, etc. in Epic can be confusing on the first or second listen. So, I'll clear up some of the common things people (including myself) didn't notice or understand at first.

• The deep voice at the end of "The Horse and the Infant" is Zeus, voiced by Luke Holt. Zeus shows Odysseus a vision of Astyanax, the infant son of Hector, and tells him to kill the child.

• Odysseus drops Astyanax from the walls of Troy at the end of "Just a Man." Many people didn't catch this until the callback in "Monster" at the end of Act 2.

• "Warrior of the Mind" is quite confusing to those that don't have context. It is a flashback to a younger Odysseus, when he first met Athena and took her as a mentor.

• Athena has an ability called "Quick-Thought," which lets her have telepathic conversations with someone within milliseconds by pulling their mind into another dimension.

• Polites dies at the end of "Survive." He is the voice saying "Captain...". (I didn't realize this for a good while when I first started listening to Epic.)

• The voice telling Odysseus to wake up in "Keep Your Friends Close" is Penelope, not Aeolus.

• The lil' guys in "Keep Your Friends Close" are called winions (they're also the Lotus Eaters in "Open Arms"). Jay describes them as "little wind creatures that dance when they get excited and then float away uncontrollably." They don't actually exist in The Odyssey, but they're pretty cute!

• At the end of "Ruthlessness," the line "remember me" is said by Poseidon, who's basically sending his voice through the ocean fog (since Odysseus is very, very far away from him now).

• In "Done For," the yelling you are hearing in the background is essentially a Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh battle between Circe's chimera and the monster Odysseus summons using the moly plant given to him by Hermes. There is an animatic by mircsy to serve as a visual aide, which I find very helpful!

• In "There Are Other Ways," Circe was holding a knife and planning to stab Odysseus as she tried to seduce him. When he pulls away and rejects her, she quickly hides the knife.

• In "The Underworld," shades (souls) are in a constant loop, repeating whatever they were thinking when they died. Tiresias is an exception to this rule, seemingly because of him being such a powerful prophet. (confirmed in "The Underworld Saga" LIVE listen-through)

• I feel like this is fairly clear, but for those that aren't familiar with The Odyssey, I'll say it anyways. (Spoilers? I guess?) The prophecy in "No Longer You" is SUPER heavy on the foreshadowing. I won't go into it here, since many people already have, but let's just say the Greeks were big on self-fulfilling prophecies.

• As mentioned previously, background chanting is a big thing in Epic. In "No Longer You," the background chanting also serves as a prophecy detailing the future events of Odysseus's journey. Currently, only part of these lyrics have been confirmed by Jay: "SIREN SONG - SCYLLA THROAT - MUTINY - LIGHTNING BOLT." This leaves two lines that are not confirmed.

• In "Mutiny," after Odysseus is stabbed, he is tied up and knocked out before the crew sails to the nearest island. Right before he says to get to the boat and row away, he manages to untie himself.

Fun Facts/Easter Eggs:

• Circe is voiced by Jay's girlfriend, Talya Sindel.

• When Poseidon kills off most of Odysseus' crew in "Ruthlessness," he says that there are only 43 men left. But in "The Underworld," the souls of his crew say that 558 men died under his command. Considering Odysseus started off with 600 men ("Full Speed Ahead"), this math doesn't add up. This is because in The Odyssey, when Odysseus and his men party with Circe for a year, a man in his crew named Elpenor woke up drunk on Circe's roof and proceeded to walk off the roof and die from the fall. He actually has a cut song.

• Jay messed up the amount of years in "There Are Other Ways." It had not been 12 years, but 10. This little screw-up is referenced in "Different Beast."

• Odysseus' mother is voiced by Jay's actual mother.

• If you see people commenting "rawr rawr rawr" or "🦖" on Jay's videos, they're referencing his April Fool's prank this year. He made a video saying he'd completely changed the Act 2 closing song, "Monster," and proceeded to play a happy-go-lucky sounding song going "I am the monster, rawr rawr rawr."

• In every single saga, Odysseus says "what." in an absolutely bamboozled manner (or "huh" in The Troy Saga, and he does it twice in The Ocean Saga). It happens in "Open Arms," "Polyphemus," "Keep Your Friends Close," "Puppeteer," and "No Longer You." Occasionally, this "what" will be said by a different character (Poseidon in "Ruthlessness," the siren in "Different Beast")

• Perimedes (another man in Odysseus' crew, who lives all the way until "Thunder Bringer") and Elpenor were best friends.

#epic: the musical #epic the musical #epic the underworld saga #epic the circe saga #epic the troy saga #epic the cyclops saga #epic the ocean saga #epic the thunder saga #the underworld saga #the circe saga #the ocean saga #the thunder saga #the troy saga #the cyclops saga #the odyssey #odysseus #jorge rivera herrans #epic: the wisdom saga #the wisdom saga

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faeiri-tft · 2 years ago

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PLEASE do the toontown online rant i want it so badly

this post kinda got away from me, and by "got away from me" i mean this 3000 word toontown rant is Part One. there will be a Part Two to this later in which i actually talk about the fanservers i wanted to talk about. anyway let's go

toontown online (tto) was a children's mostly-turn-based subscription MMO released in 2003. after a few years of obviously being on life support, disney gave a one-month notice that tto (and several other games) would be closing on september 19th, 2013. on the same day the game closed, the fan-run server toontown rewritten (ttr) was announced (with multiple other fanservers/fangames/reimaginings being established since), and is a few months away from outliving the original game

see, one thing about tto that allowed fanservers to crop up so quickly and easily was that it had, um, interesting choices. very interesting choices. like, "kids could use a code injector to turn their backyards into giant mashed-together nightmarescapes"-level choices

youtube

(loose video description: a rabbit toon running around a chaotic mismash of rooms, obstacles, and npcs that Should Not Be There. audio caption: Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life".)

but ok let's talk about the actual game first.

toontown online (tto)

the game starts with you creating your player character - you can pick from eventually-9 species, a couple body types, and 2 dozen preset colors. the gender code is a spaghetti nightmare but you won't learn this until the fanservers come about so don't worry about it. you're then taken to the Toontorial, which explains maybe 20% of the game's mechanics before setting you loose into the main game

the toontorial also gives you the basic "plot", such as it is: Toontown is suddenly* under attack by a bunch of boring businessrobots called the Cogs. their goal is to turn toontown into a dreary gray featureless corporate hell; their business activities are so boring that they're physically painful to be around. luckily, they can't take a joke, so the toons have figured out how to defeat them: by playing pranks on them until they laugh so hard they Explode

*originally, the game installer had a little animation giving a backstory for the Cogs' creation. this was never referenced in game, removed pretty quickly, and i think even the devs kinda forgot it existed

that's...pretty much the whole story! in that context, your toon progresses through all of toontown, helping some mostly-pretty-interchangeable shopkeepers, reclaiming buildings from the cogs, eating ice cream, etc. occasionally, the cogs would Come Up With New Tricks (read: major content update) and the toons would Find A Way To Fight Back (read: same major content update). that was the closest thing to Plot, unless you count "the devs scheduled a bunch of invasions of high-tier cogs right before the game's closure". but...i doubt most the kids really expected a Plot. mickey mouse was there

the gameplay:

the Free Account

there were two...pretty different approaches to playing toontown online. when the game launched, there was a 3-day free trial to the entire game, after which you got kicked entirely until you subscribed. at some point, this was changed so that the first area, Toontown Central (TTC), was Always Free - you could do all of that area's quests/"taskline" and limited activities, indefinitely, and in theory this would make you beg your parents for the rest of the game

i have no idea if this actually got more subscriptions or not. from what i can tell it just spawned more warrior cats

(source)

there were. a Lot of warrior cats. there were some other social activities, too, such as Fashion Shows (with your limited range of clothes) and Begging Subscribed Players To Summon Cog Buildings To TTC and Getting Chat Banned. ...however, as one of the subscription kids i didn't really interact with this side of the game, so i'm not the best person to talk about it

2. the Paid Account

mmm look at those crisp clear graphics. hell yes

a subscription account gave you access to this whole map, along with all these areas' tasklines. to progress through the game, you must complete a variety of "ToonTasks" for the Toon Resistance (it's called that. their catchphrase is "Toons of the World, Unite!". you were giving disney money for this). these reward you by increasing your max health (your "Laff Points"), slowly unlocking more combat options, and sending you to different, higher-difficulty areas of toontown

some of these tasks were...longer than others. generally, though, they all boiled down to: "just go fight some cogs"

combat:

(source)

toontown battles are turn-based: the players use their attacks ("gags") first, and then any surviving cogs attack you with, usually, office equipment and puns thereof (unless the cog is e.g. a Loan Shark, in which case they can just fucking bite you). if you defeat a cog, it explodes; if the cog defeats you, you "go sad" and are sent back to the safety of the playground, lose your gag inventory, and can't leave until you heal.

early on, most your battles are 1v1, but later on almost everything is a multiplayer 4-ish-v-4.

an...interesting feature here in the game's early days was that you could only Type Your Own Words to someone who shared their "friend code" with you IRL. otherwise, you had to use this thing:

(source)

you had a set list of phrases you could string together, which generally covered most the things you wanted to say. but it could get frustrating when you wanted to have a real conversation with your toontown friends! so...as the source above mentions, people obviously found ways around the system. turns out that if you let players move objects around their houses, they will use that to Draw Letters and pass their friend code along regardless

eventually - before the warrior cats, of course - disney presumably realized this system was pretty goofy (🥁) , so the game got a real chat, albeit one that functioned on a very strict whitelist. my favorite is that it didn't let you type numbers, however you could just say won too tree for hive etc. like. disney i really don't know what to tell you. anyway

(isn't he charming)

cogs come in levels 1-12, with levels displayed above their heads, and as you'd expect their damage output and HP increase with their level. however, the game doesn't...actually show you cog HP? instead they have a little colored light on their chest that fades from green to red until they explode. you see numbers on all the damage you do, and you see your own HP/laff, but never the cogs'. also lategame cogs are Too Tall For You To See Their Level once they line up for battle (which isn't actually that bad but it's funny). there's a formula for HP per level, but it's never mentioned in-game. i guess someone can teach it to you but then you have to watch them type "a level tin cog has won tree too health" and is that really worth it

(as you can tell i just…don't get this. "my kid is practicing arithmetic with toontown!" - marketing angle expressly denied by god. the stealth edutainment was right there)

anyway! in theory, you have seven base combat options ("gag tracks"), which combine in a variety of ways:

toon-up, which restores your teammates' health;

trap, which does guaranteed high damage but only if someone uses lure;

lure, which stuns the cogs for a few turns and is the only way to make trap work

sound, which does low damage to every cog;

throw, which does medium-high-ish damage to one cog; multiple throws combined give percentage combo damage, and hitting a lured cog will also add percentage "knockback damage";

squirt, which is exactly like throw but less damage;

and drop, which does high damage but cannot hit lured cogs, and has low accuracy unless you hit the cog with something else first

each gag track has 6 levels, which you unlock by using that gag track a bunch. you can't carry as many of the high levels with you - i mean, putting one piano in your backpack makes perfect sense, but two is just silly, right

a few years into the game's lifespan, level 7s were added - these were huge AOE that you could regain with every 500 track EXP. there was also something called "organic gags" to promote the please-log-in-every-day gardening system

every player starts with throw and squirt, and throughout the game you slowly unlock four more gag tracks. your choices are permanent: once you have your six tracks, you're locked out of the seventh forever.

in theory, all of this opens up a huge variety of combat options!

in practice, the battle strategy looks something like this:

use sound

as mentioned, almost all of lategame will be 4v4 battles, which means sound will almost always outdamage everything on earth. you don't even need four foghorns (the highest normal sound gag) to break 200 AOE damage, and the highest health a cog EVER has is 200*. and two of the boss battles can reward you with gag restocks and heals that you can use mid-battle with no consequences (other than having to grind for those rewards a bunch). and failing THAT, you can just...ration your foghorns and take 2 turns to clear a set of cogs, interspersed with healing.

(*okay there was something called "v2.0 cogs" but they were...strange, and we just used sound anyway)

sure, once level 7s were added you could use those occasionally. and you could fall back on lure+throw if you didn't want to use your sound restocks. but even then, for most of tto's existence there was something called the "knockback bug" which. well. just look at it

(link for transcript. it's tvtropes sorry)

if you are a target-audience eight-year-old this translates to "lure + throw will only do enough damage if the cogs Feel like it." like it's really just insult to injury at this point. this was the result of One misplaced variable and was not fixed until the game closed

in the tto era, if you didn't have sound, you were kinda doomed to be kicked out of every fight forever

(bonus fun fact: there were Four entire battle themes and they were 40-second midi loops. let me out)

the bosses:

each of the four cog departments has a Boss Cog. to face off against them, you have to assemble a cog disguise and collect enough merits/stock options/whatever to be allowed into the boss's office.

(pictured: your convincing disguise)

when you enter, your disguise pops off due to Reasons, and you have to fight through...a bunch of waves of normal cogs. it's basically a really long normal battle. once the minions are dealt with, you have to, inexplicably, do a live-action battle against the boss themself:

youtube

(loose video description: four toons defeating the CFO by using magnet cranes to hit him in the face with safes for 32 seconds.)

the live-action rounds aren't supposed to go this quickly, but it's still...kinda strange? certain reoccurring game areas require Parkour, but there are no battles like this outside of the Four bosses. the CFO's room is the only place you see these cranes and they have A Lot Going On. the other 3 bosses have their own unique weird mechanics. before the first boss was added we neither had nor needed the ability to Jump. it's just weird

once you've defeated the boss, you're given a reward of varying usefulness (the best/most unbalanced reward type is Unites, which are a free heal or gag restock you can do inside or outside of battle. essentially lategame toons can simply choose not to die. riv2u etc.)

and, um. then you get some more merits/stock options/whatever and do it again. and again. and again. and again. and agai

the grind:

so the thing is that tto was a subscription mmo. every addition to the game had to be measured, above all, in terms of "how can we best get kids to beg their parents to give us money." this especially shows in the suit grind:

(source/source)

you have to defeat each boss 78 times in order to get all their laff points - and as you proceed, you have to defeat an increasing amount of cogs to even be allowed into the boss (although once you max you get in for free).

by far the easiest way is to run through the designated HQ facilities - basically, cog fights interspersed with some platforming or minigames. you only collect your merits/whatever at the Very End of the facility. the only way to increase what a facility gives you is if your last battle ends during an "invasion" - a timed period where One Specific Cog replaces all street cogs, usually summoned with boss rewards.

the sellbot HQ grind isn't so bad. bossbot HQ - the endest-game HQ - frequently requires you to do an hour-long facility and on six separate occasions you have to do seven of them. if the invasion ends before your final battle, you have to sit around until someone summons another. if you lose your internet connection because it's 2008, or if your parents make you come to dinner, or if hacking or the game's general bugginess cause a server reset because you're probably in the busiest district for the invasion bonus, you have spent that Entire Hour On Nothing. the CEO (bossbot cog boss) probably also takes an hour because you and your fellow players are 10

this shit, combined with laff points locked behind gardening (time-gated), racing and golfing (multiplayer minigames with absurd requirements), and fishing (RNG-based with some fish being absurdly rare. i watched my mom fish for one every day for a month), meant that maxing a toon took Years, if you managed it ever.

it wasn't, um. it wasn't good

ok so what else is wrong with this game:

i had "aged out of the game" (lol) by the early '10s, so i'm not the best person to do a writeup of the hacking/scripting situation of those days. that said, what i'm going to do is give you a few examples, and i want you to just...look at them

(source)

(source). early '10s youtube was funny i'm trying to decide if i miss it

(source). fun thing to note here is that other players had collision, so a swarm of t-posing toons could just barricade the gag shop if they wanted to

youtube

(video description: toon who has Replaced His Head Model With An Anime Logo throwing thousands of jellybeans at everyone) (cw mild flashing just in case? and also the feather headband accessory)

i should note that the Bring Me To Life vid i started with was client-side, meaning only the player could see their technicolor hellscape. this guy's face was server-side. i do Not Think you should be able to do that

youtube

(video description: a player demonstrating use of a bot to get into the nutty river district, followed by other players using it to go to different game areas)

the above video was posted on august 17th, 2013. if you don't want to watch an Unregistered Hypercam 3 recording at about 5 frames per second, what's going on here is:

the player goes to a specific location and says a specific speedchat phrase.

a bot toon teleports to their location and provides some prompts on how to use it

the player tells the bot, via speedchat, to teleport to the (currently closed from the outside) busiest district so the player can follow

these "taxi toons" were server-sided, persisted across server resets, were made by a future fanserver dev, had younger kids referring to them as a "glitch" as if this were something that could Accidentally Happen, and stayed functional until the game closed

like...a lot of the "hacking" was just baby's first script download. this one - afaict also created by the laughing man head guy - is like...the fact that after years of no substantial game updates, someone effectively programmed their own "QOL feature" (note: not actually good for the poor mid-00s server being turned into a clown car) into a silly disney MMO and it just fucking sat there for a year is just. it's just.

i don't know what this is. this is not Playing The Game Toontown Online. this is nothing. this is everything. there are comments from 2013 on some of these videos saying stuff like "hackers killed toontown", but your game cannot have this happen if it is not already dying

and, like...it was. i'm not sure how many moderators there were by this point, but at the very end of tto, the number of active devs was One. the original devteam recently brought this up at the 20th anniversary celebration: devs just...slowly started getting pulled from the game, one at a time. there were a few updates after bossbot HQ - Field Offices, which i've basically never heard anything good about in their tto form ever; the Silly Meter, a yearly event...thing whose main function was to add unskippable dancing-inanimate-object cutscenes to your street battles; Parties, which...yknow parties were okay actually. i accept parties. but they weren't exactly a Major Game Update like the ones that had come before. in 2011 we gained the ability to Wear Hats. in 2012 the test server got some actual QOL updates that never made it to the main game; the final test server update was some maintenance in february, and then nothing for 18 months. disney was not providing enough resources to address the scripting because disney was not providing enough resources to address toontown. imagine being the last dev standing on an MMO that was older than some of its players, was losing its business model to mobile gaming, and spent most of its life falling apart at the seams. just imagine it, for a second

it couldn't have kept going, not like this.

on august 20, 2013, the closing announcement came: we had a month left of toontown online. the test server shut immediately; subscription refunds went out, and the game became actually F2P for the month; the part of the announcement that went like "we're shifting our focus to other games!" made a bunch of twelve-year-olds hate club penguin as if club penguin wouldn't also close in a few years; all the holiday events went off at once; and...

there wasn't a "thanks for playing!" popup. everyone online just got kicked, all at once. it was finally over

hey wait.

#toontown #toontown online #tto #tft talks #tft stuff #<- this goes in that tag i think #this was like. enrichment. thank you

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tomyo · 7 months ago

Text

I just realized it's been nearly a month and I haven't reported back to the western Soul Eater community the live experience of the Soul Eater Exhibit so here's what I got for you!

First of all, these are taking place at Animate stores and if somehow you think you can make travel plans within the next month or two, there is a third showing in Kyoto happening in January. When entering you are given a random shikishi board and if you paid extra you also get a sweatband (but I did not). I went with a friend who happened to live nearby who helped a lot with getting tickets but they were at the door available as well.

The entrance was a small area that featured the main promotional image and the Excalibur floral display replicating the one in the manga.

Beyond the entrance there was no video allowed and at certain points no photos allowed. Mostly at the end where there were a bunch of Shikishi boards with signatures from staff and voice actors.

What I didn't realize from pictures is that the manga pages shared are the original pages showing all the techniques and mistakes on page. I wish I could share them all but Tumblr is not the place for that. The one I did want to share is a page where presumably Ohkubo and an assistant played tiktaktoe and made and aiaikasa for Renton and Eureka from Eureka7 which was also being released in Shonen GanGan at the same time.

Not all pages of the series were shared and it was more favored to the first half of the series with different section to highlignt characters and story beats. The first main area was after the first curtain (photo above) had Maka's scythe and a copy of each volume hung up on a side wall. You then go through a set of curtains with souls on it into a large space that had the main pairs and additional charactera from the volume art blown up with the corresponding introduction chapters. This is the space with the replica of Shinigami-sama's room. This led into a hall featuring Crona and had a decal of Crona and Maka's shadows holding hands on the ground. Then there was the Excalibur Wall. My memory after that is a little fuzzy because I was distracted/self conscious(Was very amused by another pair as the clear fan explained the series to her friend); if I remember right there was a second hall showing the brew arc then Black Star's final Mifune fight and then a corner space representing the Arcane fight with a blown up decal of Maka in her black blood dress. The space didn't feel like people should walk in it, there was a thin foam on the floor and words from the panel dangling down so you couldn't really see much of the art. Early spartoi passes by really fast in favor of a wider hall with the killing of Medusa; pages on the right with corresponding blown up art on the left. At the end was a giant wall featuring the moon. Then it the pages of the final fight and the display ends with curtains showing Maka and Soul diving into Asura's black blood to find Crona.

The major bit at the end is there is a fully voice acted section of the final chapters of Soul Eater with the manga pages manipulated to it. The motion graphics weren't crazy amazing, about what you'd expect out of a storybook style pv. You were not allowed to take photos or video of this section. So a whole voice recording of what the finale of the manga could sound like could become lost media unless it's released somehow. There's a small final room showing the pages of the final chapters art. A large acrylic display of the meisters in their final character evolution that's backlit. A final space shows off the colored art, the originals if the were done traditionally. There's a small selection of new art, really long piece. Ones that has the og cast and the not girls which probably was during the not era but I don't remember ever seeing it. And then a spread of Spartoi plus Not. Liz and Tsugumi have the best fits in it but I feel a lot of people will like Crona's shirt best. Ohkubo signed a print with a sketch of Maka at the end alongside the two pieces that he love drew on the opening days. In the same space is where the signature shikishi boards were. I was extremely sad that I couldn't take a pic because one had some sort of Maka that was gorgeous but we speculated that it was to avoid signature fraud.

After that you took the stairs down to an extremely tight store. I realized too late that there were no photo signs however it feels like I'm missing some pictures I had taken from my gallery.

This is where I'm gonna be hella real, I do not fucks with Ohkubo's Soul Eater art in recent years. I saw a guy on Tiktok standing by it was his Twitter sketch style but that doesn't work for me with official products. From the perfect edition cover art, to the exhibition special art, to the two??? new pieces for the encore art book; it all feels extremely sloppy in terms of linework, posing, and proportions. If someone were to tell me it's a result of burnout, I would respect that easily but none the less I did not buy anything with the exhibit art on it (sans the pamphlet) more grab the art book. The art book is probably not worth it either unless you weren't able to grab the previous ones. I probably will eventually get it when the English one comes out next year and I probably would've saved money if I bought it while I was there but the weight wasn't worth it and I had in fact spent ¥42,000.

For all the things I did buy, I do regret not picking up some items; an art board from the other artbooks, the sticker set A, the mini towel, and one additional set of the cookies and coffee but as seen above I grabbed a lot and felt pretty aware I had a full basket compared to everyone else. You could also only make one purchase per a ticket and sadly only one commemorative bag per a purchase (I still ended up with two due to my friend). The final thing that you may want to know is the quality of said good; the plushies are worth it simply for existing but could've been higher quality, the ¥7000 (roughly $50) hoodie I bought was extremely thin and has shed so much from the inside that I have yet to wash it in fear it would disintegrate (I'm being slightly dramatic but I truly fear what will happen when I do), and while I did not buy them I did see the in person versions of the made to order items; the skate deck was a proper translation but didn't look particularly nice considering the simplicity of the design and the Soul Jacket was worse than cosplay quality made out of a really thin poly that didn't hold it's shape. ¥18700 yen is about $120 USD right now which is already way too much for the quality but keep in mind the buying power is equivalent to roughly $190. If you want Soul's OG jacket then I would best recommend customizing a real varsity jacket, followed by finding a used one of the original great eastern release, followed by what ever streetwear brand version of your choosing because while they might have inaccuracies, they will at least have ribbed trimming. I know I'm ragging on this pretty hard but I want to emphasize that it is an item you are not missing out on in case you feel the need to proxy order one. The most worthwhile items will be the plushies and food goods, and from there O would call the general Osaka added goods nice. Initially I was not impressed with the acrylic blocks but in person they had nice dimension. Any printed good outside of that is your own discretion albeit I don't think they're particularly going to be high value items in the future.

The final final part is I found out the day before there was a wrapped train for the show. Honestly a higher honor than I expected for the series. However the night before was spent at an Onsen a good distance away and the day of was a downpour so I sadly did not witness it as it would of likely been an effort to find.

I think that's all I can give towards the experience in writing but I will include particular sights in subsequent reblogs.

#tomyo says shit #soul eater #soul eater exhibition #how do i anonymously leak something online?

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okayto · 5 months ago

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Mini-Review: Delicious in Dungeon

A skilled party of adventurers is bested by a dragon, which consumes the group's healer as she teleports the party away to safety—and away from their equipment. Demoralized, broke, and with a one-month time limit before resurrection is impossible, they return to the dungeon to revive their healer, surviving by cooking and eating the monsters they encounter along the way.

Every single anime season for the last decade, it seems like there's another generic-medieval-ish-video-game show or five. Oh wow, another party of adventurers with swords and magic fighting monsters, how original. It's not like there aren't occasional gems, but when you see similar settings season after season, year after year, you start instinctively avoid anything that so much as gives a whiff of this stuff.

Which is why when gifs showing yet another anime with someone's D&D characters started showing up on my dash, I gave them a brief glance out of respect for the mutuals and then kept scrolling.

It wasn't until a couple months later that I reconsidered. Because it looked like it had a good story? No, I wasn't paying that much attention. Because many of the pics and gifs I've been seeing have very funny faces that I assume have been edits for memes. It turns out these are not edits.

They're just like that.

Since it looked like this might have more personality than your standard-issue isekai-of-the-quarter, I fired up the ol' Netflix machine and tried an episode. And then another.

You may be shocked to hear that there's a reason for it's popularity. This feels like a fleshed-out setting, characters of different [fantasy] races are treated as characters rather than caricatures, and they have to put a lot of thought into their adventuring. They're not just eating their way through the dungeon for the heck of it; it's the only way they could find to even come close to making a long and difficult journey within the limits of their now-empty budget and strict time limit.

Given its name, you'd be forgiven for expecting the "dungeon" part to be primarily set-dressing for a D&D-flavored food show, but this is full-fledged adventure story. Knight Laios is excited to get to find out how to survive eating monsters and dungeon-grown food, and the show devotes a lot of time to their need to eat, balancing nutrition, and the social aspects of eating as well, but he's on a mission to save his younger sister, and the dungeon can be lethal.

The dungeon is an entire ecosystem unto itself. Its origin is magic, and what isn't explained is done so because it's clear that the human themselves only have limited knowledge of what causes dungeons to dunge, rather than handwaving on the series' part.

We also see how the dungeon's existence has affected the local society. People may join groups for treasure-hunting, or as paid guards for researchers. The dungeon's magical existence (and thus why it can house a variety of settings) is explained well, as is the increase in danger the further you go, particularly as top levels get picked over by less-skilled adventurers.

There's a good balance, depending on the episode, between gravitas and lighthearted adventuring. It can be easy at times to forget the very real danger the party is in, because they're good at what they do—this is, in fact, something that is made explicitly clear as the show progresses. Laios is easy to categorize as a goofy guy and monster-eating otaku with a sword, but when other parties show up, viewers see that he is legitimately skilled and has a reputation for a reason.

There's a real sense that this is a full-fledged world that extends beyond the bounds of the screen. The different races of humans live and work together, but there's still cultural assumptions or misunderstandings (such as half-foot Chilchuck's appearance looking like a young teen to the others, despite him being a grown man), without delving into the fantasy-standard "all [type] are Exactly The Same."

The characters are all distinct, with their own histories and motivations. Marcille the elf might come off as uptight initially, but it's soon made clear that she has very valid reservations and Laios' rescue quest isn't a sure thing. Senshi the dwarf seems conventionally manly, but how much of that is just the perception in the eyes of the others (and viewers) what what appears to be a stolid burly guy, coloring their (and our) interpretation of his actions?

At the same time, characters are allowed to develop at a natural pace, while the main storyline follows the group as they travel ever-deeper into the dungeon.

Verdict

English dub? Yes, and it's VERY good!

Visuals: Great. Bright-colored without being garish, expressive characters,

Worth watching? Yes, definitely. This is a great adventure story with well-rounded characters, and a good amount of humor. 24 episodes means it doesn't have to rush, and it stops in a good pausing spot, but there's more to come: a second season is in development (no release date as of this writing), but it's so good you shouldn't wait to start watching.

Where to watch (USA, January 2025): Netflix

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

#the more you watch the more you realize how good the worldbuilding is #'tall-men' aren't default humans they're just *a* type of human with all the others. with their own general strengths and weaknesses #an episode in the back half that makes clear how much the different human races interpret the appearances of each other & it's fascinating #also it's so comedic #Delicious in Dungeon #Dungeon Meshi #reviews #recommendation

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valy-gc · 1 year ago

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It's MC time guys!!

So I showed you Dust and Bram. They are two of my favorite MCs of thoses I created/imagined.

And now are some other favorites and it's 3 in 1!

Here is Kross (depressed one), Rinri (blond and glasses) and Jia (pink bows).

Their stories after the image (there is a lot but I love them so if you like them please read their story ^^)

Their backstories (it's long, you can go lower to have the Twisted Wonderland part, after the "what's in my bag" images):

First of all, let me clear a misunderstanding. Rinri and Jia are boys. Yep, the three of them are boys. Jia and Rinri aren't trans. Everything is explained bellow :)

They are triplets. Or more like, they considere themselves triplets. They have the same father, the great ultra rich Edward Murong, but they have three different mothers, the three living in three separates houses next to each other. But the three are born the same days, with just minutes of difference.

Their mothers were best friends. And they were friend with Anne-Marie Murong, Edward's wife. Edward was a real jerk, mysogyne and arrogant, thinking only of his compagny and producing a worthy heir. Heir he actually have with his wife. He don't care about any of his kids, not even his heir. They're just tools to him.

Jia and Rinri's mothers were really similare. They were gold digger bimbo, only thinking of appearance and they wanted girls. So, when they both gave birth to boys... they decided to raise them as girls.

Jia and Rinri DON'T identifie as female even if they actually don't care if peoples use she/her. It even amuse them. However, they loves dresses, skirts, frills, makeup and cute things. Rinri love gothic-cute and Jia love pastel-cute.

Jia and Rinri can't do anything by themselves. Their mothers, after having Edward's kids, received a huge allowance to raise them/to not bother Edward. So they had a housemaid, gardener... and a lot of pocket money to order food and anything they want. They were constantly alone, with a lot of restrictions (and the maid and gardener as the watchers). Their mothers wanted to have some sort of "stupid girls", just little gold diggers like them. So they taught them (more like paid someone for it) makeup, fashion, and to always have fun and let the "little people" do the hard work.

Jia and Rinri had to study in secret. They both have ADHD and are actually very smart boys but often "play" the stupid pretty girls, force of habit to have to be like this to please their mother (and it became funny to them, the look on people's face when they reveal how smart they are). Their mother also often introduced them as their "daughter" to old rich men. If they both look sweet and a little stupid, better not hurt Kross, because they become feral.

Despite all this, they are usually two ray of sunshine, always looking for the good way and they both love (family love, but they're really ultra close, that's why they say they're triplets) each other and Kross.

Rinri suck at drawing, he usually just do doodles, while Jia love aquarel painting with pastel colors of course. They both LOVE sewing their own dresses. Jia is really good a nail art and love video games, while Rinri is very good at singing and love nature and animals. His favorite animal is the crocodiles he call "swamp puppies". Jia prefer cats.

They're both influencer on instagram, posting cute selfies and pics, and showing of their sewing work.

Now, what about Kross?

Kross lived in the third house next to them. His mother didn't wanted girls or boys, she just didn't wanted kids at all, and made his life a hell. He was a little servant for her from an early age, often taking a beating or left to starve. She could cuff him to a heater when she was going out to meet mens and was hyper exigent for how the house was cleaned and picky about her food. The smallest little mistake was good excuse for a beating. he didn't even had a bedroom, sleeping in the garage with an old ripped blanket.

Since his mother, just like her two friends, was often out of the house, Rinri and Jia were always coming to his rescue. Rinri learned to pick lock so he could free Kross when he was cuffed to the heater.

Kross learned to cook very early and to master it very early too since mistake was leading to beating. So he was often cooking for his brothers too since they can't do anything.

In the opposite of his brother, due to a way harder life, Kross is usually gloomy. He lack self-confidence, often apologizes for everything and have protection reflexes when someone is angry near him. His brothers are kind of his safe zone. He also have social phobia and anxiety, to the point that he get into a panick attack if someone else than Jia or Rinri touch him (even just a light touch) He's actually fine with being in a crowd, as long as he's not alone (especially with one of the two with him) but he will rarely talk to peoples. He's always afraid of bothering peoples and tend to think nobody would care if he disappeared.

Kross love cooking, he's good at drawing and singing, even if he was doing that in secret. He's good a hairstyle on others, often doing Rinri and Jia's hair and he's smart just like his brothers.

While Jia and Rinri love taking care of themselves (like Vil) have a ton of product in their bathroom, ten different brushes and comb, a huge collection of makeup and accessories, Kross don't. He let them dress him, just refuse to wear anything too extravagant, comb his hair and do his makeup. He don't like bright color, he prefer black so he's not easily noticable. He don't like cutting his hair because he can hide with it, but he tied them in a bun when he cook.

Because of receiving beating from as long as he remember, more and more violent as he was getting older, Kross developped (as a copping mechanisme) an addiction to pain. His full legs and arms, from ankle to thigh and from wrist to shoulder, are full of cuts. He don't try to die. He don't WANT to die (thanks his brothers, they keep telling him they need him, so he want to live for them, that's the only way). He just seek the pain.

-!- Jump this next part if you are sensitive about r*pe attempt -!-

With the approval of his mother, a man tried to assault Kross. Kross was terrified and panicked, grabbed a bottle and broke it on the man's head. He was a little assomed but became more violent... until Kross grabed the broken bottle and sliced that man's throat.

-!- You can read from here -!-

After the altercation, Kross fled from his house to his brothers. Rinri and Jia were both in Jia's house (the three mothers were out... maybe in a nightclub). They both immediately helped him. it's after that he became really scared of people's touch. The three decided this moment they couldn't live like this anymore. They took some of their thing and ran away.

Not too long before that, they heard their "father" was dead and the Heir, Hai-Lee Murong, took over the weapon making compagny... to shut it down and make a model agency instead. (Hai-Lee is actually the one who killed his father) so the triplets though the best thing to do was to seek protection to their half-brother, despite the news saying he was cold and arrogant.

They discovered Hai-Lee was indeed cold but very humble. he's just wary of peoples because his life wasn't very prettier than their. When he heard how was their life until now, everything they lived and what happened recently with Kross, he immediately took them under his wing. He used his relations to arrest the three mothers. Jia and Rinri's for negligence, and Kross' for child abuse and murder (he put the man's murder on her)

He then trained his three brothers. Because the model agency, as was the weapon factory before, is a cover. in three giant basements, Hai-Lee have a very special work. Collecting artifacts to keep them safe, far from humans who could use it for bad, and also capturing cryptids and others creatures for two reasons: first, good creatures, to keep them safe. Second, dangerous creatures, to keep humans safe. His basement is full of aliens, unicorns, mermaids, slenderman... well all type of monsters and creatures. Some of the good creatures are actually working with him. All the model, photographers, makeup artists... well every single employee of his agency is in the secret and help him, as well as his family (they have another brother) and they are all trained in three others basements, one for all type of guns, one for close-fight weapon (sword, knife...) and one for fighting sport aithout weapons.

Hai-Lee also tried to help Kross with his pain addiction, by seing psy and all, but then offered him to get piercing. So that's why he have both ears fully pierced. he also have one at the eyebrow, tongue, each n*pple, belly button and... uh... a certain place.

The triplets ALWAYS have a gun in their bag, Kross with demonic bullets, Rinri with silver bullets, Jia with angelic bullets, and have each a protective artifact Hai-Lee gave them.

Kross have a tongue piercing, a little spider. If he take it off and use the pin to trace in the air, he will open a portal to any destination he already visited. He will discover that's not working for going from a world to another.

Rinri have an ancient amulet repelling malevolent spirits and curses. He keep it hidden in his clothes.

Jia have a ring, known to purify any poison or toxin that comes into contact with the wearer, whether ingested or inflicted through a wound.

Rinri and Jia also became models for him, while Kross prefered becoming photographer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now about Twisted Wonderland:

The three arrive at the same time... and in the same coffin/portal. Of course Rinri and Jia loving cute things immediately adore Grim. While Crowley was thinking of sending the two to an all-girl school instead, he was surprised to hear they were in fact boys too.

Of course Crewel and Vil like the two "girls" because they love fashion and sewing. Kross is closer with crowley, since he's really helpful and will never say no to anything, force of habit.

They are "One student" the three of them + Grim. Each taking care of the subject they're good at (Like, Rinri take care of Biology homeworks)

Each join a different club. Mountain Lovers for Rinri. Film studies for Jia. And Gargoyles research for Kross. Even Grim join Board Games.

Jia and Rinri love brushing Grim's fur and adding accessories to him and will always try to add accessories on peoples. Rinri is bossy, not in a bad way. Meaning he's good as being a leader and will totally put jerk in their place, with violence if needed. (and it's often the case)

Jia is more the type to be like "I'll destroy you on social media". Of course the two will join magicam as soon as they can to continue being cutie influencers.

I know it's not a dating sim but I have couples for them.

Rinri with the octa-trio

Jia with Idia

Kross with Malleus and Leona (yep I love making even more rivalry between thoses two XD)

No need to say, both Jia and Rinri have a lot of fun with Floyd especially. They both loves hugs and will always allow him to "squeeze" them to not let him touch Kross.

If someone touch Kross and put him in panick attack, one of the two (or the two at the same time) will respond with a punch.

Also about their uniforms... Jia and Rinri made them. And when thoses aware ask them why they made dresses if they are boys, like "You know your mothers aren't there to force you anymore?" they will both answer "I don't wear cute panties to hide them in pants!"...cause yes, both wears cute panties, gothic black or red with lace for Rinri, cutie pastel ones with childish designs for Jia. They ever wear girls' swimwears.

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yoongissweetdream · 1 year ago

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Valentine's Surprise | Jung Wooyoung

Pairing: Jung Wooyoung x Fem!Reader

Request: No.

Synopsis: Wooyoung surprises his girlfriend for Valentine's Day, which also just so happens to be their anniversary.

Warnings: None. This is probably terrible. This is a repost from my now deactivated blog. More of an explanation in my pinned post.

Word Count: 783

Wooyoung Masterlist | ATEEZ Masterlist | Taglist Sign-Up

“Why don’t you join us?” Y/N’s best friend offers, not wanting to see her alone for her first valentine’s day with her boyfriend, who is out of the country, until tomorrow.

“I don’t want to intrude on your plans,” Y/N politely declines her friends offer. She'd been third-wheeling her and her boyfriend quite a bit since Wooyoung went on tour. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got ice cream and plenty of ATEEZ content to binge, so It’ll be like Woo is here. He did message me earlier saying he’s going to call me again soon.”

“If you change your mind, call me.”

“Enjoy your night,” she tells her friend and ends the call before she can say anything more.

Pulling up YouTube on her tv, she finds the WANTEEZ playlist that’s saved to her favourite and presses play.

Y/N and Wooyoung had met three years. A mutual friend of theirs was hosting a gathering. Wooyoung being the social butterfly that he is, introduced himself first. By the end of the night, after he’d walked her home, they swapped numbers and made plans to go out for dinner the following night. Their relationship has been going strong and steady (with a few minor hiccups) since then.

Three episodes in, her phone starts ringing. She checks it, sees that it’s Wooyoung and pauses the video before answering her phone.

“Hi baby, how’s your night going?” she asks him.

“Can you open the door?” he asks, greeting her, sounding out of breath and as if he’s wrestling with something.

“What door?” she asks, confused and wondering if he’s hidden something in one of the bedrooms or somewhere else. It doesn’t explain the breathlessness though. “Did you run somewhere? Are you okay?” she asks sounding concerned.

“The apartment door,” he tells her, confusing her even more. “Your anniversary and Valentine’s Day gift has arrived.”

Standing up from where she’s sitting, she makes her way to the apartment door, looks through the peep hole and finds someone standing there, holding a bouquet of her favourite flowers and a giant stuffed black cat that’s almost as big as the person and hiding who the person is. Unlocking and opening the door, with the phone still to her ear, “What are-”

She’s cut off when the person moves the stuffed animal away from him, revealing it’s none other than Wooyoung. “Happy anniversary, Jagiya! Oh and Happy Valentine’s Day too!”

He moves them into her apartment, closing the door behind him and hands her the flowers and leans in to give her a kiss, bringing you out of your stunned state.

“How did you... I thought you were coming home tomorrow night?” She says, still a little surprised to see him.

“I talked the managers into letting me fly home early,” he says smiling widely. “Did I surprise you?”

Y/N nods her head, causing his smile to widen as he leans in for another kiss. He lets go of the giant black cat to wraps his arms around her waist and bring her closer. She quickly wraps her arms around him, returning the kiss with equal passion. The surprise and thoughtfulness of his gesture leaves her feeling like the luckiest woman in the world.

As they part, she looks into his beautiful deep brown eyes, "I can't believe you did this for me," she whispers, her voice filled with love.

Last year he paid for her to be flown to Japan where they had a few shows and schedules, knowing he wouldn’t be home. She was grateful that she had a few days off at the time. This time she didn’t get any time off and Wooyoung was due home the day after, so they planned something for then.

Wooyoung smiles, his eyes sparkling with love and adoration for his woman. "We’ve been together three years. This is our fourth Valentine’s together. We haven’t spent an anniversary or Valentine’s Day alone since we met. I wasn’t going to let you be alone this time."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," she says, her voice filled with sincerity.

Wooyoung brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, his touch gentle and comforting. "I ask myself that every day."

After placing the flowers on the counter, Y/N pulls him in for another kiss.

Likes, Comments & Reblogs are welcomed and appreciated.

TAGGED: @staytiny2000 - @dancelikebutterflywings - @kpopmenace143

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moonblossom7 · 10 months ago

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(Aged up) Percabeth as your parents headcanons

Genre:fluff/comfort

-reader is adopted

-gender neutral reader

A/N: this is rlly kinda stupid but it's cute I think.

🍼 Toddler years(~1-4)

- Percy is great with kids, obviously, but he's rlly worried that you'd get into something while his back was turned so he's CONSTANTLY watching you. Can't get away with anything.

-stay at home dad Percy is so real, actually

- Annabeth likes reading you bedtime stories, even though she struggles with it

- they're both of the opinion that Disney has gone down hill, but they take you to the cinema every time a new movie comes out.

- Annabeth gets stressed out a lot about whether or not they make you feel like you belong, since she knows how much it sucks to feel alone within your own family, and she thinks it's gotta be even worse since you're adopted (that worry never really went away)

- Percy made "monster spray" for when you're scared of the dark.

🖍️ Little kid (5-8)

- Annabeth takes you on museum trips a lot. It's important for kids to experience things, and of course she has to pick something the both of you like

- Percy cried like an actual baby when you lost your first tooth. He didn't expect something like that to effect him, but how could it not? You're growing up and it's happening a lot faster than he thought it would.

- loyal customers at your imaginary restaurant. (Yk those play kitchens with the plastic food? Those.)

- very emotional about the little art projects you bring home from school. They can rarely bring themselves to throw any away,so they have a little tote to keep them in when the fridge gets too crowded.

-speaking of school, you are very much THAT kid. The one with the character pen cases and the sparkly folders and notebooks with that Lisa Frank dolphin on them. (I WANTED ONE SO BAD!!) Percy and Annabeth decided you could only have the absolute best stuff.

- around this time they explain the whole gods, monsters, demigods thing. You had already met Grover and Tyson and some of your parents' demigod friends,so you knew some of it, but up till now they'd never fully explained.

🎮big kid (9-12)

-at this point, Percy is officially banned from helping you with homework. He's one of those "math is math, that's still the right answer!" dads, so when you got to the age where you had to learn and use different methods he noped out. Annabeth takes over from that point.

- if you get into sports, obviously they're your biggest fans. They show up to every game, they give your friends a ride home from practice, they probably wear those cringey T-shirts with shit like "soccer mom/dad" printed across the front in mismatched fonts. Percy's probably even an assistant coach. (Bonus for my softball girlies: Annabeth is totally the type to give you cool braids with the team colors weaved in)

- Again Percy cried over you loosing teeth. But this is your last baby tooth! You aren't little at all anymore! (It's even worse for him if you don't believe in the tooth fairy anymore by then)

- alas,the time has come. The last Christmas you believe in Santa. You told them they didn't have to put the elf up that year, that's how they found out. It caught Annabeth totally off guard. She'd tried to be very sneaky and very clever about maintaining the Christmas magic.

- you're having a Minecraft phase rn(everyone does at this point, don't fight it) and Annabeth is THRILLED. she doesn't play many video games, but she does like Minecraft and Animal Crossing,so she was so excited to have that in common with you. She gets especially excited about all the houses you build even though they're really basic at first.

📱Teen (13-19)

-went very all out on your 13th,16th, and 18th birthday. So much food, and confetti and probably invited all of their friends on top of everyone you invited. (For my summer birthday friends: paid for you and your friends to go to the water park for at least one of those,on top of everything else they had planned)

- very chill about your first partner, actually. I know that a lot of parents aren't, but I honestly don't see Percy and Annabeth being the track your phone and shotgun prom pictures type. As long as your partner was respectful and treated you well, they had no reason to be upset.

-coming back to the sports thing, Percy would be upset if you got to be embarrassed by them going to your games and stuff now. It happens for some kids, obviously (and him and Annabeth have gotten a lot more excited and a little obnoxious about everything the better you got), but he'd be upset that he's not cool anymore.

- proms and homecoming dances are such a big deal. They never really went to any school dances, unless you count when they were trying to find Nico and Bianca, so they're super interested in yours. They want you to have a good time, but they definitely might be projecting a little bit.

- On that note, for my long haired friends, Annabeth totally does your hair for you for those events. I personally think most Athena kids are good at doing hair, since weaving is part of Athena's whole thing and like doing complex hairstyles definitely requires that, and Annabeth would really enjoy that bonding experience.

- Percy originally wanted to be the one to teach you to drive, but you scared him so many times that he couldn't be alone in a car with you for a long time. Everyone makes mistakes while they're learning, and he's usually a brave guy, but it's a million times scarier now that it's you. Maybe he's just worried about you getting hurt. Maybe he doesn't want to have to pay for any repairs. Could be both.

- your graduation was so emotionally devastating for them. Gods, they're just so damn proud of you. Highschool isn't as easy as some people make it seem,and even if it was, it's still such a big deal. And it was also so bittersweet because you really aren't a kid anymore, and they're so excited for you to experience the adult world, but they also miss their little baby.

-also,if you go to a school that lets you decorate your cap,I just know they'd want to help. Obviously they'd follow whatever your idea was but I could see y'all being an arts and crafts family, y'know?

- I don't wanna say that Annabeth has earned a reputation that could get you into any colleges without much effort because I don't think she'd let you get away with not trying, but like...if she wasn't like that, you could.

-also, they'd be really chill if you didn't want to go to college,as long as you were doing something safe and that makes you happy. They know that extra school isn't for everyone and they also know there's a lot of jobs that don't need any degree that can make more money than jobs that do (not that money's all that matters, but it's a good motivator.)

A/N(number 2):Lord I love thinking about Percy and Annabeth getting to have a nice normal-ish life. Let me know if u guys have any specific scenarios you wanna see with parental Percabeth,I get such a hit of nostalgia and happiness from this dynamic

#fanfic #pjo fandom #percabeth #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth headcanon #Percabeth #percy jackon and the olympians #headcanon #annabeth pjo #pjo headcanon #hcs #idk i hate tagging

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zaynjmsource · 1 year ago

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Zayn Malik’s arrival at Paris Fashion Week was not without incident. At about 8:30pm on Friday evening, a slow-moving car ran over his toes. Malik was exiting Kenzo’s autumn/winter 2024 show at the Bibliothèque Nationale, where a small army of Directioners had mobilised, precipitating a minor roadblock. That would have been enough to send anyone – particularly those of an introverted disposition – back into relative isolation. But there he was: on Saturday’s front rows, seemingly content with being perceived in public for the first time in five years. “My foot is fine!! Thanks to my incredibly well-made shoes,” Malik later explained on Instagram, captioning a photo of his tyre-marked Kenzo sneakers. It is the most deft use of the Paid Partnership tag I have ever seen.

Paris Fashion Week (which is perhaps the most accurate barometer of who and what is considered to be culturally relevant), fulfils a secondary purpose: to launch and relaunch the careers of its attendees. It is a place to see and be seen, and perhaps even, make a cameo in a brand’s TikTok video. It tracks, then, that Malik should choose the white heat of the men’s shows to re-emerge from a period of seclusion. Just as his new film – in which he voices a pair of animated bumblebees – debuts at the Sundance Film Festival, and less than a week after he released a single in Urdu with the Pakistani pop trio Aur. “It’s a busy time so you have to take care of yourself,” the musician, who has sometimes chafed against the demands of fame, says, sitting in a luxe suite at the Bulgari Hotel. “So I brought my mum with me. It’s always nice to have things that remind you of home when you’re away.” A moment, please, for product placement: “And, of course, I’m always drinking Mixoloshe,” he adds. “It keeps me young!”

Malik’s comeback reached its apotheosis when he arrived at Valentino’s Le Ciel autumn/winter 2024 show in a suit bearing the words, “We’re So Old, We Have Become Young Again”, which is a phrase that first appeared in Hanya Yanagihara’s 736-page invocation of human suffering A Little Life, but could just as feasibly have been plucked from One Direction’s teenybopper songbook. (Specific enough to inspire yearning, broad enough for anyone to insert themselves into.) “Funnily enough, the first fashion show I ever attended was Valentino nine years ago,” Malik says. “But I think, over the years, my knowledge of fashion has expanded. I have a lot more appreciation for it. Pierpaolo is incredible and Valentino never misses in my opinion.” At some point between our conversation and his arrival at the brand’s Monnaie de Paris step and repeat, Malik’s quiff was razed into a handsome short back and sides – a bit like when a bride gets a haircut midway through her wedding day.

And judging from Malik’s hastily-taken photos from the front row – squint and you might be able to distinguish a series of crystalline worker jackets from Pierpaolo Piccioli’s laser-cut Acanthus leaf coats – it was a collection that stirred due levels of anticipation. “There were so many great looks, but at the top of my wishlist were the long, cut-out coats,” Malik says. “Valentino always has class, it executes that edginess and luxury combination the best. When I was younger, I used to save up all my wages from the pizza shop I worked at so that I could afford to buy a new pair of trainers or a tracksuit. I was only able to get one piece every couple of weeks and it probably would have taken me a lifetime to buy a Valentino outfit! So I feel blessed and lucky that I get to wear the brand.” But there might have been another explanation for Malik’s spontaneous, erm, runway shots. “I was excited to see Lamar Johnson, who I was sitting next to. I didn’t want to bother him, but I’m a fan of his work! He’s such a great actor.”

All of this is to say: Zayn Malik is back. The sensitive and brooding boy band-survivor restored and ready to reclaim his title as a global heartthrob. Among the photos he shared with Vogue – which continue to point towards a certain camera shyness despite his fame – one image in particular paints a timeless portrait. In it, Malik is sitting in the backseat of a chauffeur-driven car as a blur of bystanders scrape their iPhones against the windows. He looks a little apprehensive. And so, I wonder how Malik manages to step outside of all this toe-crushing furore, now 14 years in the game. “The museums in Paris are full of beautiful art and talented artists,” he says, with all the earnestness that first saw him two-step into the hearts of millions of Directioners around the world. “I would highly recommend going to a few and viewing different works of art. It’s very inspiring!”

#zayn malik #british vogue #22.01.2024

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mikeperrucci · 1 month ago

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Chuck’s Devils: What Have We Learned?

Well, it’s over. After 504 pages of Chuck’s Devils and its Mini-Devils spin-off, there will be no more. Including prep time, I dedicated the past seven years to the comic. That’s about 15% of my life spent creating characters, writing dialogue, and devising storylines.

And I have nothing to show for it. No job, no money, no discernible fan base. I can’t say I’m surprised. There have been several other endeavors that I’ve spent years working toward only to have them completely fall apart.

Graphic Design

I graduated with only an associate's degree from a community college in 1999, yet I managed to get a job building websites from a local Internet service company. They went bankrupt two years later, but I got lucky when Bravenet Web Services found my online portfolio. They hired me to make art for their web tools, a position that lasted five and a half years.

I thought I would find another job in the graphic design field, but I went without full-time employment for over four years. Had I known the drought would last that long, I might have gone back to college. Instead, I swallowed my pride and went to work stocking groceries for Walmart. Today, tuition is way more expensive, and it’s much easier for people to create websites or AI-generated images. I’ve come to terms with the fact that a career in graphic design is no longer possible for me.

Smilies

In 2001, tiny emoticons called smilies were popular on forums. I decided to try making a few of my own, and they ended up becoming pretty popular. I was receiving requests from fans, so I kept making more. I signed a few licensing agreements and received some donations, but nothing substantial.

Over time, I had amassed over two thousand smilies. After twenty years, I ran out of ideas for new icons. At the same time, emoji emerged as a more popular, easier to use version of emoticons. I haven’t made any new smilies since 2021, and rarely dabble in pixel art anymore.

Domino Toppling

My brother and I used to set up domino courses with various stunts in the 90s. I put some of our old VHS videos on my website which were discovered by the producers of Penn & Teller: BS. They flew us to Las Vegas to spell out the name of their show in dominoes. When we got back, we decided to make our own dominoes in case we got any more paid gigs. They came in handy when the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center in Vermont invited us to put on exhibitions for five years.

Eventually, my brother had obligations that prevented him from taking time away from work, and I took the aforementioned Walmart job. Despite one of our YouTube videos somehow getting over 28 million views, traffic died off quickly and monetization was disabled. I tried to revitalize the channel by making smaller domino courses, but viewership was minimal. Besides, my knees, back, and butt are too broken down to set them up nowadays.

And the Rest

There are even more activities I’ve attempted and abandoned. I took piano lessons for two years until I got bored and stopped practicing. I played three games of Little League before I accepted the fact that I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. And I quit on my quest to score half a million points on NES Tetris.

I turned 47 not too long ago. As I approach half a century in this world, I realize I’ve spent most of it making things intended to entertain others. My website has many more examples of hats I’ve worn that have earned me zilch: Artist, illustrator, animator, game maker, writer, and now comic creator. It’s like a big monument to futility.

I have no one to blame but myself. If I had focused on getting really good at one discipline instead of being mediocre at a bunch of different stuff, my life would be much more bearable today. I suspect I’ve got some kind of disorder that explains my inability to focus, but I can’t afford to get tested, much less treatment. So I just do the best I can; unfortunately, “my best” totally sucks.

Trying to Stay Positive

So, is there anything I can be happy about? I suppose the fact that I actually finished Chuck’s Devils is something to be proud of. As you’ve seen, I’ve given up on many endeavors for many reasons. There were a couple of times when I went months without touching the comic, but I eventually returned and completed the story. The Mini-Devils reuniting with their taller twins confirms that everyone is living happily ever after and wraps everything up in a nice little bow.

Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank anyone who has ever read the comic. I’m not sure how you found it, since I’ve done such a horrible job promoting it. If you’re one of the handful of people who knows Chuck’s Devils even exists, I hope you got some kind of enjoyment out of it.

What’s Next?

I’ve always liked playing room escape games, and would like to design my own. I pretty much already have for Episode 40 of Chuck’s Devils, and I even escaped from a real one for my 40th birthday. Solving puzzles gives me a sense of accomplishment I don’t get in my day job. I don’t work at Walmart anymore, although I still stock groceries, and have been for the past thirteen years.

Of course, the popularity of the room escape genre seems to have vanished at the same time Flash did, so who knows what I’ll do. Now that the comic no longer takes up any of my time, I’ll be working more hours at the store, so whatever my next project is will take a while. There’s only one thing I know for sure: No matter what I try, it will end in failure.

Goodbye, Candace, Yu-Ri, and Lily. For the past seven years, you were the closest I’ve come to having friends. Helping you resolve your troubles and reach a brighter future was my sole mission in life. If only I could do the same for me.

#chuck's devils #comic #webcomic #mini-devils #behind the scenes #personal stuff #postmortem

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weirdcat1213 · 11 months ago

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Hi....If you don't mind me asking, can I ask, what are your top 7 favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series/etc) and your top 7 favorite (fictional) characters from any media? Why do you love them all? Sorry if you've answered this questions before......

Hello :D

omg i get to yell about things I like, exciting!

first im going to go with my top 7 in no special order cuz I would never be able to decide

Trigun (98, manga and stampede): I've talked WAY to much about this one but holy shit has impacted my life. The story, the characters, the pain THE SWEET SWEET PAIN MY GOD. It just mixes a lot of tropes/themes I really like. And we have 3 versions of it! How cool is that?

Steven Universe: again another classic. Discovered the show when I was young and it just grabbed my soul. Very formative and influential while I was growing up. So soft and p a i n f u l l as all thins should be :3. Plus the music is a banger. Like to this day ik songs from it. Favorite one is change btw.

Legend series (book series): no one paid attention to this series because it came out the same time as divergent and hunger games and other big titles. But I was! And it's still one of the best book series I've ever read. It totally has the 2013-2015 vibes (except for the latest one in the series, rebel) but it's....honest. not only because all the struggles in the book are real but also because the author really believes in her characters. She created them but also let them become people. Plus the writing is amazing and her description of specific moments and emotions UGH I have a huge post about it because of how cool it is. I still remember opening the first book and getting SLAPPED by the first line. Yes it's that good.

Signalis: newish game :D saw lesbians, saw violence and I was on board but I never thought the game would make me think and stare at the wall that much. So far I've played it 5 times and going for a 6th. It's so abstract and no one can decide on what's true or not but that's part of its beauty. Really clever and interesting game. Nothing is real, only lesbians with guns.

Our Flag Means Death: cool show that was about queer NOT IN THEIR TEENAGE YEARS??? IN THIS ECONOMY??? AND NOT ABOUT AIDS (sorry pose I still love you). Of course it won me over because of the queerness but also the characters themselves. It was nice to see myself in a lot of them, personality and racially wise. The fun gay pirates came to my house, destroyed my life and also gave me life. Easy as that.

Pose fx: don't like the main writer of the show too much but the rest of them ATE WITH THIS. A story about black queer woman PORTRAYED BY BLACK QUEER WOMEN. It deals with the aids crisis through the lenses of trans women and gay men but the thing in that show that blew me away was the love for femininity and the community they created around it. They actually took their abandoned and traumatized selves and became someone. They formed families that actual give support and I'm a sucker for found family. I've cried many times because I wanted Blanca to adopt me. 10/10 show about overcoming shit circumstances and the importance of community. What if I cried again.

Houseki no Kuni (manga and anime): weird manga that I've been following for YEARS because its so fucking good. The anime is beautiful and captivating af and honestly the whole thing needs to be analyzed by a Buddhist. it makes me want to learn about that religion so i can understand more. but yeah its sad, its hype, and once again its about gay rock MMM my favorite. you dont know the hours i spent looking for videos/animatic about it. hard to explain but i like to describe it as "human growth: the manga/anime"

Maybe it seems like I don't watch many movies and it's kinda true! I'm more of a shows person. but there are movies i like. maybe another day

Now onto my favorite characters but again I can't decide so this is in no special order. Also because I can't decide I'm giving the spotlight to characters that are not from the media mentioned above (for example if you dont see vash in here is because i yell about him enough like. 3 times minimum per month). Because I can. Because I'm normal about media and stories i like.

1.Steven (su): MY BOY MY MOON AND STARS. ok a lot of this list is about characters i relate to, but this one is the og. this mf is one of the kindest, awesome yet misunderstood characters of all time. theres so much rage and trauma in this little guy but there are many other feelings that get lowkey explored in the main show until BOOM the emotions explode in su future. its amazing how complex my son is. im so lucky that i got to grow up along side him in a way. and in another way it was nice to see myself kinda represented in him? fun times.

2.Tifa (ffvii): PRETTY RECENT BUT SHES THE COOLEST. ejem sorry. i love cloud, zach and the others from the game but tifa doesnt get the recognition she deserves. she survived so many tragedies and became stronger because of it. not only in body but also in mind. however she also became cautious and tries to not explode in front of others. she tries to be a safe place for people, even when shes scared. i think thats pretty admirable of her. i would say more but i dont want to risk spoiling the game but there are little moments and scenes where she just tries to be there for people because she has no one in her life anymore and fuck it makes me sad. also shes pretty hot-

3.Elektra (pose): MY QUEEN. shes just. evil sometimes. shes really a bitch to most of the characters but DAMN SHES COOL WHEN SHE IS. elektra knows she was born with a huge disadvantage in life so she grabs power like a mf and bites it. i kinda aspire to be that, to not let anyone get in my way. she just really speaks to the part of me that has bigger ambitions. but shes also smart and caring (when shes not being a bitch) and every time the world puts her down she stands up and kicks the world again. she's the power of femininity itself and yes i also think shes hot (i mean look at those cheeks of thunder) but shes like a fucking storm in a person and how i can not love that? We love poc people in power.

4.Phos (houseki no kuni): This fucking child (they're a child in my eyes) is so important to me for weird reasons. I got deep into hnk when I was in my sabbatical year. It was a time where I didn't know where I would go and phos seemed to be in a similar place. To this day it surprises me how ichikawa managed to create a "simple" character and then by all definitions made them human. I like their journey, the transformations they went through, the stages they went to cope or to confront their situation. Plus the design is pretty affff

5.Edward Teach (ofmd): I just.....really connected with this guy ok? The feeling of always being at the bottom so if you are going to rise your only option is to make people fear you but that's not true BOY HE LEFT NO CRUMBS WITH THAT WHOLE THING. he was just really cool when he entered the show and then it was "oh this guy is really fucked up actually" and he's so funny and MORE OLD POC QUEERS? FUCK YEAH. but i guess what puts him on top for me is how he explored himself and his needs. All that while being funny and tragic and gay. Really cool.

6.Anthy (revolutionary girl utena): MY DAUGHTER RRRRAAAAHHH. Anthy is a really tragic and complex character. to this day i cannot put together every reason why shes my favorite from utena. Shes tragic and my god the things she goes through break my heart every time I think about it but...shes also incredibly strong and funny and a weird keeping animals in her room. The creators did an excellent job showing her lack of agency and how she already had given up, but also showed her humanity and wish to retain things in her life that gave her joy. And movie anthy? That girl is a no nonsense girl. She will get her girlfriend no matter what from the people who abused her. She left that fucking school as a mature, smart and kind adult. We fucking stan.

7. Richard (requiem of the rose king): another recent acquired son. Idk why this one hit so much and honestly for how short the manga is (79 chapters) they did such a good job with him???? Banger themes and metaphors, banger character moments, banger GENDER moments. I've seen a few people not being able to take him seriously but idk, ir sounded honest and serious to me. A kid who has been told since birth they were a demon became one to survive but not really. Because no one with his wish can fully be a demon. Idk maybe it's cheesy but his quest for love and acceptance was a banger in my eyes (please read the manga. We can leave the anime behind). Also I like him cuz he's cool and is a character I CAN ACTUALLY COSPLAY THANK GOD-

AND THOSE ARE SOME CHARACTERS AND SOME PIECES OF MEDIA I LIKE :D IF ANYONE WANTS MORE PLS ASK.

#i feel like you weren't expecting a huge post #but yeah #it took me a while cuz #reasons #but thank you for asking! im always happy to talk about things i like #as you can see #sorry #maybe ill add the fandom tags later

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wqintraining · 2 years ago

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NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 2, EPISODE 4

We open with a riff on a James Bond theme playing as we fade in from black into a brief Roberto Da Costa music video, sung by his VA, about how he’s the “hottest” man in the world, with the visuals showing off his awesome heat-based abilities, as well as how sexy he is.

We transition to Roberto in a hotel room, changing into a tuxedo with his eyes closed as he hums the song, all of this having been in his head. As he finishes getting changed, taking cufflinks out of a box with the initials “EDC” on them, someone mockingly asks if he’s singing.

Turning around, Roberto grins at Domino, who’s wearing a slinky dress, the camera panning up her body. He says he knows she’s short-tempered, “not the best trait in an assassin if you ask me”, but does even the joy of music annoy her? Domino rolls her eyes. She swears he was never THIS much of a doofus.

Roberto laughs. He approaches Domino and hooks his arm around hers, leading the two out into the hallway and shutting the door behind them.

ROBERTO: “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

DOMINO, with no idea what he’s talking about: “HUH?”

ROBERTO: “Never mind, my dear. Let’s stay focused on the task at hand.”

Roberto leads the two down the hallway.

ROBERTO: “We have death machines to obtain.”

We cut to a stunning beach at sunset, the reddish-purple sky reflected in the pristine water. A wind blows through the sand…or so it seems. Much of the sand of the beach rises up and circles around itself in ways wind could never make it. It dances through the air with a mind of its own, shaping itself into flowers and spreading itself across the sky far and wide.

The sand eventually settles down and returns to the ground, with much of it reforming into Sooraya. Soo, laying back on the sand, has her eyes closed and is grinning from ear to ear, in complete peace from being in her element.

“Just as I thought it would, the beach agrees with you.”

Dust opens her eyes to see Emma standing over her in sunglasses and a bikini. Soo pats herself off as she stands up and thanks Emma for bringing her here. This beach is perfect.

EMMA: “With how much I paid for it, darling, it should be.”

Emma apologizes to Sooraya for not having done more for her up until now. She’s suffered the worst of any of her squad, and she’s proven herself to be nearly as capable as Hellion and Wind Dancer, and yet her priorities have remained elsewhere. She hopes today can make up for that.

Sooraya tells Ms. Frost that she’s everything she was ever taught a good woman shouldn’t be, and yet, so often, she surprises her.

SOORAYA: “I do not expect or require anything from you at all. So this…this is wonderful.”

Emma snickers. Sooraya questions what the joke is here, with Emma explaining that this beach, which she now has free access to, is just an appetizer to her real apology.

EMMA: “I found her, Sooraya.” Dust’s jaw drops. “I found your mother. In two hours, a flight will be taking you and Storm to go see her.”

Dust’s eyes widen as she cries tears of joy.

Sunspot and Domino enter a massive, brightly lit casino, filled by men in tuxedos and women in dresses fluttering around, and the sound of hundreds of slot machines. Roberto and Neena banter as they’re patted down by unusually heavily armed security, with the audience getting clued into what they’re doing here.

When Nova and Stryker were able to get production resumed on sentinels, they were able to create a few prototypes far more powerful than standard ones. Those were the ones that overwhelmed Hellion, Mercury, and Dust. And while without Nova, Stryker, or any of the Purifers left, production has ceased, that won’t last long. The schematics for the “super sentinels” made their way onto the black market, and tonight, they’re the prize for an exclusive poker tournament.

DOMINO: “Yeah, about that. Remind me how we even got in here? The buy-in was over two million. Didn’t you go broke driving your old man’s company into the ground?”

ROBERTO, keeping up his smile: “It is true I did not manage Da Costa International as well as my father, but I do not regret my refusal to maintain the practices he used to build the business to where it was. As for how I got my seat, you need not worry. You’re just here to make me look good, and be my lucky charm.”

Neena rolls her eyes.

Roberto says that all that matters is that they’re here, and they’re going to win those schematics so they can destroy them. With his brains and her probability manipulation, it should be a cinch.

On a plane, Sooraya and Ororo are seated together in economy class. Sooraya doesn’t care because all that matters right now is how utterly GLEEFUL she is to be able to rescue her mother, but she is surprised Ms. Frost arranged for them to fly this way. Over Thanksgiving break, she’d flown out her whole squad + Laura on a private jet to one of her estates to celebrate.

SOORAYA: “I’m still unsure why Ms. Moonstar didn’t want to go with us.”

Storm doesn’t touch that one for the time being, not wanting to spoil Dust’s mood, instead just answering her question by saying she’s grateful to Emma for finding Mirah Qadir, but she doesn’t want anything else from her.

STORM: “With Emma, there are always strings attached. Never forget that.”

But they shouldn’t be talking about Emma right now. Storm wants to hear all about Soo’s mom. Dust quietly speaks about her, a warm smile on her face the entire time. She’s a normal woman, in every way, but also in the best way possible. She is kind, sweet and loving. She is a good Muslim who passed down all of her family's traditions to her. She is a faithful servant of Allah, and she knows he loves her as much as she loves him. And she always did everything she could to take care of her.

Storm smiles along through all of this and, when Soo is done, tells her that she doesn’t think she sounds normal at all. The traits she just listed off are far more rare than they should be. She’s exceptional.

STORM: “She always took care of you, little one. And now, you’re going to take care of her.”

Sooraya nods with pleased determination.

In the casino, Roberto and Neena wait for the tournament to begin while having some drinks at the bar. Neena mentions that she’s thought about opening up a casino a few times. A couple of her girlfriends are always pushing the idea on her, but she’s never gotten around to it.

ROBERTO: “I’m sure all the people you kill for a living would appreciate the career change.”

NEENA: “Please. You aren’t slick, Beto. If you actually had a problem with a few chumps getting headshot, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

ROBERTO: “Our mutual mentor was a soldier from the future who ran around with a gun bigger than you. I may see the gray in the world, but that doesn’t mean I endorse it.”

Neena chugs back the rest of her drink and orders a refill.

NEENA: "If you did want me to consider quitting, startup capital for that casino would help big time.”

ROBERTO, laughing: “One thing at a time.”

As Beto sips his drink, he points out some of the people he recognizes as power players who are going to be participating in the tournament.

ROBERTO: “That man in the booth is Carlton Kilgore. One of the most notorious arms dealers on the planet. The not-so-fine lady across from him is Lenore Kensington. You could try guessing the number of workers she’s exploited to death building her hotel empire, but however high you guessed, you wouldn’t come close.” Beto gestures with his head to a muscular Caucasian man nervously walking right past the bar. “The man who’s trying his best to stay sober is Graydon Creed.”

NEENA: “Wait, as in “Creed” Creed?”

ROBERTO: “Mmhmm. Sabretooth’s son. Mystique’s too.”

NEENA: “Get out.”

ROBERTO: “I know, it’s delicious goss. Surprise, surprise, he’s a nasty piece of work. Human too. And he blames all of us for his parents’ sins.”

A dark-skinned young woman in an elegant red dress with long red gloves enters the bar, sits down at a table, and gets on her phone.

ROBERTO: “Now, if you’d like a competitor without even a Freudian excuse for their bigotry, look no further than Penelope Enduque. Penny, to the demons she calls friends.”

NEENA: “She’s a dark sorcerer?”

ROBERTO: “Worse. A sorority girl. Only 19 years old, but the slavery heiress has already made a hobby out of having young Mutants kidnapped and torturing them to death.”

Penelope belts out a high-pitched cackle at something on her phone.

NEENA: “Lovely. I see why you brought me.”

Roberto gets his drink refilled.

ROBERTO: “There’s no one else I could trust with this.”

The two both drink, before getting up. It’s time to get ready.

We cut to Afghanistan. Specifically, a brothel in Afghanistan. It’s a bright, deathly hot morning, The “bitches” are shouted at in Dari to wake the Hell up. They have clients coming in early today. Among the half a dozen Arabic women cramped into a small bedroom is Sooraya’s mother, Mirah. After getting dressed, the women go downstairs, where they’re met by their captors, a group of armed white men. As they chide and threaten the women, it’s made clear that this is just one of a branch of Western-run overseas operations like this.

One of the men grips Mirah’s face. She barely reacts. He comments that she’s been an annoyingly resilient one, but looking into her eyes, he can see the light has finally gone out.

MAN #1, translated: “Now that you’re finally housebroken like a good animal, maybe I should have a taste.”

Mirah struggles to maintain her composure, but she doesn’t have to for long.

A powerful wind blows the front door off its hinges. As the women cower, the men pull their guns, but they too fill with fear as Storm appears in the doorway, lightning in her eyes. They try shooting at her, but she simply stops the bullets in mid-air with her winds, and shoots them back, right into the men’s kneecaps. As they scream in agony, she knocks each one out with a baseball-sized chunk of hail.

STORM: “Slavers. Of all who taint this beautiful world, none bring more shame to it than them.”

Storm turns off her powers and, with a comforting smile, approaches the women, who are all still scared of her. She assures them they have nothing to fear. She is Storm of the X-Men, and she is here to break their chains and set them free.

WOMAN #1: “X-Men?”

STORM: “Mutants who seek to make the world a better place.” She turns her head. “Mutants like your daughter, Mirah Qadir.”

Mirah’s eyes widen as Sooraya enters the house.

SOORAYA, in disbelief: “Ommi…”

MIRAH, in equal astonishment: “Sooraya…”

Without another word, the two run up to each and hug, crying tears of joy over being reunited. The other women are no longer afraid and cheer in celebration, with Storm enjoying the happy sight and feeling proud of herself, telling them all to follow her.

In the casino, Domino stands right outside the backroom alongside the other players’ dates and security guards. Inside, the game is getting started. Roberto, Carlton, Lenore, Graydon, Penny, and John Sublime sit around a table, along with three elderly men, and the dealer, who welcomes them all and introduces himself. He was a Purifier and one of William Stryker’s closest confidantes. He has no means left to continue their holy mission, and, while he does not approve of the means anyone sitting here has used to obtain their fortunes, he knows that with their power and connections, and the weapons he has to offer, their work can still be completed.

They’ve all paid the 2.5 million buy-in. They each have 25 chips. And it’s time to begin.

As the cards are dealt, the players get a moment to converse and size each other up.

GRAYDON: “That’s a nice speech and all, but then why exactly am I sitting across from not only a Mutant, but an X-Man?”

CARLTON: “I had the same thought.”

Lenore and the old men hum in agreement.

SUBLIME: “Wow, you people are so harsh and judgemental. Not everyone at this table hates Mutants. Some of us just think their parts can be put to better use. Go on, Mr. Da Costa, I’m sure you have an excellent reason for being here. Otherwise, I’ll have to assume our dear host is under telepathic influence and, well…that wouldn’t be good for anyone here.”

PENNY: “Yes, please enlighten us. Patience is not among the short list of virtues I possess.”

With all eyes on him, Roberto leans back casually in his chair and laughs.

ROBERTO: “Carlton, Lenore, you were both associates of my father in the Hellfire Club, correct?” They continue to stare. “It shouldn’t be so hard to believe I picked up a thing or two from him. For my own well-being, unfortunate measures are sometimes necessary. Our host and his baseline co-workers played a role in destroying Genosha, but it was a Mutant pulling William Stryker’s strings, and a Mutant who prevented the X-Men from stopping its destruction.” Roberto form changes for a moment. “Look at me. I can bend and melt steel. I’m dangerous certainly, but no more to most than an assault rifle.” He changes back. “It’s because of those among us who threaten our entire shared world that I desire the prize, not so I can destroy it.”

Some people at the table appear convinced. Others not so much.

GRAYDON: “You believe all this? Really?!”

PURIFIER, remorsefully: “Mr. Da Costa is correct that a blasphemous Mutant disguised herself as our lord, and was the true power behind the Purifers. He exposed me to this terrible truth, and for that, tonight, he receives my trust. A demon who fights other demons is no better than the rest of his kind, but could potentially be more effective. Now, are there any further objections to his presence?”

Silence.

PURIFER: “Very well then. Let’s begin.”

Roberto leans forward and picks up his cards, only to notice Penny staring at him with eager eyes.

In a moderately nice hotel, Sooraya, Storm, and Mirah are sat down to a meal. Mirah has been able to clean herself up, get clean clothes on, and is eating more than she has in over a year. She wants to be slow and polite about it, but Sooraya, who could not be happier about life right now, assures her Allah will not mind her eating a little faster to restore her health.

Mirah does pick up the pace a little, but what she’s most happy to hear from her daughter is that living in America hasn’t stripped away her culture or her faith.

MIRAH, translated: “I am…surprised. You even still wear your burqa.”

SOORAYA, translated: “I never wore it because I had to, Mother. I wear it for myself, and the modesty and protection is affords.”

Mirah is delighted that Sooraya is in a place where she gets to make that choice. Sooraya excitedly tells her she can come live with her in America. The headmasters at the Mutant school she attends are extremely powerful, and have the connections to help her immigrate.

Mirah cries tears of joy. She’d love that. As she dabs her eyes, she turns to Storm.

MIRAH, translated: “I do not know anything about Mutants. But I know that you are heroes. And that you are making my daughter into one as well. Thank you.”

STORM, translated: “Teaching children like Sooraya, the pleasure is all mine.”

Storm turns to her Dust and tells her she already called Scott, and the arrangements are in-progress. She should be a full US citizen with a home by the end of the semester.

DUST: “Mr. Summers and Ms. Frost can really do anything, can’t they?”

STORM: “For better and for worse.”

Ororo tells her that this will be her home too when not in school, so she should start thinking about what she and her mother would like.

SOORAYA: “Thank you. But I’m not leaving my mother alone ever again.”

STORM: “What do you mean?”

SOORAYA: “I mean…I’m leaving the school.”

In the first hand of the poker tournament, Roberto intentionally loses a quarter of his money. Penny wins the pot, while he makes himself appear needlessly reckless and poor at counting cards, having told Domino previously not to activate her luck powers in his favor until the second hand. He couldn’t make the cheating TOO obvious, after all.

In the following hands, Roberto cleans up, winning hand after hand after hand, sprinkling in the occasional small loss.

Outside in the hall, Domino snickers to herself as she listens to the reactions she’s causing among the losers. As she picks up her head, she notices a brain in a jar floating next to her.

DOMINO: “Um…hi? Can I help you?”

The water in Martha’s tank bubbles.

DOMINO: “Right. Great talk.”

After eight rounds, Roberto has a dominant lead, and the three old men, Lenore, and Graydon have been cleaned it, Graydon shouting on his way out than they better not let the Mutant win, and Lenore huffing that she has better things to do at home with her cats, anyway.

With only Roberto, Sublime, Penny, and Carlton still in, the four finalists are encouraged to take a small break, and be back in 15 minutes. While the other three go to do just that, Sublime stays behind for a moment.

PURIFIER: “Is something wrong, Mr. Sublime?”

SUBLIME: “Oh, not at all! I may be in third place right now, but it’s like I tell my boys: it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”

PURIFIER: “A respectable attitude. What is it then?”

SUBLIME: “Nothing too serious. I just can’t allow the X-Men to take my sentinels.”

Sublime sticks his hand directly into the Purifier’s stomach with one hand, covering his mouth with his other. Sublime dissolves into microscopic dust, as he infects the Purifier’s body. The Purifier initially takes on Sublime’s form, before shitftng back into the form of his new host body.

SUBLIME: “Nothing personal, chum.”

With night having fallen, and Mirah asleep in their hotel room, Storm and Sooraya speak out on the balcony. Ororo asks her what she meant earlier. Soo answers that she meant exactly what she said. She loves the school, and her friends, and her teachers, but she only ever stayed there because she had nowhere else to go. Because she didn’t have her mother. And now, her mom needs her more than ever. She isn’t abandoning her.

SOORAYA, loiwering her head: “She praised you all for being heroes, and for making me one as well. But I don’t want to be a hero. Not like that. I’m not Sofia or Julian or Noriko or Cessily. I don’t like fighting. I don’t want my life to be about fighting.”

We flashback to when Sooraya first developed her powers, transforming into jagged sand to skin away the flesh of two of her captors.

Back in the present…

SOORAYA: “I killed two people before Cyclops and Logan found me. Maybe that is why Laura and I bonded so easily. I don’t know. I just know I never want to do anything like that again. I never want to feel the way I felt fighting the Sentinels again. I may have performed better than the others, but I hated it. I only want peace.”

Storm takes a moment to think. When she’s done, she lightly presses her fingers against Sooraya’s chin and picks her head up.

STORM, smiling: “If you do not wish to stay at the school, that is your choice. If you do not wish to be an X-Man like your friends, no one will ever make you. Your family, and living the life which will make you happiest comes first. We will all support your decision.”

Sooraya is pleased to hear that.

STORM, her hand removed and smile faded: “However, much as it pains to me to say it, no matter what you do, there will be no peace for you. Not until the X-Men’s mission of achieving harmony between baselines and Mutants is complete. Until then, even if you are not an X-Man, you will have to fight. That is the reality of the world. That is what it means to be a Mutant.”

Sooraya takes a breath.

SOORAYA: “I have other reasons people in America will hate me besides being a Mutant. As do you. Even if the dream is achieved, that will not change. I will not live in fear. I will not seek out battles. I will live my life the way I want to. I wish you all luck, but your fight is not my own.”

Ororo nods her head along, and says she understands. But she wants her to understand she’ll always have a home with them. Sooraya thanks her once again, and the two hug.

Roberto sits down at the casino bar, pleased with his performance so far.

ROBERTO: “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.”

The bartender rolls his eyes as he turns around to get him his drink. He isn’t the only one who finds this unammusing.

PENNY, sitting down next to him: “Playing James Bond? Really? How childish.” She turns to the bartender. “A chocolate milk please.”

The bartender, wondering where these man and women children are coming from, does his best to remain polite.

BARTENDER: “I’m sorry, ma’am. We do not have any kind of milk.”

PENNY: “Oh. A coke shall do then.”

As the bartender pours her drink, Penny turns back to Roberto.

PENNY: “You’re putting on quite the show in there.”

ROBERTO: “You’re not too bad yourself.”

PENNY: “A constant of my life. Though I can’t say I possess your gift for gab. It’s impressive.”

ROBERTO: “My skills come as naturally to me as our good looks do to us both ”

Penny is handed her drink and the two clink glasses.

Penny laughs under her breath.

PENNY: “Dignified. Intelligent. Sensible. Charming.You’re a credit to your species, Mr. Da Costa.”

ROBERTO: “Hey, now, Mutants and humans are not separate species. We share all but a single gene.”

PENNY: “Oh, please. Don’t go all progressive on me now.”

Carlton enters the bar.

ROBERTO: “I did not mean to upset you. And if you don’t hate me for that comment, I would love to show your what my mouth is good for besides gab.”

Penny immediately throws her drink in Roberto’s face.

PENNY: “I’ve never been so quickly disappointed.” Penny gets up and stomps off. “Damn Muties are all the same.”

Carlton laughs at this sight.

Roberto grabs a napkin, but also licks some of the soda on his face.

The next morning in Afghanistan, Sooraya and Mirah are woken up by their alarm clock, Storm having slept in a separate room. As they get up, Mirah raves about the temporary housing that was set up for her that she’ll be staying in until her immigration process is complete. Sooraya is just so fortunate to have met these wonderful people.

SOORAYA, getting changed: “Cyclops and Ms. FrostI don’t believe you’d approve of them.”

MIRAH: “Nonsense!” She takes her daughter’s hands. “They brought us back together. And in a few months, we will never be apart again.”

Sooraya grips her mother’s hands back.

SOORAYA: “Mother, I thought about it, and I’ve decided I’m not returning to America with Storm. I’m going to stay here with you until we can both leave. I’ll return to school eventually, but not to one that separates us.”

Mirah pulls alway with concern. Sooraya questions what’s wrong. Mirah tells her that she understands her. They’ve both been through so many horrible experiences and she’s missed Sooraya just as much as she’s missed her. But Xavier’s is the type of opportunity she never could have imagined for her. More than, even in America, she could ever provide for her. She has a place where she’s free to be whoever she wants, and surrounded by friends and mentors who care about her. That’s guiding her toward a real future, while helping her learn to control what makes her special.

SOORAYA, quietly: “You support me being a Mutant?”

MURAH: “Child, why wouldn’t I?! Allah has blessed you. He felt your love and made you special. He gave you the power to protect yourself and fight in his name. He led you to your new home.”

Mirah doesn’t understand how anyone could ever think being a Mutant is anything but a gift. Sooraya, with everything she’s seen, just mumbles that she doesn’t understand either.

Soo is glad her mom thinks of her mutation this way, she’s often thought about it this way herself, but that doesn’t change how she feels about everything else. Yes, she’s never been happier than the time she’s spent with her friends at school, but she’s already mastered her gifts well-enough, and she only wants to use them to protect the two of them. Is that really so wrong? To not want to fight?

MIRAH, shuts her eyes and smiles: “Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.”

She opens her eyes and hums about how good it feels to speak his words again. She tells Sooraya that, no, there’s nothing wrong with any choice she makes. But she is a woman who can take care of herself. And Sooraya is so much more. With the X-Men, she can help people and serve Allah in so many ways.

MIRAH: “Tell me…do you know of a single other believer who is a Mutant?” Sooraya shakes her head. “Exactly. He chose you, and only you, for a reason. I know it.” Mirah hugs Sooraya once again. “Stay with me if you’d like. But don’t stay for me.”

Despite being certain in her choice last night, Soo is now unsure about what to do.

Roberto, Penny, and Carlton re-enter the poker room, Roberto having held the door open for Penny, with her scoffing at him and turning her nose up in response. The only ones remaining outside the room are Domino and two security guards.

DOMINO, on her earpiece: “Sunspot, Sublime’s pet brain is gone.”

SUNSPOT, on her earpiece: “So is the man himself it would seem.”

Suddenly, a chill goes down the three remaining gamblers’ spines as they’re frozen in place. The camera reveals Martha in her brain jar is stuck to the ceiling.

PENNY: “What the Hell?!”

ROBERTO: “Well, my dear, it seems Sublime realized he wasn’t going to win here. If I had to wager, I’d say he’s kidnapped our host and is forcing him to take him to the prize.”

CARLTON: “Dammit! How many Mutants came to this damn thing! If that good for nothing religious freak is still alive, I’ll feed him to my damn sha–”

Before he can continue, Martha takes further control of his body, forcing him to repeatedly run face first into one of the hard wood walls, cracking his skull open more and more each time, until he falls over, dead.

ROBERTO: “I can’t say I’m a fan of the loss of human life, but if someone had to die, you couldn’t have killed worse. I do hope you won’t mess up MY pretty face though.”

PENNY: “And mine, right? You’re going to get us out of this, X-Man?”

ROBERTO: “Is this the part where you say you’ve had a sudden change of heart about Mutants?”

PENNY: “No, it’s the part where I’d prefer anything to being killed by one.”

Roberto sighs. He’s sorry, but he has no plan here.

Cut to Domino racing down the halls of casino, having disabled Carlton’s men.

ROBERTO, over the coms: “If only I’d left my come device connecting me to my bodyguard just now. I’d be able to alert her. Oh, but no. It isn’t as if we scoped out this entire building in advance and determined where the prize was being secured after all.”

Masquerading as the Purifer, Sublime is escorted by casino employees into “his” vault. One which contains nothing save for a single flashdrive.

Sublime eagerly picks it up, only to hear gunshots ring as the casino employees both drop to the floor in pain. Domino points her pistols at Sublime, saying that if she ran casino games, she’d never back out at the last minute just because someone was on a winning streak.

She orders him to hand over the drive if he wants to live. Sublime responds by holding the drive up, and then putting it in his mouth and swallowing it.

SUBLIME: “No can do I’m afraid.”

Domino gets pissed and shoots at him, but he somehow maneuvers all around them and kicks her in the face.

SUBLIME: “Oh, this body is actually quite physically proficient. It may be almost able to keep up with me.”

Neena swings at him and engages in hand to hand, but she’s outclassed, as Sublime kicks her around.

SUBLIME: “Hmm. I’d heard you were better than this.”

NEENA: “You know who I am?”

With one foot holding Neena down on the floor, Sublime goes to pick up one of her guns. Neena momentarily exerts her powers to cause him to trip and fall. WIth him momentarily caught off guard, she grabs hold of her pistols herself, and fills Sublime with bullets from behind, putting him down, seemingly killing him. Notably, he does not revert to his true form.

NEENA: “Clearly not well enough.”

ROBERTO, over coms: “Domino, update.”

Neena looks over at Sublime’s body and smirks, firing off her gun into the air.

NEENA, aggressively: “Still in pursuit! Going on silent!”

ROBERTO: “Wait, Domino, don’t–!”

Neena turns off her comm and laughs.

NEENA: “Now, how did I dissect that frog back in 6th grade?”

Later, Neena exits the casino with some bruises, a partially torn dress, a flashdrive worth around 25 million dollars, and no partner.

Domino turns her comm back on, but doesn’t call Sunspot.

DOMINO: “I have the drive and I’m on my way out of town. Mission accomplished, Mr. Cortez.”

CORTEZ, over coms: “Magnificent! With some minor programming tweaks, we can use these sentinels to exterminate humanity once and for all!”

DOMINO, remorseful: “I just left one of my oldest friends behind to die. But after Genosha, this is the only option Mutants have. It needed to be done.”

Dominio and Cortez work out meetup details and hang up as she gets into the car she and Roberto arrived in, telling the driver that her partner will be making his own way home and to drive her to the airport immediately.

Neena is then shocked by the driver’s voice.

ROBERTO: “You see I’d be happy too, except I tragically never got my license.”

Neena is even more shocked by who’s revealed to be sitting in the passenger seat.

PENNY: “And I would sooner die than dirty my hands on a steering wheel.”

NEENA: “What…what is going on?”

With a psychic blast, Penny knocks Neena unconscious.

ROBERTO: “I’m sorry, Domino. For once in my life, I’d hoped to be wrong.”

At sunset in Afghanistan, Storm, Soo, and Mirah stand outside her moderately nice, though still far nicer than anywhere she’s lived previously, home. Storm says that it obviously isn’t safe for Mirah to go out on her own, so they’ve done their best to fill the house with canned food and supplies so she doesn’t have to go anywhere. And if she needs anything else, she need only call.

Mirah thanks Storm one last night, adding that it’s hard to believe the only difference between them is a single gene. She seems so much more than human.

STORM, laughing: “You’re far from the first to say so.”

Ororo asks Dust if this is goodbye then. Soo takes one more moment to think, looking to her mother, to Storm, and up into the sky.

SOORAYA, composed: “No. I was made who I am and guided to the X-Men for a reason. Being the only Mutant of my faith cannot be a coincidence, I do not like fighting, but the only way I can live my life without having to do so is to fight now.”

Storm and Mirah both appear pleased with her decision. Soo embraces her mother, and is hugged back. The two share a personal moment as they say goodbye, their dialogue not being translated for the audience. This is for them.

With their goodbyes said, Storm and Dust fly off to catch their plane.

Storm expresses her pride in Sooraya for making this decision. She knows it wasn’t easy for her, but she promises they’ll make a great X-Man out of her. Soo knows she will be.

STORM: “Oh, but to what you said before: you aren’t the only Muslim Mutant.”

DUST: “What?! Who else is there? Why haven’t I been introduced? Do not tell me they are a villain.”

STORM: “No. Not a villain. But I don’t think she’s what you’re imagining either.”

Cut to Penny, stretched out on her yacht in a string bikini.

Roberto comes upstairs, wearing only a speedo, with an ice bucket of champagne in hand.

ROBERTO: “Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix AKA M.” He sits down next to her and pours them each a glass of champagne. “You’re even more impressive than they say.”

MONET: “Do not insult me. I am far more impressive than that.”

Roberto, with a dashing smile: “Touche.”

The two clink their glasses and sip.

Roberto informs Monet that SHIELD has collected Domino, but they couldn’t find any sign of the Purifer, Sublime, or the brain Monet put to sleep.

ROBERTO: “We can deal with the others, but my concern is for the brain. We have no idea what they are, if they’re a Mutant or something else, and if they are, they may be in for a punishment for their failure.”

MONET: “Then I suppose it’s up to the brave and heroic X-Men to save them.”

ROBERTO: “Are you mocking us?”

MONET: “No. Well, a little. Yes. But I’m moreso curious. Why recruit me for this mission instead of one of your teammates? Not that I'm complaining. Double majoring in business and quantum physics doesn't quite match the action Generation X and I used to get into.”

Taking a longer sip of his drink, Roberto explains what’s been going on here. After Genosha, while everyone else was still recovering, he was the only one who thought of the fact that the schematics for those new sentinels were still out there, along with a few stray Purifers. As he looked into it and investigated, he discovered the poker tournament being arranged. He could have informed the X-Men so they could storm the casino and take it by force, but that would just be additional bad publicity on top of what they’re already facing. And additionally, he caught wind that Fabian Cortez, “more or less the embodiment of the worst parts of Magneto from the old days”, would be sending in Domino as a player.

ROBERTO: “I wanted to believe that information was wrong, and my old friend hadn’t been so far radicalized, so I contacted her, played dumb about what I’d heard, and asked her to help me. She had to say “Yes” no matter what, as either she’d be naturally interested in aiding me, or she’d need to avoid drawing suspicion to herself.”

Roberto wasn’t confident in his ability to defeat Domino by himself should she betray him, however, so he needed further assistant: Monet. Casting her the femme fatale to his handsome spy, he knew that if she did turn traitor and take the drive for herself, Monet and her litany of powers could stop her without issue.

ROBERTO: “Super strength, super speed, flight, telepathy, and super intelligence. What can’t you do?”

Monet coughs as she took a long sip of champagne, setting her glass down and pressing her hand to her forehead.

MONET: “Hold my liquor, evidently.”

Roberto continues to explain that Sublime’s presence and actions were ones he couldn’t account for, but with Monet so easily able to counter the brain’s telepathy, he was able to adapt accordingly.

ROBERTO: “Emma taught you well.”

MONET, getting groggy: “Oh, please never say that again. I don’t know how any of you put up with her.”

ROBERTO: “Would you believe me if I told you Cyclops is sleeping with her?”

Monet takes a moment to respond.

MONET, flatly: “No. No, I would not.”

The two sit in silence for a moment as Roberto finishes his drink and sets his glass down. As he stands up and tosses on a robe, he cracks his neck, rolls his shoulders, and takes a deep breath.

He tells Monet that they made a good team tonight. And he was hoping she’d be interested in continuing this relationship.

Monet floats over to him, landing on the floor and resting a hand on her hip.

MONET: “What exactly do you mean by that?”

Roberto smiles up at the sky.

ROBERTO: “When word first got out that the X-Men were coming back together and were recruiting, I was living in Genosha as part of Magneto’s inner circle. He’d been the New Mutants’ headmaster in the past, and, more recently, had taken me specifically under his wing. When he invited the New X-Men to Genosha, he did truly want to speak with Cyclops about current affairs, but his true goal was to plant me on the team so I could monitor them.”

For the first time, Monet appears surprised.

ROBERTO: “I did my job, staying in the background and keeping an eye out for anything he should know. But now, with him missing, I’ve been left to act autonomously.” Roberto lowers his head and looks right at Monet. “The destruction of Genosha has changed everything. There’s no getting around that. For the time being, I’m happy to continue saving people with the X-Men, make jokes, and allow Cyclops to run the show. However, should our situation escalate any further, I will have no choice but to take control of matters myself. It may be messy. It may be unpleasant. It definitively won’t be very X-Men-like. But if I am to step into darkness, I cannot do it alone. I need a partner. And there isn’t a better one I could ask for than you.”

Roberto reaches out a hand. Monet, with an unreadable expression, takes a moment to think.

MONET: “Your hand, your tongue. Look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpant under’t.”

ROBERTO, smirking: “Is that a yes?”

MONET, emotionlessly looking back at him: “It means I’ll call you when I make up my mind.” She spins around and begins floating toward the ocean. “I am going for a swim. You can show yourself out.”

Roberto nods, wishing Monet St. Croix a good night, and heads back downstairs to get dressed.

Monet dives into the ocean, initially swimming calmly and with perfect form. However, once she’s sure Roberto is out of earshot…

MONET, swimming and splashing around wildly, giggling to herself: “Ahhhh! That was so much fun!”

#New X-Men: The Animated Series #New X-Men #Academy X #Scott Summers #Emma Frost #Ororo Munroe #Kitty Pryde #Roberto Da Costa #Laura Kinney #Bobby Drake #Sofia Mantega #Julian Keller #Noriko Ashida #Sooraya Qadir #Cessily Kincaid #Brian Cruz #Roxanne Washington #The Stepford Cuckoos

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