#Callback For A Corpse

[esonetwork]

'Callback For A Corpse' Book Review By Ron Fortier

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'Callback For A Corpse' Book Review By Ron Fortier

CALLBACK FOR A CORPSE A Maxi and Moxie Mystery By Teel James Glenn Bold Adventure Press 180 pgs.

When we first saw the ads for this book, we were excited at what it suggested; a new mystery series featuring a sleuthing husband and wife team. Shades of Nick & Nora Charles, or Mr. & Mrs. North, not to forget McMillan & Wife. All of which were favorites not so much for the mysteries as for the bantering relationships of the protagonists. At the back of this book, Glenn also offers up a nice little essay on reporters as detectives. But again, it is not what drew us to the series.

Our leads are married and live in Hollywood during its golden days of the 1930s. Moxi is a publicity writer for a studio while his lovely redheaded Maxi is an actress whose career is on the rise. Against this backdrop, we’re constantly given lots of marvelous movie trivia, and none other than Dracula himself, Bela Lugosi appears as one of the supporting players. It’s all put forth by a first-person narration from Moxie; a wry, sarcastic soul madly in love with his wife.

The central plot revolves around the savage murders of several movie-related personnel and the strange disappearances of three young starlets. A former newspaper reporter, Moxie can’t help but get involved, especially when several of the victims were part of the crew working on Maxi’s new flick. His concern isn’t only to solve the murders, but to make sure nothing happens to his better half along the way.

Award-winning pulp writer Glenn spins a truly colorful, exciting tale with just a touch of the supernatural to spice things up. At the same time, he introduces us to two of the most charming and likable characters in all of New Pulp fiction today. “Callback for a Corpse” delivers everything it promised…and more. That says it all.

[rynli]

me: I should write the one-shot that lives in my head about Harry applying for a job

brain: you will write a whole casefic about Harry realizing being a cop already killed him once, acab applies even to Kim, and he needs to quit if he wants to get better

[muttsterion]

Since Snow Day Stan literally has an axe made from the Bus Stop sign I was thinking of what else from South Park could be made into a weapon... and things got really dark. Imagine somewhere maybe buried in a chest the New Kid discovers an ancient looking weapon upon seeing it's.....rather gruesome. It's made from bones...yes real human bone. And it's a rather good sized weapon I'm thinking a battle axe similar to the bus sign axe but a bit heftier and a lot more darker....there's a lot of bones that went into making this thing...some are repeats...like arm bones, leg bones, busted up rib cages, maybe parts of a skull or two....some sinew tying it together.

And then we read the description. "Forged from the bones of one not so human human."

And yep you can see where that went. XD

[sassyfever]

Now that the new mini arc is finally starting Imma make a couple predictions. Angelina is now a bizarre doll and ✨coincidentally✨at the hotel. Grelle is also there. For drama's sake you know how it goes.

[funnelcakesandinfinitesuffering]

Things I loved about the Murder Drones Finale: Part 3

Spoilers, obviously

The secret handshake during the boss fight was great, (V did not want to be a part of that.)

Uzi predicting Cyn’s teleport was genius.

The way she created a black hole like you’d detonate a grenade.

She blasted a hole through the whole planet and used the sunlight to melt Cyn’s heart. Incredible.

Cyn’s face when Uzi swallowed the solver core.

Thad’s skateboarding move and Lizzy taking a selfie after almost dying. What a duo.

Nori definitely passed down her awkward tsundere energy to Uzi.

Khan’s kinda freaky, and the teacher just climbed back down instead of dealing with it.

A sentinel driving a bus wasn’t on my bingo card, but okay.

Not my personal ship, but Envuzi shippers ate well with this. “Weirdly hot robots”, and this reunion scene. Perfect.

Uzi absorbed an Eldritch entity, and her first instinct is “oh this makes me so much edgier now” is hilarious.

Callback to the pilot episode.

“Get tunnel vision on spooky robot corpse reveal and work backwards from there.” An accurate description of the writing process.

That teacher’s gonna lose it.

“That’s my girlfriend!” WE FUCKING WON!

Also Lizzy and V might be a thing? If so, good for them.

N knows how to draw manga now.

J’s rebuilding her ship. Maybe she’s running away to the dog planet, IDK.

Doll’s funeral was so funny. “Babe-a-tron Queenthousand?” Lizzy please. But at least we got to see them in their prom outfits again.

“It should have been Rachel.” TF did Rachel do?

Also Thad’s pose, lol.

Khan and Nori did properly reunite, and N finally got to play that game of Gin Rummy.

Finally, it seems the solver’s consciousness is still alive in Uzi, but she’s got it under control at least. So good for her.

[vulto-cor-de-rosa]

There is... So much in this photo

So first thing, Frank IS an actual corpse and, although I'm very happy that I was right, I'm also very disturbed. The first episode is only getting worse and worse.

Second, the color of the week is red. It was the red code, we were right.

And third, THE OFFICE REGULATIONS?!? The fact that employees have to be wearing the mask at ALL TIMES and the morse code being banned makes a lot of sense. Like how are you going to control your employees without their mask? And there is a scene where ranboo trys to signal SOS in morse code with one hand and the other one stops it. Maybe morse code is a way they can communicate with the brain wash? Also, the "we are watching" one is... Unnerving

And the last ones are a really nice and sweet reference. Like, those are the "Ranboo for presendent of L'manburg" rules. "Arson" "Tommy" "No childenrenn" "killing pets" and "Employees are required to give George an alarm clock" are all on this old screen shot

A really sweet callback to Ranboo's "origins" and to when they started to get more famous

[ascesabo]

sometimes i want to reach through the screen and shake sabo by the shoulders because. god. there's just so much going on with him.

he's first introduced through the veil of luffy's memories- here he's just another feral jungle kid, sticking it out with ace and luffy, the 'nicer' brother in young luffy's eyes. and then boom. you find out he's a runaway noble trying to escape his abusive, neglectful family- and this changes nothing, they still get to become sworn brothers, but just as quickly as this is resolved, his asshole of a dad takes the three of them hostage. and what does sabo do? he gives up the little sliver of freedom he'd fought for, is willing to become miserable and lonely again if it means ace and luffy are spared. and then he comes home to find that in his absence, his parents have already found a replacement! great!

and he doesn't even get to address how fucked up that is, because stelly runs his mouth and now sabo's too busy trying to figure out how to stop his brothers and their home from getting burnt to the ground. he never gets to give them a proper goodbye- he exhausts himself trying to reach them, but he can't because. you know. he's ten. so where does this leave sabo? ten years old, with nowhere to go- he sets out to sea to try and start over, and for the crime of wanting to escape a terrible life, he's punished with an explosion to the face. he loses his memories, his brothers lose him- and so the cycle continues.

then the army saves him, takes him in; he's essentially a child soldier, with how prodigious of a fighter he is from the get-go. but hey, he thinks he's finally found his footing, even if his past's a blur to him- then it all comes flooding back. in the worst way possible. he sees his brother's corpse and he remembers, but it doesn't matter, does it? he's too late, ace is gone, and sabo's lost ten years of a life he could have shared with his brothers. we don't even know how (if, even) he recovers from this- except for a single passing statement from koala, asking him if he's 'had that dream again' because he'd been crying in his sleep. this is never brought up or addressed again. great!plus, we never do find out if getting blown up at the ripe old age of ten could have left any lasting fire-related trauma; and if it does, what does that mean for sabo, who's pretty much made of it, now?

both of these questions are answered at once- sabo treats the fire as if it's ace. it's ace's legacy he's carrying on, and it's ace he seeks freedom for. he copes by making sure ace lives on in his flames, and how can he ever hate the fire living in him if that fire is all he has left of the brother he never got to see again?

i just have to wonder about him, because he's got so many Issues that just. don't ever get addressed? every time we see him deal with his grief (episode of sabo, his own retelling of events in dressrosa) we never really discover anything about him. i wonder how it felt to finally remember the childhood that eluded him, just to find out he was an unwanted, replacable child. how he feels, living with the knowledge that he could have done something to save ace, that he'd failed to remember the two people he loved the most? i wonder just how terribly that guilt must weigh down on him- because where luffy's already begun to heal, sabo still sees ace in everything he does. his title of flame emperor is a direct callback to ace's final attack in his fight against blackbeard. he talks to his goddamn fire like his brother is still in front of him, which is sweet and heartbreaking and, considering his backlog of unaddressed trauma... incredibly unhealthy. i know these will probably be left unresolved for the sake of moving the story forward- but god, sabo, are you okay?

[val-of-the-north]

Tibia Mariners and Those Lost in Death

While I am at it, I should talk about a detail found in Messmer's Shadow Keep. On the way to the Specimen Storehouse, you'll be faced with a peculiar sight: boats lit on fire.

This seems to be a callback to Viking funerals, except the boats are placed in a row and burnt on land. It's certainly an odd practice, but it might only be done this way because Messmer's forces are far from an accessible shore or water that's deep enough to perform it normally.

However, something else caught my eye. The boats looked quite familiar so I went back to check and...

It was the EXACT model as the boats used by the Tibia Mariners! Perhaps it is obvious seeing as the Messmer boats are used in a funerary rite, but I think it's still quite a significant connection, especially since the old Mariners have gotten quite a bit of new lore in the DLC. In Charo's Hidden Grave we can find the skulls of boatmen as a crafting material, presumably that of previous Tibia Mariners.

This is outright confirmed after finding the lone Tibia Mariner in the area, who upon defeat drops the Tibia's Cookbook, which describes them as the oldest of grave keepers.

(Btw I love the detail of the piece of lace cloth and golden ornaments, they are the same found on the Mariners themselves. They even come with the same ghostly glow)

This is quite the revelation, as prior to Shadow of the Erdtree we had no way of knowing that these guys actually predated the spread of Deathroot and Godwyn's transformation into the Prince of Death. And how could we doubt that, since they even drop Deathroot themselves? But there was something that most people have neglected to note about the Mariners, me included.

In the base game, the Tibia Mariner found in the Wyndham Ruins drops a spell called Tibia's Summons. This inconspicuous sorcery of the servants of death actually holds a perplexing description which mentions a group known as "Those Lost in Death".

There was something seemingly redundant and unexplained about these guys. What does "Lost in Death" mean? Why aren't they simply called "Those Who Live in Death"? It wouldn't blame anyone for assuming that this description just contains an outdated term for the undead before they stuck with the one used in-game. However, through the Tibia's Cookbook, we find a NEW reference to this same concept.

Roughly the same title (Those Lost in Death = one lost in death), the same underlying sentiment, and we have verifiable proof that the Tibia Mariners are outright ancient... so what's the deal with this? Well, I have a theory.

The descriptions of these things hint at the fact that the dead have been wandering for a very long time, and that they are in need of leadership. Before the DLC, it was easy to assume that the undead were simply a result of Deathroot, and the game seemed to suggest the same thing by stating multiple times that it was the origin of Those Who Live in Death...

... but that's the thing! Prior to Deathroot connecting them to Godwyn, the undead amounted only to shambling corpses. They were not LIVING in Death, but simply LOST in it, which is how the Mariners were able to control them in ancient times through the use of sounds, both their horns and the Calls of Tibia. It's only through the guidance of a lord, in this case the Prince of Death, that they found an identity and new life.

It's likely the undead waned in the era of Marika because of her elaborate Erdtree burials and general control of life and death. Heck, the figure of Rosus, who guides us to the Catacombs, must have also played a big part in their disappearance. His axe has a similar power to the Tibia's Summons and it's called Rosus's Summons. Its description also mentions that the dead easily lose their way, meaning that Rosus was meant to lend the dead a guiding hand. "Those Lost in Death" would be lost no more.

Without people Lost in Death, the Mariners kind of lost their purpose and vanished for a long time... until the Shattering and the rise of Those Who Live in Death of course. It might mean that the only reason they hold onto Deathroot is because it attracts and connects the new undead.

I guess Godwyn was meant to be a sort of "lighthouse" for all undead. He would make sure they never lost themselves but also that they would be allowed to live instead of being forced back to rest like with Rosus and Marika. Him being a "lighthouse" also fits the marine theme that all this death business is going for quite neatly I think...

But to return to what started this... maybe those boats lit on fire are Messmer's way of making sure the soldiers of his army aren't lost to death after their passing. A way to give them a proper rest the way Marika would have wanted, even though he is limited in what he can do about it. The Catacombs are now corrupted with Deathroots and Godwyn's corpse bodies, and guarded by his fervent golden Death Knights.

(P.S. - I didn't know where to put this, but "Charo" is one letter off from Charon, the ferryman of the dead in Greek mythology. Seeing as the place is connected to the Tibia Mariners, who shepherded Those Lost in Death in an age long past, I find that this connection might not be mere coincidence...)

[livinginadumpster]

One thing I really like in Dead Boy Detectives is the use of blood/gore/horror. With a TV-MA rating, a show with horror themes is obviously going to have some blood and violence, and there are clear instances if this in DBD, but while it's definitely there, it's almost never gratuitous. That's because scenes like the Devlin murders or Maxine's death aren't really about those deaths, rather, they're about the characters' reactions to them and the way the story is shaped by them.

In the Devlin house, the camera focuses not on the girls being killed but on Edwin, Crystal, and particularly Charles reacting to their murders with horror, shock, and anger. The blood splatters in a meaningful way, rather than simply a horrifying one, over the TV and the popcorn and the younger daughter's stuffed rabbit, tarnishing the innocence of everything it touches. While the tragedy of the murders themselves are important, the main focus is Charles' reaction to them as a result if his own trauma. Showing the minutia of the killings would take away from that, so it simply isn't there.

Even Maxine's death, while definitely played off more for shock value than the Devlin murders, serves a purpose. Episode 5 focuses on the failure of romantic relationships, on betrayals from those you thought you could trust, and the Maxine subplot adds to that. It begs the question, who can you trust in this world? At the end of the episode, the answer we are given is your friends, your found family, because love will kill.

It seems to me that the blood in hell represents the guilt of those it touches - Simon's wounds heal when he forgives himself; Edwin loses the blood covering him after Charles turns up to rescue him (albeit by a horrifying cause); the people in the Lust room are drenched in blood and get it on Edwin when they try to drag him down. It's not just there to demonstrate the horrors of hell, but to brand its inhabitants.

There are lots of other examples. The blood when Niko dies is there obviously because that's what happens when you get stabbed, but also (in my opinion) as a visual callback to her saying that red is the color of courage. The cat king's bloody corpse and Monty's blood-splattered face show Esther's ruthlessness and disregard for anyone in her path. Lilith is covered in blood as a symbolic part of her character design. Everything serves a purpose, narratively or symbolically.

(The only example of gore that served no particular purpose that I can think of was in episode one when the WWI ghost drooled blood all over Charles' face, but it was the pilot episode and that whole scene was meant to be shocking, so it can be forgiven.)

Anyway, I really like the way they use blood in DBD, because it shows such a level of detail and care. I enjoy horror but not gore so much, and to me it's refreshing to see it used so tastefully and executed so well.

[l-in-the-light]

Trafalgar Law: fear of closeness and touch part 2, the extended edition

Writing another post about it, because I have a lot of thoughts I need to organize for myself. This time it will be more like my interpretation about Law and his relationships with people than about the touch itself. And also I forgot one of the most crucial scenes about the topic (because ofc I would forget something so important), so I will start with it:

The last touch he remembers from Flevance is hiding under the pile of corpses, cold dehumanized bodies, treated like trash. No one wanted to touch them, just like no one wanted to be touched by Law. How poetic that Law escaped Flevance with a death sentence while hiding among the dead, because he will be treated like he's dead to the world from now on.

This reminds me of a manga I once read, Shigeshoushi (The Embalmer). It's about a guy whose job is embalming the dead, and he is ostracized, feared and refused by people as a result. Contact with death and dead bodies is taboo in Shinto and folk culture of Japan in general. If you think it's a thing of the past, I reccommend to watch Okuribito (Departures), it's really good and this topic is at the heart of the movie.

Anyway, back to the manga, warning for spoilers. Situation escalates to the point when the only human touch the guy can get is that of him handling the corpses for his job and that really messes up with his mental health. His despair leads him to engage himself in risky situations just to get by, casual sexual encounters with strangers become the only form of intimacy he can get and he soon gets addicted to it, but it still lacks the emotional warmth and love he desperately craves, so it's never enough for him. Of course to even get those encounters he has to lie about his job and whenever his lie gets exposed and he is confronted about it, forced to listen to all those women blaming him, feeling disgusted by what he forced on them (it was never forced, but suddenly it's unwanted after they learn he embalms dead bodies every day), and it just triggers and deepens his trauma.

I wonder if you can tell where I'm going with this comparison. Law is definitely as starved for touch and love as the main protagonist is. Still, I don't believe Law would become hypersexual (tho that's just my personal impression, especially after he so blatantly refused Monett), but most importantly unlike the main character Law would definitely not desperately beg for the touch. It's just not how Law is, he doesn't like to impose himself on others if he absolutely doesn't have to. Not to mention he can't bear asking openly for help or for anything really, not after the Vergo incident. It was the last time he ever begged for something.

Law seems to be the type to neglect his own needs to the point that he makes stupid and reckless decisions based on his fear of losing people (callback to Wano and imprisoned Hearts). When people dear to him are in danger, his first instinct is to rush and help them unless he's completely immobilized. That's the level of "prioritizing other people's safety and needs" he believes in, he would do it every time, but he hates when people do it for him. Mostly because he deeply believes Corazon got hurt because of him, and Corazon gave him all that love Law was starving for. And Law believes Cora-san finally died for it.

Add his trauma of expecting people to not want to be touched by him into the equation. That's why he has problems expressing his own need for love (and touch) from that point onward. He acts so tough, doesn't allow himself to show weakness and will definitely never ask for love, he learned his lesson on that.

But what about Heart Pirates? They love him! He clearly protects and deeply cares for them, but in each scene he is with them, not counting Bepo, he keeps them at a distance. I do believe Law treats his crew more or less on equal terms, he favours freedom after all, but their relationship is restricted by his fear and makes it significantly more asymmetrical than the one Luffy has with his crew. I do think Penguin and Shachi are more important to Law than the rest of his crew, they're best friends, they've formed the Heart Pirates together, but he doesn't allow them to be on touchy feely basis with him. That's reserved for Bepo. Bepo is basically the last safe haven Law allowed himself to have up until Strawhats happened.

Law at Sabaody creates three new bonds with people: with two supernovas and Jean Bart. The latter he takes into his crew and I believe it's because Jean Bart has no other place to go, especially with Marines and Pacifistas running around the island. It's possible Law does it all the time and his crew (beyond the original four) got expanded because of that.

Law's bond with Kid started on a wrong foot, not only Kid judges Law based on prejudice and "bad rep" flying around about him, he also accussed him of lack of manners (triggering a flashback to Vergo), all in Law's hearing range. It's not really surprising later on Law doesn't want to owe Kid a favour by letting Kid take care of the Marines. Law clearly doesn't want to be indebted to someone who feels disgust towards him (I don't think Kid is disgusted by him, but that's what Law thinks at this point). And even after Wano it seems Law made sure that they're even, none is indebted to the other. For Law it was just a temporary alliance, he kept his distance, they didn't end up becoming friends.

Last new bond Law created was with Luffy. It started indirectly at first, Luffy was defending his fishman friend. Things said about Hatchan triggered a trauma response in Law ("Don't come closer! Disgusting! He will spread diseases!"), in my headcanon freezing him in the spot. But Luffy defended his friend and indirectly also Law by punching the Celestial Dragon, in similar fashion to Corazon defending Law by punching the doctors spouting similar prejudice about amber lead syndrome.

Law thanked Luffy for that and he felt safe doing so, after all what Luffy did was never directed at Law himself, but the gratitude must have confused Luffy to no end (Why is that guy thanking me? I didn't do anything for him!). Law didn't mind this bond at this moment exactly because it was so indirect, as a result he allowed himself to interact with Luffy and even took the first step, probably thinking it will lead to nothing. But he would never do it if not for Luffy's indirect impact on Law. If that's the expected level for casual bonds Law has set up, I doubt many occassions appeared for that before. It just shows he avoids people as a general rule, period.

But things changed after they left the auction house. Law is displeased with Kid, only telling him not to order him around and refusing to even talk with him, but his dynamic with Luffy is completely different, he doesn't feel bad about it despite being treated like accomplice in the whole Celestial Dragon incident.

He even allows himself to tease him a bit. There's no bad air between them. It almost feels like Law feels more emotionally available despite them being strangers, or rather exactly because they're strangers here and Law thinks they will also leave as strangers, which gives him the freedom to be more open.

They fought together, mostly by accident, but for Luffy that's enough to already feel a bit attached to Kid and Law. He declares he's after One Piece, implying from now on they will be rivals.

That doesn't earn him any response from Law. In fact, he just smirks and retreats without a word.

There are multiple possible reasons for his reaction here, but one of them is important right now: if Law said anything, he would acknowledge that bond, that of being a rival to Luffy. He didn't want it, in fact he wanted them to remain strangers, with no lingering attachments. That's why, when he got offered Luffy's friendship (disguised as rivalship, mind you), he turns back and retreats.

That's his answer. Later in Amazon Lily he also ends up retreating without even waiting for Luffy to say his thanks.

And how ironic that the next time they see each other it's Law who ends up extending his hand, not once, but twice: first by saving Luffy's life by risking his own, and second time by proposing alliance. I can only imagine Luffy's surprise: he got rejected before, but now it's Law himself proposing it! And what a funny guy he is, he doesn't need to offer friendship, because for Luffy they're already friends, after all didn't Law save his life? Law though just needed help, but wouldn't ask for it directly, because we know he never does that anymore, so instead he offered a bait. Frankly he didn't need to, Luffy would do anything he wanted him to anyway. Luffy ofc thought the alliance is a fun idea, but in the end he accepted it because it's Law who needed it to be an alliance, he wouldn't accept help otherwise. Also alliance felt impersonal and safe, without the need to be emotionally open.

There's so many seperate frames of Law just staring and thinking upon their reunion. He's conflicted. Also at this point their relationship changed, whether Law wanted it or not. He was there when Luffy lost Ace, saw him breaking down, definitely thought they now share something in common: they both lost people who were the dearest to them. I'm also sure he could see through Luffy's smile, he knew there's no way he would be already "okay" after just two years.

Unusual whimsical frame of Luffy. He closed his eyes, not listening to the words spoken, but instead listening to his own heart. He knows he needs to kidnap Caesar, that's what Law asked him to do, but Luffy doesn't just want to do what he's told, he wants to make sure the person he is doing it for is happy. It's a callback to Luffy's deepest regret: leaving Sabo with his family, assuming things would be better this way, without making sure first if that's something that would make Sabo actually happy.

Ever since Luffy does this double-check-for-no-regrets for all of his friends and crewmates. He follows Nami to Arlong Park and waits patiently in case she actually needs help. She questions Kyros' choice and goes to all the way to Rebecca to the castle just to ask her if she's really fine with staying seperated from her dad. And he does it here as well. Would kidnapping Caesar make Law actually happy, Luffy wonders. And probably thinks back to their previous encounter, in Sabaody, and Law's mysterious line after Luffy punched the Celestial Dragon: "Thanks Strawhat, you showed me something interesting". And Luffy found his answer and it's this:

Punching Caesar. Apparently Luffy did something right in Sabaody and he thinks it was about the punching, so he does it again now as well. Ofc he wants to punch Caesar anyway, but he does pause before doing that, he actually doesn't jump for it straightaway, it's AFTER he thinks about it. Luffy decided this is what would make Law actually happy, despite going against the plan. Luffy didn't believe following Law's plan will actually make Law happy, but punching his enemies will.

And yet Law doesn't look happy, but let's look more closely to his body languague. He turns around, doesn't declare his unhappiness directly to Luffy's face, he's making an emotional retreat again despite shouting. He's giving mixed signals. So was Luffy wrong?

Law is trying to hide his smile. Making sure no one notices. He's trying to maintain the distance and remain cold, but seems it's working less and less efficiently.

I will let you decide it for yourselves whether Luffy was right or wrong in the end.

There is more nuance about this I didn't even touch yet, for example the drastic gap between Marines fearing Law and calling him a monster, and Stawhats (minus Luffy), at first fearful and suspicious of Law, but it took them like 5 minutes to change their mind and trust him just like Luffy did.

In Dressrosa Law declares that, deep in his heart, he actually also wants to kick Doflamingo's butt. Luffy doesn't even act surprised upon hearing that. Of course, he knew already, Law didn't even have to say it.

While in Dressrosa Law attempts to break the alliance, send off half the Strawhats to safety and despite barely being able to move himself he takes care of Luffy in the final countdown. Almost like he already treats them like his own crew, keeping them safe. If you ask me, someone got attached. And the pinnacle of it is when Law shares with us that he aims to either live or die with Luffy (not die for him, unlike Luffy's own crew declaring in this arc). That's the best he could offer and he knows how much it's painful when someone dies *for you*, he wouldn't inflict that pain on Luffy again, not when he knows Luffy thinks of him as a friend.

And finally in Wano Law finally opens up more and lashes out at Strawhats, just like he did at Corazon. He no longer feels the need to emotionally distance himself all the time, or keeping it all bottled up behind a stoic cold facade and impersonal "alliance". That's how he shows his worry and affection, he considers them his responsibility in Wano.

He also admits for the very first time his fear of losing people. "The plan isn't worth anyone dying" (in this case - Zoro dying). He allows himself to trust and to be vulnerable.

If you think Law is torn about his growing connection with Strawhats, then you're thinking the same as me. He allowed himself to get attached and he didn't want to initially.

Is it really alright if I touch you too…? (ready to retreat his hand at any moment he senses it's unwanted after all)

His words are often rough and cold, but his actions speak for themselves. He trusts the Strawhats by this point, they're his second crew, and he would do the same for them he would do for his Hearts.

And now he has a problem, he gained more people he is afraid of losing. New friends.

[quadrantadvisor]

Yknow the shitty marvel movie type trope of diffusing all of your emotional scenes with humor? Homestuck does the same thing but with a RADICALLY different vibe. Like exactly the opposite.

Most modern media that does this is trying to distance the author from the text, by inviting the audience to laugh with the author. Oh, isn't this story silly, we're self aware, no need to immerse yourself. It's got this smug yet self depreciating tone, because it feels like the author wants you to like them more than their story.

Whereas when Homestuck does this it is self aggrandising, because it's meant as an explicit ATTACK on the audience. It is a purposeful attempt to draw the reader in and then pull out the rug from under them. It's not meant to break the tension, it's to give you mood whiplash. It shows a certain amount of confidence in the text, because the author truly believes in the text's ability to emotionally affect the audience so that this trick works.

I can definitely empathize with someone who finds this aggravating (that's sort of the point), but to me it's legitimately preferable to the self-aware jokey jokey thing because I don't think it diminishes the impact of the story itself. The narrative still exists as is, with all of its devastating events, and the jokes are a way of twisting that knife in a little bit further.

I would honestly go as far as to say that many of these style of jokes don't lighten the mood at all, but just add an extra element of poignancy or horror to a scene. Something ridiculous happening to the body of a recently deceased character isn't exactly light material, for one example. For another, more specific one, consider Dave's "acrobatic fucking pirouette off the handle".

As a quick refresher, Dave says early on in the story that, rather than flying off the handle, he will do an "acrobatic fucking pirouette". This wording becomes a frequent callback joke from that point on. And then, much later, Dave finds the impaled corpse of the older brother who raised him, and decides on a symbolic gesture he'd like to make. He can't pull the sword out of his brother's chest, because he doesn't feel like he's worthy. He has to make a "clean break", by breaking off the end of the sword to take with him. But it doesn't work, and in the attempt he's flung backwards. And then he's just laying there, on the ground, while his friend points out that he has finally, literally performed his acrobatic pirouette off the handle.

And yeah, that's funny, but to me it's also absolutely devastating? This is a character who's recently been dealing with extreme self worth issues and a crisis of free will, who's clumsily trying to grieve for the very person who caused a lot of those issues in the first place. It makes the entire thing feel weirdly inevitable and that much more horrible for it, like, of course this would happen, his whole LIFE has been a joke to begin with. It doesn't detract from the moment. It invites you, the audience, to sit in that moment with the character and just kind of let it wash over you.

At least that's how I feel about it!

[viriborne]

My personal take on demon disguise sheep mc :3! More dull colors, another set of horns inspired by real life polycerate sheep, some corpse paint, and a little flame above their head as a callback to my demon sheep designs. Was thinking about going full demon sheep for this but I still wanted them to have the same rounded silhouette that makes them look so silly and cute

[stromuprisahat]

Siege and Storm- Chapter 22 (Leigh Bardugo)

If this doesn't invite to a callback, I don't know what would.

Golden-haired corpse hanging of the city walls when the Darkling shows Alina around once he's safely on the Throne?

What's the point of foreboding thoughts, when none of it's fulfilled?

[pursuitseternal]

✨The conclusion to “In the Monster’s Shadow:”

Ascended Astarion x Shadowheart | E | 1.9K

🎨 by @weaveandwood

Summary: A battle won, a celebration for two companions in the Ascendant’s bed.

CW: HEA Smut, so many in-game callbacks, light/dark imagery, top!Shadowheart, one vulnerable Ascendant

Previous Ch | ao3 link | Masterlist

Only silence filled the halls of the Crimson Palace now… that and the last remaining sizzles of radiant magic on undead flesh.

So many charred corpses, but none of it slowed the two of them down as they raced back upstairs. The Selûnite and the Ascendant, the monster and his saving light.

The last few plates of armor clattered at their feet as the door burst open to his bedchamber. Shadowheart panted one last spell to heal their minor wounds. “Te…curo…” she rasped between fanged kisses, the words barely audible as he devoured her lips and tangled his tongue with hers.

“Shade,” he murmured into her lips, “my darling.” Arms pulled her impossibly close, molding her curves into the hard planes of his body.

“We did it, we saved the city,” her voice was airy, breathless and light as she pulled him towards the cool silk sheets of his bed. “And you were… magnificent,” her praise was instantly devoured on his hungry tongue as it delved deep.

Astarion followed her down to the bed, pausing only to pull his sullied silk shirt over his head. He was a cage of strength, a crush of sinews and muscle as he covered her body. “More than that, you did so much more than that,” he growled into her mouth, resuming their kiss with even more zeal. “You saved me, saved my sorry soul when I could have died alone…” he paused to smirk down at her flushed face, “again.”

“As if I’d let anyone harm you,” her own voice a low growl. “That’s my task to undertake.” Magic dancing on her fingers, she tore into his leathers, unlacing and yanking them low enough to free his cock. That alabaster, rock-hard length was flushed from all the blood he had consumed, throbbing from the thrill of battle. Lust… bloodlust… it was all hers to treat as well, Shadowheart delighted. And now he was hers to heal, to tend, to fuck—she grinned as she pulled the last vestiges of clothing off her curves.

Crimson eyes roved her form, and Astarion chuckled, letting her press him into the downy bed, those supple thighs straddling his waist. “Who would have thought that the little Cleric of Selûne could handle my darkness,” he mused, nails digging into the crest of her hips to guide every slick drag of her cunt over him. Base to head.

“Are you so quick to forget I was raised in darkness?” she braced her hands on the bed, her silver braid falling over her shoulder. “I embrace the darkness…” she grinded on his length, deliberately catching every inch beneath her. “I savor its taste… I own it,” she raspeed, her own voice thick with lust. “For no darkness frightens me, not anymore. And now, I own your darkness as mine.”

Fingers clawed into her flesh as she finally sank on his cock, seating him so deeply, it stole his undead breath. A forced, wet exhale, and his hips snapped up to every grind that swallowed him whole. Warm and wet and welcoming, she accepted him. No need for threats or rewards or punishments, if he closed his eyes… he could be laying on a bed of moss in the Emerald Grove, or back in the downy sleigh beds of the Elf Song, with little more than hope, zeal and a tadpole to share between them.

“Darling,” he growled, all his might summoning to pull himself upright in the bed, to have her bounce on his lap. Wet and wild and lewd and lovely. Her cheeks were bright and flushed. “The healing to my burden, the light to my dark, the shadow to my brilliance…” he punctuated his praise with thrusts that pulled deliciously inside her, filling her until there was no line between where one ended and the other began. “With me, you will flourish, and I will have everything I never knew I needed,” he groaned as her mouth trapped his in her blunted teeth. “With you, I am complete.”

Her green eyes glinted with mysterious light, a strange combination of pride and hopefulness, of nostalgia for what once was and an eagerness for what would come. “Moodmaiden, I swear, I’ll be here with you, Astarion…”

“Lord Astarion,” he corrected, thrusting up to spear into her, a ruthless quirk to his full lips. “Or My Lord, Vampire Ascendant if you prefer.”

A breathless laugh as she bounced on him bubbled from her smile. “I’m not doing that, Astarion,” she chided back, squeezing his cock punishingly hard in her walls with every buck. “Be glad I don’t call you leech, or bastard.”

The vampire beneath her just gripped her by the throat to pull those insolent lips against his. Devouring, consuming, his warm breath flooded her senses, a tidal wave that possessed her, claiming her inside and out. “How about I call you mine?” He growled. His fingers flexed in playful time with each buck and thrust of their hips.

“Mine…” she gasped out the word, her sex slamming down on him faster, that coil of her pleasure snapping taut. “Maybe I want something more…”

“With me?” He chuffed, his voice thick with lust as he arched beneath her undulating curves. “You demand more of the Ascendant? Dangerous business that…”

“Cut the nonsense,” she laughed, swallowing a moan as he bottomed out inside her. “You’re hardly dangerous, more of a danger to yourself as you have always been.”

“Are you certain your goddess will allow you to pursue something more?”

“Selûne bids me enter into the darkest shadows, even if they belong to a monster like you.” Her voice lilt playfully, her body stilling on him, forcing him to stay right at that edge of orgasm. A growl in his throat, and he tried to grab for her waist, eager to take control, even from the pillows of his bed. But two cool Mage Hands of her own conjuring just caught his wrists and pinned him down.

“Aww, what a good boy,” Shadowheart commented, somewhere between praise and taunt.

The sweetest of gasps slipped from her teasing mouth as he raised his hips fully off the bed, pushing her up with all his Ascendant strength. His chuckle, rolling and deep, mingled with her whimpers as his cock head pushed against her cervix. “Not always good…” he preened. “Sometimes I’m great.”

“All that Ascendant power and your jokes are still just… pathetic.” Shadowheart rolled her eyes, panting a laugh all the same. “Don’t make me cast Silence, now that I have my magic.”

Astarion answered with his own volley in return, he thrust mercilessly up into her, back arching high enough to drag his length inside her again. This time, she rode him back, thighs shaking as her body grew tired. Tired from resisting his charms, worn from the battle that had raged below in his palace halls, and spent from an earnest chase to find actual release with him for once. She let those Mage Hands disappear, the warm pads of his fingers and palms caressing up her thighs to guide her undulations. He controlled her with reverence, gripped her with adoration. The pulsing of his heart echoed in her chest, his eyes devoured every detail of her blissed out face, her wanton blush.

Those walls of hers fluttered, clenching to grip him as she shuddered. So alive, so filled with light, so fucking wet for him…

“Hells,” he groaned, that wall of his own pleasure bursting as he hurtled towards his orgasm. Warm breaths whined from his throat, needy and desperate and loud until she closed her lips over his in a kiss.

“If I call you… my lord… will you come?” Shadowheart rasped in her flushed rapture, her breasts bouncing as she leaned back, a new angle to let him watch his cock disappearing into her, beneath that patch of softest curls on her mound.

He growled, low little rumples that broke into high-pitched whimpers of desperation.

“Come on… little lord… come…” she purred, a hand pressed on his clenching abdominals.

Those hips snapped up harder, slower, and urgently as he burst inside her. Coming hard, he spilled over and over again, hands pushing her down with all his strength. His tongue pressed at the corner of his mouth, his face scrunched in a look of ecstacy, eyes shut and squinting, nostrils flared to take deep breaths that scented the mix of their cum as he caught his breath. “Well… darling,” he crooned, voice cracking as he tried to regain some semblance of control. “Consider yourself well and truly taken… my con—”

Her warm, still trembling hand closed over his mouth. “No… none of that same consort shite you gave Tav.” She scowled, softly but noticeably. And for the first time, she said that name without causing a wretched feeling in Astarion’s gut. “Companion,” Shadowheart corrected. “I will be as I always have been to you, Astarion. Lord or not, I will be your companion.”

He gave that impudent grin. “Well, as long as you will also share my bed, I have no objections to calling you whatever you so desire,” he taunted in that purring and playful tone as she slid off his cock to lay in the crook of his arm. “You will stay here with me?” His question hung heavy in the air, his lithe fingers twirling through the errant strands of her bangs. “You will remain at my side… and in my bed, won’t you?”

Subtle, just the faintest of flickers, Shadowheart recognized vulnerability in his tone, in his face. The veneer of the Ascendant cracked, that loneliness glaring at her through the hole her light had punctured.

A deep breath, one to inhale his scent, his musk, and that faint whiff of undead, and she cupped his cheek in her palm. “Yes, I will…” She watched as his face eased into that subtle arrogant mask. “…But I will also leave it at times.”

His bushy silver brows shot beneath his curls. “What? Why?” Two singles words a piece, each rife with pain, with longing.

A slight tilt to her head and she explained. “My duties towards the Moonmaiden bid me leave. Your black soul isn’t the only one in the world, you know.” Her lips smirked as he rolled his eyes. And before they could open in protest or to whinge, she shoved a finger over them. A finger he instantly suckled to scrape against his fangs and curl around with his tongue. “Besides, leaving your bed will only make it more delightful when I return.”

Her finger pulled free with a pop, his own hand guiding it. “When you return… I quite like the sound of that.” He flashed her that fanged grin, rolling to crush her beneath him this time, his cock already hardened once more from the slightest taste of her fingers and the faintest glimmer of affection in those green eyes. “Say you’re mine, my darling…” he purred, or at least he tried to, his voice rough with longing and need to feel alive and not… alone.

Those arms wrapped around his neck, an embrace that healed and comforted, as well as aroused. “I’m all yours…” she smiled so fucking sweetly, “until morning at least.”

Author’s Note: And there we have it… I hope you enjoyed.

I love light/dark, redeemable monsters. I hope the sweetness and vulnerability was a nice balm to the dom/sub tones leading into the conclusion. And, while this fic has reached its end, this pair will be special to me and I’m sure see the page again 💞

Love to my readers,

Pursuits

[goldenharmony]

Ruby and Akane: Parallels

In chapter 77, Ruby reveals her dark secret to Akane, similar to how Aqua revealed his dark secret in chapter 52. In both situations, Akane enables their obsessions, thinking that she is doing them a favor when she shouldn't be encouraging them.

In Ruby's case, Akane is unaware that Gorou would be nearing his 50s if he was still alive, which makes me wonder how she would've reacted if she knew the truth.

In my opinion, she would've still encouraged Ruby. Akane's already cool with murdering for Aqua's sake so I don't think ethics is a high priority for her.

Unhealthy Obsessions ≠ Genuine Love

The way Ruby feels about Gorou is how Akane feels about Aqua, being obsessed to an unhealthy and obsessive degree to the person they think they might be in love with. Their unhealthy feelings are targeted towards the same soul but different incarnations. Akane's yandere tendencies flare up whenever the situation involves Aqua.

And while Ruby also wanted revenge for Ai's murder, the main trigger for her to fall into darkness was seeing Gorou's corpse.

Gorou/Aqua - Providing the Will to Live

When describing Gorou, Ruby focuses on how he gave her the will to live, saving her from having self-destructive/suicidal thoughts during her lowest moments.

This is further supported by how Ruby was having suicidal thoughts in chapters 115 & 121 but the realization that Gorou = Aqua had saved her.

How does Akane understand? Because she went through the same experience in LoveNow. When she was at her limit and about to kill herself, Aqua saved her and worked with the other LoveNow members to save her image.

Thanks to Aqua, she got the strength to return to LoveNow and move forward. That moment had a significant impact on her, similar to how Ruby describes Gorou's impact on her.

Returning to Original Location

Ruby and Akane return to the places where their relationships began, reaffirming their feelings. Its a callback but could be seen as them trying to hold onto those relationships when they should just let go.

Delusional Era

Both Akane and Ruby go through a period where they think they will get what they want. Aqua and Akane started dating but Aqua only loves Kana. Akane knows this but she's convinced that as Aqua continuous to lie to himself about loving her, those lies will become the truth - which they never did.

She also believed that the 2 of them had an equal relationship, and that she was saving Aqua - both immediately proven false in the subsequent chapter.

For Ruby, she thinks that now that she has reunited with Gorou, they will get married, not realizing that:

A) Gorou never promised marriage. He said he'd think about it which was letting Sarina down easy because she was a dying child at the time.

b) She no longer sees Aqua as just himself, but is projecting Gorou onto him considering she keeps emphasizing "Sensei" unlike Aqua with Sarina-Ruby.

c) Ruby in a stable and healthy mindset thinks incest is gross lol

Plus Ruby's sus manga panels being over-the-top hammers down the point that she is being really delusional right now.

Conclusion

In the end, the 2 girls are really similar to where I'm sure that Akane would've still encouraged Ruby to pursue Gorou even after knowing he was way too old for her because she can relate to Ruby's feelings, believing that he couldn't be bad for Ruby if she believes he is a good person.

Meanwhile Kana's reaction if Ruby confided in her instead:

And if Mem-Cho tried to argue about the age gap, Ruby would probably say that its basically the same as Mem-Cho hanging out with the rest of them - killing Mem-Cho in an instant:

[your-sweetest-nightmares-blog]

My thoughts on Murder Drones Episode 8.

(SPOILER WARNING)

• The teacher taking a slap from one of Cynessa’s tentacles so nonchalantly was amazing.

• “THEN DIE MAD, BI-!”

• Also, was Uzi saying, “Oh, fuck you” when Cyn told her and N to stop?

• Uzi and N falling through space was so cute! Nuzi confirmed!

• “TIME TO MURDER A PLANET!”

• QUEEN V IS ALIVE! And she’s on a sentinel with a cowboy hat! Everyone bow down and throw roses at her immediately!

• I didn’t expect V and J to already know about Tessa being Cyn. I don’t know why, but I expected J to find out in this episode and be broken mentally. But since they treat death so nonchalantly in this show, I shouldn’t be surprised.

• Come to think of it, I still have questions about Tessa. Which drone was the one that killed her? What was the point of her character other than being a tragic hero and a vehicle for Cyn to get to Copper 9? Tessa felt underused. So did J.

• THE SENTINEL SHAKING LIZZY LIKE A RAG DOLL WAS EVERYTHING.

• Don’t think I didn’t notice you using Uzi’s catchphrase, V.

• Cynessa is oddly cute.

• “LET ME IN LET ME IN LET ME IN LET ME IN LET ME IN LET ME IN LET ME IN LET ME IN-“

• LOL at Cynessa cursing.

• Supportive mom Nori!

• The nightcore song being played during the final battle was peak fight music.

• “NO ONE TRAUMATIZES THESE WEIRDLY HOT ROBOTS BUT ME!” Bi Uzi REAL????

• Cynessa’s reaction to Uzi swallowing the black orb was priceless!

• “You don’t know me and I hate you!” OMG I can see where Uzi got it from! Khan’s reaction was wonderful. “Kinda hot?”

• Uzi’s new yellow and purple eyes are pretty cool.

• Uzi giving a presentation about how she, N, and V saved Copper 9 was a fitting callback to the pilot! Consider Uzi’s hero’s journey fulfilled!

• “That’s my girlfriend!”

• V and Lizzy being top Uzi haters once again.

• That sudden cut to Doll’s corpse was so uncalled for OMGGGGGG. FOUL.

• Uzi scares her classmates once again lol.

• Good thing they had a memorial for Doll. The “babe-a-tron queenthousand” needed one. I hope she’s happy with her parents. And DAMMMNNN they went for Rachel’s throat (or should I say core?)! Plus, Thad’s pose is the best!

• I wonder if the drones did anything to honor Tessa’s memory after everything was said and done? In fact, I wonder how N, V, and J felt about her death. I like to think that they miss her.

• Nori is back with her family now! Yay! I wonder how Khan reacted to his wife’s return?

• Is that the original, unpossessed Cyn living in Uzi’s tail, or is it the Absolute Solver? Perhaps both?

• CYN/THE SOLVER GAVE UZI A BOW-

• We didn’t get a Nuzi kiss, but that’s understandable. Some relationships take more time to progress than others and that’s okay.

• Also, HOW DID I ONLY JUST NOW REALIZE THAT “CYN” IS PROBABLY SHORT FOR “CYNTHIA”?!

At the end of the day, while feeling more rushed than I anticipated, I enjoyed the finale! I feel it’s a satisfying enough end for such a good show.

Anyways, peace out!