#fangs of ouroboros

[fordarkisthesuede]

Fangs of Ouroboros - Chapter 3 - The Carrot and the Stick

I meant to say this in the beginning of the year, but as usual stuff kept getting in the way, so I'll say it now:

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT IN 2023!!! ｡･+ﾟﾟ(うд´｡)ﾟﾟ+･｡ 💖💖💖💖💖

Last time on The Snake Goes Round 'n' Round:

Tiffany and John worked together to investigate the explosive that destroyed the office of a PI with a connection to Lady Arkham, discovering the bomber is connected to a very publicized 5-year-old murder. Deciding to see if they can get a firm ID out of a short list of candidates, they head to Blackgate Prison disguised as lawyers...

And now, we rejoin Bruce as he heads off to see what The Agency wants with Wayne Enterprises...

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Bruce drummed the steering wheel as the motor idled in the early morning traffic. It would get worse in twenty minutes, when everyone left for their 8 o’clock shifts at the same time.

His mind kept drifting back to the explosion. How Oz didn’t seem to know one of his men was dead. How strangely well-timed it seemed with the weird murder-game Joker had made upstairs. Those stupid notes. How in his own words John had said he would do that kind of thing just to mess with him…

Not that he actually suspected John of being behind it. If he had used real bodies in that room, then… But of course he hadn’t. And he couldn’t picture John, who took pride in putting his own ‘Joker’ signature on everything he made, not making the bomb himself. Let alone not taking credit for it. Or putting glitter in it.

And it made Bruce wonder:  if it wasn’t the world’s greatest coincidence that a detective linked to a nefarious terrorist would have an attempt on his life botched horribly - or else just his work destroyed - then could someone have been following John to make it seem like the two things were related?

He could feel the locker key he’d gotten from Joker’s “crime scene” burning a hole in his breast pocket. It felt like a longshot, but if that was true, then whoever had followed John to the old building could have followed him elsewhere. They might know the next step. They might know the whole game. Which meant either of them could be waltzing into a trap.

Bruce clenched his teeth and turned sharp enough to barely avoid the curb as he sorted through his mental map of Gotham. St. Dymphna’s was close to a Skyrail station, which was the best bet for John’s choice…

But technically, it was the victim’s locker he was looking for. The crime scene was closer to the red line, but it was possible. Bruce recalled seeing a gym around the same area, but it would be harder to get to.

That said, he didn’t really see the joke in choosing a gym locker. It was rare, but it was logical for a normal person who took the Skyrail often to rent out one of the lockers for longer than a day. Or else they had gotten a copy for a locker they’d rigged to no longer open. And there was something funny about keeping valuables locked up in a public space.

After years of studying the city’s maps and acting as Batman, Bruce knew every back-route in Gotham big enough for his car. Weaving into alleys and side-streets came second-nature.

The Skyrail station was surprisingly quiet for the early morning, with only a few bleary-eyed people hauling up and down the stairs and only one using the old elevator. Bruce suspected that much like regular traffic, it would get a lot busier in about ten or fifteen minutes. He slipped on the pair of aviator sunglasses that John had once again left in the car, hoping no one would recognize him. At least the lockers were at the bottom level.

The little key didn’t have a number stamped on it. There were only so many lockers available, and the station had elected to get rid of the availability lights to prevent theft. Not that it always helped, as evidenced by the obvious dents. He’d have to guess.

John’s choice would probably be 8, as the lockers didn’t go past 30. The crime scene took place in room 12 on the third floor. And the invitation had been stamped on the 19th, the day before yesterday. (Or was it that today was supposed to be significant?)

He decided to try 8 - the key didn’t budge. It would look suspicious to try them all… Since it was truly the victim’s key, it would have to be something they could remember easily. And since Bruce didn’t have so much as a name to go by…

Locker 12 opened with a ka-dink. It was small and square, holding a plain plastic shopping bag with a folder advertising funeral services peeking out on top.

Bruce saw no harm in going through the bag’s contents. He pulled out a thin stack of paper from a manila folder - it looked like the owner (likely the male victim from the crime scene) had sold up most of their stock portfolio over the past few months. The names’ acronyms stood out to him as if he’d dealt with them before, but he couldn’t remember the context. 

The name on the trades was different from the bank statement showing some hefty withdrawals from a joint account named for a group. Why ‘Arnold Palmer’ needed another two-hundred thousand dollars from ‘Three Lime Twists’ was an easy thing to guess - he was going to run away.

The paper trail John had laid out was just that; if the ‘Three Lime Twists’ group were set to get revenge and their money back, then they must’ve discovered where it all went. The natural thing would’ve been to put it in the wife’s account, but that normally wouldn’t be accessible to anyone else - and it would be quite difficult to check, despite the number and bank looking legitimate…

The folder from The Balm of Our Hearts held flyers for different services and plot availability in Gotham’s cemeteries, including maps. Nothing was circled, but the significance of including them at all made Bruce’s synapses spark.

Of course… The extracted funds could all be physical. It would be so much like John, who loved finding hiding places, to create such an elaborate one in a place where few people walked and where any shovel work would seem natural.

As for what exactly was buried and in which cemetery… I’m going to have to do some digging, he thought, feeling a smile tug on his lips. Heh… John would’ve loved that.

The only other item in the bag was a small black jewelry box with Noir Velours stamped on it - a top of the line jeweler that Bruce had used himself. 

He was half-surprised to see an actual ring in it. A sapphire almost as large as his fingernail shone in-between what may have been black spinel on a platinum band that seemed too thick and large for a woman's hand. In fact, it looked like it would fit him.

Could the male victim from the apartment have been planning on running away with a man? Maybe that was why the killer didn’t stop by the locker - the wife didn’t know about it. Outside of the fact that they couldn’t have been able to anyway, as they only existed as an idea in this game… The idea of the male vic’ planning to kill his wife wasn’t off the table yet.

Or maybe the killer was some kind of third member of the relationship who decided he’d had enough…? But then again, the dinner table would’ve been set for three…

Maybe he was overthinking the ring’s purpose. It could be a clue just by itself:  an expensive piece of jewelry kept out of the way from the apartment. Which meant it would have had to go elsewhere, and the most convenient place for it was the stop along the way.

And considering the few leads he had, it was likely the same cemetery Bruce would have to go dig in.

Bruce shut the locker and began the short trek back to the car, bag in hand, feeling a buzz of excitement still prickle in his brain despite knowing he’d soon have to face the reality waiting for him in his office.

🜃

The Agency were being subtle this time, at least. He would’ve hardly recognized Iman’s old partner in the casual business suit if it weren’t for his shoes; hard caps for the toes were difficult to slim down in any design.

“Mr. Wayne, glad you could join us,” Agent Vernon Blake greeted as Bruce shut the conference room door behind him. Iman Avesta was seated at the large conference table in a navy blue pantsuit. The room was otherwise empty.

“Looks like this is a private party,” Bruce commented dryly, “Where’s our security personnel? The other department heads?”

“We’ve already discussed the necessary precautions to be taken with your security teams,” Agent Blake said, “This debriefing is just for you and Miss Avesta. She insisted on briefing everyone else separately.”

Thank Iman for small favors, Bruce thought, mouthing ‘thank you’ as he walked around Agent Blake’s back. He’d hate to have the rest of the company side-eying him for what he presumed was another by-product of a criminal association. He could practically hear the clucking about low stocks and bad publicity from the board, who already were tempted to axe him for his engagement announcement alone.

“To get straight to the point,” Agent Blake said, swiping his tablet (from one of the Wayne’s own tech divisions, Bruce noticed) to cast the projection of his screen to the television on the wall, “we’re here because of your association with Victor Fries.”

The meeting room’s extra-wide screen showed a screen-capture of security footage taken from the basement of the SANCTUS facility, where Bruce could be seen talking to a newly-infected Victor behind the glass of the temperature-controlled chamber. 

“Since you effectively saved him from the LOTUS virus, Mr. Fries had been in our custody.”

Had. The word stuck out like a clean window in the Narrows. Bruce knew exactly where this was going. “And now he’s escaped.”

Agent Blake glanced at him. “Yes.” The image changed to footage of what looked like a laboratory. Victor Fries, still clad in his red goggles and metallic low-temperature suit, bore a familiar collar around his neck that was undoubtedly fitted with explosives. “We allowed him to continue working on the cure for his wife’s illness in exchange for us studying his body’s incubation of LOTUS. At approximately 1:05 this morning -”

In the video, everything happened at once:  the chemical vials on the table in the background exploded, causing another scientist and the armed guard in the corner to scramble to put it out while Victor made a dash for the door.

“- Mr. Fries caused a lab accident.” 

The bubbling beaker Victor had been working with exploded with something white-hot, and the camera footage switched to a hallway, showing Victor throwing his collar aside and slipping into a large door.

“He somehow managed to fix the features of his suit we’d disabled and froze off his restraining collar. He broke into the testing room, froze two of our technicians, and escaped with a prototype freeze-ray and Nora Fries’ cryo-tube.”

Bruce watched as a group of security personnel dashed down the hall, only to get frozen in place by what looked like a ray gun straight off a 50’s pulp novel. Victor wheeled his wife’s frozen holding tank behind him.

“How did he leave the facility?” Iman asked as the image was replaced with an aerial map of Gotham.

Agent Blake tapped his thumb on the edge of the tablet and pursed his lips. “He stole one of our transport trucks and froze the controls for the doors on his way out. He ditched the truck and stole a rental van from a gas station while the driver was getting a lottery ticket.”

Bruce studied the map. All of the city’s warehouses, factories, and laboratory buildings with cold room storage were marked with red dots. Naturally, Wayne Enterprises’ had their pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the mix, but Wayne Tower was also marked. “Why do you think he’d come here?” Bruce asked, already knowing the answer.

“Victor Fries is not in his right mind anymore, Mr. Wayne. The LOTUS virus has affected him the same way it affected Edward Nygma.” Agent Blake met Iman’s gaze with a look Bruce could only attribute to regret and comradery through the memory of their last case together. “You may have betrayed him in the Pact, but you practically saved his life. He might try to get your help.”

Bruce wasn’t so sure of that. The man was a natural-born loner, only working with the Pact out of necessity. Much like Bruce himself. And he knew Victor was too intelligent to try to seek him out. He’d be far more likely to leave him alone out of gratitude.

“And I’m assuming The Agency would like my help.”

Agent Blake avoided looking at him or Iman, but stared down at the tablet as he typed something. “We’d like your cooperation, Mr. Wayne. If Victor Fries makes any attempt at contact with you, we’d like to know about it. And naturally,” he added, his focus returning to Bruce’s hard stare, “we’ve already negotiated all necessary access with your security team for the suspected locations under your name.”

“What about the other Pact members?” Iman asked, keeping her hands folded on the table. “Do you think he’ll try to engage them at all?” 

“They’re not a concern,” the agent waved away, “We’ve already checked with Blackgate Prison. Dr. Harleen Quinzel and ‘Bane’ are in secure wings and haven’t received any correspondence from anyone besides their legal representation - which we’ve naturally crosschecked. Even if he could contact them, we can’t see any reason to. We don’t feel any sufficient motive for him contacting John Doe, either.”

“Napier,” Bruce corrected. “And he betrayed the Pact, too; by helping me.”

“We’re well aware of your relationship, Mr. Wayne.” The meeting room monitor reverted back to its default image of the Wayne Enterprises logo. “As I’m sure you’re aware of how precious time is in these cases. If you or any of your associates find Mr. Fries before we do,” he emphasized with a hard stare back at Bruce as he slipped a contact card on the table, “it’s in everyone’s best interest to alert us first. The battery powering his suit only lasts so long; and when it runs out, he’ll become highly infectious.”

Bruce knew what would happen if he rejected any of this:  he would not only get tailed anyway, but Amanda Waller would have another reason to spill his secret at the nearest opportunity. He ignored the childish urge to tear up the card, sliding it into his breast pocket instead. He’d have to check it and his car later for any tracking devices.

“Vernon,” Iman added with an unexpected softness, “I know you can’t tell me any details, but… Just how useful is Victor Fries to the Agency?”

The agent lost the firm look he had with Bruce. He didn’t answer straight away. “It depends on who you ask,” he said slowly. “If you went to Waller, she’d say he was top priority. Anderson and Duchovny would say differently.” Agent Blake closed the tablet case with a sense of finality. “You know where you can reach me,” he said, directed far more at Iman than at Bruce.

The door clicked shut. “Those names mean anything to you?”

“Two associate directors in the Agency,” Iman explained, propping her chin on her folded hands. “They were never Waller’s biggest fans, but they keep quiet when she gets results. The fact that she’s desperate to have Fries back says whatever research they have into the incubating LOTUS isn’t conclusive.”

“That freeze-gun he had was different from the one he had before,” Bruce added, “They must be reverse-engineering his weapons, too.”

“That wouldn’t be worth hunting him down over.”

“No, but it might be part of it. Waller’s not one for letting things go.”

Iman leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms in thought. “I’d be surprised if she wasn’t in the city, at least. I doubt she’d give someone the opportunity to slip up on re-capturing one of her projects if it was this important to her.”

That was if they could really take Agent Blake at his word. Iman seemed to trust him, but how much of that was an old sense of comradery versus actual reason? 

“Oh, speaking of,” Iman added, turning to him, “you got here later than I thought you’d be. Did something happen?”

Bruce didn’t see any reason in telling her the truth. He wasn’t sure how much she or Tiffany knew about the game John had created, but he couldn’t picture either of them encouraging it in any way. “Sorry. I just had to make a quick stop,” he answered, unable to banish the image of Joker grinning at him from the old television screen.

“Oh. I thought you might have been dropping off John. I doubted he’d want to be alone at the manor with the Agency in town…”

Bruce brought up his own map of the city on his phone, marking the same locations the Agency had marked as potential hideouts for Fries. “He’s hitching a ride to work with Tiffany. Can you give me a patch into the camera system for WE RX?”

“You want it direct? I could just get you a web login.”

“Direct is easier if I’m going to be watching several locations at once,” Bruce explained, standing to retreat to his office for a few moments before he would get stuck at the next meeting on his calendar. “We need to find him before they can.”

“Not that I don’t agree, but for which reason in particular?”

The Agency had already been treating Fries like a captured animal; and while it was true Bruce didn’t want to know what they would do to him upon his recapture, true that he didn’t want the virus he’d worked to eliminate have a chance to return, and that there may have been a crumb of truth in not wanting to be beaten to the punch by the likes of them…

It was the sticking point about Fries that Harley Quinn had summed up rather succinctly, once. “Because as someone once put it, the only thing he gives two hoots about is his wife,” Bruce quoted, mimicking Harley’s voice without her clear tone of disdain. “Either Victor found a cure for Nora Fries, or he’s missing something to finish it. And Waller won’t care what happens to her if they take him back.”

“I’m glad we’re thinking alike,” Iman said with a slight smile, “It reminds me of why I volunteered for the Pact case to begin with, Batman.” Iman tugged her suit straight. “I should be able to patch you into the camera feed in about fifteen minutes. Robin’s cracking program should make quick work of the other feeds; I’ll take half of them if you want.”

“That’d be a huge help,” Bruce said honestly, “I’m going to check for any abandoned cold rooms that weren’t marked on that map. I doubt Fries will want to make too much of a scene.”

Iman gave a single, sardonic little hah. “Between our team and this city’s penchant for themed criminals, that would certainly make a nice change.”

----------------------------------------------

Notes:

I really wanted to finish this piece before the end of 2023. That did not go as planned. (Then again, that last third of the year took a weird-ass turn, and I’m still trying to navigate myself back to the road.) I have a little over half of the next chapter done because it was originally going to be here, but then I realized I hated having to backtrack scenes and then skip around, so it was easier to just make things in the proper order, even if the sudden character switching would be a little weird to “play”. Season 4 sure was easier!

Onto funner stuff: Bruce has no real choice in following Joker’s game. He just pretends he does. At least his reasoning in the villainous path makes a tad more sense... And speaking of, “your” choices at the end could lead to telling Iman about Joker’s murder-game, regardless of his status with the Bat-fam. The villain!Joker path would naturally cause Iman to be concerned about both you and the city, but in our vigilante!Joker path, you’d get a special relationship notification: “Iman Avesta is judging you pretty hard right now.”

And lastly, a super-special-awesome thank you to @spring-roe on tumblr for this sweet fanart! ( ͒ ́ඉ .̫ ඉ ̀ ͒)

[oitawashiya]

Character Icons

[uncaught-coolfish]

[cephalopolis-life]

An analysis of Jade's trailer because my religious trauma can be useful now

Snake in biblical context-

 Overall snakes can mean many things, from death and the underworld but here well focus on snakes in abrahamic, specifically christian tradition. The serpent in the garden of eden which is the one who tempted Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. 

In this way we see a few key elements of Jade’s characterization come to light- She is partners with her snake, who consumes and devours enemies, her stoneheart ability is to see desires. She focuses on providing temptation to others. Another aspect we see is an emphasis on patience- which is an aspect also reflected in the story- Eve lacked patience and consumed the fruit, while Jade provide temptation with all the patience in the universe. 

We can also see some of this reflected in the depiction of Lilith which at times has been depicted as a demon or beast of the desert, and in early 5th century translations of the bible is depicted as lamia- generally depicted as monstrou half snake half women (or hot if you're into that).

We’ll go into more of the snake symbolism later.

Let''s talk about the table.

When we return to Judaeo-christian references we have Jade sitting front and center- with exactly 12 empty spots. Remember the trailer is her chasing after someone who gave into temptations and betrayed the IPC. She is chasing information on a betrayal similar to a very famous betrayal that took place after a dinner that famously held 12  seats with one in the center… 

Interestingly enough in this moment Jade decides to add that a ‘will’ can also bring death- Those who betray their ideals/morals bring a certain death upon themselves or others, similar to how Judas Iscariot’s betrayal brought death upon jesus and persecution to his followers. 

As she says this she has another 12 people bowing to her.

Next we see  the IPC worker stung up- another judeo christian reference- and this one much more direct. Jesus on the cross, but what part does Jade play in this story- We have seen her sit centre stage during the last supper, and now she approaches the cross, pulling the IPC worker down. 

She then chastizes the IPC worker- calling him a naughty child and asking him to tell her where ‘they’ are. 

When we look back at the religious Symbolism we already have we cna pretty easily see the parallels between her and temptation. She was centered in the betrayal, and now she is the cause of their persecution- Giving into temptation, to desire gives her power. 

Finally we see her fully- as one of the Ten stonehearts with her whip out.

She embodies the power of the snake itself, her whip covered in thorns. While we  famously have the religious imagery of the crown of thorns we can also take it as a measure of how thorns and temptation can dig under one’s skin pulling everything else with it- We are also brought back to biblical imagery related to the garden of Eden  where the first curse brought upon mankind as a result of Adam’s ‘sin’ is the presence of “thorns and thistles” 

At thisi time we also see the first instance of the color red permeating through the background. 

At this time we also see the first instance of the color red permeating through the background. 

We then get the first instance of a clear reference to Sin:

Superbia- or Pride. We also see the red snake descending on the right hand side. When we again look at biblical references we know that Lucifer, who later became a snake to tempt Adam and Eve- Fell to the sin of pride- causing him to rebel against the will of god and fall from heaven. 

Not only is the snake here associated with pride but it is descending front he top of the screen as the IPC worker falls to Jades attack. As he falls the snake opens its jaw to reveal red fangs and tongue. As jade walks forward ink seems to seep out of her every step as the IPC worker gives in and agrees to talk. 

We finally get to see Jade’s Symbol- 

And interesting adaptation of the Ouroboros Symbol we usually see. While we recognize the cymbals of infinity created by the Snakes body, unlike the usual Ouroboros, the snake has a beginning and an end, the mouth and tail are not connected. 

Within Honkai Star rail Lore we do know of Oroboros, the Aeon of Voracity.

They are described as the Drinker of Worlds- a being that is all consuming, in the eyes of Oroboros the Voracity life is a small fragment in the sea of Void, destined to return to Them. 

We can see here the idea of patience- All things eventually will be consumed by the Voracity- just as jade has the patience to wait for the outcome of her plans. We also know that in Dev Log1 in simulated universe we get a bit of an IPC cameo.  It specifically states “Had Louis Fleming encountered Oroboros the Voracity, he might have approached the Aeon with the intent to attract all wealth throughout the universe! Fortunately, Oroboros has vanished without a trace.” interesting that one of the founders of the IPC is brought up in the entry for the Voracity- an Aeo that can be ascribes to the sins of greed and gluttony.

Next in the video we see the IPC worker inside a grid or wreath of snakes, with a symbol in the center that resembles creatures that we as trailblazers have encountered

The Heliobi are essentially beings of energy that consume emotions. They are also noted to be part of a race of Extraneous Demons. The heliobus reference here is fascinating, as we know that not only do they consume emotions- but they trick their host into indulging in the actions that would trigger intense emotion such as binge eating or self harm, or even violence against others. 

Creatures that guide people to indulge in the same sins we are seeing presented in the trailer. Heliobi are also creatures of insatiable hunger. Specifically:

“No matter how many bodies it steals, its wish remains unfulfilled. Like those who seek the medicines of immortality, it craves an imperishable vessel, one that will rid it of its fear of destruction. And yet, it knows this is a dream that will never come true.” — Regret of Infinite Ochema

Heliobi are drawn to people that have intense desires- willing to more easily fall into temptation. 

After this we see jade state there is never just one as she is attacked quickly taking him down and giving us a glimpse of our next Sin:

Invidia- Envy. 

We also hear jade mention that while the quantity of those attacking her is high they lack the quality to defeat her. Each one of these members- fueled bu sin and desire- possibly envious of what higher ups had- gave into temptation, and in doing brought down Jade’s will, one that brings death. 

Her serpent is awakened and we finally see it in full force.

They bring upon themselves the Wrath of the serpent, a serpent surrounded by the word Gula- or gluttony. A serpent that will devour.

As the serpent attacks we see hands reach out to her seal in the center- as if reaching out for help and relief from the consequences of their indulgence into temptation.

As the IPC traitors fall to the floor we once again return to the crucifix as a symbol-

the IPC worker strung on the cross a victim to his own temptation and betrayal, a consequence of his Sin. 

We also get our next sin:

Acedia- or sloth. An IPC worker too lazy to work his way up, indulging in sin and suffering consequences. The narrative of the trailer becomes a clear story, and we have found our ‘culprit’

Jade stands before him

Surrounded by the serpents of his sins, and he falls. “Once a will is ignited, it will spark even more desires.”  We then see our last sin of the video Ira- Wrath.

[fordarkisthesuede]

WOWIIEEEEEE!!!

John looks so goooood! And the silly meme fits him to a tee xD

Thank you so much for hitting me with this out of nowhere! 💞💖💗💓 This week is going to be rough on me but I'll work hard for you...! (•̀o•́)ง✨

He's already accomplishing his role as a caring husband

I just realized i forgot to add his ring T_T

if you are confused like 'when did this happen', it's from @fordarkisthesuede 's 5th part of the telltale batjokes 'The Perseverance Project'! Which she has been making for SIX YEARS and honestly we gotta appreciate that. Its so so good & feels easy to consider it canon YwY

I am so delighted I found it, and college is killing me otherwise i will fill ur feeds with these bitches

you should totally check the fic out here!

Can't wait to see where the story goes >:D

[sunderingstars]

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ OUTFIT & DESIGN MOTIFS ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

— what the stars reveal: half-character-study, half-analysis, waxing poetic, elation!sampo

— word count: 3.1k

— overview: (as of 2.2) a look at sampo’s outfit and design, as well as how it may link to an identity closely connected with the elation.

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

For the sake of my own sanity, I’ll be splitting this analysis into clear-cut sections:

Snake Motifs

Binding Chains

Weapon

Hair

Color Palette

Shoes & Walking

Layers

Exposed Skin

Here’s his splash art for reference, although I’ll also be including other photos of his outfit:

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ SNAKE MOTIFS ⌝

One of the biggest aspects of Sampo’s outfit design are the snake bones littered across his clothing. From the scaled chain behind him to the shoulder guard that has a protrusion reminiscent of venom-dipped fangs, there is a lot of snake imagery present. Not just snake, however, but dead snake. It’s important to note that none of these pieces have skin or lively color — they’re all bones, bleached and picked clean. For me, this implies Sampo to be a skeleton character, a whisper of a dead or dying thing that still carries a last bit of venom in its fangs. Whether that “thing” is a metaphorical emotional state (centering themes of disillusionment and fatigue), a literal identity (centering themes of lessening power and lowering status), or a combination of both is up for interpretation. Either way, something inside him is decaying.

The snake — the living, hunting predator — is past its prime, stripping away over the years into something that barely resembles itself, the bones of an ancient and powerful thing. Emanator!Sampo may find himself slowly drawing away from the compulsive Elation first bestowed upon him, while Aha!Sampo may find Themself rotting into Their own mortal shell, the remains of what used to be a superficial avatar sticking to Their bones and sucking them clean; alternatively, the restrictions placed upon this mortal form of Sampo may cause Aha to be whittled down, only an echo of Their full strength. In another case, the silhouette behind the masks, the bones behind the meat, may have found himself steadily falling out of orbit with his larger mind, eventually ending up as nothing but a shadow of his former power as an Aeon — a skeleton, removed from the body when it was no longer needed. Or, perhaps, he is trying to keep the venom in.

(Note: His eyes are also snake-shaped like Baizhu’s from Genshin Impact!)

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ BINDING CHAINS ⌝

When looking at Sampo in a 360-degree view through the camera, something became apparent to me — the snake motifs (the spine and scales especially) seem to wrap around him tightly. In the splash art, this is a little difficult to tell (as the spine is flared out behind him), but here, they are tightly wrapped around multiple parts of his body:

Here, we see a fairly small part — a cuff wrapped around his upper forearm. This sticks out to me because it seems similar to a handcuff, or some kind of article of containment. It fits snugly, pressing in on his skin. There is also a similar wrapping around his thigh, showing that this is not a one-off design decision. There are multiple tight wrappings of containment around his body, which then implies a something in containment. Additionally, there’s the bone chains on his back:

They wrap around to the front, resting in the hollow of his neck. There are also two latches fastened to his back, giving the idea of the bones almost “hugging” him. Now, we are beginning to get a dual picture: a snake, slowly choking and constricting its prey, and a binding chain of bones, something meant to keep danger contained. We can see this even more clearly once the full picture comes together from different angles:

(These wrappings are even reminiscent of the symbol for Ouroboros, an ancient Gnostic and Alchemical symbol that represents the constant cycle of life, death, and rebirth, as well as the unity of all things material and spiritual. As I’ll discuss in its own dedicated analysis, this presence of the snake as a symbol of rebirth and unity may speak to a constant cycle of different emotions or consciousnesses within him — a loop he seemingly can’t escape. He is trying to live, but death ever looms in the background. Additionally, this points towards him trying to reconcile multiple facets of his being.)

The snake does not want to leave. It is cloying, constricting, containing at every waking moment, unwilling to relinquish the meat inside it. I believe the snake and the chains are one and the same: at the same time Sampo is being hurt and constricted, he is also being contained. The snake bones may represent Aha as a separate entity, the Elation as a addiction-filled Path, self-imposed rules from a more powerful past self, or even the “restrictions” placed on higher beings by virtue of existence.

An Emanator!Sampo may be constantly choked by the chains of his status, the realization that this Path isn’t the one he wants — disillusionment is hard to hold on to when surrounded by those who move from sorrow to joy at the drop of a hat. The gaze of an Aeon may constantly weigh on his shoulders like venom-tipped fangs waiting to strike, waiting to strip everything away from him once he becomes no longer “interesting.” Or perhaps that interest is the binding itself, the consuming, compulsive need to laugh, to operate on impulse, to push all feelings of doubt out before they can even be felt; the want to so desperately escape from Elation despite it clinging to him like a specter, regardless of his wants or needs. Emanator!Sampo may also be contained in his power, the same disillusionment that drives him to stray forcing him to hold back his true power, the truth that he could ruin everything he cares for with a single mistake. He doesn’t know what to do when the Elation grows ever tighter, ever higher, the bones of a rotting thing turning him rotten as well. He wants to escape but doesn’t know how.

(Perhaps, this desperation has rotted into hate which has rotted into vengeance, a dedication to using his life to push out the last of his venom, if only to stain an Aeon with Their own blood before falling away.)

Alternatively, an Aha!Sampo may find Themself now restricted by flesh and blood, feeling Themself to be a shadow, a dead skeleton of what They once were. For whatever reason, Their mortal form is forced to have restrictions, perhaps the same ones They face in Aeonic form. But it’s small. Too small. Ten thousand sizes too small, as it always is, and now They’re trapped for a longer time, forced by a looming threat to operate in the shadows, slowly hollowing out with the distance of consciousness and time. 

Who are They, if not the masks? Who are They, if not an Aeon? Perhaps this is not even mask-related at all, but rather a silhouette who grew tired, determined to carve his own path when the stench of decay became too much. The Original, The Progenitor, far outlasted by feelings that grew too strong for his body to handle. He is not an Aeon, not a mortal, but somewhere between a bleached skull and a mouth full of venom. How can he spit out what is rightfully inside him? How can he cut the binds that tie him to an eldritch being he was never meant to be? 

He does not want Elation, but Elation has always wanted him. How can he escape something so dedicated to swallowing him whole? How can he escape something so natural to his being? There is no clear answer besides one: if he does not find a way to escape, the only thing left of him will be bone.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ WEAPON ⌝

Anyway! Haha! Isn’t he so silly? Let’s look at his weapon next:

It seems to continue the snake theme, with both sides of the blades marked with the same bright purple of the “fangs” on his shoulder guard. I don’t think it’s a mistake that these are the brightest colors of the outfit, but I’ll save that for later. For now, let’s focus on the dual nature of his weapon. Besides carrying on the snake theme, these are dual blades, able to be split apart and combined at a moment’s notice. To me, this seems like an indication of two “sides” to Sampo, two different personas that can be separated, combined, or interchanged at will. This could be an Emanator form, an Aeonic form, or simply another personality or “deeper” emotion behind the con-man persona. 

I find this choice of weapon very fitting for him, as it capitalizes on the dexterity of both his personality and fighting style. It’s something that is easily able to be tossed from a distance, allowing him to damage enemies over time without getting too close to danger. There is also an inversion to its form, and while that could just be so he doesn’t scratch himself when throwing it, I also see its connection to the “inversion” of Sampo’s E6 and Aha’s splash art silhouette. There is an implication of inversion, mirroring, and duality with this weapon. Whatever power or consciousness he may be holding, there’s a good chance there are multiple dimensions to it, the kind of dimensions that exceed mortal standards.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ HAIR ⌝

Something of note is the grey in his hair, a color often attributed to older and more powerful characters (Welt has a (albeit dyed) strand of grey hair and Acheron has grey strands as well). They are, however, at the bottom of his hair, like the (perhaps also dyed?) blue is trying to override it. This could speak to an attempt to find his own identity, to cast aside the bleached white of decaying bones and find some vibrance to live for. There’s also a lot of it compared to other characters. It’s not just one or two strands, it’s entire parts of his hairtips, with the implication even more may be white behind the blue. This would line up with what he says about being an “old timer,” most likely downplaying his own status to “just an old guy” when he is vastly more powerful than others realize.

Additionally, his hair obscures one of his eyes, always casting half of his face behind blue. 

I feel this speaks to the idea of “multiple” sides, since one part of him is literally hidden from view. There’s the laughing, joking con-man we see, sure, but we don’t see the “hate” festering beneath, the potential despising of one’s own power and being. We don’t see the silhouette behind the masks. It wants to be free, most likely, of the chains that bind it, wants to step into the open with the clarity of rage, but it is not allowed. And so it stays, hidden behind blue. It stays, allowing the turquoise eye of a red-tinted mask to operate beyond, leaving itself to fester and rot into itself. Would we see an eye, if we pulled back that hair? Would we see something besides a wink here, a crease there? Would we find a matching color, or would we find blood red, a space infested with angry maggots? Would we perhaps find a hole? The blank, staring Nothing of Nihility? Only time will tell.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ COLOR PALETTE ⌝

An interesting thing I noted while staring at pictures of this man’s splash art for way too long is the clash between colors. When dealing with the visible light spectrum, red and blue are on opposite ends. Red and blue are also popularized opponents, despite them not being true opposites on the color wheel. They can clash very jarringly, although the muted reds and blues (bordering on purples) used in Sampo’s outfit compliment each other better than in other combinations. Still, they stick out against each other, chafe against the backdrop of muted grays and blacks of dying bone. The red, often associated with blood, is also associated with Aha’s masks in this case, since most masks have a combination of white and red or red and orange to them (especially in Aha’s splash art). Additionally, blue is often associated with water and calm, which ties back to Sampo’s name “Koski” which means water rapids in Finnish. There is a clear conflict between these colors in Sampo’s outfit, the starkness of drying blood mingling with the attempted free-flowing blue of a new identity. The blue that is so strong in his hair, his mind, is slowly beginning to peek from beyond the red of the rest of his body —  a solitary flower, perhaps, watered by the rain and allowed to cautiously, timidly, lean into the doorway of his being. Still, it is a battle. The red will not give up. The pain, the addictive nature of being consumed by the snake, has been there for so long it naturally attempts to obscure whatever new healing the blue brings. But the blue is persistent. And so, it stays.

All the while, the grey hangs in the background, shadow-like. The monochrome, the static, has been there longer than both the red and the blue, so ingrained into him that it’s easily overlooked for the war between blood and water. But it’s there. The bones of that ancient beast will never fade, stagnant as they are. That’s the thing about bones — they last. Even when the blood runs out and the water stops flowing, bones take the longest to decay. They symbolize longevity, perhaps too much of it. An immortality, perhaps, granted by Emanator or Aeon status, that refuses to disperse even as the mind begins to wither. Thus, the red and the blue arrive. They attempt to revitalize the dying bones, the winding snake, putting just enough contrast between them to create a spark, a single flicker of life — a turquoise of bright running water in the eyes, enough to see the world in better clarity.

(And then there is the glowing purple of the fangs, the looming threat, the contained power. Beyond everything else, the venom is still there. It has always been there, waiting to strike.)

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ SHOES & WALKING ⌝

The only thing I want to talk about here is the lack of footprints Sampo leaves behind (I just wanted a dedicated section for it). We can see clearly in the splash art that Sampo has regular soles that should make indents in the snow, yet his character never leaves footprints when walking through Belobog. To me, this indicates an otherworldly nature of being, or a lack of being there in the first place. This can fracture into several different theories, some of which being that it’s intentional on his part and he can manipulate his body and surroundings in a structural way; that it’s simply a byproduct of a higher being taking mortal form (and thus not fully “conforming” to all minutae of human bodies); and that it’s because he is a projection or puppet of some sort that was never really there to begin with. Whatever the case, this seems to be a strong indicator of higher status, whether that be Emanator, Aeonic, or something different. After all, no regular, unassuming guy would be able to so casually and effortlessly defy gravity to not leave footprints.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ LAYERS ⌝

Man, this guy’s outfit is confusing. Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. I’m just still not entirely sure what’s going on in his chest region, there seems to be a lot of straps and buckles and zigzags and windows. I’d like to say this still speaks to the idea of “containment,” as many layers like that would certainly feel constricting, but I also feel like it’s meant to be a “look” as a whole. The bottom layers being black and gray, then blossoming out into blue and red almost makes me think of a decaying animal, with the blood being exposed as well as some of the bone beneath. I also feel like it ties back into his “layered” personality, in which he has different feelings and personas he chooses to either show or hide at any given moment. His neck and hands are also covered (with the red gloves dipping below the black), perhaps further speaking to concealment. The snake motifs are also present on multiple layers, giving the feeling that this is a constriction that runs deep.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ EXPOSED SKIN ⌝

I will say it: this man’s outfit is sluttyyy (affectionate). Despite the heavy themes of constriction and concealment, the encroachment of the colors and layers do not affect his forearms and hips. He very much has his “V” out to show the world, and I for one am not complaining. To me, this exposed skin feels like a breath of fresh air, something beyond the rotting, constricted animal for once. This seems to really be Sampo — the flesh and blood Sampo, the mortal, the guy who likes striking poses and probably gives great hugs. Yes, it is still strategic (probably trying to ramp up flirt appeal for when he tries to scam people) but it also seems genuine. Sincere. If the rest of his outfit is a constraining, dying bloodbath, then these pockets of skin are the eye of the storm, the places that seem to be untouched by the onslaught. Here, we see a human being. Not an Emanator or an Aeon or a byproduct of compulsive Elation, but a man. Just a man. Breathing, like everyone else. It’s nice.

My main takeaways from this outfit are:

The bones of an Aeon, with mortal and “Primum Mobile” restrictions combining to constrain.

The bones of an Emanator, slowly whittled away with time and the weathering of longevity bestowed by Elation.

The general themes of rot, decay, snakes, venom, constraint, and being suffocated.

Ouroboros, constant cycles, prey caught in a trap of potentially its own making.

Any combination of these!

(I also wrote this piece before really getting into the Doll!Sampo theory, but there is definitely an interpretation to be had regarding Sampo as a creation of Aha! The decaying animal and contradictory colors could represent the fight between Sampo’s “purpose” and who he really wants to be, as well as the chains of Elation choking his freedom of self-expression and want to be his own person. The consistency of constricting and containing bones could also speak to him being a “shadow” of Aha, the echo of a greater being while still powerful himself. If he was created in Aha’s own likeness, he would probably feel the pressure of always being in the shadow of his creator.

Additionally, many other parts of this analysis can still apply to Doll!Sampo, as I see him as at least Emanator status. Longevity would take even more of a toll on him here, since he would have lived so long being disregarded by others as a “toy.” I’ll probably elaborate more on this when I do a dedicated breakdown of my Doll!Sampo theory!)

A note I couldn’t find a good place for earlier: snake bones also imply shed skin, some siphoning off of a greater part of oneself to be reborn anew. Perhaps he is the dead and dying snake, preparing to molt into something even greater. That’s all!

The End! Overall, I feel like I realized a lot of potential things about Sampo going through the parts of his outfit one-by-one. I’m definitely more on board with the idea of being simultaneously constricted and constrained now! Ties that bind, and all that. I also didn’t realize just how much of a battle his outfit feels like until I really looked at it, and now I feel bad for the poor guy. Whatever his endgame identity is, he is not having a good time. I want to give him a hug :((

Also, I want to include this bonus concept art since it shows the snake motifs were a big aspect from the beginning:

Anyways, that’s all!

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

.���� ݁ ˖ જ⁀➴ thanks for reading to the end!

(volume warning)

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[porcelainlipgloss]

Twelve, desolation, there in lies sacred geometry of onanism An ouroboros of punishment I am what I was as I no longer am, for I am nothing...

this excerpt is the last verse of 'pulldrone', the 6th track off of Ethel Cain's album, 'Perverts'. to me, this mention of the ouroboros is a reference to generational trauma (a common theme of Hayden’s work), specifically surrounding shame. the ouroboros, the snake eating it’s tail, is a never ending cycle. it is life, death, rebirth, and everything. a curse that we cannot escape. shame is a cycle as well. shame does not help us overcome anything, it sinks us deeper into the quicksand of our minds, causing us to repeat these actions over and over, never escaping the hunger of the snake.

the ouroboros being a snake also connects to Genesis, the origin of shame and sin. the beginning of the cycle. the never-ending cycle of shame mothers pass down to their daughters, that fathers pass down to their sons, that cannot be broken without biting the tail with our own fangs.

thank you, @mothercain for this masterpiece. i am aware art is subjective, this is simply my interpretation.

[madarasgirl]

A Night for Hunting Ch.25 – Hope on a String

CW: Alucard (Ultimate) x F!Reader, hostage, psychological trauma, unethical experimentation, angst, pining, suicidal thoughts, canon-typical violence, OVA 4 WC: 4952

Happy Chinese New Year (it’s the Year of the Snake. Ouroboros is a good snaky)! Have some Valentine’s heartache as well! I ended up tweaking the last chapter just a smidge. Let’s say it took a few days (instead of overnight) for Integra to arrange access to the SR-71 Blackbird. It helps align Alucard and the Reader’s timelines better. It’s been quite some time between drawing up the outline of these chapters and writing them. I forgot some of the details that would have ensured better consistency.

On AO3

An excerpt under the cut

Alucard touched your belongings with what gentleness he had left, a gloved finger tracing the plush material of a robe. He brought it to his face and inhaled, aching for more than the wisp of scent he was rewarded.

Integra had wanted to rebuild his basement after the manor was destroyed, to renovate it so the lower level was suitable for housing a living person when you returned.

Only you were missing. Stolen. There was no point in remaking his home if you weren't going to be there. He forbade the evidence of your time there to be desecrated by the workers seeking to demolish the sacred grounds in order to rebuild, so he chased them out of his sanctuary the few times they tried to begin work until they surrendered to his will. 

A low hum vibrated in his throat as his head stayed bowed. Nostalgia turned to worry.

The vampire king felt your stomach folding into knots and your repeated sense of violation, yet here he was, rendered helpless and impotent to defend you. The distant recollection of a labouring man’s weight on his back surfaced, though it was no longer of consequence. It came from another life, the experiences of another version of him who was long dead.

Dracula had known war his entire existence. It was safe to assume the Nazis had defiled you. Rape was part of their conquest and armies did not stop at one male per female. His fangs dug into his lips and drew blood – he despised himself for his failure. There was no question he'd welcome you back into his arms after your multiple violations once he exenterated his enemies, but what if Millennium infected you? 

What if you were a ghoul when he found you?

He knew what he would do, recalled what you requested of him. It would destroy him, but he would not let you suffer that fate and indignity because of his blunders. Taloned fists clenched and unclenched uselessly, his mouth curled into a snarl. The crimson tincture of arcane power seeped off his broad shoulders.

He considered other possible outcomes. There was also the potential they chipped and damned you as an artificial vampire. His blood boiled at such foul mistreatment. That was not how he wanted to turn you. His human deserved only a queen’s coronation if you were ever to choose vampirism, under a full moon in his coffin. Could he reverse their inferior methods by removing the chip and infusing his own blood? Would you be entirely beholden under the Major's control? Alucard did not know the answers to these details, but he would cross whatever bridge caring for you required once it came up, after he found you.

Crushed under the strength of his feelings for a mortal, his insides churned with festering dread. How was it that he allowed such a bond (a weakness) to develop? He was complicit and willing in his descent, and now he was wholly enraptured by your existence. The Nosferatu was a prisoner to your needs and he wouldn't have it any other way. 

The first vampire was absolutely, fecklessly in love. This affliction should not have been possible for a creature of damnation like himself.

~To be Continued~

Ch. 26 - A Valuable Lesson (Short chapter)

[fordarkisthesuede]

Batman the TellTale Series: Fangs of Ouroboros - Prologue

Over the years, Bruce has found that his life as Batman had a particular cycle. Like the ouroboros, his fight against crime would come to a head with a large, almost overwhelming and violent case before tapering out and starting anew. Batman, and his mission, would seemingly continue on ad infinitum. He’s at that point of the cycle again. He knows seemingly nothing will rest until a whole new row in each city cemetery is filled. Only this time, with his upcoming nuptials a mess, one too many foes roaming the streets, and his alter-ego being framed for murder by a ghost, he can feel it… The snake’s fangs are digging in, grating against the scales, threatening to cut off the tail for good.

[Read on Ao3] | <next>

Blood stains streaked over the walls and floor. Half the furniture sat toppled, scattering the remains of a small apartment. Two corpses could be seen; one by the dilapidated sofa and the other by the broken dining set.

Just another night in Gotham. Another crime scene for Batman to investigate. Another murder to solve.

Or it would have been, if the corpses weren’t so obviously mannequins.

Bruce heard broken glass crunch softly under his boot as he made his way towards the table. A rat scurried away, leaving crumbs behind on the wooden cutting board. The smell of roquefort cheese and stone-ground mustard was notable, even though the local rodents had clearly eaten what looked like ninety-percent of the charcuterie board.

The blood was fake, just a shade or two too red now that he looked closer under the dim lamp light. The face of the ‘corpse’ had a silly frown drawn on it, along with ‘x’s over the eyes. What looked like a heart monitor tag peeked out from the opening in the blouse. The sort they used on crash-test dummies.

There came a tiny fwhum like when an old television set turned on, and Bruce turned to look at the messy makeshift living room.

The dim black screen flickered to a face he knew all too well.

“Wellity-wellity-well - look at what the bat dragged in!” Joker grinned from the dark. “Hiya, sweetums! You’re a little later than I thought. Don’t tell me:  I already know, courtesy of our dear, omniscient Oracle. So many crimes, so little time! Well, don’t worry,” he leaned back in his chair, the painted scales on his green vest gleaming in the shift of light. “You have pleeenty of time to investigate my little murder scene. I did make it for you, after all.”

Bruce shot a look at the glass he’d stepped on. He switched his cowl’s vision mode - sure enough, a thin red beam of light shot across the floor at too high a height for a rat to scurry over. 

An infrared trip wire. Common security tactic. He should have thought to look first.

“Neat, right? I’m thinking about putting one around my little closet. Tiff’ almost opened it when we were hanging out the other day. And I reeeally don’t want to scar her for life. Ha, well, you know - again.”

Bruce stared at the fake scene in front of him. He wasn’t sure if he should really ask the gently-nagging question at the back of his head, but it came out anyway: “Why are you doing this?”

Joker’s grin faltered and shrunk into a disappointed pout. “Oh, Batsy - I know you read my card. It’s why you’re even here!” He flourished with a gesture at where Bruce was standing before the camera. “You know, we really don’t spend enough time together like this,” he added, leaning his cheek into his hand with a flirty little smile, “all…mano e mano. But don’t wait around on my account - I’m sure something else in here caught your undivided attention.”

Bruce took the hint and turned away from the television to look at the table. With Joker unable to see him, he took the opportunity to look at the picture he’d snapped of the card he’d received in the office mail, now displayed on his gauntlet.

It was one of the sample invitations the latest wedding planner had shown Bruce a little over a week ago, but with the lavender envelope unceremoniously stuffed with heart-shaped confetti and the location in the invite written as coordinates. Underneath the embossed cursive of ‘Join us for a very special day…’, scrawled in John’s unmistakable handwriting, was “Life’s a game, so let’s play! ♡ Love, Your Joker”. 

He glanced at the ‘body’ slumped at the table. The joke was not lost on him.

He didn’t entirely understand why John was doing this, but the phrase mano e mano felt appropriate. He’d clearly have to play this one-versus-one game with Joker to get an answer.

The faux-bodies weren’t dressed in anything familiar. Just two very old and tired suits. Bruce had a nagging suspicion Joker had fished them out of the garbage. Probably along with the mannequins.

The nearest sat at the table, with chipped painted eyelashes and lipstick, sporting red paint dripping down from the neck into a once white collar and a fork stuck in one polished hand. Closer inspection showed many little dents and spots of red, like someone had stabbed it six times. Bruce set the miniature drone from his belt to scan the whole room for reference.

The other hand was tied tightly to the chair with a zip-tie, a gold line painted on the ring finger. A glance at the feet (only one of which wore a red stiletto heel) showed both tied in the same manner.

“Don’t keep your thoughts to yourself, detective,” Joker told him, “Go ahead, walk me through what you’re deducing.”

Impatient as always, Bruce thought to himself. “Clearly, this would-be-victim was tortured for information before they were ultimately killed,” Bruce answered. Bruce used the BatComputer connection on his gauntlet to scan the heart-monitor tag. “The ‘heart’ stopped at 12:15AM two days ago.”

“Ooh, very good, Batsy,” John said with a little round of applause. “Now you know what I was doing when I slipped away on patrol the other night, ha ha ha!”

For a moment, Bruce thought about asking just how he set the whole thing up. But the question died on his tongue before he had the chance to ask; the truth was that he didn’t really want to know. And he doubted John – Joker persona or no – would actually tell him. That was part of the game.

Bruce took one last look at the table setting. Both dinner knives were missing, as well as the other fork. The napkin by the empty seat was proper linen, still folded to show off an “S” embroidered in the corner. The wine glass was half-filled with white wine, which had a sweeter bouquet reminiscent of Moscato.

He cast his attention to the living room area, catching Joker’s eye on the television set. That red grin of his widened a bit more, too-green eyes lit up in the way they often did when Batman had one of his more violent cases. Or when he opposed him on the gym mat, ready to dodge and lunge and mirror his moves like they were dancing instead of practicing fighting.

Bruce tore his gaze away from him, heart thumping and trying not to think about the last time he’d pinned John to the vinyl, where sweat and primal urges had overtaken their senses.

He honed in on the second ‘body’, lying on the couch with a dinner knife stuck in the torso, where it would’ve gouged the lung but missed the heart outright. A matching line of gold was painted on the left hand, just like on the other ‘victim’. Purple and blue spots were painted on the face to show bruising; Bruce lifted the dress shirt to see more on the torso, indicating a fight had taken place.

The wine bottle was broken on the floor further away, a sticky stain gleaming on the carpet. The other utensils littered the floor, all likely thrown by the married partner at the table in an attempt to hit the ‘killer’.

The use of the dinner knife in place of a gunshot or one of Joker’s other knives indicated that the would-be-killer didn’t come there to kill him…

“Bat in your belfry?” Joker asked from the television.

“The stabbed victim must have known the killer,” he answered, “His place at the table was undisturbed, meaning he got up to answer the door; a fight broke out. The partner tried to save the victim by hurling the dinnerware and the wine – the victim was stabbed with the dinner knife, and bled out on the couch while the killer turned towards the partner and proceeded to try and torture the information out of them.”

“Bra-vo!” Joker clapped earnestly. “I didn’t make it too easy, did I? Hah, of course not – you don’t know the why yet.”

Bruce shifted through the dummy’s pockets. No wallet (of course), but there was a key hidden in his ticket pocket. The key to his heart, Bruce surmised, seeing the Joker-esque pun in the placement. Having learned to pick locks at the age of twelve, he knew the shape and size of the key indicated a simple locker. Like that of a gym or an indoor pool. Some place John would be able to walk into without a care…if he didn’t get someone else to do it for him, anyway.

So the makeshift crime was hiding something in a public locker, the location of which was kept secret from the partner tied to the table, or else the key would’ve been discovered. But they must have divulged something, or else there would be more wounds on the ‘body’ at the table…

The floor rocked underneath Bruce’s boots with the familiar crackling boom of an explosion somewhere underneath.

“Okay, before you ask, that wasn’t me,” Joker said in mock-defensiveness.

Bruce glimpsed the plume of smoke rising outside the window. Judging by the height of the smoke and the sound earlier, it was likely two floors underneath him. Something powerful enough to rattle the floor but not enough to break through more than one floor. He slid the pane open and leaned out - exactly as he thought. “I have -”

“- to go!” Joker quickly finished for him, “Yeah, obviously! Just fill me in later!”

Bruce grabbed his smoke-filtering mask from the back of his belt, clicked it into place with the rest of his helmet, and stuck the end of his grappling hook firmly to the window ledge before swinging himself out and down to the third floor.

The broken window led into what was once a used office now set ablaze. Bruce could feel the searing heat hit his face as if he’d walked into an oven.

Scorch marks stemmed from what was left of the cheap metal filing cabinet in the corner with the remains of a homemade explosive in the very center. Several feet away lied a very real corpse amongst burnt scraps of paper, the charred remains of an old laptop, and a broken whiskey bottle.

The face was too burnt from the intense heat of the explosion to tell him much. Male Caucasian, mid-thirties maybe, if not a little younger if the build and clothes were anything to go by. The digital clock face of the bomb timer, now fairly melted, lay near his head.

The old sprinkler system kicked on just as Bruce bent over the body to pick out the wallet from the man’s back pocket. Droplets rolled down the clear plastic of the ID showing the once-bushy eyebrows of one Mr. Rocky Hopper . 

The door to the small office was still closed, the old letters someone had once painted on reading “Hartright Detective Agency”.

Bruce knew that name. Richard Hartright was once with the GCPD, going private about five years ago. And more importantly, up until her ‘disappearance’, he was one of Vicki Vale’s primary sources. 

Bruce stared at the smoking body on the floor. The easiest explanation was that someone wanted to destroy Detective Hartright and his files and just mis-wired the bomb.

But as he was so often reminded, things in Gotham were never easy. 

He re-enabled the earpiece in his cowl. “Oracle, I need information on Rocky Hopper.” 

“On it,” Iman’s voice crackled through the comm-link. Bruce cast a look down at the body. “And send a cadaver alert to Gordon.”

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Author Notes: We're here at last, my friends!!! SEASON FIIIIVVVEEEE!

It only took, like, two extra years to get here. But with a very good reason. Some of which I will divulge at a later, less spoilery date. But the short, short version is that a certain character I thought to include kept messing up everything so I couldn't write. So I pulled the lever, their chair dipped back, and they fell down a pit and died. It was for the best, really.

But that's okay. We're here to have fun. And boy oh boy, is it gonna be great! Hope you're looking forward to it!

Fun fact: By hilarious coincidence, one of the earliest detective novels, "The Woman in White" features a protagonist named Walter Hartright. Walter is credited as showing a lot of modern PI/detective techniques, despite not being a detective.

I have never read the story, much less hear of it until I decided to look up the surname while editing months ago just in case it linked to someone unsavory. (Season 4's title is unfortunately like that of a disgustingly racist film. At least now the phrase is linked to a gay murder mystery with two POC women in hero roles... But I didn't want to make the same mistake twice.) When I need to write a name, I either pick the first thing that pops in my head, or I put a place-marker like "XXX" and highlight it in red so I can't miss it during a reread. In this case, the name popped into my head - it sounds like a good detective name, right? I was delightfully weirded out that it worked so well.

[kyodoesstuff]

Nothing you can take from me (Was ever worth keeping)

@manga-reader-xd FINALLY. IT'S DONE.

I started this when the last chapter came out but i didnt get the chance to color it until today and JABSKEJBW

I am. So proud of myself.

Anyways ramblings about the art.

Starting off silly, no one but Sen has arms because i suck at drawing those.

The symbols on the third picture are a nod to Sen's unvulnerability to them. Since tha Anacondrai don't have a symbol (At leats not one that I could find) i just used the typical Ninjago symbol for "snake".

On the fourth panel each symbol is replaced by the Fangblade corresponding to each tribe. Again, since there's only four Fangs, the Anacondrai symbol is replaced by Chen's Anacondrai hide. (The Sen/Chen paralels are driving me insane thank you).

On to the fifth panel, each character is covered by an element that represents their role in the story so far; Pythor, as the self-aclaimed Messiah too far consumed in his rage, is shrouded in a shadow resembling the Great Devourer. Lloyd, the Green Ninja (And future Golden Ninja) is surrounded by light and streams of gold. Then there's Spitta (Aka Scar). While he has been shown to be fond of Sen, he also betrayed her last chapter, seemingly out of nowhere. As we, the readers, don't know his reasoning or goals with this betrayal, he is hidden behind a wall of smoke.

In the last panel Sen is covered in grime, sand and dried blood to his arduous stay in Ouroboros, which I made to look like scales due to her new understanding of the Serpentine as a whole. Due to her head being submerged in poison during her Slither Pit fight, she has green dots all over her skin, hair and eyes. The story makes it clear the poison didn't leave any lasting damage, but I thought it'd be cool if it stayed with her, so it's my headcanon that Sen now has a couple of these green spots all over her head even after getting back to the Bounty. I also like to think they glow in the dark. Very faintly, sure, but noticeable enough to make people do a double take.

Anyways, here are a couple of the pictures above without lyrics or effects (I worked too hard on Spitta's design for no one to see his details) plus the original sketches.

That's all I think. To whoever read this far, have a nice rest of your day!

[icy-writes]

Lloyd Montgomery and the Four Silver Fangblades of Ouroboros

Chapter Five

Red light changes the color of things

They untied Lloyd after that and more lights were brought out, making him blink rapidly and rub his eyes.

There were so many Serpentine all around him, flicking their tongues and staring unblinkingly at him.

“Are we sure this is a smart idea?” a blue Serpentine hissed, looking Lloyd up and down. His red eyes were nothing compared to Pythor.

Pythor, a vibrant purple color, gave a wide smile. In the array of blues, reds, greens, oranges, and blackish-grays, he stood apart. Something about how his unblinking pinkish eyes watched him from an arrow-shaped head connected to a rather long neck.

“Look at him, Skales,” he said. “He’s… not like the other surface dwellers. You can taste it on him.”

Lloyd caught the other Serpentine flicking their tongue at him — tasting the air. He dug his nails into his palms. The Serpentine, Skales, tilted their head as their eyebrows rose. The hood around its head fluttered for the briefest moment before inflating fully.

“That is surprising,” Skales said. “You don’t think…?”

“No, not him. The other one.”

“Are you sure?” a green one asked. The multiple fangs around his face made up for the lack of a neck. “He could be —”

“I don’t taste it on him,” the black and orange one said, tongue flicking back out in Lloyd’s direction.

“I don’t think that’s something —”

“We would know,” Pythor said, turning his eyes away from Lloyd to look at the green one. “That isn’t something surface dwellers can hide easily, Acidius.”“He doesn’t taste surface dweller,” Skales said. “He tastes like them.”

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[elisa74]

Speculations

A few things we may anticipate, based on the recently released episode titles.

Hegemony part II:

The conclusion of the Gorn storyline. Space battles, 'splosions, big monster faces. We're pretty sure the Enterprise crew get back okay. Will La'an face her demons? Will Sam prove his worth? Will the crew save the colonists? Will Chapel save Batel?

More importantly, will the writers save the Gorn storyline? Aliens, so strange as to be almost unrelatable, and yet their primary motivator is the survival of their species. No more monsters than we.

How do they keep it all from Kirk?

2. Wedding Bell Blues

Ugh.

We assume this is about Chapel, waking up next to Spock with a ring on her finger. Is it bigger than that? Is this where Vulcan (Romulan??) Patton Oswalt shows up with a bunch of roses?

What about Korby? No teaser for Chapel's second most famous lover.

3. Shuttle to Kenfori

No idea.

I've seen some speculation that this is the zombie Klingon episode. Will Dr. M'Benga finally put his demons to bed?

(If so, we could wrap up the Gorn, Chapel/Spock, and Dr. M'Benga's postwar violence in three episodes, restoring the status quo much as we did with La'an and Una in S2.)

4. A Space Adventure Hour

According to rumor, this is the Frakes ep, and consequently the murder mystery. Does all the costumed melodrama happen in the same episode?

Is this also the episode about stories?

5. Through the Lens of Time

Time travel? Time warp? The one with the telephones?

What about this guy?

6. The Sehlat who Ate its Tail

I assume an Ouroboros reference? The snake eating its own tail symbolizes infinity, or the cyclical nature of life. This guy, on the other hand...

Something Vulcan is implied, whether or not it's a teddy bear with six-inch fangs.

7. What is Starfleet?

I thought we answered this in Spock Amok. Is this the one with the UFP Centennial? Dress uniforms and an Edosian bartender?

8. Four-and-a-Half Vulcans

We have a pretty good idea about this one.

9. Terrarium

This title was teased on Open Pike Night - by Erin McDonald possibly? or was it the director? If it was Dr. Erin that implies something Sciency as she would have been more deeply involved.

On the other hand, who knows.

10. New Life and New Civilizations

Literally or figuratively? Are we talking first contact or Chapel running off with Dr. Korby? New planets, or new - if more ordinary - challenges for the crew?

Whatever it is, bring it on.

[icecreampizzer]

Rotating this silly fucko in my mind. Here's Operative Black Mamba, my IEYTD oc! Took me a bit to arrive to a design that I'm satisfied with, but it was worth it. I love the character making process :3

The general deal of this guy is that she's genetically engineered by Zoraxis specifically to rival Phoenix's near-indestructability. Somewhere along the way I thought being a straight up clone of (my) Phoenix works really well with the issues she has going on. During the process she gets some sickass fangs, cool facial hair and a white + blue palette to better contrast Phoenix's colors. Snake themes were chosen because she's the ouroboros - she gets to go through the unending cycle of death and rebirth while she loses a bit of herself in the process ^u^ yay! yippee!

They also constantly undermine their lethality by being just as silly and slapstick-y as Phoenix themselves. They're not as cool as they think they are.

Below the cut are some of the first concepts for the design, so you can see where I came from :] I don't usually put these stuff under read more but one of them is like. pretty long. and it messes with the flow so! banishment it is

There were. attempts. The hair probably gave me the most headache, and there had been ideas of making it a Phoenix clone from the get-go...That or I was inspired by african bush vipers with one of the hairstyles. I was also vibing with the black palette but I decided against it because it looked too much like Phoenix's all black getup. Also I started with the Viper name first, but the Black Mamba eventually won me over. Other names for consideration were Cobra and Python.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Asker who said that the fire emblem dragons need to get weirder is so SO right. Here are some concepts for the masses:

- biblically accurate angel dragon (SUPER cool considering the religious themeing already present)

- Chinese dragon without any limbs.

- Alternatively, a bunch of tiny dragons pretending to be a big dragon and are puppetting a dragon dance parade puppet

- Dragon that is very clearly a poorly-reconstructed T-rex skeleton

- Dragon based on a centipede with far far too many legs

- Dragon that was raised from the dead and Came Back Wrong (rotting flesh hanging off it, partially exposed skeleton, absolutely insane from seeing the world beyond, etc.)

- Ouroboros (snake eating it's own tail) dragon! That has so much story versatility! (The dragon is trapping the world by encircling it and preventing it from reaching it's full potential and must be killed but how do you sneak attack thr earth/omniscient?) (The bad guys are trying to kill the ouroboros to end the world) (The main character is born from one of it's scales) Think of the possibilities!!

Furthermore, no more of this cute anime girl bullshit for their human forms - I want units with scales, fangs, snake eyes, and forked tongues. I want units that are fundamentally bestial and it shows. I want units that have to fight the urge to devour raw meat, that know too little or too much about humanity, that are just off putting enough to be scary. Rhea was a step in the right direction in the "slightly off-putting and knows too much" way but it isn't enough damn it.

👀

[joyinks]

Zeta Marciana

Nickname(s): Marshy

Age Pre Time-Skip: 23

Age Post Time-Skip: 25

Gender: Woman

Race: Human from Medichiara

Birth Date: March 4

Star Sign: Pisces

General Appearance: forest green hair, pale yellow-toned skin, yellow-hazel eyes, pink lips, romanesque nose, pointy chin, leafy eyebrows.

Pre Time-Skip: toga (pale green) with brown tank top one-piece underneath, long brown glove on her right arm with the ouroboros mark in gold, gladiator sandals. Hair is styled long with bangs, and the front of her hair pulled back.

Post Time-Skip: green feather epaulet on her left shoulder, attached to a gold chain attached to a black ribbon; long brown glove on her right arm with the ouroboros mark in gold; brown and gold ouroboros corset; black leather belt, denim short shorts with the pocket hanging out; knee-high leather boots in pale green to match the feather epaulet. Hair is styled in a jellyfish cut that is held up in two cat-ear buns.

Additional Outfits: blue and black pajama onesie that has a snake tongue hood and tail, prison garb: black and white striped long-sleeved shirt and shorts with her prison inmate number 1269, the most revealing white swimsuit you can wear without revealing your parts (triangle bikini).

Personality: born sexy yesterday and absolutely doesn’t know it. She wouldn’t admit it outside of private quarters either so she’s a troublemaker.

Strengths: sexy, nimble, dextrous Weaknesses: she could not kill a fly even if it threatened her life

Likes: medichiarazzi culture, fine art, wine, bath houses, snakes, gold jewelry (bougie bitch has a Prada handbag but if you ask her for it she is giving it to you). Dislikes: wealthy attitudes, being embarrassed, people who don’t respect your privacy (she keeps to herself and she doesn’t want to keep up appearances or take advantage of others).

Habit(s): bites the nails on her right hand when she’s nervous or embarrassed (this is why she wears a glove, she chews to the nail bed).

Fear(s): losing her family and by extension, the community she loves Dream(s): to protect Medichiara from becoming Celestial Dragon property; for the people of Medichiara to be free

Love Interest(s): Sabo

Family: Tia Livi (Aunt Liv), Nona (Grandma)

Friend(s): Koala, Ivankov, Inazuma, Morley, Bello Betty, Karasu, Hack, etc

Enemies: Celestial Dragons and the World Government, specifically Green Bull

Birthplace: Medichiara

Back Story: it might end up being fanfiction

Epithet(s): The Infinite Serpent

Occupation(s): Inside Girl (she’s the woman in a heist who gets the thief in the door) for underground markets in Medichiara pre-timeskip, front line combatant (infiltrator) for the Revolutionary Army post-timeskip

Affiliation(s): Medichiara - South Blue, Joker/The Underground, Impel Down, Newkama Land, The Revolutionary Army

Bounty: 690,000 Beri (Current)

Devil Fruit: Mythical Zoan Hebi Hebi no Mi model Sekai Hebi

Haki: Conqueror’s (All three)

Weapon(s): fangs in snake form, tail in snake form, throwing knives

Other Skill(s): she’s have to be extremely pressed to seduce someone, but she def could in a pinch okay, maybe only under dire circumstances

Flaw(s): idiot with a special interest in fine art, she’d trade a limb not to break a poneglyph or other such rare historical, cultural, or artistic item and that’s how she ends up arrested

The last two here were drawn with some screenshot backgrounds from the one piece anime and the pokecharms trainer card maker to help me mimic the style... take that how you will. Thanks for reading all my OC ramblings.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, April 26

BUFFY: I'm sorry, okay? DAWN: Broken record much? BUFFY: You can't even take an apology. You always do that. Ever since- I just had a bad day. DAWN: Well, join the club. BUFFY: Can I be president? DAWN: I'm president. You could be the janitor.

~~BtVS 5x05 “No Place Like Home”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Coffee Over Tea, For Once (Giles/Jenny, T) by waterintheshadows

Promise Kept (Spike/reader, E) by kittenofdoomage

At the End of All Things (Xander/Jesse, T) by arcanedreamer

beneath her fingertips (Anya & Tara, G) by Greensword101

Movie Night with Ms. Calendar (Dawn & Jenny, G) by AnnieInWonderland

[Chaptered Fiction]

Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 372 (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure xover, T) by madimpossibledreamer

Chasing the Light, Chapter 8/? (Angel/Lindsey, E) by CloudSeeker

Cherry Teeth, Chapter 3/7 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Splitterregen

The Alchemist, Chapter 4/? (Buffy/Spike, Spike/Drusilla, E) by noripori

Corrigendo Tabulam, Chapter 47/? (Willow/Tara, not rated) by lyrical_echoes

undone with you, Chapter 2/8 (Buffy/Giles, E) by guin_ramble, TheScholarlyStrumpet (equipoise)

This Saturday (and Every Subsequent Saturday for All of Eternity), Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Maxine Eden

Our Little Secret, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Spikelover4ever

Restructuring Reality [Series Part 3], Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ragini

Once More,With Fangs, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by Cazzy

Exquisite Conflagrations: Part I, Chapters 1-3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by yellowb, fortes775, Kanita, bewildered, DarkVoid116, MillennialCryBaby, ClowniestLivEver, VoronaFiernan, EverythingElse

Rewind the Rebound, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Tikiriaaa

Exquisite Conflagrations: Part II, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by yellowb, Holly, the_big_bad, EllieRose101, JayeMaru, SzmattyCat, flootzavut, Soulburnt, cawthraven, Maxine Eden, Tikiriaaa

Ouroboros, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by werehorse

Tequila Sunrize, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Pyewacket

Can't Get No Satisfaction, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325

Uninvited, Chapters 6-7 Complete! (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325

Renaissance, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Holly

What Happened On Saturday, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by thehuntress

This Saturday (and Every Subsequent Saturday for All of Eternity), Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Maxine Eden

You Have Died of Dysentery, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Girlytek

Enchanted Dawn, Chapter 10 Complete! (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

Sojourns in Heaven, Chapters 2-3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by elements

the Eyes, Chapter 17 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Dusty

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: [Drawing of Spike] (partly bare chest, worksafe) by isevery0nehereverystoned

Artwork: [Another drawing of Spike] (partly bare chest, worksafe) by isevery0nehereverystoned

Artwork: [Drawing of Buffy] (worksafe) by isevery0nehereverystoned

Artwork: [Portrait of Spike] (worksafe) by isevery0nehereverystoned

Artwork: [Drawing of Faith] (worksafe) by djmanemihi

Gifset: Every Tara look: S6E14 Older and Far Away (worksafe) by lovebvffys

Artwork: [Drawing of Spike/Drusilla] (worksafe) by foundinthevoid

Artwork: When Andrew gets to pick the movíé (Andrew/Warren, worksafe) by garscrucible

Artwork: Hospital AU (Fred/Cordelia, G) by Kittenwritings

Artwork: Grocery Shopping (Fred/Cordelia, G) by Kittenwritings

Artwork: Ivory and Obsidian: The Better Bond (Warren/Andrew, M) by GarsCrucible

[Reviews & Recaps]

ReWatch Review: Angel - S4, E16 by sweetcritique

ReWatch REview: Angel - S4, E17 by sweetcritique

ReWatch Review: Angel - S4, E18 by sweetcritique

ReWatch Review: Angel - S4, E19 by sweetcritique

More Buffy rewatch thoughts: “No Place Like Home” by disquietiswhatitis

Buffy and Angel get POSSESSED! (A Becoming Buffy crossover event) by All Bronze, No Brains

Rewatch: Prophecy Girl Part 2 by Re-Vamped with Juliet Landau

PODCAST: S5. Ep12. You're Welcome by Investigating Angel

[Fandom Discussions]

btvs s5 au where angel came back not too long after leaving for LA and now there’s two awful and pathetic vampires overly attached to the summers women by xaeyrnofnbe

yo 5x07 is so good by professeurm

i think it’s so funny how both spike and faith are so bad at disposing of bodies by greenteacology

i think it’s quite obvious that the major difference between buffy’s happiness levels in the early seasons and the later seasons is not because of her romantic partners at the time by moistvonlipwig

I wonder if the “superstar” episode would’ve worked better in season 5 or 6 due to its final message by femmedefandom

there are two ways to be a short guy. either you’re Jonathan [...] or you’re Oz by femmedefandom

Part of the tragedy in episode Smashed is Spike no longer aspiring to be a better man by desicat-writer

I have many problems with the BTVS fandom but my biggest one is the insistence that Buffy was mad at Faith when she woke up from her coma by jarlskona-evilyoyo

thinking about how, post-mystical universal retcon, Dawn was 11 during Season 2 by lost-in-frog-land

Things you would change by FallenAngel00, multiple posters

The Cheese Man. by Big-Restaurant-2766

Do you think Joss and the team knew Tara was thought to be part demon as far as S4 e14? by DamonAlbarnFruit

If you could put any Buffyverse character(s) into the episode "Halloween", who would it be and what would they turn into? by Big-Restaurant-2766

Hypothetical "Conversations with Dead People" idea I had. by Big-Restaurant-2766

Who is your fvorite “bonus” Scooby and why? by potatoesandmolases_

I just finished the “canon” comics… if you enjoyed any part of them I’d love to hear which ones by Russkiroulette

Fan Theory: Tara was chosen to be the secondary protector of Dawn and has known about Dawn this whole time. by WriteImagination

Anyone not like the Angel series??? by 8HED

Which Buffyverse character(s) do you think about the most? by Big-Restaurant-2766

Do people in the Buffyverse who act with extreme malice/lack of remorse have their souls damaged or reduced in some capacity? by SafiraAshai

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