#in the exact same patch that they're being released in.

[aromanticasterisms]

............huh.

[jscrawls]

Widows rest

My take on a Black widow! Reader x Batman and Batfam but with a slight twist, reader doesn't know the Bats but they seem to know them...

Warning: contains avengers infinity war spoilers, black widow spoilers, brief mentions of violence, poor writing, possible ooc,

Part 10: rough patch

🔹🔹🔹

Breakfast is peaceful enough, you changed rooms last night and got a decent by your standards sleep. Damian's half asleep in his cereal and dukes speedily trying to finish a test between bites of his egg sandwich. It's weirdly domestic to you as Bruce gives you a cup of coffee and your medication and then takes a seat by you. Once again you feel out of place, like you've stolen something from someone else. but you don't show it. Weakness is not tolerable.

Unfortunately, peace never lasts.

“heyyy look who's alive and kicking around the place again!” To your absolute horror, you're dragged out of your chair and hugged tightly from behind by some loud mouthed-

“Dick we've talked about this…let em go chum.” Bruce quickly stands and tries to separate you from the hug, thank God, you could almost kiss the man when you're released. Suppressing a shiver at the unprompted affection, disgusting.

Duke Snickers into his food while Damian tries to cover up a snort by clearing his throat and shoving a bite of cereal in his mouth, traitorous children. You suppress a scowl as you turn to face your attacker - your hugger.

“come on I'm just happy they're still kicking and recovering, how're you doing operater?” Dick sets his hands on your shoulders as he speaks, he's far too touchy for your taste, but his words catch your attention more than his body language.

“operater?”

The room goes quiet for a moment, dicks hands tensing just a touch before he smiles and pulls you in once again. “It's a nickname you had, cuz y'know, you helped operate Wayne charity foundations like you were running the Navy. It's a lil inside joke.”

This time you're the one wriggling out of the hug, what part of ‘you're a stranger to the amnesiac’ does he not get? “You're telling me i was running those events? Why would i do that and not just hire a planner.” You sit back down in the chair, hopefully it'll discourage anymore cuddle attacks.

“I've actually said the same exact thing to you, guess you liked being the boss?” Bruce snorts beside you as dick speaks, Dick tosses himself into a nearby chair and starts making grabby hands at Damian's cereal.

“I'm going to pretend that didn't just come out of your mouth, right in front of my coffee. thanks.”

You grab the hot coffee and down a few sips before popping your medicine, that sounded a little too much like an innuendo to not royally piss you off. This entire…. Thing is gonna test your patience like never before, you swear.

🔹🔹🔹

Bruce went to his office and Mr pennyworth left to drop the two boys off so you're alone in the manor, having shaken Dick off enough times until he himself had to leave back to whatever it is he does, you bet he's a cop or a gym teacher or something.

With free reign, you start snooping. First thing you note is how clean the place is as you wander from the kitchenette towards the event hall, props to the old man where it's due, The place is relatively spotless from floor to ceiling.The second thing you notice is all the damn hidden cameras.

your hand drags across piano keys in the otherwise silent hall, it's dust free and even tuned, for some reason the perfection of the place angers you just as much as the lack of privacy. Makes you think the Wayne's are too…superficial, the avengers tower wasn't even this perfect. There's a tiny blinking red dot in the eye of the gargoyle sculpture nestled in the corner of the room, letting you know that the mask can't slip even when you're alone. someone's watching. you close the fall board and wander to the next area.

The bedrooms aren't that interesting, the unoccupied ones all look the same, smell the same, beige walls and dark bedding. The occupied ones look like stereotypical teen boy rooms, messy bedspreads and posters on the walls. video game consoles, paint supplies, old films, at least these rooms look lived in, imperfect. The next bedroom makes you freeze in your tracks, the familiar vanity and ballet flats makes unease churn in your gut, how'd you see the exact setup in your…. You close the door quickly. The dreams are meaningless and you won't ponder on them for longer than necessary. You take mental note of the large computer set up in one of the other rooms and move on to a different area.

You're back in the library now, your legs are starting to ache from all the walking you've done, you'll have to work on your agility and stamina in this body for sure. Plopping down on a leather sofa you grab at one of the books on the table in front of you and flip it over to read the title, realizing this is the book Jason was flipping through yesterday when the bookmark slips out of it, guess he's a fan of Mary Shelley. The grandfather clock against the wall chimes loudly and you scowl at it before hauling yourself up and slowly leaving the dusty room, you could use a nap right about now.

🔹🔹🔹

It's late when you're woken up, the butler knocks loudly on your door until you answer him.

“Master Wayne? You missed dinner. Would you like me to bring it up to you?”

You grunt as you rub at your face, before remembering that that doesn't count as an answer.

“No, I'll come down myself…. Will anyone else be there?” the silent ‘is my husband waiting?’ goes unsaid, but not unheard.

The butler doesn't answer for a moment, the creaking of floorboards telling you he's shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“…no, the children are at friends houses tonight, Cass is at her dance practice and master Bruce is dealing with an emergency at work. It is just us two tonight.”

“Oh, alright. I hope it's not a serious emergency…is everything good at work?” you act concerned, curiosity bleeding into your voice as you untangle yourself from the sheets and go to open the door.

“Nothing of the sort, there is just an issue with an incorrect filing mishap and mismatched records. Nothing worth worrying about.” Alfred steps out of the way when you open the door and turns to lead you to the kitchenette.

You know for a damn fact that Bruce's position in the company doesn't have him dealing with paperwork issues, your best guess is an affair partner that pennyworth is covering up. Of course the rich guy is cheating on his spouse, at least you don't have to entertain conversations with him over dinner…. Though it would have been nice to have a buffer between you and the butler. He definitely doesn't trust you as much as your husband seems to.

🔹🔹🔹

“anything new you can tell me about the phone.” barbara turned towards bruce when she heard him speak,the glow of her monitors casting her in a greenish glow as she turned her wheelchair.

“well, i don’t have access to their files or their systems anymore. just their location when it pings off cell towers.” barb leaned back and picked up her bag of chips while speaking, eyeing bruce up while he paces her floor, his cape swishing quietly behind him. “the decoding technique you saw before the shut out?” bruce doesn’t look at her as he speaks, his gaze focused on the stained glass above their heads.

barb loudly crunches on a chip as she turns her chair back towards the monitors, wiping her hands clean before she pushes her glasses up her nose. “strange, for them i mean. they didn’t go through the standard coding channels or even the normal hardware wiping techniques, i’ve been doing some research on the dark and back channels and i still haven’t seen anything quite like it.” she offers him a chip.

bruce walks closer to her and wordlessly takes the offered snack, glancing down at barb as he digests that information.

“so…they’re not associated with any known hackers?” barb gives him a sharp look. “B, are you thinking your spouse is a plant?” he shakes his head slowly, glancing away from barb before he continues. “no, no not at all. i just….can’t ignore something strange in my home, even if it’s *them.”*

barb looks down at her lap with a pensive look on her face for a moment, glancing back up at him with thinned lips as she bites her inner lip.

“i’m still scrubbing through the dark, you’ll be the first to know if i find anything that sets off alarms.”

bruce nods once, turning with a dramatic flair of his cape as he turns to leave.

“B.” barbara called out to him before he disappears, turning her wheelchair around to face him again as he pauses midstep. “just don’t get too caught up in your theories yet, they’re still the same person that walked into that gala with you.” bruce resumes walking after barb speaks, disapearing into the darkest part of the clocktowers room.

🔹🔹🔹

M.list | prev | next

A/n: ruh roh readers jumping to conclusions about Bruce's late night disappearances. Wonder how that'll go 👀👀👀

Taglist: @cxcilla @mercuryathens @dind1n @redsakura101 @ninihrtss @let-me-dance @ladykamos @one-piecelover @cuntiesweet

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (5/7/2025) Episode: Let's Make a Baby

"Betty? Are you ready to go? It’s time, and I don’t want them to think I’m skipping my appointment again. They could cancel on me and…“

Skye stopped xir nervous ramble when they walked into the living room to find Betty reclining on the couch watching TV, a hot water bottle resting on her stomach. “OH! Are you feeling bad? I can go by myself…" 

"No way Jose" she smiled, turning off the show and getting to her feet "I'm just a little sore from the extraction procedure. Nothing to worry about, and no way I’m missing this after waiting all morning for you to get ready. Now, let's go put those eggs of mine to good use and get you pregnant!"

Arm in arm, the pair strode with purpose towards the entrance. “You ready pardner?” Betty asked as they climbed the steps.

Skye nodded “So ready.” Unlike the time xe’d faced this prospect alone, xe felt no hesitation or panic as they approached the doorway. 

The pair got checked in and were directed to the small waiting area "Peppino will be out to get you shortly" the receptionist promised.

 As they turned Skye's eyes went wide with surprise when xe finally noticed the other pair of sims sitting there "Theo!?”

"Skye!" Theo greeted xem with his usual broad, salesman’s smile "What are the odds!? Considering sims only come here for one reason I don't need to ask what you're doing here, do I?" he chuckled “But, who’s your friend? I don't believe we've met." 

Betty quickly introduced herself. “So, you're Gretchen's dad huh? Are you still the head honcho over at Plumbob Studios?" At Theo’s confirming nod, she smiled. “Well then, my compliments to the “chef”. That mermaid thriller you just released was such a fin-tastic show that I watched it twice.”

As Theo laughed appreciatively at the compliment, his husband finally found his voice, asking Skye pointedly "I could have sworn Gretchen told us your wife's name was Elyse. She never mentioned that you two had split." Theo shot his husband an irritated look at that but didn't comment.

Betty was missing the subtext of the conversation, but always fearless, jumped in before Skye could answer. "Nope, Elyse is still xir wife, but she’s back home, so xe’s making do with xir baby momma as company today. It’s a bit complicated."

Sullivan started to say more but this time Theo cut him off "That's enough." After an awkward pause he continued "Given the success rate around here congratulations will almost certainly be in order for you soon, so I'll go ahead and give them now. Will this be your first?" 

Skye nodded "Congratulations yourself on becoming grandparents. I saw Valeria when I visited Gretchen just before my trip, she's adorable." Xe paused then, unsure how to proceed. Xe finally settled on "So… what brings you two to Selvadorada?"

"Like you I'm here for work, but I have some time to play" Theo replied. "We're scouting locations for a new movie, and I came out to handle the negotiations. Brought the husband with so we could turn it into a working vacation.”

“As to what brings us “here””… he gestured around the clinic "being granddads was so much fun we decided to have another one of our own! In my line of work rejuvenation potions are easy to come by, so we reset the clock, and Sullivan is having the baby this time. It's his turn after all.” 

Following Theo's declaration Skye finally noticed that Sullivan was wearing a comfortable looking outfit similar to xir own, suitable for the “Immediate Expansion” he knew to expect if the procedure was successful.

"Congratulations again then!" Skye finally said, "That's so exciting." I guess they patched things up, if they're having another baby. Good for them. 

"Thank you" Theo smiled “Our little ones will be the exact same age, if all goes well. We’ll have to get together for a playdate sometime!"

Sullivan looked mildly horrified by that, but Skye only nodded in agreement, even though the thought made xem uncomfortable as well. What am I going to do, say no!? He's my friend. Besides, I don't think Theo knows I had anything to do with Sullivan coming clean about the affair… 

Before the conversation could get any more awkward Skye was overjoyed to see Peppino approaching.

"Skye, welcome!" the ancient scientist greeted warmly “You two can come right this way." As Skye and Betty stood, he turned back towards the others "Misters Mercer, it’s a pleasure to see you both again as well. Dr. Sanchez should be right with you."

“I’m so sorry for flaking on my last appointment,” Skye began as Peppino led them into a small procedure bay. “I just…”

“Think nothing of it,” the immortal mage said, waving off xir concern. “Cold feet are understandable. Gave me an excuse to check in here and sneak in a little adventuring. I donated this tiny golden frog I found in a temple to No Sim Left Behind. Totally worth it!”

“I wanted to thank you” Betty chimed in. “That Chillio spell you taught me came in clutch when my boyfriend broke his ankle.”

“Yup, you never know what fate’s got planned, but every skill and spell you learn gives you more options.” He smiled. “Helping in those big moments feels incredible. That’s why I love this clinic. Now then Skye, let’s make you a new little sim or three!”

“The “candidates” are all ready to go” he told the pair “Several of them looked very hearty, so you should be prepared for the possibility of multiples. Betty, you can head back to the waiting room; I’ll have my assistant let you know when we’re done. It should only take about an hour.”

“Good luck” Betty leaned over and gave her nervous friends hand a gentle squeeze “Hey... how is being pregnant like being a kid again?”

Skye’s eyebrows lifted quizzically, inviting her to complete the joke. “There’s always someone else telling you what to do!” She grinned as xe laughed, the tension in xir face visibly relaxing. “Alright buddy, I’ll see you soon.” She flashed xem a silly little finger wave, walking back the way they’d come.

A swirl of warm emotions Skye chose not to name floated the sedated sim happily along as Peppino and his team moved around xem. When I wake up, I might be pregnant… with mine and Ely… Betty’s… baby xe thought drowsily as xe fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

I use the IVF feature of Woohoo Wellness for my “Sixam Science” inseminations, but I always bring my sims to a place I’ve setup for the procedure to “happen” in-game and get pictures before sending them off to the rabbithole.

I placed this clinic down as a room on the 64x64 museum lot, and when I showed up with Skye and Betty, I found Sullivan and Theo already there! The opportunity to use their presence in the story was just too good to pass up.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[dwtdog]

I'm gonna bomb reddit. I looked at dwt2 to reread the patches post(#justiceforpatches 😔✊) and the first thing I saw was someone bitching about the lack of content and how dreams voice notes were "doing the exact same thing" like holy fuck just kys already. and they're saying dream should just wait until right before he releases something to give teasers but we all know that if he did that they would just bitch about him being inactive for months at time. quit being mean to my puppy!!! it's not his fault he gets excited and can't contain it

-bfa

reddit r just so irreparably stupid they’re beyond saving like if u have no faith in him WHY ARE YOU ATILL HEREEE

[fallynleaf]

I'm trying to get my wrestling journal caught up, and am succeeding with mixed results. I wrote over 10k words on stuff from July alone, 4k of which were just about AEW Blood & Guts on July 19 (the Golden Lovers' first match back together since 2018). I've been toying with the thought of publishing that piece somewhere where people might actually read it, so I thought why not post it here?

(The usual disclaimer on my journal applies: please don't reprint any of these translations, as they're pretty rough and I haven't gotten them looked over by anyone.)

Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi & “Hangman” Adam Page & Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson vs Konosuke Takeshita & Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta & Pac

July 19

I’m at a loss of words to describe this match. Unfortunately, I’m at a loss of images, too. There is nothing I can put in this space that’ll do proper justice to the emotions I felt watching this. But I’ll try.

I don’t think Blood & Guts was the right match format for this story. There are simply too many moving pieces, too many distractions, too much for the cameras to keep up with. But pro wrestling teaches us to see things not as they are, but as they feel, so I will talk about how this match felt.

The feud between The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club started a long time ago. So long ago that I can’t even pin down an exact start date in my memory. I suppose in some way, it started in the closing moments of the very first AEW show, when Mox made his surprise debut and breathed in his first taste of freedom, stained with Kenny’s blood.

Kenny vs Mox is such old history for AEW, it’s practically primordial. It’s in the company’s DNA.

Like many great wrestling feuds, there’s an ideological disagreement at the heart of this one, a disagreement concerning the fundamental nature of professional wrestling. More than anything, though, it’s about love.

Bryan Danielson said as much in the promo he cut on April 5 after the Blackpool Combat Club attacked Hangman on Dynamite. Interestingly, in this promo, Bryan seems to draw an equivalence between love and true professional wrestling. He treats them as one and the same. He talks about loving Mox, Claudio, and Yuta, whom he goes on to describe as “professionals” in contrast to the Elite, who are “amateurs”, and who don’t have love, or even understand the concept of it. 

To Hangman, he says: “And I love these men! I love these men! Do you know what? You don’t have anybody who loves you. Is anybody coming out from the back? No! Not a damn person! ‘Cause nobody loves this man! In fact, they don’t even know what love is! But I know what love is. In fact, when I’ve been at home, I’ve been teaching my kids a few things. A few things about how to fix up your house. And I think the house that is AEW needs to be fixed up. From all these amateurs.”

The house metaphor immediately caught my attention. It reminded me of an extended metaphor that Hangman employed in his monologue from episode 204 of Being The Elite, which was released on May 18, 2020, and which to this day remains one of the few pieces of art about the pandemic that I can actually tolerate. In his metaphor, he compares AEW to a house, and The Elite are both in the house and they are the house.

In Hangman’s own words: “I nearly won the prestigious ‘Man of the House’ award in May. I’d teamed up with our broom to clean the house better than anyone had ever swept it before. And I feel like I might have been starting to… patch up the holes of the walls of the house. The walls that made the house what it was in the first place.”

The Man of the House award is his failed attempt to become AEW World Champion in May 2019. Teaming up with the broom refers to his tag team with Kenny and their 6-star tag title match with the Young Bucks, which was considered by many people to be the best tag match in history. And the Elite are the walls. He’s talking about the slow, tentative process of repairing his relationship with the faction that quite literally made AEW.

I suppose in a very literal sense, The Elite are in AEW and also are AEW, in the sense that they’re the “Elite” in “All Elite Wrestling”. Hangman’s mixed metaphor is only as messy as reality.

The “AEW as a house” metaphor came up again two years later, on May 25, 2022, in a now infamous promo segment building up to Hangman vs CM Punk at Double or Nothing, where, with just two words, Hangman unknowingly set off a chain of events that would end up almost tearing the entire company apart, though no one realized it at the time.

He tells Punk: “You talk a big game about workers rights, yeah? Well, you’ve shown the exact opposite since you’ve gotten here. I love this place! I care about this place! This is my home! And this Sunday at Double or Nothing, I will not, I will not be defending this championship against you. No, for the first time in my life, I will be defending All Elite Wrestling from you.”

And Punk tells him: “Win, lose, or draw, I respect you, Hangman. But remember, those roads you traveled to get here? They were paved by me. This house that you built? It was constructed with lumber from trees that I chopped down. The world you traveled to get here, to create All Elite Wrestling, happened because I gave you the blueprint.”

Hangman fails to defend the championship against Punk. And in the months that follow, he fails to defend All Elite Wrestling from Punk, too. The philosophical divide was so true to reality and so exquisitely foreshadowed that it caused me to initially assume that the rumored backstage altercation between Punk and The Elite was part of an intricate work that connected back to this very promo. I was more right than I knew, but I didn’t know that the reason for the connection was not because it was a well-planned story, but because the conflict at the center of the story was real.

AEW is the house that Hangman built, and Punk says that it was made with lumber from trees that he chopped down. In saying so, he takes credit for The Elite’s work and implies that without them, he could simply fill the space left by their absence on his own.

But can he? Can anyone? Can there be an All Elite Wrestling without The Elite, or would the whole building crumble without its walls? For a few months in late 2022, we got to experience AEW without The Elite. It was not a particularly encouraging time for the company.

Which brings us here, to 2023. Bryan Danielson says that the house that is AEW needs to be fixed up. He doesn’t think the Elite can compare to the Blackpool Combat Club, not in terms of love or in terms of pro wrestling.

I’ll admit, when Bryan said that The Elite don’t even know what love is, I laughed. Kenny Omega has centered his entire wrestling career around love, to the point where “A Wrestling Love Story” is in the title of his documentary. I once heard someone sum him up by saying “in pro wrestling, you can choose to be whatever you want to be, and Kenny Omega chose to be in love.” 

Before he beat Kazuchika Okada to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2018 in what is widely considered to be the best match of his career, Kenny said: “I’m not saying that I’m arriving to this arena with a bunch of new moves, but I am saying that this version of Kenny Omega might be the most prepared. And a big part of that is because I’ve let someone back into my life that I cared about, that I loved, and that together with that power, we can’t lose.”

He says basically the same thing outside of kayfabe as well. In his documentary, he credits Kota’s support as being essential for preparing him physically and emotionally so that he’d be ready to pour his heart out in a match that he knew was going to last over an hour. Many of the hard lessons that his character had to learn about the pain of isolation and loneliness, and the redemptive power of love, are things that Kenny himself had struggled with.

In 2018, Kenny once gestured to Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta, the Best Friends, and said “This is what friendship looks like.” Then he put his arm around Kota and said, “And this is what love looks like.” This is a man who knows what love is. He knows the pain of love as keenly as he knows the triumph and the sweetness of it.

In a way, I think of Kota not coming with Kenny to AEW as sort of the original heartbreak. It’s there in the background subtext of the entire major arc of AEW’s first chapter. It’s an unhealed wound that only leads to more hurt as time goes on.

Which brings us to Blood & Guts. The Blackpool Combat Club and The Elite are both lacking a 5th member for the match. The BCC has Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta, but not Bryan Danielson (who is out with an injury). Their fourth member is Konosuke Takeshita, who is fighting with a single-minded purpose, which is to surpass Kenny Omega. Their fifth member later turns out to be Pac, who has no real immediate story reason to be there, besides past grudges. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that.

The Elite has Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page, and Matt and Nick Jackson. I can’t recall the precise moment I knew that Kota Ibushi would be their fifth member, but it was before the Blood & Guts match was even announced.

The moment I knew for sure, though, was when I saw this clip, which was filmed after Dynamite on July 5. Speaking to the crowd, Kenny says that during the week when his whereabouts were unknown, he didn’t stay home, and he didn’t go to Canada. “But where I went was for a good old friend, someone who is very near and dear to my heart.” He smiles when he says that last part, and his smile alone is a dead giveaway.

If there was any remaining doubt, this article by Michael Nakazawa on the DDT site cleared it up for me. The article sums up Konosuke Takeshita’s AEW story, which of course I know very well, but I wanted to see Nak’s take on it. This part was another giveaway that Kota Ibushi was going to be the 5th person on The Elite’s side: "そして竹下が抜け一人欠けたジ・エリート側には誰が入るのか？DDTファンにとっては竹下とケニーという顔合わせは見逃せないものになるだろう。(ここで多く触れるつもりはないがジ・エリート側の伏せられたメンバーとの顔合わせも見逃せないものになるだろう。) " (“And with Takeshita out, The Elite are down a member. Who will fill in on their side? DDT fans won’t want to miss the face-off between Takeshita and Kenny. (I’m not going to touch on it too much, but I’m sure that the confrontation with the unknown member of The Elite is also something not to be missed.”)

On July 12, the week before Blood & Guts, they reveal the 5th member of the Elite’s team. The Blackpool Combat Club has Kenny at their mercy, a chair around his neck. Mox offers him the microphone so that he can say his last words. Kenny says, “We still have a fifth member, too.” He’s laughing, even though he struggles to breathe. “Check the screen. Check the screen, you bitch.” The look on his face is absolutely serene.

The arena goes dark. Kota’s new music plays, though the crowd doesn’t recognize it. But everyone cheers when he shows up onscreen. I’d been wondering if a Canadian crowd would be more familiar with Kota Ibushi than an American one, since I’ve heard that the TV station that AEW airs on frequently plays Kenny’s documentary, so many regular AEW watchers in Canada likely have seen it. This crowd certainly knows who he is.

At the end of the video, The Elite is now listed as the Golden Elite instead.

The lights turn back on. The Young Bucks and Hangman are here now, ready to save Kenny. As the Blackpool Combat Club clears out of the ring, Kenny picks up the mic. He says, “We might be one man down, but we’re never out. Next week, Blood & Guts, we’re gonna show you guys it’s more than about fighting, it’s more than about your kill-jitsu; this is about more than that. Heart, passion, soul, friendship, love.” He smiles as he says love, his voice almost breaking.

He knows they’ve already won. Kota Ibushi is coming, and it’s all going to be okay.

After the reveal, Kota tweeted about it (he also posted it in English). That “AEW見ていたよ、ずっとね” (“I’ve been watching AEW, this whole time”) line in particular, I am overcome. I don’t even know how to put into words what it felt like to read that. Golden Lovers fans have been waiting four long years for Kota Ibushi to make an AEW appearance.

I don’t think any of us expected it would be anything like this.

Kota arrived in the US a few days before the match. He tweeted a photo of him and Kenny and Nak at Kenny’s house, which still feels utterly surreal to me. 

And here at last we’ve reached the match.

I’m going to preface this by saying that AEW did a spectacularly bad job with the production on this match, which isn’t exactly unusual for them, but I’m less forgiving with this one. I think every single time the Golden Lovers started interacting, the camera basically immediately cut away. It’s hard to interpret it as intentional malice, considering how bad their usual production is, but it was jarring how little the production team seemed to understand what people actually wanted to see here.

The photos on the official website are also an incredibly poor selection (Kota and Takeshita aren’t in a single one of them), which seems to be a theme with every Blood & Guts show. And because AEW bans fan photography, if Scott Lesh isn’t there, and the official photographers drop the ball, we’re basically entirely out of luck. I got desperate enough, I actually attempted the bold and unprecedented strategy of just asking AEW for access to more photos. I couldn’t get them retroactively, unfortunately, but I should have more photos for shows going forward.

The whole thing made me extra appreciative of the work of Japanese fan photographers, who are so good at not only capturing vivid and dynamic photographs of moves, but who also capture the quieter moments, like exchanges between wrestlers at the corner. A lot of pro wrestling lives in those quiet moments, not in the bloody violence or flashy athleticism.

I think fundamentally that’s where me and this match were at odds. I was watching for the quiet moments, and what AEW thought they were delivering to viewers was the blood and violence.

In the end, the Golden Lovers were only one of like a dozen things that were going on in this match. So ultimately, it wasn’t really about them. I’m more at peace with that fact now at the time of writing, over a month after the match, than I was when I watched the match live. I think when you’ve waited so long for something that means so much to you, it’s almost impossible not to be disappointed when you finally get that thing, because it’s competing with all of the versions of it that played out in your head.

Kenny entered first for their team, and Kota entered last. The two of them were the bookends for the Golden Elite, the beginning and the end, containing the entirety of the faction between them. Kenny wore fully Kota Ibushi themed gear, so the two of them matched. The Young Bucks and Hangman had their own set of matching gear, which was white and purple in contrast to the Golden Lovers’ white and blue (I’m sure this divide won’t become important later).

Leading up to this match, the Blackpool Combat Club had repeatedly had The Elite’s number. They’d beaten them up more times than I can count, had mutilated them with screwdrivers, and had dragged Kenny through the hell of Don Callis’s and Takeshita’s betrayal.

But now The Elite had their secret weapon. They were finally whole again.

From the second act onward, as soon as Kota Ibushi, the final member, made his entrance, the story of the match was that the Golden Elite needed him to save them. Whenever things started going too badly for them, he’d come in and change the course of the match so that it was in their favor. Every time.

I think my favorite spot in the match involved this horrific bed of nails which turned out to actually be a bed of screwdrivers. Very thematically apt. Mox was laid out on it, and Kota approached him, and I knew immediately what he was about to do, yet still gasped when he actually did it. He did his trademark standing moonsault, his knees impacting directly with Mox’s chest, driving Mox’s body deeper into the screwdriver heads.

The Golden Lovers reunited over Mox’s prone body. They reached for each other in relief, and I looked to see their expressions, my heart pounding, and the camera had already cut away from them.

Some other things I remember: Matt Jackson poured a sack of thumbtacks down from the roof of the cage into the ring, and Pac stomped Nick Jackson through a table in a dramatic spot that looked far better in the replays than it had in the original shot. Mox brought the wild violence probably more than anyone else in the match.

I wish we’d gotten a little more with Takeshita and Kota, as it was their first time sharing a ring together in many years. But this match wasn’t really about that, either.

In the final minutes of the match, Pac and Claudio get into an argument, then Pac cuts his losses and bails. Don Callis pulls Takeshita out shortly after, realizing that their side is almost definitely losing. The match has now become a 5-on-3.

The Golden Elite unleash everything they have left onto poor Wheeler Yuta. Then they hoist him up with the chain around his neck, and he starts to pass out. The referee calls for the bell. I didn’t realize exactly what had happened at first, because the production failed to show it, but it was actually Mox who had ended the match. He surrendered to save Yuta.

Someone summed up the story very succinctly in a discord screenshot from somewhere. A person with the display name “V….” said: “So in the end the story is that despite how much conflict the Elite have had over the years when the time came, they were the ultimate cohesive unit and the BCC, despite how much they crow about being professionals and loving each other, had to rely on mercenaries that coincidentally had grudges against the Elite that bailed because they didn’t have as much skin in the game and in the end Moxley, a man who tries to portray himself as nothing but violent and merciless, had to surrender to save his protege in practically a perfect mirror of him submitting to Hangman at Revolution.”

For once, I actually found myself in near perfect agreement with what seems to be the IWC’s general consensus of the story of that match. I really liked how my friend described it: “mox literally had to surrender to love in more ways than one”.

The end of the match ran up against the end of their TV timeslot, the enemy of televised wrestling in America, though we did get one final shot of the Golden Lovers together right as the show went off the air. The post-match stuff didn’t quite make it onto the show, but some fans captured video of it. Kenny spoke on the mic for a bit, and one of the things he said is that we’ll probably be seeing Kota in AEW again.

Kota was unfortunately at a pretty severe disadvantage this whole match for several reasons. This was only his third match since coming back from his 2021 injury, for one thing, and it was much more demanding than either of his GCW matches in March. It was also a match style he was not at all accustomed to, and it was his first time wrestling in AEW. 

We found out in a tweet he made later that he hadn’t realized that his normal wrestling shoes wouldn’t be well-suited for the match, so the thumbtacks and glass pierced through his shoes and hurt him throughout the match. Reminds me a bit of the original Little Mermaid story, where every step the mermaid takes on land hurts…

He didn’t actually come in contact much with the thumbtacks during the match itself, besides the ones that made it through his shoes. The thumbtacks in the photo in the above tweet came into play after the match. When they went off the air, Kota intentionally threw himself onto the thumbtacks, just for fun. Kenny had a pretty funny reaction, haha. He looked at him like he knew he’d be the person picking every single one of those tacks out of Kota’s back later.

And sure enough, Being The Elite featured a clip of Kenny doing exactly that. They talk briefly in Japanese while Kenny’s taking the tacks out of Kota’s back. Here’s a transcription of the Japanese. I love how Kenny takes care of Kota before getting his own wounds tended to, despite his own back being in far worse shape.

Kota explained the reason why he jumped into the tacks in a reply to El Desperado (English translation) (Despy also recently took a totally unnecessary tack bump himself). Since it was Kota’s first time in AEW, he decided to take a bump onto the tacks in lieu of a greeting. I think he knew that he really had to do something memorable to leave a strong impression in the minds of all of the American fans who’d never seen him before, so this is what he chose to do. It did make me smile seeing the reactions from Japanese fans. As soon as that moment happened, a lot of Japanese fans on twitter were like, “yep, that’s him; Kota Ibushi is back”.

After the match, apparently all ten of the guys in it were visibly emotional that they’d gotten that chance to wrestle each other, and Matt Jackson had them all sign one of his shoes so that he had a memento to remember the occasion by.

In Kenny’s unaired post-match promo, he says, “I'm a lover, not a fighter. You guys don't know by now, I'm a lover, not a fighter. There's one thing I learned throughout this rivalry of ours. When push comes to shove, you guys are as tough as they come. You taught us what it means to not only be a professional wrestler, but to be a wrestler.” He says, “I'm willing to stick my hand out and shake yours if you guys wanna let bygones be bygones, because love you or freaking hate you, Moxley, love you or hate you, Claudio, love you or hate your ugly ass [to Wheeler Yuta], I respect each and every one of you.”

And that’s that. The end of the feud. 

In an interview, Claudio said what they wanted to come across was that: “We lost that battle, but we won the war. Thanks to the Blackpool Combat Club, now The Elite is better than ever. We brought them to a place they’ve never been.”

In a way, the BCC did end up fixing up the house that is AEW. They patched up the walls by bringing the Golden Elite back together, thus repairing the original heartbreak that was what caused the cracks to form initially. The Golden Elite is the best version of The Elite. It is their truest form, shining with love.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvC9uVHOHJZ/

https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/1682966137187778560

[penguin--person]

Alík happy ending?? Oh my god???? Never knew such words could be spoken into this world…wow. I’m giggling so joyfully at this

hehe!!! tbh shes gone through so much angst she deserves it... !!!

so, gabriela kozlova: you may not know her !! but ive posted some (like, two) art of her on my art blog.. shes a high ranking scientist at the facility, involved in a bit of everything. shes nastyas primary handler, too! sometimes involved with alík, but not all the time. only sometimes, and only ever since alík became an 04. not as close to her as she is to nastya, or even just other 01s and 04s she gets to see on a more regular basis. the some times she does see alík are often when alík's in wolf mode

gabriela doesnt wish bad things to happen to the mutants. she doesnt think they deserve to be killed or smth just bc theyre mutants - shes a mutant herself, after all, and so is her brother (she only has to sleep like 4 hours a day, kozlov doesn't feel pain) - but she does see they hold scientific potential. and, well, science is the whole reason she moved to pafl city from poland city!! she doesnt see the experiments she performs on the subjects, no matter how brutal, as immoral, cruel, or any kind of evil. she sees them as subjects. theyre living, sure, they breathe, they feel, she knows that. but they hold scientific potential.

she Does also experiment on herself, sorta, by only sleeping 2 hours a day at most ever. her mutation isnt that big tho so she cant all too much. her brother, tho, he lets her inspect him and shit. if he gets a wound he lets her take samples and such. shes patching him up for free, after all, and his only alternative is going to the hospital - and well. they could figure out hes a mutant there, And a stalker. Not Good. also he trusts gabriela

i think kozlov dies in quite a few timelines. theres a bunch of different ways this could play out. he could die in the zone, he could get caught as a mutant and get sent to the facility, he could get killed by a rival stalker gang, he could just do something stupid - the list goes on and on. i Promise this will tie into alíks happy ending. he doesnt care for his safety all that much, is very carefree, and a silly goofy guy! alík and he would get along if they ever met. they're similar in many ways, after all:)

i think that similarity would matter to kozlova so so much, if kozlov died. she'd be sooo sad. tremendous grief. maybe angry? a whole bunch of emotions, too ugly for her to unwrap without her brother, her twin, with her around.

she's not close with alík. but she knows enough about her to project the image of kozlov onto her, esp young kozlov. again, i'll reitarate that kozlova holds a high ranking position - she's not above temnova, or even same rank as her, but she's well respected - and that shes involved in a bit of everything.

"Sheltering mutants and possession of anomalous objects without special governmental permission is illegal." extra emphasis on "special permission" this is from the google doc. what's in it also, though, states that mutants who are deemed too dangerous stay at the facility, and ferrys said before that most ever 02s get released, with 03 releases being even rarer. 01s are too important and 04s are too dangerous.

as we know, alík is an 04.

as we know, alík didn't start out as an 04. she started her stay at the facility as an 03. i dont remember her exact age when she gets it changed, but its lke.. 12? so shes been an 04 for about five years when kozlov dies. if he dies. maybe he just goes missing. idk. wouldnt it be fucked up if he like, died at kozlova's? comes to her bc hes injured and she fails to save him. that could drive her to try and save alík even more

so, i think... kozlova, in this universe, would get more.. intense? protective? she'd spend more time with AT004-212. she'd argue for better living conditions for the subject, that if she gets more free time that her mutation will grow easier to control, if her hypothesis is correct. she argues she can traint the subject. and, bc of her position and connections.. i think she could make it happen. little by little, at least.

and i think alík could get better, yea. i think she could develop a bond with kozlova. shes like Wowww miss youre so nice to me thank you for getting me a bigger room and a better bed and giving me excersicing time:))) and such.. and i think kozlova would eventually realize alík and kozlov aren't that similar, at the core. but i think she'd get too attached to stop at that point. to give up on the subject. or she'd lie to herself idk

so. it might take a year, might take half a year, might take two years - but, i think... kozlova would eventually argue that alíks scientific potential is no more. not much more to do with her... so, let her take the subject home. if she hurts anyone, she'll bear the consequences. if she breaks any law, she'll go to jail too. and i think she knows how to forge some documents:) i thinkshe knows how to lie:)

so i think that's how alík could get legally free. well. she'd probably be legally 'owned' by kozlova, but ahh technicalities. theres still the societys great . um. uh. hate? for lack of a better word. or fear. of mutants, and since alíks such a visible one.. maybe she'd wear a collar with a nameplate or smth to signify shes allowed out

i dont think it'd be easy for either of them. but i think she'd be happy. she'd have someone that loves her! that sees her as not human, sees what she is, and accepts it! she'd have a home, food, a whole city to explore.. itd be hard adjusting, and even harder not going wolf mode all the time.

maybe there'd have to be monthly reports, even. who knows? all i know is kozlova can forge and fake, and ithink if she really had to, she'd forge alíks death.

and i think alík would be happy. and i think kozlova would be, too. and i think she'd learn to overcome kozlovs death with alík. maybe. she'd accept it. and i think it gets better:)

andddddd i also i think alík would go by ája. as we know, alík is the nickname the scientists gave to her. so i think... as a treat, ája would give herself a new name:) to symbolise shes her own (as much as she can be..) wolf, that shes no longer a subject, that she can decide things for herself. i think she'd be happy:)

(you can refer to her as alík, ája, at, whatever you want! all are a-ok)

heres a filterless version of the alík art

[itsmeowlee]

I do gotta say that ever since EW released people have been acting like absolute clowns in shout chat

I remember even just the previous expansion, in shadowbringer days, when ppl were way more respectful of not shouting spoilers or keeping spoilers out of party chats and in more private places, or at the Most being suuuper vague about them if anything at all.

Now since the wave of endwalker, ppl are just shouting whole entire MAJOR endwalker spoilers and such in previous expac areas, chatting about spoilers in party chat in dungeons when you can see a whole entire sprout on at least one party members head, plus in a low level dungeon. just. the works. It's so god damn frustrating

And those same exact people doing it would be pissed if you said you skip cutscenes. It's like, this weird god awful attitude as if they think everyone in the whole area they're shouting in is completely caught up on the game. in an MMO. and would be mad if you said you skip cutscenes bc 'no you cant skip them you have to experience the game' like. are you stupid. you're out here spoiling major story shit and then saying 'oh you have to experience it' like.... You're actively ruining peoples experiences RN. So glad for you that YOU got to experience the whole story as intended, but now you're so self centered you have to ruin that experience for everyone in the fucking area. On my new main that I've been going through msq with a friend, I do lean into my faux sproutness n pretend I haven't beaten endwalker in hopes that I'll at least make ppl feel bad enough to shut the fuck up and not spoil actual sprouts, but I had gotten the One important thing of the patches spoiled for me when I hadn't even gotten to do any of them yet. So I just went to my main and skipped all the cutscenes of the patches, as I'm gonna do on my new main, because like what's even the point LMAO it's already ruined for me before I could even see it bc ppl can't be civilized.

tl;dr everyone needs to get their fucking shit together and stop acting like selfish brats with their shouting of spoilers in game. not everyone in the whole MMO is caught up and they deserve to experience the game new just like you got to.

[muntiller2]

I wish they'd just apologize, you know?

Okay, I'm going to be honest here. The way the story is heading is shit and I haven't seen anyone praise it in ages.

It's funny right? It all comes down to the exact same spot in the story where everything goes to absolute shit: EE part 3.

I'm not gonna say EE entirely because acts 1 and 2 were rlly good imo, the murder mystery was fun and engaging and there was no narrative of people being flawless and perfect, it was just a bunch of isolated assholes trapped with a killer inside a house and trying to figure out who it is. I really liked that part!

Everyone knows how the story went from there so I'm not gonna describe it. We all know what went wrong by now, we all know who ruined everything and we all know how it ends.

Ever since then not only has the story suffered severely, but so has the gameplay. As said by a friend on discord: the scummy gacha stuff was forgivable because the "meta" wasn't necessary to enjoy the game, we had the story to hold that up and old valks could very well hold up in newer weather. Today? That shit doesn't fly anymore.

You guys remember when a Herrscher patch was something to be excited for? I do. You guys remember when we didn't have Herrscher after Herrscher after Herrscher being released back to back? I do.

This all means that today not only is the gacha even more demanding in a game that is already really fucking unforgiving, but the meta has also shifted in a way that's not sustainable for people who have older characters. Sure, they're giving one of the new Herrschers for free, but that doesn't change the fact we have a boss and weather that needs 3 different elements on the same team to work, fucking up every single comp I've seen so far that isn't HoO, HoFi and HoTr.

Mihoyo is not only burning through the community's goodwill in regards to the story (and they're burning it fast, I haven't seen anyone excited for new chapters as of late), but they're also burning through the goodwill of these same players when it comes to meta.

If the story is no longer keeping people entertained, they'll move to meta and if meta isn't viable, they'll stop playing.

Hell, I haven't played the newest chapter yet, not a single stage and I don't want to, the story completely burned me out. Do you know what I think when I remember a double Herrscher patch is coming next patch too? I just sigh because I'm tired.

You know what I wish mihoyo did? Apologize.

If they were fucking honest about the fact they fucked up and burned all of the goodwill their community had with them, a lot of people would be less salty about it. If they stopped pretending everything is fine and that everyone is loving where the game is going, people would be less willing to hunt them down with pitchforks.

I just wish they would admit that their story has gone to shit and that they ruined the characters they meticulously built for years, instead of trying to mend things with bandaids and a shiny new coat of paint over the cracks.

But of course, that's not going to happen because it won't. No other reason aside from the fact that it just won't.

I just really fucking wish they would make an actual announcement apologizing, reboot the story back to pre EE and try again with some actual soul into it. I don't think the community would be even mad to have a soft reboot given the vast majority has been doing their own rewrites and completely disregarding canon. With the amount of fucking amazing ideas I've seen coming from all of us, they could even take some of them and make an actual good story.

But once again, that won't happen because they have their heads so far up their asses that they can taste their own hair. It won't happen because they're sure that if they hammer into our heads that this is the new canon enough times, we'll all eventually accept it and shut up.

[phantasmiafxndom]

TokRev Homunculus Au

This Au is largely a reference to the game My Lovely Daughter. I've done it before on @dixbolik-lovers, and the premise is very similar here! The general idea is that alchemy is a common practice in this world, and homunculi are human-like creatures used as some combination of tools/servants/living batters of alchemical energy.

While some are meant to last longer than others, eventually, all of them have their bodies destroyed and their energy harvested for use in their owner's alchemy. In this setting, "Long-Term" homunculi are too sturdy and valuable to immediately use up, so they're kept around for longer and used for various (often inhumane) purposes. "Disposable" ones are the exact opposite— they're not particularly valuable, so they can be consumed at their owner's leisure. "Short-term" ones are somewhere in the middle; not as precious as the Long-Terms, but not as easy to get rid of as the Disposables.

Reader has the role of the homunculi's new owner. For whatever reason, they wound up in possession of whichever of the characters a request entails, for whatever circumstances are most entertaining; varying from caring about the homunculi's welfare to being just another cruel owner to fear disposal from.

All of the homunculi have strange/inhuman traits, often tied to their purpose, and descriptions of the current characters are below!

((Body horror tw below))

. . .

Long-Term

Sano Manjirou (Mikey)

He has an incredible regenerative factor that means he’ll heal from nearly any injury, including ones that should be fatal.

Because of this regeneration, he’s been put through horrible violence time and time again— and has started to believe his worth is based on how much he can suffer. The more pain he’s in and the more his body is hurt, the more the humans think he’s good.

In his twisted outlook, “strength” is the same as “usefulness”, and the most useful homunculi are the ones that can take the most punishment for the sake of furthering their owners’ goals.

His “dark impulses” are directed at himself, with self-mutilating behaviors manifesting when he feels neglected or useless.

Sano Emma

Since they’re from the same “line”, her regeneration is only slightly less effective than Mikey’s. It’s slower, but she can still heal from nearly anything, even the most awful wounds.

When she’s hurt, her body releases an aphrodisiac that gets more concentrated the more she has to heal.

Because of this, she’s been trained into an odd sort of masochism where her body wants pain even when her mind doesn’t. Getting hurt is one of the only times she gets to feel anything good, so she’s reluctantly addicted to those rare moments of pleasure.

While she wasn’t originally intended for this purpose, her biological responses led her old owners to “rent her out” sometimes.

Kurokawa Izana

He’s incredibly sensitive to the feelings of others, to the point of drawing off of them in ways that affect his own body.

Absorbing violent intent from other people gives his body the strength to heal— which is very necessary, since that kind of desire to do harm usually comes along with someone hurting him. It’s the only way he has to protect himself from whatever damage comes next.

Taking in negative energy makes his body stronger, but it’s terrible for his mental state. Absorbing too many bad things over time has made him unstable and resentful toward the world and those who own him.

He’s technically considered part of a certain “line” of homunculi, but he’s a knockoff model that doesn’t work as well.

Haitani Ran

He’s hybridized with some kind of snake, and has the traits to match. These include a long, light purple, scaly tail, patches of matching scales all over his body, a forked tongue, notable fangs, and more.

The patches of scales shed occasionally, and when they do, it’s an awful time of exhaustion, discomfort, and low energy.

Cold temperatures are a major problem for him. His body is weak to cold and he’ll wind up lethargic and miserable in anything less than comfortably warm conditions. He’s drawn to heat, though, and will absolutely melt when he’s comfortably warm.

A toxic venom is produced from his fangs, which is collected and used for alchemical purposes. The venom will damage him as well if he swallows it, and he’s often kept muzzled for human “safety”.

Haitani Rindou

He’s hybridized with some kind of spider, and has the traits to match. These include an extra pair of eyes below the normal ones, two pairs of fuzzy, spider-like limbs (usually kept tucked close to his ribcage and waist to hide them from humans), and more.

He’s shorter and more petite than a human of his physical age would be, and acutely aware of it. Uses aggression to compensate for it.

A paralytic venom is produced from his fangs, which is collected and used for alchemical practices. The venom can also hurt him if swallowed, however, and he’s often kept muzzled for “safety”.

His body is highly sensitive to chemicals; all kinds of toxins (many commonly used by humans) can make him feel absolutely ill.

Shiba Taiju

His blood functions as a painkiller for homunculi, but it turns into a powerful stimulant when humans consume it. Because of this, he’s considered worth keeping around so he can be used for longer.

While he has regular blood drainings no matter what, his secondary function has often involved disciplining other homunculi. Since he’s big, strong, and obedient (to certain authority), he’s quite useful for keeping more rebellious homunculi in line.

Because of the effects of his own blood, he doesn’t feel pain like he should and often doesn’t realize when he’s injured.

He’s twisted up a bizarre sort of worldview where he has power so long as he follows the humans’ rules— disobedience means being reduced to the level of the homunculi he’s been able to stand above.

Short-Term

Matsuno Chifuyu

He’s hybridized with some kind of feline, and has many of the physical and mental traits associated with that.

As you’d expect, this includes a long, flexible tail and a pair of cat-like ears instead of human ones. Both are highly sensitive to rough handling… but every bit as receptive to soft touches. He has sharper teeth and claws than a human, as well.

The feline traits some with enhanced senses, especially hearing, smell, and sensitivity to light. He gets overwhelmed easily, and too much noise, bright light, or other such stimuli quickly turn painful for him.

He gets attached to his master easily, and instinctively has more of a pet/owner mentality than most homunculi.

Sanzu Haruchiyo

He can see into the future in short bursts (only a few seconds at a time), but it’s completely involuntary.

These visions are things that could happen, but they’re not guaranteed to. He never knows if they’ll come true or if his actions will change something, and there’s rarely enough context to accurately predict how good or bad a situation will be.

​​Especially when the visions are happening more frequently, he’s often disoriented and confused. Keeping track of what’s happening in the present gets difficult, and he’s always paranoid and tense.

The future sight is more likely to happen when he’s distressed or in pain, and it’s easy for them to become a vicious cycle.

Kisaki Tetta

He appears no different than a regular human, but his body’s function is entirely dependent on his master’s energy.

If his owner is pleased with him, he’s stronger and more able to keep functioning, but if they’re displeased, he quickly weakens and suffers other physical consequences, such as phantom pain and fatigue.

Because of this, he’s had to learn to manipulate people’s views of him; convincing his owner that he’s good and worth keeping around is the only survival tactic he has, and he’s taught himself to be good at it. It’s terrifying not to be one step ahead of their displeasure.

Ideally, he wants to be categorized as Long-Term, even if only in concept. That way, he won’t have to fear being drained anytime soon.

Inui Seishu

He can generate flames from his skin. Sometimes, they’re barely more than a flicker of light heat that can’t do any real damage, but sometimes, they’re much larger and harder to keep contained.

The fire is too strong for his body, so it hurts him when the flames get too big. He’s covered in a variety of burn scars (of varying severity) because of this, most notably the large one across his face, which is from an incident early in his existence that almost killed him.

He doesn’t have much control over the fire. When he’s distressed, it activates against his will— and has often hurt him that way.

He’s sensitive to cold temperatures and needs a lot of heat to stay functional. Being kept somewhere too cold weakens him quickly.

Kokonoi Hajime

When he’s given a direct order, the words appear on his skin and become binding “contracts” that he has to fulfill.

If the order is completed successfully, it improves his energy levels and functioning, but if it’s failed, the consequences are physical and painful; the words will sear into his skin and leave wounds that ache terribly even long after they’ve physically healed.

He’s had to become something of a manipulator to survive. Keeping some measure of control over the humans around him is the only way he’s been able to avoid even more pain and damage.

Through the association of success with safety, he’s developed a massive need for praise. He can only feel calm when he’s good.

Mitsuya Takashi

His body has “threads” running through it that keep him held together. Most of these threads can be used as tendril-like prehensible limbs. He has excellent control over them and can manage many at once.

The threads have high levels of sensitivity— they’re meant to function as sensory assistants, but they’re surprisingly receptive to touch.

One particular, invisible thread can be used to “pin” him to a certain location or object. Once it’s placed, it allows only a certain range of movement around the spot it was pinned to. It’s most often used to contain him in his owner’s home or a certain room.

He’s often used as a house servant, which he doesn’t exactly mind. The lack of autonomy is frustrating, but at least he’s fairly safe.

Kawaragi Senju

While she looks like a normal human, she can read the emotions and thoughts of humans. What she can sense is most often vague impressions or feelings, though, not specific thoughts.

Because people are uncomfortable with the idea of her knowing what they’re thinking, she’s not treated well. She often has to pretend like she knows less than she does, just to put humans’ minds at ease and spare herself the anger that follows when she knows too much.

Her “normal” appearance is also a source of problems; humans feel a need to make sure she knows she’ll never be a real person.

Constantly sensing all of the negative emotions around her has made her paranoid and nervous. She’s always dreading when someone will get upset, even if she’s able to put on a brave face.

Disposable

Baji Keisuke

He’s hybridized with some kind of canine, and has many of the physical and mental traits associated with that.

A dog-like tail and pair of ears are the most obvious, physically, but he also has claw-like nails, sharper teeth than a normal human, thicker body hair, and a few more notable details. The ears are especially sensitive… not that he’s known any non-painful contact with them.

He latches onto his owners easily and adapts a highly loyal, companion-like mentality. It’s the only thing that makes him obedient, which means it’s often taken advantage of to force his compliance.

Despite being Disposable (and not intended to last long), he’s been used as a “guard dog” before because of his strength and aggression.

Hanemiya Kazutora

His body has a similar structure to a ball-jointed doll. If he’s treated too roughly (by himself or others), parts can crack or break off.

These cracks won’t heal on their own— they have to be tended to by an alchemist and fused with a special solution that resembles the kintsugi method used on pottery. If no one will take the time or bother to repair him, he’ll eventually fall apart.

When the solution fully heals over time, it leaves behind scars. He’s covered in these scars, as well as faint cracks that haven’t been fixed.

Because he’d die if no one cares enough to perform the repairs, he’s developed a bad habit of wanting to be pitied… even when his unstable behavior tends to earn the exact opposite.

Hanma Shuuji

While he only has a low-level healing factor on his own, the parts of other homunculi can be used to fix his body, which will accept any other pieces as if they were always parts of him.

He’s been repaired like this enough times that he’s become a patchwork of different parts, all merged together with mismatched skin, ugly scarring, and things that look like they don’t belong. He’s proud of his disturbing appearance because it means he’s survived.

Because he’s reckless and keeps getting in fights, he’s gotten used to pain. Taking in new parts hurts, but he keeps making himself need it.

He knows he’s not going to be alive for long, so he intends to take full advantage of it while he can— even if that means suffering.

Ryuuguji Ken (Draken)

He’s designed for sexual use, and his body will grow increasingly aroused until he’s used in the way it’s made to want.

However, while the lust does get nearly unbearable, going without sexual contact also leads to steadily increasing aggression issues— which he’s come to see as his method of survival, since he’s stronger and harder to hurt when he’s angry, volatile, and on edge.

Once he’s “used” again, the aggression dies down. He’s a mindless, limp, pliant mess after his body’s gotten what it needs, and he despises that state for how vulnerable it makes him.

He tries to pretend like he’s not meant for what he is, but no amount of acting tough can hide it when he starts getting needy.

Hitto Kakuchou

His energy levels are low on their own, but when he “bonds” to another homunculus, he can become a living battery to them. His full energy potential isn’t directly accessible to humans.

The “bond” is more of an alchemical thing than an emotional one, but he still tends to get attached to whoever he’s tied to.

Giving other homunculi energy damages his body, though, so he’s covered with scars from all the times he’s been made to give up his own life force to make someone more useful than him stronger. He doesn’t like it, but it’s the only way he’s worth something.

After he’s given energy, he’s exhausted and lethargic until it recovers— and he never knows when he’ll be fully drained.

Terano South

His body generates energy much too quickly. As it builds up, his body gets bigger and stronger, but the rapid increase in strength is too much for him to handle— meaning that it has to be regularly drained.

When the energy buildup reaches a certain point, it starts damaging him. He’s not strong enough to contain it, so it can tear him apart.

The draining process is terrifying. Since that’s how homunculi are killed, he can’t be sure that his owner won’t dispose of him each time it happens. Feeling weak and vulnerable afterward is no better, and that aftermath is almost scarier than the process itself.

Because of the strain on his body, he’s in constant pain. Every part of him hurts, but he doesn’t know anything different.

[elsjobproject]

So that anon got me thinking.. When did they change job quests...

Let me explain.

I started this project back in January of 2020, with Richter's quest line being the very first thing in my records.

Back then, I noticed something terrible about most of the job quests I was recording...

They all... Sort of looked like this. Looking into my backlog, where I also started recording Laby and Ain- they're completely different. Compare that with Lofty: Executor's first job quest.

Now I wasn't sure what exactly was happening... But I knew this wasn't really right? But I didn't know what to do about it.

I don't know when they changed into this format, but I DO know when they changed everything... Either back or to something completely new.

...I first thought it was

The first one I recorded that wasn't any new job or character was Blazing Heart and it looks like this

Granted, this was in September of 2022, so I definitely don't have exact dates when things changed, but either way it was a step in the right direction. Such an amazing one in fact that I...

Promptly forgot about the issue I experienced all of 2020 and that combined with how many 4th jobs I recorded up until that point excitedly began trying to play every single class I could like a madman in an effort to archive things.

...

Then I opened this blog in late 2022, confident that I was nearly done with my archival efforts.

.................

So if you ever wonder why things seem recorded so last minute, just know I DID have this things recorded, and usually plan to release the original recordings, but uh. They changed everything up on me. Whoops.

With the videos on each individual job class coming out, I'm sure they're most likely not going to be changing job quests again- unless they decided to do 4th jobs. Which... I mean I guess that's basically masterclass, and I wouldn't really want them to do anyway since that adds extra workload onto me.

So.

When did they exactly change job quests?

...

Now. An issue with this is I don't speak Korean, and was not around during 2020 Korean Elsword, so I guess this kind of ends here. I can't really tell what they were doing during then. This could be an NA exclusive issue

Now I wish I could say "I have a job quest from 2020 KR server that helps prove this may not be the case"

But although that would be nice, it wouldn't matter because I only recorded the Furious Blade 5/5 quest when someone else was doing the Jump event in 2020 very legally on their own account and barring translation differences, it is virtually the same as the 2022 version. And of COURSE I didn't record the other job quests because it was a JUMP EVENT and they let you speed through job quests........

Here it is, legally obtained of course, if you would like to fact check

(Furious Blade's Job quest, for reference)

Anyway so if it isn't an NA exclusive issue, we have no way of telling, unless someone who was using the European server or very legally using the KR server has anything from 2020 to back this up.

But, for now. Looking through the GM blog on Elsword, it's tempting to say that these are the only patch notes. But.

There was an elsword tumblr. One I can no longer find, but there was one. I suppose it doesn't particularly matter, but I promise you that tumblr had more detailed patch notes. Then they most likely moved their focus to twitter and decided to start doing patch notes on their official blog from then onward.

I had a lot of theories on when exactly it changed but I think when it did was during the dungeon revamp that happened due to Laby and Noah's dungeons being uniquely fast in EXP gain.

My evidence is that all of the current job quests align with those changed dungeons. Let's compare Lofty: Executor, because if the icon wasn't Tyrannus, it would be Richter;

(04/27/2020)

(10/31/2022)

This is a 2 year gap in between these recordings, so it's kind of a stretch and they could have just as easily been changed with 4th path release, to match up with the job questline videos... However, it's easier to have a script in advanced and put them in a game 1 month before you release the first of the 4th paths than it is to put them in just as each individual 4th path is coming out.

If there was any time to change job quests, it would have been then.

If anyone recorded job quests from 2021 during this update to corroborate, that would be fantastic.

Again, the only instance I think they would maybe change job quests is to perhaps suit areas for individual characters, but I sort of doubt that's going to happen any time soon.

...

I both want and don't want that to happen.

Thank you to everyone whose read this far in, if you have any information or addendums, I will reblog them. This project was made specifically to archive job quests, after all, and even if the history of Elsword seems kind of short (it's been 15 years), I would prefer it to be recorded and readily available.

[omg-paperwork]

guys please this needs to stop?? like, as a poc, the whitewashing in Sumeru completely stopped me from playing the game. and now they're doing it again with natlan??? they don't learn from their mistakes until they're brought straight to their faces.

also, I find it really weird and oddly colorist how there are four regions meant to depict exact versions of one country each (all with light average skin tones) and then there are two regions that are just giant amalgamations of so many different cultures where none of them get to shine? I was turned off of playing the game due to sumeru having basically no characters of color with the exception of cyno at the time of its immediate release, and candace being introduced later in the patch. (i'm not counting sethos since he's a relatively new character in all of this). they took from cultures across south, middle eastern, and southeast asia, and also some from north africa, too, and yet the majority of characters are just as white as the ones from fantasy france? and now they're repeating the same mistakes and also lumping polynesia, australia, other parts of africa, south america, and the indigenous americas together? it just leaves a... really sour taste in my mouth, especially when the darkest skinned character from that specific region is literally colored ash.

do better, hoyoverse.

hi all! saw this petition from (@Eissocial on Youtube) to get HoYo to stop whitewashing their characters! please sign and share it, even if its not guaranteed that they will see it, its worth a shot