a ☐ peg in a 〇 hole

I'm considering a canon-like scenario here where they have a familial relationship with a distinct generational gap, & Hornet likely becomes a mentor/guardian to Lace post-canon.

Step 1 might be to get Lace to treat mortals more equal-like. Maybe Hornet taking her along to help with reconstruction / do some requests off the nearest wishwall, & at first Lace scoffs as doing "peasant work" - but then Hornet makes a point of showing that there's no such thing as being too good for honest work, & maybe at first Lace only particiates out of some competitive urge, but ends up actually enjoying it/ finding something worthwhile in it when ppl start thanking her & showing her the recognition she never got from her mother (over time she'd probably probably feel less of a need to cover insecurity with bullying/power plays once her underlying need for recognition is actually being met)

There'd be the challenges of giving her better copes without reinforcing the bad ones ("maybe vent your bloodlust in the collosseum.... wait, no, don't get all sadist or self-destructive with it it" ) ~ Somewhere in the process Hornet would probably also have to reckon her own complicated feelings about her "nature"

In relation to that you could maybe do a plot like maybe Lace laments not having bladed claws, & Hornet thinks of building her prosthetic ones, sympathizing because of her own difficulties as a hybrid / how Lace also had to compensate for perceived imperfections with skill, but then you'd run against the complication of like, not reinforcing might-makes-right mentality she'd have been raised with ("Now I can rip things to shreds like you and mother!" ) - the difficulty finding a balance between no longer feeling helpless but also not stoping on others to feel strong.

though on some level if she was made able to draw soul/sustenance from killing things; I always thought of Lace as having the instincts of a predator but in a body that doesn't quite match it, like a declawed cat - & very frustrated as a result. So I'd be interesting to see her reclaim things that were denied to her. (kinda like Hornet ended up climbing Mt. Fay & mastering all the Weaver techniques despite never being accepted as one of them)

Another complication/ challenge is how Lace's resentment/ jealousy whacking Hornet right in the survivor guilt - especially given that her actual disadvantaged siblings didn't resent her but instead acted all noble & brave about their unjust fate (which might bring out "I haven't a right to complain cause I'm the lucky one"/ "I'm tough I can take it" type reactions on Hornet's end)

During the story Lace never seems to clock that Hornet's anything other than just another weaver mutt. (& had burning jealousy even then - probably already saw her as basically getting everything she's ever wanted / being the real version of what she's the cheap consolation prize knockoff off) She's gonna have a major emotion upon finding out that Hornet is a) a properly recognized princess b) a higher being c) a properly recognized knight d) used to be drowning in loving parental figures & mentors.

Also at some point they gotta find out each other's names. Like Lace just doesn't care for typical villain reasons but Hornet seems to mistakenly assume Pale Being naming conventions were followed & that 'White Knight' is actually what she's called. So there could be a dramatic blowout about this. "What? You'd think mother would give me what she'd consider a people name?" & then Hornet would probably be like, "If you don't like it you can just change it. Heck, I did" (but in more refined language)

Hornet has a whole sore spot about feeling like she has to prove to ppl she's different from GMS / "not like those other higher beings". (see the whole gut-wrenching Mask Maker interaction chain) - Lace is probably going expect everyone to mistreat her just like her mother did/ for any interest in her to come with an agenda - the ways in which Hornet kinda sees herself or her siblings in Lace could become a source of drama as much as sympathy. "Ah, I see, I'm supposed to be a replacement for your dead siblings/ a trophy for your victory over mother/ you took me from her because she prevented you from having her own kids" - I don't think Lace would clock the "I want to prove you're redeemable to prove I'm redeemable" angle (why the object of her envy would also have a sense of internalized 'badness') but she'd try to frustrate any perceived agenda to have a sense of not being helpless

For this reason a positive conclusion/ ending would be one where Hornet ultimately shows that she's willing to also let Lace go once the time has come. (eg. maybe she finds a way to let Lace grow up physically & be less dependent on silk donations, but it means she'll also grow old eventually - & then maybe Lace thinks she'll never do it to keep her as an eternal trophy, but Hornet surprises her by being willing to do that & even take care of her in her old age if needed - or else let her go to have her own adventures once she's grown up. - conclusion for Hornet's arc where she's gradually gotten over the sense of distance she put between herself & everyone else after being sick of losing everyone to the zombie apocalypse. - but there are probably other ways you could do this/ spin this)

She's also prolly gonna do that thing where an attention-starved youth acts out/ tries to see how much crazy behavior she can get away with before she's inevitably ditched (which she probably believes she will be)/ testing whatever boundaries are set to get a sense that her guardian cares.

Lace already shown a tendency to try to get a sense of control by acting out (setting Hornet free so she's wreck some stuff) or acting self-destructive ("who cares if I die if it spites my mother"), & being at the mercy of a former enemy for survival is probably going to trigger this HARD at first -& we've also seen that tends to see sympathy as pity("platitudes, spider?") would need a while to grok that it's sincere/ would probably at first understand her situation as being humiliated by an enemy / having even her revenge attempt / final victory spoiled. She didn't ask to be saved.

Hornet would have to be careful that in trying to be a good rolemodel she doesn't end up accidentally reinforcing Lace's inferiority feelings, probably likely to try to act put-together rather than emotionally open (a moderate display of vulnerability might actually be what's needed to break the ice, to show she's "not perfect either")

There's also something to the idea of an exasperated Hornet coming to Midwife, the White Lady or Ghost (in a timeline where they're still they're still around & did the Grimmchild quest) for some pointers

(Honesty while the scenario where Hornet wants to save Lace precively because she couldn't do much for them is also compelling, Ghost & Lace interacting could be its own interesting scenarios post. Similar situation, very different reaction - they've also had a strong desire to prove themself after being deemed 'flawed', but ended up wanting to save/protect a broken world they were excluded from, rather than deciding to let it all burn out of spite & revenge. (but at one point they must've deliberately walked into the memory wipe desert...) Also very different approach to being Hornet's Long Lost Relative, to say the least. )

Eventually/ later on an interesting scenario might be Lace actually getting to be a knight for realsies in a setting where that would actually have an idealistic meaning. She'd already have to be well into her redemption arc to be trusted with such a position, but I think she'd deserve it.

After Lace has started to come out of desperation/ survival mode & come to have some morals, I can see her belatedly having to deal with a lot of guilt about all those random pilgrims she killed and her relationship with Phantom (if you're in he camp that Hornet offed the Greenpath vessel, you might get some interesting convos about the experience of realizing that you've done awful things in ignorance) - one could also picture something like this happening if she befriends someone like Sherma or Pavo (& realizes all the pilgrims she killed wouldn't have been so different)

Generally just seeing her make some friends would be interesting - during which Hornet is occasionally turned to to give some wise advice, but the interesting bit would really be in Lace getting to interact with someone who doesn't know her or her background yet & who might eventually see her on her own terms. (plus it would be the ultimate rejection of everything GMS stands for for Lace to grow to sincerely value ordinary nonmagical peeps... & find that she can be valued in return & be seen as just herself, not Her Majesty's Mini Me.) - if she ever gets a love interest at all, I think it'd actually be interesting if it was an ordinary, nonmagical person.

Although the prospect of her interacting with/ befriending other sentient constructs is no less intersting (there was this REALLY good fic a while back where she befriends a curious little robot) - I'm also big on the headcanon that it was her who dissassembled Second Sentinel - As Hornet observes in conversation with Twelfth Architect: "They were scattered about the Citadel, each seemingly laid with purpose. Someone wished the thing dismantled, but showed respect enough to see it stored safe" - I reckon the Monarch told Lace to get rid of them (as the sentinels could detect the Haunting / might've interfered with her return to power), but that Lace had a rare moment of mercy for her fellow robo knight so that she only dissassembled them but didn't destroy them - maybe she even copied their example a bit, one of her attacks is similar to theirs.

You know what?

some  info:

The country they are currently immigrated to does not allow mutual aid, so this will be our only opportunity to crowdfund. S’ brother, L, is returning home for a week to arrange paperwork for their mother. Once he leaves, I will remove this fundraiser for S and her brother’s safety. Thank you so, so much.

Hello everyone, I am posting this on behalf of my three cousins, who are requesting mutual aid from the people online in more fortunate circumstances. They are three immigrant workers from the global south and medical refugees in a country in West Asia. Currently, my cousin S is fighting stage 4 breast cancer, and due to a deeply upsetting and misogynistic situation, she, alongside her brother and sister, all working class, were forced out of the home they were staying at. 

My aunt recently had the opportunity to come and help S with her illness; Unfortunately, while there, she suffered two heart attacks. I am gathering funds to support S in three ways. First is to extend our aunt's visa as she is in no condition to return home. Second is to alleviate their food and housing insecurity, as their combined income is eaten away by S’ cancer treatments and rent. Third is to pad their emergency funds, as S’ chemotherapy is unavailable in our home country and only available in where they are currently immigrated to.  Again, we are so grateful beyond words for all the help!!

Visa: 1,000 usd

Rent and food alleviation: 500 usd

Emergency funds: 200 usd, anything extra we receive.

Transcript:

Machine, your balls are out.

Your balls' out. *vineboom*

Floppin' around. *vineboom*

Put them shits away. *vineboom*

Machine, your shit's indecent. *vineboom*

Please, I'm- I'm trying to have breakfast. *vineboom*

Take it out of my cereal. *vineboom*

Leave. Me. Alone. *vineboom*

Machine, your testicles are dripping my cereal milk all over the kitchen floor. *vineboom*

I'm going to throw up. *vineboom*

no but you can FORCE it away. use ublock origin and copy paste the blacklist i made into the filters to be able to remove the bullshit AI overview that google forces. it also removes youtube's forced ads (at least until they fix it)

you can also use the ublacklist extension and use this blacklist of AI image generation websites to curate your google image results

The ongoing "Jason Todd is a cop" debate has reminded me of a brilliant brief image essay by Joey deVilla. So here it is, images first and the full essay text below:

They need all the help they can get, let's be real

HLD is all about the inevitability of death, their attempt with the Immortal Cell backfiring, all the bosses (and Drifter!) having their own ways of coping with the inevitable, the classic DABDA stuff leading to further destruction and ruin not just to others but also the self

And in comes Dead Cells, who you'd expect to disagree because Beheaded is THE immortal cell basically that they all wanted, but no, the entire game CORROBORATES that the methods taken to create him was horrible and he's a jerk through and through because he can't die and can't see the value in life and others because of it

And somehow every boss relates to Beheaded in a way if you factor his backstory in as the King (invading and keeping himself isolation like the Frog, manipulating the masses as he pleases with his power and status like the Heirophant, the advanced technology and experiments it took to make become a homunculus like the Southern Area, and of course the eternally fighting, frozen in time whether one way or another in the Crystal Forest)

all of this just enhances the experience of this ship for me even more now rjkckrc

Drifter is sacrificing his health and sanity in his quest to kill Judgment, having no real idea of how to live other than doing this quest. Is pretty sure he won't survive, but that's okay. He's willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of others because he doesn't see any intrinsic value in himself as a persecuted species that others hate. The most GARBAGE self-esteem ever, and is working himself into a faster grave with the brutal pace he sets for himself. He has an equally sick companion in Guardian, but it's two people versus what they perceive as a god. Maybe if he's fast enough, Guardian can live.

Beheaded is a selfish prick who doesn't value life other than what he can get from it. He's stuck in a loop, so who cares? He may not remember it, but his actions as the King doomed everyone, and in an effort to avoid the death he condemned others to, he cheats it by becoming a homunculus. He's technically not the King anymore, but he still has an ego the size of an ocean and doesn't take the suffering of those he comes across seriously. Why should he? It all doesn't matter in the end. Why not just do whatever he wants?

Now these two get mashed together into a romance, and now they are both forced to CARE. Drifter now has a reason to WANT to survive Judgement. He has to confront the idea that he MIGHT SURVIVE and have to LIVE, which means reinventing his whole outlook on the world and understanding that he deserves to live and be happy too. Running himself into the ground isn't going to help anything, and maybe he should find value in himself that doesn't come from what he can sacrifice.

Meanwhile, Beheaded is confronted with a person he loves dying and there isn't anything he can do about it. For the first time, he CARES. He wants to help, but isn't sure how. Learning to respect the fragility of life, how fleeting it is. Having to unlearn the cruelty, selfishness, and possessiveness, cause Drifter is his own person and won't put up with being treated like a jewel to lock away and hoard. Having to get down to the same level of an average person and absorbing the goodness from Drifter being selfless and kind, but also offering the temperance to help Drifter stand up for himself and not let others take and take until there's nothing left. Teach the cat how to be a little more selfish, in a healthy way. The King becomes a caretaker for his sick lover, when he never cared about anyone else before.

In our RPs this change happens over time and yes, BH will have to let Drifter go. We decided that Drifter survives the Judgement fight since he literally has help this time, but it won't be a long life, or one that is pain-free. There will be lingering issues that Beheaded will have to help Drifter deal with, but mortality will always be on the horizon.

Beheaded will become the King he SHOULD have been from the start.

Drifter will find a reason to want to live and see value in himself.

Together, they'll be a family and be a catalyst for positive change in both worlds. They both just needed their opposite to help balance each other out, and in BH's case, LEARN SOME MORALS. GOSH.

yES YES YES TO ALL OF THIS OH MY GOODNESS

Drifter with unhealthy coping skills breaks my heart but is completely true imo, I like to think under all of that he really does hope he can survive and find a cure because I've seen some canon text that he does want to find one but finds that there is none and leads to the acceptance of his end in the canon game

BH presence makes that underlying desire rise up to the surface and now he has a reason to take care of himself because he has someone that cares about him ueueuueueueuee

BH wouldn't be the same if he wasn't a jerk but now he's a changed jerk <3

Him being a protector of the Blus when Drifter is gone.... ough...... _(߹𖥦߹」∠)_

As for the dead cells world, its rlly messed up but I rlly like the idea of a changed Beheaded (who accidentally got out of the loop because he ended up in Land of Light by messing with the Hyper Light pillar) and coming back to end the cycle there for good somehow as the panacea does exist, (and imagine that, a cure that probably could have helped drifter... but it would have never been accessible to him as without meeting him he would have stayed the jerk that he was and kill the Alchemist) id love to see their reactions to this version of him

Actually yes! Me and WeiszRabbit do plan to turn our RPs into a fic. So far we have 7913 rp posts on Discord, lol. Can't give an accurate word count cause it varies but it's a lot. So much of it is self-indulgent 'what if' type things, so making it into an actual fic will take time to make it flow narratively and fix plot holes. Things like changing and retconning things to make it work better, ect. We are far from 'finishing' the 'main' story, so I guess we'll start working on the actual fic once that is done. There's no rush, but it is in the works.

If anything, RPing is a fantastic way to get a rough outline done that you can build on from. It may end up a series, who knows. It depends on the time we have cause we both work so much ;_;.

We do want to do an RP where they go into the Dead Cells world and try to save things. Mostly to work with the idea of Beheaded having to work through the lingering bits of the King in himself that remain and to fix his mistakes. So to prepare im playing the game. It's fun but I'm not very good at it ahahaha.

Drifter was at that state where he does want a cure, because every living things WANTS to live. But he just figured that he shouldn't get his hopes up, especially when he got sicker. But now he has an asshole therapy dog that makes him sleep and eat and take care of himself along with smooches so maybe it's okay to hope a little :O

*loudest YEAH BOIIIII*