“non-sexual cannibalism” I hadn’t consciously considered the concept of sexual cannibalism until now. Thanks a lot, Krixwell. Also, I wonder if Siberian’s cannibalism is sexual?
I’m sorry to be the one to introduce you to this, but I only mentioned that because it’s a Thing™. It’s called “vore” and it’s a kink that’s… surprisingly mainstream and somewhat memetic.
I’m not into it myself, despite any rumors this denial and my insinuation that there’s cute vore might start, but it really would not surprise me if some of the artists that are have in fact managed to make some of their art super cute in spite of (or perhaps to some, through) the subject matter.
I’m sure there are some who would debate the finer points of any distinction there may be between vore and cannibalism (I think I’ve seen the argument that it’s only cannibalism if the person who is eaten is digested? also from what little I’ve seen, they usually go down alive, defying all laws of how much space there should be in the digestive system), but yeah, “sexual cannibalism” is pretty much the gist of it.
Oh yeah, and for the question at the end: I doubt it in canon, but I’m sure there’s plenty of Siberian vore porn out there somewhere. I mean, naked chick who eats people “for stimulation” rather than because she’s hungry? I’m really no expert, but that sounds perfect for the vore fans.
Clockblocker: “My name is ‘Dennis,’ with a B, and I’ve been afraid of insects ever since-” Director Piggot: “Stop, stop, stop – where?” Clockblocker: “Where what?” Director Piggot: “Where’s the B?” Clockblocker: “There’s a bee?!!!”
My favorite beat in Aisha’s whole interlude is how, when Burnscar asks if it was Jack who attacked Bonesaw, Bonesaw’s response isn’t, “No, Jack wouldn’t do that,” it’s, “No, Jack would have succeeded if he tried.” This from the person who sees the S9 as her family. The S9 are seriously screwed up, man.
Yeah, that’s pretty messed up. I do think that says something about Bonesaw too, even moreso than Jack: She’s not so naïve as to think it’s not a possibility, in spite of her view of the S9. I could actually see Jack doing that if he found a reason to that outweighed Bonesaw’s status as the heart of the team and the risk of retaliation from Siberian, and apparently Bonesaw can too.
Fanart commentary time! Today’s theme: It’s hard to truly appreciate just how freaky Crawler looks before you’re sent a bunch of fan interpretations.
fatsmagoo: Like I was just saying and will likely repeat a lot in this post, Crawler looks freaky as hell and it’s hard to appreciate just how freaky he looks until you see art like this. I love it.
The rest of the Nine also look quite good here – especially Shatterbird with her majestic glass “wings” and Cherish with the most natural pose – but it’s undeniable (for me) that the super-detailed Crawler is the MVP of this one.
(I trust the five-year-olds that surely read this blog about a story that is in no way for kids will take care not to look at Siberian’s naughty bits.)
And then DerTodesbote is here to reinforce it with not one, not two, but three amazing pieces focused on this freak. The shading and details are fantastic, and I love how scary DerTodesbote made him look. 🙂
scarfgirl: I could see this one being used in heraldry. Man, screw lions and dragons, whoever puts this beast in their heraldic achievement is clearly the awesomest noble around.
Also scarfgirl: And there’s the more adorable, relaxed Crawler!
Overall, the style in this one is quite distinctive, with the cartoonish bobbleheads. I like it! Also, I appreciate the inclusion of Hack Job, though he himself seems less excited about it.
Gar-a-ash’s Crawler design reminds me a lot of a t-rex with too many limbs. I suppose that’s not an inappropriate comparison for him – he’s probably just as dangerous, if not more.
Turns out Crawler’s origin story is Jurassic Park.
I like the scribbly style of his surroundings, highlighting that the focus is on Crawler himself.
silentstranger: I feel like this style really highlights the monstrosity of the Nine, with the facial expressions. Even Bonesaw manages to not be adorable here, and that’s just blasphemy.
Still, though, that’s not really a bad thing. This is definitely an important side of the Nine, and it’s good to see that represented as well.
Pabel and Nine: Damn, Burnscar looks badass in this one. That’s a bit different
of a
design than I’ve usually seen, and it’s a really cool one.
All of them look really good – besides Burnscar, I particularly like the expression and hair on Siberian (conspicuously the only one here without a full-body shot for reasons I think I’ve got a good guess at), which is probably the most distinctively Pabel and Nine-ish part of this image.
Abyranss: You know, I think I’ll pass. What’s that, Shatterbird? You say I don’t have a choice? Dammit.
…oh my cod this piece is so adorable once you look a little closer.
We’ve got Crawler with an axolotl face, Burnscar being beautifully crazed (in a way that reminds me of someone), Cherish looking so done, Siberian chomping on a leg in possibly the cutest depiction of non-sexual cannibalism ever, Jack staring into the eyes of Oni Lee’s decapitated head like he’s gonna kiss it in front of an erupting volcano, Bonesaw, and Mannequin having a cute little drawn-on smile (probably done by Bonesaw). This is beautiful and I love it.
So yeah, that’s all the fanart I’ve got for now. This was a good batch!
What’s not to like about this chapter? We got a direct look at Grue and Imp’s mother and the people she surrounds herself with (poor Jennifer, get out while you still can), insight into how Imp’s power works (most notably that it has to be actively turned *off*, not on), stealthy secret agent double-0h-Imp, the reveal of Bonesaw having protected the squishies (which I somehow managed to partially call out of nowhere just a couple paragraphs before the reveal? I swear I didn’t edit anything after moving on to the next blockquote.) and perhaps most importantly, Cherish wanting to make a deal behind Jack’s back.
I can’t find it, but I’m pretty sure I kind of called that at some point before this chapter, musing on Cherish’s best options – betraying the Nine and seeking protection with the protagonists is her best shot at non-horrific survival, even if it’s going to take some convincing for the protagonists to let her stay. In any case, Cherish wanting to make a deal, whatever the specifics may be, is a quite satisfying development and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.
Cherish whirled around, her eyes flitting right and left, searching for Aisha. “I’ll scream. He’ll come in here, and a couple swings of his knife, he can cut you down, invisible or no.”
That’s true, he could.
But it seems she’s not quite as calm and collected as she sounded at first.
“It’s not invisibility,” Imp said, uselessly.
“Put your weapon away,” Cherish said, her voice quiet and carefully measured, “We only have a few seconds before Jack gets suspicious. Listen. I want to strike a deal.”
Aisha gulped, realizing the trap she’d just stepped into. “You can hear me?”
Trap, you say…
Also, I suppose she hears Aisha in more than one way, although Aisha probably doesn’t know about how Cherish’s power manifests for her.
A second passed, and there was no response.
“Put it away, or I’m going to leave you quivering in a corner, shitting your pants.”
Sounds unpleasant.
“You can’t hear me.” Aisha gripped her weapon and stepped closer.
Well, not quite, apparently. Not in the mundane way, at least.
Maybe she’s bluffing? Perhaps she heard the emotions of the people upstairs, figured there was an invisible enemy around that would be using a bladed weapon, and is now just saying this in case Aisha’s there?
…but that sounds much less likely than her being able to partially sense Aisha.
She held the taser and the knife, adjusting her grip so she was secure.
Jack was the key figure. Aisha knew she could attack him, knew she maybe should, but would she succeed any more than she did against Bonesaw? Cherish might be able to lash out with some kind of blind fire, affecting the emotions of everyone nearby.
Hmm, I didn’t think of that. I doubt that’s a thing based on the depiction of her power so far, but it’s definitely something worth considering for Imp.
No. Cherish was the newest member, wasn’t she? There were better odds that Cherish didn’t have the protections that Jack and the others did.
Ooh, that’s a really good point.
I don’t think this is going to work. There are some narrative issues with the idea of offing a second Slaughterhouse member before the recruitment is at least 60% over, unless it’s Jack (in which case I still think it would happen later, since we’re only in the first round of nominations) or they decide to take both Hookwolf and Bitch on the team in spite of the game.
Exhaling slowly, Aisha followed behind Cherish as the girl tugged the body into the other room. She stepped inside and shut the door.
Hm. Might’ve been better to do it in a different room from where Jack is.
“Put the weapon away,” Cherish said, her voice quiet.
Ah. Hiya.
So she’s feigning ignorance, huh. Thinking of doublecrossing Jack, perhaps?
Krixwell Liveblogs 
