#I thought You Can't Take it With You was pretty neat btw

[back-in-2037]

1938:

2007:

I recently found a post by @dreadfulgentleman about how A Day with Wilbur Robinson, the book Meet the Robinsons is based on, was inspired by the play You Can't Take it With You by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The play was adapted into a movie in 1938 by director Frank Capra. The black and white screenshots shown above are taken from one of the scenes of said movie adaptation.

To summarize, You Can't Take it With You follows the Vanderhof household, a group that consist of both people related by blood as well as others not biologically related to anyone in the family but that are still considered part of it and are loved and accepted as such. They all have quirky interests (there's a toy maker, people making fireworks in the basement, a lady who dances while she bakes pastries she calls 'Love Dreams', etc.) and they all live by the philosophy that you should spend your days doing the things you love most with the people you love most, because what else should you do with your life? You can't take anything in it with you when you are gone, so you might as well make the best of your time while you can.

And so every member of the family encourages each other to pursue their interests freely, no matter how odd they might be or if they end up causing their fair share of accidents and troubles. They stick with one another through thick and thin.

Sounds familiar?

I think its fascinating how one piece of art can inspire someone to create something else, which in turn inspires someone else to create their own art and so on and so forth. Not only in matters of style or aesthetics, but also in the themes and lessons these stories leave us with.

I think it is fascinating how some of these themes found You Can't Take it With You managed to find their way to newer generations through this other work of fiction it partially inspired. Because while I don't think most of my generation has seen You Can't Take it With You, many of us grew up with Meet the Robinsons and became familiar with the Robinson philosophy. That one motto in particular.

And I think that the way in which we can draw this line; in which we can look at the different branches in this family tree of inspiration, showing us how a work of art inspires another one that can carry its themes and lessons for other people to learn from across time, while also creating something new and unique, is something truly beautiful.

Specially for those who seek to create something themselves. Just knowing that the artists one looks up to were also inspired by someone else's art to make their own, can be encouraging, since maybe one day they can create something that will become another branch in that tree. Something that could inspire somebody else in the future, not only to create their own art, but to find the courage to simply live their lives.

To Keep Moving Forward.

[togament]

𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌. sakura, ume, kaji, suo.

"ever thought how it would be like to kiss them? here's how they love to do it."

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : SUGGESTIVE KINDA SPICY, kaji is a mess (i’m in love), ume is a puppy man and he is needy, pls protect sakura, SUO????? SUO.

𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐀.

- shy, shy SHY. You gotta guide him through it, babe. But once he gets the hang of it (and once he gets over the embarrassment), expect him to be all over you. - Handsy when he hasn't seen you for the longest time, caressing softly and he pulls you into him so tightly you feel like you'd merge into one being. if he’s pissed, his hands are fiery, all over your body, groping and pulling at your clothes. - please don't kiss him in public. not like he doesn't want to. of course he really does. but he can't take the teasing and the attention it brings. (he also can't prevent himself from blushing, ok? you know how red he gets!)

𝐔𝐌𝐄.

- BIG SMILE KISSER. Your teeth kiss before you both do sometimes. Likes holding you in his arms when he’s kissing you. God. You know those sort of movie kisses where the love interest cups the lead’s cheek so lovingly, so softly like she’s about to break? Whispers sweet nothings to the main lead before leaning in for a perfect kiss? lmao you’re definitely not having that with ume. Sorry. - He’s a goofy kisser, giggles sometimes when you both are into it. Like, he’s just happy to be there, y’know? He whispers how much he loves you, how good you smell, how pretty you are though. who am i kidding? Any kiss is a good movie kiss with ume around. - Just expect him to ask for more than just a kiss after your lips leave his. firing all cylinders too. puppy eyes, all cutesy and stuff. He’s very needy. And I mean NEEDY.

𝐊𝐀𝐉𝐈.

- of course, goes without saying that kissing kaji’s sweet. If he can’t kiss you in public, he gives you his lollipop. You tease him often, twirling your tongue along the candy, puckered lips slowly sucking it in. you know he's staring. you know he's blushing. he hates how he loves it. - Once he gets you alone? GOD. he presses you up against the nearest surface and kisses you feverishly, fingers harshly tugging at the base of your head to control you the way he wants. You yelp and he takes that opportunity to ram his tongue into your mouth, only to have you suck on it like how you did his lollipop. - But when he’s not super pissed or it’s just a lazy day for him, he looooooves lazy make out sessions while listening to music with you. His hand’s on your cheek, pulling you close. Your arms around his neck, pulling him closer until you’re straddling him already. (his go to is deftones btw.) - Kaji’s kisses are fiery and needy one moment, slow and sensual the next. No in between.

𝐒𝐔𝐎.

- likes teasing before he leans in to kiss you. You could just be talking about mundane stuff and he’s looking at you with a hooded eye, gaze flitting from your eyes to your lips and back again. Tongue darting out his lips to wet them only to pull his lower lip slightly between his teeth. He knows how to work you way too well. - He likes it when you kiss him so desperately after he teases you. With how neat and proper he is, you’d expect him to prefer slow and languid kisses. au contraire, he likes it MESSY. Tongues battling for dominance, hands yanking and threading through hair, him biting your lip when he pulls away, whispered dirty talks. - it's crazy how he pulls away from you and he looks so neat and tidy while your hair's frazzled.

a/n: ok another one before i head to bed. goodness i really do have to fix my body clock soon lmao goodnight sweetpeas~

[mxnster-soul]

A question for You!! I know Bill really hates this Ford/Sixer guy (btw, they’re the same guy), but has he mentioned anyone else? Maybe a certain Pine Tree, Fezz hat (i think that’s how you spell it), or Shooting Star?

And a question for Bill, do you have plans to… uh, get a new puppet soon? Can you even do that now?

Bill did mention a Pinetree, also the other nicknames(?) mentioned. Shooting star is a pretty neat one, but also some guy named Stan that punched him in the face once (like, zoinks and a half. That must've hurt a ton)

Also avoided explaining them all in depth (again, rip) since it's "still not any of my business"

(the constant mentioning of Ford/Sixer is making me even more curious. Also i can't get over the thought that some dude shares a name with a car company lmao)

Bill's still thinking of what to do puppet wise. I could probably take out some material from the storage if he needs it.

We sorta made a deal? I'll help him with his puppet stuff when I can (omg, finally, a craft buddy!)

Shook hands to agree with the 'neutral/not-exactly-friends-yet craft pals' idea.

No set-in-stone promises that we'll do something all in one day. More of an over-the-time project thing.

[barblaz-arts]

Last Hazbin character ask, thoughts on Emily, Sera, Lute, and Pentious (you forgot him when talking about main characters)?

Emily

You mean the love of my life???? I am very normal about her.

Lol but fr tho she's in my top favorite characters right after Vaggie and Charlie. She's just so sweet and kind. I love characters who remain that way even after their world view is challenged, just with less naivety. Characters who are so morally good are just so especially interesting to me in a show like Hazbin Hotel that's just filled with assholes of every flavor(with some more redeemable than the others ofc).

Seeing her get mad at Sera was so satisfying btw. Righteous/protective anger looks so good on sweet characters like Charlie and Emily.

Her singing voice is also one of my favorites, along with Charlie, Lucifer and Carmilla. Recently found out that she was one of the talented ladies who sang in the First Burn mv for Hamilton too. She's the third girl that appears, coming in for the harmony. Seeing her sing in a song with Rachel Ann Go feels like a crazy crossover for a Filipino like me because Rachel Ann is a famous singer over here.

Sera

I think she's a neat character! The type of self-righteous, classist christian I'd avoid like the plague irl, but so fascinating as a character. I'm really curious as to what direction the story will take her to. I can more or less guess the case for other characters, but I can't quite pinpoint the goal for Sera, because I'm not quite sure yet if she's gonna be truly a bad person like Adam and Lute. She could either double down on refusing to let sinners into heaven or see the error of her ways. The former is probably more likely, but I'm not opposed to idea of the latter happening.

Lute

Logical brain: she deserves to suffer so much more for what she did to Vaggie and calling her love for Charlie "vile and blasphemous"

Sapphic brain: ... Scary angel lady hot tho...

Jokes aside, I'd love to see what kinda antagonist she'd be as the one calling the shots instead of just being Adam's sidekick this time. I wanna see her spiral and just become worse and worse. I also need a rematch between her and Vaggie that's a little more fair, where Vaggie is now more used to fighting again. With the whole one-eye VS one-arm thing making it even more even.

Sir Pentious

My boy!!!!! I really didn't expect to like him as much as I do. I liked him fine in the pilot, but they made him so dang cute in the show. You can tell Alex Brightman loved voicing him too. I really hope we get to see what he's up to in heaven. I'm proud of him for being first to ascend, but im scared some angels might be wary or even threatened by his presence in heaven. They do have a pretty bad track record with snakes after all.

[hadischara]

lyney with a reader who's ALSO a fatui spy but both of them don't know. ensue espionage and "YOU'RE under THE KNAVE??" "yea...?"

Of course! I love that one very much, thank you dear Anon!

I hope you don't mind me making it in a headcanon form, tell me if it should be a OS or not. Set before the incident btw.

𝖂𝖆𝖎𝖙...𝖄𝕺𝖀 𝕿𝕺𝕺?!

You two met when you got backstage passes once.

And it was pretty neat! Just.... one little detail. He had an envelope on his desk with the fatui sigil. Has he gotten threatened?

So only natural that you'd get suspicious of him, right?

Well, you we're just as suspicious to him actually! That's cause you stared at his envelope and eyed his skills with lot of precision.

Who would do that if their not planning anything?

So you started to investigate one another, and weeks of frustration came.

He had asked you out on dates, walked you home and everything!

He just couldn't find any hooks and wrong doings in your files or anything! On top of that, every time you were with him he got this hot feeling in his cheeks.

You got out empty handed just as well.

Anything other than that he's a magician you couldn't find.

And everything else was blurred together. But you just had to think of the dates. He was so nice, was it for show? Or did he mean it? He got your head spinning, that's for sure.

It was a slip up of the both of you that caused you to find out. Well, and the slip up of an Agent too.

You had just walked out of a little secret talk with someone when Lyney came out of the opposite door, your files in hand, while you had copies of his in yours.

"Why do you have my files? " Both of you had asked when he saw the other Agent you had a talk with go out too.

"You can't go around giving away my files (Agent Name)! Are you stupid enough to actually give it to a stranger? Did father not teach you ANYTHING about something like stranger danger?"

"But (Name) is my superior? They work under the knave. I thought you were under suspicion of betrayal or something. Have fun on one of your dates again. "

The Agent just left you, an awkward silence filling the room between you.

"I feel stupid now. I researched everything for nothing. I could've just asked the Agents. " You said.

Lyney just nodded along, feeling embarrassed himself.

"How about I uuhhhhh give those files back and take you out properly this time? No suspicious things this time."

"Wait, you work as her spy?" He asked you. You nodded, and he gave you one of his actual smiles. "Well, if we get lucky we might see each other on a mission some day. But let's stay at the dates for now huh?"

Your cheeks got a beet red, while you nodded eagerly. Yes maybe you would, yes.

How was it? To your liking? Maybe I'll make a oneshot out of it.

Cya :D

[kimbapisnotsushi]

hi! please share your headcanons about jay. thanks!

ooooooooh sure thing let's get it!!

(also please keep in mind that soke was literally my first time dipping back into dc after a LONG while, so i have a bit of catch-up to do in terms of characters and stories, and thus some of my knowledge might be outdated!!! also i love jay but i do consider myself still very new to understanding him and thus most of these will be silly fun :333)

damian makes fun of him for that all-black ninja-esque stealth suit he wore to sneak into star labs because there was literally NO POINT in jay trying to disguise himself like that when he didn't bother covering up his BRIGHT FUCKING PINK hair

yes i'm still mad about yes i would like to know his thought process

is it natural btw??? i've seen different takes around where people think it's dyed bc of his other version in aos:jk, but i feel like that's pretty unlikely considering it was shaved all the way down when he got taken prisoner and experimented on and it grew back exactly like that

for the record i'm not a hater i'm just saying 1) it made him a walking beacon and 2) it being natural is so fucking funny to me since he clearly didn't inherit it from his mom, which begs the question:

who the fuck is jay's dad

while jay does care for all of the revolutionaries as their ally and everyone at the truth as their boss, and as an overall friend, i think that wink and the aerie are especially close to him and they consider each other family. they were pretty much the closest thing to adult supervision jay had for a while, and he relied on them a lot when he was settling down in metropolis and figuring out how to live alone

this meant that he called them for stupid things like "if something explodes in your microwave do you call the fire department", and not-stupid things like "help me open a bank account because metropolis bank has laws that won't let me do it by myself as a minor"

they were also the first people he came out to

jay loves them even if they CAN be really annoying

jay: "are you—are you guys ACTUALLY planning on shovel-talking superman" wink: "technically, he's superman's son" the aerie: "and if he's late to the coffee shop, i'm taking points off"

i think jay would get along with tim actually

the dude is an underground hacktivist refugee, investigative journalist, and a former president's son. he's probably used to always looking over his shoulder, ready to be jumped at a moment's notice. he's got a plan for everything but the plans only exist inside his head because he can't risk hard copies being found or digital ones being hacked. he's memorized them all. they're either alphabetized or mentally color-coded. we're talking levels of elaborate just-in-case getaways and meticulously planned investigations that would get a normal reporter killed if they asked the wrong question. it's dedication to a terrifying degree

yeah tim would definitely rock with him

jay has this neat little trick where if he's in a situation in which someone's poisoned his food and he has to eat it/can't let them know he knows, he just partially phases his organs so that the food falls through his body a little bit at a time and never enters his digestive system

jon is HORRIFIED when he finds out. damian is really fucking impressed

does gamorra have its own language???? i feel like jay would be fluent in it if so. of course he would be. he'd do anything to keep part of home as close to his chest as possible

oh that's another thing i'll probs mess up on btw i am legit so confused on gamorra considering it's apparently in asia and i would assume has its own distinct culture? but jay's surname is japanese and that random kid on the boat has a japanese name so are they like. japanese-adjacent??? or is gamorra made up of multiple asian identities blended into one (read tags for clarification)

i should probably read absolute power shouldn't i

okay sorry that got WAY off topic but yeah jay is definitely someone who loved his home despite not being able to go back and did everything he could to maintain his ties

ALSO can we talk about jay being a student at metropolis college at seventeen???? did he skip a year of school when he got to the u.s.??? did he lie on forms or something??

like i don't think he's taking extra credit classes as a high school student because he was also advertising the media department when we saw him, and i don't think he'd be doing that if he was in high school

jon makes sense because he had a fake identity which COULD put him in college. but jay???

honestly lying on paper is such a jay nakamura thing to do if he doesn't want people tracking him down by cross-referencing his birthday with government records

jay nakamura's number-one tip of running an anonymous underground activist stream: hide all identifiable information from the government

(this does not work when you are widely recognized as superman's boyfriend)

also now that dick is backing the truth can we PLEASE get tim in on it. i think it'd be so fucking funny. i think he and jay would have a grand old time breaking into firewalls and digging through internet archives and exposing corrupt people

tim is like "FINALLY i have something fun to do at all those fucking galas bruce makes me go to" because jay needs some rich guy's vacation itinerary so he knows the prime time to break into his house and gather evidence for something

i just have so much appreciation for jay nakamura you guys i love him so much

[lbcreations-blog]

Loona x Male Vampire Sinner Reader please?

Oooo vampire neat

Btw my version on what is a vampire from my studies is pretty different so I'm gonna stick with that if you don't mind

Masterlist

𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩 𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡

Loona first met you at a stylish occult. You were both looking for a specific shirt. And when you both saw it there was only one left. Being the gentleman you were, you let loona buy the shirt for herself, and you would wait for the next stock.

A week later she saw you when she was passing the cannibal Connolly. You recognised her but she doesn't recognise you... Sadly.

Then you went to stylish occult again to get that shirt and other stuff. And guess what.. She was there. She was looking at something you also really wanted, so you went up to her. And she didn't recognize you, thinking you were just another customer for the shop.

But when you went to reach for the item

guess what, this item had only one left. Ofcourse you tried to be a gentleman again and let her get it. Which made her recognize you.

After a little of talking back and forth on who should buy it. Loona bought it, and you decided to ask for her number since it seemed yall had something in common and you thought yall could be friends(for now) and she took your number.

(I have no idea how yall get together so 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞)

______________

OK now headcanons

She probably thinks your strength is pretty cool and same goes for your inhansed speed.

She would also probably make a joke on that you might eat her or suck her dry due to you being a vampire.

She might go with you to the cannibal Conley every once in awhile, even though she probably thinks its weird, but she will try not to judge.

She probably asks if you are actually allergic to garlic and you'll just say no cause that's a myth

She probably would bring an extra pear of sunglasses with her when yall go out due to your eyes being so sensitive.

She would also like hanging out with you in the forest since your eyes can't handle 90 degree angles (don't ask me why that is, I'm just going by my research)

She would also love your manners, it is quite a change compared to most demons and sinners in hell.

Blitz will take awhile to trust you cause you are a vampire, which are suspicious creeps. But once he sees you make his daughter happy, he'll slowly warm up to ya.

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

Well I hope you enjoyed it took me awhile. But, yeah!

[mysticstarlightduck]

OC Smash or Pass

I was tagged by @writernopal (here)! Thank you so much for this fun Tag! I think I might do a few of these for my OCs, because I adore this tag game (:

Rules: pretty self-explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc)

Augustus Grimmure

Description (I haven't completed his character art yet): Augustus is a tall young man with dark skin and long, curly ashen brown hair - which he usually styles into a very neat ponytail with a purple ribbon. He has hazel eyes that can glow red or purple depending on which magic he uses. Augustus usually wears a long dapper suit/coat (in the colors of either white, dark purple, green, or charcoal black), along with a silk ruffle tie and other Victorian-style clothing, he also has dark circles under his eyes and may wear gloves from time to time. Has a sharp smile. He is heavily near-sighted and often wears spectacles/glasses (when possible) reinforced by magic - which might be because I wanted a glass-wearing protagonist in this book because I personally can't see shite without my glasses IRL (:

Basic Facts:

Height - 6 ft (around 1.80m)

Age - 19, soon to be 20

Gender - Male

Pronouns - He/Him

Occupation: Necromancer

Sexuality - An extremely hot, very romantic, Asexual straight man

Pros:

HUGGER! Once he's grown to love you that is. Augustus loves to show how much he cares by holding hands, cuddling, running hands through your hair, and (especially) hugging. He wants a relationship to be something special.

Augustus is very brave, and it takes a lot to faze him, especially since he is one of the most powerful beings in Ansburke, but even if he weren't he doesn't hesitate to face risks if it means doing something he considers right - especially when it comes to protecting the one he loves.

Dark Academia aesthetic (more like Chaotic Academia lmao) incarnate, and very gothic-coded. A romance with him has strong Gomez/Morticia vibes (this is legit the best way I could describe it), it's all about finding love in the dark and even macabre. He's also hopelessly devoted, and quite the romantic underneath his chaotic exterior.

Intelligent and witty, with a wild sense of humor. Will not hesitate to pull a carefully thought-out prank on someone if it makes you both laugh. Is also known for his clever comebacks, especially to those who already have it coming.

A good listener. Even if he is not particularly interested in whatever it is you are talking about, he will lend you his attention and let you finish your vent, however long it may be. He's also very good at problem-solving, having a scholar's mindset.

Neutral Facts (that may be pros or cons to some):

Augustus is somewhat inspired by the story of Victor Frankenstein (this character was born of the question I once asked myself - "What if Frankenstein wasn't insane and was a sorcerer instead of a scientist?"). This means he inherits a bit of a mad scientist's disregard for rules and tradition.

He doesn't enjoy sexual intimacy or acts of that nature at all, even though he isn't particularly sex-repulsed - he's asexual, and personally just finds sex a useless and slightly disturbing waste of time. That doesn't mean he doesn't like other kinds of intimacy - as mentioned before, once he gets truly close to someone, he's quite the hugger. (Btw, his love languages are Quality Time and (non-sexual) Physical Touch.)

Cons:

Has severe trust issues. While on the surface Augustus has a very personable and polite behavior towards anyone that doesn't personally irk him (when he isn't feeling particularly petty), he believes that "everyone is out to achieve their own personal goals at all costs" and that in their cutthroat world, everyone is looking to get the upper hand on someone else, so the walls around his heart (beyond a superficially friendly relationship) are quite tall and armored. He would never betray someone who trusts him but is constantly expecting to be personally betrayed. It takes a lot to prove that you truly care for him with no strings attached, but it is worth it when you finally do!

Extended lifespan - while it means no human can truly kill him (whilst he is under the constraints of his contract to the Deathbringer, a fae demon he made a deal with) during your adventures, it also means that you, a human, will eventually get older much quicker than him and die long before him - unless he's broken his Oath, which would return his lifespan back to a normal human's.

Does have a bit of morbid/dark humor natural to any necromancer so, while it can lead to funny and slightly unhinged interactions, he doesn't quite understand why some people consider his deathly jokes as inappropriate (even though he means no harm, that's just his sense humor and how he views te world).

His devotion has a "dark side" (to him) that comes out in the form of self-sacrificial tendencies and will fight Gods if prompted, with no second thoughts about his own safety, if it means keeping the select few people he trusts away from harm. Has no qualms about killing his enemies to achieve that as well.

Tagging (gently, no pressure): @lassiesandiego, @oh-no-another-idea, @writernopal, @tabswrites, @rickie-the-storyteller, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs, @little-peril-stories, @clairelsonao3, @jasperygrace, @jay-avian, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @aziz-reads, @doublegoblin, @gummybugg, @autumnalwalker, @olivescales3, @junypr-camus, @ashen-crest, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams, @bardicbeetle @talesofsorrowandofruin, @mitchell-nihil, @pluttskutt, @saltysupercomputer, @stesierra and @dreaminggoblin

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #10

Today we'll be reading PKNA #7: Invasion!, and listen LISTEN- I KNOW this is a very Angus Fangus-heavy chapter but take my hand and breathe ok. We'll be brave and we'll get through this together.

Ok New Zealand time!!!!

guys I got his passport let's doxx him

Wow this guy looks neat do you think he's the bad guy. I think he might be the bad guy but I can't quite put my finger on what gives it away... also he has the mask that Fangus wanted oop

Uno is being too cheeky these days I think I need to punt him into the sun

Ohh Donald honey... babygirl......

wait are they gonna kiss EWW

I really like the idea of having a dramatic shot shown through the fish tank in the office like I'm curious who had the idea for a fish POV for this one

NNOOOOOOO HE'S A COLONIZER

Ok so like FUCK Nebula for trying to take advantage of a group of indigenous people right. BUT ALSO.... she kinda slays here

Angus Fangus sucks so bad that he was forced out of the entirety of New Zealand and it's totally not for any other plot relevant reasons

I'm starting to think having beef with PK just runs in the Fangus bloodline.

I mean WOAH who is this strange woman I have never seen before and is totally not related to Angus huh what huh

This might actually be the worst villain we've seen so far I need this motherfucker DEAD

I LOVE HER BTW FUCKINF GO GO GO!!! SHOOT THOSE GOT DAMN ALIENS DEAD

For a second my eyes didn't go toward the parachute Fangus was holding so I thought Donald was just gonna leave Fangus to explode to death on the zeppelin and I was like ?!?!?! THAT'S A BIT MUCH DON'T YOU THINK??? I MEAN I DON'T LIKE HIM BUT- no it's fine he'll be fine. jump coward

Ngl this got a chuckle out of me, RIP bozos packwatch

Also listen Angus Fangus sucks BUT he was kind of an MVP this comic I can give it to him. He's doing a good thing trying to protect the Maori land and I'm glad he got to see his mom (mostly for her sake though because she's a badass and I love her and she deserves to see her son even though he's the worst)

I actually enjoyed rereading this comic more than I thought I would. It wasn't one that stood out to me much before, but the pacing is nice and consistent and I found the story pretty compelling. The conflict was a little more grounded in reality than usual (I say a little, there were still the Evronians and all that) but the threat of Cook trying to displace an entire group of native people felt very real, and I liked that kind of tension. Cook is the worst and he needs to die forever. I can't comment at all on the representation of the Maori people here, I'm not Maori (nor am I even from New Zealand) so I know next to nothing here, but just as a complete outsider I didn't see any HUGE red flags in how they were presented here so hey, that's a win!! The same can't be said for some future issues but uhhh we'll get there 💀 It's also nice to see some other kiwis and realize that hey, they're not all that ugly!! It's JUST Fangus that looks Like That <3

We'll be back next week with "Silicon" and I'mma be so fr I barely remember that one at all. Like I have next to no idea what the plot was actually about so it'll basically be like reading it again for the first time, BYEEEE!!

[perelka-l]

I feel bad for Archer. He strikes me as such a young and intelligent person. I get the impression that he experiences his emotions intensely and, for the most part, he hides it well. It’s just that when it comes to Giovanni and Nanu… they’re so much older and experienced by comparison. It’s like a child trying to lie to a parent. Archer simply cannot do it as well as he thinks. The only reason Giovanni and Nanu pretend not to notice is because they want to save him some grace. (1)

They’re also probably talking shit about him for it when he’s not there. Archer just wants to be loved by the only person he feels comfortable accepting that love from. Which for some reason is an old, fucked up mafia boss. Poor guy.

I'm gonna.... Politely disagree in most points xD I'll elaborate. As usual wwww

For starters I don't see Archer as very young. I see him as more early 30s-mid 30s category myself (I'd imagine he joined TR maybe mid-teens, btw, already when it was under Giovanni's reign).

Admittedly, Pokemas surprised me a bit with how young he sounds but also I recently got hit by a headcanon that Archer deliberately takes great care to groom himself and, in effect, looks younger than he really is, because it makes it easier to misjudge him, and that's a hc that I immediately implanted into my head. Plus, tbh, I feel like with every portrayal he looks younger and younger tho (I am unsure if I like it ngl).

With Archer's emotions I am usually struck how sentimental he can be. He emotes in LGPE quite nicely (mostly his anger lol) and his tendency to write letters to express himself is a neat little quirk that I feel like is pretty overlooked. I am 100% sure he did write at least one more letter aside from LGPE one and I... can't find it? At all?? Anywhere? I' sure I didn't imagine that, right???? wtfffff anyway he's a sentimental bitch MOVING ON Anyway, I feel like he could be a type that hides his emotions well (he does look a bity icy imho ...which is hilarious when you consider what Pokemon is his signature) and will express himself when he wants you to know what he feels. Like, for example, that he is fed up with your shit. If he wants you to know, you will know, but if he is more blank, it's hard to say. Though I really like how he hides smirk behind his hand, like he can't quite resist but still tries to be professional :)c

With comparisons to Giovanni and Nanu, I would say he does have some advantages over them as well. Archer is very idealistic and thus, driven and energetic when it comes to his goals. He is not only dedicated to Giovanni, but to Team Rocket as well - he simply believes that what is best for Team Rocket is to be led by Giovanni, and not himself. But all in all he believes firmly in an ideal, which is not something Nanu can say. Just yet another way they contrast with each other (which is something I wrote about in another anon answer).

I also can't help but perceive Archer as a determined perfectionist. That can be seen as contrast to... Giovanni, actually. Gio has more of an approach of well, I failed, I can try again later and differently, no rush tbh. Archer is different, trying to achieve something with nothing but a clear goal in mind, all tunnel vision, and he won't stop until he's clearly proven he can't get there. One could even argue Archer's failure in GSC stems from him trying to force Giovanni's hand from the way Gio approaches things. But that's an interpretation.

To continue a previous thought, I think Archer would even... appreciate being underestimated. He is a bit of a gray eminence, I feel. He has no need to be on the top, although number two fits him very nicely, as it gives him a degree of control, but he still responds to Giovanni, and Giovanni only, a sure wall behind his back (so losing that wall later on was a shock). At that, he is a number two in TR. I really don't think he got there by sheer luck alone, I do think he got this far through proper hard work and maybe on some corpses. Pokemas supplying us that Ariana actively desires to topple him and can't only speaks of his efficiency and reliability (in FRLG (presumably) she even warns player that (presumably) Archer is more powerful than she is, so make with that what you will).

That number two is a sign he's being appreciated for what he is doing. He does what is needed for TR, and this is Giovanni's reward. I don't think he cares about anything but this.

At the same time, I think Nanu wouldn't be foolish enough to underestimate him, for precisely same reasons. Anyone that got far in TR is a potential threat, and I'm gonna throw my hc here but Nanu remembers the time when Giovanni wasn't even in top 2. He is a cop and he is a traumatized man and that is enough for me to believe he wouldn't turn his guard down.

And Giovanni, well. For Archer, Giovanni is literally everything. I would say it goes deeply beyond just a crush - Giovanni is something that he can rely on as a concept, a goal to achieve and something that you can devout yourself to (and that's even how Archer describes him). Which is why I compared him to a wall, a comfortable concept on which you can lean. One could wonder if Archer perceives Giovanni as a man at all, but I like to think the answer is yes. I like a thought that Archer saw Giovanni at his lower (not lowest, that is something not even Nanu witnessed but he knows of) and is aware of some things about him that others never will. And Giovanni is both aware of this and ignores that, because Archer is equally reliable for him as well. There is this one follower that will always be devout, that you can nod at and he will come, eager to do anything you wish, and one that at that proved himself time and time again.

(and yet you left, because you found yourself not enough to lead even him. How the tables turn.)

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

I haven't really made a post going into my thoughts on Sonic Superstars yet but I think they're pretty brief so ig I'll do that now, full game spoilers and all that.

I think the base story mode is pretty alright, levels have nice enough theming and some fairly interesting gimmicks, the length is enough to easily replay the thing in a single sitting which I love in my 2D Sonic, the levels that make you play as a certain character are really good opportunities to let the level designers build something specifically for that character which is really nice, also a good opportunity to add some variety to a playthrough if you've not been switching characters on your own time (switching on your own time is also great btw). The pacing is pretty off though, most zones have 2 acts but some have 3 and there's a regular zone just in the middle of the game with only 1 act, it can feel downright random whether an act is gonna end in a boss fight or not, and there's even a schmup stage in there since I guess that's a thing Sonic games love now. I definitely think the stages are more hits than misses but there are absolutely zones I wish I saw more of and zones I wish I saw less of, and I really don't imagine myself looking forward to a few of them on a replay.

Really hate the boss fights, there's a few solid ideas for some of them and they're definitely the most elaborately designed boss fights in any of the classic styled games, but they take so fucking long and have such ridiculously long invincibility frames (the animation for which ends several full seconds before you can damage them again btw so that can feel cheap and impossible to meaningfully read), and other than like one or two of the Chaos Emerald abilities you can't really do anything to speed them up, which just feels lame. Conventions of game design suggests this might be better than bosses where you just spam 8 hits on them before they can even get an attack out but at least those bosses don't test my patience in a game about going fast.

I think the new special stages are okay, it's nice that they're a wholly new concept and you definitely can play skillfully and beat them super duper quickly, as well as do micro-decision making in terms of oh chase the Emerald or potentially lose time grabbig rings, it's neat, buuuuut they're just not really very fun lol. I did play bonus stages early on and they mimick the Sonic 1 special stages but the physics are so different that I couldn't get used to them. Oh well. The reward for bonus stages, as well as some special stages depending on the ring type, as well as most exploration in general, is medals, which are used to customise your character for the battle mode (this character also appears as a boss in the story mode which is actually cool as fuck since hey if you wanna give yourself a Metal Knuckles boss fight or something you can), and like they can feel decently rewarding to collect until you realise it's an absolute fucking grind to actually get enough of them to really buy anything in bulk in said character customisation thing, especially because for some reason if you buy something in there you don't just have it now, they're like limited resources, if I buy red and use it on the arms then I am now out of red, gotta grind to buy more, gotta buy red like 4 or 5 times to make my Metal Knuckles. It's lame. In general I think medals are only really rewarding if you actually intend to do multiplayer stuff, which I don't not get, but I wish they were good for single player too. I mean hey the game has character skins, why not let you get some of those with medals? Nah kill yourself dude character skins are for preordering the game or buying digital deluxe or signing up for newsletters or shit. Trip doesn't even get any. I think skins could be a pretty rewarding game system if they were implemented as such but instead it's just a "did you spend more money" check. Lame.

Uhh, Chaos Emerald powers. They're okay. I think they're a solid enough idea to add some more depth to a classic Sonic game and let it stand out from others, and they're generally still simple enough to fit what you'd expect from the design philosophies of these games. But they're also largely pretty situational, and a few of them I may as well have never even used. The game does prompt you to use the less useful one sometimes which is neat, like oh hey you designed the section with this ability in mind, let's see how it works out. And that's kinda fun. But I could take them or leave them. It seems like you can only get one Chaos Emerald per zone which I do think sucks, since it means hey here's an ability you won't get until near the end of the game and so can't really take advantage of it on your first playthrough at all, which is just a bit boring. You also can't switch abilities while using them and they're all on a countdown, so if I like accidentally use vine then I just can't use another ability I'd actually want to use until like 10 seconds later, which is a bit annoying. Super forms not being able to use the other Chaos Emerald powers also feels like a missed opportunity to make them feel really powerful. Oh well. On that note I hate Super Trip btw, she takes the form of a large dragon who just does not interact with the rest of the game in a fun way, she has her own control system that's just really cheap feeling directional flight with no physics and that moves super slowly. She can skip platforming and stuff by way of flying, but she'll also break out of automation and you need to find your way back into said automation. Just feels actively less fun and not even a satisfying power Trip (HA) for the gameplay sacrifices.

On Trip though, I like her as a playable character enough. Also as an actual character in that she is very cute. But as a playable character she has a nice double jump and can stick to walls and ceilings and roll across them which is nice. Once you beat the story mode and unlock her I recommend going through it again with Trip this time. I don't recommend doing Trip's Story, which is all the worst stereotypes of classic Sonic design fully realised. Were you going too fast and couldn't see that enemy? Get hit asshole. Was there no conveyance about whether that jump is safe to make? Die asshole. Are there spikes literally fucking everywhere? Get pricked asshole. "Sonic is inherently bad because you move too fast to react to oncoming obstacles" has always been a criticism of the series I've felt was in bad faith and isn't even reflected in any of the classic titles, and yet here we are with Trip's Story doing all of it. There's just so much enemy and spike and bottomless pit spam right out the fucking gate, it doesn't feel like an actual difficulty spike either it just feels like a troll level. It is actively frustrating to go through and actively unsatisfying to beat. It's not even like that design philosophy accommodates Trip to begin with so it just feels fucking bizarre. Actually didn't mind the giant robot Fang boss fight but the insta-kill attacks are pretty lame and him getting a "I'm going to smash the stage and make the ground fall" attack at the end of the fight with very poor telegraphing is pretty cringe.

Reward for beating Trip's Story and also that you have all the Chaos Emeralds by now is Last Story, which is a Super Sonic fight against a giant purple dragon. Super Sonic final boss fights are already kinda weird in that they're usually cool as all fuck as setpieces but from a gameplay perspective make you learn a new style in the final hour which is pretty questionable, but I'd say they're usually familiar or intuitive enough to be acceptable and certainly a fair level of challenge, moreover the player usually has good control over the pacing of these fights, such that you can get actually get better at them and do them faster and with a higher finishing ring count, stuff like that. I say all this because that last part just isn't true for Superstars' Super Sonic final boss. Rings basically appear at fucking random so good luck feeling like you've got any control over the timer, which wouldn't strictly be a huge deal but the thing is the boss only has 2 attacks per phase in which you can actually deal damage to him and yet has like 6 attacks in the first place as well as things that are not attacks at all but are full animations he does just for the hell of it during which you can't damage him. And these attacks don't hurt you either since you're Super Sonic. So the boss, naturally, consists largely of waiting. Waiting through attacks there's literally no incentive to dodge until you can get to the point where you do attack him. Rinse and repeat. You won't ever feel like you're getting better, just that you're getting luckier. The boss didn't do this attack on this run. Tails flew by with rings more often. Your game didn't bug and freeze you in the death animation and render you invisible for a time this attempt. And hey, if you do fail, gotta sit through the whole like 6-8 minute fight again. It's bad. It is actively unfun. Doesn't feel cool, doesn't feel rewarding, narratively it's barely anything, for some reason Amy doesn't get to appear even though Tails and Knuckles do, it's just shit and a test of patience. Much as I don't like the bosses in the rest of the game I can at least say "well they are built for multiplayer so maybe that's why they take so long" but the final boss is a single player only gig so that defence doesn't even work. It just sucks.

I think the game looks nice enough on platforms that run it fine, unfortunately I'm on Switch. The music is either pretty good or really bad depending. I haven't played couch co-op yet but I did an online battle mode run and it's like, not the most bare-bones thing in the world but I also cannot even imagine being able to get invested into it. Greatest credit I can give it is giving us designs for Metal Tails and Metal Amy, and even throwing in a Metal Trip for the hell of it and fucking Metal NiGHTS too, badass. I'd like to see Trip again.

Maybe like, 6/10, or 6.5 or something. Doesn't really compare to any of the games it's emulating and certainly not to Mania, but it's still decent fun for the main story mode and they are trying to do new stuff. There's already rumours it'll be getting DLC, I have no strong feelings on this one way or the other. Playable Mighty and Ray wouldn't be bad though. Penis chat.

[bucky-boychik-barnes]

Couple of questions about your Pocket AU (which I love, btw)

Is it just Steve and Bucky who have Pockets, or does anyone else in the MCU have one? If so, who are they, who does their Pocket represent, and what is that Pocket's adorable name?

Speaking of adorable names, was it hard to come up with them for Steeb and Booky? How long did it take you to come up with those names, and where did you get inspiration from?

Can Pockets only say their own names? And does that exclamation of, for example, Steeb, have a meaning behind it? Is chirping their name somehow a language?

What's the aspect of this AU you struggled the most with?

And... that's it for now. I probably have more questions, but they aren't forming in my brain rn. Bye.

I'm sorry I just got around to answering this, Nonny! I have had my Q&A word  document open with it since it came in, I just had to wrangle my brain into Answering Space.

Pockets are common in human society, MCU included! When I started the AU, I only knew about Steeb and Booky, but since talking about it with friends and getting the wonderful asks, I now know about:

Steeb and Booky (belonging to Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers respectively)

Лисичка (Lisichka) and Солнышко (Solnishko), meaning 'little fox' and 'little sun' respectively, also respectively Pockets for Maria Hill and Natasha Romanov

Tony Stark has Pockets of Pepper Potts, Bruce Banner, and James Rhodes. Their names are Salt, Little Green, and Jim.

Bruce Banner has Pocket Betty and Pocket Tony - I don't know their names yet but I know it took ages for Pocket Tony to calm down and for the two of them to get along

Pepper and Rhodey both have a Pocket Tony, who also do not have names yet.

They really try to keep all the Pockets Tony separate because they Scheme otherwise.

Thor has a Jane Pocket. He didn't know what Pockets were, but he is DELIGHTED by the idea of them and that he HAS ONE.

Gamora has a Quill Pocket. She doesn't know what Pockets are. Quill doesn't know what Pockets are. He thought they were a dream he had as a kid and Yondu said it sounded like a story, so how is he supposed to know what it is. Cue Guardians of The Galaxy 1.5 where the gang has to learn about Pockets, and only 25% of the information they get is correct. This entire idea is honestly consuming me since another anon asked about it.

No but really, picture it.

Gamora: "What the fuck is that? WHY the fuck is that?"

Drax: "I'll do you one better - who the fuck--"

Quill: "IT'S OBVIOUSLY ME, JACKASS"

ONTO YOUR SECOND QUESTION, Steeb and Booky's names were actually pretty easy. I was inspired to make Pocket AU by @awrubyblue's fucking adorable series on Bucky finding a Pocket!Steve, whose name was Steeb. Finding Booky from Bucky in the same way was simple enough. Names for other Pockets have been a mixture of 'That was easy' and 'How do I know this Russian is correct?' (That's the neat part, I don't.)

As for how Pockets speak, they have their own universal Pocket language that is similar to Simlish but easier to listen to.Individually, Pockets can understand the native languages of their soulmates and their people, and can also learn to say one syllable words. (Tell me Steeb doesn't know how to say 'Fuck.' You can't. You can not.)

The aspect I have struggled the most with this AU is getting it OUT OF MY HEAD and into words - I would love to be churning out 100k fics about this universe if it were feasible, but I have to do stupid capitalist things like work 50 hours a week and pay bills. As for actually creating the AU, I have been lucky - @awrubyblue's comics were great inspiration, and @subluxate is great at thinking of bigger picture things where I focus on the small stuff. And all of the asks I have gotten have really helped me flesh things out!!

[echoingvoice]

Okay so im redesigning loz race decigns/charecters to make then look more neat, and i got to the gorons and...

OKAY I CONFESS I STOLE @ezlo-x 's HORNS AND TAIL FOR THEM! SEND ME TO THE BRIG I'VE COMMITTED A HANES CRIME

okay fr, i took inpersation from they're goron designs since they looks cute and cool to me (follow them btw they make super neat looking art and i think they're designs for the botw charecters look so cool-)

But yeah i tweeked the designs a bit so now i shall show them off

First off with the horns they're made of luminous stone since i thought it looked rad and also cause i thought 'they mine a lot so they might have to mine at night... and its dark at night sooooo'

Heres what it looks like in light (also i gave the gorons fangs since daruks champion design sorta looks like he has fangs in the art)

And heres the horns at night, as you can see if the horns get damaged in someway they can glow less.

On to the tails

Now tails are sort of complicated, ezlos designs for the tails sorta look more crocodile/komodo dragon like, mine are ment to look more like spotted geckos, so that means that the tails fall off, and theres a sort of leveling system to the tails growing back.

The first tail is the soft/flesh tail, they never last too long since usally babys and younger gorons only have them for up to a year (at most) they're pretty sensitive and never over stay theyre welcome (well unless your yunobo-) (also i couldn't attack a photo but just think of a squishy lizard tail on a goron booty)

Next is amber (i tried drawing the amber, but failed and then just went the lazy route... dont judge me-) amber is a bit more tough then the squishy tail but till kind of senitive. also while the tail is regenerating, things can get stuck in the tail like rocks, bugs.... lizards-

Next is opal, a big more durable and strong. Usally when gorons keep this tail (as in not doing too much with the tail and not risk it falling off) its for asthetic reasons as opal tails are pretty popular for gorons since they look pretty and also its rare to have one for super long, like if your 30 and you still have a opal tail thats a bit of a big deal.

Topaz is next, heres where we start getting into the elemental tails. This one of the least popular out of the three since its yellow color and electric powers aren't super useful (as you can't quite camouflage a bright yellow tail like you can with ruby, nor is it super effective against fire enimes like sapphire)

Its seen as the sort of awkard stage of the tails.

Now we have ruby, like i said cause of its firey crimson color its great for camouflage and also its the second most liked tail when it comes to appearances.

Up next is sapphire, usally gorons with sapphire tails are given jobs to either get rid of fire enimies (red chuchus, red lizalfos) and also sent off to gerudo city to sell other jems since gorons with sapphire tails can take the dessert heat the best.

And now we finally have diamond, the strongest and most durable tail out of all of them, it can pack a mean punch... er swing or something... YOU GET THWAKED WITH ONE OF THESE BAD BOYS ITS GONNA HURT REAL BAD. Its pretty difficult to get a diamond tail to fall off as you'd have to be using it A LOT.

But alas it is still possible for diamond tails to fall off, nub/no tails are exactly what they sound like. And once a diamon tail is gone gorons can't regenerate another tail. Some gorons think that theres another tail after the diamon tail but since most gorons that lose they're diamond tail are like 60+ years old nobodys ever seen it, whether or not thats true ill leave up to you.

On the next episode of ann info dumps about gorons tm, we get to see yunobo daruk and bludos redesign and some back story for yunobo!

[burning-sol]

Watched Gattaca for the first time in full and the real horror of it is that some people watch Eugene DIE at the end and think to themselves... "Oh! This is an inspirational movie! Eugene killed himself because he 'accomplished his life goal' by helping Vincent succeed!" Really shows how utterly entrenched in ableism society is if there are people who watch a man DIE but that doesn't take away from the movie's "aspirational" ending because the guy who isn't a wheelchair user got to live his dreams happily in space :)

I didn't have subtitles on so my auditory processing issue caused me to miss integral lines (so I am relying on other people's notes about the dialogue on the imagery I missed, since I haven't had a second watch through yet), but holy shit. Even I having missed core pieces of dialogue could understand the ending when I'd thought about it because like... Think about what Eugene said. "I gave you my body and you gave me your dreams." There is an equal exchange here, it's mutual gain. The characters both have an established dichotomy. How could you see one of them die and not infer the other died too? ..besides the obvious ableism.

And there's an extra layer of frustration there too because Vincent IS disabled as well. Have you fallen victim to the able-bodied mask he put up - that you're meant to be reminded IS a mask throughout the film - because he was able to get so far? Because he can walk while the other disabled person can't? Fuck youuu.

I'm actually really interested what disabled people think of the movie because it's actually a really conflicting ending tbh. In the end, the disabled characters die and don't get to live more of their life when really they deserved so much better... Which is sad. But it's also a spit in the face to inspiration porn and it doesn't reward the characters for being exceptions to a discriminatory system. This video about Coco was really illuminating for me because... Yeah. Being an exception to a system IS a win, but only for that individual, meanwhile many others like them are still dealing with the same withstanding system and we're usually just shuffled past that like it isn't a big deal.

I would say that in terms of ableism, the movie overall does very much feel like it suffers from "catgirl racism" in terms of premise - but narratively it doesn't? It's got a weird vibe to it. Btw I call catgirl racism the phenomenon of people trying to make narratives where they talk about discrimination but they use substitutions as if to make the subjects more "sympathetic" to the majority audience - e.g when people try to talk about racism but instead of having black characters they make them pale skinned catgirls, or in this case if someone were to try to talk about ableism but instead of disabled people you have people who are able-bodied but aren't "genetically perfect". Bonus negative points if they treat the actual marginalised people in their work poorly see RWBY's treatment of black people or the misinterpretation of Gattaca's ending where the guy in the wheelchair dies and that's just meant to be fine I guess.

There's still a lot more analysis I want to read up on and reviews of the movie... Interviews and I didn't get to look at the special features so that would be cool. There's a lot I wanna get to know about this film because I think it's pretty neat.

Something about the movie I thought was pretty neat is the people along the way that helped Vincent, because he does die in the end but it's kind of hopeful in a way? Like, yes, the system is still intact, but there are so many more people against the system than you think and will have your back even at the risk of their own livelihoods.

And if I had to state a downside it's that idk I wish Irene felt a bit deeper in terms of character because I find it hard to believe she didn't clock Vincent sooner than what she actually did. I had thought she already knew before the investigator came to Eugene's place, but then there's this whole "I don't even know who you are!!" thing?? I really find it hard to believe between him throwing away her hair and the road crossing and him sneaking out of bed to go scrub himself free of skin on the beach and so on... I also wish there was a bit more it said about sexism considering there IS some presence of it in the movie, and yet that doesn't become a subject of bonding between her and him?? You know, society telling them that there are certain things they can't be? (Which feels very pertinent considering they specifically work in a space agency...)

Yeah. I guess I think overall it's a good film but there's certain things that probably could have been refined to make it even better. So anyways...

[thecurrator]

for character designs, i really like kaiser (not much to say here. he's just a pretty boy <3 also my haircut is slowly becoming more and more similar to his so i don't have a right to bully him 😔 /lh), bachira (he looks so cute in the manga art style), ness (his hair looks so fluffy!!) and gagamaru (omg you're right he really does look like a penguin..)! i like them as characters too.

as for my fav dynamics, seriously, i'd never think that i would see some of the most realistic and well-written toxic relationship dynamics in a football manga 😭 but yeah, i also really like reo and nagi's relationship (you have no idea how hard i laughed when reo was like "finally!! i don't need him anymore!! i don't need anyone actually!!" and like right after that nagi was like "oh no i can't defeat isagi :( reo come back pls pls i know you want to") bachira and isagi's relationship is very cute, i like them a lot <3 and like. i know that i probably should take it more seriously, but kaiser and ness's dynamic is so funny to me, like NESS GET UP YOU CAN'T BE THIS DOWN BAD i'm also obsessed with kaiser and isagi's interactions, like i don't even ship them, they're just too hilarious for me to ignore, like isagi literally says he's gonna kill him and kaiser is like "omg is this a love confession 😳😳"

(also maybe those quizzes were right. i really am feeling like a chigiri and reo kinnie)

I think Kaiser's design is really neat too! But putting 5 characters in my fav character felt like too much, haha. Actually, every character in Blue Lock looks unique in their own way.

This is the panel where the image of a penguin popped up when I saw Gagamaru btw:

Some of the most complex and engaging character dynamics coming from a soccer manga? You thought you'd never see it! Reonagi have their issues but I'm sure they'll be okay I hope. I'm simultaneously rooting for Ness to break up with Kaiser while also begging Kaiser to be nice to Ness for once. Kaiser and Isagi have the most homoerotic rivalries in the manga so far asjsjksjksksk Simply because Kaiser acts so fruity sometimes-

Bachira and Isagi have such a pure friendship, its a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else in Blue Lock ajddsdjsjs (Kurona and Isagi's partnership is really neat too!)

[jamietherelentless]

Aight since it's a few days later, I feel the need to type some shit.

Recovery is weird, it's both easier and harder than I thought it would be.

I was prepared for post-op depression. Didn't happen (yet, knock on wood) but I just feel weird instead. I want to feel so happy about it, but physically I am not having the bestest time ofc which makes it hard to feel the way I would like to.

Bc for the love of god, I have never been this constipated in my life. The bloating is not okay. Thankfully, there is finally some improvement (4 days post-op after having used multiple laxatives).

The itching might be worse tho, also because I know it will be bad for the next 6 weeks. I don't know how I will not go insane.

The surgery itself went really well tho, and I'm glad they have you spend a night in the hospital here (I'm Dutch btw and had the surgery at VUmc). I was so tense and anxious before, but all the hospital staff were lovely and helped me through it. After waking up I felt pretty good, just very tired and I slept a lot. The pain got worse as the sleepytired wore off. That first night, the worst pain was from the drains. I am so happy they take those out in the hospital the day after surgery, I never had to take them home or anything like that.

One thing that was pretty annoying and I haven't seen anyone else talk about was my increased heart rate. Might be uncommon, but it felt like it was racing all the time those first few days which was so exhausting. It also hasn't been easier to sleep then normally, harder even since I'm constantly uncomfortable.

Luckily I haven't had any complications, and I've already regained a lot of mobility. I am both looking forward to and scared as hell to get the stitches taken out in 3 days. Now it looks pretty neat bc it's just held together by stitches and covered with beige tape, but I am a little anxious to see what will be the actual scars. I am very happy with my choice to not keep my nipples tho, and I have 2 scars instead of 1 long one which I asked for but wasn't a given since it depends on the skin, so that's neat.

One last thing: taking little breaks from the compression binder is real nice for my skin, and wearing just a shirt made me realize I look gay as hell. I am so looking forward to experimenting with different clothes on my new body, I honestly think I will enjoy dressing a bit more feminine sometimes now that the dysphoria is just gone.

I've thought about whether or not I regret it quite a bit these last days, since recovery is not easy and I've been feeling a bit restless, but I don't think regret is the right word. I fully stand behind this decision still and would do it again, even knowing exactly how it feels now. I think I just gotta go easy on myself and not expect the anxiety around putting myself in physical pain on purpose to magically go away. The main reason I wanted this is to feel comfortable in my own body, which I can't do yet, so I just have to be patient and trust myself.

(I do be looking hella good tho)

Sure glad I got that off my chest lmfao