#also this was an afterthought on his design but he kind of looks like a poisonous/venomous creature with the rings on him

[which-qsmp-egg-would]

How did you decide on Tequilla's appearance?

Were there ideas that you wanted to keep but decided not to use?

If he attended summer camp, which cabin would he be placed in?

A lot of his design elements are based on my brother. He was originally going to be green actually! like a deep forest green. And I have no idea on the cabin, you all were chosen randomly lol

[sleepytoycollection]

In Which Moose Toys Made a Dislestia Child and I Am Amused

This isn't really a review proper, but this Magic Mixies set was brought to my attention by @sparklyaxolotlstudent after they pointed out that the "pegacorn" of this set looked like a MLP Discord fankid lmao.

So needless to say I became interested.

After just getting into MLP this year, and especially being a fan of the draconequus character Discord, I thought the idea of another toy company taking a stab at a the idea of horse/dragon creature was funny.

Granted, MLP didn't invent the horse-dragon. Qilins and longmas long predate our colorful horse friends. So it's not necessarily borrowing from MLP, but come on. When was the last time you saw one in a little girl's toy line?

The set comes with all this stuff to do the magic potion thingy. Call me lacking in whimsy, but I didn't wanna do all this shit. I just wanted the toys.

It also comes with some info about our new friends.

Moose Toys call this creature a pegacorn. Now "pegacorn" is sometimes used to describe a unicorn/pegasus. It's what MLP calls an alicorn, but there's no way this creature isn't also part eastern dragon too. It has scales. And Claws.

Let's back up a bit tho, and look at the dolls fully.

I really like the Pixlings dolls. This is actually my third one now. They're what Enchantimals could've been if they were good. I wish their shirts weren't molded on, but it's not a deal breaker if only because they're so nicely painted.

The only reason I haven't acquired more is that they have a LOT of leftover trash. The potion bottles these come in can't really be used for much else, and they're not worth donating either. So that's a LOT of plastic going to waste. Wish I could just buy the dolls without all that mess tbh.

Still a cutie of a doll.

I also appreciate they gave the pegacorn articulation! It's so rare anymore to see animal friends in doll lines that don't feel like cheap afterthoughts.

Now to address why this set, the pegacorn especially, makes me think MLP. -deep inhale-

Rainbow Star looks like a Celestia/Discord fankid.

Look at this child and her divorced parents. Tell me she doesn't look like the designer at Moose Toys ships these two.

Even the name "Rainbow Star" fits.

Hell, if her dad were Discord is would explain the nonsensical butt wings. Nonsense is kind of a given for a child of chaos. Plus Discord in the show flies with magic, and his wings are useless when he's de-powered. So placement wouldn't matter if she's using magic to fly as well.

Now I don't personally go for this ship, but it's still pretty funny. Either this was on purpose or one hell of a coincidence.

Putting MLP aside tho, I do like these little guys.

Unia could use a little bit of a restyle...

Wait a minute, if you imagine the blue replaced with purple, doesn't Unia look a little like human Princess Cadence?

Okay that's enough for today. Bye.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i don't get why Perfuma is considered good trans representation or just.. trans representation at all.

even if we put aside the fact that she's not a very interesting or well-written character, it doesn't even seem like she was written to be trans. the only reason she is considered a trans woman is because her character designer said that they intended her to be trans. and i think Nate said somewhere that he supports the headcanon. that's it.

it's basically the same as Catra being Latina (or any kind of POC, for that matter). it's not ever mentioned in canon, it just looks like it was added as an afterthought. you would only know that Perfuma was designed to be a trans woman if you were deep enough into the fandom to discover what her designer said about her.

and i get it. i want casual queer rep too, where not everything has to be verbally confirmed. a lot of trans people pass as their gender anyway, and it's not always easy to tell. it's not great to label certain features or body types as strictly feminine or masculine either.

but if that's the motive, they could have at least made Perfuma a more interesting character, so that her being trans wouldn't be one of the only notable aspects of her character.

OR they could have made any of the other characters trans - Entrapta, Scorpia, Glimmer, or Adora herself would have been good candidates. you know why? because they were actually interesting characters and not 2D vegan horoscope girl stereotypes.

a good example of a canonical trans character is Terry from TDP. he's not a main character, he is introduced as Claudia's boyfriend. he doesn't play a huge role in the narrative but despite this, he is still an interesting and fleshed out character.

for one, him being transmasc is actually canon. he talks about it to Viren, how the other elves treated him like a woman at first and how he chose his own name. and this was done in a natural way without coming off as too sudden or expository.

this serves a purpose other than informing us that he's trans. it also helps to build a connection between him and Viren, who was initially disapproving of Terry but responds to this situation with actual empathy and understanding.

Terry also has some notable moments dedicated to him despite being a side character, like when he had to kill an elf in order to protect Claudia and was plagued with guilt because of it. his relationship with Claudia is also pretty well-written and actually healthy, despite the fact that Claudia is a villain. Terry is also a decently powerful character who is actually useful to the plot.

he is also voiced by a transmasc VA, which definitely helps the case. i'm pretty sure Perfuma's VA is cis.

in short, Terry being trans doesn't seem like an afterthought or fanservice, because it was seamlessly integrated into the story and he was already an interesting character in his own right. he was only introduced in the fourth season and he's already a much better character than Perfuma, who was introduced in the first season (if i recall correctly).

[whencloudwavesbreak-if]

When Cloud Waves Break Pinned Post

LINKS: DEMO [UPDATED 30/03/2024] | COG FORUM

SUMMARY

When Cloud Waves Break is a work-in-progress murder mystery/Lovecraftian horror interactive fiction story. After returning to your hometown of Golden Gulf, your older sister is brutally murdered. The method? Poison. The location? The Twin Suns restaurant, on its reopening night. It's up to you to find her killer. But it won't be easy. Between dealing with your hostile brother-in-law, the police force interfering every step of the way, and your own memories about why you left, you're in for a rough time. And that's not even taking into account the weird dreams you've been having…

FEATURES

Play as male, female, or non-binary; straight, gay, or bisexual.

Customize your sister: choose her name, her personality, and determine your relationship with her.

Choose between four possible occupations: actor, doctor, soldier, or dilettante.

Learn more about the history of Golden Gulf, how your family ties into it, and what it has to do with your sister's murder.

And maybe stop a cult. Or join them. It's up to you.

ROMANCE OPTIONS

Officer Wyatt Pierce (M) "I've made many mistakes. But caring for you? Isn't one of them."

Description: An officer of the Golden Gulf Police Department. He also used to be your neighbour when you were kids. Time changes people though. Can you love who he is now?

Appearance: Greying hair - younger than he looks. Massive claw marks across his face, burned into the skin.

Personality: He's gruff and tired. Growing up in Golden Gulf, he learned to let many things slide. It weighs on him, made him callous. But then your sister died. Suddenly, he can't be callous anymore. Not with her dead. And especially not when you're here.

Officer Casey Young (NB) "I'll keep you safe. I promise."

Description: The officer from Augusta, sent to find and arrest the leader of the Burning Waters crime gang, Nina Wu. They don't trust many people. Maybe you can be the exception?

Appearance: Faded tattoo of a monkey on their neck; wild hair; friendly, but cautious eyes.

Personality: They are kind, with a spine of steel, and will always do the right thing. Even if everyone turns against them and they risk losing everything. Make them care for you, though, and the choice will destroy them.

Evelyn Ross (F) "You and me? It just feels too good to be true."

Description: Your brother-in-law's administration assistant. Duty and logic drives her every action. To her, love is a silly afterthought. Maybe you can change her mind?

Appearance: Petite. Lustrous, thick hair. Bright eyes. Glasses. Conventionally attractive.

Personality: Her calculating mind is her greatest strength, but also her greatest weakness. She's aware of all the possibilities stretching out before her, but also of the consequences. And it paralyzes her. But reassure her, become an anchor for her, and she'll lift you up in turn.

Jeremiah/Jessamine Callahan (M/F) "I'd forgotten what this felt like. Thank you for reminding me."

Description: The sole survivor of the wealthy Callahan family. You grew up with their spouse, Riley. They've loved and they've lost. Maybe you can help them learn to love again?

Appearance: Hair braided in cornrows; ragged and tattered clothes; an air of sadness that hangs over them like a cloud.

Personality: They aren't afraid to say what they think and have a very strong moral compass. But it can sometimes lead them to jumping to conclusions. Get them on your side though, and they'll follow you to the very end. 'Til death do you part.

Oscar/Ophelia Lovelace (M/F) "You are everything that I imagined you to be."

Description: The interior designer contracted for the reconstruction. Love wasn't enough to keep you in Golden Gulf. But maybe they can?

Appearance: Very tall and graceful; eccentric sense of style; an ever-present smile.

Personality: They project a polite and mild mannered façade. But their true personality emerges through their design work, which they are obsessively dedicated to. Catch their attention, though, and they'll never let you go.

ADDITIONAL INFO

OTHER IMPORTANT CHARACTERS:

Your Older Sister: She was many things, to many people. How did you see her? Was she self-absorbed? Naive? Arrogant? Or charming? But none of that really matters now that she's dead... Does it?

Benjamin Mullen: Your sister's husband. He's a difficult man to get along with. He also has a problem with you specifically, and isn't afraid to tell you so.

INSPIRATIONS:

Agatha Christie mystery novels, Lovecraftian horror, The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers, the TTRPGs Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition and Brindlewood Bay, and Slay the Princess by Black Tabby Games.

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

I think the best indicator of "love" is screen time and development the characters are getting. Aemond is definitely not loved, perhaps not even liked by this team. He was sidelined in s1 after Driftmark as well, the show never explored the aftermath for him, ignored his trauma, barely showed relationship with his mother etc. But in s1 Aemond was still a compelling character who stood on his own, now in s2 they write him like an afterthought, it feels like they would have left him off screen if he wasn't needed for the plot, they don't develop him, but the audience sees him occasionally so people remember he exists. His sole reason to exist is to be a worse version of Daemon who gets the same character traits except for Daemon's depth and interactions.

It really sucks and imo it also hurts Ewan as an actor, because after all the hype and PR he got, people had their expectations only to see that he was heavily sidelined for... literally everyone else. And now people are criticising Ewan's acting, but what is he supposed to do when his appearances are so short and he isn't given any meaty scenes? Like you can't seriously compare Tom and Ewan's material yet people do this and say Ewan is a bad actor. Olivia's sad eyes are constantly on screen, it's getting tiresome and repetitive, but hey, they need her to have a chance at Emmys. Same with Emma and Matt, they'd rather show Daemon walking around for 10 minutes then give Ewan an extra second. The battle of Rooks rest could have been his moment, but no, it's Fabien who gets the spotlight out of the Greens. Anime villains can't show any emotions apparently! Aemond can only appear on screen for 2 minutes per episode max. This is downright disrespectful, HBO used Aemond and Ewan for promo, tricked fans into thinking Aemond will have a prominent role, but the show treats Aemond and Ewan terribly. People on social media say they want to watch HOTD just for Aemond because he looks cool and I almost want to say it's not worth it because he is barely on screen lmao. And the writing is awful. The showrunners and HBO had an iconic character in the making but they're boring morons.

Hello!

I have to agree on the point about the complete and utter disrespect with which HBO and the writers have dealt with Aemond and Ewan this season. Actually, basically all of the characters have been subjected to the exploitative treatment and used to either push the show's agenda in a very crude, dumbed down form or to straight out bait the audience to gain more views. Olivia plays a double part of "a terrible mother"/"a victim of patriarchy" (to make Rhaenyra look better/to hammer home the "women good men bad" point) with a default "I'm about to cry" face (she even kind of joked about it herself during one of the promo interviews). Emma so far has been playing another crying/disrespected/constantly in need of saving or standing up for victim of patriarchy. Matt this season gives a master class in playing the walking collection of psychological issues (and not in a good way) - but he at least has something to actually act out. The latter also goes for Tom though Aegon has been really dumbed down - plus sometimes it feels like his main purpose in the show is to evoke pity in viewers. Phia has been amazing with what she was given but overall storywise Helaena doesn't fare that much better than last season - she is still barely a character. Fabien has been talking a lot about Criston's loyalty to Alicent (and this loyalty was shown to us in season 1) but we have yet to see the actual proof of this loyalty in season 2.

But Aemond IMO takes the cake as far as the disrespect towards the character and the actor is concerned. It really feels like HBO after introducing this character with so much potential for development (and the coolest design to boot) played by a very talented actor with a really powerful screen presence just used Aemond for increasing the show's popularity and selling merch - and after that used Ewan during the promo campaign knowing full well that a lot of people have been intrigued by him and interested in learning more about him. Is it possible that no one at HBO had been aware about the way Condal&Co treated Aemond's storyline and how heavily he was sidelined before the season was released? I don't think so.

Anyway, even if HotD has robbed Ewan of an actual opportunity to fully show his acting abilities, at least it has brought him a certain amount of fame and popularity (including interest in his previous projects). People (directors and studio execs among them) now know who he is and what kind of range he has (based off the way he has been playing Aemond and the way he played his other characters). So, after all, some good has come of it.

[glassandhamsandwich]

Hey swtd fandom..... do you guys like my world's most off model infected Muir design....

So when the first few times I watched the game get played I count not see ANYTHING because motion blur was on I think and I also just have not that great of eye sight. So because of this I made my own assumptions on what the monsters looked like based on the very little that I could see, and I thought the Muir was supposed to be like some deer spider thing because of the really spindly legs and I though the ribs or bones or whatever coming out of him were antlers... then I saw what his design really looked like and I think it's ugly... like it's really cool but I don't like how they put his head on it it looks weird.. so now he's this deer to me forever because I also just really like when humans turn into animalistic creatures... it's my fav...

Design notes + some other stuff under cut

Design notes :

He is like actually just fracking HUGE like so incredibly large

The left side of his face is basically useless because it's just kind of stuck like that and the eyes have very poor vision so they aren't really that helpful for anything

I wanted him to look like a deer with chronic wasting disease a little bit so I made him super skinny and gave him those weird bumps they get sometimes... that's also why he's drooling blood because cwd causes deers to drool sometimes (also can you tell that I forgot about the drool originally and added it in as more of an afterthought )

Him being so skinny means that he is pretty unstable and could be relatively easily knocked of balance, the weird tendrils that shoot out of their bodies is mainly what's keeping him up

Despite his shakiness, he can actually move really fast if he locks in

The white parts on him are meant to be exposed bone because I was looking at deer muscle structures while drawing him but I was NOT making it super detailed because I HATE HATE HATE drawing super complex designs...

Design without blood so it's a little easier to see:

Original design before I added the extra legs.. I just traced over it for the newer one because I was NEOT drawing all that again😭😭 (also has some of the design notes you already read written on it):

[istharoth]

In love with a 2-D Character?! Obscuary Edition!

Blurb: In which you are a character in a popular game the Tokyo debunker boys are coincidentally in love with.

Edward Hart

Granted his favourite character was not part of the selection when the game was first released, he chose Romeo's favourite character.

Why? Because he's seen one (1) fanart of you and Romeo's favourite character looked similar to you.

ABSOLUTELY LOVES YOU, you're so. You're hilarious, he absolutely gets everything you do.

Fandom-wise, he's pretty lax about everything, even in-game farming.

He cannot access the next chapter? Oh well, YouTube it is.

But he's a whale. Uses the Obscuary bar profits to pull on your banner

Gets you maxed out!!

He's the biggest fan of everything fandom. Fanfiction, videos, art, edits. Everything.

He even enjoys watching character discourse because it's amusing.

Isn't addicted to the game, just addicted to hearing your voice.

Has Rui and Lyca go to comic-cons to buy merch of you. Probably has used super-chats on your va if they stream.

He just wants to show his support

(Too much support that the va has made a specific message for him in your voice.)

Probably the biggest supporter of rps too, he enjoys all the headcanons

Rui Mizuki

Sweet sweet Rui, he doesn't usually play otome games. (he's going into this thinking it's an otome game.)

Is kinda disappointed he can't vr it out

Does not choose you as his first choice, chose the first character on screen because he accidentally pressed them

laments it after meeting you in Chapter 1! Your banners take way too long and he has horrendous luck

Your SR won't come home, it's one thing but why won't your R card come home either!? (This is me ranting. Rui come home :<)

Is the victim of many lost 50/50 + banner ending when he needed one more 10 pull for a guaranteed character.

Drinks made after you are an absolute must.

Is the kind of person who is very active in a fandom then just disappears for a while and becomes very active again.

YEAH during that activity, he's leaving kudos/comments on every fanfiction. Maybe he's even writing a few, but won't post them. They're for his own eyes + i feel he's very cautious about showing his art.

Because art essentially is a part of you, and even the drinks he creates are all carefully catered to someone's tastes. Similar to his writing and art, he's just not very keen on showing it.

Re-reads his own work though, just to giggle about it.

Lyca Colt

Omg, wait, he's a bit confused about the entire game, the rhythm game especially but he gets the hang of it.

Gets pouty when he can't do a mission, and that stops him from continuing to read the story.

But! Anyways, onto you.

Likes your design + thinks you're kinda cool.

(IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING DEVASTATED WITH WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU IN THE STORY.)

Trad fanartist Lyca? Trad fanartist Lyca.

in cons, he's seeing them in the artist lane, he's getting sales made for your future banners. (Obscuary funds are an afterthought)

Also one of the "Pulls for everyone, doesn't really care who he gets but has a few characters he will avoid pulling.)

He's the type to get jealous when someone else likes you.

You know the "Please respect mine and Gojo's space, we're married and I don't like you shipping yourself with him," (Paraphrased) YEAH, that but not exactly like that. He's just keeping the jealously inside.

Probably really chill about the game. Doesn't really read fanfiction.

He just sees Rui or Ed read some, reads one passage, likes it and draws it out.

Prev [Hotarubi] Next [Mortkranken]

[peasthedumb]

Mild gore/body horror on Hunter design

So yk when I said I was stuck between complex and simple designs. I decided to make some complex ones for funsies :3 I basically just hugely emphasised my favourite features of each scug.

With riv I wanted to focus on, yk, the aquaticness of it. Also yeh, bioluminescence.

For spears I wanted to focus on the spikes >:3 also though there should be something that screams ‘THIS CAT WAS MADE BY SUNS’ so I put his face pattern on them.

With Arti I just wanted to really really emphasise the roughness and scars and wounds of her. Also my simple design has her floofy, so I emphasised the fluff, and wanted to show the weight of it too.

For Hunter I wanted her to really look like she’s ill. Also, I’m leaning more into the more canon NSH not rlly caring all too much about Hunter, so I thought it was cool having the NSH logo scratched into her head cause…well yeah, NSH probably added it as an afterthought so when he sent messages they could see Hunter wasn’t just some wild scug, meanwhile suns was kind enough to plan ahead and just make his pattern part of spears fur markings via their genetics.

And saint…idk, just typical, elegant eldritch god-cat.i like the wispy flowy fur, and I rlly like how soft he turned out looking.

[spaceorphan18]

The Rogue and Gambit Project: A New Beginning (X-Men #1-3)

The true beginning of Rogue and Gambit's story really comes with the new and somewhat iconic era of X-Men. X-Men: The Animated Series drew its inspiration from the relaunch designs, and for someone who grew up with this era, it feels nostalgic as well as historic. Rogue looks and sounds like the character I grew up with. Gambit being crucial to the line up and no longer an afterthought feels pivotal. I feel like we've finally arrived.

And while I know this era isn't void of problems -- believe me, I know... I kind of enjoy this early Rogue and Gambit dynamic. It's fun and flirty and has a little bit of an edge to it. And the angst. So. Much. Delicious. Angst.

The funny part is... there really isn't a whole lot of it in these first few issues. Things don't really heat up until issue #4. Not only that, I'm gonna have to bring up Rogneto again... I'm so sorry, guys. Blame Chris Claremont.

Alright, let's dig in...

X-Men #1

Rogue in her now iconic new uniform -- this is going to be a standard for quite awhile. Get ready to see this pose a lot - Jim Lee, and artists after him, really like to do the whole one leg up, one fist out thing. Anyway, despite the fact that I (shockingly) don't like that much yellow on her - she's so pretty. I've always loved this era's hair.

Anyway, you want plot details you say?? This is Chris Claremont's last hurrah on his initial, epic 17 year run with the X-Men. And of course you can expect two things -- space shenanigans and coming full circle with Magneto as the villain. The crux of it is about Magneto possibly being a threat, despite the fact that he wants to be left alone, and of course, the X-Men get sucked into the drama.

X-Men #1

Gambit's redesign - which uses his initial costuming but man does he look so much better. He looks 'cool' in the way that all the X-Men look cool in this era. The dude can pull off the color fuchsia. That isn't easy to do. I do like, however, in color theory that the pinks and purples of Gambit goes well with the greens of Rogue's coloring. But more to the point - Gambit is pretty now, which is what we're all really here for. ;)

Anyway - because this is a relaunch, after our initial Magneto based prologue, we get a (re-)introduction to the entire team in one of my absolute favorite sequences of X-Men comics. The teams will eventually be divided into two groups; the Blue Team -- Cyclops, Beast, Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, Psylocke, and Jubilee and the Gold Team -- Storm, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, Forge, and Colossus, but for now, they're one happy family doing a classic danger room sequence as designed by Charles Xavier.

X-Men #1

The whole sequence is really pretty awesome, but it leads to one of my favorite comic book moments -- where Gambit just goes for it and kisses Jean. It's a fake, robot Jean, but it's a bold move. And leads to Cyclops wanting to drop a truck on him. It's such a classic moment and I love it.

X-Men #1

Our first Rogue and Gambit panel happens right after Wolverine wins the whole training sequence (because of course he does). (Also - Claremont can't quite resist and we get a final 'bang, you dead' moment.) Meanwhile, Rogue and Gambit still haven't spoken to each other - but at least they know the other one exists. Progress, right?

X-Men #1

I really need to take a moment and appreciate the fact that most of the time during this era, when Gambit isn't in his uniform, he's running around half naked.

X-Men #1

Ug, alright, let's talk about Magneto again. This whole arc is about Magneto kind of having an existential crisis (which, you know, happens when they need to reset you to villain again). And, unfortunately, we'll get a few of these moments scattered throughout these issues of Rogue trying to talk sense and reason into him due to their 'spark' in the Savage Land. I get that someone should be a reasonable voice -- especially when the rest of the X-Men are attacking the guy before any kind of provocation. But I'm still rolling my eyes that it's Rogue. Notice he calls her 'child' during this? He'll do that throughout. Eesh.

Magneto claims that he has no beef with them and offers them all safe haven on his floating asteroid base -- Asteroid M. And guess who doesn't join him? That's right - Rogue at least has enough sense to stick with the family she knows and cares about over a possible, not really fling. Btw - I hadn't mentioned it back when I was talking about the Savage Land, but there was nothing to suggest Magneto can actually touch her. (I think that might be an Age of Apocalypse thing?)

Also, in case you think any of this sounds familiar - pretty sure X-Men '97 drew heavily from this arc for their Season 1.

X-Men #1

The first time either of them mentions the other one, and it's Gambit being sassy about whether or not Rogue should be a considered a lady. I kind of love it, actually. And love that Beast is like -- oooh, you're playing with fire on that one.

X-Men #2

They're getting more on panel togetherness! Granted it's group shots and they're taking down Magneto, but I'm taking all the scraps!

X-Men #2

Alright, well as much as I'm not a fan of the Rogue/Magneto dynamic, I'm still going to be fair and talk about it. Because it is part of Rogue's development. The key thing here though is that Rogue isn't going to compromise her values and beliefs because she may feel something for Magneto. And this will continue to ring through always through the comics. Of course, how nice of Magneto to swat her away like an annoying fly. Romance for the ages, guys.

X-Men #2

More on panel time! They're really going for all the group shots these days - probably to milk sales. But I mean, Rogue and Gambit look good just standing next to each other, so who am I to complain?

So, back to the plot... Magneto is getting pissy because the world governments are seeing him as a threat. He kidnaps Moira MacTaggart and berates her and blames her for all of his issues (because, you know, she messed with his genetics after he was de-aged, in an attempt to make him /not/ a villain). It was... a whole thing don't worry about it.

Anyway, he has Moira (somehow) brainwash the Blue Team into joining Magneto's side. Because they can't otherwise be convinced. Which, oh my gosh - what's with all the brainwashing lately?? Of course, this means it's Gold Team to the rescue...

X-Men #3

I'm going to try to document every time they're on the same cover. Also, it isn't X-Men unless there's at least an X vs X brawl every other month.

X-Men #3

Another group shot with Magneto in between them?? What can this mean??? Actually, nothing, I think it's just a coincidence. But - I really like the art here.

But.. you guys! YOU GUYS! We get our first real Romy moment in this issue! Granted - they're still brainwashed! But it's another first! Here we go...

X-Men #3

So, they're all hanging out on Asteroid M, taking it easy because - apparently that's what you do when you're a brainwashed Magneto fan. I love that Cyclops is still in his full uniform while Gambit has managed to strip down to his undies. I'm sure we can all tell who is the real fun one of the group.

You know what I like about this exchange, though? Gambit was casually complementing her diving skills and Rogue is the one who decides to get flirty about it. Of course, Gambit's going to push it further - see how far she wants to really go, and that'll cause her to run -- a dynamic that we're going to see a ton of as we go through all of this early stuff.

But for all that Gambit's going to push - it's not completely unwarranted or completely out of nowhere. Yeah, he gets flirty with the ladies on principal. Yeah, he went for kissing (fake robot) Jean unprompted because he thought he could. I won't defend some of the ickier aspects of these comics.

But... I'm fascinated by the idea of - what if she could touch? Would it still be a game to him? Would she have let it continue? Would they just have had a little fling right off the bat? Are her powers what really pushes them to have a deeper relationship than what they might have had? Just all the thoughts I'm throwing out there.

I also like that, that little moment of humor, where she knocks him into the pool, is so genuine it shakes her out of her mind control.

I also like that Gambit's genuine concern for her stops his playfulness.

It's such a tease of some great stuff coming up, and I am here for it.

X-Men #3

And that's really all we get guys. The Gold Team shows up to save the day but not before some X-Men fighting amongst each other. Magneto monologues for a while. Charles tries to get him to see reason. The people of Earth try to nuke Asteroid M and everyone gets outta there while Magneto decides to go down with the proverbial ship.

X-Men #3

This is in the closing moments of the issue - and I'm putting it here because it is Rogue talking about Magneto again -- but kind of seeing reason and how their ideologies do not work. She's trying to get Xavier to see this, and it's funny that Xavier is having a very hard time trying to let his old 'friend' go. Rogue, however, is fine. Maybe there had been a small, romantic spark of being caught up in close quarters in a shared moment. But that was all it was.

There is more to a longer lasting romance than fleeting moments due to circumstances. ;)

The X-Men take off leaving Magneto and his real followers to their fates. Of course... we know that it's never the real end of Magneto. Asteroid M may blow up, but he'll be fine.

However, I'll take a moment say that it's a poetic ending. Chris Claremont closes it out with a sort of goodbye. His tenure on X-Men is now complete, and we've fully stepped into a bright, new era!

X-Men #4 is gonna bring it. Let's do it! ;)

[vasyandii]

TROUDARA FIC

Bind Safely, Fellas.

Pairing: Clopin Trouillefou × Vihaan Douangdara

Synopsis: Vihaan talks with Clopin over his reckless habits.

Word Count: 1,308 lmao

Creator Note: I originally wasn't going to finish this writing, it was a mere screenshot on one of the early TrouDara posts, but @brokenglassapplepie encouraged me to do so! So I'm publishing the whole thing :) Appreciate you Shaye!

The soft hum of Paris’s nightlife barely filters into Vihaan’s shop, a place that serves as both his office and storefront. The walls are solid stone, lined with well-organized shelves filled with rare spices, fine silks, intricate trinkets, and carefully curated oddities from his travels. The furnishings are refined—polished wood counters, a well-worn leather chair behind the counter, and a few richly decorated rugs scattered across the floor. A large oak desk stands to one side, piled with scrolls, maps, and neatly stacked coins.

It’s a place of comfort and success, a merchant’s haven, designed to look lived-in but also to impress. The smell of aged leather and incense hangs in the air, a calm, familiar mix that suggests wealth without excess.

Vihaan sits at the counter, leaning back in his chair, legs stretched out casually. He looks relaxed despite the faint hint of exhaustion in his eyes. His coat, made of fine cloth and trimmed with rich embroidery, is slightly undone, the carelessness almost an afterthought to the casual elegance he usually carries. The lamplight flickers against the fine woodwork and the stacks of goods around him, casting long, shifting shadows across the room.

Clopin’s gaze drifts briefly to the window. He notices the faint glow of lanterns outside, the streets of Paris still bustling with life, before moving toward the window. With a practiced hand, he draws the curtain a little tighter, ensuring no prying eyes can catch sight of the scene within. The space may be familiar, but there’s no room for mistakes.

“How was it this time?” His voice is tinged with a disappointment that speaks of repeated conversations, the kind of disappointment only familiarity can breed.

“Six… seven hours? I’ve lost track,” Vihaan replies absentmindedly, his words muffled by the resin of opium still in his mouth. He prefers to chew than smoke.

Leaning back in his chair, he lifts his arm, almost lazily- offering Clopin a chance to examine his ribs before the man asks, his posture loose and unbothered. The discomfort didn't quite reach him.

Clopin’s expression softens as he inspects the damage, a flicker of frustration crossing his features before he sighs. He stands quiet, as though he’s trying to avoid saying the words that linger on the tip of his tongue.

“I hope it was worth it, Monsieur.”

Vihaan looks up, raising an eyebrow at the sudden formality. “Monsieur? You never call me that.”

Clopin’s lips pressed together, his fingers brushing over the bruises with a familiar gentleness before he pulled away, his eyes narrowing just slightly. He looks at Vihaan for a long moment.

"I can't call you anything else right now."

Vihaan opened his mouth to fire back something clever, something sharp to cut through the thick tension, but the words refused to come. Instead, he stayed where he was, sitting in a heavy silence that wrapped around them like a second curtain, blocking out more than just the outside world.

Clopin didn’t push him. He stood still, hands resting on the edge of the counter, his gaze lingering on Vihaan’s faintly trembling fingers. Disappointment didn’t need words to be heard.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Vihaan broke the silence, his voice softer than before, deliberately casual. “I’ll be leaving soon.”

Clopin’s brow lifted, his disappointment melting into something more weary than wounded. “Are you trying to upset me further?”

“No,” Vihaan replied evenly, leaning back into his chair. “I’d just like to let you know.”

Clopin tilted his head, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make Vihaan squirm. “You spend more time with those snobs than you do with me. I’m practically a widower.”

The words stung, but Vihaan didn’t flinch. He met Clopin’s gaze with a faint smirk, masking the pang of guilt that clawed at his chest. “When are you leaving?” Clopin finally asked.

“Tomorrow.”

Clopin scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away, as if the answer was a personal affront. “Tomorrow?”

“I’ll be back in three weeks’ time,” Vihaan said, his tone light, almost dismissive, but his eyes darted toward Clopin’s reaction.

Clopin exhaled through his nose, his arms still crossed. He glanced at the cluttered desk, then back at Vihaan. “Three weeks. Long enough for you to forget how to find your way back here, I’m sure.”

Vihaan huffed a soft laugh. “I’ll send you a letter if I get lost.”

“You’ll send a letter,” Clopin repeated flatly. His lips curled into a wry smile as he tapped his fingers on the counter. “Oh, yes. I’m sure I’d love to receive another one of your incomprehensible scrawls. You do that on purpose, don’t you?”

“It’s not my fault you can’t read half of what I write,” Vihaan quipped, his smirk widening.

“Can’t read half of what anyone writes,” Clopin muttered, his tone light but with an edge of self-deprecation.

The shift didn’t escape Vihaan. He sat forward, resting his elbows on the counter as his teasing softened. “I’ll make sure it’s something short. Just for you.”

“Something short?” Clopin raised an eyebrow. “What, like: ‘Still alive. Not dead.’?”

Vihaan chuckled, leaning his chin on his hand. “Exactly. Brevity is a virtue, after all.”

“I suppose I should consider myself lucky you even bothered to tell me.” Clopin replies, putting an exasperated hand on his forehead, as if he was going to swoon.

Vihaan’s smirk flickered, replaced by something softer, though he didn’t let it linger. “You’d find out anyway. I wouldn’t get far without your nosy little network sniffing me out.”

Clopin huffed a laugh, straightening. “I’d let you get as far as Lyon before I sent someone after you. Keep you guessing.” He moved toward the desk, where a clutter of scrolls and maps threatened to spill onto the floor. “Speaking of your comings and goings, what route are you taking this time?”

“North, through Champagne, then east.” Vihaan stood, brushing off his coat, though the exhaustion in his movements was hard to miss. “The usual, though I might stop by Beauvais if the weather holds.”

Clopin picked up a rolled map, squinting at it before grumbling under his breath and setting it down. “You’ve got ink stains on half of these. How do you even know where you’re going?”

“I remember,” Vihaan said with mock superiority, plucking a map from the pile and sliding it neatly into his satchel. “But if you’re volunteering to play secretary—”

“Ha!” Clopin cut him off. “I’d sooner teach a goose to juggle. Besides, I’m not the one who gets lost in his own city.”

Vihaan chuckled, the sound warm and low. “Not true, and you know it.”

Clopin didn’t reply right away, his fingers fidgeting with the worn fabric of his shirt. After a moment, he sighed and gestured at the shelves around them. “You’ll at least leave me something good, yes? A little trinket to remember you by while you’re off gallivanting with your silk-stocking clientele.”

Vihaan tilted his head, pretending to think. “A trinket? You have half my shop already. What more could you possibly need?”

Clopin smirked and leaned across the counter, close enough for Vihaan to catch the faint smell of opium and the lingering scent of the city on him. “Surprise me.”

“Always,” Vihaan murmured, his smile softening.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, the quiet between them comfortable.

Clopin hesitated, his fingers brushing the edge of the desk. “You’ll need warmer clothes if you’re heading north. It’ll snow.”

Vihaan tilted his head, half-amused. “Are you offering to lend me something?”

“Not unless you want to freeze in one of my shirts,” Clopin deadpanned. “But I might lend you a... decent enough coat—assuming you don’t leave at sunrise and forget to stop by.”

Vihaan smiled faintly, his usual sharpness dulled by a rare tenderness. “I’ll stop by.”

“You’d better.”

[icrawledoutfromtheabyss]

Part 3, done with all the playable slugcats!! If the image quality is bad it's tumblr's fault (I think), click for a better look and that should be fixed Also, I learned how to cut posts and about line weight use in art. Gave Inv and Saint fur details, hopefully it looks okay Design rant below cut + Saint spoilers + minor Gourmand spoilers

For Saint, I debated giving him red-themed clothes to match Rubicon but I liked blue better. His patterns symbolize his echohood (I imagine they glow up or something when he uses his ascension ability), and the patterns on the side of his poncho are suppose to look a bit like the distortion effect before diving into the void sea. Some of his beads are colored to be like his ascension eyes, and if you look quite closely (it's probably not visible) I colored some of his wrist beads after the Void Worm's colors (darkened). He has no claws (plus he's too weak to throw a spear canonically, so it goes hand-in-hand) and his feet are covered for additional cold protection. For Gourmand, I gave him the chieftain symbol on his shirt, and several symbols on his flap thing. They go in descending order of priority of who he is- first the chieftain, the guardian of his tribe, then a father, then the one who scout out a migration path, then an enjoyer of the culinary. His pouches were originally supposed to be side flaps but they looked weird- worked out, though, since it could explain his item pulling mechanic in anthro terms (assuming it wasn't just slugpups telling tall tales, according to that one theory). Also! I headcanon him to be Survivor and Monk's grandfather, so I gave him some colors reminiscent of them; his gold splashes, while referencing Monk, also were supposed to resemble honey, because he enjoys food and such. His necklace is made out of random, ordinary trinkets that slugpups gifted him (kind of like dyed noodle necklaces kids make for parents). For Inv, I gave him the human eyes, because he's a freak of nature (affectionate). I actually haven't played his campaign or the dating sim yet, planning to do that after I finish my Artificer ascension campaign. The ring on his finger (may be hard to see) is supposed to represent an engagement/wedding ring for himself, and the one as a necklace the one he keeps for a potential lover (he is so lonely). If it looks weird it was kind of added as an afterthought, so uh yeah.

[sepdet]

Candidates' Different Views on Labor Day

Their contrasting social media posts, with bonus federal law violation and (I think?) AI generated fake workers from Trump, are illuminating:

Contrast that with Trump and Musk joking about firing striking workers a few weeks ago:

Under Biden, Harris chaired Biden's pro-labor task force assigned to "promote [Biden's] policy for worker power, worker organizing, and collective bargaining." Here is the plan they created with specific proposals.

As I've noted, my intro to Harris was at a 2017 rally for the ACA organized by SEIU Local 721. As VP, she's done a lot of union outreach, like this speech celebrating collective bargaining to honor the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas.

---

Meanwhile, Trump's Labor Day email to his followers is a shill for illegal merch:

US Public Law 94-344, the Federal Flag Code: "Out of respect for the US flag, never

place anything on the flag, including letters, insignia, or designs of any kind. [...]

Use the flag for advertising or promotional purposes."

The Flag Code was a big deal in the 80s, Trump's favorite decade. Congress passed a law with a big fine and/or jail time for knowingly violating it. The Supreme Court rightly struck down those penalties as a violation of free speech, but the code remains.

Trump followed this email with Labor Day posts on his social media platform:

Happy Labor Day to all of our American Workers who represent the Shining Example of Hard Work and Ingenuity. Under Comrade Kamala Harris, all Americans are suffering during this Holiday weekend - High Gas Prices, Transportation Costs are up, and Grocery Prices are through the roof. We can’t keep living under this weak and failed “Leadership.”….

Workers an afterthought. Every time he calls Kamala "Comrade," I remember Russian news btoadcasts calling him "Comrade Trump."

….In my First Term, we achieved Major Successes to protect American Workers by negotiating Free and Fair Trade Deals, passing the USMCA (U.S./Mexico/Canada), and giving Businesses and their Workers the tools to thrive. We also invested heavily in Education and Job Training programs for those who wish to expand upon their abilities, and be successful in an Industry that they love. We were an Economic Powerhouse, all because of the American Worker! But Kamala and Biden have undone all of that. When I return to the White House, we will continue upon our Successes by creating an Environment that ensures ALL Workers, and Businesses, have the opportunity to prosper and achieve their American Dream. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Dismantling Obama's trade deals and putting in his own which raised tarriffs and prices and killed supply chains, making shit up, and taking credit for Biden's job training programs, par for the course. Labor Day? All about ME ME ME.

Someone on the Trump campaign realized that he probably needed a picture of himself with workers, since Kamala had posted one shaking hands with them.

However, there's something off about this image posted to his social media site at 5PM:

The suit and tie are so unnaturally smooth, I did a reverse image search to see if it was a real photo. Zero Results. What are the chances? Any photo like this should already be on the web. And there's what look to be AI artifacts (Eg guy on left missing half of vest, fragments of orange stripes).

TL;DR: I don't think he found a group of workers or cosplayers to loom in front of; I think he's embraced the AI generated crowds he falsely accused Harris of using.

[one-vivid-judgment]

Hi hi! Finding out that their s/o works at a maid cafe, and out of curiosity visiting it. With Nanba, Tomi and Eiji please <3 Thanks!

Posting an older request tonight! Not posting requests chronologically do be like this sometimes, but in any case!

Yu Nanba

Honestly, you are not too sure how he’s going to react. You’re sure he wouldn’t get mad, but it would still be kind of awkward to go up to him and say “Hey, so I work at a maid cafe! Wanna drop by one of these days?” It’s mostly because you know Nanba and you’re not sure if that would be his type of environment that you kept it quiet for so long.

But alas, of course you two went for drinks one day and you had one too many and spilled the beans. And honestly? It wasn’t even that awkward—or maybe you were just too plastered to remember. In any case, Nanba just kind of... “oh, cool”-ed you. It was definitely the alcohol that had his ears red, definitely not the thought of you in a maid dress.

Okay, fine, maybe it was the thought of you in a maid dress. And of course Saeko got him to spill the beans when she saw him spacing out, and of course she found out where you work and brought Nanba with her. And maybe Adachi and Ichi also tagged along. Nanba is not really mad though, he’s got to admit he was kind of curious—and not just about the dress! You didn’t have to make a show out of drawing his name and a heart with ketchup on his omurice though. It was cute as hell, sure, but think about all the teasing the poor man will have to endure from Saeko, Adachi and Ichiban!

Eric Tomizawa

Chill as fuck when you tell him. “Oh, cool” yet again, but he does get curious about how it all works and starts asking questions sooner rather than later. Is it allowed to ask the girls for their numbers? Oh, it’s not? Damn. Hey, is there alcohol in the menu? Oh no, no reason, just wanted to know! Honestly, he’s not slick at all. Please, ask him straight up if he wants to come by one day, put an end to this torture, he’s very uncool.

Sure, he’s picked up clients at maid cafes before, but it’s never been the sort of scene he was drawn to. Way too cutesy—the food looks damn adorable and he’s got nothing against the cute girls, but if he has to pick, he’d rather go to a bar. The kind who doesn’t want to touch the food because it looks too cute to eat, really.

If someone asks if he gets giggly like a fucking teenager when he sees you making hearts and other cutesy gestures at the clients (but specially at him, of course), he will deny it, obviously. Again, he’s not slick. He’s very uncool, actually. You can tell he’s internally screaming. Honestly, the dress and the thigh highs and the cat ears are an afterthought, it’s the cute gestures that get him.

Eiji Mitamura

You can tell it’s not something he’s thrilled about. Probably, he thinks about all the men that must be asking for your number every day, ogling you, maybe even trying to touch you. Yeah, he doesn’t like that. He would very much like seeing you on that dress though—he came up with the new Tatara design, he 100% likes it hot.

How he found out where you work, you don’t know. He just drops by one day with the biggest smile on his face and charms his way inside. Your coworkers love him, but he only ever wants you to serve his table. He orders a lot to make sure you spend as much time as possible with him. He’s not shy about it, either.

If any other guy dares get flirty or handsy with you, he’s calling you over just to be petty. “Sorry, she’s busy. Go ask for someone else,” or something along those lines, he’ll say with the most infuriating, shit-eating grin. He can get plenty handsy himself after that. That maid dress is gonna see a lot.

[animebw]

Thinking back on it, I'm realizing there aren't many straightforward idol anime I actually like. Like, Zombieland Saga is lots of fun, but the idol stuff is consistently the weakest part of it and I always feel myself tuning out whenever that's the focus. I guess I liked Heroines Run the Show before it went to shit in the back half? Does Ya Boi Kongming count? Symphogear, technically? Maybe Hanayamata? I dunno, I feel like all those shows have asterisks that keep them from being straightforward idol-y enough to qualify. Meanwhile, by far the most traditional idol show I've watched so far has been Shine Post, and hoooooooo boy did I end up hating that one.

I think the problem is, as I grow increasingly cynical and jaded in my old, withered age of 25 years old, the overwhelming positivity that defines the idol genre starts to feel forced and cloying. It's easy enough for "believe in yourself and try your best" to work as an overall theme if you're sincere enough to pull it off. But the second that theme becomes an obligation or an afterthought, it can very quickly turn a show into the most suffocating, shrink-wrapped piece of sanitized goop imaginable. It becomes a way for a story to avoid being about anything, spouting generic platitudes and cynically designed cuteness with all its edges sanded down and dull. When I look at the weaker idol anime I've watched, I don't see stories that come by their earnestness, well, earnestly. I see coldly calculated, market-tested corporate branding exercises that say nothing, express nothing, and don't dare step a single toe out of line. A plastic smile plastered across an empty styrofoam mannequin, babying its audience with lazy, simplified moralizing because it doesn't think they're capable of anything more complex than Teletubbies, and god forbid we lose a single audience member trying to actually make an artistic statement.

But that's the thing about Juuki Hanada as a writer.

When this man wants to get messy?

He gets fucking messy.

So much of what makes Hanada's writing so powerful, in comedy and drama alike, is how well he's able to let the reins go of his characters and let them crash into each other. Snappy one-liners and comebacks battling for dominance, chaotic personalities setting off fireworks of all kinds through their interactions, but also raw, ugly emotional confrontations that don't sugarcoat anything out of fear his audience isn't mature enough to handle it. Not all of his stuff is a masterpiece- I could spend hours talking about how badly Kyoukai no Kanata's plot falls apart in the second half, Steins;Gate gets more and more exhausting the more I think about it- but even his weakest works carry the unmistakable passion of a writer holding nothing back. And when he's firing on all cylinders? You might just end up with the single greatest coming-of-age tale this medium has ever produced.

And it turns out, that sensibility is exactly what a show like Love Live needs to succeed. Because even the most optimistic, inspirational story imaginable needs that edge to temper itself against. The sheer chaos of its lovable cast bouncing off each other isn't just what makes the comedy work so well, it's what lets these dramatic moments sting the way they need to. Because it's only in recognizing these harsher moments- failure, frustration, despair- that its triumphs are able to be so meaningful. I care about Muse because I've seen what it looks like when they fall short, and I care about Honoka because this show lets me see her at her lowest, at her most human and vulnerable. These characters aren't just plastic simulations of cute girls selling a fantasy; they feel like a real friend group, messy and anarchic and free. Free to express themselves with the full palette of the human experience, even the parts most of us would rather pretend didn't exist. And it makes their successes matter in a way they wouldn't if we didn't have that grounding in the unbearable chaos of being.

Love Live is not a deconstruction, or a subversion, or a dark parody or anything so gauche. It's nothing more of less than a straightforward, inspirational idol show. But it's a straightforward, inspirational idol show that knows it doesn't have to sacrifice its raw humanity to shine with the brightest stars in the sky. And that, folks, makes all the difference in the world.

[cagedchoices]

The dash has been in a fairly spicy mood this weekend, and I feel that but I'm really more in the mood where I just wanna be soft and affectionate about my ships for a minute, so I thought I would share some of Caleb's favorite things about his partners. Under the cut because I don't shut up ever lmao

@killjoysanonymous — MAEVE MILLAY

He loves how sharp-witted Maeve is and her sense of humor which typically falls on the dry, sarcastic, and sometimes a bit morbid side. Caleb doesn't get to joke around a ton as he takes things so seriously most of the time, but when he does get to joke, it's usually very similar so their humor pairs well together.

He admires her motherly, nurturing side—the part of her that will do anything for the ones she loves, and her resilience as a survivor who has to do exactly that just for an un-guaranteed chance to one day be reunited with her daughter.

He loves her looks, which...yes I know as a host she's designed to look hot because she's built specifically to gratify human desires, but you'd be amazed how quickly all of that becomes an afterthought to Caleb when he spends time around her and doesn't overthink it. And anyways we have AUs where Maeve is human and equally as hot so really. It doesn't matter. His favorite features of hers in particular are her smile, her eyes, her hands, and her voice. He really likes saying her name out loud too.

Caleb genuinely just loves spending time with her. It doesn't matter what they're doing or where they are, he just wants to be there with Maeve.

@timerevolt — LULU WARREN

The first thing that ever came to mind was her looks! I think because the first time we decided to ship together all started with Caleb and Lulu matching on Tinder. Lulu's photos had such a dreamy vibe surrounding them that he was drawn to the idea of who she might be. But even in AUs where they meet in-person first, he's just taken with how pretty she is.

Her positivity and optimism. Despite being through some fucked up, traumatic things in her life and carrying a dark side that she knows she can trust Caleb with, Lulu strives to spread kindness and happiness to others by maintaining a cheerful outlook on life.

Her free-spiritedness. Lulu likes to keep things light and she doesn't really let labels or status define who she is or what she's capable of. Caleb adores this about her, but it's also kind of the main factor that prevents him from telling Lulu he's in love with her sometimes, because he worries she won't be happy if she ends up tied down in a relationship with him. It comes as a real shock to Caleb when Lulu willingly chooses to leave her old gig as a circus performer or a burlesque dancer just to move in with him and expresses the desire to adopt a dog, get married and have babies with him because as it turns out, she is happy in a relationship.

Her baking/cooking skills. I think rarely a day goes by where Lulu isn't making something good to eat. Whether it's born out of pure joy for the love of the hobby or done as stress relief to take her mind off of trouble, she's usually there with a fresh plate of brookies to brighten anyone's day.

Her resourcefulness. Okay, so the fact that she often combs through garbage cans and dumpsters looking for things to repurpose is an aspect of it that does gross Caleb out a bit, but just look at how happy Lulu gets whenever she finds something she wouldn't have without scavenging. Occasionally they probably do have a stern moment of Caleb going "Babe, I can buy you some of these things. You don't have to go dumpster diving." and Lulu "But baby it's free this way—" but overall, he thinks the idea of Lulu taking something someone else threw away and fixing it or making it into something new that she can use is actually very romantic.

@walkswastes — OPHELIA

These two are pretty new and just starting to figure each other out, and I feel like there's some things that feel similar to Lulu—free spirit, optimism— but the very first thing that really struck Caleb about Ophelia is the way she pushes his boundaries a little further than he'd normally go with them! She's very flirty and forward, and sometimes he doesn't really know what to do with that so he just locks up. But so far with her he's been a bit braver and more confident than he normally is.

[summersmithlatinxgyatt]

Childrick of Mort has got to be one of the worst episodes of Rick and Morty, solely because of the choppy character writing. This level of writing rarely appears, with the only example of this inconsistency I can think of being ‘Vindicators 3’ (sorry to any fans of that episode) It seems like to get Rick and Beth development (and even Jerry development), we had to give up any semblance of Summer and Morty’s character

Summer HAS been cynical to Jerry before, but she is so cynical for no reason in this episode. Meanwhile, Morty is reduced to a spineless child who only cares about gaming

A few notes I can give this episode

I actually didn’t mind Jerry. I’m not the type to completely hate him, but the problem is how they have to alter everyone else’s character

Beth squealing was also a cute note

The design of the little Rick and Gaia kids was also something small I liked

Overall, I did like Beth and Rick in this episode, but the pacing of this whole episode was extremely quick for my liking. Plus, I liked how they acted more in the first half. The second half feels so discordant and all over the place

The fight Rick has with…a literal god, isn’t that bad. I actually liked that they cut the music, made it feel more awkward in a good way

I will not just talk about Summer in this episode because they butchered Morty in this episode. Summer’s love for drugs and getting high is something I mentioned once, because they actually hinted at it in ‘Pickle Rick’. Any hate for her family is not connected to getting high, it’s something she merely wants to explore. As a result, basing herself around wanting to get drugs misses the whole point, especially when she goes off on Jerry because of it

The fact Morty can’t simply reverse-engineer the ship or Summer didn’t help other than getting high was so…out of character. They’re actually smart characters who could stand there own when it comes to these kinds of situations. While Morty knows about these space adventures, Summer is perfect for surviving apocalyptic or similar events. That’s why she’s consistently good at them. Furthermore, these situations need her to be there for her family. Completely tearing apart other people does nothing for her or their survival

The only times that Summer also goes wild on Jerry is when he’s directly using her love for the family as a manipulation tactic. You can argue that Jerry did it here to make himself feel important, but this is a passive and consistent part of his character. This is unlike ‘Look Who’s Purging Now’, where he specifically uses memories from her childhood to make her give him money.

The dialog is so on the nose that it’s counter-intuitive. If they just wanted Morty and Summer to be an afterthought, it really shows. Why bother at all when they both blurt out “Wow gaming/drugs are fun” or “This reminds me of my game/bong”.

Oh, and they just HAD to throw in one incest joke (two but I’m referring to one that Summer tells Morty). I was hoping I could call this the worst episode that doesn’t involve incest (because wow we have several to choose from), but since it’s not a plot theme, I might give it the title

Morty also seemed so meek and spineless, the way he also just wants to play games. Considering this is season 4, this feels like a trait that shouldn’t have popped up once more. At least with Summer we get hints that she loves smoking (Tricia’s bong ooo her future wife’s bong ooo) but again, it never gets in the way of family or is BECAUSE she hates her family. She doesn’t! That’s one thing the show keeps getting wrong when they write Summer. She loves her family because she’s the one who has to keep it together after nearly losing them from something she thought was HER fault (now that I think about it, that’s probably a trait that parallels Rick). She was just so pissy and quick to give up or give in, too. Where’s that version of Summer who’s tough as hell and wants to make sure everything goes right?

If this were more accurate, she would’ve reprise a role similar to GoTron, wherein she’d help out with building the city. Instead, that role goes to Beth. Morty also didn’t have any real traits. He’s just spouting science jargon sometimes which contradicts how he ends up acting

While writing this I also realized that Jerry consistently thrives in environments removed from usual societal norms or any structure. Curiously, he shares this with his dismantling apocalyptic daughter!

All in all, this episode is heavily weighed down by how they butcher Summer and Morty. It may not be the worst episode of the show, but it’s in my top fives. Quickly, my list for the worst in no particular order so far:

-Childrick of Mort

-Vindicators 3 (fucking awful pacing, basic character dynamics and conflict, some of the worst dialog ever written for Rick)

-Final DeSmithation (you know why.)

-Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri (the second worst cold opening besides Rickdependence Spray, this episode felt pretty pointless and forgettable. This is the one episode whose season I cannot remember every time)

-Rickdependence Spray (you know why.)