#at some point on the way to the launchpad

[ophernelia]

hi opie how're you? hope everything's going well! i wanted to ask if you would ever be open to making a g-shade presets for commission. i love the way your presets look and would def pay for one.

Hey! I don’t use g-shade, I only use reshade. However, absolutely not. There’s no reason you guys should be paying ANYONE for reshade/g-shade presets PERIOD. They’re so incredibly easy to make and I think it’s greedy as shit for people to have them behind paywalls. Like full stop. It’s just a matter of clicking some effects and adjusting some levels. And not a single one of them is groundbreaking enough to constitute payment for it. I want you to make your own and I’ll help you do it. 90% of the stuff is just a matter of preference. You adjust the levels to whatever you like or what your PC can handle. Play with EVERYTHING. Click every shader and see what it does. Play with the levels on it. And just google anything you’re not sure of. “What reshade shader should I use to brighten up my screen?” They’d tell you levels, dpx, whatever. Point is to just research everything you’re curious about.

! I use the Sunblind mod, Out of the Dark by Lotharihoe, and Northern Siberia Winds Better in game lighting. EA’s base coloring is very dull, dark and blue. So I use these mods to fix that. I also primarily use paid shaders, i.e. Marty’s iMMERSE shaders. Additionally I've edited my graphics file. You can find a pre-made one here.

ANNND ANOTHER THING! LOAD ORDER MATTERS!

If you're using Marty's shaders, then the launchpad goes at the very top. MXAO shaders come next. Then adaptive fog. After that I have RTGI and Relight. I also put SSR quint here too if I'm using it. DOF shaders come next and then SMAA and/or FXAA come after that. Coloring and contrast effects come after FXAA/SMAA. Bloom effects and ambient lighting should go last.

1. Foundation [SMAA, FXAA, CLARITY, + SHARPENING]

There’s a few effects that I use for every single reshade preset. It’s the bare bones of all of them. That’s SMAA, sharpness, and FXAA. Those help with edge smoothing and clarity. From what I remember the shaders for both reshade and g-shade are relatively similar, so just try to find the corresponding one. I use both SMAA and FXAA. Might be overkill but I don’t care. You can use one or the other. They’re meant to smooth edges so they’re less jagged. I usually lower the threshold to 0.05, but my pc is pretty good. I’d recommend starting at 0.02. That goes for both SMAA and FXAA. For clarity, I just pop the clarity effect on. I don’t change anything because it looks fine to me as is. Change it if you want to though. For sharpening, I typically use CAS.fx to sharpen. Adjust the number to your liking. I usually only add a little sharpness. If I need more I add it later when I’m editing.

2. Depth [MXAO, DOF, ADAPTIVE FOG]

I usually use two different mxao shaders. The base mxao and quint_mxao. MXAO is meant for ambient occlusion and indirect lighting. I adjust my settings to my liking, but I always follow pictureamoebae’s guide as a starting point. As far as DOF, I use ADOF and cinematic dof. Sometimes together, but typically just one at a time. The only settings I usually change for ADOF is the bokeh. Bokeh is just the way the lense renders out of focus light. Increasing the bokeh will make those light points brighter. I avoid using it during day light shots because I don’t like how it looks. I typically only use it for shots at night. You can adjust the blurriness of the shader by adjusting the f-stop. The default is about 2.8. I usually keep it there or a little bit lower. I don’t like my background too blurred. For reshade you adjust it by changing the values for the near and far blur curve. You can try out Pxl's settings here. For Adaptive fog I use the default settings. Sometimes I might change the color or intensity, but I tend to not use it too often. Below are my exact MXAO settings.

3. Brightness & Coloring [DPX, Levels, & Selective Color]

Again, there’s no set levels I use or recommend. I change things up constantly. I use lighting mods, so the coloring of the game is already to my liking with that. At most I’ll slap on some DPX to brighten the screen if I feel it’s too dark. All I adjust is the intensity of the effect. Using the levels shader, I usually play around with the black point. It adds more contrast when I make it a bit darker. I like that. You may not. Adjust it to your liking. I use PD80’s selective color for most of the color grading I do in game. I don’t change much. Most times I just lower the saturation of the greens in the game and make them a bit more yellow. I like yellowish-green colors. You might not. Again, change it to whatever you like. Just play with the levels. If you don’t like them just reset the effect.

4. Lighting [RTGI, RELIGHT, ARCANE BLOOM]

I'm still new to using RTGI, but it's used for raytracing. That helps to add realistic shadows to the scene. The shader I use is paid, but you should get it. If you'd be willing to pay me for a commission, then pay the like $5 and pick up this shader. It's a part of the iMMERSE shader set I mentioned earlier. Now, my settings aren't great and I need to play with them more but this is how it looks. It may be too heavy for your pc. It will lower your fps so be mindful of that. I only use it when I film and take screenshots.

Relight is also a paid shader from the same pack. I can't offer any help with that. All of my settings are the same. I just adjust the light colors, position, and intensity depending on the scene. That shader set includes a newer version of relight and I prefer that one. I also use arcane bloom. I only use it to add a bloom effect around light sources, so like a lit lamp or a street light. Here's my settings.

This was long, but that's it. None of this is hard or complex. It's all just a matter of playing around with the settings. And searching for help whenever you need it. You can always download a preset you like and just tweak that to your liking for personal use. You don't even have to start from scratch if you don't want to. Just don't be afraid to hop in and play with the settings. Nothing is permanent. You can always start over if things get wonky along the way.

[artbyblastweave]

I've seen your capeshit posts thinking about The Boys, Worm, Invincible, the Big Two and their media landscape, etc. and I've enjoyed them a lot. You've got a good understanding of the creative and fandom forces surrounding the superhero genre. The one burning question that has sat at the back of my mind since I read Worm back in 2018, which I think you might have an interesting answer to, is simply this: IS an adaptation of that serial possible? Like in any practical sense? And would a mass-market Worm adaptation, however compromised by the adaptation process, have a positive or even significant at all impact on the genre going forward, and the way it's perceived both by hardcore fans and the average consumer?

People (including Wildbow himself at one point) have bounced around ideas for how you'd execute a tv adaptation of Worm, so I certainly don't think it's conceptually impossible. It would definitely be hard, because you'd be kneecapped by the absurdly short runtimes of modern tv seasons and the long turnaround time between seasons. Worm also has a wealth of detail and scene staging complexity that would be really hard to reproduce in a visual medium where someone has to either dress up as or animate all those bastards. And as the third kick in the teeth, I've mentioned before that there are ways in which I think Worm is in conversation with the superhero genre and fandom as it existed in 2011- the MCU cape boom has really heavily altered the space. Reference how The Boys (comic) was really specifically swinging a bat at the post-crisis comic book fandom, but the much tighter and more critically successful and broadly appealing Tv show is swinging at the MCU and DCEU.

But something I think Worm still has going for it over basically every other cape thing is its status as a worldbuilding project. Even if you don't understand every single comics element that it's riffing on, it's a story that, despite having a single definitive protagonist, does a really good job of having the setting be a character in the world and not just a bare-bones launchpad for that single protagonist. If the adaptation could really strongly integrate the setting-specific ways in which there have been, like, procedural reactions to the existence of capes, cultural reactions- really capture the sense of accumulating entropy that characterizes the tone of the setting, the sense of everyone being caught up in dynamics too big for any individual to control, the sense that all of this is in some way adding up- it would be doing something that's really just really not currently covered by any cape adaptation that's gotten big. And tonally, this would pan out (in fact does pan out) as something unique as well, because the fact that there's this entire setting out there constantly disintegrating under its own weight juxtaposes really well with how Taylor is constantly fighting like a maniac to sandbag her own little corner of purgatory. I really can't think of another superhero work that strikes that balance! And it's a balance you can't strike unless you're able to convincingly render that disintegrating world.

[dokidokitsuna]

“Some of us…will always be alone”

Skipping forward a bit in this re-concept, just because I can~ (loooong post ahead)

So one of the many things I found underwhelming about Return of the Mammalians is the lack of villainous impact Mr. Grizz has on his own story.

For starters, he’s straight up absent from 80% of it. =/ Just a vaguely threatening disembodied voice that does weak comedy bits with Cap’n Cuttlefish from time to time…and that’s basically it until we face him in the final battle.

The worst thing he’s responsible for in the story (as in, a successful act we have to contend with, rather than a work-in-progress that we interrupt) is dehydrating Cuttlefish…which is very temporary and played for laughs immediately afterwards. We don’t even get the opportunity to engage with this “tragedy” by actively rescuing the Cap’n in gameplay, we just suddenly find his body during a cutscene.

Compare this to Commander Tartar manipulating the player and lying directly to their face throughout the game, attempting to kill the player during the reveal of its treachery in one of the most memorable scenes of the entire series, brainwashing a former protagonist into fighting the player, and then attempting to destroy an entire city while quietly confessing that it murdered thousands of victims just to get to this point.

I’ll let you guess which one of these antagonists feels like a genuine threat, and which one just feels like a disappointment. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, I don’t mind Mr. Grizz being less violent and deranged than Commander Tartar…the two have different personalities and slightly different goals, and anyway a body count isn’t really necessary to be a convincing villain. But I DO mind him being so totally uninvolved, despite being a character that we already knew and interacted with beforehand. Like, at the very least…talk to the player. o_O Care about the player. Do something to interfere with the player sometime before the last minute! The fact that Grizz just doesn’t give a damn about our existence for most of the campaign is baffling from a writer’s standpoint, and heartbreaking from a Grizz-fan’s standpoint. ;_; Notice me, Kuma-san!!

…Anyway, there’s a million ways to remedy this, because it’s such a simple and obvious problem that really shouldn’t exist. ^^; And the one I chose for #re_rise (besides having Grizz haunt the game like an ever-present specter, as explained here) is one of my old tried-and-true favorites: using the villain to parallel the protagonist.

Basically, both characters are lonely at heart. Agent 3 left home for the Splatlands in search of a “fresh beginning”, after spending most of their life feeling like they never fit in anywhere. Throughout the story, we get subtle clues that what they want most is belonging and friendship…which they’re clearly discovering through their interactions with Deep Cut and Smallfry, although it’s not until the climax of the final battle that they can truly believe in it and accept it.

And of course, Mr. Grizz lost his home and entire civilization, and even in the midst of a thriving new one (that he actively engages with through his corporation…!) he’s apparently such a massive bigot that he doesn’t consider it worthy of his company. ^^; Fish-people do not count to him, thus his loneliness is self-inflicted and intensified. He believes his only recourse is to transform the world back into something he can accept.

These parallels, plus the desire-manifesting powers of Alterna’s crystals (discussed in this post) eventually brings the two characters to an understanding of sorts. Without having to exchange words, they can see and consider the similarities of their innermost feelings.

This doesn’t have much of an effect on Grizz, outside of something he might muse about while Agent 3 ascends the launchpad (and maybe quietly internalize as proof that fish-people have feelings too, just to give his last-second change of heart at least one leg to stand on). But it weighs heavily on Agent 3, especially since they’re being physically changed by their adventure in a way that makes these parallels even more relevant…yes, I’m finally gonna talk about what I actually drew. ^^

My idea was that spending too much time around Fuzzy Ooze will affect you even if you don’t touch it (i.e. through splashes/aerosols), just to a lesser degree. And since Agent 3 was the first to actually enter the underground lab spaces and spends more time fighting there than anyone else, they’ve had an unprecedented amount of secondhand exposure to it.

Through O.R.C.A.’s files, they can understand why this mild fuzzification is happening to them, and that it may not be reversible, although they press on anyway (I’d like to imply that they’re willing to ignore it to impress Deep Cut~). But Grizz’s offhand comments make them realize that they may be unintentionally setting themselves up to be cast aside again, slowly turning into a repulsive mutant monster that no one will want to be around. The only one of their kind in the world, just like a certain Ursine Anomaly…and if they succeed in stopping Grizz’s plan, that’s all they’ll ever be. 

…On the other hand, if they were to sit back and let him fuzzify the world, then…no, they couldn’t do that. They…wouldn’t…

[rettrogue]

The agony of being able to go through an entire tumblr tag from start to finish.... ANYWAY. we're back with more food for the hat trick niche ft. rare JigZeni pachislot (zeni acknowledges jigen for 0.1 seconds and jigen forgot he was there even tho he's driving)

One thing I like about rarepairs is the flexibility. They're a headcanon/hypothetical breeding ground of potential without having to sacrifice too much of the character's integrity, because they rarely ever talk/barely have a relationship to launchpad off of! yaay :'D

So let's talk about how! Five how's, actually. Might've gotten a bit carried away with this one.

As with anything involving these two, somehow, some way, it always circles right back around to Lupin. It kind of has to, given their shared obsession and/or dedication with the guy. But that can split up into all sorts of scenarios, with some equally varied results (and some exceptions!)

~ Getting together in spite of Lupin

In which Lupin's basically that "I messed up so bad that I turned my girl date gay/my guy date straight" joke but everyone's still queer and it's just his partner hooking up with his rival because of how much he's been frustrating them both lately (and oops the proxy hate sex turns out to be really good) INHALES. Does that even make any sense.

I'm sorry but Lupin fumbling the ball is just so funny to me. It is a bit deeper than that, obviously, and this'd have some weird love triangle logistics because Jigen and Zenigata are still hopelessly in love with Lupin, in their own ways. But dipping into that is always complicated and messy-- JUST HOW WE LIKE IT.

This one definitely has the most jealousy on all fronts. For me, there's always this little asterisk on the JigLup/LuZeni pairings because someone's getting left out. Tell me Zenigata's chest wouldn't ache every time he watches Lupin and Jigen escape, an arm slung over the other's shoulder, cheek to cheek, laughs fading off into the cold, lonely night. Tell me Jigen wouldn't hate waiting in the Fiat for Lupin to lose his dogged hunter, mind wandering as to why he's taking so damn long. He grits his jaw when Lupin finally saunters up, victoriously spinning yet another pair of handcuffs on his pointer finger.

There's a silent rivalry for Lupin's attention that they might not even realize is going on until they blow up at each other about it.

It's difficult to tell if Lupin is being genuine or just messing around, especially for Zenigata. He asks Jigen how he deals with him, how he deals with.... everything. Just everything. The "will they won't they"s and the "does he really mean it"s. How does he stay so collected all the damn time. Jigen says he doesn't have a single friggin' clue. Maybe they make out sloppy style about it. Maybe they keep meeting up to vent, drink, exist in each other's company. During chases, Zenigata keeps dipping after Jigen instead of Lupin more and more often. Lupin's standing on a rooftop Pulp Fiction John Travolta style wondering where the fuck everyone went.

Ohhh jealous Lupin, where have you gone. Where did the tms writers hide your unchecked narcissistic ego. The other points after this support Supportive Lupin in some capacity but this one does not. The slow-burn's done slow-burning but it ain't over yet, baby. There's trouble in paradise and its name is Lupin the Third. He is Not Enjoying This. The two guys that are always looking at him aren't looking at him anymore and that just won't do. Drama ensues.

~ Getting together because of Lupin

Matchmaker Lupin! This is if Lupin's relationships with Jigen and/or Zenigata are more platonic-leaning (which is totally valid). The paired fics in Disreputable Company nail this dynamic perfectly imo. But as far as my own separate take goes....

They're both just so. So emotionally constipated. Intentionally or not, Jigen's been screwed over in the romantic interest department to many times that he's intentionally reduced his acquaintance list to how many fingers he's got on his right hand. Zenigata practically unloaded an entire clip into his foot as far as maintaining healthy family/friend relationships go. Spoilers for Zenigata Keibu, but he 100% knew what he was saying when he told Haruka he'd go back to her once he caught Lupin (I can never be yours), and that Zenigata's supposed to be the freest one! Bound not necessarily to Lupin specifically, but to The Chase forever.

Anyway. Jigen and Zenigata are Isolated. The fact that someone would consider them attractive is so foreign that they'd think its some kind of sick joke or ruse to screw them over instead of anything that could ever be even remotely genuine. They need someone to shove them out of their little self-made paranoia bubbles, and Lupin just loves to meddle in people's businesses. I dunno. I just think he'd think it's funny.

*dramatic finger point* "haha zenigata, you are banging my partner!!" "you... you tricked us into our first date? made the reservations?? th- the tailored suits???" "lu you friggin roller-skated out in a waiter outfit and immediately bought us the most expensive top-shelf booze they offered. not even remotely conspicuous about it" "lol yeah. good times"

He's just happy two of his favorite humans are finally getting laid for once, y'know?

~ Getting together for Lupin

Jigen and Zenigata are forced to team up. Okay, this scenario only goes down if 1) Lupin goes missing or is KO'd for a prolonged period of time or 2) the Truce demands they separate for a while. On top of seeing this play out in other fics, my good friend duke and I have been messing around with (a variant of) this idea for a while now (aka they've been letting me run around in their au Rampant and Unchecked. ty duke).

In ""canon"", if these two were to become at the very least amicable towards each other, this'd be the way to do it. In all honesty (and my personal bias for them aside), I'm genuinely shocked they haven't done this before. Not even an episode, tms? That 4-ish minute block in POTP is all you're giving me? One bar chat in the kobayashi sendoff ep. Okay. I'm not miffed i swear

Like I mentioned in this previous post, the idea of the two of them being able to function together without Lupin as a crutch is upsetting at first. They're used to following him to the Ends of the Earth and they're used to him living rent-free in their heads. They've convinced themselves that they're hopeless on their own, that if he disappeared for good they'd just go back to being two husks vaguely shaped like humans meandering around with no meaningful north star to head towards. Don't get me wrong, if the situation was Bad, Goemon and Fujiko would be devastated, too. But they could move on, albeit with a heavy heart. They're kind of known for heading out on their own should the situation call for it. But Jigen and Zenigata are in for the long-haul for better or for worse, whether they like it or not (they do not).

They're on edge the whole time. Hostile towards each other and passive-aggressive at best to any unfortunate folk they have to interact with on this stupid side quest they've been unwillingly shunted onto together.

It helps immensely that they're both "cut that out" people to anyone but themselves, because they can be that for each other. There's a lot of bickering/conflicts of interest and methodology. "You're being too harsh", "You're one to talk", "You're so goddamn stubborn", "You're such a hypocrite", etc etc. But holy shit they're so freakishly effective together, to a frankly terrifying degree-- maybe even moreso than with Lupin because they're honing the fuck in and nothing else-- no banter or bullshit-- and that's what gets them through to the end. Maybe it helps them come to terms with whatever sort of issues they've got going on, maybe it doesn't. Bare minimum, they come out of this with newfound understanding of each other. At max, uh.... see the point after this next one.

~ Lupin-adjacent

A shift in fixation. The slightest glance, the slightest exchange of eye contact for a second too long, the briefest moment of consideration, and the thoughts start spiraling. This is "in spite of Lupin" without the spite. The urge to know absolutely everything about someone, down to the marrow, just gets shifted a little bit to the right onto another guy. It's just them, in-between heists, with barely any mention of the Chase and anyone else involved therein. Their own little adventure away from the status quo. It's weird at first, sure, but it's new and exciting and real dang nice having things not revolve exclusively around him for once. It's a shot for Jigen to mess with Zenigata for once and the closest thing to a willing vacation Zenigata can get. Win-win! Well. Sorta.

The loneliness, though-- that's what makes itself most prevalent during the in-between times. They really don't have much left outside of the Usual. Forgetting the bare essentials, days blending together, moving around the masses like a ghost.... it's familiar, and it's common, not being sure whether they actually like someone or they're just desperately lonely. Zenigata wallows in it, Jigen shoves it down. They've got images to keep. but getting noticed for what they are is simultaneously the worst thing to ever happen and the highlight of their day. Real wholesome bonding material, ain't it

"I tracked you down for only you". "I dragged you into this issue because I want you here". "You get it".

~ Secret fifth thing

*points at playbohz mag* "lol wouldn't it be funny if zenigata was jigen's type??" *points at y series, miyazaki's zeni, island of assassins, that one manga where they put him in a tshirt, etc* "oh my god zenigata is jigen's type."

It's just a one-night stand lmao. I feel like I see this one a fair bit too, mostly because it's super duper simple and doesn't require a crap-ton of emotional angst setup just to get them into the same bed. It's the above point diluted into, like, an afternoon lmao. It doesn't have a lot of depth by design. Curiosity gets the better of both of them, plain and simple. They get buzzed enough at a bar, skip off to some motel to do what they gotta do one time and never speak of it again.

A part of me likes that, but another part of me in the deep deep recesses of my psyche is hollering "TACKY YOU GOTTA TURN THIS INTO THE SPITE BULLETPOINT!!!"

NO. For this one they get one nice hookup and THAT'S THAT. Sorry not sorry.

Maybe it's easier because there's actually something to decipher. There isn't some esoteric idea of "Lupin the Third, Gentleman Thief"; a mystery man(?) with a million little gadgets and masks and smiles; this unwavering, unpredictable force of chaos that likes taking shiny things from one place and hiding them somewhere else over and over again with no real rhyme or reason.

It's easier to find solace in turning to the guy next to you and going, "what do you think that is?" than in going up to "that" and poking it with a stick in hopes it'll give some sort of answer. "That" won't. "That" likes watching you guys flounder around together too much :)

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

What if DarkWing (Drake) saved Megavolt (Elmo) from his own school project back in the 70’s? What change to the timeline would happened?

I wanted to be a bit more elaborate on this answer, but time keeps getting away from me. 😅😅

Considering that it's sort of both Megavolt's origin story and one of the many factors Darkwing claims goes into his, I'd have to wonder the butterfly effect this would cause.

On one hand, there's the possibility that Megavolt never gets his powers, so he never gets hired by Negaduck and likely never meets QuackerJack. If he never meets QuackerJack, then thier adventures and friendship would be drastically altered, which can also affect the timeline because they do also save the future via timetravel at one point... A future in which Darkwing becomes a basically the Frank Miller Dark Knight version of himself, "Darkwarrior", because there's no Gosalyn to keep Drake grounded.

Because the origin story is altered, Darkwing likely doesn't get to go back in time to also accidentally inspire his young self in the 50s to become a hero, so then we get this snarl. That also means that Darkwing wouldn't be in the position to meet Gosalyn and adopt her, which is an event that is very much established to be a core event, and that Darkwing wouldn't have a life worth living if it wasn't for her. This also means that Darkwing and Launchpad would never meet.

No Darkwing means no Negaduck, either. No Negaduck, no Fearsome Five, meaning the Friendly Four would likely be nonexistent as well, since they exist to fight Negaduck in thier universe. Also, by extension, Liquidator would not exist as he is, since Darkwing fighting him was the reason why he fell in the vat that turned him into water to begin with. Bushroot wouldn't have a friendship with these guys, either, and likely would just continue being more lonely in his greenhouse.

Which really, seems to point to the idea that Megavolt's origin story is THE Canon Event of the series, and the true moment Drake became Darkwing.

Altering that would completely tear up the foundations of the universe, meaning that Megavolt truly is the loadbearing character of the series.

Alternately, they either both get electric powers, or Darkwing gets electric powers, and Megavolt ends up adopting Gosalyn and becoming the Terror of the Night.

Either way, QuackerJack has to be one of thier friends, or the Paddywhack episode would have gone a completely different way with all the negative energy built up...

Maybe I need some better Megavolt experts to weigh in on this? 👀

[meerkatp]

Any Mallard McQuack HC’s you have?

By far not all of them (I'm too scatterbrained for my own good) but was able to compile some of them together with some basics.

These go for all mainline versions (original, 2010/16 comics (a.k.a. Prime dimension), DT17, 2023 comics) unless specified. (Some of these can be carried over to other versions of them to a extent.)

None of them are straight. Launchpad's Bi (canon), Drake's also Bi (91 def wasn't straight, but his attraction to women didn't feel like comphet (at least from a character standpoint. Writing on the other hand…)) and Gos is a Lesbian but the only one of the main ones who has that figured out is DT17. The other versions of her are 9-10 and haven't thought much about it.

Side note: Drake is Trans (but you problobly already knew that if you've been keeping up with my work. lol) 91 & 2010 Drake were shocked at S.H.U.S.H. helping him with his transition. (Should be noted that Trans healthcare is a very personal issue for one of the organization's biggest donors for some unknown reason.)

They're also all Autistic. Launchpad and Drake are canon (at the very least in DT17) but I don't think anything's really been mentioned behind the scenes for Gos (though the whole "spirit" thing gives me Autism vibes). 91 Drake's problobly the only member of the family who hasn't been formally diagnosed.

They all share one braincell. Sometimes none of them are holding it, but only one of them (usually Gos) can hold it at a time.

It's rare but whenever Drake is mad at Launchpad to the point of making him sleep on the couch, upon going to bed he almost immediately gets upset and lonely and begs Launchpad to come back. His record is about 30 minutes.

Gos does learn magic. I don't think she'd go back to that magic school, or that she'd get magic powers of her own, but she does study it with Morgana (a.k.a. "Aunt Morg"). DT17 Gos also practices with Lena and Violet.

Non-DT17 versions of Gos also gets more interested in science as she gets older. In a way it makes her feel closer to her grandpa as she fears her memories of him will eventually fade.

Launchpad also teaches Gos and Drake the basics of being a pilot. Thinks it's important that they know incase something happens to him. Also how to crash as safely as possible.

Also on that note it is impossible to get severely injured, let alone die from Launchpad's crashes. It's kindof his superpower.

They're a SEGA family. If given the option they'd go for the SEGA versions of a game. (Of course, this was easiest for the '91 versions. RIP) 91 Gos has gotten in fist fights over this.

And of course, Drakepad is endgame.

[astro-duck]

Erm okay…so the biggest problem that I have with B.O.Y.D in the DuckTales 2017 finale is that they took his head off his body. I think I know why they did this: because he’s too powerful. He’s literally a robot built for fighting, there’s no way he’d get captured because he has laser eyes and can fly and can beat Gizmo Duck no problem. So they just sort of nerfed him. But I think that’s lame.

First, I think that there should have been a cooler fight sequence. Let more characters show off what they can do, showcase their different fighting styles, etc. That would have been neat. Launchpad getting the Gizmo Duck armor is sick, but I think it should come after a longer battle where more characters got to show off what they can do. Not just B.O.Y.D. How does Violet look in battle? What about Gosalyn? Let’s see Lil’ Bulb fight Magica. As it stands, nothing really happens in that scene outside of Launchpad getting the armor, and that makes me a tad disappointed. Instead of having B.O.Y.D. and Gosalyn (also Lena, Violet and Manny) show up and immediately get captured, maybe let them do something cool?

But then, why not use the battle as a chance to develop B.O.Y.D.’s character a little bit? I think that’s instead of having him just unable to use most of his abilities, they should’ve just had him refuse to. Because yes, he’s equipped to be a very powerful fighter, but he just isn’t. That’s not the type of person he is. He doesn’t want to hurt people, even if they’re villains or whatever. The only times he’s ever used his abilities to hurt people were completely against his will, and he doesn’t like that (obviously). Why would he voluntarily use those powers? He shouldn’t, instead he should take a firm stance against hurting anyone. (It’s also worth mentioning that the characters being fought are not acting of their free will, Bradford made them into fighter zombies. And idk, I feel like B.O.Y.D. may have some feelings about that)

He can, and should, still play support. Have him fly around, save people from immediate danger, scan people to see if/how bad they’re hurt, etc. You can even him have him do little check-ups on antagonists, because he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. (and it’s a kids cartoon, so it’s an easy way to confirm that the bad guys who are getting their shit rocked are totally fine, actually). He can use his abilities to disarm/distract opponents, even. Have him get caught at one point, and squirm a little bit but not ever resort to using violence on whoever has him, and need to get someone else’s help to get out. Because he is technically very powerful, but he’s also just a kid who refuses to hurt anyone (even to save himself), and who needs his friends’ help, sometimes.

I understand why they couldn’t devote that much time to this one random character who is in two episodes, I’m not asking for that. I’m asking for one little line of development for him, something where someone is like “well, you’re a really good fighter, fight them.” And he just goes “But I don’t wanna hurt anyone.” And that’s that. Also a cooler fight sequence with a support/medic character. But I don’t think that’s too much to ask for.

But also, even without the epic battle that I want from the finale, they could have just had him not use his abilities. One line where someone’s like “wait can’t you fly and shoot lasers and stuff?” And he says “yeah, but I don’t wanna.” And they can be annoyed or whatever but it’s fine. Just anything except what they did because I think it’s boring.

B.O.Y.D. is such an underutilized character. D:

[quackpackau]

Where is Launchpad when all of this is happening?

To be honest, I never intended to bring in all the Darkwing characters, BUT Launchpad is a valid character to question (especially with him being in Ducktales, too.)

My general idea for him would be that he's sharing his sidekicking time between both Darkwing Duck and a certain hero who happens to be the top superhero in Calisota.

They work in plenty of locations, so when he's with her, they need to travel a lot. I have a small, funny QPAU comic planned at some point in the future featuring her, but I'll need to finalize her design first.

I'm also still deciding how I want LP to look, too. There's a future version of him in a Darkwing episode, but I'm not sure how much I want to draw from that one (especially with it being from a separate timeline.)

Either way, thank you for this ask! I'll have to add him into the occasional comic in the future.

[picturejasper20]

I recently watched the original Darkwing Duck 90's series + reading the comics from it, so i decided to rewatch the DWD episodes from Ducktakes 2017 reboot and it ended up being just so weird??

Keep in mind that i watched the Ducktales 2017 series first and later on the Darkwing Duck 90's series**

The episode "The Duck Knight Returns!" is just a whole mess that i don't understand its purpose at all and what is trying to say... the closest i get is that it feels it is trying to say ¨old stuff bad, new stuff good¨... which doesn't translate well when the episode on itself isn't exactly funny and the new character that is supposed to represent the new Darkwing isn't exactly an that interesting nor compelling...

That's another point i want to cover: The new Darkwing, or well, Drake 2017 feels very watered down in contrast to Darkwing from the 90's. Here we have a character who grew up being a bit of a nerd watching a show and he seems to be nice and a bit insecure i guess... and that's it. The original Darkwing Duck (90's series) actually had a lot of flaws and acted more as an anti hero than a hero a lot of times. His main flaws being his huge ego and overall impulsiveness than more often than not put him in trouble... Drake from the Ducktales 2017 series is well, good? I suppose but there isn't much to his character outside of that in the episodes i rewatched. I read that in the Darkwing reboot pitch bible Darkwing/Drake was being written in a way that came off more flawed and in some ways being more like the 90's Darkwing, which that's cool i suppose... but it also makes me question why they didn't write more like that in the Ducktales 2017 series in first place

I feel i could say some similar things about Gosalyn 2017... the thing is that here she is supposed to be different and more ¨teenager like¨, which is a fine take for me to be honest. If they want to explore more her missing her previous family i think it is a fair route for them to take if they want a more serious tone for this version of the show.

Going back to the meta commentary, it feels super weird that in this series they did this idea that Darkwing Duck is a series that already existed within universe, i guess something about how superheroes aren't ¨realistic¨ (something that the Lets Get Dangerous drills you constantly)... in a series where sorceress, magic, alternative dimensions, old legends, greek gods and someone like Gizmoduck already exists... yeah you see where i'm getting at.

¨Lets Get Dangerous¨ also tries making this commentary about how ¨this isn't a cartoon, it is real life¨ when it comes to facing crime and doing superhero stuff... under the same episode that Drake, a character who has never fought supervillains before and doesn't have experience in this kind of stuff, along with help of Launchpad and Gosalyn is able to defeat four main villains from the original show without much effort nor struggle.

Keep in mind that in the 90's series Darkwing was someone who had experience fighting crime and villains and yet he struggled facing just one supervillain even with help from his team. Hell, in the episode pilot from DWD 90's he had a lot of issues just facing Taurus and probably would have died if it wasn't for Launchpad coming to rescue him.

Also another thing that is superweird is how supervillains don't exactly exist on St Canard in Ducktakes 2017 universe for some reason... something that later gets contradicted in the Darkwing Duck reboot pitch bible that in reality there are a lot of supervillains that they might as well be around half of the population in there. Instead of Taurus Bulba having some strong bodyguards for DWD and company to face, they bring the villains from 90's series...which yeah, it turns out that 90's series isn't just a cartoon in here, it is actually another real dimension!

Can you see how unnecessary convoluted a lot of this stuff is?

A lot of this could have been solved if Darkwing was a character that already existed within the 2017 universe as a superhero. Launchpad and Dewey get to met him in one episode (you could even make this Drake being inspired by old comic books to become Darkwing) and then they meet him again in what would be the ¨Lets Get Dangerous¨ episode to help Gosalyn.

I don't know, for me all this stuff feels a lot of weird decisions that don't make sense from a writing point. It feels out of place to talk about how cartoon superhero tropes are unrealistic or whatever in a series that already has a lot of fantasy and science fiction elements. It could work in other series or franchises but it doesn't work on this show.

[scottpetersen]

Honestly, I think that Launchpad McQuack from the DuckTales (2017) TV series would get along surprisingly well with Marcy Wu from the Amphibia TV series. After all, both of them are very passionate when it comes to certain works of fiction to the point that they think about it even during a heated battle. As shown in the episode ‘Let’s Get Dangerous! Part 2: A Case Of Mistaken Reality!’, Launchpad was very passionate about Darkwing Duck TV shows and comic books to the point that he was knew the Fearsome Four’s weaknesses very well and was able to help exploit them to take them down. And, as shown in the episode ‘The Hardest Thing’, Marcy was ecstatic about anime to the point that she was very excited about the way she, Anne and Sasha were using their Calamity powers since it looked like anime. Also, both of them have tried to form bonds with other people based on their passion for their favorite fantasies. As shown in the episode ‘Friendship Hates Magic!’, Launchpad did try to bond with Bentina Beakley by watching a Darkwing Duck TV show with her. And, as shown in Entry 14 of Marcy Wu’s Journal, Marcy did try to bond with Javi, Kettle and Femur by playing a role-playing game called Creatures And Caverns. And I think that Marcy would appreciate some of Launchpad’s occasional words of wisdom. After all, as also shown in the episode ‘Let’s Get Dangerous! Part 2: A Case Of Mistaken Reality!’, Launchpad is surprisingly wise when it comes to what being a hero is about to the point that he gave Gosalyn some advice by saying: “Anyone can do the right thing when it’s easy. But it’s what you do when things are hard that makes you a hero.” I think that those words might really speak to Marcy because, as shown in the episode ‘All In’, Marcy found it in herself to stand up to The Core to try to help Anne and Sasha and she rejected her fantasies of having Anne and Sasha by her side and doing what she wants despite the fact that she knew that she probably wouldn’t get what she wanted at the end of it. After all, at that moment, Marcy did the right thing despite it being hard. And I think that Marcy would design some pieces of armor to help Launchpad as well as Darkwing Duck and Gosalyn with their fight against crime since, given her aforementioned passion for works of fiction, Marcy would probably be very passionate when it comes to superheroes and, as shown in Entry 12 of Marcy Wu’s Journal, Marcy is pretty knowledgeable when it comes to armor. Another thing Launchpad and Marcy have in common is that someone they looked up to turned out to be evil. As shown in the episode ‘The Duck Knight Returns!’, Jim Starling, someone Launchpad looked up to, turned out to be evil and, as shown in the episode ‘True Colors’, King Andrias, someone who Marcy looked up to, turned out to be evil. Also, another thing about it is that Jim Starling and King Andrias at least somewhat cared about Launchpad and Marcy respectively before that part of them was ultimately eclipsed by their evil side. As shown in the episode ‘The Duck Knight Returns!’, Jim did risk his life to save Launchpad before ultimately becoming completely evil and insane and, as shown in the episode ‘All In’, Andrias did have some reservations about hurting Marcy at first before, as shown in the episode ‘True Colors’, he stabbed Marcy.

[shootingcookielover]

Ducktales 2017 Dystopia Alternate Universe

After losing Della to space, Scrooge 180's into taking over the world to keep people safe from adventuring. (Yeah, u can imagine bradford's reaction xD)

This, surprisingly enough, doesnt necessarily change a lot for ur average, non-magical entity.

But now magically inclined people, to fully magic people r being hunted/locked up/etc.

Beakley, with Webby in tow, leaves the manor as soon as she realizes what he's doing. She tries to return to SHUSH, to warn them, do anything - but it's too late. SHUSH is already in Scrooge's hands.

While trying to evade shush/fowl/scrooge to protect her granddaughter and maybe start a resistance or something against mcduck's regime, she runs into a homeless teenager who is being hunted as well. Because she is a purely magical entity and thus entirely too dangerous.

This, of course, is Lena. (I'm assuming Lena doesn't really... Age? Considering that Magica made her when she was imprisoned and that was, presumably, a while ago lol)

They end up helping/covering for each other, to stay safe. Lena and Webby r basically siblings lol

They eventually find that there is a rebellion, a resistance, trying to fight against the grip mcduck has on the world and the discrimination against magical creatures. Who is leading this rebellion?

Glittering Goldie O'Gilt, baby! I just think she'd make a great rebel leader, especially when she realizes how utterly insane Scrooge has gotten.

She's not just doing this for the world, she's hoping she can maybe punch some sense into scrooge after taking him down.

Donald Duck, meanwhile, has no clue what's going on, not really. Being neither a magical entity nor really still in the adventuring business, Scrooge's changes haven't really affected him much - besides, he has the boys to take care of.

(aside from that weird letter from storkules; but that's probably nothing.)

The boys eventually need a babysitter. During their time at the mansion - a strangely empty mansion, mind you, with no magical artefacts, no mementos to old adventures - they end up finding that prophecy abt atlantis. (Or something like that.)

Cue Scrooge's driver, Launchpad "I'm a pilot" McQuack who has exactly zero qualms taking three boys on an adventure in a submarine.

I dont think Donald would still work with Glomgold in this instance - maybe instead he unknowingly hired on to the rebellion or smth? Either way, atlantis shenanigans happen.

The rebellion people donald works for - Beakley, probably, maybe even Webby is there - tell donald he shouldn't return to his uncle with the boys, but donald just rolls his eyes and insists they need to take accountability. Also scrooge needs to take accountability for putting them in danger in the first place.

Scrooge is not happy to find out that his nephew and his nephews went out adventuring. He fires Launchpad on the spot. (Launchpad def gets hired by the rebellion later)

But also, he wants to imprison the boys - for their own good, of course. Adventuring is dangerous and such dangerous inclinations cannot be allowed to run wild among the populace.

Donald (obviously) does not like this.

He tries to bust them all out (the boys are very surprised/impressed at Donald's fighting ability) but of course he hasnt done anything like this in years, he's rusty. And his uncle knows him well enough to counter him.

The sentence "I thought you'd know better, Donald, I really did. Especially after what happened to your sister." Falls at some point.

Lucky for the duck boys, Webby convinced Beakley to trail them, so now we get agent 22 busting them out! Yay! Except she gets taken prisoner in the process! Oh no!

The ducks find Webby who is, understandably, very upset at having her grandma taken, but also understands that the five of them have no chance of busting her out. So, she takes them back to the rebellion.

A rebellion probably consisting of like, Goldie (duh), Lena, maybe some of the Beagle Boys? There was that one magician beagle boy so i'm assuming he at least is there, and some other assorted magical/dangerous people/creatures. B.O.Y.D. probably, too, actually. I'm imagining Gyro got locked up - if only due to his, yknow, building B.O.Y.D. in the first place.

Oh, and once della comes back from the moon she's most definitely not teaming up with scrooge - something that really makes scrooge think i'd imagine. May even trigger his eventual redemption arc? Though having him as a villain through the whole thing could also be fun tbh

This is all i have so far tbh, but feel free to take the concept and run w it if u wanna, i had a blast coming up w even this much tbh xD i'd love to see other people take a crack at it (or expand it even!) so like, it's free real estate (just tell me if ur doing anything w this, i wanna see that lol)

[thezoe611]

Are Drake, Gosalyn, Launchpad, Max, Goofy, Scrooge, and Negaduck plotting revenge against Mortimer for everything he did to Tim?

Oh, sensitive topic. The thing is, for EVERYTHING Mortimer did to Tim - the mistreatment of the little boy, and keeping for himself the money that SHUSH gave him to take care of the child, for being in their "Protection System" - the mouse must have pay behind bars. BUT Scrooge wouldn't allow it, since he wanted Mortimer to pay back EVERY PENNY he used of Tim's money, and so he's forced to work at McDuck Tower, with almost all of the money from his salary going to the little boy. Only for that.

Mortimer is constantly watched by Felicia and other SHUSH agents, to ensure that he carries out his punishment. A single day of not going to work, that is not justified for some medical reason, and he would go straight to jail. Of course, that would enrage Mortimer, but with all the evidence that Darkwing and Launchpad collected against him, he would have no way of changing his situation, although he would always continue to blame little Tim, who already lived safe from him in St. Canard.

Because of his work, Darkwing and Launchpad could not be monitoring Mortimer, but they would constantly receive reports that that mouse is serving his sentence. This way, the hero would be calmer that justice was done.

Goofy… Oh, it's VERY hard to make Goofy angry, not without good reason. He is a very kind and understanding person… …But he would NOT like Mortimer. He already knew the mouse before because of his problems with Mickey, but he never expected him to hurt his own nephew. So… No, Goofy Goof would dislike Mortimer, and that's saying a lot about what a bad person that mouse is.

Negaduck considers Mortimer a coward, and that he is the type who gives villainy a bad name, but he wouldn't go after him or anything. He's not interested in him as long as he doesn't try something against Gosalyn and Max. If he did… well, angering the villain is never a good idea.

Obviously Gosalyn and Max HATE Mortimer. They hate that he hurt Tim to the point that the boy goes silent with fear if he is near him. They hate that he didn't take care of Tim. They hate that because of him, Tim freezes when he sees a can in the refrigerator, fearing that it was a beer, so the young couple would decide not to have any cans of drink there, for the child's sake. They hate that he was still free on the streets, even though he was constantly watched and had the bare minimum to survive, while he was forced to work to pay back all the money he stole from Timothy.

The mere idea of remembering everything that Mortimer did to little Tim caused both young parents a lot of fury, although Max could keep a cool head, unlike Gosalyn, who would always want to go take care of the adult mouse, indignant.

They hate him even more every time Tim makes a comment about his uncle. About some situation comparing it to his new life. The kid doesn't say those comments on purpose, so that they feel sorry for him or something. Simply because he trusts Gosalyn and Max, and that's why he confesses things like that without taking it into account.

For example, if Max asked Tim "why" he doesn't like cheese, the boy would answer honestly, without taking the weight of his words: "I like it in burgers from Hamburguer Hippo, but not alone, because one time I asked my uncle what was for dinner, and he got angry and put a cheese with white and green spots in my mouth, EUGH!" the boy would remember, stopping playing with his toys when remembering that incident. "It tasted sour and horrible, eugh! That's why I can't handle cheese alone anymore," he would admit, sticking out his tongue, disgusted.

…Obviously such a confession would leave Gosalyn and Max extremely still, stopping what they were doing. That would confuse little Tim, and even more so when he is wrapped in a strong hug from his parents. And although he was confused, the little one would smile, sad and happy, wagging his little tail.

Gosalyn and Max would discover things like that little by little. Little Tim's confessions of little things that happened because of Mortimer, which would make the young Goof-Mallard couple hate that guy FOREVER.

And even though they hate him, and even though they wish he would pay behind bars for what he did to Tim, and even though Gosalyn herself always felt like beating his face in, they would both endure the hatred and any desire for revenge, for the sake of Timothy. Despite everything, Mortimer was the boy's only living relative, and they didn't want to teach him about revenge.

Of course, they would do everything possible so that Tim NEVER met Mortimer again.

…Although I admit that there is something that I fear would happen, more than once: That Mortimer call Max from time to time, asking for a little money in exchange for a baby photo he found of his nephew. That he would bribe Max for extra money for things like that, since the Goof liked the little mouse, right?

Some people just don't learn.

[doomed2repeat]

Bridgerton nuanced take:

Bridgerton has the amazing ability to deeply disappoint its fans at every turn, making everyone feel like they’ve been robbed or lost something that would’ve made the story feel satisfying for them, while also causing such loyalty and love for the characters. For a single fan, one season can be both the best and the worst for very different reasons. People love Bridgerton and hate it in equal measure.

At the same time, the show/production/ fandom pisses off people so bad that we all hope our fave leaves. Like almost everyone from the past 2 seasons has wished their fave would leave at some point:

JB fans feel like he’s been under appreciated

SA fans feel like she’s the productions un-favorite

LN fans feel like the show sidelined him and the fandom uses him as a punching bag

And pretty much everyone would rather see their fave go and thrive elsewhere rather than lose opportunities so they can be a background character or stay and be treated like garbage by the production or the fans themselves. We know that the stories for most of them won’t be any deeper once their season is over, and people aren’t satisfied by a few fan service scenes.

Yet at the same time no one actually wants them to go. We WANT them on Bridgerton. We just want to feel like Bridgerton wants them on Bridgerton.

Which maybe might make Bridgerton the perfect launchpad in a weird way. I think this hot and cold thing they do makes for a passionate fanbase. I’m thankful Bridgerton introduced me to my favorite actor, but NONE of us feel like we got enough of our faves from Bridgerton. We’ve all been left wanting in a way that will carry from project to project. We all want better FOR them. Better treatment, better stories, a better fandom. And that’s something they’ll take with them in their careers.

[professor-in-progress]

Engineering is Inherently Political

Okay, yea, seemingly loaded statement but hear me out.

In our current political climate (particularly in the Trump/post-Trump era ugh), the popular sentiment is that scientists and other academics are inherently political. So much of science gets politicized; climate change, abortion, gender “issues”, flat earth (!!), insert any scientific topic even if it isn’t very controversial and you can find some political discourse about it somewhere. However, if you were to ask people if they think that engineering is political, I would bet that 9/10 people would say no. The popular perception of engineering is that it’s objective and non-political. Engineering, generally, isn’t very controversial.

I argue that these sentiments should switch.

At its base level, engineering is the application of science and math to solve problems. Tack on the fact that most people don’t really know what engineering is (hell, I couldn’t even really describe it until starting my PhD and studying that concept specifically). Not controversial, right? We all want to solve the world’s problems and make the world a better place and engineers fill that role! But the best way to solve any problem is a subjective issue; no two people will fully agree on the best way to approach or solve a problem.

Why do we associate science and scientists with controversy but engineers with objectivity? Scientists study what is. It’s a scientist’s job to understand our world. Physicists understand how the laws of the universe work, biologists explore everything in our world that lives, doctors study the human body and how it works, environmental scientists study the Earth and its health, I could go on. My point is that scientists discover and tell us what is. Why do we politicize and fear monger about smart people telling us what they discover about the world?

Engineering, however, has a reputation for being logical, objective, result oriented. Which I get, honestly. It’s appealing to believe that the people responsible for designing and building our world are objective and, for the most part, they are. But this is a much more nuanced topic once you think deeper about it.

For example, take my discipline, aerospace engineering. On the surface, how to design a plane or a rocket isn’t subjective. Everyone has the same goal, get people and things from place to place without killing them (yea I bastardized my discipline a bit but that’s basically all it boils down to). Let’s think a little deeper about the implications though. Let’s say you work for a spacecraft manufacturer and let’s hypothetically call it SpaceX. Your rocket is so powerful that during takeoff it destroys the launch pad. That’s an expensive problem so you’re put on the team of engineers dedicated to solving this problem. The team decides that the most effective and least expensive solution is to spray water onto the rocket and launchpad during takeoff. This solution works great! The launchpad stays intact throughout the launch and the company saves money. However, that water doesn’t disappear after launch, and now it’s contaminated with chemicals used in and on the rocket. Now contaminated water flows into the local environment affecting not just the wildlife but also the water supply of the local community. Who is responsible for solving that issue? Do we now need a team of environmental or chemical engineers to solve this new problem caused by the aerospace engineers?

Yes, engineers solve problems, but they also cause problems.

Every action has its reaction. Each solution has its repercussions.

As engineers we possess some of the most dangerous information in the world and are armed with the weapon to utilize it, our minds. Aerospace engineers know how to make missiles, chemical engineers know how to make bombs, computer scientists know how to control entire technological ecosystems. It’s very easy for an engineer to hurt people, and many do. I’m not exempt from this. I used to work for a military contractor, and I still feel pretty guilty about the implications of the problems that I solved. It is an engineer’s responsibility to act and use their knowledge ethically.

Ethical pleas aside, let’s get back to the topic at hand.

Engineering is inherently political. The goal of modern engineering is to avert catastrophe, tackle societal problems, and increase prosperity. If you disagree don’t argue with me, argue with the National Academy of Engineering. It is an engineer’s responsibility to use their knowledge to uplift the world and solve societal problems, that sounds pretty political to me!

An engineer doesn’t solve a problem in a vacuum. Each problem exists within the context of the situation that caused it as well as the society surrounding that situation. An engineer must consider the societal implications of their solutions and designs and aim to uplift that society through their design and solution to the problem. You can’t engineer within a social society without considering the social implications of both the problem and the solution. Additionally, the social implications of those engineering decisions affect different people in different ways. It’s imperative to be aware and mindful of the social inequality between demographics of people affected by both the solution and the problem. For example, our SpaceX company could be polluting the water supply of a poor community that doesn’t have the resources to solve the problem nor the power or influence to confront our multi-billion-dollar company. Now, a multi-billion-dollar company is advancing society and making billions of dollars at the cost of thousands of lives that already struggle due to their social standing in the world. Now the issue has layers that add further social implications that those without money are consistently prone to the whims of those with money. Which, unfortunately, is a step of ethical thought that many engineers don’t tend to take.

Engineers control our world. Engineers decide which problems to solve and how best to solve them. Engineers control who is impacted by those solutions. Engineers have the power to either protect and lift up the marginalized or continue to marginalize them. Those who control the engineers control the world. This is political. This is a social issue.

Now look me in the eyes and tell me that engineering isn’t inherently political.

[violetganache42]

Highlights from tonight's movie night celebrating some of the different teams Donald has been a part of in categorized and chronological order (I honestly like this format. I might stick with it):

"Boat Builders":

Good news: The short has subtitles! Bad news: They're not in English, so you still can't understand what the fuck Donald is saying.

Donald: "Yeah, even a child can do it!" Godfrey: "Even Della could do it!"

justaboot: "god's third choice after the 3 stooges"

Max's mother has been found

"The First Adventure!":

Bradford Hate Club

Ludwig appearance!

puffywuffy8904: "he's serving whatever the opposite of cunt is" WriteBackAtYa: "So di—"

(I love this screenshot. 😂)

The reference to Della's letter

WriteBackAtYa and I being on the same wavelength

Eat the rich uncle (Sorry, Scrooge, but I had to. XD)

"You can't mute me, old man!"

RIP Donald's guitar

The Temple of Doom parallel!

PAPYRUS

"Treasure of the Golden Suns" easter egg!

"fragile old body"

POGO CANE

Black Heron doing the smug anime girl laugh (You know what I'm talking about.)

"I'm the chosen one!" Pure Deweycore

"So long, suckers!"

Just Black Heron in general (She's a fun villain. lol)

DONALD KILL

Us ranting about Bradford using the Papyrus of Binding to escape like the COWARD THAT HE IS! WHY WE OUGHTA— COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE—

If I had a nickel for every time Black Heron lost her robot arm, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

Me: "BEAKLEY YOU FOOL" Godfrey: "YOU FUCKING FOOOOOOOOL"

"The House of the Lucky Gander!":

Louie "I do hate hot dogs" Duck noticing the neon lights shaped like a hot dog

"We're all gonna die! I'VE WASTED MY LIFE!"

Launchpad deserves his own episode dedicating to his love life

Gladstone Hate Club

Scrooge looking at the camera like he's on The Office

puffywuffy8904: "gladstone you have a haircut shut up"

Huey autism moment

Just how bored and tired Dewey, Webby, and Scrooge were after seeing Aquarioon

Dewey and the jade tigers

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

27!

Webby's love for chocolate fountains

"And a distraction."

Scrooge: "I don't even get to be part of the blasted challenge?" Huey:

Real-Life-Pine-Tree: "Roasted duck anyone?" Me: "'Danny: I'll have the duck.'"

Louie's motivational speech

"Where did that come from?"

Us @ Liu Hai: RIP bozo (at least until DuckTales World Showcase Adventure)

The underwhelming Golden Cricket and how fucking bored and exhausted the family was

"Mt. Fuji Whiz":

LotTC basically being DuckTales on crack

Me: "Hell is a city. Where have I seen that before? 🤔" Godfrey: "Hazbin Hote—[gunshot]"

My idea of Clinton and Webby bonding over Clan McDuck history

Missy thirsting for Panchito

The return of the Ari the Autism Bird!

Xandra and the nieces in general (They're some of the best characters in the show. ^^)

*The Three Caballeros are stuck in the Underworld* AMJ: "We have a very simple solution." DT17!Huey: "This doesn't feel simple."

Jack Skellington moon

Donald saying the Karen phrase

Xandra and Charon clothes swap

Panchito being "that" guy

The Sheldgoose family tree taking notes from Goofy's family tree regarding the relatives' designs

IN THE PLUMS!

Clinton hugging Donald 💖

Tokyo? LIKE IN DUCKTALES!

"Potatoland":

Dreamy: "SEE HE HAS 27 FINGERS" Me: "27!"

POTATOLAND! POTATOLAND!

"Mickey, I am fed up with your bullshit devil magic."

Praising Mickey's characterization in the Paul Rudish shorts

Donald's blush

No more Idaho

Just the whole short in general. It's the best. XD

"Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers":

Black Arts Beagle's Musketeer cousins

puffywuffy8904: "they wanna be Scrooge soooo bad"

Donald being, and I quote Jamie, "a punk bitch" in this movie

The return of Pete Hate Club

"Whoa, he's bisexual, I didn't know that!"/"By the way, I'm bisexual! I forgot, I- forgot to announce it! How do you turn this shit off- wait-"

The entire opera gag

Clarabelle appearance!

Dreamy pointing out the parallels how Pete is to Minnie what Bradford is to Scrooge

In the Hall of the Mountain King

"Why did the music stop?"

"Together, we'll save the princess or die trying!"/"…Die? …Die?"

melcat33: "Minnie discovers she's into bdsm"

WriteBackAtYa and I quoting Philip CD-i Legend of Zelda

The turtle trying to be the rooster from Robin Hood at one point

"That little diddy's starting to grow on me."

Pete referencing The Lion King

Donald FINALLY unleashing his iconic temper

melcat33: "Goofy finally being Dad Material" WriteBackAtYa: "But he was daddy material"

(Look what you made me do! /lh)

Pirates of Penzance

"Not long… maybe… 40 years?"

The movie ending with the fucking Can-Can

Learning about how Tokyo Disneyland had Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as the Three Musketeers and they all looked AMAZING (Why does Japan get all the cool shit?!)

[meerkatp]

So it just hit me that both Launchpad and Jim were both suppost to be F.O.W.L. at some point so like, was that suppost to be the same time? Would Launchpad of just known Jim was alive cause like, them both being revealed as F.O.W.L. would of been the S2 finale?

Also like, there's no way he'd keep that from Drake cause Drake feels guilty about his "death". Not on purpose!