#for both start of a new obsession

[tojiscrack]

once again, you guys are LITERAL LIARS OMG

TOJISCRACK IS SM BETTER WDYM YOU PICKED TOJISBUM? 🤨

oh my gosh, why do i rely on you liars to pick for me? 😐 this has to be done on purpose. you guys must’ve known tojiscrack is funnier and thought ‘yeah, let me intentionally, purposely, RUDELY annoy her because it’s funny when she’s mad’

oh my gosh i’m gonna throw something across the room rn and hope my parents don’t hear from downstairs because even though i can be an angry person, i’m not exempt from getting yelled at 😔

anyway, the user ack4rwoman will remain the same for another month. this is a reminder that after a month, it’s being changed tojisbum (or crack, bc i’m still mad at you guys for this). but it’s still ME, ack4rwoman, now tojisbum (or crack) author of start of a new obsession, liar liar, and count your blessings.

don’t act confused when you see the stories under a different user or i’ll send toji to squish and suffocate all of you in between his breasts.

[illybean]

Wdym this isn’t how the first episode went?

(Based on this draw your ship prompt)

[recycledraccoon]

I think my thoughts on the penultimate episode can be summoned up as disappointment over a potential we didn't get to see, and why that's ok. (This got long, 1.4k oops lol)

Am I a fan of The Rat Grinders? ABSOLUTELY. I think I started liking them even more when they were full-on confirmed villains. As fan's of the edited show, watching with a week between each episode to theorize and think, I loved seeing and theorizing over these 6 fucked up kids. We know Kipperlily prior to the second half of sophomore year, while she obviously still had her anger and jealousy over TBK's it wasn't ENTIRELY unjustified and completely out of control (although some aspects were utterly and absolutely unfounded and ridiculous). Jawbones file mentions her language being "I think Aguefort likes them more", "The school takes it easy on them", and "Half of them don't even go to classes." All of these are true things people in this world would notice. It's not until AFTER their Mountain of Chaos chaperoned trip, at the end of the year, that KLCK switches to "I hate them." The Bad Kids further briefly discuss if Jace would have asked Jawbone/looked for "students with rage disorders." I think specifically mention it being a disorder is important. Acknowledging its there, KLCK WAS trying to get help for an issue she had. They didn't talk to Jawbone about it, but did decide Jace must have given he went on that quest with TRG's. They further briefly talk about students getting randomly mad, and yes they specifically joked about Fabian shitting in class, but WE also remember the Soil club student getting so mad after having gotten that tainted soil. With the 30 Riz rolled, Jawbone's file ALSO specifically talks about Kipperlily loving her adventuring party. We know things weren't perfect, its obvious from when talking about their name change, but its still there and canon. Kipperlily loved her adventuring party. This is all just Kipperlily, mostly with our information from the first part of ep.16. It is not touching on the rest of the members, especially Ruben and his dreamscape we saw, or of his distinct 180 musical tastes POST Sophomore Year Spring Break. The implications of something happening to them during that time is pretty evident and acknowledged. So we're fans, watching a show, spending so much time thinking about not only our infamous protagonists, but also our villains. Many of us adults, getting older, thinking on the tragedy befalling kids and feeling empathy. So yeah. It's a disappointment over an unseen potential. Specifically tho? Its the potential we could have gotten on The Rat Grinder's thoughts and motivations that could have been revealed through dialogue. Dialogue that we got very little of in what could be considered a significant exchange of dialogue and not bits. I always have high narrative expectations from this show, due to its long standing history of SETTING those standards each and every season. This one episode just fell short emotionally while watching, comparatively.

AND THAT'S OK AND ABSOLUTELY NOT THE BAD KIDS/INTREPID HEROES FAULT

On the narrative side of things, The Bad Kids have had an incredibly stressful past 3 years. From day one, they have been involved in life or death stakes situations. It's always been do or die, and they've died, sometimes more than once. They've lost people and faced traumas that go often unaddressed. TBK's ENTIRE highschool experiences have been a revolving door of violence and unhinged situations. They've also always kinda been assholes, insular and more than a little mean especially to those pegged as enemies. We know them, know they have good hearts and intentions, and love and side with them constantly throughout because The Bad Kid's are our heroes. They are still teenage assholes sometimes, but that is something we love and forgive them for. The thing about this recent battle is that they are very used to the situation they are in by now. TBK's have to prioritize, move fast and hard, and get a job done so countless people don't die while something evil rises in their world. Emotions have been high for them all season, rage especially which is absolutely unsurprising on multiple fronts, and it's absolutely showing in what few dialogue exchanges we have. The Bad Kid's entered that gym for the singular purpose of stopping the situation, saving lives, and making sure something evil didn't arise to power in their fucked up world. Nothing new. They hid, already knowing where the final confrontation was going to be FORCED to happen in due to the nature of the ritual, and prepped. On point and smart of them. Then they entered the battlefield, very quickly getting to business. They know their skills, their friends and how to work together as a devastatingly effective team making heavy hits and masterfully controlling a battlefield despite the chaos. This is what The Bad Kid's Do. They got Ivy and Oisin out of combat as fast as possible, Oisin didn't even get a turn. They took out a high-damage long range attacker and the enemy wizard. They know how powerful and important Adaine is on the field, and they knew Oisin would have been the same. They crippled the enemy with the slow spell, effectively taking Mary Ann out of the running until it gets dispelled later on. Fig saw Ruben's high damage level 9 spell and dropped her ploy to get him out of combat as soon as she could. It was too dangerous to have him up, and while the hell bit was uncomfortable in the moment, it is absolutely on brand. This is what they have to do, if they want to stop Porter, who is our real main big-bad. Remove as many obstacles from the battle so more of them can focus on the fight that really matters.

This combat wasn't ever gonna go any other way, unless the dice gods decided otherwise.

This is what The Bad Kid's Do. In regards to the IH's, it is VERY important to acknowledge that while I've mentioned having high narrative expectations, this is still primarily an improve comedy show around a group of real people's DnD game. It's also a show they have a tight filming schedule for, with back to back days and long hours which we KNOW from the talk-backs leave them very tired. Like any tv show they also have a limit on how many episodes per season they can even produce. I think it was a real and genuine benefit to Sophomore year that they were doing it live, because it gave more time between sessions for the IH's to mull over information and whats been happening in-game. This is also a very well developed campaign world they haven't played in several years, which I certainly know would effect me in how I played. We still have one more episode, the Finale, and so much always happens there. I have incredible faith in Brennan as a DM and storyteller, for all that his players have a huge say in how any story he tells unfolds. There is a VERY real chance that what happens in the finale completely changes my mind on episode 19, and I will go back to rewatch with absolute glee because I know of the coming emotional catharsis in relation to The Rat Grinders. There is also a very real chance we don't get that in the way we want it, but that will be ok too. I will still love this season, rewatch it and laugh and have fun. The best part of having a fandom, is watching us take canon apart to fuel endless au's, fix-it's, character studies, ect. Taking crumbs and going wild with it is par the course, especially when something in a show has left us wanting in the moment of watching it. I think more than anything, I would be and am more upset from infighting and genuine anger directed to each other and especially towards our Intrepid Heroes. It is not wrong to be upset with an episode of a show, but it is to take those feelings out on others, be in in defense from Rat Grinder's fans or justification from Rat Grinder haters. So yes! I was disappointed with this particular episode emotionally. I still think it was funny, I think the combat was brilliant and fun to watch. I still love this show and this cast, and could never dream of being mad at them for how they played a game, and for the fun they were finding within the act of playing it as the well-known unhinged improv comedians we know and love.

I'm excited for next week, buuut I am absolutely consuming fan-content to help deal with my emotions, both the highs and lows.

[puhpandas]

Tony and Vanessas relationship through Gregory can be something so personal

[sieglinde-freud]

IM PULLING MY HAIR OUT OF MY SCALP

[billpottsismygf]

I don't think I've ever taken in before how much Wicked Act I (and thus Wicked Part I) takes its structure from The Wizard of Oz. It opens with No One Mourns the Wicked, which is an obvious response to Ding Dong the Witch is Dead* (the first song once Dorothy gets to Oz, and only the second overall), and ends with our heroes arriving in the Emerald City (Merry Old Land of Oz/One Short Day). Our hero is then asked to perform a task so that the wizard will grant her heart's desire. Having completed this task, she then discovers that he is a fraud and that he cannot do what he's promised (nor could he have done the task he set her), so she has to make use of the power that was inside her all along to get where she needs to go.

*Bonus connection between these two songs is the little musical motif ("ding dong the witch is") that the movie version of No One Mourns the Wicked uses in its newly triumphant orchestration at the start (roughly 1:01 and 1:19 in the official soundtrack).

[icewindandboringhorror]

examining a seemingly normal image only to slowly realize the clear signs of AI generated art.... i know what you are... you cannot hide your true nature from me... go back where you came from... out of my sight with haste, wretched and vile husk

[on-leatheredwings]

ough how to pace urself with new obsessions .................

[rationalisms]

hi. i would just like to say that this is an attitude i've seen around increasingly often and i find it deeply baffling. like, genuinely could not relate any less to what is being expressed here.

personally, almost all media i'm obsessed with and talk about constantly is because i think it's good and i love talking about the ways in which it's good. yes, criticism can be fun and breed conversation, but so can positive critique. thoughtful, long-lasting engagement with a piece of media doesn't have to be negative. there are in fact ways for media to be good beyond "competent but generally unremarkable"?

and this is ymmv, but complaining about something is more the snack food of media criticism for me. it's fun and great in the moment and it absolutely is something i need to do regularly to feel normal. but i can't live off it. i need to experience genuine appreciation and esteem on a regular basis too, or i shrivel like a raisin. (expressed more seriously: the kind of critique i find actually nourishing in the sense that it allows me to refine what kind of art i would like to make, and what makes me tick as a human being, is the positive kind about media i love very much for being excellent.)

idk guys. is it just that i'm autistic and therefore discussing for the nth time why xyz rules never stops being entertaining? what am i missing here. maybe it's good when media is good?

[glambots]

So, most Daycares typically look after kids ranging from 1-to-5/6 years old, which means that Sun and Moon aren't just looking after babies. Mans looking after Baby-Babies. At least 10+ of them a day. That makes me wonder what their limit is. Do they have a waitlist for the Daycare?? Did they ever have Daycare assistants?? Or just a daytime security guard who watched from behind the desk? I want to know how the ins and outs of this place worked man!!

[cuteniaarts]

Wine stains on porcelain

(Alternatively: @katkastrofa and I have created 5 OCs in 3 days and I suffer from chronic “I wanna draw the little guysssssss” disease)

[syunkiss]

I might probably start smoking or drinking sooner or later. Or maybe both

[montammil]

how have u been? :)

I've been pretty good! I'm finally on meds for my migraines and have more free time since I've applied for disability benefits recently, so I hopefully will post a little more regularly!

More random life updates in the tags haha

[businesscasualart]

attacks you while you’re hyperfixated attacks you while you’re hyperfixated attacks you while you’re hyperfixated-

Art Fight attack for the wonderful @starleska !

(Edit: I have been kindly alerted that it’s actually against ArtFight’s rules to draw canon characters, so I took the attack down. C’est la vie.)

It was so hard to pick from your delightful character roster, but I knew I had to draw your Muppets OC, Sagan, the second I laid eyes on them! I love their design and Dr. Honeydew??? Sagan has excellent tastes ;) I love that for them. <3

Ngl I wanted to get Sagan’s super funky braces in there too but alas, <\3 maybe another time 👀

I began to realize as I started this just how little cute art I do, but I hope I got there anyway! Sagan deserves it <3

[sorenlionheart]

i am dangerously close to making my own interpretation of superman

[carebearcody]

two books with gorgeous covers that are a subversion of a typical ghost story with a narrative around a political time in history, with time jumps and multiple narratives, that are kind of gory but also beautifully written, that have gone on to be my favourite books of their respective year <3