#i didn't originally plan to post them

[mercury101]

[daily-dose-of-bucket]

Day 177: KANNA HALLOWEEN DOODLES PART 1 (pretend it's Halloween still) (it's a working title)

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance - Symphony of Sorcery

[t-u-i-t-c]

Taiya & Genba │ Lap 3

"Genba has just lost track of his wheel. That's all."

+ bonus

[scalacaelumx]

Ever since I was little, I could sense what was in people's hearts...but believed I was safe with you because there was nothing but light.

Day 10 of KHtober

[comikadraws]

Whats tobirama's beef with the Uchiha?

An Analysis of Tobirama's Prejudice

EDIT: If you have headed here via another user's post, here is a note. That user has never interacted with me. They clearly also haven't read any of my previous or linked posts, as far as I can tell. They simply just blocked me and then made that post to harass me afterward - completely out of the blue. My post has since been edited to better combat bad-faith takes and bullies like her.

Oh boi. More Tobirama. Once again, I am probably biased but these are my thoughts on him.

First of all, the guy definitely had beef with the Uchiha Clan, but I personally find the "racist" allegations he often gets to be... difficult, to say the least (not that I necessarily disagree with them). It is just that there are some very oversimplified, black-and-white takes out there with zero nuance.

Not that I am necessarily better but I'm definitely trying xD

Tobirama's Prejudice

Tobirama doesn't "hate" the Uchiha Clan but considers them to be a danger to Konoha. That is because

The Uchiha were more loyal/attached to the concept of "clan" rather than the concept of "village" (which stood in conflict with one of Konoha's main philosophies). Hence Tobirama sees them as "rebellious".

The Uchiha are more likely to lose themselves to intense hatred (aka "Curse of Hatred"). And, in the world of Naruto, hate is one of the main motivations of war, ever since the Warring States.

Combine that with the several bad experiences Tobirama and other Senju have had with the Uchiha (centuries of recurring battles, the death of Kawarama and Itama, Madara leaving the village) and you can see why Tobirama would think the Uchiha Clan is dangerous. Beyond that, Tobirama's character actually makes a lot of sense - more so than if he didn't have any prejudice. The prejudice he has is realistic.

He also personally does not believe that he "hates" the Uchiha and describes his bias as "caution".

The Racist Allegations

As I have already covered in this post about the Curse of Hatred, there might be parallels to our world's definition of racism, but Tobirama is not intended as a racist by Kishimoto.

What is important to understand is that perceived themes of racism in fantasy settings (where made-up races can have all sorts of magical differences between them, even those that are undesirable) do not equal actual racism in the real world (where racial differences are purely cosmetic) and often make for a bad analogy.

What I have also covered in the same post is that the Curse of Hatred very much does exist and Tobirama was right to assume that there is something "wrong" with the Uchiha. (For all of you not interested in reading, the TL;DR is that Zetsu's been manipulating the Uchiha for centuries, hence the illusion of a "curse")

Whether his theory was correct or not, however, is up to the audience's interpretation. The problem here is that Kishimoto never contradicted Tobirama's theories and also that they were presented and treated as exposition by the narrative. I am basing my own theory specifically on the exposition given by Hagoromo (chapters 670-671) and Zetsu (chapter 681) who are both relatively reliable sources and seem to imply (emphasis on "imply") that the Curse of Hatred mostly just affects Indra's reincarnates rather than the entire clan (again, reference to my other post because it has nothing to do with Indra specifically but rather just with Zetsu being manipulative).

Not that Tobirama could reasonably know about that detail, though. What he saw instead were centuries of war and Madara's defection, leading him to believe that there must be something influencing the Uchiha's decision-making. (And yes, assuming that my own interpretation about Zetsu is correct, that would make Tobirama a racist as his theories are not based on fact).

Systemic Oppression of the Uchiha?

Another misconception that people apparently have is that Tobirama ostracized the Uchiha Clan, which is untrue. Yes, the guy was horrible, was far too wrapped up in his own trauma, and should not have become Hokage. Not even because I think he was a bad leader necessarily but simply on principle.

That being said, the Uchiha were not being purposefully isolated from the rest of the village. The police force is neither entirely comprised of Uchihas nor are Uchihas forced to join the police. Instead, it is implied to be a choice in the manga.

Somebody else pointed out Orochimaru mentioning that the Uchiha had their clan compound near the prison. But this is not a criterion of ostracization. All the other canonical information we have on the Uchiha's supposed ostracization is based on Obito, who is famously a liar and not a reliable source (therefore it is up to headcanon).

Tobirama also practically gave away permanent leadership of the police. The police are part of the executive branch in any government, just like the military or, in this case, the ANBU - with the only difference being that the police don't require Hokage orders for everything they do. The Uchihas working at the police are in a position of power rather than in a position of suppression. It is also implied that they are able to arrest anybody they want (except ANBU members) without a warrant (again, emphasis on "imply" because the context implies that arrest without a warrant is possible for all non-ANBU citizens).

Keeping this in mind, the establishment of the Uchiha Military Police Force was (most likely) indeed a gesture of goodwill and trust. It was not a slight and it was not an attempt at ostrachization. If anything, it shows that Konoha (and by extension, the police) was corrupt and abusing power on a regular basis (though that is not the point of this post but yes, Konoha's politics are no unchangeable gospel).

There are more misconceptions about Tobirama that are often twisted to fit people's agenda, but I'll leave it at that for now.

My personal conclusion is that Tobirama might fit our real-world definition of "racist". But that heavily depends on your interpretation. Either way, Tobirama was a product of his times.

[frenchfry99]

Waitttt....you said Lilly has a *honkable nose???*

.....

*Fnaf nose honk insert*

Lilly does the fnaf nose honk canon ‼️🎉

She's inviting you to join the clownery!

Do you accept the offer??

Bonus Lilly with a couple of her many friends! (lil one befriends anyone in sight)

Haven't drawn my Home design in ages,, he's such a silly fellow (as much as a house can be silly and fellow lol)

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Final Fantasy IX and Kingdom Hearts parallels, since we got news for both today:) (The Kingdom Hearts Steam trailer, as well as some KH rumors, and further rumors that the FFIX Remake is happening.)

[raiiny-bay]

they've come a long way

[seariii]

Bringing back out the Boing de Mango, as I look at my notifications

[voidscattered]

Chekilli glanced over at Wing in concern. Looking at him, now knowing things he’d gone through and especially so how he thought of himself . . . It hurt. He hurt very much for him and he just . . . he’d do anything to take all that away from him. To take away all of Wing’s pain, all of the things that had hurt him. He doubted even wishing could do much for that, at least not immediately, but there were things he could do that might be able to at least start the natural process of healing. Such as counteracting those false and horrifying thought processes and just . . . covering him with as much love as he could possibly give him.

His staring was noticed, though, and he smiled softly at Wing as the other turned to look at him and smile back. Gosh, even just seeing that smile again, after hundreds of years, was enough to make him start to tear up again. He moved closer and gave him a hug, just . . . extremely happy to just have him back again. He’d thought he’d lost him . . . and yet here he was in front of him, alive, and in his arms.

After a bit he pulled away from the hug with a fond smile, before his expression morphed into something serious. “. . . We need to talk, Wing.”

Gaster shifted uncertainly under his creator’s gaze. Did something happen? Did he do something wrong? Stars, had he already done something wrong so soon after reuniting with Chekilli? Did he not like that he and Pearl had a soul bond after all? Was he mad at him? He, he’d become too comfortable in the Underground, acting as if he was anything other than his creator’s assistant simply because his creator hadn’t been around to be assisted, and now he must have annoyed him or stars forbid angered him by doing something wrong. What in the world was wrong with him?

Chekilli scanned Wing’s face, extremely concerned at the alarm and even fear he saw in there. What had they done to him? “Hey,” he said softly, lifting his hand to cup the skeleton’s face. “Hey, hey, Wing. It’s okay. You’re not in trouble or anything. Nothing’s wrong. You’re more than good, actually.”

Gaster hesitated. Had . . . had he really done nothing wrong? Then what did Chekilli want to talk to him about?

His creator sighed. “You know I love you, right?”

“OF COURSE . . .” Where was this going? Why would he preface with this if Gaster had done nothing wrong? What was going on?

“. . . I’ve been told you don’t exactly think the best of yourself.”

He froze. How did he find out about that, he wasn’t supposed to find out about that. He knew it sounded bad and he hadn’t wanted to worry him, even if he felt it to be true. Had . . . had Pearl told him? She was the only one who really knew much about it that Chekilli had met. And she’d told him multiple times over that it wasn’t true so of course she’d talk to his creator about it. Stars . . .

Wing’s expression told Chekilli all he needed to know. Not only was it confirmation that this was in fact a thing, but also that Wing hadn’t been expecting him to know about it and likely had had no intention of telling him. Both of which were incredibly concerning. How long had this been going on? How long had he been suffering through all of this? How long?

He dropped his hand from Wing’s face, instead taking both of his hands in his and squeezing them earnestly. “You’re worth just as much as any other person, Wing. You’re worth just as much as me, as Grillby, as your sons, as Pearl, as everyone else. That is an objective fact.” He hesitated, then asked, “. . . What makes you think you’re so much less than everyone else?”

Gaster hesitated, not . . . not really sure what to do with what was being said. Pearl had already gone over this with him, but it still didn’t exactly feel true and right now, face-to-face with his creator, he didn’t really believe it. Especially not that he was worth as much as Chekilli was. But he was asked a question by his creator, so he needed to answer it. “. . . I WAS MADE AS YOUR ASSISTANT,” he said slowly, uncertainly. “THAT’S . . . WHAT I AM. I’M JUST . . . SIDE HELP. STARS, I DIDN’T EVEN COMPLETELY COME OUT HOW YOU WANTED . . .” How could he be worth as much as everyone else? How could he be worth as much as Chekilli?

Well. That was extremely concerning. “That’s not all your are, though. Geez, Wing, if all I’d wanted was an assistant I wouldn’t have completely tied up my magic into solely creating and taking care of you for four years. If all I’d wanted was an assistant I’d have just asked someone else in the village.” He squeezed his hands again. “I wanted you, Wing. I wanted you as a person. If anything the assistant thing was just an excuse for me to make you, not the reason. I love you, Wing, for everything that you are. For who you are. Not what you were made for. Put me in the same situation but without a need for someone to help me? I still would have made you. I’d been thinking about you years before I actually started prepping for you. I don’t care what you were made for. And I certainly don’t care that you didn’t come out exactly how I pictured. That’s on me, not you. You were my first monster, Wing, I was inexperienced and I overachieved. So no, I don’t care about that. I care about you. I care about you, and who you are now, not what I initially imagined you to be.”

Gaster had . . . well, he had no idea how to respond to any of that, left speechless at the whole thing. But as his creator kept talking, tears pricked at his eyes, and he quickly started wiping them away. Stars, he did not need to start crying in front of Chekilli. But he had no idea what to do with this, this utter and complete love that he was giving him, with words completely contradictory to what he’d believed for hundreds of years now. Instead of everything he’d been worrying about upon Chekilli discovering that something was wrong with him, instead of the annoyance, and disappointment, all he got was just . . . just pure love, and he had no idea what to do with that. Stars, if he could just not. CRY, though.

His attempts at wiping away his tears were stopped when Chekilli grabbed his wrists. “It’s okay, Wing. You can cry. Nothing’s wrong with crying, and nothing’s wrong with you. I love you, Wing, with all of my heart.”

Gaster hesitated, then fell into a hug with him, crying softly into his shoulder. Stars, he just . . . he did not deserve having Chekilli as his creator. He really didn’t. But he was so, so lucky to have him. He could still scarcely believe that he’d just been so . . . accepting of him and everything he’d done wrong. And loving. He had no idea what to do with it.

“It’s okay, Wing,” Chekilli said softly, holding his son close. “It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here for you now, and I love you. Nothing’s going to happen to you here.” As he listened to his tears, his expression hardened, staring into the distance. How dare they do this to Wing. How dare they hurt him like this. He hoped, for their sakes, that none of the Monster Hunters were still alive, because he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back if he ever came across them again.

When Wing finally pulled away, he gave him a soft smile, then paused. “. . . You know, being an assistant was never an obligation, but if you’re having so much trouble with this, then I formally release you from the purpose you were made for.”

Gaster spluttered, startled at the declaration. “WHA- YOU- YOU CAN’T DO THAT!”

“Says who? I’m the one who created you, aren’t I? I can get rid of or change your purpose as I please. So it’s gone now! Goodbye! No more of this assistant stuff! Your new purpose is to just be yourself, with the addition of taking care of yourself, and that’s it.”

Gaster opened and closed his mouth several times, wanting to say something against that but not finding any words or reasoning to back him up. Chekilli wasn’t wrong, he was his creator, he could just do that. But he had no idea how to respond to it.

His purpose was to be himself? What was he supposed to do with that? So much of himself and how he thought of himself was based around being an assistant, being someone who helped. What was he supposed to do now? Who . . . Who was he without that? He looked at him helplessly. “I . . . I DON’T . . . KNOW . . . HOW . . . ?”

Chekilli frowned. “. . . You don’t know how for which part?”

“I . . . I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SET MYSELF APART FROM MY PURPOSE . . . UH, MY . . . PREVIOUS PURPOSE?” That was . . . That was really weird to think about, that he wasn’t supposed to act as that anymore. He. He didn’t know what to do with himself.

Well that was concerning. “. . . Well, let’s see. The Wing I know is in love with the night sky. He’s very curious and likes learning new things and takes very well to it. He’s fascinated with magic. He’s a very caring person, to all creatures. And apparently he’s quite accomplished if he’s now the top scientist amidst all monsters. Wing, you’re so much more than what your purpose has been. You’re so much apart from that. And I love you for that. Not because of what you’ve done to fulfill your purpose, but because of who you are.”

Gaster . . . supposed . . . But he still wasn’t sure what to do with all that, so he latched onto the one thing he did know he could respond to. “BECOMING THE ROYAL SCIENTIST WAS SHEER LUCK. I WAS JUST IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME, AND THERE WEREN’T MANY MONSTERS LEFT TO COMPETE. THAT WASN’T ME.”

What . . . Was Wing’s first reaction to a compliment immediately denying it? He was just getting a worse and worse picture of how badly he was in this thought process . . . “Wing, you figured out how to make magic artificially. You created something that allowed monsters to thrive in a situation designed to stifle them into dust. And who knows what else you’ve made? That was you, Wing. That is you. And none of that is staying on the sidelines as a mere assistant to everybody else.”

Gaster hesitated. Was that true? Was that him, unconnected to his purpose? Was it good for him to not be connected to it? It was what he was made for, after all . . . But Chekilli was changing that now. He was giving him a new purpose. And he still felt like he was flailing without a grip to latch onto. “E- . . EVEN IF ALL THAT IS TRUE, HOW . . . HOW WOULD I EVEN TURN THAT INTO A PURPOSE? HOW . . . WHAT WOULD I EVEN DO?”

“You do whatever you want to do, Wing. Do what you enjoy. And don’t try to help others more than you’re able. I’m not telling you to never help them, helping people is part of your personality, but you don’t have to put them above yourself, and especially not to the point of actually harming yourself.”

“BUT WHAT IF THEY NEED IT?” Gaster said immediately. “I CAN’T JUST LEAVE THEM WITHOUT HELP IF THEY NEED IT.” And he still felt like he wasn’t really worth that much . . . Pearl, Chekilli, and his therapist had been trying to tell him otherwise, but it still felt like . . .

“If they need it, and if helping would result in harming you, then ask somebody else to help instead. It’s okay to let others help instead. And if it’s not an immediate problem, then you could also just wait until you’re doing better, until you can handle it without being hurt by it yourself. And along those lines, it’s okay to let others help you. You don’t have to do things by yourself. Humans and monsters are social creatures, Wing. We’re not meant to go through things on our own. It’s okay to let others help you, too. Okay?”

“I . . . I . . . O-OKAY.” He . . . couldn’t really figure out any other excuses, and he still wasn’t sure what to do with this. Suddenly changing his purpose . . . That was a big change, and he hadn’t been expecting it, much less prepared for it. He . . . was going to need some time to process it. He was supposed to just . . . be himself? That was it? Be himself and take care of himself? Stars . . .

Chekilli smiled softly at him, squeezing his hands before letting him go. “Good.” He knew releasing him from his purpose wouldn’t stop him from wanting to help others; of course not, that was ingrained into his very being. He’d intentionally made him a very kind person who liked to help. But he didn’t want him to consider himself lower than others because of it, and especially not less of a person.

He didn’t even know how much this would help. It had to be a deeply ingrained thought process if it had lasted for so long and was as bad as Pearl seemed to think. But hopefully getting rid of his purpose like that would at least kick the logic out from underneath it and start that process of healing.

He really shouldn’t have overachieved with Wing, if the results had given him this much insecurity over himself. Well, no, most of this had come from what the Monster Hunters had done to him, but he had no idea if Wing had ever been feeling any bit of this even before the war and simply hadn’t said anything. He hoped he hadn’t . . .

“. . . Wing, be honest with me. Even before the war, had I ever done anything that ever gave you any impression that any of this, this thinking lesser of yourself was true?”

“WHAT? NO, NO, YOU WERE . . . YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN AMAZING, CHEKILLI. YOU NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG.”

He scanned his face, wishing they’d still had the soul bond so he could actually tell whether he was being truthful on this or not. Knowing how his son thought of himself currently, Chekilli was worried that he was simply saying that to avoid making him feel bad. “Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure? Don’t worry about my feelings. I just want to know if there’s anything I need to avoid in the future. I don’t ever want to hurt you, Wing, and if I ever did in the past then I want to know.”

“IT’S FINE, CHEKILLI. YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING.” He never felt less before the war. The war is what opened his eyes to his flaws. Or . . . or . . . it’s what . . . gave him . . . false ideas . . . ? Everyone he’d talked to about it seemed to think they were false, anyway . . . They certainly didn’t feel false . . .

“. . . Okay. Okay, good. Just . . . tell me if I ever do, alright? Or, if you can’t bring yourself to, then tell someone else.” He was well aware of the potential power imbalance between creator and created - heck, he’d just used that to change Wing’s purpose, though hopefully for the better - and he didn’t want that to tip into something bad. And communication was key to prevent that from happening.

“. . . OKAY. I’LL TRY.”

“Good. Thank you, Wing.”

The two of them fell silent for a moment, simply . . . enjoying each other’s presence. It had been a very long time since they’d seen each other, after all, and it was just . . . it was really nice to just be with each other again. Neither had thought the other was still alive, and it was incredible to have each other back again.

But the whole creator/created thing was bothering Chekilli still. The dynamic really didn’t seem to be helping things, and while he didn’t view Wing as something he could just . . . do whatever he wanted with because he was his own thing he created, and he absolutely didn’t view him as property, it was starting to seem like Wing might be viewing him as such, as someone who held that kind of control over him, and that was extremely concerning. Was there any way they could change that? Like he had with Wing’s purpose? Any way to get rid of that? Well . . . the only thing actually tying the two of them together, the soul bond, was already gone. Maybe bring his attention to that? And to the way Chekilli viewed him?

“. . . Hey, Wing,” he ventured.

“MM?”

“You’re free now. Well, you were never required to do anything due to being someone I created, but since you seem to be having trouble with this: I’m officially setting you free. It’s not like we have the soul bond anymore, anyway, so consider that the symbol of us breaking that relationship.”

“I-I, WHAT? WHAT- BUT- YOU STILL ARE THE ONE WHO CREATED ME. THAT’S NOT A THING THAT CAN BE CHANGED.”

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean the dynamic has to be the same. Besides, that was never how I viewed you. I never thought of you as something I could just do whatever I wanted with. You know how I thought of you? How I still think of you?”

“. . . HOW?”

He leaned forward, squeezing his hands. “As my son.”

Gaster froze, then looked away. He knew Pearl had been very insistent on that, but it still didn't feel right. There was a difference, between a monster and a child. "I’M NOT YOUR SON, CHEKILLI.”

“And why not?” he asked, slightly indignant. “It may have been by a different mechanism, but you came from my magic, and I raised you and took care of you as my own.” His gaze softened, and he cupped Wing’s face again. “I’ve always thought of you as my son, Wing. Always. Nothing is going to change that. That’s who you are to me.”

Stars, even Chekilli was being insistent about this. But that . . . that wasn’t what he was. That wasn’t at all what he was. How could he . . . How could he place him on such a high level? “WH . . . WHY? HOW? I DON’T . . . I DON’T DESERVE THAT TITLE, CHEKILLI. THAT’S NOT WHAT I AM. I’M JUST YOUR MONSTER.”

“Deserve- You absolutely deserve it, Wing! This isn’t- This isn’t something based on merit. There isn’t a way to not deserve it. It’s just what you are. It’s what you’ve always been to me.” He pulled him back into a hug. “I love you, Wing, and I absolutely consider you my son. Please, Wing. Please.”

Gaster wasn’t expecting the hug. Nor . . . nor everything that Chekilli had just told him. He was . . . he was absolutely being serious about this, wasn’t he? He had no idea what to do with that, incredulous as to the very idea of it. What was he supposed to . . . His son? He . . . He really thought of him that highly? That was . . . That was a lot, and he started to cry again, clinging to Chekilli as he did. How could he just . . . be so kind like this? He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t. But . . . he couldn’t deny how good it made him feel, to be considered as such. Even if it was hardly believable.

Eventually, Chekilli pulled away. “We’re getting rid of this whole creator-created thing, alright? Don’t call me your creator anymore. I’m your dad, now, or any variation of that that you might want to call me. Alright?”

Gaster hesitated, but then . . . slowly nodded. It felt . . . extremely weird, and not-right, but he couldn’t figure out a way to really deny it and get him to not do this. So he just . . . had to accept it.

Thank the stars. Chekilli slid his hands down to take Wing’s, squeezing them gently as he spoke. “Good. Good. I love you Wing. You know that?”

He nodded again, speaking quietly. “. . . I know. I love you, too.”

[steakout-05]

fanon craig headcanons because i'm making another one of these despite the fact that i already made 2 (i have chimp brain and i forgot i made 2 already just ssshhhhh)

ok absurdly long title aside. new thoughts about my little scientist man have spawned into my head i need to write them down,,, most of this is projection and very self-indulgent (and very gay) but that's what we do here on this blog babeeyy B) (also i was kind of sleepy while writing this so please excuse any sloppy writing

general headcanons

Craig is on the aroace spectrum, specifically demisexual and demiromantic. throughout his life, he's never really felt the "need" to be interested in other people in any way. he'd never felt attraction to anyone, he'd never really thought about pursuing a relationship with anyone, and the idea of him dating anyone felt foreign and strange to him because he just couldn't see himself doing that, especially not with a random stranger he barely knew. stuff like blind dating confused him. "why would you want to spend your life with someone you barely even knew yet?" was a thought that crossed his mind a lot whenever the topic would come up. for a while, he even considered himself completely aroace because of never feeling attraction to anyone before... that was, until he became close friends with Barry. the build up was gradual, but because of Craig never having been interested in anyone before, he initially didn't really recognise it as attraction until the realisation that he like-liked Barry suddenly hit him like a bag of bricks one day. it was like an instant "ohhh so THAT'S what i'm feeling" moment, followed immediately by panic. he could never let Barry know how he really felt, until it of course accidentally slipped out one day and he was super embarrassed about it until Barry admitted he kinda felt the same way about him, much to his shock (and relief). since then, the two have been dating for a little over a couple of years and have gone through a LOT of adventures with each other, growing closer and closer with every outing.

he's also not really sure what type of person he's attracted to yet. he's guessing he's probably either gay or pan for the time being.

Craig, as i've described before in earlier posts, is on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed fairly young. he ended up being diagnosed with the outdated term 'Aspergers Syndrome', as he was diagnosed well before the removal of Aspergers from the DSM in 2013.

Craig is very introverted. he's not shy per se, but he easily gets overwhelmed and overstimulated when around a lot of people and needs more than a few business days to himself to recharge. Barry, on the other hand, is an extrovert, and so him and Craig's needs often conflict with one another, leading to the occasional boyfriend argument.

Craig has chronic back pain and Vitamin-D deficiency, like most scientists at Legitimate Research. he gets exhausted quite easily and sometimes experiences painful headaches, which makes quite a few of his adventures with Barry a lot more difficult for him.

Craig is partially blind in his right eye due to the explosion that happened in 'Level 2', which ended up with a scar forming down his cornea. Craig never really had the best eyesight to begin with, but due to this incident, he now needs to wear prescription glasses underneath his visor. Barry feels kinda guilty about partially causing this to happen, but Craig has assured him that he doesn't blame him for the explosion damaging his eye and that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Craig is slightly taller than Barry, being 5''7. for reference, Barry is 5''5.

Craig is quite an ambitious and creative person, especially when he's highly emotional or focused, such as when he's doing anything related to his special interests. this made him a good friend and partner to Toni, who was also an ambitious and creative type, although Toni was quite impulsive and didn't exactly think through a lot of ideas until he was already finished developing and prototyping them. Craig was the anchor to his ship of creative endeavors, as he incorporated a lot more logic and practicality into his ideas.

backstory related stuff

Craig was a high-ranking scientist who worked at Legitimate Research around the same time as Toni and Peter Simpkins. he'd always had an affinity for science and mechanical engineering since he was young, as it was a pretty significant special interest for him. he would enter robotics and engineering classes and clubs during high school, and he eventually achieved so much academically that he ended up getting an invitation to fly overseas to study at a university in Australia, which was supposedly one of the most prestigious universities that offered many science and engineering-related courses (although oddly enough, it seemed to be funded by a "Legitimate Funding Co"). Craig had met Toni at university, the two studying in the same field together. they bonded over their common interests and creative ideas for machines and robots, and they often would spend hours throwing ideas around and developing what would later become some of Legitimate Research's weirder and wackier gadgets. Peter Simpkins was someone Craig met a lot later after getting his rank at LR, and while Craig wasn't as close with him as he was with Toni, he found his more upbeat, laidback and jovial personality to be quite endearing. oddly though, despite how upbeat Simpkins was, he was quite secretive about himself. Craig never really knew Simpkins that well before his untimely passing, which would happen only a few years later Craig and Toni became employees at LR.

when the news of Simpkins' death hit the high ranking scientists of Legitimate Research, it hit them hard. Toni was the most heartbroken and was utterly crushed with the guilt that something he had worked on directly resulted in the careless demise of his friend. not only that, but Toni had just been let go by the company within the same week following the failures of his experiments, which absolutely broke him. Craig, who was also grieving the loss of a fellow coworker, had attempted to provide some sort of comfort to Toni, trying to convince him that it wasn't completely his fault and that he'd never meant for it to happen, but it backfired incredibly badly, resulting in the grief-stricken scientist lashing out and breaking apart their friendship. Craig never saw or heard from Toni ever again since that day.

also: it's not exactly clear when and where Simpkins died canonically in Jetpack Joyride's story. it's said on the Legitimate Scientists' bio image that he died during the development of Mr. Cuddles, so it can be assumed he probably died when the 'Robot Bird' rock opera took place. Craig and Toni became scientists at Legitimate Research a few years before Barry discovered the laboratory, and everything went down a few weeks after Barry's first break-in.

i haven't fully crafted this part yet, but because of Simpkin's death and the incident pretty much breaking apart Craig's entire social circle, he decided to take leave and even considered resigning indefinitely. he felt as though the joy he'd once had for developing machinery had been fizzled out, and he was still just beginning to process everything that had happened. he'd planned to send out goodbye letters to his fellow coworkers, pack up everything he had brought over from university and stay back with his family throughout the grieving process.

this would never end up happening.

Professor Brains was overtaken by rage following the death of his closest friend, his decisions becoming much more rash, destructive and uncaring than before. much like Craig was an anchor to Toni, Simpkins was an anchor to Brains' more evil tendencies, and without him, he began to spiral into villainy. he developed a strict and harsh system of employment, having it be absolutely mandatory for every single non-clone employee to have their memories and names wiped, effectively brainwashing them and forcing them to be his slaves. Craig, unfortunately, happened to be one of the unlucky few to become a test subject to this system. almost every piece of identifying information about him was erased, including the memory of Toni, Simpkins' death and the aftermath (it was to prevent any free will from Craig), and he was booted down to being a regular blue-glove scientist (i like to think the gloves have meaning like the stripes) (they're like uniform colours and badges having separate meanings in star trek).

Craig's initial memory erasure lead to him developing an unhealthy habit of erasing any and all bad memories going forward as a sort of trauma response to something that was no longer accessible to his brain. the trauma imprinted on him before he could even process that he'd went through trauma at all, so now he just has this bad habit he can't remember the origin of.

potential story beats and headcanons related to that

i want Craig to have a character arc where he finally becomes more brave and action-oriented, standing up for himself more against the villains and even kicking ass in a few fights.

i also think a story where Craig becomes absolutely enraged at the sheer extent of Legitimate Research's unethical memory-wiping practises and how his life had practically been taken away from him with the promise of a good career doing something he'd love, by taking advantage of his gullible nature and eagerness to please authority. he and Barry hatch a plan to take over the entire establishment, free all the scientists and turn it into a sort of scientific haven for developing technology that would enhance the world, rather than technology made for evil.

with this revelation, Craig would go by two names, being his original one and the one Barry gave him, as he views the name Barry gave him as a symbol of rebellion. (i haven't decided on what his OG name would be yet,,, i'm bad with names lmao)

Craig kinda gets carried away with this idea though, and it doesn't get idealised until much later in the story where he takes a step back and reflects on his actions, admitting to Barry that maybe he was swinging too much in the direction of impulsivity from the inner need to be a more brave and active person.

also. i want a really super exquisitely gay scene where, probably around the middle of Craig's becoming more confident arc, he finally reveals his face to Barry. it's a slow scene. the two are resting somewhere outside, watching the stars together. they've been silent for a while, just admiring the twinkling sky in peace, before Barry looks over at Craig and notices he's looking a little pre-occupied with something to the point of nervousness. he's fidgeting with his hands and seems pretty uneasy. Barry asks him what's bothering him, and Craig's a little hesitant to answer. "Barry, I... I need to show you something". they get up and move to a nearby hill (i always picture this taking place on a hill), before Barry once again asks him what's going on. Craig explains that the two have been dating for such a long time by now, and their three year anniversary is coming up soon. he mentions that something really big and important has been bothering him for such a long time, only becoming more and more bothersome with each month that passes in their relationship. it's gotten to the point where he feels guilty that, despite how close they've become, he's essentially kept himself locked away behind a hazmat suit visor for so long out of his own selfish insecurities. if he doesn't do this now, he'll never be able to do it ever. taking a deep breath, he slowly pulls off his helmet, Barry staring with intense anticipation.

and there he was, fully unmasked, fully revealed to what felt like the whole world. and it was incredible. messy blond hair that was modest and reserved, yet ever so slightly daring in its flow. jade coloured eyes that caught the twinkling light of the stars perfectly. his scar, his nerdy little glasses that were taped together, everything about him, all of it took Barry's breath away. "I'm, uh... Sorry if it's not what you expected, Barry." Craig bashfully apologised, making to turn his head away, but the gentle touch of Barry's hands stopped him before he could. "Craig", he began, a big, gleeful grin forming on his face. the scientist could've sworn Barry's eyes were starting to become wet with tears as he continued to speak. "You're just as beautiful as I imagined."

they get married on the spot after that /j

also i got a little bonus headcanon/story thing that i was writing in the tags but couldn't fit in!!! it's related to the apple experiment he was doing during the Halfbrick Multiverse Madness events.

it's not really explained in the JJ2 canon as to why Craig is experimenting with this apple and why it works the way it does, so i'm putting my own explanation to it in this fanon. now i believe the Halfbrick Multiverse Madness came out before Nixie's boss was added??? i think??? i don't exactly remember when everything came out, but even if it was added after her appearance, i'm still going to have this experiment take place before Barry defeats all the main bosses and then have it come up again after he defeats them.

i just thought of a way i could implement this story beat happening in the background of the main story before it starts to become more of a central point again. like, maybe Barry, Betty and Robo Barry were all having a celebration for defeating all the bosses and the sectors, but Craig seems to be quite preoccupied and dissociated from everything going on around him because now he has more time to think about and develop the apple, and he just can't shake the thought that he's missing something very integral to his memory. Barry notices this odd behaviour, but he reckons he should wait until after the party's finished to ask Craig what's up. it starts to get very late into the night, and the party begins to quiet down. Barry figures that this is the perfect time to check up on Craig, but when he goes to look for him, the scientist has already disappeared. Barry becomes increasingly more concerned and decides to leave to go look for him at the lab. "Maybe he's just tired tonight," he thinks, but there's a pit in his stomach telling him that something's wrong, he just knows it. without turning back to tell his friends where he's going, he rushes outside and straps on his jetpack, flying over to the lab as quick as he can.

Barry dashes to Craig's laboratory room and pushes the door open, being met with a startled Craig who was hunched over his desk and seemed to be working on a blueprint of some sort. one of the papers he was working on flies off the desk with his startled movements, and Barry goes to pick it up. he asks Craig if he's okay and that he was acting a little strange earlier, and Craig quickly stands up from his desk and awkwardly brushes his odd behaviour off as having important scientific research to do that just couldn't wait, taking the blurprints back from Barry. the jetpacker in question suspiciously raises an eyebrow. he isn't convinced. "You don't sound too sure about that, mate." he says. "Why'd you wait until so late into the night to work on this thing? Are you hiding something?". Craig gets more frustrated with Barry's questioning, his tone quickly becoming more snappy and irritated. "Barry, this is very important work. I'm fine." He turns back to his desk, reaching for a white pencil so he can get back to working on his blueprints, but he's stopped when Barry pushes him once again. "Listen, Craig, I just think you're acting a bit--" "I'M COMPLETELY FINE, OKAY!? Quit prodding at me so much and let me get back to my work!"

Barry's expression falters, looking even more worried than he was before. Craig is immediately hit with a twinge of guilt, and he apologises. "Look, I-I'm sorry Barry, I'm just... I really need to get this done. This is really important to me and... Brains needs these blueprints in by tomorrow." he felt absolutely horrible lying to Barry like that, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell him what was really going on. Barry nods, before apologising himself.

"... Yeah, I get it. Sorry about that, I'll stop pushin' you about it. It's just that... I'm worried about you Craig, that's all." Barry's voice became more gentle and convicted as he spoke. Craig didn't respond. Barry smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle pat, shaking the scientist a little. "You take care and get some sleep, okay? G'night, Craig."

"... 'Night, Barry." Craig mustered as Barry walked out the door, closing it behind him. the scientist sighed, slumping back down at his desk, quietly fidgeting with his pencil. A wave of exhausted determination washed over Craig as his eyes scanned over the incomplete blueprints. he just needed to get this done, and then he could finally rest.

ignore the fact that this became a complete fanfic at the end lmao. these are my ideas and headcanons for what i want to do with my fanon Craig and i think they're intriguing enough to possibly develop into a full-fledged story :D there are so many possibilities to explore with him and i just find him to be an interesting little specimen to think about and rotate in my head like a 3d object looll

[gamebunny-advance]

*Exhale*

Alright, I've been teasing it long enough. Anyone that's been paying attention has probably figured out what my oh-so secret project has been (not that it's going to stop me from vague-posting about it), and he really is close to being finished.

Face-up. Done. (Though I would like to touch-up where the paint has chipped)

Clothes. Painted.

Wig. Styled.

I literally just need to put the fringe on his scarf, but for whatever reason, I've just been hit with this wave of fatigue since about the time I wrote the last confessions post (frankly, if you ever see me writing/posting long-ass posts, it's because I've lost the energy to use my hands to make things).

I guess I just burned myself out from making both him and Kun3h0 at the same time, that when Kun3h0 got finished, my whole body shut down having felt relief from "completing" the project. To be fair, this has been going on since at least mid-Janurary, so I am more than ready to close the book on this one.

I'll try to finish him within the month, but there are also a lot of other things going on with me ATM, so I wouldn't hold me to it.

[woodfrogs]

long (mostly unplanned) series almost always have a first arc with completely different vibes than the rest of the story as the author(s) figure out what exactly they're doing and the problem is. i always fall in love with the first arc's worldbuilding and wish everything after stayed more similar

thinking about it further the problem might just be that the authors i'm thinking of are not good at writing and so when they're left to develop a story further it inevitably fumbles

[blue-b-bro]

.

[azamonvoid]

Some of my ocs cuz idk