#i thought id have more time to do stop me comic too......

[todayisafridaynight]

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE PRICELESS IS SO GOOD RIGHT... LOVE THE ENDING FOR THAT... and very much anticipating First Penguin's... which I am DETERMINED to continued today... I feel bad for falling behind because I ended up binging a whole anime yesterday since the secondary protagonist was based on Tsutsumi and lost track of Fucking Everything 😭😭😭he is so cute though😚

OH BUT YEAH I played DQXI's demo [the first ten hours of the game or so]... yeaaahhhh... definitely that kind of game for me too... but I hope whenever you get back to it you have a good time! I may not know a thing about Metroid but I am also happy to hear it was an enjoyable experience overall :] I enjoy the tag rambles very much :]

REGARDLESS... EPIC... I HOPE YOU ENJOY SP... OR AT THE VERY LEAST I HOPE YOU CAN STICK WITH IT UNTIL IT BECOMES ENJOYABLE...

AND YOU'RE JUST NOT GOING TO DROP THE TITLE so mean telling me about all these interesting things to watch and not sharin the title (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

TEN HOURS FOR THE DEMO ??? long as hell demo... OH BUT NO i love the games a lot !! ive followed the series for a while since. i do have that dragon ball/toriyama fanatic in me unfortunately even if i dont like toriyama himself ☠️☠️ i only really got to actually start one of the games last year when my bro got DQXI for me and ive been loving it so far (*￣▽￣*)ミ|Ю

i've BEEN enjoying it so far !! i'm just about to start episode four tho i AM gonna lose my mind if this hospital arc goes on one more episode bro this half the series already ☠️

[rekino2114]

Confessing to fem. Herlock sholmes

A/n:One of the first characters I wanted to do a genderbent post about without being requested to was herlock sholmes cause he's one of my favorite characters ever. Credit to mi_zu_no on Twitter for the art, and sorry if it's cropped weird since originally it was of all of the main cast genderbent

I'll change herlock's name to Harley

Being the great detective's partner was....an experience, while you certainly didn't expect her to be so...eccentric to say the least, you couldn't deny that those quirks of her didn't make her fun to be around. you also noticed that you two made a pretty great team when it came to solving cases. Overall living with her was a great experience, and maybe you had started seeing her in a way different than just a friend.

Little did you know that Harley had started seeing you in that way too but too scared to confess never acted out on her feelings, something that iris didn't fail to notice

"Harley, we need to talk"

"What is it, dear iris?"

"Do you like y/n....romantically?"

The detective fell down in surprise before quickly getting up

"Whatever makes you say that?"

"I mean, it's pretty obvious. You're always ranting about how amazing he is and how handsome he looks, to be honest I'm surprised he didn't notice"

"I see my detective skills must have rubbed off on you, my dear girl. You are indeed correct. He has taken my heart"

"Then why don't you just tell him?"

"And there lies the issue! you see telling him would be very risky, what If he doesn't feel the same, I couldn't look at him again if he rejected me"

"I'm sure he does too. Have you seen how he looks at you when you're together?"

"I actually didn't pay particular attention to where his eyes looked, probably because I was too lost in them ahahaha"

"......You're hopeless sometimes Harley"

"Why yes, hopelessly in love"

"Hey girls, what are you talking about?"

"Oh hi n/n, Harley here was saying-"

"Nothing you should take note of, my dear fellow. More importantly, I could sense my great detective's instinct tingle when you walked in here do you have something to tell me perhaps?"

"I see you're as observant as ever, indeed I came here to tell you-"

"Hush! I thought you'd learned by now, my good friend, that once the train of reasoning has started, it cannot be stopped. Now sit back for you will have the pleasure to witness Harley sholmes logic and reasoning spectacular"

".....really?"

"Don't we usually do this together?"

"Indeed but today you will be the victim of the great detective's deduction, so shall we start?"

Harley started to dance around you as usual

"First of all, we must notice you have quite the red complexion on your face, and I don't think it's something coincidental either. It's clearly something coming from deep in your body"

"W-well-"

"Secondly, I see that on your face. Not only is a red hue but also some water dripping down your forehead, do you mind explaining why you're sweating on a London winter evening, my dear fellow?"

"Alright I guess I should tell you i-"

"There is no need for words, for I have already deduced everything...... you have come here to tell me you were sick and had a fever"

"............"

"............"

"I see you two are too stunned to speak"

"That's....one way to put it"

"*sighs* You're just as great as always, Harley, but you're wrong. I'm fine but I did want to tell you something"

"Go ahead then, I trust no one else but my great partner to correct me"

"Well, the reason why I was so red and sweaty was because I was very nervous it's not the first time I feel like this around you, but today especially I really needed to tell you why: .......Harley I think I love you

"Ah I see, that was my second id-.....WAIT WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

The blonde woman fell in a comical way much like before, but got up quickly and looked at you with her usual smile and a slight blush on her face

"Pardon my yelling but that was a very surprising revelation you had there"

"Yeah, sorry if you don't feel the same but you're just so beautiful and smart not to meet incredibly fun to be around, you always put a smile on my face. I just needed to get that off my chest sorry"

"No need to apologize y/n for I think.....I may feel the same"

"Really?"

"Why yes, you're handsome, kind and can match my intelligence and.... admittedly hard to deal with personality, I would be a fool not to accept your confession"

"Oh, thanks so much, I suppose now I'm the great detective's partner in more ways than one"

"I couldn't have said better myself my dear now how about making our relationship official with a kiss"

She wrapped her arms around you and pulled you into a deep and passionate kiss

"That was great"

"I couldn't agree more"

"Oh, that was wonderful. I'm so happy for you two. I must start writing the manuscript for next month's issue, the readers are gonna love a romance plot"

"And this calls for celebration, I'll get my violin and play a sweet melody for our love"

"I'm sure it will be great I love you Harley"

"I love you too my dearest"

[sheepalmighty]

Before I forget again, and because I probably won't draw these for my AU, I thought I'd cover a couple of the things I missed out.

One of the things (which I don't think is really necessary for me to mention) is that the hickey's intended to be a mistake on Kale's part. Specifically for exploring Kale's character I decided on that because of the similarity to making the mistake with the music player. I just cannot stop thinking about how he doesn't even notice he's still holding the music player - he has a few instances of not being aware of himself from what I can tell. Relatedly, similar to the face journey Chai goes through in my comic Kale would also have one when he sees the music player (I got the wording just right for the dialogue, and the joke in it, after this bit but he's straddling Chai at the time so I'm not drawing that).

So, on the Chai side of it I imagine he continues to perceive it - makes others and by extension the reader see it too - because he probably heals up fine from any other bruises (it's technically an injury) through health pickups. He notices this but decides to ignore it, but others can't unlike in the game when he keeps his thoughts to himself. Here I'm hoping this got interpreted as being some amount of fondness he can't shake... but, I get the feeling that I avoided drawing any parts of the AU that might actually indicate that... oops.

An aside, but the dialogue between Chai and Kale (CH-ASIR ver) reads to me like Kale's probing whether Chai's worth it / is curious about him, gets disappointed with his response, and does the CH-ASIR equivalent of stuffing all of the breadsticks in his purse and leaving.

Oh, the other thing I almost forgot was I finally figured out how Chai gets attached to Kale in the AU, which is through noticing Kale's full attention on him: he solely is in the spotlight. This leads into the argument of who likes who that, honestly, I drew a sketch of back in the first batch but it took me until now to realise how exactly it'd go. This ends up tying into that throwaway line I made of Kale saying Chai looks good in the light.

Also, thinking about the game there's that first statue of Kale that emphasises him basking in the light (Roxanne's statue somewhat shrinking away from him and the light), so I think there's definitely some parallels between wanting to be in the (spot)light for both Kale and Chai. In a way, it feels like Kale wants to keep Chai out of that metaphoric spotlight in the game, similar to how he most likely felt overshadowed by Roxanne. Considering all of that, I did wonder if it was against Kale's characterisation to make him okay with Chai "looking good in the light", but there's some push and pull between these two I think (see that CH-ASIR conversation above). Less explainable to me is my drawing instances of Kale blowing up at Chai - in the game he definitely tries to keep his cool around Chai specifically. To me, they seemed to have singled each other out as similar in some way perhaps, thus trying to act cooler around the other? Well, maybe the AU was more focussed on them pushing the other's boundaries.

(Hm, about them being similar I also had a comic sketch idea of Kale thinking the same thing that Chai later parrots that kinda adds insult to injury with him feeling like Chai's stealing his stuff, but it required a bit of preamble that I couldn't bother also drawing.)

More on technicalities now but I have no idea what the under-the-line asterisks that bookend Chai's name on his ID are supposed to represent. I thought it might have something to do with how he drew a star on his application form for the occupation, but maybe its a technical thing? In any case, I put one on the Rank part of the card in my comic implying that Chai is an "exception", in that he's not actually on the same level, he's still trapped even when given some free rein (wanted to reference the battle rank too because why not).

Wait, there's one more thing: I just think Kale's coat/jacket looks comfy to wear in cold weather. Also, in the previous batch of comic I was getting sick of drawing it, but it got easier to draw in the recent lot. Actually, about the coat, I like how Kale chooses to wear something that links him explicitly to the company with all the logos. It's like he's saying that he is the company, but it also shows his insecurity: he essentially implies the inverse - that he is nothing without the company. You really get the impression that Kale is projecting really strongly whenever he tells Chai he's nothing without his tech. Similarly, when Kale talks to Chai sometimes it feels like he might as well be talking into a mirror.

Thanks for reading these pretty much unorganised thoughts, for fun here're the sketches (I couldn't draw Kale right, sorry) for, like, a couple panels. The first one I just like how cartoonish Chai looks (I wanted to go with a more subdued response in the finalised panel), and the second's just what I do to myself when I can't think of the dialogue yet (even the scripts I did do needed some significant tweaking in places because they needed even more refinement):

[idkwhatever580]

Agatha All Along Commentary

⚠️WARNING⚠️ AGATHA ALL ALONG 1x6 SPOILERS AHEAD

you’ve been warned

Im late again guys 😣 alright. Here goes nothing. I’m seriously considering taking my anxiety meds before these episodes because atp that might help.

Started watching at 3:00 pm

I stg I stg I stg I stg if this turns out bad I’m gonna throw up. And that says a lot considering I have emetophobia

Ooh fancy he’s Jewish

I’m not familiar with the Jewish religion but seems pretty cool.

Okay so we have established that this is Billy Kaplan which idk how y’all dug so deep to figure it out but I guess it was common knowledge and I do not have common knowledge so it adds up

Ooh now there’s a party funnn lol

I wish I had parents that were proud of me

Lmaooooo “you’re both disgusting” is so fucking real

4:25

ARIANA WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???

She’s kinda hot guys. I have daddy issues but I’m a lesbian lmaoooo

5:14

WTFFFF I CANT DO THIS SHIT I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT IT MEANS BUT SHES TOTALLY LYING TO HIM IN THIS

5:42

wtf does the tower reversed mean bitch

6:14

Hearing her say baby is so fucking hot I’m gonna nut everywhere

Oh lord guys I seriously have problems… but don’t say you weren’t thinking it too 😏

6:51

WTF IS THAT THING A PROTECTION SPELL OR WHAT?!?!

DID SHE PLACE THE SIGIL?!?!

Omg if she placed the sigil on him that would be insane

7:46

If y’all out there with the theories about Billy maximoff’s soul taking over Billy kaplan’s body im kms because that’s so valid

——id like to let y’all know that I know nothing about the marvel comics and I do not intend on learning or digging that deep kk? I also don’t know what Wiccan is but I guess it’s Billy maximoff? Not looking for someone to explain it tho lol——

IM SCARED J DONT WANNA SEE MY BABY

NO WANDA NO WANDA I DIDNT NEED TO HEAR HER VOICE

8:34

Holy shit.

8:39

Watching it disappear is so sad. Like I know she’s hurting and saving the rest of them

9:00

OH MY GOD THE PARENTS STAYED ALIVE I THOUGHT YALL SAID THEY ALL DIED OR LIKE TWO DEATHS

9:33

NO FUCKING WAY THIS SHIT IS ACTUALLY TRUE

Y’all playing too hard

9:52

No fucking way. I’m actually so done right now. I’m so fucking done I need to scream at someone and it needs to be the fucking producer

10:15

That must be so fucking scary to go to “sleep” as Billy Maximoff and wake up in someone else’s body. Like in Disney shows when they switch and shit they have a moment where they look in the mirror and scream but this is def more realistic

Also I thought someone said there were two deaths. I don’t see no dead people up in this bitch

10:55

wtf is this?? inside out?

11:06

Noooohohohoooooo I forgot that Billy M can mind read and shit

12:33

That dog knows

Why is it always the dog that knows?

13:44

Having to call her mom must have sucked balls

15:22

Damn he already trying to fit the part bro. Moving on too damn fast

Him and his mom with the lying bro ✋🙄

Stop I sound like Agatha 😭

16:02

SHE DID PLACE THE SIGIL ON HIM WTFFFF

16:26

Okay I see you little emo gay kid having more piercings than me and having kissed more people than me and I’m older than you 🙄

17:26

Damn that’s crazy. He actually is telling this dude his shit

18:40

Damn that’s so fucking crazy his smile is creeping me out bro

Also I totally knew little Billy M was meant to be a little gay baby

19:24

Damnit all of these hoes have connection with him. Of some kind

19:57

You found a guy on Reddit. And you’re meeting him? That sounds like you’re getting killed.

OMG WHO IS IT TELL ME WHO IT IS

ITS RALPH NO ITS RALPH POOR RANDALL SORRY RANDALL ITS JUST WE KNOW YOU AS RALPH

21:06

Damn he went kinda crazy from being with Agatha all that time huh? That means the only one that can handle her is rioooooo

21:42

Don’t take my wife’s name in vain hoe

lol I’m kidding

I also apparently have multiple wives

Lmaoooo please ask about Agatha harkness

24:06

YOU FUCKING MURDERED SPARKY I WILL NEVER EVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS I DONT CARE IF SHE MADE YOU DO THAT SHIT I HATE YOU

24:19

Omg I can’t do this shit

Does this mean that Tommy is also in someone’s body?

25:27

I seriously do wanna know what kind of crazy that lady eats for breakfast. And I hope it’s me 😏

26:24

Yeaaaahhhh this song eats me up.

27:20

HOHOHOHHHHH THAT PICTURE IS THE IMAGE OF A FA- a gay woman. A gay witchy woman…. 👀

27:36

OH YEAH THEY BROUGHT MY GIRL DOLLY INTO IT

DOLLY PARTON FOR PRESIDENT 2024

Ahem… excuse my political views ✋😭

28:20

Omg omg omg he’s going on the road to find Tommy I’m gonna cryyyyy

29:43

Oh he’s so emo with his eyeliner and his black heart boyfriend and his belt chain and his witchy witchyness

…okay maybe im jealous

29:55

Ugh mommy. They’re both so hot. I know we only see Agatha in this part but I’ll nut to the thought of Aubrey Plaza

30:06

You’re seriously using a fucking house lamp you idiot ✋😭

30:29

You tell me to stop I’ll do it mommy

OH LAWD I HAVE ISSUES

I have to shit bro 😭

31:07

Hooligan is so fucking funny 😭

31:33

Guys I’m nutting everywhere from her sitting like that she’s soooo gayyyyyy

The producer really said “gay” and Kathryn Hahn said “yes”

32:16

I think if I was in that situation as teen, I’d say I want to. I want to poke that damn bear and see if she’ll throw me on the desk and- oh. Right right. Not the point ✋😭😏

I ALSO JUST REALIZED THAT SHE IS WEARING A SHIRT THAT IS RALPHS RANDALLS? Idk anymore bro

32:59

Wait… this is so fucking funny bro 😭😭😭

33:45

OMG SHES LIKE IN THE INTERROGATION TABLE AND ITS ACTUALLY HER HOUSE BRO

I NEVER MADE THAT CONNECTION 😭😭😭

34:21

HOT HOOOTTTTT SHES SO HOT RIPPING THAT TAPE IS SO HOT

34:28

THATS SO FUCKING FUNNY BRO

34:46

Hold on these side swipe things are going too fast I’m so lost. 😭 I hate having a horrible memory that makes me not be able to remember every single detail when we’re going back to something from a different pov

35:10

STFU SHE COULDNT HEAR EITHER TIME AND BOTH TIMES HE SAID SOMETHING DIFFERENT I WONDER WHAT HE SAID ON THE ROAD WITH THE OTHER WITCHES

35:19

YEEESSSSS IM SK GLAD WERE BACK TO THE ROAD

35:28

Yes! Pull yourself out of that mystery goop!!!

36:11

FUCK YOU BITCH FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU DONT BREAK THE SIGIL PIECE FUCK YOU

37:53

Wait. I am so gullible I like her being nice bro ✋😭

38:00

COVERED IN MYSTERIOUS ROAD GOOP OR NOT THAT POSE IS FUCKIGN HOT

38:09

I can’t tell if she’s crying because she’s happy the SIGIL is broken and she’s right or if she’s crying because she actually liked the kid

38:33

FUCK SHES BEING EVIL AGAIN I NEED A GOOD AGATHA AND I KNOW IM NOT GETTING THAT BUT A GIRL CAN DREAM

38:45

I’ll kill someone for you Agatha

39:05

Wait when she’s like don’t feel guilty about your talent I feel like she’s trying to be evil but it’s kind of endearing. Like. Shes so strong about it which means so many witches have felt guilty about their talents before and she doesn’t want that to hinder him. Even if she is evil that’s pretty sweet.

39:53

OH FUCK YOU BITCH KYS KYS HAHA THATS WHY YOU CANT USE YOUR POWERS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE GOOD GOOD NOT DECENT GOOD

40:43

Stfu Agatha. Don’t mess with our bitch.

Robo papa? BAHAHAHAHAHAAA

she knowsssss

41:34

BAHAHAHHAAHAAAAA

42:02

“Got it” not her being serious for once ✋😭

42:25

DONT I KNOW IT BITCH YOU DIDNT HAVE TO TELL ME IM WATXHING YOU LITTLE MAXIMOFF BITCH

Post watching notes:

I seriously needed some Agathario shit and I didn’t get that and I’m mad. IM SO MAD THAT THE INTIMACY COORDINATOR WAS FOR TEO LITTLE BOYS I NEEDED MY MIDDLE AGE WOMEN TO MAKE TF OUT THEY ARE TEASING ME 😖😖😖

[creetchure]

Please tell me about your ideas for the fallout for like everyone post gotham war (if not everyone than just Jason is fine too, i am very curious about your ideas for an arc for him)

hi hello!!! my thoughts are more directed to jason because he's the one who went through the brunt of things, BUT i have thoughts on all of them. i also have sort of separate thoughts because of the detective comics anouncement, but they contain spoilers for the future issues of detective comics, so if you don't want that, i'm putting it under read more after this.

also typing this and realizing it's REALLY long, so i'm gonna put a tldr at the end of each character LMAO

first off, dick is never forgiving bruce for this. we know exactly how protective of his siblings he is -- he killed joker for implying having killed tim -- and i can't see him letting this slide, no matter how much bruce pleads the "it wasn't me i was being influenced by the personality i created as a backup". Of course, because they're bruceanddick and they're always in a cycle of coming back to each other, eventually, little by little, dick is going to start working with him again, but i don't think this is something he'll ever *forgive*. or forget for that matter. so to me, this should spark an arc of nightwing becoming more separate from batman than he's been in years.

TL;DR: Dick isn't forgiving bruce for this, but will eventually work with him again

second off. there are a lot of things i would like to see for jason, some more likely than others. ill start by what i *know* won't happen, but would be best for his character imo.

Jason is a character we've seen move forward and backwards so many times, mostly because he sells well, and so the writers keep him stuck in this red hood limbo of eing a loner and making friends, and hating bruce and forgiving him, and it's been the same arc since his resurection, and i'm tired. which is why i think what'd be best for him is an Oracle arc, for lack of a better term.

Jason will never leave Gotham for an extended period of time. it's home to him as much as it is to Bruce. he might go away for a bit (id like to see him in Blud but ill get into that later), but he'll always come back. he also will never give up trying to protect Gotham and the people in it, because he never has. But he can't be a vigilante in the same way anymore, functionally, what Bruce has done to him is profoundly disabling in day to day life, let alone doing things that are made to trigger the panic response.

I don't think that should stop him. Personally, my vision for it is to put him at the head of a spy network, to render Batman obsolete and stop major crime before it even happens (potentially also feeding batman fake info to make him look bad), but like. you could do other things. it's just the idea that i'm going with.

But I do think that unlike Dick, jason is going to forgive bruce for this (against his better sense or wishes. he does understand how fucked this is) because he understands altered states of mind (NOT talking about the pit. talking about good old fashioned brain fuckery). but it's also going to cause a rift in their relationship that i don't see them bridging anytime soon, and Jason *will* be extremely uncomfortable for a long time.

Thats only if they don't walk back the panic thing, though, which i firmly believe they will. a Red Hood solo has been in the works for ages, and is supposed to come p soon, and i doubt they'd start it off with Jason unable to *be* Red Hood. They might not fully fix it, but they'll make it much more manageable.

overall, i'd like to see Jason in Bludhaven after this for a bit. I kind of just want a focus on him and Dick for a while, though I dread what Tom Taylor might write of the two of them. I'd also like a mantle change, but that's just me dreaming.

TL;DR: if it was up to me, Jason would have an Oracle arc and be the head of a spy network. it's not, and all I can hope for is Jason moving to Bludhaven and detaching himself from Bruce for a while

third off, tim. I don't have many thoughts about him, if I'm honest, mostly because he's one of the least directly affected by Bruce's actions, imo. i'm also less of a fan of his character, making it harder for me to see all the implications that this arc will have on him. I do firmly believe that he'll stick to his siblings rather than Bruce, because he does know how to look at reality and call out Bruce's bullshit.

TL;DR: i don't know/don't care enough about Tim to have that many thoughts. he'll pick his siblings side.

fourth! Cass! She isn't really present in the event much (doesn't sell as well i assume) but this is important to me so. To me, this causes damage to her and Bruce's relationship as well, that he'll have to work to fix. She is loyal to the Bat and what the symbol represents before she is loyal to the man wearing the suit, and I think that to her, this is betrayal of the ideals Batman stands for. bruce isn't a hero in this arc, and he's not a symbol of hope like the bat stands for. What I would like for Cass is for her to keep going on the missions, keep doing good, but doing so independantly from Batman. She stops answering to him entirely up until she feels he has made amends and has worked himself back to the standard he used to be. I want her to stay in Gotham, and keep protecting it the way the Bat should, even from the bat himself.

TL;DR: cass should stay in Gotham and be batman and not return Bruce's calls.

Damian is the one i'm not exactly sure i know where the writers are leading, but i can still speculate and tell you what *id* do.

we know that him and bruce are still going to be friendly and on the same side by the end of this from Batman and Robin #1. we also know Damian in that issue is kind of distant, doesn't really stick around Bruce much. Williamson's damian always reads sort of. depressed. so idk how much of that is in reaction to Gotham war or just from the way Williamson characterizes him, but there's that.

Imo, Damian will forgive bruce, but is also internalizing a lot of the bad shit that happen in Gotham war. Bruce leaving him needs to be something that stays, because he's 14 and his dad is his hero and he left him behind *anyway* and that's bound to fuck you up.

So I think Damian is staying in Gotham, and he's staying with Bruce, but he's also going to be dealing with the aftermath of that for a while, potentially up to a boiling point, which i'd really like to see. Also i'd like to see this compound with the fact that Talia left him with his father, and how that computes together in his head etc etc.

TL;DR: Damian will stick by Bruce for better or for worse, and might have a shit time mentally dealing with the aftermath of this.

I don't have many thoughts on steph, babs, or selina, since 1) i don't know selina and babs well enough to speak on their character, and 2) steph hasn't been there much, and i don't have a Vision for her like i do for Cass.

okay. those are my thoughts. Now for those on the tec announcement

right so. forget literally all i've said about bruce, because he's going to die.

I'm not pulling this out of thin air, in issue 1080 of detective comics, it's said that Bruce is killed by the orghams, leading to the entirety of gotham city forgetting him. Now, I have no idea how this is getting implemented, so I can't say much about how the members of the Batfamily will react. But I can say that this is, in fact, the natural progression for bruce's character.

in the past year or so, both Zdarski and Ram V have been talking about how Bruce is getting too old, and putting more tangible, permanent consequences on what he does (losing a hand, zur, etc).

On top of that, he has been made to make amends with Dick, Tim, and Jason over the course of that same year (nightwing 100, cheer, failsafe arc, etc)

To me, this arc is the culmination of months of foreshadowing.

Though i'll admit, i thought they were going to just retire bruce for a little while, not fucking *kill him*. it won't last for more than a few years, he sells too well, but i genuinely thought this would be like a knightfall situation.

when it comes to the question of who gets to be batman (i swear, last paragraph and i'm done), i think that gotham war also serves to tell us that *no one* will be. I don't see Dick picking it up in those conditions, Jason won't either, Tim is scared of becoming batman, and Damian might but they won't really let him. ofc they won't let Cass take up the mantle either.

Woo. hope you're happy with this and tihs wasn't more than you bargained for. i'm a bit insane about this.

[digi-tama-in-your-pocket]

I've been on a real comic book kick lately. I'm mostly fixated on Batman at the moment ( his partner would totally be Cyberdramon btw, maybe tukaimon as the rookie stage ) but it got me thinking about how id love to see more collaboration between the western comics scene and the japanese manga scene, we've got a Naruto meets Ninja Turtles crossover coming soon, DC and Marvel already dabbled in manga and anime versions of their stuff, and we have various netflix adaptations of anime, and a few movies. Admittedly, I wish when it came to the western side of things, we'd stop doing so much live action and start doing animation and comics.

I'm getting rambling a little off topic here. It led me to think back, and I swear I have a memory of manga releasing as single floppy issues on american comic book racks. I distinctly remember Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Pokemon Adventures, and The Electric Tale of Pikachu all releasing each chapter as a single stand alone comic book. I just can't seem to find any evidence of this... but tell you what I do remember though...

These western adaptations of the Digimon Anime, mostly just a 1:1 recration, hand drawn, rather than, whatchacallem, those "Cinemangas" that used to take up space on the shelf at Borders.

Look at these fucking covers.

I love them so much. The composition of each one really has the attention grabbing energy that so many comics on store shelves had to have at the time. Although only 12 issues were published in the west, it looks like other territories got the whole she-bang, and even Adventure 02, Frontier, and Tamers got comics.

I'd love to see these all re-released in glorious full color, even if it's only digitally... however, we all know that's never going to happen. I'm sure these comics are wrapped in all kinds of legal red tape and Bandai probabl doesn't even know they exist.

That being said...

it would be so cool to see a brand new ongoing comic book in the west set in the world of Digimon. I know the western comic book scene has it's issues but one thing they do very well is explore an established canon from all sorts of different angles. And the best part is, purists who don't want this, don't have to read it.

And I'd kind of like a Tamagotchi comic too, that's kind of what I thought that "time travel" shell was at first, but alas. And I think that's even less likely than a Digimon Dark Horse reprint, because.. well I don't think a tamagotchi comic would sell even a little. We can't even get the anime subbed and fans aren't interested. No chance a comic book could happen.

[basil-appreciation-comic]

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!

the comic is cancelled. you probably already assumed that since i havent posted anything about it in a while but yeah the things dead now lol. mainly because i dont care much about omori anymore, the comic sucked, and it was too much effort. i feel kinda bad about leaving you guys in the dark for this long tho, so i thought id go ahead and include all the scrapped stuff for the comic that never got finished

while i was writing the comic i started a google doc that laid out ideas i had for future pages. heres that if you wanna know how the story ends

it was written over several months and (most) things are in order of where they go on the timeline not when i wrote them so it might be a little hard to follow

also some art i never posted

(at least i dont think ive posted the last one)

i quoted not liking this comic as one of the reasons i stopped so let me explain that with a list of things id change about this if i were to remake it (which i wont)

remove the swearing that was so stupid

make omori mute (and probably use sign language)

omori does not express fear or stress in-game, thats sunnys job. quit it

he also does not cry and generally shows emotions (even the big ones) in more subtle ways (which i think i was trying to shift towards later in the doc) idk why he was so emotional all the time

literally everything about how i portrayed omori actually that was all just awful

the panic attack scene is fucking embarrassing i have no clue what i was thinking. im so sorry for writing it like that i did 0 research beforehand

make it shorter why did i think that would work out

id probably just make it a fic, comics take way too much outta me compared to just writing things

it does not need a big epic ending and probably shouldve ended not long after they escaped black space

the romance is horrible but thats the foundation of the comic so idek what id do about that

stop making everyone talk like therapists 24/7

and yeah it has a lot of problems but i still do care about this due to the ammount of effort and love ive put into it, i just cant and dont want to continue it

so yeah thats where this story ends ig. i had a lot of fun along the way, and thank you so much for all the support. bigger thanks to that one sunflower discord server (if you came from there you know which one) for being my main motivation and support throughout this journey. sucks this comic never got to see its full potential but im relieved to finally lay it to rest. the blog will stay up for archival purposes but i will not continue the comic any further obviously. the ask box will remain open if you wanna say anything or if you have a question about the story or whatever. thanks for reading.

[llitchilitchi]

The tags you added to your answer are so interesting!! The arch and the vines do frame them very nicely, and its always wonderful to learn how much thought gets put behind a piece like that. Do you always use references when you draw/paint? If you dont mind sharing, id love to hear more abt your process :))

I don't mind sharing at all!

the truth is there is no process. stuff tends to just Happen most of the time. I tend to soak up everything I look at like a sponge and like to watch videoessays about art of any kind that break down certain aspects so I can use the pieces and put them into something new. I love art, be it live action movies or animation, stop motion or a music video, stained glass or architecture of fiber crafts, oil paintings or comic books and so on. when I go places I try to take it all in, I take notes, pictures if necessary, and then vomit it up on paper when the time comes.

it's like 'oh, I like This area in This game because of the ambience' (which resulted in the image in my header), or 'oh the colours in this movie Fuck' and I apply them when they come in handy. it's a bit of a backup library, especially if I know I will be working with that stuff soon (cough cough I may or may not have a lot of images of medieval manuscripts at hand for Reasons)

if I have a more specific idea for a vibe I wanna go for, though, I like looking through reference. I'll be posting a piece (Soon) of my OC and the composition and the overall clutter of it was inspired by the work of Satoshi Kon. my pride art was inspired by local 19th/20th century illustrations of folk motifs. when I worked on my pin-up zine piece, I looked through a lot of antique pinup photography, but I also wanted to tilt the overall vibe to the work of the artist Sakizou so I went through her artbooks. when I still worked on Monarchy Restoration I liked to visit places that fit it time-wise (aka late medieval castles or romantic castles that reimagine the medieval) along with watching old Czech fairytale movies, which were the key inspiration behind the aesthetic of the AU.

honestly I'm a little paranoid at times that if I look up reference of particular styles or techniques, it will show too much in my work and people will call me a fraud lmao. I don't really know why, since a lot of people very openly reference the works of famous artists and it isn't a problem (nor do I mind it when they do it), but a small part of me gets kinda mad when, idk, the houses in the background look too much like those in Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, or something. obviously that doesn't really apply to needing precise anatomy/clothing reference but I tend to put away any reference images the moment I start working on the final product so I'm not replicating someone else's work.

[clutchpowers]

Sooooo... i wanted to stick this little rambly thing at the bottom of the redraw but it would have made it look UGLY so im doing this separately... just wanna talk about the whole thing and What Not.

TLDR: its been a slash positive ride thats been worth it to try "something new" every year and my favorite piece out of all of them is the 9th. also for the curious heres the comparison of the 5th anni piece to the recent one (2018 -> 2023)

anyway. personal post time.

oh where to begin *rocks on my rocking chair* i guess it would be with the 5th anniversary piece...at the time it had been a long while since i did lineless art and i thought it would be cool to try it again for that one so i did by redrawing an old piece from 2014... that was the first "finished piece" i made of Them. i think i even made it into a wallpaper for myself lmao. anyway after i posted it i was like "aw man i should draw something every year until the 10th" but i thought yeah right. im going to forget next year like the idiot i am. but i Some How managed to do one every year... th worms got me... i honestly didnt think id make it all the way to the 10th but i did!! AND WITHOUT MISSING A DAY EXCEPT FOR THE 7TH WHERE I WAS A WEEK LATE???? UNREAL especially when fun fact! every year i had no idea what i wanted to do! all i knew for sure is that i wanted each piece to be out of my comfot zone to push me to do something a little different. unfortunately the subjects tm where always the same so it feels a little. samey. but these are my celebratory posts I GET TO ONLY POST ABOUT THE OTP SUPER BLORBOS OF ALL TIME

the 6th anniversary was a redraw of that one scene. you know the one. the helicopter one. fucking hate that scene btw it actually causes me psychic damage i cant watch with the audio or ill scream. but it is my favorite scene of mine despite all the horrors it causes <3 and i wanted to redraw it as if it was a cartoon... like i had taken screencaps from the lcu cartoon in my head. i still remember the backgrounds being such a pain in the ass. honestly id like to go back and redo this one one day too or do something similar to the concept because its a fun one that i always saw done growing up and i wanted to try it myself.

for the 7th anniversary you can see the turn.. no more humans... return to lego... i was getting a little more confident in drawing them in the lego form so i did another redraw this time with the ending!! honestly i still like this one and how it looks even with how late it was but i wanted to test my confidence and do a real True and Finished piece with COLORED LINES and EVERYTHING!!!!! im glad i ended up taking the turn because for the LONGEST TIME i wanted to try and draw them as lego so bad because all i did was draw them as humans and its funny because now its the exact opposite. glad this piece was kinda the solidification in my head that yeah okay im a bit better at drawing the stylized lego toy now i can keep drawing them like this without feeling like im going to want to delete this in 2 weeks.

the 8th anniversary one is so weird. somewhere toward the beginning of the year it got into my head that i wanted to do a comic of them but time/school would have gotten in the way so i ended up opting for a page. another redraw of the ending scene which honestly out of all of them this is my least favorite one and its solely because its all so off. i def could have formated it better so the background shot doesnt take up the entire fucking page but then again im not a comic guy and this was my first time so the layout was bound to look HORRID but this is something id like to come back to ive had the idea of making like a genuine short comic about them since FOREVER and now that im a bit more experienced (lying) i would like to make one day!!!! just gotta stop getting caught up in my scripts!! and going in circles!! Because im obviously not a writer and i keep getting first-hand embarrassment from these!! but ill get over it one day lol.

OH THE 9TH ANNIVERSARY PIECE MY BELOVED. ONE OF MY FAVORITE PIECES ACTUALLY i love this stupid thing so much you have no idea.i know its re-using lineless but i just loved the idea of what it would look like lineless AND IT CAME OUT SO PERFECT I LOVE IT SO MUCH obv it needs a few touch-ups so the main issues dont stand out to me but god. i love this piece so much. idk what came out of me to make this but its so good ill never get over it. and the little lego them as a cake topper ITS JUST SO CUTE I DONT HAVE MUCH TO SAY OTHER THAN I LOVE THIS SO MUCH SORRY

finally. the 10th anniversary piece. oh my god. okay. i need everyone to understand this. i had woken up with this fucking Unbearable pounding headache that was trying to kill me. my body the entire day wanted me to stop and lie down, but last night i was already done with a good chunk of it and all i had to do that day was finish some lines and the coloring?? i literally don't remember all i remember is my body actively trying to shut down and force me to stop and sleep which i took a nap? didnt help. so i said fuck it im finishing this. i was. an entire goddamn corpse arched over my laptop. i was so delirious the entire time its a fucking miracle it even came out as good as it did but honestly. i still hate how it fucking looks. like you can TELL when i gave up (the shading) and it sticks out like a sore fucking thumb to me and it pisses me off because i knew i could have done so much better if i wasnt being stricken down by gods hand and his every attempt to get me to rest. idk like im generally proud ot it, with this one i wanted to go out with a bang tm so i tried to draw every important and relevant character instead of ALL of them like I was originally planning LMAO but ah well. maybe one day when im faster at drawing. this one i defiantly wanna go back and touch up but i everytime i open the file i can see 40 more things wrong with it and it drives me nuts. so ill just have to wait for when im ready. i guess.

can i just say though. the improvement is crazy. it always catches me off guard because tbh i uh. dont like my own art. im getting better at not fucking hating it because i can pinpoint everything wrong with it but whenever i see the side by sides it always surprises me. i always dont think im improving but then i see it and its like wow i really am getting better! i still suck at 3000 things but im getting better! and its overall just a nice thing to see after having drawn them for as long as i have... the power of the worms is strong and has ruined my brain...... speaking of i know ive said a few times that i fucking hate certain pieces, not just LCU related ones but almost anything i post, but if you love them and are able to look at them with a twinkle in your eye then thank you. genuinely. i honestly love looking over the tags of people exploding and saying nice things. it warms my cold little heart and im glad there are people out there that genuinely love some of the things what i do! even if its just fanart and its just their blorbo. thank you for sticking around even tho all i do is draw my otp super blorbos :'^) this game means the world to me and im glad like more than 2 people wanna spread it around.

to wrap back around to the anniversary stuff and speaking of big love to the people out there THE FREAKING EPIC ZINE i was just a small thing but it came out amazing even for how small it was thank you to the contributors and thank you to everyone whos downloaded it!! its still getting the occasional and i love getting the notif in my email about it. i love that there are still people out there who wanna see it and all the hard work everyone put into it to celebrate the games 10th just thank you again i really does mean alot to me ALSO IF YOU HAVENT CHECKED IT OUT PLEASE DO IT IS 100% WORK YOUR TIME AND ITS DIGITAL WITH PRINT AT HOME STICKERS AND YOU CAN KEEP IT AND LOOK AT IT FOREVER

uh to end this off....would I like to do this again..... I mean I kinda am? by that i mean ill do the big numbers (15, 20, 25, 30, 40, etc) till the day i freaking die!!!! but yeah no countdown stuff ever again!!!!! sorry :^( it was super fun to do though!!!! and im glad i did it that piece is the conclusion to the whole thing but that doesnt mean ill stop drawing them. duh. theyre my characters now! but heres to many more anniversaries and to hopefully another game! or to just see them again in any other lego media! or even better... a mischaracterized cameo in ninjago!

[mangoisms]

Im just soso obsessed with figuring out tim as a character rn i cant stop thinking abt it (ive always been a jason todd girlie but i read ur fic and that angsty twink latched onto me and refuses to let go)

I think u have a pretty good hold of him, especially bc in present comics writers are so intent on elevating tim in spite of other characters (barbara and her hacking skills for example, or any comparison made btw him and any robin, really) that most portrayals of him are so boring it makes me cry, while you on the other hand took the approach to write about his flaws (which are MANY) while still making him charming and handsome (he is so... !!!!)

To me flaws are also tied to not only the good traits of characters but also their core beliefs and ideals so what can you say abt tim?

I know he can be stupidly arrogant and patronizing at times, that he's always idolized the position and legacy of robin and constantly fights his insecurities with this role and his abilities for the job, that he can also be incredibly selfish or outright mean when it comes to being mindful of other people's feelings for the sake of logic (re when he didnt tell tam abt his dad not being actually dead), but at the same time i cant figure out exactly what he wants to do with his role as robin (or red robin) or why he would want to keep going when his main goals first were just making sure bruce wouldnt go down a dark path, im pretty sure he mentioned not being a vigilante forever but his actual goals remain unclear to me

(Im in the midst of reading his solo robin run but ive read red robin so give me a little room for this, you are definitely free to talk abt more of his comics bc i havent read everything yet and everything im saying should be taken with a grain of salt, video essays and the issues ive read can only get me so far)

He could have gained an inherent desire to help people after all his time as robin and the so fucked up shit that happened to him, maybe as a ways to channel his grief (much like dick and jason and bruce, im thinking abt identity crisis here) after he isnt "needed" as robin anymore, but at the same time that would be so tragic because he was supposed to be different to them, he was supposed to remark the importance of robin's role in helping be "batman's light" and not becoming like batman himself, its just so interesting and im still trying to really understand the extent of his character so id just. Love to get ur thoughts and musings on what fuels tim as a character and how you see him

(I dont have this problem with jason bc his moral conflict is very crystal clear to me and also so freaking juicy, his actions are logical and so understable, granted he also hasnt had as much screentime as tim and i can see when writers just Dont Get Him, misunderstanding the original intent of his character coming back etc etc etc, tim has grown and evolved throughout his tim as robin so this might factor in too)

Anyways sorry for the long post i hope this is alright !!! Loved ur fic to bits and ur writing is a blessing mwah

okay HI i am not exaggerating when i say that i have been thinking about this ask since you sent it HAHA tim is just a parasite in my brain he won't let go...

that's the funny thing about portrayals of him today... i feel like people want to elevate him as a potential batman or a character closest to bruce in terms of intelligence and detective skills, which isn't true at all, i think (because, exactly, you have babs Right There), and of course, narratively, this is all a good thing (this post covers it well, i think). it's in the same vein of people making tim out as the most dangerous person in the batfam, should he ever chose to go down the path, which i can partially blame red robin (2009) for with this panel....

(and i don't think that's true either. he has the potential to be dangerous just like any of the others but i think the ones to really be scared of are babs, dick, and cass but ANYWAY)

in general, red robin 2009 was a bumpy time for tim with bruce's death and his spiraling, but it seemed to really inform what they were going to do with his character. no more time for the civilian life, committing himself much more thoroughly to The Mission like bruce. which is, if you ask me, a negative progression of his character, which isn't bad, exactly, in terms of storytelling, but it feels like all we get are the 'good parts' now -- the intelligence, the status, the resources, and then we don't get to grapple with the consequences.

there were some in red robin 2009 but it was more tim accepting them and making no move to change his actions, which is fine, but now... idk. but i also don't touch modern comics with a ten foot pole so this could just be. Wrong. but that seems like what's going on. so i feel like that's where people get the idea of him being... idk not the Perfect Robin exactly but. you know?

no no yeah i totally agree!

re (because i want to break this down i'm telling you i have Been Thinking About This): at the same time i cant figure out exactly what he wants to do with his role as robin (or red robin) or why he would want to keep going when his main goals first were just making sure bruce wouldnt go down a dark path, im pretty sure he mentioned not being a vigilante forever but his actual goals remain unclear to me

exactly this. he did say that and i've reblogged this at some point i think, showing a panel from robin 1993 where he mentioned he wouldn't be a vigilante forever, then paralleled with that panel i put in earlier from red robin 2009. (there's this post, which touches on another thing about tim trying to set himself apart as having friends and thus not being bruce LOL which is another topic entirely)

i think that was what red robin 2009 was - a negative progression of his character, one that, again, we never really grapple with, especially as dc shoves robin back onto him now.

his motivations are an interesting thing to me, because he did start out coincidentally, saying batman needed a robin but he didn't assume he'd be that robin, it just kind of happened because he was there (well much more went into it but you know?).

but aside from that, i've never gotten the impression tim really does it for people. i mean batman in general has been about the detective work but i think towards the 80s/90s/00s there was a shift to focusing on the people but tim has never really struck me as a hero of the people. he's more about fighting crime than he is about helping people. i think it is partially informed by the genre - re detective comics, etc - but still. he's not like, say, peter parker/spider-man, who is a hero of the people, of the working class. the people are inherent to him as spider-man. tim does it out of duty and responsibility i think, being the light to batman's dark, of course, but he's also very much a teenage boy about being robin - the cool factor, pointedly mentioning he wants to let off steam by knocking around 'criminals' that kind of thing

which doesn't mean he's unfit for it but he operates in an odd grey area as far as his motivation goes, which i think is where we get red robin? he was defined by being robin and he did his job, then he got the boot. so it is very much an identity crisis but we're seeing that negative change as he changes for the worse, for something darker. i mean, yes, red robin 2009 was again bumpy because he was at a very low point in his life but in general, that run was dark for him.

editorial wise, we'd never get to see what they made of it because they did the reboot and started new-52 a few years after. but whether he'd continue being red robin/going down this path, or if he'd shed the identity and go for something lighter... it's hard to say.

i kind of like the thought that he'd change his identity and try to take a lighter approach, try to pull himself from bruce's influence, though with how it's all set it up, it seems fated that he'd end up there. there was red robin 2009, but then there was his sixteenth birthday incident (which sounds bad here and i'd read this before reading it myself but god when i read it it pissed me off so bad... really what turned me off bruce as a 'good' father figure, i can't lie). he ultimately ends up going back and becoming robin and this is the turning point for him where he agrees to enter this mindset that bruce wants him to be in. (this post talks mainly about timsteph but it is also a point to the end about the shift in his character and how that affected his relationships as well)

i mean i know red robin 2009 is marked by the grief of bruce's 'death' and a bunch of other Very Bad Shit but even when we got past that and he had his little 'Let me let in the people who love me because i am Not batman' he then proceeded to go a little surveillance crazy and make a hit list (something like that, it's been a while..) but. yeah.

ultimately, at the core of his character, i think he is good and compassionate and kind, so, even aside from all that (like the birthday incident), i think he would've made his way there eventually. it could maybe be why we see him returning to robin, if we wanted to try and pretend dc making him be robin is a completely normal and logical decision that they actually thought through. like a way to return to the bases and feel it out from there. though i still think they could've just. idk. given him a BREAK from vigilantism to figure it out. i'm a big proponent of civilians and their place amongst vigilantes and superheroes and i feel like tim's due a break, which is why i put that stuff in my fics. i do want to see him step back and try to figure out his life, because at one point, though robin 1993 was arguably defined by the balance between robin and tim drake and had plenty of civilian friends to keep things interesting, we don't see much as far as what he wants to do. which i suppose could be part of his relatability factor that tim drake, the character, was conceived with

but idk at this point they have to give us something 😭 anyway. this got VERY long i am very sorry.. i don't mind long asks either but i might've overshot my response... alas. i also hope i more or less answered your question??? if not feel free to slide back in here and talk to me! i rambled a bit here and it's like. 3am rn i'm scheduling this to post because i wanted to get it all written Now and. yeah.

thank you SO much very happy to hear you're enjoying everything <333 hope you continue to enjoy :**

[jemthebookworm]

Image ID under cut:

[ID: 20 images.

Image 1. 2 panels of a comic. The comic closes in on Laios’ face as he hunches into and hugs himself, thinking “I’m worthless”.

Image 2. “Who hasn't ever wondered: am I monster or is this what it means to be a person?”

Image 3. “The question for this issue was

Do you have a human soul and can you prove it?

And,

of course, there was no definitive answer.”

Image 4. In full caps “The body exists as a permanent state of confusion.” Continuing in normal text: “oh, my mismatched hands. i worry i don't have enough fingers. i wish my heart had more chambers. i can feel my blood draining into parts of me that do not exist. & i have too much skin. too many vertebrae. i want to tattoo the solar system on my throat, i have so briefly to fluoresce. at night all of my bones break & i bec formless. this is, of course, the american dream. muddy & roiling, the body breaks its banks and spills everywhere. i try to make my skin belong to me but it doesn't. i try to breathe but i lack lungs.”

Image 5. 1 comic panel of Laios’ harrowed face as he says in all caps, “stop this…” “I know what you truly desire.”

Image 6. “What does it mean to be human? A reality which ceases to exist.” The second line is underlined in green.

Image 7.

“& in the end, isn't that what we all want?

To not feel so

split?

To carry an image of ourselves

inside ourselves & know exactly

what we mean

when we say I— . I—

I— ?

Image 8. 3 panels of a comic. Panel 1. Laios, angry, smacking a clawed hand away shouting, “You’ve got it all wrong!” Panel 2. The clawed hand cupping Laios’ head as he watches, the other speaking “I’m sure there was a tiny part of you that hoped it was true, right?” “Though the very notion seemed absurd.” Panel 3. In the foreground, two people’s silhouettes speaking, framing Laios’ silhouette in the center background. Speech bubbles that say “Within the boundaries of a dungeon,” “It is possible for a human to turn into a monster.”

Image 9. “I was born homesick in my own body

does it

ever

get better?”

Image 10. “Is this okay, is this okay, is this okay, or does it make me weak?”

Image 11. A comic panel of Laois walking in line with his party, however theyre cloaked in shadow, only their feet barely visible as Laios is in stark relief. He is thinking of himself being overwhelmed, hands to his head, eyes closed, squiggly lines surrounding him, as well as Shuro being angry at him and Falin, eyes closed looking at him. There is a square thought that reads “As we wandered through the dungeon there were times I’d be plagued with dark thoughts.”

Image 12. “I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself."

Image 13. “Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human."”

Image 14. 3 panel comic, probably right to left. Panel 1. Laios, eyes wide open, looking. Panel 2. Laios, eyes closed, head tilted down, thinking, “I get it now…” panel 3. Laios, eyes open, looking to the left, hand on the bridge of his nose, face shadowed, thinking “…but in the end, I left you behind and ran away from the village.”

Image 15. “What I really wanted to say was that a monster is not such a terrible thing to be. From the Latin root monstrum, a divine messenger of catastrophe, then adapted by the Old French to mean an animal of myriad origins: centaur, griffin, satyr. To be a monster is to be a hybrid signal, both shelter and warning at once.

Image 16. “Understand that there is a beast within you that can drink til it is sick, but cannot drink til it is satisfied.”

Image 17. 3 panel comic, right to left. Panel 1. Laios, looking down and to the left at the next panel, thinking “I’ve never had the courage to make up my mind.”

Panel 2. Laios’ hand on Falin’s head as she sleeps, continuing “Unable to make myself accept.” “Unable to make myself resist.” “I’ve spent my entire life running away from every-thing.”

Panel 3. Many drawings of past scenes and thoughts. “But when you got eaten by that red dragon,” “that was the first time I mustered up the courage” full drawing of Falin, smiling. “To show others who I really was.” Laios talking solemnly to Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi, who look aghast. “To accept that I would lose friends. Shuro, eyes closed and Namari side eyeing. “To accept that I would have to take lives so that others could live.” Marcille, harrowed. And Laios, in the foreground, pensively looking down.

Image 18. How do we forgive ourselves for all of the things we did not become?

Image 19. dread down his spine, and what was dread if not desires other face, a question you didn't know how to answer?

Image 20. you realize, at last, that you can change without disappearing, that all you had to do was wait until the storm passes you over and you find that-yes-your name is still attached to a living thing.

Image 21. A comic panel Laios, eyes wide, looking at the viewer, blood on his head, “I’m prepared to take and to have something taken away from me.” /end ID]

[ID: 20 images.

Image 1. 2 panels of a comic. The comic closes in on Laios’ face as he hunches into and hugs himself, thinking “I’m worthless”.

Image 2. “Who hasn't ever wondered: am I monster or is this what it means to be a person?”

Image 3. “The question for this issue was

Do you have a human soul and can you prove it?

And,

of course, there was no definitive answer.”

Image 4. In full caps “The body exists as a permanent state of confusion.” Continuing in normal text: “oh, my mismatched hands. i worry i don't have enough fingers. i wish my heart had more chambers. i can feel my blood draining into parts of me that do not exist. & i have too much skin. too many vertebrae. i want to tattoo the solar system on my throat, i have so briefly to fluoresce. at night all of my bones break & i bec formless. this is, of course, the american dream. muddy & roiling, the body breaks its banks and spills everywhere. i try to make my skin belong to me but it doesn't. i try to breathe but i lack lungs.”

Image 5. 1 comic panel of Laios’ harrowed face as he says in all caps, “stop this…” “I know what you truly desire.”

Image 6. “What does it mean to be human? A reality which ceases to exist.” The second line is underlined in green.

Image 7.

“& in the end, isn't that what we all want?

To not feel so

split?

To carry an image of ourselves

inside ourselves & know exactly

what we mean

when we say I— . I—

I— ?

Image 8. 3 panels of a comic. Panel 1. Laios, angry, smacking a clawed hand away shouting, “You’ve got it all wrong!” Panel 2. The clawed hand cupping Laios’ head as he watches, the other speaking “I’m sure there was a tiny part of you that hoped it was true, right?” “Though the very notion seemed absurd.” Panel 3. In the foreground, two people’s silhouettes speaking, framing Laios’ silhouette in the center background. Speech bubbles that say “Within the boundaries of a dungeon,” “It is possible for a human to turn into a monster.”

Image 9. “I was born homesick in my own body

does it

ever

get better?”

Image 10. “Is this okay, is this okay, is this okay, or does it make me weak?”

Image 11. A comic panel of Laois walking in line with his party, however theyre cloaked in shadow, only their feet barely visible as Laios is in stark relief. He is thinking of himself being overwhelmed, hands to his head, eyes closed, squiggly lines surrounding him, as well as Shuro being angry at him and Falin, eyes closed looking at him. There is a square thought that reads “As we wandered through the dungeon there were times I’d be plagued with dark thoughts.”

Image 12. “I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself."

Image 13. “Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human."”

Image 14. 3 panel comic, probably right to left. Panel 1. Laios, eyes wide open, looking. Panel 2. Laios, eyes closed, head tilted down, thinking, “I get it now…” panel 3. Laios, eyes open, looking to the left, hand on the bridge of his nose, face shadowed, thinking “…but in the end, I left you behind and ran away from the village.”

Image 15. “What I really wanted to say was that a monster is not such a terrible thing to be. From the Latin root monstrum, a divine messenger of catastrophe, then adapted by the Old French to mean an animal of myriad origins: centaur, griffin, satyr. To be a monster is to be a hybrid signal, both shelter and warning at once.

Image 16. “Understand that there is a beast within you that can drink til it is sick, but cannot drink til it is satisfied.”

Image 17. 3 panel comic, right to left. Panel 1. Laios, looking down and to the left at the next panel, thinking “I’ve never had the courage to make up my mind.”

Panel 2. Laios’ hand on Falin’s head as she sleeps, continuing “Unable to make myself accept.” “Unable to make myself resist.” “I’ve spent my entire life running away from every-thing.”

Panel 3. Many drawings of past scenes and thoughts. “But when you got eaten by that red dragon,” “that was the first time I mustered up the courage” full drawing of Falin, smiling. “To show others who I really was.” Laios talking solemnly to Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi, who look aghast. “To accept that I would lose friends. Shuro, eyes closed and Namari side eyeing. “To accept that I would have to take lives so that others could live.” Marcille, harrowed. And Laios, in the foreground, pensively looking down.

Image 18. “How do we forgive ourselves for all of the things we did not become?”

Image 19. “dread down his spine, and what was dread if not desires other face, a question you didn't know how to answer?”

Image 20. “you realize, at last, that you can change without disappearing, that all you had to do was wait until the storm passes you over and you find that-yes-your name is still attached to a living thing.”

Image 21. A comic panel Laios, eyes wide, looking at the viewer, blood on his head, “I’m prepared to take and to have something taken away from me.” /end ID]

laios touden + the question of self

[alunclewe]

So Here's The Plan

Yikes. It's been, uh, three months since I last posted here (or on Instagram). That is bad.

I have said, many times before, that I intend to start posting more often, and I rarely do it. But, well, I intend to start posting more often (both on Tumblr and on Instagram). But to kick things off, let me give a little more detail about some of my plans. I'm not entirely sure whom I'm addressing this post to, given that I don't know that I actually have any active followers, but, well, I guess I'm writing it anyway. Maybe I'll pin this post. I can always unpin it later. I'm not sure there's any good reason to pin this post, but I'm not sure there's any good reason not to.

This is going to be a very long post, but that's okay, because nobody's going to read it anyway.

Anyway. So. I have never been happy with my drawing skills, but they are not going to improve if I don't, well, draw. I have been drawing some; among other things, I have participated in the last few @sequentialartistsworkshop Friday Night Comics workshop; I just... haven't posted the results here. I should do that. Over the next few days I'm going to try to find time to post some of my Friday Night Comics drawings.

I'd intended to participate in Art Fight this year, but, well, there are now three days left in the months, and I haven't done so. I guess maybe I can still get a few "attacks" in in the next few days. What the hey; I guess I'll try.

Now, for some more news on some specific projects.

Soup

First, the bad news. Soup was a daily webcomic I first started way back in 2000... and then, uh, did not manage to keep up with for long. I made a few abortive attempts at relaunches, but then it lay dormant for years. I had plans for it and always intended to do a real relaunch, though. Well, last year seemed like the right year to do it, because the dates lined up so that if I kept the strip to their original days of the year the color Sunday strips would actually fall on Sundays again—something that of course only happens once every seven years.

The problem was that, well, last year turned out to be not great in several ways. For one thing, since I work in the film industry, the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes meant I was... very short on money, and couldn't pay for promotion. So I did relaunch the comic, but I did nothing to attract readers. Moreover, I hadn't had time to prepare as much as I'd have liked; I did code up a new version of the site, but it didn't have all the features I'd planned.

Anyway, with a nine-months of old strips banked up, I figured I'd have no problem getting my workflow going producing new strips before my backlog ran out, and... that didn't happen. Part of the issue was that the old strips weren't actually ready to go as-is; I had to remaster the text and change the copyright dates, and that did take up some time. But really, the main issue was just that I had too many other projects going on at the same time. I can't do everything at once, and something's got to go. Regrettably, Soup went.

I still do want to relaunch it some day, but with everything else I had going on last year it was not a good time. The next day the dates line up right is 2028... in fact, they line up even better then than they did last year, in that this year was a leap year and 2001 was not, which means the dates stopped lining up at the end of February. I kind of hate to put off the relaunch of Soup another four years... but I'd hate even more to do it badly with no readers. This time I'll get everything prepared ahead of time, I'll be in a better position, and I'll do it right.

d24

Okay, this is another old comic that I'd kind of hoped to start again this year. The premise of this comic is that I would draw a 24-hour comic every 24 days, and post a page a day. I did this for a little over a year, and then just... didn't have time for it. I thought maybe I could relaunch it this year, since it's 2024, which seemed like the ideal time for a project about 24-hour comics. In fact, I'd hoped to relaunch this project on February 4—that is, 2/4/24.

Again, though, the circumstances just aren't right right now for me to do this. I have too much else to do; I have too much on my plate; I can't do everything, and I have to make some hard decisions and focus on fewer projects, which means some have to fall by the wayside, and d24 is one of those.

But again, on the other hand, that doesn't mean this project is cancelled forever. Yeah, a part of me regrets missing the auspicious date of 2/4/2024... but then again, the 24th anniversary of 24-Hour Comics Day is coming upon, on April 24, 2028. I think I'll shoot for doing this then.

So, okay, 2028 is going to be either a huge year for my comics projects, or a complete flop. We'll see.

Teras Terrace

Yet another old project was Teras Terrace, which I'd conceived as an animated pilot... well, at first as an animated pilot, and then hopefully as a series. I created a website for it, and even a Tumblr side account, @terasterrace.

At first, I was going to pitch this to an upcoming Frederator cartoon incubator, but I didn't get it done before the cartoon incubator up and came. So then I decided I'd create the pilot on my own. I went so far as to write up the pilot script and record the voice acting. (I asked some actors I knew to supply the voices for free (well, "deferred payment", which basically means free)—this was something I would not do now, and should not have done then. I should have paid the actors, and I fully intend to pay any actors for any of my future projects.)

And that's as far as it went. I had neither the knowhow nor the resources to create an animated pilot by myself, and didn't have the money or connections to get someone else to do it.

But then, at this point I don't want to sell Teras Terrace as an animated series anyway. At least, not at first. The thing is, suppose against all odds I had created a pilot pitch, somehow gotten it in front of an executive at Cartoon Network or whatever, and been greenlit. What would have happened then? Well, what would have happened then is that I would have had to sign away my rights to the project. It would have become the property of the producers. And honestly... I've kind of gotten sufficiently attached to the project that I don't want to lose my ownership of it.

But there may be a way to have my proverbial cake and eat it too. Sure, if I sold the rights to an original property to a producer, then I no longer own that property. But what if it's a preexisting property and I just sell the rights to adapt it into an animated series? Then, sure, the production company would own the rights to that series, but I'd still own the characters and the concept. So what I have to do is publish it in some other form first.

So anyway, I want to start making a Teras Terrace webcomic first, basically so there's a published record of the characters and I can establish my rights to them. (Of course, the chances are negligible that I ever will sell it or anything else as an animated series. It's not going to happen. But I can dream.) This won't be a daily comic. Weekly, maybe, at least at first.

At first I was uncertain how to do this, because I didn't want to spoil the stories that would appear in the series, but on the other hand if I tried to publish other stories with the same characters that were taking place simultaneously, there might be issues with continuity, which is something I absolutely shouldn't worry about but irrationally do. But then I figured out a way I can do the webcomic as a prequel, with different main characters. But there's a lot of character design and planning I need to do before I can do that.

So when is this going to happen? I don't know; I don't have a set schedule for it yet. Hopefully before 2028, though.

Other Comics

In the meantime, before I get any of these planned regular comics going, I can (and probably should) occasionally draw random one-off comics. So yeah, I'll probably start doing that, and post them here and maybe on a dedicated site.

The Very High Seas

I've posted a few character designs for another animated project, a (planned) children's cartoon called The Very High Seas. I've had some second thoughts about this, though. Not about doing the project—it's still something I hope to make some progress on at some point. But... well, The Very High Seas is intended for kids, and most of my other projects, like Soup and Teras Terrace, aren't. (I mean, there's nothing X-rated in them, but certainly at least PG.) So I'm thinking maybe I should come up with a different pseudonym to use for my kid-oriented projects. This is something I am not a stranger to; "Alun Clewe" is already a pseudonym, and I have many other pseudonyms I use for other things for no particularly good reason. But I haven't come up with the pseudonym I want to use for my kids' animated projects yet.

(Yes, projects, plural; I have others in mind besides The Very High Seas, but that's the one I've posted about the most.)

So, anyway, I may still try to get some work done on The Very High Seas, but if I do I probably won't post about it here. Maybe I'll make a new blog for that pseudonym. Or maybe not. We'll see.

Other Animation

I do have some adult-oriented animation ideas, too, though. I think I've posted about at least a few of them, like "The Ambassador". I do still want to do something with those projects, too. But they're not especially high priorities right now. Like I said, I have too many projects I've been juggling as it is; I have to focus and not try to do everything at once.

Games

Also, I want to make video games. Again, though, not one of my top priorities right now.

My Website

I have a website at https://www.alunclewe.com . I have never developed the website. There is almost nothing there, and it looks awful. This needs to change.

That is all.

[moonlightperseus]

Oh don't even worry about it! Half the time I send the anons *at* work so I can't really judge!

I also think that's more so what I do, bit then because of that I'm like "oh I guess I'm done now" bit then the second someone is like "oh comics?" I am feral. Even recently I was at work (the store I work at is doing Reno's so we had to be there to stock over night, ie: there's like 4 people in the store total) and the person I was working with was like "yeah I went to Comicon?" And I was like "why did you go to comic-con if you don't like comics?" And long story short I infodumped so much (she was at the very least, pretending to be engaged in the conversation and I will forever love her for that) that a floorer from ACROSS THE STORE was like "wow they're really nerding out over there huh."

I think so! It was like genuinely when it first came out- i had two influences, one very specific person on my tumblr (you, I believe) and then like a friend at the time.

I didn't like it either but this time it didn't stop mr- the tales however I'm not caught up on. I found them less engaging. (Granted, was that a "I don't think I like this" or a "I forgot I liked comics and now it's been months so I don't actually know what I was reading or where I was in said thing"?)

I hate zombie media (though I tend to have a lot of dreams about zombies lmao) so I understand that. I haven't read any of them or even watched an episode. I just think that's like their BIG name. (and Spawn, but I can't tell you shit about spawn)

I absolutely LOVE the new run. Like I know it's only one issue in so I'm saying that a little early but I was SO excited when Sin was mentioned. I used to write Black Canary fan fic and I had a little idea I never followed through with where Sin came back, mostly because I was just angry that she didn't exist anymore. (granted she came back as a villian, though she switches sides. I don't remember most of my thoughts but I remember designing the costume and trying to include obvious inspiration from black Canary's without being like, a direct copy. (things like fishnets, for sure, but not even full leg fishnets. Iirc it was more so kind of like pants with cut outs that showed fishnets- bit all of this is extra beside the point)) so I was OVERJOYED when she was brought back. I am so intrigued and Dinah deserves her daughter back. (I understand the sister thing in context but that's not how I see it ever)

I ALSO am so intrigued, honestly. Plus it's extra funny because if you take into consideration the Green Arrow and Black Canary run: this is the second family member of Dinah's the Amazon's have stolen.

I was really mad when the BoP movie didn't include Babs (especially since she started it, so how do you make an origin story without the origin?) But I agree that I don't mind this at all. Especially since she is mentioned and it really does keep them as bestfriends (well, it alludes to that so if you're me and you say so that means it keeps them as bestfriends) I haven't read a lot of batfam comics aside from Batwoman bit honestly I love Cass too, she shows up in one of the older runs just as a "friend" of Dinah and idk id die for her. Barda I LOVE (to be fair I am a lesbian and I do have a thing for women built like tanks) so I'm super excited to see more of her!! And I agree that I've never heard of zealot.

Harley is great too!! I was really excited for her and Dinah's relationship (because yes, those would've been injustice panels- and they are BEST friends in injustice and they own my entire heart) but I was disappointed when Harley didn't like Dinah. It makes sense in context but I'm still like hey no love her.

To be so honest I didn't even bother trying to read it but I love that you did. That makes it easier for me. I love the whole vibe of her having to plan. I feel like she'd be good at it given her time leading both the JLA and the JSA.

I'd also just like to say that I find the new bop art style beautiful

Injustice is a lot of fun, but like I said I might be biased. It's hard to say, because when I started reading it I had really only read a couple Harley Quinn and wonder woman comics and all things considered was really just a fake fan. But I read it and it turned me on to comics as a whole. (especially, since I said in my initial ask, it's what introduced me to Dinah). I would recommend it to people just starting out especially because it's the kind with such a big cast of characters you can meet new ones and get acquainted with them and it broadens your horizons so to say. (I also play the games, though "play" is a strong word because I suck at video games- I haven't gotten through either story, but my brother let me watch the lil character endings for my favourites when *he* beat them). But at the same time, yeah men. Men exist in it. Like a lot.

I also haven't finished bombshells tbch. I love the style of it but I bought the first volume and was just so sad about how much comics cost that I didn't buy another volume (95% of my comics are used, gifted, or bought from the dollarstore)

I absolutely love getting to nerd out about comics lmao so this is great-

And I will say for wlw I LOVE Secret Six, which is a villian team, and tbch I haven't gotten through the whole run (I just keep getting tired of comics as a whole, not of it) but it's written by Gail Simone at the same time as her BOP run (though I know she's hit and miss) but it involves a lesbian polyam relationship (and one of the women involved is built like Barda so that gets extra points from me)

(well tonight i’m responding while at work lol)

first can i say i openly welcome infodumping about comics!! i find the dc universe particularly sooo interesting (i’ve enjoyed some marvel comics as well, but like the world itself doesn’t intrigue me the same way?) i’ve been into superheroes ever since i discovered like the animated shows when i was a kid (i thinkkk the first one i watched was the animated avengers assemble? i watched several of them but my most beloved is the justice league (& justice league unlimited) show. in my completely unbiased opinion, i think the animated shows are a great gateway into the comics world. i devoured every single one i could find. i also really enjoyed the x-men ones & have thought about trying out some x-men comics bc of them. (but the x-men world is another one sooo fucking big idk where to begin lmao)

also god. “i forgot i liked comics and don’t remember where i was at” is SUCH a huge fucking mood god. esp bc there’s always SO GODDAMN much of comics (not that i’m complaining) it’s like. wait have i read this already?

yeah ik there was a lot of upset fans over the bop movie with it not including babs and with turning cass into an oc (which. now that i’ve actually read her comics i understand the full scale of how much they uhh. changed cass for the movie) but i am simply such a bitch for black canary and jurnee smollett dinah sooo godtier that that movie was simply everything to me lmao, i feel like it had a lot of potential to set up for a proper bop movie (one that’s not centric on harley) and like. maybe even bring in babs, they WERE doing the batgirl movie so ig it sort of makes sense if that’s why they left babs out of the first movie but like if post batgirl they added her to the movie bop lineup that could work! and then they fucking canned the batgirl movie which i’m still pissed about and now the dceu is kinda like. imploded? but i’m gonna hold on to the probably somewhat delusional hope that i will get to see jurnee smollett dinah again 😭 (also like my dream is jurnee smollett BC with luke mitchell GA, which is an especially out there dream since luke mitchell as ollie exists only in my head & heart)

also totally get the comics being expensive thing, while i have physical copies of the original bombshells run that i got thru i think a combination of being gifted and buying them for myself as a little treat, i used hoopla (online library app) to read the bombshells united run. hoopla is like my main (legal) way of reading comics tbh, however if you need an…alternative 😉 access to a LOT of comics this site has been my best friend. i do genuinely recommend trying to continue bombshells its genuinely my absolute favorite. like DC peaked with bombshells and i will die on that hill. i would love if dc gave bombshells an animated film or smth. another thing i will hold out hope for jsjsjfjsjs. i just really love dc bombshells (it definitely helps that it’s super wlw. i am a changed man from bombshells vixen and hawkgirl being a couple. and supergirl kissing lois lane <3)

i will definitely have to add secret six to my list of comics to checkout bc wlw content is always a huge win for me!!!

[youngshiney]

how i would run sm: Red Velvet edition

back to the series with the next logical group, Red Velvet. sm's first group after Exo and my ult girl group, similarly under a cut as per last post

triple debut (2014-2015): so to start, i actually dont mind Happiness as RV's debut and that its ot4. Yeri was really young, so i wouldnt really change those first two eras (Be Natural is my beloved but its a single and a remake so it doesnt count as their first cb in my eyes). what i would change is the schedules and some promo.

firstly, like Exo i think RV would have benefited from some sort of webtoon or lore comic starting at the second debut for ICC bc thats when we start to get hints that something in Cake Land isnt right. i have a lot of thoughts on RV lore/storyline which we will cover in the upcoming kwangya post (after nct and aespa posts bc they are integral to my version of kwangya).

second, Seulgi should have solo debuted in 2015 between Dumb Dumb and the lesbian christmas song (Wish Tree was iconic and we love Lee Jooyoung). shes been RV's ace since pre-debut, everyone knew and loved her and acknowledged her talents, and she was in multiple mvs of her sunbaes (Henry's Fantastic was the best). Seulgi being the first solo RV member feels right in every way, and while it would be very different than what we got for 28 Reasons, i think that might be partially a good thing.

the start of the success era (2016-2017): Russian Roulette was perfect and i have nothing to say about it. The only thing I would have done differently for them in 2016 was pushed for more solo/unit content, like station songs, vlogs, arts and crafts vids? like just stuff where theyre having fun and hanging out with no pressure. the main 2017 change tho is Joy solo debut. sm is so fucking stupid for NOT capitalizing on the attention Joy got from The Liar and His Lover, a show all about how perfect and amazing she is as a singer! like have her prepare and record between Red Flavor and Peek a Boo and have Peek a Boo pushed back a week or two. the concerts were a good idea, but they really should have capitalized on Joy's performance more. im still annoyed she hasnt properly debuted especially bc clips of her singing from TLAHL was what made me look into RV in the first place and why Joy is my girl ult of ults

Bad Boy (2018): id push Bad Boy back a little bc the time between PaB and BB feels too short, especially going by my plan. other than that, no major notes since the eras were pretty good and the concerts were a good idea. maybe a bit more of a rest after RBB bc of the short turn around time between that and the Japan cb + NA tour

ReVe Fest pt.1 (2019): the Ellie Goulding collab was amazing. ReVe Fest day 1 was a mess, and i say that as a Zimzalabim supporter. the styling was horrific and it all needs to go, the mv should have been more circusy and less performance vid imo, and the song is fine but maybe a less chanty chorus? ReVe Fest day 2 was good and idk why people hate Umpah Umpah bc it was cute and summery like it should have been. and then the Finale, Psycho was one of the best eras taken from us too quickly. i mean the only thing to change is to stop wendy from falling bc that killed the whole momentum and their careers for a hot minute.

the hiatus (2020): now to be clear, i am not blaming wendy for her injury or suggesting she should have come back early. its good she rested and healed properly and came back slowly to make sure everything was okay. every idol should do that. that being said, we should have gotten an ot4 album even if it was just a mini. the girls basically did nothing for a whole year waiting for her and it really did hurt them/their momentum. they should have had more solo content through the year alongside the like two group things, then Seulrene debut in june like originally planned, and then and ot4 album in fall or winter.

back on track? (2021): ot5 being at smtown was great and got everyone hyped to see the group after a full year of hiatus and they teased a cb at the performance. and then wendy killed the hype by doing her solo debut 4 months later with a ballady slow song. and she had the audacity to be like "omg i feel so bad for making everyone wait and then doing a solo" like girl wtf?? anyway gripes about her aside. Queendom was cute, but it felt lackluster after the long wait and felt more like a b-side than a title. also the mv/concepts teased all this magic and powers and a whole universe only to give us literally nothing after the first minute. why were they in a post office when the teasers were about the antique shop?? i would have changed the mv a lot to either expand on the magic or fit the teasers better.

ReVe Fest pt.2 (2022): sm cancelled the concert (rightly) bc the girls got covid but then never rescheduled bc there were "no venues open" even tho the same thing happened to dream and they got rescheduled in like two weeks so what the fuck is that about? um anyway they should have done a concert after Feel My Rhythm but also not named it ReVe Fest bc theres no point and they arent connected. ALSO FMR was beautiful and all but what happened to the ballet concept which wasnt in the mv and why did they not expand on the weird half story with Dark Queen Seulgi and the garden etc? also also FMR felt like a b-side too which was disappointing especially after queendom. and im skipping ahead to birthday bc that was actually the biggest let down of the year. the concept/teaser photos had literally nothing to do with the mv or song, the song itself was easily their worst title and did not sound good in any way, the mv styling wasnt great for pretty much everyone, the cake ver selling out before preorders even ended and before they showed us what it was/what was in it was super annoying. birthday is the biggest let down era imo and ESPECIALLY after the beauty of Wildside. Wildside was the only release in 2022 for RV that i actually 100% enjoyed from the style to the mv to the song to the plot in the mv. like it was perfect and exactly what we should have gotten as a Korean title and era. i would have absolutely done something similar for birthday, especially with the grunge outfits/concept

future plans/ideas: Yeri and Irene solo debuts, Seulrene cb, Joy actual debut this time, more solo schedules especially for the actresses, more Yeri vlogs, Seulgi cb with a better song, my highly indulgent KaiJoyYuta trio, an even more indulgent trio of Seulgi/BoA/Yunho, i think thats all i have off the top of my head.

next week nct u and the way nct overall would function before we get into the actual units

[enbyblades]

i dont wannnnaaaa do my school work i just wanna make stop me comic :[

[thewertsearch]

He has tentatively named the game SGRUB, which is a word that is NOT TERRIBLY ELEGANT.

Honestly, it makes sense. It’s probably stored on a grub, after all.

It's not up to you to decide what you retrieve from your sylladex. It's up to the spirits.

Poor Aradia is being micromanaged so hard, she doesn’t even have control over her own inventory. That’s fucked up, man. 

Looks like the spirits are being cooperative today, if a bit cryptic, as usual.

It spells ‘Bing’, but - thank god - they mean the Bing Crosby laptop, not the search engine.

You found this baffling artifact some time ago on one of your digs. The creature on its facade is completely mystifying. You have taken to using it as your primary computing device on account of its bizarre novelty, as well as convenient portability.

I’m not even going to ask why this thing was buried in Alternian soil - I’m sure we’ll learn later - but it is interesting that Aradia finds a human being completely unrecognizable.

I mean, from our perspective, they’re just trolls without grey skin or horns - and the laptop even has grey skin! Maybe trolls and humans look less alike than their comic depictions would have you believe. 

GA: Hi Again Aradia AA: 0h n0000000 GA: So I Guess Tonight Is The Night You Blow Everything Up AA: 0_0 GA: Is There Nothing I Can Do To Change Your Mind

GA, as expected, knows exactly what’s going down tonight. The trolls are getting information from a wide variety of sources, so who knows where she’s getting her lore from. 

She’s currently referencing an early Jade conversation - albeit from the opposite side - and she already has plenty of Jade vibes, so maybe, like Jade, she’s been putting her dream self to work. 

AA: but y0u sh0uldnt pretend as if y0u believe this has anything t0 d0 with the state 0f my mind AA: 0r the decisi0ns it will make 0r has already made

They’ve talked about this before. GA knows about Aradia’s railroading, but unlike her nihilist friend, she’s still trying to change their fate.

She won’t succeed tonight, but I still think she’s got the right idea. 

GA: I Thought Id Be Friendly Though GA: And Remind You That You Do In Fact Have A Hand In All The Terrible Things That Are About To Happen

I don’t have a comprehensive understanding of Sburb’s time mechanics - and I don’t know what happened to Aradia to convince her of all this - so I’m not going to judge her too harshly. 

But she is making a choice here, whether she admits it or not.

See, she doesn’t have all the facts. The Voices aren’t telling her everything - they really only seem to be telling her what she needs to know - so she should at least be open to the possibility that she’s wrong about fate. What has she got to lose?

If Aradia was willing to listen, to try and figure out if there are any other options - like John is slowly convincing Karkat to do - then that might change everything. Maybe things are only inevitable because she’s making them so, acting as a pawn for the Voices. 

If you already ‘know’ you’re locked into an unfavorable outcome, why not try and change things? Isn’t an unknown, but potentially non-zero chance of success better than the 0% chance you have if you don’t try and fight fate at all?

We don’t know, because Aradia has decided - maybe as a defense mechanism, to prevent herself from getting even more hurt - that she’s 0k with this outcome. Maybe, as a result of whatever happened to her, she just doesn’t have the strength to fight. 

I’m not judging her. She’s a teenager being manipulated by shadowy forces, and that’s not an easy trap to get out of. It’s completely reasonable for her to shut down, when faced with this kind of existential despair. 

But the fact remains - we won’t know if she can do anything to stop this, until she actually tries. 

GA: Ill Be Here To Help GA: If You Need Me AA: 0k AA: thanks

And she still might.