#love giving guys big hats tm

[aipurjopa]

My uu!spoke design stuff | parrot’s

[tropicalcryptid]

Ok so She-Ra pulled such a great hat trick with Hordak's characterization, and I LOVE it

One of my favorite things about 2018 She-Ra is Hordak's story and development (and Entrapdak cough but that's not the point of this particular post), and the cleverest thing is that so much of it is actually being set up and told to us in seasons 1 and 2 before we even realize that that's what's happening.

When we first see Hordak in the show, he's giving "generic evil overlord" vibes. Garden-variety baddie. Maybe a little more reasonable than some and clearly capable of long-term thinking, but that just serves to make him intimidating. Everything about him--the way he runs his empire, his armor, his color scheme, his minion, his Villainous Eye Makeup(TM), even his name--are all projecting to the audience "yup, Acme Bad Guy here. Move right along."

But then, backstory. And everything snaps into focus. Not only is it one of the first big oh SHIT moments of the show, where we suddenly zoom out and realize that there is SO much more going on than we realized--it's also the start of the audience seeing Hordak as a character rather than an archetype. Suddenly we realize that he's not conquering Etheria because he wants power, or hates happiness and sparkles, or whatever--he's doing it out of a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his brother/creator/god. This moment where Hordak lets Entrapta in is also the moment the show lets us in on what makes our favorite spacebat tick.

On top of that, we've also seen him bonding with Entrapta and opening up to this person that he respects and trusts...probably the only person he's ever respected or trusted apart from Prime. And she's Etherian--someone of a lower species, someone he's supposed to subjugate, someone who he has been raised and trained and programmed and mind-controlled into believing is below him in every way.

But instead she's brilliant and creative and mesmerizing. She's not afraid of him, and she's fascinated with his work. For the first time since being abandoned by Prime, Hordak finally has someone that he can talk to, who is on his level and both understands and cares about the science! (because he is a giant nerd). She's kind to him, a mere defect. And it just sends his whole worldview into a spin, and that's all before--

Bam, mans is a goner. Entrapta's "Imperfections are beautiful" comment punches right through all the toxic bs that Hordak has been steeped in his entire life. You can see on his face here--I think it's the moment Hordak fell in love with Entrapta, but this is also the face of a spacebat reevaluating his entire worldview. If Entrapta, who is amazing, believes something different from Prime...what does that mean? If Entrapta, who is brilliant, believes that he is worth something, and that she herself is a failure...

Well. We know what happens after that, and how Hordak begins to doubt, and eventually fights back against Prime (and remembers his love for Entrapta after TWO mind wipes help my heart ack). But we also get to see what life in the Galactic Horde looks like: the only life Hordak ever knew before coming to Etheria.

It's not nice.

It's really not nice.

Prime operates in a very specific way, and we learn a lot about it in season 5. Prime expects complete obedience, devotion and worship from his clones. He allows no individuality from his subjects, not even a name. Failure or deviations are punished, mind-wiped, or destroyed. We even learn from Wrong Hordak that facial expressions are considered a privilege reserved for Prime (apart from, presumably, expressions of rapture caused by being around Prime).

And once we learn all of this, suddenly thinking about season 1 Hordak becomes very interesting indeed. The time we spend with the Galactic Horde and Prime throws absolutely everything that we know about Hordak into a whole new context. Now all those traits that made him a generic villain are actually hugely effective characterization! And what that characterization is telling us is that Hordak had already moved much farther away from Prime than we (or, probably, he) had realized, even long before he met Entrapta.

Horde Prime does not allow his underlings to have names, personalities, or any differences of appearance. Not only does Hordak allow this among his own troops, he chose a name for himself as well! Season 5 tells us that his very name is an act of blasphemy against his god. And yet Hordak took one for himself, and that name is part of the core identity he is able to hold on to when rebelling against Prime.

Horde Prime cast Hordak out when he showed signs of physical imperfections. Hordak not only keeps Imp (who is by all appearances a failed clone or similar experiment) around, he treats Imp more gently than we see him treat anybody or anything before Entrapta. Imp is not simply "generic evil guy's minion," he is proof of Hordak's capacity for compassion, and evidence that Hordak cannot bring himself to cast aside "defects" as easily as Prime. Considering where Hordak came from, Imp's existence is a huge, flashing neon sign telling the audience this guy here is better than the hell that molded him, and we don't even realize it until 4 seasons after it's been shown to us!

Very cool, ND.

There's more, though. Hordak's red and black color scheme? His dark eye makeup and lipstick? Very Evil Overlord chic. But nope! Actually these are actually expressions of individuality on a level that Hordak knows would be abhorrent to Prime!

Reading between the lines, I see this as Hordak desperately trying to reconcile two diametrically opposed beliefs in his head: (1) devotion to Prime, whose approval he desperately craves, and (2) maintaining some degree of unique personhood, of Hordak, from which to draw strength. Because a failed, defective clone cannot survive on a hostile world, cut off from the hivemind and from Prime's light. A failed clone cannot create an empire to offer Prime as tribute, nor build a spacetime portal from scraps and memory to call Prime back. A failed clone cannot create cybernetic armor to keep his hurting, weakened body alive; to force himself to keep going no matter what, to fight through the pain and the doubt by sheer force of will.

But maybe Hordak can.

And so there it is. Hordak had plenty of time to gain and explore his individuality while separated from Prime, but I think the reason he did it so effectively (while still deluding himself that Prime would forgive him for these little sins, if only Hordak could prove his value) is because he had to.

Wrong Hordak gained his individuality surrounded by kind, quirky people who took care of him; Hordak was ripped from the hivemind by Prime himself and had to fight for his survival against all odds. And that produced a dangerous and damaging foe for Etheria. But it also produced the one clone with the strength of will to defy Prime himself.

This is long and rambling, but ultimately my point is that 1) I love Hordak, and 2) I love love love love that the show was so clever about his characterization. We learn so much about him and how much progress he's already made in breaking from his psycho abusive cult upbringing, and we don't even recognize it until the show wants us to. Hordak had come so far, all on his own, before he met Entrapta. She just helped push him over the edge and finally realize (at least consciously) that Prime's worldview might not be the correct one.

Idk, I just don't know if I've ever seen all the trappings of Basic 80's Villain(TM) so successfully subverted, where looking back 4 seasons later is actually a smack in the face with the "effective character building" stick. Amazing.

[thecursivej]

SOTU - 2024

Well, I'm forcing myself to watch the State of the Union while I grade speeches, so I figured I'd record my reactions and thoughts here.

Do I hope for the words "Immediate Ceasefire"? Absolutely. Will we get them? Looking at the track record, probably not. But I remain optimistic because otherwise I'd be six feet under by now; ANYWHO here is a list of my reactions/thoughts/general feelings of the evening's watch.

I do want to give a point of clarity: I technically am identified as a democrat; truly, I'm a socialist, but seeing as how the U.S. is stuck in this godforsaken two-party-system, that is where I am. Though both sides have me feeling very french-revolutionary-esque.

Of course the first thing I see if MTG rifling through her purse on screen. I quite literally despise her.

AP is discussing Ukraine's need for weapons and funding; I would truly rather us align with Ukraine than Isr@el. I will stand unapologetically firm for Palestine and Ukraine.

Who is actually in the cabinet? I know Blinken, Garland, and Buttiegeg. Damn, wish he was running again. Would rather have him than Biden.

How insane is it that the Sec. of Defense didn't even let the White House know that he had to go in for surgery because of cancer. Like, that's just bonkers to me.

Republicans truly look like fucking robots right now. No warm greetings, no hellos, simple nods.

Republicans out here wasting fucking time with that impeachment of Mayorkas. Like how about we house the homeless populations with the money they wasted on this circus.

Oh funky fresh look at the Ultra-Mormon(TM) Mitt Romney.

MTG with that stupid fucking MAGA hat on is just... disgusting. Like this bitch is crazy.

Okay Joe, speed it up down the fucking aisle please. I got papers to grade.

Lowkey Joe looks like he might have had a five-hour energy drink with that big-ole look in his eyes.

I do appreciate that Joe still smiles and is kind to MTG. She truly doesn't deserve it.

Okay this is getting just a wee bit too monarchy for me.

MTG holds up a button saying "Laken Riley..." (couldn't read the rest). Riley was a 14 year old girl murdered by a man who was an illegal immigrant of venezuela, and instead of handling this situation with grace, empathy, and love; MTG and others seem to be capitalizing on her death to push their anti-immigration rhetoric.

Okay, cool selfie skills Joe, but let's get on with it.

ALSO HOW IS JOE BIDEN GONNA BE SO IN DEPTH WITH TECH AND "Savvy" WITH IT WHEN MOTHERFUCKER WANTS TO BAN TIKTOK!? Hello?!

BERNIE AND RAPHAEL! I feel like I haven't seen these guys in 10 million years.

Oh thank god we're starting.

Aww the little hand shake thingy he does with Kamala makes my heart happy.

Did Joe just yell "tony"?!

Wow, even got some republicans clapping for him (probs not a good thing but here we are)

Okay, good bit of humor at the top; and a throwback to the 40s. Funky fresh.

Yeah we ain't living in ordinary times for damn sure.

Interesting point of democracy being attacked here in the U.S. AND Internationally. (Mentions Ukraine and Putin; no word on Gaza yet).

Someone busted out a Ukrainian flag and shook it; rock on.

OH SHIT HE GOT MIKE JOHNSON TO CLAP!

Appreciate the insistance that the U.S. won't send troops to UKR.

Good use of Reagan to connect with the Repubs; and compare to the predecessor (aka Tr*mp).

Mike Johnson nodding instead of clapping about the predecessor comment, trying to save his ass in Orange Man's eyes.

Welcome to NATO, Sweden!

If there is one thing that should connect Democrats and Republicans; it's hatred for Putin. Yet there's a mix of Repubs standing in agreement and sitting to back up the predecessor's comment on Putin doing "whatever the hell he wants"

Talking about Jan 6. What breaks my heart? My parents still believe it wasn't an insurrection. Yikes on Bikes for me.

The line "You can't love your country only when you win" hits hard and even got Mike Johnson to applaud in agreement.

Foreign AND Domestic. Need a hefty focus on that with the right-wing republican group (@ MTG, Gaetz, Cruz, etc.)

Discussing IVF in Alabama; good connection to the overturning of Rowe v. Wade. It sucks that Republicans HAVE THE POWER to protect IVF nationally but shot the damn bill down not even a week ago.

ABORTION IS A HUMAN RIGHT. BODILY AUTONOMY IS A HUMAN. FUCKING. RIGHT. (@ The Missouri Senators who support taking away bodily autonomy).

WOMEN AREN'T WITHOUT ELECTORAL AND POLITICAL POWER; WE ABOUT TO TURN UP IN FORCE MOTHERFUCKERS!!! Bring back the strats from the 1900s; time to use our power and go bonkers.

Someone get Joe a glass of water please. Motherfucker looks a bit parched and keeps coughing. I get that when my throat goes dryyy

Can Biden not restore RvW? Can he not by an executive order make RvW the law of the land already?

Revisiting COVID's start from 2020 (Next week is the four year anniversary since the global pandemic).

PFFT idk who just yelled "LIES" but that was comical AF.

Well, the pandemic still controls a big part of our lives... so...don't agree with that shit.

Man, everyone sitting-and-standing must be getting a HELLA calf work out.

Sure, unemployment is down and new jobs are built; but corporate greed is quite literally killing us. Can Congress or Biden do something, damn it?!

Are we beginning to feel it, though? Are we feeling good economics? I doubt we are.

Good job pointing out how both parties have failed to buy american products, but how this admin has established that.

There's a good two rows of Republicans who stand in applause; but the rest just... sit there. Like robots. It's freaky as fuck.

Joe is actually doing pretty great with the flow of this speech. Only a couple of stumbles, but overall pretty gucci. (He'd get a 9/10 on delivery in my public speaking class).

God these fuckers are really gonna make me run for office at this damn point.

Removing poisonous lead pipes... but there's still a water crisis in Flint, Biden. Like, what the fuckeroni do you mean?

Yes, let's invest in family farms; lets stop selling our farmland (especially in Missouri) to foreign countries (@ China buying up TONS of Missouri Farmland).

I love that the UAW president is here, because he straight up is my kind of people. Dude wears eat-the-rich shirts and calls out the unethical-ness of billionaires.

UAW President pointing to Biden saying "It's you!"; nah dawg, it's you Sean.

MIDDLE CLASS DID BUILD THE COUNTRY AND UNIONS BUILT THE MIDDLE CLASS MOTHER FUCKERS!!!

Yes we get back up but right now...we might be getting more french revolutionary-esque if y'all don't stop PLAYING WITH OUR LIVES.

Oh jesus not the 4-more-years chants.

Oh now we talking about the future

YES PLEASE END TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMIES.

Says he's not anti-corp; but points out how trickle down economics has only helped the wealthy.

Yeah, how the fuck does it hurt the wealthy to pay just a weeee bit more in taxes? Like dawg, what are you gonna do with another million? What's the point?

Ooooh is Biden about to rope the repubs into some bipartisan shit? Please do.

What is Republicans huge issue with capping insulin? Truly? Who does it harm? Billionaires still get billions.

[eeclare]

Headcanons: but a Lot

I made a pinterest board for the belchers & co. and saved pics that i feel represent the characters lol and they have inspired me and my latest Bobby borger headcanons :) enjoy

Linda

You would think that bob would have the wicked classic rock cd collection but irl that is our lovely lady Linda

She isn't the BIGGEST classic rock fan but her dad was and she just kinda picked it up

makes her feel nostalgic, y'know

but generally she's more of an 80s pop and show tune enthusiast

and she’s def an overall kinda gal

With a classic red long-sleeve? Yes pls

when she wasn’t allowed to keep buying porcelain babies she switched to ceramic birds for a little while

And she fs has a bird feeder hanging outside the kitchen window

Linda sometimes gets her nails done

Bright red and LONG

sometimes a french tip but that’s only when she’s not feeling the long guys

And red lipstick is a must ofc

she discovered that red was her colour and just let it overtake her

Cherry pie and a little bit of ice cream go a long way in her book

But her fav food and breakfast most days (when neither she or Bob are in the mood too really cook) is Tomato toast

Sometimes with cream cheese, but mostly just toasted with butter and season with salt and pepper

She just can’t get enough of it she loves tomatoes and she loves bread so it just works

The medicine cabinet in the bathroom is full of her clutter and crap lol

No true medicine to be found (other than bob’s prescribed pills ofc)

lots of nail polish, for when she can’t afford to get her nails done

One for her bday gene made her a ceramic tooth trinket box

to keep all of his teeth in, obviously

Keeps forcing her family on “quick” three hour hikes

she STILL tries to knit, esp after how great the kids’ reactions were to the one she made for Christmas

Whenever she and the kids are waiting around for bob to make thanksgiving dinner she puts on the thanksgiving day parade on TV

her fav float is snoopy

Ideal boblin date? Wine in the eve on the beach with chocolate and strawberries

she one time heard some teenager say that they were “frickin’ zazzed” and now she says it all the time

She doesn’t know cut her some slack 😭

It makes Louise pee herself laughing lmao

When Linda is behind the grill she gives the burgers ketchup smileys

One time she got drunk and made a pope hat out of paper and tried to put it on little king trash mouth

….it went about as well as you would expect…

Bob!!

Bob tries to do the NYT crossword

Unsuccessfully

When he gets his new phone she discovers the mini cross words and the app

linda literally could not get him to turn the phone off lmfaoo

eventually tho he gets her into wordle and now they play together nightly

I say they play 'together' but they actually play against each other

Like, hardcore

His fav. Halloween candy that the kids would get are those burger gummies

The kids had never actually had one until Gene hid a few in his socks bcs Bob would take them all before they even had the chance

he’s a cool dad. (tm)

Bob’s got this one Jean jacket that is so filled with holes it’s unsightly

But he just will not get rid of it lol

Why? Who knows

his ideal thanksgiving dinner is one of those idealistic 70s thanksgiving ads

Genuinely bob’s heaven

once for his bday he was served a burger with candles in it

linda thought it was funny

(so did bob)

i think that he secretly loves making spaghetti

Esp spaghetti Bolognese idk it just feels like a very Bob coded dish

When he serves the kids eggs and bacon he makes them a little smiley face AWWWH

Louise gave him a world’s okayest dad mug which he uses

Frequently

the glove compartment in the car has one of those flip through cd cases and it is just FULL of pirated cds lol

In his younger days he was a big fan of Levi’s jeans

He’s saved them all for when Gene is big enough to wear them

Or whichever of his other kids are interested ofc he doesn’t judge

Hates that Linda let’s the kids watch the thanksgiving day parade

He just thinks that it perpetuates the fact that thanksgiving has turned into a capitalist’s dream

“It’s the principle, Lin!”

Louise

One time Gloria gave her one of those sand animals (ykno the ones)

And now she can’t get enough of them

I also firmly believe that she never gets her ears pierced lol

But she was incredibly tempted to when she saw those spiky rainbow earrings in Clair’s

Secretly Louise fs enjoys linda and Gene’s spa days and facial routines and she often participates

Hair wrapped up in a towel, face mask and everything

when linda makes them all go on those loooong “short” hikes Louise occasionally finds a bone or two

Which she (incorrectly) bleaches and keeps in her room obvi

If it were up to her shoes would be a never

Loves the feeling of grass on her feet

When she was a toddler Linda would put her in those purple jelly sandals

Sensory hell for her

BEGS Bob and linda for a hamster or Guinea pig or ANYTHING but alas, fails miserably

Chronic frog catcher

Gene, who is terrified of frogs, hates it

genuinely the bane of his existence

she eventually upgrades the walkie talkies to further range ones

Bob one time went into a comic book store and found a gummo figurine and gave it to Louise and she loves it

But he did have to convince her to keep it in the box

“It could be worth A LOT one day Louise”

Louise got into rainbow loom

Not as a fun little hobby but as a black market business

frond caught her tho so rip that

As a “middle schooler” she collects anime figurines

the cute ones, not the sex ones

As well as horror movie figurines

When she was a kid she was obsessed with those light up shoes lmao

Personally I believe that Louise eventually needs braces for a couple years

But she convinces Bob and Linda that she loves/wants to keep her gap tooth so they get them removed early

Collects silly bands

Always covered in bandaids (but like, the colourful kind)

She eventually starts to paint her nails

Each finger is a dif colour

She likes to collect creepy porcelain dolls too

She’s a big collector, if you couldn’t tell

Paul frank t shirts for daaaayyyys

Big graphic novel/manga reader

She almost convinced Bob to let her get a frog

But again, gene

She hates socks but I firmly believe that she will wear tights/stockings if she absolutely has to

Has a few of bobs old band tees (gene has most of them)

Went through a phase where she constantly drew shit with chalk outside the restaurant

Some of it was cute, some of it was plans for world domination

Tina also gave her a little star necklace for her 13th bday and Louise literally never takes it off

(cuties pies)

Big graphic novel enjoyer

and im hoping this isn't too niche but she really enjoys courtney crumrin specifically

I may be projecting here a little tho bcs that was MY fav graphic novel when I was her age lmao

Gene

Has three tamagotchi pets that he keeps on a keychain that he keeps in his pockets/backpack

So. Many. Hawaiian shirts.

Loves super hero comics

Not a graphic novel fan though

Also likes collecting super hero action figures

Sour patch kids are his fav candie

Has the most narrow bed

has to sleep with a fan on at all times

not just cuz the noise makes his senses go brrr and helps him sleep

but because he is also a very sweaty boy

twinning with tina fr

Huge 80s vibe always

All of his pencils have bite marks all over them lol

Genes a nervous test taker

his palms get sweaty knees weak arms are heavy

on that note, he lowkey gets into rap

any rap: mumble, freestyle, mainstream

He wears his red converse until they literally falls of his feet

Has buttons and pins on all of his jackets/sweaters

Yugio fan??

Wears his white socks in the grass all the time

Drives linda CRAZY

Over alls are a staple in his wardrobe

same with flannel button ups

Bob thrifts Gene an acoustic guitar for his 14th bday

so he learns to play the guitar! He’s kind of a natural

okay so he's not THAT good but he's good enough

He also gets a cheap mini synth at some point and it replaces the casio just a little bit

Has to get braces and sticks to it

The bands are always funky colours, often in a rainbow order

Has a bunch of vintage Jean jackets

After his red converse finally fall apart he transfers to blue knock off converse with orange laces

Has at least three bags full of discount candy at all times

He went through a space phase so he’s got planet stickers on the wall by his bed

Gets a cassette player and tapes for his bday at some point

From Linda

And at some point thrifts himself doc martens

Obsessed with the muppets

Esp animal and janice

Lana stan

(Sorta)

Tons of bobs old band tees

becomes a SoundCloud rapper as a joke

But why is he lowkey good 😭

Gets a pink bike

“I’m cool bcs my mom says so”

Thrifts himself a cheapo electric guitar and covers it in stickers

Sounds like shit but tbh it works

Tina-Bina

When she was little Linda made her a canopy for her bed

It’s kinda patchy but that’s okay it suits her

Tortoise shell glasses become her jam in high school

Still has a classic black pair as a backup

Always worried

Has a notebook/journal on her at ALL TIMES

Multiple unicorn figures

And porcelain horses (from Linda ofc)

Her chariot doll stays on her desk and/or nightstand

Her room is a hot pink, not a baby pink lol

It’s a little obnoxious

Loves lip smacker

Never gets rid of her bangs

But she does grow her hair out a little bit past her shoulders

Thinks it makes her look older

Paul frank t shirts that she hands down to Louise over time

Emergency phone becomes her phone lol

She does put a horse sticker on the back and she loves it

MLP themes pencil case is the mlp think she owns

Most of her school supplies is horse related, tho

Lisa frank stickers

Likes the classic vintage my little pony dolls

“Ugh”

Horse shaped birthday cake

Teal nail polish when she’s feeling fancy

But she consistently has clear polish on

Makes Tina feel classy

She lowkey collects plastic farm animals lol

She read the perks of being a wallflower once and it became her whole personality for about two weeks

Blue collared shirts with jean shirts

Or an overall dress

Has a locket with a drawing of jerico that she made

She wears it pretty often lol

Jimmy jr’s school photo sits snugly on the other side

Loves 80s windbreakers

Her fav is blue with a yellow stripe across the shoulders

Star shaped barrette that Louise found for her on the sidewalk lmao

Called herself ‘ghost girl’ while she was pretending to be a so-called bad girl

Poofy 80s pink prom dress that’s passed down to her from Linda

Can write in cursive rlly well

So many unicorn plushies

Put beads on her shoe lacss

She has three blue t shirts with an embroidered rainbow on them

She loves them and wears them all the time

Enjoys playing solitaire

Still big into drinking coffee lol

Linda made her a pony keychain out of felt and she uses it as an accessory

i.e. hangs it off of her overall dress, belt loop, backpack, etc

swiftie?? she just vibes with the music so hard

esp folklore

"IM A MIRRORBALLLLL"

She's so sweet and relatable i just love Tina so much

[trainingdummyrabbit]

Hehe hi Pik :0 I'll give you three questions for your ask game and you can pick out whatever you want to answer <:]

What are your thoughts on Kaigaku? I know he's a bit of spoiler territory but I'm curious .. or maybe what are your thoughts on Muichiro? You decide!

A question just for me, though ,, do YOU have a favorite bird? .., !!

oh abolutely HYSTERICAL to give a pick scenario and then lay down topics that will instantly get me to talk for hours on end at the drop of a hat KSJNGFKDJNGKD

so!! the easy one!! my favorite bird, ithink, is between the mourning dove and the house sparrow! they are not terribly glamorous but i love them so so dearly and will instantly cheer up when i think about them :')

as for the character questions. thank you for enabling me HJBSJFBJD

i could very very easily write an entire goddamn essay about Either of them, but for the sake of saving whatever brevity i can manage to keep, ill save talking abt mui for when That Episode(tm) drops whenever it does, because inevitebly, i will be Absolutely Inconsolable and it Will happen anyway KJNDKGDF

instead, for now, under a cut because this preamble is already paragraphs long... kaigaku.

i fucking hate this man. i cannot stand him, hes the worst, he is so fucking stupid, i think about him fucking constantly, and he is one of my favorites. he is so fucking insufferable, and i love him!

ok so. getting into kny, i was like. immediately a zenitsu liker. like i saw him and went "god. fuck. shit. its gonna be this nerd i dont even know about yet and i can feel it already." (i was right.) which is Crucial to knowing the angle here. and when i got to his part in th manga, i . genuinely dont remember if i even thought too hard about him. i dont even remember when i Did, i just know that he Wasnt there, and then he Was, and he Never Fucking Left KSJNKDJGN

which is very very fucking funny, considering... how much of a character he straight up Isnt.

like yeah! he sure does show up in a flashback and then fights zen and dies about it! it takes like, a two chapters max! and the entire time, his only character trait is "bitch for no reason." like... that sure isn't a lot to go off of. so like... why? i guess thats kind of the answer in and of itself.

why is he like this? why is he like this?? what made him this way? we know he grew up orphaned, but why? we knew he turned on gyomei's group and ran, but why? we know he trained to be a demon slayer with zen and kuwajima, but why? why, why, why? we just don't know.

we know he's a survivalist. we know that he's willing to go to any lengths, stoop to any lows, just to make it another day. because another day is another chance you get to get them back, to prove them wrong, to rise above it and laugh in their faces and say "see? see what im capable of? bet you feel sorry now."

shame doesnt exist to him. he will make Anything of himself just to make it by. do anything, drop anyone. no connections, impermanence. its clear in flashbacks that, honestly... nobody liked him very much. and like, well, yeah. obviously. he sucks, and he isnt afraid to show it. but isnt that just so strange? broken box of happiness, disatisfaction. he refuses to forge connections, claiming the only people he tolerates are those who respect him, who see his worth.

and that's... the weird thing about him. see, because, the thing is that... i don't fucking believe him for a second. he talks big game, he can back it up, sure, especially as a demon, but... the entire time he talks, every word he says during his confrontation with zen just felt like a bluff. like he's trying to sound threatening, to sound powerful, making a threat display like an animal. every technique he chooses to execute is some new, big, flashy display of his Power, talking, taunting, still taunting.

its a lot of reading between lines, but... this man is a fucking liar. that fight felt different, it felt quick, and well... maybe because it wasn't a fight. this was some guy taking out his anger on someone in a desperate attempt to prove he's worth something.

i just think that this man is a deeply jealous bastard intent on making himself seem larger than he really is, convincing himself that he's the one that's right and it's everyone else that's wrong simply because he can't process just how awful he is.

growing up barely scraping by on his own, of course he'd become painfully self-reliant. of course he would take advantage of anything he could, anyone he could. you'd have to be that self-centered to survive. talk big, act big, nobody will mess with you. nobody can take advantage of you if you take advantage of them first.

and when he gets shown that kindness, being taken in for the first time... of course he'd take advantage of them too. he's hard-wired with instability in mind, so obviously the clear answer is to take what you can and go before something else happens and they get to you first (even if that was never really a threat.) and if they throw you out for it? it's just proof you were right. you were always right, clearly it isn't your fault. and if you happen to throw them under the bus for it... well, obviously they deserved it. there's no reason to think about it anymore.

being with kuwajima was fine. we don't know anything about the earlier days (which im so sad about) but from the looks of it, he was doing fine. about as fine as he could be, at least. he clearly respected him at first, enjoyed being treated as something special, having his work and talents appreciated-- which he did have! he was a staggeringly impressive slayer, but that's an aside-- and even berated zenitsu for supposedly "disrespecting him" by referring to him as jiichan. which. sighs.

so, zenitsu. dynamics Of Ever. honestly, even without the whole Contention there, kai would've just kinda disliked him because he's... motions with hand. look at him. but its the fact that they were considered together that pissed kaigaku off so much. because that implied that they were on the same level when, to him, they so very clearly were not.

zenitsu was annoying. he was weak, whined too much, cried too much, never put in any effot, he was so, so annoying. which made it that much more insulting that jiichan would continue to try to train him. just leave him behind already! he keeps trying to run away, let him! obviously he just isn't good enough. he's not special like he was. and yet, kuwajima kept trying.

and the fact that he did... probably completely went against everything kaigaku saw in the way the world worked. for lack of a better term, he was very "survival of the fittest" minded in that, if you weren't good, you just weren't good. you'd try and struggle and inevitably die off. the world isn't kind, and will take any chance it has to kick you down. that's why you take what you can, when you can.

if you're weak, nobody helps you. if nobody helps you, you either help yourself or die silently. that was what separated the weak and the strong. and you always, always were either one or the other. again, that's his survivalism talking. so, seeing this person he at the very least Respected waste time on some nobody instead of him, expecting something to come of it... well, it was insulting!

and to think that they were even anywhere close enough to put together? to share the title of successor? with this guy? either it meant that kuwajima thought zenitsu was as good as kai was (to him, a laughable idea,) or that kai wasn't any better than some kid who could barely swing a sword. and that was what irritated him the most.

that was the point of their final confrontation. it was kaigaku proving, once and for all, finally, that he was better than zenitsu. was it purely out of hatred for this kid who looked up to him like a brother? was it out of jealousy of someone who got so many kindnesses granted to him despite, to him, not really deserving it? was it just to prove that he was a powerful demon to those who now had their eyes on him, too? whatever it was, at its core... it was laughing in the faces of those who, honestly, genuinely cared about him (and in his eyes, never truly did.)

he could've ended that fight whenever he wanted to-- its even stated in canon that zen wouldve just lost if he was given more time to grow-- but... he just kept showing off. kept talking. it didnt feel like he was using techniques to fit the combat-- it felt like he was showing off what he could do now. he was proving a point. the only thing that stopped him was what he never acknowledged back when they were training together-- that zenitsu did have worth. that he was growing, too. and using what kaigaku refused to acknowledge in him, zenitsu cut him down-- with a symbol of the respect and comraderie that he hoped to have together. a "sorry, aniki."

kaigaku's appearance in canon is less of the role of a character, but as a statement. hes a walking tragedy. he pushes away everything that makes life What It Is in favor of this image of Strength, which is exactly why he becomes-- at first glance-- a caricature. he stops being a person and starts being a Thing. zen tries to keep him in mind as a Person (despite it all) but when he ultimately gives up hope is when the encounter ends. and when kai's role ends as well.

the only thing i still wonder is... does he regret it? in the very depths of his mind, behind all that mess he puts up, after throwing everything away... did he regret it? twice, he was shown care and kindness, and twice he betrayed them. does he know? does he regret it? does he have the capacity to? or has he simply committed so hard to the role he was given-- to the role he put himself in-- that he simply cannot fathom a world in which he was the problem? could it have been different?

put simply... what the fuck is wrong with him?

. anyway, heres a bunch of posts that remind me of him.

[nachosncheezies]

I just saw your tags about s5 scully hair being the one and just wanted to say I agree so much. I feel like ftf and s5 is scully hair TM. I also have a real soft spot for the late s3/early s4 scully lewk, particularly the make up.

(Whispers quietly: I really don’t care for her s6 hair)

Hi hi hi anon! \😄/ I am so glad you see it too! If you're talking about the post I think you are, I can't take the credit - I'm pretty sure I copied some of those tags from the previous poster. xD But hey, that just means we're in good company, right?

I generally feel pretty icky commenting on anyone's appearance except in a positive light, but I will say that I don't disagree about season 6. When it got even shorter in season 7 (around about Maleeni) though was probably the one I like the least.

(Karenish before "Karen" was a thing? idk. she looks like my therapist (but hotter.))

(top hats can improve many things)

That bathtub updo in Hollywood AD was cute as shit, though.

But yes, season 5 was definitely a - maybe THE - highlight. I mean:

(may we all look this good on our inexorable path to the grave)

(not bad for someone who didn't even get real cream cheese!)

And yes! about seasons 3/4.

I'm rewatching season 8 right now and finding myself pretty partial to the look in some of those episodes too, though I concede my opinion may be colored by my just generally loving the angstfest that is season 8.

(there's something a bit Never Againy about it isn't there? like the fringe or something? idk i know literally nothing about hair. anyway i think it's similar just with ANGST CLASSIC™ instead of Rebel Angst Lite™)

I have to admit I haven't watched past the end of season 8 yet, at all, ever, so take this with a Big Grain Of Salt but I just really really gotta give honorable mention to IWTB. Just look at this post!!!!!!! It just works. Never seen a gif from that film that I didn't like.

My last opinion is also a PSA, but I also really think Scully deserved more ponytails. How you gonna do science much less CORPSE science with your hair at risk of falling in your eyes! You can't just brush it away! You're wearing gloves! Those things touch your subject and your tools and nothing else!!! Safety first guys!!!!!

Thank you so much for your message anon! 💕 We're all members of the "damn she looks good" club and it's so valid and fun to say it.

[unsleepingtales]

Ravening War Reactions Ep. 2!

Here we goooooo (said like Peter Pan)

Every time I remember that Colin has 6 charisma I giggle a little bit

Lou mentioned something to do with Scottish history and Brennan immediately went to Thinking Face (tm) and this is part of why I’m so excited that they’re in the same camera shot this season

Commendable 🥲

Anjali has Strong lettuce opinions and honestly? I respect it.

“Trust is bad” seems to be the motto of the season so far

BRENNAN

No one wants to trust that sneaky little radish. Unfortunately the dice deem they must.

Raphaniel has major dirt on Allium, noted.

God the name being the FDA is so fucking good.

Raphaniel has a cork board covered in red yarn and you cannot convince me otherwise

I know he’s being sneaky and suspicious etc but I’m happy that the bishop is taking care of Karna

Come on provolone! Little cheese knight!

Ooh my girl’s got demons!

“A chess piece… or at least the head of one” TERRIFYING THANKS BABE

He’s a hero. Vegetania doesn’t need heroes.

I wanna know where he goes when he thinks too tbh

Bulbian religion is fascinating to me

Colin who are you I desperately want to know

Oh she’s just murdering them okie dokie

OH that’s straight up self mutilation. Ok. Okokok.

He sneakyyyy

Raphaniel shut up they are onto you I don’t care how well Brennan rolls

Colin Provolone: big abstinence guy?

Boy what are you t a l k i n g a b o u t

“I feel bonded” “Well good luck with that” babe WHAT

Ohohohoh I do not like that language. That is fucking creepy. Nope.

A language we haven’t heard her speak before but very carefully not specifying what language it is

Child????

Amangeaux child???

Oh god that’s gonna kill me

Colin is good at his job. He IS.

Tiny chili pepper crush aaaaaaaaa

Colin <3

Making enemies: one way to know you’re on the right path!

Brennan is too good at bullshitting proverbs

A QUICHE????

Is he actually cool or is he another Johnny Spells

Raphaniel you are talking about this too knowledgeably for a man of your station. Take it down a notch.

He has Plans. He’s good at his Job.

Gross

Bishop kinda wingmanning for Karna?

Bishop stay away from the cheese man I need him to be ok

The DOME

Ooooh board games :D

NoT mUcH oF a SeCrEtS gUy yeah right ok sure bb

Karna dreamily asking about Deli’s murderous past & Raphaniel getting overwhelmed by the horny energy

Amangeaux surrogate mothering for Karna is giving me emotions

Karna! My love my light! Whatcha doin honey!

Mans kicked off a world war but he’s the guy with the hat.

Something they had in common 🥲

She can do magic but everyone needs to be so chill about it. No one say anything ok. She’s fine.

This feels like a little more than baseline trust tbh

What does a frazzled tomato look like

Oh Matt’s gory description skills are on point

Karnaaaaaa I know it’s your job but that is a child.

On the one hand I am very happy for her and glad she’s doing well for herself. On the other. Tiny child has been found out and reported.

Dome!!

Preview reactions:

*chanting* BATTLE SET! BATTLE SET!

Miniiiiiiiis

God Aabria’s makeup fucks so hard

[spacelizzbian]

Not me liveblogging the belgian national final (a few days too late even) but not esc 2021 or 2022 *clown noises* 🤡

Not a great start when one of the candidates sings Euphoria a bit off key 😬 (im so sorry Ameerah love u)

FUCK YES RYTHYM INSIDE

Loredana and Chérine slaying those vocals

This medley SLAPS 🔥🔥

The Nicole tribute was very heartwarming, love that they did that

"The act needs to be fresh and fruity" Sandra Kim said it needs to be gay, write that down

Hunter looks so adorable and happy to be there 💖

Pretty sure Laura Tesoro did the same penguin dance move in 2016 lmao, loved it then loved it now

Fuck the haters, Ooh la la is a bop 😤

Shame they didnt give him more dancers for such a funky song.

The audience going crazy for Chérine during her interview, as they should 😌

Naur Chérine, twas a bit off key near the end there 😬

The song is so so good and catchy but the act is a bit eehh. Certainly memorable though

Scorching hot take alert, but rollercoaster is so generic its painful

And it genuinly feels bad to say that cause it means so much to the singers

The staging was very on point tho

Love Ameerah's vibes, very mom friend who cares about all her lil kids

VRT: "How Eurovision do you want the costumes to be?"

Ameerah: "yes. "

There is so much energy and playfulness in this act, I love it!!

These dancers are giving a 110% props all around

Love that thid guy thing is wearing a silly big round hat and that he was like "I'm going to wear an even bigger one"

Frankly I want him to wear an even bigger one at the actual contest

The singing by Gustaph and his background ladies is superb

I'd add some dancers tho

Pretty sure this would't have been my pick but it's the least repetitive of the more pop-y songs so I think I get why this won

Omg Gala is wearing the fugly Santana fur hat 💀💀

Everything about this girl screams Artist(tm) but in the best way

This act and song is so intense and full of emotion, I didn't write any notes during it. Wow.

*Insert Lady Gaga meme here*

Please don't remind me that we didn't send 'She's after my piano' in 2014, I'll start biting

Loredana's outfit is giving me Chanel Slomo vibes 👌

The rorbot is so random I'm cackling lmao

I'm so sad the song is so weak cause I love Loredana's voice 😔

Lmao Nikki said the robot should have lifter her up, so true queen 😂😂

Never gonna forget the moment when Duncan sang his song in a concert full of Dutch people, this song is like crack to them

Gala and her cute frog knit hat Froche, my beloved

Fairytale is never gonna get old

These dancers are giving it their all, go off you possesed lil folk dancers 💃🕺💃🕺

I think my ranking'd be

1. Gala

2. Ameerah

3. Gustaph

4. Chérine

5. Hunter Falls

6. The Starlings

7. Loredana

Aight, voting time, time to get mad at the results like always 😌

Oh no, I'm agreeing with the jury votes...welp time to tyrade against the uncultured masses 😤

I like Gustaph enough to believe we have a shot of getting through to the finale, I wish all the luck to my fav hat of the night 💖

Also genuinely impressed by the show we put on, highkey regretting not going to it but oh well. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I was gonna 🇧🇪

Anyway, shifting out of eurovision mode 😔 see you in may (if I'm liveblogging the actual thing lmao we'll see)

[stopthatfool]

thoughts while watching top gun cuz im a hater and it's been a while since i yapped. i've been quiet.. i must.. i must yap..

-80s intro montage. yeah exactly. this is MOVIE. like it's so MOVIE (TM). like it's THE movie.

-dumb fucking slowmo shot while goose and mav are inverted over the MiG still pisses me off (top gun theme starts playing loudly like a bald eagle cry-- AMERICA! WHAT THE FUCK IS A KILOMETER!)

-cougar turning in his wings stabs me in the chest as usual (ok lots of sweating cool cool cool)

-hollywolf scene ("this gives me a hard on" i know they fuck real nasty. what the hell foreplay in public during DADT is craaazzzyyyy)

-icemav eyefucking ok cool. ice twirling his pen and i am twirling my hair.

-casual misogyny drop thank u ice (alternate plaque) goose laugh so beautiful.. like an angel..

-o club scene (ANIMAL NIGHT sign yippee) shot of woman's thigh. okay. iceman ice cold no mistakes blah blah blah who cares. the icemav scene... still just as gay... why did they look at each other's lips.. i need them dead in a ditch.

-"carnal knowledge--of lady this time.." why does that need to specified.. god this is so gay what the hell. hello charlie. lost that loving feeling. ok cool. ok great. SOME ONE TAKE THAT MIC AWAY FROM HIM. hellish situation.. i'm so sorry charlie. i'll get u outta there.

-hello mansplaining callsigns and piloting... thank u mav.. god i hate his stupid face. "i can hold my own" oooooo foreshadowing for his downfall.. teamwork mav come on now

-mav entering the ladies room is still just as weird as it was the first time. "big mistake with that older guy" just after he tried to get her to fuck on a public bathroom counter.. okay sure.. yeah.. i need him dead tbh.

-DUMB FUCKING HAT!! JESTER IS WEARING THE DUMB FUCKING HAT!! wolfman wearing the cowboy hat.. they're in the dumb hat club together

-ice putting on his watch.. slutty waist i'm gonna throw him against the wall and smash his head in

-"u can run kid but u can't hide" ok cornball (i feel like i'm in a videogame) (do some of that pilot shit!) (plane shots. mav does something stupid. fork found in the kitchen. what else is new.) (bro why does he do a flyby why is he actually dumb) (YEEHAW!) yeah whatever

-dangerous scene. ya gay who cares. ice is chewing gum so dramatically like ok chew chew chew chew gnawgnaw gnaw gnaw. what's that Freudian theory... ice never got past his teething stage.. big ol fucking chompers or whatever. (should i study top gun characters through freudian theories.. just to be super fucking annoying)

-navy twink spills coffee all over navy bear (I WANT SOME BUTTS!)

-"I flew with his old man" do u guys think viper and duke ever explored each other's bodies. genuine question.

-sad goosmav scene (i just hope we graduate) goose puts mav on blast trauma dump for him like ok thanks goose (goosmav nation i understand u)

-"too aggressive.. i guess when i see something i go right after it." mav i'm gonna fucking kill you. shut the hell up. ur embarrassing me in front of my friends. "but u were tempted to ask me out to dinner" mav i need u to get so real rn. (tom cruise big ol fucking chompers)

-VOLLEYBALL SCENE! ONE OF MY FAV SONGS! i dont know a lot about volleyball,, but it kinda looks like they're doing it wrong tbh.. (bruce webber photography my beloved)

-take my breath away counter starts now.. lord im ready guys.. mav is late i hate him men can't do anything right.. why does charlie have a pet dog and a parrot.. "i'm gonna take a quick shower." what the fuck.. men r so weird why would he say that. like bro what.

-mav trauma dumping i love how much they just tell u things in this movie. like here let me tell u. show u? nah. i'll TELL you. straight up. then we get some wonky dialogue and i love it. so much.

-everyone in this movie has beautiful teeth. i wish to hold their teeth in my palms. inspect their teeth.

-butch lesbian charlie.. long hair mav cuz he was filming the color of money.. (vince hello hai hey hi) (but why is mav all sweaty in an elevator.. like where is he going.. are the showers up? down? where?)

-CAROLE! CAROLE! CAROLE! SHE'S HERE! MY LOVE! CAROLE! IM CRYING IM CRYING IM CRYING. CAROLE!

-idk what mav was expecting when getting involved with his teacher.. like come on bro r u stupid.. "i can't hear you!!!" (revs engine) like bro she has to keep up appearances.. she can't pick favs cuz she wants to fuck u like what r u dumb

-tom cruise yelling.. hell yeah.. act little man.. act for me.. ACT! ok they're kissing..

-WORST SEX SCENE EVER ALERT! YAAYYYY! (it's actually horrifying.. what is tom cruise doing oh my god.) (so much tongue???????? why????) taaaake my brrreeeaaathhhh awaaayyyyy

-i feel the need for speed. god shut the fuck up.

-shower scene. GUYS ITS THE POSTER! MY FIRST EVER TOP GUN POST! ITS THE POSTER! "Navy. it's not just a job. it's an adventure." who are u telling that to?? (other than the viewers obvs) but like they're already IN the navy. why have a navy recruitment poster IN the navy showers...

-hello ice ur so sexy. "it's ur attitude. ur worse than the enemy." god CORNBALL! CORNY! TOMATO! TOMATO! heart to heart in little towels.. okay.....

-GOODNESS GRACIOUS GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! mav and carole... mav and carole... god their friendship.. im crying... mav and bradley.. stop stop stop crying. crying so hard.

-and the movie ends... it ends right at them singing together... ain't that weird... hmmm the movie just... ends...??? could've sworn there was more.. but hmmm. it's over.. and everyone is alive and well! cool! awesome!

fuck it watching top gun to feel something again

[anthosaidsmth]

Empires Season 2 Survey Part 2: Predictions

[Part 1]

Thanks to y'all for filling in the survey. Some of you got the funniest responses 👍, this is fun.

Image ID under cut

[Image ID:

Image 1 the title reads "Any predictions?", with rows of entries, reading "*limps wrist*", "Everyone dies again /half joke", "The block men will be homosexuals", "women", "I will cry" "This is the homophobic season", which has a white arrow pointing out saying "diversity loss :(", and "Chaos and war [pride month edition]".

Image 2 the title reads "The Sheriff TM", with 2 images of Jimmy's minecraft character with his cowboy skin. There are rows of entries, reading "Jimmy gets his hat stolen", "Jimmy should go feral and shoot someone", "uh I don't know but they should give Jimmy a villain arc", "no one will respest Jimmy as The Sheriff :(".

Image 3 the title reads "Joel bullying zone", with an image of Joel's minecraft character in his Empires skin, the image is squished so Joel appears shorter. There are rows of entries, reading "the other empires make themselves canonically taller than 11 feet so they can be taller than Joel and he’s short again", "joel is short.", "We cannot allow Joel to be 11ft tall. Either we deny it completely or everyone else is just still taller :)", "joel gets shrunk and someone gets hatecrimed (for legal reasons thats a joke)".

Image 4 the title reads "Women (affectionate)", with rows of entries, reading "Gem's also either not actually a princess or not human and I can't tell which I like more", "The Gempire will thrive under the rule of its princess", "False gets assigned wings at fandom (ideally dragon) and that becomes the most popular portrayal of her. She notices bc she has Tumblr & gets a custom draconic elytra. I also think False should get the Tall treatment this season (like S1 Lizzie). Just a big old dragon False :3", "And also let gem have her villain arc".

Image 5 the title reads "Actual predictions", with rows of entries, reading "there’s GOTTA be something up with oli being on the server. like I’m pretty sure it was edited and blurred out when they realized like… something’s definitely fishy there. Maybe he’s responsible for the dragon not being there? (that could also just be explained by s1).", "Villain arc(s), Lizzie thinking no one knows she's not human when literally everyone does, the end being even more important than last season, and there being a reason behind Sausage being the only one to notice when people change skins (e.g the whole fWhip–blue sweater–goblin conversation)".

Image 6 is a continuation of image 5, reading "False's pov ends with her waking up in another world, whether it's her old world or a new one, it's far away from the people she called friend. Cut to black, end of season 2", "What if…the main bad guy was (the friends we made along the way or) made by each member accidentally pissing them off in some way. (Ex. Scott ”collects” something that belongs to the bad guy, Pixl finds the main hideout of the bad guy, Shelby finds a spell that hurts said bad guy, etc.)", "scott's or false's character has something to do with the end and the missing dragon pixlriffs will build something reminiscent of one of the empires for season 1".

Image 7 the title reads "Hall of fame", with sparkles drawn by the title. The rows of entries read "The reason why the ender dragon is missing is because there's actually a 13th empire in the end and it's the empire of the Orb. That's right, it's oli time ", "I have hopes for things but i am almost certain none of them will come true :(", "Angst that’s it we are all gonna sob and honestly can’t wait for that.", "I just want you to know I started with empires s1 entirely from Joel’s perspective, so when I started on Pearl’s…boy howdy".

Image 8 is a continuation of image 7, reading "I want pixl to be appreciated more. He is so good and i love him." with a small drawing of OP's character hugging a Tumblr anon icon, "same anon same..." is written beside the drawing. "Another sibling relationship also I know I'm mentally ill you don't have to tell me from my answers", "until we figure out what’s up w/ the end, im choosing to believe the empires crew accidentally showed up on someone’s completed speed run world. that’s why the dragons dead, but there’s no one who did it/the worlds empty", "lizzie and joel are gonna get married again. it might not be an Event like last season but they will get married again and it will be cute. (and hilarious. this time LIZZIE is the connecticut clark of the two)".

Image 9 the title reads "And the one with the most derp is... Me!", it shows the OP's Tumblr profile picture with a "DUM" sticky note from Among Us drawn on top of the image. The text under the image reads "For forgetting various options and also for accidentally leaving one of the optional question as required when I first posted the survey."

/End ID]

[as-i-watch]

Given the season is swiftly approaching, how do you think a Straw Hat Christmas(TM) would go?

Very Chaotic but in a good way. Anyone that has a large familly knows what im grtting at

They would fight over anything but they would also be like 'wow i really love these idiots and im so happy to be here with all of them'

The ones with the most Christmas Spirit™ are Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Franky and Brook.

Brook would insist on wearing xmas sweaters even on a summer island and he would prob dress in a candycane theme.

Franky goes full Christmas and just hangs lights and puts decorations everywhere, and installs Christmas features on Sunny and on himself. He wants to make it magical✨

Chopper likes the prepararives, decorating the tree and getting the presents. His maximum goal was to built a gingerbread house. He did it with Usopp and Robin

Robin likes the gathering aspect of the holidays so she just sort of sit back and enjoys her idiots all having a grand time

Usopp likes Christmas bc its basicaly a big party and you give eachother presents. He also made himself a Santa costume. Chopper and Luffy almost fainted

Luffy is like a kid on a sugar high. There's just so much stimulus everywhere. One week earlier he is already asking for the xmas dinner, but his fav part is having the Sunny all light up with colourfull lights at night and having all his friends having a good time. Of course, he sings and dances on the table, tho not even xmas music. Usopp and Chopper joins and Franky brings in the xmas music bc its the season

Nami spends a lot of time angry the previous days bc its imposible to organize anything and she has this idea of what a christmas is supposed to be. She tried to make a secret santa and ended up in chaos. Eventually she gives into the chaos and just has a good time bc maybe thats their take on christmas and thats ok

Zoro just doesnt get it. Doesnt see the point, doesnt get the Santa thing or all the fuss of the holidays. He is the only one that takes a bit of issue with the religious part of it. He still enjoys it bc its a party and any holiday and festive day is a day to drink. He has a good time but he does take more of a backseat but he spends time with Robin while Brook and Franky blast Christmas Carols

Finally, Sanji...poor guy. Growing up in restaurant xmas day and the holidays in general were always a big hectic time, like hella hectic. The only celebrarions if they even celebrated the holidays at all was a quiete dinner of mostly leftovers after the shift was done. Of course he goes all out in xmas dinner and just is so cought up on it all and stressed bc it was always a stressing time. If he wasnt so emotionally constipated, he would've prob cried bc he had the chance to sit down and join in the dinner and actually have a good time.

[danny-chase]

dick *fire emoji* damian *fire emoji*

tim *fire emojI*

Dick: he's ugly and we as a fandom need to accept it, it's fine... literally every other guy dc draws is ugly too

He will never be as good as ntt Dick and that kind of annoys me. I miss him being a bit of a mess, i know the ric arc just happened but like idk, i just want him to stay awake for 3 days straight and get shot or something.

Idk my other unpopular opinion is that I don't think he undermines other characters simply by existing. I've seen him accused of undermining Damian's relationship with his parents, but yeah, no, I think Bruce's writers are doing it to themselves, and Talia's writers are racist so like how is that Dick's fault? He can be a cool big brother/mentor and Damian can still have other good familial relationships. He can be written as balanced to Barbara instead of undermining her position in the family (Dixon's run is a good example) and I don't think he undermines Cass's chances at being Batman because let's be real. Even if Dick was dead, they'd give it to loosely affiliated to the batfam man #27493 instead of Cass 😞 which really freaking sucks.

I also don't think he's hated by DC. He was hated specifically by Dan Didio, and boy does it show (i was rereading whatever crisis it was and my god Dick was def supposed to die), but I think most writers love him and think they're doing their best by him, which is why I theorize a lot of his character flaws have dissapeared (they love him and think he's perfect and don't want to show him as not perfect).

Damian: I don't think he ruins Talia's character (again I think the writers do that good enough themselves), and I like the idea that Talia tried secretly giving him up for adoption and thought he was free of this life, because actually that's incredibly noble and mature of her and tragic and would make a great story and DC please do a good retelling of son of the demon and make it canon-

I haven't actually read a lot of Damian's comics yet because uh i got stuck looking at Batman Incorporated and wanted to do things in order and I don't know 😭 i don't want to see it (but i need to because i like knowing things). So idk i guess i don't have much else.

Oh other than he's not "evil" for pushing Tim off a dino. Nah i don't understand why people take that scene so out of context - like ppl try to make such a big deal out of it but to Damian it like, wasn't personal? He didn't hate Tim in particular he legit just went "oh this is like home i have to kill him to beat the level" and caught Tim slipping.

Tim: Look I just don't like him after reading his comic run. Unpopular opinion: he's good at school and life in general. Like really good. He was being considered for a pretty hefty scholarship before he moved from Bludhaven back to Gotham, he's popular without even trying, and girls pretty much throw themselves at him at the drop of a hat. Bruce does better with him then most other Robins. Despite Jack being an idiot both him and Dana love him and are make efforts to connect with him. Pretty much the entire world in his comic revolves around him. He's a chad, not a loser. And he's also the most sexist robin stop pinning that on Damian, Damian has 2 throwaway lines, with Tim it's a pattern.

Another unpopular opinion: I legitimately think they made Tim the smart one tm because they didn't know what else to do with him and had to set him up as an equal for conflict with Damian and so he could throw his hat in the ring in Battle for the Cowl. I don't actually think it was done for the advancement of his character, I think they desperately needed something to put him on equal footing with the others, and it ended up making him more boring imo, and I think he should go back to being a gifted but otherwise normal kid because yes i found that boring too, but with good writing that's an idea that has potential

Ngl i disregard almost all canon when writing Tim and use him as a self insert, he just does what I would do and thinks like me 🤷‍♀️

[aprofessionalwithoutstandards]

I got my own gears turning and you're all gonna hafta deal with that for a bit sorry. Little breakdown of how morals and ethics and villainy and all that are treated in the tf2 expanded universe, presented as tiers of ascending villainy:

All of the mercs are amoral, murderous, "bad people", because they are video game characters. The standard real-world ethics that could be ascribed to people who kill people for money cannot apply to the tf2 guys, because it inherently removes tf2 from its original context as a comedy shooter video game. Some characters like Heavy and Sniper are mentioned as killing "bad men", but not every character is given this depth. Scout just kills people, and Scout is not treated as "evil" by the text. Killing someone, in the tf2 universe, does not make someone "bad". All the mercs plus Pauling are shown killing people, and they're still understood to be "good" (the comic Mostly shows them killing robots, a common action media cop-out to avoid having your characters kill real people, but they do kill tfc team members, who are human, and also you're meant to understand that they were still mercs before the robots, regardless of how little logical sense that makes in a non-video game format).

Even among the mercs, Medic is considered particularly "evil", more violent, and more sadistic (even though I think they're all sadists, but you know). Medic is "evil", but yknow, in a fun way! He's off-putting but not morally reprehensible. This is Somewhat because of his team allegiance, he's someone who you want to have on your side, but even when he's briefly with the tfc team in the main comic he's never treated as an actual antagonist, someone to be defeated and overcome. That's just how he looks when he smiles! Smug and evil!

I'd put both Admin and Hale in this tier between Good Guy(tm) and Bad Guy(tm). Admin is described in multiple official capacities as "evil", she's clearly "villainous" in her design and diction, but she's not an antagonist in a storytelling sense. She's an evil boss of a mysterious company and she loves war, but the tf2 mercs Also all love war so it's not really that big a deal for them. Hale is also shown to be pretty shitty - he makes intentionally bad products that break, he makes the mercs pay for their own weapons even though he's employing them, he almost quite literally kicks puppies except replace "kicks" with "punches" and "puppies" with "panthers" - like I said, he's like a cross between a dumb jock and a money-grubbing capitalist. Neither of these characters are really antagonists that need to be defeated or overcome. They're shitty, they're evil, they get in the way, they're mean to Miss Pauling, they blew up a monkey and then sold commemorative plates about it, but I wouldn't consider either of them "the villains of the Team Fortress series" or anything like that. I would probably put Redmond and Blutarch in a tier slightly below this one, but I don't have much to say about them.

I'd consider the "villains" of the series to be Gray Mann, the tfc team in the comic, and Merasmus sometimes but this isn't about her. The tfc team are antagonists really only in that they get in the way of the protagonists. As established, being a mercenary and killing people does not make someone a "bad person" in the tf2 universe, so it can't be that they kill people, but that they kill the tf2 mercs specifically. I think this is a fine moral code for a comedy video game comic where a guy gives birth to a baboon to have. It doesn't hold up to a lot of scrutiny, but that's fine. Gray Mann is similarly an antagonist in that he disrupts the status quo and like. is a cool excuse to have there be robots because Valve wanted a non-pvp mode for tf2. Again, although this kind of morality doesn't hold a lot of water in an even remotely serious context (is wanting eternal life good or bad? Is only Admin allowed to have and/or want it? Why?), I think it's fine for the funny hat game

All this villain talk does of course bring up the question of the hour, which is "isn't Admin the main antagonist of tf2?" and it's like... well, is she? I think Admin is definitely considered "evil" by the text, probably even moreso than a character like Medic who is also treated as "evil" by the text in a way that the other mercs are not, but whether or not she's actively an "antagonist" or a "villain" is debatable. We really don't see enough of her to be able to make any claims like that, but from what we do see in the mainline comic I think she's in a sort of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" role, much like Hale (who in previous update comics and even installations of the main comic is not characterized as a hero but as a combination of a big dumb jock and a profit-driven businessman who sells bad products on purpose because he wants money), rather than a straight "villain" role. Pauling's continued allegiance to Admin is not villified in the same way Medic's temporary allegiance to the tfc team and ostensibly Gray Mann is, because Admin is not a villain in the same way that the tfc team and ostensibly Gray and the robots are. There are other storylines where Admin is decidedly the antagonist, of course, most notably the WAR! update and that comic, where she deliberately drove that wedge between Demo and Soldier, but the mainline comic doesn't treat her as an antagonist, because she doesn't get in the way of anyone's goals, because most of the tf2 characters as presented in the comics do not have large-scale goals besides "fight robot"

I think an important caveat to add in this kind of lore analysis is that the tf2 comic is supplemental bonus material for tf2 the video game, which is reliant on these characters continuously shooting each other in a gravel pit for the rest of time. It's tf2's status as a video game that makes "Admin being in charge and the human mercs being used to fight the gravel war forever" the desired outcome of the tf2 comic. This isn't to say that this kind of analysis is useless, I think it's a lot of fun actually, but I do think this is an important footnote to add before anyone gets too tangled up trying to think out the logistics here

[morporkian-cryptid]

Lupin III Childhood AU part 4:

1) The shadowy figure enters into the light with aimed gun, huddled in a trench coat and a fedora. Jigen once again fires it but this guy straight up lunges at three teenagers, who are too shocked to react and Jigen gets taken down.

2) Sansei responds by yelling and lunging himself at the Jigen/shadow trenchcoated pile and fighting tooth and fist in dust bunny cloud. Fujiko retrieves her gun and yells at them to stop or she shoots regardless whom she hits (she is joking... I swear...).

3) They separate, but Jigen and Sansei's brawling makes the figure's hat fall off, revealing a man in his late 20s. He introduces himself as Zenigata Koichi, an intern for the ICPO and currently interning for the Crimes Against Children Department. His mentor and him have been investigating the man whose organization ''housed and provided for'' over 200 minors, among whom was Fujiko, which actually served as a crime organization, partnered up with Lupin II Syndicate.

4) Zenigata followed Fujiko for months, trying to get her as a witness and help her, but on the way got thwarted by a little hooligan Sansei (who wrongly concluded Zenigata was her old caretaker). He's been looking for him for months for that. But now that he found them, he could get them all to safety of law under child protection services of ICPO, where they could serve as witnesses on all crimes of their guardians/father. Zenigata finishes this monologue with stars in his eyes, positively glowing.

5) The trio merely exchange a Look(TM) and laugh, tension finally leaving them and folding over their stomachs and knees. Zenigata is confused but takes this as a sign of teens' relief, and decides to join in. Sansei opens his arms, inviting everyone into a group hug, which young police intern accepts very enthusiastically, but the minute Sansei and Jigen's hands wrap around him, Zenigata notices too late the sudden disappearance of his coat belt, gun, keys to the handcuffs and his wallet. Handcuffs were now wrapped around his wrists and arms, a tape pulled over his mouth and belt tied him to the pillar.

6) Ignoring his muffled protests and curses, Fujiko parted from the boys on a mini hydroplane that Sansei prepped for her, leaving for the location of Sansei's secret contact. While watching her leave, Jigen asks, once again, why wasn't he included in this. "I was protecting you! Because dad can't kill me, but... He made me know the same doesn't apply to you. I love y... risking it! But your life is not a gamble. Not for me, not ever.", Sansei earnestly says, and Jigen doesn't miss that little slip. He saves it for later as a topic of discussion which, after all those close calls that night, will happen, because YOLO.

7) "Don't we have a boat to blow up?", he reminds Sansei. "You mean, you won't tell my dad?! You?", Sansei asks surprised. Jigen turns away and pulls his hat down over his face. This will be the first time he disobeyed Nisei and planned to keep a secret of this caliber form his boss, and will eat him form the inside but... "If you're the one protecting me, who's the one protecting you?", Jigen simply replies. This DOES earn him a sincere hug and he actually returns it. They stay like that for a while (minus the struggling Zeni in the corner).

8) "Btw, where did you send Fujiko?", Jigen asks, on their way back. " Remember that place in Japan dad loves to send me over the summer for training?". "That samurai temple? Doesn't that guy hate you and your dad?". "Oh yeah, he does. BUT, his son owes me big time. He waits for her as we speak."

"Come to think of it... June's just around the corner, and we might just all be reunited sooner then you'd hope. Ohhh I'm telling you, Jigen, this is the beginning of something big."

Thank you for your attention, please feel free to add more of your own HCs for this AU!

Ooooh my GOOOOOOOODS

Sadly I am stuck in a packed train right now and I can't stim, which is unfortunate because this is giving me all kinds of emotions.

DID LUPIN ALMOST SAY I LOVE YOU????

DID HE FUCKIN SAY HE HAD TO PROTECT JIGEN? THAT HE CAN'T GAMBLE WITH HIS LIFE??? Oh Lord I love them SO MUCH

"If you're protecting me, then who's protecting you?"

"Your life is not a gamble. Not for me, not ever."

"You mean, you won't tell my dad??"

(Did he say Nisei would kill Jigen if he ever disobeyed??? I will fucking throttle that man)

Also I almost yelled when you said "trenchcoat and fedora" (unfortunately I can't just yell TOTTSAAAAN in the middle of a metro wagon). Poor Zeni genuinely thought he could help them and everything would be solved. I hope the Gang at least help him get Nisei under locks. Additionally to being a shit boss and a shit dad (no one threatens Daisuke Jigen, NO ONE), if he's even partly responsible for what happened to Fujiko, I'm gonna deck him. That asshole is supposed to be a thief, not... this, dammit.

(I keep forgetting they're all teenagers in this and it hurts even more)

Thank you for including Zeni and Goemon ! I'll try to come up with more headcanons, and type them up as soon as I get my hands on my laptop again.

And again. Thank you SO SO MUCH for taking the time to come up with this whole story, and sending it to me. You are absolutely amazing !!

[knifefather]

Congrats on 400 jasper here’s my match up for jojo (any part) :0 petra; she/her; aries sun, leo moon, picese rising; infj; bi maybe aro; tall, pear shape, 3a curly hair, and most notable bad rbf. My primary love languages are quality time and words of affirmation, my least are physical touch and gift-giving.

I’m v feast or famine, like either I’m totally into smth or I’m oblivious. I’m independent and i like having my autonomy. I like to be a menace- you let me into your life I will cause entertaining problems now and my little jester hat jingles while you curse me teehee tm.

It sounds dorky but I like a lot of stuff bc I love learning- thats my most favorite thing is to learn about stuff and experimenting and trying new things. I’m down to try anything at least once, i’ve had a ton of hobbies in the past (finishing smth is a different challenge)

I like illustrating and prop making and costuming. Murder mystery is my favorite genre. I’m a night owl so things at night are even more fun like 3 am baking or driving around at night and vibing. scrambling and swimming are my favorite sports. i have a boba tea and monster energy addiction and it is a personality trait now :/ I like puns and dad jokes!!

Hello Petra my love!!!! Thanks so much! Here is your matchup. :3

The Knife Father matches you with...

Pannacotta Fugo!

➼ Fugo doesn’t like very many people, but he is very taken with you! Your RBF matches his, and it makes him want to approach you and get to know you. He feels as if he could actually have an intelligent conversation with you, and he is definitely correct. He is impressed by some of the knowledge you’ve acquired and shares some information of his own. You both have very good conversations that sometimes last for hours and hours. He finds himself smiling more than he usually does when he talks to you.

➼ You and Fugo have very similar love languages! Fugo isn’t a big fan of being touched, and personally, gift-giving stresses him out. However, he does enjoy light forms of affection, like holding hands, on the regular. He is much more content with spending time with you doing something that you both enjoy and verbally telling you how he feels. It’s a challenge for him to do the latter, but he becomes more comfortable after time passes. He becomes very familiar with saying “I love you” and telling you how much you mean to him. 

➼ Your relationship with Fugo works so well because you both value your independence and don’t like to feel restrained. The two of you do your own thing and you respect the other for doing the same. It just makes the time that you guys spend together and the decisions you make about your relationship all the more meaningful!

➼ Fugo thinks that your hobbies are really interesting and will try to get you to stick with some of them. He does this by doing the hobby with you or encouraging you to continue. There is one time when you’re showing Fugo some of your favorite costumes and props that you’ve made, and you get the idea to do a fashion show of sorts. Fugo is a bit hesitant, but he sees the variety that you have and he’s a lot more open to it. You end up getting him to put on one of your wizard costumes (which he didn’t like). The medival costume you have him wear makes him look damn sexy, and also includes the sword and shield! Another one of his favorites was the doctor’s outfit you had. It made him look quite refined, and you couldn’t help but tug on his stethoscope and kiss him silly.

➼ Secretly thinks your puns and jokes are funny, but this information stays between you two. If Narancia finds out that Fugo likes wordplay then it’s all over for him LMAO. 

Want a matchup? Check out this post!

[aw-eather]

Heather Watches Stargate SG1: Upgrades

I have some rare time off and deicded I would like to spend it writing another post because its been a long time and I love this show and it’ll help me be less stressed about life and work!  We all love Upgrades so I thought this could be a fun one to do today! I also just love how much you guys enjoy these posts so thank you for being wonderful  As always, I’ll almost defienitly swear so consider yourself warned. 

Nice shot of the gate

SAM’S HAIR

SHE’S SO CUTE

Tok’ra are starting to annoy Jack and honestly same

“Don’t get me wrong Carter, your dads great, love him like a brother”

What about a father in law???

just a thought

Boys stop gagging over a pretty girl

Ew Daniel thats so gross

“Looks like trouble to me” ew

Sam’s fucking face

She’s so C U T E

Daniel stop flirting with every woman you meet

Anise annoys me tbh

Sorry not sorry

No shit Daniel

Jack is judging SO HARD

I’m actually a fan of the caterpillar on Teal’c’s face. 

I genuienly don’t hate it

Of course it doesn’t work on the Tok’ra. 

Why would anything 

Wow Anise you seem awfully suspicious with how desparate you are to get those bands on our space babies...

Sorry Sam is so beautiful 

like SO BEAUTIFUL

CREDITS

They’re so boring this season no offence 

END CREDITS

JANET

she looks so fucking good omg 

her HAIR

Anise go HOME you’re so ANNOYING 

Jack’s neck I-

Jack and Teal’c fighting is cute

I love their friendship

aw poor Teal’c

he’s out cold 

Jacks hair is messy and cute

Janet is not impressed at all

“I’m sorry”

“no you are not”

“You’re right about that!

fucking Jack making a comment about his strength and Janet’s face I love them

Jack reading super fast and Daniel not being able too is hilarioius to me

Mostly because I dislike Daniel

Lol “want me to read it to you?”

Sam sitting in the dark

Janet visiting her with her messy hair and looking so cute and wonderful

I love her

lemme protect her

she’ll need it

Sam, I don’t trust Anise

Jack chil you’re gonna break the machine 

that fucking beanie

i hate it

Jack broke the ball

I’m quiet during this scene because I Do Not Care TM about Daniel and Anise

Janet looks so annoyed 

and I don’t blame her

I agree with Janet

take them off

ah but they can’t 

janet and hammond are ready to slap anise and I’m HERE FOR IT

Jack might not be concerned Teal’c, but I am

jack what did that punching bag ever do to you, you dork

SAm is WRITING  a BOOK with her new found power I hate her

Sam and Janet are beautiful 

and their friendship could have been beautiful

if TPTB knew how to write decent women

“its just so damn exciting sir” I love him

poor Siler omg

why is it always him

can’t he catch a break

aw they’re all locked up

Steak. 

THEY’RE BREAKING OUT

FUCK SHE LOOKS GOOD

LIKE SO GOOD

AND THEY’RE BOTH WEARING LEATHER JACKETS 

THEY LOOK SO GOOOD

FRENCH FRIES INSTEAD OF POTATOES 

I LIKE THE TASTE BETTER 

SAM STOP 

YOU’RE TOO MUCH

MY TINY COLD HEART CANNOT TAKE IT 

defying a direct order but who cares

Jack there is a large, huge MASSIVE difference between steak and earth

the story about that shot with the pool is always funny to me 

JACK LOOKS GOOD

SO GOOD 

WITH HIS HANDS IN HIS POCKETS AND THE LEATHER AND THE GREY AND I-

he is a geek

Daniel don’t do it

oh he did it

Sam’s even telling him not to do it

bloody hell 

can we have a chat about how hot Jack and Sam are? 

Not make them stupid lol 

they were already stupid, Hammond 

they’re space babies

they’re looking so sory for themselves 

no you can’t Daniel

VERY HUNGRY SIR

more of a scuffle sir

ACTUALLY IT WAS YOUR IDEA... SIR

the fucking sass

the FUCKING S A S S 

ugh

UGH 

I AM SO SICK OF ANISE 

bitch  you brought those arm bands there so they could do stuff for you

the Tok’ra are always out for themselves and no one else

they barely do anything to help the taur’i and it pisses me off

Sam looks so cute

Hammond, every mission is a suicide mission 

sam is SO CUTE

HER HAND-

SORRY 

SHE’S REALLY HOT 

AND ADORABLE

I WANNA PROTECT HER

Thta was a lot of science talk 

aww the little hat 

so CUTE

look at em go

kicking jaffa butt

speeding around the place

HER HAIR 

I CANNOT STAND HER

SHE’S SO CUTE

wow thats a big ship

arm band is no longer working 

surprise surprise it happens in the middle of an important mission 

oh Hammond is MAD MAD 

Anise and you can bugger off

Janet’s face is like “did this bitch really just say what I think she just said”

NO SAM

JACK NO

OH BOY 

OOOOOOHHHH BOOOOOYYYYY

FAM I HATE THEM AND I LOVE THEM

THIS IS HONESTLY HEART BREAKING 

BECAUSE THEY OLY NOW REALISE HOW IN LOVE THEY ARE 

FUCK OFF

I LOVE THEM AND I HATE THEM 

BUT I LOVE THEM MORE 

i got a new computer today and the SOUND QUALITY IS SO MUCH BETTER

Aw Sam woke up first 

lol he wakes up funny 

he’s gonna do anything he can to help her

“you gotta get out of here sir”

“so do you” 

STOP IT YOU LOVE STRUCK NERDS

RUN BABIES RUN 

GET YO ASES OUT OF THERE

Look at that little jump over the rock

they’re in soooo much trouble

the fact these space babies didn’t get court marshalled a mllion times still shocks me 

ouch

that had to hurt

nice camera work

I AM VERY WELL GENERAL HAMMOND

lol 

i fuking love Teal’c 

what a sweetheart

i love him

could be a little less sarcastic to the Tok’ra Jack

I hate them as much as you do but no need to make things worse for yoruself 

this is why they never help you 

cause you are sassy to them

Final Thoughts: 

I love this episode

I love the silly space babies

I love Sam and Jack’s outfits when they go for steak

I love Sam’s hair

A lot

I love Sam in red

its a good colour for her

I genuienly hate the Tok’ra 

they’re useless

Jacob is ok

Martouf is mostly ok

the rest kinda suck tbh

Janet Deserved Better

all in all its a fun episode and I love it and it gives me the giggles which is what we all need right now

So tell me, beautiful people, what is our favourite moment from Upgrades? Lemme know and thanks for reading!