#straight up one of my fave panels

[everypanelofkatsuki]

Chapter 360 - Despite It All…

[palenutbasement]

(all scenes are depicted as platonic)

So every Inktober I try to do something more challenging, and this year I thought I would make a short comic/fanfic. I think I got the idea for this one a year ago but I was already wrapped up with another Inktober. Eventually I solidified the idea by making my own prompt list some time ago.

This comic is split into three parts with 10 days focusing on each of them, 30 in total, everything is compiled here. I wanted to post them after October in case I wanted to change anything.

This first part takes place in the summit.

The comic is basically all improvised, that means no planning for the composition, plot, or sketching any drawings. The most planning I did was write a few scripts ahead of time within the month to save me some time but most of them would be changed last minute anyways.

As for the plot, I won't go too deep into it because I don't want to talk too much, so you'll just find commentary on the making of the comic and stuff.

This first part is a little gimmick-y compared to the next two, with new elements appearing almost every day. It’s because I relied a lot on the prompts (dog, milk, etc.) to keep things happening, eventually I move further away from them.

What is surprising to me is how much the art changes as the days go by especially within the span of one month. I did refine a few things to keep it more consistent but this is nearly indistinguishable from the original drawings.

I should also mention that my favourite aspect of this project was adding references to the game and subtle details (if you can find it all, awesome!!) This may have been done quickly but I like to have those things and put at least a bit of effort into the dialogue.

Part 2

Eventually I figured that drawing the same setting for 30 days straight would drive me insane, hence why this comic is split like it is. I’m glad I did because it makes the story a little more interesting, seeing the characters have different attitudes in different places and whatnot.

This one takes place in the cave directly after pt 1. Admittedly I do better drawing outdoor settings, it's what I'm used to, but the cave wasn't so bad to figure out.

I remember these two days I was streaming drawing the comic to my friends, so I kinda zoned out while we were talking lol

One of the prompts was about napping, so I made Dwarf sleep. I believe I was tired that day too and it was therapeutic to draw and include that. Also they look cute, I think.

18 & 19 have some of my favourite drawings in the comic. The campfire lighting is what we'd get if I had a bit more energy each day, and I like the perspective in the first panel of 19.

I find this last section interesting, because of all the 30 days, it’s the only one in Dwarf’s POV. I felt like it was fitting to do something like that at the time.

Part 3

Since we were approaching Halloween, I wanted to have a special part for it. It’s related to the other two parts but it takes place some time after. I’m really sorry it’s out of season, if it were up to me I would have had this post out earlier (thank my midterms for the delay)

Out of all the other parts this one is my favourite. Maybe because it’s more recent I’m inclined to think that way but it has some of my fave moments that I've written here.

Other than that I don't have much commentary for this part. More thoughts at the end!

I was caught up everyday atp, but I didn’t have much spare time to prepare for the ending (I wrote it the morning of that day). I think this is a decent conclusion though.

I intend on coming back to this story, maybe next year to make a continuation but we'll see what happens. There are definitely things that I want to come back to someday.

Thank you for making it this far btw. It's been an eventful month for me beyond this (Untitled) comic, but there wasn't a single aspect of this that I didn't enjoy doing. It's a silly project and I care about it.

Also, I'm not going to neglect the 31st of October! That day will get an illustration, where I will pick my favourite panel and redraw it. I want to take my time with this one so it's not out yet, but hopefully I can finish by Christmas.

[therealslimshakespeare]

WIP teaser

I got myself a lovely little request over a week ago for a Nurse!xBuck fic. Well, hi, it’s me, can’t not take that and run with it straight off the edge of the known world. I don’t even have a fixed name for it yet but I’ve been enjoying AU-ing our familiar faves to death with it

MOTA Pacific Theatre AU: yeah, you heard that right. Maybe it’s the anniversary of Iwo Jima currently happening or maybe it’s my ongoing crush on Ensign Jane Kendeigh, or -more likely- my subconscious awareness that nurse OC’s are a pretty favorited bunch for fandom writers, so I’ve found myself mixing it up entirely.

We’ve got Navy Flight Nurses and we’ve got Lt. Commander Doc Egan and co-pilots Cleven and Demarco who aren’t too fond of having to fly cargo planes full of wounded out of war zones all due to flight surgeon John Egan’s special request to have Cleven chauffeur him around. Oh yeah, and somehere in here there’s a developing thing between Cleven x oc Nurse!Ensign Maureen Kendeigh

TW: blood? Use of the word “Jap”

…

��You got it, commander.”

More than a little sure her mission was more provoking than necessary, Maureen still obeyed and followed Brady up the length of the plane and towards his station, then past it to poke her head between the pilots’ seats.

“Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise, getting car sick, kiddo?” Demarco joked, “Hey, I get it, I’d find it hell back there with no windows to look out.”

“Those mortars obligingly made a few.” Maureen joked back.

“Anybody hurt?” Cleven asked, and to her surprise, he turned from his panel to look at her with unmasked concern.

A joke was ready made there about everyone quite literally being shot to hell but she sensed he’d not appreciate it and following some uninterpreted impulse of desiring his good opinion, she hardly wished to repay his earnestness with flippancy. “Only one.”

“How bad?”

“He looked -dead.” Maureen admitted, she hadn’t gotten a good look at the man moving past him but she’d seen Egan’s treatment of the body and it wasn’t promising.

Cleven’s jaw worked overtime at the news and something snapped in his mouth, followed by a soft curse from lips too full and soft to always be so stern. Maureen thought he may have broken a tooth with all that tension but he spit out two halves of a bloodied toothpick instead. It fell to his pant leg.

“Major Cleven, sir, you’re bleeding.” It had drawn Maureen’s attention to his wet lap.

“That’s what I said.” Demarco agreed.

“It’s somebody else’s.” Cleven shook his head.

“You know if you pass out on me-“ Demarco warned, completely ignoring Cleven’s denial.

“-that’s why we’ve got co-pilots.” Cleven finished for him with a maddening smirk that made Benny Demarco throw his hands up.

“Can you check him?” he asked, “I mean -you are a nurse!”

“What? Hell no!” Major Cleven spooked for the first time all day at the suggestion, glancing quickly from his reddened trousers, behind him to Maureen Kendeigh, and back again. “I’m fine.” he declared in a firm tone that dettered her almost as much as the challenge of getting over the instruments and a steering column to pull down his pants and look. “Ensign Kendeigh, was there a purpose to your visit?” He redirected, resolutely ignoring Demarco’s unabated concerns.

“Yes sir,” she replied, meekly as she could, “Doc Egan asked me to remind you that you’re not flying a bomber. To mind the oxygen, sir. And that it’s cold.”

Cleven let out a mirthless little laugh. “We’re full of holes Ensign, of course it’s cold.”

“I know sir.”

“Yeah, ‘course you know,” his eyes lightened for a moment and Maureen almost deluded herself he was being chummy when he murmured next, “you’re smart like that. Tell the Lieutenant Commander I’ll keep her nice and low, so low the Jap navy gunners can blow the floor out without a sweat.”

“Thank you, Major.” Maureen chirped, pleased to have been trusted with a bit of morbid humor -it was the truest test of being taken seriously a woman could hope for in the service.

“Thank you, Ensign.” And with that she was dismissed.

[prismartist]

til the end.

quick simple comic of some of my fave nosy neighbor moments from session one. i love them so much already, hopefully they thrive together ^^ despite their history...

[ID: a simplistic eight-page comic doodle of bigB and pearl from limited life SMP. it is uncolored save for blocks of grey and white for the characters. bigB's bubbles are colored in light blue while pearl's are light yellow.

1: a mostly-blank page save for a small panel near the bottom, showing pearl and bigB standing next to each other, facing away from the viewer. pearl says, "cleo's currently working with scar and bubbles. unless they, i dunno, split."

2: two flashbacks are shown, one of bigB regretfully and distressedly attacking cleo, and one of pearl and cleo grinning with malice at each other. in the present, pearl says with a wistful smile, "but uh... she's okay." bigB looks at her with a smile.

3: pearl walks up to a tree and puts a hand on it as bigB asks her, "are we the only solo ones?" pearl scours the surroundings, saying, "i think so at the moment, yes. as far as i know, anyway." she looks back at bigB and grins. "yeah." bigB has a look of realization and the start of a smile, glowing.

4: they look straight at each other as bigB says, "pearl, i think this is the moment." there are closeups of their eyes, which are colored in. bigB smiles as pearl tilts her head and says, "is this- are we a family?" "family" is bolded.

5: bigB says "this could... oh my goodness, i'm so excited". it cuts to pearl leaning out of a lone doorway leading to the edge of a cliff. she looks down it and says, "is this a door to our death?" she looks back at bigB with a smirk as he shrugs and says bashfully, "i don't know what i was aiming for." "know" is bolded.

6: bigB looks to the side and puts a hand behind his neck shyly. "i was looking to start." "start" is bolded. pearl looks back at him. she closes her eyes, smiles, and nods, saying, "okay, i like the idea of that."

7: she continues, "let's start." they clasp hands in solidarity and press their foreheads together, grinning at each other. pearl says, "nosy neighbors."

8: the page is colored in blues and purples. the sky is dark as pearl and bigB stand next to each other, facing away from the viewer and looking up at a floating crafting table and obsidian block stacked on top of each other. white text above reads, "here we are."

End ID.]

[spicy-apple-pie]

Dick Grayson? Maybe Cass as well

Ooh, double whammy

Dick Grayson

Sexuality Headcanon- Bi and cis.

OTP- BirdFlash or DickKori, I can't decide.

BROTP- him and his Uncle Clark. Co-Founders of the Bruce Wayne Support Group.

NOTP- DickBabs, I like them better as friends

first headcanon that pops into my head- He quits the police force and becomes a gymnastics teacher full time. He's great at it and will show off old tapings of the Flying Graysons to his students. Until they start asking if he's 70 because of how old the tapes look and they have no concept of time yet.

favourite line from this character- I think this works best as just the picture of the panel

7. One way in which I relate to this character- we're both eldest children.

8. thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character- how much he's sexualized. I like it when he knows he's got some junk in the trunk and can work it, but lets not reduce him down to his ass please.

9. cinnamon roll or problematic fave?- cinnamon roll.

Cassandra Cain

Sexuality Headcanon- Cis Lesbian

OTP- Stephcass. I would be lying if I said it wasn't just a little bit because I think it would be funny for Steph to hold it against Bruce that she's dated both his son and daughter.

BROTP- I feel like her and Duke need more time together. I think they would take absolutely nothing seriously. They would wordless come up with a bit and commit to it with straight faces.

NOTP- Idk, her x batfam because it's an easy out lol

First Headcanon that pops into my head- Cass craves so much physical contact, but she has to initiate it. If you startle her with a touch (very hard to do, but it has happened) she'll be a little shaken.

favourite line from this character- she doesn't talk much, but this is her most iconic panel ever

7. One way in which I relate to this character- I relate that sometimes she doesn't want to talk or be apart of the conversation, just wants to observe sometimes. It takes a fair amount of mental energy to have a conversation with someone.

8. thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character- when she speaks in broken english like a baby. Or really ackward one word sentences. Like if someone asks if she's okay after a bomb or something and she responds with "Alright." instead of "I'm alright".

9. cinnamon roll or problematic fave- cinnamon roll, but I want her to have more mistakes and stop being so perfect yk?

[13eyond13]

23 + 25 for GriffGuts!

Omg thank you @ofdemonsandangels !! I'm v excited to get Berserk asks ♥︎

I'm not sure if the request is for the individual characters or just the ship or both, so I'm going to cover all my bases and answer for ALL THREE.

GUTS + favourite picture of them:

First thing that came to mind was his sword + moon pose! I just feel v fond of and oddly protective of and affectionate of him when I look at it. I just love when he's being all pensieve and secretly sentimental about stuff by himself...

GRIFFITH + favourite picture of them:

Hmmm. There's just something about the way Griffith's drawn in the later part of the Golden Age that I like the most. Def the biggest fan of his design when he looks like this:

His scary blazing eyes during the second swordfight in the snow really stuck in my head, and are some of the first panels I picture whenever I'm picturing Griffy!

GRIFFGUTS + favourite picture of them:

This fanart is pretty fantastic... if I didn't already know the pairing and saw it I'd probably be like damn, this looks compelling, who is that? 👀

https://www.tumblr.com/13eyond13/742518174586748928?source=share

BUT also so is this fanart (got those scary blazing Griffith eyes down perfect, and also ahhh the wings and the scratches on Guts' back!!)

--

GUTS + what was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I first started reading Berserk at the end of 2023 without knowing much of anything about it other than it had a character named Guts with a huge sword, that some fans shipped him with a character named Griffith, and I had heard that the art style was apparently pretty amazing and crazy as well. I fully did not expect to like Guts that much or relate to him that much going into things, and assumed he'd be a super boring edgy hyper-violent macho 80s meathead muscleman without much personality. And upon reading the first few chapters I certainly wasn't feeling extremely fond of him yet (especially during stuff like the very opening scene where he's banging some demon lady and then killing her, which once you actually get to know him is like one of the most odd and out-of-character things for him to do, and I think shows Miura hadn't really figured Guts as a character out totally yet). It actually didn't take THAT long for me to realize that there was more to him than that and to warm up to him a lot, though. Even partway through the Black Swordsman Arc I feel he started intriguing me with some of the more unexpected stuff he was doing and the mysterious hints about whatever had taken place in his past that was currently haunting him so much. And certainly by the time you start seeing his childhood memories and the Golden Age and getting to know why he is the way he is I was feeling very attached to him and invested in him emotionally! He's by far my fave of the bunch, and he just feels very much like a living breathing being to me in canon much of the time. One of my all-time fave characters now.

GRIFFITH + what was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I knew basically nothing about Griffith going into things initially. He came off pretty goofy as Femto to me initially, so at the start of the Golden Age I remember just being like, omg so how does this pretty femboy guy become that weird bitchy Batman in the labyrinth that Guts ends up hating so much? 😅 I also did not expect him to be so outright gay for Guts as he is in the manga, and had previously assumed the fandom's shipping of these two was probably based mostly on your typical barely there homoerotic subtext or whatever. Very surprised to find there was just so much blatantly going on there in the text and that it was basically directly discussed by the characters and almost written like a straight-up romance, and all of this stuff seemed very intentional and deliberate on Miura's part to me too. I remember especially being impressed by how bold Griffith was about just straight-up announcing his interest in/attraction to Guts to his face (and how much Guts actually seemed to be into him back too, even if he's a bit slower and more shy and furtive about it – which to me is much more unusual than having a queer-coded villain guy expressing obsessive interest in the male protagonist – he usually isn't also equally interested back like that!). I think Griffith is at his most interesting to me during those early parts when he's being very upfront about his emotions with other characters and a bit vulnerable like that, especially because we spend so much of the rest of the story only ever seeing him from a very guarded and emotionally closed-off dead-inside sort of distance as a character. He maybe isn't my favourite because I don't relate to his personality that much, and sometimes his ethereal otherworldliness and mysteriousness made it harder for him to feel as real to me as the others do – Guts and Casca often felt a bit more human and down-to-earth and easier to emotionally attach myself to and to know things about for sure, so I found myself caring about those two the most whenever I was reading it. And then of course there was a long stretch of the story there where Griffith genuinely shocked and appalled me with what he did to everyone (I had zero spoilers for what was actually going to happen during the Eclipse and did not expect it to be anything nearly as bad as what happened lol). At times I really loathed him and got super angry at him as a character, but I also appreciated that he drew such strong emotional reactions from me and was always making the most interesting things in the plot that I actually care about happen, too. Whenever I was super mad at him I would be furious every time he showed up and did literally anything onscreen, yet also would get so frustrated and bored and antsy whenever he would disappear for hundreds of chapters at a time, too 😅 I feel like that made it much easier to understand why he drove Guts so crazy, because I was being driven a bit crazy by him too... Can't live with him and can't live without him! I remember finding Guts the most interesting character in canon when I was actually reading the story, but I find that Griffith is the most fun one to think and talk and speculate about with the other people in the fandom after the fact. I appreciate him a lot now as an interesting character and an antagonist, but he isn't exactly a beloved blorbo to me the way Guts is so much as he is the guy I like to rotate on a spit in my mind and listen to other fans talk about and to contemplate the most, maybe?

GRIFFGUTS + what was your first impression of this ship? How about now?

All I knew is that a few of my DN mutuals who I think have good taste liked the ship, which made me mildly interested to see what I thought about it myself going in, though I didn't really expect to be that into it myself. Then I was taken aback by how strongly the story seemed to be actually based around the relationship between these two and how actually gay it was between them both, haha. I was conflicted a bit about it and whether or not I actually cared to ship it as I was reading it, particularly because of the grosser stuff that Griffith does during the Eclipse really putting me off him for a good chunk of time. But I think after I finished the manga and sat chewing on it a bit longer I kept wondering how the story might have changed if those two had been able to communicate a little better with each other and make some different choices and have some important realizations pre-Eclipse. It's one of my absolute fave tropes as well, the codependent besties that maybe actually both secretly have feelings for each other that then turn into enemies, when you can also see that maybe they probably actually could've easily turned into lovers instead. And I just feel like at the end of the day even though it's clearly never going to be a happily ever after or whatever at this point that I think they both still kinda love each other too, whether or not they admit it or whether anybody approves lol. It's one of those ships that to me is just like, why do I ship them? IDK bro, because they ship themselves... ask THEM why they're still into each other even now and even despite everything... I feel like I'm just simply sitting here listening to what they're saying and picking up what they're putting down lol

[character ask meme]

[argumentl]

14th/15th December - Dir en grey at Namba Hatch report (mainly Kaoru angle) 

I'm sure most of the content is similar for the rest of the tour too, but I only attended Osaka, so this is how it was... 

I had regular standing tickets, but for day 1 my number was not too bad, and I had a good spot on the shimote side (of course). The show started on both nights with a big opaque screen hanging down from the ceiling, covering the stage. Projected onto the screen began some footage. 'The Book of Phalaris' opens and reveals inside many demonic religious scenes × evil brazen bull images. The band appear behind the screen and start playing Otogi while the footage continues. I more-or-less lost concentration on the footage at this point, as I was more interested in what was happening behind the screen! 

About half way through the song, spot lights were shone from behind the members, projecting their silhouettes very large onto to screen. This was actually one of my fave moments on both nights....the giant silhouette of Kaoru playing his guitar with swagger...gosh, it was just too cool! 

As for Kaoru, on day 1 he was wearing his white shirt with billowing sleeves, with his black waistcoat, and on day 2 he was wearing his black dress. The silhouette of both just looked unbelievably cool! 

The screen dropped as Otogi finished, and the show continued as normal after that, but later on the spotlights were used from behind again, this time revealing the silhouette of Kaoru's arms through his loose sleeves while he was playing his guitar....Aghh! 

Kaoru did a lot of standing up on the truss at the front of the stage on day 1, lots of pointing, staring down the audience (during the Inward Scream part in particular, Kaoru was stood up front burning holes through the crowd with his eyes!) 

He was really into the music as usual, I especially remember him looking super energetic during Rinkaku. Of course, all his guitar solos were emotional for me...Different Sense, omg! 

As well as the usual pick and towel throwing, Kaoru also threw pineapple candy into the audience at the end of day 1! I was really close to catching a pick and a candy this time, but not close enough! 

I was so exhausted after this live, I think I overdid it. 

Day 2 began the same as day 1 with Otogi, but Kaoru had on his black dress, buttoned up to the top. A few songs in, however, he undid the top few buttons about a third of the way down, oh lord! 

The crowd seemed a lot more energetic in general on day 2, but as I personally had gone all out on day 1, I was feeling the pain slightly. My ticket was also a lot higher, so I took a much more chilled approach. I still had a great view from the back surprisingy, so it was still wonderful. 

At one point, I think during the encore (?), liveclose ups of the members were shown on the back screen panel, with Kaoru roaring into the camera showing us straight into his mouth up close! 

For the encore, Kaoru changed into a black shirt with his waistcoat...and then for the double encore(!!) he was wearing the limited tshirt with all the zombified members (a rare winter glimps of his arm tattoos too!) 

After the first encore, the members left the stage, and it all went dark as the trailer for the Spring tour started to play on the panel screen. I love the excitement of the audience in times like this. Cheers and gasps rose as each date flashed on screen. 

The audience still wanted more though, and started chanting for an encore again. After a few mins the band came back on, this time with the venue fully lit, and played Increase Blue as one extra song. Kyo was obviously already in his go-home clothes (a really baggy, pink jacket, pants, hat set), and Toshiya had a great time stripping again to throw his shirt (which i think actually hit the ceiling, or at least the ceiling fixtures). 

It was here that Kaoru pretented to hit Shinya over the head slapstick style a few times as he left the stage...poor Shinya!

Apologies for not going into greater detail, especially about the other members! But its safe to say, they were all wonderful...and I can't wait for the Jan tour!

[amaltheas-garden]

What costumes did you like in s2? I thought only Rhaenyra’s really improved. Alicent was already very slay. Helaena got more dresses which is nice. The “dragon twins” are meh, like they’re recycling Dany’s outfits. I’m still side eyeing them for giving the male characters late outfits

Oh boy this is gonna be a long one...

First off my fave costumes this season were Alicent's embroidered thistle dress, Helaena's funeral dress, and Rhaenyra's gold dragon shoulders!!! Each one was embroidered by the iconic Michelle Carragher, who did most of the embroidery on GoT as well. Highly recommend checking out her instagram (as well as Claire Kitchener and Rie Winham) for up close shots of the embroidery. The show truly does not do their work justice!

Rhaenyra definitely improved the most this season, her s1 dresses were truly awful. They either looked frumpy, too basic, or just didn't fit right (the only exceptions being her off shoulder black and red dress, and final coronation dress... everything else was so blah). Alicent... I have mixed feelings on. She definitely looked more fashionable than Rhaenyra, but a lot of the dresses felt too modern or just had some weird details thrown on (the metallic side panels on her dinner dress come to mind). There was also very little continuity between outfits (ex: they styled Alicent's green robe-dress combo with the slit sleeves after young Rhaenyra's red and gold dress even though it takes place a good decade or so later and that silhouette should have seemed out of fashion by then). I also hated most of the fabric choices.

S2 succeeds because they established a clear-cut silhouette to model all the gowns off of, which makes it feel way more cohesive. There are three types of sleeves, all fitted to the elbow, then either flair out in a wide cuff, are cut as a circle, or open and fall straight down (+ some are just a regular long sleeve with a pointed cuff).

And there are two necklines: the round green/Andal cut, and the pointed black/Targaryen cut. The Targs also wear a kimono inspired wrap style compared to the more European medieval inspired Westerosi style. We see the dragon keepers wear it, suggesting it's from old Valyria, and Mysaria adopts it to signal her switch in loyalties to Rhaenyra. Cosplayers have nicknamed the pointed shoulders the "Targaryen dart". Helaena's dresses are interesting since they exist between the two styles, alluding to her status as a Targaryen while being on the green side/connecting her to Alicent. Rhaena also favors a more "Andal" silhouette to signify her as the black sheep of the family.

The dragon twins were kinda disappointing this season, and I understand the complaint about being too Dany inspired. Most of Baela's riding outfits were good, but the asymmetrical red cape-silver chain combo was a bit too on the nose. I loved Rhaena's travel coat, I just wish her dresses had more sparkle. They were too plain for a Targ princess imo.

The worst offender by far in terms of Dany copying was Rhaenyra's Harrenhal look. They weren't even trying to hide it.

Unfortunately, the male characters were still very basic 😔. For the record, I think the only men who come close to looking like wealthy aristocrats are Viserys I and Otto. Corlys is supposed to be the richest man alive, but dresses in such drab styles. No drama, no embellishment, muted colors :(((. Daemon gets a pass since he's just hanging out at Harrenhall and doesn't have to look like a proper King Consort. Aegon's outfits are more obviously embellished than Daemon's, but for the KING I still don't think it's enough. I hate that Aemond's looks are so basic; Ewan Mitchell's aura, eyepatch, and fabulous hair are doing all the heavy lifting. Would it kill them to do something non-leather?? Most of the male background characters looked better than the mains lol. I get that they want to reserve the pointed shoulders for the blacks, but Aegon's outfits still need something to add that grandiosity. I did loveeee Oscar Tully's fishscale armor probably the best men's look for the season. Jace also looked fine but that's more to do with his hair upgrade.

The layers, length, and extended shoulders give Vis a much more regal and imposing look, and I wish Aegon had gotten something similar. Most of my issues with him and Aemond could be solved by just making the costumes longer and adding some structure to the top portion of the silhouette.

This but make it floor length or add a cape or some pointy shoulders.

So close to perfection but the top needed that structure so the cape wouldn't be saggy and could actually give the ✨drama✨ it needed. Idc that Aegon isn't that into being king, he's still THE Alicent Hightower's son and would def be dressed to impress.

Loved this Daemon look. Lots of detail and the shoulders really do add so much 🤌

Only good Aemond look. He still should have had a non-dragon rider regal Prince look (WITHOUT LEATHER!!!).

OMG I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT GWAYNE!!!!!!

Hands DOWN thee best dressed!!!! Beautiful, majestic, i luv him so much 💚💚💚

I've run out of space for pictures so I'll just say the s2 costumes feel like they were designed with much more care in how they connect to each other while feeling like they belong in the setting. Everything looks way more cohesive on top of me just preferring the new designs.

[ravenkinnie]

Do you have any thoughts on good/bad/worthwhile Cassandra Cain storylines? Her introduction/origin years ago was uhh not good (i.e., mega-racist even by Batbook standards), but I figure a bazillion lesbians can't be wholly wrong (except about TSwift and maybe The L Word).

here is the thing, if you wanna read about a character of color in comics you gotta accept it will be a little to very racist. I'm pretty sure being racist is just a requirement to be a comics writer, like they make you take a racial bias test and only hire people with highest scores. and hilariously I can't guess which introduction you mean because I realise that her og-og origin also falls under some racist stereotypes but new52 was just a full on massacre jsnsjsj

I need to caveat that the storylines in her solo will have art so racist it will make your eyes water sometimes, that's why it's so hard ro recommend it sjsjsjks but I genuinely think the first few arcs from it are great, even though it's funny as fuck that they realised cass not speaking at all was either a lil racist or not very good for carrying a solo and they magicked her the ability to speak but it DID lead to the shiva arc and that was fucking crazy amd i haven't seen a batfam mf go this hard since then. on the flipside some of the later arcs and the annuals are.... oh girl. apart from racism even, they are just choppy and messy and nothing was ever gonna go anywhere because dc hated my girl and wanted her gone so she's not allowed to have any meaningful storylines connected to batfam or yk. anything really

and its only worse from here, like the whole evil cass arc after that leading to batgirl redemption is straight up infamous because of how stupid it is. it's pointless and it brings nothing and was never gonna be resolved because every man at dc secretly imagines their wife is deathstroke when they fuck so it's not like cass will actually get her dues at the end of all that. it was literally her death and the maidens and that shit sucked even less somehow

and that was the good era <3 n52 outsiders was okay, not very preboot cass accurate and shiva wasn't that in character necessarily but its not physically painful to read. but her introduction was fucking batman and robin eternal and I think whoever thought of this panel in particular

needs to be in fucking prison for the irreperable damage this did to fanon. and also whoever came up with tim saying because she can't talk she must have the mind of a chuld - oh if I got my hands on tynion for this. oh bitch

rebirth doesn't even deserve a mention because it was just boring. now we have batgirls as her main comic and I hate that fucking thing with my entire heart like I would pay a turkish witch to curse everybody involved in making this. the way they said they wrote them to be about 14 I'm gonna have a fucking heart attack just remembering it. from newer stuff the only things I would say are worth attention is her story in the asian heritage month special - not crazy good but its okay - and spirit world but it's not that focused on her. still a fun read tho

also, preboot, there are some REALLY good one off issues with her that you would never think to read because they are buried in other runs. my faves are gotham knights #2, dc presents batgirl vs joker, gotham secret files and origins, and batgirl secret files

tldr: if you want to stan cass you have to accept you will suffer. there's no joy to be found here, even in the good arcs. thankfully, I'm delusional and love pain so the potential they never made her live up to is enough to drive me crazy for eternity and one day I will suck off a dc editor so good they will let me write a cass solo with full creative control and jh williams on art and I will have my revenge. and they will all be sorry

[crazybutgood]

ooh pick one or a few or all ( or none if you don't want to answer any of them or if there's so many it's overwhelming 😅 )

last fic you read?

last fic you read that you loved and wanna gush about? (please gush about it if u have one!)

is there a fandom you sort of faded from and then came back to and if yes is there a particular reason why you came back or did you just suddenly feel like getting into it again?

favorite drink? favorite drink that you don't get to have often (if the two are different)

what's a drink you have regularly (not necessarily your fave, could be water)

favorite snack

a food that you don't like and why and how many times have you had it

how'd you get into taskmaster?

have you watched/do you like the versions from other countries? (TM)

do you watch compilations or just the straight episode? (TM)

would you watch it in person if you had the opportunity and were easily able to go and come back? (TM)

do you have a favorite season of taskmaster?

is there any origami that you gave up on making halfway through and why? would you try again? have you?

what's the biggest origami project you've tried (objectively), whether you succeeded or not?

what's the biggest origami project you've tried (subjectively), whether you succeeded or not?

what's the smallest origami you've ever folded?

what's the most complex origami you've ever folded?

is there a fic that has a line in it that you adore (whether you can remember it word by word or just the general idea of it)

what hat style looks the weirdest

what's the weather like right now and how do you feel about that, if you feel anything at all?

if you could change the colors of a duck, would you? what would its new colours be?

Omg nonnie! 🥺 Thank you so much for taking the time to send these thoughtful questions, I really appreciate it❤️ Answers under the cut 😊

the best laid plans by @nanneramma! it's a sweet, delightful double drabble, very cleverly and wonderfully written. Longer gushy comment here

Both my favourite drink and drink I have regularly is tea! I love it sm~ I’m having it as I type this. Favourite drink that I don’t get to have often is bubble tea.

Oh hm,, I will try most foods tbh! I think sometimes it’s cos of certain foods being of too different a palate (even tho I’m chill with other foods of the same cuisine??). Like a memory that suddenly came to mind is of sushi. I’ve only tried it once, when I was 12. One of my classmates bought sushi for lunch once and offered some to me. The second I bit into it I knew I didn’t like it but she was so nice and earnestly asked how it was so I politely ate it anyway. That was years ago tho so maybe I will like it if I try now! 

Omg great question! I had come across a clip of James Acaster’s stand-up, and I loved it. I looked up some more of his clips on YouTube, including his appearances on panel shows like WILTY. Then I watched some iconic moments from Taskmaster S7 and decided to look more into it, and the rest is history. 

I have watched some tasks and some eps of Taskmaster AU and NZ! They are nice to watch but the UK one just hits different, esp re the Taskmaster himself. 

I watch both compilations and the straight episode! 

Omg I would say absolutely BUT I don’t like a lot of the food tasks ghkdjf so, yes on the condition that I knew in advance I wouldn’t have to watch any of those. 

I like many series for different reasons!! Probably recency bias + lots of rewatching of S16 has made me like it quite a bit. I think I’m more sure of the series I absolutely don’t like fkgjds,, it’s the only one that I haven’t been able to continue watching beyond a short while, and I don’t think I ever will. 

Oh gosh probably some four-legged animal. I think it was a goat, or a llama, or both. I’ve only folded a few of those (somehow managing it), and I don’t know what possessed me to try them in those moments 😅 There’s a particular folding common to them (and even some birds) that’s required to bring about the symmetry that just makes it so hard to me. That’s the reason why I much preferred to fold a unicorn, cos that tutorial split the body of it down the middle into two different models that were then slotted together to form the whole thing,, I found controlling that much easier. 

Objectively, it is probably origami comics! I wasn’t sure if it would work, mostly re the reception of its execution, given the unusual medium. I sketched and brainstormed a lot to figure out how to work best with origami for it, and I was pleasantly surprised by how things went in the end :) I tried to push even further with subsequent comics I made. 

Subjectively,, is a bit harder to answer, because I’ve tried to go big in different ways at different points and stages of learning and brainstorming depending on what type of project it was, be it solo or collab. And so I’ve felt differently about what’s been the biggest endeavour. I’ll probably say tho as I’m sitting right in front of it rn + it means a lot to me, is probably the artwork I did on my room wall. I was itching to get started but I hadn’t even formed a concrete design beyond some vague concepts, and I was really pleased when it all came together. 

Oh hm interesting question, esp cos many things can be (feasibly) downsized into smaller dimensions, so I’ve tried to make tiny versions of whatever I could when I wanted to (one fave is stars, they’re already so small, I like to see how tiny it can go, especially with random scraps of strips I find). Off the top of my head, I rmb a very smol rabbit I made (as my first try of making it) using a little square torn from the corner of a hotel room’s notepad. 

Complex origami ahh umm ok uk what I would say this round twist bowl I made. I don’t rmb if I ever posted it because I just picked the tutorial when I was trying to focus and ground myself so that was the main objective. I honestly don’t know how I managed to somehow zone in and fold it and idk if I will be able to do so as easily as the first time! I will try it again sometime soon~ 

The line “Today’s sooner” from @rockingrobin69's fic “Favourite” is often on my mind! My friend @getawayfox and I quote it at each other sometimes too.

Haha this question made me pause and realise I've never thought about that,, I haven’t seen many types of (weird) hats I think

The weather here all year round is the same and gross af, climate change is making the tropical weather here especially gross,, high 30s (Celsius) with 70-88% humidity :’)))

Haha omg what an interesting question XD I would say pink, cos of this video. Or resembling Lolly Adefope’s “multicoloured kidney”

[xoruffitup]

A Reylo Retrospective (or: The Friends We Made Along the Way?)

After a New York City SNL weekend, I typically write a flaily recap of the incredible show experience on my way home. (See my unabashedly joyous recap posts from Adam’s 2018 and 2020 shows. :)) My friends and I sadly did not make it into the show this time, so I decided to write a recap post of a different kind. This is a retrospective of my years in Reylo/Adam fandom so far, and why they’ve been the best years of my life.

In December 2017, I saw TLJ in theaters for the first time. Like many of you reading this, my life was irrevocably changed in the span of those hours. We all remember the moment when we felt it happen. Maybe it was when Kylo took off his helmet in front of Snoke and bared those wounded eyes. Maybe it was the moment when all sound cut out and the first force bond opened. Maybe it was the moment Kylo appeared shirtless - hot and broad and so so vulnerable. Maybe (as it was for me) it was the moment when he and Rey locked eyes in the throne room, then turned back to back in a slow motion, world-tilting moment that changed everything. Without fail, this is always one of my favorite things to talk about with Reylo friends both new and old. Recalling the moment. That lightning strike of realization that you were seeing something that would indelibly change who you are.

It’s impossible to describe the experience to people who didn’t share in this particular epiphany. But whenever I attempt to do so, I usually phrase it something like this: When I say TLJ changed my life, I don’t just mean the movie itself. I mean that moment was a gateway. It connected me to a community, friendships, and experiences that would beautify and enrich my life in ways I could never have expected.

In June of 2018, I made a hare-brained trip to the Nantucket Film Festival, where Adam would be speaking on a panel with Noah. The event was small, located in a humble school auditorium. I sat in one of the first rows, mere seats away from Greta and Joanne. Adam came onto the stage, and he was everything and nothing I expected. Larger than life. Impossibly small compared to the explosive impact of his presence. An unassuming, compelling, inexplicable force that made my heart race and my stomach swoop. The impact of his presence is something I still can’t describe. This riveting, authentic persona; this irresistible gravity in the way he carries himself; the way he seems to hunch into a body that nonetheless strains the seams of the world around him. I couldn’t take my eyes off him the entire time, and my heart never calmed down. To this day, it still hasn’t. 

Then came September of 2018: Adam’s second SNL appearance and what would be my first time attempting to go to the show. In the week leading up to the show, the undertaking truly gave the impression of insanity. I took an overnight bus to NYC on a Thursday night, and upon my arrival at 5 AM I went straight to join the Standby Line with my humongous backpack and all my things in tow. It was still dark, raining, and I truly contemplated my own sanity as I dug trash bags out from my backpack and bagged all my things in effort to keep everything dry. Then the sun rose, the rain petered out, the one internet friend I’d planned to meet there joined me in line, and as the Friday hours flew by, solidarity and excitement warmed the steadily-growing line. 

When I think back to those ~24 hours of mania, I remember spontaneous pizza parties with new line friends; I remember spirited conversations in the midnight hours about Adam’s filmography and all our respective moments of epiphany that led to us being there - on a NYC street at midnight for a mere chance of watching our collective fave on SNL. I remember random Reylos watching our updates on twitter and sending us food, snacks, and Starbucks in line. (Literally never forget the bike delivery guy who, with a befuddled expression, announced he had a pizza delivery for “….the Reylos in the SNL line???”) I remember the camaraderie, the utter silliness, the crafting of homemade signs so the hundreds of passers-by would stop asking what we were there for. (Ours said ‘What: Saturday Night Live. Why: Kylo Ren.”) I remember the hours flying by, and the utter euphoria of it all - enough to keep us (mostly) warm in even the smallest hours of Saturday morning.

In the show’s Dress Rehearsal the next evening, I sat with three girls I’d never met before that weekend. They’re still three of my best friends to this day. We exchanged numbers after the show that evening and started a group chat (“Designated Adam Drivers,” obviously). In the five years since, every single day that group chat lit up my phone meant it would be a good day. In the years since then, we’ve shared countless experiences that would never have even knocked on my door of possibility, were it not for this miraculous thing called the Reylo/Adam gateway - that spark of recognition and understanding that turned us from strangers to soulmates. 

Since then, we’ve shared almost an embarrassment of riches in terms of experiences together: Four in-person (one virtual) AITAF shows, five Burn This performances/stage doors, the profound highs and lows of the TROS London premiere, Adam’s January 2020 SNL show, Steven Colbert and Seth Meyers appearances, and an array of film festival premieres. (TIFF 2019 for Marriage Story and The Report; Cannes 2021 for Annette; Venice 2022 for White Noise.) Not to mention that last year I went to visit one of those 2018 SNL besties in Australia (along with the other Aussie bestie I met in the 2020 SNL line). 

I realize the above list reflects privilege in terms of my opportunities and work flexibility to travel, and that someone could read the above and think I need to chill the fuck out. But I wrote out that list in attempt to convey the broadening of horizons, the ageless delight, and inexhaustible joy that such a shared passion brings into one’s life. It’s a bright beacon of the kind of excitement most people leave behind in childhood. It’s a reminder of the intangible sources of wonder and inspiration that come from within. It brings together people of disparate ages, backgrounds, and nationalities with a kind of innocent enthusiasm it often feels this world needs so much more of.

Of course, one could always argue this common binding spark is the foundation of fandom culture in general. But I’ve cycled through my fair share of other fandoms pre-Reylo/Adam, and nothing has ever compared to these wondrous heights. And going on six years since my personal TLJ moment, I still feel the conviction in my very toes that nothing else ever will.

In parallel to my real-life adventure squad, these last few years have also seen the cultivation of friendships with other Reylos and fic authors online. Never underestimate the power of a single AO3 comment or twitter DM to spark profound connection. What started as a group of online friends quickly transcended the bounds of cyber space. My “pocket friends” don’t just live in my phone; they’re the people I look forward to telling about my day, the ones I lean on in tough times, the ones whose support and love I know to be constant, no matter physical distance or timezones. They’ve become the indefatigable group of girlfriends my teenaged self might have dreamed up to feature in my adult life. And even as some of us may move on from Reylo/Star Wars, its ties are timeless and unbreakable. We are more than a group of people who cohabitated the same particular corner of the internet for a time. No, we’re kindred spirits who recognized in each other the same values, the same challenges and struggles, the same fears and anxieties, the same hopes and joys. We recognized and nurtured in each other that rare, safe space for our true selves. We were drawn together by this silly, fantastic shared obsession, and together built something real and true that grew well beyond it. 

So why am I writing this terribly sappy and self-indulgent post, you wonder? Well, I suppose my motivation came from the bittersweet experience of this weekend. I suppose it came from the conflicted emotional response I had to not making SNL this time. It came from the moment I realized that while the disappointment felt crushing, I will nonetheless cherish this SNL weekend right alongside the others. 

And why should that mean anything to you, dear reader? Why should you care about my sentimentality? Perhaps because - even if we’ve never spoken either in person or online - we each shared the moment, at one point or another. The moment that led us here - to me writing, you reading, to us sharing this particular little corner of the world. Perhaps because the highs and lows I experienced this weekend are not unlike the wins and losses we all share in this fandom space. The point of this post is not to wallow in temporary disappointment, but to celebrate how far we’ve come in this shared journey. The point is to cut through the haze and the frustration, the scandal and the hurt, to recall the purity of that shared emotion that first called us here. The point is to dedicate a moment of reflection for the love and enthusiasm that guided and shaped all this in the first place. 

To many, Reylo is divisive, even maligned. Nothing we say or do can ever change their warped view. We can, however, know in our heart of hearts that we share something unique and powerful. We can support and love each other; we can see the best in each other. We can fill our shared corner of the world with that magic we each discovered when we stepped through that gateway for the very first time.

[azurdlywisterious]

Tell me your fave vaults

Okay, I somehow narrowed it down to a top five (honorable mentions are basically every single other vault) (except Vault 81) ( i wish the experiment actually happened and the overseer didnt shut it down i wanted the psychological horror :/ )

Vault 77- This is the crate of puppets vault, featuring the crate of puppets guy. This Vault wasn't a part of any game, rather it is from a comic that was promo material for fallout 3. and like, penny arcade understood the assignment on demonstrating how fucked up vault-tec is in thirty six panels. Like my one critique is that it's so short, but with the direction they went with the plot and the topics they tackled and it being 2008, it was probably for the best. Anyways the whole comic is free on the Internet Archive and its a nice snappy read (almost to its detriment like straight up plz someone get ari aster on the phone he'd make a fantastic adaptation of one man and a crate of puppets legit)

Vault 112- ooh hoo hoo unlike most vaults that I just remember from reading the wiki blurbs back in high school, this one was fully brought to my attention in a game of magic where i exiled a ridiculous amount of my library to get a winning card and also my missing dad (shout out to adventure costs!!!) and in that game i vowed to find it. I didnt know that it was a part of the main plot of fo3 yet but that didn't take long to find out. This is the creepy simulation one that i see as almost a proof of concept for the evil within vibes-wise (i fucking love the evil within series but thats besides the point). Legit terrified me in a way that should not have been possible (maybe im the one with unchecked issues that people being saccharinely nice to me sets off alarm bells in my head but it could also be that i had to get into a vr pod first) (who knows?) Anyways I proceeded to ignore like half of it and I'm looking forward to the next time i play and actually interacting with it a bit more (also one of my twelve fallout ocs is from this vault i made it work given this vault's canon ending)

Vault 11- Oughhhhhhh epistolary enviromental just altogether wonderful storytelling. the posters. The Posters! The ones that read "I Hate Nate" but the deeper down you go the more you find that have been graffitied to read "I Hate Kate" perfect wonderful amazing. Not to mention granting us with "Don't Vote Glover He Has A Family" which idk I love that out of context but I do. In context it's downright horrifying and the absurdity of it actually adds to the horror. Love love love Vault 11.

Vault 108- Gary. Gary Gary? Gary! Okay in all seriousness the story of this one is bonkers and also I'm a sucker for cloning (I had a cloning phase in third grade). Like, they found a guy that was going to die in a few months to be overseer so that there would be a power vacuum. Okay, normal social experiment for vault-tec. This eventually leads to them cloning a guy named Gary and then all the Gary clones killing the rest of the dwellers so now the only people in the vault are Gary clones. For the life of me I do not remember the chain of events that led to it and no i will not look it up it's funnier this way.

Vault 88- Look this one is boring to most people. Its a mix reviewed Fallout 4 DLC but dammit, I like getting to design my own Vault. As someone who got into Fallout because of the Vaults it was incredibly appealing to get to be the villain for once. And then I saw that my victim was this sweet guy named Clem (and also I was playing a goody two shoes but thats besides the point). Like I can tell they wanted to write Clem to be annoying so that you felt less bad basically torturing him but I found him so sweet and earnest I just couldnt. I fucking love Clem I would die for Clem hes like if a golden retriever was a person that I wanted to make sure kept his agency and autonomy. Plus it was really fun getting to piss the overseer off with some actually decent written dialogue. Like bonus points for that. And I still havent finished building the vault! amazing. absolutely wacky but also amazing.

[ezralva]

I came here after reading your Choso&Yuji fics, I love them! 🥰The scenes where they are training blood manipulations are my fave, filling in the gap in the current manga chapters for me so thank you! Your author's notes very interesting but there are some things I don't quite understand. My questions:

1. Was it ever explained how Yuji can do blood manipulation? And how he get the red claws?

2. Since Choso is a Kamo, does that mean he's related with kamo, the young one? I'm still confused because I saw some fans said they are not while some said they are and the fanpage says that Choso's father is Kamo the younger's ancestor, which means they are related?

3. Does that mean Yuji had a Kamo blood too because he's Kenjaku son? Like perhaps his mother? Because why is it different between them? Why Choso reacted like that to Yuji's blood but not to the other Kamo?

4. Are the memories Choso had about Yuji is from him alone or the influence from Yuji's cursed energy?

Sorry if my questions sound very dumb to you! myb cos I was skipping a lotta chapters of the manga to catch up with current arc (I almost skipped the whole culling game thing) but I watched the anime and still not understanding a lot.

Btw my fav is your Light at the end of dark tunnel and I'm actually sad that it hasn't been updated for long despite you still write new fics for new pairings 🥲 but I dont mean to rush you or anything, just hoping one day it will be updated again 🙏

Thank you for liking my stories and telling me about it! Ah I guess it does get confusing if you don't read the manga in order. In fact I've seen manga readers still confused abt the same things as yours so no, they are not dumb questions! Hwvr, to answer, it'd be better to go into manga's chronological orders so it'd be easier to understand...so beware of long answers ahead.

1. It was nvr explained explicitly but heavily hinted, which from the ways Gege does thing so far, which is not always spitting out everything for readers. It could be perceived as true. It happened in ch 220. I'll explain later below.

2. Yep, by all means they are related. I think this much is pretty clear from the narrative even if you're an anime-only let alone read the manga. Related as in coming from the same clan/ancestry line/bloodline. Iirc I explained this in end notes of ch 1 of my long fic. Blood Manipulation is a prized CT that is passed down only thru bloodline/genetics. It wasn't a sporadic thing like Geto's curse manipulation CT. It is the same as Zenin's 10 shadows and the Gojo fam' Limitless/Six Eyes. The fact that Choso has it despite being incarnated in an irrelevant non-sorcerer body meant that his Kamo's blood from his papa (Kamo Noritoshi Sr) still runs fully thru his current body. The concept of JJK is mostly how a soul cud modify the body. For Choso this is def the case cz there was 1 panel where he said he cud no longer sense the prev body owner's soul/essence. So, as a cursed object of a Kamo blood, he had taken over the body fully. Back to the question, howvr, to which degree he's related to Noritoshi Jr we might nvr find out unless GG care enough to lay out the Kamo family tree. They could be as distantly-related as Gojo with Yuuta or more direct line in family. But I don't see how that wud ever happen cz it's neither important to the plot nor is it important to any of the character's narratives.

So yeah, the opinions that said they are completely unrelated are definitely off the mark. It's silly tbh, cz it doesn't take a lot to comprehendthis particular narrative 😅. The BM technique and the great 3 clans backgrounds were there to confirm. I personally think, they must be branching a lot so it's not straight vertical line. Cz Kamo Sr had offsprings and cud have more legitimate offsprings outside the Death Paintings, it cud be said he wud be like a great great greaaat granduncle to Noritoshi Jr (which explains why the fanpage says Kamo Sr was Kamo jr's ancestor) and since Choso, Eso, and Kechizu didnt have offsprings they wud be more like great great greaaat grandcousins or cousins 8-10 times removed lmao. That's how clan family works.

Which brings us to the next Q that is Yuuji. Remember that Yuuji is always the special case.

3. Yuuji is by no means a Kamo even till now. He got BM technique thru acquired means which in ch 220 heavily hinted that he ate the rest of Death Paintings remains (as permitted by Choso). All the Death Paintings had BM like I said before cz they are of Kamo's descendants, only the properties that were different. For Choso it's poison. For Eso is rotten blood.

This is why, despite being born from Kenjaku who once inhabited Kamo Sr's body, Kenjaku didnt pass down BM to Yuuji cz once again, BM is a CT that is passed thru literal bloodline. Which is why we never saw him did BM while in Geto's body. Kenjaku being in Kaori's body who wasn't a Kamo cud not pass that CT down to Yuuji. He cud howver, resist Choso's poisonous cursed blood due to him being the other's papa.

By eating the Death Paintings' remains, Yuuji gained access to BM thru their souls which modify Yuuji's being. Most likely his red claws came from one of the Death Paintings' properties as well. This is the same to how he got stronger and gained more CE by eating Sukuna's fingers, which are also cursed objects, and how Gojo said he wud 1 day gain access to Sukuna's CT. Yuuji's body is such that after ingesting cursed objects, his soul gained control instead of being devoured like how Choso's soul took over the human body he incarnated in. It's why it doesn't make Yuuji a Kamo because he's still the one in control, not the Death Paintings he ingested.

4. I think 👆 has explained it. The memories are one-sided on Choso and they never happened. It's due to the bond between their cursed blood.

Why Choso reacted differently between Yuuji and the other Kamos? Simply cz Choso's narrative is designed to be a character who lives by and for his little brothers only. When it comes to the Death Paintings, they have cursed blood, don't they? Their CE and blood come as a package and cannot be separated. Which imo explains why it's not exactly literal/biological blood that bond him with Yuuji but rather the cursed properties in it, courtesy of Kenjaku's hopping bodies that brought and passed along his CE's components to all his offsprings and that's it...not the host bodies' genes or anything else. This is also why it's only Choso who felt the bond and not Yuuji cz Yuuji's CE didn't rely on his cursed blood back then. I didn't know abt it now though that he had eaten Choso's other little brothers and gained new properties to his bodies.

Unless somehow, when Choso and the brothers were inside the tubes their souls went to another cycle of life with Yuuji in another life lmao. But this one is my headcanon so dont take it seriously.

Thanks for the encouragement. I don't have any excuse abt it but I'll try updating the long fic when I can. That one is sth I took on more seriously which is why the writing process is much harder than the occasional one-shots that I've published. Much harder to hype myself to keep up with it as well. Plus I have lots of ideas come and go that keep swimming in my head and always have these sudden urges to tackle new dynamics when I came across a refreshing different pairing 😂

[ciaossu-imagines]

First off I'd like to apologise for the super-late response. I was going to get around to it but kept getting distracted by other things and then you posted that your blog was going on hiatus (which I totally understand, you've got a lot going on after all) so I figured that I should wait until you fully returned but I think because of something else you said that it's okay to send this. If it's still too early and you don't have the time or energy to respond until next year, it's totally cool and I'm sorry for sending it too early then.

I kinda figured that you hadn't watched the BNHA sub because of what you said before but just wanted to check to make sure. And that's interesting that the Haikyuu!! dub just straight up isn't available. It's such a popular anime so it's strange but yeah, since I myself think the dub is bad from what I've seen, I'm glad you watched the sub, even if it took longer to watch it because of that. Have you ever checked out the subbed version of an anime after finishing it? And yeah, it's nice. As opposed to Mikoto's VA who also appears in BNHA, as Overhaul. That bustard of a man was out there sounding great while doing such heinous things. And true to what you're saying. And glad that you think that about Tsukishima and his brother and yes to Tsukishima's brother being adorable. He might not be one of my faves but he truly is great and compelling in his own way. Hell yeah to you loving that block so much. I always get emotional when I rewatch it so it's nice to know you appreciate it as well. No problem.

Makes sense. Speaking of good OVA's, I really hope that one day you're able to find a way to watch the Haikyuu!! ones. In total there are 5 but I just recommend two of them (The Arrival of Haiba Lev and VS Failing Grades). Those are the first two and anime only and always make me laugh. And the first one has more Nekoma content so that's a big win, while the second one is what happened just before the two day training camp after the two crows failed their exams. The last two are the Tokyo qualifiers matches and the third one is a recap of the Miyagi qualifies that’s presented as a new program. No problem. Another part of the meme that I forgot to mention is people saying "Nice kill, Tanaka." Oh damn. A broken arm, that sounds horrific so can't blame you for becoming emotional because of it all. Did you still get to see the star player recover later on?

Yeah, I even ended up making a fricking GIF out of that panel so I can show people an accurate representation of my brain. If you know what he says and have read the chapter, can also try to send the GIF to you if you want. Oh gods, Yaku and Noya's relationship is so great. Like how they were towards each other during the match was just everything 😭 I mean, you're not alone. Like you know I have other faves and yes, I always loved seeing Yaku on screen but it was also because I was thinking about him and my OC's relationship (had just started the story so was still figuring stuff out) that he started coming more to the foreground and then Furudate blessed me with his appearance in that chapter and that then became the beginning of the end for me being normal about him. I see. Seeing the Karasuno first-years as second years would have also been really nice. Are the graduated students still seen later on in Yowamushi Pedal or is it all about the first years? That's nice of you but it's just that I've already talked so much about him before in our DM conversation that it feels like I'm kinda going overboard when it comes down to him 😅 Thank you and yeah, some chapters really have a lot going on but since it's from my OC's perspective I write down what I know she would react to. Like sure she's both nervous and enjoying the match at the same time but her bestie receiving the ball amazingly needs to be mentioned. Now I've just got a few more chapters to go so hopefully I'll be done soon. As much as I love the match, it really is a lot and I'll be glad once it's over with. Bokuto would be stoked to hear that. He deserves the title and I even have one of my K OCs call him that when she meets him.

Yeah like even in Karma's first full scene he's smiling like that and it's great. I see. I hope the next year gives you more time for that. No problem 💞 And it's alright, really. It was nice to see that message because it's not something I've ever been told (sure loved but not adored), so it even made me happy, and I immediately realised that I could've worded my message better. So it's on me and the fact that I should've added something to separate those parts of the sentence. But it all turned out alright in the end so no need to feel bad about it, okay.

C

There’s absolutely no need to apologize for the late reply! I’m constantly late in replying to you, but especially so this time. Just getting back into the hang of typing after the recovery and while I’m doing okay, it still hurts to type for as long as I used to and I’m much slower at it. I’m sorry for how long this took to get to you though ☹ But seriously, don’t ever worry about getting back to me super quick. I totally get getting distracted by other things, especially since it was around the holidays when this originally came in and I fully expect you to have lots to do around that time of the year! And thank you so much for understanding around the hiatus, I really appreciate it! I definitely do have a lot on the go – clocking it out, writing every day for at least five hours, I have over a year’s worth of writing to do, on top of my regular job and the fact that I’ve decided that, come January of next year, I’d like to start a new college course that will lead to a further career advancement (and better pay, yay!) but that will take up at least ten additional hours of every one of my weeks. But you were definitely right – my ask box was still open to chatter and talking to all my lovely readers, including you, so you were well within your rights to send this along. It wasn’t too early at all!

Yeah, it kind of sucks because the dub would have sped that watching right along but given how much bad I’ve heard about the English dub, maybe it was a good thing. Crunchyroll had dubs in different languages, but not English, so even they didn’t want to touch the English dub, haha! As for checking out subbed versions, it’s always the last resort for me. I really only use them if there’s an anime I want to or need to watch and there’s no dub available for it. If there’s a dub available, I automatically watch that, just because it’s a lot easier on the eyes and I can actually focus on the show itself. With subs, I’m focused entirely on reading them so I can understand what’s being said and such, so I don’t really get to watch the rest of the screen with all my attention and miss a lot of physical comedy or physical moments that way. Overhaul is definitely a villain and did some heinous things, but I’m going to be honest – I kind of liked him. I found him really interesting to watch and he seemed like someone legitimately scary. I loved hating him and think he was one of my favourite villains within the show, right behind Shigaraki! Knowing Overhaul had Mikoto’s VA is really cool too – it’s interesting that the shows share so many VA’s. I definitely loved that relationship between the two of them and it’s funny – Tsukishima’s brother is one of the very few characters that I actually ship with anyone, because normally that’s the least important thing to me or doesn’t even enter my brain. But I loved the dynamics between Tsuki’s brother and Tanaka’s sister and I think they’d be a cute couple, and thought the end of the manga was setting that up a bit. That’s cool to learn – what other Haikyuu!! moments leave you emotional upon a rewatch? And just for any other readers reading this – if you’re a Haikyuu!! fan, the question is open for anyone to answer!

Thanks for the recommendations! I do love a good OVA, though I definitely skip ones that are simply just either poorly disguised or plain out recaps, so I would have ended up shutting off the Miyagi qualifier recap OVA within the first ten minutes. Knowing that the Tokyo qualifiers aren’t that great of a watch is worth knowing though and I appreciate the tip! I’ll try to see if I can dig up the Lev and falling grades OVAs though – the second one especially sounds hilarious! And it is a moment I have to steel myself for every time that I go to reread the series (like KHR and a couple others, it’s a series I reread at least every other year because I love it so much), but it was really well done and a true emotional moment (I cry a little every time). And you do get to see that star player recover and he eventually goes on to become part of Japan’s team for the World Youth Cup, which was really cool (and one of my favourite arcs).

I would love to see the GIF! Please do send that along 😊 And yes! I think seeing that much mutual respect, that friendly rivalry, seeing them try to impress each other really made me love them so much. They had a fantastic bond with each other and I found that when Karasuno and Nekoma were playing each other, both Noya and Yaku made each other better players and that’s so amazing for the both of them. Really though, Nekoma and Karasuno had great relationships between the two teams and I looked forward to their big battle against each other from the first interaction of the two teams. I do know you have other faves and they’re all lovely as well 😊 I do enjoy the fact we can love completely different characters and still really support each other’s loves and hype them up. I also get how writing the story really brought about a love for the character. I’ve had characters like that in other fandoms, where I was just meh on the character until they showed up in a story I was writing or I had to write them for a request. Where I really only ended up loving them after writing them or brainstorming ideas for them!

And yeah – it would have been a really neat thing to see the first years as second years but I’m really glad that the story went the route it did. The timeskip was really well used and I feel so blessed to see them as grown-ups instead. That was such a treat that I was not expecting! For YowaPeda, you do still see or learn about what some of the former third-years were doing. It’s kind of fun to follow the first-years through their school journey and it really does give the mangaka more time and places to focus on all these vastly different, unique and fun characters (because there’s a shit ton of them!).  Okay, but know the offer is always there 😊 I can definitely get what you mean by some chapters really having a lot going on! Some of Haikyuu’s chapters felt like they should have been 100 pages with all the intense moments or things going on! I can imagine telling it from her perspective does help narrow in on specific things though instead of having to worry about every single thing going on. I look forward to reading it when it comes 😊 Ah, I can imagine Bokuto was super excited, loud, and over the moon when your K OC called him that, haha!

Yes he is! His first scene was so over-the-top in a lot of ways and really set the stage for the character. I knew I would like him right from that scene. Thank you so much for that. Unfortunately, I’m behind in every single one of my plans but I’m trying so, so hard to catch up and will hopefully get there! Thank you for saying that and I’m glad that there’s no issues 😊

[ahiddenpath]

Otakon 2023

Lil ramblin' about the con beneath the cut! But above the cut, my spoils!

I haven't been to a con since NYC Comicon in 2015, so this was a ride!

Amazing Stuff:

-Meeting @citrus-cactus at the Digimon redubbed movies screening! It was so amazing to meet her after being in the same online community for... Like... God, who even knows, like ten years?!?!?! And she is so lovely!

-THE DIGIMON REDUBBED MOVIES SCREENING!!! More on that here!

-My haul above! A sweet lil Kou-chan figure and a Luna plush from the dealer's room and an artbook from Shouri and a Sonic keychain from the artist's alley!

Not my fave stuff and neutral observations:

For reference, I went to Otakon all three days from roughly age 14 straight through college?? Well, in college it would have been Sat/Sun only. After that, I guess I didn't go that often, but any comparisons I make are to that time period (roughly 2003-2011 ish).

The DC convention center as a venue:

-The convention center was easy to get to from the Metro!

-The building was much bigger and better able to handle the crowd than the Baltimore Convention Center.

-There was. NO SIGNAGE. WHATSOEVER. For ANYTHING. Absolutely horrendous. What there WERE were volunteers/employees who bellowed directly into your face to... Do the things you were already doing. Or to... Walk the other way around the pillar. Because the other side leads into the faerie realm or some shit, idek.

-The guide books used to have maps, schedules, opening and closure times, etc. There was a map in this guidebook, but the opening and closing times for different parts of the cons and the event schedule were not printed. Meaning I had to use my phone to know, for example, when and where the Digimon screening event was... And there was poor reception the dealer's room in the lowest level.

Although the event schedule site couldn't load, I was blessed that some of Citrus' discord messages were getting through. She alerted me that the screening room was filling up and told me the room number (bless!!!! Thank!!!).

The con compared to ones I remember:

-I was shocked that there was a digimon panel and two separate Digimon screenings in one day? And the Digimon movie redub screening event was full to capacity- I missed the first film because I was next in line at the shut door D: So, like, Digimon is alive, and I saw two Daisuke cosplays, a Ken cosplay, and someone with a Patamon plush attached to their baseball cap. Patahat! There wasn't much merch. Citrus spotted the main place offering digimerch and sent me there (I got the Kou figure there). She also saw the lone Digimon fanart in Artist's Alley, and we found someone who made baby stage plushes. Another dealer's room place had some vintage plushies of the digimon that looked... like they had been through... some stuff.

Basically, Digimon seems to still be very much alive in terms of audience interest, but not so much the merch and fan art. I don't know what to make of that.

-The con seemed a lot less lively than the ones I remember. I only saw a few interesting cosplays (like the kind where you go, how did they even do that?!). My husband pointed out that the hall is far larger, however, and that the cosplay folks have tons of photo studio rooms to go to. They were likely there.

-The extra space was deeply appreciated (compared to what I'm used to from the Baltimore days), but... Okay, so the Dealer's Room provided empty space. Every aisle had an end area to "pull over in," whether it's for a water or food break, a photo op, or to wait for your bud to make a purchase.

PEOPLE STILL STOPPED DEAD DIRECTLY IN THE MAIN THROUGHWAY. WHY. WOULD YOU DO THAT. PLEASE I AM BEGGING-

My husband says I'm dreaming if I think the provided empty space will stop people from doing that, lol!

-DEMON SLAYER. EVERYTHING IS DEMON SLAYER. THERE IS NOTHING BUT DEMON SLAYER. Look, I enjoy Demon Slayer too, but good gracious, it's clearly the Naruto of the 2020s in terms of popularity.

-I learned who Rem is. Good God there were a lot of Rem figures.

-Looking at my purchases, I bought for three "classic" IPs and supported an artist I've followed for a long time. No new stuff. And I'd say the merch overall was about half "vintage" stuff and half newer stuff. Lots of Sailor Moon, DBZ, Pokemon, etc.

General Con Hardships:

-So a friend suggested to me recently that I might have sensory issues. I balked, because jfc have you seen my list of issues, please don't suggest another, I beg, I am full up, can I have some less sir.

Uh basically she mentioned how much she used to love going to the movies and I said, "I don't go anymore, I can't understand the voice audio." And she was like- Okay so it's true that some movies don't mix sound properly and can't be understood well, but if it's all movies... Um, babe, I think that's an auditory processing issue.

She suggested I get ear plugs, and god DAMN I wish I had them at the con.

Riding in the metro in tunnels? The whoosing and clanking hurt. Volunteers absolutely bellowing in your face at the con? Look, I guess it's their job, but please I am going to cry if you scream in my face like that. People playing music at the loudest volume in the dealer's room and hallways? Why, why would you do that. Someone was walking around playing an ocarina on the way to the dealer's room, so I was stuck with her for about 10-15 min, and I genuinely wanted to lock the damn thing in her backpack on a timer somehow, lmao. Look, ocarinas are easy enough to get the correct note out of, but they are difficult to control tonally. That high-pitched, harsh PHWEEEE noise clawed at my ears.

Of course, you can't control other people. The best I can do is accommodate myself to suit the place I'm going, which means... The damned ear plugs.

Apparently sensory issues and anxiety go hand-in-hand, as of course people feel stressed if the signals around them aren't being processed in the "typical" way, causing strain.

So... The con was exhausting and just... Difficult. But! I'm really glad I went! And I'll just buy the gd earplugs, here's what was recommended to me.

Also, PS: I found a piece of rare digimon merch that was way out of my budget at a dealer's room stand. But when I came home and looked it up, I found it for 35% less (which, at this price point, was a lot). AND NOW I HAVE AN ABSOLUTE TREASURE ON THE WAY AND I CANNOT WAIT TO SHOW YOU! Also, honestly check the retail on stuff in the dealer's room before you buy, this must be why there's no reception down there-

I am ready to not attend a con until next year! But to also go next year! Maybe I'll meet more of my online pals!!!! :D

[acreamearedsweeper]

Before I start this story from this July at Anime Expo, I would like to start with a content warning for mentioning p*dophilia. It's in reference to an anime character that is an actual p*dophile in the series. He is the bad guy. Consistently. This is unfortunately necessary information for what I'm going to recount to you.

So this year I went to AX. I love cons but don't do panels and events as much anymore. Well me and a friend ended up going to a late night one called "Guilty or Not Guilty", where you essentially defend your problematic faves. Sounds fun and silly and I like to participate in stuff like this. Obviously all the choices brought up by the people running the panel are mainly villains or yandere love interests or just the least favorite characters of shows. A lot of arguments boil down to "If evil, why hot?" And that's fine.

Then, we get to Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter. For those of you who don't know, Hisoka is a reoccurring villain who pops a boner over our 12 year old protagonists. Not subtext, not hyperbole. While he does drive conflict, he is meant to be creepy and awful and evil. He is never good. He is never "morally grey". Luckily, most people in the room all agree he is guilty. Everyone who volunteers to speak agrees he is guilty on the same basis, "He is just straight up a p*dophile."

The ONE person who fights against it and derails the whole ordeal is one of the panelists. They say "Actually, I think it's really important we address this, but I know from experience as a child psychology major, using terms like "p*dophile" is actually very harmful. The term you want is "hebephile", which is attraction to prepubescent children. Please use words correctly."

Dude, I never wanted to square up with someone at a con so badly. THAT'S your take away from all this?? It's not even a matter of fiction vs. reality or the necessity of even including a character that is a p*dophile or any blah blah blah twitter talking point. It's that you have to split hairs on what age of child abuse it is??

Like, is it because it's fiction that you'd think to delineate like this? I can't imagine in real life you would hear someone worry about a p*dophile being around children and you would "um, actually-!" them?? Blows my mind.

At least everyone was rightfully upset.