#there was more to this post but it got way too serious about cartoon characters than was necessary

[bitchesgate3]

Anon should hit up my inbox if they want to talk to me so bad. 😘

Mizora tag has 3 regulars and they're angels except me. Fandom wants to kill or turn Mizora to stone, so let's be real who you're talking about.

But this submission makes me realize that people are mixing up female manipulators ™, with actual gr*omers. Which is mindboggling.

A female manipulator makes you think its a good idea to give her everything just because she wants it. This is the behavior of wrapping you around her finger. And on the flip side, you can get wrapped around her finger without her even trying. At that point, its up to her to put up boundaries, but that's another story.

In Mizora's case, yes, she deceived Wyll and took his soul. She maintains control over him through the sending stone. She turned his dad against him, and arguably uses his ties to the Duke for jockeying for power under Zariel. It's a business decision and to stroke her fragile ego. Wyll fell prey to her manipulations and got tethered to her larger machinations.

But at no point is she doing all this to make Wyll s*xually available to her at all times. In launch version, they were never intimate. And in EA, she was clearly using s*x as a tool to seduce - not because she wanted that from him.

[yourhighness6]

NATLA Episode 2 Debrief (by yours truly)

Hi again! Here's episode 1 if anyone is interested. This is going to be another outrageously long post, just a tw

I absolutely loved the ominous start and then it's just:

They really captured the Zuko/Iroh dynamic the cartoon had in this scene. I hope they keep this sort of thing throughout the show. Also, side note, but for whatever reason Zuko seems a LOT more violent in this version. This child needs some serious therapy.

I guess this is their version of the map joke, huh? Low-key disappointed but not as mad as I thought I would be.

I'm not sure how I feel about the writers prolonging some of the conflicts that were resolved back in the SWT into this episode. I guess it makes sense that they would have to extend the drama, but I'm a little disappointed these thoughts didn't make it into the first episode. I'm glad they're included, but I think at this point team avatar had started to feel like family already in the cartoon, so it's kind of annoying and misses the mark a bit.

Yes I'm so glad they put GranGran's blessing back in! I was really mad when they took it out, but this honestly feels more meaningful than it did in the cartoon. It's a precious cultural artifact rather than just a couple of blankets. This is similar to what I was mad about with extending SWT conflicts, but I don't have nearly as much of a problem with it, as it seems like they're carrying a little piece of home with them rather than just extra drama.

The burial scene was very sweet and sad. It gave us a bit more insight into Air Nomad culture, and a sense of closure the cartoon didn't really give us. A+ for Gordon's acting as well (he is perfect for this part, even if he does still need some more acting experience)

Zuko has officially mastered the "my uncle dragged me here and I'm an agnsty teenager" face. A+ to Dallas for this entire scene. I am absolutely LOVING the Iroh and Zuko dynamic. Never change (jk I wish you a wonderful redemption arc)

Suki looks just as beautiful as she did in the trailer. Unfortunately can't say the same for the Kyoshi statue (I wish it had been made out of wood), but there is something to be said for the little shrines to the avatars instead of a few big ones. I actually kind of like that they changed that element, and I hope they explore it more in future episodes, because I assume some of the spiritualism surrounding them would have to be changed. Side note: but I've seen nothing of the spirit world so far and I'm getting a little nervous. I guess I wouldn't mind if they decided it was some long-lost avatar trick or is introduced in the NWT, but if they get rid of it altogether I'm gonna be pissed.

I'm glad they decided to make Kyoshi Island a matriarchal society instead of having a male leader. It just makes sense based on the lore and I like to see more strong adult women than in the cartoon. Also Suki got a mom! Maybe she'll get some development too!

This Aang speech was very in-your-face storytelling, but I feel like the whole show is gonna be like that so I'm just accepting it at this point. I think it stayed true to his character while getting the point across, and it also kind of helped his character compared to the cartoon. He's very emotionally open and has a charming nativity about him, but he's clearly trying to help. Loved it.

He's so awkward I love it. This whole interaction was really cool, because it expanded on their relationship in a cool way. They're both struggling between doing what their parents expect of them to help their respective villages, but are being faced with a pull to the outside world, Suki with her "big heart" and Sokka with his need to protect Katara. Thishonestly gives more depth to their relationship and I don't mind the writers dragging out first episode conflicts if this is how they're choosing to explore them.

Aww look at these cute little siblings. I like that the writers are giving them more time to progress from strangers to besties. Their interactions seem more natural, and Aang's grief more realistic. It's also great to once again see Katara growing more confident and powerful in her abilities. I love the smell of some good character development in the making.

Look at her face! She's like,"I'm so good at flirting. Mother would be proud." Meanwhile Sokka's scared of her. Anyway I'm living for their scenes and they're making me giggle. (Despite Sokka's sexism being toned down it still exists to a lesser level and I love to see her beating his ass while he tries to flex)

I love the new subplot! I love that flashback! I love this conflict! It gives more credence to his fears as a prodigy. Whatever writer came up with this deserves a hug.

AHH the ship is sailing! I love Sokka learning to be more open minded! I love Suki learning to be more open-hearted! I love when characters in romantic relationships learn from each other! This is giving Suki and Sokka development in ways the cartoon did not without trying to play Sokka's sexism off as a joke and also giving us more screentime and when I say I love it I mean I am doing a happy dance right now!

Okay, so just a quick word on shipping besides Sukka because as Zutara trash I am legally required to do this:

It seems like they are keeping the zutara hope parallel intact, with Katara and Zuko both finding hope in the avatar but in different ways. However, I don't think this really changes anything. So far, there's beven nothing to suggest they're going with ZK instead of KA, and I'm a little worried that they're trying to parallel Sukka and KA wwith the way they're setting up both girls as kind of a "teacher" to the boys in a way and giving both ships a huge amount of screentime in the same episode. Also, and I hate to say this, they might be attempting to fix KA by toning down Katara's anger and her "dark side". She didn't get angry to break the iceberg and they're eliminating her entire waterbending scroll plotline. They're trying to make them a better match for each other by watering her down and therefore increasing her connection with Aang and decreasing the chance of a future connection with Zuko over their anger and shared trauma. It's sad news that I didn't want to deliver, and I've seen spoilers that there is another ZK moment later down the line, but at this point, I think KA is a lot more plausible than ZK. *cries*

In slightly less depressing news, they're inserting the avatar state plotline a lot earlier. This makes sense with the condensed timeline, and I think I like the way they're going with it so far. I hope they keep the concept of avatar guide intact, though, and I'm worried that they're going to play into more of a connection to all of his past lives instead of just Roku. I kind of hate Roku but I do think that's a major concept I don't want them to get rid of, and his inaction during a time of adversity mirror's Aang's own challenges with confrontation. Their dynamic is a good one, and I wouldn't be opposed to changed but I really hope they don't entirely throw it out.

Scratch whatever the fuck I said before. I'm back on my shipping bullshit I can't believe we got a BONUS FIGHT! Also kudos to whoever decided Zhao should burn the village instead of Zuko. I was always so pissed at him whenever I rewatched this episode and now I can sleep easy knowing it was that military dipshit instead of him

I love Kyoshi to an unhealthy extent but I kind of wish Katara had been the one to go off on him. It would have seriously fixed things.

COUPLES THAT FIGHT TOGETHER ARE THE BEST COUPLES CHANGE MY MIND

Also, side note, but I love the hair these in fight scenes:

Most action movies hairspray the shit out of them but these actors are allowed to look a little disheveled while they kick ass. Huge thank you to whoever decided that more natural hair is superior cuz they are 100% correct

THE BONUS FIGHT SCENE IS NO LONGER COOL I REPEAT THE BONUS FIGHT SCENE IS NO LONGER COOL

I think this was the perfect conclusion to Sukka (for now)! Sokka learned something so much more valuable and impactful than in the cartoon, in my opinion. His masculinity is handled very well in my opinion, and even if I would have liked to see him wear the warrior outfit, there's something really great about the way he continues to embrace protectiveness, a masculine trait, while having rid himself of toxic masculinity, such as not being able to learn from others. He's leaving a more open minded and humble person and I love the way they portrayed it.

Okay the speech was a little on the nose but I liked it. One of the best things about ATLA was the way they executed Aang's childishness ending up beneficial for the world. I think the new conflict is expanding on that nicely while staying true to its roots. *pats writers on the head*

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IS THIS REAL I LOVE IT SO MUCH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

IM TRYING SO HARD NOT TO THINK ABOUT THIS LINE AND HOW IT COULD BE ANOTHER PARALLEL TO K/A I HATE IT BUT I LOVE IT AT THE SAME TIME LETS JUST FOCUS ON SUKI SAYING SOKKA HELPED HER AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Also the fan was so cute. That last scene on Appa really wrapped everything up nicely. I like the way they tied in the conflicts between the siblings while engineering growth for Sokka.

Daniel Kim delivered in his two seconds of screentime. Zhao was such a bitch but idk what else I expected. Can't wait to see more of these two bastards in future!

Anyway, to recap:, things I did like:

Aang's new conflicts

Sokka's mini arc

SUKKA

Expanding on Katara's PTSD

Zhao burning the town instead of Zuko

Zuko and Iroh's dynamic

Things I didn't like:

Katara's characterization

Lack of Aang's actual avatar guide

K/A hints and lack of zutara implications

Postponing the Zhao and Zuko agni Kai

Overall, I have to say I think that they're playing into the core themes very well while expanding on the characters. If it weren't for the whole Katara debacle this would be a 9/10 episode, but with the Katara debacle imma give it a 7/10. Still, I can at least understand why the writers made their crappy decisions, even if I don't agree with them. Hopefully certain things are fixed in future episodes, but as it stands I think I'll live (barely)

[overdressedcarp]

Aventurine, Dr. Ratio, and Ruan Mei for the character ask! (Love ur Aventio fic btw).

Thank you for the ask! I had fun doing these. (Also I'm glad you're enjoying the fic! I am sitting in my authorial hobbit hole with a big smile on my face.)

Aventurine

Clarifications (yellow boxes):

I don't see as many bad Aventurine takes as I do for Ratio, but I do think his rough edges often get watered down in a way that either justifies or ignores his canonical flaws. So "they got done dirty by fans" and "wow! they are a horrible person" both get soft nods because I think his character deserves to be both sympathetic and kind of an ass sometimes. (The other issue I see is people acting like he's vulnerable and helpless, which is just. fundamentally not true? He's not as secure in himself as he pretends to be, but he is a ruthlessly competent strategist, and he knows how to read people and give them what they want to see. He's a member of the Ten Stonehearts for a reason.)

"If they were real I would be afraid of them" alright let me explain. The 2.1 story did a masterful job of humanizing Aventurine, but his first impressions in 2.0 were fine-tuned to be unnerving, and it was really effective for me as a player. For a while I couldn't articulate why it made me uncomfortable, but @starcurtain did a great analysis on female influence in Aventurine's life, which touched on how his early interactions with the Trailblazer are designed to be intimidating and off-putting in a way that channels the sort of masculine dominance Aventurine has historically experienced at the hands of other men. Suffice to say: if it served his plans for me to be afraid of him, he knows how to do it, and it would work.

Also I forgot to mark "why do they look like that" on the bingo but I do think Hoyo should have given him more melanin considering how deeply Romani-coded his culture is. Everything else about his design slaps though.

Ratio

Clarifications:

"Wasted potential" is subjective because I've loved every moment we've gotten of Ratio onscreen, but damn do I want the game to delve deeper into his backstory and his dynamics with other characters (I'm still sad that so far Aventurine is the only character that has a voice line about him).

"Deeper than they seem" and "not as deep as they seem" exist in a paradoxical state for me because I do think some folks stop at the surface reading of "arrogant asshole" when he's got way more going on in his character stories and his actions in canon... but I also think some people err on the side of taking him too seriously, in a way that likewise takes something away from his character. Like, this is the guy who plays chess with himself and trash-talks from both sides of the table like a goddamn cartoon character. He owns at least one rubber duck and takes a bath with it every day. He likes all of Aventurine's social media posts and replies "Heh." to anything he finds vaguely amusing. This is not a serious man.

"Why do they look like that" okay I need to clarify that this is not a criticism. I love Ratio's design. The neoclassical vibes are impeccable. But it's also extra in a way that I feel morally obligated to call out, considering how much he rags on Aventurine for dressing like a peacock. Sir, you walk around in robes and sandals with an alabaster bust on your head; you have no room to talk about subtle fashion choices.

Ruan Mei

Clarifications:

Ruan Mei gets both "they are so cool looking" and "why do they look like that" because I love the theory behind her design (the DNA elements, the embroidery and floral imagery, the qipao paired with the pearl necklace) but she also has the unfortunate distinction of being a female character in a Hoyoverse game, so the more unique details fall prey to the homogenizing force of the male gaze.

Another case of "they got done dirty by fans" and "wow! they are a terrible person" existing in tandem, but in Ruan Mei's case I think some people reduce her down to her worst qualities without acknowledging the more complex aspects of her character. Her unchecked pursuit of knowledge leads to her doing Objectively Bad Things, but I don't think it's a fair (or particularly interesting) reading to portray her as heartless.

I thought about marking "wasted potential" because imo 1.6 wasn't nearly enough to delve into Everything Going on with This Woman, but it seems like they're setting up something for a future patch, so I'm content to wait and see what the writers have planned. I'm really excited to find out what she's doing with those leviathan fossils and Tingyun's wrecked ship.

Link to the character bingo template

[writingseaslugs]

Savanaclaw: Injured Reader

Disclaimer: All characters in this series are aged up. For more information about my version of this world and the type of reader you can expect, please do a quick read of THIS post.

Injured Reader Headcanons

Leona Kingscholar

Leona never really does anything that could get himself injured, and he’s pretty good at sports that it’s never really something that happens. Not to mention when he was younger he would have people taking care of him, so he doesn’t know jack shit about taking care of another person. He knows that you need to stop bleeding, and if it’s a broken bone then you should have that treated, but doesn’t think much else of it.

He finds himself getting annoyed when he watches you getting injured, especially at the Spelldrive tournament. It was the first time he had seen you injured and he despised how he was actually feeling concerned about it. He was the one, despite having just gone through the wringer, carried you to the nurse’s office. He decided he simply didn’t like the fact that it was put on him (despite doing it himself) to take care of you. That’s the only reason.

He just takes you to the nurse or Ruggie when you get hurt, always carrying you in some form so you don’t manage to hurt yourself even more. Once he drops you off, it’s no longer his problem. When he drops you off at the nurse, especially if classes are still going, he’s just laying in the spare bed and taking a nap. It’s his reward for being thoughtful.

Ruggie Bucchi

Ruggie is used to taking care of injured kids since he was the one taking care of them growing up. He knows the basics of taking care of almost any injury. He can even pop someone’s shoulder back in place if it gets dislocated. He didn’t have money to deal with doctors, nor the time to go out and find one. Whenever he got injured he’d just toss something to clean it and hope it sorted itself out..

If you get injured and it’s nothing serious, he’s going to be laughing at you. He can’t help it, it’s his natural reaction to things. Especially when you manage to slip on something on the ground, and how your arms went up as though you were trying to grab onto air. Of course he’s going to be concerned, ears flattened as he checks to make sure you’re okay if it seems serious. If it’s not though, don’t expect any sympathy from him.

If he deems your injury serious, he’s dragging you back to Savanaclaw so he can take care of you. He’d rather do it himself than let the nurse do whatever she wanted. This way he can actually see how bad the injury is as he’s making sure you’re okay. He even has several plasters with cartoon characters on it that he’ll slap on you (they were bought for Leona originally, but he’ll sacrifice laughing at the lion if it’s for your benefit).

Jack Howl

Jack is used to injuries of some kind. It’s normal when you work out a lot that you’re going to be dealing with a few injuries here and there. He does his best to prevent them, but he can only do so much. He finds it best to just head to the nurse when that happens and have it taken care of. The faster something heals, the better. He can take care of himself, sure, but if it means risking a longer healing period, he’d rather just suck it up.

The moment he sees you trip and fall when you joined him on his morning run, he’s very concerned. Crouching down and checking to make sure it isn’t too serious. The moment he smells the blood, he’s lifting you into his arms. He is like a concerned puppy and feels guilty since he let you get injured while you were with him.

Depending on where you want to go, he’ll take you to the nurse or to Ramshackle. He will suggest that the nurse can do a better job, but if you’re against it he’ll take you home. You’re going to be sitting on the couch with a wolf on his knees, carefully using wrappings to make sure nothing will get infected. He’ll also be asking that you be more careful next time on your run, and swearing he’ll slow down next time so you don’t have to sprint to catch up to him.

Beta Fishies: @kingheinrey, @epiphyllous, @mint-moushi

Are you a fan of Diasomnia like me? I bet you are if you read my content (we love the boys in this household). Want to support a visual novel that will feature Diasomnia dorm, has multiple routes and endings, as well as some spicy visual scenes? Check out @twstfournights and if you want info, check out their announcement post!

[erinelliotc]

Talking about "Ed, Edd n Eddy" outside of Tumblr with (probably) heterosexual cisgender neurotypical men is just... frustrating. I feel like I'm talking to a door. The guy got mad just for stating the simple fact that what the Kankers do to the Eds is sexual harassment. I mean, how can anyone deny that? I thought it was, like, obvious to everyone lol. I made it very clear that it's my favorite cartoon and that admitting that what the Kankers do is sexual harassment doesn't mean it's bad or that it should've been canceled, and the guy just said he wouldn't read my text. It's ridiculous.

People outside of Tumblr are so lazy and this scares and saddens me because I love writing and I can hardly summarize my thoughts. I mean, it's okay if you don't want to read it, but then at least keep quiet and don't give your opinion on something you don't know about or assume what the other person said. People simply leave discussions with a simple "I won't read it" and feel victorious for it, even if the person in question is agreeing with them, agreeing more than disagreeing, or only partially disagreeing. They treat "writing too much" as having already lost the argument itself and that doesn't make any sense. The worst part for me is that being lazy to read and having the inability to formulate a counterargument has already been widely normalized on the internet as winning an argument, and it totally pisses me off.

Why are people so lazy to... think, discuss and reflect? To use their fucking brains!? They just want to attack people for no reason and be right at all costs! They act stupid and others agree with them! Ugh, I should just stay on Tumblr. I've already accepted that this is the only nice and safe (or at least the nicest and safest) place for neurodivergent / autistic people.

Anyway, about what happened:

It was in this Instagram post:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Millennial & 90's Content (@paraeden90s)

Comments started here:

I replied emir.d95 with this text:

I mean, it is sexual harassment. Admitting this isn't the same as saying that the cartoon is bad or that it should've been canceled (far from it, it's literally my favorite cartoon of all time), it's just stating a fact. It's like denying that Ed has an intellectual disability and is bullied because of it, or that Kevin is a bully (at least in the initial seasons), these are things that aren't explicitly said in the show, but are obvious and don't make it bad (furthermore, it was the 90s/2000s, it was a cartoon within what was considered normal for the time). Problematic things and complications happen, they are part of life, showing them in a cartoon isn't the same as agreeing with them. It was very clear that the Kankers were a bother to everyone and nobody liked them. Danny Antonucci said the Kankers were based on a group of girls he knew during his 7th grade school year. In his words "they're based on a pair of Grade 7 girls who true to form were always on the lookout for potential boyfriends. They frightened us with their intensity and attitude yet they always wanted to play the innocent with the older guys whom they wanted to date". They were based on real girls who were actually scary, cynical and a nuisance to Danny and others. The Kankers are supposed to be creepy, problematic, a pain in the ass, and disgusting. One of the biggest features of this show is the gross things, disgusting the viewers, and the Kankers and them abusing the Eds and sometimes others is one of those gross things. And before anyone says something like "It's just a cartoon, it's not that deep bro", we're talking about "Ed, Edd n Eddy", a show that literally addresses domestic violence, shows the main character's redemption arc and how his brother's abuse influenced him to act the way he did, and consequently teaches about friendship, forgiveness and acceptance. It's not just a silly cartoon, it also touches on serious subjects when necessary, sometimes in a more shallow, light and humorous way, or in a more explicit and profound way, like in the movie. The Kankers are abusers, just like Eddy's brother, and his punishment in the end is precisely being abused by them. Like it or not, "Ed, Edd n Eddy" teaches us, even if unconsciously and subtly, that girls can also be abusers and boys can be victims of sexual abuse. It's a great show for a laugh, but also for learning some valuable lessons every now and then. The movie was supposed to have even more serious and touching scenes, but unfortunately they didn't fit into the available time and budget.

Then I got these:

So, yeah... The lesson is: Don't expect a healthy in-depth dialogue about "Ed, Edd n Eddy" with people outside of Tumblr xD

[lieutenantselnia]

So I binged The Long Long Holiday last week and I kid you not I shed a few tears at pretty much every episode. It's really always series primarily targeted at children that make me the most emotional😅 I'd totally recommend it though! It's a historical series about two children experiencing the French occupation during WW2, told from the perspective of the younger sister. The specific characters and places are fictional, but of course based on real events. I don't think I've ever watched a children's show before that addressed this topic so directly, but I think it's absolutely worth watching as an adult as well, because you'll also understand the perspective of the adult characters and get nuances that might not be as obvious to young kids (of course education and knowledge of history plays into that as well). In fact I think it makes some moments even more heart-wrenching if you have more background knowledge.

Aside from the story I also thought the art style was really cute! It is a 3d animated show, but with a really simple (yet expressive) cartoon style that tries to imitate a 2d look, and I think it worked out pretty good for them. When I first saw just pictures of the show I actually thought it was a 2d cartoon because in still frames it looks totally convincing, only in the animation itself you kind of notice from the way the characters move that they are 3d models. I actually wish I had discovered this show before I wrote my thesis, it could have been a good inspiration and maybe I would've even gotten to mention it😅 Just lookit them they're all so precious🥹

Also it had so many lovable characters, I think one of my favourites was Jeanne and her stubbornness and "take no shit" attitude (especially towards Hans, he deserved it lol), but also her relationship with Otto was so cute🥺😭 Otto himself too, despite being part of the occupying forces he was always so nice to the kids and even protective of them (and especially the Morteau family of course). The grandparents of the main characters were so sweet as well (and probably one of the reasons I cried the most, it really shows how much they care about their grandkids and would be ready to sacrifice pretty much anything if it means just that they are safe). And the teacher too, he was always so supportive of all of his students and interested in their well-being. Not gonna lie there were a lot of characters who were really good parental figures😭

I also liked how they still balanced serious with more light-hearted moments. Oberst von Krieger getting more upset about his flowers being stolen than any actual sabotage was hilarious😂😂 I only watched the German dub for now, but I'm considering rewatching it in English too, since one downside is of course that the languages differences, which are otherwise prominent, get lost if everyone's just speaking German. I'd love to watch the original as well since it's probably the most authentic, but unfortunately I don't speak a word of French😅 Okay this got very long so I'll stop now. There are already some other historical movies and series on my mind that I want to watch (at this point I should maybe make a list lol), so maybe I will write some more recommendation posts like this, even if maybe not many people care. But I just love talking about media and topics that interest me :D

[marshallpupfan]

What do you like the most out of Paw Patrol? What are your favorite moments from the TV series?

Well, I dare say everyone know what I like the most about PAW Patrol! But if I were to point out other things...

Right off the bat, it's certainly the fact it's about a bunch of pups. I've got a big love for dogs, so a cartoon like this is right up my alley. I guess this is why I often don't mind it when they add more canines to the cast, since in some ways, the more pups, the merrier!

In fact, despite my issues with the modern seasons, they gave us two more pups that quickly became very memorable, imo. It's my hope we see them both again, and outside of their respective subseries, too.

I grew up watching a lot of Looney Tunes, so I'm really big on physical humor and such. Marshall's obviously a good example of this, which is one of the many reasons why he's my favorite. Say what you will, but I love his clumsy antics, and I always look forward to his "Ryder needs us" wipeouts that happen in each episode (sure, the newer ones aren't as good as they were in the older seasons, but honestly, I still enjoy them nonetheless).

"I'm good!"

And I'm often glad when the other pups get involved in this stuff, such as this part with Rocky, which is still one of my favorite moments of his to this day. That look on his face is perfect. lol

And given that Chase is my second favorite, it's especially great when he finds himself caught up in moments like this, especially given he often tries to (or used to) be the most serious of the group.

"Now I know how Marshall feels!" "It's kind of fun, isn't it!"

Beyond all that, the cartoon just has so many cute/fun moments that I just really enjoy. In fact, many of these become favorite moments of mine. Seeing Marshall dress up as a sheep to help solve a mystery at Al's farm is one that comes to mind right away. And given my love of wolves, seeing him become pack leader is another that really stands out. Ah, I could no doubt list so many of my other favorite moments involving him, but I don't want to make this post too long.

And while I could list some for the other pups, I'd like to take a moment to point out some favorites of mine from other characters. Take this moment in season 5, involving the Kitten Catastrophe Crew. This is the kind of humor I wish we could see more often, and it's something I saw early on that convinced me to keep watching.

Even Mayor Humdinger, himself has given me a good laugh from time-to-time, which is why he's still my favorite of the human villains. Kidnapping those royal kittens and dressing them up to look like Everest and Tracker so his crew would match the PAW Patrol's numbers (at the time) instantly made me a fan of him.

I'll wrap this up before this post gets any longer. Suffice to say, there's a whole lot to the cartoon that appeals to me. Again, despite my grievances with the modern seasons, I still consider myself a fan, and there's still a whole lot I enjoy about PAW Patrol, which is why I stick with it. And as you can imagine, I'm still just as crazy about Marshall as ever, so there's that, too. :)

[theseawillbringdarkness]

I rarely write reviews for things, because honestly, I’m just a regular person with no experience or knowledge on the details of game development, and I get anxious that I may misunderstand something due to being unaware of how certain mechanics work or subtle aspects of storywriting, but I decided to give «Cryptid Crush» a more detailed overview than just a little post full of me gushing over this project that I made originally (spoiler alert: this review actually is just one giant post of me gushing over all the things I love about the game, because I just wanted to note down everything that caught my attention). I’m putting it under the «read more», so folks that didn’t play it can avoid spoilers. And also because I got a bit into oversharing\infodumping mode (aka, a LOT of text), and there is a lot of images too. Buckle up for a ride and let’s-a go!

All screenshots are from the game “Cryptid Crush” by Drowsy Drake Studios.

This is a big read. Seriously. 3378 words. Don’t ask me how it happened, I was in the zone.

Spoilers!!

I say “review”, but it’s just my personal opinion, not entirely written in a serious manner, because I by no means intend it as some serious and professional writing.

TL;DR: play «Cryptid Crush», support it’s creators ( @cryptidcrushvn, @squidinu​ ) and check their website!

I actually stumbled over this game by accident, because one evening I was in especially sour mood and decided to lose myself in one of dating simulators or visual novels, so I was browsing Itchio to see if anything catches my eye. «Cryptid Crush» instantly did just that, because I’m absolutely in love with monstrous characters and I loved what I saw on the game’s main page. Normally, due to whatever weird neurodivergent way my brain works, I can hardly make myself play new games\watch new shows\movies\cartoons, because that requires certain mental preparation from me (aka «the stars must allign in a specific way, or else I’ll stare at the game icon forever, unmoved like a statue»). No idea why it works like this! I have whole lists of things I want to play\watch, but I always have to catch myself in a mental state that is perfectly accepting of getting invested in a new story, even if I know there is 90% chance I will like it. And let me tell you, I’m very glad that I gave «Cryptid Crush» a go. Actually, this is now my comfort story, and there is a lot I want to praise the creators of this game for.

Mechanics

Click to progress the story, which means I can drink tea\coffee AND enjoy a good story. That’s already a win in my books, especially if you’re looking to settle down for a cozy, relaxing evening. Ability to simply scroll back in case you accidentally skipped a dialogue line or want to read it again can really come in handy. Actually, while I’m at it, I have to say BIG THANKS for such detailed menu when it comes to picking where exactly you want to start after you played both chapters. Rather than having to play from the beginning, you can pick a scene to start from, which is especially great for when you want to replay certain moments or conversations in the game.

TTRPG mechanics: at first, I was a bit intimidated, because I always have troubles absorbing technical information about how certain things work (which often looks like an overwhelming cluster of information for my brain), and while I make sure to read through everything, it takes some poking around or even winging from me to get a hold of how something in the game works. However, here it wasn’t so bad at all. I love how «throw a dice to determine success or failure of selected action» here is both used in battle mode AND at a few points in the story, to see if you can get additional information from the characters or get away with a small lie.

When it comes to fights, I enjoyed them more than I expected - said TTRPG mechanic wasn’t so hard to understand after all, and little comments and dialogue lines made the process even more lively and enjoyable. I greatly appreciate the way tutorial was smoothly integrated into gameplay and for a chance to pick difficulty when it comes to fights. I’m a simple person, I play on «easy» majority of the time, so it worked perfectly for me.

Character customization: while the look of the main character, Robyn, is pretty much «set», there are still details you can change, like picking a different color for the coat, hair length, etc. And you can choose whatever first and second name you want (so, like usual, I just used the name of my main OC). Also appreciate the ability to pick pronouns, because I didn’t think too long before picking «they\them». Am I having some sort of self-discovery? I don’t know, but I always appreciate having that option for some reason.

Artwork

The visual part is stunning! The art style is so beautiful and cozy! I love the thicker lines on the outline (no pun intended) of characters, the soft colors, the creativity of monstrous designs. Love how big hands some of characters have (like August in werewolf mode, Oz, Jamie, Mike, etc.)!! My absolutely favorite part, as usual, is facial expressions, of course. Backgrounds also have each their own atmosphere (like cozy one at Robyn’s place, or creepy haunted one at the Elkhorn radio station. Actually, this bit has tons of details - a nice example of «environmental storytelling») and vary in level of detail, allowing some scenes to have more focus on the characters. This pencil-painting style looks great, by the way!

Story

The story in «Cryptid Crush» is very intriguing and allows you an easy integration in it’s world, being a good mix between supernatural and something familiar to all of us. Like dealing with mysterious curse, living in a town full of various cryptids and all the shenanigans that come with it, while at the same time being a relatively regular person, who is just trying to navigate the chaos of their life and worrying about groceries. There is a main story of searching for answers about said curse, but plenty of other storylines that entwine with it, enriching the story and making it feel so full of life. The world here truly feels alive, and there is one part that I love so much.

Despite characters facing hardships and things being rather scary at times (like Robyn’s trip to the void, their first nightmare and what Mike had to face while dealing with Mr.Walker), the story is so. Very. Wholesome. It’s in everything, in the way characters communicate between each other, and especially in their relationships. I’m a big fan of the «found family trope», it always moves me, and I truly believe that sometimes a family can be just a bunch of dysfunctional adults that love each other and try to get along, and seeing those little details or these heartfelt talks that characters share (like the talk between August and Atlas, for example) - they warm my heart so much. My own life may be a mess at the moment, but somehow, this story gives me reassurance that it will work out. Things can be tough sometimes, but they don’t stay tough.

On that note, I absolutely have to mention the amazing writing. Different people obviously gravitate towards different writing styles, but this one is great in so many ways. The descriptions are dosaged perfectly - they’re not dry or, on the contrary, stretch so much that it significantly slows down the story. They’re perfect in giving you enough information to imagine the scene and atmosphere well, without turning into cluster of words (I enjoy big descriptions, but sometimes they may be more fitting for an actual book, rather than a story with a certain flow). And when you’re given lore at the library, it’s also written very interestingly (and the illustrations are so great!!), giving you a better outlook on the world of cryptids. I love the way that size and type of the font (or little details, like «shaking» letters) is used to better convey emotions. All characters feel so alive, they each have their own very different personalities and little quirks. I also absolutely have to applaud the sense of humor that comes into writing and makes it such an easy and comfortable read! I don’t have enough words to describe properly how much I love the writing, okay.

Characters

Usually, I always have a few favorite characters when it comes to stories (I’m personally very fond of Oz, for instance), while I’m rather neutral towards the others, sometimes warming up to them as the story progresses and I get to know them better. «Cryptid Crush» is an exception, though, because I actually love all characters that were introduced to us so far?? So allow me to spam a little with silly little commentaries for each of them. Also, I may mention it about dozens of times, so let me say it here: all voice actors are doing spectacular job! I’m legit in awe of the talent and range, and it’s clear they’re doing their best and having fun in the process too.

«Mothman»

Not gonna lie, I keep asking him for «dad advice» just for fun (I can’t believe his sound effect is straight up «hi Hungry, I’m dad»). The answers are simultaneously the worst and the best.

«Robyn»

I’m fairly certain they’re a mom friend at heart, being a voice of reason on different occassions. Probably unsuspecting that they’re in need of the «found family», but also I hope that it certainly awaits them. Absolutely love it how they’re just trying to ignore all the weird things that are happening in their life currently. I mean, sure, there is a ghostly cat and also now another ghost that haunts your phone. Doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about breakfast.

«Taro»

She is a little goblin of a cat, and I love her. I mean, I’m aware she is a cat, but at the same time she is so... CAT. If you know what I mean. Waking you up by putting a paw on your face (or through your face in this case), demanding food and attention. Love her, and the voice is absolutely perfect for this type of personality! And her monstrous form looks awesome!

«Atlas»

The quote that comes to mind right away is «I only had them for an hour and a half, but if something happened to them, I’d kill everyone in the room and then myself». Many bits of his personality feel so relatable, especially the urge to infodump\overshare (like what I’m doing right now, whoops). Side note, but in Chapter 1 «Leviathan Waltz», during the phone talk before bed, I always got the picture of Atlas chilling in the attic, identical to the one at the intro of the chapter. An alternative, creepier version was unexpected, but that was a really cool surprise! In any case, I love Atlas dearly, and his enthusiasm towards things is very contagious. I’d absolutely watch a trilogy marathon with him (if there are subtitles, or I’m gonna miss 40-50% of information).

«Jamie»

I didn’t know what to expect at first, but with all the «Let the crimes commence» and casual trashing of the haunted radio station, I did not expect how gentle they are (not with Mike, for obvious reasons, but you know). I adore the manner in which they wrote the message to Robyn the next day after the trip to Elkhorn radio station, almost sounding like what one would write in a full on letter, as well as their overall manner of speech and also being a voice of reason, taking care of their friends. Also, they have a skull-face, which automatically makes me love their design. And bright blue details go so well with the rest of their palette! Also also, I was really thrilled to see a character that goes by «they\them» (okay, yeah, maybe I am going through some self-discovery here).

«Mike Madhouse»

I have to note right off the bat: Mike’s voice actor really be WILDIN’. The absolute charisma that drips off every voiced dialogue line, the unrestrained enthusiasm and madness?? Absolutely amazing. I’m not the person to genuinely laugh that easily, but sound effects for Robyn’s haunted phone crack me up every time. As much as various facial expressions Mike makes (I swear, you guys cranked it up to 200% and I’m loving the result). I’m looking forward to seeing him getting some character growth, and I was happy when he didn’t turn out to simply be defeated and leave the scene for good. He is a complex character, not easily showing his true emotions, which only makes these moments hit even harder (like the sad face he makes at the mention of Atlas, when they’re about to leave for Edith’s shop). «MeAt GrInDeR!!!» moment is definitely one of my favorite ones. (Also, different variations of sprites during the fight, like Atlas Madhouse and demonic looking Madhouse, look epic!)

«August»

He is friend-shaped. That’s it, I don’t have anything more to say, I bet he gives the best hugs. Well, of course not, I do have more things to say. For instance, how adorable he is when he gets flustered after being called, well, adorable. Actually, I only recently noticed the blushing sprite that flashes for a second when he turns around to jump through the window right afterwards. I mean, he wanted to get out of the clinic anyway, but that was a smooth escape. Also, I adore the «I was already a wreck» pun when Robyn apologies for hitting him with a car (I actually love puns, and sometimes I make it other people’s problem, pfft). The enraged snarling August makes upon realizing Atlas forgot to turn off the oven was both terrifying and hillarious in the context. (Lowkey, love all of his sprites and the fact that he has these different «stages» of his werewolf form too.)

«Oz»

I said this already, but when seeing Oz in Chapter 0, I thought he will only make a fleeting appearance and that’s it, which made me a bit sad, because he instantly caught my eye. So I was absolutely delighted to see so much more of him in the next chapter! I love how chill he seems to be, looking intimidating, but at the same time giving impression of a gentle giant who wouldn’t hurt someone without a good reason. It might be a bit challenging with a character who doesn’t speak majority of the time, but it also allows a lot of creativity with the way he communicates and expresses his feelings, and it makes it entertaining to see his facial expressions change at various comments the other characters make. The very rare «pleased» expression he makes honestly warms my heart. But also he gives a strong feeling of a «this bad boy can store so much PAIN inside-», which makes me want to give him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. I’m looking forward to see more of him in the future, his appearance in the dream sequence alone was very surprising (especially having him actually speak here). Also I loved the moment when he and August were in the middle of an argument, and Gus waited politely and patiently while Oz was writing down what he had to say. ALSO have to note that I absolutely love his color palette, which makes yellow eyes stand out even more on top of various shades of grey, black and white.

«Thursday»

Beloved goblin: Bird Edition! Thursday’s pleased expression is one of my favorite sprites. I’m losing it at the contrast between their «crow mode» and very sudden «deep-voiced man, enunciating perfectly clear what they got to say», the first time it took me by surprise.

«Edith»

I was wondering if she is a normal human, right until that one «it’s the charm that protects you-» sprite that made me go «grandma, why are your teeth so big-». At the same time, I felt for Edith in this moment, because I felt exactly the same on multiple occassions, whenever I had to explain something obvious to a customer. Looking forward to seeing more of her, but it’s obvious she is very caring.

«Hazel»

She is sassy, and she clearly had enough of whatever shit she has to put up with. But she still loves her brother, even if she seems annoyed.

«June»

Literally the most adorable ball of energy! I wish I had at least half of her energy.

«Goatma’am»

Her coat! Horns! And overall colors!! She is so pretty, and so nice and helpful! I love the way she is voiced, and I really enjoy listening to this specific kind of speech\voice for some reason. «Parsnip» bit made me snort, though.

«Robbie»

It’s actually very refreshing to see a Cryptid who is just as bewildered at many things about Longhope as any «regular» person likely would be. Lowkey, I loved that wobbling sprite of his when he was telling Robyn what people call cryptids where he is from. He seems to be up to some shenanigans, as well as being determined to find the «goddess sleeping at the river», so I’m hoping he will eventually succeed in his quest.

«Tessie»

She is a mysterious lady (and so beautiful too!), and I’m curious to learn more about her!

«Mr. Walker»

Despite looking rather simple, he’s got an eye-catching design (which I liked even more, because I love shadow-like monsters), and the fight had a lot of creativity put into it! It was a nice twist with Mr.Walker looking like a bigger threat and with smaller HP than the Lantern, seeming like the most reasonable target to take down first, only to swiftly come back into fight after being defeated. And the «Lantern cuts the lights» move was also nice. All in all, Mr.Walker makes easily a very disturbing and terrifying enemy, making the encounter at the graveyard so intense.

Music

Last, but not the least, is music (and it’s nice that you can see the name of the current soundtrack playing in the menu in the lower part of the screen). First of all, the soundtrack in «Cryptid Crush» is straight up enchanting. It always fits the mood perfectly, and I certainly got a few favorites. I kept «Dirt Nap Dreams» on while working a little while ago, and it was soothing and nice for concentration. The track itself is rather chill and a bit somber. «Thaumaturgy Thursdays» makes a perfect soundtrack for Edith, Oz and Thursday trio, having a bit of this «something wicked» energy to it. «Midway to Nowhere» appears to be rather chill, but has this very unsettling mood that is so great for certain scenes and places. And, of course, one of my most favorite ones - «Urgently Jammin’», both remixed version and the original! I swear I listened to this for days. But I also love «Supernatural Foe» for a nice beat and «Old Gods» for how dramatic it is and how it makes you really feel how high stakes are during fight with Mr.Walker.

Second of all, I just have to mention how well sound design is used in the game and how many details go into it. My favorite examples: 1) when Atlas tells Robyn he wants to show them something, and then suddenly «Urgently Jammin» breaks off instead of «Loosen Up Longhope», when he makes a big reveal of still being possessed; 2) «casual» soundtrack breaking off into intense and terrifying «The UNWELCOME Visitor» with Oz seemingly about to get Taro on Edith’s orders, only for everything to abruptly go silent as she goes «I’m joking» and slip back into «Thaumaturgy Thursdays» as the mood changes from threatening back to casual; 3) when Hazel and Oz are having an argument, «Elkhorn Radio Intro» plays out (which is associated at this point with the fight sequence beginning), only for things to suddenly cut back to normal when Robyn and Atlas enter the scene.

All in all, I just want to say that the attention to detail is insane here (another example I didn’t mention above is when Robyn is searching for Mike, and before you see the actual sprites of August and Oz fighting in the background, you see their icons and damage). It’s obvious how much hard work and love is being poured into this project, and I just want to say big «THANK YOU» to Drowsy Drake Studios for creating such amazing story with so many lovable characters. You’re doing amazing work, and we all appreciate it!

Again, I strongly advice to also check out their website for more information:

https://cryptidcrush.com/

P.S. Apologies if I forgot or misunderstood something, it was a bit hard to properly gather my thoughts, but I did my best! If you actually managed to read all of it, you’re a champ.

[quietmonologues]

I haven't finished the show yet (just need to watch the last episode) but so far, I'll give the live action adaptation of ATLA a 7/10.

Long post.

To start with what I like about it...

I think the VFX is spectacular. Omashu, the Water Tribes, the Fire Nation palace, all the bending effects and fights are stunning.

Seeing all the characters come to life. The Gaang, but also the past avatars, the mechanist and Teo, the freedom fighters, Bumi, Zuko and the family, even Mai and Ty Lee. Aesthetically, everyone fit really well.

I enjoy (most) of the acting, but especially Zuko. I feel like Dallas captures the character incredibly well and his scenes with Paul as Iroh have been very fun to watch. I enjoy seeing more of Azula and getting into her psyche early on, and seeing more of Ozai has been enjoyable as well. Daniel Dae Kim is great. Ian and Gordan also do a great job of playing Sokka and Aang, respectively.

Merging the Jet stuff with the Mechanist stuff is an interesting way to cram as much of the story as possible without being too convoluted. The re-interpretation of The Cave of Two Lovers episode was a change I was iffy about but I grew to appreciate it. Instead of focusing on a romantic love, I liked that it was about familial love (between Sokka and Katara). I wouldn't be surprised if people didn't like that change, and I understand, but I didn't mind it. It didn't feel like the live action was hinting at Aang's crush on Katara anyways (correct me if I'm wrong).

Love the emotional aspects. Iroh and Zuko, Aang and Gyatso...it can definitely get the waterworks going.

In terms of what I don't like....

Something feels missing in this adaptation, and I think it's the tone. There's still funny moments but it's definitely a bit more somber than the cartoon. On the one hand, the original show does deal with heavy themes and it makes sense for the live action to emphasize that seriousness. Like, it made sense for a cartoon geared towards children to have a "lightness" to it, to have moments of goofiness and sillyness. But on the other hand, that lightness being interspersed between all the serious moments made the story of ATLA what it was, and I do feel that that is missing in the live action. I guess that's the downside to limiting a 20+ episode season into just....8 episodes. But the live action did the best it could.

I feel the same about the characters. The Gaang seem a bit more serious. But it's not completely bad, Aang still feels like Aang and Sokka still feels like Sokka. Katara is the one who sticks out to me like a sore thumb because she just...doesn't feel like Katara. No idea if it's Kiawentiio's acting or how she's written, but whenever I watch her, she just feels really flat and demure. Katara is a kind and compassionate character, but I do remember her being a bit more fierce. We do get that fierceness near the end but...I don't know, it comes off as stiff. And that's why I think Dallas as Zuko is my favourite, because Zuko was always a serious and somber character in the cartoon, so his performance in the more serious live action adaptation fits really well (it still would've fit perfectly if the adaptation was more goofy of course).

The pacing at times is bumpy. I felt this especially in episode 4. There was just...way too many things going on and they decided to throw in a couple flashbacks too. Like I said before, I liked that we got more Azula, but I felt like some of her scenes didn't flow well with the rest of the episode (episode 6 i think). We were following a straightforward plot, and then we just have a scene or two of Azula doing her trials and shooting lightning. It just made the overall episode feel choppy and disconnected.

I don't remember how the whole Suki/Sokka/Yue thing went in the cartoon, but yes I do think it's very weird that Sokka and Suki kissed in episode 2, and then he's kissing Yue in episode 7. Maybe in the cartoon it wouldn't be "that deep" but in a live action, it's kinda strange to me lol. I don't know, that's a bit of a minor nitpick I guess.

To me, Book 1 of the original show is the weakest season and my least favourite (it's still good). But if Netflix renews this, then I'm hoping Book 2 (and Book 3) will be much better!

Okay that's it, off to watch the last episode.

(also I do think you're lying if you say the movie was better)

[businesscasualart]

i luv ur work, can I see a smal snippet of any fanfic ur working on👉👈 here’s a treat as payment🧁

AWWWW THANK YOU SM! I've posted so little work, I didn't expect anyone would care too much for my work, art or fanfic, as opposed to just like, my affinity for providing content for obscure characters and ships. <3 You are SO sweet, I'm crying TvT I'd love to share, it'd be an honor, treat or no treat as payment! Thank you for the treat tho XD

Okay, so, context: I've been in fandomless hell for a few months now. I can rely on the fact that I'll be bouncing back to and around the DC fandom every few months, but I'm absolutely directionless rn. The last thing I got working on is yet another Young Justice, Psimon/Devastation fic as always. I DO intend to write something else eventually, but I love Devapsimon <3

A friend requested this one RIGHT before I fell out of the YJ fandom into this period of nothingness. Now...you see...they don't watch YJ, they dislike superhero cartoons. They do know I love YJ tho.

I...don't...like...Omegaverse...BUT YOU SEE, MY FRIEND uh...got pretty big into it...in the Normalest way they could...If you don't know what it is, don't Google it.

My good, dear friend...requested of me...that the third fic I ever write...be a lil Psimon/Devastation Omegaverse fic for them and they PROMISE they'll pay me...somehow...presumably with a fic they'll write bc I KNOW they don't have money. SO FOR LIKE, three months, between fandomless hell, writing what I don't know, and KEEPING THIS THING PG-14...I've been writing that!

Maybe I'll convert it into a sickfic before posting it to Ao3! Bc I am so unsure about writing omegaverse and my abilities doing so. AND IT IS PRETTY MUCH A SICKFIC, I'm taking a very mild-hurt/comfort, mostly nesting, sickfic approach with it! I hope it's still enjoyable despite my long breaks writing it. I have to do some serious editing but rn I'm just trying to get it done! Wish me luck!

So uh

WIP Devapsimon Fic Snippet!

CW: uh, nothing really! There's not even much Omegaverse mention in this part...um...I don't know how to format a fic on Tumblr...there's an abundance of description of RV bunk beds...I can't find a good place to cut off the snippet...THIS IS ALSO VERY LONG FOR A SNIPPET, but this is my longest fic yet.... so uh...long preview! As a treat!

“D…Devastation?” He whispered hesitantly, torn between announcing his presence and not disturbing her rest.

Upon getting no response tried to gently, quietly push past the curtains but the metal curtain rings slowly drug against the metal bar making a screech that resounded in his ears and made him wince. 

He peered into the bunk section. It was darker than the rest of the RV, it took a minute for his eyes to adjust. 

It was honestly shocking how everyone could fit in here, it was a cramped ‘room’. If Baran or Tommy were to walk down the room, both of their shoulders would rub against the bunks lining either wall. Thankfully, the bunks themselves were of a decent size. 

They were built into the wall, like a shelf or cubby. They could hold a thin twin XL size ‘mattress’...well…really more so a foam pad than a mattress. However, the bottom bunk cubbies were decently tall, the larger Onslaught members still can’t really fit lying on their backs or sitting up, but they could fit just fine lying on their sides.

There were exactly six bunks, two on each side of the three-walled room. Additionally, hanging in the middle of the walkway between the two top bunks on the left and the right of the room, was a hammock. Cameron generously set it up when they got the Terror Twins on the team and claimed it for himself. He claims it was to win Tuppence’s favor but Psimon is almost certain it was just regular generosity and self-sacrifice. 

Each bunk had different privacy curtains shielding the inside of the bunks; some decorative, some blackout, some sheer; but a few were left open. 

One such bunk had its curtains open. Thankfully, it was the one with the only small window in the room, on the wall inside the top bunk across from the entrance. It didn’t provide much light, especially since the dusty blinds as well as small curtains on it were drawn. 

There were also string lights lining the room, courtesy of Selinda, to provide a gentle light but they were left off during the day. 

It was relatively clear whose bed was whose. Everyone had a relatively distinct sense of style, or lack thereof. 

Selinda’s was a simple bed with everything in some shade of black and purple. Tuppences lined her walls and ceiling with decor like photos, stickers, and posters. The other mens’ bunks generally looked like the beds had been abandoned for eight years, but Tommy decorated his similarly to Tuppence’s, only simpler; Mammoth’s bed had a king-sized comforter shoved in there and the walls were scratched up; and Cameron’s...well, he had a hammock.

Psimon’s bunk was by far the most organized one but it doesn’t stand out. All neutral colors, made up neatly. He had two pillows, but only really used one. He, like a few others, had small organizers hanging on the walls. He never had many personal, sentimental items to bring on these missions, so he mostly kept business related papers, pens, a tablet for work, and the like up there.

Each set of twins shared the bunks on two walls and Cameron...had a hammock…so Devastation slept in the bunk under Psimon’s.

Her bed was also simple and mostly neutral tones, but messier…usually. She had two or three more blankets and pillows than usual, all strewn about, along with a couple clothing items. It was notably more crowded.

Psimon had no idea how Devastation would be comfortable in that mess, and perhaps she wasn’t, because she wasn’t even in her bed. 

She sat on the filthy, old carpeted floor next to her bed, leaning halfway into the bunk, her face buried in her arms. 

“Devastation!” Psimon gasped, dropping to his knees next to her, nearly dropping the bowl in the process. He set it on the floor next to him, placing a hand on her back and the other on an arm.

Her hair was taken down but not brushed, left messy and tangled. She had also changed into her nightwear, striped shorts and a sleeveless top. They seemed to have been a lavender-type color, but they’ve lightened and grayed out over time, as well as developed a couple of small holes in seams here and there. 

“Oh, Devastation…” Psimon, voice quiet and full of concern, never finished his sentence.

He struggled to pull Devastation upright by her shoulders, pulling her to rest against him so he could see her face. Once he managed it, her weight nearly knocked him back onto the floor but she seemed to regain enough awareness to somewhat support her own weight and not throw it all on him at once.

Her eyes were glazed and distant when they fluttered open. She furrowed her brow and her eyes slowly moved to look at Psimon, in an attempt to figure out what was happening but before she could, he laid his hand over her face. 

He kept moving his hand around her face, to both of her cheeks and to her forehead as if they’d yield different results, but the results were clear. Devastation’s skin was impossibly hot, hotter than before, even in the short time that had passed. It was wet with sweat and flushed all over from her own body temperature. 

Her glassy eyes finally found Psimon’s face, despite his hand’s frantic search for a more reassuring result. Her mouth hung open slightly, as if to speak, but she only took in short, ragged breaths. 

“Oh…Oh Devastation…”

[yzafre]

Thought that I'm posting (because I want to get it out), but not tagging (because I am trying not to insert myself loudly in the Discourse): The thing about Rise Leo in context of other Leo's is like. Hm how do I put this.

It depends on how you think about the context of other Leos?

Like. Okay, if you think about "Leo"s like this:

Sort of... springing up simultaneously like flower petals around a central point. Then he does seem like a big outlier, and I can understand people's frustrations and even some people's opinion that he's not really a Leo at all. I would disagree, but I get it.

I think this is very much a, like.... "why did people who watched the series pre-Rise tend to get attached to Leo as their favorite". And it's fair to say that maybe his slightly more serious demeanor and active sense of responsibility were part of that! So not having those traits you like/relate to would be disappointing.

But I, maybe because of the way I'm watching TMNT (didn't watch it growing up, have been binge-watching each cartoon series in reverse-chronological order) am looking at the context of Leo like this:

And like. If you do this it starts tracking really well. (shhh the comics and movies should also be present as they would affect the evolution of the character, this is just a vague representation).

Like. I mentioned this in my "nobel vs trickster hero archetype" post but. Going straight from Rise to 2012, looking at '12 Leo in season one I was just like "yeah, this tracks". I see the traits that are being brought forward from the previous version, and then affected by the environmental changes of the iteration they're in, and... I see how they got from one to the next clearly.

This is definitely more of a, like... meta approach? Looking at how the writing developed, how as different aspects were highlighted, or character relationships changed, things evolved over time. What the writers might have been seeing that they wanted to try playing with differently, what themes they were messing with.

There's deeper discussions to be had like "even if the changes do track do you think the active sense of Responsibility should always remain anyways, because that's why people historically got attached to Leo" or "there are actually a lot of other traits the Leos share they're just presented differently let's talk about them" or "okay saying Rise Leo is just another Mikey is too reductive but ALSO yeah there's a lot of similarities with 2003 Mikey specifically".

But overall I think there's a big aspect of like.... how/in what mind-set do we think about the character. It's interesting!

[ckret2]

saw your recent reblog about feedback and, though I’ve been occasionally gushing in tags, you deserve to hear what I tell my friends! In general, your writing style is perfect at capturing the timing and delivery of the show itself. I’ve never read a fic i’ve been able to visualize more clearly than this one. You write each character so well that between chapters it feels like i’m right back where i used to be, waiting for new episodes again. I do think you haven’t *quite* solved your side-character-ification (applejackification?) of Dipper problem yet, but other than that you’re doing an astounding job at balancing all the characters and their interactions with each other and with bill in a way that feels natural (plus with these more recent chapters i’m seeing lots of good dipper stuff so you’re definitely getting there with him too! besides, it is nice to see Mabel get the spotlight after all these years anyway. healing, even.) You know exactly how to control an audience’s emotions, you know when to drag something out and when to shut it down, you know when to cut off a conversation and when bring up the fact it was cut off later. Little foreshadowings like the loose tooth are well-planted and plot beats like lucid dreaming are dropped and picked back up delicately and with precision, like pressing piano keys. i don’t doubt for a second it’s all a part of some grand instrument, though i wouldn’t be surprised if you told me most of it was improvised - another way you’re just like the show was. you’ve done the episodic-and-serialized thing better than at least half of all silver-age cartoons that have attempted to do so! I adore the way you show kindness to all characters in your scenes, from gideon’s characterless mother to the little freak himself. It truly feels as though you pick no favorites, and that’s something you do better than the show did tbh. Not that TBOB needed to hook me in with a marketing campaign, but hypothetically, in a universe where I didn’t own a hand-sewn bill cipher throw-pillow and yet somehow still found this fic, I would definitely be excited for it after reading! you’re gifted, and i hope this does numbers on AO3. I truly cannot stand hazbin hotel, but I may go back and read your other works once this one’s over, just to hear your narrative voice. it’s a voice worth hearing, and may it be forever amplified.

oh WOW thank you so much??? 😭 this is SUCH a sweet comment and it means so much to me that you took the time to write all this!!

APPLEJACKIFICATION... that made me laugh. Dipper will get some serious development before the end of the eclipse plot and he's key in the next plot, so I think that'll help him make some progress. But yeah—he's not gonna be as important as Mabel, but I do want to make sure he has a plot that stands on its own, smaller though it may be.

It's 2/3 planned, 1/3 improvised. 😁 I've got a lead time of about 15 chapters between what I've posted and what I've written, so I can do stuff like write the poppet chapter, write the tooth fairy arc, edit the poppet chapter, realize that as long as I'm giving him a bloody lip maybe I can loosen his tooth, edit the tooth fairy arc, have him mention that that tooth was loose. And many chapters I haven't written or outlined yet I have loosely planned in my head so I know how to aim toward them.

Wanting to show kindness to all the characters and wanting to give as many of them an internal life as possible is so important to me, and I'm so glad that's showing through so far!

And honestly I think "I hate [xyz] but I'll read it if you're writing it" is the highest compliment. 😂 All my hazbin fics were written pre-season 1 when all we had was the pilot, a couple comics, creator comments, and some Helluva to go by; but idk maybe you'd consider that a plus lol. (If you're interested, on ao3 I've also written Transformers, Godzilla, some Pokémon, and a smattering of other things.)

Thanks again for sending such a nice message!

[miffmuff]

Fuck it we ball, this is my super duper awesome TAWOG x Scream AU!!! (Spoilers for Scream if you haven't watched it already)

Basically it's all the tawog characters but they've been shoved into the first Scream movie and take over their rules.

They're all human in this AU. I was considering keeping them as cartoons but they'd be very hard to kill, and it'd just get confusing. Also also it's a time skip of 5 years cuz I don't want the events of Scream happening to 12 year old. I'll also tell you guys some of my character hcs while we're at it. Oh and this has a more Scary Movie vibe to it in the sense that it's just not serious at all, it's just for fun!!!

Oh and one more thing, all these designs and details are just doodles and are subject to change :3

long post up ahead! (Also including art!!)

Roles:

Penny/Sydney:

Penny gives such final girl vibes, her and Sydney would get along tbh. Still dating Gumball after all this time, but she's become more distant over the past year. Probably cuz her mum died!!

She's 17, Arab and trans and awesome. She dyes her hair blonde and stuff :3

Carrie/Tatum:

Penny and her got pretty close over the years and now they're besties. Carrie's just awesome, and still dating Darwin! What a wholesome couple, I hope nothing bad happens.

She's 16 and albino, white as a ghost you might say. I really enjoy how her design looks hehe.

Random hc for her, during one Halloween she dressed up as Carrie from the movie. (She actually likes Halloween in this AU)

Gumball/Billy:

Gumball becomes EVIL!! He sees Penny being distant and is that wow that sucks, the final straw however is when she sends 1 heart emoji instead of 3 heart emojis... He's like god dammit she doesn't love me anymore and instead of communicating like a normal person he sets out to KILL her and everything she loves!!! In the words of Randy, there's always some bullshit reason to kill your girlfriend.

Something I've observed in the Scream movies is that everyone just loves to kill people. They act like it's the only resort. Dammit my film teacher gave me a bad grade!! It's okay, I'll just mimic my favorite serial killer and murder her ass!!! Why are film bros like the most evil people ever there, this world seriously has a murdering problem.

To follow the film bro trend, yk how in The Money they mention how Gumball gets obsessed with something weekly, well now it's horror movies. He like mansplains them to Carrie and she's like ☹️

He's 17 and mixed. Half Japanese half white. He dyes his hair blue but gets too lazy to redye it so a lot of roots are showing.

Real ones know where the varsity jacket comes from

Darwin/Stu:

Ahh Darwin, in a wonderful relationship relationship with his hot goth girlfriend, everyone loves him, he's just happy to be there.

Too bad he's so susceptible to peer pressure, now he too is EVIL!! As Gumballs accomplice.

He's 15 and black. He's the youngest

Sarah/Randy:

This one felt obvious, not only does she treat the world like a tv show, but she's also canonically interacted with ghostface! Sarah has forced her way into the group, and no one can get rid of her. Fortunately, she's gotten therapy and is no longer an obsessive stalker, woohoo!!

She's 17 and white, got that y/n messy bun for her collage au self.

Tobias/Casey:

Tobias is still a loser after all these years (affectionate and derogatory at the same time), and he'll die a loser. He gets killed cuz he owes Gumball 5 bucks and Gballs super salty about it.

Design wise I am so indecisive on if I should make him ginger like canon or black. Cuz both are so fitting jcwjxndhjs

Rachel/Steve:

Obviously Tobias doesn't have a girlfriend, so his sister is the next best option. Rachel is just driving over to visit when she's kidnapped and finds herself tied to a chair. Her mouth isn't covered with duck tape in that scene because Gumball and Darwin thought it'd be more torturous for Tobias to just get verbally abused by her. She's not scared just annoyed.

Rob/Roman:

Ahh yes the character introduced in the 3rd movie, yeah you'd think I'd give him a bigger role considering he's my goat but ehh wasn't feeling it. It's okay tho it all connects back to the first movie so it's still fitting!!!

In this universe Rob is just kinda delusional, since this is the real world and not a tv show, he's just gotten super into his roleplay with Gumball from middle school. He still hates Gumball for "giving" him severe electrical scars (it's in some weird butterfly effect typa shit) in middle school so the roleplay was serious on his part.

Y'all ever watch Meet the Robinsons? it's kinda like how Goob never got over the baseball thing and just got worse. Kinda like that. He's the "director" and manipulated Gumball into becoming very irrational and becoming evil, don't ask how I haven't figured that out yet just yeah! He figured you can't kill the main character, but you can kill the villain!!

Penny's mom/Maureen:

I don't know much about her in canon, if there is much to know. Whatever!! She's dead anyway. She died last summer, killed by Gumball, Darwin, Carrie, Tobias, and Sarah all being very irresponsible while driving and hitting her with their car. Gumball was driving. Penny never found out it was them and just thought she was hit by a random drunkie. All her friends are just like yeah... Who would do that......

I wanted to post this when I had all the designs figured out, but let's face it I'm never finishing that shit this had been in my drafts since October.

Ohh and doodles!!!

[detectivereads]

Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1 by Tom King

5/5

This post is for fan entertainment, I am not being paid.

I went to my local comic shop recently to get some of the Batman Day comics that they had. I got a bunch. I was really happy to see some of the Long Halloween comics that were there. But this one the owner recommended it. At first I didn’t really know what to think, I know Loony Toons and Batman had some collaborations but when I saw the cover one this one I was not too sure I would like, so this was one of the first ones I read cover to cover, I am happy to say I love this, granted Elmer Fudd is not one of my favorite Loony Toons characters, after reading this I hope there is more in the series.

The comic shop had two variants the colored version and the noir version, I got the noir version.

Once I started reading this I started laughing, the way Elmer talks is iconic and the monologue that is shown within the first page. You have this super serious gritty scene. Gotham City at night it's raining down buckets and figure is seen trudging through the waterlog streets. Streets lights are dimly lit casting what little light they can, and you read the dialogue boxes and there is Elmer Fudd giving the token noir speech, heading to his regular bar: Porky’s.

Again, the sign for Porky’s, I like to see it as a nod towards the ending title cards after the cartoons.

Once Elmer is the bar, we as the reader see multitude of people, humanoid version of our favorite Loony Toon’s character. You got Bugs, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Taz and so on.

At one point when were saw all the bar patrons I had a hard time telling who one was, I want to say its Marvin the Martian.

Elmer is looking for Bugs, in this universe Bugs is a hired hit man and he was tasked to take out a woman that Elmer loved. So, Elmer has come to return the favor. Bugs barters for his life, giving the name of the man who hired him: Bruce Wayne.

With some calls and favors pulled Elmer gets into the party that Bruce is hosting, he finds Bruce and shoots him. Fleeing the scene after the deed has been done, Elmer heads home. However, he is not alone.

This comic was a riot, I really didn’t see the ending coming, but since this was noir type comic, I should have seen it coming.

The only issue that I did have with comic is that sometimes I couldn’t really understand what Elmer was saying, I had to re-read it a few times to understand it better.

I had my doubts about this comic, but I am happy to say this is a gold star in my book, I got noir-type mystery, I got Loony Toons and Batman. I was happy to be proven wrong. I hope there is going to be more Batman/Loony Toons mysteries.

[mostlikelytofangirl]

Honestly one of my favourite things about ruoyao is how unhinged a ship it is! Like okay WRH and MY are fundamentally different people but they fit together very nicely! WRH is very capricious and MY knows how to deal with capricious people, WRH seems to be one of the few people in the entire novel to elevate people purely on merit (see: MY, WZL, WQ) and thag drives me nuts!

Like are you serious??? The unhinged megalomaniac is better at recognising and rewarding talent than everyone here??? Says a lot about the jianghu. In the same vein, he seems like the one person that would 100% respect his mom, without being awkward about it because he doesn't give two craps about social conventions or propriety

The same way I don't think MY's kindness is a facade, I don't think his cruelty in WRH's court is one either! MY can be very unhinged and cruel himself when he's pushed to it! (see: JGS's death)

There's also the fact WRH treated him better than anyone until that point (except for LXC) and like, obviously MY was playing a role in Qinshang, but it wasn't a role necessarily antithetical to his character!

It's really fun to explore the whirlwind of emotion MY was dealing with at that point! The power, the rush of WRH's respect and care, so on!

I've read every ruoyao dynamic under the sun (wen-gongzi, wen-furen, codependency, sexy torture times, etc.) And they drive me crazy!!!! Have you seen manhua WRH's reaction to being killed? He doesn't look like he's angry and wants to rage and kill! He looks confused and devastated like he doesn't understand why his talented Yao'er would do this!

It's about the potential. Like yeah WRH is basically a cartoon villain in the books but he's so fun to toy with with the little info we have! One thing that I like to believe about him is that he 100% adores his family! Hurt WX or WC or MY? He'll skin you. He was probably about to shatter baxia and have MY skin NMJ when he died

AAAAHHHH You get me!!!

YES! They are different ppl but they align so well with each other! As you said WRH is the kind to do whatever the hell he wants, and one thing MY is great at is accommodating, and he has no issues with that so long as his own needs are met too, and woULD YOU LOOK AT HOW HE ACTUALLY GOT RECOGNIZED!

And WZL! I forgot about him, but YES, that dude not only got accepted in the sect, he even was given the Wen name! LIKE PLS WRH was going around collecting talented rejects :')

Oh, I totally agree with your assessment of MY. I believe he was an inherently good person, but he was more than capable of cruelty. He probably had to exaggerate a bit in Qishan, but he definitely had what it took already, that cold blood is just something you can't fake, no matter how good an actor. And you know, that's what I love about Wen Yao, that he could be fully himself like that, he didn't have to hide his "dark" side nor pretend to be better to not hurt others' sensibilities bc, as good as he may have been at his core, he was not all about pure righteousness. He understood nuance and the need for harsh measures, and only with the Wen was it properly appreciated (but not exploited and abused like JGS did)

There are so many flavors to the ship indeed! I mean, you are still not going to get the healthiest pairing out of ruoyao lol, but you can get some wonderful codependence or the ever so delicious "I'm horrible to everybody but never to you" dynamics :'D

Ahhh the manhua!! I made this post some time ago PRECISELY bc I was going insane over how crushed WRH was when he discovered his Yao'er betraying him! He wasn't angry, he just couldn't understand why T-T

Lol he's a wonderful cartoon villain XD. It's about his potential as well, how we can have fun with the bits and pieces of info bc those are actually telling. And I do agree that he cared about his family, even if he wasn't aware of how he came off to them (aka that one donghua scene with WC kneeling), bc we would have been told otherwise since this is the Horrible Fathers novel :P. Also iirc, the whole "torture of NMJ right in front of him" thing was bc he killed WX, sooooo...

[waheelawhisperer]

Okay I guess it's time for me to post my impressions of the second episode of RWBY Volume 9. Those impressions were, overall, not positive. I do not like this Volume so far.

More detail below the cut.

The first thing I notice is another cartoony gag revolving around the mouse. Not really a great start when it comes to tone.

“Are we seriously entertaining this?” Yeah Weiss I’ve been asking myself the same question since I first learned the premise of this Volume.

Not a fan of Weiss’s cartoon gag but I get her on a fundamental level. I really do. I don’t want any more part of this than you do, girlie. I’m frustrated too. If Weiss remains as annoyed by this Volume's setting as I am, there's a good chance she'll be my favorite character by the end of all this.

So we’re in The Girl Who Fell Through The World. Really wish we’d introduced that properly so the audience would have any idea what the fuck that meant beyond a couple vague sentences from the prior Volume.

Yay, more cartoony motion, because this show is incapable of taking itself seriously this Volume for some reason.

Okay, we’ve laid out the story, I guess. Too little too late in terms of setup, but at least it’s serviceable. Barely. Really like the way Blake takes the lead on the explanation and Yang follows up, Blake is the bookworm and Yang likes books herself and read to Ruby when she was young. It’s a nice little Bee connection.

Weiss has her head screwed on straight. Good for her for pushing the gang to come up with a plan and pick their priorities.

Excuse me, what was that raccoon’s name??? Feels like I heard something I’m really hoping I didn’t.

Little is asleep immediately after promising to do something useful for once. I hope this isn't going to become a running gag this Volume. At least they managed to be useful for the first time so far. This is not enough to redeem them, but I’m less inclined to treat them as Blake’s emergency rations... or at least I was, for about five seconds, until we got this gag. You're back on emergency rations status, mouse. I hate this Volume's insistence on trying (and failing) to be funny so much.

I like the debate about Alyx’s morals, that’s kind of interesting. I’m not overly intrigued by Alyx or her story but the differing perspectives feel like something this Volume would want to explore, especially since it’s supposed to be a character-driven Volume.

More mouse comedy. Hooray. Perish.

This Jinxy Peddler character is throwing up some real red flags, but I’ll get into that in a bit. Instead, we're going to discuss the worst moment of the episode, which is also the worst moment of the Volume so far and one of the bottom 5 moments in RWBY's entire run.

Anyway, what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck why are we mocking Yang’s disability what the fuck I hate these writers so much

Like this should be a serious moment but instead the loss of Yang's arm is portrayed in the form of an exaggerated cartoon gag lmao. At least the tone has been consistently awful this Volume.

Actually, I'm gonna take this opportunity to discuss a broader topic for a moment - RWBY's overall issues with tone. RWBY has always struggled to treat serious subjects with the respect they deserve, and this goes all the way back to the end of Volume 1 at the absolute latest (and arguably shows up as early as the Yellow Trailer, where Yang sexually assaulting Junior is played for laughs).

RWBY has been trying to convince us that Catgirl Discrimination is a serious issue for a very long time, but it undermined itself almost as soon as it started by pigeonholing Faunus characters into stereotypes associated with the animals they share their traits with and playing that for comedy. I already wrote in great detail about how exactly the writers bungled their racism storyline, so I won't rehash it here, but suffice it to say that if even the narrative can't take its themes and topics seriously, how the hell is the audience supposed to?

The "serious topics get turned into jokes" phenomenon also shows up with Yang's arm throughout the series, just like it does right here, btw, but I'll get into that later. For now I need to go vomit a little and try to figure out why whatever dumbass is responsible for this particular scene is still employed as a writer.

Leaving aside the way this scene is drenched in ableism, why the fuck are we making jokes about Yang's arm now?

(The real question is "why are we mocking Yang's status as an amputee at all?", but we already know the answer to that: it's because the writers are insensitive shitbags and incompetent on top of that.)

Team RWBY is lost in a strange environment. They don't know where they are, how to get home, what threats exist or how to combat or avoid them, or how long it will take to escape the Ever After. Their only guide is a fairy tale. They are trained Huntresses, which means they should know how to proceed in potentially hostile territory.

Yang is the team's most combat-capable member. On top of that, Yang is the one whose combat efficiency drops the least when denied access to resources such as Dust, ammunition, or the time and supplies needed to maintain her weapons. Team RWBY has been attacked by at least one denizen of the Ever After, and they know Neo is present and hostile and has a Semblance that allows her to strike without warning. Team RWBY should be on alert at all times, and their number-one priority should be getting Yang's arm back (number two should be recovering Crescent Rose). Can we please just go for five seconds without making Yang's disability the butt of a shitty joke?

I almost turned the episode off and dropped the show right here, not gonna lie. This is just... so fucking gross. Not gonna lie, I'm not sure I ship Bumbleby anymore.

Not that I could even if I wanted to, because Blake Belladonna doesn't exist anymore. The writers took her characterization out behind the woodshed and put it down like a sick dog. She went from being a courageous young woman who fought for the sake of the marginalized and oppressed to someone who tells her fellow minorities to protest more palatably, does nothing in the Kingdom most closely associated with anti-Faunus discrimination, and makes fun of her love interest for missing an arm. Honestly, Blake, you are well on your way to becoming unbearable this Volume, like I straight up don’t like you as a character right now.

God… I can feel my hopes for any remotely tolerable content coming out of this Volume dying as I watch. My expectations cratered harder than the asteroid that hit Chicxulub.

Glad the Bees are flirting in this situation, surely the loss of a Kingdom and being trapped who knows where is a great time to work on your love life.

Yang you thought you were dead ten in-universe minutes ago why the fuck are you acting like you’re on vacation

Still no fucking urgency regarding anything or concern for the people back on Remnant. Not sure if it’s the writers or the characters who forgot they exist.

Weiss loses points for looking at this Bumbleby interaction as a good thing.

Ruby’s still out of it but at least she has her priorities straight. She sounds like she’s about to cry though. Hopefully someone will pick up on that.

Weiss gets her points back for being the only one to give a shit about anything going on back on Remnant while the Bees laugh and flirt. I like the way the writing is consistently showing that she’s the one this hit the hardest.

Ruby might (MIGHT) be right about saying they did the best they could but honestly their best fucking sucked, though I blame that on the writers more so than the characters

Weiss is now fighting Yang for the coveted title of “Heela’s Favorite Character (This Volume)” because she’s acknowledging that Volume 8 happened and was bad. Low bar, but hey.

The one good thing about this scene is that it further establishes that Blake is actually a goofy little shit when she's not terrified or traumatized and is around people who make her feel safe and secure enough to open up. I've been saying this for ages. This is really not the time to be exploring this element of her character ("character"), but hey, it's nice to have textual support for my interpretations.

It's genuinely amazing that we're 7.5 minutes into this episode and a potential coded slur isn't even the thing that makes me the most uncomfortable about it. I don't know who the writers hate more, Blake, Yang, or their audience.

Oh boy more mouse humor why does this feel like a Saturday morning cartoon

I want to feed Little to the thing of indeterminate nature wearing Blake’s skin like a costume

Not bad, Little, you made the first decent joke of the Volume. Finally, an application of humor that doesn’t make me want to lobotomize myself.

Interesting that Yang is the one who wants to open up with violence when despite the stereotypes the fandom likes to insist she fits into, she’s actually one of the more diplomatic members of the team, but the peddler took her arm, so I don’t blame her for wanting to kick their ass. Blake seems a little uncomfortable with this but honestly I’m with Yang. Burn this "acre" or whatever the fuck to the ground and haul ass back to Remnant.

Weiss what the fuck with your vulnerability to anything cute I’m amazed you haven’t tried to pet your Faunus friends

Like seriously this girl goes gaga over anything remotely resembling a pet or a baby

Weiss’s facial expressions during all this convey my feelings about this stupid plotline incredibly well. Don't worry, sis, I hate this as much as you do.

Yang’s heart didn’t tell her shit she just pointed to the arm-shaped thing that was literally color-coded. Love it.

Anyway seeing Yang’s reaction to the price was cool. She wasn’t happy about that one bit. For someone like Yang, that is an awful price to pay. Like damn, the pain on her face when she heard those words...

I’m with Yang here honestly, just beat his ass and put an end to this storyline.

Poor Ruby. I actually really like this as an insight into her mental state. Kiddo's really just falling into despair. I'm hoping this'll be a red flag for her teammates to start trying to help her a bit more aggressively.

Little is certainly more useful this episode than the last, although that isn’t saying much. Love the way this mouse just saw a Thing Friend Ruby Wanted and decided to steal it without a second thought. Congratulations, Little, you're no longer emergency rations. I'm warning you, though, you're on thin ice.

At least Yang got her arm back. I love the way she’s found a new and exciting way to shoot people. Love that cocky smirk on her face when she blasts the toy soldier guy.

The different exits were funny honestly and full of personality. Weiss’s is my favorite tbh. Work it, queen. The thing pretending to be Blake, meanwhile, just looks ridiculous.

Ruby seeing Penny’s sword and having an emotional response is nice, hope this carries on throughout the Volume.

Okay we're done with this plotline now, so let's talk about the way the writers named a peddler who steals from people and cheats his customers and travels around in a wagon something that sounds remarkably similar to a... certain slur. Ever since Kdin and a number of other Rooster Teeth employees revealed the depth of the bigotry permeating that company's corporate culture, I have been approaching every piece of Rooster Teeth-produced media I encounter with my hackles up like my dog when she smells a coyote, alert for any sign of this company's characteristic malice. Between that and Rooster Teeth's well-established pattern of using coded slurs to disguise their bigotry, as well as the fact that Rooster Teeth is a dudebro company that built its brand by punching down at groups that couldn't defend themselves, I'm not inclined to assume that any similarities between Jinxy's portrayal and negative Romani stereotypes is coincidental.

Well, at least Yang had fun. Still hate the arm jokes here but at least it feels more appropriate if she’s the one making them. Never been fond of the way the show likes using Yang's status as an amputee for humor, honestly, especially since, as I just said a moment ago, Rooster Teeth established itself via making jokes at the expense of minorities/marginalized groups for the amusement of mostly-white mostly-straight mostly-gamer-dudes. If the show and the people and company behind it had more credibility with me, I'd be more readily able to accept that Yang is just the kind of person that can laugh at her own disability and that these jokes were a way of showing her strength and irrepressible bright sunny cheerfulness, but with all that context, it feels more like the writers are doing more of what Rooster Teeth has always done and mocking a vulnerable target group like the bullies the people in charge of this company are and always have been.

“We’re ruining everything” It deserves to be ruined, Thing That Was Once Blake. This setting sucks. Ruin it all you want. You cannot possibly make it worse.

Once again Yang keys in on Ruby’s distress before anyone else does. Bad sister lmao

I agree with you Weiss, I too would like out of this nightmare

Weiss is fighting Yang for Best Girl slot. She hates this bullshit as much as I do. Now if only the show would stop using her as the butt of stupid jokes. Like can we please not try to make her the comic relief and the person most affected by the fall of Atlas? Once again RWBY tries to have its cake and eat it too by trying to force a situation that should be serious to also be amusing.

I will admit the Family Weiss Death Pose is funny though.

Okay so the storms key in on emotions, and possibly Ruby’s specifically. That’s cool.

Fuck the toy soldiers but that was actually a really touching speech in Penny’s honor. I’m assuming that Ruby’s doing her guile hero bit to get to the Red King and isn’t really planning on immediately giving up her last keepsake of Penny’s.

Honestly just let Yang go apeshit on their asses, nothing about this stupid godawful setting deserves any better treatment

Ooh, that last line… That made an impact on the gang. The cracks in Ruby’s mental state are starting to show. Hopefully WBY will reach out to her soon.

Ruby sounds like she’s about to cry every time she talks this Volume. Really sells the way she’s not in a good spot right now. Here’s hoping her teammates will pick up on that, but I guess they’re too busy flirting, joking about Yang’s status as an amputee, and being the butt of visual gags.

Overall rating: FETID DOGSHIT/10

This episode is in serious contention for worst RWBY episode ever produced, or at least my least favorite. Amazing how the writers can turn out a product this bad a decade in. I want to run MKEK over with a Peterbilt.

Anyway RIP to Blake Belladonna (2013-2023), the first casualty of this Volume.