#this is a long post and it's extremely late

[intimidating-fettuccine]

This may be an odd request, but if you are into it, can I request headcanons of Smiley, Helen, and Jason (or characters you want to write) where their partner (reader) dies in front of them on a mission of something, but somehow and for some reason, time gets reversed to start at the beginning of the day, so their partner is alive and sleeping on their bed. Please and thank you!

I sort of imagined it as them going to sleep at the end of the day and waking up and it's the previous day, I hope that's okay <3 This request also made me remember Helen and his heart jar for his dead s/o so we're just gonna pretend that doesn't happen this time :p

This got so long I'm sorry I'm posting this so late-

Smiley:

He was never made for field work, with his preference for medical assistance at the mansion he was never meant to be standing out there in the field. He was never meant to watch you take that fatal injury, to do everything he could to save you out in the woods surrounding you and fail so miserably at it, much to his extreme distress. The following hours before he'd eventually passed out at his medical table had been a mash of absolute pain and misery, feelings he'd assumed he'd be waking up to once more the following morning, but instead, he was met with your beautiful face smiling at him. He'd thought he'd died himself for a moment, after all, he hadn't fallen asleep in bed, but here you are beside him, just as snug as you were the previous morning. It doesn't take long for him to realize what's happened, and Smiley isn't going to waste the chance before him. He's quick to come up with some bullshit but believable reason about why you can't go out on the mission you're meant to, citing doctor's orders and him needing to monitor a concern that came up on a pre-mission health check.

Nobody questions him, although you're left quite concerned by his actions. Nobody else can see it, but you can see the tenseness of his body, his eyes darting about anxiously, the heavy beating of his heart. You can tell he's worried about something, but he won't tell you what it is, he simply can't. He can't bring himself to admit what he saw, what he experienced, not when it's still too fresh in his mind. Perhaps he'll tell you later, but for now, he instead chooses to seek comfort in the fact that by the time the two of you go to bed that night, you're still safe and sound in his arms, just as you are the following, brand new morning, and nothing else other than that matters. It takes far longer than he thought to tell you what truly happened that day, why he refused to let you go on the mission, years down the line, and it's only with your comfort and love for him at that time that allows him to truly grieve and let go of those horrible memories. Suddenly all those days of him being more concerned about you going on missions makes sense, and you apologize for ever questioning his judgment or doubting him, promising to always come home safe to him, just as he does for you.

Jason:

The scream leaving his throat feels as though it should rip it apart, just as he feels like he's being ripped apart at the sight of your dying body crashing to the ground. Jason can barely tell what's happening in the next few hours, between trying desperately to resuscitate you, weeping for your death, and the others trying to keep him from doing something drastic. He barely realizes when he's falling asleep, his mechanical body simply powering off due to overcharge of his emotions, and when he awakes the next morning, he can't help but immediately begin sobbing once more when his eyes land on you. You're still in his satin sleep shirt, oversized on your body and revealing your skin just as it had the morning before, a sleepy smile resting on your cheeks as you gaze at him as he wakes up, but it's different this morning because now you're replaced with immense concern over his sudden outburst. You cradle him close and attempt to comfort him as best you can as he cries and crushes you against his body, so scared that any moment you could slip away again.

It must have been a dream, he reasons. A terrible, horribly bad dream, one that felt far too real, and so he tries to calm down, but he can't. Not when everything in the day progresses the exact same day, and so he shatters, begging you not to go on the mission. He tells you of his "dream", tells you of everything he saw, how he's scared it might actually happen, and you're so devastated by the clear distress he's in, so, of course, you switch out with someone else and stay home. He's so thankful you listened, so thankful a stronger creep took your place, considering the sorry state said creep was in when they got home. It could have been you, but it wasn't. Not this time, not ever again. Jason will never allow you to die in such a way, not now that he knows it's a definite possibility, no. He'll keep you safe and comfortable in his arms, safe from any dangers, just as he is right now, and will continue to do, for the rest of your life. He treasures you far too greatly to ever allow you to truly experience something like that again, and if he can help prevent it in any way at all, he will do so, for you, the love of his life, someone who deserves to live and die in peace.

Helen:

He had such an odd feeling. He'd elected to stay home last minute, as Slender had assumed not all of you would need to attend this mission. However, he felt this clawing, nagging feeling in his chest, and so he ran, ran faster than he ever had before, but he'd been too late. Your blood was fresh as you lay collapsed against a tree, your eyes unfocused as he sat before you. He tried everything he could to try and help you, but it was too late. Others had to find the two of you, as Helen had sat there before you for hours, crying and screaming, revealing emotions nobody other than you had ever seen before. He felt as though he should be dead, as though he should have died with you, but instead there he was, laying in your shared bed, now far colder than usual due to the lack of your body heat. So, if it had been so cold, why was it suddenly so warm when he woke up? Rare tears slip from his eyes as you snuggle into him, just as you had that morning, and he clutches you tightly. He feels as though some god out there must have finally taken pity upon him and done something good for him for once.

You ask what's wrong, and he simply asserts he'll tell you later, instead choosing to look after you that day, to be far more affectionate than usual. When Slender once again offers for someone to fall back, Helen disagrees, saying he has a bad feeling and that maybe someone extra should go to be safe, and so a few do, and Helen is so unbelievably thankful that he and the extra few went. He can't believe you were basically fighting all of these people by yourself, and he hates himself for so casually staying home. He kills the person who was meant to kill you with ease, and the mission is successful. You all make it home, and it's when you're cuddled up once more that night that Helen finally tells you what happened, how you had died, how it could have been his fault, how painful it was. You're momentarily confused, but with how earnestly he's retelling it, you feel as though it must have been true, and so you thank him for saving you this time, thank him for keeping you safe, and he swears to you that he'll continue to do so. For the rest of your careers for Slender, he'll always be there, on every mission, fighting to protect the one true blessing in his life.

[skele-bunny]

Thinking about my Mountain interpretation......

Queued post don't kill me.

He was the tallest even when just a young kit, towering over the others but they never minded. Even as he became an adult, looking down at his fathers with a smile and a tail wag. He loved visiting the freshwater ghouls a lot, peeking his head down into the water and seeing their pretty glows. Anytime a trade was needed with them, Mountain always volunteered

Mountain is the only child of his two fathers, and has always been a rowdy lil thing. Growling and hissing, but quiet at the most oddest of times. He was always treated kindly, and in return he treated others kindly too.

He grew up to be an exceptional hunter for their pack, always able to hide himself within the trees and stalk before pouncing. He was very ritualistic with his killings, just as the other earth ghouls were, but adored their bones. Making skulls into wreaths, rib cages as pot holders and drying racks, thin bones for curtains and warning sigils of their territory.

One day, he left, and returned to ashes.

Corpses in their once happy home, trees still ablaze, crops destroyed. His parents, aunts, uncles, cousins... All mauled and burnt. He cried and cried, looking around at the carnage and doing his best to stop the fires before the waters he left not too long ago was alerted by the smoke and flames growing higher.

The leaders of the water ghouls stayed with him, helping clean what they could and staying for the mass burials. Mountain was someone kind to their packs, and they hurt for him. Promised they'd stay as long as he needed.

His summoning, just like the others, was unexpected. Patrolling the shoreline when his chest started hurting, doubling over and nails digging into his own fur. Trying to fight whatever it was and hearing the waters desperate concern as they surfaced. How he yelled and woke up in piles of dirt, stomping out and immediately clocking others around.

He ended up moving himself more near the treeline so he was near the water tribes, making himself a small den beneath the earth to stay content. He quickly became pescitarian with them and a part of many packs in return; he protected them from others that may wish harm.

So many nights he'd fight off starving ghouls who tried going near eggs that were laid, or when a siren seduction became too... Rough. He'd intervene. He was their safe space and he loved the waters so, so much... He's mated with a few of them, just being cuddled with a few mates every night. Mountain was never alone, and he felt peace for the first time in a while since his original packs death.

Mountain got violent QUICK. Snarling, snapping his jaw, ready to kill and maul. All it took was this tiny little water ghoul, a freshwater just like from home, to step into his vision and sweet talk him into calming down.

As of late, he's very calmed and quiet, an observer that waits until he approaches. He's still extremely family and mate oriented, focused. Finds himself by the lake or natural small waterfalls in the woods a lot, thinking of his packs in the pits. Wonders if they're safe, if those he loved were still alive — more importantly, if they'd all be proud of him.

Would his fathers?

Mountain is still protective, but he's taken the role of a silent guardian. Earth ghouls by nature don't attack unless provoked or feel threatened, that goes for any mates or family. Usually just a stare and how much Mountain towers over everyone stops a situation, but that's not to say he won't quickly become that violent ghoul he used to be.

From time to time, he'll purposely hunt just for the bones. Mainly for courting gifts or comfort! He'll make use of all that's offered, the pelt, the meat, but what lays beneath is his.

The pack all have their own bone art he's made for them, displayed and sensitive. But something so very loving. Yes! Even Copia! He's so loving and so forgiving, but never forgetful.

[xiofaire]

I want to use this post as a sort of a vent, in the hopes that others understand how I feel or others who feel the same way. I lately have been feeling extremely frustrated with this reality.

What I want to talk about on this post is something I’ve had a really hard time coming to terms with. Society is so fast pace and we as people can’t just live and rest, call it laziness but I don’t see how I have to work everyday 5 days a week with absolutely no breaks but the weekends until I am 70. My parents, siblings and I recently went on vacation, I returned 3 days before them. I had the house to myself for 3 days and I loved it. I loved it so much that I wished they had stayed longer on vacation. This made me think how it’d be a long time before I could have my own home, not just that but that it’d be a long time before I could just roam around my own house all day and do nothing, every single day, just do nothing at all. Decades that’ll take, once I hit retirement I could do this. I sometimes, in glimpses of moments forget that I am a shifter. Thinking about my waiting room dr and how I’d do nothing all day there but just eat, sleep, take the best baths, and watch media all day there. I could stay there for a long time, as long as I wanted.

Look I love my parents, I really do, but being around my mother is so draining. In my AP literature class we learned about energy vampires and I couldn’t help but think about my mother the whole time. Me and my mother have a complicated relationship, I love her but if I am being honest, I don’t like her. She’s the biggest reason why I am so insanely insecure, she has picked on my weight since my middle school days to the point where I didn’t have a quince because I am so insecure about how I look. Now for my father, I love him as well, I just hate how aggressive & loud he gets when someone doesn’t listen to him. I also hate being around drunk men so it really bugs me when he gets drunk. I’m scared all the time here, even when I haven’t done anything wrong I have a fear of my parents getting incredibly angry with me.

I want to know if anyone feels similar in the way that they don’t feel a strong connection with their family here. I can’t help but think I am not normal for this but it’s truthfully how I feel. I’d much rather be around the people in my drs. I feel an ease just thinking about being there in their presence.

[lauren-no-why]

Oh fun! Man this post is long haha, took some scrolling to get here. I have only just rolled out of bed, hopefully my answers are coherent.

Last song: Want to be Free, British Sea Power. Looks like I didn't quite get to the end of the album before I put a stop to it so I could focus on something. Let the Dancers Inherit the Party is a fun one. (ALSO SHIT I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A NEW NARCISSIST COOKBOOK ALBUM OUT? HELL YEAH THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THIS)

Favorite color: Blue, generally, but especially the darker blues toward indigo.

Last book: That I finished? Always Running by Luis Rodriguez. Honestly this is one of the books that should be on those lists of things kids need to read in high school except it keeps getting banned. Extremely influential, so glad I read it. Autobiography of a teen in the Lomas gang in east LA in the late 1960s-early 1970s, who becomes deeply involved in making his community better in the midst of the new Chicano rights movement.

And now I'm back on my usual beloved bullshit with Absolution by Jeff Vandemeer (so glad my held copy finally came in haha I had it on hold since October...)

Last film: Uh... hm. I don't watch a lot of movies. Might have been Late Night with the Devil? Which I recommend but with the caveat that you should pirate it because they used genAI in the movie a couple of times and that was fucking stupid of them and everyone noticed. It's a shame too because if they hadn't I'd be in the "throw money at these people" camp, it's a great little horror film otherwise.

Last show: My beloved PBS SpaceTime. I have a few videos to catch up on. Super excited about the next one about the news that came out recently about the shape of an electron.

Sweet/spicy/savory: They all go together. Gochujang rules. Why would I pick one of my precious best and favorite children?

Relationship status: lmao (always single and loving it)

Last thing I googled: Well now it's the new Narcissist Cookbook album. Because I just woke up and am braindead and googled instead of just going straight to bandcamp.

Current obsession: The World Enders. The Phantom Riders. The Redmayne boys. Just Lord Huron things.

Currently coexisting side by side with how fast my heart was pounding during The Big Final Loop in Outer Wilds, especially That Part With The Teeth but also the whole thing really. That last loop is going to be with me for a while.

tagging: uhhh feel free to ignore but I must pass it along! @long-lost-soul @spectromagic @leucrotta @yarrowace

Ten People I’d Like to Get to Know Better

tagged by: @orphiclovers

last song: It’s all been Christmas retail crap or if you count the radio on the drive home playing Avril Lavigne

fav color: this pale seafoam green for things or white for clothes

last book: Eclipse by Wilder (poetry)

last movie: Deadpool & Wolverine

last show: N/A

sweet/spicy/savory: sweet and savory 

relationship status: 4 people proposed to me this year. 1 meant it fr 🥹 (engaged irl) otherwise I have a harem on AO3 going.

last thing i googled: how big is a wintermelon?

current obsession: cooking and Infinity Nikki

looking forward to: I’m planning a road trip with the girls later this week!!

Tagging: @auuwmk, @ssunfish, @ajhaijma, @stoneclaw, @quiteboared, @kiwiandmint, @dgeneralacc, @rex44201, @readingdreaming4951, @thottykunikida

[noelevangilinecarson]

Rewatched ep2 of The Gilded Age last night, and when they get to the Russells', Anne says "so this is what Dido felt when she was about to throw herself onto the flaming pyre."

Either Anne (or Fellowes) isn't that clever, or I'm not understanding Dido's story.

Dido, first of all, stabs herself (idk if the pyre's already burning by then or not). So that's one thing. Secondly, she's doing so because she has been abandoned. Who has abandoned Anne? Patrick? (Babe, he's holding your hand.)

The only way I can figure it is that Anne is basically saying she's only doing this because she loves him. But also, that's an imperfect metaphor.

I assume it's meant to be foreshadowing, but it's sloppy, right? Patrick's the one who kills himself, and sure, he abandons Anne to pick up the pieces. But does that suggest that she, too, will commit (more suicidey) suicide in s2 (which I expect not bc she's too tenacious for that)?

The most it tells us is that Anne is a literature/mythology/opera girlie. And that this dinner is gonna kill somebody.

Or, if we're gonna put the queer reading on it, it possibly foreshadows, not Patrick's death, but Aurora's betrayal. Aurora agrees to bring Bertha into society, and abandons Anne ("you'll deny it but you will"). Does Anne then fulfill the story of Dido and destroy herself? Or does she live to see the vision at the end of Berlioz' Les Troyens come to pass? That the old city will be defeated by the immortal new.

Again, I can see similarities, but I think the line is wasted. Because again, Anne is referring to committing social suicide, but without having first been abandoned. It doesn't follow.

Because I don't think Anne is dumb. I think she is incredibly adept at operating within the rules of NY society. I mean, she sits next to Mrs. Astor at luncheon. It's just that the Russells have so much money, they are capable of breaking the game. There's no playbook for her here, and Patrick never tells her why he needs her to get cozy with Bertha.

So why would she make a reference that makes no sense?

She should be referencing Joan of Arc. Being burned for the crime of defending her homeland from the invaders (she def called the Russells invaders). The profound injustice, the political overtones, her firm conviction that she is correct. It fits much better.

[gotchibam]

Does anyone here draw in both desktop & mobile? I'm planning to get a galaxy tab at some point and since I don't really have any experience drawing on a (mobile) tablet, I'm curious abt how it feels to draw on one vs. drawing on pc w/ a graphic tablet 🤔

[reineyday]

okay, so i was thinking about a mishanks demon/priest au.

if mihawk is the priest and shanks is the demon, then my thoughts are that mihawk is the best exorcist in the world, and ends up on assignment to exorcise one of the four reigning demons out in the human realm, dubbed emperors by the supernatural community. except when he gets there, it becomes clear that at least this one demon emperor is more than he appears, and that the ethics surrounding this entire community--including the people mihawk works for--are questionable at best. they fight, mihawk acknowledges how thrilling it is to find an equal in one of the emperors of hell, and they uncover a sordid plot together. all very action-drama-mystery-intrigue-love story.

but if shanks is the priest and mihawk is the demon, then i think shanks would get sent to kuraigana to bless the grounds of the castle there (possibly as a punishment from garp who is annoyed with shanks at introducing some questionable moral concepts to his grandkid, or on a dare from benn and yasopp that he wouldnt be able to), and instead comes across the presiding demon who's been living there for the last three centuries, and perhaps even his two demonic charges (a ghost demon from thriller bark and the fabled demon of the east, on a mentorship for whatever reason). and it would just be a comedy of shanks trying to subtly get into the pants of--and even, god(lol) forbid, date--a demon under the guise of trying to exorcise him, and mihawk being very, very annoyed at the handsome priest trying to convert his castle home into some sort of church. (shanks is a priest because he's good at it, not because he believes in everything being preached haha.)

[imnotstandingstill]

This is an interesting statistical breakdown. The math is fine, but the way it is applied is interesting. The initial argument is regarding “late term abortions,” abortions performed after 21 weeks. And then a set of statistics are given for the reported reason (I’m assuming the reason given by the mother at the time of the abortion) behind their decision. Again, that’s fine.

However, it appears the percentages are a breakdown of termination decisions throughout all stages of pregnancy, not just late term. Also, I can’t find these specific numbers, and the ones I can find are quite a bit different.

These numbers are based on abortions done in Florida, as it is the only state that records a reason for every abortion done in the state. Also of note, “no reason” could mean any number of things, anywhere from the woman felt none of the options accurately portrayed their situation to they did not want to disclose a reason.

There are some other numbers as well just above these that reflect reasons from a study done in 2004 by the Guttmacher Institute where they surveyed 1,209 “post-abortive” women. Of note, these numbers reflect only the reason the mother deemed most significant, however: “89% gave at least two and 72% gave at least three; the median number of reasons given was four, and some women gave as many as eight reasons out of a possible 13,” per the results section of the Guttmacher Institute’s research paper on the survey.

My point being the numbers can vary greatly just based on population size alone, not to mention the method of how the numbers are collected. However my bigger point is that these numbers are not broken down by reason and gestational age, just the reason. So these numbers cannot directly be applied to late term abortions in the same way as it can be applied to abortions overall. Not to say that it doesn’t, but there’s no evidence that it does. However, I do find it interesting that, in the data I found at least, fetal anomalies account for 0.95% in the first data set and 3% in the second data set, and that is because of anatomy scans. Let me explain.

Anatomy scans are done at the 20 week mark (generally anywhere from 18 to 22 weeks gestation, depending on scheduling/availability). The reason the 20 week mark is used is because that is the point that all major structures are formed. This diagram from mothertobaby.org is a pretty good condensed illustration of the general development of major structures.

One major structure not mentioned here is the lungs; the outer structure of the lungs are formed by roughly 16 weeks, with the inner structures responsible for the gas exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide considered mature around 36-38 weeks (though these structures continue to grow and mature well into the toddler years as the lungs grow with baby), which is why preterm and especially extremely preterm infants can require significant respiratory support to survive.

Because week 20 is generally when all major structures are formed, is it the earliest point that structural defects can be noticed. Any structural defects are markers for potential major fetal anomalies. These anomalies may be immediately identified as very concerning (examples being omphalocele, myelomeningocele aka spinal bifida, or even missing organs) or simply an area of concern that should be monitored just in case. The CDC has info here about how often different defects happen. I have extensive experience with a lot of these defects and would be happy to discuss any in detail if anyone is interested, but long story short, converting to percentages and adding them up comes to roughly 1.3% of pregnancies leading to some kind of congenital defect of varying severities and treatability (although defects in twin pregnancies are not included here, but I’m not sure how selective reductions are figured into abortion statistics so we won’t worry about that today). With some of these defects it is most common to see it in conjunction with another if not multiple other defects, making treatment much more difficult.

All this to say, if a mother (or parents together) decide to abort a pregnancy due to a health problem in the fetus, that health problem is usually not discovered until the 20 week ultrasound/anatomy scan. If you then take into account medical discussions, deliberation time, and scheduling barriers, this would put those abortions after the 21 week mark. If 0.95% of abortions are done as a result of major fetal anomalies, most if not all of these decisions would have been the result of findings on the 20 week fetal anomaly scan. And if roughly 1% (or 0.9% per the data collected in 2021 as presented by the CDC) of abortions are “late term,” meaning occurring after week 21, than it makes sense if most if not nearly all are done as a result of major fetal anomalies. So more than likely, nearly all if not all are done for major fetal anomalies and/or life of the mother.

I am not saying there are never exceptions. No one knows everything that happens in the world. But this is why if you say you are fact-checking, it is importantly to make sure the facts are used appropriately and accurately. Otherwise, that’s how disinformation spreads. This is why we say late term abortions are loved and wanted children that are lost because of an impossible and difficult decision. They do not deserve to have salt rubbed in their wounds as they mourn a child they lost or couldn’t care for the way they would have needed to be cared for.

“Late term abortions are so rare we do not even need to worry about them and they ONLY happen for life of the mother situations.”

Ok let’s fact-check that.

Firstly:

.065% of abortions are because a woman’s life is endangered, and .666 are because of a fetal abnormality

So 0.731% of abortions would even possibly be argued as justified in that sense, and the likely good that all of those were caught AFTER 21 weeks is low. Right?

So let’s address late terms being uncommon. Abortions at later gestational durations are comparatively uncommon: only 1.0% of abortions take place at or after 21 weeks after the first day of the pregnant person's last menstrual period

Yet, researchers estimate there were 1,026,700 abortions in 2023. "That's the highest number in over a decade, [and] the first time there have been over a million abortions provided in the U.S. formal health care system since 2012,"

1% of 1,026,700 is 10,276.

0.731% (which is what could be feasibly argued be be “necessary” remember? And even that I would disagree in many of those cases,) is 7505.177.

Roughly 10,276 abortions a year are late term. Let’s put this into some context.

In the United States, there are approximately 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths each year, which is about 11 deaths per day.

In 2022, there were 3,790 civilian fire deaths in the United States.

In 2022, the FBI reported that there were 4,251 victims of murder who identified as female in the United States. A further 93 murder victims were of an unknown gender in that year.

Sooooo… your idea of “so rare it isn’t worth discussing” is more than twice the annual American deaths by drowning. More than twice the annual American deaths by fire, more than twice the number of American women murdered a year.

And even IF we decide that the 7,505 were 100% necessary and unavoidable (which I highly doubt) that still leaves 2,762 late term abortions that weren’t. 8 viable babies a day.

That’s significantly higher than the body counts of any serial killer in history. 8 a day. Minimum.

[sonknuxadow]

i got so excited when i saw this shot like 1. its really cool and 2. oh my god he has FANGS. onscreen in a game. hi sonics fangs i havent seen you since 2008. too bad you only appeared for like 2 seconds

[squorttle-pox]

idk if it means anything really, but i think it's interesting how after all their time together as a couple in a christianity-adjacent world, lucifer and lilith only had one (1) child, and it was only 200 years ago at that

[pyjamaart]

A looming presence... (A piece of fan art for Episode 11 of the Christmas Comeback Crisis)

Read more for an essay on all the memes and references ;)

So here it is. Finally. Only one month too late: This piece of CCC fan art I've worked on since the episode came out.

Sorry for the delay, but I just started at my new job this week and it's been a little stressful, so I didn't have much time to work on this. But now it's finally here!!! I gotta say, the hardest part by far was the background, lol. I didn't mean for it to escalate that much. At the end I was honestly running out of memes to draw.

I bet we can all agree that episode 11 of the Christmas Comeback Crisis was so worth the wait, right???? My god. Peak entertainment. I still can't believe I'm getting all this awesome lore and music for free, feels kinda criminal.

I'm so invested in this story, it's unreal. I can't wait to see how it will end. I can already tell it's gonna be pretty emotional. (And not to alarm anyone, but I have a slight feeling that the Voice is not gonna make it out of this story arc alive. I mean, after everything he's done, it's safe to say that he kinda deserves it. Of course I really don't want him to die, cause that would mean…….. Woodman would also have to die??? Otherwise the Voice will just keep coming back again and again because Woodman is keeping his memory alive…….. Oh man wait a moment….. I don't even want to think about that. Forget I said anything about this.)

Anyway, let's talk about this piece of art for a moment.

In the foreground, we have our brave protagonists. I really really like how Nozomi turned out, so I decided to make her my new icon from now on. Don't get me wrong, I love my old icon, but it's kinda zoomed out and you can't really make out any details when it's really small. So Nozomi it is. Meta Knights sword was shockingly difficult to draw, especially because I had to figure out how to draw it when he's holding it at an angle like that. Otherwise, drawing him was actually one of the easiest things about this whole thing. His design is really just two circles with some arms and armor. Figuring out how the circle tool in Gimp works has never felt this good. (Kinda crazy I can just draw him like this now, considering how obsessed with him I was when I was about 12-13 years old. Back then you had to download official renders of your favorite characters onto your computer, then print them out and hang them on your walls all around your room. Yeah I've always been like this.) Drawing Santa was really fun too, just his right hand was a little difficult. But that's just because I still can't draw hands in general. Maybe I should practice drawing hands more. (Naaaaaah I'm just kidding, I'll never do that.) Now that I'm looking at him again, he's also longingly staring at President Haltmann in the background. Doomed yaoi fr.

Speaking of the background, let's talk about that next. There's obviously the title-giving "looming presence" the Voice. I had his hands completely in the background at first, but I thought it looked cooler when they were hanging threateningly around Santa's shoulders. (You may ask yourself, 'man these hands look kinda alright for my usual hand drawing standards', and that is because I traced over pictures of my own hands. I love "cheating" at art.) I also gave him his stupid little bow tie and the colored buttons on his suit sleeves. Not only is that kinda my trademark for drawing him at this point, it's also supposed to show, that under all the threats and the evil villain persona, he's just kind of a loser. A real (male equivalent of a) girlfailure. That's why I made sure that half of the things shown in the background are there to make fun of him a little. I love the Voice dearly, but that's just what felt right.

And now let's get to the actual main course of this essay. I probably spent half the time working on this on the freaking background. I'm just gonna start in the top left corner and then go down each column and explain what each of these mean or what they reference. (Since there are some quite obscure ones in there.)

Let's start with the two ponies in the very top left. They're actually ponysonas of Nozomi Tojo (left) and Takane Shijou (right). Nozomi is an earth pony and has a tarot card as her cutie mark, specifically the ace of cups. Takane on the other hand is a unicorn and has some musical notes as her cutie mark, which you can't really see. I don't know enough about the Idolmaster to think of something more meaningful for her, sorry. ;)

Under that are Susie Haltmann and her father, President Haltmann. They were (after Woodman) the first characters I wanted to draw into the background. Susie has this black bar covering her face, since she was never really there to begin with. The whole story line with her father wanting to bring her back was actually so freaking sad. And when the Voice killed him in episode 11 and that image of Susie flashed on screen as the last thing he saw before he died….. Oof……… That's also why I drew that cursor looming next to her "window" about to click on the closing button. Haltmann himself is also the only character in the background to actually leave his little window, wanting to reach his daughter. He's also glaring at the Voice for causing him all of this grief and anger in the first place with his false promises.

Then there's…. ahem, "Hot robots in your area". With drawings of a random unnamed robot and Mettaton from Undertale. Which the Voice has apparently bookmarked. This is just a head canon, but I like to think he has a thing for robots, lol. ;)

Oh and on the left next to that on the very first column is Simpleflips' logo. Shoutouts to Simpleflips indeed.

Onto the next column. At the very top is Haruka Amami (also from the Idolmaster), who played a pretty huge role in the CCC, especially in the latest episode. That moment at the very end where she saved Grand Dad from certain death was just fantastic. Absolutely goated scene. She's kinda pressing her face against the window she's trapped in. I hope you can even see that from far away, haha.

Under that is one of the more obscure references. It's from a King for Another Day video, specifically one titled "The Hobart Hootenanny - SiIvaGunner: King for Another Day". It's a slideshow made of beautiful Hobart pictures. One that struck me personally the most was a little family picture of Hobart and the rapper Eminem, who was also a contestant in the KfAD tournament, looking lovingly over their son sitting in a cradle. Eminem is seen saying "Our son is beutiful". A truly touching photograph indeed. In that same slideshow is also another scene of Hobart together with the Voice, but we'll talk about that one later.

The next one is a reference to the CCC side story "I wanna thank me" and shows a pie chart with the election results that were discussed in that episode. Under the pie chart itself is a little box containing all the different parties and showing their respective percentages. On the left is a poster for the "Poké Poké Literature Party", showing Monika's head with the words "Just vote Monika" at the top of the poster. The words (and Misha.) are scribbled on the bottom, lest we forget that she's not running this party alone. This side story was first featured in the Christmas Comeback Crisis Watchalong in 2020, which was actually the first time I watched the CCC in its entirety. It all went downhill from there. ;)

Then there's the Voice's… thing? Object? Weird apparatus where no one really knows what it does or what its purpose is? Every time we see the Voice sitting in his office, this thing is sitting on his desk right next to him. There's been loads of jokes about its purpose. They've all been made before. I'm not going to repeat them. Only the Voice himself truly knows what this thing does. Probably. Could just be a decorative piece of art.

Then we have something veeeery self indulgent on the next column. It's Aquaman from Megaman 8 (With a not so subtle skull right next to him). You should all know by now that I'm the founding father of the Aquawood ship. And I also have the head canon that Woodman and the Voice are very divorced. Interpret into this whatever you want.

Next to Aquaman is the internets' favorite panel from the web comic Tails Gets Trolled. I fucking love that comic. If you haven't read it in its entirety, I highly recommend doing it. (Though be warned that it contains some pretty heavy topics, many many slurs and a plethora of gore.) Okay, maybe I don't recommend reading it. (Just read it with all of that in mind.)

Under that is a personal favorite joke of mine. It's supposed to be Spotify, with a playlist open that I created some time ago. I called it "Die Pizza Playlist" (Remember that die in German is just "the") which I always listen to when I'm baking my own pizza. Highlights include "Pizza" by Antilopen Gang, "Pizza Heroes" by Lemon Demon (You can actually see the album art for Spirit Phone on the left of the playlist.), "Pizza Pizza Pizza" from the Ratatouille musical and so on and so on. The first song in the playlist is obviously "We like pizza" by the Pizza kids, which is even playing in the image. On the side are two more music artists, at the bottom is the image for the Veggie Tales soundtrack, which also featured a song called "Pizza Angel". And over that is Mitski. I just feel like the Voice would listen to her music. Do not question me on this.

The audience laughs at the funny 7.

On the Voice's left shoulder sits a single green bean. It's flashing you a cheeky grin and a peace sign. While I didn't intend for this to happen, I accidentally referenced my own Woodman birthday gallery art from two years ago, where the bean also sits atop the Voice's shoulder. I know that next to "Yankin'", the bean is one of the most hated memes on SiIva, but I think he's just a silly little guy! :D

Let's head on over to the next column. Seems like the Voice has an incoming call from one of his guards, but he's ignoring it as he has more important things to do, like hovering intimidatingly over Santa Claus.

Next to that window on the right are the Voice's messages. I almost wrote "messanges". That would have been embarrassing, thank god I caught that in time. This is also (yet again) a little self indulgent, since the Voice apparently has the last message he sent Woodman pinned to the very top of his messenger app. His big triangular head is blocking most of it, but since I'm the artist, I can tell you exactly what it says: "Please call me back", which was sent on February 1st 2023, the day "The Disappearance of Woodman" was released. Yeah, I'm still very upset, how could you tell? :( Under that is a message to his trusty pizza guy asking for a pizza with extra cheese.

Next we have two of my favorite memes on the SiIvagunner channel (My absolute favorite being "Funny budots", since I never wrote that down anywhere.), one being Frisk Undertale becoming uncanny and the other one being the goat. I don't really know how to describe the goat, but apparently it was crafted by the same artist who made the stoned fox that's also very popular online?? I may just be stupid, but I didn't know about that until I looked up a reference for the goat. Since it often appears alongside Undertale and Deltarune, many have made the assumption that this is what Asriel would look like in real life. That's why Flowey is there next to it with an equal sign. Whoever drew up that calculation wasn't really sure of their work, which is why they drew a question mark right next to it. Between Frisk and the goat is a little Soul, also from Undertale/Deltarune.

Onto the next column, where I'm dropping very subtle hints that a specific character in this image might like pizza. Or might even be a little obsessed with it. On the left is a list with the contact details of three well known pizza chains, on the very top is Sonic the Hedgehog who just recently became a brand ambassador for Totino's and on the bottom right of this section is a flyer for some kind of pizza sale.

The next window contains my favorite joke of any rip on the entire SiIvaGunner Youtube Channel. "Peepoona 5. Let us shart the pants." Just typing this out is making me die of laughter yet again. (The rip in question is "Our Beginning - Persona 5".) But as you all know, I am very into toilet humor. That's why Aquaman is one of my favorite robot masters. And why I'm such a big fan of Youtube Poop. And why I watch Minion fart gun religiously. But enough of that, you get what I'm trying to say. I love funny poop jokes. That's why this is here.

Oh man. This next one is why I wanted to write this very detailed essay in the first place. A reference so obscure, even I can't find its origin anymore. And believe me, I tried. Thankfully, I took a screenshot of the original comment thread this was based on. A user called "The New Guy" commented on a SiIvaGunner rip, something along the lines about how much they enjoyed this specific rip. At the time, the comment had 920 likes, so I'm guessing it must have been a pretty popular video. (The comment should also be about 4 years old now?) Anyway, under that comment, someone asks them what their profile picture was from. They simply answered "wagon", since that was exactly what their profile picture showed. Someone on the SiIvaGunner team must have found this exchange so funny that they commented "wagon" as well. And that's the origin of this joke. If anyone knows which rip this is from pleeeeaaaase tell me. I need to know.

I don't think I need to explain who the next guy is. Just the love of my life. I specifically drew Woodman in his getup from the Nuclear Winter Festival, since that was the last time he appeared on the channel. He's looking kinda concerned in the general direction of the viewer, for obvious reasons. And right under him is his trademarked >:] emoji.

And last but certainly not least, the final column! Now I finally get to talk about this other scene from the Hobart Hootenanny. It shows Hobart and the Voice having a romantic stroll at a beautiful beach, while the sun is slowly setting in the background, making the water shimmer with its breathtaking colors. Okay, the last thing didn't really happen, since it's a shitty MS Paint drawing, but I like to imagine it did. Maybe I should draw a remake of this image one day. Now I'd like to quote the video in question: "A man and Hobart were walking together on the beach. He looked back and saw that in his times of sadness and need, there was only one set of footprints. He asked Hobart why he would leave him in his time of most need. Hobart simply turned to the man and said, VVVVVRRRRR SRRRRR RRRRGGGHHHH--" (Thank you SiIva Wiki for the transcription.) Now I don't think I need to explain why I drew Hobart in a bikini top and fishnets. The question answers itself.

The next image is actually quite easy to explain. It's mm5charge and smol Maki. In another universe, Chargeman and Maki might have been integral to the SiIvaGunner lore. This specific image is just stolen from my piece of fan art called "Megaman 5 Brainrot (featuring Acidman)", which I posted in 2022. I still head canon that Megaman and Love Live take place in the same universe. Just because I think it's funny. And because I want to see funny robot masters interact with the girlies from Love Live. How do I explain this? It's like…. balancing out the world? The robot masters are almost all male (with a few exceptions) and the characters shown in Love Live are all female. How would Thanos say? "Perfectly balanced, as all things should be." Don't question my cool head canons, okay?

After that we have a poster featuring the Jazz Cats! I really really love the little animations that showed their backstory when KfAD2 first came out. I don't know if it's okay for me to say this, but I also really really enjoy the song "But Not You" written (in universe) by Doge and Naxx. The text is veeeeeeery questionable, but man, does it sound good regardless… And shoutouts to wolfman1405 for the heavenly vocals.

On the right of that is a missing poster for Wade L.D.. Nothing much to explain here I guess.

Left of that is the Voices shopping list, which lists flour, oil, yeast… Wait a minute…. All of these are ingredients for pizza dough! Guys, I'm beginning to think that this guy might like pizza.

On the very bottom of this column is Mario 7 Grand Dad himself, who has his hostile gaze directed at the Voice. I would be pissed off too if someone kept me locked in a glass tube for 7 years.

The last little window just shows the Vineshroom with the words "fecal funny" written under it.

And with that, it is done. The entire background thoroughly explained. (I may have gone a little overboard this time.)

It's been a while since I posted new art, huh? In the meantime, a lot has happened. As I said before, I started a new job, got a tattoo of Woodman on my leg (best idea I've ever had btw) and I also started watching MLP, which explains the Love Live / Idolmaster ponysonas, lol.

And that's all I wanted to say. I hope that the next piece of art isn't that far off. Jenny out. (I think this might have been the longest essay I've ever written here. I'm so sorry. By which I mean, I'm not sorry at all. I'm not forcing anyone to read this.)

[thepringlesofblood]

stardew valley 1.6 be like

[ghosts-and-blue-sweaters]

Alrighty! <—has been saying this word on loop during my retail job I’m kinda sick of it now but I don’t really know how to stop saying it so! it stays! LIST TIME!!!

To-Do Tomorrow:

wake up early enough to get shower before work

print out ticket for a play that one of my friends is in that I am going to see :)

seek out a Ruler so that I can make measurements & decide what sized items I would like to buy [Friend pin & Ghostbur magnets]

if I have time/energy I shall aim to accomplish these things as well:

text two friends

respond to another friend’s messages

finish tagging the autism posts I’ve reblogged (I tagged about half today it was So fun)

reblog spotify wrapped posts + answer spotify wrapped asks :)

read some books

[arolesbianism]

Finallly got around to properly designing Demonstrator! She’s silly

[mariemariemaria]

can't lie g/omens fans are starting to piss me off

[sleepygaymerdisease]

guys i think this website is recreating misogyny