#adding this one to the “panels i just think are neat”

[letters-from-anwei]

"What a fool I am, thinking myself human !"

[kozachenko]

Shortly after that Zanmu drawing, I went on an art spree and made small little drawings of a majority of the current playable characters in Touhou (I've been procrastinating on drawing Aya and Ran) and finally gave myself refernce points for how to draw all these characters going forward! Also, don't mind the change in background colour, that's just me changing the background so the values are actually visible lol.

Artist's Notes;

So the first one I started with was Reimu, and the inspiration for her pose came from this pose reference on Pinterest of a girl doing ribbon dancing, and I thought "Damn, that's very Reimu-coded" and did a quick little Reimu drawing from that.

This was also the drawing where I finally learned what makes a Reimu drawing feel like Reimu. It's the shirt, it's literally just the shirt. I decided to try making Reimu's shirt have a stronger square shape and oh my god it's like I discovered some kind of secret sauce because it just feels so much more like Reimu. I also gave Reimu a tabard and loose pants because I felt like that also fit her very well and also tied in some element's of Yukari's design into hers. I also made her bow look more like a very geometric butterfly as a bit of a tie in to "Diochromatic Lotus Butterfly" and also because I think butterfly symbolism fits her a lot. I also left the hands unfinished because they are not the focus of this piece, Reimu is, I don't wanna cry over how I can't get the hands right and then never get to the actually fun parts of the drawing. Previously, I did some design experimentation with Reimu where I added a little ornament on her obi that was inspired by Yuna's design from Final Fantasy 10 (I can't remember if I ever posted that one lol, also FFX is so good you guys I love it so much) and I like it, I think it adds some fun assymetry to her design that I think makes it look neat. I also gave her some more traditional Japanese shoes (I don't know the name of them so please correct me if you know) since I've seen other artists doing it and I love that look so I added that to this drawing as well.

I also really like how Marisa turned out, I experimented a bit with her body type and outfit, though I didn't really go too off-model with her compared to Reimu. I liked the longer sleeves on her and I gave her a big bow on the back of her apron since I thought it looked cute. I couldn't find a spot for the bow on her hat that looked good so sadly that isn't present in this version of her :( I do like how her face turned out though, since I've also been experimenting with how differently stylized I can make faces in my art. I will always love mangas like Hunter X Hunter that can put two extremely differently stylized characters on the same panel and make it look cohesive, it's why I love the style so much.

I think the crulest irony is not being able to draw your favourite character well while you're hyperfixating on them, but then only being able to draw them how you picture them once they're no longer your favourite, and that happened with Sakuya here. I was initially gonna give her the flashiest eyeshadow known to man but when I removed the layer wih the eyeshadow rendering on it I ended up liking it more without it, so now she's just got some nice bottom lashes. I tried giving her more of an hourglass shape for her body type, mainly to differentiate her more from Reimu and Marisa, and I focused on making as many points in her drawing as sharp as I can. I also gave her some white gloves because I like the idea of Sakuya having fancy gloves, it fits her. To me, Sakuya has always been the most high femme of the main Touhou characters. Maybe this is just because she was my gay awakening, maybe it's just influence from the fandom, but it just kind of makes sense to me. Much like Marisa, I also emphasized the bow ribbons for extra oomph with the silhouette and when I added the red bows and looked at the overall design, I fixed the lack of red anywhere else by just... covering her in blood... I mean she does work for two vampires and she's exactly the sanest person in Gensokyo so please pardon my indulgence in edginess it couldn't be helped.

Youmu was really fun to do but also kinda challenging. In my mind I wanted to make her feel different compared to everyone else I've drawn so far, short enough to be somewhat accurate to canon, but not too childish looking since she never really acts all that childish in cannon and it wouldn't make sense for her to look like a child. I also had to make her look fast and speedy without her looking like Sakuya and potentially avoiding same body syndrome with Aya, who's whole gimmick is speed. In the end, I think her drawing is my favourite, mainly because of the shapes and silhouette. I also really like how I golden-ratioed myon. I also took a few liberties with her outfit and decided to give it some layers to add visual interest. I also like how the cuts in the clothing add more triangles, which adds to the shape language. For her face, I was wondering what to do with her eyes until I decided to just go for the simple, glowing, circular eyes she has in the final product. I was also listening to a bunch of Gorrilaz albums while drawing these (Demon Days is my favourite album btw, idk how basic of a take that is though) and my brain 100% was subconsciously influenced by some elements of the art style (it's so good omg). I also like the shade of green I gave her, though I am a certified green lover so I am 100% biased.

Reisen is where I let myself get a little weird with it, because as you can see, I turned her into an anthropomorphic bunny because she is a weird moon rabbit god dammit, why should she look normal? I was more excited about drawing her IN design than her modern design so that's why she's dressed like that, but I do have a sketch of her in my sketchbook of her modern design. I also had fun rendering her velvet suit jacket. This also helped me tie in some of the reds in her eye and ear, which is also a nice bonus. I also gave her pure white fur to create more visual contrast. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how she turned out, though I wish I didn't shade the legs too much because it's kinda blending with the skirt colour....welp, ya win some ya lose some I guess.

Sanae is also relatively on-model compared to everyone else here, though I did try to make some changes to her outfit to make her feel different from Reimu. First of all, I made her big sleeves (IDK the proper Japanese term for them, if there is one, so again if you know please correct me on this) more open than Reimu's, as well as making them more pointy to give her a different silhouette. I also tried out a new rendering style on her eyes that I also applied to Cirno (we'll get to her in a moment) to also make her face feel different from Reimu's. I'll be honest, I didn't really know what to do with her body type so she just kinda got the "basic slim girl" look in her drawing. I'm not too big a fan of the frills I added to her skirt though, I don't really think she needs them. I'm glad I gave Reimu pants and a tabard instead of a normal skirt because that does help to make the two of them feel different. I also kept her little frog hair clip the same shade of blue as her dress, mainly to economize my colour usage and limit the palette into something a little more tight-nit. I do like how her little hair snake looks though, it's cute lol.

And finally, we have Cirno. I have been a firm believer of "long sleeve Cirno is best Cirno" ever since I saw the art of her in PMiSS because she's an ice fairy, I think it would make sense for her to want to keep herself warm, same reason she has little socks too. Now that I look at it more, her colours are pretty similar to her design in Great Fairy Wars, and honestly I like that, I think keeping her colour palette simple is a good idea so I'm happy about that. I mainly wanted to focus on rendering her wings though, mainly because rendering ice and crystals is fun even though I have done zero studies of them! I also wanted to experiment with rendering her eyes in a similar way to Sanae's, and I like how they turned out! I don't know if I'll continue with this style in the future but it will probably stick around because to me, any stylistically different way of doing eyes is another facial feature I can use to bend the rules of same face syndrome.

While I'm on the topic, I want to mention that the reason Hunter X Hunter's art works so well is because everything is kinda rendered the same. It showed me that if you do everything else consistently in your style (i.e. rendering, lineart, shading), stylizing each character's faces differently will be a lot easier, at least that's how I see it. IDK if I'm ever gonna do drawings of Aya and Ran in this style since I gotta think about them more as well as stop procrastinating lol.

[drarrywords]

Mine, still

The first time Harry Potter saw Draco Malfoy again, it wasn’t in a courtroom, or at some Ministry ball soaked in champagne and past-life grudges. No, it was in a cramped, pleasantly musty apothecary tucked between a Muggle tailor and a secondhand bookshop in Soho. The kind of place no one would think to find either of them—and yet, there they both were.

Harry was holding a sleeping Teddy Lupin on one hip, the boy's dark lashes fanned against flushed cheeks, breathing softly into Harry’s neck. His other hand clutched a scroll of potion prescriptions that Andromeda had insisted be filled today.

He stepped into the shop, bell jingling above the door, and glanced around at the warm, wood-paneled interior and neat shelves lined with everything from powdered bicorn horn to dried valerian roots.

Then he saw him.

Behind the counter, pale as frost and half-bent over an inventory scroll, was Draco Malfoy. His hair was longer now, tied at the nape in an effortless knot, and he wore a charcoal-grey robe rolled to the elbows, revealing elegant hands stained with ink and herb residue. There was a smudge of green along his cheekbone. He looked tired. Lean. Different, but unmistakably Draco.

For a long, stupid moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt immediately charged, electric with the weight of a thousand unsaid things.

Draco looked up slowly, his gaze flicking from Teddy to Harry. His mouth twitched, but not into anything resembling a smile, “Potter. 

“Malfoy,” Harry returned, cautious. “You’re here.”

Draco tilted his head, something unreadable in his eyes.

A long beat passed. Teddy stirred against Harry’s shoulder, soft and oblivious.

Harry cleared his throat. “I just need these filled.” He approached the counter and slid the scroll across.

Draco scanned it, fingers brushing the parchment. “Andromeda’s still using that old potion for his lungs? Surprised she hasn't updated it.”

“She trusts what works.”

“Hm.” There was a pause, like the eye of a storm. Then Draco added, “Must be nice, Potter. Ever the perfect Godfather”

Harry stiffened. “What's your problem, Malfoy?”

“Oh, forgive me,” Draco said, sarcasm beginning to curdle in his voice. “Didn’t realise I needed permission to speak to the Harry Potter.”

Harry frowned. “Is this what this is going to be? Your bitter commentary while pretending you’re above it all?”

Draco’s eyes narrowed. “You think I’m pretending? You walk in here, still smelling like the Ministry’s moral superiority complex, and expect me to act like nothing ever happened between us in the past?”

“I don’t expect anything,” Harry said sharply. “But I didn’t come here for this.”

“No. You came to parade the perfect godfather image, I suppose. Or maybe to see what became of the boy you hated and saved in equal measure.”

“I didn’t hate you.”

Draco scoffed. “That’s a convenient rewrite.”

“Fine. I didn’t like you. But I never wanted—”

“To see me here?” Draco cut in. “Behind a counter, selling potions, raising a child I never thought I’d have alone?”

Harry’s voice dropped, quiet but firm. “That’s not what I meant.”

“You don’t know what you mean,” Draco muttered, turning away sharply. “You never did when it came to me.”

The silence that followed wasn’t peaceful. It was taut with restraint, with all the fights they’d never had the chance to finish, with everything that had been simmering for years. Harry tried to take a breath. “Look, I didn’t walk in here expecting a reunion. I didn’t even know this was your shop. Can we—can we not do this right now?”

Draco gave him a long, unreadable look. Then his eyes flicked again to Teddy, who had nestled deeper into Harry’s shoulder.

“I’ll get your potions,” he said finally. His voice had cooled, but not softened. He turned, pulling ingredients with mechanical precision.

A long moment passed, filled only by the quiet clink of glass and soft grinding of herbs. Harry glanced around, then spotted a pale blue pram tucked behind a curtain in the corner. His chest tightened.

“You have a son?” he asked, tentatively.

Draco didn’t look up. “Scorpius. Ten months.”

“Are you doing it all on your own?”

Draco’s hands slowed slightly. “Yes.”

Something in Harry’s chest twisted. “That can’t be easy.”

“It’s not,” Draco said, and for a second, he sounded human again. Tired. Honest.

Their eyes met. And suddenly, they weren’t shouting. They were just two men, bruised by life in different ways, standing in the same small room.

Then, it broke. 

Draco handed him the bag and he left. 

Harry didn’t mean to see him again. That was the truth.

He’d tried to forget it—the way Draco’s voice had cracked just slightly when he said he was raising a child alone. The way his fingers trembled, almost imperceptibly, when their hands touched. The fact that Harry hadn’t looked away.

But that night, sleep had evaded him. Teddy had long since gone to bed, curled up under a blanket Andromeda had charmed to emit a faint lullaby, and Harry had stood for hours at the kitchen sink, staring into the darkness beyond the window.

Ten months old, Draco had said. Andromeda mentioned a baby recently, hadn’t she? Something in the Prophet about an anonymous donor, whispered in the background of some article Harry barely skimmed.

It could be a coincidence. Probably was. Except—

He’d donated once. Years ago. Anonymously. For a Muggle clinic, of all things. He’d been twenty-three and reeling after the war, desperate for some abstract hope, some idea that part of him might go on in the world even if he didn’t know how to be a part of it. He hadn’t thought of it in years.

He didn’t want to think about it now.

But then two weeks passed. Teddy needed another round of potions. And before Harry could stop himself, he found his feet turning again down the same little alley in Soho.

This time, Draco wasn’t behind the counter. Instead, a small boy with pale blond hair and shockingly green eyes stood near the herb racks, clutching a stuffed thestral and babbling nonsense to himself.

Harry froze. 

He would have recognized those eyes anywhere.

“Scorpius!” Draco’s voice echoed from the back. Then he appeared, hands dusted in asphodel, a towel thrown over one shoulder.

He saw Harry. Then, very slowly, his eyes flicked to the boy.

Harry looked at Draco. “He has my eyes.”

Draco didn’t blink. “Coincidence.”

Harry’s voice was quiet, almost gentle. “No, it’s not.”

Draco set the towel down. Walked forward. Each step, deliberate, “I didn’t know. It was anonymous. I didn’t know it was you.”

“I didn’t know it was you,” Harry repeated. “I never would’ve—”

“Wouldn’t have what? Donated? Existed in a world where you could’ve fathered a child and walked away?”

Harry flinched. “Don’t do that.”

Draco was shaking now, whether from fury or something else, Harry didn’t know. “You don’t get to come in here and make this complicated. I had a plan. I was fine.”

“He’s my son.”

“No, he’s mine.” Draco’s voice cracked. “You don’t get to swoop in with your sad eyes because you had a revelation and your moral high ground and lay claim to something you abandoned before you even knew it existed.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Would it have changed anything if you had?”

Silence.

The little boy looked between them, blinking wide green eyes, oblivious.

“I want to be part of his life,” Harry said. “I don’t know how yet. But I want to try.”

Draco’s jaw clenched. “You don’t get to want. Not without earning it.”

“I’ll earn it,” Harry said, and for once, his voice was steady. “Even if you hate me for it.”

Draco looked at him for a long, long time. Then, softly:

“I don’t hate you. That is the problem, believe me.”

Scorpius dropped his thestral and waddled forward, holding his arms out.

Harry reached out without thinking—and froze as the boy grasped his finger.

But Draco didn’t stop him.

Part 2

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

You think there some scenes in the anime that might not be too similar to the Manga? Because someone pointed about the ravens in Yuu's world not from the Manga and if you think about it, the housewardens are placed separately in their own group in the anime instead of sitting together in the manga.

I really hope there some unique additions yet stay similar to both the manga and game. Because some of things in the manga felt too rushed (like Ace and Deuce together in that statue scene and being expelled for one incident seems too harsh compare to them breaking the chandelier as a second offense with Deuce throwing Ace to get Grim out of the way. It also showcase what many believe that Deuce is a typical rule-follower and smart in that scene only to learn that he is actually not bright from that chandelier idea) and unnecessary change that felt weak (Riddle being rude to Yuu about their parents and life after Yuu complains about his dictatorship in the dorm vital that brought anger to Deuce and Ace for insulting his friend showing their friendship yet the manga shows Riddle being rude to Ace and Deuce which feels weak).

I do admit the the overblot transformation from Riddle is pretty cool and the backstory is heartbreaking using the Alice in Wonderland themes. Even having more Heartslabyul screen time from the trial room singing and beastmen that aren't from Savanaclaw.

Changes are basically guaranteed in adaptations; it’s a natural result of shifting mediums and having different groups of creatives working on the projects. How the game devs, mangaka, and light novel author choose to depict and frame the same main story content already differs across the retellings. This includes removing some scenes, combining scenes, expanding or clarifying already existing scenes, and/or adding entirely new scenes. The same will likely be true of the anime. Even if it is intended to be an adaptation of the manga, the manga will not perfectly translate to animation and won't be just a shot-for-shot (or panel-by-panel replay).

Details like the ravens being shown in the anime trailer can afforded in animation to help establish the ominous mood. In the manga, the scene of Yuuken heading home and being hit by the dark carriage literally takes only two pages. The anime can’t let this scene pass by too quickly (or it feels rushed going by in the eyes of a viewer), so it makes sense that the scene would be elongated by showing the environment and building tension before the big impact.

The dorm leaders being seated separately rather than together is most likely an anime decision made to showcase multiple characters at once, rather than just the dorm leaders. For example, we can see Rook and Jamil in shots of Vil and Kalim since the anime shows them with their dorm members. It’s also nice being able to see several mob students (with actual eyes!!!!) in the background. This is just good trailer material, which the anime benefits from.

I hope that the anime has content exclusive to it; it would be a neat incentive for long-time fans to spot, and it would allow the anime to make use of its later release time to sprinkle in Easter eggs. For example, the manga shows Riddle in his Apprentice Chef outfit while making his salty apology tart for the end of book 1. This outfit didn't actually feature in book 1 (released March 2020) in-game because the first Master Chef/Culinary Crucibles event didn't release until February 2021. This adds to the content without too drastically deviating from the main story. It'd be great if the anime kept these or even added more of them!

Certain changes made to the manga were probably done in an effort to streamline events, as they can only take up so much space in the monthly magazine in which they are serialized. Ace and Deuce are introduced together in the manga, as opposed to one at a time in the game. They probably cut out that chandelier scene and made them both get into trouble over setting the Queen of Hearts statue on fire in order to save on pages. Now sure what they'll do with this for the anime? I think they'd have the run time for two incidents instead of just the one, but it depends on how many episodes total are dedicated to covering the prologue and how each incident is depicted??? Like, you could very easily have both if you just had a montage, but I'm assuming that most Twst fans would prefer fully animated and more fleshed out scenes (which would eat up more screen time). Really hard to judge at this point since we don't know what the pacing of the anime will be like.

As for who Riddle directs his post-duel insults toward, it's a point of debate among fans and has been for a while. I have a post discussing this in more detail--but essentially, the game version is the only one in which Riddles insults are vague enough to potentially refer to Yuu. In the manga and the light novel, it's made more explicitly clear that Riddle means to insult Ace and Deuce. I assume that the game--which has the blank slate self-insert Yuu for players to project onto--was intentionally open-ended so that players can fantasize about having someone (Ace) stand up for them when someone else is being cruel to them. I feel that the anime will most likely go with Riddle insulting Adeuce, since Yuuken isn't a self-insert and it may not make sense given his backstory doesn't focus on his parents or him being raised a certain way??? Unless the anime of course chooses to expand on those points and make them bigger deals, or they change the nature of Riddle's insults to perhaps be more geared towards implying Yuuken is a bad role model for others. This would hurt Yuuken more, as he is shown to have a kouhai in Kendo Club that he cares a lot for and even sees him in Deuce.

In the end, I think the changes and extra content they implement really depends on how the animation team wants to use the screen time they have. They could get away with more in the early seasons where not much is happening, but maybe not so much in later seasons when the stakes ramp up and they really have to lock in on the main plot points they have to hit.

[groovy-rat-man]

behold! the punch out promotional comics and a few (or more) words I have to say about them!!

this is.. uhh. this is gonna be a long ish post

I dont know why but i do NOT like how joe looks here. I think it's the teeth... The bread belt is pretty funny tho and the fact that him and the ladies make the french flag and also mac is here so thats fun!

Aaaaaaa the babies!! The kaiserlings!!! I always love it when people bring up the fact that vk is a teacher and have him interact with his students and stuff, and they seem to like him as a teacher!

Omg hes so pretty and I love him so so so so much i wanna kiss him all over ohhh and his shy little pose when he talks about his win/loss ratio dont worry babe you'll get there, by the way did I mention I love him? (also this is one of my favorite ones art wise, the colors and expressions and sparkles are so so so fun!!)

It's it's my adult son who could crush my skull with one hand, my beautiful boy! But yea anyways he looks absolutely adorable here especially in the 1st and 5th panels also how did he get in this ring he doesnt know anything about anything. (oh yea and macs here too and that's always a plus)

Wifeeeeeeee noooooo don't sit like that too long.., honey your legs... (also i love his angy face at the end an d i wanna kiss him also)

This might sound dumb but I like this comic more for having Ms. Bear than for having Bear Hugger, we actually got to know her name! I also really like the colors and the FIGHT!! thingy those are really cool

Okay so I'm gonna talk about something real quick, it feels like ALL of the promotional media for punch out wii mentions gt's gem. Did they think the fight would be to hard if you didn't know about his tell? Why did they keep bringing this up?? Also he's really pretty and I like the way they draw his little clone thing and mac is here too and his confused little face is funny. (also does anyone know what he's saying in the first panel i really wanna know)

I really like this one but I always thought that the blatant use of his official art is a little jarring lol. But yeah I love how much of an absolute pimp he is here and also how his ass GETS GOT at the end and ALSO how he talks to the audience and references the game itself, that's WILD! Sadly I'll have to dock a few points for a lack of Carmen :'(

I'm not gonna talk about this one too much because I Do Not like what it does to me. I will say that I am (disrespectfully) looking at his boxy little ass

Ayyyyyyyy my main man Soda Popinski!! I'm also not gonna talk about this one too much because the ending is. Not for me. It's for someone though! Anyways yeas I really like the portrait on the first panel and also this was a thing with Joe's comic but he also has an unnamed coach so that's neat. Also Popinski is kind of an inconsiderate asshole so that's fun lol

I love how the first panel has him being all intimidating and scary but every panel after that is just him being harassed. LET HIM LIVE, FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!!!! However much he beat the shit out of the guy in the last panel was completely deserved, paparazzi are parasites <3

HUMMINA HUMMINA, AWOOOOOGA!!!! But in all seriousness the art (NOT MACHO MAN'S ASS >:/) is just wonderful, the colors and shapes and the text bubbles and hears and stuff AAAAHH it is beautiful!! This might unfortunately be my favorite of the comics actually. (also the spotlight and his shy little pose at the end is cute i will admit)

I friggin love sandman yall, I also love how it shows all the other boxers and stuff. Also what kind of asshole challenges a guy in boxing gloves to rock paper scissors? Sandman was completely justified tbh. Although I will admit I wish they added SOMETHING to his character, but I guess they didn't add much to anyone else either so it's whatever

ALSO I JUST REALIZED THAT DOC ISN'T IN ANY OF THE COMICS AT ALL, LIKE NOT EVEN IN THE BACKGROUND WITH MAC LIKE WHAT THE FUCK????

[angel-egg-egl]

here's something I've been working on recently. I plan to list this particular one in the shop as a one-off prototype when the braided trim comes in, and I'm working on making it appropriate for a larger scale release! I'd like to fix it so it has a side zip rather than a back zip, since I'm not a big fan of the "VM style middle of the shirring panel zipper" situation. however, since I'm not used to doing zippers yet, this was the best way to hide the amateur mistakes I made so the garment would still be wearable quality. It's also my first time doing corset lacing, and I, uh. Bluntly, it's kind of a mess. I think next time I'll install grommets instead of relying on my machine to produce neat buttonholes (on a similar note, i'm not a fan of how the strap button holes turned out, either). Maybe on a future release I'll add some kind of waist ribbon, too-- originally I tried to make one from scratch, but I didn't love how it came out, and eventually, i decided it was better to be Done and imperfect than to spend another 5 months trying to fix it. The lacing is some random lacing I found from an old dress i no longer own, and i think i would probably use a mint coloured ribbon on the final version (i may swap it out when I list it for sale)

this is made of the same rose fabric as my My Dear Rose Pintuck skirt, but I could probably make it out of other printed lawn type fabrics, or possibly burberry. I chose the fabric I did because I had a lot of it on hand.

I'd also like to add skirt lining, since I skipped out on that this time (the bodice is lined and hand-finished, but I was so tired of jacking with the zipper by this point I didn't want to even think about the logistics of adding skirt lining).

The sizing is on par with my usual work-- 100cm max bust, 88cm max waist-- but I'd like to find someone to commission to grade the bodice pattern for me. I imagine I could add to the shirring panel to some extent, but I don't know if that would be suitable for increasing the size more than, say, 10cm or so, and I'd like to make a plus size friendly version eventually. I DID make the straps extra long, though, so the button can be moved down for a taller figure.

The planned braid trim will go over the seams on the gathered skirt panel-- maybe some on the bodice as well? I'll do a mock up and decide. I'm thinking of mint braid for a little contrast. The bows are also hand-finished and detachable, but I just used whatever safety pins I had on hand, which wasn't ideal. It IS machine washable, aside from the bows, because I sealed up any raw edges with bias tape.

Flaws aside, though, I'm quite proud of this one, and it's a head and shoulders above my previous work in terms of construction quality.

What do you guys think?

AngelEgg EGL

[squishycat330]

Nya~ I just wanted to ramble about some stuff I noticed~

ok so I saw a post someone made with two scenes from the 2003 series and the 2012 series, and I also watched a bit of the original 1987 series and it got me thinking

I looked up the two to get the full clips and I wasn’t able to find a full one for 2012 but I got the general idea. I think it’s very interesting how the Episodes have such similar scenes there it’s neat, it also shows A lot for my beloved Raph.

See before I saw that wall I was drawing Leo (a post for later) I came across the first 3 seasons of the original 1987 series, I decided to watch it and I notice more details that where paralleled or in homage to the older/series prior, and other things that had developed in the characters over time,

for example Raph, originally he wasn’t that Aggressive with Anger issues, he was just kinda mean with an attitude making sassy comments and such(1987/1997shows), then the 2003 series rolls around and suddenly Raph has Anger issues and is more physical/Aggressive, he develops and grows out of it throughout but still keeps his fierce personality and protectiveness, which is where 2012 Raph probably got his personality it seemed to have been a liked character trait or at least one that stuck for a bit. 2012 Raph much like 2003 Raph learned and grew as a character, (just look up Character analysis on him for 2003/2012, you’ll see what I mean)

I have no idea how the comics portrayed him in that time frame tho so if it came form that cool.

other then the obvious changes of April, Casey, and some other characters, so I wouldn’t really note that what I would note tho is the fun detail I noticed with Donnie, 1987 Donnie and 2012 Donnie basically have the same voice, seriously they sound really similar and it’s a voice that fits Donnie, I had to take a moment when I first heard him speak. Wall the other brother dispite having distinct voices (especially Mikey, Surfer bro) I keep geting them mixed up and have to pay close attention to tell who’s speaking sometimes.

Another thing that is less of a detail or anything and more of just something I noticed, Baxter Sockmen (heheh) was (in my brothers words) a ‘generic white 80’s/90’s scientist’ for like two iterations, (1987/Archie comics?)

I don’t quite remember but I think theres one from 1987 that was paralleled in the 1997 live action ten years later,

I also noticed in the 1987 series the turtles dress up in coats and hats and go top-side with April, in the ‘Tmnt: Amazing Adventure’ comics theres a panel or art from it I saw I few days ago of them wearing those outfits and April has a og Turtle design on her shirt

April is so cute there~

the 2003 and 20012 series seemed to have been big turning points in doing/differentiating the turtles apart, 2003 was the first to give them different skin tones to help differentiate them, and the 2012 added to that giving Mikey his (to me) iconic freckles, Donnie his tooth gap, Leo something to make him seem younger (his love for space hero’s) and just overall different it’s nice. . .

there’s more but due to the fact I kept geting distracted writing this I forgot them. . . This post is pointless honestly. . . .

yes Ive added on to this post

[chil-aglia]

For The Bad Things Happen Bingo Card:

Bingo Slot: Shock Collar

Characters: Matt and Nico

Plot: This one is kinda funny and angsty at the same time; Matt and Nico decide to try and prank their parents by using an old shock collar that they found in the resistance base to try and scare them by having Matt wear the collar and making a bunch of jokes to see if it would shock him (the shock collar is the same one as the one Donnie made Leo in the Donnie’s Gifts episode of the show) and it almost gives their parents a heart attack and they make Matt take the shock collar off and has Donnie destroy the shock collar.

This will be marked off as 'Shock Collar' as that is the main focus!

This was surprisingly hard to make. So I kinda ran out of ideas on how to go about this.

Wasn’t sure how to make this as both a Nico and Matt fic. So, this is focused more on Matt. Hope that’s okay!

Also, this is going to be a bit short. Sorry about that! And Adriaen isn’t going to make an appearance in this. So it’s Leo and Donnie! And of course Nico makes an appearance.

Hope you enjoy this! And sorry for any grammar errors made!

@badthingshappenbingo

Link to the fic on Ao3: Zip-Zap - Chilaglia - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018) [Archive of Our Own]

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Zip-Zap

Quick note: This is not canon to the main story of Collide. This is in the bad future timeline during the Krang War!

Bingo slot: Shock Collar

Fandom: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles + my OC’s

Warnings; Getting shocked, scarring, stutter development from being shocked, etc (honestly, not as angsty as the previous fics)

Summary: It was only a prank. He found this weird collar, remembering that his uncle invented it and showed it to him. He thought it was fine. But then he just couldn’t take it off. It malfunctioned.

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��Matt, we’re going to get in trouble for sneaking in here. You know how Uncle Tello feels about us being in here!” Nico hisses in a whisper, moving in alert and light on his feet.

He wasn’t sure how Matt talked him into entering their family’s vault of old stuff that they kept over the years, but here he was. Matt claimed he wanted to find something he could use to play a prank on his dad’s. Especially Leo, who despite being the leader of the Resistance, still found time to play little pranks on Matt.

“It’s fine. Quit whining!” Matt sighed, going through the boxes, he found a hippo costume, some old tech and weird looking clothes.

He holds up a purple costume with a big hat, scrunching his nose up in confusion.

Is this what they wore in the past? Lame.

He hums, looking around before noticing a sealed door, he tilts his head, walking over and tapping it, inspecting on how to get it open.

He noticed a password panel on the side.

What was something Uncle Donnie would use?

He perks up, typing up what he believed was the correct answer.

Bootyyyshaker9000.

It beeps with a green light as the door opens to reveal more things, this time his eyes focused on a blue bulky collar.

“Awesome…”

He picks it up, observing it as Nico walked over, puzzled by this contraption. “Is that a collar?” He questioned, touching it slightly as Matt chuckled and slipped it over his own head, wearing it.

“Looks neat on me, right?”

“It looks stupid on you.”

“Don’t be a hater, just because you wouldn’t be able to pull this off.” Matt waved him off, walking out the room before he bumped into someone, making him grunt and stumble backwards, looking up and making when he saw both Leo and Donnie staring down at him, hands on hips, looking unamused.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Leo questions, narrowing his eyes slightly as Donnie eyed the collar, “And why are you wearing my invention?” He added, Matt gulping and chuckling awkwardly.

“Uh…just you know, cleaning up the place?” He lies, and quite horribly to as Nico face palms, shaking his head as Leo crossed his arms over his plastron.

“Uh huh, sure. You’re lucky this thing doesn’t seem to be on.”

“Why?”

Donnie steps in, clearing his throat. “It’ll shock you.” He bluntly states, making Matt widen his has. “Shock me? Awesome.” He grins, tapping around on the collar, before he accidentally taps the button on the front, flinching when it buzzed to life.

“Shit! Okay, Matt! Whatever you do, don’t make any jokes. Donnie.” Leo orders, sweating before gazing to his brother who nods, “On it.” He assures, reaching down as Matt blinked and tilts his head.

“So, I’m guessing I turned it on?”

They nod.

“Wow, shocker.” He smiled, as it just slipped out, unaware that this was going to be the start of something agonising. The collar beeps, before it suddenly shifts and sent electricity onto Matt who widen his eyes and screamed, falling to his knees.

“Matt!” Nico exclaimed, watching in bewilderment as Matt squirmed and choked on the electrical currents. The collar stops as Matt coughs, panting heavily.

Wow…that hurt.

“Son! Are you okay?” Leo panicked, crouching down to him as Matt shakes, looking at his father with fearful eyes. Before he could respond, the collar beeps, which only confused everyone as Matt hadn’t even made a joke.

Another wave of electricity hits Matt who tenses, seizing as he collapsed to the floor, yelling as though his body was on fire.

“It’s…malfunctioning!” Donnie announced, unsure what to do when his neither was being shocked. “O-Off! Take it—ah! Off me!” Matt begs, tears forming as he managed to take a breather, curling slightly as Leo glared at Donnie.

“Get it off him!”

Donnie steps forward, but jumped back when the collar shocks again, the young mutant wailing as he seizes on the floor from the pain engulfing his physique.

Hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts!

Matt wheezes in greedy air when the shock stops, Donnie quickly ran over, gripping at the collar and pulling it off him, he throws the device to the side and checked over Matt who lays numbly in his arms.

“He needs medical treatment. Those shocks were far more powerful than what they normally use to be. It could affect him.”

He picks up Matt and quickly ran off towards the medbay, Leo and Nico chasing after them.

-----

Since then, Matt had some issues speaking. While it wasn’t terrible, he sometimes stuttered, and his body would sometimes twitch as though he got shocked.

He had light scarring around his neck but nothing major as they would be healed up in a few days' time.

“S-sorry. For all th-this.” Matt apologises to his father and uncle, clicking his tongue in annoyance at his stutter. He hoped it would go away soon.

“It’s all right…just, no more sneaking and taking anything that your uncle Donnie has made.” Leo smiles, mostly relieved that his son seemed alright in the long run.

“Right….why w-was the collar the-there?”

Leo rubs the back of his neck, “Uh…well, it was actually made for me. To stop me from making jokes.” He awkwardly informs, recalling the day. It was a bit fuzzy to remember that long ago, but he did remember the collar and its initial use.

“It su-sucked.”

“Yeah…yeah it did.”

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Bad things happen bingo (OPEN)

[styrmwb]

I Beat Yakuza 4 Remastered

I gotta say. It's fantastic. Say that again?

With a MUCH MUCH smaller gap than the last two, I have added another Yakuza game to the pile of completion. Rather than the 3ish years between Kiwami 2 and 3, it's only been around half a year; so the memories are a lot fresher this time around, which leads to more accurate comparison and growth. In the case of 4 here, I think that it's both a blessing and a curse that 3 is still in my mind. Yakuza 4 (at least the remastered versions) feels like 3 Deluxe, in a way. It's a VERY similar game, which leads to some burnout, but also seeing the bits where they improved on some of 3's flaws was nice. Lemme dive deeper into everything, as I do.

Part 1: White Tiger's Gameplay 第1部：白虎のゲームプレイ

To start, the best thing about this game is the 4. I'm 5 games in now, but timeline wise you got 3 straight Kiryu only games, all featuring Kamurocho. 4 doing the twist of have 3 additional characters gives this game the twist it needed to feel interesting, to avoid maximum burnout; cause Yakuza is a very samey game as you play it. It's both the strength and the weakness. All 4 characters have their own movesets, their own stories, and even their own side distractions. This basically gives you 4 mini Yakuza games to play, which I loved.

Akiyama's my guy. His moveset is fast, spammable kicks; but his side content is some of my least favorite. Talk to people to make them your ally which gives a buff if you're nearby, and that damned Hostess Maker minigame makes a return from 3 (it's still not interesting or fun).

Saejima is a powerhouse; he feels stilted at first, but once you get him leveled up, nothing can stop you from sending out a huge charged punch or throwing guys. He had some of my favorite heat actions in the game. I didn't really put much time into his Fighter Maker for reasons I'll go into later, so his side stuff just didn't really do it for me. I do like how the presence of cops makes him navigate the map differently though. Not super fun, but very creative.

Tanimura was a slow burn. Very strange moveset at first, but as time went on, I REALLY liked played as him. The heat actions baked into the combos, the really fun grapples; he's a weird character, but a joy. His side stuff being random police encounters felt non intrusive, but just enough for you to plan your travels differently.

Kiryu is a classic. The dude felt like a reward after 3 new guys; you get the long-running lead, with a lot more power baked into his learnset from the get go. He felt like his city was the most wide open, but not much in the line of unique side stuff. It's just differently flavored encounters.

I mention side stuff; and I think that's the weakest point of the game. Purely because, a lot of it is repeats from 3. Minigames are just full of the same things, and there didn't feel like a twist. The real kicker here is there WAS Pachinko but it got taken away in this release so I don't even get that. I mean, the minigames aren't bad. But when you have a game like Yakuza, you get a little burnt out of playing a bunch of pool when you basically did the exact same thing last game. The Hostess stuff just. Isn't my favorite. It's a lot of button mashing, money wasting, and time consuming. The coolest thing they did with it though is have the ones you train as Akiyama be available for Tanimura and Kiryu. I did think that was neat. If it wasn't for the split between characters, I don't think I would have been nearly as motivated to play as I was. That really was the sauce the game needed.

Shoutouts to 4 being my first real dive into Mahjong, as well. I was lucky enough to catch CyricZ, the guy who writes all the GameFaqs guides, do a panel at this year's MAGFest about teaching how to play Riichi Mahjong (more for the usage of LaD and FFXIV), so I finally used that knowledge. Mahjong is an abusive relationship that hates you and makes you lose for no reason, but there is something really satisfying about it. I'm not opposed to playing it more. I'm somewhat opposed.

In regards to carry over from 3; the enemy AI felt a lot better this time. I felt like I could actually play the game properly, do heat actions, do grabs, and use the options given to me (and those options are FUN). Semi-connected to that, the Coliseum being completely unlocked from the get go (at least for Kiryu, I didn't mess with it much with Saejima) just kinda feels like "yeah we know you did this already. Do it again but we'll make it easier on you."

Finally, I liked the leveling here def more than 3. The selection of upgrades with soul orbs felt like I was getting moves more often than not, like I felt with 3.

Part 2: Vermilion Bird's Story 第2部：朱雀の物語

Something about Yakuza writing just feels like it started improving way more after 1 and 2 (counting 0 where it belongs I.E. after 5). While I don't think the story this time tops 3 for me, it's still really good. Again, the biggest strength of the game is the characters. The main 4 (the Yakuza 4) are all just really enjoyable, and they make the story worth going through, even if the actual plot lines might fall flat. There's a lot to go through here. AHEM:

Akiyama was the perfect character to start off with. Nice and charismatic, interesting concept of a stupid rich moneylender that just aims to help; I felt like I was just kinda waiting for the shoe to drop on him, but other than him debatably being a little bit of a scumbag (who isn't in Kamurocho), he's just a really nice guy who I wanna see succeed.

Saejima was one of the best depictions of trauma I've seen in this series so far. That scene of him recounting his pain in the Coliseum was incredibly powerful; only to be followed by him reuniting with his old boss. Emotionally amazing. I wish he was present a little longer, but I'm really excited to see where his story goes in the future.

Like his gameplay, Tanimura was a slow burn. Something about the dude I just liked more and more as time went on. A cop who doesn't give a shit about the rules, is kinda an asshole, but still has that heart of gold. I liked his bit of being in the foreign community, that was neat. I'm glad he got the final fight. It makes me sad knowing that he still hasn't come back in the modern day. I miss him already.

Kiryu is Kiryu. We love Kiryu. I wish he would stop falling into this damned city's nonsense. Something I really liked about his part of the story is how it felt very celebrational for the series. All of his substories referenced the past in some way, which was really cool.

Yasuko was great, especially once her connection to Saejima was revealed. I'm a sucker for sibling relationships in media, as I think I've said before. Her death felt a little goofy, but in the same way I felt really invested in it, and it was like "I've been living my life dead already. Might as well keep going a little bit for my brother."

Hana!!!!!! The team of Akiyama and Hana was amazing, especially for opening the game up with. I do think there was just a TAD too much focus on her eating, but still, beyond that. Having a plus-sized character, ESPECIALLY a woman, be more than just a walking joke, is amazing. She still felt like a person. I can't wait to hopefully see more of her. I hope.

Hamazaki???? He's. I don't know how I feel about him. On one hand, I'm glad his last minute resurrection was used well. A really good turn of character from a villain to a man who's learned to trust and love. I do really like him in that end. On the other end; why doesn't he die. Like, he died. He dies. A lot. He died in 3. He died in the start of the game. He died in Kiryu's chapter. This is like FFIV with the amount of fake death.

Majima didn't get as much appearance as I would have liked, especially for the game that shows his sworn brother, but he's always a joy for a reason. I liked how he felt more down to earth, more sorrowful here. Little more like how he was in 0; I'm starting to really see the full connection of the dude here.

Kido felt like he was gonna be Rikiya 2, in a way, but I'm glad he wasn't a 1-to-1. I didn't really understand his heel turn for the most part, but I think I picked it up at the end. He was going balls out. He was gonna take the opportunity to go big. Cool guy, not S tier.

I do like Daigo, generally. Here, I understood his motivations, but I feel like he was shoehorned in to give Kiryu a final battle. I dunno. Poor guy is just getting the shaft compared to other mainstay characters.

Katsuragi was a neat villain. He doesn't have anything that stands out to me, but he served his purpose very well, I think.

Sugiuchi on the other hand, I liked AND he had a little sauce to him. Initially I thought he was gonna be the rough man yet still an ally, but they instead went the villain route. The reveal of being yakuza undercover as a cop, yet still finding some kind of meaning IN fighting crime; it was neat.

To continue in the police, I'll always find catharsis with taking down a corrupt official, which is what I got with Munakata. I think he was introduced at a good point to not feel like a last minute "man behind the man" big bad, and he felt satisfying to take down.

Finally; Arai. I. I don't think I like Arai. I didn't understand him, his motives, what his role was. Out of everyone who ended up being a final force, he was my least favorite, and I wouldn't be upset not seeing him ever again. He wishes he was Mine good.

The villains of this game were weak, in my opinion. Probably the weakest of the series so far. But the allied cast in this game was strong enough to balance them out. There were a couple people I didn't mention but to quickly put them down: Fuck Saito. Hate him. Haruka is daughter. Love her. I got to see the kids again. Yay. Date got more appearance and a little bit more story which I loved. Shibata is there.

To move away from my usual character break down, I do like how this game still feels more put together than the first two in the series. I saw a lot of complaints about rubber bullets online, ridiculing them, but like; while ridiculous, that plot point didn't bother me that much? Something about Yakuza reminds me of Professor Layton. You get a lot of mysteries that all (ideally) get tied together at the end, and it's really satisfying. The mystery of what happened 25 years ago, everyone's personal arcs, the Ueno Seiwa, the Tojo, the Police all intersecting for power, and the people heading this; it's fun.

Also, the substories in this game???? Dude. I loved them. Where 3 was filled with a lot of heart, 4 gives a lot of important feeling character expanding on our main cast. Sure, there's a couple silly ones; but when you get 3 new guys, you gotta get them up to par with Kiryu, and they succeeded with that. Akiyama gets a lot of viewing into his business, Saejima visits his past through the lens of protecting a kid, and Tanimura learns about his father and solves a big crime ring. I loved that they had these big stories that you could follow over several substories. Probably my favorite part of the game, there.

Part 3: Black Tortoise's Music 第3部：黒亀の音楽

I gotta say. Yakuza music is good, but doesn't always stick with me, beyond like, karaoke. I'm a big nerd who downloads video game music to listen to in the car, and before this, I really only had Outlaw's Lullaby from Kiwami 2 on the listen list (again, excluding karaoke). Yakuza has a lot of good intense techno, but 4 here. Dude. Music DRASTIC go up. A lot of big band, unique instruments, cool melodies; it caught my ears far more than in the past. Loved the wind sounds of Akiyama's battle theme, the intense and creepy moments like Whiskey & Rhapsody, the substory battles sometimes being met with the spicy brass squad song called Spicy Brass Squad, the absolute banger that is Tanimura's battle theme, as well as the Sugiuchi battle??? Similar to the story, only the final battles really unimpressed me with how GOOD the rest of the game is full of. Probably my favorite soundtrack in the series so far, I HAD to make this one of my sections that I limited to 4 just for the bit (I'm admitting it here)

Editor's note AKA Styrm going back through his thoughts to make sure they're coherent: HOW DID I NOT MENTION MAJIMA'S BATTLE THEME??? RECIEVE AND BITE YOU GOES INSANE WITH THAT OPENING

Part 4: Azure Dragon's Finale 第4部：紺碧の竜のフィナーレ

Yakuza 4 is a good game. I don't think I'd like it nearly as much without its main gimmick of 4 main characters. Luckily, it has that gimmick, and it does it well. You can only have so much solo Kiryu in the series before you hit burnout. I'm still craving a little more innovation, mainly in the side content, but I think this direction is exactly what the series needed. Luckily, I do have the benefit of "being in the future" and knowing where the series is going, so I'm looking forward to Most of it (I'm iffy on what I know about 6).

If I had a game with the story quality of 3 and the good feeling gameplay + multiple characters of 4, it'd be amazing (wait isn't this what I remember 0 being (it's been like 5 years I might have rose-colored glasses I need to replay it)). Still; like I said. Yakuza 4 is the right direction for the series. Just needs a little more to not feel like the same stuff that I just did last game.

7/10. Wonderful concept of a multi main character cast, but maybe just a little too similar to the game before it to excite me. Half the character writing is amazing, and the other half is the villains.

[silliersiluriforme]

@asukiess [batting my eyelashes kicking my feet blushing twirling my hair ect] I’m using this as an excuse to yap :3c

I love putting the child in child soldier. Like. Marinette is NOT mature and she has to deal with SO MUCH so of course putting everyone and everything in a neat little box is the only way she can function. Chat noir is her non threatening goofy male bestie and Adrien is her perfect beautiful unattainable crush who’s too innocent and pure to realise his childhood best friend is evil. Unfortunately 15 year olds aren’t great judge of character teehee.

Now for what inspires me Id say mostly western comics !! I get most of my coloring inspo from golden age marvels and Gerard way’s works (especially the fabulous killjoys) my lineart is heavily influenced by Mike mignolia (and tatsuki fujimoto’s tho like. Way less. I wish I could make the squigglies work but alas.) !!!! Though I would say for panel layouts I’m partial to franco-Belgian stuff. Like I need to cram as many panels in that page as possible or I’ll explode myself. I wanna try making my colors even more fun and adding more fx in the future :3c.

I LOVE THAT LINE. “It means they like you.” ITS SO IMPORTANT TO ME. I think chat noir and ladybug’s different approaches to “The Public” is soooooo fun.

I think adrien living his entire life up on his little pedestal and THEN obtaining incompressible power at a very young age would lead to him to see civilians- The Public, as just that. Civilians. Maybe to a slightly dehumanising extent ? Which is. So fun.

so idk if anyone has noticed the pattern but like. Ok so first page- chat noir’s sat higher up than Marinette but she gets him to lower himself. In this angle of the love square she has control because he relinquished it.

Next page ! Ladybug is sat way higher than chat noir. She lowers herself but she never quite gets to his level.

NOW THE MULTICHAT DANCE OH BOY- he helps her up. Then he tries to push her down. She resists. He pushes her down harder. It’s confusing!! They’re BOTH confused. Marinette’s his friend ! Why is he being a dick to her ?? A question only god (me) could answer.

I think it’s sososo fun when Marinette is left all alone with no one to rely on. Whether it’s her fault or not. Isolate that baby !

[companion-showdown]

Who is the best TARDIS team?

TOURNAMENT MASTERPOST

propaganda under the cut

Fugitive, Taslo

Spoilers for Origins:

I can't be the only one who sees the similarities in energy between 12 and the fugitive Doctor, so obviously, giving her an apprentice would be gold. And this TARDIS team absolutely delivers. Their dynamic is beautiful. The Doctor so doesn't want an apprentice, especially not one who was handpicked by Division and is ready to shoot first, ask questions later and follow orders blindly. Yet, she is such a good mentor to Taslo! She might not be the softest, most understanding immediately, but she grows to appreciate her and trust her and she protects her fiercely until the end. The added layer of betrayal is delicious, mainly because this is Division, OBVIOUSLY they will betray each other. But Taslo coming through in the end, having learnt from the Doctor and deciding to stand with her even if no one will ever know and she gets imprisoned and there is nothing the Doctor can do about it, is beautiful. They are so important to me and the dialogue reads hilarious and those images!!! There is a panel right at the start where the Doctor grabs Taslo's arm to drag her backwards out a bar which has so much 'okay how did I end up with this annoying wet kitten' energy <33 And then in the end when the Doctor is all alone again while Tecteun is scheeming, looking so lonely in her panel, everyone go read that comic, it is GREAT. And also vote for them :) (@capybaraonabicycle)

Fugitive, Weeping Angel

I just think the Doctor working with a weeping angel and blinking deliberately to use its powers against a giant spider is neat. Also they bicker about the angel snacking on the TARDIS <33 (@capybaraonabicycle)

Alice Obiefune, John Jones

Okay. First, you need to realize the context in which this team-up happens. The Doctor's been possessed by the concept of capitalism. He's the head of a universal corporation and he's eradicating free thought and creativity. The only people who can stop him are his two companions. These two companions are Alice Obiefune, a library assistant who has shot the doctor on two separate occasions, and John Jones, an Elton John parody who initially got onto the TARDIS because the doctor had forgotten to close the door and nobody noticed him wandering aboard. It doesn't go too well for them. (@wickedsick)

[argumentalist]

The Gundam Mk-II from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.

I thoroughly enjoyed Zeta and thought the Mk-II was a terrific design. So, of course, I had to build one. And this Real Grade kit gets terrific reviews - so that's what I chose.

As usual, we've got the Real Grade's Advanced MS Joint B-runner.

I'm amazed every time I build one of these old RG kits. I don't understand how or why they'd mold these moving parts into a runner like this. It's an amazing technical feat... But it can't actually improve manufacturing costs, can it?

There's a runner of ABS parts in this kit, which I don't love. There's nothing wrong with ABS... It's actually great for hard-wearing parts that need to be more durable. But the flow-type panel-liners I like to use absolutely destroy ABS, so I have to be very careful with them.

Since this is an RG kit we get a tiny little pilot figure - Kamille Bidan. At this scale, though, you can barely make out any detail. And since I won't actually be using this figure in the kit, I'm not going to bother painting it.

This kit includes a length of wire and some braided cloth tubing for added detail. It's honestly pretty annoying to work with, and I'm not convinced it adds much to the model. I'm pretty sure you could just do a molded plastic detail instead.

This kit has you build the entire inner-frame first, which was kind of neat. Of course I had to grab a quick picture of the thing under-construction because I'll never see that stripped-down inner-frame again.

Unfortunately, due to the way this inner-frame is built, disassembling the kit for decals and topcoat later is going to be a pain.

Once the inner-frame is built there's a great process of layering the armor up over it. It was very satisfying. There's some fantastic detail and color-separation. And unlike some other RG kits there wasn't anything I really felt I needed to glue in place.

This kit comes with the usual RG sticker-style decals, which I don't generally love. I used the shiny green ones for the eyes and some cameras. I stuck a couple of the gold ones on inner-frame bits of the legs. But that's about it.

I picked up some G-Rework waterslide decals for this kit. Broadly speaking, I like the added flair of G-Rework's designs. They're a little more interesting than the standard Bandai decals. They seem to be easier to apply, and stick better, too.

Unlike the last batch of G-Rework decals - these seem to basically follow Bandai's numbering which made them much easier to apply.

This was a very satisfying build.

I really enjoyed building the entire inner-frame first and then layering the armor over it. The kit feels pretty solid... There's a couple bits I keep pulling off when posing... But nothing that really feels that loose or fragile. Nothing I think I'm going to need to glue in place.

Again, I find myself wishing for more pre-posed hands. There's some in this kit - a couple closed fists, one open hand, and one gun-holding hand. But, again, we're going to be stuck with those semi-poseable RG hands a lot of the time. Like there isn't even a pre-posed hand we can use to hold a beamsaber.

I'm definitely going to have to pick up the Titans version of this kit - just for the excuse to build it again.

And I'm actually debating trying the RG Zeta Gundam kit... I don't love the design of the Zeta Gundam in the first place. And I've heard it called one of the worst RG kits out there. But it kind of feels like I should build it just for completion.

[sergeantsporks]

Writin Request: Gus & Hunter going to a convention!

“Alright, important things to remember before we go in.” Luz held out her arms to block Hunter and Gus. “Number one: If you see a panel or table labelled as ‘meet the voice of,’ then they are a voice actor. Do not be disappointed when they don’t look like the character, because they just lent their voice. Number two: if you go to a panel or table for a live action actor, please, please, please remember that they are ALSO not the character. They are just someone who was paid to pretend to be the character.”

Hunter rolled his eyes, pushing at her arms. “We know how acting works, Luz.”

“Yeah, I’ve been in school plays before, and I know I wasn’t actually a tree,” Gus scoffed, then side-eyed Hunter. “Wait, how do you know how actors work?”

“Okay, okay,” Luz conceded, “One more rule. This one is the most important one, don’t forget it.” She grabbed the fronts of Hunter and Gus’ costumes, looking them deep in the eyes. “Do not. Do not, do not, do not. Start comparing your cosplay to someone else’s. The saying ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ is never truer than at a con. If you see a nice cosplay, just think to yourself ‘wow that cosplay is so good!’ Do not start thinking ‘my cosplay is terrible compared to theirs.’ It will kill you. Do you understand me.”

“We understand,” Hunter and Gus chorused, and finally, Luz released them.

“Okay! Have fun! Check all the booths before you make any purchase decisions. You will go over budget, just accept this.”

“Are you adding more rules?” Gus asked.

Luz flapped a hand at them. “No, no, no, I’m done. Amity and I will meet you up at the front at noon, okay?”

“Okay,” they chorused, and finally, Luz was gone, disappearing with Amity towards the Azura actress autograph signing.

“Pfft,” Gus said once she was gone, elbowing Hunter, “Like anyone’s cosplay is going to be as good as ours anyway. You are actually a clone! What O’Bailey cosplayer can compare to that?”

“Yeah!” Hunter agreed, “And your headset? I mean, it lights up! Who else is going to have a costume that lights up?”

“Oh, hey—”

A hand closed on Hunter’s shoulder, and he grabbed it, reflexively flipping his unknown assailant over with a thump on her back. A freckled girl dressed in science officer blue frontier cosplay blinked up at the ceiling with a groan.

Hunter dropped her wrist. “Oh, no. No, no, no, I’m sorry, I—”

She wheezed in a laugh. “No—no, that was awesome.” She scrambled back to her feet. “Whew. Surprised me, but honestly? Points for the dedication to character! I should have known better than to sneak up on O’Bailey! He might be an engineer, but—”

“Duplicant battle protocol makes for one hell of a punch,” Hunter and Gus quoted with her. She lapsed into more giggles.

“Exactly.”

Hunter looked her up and down. He recognized the uniform, but she’d affixed a Duplicant communicator to her ear, and wore bracelets engraved with lettering he recognized from a one-off planet. “Who are you? I don’t recognize your character.”

“Oh—well, of course you don’t.” She twirled, revealing that her uniform flared out into a skirt at the end. “I’m my own original character! Shaari, the result of a Duplicant defying protocol and having a child with a Mergarave. I’m a double agent.” She winked. “But I won’t say for who.”

“That’s creative,” Gus told her warmly, “The Mergarave had such a neat design—it was a shame we left their planet so soon.”

Shaari—whatever her real name was—nodded emphatically. “I know, right? Anyway, I just wanted to say that I really like your cosplays. Are you going to enter the costume contest?”

“Costume contest?” Hunter and Gus echoed.

“Yeah, the Cosmic Frontier panel holds one every year, since it’s so difficult to get one of the actors in. On account of, you know. Most of them being either really famous or really dead. Anyway, they have a group category, and first prize is a signed box set of the original Cosmic Frontier trilogy. Mint condition. Original characters aren’t accepted in the group round. We have a separate category. But you two should totally sign up. I think you’ve got a real shot at winning. It was nice meeting you!”

She wandered off, jogging to join a friend wearing a Cosmic Frontier T-shirt, and Gus grabbed Hunter’s arms.

“Hunter. We have to win that box set. Camila will love it.”

“I know.” Hunter started towards the galaxy-themed banner he could see in the distance. “She said to bring her back a sticker or a pin or something—can you imagine if we come home with a mint-condition signed copy of the Cosmic Frontier original trilogy? We are going to win at comic-con.”

“Oh, yeah. Costume contest, here we come, baby!”

A bored-looking con employee waited at the Cosmic Frontier table, sign up sheets in front of him. “Original characters here, solo costumers here, and group costumes here,” he monotoned, gesturing to three different pieces of paper, “The competition is judged on both the quality of your costume and how well you portray your character. We’ve only got about ten more minutes until the morning competition starts, so please hurry.”

Hunter signed he and Gus’ names on the group competition list, and the employee jabbed one thumb at the door behind him. “Wait in there, you’ll be called in order.”

Hunter and Gus found themselves in a long hallway, covered with black tarp dotted with glow-in-the-dark stars. Just ahead of them, a much larger group of young adults laughed, elbowing each other.

“Try again,” one of them in a blue uniform encouraged.

“I’ll get it on stage!” their Captain Avery protested, “I just can’t take it seriously in practice with all you guys making faces at me.”

Hunter stopped, hissing in, and Gus bumped into him. “What? What’s the matter?”

“Maybe… maybe this wasn’t a good idea.”

“What?”

“I mean—I just—” Hunter gestured ahead of them. “Look! They’ve got the full bridge.”

“There wasn’t a rule on how many members you needed.”

“I know, but…” Hunter gulped. Even in the low light, he could see the quality of their costumes, and it made him painfully aware of the stitches still showing on his. “I mean… just look at them.”

As if to emphasize his point, their O’Bailey hit a switch on his headset, and the whole thing lit up with a whoosh, the red eye glowing dully in the dark. When he moved his arm, it clicked gently.

“They’ve got better costumes—they’ve got better gear—they’ve got the whole bridge—and they go up before us, Gus. We’re going to look ridiculous after them!”

“Well—hey—no. Remember what Luz said? Comparing costumes is not something you should do at cons.”

“Gus, we’ve just entered a costume contest. The entire point is that people will compare our costumes! We’ve entered a zone outside of Luz’s rules!” Hunter ran a hand through his hair. “I haven’t seen anyone come in after us, either! We’re going to go last, after these guys, and then there will be no one after us to make them forget how mediocre we were!”

Gus’ hand landed on his arm, giving it a squeeze. “Hey—Hunter, deep breaths. Deep breaths. It’s not just about how good your costume looks, remember? We’ll go up there, we’ll do the Astral Oath, and we’ll get it on acting. Piece of cake.” He nudged Hunter’s arm with his own. “For the boxed set, right?”

“For the boxed set,” Hunter repeated, but suddenly, the boxed set didn’t seem so attainable. “Okay. We can do this.”

The line moved slowly. Hunter could hear people ahead of them performing their characters, some strong and confident, and others barely managing to stumble out a “beam us up” before running offstage. But finally, the group ahead of them moved onstage, and Hunter could see out into the auditorium. Everyone who’d already gone had found a seat, adding to the number of people watching. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

For the boxed set.

“Cosmic Nerds?” the announcer called.

The full bridge rushed to center stage. Hunter watched, open-mouthed, as they pulled over to their respective bridge spots on the stage. The blue-uniformed one shook their head. “I don’t think the ground team is making it out of this one, Captain,” they sighed, “Logically, our best option is—”

The Captain Avery cosplayer straightened up, arms behind her back. “To leave them behind? No. Have you forgotten? Our crew is family. No matter who we are, or what we are, we love and protect each other.”

“Through supernovas, and solar winds,” the rest of the bridge chorused with them.

“Exactly. Now let’s get our family back.”

They rushed off the stage to thunderous applause from the audience, and Hunter’s stomach dropped. Captain Avery really had done better when on stage. And they’d performed the Astral Oath—if Hunter and Gus did that now, they’d just look like copycats.

There’s no way we win this.

Hunter started to back up, but then he and Gus’ names echoed from the front, and Gus stepped forward, accidentally tromping on the back of his heels, and before Hunter quite knew what he was doing, he was out on stage, with dozens of people staring at him, and a mic in front of him.

“Go on,” Gus whispered encouragingly, “Give me something to start the oath.”

“Um,” Hunter squeaked, and the mike screeched, making everyone in the audience wince. Hunter took a step back, ignoring Gus’ confused glance. His heart pounded in his ears. The stares of the audience bored into him, every single pair of eyes another judgement.

Say something

Say something

Say something

“Hey, everybody.”

Hunter blinked. Gus had taken the mic. He winked at the audience. “I know, breaking the fourth wall isn’t very in-character of me. But, well, maybe I don’t need to be Captain Avery at the moment.”

A murmur rippled through the watchers. Hunter took a deep breath, watching Gus. What was he up to?

“Cosmic Frontier means something special to everyone here,” Gus continued, “For me—and for Hunter—it found us when we needed it most. Avery, O’Bailey, and the rest of the crew showed up when home was uncertain, when who we were was uncertain, and they told us… well, they told us that even if we never found our way back home, that didn’t mean we couldn’t find our way to a family. And that family could be each other.”

Gus set the microphone back in the stand. “It might not be the Astral Oath, but hey…” he turned back to Hunter, holding out his fist. “I think Captain Avery would be okay if we used our own.”

A grin spread over Hunter’s face, and he bumped fists, elbows, and foreheads with Gus, both of them making an explosion noise.

“Captain Avery and Chief Engineer O’Bailey, beaming out,” Gus said into the microphone.

Hunter heard a piercing whistle and cheer as he walked off the stage. Shaari gave the two of them a big thumbs-up from the audience, her cheer setting off a wave of loud—if not as enthusiastic as the last round—applause.

The announcer took the stage again. “Aaaaalright. That was our last group, so. The judges are going to start their decision-making now. After the winners are announced, we’ll be opening up a vote for the crewmen’s choice. Be sure to scan the QR code and vote on your phone!”

Gus tugged Hunter to the back. “I’m sorry,” he murmured in a low voice.

Hunter blinked. “For what? I should be the one apologizing—I choked back there, I forgot Luz’s rule, I—”

“You wanted to back out. I should have listened.” Gus sighed. “Blinded by the box set.”

Hunter chuckled. “It’s a magnificent box set, to be fair. It’s okay, Gus.” He nudged his friend’s shoulder. “And—hey. Thanks. For what you said back there. It was… nice.”

“And now for our winners!”

Hunter and Gus turned back to the stage, listening impatiently through the solo costumes and original character costumes—Shaari won second and a free cosmic frontier keychain—until they reached the group award. Third place went by. So did second.

“And our first prize winner…”

Hunter held his breath, crossing his fingers.

“…Cosmic Nerds!”

The audience burst out cheering again as the group took the stage again, pausing for a photo, and for their prize. Hunter sighed.

“Oh, well.”

“Camila will be happy with a sticker, too,” Gus assured him, “We should go find her one.”

They wandered out of the auditorium, but before they’d gone far, Hunter felt a tap on his shoulder. This time, he managed to restrain his impulse to throw whoever it was over onto their back, and turned around.

Cosmic Nerd’s O’Bailey stood in front of him. The rest of the group cluttered in the auditorium doors, still laughing and elbowing each other.

“Make it quick,” their Avery called.

“Yeah, yeah,” O’Bailey called back. He gave Hunter Gus a warm smile. “Hey.”

Gus spoke up first. “Uh—hey? Congratulations on your win, man.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks. Um. I wanted to ask… is this your first con? I haven’t seen the two of you around, and the Cosmic Frontier Connecticut con scene isn’t exactly packed.”

“Yeah. It is our first.” Hunter squinted at him. What was his angle? “Why?”

“Thought so. No reason, just wondering.” He smiled that warm smile again. “Your costumes are really good—especially for a first con.”

Gus slapped his forehead. “Oh, MAN, I forgot to turn my headset on when we went out there! It lights up,” he explained to O’Bailey.

“Neat! Yeah, I just wanted to say… you know, what you said up there, that was really neat. I think a lot of us… Cosmic Frontier found all of us when we were vulnerable, and gave us something to hold onto. It gave us hope for something better when we were sweaty, awkward teenagers who no one liked.”

“O’Bailey!” the Avery said with exasperated fondness, rolling her eyes, “Come on, they’re announcing the crewmen’s choice winner!”

“One minute!” O’Bailey smiled after her, his expression softening. “Anyway… the people we met through Cosmic Frontier… well, the Cosmic Nerds are my best friends. They’re family.” A grin twitched across his face. “Anyway, all that to say, I’m glad Cosmic Frontier is still reaching teenagers like I was and giving them something to hold onto, the way it did for me.” He gave Hunter a thumbs-up. “I know what it’s like to be an O’Bailey. Seems like you’ve got a great crew already, eh?”

Hunter smiled despite himself. “Yeah. I do.”

Shaari pushed her way out of the auditorium. “Hey! Avery! O’Bailey!”

“Yes?” both sets answered.

Shaari flapped a hand at the Cosmic Nerds. “You guys already won, geeze. You two! Gus and Hunter! Hey! You won crewmen’s choice! Get back in there, they’re doing a picture, and they’ve got your prize.”

“We won?” Hunter asked, bewildered, “But we—we—”

“Spirit of the character’s sometimes more important than the bookline accuracy,” O’Bailey said with a wink, “Sounds like Avery’s speech did a good job rallying the crewmen.”

“Yes!” Gus fist-pumped the air. “Let’s go!” He started towards the door, then stopped. “Uh—well—Hunter—are you feeling up for it?”

“Of course,” Hunter said, and strangely enough, he meant it.

This time on the stage, the stares of the audience didn’t feel quite so piercing. This time, they cheered, and the announcer shook both Hunter and Gus’s hands, directing them to stand for a photo, and presenting them with a bumper sticker of Captain Avery giving a thumbs-up with the speech bubble “Keep Calm, and Don’t Crash the Spaceship.”

A grin split Gus’ face. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Hunter nodded. “This is going to look perfect on Camila’s car.”

[peculiar-potato]

raaaaaaaagh teaser image for the among us animated tv series dropped and I just have to scream about it and analyze it a little bit

(Source)

My ramblings under the cut:

I like the art style! It’s a bit different, I was expecting something closer to the game style/style of images they post on social media and stuff where it’s very clean with sharp lines, but I think this works really well for what it seems like they’re trying to do here. I like the lineart and the kind of texture everything has? It adds a lot to some of the other stuff I’m going to talk about here.

First of all, the atmosphere. Again, really kinda different from what I was expecting, but in a nice way! I was expecting kinda like a clean, cool-toned, space-age look, but this gives me a lot more like run-down office vibes and I am HERE FOR IT.

The warped ceiling tiles? The dirt and grime? The bent blinds over the window? The burnt out light by the window and different colored fluorescent lights like one of the bulbs was replaced? It feels like I’m in some old corporate building that hasn’t been properly maintained in years, which is so different and so fun from what you normally see in a spaceship and totally matches the vibes of (at least what I headcanon to be) a sketchy space corporation.

I also love all the little details here.

The little food window and vending machine so the cafeteria is actually a cafeteria, the pizza with who knows what kind of toppings on it (why is it green?? I’m so curious), and the fact that everything is held up with duct tape- even the fire extinguisher? It’s so fun I love all of it.

This is also actually a really faithful adaption of the map. Like, I know, of course it is, but I know things have to get changed a lot for animation sometimes and they did a good job of keeping it very similar.

I am going to be that guy and point out a few differences but just because I think they’re neat and interesting!! Not at all bad!

(At least between this and the classic game, I’ve never played Among Us VR)

First of all, the trash task and wires task actually swapped sides, on the map, the wires are on the left and the trash is on the right, but here it’s flipped. I also can’t find the download data task, unless it’s supposed to be the tv? Probably all just aesthetic choices but kinda interesting!

There’s also the big food window and the door, but if you look at the orientation of the walls of the room, it actually checks out! The door and window would be against the left wall, where you wouldn’t actually see it looking from the angle in game.

The vending machine isn’t there in the game, at least on the Skeld map, but that’s ok the beans deserve their snacks! I did notice there’s kinda a panel behind it so I’m counting that as the panel that’s on the right wall next to the download task being there (even though it’s definitely too small to be that). That and the wires are actually on the slanted wall, but again, I don’t care, this is just me pointing out every difference like an I-spy challenge.

Also the cafeteria tables have stools now instead of benches, and I kinda like that! I also like the stripe of kinda a maroon-ish color added to the tables and stools, really kinda ties together well with the walls and such. And the floor, thank goodness they did something about that floor for the animators’ sake. I like the original floor design but I know firsthand just how hard that floor is to draw, especially at an angle.

I don’t know how to really speculate on the party stuff other than I’m intrigued haha. Maybe it’s like they’re celebrating taking off and surviving or being the only crew with no impostor attacks or something (of course that’s implying a lot about the non-existent lore) and then everything goes wrong? Maybe the red is pizza sauce or ketchup and we’re being misled for the funnies?

I’m kinda hopeful about the humor here, with the “we’re not dead” banner and stuff, I’m really hoping this will be something I’ll enjoy too as an adult and the vibes I’m getting from this are encouraging. Like maybe a kinda workplace dark comedy?

I’m also sososososo curious about what we’ll get in terms of characters (I WANNA SEE THE BEANS SHOW ME THE BEANS) and worldbuilding and lore here, eeeeeeeeeeeeee

Ok, I’ll stop for now, but you know I’ll be following this very closely lol.

tldr: not entirely what I was expecting but I like it and the direction it’s going a lot :))))))

Edit 2/3/24- just noticed there’s no emergency meeting button??? Is it under the pizza?? Has it not been installed yet?? WHERE IS IT 👁️👄👁️

[gachagon]

Hiori's ego is really fragile glass

and it's really fucking cool, I adore the imagery they used for this reveal. In Blue Lock there's always this big moment where the characters come flying apart in strange fragments, either in puzzle pieces or weird black "monster goo" etc which is supposed to be representative of their ego. And we finally have Hiori's ego!

When I first saw it I thought that maybe it was just random shards not meant to really represent anything but this panel where he and Isagi are both thinking at the exact same time about the same play let me know that this is him showing his ego off proudly, and I think Hiori's ego is super cool in a unique way.

Often times, when we think about glass or mirrors, we think about how easy they are to break. How fragile they are, and when mirrors are broken you can't exactly see the reflection in them clearly anymore. That is exactly why Hiori gets paired with glass shards as his ego, because seeing everything all at once was the thing that was holding him back. From Hiori's perspective, whenever he would play, he wouldn't do it for himself but for the dreams of other people. His parents expectations weighed heavy on him, and were the sole reason for him joining Blue Lock.

When he's finally breaking free from the idea of playing for others, the moments on the glass shards are from his childhood, times where he had played soccer just for the benefit of his parents and nobody else. So in a sense, Hiori is breaking apart but in the best way possible because now he's playing for himself and making choices he wouldn't have thought about making before. He's not seeing the "big picture" that his parents had forced on him, which is why he relies more on his instincts instead.

I really feel like this is an interesting subversion of the predator eye skill that has been touted in other chapters, because those characters all had this big revelation the moment they could use it. They all spaced out, and were awed at just how much thinking and brain power they had to do in order to fully use it on the field. But Hiori isn't thinking, he's just playing by ear for the first time in his life, and that's how he's able to use this new skill to his advantage.

Breaking apart was the key Hiori needed in order to unlock his ego, because the thing that was holding him back was this constant anxiety and fear about doing things on his own. Being allowed to fail in life is such an important thing that people need to experience, and since he was never allowed to be anything less than perfect at soccer, he built this whole solid wall around himself when he played and would only rely on others to try and get ahead instead of truly playing selfishly.

He may have thought he was an egoist simply because he joined Blue Lock, but it's clear Hiori didn't think he'd ever have the possibility of being like the others, of truly being number 1 (because being the number 1 striker isn't even a dream of his, it's someone else's entirely).

And what's also really neat about Hiori's ego being represented by glass is how it contrasts Isagi's puzzle pieces. One is a chronic over thinker who's always seeing everything all the time in his head, and the other just turns his brain off to do the sickest shit on the field with pure reflexes. Now it makes so much more sense as well why Hiori's backstory chapter included him playing so many video games, specifically shooters. Because those are games you play where you mostly have to rely on your instincts and reflexes. You don't have to see everything in front of you, you don't even have time to do that in those types of games.

So it's cool to see how this little hobby of his was foreshadowing the way he'd use his skills in the upcoming match. The only thing left to wonder is if this will really be enough for them to win. If they don't score here Noa will be really upset by it since he let Isagi take a gamble with adding Hiori to the field. Part of me is optimistic, but I'm also convinced they'll lose because they've already won most of their games so far lol.

[decepti-thots]

Tea emoji skybound?

Okay so I am behind at the moment and also, I want to do a full readthrough of the first year of the TF ongoing all in one go before the year is out and write an Actual Long Post, so I will not get too in the weeds here about specifics.

But I really, really like Skybound so far- the main TF comic at least. It is first and foremost just an astonishingly well crafted comic, from the art to the lettering to the writing. It works serially, it works visually, it works as a comic, in a way that is honestly not that common for many US comics right now. (I have been reading some Al Ewing stuff recently, his Marvel work, and I would compare Skybound's ability to make a serial narrative still feel satisfyingly complete in individual issues to the work Ewing did on stuff like Immortal Hulk. If that means anything to anyone.) Johnson knows his shit. He is writing COMICS, and his understanding of the medium is clear in every panel. (I cannot BELIEVE this is his first ongoing. Fucking hell.)

I also think it actually does something new with G1 reimaginings, which justifies yet another one of those existing. Sunbow is not, in the West anyway, a very widely mined part of the fiction for later stuff. Almost all the stuff we get tends to veer far, far closer to vaguely G1 Marvel influences. Johnson is taking those 'sounds good on paper, woefully underdeveloped in the cartoon because 80s Toy Ad' concepts and fleshing them out amazingly well. He goes completely seriously in on making that canon into a space opera that takes itself seriously, and he has enough earnestness that against all odds, it works. The earnestness is very important. It is not a comic going 'haha Isn't This Silly' at itself, which almost any writer trying to do this would do I think.

Oh, and it really makes the Cybertronian-Human dynamic compelling. If you want a work that shows why, exactly, the humans add something important to TF, I think Skybound is the comic that does that. It's got THEMES. It's got PATHOS. It's got CARLY, who I think is REALLY NEAT.

...I do not particularly care for Void Rivals, however. It is a very, very mid comic, though largely readable. It largely exists to me in terms of 'OK, it brought xyz lore concept in this month, good to know!' and not much more, alas. I don't hate Kirkman's work overall, but honestly. The comparison to Johnson almost feels unfair; there's just not that same wild creative ENERGY anywhere. It is a comic that exists to create splashpages in which you go. I Know That Guy! And I can't say I care much.

I have thus far not touched the GI Joe stuff. I should really do that, but. God. I'm just not that interested. LMAO.

Final thought: which is kind of ironic, because if I put this comic in conversation with any other TF work? It would be TF vs GI Joe (Scioli/Barber). It has that same deliberate engagement with the specific genre context the 80s stuff exists in, the sense of creating nostalgia for a version of the franchise that never actually existed, the granular love of and obsession with specifically comics that means so much of how the story is told really could not be in another medium and stay the same. Which is high praise, because I think TFvsGIJ is, in fact, the best TF comic ever written, hah.