squadrah - Tumblr blog

[squadrah]

self-care phrases to boost your confidence

this shit ain't nothin to me man

I'll fucking kill you

.

[squadrah]

friendly reminder that a translation for the melone/ghiaccio story is out

https://www.tumblr.com/kersplinky88/737284557440794624/no-love-like-a-parents

Thank you, Anon! Hopefully I can take a peek between the holidays!

Hope you don't mind me also using this post to let everyone know I'm alive, things have just been insanely busy lately - I was busy with my book and then I got unexpected work and now we're also all sick as the holidays draw near, so sadly there has been no time for me to do anything for this blog (though I think of the boys on an off because I miss them). Hope you all are doing well, and I'm wishing you a lovely rest of the year!

[squadrah]

“Hello,” she said in a voice so husky it could pull a dogsled.

[squadrah]

ghiaccio and melone are getting a short story in december! what are your thoughts ?

i am excited, if the characterization is good i will be happy, if i dont like it or agree its not written by araki so it will be ok

Oh wow, I am really out of the loop! Thank you for letting me know!

My honest thoughts are 1) good for them, 2) hopefully an amazing win for Melone fans because they have been through a lot in fandom. I'm pretty much the same as you on stuff like this: if the characterization is good it will add to the repertoire whenever I get to it, and if I don't like it or don't agree with it then I will just ignore it. I'm slow as it is to get to new or side material - I still haven't touched Purple Haze Feedback and I probably never will because everything I heard about it just made me sort of shrug? Glad for everyone who enjoyed it all the same, having more stuff to enjoy is a good thing!

[squadrah]

one time in trader joes I saw a deathknight wither a nectarine to straight up mildew and ash in their hands and then put it right back on the display

[squadrah]

THESE ARE SO GOOD, THANK YOU!!! I just saw them and I am delighted!!!

similarly to the httyd ask, what would la squadra look like AS dragons?

Risotto: "Black Barrage". Larger and more robust than the average dragon, with a large frill extending over the neck and lined with small horns. He has two layers of continuously growing black scales, which he normally sheds by rubbing against mountain rocks (he feasts on ore deposits), but when threatened, he can flex his dermis and launch his scales with the power and precision of an archer firing a crossbow. The scales are sharp, durable and surprisingly light, so smiths are eager to scavenge them for weapons and armor.

Formaggio: "Bluffrill". It took a while to figure out that he is not actually an average size dragon but a rather small lizard dragon with frills in strategic places on his body, which he can unfold and fan out to appear larger and more threatening. He's red with a yellow spotted pattern to aid his bluff as a dangerous beast, but should this not be enough, he has a single long talon on each wing that he can use to slice and dice his foes. He often chews on pebbles and stores them in his cheeks so he can spit them back out as small wads of magma.

Prosciutto: "Plague Song". A shimmering black with yellow accents, he has a long serpentine form suspended in the air by enormous wings. If his surroundings reach a high enough temperature either due to the climate or the area being on fire, the heat will react with the iridescent film coating his body to unleash a toxic smog that can decompose anything organic. The hotter the air and the stronger its currents, the wider his range becomes. He is not able to start the fire himself, but his singing may attract someone who can.

Pesci: "Hook Snagger". He is grass green with a large, chunky lower body and a thick long neck that can move in any direction. Some people think he earned his name due to his hooked claws as well as the single hooked horn protruding from his chin, all of which are fierce weapons in their own right, but his scariest weapon is actually his absurdly long whip-like tongue, which is so pointed and fast that he can use it as a harpoon to impale his targets, which he then reels in and swallows whole. Lives near water and fishes all day long.

Ghiaccio: "Chillburst". He is below average size and best resembles a white, tailless armadillo with several bands of hard but flexible armor plates covering his body. He is flightless, but he scuttles very fast on his short and powerful clawed legs, and by inflating a sac in his lower body and releasing the air in a concentrated burst strong enough to stun an ox, he can either propel himself forward or launch himself into the air at an angle. He has an extremely cold breath that can freeze magma. Resembles a snow hut when he's curled up.

Melone: "Prybaby". So named because he's very inquisitive to the point of being obtrusive, but always shies away from putting himself at actual risk. He's a rather small dark gray lizard dragon with a bioluminescent purple ring pattern that glows in the dark. He has a very modest fire breath, but more notably, the smoke he exhales is an oddly pleasant hallucinogen, which often makes those whose homes he invades inclined to let him stay there. In exchange for his smoke, he gets to partake in his hosts' food and poke around in safety.

Illuso: "Glimmerglam". His large but slim build and vast wingspan are very aesthetically pleasing, though nobody seems to agree on what color he actually is, and with reason: his scales are not merely reflective, but depending on the level of tension built up in his dermis, the scales can rotate, catching light at different angles to produce a variety of hues and even optical illusions. For this reason he prefers to live in caves and other natural mazes, where he can use this ability to lead his unsuspecting prey into a dead end...

Sorbet: "Savage Mulcher". A ground dweller who loves lush meadows and thick forests, but where nature is not so kind, he will make do and use his shovel-like appendages to turn the earth and eat the soil as well as anything that grows in it. He cannot breathe fire, but his insides can heat up to such temperatures that tree stumps turn to crumbling ash as he chews them, which is how he is able to turn what he eats into a rich compost on par with volcanic ash. Becomes extremely territorial once he establishes his own luxurious grove.

Gelato: "Spinning Menace". At first sight he's an average sized lizard dragon and an unassuming ocher color. He has functional wings, but his favorite mode of transportation is rolling into a ball, biting onto his tail, and rolling on the thick, squarish scaling all over his body. As he does this, his body heats up along with any debris caught in his scales, which then shoots out in all directions as flaming shrapnel. He's a highly social creature, which means that he either shows up in towns to chase people or with other dragons at skirmishes.

[squadrah]

ma’am could you please take a step back. yes—yes ma’am it’s because of your AOE poison attack aura

[squadrah]

☆ La Squadra as Cards of the Major Arcana, Part II (Part I) ☆

[squadrah]

hi again! I was thinking about some Prosciutto HCs recently and wanted to know your opinion on the hcs about him being into vintage styles or 1950s classic hollywood or noir ish etc its kind of like the smoking HCs where it's not canon but there's a vibe so I was curious about how you think it fits him! (or not if you have a specific aesthetic or style you'd think he enjoys I'd love to know about that too!)

Hi, welcome back!

I don't think I've seen much of these headcanons, actually, but I like the sound of them! I'm not partial to the smoking headcanons and only begrudgingly acknowledge them because it's not shown in the manga or anime, but the vast majority of fanwork seems to take it for granted. I'm more partial to him being only an occasional social smoker and for the most part straight edge, just because it feels more interesting to me to have someone who is facing the horrors as they are (and being a sort of horror himself). But I like the idea of the classic styles being associated, because there is something so polished and practical about the man, truly! Prosciutto has by far the most down-to-earth attire of La Squadra, which suggests that he appreciates what has already proven to work. I especially liked the mention of noir, because I feel like he both has an air of classic mystery (gritty or otherwise) and a taste for it. The way he walks Pesci through the discovery of Coco Jumbo and Team Buccellati is almost like Sherlock Holmes sharing his observations and deductions with Dr. Watson, which is very neat to me.

This is all a little jumbled because it is late enough over here, but the short answer is yes, I like the idea of him being into the classics and vintage fashion and noir. If Araki had made him a female character instead, she would have probably had a typical femme fatale look about her... much to think about...

[squadrah]

Hello! Just wanted to say I love the work you put on this blog ! And that I'm glad you're still continuing to write for la squadrs it's always fun to binge read your works from time to time just for fun and imagine these dudes in little scenarios just brings me a lot of joy hope you have a good day!

Hello! Thank you so much for the kind message, it makes me really happy that my thoughts and ideas are so appreciated! It's always fun to come back to the blog and brainstorm things for the squad, and as long as it makes others happy too it'll be a pleasure to keep them going! Hope you have a good day too, and thank you again! 😊💖

[squadrah]

Hi could you do la squadra as dads since you did moms 👻⁉️

I already have! Here's a post of them as parents, and here's the DILF post that inspired that MILF ask and post!

[squadrah]

☆ La Squadra as Cards of the Major Arcana, Part I (Part II) ☆

[squadrah]

the squad’s responses to getting genuine praise from the person on the team they respect the most? (+ bonus, who do they all respect the most?)

Now I wish they were more on equal terms because I feel like the results will skew towards mostly Risotto and Prosciutto, but I'll try!

Risotto: Prosciutto, and he would probably allow himself a silent smile of satisfaction.

Formaggio: Prosciutto, and he would feel invigorated and excited.

Prosciutto: Risotto, and he would nod and reply something in the affirmative as an acknowledgement.

Pesci: Prosciutto, and he would gush in his joy and try to double down on whatever he was praised for.

Ghiaccio: Risotto and Prosciutto, and he would get flustered enough to agree loudly and then ramble about it for a bit.

Melone: Risotto and Prosciutto, and he would thank them and tell them he's at their service at any time.

Illuso: Risotto and Prosciutto, and he would play up his own importance while almost visibly quaking with smugness.

Sorbet: Gelato, and he would shrug with a smile on his face.

Gelato: Sorbet, and he would immediately go "wanna see something even better?" and try to one-up himself.

[squadrah]

So I don't know if you've already answered something like this but this is something that keeps slipping my mind. La Squadra are described as men who "aren't trusted by anyone" due to theor professions. But...I can see Formaggio, Prosciutto, MAYBE Gelato being among the few ones who have a proper social life (outside La Squadra). How would that work though? Do they hang out with normies/civvies but aren't totally close with them? Do they lie about their jobs to them or don't answer if they're never asked?

Hmm, I'm actually not sure if I have ever tackled this! They are definitely not trusted by anyone at Passione (and seeing as how they are basically the garbage disposal to the "garbage" in and of the mafia, that is understandable), and they probably have no daytime jobs because then their movements would be extremely limited - imagine excusing yourself from the office and hours later a murder occurs, etc. In this manner they are also isolated from work, and it would make sense for them to have left their families behind long ago, if they had any to begin with.

But I like the idea of a semblance of a social life, so I'll go with the three characters mentioned!

Formaggio: He seems young and hot-blooded enough that he would never be out of place at a club or bar, but I think his primary source of social life would come from the streets. I can see a stray cat of his caliber having a wide territory, and being an outgoing person in every sense, he would end up casually chatting with fellow loiterers, street food vendors, kids and adolescents - whoever is around. Think Mista asking the two girls if they wanted to play; that is exactly how I imagine Formaggio going about it. It's not a deep thing, of course, because most of these acquaintances were made slightly, so it's always the most superficial chitchat you can imagine, but even just exchanging a "yo!" or "how's it hanging?" with his own ilk would be enough for Formaggio to feel like the talk of the town.

Gelato: He likes to go to town as much as the next guy, but unlike Formaggio, he doesn't roam about because he has a handful of favorite haunts where he can sit down and crack open a cold one at the bar, and chat up whoever is sitting next to him. Nobody really gets familiar in the seedy places he enjoys the most, so he can usually get away with "If I told you what I did, I would have to kill you!" followed by a hearty laugh and a call for more drinks, and nobody will think anything of it - and since he has approximate knowledge of many things, he will always find some topic he can discuss, or coax some interesting subject or drama out of a down-on-their-luck patron and chew it over with them over a packet of cigarettes. At any rate, Sorbet and the gang are more than enough for him to never feel lonely.

Prosciutto: I left him for last because his case is the trickiest for me personally. On the one hand, he strikes me as someone who isn't a great deal in need of society because he has at least one person if not eight people to micromanage, but on the other hand, that would be the perfect reason to get away from time to time, right? He, like the rest, would probably spend a good time at the gay bar down the street and drink or play cards, but I could also see a more unconventional avenue for him if he used The Grateful Dead to age himself. Imagine him doing that and joining an elderly book club where he can talk about stuff he's read and all he has to do is lie about his life and maybe have Ghiaccio pick him up sometimes parading as his grandson. The gossip there is amazing, by the way.

[squadrah]

Formaggio anon again. When you say Formaggio's arc was butchered by DP…I get what you mean, but respectfully, I disagree. I do know that the framing of that scene in the anime vs the manga does seem different. Manga Formaggio seems angry and justs wants to hurry up and get the information out of Narancia, while anime Formaggio starts going a bit "crazy" while talking to him, but they both say the same lines. In the past, I have seen someone make the claim that anime Formaggio comes off as someone who's only in it for the money, I just don't see it. Maybe this is just my personal preference, but I actually like it when Formaggio's a bit unhinged. This is Jojo after all, everyone is like that in one way or another. I also don't think he's always like that, he can absolutely be cold and professional when he needs to (after all, he's pretty two-faced). I just think him being unhinged when he's Really Fucking Pissed Off is interesting to me. But…perhaps it's not very accurate to his facial expressions in the manga, so that's why people are split on it. And I get that. I dunno, I just like all versions of him!!

Welcome back! I see where you are coming from, and I agree that all versions of Formaggio have something to offer, so the more we have of him, the better maybe?

But just to be safe, when I said that his anime character arc was butchered, I didn't just mean about his being characterized as more unhinged, which honestly seems fine if you have only watched the anime and have no reference to the manga, or the anime's choice of handling that part appeals to you more. I watched the anime first for all parts of JJBA so far (and have not read much of the manga beyond getting some way into Vento Aureo), so I would have accepted this at face value had I not been privy to a die-hard Formaggio fan lamenting all the changes that occurred. I did think at the time that his color palette was terrible in comparison to most of the characters, and when I saw how that bottle scene went originally, I felt a stronger dislike to how DP handled Formaggio.

However, what I really took issue with at the end was something that I actually made a passionate twitter thread about, which I will link here in case you want to read the whole. I will quote the part I'm referring to, the biggest issue I had with the anime adaptation:

i present to you: formaggio acknowleding narancia, and telling him he will tell his team how hard he fought when he finds them (and kills them). present in both translations, which means it definitely reflects the original's intent! and it's left completely out of the anime!

this is huge, for two reasons. one, formaggio comfortably expresses this respect. in the course of fighting, he and narancia had become equals. and formaggio also knows how important groups are. he takes pride in his own! so he knows they are important to narancia! (...) do you know who does this same thing? who stops mid-fight to openly acknowledge his opponent's skill and show respect, and who is allowed to have this moment in the anime? prosciutto. (...) and so it is a shame that the anime left out a moment that shows formaggio is capable of being just as genuine. he shows the same respect prosciutto does, and it is not even framed as an apology like prosciutto's acknowledgement is! it is a gesture offered freely!

THIS is my biggest beef with anime Formaggio - that he was denied this. I don't touch upon it in the thread I think, though I only skimmed it, but even Illuso is allowed a moment where he tells Abbacchio that he's got a good teammate in Giorno. Even Illuso can have a moment where we see that he can appreciate camaraderie and support when he sees it, and he is gracious enough to remark on it! Why DP denied Formaggio his gesture is therefore beyond me, and that is why I believe that for some reason the production team just didn't like him.

Anyway, I recommend the thread I linked because I really do go into more detail about everything and gush about Formaggio!

[squadrah]

hihihi!!! Formaggio anon again, I actually already read that Little Feet analysis of yours a while back, and it's soooooo good! I think it became very integral for me to understand Formaggio in a more well-rounded way, and it made me realize that Formaggio's no. 1 defining trait is his ADAPTABILITY. It doesn't just applies to battles, but people as well! It's an impressive part of his personality, despite the fact he's technically an outcast (like the rest of La Squadra is). It's almost like he's two-faced (or more!) in a way, but they aren't (entirely) a facade. It's also a genuine part of his personality. Aghhhhh he's so perfect in my eyes actually,,,,,,,,

WELCOME BACK! I'm so happy to hear my meta had been on your radar and you enjoyed it so much! I love Formaggio, he really is such a toothsome character with a lot to chew on - really great aesthetic too, in the manga, which... I am inclined to think that the people at DP hated him for some reason because boy did they give him the most chicken shit palette for the anime. I just cannot fathom why they didn't use the red jacket and brown mesh from the manga. Plus the butchering of his character arc towards the end, again departing from the manga... He was just too powerful and they hated him because he told them the truth or something. Such an interesting person, with a Stand that could have easily been a protagonist or main character Stand just by the sheer versatility of it!

So yeah, been so happy to indulge in my love of Formaggio with you! He's great and deserves more love!