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my little creature of unspeakable horror<3<3
#tma#tma fanart#the magnus archives#jonathan sims#jon sims#tma spoilers#my art#closeups under the keep reading!#also no text and text only versions incase ppl want to read it<3
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daily gifs until hyune day: king of hair styles — “if you like my long hair, pls love me until it grows out. if you like it short, pls love me until it's gone. then, i’ll only receive love”
#hyunjin#skz#stray kids#bystay#staydaily#skzco#hyunjinsource#hyunlixsource#crazy that i even have to say this but pls be mindful of what u comment on the tags here cause i would rather not see#any negative opinions on how u hate this and that look or how u think he looked bad with one of these hairstyles#or something. its really frustrating.#u can have your opinions but if u don’t have anything nice to say keep it to yourself -#i dont want to read it under my post about appreciating him :)#gifs#this was one of the first sets i worked for and the way he changed his hair like three times after i was finished 🚶#also this is probably not even all of the ones he has had.. ik im missing few but i just couldn’t find good clips :(#hyuniiiii i hope u always know u are beautiful with whatever style u try out. it’s so much fun how#how adventurous and spontaneous u are and we never know what style will be the next!!!!!
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one of these nights
#trigun#trimax#trigun maximum#vash the stampede#nicholas d. wolfwood#vash centric?#vashwood#<- if u want it to be#its about the codependency of it all🤌#going back to my old art from this past summer and trying to finish them part.1#tried to fix the dialogues so many times bc no they wouldnt fcking say that#was reading trimax vol.1-2 at the time so i got inspired to sprinkle some of the slight tension they had going on👍👍#vash turning miserable & acting like a dog who got left in a cardboard box under the rain when the guy who keeps him in check leaves shortl#if 98' vash is the silly over-drinking with strangers type when he's by himself then trimax vash is the moppy lone wolf drinker#i need more miserable drunk vash#also the way i ended the last page unintentionally makes it look like the prequel to my <Heartbeat> comic haha#drafted both around the same time and i didnt even realize#raepliica_art
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hi your amnesiac au has me in SHAMBLES plsplspls im crying sobbing stabbing the floor
im so glad i discovered your blog 😭 your art is so lovely and nice and just. Yes. eats everythibg snd leaves no crumbs /silly
PLEASE i require more info about amnesiac au.
could this happen to the other Beasts? if it can happen to Shadow Milk, it might be possible with the others, should their Ancient counterparts get lucky with their attacks
does Shadow Milk gradually become less of an ass? does he seek answers as to Why he was so awful? does he care at all?
how horrified is he at the revelation that he was such a huge issue for the faeries + PV, if at all? he already doesn't know much about himself, so would not knowing he was such a problem, such an awful person, terrify him, considering he doesn't remember any of this?
idk. i personally would be so so incredibly horrified and terrified that i was so terrible and..well, monstrous, if i may. i kinda project onto Shadow Milk im ngl so that's probably why im saying any of this
IM SORRY THIS IS SO LONG im just so,,, AAAUAGTHYBHLRHTLBFLTTKG /POS abt this entire au. hoenstly it inspires me; both your art and your ideas and concepts
hope you have a good day!! stay safe /gen
SOBS IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE THIS AU!!! i read all the tags on my posts btw so if any of u went crazy in there i saw it and went crazy w u. im deranged and mentally ill if u cant tell.
i would say the cracking of the souljam and loss of power is very possible for the other beasts! the amnesia however is a Very special case of pure vanilla fucking up the spell he cast
the other beasts would be depowered and much weaker, but retain their memories...... actually, would their corruption break as well since the souljam disconnected entirely from them? hm, i think redemption would be more possible if an ancient got a lucky shot, in that case
shadow milk does in fact become less of a jerk! what with no longer being secluded in a spire losing his mind and sense of identity all by himself, his personality is forced to become. eh. LESS THORNY.
pure vanilla is socializing him like a dog and he is NOT enjoying it. but i am. put that guy in situations.
shadow milk does in fact seek answers to why he did so many terrible things! he knows his... current personality isn't the greatest, but he can't imagine doing some of the things described
he feels a certain disconnect to the him others describe terrorizing them to the him of present, while he feels bad for what happened to them he doesn't really feel apologetic because was it really him? how's he supposed to know?
should he feel sorry because it technically was him, just.. evil? would that excuse it if he doesn't feel sorry at all?
this is where shadow milk and white lily have similar dilemmas because they both have previously done terrible things to others, especially pure vanilla. they feel bad about it, they dont wanna hurt him or others like that ever again
but then this is where they separate because shadow milk doesn't feel at fault, he doesn't remember doing all those things, he doesn't even know who that was! you want me to grovel forever about it? pathetic, what's done is done anyways, why not try to do something now?
white lily absolutely despises that mindset as she's competing with pv over who can hate themselves more, and she is winning. she thinks they both deserve to repent forever for their crimes but is constantly reminded of the fact that she remembers but shadow milk doesn't! she knows what she did, why she did it, it was bad and terrible, but she understands and that's what's important and she must repent for it
shadow milk doesn't know, he doesn't know anything at all and theres even more that they can't tell him as he's apparently been evil for centuries. it's hard to argue that he needs to feel bad when the personalities are truly separated.
......i went on a ramble again.
he doesn't feel bad about what he did but he is in fact, very unnerved that he may be capable of those actions again, and with pure vanilla trying to teach him to be good and kind its...... panic inducing sometimes, that maybe he can do something terrible again, that the evil is possibly just lurking under the surface and hes fooling himself and everyone around him
#milkyflock#amnesiac au#shadow milk cookie#im not tagging all the cookies mentioned thats too much dear lord#i went offfff oh im so crazy guys u dont get ut#im so inactive artwise but i swear im thinking hard abt this au at any given moment#words are also difficult. and im scared of people. and i forget.#oh no#okay anyone in my tags reading this gets to know my super secret answer to milkyflocks q in the tags of another post#PURE VANILLAS MOTIVATIONS HEH#he helped smilk out of guilt ofc. he attacked him and as the jesus cookie he must make up for it with his savior complex#but in a little thing i wrote hehe...... theres something under the surface of that want to help#to see smilk so vulnerable. eyes so clear of his usual mischief and plotting and Distance...#wasnt that fount of knowledge so much like him? wasnt the holder of knowledge just like him before everything?#he wanted to know shadow milk so badly...#is it so wrong to keep him?#ask
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her top student!
sketch below!!
#i do not know why i put the sketch under the “keep reading” but i do#i think it doesn't take away from the finished art this way#but it's also a very important step of that i want to share it too#anywayssss#lil baby twilight#i love how i drew celestia's face in here!!!#art#digital art#mlp#mlp fim#mlp g4#my little pony#friendship is magic#mlp fanart#mlp art#my little pony fanart#my little pony friendship is magic#twilight sparkle#mlp twilight sparkle#princess celestia#celestia#mlp princess celestia#mlp celestia#i'm thinking about making a sideblog bc there's so many stuff i want to reblog but i have to keep my stuff organized ouuugh
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Me when I’m in a being coerced into parenthood competition and my opponent is sun wukong
#what is it with this guy and getting the gift of motherhood thrust upon him#big monkey and small child is a tried and true method#sun wukong#journey to the west#digital art#my art#jttw sun wukong#lego monkie kid#monkey king reborn#monkey king hero is back#yes let’s give the suicidally impulsive demon monkey a child#his ass does NOT wanna be a parent 😭#everytime I think I’ve seen the last swk movie more keep coming up that I’ve never heard of#animations favorite special little boy#he’s like the Chinese madonna#don’t read into that statement too much I say that about everyone#there’s so many of them#there being so many versions of sun wukong out there is lore accurate#his clone ability at work#also kinda laughing my ass off at how this dude is under 4foot but his energy is so tall people keep drawing him long#what +1000 aura does for you
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viago "fashion police" de riva
#dragon age the veilguard#dragon age fanart#lucanis dellamorte#andarateia cantori#viago de riva#illario dellamorte#rook de riva#rook datv#Marisol de Riva#i saw a post once upon a time that mentioned Viago was probably appalled by the mercenary rags Rook was wearing lol and kept that head cano#another scene from the fanfic i have in my head lmao#in my HC story for Marisol the recruitment missions go a little different to kind of take away the game-ified aspect#once in the lighthouse Marisol reaches out to Viago (though lol she does wait for a bit because she got kicked out so she's still upset)#Caterina has been keeping her people watching the Ossuary for any changes because she's been slowly connecting the pieces over the past yea#solas's ritual and other stuff happens and the location gets revealed and weakened etc#rook gets in contact with a letter and a candelhop for viago to use to contact her#bc that's how i'm hc'ing that they get messages in the fade lolol#Caterina approaches Viago with a coded contract packet to send to Rook and the contract is basically to breach the Ossuary#and rescue an imprisoned Crow (Rook is unaware Lucanis is “dead” since she was gone and the contract keeps it vague)#but there's the implication it's someone important since Caterina wants to stage a rescue#the packet with info on the Ossuary also ties the operations happening there with the red lyrium artifacts they've been hunting in Minratho#and the appearance of abominations that aren't like any they've encountered before#so going to the Ossuary ALSO is important to the 'stop the Old Gods' plot#BUT ANYWAY that's why this comic reads like she's just seen Viago again despite having Lucanis with her#and also Lucanis was dirty and naked etc in the Ossuary got temp armor and clothes from an inn keep once they escaped#Illario ALSO moved his plan to attack the Diamond after Zara accidentally let it slip that Lucanis was still alive#he'd been fully operating under the assumption that Lucanis was dead for the past year and was plotting to like...#try to stage things to gain favor with Caterina because she still wasn't budging#but then he overhears Zara yelling at Calivan in a magic mirror or some shit that the Ossuary is being breached and Lucanis has escaped#so Illario panicks and directs the venatori attack on the Diamond and kidnaps Caterina so he can have JSUT A LITTLE LONGER to figure it out
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I have a dumb idea
The justice league (Minus Clark and Diana) thinks that Robin is an immortal being that changes form every 5-10ish years because Bruce never told them he had different robins
Robin I and Bruce having issues near the end was just due to the transformation coming near
Robin II only lasting so long and Bruce’s grief after they attribute to something going wrong with the transformation and do think Robin is dead
However when Robin III comes they assume that Bruce’s grumpiness is attributed to him being over protective after the disaster of the last transformation
The Steph comes and goes back to Tim and they’re all thrown but like maybe this version of Robin is genderfluid and they don’t want to be rude so they don’t say anything
And when Damian comes after 5 years it just solidifies this theory as well as Robin probably being genderfluid cause of Carrie
Yes the bat kids have come to the watchtower as Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, and Spoiler
Bruce is unaware
The batkids know and are keeping up the act as they wait for the perfect moment to descend from the celing, all wearing the robin uniform and traumatizing the Justice League
#Clark and Diana are also aware#but they’re curious to see how it plays out#so they help the kids keep up the act#clark kent#diana prince#bruce wayne#robin#dick grayson#jason todd#tim drake#stephaine brown#damian wayne#carrie kelley#justice league#j’onn is offend that he falls under the no meta rule but Robin clearly being a shapeshifter as well doesn’t#yes he can read minds#no he does not know
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(ID in alt) I literally said I was gonna post this month's ago and then never had the wherewithal to describe it and so I didn't Lmao (said with pain). But since I'm thinking of opening my commissions I figured I should remind ppl that I. Yknow. Can draw.
Lots of Steph here (I had major art block making all of these and my brain worms for her kept me going) + some sprinkles of stephcass for Cass nation to enjoy!
#dc comics#dc#stephanie brown#cassandra cain#jason todd#(yes for the teddy bear. it counts)#batgirl#batgirls#mine#< keep forgetting to tag my art as that I'm terrible 😭#ANYHOW I'm slowly getting back into drawing again after my last ipad got nuked (cant think abt that or ill cry) and i finished uni#oh yeah j finished my first year of uni btw. i went to an Olivia Rodrigo concert like a week or 2 ago. I've been busy lol#but yeah it's looking like I've got a fun summer of bottom feeding ahead of me now that I've officially been told i got passed over for that#-comic job i applied for. lol. lmao even#it's fine honestly it was a pretty daunting prospect i just have to find a way to fill the time by myself now#I've plenty of comics to read so that's nice. got wayyy into mark waids DD run recently (mostly for Chris Samnee's art)#so that's been fun! i have my empowered omnibus (embarrassing and kept under my bed <3) i have TT year 1 i have huntress and WW#uhhh i got flash 1 minute war. lots of good stuff!#so hopefully i don't go. completely feral from lack of stimulation#also hopefully commissions will be a thing i can do#godddd there's many mkre things i want to draw. i got too enamoured w my own bad theory and now I've drawn tim!bats#but unfortunately now i only want to draw tim!bats being laughed at my the batfamily bc seriously tim?? really??#< it's literally probably not going to happen but I've invested myself in this terrible future for some reason#imagine damian trying to robin for tim!bats for 1 (one) night and the next morning he doesn't say anything he just moves to bludhaven#he can't take this shit#oh so many ideas...#ANYWAY. ues. finally art. now if you like it. consider commissioning me (in 2 to 3 business weeks <3)#(no pressure)
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Hollow Knight phone wallpapers!!!
As you may know already, I've had these improvised Hollow Knight wallpapers up for grabs on my ko-fi in hopes to raise some funds for (now two) families in Gaza!
These are still ongoing BUT I want to shift the main way you can get these from me:
If you directly donate to the fundraiser and send me a screenshot proof via DMs on either of my blogs, I will send you wallpapers via email provided by you!
The ko-fi option is still available but to reduce the loss from fee costs between the purchase and me directly sending the donation, I prefer if you send the proof instead. It also helps with privacy, if you're iffy about paypal using your real/dead names, direct donations can be selected to be fully anonymous!
This is a fundraiser for TWO families who merged into a single fundraiser, Iyad's and Ruba's families so ANY help will come a long way and as I stated before, saying this is urgent is an understatement!! They are both vetted on the list (#90 and #173).
DIRECT DONATION IS HERE:



MORE INFO ABOUT THE FAMILY AND THEIR CURRENT SITUATION!! The winter is fast approaching and they will need all the financial support possible, especially for medications!!
Old post about the wallpapers (outdated info)
Any proof of donation from ko-fi wallpaper purchase goes HERE.
#hollow knight#phone backgrounds#wallpaper sale#fundraiser#keeping this brief and on point on purpose cuz of tumblr#but please check under read more#and the link talking about the families we're trying to support here#also boost this one thank you!
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You're so naive to think you can.
#both images together under the keep reading cause they're kinda small#jumperwho#princezam#minutetech#lifesteal smp#lifesteal fanart#lssmp#void curse au#when your enemy has to help you from turning into a black hole- but they also kinda wanna let you turn into one#i want evil jumper but mcyt won't let her be#ariela's art#my art
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The Potential of Asian Lois Lane: An extra addition
A bonus addition to my Asian Lois essay. I know Lois Chaudhari isn't technically a Lois since the premise of the comic she's from is where the Superman mythos is fictional and the characters in it happen to be named Clark/Lois etc. But since she's a Lois stand in and romantic partner to the Clark Kent of that story, I figured she deserves an honorable mention at least.
Here's where I position her in my Spectrum of Asian Lois Lane chart. And I'd like to talk about her!
Compared to American Alien, this Lois is actually specific and textually Indian in Superman: Secret Identity. Unlike American Alien Lois (that never specified what kind of Asian Lois was), she can't be replaced as a white woman because the text acknowledges her Indian identity (her name, lines of dialogue like this, etc.) hence she's not interchangeable with whiteness. So this take has that going for it.
Where Lois Chaudhari still falls behind Girl Taking Over (and what it shares in common with American Alien) is yet again a sense of missed opportunities narratively.
In Superman: Secret Identity, a man named Clark Kent from Picketsville suddenly has Superman's powers. After years of being made fun of for his namesake, he suddenly is what everyone has been making fun of him for- and as he lives through life he slowly understands why fictional!Superman is the way he is. It's a great story but where it misses the mark for me is its failure to recognize Superman as an immigrant. Secret Identity's Clark isn't an alien immigrant, or a human immigrant, and is instead ostracized because of his name. Government baddies want to do experiments on him so he has to hide from them too. But then he meets city girl Lois Chaudhari, and they connect because people keep teasing them for their names and Lois knows what it's like to keep secrets because she,,, committed a crime as a teen once.
"I guess we're both dangerous felons, then. Public menaces."
Being hunted by the government and being experimented on isn't really the same as being caught shoplifting.
It works well enough as a connection but to me is a huge missed opportunity to have an Indian American relate to your Superman stand-in as an immigrant. To connect on a deeper level other than "people make fun of us for sharing names with fictional characters". Later in the story, Clark and Lois have twin daughters who are visibly Indian. They too, have Superman's powers. While we're treated extensively to the narrative showing us why Clark would hide his powers from the government wishing to seek harm on him, we never get to see what Clark's daughters have to deal with on top of being visibly non-white.
Superman as an alien immigrant is an anecdote in this story. Because after all, that's not what a white American man from Picketsville would find relatable about him, is it? I have the same thing to say about Secret Identity that I did with American Alien: "Clark isn’t the only American Alien in American Alien, if you catch my drift."
I think this story is the perfect encapsulation of the limits of a white writer. One of my hottest takes on Superman is that the best and most holistic take on his character doesn't exist in the white imagination. Take a look once more at the Spectrum of Asian Lois Lanes chart that I made. All save for Girl Taking Over were headed by white men (MAWS may have Asian directors and writers on their team but ultimately its pitch and main ideas are the brain child of Jake Wyatt, a white man).
People have taken issue with me saying this and assume that I mean white people can't write a good Superman story, and no. That's not what I'm saying. I like Superman: Secret Identity. I even like American Alien. But it's been 80 years of predominantly white writers of all backgrounds getting the chance to write Superman- and already multiple attempts at an Asian Lois- and yet it took until Gene Yang (and artists Gurihiru) with Smashes the Klan and Sarah Kuhn (and artist Arielle Jovellanos) with Girl Taking Over that I felt Superman's themes as an immigrant finally took center stage and weren't just a mention or anecdote.
In no way do I want to imply that getting writers of color or Asian writers specifically will mean you'll be guaranteed a great Superman story. I'm against promoting the idea that diverse talent is infallible or tokenizing and essentializing them in such a way. What I am saying is that the best and most holistic story on Superman as an alien immigrant isn't even a goal in the white imagination. Immigrant Superman doesn't live in that mind. He doesn't pay rent there. He doesn't stop by to visit. And no, Superman creators Shuster and Siegel wouldn't have written that story either. Superman may have been the "Champion of the Oppressed" from another planet under their pen, but he would never have related to or have had immigrant solidarity with America's perpetual foreigners the way Smashes the Klan portrayed him as having. Superman's creators were too busy writing Slam Bradley to be able to write that kind of Superman.
The appeal of these cape characters for me, is the process of adaptation. Seeing them be handed off to someone else with different life experience. Seeing them bring a whole new perspective that surpasses even the creator's intentions on their character. That's what makes these characters rich and worthy of constant revisits. I just think that people of different backgrounds should be able to get as many chances as white men have with writing Superman and his cast of characters.
#ramblings#media criticism#lois lane#jesncin dc meta#“I'm an Asian Lois Lane scholar” i say like a liar bcuz I refuse to watch maws s2 or read the maws comics cuz I value my mental health#also did this clark ever think of writing under a pseudonym if being clark kent bothered him so much idk#maybe his agent was like “it's good for marketing omg keep it” but lol it is a choice to change ya name if u wanna
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AU to add to the list of AUs I'll never write: All of the Robins are de-aged to the age they were when they became Robin. Their memories are also reset to that point, and somehow they're in their Robin suits.
So you have a 16 year old Steph, desperately trying to wrangle 4 feral children who look nearly identical and won't tell her their names because "you do know what a secret identity is, don't you Stephanie?"
#also Duke can be there if you want but I get mixed reports on if he's Robin or not and I haven't reached him yet in my read through#stephanie brown#batfam#jason todd#dick grayson#tim drake#damian wayne#robin#Steph has years of babysitting experience#and yet she is nowhere near prepared for this#She knows that one of these kids is Tim#and it's not the eight year old or the one with a sword#but under the mask it could be either of the other two#also where the hell did the one with the sword come from???#Why does he keep trying to kill people???????#And wait... hang on this guy's saying he's the second Robin#isn't he supposed to be dead?#I don't know why Bruce isn't around to help her#but for at least the first day it's Steph against the 4 feral children#all of the robins#au ideas#batfamily
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in loving memory
or: what did @pkmn-monochrome mean by this
#pokepasta#pokemon monochrome#this string of updates has had me so fucked up. whats going ONNNNN!!!!!!!#i really wanted to draw this panel its such a striking image. (wearing tshirt that says 'i noticed the secret')#i want to put cody under a microscope. like whats wrong with them. like god they deserve better they deserve SO much better#but also damn dude you have ISSUES huh. like 'ive already said too much' um. Um?????????????????#cody u need to stop keeping secrets. like id like to think i understand why given theyve said it outright#(its not our business. its for the sake of survival. and the players perception of them would almost certainly change once these truths-#come forward.)#i know the creator said that it WILL come forward eventually one way or another and i await that with fear and excitement#cause for something to be so deeply and desperately hidden for fear of DEATH... that must be a pretty nasty skeleton in the closet cody.#and tbh 'ive already said too much' makes me wonder how much has gone unspoken abt red and leaf too. like god codys so good at being just.#OBTUSE with the players. an expert in toeing around the truth and saying only Just enough but never Everything.#theyre such a fascinating character to read i fucking love monochrome the writing is awesome
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The Lego Ninjago monstrosity trailer is giving "I'll become the monster" vibes.
(Kai will be the monster rawr rawr rawr)
also just comparing this Kai to the one we see in DR season 3 part 1 is wild. (I have not watched part 2) Although I do have my theories about why Kai is so different in DR.
I also hope that we see at least some kind of reference of this in DR bc I don't think this is something Kai could just sweep under the rug. Give my boy a panic attack when he is alone or SOMETHING.
Also also, what if in the cave of (whatever it was called I'm too lazy to look it up) he had visions of being back in the land of monsters, although if he did he probably would want to be reminded that he is with his family and that he's not alone, and Kai obviously looked away. (Unless he did something messed up when he was there and can't look them in the eyes bc of something he did)
#ninjago monstrosity#kai ninjago#kai smith#ninjago kai#also#epic the musical#please tell me someone else see it#see my vision#i kinda rambled under the Keep reading#sorry not sorry#i love kai
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something i genuinely adore about tadc is how painfully flawed everyone in the circus is. and not in a small way
everyone does SOMETHING that negatively impacts the others. but it makes the fact that you are supposed to sympathize with and really connect with them all the more potent. because its easy to want to put a bunch of characters in a bad situation together and to just have them all be nice to each other and everyone and never make mistakes because theres no reason to hurt each other, and most of them dont TRY to, but the way they cope is so, so realistic for each of their personalities, and it doesnt always mesh with the others, and sometimes it exceeds self destructive and Just Hurts Others, Too
they still generally care about each other and the mistakes they make and the ways they end up hurting each other dont lose their weight but like. it doesnt take away from their humanity and the fact that they are all trying so hard to manage in an awful situation
and the characters seem to have sooome sort of understanding of this too. not fully, because the characters dont tend to be 100% communicative, but when they hurt each other, it often makes EVERYONE uncomfortable. because these are the only people they have. these are their friends. and theyre all coping. but it doesnt change how much it affects them (best illustrated by ragathas lines at the start of ep 2 or gangles 'i love her, but after a while it gets kinda hard to tell how genuine shes actually being'). its not all like this, theres a good amnt of variety, but characters knowing this but not really knowing what to do about it is very painful in an effective way
(i think a subtle example of this is how zooble handles gangles situation in ep 4- they were so genuinely trying to help her because they care. but could tell as the day went on that oh, this is not working at all and its making things worse, and they leave gangle alone- something that very genuinely couldve been the moment she abstracted, because of the mask zooble gave her- and we dont get to have a super blatant explanation of zoobles thoughts on it, but they reach a fairly healthy conclusion about it that helps both of them, and i like that a lot, because on paper zooble could be placed at fault but the narrative doesnt dwell on it excessively, because thats not the point. i dont know if that tangent makes sense but i think about it sometimes. i think zooble wasnt 'to blame' but it was still a mistake, which is a hard balance to strike, and having them help at the end feels extremely effective at rounding it off!!!)
but like. in general its complicated balancing making characters in a bad situation act flawed because it can run the risk of seeming like the story is scolding them or blaming them for the situation theyre in, or like youre expected to not sympathize with them despite it (though the inverse also has complications- if characters in a bad situation never mess up, it feels unrealistic and hard to relate to, and can imply that their innocence is why whats happening to them is bad at all), but the show handles it so well
even the characters who are genuinely trying all try in different ways- some of them have similar outlooks or attitudes towards these thing but theres vital differences for ALL of them- sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. in fact some of the more painful mistakes characters have made in the show have come from them so genuinely trying (like the thing i mentioned w zooble, or basically Everything Ragatha Does, or pomnis first attempt at helping gangle, etc), which hits harder than if every mistake characters made had wholly selfish and cruel goals.
i mean, there is a selfishness to many of the characters' actions but imo not in a way thats not warranted. because all of them are in a horrible setting. its uncomfortable to watch characters be selfish. but it is a natural instinct to survive. its not the foundation of most of their actions, but when it is, its uncomfortable but hard to completely disparage them for in a way that makes you feel kinda conflicted
and like. it hurts to be doing your best and for that to make things worse, but its what happens often in the show. because no one in a bad situation is gonna handle it well. by the very nature of trying to survive something is gonna give, but it makes the themes of the show so much more powerful. that making sure the people around you dont feel unloved, cherishing them and finding meaning with others is no less important just because everyone is fucking up. it complicates things, for sure, but it doesnt make those characters exempt fromt this. theres a reason pomni tells gummigoo that she doesnt want "anyone" to feel like theyre nothing, and that kinger doesnt add ANY quallifiers to making sure people feel wanted and loved (not that i think either of them were thinking SUPER super hard, but it conveys smth from the perspective of the narrative
it gets complicated when you add in jax for sure, since i think on the surface he IS the exception to this concept- none of the characters like him, including pomni or kinger. but i think this is something thats gonna be examined further down the line, bc hes the main complicating factor in this reading of the show, but i feel like thats on purpose. hes universally disliked (and so is caine, in a different way) and his actions arent mistakes. they are him coping. the show has made it clear that he can be a complex person AND also a piece of shit. his actions dont detract from the fact that hes a person and the show reminds us of this. so it makes things so messy, but im genuinely super excited to see how the show examines that. where his character goes is, imo, going to be a massive piece of how this show fleshes out this concept
#tadc#it just makes me so... man#all of them are coping in a way that influences their mistakes#like. i think the best example i could name is ragatha. she highlights this aspect of the show so well#shes struggling so much. shes doing her best to stay optimistic and because the others dont feel as hopeful as she presents herself#it distances them from her#she wants people to like her SO bad which reads so hard as fawning. but this also puts people off and makes her harder to trust#even if her care for the others is genuine the issue is that how she copes tends to leave her a little isolated in some way shape or form#and thats *just* ragatha#i shoudl write smth properly breaking down how this is done w the whole cast#cus i cannot fit it in these tags so i gotta put a pin in it.... but. have this#also ive said it before but i very genuinely think jax SHOULD get the chance to heal#i mean. i wouldnt like him if i had to know him in person. but i dont think thats . actually relevant#so how the show dissects his character going forward intrigues me and i wanna keep an eye on it so much#it is a BOLD move writing wise to establish him as a piece of shit and then to set up these ideas#cus theyre going somewhere im sure. they keep bringing it up#anywayyyyy. thats the post#sorry if any of it got confusing i have a lot of thoughts abt this but they get a tad jumbled bc theres just. so many factors#i need to make an essay outline before i make these posts LMAOOOOOO#OH YEAH WAIT#bonus:#i think abt how pomni abandons ragatha TWICE in ep 1 and i think it could make someone dislike her#but genuinely. makes me like her more. sometimes people get extremely selfish when theyre scared#its bad! but it makes sense. and it makes her feel so much more real#smth smth theres that saying that how someone acts under pressure says more abt them#but like. its complicated. because an easy way to get someone to act mean is to make them scared#esp since the phrase is more attributed to a crisis. but in tadc this is just their forever#and looong drawn out trauma makes people behave very differently#gestures. i dont have the words to break down that phrase wrt this show but maybe ill try later too. put a pin in that one as well#circus discussion
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