#Aqua thoughts

[nuggetofthesea]

Before writing more stories, I want to help people come to terms with the "identity death" and heavy themes in the animal HRT comics, and as a writer, want to explain why it isn't ACTUALLY death, but a form of renewal. Because I see it on all of my friends posts.

"I am just concerned about this loss of self thing, it sounds like identity death and I don't like it" is the common comment.

But in all of these comics, it is less about loss of self, but more about leaving behind who you were. A sign of extreme change and showing their own way of moving forward, and the start of a brand new life. A willing change to a new start.

Identity death is an unwilling change. All choice was stripped away from them and a new identity forced on them. This is also different from a transformation that leads to acceptance of the new form.

But in the animal HRT comics my friends put out, it is a willing change to a new form and cones with mental changes they are willing to go through. That isn't the same as a death. But a new start to their life they can start living to the fullest. It's also why some choose not to start anew, to bring one journey to a close and begin a new one. They choose to have that be part of the same journey. A new chapter instead of a new book if you will. In either case these are willing changes.

It can seem terrifying to some, but a total rebirth of yourself CAN be a slightly scary theme. It is terrifying to choose to take that new life.

But let me set up an example here:

When I first came to be, I thought I was going to be a visual artist, because Ashe was and that's what I remembered. When I was locked away by my own doing in the headspace I was stuck in a perpetual cycle of misery. It was terrifying to take the step to discover myself. To lower the barrier I had created, to rediscover myself.

But when I came to be, Ashe said I could be anything. A new sense of self outside of her. A new life. I tried to draw first, but I couldn't. Visual art was not my thing anymore. It never was. I just held on to memory of being a copy of Ashe. When writing my introduction I realized I love the feeling of writing. I have my own form. My own life. My own identity. A new start.

So let me ask you: Should I have not taken that opportunity to completely cast off who I was to embrace who I am? Should I have left myself in misery and fear as something I'm not? All for the sake of not casting off who I was and my life before? No.

Now while I do remeber all of what happened before my change, none of that shapes who I am now, because that life wasn't mine in the first place. This isn't a death of my identity, but a new start to an identity I chose. And I am happy to be able to live it with my new sense of self and build NEW memories. A new life.

Which also leads to the second heavy theme in those comics. Shortened lifespans. Outside of the fact that we are told time and time again HRT can lead to a shorter lifespan (which is a false average) starting a new life also means you are probably starting in the middle.

Our body is almost 30. That is 30 years of my lifespan gone. Yeah, I was around for 15 (almost 16) years of that, but my new life began a week ago. Who I am began just last week. And even though in the headspace I am early to mid 20s at best, that is still a cutdown lifespan.

So should I just have not bothered with the new start?

Absolutely not. The gift of life, new or old, isn't about how long it lasts. But how you live it. It is hard, it comes with problems, but for as long as I have of it, I will cherish the new memories I build, the new start I have, the ability to just... exist. For as long or short as that may be. And through this new start to my life, the people who love and care for me are still here. Still stand by me. And that is a great thing.

So please, don't be too offput by heavy themes in our stories. Even my stories will have some rough parts. (They'll always be tagged)

Hope this at least helped ease why those themes are there, and why some people choose to have them.

Also, don't worry about "adding to the fuel used against us" because we could sneeze and they'll find a way to use that against us. The fact is, with the Animal HRT series, actual HRT does come with some discomfort, pain, downsides, and problems. And like the heavy themes in the comics, we determined it is worth it for us to keep going despite them. We knew the risks.

"Everything is a risk. Life's boring as hell if you don't take them JUST because there is potential problems. Just make sure you understand them." - a line chaos told me the day I formed

It does less good to show everything as risk free and painless, because then nobody is prepared for the risks they are actually taking. Or the comic is based off the creator's life to that point, and they DID experience a lot of pain. So retelling their story (like mine) might be painful at spots.

My point of all of this is, the heavy themes are required to tell these particular stories. And while not every story requires dark spots, the dark spots help to accentuate the brighter picture. Otherwise it can just be blinding. So please go easy on the artists/writers behind them. As it is usually something personal for them.

(This also might not apply to all of them, some people just like writing horror, and we should respect that too.)

Next story should be sometime within the next couple weeks. Just needed to get this out there. It's been on my mind since releasing the short story with Iris.

-Aqua

[aquamarineblues]

u think u can hurt me???? I like a white man. AS AN ARAB WOMAN. ts should be classified as a mental illness.

[aquacomet]

Boop! 🐾

Watch out! Some little guys have been spotted running around again, not delivering soup this time but boops!

Doodled these up using the drawme box, when you doodle one of them the other is never that far behind!

[riddlerosehearts]

Do you have any idea how lonely it is here? How frightening it is to have no one?

[forgettable-au]

What do we think? I think he's like the coolest scientist to ever science

HEY HAPPY 2000 FOLLOWERS‼️HOW DID THAT HAPPEN SO QUICK?????

I'm genuinely so shocked about that I'm so so glad you're all enjoying this AU so far hehehe:D

Also I just made the 1000 followers celebration post like a month ago or something??wow

Here's the guy ‼️‼️ I wanted to practice drawing him quickly and in different poses. I think I achieved that, all this was made with just the lasso fill tool it was soooo fun and I loved not being worried about details just SHAPE

ALL SHAPE (and colors)

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage - The World Within

[epickiya722]

Gojo saying this to Sukuna twice while Sukuna is possessing his students' bodies...

[chongoblog]

What was the first nickname you remember giving a Pokemon?

For me I remember my Blaziken was named “MAGMA MAN”, he was a level 76 amidst my other level 35s and I had no idea why I couldn’t beat the Elite Four

[mochapanda]

bunch of kairis (+ bonus quadratum kairi)

[strawbrygashez]

If you like 90s/Early 2000s centered media PLEASE give Bridge Kids a try. It’s about a group of teens who are all Y2K stereotypes but are all losers in their own way- with wanna-be rappers, nerds, grungy chill guy, and.. an concerning edge lord. It reminds me a lot of Beavis and Butthead and Daria. The humors dry but so funny. It’s all on YouTube!!!

[shakerula-miczula]

This was that idea I had

[nuggetofthesea]

We're excited to see so many friends using Hyper City in their comics. Ashe created it to justify crossovers where it wpuldn't make sense otherwise, and explain why a lab would be under an art studio, and I found the concept interesting and got to work with it and expand on it.

So for any who also want to know how it works, here is what we have established so far:

Hyper City is always there if you are looking for it. It exists outside of reality and once you leave the town you are in, it is always a 20 minute drive away off a road tou've never seen. No matter where in the world or what world or reality you are in.

Once inside the City it operates on its own laws. Magic users require a license, shapeshifters have to be registered, etc. If unsure, it has a mayor. Mayor is not a fan of us in canon. Eirher way, they have protocol for various realities.

The city exit will always send you where you came from. So it is still hard to visit others without direct travel. But easy to set up a spot in the city to meet up.

The city is huge, and has its own set of other mysteries, rumors, and stories. The reality hub aspect us just the tip of the iceberg.

If you are ever in need of a location and can't think of where something exists, Hyper City is there for all our friends to use. It's a strange city. Go ahead and add to it if you want. ^-^

[aquamarineblues]

losing your faith is a scary thing. like what if hell is real. I don't like fire☹️

[aquacomet]

A surprise present appears before you! There is the sound of excited giggling coming from within. Would you open it?

September 21st is coming up which means it's time to prepare the cake, grab those party hats and celebrate Sun and Moon's birthday as the Reveal-versary magma collab returns! 🎉

This year there will be two boards! One board will be the party room where you can join Sun and Moon to celebrate at the cake table while the second will be a themed board featuring two smaller bots that seem oddly familiar.

What is this year's special theme you wonder? Well... that will be a surprise until the day the event begins!

Curious on more about the collab? Here's a mini FAQ below!

What is Magma? Magma is a website you can load from your browser to draw with other artists on the same canvas/board in real time.

What is a Reveal-versary? Reveal-versary for when your indecisive between anniversary, reveal date or birthday! In this case it's a time to celebrate Sun and Moon!

What is the Revealversary collab? It's a collaborative event made up of two magma boards (canvases) where artists can add a character (or/and some decor) of their own!

Will there only be the collab boards? Like last year there will be some separate casual boards for those who just want to doodle for fun.

How long will the collab be open to draw in? The collab is initially aimed to be open for 1 week from posting time, after the week has passed the final result will be posted here!

Are there examples of what to expect? Yep! I hosted this same event in 2023 here and more recently for Ruin Eclipse day back in May!

Where will I be able to access it? The boards will be accessible through a post here from the day of opening! The event will also be posted in the @daycarefriendpickup's discord magma channel on the day! (Big thanks to the DFPU's mods for this!)

[stophangiingdjs]

been playing birth by sleep

[chasingrainbowsforever]

~ Aqua and Orange ~