#BAT MAYA IS SO BASED!!!!!

[mksbigg3stfan]

Got any Axel HCs? I'd be eager to hear. :3

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{ 𝐀𝐱𝐞𝐥 𝐇𝐜 !! ༉‧₊˚.

▪︎ Axel probably has a sweet tooth, in my opinion !! It's confirmed he likes cake already, so I'm just assuming he likes most other sweet stuff, too !! :3 It'd be cute if he and Jesse's Gang cooked together !! (Whether or not you think Axel is a good cook is up to you, though)

▪︎ I already said this in my Maya and Gill Hc, but I see the Ocelots/Blaze Rods and Jesse's gang kind of as foils to each other !! For Axel, I'd say it's kind of both Gill and Lukas !! Lukas is a "Cool Guy" and seems pretty noncholant, but overall friendly, so he's sort of the opposite of Axel in a way. A trait that Axel and Lukas really share is their absolute loyalty to their friends !! For Axel and Gill, I'd say it's because they're both sort of the pranksters/jokesters of their groups, but Axel is better with damage control on the pranks and stuff and making people laugh !!

▪︎ I feel like Axel jokes a lot to make light of more serious situations and just wants his friends to feel safer in the moment, and to keep them hopeful so that they have the strength to move forward. It's also to help himself feel less afraid and cope with harder situations. He's one of the first people besides Jesse to notice when something is wrong with a friend, like how he is the first to see that Petra is a little different after escaping the Wither Storm. Based on that, he can definitely tell when or not to be joking around. (I feel like a lot of people mischaracterized him as an asshole jokester in early mcsm fandom 💔💔)

▪︎ It seems like Axel and Petra actually have a pretty close friendship, since if you go to Boom Town or save her from the Witherstorm, he'll give her a hug. Petra seems generally more averse to physical contact, so she definitely feels comfortable with him. To me, their friendship consisted of Axel asking Petra about her adventures and missions as a mercenary, and her telling him about it. At first, she might’ve been a little annoyed and tried to shake him off, but she grew to appreciate the little jokes he'd add in, and how willing he was to listen.

▪︎ I feel like Axel and Lukas bonded over being animal lovers !! Axel was meant to get a pet bat, so I'm going to say that's his favorite animal !!

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If you want to hear my HC of a character, you can ask !! :3 Also, feel free to put your HC in the replies and reblogs !! I love hearing people's Hc !! >_<

[helmarok]

hrmmm lukas headcanons

he's 18 in season 1 and 28 in season 2

short king, 5'4"

he's bisexual and poly. he's got two hands one for jesse and one for petra

him and aiden/maya/gill were all raised together by his grandma, the other 3 being adopted. everyone would ask lukas why he sticks with those assholes, and it's because they're his family, and they grew up together and it would hurt to break off from them and it DID hurt when aiden decided to cut him out.

bro loves baking as a hobby. everyone loves his cookies. aiden too but he never admits it and always says something's wrong with them but would eat half the batch every time without fail

he's a cat guy, but also a horse girl. his old horse was named reba, she went missing when the witherstorm hit. he kept the black horse he rode from the witherstorm on and named her dolly.

very good at archery because i decided the ocelots are a hunting group, not primarily builders though they are good at it. his melee combat though... yikes. in sky city when he meets aiden in the throne room, he's almost immediately taken down.

not a big fan of loud or busy environments. after moving from the treehouse to beacontown, he tried to live with petra and jesse for a while but didn't like the city life and moved.

he HATES the cold! no amount of layers can save this man. that's another reason why he moved away from beacontown. it's too far up north for him.

lukas kinda like the therapist of the group cause he's the most mentally stable and best at feelings and best at handling them and overall he is just comically perfect idk what to say. he doesn't like it when people hold everything in and explode because that's kinda what happened with aiden. this puts him at odds with petra in season 2.

he wears a really gay cowboy belt with an ocelot on it. also walks around in cowboy boots.

definitely has an ocelot fursona that he has many doodles and lore of in his little journal. he has also doodled the whole order fursonas: jesse a pig, petra a wolf, axel a creeper, olivia a sheep, and ivor a bat. if anyone asked him what their fursona would be, he has an answer. but the only people who know this information are jesse and petra who accidentally found it looking for another book and he made them promise not to tell anyone.

lukas is real easy to become friends with so he became closest with ivor before anyone else in the order. this is partially because they share an interest in history and old legends and reading and nerd stuff like that. sometimes they just chill and discuss these nerd things over tea.

big fan of country music and classic rock

you're not gonna believe this but his favorite drink is a nice warm glass of milk

lukas was the closest thing petra had to a friend before the order came to be, so he always had discounted deals when it came to rare items. once in a blue moon, she'd even give him something cool for free as her way of saying she likes having him around without actually saying it.

he's very humble, and even when the order is drowning in riches and the hall is decorated with gold and diamonds and everyone has fancy enchanted armor and tools, this dude is still running around in iron pauldrons and still got a set of iron tools. his bow isn't even enchanted, despite petra begging him to let her put something on it since she enchanted everyone else's stuff.

i think he has a book series that's like minecraft warrior cats. like his biggest book is obviously the one on the witherstorm but his cat books are definitely a renowned series with fans all over the world. and he tooootally didn't base some of the characters after his friends...

i have more but this is just off the top of my head so maybe i'll make another post one day

[scoops-aboy86]

Wiggly Wednesday!!! 🪱💕

This is so weird, I was off camping over Monday and Tuesday so this feels like a Monday to me now that I'm back at work, but it is... not. It's Wednesday. Weird.

Anyway, thanks for the tag on this @runninriot and @hotluncheddie! You want a wiggly idea? Okay, here's a wiggly idea.

My go-to "I need to cry about something" movie is Interstellar, and I watched it recently so it's on my mind.

Steve as Matthew McConaughey, Dustin as the kid who grows up to Have The Idea, Eddie as Anne Hathaway, and Wayne as Professor Michael Caine. Robin, Hopper, and Jeff are those boxy-looking robots, ROBS HOPP and JEFF. The people already sent out to collect info from different places across the big scary frontier include: Dr. Brenner (original leader of the program, taking the place of Matt Damon), Dr. Owens (the guy from the last place they go to), and Joyce (I'm sorry, but she's the one who got smashed on impact by the big wave in the movie). There's still a worldwide blight, caused by the spores from the Upside Down.

Steve crash lands in Hawkins. Idk what he crashes, a plane or something. Unlike the movie, this story isn't about going into space, it's about going into the Upside Down. Nancy is barely a footnote, but their relationship falls apart once everyone realizes that Barb didn't disappear, she was killed in Steve's crash. Steve ends up renting a room at the Henderson's, which Claudia is a huge fan of because her husband has passed away and this way Dusty gets a big brother. Steve also gets some sort of certificate and becomes a guidance counselor at the school… basically a professional babysitter. He gets dragged back into whatever his original job was when Dustin and his friends follow their wonky compasses to a super secret government base, where Steve meets Eddie and his old boss Wayne and the kids meet El. She's still in training to close all the gates; plan A is for Steve and Eddie's team to go into the Upside Down to find the source of the hive mind and disable it, and plan B is to wait until she's strong enough to just shut the whole dimension out of ours again.

This is about as far as I have it strongly plotted out, but basically time is wonky over there, speeding up and slowing down in different areas. The spores on Earth grow into demodogs and demogorgons if not burned off in time, but in the UD there's a greater variety of monsters and problems—like the bats. They get to Brenner's site and don't pick up on the fact that he's been flayed right away, because they've never seen it before; they have to kill him, but not before gleaning the info that the hive mind is likely at Dr. Owens' site.

It is, of course, a trap. Like in ST, Henry Creel is at the heart of it and El piggybacks in to fight him directly. Henry dies, for sure. And it turns out that the hive mind wasn't the problem, it becomes relatively inert once he's out of the equation and the monsters and spores start returning back through the gates to their home.

Steve and Eddie (now in love) get back to Earth in the nick of time before El finally closes all the gates, trapped in amber just enough that they're now the same age as Dustin and the rest of the kids. Maybe ROBS gets a new robot chassis that looks more like Maya Hawke and she and Steve remain besties 5ever. And they all live happily ever after, the end.

Coming soon to a word doc in my general vicinity, eventually. Probably. We shall see.

[amphipodiel]

Adding super simple birds with Niagara System in Unreal Engine.

So you want your scene to have a couple of extremely low poly flying birds like this? Here's what I did to make that happen.

First you nee dto go into Maya/Blender or whatever you use to 3D model and create a shape similar to this. It can have as many polys as you want but it needs to this semi circular shape and about 10 "pages". These will act as a flipbook.

Next, go on google and get a picture of the kind of bird you want, it doesn't matter much for my purpose because I don't need th ebird to be anywhere near the camera. I grabbed a dove, removed the bacground and cut it in half. You could also add a butterfly wing, or a bat as logn as it's transparent and symmetrical.

Bring your mesh into unreal and create a new material. You'r egoing to create the panning systme that makes it look like the wings are moving.

This is the basic node layout. Make sure your blend mode is Masked and your shading model is subsurface and two sided.

Plug the transparent texture RGB output into Base Colour and subsurface colour. Download the texture below or make your own. It is a mask that will make the panning act like animation frame. Multiply it with the alpha of your wing texture and your opacity mask.

Not ot set the frame rate. Because we are using a particle emitter later when we set up the niagara system, we put in a dynamic parameter node. Use the set parameter of speed and multiply it against an added time node. Mulitply this against a scalar parameter which is going to be the set frames. Because we don't want half a frame, or to skip frames, just for safety we add a Ceil node. Divide the output through the frame count. This informs the time parameter of the panner. Add a texture coordinate nod into the coordinate input of the panner. Finally, plug all of that into the UVs of your Texture sample. And you're done with your material.

Now create a new Niagara System. Add your mesh which has had the material you've just created applied to it via the asset manager.

In the Emitter State, make sure the life cycle mode is set to Self and the Loop Behaviour to Infinite. In Spawn Rate, I had what I wanted with a value of 1.0 but it is highly dependable on the project.

The shape location should be a Box. I set the midpoint way off so that my birds woudl spawn off screen. This will let them fly in one direction once I set the Gravity Force.

Scale mesh size helps you decide the size of your bird.

Now, Gravity Force is important if you want your bird/butterfly etc.. to fly in a straight line. Set a value that goes in the direction that you want. You might have to fiddle with this until it looks natural.

However, birds don't fly in a straight line, so add a curl noise force and play with the noise strenght and noise frequency value.

Now place your Niagara System into the scene and you should be good. All of those settings will need heavy adjusting but I find that this is a really great way to add some life into a scene and some visual noise.

[agereoneshots]

Hi! Could you do something for ninjago were Kai regresses and the others (or just a single character of your choice if you want!) try to get him to come out of his shell? I imagine that Kai would be the type to be super insecure about regressing, and he ends up needing a lot of reassurance that it's completely okay.

(Since Ray and Maya left when Kai was 5, I'm making his age range 5 and younger. Warning: there is one swear in this.)

The werring of the training machines in the haul of the bounty kept the ninja focused. Wu took a moment to watch each ninja. Jay was doing the best that day, quickly followed by Zane. Cole was batting average but Kai was lagging. Wu watched him before coming to the conclusion that Kai must have regressed at some point.

"Kai, stop." Wu called out. Kai stopped and looked at him with what could only be called as a pout pretending it wasn't a pout.

"I know! I'm doing shit today! You don't have to call it out!" Kai, ever the hothead yelled back. Zane looked over briefly but didn't let it distract him. Wu pointed his staff at the fire ninja.

"You are too young to curse. You are also too young to be training."

"Mmmnot regressed..." Kai mumbled.

"Jay, stop." Wu called out. Jay stopped and walked over, a little confused.

"Why am I stopping?"

"Kai is too young to be out here, you were doing the best so I pulled you away to watch Kai until he's older."

"I'm not regressed!" Kai insisted. Jay, knowing how stubborn Kai was about his regression, didn't exactly believe him.

"Don't worry, I got this." Jay put a hand on Kai's shoulder and led him inside the bounty.

"Ok, how small are you?" Jay asked.

"I'm not wittle!" Kai yelled, stomping his foot and crossing his arms.

"Well, Wu expects us to stay here...so I guess it's a free pass from training! You go into the game room and set up one, I'll get some snacks." Kai smiled at this, believing he had won, and headed off to do just that. Jay went into the kitchen. First, he prepared some popcorn and candy before getting some dragon fruit juice, something Kai loved while little. He put it in a glass that had a lid, but only put the lid in his pocket. If Kai wasn't regressed, then he wouldn't even need a lid. Before the popcorn was done, he quickly headed to their shared bedroom. He entered, grabbed Kai's pacifier, put it in his pocket, and left just as quickly.

"Finally! You're back!" Kai grabbed the cup of juice from him and took a few sips. Jay noticed the game and set it to 'very easy' while Kai wasn't looking. He could judge how old Kai was based on his gaming skills.

"Just don't spill it or maybe I'll have to get your bottle." Jay teased lightly. Kai rolled his eyes before drinking some more.

Kai was doing horrible at the game. It was just too complicated for his little brain, not that he was little or anything.

"You know, it's ok to be little." Jay said.

"Mmmnot." Kai grumbled.

"I know, just saying..." Jay continued playing until Kai's character stopped and he heard a sniffle. Jay paused the game and pulled Kai into a hug.

"It's ok..."

"Is not! I...I gotta be big..."

"Why do you think that?"

"Cause...mmmia ninja...nnn...nya...."

"You did great raising Nya, she can protect herself now. Being a ninja comes second to being you. Let's take a break from that..."

"Bu...but..."

"No buts. We are a team, but we can work by ourselves. Cole and Zane can handle things if something happens. You just focus on being little, let me take care of you."

"Even...even if I vewy wittle..." Kai asked. Jay pulled out Kai's pacifier and held it to his lips.

"Especially if you're very little."

[summercreolefanfictioner]

the crown and the throne (DiaLovers fanfic // Game of Thrones AU)

the crows are singing hallelujah || kino, devyn, karlheinz, maya, kanato

Caw.

Squeak.

Squawk.

And the crows spiraled into a huge storm, gathering in one place as if they were celebrating something. Slowly, the undead rose from the icy ground of Rotigenberg, hands clawing at the snow, tainting its pure white color with blood and dirt. They all gathered toward the crows until they spread around, cawing to awaken the sleeping ghouls.

Once done, a poof of black smoke appeared and Kino presented himself in his glory, making the undead weak on their knees, bowing to him to acknowledge his presence. Kino was proud of his own army, smirking as he snapped his finger to request Yuuri's presence.

A lone crow with a golden collar landed on his shoulder, red eyes glowing. "Your Highness?"

"What's the news on the fire-wielding brat?" he inquired, hoping it would be good news. After all, the said brat is a nuisance to all his plans. He had been keeping watch on him since he was born, and the day he wanted him to die, he hasn't heard anything.

"The ghouls have no trace of his whereabouts as of now," Yuuri said. "However, we caught wind of the person behind the failed assassination."

Yuuri dropped a badge of the Feinze house on Kino's palm, gold and shining like diamonds in the rough. Kino placed it in his pocket and smirked.

"Looks like the House of Feinze has made their decision."

To be honest, Kino kinda expected the Feinze house to collaborate with them. After all, they have been housing all the remaining mages from years ago, ensuring they can live in peace and not die at the hands of Karlheinz after he wiped most of their existence from this world. In fact, Gilbert Feinze made a solemn promise to his mother a long time ago.

"The power of the mages will live on as long as the House of Feinze stands in the neutral ground of war."

But was it a lie? Kino shrugs. Maybe it wasn't a lie. But he couldn't forgive him for this fact.

"Do you think we should go after him?" Yuuri inquired.

Kino shook his head at that, twirling the badge around his fingers as he stared at it with amusement. "There's no need for us to move. The House of Feinze will not be doing anything unless they benefit from the situation."

But Yuuri wasn't convinced at that. Sure, the Feinze house had always sworn neutrality to protect their people from war. However, they also took advantage of it for their own gain. Nonetheless, this was Kino's order. The King of Ghouls knows what he's doing.

"By the way, you said the House of Mukami has sent a letter, yes?" Kino mentioned, prompting Yuuri to transform into his human form and hand the sealed letter from his pocket.

When Kino opened the paper, he raised a brow in amusement. Well, Lord Ruki of the House Mukami always uses deep words to hide his intentions so well. No wonder they have taken advantage of some of the smaller houses in Westeros for so long.

"To the brave and astute King of Ghouls,

We have received approval from the Church regarding their alliance with our house to defeat the House of Sakamaki. Now that it has been settled, one of our finest men, Lord Azusa has set sail to the Dragonstone to meet Lady Yui of the House Komori. Further updates of their arrangement will be conveyed in my next letter.

Until then.

Lord Ruki of the House Mukami."

Kino snickered at that, amusement in his features as he turned the letter into dust in the wind, letting the pieces fly all over because, to him, they don't matter. The Mukamis and Sakamakis can fight each other and he will still not bat an eye. After all, he wanted it to happen. He made it happen based on his plans. These houses could burn for all he cared.

They deserve to be gone.

They deserve to fall down.

"Do you think Lord Ruki would be smart to know about our plan?" " Yuuri asked.

Kino huffed at that. "As if he's that smart." Then ashes from the wind turned into a snake and wrapped itself around his arm. "It's true that no one shall pass the Mukamis," he admitted, observing the snake hissing and preparing to take a bite of his flesh. And with a swift move, Kino held it by its snake and turned it into nothing. "But even with all their intelligence, their house is nothing but full of hissing snakes with no venom."

That night, Kino dreamt about his mother, the most powerful witch in the world. Devyn was a light among the darkness, a golden glory for her might. The path she walked was a road everyone envied as they bowed and worshipped her with praises and lip service. She was the sunshine of his life, the joy in his eyes.

But then, there was a lovesick expression on her face. Karlheinz was a name she kept uttering. "I love your father. I love Karlheinz." It was a lie she tells herself despite the hate. But despite the romance and devotion, Karlheinz left them with nothing but the pain of memory. Worse, he ridded mages of their right to live, sending knights to end their lives. After all, he wanted no one to know about Devyn and Kino.

"Kill them all!" Karlheinz ordered. "KILL THEM ALL!"

Devyn remained with love. She lived like an idiot, hating the same man yet believing he will come back.

"You must live, Kino. I made sure of that. Karlheinz will suffer because he didn't realize how much we meant to him."

But Karlheinz didn't suffer. In Kino's dream, he delighted at the prosperity of his kingdom, boasting his three sons from this woman he calls wife. He forgot about them. HE NEVER CARED. HE KILLED HIS MOTHER IN A DREAM.

The crows swarmed the House of Sakamaki, cawing in evil as Kino stood before the altar, fury in his hands as he prepared to kill them.

THEY WILL PAY.

THEY.

WILL.

PAY!!!!!!!

And then he woke up with a tear from his eye, loneliness succumbing to him in this darkness. He gritted his teeth in annoyance. Revenger is still far away.

There was an endless winter, a white blizzard that would bite anyone who wasn't careful. And from there, the visions paved the way toward a battlefield, a neutral house with an army that could rival Titans as the soldiers marched and attacked the enemies. Shuu was on his last breath, holding onto the handle of his sword handle as he tries to stand. Meanwhile, Reiji was on the ground, defeated and bloodied.

The scenery changed into a forest of never-ending snow. Azusa helped Yui get on a horse with a sad smile on his face. He only whispered, "I hope I am of service to you, my lady."

Before one could delve further into the dream, a giant shadow monster screeched, destroying the forest and turning everything into a nightmare. A hoard of dragons suddenly emerged and from there, Kanato found himself still on his spot, watching the ghouls walking towards him.

"Māzigon arlī," a female voice echoed. And it was a familiar one.

Kanato looked around, slightly panicking because he can't wield his fire and the ghouls are getting close.

"Kanato-sama."

The whisper felt warm in his ear.

"Māzigon arlī."*

With a strangled gasp, Kanato woke up from his dream, water splashing everywhere. When he looked around, he was situated on a bed inside a small pond, flowers and veins surrounding him with their healing properties. And to his surprise, a girl with a smaller height, long dark hair, and red eyes was staring at him in shock.

She was holding a necklace of beads close to her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. It has been three months since he slept.

When Kanato saw the Feinze crest on her dress, he gulped in nervousness. This moment was forbidden.

"Mariya-san..."

This was bad; yet she held hope despite everything.

"Welcome back, Kanato-sama."

TRANSLATION:

(1) Māzigon arlī - Come back

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

NEXT CHAPTER

STORY MASTERLIST

[master-jarrus]

Can you do hair and makeup for Nya please?

Yes I can!

So in writing this all out I had to restart because I realized just how good of a reflection of Nya's personality is shown in her looks and I'm not sure if it was intentional but at least one person in her design team put a lot of thought and care into her design

So right off that bat Nya's make up and hair is clearly a tomboyish girl who doesn't want to be too tomboyish. Like she's worried about the balance between being a pick me and being like other girls

We have a the bob that's clearly cut for the practicality of short hair and avoidance of change

That's how she always had it cut, it keeps it of her neck, sure it gets in her face but she can just pin back so why would she change it?

She probably never considered just because she wants to

Now her makeup

It looks like she wears for sure lip stick and mascara, maybe a little bit of eyeliner

In the redesign she has a beauty mark so maybe she also has concealer and foundation on too

It kind of feels like an inexperienced attempt at "no make up" make up

It's not a bad job, it looks good on her but considering her tomboyishness and her overall perfectionism it's not exactly right it's just as close as she got and then she decided she was just changing her goal

The lip stick matches her qipao (??? That'd the closest thing her jumpsuit thing could maybe be but then later they put her in an actual qipao for her date with Jay. Maybe it's a sleeveless hanfu??? Idk)

Which was a make up trend around the time the show aired so I'm assuming it was a makeup trend in Ninjago as well

I have a feeling it's her favorite shade and it's one that maybe Maya would wear for a fancy night out

Maybe Kai saved up to get her her own tube since maybe she didn't want to use hers mom's

As for mascara it's probably just your basic black same if she did do eyeliner

I wouldn't be surprised if in this era her makeup was an insecurity of hers

This is actually really common for women especially if they grew up without someone to mentor them through it. (I personally went through it and I know several friends of mine went through it as well. Even my mom refuses to wear make up because she feels like she's not doing it "right")

I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of the reasons she had snapped at Dareth over the make up segment (because like imagine getting reduced to "the girl" and then a person you have confided in that you don't know how to do that kind of stuff (season 4) tells you, you need to go teach a the little girls who want to be ninja that they should instead learn how to do make up, which again you don't feel like you can do)

Now the redesign

I really love that in the redesign it kind of felt like her growing out of a phase instead of a retcon of her personality and appearance to make her more appealing

Her hair had grown out and she puts it back in a pony tail

It looks like she might be taking better care of it too. We see a slight wavy texture come out instead of just straight

She appears to also have layers and based on the taper curl on the ponytail nothing it a blunt cut anymore

Her make up looks more refined and she stopped hiding her beauty mark

It's still the same basic "no make up" make up but like she has better techniques

She is still following lipstick trends though and is rounding out her top lip with lip liner just a more neutral shade

She does mascara on her top and bottom lashes now

Definitely seems like she has a bit of eyeliner now. Just looks like she has a more pronounced wing but it's hard to tell with lego eyes

I would wonder if this change was brought on by her mom being back

It's hard to decide about that though because during Seabound Nya seems to be holding a grudge against her mom but her mom clearly thinks they are on good terms/if she acts like mothing happened it will be fine

I'm thinking they tried to reconnect and Maya tried to just pick up where they lost off and teach Nya "girly" things and it just kind of went wrong

But Nya did try and begrudgingly like the makeup changes

But I'm not certain

[minscribbles]

Decided to go the traditional rough sketch route when it came to getting some tulum “wake up” visuals out of my head mm wanting to get better at depictions of that exposed muscle and parts of mummified scalp with thin hair remnants regrowing >:Tc LOVED drawing out the bat girl Alex  for the first time tho, very fun design to play around with

Notes of interest: Did not expect seeing such odd variety in coatimundi skull research especially when it came to length and tooth protrusion! Characters: Hyden and Alex @chocodile, Theo @kwillow  Rambling prose context read below!:

Main gist:  (keep in mind this is all limited to whats revealed so far about the shadow in main amaranthine verse so AU fun otherwise)

Group research expedition into some far off location with the hope of some leads into combating/eradicating The Shadow goop problem plaguing the world, courtesy of Hyden (most likely due to credible reports of it behaving uncharacteristically in one particular area and amassing consistently there over the years despite complete lack of population density that it would normally be voraciously seeking out to feed on). This eventually leads to the group winding up somewhere far underground (we’re talking Atlantis: The Lost Empire movie level montages of occasional dynamite use to unblock passages and paths that were assumed nonexistent until closer inspection). Until the expedition finally reaches a very well-sealed chamber (magically and physically) they decide to forcefully open and it appears to be much like an ancient tomb complete with decorations and murals.Obligatory cautious and eerie exploratory sequence that obviously leads into a raised focal point of the room, a stone-carved container structure complete w/ heavy stone well cap. Cue The Shadow goop absolutely bum-rushing into that chamber in overwhelming mass to the horror and subsequent confusion of the group, as its’ singular point of interest is breaching the stone-carved container.

Surprise! As everyone there already assumed, It’s a coffin! Bigger surprise!! Hey, wow, that’s weird The Shadow kind of looks like it’s reanimating whatever remains were in there!! Hello Tulum! :•)  asjdlkasjda oof thanks to a thumb adjacent hotkey on my mouse I lost about 3 pages worth of writing here I did in explanation regarding Tulum, her situation, and why her circumstances probably aren’t technically a case of Necromancy among other detail oriented things I can’t be bothered to redo from scratch again right now. LMAO  If you’re curious uh  feel free to reach out or reply asking more about those details;;

tldr bad short read: Mega specific series of contractual magic spells by an ancient eldritch deity tied for use with a specific individual’s (Tulum) base DNA for stupidly rapid controlled cellular regeneration/tissue growth/grafting/healing etc without repercussions of rejection or body shock. Caveat is that it only works when there is immediate proximity to biologically appropriate building block material to be used to make flesh. (ie, people fodder or the shadow sure sucked up a surplus of donor folk parts that would work for that sort of thing, huh? )

But that doesn’t account for the concept of the soul necessary in the body (soul in this context = consciousness, collection of individual’s stacked memories/experiences, basically all the pivotal formation points that made that person themself)

So before all that fun biology specific magic, this ancient eldritch being involved with Tulum first and foremost has a not really repeatable by anyone but themself magic involved in the ownership and perpetuity of Tulum’s “”soul/spirit”” via power of what dominion they have.

While Tulum is a character inspired by a combination of various Mayan civilizations of differing locations, timelines, and beliefs; The paired OC with her I keep referring to as the eldritch being/deity is a reflection of that who is inspired by Maya Mythology, rituals, and deities (particularly The Descending or Diving God)

I just haven’t fleshed him out too well yet beyond some basics as I’m still mulling over how they get on with one another;; but there’s, definitely some good messed up romance build there i keep knee jerking back to.

[samasmith23]

Evangelion: You Can (Not) Marathon — (Part 13)

Neon Genesis Evangelion, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER”

Continuing my Evangelion re-watch marathon with NGE, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER.” For my thoughts on the previous episode, click the link to the post below:

Happy New Year everyone! Yeah… it’s been quite a while since I posted my last episode analysis of Evangelion, hasn’t it? The last time I discussed an episode was back in August 2023, as I had to temporarily postpone this marathon due to being preoccupied with Graduate School classes. But since I’m currently on Winter Break in-between semesters and I’ve only got one more class to complete before I finally get my Master’s degree in History of Ideas, I thought it was finally time to resume my marathon of every episode and movie from the EVA franchise! So with all of that out of the way, let's dig into the 13th episode of NGE!

Aww! I love how right off the bat this episode reiterates the deep-seated admiration that one of the three main NERV staff members, Maya Ibuki, holds for the organization’s head scientist, Ritsuko Akagi. Specifically, the episode opens in Central Dogma where Ritsuko & Maya are conducting a routine system’s check-up on the facility’s advanced supercomputer, the MAGI system. Not only does Ritsuko complement the speed at which Maya enters the code sequences into the database, to which Maya replies, “Of course. Did I have any choice with you as my boss,” but Maya can’t help but stare in awe at her screen when Ritsuko types in a more rapid command-function, stating to herself, “Wow… she is the master…”

In addition to emphasizing Ritsuko’s skill and proficiency as a computer programmer, which serves as a central focus for the episode, this opening scene also subtly hints through the former’s interaction with Maya that the latter might view her relationship with Ritsuko in a much higher regard than just a mere master-&-apprentice bond. Specifically, I along with a lot of other EVA fans interpret Maya as a lesbian who’s secretly in love with Ritsuko. 

The subject of queer-coding in Evangelion will become of greater significance when I eventually get around to discussing the character of Kaworu Nagisa in Episode 24, but this interaction along with several other scenes from future episodes of the series heavily infer that Maya secretly possesses romantic feelings for Ritsuko based on her dialogue and mannerisms when interacting with her. Although Maya’s attraction seems to be one-sided since it will later revealed that Ritsuko is sleeping with her boss Gendo Ikari in a failed effort to try and emotionally connect with her dead mother (which, again… GROSS…). 

But while it would also be inappropriate for Ritsuko to instead get together with Maya due to the mentor/student power imbalance in their relationship, I can’t help but feel that Ritsuko would be in a much happier and healthier place in life if she also came out as gay and dumped the bastard Gendo for a female love interest. Heck, I’d personally ship Ritsuko with Misato! considering that the two are both best friends who attended university together, plus there was also some potential queer-coding in that brief moment of a swimsuit-clad Ritsuko suggestively bumping into Misato back in Episode 1!

One last aspect of Maya’s queer-coding that I’ll briefly elaborate on here is that many fans have pointed out that her character design heavily resembles that of the main protagonist, Shinji Ikari,  further visually coding Shinji as potentially being a trans-femme egg! I absolutely love it!

Lol! As soon as I start talking about shipping Ritsuko & Misato, the latter then shows up to see if Ritsuko’s done with the MAGI’s system check-up. As Bane from The Dark Knight Rises once famously stated:

Alright, if I recall this is the first time the viewer is provided a visual diagram of the MAGI and how it specifically functions. While the MAGI has been referenced in passing throughout previous episodes, where it was portrayed as an advanced supercomputer that assists in and analyzes the effectiveness of battle strategies for combatting the Angels, as well as serves as the de-facto governing body for Tokyo-3 in place of an ACTUAL human mayor (who’s stated in Episode 11 to be a simple figure-head), it is here in Episode 13 that we first get a real glimpse of exactly how the MAGI operates.

According to the monitor diagram, the MAGI is divided into three separate systems that function in conjunction with each other, and are distinguished by the names “Melchior 1,” “Balthasar 2,” and “Casper 3.”

The names for the MAGI system themselves serve as yet another Biblical reference, specifically to the Three Wise Men from the Book of Matthew. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Magi, in Christian tradition, the noble pilgrims ‘from the East’ who followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem, where they paid homage to the infant Jesus as king of the Jews (Matthew 2:1–12)… Eastern tradition sets the number of Magi at 12, but Western tradition sets their number at three, probably based on the three gifts of ‘gold, frankincense, and myrrh’ (Matthew 2:11) presented to the infant… In about the 8th century, the names of three Magi—Bithisarea, Melchior, and Gathaspa—appear in a chronicle known as the Excerpta Latina Barbari. They have become known most commonly as Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar (or Casper).”

Furthermore, the episode’s opening also alludes to the later twist that the MAGI is far more than simply just a set of 3 advanced supercomputers. Specifically, following the routine system check-up the scene immediately transitions to a weary Ritsuko alone in the bathroom where she looks at her reflection and states, “Everything checked out. As usual, Mother’s in good shape, but… is it just me getting older?”

Not only does Ritsuko’s line effectively foreshadow that her late mother, Dr. Naoko Akagi, was the MAGI’s original inventor, but also the revelation that Naoko digitized her own consciousness into the system itself.

Also, that final line of Ritsuko’s, “Is it just me getting older?” Not only does this line indicate that Ritsuko is potentially experiencing a mid-life crisis, but it is also reflective of the emptiness that she feels due to her existence being solely defined by her association with the inventions of her late mother whom it later revealed that she had a strained relationship with due to the latter career-oriented pursuits as a world-renowned scientist. Here, Hideaki Anno & crew effectively communicates through simple visuals and dialogue that Ritusko is burdened by her desire to understand and connect with her mother by routinely tending to her living legacy.

Also also, another fan online pointed this out, but these shots of Ritsuko leaning at the sink and staring at her reflection directly parallel those of Asuka later on in Episode 22, who similarly pilots her EVA Unit-02 due to being haunted by the specter of her own emotionally neglectful mother. Once again, Anno truly is a master of being able to convey so much information and character nuance through subtle visuals alone!

Lol! As hilarious as it is to listen to Asuka’s complaints about having to completely undress alongside Shinji & Rei as they enter a decontamination for a special harmonics synchronization test with their respective EVAs, I do legitimately love how the animators here utilize the three pilots’ silhouetted postures (only the character’s faces & feet are left unobscured) behind the glass to distinguish each character’s unique personality traits!

Despite Asuka’s justified protestations of being required to strip down for this test, we see that she’s standing proud and firm with both hands on her hips, which is contrasted against the frustrated expression on her face, conveying how Asuka utilizes her boastful pride as a facade to mask her insecurities in front of others. In stark contrast to Asuka, Shinji is unable to hide his embarrassment and anxiety, since in addition to having a nervous expression he’s placing both his hands over his crotch to desperately preserve his modesty, which is reflective of the character’s fears of opening himself up to others. Finally, Rei is once again presented as the neutral middle-ground to Shinji & Asuka’s opposing ends of the emotional spectrum, as she simply gives a blank deadpanned expression while standing completely still in a non-exaggerated manner, highlighting her struggles to emotionally connect with herself and others.

Also, I’m totally with Asuka here! I sincerely hope that Ritsuko is telling the truth when she reassures Asuka on the intercom that the security cameras have their monitors temporarily shut off as the pilots exit their decontamination showers to enter their EVAs. At least… that’s what I’m hoping the red light suddenly appearing on the camera following the two’s conversation…

Still, however, I am somewhat surprised that the exit hallway lacks any guard railing between the shower doors to protect the pilot’s modesty from each other. I know that I would personally want such a feature, especially as someone who’s always HATED and refused to utilize open-door public shower facilities! UGH! That’s always been a major pet peeve of mine!

Whew… at least we as viewers can breathe a sigh of relief in the fact that Ritsuko was at least telling the truth about the naked pilot’s visuals being obscured from the test operator’s computer screens since they’re only presented as green silhouettes inside of their Entry-Plugs. Although Shinji seems to be the only one among the trio wearing a safety belt inside. Weird…

So I’m rather curious as to what the purpose of this specific harmonics test is exactly. Like, I understand the idea that the reason Ritsuko had Shinji, Rei & Asuka undergo decontamination and sit inside their Entry Plugs completely naked was so that she could determine how well each pilot synchronizes with their respective EVA Units without any foreign contamination (which feels like a callback to Episode 8 when Asuka forced Shinji to sit inside the Entry-Plug with her and she initially experienced a program error due to Shinji’s Japanese thought patterns interfering with her Unit being pre-conditioned for her native German language).

But what’s NERV’s specific end goal here? To simply see whether or not the pilots can better synchronize with their Units without the presence of their usual plug-suits? 

While the exact answer is left incredibly vague and unanswered, I personally subscribe to a fan theory that I encountered online a while back (although I can’t remember where it originated from), but I believe that Ritsuko and NERV intend to utilize the data collected from each pilot’s unfiltered and decontaminated synch-ratios from this test as part of the dreaded Dummy-Plug system program in later episodes, since those specific Entry-Plugs are stated to perfectly imitate the thought-patterns of a pilot to trick an EVA-Unit to engage in an auto-pilot function even without the presence of an actual human pilot inside the plug.

Although... this theory does have some holes in it since it’s also later implied that NERV’s Dummy Plug system is specifically derived from the thought patterns of dozens of Rei clones (and that SEELE utilizes her counterpart Kaworu for the Dummy Plugs for the Mass-Production Evangelions in The End of Evangelion).

Also, I just realized something else! The fact that Shinji, Asuka & Rei are sitting inside of their Entry-Plugs naked (which is somewhat akin to a fetal position), and that the Entry-Plugs themselves are symbolically reflective of a mother’s womb due to the EVA-Units containing the souls of their dead mother’s (at least for Shinji & Asuka’s respective units…), and that the pilots are also submerged in Liquid LCL while inside of their Entry-Plugs, and LCL is the primordial soup that humanity was originally birthed from by the Seed of Life known as Lilith… 

Geez, this scene alone takes all of the pre-existing Freudian imagery that EVA is known for, and pumps it up on steroids!

Moving on from that though, we get more foreshadowing of the true nature of the MAGI when Ritsuko coldly remarks, “You can sure feel their creator’s original personality can you,” in response to the 3 supercomputers suddenly processing a mysterious dilemma.

In addition to Ritsuko officially confirming to Misato (and by extension, the audience) that her mother Naoko was the original inventor of the MAGI system, we also get to see the initial signs of cracks beginning to form in Misato & Ritsuko’s friendship. Despite Misato’s high-ranking status as a NERV military officer and her promotion to Major in the last episode, it is evident that Misato is still in the dark concerning NERV’s more intimate secrets. While Ritsuko is willing to chastize Misato’s ignorance regarding the MAGI system due to the former’s personal connections with the classified hardware, Misato will grow increasingly distrustful of the other secrets Ritsuko is guarding for Gendo and will be inspired by her lover Kaji to try and unravel the conspiracy behind NERV.

Also, Misato’s annoyed retort, “That’s because unlike me, you never talk about yourself Ritsuko,” feels intentionally hypocritical on Anno’s part since Misato frequently attempts to hide specific aspects of her personality from others like Shinji due to her internal Hedgehog’s Dilemma. Although this exchange does convey that in contrast to Misato’s more emotionally extroverted persona, Ritsuko’s personality is more introverted, presenting herself more coldly and rationally due to her nature as a scientist.

I love the early ominous visual representations of the “dilemma” that the MAGI is responding to. First in the form of a visual graph up in Central Dogma’s mainframe, which Aoba & Fuyutsuki describe as “corrosion of the 87th protein wall” that they attribute to recently-installed parts to the system, as well as what appears to be a purple acidic burn-mark on the walls of one of NERV HQ’s tunnels.

Not only does this help provide initial intrigue and suspense for the viewer concerning this mysterious “dilemma,” but Fuyutsuki & Aoba’s dialogue debating the potential causes of the system error in highly-detailed technological detail reminds me of why I’ve always nicknamed this, “the Techno-Babble episode” of NGE! 

Trust me when I say, there is going to be so much techno-babble in this episode alone that it would make Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation blush!

Also… that corrosion is creepy as all heck!

Lol! Both Ritsuko & Fuyutsuki make the exact same comment, “Ikari would chew my ass off,” in response to letting the corrosion interfere with their synchronization test! It’s like the old saying goes: “Two great minds truly think alike!”

Wait a minute… so the pilot’s EVA-Units are in their usual holding cages during this test? Then what exactly is that fleshy unarmored EVA-arm submerged in water and connected to half-a-dozen wires outside the window of Ritsuko’s control room supposed to be? Is it part of Rei’s EVA Unit-00 but on the opposite side of the wall-locks, or something else entirely? Either way, the fact that Ritsuko tells specifically Rei to move her arm in conjunction with that submerged severed arm does seem to suggest my earlier theory that this test is actually somehow connected to the Dummy Plug system…

Oh crap! Glowing red sparks appearing on the purple corrosive wall stain as soon as Rei synchronizes with the submerged EVA arm! Definitely not unusual and foreboding in the slightest! Not at all!

I’ve gotta say, I’m really enjoying the nice change of pace this episode takes in regards to its action scenes and building suspense! Instead of the usual strategic planning and bombastic Mecha vs. Kaju fights, Episode 13 takes full advantage of its focus on computer science by having Ritsuko utilize her technological expertise to try and quickly quarantine and prevent the spread of the corrosion of the 87th protein wall into the testing chambers. 

Despite initially seeming inherently less exciting on the surface, from a cinematography and editing perspective the flow of action in this scene feels incredibly intense and suspenseful due to the fast pace and quick cuts between the various computer screen alerts & graphs, Ritsuko’s technical commands, and the closing of doors & pipes to prevent the spreading of the corrosion! Anno & GAINAX certainly know how to make even the seemingly mundane incredibly captivating from an action standpoint! That takes incredible talent!

Also, I don’t know why but I FREAKING love the design of those water drones that Ritsuko deploys into the testing pool! 

Oh, I see now! The pilot’s Entry-Plugs are actually connected to 3 full-flesh unarmored EVA bodies inside the testing pool! I just couldn’t tell at first due to the previous camera angles of the pool framing the scene from outside the control room window, which combined with the darkly lit underwater conditions helped obscure the other two EVA-bodies! Also, the fact that the heads are missing and are replaced with wires (which I’m assuming are connected to each pilot’s main respective units…), aided in my confusion in thinking that these were just arms. 

My mistake! Lol!

But being serious again, all that tension built up with Ritsuko’s technical commands & counters comes to a roaring head as the mysterious corrosion finally reaches the testing pool and causes the arm of Rei’s EVA-body to move against its will and try and breach the window of the control room (mirroring the flashback EVA Unit-00’s failed test in Episode 5)!

Holy FREAKING Crap! Even though Ritsuko & Misato fortunately had the arm of Rei’s EVA severed before it could break the glass and forcibly ejected the pilot’s Entry-Plugs out of the pool, the worst possible case scenario is confirmed when the drones fire their lasers at the mysterious corrosive force, only for said force to suddenly repel their attacks with an AT Field! That’s right, NERV HQ has just been infiltrated by the 11th Angel, Ireul!

Out of all the Angels presented in the series so far, Ireul is easily one of the most distinctively unique due to its lack of a consistent physical form, being primarily represented in the form of either a corrosive substance on the wall or as a pixilated glow on the test EVA’s.

Speaking of which, dang is the animation of Ireul infecting and possessing the arm of one of the other test EVAs so FREAKING cool! It has this unique red-digitized effect to it! I can’t even begin to imagine how tricky it must have been for GAINAX to animate the hand-drawn frames for the Ireul infection scenes! I sincerely hope that they were paid well for their work…

Also, regarding this specific Angel’s name, according to Wikipedia, “Iruel (イロウル, Irouru), also known as Yroul, Yrouel and Ireul, [is referred to] n religious texts as the angel of fear.” In addition to Episode 13’s primary scriptwriter, Mitsuo Iso, stating that the primary inspiration for Ireul’s abstract design was to showcase “a battle against an invisible enemy,” the historical theological interpretations of Ireul as the “Angel of Terror” were noted by ThingsAnime blog writer Will Raus in his article Neon Genesis — An Angelic Vision, who stated that, “the episode featuring Ireul is marked by panic from the lab techs that operate the MAGI.”

I’m curious as to what exactly was going through Ritsuko’s head as she just coldly stared at Ireul breaking the glass while the rest of the staff fled the control room. Was she merely so distracted by her scientific curiosity that she completely neglected her own safety? Or is this indicative of Ritsuko having suicidal ideation?

Knowing what I know occurs later in Episode 23, I have a strong feeling it’s the latter option, especially since Misato is similarly the one here to try and snap out of her trance before Ireul can flood the room.

The sheer amount of scenes that directly mirror each other in regards to subtle details in animation & character framing that I’m noticing upon rewatch is honestly FREAKING phenomenal! Anno certainly took a page from George Lucas’ playbook as a director!

Oh boy, we’re getting some more foreshadowing to the conflict between Gendo & SEELE since immediately after getting off the phone with another “Sound-Only” screen, he orders the rest of the staff to lie about the presence of an Angel inside of NERV HQ being just “an error in the alarm system.”

Lol! It looks like the computer diagrams confirmed my fan theory regarding the purpose of the harmonics test, since the 3 EVA bodies inside of the pool, or “Pribnow Box” are labeled as “Dummy 1-3!”

Oh crap! More foreshadowing in the form of Fuytsuki & Gendo whispering to each other that Ireul’s contamination of the systems is spreading “too close to Adam.”

Double crap! Even more foreshadowing in the form of Gendo prioritizing the safety of Unit-01 above that of Units 00 & 02 when ordering them to be launched without the pilots to prevent them from being infected by Ireul!

Triple crap! The foreshadowing just keeps on going as we now see Kaji randomly exiting an elevator inside of the tunnel to Central Dogma directly below Ireul’s contamination zone! Continuing to play the double/triple agent game I’m guessing! 

Leave it to Fuyutsuki to ask the million-dollar question on everyone’s mind: “How exactly can you fight an Angel without an Evangelion?”

Man do I love just how unapologetically science-oriented and techno-babble-heavy this particular episode of EVA is! It’s honestly pretty cool watching Ritsuko and the rest of the NERV staff’s attempts to try and counter Ireul’s spread by increasing the ozone levels in the heavy water boundary of the testing pool, only for Ireul to rapidly adapt and increase its resistance to ozone before evolving into an organic electronic life form capable of hacking its presence into NERV’s computer files to infiltrate the MAGI system!

While a lot of the technical and computer programming terms completely fly over my head and are borderline gibberish to me, the scene itself is so tightly edited and quickly paced that it’s NEVER boring and the natural flow of dialogue makes the increasing threat of the Angel clear to the viewer even if they’re not computer scientists themselves! That takes a lot of skill from a writing & and directing standpoint!

Also, Shiro Sagisu’s soundtrack further elevates the tension in this scene in near-perfect symbiosis with the editing and dialogue! The sequence of musical scores from “The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still,” to “Harbinger of Tragedy,” to “The Beast” really serve to gradually increase the suspense and fear derived from this scene, even though all we’re doing is basically looking at computer screens & graphs & listening to techno-babble! I love it!

Also also, Ritsuko provides the first direct indication of the Angel’s ability to repeatedly evolve and adapt to its surroundings to actively counter NERV’s defenses to try and reach “Adam” in Terminal Dogma! While the Angel’s environmental adaptation capabilities were already established with Sandalphon from Episode 10 being born in the heart of a magma chamber, here we get our first glimpse of the Angel’s evolving intelligence as Ireul learns how to hack the MAGI system to utilize NERV’s own supercomputers as a weapon against them! 

The sheer speed at which Ireul completely infects Melchior which it then utilizes to try and hack into Balthasar next before Ritsuko enters a fail-safe code-sequence to halt the Angel’s spread for 2-hours next is legitimately FREAKING terrifying!

Fuyutsuki’s words, “The MAGI have become our enemy,” are even made more disturbing by the panning shot showing the 3 giant red boxes that serve the supercomputer mainframe directly below Central Dogma’s main command deck, emphasizing that the Angel is directly under NERV’s feet. 

As Kakashi once famously told Sasuke during the survival exercise in Naruto, an attack from below is the most dangerous since it’s the least expected!

Also, the way Ritsuko describes Ireul as having evolved into a nano-machine-esque living computer virus, now all I can think of is the Ms. Marvel villain Doc.X, who’s also a sentient computer virus!

I love how Ritsuko immediately and harshly rejects Misato’s recommendation to Gendo that they self-destruct the MAGI system to destroy Ireul. 

While Ritsuko justifies this by countering to Misato that “destroying the MAGI means destroying headquarters itself,” it’s clear that Ritsuko is desperately trying to preserve some piece of her mother’s legacy, still desperately struggling to understand the individual who prioritized her roles as a scientist & a woman over her role as a mother.

I am totally NOT foreshadowing anything with my specific word choice of “scientist, woman & mother!” NOT at all! Lol!

The transition from Misato’s exasperated anger towards Ritsuko’s stubbornness to calm yet confused questioning of the latter’s refusal to “share the responsibility” or “trust someone else” is honestly quite profound. You truly get the sense that Misato is desperately trying to understand her friend’s inability to rely on the assistance of others. It effectively illustrates Misato’s self-awareness concerning the Hedgehog’s Dilemma, as she’s able to recognize and wants to help others who are struggling from a similar place as herself. Whether it be Shinji and now Ritsuko. 

Also, I can’t help but appreciate the irony of the fact that Ritsuko was the one who first informed Misato of the Hedgehog’s Dilemma back in Episode 3, but is now clearly shown to be struggling with her own version of said dilemma as she’s emotionally closing herself off from others in a misguided effort to connect with her dead mother, just like Misato does with her dead father.

Despite their contrasting personalities, Misato & Ritsuko truly are very similar to each other. It’s no wonder the two formed such a close friendship. This makes the gradual deterioration of their trust in each other as the series all the more tragic…

Alright, we finally get a run-down of Ritsuko’s plan to defeat Ireul! Essentially, Ritsuko intends to utilize the Angel’s evolutionary survival mechanisms against itself by reprogramming the final remaining MAGI supercomputer, Casper, with a program designed to regress Ireul’s evolution and force it to self-destruct within the system.

Just like all of the previous strategies portrayed so far in EVA, there are considerable risks involved since not only can Ireul be exposed to said program by intentionally deactivating the firewalls preventing it from hacking into Casper, but Ritsuko needs to introduce her counter-program into Casper’s mainframe much faster than it will take the Angel to fully infect the system. And once again, I think this strategy is FREAKING brilliant due to how insane and risky it is!

It is also worth noting that Ritsuko’s plan to introduce a counter program into the MAGI that will force the Angelic computer virus to delete itself is heavily reminiscent of the scientific phenomenon known as Apoptosis, which Susan Elmore of the National Library of Medicine refers to as, “the process of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is generally characterized by distinct morphological characteristics and energy-dependent biochemical mechanisms.”

You can certainly tell that Anno & crew engaged in a lot of scientific research for this specific episode!

Also, I can’t help but notice the fact that it is the Casper supercomputer that is the one that will inevitably result in Ireul’s self-destruction. I’m skipping ahead a little, but it will later be revealed at the end of the episode that Naoko designed each of the MAGI supercomputers to embody the three main aspects of her identity, those being herself as a scientist, a mother, and a woman respectively. Furthermore, it will later be revealed that Naoko was not only having an affair with Gendo which led to her committing (which her daughter is also now engaging in), but that Casper is the supercomputer which specifically reflects Naoko’s identity as a woman, or more accurately a lover.

So basically, Ritsuko is channeling both her mother and her own self-destructive sexual characteristics to kill the 11th Angel. 

Honestly, this feels incredibly reminiscent of one of the core themes that will become increasingly apparent as the series progresses: the Freudian dichotomy between sex & death.

Dang! I love the physical design of the MAGI mainframes, which similar to the Evangelions are a hybrid of mechanical & organic components. Not only do all the wires and pipes appear to have a blood-like red texture to them, but they’re arranged in a pattern that is heavily reminiscent of a brain. An association that is made even more visibly apparent through the central core of Casper being what appears to be literal brain matter and tissue!

Given that Naoko transferred pieces of her consciousness into the MAGI, combined with the future twist of Rei being a clone of Shinji’s mother Yui Ikari, I feel like this is heavily implying that Naoko cloned her own brain matter to make these computers operate. If so, that’s honestly kinda disturbing…

Lol! Not only do we get more hints of Maya’s romantic attraction towards Ritsuko through her fan-girl reactions to the hundreds of the original developer’s notes taped all across the interior walls of Casper, but we also see the kanji, “Ikari, you jerk,”angrily scribbled across one of the pipes!

I’m not sure if it was Naoko or Ritsuko who wrote that specific note, but either way, I’m all for insulting that bastard Gendo!

I love the little bit of Ritsuko smiling, “Thanks Mom, with your help we can make it,” as she begins crawling into Casper’s interiors. It implies that she seemingly does care about & and misses Naoko, however much she tries to deny it…

Also, the imagery of Ritsuko crawling inside of the computer that’s essentially her mother is once again incredibly Freudian, reflective of how the EVA-pilot’s Entry-Plugs metaphorically represent a return to the womb. Or in Ritsuko’s case with the MAGI, a return to the brain?

Aww… Misato can’t help but reminisce on her and Ritsuko’s college days together… 

I am curious though as to what specific memories mirrored their current situation of doing engineering and programming work inside of a tightly cramped space…

Interesting! Not only does Ritsuko disclose to Misato that the MAGI utilized a personality transplant system that transferred Naoko’s consciousness into the system, but that the exact same transference system was utilized for the Evangelions, once again foreshadowing that the souls of Shinji & Asuka’s dead mothers inhabit their respective EVA Units!

Also, it’s here that Ritsuko truly reveals her complicated feelings towards her mother. When Misato questions whether   Ritsuko’s desire to protect the MAGI is motivated by love for her mother, Ritsuko instead states that in actuality she “never really liked [her] mother,” and that “[her] decision was that of a scientist.” 

Does this imply that Ritsuko’s efforts to try and understand her late mother, whether it be through maintaining & protecting the MAGI or sleeping with Gendo (again… EWWW!!!), are motivated solely by scientific personality? That Ritsuko is actively attempting to reject the womanly side of her mother in favor of the scientific side? Or is Ritsuko lying to herself and there’s a part of her that secretly does love her mother like Misato suggested?

This kind of multifaceted and nuanced character-writing is a major aspect of why I love Evangelion so much! Nearly all of its characters are such fascinating and human messes of psychological contradictions that you can’t help but become invested in their personal struggles! 

Wow! The actual initiation of Ritsuko’s counter program is once again FREAKING intense! Not only does Ireul manage to quickly hack into Casper once the firewall is lifted, but in what has got to be the most prolonged single second in the history of fictional media, Ritsuko & Maya manage to enter final code-sequences and command keys necessary just in time before the Angel can infiltrate what is quite literally the last single tiny block of uninfected data on Casper’s diagram!

And as soon as Ritsuko engages the counter-program, the tension is finally alleviated as that tiny blue square of uninfected data quickly spreads out and consumes the corrupted red data blocks across all 3 MAGI supercomputers, indicating the Angel’s rapid demise!

Like… dang! I’m honestly impressed by just how suspenseful Anno & GAINAX managed to make this back-&-forth computer-hacking battle against the Angel, especially since this more down-to-Earth tone deviates so heavily from the series’ usual formula of epic and otherworldly giant-kaju battles! It just goes to show how EVA can so efficiently balance various genres and tones into a cohesive whole. 

Additionally, it was also a nice change of pace to witness a character outside of the main trio of EVA pilots be directly involved in the defeat of an Angel, while also utilizing said battle to heavily flesh out Ritsuko’s character similar to the previous episode’s heavy emphasis on Misato’s character development!

Speaking of the EVA pilots though, I couldn’t help but chuckle when we cut back to Shinji, Asuka & Rei STILL inside of their Entry-Plugs after all this time! 

Not only is it hilarious knowing that the trio are completely oblivious to Ireul’s infiltration and Ritsuko single-handedly defeating it, but I can’t help but sympathize with Asuka’s embarrassment and irritation since they spent all that time undressed inside of their Entry-Plugs floating alone in the GeoFront lake without any access to outside communication! That’s gotta super suck!

Lol! Ritsuko’s tired but relaxed line, “I must be getting old. These all-nighters are really rough,” is such a clever bookend! While the episode began with Ritsuko’s exhaustion regarding her mid-life crisis and anxiety of being solely defined by her mother’s shadow, she now can’t help but feel content in the fact that she protected Naoko’s legacy from being annihilated, staying true to her promise despite her complicated feelings towards her mother. 

Also, it’s here that Ritsuko reveals the MAGI’s true nature to Misato as the dichotomy between Naoko’s respective identities as a mother, scientist, and woman. What I can’t help but find fascinating though is that according to Ritsuko, “Those three aspects are struggling for dominance within the MAGI. She intentionally implanted the dilemma to imitate the human experience.”

Honestly, that kind of blending between humanity & machinery makes for an incredibly fascinating concept, since it subverts the emotionless rationality that usually defines A.I. in science fiction media, instead exploring the possibilities of how a machine would function with more human characteristics. 

And the episode concludes with some further insight into Ritsuko’s relationship with the late Naoko, clarifying that while she respects her mother as a scientist, she struggles to understand her as a mother while hating the side of her that is a woman. That latter comment in particular does make me wonder if the reason she’s sexually involved with Gendo is because she wants to spite that aspect of her mother instead of merely trying to misguidedly understand it. Or maybe it’s a little bit of both…

Either way, it truly does feel like Ritsuko embodies a mixture of the Oedipus complex which characterizes Shinji, and the Electra complex which characterizes Misato, which I honestly find to be incredibly intriguing…

Also, one last piece of foreshadowing in the form of Ritsuko’s ominous statement that it was the woman aspect of Naoko’s personality that she stayed true to to the very end!

So that was NGE, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER,” and overall it was another incredibly solid entry to the series! For as much as I snarkily joked about the heavy emphasis on the techno-babble aspect in this particular episode, I was legitimately impressed by the immense levels of tension & suspense Anno and crew were able to generate through a non-traditional Angel battle in what essentially boiled down to a computer hacking contest, as well as the specific focus on Ritsuko’s character and fleshing out her strained relationship with her late mother Naoko. Furthermore, I was not expecting the large quantity of subtle foreshadowing to future twists and revelations across the series in just this one episode, including but not limited to Ritsuko & Naoko’s dommed relationships with Gendo Ikari, the Dummy Plug systems, the presence of human souls inside of the EVAs, and Gendo’s conflict with SEELE. It highlights just how tightly written and cleverly interconnected Evangelion’s narrative and characters are, despite some behind-the-scenes issues that fundamentally altered the thematic and tonal trajectory of the series as a whole. 

But that’s stuff I’ll begin delving into next time in my discussion of Episode 14, which will likely be less lengthy compared to my other posts in this marathon concerning the actual content of the episode itself due to its first half essentially being a clip-show (albeit, a rather creative clip-show)… although I will use it as an opportunity to delve into a lot of the behind-the-scenes trivia and drama surrounding the production of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion anime! It should be an interesting discussion at the very least! 

[dumbass-404]

#COTCreekWeek Day 3 - Past / Future

Basebatarrowtargetball has been the sport of the future ever since Maya and Omar made it up this afternoon.

Read under the cut or here.

“This is going to be awesome.”

“Awesome?” Omar yells back to Maya. He’s standing a distance away, but he’s mainly yelling out of excitement. “This is going to change the way people in America experience sports!”

“You know it!” Maya yells back and readies her stance. She taps the edge of her bat on the flat rock in front of her.  

The bat thunks against the rock, and tells her she’s in position. She brings it up around her shoulder. “Ready when you are.”

“I was born ready,” quips Omar. He notches the suction cup arrow to his bow. He straightens the arm holding the bow, and pulls the arrow back with his other hand. “Get ready for the first pitch ever of basebatarrowtargetball!”

Basebatarrowtargetball has been the sport of the future ever since Maya and Omar made it up this afternoon. It combines their two sports of choice and their four materials available. 

The bases are, as said before, rocks. They went down to the creek and picked the four most base-like rocks they could find, and hauled them all the way out to the clearing that the premiere game would be held in. 

The bat was easy. Maya never left home without it. She claims that she never wants to miss a chance to practice, so she always has it just in case. Omar thinks that she just wants to look cool carrying around a sort-of weapon everywhere. In any case, he thinks she looks cool with it. 

The arrows were slightly more tricky. Omar had a SNERF set of bow, arrows and target at his house, which required sneaking in and out of his house without his older sister catching him. Maya offered to knock her out if needed. Omar declined her offer, and got in and out of the house with everything just fine. He wishes he had better supplies than a crummy archery kit he was gifted for his ninth birthday, but he'll make do with what he has. If the sport gains popularity (and it will ), then he’ll switch over to a real wood bow and flint arrows, but plastic and foam work fine for now. 

The target is set up as the shortstop. Maya says that’s where all of her hits go (“Straight to the shortstop,” she would complain after practice. “I swear I’m not aiming for her.”) so it should be the most optimal place to get a bullseye. 

“There are no balls in this,” Maya realized as they were planning the game. “Why are we calling it basebatarrowtargetball ?”

“It sounds weird otherwise,” Omar replied. “Who would want to play basebatarrowtarget?”

To play basebatarrowtargetball, the archer pitches the arrow to the batter, who hits it into the shortstop-slash-target. Whichever team gets a bullseye first wins. 

“But it’s just us,” Omar said. “And we need an archer and a batter for a team, so who’s on the other team?”

“You think the other kids won’t want to play this when they see us?” Maya scoffed, assured. 

So now, they are one hit into the bullseye away from winning the first ever game of basebatarrowtargetball, and gaining the admiration of every kid in their neighborhood. 

Omar takes a deep breath and lets the arrow go.

A moment later, Maya swings her bat—

“Aah!” 

—And instead of hearing the sweet sound of plastic-on-more-plastic flying in the direction of the target, Omar hears Maya yelp.  

“OhmygoshMayaareyouokay?!” He cries as he runs over to her. 

“Yeah, yeah,” she says. She’s still standing, still in one piece. “Just got caught off-guard.”

“I’m so sorry. I—“ He covers his mouth. “I swear I’m not laughing at you, I’m just—“

“You should be sorry,” she says, and pulls the suction cup off of her forehead with a loud pop! “Your aim is terrible.”

[lyriumsings]

oh damn I was just wondering if I should ask if you took oc questions and I saw a post about you wanting to talk about them. so. this is your sign: free pass tell me whatever you want about whoever you want. I’d like to know stuff about them (please. thank.)

This ask has literally been sitting here for like a year and I can’t stop thinking about my infamous mc so i’m gonna use this as a sort of preview introduction lol so anon if you’re out there im so sorry lmaooo and i absolutely love asks about my brain blorbos or anything really ngl i’ll probably copy and paste all this information to their Official Art ™️

Name: Octavia “Tavvi” Blackwater

Stage name: Tavvi

Pronouns: they/she

Sexuality: Bisexual

Band name: Beneath the Challenger (BTC). Octavia came up with the name and it’s basically a metaphor for them being super depressed lmao. It comes from the Challenger Deep which is the lowest point on earth beneath the Mariana’s trench.

Vocal Insp: donna missal (pinnacle voice bc for them tbh), The pretty reckless, the haunt

Music Insp: The Pretty Reckless, The Haunt, (for all of these bands i have very specific songs that i plug in as BTC’s lyrics lmao i have a playlist for them that i basically hc as their songs), Bad Omens (Just Pretend is SUCH a seven x mc song and i hc it as BTC’s best song), Mothica (VICES tho), and Honey Revenge! Here’s their playlist it grows everyday lmao

Fandom: Aquanauts. I hc that Maya figured out the bands meaning and picked based on that, Octavia genuinely loves it and finds it cute. And somehow the fact that the name makes sense to what the band name is makes them feel very seen and comforted tbh

Ep: Under the Water

Favorite unreleased single: The Slowest Heart (Which i actually took from Gilded Lily bc that song has heavy Octavia x Seven vibes) They have “the slowest heart” tattooed on there left rib age side boob area lol Although I feel like if she wrote it it’d be closer to the sped up version and a bit angrier mixed with hurt but the lyrics are perfect)

Romance: Seven’s ex. Still has his initials and doesn’t bother to cover it. And they are harboring a very blatant crush on Orion that if they’re being honest about started specifically because Orion seems pretty unattainable and they have no actual expectations of that fantasy becoming a reality (at least at first). Some cute stuff about them and seven tho: I hc fans called them Seven8 cuz Octavia means 8 or i guess Setavia works but Seven8 is so cute to me. And that seven had them in his phone as “8” and Octavia had him as “7 Ducky”

Some backstory:

Octavia is biracial her mom is white and her dad is black (specifically has afro indigenous roots but he was a foster kid so very estranged from these cultures) does not have a good relationship with their parents at all. Their parents didn’t really want kids? Sort of had Octavia because that’s what they were “supposed” to do next after getting married. Octavia is very much just an item checked off a list in a lot of ways regarding them. Very much the type of people who probably shouldn’t have had a kid not because they didn’t provide physically but they’re just emotionally nonexistent and incredibly dismissive lol. So yeah, so she had a very lonely childhood.

They did lots of ballet/contemporary dancing and soft ball which she does still actually enjoy as hobbies presently, but for the most part she’s obsessed with music and making music. They have a bat from highschool that they call “Lucky Lucy” where for two separate games in a row she hit nothing but home runs with it. Now, she takes it to every show and makes everybody touch Lucky Lucy before performing.

Octavia is obsessed with old hollywood glamour and old movies/shows from that era— most specifically Audrey Hempburn. They have several references/quotes from her tattooed on them: “never throw out anyone” is a partial quote from “People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw anyone out.” that they have tattooed directly under their S.D. tattoo which is my favorite lol and another is “i was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.” probably on their opposite forearm from S.D. (There’s more but i gotta map them out.) They can do a transatlantic accent, and did so for many months as a teen to annoy their parents.

Lastly, romantic history: before Seven they had a girlfriend, Maria. Who was pretty much their polar opposite—very straight laced, serious, and structured but also incredibly sweet, polite, absolute wifey material—and honestly while she supported Octavia’s dream on a surface level she thought Octavia needed a more concrete plan for the future. They dated for about half of high school and split amicably when it became clear that Octavia wasn’t going to change/Octavia’s underlying feelings for Seven became a bit too obvious to ignore. They’re still in contact and friendly and Maria is married and has two kids.

Post Seven, Octavia had one serious relationship that was on and off for 8 months about a year after their initial split. It was bad. Incredibly toxic content warning type bad. Dean Clayton was the lead singer of another indie band Violet Vapors and was a general misogynistic piece of shit. It was a they just didn’t see the red flags until they were already in it type situation, bc no one advertises themself as a pos partner obvs. She doesn’t like to talk about it and borderline actively ignores it, but if they ever saw him again they’d probably take their bat to him tbh. Octavia is in a muuuuch better place now (comparatively speaking, which i mean the bar is in hell so do with that what ye will) still does drugs and drinks but it’s not nearly as bad as uhhh this era of their life.

[filmforager]

The Creator: Review

Rage against the machine 

7 years have passed since Gareth Edwards last made a film, but it’s been even longer since he’s been able to unleash an original vision on the world. But after years dealing with atomic lizards (Godzilla) and Star Wars rebellions (Rogue One), The Creator finds him on much more, well, creative ground. Free from studio control, his latest sci-fi film is practically bursting with interesting ideas and weighty topics, but just falls short with its execution. 

Exploring themes that feel eerily close to home, The Creator is an ‘AI film’ that was conceived before CHATGPT and creepy AI music covers were even a thing. In a handy newsreel montage, we learn how mankind has created AI replicants to do human jobs, and even take on the likeness of real humans (à la Blade Runner). But when an AI atomic bomb drops on LA, war breaks out between AI and the humans, leading pockets of replicants to hide out in Asia.

Fast forward to 2070, and we follow Joshua (John David Washington), an ex-soldier who lost his wife Maya (Gemma Chan), an AI sympathiser, and his unborn child during an undercover raid on an AI base. After years of grieving, Joshua is reluctantly recruited by the US army to locate and destroy a deadly weapon created by the mysterious AI ‘Creator’. But when the weapon turns out to be a small replicant child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles) who might have info about Maya’s disappearance, things start to get a bit complicated. 

If that sounds like a lot to take in, it is. From a script written by Edwards and Rogue One co-writer Chris Weitz, this is an ambitious film that explores big topics like AI sentience and what it means to be human, while also featuring earth-shattering scraps of an unprecedented scale. That it works is largely down to the human story that holds it all together. 

As Joshua and his unlikely charge ‘Alphie’ elude the pursuit of the androids and the US army (led by a ruthless Alisson Janney), the film settles into a bit of a road trip groove, as Joshua is forced to confront his anti-AI convictions. Despite all of the man on robot carnage on display, some of the best scenes simply bask in the chemistry of this central relationship, While Washington oozes paternal charisma and longing for his lost love, Voyles is unbelievably good in her debut performance as ‘Alphie’, an innocent child already wise to the brutalities of the world.

Just like with Rogue One and his debut film Monsters, this also profits from existing in a world that feels grounded and lived-in. You can completely believe Edwards stowed himself away for 7 years to realize all of the hidden details, from his futuristic vision of real-world locations like LA and Thailand, to the fascinating design of the android craniums. It’s so convincingly done that you won’t even bat an eyelid when you see some androids watching an AI strip show, or a cool scene where a human consciousness is momentarily plugged into a replicant corpse. 

If The Creator excels when it goes small, the opposite is true when it goes big. The action is gorgeously shot by cinematographers Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer, but the big battles feel strangely stilted, lacking the imagination on display elsewhere. The same can also be said for the film’s rushed final act, which doesn’t seem to know what to do with the ideas at its disposal. But thankfully, this won’t do much to hamper your enjoyment. With more imagination and fascinating details than your typical studio film, there’s plenty here to keep you invested throughout. With any luck, the wait for the next Gareth Edwards film won’t be so long.

Though it runs out of steam near the end, The Creator is a smart and frequently dazzling look at a maybe not-too-distant future, with a heart to match the scale of its ambition.

★★★

[soul-wanderer]

06x12//Never Gonna Give You Up - weekly recap

aka the one where I go against the grain, and you’re free to move on if that’s not for you

- Vic looking cute in the beginning and being ready to defend/save Travis with a baseball bat. Including their sweet and funny friendship moment and Vic being a nerd - what else could we ask for?

- Andy looks just great in this episode as well, both at home and in the field. Could have done without The British Dude, though, just saying

- that exchange between Andy and Ross in the beginning was just great, and I’m all here for it

- We need more of the casual jokes, like Maya saying “I hate that I know this” and Travis going “Oh, I know her”

- Vic supporting Theo, even though she didn’t quite understand what he was going through and was having a hard time, is still something I love about them (even though I did wonder what the repercussions would be in real life for just starting your own investigation like that). In general, Theo’s current storyline is so important and relevant to tell, and they’re doing such a great job at portraying all these emotions and conflicts

- For one of the first times (or the first time?) Maya is actually distracted from her job when they hear the news about what’s going on at the clinic, and it shows that a) priorities seem to be shifting for her and b) she clearly still isn’t okay. Which brings us back to “why is she already back on active duty?”, but I digress

- Which brings us to how Ross reacted to Maya losing her cool, and I really think she handled that one pretty well. Ross isn’t exactly known to be all warm at work, but while she did make it clear that they were on the job and that there was no time or space for personal panic, she was also empathetic of Maya’s situation and told her she would try to get more information and I loved that small gesture

- I wish that scenario with the girl and her smartphone was completely unrealistic, but having worked with younger folks, I am sad to report that nope, I’ve definitely seen stuff like that happen before. But to keep the peace: Of course that was a very extreme case, because it’s a drama show, duh.

- And of course they use yet another rescued person as a *hint hint nudge nudge* for one of the main characters (*cough cough* Ross and Sullivan) and at this rate it’s so hilariously and painfully obvious when they do that

- The British Dude being annoying af, man. (side note: That actor seems brilliant though)

- The controversial part: I loved that conversation between Andy and Ross towards the end. In the beginning, Ross was upset at the team’s actions and called it a mutiny and seemed just about ready to shut this station down herself, but then she watched them out in the field and thought about what Andy did, and she actually changed her mind and I loved that they showed that. Ross is, in no way, meant to be a perfect character. In fact, they made it clear from almost day one that she is deeply flawed, despite her ambitions as a female chief. Andy calmly but firmly explained why they did what they did and Ross considered her point of view and ended up agreeing with her, and I can respect that change of mind. Whatever happens between Maya and Ross in the future, is a different topic altogether, and I don’t like to make predictions about that, based on the relationship or lack thereof they are having at the moment, after Maya’s insubordination, mental breakdown and her blackmailing

- I also understand why Andy declined the position as acting captain. She really, truly, wants to be captain of 19, but she doesn’t want it, only to have it taken away from her again so soon. She is showing more and more that she can be and is a fantastic leader, but she doesn’t want it to be a makeshift thing and I understand that decision

- I love that Ross chose Theo as the acting captain instead and that Theo did not decline it, meaning he has made progress since asking for his own demotion all those years ago. Also, we got a bro hug between Travis and Theo out of that, and that’s always a nice bonus

- final side note about Grey’s: I loved that Ben pointed out to Maya that how she had felt about Carina is how Carina feels about her all the time when they’re at work. Maya is all about figuring out other people’s perspectives and feelings, and Ben might have helped her a lot with that

PS: The visual of Andy, Maya and Ross in those overalls was very much appreciated

[lucygriefer]

Mythcraft Aiden

Speedpaint Link: https://youtu.be/PGkdGYQ1R_M?si=aFBna0UHxyycozHO

I've got other characters for my Mythcraft Series and I'm thinking of uploading the rest of the characters from that series to here.

This is Aiden from MCSM. I decided to make Aiden based on the Camazotz myth. I wanted to make Aiden based on something in mythology that can fly since Jesse herself can also fly (There were other flying myths but I’ve already got an idea of who I want to use for some of those other myths). I wanted to make sure the two of them were somewhat on equal fighting levels. Especially since during season 1 episode 5 where it would be needed so the fight isn’t as easy as Jesse kicks Aiden off the sky Island platform and wins in like 2 seconds or she flys around and easily dodges all of Aiden’s attacks (That part of the game towards the end of the chapter is what I kept in mind when thinking about Aiden’s design when what I needed to keep in mind when picking the mythology to make Aiden as).

While looking at different myths I wanted to make sure that for each character the myth could closely match to the character in some form, or felt like it could possibly best suit them. The Camazotz is also known as the “Death Bat”. In Maya mythology a bat spirit served the underworld's lords. While the bat can be associated with night, death, and sacrifice. Now I didn’t stick to the sacrifice part of the Camazotz. But I mainly focused on the Night part with a few ideas from the death aspect.

I wanted to make sure that each character I worked on was based off of a different myth as I didn’t want to repeat any. I see Aiden fitting close to the role of Camazotz. Being a bit of the opposite of Jesse being more nocturnal and mischievous, being part bat I also used a bit of vampire bat inspiration. Where he needs to drink some blood once and a while to maintain a healthy diet but overall primarily sticks to eating fruits and insects. All and all it was interesting and fun learning about the Camazotz mythology and working on the design for Aiden.

For the bat references I was mainly looking at a species called Sinaloan Mastiff Bat. The images of the Sinaloan Mastiff all look adorable. These bats have long soft fur that ranges from a blackish color to dark brown, with some spots fading to a slightly lighter brown. Their faces have short fur or little to no fur in the area.

I haven’t drawn the moon before so this is the first time doing so, as well as I haven’t done a red sky in a long time. I do know with a red sky the background objects basically become completely black the further back you go. So it was fun practicing a red sky and everything again after doing only one long ago.

The next Mythcraft character I’ll work on will either be Maya or Gill. IDK which one at the moment but I’ll know once I’ve gotten the sketch of them done.

[joshuasumter]

Details about “Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”

Here are a few inspirational details about my self-insert, isekai-turned-multiversal, dimension-spanning crossover epic, Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 

Space Jam (1996) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) -- Just like how Michael Jordan and Lebron James are live-action superstars entering a spectacular animated world and teaming up with the Looney Tunes in their two movies, Joshua Sumter (That would be me) does the same as he gets forced into the animated world of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power to help Adora and her friends in the princess-led Rebellion in their ongoing war against the dreaded Horde.

Epic (2013) -- M.K. is a teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and evil is taking place. In similarity, Joshua is a grown, autistic young man who finds himself transported to a war-torn planet based on a rebooted TV series from the 80s.

Kanji Tatsumi's storyline from Persona 4: Arena -- In Persona 4: Arena, Kanji Tatsumi still thinks that everything in the entire P1-Grand Prix tournament is all a dream until he eventually finds out it is in fact not, so when Joshua first lands smack-dab in Etheria, he believes that his experience in Etheria from Season 1 to the Battle of Bright Moon is all a reinterpretation/Isekai adventure dream, that is...until he eventually later finds out that it's not a dream when he reaches the first episode of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power's Season 2.

Kingdom Hearts and PowerPuff Girls: Super Smash-Up! -- The Kingdom Hearts franchise features Disney-based worlds and how Sora embarks on an epic journey across the multiverse and encounters Disney and Final Fantasy characters in their respective worlds and helps them while the Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up! comic crossover mini-series is a dimension-spanning epic inspired by Batman: The Brave and the Bold where Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup visit other Cartoon Network universes. In Across the Netflix-Verse: Joshua Sumter Meets She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Joshua did the same thing - this time, it features worlds and universes that are mostly based on, inspired by, and from your favorite Netflix shows and movies. In actuality, the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power world Joshua was first isekai'd into was one of the Netflix-based worlds in the Netflix-Verse, so he then later goes on a world-hopping journey across the Netflix-Verse and encounters main characters in their respective worlds like The Cuphead Show, Green Eggs and Ham, The Dragon Prince, Tiger & Bunny, We Can Be Heroes, Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale, The Sea Beast, Maya and the Three, Nimona, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, Firedake: The Silver Dragon, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Dragon Age: Absolution and helps them out.

Emblem spirits from Fire Emblem: Engage and the Soul transferal from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- The corporeal spirit incarnation of Mara, the previous She-Ra, is in her ethereal appearance and bluish glow, interacting with the world and fight. Moving her soul into Joshua's body, along with prior knowledge of her past, the transferal allowed Mara to communicate with Joshua as if living in their mind, offering him advice and intent on providing guidance. Joshua is unaware that Mara's strength made him fights like an entirely different person with a hard-hitting silver-ironed baseball bat as his holy sword-like weapon, wielding it like a hero's sword.

[aestheticvoyage2023]

Day 104: Friday April 14, 2023 - “Walk It Off”

After school on a Friday afternoon - welcome to weekend young man. I poured some popcorn, put the Tigers on the TV and let it ride.  William passed some QA about where the Tigers are, and if he remembered being in CoMerica Park, and who lives in Michigan?  Papa and Grandma of course.   And I sat just behind him for one whole inning, and then a second one - he’s really watching and enjoying this!! I Love it.  I refilled the popcorn and lamented that I didnt have a hot dog for him!   We moved in to the big screen, where William enjoys watching from very close up, sometimes peaking through the screen at the sound of any kind of truck.  The game went to extras and then it looked like they’d blown it, when Nick Maton howled at a 3-0 pitch and put it up in the seats.  As soon as he hit it, I enthusiastically grabbed William and picked him up to watch the guys celebrate.  I told him about the home run, and how they’d won the game on the last at bat, and how the guy trotting the bases was a hero.  His eyes big with amazement as they doused Maton with the gatorade.  He watched extra close while they showed it again in slow motion.  

That was really fun for me.  Neat moment having the Tigers on the TV from Detroit, as bad as they’ve been.  And it was neat seeing Riley Greene, and having William repeat his name over and over again - “thats the guy that signed your shoes.” coming to the plate to Motown.  Straight Class.  We cheered together as he hit a triple.  It really seemed like we watched and enjoyed this game together and so it was neat for me to see them win it in such a memorable way, and William got to see a celebratory finish after watching all afternoon!

Song: Marvin Gaye - Lets Get It On

Quote:  "Because of the routines we follow, we often forget that life is an ongoing adventure...and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art: to bring all our energies to each encounter, to remain flexible enough to notice and admit when what we expected to happen did not happen. We need to remember that we are created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed." ~Maya Angelou