#I guess I wanted to give these panels their own post because there’s just….something about them I wanted to discuss more

[age-of-moonknight]

House of M: Avengers (Vol. 1/2007), #5.

Writer: Christos N. Gage; Penciler: Mike Perkins; Inker: Andrew Hennessy; Colorist: Raul Trevino; Letterer: Rus Wooton

[ectonurites]

Are Tim and Cass Cain actually close in canon? Or is that more of a fanon thing that gained canon status?

Alright, so the tldr answer is that yes pre-reboot they were close—but it wasn't something that happened immediately/right off the bat, it took time, and they didn't always perfectly see eye-to-eye. But like, it's not just some totally fanon thing, they were absolutely close.

I'm using past-tense in the above though because it's like... all the actual content with them becoming/being close is pre-reboot. Anything post-reboot with them either had them back at square one (during N52 stuff) or like, just sort of handwavey 'oh they're close again' without much actual elaboration/explanation. Theoretically nowadays everything's canon again so all the old stuff applies, but as far as I'm aware nothing has really dug all that deep back into the two of them/their dynamic.

Now, to give a brief crash course on Tim & Cass's relationship in canon...

Early on they weren’t all that close because Tim was absolutely intimidated by her & her background and like, in general seemed to just find her kinda off-putting:

(Robin (1993) #73)

However Tim eventually gets over himself & after working side-by-side with her a little bit realizes he shouldn't let being intimidated by her stop them from being friends and working together:

(Batgirl (2000) #18)

After this point they work together on several occasions, definitely communicating much better than in their initial appearances together and clearly getting along well. They're a fun lil duo:

(Superman/Batman Vol. 1 #5, Superboy Vol. 4 #85)

Then… after a while, War Games happens. Gotham goes to shit, Steph dies (well, we nowadays know she didn't really, but they sure were both grieving) and so they both independently move to Blüdhaven, which leads us to the Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood crossover. Which has some fun little moments with them:

(Batgirl (2000) #58)

As well as some on the more tense side, as they both navigate mourning Steph and the clashes in their ideologies/approaches to hero work—the fact that Cass wants to be & be like Batman, and the fact that Tim absolutely does not:

(Batgirl (2000) #59)

After the crossover they mostly do their own thing staying out of each other's ways in Blüdhaven—though they do get another little story together in this timeframe in Batman Allies: Secret Files & Origins that sort of rehashes the above conflict during some training together & a team-up.

And we DO also get the cute (and oft-mentioned by the fandom) moment where Tim mentions she frequently breaks into his house to shower & steal rice krispies (just for clarity sake, while fandom almost exclusively calls her 'Cass' largely to avoid confusion with Cassandra 'Cassie' Sandsmark, within the comics themselves both Cassandras get called 'Cass' and 'Cassie' at various points—considering Cass is the one who lives in the same city as Tim at this point in canon, that's definitely who he's talking about here)

(Robin (1993) #138)

So like, at this point they are absolutely comfortable with one another and pretty close, but just, they don't see eye-to-eye on everything so it's not some flawless friendship (and I say friendship specifically because at this point we're still a few years out from them actually becoming siblings). But it's absolutely an interesting dynamic!

Then… after Infinite Crisis we get to the One Year Later/OYL era which is... bad for Cass. Terrible horrible character assassination we all refer to as the 'Evil Cass arc' which began in Tim's book. I don't wanna pull panels from it because it's just... it's bad!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a reason it got retconned into Cass having been brainwashed—because it was bad.

I guess the only thing worth bringing up here in relation to Tim & Cass's relationship though (because as mentioned, Cass gets retconned into it having been brainwashing so anything from her in this era is irrelevant/moot) is the fact that Tim was obviously very upset about the whole situation because Cass is someone he cares about and he even says he considers family.

To fast forward through that mess, when we get to the end of it and the 'oh it was brainwashing haha!' retcon, Tim was the one to have on hand a counter-serum that could free her from Deathstroke's control:

(Teen Titans Vol. 3 #44)

Once Cass is no longer forced to be evil and ooc, she gets a little mini at the end of which Bruce formally offers to adopt her (and Tim, who had earlier been adopted by Bruce, is present for this—so from this point on they go from a more general 'we're like family' to actually 'we are adopted siblings').

Buuuut then Final Crisis & Battle for the Cowl both occur and Cass gets extremely pushed aside by DC, giving up the Batgirl mantle to Steph and heading off to Hong Kong.

At which point we find out that Tim & Cass have actually kept in contact (just... off-panel) during this time when she's been out of Gotham and he's been off doing all sorts of stuff:

(Red Robin #17)

When they see each other in person again, Tim urges her to be a Bat again. Maybe not Batgirl if that's not what she wants, but to wear the symbol and be part of the family. (Which she does take him up on, keeping the suit he brought her and becoming Black Bat).

She pops up again at the end of Red Robin to save Tim & also help him pull off a fake assassination attempt on himself—ya know standard stuff.

And then right before the reboot we get to see them working alongside Damian and Dick in Gates of Gotham, and see one final time that yeah—these two have kept in touch after everything, and are definitely far more on one another's wavelength nowadays than they were back in the 'fresh out of War Games' era:

(Batman: Gates of Gotham #2, #5)

So like, does fanon over exaggerate them and their relationship? Aaaaabsolutely—that’s what fanon does. But they did definitely become close after everything they went through and had a fun dynamic together!

Sadly though, as I mentioned at the start of the post, the n52 wiped everything back to a clean slate. And while nowadays post-Infinite Frontier everyone’s histories have been restored their dynamic has never really been the same again.

[fernsnailz]

please i have to know the turbo tails lore

bitcoin i can assure you there’s no fucking way you’re ready for what’s about to unfold in this lore post

i’m willing to talk about the turbo tails lore because it gives me the chance to explain my favorite panel from ALL of archie sonic:

below is over 2,000 words worth of turbo tails lore. don't say i didn't warn you lol

TL;DR: a convoluted prophecy, a cryptic grandpa, and a single lost backpack make turbo tails one of the strangest things to come out of archie sonic

THE TURBO TAILS LORE.

note: any time i say “it’s actually really simple!” in this explanation please know i’m saying it with the thickest tone of sarcasm and bitterness known to man

we gotta start wayyyy back in early archie sonic - specifically, at the tails miniseries. these issues follow tails as he travels alone to a place called “downunda” (aka the archie sonic equivalent of australia), where he helps the freedom fighters there defeat some badniks terrorizing their home.

tails’ journey is sparked by his own desire to become a hero and the frustration he feels when the rest of the freedom fighters treat him like a little kid. in the first part of the miniseries, we see a comic that tails makes about him becoming a superhero called “captain super foX-MAN” (the writers did a lot of comic references in early archie sonic).

when tails gets to downunda, however, he becomes injured and finds himself in the bottom of a crater. here, he meets an oldass echidna named athair. this dude is one of knuckles’ (many) relatives, and hopefully the only one i ever have to talk about

athair’s main character trait is that he’s cryptic as hell. nothing he says makes any fucking sense, but is treated as all-important because… he says it is. he’s gonna be relatively important through all of this, so we gotta keep peepaw around.

athair takes tails further into the comet and introduces him to some guys called the ancient walkers. you might think, “hey, are those just dinosaurs wearing masks?” and. yeah that’s exactly what they are

the ancient walkers are pagan dinosaurs that discovered the chaos emeralds and developed some sort of immortality and futuristic vision because of them. or. something like that

so what the hell does this have to do with tails? well, the ancient walkers speak of a prophecy: a chosen one who will realign the chaos emeralds for a “higher purpose,” and cause something called the great harmony.

we won’t be getting to THAT for a WHILE tho

after his adventure in downunda, the next important thing to cover is sonic, tails, and knuckles’ battle against a dude called mammoth mogul.

for simplicity’s sake, the main things you need to know about mogul is that:

he’s immortal and really old

he wants to take over the universe

he has a chaos emerald embedded in his chest

he’s ALSO going to be very important

i don't like him he’s really boring

at this point, mammoth mogul has stolen a bunch of power from another villain called enerjak (LONG story), and has used it to transform into his own sort of “super” form called master mogul.

mogul really wants to fight the sonic gang so he can use the three of them to take over the world, and this is what his vision of that looks like LMAO

sonic and knuckles go into their super and hyper forms respectively, but even the two of them can’t take down mogul. however, a mysterious caped hero shows up to help - TURBO TAILS.

turbo tails's design is in reference to the superhero tails was drawing at the beginning of his miniseries, captain fox-man. this is turbo tails' first official appearance, and he’s able to fight off mogul where BOTH super sonic and hyper knuckles couldn’t. kid’s strong.

once they defeat mogul, they trap his ass in the master emerald. however, note this all takes place before the comic’s adaptation of sonic adventure 1. and if you know SA1, you know that stuff inside the master emerald gets OUT of it eventually. and oh boy you’ll never guess who gets out of the emerald when eggman eventually destroys it

however, we’re not worrying about that right now. in the next bit we’re covering, tails is at SCHOOL! however, he’s lost his backpack and needs to find it. oh no!!!

but before he can find it -

athair teleports into the school, says tails is needed for something (but doesn’t say what), then teleports tails away.

BRO DIDN’T EVEN FIND HIS BACKPACK HE HAS GEOMETRY CLASS IN FIVE MINUTES

this specific teleportation will be really important later.

athair takes tails to angel island where he wants tails to… fight knuckles. i guess. currently, knuckles is stuck in a state called “chaos knuckles,” where he’s green, confused all the time, and really strong. homeboy’s going through it

before tails can really do a lot, he gets knocked out by some falling rubble, and ghost athair does nothing to help. have i mentioned that athair kinda sucks?

athair then takes tails to our favorite guy - tails’ uncle, merlin prower! merlin is a wizard and that’s all you need to know right now. athair wants merlin to wake up tails so he can go and fight knuckles, but merlin is FUCKING PISSED!! and reasonably so.

imagine. some oldass dude teleports into your house, hands your unconscious nephew to you, and then goes “hey can you fix him? i need him to fight the hulk.” like?? HE’S BUT A MERE LAD!

merlin is kinda right - tails has been dragged into echidna family drama for no reason other than athair seems to be out of ideas. and since tails' parents are gone, merlin's nephew is the only family he seems to have left.

unfortunately, merlin can’t find a way to argue with athair’s “we gotta do it for reasons i can’t explain” argument, and brings back our boy turbo tails.

however, turbo tails gets his ass kicked.

(side note: from here on out, turbo tails' cape is red. i don't know why that's just how it is)

when merlin goes back to his unconscious nephew (again), athair searches turbo tails’ mind to figure out why he got his ass kicked so bad. and the explanation is actually really simple!

this turbo tails is actually a duplicate of tails and the original tails is just. somewhere we don’t know.

so. yeah what the fuck

neither of them know how tails was duplicated or where this one came from. athair’s solution to this is just “let’s not tell anybody.” great job peepaw you really solved that one

after this, tails 2 just kinda keeps living his life without knowing he’s a duplicate of the original. however, he starts having nightmares about a weird, mysterious cave. when he and sonic eventually find this cave, they find the original turbo tails, trapped in a stasis.

and then, guess who shows up in the cave!! oh boy it’s everyone’s favorite character mammoth fucking mogul!!!!!

mogul explains the tails duplicate thing, and it’s actually really simple!

you know that one time athair teleported into tails’ school and kidnapped him while he was trying to find his backpack? yeah, so mogul basically kidnapped tails while he was being teleported, replaced him with a duplicate he created that was identical to the real tails, then placed the real turbo tails into stasis so he could harvest his power, thus regaining his original power before he was trapped in the master emerald.

do you see why i was dreading talking about turbo tails?

sonic fights mogul off, but tails 2 is kinda going through it. i don’t know how, but mogul made a duplicate that was near PERFECT, and tails 2 still has all of the original tails’ memories, emotions, and bonds. so when tails 2 disappears… it’s strangely tragic?

and then they just kinda move on lol

the original tails is released and returns to living his life, but unfortunately his life is kinda not so great at the moment. he just learned that his parents are alive on an alien planet (read THIS lore dump for more context), he’s part of this weird confusing prophecy he doesn’t understand, and he’s frustrated that he isn’t allowed to know about this great prophecy that directly affects HIS life.

and when tails confronts peepaw athair about this, athair does this.

good riddance

in the next issue, sonic and tails are visited by an alternate universe version of sonic called zonic, who serves as a sorta time cop that watches over the multiverse to make sure no one is messing with the space time continuum.

that’s obviously a bit to unpack, so here’s the main stuff you need to know:

the multiverse exists and is very important in archie sonic

all of the alternate universes and dimensions are called “zones”

the sonic and tails of the main story are called the “prime” versions, basically meaning they’re the true canon of the entire multiverse.

i don’t want to explain the existence of zonic rn. just know that he stands on things sideways

zonic is freaking out a little bit because someone’s in the process of destroying the entire multiverse, but he can’t figure out who. however, he heard about this weird “chosen one” prophecy thing, and he thinks that tails might be able to help.

while with zonic, tails and prime sonic realize that the person destroying the universe is our favorite guy mammoth fucking mogul, who collected enough power from the turbo tails he had in stasis and chaos knuckles (who he fought at a different time) to become all powerful enough to destroy the universe. plus, weird spacetime shenanigans are happening because knuckles died and was then resurrected (don’t ask), which kinda threw off the balance of the multiverse.

the prime bros and zonic are starting to run out of time, but zonic has a plan (sorta). see, he hoped that tails could help somehow, but he didn’t know WHICH tails across the multiverse would be the chosen one.

so he recruited ALL of them.

tails, knowing that he’s the chosen one and all that jazz, tries to fight the universe destroying god form mammoth mogul alone. this obviously does not work, so the rest of the tails and sonic come to his aid.

however, when sonic is injured in the fight, tails is convinced that he died. in his anger, he’s able to fulfill his destiny and converge with every single version of himself across the multiverse, becoming…

TITAN TAILS.

"YOU WILL NOT" is one of my favorite reaction images

titan tails might be one of the most powerful characters in all of sonic canon, as he’s able to defeat a universe-destroying mammoth mogul in a matter of seconds.

me when my energies are pulled away lol

with mammoth mogul defeated (again), titan tails uses his power to return the world back to the status quo and imprison mogul in yet another emerald.

so that’s the end of the prophecy, right? that’s all the chosen one jazz, and titan tails was a result of the great harmony?

well, no.

if you look back at that prophecy from the original tails miniseries, it never mentions anything about the multiverse. instead, it only mentions the chaos emeralds realigning for a higher purpose, brought about by the chosen one. so what’s all that about?

this brings us back to tommy turtle.

after the events of titan tails, an eggman AI named A.D.A.M. learns of the chosen one prophecy and the great harmony of chaos emeralds. A.D.A.M. has been working behind the scenes of a LOT of various plots as a figure named Anonymous, where he was working on a greater master plan to become an all powerful being. and man, that chosen one prophecy that speaks of realigning EVERY chaos emerald in the universe? that sounds promising.

i talked about A.D.A.M.’s plan a little more in my tommy turtle lore dump, but the basics of it is that he kidnaps both shadow and tails in order to use their super forms to cause the great harmony mentioned in the prophecy. through using super shadow’s chaos control, he can open up doorways through spacetime to summon them all. however, the emeralds won’t arrive unless he has the chosen one - turbo tails.

using both of them, A.D.A.M. summons every emerald in the universe, of which there are a LOT. in archie sonic, the chaos emerald lore is that each planet has a bunch of chaos emeralds, but only of one color. for example, the emeralds on mobius (sonic’s world) are all green, while the rest of the colors all originate from different alien planets.

so, with every emerald summoned, thus begins the great harmony and the end of the prophecy from the classic tails miniseries.

once super shadow and turbo tails are freed, they work together to finally complete the prophecy: realigning all of the chaos emeralds by placing them in the zone of silence, which is kinda like the distortion world of sonic lore. basically, they’re putting them in storage and out of reach because the writers didn't want to deal with a bajillion chaos emeralds anymore.

after the great harmony, the archie sonic chaos emeralds return to a form that are similar to that of the games - there are only seven, one of each color. thus ends the prophecy, the chosen one’s purpose, and the turbo tails lore.

and that's it! turbo tails never shows up in archie sonic again, and will likely never appear in any piece of sonic canon ever again. and really, there’s only one question i have after revisiting all of this again.

where the FUCK is tails’ backpack??????

[cosmerelists]

True Confessions of a Cosmere Blogger

[There's a Stormlight spoiler in here! For Oathbringer specifically]

Followers, friends, people who ended up here through tumblr's broken search function: it is time. Time for me to lay bare all of my most terrible secrets as a Cosmere blogger. I am ready, and I hope you are too, for these very honest and real confessions.

1. I don't fucking know how to spell Gavinar Galivar Gavilar's name

Real talk: I had to look up the spelling to make this joke because I couldn't remember which was the right spelling and which were the wrong spellings. It's the grandson, I think. It's not fair to have Gavilar (I had to look at the wiki again) and Gavinor (I had to look this up too) have such similar names, not to mention Dalinar (I'm good there) making me forget whether it's the L or the V first in that dude's name. Seriously, this guy's name is the hardest part of writing any Roshar list.

2. My wife came up with my most popular list

I think my very first post is still my most popular: "How Other Cosmere Characters Would Convince The Stick to Become Fire." And who came up with this awesome idea? My wife! I was hemming and hawing about whether to actually start this blog, and she was like, "Hey, what about a list where everyone tries to convince the stick to become fire?" and let me tell you, that list wrote itself--I couldn't type fast enough. The jokes may be mine, but the idea, which is the funniest part, was all her.

My wife had another really good list idea that I still haven't written, since I haven't found a way to do it justice, but when I finally write it, I bet it'll do great.

3. I don't watch Brandon Sanderson's videos

I don't know. I just have trouble watching Videos On The Internet. I had to FORCE myself to watch the Secret Projects announcement since nobody would say what it was, and that was super hard.

4. I don't read fanfic

I think my blog would classify as fanfic, so it would be fair to say that I write it but I don't read it. I've only read like two fics in my life, and they were both because the girl I had a crush on at the time ordered me to (and yes...it was Wincest). No real idea why I don't read it; just something about my brain, I guess. It does mean that I am trying to understand shipping dynamics and fan preferences through tumblr osmosis, which is why my shipping-based lists may occasionally just leave out some huge pairing I was entirely unaware of (like Navani & Ialai, apparently! Whoops)

5. This is my third list blog

I like to pretend that "list blog" is a genre. It actually worked for a while! I had atlalists first--I joined tumblr because I was writing lists for my own amusement and my roommate at the time told me they thought it would do well on tumblr-- and then bleachlists. Bleachlists was the height of my success; I got so many asks & list requests that I had to create a whole separate blog, askbleachlists, just to handle them. I wrote three lists...A DAY. And some other people made their own "list blogs" inspired by bleachlists, which was wonderful. People made art--I still have some of the bleach art people made hanging in my office. It was fun! Then I left tumblr for a while, and now I'm back with cosmerelists.

6. I thought about making this blog a LONG time before I did it

It just felt really scary! The Cosmere has so much lore and so many characters and so many magic systems and I do NOT have a handle on it all. I read Stormlight Archive 2 1/2 times in preparation, hoping to at least have a handle on that part. But what helped, actually, was going to the Cosmere DragonCon panel last year, listening to the questions, and realizing that nobody really understood the majority of what was going on. So that made me feel better. And in the end, it was just something I wanted to do, and it's my way of enjoying a fandom, so I thought I'd give it a try.

7. Sometime I forget major plot points (Oathbringer spoiler)

I put Demid in a poll as a Bondsmith candidate and people were like, "isn't he dead?" I still don't remember him dying. I'm so sorry, Demid.

At least I can spell your name...right?

[fyorina]

(uh, this is rlly long im so sorry qwq)

OMG THAT LAST CHAPTER HAD ME FEELING SM CARINA U CANT DO THIS TO ME !!!! LITERALLY THE FIRST FEW PARAGRAPHS IN I HADTA WALK AROUND BC I WAS SO OVERWHELMED I LOVED IT SM !!! N THOSE LAST FEW LINES. DONTDOTHISTOME I S A W THE "BEAST AU COMPLIANT" TAG ON UU IM GONNA SOB MY EYES OUT DURING IT I JUST KNOW !!!

gonna leave some of my fave few lines n my thoughts abt them from this chapter (ok these arent all of em, bc if i put all of em it'd be the whole 50k words of this series SO ITS JUST THIS CHAPTER)

"because how could he possibly belong amongst people who are so unfailingly good that it makes his tainted heart stick out like a sore thumb?"

STOP NO DONT DO THIS TO MEEEEEE throughout the whole fic u perfectly captured his thought process n how he denies his own capacity for change n how he HAS changed from when he was 18 BUT THIS LINE MADE ME TEAR UPPPPPP

"He is so completely and irrevocably in love with you that Dazai doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to live in a world without you. The thought alone makes his skin crawl and his chest cave in."

self-explanatory

“Are you calling me ugly?” 

u gorgeous, gorgeous man ilysm yes you look like a rat but i'll swaddle u up in blankets n clean u up

the whole graveyard scene. DO YOU WANT ME TO CRY HELLO

“You were a kid, Osamu. You’re not some incarnate of evil for ending up where you did, you were failed by all of the adults in your life,”

ok nvm crying this hit me like a truck

"Humans cannot live without a heart, so if he’s to give you his, it’s only fair that you give him your own—though realistically, yours has already been his for a long time."

i feel like this mightve been ur fave line, but if it wasnt IT STILL IS MINE BC OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD QWQ

ranpos lil rant was so funny he's literally me frfr

“Yeah… ha, look at us, in jail at the same time! Couple goals, huh?” 

i giggled

PLS READER INVITING EVERYONE JUST TO AVOID GETTING INTERROGATED UMMM RELATABLE LMFAO

these are just some of them BUT JUST IN GENERAL, UR WRITING IS JUST MAGICAL ITS EVERYTHING IVE EVER WANTED TO READ N I LOVELOVELOVEEEE THIS SERIES N ALL UR WORKS (n u /p) SM !!! I CANT WAIT FOR UNREAL UNEARTH, I JUST KNOW IT'LL BE AMAZING !!!

RED HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU NOT TO APOLOGIZE I LITERALLY ADORE YOU IM GOING TO WEEP OMG

honestly the first scene of dazai’s pov was one of my favs to write because it pisses me off so much whenever he’s excluded from the ada panels in the manga fjsjdjsjjd so i NEEDED the opportunity to hit home that that is his FAMILY idc what asagiri says the ada is that boys family and he deserves it 🥹🤞

UGHHHHH STOP BECAUSE WHENEVER I WRITE CANONZAI ITS SO HARD TO KEEP ON THAT THIN LINE OF HIS INABILITY TO ACCEPT HIS OWN GROWTH WHILE ALSO HAVING HIM ACKNOWLEDGING ODA’S LAST WISH FOR HIM SO I REWROTE SO MANY OF HIS POVS SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I WASNT GRASPING IT ALL PROPERLY

the graveyard scene was one of the 3 scenes i started writing for 🥹 i literally was weeping when i finally got to it

AND ALSO THE YOU WERE A KID LINE UGHHHHHHHH BRO when i tell you that’s something that i literally want to scream at him and shake his shoulders like he was FOURTEEN WHEN MORI BROUGHT HIM IN AFTER HIS ATTEMPT !!!!! FOURTEEN !!!!! HE WAS A BABY IT MAKES ME SO SAD WHEN HE FRAMES HIMSELF AS SOME IRREDEEMABLE MONSTER WHEN HE ONLY TURNED OUT THE WAY HE DID BECAUSE HE HAD NO ADULTS IN HIS LIFE SETTING HIM ON THE RIGHT TRACK ugh im gonna weep again i will always be dazai’s #1 defender, i will fight him himself idc he was only a lil baby :’)

oh my god fun fact i actually almost deleted that line about the heart, i don’t even know why like i was rereading it right before i post and i second guessed myself because i was like ‘i don’t think it rlly flows’ but then i decided against removing it because i liked the line in general SO IM WEEPING AGAIB

bro ranpo needs a promotion for real the headaches this man must get because of people not listening to him 💀

HDOSJDJSJDJJD THE COUPLES GOAL LINE WHEN I TELL YOU I SNORTED WRITING IT HELPPPPP I WAS GIGGLING SO HARD

RED ILYSM IM BUNDLING YOU IN THE SOFTEST BLANKETS AND GIVING YOU A FOREHEAD KISS

i’m so excited for unreal unearth like honestly it’s my pride and joy, i’m so pleased with how my beast!dazai characterization has come out so far and i’m hoping everyone else is going to like it too 🥹 if not ill simply die HAHAH JK JK JK no but really i’m so very excited for it

[drawnaghht]

btw, if you liked my post analysing just the magnet "holsters" in Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, I'm eventually gonna post more outfit description/analysis! just cuz I've already been writing some longer descriptions for a while now - that's one of my fave things to research and write about, since it can be good art reference for my own drawings, and especially since I can go through the episodes looking for anything new to write down or connect :)

Also, thank you so much for the replies on my post! LOVING the reactions I'm seeing on it, I didn't expect this to do numbers at all but I'm pleased people enjoy reading me ramble about details in a show I like haha xD I don't usually get replies on my other fandom posts, so this is very surprising, even here. I'm touched!

Replies below! :)

@ranarenee - I already replied to you on the original post, but I genuinely just wanted to feature this comment cuz I'm glad ppl are having a positive reaction to this post xD

I also think it was probably a bit easier to animate them! in addition, because it provides an interesting change of technology in the world of Usagi Chronicles, it means that it might have become more interesting to design this hypothetical descendant-world. I'm sure they might have also just thought it was an interesting and unique element of what they were making, but from Art Director Khang Le and Stan Sakai's CBCC interview, and the SDCC@ Home 2021 panel I remember it was mentioned a few times how many clever things they found to make the production spending smaller on the more trivial things.... so the magnetic holsters feels like a thing that might have hit many birds with one stone, so-to-speak. You have the easier drawing of boards and maybe a few things made lighter for the 3D crew (no extra models or rope to animate, for example), but you also have a pleasing design element to give the main fighters in the cast - Usagi, Gen and Chizu - as well as other characters who would happen to wear weapons on their person aside from Karasu-Tengu. Like mentioned in the post, Kitsune is an interesting exception here, because of course, she's based on UY Kitsune who is also not a direct fighter or anything, but also, the world of SR appears to be at peace of some sort, and it's mentioned several times that there were wars at some point, so not many ordinary citizens of Neo would even have these unless they wanted to use or carry weapons every day. Kitsune wants to blend in with this ordinary citizenry and does so quite well.

I just thought of this today and I guess my post sort of mentioned it, but this existence of the magnets also seems to imply some hierarchy of income or money flow. Kitsune doesn't have any because she doesn't need them and she wouldn't spend money she doesn't have on them anyway. Chizu is Lady Fuwa's favourite student despite how she treats her - and gets the best undercover gear, so like Gen and Usagi, custom magnets. I suspect also that Chizu deliberately somehow got herself assigned to the temple-job (headcanon for now), or perhaps hoped it would be something like that, because she didn't want to get any of the more victim-heavy missions the Neko Ninja do. Gen obviously has spent his own money on the holsters and they are there out of pure practicality - can't be a bounty-hunter without wepons, can you? So the magnets seem more like they're ordinary but custom for the outfit. And Usagi, as discussed before, possibly inherited them because of the clan mon adorning the inlay of the magnet.

@kinokothere - thank you!! I will probably continue making posts like this even if I have no audience! why I made this blog at first was to collect my SRTUC fandom theories and drawings under a more organized platform compared to twitter, where this specific fan-account started. I now write almost explusively about SRTUC so you can bet I have way fewer notes than if I wrote about shipping or something else popular for example xD

Thank you @0yasumi-0-ya-su-mi! it's a fun little world-building detail that I really liked when I started wtaching and I hope other fans also include it more in their work x3

@umhuhwellthen x3 thank you!! i love seeing reactiong tags like this one!

[hikennosabo]

trimax vol 14 random thoughts (ch 5-8)

okay enough stalling... let's get this done... HOO BOY

chapter 5:

i love how vash is drawn in these panels... and vash waking up from hearing meryl's words... WAAHHHHH...

GET UP COWARD (<- lyric from my chemical romance's 2022 single 'the foundations of decay' which i may or may not be considering for a vash playlist)

oh, i LOVE this image of knives covering his face...

hmhmhm... the way knives addresses the other plants is... gentle, almost?

"sorrow and grief," huh... over the humans trying to communicate with them? those are the kinds of emotions this scenario is bringing out? there is something there but... i don't quite know what it is...

uwahhh... i do love this image...

"we were united in hatred" -> "i feel a murmur of fear"... hmmm. sounds like knives himself, who buried his fear underneath hatred... am i connecting any dots???

but fear in communicating with humans... fear because communication is scary in general? fear because of the abuse humans have put plants through? fear of uncertainty of what this communication will result in?

the tiniest merylmilly u can imagine...

they ask if it's safe, but it's not like vash cares if it's safe, he's been prepared to die for several volumes now, so... he's probably thinking "if i die i die," lol. (<- in pain)

this is a cute expression...

"don't touch me," he says...

knives trying to incorporate himself with the fused plants - now it's HIS turn to go "if i die i die" i guess LJSDKLFDS... both him and vash risking it all for their ideals. they really are brothers...

vash's "grant me that ticket"... it doesn't directly address god, but it feels like a prayer nonetheless.

chapter 6:

wah... meryl's strength gives vash strength... wahhh... is this the first time they've... well, "talked about it" isn't the right phrase, but is this the first time vash understands what meryl was going through that time when she flinched away from him?

"what matters is that you communicate. that you understand the person next to you is breathing and existing." ugh, fuck, i can feel myself getting weepy again.

the people getting good AND bad memories from the plants.. good! good! they said a few volumes ago that most(?) of the population has gathered in this city, so this really is everyone?! individual normal people couldn't do much about plant abuse, but now that EVERYONE understands, things can change! they can acknowledge what's happened, and they can change, and move forward!!

and vash being the bridge, the point of commonality between humans and plants... uaaghgh it's so interesting because for a long time vash's reputation among the humans was one of destruction. but in this moment everyone understands who he really is and what he wants. ueueeueueue....

also. this pattern of receiving traumatic memories via feathers, and to come out the other side not with fear and hatred but with increased compassion and understanding... sounds like what happened between vash and meryl, doesn't it?

"i've never made a promise like this before, but today i'd like to try" UAAGHGHHG.G U AHGHGHGHG.

haha. hey. why does it look like he's been crying. i'm going to throw up.

i don't know if the rest of this post will be comprehensible.

chapter 7:

what do i even say here.

hey remember the chapter title "king of loneliness." i'm gonna go eat rocks now.

even now, he's stubbornly clinging to his ideals, thinking he's in too deep, that he's gone too far to turn back...

oh, this is getting to me, the way it's worded. "caught up in something too big" and the panel of them as kids. they were just kids when this all started. this was too big for them. knives was a kid, a traumatized, scared kid who made a very bad, very destructive decision, and he has lived his life up until this point digging his heels in, growing more and more twisted, more controlling and violent, trying to justify his own actions to himself because how do you carry something like that.

"kill me, vash, there's nowhere else for me to go." literally two chapters ago vash said "where am i going? what's there left to see?" i'm fucking eating rocks.

"even though we were apart for so long, we were still brothers. but i was the one who broke away..." knives looks so pained when he thinks this. now, after all this, he's finally feeling regret, or letting himself feel regret. in the last possible moment.

...or so he thinks. vash has a clear shot, the opportunity to kill knives, and knives wants vash to kill him, he expects it - but vash protects him instead. with his last bullet. despite knives's blade going through his torso. despite everything. despite EVERYTHING!!!!! vash has EVERY REASON to hate knives, to KILL knives, and he STILL chooses not to!!!! i'm not okay i'm crying again

in 98, rem tells vash "take care of knives"... this is pretty much the same thing... i don't want to say this is necessarily another thing nightow took from 98 because of course this is what she said, what else would she have said at that time?

the beginning of the chapter had vash struggling to remember what rem said, but the preceding pages imply it's knives remembering her words... or maybe they both are...

this is fucking getting to me, fuck, i'm crying again!!! fuck!!!!

also, oh, chronica IS still alive... honestly i was (and still am) so caught up in the twins that that information just immediately left my brain the first time around LMAO...

i am so. fucking. unwell. about knives's expressions in this scene. he's feeling so many things at once. i just... the fact that vash protects knives and picks him up to haul him away... he ISN'T leaving knives on his own, even in the end, even after everything that's happened... and knives is just. what IS he feeling? shock, disbelief, regret... love, can i say love?? love for his brother?? the love between them that never went away, despite everything?? i am gonna fucking throw up

i don't know where to put this in the post because it occurred to me while i was proofreading, but knives stabbed vash, felt shock and regret, and then acted to save him... which sounds awfully similar to what happened between rem and vash, huh?

this, with knives's hair turning black... new hair, new outlook, right?

will you drive me back, can you take me home... (<- lyrics from gerard way's 'brother' from his 2014 solo album 'hesitant alien')

oh, the fact that they sprouted wings like this in the stampede s1 finale is gonna make it hit SOOOO MUCH HARDER once THIS scene gets adapted. this is such a beautiful spread, a beautiful moment... i'm gonna cry again...

LIVIO!!!! TO THE RESCUE!!!! also... that's not a double fang, whose gun is that?

WOLFWOOD!!!!! WWWAHHHHGHGHGHH!!!!! the "turn around and he's gone" scene is SUCH a cliche but FUCK!!!!!! IT'S GETTING TO ME!!!!!!

chapter 8:

i feel so normal i feel so normal (affirmations) (lying)

i can't. i can't type. i'm crying too much. this is love. it's just love.

his last act, knowing that it will kill him, is an act of love. love for his brother. so vash can eat. so the doctor and his kid can eat. and as time goes on it'll grow bigger and be able to feed more people. food as a love language. i'm crying and sobbing.

knives understands he has no place in this world, especially after everything he's done, and the world needs vash more than him... that vash can't live in the world as long as they're together... he doesn't even tell vash himself that he intended to disappear... it's his choice, he walks his path with pride... but i'd like to believe they were able to spend some time together before this. just being brothers. TALKING. eating together. sleeping next to each other. hugging?? apologizing?? knives finally being a good brother after so long and taking care of vash?? making up for lost time. i'd like to imagine it. let me imagine it.

i've been thinking this for a while but i actually do think that vash would forgive knives if knives expressed regret and asked for forgiveness. because vash is jesus and all, and that's how sin and forgiveness work in christianity, if you believe and repent you will be forgiven, etc... i don't know if vash would forgive knives right away - he is very, very human after all - but i definitely think he could. and maybe he did. maybe they had that talk.

phew. okay, i'm finished crying now, and BOY was it a big cry. not any easier the second time around. anyway.

does he really need a wig? if he doesn't spike up his hair, that would be effective by itself, since it's one of his identifiers according to the earth forces...

DOES THIS CONFIRM THAT VASH CAN'T GROW A BEARD WITHOUT EFFORT? like since his plant powers are completely drained he can no longer grow a beard???

AHHHH... VASH'S BIG SMILE!!!!! and everyone's wearing their old clothes, and with a bunch of guys comically chasing vash around, yeah, this is really all for callback's sake... we've come so far, and full circle.

meryl's lecture to him is so typically meryl LOL... he DID NOT keep his promise LMAO

the fucking jojo sound effects are cracking me up HDSFKSFJDFS

also everyone who complained about stampede """changing""" meryl into a reporter owes me $100 right fucking now. that was a complaint i saw SO MUCH. i thought it was a bit strange myself, but i figured orange had a reason, and now i know. those complainers know NOTHING!!! NOTHING!!!!!!

meryl frantically reading from her script and milly's big smile... cute... also WHAT DO YOU MEAN WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS LMAO?? are they planning on stripping him?? vash the stampede nip slip???

AAHHHHH LIVIO GREW HIS HAIR OUT AGAIN!!!!! and he's at wolfwood's grave... oh fuck i said i was done crying GODDAMMIT!!!!

okay. okay i'm done for real now. man. man. what do i say. what can i say.

"the same song of humanity still sang." and what a beautiful song it is.

i don't really know how to conclude this post... just. wow. what a journey this was. i don't think i've ever cried this much over a manga, lol... i... had a really good time!

[j-ellyfish]

Hima read a book about the history of Italy before drawing the first comics with Chibitalia (and that is how the idea of Hetalia was born). First hypothesis: Hima has read that 476 D.C. is the canonical date of the dissolution of the Roman Empire, but that in reality even after its dissolution the Roman Empire continued to exist in some way, and it is absolutely true, because often the fall of an empire is not something that happens in a day or a year, historians decide these official dates for this kind of phenomena just to have points of reference for their timelines.

So Grandpa Rome didn't disappear on that date (476), but it's from that date that he started to weaken, but he still lived, even for other 400 years (Prussia is an example of this, although the amount of years is not comparable).

He started getting wounds from numerous battles and then died because he was killed by another nation, probably Germania (I don't remember if it's still like that in canon, and if it's true that a nation can only be killed by another nation).

Second hypothesis: Hima was still learning the history of Italy and also took into consideration the Eastern Roman Empire (which is obviously not exactly like the Western one)

(first of all, thank you for the ask!)

Note from Future!Me: this post has become massive, my apologies.

If you want to skip all the thought process and stuff, I made a recap of my conclusions at the end.

You're right, it was a little too farfetched of me to assume that Rome would've died in 476 AD. Though, I think 400 years is a little too much ..? Trying to find more clues rn. I'm now reading through the Chibitalia arc and

I think it would be weird of HRE to say "let's revive the Roman Empire!" if Rome was still around as the representative of the Eastern Roman Empire. Plus, if he was the Eastern Roman Empire, that'd mean he would've survived until not too long before America was found. That sounds a bit too much, to me.

... Then again, just a few panels after, we have this one that seems to imply Rome is still alive (though it could just be Feli recalling what Rome said about Germania or Germanics in general in the past).

There's these notes, that I just found:

The way Hima says it, it seems to imply that Feli and Romano lived "in peace" until Rome disappeared and left them at the mercy of other Countries/bullies.

With the "Beginning with France's advance", I thought Hima meant Charlemagne's conquering of the Kingdom of the Lombards, which saw the Germanic Lombards taking over Byzantine Italy. I guess that would explain why HRE and France specifically were shown alongside Chibitalia..?

That'd make Rome still alive after the Fall of 476 AD, but in that case he wouldn't be the personification of the Eastern Roman Empire per se, but basically the "leftovers" that were still existing in Italy before either getting conquered by foreign powers or gaining enough independence to de facto being their own thing, no longer "Roman" and not culturally Byzantine either.

Thinking of a little parallel here - when Hima retconned HRE's death, he basically made him come back from the war that we thought killed him on the spot, only he had now probably became human and succumbed from the wounds and infections that he gained on that battlefield against France.

So, perhaps when Grandpa Rome "took Chibitalia and left", that was 476 AC like you said :O And since he was now more similar to a human than to a Nation, maybe he decided to spend the little he was left to live with his favorite grandson and give him and himself the closest he could think of to a 'normal life', albeit briefly. So they lived for an unclear amount of time just drawing pretty pictures, singing and bonding like grandpa and grandson.

Germania could have still have killed Rome definitely in 476 AC, like France did with HRE. Nonetheless, both actually came back but they were no longer full Nations and they had little time left before disappearing.

Chibitalia referring to Rome having painful wounds could've just been a memory that stuck with him even from before 476 AC, it's just something he started noticing more and more as the Empire started to face its decline. And I guess, as much as post-476 Rome tried to hide it, Feli probably knew and saw how much in pain Rome was.

Back to the Kingdom of Lombards, it existed between 568-569 and 774, when it was conquered by Charlemagne and the Franks.

So, let's say, Mortal!Rome took Feli away between 476 and 500s. He dies for real sometime in the 600s or 700s and Feli comes back.

Now, what he comes back to, it's hard to say. Has Feli met Germania? Was HRE already alive even though HRE itself didn't exist yet..? Who knows.

Either way, from 774 on, Feli is conquered by France (via Charlemagne). In 843, the Carolingian Empire is split into West Francia (what would keep being embodied by Francis), Middle Francia and East Francia (on the territory embodied by HRE, Feli, pre-unitary German States, etc).

In 962, Holy Roman Empire has its actual, official founding when Otto The Great is crowned by the Pope as Emperor of its territories which were pretty much what's now mainly Germany and Northern Italy (plus a bit of other territories like Switzerland, a bit of France and Austria, some Czechia and Slovakia and probably more I can't identify in the map I'm looking at while writing this). Roderich would be canonically born 14 years later, in 976. I'm mentioning this because he already looks like an awkward teen here, peeking:

THIS IS ALL COMING TOGETHER, I THINK.

So, here's why HRE mentions that he has loved Feli "since the 900s"! Hima was probably referring to how most Germanic territories and Northern Italy officially conflated into Holy Roman Empire in 962. The panel up there is most likely set in the late 1400s or early 1500s because Hima makes it clear that around this time, Austria and Spain were married as the Habsburg:

Aaand, the actual Chibitalia arc starts in the 1500s:

So, I guess what makes the timeline so confusing in the beginning is that Hima made some weird choices when it comes to who appears in which panel (HRE appearing in these panels still makes NO SENSE and throws this whole post out of the window T.T)

But let's pretend HRE already existed a long time before HRE itself, like Feli. Eh, that's the only sort-of-explanation that would work, I guess. HRE existed as the embodiment of a "collective sense of Germanicness" that Germania himself didn't have, much like how Rome didn't have the "collective sense of Italianness" that brought Feli (and by extention Romano?) to life.

... The other thing making it confusing is that the beginning of Chibitalia is written as basically three flashbacks piled ontop of each other which makes it very hard to figure what Hima was referring to with each of them, especially because stuff like "France invades Italy" are true for more than just one time throughout history.

•

I could've made this post shorter and just write my conclusions, but I think it's more fun to leave the whole reasoning and thought process out in the wild :'D

Sooo, to recap:

Sometime after 323 AD (Rome's Christianization), Feli and Romano (and supposedly HRE) are born. He finds the Italies and spends time with them separately.

In 476 AD (Fall of Rome), Germania kills Rome. Rome, however, doesn't disappear and, albeit in a semi-mortal state (kind of like Prussia), he keeps existing thanks to the parts of Europe/Italy that are still under the Byzantine Empire.

Sometime after 476 AD, Rome decides to spend what's left for him to live with Chibitalia, giving him something close to a period of genuine childhood, treating him like his grandson. His wounds are however very painful and it's clear that Rome won't stay around for much longer.

Sometime between the 600s and early 700s, Grandpa Rome actually disappears and leaves Feli alone. Feli comes back to his land and finds out that Germanics (I'd dare to say Germania was still alive alongside a baby HRE who wasn't technically HRE yet, much like how Feli was far from being technically Italy yet) have taken over the land his Grandpa had given him. He finds himself in the middle of internal Lombard quarrels and the growing menace of France (Franks, Charlemagne) from the 700s.

He pretty much keeps being bullied around for the whole time until he eventually ends up in Austria and HRE's House in the 1500s, where the Chibitalia arc properly begins.

//tries to catch breath.

There ... I-I think that's it.

Thank you very much for sharing your opinion on this, I was kind of forgetting about the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire, but in the end it was what helped me the most trying to put the pieces back together!

I mean, this is probably not even exactly what Hima meant, but I guess it's alright. I don't think I can do better than this with my limited knowledge and wish to try and not defy canon too much ;w;

[gealachros]

Thoughts while reading Trimax Vol 13!

Wow we're reaching the end, its kinda crazy but its been a wonderful time. Thank you to Revenant Ghost for organizing this book club!! This was such a fun way to read Trimax for the first time and to see others thoughts on it as well

Now onto the reading

I love the alt covers, always full of funny details. Also a pirate AU for Trigun would be kinda cool

Wow holy shit... Already off to a strong start

Of course Legato is that kinda villain lol, gives himself a handicap to make it more fun. Hes such an edgelord and its great

Did he just catch the nail with his chin?? Livio is awesome man. Also, these fights are really cool. Very interesting dynamic between each fight

Ewww Legato licking Vashs blood is pretty disturbing. Such a maniacal character. (Not showing the panel here because I dont want to force anyone to see it again lol)

Lol Livio just wanted to get his clothes back. This man is such an amazing character

Oh wow... Shes got a sick as hell design even under the coat lol

I wonder if its supposed to be some sort of armor?

What is happening??? Seems like all the straps came off and that causes something to happen? I'm guessing it makes her more powerful but I'm not sure why

Lol even the people from space know about Vash. I wonder how they heard about him though

Wow this panel is amazing but also, hes fully colored black which is a little scary... Apparently hes used all his power which I dont like what that could entail...

Restraints??? Man she is badass as hell lol, I like her very much

Razlo is back??

LOL this fucking panel, I think Razlo is a little excited

WTF Elendira has a physic attack??? Also wow that was a graphic panel which I am not gonna show lol

Aww the flashback to Wolfwood

Oh cool, Razlo and Livio are working together now. I think they will work very good together since it seems like Livio is pretty good at tatics where Razlo is all about strength

I love this dynamic of them working together really well while still keeping their own personalities. Its really interesting character design for Livio/Razlo and its a great part of their character arc

Wow that design is sick, I love the attention to detail in Trimax

Aw this is really sweet, also holy hell what an awesome fight between Elendria and Livio/Razlo

Oh thats interestin, after what happened at July. Legato and that doctor are the ones who found Knives. It makes sense but thats something I havent seen before so its cool to know more about what exactly happened at July

Man the callbacks to Wolfwood break my heart every time

Ah thats how the space people learned of Vash, thats such a cool detail. Because of how hes been helping everyone all these years, the plants have remembered him

Indeed they do!

Aw its really cute seeing their thoughts on Vash

Some panels just absolutly send chills down my spine and this is no exception

Wow what an insane ending to volume 13, this one was super intense. Next it the last volume which Im interested to see the ending but also that means the story will be over so its bittersweet.

I actually do have the physical copy of volume 14 so Ill probably read that and maybe make a post with screen shots afterwards. I am excited though to read the physical edition since its the only one I have

Anyways, as always what an amazing volume and what an amazing story. Trimax is so well written its crazy

[justice4sasuke]

Before I get into this I wanted to say someone said on one of my posts about Naruto and One Piece that they didn't feel their was a point in comparing them and I wanted to say my intention isn't really to compare Naruto and One Piece. My point is that Naruto is a standard shounen with some good ideas and points but is overall not very good and has lots of writing issues. One Piece is a standard shounen that is very well written with fewer issues. And because all of my problems with people on here seem to stem from people wanting to read Naruto differently than intended to make it look better I want to use One Piece as an example of what something that is just good writing on its own merits looks like.

Anyway, Iruka says chapter one that he thinks Naruto's struggles have given him empathy and I think that is funny because to me Naruto has never been a character with any emotional intelligence or kindness to be seen in him. The only time he has interest in other's emotions or feelings is when he can relate them to his own experience and this is 1. never addressed as a problem Naruto has and 2. is a consistent theme throughout the manga. Not only that but he never seems to be able to do anything helpful when he finds people like that (which could be an interesting commentary on Naruto's inability with personal interactions but once again the manga doesn't make note of it). Think how he treats Inari, think encouraging Hinata to fight Neji even though it endangered her because it personally triggered him, think how he ends up fighting Gaara and saying he will fight Sasuke after saying he relates to them (not that I think he's wrong for fighting Gaara since...he's attacking the village just, Choices Kishimoto for doing that more than once).

Now let me show an example of the main character for one understanding someone else's feelings and for two, shock and awe, helping them. Generally Luffy isn't a character anyone would describe using the word "intelligence" for on first blush, but reading the manga you will see in a lot of situations Luffy is actually incredibly emotionally intelligent. And honestly I think it's kind of funny that Kishimoto bothers making Iruka specifically says Naruto has empathy when he doesn't show it at least in a helpful way meanwhile no one says anything about Luffy being kind yet...here we are...just being shown things instead of told.

Anyway, here's the example. This one is from early in the manga and I chose one that involves a whale instead of a person just to really drive the point home.

The crew meets (and gets eaten by...look it's a whole thing okay) a whale (Laboon) and the lighthouse watcher/former doctor/whale caretaker (once again...it's a whole thing), Crocus, tells them the story of how this whale was waiting for his friends, a different pirate crew, to sail around the world and return to him, but it's been 50 years and Crocus believes the crew has abandoned the whale and Laboon, disbelieving this, rams his head against the Red Line (it's a land mass that circles the entire world...listen I can't be explaining the intricacies of OP's world building just for this post), seriously injuring himself in his attempts to break through and find his friends. Luffy, for lack of anything else to do I guess (if he could just intuit the problem and do something about it without listening to a whole ass tale he would, trust), listens though as usual the energy he's giving is "no thoughts, head empty".

But the next thing you know! Luffy has broken of the ship's mast (for some reason...) and is running up the whale to stab the mast into Laboon's latest slamming-his-head-into-a-wall-of-earth wound (in case you can't tell I'm not showing all the panels thus all the explaining).

Laboon is in pain and attacks, but Luffy fights back.

Luffy stops the fight by declaring it a draw!

Well, it looks like their match isn't settled so they will have to fight some other time. Luffy declares that they are rivals and after they sail around the world (like Laboon's previous crew of pirate friends) they will come back and Luffy and Laboon can have a rematch.

Luffy even paints their...uh, his version of their Jolly Roger on Laboon's head where his scars are and says he can't ram his head against the Red Line because that will erase the contract. This gives something else for Laboon to look forward to rather than him needlessly waiting for his friends to return. And it works! Every time we see Laboon in little asides or cover stories after this he is happily waiting for the Straw Hats at the lighthouse with Crocus. (And in case anyone was wondering his pirate friends and the Straw Hats can't just bring him with them because he's a giant fucking whale and they are circling the entire globe through dangerous waters, also the sky, also the bottom of the ocean, also fighting the government, also getting flung across the globe, and various islands.)

And what really REALLY touches me about this exchange is that Luffy knows he can't replace Laboon's previous pirate crew of friends. He can't just say "I'll be your friend" to fix this. So instead he positions himself as Laboon's rival, not replacing the friends Laboon is still waiting for or belittling his bond with them (and trust me...it's a bond 😢). And in case you're wondering does this somehow connect to Luffy's sad past and that's why he's doing this??? No. His sad backstory isn't anything like this. He's just doing it because it's the kind thing to do and if you're trying to do something and Luffy likes you he will do everything he can to help you.

[voylitscope]

Ficlet: Following the Outline of Your Face

Following the Outline of Your Face

Steve/Bucky | 1,000 words | T | Canon/Post-Canon (Not IW/EG compliant)

Their vacation cabin has a window seat between the kitchen and the living room. The space is recessed enough to almost be an alcove, and light comes through the glass panels in a way that makes Steve pause his exploration of the rooms.

"Good drawing light," Bucky comments, leaning back against the couch and looking at Steve knowingly. Steve bites the inside of his cheek.

"Yeah. Looks like it might be," Steve says, watching the way sunlight hits the cushions of the window seat and the hardwood of the floor.

"Planning to get some sketching done, Stevie?" Bucky asks, eyes on Steve's face.

"I'd like to," Steve says. He shrugs a shoulder and turns to face Bucky. "Guess we'll see."

"You know, that last time you came down to see me in Wakanda? I think you told me every day you were gonna draw. But I don't think I saw you pick up a pencil," Bucky says. He says it so that it mostly sounds like a joke, but also like could be a question if Steve wants it to be.

"I didn't," Steve agrees, shaking his head. "I haven't really been — It's not that I don't want to. Lately, though. Recently. I haven't gotten much done."

"Recently is an interesting word at our very unusual age," Bucky says, raising his eyebrows. His tone is still light, but the way his eyes are fixed on Steve feels unnervingly serious.

"You're not wrong," Steve admits. He laughs in a way he wishes didn't sound bitter. "I think you probably saw the last thing I finished. I haven't even been doing it all that much —"

"Recently," Bucky finishes when Steve trails off, nodding at him. Steve nods back. "Well, no time like a vacation, right?"

"Can't hurt," Steve says. Bucky grins at him. He pushes himself up and puts one hand on each of Steve's arms. Then he maneuvers Steve and guides him to sit on the window seat.

It makes Steve more than a little dizzy.

"Maybe I can even help," Bucky says, letting go of Steve's arms and then using his metal hand to push on one of Steve's biceps gently. "Look, you can sit there and draw, and I'll come bug you about shit. That way you can yell at me about it, and it'll be like old times. Get you in the mood."

("C'mon, Buck, I'm gonna lose the light," Steve says. He grumbles as Bucky's shadow falls over his work.

"I'm trying to tell you something here," Bucky says, waving a hand at him. "Are you sayin' you don't wanna hear about my day? That's rude, Steve."

Steve looks up and narrows his eyes before reaching a hand out and putting it on Bucky's waist so he can push him out of the good light. Bucky laughs when he does, and he makes one of those faces he sometimes does. It's just a quick little thing, but it's also a familiar thing — It's a face that he sometimes makes when Steve touches him in certain ways or says certain things. It's an expression that'll come and go in an instant, and that later—

Later, when he's alone, in selfish and private moments, Steve will lie to himself about it. Later, Steve will think about that expression of Bucky's, and he'll pretend there's a chance it looks pleased or even flustered.

Now, in the kitchen, Steve scowls, because he's trying to stay annoyed. He doesn't want to stare too long, or get caught up in Bucky's laughter and up laughing, too.

"Tell me about it from over there," Steve mutters, dropping his hand. "Told you not to stand in the light a hundred times."

"And I told you that the light in here is different depending on when I get home, or if it's cloudy, or what time of year it is," Bucky says, still laughing. "But I'm so very sorry for standing in my own kitchen."

"So sorry to make you move over a whole foot," Steve returns, then he looks up at Bucky. He finally gives in a little, and laughs, too. "Okay, what did you want to tell me?"

"Now he wants to hear," Bucky says, shaking his head, but then grinning and launching his story.)

"I never yelled at you," Steve protests half-heartedly, laughing. "I grumbled at you. That's very different."

"Whatever you say," Bucky says. His eyes are brighter than Steve has seen them in a very long time. "It could work though. I don't know what I've got to bother you with here, but I'll figure it out," Bucky says. He pauses for a second and looks deviously thoughtful before poking Steve's arm again. He uses an over-the-top mock enthusiastic tone when he continues. "Steve, I just gotta tell you right now about this bird in the backyard. Steve, you have to hear about this book I'm reading. It's real important, Steve — How's that? Annoying enough? Think it'll help?"

Bucky actually is in Steve's light now. He's glowing with it. It makes him look real, alive, and happy.

He looks stunning.

Breathtaking.

And Steve wants —

Steve laughs and shakes his head.

"Don't know, but I know you being here will help," Steve says because it's true. It's always true.

"Oh yeah?" Bucky says. His smile looks softer, but not any less happy. "Glad to help. With art, or — "

Bucky's words trail off, and he keeps his gaze focused on Steve. Steve nods.

"Yeah, I think this trip was a great idea," Steve says, smiling back. "Gonna be good for us both."

"You might be right about that," Bucky says. His eyes stay locked on Steve's, and Steve stares right back. Steve lets himself have the lingering moment until his pulse gets quick enough he's worried Bucky's enhanced senses will pick it up.

"Come on, there's a whole porch we haven't seen," Steve says. He slides his hands onto his knees and stands up.

"Lead the way," Bucky says, finally breaking eye contact.

[luescris]

*inhales* Okay. Spoilers for 56. I think I'm able to get my thoughts out now.

Listen. The urge to go through every single panel of this issue is so real. There's so much to talk about for every single one of them, so many things to notice. But TDLR???

I don't want to sound biased. Because I know the others need it too. But Sonic needs FUCKING therapy.

Idk how many times I've said this but I will continue to say it until the day I die (because I just know this ain't happening in the least 🙃). He's gone through so much shit, and the two faces he makes that shows this???

These are faces we never see. Ever.

One genuinely looks like he's about to snap. The other shows exactly just how much what she said, and what happened, truly affects him. He's so shocked and horrified. Again.

I will reiterate again that I know they all need therapy. Words can't describe what I feel about what happened to Surge and Kit yet, except for "what the fuck" and "oh my god". They're gonna need their own post about just how fucked up they are (and how I now personally hate Starline too for everything he did to these children). I don't intend to make this too long, and since Sonic's my favorite, he's gonna be the first-- not to sure I'm making one of these for Surge and Kit though so, yeah, haha. Maybe this will sound biased idk ajshdhhs 😅

a n y w a y

I want to start off by saying that what Surge said to him is definitely fucking with him big time. Like imagine almost your whole personality, your whole life, has been about fighting for yourself and other's freedom.

Only to find out that you can't give someone that freedom simply because you're living.

He can't offer Surge that kind of peace. Maybe by some miracle (which happens often so this potentially might happen), he finds a way, and maybe he's probably not discouraged about it. But who knows where they even went now? How would Sonic even go about trying??

Furthermore, Sonic was clearly not happy when Eggman was mentioned. Furthermore, he almost drowned, which is a big fear for him (obviously shown in this issue alone), and practically watched Surge like. Idk come close to dying or something

The way they framed it looked like she freaking di e d (I even thought she did but she just passed out but just. good lord). Even if she didn't, his face says so much, and he's tongue tied. There's no quips, no retorts at Eggman, he doesn't have the energy to continue. He couldn't even pull himself and Tails up.

And the way the Wisps we're always clinging onto him?? Could be partly for their own support, but could also be trying to comfort Sonic too. He doesn't even seem to mind it at all either.

I feel like it's going to take just a little bit more before Sonic finally snaps and let's everything out. Just some little bit. Even though we most likely won't get that, if anything the next issue he'll act like nothing ever happened again. 🙃 Just wishful thinking, I guess.

He's so tired. And this was just so much. And I'm genuinely still not really sure what to do about it. 😭

[squids-comics]

This set of panels right here is a great case study on what makes a comic action scene truly great. The action of this scene is amazing, but it doesn't feel that way to read. Doctor Doom catching Cap's shield and throwing it back at him is a huge move that, when played right, could have the impact that Cap grabbing Mjolnir in Endgame had on audiences. This set of panels makes that jaw dropping scene feel awkward and clunky. Lets dissect why!!

Before we get started, a quick reminder and introduction for everyone new, I am an aspiring comic writer!! I have read thousands of comics and even written a few of my own! If you like my analysis, you should check out my writing! I've got all my comic scripts up on my Wattpad and I'm slowly posting them on my Tumblr as well! Now, on with the analysis!!

The first thing that jumps out to me is the focus of the panels. Comic panels can only show you a brief snapshot of the action, leaving you to fill in the spaces between, kind of like a real bad flip book animation. Because it can only show a few key frames of the action, it's very important to be critical about the action they showcase. We have three panels for this brief action stunt:

Cap throws the shield, Doom gloats

The shield flies at Doom, Doom gloats

Doom throws it back, Doom gloats, Cap narrates

The main purpose of this stunt is to show how dangerous Doom is. Not only is he a genius with enough sci-fi weaponry to make a Mandalorian jealous, he's a tough fighter with real fast reflexes. This is shown by having him catch the shield, something Cap has never had to deal with before! So isn't it weird that we don't actually get to see the catch itself? We know it happens based on Doom throwing it back and Cap's narration, but we don't even get to see Doom touch the shield. If I could redo the three panels, they'd go a little something like this:

Cap throws the shield

Doom catches the shield, Doom gloats

Doom throws it back, Doom gloats

Now you might have noticed that I also changed the structure of the dialogue. This is to fix a major problem I have with all comics from this era, the over reliance on dialogue. Have you ever heard of show don't tell? Well apparently Stan Lee hasn't. In every fight scene, there is always at least one person spelling out the action for the reader. It gets kind of annoying after a while. I would definitely cut out Cap's narration because with a good panel layout and good pacing, it's completely unnecessary. I'd also tone down Doom's taunting, as five speech bubbles in three panels just to berate someone is a lot. I'd lower it to three bubbles.

Panel one Doom doesn't say a word, not wanting to give his hand away. This silence would make Doom's actions more mysterious. By insulting Cap, the reader can guess that Doom has a plan. By staying silent, Cap (and by proxy, the reader) could be led to assume that they caught Doom off guard. This would lend even more impact to Doom's big catch, as it shows Doom is a menacing foe even when he seems unprepared.

Panel two, Doom would get two bubbles. He's a very arrogant and prideful man, so he would definitely hurl some insults Cap's way. Especially after catching his shield. I would have his first bubble say "Masked fool! You still do not suspect the true extent of my power!", with the second saying "I am any man's master!". These are good lines for sure, but I feel like they'd have a much bigger impact after the catch, rather than before.

And finally for panel three, I'd keep the "Do I make myself clear, you witless peasant?" line because it's a wonderful line in the perfect spot.

One other potential change you could do is in the actual action itself. This stunt is a great way to show off Doom's character, both in terms of physical ability and his personality through his taunting. We are meant to see how arrogant and prideful and overconfident he is through his constant insults. But any character can talk the talk. A real good character can walk the walk. Any character can speak, a real good character doesn't need to. Their actions speak for them. In panel three, Doom throws Cap's shield back at him, turning Cap's offensive into his own. But what if instead, he showcased his arrogance by giving Cap another chance? Instead of attacking Cap with the shield, Doom could slide it along the floor, passing it back to Cap. This would show how Doom is so full of himself that he doesn't even consider Cap a threat. He would essentially be saying "That attack won't work on me. Try something better.". And if that level of arrogance doesn't scream Doom, then I don't know what does!

But anyways, those are just my thoughts! Let me know what you think of them, and what changes you would do! Thank you for reading!!

Panels from: Avengers #25

[pancake-breakfast]

Time to start Maximum for Trigun Book Club!

Archive

Trigun Volume 1: Covers + 1-3, 3 Detailed Thoughts, 4, 4 DT, 5-6, 5-6 + DT, 6 DT, 7-8, 9-10

Trigun Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 1, Chapters 1-2 below. (More detailed thoughts will be their own posts.)

TriMax Volume 1 Covers

Kuroneko on the chapter index gives me serotonin.

Vash finally finds a lamp with a genie in it and all he gets is punched. He seriously has the worst luck.

Wolfwook looks VERY possessive over that cross of his....

LOL, switched to the sex doll. Of course.

Chapter 1: Hero Reborn

First Knives is reborn, now Vash will be reborn?

Yeah... kinda hard to forget someone literally shot the moon when there's a giant crater on it now....

Vash with dark hair has made his premiere.

Hmm. Needs more floaty cloth bits.

Well, someone's having a bad day. I know I wouldn't want to end up tied up and tossed in a fountain....

LOL, they shout for the sheriff and the next character we see is Wolfwood. He's not a sherriff!

You gotta know a place is welcoming when you walk into a saloon and everyone immediately pulls a gun on you. I mean, that's just a normal day in Texas or Arizona, right?

Oof. RIP bus.

I mean, I realize Fifth Moon was traumatic and all, but somehow I doubt Vash would be filling someone with "twice his weight in lead."

I guess the person dumped in the fountain was actually the sheriff. Nightow could have shown the guy's badge or something to give us an indication of that....

Poor Vash. He doesn't deserve NEARLY that many knives in his picture.

Everyone has to ask about the cross. Wolfwood rarely actually answers. Deflection and misdirection is better.

LOL, Lina's face here...

Oh, man. WW's face in literally the next panel after Ericks's entrance. He knows exactly who he's looking at.

Vash Ericks, I know you try to look for non-combative solutions, but female-bodied folk really don't have a lot of options when people get handsy if we want them to decide not to push their luck beyond just being handsy.

Ah, see, this is why he thinks she overreacted. Because now a lot more people are in danger.

Heheheheheheh, WW, Lina, and Vash are all in such a close clump here.

Aaaand now "Ericks" has fully noticed Wolfwood.

Who the heck is this evil hamster of a human being?

All I'm saying, buddy, is that her footpring miiiiiight just be an improvement.

Gods, WW is so intent in this situation. Just looking at everything and listening to everything.

Dude, who STOLE VASH'S JACKET?!?! Also, those sunglasses jut feel wrong.

Oh, Ericks. So gentle....

Yeah, pretty sure actual Vash the Stampede wouldn't stoop to humiliating people as part of a power play.

Ericks, though. He's like, "Cool, a bargain where people live at the end!"

I wonder how much of Ericks telling Lina to cover her eyes is because he doesn't want her to see his scars.

WW wasn't really with the group long enough to see Vash's scars before, but this really clears things up for the audience. And you can practically hear the gears grinding in WW's head as he observes this scene.

Dude. This imposter even copied his gay little earing. Now that's commitment.

Opening fire on a naked man? Rude.

*sigh* All of that for nothing 'cause Lina's still caught.

AGAIN?! How often does this guy get shot!?

WW barely knows Vash and he's already like, "I WILL CLOCK ANYONE WHO SPEAKS SLANDER AGAINST HIS NAME."

What? He has super-healing? I mean, I guess that makes sense.

People really need to stop barreling their way into the infirmary....

Sheryl has a point. Things gotta get done. If the young folk won't help, then this old lame woman's gonna have to do it.

LOL, Wolfwood waking up Ericks will never not be one of my favorite scenes.

Awwwww, Wolfwood! Don't remind him about Fifth Moon! He thinks about it every time he sees that moon, I'm sure. It's NOT a pleasant memory in any way, shape or form, and he hates the legends around him!

Ugh, someone give this man a hug....

Cruel, indeed. The way he looks when he picks up that gun. There are so many emotions going on here. Loss, resignation, familiarity, sadness. Seriously. Where are the hugs for this man??

Wolfwood, always the pragmatist. He knows this isn't a great path, and how unfair it is for him to drag Vash back to it. But he also knows it's the path forward.

Heh. Yeah, just the two of them. For Vash to exhibit this amount of trust in WW suggests he's at least suspected WW's true nature for a while.

PUNISHER REVEAL!!!

Annnnnd Vash's first thought on seeing the giant machine gun is, of course, "Please, no death."

This panel of them heading into the fight together just fills me with so much joy.

Fake Vash is in a bit of a pickle, isn't he? Looks like he knows it, too.

Wolfwood reacting to Fake Vash demanding actual Vash say his name is beautiful. He looks like he's gonna die of laughter there in the dirt.

Heh. And with that last gunshot, Vash reclaims who he is.

And even after that reclaiming, he gets a heartfelt, genuine, and warm hug from a young girl who has only really known him as her friend and adopted family member, Ericks. <3

Chapter 2: Lina

"Something freaky is going on here." Yes. You're dealing with Vash the Stampede and Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Even one of those should be enough to cause serious alarm.

SHOES OFF THE BED. Geez. Barbarian....

Ugh, I love his expression here.

I'm sorry, I can't get over Wolfwood's weird duck face in this panel.

This is a very interesting take on the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti dinner scene. That poor sausage....

Aww, you can see where his hair's gone all dark underneath now that he has it tied back.

Well, that's one way to get Vash's attention. He doesn't have as much chill when it comes to his brother. And understandably so.

Uhhhhhh, what's up with that spiky weird shadow guy?

TBH, Vash has good reason to be suspicious of anyone who knows too much about Knives. Knives's games aren't about humans. They're about Knives and Vash. Humans are just pawns and casualties.

I love how this 12-year-old girl is able to cow a bunch of whiny, scared men with just her presence. I love how angry she gets on Vash's behalf.

"If he and his followers sniff me out..." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA no comment. Vash just got really freaking lucky with exactly who's sniffing him out.

The comedy of this panel is great. Granny's all like, "Oh, no.... You're gonna end up beaten up in a ditch somewhere...." Meanwhile, her granddaughter has already begun just wailing on Vash. Without even dropping the groceries.

Ugh, just... having someone take care of him for a bit. It's a small and much-needed kindness. But that's how it often is with small kindnesses.

Wolfwood: "That brat (affectionate)"

LOL, Vash gets head-pats. GOOD.

Wait, Evil Hamster Man is back??

What the heck is even happening in this panel? Is this a second guy? Is this a growth on Evil Hamster Man's back? I don't know. We already had a guy with a LITERAL GUN for legs, so either wouldn't exactly surprise me. Wolfwood's face sums up my feelings perfectly.

Ohhh, Vash isn't having any of this guy's shit.

WTF, he just KICKED the round out of the sky?!

Vash isn't really prone to showing off just to show off. I'm guessing he's doing this to make Lina and Granny feel a bit better about how competent he is.

Even Wolfwood, who's seen Vash's weird before, seems a bit shocked.

Also, LOL, Wolfwood frog face.

Literally still can't tell if the second gunman is an actual dude or just some weird Evil Hamster Man growth.

Oh, there we go. He seems to be a separate entity, after all.

LOL, Wolfwood, calling them like he sees them. (Thank you, @trigun-manga-overhaul, for keeping the swearing. It makes it that much more funny.)

And now Evil Hamster Man is given a choice: a chance at redemption, or having to deal with an angry Stampede. Let's hope he chooses wisely.

Well, Granny's feeling better about the situation. Lina seems more... resigned.

There's something so lovely about the hair-trimming scene. It's one last bit of domestic comfort with his little found family before he heads off to war.

I genuinely believe Wolfwood here. He has a good heart, even when he tries to hide it.

*sigh* And as Lina cuts away at his hair, we just drown in their shared memories. The vast majority of it is simple things. Family things. Quiet moments. But they meant the world to Lina. And they probably meant the world to Vash, too.

I have thoughts about Lina burying herself in the cloth from Vash's haircut.

This chapter ends beautifully and makes me want to cry.

[laf-outloud]

https://www.tumblr.com/laf-outloud/729317893590990848/you-would-see-for-yourself-i-think-if-you-ever

Sorry, I don’t know the whole context of this, so forgive me if I’m missing the point a bit. I’m doing some inferring on what the OG quoted post might have been, but it made me think of something.

I think there is some truth to actually being at a con to understand the atmosphere there, like CE cons (or Comic Cons, to be fair). Different cities gave different atmospheres for sure and some are worse than others, but for the most part, people treat the actirs fine in ops and things.

It’s definitely true that Jared gets some shitty people wearing insulting shirts or giving him the cold shoulder on their ops. Utterly unacceptable, and this kind of thing should be squashed, but that requires having workers who pour over social media because some insults are more obscure (while others are obvious). But then we also see that Jensen gets insulting morons, too, only many of them are too dumb to realize they are insulting him, or no one taught them not to be creepy weirdos. Anyway, my point with this is that both a Jared and a Jensen get some shitty interactions, and both seem to get them from Jensen fans. But, despite these examples, most people are nice at cons, the dicks are the exception. Things often look miles worse on Twitter or wherever than they were in person, so I agree with the idea that someone has to be at a con (like CE) to fully get what it’s really like. Again, not excusing bad behavior.

On the other hand, those people who deliberately cut Jared out of answers at panels, while dicks, I guess unless they actually insult him, there isn’t a rule that you have to ask both actors a question, it’s just common courtesy. However, for the attention whores who use their time to gush over Jensen ("I worship the ground you walk on" 👀), or who monopolize the actor’s time by trying to have mini convos (people asking Food questions or ask them for food recommendations at local places tend to do this a lot) or who tell whole ass stories about themselves (or stand on chairs to literally show of their stalker-level tattoos) need to be stopped by CE Staff or volunteers. If this is too uncomfortable for " the volunteer" con workers who aren’t really permanent fixtures at each con, then they need to hire people running the mics who are permanent abd who aren’t afraid to shut people down on the spot.

I’m glad your con experience seems to have been very good, and that they made the rules for questions explicitly clear from the start. And people respected them.

I think one problem with CE is the fact that they just have the band play between panels when a staff member should actually introduce the guests and remind the audience of what is not allowed. CE seems to rely too heavily on the actors, or band, to do the heavy lifting like transitioning between panels, and that can put them in awkward positions if they are supposed to lay down rules for the audience.

Anyway, sorry fir the ramble. I guess in short, I just wanted to chime in that most CE con-goers are either nice, or at least mind their own business, but I agree something needs to be done about the shifty ones. And CE really needs to get more serious about informing their own rules.

Oh yeah, I agree! I don't think I ever mentioned that there were a ton of people doing crappy things at CE cons, just the minority who do exactly what you talked about. If it wasn't clear, I just think that having only Jared at a multi-fandom convention weeds out the few who do make it a point to be rude towards him because they are there to see the other guy. (I don't know what Jensen's going to do when he's on his own. Hopefully, there are enough GA fans to drown out the AAs.)

"CE seems to rely too heavily on the actors, or band, to do the heavy lifting like transitioning between panels" I would say this is a cost-cutting measure on Creation's part, but I suppose if the contract with the band includes managing panels, then there's not much that can be done. And it wouldn't really be that hard for Rob or Rich, or any other band member to address the audience at the beginning with the rules, but apparently no one likes to be seen as the disciplinarian.

As for Creation, I would love to know if they've actually enforced any of their rules in recent years, particularly the ones listed below.

[urostakako]

shouldnt have read other posts before constructing my own because now my thought process is all jumbled up but i'll try my best 👍

firstly yuki!!

her anger is perfect. i love this facet of her backstory that she was a former star plasma vessel, especially its connection to her current motivation and the way jujutsu society/politics works.

i love this panel. it reminds me of when governments commit an unforgivable crime, and then address the public with words such as "this thing happened" or "this thing was done" instead of "i did this thing" or "we did this thing." they remove personality and responsibility but pretend to address the public by prevaricating and placating until they commit their next crime and the process repeats itself all over again. it's the same kind of action done when it comes to events like war and recruiting child soldiers. it's the same kind of action regarding protesters and rioters, whom they want only to keep quiet instead of addressing any real issue. its the same kind of language people use when discussing lgbtq+ rights or conversion therapy (which brings up how the star plasma vessels are made to become something they are not or do something they are not, and yuki got out of that and is trying to save children who continue to have their individuality and childhood taken from them). this also reminds me of the children's crusade, when pope innocent (how ironic) sponsored the crusade planned by two monks, saying those children would heal the land, and those monks instead sold the children into slavery (not bringing this up to discuss morality of the crusade's intentions, just to draw up a parallel). yuki's criticism and anger stems from a very personal point and an important event in her youth, and i find this panel incredibly profound. the fact that she uses jujutsu society the way it used her to research how to eradicate the energy that gives it power makes me love her more.

tengen and the higher ups are kind of viewed as this sort of mysterious entity that function in mysterious ways, though we know they are a corrupt organization of people (and not-people, i guess). the way tengen still distances themselves even through yuki's callout. idk if there's anything to explain just.. highlighting that

another profound thing about this is yuki telling tengen directly she won't make it easy for them by explaining how she and the other star plasma vessels suffered under the system, and she doesn't owe it to them to do so. in fact, she owes it to those vessels not to do so. this brings to mind how people exploit minorities' pain, and especially when people in power demand explanations of trauma from minorities and demand them to spoonfeed why and how exactly the oppressor is wrong (this behavior especially of white people towards people of color). tengen's passivity in the face of her forcing them to observe their faults is incredibly reminiscent of those issues.

secondly!!! kenjaku!!

i don't believe suguru will come back. his story is over. however, there is a repeating occurrence of kenjaku copying suguru's mannerisms such as the way they speak or the way they move. i saw this panel and i thought "woah... kenjaku looks like suguru when he was declaring war on jujutsu tech in volume 0!!" i don't think suguru and kenjaku share the same relationship that yuuji has with sukuna, or that hana has with the angel. however, with kenjaku behaving more like suguru, i think that as his mannerisms become kenjaku's, and his strengths become kenjaku's, as will suguru's weaknesses, and i think that will be kenjaku's downfall, just like their appearance in shibuya using suguru as gojo's weakness led to gojo's defeat. probably not in that same way (i wouldn't like it if it was), but we'll see!!