#I wanted a different set up but there's literally no way to pose them together without me physically holding them in place lol

[sleepytoycollection]

Rainbow and Starlight are reunited 🌈🐎

[adickaboutspoons]

When a Steard is not a Beard

I want to talk about the significance of Stede's beard in the opening dream sequence of s2e1, and how we know from Lucius in the first season that "not every beard is a beard". Of course SOME beards are just beards - most of the Revenge and QA crew sport face fuzz of some sort or another, and it's just How They Look. But, narratively speaking, when attention is called to facial hair in this show, it's all about deception and hiding one's true self.

We have Blackbeard, who has built his brand around his eponymous facial fur, but feels stifled by the way the success of said brand has left him bored out of his skull, and frustrated by the way his reputation has been co-opted and twisted into something inhuman. (And by poor Taika's accounts, the beard itself was literally stifling; unbearably hot to wear, and how he could hardly move the bottom half of his face lest the glue start peeling off). It's only when Ed shaves it off at the academy that he's able to start really approaching the question of what it means to be Just Ed. And, of course, we have the way he smeared kohl across his mouth and jaw in a frightful simulacrum of a beard as part of his Kraken transformation at the end of season 1.

We have Jim, who uses a fake beard to conceal their identity while on the run after having killed Alfeo de la Vaca. Only once that beard is discarded are they able to really think about who they are and how that doesn't fit in the narrow parameters of a gender binary. We see them go back into the beard when they re-commit themself to the vengeance quest, posing as a bearded priest in order to capture Geraldo, but, again divested of the beard, Jim is able to consider whether completing the vengeance quest and allowing their life to be consumed with a family that is dead and gone is something they want, or if they might be happier committing themself to a different path, and finding a family that will give them the love and support their own no longer can. And then, of course, the way Jim paints on a simulacrum beard when they are forced into a life of violence as part of Kraken!Ed’s crew.

We have Heartbroken Voyeur Stede’s comment about how Calico Jack had nice hair, but “his moustache is weird.” Shortly after, we learn that CJ has been a duplicitous, manipulative asshole the entire time, his only goal to lure Ed away from the Revenge before the British came to kill Stede.

So what does it say that Stede is dreaming about himself with a full beard? To have Dream!Ed specifically comment on it? Because they’re calling attention to it, so, hey, hi, how are you? You have my attention!

I think it’s not JUST that Stede is casting himself in the role of the dashing hero with all the trappings thereof, indulging in a fantasy about a joyous, romantic reunion with his beloved. Because this fantasy has some MUCH darker connotations than the sun-drenched beach would suggest. This Dashing Hero™ persona isn’t Stede’s idealized self. It’s the culmination of all his insecurities about not being the kind of person who is worthy of the attention and love of someone as impossibly cool as Blackbeard.

(Incidentally, I think it significant that Ed, in the dream, ALSO has his full beard. This more than anything is what clues me into the fact that Stede is still trying to measure up to the Legendary Pirate Blackbeard - not Just Ed with his soft, beautiful clean-shaven face, nor even a more realistic version with a beard that’s coming in quite nicely, but isn’t anywhere near the epic proportions that it once was, as we see with the scenes of real Kraken!Ed)

We learn later in the episode that Stede has been dragging his feet about setting out to reunite with Ed in spite of the all the money he and the crew have managed to scrape together working for Jackie, and the true reason behind his reticence is that he is still genuinely convinced that Ed is better off and happier without him. Even when reunited with Lucius in episode 2 and Lucius suggests that Ed’s time with Stede was “as good as it’s going to get for [Ed]”, Stede’s response is that he’s “not ready to believe that.” Stede really just is incapable of conceptualizing a reality in which Just Stede could ever be enough.

(And don’t get me started on Lucius’ beard! Lucius who was the emotional intelligence of the crew in the first season, and is now a guarded, brittle, traumatized shell of who he was. He’s 100% for sure not hiding behind a façade of butched-up toughness. Nope. Not. At. All.)

So in Stede's dreams, he’s the epitome of the kind of guy that WOULD be good enough. The kind of guy who has a beard and wears leather pants (hello queer urge to become the person that you sexually desire, how are you?). The kind of guy with neat, tidy, barely even wavy hair instead of perfectly coifed cherub curls. The kind of guy who, if he wears a fine fabric at all, it’s wrapped around his waist where it can be mostly concealed by a thick, macho belt, and trailing in front of his crotch like a fabric phallus (and, say, if Ed feels like touching it, maybe there’s something else in the vicinity that he might also be interested in touching?). The kind of guy who is tough and competent and can kill without remorse or pity.

[mochiiniko]

follow up to this ask! this time im just gonna be talking about my coloring process (i also want to let you all know that im not an expert in color theory since im still learning, im quite literally just going random bullshit go on the blending modes 💀 lots of explanation under the cut)

the three blending modes i mainly use are exclusion, hard light, and overlay. from the guide above you could see how the blending modes work on their own, and how they look like combined altogether. the cool thing about blending mode layers is that it really is all about experimentation and finding the best combination for a piece (also to any fellow inabakumori enjoyers GRAHH lagtrain pose jumpscare)

i went through a bunch of blending mode phases before i ended up with those main three, though it's funny how ive been using the same overlay color for about 4 years now (multiply used to be one of them, and i still use it from time to time, just not as much). im gonna be honest the whole reason why i know about blending modes being helpful was because one time i accidentally had the fill bucket on and had a certified eureka moment 😭

the best way i could explain these three modes is:

exclusion - honestly i still dont understand how it works either 💀 when i use a really saturated blue color and lower the opacity, it gives a cooler feeling to the palette. feels like a mix of multiply and overlay with how it adjusts the colors without making it darker

hard light - gives more saturation and color

overlay - gives off a glowy effect, especially if the lineart isnt completely solid (this is why it isnt clipped on the folder as shown in the example below, keeping it above the layers gets that glowy effect)

i still use the same colors for exclusion and overlay (while i do alter them with hue saturation brightness from time to time, i just use the same blue and brown for most of my works) though hard light is what i use to make drawings lean towards a temperature

i tend to use warm colors a lot because i think theyre neat and also im biased sorry <3. as a warm palette example, i drew yinu and used this orange color on hard light and lowered the opacity

cold colors have a similar process, it's just the matter of adjusting the hard light layer. i wouldnt really say it's completely cold since i still add warm colors because im still biased </3. as a cold palette example, i drew sayu and used this purple-pink (??) color with the same settings

when it comes to drawings that have characters with contrasting palettes, it does take a bit of trial and error but i most of the time i mix both warm and cold methods like the example above. this also helps for art with several characters in general, since the blending modes help make the colors go well together despite the variety

theres also instances where i dont always use the warm + cold combo, since sometimes drawings lean towards a specific temperature instead (like environments with set lighting/shading, so usually i follow that even with characters with different palettes)

tldr; there are lots of palette combos you could make, not necessarily with just the three blending modes i mention. random bullshit go genuinely helps with experimenting with colors!!

[nerdieforpedro]

She's Under the Weather

Marcus Pike x plus size female reader

Fanfiction is 18+ MDNI

Main Masterlist / Marcus Pike Masterlist

Word Count: 1.6k (I got right into it - I surprised myself)

Summary: You have a day off and Marcus finds a reason to come home early.

Warnings: don't choke! Soft Marcus, unprotected P in V (wrap up people), inside jokes, cockwarming, aftercare

Notes: There truly isn't too much to this. I'm trying to work on getting to the meat of the issue (Pun was fully intended). I felt like adding Marcus Pike smut to the Pike Pool after finally making the man a Masterlist. He deserves equal sweaty time like other Pedro boys!

Six months of dating Marcus had changed you, a former wallflower, now a blooming rose with new found confidence in yourself. Marcus always asked you what you wanted, how you wanted things and took it at your pace. It had been so long since you’d been pampered. It was almost as if he worshiped the ground you walked on, different places to eat out twice a week, the lunches he put together for you. It was all so overwhelming. It did make you wonder what you could do for him. Anything to return an ounce of the reassurance and grace he offered you. Even when the pair of you were in the throes of passion, his answer was the same,

“Only you could make me feel this way. I have all I need right here.”

It was a cool Tuesday November morning, you had the day off due to a happy accident of having too much PTO and needing to use it before it expired. You had kissed Marcus goodbye as he headed off to work, you were sitting on his couch, wrapped up in a throw blanket as you hadn’t felt the need to set dressed yet. The combination of your cool thighs and warm shoulders felt good. A ping from your phone told you two things: one, that Marcus has arrived safely at his office and two that he wanted a picture of you. Seeing his favorite girl relaxing would make him happy, he said. You wondered what pose you should do, but settled for a simple portrait photo complete with a messy poofy bun, red cotton sleep camisole that was comfortable to you and a smile. 

Have a great day at work today. Stay safe and I love you Marcus.

When you only saw read and nothing else, you put the phone down and went to get dressed, putting on a purple scoop neck shirt with fleece leggings. You decided that you’d look around Marcus’s apartment and cook him some dinner for when he got home.

Marcus nearly choked on his coffee. 

He had checked his phone while he sat in another boring meeting held with the directors of each department, briefing them on various happenings in the FBI. A meeting that very literally could have been an email. 

He cleared his throat and excused himself out of the room, not taking his eyes off the photo you’d sent him. Your sweet face with a matching smile looking up at the camera, the deep red of your camisole lazily draped across your skin and the ample amount your chest that was exposed for him, if he squinted, he may be able to make out the outline of your nipples peeking at him, enticing him. A fellow agent exited the meeting to check on Marcus to which he politely waved the young one off. He lied and told him he had to go home and check on you, that you’d taken some time off because you were feeling under the weather. He also added that he’d likely be out the rest of the day and would complete half of his work from home so there wouldn’t be any delays. The younger agent said he would let the team know and Marcus was off, gathering his belongings from his office and headed home to you.

Milling around the house, you had decided on spaghetti and meatballs for dinner as that’s the ingredients you had. Now that dinner was planned, it was late morning and you hadn’t had your coffee yet. As you started a fresh pot, the door opening and slamming closed started you. Putting the pot down and picking up a pair of scissors, you slipped behind the kitchen island putting something between you and whoever this was.  

“Baby! Where are you? Come here!” A voice you last heard this morning called out to you, setting the scissors down, you relaxed upon seeing him throw his suit jacket on the floor and remove his tie, quickly closing the gap between the two of you. 

“Marcus?! What are you doing home? Shouldn’t you be-” His lips crashed against yours, finally rid of his tie as he cupped your face, his hands still cool from outside. His hips pressed against yours, hungry, nibbling on your lips until you opened your mouth with a moan and let him in. His hand then trailed to the small of your back, pressing your body against his, grinding into you with a sense of urgency. When he allowed you a breath, he parted only to pull your shirt up and off you as he’d felt moments ago you weren’t wearing a bra. Pike pushed you back against the counter, his hands warming themselves on your hot skin with his face between your breasts before he veered toward the left and circled his tongue around your areola. The air was heated from his mouth and your hands pulled his head closer to your breast encouraging him to continue. He let out a light chuckle,

“You weren’t feeling that well and sent me an SOS sweetheart.” You were going to ask if it was your text this morning but he took your nipple into his mouth and wrapped his lips around your areola sucking hard. 

“Yes I feel so fucking bad…” You whine weakly, your fingers dancing across his back before feeling him tug at your leggings. Moving his hands, you removed his button down shirt and while he took another pause to remove his undershirt, you removed your legging and underwear. Exposing how slick he had managed to make you, you cleared your throat before making two hops up onto the counter. “Now I really do feel a little bad, you could have helped me up Marcus.” Your boyfriend smiled at your fake pout, removing his belt, dropping his pants and boxers, stepping out of both. 

“You got up there honey. Besides, I got to see you do it. That’s a special kind of reward in and of itself. You alright here?” He asked, spreading your thighs and settling himself between them. Lined up with your wet core, he looks up at you, kissing your nose before your lips. “Tell me.” He asks.

“I’m so sick Marcus you’re supposed to be making me feel better because I’m ill.” Your bottom lip was stuck out, still going with the sick angle Marcus had mentioned when asked. He nibbled your lip that was poked out and slid into you slowly, taking his time to become flush with your hips.

“I always take care of my sweetheart. You’ll feel a hell of a lot better shortly.” He didn’t move though, he enjoyed watching you get a little frustrated with him for not immediately rutting into you, despite telling him that’s what you wanted. He instead held your leg under your knee and spread you a little more, moving slowly, purposely dragging inside of you.

“Marcus…” You moaned in his ear, wrapping your arms around his back to pull him close. He started to increase his pace as your free leg snaked behind his hips. He grunted, knowing you weren’t playing fair. He was one to savor while you often wanted it as soon as possible. 

“That’s how you’re play it Love? Alright then. Let’s see how quickly I can get you better then.” The smirk on his face as he released your leg and took hold of your hips made your brows furrow. He stopped again, letting you squint your eyes at him. Your noses touched as he smiled and began his quick thrusts of his throbbing heat into you, having you yelp his name. “Feeling a bit better, are we sweetheart?” Marcus teased biting your shoulder, the loud groan that released from your throat told him all he needed to know as he continued, sucking where he bit. 

“I’m close, so close Marcus…” You panted, scratching his back. Your head hit the backsplash on the wall and he released one of your hips to grab your head, but you shot him a stern look and he placed his hand back where it was. Despite how roughly he was moving his hips, Marcus always made sure you were safe and it was one of the many things you loved about him. That wasn’t what you needed right this moment though. He did move his hand one more time, however, this was to pitch your swollen nipple that he had been sucking on earlier. Your walls began to quiver more quickly feeling ever closer to what he’d started, you felt him as well, pulsing inside of you before he filled you with his last few pumps. The sensation and the churning of his spent inside of your core made you call his name and climax, digging your nails into his back. Falling forward into your chest, Pike kissed above your left breast where your heart was. Your hand left his back and ran through his hair, “I’m happy you’re home. I guess me being ‘sick’ has its perks.” 

You kissed his forehead as he sat up, not pulling out yet, content to stay within you a bit longer. He brushed a few stray hairs out of your eyes so he could look at them. “Yes you were so sick honey.” The two of you laugh, Marcus stands at his full height and presses on your chest with his hand lightly, meant for you to stay right where you are. He makes his way into the bedroom and comes back with a warm washcloth to clean you up and wipe off the counter a bit, noting that he’ll need to wipe that down later. “Let’s get you to bed shall we? Come on.” This time, he helps you down and you both lay down for a midday nap followed by another afternoon treatment for your ‘sickness.’

Pike pool swimmers (safety first!) 🛟: @secretelephanttattoo @trulybetty @magpiepills @i-own-loki @morallyinept @pedritapascal @yorksgirl @goodwithcheese @marcus-is-my-muse @megamindsecretlair @pamasaur @guelyury @legendary-pink-dot @pedroshotwifey @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin

[not-goldy]

The funniest thing is watching people cling to articles with no real credible sources that Jikook spent no time together in Japan and stayed in seperate hotels and ate alone. LMAO then left to go to another town and spend no time together. Disptach literally said Jikook were going together to shoot a documentary TOGETHER. We know that is not the real reason, but there is no way in hell they are gonna set Jikook up in different hotels, just for them to meet up to film whatever it is they need to film. How fucking dumb are you people? Insecure jikookers, antis and tkk are all losing their fucking minds and making up scenarios at this point to explain away Jikook's gayness. Acting like while JK is filming a performance for a show, that Jimin can't sight see. Clinging to articles with no real confirmation, making up scenarios about it being only for work. Laughable to think they would not be at the same hotel. They are fucking bandmates what would be the big fucking deal. They have always stayed at the same hotel. So suddenly since they travel together alone, its different? Don't make me laugh. Of course they stayed in the same fucking place. What a bunch of braindead desperate idiots you are. NEWSFLASH. JIKOOK ARE QUEER and their company is gonna protect them. They literally gave them a show so they could spend some ALONE time together before enlisting and they are.

Just say you're on the edge of jumping cause. in the last few months back back you been hit with.

Letter (featuring JK with romantic lyrics)

NY/CT/Silver Day (just the two of them)

JK's Jimin lives (focused only on JM not your fav)

The Bed live between Jikook & Jk begging him over.

Tokyo (alone trip)

Sapporo (alone trip)

Jeju (Vminkook trip)

Busan Chuseok (ALONE whale drawing together/boating)

Jk watching all of Jimin's content, singing all of Jimin's songs. Not watching your fav.

JK alone White Day spoiling Jimin's songs 4 hours, when he could have been with your fav while Jm was out of town.

Jikook's Tokyo trip being called "Real Love" and they coincidentally returned there TOGETHER during the anniversary month of GCF Tokyo.

Jk's brother posting a pic of what looks like Jimin's hand during family game night and got y'all so insecure y'all wrote a whole desperate wattpad about matching floors/walls with Tae's wall picture and Jk's brothers floors & that TK must have eat together at JK's brother house, only for Tae to actually be standing at a golf course posing and the golf course gave a shout out to Tae.

And the Granddaddy of all. JIKOOK ENLISTING TOGETHER CAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO BE WITHOUT EACHOTHER. When your fav could have enlisted with Jk, like you dumbasses believed for years.

Taennie pictures, Taennie videos. Taennie in Jeju. Taennie in NY together. Taennie in Paris together holding hands. Tae in Jennie's bed. Taennie wearing matching Jewelry and couple shirts. Jennie slapping y'all with pictures shutting down cosplayer theories.

I mean, at this point, go ahead and jump bitch. Leave, don't come back. There is nothing for you here. Your ship is not nor has it ever been real. You are staying to troll & for attention cause you're all pathetic lifeless losers. You know you have nothing left. You are here to prove Jikook is not real, so we can sit in the same miserable sunken boat as you, but we never will. PERIOD. You are all on your own.

AND THAT'S ON PERIODT

Come what may, they never stop loving eachother

No matter my opinion, your opinion, their opinion.

They are the cause of eachother's euphoria 💜

NOTHING CAN ERASE THAT

NOT A THEORY

NOT FAKE NEWS

NOT MS.

[ametrictonofaudacity]

Can you write a part 2 to your yandere joker fic?

Absolutely! Also I am so insanely flattered, I’ve never had someone ask for a part 2 before eeee

Yandere Platonic Joker x GN! reader!

Warnings: This is a yandere work, and as such contains themes of violence, abuse, manipulation and drugging. As this is the Joker, it will most likely be darker than my usual works!! Enjoy!!

You wake up with a leg that practically burns, and when you glance down, you see that your thigh had been wrapped in white gauze, which had been stained red by your own blood. It was weirdly well done for a madman. You wondered if Joker had made one of his henchmen do it.

Moving your leg makes it hurt, so much so that you gasp when the burning pain arches up your leg. You hadn’t been given any painkillers. Which wasn’t great when you had a stab wound, in an area with already existing nerve damage. You hope there isn’t any long term nerve damage, or damage to the muscles, or tendons.

“Okay. Okay just.. focus. You’ve been kidnapped by a madman who thinks you’re obsessed with him. Things could be worse.” Your voice cracks with hysteria, and you wince, shaking your head. You had to get your act together. You would prefer not to be another of the Joker’s long list of victims.

You glance around, and your stomach drops. The room is.. a room? It had clearly been outfitted from some sort of warehouse, with high ceilings and beams that crisscrossed, which made sense, you guess. Not a lot of people in Gotham would be willing to rent an apartment to the Joker.

The most damning thing, however, is the paintings, everywhere. Piled in the corner, leaned against the wall, some handing crookedly from nails. All with acidic green eyes or pale skin or a suit with the wrong colors. All yours.

You think you’re going to throw up. You don’t.

Your head snaps to the sound of a door handle, and you watch as it’s pushed open, heart racing. The old hinges shriek and groan.

“Hey! So.. what do ya think? Neat, right! Got all your paintings, right here, in a fun little gallery! Isn’t it great?!” Joker’s eyes never leave your face. You aren’t sure what it looks like, with how much pain you were in and your brain struggling to process much of anything but you feel your expression twist.

“Five out of five stars.” Your voice drips with sarcasm, and Joker laughs, a high pitched maniacal giggle that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. You two were playing a game now, you knew, and Joker knew all the rules and could change them as he pleased. “Where are we?”

“Ah, ah, ah! No trying to pry any information out of me, I learned aalll the tricks from Batsy.” He chides, practically skipping to your bedside. You want to jerk away, but moving your leg sends a rush of pain so harsh it makes your vision go white.

“I don’t think I know nearly as many tricks as Batman.” You deadpan.

“It’s okay! You’re interesting in a different way.” Joker snorts, glancing at your damaged leg to the paintings to your face. You aren’t sure what he sees. “Although I don’t know why you would be talking to Batsy.”

He sounds almost.. jealous? Giddy? You can’t place it, and you don’t want to, and you measure your words carefully before you speak. Joker was a time bomb, almost literally, and any little thing could set him off.

“I never actually talked to him. He and the baby bats just stalked me for a while when you broke out of Arkham.”

“Hmph. Wants to keep you all to himself, now that not fair.” He huffs, and he slings an arm around you, pulling you close. The sudden movement jolts your leg, and the ragged gasp it tears from you practically echoes in the air.

You try not to freeze when you see the unhinged light in his eyes. You don’t think you manage.

“Did you ever talk to Batsy?” The sudden change in topic is.. discomforting, and you shake your head. You can’t think of anything to say.

“He showed up in your sketchbook a lot. All heroic poses and big shadows, it was so boring, really. I’m a much better subject to draw, don’t you think?”

His hand lands on the white bandages, and then he presses down.

You howl in pain, going to twist away, but he is deceptively strong, and keeps you there, even as you kick at him and try to pry his hand off your wound.

“Yes! You’re better to draw!” You gasp out, and he stops, grinning. You’d think that the bandage would be redder, or damaged. It isn’t.

“Good! I don’t like sharing my besties.” He laughs, and hums, glancing at your face. You’re shaking, and pale, you know. “It does suck your hurt though. We can’t do anything fun until you’re healed.” He huffs, sprawling back and dragging you with him.

“APPARENTLY we’re going to have postpone the trip to Ace Chemicals.” He huffs. “I was so looking forward to it, too.”

Your heart drops into your stomach, leaden. Ace Chemicals. Birthplace of the Joker, of Harley Quinn. A toxic cesspit of chemical waste and madness.

“I’m sure we can find something to pass the time. Now! Why don’t we get to painting, yeah? You’ve got a whole studio!”

Joker hops up, and when you take the paint brush from him, it’s already dripping with a toxic green. You paint, numbly, not really paying attention.

You would have to escape before your leg healed. Or Joker won his game.

[mdhwrites]

My Biggest Problem With TOH Fight Scenes

So first I just want to say that for as much as people laud TOH's animations... Its fights aren't good. I'm not saying they're poorly animated but as fights, they're not interesting. There's rarely much in the way of back and forth, the choreography is just okay, it usually is really floaty and slow, in part due to how TOH does its bigger budget animation. Some of the ones counted as fight scenes really shouldn't as Grom would be the best fight scene of the series... But it's not. It's really just a small dance routine without the opponent involved and then a super move and that's not a fight. It's much closer to a curbstomp if anything, especially with how powerless the leads are before then.

But all of those explain why TOH's fights are kind of lackluster and how that fuels a general feeling that TOH just isn't a very good adventure series which is kind of rough for an adventure/comedy series. No, my biggest issue, and part of why Covention is easily the best fight in the series to me (Eclipse Lake is second and the rest are... There at best) is a lack of personality to these fights. A lack of a personal touch that should make them more memorable. Feel like who is fighting matters beyond skill set, especially in a show with magic.

But what do I mean by personality? After all, in a fight your goal is to beat the opponent. Where is the room for personality? If you're asking that then WOW where have you been to have missed the Superhero boom of the last decade? Then again, plenty of those movies fuck this up too. It's effectively how you make sure Spider-Man punching someone feels different from Captain America punching someone. Through body language, how they treat the fight, the creative ways they get the opening to land their blow, etc. like that. More straightforward thinking people will use more brute force while smarter characters will use their environment to their advantage and silly characters may use jokes and the like both for amusement and distraction. How brutal are they in taking down their opponent, do they hold back, etc. etc.

In TOH though... Everyone just brute forces everything with maximum power all the time. My go to example of this is how smart, studious Amity's go to weapon in S2, all of S2, was an abomination fist. Despite having the second most versatile and expressive type of magic in the show, Amity decides to always go for just punching a bitch or literally throwing a fist (or she's not actually really a part of the fight). Why? What part of her character, besides the asinine element of her once being a Grudgby Captain, would make you expect her to be some sort of brawler? To want to get up close and personal with her very own fists? She should be summoning minions, setting traps, ensnaring and debilitating her opponents... And instead she keeps punching people or using the gauntlet as a projectile which isn't even used as a joke for "I cast Fist" which would at least lightly play into her being a nerd even if that's much more a line that should come from Luz.

But even worse is Gus actually. He's not a part of a lot of fights but when he is, how does he use illusions? Literally the most expressive magic there is in almost any setting? The coven that does magic with pizzazz as he puts it? With basic ass clones that aren't even in silly poses or costumes, darkness and mind jacking. The one time he actually makes an illusion to use as an illusion in a fight is very tenuously Looking Glass Ruins. Even then, it's not as a distraction or the like or even coded to who Gus is as a character for the most part. It's more of a trap/set piece than any sort of fight and the level of horror it goes to feels honestly out of character for the most light hearted comedy character in the show. Otherwise though... Where's the pizzazz?

It makes most of the fights in TOH just blend together. It makes the magic feel like everyone is just using energy blasts and vines. I mean even Willow always goes for the most aggressive, brutal approach she can to put down a threat with as many vines as possible. Why? Why does she behave, even when calm, much closer to how you might expect Hunter to since he's actually trained to kill and fight?

None of this is helped either by the fact that I think the first monster Belos fight is really the only one that actually has talking during the fight. Every other fight, the characters entirely shut up until there's a pause in the action. That may be more realistic but it still implies that none of these characters are afraid or panicking or coordinating or anything like that. Even during the ones I can genuinely recall, it's always the villain who speaks. The heroes are too busy just trying to destroy the threat to say anything. It makes how short the fights are a weird sort of blessing because hey! Now the actual story and characterization can continue instead of having a pointless, fluff piece of a fight going on.

So now they don't just feel floaty, they don't have narrative weight either. None of them are a clash of ideas because that only happens once there's a victor. That's less interesting than letting what's being said also follow the eb and flow of the combat itself. It's probably part of why TOH's longest fight is like a minute long.

Then again, if I want good fights then I could just go watch Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because they have throwaway fights that are better animated, better choreographed and have better personality than either TOH's or Amphibia's best fights. Like seriously: If you've seen clips of that show's big ticket fights, I promise you that it's not a once a season occurrence that they have a great fight. That show is incredible with how silly and fun and GORGEOUS its animation is and I still want to know how the fuck they did that on a tv show budget.

But TOH's fights? I can absolutely see how they were done with a tv show's budget and they don't lean into character or creativity enough to make up for that.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[the-iceni-bitch]

You Know I Don’t Mind

Kinkmas Day 13: Aftercare

Relationship: Ari Levinson x fem!reader (gorgeous and the sex god (pre-Ransom and Jake) NLLYL AU)

Words: 1.5k

Summary: Ari just loves taking care of you.

Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content (cream pie, fingering, sexy touching) established relationship, feelings, fluff, kinda dom/sub dynamics, SMUT!! 18+ ONLY!!

A/N: Listen, it wasn’t exactly restful aftercare, but it’s Ari the sex god. Also, goddamn they are all in love, and every time I think about her and Ari or Jake and Ran and when I’m gonna have to break them up it breaks my heart a little bit. I just have to keep reminding myself they all end up where they need to be, but still 😭 (also, I know the pic in the moodboard isn’t as inclusive as I’d like, but the size difference and the pose screamed “Ari” and I couldn’t help myself)

I am no longer doing taglists so if you want to stay up to date on all the latest filth, follow my sideblog @the-iceni-library and turn on notifications

Ari let out a final, prolonged groan as his hips jerked against your ass, collapsing on top of you and burying his face in your neck after he finished pumping you full of his cum.

“You’re suffocating me.” You grinned crookedly at him when he pushed your hair aside and kissed your cheek with an affectionate growl before rolling off you. “I think you gave me a concussion.”

“I will not apologize for my enthusiasm, but I’m sorry about your head.” Ari beamed at you and rolled onto his side. “Does it still hurt? Is there a bump?”

“I don’t think so, but I can’t really check.” You just breathed deeply as you gazed back at him. “My body is a little immobile right now.”

Your first three day weekend together and you weren’t sure why you were surprised at the fact that he had spent the first eight hours fucking you all over his penthouse, not when he had practically stood over you to make sure you actually submitted your request for the time off. It had been the absolute right decision, the way his eyes had drank you in when you arrived before wrapping you in his arms and kissing you hungrily something that would stick in your brain for a while. He hadn’t let your feet touch the floor since you’d stepped off the elevator, fingering you on the accent table in his foyer then eating you out on his kitchen counter then petting your cunt while he held you up against the wall before he finally took you to the bedrooms almost literally drove your skull through the headboard.

Ari was more than a little enamored with you, and finally getting the chance to spoil you like he knew you deserved made his chest all warm. He just wanted to care for you and hold you and cover your entire body with kisses for the entire time he had you all to himself, practically addicted to the way your body reacted to him when he paid any sort of attention to that perfect, pretty pussy. Though he did feel bad about almost fucking you through his bedroom wall.

“Don’t worry, gorgeous, I’ve got you.” Ari scooped you into his arms and purred when you nuzzled into his chest, kissing the top of your head and carrying you to the bathroom. “Gonna get you all cleaned up before dinner gets here.”

“You ordered in?” You batted your eyelashes and kissed his shoulder when he set you on the counter, sighing when he disconnected from you to turn on the water for the bath before he was back and ducking to nibble on your ear. “Thought you were gonna cook for me. Show me the domestic side of the sex god.”

“That’s for tomorrow.” Ari kissed one of the bruises his teeth had left on your neck, his hands gentle as they slid around your waist and pulled you closer. “Wanna spend tonight worshiping every inch of you.”

“You’re… mmm, Ari.” You moaned when he brushed his lips over your throat and growled affectionately, spreading your legs around his hips when you felt his warm palms rubbing and squeezing your ass. “You’re gonna spoil me. How does dinner figure into your plans?”

“Well…” he drew his face back to yours and smiled warmly as he brushed his nose against yours. “I was kinda thinking it’d be nice to let you keep my cock warm and wet while I feed you oysters before dripping fondue all over you and licking it off.”

“God, I’m not gonna be able to walk out of here, Levinson.” You chuckled and wound your fingers through his hair as he sucked on your bottom lip. “Was that your plan?”

“Maybe.” Ari gave you a quick peck then leaned back to turn off the water. “You do make it very hard to let you go.”

“Look at you being all sweet on me.” You squeaked when he lifted you again, scrunching up your face when he pressed kisses all over you and started to climb into the tub. “Gonna ruin your intangible sex god reputation.”

“Yeah, until you ask me to fuck you as loud as possible in the front seat again… shit!” Ari hissed and dropped you when the hot water hit the backs of his thighs, unable to stop himself from guffawing when you spluttered and splashed water everywhere, leaning forward and holding your face in his hands while you shook with mirth. “I’m so fucking sorry, I forgot that you scratched the shit out of me.”

“It’s okay, my ass was bruised already. Turn around.” You beamed at him when he did, rubbing your hands and warm water all over his thighs and ass and back while he slowly sank into the tub. “Big baby.”

“Shut up.” Ari was grinning when he turned back to you, pulling you into his lap and starting to lather up his hands while he pressed his cheek to your temple. “I’m taking care of you this weekend, remember?”

All you could do was hum in agreement when he started rubbing the body wash into your shoulders, slowly working his way down your arms one at a time as he murmured soft endearments against your skin. He was thorough, pushing you forward just enough to massage the lather over every inch of your back before pulling you against his chest again and raising your arms so he could clean your sides. The way you sighed as his thumbs softly grazed the swells of your breasts made him twitch, even though you grumbled when he moved on to soaping up your stomach without paying any attention to your nipples.

Ari didn’t bother touching you between your legs either, ignoring your small wiggle when he tucked a hand under your knee and pulled it above the water so he could get it clean. Even if you were frustrated, the stretch was amazing, whining at the way his thumbs dug into your calf before his touch slid up to your thigh. You arched your back and let your eyes flutter closed as he kept moving higher, your breathing growing deeper when his fingers rubbed into the crease of your hip for a few extra seconds then making you huff as he moved onto the other leg and left you hanging.

“Quit teasing.” You pouted when he kissed your cheek and chuckled, his palm rubbing your heel as he avoided your petulant gaze. “Ari…”

“Hush.” Ari let out a soothing rumble when he felt you ramping up to whine again, inching his caress further and further up your thigh and subtly rolling his hips so you could feel him getting hard. “Such a needy little thing. I told you I’d take care of you.”

You gasped when his hands glided up your body until he was cupping your breasts, melting into him as he kneaded your curves gently and nuzzled at your cheek. He made sure to enjoy every inch of your pretty tits, circling the soft slopes with his thumbs then dragging his fingers along the undersides of them to make them jiggle before he finally pinched your nipples. Ari loved the way you whimpered and panted while he played with you, pulling on them and rolling them between his fingers until they were raised and sensitive for him.

“Such a gorgeous girl.” Ari plucked at your nipples once more before squeezing your breasts again while he groaned in your ear, his cock twitching below the water while you rolled your body against his. “Should I clean you everywhere, lovely thing? Make sure that sweet pussy is nice and pretty and shiny before I make it messy again?”

“Yes.” You were breathless when he slid a hand below the water and his fingers found your clit, so close already from having him touch you everywhere that you were on the edge. “Please.”

“So polite.” The hand that wasn’t pressing into your swollen bundle of nerves was suddenly curled around your throat, tilting your head back so he could suck on your lips and swallow your soft noises. “If you want to be really clean, you’ve gotta push out that mess I fucked into you. Do it for me, c’mon gorgeous.”

The way he was circling your clit was abruptly overwhelming, your jaw dropping open in a silent cry while your body shook and your cunt clenched around nothing. You were vaguely aware of the pressure pushing Ari’s cum and your own release out of your pussy, breathing heavily and gazing into Ari’s eyes while he slotted his cock along the crease of your ass and ground it into you when he came at the same time.

“I feel like cumming in the bath water defeats the purpose.” You beamed when he chuckled at that before he kissed the tip of your nose, letting go of your throat so you could return your head to a normal position and rest on his shoulder.

“It’s fine, it sinks.” Ari pressed his lips to your temple and wound his arms around your waist. “Just can’t help myself with you, might be a little in love with you, sweetheart.”

[leclerced]

I just unlocked a new fake scenario with my crush but since im mad at him im shamelessly giving it to you and lando now.

Imagine you’re a hobby seamstress and your good pal Lando is your personal photographer for your finished pieces. But when you finally made some lingerie sets (one even in his fav color) you ask someone else to shoot you, bc you’d find it too weird to ask your crush friend to do a boudoir photo shoot for you. When he finds out he convinces you to let him shoot you. Since he also has a crush on you he can barely keep it together seeing you in all these lewd poses. And when you both are getting more comfortable (turned on), your poses get more and more explicit until he can’t take it anymore and fucks you in his favorite set.

Maybe he even grabs the camera mid fuck to document how pretty you look stuffed full with his cock. And obviously grinning like the cocky bastard he is in every foto he’s in.

(Oh and btw that was me with the german greetings last night so frohes neues meine liebe❤️)

-🫀

please i'll cry. happy new year angel 🫶🏻

i was literally thinking about photographer lando while looking at lando.jpg yesterday… need it in my life

you'd made plans with a female photographer, but she ends up cancelling because a friend needs a last minute wedding photographer. she immediately returns the deposit and apologizes repeatedly, offers to reach out to some contacts to replace her. lando happens to overhear a phone call and asks what you need a replacement for. when he hears you hired another photographer, he asks why. you tell him you thought he was busy that weekend, make something up about him telling you that he had plans with his family. he'd check his schedule and confirm he's free and insist on it, and you have to admit that the reason is because you didn't think he'd do a boudoir shoot, since it's not really his style. he shoots runways or shoots for expensive brands. you’re lucky that he's your best friend and happily shoots for you.

he'd immediately jump at the idea, trying his best not to sound eager as he says he'd do it if you’re comfortable with it. he'd show you shoots he'd done years ago, earlier in his career before he got his foot into high fashion. you hesitantly agree, worried you won't be able to contain herself prancing around in lingerie in front of your best friend. you were planned on renting somewhere to shoot, but when lando offers, you're suddenly worried hoping something will happen and you'll be charged a cleaning fee, so you convert your guest bedroom into a shooting room.

he's used to commanding his models around during shoots, telling them how he wants them posed and where to look and you're no different. it feels different ordering his best friend who is dressed in lingerie on how to pose, but he's looking at you through the lens and he has no option but to analyze every line of your body to get the perfect composition. he's peeking through the lens and telling to you to move this arm here, that leg there. taking a few photos then telling you to roll over, arch your back. at some point, he asks if he can position you a certain way, and the moment his hand touches your thigh to maneuver you, you let out a little whimper and he nearly drops his camera.

the photoshoot-the one meant to go on your website to advertise the new custom fitted sets you're offering- is immediately forgotten when he hears that sound, his grip on you tightening and both of you are moving towards each other without thinking. you sit up to meet him halfway but he pushes you back down onto the bed as your lips meet and hitches your thigh over his hip. the camera is set down next to you oh so carefully so as not to damage the thousand dollar lens, but it's not entirely forgotten about. he's kissing down your body when you grab the camera and try to figure out how it works, flicking through settings before you give up and ask, can this thing record? he looks up at you, holding the camera pointed down at his mouth hovering over your center and nearly knocks it out of your hands in the rush to take it and start recording, stumbling off the bed to grab his tripod and set it up.

he asks if you're sure before he hits the record button, and you answer by beginning to tug your panties off, but he immediately tells you to stop because he wants to take them off. what he means by that is he wants to tease you for ten minutes straight, kissing your hips and thighs and mouthing at your covered center until you're begging him to take them off and touch you.

the photos from the beginning of the shoot are usable, but you end up telling lando that you think you'll need to remake the last set and shoot that one before you can even upload any of them, not wanting to overburden yourself with orders for the ones you do have photos of when there's a third one that you still need photos of. you'd make an extra when you remake it, just because you have a feeling it's going to turn out just like the first one did, and it does. but luckily you already have a backup and he shoots you in it a few days later, this time saving the fun for after the shoot.

[purgemarchlockdown]

this is something that came to me at 8 am after sleepless night and i thought im too insane to post this publicly but i can post it into your askbox

i was looking at this. and was hit with the realization that it's very unsettling that they're all looking at the viewer (especially considering that they're not in the most comfortable positions while doing so, and especially considering that they interacted with each other before it)

because it looks like a harem anime cover 😭

particularly about them interacting before it, it's a common trait among illustrations where girls interact in affectionate ways that are made with male gaze/targeted at male audience that the girls interact with each other but still look at the viewer instead of at each other (i couldn't find good examples, but it happens even when girls are straight up almost kissing and they still look at the viewer), this is a form of objectification of female characters

yunos look at each other in other frames where they interact, but in the frame where they're all gathered together and portrayed in full height they freeze in not the most comfortable poses and look at the viewer... also with the whole setting of the scene and yuno's themes... good bye

74n5n you have to know this is the exact sort of thinf that makes me go insane at this point. Anyway as someone who…let’s say watches too much trashy isekai specifically and never wants to touch harem with a seven foot pole- yeah I’m nodding along here.

Additionaly when it comes to harem each girl usuallt fufills a specific archetypical fantasy. Yknow, tsundere, childhood best friend, etc. Usually these can be divined through the character’s design, and we know each version of Yuno appeals to a different person. In a sense, she embodies archetypes that appeal to different people.

Interesting thing to note: Catgirl Yuno isn’t exempt from this. One because Catgirls ARE a harem archetype, and Two cause cold, agressive, standoffish characters who hate you IS an archetype that is literally what a tsundere is. So that’s fun I think.

[pellucid-constellations]

Hello! If you are still open for drabbles might I request the process of college!Bucky falling for you (bonus for frat!) - shown by him remembering all the small things you say/like - e.g. your fav coffee drink, ur holy grail skincare products, nervous habits, dreams and aspirations etc etc etc (I hope this isn’t too long for a drabble!) (also I love you dearly and you’re my favorite writer on this site)

Pairing: Frat!Bucky x Reader

Word count: 940

Warnings: None

a/n: I love writing college Bucky!! He is my fave <3

____________________________________________

“Since when do you drink that crap, Barnes?” 

“Since now. Shut up.” 

Sam made a face as he walked along the cracked concrete, eyeing the coffee cup loaded with far too much whipped cream as it jostled in Bucky’s hands. He hadn’t been there when Bucky ordered it, but it was the first thing he noticed when he met up with him to walk to class. That, and the fact that his friend was practically jogging to get to physics. 

“Right… thought you were obsessed with those energy drinks?” Sam posed. He huffed as Bucky took another sharp right, effectively leaving him in the dust. “Man, will you slow the hell down? I’m saying words and you are ignoring them.” 

Bucky spared him a glance over his shoulder. “We have a midterm today. Gotta get to class.” 

“We’re ten minutes early and the building is literally right there.” 

“I know,” Bucky smirked, a smile etched into the corners of his eyes. “Still gotta get to class.” 

Sam scoffed and followed behind Bucky as he rolled his shoulders back and pushed into the lecture hall. In all honesty, Bucky was probably going to fail this midterm. He hated physics, and never really saw the point when it had nothing to do with his major. He had studied a little, but that had been with you, so really, he hadn’t studied much at all. 

And, in all honesty, Bucky didn’t really care if he failed this midterm. He only cared that you passed it—hence being ten minutes early to a class he didn’t like with a coffee he would never drink. 

He spotted you near the back just as Sam started going on about some fundraiser the frat was putting on this weekend. Bucky ignored him in favor of watching you pour over your laptop, your brows coming together in the way that always made him want to press his lips there to relive the tension. He felt his heart hammer in his chest when you took your lip between your teeth. He’d press his lips there, too, if you’d ever—

“Hey! Mr. Fundraising Chair, are you even listening?” Sam snapped, waving his hand in front of Bucky’s face. 

Bucky blinked, tearing his eyes from you for about three seconds. “Yeah… yeah, Wilson, I heard you. Post on the instagram and make the freshmen set up the day before. Got it.” 

“Okay, and what about the—” 

“Talk later.” 

Sam didn’t have time to protest, because Bucky was already ten stairs away from him and making impressive headway toward the back of the lecture hall. You looked up just in time to see his smile above you, the charm backlit by the horrible fluorescences in the room.

Bucky had to bite back an even larger smile when you squinted to see him better, the warmth in his chest making him feel impossibly light. He plopped into the seat next to you, and slid the coffee onto your table in greeting. 

“Well, hello to you too, Bucky,” you laughed, wrapping your fingers around the cup. “You got me coffee?” 

He tutted, leaning back into the small chair and throwing his arm around the back of yours. “I got you a seasonal drink. Big difference, since I’m pretty sure that’s hardly coffee.” 

“And yet, you had to go to a coffee shop to get it.” 

Bucky laughed, his head falling back when you side-eyed him over the whipped cream mess. He let his fingers brush your shoulder as his body shook, maybe on accident, maybe on purpose. Either way, he kept them there, his thumb circling a pattern into your sweater. 

“I guess I did,” he admitted. “One of the first times I’ve been in that place, actually.” 

You sat up a little straighter. “Oh yeah, you hate coffee. You decide to try it out this morning or something?” 

Bucky resisted the urge to brush the strand of hair by your cheek behind your ear as he smiled, leaned in, and said, “‘Course not. But after how hard you were studying last night, I figured you could use something for good luck before the test.” 

You let out a quick breath and scrambled back toward your computer, opening up a powerpoint Bucky was sure you already knew by heart. He watched as you scanned the words and the models and bounced your knee under the table, as if briefly speaking to him had made you forget everything you needed for this midterm. 

“Sorry, Bucky,” you mumbled, bringing your thumb up to bite the nail. “I just really need to get an A in this class.” 

God, you were so endearing. And nervous. His heart clenched in his chest as he reached up for your wrist, slowly pulling your hand down and setting it in his lap instead. If he couldn’t kiss you, he’d find another way to calm you down. 

“Y/n, you got this. I know you’re gonna kill this test and then you’re gonna get into all those PhD programs you told me about. Even the one with the crazy advisor that won’t answer your emails.” 

Your smile was slow and disbelieving as you took him in. “You remember all that?” 

“How could I forget? The prettiest girl I’ve ever met decides she wants to talk to me, of course I’m gonna listen.” 

You gave him a playful glare, one Bucky was pretty sure he had memorized by now. “You sure are a charmer, aren’t you, Barnes?” 

It was with honesty that he replied, “Only for you, sweetheart.” 

Two rows down, Sam was rolling his eyes. 

[animehouse-moe]

Undead Girl Murder Farce Episode 12: Where The River's Flow Changes

Certainly not the Murder Farce episode I was expecting, but I'll be damned if it hasn't set the stage for one of my most anticipated episodes so far this year. All sorts of little bits and pieces that leave the mystery on the very cusp of being solved, while teasing a veritable feast of action and matchups to close out the season. There's hardly any time to waste so I'll get on to the point.

Well, to start. Victor saves Tsugaru and Aya. Not anything special, but it's just allowing viewers to get acquainted with his character. Not-so-shockingly, Victor is - in a sense- a pacifist. He has no problem throwing down, but he won't kill. Saving Tsugaru and Aya is obvious, but I also like how when he lies down to pass the time, he briefly looks up at some butterflies or moths before dozing off.

Moving on to the episode itself, a very interesting thing. Very, very interesting indeed. We open with seeing a casket being carried through the werewolf's village. A casket that most likely holds Nora within.

On its own, it's nothing special, but later in the episode we find another casket... that contains nothing. Rather, it's on the side of the road that Louise's body is discovered.

Together, the pair pose the question of 'why'. Was was it just now that Louise's body was discovered. What reason would there be with its positioning. Well, that's the interesting answer that the episode poses, so I'll come back to it when we get there.

Anyways, we move onwards. Tsugaru and Aya are taken to where Shizuku's being held that they can discuss things. Just the usual, some exposition and character acting and whatnot. What I like more than that is the visuals. Shizuku is in cage because she's forced to be. The door is closed and she can't leave. Meanwhile, Tsugaru meanders into a cage with its door open and lazes about. Just a clever bit of character acting and visuals to show the disparity in how the pair live their respective lives.

Continuing to press onwards, we find more cool stuff. Both in terms of story and visuals. Really liked this cut that showed a 2D rotating object, and the overhead view. Great work all around to make the most of literally walking in a circle.

And this is where they mystery really kicks off. We confirm that it's Gustav's gun that's been the murder weapon of choice for these attacks.

Keeping it going, we get an even weirder reveal. Moths. These little guys are interesting, and arguably, important. So, a little info now, a bit more later.

Why was Nora damp/wet despite being murdered on a dry day? Why were the girls murdered on rainy days? How does Louise differ from all of this?

The moths. Any travel between the underground passage and aboveground causes people to be covered in moth scales. So, if you don't want to leave any hints or trails, they've got to be washed away.

Just a bit later, Aya is talking to Tsugaru about the blood splatter in a certain area in the cave.

Put two and two together, and what do you get? The way that Louise is discovered, and the way that this blood pattern came to be, they tell the story we're all thinking. Louise wasn't killed by a werewolf, but a gun. But the point still stands, why. I'm a fraction of a sliver of information away from putting it together, but I can't find what I need.

Regardless of my inability to solve the case, we get more info. Someone, something has been living in this cave, spending time there. On the wall "probation" is written above what Aya estimates at 550 tallies. There's certainly something being told with the affectations that litter the space, but I can't put them together.

Regardless of that though, I like this shot for two reasons.

1: Foreground obstruction that gives a feel of three dimensional space

2: Tsuguaru's head isn't in frame, but Aya's is. The point driven home is that Tsugaru is Aya's body, while Aya is Tsguaru's brain. Fun little detail for sure.

And then, of course, there's Alma, whos' now confirmed to be dead, but in a way that differs from the other two. One human girl dead, one werewolf girl dead, and one werewolf masquerading as a human dead. All of them with blonde hair. I don't quite have an answer for this either, but it certainly must play into the mystery at large.

Alright, lets speed things along then, shall we? Humans vs werewolves. Is it the end goal of Jutte? Driven out of the werewolf village with her mother, hunted down like animals by humans. Neither side showing affection to the girl forsaken by both. Could she really be doing this to get the two villages to annihilate the village? It's possible, and I guess we'll find out in the next episode, but I wanted to share this image.

A moon died orange, almost glowing as if it were on fire. An intentional mixture of the two aspects that have defined each village so far.

So, like I said, village vs village. An all out brawl spurred on by the "insurance" brokers that brought the humans down to the werewolf village. I think it's a little bit wonky, but surprisingly well animated. The ideas are creative, the actual animation itself is solid, but the boards and movement itself can certainly be odd. Shows a lot of ambition, and even the ability to back it up, but not the experience necessary to execute on it. Certainly has my hopes up for the finale episode though.

Alright, my last piece, more of that moth stuff. It seems like those moths might have been able to have an affect on the humans. Not a guarantee by any means, but just feels like something that might be possible considering how much effort's gone into showing those scales on them.

Okay I lied, this is the last piece. I'm really unsure now of the point of this blur. Before it was all on the noses of characters, but in this cut it's shown to effect the right side of Vera's body?

All in all, the stage has been set in wonderful fashion. Certainly a better episode than the prior, but still withholding all of its cards so that it can play them all in one go next week. A mountain of details and information that's just waiting on that final piece to complete itself, and a mountain of kickass and exciting fights waiting. I absolutely can't wait to see what comes of it.

[refriedrambles]

Okay! Note for Gir Goes Crazy and Stuff

The voot changes size between shots, but it's definitely bigger then it's normally portrayed in general

GIR does love his animals

And back to the yelling

"Cows are my friends," whispering into Zim's ear like a little creep. "I don't like you." Coming in hard here Zim.

Operation Dookie isn't a bad plan, but I like how Zim's not realizing or upset about his name being synonymous with shit

Ooo a glimpse into GIR's head. Dancing weenies. How much of this is tv poisoning his brain and how much of this is being wired different

Okay so Zim's quite literally covered in shit on the way back I can get why he's so pissed, but he's keeping it mostly together

Did Zim make the behavioral modulator? Is it based off an existing piece of equipment?

"No more distractions GIR. Attack the human! This time on a dangerously high setting" Like lethal force or is this behavior modulator potentially damaging to GIR at the setting it's on now? Zim? Zim???

He keeps up the duties even after being forced into duty mode. Which is an interesting bit only because he always snaps out of duty mood when doing random shit. He can't shift gears here and I think that's what the eye twitch is about at the end of this scene. That energy's still building up and he can't effectively release it

Even in duty mood he's keeping up the yays and shit. He's being force to be serious and profession and he's still struggling

Zim's so excited when he thinks he fixed GIR and just loses all momentum.

Oh Squid Cop my favorite background human (Squid Cop for best henchmen 2023!)

GIR has so much info on humanity, he probably would have told Zim that was a cop car in his normal mode and still chased after it (with less damage in the process)

Zim is no longer keeping it together

Throws cop to the ground tied up in his own seat belt, "I have captured the enemy for meat testing. Praise me! PRAISE ME!!!" posing the entire time. He is copying Zim's behaviors here

Squid Cop point out aliens and begging for his life in the most cliche, but also some how funny way. "Please! I have a house and children and pets and a toilet- toilet children."

"Make silence now human." is a perfect line and no one can convince me otherwise

Zim experimenting on random children in his free time checks out. Why the happiness centers of his brain specifically? No one, but Nick will know

"With all due respect, you must know the SIR unit code enables freewill in the event that the mission is threatened. This police human was a threat." Very very interesting line here but dude this whole interaction is great.

"You dare tell ME what I already know?!" "Did you know that?" Zim's gonna popped a blood vessel and just lashes out with "Your legs are stupid!" cause he still thinks GIR isn't gonna get it if he tries to explain that yes in fact he did know that

This is all ignoring the fact that said police human would not have been a threat if Zim hadn't ordered GIR to check out the noise or if GIR had put on his disguise before he jumped outside

Duty mode GIR is still just as defective as before

Look the problem in this episode is even after Zim traps GIR in a state of focus that is highly stressful for the bot continues to treat him like he's stupid and he isn't really to begins with. Normally he'd be able to move on let the insults and slights slide off of him, but now. Now he's forced to focus on them. Let them linger in his head because his programming is forcing him to. Especially given who's saying it. He goes into duty mode when he's given orders. Zim's words carry a lot of weight for the bot even if he might not want them too

Zim's probably heard all this shit thrown at him countless times, it's his norm, he knows how to cope. GIR does not

You just don't like him my guy. He's not wrong that switching this guy's brain is in fact a huge waste of time, but he IS being more of a dick then usual

Like GIR's fighting himself on calling Zim here sir and I definitely think it's more because of how he's being treated then what Zim's actually doing. GIR gathering intel from broadcasts isn't even a bad idea even if he was actually functional. In his normal state it kinda good idea, it keeps GIR occupied and away from what Zim might be working on. But like its also why he knows way more about earth and humans then Zim does. It's what typically works the best

GIR's "purpose" and him feeling like his potential is being wasted, who's that remind me of?

I feel like I've done notes on this episode before and came to a very strong (to me at least) conclusion, that I'm now very bias towards and that is likely tainting this batch of notes. But oh well

BUT LIKE AM I WRONG THO??? His threat assessment is off, he's running into things without necessarily thinking them thru (to the extent that the one thing he consistently remembers in his normal state, the dog suit, is completely forgotten), he needs praise, HE DEMANDS PRAISE, he's using the same insult Zim threw at him, everything is about the mission! But nothing is REALLY about the mission. There's this need to prove himself worthy of existence and Zim's attempts to alter and change GIR likely isn't that different to the robot to the threat of deletion. Something as flawed as Zim thinking GIR is broken must mean something is seriously wrong, right? The blow up, the frustration, and turning on Zim? That's self preservation. I don't think GIR hates Zim anymore then Zim hates GIR in this. And I don't believe Zim hates GIR, he might view him as a nuisance, or an obstacle, or even a test, but he could simply just shut the robot down. You know, if he did hate him

Zim is soft underneath everything. Specifically towards his minions, but he doesn't know how to treat them, because no one's treated him right

GIR's fear is being expressed as frustration and rage in the same way Zim typically presents his if he can help it. But there is absolutely some resentment towards Zim from how he's being treated too

I'm going in circles here

This is a stupidly high tech library

"I'm sorry, you have two disks overdue. We'll have to confiscate your retinas." The most annoyingly pretentious laugh leading into a "hmmn" as GIR beats down the door. Lady's got the biggest smile the whole time. Love this line

Her. Unhinged legend. She just goes with it.

This show is perfect. And I especially love the minor characters in this episode

Poor Squid Cop and his existential crisis. (Squid Cop for best henchmen 2023!)

Zim is just like 'I'm a cop now. No one can stop me.' Then immediately 'wtf happened here?!'

GIR is curious to begin with combined with the mission directive and his copying of Zim's behaviors, none of this is a surprise. I really like that he's still using Zim verbiage.

Squid cop just immediately trying to help Zim when he's asked is wonderful

You can't just curse snacks Zim! It goes against everything the Tallest stand for!

WHO SAVED THE DAY?! WHO STOPPED ZIM FROM BEING VIOLENTLY MURDERED BY GIR?! HMMM?! HMMMMMMMMM?!!?!?! (shaking you wildly)

But I do think when GIR says he didn't like being Zim's servant he meant that at least in the moment. Mostly from the stuff he experience while stuck in duty mode, but likely from some stuff before that too. Zim doesn't treat GIR right. I know. He knows too, to some extent, he typically backs off if there are tears because that's how he knows he went too far. But I also think Duty mode was forcing GIR to focus on the negatives, the imperatives and the mission directives. The only fulfillment his code was allowing was that which aligned with his "purpose".

We were robbed of the galactic space battle with Squid Cop. (Squid Cop for best henchmen 2023!) It's truly a crushing blow for humanity. I sob at night thinking of what could have been...

Idk man these are rough notes. A little more polished then normal, but I still haven't really put my thoughts together

Zim keeps his word more often then I'd really expect him to

And I love how Squid Cop turns purple

bye

[elliepassmore]

The Dangerous Ones review

4.5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, vampires, dual POVs, historical fantasy

Big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW slavery, whipping, mentions of SA

This book definitely has an interesting premise. The Civil War, but if vampires and Saints (i.e., supernaturally strong and fast vampire hunters) were a thing. I thought it was an interesting take and I liked seeing how the different fantasy elements got woven into the existing history. This world ended up being more expansive than just vampires, Saints, and humans, and it would've been interesting to explore the other groups as well but there's not really room for it (but note, I would be interested in exploring them...maybe with Gus and Jules).

As it is, we get a good amount of info about the vampires and Saints. Vamps seem to be a pretty Eastern European thing, though I think they do come from other European locations as well. They're sensitive to sunlight, holy water will burn them, and a wound from a silver weapon will never heal. Saints are pretty much the perfect enemies of vampires. They're stronger and faster than the average human and tire out less easily. When a Saint knows what they are and has proper training, they're a formidable foe against vampiric enemies. Even without training they can pose a threat, as Jerusalem shows in the opening chapter. Saints seem to pretty specifically hunt vampires and we actually see them working alongside other supernatural creatures in the book as allies.

Jerusalem has escaped slavery and is now fighting with other Saints in the Union army, with her sights set both on liberation and revenge. She's filled with rage about what happened to her and her family, and she uses that to focus her skills as she trains and fights. Understandably she doesn't trust a lot of people, but the people she does trust are people she is thoroughly loyal to. It's clear that she cares deeply and has a strong protective streak, and part of the way that shows up is through fighting the Confederacy and vampires.

Alexei is a vampire who signed on to help the Union army and in particular helps the Saints take down other vampires. He has his own demons to face from earlier in his life in Eastern Europe, demons tied directly to his vampirism. While he eagerly fights against slavery and clearly states his disgust for the practice on more than one occasion, he has more mixed emotions about newly turned vampires, as he's aware that not all of them have chosen that life, which at times puts him at odds with the Saints. We get to see his softer side on multiple occasions and it's clear he's warm-hearted at his core, even if he is, quite literally, ice cold.

While Jerusalem and Alexei are set up to seem to already be in love (though unknowingly on Jerusalem's part) when the book opens, I do feel like we get a bit of instalove going on. Alexei is clearly in love with Jerusalem but holds off because he doesn't want to lose her as a friend (also the fact that he's a vampire and she's not, lol), but it takes Jerusalem much longer. She even tries to kill the guy 24hrs before she admits she loves him! I have a hard time believing that someone like Jerusalem would so quickly have an about-face. While her attempts to kill him were in the heat of a very emotionally intense moment, it doesn't change the fact that up until nearly the end of the novel, Jerusalem worries Alexei will try to feed on her. That doesn't really scream love to me. I don't mind the romance, they do work well together, but I would've liked to see some of that resolved prior to their confessions (or at least prior to them fully getting together).

I have to say, I was cackling at the descriptions for white people. They were absolutely hilarious and I think it's a funny way to call out (and contrast with) the ways Black and brown characters' skin tones are often described in books. I also think it's interesting linguistically since it creates a Black-normative perspective in the novel.

This book is pretty fast paced and fairly action-packed. While there are moments when Jerusalem and/or Alexei have to stop for resting or planning, a lot of the book is filled with either strategy or fighting in some form. I definitely flew through this book and its fast pace makes it a nice, quick read. The ending is very satisfying as well.

Overall I enjoyed this book and found it to be a good, fast-paced vampiric read. I did find it a bit predictable at times, but I don't think it's trying to be a book with a ton of plot twists, so it doesn't impact the story.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.162 thoughts

[Dad of the Year]

Think I spoke too soon with the “it makes you look stupid” comment last week, not because this chapter proves me wrong, but actually because it proves me so so right

There’s really no dignified way to say the word diaper, I think, and admitting that the he put his all into being a good dad specifically to keep up his end of the deal with Fuuko really does make him look like a bit of a fool. And it’s great

In the previous loop, Feng’s single-minded obsession with being the strongest pushing him to make decisions that actively hurt others made him a bit of a flat character. Not a bad or boring one, mind you, just kind of...one note. It was only when Shen posed the question of whether or not Feng saw him and his sister as family that some real nuance began to arise, as I mentioned in another post last week

Now we see pretty much immediately that, yes, they definitively are a family, albeit a dysfunctional and likely toxic one, with Feng openly resenting Shen and Mei for their part in preventing him from living the life he wants to. However, just like he came back to help Shen at the end of Loop 100, it’s pretty easy to guess that Feng’s arc will end with the realization that raising Shen actually not only benefited him in the long run, but was also emotionally fulfilling

The most important lesson for Feng to learn in this arc is that his view on individual strength is wrong, which we know not only because he’s a villain, but because that’s literally what Undead Unluck is about. With very few exceptions, every fight in Undead Unluck has been either one vs. 2+ or team vs. team, the most notable one-on-one’s being Andy vs. Billy or Fuuko vs. Void. Even Fuuko vs. Feng wasn’t really one-on-one, as her Unluck brought UMA Heat into the mix. Fuuko and Shen working together to stop the attack that killed him in the previous loop perfectly demonstrates exactly this concept, further setting up this arc’s theme of teamwork and interpersonal growth

Interestingly, Feng has never had a proper one-on-one on screen, and likely didn’t learn his lesson about the strength of the group vs. the individual because he was defeated by a group; “weaklings banding together,” one might say. To him, the fact that he lost doesn’t mean his philosophy was wrong, just that he hadn’t trained enough to be capable of defeating a group. To prove that individual strength isn’t everything, Feng ironically and counterintuitively likely needs to be beaten in a one-on-one match

If I’m right, this is the entire point of Fuuko’s statement at the end of the chapter: that with her help, Shen is going to gain the individual strength to overcome Feng. Shen and Feng’s final battle will be one-on-one and prove that Shen is stronger, but Shen will have attained that individual strength not through training in isolation, but by learning lessons from experiences with others. Feng can still value his own strength, but the method through which he will strive to improve his strength will be changed by what he sees in this tournament

I also said last week that this tournament won’t just be a showcase of Negators beating down non-Negators and that the tournament itself would be truncated in some way to focus on the Negators specifically. I’m now seeing how Tozuka likely plans to handle that: Shen is almost certainly going to face each of the participating Union members sequentially, learning something new from facing each of them, possibly with some kind of sage advice from Fuuko in the interim. Imagine Vegeta vs. Cabba from Dragon Ball Super, but without the immediate beatdown to show the vast power difference

I am really hoping that Shen won’t steal too much of the spotlight from Yusai, though, cus this definitely seems like a good opportunity for us to see more of her character. I imagine it will go something like Fuuko giving Yusai advice on how to fight Shen in a way that will help him grow by the end without actually throwing the fight, and either she’ll be pushed further than expected and feel like she’s not going to be able to give him a helpful experience OR she’ll trounce him and worry that she’s a bad teacher unable to fulfill Fuuko’s request; either way, she’ll likely draw inspiration from some of her father’s teachings, using them to keep up with Shen or inspire him to take a new approach

Void and Billy will likely do something along the same line, though probably more along the line of overwhelming Shen. I’m particularly excited to see Shen vs. Void specifically, as it will create a very interesting parallel to their initial introduction as partners in back in ch.2! They didn’t have much development at the time, of course, but the contrast will certainly make for a fun chapter or two!

As for Shen’s motivations here, we can all agree it’s for Mui, right? We know they’re poor, so he almost definitely wants the money to help take care of her and her brother; maybe we’ll actually learn the brother’s name this time!

Naturally, I could be wrong and we might actually see Fuuko fight Billy or Yusai herself here, which would certainly be interesting, I just don’t think it would contribute to Shen’s development much, which is definitely the focus of this arc. Whatever happens next chapter will most likely establish the flow of the arc going forward

See y’all next week!

[animebw]

If you asked me to describe the appeal of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, it would be this: it feels like it was written by a kid.

Admittedly, that sounds like a backhanded compliment. And in some sense, perhaps it is. But for better or worse, no other story, in any medium, so perfectly captures the feeling that it was brought to life specifically by a child’s active imagination. Hell, even saying it was “written” by a child feels too concrete a description. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is like one of those colossal, ongoing make-believe sessions you’d dream up with your friends on the playground, a story you would all craft together on the fly as you pretended to be heroes and villains and wield whatever nonsensical powers you could dream up. I shoot you with my energy laser! Nu-uh, my magic vampire ice powers make me immune to lasers! Oh yeah? Well I punch you with my magic punching ghost who can also stop time! Not so fast, I also have a magic punching ghost but when he punches things, he heals them! And you just keep going, making up new characters, new powers, new settings and new stories to tell within them, coming back day after day to continue the ongoing saga with second and third and fourth generations of your own make-believe heroes. Plus there’s a lot of pointless gross-out humor because you’re all like seven or eight and some dude almost being forced to lick a dirty toilet seat is still the height of comedy.

That is the appeal of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. That is the special sauce that makes this series truly one-of-a-kind. Yes, all long-running shonen are written for kids to some extent, but only Jojo’s truly captures that primal, lizard-brain euphoria of seeing your actual childhood imagination play out before your eyes. And while that style is responsible for all this franchise’s weaknesses and lowest points as well, it provides a niche that simply is not being filled by anything else. If you want to revisit that very specific feeling of being a kid and making up grand stories with your friends, in the days before you were fettered by the expectations of professional writing and could just let your imaginations run free, then Hirohiko Araki’s almost-four-decade-long magnum opus is by far your best option. Who knows, maybe Araki actually is immortal and his childlike whimsy has remained immortal with him. It would explain a lot, honestly.

I bring all this up to put my own feelings toward Jojo’s in context. I like Jojo’s. At times, I love Jojo’s. But when I see so many Jojo’s fans who treat it like gospel, who attack anyone who enjoys it the wrong way (*cough* let people watch parts in whatever order they want *cough*), who embody all the worst aspects of toxic, possessive fandom, and I just can’t help but think... really? This? This, of all franchises, is what you’ve chosen to devote your entire personality to defending? The show that, again, feels like it was written by an actual child? This is the show we’re treating like holy text and excommunicating people for daring to criticize it or see it from a different perspective? Like, guys, come on. This is the show where Araki forgetting how powers work or retconning stuff he no longer likes is literally a running fandom joke and some of y’all losers still treat it like this sacred cow that must not be defiled on pain of death. Get over yourselves already.

Anyway, my point is, as much as I’ve enjoyed Jojo’s, I have never once taken Jojo’s seriously.

Until Stone Ocean.

Stone Ocean is the first time that Jojo’s has felt like an actual fully realized story. Not just a collection of especially dynamic poses or an often logic-less stream of consciousness, but filtering all that insanity through a narrative with genuine stakes, with characters who genuinely grow and change, all building to one of the single most bonkers endings to any anime ever that nevertheless feels like a more meaningful conclusion than any other Jojo’s has managed. It’s so good it honestly makes all the previous parts look worse by comparison. You’re telling me we could’ve had the lovable cast of Diamond is Unbreakable with a plot that doesn’t wait half the season to show up? You’re saying we could’ve had the sheer propulsive energy of Golden Wind with a protagonist who has an actual arc and presence in the story? You mean all this time, Jojo’s could have channeled its childhood-imagination stream of consciousness into a genuinely compelling story without losing that free spirit at its core? Araki took thirteen goddamn years to figure out how to actually write, but the result is so goddamn entertaining it’s hard to care. Stone Ocean is peak Jojo’s, and until Steel Ball Run comes along to show us anime-onlys why it’s apparently the single greatest work of art to ever exist, Jolyne Cujoh will remain the queen of this ridiculous franchise for quite some time to come.