#It feels incredible to have nearly perfected the design of a character!

[wevelocityteampresents-blog]

Some reference images I made in MS Paint while I was taking a break from my school work.

Kouperé is Togero’s new name. It’s a corruption of “Le couperet”. (French for “the blade” or “the chopper”.)

[lurkingshan]

The Miracle of Teddy Bear Saved the Gays

Last weekend, both @twig-tea and I had time off and were in the mood to binge something, so Twig suggested we finally watch The Miracle of Teddy Bear. Both of us had missed it while it was airing live (because it didn’t have international distribution) and had been given the impression by others that it had a sad ending that included some anti-queer messages. It was also very long, so we were not exactly rushing to get to it. But we are stubborn and like to judge things for ourselves, so we decided since we had the time and the show was now available, we should jump in. And imagine our surprise when we found out everything we had been told about it was wrong (we have our theories about why). This is one of the best queer dramas we have ever seen, with phenomenal acting, writing, and direction, and we have so much to say about it. The post that follows is co-written by the two of us. Strap in, folks, because it’s a long one.

If you haven’t seen this show yet and don’t want any spoilers, stop reading this right now and head over to YouTube, where international fans can now watch it for free with English subtitles. We’re going to go deep on the show below, and because this drama is designed to slowly reveal information in a very deliberate way, nearly everything counts as a spoiler. We’ll try not to give too much away in the early sections, but be warned!

The Story

The Miracle of Teddy Bear is the tale of a deeply traumatized gay man in desperate need of healing, and the teddy bear who comes to life to help him. In the process of taking care of his person, our bear uncovers deep family trauma and many secrets and lies, accidentally solves crimes, makes lots of friends, heals a family, and saves several lives. He is a very good bear, and through this adventure he contemplates his own existence, learns how to be human, and discovers what it means to truly love someone. 

This is primarily a family drama with important things to say about queer truth, and while it includes several bl storylines, it is not a romance. Intertwined with the family drama is a bl show within the show and a series of interrelated mysteries that slowly get unraveled as the story goes on. One of the things this show does best is parcel out information from various perspectives at the perfect time to keep the viewer one step behind—we found ourselves constantly almost guessing what the show was going to do next, but it always chose a direction a little to the left and surprised us in the best way. 

In the end, every question we asked was answered, and every time we thought a character’s motivation felt a little too shallow, we were given more. The experience of watching this show was deeply satisfying and really made us feel seen. This show gets us. 

The Characters

The Bear: Tofu

Tofu is the titular teddy bear who comes to life via drama magic and does his best to support his person. He starts the series incredibly innocent, and the show and his actor, Inn Sarin, do an incredible job of depicting the change in him as he lives life as a human, becoming more complex and less naive. Tofu is the heart of the show, and it is his love and kindness that enable the growth of the other characters in this story. 

The Core Family: Nut, Na, and Kuenchai

Nut is our protagonist, and his struggles with life as a gay man are the soul of this story. He lives with his mom, Na, and their dog, Kuenchai, and Tofu is his beloved teddy bear. Yes, Nut is a cranky ass grown man with a beloved teddy bear. It will make sense eventually, we promise. Nut is a bl novelist working through old trauma via adapting his work for the screen. Na is a woman who has been Going Through It, and while we start the story with only the vague sense that something is not quite right with her, we spend a lot of time on her history as well as her growth in the present until we get the full picture. The way Nut and Na’s stories are tied together gets to several of the core themes of this show (discussed more below). 

The Sides: Gen, Song, Prib, and the nosy neighbors

Our cast of friends and allies who support Nut and Tofu and have romantic trials and tribulations of their own. Without giving too much away, we’ll just say this: all of these characters have satisfying arcs, and some of them may have caused us to squeal in delight. 

Specters of the Past: Neung and Tarn

Telling you literally anything about them is a major spoiler so just know they are here and they are important and you will fully understand why and how by the end. Oh yeah, and Neung looks exactly like Tofu (or should we say Tofu looks like Neung?) for Reasons (which are explained! We love this show).

Villains: Saen, Sib, Jan, and Parit

Expect these four to show up often and cause a lot of trouble. Their motives and exact crimes are revealed over the course of the show.

Other Elders: Anik, Juea, Kanya and Sittha

They are mostly here to serve a few key plot functions and represent a spectrum of parental figures (related by blood and not) and acceptance of queerness.

And we cannot forget: The inanimate objects

In this show, inanimate objects can come to life under a certain set of magical conditions, and they are Tofu’s friends and helpers along the way. Some of their stories are shockingly touching! They also add some needed levity to the show, especially the grumpy ones. Special shoutout to the cactus and the spare blanket, our crime solving MVPs. We have to admit, the animation for these took a bit of getting used to, but within a couple of episodes we were cheering these creepy blinking eyes on. 

The Themes

And here is where we start to get into spoiler territory about specific character arcs. This show had so many clear and well-articulated themes, and they stayed consistent throughout the story.

Queer people can be happy

This is stated explicitly as well as demonstrated through multiple storylines: gay men can love each other, have good relationships and fulfilling sex lives, and get their happy endings. Those who argue that people should fight against their queerness because it will make their lives harder and keep them from happiness are not just wrong, they have it backwards. 

Queer people can only be happy by living their truth

This is perhaps the main thesis of this show, and it comes across in so many ways over the arc of the story. We see this theme exemplified in particular through Nut, Tarn, Song, and Gen, with each of them representing different versions of the queer experience that shape who they are and how they show up in the world. Even before the story tells you, it’s clear what kind of experiences each has had from his relationship to his own queerness and his general demeanor and outlook on life. Nut has survived an abusive homophobic father, and that shows up in his anger, his self-protective rejection of others, and his struggle with emotional regulation. Gen has been raised by loving and accepting parents who support his choices in all ways, and this shows in his good humor, balanced perspective, and confidence to be himself. When we say good media should show, don’t tell us its point, this is a fantastic example of what that means. 

Accept and love your queer children or pay the price

Relatedly, this story is very interested in the consequences for parents who fail their queer children, and explores a whole spectrum of acceptance from enthusiastic support to negligent ambivalence to misguided suppression to violent bigotry. We see so many different parents and parental figures react to learning about their gay sons and gain insight into them by how they respond—and only the ones who manage to get it together to love and support their kids get to keep their families. Critically, the adults who fail their queer children are convinced they’re acting in their best interests at the time, and we are along for the ride as the redeemable ones go through the stages of first admitting they were wrong but still thinking their intentions justify the pain they caused to fully acknowledging the damage they have done and making amends. 

Be patient with others, you never know what they’ve been through

That said, the show also invites us to stop and consider what might be behind aberrant behavior before judging it. Tofu is unfailingly patient with others, and even with the worst people in this story, he always seeks to understand why they are behaving a certain way before giving up on them. The show slowly and methodically reveals information that recontextualizes things we thought we understood and encourages us to keep digging for empathy and missing context. People in this story behave very badly and make a lot of mistakes, but a lot of it becomes more understandable once you have the full picture.

Unprocessed trauma will prevent you from healing and cause you to perpetuate harm on others

Speaking of bad behavior, so much of what’s wrong in this story is driven by unprocessed trauma of one sort or another. Nut’s anger is at its core a deep hurt from being betrayed by the person he trusted most to be on his side. Na’s refusal to live in reality causes her to continue to hurt herself and her son. Saen’s denial about his own actions leads to far-reaching consequences he could not imagine. And the healing process depicted in the show is not linear; people who have made mistakes in the series make them more than once and advance and regress as the situation around them changes. 

People are responsible for their own actions and inactions

And while the show is clear that trauma is the source of the bad behavior of these characters, it is also clear that this is not an excuse. Everyone in this story is held to account for the things they do, as well as the things they don’t, no matter how understandable their reasons are. The people who refuse to heal face serious consequences in addition to seeing the damage their unprocessed trauma causes others. 

Noble idiocy leads to everyone being unhappy

One of the biggest sources of said unprocessed trauma in this story is characters making self-sacrificial choices for the ostensible benefit of others and bringing misery to everyone in the process. We love a drama that recognizes noble idiocy for the selfish and destructive act it truly is and clearly says you have to communicate with your loved ones if you don’t want to make a mess of everyone’s lives.

You can’t appease an abuser

No amount of hiding who you are or making yourself small will convince an abuser to treat you better or guarantee your safety. This theme is most obvious in the main storyline between Nut, Sib, and Na, but Jan is another example of a manipulative and emotionally abusive character who other characters continually try to play nice with, to no avail. She takes every opportunity to be cruel, whether the person she’s talking to is kind or combative in return. The show reinforces that abusers will always find an excuse to justify their behavior; changing yourself for them is pointless. 

Love is wanting the best for someone, even if that means letting go 

This is really the show’s core point where romance is concerned: being with you may not actually be what is best for the person you love, and if your love is true you have to accept that. The people who could not see this—Saen and Jan—were the ones who continued to cause harm to their loved ones and themselves, while the characters who honestly worked towards the happiness of their beloveds even if that happiness was not with themselves—Tofu, Tarn, and eventually Prib—were rewarded by seeing that happiness play out and ended our story truly content. The MVP of this theme is Tofu, whose pure teddy bear love for his person became more complicated and selfish as he became more human. But in the end, he held to the truth at his core that Nut’s happiness was his happiness.

You can have more than one great love, and one doesn't tarnish the others

Which brings us to one of the most beautiful takeaways from this show, and something that dramas so rarely do well. Nut loves two different men, neither more than the other, and he never chooses between them. They both hold important meaning in his life and he honors that whether they are with him or not. When Nut is with Tofu, he remembers his past love with fondness but he is clear that these memories do not make his love for Tofu any less real. A lesser show would have had those moments where Nut was thinking about his past cause him to distance himself from Tofu. But in this show, Nut sharing his past and working through his lack of closure was when he and Tofu had some of their closest and happiest moments together. This show is extremely clear that we can have happiness with more than one person over the course of our lives, and it is not only okay but encouraged! 

The Resolution

From here, we will be talking about the ending, and so by necessity will no longer be avoiding major spoilers. If you’re intrigued by the above and want to avoid being spoiled fully, stop now! One of the things that is so brilliant about this show is the way information is slowly revealed, so if you think you would like this show we recommend experiencing it for yourself. If you’re still not convinced and need to know the ending before you decide, read on. 

In our view, this story ends exactly as the show signals it will from the very beginning—and the way it should—and the ending is unambiguously a happy one. Tofu realizes that he and Tarn’s life forces are tied together, that it was Tarn going into his coma that caused him to awaken, and that as long as he continues to live as a human, Tarn will not recover. We and the characters have come to love Tofu in his guise as a human, but the truth is he does not belong there—he is a teddy bear, and for him to stay by robbing an actual human being of their life would be wrong. The story took pains throughout to show us how tenuous and restricted Tofu’s existence is, because he is not a real person and thus can’t live a full life (for example, he can’t get a job or safely leave the house because he doesn’t have documentation or any life experience). We also see Tofu struggle so much with the added complexities of the human experience that he becomes ill with overwhelm multiple times. He repeats to us through the whole story that all he really wants is to be a comfort to Nut. While he finds value and joy in being human, it does not change who he is at his core. And so he allows himself to be poisoned by Jan, sacrificing his human existence to bring Tarn back and exposing Jan and Saen’s crimes in the process. 

With this decision, the other characters get the chance to mourn him and move on. Nut grieves, finally makes the connection between human and teddy bear Tofu, goes to therapy (!), makes peace with his mother, and writes his love story with Tofu as his next show. Tarn wakes up and begins his recovery, and he and Nut slowly reconnect and rekindle their relationship over time. Na finds joy in her lucid moments and enjoys time with her family, finally free of the hell Saen and Sib unleashed on her life. Gen and Song get their happy ending with acceptance from Song’s dad, and Prib’s fixation on gay men becomes clear when her new female love interest enters the scene (let’s go, lesbians!). We get confirmation that the nosy neighbors are, in fact, an elder gay couple. Even Kuenchai and some of the inanimate objects have character arcs! Kuenchai is instrumental in making sure Nut is reunited with bear Tofu, and we get to see a slipper gain some independence from her other half and a grumpy bolster cuddle in to comfort her people when they need it.

We end our story with several happy families who love their gay children and a call for marriage equality via Nut and Tarn deciding to marry whether it’s legal or not. Tofu is a bear again but his human life is very much not forgotten—Nut speaks to him every day, honors the love they shared, and talks about him openly with Tarn. And we even hear from Tofu again, see a final moment between him and Nut in a beautiful dream, and are reassured that Tofu is happy to still be with Nut in his original form and to see him living so well. It’s everything he wanted, and he made it happen. He truly is the very best bear.  

The Purpose

We wanted to take some space to get a little extra meta and talk about why this show matters so much in the broader queer media landscape. First, it was a landmark queer television event in Thailand—please read this post by @flowerbeasblog to get the background on its significance in the cultural landscape. This show was broadcast very intentionally to educate and send a message to a broader audience in Thailand than is typically reached via bl dramas. And that’s why understanding and taking its themes seriously is so very important.

This is a story that is deeply rooted in queer truth, written by a queer man who wants people like him to be seen and understood. The show puts forward an unapologetically pro-gay message on broadcast television (on a major national network! during primetime! that does not shy away from the sexual component of queer love!) and embeds important political commentary in a fantastic and engaging story in a format familiar and comfortable for the Thai audience. It’s not meant to be received as a romance, and its nuanced and mature take on love and relationships is certainly not designed for ship wars. The writer even turns directly to the camera and underlines this in the final episode: while he respects the importance of bl in the media landscape, he has a bigger agenda in mind for this show and important things to say.

And that’s why some of the discourse around this show is so frustrating. A small portion of international fans who watched this show live seemed to misunderstand it deeply and created such a false impression of it that it caused others to stay away. Contrary to some of the takes out there, this show does not have a sad ending, Tofu’s resolution is not remotely anti-queer, and there is no woman who ends up with Nut (we are so confused that this was anyone’s interpretation; Nut at every age and several times within the show explicitly shouts about how very extremely gay he is). To see this story as a tragedy because Tofu “dies”—which he doesn’t; his human body disappears but he returns to being a conscious and content teddy bear—is to misunderstand Tofu’s character journey, his narrative purpose, and his agency. We can only assume that shipping got in the way of comprehension here, and people who wanted to see human Tofu and Nut end up together focused on that to the exclusion of pretty much everything this show was saying and doing.

At the end of this story, Tofu is happy. To think that Nut was better off with Tofu than with Tarn is to not allow for the complexities of human experience; Nut did love Tofu, but he loved Tarn, too, and their relationship was a positive force in his life both before and after Tofu entered it. And Tarn was an actual gay human man in a coma who could not wake up while Tofu existed. Tofu was the creation of Tarn’s love for Nut; his existence was limited, and he found being a human extremely difficult. All Tofu wanted was to be Nut’s teddy bear and stay with Nut forever. He wanted Nut to be happy, because Tarn wanted Nut to be happy, and during his time as a human he worked to enable that happiness. He was instrumental in moving forward several stuck characters and uncovering many secrets, all of which were necessary for Nut to get to where he ends up at the end of the show. Being in a relationship with Nut was a bonus. He enjoyed the experience of being in love with Nut, but in the end he chose to sacrifice his human life so that Nut could have a permanent, lasting happiness with someone who was real. Tofu’s human death is not an example of the bury your gays trope; in fact, it is a total rebuke of it. Tofu, and this show, saved the gay men in this story and gave them full and happy lives. We cannot recommend watching and supporting this show enough.

[takaraphoenix]

Oh and I am intrigued by the human alpha Stiles you mentioned! Let's say for 17 if that's not taken!

Tags: m/m, established relationship, Pack Mom Stiles, True Mates, Human Alpha Stiles, Erica Lives, Boyd Lives, Jackson Doesn't Leave, Pack Feels, fluff, m/f

Main Pairing: Derek/Stiles

Side Pairings: Scott/Allison, Boyd/Erica, Jackson/Lydia

Teen Wolf Characters: Mieczysław 'Stiles' Stilinski, Derek Hale, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd III, Isaac Lahey, Jackson Whittemore, Lydia Martin, Scott McCall, Allison Argent

@writersmonth Prompts: red + kitchen

Summary: It was a normal afternoon at the Hale House when Stiles first flashed his eyes Alpha red. And over something as stupid as when to salt pasta water.

This Story on FFNet | This Story on AO3

My Kitchen, My Rules

Stiles Summer Stories 2024

Stiles frowned as he walked into his kitchen. Yes, his kitchen. Two rooms in this house belonged to him and everyone else was just tolerated in them. Those were the kitchen and the library. And he earned those! The kitchen, because he had supplied all the sandwiches during the rebuilding of the Hale House, and once the house was half-way up, he had put his foot down and demanded them to do the kitchen second (after the bathroom, because peeing in the woods got old fast).

At the time, Stiles hadn't even noticed that Derek gave him full free reign on picking appliances and style, he took a total step back. He didn't think much of it, figuring that Derek just wasn't a fan of interior design. But when it came to the basement, to the living room, Derek took control. And then came the library, the library Derek put in specifically for Stiles, with all the books from the Hale vault. A ridiculously big and amazing courting gift that, again, Stiles didn't see as that at the time, because a library was something the entire pack benefited from.

The Hale Pack was growing and strengthening after taking down Gerard together, with Jackson joining them now that he was a wolf. Things were good. Stiles was happy. Until he started noticing changes, in the pack's behavior when it came to him. Listening to him, without protests – if he put force behind his words. They didn't just do anything he asked for, but if he commanded them, they obeyed. They also got much more tactile with him. And they broke into his bedroom near nightly, at least one beta would sneak into his room for comfort or advise or both.

It was when Stiles' own behavior changed that he realized what was going on though. Because he started to develop werewolf instincts. He'd growl and snarl, bare his teeth as though he had fangs, started scent-marking the betas, not out of copied behavior but out of genuine instincts.

His suspicion was confirmed by the Alpha Pack, who hadn't just come to torment a random, normal pack. No, they wanted the incredibly rare, valuable human Alpha in their pack. Granted, Stiles could have done without the latest big bad being the one to point it out. He would have preferred Derek with maybe chocolates or flowers, confessing his undying love to Stiles. But then that was unrealistic, considering all things traumatic and emotionally constipated.

So Stiles was the Alpha Mate and by being a human and the Alpha Mate, he'd started developing wolf instincts and Alpha abilities, when it came to the pack. It was rare, because usually when an Alpha found their mate in a human, they'd offer them the bite and the Alpha Mate became a wolf themselves. It was incredibly rare for the Alpha to let things run for this long without offering the bite. But then, that wouldn't change anything anyway. He didn't want to be a wolf.

Ever since they'd taken the Alpha Pack out, Stiles got to actually relish in his role – and also to enjoy the perks of new boyfriend. Beautiful, strong, sarcastic, growly boyfriend. Stiles was happy, was in a good place. Having his mate and their pack, the by now fully renovated Hale House that had quickly become a second home to him. Things were perfect.

Well. Nearly perfect, as he walked into his kitchen and found the betas make a mess. Allison was sitting on the counter, Scott between her knees and the two heatedly making out. No sex in Stiles' kitchen, that was one of the sanitary and sanity rules because if Stiles had to cook where he knew the unspeakable had happened, he'd only order take-out from hereon out. Lydia and Erica – also known as the most unqualified people to cook – were stirring something in a pot. Their respective boyfriends were fighting over the pot of water next to them. Isaac was setting the table (aka Isaac was the only one wise enough to only do allowed things in the kitchen).

Stiles brushed his hand over Isaac's neck and ruffled his curls, earning a pleased noise from the beta, as Stiles made his way over to the rest of the betas, a glare on his face.

"What do you think you're doing in my kitchen, you feral puppies?"

The pack froze and slowly turned toward him. Jackson had a salt-shaker in hand but Boyd was holding his wrist tight, holding it in place so he couldn't salt the water. They all looked like a weird still painting. Stiles' glare hardened, even as he started feeling a little queasy.

"We're making dinner, Batman," Erica perked up proudly.

"Whatever you are doing there is not edible," Stiles pointed at the pot. "There is a whole onion in there. It's not even peeled. Why would you… What compelled you… And you two! What are you doing fighting over the salt? What?"

"You salt the pasta water after boiling," Boyd frowned. "Salted water boils slower."

"That's stupid and Stiles always salts it before," Jackson growled annoyed.

The two betas started arguing loudly and shoving each other. He growled at the betas loudly.

"Shut up!" Stiles snarled. "In this kitchen, we salt before it boils, because we want the flavor in the water, besides, only large amounts of salt and much more heat would make that matter."

The betas gasped and actually whined at him, baring their throats and what. Lydia blinked at him, even as she stepped up to her own mate and took Jackson's hand, to stop him from gloating.

"Your eyes just flashed red, Stiles," Allison pointed out softly. "Alpha red."

Huh. Okay. So. That was new. Stiles blinked and swayed a little. Scott immediately rushed from Allison's side to grab him by the arm and ease him onto a chair, looking worried.

"We wanted to make dinner, since you're sick," Erica offered more softly this time.

Heaving a sigh, Stiles rubbed his face. Before he could lecture his disobedient puppies, the door opened and Derek walked in with a pile of pizzas higher than him. A small smile spread over Stiles' lips as the Alpha put the pizzas down and then immediately leaned down to try and kiss Stiles – just for Stiles to turn his face because he was sick, so Derek ended up kissing his cheek.

"I brought dinner, since you're not feeling well I figured we could have pizza."

"Yeah, you're not the only one who wanted to help with dinner," Stiles sighed.

He motioned at the betas and the stove, where whatever Erica and Lydia had made instead of a sauce was boiling over. They started cursing and took it off the stove, starting to clean up. Derek frowned as he took in the chaos, just to shake his head and grab Stiles, picking him up.

"You are sick, you need to rest, not to worry about the pups," Derek declared. "You, bed. And you lot, clean up this mess, I want the kitchen pristine before we even touch the pizzas."

At the betas' whines, Stiles sighed in defeat. "I do appreciate the sentiment. Thank you. But… never, ever touch anything in there again. My kitchen, my rules. Understood, pups?"

"Yes, mom," the betas chorused, only half in jest, making Stiles smile wryly.

~*~ The End ~*~

[front-facing-pokemon]

koraidon is my best friend. my beast. his name is sandwich and i never make him fight ever if he doesn't have to. i yelled at all the characters for insisting he fight. he's a special little sandwich boy.

well! i've. certainly missed out on a lot. let's get through all these

number one! sandwich is a perfect name for a koraidon. the special little sandwich boy

now, everything else:

i. only caught this after everybody ragged on me for not getting it. i dunno HOW i failed to pick up on this but, yes, i've got it now

actually, i was just about to make a proper post asking what i should do with the blog (since i queued up the final pokémon in the natdex yesterday) so i will keep this one on the list of suggestions (hopefully. if i don't then remind me and feel free to drop it in the comments of the post i make abt it)—although there is one option that's at the forefront of my mind..!

this killed me on the spot when i first got this ask. incredible. i queued up iron boulder a few days ago (obviously since i have queued up every single pokémon in the national pokédex by now) but this is funny. be proud

you did yes. that's some commitment. rather powerful especially since i don't think they can even breed. not sure if they can show up in outbreaks though

this is a theory i'm hearing about for the first time from all of you, and it's one that i do quite like. although saying "until you start thinking about it for half a second" feels like you're accusing me of not thinking about it for half a second? probably not but damn. ouch! either way i think this makes sense. i feel like it wasn't explained in game very well at all

POWER CREEP THE POKÉMON YEEEAAAAHh

oh i just call most pokémon "little guys." i quite like the phrase "little guy" and use it to describe most creatures

oh yeah. especially with all their names being nearly identical just "iron (noun)" i feel like their designs are super boring compared to the past paradox 'mons. makes me wish i got scarlet instead

i would, but i doubt tumblr will let me post them, for one, so you'd have to DM me—and for two, they're in trmdl format. whether or not you'd be able to actually manipulate them (or even render them) depends on the software you're using. your mileage may vary

and now, the many, many nose ratings i've missed:

PHEW!! that was a lot! if you're still here, you must be dedicated! if you're that dedicated, expect two posts coming up shortly: number one, a few fundraisers that were sent to my ask box that i wanted to give their own post to not mix it with the regular content. as far as i'm aware, they've all been vetted. and number two, perhaps later: the post asking what exactly i should do with this blog once we reach the end of the natdex. after i get enough suggestions on that post, i'll send out a big poll with the top contenders to truly decide WHAT becomes of this blog once pecharunt posts. thanks for sticking around for this wild ride!

[genopaint]

Week 19 of the Daily Dragon Challenge! Been having a busy May! Which isn't always a bad thing I suppose. But I've been slowing down on my Daily Dragon Duties. Gotta pick it up!!

As always you can follow me on twitter where they’re posted daily

And read more info on each of them below the cut

Daily Dragon #126 - Hothead

Happy 40th anniversary TMNT!! I've been wanting do draw Hothead, or just some TMNT dragon, for a bit now. Soooo, why not take advantage of the anniversary, right?

This is my own design inspired by a few different sources, mainly the action figure and tournament fighters' boxart and his in game sprite. There's a LOT more TMNT dragons than I think you realize, so dont be surprised if I do another one later

Daily Dragon #127 - Marci Midas

This dragon's main interests are: Gold, Golden things, looking richer than everyone else, and ignoring you. Maybe if you ask reeeeaaally nicely and give her presents she'll look in your general direction,

Saw all the really good gold week posts and the idea of like, a dragon that hordes gold wearing a golden bikini came to my mind so I thought I'd try making her. I'm not 100% satisfied with how it came out but I think the concept is hot enough, and she's already finish so- yeah

Anyway happy (late) gold week I suppose, I may try to do other clothing challenge dragons in the future but we'll see how I feel cause I have a hard time keeping up with all of them and I keep wanting to draw the Axel girls in them instead

Daily Dragon #128 - Mirage Wyrm

Those who are lost in large deserts and tundras, when stricken with exhaustion and dehydration, often see Mirage Wyrms approach them. Although they are strange 2D specters, they are physical manifestations and WILL consume you if you're weak

Daily Dragon #129 - Dojo Kanojo Cho

Missed yesterday's dragon and I feel like the perfect dragon for a late day is our boy Dojo! I feel like I don't talk about it nearly enough but I LOVE Xiaolin Showdown so much it's unreal. Don't be surprised if I do another dragon from it

tear down the false idol

Daily Dragon #130 - Naten Shellie Shieldheart

This character was a ton of fun to work on and I'm glad people trust me enough with non-animal characters to design their humanoid ocs lol Thanks for letting me include them in the challenge!

Daily Dragon #131 - Raptor Wyvern

These predators can tear through the air at incredibly high speeds, using their massive claws, they can strike at prey quick and swoops them up before the poor animal even realized what happened

Daily Dragon #132 - Huggogon

Large, kind, and fluffy dragons who just love love! They're very affectionate, love hugging, and are kind to everyone they encounter. Similar to Capybaras, they seemingly have no natural enemies

Quick redraw of a dragon I did at FWA LAST year. Figured it was the perfect chance to reboot them for this challenge! I also love the other two so dont be surprised if they get a redo eventually too

[moonlavenders]

I Hate Apple White

She’s awful. I don’t like Apple for a series of reasons. Her design is lovely and I like her voice but that’s all I really enjoy about her. By the way this is only about the show. I don’t know anything about the books but I heard they were good.

Apple’s Incredibly Selfish

Apple represents the privileged while Raven represents the underprivileged. I get that. It’s just, she doesn’t seem to change much, if at all. The whole story it just feels like she’s just being kind and sweet for her image. She seems to love her friends but not nearly as much as she loves herself. Apple was willing to have her supposed best friend live a horrible life just so she could live a life of perfection. Apple never felt like she got less selfish to me.

Apple was Never Appropriately Punished

Literally all Apple did was apologize and she was instantly forgiven. No one was apprehensive or upset after that. It’s one of my least favorite things when someone (fictional character or otherwise) does something awful says “I’m sorry” and is instantly forgiven. An example of where this was better handled was in Avatar: The Last Air Bender. Zuko apologized to the gaang and they didn’t forgive immediately. It took him proving that he was trustworthy and on their side for them to trust him. And even after that they still had individual episodes where they form a bond with him. And what Apple did was on a similar scale to what Zuko did. Apple freed the evil queen (basically a terrorist(which was an accident I’ll give her that)) and then aided her afterwards. The school didn’t punish her neither did the government.

The Fans Treat Her Like An Innocent Victim

They woobify her to hell and back. Yes her mom is bad. No that does not justify her actions. It’s like people believe that just because someone has trauma or family issues that they can’t be held accountable. They take away all of Apple’s agency and act like she was mind controlled into doing everything she did. Apple had free choice. While she was manipulated, she wasn’t forced. They’re just like “She’s just a sad misunderstood lesbian!” Or “Apple has a tough home life! She was just guided by what she was taught!” While the second argument is true. It doesn’t excuse her behavior in any way. An appropriate punishment would be suspension or even expulsion.

Miscellaneous Complaints and Opinions

Apple seems to have trouble seeing any perspective but her own. She doesn’t seem to understand Briar issue. Apple equates her destiny (to sleep for a few days before being woken up by her true love) to Briar’s (to sleep for a hundred years before being woken up by her true love)

Apple seems to care way more about her image and winning than her friends. She injured Darling playing the sport in Dragon Games. Apple likely got this from her mother.

I don’t think Apple should date anyone until she works on herself for a while (Two or three years)

[grunkulous]

some lazy gideon sketches. He’s so hard to draw btw, if you haven’t tried drawing him for yourself yet give it a go and come feel the pain with me.

WARNING: incoherent analysis rant below, proceed at your own risk!!!

I’ve been struggling with drawing him for a while now, especially his hair and face, and I’ve been thinking about how his design has probably changed the most out of everyone. His appearance has always been incredibly inconsistent, and while it used to irk me (mostly because it makes it hard to find reliable drawing references) I’ve come to have an appreciation for every variation, and I’m starting to realize why they exist at all.

I don’t think there will ever be a completed or finalized version of gideon’s design, and it has to do with his oddly contradictory and complex personality/character.

On one hand, he’s a manipulative, cunning, vengeful, smooth-talking maniac. He owns an incredibly successful media company, of all things, and is a total dick to almost everyone around him, showing little care for his allies. Yet he’s also a romantic obsessive who can’t handle a rejection and goes through the effort of forming an entire league to control ramona’s love life despite not really seeming to even know why he bothers at this point.

But at the same time… he’s also a huge nerd and a hopeless loser who watches anime and binges junk food in his spare time, who ends up yielding to the first woman more assertive than he is. He’s kind of ridiculous, to put it simply, and every iteration has its own interpretation of the character.

It’s very difficult to capture all sides of his character in one, singular design because truthfully, gideon is one of the more complex characters in the series, having such an odd array of characterics that somehow just work, yet are nearly impossible to display all at once.

I think the best design so far is still the comic book version, which has a good overall balance between nerdy, business and crazed lunatic, but I think every design so far has its own strengths to boast, none of them really feeling… complete? if that makes sense? There’s something to like in every version, yet none have contained his full character. There is no perfect look for him. My own version that i’ve drawn feels a little too… soft for my liking. I don’t know how to visually communicate everything at once. You can only get the full picture by looking at every iteration.

in conclusion, character design is fucking hard. I have a great respect for anyone who has to make characters for a living.

[aerithium]

FFXIV Endwalker Review!

*Spoilers Ahead*

★ Score: 10/10 ★ Date Finished: May 30th, 2024 ★ Final Thoughts: I'm not entirely sure words can describe how I feel about this expansion. I feel as though my haste to get through the expansion speaks volumes, completing one of the longer expansion in just over a week. This expansion is the (nearly) perfect finale to every single one that lies before it, there was no better way for this story to end, and begin again. The overall story flows perfectly, with very few moments of "low" energy. Each of its own quest lines serve greatly to the overarching story of the expansion, my favorite being the time the WOL spends with the ancients. To be there with characters that are once your enemies and allies, yet before they even know, creates strong emotions and the entirely seperate world is easy to fall in love with. The area designs overall are fucking phenomenal, each on is so different from the others and have their own beauties with in. The characters, both new and old, are so incredibly written a factor of media that means the most to me. I've felt this in the previous expansions but it seems to shine well here, each close ally of the player's is their individual person and they are all so different from one another. Such as the ways they talk to their allies, the player, and the choices they make during the expansion. The new characters recieve this treatment as well, and have great development across the expansion's story. My only problems with characters rely with the twin's father, who has a distinct moment that I felt didn't align with his overall writing as a character. The music in this expansion also utterly smashes the music from all the expansions before it. And I mean SMASH. Every song is so perfect for the moment in game that it plays, and the music is used in a way that truly amplifies the events that unfold in the story. The ending of the expansion leaves so much to look forward to without making anything feel incomplete, which solidifies the end of the current story arc but still leaves much to look forward to in the next expansion. I was seriously just blown away with this one. That's the only way I can put it. Following up to talk about the post Endwalker content, the story overall didn't have me as roped in but its rather hard to follow up the expansion that Endwalker is. The existing characters were still as great as ever (I'm lookin at you Estinien) and the newly introduced characters were very enjoyable. Zero's character development across the post-EW quests was really well done and you could slowly see her begin to make more sense of human feelings such as trust. The dungeons and trials were also fantastic, some being among my favorite in the game. The Dawntrail build up quests are small but they do a great job of ramping up the players hype for the coming expansion and feeds into the spontaneous nature of everything. This side content alongside post-EW (normal and alliance raids) were also really awesome, getting to spend more time in Elpis and meet more of our former enemies was just what I wanted and then to get to learn more of the Twelve. It was the perfect time to expand upon their existence after both Hydaelyn and Zodiark's defeat. Finally, the music is actually insane for these set of patches. I constantly found myself jamming out to the music in the new content I was doing. The post content has only further solidified my desire to give Endwalker the 10/10 it deserves.

[clavalanche]

Why 3D Animation feels shitty now - a janky rant

With all the talk about how shitty Megamind 2 looks Ive been really on a kick of rewatching a lot of 3D classics, and since doing so I’ve been simply blown away by the quality of these films. I recently rewatched Ice Age: The Meltdown; which was a favorite movie of mine as a kid, but by the standards of the time it was released, it wasn’t all that crazy. It got a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes (not that it matters), but comparing it to a lot of today’s 3D features it’s nearly a perfect movie in my opinion. Somehow the animation and writing of this 2006 film feels higher quality than many 3D animated films now; the acting is incredible; the subtlety of the way these anthropomorphic characters react is literally so captivating and it feels so real it’s insane.

Obviously this is in part to our rapidly decaying media literacy, but the depth of some of these seemingly “goofy” kids films actually blows me away. What makes these movies land is the love that went into them; you can tell these people enjoyed the material they were working with.

The biggest difference to me nowadays is that 3D has been pushed so far that nobody really has to try anymore. When these films were coming out it was HARD to make 3D look good, so each subsequent movie that came out around the earlier days of 3D was designed to PUSH the limits of the software and you can tell that these movies were made with that goal in mind.

A great example is Pixar. “How do we make fur feel real?” individually model over 5 million strands of hair for Sully in Monsters Inc. “Water is tricky in 3D, how do we master it?”, make Finding Nemo; a movie almost entirely underwater. “How can we push the physics of character animation, capturing the fluidity of 2D in this new medium?”, The Incredibles; a movie with characters who are elastic, stretchy, bulky, fast, who have an insane number of costume changes, making the decision to have Violet wear her hair down; all things that 3D software had trouble emulating. “How close to realism can we really get with this?”, Wall-E. People were constantly PUSHING for something better; something that they could do differently.

Because the software has advanced so much, these things aren’t nearly as difficult as they used to be, and because of that it’s easier for generally “good” looking 3D films to be made faster but still look better than films made 20 years ago; so they don’t really have to try to make the writing complex, or make the characters feel unique, because at the end of the day, it “looks pretty”. I feel that 3D animation is still producing content on par with the standards of 3D 20 years ago; when it should be pushing 3D to its limits.

And there ARE films that do this; Into the Spiderverse, the new Puss in Boots, etc; but the ratio of films like these to films that commodify and “cheapen” 3D animation, particularly from multi million dollar studios, is embarrassing to the craft, and I think this is why we’re seeing people ask Disney for 2D features again, and why everyone seems to have a growing resentment towards 3D animation.

I hope this is coherent.

[romancomicsnews]

Blue Beetle is a triumph for DC, the Latinx Community, and Superhero Movies - SPOILER FREE REVIEW

Ángel Manuel Sotos new DC film Blue Beetle is hitting theaters this week but has had a significantly hard road to get here.

The film was originally sold as a direct to streaming film, then was moved to theatrical release, was caught in the middle of a James Gunn take over, and now a writer's/actor's strike. Couple all that with superhero fatigue, and DC's not so clean track record, the film would have to jump massive hurdles to be successful most movies do not.

Blue Beetle, however, is a magnificent departure from superhero films of late that coast on past projects, name dropping, or cameos. It is a delightful film that centers on family, responsibility, and the many different types of Latinx experiences, all while being extremely funny and full of incredible action.

Director Manuel Soto breathes new life into the DCU in a way few directors have before. instead of opting for uniformity with other superhero projects, the film has a distinct color and design that feels unique and fresh. Excellent design, costuming, and vibrancy make up a beautiful Palmera City.

One of the most notable aspects of the film was the fluid, dynamic fight choreography for Blue Beetle and our main physical antagonist, Carapax. While there are several heroes who have similar powers to Jaime, none quite have used it as interestingly. The shifting of weaponry, flight, and hand to hand combat make for types of fights we don't really see in live action.

This film of course is not just made up of excellent visuals, but a phenomenal supporting cast. It is hard to pick out favorites, as most characters are given an opportunity to shine.

Through this cast, Manuel Soto shows the many realistic day to day fears and feelings of a Latinx/Hispanic person. Responsibility, family, and becoming who you are supposed to be are all at the heart of the film. As a Latinx man, so many aspects of the film hit home for me, sometimes comedically, sometimes tragically.

The movie also emphasizes different kinds of experiences in our community. Undocumented citizens, first generation, the religious traditional older member of the family, even the slacker uncle. Every member of the family feels different, but they all feel like a family.

For me, I'd say Belissa Escobedo as Milagro Reyes brings excellent sisterly back and forth with our hero and has some very emotional moments in the film. Brother/sister chemistry is sometimes difficult to pull off, but Escobedo makes it look easy. I think she has the making of a comedic star on the rise and is someone to lookout for.

I'd say most members of the family will be someones favorite. George Lopez as Rudy, Jaimes Uncle Rudy, Damián Alcázar as Alberto Reyes, Jaimes Father, and Adriana Barraza as Nana, the matriarchal head of the family all got big laughs and, at times, tears from their performances.

This cast is phenomenal and elevates excellent writing into several iconic scenes. I don't see this film working without the perfect familial blend of actors. And they got it perfectly.

While characters like Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio Reyes or Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord do get the short end of the stick in the film, I think they get their moments and will be greater utilized in (hopefully) future installments of the franchise.

What made it most clear that Manuel Soto understands character were the two antagonists of the film.

While they are not nearly as significant as the rest of the family, both Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord and Raoul Max Trujillo as Conrad Carapax are not reduced to twirling mustache villains. They both have realistic and at times tragic stories that explain (but does not justify) their actions.

While both give solid performances and are a step above your average Marvel/DC villains, I think the film could've benefitted from more of them.

But the real highlight of the film, to no ones surprise, was Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes.

Maridueña as Blue Beetle feels like one of those castings that seem impossible to be topped. He brings excellent comedy, pain, and honor to Jaime in a way that feels natural. He is Blue Beetle.

In the film, Maridueña displays a wide range of emotions while he goes through an incredibly grueling 2-3 days. There is comedy, awkwardness, strength, anger, and pain, and Maridueña nails every moment of it.

I expect you will see a lot more Xolo in the future even if we don't see more Blue Beetle. But I hope he does return.

I think this movie has the potential to connect with audiences in a way we just haven't seen in a long time from a Superhero film. It is original, fun, and shows us a side of DCU we've never seen before, without endless cameos and reminders of past projects.

I hope other studios take away that audiences want more representation via original content from creative visionaries. But Hollywood often takes away the wrong lesson.

All in all, Blue Beetle is an incredible film that balances comedy, drama, and action in a way superhero movies rarely do. If you get the chance to, I highly recommend you go out and give it a watch. Films as good as this deserve support.

Blue Beetle is out in theaters this Friday August 18th.

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[every-character-ever-poll]

ELMA - Xenoblade Chronicles X

PROPAGANDA (BELOW THE CUT)

so X is definitely the forgotten middle child of the xenoblade series, and say want you want about the story and customizable MC, Elma is an amazing character. for starters, she is incredibly badass. unlike the other protags of the series, she’s already pretty distinguished and doesn’t have too much character growth, but i don’t care. because she’s already got so much going for her. not only is she an amazing fighter, using dual guns or swords, but she’s a really good diplomat. she basically talked her way out of a hostage situation and convinced her captors to join her side. not to mention she can do both the tough love (she has a reputation as an intense “drill sergeant” from back in her military days) and soft and caring approach depending on who she’s with. she’s really people smart. and while it seems like she’s a pretty flawless character, she still is haunted by all the people she couldn’t save. nearly 10 billion people died on earth, and i’m sure she blames herself for only being able to save a handful and having to give in the corruption of people only letting the rich and connected have a chance at survival. not to mention all her comrades that she lost in battles because she wasn’t strong enough and they prioritised her life over there’s. i just know she feels like so much of the continued survival of humanity is on her shoulders alone and she lost some of the few people she felt she could share it with. (not to mention there’s tons of people in-game who have a massive crush on her) the series has definitely had issues with the ridiculous outfits it sticks female characters in, but Elma’s outfit is so good. she is obviously an attractive character with a good figure, and i love love love how her outfit looks practical for someone going out fighting and adventuring and still makes her look good. she has armour on her arms and legs, proper support for her large chest, and the optional head gear for her set just adds the perfect spacey futuristic touch. not to mention dark skin and white hair? one of the peaks of character design, i love my poc queen. [ENDGAME SPOILERS FOR XENOBLADE X BELOW] now her true form does have the big clear front with the inner boob window, but i can excuse it because it’s space armour and she’s so pretty. her new hair is so cool, it’s all sparkly and falls in these crystal-y shapes. also it’s very long and i’m a sucker for both long-hair and inhuman design elements. and i’m pretty sure when you unlock the option to play with her true form in the post game you can still use the different armour sets so she can wear her normal outfit

[lazywriter7]

Cap-Ironman Rec Week - Wonderous Wednesday

Strap in for some AU’s everybody! My favourite part of this theme might be that every fanfic is technically someone’s alternate universe, and boy does this ship have some absolute knockouts. one foot in (and one foot back) by kehinki

This isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to Tony, but it's in the top five.

Notes: This feels like one of the first soulmate AU’s I ever read for this ship, and a really formative one. Love the world building, the character progression, and there are a couple scenes that have stayed incredibly clear in my memory over the years of going back to it over and over again. Bulletproof by foxxcub At age fifteen, Steve Rogers had been in love with Tony Stark. By age twenty, he’d (mostly) gotten over it. And then he promptly became Tony Stark's fuck buddy. Notes: It takes real talent to keep the characterisation on-point and the magic alive in a no superpowers AU, but the world and its people is so richly depicted in this fic that it just feels true to Steve and Tony. An old favourite, and one I have much joy revisiting. 

Genesis by teaberryblue

Reluctant to make the truth about their secret weapon known, the American Government tells the world that Captain America is a man named Steve Rogers. According to public record, he died, tragically, in 1945, and he became legend.

In 1998, the Avengers find a body trapped in ice.

She's alive.

Her name is Eve.

She has Captain America's shield. Notes: Like the best kinds of AUs, Eve in this story is so beautifully and identifiably Steve but also different, in such a compelling way. Her journey into the modern world is itself worth the ‘price’ of entry, but then Tony enters the picture! Just love, love, love. The Ghosts of War by scifigrl47 Steven Rogers never wanted to be king, but he knows his duty, and he does it well. Lord Tony Stark, the king's appointed consort, does his duty as well, even though he'd enjoy his duty more if it actually involved sleeping with the king. As it doesn't, he's just resigned. The war that made Steve king and cost him nearly everything may be over, but a meeting of old enemies might stir up some ghosts none of them are prepared for. Notes: Ooh, kings and sorcerers, what’s not to love? I love how well each character here ‘slots’ into their designated role, and how we get some lovely superhero style identity porn but set in this world instead. And of course, both Steve and Tony are note-perfect. Big recommend! Counterpart by sara_holmes coun•ter•part [koun-ter-pahrt] [noun] 1. a person or thing closely resembling another, especially in function. 2. a copy; duplicate. 3. one of two parts that fit, complete, or complement one another.Just because Hydra used the DNA of a Captain America from another dimension to create a lab-grown, six-year-old super-soldier, it doesn't mean that said six-year old super-soldier is biologically Steve's, right?(Where Steve wants to ban Clint from bringing things home from alternative dimensions, until he doesn't.) Note: I love this fic’s take on accidental kid acquisition - Steve goes through so many understandably mixed feelings here. Steve and Tony are an established pair who navigate the trials as well as the rewards of parenthood, featuring an excellent supporting cast, and it’s just a lovely read overall. Slipping Off The Page Into Your Hands by Sineala Soulmates have their first words to each other written on their wrists. This should make it easy. For Steve and Tony, it is anything but. Steve's problem is that the future he has awoken into is nothing he was ever expecting: he has a soulmate now. Who might be a robot. And if his soulmate is Iron Man, how can he be so attracted to Tony Stark? It should be impossible. Tony's problem is that he is Iron Man, his soulmate is a man whom he in no way deserves, and he is going to fight everything in his heart and do his best to make sure Steve never, ever finds out the whole truth. Notes: Soulmate AU plus identity porn, oh my oh my :D This is just a rollicking ride with all the feels, pining, dumb decisions and sweet catharsis you could ever hope for. Man I love AUs so much. This Is My Least Favourite You by Kiyaar In Steve's fantasies, he never travels to the future because Tony never violates him. Tony never violates him because there are no incursions. There are no incursions because there are no Avengers. There are no Avengers and so there can be no love and no pain and no heartbreak. You can’t miss what you’ve never had. Notes: Look, I love canon divergence fix-its. Thrive on them. This is not that - this is when the only thing you can do with the twisted corpse of canon is make it much, much worse and then revel in the pain. Great writing, A+ pain, no regrets. Issues by  so_shhy In which Steve has a crippling crush on Tony Stark, Tony is oblivious and obnoxious, and Bucky expresses his disapproval via passive-aggressive comics. Notes: An absolutely delightful modern/no abilities AU in which Steve and Bucky write some comics featuring a superhero team called the Avengers, and Steve can’t help himself from... ahem, being a little too loving in his artistic depictions of Iron Man. So entertaining, I cackled multiple times, and Bucky’s outsider POV is particularly great. Looking for Heaven by  foxxcub

When young Lord Anthony Stark learns Steven Rogers has enlisted in the army, he thinks he's seen the last of his tiny, headstrong, haughty stable boy. But four years later, Lord Stark gets an unexpected visit from Steve, whose mother has fallen gravely ill and into financial ruin. Even more unexpected, Steve agrees to a shocking proposal: they will marry, giving Steve the necessary funds to save his mother, and Tony the much-needed reprieve from harassing would-be suitors. It is a business arrangement, nothing more. But as time goes on and circumstances arise, Tony begins to learn that keeping his heart away from his husband is easier said than done. Notes: This one’s another wonderful trip down nostalgia lane. Regency meets marriage of convenience, with all the trappings that premise would entail and a delight from start to finish. Not Such a Compromise by  Pookaseraph The death of her brother, Lt. James Barnes, has placed Miss Stephanie Rogers in the difficult position of needing to find a husband to see to it that her and her mother are taken care of. Miss Roger was not built for such a compromise, but perhaps Mr. Anthony Stark will not be such a compromise after all. Notes: Yes, it’s another Regency AU, what about it? :D Despite the trappings of gender and class, Stephanie remains so very Steve in how she moves through the world, and the premise enhances the miscommunication between the two, but in a way that is a joy to see resolved. Just a thoroughly enjoyable read. 99 problems (and the dice ain't one) by  kellifer_fic Tony's life is almost perfect. He lives in a converted warehouse full of friends (and one frenemy), has a job that leaves him plenty of time to think about other things and a regular Friday night campaign. If his best friend, Steve Rogers, hadn't moved away to New York and left him behind, then perfection would've been achieved. Tony can roll with the punches though and he's almost all the way over that little bump in the road (shut up Bruce, he totally is) when Steve moves back, looking taller and broader and more confident than ever and Tony's left with a converted warehouse full of friends (and one frenemy), a job that leaves him plenty of time to think about other things, a regular Friday night campaign and the uncomfortable realization that maybe he's in love with his best friend and has been since he was sixteen. Notes: I call this the sitcom AU if only because of the setup, but the general themes of Tony trying to cope with changes in his life and status quo are funny as well as really resonant to all those (us) who aren’t superheroes. And a fantastic ensemble to fill the world out <3 And that’s that. Shower all the authors with some love and well-deserved compliments!  

[carriagelamp]

Man I got lucky this month, I got to read a bunch of excellent books, including some really neat queer novels. Nothing like a break to really get to kick back and enjoy reading for the sheer pleasure of reading rather than a desperate escape

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation manhua v1

Unsurprising to absolutely anyone who’s been reading these, I picked up the first book of the manhua adaptation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. It covers the first part of the first book, which basically amounts of Wei Wuxian’s revival and his flight from Mo Manor to the mountain and the Night Hunt. Besides for WWX, we get to meet Lan Wanji, the juniors, and Jiang Cheng, all of which have great designs. Like the rest of this series, it was a pleasure to read, the adaptation was done really well, and I’m excited for the next volume.

The Ice Monster

This book was very… meh. I was pretty disappointed, because I’ve really enjoyed the other two books I’ve read by David Walliams so far, and this was probably the one I was most excited about, but it was… incredibly middling compared to the others.

The Ice Monster is about a Victorian orphan, Elsie, who escapes from the brutal orphanage she had been raised in and was making her way on the streets. During this time, a great mammoth that had been found in the Arctic was being transported to the museum for display. Elsie feels a kinship for this “monster” and begins a series of events that lead to it being freed from the ice and set loose in London.

There were good moments in this book and I’m sure a kid would enjoy it, but ultimately it felt like way too many fart jokes and not enough substance compared to Walliams’ other books.

I Think Our Son Is Gay v2

A very sweet manga series I’ve been reading from the library. It follows the POV of a mother who suspects that her son is gay but who isn’t quite ready to come out yet. It’s a nice balance of humour — the art is cute and the characters have fun reactions to various silly things that happen in their lives — and love while still asking what it must be like to be gay in a homophobic society. A good read.

Legends & Lattes

SUCH a fun novel, it was exactly what I needed this month.

The story is about an orc mercenary called Viv who, after 20 years of fighting and killing, has had enough and is ready to settle down. Using the mysterious reward from her last adventure, Viv leaves her old company to find what she hopes will be the perfect city to open a coffee shop. Which is a daunting task in a part of the world that has never ever heard of coffee before and is suitably leery of this “bean water”.

If you want an action-packed, edge of your seat adventure book… don’t read this. This is the epitome of “cosy” fiction — its tag line is “high fantasy and low stakes”. If you want a dnd coffee au in novel form that’s about friendship and food… then this is THE perfect novel. It made me feel so warm and happy (and hungry).

Lucky Luke: The Oklahoma Land Rush // The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke is a BD series I’ve heard a lot about, and after seeing a couple episodes of it on Prime I decided I needed to actually pick up a volume or two. I’m delighted I did and I think I’ll need to read more now! 

The general premise is that of a western. The titular character, Lucky Luke, is a clever and nearly unflappable gun-slinger who can “shoot faster than his shadow”. Luke gets into a range of silly, comedic Wild West adventures and inevitably comes out on top for the sake of justice. Naturally, the genre being what it is, the whole First Nations thing is… rough, but the books were enjoyable if you can look past that.

The first book I read was The Oklahoma Land Rush which is fairly indicative of the series I believe and is about Luke being hired to help police the desperate rush of settlers to claim land in Oklahoma. The second was The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke which was written by Matthieu Bonhomme instead of Morris and is a slightly grittier, more serious take on Luke. I enjoyed this one just as much — it still managed to be funny, but the stakes felt much higher. And the art was just stunning.

The Night Gardener

A fun, creepy middle grade horror. A story about two young Irish immigrants trying their best to survive in the absence of their parents. In a last desperate attempt to get work they find themselves way out at a desolate, crumbling English manor that has been almost completely consumed by a strange tree. The family there is as desolate and strange as the grounds, pale and sickly and carrying a mysterious secret. The siblings realise just how strange and dangerous this estate might be as they’re drawn deeper into the secrets and begin to suspect that there’s something else living and working on the grounds…

I really like Jonathan Auxier's writing and I’ve been meaning to try this novel for years. I was glad to have finally done it.

Doctor Who: The Runaway Tardis

Just a cute little picture book. Pop Classics does some fun work and the art style really worked for Doctor Who. It’s about a little girl who has moved and is struggling with needing to make whole new friends in a place she doesn’t know. The themes of loneliness and goodbyes and needing to move on and make new friends was actually perfect to pair with Doctor Who; despite being quite simple and silly looking, it actually made me feel things for both the Doctor and the little girl.

Sandman v1/2

Everyone has been so hyped about The Sandman! I’ve been wanting to get in on it but I’m not very good at sitting down and watching shows so I thought I might try the original comics. Honestly I should have known better. I don’t really like this harsh style of American comics and if we’re being totally honest I don’t generally like Gaiman’s longer prose. This, unsurprisingly, combined two things I don’t like and ended up with a comic I didn’t like. Things only went down hill when fucking Batman appeared. It didn’t even really feel like it had the humour I would at least expect from Gaiman besides for a few brief glimmers. I appreciate that other people really like this series but oof. Not for me. 

The Secret Garden

I love The Secret Garden, it’s one of those comfort books that I need to reread every few years. I was listening to it as an audiobook this time and it was so lovely to see the first signs of spring appearing while listening to this story. If you want something feel good I highly recommend starting it because we are in the season for it.

If you’ve never read The Secret Garden, the premise is of a young, spoiled, but horrifically neglected child who was raised in British-occupied India. She is a bad-tempered, sour, and demanding child known to others as “Mistress Mary quite contrary”. When her parents die of a cholera outbreak she is sent back to England to live at her uncle’s manor on the Yorkshire moors. This relative is also distant and bitter, apparently hunchbacked and widowed. Once more alone, Mary is suddenly expected to do things for herself and isn’t given her every demand — instead she begins to befriend the cheerful, plain-spoken maid and starts spending time outside, exploring and playing for what feels like the first time in her life…   

Wallace & Gromit: Crackers in Space

I stumbled across this as an audiobook. After the fact I realised it’s also a comic. Oddly enough, the comic seemed profoundly bad — I’ve never really liked any of the Wallace and Gromit comics — but the audiobook version was a delight. It has the actual voice actor for Wallace, so it sounded completely like I had just put an episode on in the background that I had never watched before. They were also very clever about giving Gromit a “voice” despite him being a non-verbal character! It was actually a lot of fun!

Wallace decides to attempt making his own cheese out in the garden shed… only things go badly, as they’re wont to. Instead of making a lovely cheese, the whole thing ends up getting launched into the atmosphere because of a helium mishap… which might not be so bad if the zero gravity wasn’t making the Home Brew Cheese Kit kick into overdrive. They’re going to have to figure out how to deal with the massive, mutated cheese comet that’s now threatening all of West Wallaby Street. 

Wave Me Goodbye

An absolutely charming book, I didn’t want to put it down. This book takes place at the beginning of the Second World War, when children were being evacuated from London (which was at risk of bombing) and being sent out to live with volunteers in the country. Shirley is one of the children being sent out, but right from the beginning she finds herself struggling with feeling like the odd one out. She doesn’t feel like she fits in with her rough-and-tumble classmates, and when she does make a new friend on the train it’s clear that she doesn’t properly fit in with the posh covenant girls either. Things only get worse when she is one of the only children not picked to go with a family, and suddenly she and two other unwanted boys find themselves foisted on the unwilling inhabitants of the Red House. But in wartime, one has to make due, so she, Kevin, and Archie begin to explore this strange, half-empty house and get used to a very different way of life way out in the country.

Shirley is a huge reader in the book, and it actually made me pause reading to go and read some of the books she references! It was a lot of fun! Some of the books I read last month that Shirley reads are Ballet Shoes and The Squirrel, The Hare, and the Little Grey Rabbit. It’s also what made me decide to reread The Secret Garden, since they feel like similar genres.

When the Angels Left the Old Country

I read some great books this month and it would be hard to say for certain which was my favourite since they were in quite different genres, but this would be a strong contender. Holy shit was it good. The tl;dr is that it’s a bit like a Jewish Good Omens but also nothing like that at all.

The Angel (as angels don’t have permanent names, but rather names that describe what they are currently doing) and the demon Little Ash have been study partners for centuries, happily existing in their little Shtetl without feeling much need to change things. But things are changing and with the press of poverty and rise of violent anti-Semitic feelings many residents of the Shtetl are now leaving for America in the search of work and safety. Little Ash is determined that they should join these immigrants, and when a member of their Shtetl goes missing on her own voyage it seems inevitable that they go and track her down to ensure she is safe and well.

At its heart this is an immigrant story about people and prejudice and love, and it’s really written beautifully, the way you see all the hardship that goes into such a voyage even for supernatural beings.

[thetypingpup]

Phantom!xiaojun that loves seeing the reader all dressed up and bedecked in jewelry so he gives you all of these nice dresses and jewels and the only thing he likes more than seeing you decked out in luxurious clothes is when he gets to take his time taking them off of you

Or, he likes when you keep the jewels on when the rest of your costume is off. Without the other layers of your costume, you're left in a loose corset and a thin robe that billows around you. The rest of you is adorned in jewels, with layers of necklaces drooped down to your chest, sparkling bracelets all along your arms, jewels glinting in the rings on your fingers, and precious gems decorating your ears and the hairpiece weaved into your hair. This time, your role was one of a royal, a character of great opulence, which he thought was all too perfect for you. There’s no one more deserving of such a role. He only took issue with the jewelry they originally had you wear, which wasn’t nearly extravagant enough for someone like you. You told them as such, which made his heart swell with pride and affection seeing you demand what you deserve, but as the production’s budget dwindled, he had to take matters into his own hands. He had to ensure that you looked like the angel of music that you are.

That’s why the gems you wear now is comprised of jewelry of his own enchanted design. Now you look like you’re drenched in diamonds, dipped in decadence, like the untouchable work of art you appear to be to the rest of the world. He can’t help but feel a rush of possessive lust as he stares at you, his eyes darkening at the sight of you on top of him. No one knows that the necklace around your neck, the tiered rings of gems, are actually layered like lines of sheet music. The monochrome gleam of the diamonds is offset by rubies, rubies that’re carefully placed to create music notes. It’s a melody of affection and all encompassing lust that’s scrawled onto the jewelry, one that only you and him know the tune for, one that only he has had the honor of hearing you sing. The song transcribed in the jewelry tells of the kind of lust and affection you feel now, while your hips meet over and over to join your bodies as one, while you gaze at each other with adoration brimming in your eyes. While you moan for each other, cry out for each other, exchange hushed words of lewd praise, and caress each other’s faces like you hold the most precious thing in existence, every feeling is captured in the melody. 

He's the only one who gets to have you like this, who gets to worship the absolute goddess that is you in such a way. What better way to pay tribute to such an awe inspiring siren, the very personification of musical excellence, than to offer himself like this to you?

Right now, you look like the queen that you are, moving up and down on his cock. He gladly offers himself to you, letting you set the pace and matching the tempo you set with his own thrusts. He holds onto your hips, eyes dipping down to the curve where your waist gives way to your hips, seeing the beads of gems that circle your waist and rest on your thighs. God, you look divine. No matter how many times he has you like this, he still can’t believe you’re truly real, that a singer as incredible as you, that someone as alluring as you, could truly exist. Of course, you’ve said the same before, expressed your disbelief that a phantom embodiment of music can live on the way that it does with him, and that said embodiment possesses such ethereal beauty. The difference is that he was once human, while you have never known the confines of mortality.

His siren lover. The perfect prima donna. The notion still takes effort to wrap his head around. Even as you’re intimately entangled, as you have been countless times, he’s still in awe of you. And now having you here, singing melody after melody of ecstasy in the form of melodic moans, only draws him in more. You’re so beautiful in every way; your face, those gorgeous eyes, those soft lips, the alluring silhouette of your body, your voice. Your voice alone is enough to have him find release night after night, and being able to indulge in everything that is you is simply heavenly.

He sits up, grabbing onto your thighs to hold you in place while he maneuvers. Knowing what he’s getting at, you wrap your arms around his neck with a smile. He crosses his legs, letting you seat yourself in the blank space, while you wrap your legs around his waist. The angle has him pressing into you deeper, has you both grasping each other tighter to keep upright. Like this, he can easily press his face against your chest, and kiss your bare skin between the ruby music notes on your necklace. You run your fingers through his long silver hair, pressing his face in deeper, moaning aloud about how good he’s making you feel. Your words spur him on, making him roll his hips up faster, making him groan and growl against your skin as you fuck each other into oblivion.

And you keep going for the rest of the night. Since neither of you are bound by the confines of mortality, the full moon grants you boundless energy. He takes you over and over again, just as you take him. Pretty soon, the jewelry is the only thing on your body, which he just deemed too beautiful to remove. Instead, he kisses all over your skin between rounds of chasing pleasure, following the jewelry as it presses and curves over your skin. Under his cool touch, your entire body is alight, heated with lust and need for him. You keep going, until the first rays of dawn come peeking from the horizon. You keep going, until your managers are calling you down for rehearsal. But until then you keep going, pleasing each other until the sun appears, until he has to retreat back into the night.

[purplekoop]

@daylightcommand3 Explaining this in its own post because it's very much its own topic separate from the other figures

I actually don't remember any official life-sized Bastion statue (there were official life-sized statues made for stuff like cons and such, just not one of Bastion), but what I was referring to in that last post was, as far as I'm concerned, the "white whale" of Overwatch figure collecting.

The incredible, the elusive, and the unauthorized:

DX9 Freeman

A fully articulated and transforming translation of bird-loving bot into roughly 1/12th scale figure form, this is a godly Bastion figure.

It comes with everything you'd expect and hope for besides maybe an alternative welding hand. There's a little plastic Ganymede, and even treads and a cannon to you can swap out the gatling gun and legs for to replicate their Tank configuration, though now it'd be more accurate to just swap the legs for Assault mode and swap the cannon for Artillery mode, which like. the design was accidentally future proofed for the OW2 rework, I just find that neat.

Aside from the tank parts though, the transformation is completely legit. You bend the legs to form the stand, fold up the arms, retract the head, and swivel the torso around and pull down the back cannon to get it into turret form, just like the in-game animation. It's a testament to both the exceptional amount of thought and effort put into the character's original design, and the engineering required to make it into a functional model.

So... what's the catch. Obviously the perfect Bastion figure doesn't come without a catch, right?

Well. Notice how I called this figure "DX9 Freeman". Why isn't it just called... y'know, Bastion?

You might've been able to deduce by this point that this figure is in fact: Unofficial. DX9 is, from what I can gather, a Chinese company that specializes in making high-quality unofficial transforming figures for stuff like Transformers. Naturally, when a mega popular and relevant new game comes out with an iconic transforming robot, they decided to make this figure.

And this was back in 2017 or so, well before the Hasbro line, with I think the only thing out by then being maybe the Tracer Figma. It was slim pickings if you wanted an Overwatch guy on your shelf back then, so "Freeman" here caught on. Even when other figures started rolling in, there were no official figures of Bastion. There was a Lego set and an above-average Funko Pop in terms of both looks and size, but nothing else would just about perfectly fit in line with the proper action figures.

Sadly though, it was a spark short-lived, as it is basically impossible to find the figure now. The direct site to find it has been out of stock for years, and I doubt many people who already have one are willing to part with theirs for cheap, if at all.

So yeah. This is by far the best but most elusive Overwatch figure out there as far as I'd say. It's a basically perfect recreation of the character (save for a flat paint job, if you wanna be picky), but by nature of being an unlicensed figure from 6 years ago now, jesus christ, it didn't stick around for long and is nearly impossible to come across today, and even if you miraculously somehow find a secondhand seller today, I have a feeling it ain't gonna be cheap.

If I could magically wish for any mundane object that wouldn't technically benefit my life in any drastic way, it'd be one of these. Bastion's one of my favorite designs in a game full of fantastic character designs, so having a big ol' unit of a figure that offers a physical way to showcase the coolest part of that design with the game-accurate transforming feature would be... more personally exciting than I'm willing to admit.

Anyways yeah, full breakdown of every figure line and what characters are in which coming soon. Wanted to clear up Bastion first anyways, both because it's such a cool figure and also such a specific asterisk that's worth bringing up but not totally fair to include in a breakdown of official figures that are more easily and consistently available for most people without getting lucky.

[wonderlesscomics]

Batman: Killing Time (Tom King & David Marquez)

Issues # 1-6

Read January 2024

Story: 9/10

This book. This book is incredible. It’s nearly a perfect Batman story. It’s tight, it’s concise, it’s gripping and most importantly… it’s fun! Tom King does a phenomenal job at tackling an early Batman story and having a good time with it while still delivering his style. I felt like Tom held back in areas for the books benefits the flashback scenes to Ancient Greece and Constantinople are fascinating but not over used or complicated. He keeps the story to a tight group of cast members and lets them play off each other throughout like a Tarantino film. This book feels heavily inspired by Pulp Fiction all down to the “fake out” of the prize at the end. I imagine that this ending will and has pissed people off but I found it oddly satisfying and meaningful in a nihilistic way that just isn’t present in comics besides like Jokers played out motives. This will easily become a must read and recommend for people who want to understand comics and what the medium can offer in a casual yet fulfilling way. Any person can enjoy this book at face value but there is depth to be found in the pages for those wanting to dive.

Art: 10/10

Holy shit. I’ve never even heard of David Marquez before but this has to be one of the best and most consistently drawn books I’ve ever read. I’m a sucker for a single artist all the way through, I just love the cohesion it creates through the book and it’s even better if that single artist is of this high of a quality. With Clay Mann as my favorite artist of all time it’s hard not to draw so many comparisons and inspirations to David’s style that some panels I found myself thinking that Clay might have done this. The lay outs are simple and don’t really break the mold but why should they when the art is simply beautiful to look at. These characters pop off the page (thanks to astounding design and inks/colors) and breakthrough the scenes with texture and lighting.

Special Notes:

- this would be a phenomenal choice to do as a movie. The script is tight and has many fan favorites all battling it out in a heist mystery thriller.

- Catwoman just made me smile ear to ear in this book. And the surprising standout in this book is The Riddler. He is cool, suave and actually funny.

- Agent #%@# curses way to much it’s insane to read and not laugh

- The help is simply a cool character, would love to see more of him

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Tom King and David Marquez are clearly masters of their crafts and I’m profoundly thankful they collaborated on this project to amazing effect. A short and elegant story like this is ease to overlook because of its length and seemingly non complex ideas but below the action packed adventure is a smart and well plotted tale of an early Batman and the motivations behind criminals. The writing is sharp and thoughtful and the art is gorgeous and timeless. On a meta note I had been struggling with some of the recent Tom King books I had read but this shot an arrow in my heart and reminded me why I fell in love with his books in the first place. I highly recommend this to all readers and fans.