#and I'll make it everyone else's problem

[snarkspawn]

they should be at the club

[the-muffin-master]

"Since the Netherbrain fell, you and Astarion have seen more of Faerûn than you ever thought possible. One night, he tells you that these last six months of happy memories are the counterweight to two hundred years of misery."

idk what's up with my obsession with drawing astarion being happy and cared for but I'm sure it's not gonna come up in therapy. AFFECTION BEAM!!!!

[lady-lucks-favorite]

"HOW ARE WE DOING TODAY, FELLATH?? GOOD???? THAT'TH GOOD. I'M DOING GREAT."

"For thothe who are unaware, I have been REMOVED from thtreet duty until further notithe! Thomething about 'not wanting me to actthidentally hurt mythelf again', I think...? YEP, I THINK THO!"

"Anywayth, the department thaid I tthould get the thpecial treatment that I detherve, tho I have my OWN building and my OWN team now! AND a COMPUTER! HOW GENEROUTH!!! It'th been awfully quiet around here though... I feel like there'th thomething they're not telling me..."

"HEY!!! Why don't YOU guyth keep me entertained for a while, hmm? I'm thure we'll get along JUTHT fine!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!"

(hi welcome to my nefarious duck shuffer rp/in-character account i hope you enjoy your stay <3)

[cluescorner]

I cannot imagine being a Damian stan right now. You've got both Zdarsky's bullshit (where he clearly doesn't give a shit about your boy) and The Boy Wonder (where Juni Ba clearly gives so many shits about your boy) coming out on the same day. The whiplash must be insane. I hope y'all get some nice warm soup for your efforts jfc

[cubtales]

[marinsawakening]

TBH I think my biggest issue with Null is purely the name. Like 'endlessly consuming cosmic horror' is a little odd of an addition to the LOZ franchise but not jarringly so and I think it's fun. But the name 'Null' just sounds so sci-fi and feels really out of place compared to names like Nayru/Farore/Din/Hylia/Demise/etc. If Null had been named something like the Nothing or the Quiet I think I'd be fully on board for it as an antagonist/lore addition.

[coquelicoq]

i ate a cupcake recently without first spending five minutes talking about how logistically stressful it is to eat a cupcake, so. i am capable of growth

[deargravity]

kind of obsessed with "what if" scenarios that are ultimately fruitless because the outcome will probably never change.

can't stop thinking about the conversation the other miracles had about akashi's captaincy right after he was promoted. midorima's fierce belief in his friend's ability to pull the team together. kuroko's concern that it might be too much to take. did they ever talk about it? did akashi ever know midorima thought this highly of him or that kuroko cared so deeply for him? would it have changed anything if he'd known his friends trusted him but also wanted the best for him?

midorima's comment about akashi bringing the team together breaks me, in hindsight and i wonder if it broke midorima's heart too, in a way, when he realised his faith in akashi's capabilities backfired so terribly. that he'd unintentionally ended up abandoning his friend by framing the situation so that everyone relied on akashi without considering he might be able to rely on them too. (it's not mido's fault though, because akashi was already raised to always stand differently and ahead of his peers by his father but i still think the sentiment might have damaged him differently when coming from his friends.) midorima's capacity to focus on performing his personal best because he has fierce trust in his teammates but his initial difficulty warming up to shutoku because he was afraid he'd do it all wrong again? still thinking about that... i don't know... there is something so complicated about everything because midorima had so much faith in akashi, maybe to their own detriment, but it was at the point where nothing anyone could have said would have changed what was already happening. any one of them could have cared or not cared and it wouldn't have mattered because the pivotal moment was akashi's promotion to captain. they were kind of at the point of no return, you know what i mean?

and such early captaincy itself was another burden to shoulder for akashi especially at such an early stage of his formal basketball career where he'd barely begun to explore camaraderie through equal footing with his teammates before being relegated to captain, which inevitably changed the power dynamics again, separating akashi's role from the rest of the team. do you understand, do you understand, am i making sense? i think it can essentially be understood as akashi once again being given responsibilities before he's ready for them, before he's even gotten to enjoy what he's doing the same way his father increasingly enlists him in extracurriculars and enrichment classes at the first sign of competence in one or the other, and akashi's life just becomes a string of one next big thing after the other. he hasn't taken a real breath in a while. how long has he been holding his breath? how long has he been holding up the sky?

the worst part is that it is literally no one's fault except the coach and school administration that insisted on spreading these kids too thin. nijimura wouldn't have felt pressured to step down so soon if he hadn't felt like he had to choose between being a captain or a son, in the first place, which is a messed up choice to be forced to make. the whole situation upsets me because it's always the "trusted adults" in question causing all the problems in the first place.

i think about that scene with nijimura and akashi too much - the "are you uncertain?" "no, i'm worried about you." and i think about it probably more than i should. in a different context it could have been an exchange between akashi and kuroko respectively if kuroko had expressed his concerns sooner. the entire scene felt kind of despondent, too, and not just because of nijimura's news. it didn't feel celebratory at all and i guess that's just a testament to the trend of akashi gaining responsibilities faster than he's capable of shouldering them but having to carry them with grace anyway because there's no other option. because he loves his captain, he loves basketball and he loves this team that believes so absolutely in him that he has to be absolute in his strength as well.

there's just so many ifs but none of those could have changed what was about to happen. idk...

[creaturecomplications]

TW: mentions of death(we all know who), analysis and acknowledgement of familial dysfunction in the TMNT 2012 narrative

-

TL;DR immediately under cut

TL;DR: The 2012 turtles grew up in a dysfunctional family system created by Splinter and the poor writing accidentally gave a really good inside look to what real dysfunctional families are like. Also I still like this version, so I analysed it.

-

-

Thought I'd share a thought I've had about the 2012 TMNT series for a WHILE. This is based on a mix of my own, admittedly somewhat limited, engagement with the series as well as what I've heard others say about it's writing quality and the particular issues it creates in the series.

TMNT 2012 unintentionally became a REALLY good look at what a dysfunctional family is like from the INSIDE. I say this as someone who grew up in a dysfunctional family system, though my parents were not physically abusive like Splinter was shown to occasionally be mostly to Leo but sometimes he dragged the whole family along for the ride. Regardless, let me give a couple examples.

People often complain how Mikey's character growth is just plain ignored by the writers repeatedly throughout the series(really anyone who isn't Leo or Raph, but Mikey's the focus for now). While this IS bad writing on their part, it's also something that ACTUALLY HAPPENS in dysfunctional systems like this. Mikey's role in the family is clearly the jokey, happy little brother. In families like this, you are not allowed to grow outside your role. No one will outright SAY it, but the family's reactions to such things will usually be enough for most people to shove themselves right back in their box. That said, some find spaces and people outside the family to explore these parts of themselves, and from what little I've seen Mikey seems to have done this with the likes of the Mutanimals, then, once he's back with family, everything deemed outside his role gets neatly tucked away until next time.

There's also their friends who, even those who've been accepted as family, don't get to see the full extent of the dysfunction. Everyone knows Raph and Leo fight, they'll yell at each other in the main room after all, but no one gets to see things like what I've watched of Splinter's and Leo's talks in the dojo, and most of Splinter's talks with Raph about his anger. Actually, a lot of Splinter's not-so-great actions are hidden, not just from their friends, but from a good chunk of his sons too. Then, once someone like April shows up, he's the loving, if some what strict, father that pretty much everyone in this community the turtles have built respects greatly. This respect isn't entirely without merit, I'll admit, but the point still stands that he acts better when people from outside their immediate family are around then he does when their not. I also wouldn't say he's the greatest towards any of his kids, but he's better to some then others with Raph and Leo getting the brunt of it, though even Raph seems to experience more warmth from him in the show then Leo does. He also seems to treat Raph and Leo better if Donnie and/or Mikey are around, though not as much as when friends stop by.

I know I've just spent an entire paragraph essentially sh*tting on Splinter, but I would like to point out that IS clear he loves his sons dearly. It's also clear he's a deeply flawed and traumatized character who I plan on exploring more. Regardless, it doesn't excuse his behavior and the toxic system he's created as a result of it. I think even more of an explanation could have been found if we knew more about his upbringing and the Hamato Clan outside of Tang Shen and Oroku Saki, but he actually doesn't seem to talk much about them which is FASCINATING to me considering how much pride he holds in his culture and in BEING Hamato. Quite frankly, I'd bet money he's recreated something very similar to what he grew up in, hence why he sees no problem raising the turtles the same but now I'm just speculating and making head cannons 😅. Either way, as much as he loves them, he was NOT the best dad.

Back to the main point, while the writing, again CLEARLY unintentionally, creates a really good narrative look at the inner workings of a dysfunctional family, there IS hope for them at the end from what I've seen. An interesting detail I've noticed is that the boys all seem to start getting along better and finding better ways to cope and work together whenever Splinter is out of the immediate picture for a significant chunk of time, like when their in space or at the farmhouse. It takes time, sure, but it's there. They also seem to do better and get closer as they get older, which is something my sister and I found in our own relationship. While Splinter's death is certainly hard on them, I imagine they'll stay close and things will only get better between them as time goes on. Maybe they'll realize how Splinter handled certain things wasn't great or maybe they won't, but either way I see room for them to be happier and more real, present, and honest with each other post series. Please feel free to respectfully give your opinion and your own observations, I'd love to see some other takes if possible! Also please keep in mind that I haven't watched the full series, mostly just clips with some episodes sprinkled in through the years so please feel free to tell and send me stuff so I can watch and learn more about these guys because I love them even if they're not my favorite iteration!

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

Alright know what here's a little Guild Wars 2 reblog game for everybody; what mounts (if any) do your characters have in their canon, do they have names? Personalities? How'd they meet??

Spill it all below, tell me about all your creatures!!

[fictional-worlds-are-exquisite]

i'm going to get a bad grade in appreciating films

[writing-and-rebloging]

Macbeth, Jellal and parallels.

Quick preface, I'm taking the Anime add ons in the Oracion Seis arc and the Starry Sky filler as canon, because they give a lot more substance and treat the Seis nicely enough (and much better than the manga), respectively.

Acknowledgement

In a way. It's what all of this hinges upon. In a turn of events, Macbeth recognizes the darkness and cruelty simmering in Jellal's head, compares them to his own, and says that due to that, Jellal would fit perfectly in Oracion Seis. Morally corrupt, cruel and powerful... Jellal is just like them, isn't he? In the anime, the vibes of condescendingly saying "can't you see you're just like me? No matter how much you deny it. No matter how much you say you're disgusted by my actions, you're just as bad." are simply immaculate.

Past

While they share this with other characters, they were both enslaved children in the tower of Heaven. A past neither of them like to talk about. They were weak, helpless, and it fucked them up (Jellal was tortured to insanity, Macbeth has night terrors and several dealer's choice sleep issues thanks to the tower) majorly. Jellal barely talks about the tower in general unless it's to make a point of his atonement, and Macbeth only mentions it three time, two while throwing what he did to Jellal's face and one while lashing out at Erza for not going back to save anyone from her boyfriend's cruelty.

The fact that they couldn't do anything to defend themselves while other people kicked them around eats at them, and while we know they were kids, it's not something they consider in the equation at all. They're ashamed of it, unlike Erza or Milliana, and it leads to the second and third points.

Manipulation.

After being tortured for hours, "Zeref" (who was just Ultear. Who interestingly enough also gets tortured within an inch of her life by Brain, but that's for another post) reaches out to Jellal and gives him the power to take over the Tower of Heaven, while weeks or months later Brain "adopts" Macbeth and the other four members of Oracion Seis, and teaches them how to use a wide variety of magic.

They both end up on positions of power. Jellal as the ruler of the Tower of Heaven. Macbeth as the favorite son, with all that implies. And while they gain something (safety, for starters) out of it, they're also at someone else's mercy. Jellal is being manipulated by "Zeref" into completing the Tower to bring him back, while Macbeth is in turn groomed by Brain into being the perfect soldier to maintain the magic link keeping Zero at bay, and carry out his plans so that he can hide away.

Drunk on power.

They embody this more than any of the other Tower kids that became villains. They're given power, both raw in the form of incredible magical abilities and over other people (albeit in different ways). And they get drunk on it.

Jellal runs the tower like a tyrant, ordering and bullying people around. He threatens his friends, murders one of them, and even almost sacrifices Erza, who he held dear above anyone else.

Macbeth on the other hand, we can assume is encouraged to hurt people as much as he pleases, as long as he gets the job done. We see that when he tortures Eve, and when he says he wants to see Erza and Jellal in pain. 

Both of them use that power to inflict pain, and that pain to soothe the wound of having been taken advantage of when they were vulnerable. It makes them feel safe, being above other people.

Magic

While this is anime only, as we never see him use it again, Macbeth ends up using the same dark magic as Brain, and, if we look at some spells that Jellal uses back in the tower... The resemblance is enough to assume it's the same kind of magic. And while not immensely relevant, it sure is fun that they would use the same magic, all things considered.

Extending a hand to each other in the worst way possible (while mocking Jellal's worst insecurity vs after beating the crap out of Macbeth) should also be listed, tbh. But this is long enough.

These similarities, however, would make them want to throw up if pointed out rather than bring them closer.

Anyways. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[violet-jessop]

if i could stop crying that'd be fuckin sick

[cereal-oak]

GUYS I FIGURED OUT HOW TO DRAW EXPRESSIVE DEDEDE HE IS NOW MORE CONSISTENT.

[watermelinoe]

hey so I hope this doesn't offend you bc it is essentially armchair speculation but I have narcolepsy and sooo many of your symptoms you've talked about sound like me before I was diagnosed/medicated. Tired even after sleeping a long time, sleeping for excessive lengths, inability to control/stick to a "normal" sleep cycle, even doctors basically being like "ok I guess it's sleep apnea" even when those symptoms are nonexistent or minimal. I'm actually really surprised if you see a sleep doc and they *haven't* suggested it potentially being narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia. Anyway not trying to be intrusive, I just know it ruined my quality of life so when I see people who have similar symptoms I have to pipe up bc it can be a massive relief to know it's not just lifestyle or self-control issues. Wishing you the best girlie 💕

oh no worries i don't mind, yeah imagine my face as the nurse practitioner was telling me sleep apnea has been causing all my sleep cycle issues since childhood so there's no need to pursue it any further 😐

and idk how to prove i didn't always have it!! i had a sleep study done in college and it was negative. at first she said well it can develop later, now it must have been a false negative. she's convinced i must've had it this whole time and is bewildered that my sleep schedule didn't course correct and i still wake up tired when my "numbers are so good"

i don't know much about narcolepsy or hypersomnia tbh, i always thought narcolepsy had to include episodes of falling asleep unintentionally?

but i don't put much faith in doctors catching anything ever, all they know is sleep hygiene and lie

[feydpauls]