#but. yk. i still like it

[alfiely-art]

Raincode is an interesting commentary on masculinity. Yakou, Number One, Makoto, and Yomi all refuse to get help, upholding the "men are not allowed to be helped and have to deal with everything on their own" ideal. A lot of the games tragedy comes from these guys being too scared to reach out and get help and God forbid they get too emotional or take a step back and say they can't do this. Yuma is forced into accepting others help and expressing his emotions because he has amnesia and is just so confused and in so much danger he literally can't operate otherwise. The solution to everything is teamwork and communication instead of trying to take everything on yourself and worrying about being seen as weak or unmanly or whatever. That you really don't have to do it alone and it's better if you don't. If Yomi hadn't become so self-rightous and allowed others in, to have equals, he probably wouldn't have become so power-hungry and. Well. Yomi. If Makoto had someone, anyone to talk to, he could've found a better solution for the homunculi's diets. As soon as he opens up about what's going on, a better solution is almost immediately made. If Yakou had opened up to the NDA about his wife and the letters, they definitely wouldve helped him out. Investigating, finding the truth, maybe even getting Huesca arrested. If Number One had EVER accepted help, he wouldnt have needed to give himself amnesia to solve one of his own mysteries- because Makoto most definitely retained that trait of his. If any of them had asked for help, things would have been better. Asking for jelp is good and healthy, and something that many guys struggle to learn and accept and get used to.

Idk. This game definitely sucks when it comes to how it treats women but. This is. A very nice take on expectations of guys. That no, that stuff is stupid actually.

There are very few male protagonists that are allowed to be emotional or empathetic or unsure of themselves. The only ones that really come to mind rn outside of Kodaka's works are. Steven Universe. Shinji Ikari. Uhhhhh............... yeah that's all I can think of rn. And those two characters are shit on and called weak and that they're not real men. And Yuma also gets shit on by Some People for those same reasons. (Obviously there's other reasons to dislike him and the other two, but I'm talking about these specific reasons)

And idk. It's just.... really nice to see a game go out and make its ENTIRE message about how you don't have to do it alone. It's a universal message of course but it's also really important for a lot of guys. I know I sure resonated with it. My family is very gung-ho on being the perfect example of masculinity. So it's just. So rare to see a piece of media challenge these ideas. Thank you Raincode you mean a lot to me. Even though you're stinky. Ily

[cordspaghetti]

got thinking about gerard way tour outfit predictions that never came 2 be… bloody wedding dress…

[collieii]

someone probably said this already but in spiderverse i think it's interesting how when pavitr was first introduced everyone thought something bad was gonna happen to him bc of how confident and optimistic he was. and then in the actual movie we see that something bad was supposed to happen to him (police chief dying!) but it doesn't! miles stops it! and miguel berates miles for this, says it's going to cause the universe to collapse or whatever.

there's this idea that tragedy is inherent to spidermans growth, and while it's true that some spiderpeople learn important lessons through loss, no one stops to ask, is it really necessary? yeah, maybe the chief was supposed to die. but why does spiderman have to be formed through tragedy? why do we (as heroes) have to let people die? pavitr didn't lose anyone, and he's still a good spiderman! maybe, if he doesn't suffer, he'll end up better off for it!

so while miguel is arguing for all this big picture stuff about saving the multiverse he's lost sight of what it really means to be a spiderman, he's not looking out for the real individual people. yeah it's just one person who would die, but that one person means something to someone. shrugging and saying "stuff just sucks sometimes, we can't do anything about it" is the opposite of what superheroes do. pretty obviously, miles arc is also a reflection of the struggles people face in real life, working within unequal systems, where it's easy to shrug and say "that's just the way it is" and not ask "but why does it need be this way? can't we do something about it?"

miguel is arguing that you can't have your cake and eat it too. presumably, miles and co. are going to find a way to get around that and change things for the better (and maybe that's why miles has that line about two cakes in the advisors office!)

[rubysevens]

anyway in the past week the irish government has voted down two motions which would have condemned the genocide in gaza.

i need everyone to stop lionising ireland as if its not also a european government with strong ties to the us. american weapons pass through shannon airport and will continue to, because yesterday the motion to stop that was voted down 83 to 50.

other governments have done much more but somehow people still act as though ireland is the ultimate palestinian ally and exempt from criticism on its handling of palestine bc it was once colonised, even though that past experience clearly isnt being taken into account by the irish government when creating policy.

i live here i know there’s a lot of public support and sympathy for palestine, which is great, but that isnt reflected in government, and i think ireland should be treated like other countries whose governments have done nothing.

[haunted-xander]

I made this AAAAGES ago and forgot to post it and now I'm annoyed by how it's rotting away on my phone so here. Bratty teen Thancred being a menace to Fourchenault (and a bad influence on Urianger lol)

[ineed-to-sleep]

Blacked out in front of my tablet and woke up with sketches of my Touchstarved mc + Kuras my beloved. woops

[spooksicl-e]

he was a man of habits, narrow and concentrated habits, and i had become one of them… i was a whetstone for his mind. i stimulated him.

[mspaint-flower]

AFTER 15 YEARS.....SHE GOT THE JUSTICE.........SHE KEEPS SLAYING.......

[abisalli]

I was thinking about Merlin and dragons again... Didn't plan on only drawing Pen aka Arthur Jr. (the little red & gold dragon), but then my head was just filled with all these scenarios of Merlin trying to keep yet another secret & the little dragon causing havoc (not pictured) and dragonlord things and,,, orz

[favoure]

heyyy <3

[mipexch]

magic is fuel??? hatred is magic??????

[sttoru]

i wanna make a fic where reader is pregnant w/ sukuna’s child ☝🏽he comes home from a mission one day, only to find u crying on the floor && when he asks what’s up w u, expecting the worst, u tell him its bcs you’re out of mangoes (or some other fruit that’s part of ur pregnancy cravings) while u reaaaaally wanted some 😢 bonus if sukuna mocks u but eventually gives in and goes on a hunt to find and get some mangoes himsef from somewhere

[contagious-watermelon]

straight trans guys & aro trans guys solidarity. weird that my whole life I've been expected to be into dudes and now that I'm a guy the lgbts also want me to be into dudes or else they don't really think of me as one of them

and while I'm not attracted to anybody and straight trans dudes are attracted to women, i feel like we're in the same boat here. too queer for the straights and too straight for the queers

[beescake]

oh to trust another troll w a sharp object against yr head

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

how about that uhhhhh Fantasy Julie. she gets her sword <3 no one can take it from her <3

rambles:

SIKE you get an extra, lower quality doodle

SIKE AGAIN here's the rambles

yeah... i caved and gave her a tail... I'm Not Sorry! it's cute! i wanted to stick with her sorta flower motif - it's stronger in her princess look, since I imagine that when she was part of the royals she was very blatantly flower power based. it was her Thing!

but a Julie free of her noble shackles... she deserves her big sword. like yeah, she has flower magic, but who needs it when she has a Giant Blade??? on the royalty vein, and if we're classifying "rainbow monster" as a species, i feel like horn size/curve would be a status symbol of some kind. maybe Julie would have kept her horns filed short. but if she ran away from that life... longer horns! i like to imagine that they'll keep growing until she has a pair of Extra Weapons attached to her head! curved forward like mammoth tusks maybe!

i imagine that like Frank, she goes with minimal armor - range of movement over protection, yk? some scale mail over her front, a thick leather flower over her chest w/ scalloped leather pauldrons, wrist armor and metal knuckles! i'd think that the faux-suspenders include a back sheath for her sword... i wish i'd thought of that Before i finished the little ref! i don't feel like going back and editing!

i imagine that she was forced to cut her hair when it got caught in something (a gelatinous cube, mayhaps). it didn't look good! don't let anime and Mulan fool you! cutting your own hair with a blade will not look nice! but someone - Eddie, probably, he's good with scissors i'd assume - cleaned it up for her. and hey, it didn't look bad! plus, Julie probably liked being able to just tuck up her long strands into her hat when she's feeling a bit more like a Julius than a Julie!

it's been a fun challenge transforming their canon outfits into a similar variation with fantasy flavoring and twists! i want them to suit the setting but still maintain Themselves! Julie's was tough i gotta admit. i was messing around with the princess look and the fighter look side-by-side. it worked better when i sat back and thought "fighter Julie is Julie unrestrained. that version would be more aligned with her canon look"

i wanted her princess form to look Restrained! she has to be a ~delicate flower~, a noble woman, pristine and poised and very much a princess. soft colors, poofy clothing, bright white gloves that are not to be sullied. carefully bundled up hair! jewelry! that dress must be Heavy and hard to move in! her tail must be so cramped under there!

but Julie Unleashed? violent pinks! rose gold accents! short skirt so that she can sprint and Kick! fun boots that she can be active in and delight in watching them get dirty! her hair is free to whip in the wind and get caught in things! fun straps and Deadly Accessories! a sword that she stole from the royal armory on her way out the window! she has forearm wraps both to match Frank and to support her wrists!

[withdenim]

Sorry for the stupid line callback he was just like. Specifically requested or something. Idk .