#i hope this rambling made sense

[key-rk]

Do you have an idea for your own Darkwing Duck arc?

I love your artwork especially the one with Drake and LP fishing! It looks straight out of a watercolor graphic novel. You’ve got the facial expressions of Drake’s grumpy but endearing personality down to a T.

AHH THANKYOU SMM!!! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT :D

I had a lot of fun drawing that piece, I'm glad you enjoyed it (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

--

As for the question, that's interesting to think about. I don't often think about more potential stories for the Darkwing universe, aside little bits and pieces here and there (mainly a long overdue holiday for the mallard family that doesn't result in fighting crime–they deserve a little break, I think about that cruise Dw wanted to take Lp on in 'All's Fahrenheit in love and war' all the time )

BUT.

There is ONE potential thing I wish was explored and that's a final/ third showdown with Taurus Bulba. I've rambled on about it in a previous post, but Bulba is such an important villain in the show–having a genuine impact on the cast. Not to mention at the end of 'The Steerminator', Bulba says something along the lines of 'This isn't the last you'll see of me', INTENDING we'd get to see more, but that never happened.

I think it would've been very interesting to conclude the story of Taurus Bulba, especially with how 'The Steerminator' ended. We were shown that both Darkwing and Gosalyn struggled with his return, both having a moment of panic when seeing him (which is sososo interesting)

BUT ALSO. Before he became part robot, he was a lot more rational and calculated–which in some way made him a lot more dangerous than let's say megavolt. He's already a lot more threatening than any other villain of the show. But in 'The Steerminator', he's lost parts of himself, being a lot easier to anger, he acts more on impulse. But he's a lot stronger physically. Pairing that with Darkwing's fear of getting Gosalyn hurt or worse, (and kind of dying himself) + Gosalyn's trauma regarding him–it would be incredibly interesting to see just how'd they'd deal with him for a third time. To deal with Taurus Bulba whose only goal is to get to Darkwing and potentially succeed because of how much he knows about them; their fears and weaknesses.

I really do think it could have been such a cool way to end the show, or just have an episode regarding Bulba's final arc and explore Dw's and Gosalyn's characters further. (I know Bulba appears in the comics, but I'm not really counting those here.)

Mmmmmmm

Not much else, though I do wonder what the transition period looked like for Drake after the Darkly Dawns the Duck. He'd spent so long alone, lowk isolating himself (man didn't even have a house 😮‍💨) and suddenly he lived in a neighborhood with a family? I believe that would've been difficult, ESPECIALLY for him. He's shown throughout the show that he finds people to be difficult to be around, not to mention his tendencies to overwork and disconnectment from the identity of 'Drake Mallard' (a clash reunion reference to where he lost his mask. He doesn't particularly value himself without the costume due to years of being unimportant and hardly acknowledged) and in 'Water Way to Go' he claimed to "get manically depressed on the weekends" (do what u will with that)

I know cartoon wise, they wouldn't explore that aspect of Drake re-adjusting to civilian life again, but I still like to imagine it. I think Drake's character is soso interesting and that little period specifically could have been intriguing. I don't think I've come across any fic delving into that yet either 😞.

(bonus detail: Drake actually didn't have his temper as a child. In his backstory episodes, he doesn't really possess it. In clash reunion he is kinda full of himself, but he's not angry to the point of lashing out at someone. This flaw only develops after he'd become an adult and lived in the tower alone for who knows how long 💀)

RIGHT WELL THAT'S IT. I REALLY LIKE TALKING ABOUT THIS SHOW, APOLOGIES FOR HOW LONG THIS IS 🙏

[somnimagus]

My page for @sheikahzine; about Impaz's duty to her village, empty of people and full of memories.

[id in alt text]

[ireneaesthetic]

“Do you think wilmon relationship is toxic?”

Not at all.

It's definitely a complicated dynamic, but none of it made me ever define wilmon relationship as toxic.

There are two specific moments that come to my mind to prove my point: 1) simon standing up for himself - i don’t want to be anyone’s secret - and yet not forcing wilhelm to come out, but giving him all the time and space he needed; 2) wille felt ready to let simon go and allow him to love someone else, despite it being the last thing he wanted to do and his current heartbreak, bc he thought it was for the best, for both of them to stop hurting.

People seem to forget about it but - they're so young. not facing life in the most mature and rational way is more than okay. they proved so many times to have such respect for each other’s boundaries tho. they're still learning a lot from each other, they’ve grown along with everything they’ve been through and always found their way back together eventually.

They’re still learning to communicate too and it’s the reason why they fight more than once, ending up speaking their truth and feelings in a not-so-comfortable way. there are no conflicts just for the sake of angst bc they're always constructive, also leading them both to make choices for themselves, and i personally love it.

It's the stressors and circumstances affecting them that have to be called toxic. can't wait for the wilmon endgame in s3 but i've already seen enough to say that they're meant to be - i really mean it.

[intoxxiicated]

OLNF oc infodump :]

Step 1:

“baroness of the bandages”

i wanted to follow the template for qiu and tammy’s intro sheets, so where qiu and tammy are the king/queen, aspen is the baroness—the lowest rank of nobility since she doesn’t think too highly of herself in step 1. she’s clumsy so she’s got a lot of bandages plastered everywhere.

the colour palette is bright for this step, she’s just expressing herself.

Step 2:

“mediator of the monarchs”

we’re still not sure what caused tam and qiu to be not friends with each other—but ever since the ‘breakup’, aspen has been the mediator for them (monarchs referring to step 1 queen tam and king qiu), having to keep things civil.

this takes a toll on her, of course, having to be the peacemaker between two of her closest friends, and she only wants them to make up again. she does get bitter about it though—getting tired of being the one keeping them together.

the ‘tightrope’ aspen’s balancing on is actually a metaphor for both his identity (trans!) and his neighbours. it also explains the more neutral colour palette of his clothes for this step.

Step 3:

“gentleman of the generation”

(lets pretend that says step 3 on the infocard LOL) aspen is transmasc! and he’s proud. he’s changed a lot from his kid self.

he’s on his way to become a fashion designer! (headcannon that if qiu and tammy are still ballet dancer/musician respectively, he designs clothes for them to wear during their performances :])

[ghostycatz]

You poor soul

(Full-colored version + headcanon rambling below)

So this is basically a concept of a headcanon that I have, which is that in the milliseconds before Morpho consumes an entity's soul, the entity is mentally transported to a colorless void-like realm, where they reflect on their past experiences and events that shaped them into who they are now. Morpho accompanies the being through their memories, which then leads to Morpho casting their final "judgment". No time passes in the real world while in this dimension.

The idea doesn't really reflect much in this piece, but I'd really like to expand on it more as a comic someday

[stevesbipanic]

Steve saw Billy in Season 2 as who he could've been if he kept being the asshole he was in Season 1 and decided right then to keep going in the opposite direction just to make sure he didn't turn out like him and that's how we got Babygirl Steve in Season 3.

[snoopeie]

Art, BPD and Splitting.

It's the way that, prior to meeting Tashi, Art accepted that he will spend the rest of his life playing second fiddle to Patrick. I mean, "I'm already at peace with the fact that you're going to win" is literally the foundation of their dynamic. Art was content to watch himself lose, to be teased by Patrick constantly, because it meant being close to the one person that offered him a sense of identity at the time. He thought Patrick is so cool, so talented, that anything he wanted, Art wanted 10 times more. Patrick wanted to be fire, so Art wanted to be fire (this wasn’t in the actual film, it's a line in the script). Patrick was fantasizing about Kat Zimmerman, so Art asked to be let into that fantasy. Patrick wanted Tashi, so Art wanted Tashi so much it made him sick (he wanted Tashi so much that she became his next FP). You get the gist. Meeting Tashi, another person Art thought was so cool and so talented, made Art see another version of himself, another identity he wanted to consume (Mike's words, not mine). That's what made Patrick slip off the pedestal a bit, but it wasn't until Art felt like Patrick was taunting and humiliating him, with the same traits Art previously wanted for himself mind you, that he fell off completely. You can see this seething anger he has towards Patrick in the sauna scene, anger that has real pain and hurt behind it, the pain of allowing himself to be sidelined by a person he loved. That moment where he told Patrick "It's not about where you come from in tennis Patrick. It's about winning. And I do. A lot" that's him saying "see, I took these things from you and I actually made something of them, something you couldn't do". The "you never grew up so and I'm so mad at you for it, because at a certain point in time, I respected you so much that I wanted to be you".

source : https://lifeasalunatic.substack.com/p/borderline-personality-disorder-bpd

[thesuntookgoodcareofme]

Been seeing a lot of discussion on rgu and race(and racism) recently which I think it's great. I plan to do a coherent little analisys on it some (not near) time, but for now, there's this thing that has been on my brain since my first watch;

About Akio, that has all control overs Ohtori being a brown man, and Anthy being the sufferer of all oppression not only for being a girl, but also clearly different in the academy for being brown (suffering with what can really be interpreted as racism, because of the constant sexualization, objectification and villifying of her). It's a contrast between the two siblings that has to do i'd say with the inherent links of types of prejudice: misoginy, racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism go ideologically and systemically hand in hand.

Anthy is a brown girl that endured the thousand swords of humanitys hatred, prejudice. She carries with herself the open wound of all the girls under patriarchy, but not just this, she is vulnerable. A trafficked brown queer teenage girl victim of systemical abuse. And although the anime 'focus' its themes on gender, still, we can clearly pick up on multiple adding interpretations of Anthy as the representation of girls of marginalized groups.

Akio is not vulnerable, as he is an adult, an authority figure, the patriarch (and almost its god, when he paints himself as Dios) of ohtoris system, the academys Headmaster. But he is a brown man that, as we know, is also a marginalized group. And Akio, despite his positions as both teorically Dios and symbolically Lucifer, is also inserted in his own system. He is not the owner of Ohtori, and pardon me if I mix up the titles and positions names i'm vry tired, he's being a substitute to the actual guy, Kanaes father. So, even in this position so high of authority, we can see that even he has to play his own game and fall beneath someone with more power than him. Because that's how hierarchies and patriarchy works. And it makes me remember of when we see his and Anthys backstories:

So now, the part I've been thinking about since ever:

The place where Anthy and Akio stay is a wooden cabin with hay, which is similar to the ones that were built in america in the beggining of colonization. I apologize deeply, but I forgot about the name of the structure and the name of the article that discussed Anthy being brown, but I'll link it if I find it again. Anthy wears this very humble red cloth, that is indubtly more simple than Dios and the peoples clothing. It shows the beggining of ostracization. Dios clothing is white and similar to a tuxedo like the crowd is wearing, and anthys is red just like the rosebride dress.

For me, that seems to show us how the man and woman gender hierarchy is a colonizer idea.

Anthy dresses in a piece of cloth of the same colour of her bridal dress, because her as a brown girl is not a princess, not worth of value, a witch, and only valuable as an man serving object. And Akio, being now categorized as a man, even though he'a a child, dresses in a white tuxedo similar to the ones worn by grooms. He's higher in the hierarchy, but still used. And when Anthy helps her brother herself, despite being the lowest in the worlds hierarchy, the crowd attacks her and it consolidates the system that Akio knows dives fully into, as the master, but also not unharmed; at least from when he was a kid.

[weremadeofbadcode]

So.. I've been thinking about Gerard Keay

Which isn't unusual but I specifically thought about how he died

We know he died from a brain tumor, right?

We also know that every knuckle and joint (including above his heart) was covered in eyes.

Which lead to me thinking

The whole point of the beholding is to know things that you're not "supposed" to, or just in general know more than what meets the eye (lol pun intended)

SO. Theoretically speaking. Could Gerard use his powers so much that his brain just couldn't take it anymore?

The tumor part is what bugged me because.. There's no way he didn't knew. Like there's no WAY he didn't knew.

He's still human after all. And I think because he didn't really gave his "human" body to the beholding

The beholding just created an eye in his brain.

Not a PHYSICAL eye. Just a tumor that looked like an eye.

And obviously it was too much for his body to handle but god I think about it every day

[dootznbootz]

Do y'all ever think about how it's possible that Zeus' first verse in Thunder Bringer is about Penelope and his second is about Odysseus?

She's a "Damsel in Distress" (She's cool af, she just needs some help and misses her idiot), the suitors are prideful and hope to do what Zeus is singing about to her. Pressuring her to choose. Her "true nature" is revealed when her trickery with the shroud is found out .

The 2nd Verse about how Zeus is also the God of Justice and punishing them for the crew's crime of slaying the cattle. Odysseus saves himself to see Penelope again, meaning his crew/people will die. They died for touching Helios' cattle. Odysseus also saves himself AND Helps Penelope by killing all the suitors for their crime of flirting with/bothering Penelope and making her cry, while also bullying and eventually planning to kill his son. Many of Ithaca's men are killed for their pride too. Thinking that they're worthy of Penelope when Nobody is. Flirt with the Wife, you get the knife.

Penelope and Odysseus DO take each others' suffering away when they reunite as well. 🥹

[merlins-strawberriesandroses]

TO be honest. I don’t understand what it means when people say Merlin was Arthur’s bane. Mayhaps I misunderstand but. Arthur was a bit of an assassination magnet (not to mention all those magical creatures and bandits... so many bandits), and Merlin actively prevented Arthur's death for years, which would have occured without him anway in the very first episode. I can see why one might argue that Merlin was just delaying the inevitable, or that he didn't succeed in keeping Arthur safe until Arthur could enact the golden age, but certainly I don’t see how he could have been Arthur’s bane.

Also, it’s implied in the last episode that the golden age does occur, but under Guinevere. Which makes sense as she knew Merlin was the sorcerer and that she was pleased about it (and I recall it was confirmed in interviews), so I also don’t follow the twin train of thought that Merlin was his own bane or even Camelot’s. Camelot was already bane-d(?) under Uther. But partly because of Merlin's steady friendship, Arthur matured into a king who was kinder than his father. He also actively sought magic's aid on multiple occasions, so he knew magic had potential for good (like healing his queen) without Merlin needing to tell him about his magic.

I don't think it's fair to say Camelot's laws on magic remaining relatively static was because no one close to Arthur came out as having magic. There was still much risk in that, and for Merlin a lot at stake, not just his life. A law change was still possible (and almost seemed to be set up that way) without Arthur needing someone he was personally close to having to do the work to humanize it for him (in the sense that the episodes with the druids, the druid boy with Elyan, and the dolma seemed like they were pointing to a law change because Arthur sees the diversity of magic and those who have it).

At worst Merlin’s efforts didn’t change the status quo, but we do have things indicating that they did. And Merlin was not single-mindedly serving Arthur at the expense of everyone else. He saved Camelot as a whole multiple times. He was also very willing to stick out his neck for many others even during the height of his anxiety and agitation in season 5. (Also only being slightly silly when I say this, but he was also THE wingman for Arthur when he was getting with Gwen, so in a way Merlin’s help led to their courting being a success and thus contributed to her being in a great position to change the laws. so personally I give points to Merlin for that). Most of the decisions centering Arthur's safety seemed to stem from the fear that Albion would crumble before it began if Arthur were to die, so he tried his best to prevent that from happening in any way he knew. (Like, when Arthur is dying, Merlin asks "So I failed?" regarding the whole golden age thing, which I think is telling that the prophesy and his role in it was still VERY much at the forefront of Merlin's mind).

And this is a digression but I know people think Merlin should have done more for Camelot, or for folks with magic (like, as a revolutionary or something akin), which I understand but no one reached out to network with him really? It'd require resources, people (always confused why there weren't a whole bunch more folks offering Merlin material/intellectual/emotional support if they thought he should be the one to bring about the golden age. all he was told was that the forseen way it actually happens succesfully is through Arthur), time (I doubt it’d have been much of a ‘quicker’ way necessarily), and incredible planning + foresight if it's meant to be something that works out effectively + long-term. Okay I think I've digressed enough now. This is a whole seperate thought that I don't think I'm gonna do any justice here lol, and I'm already rambling, so I'll stop now :,)

But anyway, in terms of being his own or Arthur’s bane, we know Arthur will return, and we don’t know how Merlin spent his years. His magic can play with time and maybe he learns how to control that, or he could have entered a stasis like in various legends, etc etc etc. And I mean it is tragic on many levels, and it’s sad we didn’t see Arthur’s arc completed, and that Merlin sacrificed so much for a goal that didn't get much acknowledgment by the show at the end, but still. I don’t think Merlin was Arthur’s bane, or Camelot’s, or his own.

[somnimagus]

My page for @kairizine. It was such a huge honor to be part of this wonderful book with everyone, I had so much fun!

[id in alt!]

[independent-fics]

Also thinking a lot today about Sophie’s “he’s his father’s son” about Hardison in redemption because now I’m wondering about all the traits in the ot3 kids that are all a little bit Nate.

Like Hardison has the drive to be a good man. He desired to do more always. They all did in their own ways it’s how they got into this but Hardison always was doing more than just being a criminal even when he was a self proclaimed criminal. That drive definitely was influenced by Nate and his catholic guilt in a way. His desire to be a good man yet he also then later claimed he was a thief. That duality exists so much in Hardison too. The ability to be both and it not be bad.

Parker obviously became the mastermind. The planner. The one always one step ahead of everything else. That was honed by Nate as well as the drive to be good but with her own Parker twist. As Nate said when Archie said ruined her in “The Inside Job” he said he didn’t do anything to her. He never tried to change her. Influenced her sure. But Nate never tried to make her anything she wasn’t. Parker always had that in her to be good as she learned to be part of a team but the masterminding was from Nate. And with that was less a desire to do good but a willingness to do what is needed. To be ten steps ahead similar to her conversation with Eliot in “The Long Way Down Job” to be a mastermind and do what others won’t.

Eliot also has a little but of that but always had that trait. The influence he got from Nate was the self sacrificing. Eliot always had that in a way but usually for money and his reputation of getting the job done. But as he was with a team and that team became family he definitely was more and more willing to do what was needed if he had to. Like Nate sacrificing himself to sterling at the end of season 2 Eliot would do the same if he felt it was necessary. He went from “every man for himself” to declaring he would die for them in the end. And that was Nate’s influence as well as just being part of a team.

[cinefairy]

Hi, CineFairy!!

How do I finally end the cycle of looking for my desires, waiting, and being full of fear, worry, helplessness, and anxiety? I want to have full trust and unwavering confidence in myself to experience the desires I have. I’ve read all the information about the law. I know about states, the wish fulfilled, eiypo, all of it, but I can’t seem to stick to persisting and I fall back into wanting, waiting, overthinking, and panic. I just want to fully change, but I can’t seem to take that leap of faith and stay faithful. What should I do? Thank you so much :)

HAAAAAIIIII

stop thinking of it as like “how do i become confident and et cetera so i can do this” what is your main aim? to HAVE your desires, to be free from ever desiring them. you dont need a step-by-step plan to become that person. become that person NOW. step into the version who is free from all desires, free from all lack. thinking that there is an extra thing you have to do just causes more unnecessary stress and we dont want that.

and look you said you know everything, and knowing everything is so much different from practicing. i think this is a issue with a lot of you guys, you read the stuff, you know the stuff but you dont practice the stuff. so when it comes to being in the state of the wish fulfilment you become stagnant.

to take that leap of faith theres only one way you have to actually do it. you’re going to have to let yourself be free, indulge in all of the beautiful things your imagination possesses and don’t hold back.

dont think of it as “im doing this to get xyz” think of it as you doing this because you deserve to ATLEAST feel good about yourself! to atleast let go of all the worries that haunt you. you dont deserve that. you really dont. this is the way of life— we do things we desire things because of the feelings we attach to them.

eg i want an appearance change. what do i do? i FEEL how i would feel as if i already have those appearance changes. i would occupy the mentality of someone who is satisfied with their appearance. i let myself eat the fruit of imagination selfishly.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

[Spoilers for episode 5&6 of Happy of the End] Since last week I've been thinking about the way Happy of the End has been telling its story. More precisely how it's been telling Haoren's story. Because episode 4 was a hard one for me, and because of the remarks that @lurkingshan made here, I was wondering how the show would balance its themes, in a way that it wouldn't feel manipulative or exploitative and still have at its core the main love story. In its own way.

I think the biggest advantage in showing us the dark, be it necessary to go that hard with it or not, is the impact of the light when it appears. When Haoren goes soft and smiles, it hits particularly hard as well. And there's a relief that immediately hits me. Just like him, it's like I can breathe again, I can smile again. I think if I'd watch episode 5 right after episode 4 I would've felt elated. That whole scene on the boat was beautiful.

The tunnel scene was a stand out for me. That's where Haoren is at the moment. The liminal space he occupies. He's in between all the darkness behind him, and the light that he's trying to get too. But he's still not completely free of the past, so he can't walk himself into the light yet. So he lays there, in the between. And what gets him to move is Chihiro. Because he represents the light. Because he sees him as his last chance to find happiness.

When he escaped the first time, he said that he hadn't yet lived. And I think he's been waiting for something, something that makes him believe that he's alive. And Chihiro was the spark. I said at the beginning, once again agreeing with Shan, that I don't believe this was a love conquering all story. They will not heal each other and they aren't going to get fixed when it's all over. That isn't the point. I think for them, it's just about finding a place to rest, to be at peace and a place where they feel like they can start living again.

Episode 5 (Haoren) "I feel alive again" (Chihiro)"It's only when we're together that I feel like I can live"

[gayvecchio]

My initial impression when I watched Eclipse for the first time (and what I still believe) is that Stella knew full well that Ray didn't humilate himself on purpose in the bank when they were kids. I always read it as Stella knowing how embarrased and ashamed Ray would feel for having wet himself, and instead of trying to console him and tell him that it was okay, she let him be the hero instead. Because even though in Ray's memory he thought that he was being 'John Lennon, James Bond, Joe Namath, all rolled into one', I don't think Stella actually fell in love with an illusion at all. Like Fraser said, 'I am willing to gamble that Stella looked beyond that one incident and saw the whole person'. I think she always saw Ray for who he really was, but Ray's own insecurities about himself made him believe that she had to be with him based on a lie. I think the person who doesn't see Ray clearly is Ray himself. He has such a low sense of himself that he can't imagine her falling for anything but a con. He can't imagine that Stella simply fell in love with little Ray Kowalski, because who the hell is even is that? He's convinced himself that he's been playing the part of 'the hero' all these years that he doesn't really see that he has actually become one. The person who recieved all those citations that Fraser recounts wasn't a lie or a con, it was Ray Kowalski, a good policeman, someone who one would be proud to call a partner and a friend. In my opinion Ray's biggest con was conning himself into believing he isn't good enough just the way he is.