#idk this has been on my mind for a while

[bionicle-ramblings]

Little kid me: I like Vakama. I don't know why, but I do. He's my favorite

High-school me: Yeah, Vakama's my favorite. I relate to how he feels about himself. He's not whiny, he's just seeing what everyone else is doing and is upset he's not getting it like they did. Call him whiny again, and you'll catch these hands

Present me: Vakama’s a character with so much depth and his anxiety and insecurities are a part of him, but don't define him. He is a leader, but it's a role he has to grow into, both in that he needs to accept himself as a leader and then learn how to lead effectively without pushing his team around. He once lived a very content life, and that changed when he became a Toa, though he still makes the Mask of Time, because it's something that calms him. He doubts himself, but he still steps up and he's determined to do what's right, being as duty-bound as he is, though later his goal to protect the Matoran also blends with the guilt and grief of Lhikan's death. He hward that he'd made his idol and possible friend proud and he soon puts immeasurable pressure on himself, much to the point that he becomes reckless and lashes out at his own teammates. His lowest point is during the Hordika arc, where he gets himself and his team mutated and nearly killed and the hopelessness of the situation is so much that when he and the other Toa learn they weren't even MEANT to be Toa, it ultimately breaks Vakama, not in a breakdown kind of way, but a way that essentially leaves him.and the others in more unrest than ever. And with the hordika venom and the events making them all hosgile towards each other, Vakama does need to walk away and clear his head and contemplates trying to save the Matoran on his own before he realizes he can't. He's pushed over the edge when he's captured by Roodaka and is told he can save the Matoran without the other Toa Metru if he becomes the leader of the Visorak. He hears what he wants to hear and is given the resources to achieve his goal, but he loses sight of the values he's had ingrained in him for his entire life, much to the point that he almost kills his friend, though he is pulled out of it and he returns and the Toa's leader, being stronger than ever in the end, as seen in Time Trap when he holds the Vahi(and all of reality) hostage to keep everyone safe. He goes through a journey that many couldn't even imagine and in the end he is a leader that many people look up to. Is he perfect? No, of course not. Some of his decisions could have been better. Is he a bad person? No, not when he learned from what he did and is better for it. Vakama is an insanely well written, complex character that people, myself included, more or less find something new to learn about/from him like how to be a leader or how your insecurities or anxiety don't stop you from being the strongest you have to or need to be when the time comes for it to happen

[ishikawayukis]

i was thinking about this the other day, about how so many people are are constantly trying to prove how unique they are or in a constant battle to be as unique and unrelatable in a way as possible, and how grateful i am that my experiencess are actually not unique at all because how lonely would that be, how lonely would it be to be the only one to feel a certain way, to see things a certain way, to not be able to relate to anyone because i'm so busy trying to be different to prove a point to no one. idk i'm very grateful that not being unique allows me to create a community and lessen the burden that life can be sometimes. and i mean unique in a way of experiences because every single human is unique in their own way, but our shared experiences and traits is what makes us even better

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

one thing is, if you try and make a space accessible to all people, you can't. a basic thing I've seen - make gatherings mask-mandatory to include immunocompromised people. makes sense, right? except it will bar one of my sisters from going to that gathering, because she cannot wear a mask. that's just one example. i'm not trying to say the needs of immunocompromised people doesn't matter! just that there will be directly conflicting needs at times.

[cryptidorchid]

The one thing that I don't understand about people with abusive flower husbands takes are that some of them present Martyn as the guy who should save Jimmy from Scott.

I kind of understand because Martyn had that moment in episode 1 where he was like "are you happy with Scott? you can come live with me if you're not"

But upon being rejected, Martyn went "never come back here even if your life is in danger," which is one thing. But then, later, he lies to Scott about Jimmy shit talking Scott behind his back. Which is an insane thing to say to someone who you think is physically abusing your friend. Like, the most generous interpretation of this would be Martyn is intentionally trying to make the abuse worse so that Jimmy runs away to Martyn. But given that Martyn literally just told Jimmy that he wouldn't be welcome even if his life is in danger and that his relationship wasn't Martyn's problem anymore, it is equally possible that Martyn trying to punish Jimmy because when the abuse gets worse, Jimmy won't have anyone to run to anymore.

Like, I feel like under this interpretation, literally anyone but Martyn would be a better choice?

[gojoest]

first time meeting neighbor nanami kento in the elevator. both reaching to press the button for the 5th floor. your movements freezing as your hands touch in the air. an awkward “sorry” coming from both sides. “let me”, he presses the button. “thanks”, you put your hand back on your bag handle, slightly bowing your head, hoping it’s enough to hide your flushed cheeks.

you glance at his reflection on the elevator door. he’s looking at you. “new around?”, he asks, voice quiet and monotone. “yes”, you reply, “just recently moved”

“it’s a quiet neighborhood, hope it’s to your liking”

you nod with a barely audible “mhm”.

the elevator stops. the doors open. “please”, he takes a small step back, “after you” — inviting you to go first both with words and body.

“thanks”, you say as you step out but “what a man” you think in your head, your heartbeat slightly speeding up — you might just be tiny bit charmed by this blond man.

“well”, you stop in front of your apartment door, “it was nice meetin—”, you fail to finish as he stops in front of the next door and looks at you, “oh?” — it’s barely noticeable but his eyes slightly widen — “we’re next-door neighbors” — and then quickly go back to normal.

“seems so”, you confirm with a smile.

each encounter with him in the apartment building would lead to slower walks down the corridor and more dragged-out conversations in front of your doorsteps, on purpose — just so you can steal a little bit more time together here and there, neither of you aware of the mutual crushing nor brave enough to invite the other in — it might seem too pushy and inappropriate — you both would think.

your eyes would search for each other every day going in and out of the building. sometimes you’d find him waiting in front of the elevator, even though the hall indicator would show it’s already on the 1st floor. and other times it’s you who’d do the waiting.

after a while you both become well aware of each other’s schedules and thus the “accidental” hallway meetings become a stable part of your day.

but when you don’t see him around this evening you find it a bit unusual. maybe he got held back at work, you think.

he didn’t.

he’s waiting. leaning against the wall next to your apartment door, with a bottle of red wine and two glasses — he’s waiting. for you.

and little did you know — you would leave together the next morning.

[yardsards]

ryoko kui draws her characters like she genuinely loves the human body. like idk how to describe it but you can taste the love in them. which is very fitting for a manga whose story feels like a love letter to the flesh.

[mahikamihan]

dogboy gets cats!!!!

tiger stickers from oceantoyz, photos from misceallaneous sapnap bloggers here ily <3

[shuploc]

Since it's probably been done a million times already, would it be kinda stale if I drew my own version of the "Fallen Angel" painting (that famous one of Lucifer) but with Astarion?

[0vergrowngraveyard]

random idea:

the restoration sends tails on a solo mission that was just supposed to be checking something out, nothing dangerous at all, but everything goes wrong and the kit is now missing (probably kidnapped or something idk) and everyone in the restoration is drawing straws to see who’s going to be the one to tell a certain speedy blue hedgehog that his little brother is gone and they don’t know where he is

[verdantcreek]

thinking about the reboot mw games collectively and it’s so sadly unfortunate because like. when put up against the other two, mwiii fails so visibly.

first of all you’ve got their thesis/emotional core, right. for mw19, it’s all about the personal motivation of being a solider, the cost of war on an individual. what it means to fight and discovering the importance of what you’re fighting for. for mwii, it’s about trust. the importance of knowing that your team has each others backs, the weight that it has between individuals. what happens when that trust is broken and how it’s found again through vulnerability, because that’s how you truly know you’re there for each other.

and then there’s mwiii..? you should let your sergeant kill a prisoner illegally so said prisoner, when he breaks out of maximum security prison, doesn’t kill your sergeant 4 years later? you should illegally kill people who piss you off (shepherd)? sure there’s the whole “never bury your enemies alive”, but where does that come in to play outside of the soap/makarov interaction? it’s definitely not a valid reason for price to kill an american general in his own office. they could’ve used it for graves if they wanted to take it a step further, but no— graves doesn’t betray the team again, for whatever reason. we’re expected to consider him just a much a member of the team as anyone else, and the narrative treats him as such outside of a few bristly reactions to his involvement.

secondly i take a huge issue with how characters were handled in mwiii. literally everyone is here, and there is no reason for several of them to be. alex felt like a cameo— you see him actually on screen for maybe 30 seconds. farah’s missions feel forced for the sake of her involvement. not that farah shouldn’t be in this game, but makarov’s flimsy reasoning for targeting the ulf is so clearly an excuse to involve her. it feels very random and transparent as a decision to reuse her character because she’s familiar. again with graves— why is he here? i still genuinely do not understand why they decided to retcon his death. it was a perfect arc for mwii to kill him, and him being alive adds absolutely nothing to the story. he has nothing to do in mwiii and there is zero reason for his involvement other than “people liked him in mwii and he has a cool accent.”

within the 141, it’s mostly rehashing of the growth/personality that each of them showed in previous games. none of them have an arc, except maybe price if you’re willing to call the *post credit scene* where he commits cold blooded murder a completion of an arc. gaz, soap, and ghost are static versions of themselves that simply are just … there for most of the plot. they’re not out of character or ruined, but none of them individually have anything going on that can’t be tied back to price.

i think a lot of it comes down to the way they tried to shoehorn mwiii into the original trilogy’s storyline. people loved those games, and nostalgia sells. i don’t think it’s a coincidence that makarov was a big marketing factor for this game— and that’s not to say that mw19 or mwii didn’t abuse that either, but in execution you can feel the difference. price, gaz, soap and ghost are all their own characters miles away from their original trilogy counterparts. makarov… isn’t. he’s a poorly written villain riding on the success of the original trilogy— he’s scary because he’s *makarov*, not because he’s a real threat. it’s cheap. the knockoff “no russian” mission felt insulting. it’s a callback with no real impact in the story, just simply “look! remember when we did this in 2009 and everyone loved it?”

and all of it culminates into a shit ending with shock factor that it tries to make you feel emotional. i’m not sad over this character death. i’m mad, because it’s unearned and lazy. i realize it’s a lot to ask a multi-billion dollar corporation to actually put effort into their stories, but… it’s such a let down when the previous games actually had at least an ounce of passion. i’m just still so disappointed with this game ruining what could’ve been a really interesting and unique story.

[imminent-danger-came]

Lady Bone Demon: "Do not lament your fate child, you can rest knowing you served your purpose—destiny has found you."

(2x10 This is the End!)

-

Lady Bone Demon: "A reminder: it seems you can not be trusted to willingly follow the path of destiny. But know this: If you betray me again—one misstep, one failure in any way—I will erase the very memory of you."

(3x04 The Winning Side)

-

Tang: "You're wrong. I know I'm not a strong as they are. I may still be searching for my purpose—but what I do know, is that doing it alone is not the path I'm destined to take. Deep in my heart, I know my place is alongside my friends."

(3x08 Benched)

-

Lady Bone Demon: "I sent you a task—you were to retrieve the Monkie King and his protégé, yet you refused the path of destiny and so there will be pain."

(3x08 Benched)

-

Tang: "STOP! It was me! I mean, yeah, Macaque forced me to do it and I am definitely starting to have second thoughts on the whole thing now but- I don't know how and I don't know why, I just felt like I had to. Like it was...destiny!" Lady Bone Demon Voice Over: "Destiny can not be undone Sun Wukong."

(3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

-

Lady Bone Demon: "No matter what you do, you cannot change the path of destiny." MK: "I don't know if this all happened because it was destined to, but I have to believe that I found the staff so I could use it for good." [...] "If you really believed that destiny can't be changed, you wouldn't be using every ounce of power you have to keep him contained!"

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

Lady Bone Demon: “Know this, monkey, you and I are not so different. We both fight for what we think is right—that pursuit only leads to one thing." MK: "Hmmhm. To destiny, right?" Lady Bone Demon: "No. To pain."  

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

MK: "I can't believe that worked!" Tang: "Eh, if that was destined to go wrong, then it would have!"

(4x03 The Great Tang Man)

-

Tang: "If your bonds of friendships our strong, then you will always find your way back to one another!"

(4x04 Pig Napped!)

-

Macaque: "Wukong was on a path of self-destruction, we all were. But when he met the monk, it set him on a different path." MK: "Ah! The path of the good guy! Making those good life choices?"

(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

-

Purpose, Pain, and the Path of Destiny

[p1x1x]

[bobosbillionsknives]

INVADER KNIVES !!

[knockknockitsnickels]

Thinking about how the Tower & the Adversary routes are connected through the Fury, and how you kind of get there by turning one into the other, and how horrified they are by what they become. Tower is about subjugation - she outright says she does not believe the two of you are on equal footing. You get the Fury from her when you assert your independence and fight back, forcing her to take you seriously as a threat and defend herself. Adversary is all about an equal fight - she prides herself on her strength, but also admires yours. You access the Fury through her by refusing to fight, watching her beat you to a pulp and become disgusted by what she does to you. IDK it is interesting how the Tower & Adversary parallel one another, and how you end up with the Fury in each route by doing what their sister route would have wanted you to do.

[butteredfrogs]

im just gonna say whats on my mind feel free to ignore this post its kinda petty but i just have to let it out

[skitskatdacat63]

Ye olde cat boys....

(I'm working on a bigger piece rn, so I colored this sketch in the meantime :DD)

I realized this is basically a more realized version of a sketch from really early boy king days: