#is it so hard to wear a fucking mask

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

so im listening to the potd audio commentary and jodie's talking about covid restrictions and filming flux and how the restrictions were more intense at the start of filming (was that end of 2020/start of 2021?) and she says "by the time we finished, we could hug" and damn they took that opportunity didnt they

[puppyeared]

man

[torchickentacos]

If anyone else's windows device taskbar has been giving them too much world health news and prompting anxiety spirals, you can turn this thing off:

by right-clicking any blank part of the task bar, hitting this:

and turning this off.

Signed, 'oh my god I already mask indoors every day and live in constant fear of my jacked up immune system leading to my untimely demise, please stop telling me about fun new diseases'.

[tbcanary]

one thing that did stand out to me while i was going back through cry for blood is how often we don't get to see helena's face.

it's a little thing, but there are so many panels -- especially when she's just received news of something, or is in emotional turmoil -- where she hides herself. she turns away, she bows her head. it's interesting, particularly because comics do so often show us those big dramatic facial expressions. but helena curls inward when upset. i think about these two panels a lot:

there's a note from stephanie hans in the backmatter of an issue of die that i think of -- about how in comics, how much space something takes up indicates how important it is -- and yet, somehow, whenever some new information comes up, helena makes herself small, minimizes her own emotional displays.

now, given, she does hold herself in a very particular way as a default state. head tilted down, no eye contact, etc:

but that's exaggerated when she's upset. often, she even takes the pose of a prayer. like the specific thing i'm referring to is either sitting with her head bent toward her clasped hands as if she's praying, or turned away toward a window or mirror that frames her like an altar. like so:

there is, in fact, an entire page where we don't see her face. while she's recuperating after all of the drama of the first half of the arc, she won't look anyone in the eye at all. instead, the framing moves around her and shows her, bent forward and hidden, from different angles:

i just think it's a nice little touch. a good display of who she is and how she responds to troubling situations, which makes perfect sense given what we learn about her during this arc. like, you know, if you're always at least somewhat at someone else's mercy -- be it batman, the other families, the people training her -- you'll want to minimize the outbursts and hide vulnerabilities, and she has a specific way of doing that. it often resembles prayer, because of course it does. she doesn't compare herself to a nun for nothing.

also, for a fun (?) bonus. this doesn't happen as often in the huntress costume… unless she's confronted with family. and then it creeps right back in:

anyway. helena bertinelli i care you.

[surrealsunset]

the sun always shines on TV

[scatterbrainedbot]

THROWING THIS DOODLE AT YOU WITH AGGRESSIVE AFFECTION!!

Wanted to render it but ran out of time :') BUT PLEASE KNOW!! Your Rat son au is my Roman empire. I think about it at LEAST once a week, like the designs and concepts and characterization and UGH EVERYTHING!! ITS ALL SO GOOD!! AND UR STYLE?? IM FOREVER CONSUMING IT!!! Literally peek nostalgia, comfort, even thru the angst its just so perfect im-

and- and splinter just bring me so much joy. Hes so goofy and soft and I sob every time I see him, imagine getting like the most gentle and affirming hug- I would cry immediately.

AHHHH!! ANYWAY STAY AMAZING ZACH!! :D <33333

TRIONA

TRIONA. TRIONA I AM SHAKING.

OH MY GOD???? LIKE OH???? MY GOD??????? THOSE ARE MY BABY SONS OH MY GOD THEY ARE GORGEOUS AND COZY PERFECT AMAZING I AM FULLY EMOTIONAL

LOOK AT THEM LOOK AT THEMMMMM AHHHHHHHHHH I CANT STOP STARING AT THEM BUT ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AWAY BECAUSE I AM LITERALLY TEARING UP?????

I LOVE THAT U CAN TELL A STORY FROM JUST THEIR POSES AND POSITIONS LIKE MIKEY DEF CAME OVER TO PESTER DONNIE AND FELL ASLEEP ON HIS LAP SO DONNIE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO STAY AND NAP TOO (cause its illegal to disrupt little brothers sleeping in ur laps of course, same rule as cats) AND THEN LEO WANDERED IN AND PROBABLY SMILED THAT AFFECTIONATE BIG BROTHER SMILE BEFORE CURLING UP BESIDE THEM THEN RAPH CAME A LIL BIT LATER WONDERING WHERE EVERYONE WAS AND AFFECTIONATELY CALLED THEM A BUNCH OF BOZOS BEFORE TAKING A SEAT WITH THEM (in a semi blind spot too the protective little baby) AND HE DIDNT MEAN TO FALL ASLEEP BUT IT WAS JUST TOO COZY AND AHHH

UGH AND THEN OLD MAN SPLINTER COMES TO CHECK ON THEM AND THOSE ARE HIS BABIES HIS LITTLE BOYS I AM SOBBING TRIONA I LOVE IT SO SO SO MUCH I AM BEYOND WORDS

[voxmilia]

Guys I cannot stress enough how nice it has been to find the right antidepressants

I crushed an incredibly brutal job assessment today. I've been working on better hygiene habits. I'm actually trying to journal and list out goals for the day?? And do them??? And there are days and moments where I feel so giddy and bubbly and bright again and I'm entirely sober. I used to need to be high for that to happen this easily

Guys I love when the meds actually work

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[inniave]

so fucking sick of the constant misgendering. it's exhausting. even from fellow queer people??????? who know me?????????? HELLO?????????????

[aurorashard]

.

[astersghost]

Don't go hangout with your chronically ill disabled immunocompromised friend when ur sick or around people who were sick and not tell them until afterwards... Sincerely your local chronically ill disabled immunocompromised friend who is currently having a bad time 👍

If you aren't going to wear a mask and protect yourself or the people you supposedly care about at least don't LIE to us.

I'm so tired.

It is exhausting knowing that the people who supposedly care or even love you can't be bothered to give a damn when they have to actually take preventative measures.

[puppyeared]

for like 3 weeks i was wondering why i was sleeping so much and felt listless. and just now I managed to email 3 people and responded to a month old message in the span of an hour because I got back to TAKING MY FUCKIN MEDS..........

[kabutone]

after the years of people jumping on activism like its a trend and then leaving it behind after a few weeks i am so fucking tired. like not to be cynical but like i see SO many people talking about palestine and saving lives but like be so fucking real are you gonna forget all about this in a few months? like how ppl ditched BLM after it gained traction in 2020? like how so fucking MANY OF YOU have stopped wearing a mask despite the pandemic still happening? you could be saving lives right in your own town instead of posting tiktoks that might not even help

i'm not saying you need to dedicate your lives to activism forever and ever but you do need to at least change Something to make yourself and the world better. i will always be listening to black voices, jewish voices, disabled voices, any groups that need to be heard, and trying to change my behavior for the better. like idk after seeing this happen time and time again a LOT of this shit seems so so fake. like there's so many bad things in the world and i know you cannot dedicate your all to every single problem ever forever and i don't want people spreading themselves too thin or burning themselves out but like please don't just stop giving a shit when it's not "popular" or getting you views or pats on the back anymore.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

got another for the ask game, Cassie and Vanessa

Give me two (or more) characters and I'll tell you how they first met and how they feel about eachother now

Uhhh well that's. Not something I've put a lot of thought into gotta be honest. It's definitely gonna be. A situation.

This situation would probably be from Gregory, Vanessa and Freddy returning to the Plex for some reason so as the only two with no immediate history, they're sort of just not really interacting? Roxy is happy to know she's alive, but is fucking pissed off at Freddy, while Cassie is so tired okay? From her perspective, unless she has evidence to the contrary, Gregory tried to kill her, then there was the situation with the Mimic and just. Yeah she would like to not be here right now, and the tension between Roxy and Freddy is suffocating, she's honestly scared that if someone doesn't break it and start talknig soon, he's not getting out alive. Gregory is glad Cassie is alive and well, and is kinda pissed off that of all the animatronics, it was Roxy that lived. Like, really? The worst one of the whole group? Bullshit. Vanessa meanwhile, is just glad everyone is okay. She literally has no direct history with Cassie, and was friends with Roxy (despite her attempts not to be) before shit hit the fan so uhhh yeah it would depend on why they came back how this would go I think.

However, if it's just Vanessa that comes back for any reason, (such as not wanting to put a child in danger again) that would make them meeting a bit more straight forward. She could find Cassie hanging out in Plex lobby with Roxy and some Minis, and honestly be pretty surprised? Just climbs down from on top of the doors like "Roxy??? You're still here???" before getting herself hugged. I like to think the animatronics don't have any idea what happened to her, so the possibility of her being dead was very, very real to them. Thus, they're happy to see her! Or, hear her, in Roxy's case if she hasn't decided on new eyes or something yet.

But anyway, this would allow for Roxy to introduce them in a non-stressful way. If Vanessa and Gregory were trying to guide Cassie out of the underground pizza place, and if she knows what happened to the lift, well... she's pretty fucking relieved to see her alive and well! Healing, maybe missing a limb or something, (haven't decided how I'm handling this yet) but still okay! And as it turns out, her dad is maybe also here, or is now trusting enough to let Cassie be there on her own, so long as she goes no further than the lobby. Hearing that, Vanessa is internally so relieved that this isn't another homeless child situation. She would have taken her in without a second thought of course, but her already being safe, supported and cared for is such a huge relief to her. She is a bit confused on how she's best friends with Roxy, and she's asking a whole load of questions to try and wrap her head around everything that happened from an insider perspective, but honestly, I think both Roxy and Cassie would convince her to stay for a while afterwards. So they can catch up, ya know?

From Cassie's perspective, she was initially spooked by this random person jumping into the Plex. There's been a few instances of people coming in to graffiti, and they're either incredibly offputting, chased away by Roxy and the Minis, or just vanish into a corner to do their thing for a while before leaving peacefully. Sometimes the others are in the lobby with them too of course, but Roxy is there every time, so she's not too worried. Some of them do weird her out a bit though... so Vanessa showing up like that? She doesn't know what to make of her. She doesn't look like the normal people that come by here. Cassie stays by Roxy and the Minis until Vanessa speaks and suddenly there's a big reunion happening. Honestly? If Roxy trusts this lady, then Cassie does too... just slightly less. Stranger danger and what not.

The meeting goes generally pretty well. Cassie notices real fast that Vanessa is very jumpy and really doesn't seem to want to be here. She can understand the sentiment, given what's happened, and the more tidbits she hears about what happened to Vanessa... oh god what the heck okay? She would swear about it if she could literally what do you mean she was trapped in an arcade cabinet???? What??????? Cassie is Concerned, okay? She thought the Mimic was bad!! And then Vanessa is acting exact same way as she hears them both tell her the basic summary of what happened, and it's like they've discovered a very alarmed and confused kindred spirit.

Vanessa meanwhile... is wondering how Cassie can be so calm being back here again. It strikes her as so weird that anyone would want to come back after something like that, but Cassie is adamant that she couldn't ever leave her friends behind. That one sentence sticks in her brain. It wasn't intentional, she knows that, but it felt a little backhanded. Vanessa didn't think the others even still liked her after everything that happened! She didn't think they'd want her to come back! And yet, here Roxy is, holding her hand like it's both made of glass and like it's her lifeline. Cassie being there after everything and being so proud and happy to be friends to the animatronics still, opens up a lot of doors in her head with a lot of worries and a lot of questions that Vanessa had thought she'd already answered. It's a lot to say the say the least. When she leaves, she's invited back almost immediately by both of them, and maybe Eclipse came rushing over once he heard she was there and invited her back to visit again as well. This whole situation has put a lot of things into a new perspective for her, and she's not sure she knows what to do with this. Whether she ever comes back or not, is entirely on her, and they didn't once try to pressure her about it. She just... needs to think about all of this...

I don't think if Vanessa came back initially with Gregory and Freddy in tow, that it would have gone this smoothely. If anything, these two might get introduced in the thick of it all, but otherwise, would be an after thought to each other. Too much going on to really meet and make friends, ya know?

With that in mind, after this meeting, the two have the beginnings of a friendship after the scenario above. If Vanessa comes back, they would have more time to really get to know each other a bit better, but if she doesn't come back, then that's about as far as it goes.

In the case of her not coming back, Cassie would have her clocked as a pretty nice person overall, who can be kind of funny sometimes when she's not flinching at every sound and movement. She feels like she and Vanessa have both gone through the ringer here, and that she'd like to see her again. It would be nice to have another person around that can understand her a bit better than her dad, and Vanessa isn't bound to the Plex either, so that would make it easier too. Vanessa on the other hand, is hung up on the fact that Cassie didn't deserve any of that. She feels like maybe she could have done something, and maybe there's more she can still do, but figuring out what is a losing battle. Cassie is too nice, too kind and too full of life for the horrors of the Plex. Does she try and contact her dad to keep her away?? She couldn't do that... Especially not after discovering that the animatronics are still there and had missed her so much... And then the way Cassie treated them? The way Cassie talked about never leaving them? This is a whole can of worms oh god... and the fact she doesn't go back, just leaves her wondering about if Cassie is doing okay, and if she and her dad are taking care of the animatronics still. Even if she decides it's best not to go back, the thought will always be on her mind now that she's abandoned everyone... The whole situation is such a huge struggle for Vanessa like holy hell

And in the case of Vanessa choosing to go back again? On her own again? She's greeted with so much enthusiasm every time. It's a slow process. She mostly tries to be there when Cassie isn't at first, just to try and work things out with Roxy again, but once school is out for whatever reason, that becomes increasingly difficult. Cassie honestly brings a balance to everything here though. Her presence keeps Roxy from threatening untold violence on Freddy the next time she sees him (there's still threats, but she is very much biting her tongue), and Vanessa's nerves are a little eased by just how comfortable Cassie is being here. Where Cassie acts as a middle ground for Vanessa and the Plex, Vanessa acts as a middle ground for Cassie and Gregory. She's very careful to only tell them what she's been told she can tell them, and with confirmation that Gregory wasn't the one that dropped the lift... it's nice to have indirect contact with him until Cassie is ready to see him again.

The both of them build a kind of sisterly bond (not the super close and tight knit type, the chill and less close, 'would hide the body for you but I dont know your birthday', type) and look forward to their meet ups at the Plex after a while. It might take some time to settle, but Vanessa has taken to bringing her sweets and random things she finds when she's out and about and Cassie returns the favour with friendship bracelets and some cupcakes she made with her dad. Cassie learned to trust her pretty fast, despite Vanessa's self-trust issues trying to keep her at a good distance. Vanessa has described her as a gem before, while Cassie calls her cool aunt Ness as a joke that makes her smile more than she'll admit. Roxy tried that joke once and got whacked with her torch lmao

Long and short of it, it takes some time, and they have a few rough patches, but they're friends now. They appreciate each other, and I like to think they'd get along just fine.

Vanessa will burn that fucking VANNI mask though. Mark her words, that thing is getting incinerated whether Cassie likes it or not. As soon as Vanessa figures out how to convince her it makes the Mimic look like a fucking saint, that thing is gone.

[matadorofheart]

yes i know it was soooo traumatic for you to go through a global pandemic and you never ever want to go back, but imagine what it's like now for people who are still living in reality while everyone around them acts like covid just magically went away in 2021

[verved]

i've been wearing my mask religiously for the past 4 years. i haven't gotten sick once from being outside while wearing my mask. but i've gotten sick 4 times alone in the past 3 months bc other ppl in my household refuse to wear a mask and then bring it home and i catch what they have. I'm so tired of being sick. i've missed so much work. i can't exercise regularly and keep losing the strength i worked hard to gain. i feel awful all the time. i'm p sure i have long covid from several years ago. i'm so tired of this. please wear your fucking mask.