#this panel is just unintentionally creepy to me

[magicaldogtoto]

Them: “It’s okay, Blank Tsuruno isn’t real.”

Blank Tsuruno:

[co-co-ocelot]

(I just realised I've never made an intro page- OOPS. WELP. Here it is!)

Salutations! My name is Co Co Ocelot, because no you do not get to know my real name get DUNKED ON. >:D

The things I like right now:

-Undertale

-Five Nights At Freddy's

-Genshin Impact

-Hazbin Hotel + Helluva Boss

-Cult Of The Lamb

Asks: OPEN

What is on my account?

Generally art- specifically OC X Cannon (if you don't like that, I can respect it but that's like the majority of my stuff so you probably won't like my blog, but hey! You never know if I could change your mind :D), Fanart, My ask blogs (which are also probably mainly OC X Cannon- which I'll get into a little later), and reposts.

What are the rules here?

Comments:

-13+ (I mean... Not like you'll listen but still. I'd like to put it there for consideration.)

-No hate for unjust reasons, such as disliking a ship, thinking something is cringe, or disagreeing with an opinion of mine. However! If you are respectful with criticisms or corrections for just reasons such as myself unintentionally coming across the wrong way, this is perfectly fine. We are all human and make mistakes, so if I do something that could come across as offensive, please tell me! I'll really appreciate it.

-Absolutely no racism, homophobia, transphobia EXC, because this will result in a ban. I will tell you though, just telling you what you said was X, Y and Z. I can understand that people make mistakes, or something could be taken the wrong way, so just be careful about this sort of thing to avoid any miscommunication.

-No self promotion (it's kind of rude T<T)

Asks:

Please don't ask:

-Questions about myself, please keep it to the characters, though I do appreciate the interest. <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>

-Overly sexual asks, (Such as graphic descriptions- but just asking a character "doth thou plough?" Is fine and honestly pretty funny. Just don't take it too far.) (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

-Ask anything litterally illegal or inappropriate/creepy? Such as PDF-file type behaviour. That stuff is real nasty.

Please do ask these however! And don't be afraid to ask stuff that's not on here! As long as it doesn't go against the "don'ts" section, you're good! Just remember to not be worried, because of you do anything I'm not comfortable with I'll let you know and add it to the list of no-goes, zero hard feelings! (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

-Angst (So asking sad questions, making characters remember stuff that no person should ever experience- but what's the point in having a favourite character if you don't mentally and physically destroy them? I LOVE THAT SHIT)!

-Asking about the characters, head cannons, or story! This one is a BIG yes please! It helps me build the story as we go along.

-Anon magic- that stuff is really funny (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

-Show off your OCs! For an example, if your OC is a new employee of Vox Tech, I may have them sometimes be in the background of the panels, occasionally coming in and doing tasks, exc! Just tell me a little about them and their personality and I'll so it! ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

What ask blogs are available right now?

Current counting: 1

Secret Garden: OC (Rosemary) X Vox

Yes this is inspired by Flower Fell the Undertale AU ｡⁠:ﾟ⁠(⁠;⁠´⁠∩⁠`⁠;⁠)ﾟ⁠:⁠｡

Content warnings for this blog:

- Gore

- Valentino. I hate that fucker

- Dark/Downright disturbing themes such as SH, SA, PTSD, Child abuse/SA, manipulation, exc... (I'D LIKE TO EMPHASISE THAT I AM NOT ENDORSING THIS, IT'S JUST ONE OF THE CHARACTERS BACKSTORY, AND AT NO POINT IN THE STORY IS IT VIEWED IN A POSITIVE LIGHT)

- Generally soul crushing angst

- Oc x Cannon... If you don't like that for some reason (I'm judging you, it's the best)

Context summary:

The curse:

-A few years back, (post Vox vs Alastor) a man named Zentheal hired Rosemary, a sinner who, as things were then, had a tight hold on pentagram city's drug rings, meaning they had power. He could 'respect' that, he just chose not to because he's a dick. He hired them to spy on a business rival for quite the attractive price.

-Despite the blatant disrespect and death threats if failure occurred, Rosemary accepted, (not that they they had the option to say no) but rather quickly found out said business rival was a nightmare, and it was like staring at paint dry.

-Rosemary ran out of time and Zentheal was beyond livid. After a rather brutal torture session he sent Rosemary back home, completely unaware of what the upcoming hours would entail.

-Pain. Lots of it. And none of it having to do with the torture. The flowers that already held their roots under their skin ever since they arrived in hell...were spreading.

-Rosemary had thrown up from the pain twice, completely immobilised while the flowers slowly breached the surface of their skin, and in the end they experienced all that pain for a mere...what? 7-8 flowers to grow?

-This couldn't be safe at all... Were they going to die...?

How they met the Vees:

- Recently, Velvette and Rosemary had done a collaboration, where -essentially- Rosemary gave Vel a boatload of the strongest drugs they had so she could give them to her team and see what shit they cooked up. It was mainly out of boredom but oh BOY did people go crazy for the nonsensical designs the buzzed out designers made. Both sides saw increased sales from then on, so they decided to do another collaboration in the near future.

- Velvette and Rosemary ended up becoming good friends from that encounter, meaning they came over to the Vee tower often to hang out, becoming quite familiar with the three. Velvette just made sure to keep them FAR away from Valentino.

Where the story is currently:

- All three of the Vees, as it stands right now, are unaware of Rosemary's curse.

- Vox is still stuck in an incredibly toxic an abusive situationship with Valentino, who is getting more and more insane by the day. Vox is getting sick of it.

- Vox is considering letting Rosemary join the Vee's, but is debating it, since Rosemary and Valentino get on awfully. They both want to kill eachother, and oh boy do they try.

What happens next? You'll have to ask and find out.

[alena-reblobs]

Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol9 Part1

Vol01: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  | Vol02: Part 1 | Part 2

Trimax: Vol01 Part 1 Vol01 Part 2 | Vol02 Part 1 Vol02 Part 2 | Vol 03 Part 1 | Vol03 Part2 | Vol04 Part1 | Vol04 Part2 | Vol05 | Vol06 | Vol07 | Vol08 Part1 | Vol08 Part2 | Vol09 Part1

Vol 9 recap start! It's late and I'm not having that many clever thoughts, so more just...reacting and saving cool panels :D

Chapter 1:

Aww Nico and Miss Melanie checking to see how Livio is doing. Nico's really got the big brother vibes.

Great catch, buddy!

Smiling and laughing little Wolfwood! This is killing me with so much cuteness. Also, love how he got his big Wolfwood nose as a kid too (I mean, of course he does, but then you never know, an author might make all kids look kinda similiar even unintentionally by giving them big kid eyes, small noses and such stuff...it's just nice to see distinct facial features drawn in different age states)

*** you for that evil trap, Chapel.

Livio not saying anything to that in that one panel is telling a lot actually. Now we know in what way he himself is tied to that orphanage...does he consider it a burden too? I wonder if Chapel struck a nerve with that sentence.

And just like that I knew I was gonna like Livio. Oooh he had it coming.

Hmm love this page. It really feels like the start of something.

Chapter 2:

So so proud of him...I read other bookclub posts about how Wolfwood symbolizes the humanity that CAN change and boy is that right.

I can only imagine Nightow having SO much fun drawing this!! :DD I have no idea but if I'd have to guess I'd say he was just waiting to draw a full page cool blockbuster scene of Wolfwood riding a motorcycle with an explosion in the backgrounds. Probably been wanting to do this since some volumes. And finally got his chance!! Cause there was no need to draw this so action-movie epic-like and he still did, hehe.

First of all, this page here looks so cool! Wolfwood is so shapey, but also the pose and composition...*mwah* Then in this fight we get to see just how good of a fighter Wolfwood actually is. Not that we didn't witness that before, but it was often together with Vash, or if alone, like with Ninelives, he was struggling quite a bit. But here to me it felt like we get this glimpse of a trained assassin he once was, fully in control of the situation, being fast and efficient (without killing).

Such badassery!!! I'm a big fan of how Livio, despite being fully indoctrined, still kinda protects the orphanage too! Well, maybe it's also because Chapel is prob sitting there too and they still need to use the orphanage as bait but STILL! I chose to believe that at this point some point inside Livio was still acting out of attachment to his old home.

Chapter 3:

Hey! That's not a nice thing to say boy! D: Also, she's obviously trying to reassure the kids so don't make them more scared by saying it won't do anything!

Oh fuck. The kids are talking about Nico here but this obviously applies to Vash, as well. Wolfwood can not rely on Vash now who is not around to help.

Also, may I say, what an utterly gorgeous drawing of Wolfwood and Livio.

RAZLOOOO

HMMMM Livio the Double FANG

And in that moment he thinks of that one moment where a person DID need him, where he saved someone :'(

These two pages look soooo cool. I never knew how ominous laundry cool look!

I do wonder...how did Razlo know about the Eye of Michael? Did he meet an informant some time, or overhear smth?

You're not going to kill your brother now, are you Wolfwood! (Not really brother but brother in heart, you know.)

Chapter 4:

Oh I misremembered, he DID mean to kill Livio? Or only momentarily put him out of order, knowing that he has SOME kind of regeneration abilities? I'm not quite sure now. What I do know is that Chapel has a creepy grin and I want that old man out of my face.

Ah hm maybe I should read at least the next page before rambling off. He really only wanted to incapacitate him. I'm relieved!

Rude! You didn't need to throw him through a suddenly spawned set of wood!

At this rate, Wolfwood must be riddled with bullets. Shot from behind, from the front, lost a HUGE amount of blood from his shoulder...

...and yet he's still going on. Oh my boy he's such an awesome character. (Also quick side note, love how Nightow draws hands)

Saving this because awesome pages. This is only the second time we're seeing these vials being used, right? Funny how quickly they became such an important plot device. (I wonder when Nightow planned them into the story...I'm guessing kinda late? Just wondering)

He must have really trusted on Livio blocking that thing!

Aww :(

Making a cut here! The rest will be done in a part 2 post, I don't want to get to the image limit in the middle of a chapter.

[dnangelic]

Sorry I'll ask a more serious one. Are there any hopes that dark and daisuke have for each other? or develop for each other?

this has the potential to turn into an entire convoluted essay so i'll just try to keep things short to start off with. tldr they do absolutely have hopes for each other that they canonically develop, though i usually write them as having reached both of their end development points more or less already. it's about them becoming each other; daisuke more confident and mature, dark loving and tender; fulfilled and human.

dark: dark seeking coexistence has been a thing even before daisuke was his host, so there's that. when it came to his other hosts (daisuke is specifically niwa-host number 19, actually,) what dark mostly wanted out of them was his own body. he's veered into dangerous, creepy-manipulative territories with the whole 'hey hey merge with me, stay as me forever!' bit but it isn't long before he drops that with daisuke. this drama CD track that he narrates basically says it all. there's a part of him that legitimately wants to support and protect daisuke, even if it's usually in a mean, prideful, tough-love, backhanded tsundere way. there's a lot of implication that daisuke ever failing to believe in himself is also something that collaterally wounds dark. quickest and most blatant example i can think of is this:

vol 1 vs vol 4. for context, that's still daisuke (just in dark's form) speaking in the v first panel, and in the rest, daisuke's transported into dark's (but really his own) dream where he and dark's roles are essentially reversed. dark exists as "daisuke" while daisuke's the "one who doesn't exist anymore" in the world, and every single one of daisuke's thoughts and dialogue lines ends up practically a complete parallel to what would normally be dark's thoughts, one after another. i can't publish a whole manga arc in an ask, but the gist is that what dark wants out of daisuke is pretty simple, actually. beneath even the destiny of phantom thievery dark's existence pretty much forces upon the niwa, beneath the imbalance of dark's arrogant pride and daisuke's insecurities is the fact that no matter what, even if he never gets to 'live' with his own life or his own body, dark, as just dark, still wants to be accepted and remembered.

it hurts him to be rejected, even if it's something like daisuke's own lack of self confidence unintentionally rejecting him. 'i'm not, i can't be dark/i am you + you ARE me.' it hurts dark to be abandoned and separated from, ("that is... even if you say it like that, i'm already used to it. sorrow is just the one thing i can't get used to.") it hurts dark to be a half-existent "curse" imbued into a bloodline that his hosts only ever want to cut off and avoid without any sympathy so they can get back to their own lives, a life dark constantly longs for but can never obtain. it's bittersweet to be the one always left behind, over and over, to have been born of the niwa's love, thereby knowing and desiring love, yet being forever doomed to exist (also seemingly forever!) without it. dark even specifically mentions the 'pain of separation' that he feels, knowing he's the one who's always destined to disappear, be forgotten, then reappear in the end. that's also why he can ultimately settle for someone to be able to say with absolute confidence that he existed as his own individual just as much as he was a part of his host(s). in the very end, he can only rely on daisuke anymore for that, which is simultaneously what also makes dai the christine to his erik.

'i've always been inside you. don't you know that? if not for you, i wouldn't be here either. that's what i am.'

'because you're here, i'm able to live.'

when they're in a healthy unison, it doesn't matter whether dark is his own 'live' entity or just a persona for daisuke to wear and act out on his own. dark's 'eternity' is believed in; he and his memory is preserved as more than just a miserable, pathetic haunt and forced destiny. his empty, vacant, hollow and immortal existence is given human meaning; daisuke's love and acceptance fulfills him. if i shall be saved, it will be because your love redeems me! (also this post.)...and this is really all the hope dark could ever have, not just for himself, but for daisuke as well. to meet his faith and belief that daisuke can not just match but make his steps, and accept 'him', the one and only 'great phantom thief dark,' as himself.

daisuke: setting aside the things i've said for dark's portion already, daisuke's always personally wanted to change. sugisaki's even said that change was what the series about! it kicks off with daisuke trying to make the first attempt at it: giving his initial crush his love letter and getting rejected, then transforming into dark for the first time. daisuke doesn't want to be a loser. he hates himself for being 'incapable' and 'clumsy' and 'useless,' and if he has any hopes, then it's for that to change through dark- through being, becoming dark. that being said, daisuke did also absolutely only want to get rid of dark at first, but there are implications that he had also been lying to himself here and there. when it comes to phantom thievery, daisuke has grow into it. he has to realize that it's not solely theft and criminal behavior for the sake of it, (it's very important that while he's absolutely committing 'human' crimes, his thefts are simultaneously a form of protection for the arts themselves,) and that even as a phantom thief, he can still create wonder and awe and inspire dreams, and the same mercy applies to learning about dark.

it takes daisuke around 20 volumes to get to a place where he can essentially, confidently say that he and dark are on equal footings, but just a little before that, is the way daisuke goes from someone who would have done anything to get rid of dark to becoming someone who felt he could only do things BECAUSE dark was there. daisuke is always the one far more openly admiring and looking up to dark, the nervous one blatantly relying on dark's encouragement and presence to keep him from curling up into his knees and staying that way forever. to that extent, dai's now at the point where he doesn't want to let dark go. in canon he essentially has no choice. cue the loop back to 'because you're here, i'm able to live' and everything after it, but within rp, if he isn't set back at square one (a la 'i'm just here because i want to get rid of dark!!!) then the sorts of hopes he has are to simply continue improving and changing himself to be a good fit for the title of a legendary phantom thief. dai is, ultimately, the protagonist, so between him and dark, he controls the entirety of the outcome of the narrative between them. dark's hopes are entirely reliant on his, so it's good that dai's entire chara basis is compassion and attempting to meet, fulfill, and accomplish the hopes and happiness of others through his own.

between him and dark, their hopes really ultimately end up the same: they want to be with each other! they want to be each other! do not separate them or else they'll Both freak out.

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. I personally would be more willing to excuse the constant art mistakes and issues in LO if it was actually just Rachel doing it all herself. The fact the reality is actually her only sketching it out at best while her team of 4-5 people do the actual art is just inexcusable. The biggest selling point about it too is it's supposed to have great art, so why can't it even keep basic features correct? This is just ridiculous. How do you get more people working on it and it's only worse for it?

2. I think its PJO that said Gods can easily change how they appear (PJO Aphrodite for example looks how the viewer finds attractive, while PJO Persephone's looks change off the seasons) but that's all established and confirmed very early in the series and has in-universe explanations. LO has none of this minus "emotional hair" (???) so there is really no excuse Rachel & her 5+ person team can't even keep Hades' nose right. It's honestly a bit ridiculous how art issues are more frequent than not.

3. IDK why Rachel keeps pushing for Hera and Persephone to be the same person bc not only does that imply Hades wants Hera but is using Persephone to replace her, but Hera sucks?? She's an elitist jerk, she's racist against nymphs unless they're "one of the good ones" (🤢) she claims to be so loyal yet cheats on Zeus with his BROTHER, she neglects her kids to were her 8 year old has to act like an adult, she lies to her own sister, etc. Why would you want Persephone be ANYTHING like her?

4. About that thing about the kings using a fertility goddess (Gaia, Rhea) to gain power... did Rachel entirely miss that the kings themselves ARE fertility gods? Cronus is straight up an earth god, Uranus and Zeus are both sky gods (=rain)

5. sorry, no amount of "thats just the angle!" or "that's just the lighting!" can excuse rachel's piss poor character designing. the character's whole faces, bodies, and skin colors shouldn't change literally every other panel unless its copied and pasted the same panel, which even then theyre still often redrawn to look different and thus off model once again. There's no part of the story confirming their have fluid looks, so it looks even more ridiculous it can't keep even basic things on model.

6. You fools.  Clearly the more creepy and controlling he gets about Persephone the longer his nose grows. Why do you think he looks even more like a swordfish now? I’ve cracked the code. 

7. I’m not saying bad faith critique of LO doesn’t exist but I’m really disturbed over how the stans act like BIPOC readers, LGBTQ+ readers,  SA survivors, Greeks, etc critiquing it’s very real flaws and issues that are sold to literal children is just lumped under that same bad faith argument or “being an anti”. Like?? We’re not arguing about stupid ships, we’re critiquing how it sexualizes a girl that’s barely legal, a story that frames the poor as the real oppressors to the rich and powerful, a story that uses sexual assault to push a creepy, power imbalanced ship along, a comic that spits in the face of the culture and stories it’s butchering and profiting off of, a story that (I will hope unintentionally) has very real implications of racism and antisemitism, a story that frames a slave owner and potential groomer as the best man ever, a story that took a famous bisexual god and made him the abuser to a poor little straight girl, a story claiming to be feminist yet is deeply rooted in pushing misogynistic messages, and the list goes on and on. That’s not “anti” behavior, it’s being able to critically consume this media and not being blinded by marketing and the bright colors it can’t keep consistent. 

8. I feel so bad when I think about the fact I wasted all my time and energy into Lore Olympus fanart, fanfiction, fandom (discussions, theories and even arguing), compared to when I used to be in other fandoms. Like... League Of Legends fandom, yeah, that boring and ugly moba game, has made me feel much more fulfilled and welcomed, especially because of how many amazing story and world building related things they provide from time to time.

Yes, Smythe doesn't have much money to provide the fandom with interesting animations, or exclusive music videos or just basically anything other than doodles and memes and concept art... But still for some reason I feel so cheated. The amount of love and time I dedicated to Lore Olympus feels heavily one-sided.

Now it's a matter of time until another fandom will pull me in and I leave Lore Olympus behind for good. I just don't understand what kept me here so long. I suppose it's my need for closure is why I still stay. I just need to know how it ends because I don't want this whole time I wasted on this bad piece of media to be in vain. 

9. I think In trying to make the comic more “serious” Rachel seems to think adding more complicated plots and “twists” makes it better, but it really doesn’t. There’s nothing wrong with telling a simple story and that’s it, especially when the hymn is pretty straightforward in what to do with it. Idk why she thinks adding plots about Kronos, Leto, Eros, Daphne, Echo, AOW, etc would somehow improve a story about HxP getting together, yet here we are. 

10. Not only is Hera a Fertility Goddess despite Rachel's lack of world building, Hera also has a huge overlap with Zeus in terms of powers, such as herself being able to control the weather, cause storms, and crumble empires if she saw fit. There is a reason Zeus and Hera were paired and it wasn't just their for spicy romance, it was also the fact he was the strongest god and she was the strongest goddess. Rachel very purposely nuked Hera of her real power and still thinks she's "empowering" her!

[sunjaesol]

“The simple act of being in love with you is enough for me.”

jiara | post-s2 | pining idiots | title: quote by Pacey from Dawson's Creek

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

“Kie.”

“Hm?” The girl’s mop of curls obscured her face as she mumbled out some vowels, clearly still buzzed from the night before. An amused smile ticked up his lips and slapped her calf again. She sighed. “What?”

“Leggo,” he pushed, “we gotta get to Pope’s place.”

“Why?”

Even if everyone else would deny it, JJ swore Kie was as bad as he was: slow and fucking lethargic before eleven in the morning. Sure, she had better grades in school, but he wasn’t gonna give her more credit than that. Speaking of, “Helping him with that new scholarship, remember?”

The girl groaned and rolled over to face him, droopy eyes cracking open to scowl at him. She slept where he used to crash whenever his dad’s place became too much, but since the old man fucked off to Yucatán, he found peace in the quiet walls and cracked windows. Regardless, it was weird seeing her sprawled on this mattress, the boy almost able to envision himself beside her. A dangerous fantasy to linger on, so he pushed it aside and kept on trucking.

“C’mon, Kie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered and sat upright. “How did you even get in the Château?”

JJ grinned and snagged a key chain from his shorts. “Spare key. Duh.”

She rolled her eyes, uttering, “John B’s stupid,” and then pushed him out the guest room, telling him she’d get ready. His mouth opened to make the joke if he couldn’t stay and watch, but the door slammed in his face and that was that.

Having a crush on Kiara was the freakiest thing ever. First of all, JJ and emotions didn’t mesh well — it only led to trouble, a perfect example being his dad and him with the most fucked up dynamic to boot. He preferred to not even think about the man, though one glance in the mirror often betrayed his mind and brought a rush of memories to the forefront, whether it was a shiner against his eye, or the fact that he resembled his father when he was young.

So yeah, he didn’t like anything ‘love’ related. It was stupid. It was more reckless than buying a jacuzzi or trying to steal a golden cross from a boat with dozens of armed men. Friendship, however, was easy. He told the Pogues just that: they were ‘it’ for him, he’d go through fire for them, through hell and fucking back.

But he didn’t think he’d actually die for them, which almost happened when he tried saving Kie on the Coastal Venture — to which she ended up saving him. (A vision illuminated by a golden sun, hovering over him. He’d never forget it.)

While he inspected the contents of the fridge, embarrassingly filled with only beer, eggs, milk and junk food, the door creaked open and revealed a dressed and less-wrecked Kiara. His gaze flicked up and down her frame, quick, and then averted it back to the fridge.

“You got no food, man.”

She chuckled. “I know. It’s not exactly The Wreck type of food…”

“You haven’t gone back?”

“Nope,” she replied, curt, and moved past him to shove a container of sausages aside to grab a bottle of almond milk. Even if she wasn’t with her parents, she still somehow kept up her ‘no dairy’ principles.

Also, Kiara was hella beautiful. He hadn’t let it register when she walked in, but it was true. Her soft-looking, shiny skin, sporting the prettiest smile in all of the OBX, and she was just hot. Especially when she propped herself on the kitchen counter, to which he settled beside her to not look at her legs.

“How many scholarships are there?” she asked. “Like, I’m obviously proud of him, but…”

“He told us last night,” JJ laughed. “You were that fucking high?”

She giggled, “Yeah! You were there, I was just on my ass.” And then, quieter, “And… I don’t know, I guess I’ve been kind of distracted.”

He perked up, surprised. Though the Pogues were family, openly talking about emotions when it wasn’t prompted by anything, remained rare. They were better at talking shit and smoking and napping on boats. Whatever, he took the bait.

“Why?”

She shook her head. “It’s stupid, JJ.”

“Kie, you’re talking to me,” he nudged her shoulder, “throw me a bone here. Is it Pope? You got the hots for our favourite nerd again?”

Taking a sip from the bottle, her brow quirked up as though that was the stupidest thing he ever said, and retorted with, “Why’re you always doing that?”

His hands raised instantly, defensive. “Doing what?”

“You’re always digging, like, when I was with Pope you got all weird.”

“I don’t dig.”

“You do.”

“I don’t. Kie, what’s up?” He kept it moving before she found the core of his problem, and bounced back to the original issue. “Before I start saying shit to Pope.”

She scoffed. “You're full of shit.”

“Oh, Kie,” he drawled with a smirk. “You can do better than that.”

Silence fell. He waited, fiddling with his fingers, and quietly hoped Pope wouldn't be too annoyed when they arrived late — then again, they were begrudgingly coined 'tortoise and tortoise' by the group anyway.

She placed the bottle back in the fridge and sent him a rueful smile, one he often saw her showing Sarah before they went aside and had a private talk. Their eyes locked and she finally spoke.

“Sometimes, I… I miss my parents. And it's like, I don't get how they don't just accept that I'm a Pogue, that I'm friends with you guys, you know? But I still miss them.” She looked down at her feet, crossing at the ankles like a little girl waiting to be reprimanded by the teacher. “I miss my dad's hugs.”

Instantly, his arm swung around her for a gentle side hug, a grateful smile pulling on her lips as she leaned into him. Both knew they should savour a moment like this, as hugging with a twitchy JJ and often irritated Kie happened once every blue moon.

Ignoring the guilty look in her eye — yeah, he didn't understand missing a paternal embrace, rather used to a blow in the stomach or a crude remark, but that didn't mean he lacked empathy — he resisted the urge to encourage her to reconnect with them. Knowing her, she'd just close up and glare at him for the rest of the day.

So no, he wasn't going to ask her. And no, she shouldn't feel guilty. P4L 'til the end, baby.

“Thanks, JJ,” she whispered.

He snickered and pushed her off. “You can't tell the guys I'm becoming soft, dude. Theyʼll give me so much shit for it.”

“They know you're soft,” she teased, “don't even try.”

“I'm tough,” he tried.

“Like Play-Doh.”

“Whatever,” he mumbled and motioned at the kitchen door. “Let's go, Carrera. Before John B and Sarah come back and act all married.”

Now that was fucking annoying. After John B and Sarah faked their death, they got married by a bandana strip and hadn't let that notion go after returning. Sure, there was that small blip when they were fighting the crazy religious chick, but that was old news.

John B made him swear he wouldn't tell a soul, but the guy waxed poetry about Sarah whenever they were drunk and alone. It was hilariously sad. Another man lost to a girl.

(“She wants a beach wedding,” JB sighed a couple nights ago. “Nice, right?”

“I– yeah, I really don't care about this, man.”)

JJ knew that when he got a girlfriend (Kiara unintentionally but also very intentionally crossed his mind), he'd act normal. No mushy shit. No poetry. Definitely no creepy Romeo and Juliet references thrown in as if that shouldn't freak the Pogues out. Their behaviour better not be infectious.

Expectedly, Pope's scowl reached them all the way from the car, Kie and JJ sharing a sheepish look before stepping out.

“Gee, guys,” the boy deadpanned, “thanks for making haste. Really appreciate it.”

JJ's wide grin hoped to salvage it. Slapping his friend on the shoulder, he pushed past him and yelled, “Kie was dead, dude!”

Pope grimaced. “Don't joke about that.”

He watched as Kie stopped beside Pope with an apologetic expression, telling him she overslept and was sorry and that he knew how JJ was — “Always joking.”

His chapped lips pursed, a familiar punch hitting his chest with him then pretending it didn't hurt. She always did this. Even if she claimed she didn't, she always took Pope's side. Relationship or not. JJ knew she didn't owe him her 'side', but it'd be a nice change of pace either way.

Whatever. This wasn't the JJ Pining For Kiara Show. Pope needed their help.

A state-wide scholarship competition gave Pope another shot at winning a huge chunk of money (no gold type of rich though) and getting his ass out of OBX, hopefully launching himself into some fancy college when he revealed to be of Denmark Tanny's lineage. Those hibrow assholes loved a good sob story.

All Pope had to do was score hella high on some test — easy — and impress the panel — not so easy — and he'd be the luckiest Pogue of all.

But that did mean Kie and him had to sit on his creaky bed with a freaky amount of flashcards while a stressed out Pope paced around his room. He was pretty sure the floor was eroding.

Also, he had no fucking clue what any of the flashcards meant. Did Pope's smarts really attracted Kie that much? Was it the brain? Brain over brawl? But where was the fun in that? JJ loved Pope to death, but the guy had to be fully medicated or high before his brain shut off and he acted carefree.

“Pope, do you even know what this all means?” Kie bemoaned, flipping the cards around.

“You got a dictionary somewhere?” added JJ, squinting at the word aberration. It sounded like some weird disease. He showed him the word.

Pope dismissed it. “It means: different from the norm.”

“Dude, why not write that then?”

“Because they want aberration.”

He didn't get it. “No one uses it though.”

“JJ, that's just the way it is,” Pope pressed.

“Guys, stop,” Kiara interrupted. “But honestly Pope, it's so, like, elitist. None of these questions are important to the world, or the well-being of the people.”

“Sorry, Kiara, but unfortunately not everyone cares that much,” he sighed. JJ could tell they were starting to annoy their friend, their tortoise bullshit bleeding through.

Her nose scrunched up, peeved. “Right. Because there's a planet B just waiting to be used by us. Duh.”

“Ooh,” JJ drawled, nudging her arm. “Are there donkeys shitting money?”

Kie laughed. “Yes. All beaches, clean air, no Kooks, and money-shitting donkeys.”

“Nah, I want it to be hella Kooky,” he joked, gesturing wildly. “I want a yacht and tell people someone else does my laundry, or something.”

“You don't even do your laundry anyway,” she bounced back with a roll of the eye. “I know you force John B.”

“He's already playing House with Sarah, might as well wash my underwear, too.”

Oh, man. He could do this all day. Talking shit with Kiara went as smooth as fishing for him. Each time he thought he one-upped her, she threw more on top and kept it going 'til neither knew what the point even was anymore. Sarah dubbed it as 'banter' which he believed was a rich way of saying 'talking smack.'

“I don't believe you even know how to do it,” she challenged.

JJ huffed and crossed his arms. “I can do it.”

A smirk bloomed on her lips as she kept jabbing. “It's kinda cute, how you need John B to be your mom.”

“I don't.”

“You literally said it five seconds ago.”

“Guys,” Pope groaned, followed by an exhausted sigh eerily similar to Heyward. “Can we get back to the flashcards?”

Kie and JJ were too far into their discussion though, jabbing at each other at rapid speed. Then she threw her cards at him and all bets were off. He yelled she should make a goal with her hands, to which he folded up a flashcard and shot it straight between her fingers.

And that was when Pope kicked them out. JJ presumed it was a victory they lasted as long as they did. Kie kept apologising over her shoulder, prompting Pope to ask Cleo for help instead.

For a beat, they were silent stepping out of his place and back into the car. JJ felt a stab of guilt for fucking up Pope's study time, but it was hard to dial his brain to school when his friends surrounded him. Just when he wanted to ask if she felt bad too, she went off about the climate — as usual.

“It's so dumb how there were no questions about the environment or human rights or, or anything like that! It's all science and lit, like, there's more to life than fucking chemistry formulas!”

“I skipped those cards. Didn't get them.”

“It's so fucked,” she hummed. “And I'm obviously glad that you drove to the Château to wake me up and all—”

“Yeah?”

“—but I really wish those questions would matter. We almost died, JJ!”

“No, shit,” he grumbled, quickly starting to lose his patience with the ranting girl. She didn't even realise what the fuck she was saying anymore — what she did to his heart, skipping like some elemtary school girl on the playground, when she slipped some nice words in.

“Died!” she pressed. “Why even care about stuff like that?”

“Fucks sake, Kie—”

“And I didn't want to say it, but did you see how many flashcards there were? How many trees were cut for that? It's like, hello, Quizlet exists!”

“Kie, shut up!” he yelled.

Her mouth fell slack, gobsmacked, gawking at him like his interruption was a slap in the face.

Gesturing wildly with one hand, he exclaimed, “You know, you can just go on and on and I hear you talking and it's like, yeah, we get it, Mother Earth needs to be saved, we're fucked, you don't gotta repeat it twenty-four seven.”

“What the hell, JJ!”

“You have an opinion about everything! A man gets tired!”

“A man?” She scoffed. “You're not even eighteen.”

“Point is you don't gotta act all preachy all the time.” He turned the corner, hands tightening around the steering wheel.

Kie scowled. “Where is this coming from? I'm not preachy, I'm educating you.”

Now that was just fucking with his head. Incredulous, he exclaimed, “You think I don't listen? Kie, I'm the only one that does. JB is on Planet Sarah all the damn time and Pope only did shit 'cause—"

"That!” she yelled, throwing her hands up with frustration. “That's what I mean! You're doing it again! You dig!”

“What?!”

“Every time you mention Pope and I, you dig. You needle!” Twisting in her seat, his gaze flickered to catch her disgruntled expression. “Why do you do that? It's so… sus.”

JJ laughed. “Sus?”

“You don't ask John B about Sarah.”

“'Cause they're fucking obvious.”

“Still,” she pressed. “Did I do something to piss you off? Is that it? Is it me constantly asking you to recycle and yet — shocker! — you never do?!”

“Fucking God,” he grumbled under his breath.

With frazzled thoughts and shaking hands, adrenaline coursed through him as he swerved to the side of the road and stopped the car. If he fought with Kie any longer to this degree of fuckery, they were gonna crash.

She frowned. “What're you doing?”

“You, Carrera, are driving me insane,” he deadpanned, matter-of-fact. Then he slammed the door open and stepped out, desperate to catch his breath.

In the back of his mind, he had an inkling as to why he was so keyed up. Kiara would call him a Neandethal, but fuck it, here was the truth: Kiara was hot as hell when she argued with him.

Following his lead, she got out, her sneakers stomping against the asphalt. The sun steeped low on the horizon, the light hitting the hood and reflecting onto her face; her curls shifting from dark brown to gold. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He was so fucked. He almost missed the start of her spiel, too enthralled.

“I'm driving you insane? I'm always getting you out of trouble, because you never think things through! You never see the bigger picture!”

He rolled his eyes. “Bigger picture? The only thing I see, Kie, is you going on about nature. That easy.” And then, before he could stop himself, he spewed out, “And you don't have to do that.”

“What?”

“Getting me out of trouble,” he said, pursing his lips. “That's not your responsibility.”

“Right. Duh. Because after everything we've been through, I can't care about you,” she exclaimed, face twisting up in pure fury. She got in his space, shoving his shoulder, but when he didn't budge, it only seemed to anger her more.

JJ didn't know what was going on anymore. Why was she so mad? Even if she didn't want to admit it, he was telling the truth. Of course all the Pogues had each other's back, but Kiara doted over him more than was necessary. The constant checking of injuries, limiting his day drinking, all that. Like he was some child!

He leaned in and mumbled, “I can take care of myself.”

Kie smirked. “Then do your own laundry.”

It happened naturally. One second he stared at her furious eyes and thought about how much he loved arguing with her despite the bullshit, the next his fingers curled into her hair and pulled her in a fierce kiss.

At first, her hands laid frozen on his shoulders, surprised, but the moment he realised his impulsive decision was a mistake, they slid around his neck and kept him close.

JJ sighed in relief and deepened the kiss he'd been craving ever since they were fourteen and Kie went from gangly to statuesque. Her lips were warm and soft and her hands were soft and she hadn't let go and holy shit — he was kissing Kiara Carrera.

The kiss lessened when her mouth quirked into a smile, their grins pressing flush together, and JJ shivered from delight. Oh, man. He was gone.

“You drive me damn crazy, Kie,” he murmured, voice dropped to an undeniably soft tone.

She bit back her silly grin and whispered, “Good.”

Taking a deep breath, he tried focusing up, but all he could do was stare at her face. A shy hand grabbed hers.

He had to get it out of the way now, or else he'd kick himself later. “I'm… really into you. I'm– oh, fuck, uh–”

“Maybe we can talk about it not on the side of the road?” she suggested, amused.

JJ grinned, elated (What was the word he saw on the flashcards? Exalted!), and kissed her again, because he could.

On the ride back to the Château, he confessed to seeing her in a different light for years, while she couldn't really pinpoint a time or moment, that it just happened. It didn't matter, though he was in utter disbelief that he and Kie were having this conversation. No jokes, no BS, all seriousness. Tomorrow, he'd wake up and it wouldn't be some sick dream. Kie liked him back.

JJ was sure he'd doubt himself or overthink it in the future, but today, he'd bask in the certainty and the major ego boost.

“Okay, but did you ever legit like Pope then?”

A sheepish smile crawled up her cheeks as her gaze averted to the window. “I thought I did. But we have, like, no chemistry, so…” She shook her head. “I was confused.”

“That's okay,” he uttered. He couldn't give her shit for it. Even if he did torture himself with their short-lived relationship, he understood.

How would he react though? John B and Sarah wouldn't care, or Cleo, but Pope? He didn't want one of his brothers hating him. Being iced out by the guy fucking sucked, as it meant he was truly hurt and therefore meant JJ truly fucked up. He couldn't handle disappointing him.

Kie read his mind. “He'll be fine with it.”

“I dunno, man…”

“He will,” she repeated. “We're Pogues. We've all narrowly survived death. And besides…” She turned back to him with a secretive grin. “I think he has a thing for Cleo.”

Whoa. He did not see that coming. His brows shot up to his hairline, mentally kicking himself for being so focused on Kie that he didn't even notice the shift of interest between Pope and Cleo. They made sense, too. Know-it-all's, but well-meaning, and only speaking when needed.

If the idea didn't relief him of worries, he'd be concerned as to why they were all seamlessly coupled up like in some 90s sitcom Big John had on VHS.

“What a player,” he joked.

“Tell me about it.”

They arrived at the house, the Twinkie and Sarah's bike sprawled on the overgrown front lawn. JJ frowned. He had hoped to have some alone time with Kie, not to jump her bones and fulfill a regular dream of his, but to talk. To figure it out. He wanted to do this right. Because after everything, they deserved to have good things, to start on a high note — he deserved it.

Kie noticed it, too. Puckering her lips on contemplation, her gaze trailed from him to the rest of the property, ending on the trusty ol' hammock. She jabbed her thumb at it.

“Let's sit there.”

Normally, they laid on opposite ends on the hammock, if they even shared one to begin with. But now, she pressed herself right beside him and he felt like heaven dropped down on them in the best way possible. He suddenly understood what John B was lamenting about — the company, intimacy, the ease. Nerves rippled through his body like a summer storm, but he figured that was what it cost to lose one's mind over a girl.

He didn't know what to say, so Kiara spoke instead.

“I don't want us, the way we are around each other, to change, you know?” she said. “Like, I don't want you to think you have to act like some mellow ass boyfriend all of a sudden.”

He smirked. “Who said anything about boyfriend?”

“Bye.”

“Hey, wait,” he grinned, latching onto her arm before she pushed herself out. “C'mon, Kie.”

Her nose scrunched up. “I don't do this usually, okay?”

“You think I do?” he asked. His hand softly slid down to wrap around hers, to which she hooked their fingers together. Okay. Wow. It felt so damn nice that it propelled him to say, “I wanna be your boyfriend, Kie.”

The girl smiled and then surprised him by leaning in herself, pressing a gentle kiss on his chapped lips. It was overwhelming having her instigate it, his gut twisting up in excitement like when he was about to backflip from a boat, or cliff dive, or something similar like that.

He let go of her hand to cup her cheeks, only to whisper, “That's a yes, yeah? Gotta get a yes.”

“Yes, JJ,” she uttered back. “Here's to not fucking this up.”

“Cheers, baby.”

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

[apartgirlbrock]

Penny's revival theory Feet. merch analysis and Kingdom hearts.

Theirs a million different theory's on how/if Penny will return, so I apologize if I'm unintentionally ripping anyone's ideas off. Regardless I recently purchased the new penny shirt.

And I keep thinking about how strange it is, I love the design but the concept of it representing duality is a little strange to me. The sharp red eyes of the left penny alter  implies that it's either the version of her being manipulated by the virus or possibly the replica of herself that was created and promptly self terminated as a way of satisfying said virus but in either case, I don't think “duality” is an accurate description of what's being depicted. Duality means two parts of the same whole and while the virus was technically part of her it seems strange to highlight it as if its a crucial part of who she is and not a tragedy in her final hours of life, similarly while duality could be used to describe replica penny and the original as contrasting characters they aren't seeing as replica penny (who ill just be calling replica from now on) was not a character and was only around for one very creepy scene and then died.  But what if the replica is not gone, or rather what if we haven't seen the last of her and what if that's how the true Penny could return. If you watched the rtx 2021 panel you may have noticed how they kept making allusions to kingdom hearts, I'm a huge kingdom hearts fan and that got me thinking about how similar of a character penny is to Xion.  

So Xion and Penny have a few noteworthy similarity's; Without going into too much detail they’re both artificial beings created by an enemy faction who was at the time questionably moral, who learn and grow through making crucial friendships achieve noteworthy power, then sacrifice themselves/are killed by their respective blonde friends in the name of what they care about and proceed to pass their power onto someone else as well as have their essence become bound to someone else. (Xions heart Penny's maiden powers)

However that's not how Xion's story ends, while she was presumed dead for a while eventually she returns, in kingdom hearts 3 the enemy faction is running low on members having lost most of their generals in previous games, so the antagonists make a plan to increase their ranks, they make another Xion one that could be controlled (it's more complicated than that but that's the jest) and then later on the original Xion's heart is able to take control of her copy thus functionally return to life.

And oh boy if that doesn't sound like an interesting direction to take penny's character after all Salem's forces, not counting her hoard of grim, are running pretty dry after volume 8. 

And they still have the staff which we know can create a replica penny, sure they don't have her blueprints, but I bet Ambrosius could handle “make this thing again”. The replica would lack a soul but we see that the replica was capable of some movement without one in volume 8(before promptly collapsing due to the virus), and after all, ironwood wanted a protector with a soul, I'm sure cinder would love a warrior without one. Plus obviously, we know some aspect of Penny (the girl who is more than her body) still exists inside winter.

The evidence people always use for her not coming back still applies/is worth acknowledging friend feels pretty final, the theme of rwby has always been about living beyond grief and not undoing it, and it would “negate her choice” but I argue friend already references things that haven't happened yet so it DOESNT feel final, her first resurrection already breaks that theme so who cares, and her choice was really stupid (not actually a choice) so super who cares.

plus how thematically resonate would that be, if penny returns because she through force of will overpowers what someone else was trying to get her to do if her thematic capstone was actively beating back the commands of others to live for herself. 

Yes, this would put her back into a mechanical body, but that's not a bad thing (for more detail I recommend reading DesiB717 cyborg penny theory's) but in summary volumes 7 and 8 frequently presented her mechanical body as advantageous even if flawed and her human body was also flawed. It could easily be framed as her taking back control of her life by literally overpowering someone else and reclaiming the body that was originally hers.

I don't know how to end this post but I saw this parallel and got interested in building a theory off of this I think it could be really interesting. 

Also yeah this would mean the staff could never be used again considering it would kill penny but also the staff is strong and it makes sense to get it off the narrative table at some point.

Oh and lets not forget from what little we’ve seen of volume 9 we’ve already seen an example of a evil penny.

TLDR i think cinder is going to use the staff to make a strictly soulless penny replica to make up for the lack of firepower they lost in volume 8 and later on penny's soul which exists inside winter will be able to return through claiming that body. 

You could have a suspenseful moment where penny is back to the side of good but salem doesn't know that yet and penny has to sneek in and get the relics but STARTS HICUPING AGAIN it would be so cool.

[thattimdrakeguy]

Robin - The FIRST Miniseries - Issue #4 Review - (R.I.P Tom Lyle)

Tim’s so constantly confused what’s going on, but I think by this issue he just sort of accepted how weird everything is cuz he just sort of goes with it.

One of the things in this issue that I really like is how it shows Tim’s sense of morality. Through small things-

like playing good cop bad cop with Lady Shiva.

Where he’s the good cop, because of course this teeny boy scout is.

Even though he’s scared of Shiva, he does a good good cop. Proud of him.

There’s some good reminders that he’s not that good at this yet, even though his heroic spirit still keeps him going.

This next page I’m about to show though, is the one I really like, because it really lays out Tim’s sense of morality in a bigger more straight forward way.

It’s so black and white, but not in an anti-hero “all villains are scum” way, but a child’s sense of good and evil, what’s good and bad sort of way.

The way he talks about right and wrong really lets you know how truly naive Tim is. This is just a child in a world he doesn’t understand yet. The shot of them alone on the road, as Tim talks about how he wonders how Batman feels with the moon in the background. It sets the mood nice.

That’s another thing about Tim’s character too, he’s always thinking about what would Batman do, and how does Batman feel. Timmy genuinely thinks a lot of Batman, he’s his role model. He’s constantly thinking about him as he tries to think of the right thing to do, and he’s motivated by his desire to not let his dad Batman down.

Also on a side-note, Timmy’s such a bean. Like he’s sitting on the middle part there. That’s not were people sit. That’s where I had to sit as a little kid during a short drive in a small car with no room. He’s sitting on a little bump. Tim’s so freaking small.

Surprisingly no one questions this baby in the silly outfit about why he’s wearing that. It’s one of the unintentionally funny parts of superhero comics, but it’s part of the charm.

--

There’s scene with King Snake, where he finds out Lynx died about defeating tiny Timbo and his team of adults who are trying to make sure the squirt doesn’t get killed.

Lynx gets punished by King Snake in some way they don’t explain.

It’s just more generic stuff that I feel like I’ve seen a million times. It’s really lame, but what do you expect with such a lame villain.

--

So this next scene is partially one of my least favorite pages in the whole miniseries because of how creepy it is, and how uncomfortable it makes me.

The implications of this scene is just horrifying.

To just mention this. I knooow NOTHING about Lady Shiva, to act like this is some grand statement on her, because a lot of times scenes like these are out of character. I don’t even know if she’s a villain, an anti-hero. I just know she’s Cassandra Cain’s mom, she seems to find Timmy adorable, and she’s scary. That’s it. So there’s like, massive odds this is a horrible page to take into account when thinking of Lady Shiva’s character, but I genuinely do not know.

However, just on the bases of this scene, it’s just scary, and she is disgusting.

So it starts off with Tim, setting in stone how scared he is of Lady Shiva (which still feels off putting, because they don’t do anything but say that till this scene. He seems to love the affection she gives him besides what he says. Which is some major disconnect).

They have this moody blue lighting, which makes it look like a scene out of the original Halloween, which adds to the dread.

Tim’s legitimately half-naked, like he’s wearing only a tank top and his briefs while he’s in the fetal position in the first panel they show of him, making him look extra vulnerable on top of the fact he’s an actual child. Which adds to the terror.

THEN, in the part that actually really creeps me out and shudder some, is how they heavily imply that Tim was scared of having several crimes to be committed on him, to like, keep it easy going in this review.

After that implication being certainly dreadful, Lady Shiva ACTUALLY SAYS “There’s enough time for that later”, which implies she knows Tim’s scared of that. Rather or not you think she’s actually going to do it I suppose depends on interpretation, but regardless it’s such a scary implication they leave here for this scene. That’s so out of place. It’s disgusting even if it’s not fully focused on.

Before when I first read this I didn’t really pay attention, I just saw Tim in his tighty whities and thought “haha, he’s such a dork, of course he wears tighty whities”, ya know chuckling to myself because I didn’t REALIZE WHAT WAS GOING ON, and every read of this page is just disturbing after realization.

Sometimes I just have to skip it, cuz it’s uncozy, and I can’t tell if it’s SUPPOSED to be scary, or if they thought it was funny somehow, because it’s far too gross to be funny, but they have Tim in an awkward faced saying “oh”, like maybe that was supposed to be a funny reaction shot? I’m not sure what the idea behind this scene was exactly. I wished an editor or someone with a brain cel of any kind would’ve read this page and just said “no”, because it’s too much.

Like what’s with the pedo-freaking-philia implications? This is the SECOND time, they’ve implied something gross like this. Its worst part of this series. It’s easily skippable, hence why I read this series a lot, because I didn’t even notice on my first read throughs. I was just confused what they were even talking about for the longest time.

If you skip this page though, the rest of this issue is excellent. Just focus on Tim wearing tighty whities like the dork he is if you want a mild chuckle and move on honestly.

It’s such a gross scene.

--

Moving on though to a much better scene. We get the origin of Timmy’s iconic bo-staff.

Don’t know if you realized, Shiva, but he is a child.

(I mean heck, she even says it later. I get she’s trying to say a point but shush lol)

With another showing of how strong his morals are.

It’s also a good showing of why it’s stupid to act like he’s going to be a murderer like how a lot of writers do. It’s just not in this boys genetics.

--

He’s a magnet to getting beat up all the time though. Even Timmy’s aware of this. I don’t know he’s won anything but one fight, and that one fight was with a dude with a cracked rib. So I don’t feel like it’s even fair to consider that a fight he’s properly won since it wasn’t fair.

Timmy’s not a lucky boy.

During his fight with Shiva it almost gets uncomfortable how badly he gets beat up, like he has blood coming out of his mouth.

He needs a hospital.

His bodies heaving. He’s barely breathing. He’s sweating. Probably a tooth broken. A cracked rib. It’s nasty stuff. Arguably too much, but Lady Shiva isn’t one to care about that stuff.

It continues the moral of fighting without anger though that they’ve established earlier in past issues.

There’s more of Tim’s self-deprecation too. He’s getting more used to this hero stuff, but that doesn’t mean he thinks highly of himself.

His inability to fight well really brings out how little he thinks of himself. Probably makes him think about how Batman would be disappointed in him too given his patterns.

--

Then more lame King Snake stuff. He’s still incredibly boring and forgettable. 

The worst part of this series. Well, fighting for that spot with the gross implications, but at least the implications are brief and barely noticeable, well at least for me, but my mind isn’t normally in the gutter. I guess it’ll depend on the person.

--

Despite being the “mature one” in Young Justice. Timmy’s still immature in his own way.

He’s pretty much pouting like the kid he is even when he’s trying to act mature and hero-esque. Something that actually represents a lot of Tim’s character to me.

He does his best to SEEM mature, he isn’t actually that mature.

Looking at how he tries to handle this interaction with Clyde, as Clyde’s handling it like a man. Tim’s just pouting even though he’s trying to present himself as heroic, even though his morals are pretty naive. A point Clyde tries giving to him, but Tim’s still stubborn about it like how a kid would be.

This is a child fighting crime.

In fact he just seems as mature as he does in Young Justice, because he’s pretending to be like Batman, along with the fact he’s next to Bart. So he pretty much is Batman compared to him. (Not counting Bartman)

--

I can only read this next part as Tim doing a horrible Nigel Thornberry impression even though I don’t think the Wild Thornberrys were a thing when this comic came out.

This isn’t the last time puts on a goofy voice to help with a case either, cuz he does this later on in the Robin ongoing with Maxie Zeus.

The kid’s a ham indeed.

At least he’s cute and somehow manages to get away with his shenanigans.

--

Since I don’t know a lot about Lady Shiva. I’m not honestly sure how to feel about this next scene, because it’s good character development for Tim, but at the same time, it feels incredibly unlikely to happen to an extent that’s slightly cheesy.

Also is it a thing for Lady Shiva to just hate kids? I’m confused why she’d hang out and pinch Tim’s cheeks so much if she hates kids. So I suppose this is just her way of motivating Tim to get in a fighting mode and control his inner-anger that arises when he gets beat up all the time.

The reason why I don’t know how to judge this scene though is because Tim actually wins.

I get we’re supposed to take it like he just got lucky, but this is LADY SHIVA, she’s the most DANGEROUS lady on the planet.

Like I’m supposed to believe this twerp can beat the most dangerous lady in the world and managed to distract her even with luck?

It’s too much for me in some ways, but in other ways I’m fine with it because it gave Tim some character development.

It’s something that wobbles on limits of suspension of disbelief, because while comic books have evil robots, aliens, and monsters, when it comes to down to Earth stuff like this, it gets trickier to understand how I feel about things fully.

This pipsqueak just got his butt handed by everyone but because he carved a hole into his staff to make his whistle he could beat Lady Shiva?

Maybe there’s some “I let you beat me” moment I’m forgetting about that happens later on, but it’s so off feeling.

However, it’s a good showing of how clever Tim is. If this scene had anyone else in it, it would’ve been great. Its a matter of Lady Shiva looking kind of like a doofus to bring up a kid to a higher pedestal that gets me. It puts her down a notch in a way that shouldn’t have.

This issue isn’t kind to Lady Shiva.

--

Besides how Lady Shiva gets treated though, I think this issue is actually pretty great. It shows the more childish naive aspects of Tim’s character, but without making him out to be some stinky brat. He’s a kid in a tough, bizarre position. He doesn’t look good, but it’s done in a way that’s understandable enough with his character that it works.

Tim still tries to be heroic, and he’s about his morals, but in a lot of ways his morals are naive, and the way he handles tough social situations is childish. He pouts like a kid sometimes like anyone else around his age. He’s only 13.

(Which doesn’t help his relationship with Ariana later on, or even his leadership abilities with Young Justice. He’s not good with social serious.)

The starring squirt gets character development in his fighting skills, which is nice, even if it’s bad writing for Lady Shiva.

There’s good showings of his cleverness, and his character flaws essentially.

Even though this series isn’t done yet, there’s still one more issue left to go, I can say that the miniseries main focus is always on Timmy. It’s about showing and expanding his character. Which makes it excellent reading for his sake.

The biggest flaw however, is just how the side characters aren’t always treated the best. Lady Shiva gets made to look straight creepy, and doofy, Clyde doesn’t get much expansion or even shows up much besides to help Tim’s character show his immaturity in this issue, and King Snake is still super lame and forgettable.

When the title of the miniseries is named ROBIN though, it’s pretty forgivable for the most part. The only thing I have a hard time forgiving is what they did with Lady Shiva, which might even be in-character for all the more I know about her, but I have a strong feeling this isn’t her best look.

I have a feeling this was proto-Talia-level character work. Where they make her look bad in ways she isn’t supposed to be bad.

Again though, I don’t proper know in this case.

Look on the bright side at least, now we know Tim’s answer to boxers vs briefs. Apparently it’s briefs.

[joyfuladorable]

< Vol. 22+23 | Vol. 26 >

Rereading Oresama Teacher Volume 24

I forgot that the beast, Inuzuka, was supposed to be a dog.  I keep looking at the ears and thinking “oh, kitty” :3

It’d be hilarious if the voice changer made him sound like super high pitched instead of what I assume is a deep shaky bass

Mafuyu, why did you immediately assume that Inuzuka was in love with you???

It’s normal to knockout a kid and then jigglypuff their face

Ninja’s more worried about people knowing he got captured than the fact that he’s captured

I keep thinking of more AUs.  Anyways: Oresama Ninja *Fighting Dreamers from Naruto starts playing*

Mysterious Maki

How much time has passed that Saeki managed to grow his hair out that much?

God, Saeki, I’m pretty sure you’re younger than me, now.  Stop having midlife crises in your 20s

Stop focusing on the wrong details, Yui.  If you want to be part of Miyabi’s family, just marry him (and Hojo)

Saeki’s selfishly keeping Mafuyu in the dark… BITCH

Creepy affectionate Maki… I’m PHYSICALLY recoiling

STOP TOUCHING MAFUYU, MAKI

Mafuyu just straight up runs to confess to Ayaben because she thinks she’s cheating on his brotherly affection.  No one cares.  Ayabe Family membership revoked

Tsundere Hayasaka patting Mafuyu’s head is VERY CUTE

Yui makes spaghetti with his head pats

It’s funny how Mafuyu has this specific memory that she can’t quite remember and doesn’t know who the person in that memory is.  It’s clearly Saeki.  Right??

MAKI!!!  I’M CALLING THE POLICE *turns to microwave*

Dang, this girl got way too attached to Maki.  Go see a counselor

I’M GONNA FUCKING MURDER THIS CLOWN NAMED MAKI BECAUSE HE DOESN’T EVEN REMEMBER THIS GIRL??

“There’s something wrong… with this guy.” THERE SURE IS

Time to spend summer break back home with my Best Friend (and Yui and Akki) to investigate this creepy clown, Maki

Saeki really wanted to read about that hot gossip about Mafuyu stealing a man from another girl

I mean, Mafuyu IS a school celebrity.  She’s just famous for her fighting charisma and not her charming personality

AWW!!  I love when Mafuyu’s eyes get so sparkly at the chance to hang out with all her friends!!!

It’s like Hayasaka’s cursed to meet Maizono when he least expects it

None of the Saitama gang can handle Mafuyu trying to be cutesy, lol.  They prefer her terrifying presence more

Hehe, Yui immediately falls back into his seat after finding Maizono’s stash of… stuff

Yui, please stop unintentionally playing into Maizono’s fetishes

“Mafuyu is like a celebrity to us and is friends with everyone.”  YEAH, SHE IS

Let’s see… we’ve got the Mafuyu Fan Club, Usa-Chan Fan Club, Miyabi Fan Club… guess someone’s gotta make a Natsuo Fan Club (Kanon)

Why does Sakurada always conveniently hangout by himself???

I’m everyone that smacks Sakurada when they found out he roped them into a stupid dare

Alright, I see you, Tsubaki-sensei.  I know you have a reference book for guns somewhere and just wanted to flex on everyone

Playing water gun tag inside an entire school’s campus sounds like so much fun

Mafuyu loves when her Best Friend is protective, but everyone else can choke if they even try

Kangawa, you smitten boy, you really love being with Mafuyu, huh?

Where does Yui put all his ninja equipment??

Ohohohoho!!  A good panel of Bancho Mafuyu about to end some fools

I like that one kid in the panel of “corpses” that has his arms crossed in front of him like a dracula

And Volume 25

Maki’s delinquent hair is goals

Sakurada procrastinates in saving his guys from Kangawa and Mafuyu and pays the price: Dramatic Regret

Ah, to have the short attention span of a teen who thinks about snacks after watching their friend get shot “dead” with water

Maizono’s actually pretty informed when it comes to delinquent history/business.  Too bad he’s, y’know, himself

Maki seems to have a pretty violent and depressing past

It’s all fun and games until you ignore the game in favor of figuring out your teacher’s past so you end up getting surrounded

Time to fight over who’s Hayasaka’s best friend, even though he can have more than one best friend (his number one is Mafuyu, though, OBVIOUSLY)

How can a boy be so smart and yet not logic out how to roll sushi??

AHHH!!!  MAFUYU!  LOVES!  HER!  FRIENDS!!!

Mafuyu then remembers how horrible Saeki was to her as a kid… Childhood demon trainer at his finest

Hehehehe, yessss, Hayasaka!  YESSS, acknowledge your best friend!!

I’m getting all giggly over this playing house (drama) scene.  Hayasaka with a lil bow in his hair and being so blushy is GOOD!!

Hmm, what WAS the inciting incident that made Saeki want to drag Mafuyu into all his fights??.

“Dear God… the guys around me, at their core, only think of their own desires.” You’re so right, Mafuyu… You’re so right…

Hayasaka is committed to Mafuyu regaining her childhood memories

Lol, they’re just hanging out more than they are investigating.  They (Mafuyu) even finish their homework early!

Akki, you should know by now that Mafuyu would rather hangout with girls than boys cuz she GAY!!

Baby Mafuyu pics!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Two kids who want their best friend to experience all the joys in life that he hasn’t experienced before!!

Kangawa’s missing out on the kimono party

So, did they want Mafuyu to wear a kimono to help her with her memories, or did they just want her to join in their dress up party??

Also, I want those missing scenes of Mafuyu interacting with Akki’s pretty older sister

Aha, Sakurada!  You finally realize that Mafuyu’s cuteness can rival your own!!

Is Mafuyu really that unrecognizable in makeup?

Oh wow, the first Papa Kurosaki sighting!  (it’s just the back of his head)

What the hell kinda depressing thing did teen Maki tell baby Kurosaki that made her cry so much??

Those goldfish died because they weren’t given a big enough tank.  PSA: DON’T LET YOUR FISH LIVE IN SMALL FISH BOWLS

Mafuyu’s makeup upgrade makes Kangawa’s heart go doki doki

I’d bonk me head on a tree, too, if it meant my best friend wouldn’t be disappointed that he couldn’t help me regain my memories

School Festival prep!  Toko, what are you planning...

Ayaben???  How’d you get a book that carries a portable broom???

Maki continues to make himself look like a bumbling idiot but kind of clever at the same time??

I’ve never seen this Class 1 girl before, but I can admire her drive to create a play out of the events of the past couple years

Where are the Parfait Girls???

Hehehe… Bancho Hayasaka…

“Saeki’s terrible, but I guess I still like him.” Mafuyu…

Thanks for dropping some very foreboding commentary, Toko

Maki… MAKI!!!  DON’T TOUCH HER DON’T YOU DARE WTF

I remember screaming when I first read this chapter and making speculation doodles.  One was a mundane: she’s actually sick.  The other was some mind control nonsense

Omakes of adorable baby Mafuyu.  “I figured it out, Takaomi!  It’s ONE!” *holds up a censored middle finger* LMFAO

Of course Mafuyu’s at the top of the popularity contest.  Best sunshine girl who can kick my ass

More omakes with Tsubaki-sensei poking fun at her own same face syndrome crimes

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #164

Hey, not dropping the ball actually worked!

We’re just a hair’s length away from summer vacation, but unlike last year when Tomoko approached summer with not much consideration, she’s now taking a proactive role in deciding how to spend her last summer in high school. At first glance, Tomoko appears to have become a responsible, young lady. But as we soon will see, that can-do attitude may not be as refined as it looks on the surface.

Chapter 164: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Do My Best Starting From Summer Break 

There’s that time period during the day when most students have already left but school hasn't quite closed up. It’s pretty creepy, even more so before summer break when you’re expected not to stick around.

Have I mentioned Itou is a cute? ‘Cause she is.

It’s usually her looking after Komiyama, so it’s really sweet to see the dynamic flipped around like this. Despite, well, everything, Komiyama is a good friend.

Assuming that cheering for the baseball teams is optional, it’s endearing to see Itou go through with it. Even though baseball isn’t her thing, she’s likely doing it to support her bestie, which I can 110% get behind.

Ah, right. Dude’s in the manga club. That said, I wonder if their plans are for just being attendees, or if they’ll actually be manning a booth and selling their work. With his skills and, er, preferences, I think Hatsushiba could do the latter.

Don’t be so modest, Tomoko. There’s no slouching either when you’re a three-year veteran of the Going-Home Club. 

Studying during summer break? Outrageous!!

It’s intriguing to see just how Tomoko’s study habits have evolved throughout the series. The early days would see her spend summer goofing off on her hobbies, with bare minimum concern for academics. But now, Tomoko is actually considering studying on her own accord. Sure, it’s more-or-less a fallback when she has nothing else planned, but the thought itself is still worth mentioning.

Is that one of those mini-fans that you can carry around in your bag? I love those things.

Study camp, huh? Any other day, Tomoko would be apathetic to the idea, leaning more on the side of brushing it off. But having Katou bring it up makes all the difference, ‘cause let’s be real. Katou could ask her to sign up for a hostess bar at the Red Light District and Tomoko would still seriously consider it.

Miss you, Yuu-chan.

I second that, Komi. Fourteen hours of studying a day is brutal, even if that’s to be expected in what is essentially a boot camp. I’ve always questioned the efficiency of cram schools and the like, mostly because they seem to prepare more for short-term memorization than long-term understanding. But even it actually works in principle...

...I’m not sure Tomoko will be able to handle it.

Perhaps it’s just me, but it feels like Tomoko is overestimating her discipline for studying. She already struggled with Katou’s flashcards and study sessions that a whole training camp feels like it would have a more detrimental effect on Tomoko than a positive one. “Work hard, play hard” was never meant to be that extreme, Tomoko.

That’s...genuinely uplighting. Tomoko has missed out on several of the key “memorable” high school moments, and she usually lets it go with only mild regrets. But here, Tomoko’s actively trying to gain what she once lost. Sure, she’s trying to “game the social system” a little, but what did you expect? She’s a person, not a saint.

This was Yuu’s only line in this entire chapter. My girl deserves more than this.

Will the 2% of Tomoko’s personality that is tsundere ever realize that if you really “didn’t care either way”, then you wouldn’t have asked the question to begin with? Doubt it.  

That romaji tho.

It comes to the surprise of absolutely no one that Komiyama has some pretty...vivid fantasies about Tomoki. But what stands out to me is how deep into the relationship her thoughts go. Most people fantasize about their crush first in their sexual attractiveness, but only a few ever dream beyond that. Ironically, you know your crushing has gone off the deep end if you start thinking about them in domestic, SFW ways. Least Komi’s committed, yeah?

Gee, I wonder what’s that “and stuff” Tomoko’s talking about?masturbating

Nothing like a fresh bowl of Grossi-Os and Gross Juice to start the day!

If what Yuri says is true, then that would mean that she and Ucchi have probably walked to school together several times before–more than the couple of times we’ve seen, at least. And even so, it doesn’t look like they haven’t gotten much closer as friends, if at all. Some people just don’t click, I suppose.

Not sure how blind Ucchi is because anybody with a pair of eyes (beady or not) would see that Yuri has friends, even if you only count Mako. Poor girl just can’t accept the truth even when it's right in front of her face.

Ah, Yuri. Why can’t you just drop the “savior” act and just admit you want to spend time with her?

I’m inclined to agree about Yoshida, but who knows? She’s surprised us before. Mako's a safe bet, though. Especially if the former’s going. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Boy, does that take me back. It still blows my mind that all of Ucchi’s problems originated from one night of misunderstandings. The art nerd in me really appreciates the subtle improvement in Niko’s art style. The character models feel “weightier” and more consistent without compromising the stylization. 

You don’t see it in the previous panel, but Ucchi was totally blushing at the prospect of reliving her trauma/dream. Perhaps she was also looking to live out that ping pong match she never got.

I’m not sure if there was some kind of wordplay in the original text. Either way, it kind of sucks for Yuu-chan that she got such a “flattering” nickname when she wasn’t involved in that scenario whatsoever. Though it sure is a tad classier than Miss Akari “Dick Sister Jr.’ Iguchi.

It’s kind of (read: absolutely) frightening how Katou’s envy towards Yuu feels a lot more intense than Yuri’s. Perhaps it’s because Yuri’s so transparent that you know how to deal with her. But with Katou, that air of secrecy feels like a nuclear bomb about to go off. 

I always wondered where girls picked up that thing where they intertwine their fingers as a sign of affection. It’s precious.

Praise modern technology for convenient storytelling.

Wow, Fuuka’s already made her mark on Tomoko’s “bitch” list. Though exactly why she’s on that list now is kind of odd. I mean, yeah, she asked Tomoko about the whole fondling thing, and she unintentionally presented herself as a pervert for the whole “hair” thing, but Fuuka hasn’t really done anything all that terrible. If anything, Tomoko is probably expressing a rare bit of jealousy towards someone else supposedly perving on Katou besides her.

The most striking part about Fuuka’s inevitably failed plan is that she describes Tomoko’s appearance as “sudden”. It was touched on before, but it further emphasizes that Tomoko’s friendship with Katou was just as unexpectedly quick in-universe as it was for the readers. And in doing so, it brings us one step closer to the real mystery over why Katou is so enamored with Tomoko in the first place. 

Ya’ll know Sayaka’s got her homegirl’s back on this one. Let’s see (hopefully) how Akari screws it up. 

Chapter 58, mothereffers!

I don’t know whether I’d say Nico Tanigawa has been playing the long game, or if they just found a convenient throwaway to capitalize on. But the acknowledgment itself is very much appreciated. Tomoko may have forgotten, naturally, but us overzealous fans certainly never did! 

The chills, man. Chill’s right up the spine.

It’s certainly true that Tomoko’s words can be interpreted in a good or bad way, so it’s pretty telling that Katou’s gut reaction went for the latter. It suggests that Katou may actually have some insecurities that can easily set her off. Then again, a defining part of Katou’s personality is that she takes everything Tomoko says at completely face value, so maybe she’s starting to see Tomoko’s negativity even if it’s not there. Just more of the enigma that is Asuka Katou.  

Not a bad save, Tomoko. Countless battles with shame have made her quick on the fly. Unfortunately, while she’s improved at starting a save...

...she still doesn’t know how to end it.

It would’ve been a clean getaway if Tomoko had just ended about half-way in the above panel. But because Tomoko’s anxiety causes her to try and cover all the bases, she ends up rambling suspiciously. The part about Nemo isn’t even that relevant, but in her burst of defensiveness, Tomoko ends up saying things that could just exacerbate the problem even further.

Fucking shit, Katou is damn scary.

The one fortunate thing about Tomoko’s defensive rambles is that once she starts to cool down, her honesty starts coming out more organically. Self-deprecation becomes self-reflection, and brings to the forefront Tomoko’s endearing side.

Only Tomoko could spout such a cliché moe line and sound so pure of heart. Must be the irony. 

Aha. Ahaha. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

–that totally didn’t happen.

Tomoko, girl, you’re in the CLEAR! Stop trying to fan flames that have already been put out.

But on that note, it does affirm that while Tomoko is honest with Katou about certain things (perversion, laziness), she isn’t quite ready to be honest on anything that would paint Katou in a bad light. I’d say tha’st about 85% due to fear.

Death Flags raised all around.

I had a feeling that Nemo would take the plunge this time and invite Tomoko out somewhere during the summer. It seems like such an insignificant gesture, but considering that this is the very first time a classmate has asked to hang out with her during the summer, it warms my heart.

Hey now, Tomoko. Don’t get cocky when you’re maximizing your own goof-off time by taking a study camp.

The easy guess is that Nemo wants to go to Comiket. But really, it could be anything that Tomoko would have an interest in. And because it’s implied that Nemo is going for research purposes, it could be anything from a seiyuu panel (the last one went so well) to a hot spring to a hentai game company. Hope they bring Okada along...

Mama senses her daughter’s giving in to peer pressure.

Not gonna lie. This hand gesturing from Rena made me think that she was thinking about doing...something else.

Damn mind-in-the-gutter.

Even though Anna doesn’t appear to be the studious type, it’s pretty cool to see that she can respect people who are. Also, I dig the way she wears her tie (or is that a ribbon?). 

Emoji II really has become an honorary delinquent and it fits her perfectly. 

I guess no matter how much more grounded Tomoko becomes, she still thinks reading manga is legitimate practice for playing in real-life (though tabletop games may actually allow for some truth).  

Sub!Tomoko confirmed.

What a way to end a chapter. For the longest, Katou had always viewed Tomoko through a pair of rose-tinted glasses, always seeing the girl’s faults as endearing “quirks”. But as her soul-piercing gaze seems to indicate, Katou has reached a revelation about Tomoko that she can actually disapprove of. Whether or not it’ll shatter her illusion of Tomoko is still unclear, but how she treats Tomoko from here on out may finally give us a deeper look into Katou’s psyche. 

160+ chapters we’ve followed Tomoko, and we’re still learning new things about her. The very extent of Tomoko’s agency has always been a tad murky. She’s good at (poorly) executing short-term ideas, but hardly does she plan out and follow up on her long-term goals. Even her greatest milestone of making friends involved a lot of pushing from outsiders (Ogino, the most obvious case). That said, having to take charge of herself for once is inescapable with college on the horizon. How she goes about it amongst her various mom-friends may end up being Tomoko’s biggest personal challenge yet.  

[themyskira]

The Life of Captain Marvel - issue #3

Previously: Carol has spent the last nine months listening to early-2000s emo music while watching herself cry in the mirror, basically.

She let her brother get in a car accident, then made his brain injury all about her.

She found out something private about her parents’ relationship problems, and made that all about her as well.

She discovered an alien device among her father’s possessions, but she couldn't find a way to wring family drama out of that one, so she ignored it.

Now the alien device has enabled a Kree cyborg assassin to track her and her mother down, and it almost (but not quite) forces the two of them to have an actual conversation.

This is the issue where things really kick into high bullshit.

(No talk of family violence in this one, thankfully, but love interest Louis goes into some creepy, coercive Nice Guy territory.)

Dishwasher continues to be the shittiest stealth assassination unit ever.  Having already conspicuously crash-landed, murdered two people and caused a gigantic explosion on a major highway, it has stolen a boat (so probs another murder in there as well) and is drawing further attention to itself by speeding so erratically around Harspwell Sound that it almost capsizes a smaller vessel.

But who could possibly see past this cunning disguise?

Carol, meanwhile, is apparently psychic. She thinks to herself,

I can’t get away from the feeling that something is wrong. I woke up in a panic this morning, reeling. For a split second, I couldn’t remember… What had happened? What terrible thing? Why was I spinning?

Because you’re trying to wake up from this nightmare of a comic?

She decides to let off some steam by running, which is apparently something that has always helped her clear her head.

This leads into a flashback of a SUPERNATURALLY FAST YOUNG CAROL OUTRUNNING A GODDAMNED TRUCK.

fuckin WHAT.

We will later find out that Carol, being half-Kree, was always naturally faster and stronger than the average human (though it wasn’t until the Psyche-Magnitron ‘jumpstarted’ her Kree powers that she got the full superpowered package).

That’s what we’re told. Except Margaret Stohl and flashback artist Marguerite Sauvage go so hilariously over-the-top in their portrayal of Carol as a child, so what we end up seeing is a newborn infant with such an iron grip that she causes her father GENUINE PAIN, and a fourteen-year-old girl who can OUTRUN MOTOR VEHICLES.

And yet, supposedly neither she nor anybody else around her twirled that there was anything out-of-the-ordinary about her??

In the present, Carol is snapped out of her reverie to discover that she is jogging mid-air.

Louis: Whatcha up to? Get it? Up to? Carol: Um… Calm down. Get it? Down?

So, we’ve all seen some version of this trope, right? The stressed-out super-person goes to the gym to take out some of their tension on a punching bag, only to unintentionally lash out with their full power and send the bag flying clean across the room, something like that.

What weirds me out about this iteration is that— jogging does not logically bleed into flying. They’re different forms of movement, presumably requiring the exertion of different muscles and associated with different physical sensations. It’s not so much ‘super-person unthinkingly hits the punching bag so hard they pulverise it’ as it is ‘super-person unthinkingly turns their punch into a cartwheel mid-swing’.

Carol and Louis talk. He suggests that “Maybe it’s time ta drop the Mystery of the Old Lettahs, Nancy Drew”.

WHAT MYSTERY. THERE IS NO MYSTERY.

I mean, no, it turns out there is a mystery because the letters were really written to Carol’s mother, who is a secret alien, but CAROL has no reason to know any of this as yet. As far as she’s concerned, the extent of the mystery was ‘ohshit dad had an affair? does mom know?? how will I tell her?? should I tell her??’ And then her mum was like, ‘yep I knew, ‘scool’. MYSTERY SOLVED. THE END.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, this family has a bucketload of issues to work through, but those letters don’t particularly factor into any of them.

Carol wonders what else she didn’t notice about her family.

“Were we normal, Louis? Did I even seem normal? Or… yanno… was there something funky about me too?”

You mean aside from the fact that you could run faster than a speeding pickup truck?

But of course this is Louis’s cue to confess that he’s had a crush on her since he first laid eyes on her… which he does by faintly negging her, because Louis is a turd.

“All those brains and you never figured that one out? You were the only thing I noticed, most days. … You’d hafta be stupid dense to miss that.”

Louis takes Carol’s hand and moves in for the kiss, just as Carol begins to hear a small but insistent beeping that sounds like a distress beacon. Louis handles it SUPER WELL.

Bear in mind, this scene is presented as humorous and cute.

[Louis goes in for the kiss] Carol: Wait— do you hear that? Louis: Shh. I’ve been picturing this since I was 14…

So straight away, Louis is viewing and treating Carol like an object — not an equal partner in this scene but a vehicle for his sexual fantasies. Carol is not enthusiastically consenting. She’s asking him to wait. She’s visibly distracted and concerned. His response is ‘shut up, you’re spoiling my boner’.

Carol: [leaning back from the kiss] …is that a car alarm? Some kinda distress beacon? Am I just freaking out because my childhood friend is, like, millimetres from planting one on me?? Louis: …but with less talking…

We are just going to zoom on past this atrocious dialogue because we do not have the time.

The important thing is, Carol is visibly uncomfortable and Louis does not care. Carol is making it clear that (a) she’s distracted and not in the moment, (b) she’s concerned someone might be in trouble and she may need to get her superhero on and (c) she’s panicking a little at the prospect of kissing Louis. This is the point where any decent person would back off and ask if she’s okay, if she wants this, if she wants to slow down, if she needs to go do the superhero thing.

Louis, who let me remind you is supposed to be a likeable love interest, again tells her to shut up with an aside that she’s less talkative in his sex fantasies.

Carol: [pulling right back in concern as the beeping grows more urgent] Hold that thought. Definitely not a car alarm. Louis: [visibly irritated now] …way less talking.

AND LOUIS TELLS HER TO SHUT UP AGAIN.

Carol: [flying into action] Something’s happening…! Louis: [kicking a stone sullenly] I know, I’m the guy tryna make it happen…! [sighs loudly]

Louis is a classic fucking Nice Guy.

He thinks that because of their recently-rekindled childhood friendship, because he’s listened to her troubles and offered a shoulder to cry on, because he’s finally managed to engineer this romantic moment alone — he’s therefore entitled to Carol’s love. So when Carol keeps pulling away from his increasingly pushy advances, she’s the one being unfair — he’s trying so hard to “make it happen” and she’s not giving him anything in return!

The fact that he’s whining about Carol not reciprocating literally as she leaps into superhero mode and flies to investigate a potential threat makes this particularly laughable, but there are no circumstances in which this behaviour is okay.

In every panel, Carol is sending clear signals that she wants to stop or slow down, and Louis responds by trying to pressure her into doing what he wants — first by shushing her, then by belittling her for talking too much, and finally by sulking and blaming her.

AGAIN. THIS IS THE MAIN ROMANTIC INTEREST IN THIS BOOK. CAROL IS SUPPOSED TO LIKE HIM. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LIKE HIM.

WHAT THE F U C K

Carol traces the sound to the family home and realises that it’s coming from the garage. When she gets there, Marie — apparently the only other person who can hear the beeping, is in a frantic state. She’s found the source — the obviously extraterrestrial device Carol found, inadvertently activated and promptly forgot about back in issue 1 — and she’s super worked up about it.

“It shouldn’t be here! […] It wasn’t his. I don’t even know why he kept it… this piece of junk…”

Okay so first of all, you do know why he kept it, that is a lie. Next issue we’ll find out that the device is a beacon through which the Kree military could track and communicate with operatives like Mari-Ell/Marie. When Marie decided to desert the Kree military and commit to raising a family with Joe on Earth, she gave him the beacon as a gesture and they switched it off together.

Obviously he was going to keep it. He wouldn’t have been capable of destroying it and it’s clearly not something you can throw in the bin. Marie could have destroyed it and ensured that it could never be inadvertently switched on — say, by her dumbass daughter — and used to track them both down, but I guess incompetence runs in the family.

Carol asks who the obvious alien technology belonged to if it didn’t belong to Joe, and Marie screeches that “IT BELONGED TO HER!”

Of course, she needs to say that — she has to keep up the pretence that this is all about an imaginary mistress and not about her and Carol being aliens — because Stohl doesn’t want to give away the game yet. But the question is, why would she at this point?

Marie is a deserter and a fugitive from the Kree military. She knows that, were the Kree ever to track her down, she would be summarily executed for treason. She has just discovered that her beacon — the one surefire way the Kree have of locating her — has been activated and is now beeping insistently. Knowing how the military operates, she should know that the Vacuum Kleaner is on its way to kill her and her family, and that it almost certainly has a bead on her location.

(Seems pretty incompetent on the Kree’s part to have an alarm installed in the beacon to let the deserter know an assassin is coming, but as we’ve seen The Mopman Prophecies is a pretty terrible assassin.)

Priority one should be deactivating and/or destroying the beacon.  Priority two should be getting her family secure and preparing Carol in particular for what’s about to go down. Because as deeply selfish as Marie has been to keep lying to her daughter for all these years, surely Marie is more invested in saving her children’s lives than she is in preserving this fiction she’s created.

Well… maybe not. Jury’s still out.

Because rather than doing any of those things, Marie seemingly doesn’t know what to do except freak out and continue to lie when questioned about the beacon.

Carol isn’t much better. She couldn’t see the beacon for the OBVIOUS ALIEN DEVICE that it is before, and even now as it’s beeping at a volume/frequency that is near-deafening to her and her mother and yet completely inaudible to everybody else in town, she still thinks it’s nothing more than a busted old TV remote.

No, the extent of Carol’s deductive reasoning is, ‘THING MAKE MOM SAD. THING BAD. THING GO AWAY NOW.’

Carol: [snatching the beacon] Here— Let’s just get rid of it! [hurls it into the bay several kilometres away]

So this is the point where Marie comes clean, right? She knows it’s only a matter of time before the Kree Khambermaid shows up at their door. She knows that even as they stand here, her children’s lives are in danger. She has to say something, if only to get them somewhere safe.

NOPE. SHE JUST FUCKS RIGHT OFF TO SULK AND TAKE HER FRUSTRATION OUT ON THE DISHES.

JJ asks what upset Marie, and Carol is a shitty liar.

“…nothing. Some broken remote I found in a box of old… um… just some stuff in your closet.”

Again, ZERO curiosity about this ultra-suspicious beeping that only she and her mother could hear.

JJ reveals that he knew about the letters, which kind of stands to reason — the box was in his wardrobe, and it was stored in a very visible, easily accessible spot. (Carol, of course, is taken completely by surprise.)

He adds that, after reading them, he recalled kind of a weird childhood memory.

It was during the summer; the three kids were spending the day on the boat with their uncle while their mother was out of town. They stopped briefly at shore to pick up some more bait, only to see their father canoodling with a mysterious blonde.

Steven: Hey— is that Pops?! What’s he doin’ all the way up there…? JJ: And who’s he doin’ it to?! Steven: Uh… I’ll tell ya when you’re my age. Beans, don’t look! Carol: Huh? [Joe and Marie start to levitate off the ground]

Things that are stupid about this:

Marie is a deserter from the Kree military. If the Kree Empire were alerted to her presence on Earth, they would send somebody to kill her and take her daughter away. Donning fancy alien clothes and flaunting her superpowers in full view of the harbour is idiotically reckless and endangers her entire family.

AN ALIEN HAS JUST LIFTED UP THEIR FATHER AND LEVITATED WITH HIM AND ALL THE KIDS CAN FOCUS ON IS THE FACT THAT THEY’RE KISSING AT THE SAME TIME.

AND LIKE. NOBODY EVER DISCUSSED THIS. JUST LIKE NOBODY EVER DISCUSSED THE FACT THAT THEIR SISTER COULD OUTRUN A FREIGHT TRAIN WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS FAMILY.

oh and can we talk about the fact that Carol saw this. Carol, who dreams of visiting the stars. CAROL, whose childhood bedroom is wallpapered with NASA and Star Wars posters. C A R O L, who has craved flight since before she could walk.

CAROL SUSAN JANE DANVERS SAW A MYSTERIOUS ALIEN WOMAN FLYING WITH HER DAD AND THEN IMMEDIATELY FORGOT ABOUT IT ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME.

Also, though it’s less important, the dialogue has gone askew here. Steven’s “I’ll tell ya when you’re my age” is clearly meant to brush off a question about the canoodling. But it was Steven who asked about the canoodling — the question from JJ that he’s responding to is ‘who’s the lady?’, which of course neither of the brothers knows.

So the exchange should either read,

JJ: Hey— is that Pops?! What’s he doin’ all the way up there…? And what’s she doin’ to him?! Steven: Uh… I’ll tell ya when you’re my age.

Or,

Steven: Hey— is that Pops?! Who’s the lady? JJ: And what’s she doin’ to him?! Steven: Uh… I’ll tell ya when you’re my age.

But also, it shouldn’t be either of those things, because what they really ought to be talking about is OMFG THOSE PEOPLE ARE FLYING.

“And I was right there? I— I really must have buried that memory.”

Really? We’re gonna do suppressed memories, now? That’s where you wanna go with this?

I mean, it’s possible it could have slipped her mind somewhere in between the two complete memory wipes she’s suffered over the course of her superhero career, but short of that, there is no earthly reason why Carol would not recall seeing an actual alien hovering in front of her face.

Carol goes to talk to Marie about the histrionics in the garage and they take a walk down to the pier together.

Carol: So… what was that device in Pops’ stuff? I tried to open it but couldn’t make heads or tails of the thing. Marie: Carol, it’s not just… that thing you found. It’s time I told you the truth… though I promised your father I never would.

Really, Carol? That’s the question you want to ask? Not ‘why was Dad canoodling with aliens?’ Not ‘why did Dad have an extraterrestrial device among his possessions?’ Not ‘how come you and I are the only ones who heard that thing?’

So, a few things happen at this point.

Having decided that with lives on the line, she can no longer avoid telling Carol the truth, Marie… continues to avoid telling the truth, procrastinating by talking vaguely around her relationship with Joe and her decision to keep the family together. Can’t take it too quickly, or she might actually reveal something of value before the Janitor arrives to kill them all.

But Room Service is taking its time, and Marie is running out of steam. If something doesn’t happen soon, she and her daughter might be forced to have a necessary and productive conversation!

It’s all on Carol now. Only she can save us from a devastating outbreak of basic competence!

Marie: Carol? Carol: [wheeze] I can’t— [wheeze] Marie: What is it? Are you okay? Carol: [swoons] Marie: Carol! Carol: [HYPERVENTILATES HER WAY FACE FIRST INTO A GODDAMN LAKE]

Okay, but who in the hell read this script and saw this artwork and didn’t think that everybody involved with this comic was about to make massive fools of themselves?

Wait, never mind, I just googled it, and the editor on this book is the same person who edited America. That... absolutely checks out.

There’s a page of Carol sinking dramatically through the water, unable to get her body to move, before Marie dives to her rescue. They both collapse on the dock, exhausted, just in time for the beeping to begin again.

In town, all hell is breaking loose. Turns out Carol’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach to the Kree beacon? Not a great plan. After being flung into the bay, the device wound up being scooped up in a fishing net and brought right back into town, which is where Tide Pod’s drone has located it. The drones are now exploding everything in sight.

Louis tries to slow it down by hurling some sick burns: “Hey you! Sir Splodesalot! … Hey! Baby Death Star Head!”

Carol arrives on the scene and asks if anybody is hurt, and Louis immediately starts whining that she didn’t show up sooner.

Carol: Louis! Everyone okay?! Louis: What’s the use of this place being the “summer home to a super hero” if you’re not gonna come when we’re being [attacked?]

He’s skating very close to having an actual point, because this entire situation is Marie and Carol’s fault. However, this is also the dude who, mere hours ago, lost his shit when Carol prioritised saving lives over a make-out session. You don’t get to demand she ignore a distress call one minute and then complain that she didn’t respond fast enough the next.

Also, you’re the ones who slapped Captain Marvel’s brand on your town and your donuts, not her. You fuckers are lucky the Avengers haven’t come after you for trademark infringement.

A cloud of drones descends on Main Street. They immediately go for Carol, so she takes to the sky with the plan of luring them away and exploding them high above the town.

But first, a quick detour to needlessly endanger her family and tackle her mother to the ground.

After destroying the drones, Carol returns in time for Clorox to arrive and—

what the hell man, why did you decide to nude up for this?!

And finally, the reveal we’ve all been dreading.

Marie/Mari-Ell: …she’s here for me. Carol: Ma?!?!

(Small detail, but dudes, let your letterer do their job. They’re not just your friggin typist. You want to emphasise Carol’s shocked exclamation, the letterer can do that by playing with fonts, sizing, colour and speech bubbles. You don’t need to vomit out interrobangs like a seven-year-old who’s just discovered punctuation.)

anyway yes this book is a nightmare.

[keepingupwithfundies]

Jendra Wedding Hilarity

I ALSO found Kendra & Joes wedding highly entertaining, mostly because of the parts i found to be unintentionally super funny!!!!

1:45 Kendra giving shaaaaaade. She says she’s not going to “lunge at him” when their first kiss happens. (Jill’s wedding of course.)

4:40 Jeremiah finding his true calling as a fabulous decorator ( I mean I WISH!)

5:10 Miss Cindy explaining about how the Pee-On-Knees came in wilted. The replacement flowers WERE DELIVERED TO A DIFFERENT CITY.

7:20 Joe saying how exited he is for his wedding day, especially the fact that his first kiss is in a few hours. I’m thinking he’s more exited they get to boink immediately after, but maybe they politely omit that part when talking about it.

10:30 Kendra’s mom says the bride and groom are “two completers.” Can’t blame her too much, she looks all of maybe 18 years older than Kendra. Homeschool, Y'all.

10:54 Joys RIDICULOUS modesty panel on her bridesmaid’s dress.

13:30 The WHOLE creepy scene when Kendra’s dad gets the first look. Reminds me of the purity balls where fathers dress their daughters up as their mini brides. Funny, but creepy funny. Her mom basically looks n the whole time like a third wheel. 

17:50 The improvised bouquet (face palm.) Miss Cindy did the best she could but when Kendra is handed the bouquet, a rose falls off in perfect comedic timing. K- “That’s amaaaazing—- oh my.”

22:25 Kendra doing on the fly repairs to her dress

24:55 Jeremiah chillin and trying to figure out a rubix cube (spoiler ALERT - he’s a looong way off. Homeschool, Y'all)

33:30 Joe’s cry face!

40:20 Josiah’s painful skit with the rings. (He needs a community theatre or high school drama club stat.)

41:25 “with this wing, i be wed” Joe’s face was honestly super funny after he flubbed it.

42:40 The butterfly kisses song singer was so extra.

44:20 Joe’s FISH LIPS as he goes in for his first kiss. Ok maybe some practice would’ve actually helped.

48:45 The sound effects added to the “surprise” power outage. Sounds like the power went out in Jurassic park and not the Duggars church. 

IMO- someone threw the power so the couple could boink in the dark lol. I mean did the power really go out in “the city”, doubt it.

So yeah, super funny until the realization that i just witnessed two children marry each other from a cult.

This was me through all the moments:

😂 😍  🤦‍♀️ 😏 🤦‍♀️ 🙈 🙈 🤣 😯 🤦‍♀️ 🤣 🤦‍♀️ 🤣 😩 🤣 😱

So many face palms.... Reading through your summary had me in stitches again!! (Annie)

[vermillionworks]

Applying Horror To Webcomics

Hello, I'm SarahN, author/artist of the vampire webcomic, DANIEL.

I also wrote the post on Writing Vampires quite a while ago. Honestly, I'm not sure if this one will be as good as that one for a couple of reasons... One is because I tend to have a hard time putting my thoughts on writing horror into words for some reason. That and I think because horror is such a broad genre, it's hard to suggest guidelines for it.

A few of my suggestions are based on opinion. So if you don't agree with me on some things, that's fine, I expect that, so there's no reason to message me with a rant about why I'm wrong about so and so. XD If you REALLY don't agree with something, then just ignore it and continue with your own plans.

Secondly, I also feel like I had a lot more "trial and error" experience with writing vampires than I have with horror in general. So yeah, I believe I have a BIT of knowledge on the subject but by no means consider myself an expert.

Nonetheless, trying this out anyway since people showed an interest in me doing this.

Sooo, click "Keep Reading" to see my rambles on the subject! (There’s some horror gifs in here and please excuse any typos.)

First, A Word About Jump Scares

For the most part, forget about trying to make your readers jump out of their seats and run away with a webcomic, that's near impossible to do unless your reader is VERY sensitive (and if they are that sensitive, they probably won't be sticking around anyway). Besides, there is more than one way to 'scare' people.

Your aim instead is to plant an idea in the readers' heads that leaves them unnerved and maybe, just maybe, make them lose a little sleep (not a guarantee, but nothing wrong with a momentary creep-out either XD).

If you're REALLY looking to use jump scares in a comic, then you might want to consider making a comic VIDEO instead, or going the Bongcheon-Dong Ghost route (IF YOU LOOK UP THIS COMIC, YOU WILL BE JUMP-SCARED) and learn to make some clever coding to 'possess' the reader's mouse to shoot downwards (thus 'animating' the comic) and have sound effects play in the background at the same time.

Otherwise most webcomic pages are static images that people see right when the page loads, so throwing people off with an unexpected sight is hard to do. However, if you don't have a need to publish your comic and you want to catch readers off guard with imagery a little, consider the vertical "webtoon" look that's big these days. It works well for horror, I think, though even that is not essential to apply good horror to webcomics.

Frankly, I find jump scares overrated in general anyway. Anyone can catch someone off guard; startle them. They're sometimes a good, momentary thrill, but don't usually have a long lasting impact like good atmosphere, slow building tension, and terrifying ideas can, and I find that is really what horror is about.

The Power Of Disturbing Imagery & Actions

These are kind of no-brainer suggestions, but here it is anyway.

There are LOTS of options with disturbing imagery and there is no better medium for it than webcomics. A person's body twisting unnaturally, monsters, possession, a walking sin against nature, mind fuckery, world distortion and any other horrible concepts your mind can come up with. The sky's the limit, especially if you go the supernatural route.

And then there’s the disturbing behavior and actions of characters, which can be scary enough at times and feel closer to home. Remember that this DOESN'T just mean a knife-happy psycho jumping right into the comic and causing havoc. It can mean behavior just off-kilter enough to leave the reader tense and uncomfortable that slowly gets worse and worse until the inevitable conclusion. Play on the fact that something is very obviously...off.

The same thing can work for dialogue; people really underestimate the power of words in horror. Dialogue can leave a knot in your gut, leave you nervous of a character's intent, or force you to use your imagination of what they're describing, which can often be even worse than seeing it.

Which brings me to the next subject....

Subtlety and Ambiguity Can Be Your Best Buds

To me, horror is often what you CAN'T see. Horror is not knowing exactly what's happening. Horror is not having a clear solution.

Giving the gist of it and dropping lots of hints is fine for the most part, but sometimes if you give a clear explanation that leaves no doubt in the reader's mind about what's happening, why it's happening, and what the protagonists need to do to escape/win/whatever, there is a lot less tension and uncertainty to be felt by the reader. These things are ideal for horror comics since that mystery can keep the reader invested and continually disturbed.

Horror doesn’t have to “explode in your face” either, consider more subtle creepiness to amp up the dread. Someone twitching and staring in the background might leave more impact than a brutal murder scene.

Even In Webcomics, Silence Is Golden

Consider more 'silent' moments with little or no dialogue or sound effects. Your comic may naturally have no sound, but you may be surprised how unnerving it can be to a reader when there's only images and nothing to read.

A silent monster can often be more scary than a gabby one, too.

Psychological Horror

....is IDEAL for webcomics. XD

Use Violence & Gore Wisely

First off, if all you want to do is a make a comic with an endless supply of blood & guts, that's fine, nothing wrong with that. It can work well in a more campy story or just for those who are entertained by constant, mindless violence...just don't expect it to REALLY scare people. Oh, they might get a kick out of it or at least be plenty grossed out, but that's it.

You see, gore fest comics/movies/whatever really are just for a certain audience. Some love it, others are repulsed by it and won't touch it with a ten foot pole, and some are only fine with it at select times.

If you want your violence to actually leave more impact and not make portion of your audience decide they're no longer interested because pointless, brutal violence is all that's happening, then you're going to have to think about how you use violence a little more deeply.

I do truly believe violence CAN be scary, but it must be used at the right time, and in the right way. You must really consider at what point would be the most disturbing for graphic violence to suddenly occur, and then sure, make that crap as brutal as possible. XD

Violence that shows everything in detail at a relatively slow pace can be particularly cringe-worthy at the right moment, or at least I personally find that more unnerving than just seeing someone fly apart in pieces out of nowhere or something, that can actually come off as unintentionally funny, or at least too abrupt to leave the reader traumatized.

Though even though I suggest not holding back with violence, also consider that way over the top, silly ways to kill people may be too unrealistic to cause fright (think being killed by over-elaborate traps, ridiculous weapons, or...death by hairdryer). This...MIGHT work on some people and definitely works for more campy horror, but if you're really trying to scare people, you might instead get, "Seriously?"

And as for anything in horror, use the imagery and angles to your advantage. Make the viewer feel what the poor victim is feeling - terror, pain and all. ;) I'll be going into this more with the next subject...

Unnerving 'Camera' Angles

Obviously there's no cameras involved in the process of a webcomic, but there should be an imaginary one in your mind's eye as you consider the scenes you make.

Dramatic shots and angles are just as important in comics as they are in film. In fact, to push the impact of a horrific scene, they're almost essential. Panels full of talking heads won't cut it if you're trying to give people goosebumps. If this is something you're not used to doing, then it's time to start experimenting!

Good use of perspective can really push your horror comic's atmosphere over the edge. Look at movies by Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King-based movies, or any of your own personal favorite horror flicks (I could make more obscure suggestions but I won't here XP), comics, ect. Really consider the shots and angles and what moods they establish. You CAN use the same methods that are in film in webcomics while also taking advantage of the medium you're using by doing clever things with the panels and art.

Atmosphere

I think scary atmosphere can go beyond "very shadowy places". Sometimes the above mentioned use of perspective, and creepy characters that chew up the scenery, can create a disturbing atmosphere even in a bland or brightly colored world.

Not to say using darkness doesn't work VERY well, too. Definitely experiment with lighting and coloring for cool, spooky effects.

Beware Of Using 'Cartoony' Art Styles

OKAY, just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. If your greatest desire is to make a brutal comic with kawaii anime characters, then do it, but if you're aiming to make things really scary, I STRONGLY believe that by combining an adorable or extra cartoony style with graphic horror, the contrast makes them more hilarious than horrific, like unintentional dark comedy. Or even if it isn't funny it may still "soften the blow" considerably.

That's not to say manga-inspired or more unrealistic art can't work with horror (my art style certainly isn't realistic, I draw VERY over-exaggerated expressions), but I believe there needs to be at least a certain level of realism so the style doesn't clash with the feel you're trying to go for.

Is This Scaring YOU?

An important thing to remember is that if you're not creeping yourself with your story, then chances are your readers won't be creeped out either, don't assume your readers are more sensitive than you are. Plus it's just more boring to work on something that doesn't really bother you. XD Take those common horror formulas out of your mind for a minute and think about what truly disturbs you. Then again...

Don't Be Afraid of Cliches

As I also kind of said in my "Writing Vampires" article, tropes can be a good thing. Take the ones you love and brainstorm different ways to approach them.

Webcomics Burn Slowly

Remember that you're working with a webcomic that usually update a page at a time. Don't let readers make you feel pressured to jump to the point sooner, it could ruin the tension and destroy your original plans.

Take Inspiration But Don't Try To Be Another Horror Creator

It seems like, with horror in particular, people think they have to take one creator and do things exactly their way rather than taking inspiration from several sources and using what works for them.

You know who's great and is brought up a lot? Junji Ito. He's a manga artist who has made some very surreal, very creepy horror comics with great visuals...and tons of body horror. I have checked out a couple of his comics, but I have never attempted to create as he does. It's just not me. Oh, I've learned a couple of things from him, certainly, but trying to do things exactly as he does would bore me, and I wouldn't be able to match his style anyway.

Find many inspirations and work the way that’s best for you.

I will end on that note. GO GIVE THE HEEBIE-JEEBIES, WEBCOMICKERS!