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pogostikk · 2 months

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I just wanna say that it's 4am and I spent hours scrolling through your blog-- I just love your AUs sm, particularly the separation AU. I strongly stan the clown outfits, steeb is just so freaking adorable, I cant. And star is so pretty. and they are cute together and fill my heart with joy.

On another note, I saw you put some thoughts on them fusing, and while I fully respect whichever decision you make, I do hope they get to fuse, even if not permanently. And I appreciate you mentioned it wouldn't be just steven their fusion in this hypothetical situation, but rather a combination of both. I wonder though, how they'd look, if their fusion would just take the form of steven, or if it would change, since star has his own different form and not a copy of steven. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Aaaah tysmmm <3<3<3 that means so much to me! I enjoy drawing clown Steven and Star so I’m glad you like them too!

And gosh, I haven’t thought abt their fusion in months, it was an older idea I played around with for awhile. I ended up scrapping it and went with the idea that they were so severed after so many years that fusion was out of the question, and both halves had developed such separate identities and lives that even if they could fuse, they’d have no desire to permanently. I think I posted art of their fusion a bit but at the time my art skills were pretty underdeveloped and I have a tendency to delete older posts I dislike lol

Tbh I’m not great at gem designs, especially gem fusion designs. Fusion designs go beyond just mashing two people’s physical characteristics together. There’s tons of things to consider, like the persons’ views of each other, the state and type of the relationship, personalities, etc, etc.

But heck, I really liked some parts of the design, so here’s a doodle! Ugh now I want to ramble about the fusion design. But I imagine that if they could fuse, it would be a very rare, intimate thing. They’re stronger together, especially on Steven’s side, but it’s also very vulnerable, usually on Stars side.

#steven universe #su au #human steven #pink steven #asks #I’m always happy when a newcomer shows up!#while I was scrolling through my posts to find any Star and Steven fusion art I deleted some stuff along the way #it’s a bad habit but my bad art can not be seen on my blog

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caffeinatedcarny · 4 days

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Those One Horse Siblings I was always so bothered by Pipp's design being so Flapper Lite(tm) especially with her gorgeous concept art, so she's back to flappy glory =w= I headcanon her as having very poor flying skills from her underdeveloped primaries(wings genuinely just cannot be downy feathers to fly) As for Zipp, she already had a fantastic design, so i mostly tweaked the hair and gave her the cool hood marking in her concept art :3 Please do not use or repost without my explicit consent<3

#art #carny art #digital art #mlp #my little pony #Zipp Storm #Pipp Petals #redesign #mlp g5

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leantailean · 7 months

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I really love Toko, but i feel like its often constrained, largely due to the age gap. Like stories will often either be set in post-canon, or the characters will be aged up. Do you feel like that holds true and if yes do you feel like there's a dynamic that i'm missing. And post-canon is fun to explore, but i feel like the most interesting story telling is generally set while the war is ongoing. Conversely i feel like aging up Zuko would be fairly disruptive to his journey. Not that i think those are bad things, i'm really liking Third Time's the Charm that plays with the latter, and arranged marriage which to feels like a very natural trope for them, and obviously i love your art. They say for a reason that constraints inspire creativity. I'm just curious about your thoughts about that.

Hi! Thanks for the ask and sorry for the late reply (sickness prevented me from replying)

I have a lot to say about this, so let’s begin (it’s a loooooong answer).

Age gap is the most common argument against toko I’ve heard. And, to be honest, I find it really strange. You see, Aang and Zuko have the same age gap, and almost the same have Sokka and Toph, and nevertheless Tokka and Zukaang are quite widespread and supported ships, and no one cares for the age gap. That’s why I don’t really see why people believe that age gap as an issue in Toko.

And this argument sounds strange also because If relationship, even romantic one that are originates from friendship are starting to built it doesn’t mean they immediately become sexual. Kataang is canon and beautiful, but in reality several years should pass for them before they step into that kind of relationship. I’m even uncomfortable to think about Maiko having sexual activity in the canon, when they both are around 16.

Besides, it is difficult to imagine Zuko anything but aro/ace to me.

Toko's relationship originates from similar life experiences and mutual support for each other. This is not a love at first sight, but a gradually developing "friends-lovers" relationship. Which, by the way, completely similar with other canonical pairs, such as kataang.

Also I think that this argument originates from extremely wrong, primitive fanon interpretation of Zuko and Toph. Usually Zuko is depicted super mature and super experienced dude (all that dadko bullshit, omg), and they prefer to see Toph as some tomboy-ish brat (here in Russia people call such girls “the guy from the next yard”), rude, not serious and childish. Nothing can be farer from the truth.

In fact, Zuko is emotionally underdeveloped, traumatised and rather infantile due to the abuse he experienced. He Is a teenager with serious anger issues and bad social skills.

Toph is, otherwise, one of the most mature gaang members. She is able to understand and listen to other people , and she never demand anything back (“Yes, thank you Toph”. Indeed it woul be very nice of Sokka and Suki to thank her for saving their lives). Despite her guarding her boundaries carefully she is always open to other people and she is in good contact with her own emotions (which is what Zuko lacks). So in their relationship, at least that the very beginning Toph would be the most mature side (although it’s fair for every possible Zuko’s partner, such as Maiko, Zukka or Zukaang).

So I don’t think that Toko is having any problems in that sense.

On the one hand, I agree that it’s the most interesting when the relationship somehow develops during canonical events, and not in the post-canon. But in this case, this applies to absolutely any couples, except of maiko, kataang and sukka, since they are the only ones developing during the war. Any possible other relationships, such as Tokka, or Zukka, or Zukaang, can exist only in post-canon if canonical couples break up for some reason. Again, Toko is no exception in this case.

Zuko and Toph's relationship (doesn’t matter friendly or romantic) did not get the development they deserve in the third season. In fact, their relationship was just thrown under the bus because of the sloppy writing of the entire third season (to give Zuko one episode with each member of gaang just to check the box, like "mission accomplished" and give almost not developing of his relationship with each of them outside of these episodes. And Toph was robbed even of this). But despite this, toko still has more then any other fanon ships (although “Boiling Rock” is definitely a very Zukka episode). We see that Toph was the first one who believed Zuko, and not just believed - she actively defended him in front of the others and made an attempt to have a chat with him herself. It is important: the fact that Zuko's relationship with Toph is radically different from any other ones with the rest of the gaang member, since she was not with them when Zuko actively hunted the Avatar, and their first close interaction was after his redemption, when he became the best version of himself. Toph has no personal negative experience with him, and Zuko does not feel guilty towards her, and with her he doesn’t need to make up for anything, and this is very important.

Strangely enough, but, one of the most Toko moments of the show is the moment in which Zuko and Toph do not interact personally: the meeting of Iroh and Toph. She is also the first from gaang who met and even, one might say, became friends with Iroh. Iroh, who has always been Zuko's father figure is talking to Toph about real Zuko. Not about the imperialist prince cruelly pursuing the last hope of the world - the way Sokka, Katara and Aang knew him - but about just a boy only Iroh, his closes person, knew. In addition, Iroh, who knows and loves Zuko, says how much he and Toph have in common (Iroh is the first and main Toko shipper, and I will die on this hill). Narratively and dramatically, this is an amazing moment, and I will fight with anyone who says that Toko has little canonical content: any other Zuko ships can only dream about such a moment.

It is also interesting that it is with Toph that Zuko has the most sincere conversation about his guilt towards his uncle. He talked about it with Sokka and with Katara, but it was Toph who was able to tell him the right words that really comforted him and make him smile (seriously, this is the best smile Zuko has ever seen, and it happens during his conversation with Toph!)

We see that they feel extremely comfortable and open with each other, even though they barely know each other.

Toph is the only girl in the canon made Zuko to blush, just a fact. And Toph, in her turn, openly talks to Zuko her feelings for him (I'm not saying that her feelings were already romantic at that time ). "This is how I show affection" is just the best moment.

We can talk about many other canonical points that are important for toko: the similarity of characters and life experience - both Zuko and Toph are from the upper class, both grew up in abusive families and both know what it is to feel unloved by their own parents. The Blue Spirit/Blind Bandit is one of the most interesting and direct parallels of Toph and Zuko - an alter ego that they needes to get away from theirs social roles (a prince and a young lady from an aristocratic families). This is the same direct parallel as the canonical pair has: The Painted Lady/Kuzon. Just as Aang and Katara need alter egos to help others people which is the core of their characters and unites them,Toph and Zuko need alter ego in order to satisfy their own desire for freedom, which they cannot satisfy in any other way.

They are both disabled, forced to deal with the fact that people judge them by their disability and appearance, forced to prove every day what they are more than their disability. Again: neither Zuko nor Toph share such an experience with anyone else, only with each other.

So canonically, toko has a lot of support - certainly no less than any other fanon ship.

After all, they look amazing together.

Also, I just love the moment with kissing doves. Seriously, ATLA rarely show us such a perspective, why they needed to place such a scene in the same shot with Toph and Zuko as if it were foreshadowing their future relationship? God, I love it!

I really like to explore the post-canon, especially since I don’t consider comics and LOK to be canon, although it doesn't even matter - nothing in them contradicts the idea that Toph and Zuko could be together at least at some point in their lives.

To explore alternative universes for toko, such as the arranged marriage plot, is also a very interesting, and it would be great to talk about it another time.

Thank you for the question, I think my thoughts turned out to be a little messy, but I hope it could be interesting to you.

________

Let's talk about TOKO!

#zuko #toph #toko #avatar the last airbender #kataang #i think?#atla #atla fandom discourse #long post #zutoph #ask #we need to talk about toko

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gunterfan1992 · 7 months

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Episode Review: “Cake the Cat”/“Prismo the Wishmaster” (Fionna & Cake, Eps. 3-4)

I wish I had the strength to stay up until the exact moment these episodes are released, hurriedly consume them in a haze while writing down my thoughts, and post my review before the sun has a chance to come up. But alas, as an old man—i.e., a 31-year old—I am not quite as strong as I used to be. (Remember dear friends: Eram quod es; eris quod sum!)

In other words, please excuse me if my reviews take a day or two to post! I have to watch 'em after I get home from work!

Airdate: September 7, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jacob Winkler, Haewon Lee, Nicole Rodriguez

Directed by: Ryann Shannon (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

Like the title card I have included here, the plot of "Cake the Cat" is relatively straightforward: After finding herself in Ooo (and gaining speaking abilities thanks to a universal translator), Cake explores the world around her. Along the way, she befriends Squirrel (from season five's "Up a Tree") and accidentally destroys an outdoor market. Meanwhile, in her own world, Fionna tries desperately to find her missing pet. But after Simon tries once again to summon GOLB, Fionna suddenly finds herself transported to Ooo, where she reunites with Cake.

"Cake the Cat" might not be the deepest episode from the "Adventure Time Extended Universe" (hmm, maybe the "ATEU"?), but what it lacks in depth, it makes up for with humor. In particular, the episode manages to get considerable mileage out of Cake just acting like a normal (albeit talking) cat: she scratches people, tears things up, snatches food away, and very nearly massacres a small woodland critter, etc. As someone who adores cats and has long put up with their, shall we say, bullshit, these scenes were right on the money. Cake might indeed mean well, but she is still a cat, and cats get into all sorts of hijinks (that's part of the reason why I love them).

"This episode, out of the four that have aired so far, feels the most like "old school" Adventure Time, largely due to the allusions it makes to older episodes: For instance, one subplot in "Cake the Cat" sees the titular character scratch the dickens out of the insane "Tree Gang" from season five's "Up a Tree." (In fact, one could even make a compelling argument that the first half of this episode is basically just a sequel to "Up a Tree"!) Cake's market shenanigans and the ire they raise with the forest folk also echo the events of season two's "Storytelling" (in which Finn makes a gaggle of forest critters' lives hell in a half-baked attempt to find a good story). Like its season two predecessor, "Cake the Cat" heavily relies on the main character's obliviousness, which often leads to some great bits of dark humor (e.g., the shredded pillow man, who, while 'bleeding out' feathers, wheezes, "I… clapped for you!"). But despite these similarities, "Cake the Cat" has enough flourishes to make it its own thing, thereby preventing it from feeling like a tired retread."

One such "flourish" is the heavy focus on Roz Ryan. Most of the past Fionna and Cake episodes have underutilized Cake, treating her as little more than a sassy one-liner machine. "Cake the Cat," on the other hand, not only makes use of Ryan's acting skills, but it also lets her flex her musical prowess by having her sing the song "Cake on The Loose." Ultimately, the decision to not relegate Cake to a secondary role allows for some much-needed character development. Her interactions with Squirrel, for instance, let us know that she's a survivalist who will not tolerate bullies. We also learn that Cake sees Fionna less as a family member and more as a bossy (albeit beloved) roommate. True, these are small glimpses into an established character, but because Cake has long been underdeveloped, they help to flesh out her character, allowing her to come into her own. This is a trend that the following episode will continue…

Airdate: September 7, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Iggy Craig, Graham Falk, Jim Campbell, Lucyola Langi

Directed by: Steve Wolfhard (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

Like "Simon Petrikov" before it, "Prismo the Wishmaster" is a darker installment that subverts the levity that preceded it.

And I'm OK with that!

The episode begins with Prismo beaming up Fionna, Cake, and Simon and revealing to them the truth behind the whole "Fionna and Cake" thing: This "fan fiction" is actually a fictional universe of his own creation. Tired of constantly bringing other people's realities to life, Prismo decided to create a universe of his own. There was just a tiny problem: Doing so violated the cosmological rules that Prismo must follow as the god of wishes. He thus decided to hide the "Fionna and Cake" world in the mind of Ice King—out of sight, out of mind (literally). Unfortunately, GOLB's resetting of the crown threw a wrench into these plans, resulting in his "unauthorized crossover" being detected. This violation consequently summoned Scarab, an antagonistic "god auditor" who yearns for Prismo's job as wishmaster. The episode concludes with Prismo zapping Fionna, Cake, and Simon to Farmworld seconds before Scarab can capture them.

Before talking about the meat of the episode, let me briefly talk about the [Psychic Tandem War] Elephant in the [Time] Room: Prismo's voice. In the initial series, as I am sure many of you are aware, Prismo was voiced by Kumail Nanjiani, a talented comedian perhaps best known for his role in the HBO series Silicon Valley. There was something about Nanjiani's voice that really clicked with the Prismo character—his laid back, somewhat monotonous way of speaking just really fits with Prismo's "chill deity" thing.. Alas, Nanjiani does not reprise his role in "Prismo the Wishmaster" (instead, the character is voiced by Sean Rohani). What? you might be asking, Was there some drama? Did the actor have a falling-out with the crew? No. The answer is far, far more infuriating: Nanjiani's reps apparently declined to tell the very actor they were working for that the Adventure Time folks had wanted him back! Nanjiani has often said that Prismo is one of his favorite characters that he has had the opportunity to play, and so I can only imagine how crestfallen and mad he probably was when all of this came to light. Absolutely nothing against Mr. Rohani, but considering that the voice actor he replaced never wanted to be replaced, I hope that the studio can let Nanjiani overdub Prismo's lines for future streams of the episode. (Ya know, to fix the time line and all that jazz.)

Now, back to our review! Just as "Cake the Cat" recalls the vibes of older episodes, "Prismo the Wishmaster" also echoes with the past, feeling in many ways like a spiritual cousin to season six's "Is That You?" (the masterful episode, solely storyboarded by Jesse Moynihan, that skillfully undid Prismo's death in a way that felt neither cheap nor forced). The similarities between "Prismo the Wishmaster" and "Is That You?" are largely due to their setting (both episodes take place almost entirety in Prismo's time cube), and their shared interest in what I guess you could call "character duplication." But just like "Cake the Cat," this episode is fun and familiar, while still managing to be new and exciting.

I particularly enjoyed the episode's deepening of the already complex cosmology of the Oooniverse. Back in 2020, in the first edition of "Exploring the Land of Ooo," I speculated that the world in which Finn and Jake live owes much to the dualistic cosmology of Gnosticism, specifically the religious movement known as Manichaeism. This approach to reality views the world as fundamentally divided in two. On one side, there is the "Father of Greatness" (roughly equivalent to the Judeo-Christian idea of "God," who creates and orders reality), and on the other side, there is the "King of Darkness" (roughly equivalent to "the Devil," who embodies darkness and death). Adventure Time seems to draw inspiration from this conceptual split, with GOLB being the Oooish version of the "King of Darkness," who revels in chaos and destruction, and "Prismo's Boss" being akin to the "Father of Greatness," who is interested in order and structure. Additionally, Scarab and the various gods who govern the universe remind me of the Gnostic concept of archons (entities that rule over the day-to-day affairs of the physical cosmos), but perhaps that's a topic for another day...

Speaking of Scarab, going into Fionna and Cake, I was particularly curious how the show was going to one-up the Lich. His story arc was nicely capped off in "Together Again," and so I appreciate the producers' decision to create a new villain for this series. As someone who often deals with inane bureaucracy, I quite like the idea of a "god auditor," and Kayleigh McKee does a great job infusing Scarab with a dignified sort of malevolence. Scarab feels textbook lawful evil to me, but unlike a lot of the other baddies in the Oooniverse who are doin' it up the only way they know how, Scarab does not feel affable in any way. He's a cold, sterile regulator, akin to the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, who is interested in only one thing: eliminating his targets. In a word, he feels like a legitimate threat, and that's exciting!

Another major triumph of "Prismo the Wishmaster" is that it fully justifies why this entire miniseries is happening. One of my biggest worries going into this string of episodes was that, while fun, it would not do a good job of legitimizing its own existence. This was largely due to my own biases. After all, I've always enjoyed Fionna and Cake, but I have never adored their episodes. In my mind, they were fun excursions; nothing more, nothing less. However, "Prismo the Wishmaster" expertly grounds their existence in the Ooo that we know, demonstrating that the Fionna and Cake series is not a dull victory lap, nor is it a masturbatory exercise in excess. Instead, it is a bona fide extension of Adventure Time's mythology. Fionna the Human and Cake the Cat are now just as "real" as Finn and Jake ever were. Instead of being simple parodies, they now have a certain depth to them.

Simply put, they matter.

Final “Cake the Cat” Grade: B+

Final “Prismo the Wishmaster” Grade: A

#adventure time #atimers #review #fionna and cake #fionna #fionna campbell #cake #cake the cat #prismo #prismo the wishmaster #kumail nanjiani

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tamelee · 8 months

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Hello Tamelee, I wanted to ask you if you agree with some popular claims in the Naruto (-Shippuden) fandom about Kishimoto and his writing. If you could give your opinion on the claims I would be very happy ☺️ Sorry for my English by the way, it is not my mother tongue.

1) Claim: Kishimoto does not know how to write woman.

2) Claim: Kishimoto does not know how to write romance.

3) Claim: Kishimoto wrote NaruSasuNaru on an accident. He did not meant to write them as gays.

4) Claim: Kishimoto forgets characters (Neji, Hinata and Sakura etc.). The story focuses to much on the relationship Naruto and Sasuke.

5) Claim: Kishimoto sucks writing Sakura like Sakura character is bad writing.

6) Claim: Kishimoto is an homophobe.

I think I did not forgot other claims. So far that is everything. Thank you for being so nice and talented. I love your Art. 💕

Warning; unpopular opinions ahead/me not agreeing:

Hello Nonee 💕 Okay let’s see!

“1) Claim: Kishimoto does not know how to write woman. 5) Claim: Kishimoto sucks writing Sakura like Sakura character is bad writing.”

Ah yes. With these often there’s also “Kishimoto is a misogynist” and the “missed potential of the female characters”.

It’s a broad and complicated topic tbh (or you could make it as complicated as you want..) because people bring in a lot of real life/political baggage into the conversation about this (unnecessarily imo)- largely surrounding Sakura and Hinata.

I only partly agree because most of Kishimoto’s female characters aren’t great compared to their male counterparts. But, from little snippets of his interviews it is very obvious that he always enjoyed writing through male-characters as were all his stories incl the rejected ones and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that especially when we look at the targeted audience. That’s all. That is enough reason.. and it hasn’t so much to do with him not being able to, because there are female characters that are fine.

Kishimoto could’ve developed some of them better.. but didn’t. I don't believe that is because of a lack of skill.

Sakura’s (and even Hinata’s) lack of development (= development which the fans wanted to see) had purpose and they were largely cast aside and underdeveloped (with purpose!!!) in order to show (contrast/)something else as well; the bond/love between Naruto and Sasuke.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Saori (Mario), Tsunade, Ino, Temari, Konan or Kushina even. What do you expect more from Shonen? I would’ve loved to see more background about some of them, but story-wise it wouldn’t have been necessary. If he was going to flesh out any of the other characters (like many wanted from Tenten) it should’ve been with purpose, it would’ve had meaning.. Otherwise you’d just be thinking to yourself “why did I just read/watch this? Why exactly did Kishimoto want to show this thing about this character and why does it matter to the story? Is there a parallel, or could this be foreshadowing?”

So.. he didn’t and to me that makes sense. This story is about Naruto and despite him being the mc- it is also about Sasuke and their journeys about becoming great Ninja. Not “pinkyflinky and her selfish love for her cool-looking classmate.”

It is great to want to find good female representation in media, as a female myself I find that to be quite the struggle.. especially nowadays -.- (all protagonists are wannabe annoying-ass girl-bosses whom are shown to be assholes for the sake of... feminism?? lately.. Idk but ugh!!) however I don’t expect to find great representation or empowerment for myself in a story like ‘Naruto’... never have. Criticizing ‘Naruto’ about something for which it had no intentions of in the first place makes no sense to me. Instead, the characters from Naruto whom are fleshed out and developed well (and there are many) inspired me too regardless of gender and I don’t see the point in looking through a gender-lens within my entertainment if it's not necessary. (I don't know why it would be tbh.) It is not like I can only see myself or get absorbed in a story through a girl/female-character. Kishimoto even made Sasuke the Heroin of the story much like Saori (the female-lead) was from his earlier story ‘Mario’ whom Sasuke resembled a lot. But make Sasuke into an actual female character in ‘Naruto’ and then the story, in the way it was written, would’ve made no sense. Or rather their actions. (The story would’ve been different then.) People wouldn’t have accepted it because then it’s suddenly obvious to the general audience who the love interest for Naruto is... -.- Insert; confusion. Then, if we accept ‘Naruto’ as a piece of gay-media... then why look for female-representation here and aren’t the characters fine as they are when you take that into consideration?

Besides, why can’t female characters have flaws and why is it always “bad writing” if someone doesn’t agree with the behavior of said character? Why can’t they just accept that some female characters are just not that great or that some of the characters don't have positive arcs for the sake of something else?

Anyway, I don’t agree with the reasons people give for them being “so bad”. If we take Sakura for example, I see many people say she “deserved better” simply because she’s “the female lead” but this story was never about Sakura who’s character goal had been shallow from the start. Could a large portion of that have been fixed if Kishimoto gave her something else to fight for? Sure. But I rarely see them talk about her character-foundation and more so about getting “what she deserves” even though she practically did 2% in order to “deserve” (sorry I don’t like that word)- anything. So it mostly stems from her being female? And that only would’ve given her the privilege of actually surpassing Tsunade? (As Naruto and Sasuke also surpassed their masters when she didn't.) Or become Hokage even as some of her fans want her to be? But can you really (and be honest now) even compare Naruto and Sasuke’s journeys, efforts and development to.. Sakura's? Absolutely not. For which they agree because otherwise they wouldn't complain about a lack of development, so we have a contradiction here. What does Sakura know about running an entire village? Or the village in general? Nothing. What has she done in regard to Sasuke that wasn’t excruciatingly selfish? (Or Hinata in regard to Naruto also) Again, nothing. She didn’t even bother to find out anything about the thing she supposedly cares about; Sasuke who literally stood in front of her shouting out his pain about his clan, his brother and the village. Why would Sakura care about anyone other than herself or her version of Sasuke when she was willing to abandon her family and friends regardless of her teammates pain surrounding solitude to then say “she’d just be as lonely as Sasuke” who’s entire clan/family was murdered? She, who in the end pretty much stayed the same but gained physical strength which her fans can only acknowledge through the validation of male characters? I mean 👀.. (and yes she did have some good moments, but not even her own fans acknowledge these and instead try to hype up the bad ones. Even then they need validation from Sasuke, much like Sakura does, its weird to me.)

Jun Esaka tried to “fix” Sakura in ‘Sasuke Retsuden’ as her number one fan... but did so horribly. (Yes, I read it) In order to lift Sakura up she wrote “handsome-looking-like-a-cat-Sasuke” (her words not mine) to be a wet fry on the side of a pool living life miserably and racked with guilt for the sake of his oh-so-amazing-sexy-and-good-with-anything-“wife” whom everyone in her story loves/desires, which makes Sasuke into this super jealous “husband” who suddenly couldn’t do anything anymore without her help and made OOC mistakes every page of that dumb novel... 👀 I’ll take Kishimoto’s Sakura over that bs any day. And yet her fans love to see Sakura “shine” like “she deserves” and criticize Kishimoto for not having made her similar to their headcanons in his Manga..

That’s all it is. Headcanon.

Idc, I could go on and on about it, but I’ll leave it here.

“2) Claim: Kishimoto does not know how to write romance.”

He can and did so several times. Just because some people aren’t happy with their underdeveloped “canon-couples" doesn’t mean that Kishimoto can’t write it as he has shown already that he can with others. Couples which are accepted by everyone as them having a romantic bond (now why would they only complain for Sakura/Hinata's sake I wonder?). Besides, ‘Naruto’ is one great lovestory if you’re willing to accept it. The Minato-Manga was a big “fuck-you” to those claims, Dan and Tsunade were great and he only needed a single page/a few panels to establish the romantic purpose between Yahiko and Konan. Even before ‘Naruto’ he wrote ‘Mario’ also. Etc-

So, false.

“3) Claim: Kishimoto wrote NaruSasuNaru on an accident. He did not meant to write them as gays.”

This is some bs. This man did not sit down for 15+ years, hunched over a desk with his mind swimming about this story, Naruto and Sasuke only for anything to be “accidental”. Come on now. Whether someone else accepts their love as being gay is something else- but nothing is accidental. There is way too much time, effort and thought that went into it for anyone to make such a disrespectful claim. Besides, it is not for nothing that Kishimoto had to fight his own editorial team in order to make some things happen. He literally had to fight for years to be able to draw some of the gayest panels. So? What does that tell ya?

Well.. that nothing is accidental. With this also comes the bs-claim that Kishimoto apparently wouldn't even know what gays are which is laughable- don't let me start.

“4) Claim: Kishimoto forgets characters (Neji, Hinata and Sakura etc.). The story focuses to much on the relationship Naruto and Sasuke.”

The story is literally about Naruto, Sasuke and their bond. Their external goals (plot) by itself isn’t nearly as relevant as their internal needs and struggles which Kishimoto was perfectly able to steer the story (plot) with. That's the number 1 reason why it is a good story. It has nothing to do with “forgetting”. (Also why are Neji, Hinata and Sakura in the same sentence in regard to this?)

“6) Claim: Kishimoto is an homophobe.”

Sorry, I have no idea what this is about or where this comes from.

__ Ah I know you didn't make those claims, in case it sounds like that 😅! I'm just talking in general about the claims- Anyway, thankyou so much for liking my art!! 💕 Hope you have a nice day 🌷

#asktamelee #naruto talk #fandom talk #kishimoto #not a post for the biggest Sakura fans lets say #jsyk #or “Sakura” fans in case anyone is a fan of a hc version instead of Kishimoto's Sakura

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mercurialic · 1 month

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*mario voice* itsa’ me, theo! i present to you a concoction of rambles dedicated to house yoon’s youngest successor, yoon ryeol. feel free to like annnnd i’ll come running your way to plot!

overview

yoon ryeol: youngest appointed to the vassal house, yoon. son of skillful artisans and antiquarians before his time. he is the last known nephew of the avatar, yuha.

a competent firebender. at least, to his knowledge. neither a prodigy or an inadequate wielder of his craft. at best, a proficient skill master. is currently pre-occupied with other habitual doings, as reaching near expertise-level isn’t of interest…. yet. 🤔 (?)

politics! known to be unbearably outspoken about his political alliance with house ozaki. never a blind follower of tepid leaders, of course not, but one must criticize its government against all that is unjust! house yi is dictated by an underdeveloped, young and cruel empire unfit for rule (to Him). thus, ryeol resents his aunt for assisting in yi sado’s succession.

remains indifferent (although positively-leaning) about his family’s business exporting/importing art and religious valuables. displays a lacking interest in pursuing related careers. instead, has taken an adventurous and theory-seeking journey with physics, which, came to be as a result of being a firebender.

(assumed) public image: the fool, the nut case, the outlier, the idiot, haphazard mad scientist and physicist in training. ryeol’s outwardly dedication to the fire nation’s past sociopolitical affairs is none other than dismissed as “stay-out-of-grown-folks-business, kid!”. he’s got a backbone and a voice so it’s up to him to use it, with his proximity to higher society for the disadvantaged!

background tw / fatshaming, emotional neglect

when lady yoon was informed that she had a bun in the oven, it was likely that confusion washed over her. like. whatdoyoumeani’mpregnantwithmyfourthkid. hence, ryeol being a mistake baby — neither planned or wanted. he was just there, slowly clawing into existence and, so, that was how he was born. no celebrations, no tears of joy — just, y’know, great. another yoon baby, i guess. a boy at that, too. now what? ohrightwe’retheyoonswealwayshaveresourcesforchildrearing. nowimagineifweweredestitute, oops! haha!

anywho! ryeol was a robust and a chunky kid. it threw both of his parents off, having been a chubby infant, toddler, and child well into his adolescence. you can call the excessive baby fat cute, or you can call him a tub of lard; either way, the kid has a thyroid problem (the culprit of being overweight all throughout childhood) which sends him in and out of healers all throughout his life. however, this hasn’t stopped him from frolicking and running around yuha island untiiiiiiil he gets shipped off to the royal fire nation academy.

during his time at the academy he hones both military-based combat and later, firebending. moreover, ryeol’s firebending manifested much later in life (mid to late teens, i think?) which lead to his family putting him somewhat.. on the back burner. and, well, being an annoyance (or chronically misunderstood? more about that below) for a child growing up in the court as well, but, that’s a whole other ordeal. lord and lady yoon have greater and more adept children to pay attention to, and it sure as hell isn’t yoon ryeol. at some point, he’s left to raise himself. he feels pathetic, the situation’s pathetic; you’re allowed to feel sorry for him. even if he knew from the start, his existence is a foil.

so, he did just enough to keep his performance afloat, was far from an ambitious overachiever, but never stooped so low to be behind his peers. training lead to a gradual weight loss for his thyroid health as advised by the healers, not for visual aesthetics. one’s appearance is a form of social capital/currency even in the era of yuha, so it’s very unfortunate that ryeol in his adulthood is receptive of sudden benefits because he looks a certain way (still has a whopping of low self-esteem insecurities tho). the benefits were there to begin with as a young lord to the house yoon, but… you know where i’m getting at.

by the time culmination season comes around, the newly gifted firebender no longer wanted to pursue the military. continuing the family business in art/historical/religious valuable as trade wasn’t his vibe either. rather.. the hypothesized and the unknown intrigues him! researching and dwelling into natural sciences concerning matter! energy and forces! motions and theoretical physics has never appealed to him more than ever — all thanks to his own subatomic findings — referring to firebending (wip: about how the hell that came to be btw)!!

hence! the young lord’s time dwelling from island to island, port to port, and city to city upon his personal journey for discoveries. ryeol wouldn’t have been a nomad if it weren’t for his observations, i can assure you. that is, after pursuing secondary education by studying (umbrella termed) natural sciences. then, narrowing down his education onto a focus of physics. however, ryeol’s academic wanderings are so far off, he’s even contemplating the universe and its laws (is the sun the center of the universe in year 62? beat u to it, galileo galilei!) — that he doesn’t know if or how he wants to narrow his analyzations… will he, or will he not? that is the question!

attributes, characteristics, philosophies

yoon ryeol can’t focus on a single task for too long. he buffers responses in his head when having formal, back-to-back conversations. his mannerisms is almost as though he’s replicating what it’s like to be human for the first time. social cues? he misses them. hyperboles? he takes them word for word — literally. he has organizational troubles, despises certain textures, and does not hate routine. yoon ryeol is on the spectrum (linked to his thyroid disease), but neurodivergent/autistic intricacies has not been recorded in medical scrolls. or if it has.. then it’s highly unspecified? — so nobody really knows what the hell is going on. that’s just his brain! he doesn’t know where he’s going and sometimes that’s alright! (i’m sure modern day historians and cognitive psychologists would LOVE you ryeol!)

a lifelong learner: this isn’t equated strictly to the world of academics! ryeol is a lifelong learner and pupil in every way possible. from what he could absorb emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually — whether about the lives of people, past civilizations, how artistry came to be, or the *jaden smith voice* socioeconomic state of the world, you name it!

although in my stats page for ryeol mentions his introverted mbti, i’d like to come out now and say that he’s a proud ambivert. takes him awhile to want to approach strangers, but, once that threshold of apprehension has been knocked down after revealing that he’s a weirdo.. then you’ve got a professional yapper in him! i’m afraid at his core, he truly loves to yap. you’re talking about one thing and he’s bringing up the next. like, okay. honestly. i’m not even gonna hold yall to it — bro do be stupid and acting thoughtlessly, so! that is that. you have been warned. he means well tho.

intensely unamused by his family’s generational wealth. ryeol is a little embarrassed that the yoons rose to riches as merchants, which is predominantly their entire estate — all business and networking. point is, ryeol feels like his nobility (or the importance of) could be denounced, in comparison to other noteworthy houses, if it weren’t without the wealth. he doesn’t have to fight for anything, material wise, or desire much for it to just come crashing onto his lap. you would think this would spoil him, but it bores ryeol to know he’s lived a life without the need to earn. i suppose this is why he’s ridiculously frugal, not that he doesn’t enjoy nice things, but… sometimes nice things don’t serve him much purpose. wealth does answer to financial stability, though. that, he likes. perhaps yoon ryeol is a hypocrite in his own right.

can’t keep a straight face: whether trying to bite down on a smile in an inappropriate situation (routinely has done this in the court as a boy growing up — he even laughed once, too) or be visually void of emotions. that being said, yoon ryeol has an innate partiality for mischief! he doesn’t listen to his elders, siblings, and ends up paying the price for his foolishness. and trust me, he’s paid the consequences for it all his life, and will continue to. from petty court doings to bickering and banter, it’s no wonder he is house yoon’s most reprimanded.

in dostoevsky’s terms, father of “the idiot” (myshkin you will always be famous — can you tell i’ve picked up some inspo?): yoon ryeol has to fuck around and find out. one way or the other, somehow; it’s in his blood! that’s probably why he’s so dedicated to his scientific findings which is essentially all about.. fucking around and finding out, tbh. the greatest discoveries are born from mistakes. errors. trial and errors!

possible connections

fair warning that i’m quite a plot heavy person so despite the general connections below, i’d love to flesh them out to the best of my ability!

general: best friend/confidant, childhood friends (have they parted? or stayed within each other’s circle?), enemies turned acquaintanceship, sparring partners, combat instructor, a wonky situationship, former classmates, an ex, someone that he absolutely despises because you’re entitled to your wrong political opinion.

1a. fellow nomads? travelers? educators? wanderers? where are you all? in search of someone even remotely interested in ryeol’s purposeful academic findings who embark on his journey all across yuha island and/or otherwise, gather! maybe he bribed you for a specific reason (utp upon plotting) or your muse joined out of their own accord.. will they get caught outside of grounds? will they not? either way, we’re heading west! or south!

2b. your muse is under the impression that ryeol has a crush on them. i mean, the signs seem like so? he always finds his way to be around you, he wants to share his endeavors and every little thought that passes his brain with you — surely, it seems like it, no? not quite. you’ve just created a safe space for him to not have to mask with 98.6% of the people he’s met because he thinks highly of you! oh, shit, you thought he wanted you — ? sorry! unless?

3c. ?? more to come .. or so that i hope ?? 😵‍💫

#rs.intro #let him cook now

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meeblo · 5 months

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Any ops you think really need their story expanded or any you think had underwhelming story compared to what they could have been? Stuff like op recs, events or even module tidbits.

I should probably preface this by saying that I am chronically bad at remembering to read the operator records I have unlocked, I've read maybe two or three total. If there's anyone I say I want more story for where that story already does exist in their op rec, I just haven't read it yet.

Blaze has a ton of interesting potential with what main story episode 6 sets up for her, regarding her father, his relation to the Yan officials and Jiezhen in particular, and more. I would love to have her backstory expanded, but I feel like that plot thread is eternally shelved because it would require having the Yanese government as an antagonistic force and China would never allow that. I'm surprised Arknights gets away with their actions in episode 6 as is and they were largely just evaluating another city that doesn't directly feel their administrative influence.

Kafka, Robin, and Mountain I think are all excellent characters that definitely have the potential to take the focus of more events. Not that Mansfield Break left them underdeveloped, just that they definitely feel like there's a lot more that can be done with them. Show Kafka interacting with Silence and the rest of the Rhine Lab cast more, have Robin and Mountain continue the plot thread that leads to Mountain's Bloodline of Combat skin, etc.

Ch'en maybe doesn't belong on this list but I'm putting her anyway. Dossoles Holiday was hugely underwhelming for her character, and also devastating for public opinion on more Ch'en content. Ch'en hasn't dropped out of the story entirely, she does still appear in events like What the Firelight Casts or Where Vernal Winds will Never Blow, but I really hope she returns to major main story relevance in act 3 because there is so much potential with her and Talulah finally meeting again and being able to talk and be together as sisters after all these years. They have so much to work through.

Not an operator, but I would love more Closure. Whether it's more main story relevance or an event featuring her, I want her playable and I want her to get a ton more screen time.

Myrtle I think has a ton of potential for a really funny storyline going over the city she and Durin are from. Make her actually the official Generalissimo and show her as a respected leader of this Durin city, it would be hilarious.

The story will likely get there eventually but I need to know what happens to Kroos in Rim Billiton and if Beagle dies in the Great March of Bolivar. Kroos is great in Who is Real and Invitation to Wine, she could absolutely carry another event as the main point of view.

Mudrock has a ton of interesting story potential given act 2 of the main story's focus on the Sarkaz and Kazdel. She's an excellent character and I'd love to see her get some more screen time. I personally don't subscribe to the idea of Mandragora being alive but it would be very funny if she was so Mudrock could show up in the story and then skill issue her with more powerful and skilled rock/soil related arts. Big Bob has continually gotten story development through Integrated Strategies and through stuff like the storyline in the Angelina comic, but Mudrock has basically trailed off after she became playable in terms of having new content and it's a shame.

#arknights #ask

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themuskrater · 7 months

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I just played and finished Gotham Knights for the first time

And I have a LOT of thoughts. I might go in depth on certain things in other posts, but I want to kinda go over my general thoughts and feelings about this game. Spoilers ahead for:

First things first, if you want this to be "Arkham: Gotham Knights", you are going to leave very disappointed. The game's reception was hurt pretty bad by comparisons it to the Arkham series. Arkham is a masterpiece. Gotham Knights is very good at what it wants to accomplish, but comparing it to Arkham feels unfair. I mean...I'm gonna do it anyways, but I'll compare them with the intention that the Arkham games and Gotham Knights set out to accomplish two different things

The Good:

•By far, the best aspect of this game is the scripted moments between the Batfamily. This game features Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Red Hood (Jason Todd), Robin (Tim Drake), and Alfred. It's very clear this is the aspect the developers put the most focus into and it really pays off. It gives me the same feeling as reading "Batman: Wayne Family Adventures". If you just want to see the Batfamily interact and support each other, you're gonna love this game

•While it took me a while to get used to, I really fell in love with the art direction of this game. The skyline of Gotham City is gorgeous. I love the way the bright neon signs illuminate the low hanging fog giving everything a sort of colorful haze. And while I don't love every suit design, I think the customization let's me really like most of them. Batman especially looks really great in this game. His suit in this game is inspired by his look in the Rebirth comics and it translates beautiful

The Bad:

• I'm genuinely confused by the characterization of Mr. Freeze in this game. His motivations are all over the place to the point that I wonder if WB Montréal decided to combine Victor and Nora Fries into one character. At the beginning of the Mr. Freeze side mission, it's explained that Mr. Freeze had given up crime because Batman had promised to help develop a cure for his condition, but now that Batman is gone, he's back at it. Victor doesn't normally care about his own illness, he just wants a cure for Nora. But Nora is never mentioned in this game. Even weirder, nothing he does in the story is ever to cure his condition. SO WHY DID HE STOP CRIME IN THE FIRST PLACE IF HE DOESN'T EVEN CARE ABOUT FINDING A CURE AND HE JUST WANTS TO FREEZE GOTHAM!? It's just a weird creative decision to take

•Yeah so this one isn't a big deal, but at one point in the story, a cat sneaks into The Belfry and the Batfamily just kind of adopt it. It stays there for the rest of the game. You can't pet the cat. I know this isn't important, but it actually made me genuinely sad when I found this out

The Ugly:

•To call this game underdeveloped would be a compliment. I wouldn't call it unpolished, because the game runs perfectly as intended in my experience. I didn't encounter a single bug or crash. But the story and the gameplay feel half-baked, which really sucks considering those are the two main aspects of a video game

•In the gameplay department, combat is passable but the skill ceiling is REALLY low. It reallys very restrictive in what you're actually able to do, but the combat by itself isn't so bad that it isn't fun.

Traversal on the other hand is awful. All the characters use a grapple to get around, but there's no momentum, so you feel like you're barely moving. You stop and lose all momentum between grapples. Arkham also has a grapple gun but it allowed you to string multiple grapple points and keep your momentum through them so they'd be more fluid and you keep your speed going

The Batcylce is also not great. It's REALLY slow and despite the added movement lines around the screen to provide the illusion of speed, you're barely moving faster than the cars on the road. Again, compare this to the Batmobile in Arkham Knight. I did not love the Batmobile in Arkham Knight, and I outright hated the Riddler races, but it was fast and you could really feel the speed in it

Finally you don't actually unlock the ability to glide or any of the other weird traversal abilities if you're playing as anyone other than Nightwing or Batgirl until you complete the Knighthood challenges. Locking an essential traversal ability behind an option set of challenges is weird to say the least. I don't have much to say about gliding, it controls fine but feels slow compared to Arkham

•Lastly, the story of this game isn't bad for what is is, but is disappointing when you realize it had the potential to be so much better by including two characters who are absent from this game: Kate Kane Batwoman and Damian Wayne Robin. The game is set up as a sort of gang war between the The League of Assassins lead by Talia Al Ghul and The Court of Owls lead by Jacob Kane. Both of their child are members of the batfamily, but were weirdly excluded from this game. Including them as playable characters could have made the conflict more personal and interesting.

Additionally, Catherine Kane, Kate Kane's step-mother, is the current anti-vigilante Commissioner of the GCPD. Her daughter being Batwoman would be great character drama that goes completely unexplored. As is, Catherine is a one dimensional, underdeveloped character. And Damian could be shown as torn between the recent death of his father and the re-emergence of his mother in Gotham City. These characters feel like obvious inclusions for the story of this game but are missing without any explanation

In Conclusion:

This game has a lot working against it. I couldn't even fit half of my thoughts into this already way too long rant. The game is just average in the gameplay, mediocre in the story, but absolutely phenomenal in the inter-character relationships. I compared it to Wayne Family Adventures earlier, and if you love stuff like that and want more of the Batfamily being supportive and wholesome to each other, you'll love this game. And I think that's genuinely the main appeal of Gotham Knights. But if you're not interested in the characters and just want a Batman action game, it's passable, but you'd be better off playing any of the Arkham games

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kimberlyannharts · 3 months

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Ranger Academy: The First Arc

So! Ranger Academy has given us four issues, and as we're getting a break next month, these four issues are clearly meant to be seen as the first arc or chapter of the story. While I didn't really expect to give this series most of my attention, apparently I do have a lot to say about it, so let's discuss these four issues and my thoughts on the series so far.

Ranger Academy's kind of in a weird place, at least from my experience. As far as I'm aware, there's really not much discussion or hype for it in the fandom? Which, in some way, makes sense - the series is completely disconnected from the main series and from the beginning was stated to be skewed more towards younger readers; almost as an introduction to Power Rangers as a whole. And it does that job well......for the most part.

Before I get to the writing though, I just want to take a minute to highlight the art, since I don't talk about it enough in my recaps/other discussions. It's great! Drawn by Jo Mi-Gyeong and colored by Fabiana Mascolo, the art for the PR comics in general continues to be a high point. Every character, even the background teachers, have a distinct memorable design with a lot of personality in their poses and gestures, and the numerous settings we've already gotten - Sage's moon home, Ranger Academy's different campuses, the planet Chromia - all look fantastic. My only nitpicks would be I wish we got more non-humanoid cadets, and sometimes the way faces are drawn in profile look a little odd - especially when they have their mouths open - but those are nitpicks.

When it comes to the writing, things get a little trickier. For the most part, I think the story is good. The basic premise to all this in case you're new: a young girl named Sage lives on a remote moon with only her adopted father Rhianth and a herd of weird goat-like creatures. One day two cadets from the titular Ranger Academy, Mathis and Tula, crash-land on the moon and tell her about the Academy. Sick of living alone under her father's rules and wanting adventure, Sage stows along with them on their return journey and becomes an official student. So now instead of herding goats, she's making new friends, discovering secrets of the Academy, how her father connects to all this, and becoming a Power Ranger.

As I said, I think this is a solid premise for Boom's first ever completely original Power Rangers book (I count Power Rangers Universe as a sort of test-run for original stories, but that was still pretty connected to the main series and using established canon concepts.) The mysteries they've introduced, such as the lost Green campus, the implication that certain Ranger colors were purposefully erased from history, Rhianth's past, and Tula's interest in these secrets, all help build on the somewhat basic premise and are slowly giving the book its own identity. Sage herself is a very likable and relatable protagonist; a kid wanting more out of her lonely, isolated life so she takes the first opportunity she can to escape, but is now realizing that it's not going to be some fun adventure. The supporting cast is a little underdeveloped, but everyone's perfectly likable and I'm interested in seeing how they grow. I think for me there are two main problems that drag the book down: the setting itself being underdeveloped and the Ranger alumni cameos.

Ranger Academy itself? Meh

A criticism that immediately came out following the book's release, that I agree with for the most part, is the book pretty much follows the structure of a "magic school" story to a T. A "normal" kid who wants more out of life gets thrust into this new world by some kind of outside force. The school has a category system where kids get put into select campuses based on personality or skills. The main character doesn't fit in with everyone else until they find some friends to take care of them. There are secrets about the school that are being kept from the students, and secrets of the main character's family being hidden from them. Also, there's a bully.

During my first read of the issues, I agreed that this was a detriment to the book, but now rereading it again, I think the problem is less that the book follows these tropes and more that it speeds through these tropes REALLY QUICKLY. You can tell they want to move things along to the good stuff where Sage morphs, and I understand why - this is a Power Rangers book, and people want to see Power Rangers. But at the same time, you really don't get much of a chance to get to know the school outside of its basic layout of its campuses and that the headmaster is literally a giant floating head. You don't learn any of the non-cameo teachers' names, outside of the librarian, and that's mostly because he was part of Rhianth's old friend group. You see some of the classes Sage has to take, but there's no discussion on if each color campus focuses on a particular subject. We establish that first years are on a rotation schedule of attending classes in a different color campus each day, but what's the difference between classes in the Blue Campus and classes in the Pink?

Now this might seem trivial, and it kind of is. It does help the reader feel Sage's overwhelming new situation by not giving her, and therefore the reader, the full picture. And there's nothing saying that these concepts won't get developed down the road. Sage has three and a half years left of school, after all, assuming the book continues long enough to cover that length of time. But when it comes to these kinds of stories, the school's operation is a huge part of the charm - what makes THIS magic school stand out against all the others on the YA shelf? You basically have to turn the school itself into a character. Hogwarts is so iconic because that series does this perfectly. Ranger Academy simply doesn't have that yet - it still just feels like a generic school, really an army training camp more than anything due to the hostage negotiation and survival classes she takes, with nothing to make it stand out except for the promise that we'll get to actual Power Rangers stuff soon.

Oh, and.....the cameos.

The Cameos

So.....yeah. This is a big one for me. I think there's time for the series to fix my issue of the school itself feeling underdeveloped, but it's already too late for the cameos

Back when Ranger Academy was first being advertised, they were quick to show off that the book could cameo any ranger at any point in the franchise - the book itself accomplishes this through the Rangers using tubes as a sort of interplanetary, interdimensional Zoom........or just kind of.....showing up, as is the case with Cruger, Yale, and Katie. (I don't really know what constitutes a cameo physically being there as opposed to a tube hologram. It's another thing the book hasn't explained the rules for yet.) And for the most part, this is a fine idea. It makes sense, and fun for the simple novelty of "look!! it's my blorbo!!!" that no one is immune to.

But they get more and more out of place as the story of Ranger Academy starts to pick up.

Like I said before, the book is starting to hint that the school only having five colors isn't COMPLETELY MMPR pandering - the school is, indeed, intentionally erasing certain Ranger colors from their students' awareness. As someone who would love for the big twist to be this school and its system is inherently corrupt, this is a good start.

HOWEVER. In order to make this work, you have to assume that a) the Ranger histories that the students learn about just don't mention ANY rangers that aren't red, blue, black, pink, or yellow and b) the Ranger alumni who teach there don't mention them either. And that's just too much for me to believe, I'm sorry. For some colors like orange and white, maybe, but gold? Silver? GREEN???????? There are too many of those guys to believe they can get covered up. And I really don't see the ranger alumni being okay with erasing their teammates from history. Green is the third-highest ranking at SPD. Hello? SPD? I think these guys would have heard of SPD? Since Cruger teaches there? (And if not at school then certainly once they're out and traveling the galaxy.)

I've mentioned before that the cameos are starting to feel more like a higher-up mandate than something the author chose to do, and that'll only be supported by a lack of explanation as to how this works with the narrative they're weaving AND if none of the cameo rangers actually.......play a real part in all this. Not that I want the canon characters to overshadow the new characters, but it would feel like kind of a letdown to have access to ALL of these characters and not give them anything to do besides generic exposition (there's really nothing specific to their characters in.....ANY of the cameos' dialogue, besides the five hundredth "uh, is that a CAT???????" joke with Yale.) or not take the chance to develop some of them by, say, assigning them a mentorship role to a specific student. I LOVE seeing Katie, after BOOM kind of ignores her in favor of Jen, but is all she going to amount to is being their bus driver? I didn't even realize it was her until people pointed out that they called her Professor Walker. Nothing about her suggested that she was Katie. So I worry about the aforementioned "it's my blorbo" novelty to wear out pretty fast if the cameos start to feel more and more like just fanservice for people to post about online.

But overall.....it's fine. I'm going to keep reading, and we'll see where this goes. I don't think everyone will like this - as seen by how I barely see anyone talking about it lol. But I'm cautiously optimistic now that we're getting into the meat of things with Sage's new, FORBIDDEN!!!!!!!!! color.

(Just don't bring in Dark Specter oh god please)

Misc Thoughts:

= For all the build-up that the First Trial would be this HORRIBLE LIFE-THREATENING OH GOD HELP ME event, it was actually pretty...lowkey. They literally had no trouble until someone broke their ankle, which....could happen anywhere, at any time. Fern did that, you ain't special. We didn't even see any of those cool monsters they kept bringing up

= So after all my confusion about when and where this series is set, going back in my reread helped me notice that there IS a clue towards setting in a scene where Sage is going through yearbooks: a shelf labeled "Class of [X]498" (the first number is obscured by one of Sage's narration boxes.) So it's.....tentatively set in the far future of the PR universe?

= I've said it before that I don't blame the author for apparently not knowing that previously the books established Xybrians like Kartyr follow a name pattern of a one-syllable word (Trip, Star, Ace, Trek, etc) but it is a little funny to imagine the possibilities. Jerk, Dick, Twerp

= I think a joke could have been done with Cruger, a dog, and Yale, a cat, being in the same room together

= I hate that the Academy was founded by Zordon. It's too low-hanging fruit for me. I'll say it again that I wish it could have just been founded by some OC team

= #Lindy4Orange2024 and FUCK the Bandorian Monks!

#mmpr comic #text #comic recap #...sort of.#RA

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gatheringbones · 2 years

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[“We spent a week in the small village of Santa Maria II, located in the sugar center, Antonio Guiterras, living in log cabins with cement floors in an encampment that normally served as a Party retreat camp for political education. Our eating place was an open area with a roof to shade it from the sometimes unbearably hot Oriente sun. The toilet was a regular outhouse, until plumbing was installed toward the end of our stay. The shower was a cement stall into which we took large buckets of cold water fetched from the one faucet on the grounds.

We were roughing it, even by Cuban standards. We followed the regular routine: up at five, breakfast and out to the fields with our machetes. Back in the camp by eleven; lunch and rest during the noon hours when the sweltering tropical heat would be dangerous even for those accustomed to it. Back in the fields by three, and by six it was time to lay down the machetes for the day.

Cane-cutting was far more difficult and fatiguing than the work in the coffee fields. But again, I was determined to do at least my share, and I meticulously followed the system: a powerful stroke at the root of the plant; careful strokes down the side of the stalk to shave off the leaves; then the last motion of slicing the stalks into pieces the right size for processing. It was hard, and the heat was even more intolerable because our clothes were blue jeans, heavy long-sleeved work shirts, high-top boots, and gloves. All this was for protection from the liquid that seeped out of the cane leaves and could cause a severe skin rash. It didn’t take me long to accept the fact that during the working hours of each day I was going to be soaking wet with sweat. In two days I was able to get into the swing of it; I had recovered my energy, it seemed, and could work alongside a Cuban compañero—though I did suspect that he was slowing his pace to remain with me.

One day I remarked to a Cuban how I admired his skill in cutting cane—it was almost like an art, the way he did it. He thanked me for the compliment, but quickly added that his skill was a skill that needed to become obsolete.

Cane-cutting was inhuman toil, he said. Before the revolution thousands had had to depend for their survival on working like animals during the cane season. Many of them would end up having to cut off a finger with the machete for a little insurance money to make ends meet a little while longer.

The job of cutting cane had become qualitatively different since the revolution. No one was a cane-cutter by trade any longer; during the cane season everyone pitched in. Also profits for others were not being squeezed from their sweat and toil. They knew that the returns from sugar sales abroad would be used to raise the living standards of the Cuban people as a whole— new schools would be built, more hospitals constructed; child care centers would multiply, better housing would be available to those who had the greatest need.

Even so, this Cuban said, the business of cutting cane was work not fit for human beings; it made you old before your time. He continued to do it because he knew that he was working for the day when his sons and their children would not have to toil under the sweltering sun. Mechanization of the entire industry was on the agenda, but the rapidity with which it could be put into operation depended on the sacrifices they were all willing to make.

In this way he subtly criticized me for having romanticized something that was really nothing more than terribly hard work. It was then that I began to realize the true meaning of underdevelopment: it is nothing to be utopianized. Romanticizing the plight of oppressed people is dangerous and misleading.”]

angela davis, an autobiography

#angela davis #history stuff #terra preta #currently reading

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goregear · 7 months

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A newish oc :] Her name is 0rca

The top is her official ref, feat some concept art i scribbled up after thinking about her design a little

Have abit of summary below of her info

Reblogs are appreciated

Name: 0rca

Age: 34

Species: Hybrid [Disassembly Drone + Transport Drone]

Height: 7 Ft [7 ft in Length as well]

Occupation: None

Gender & Pronouns: Female - She/They

Sexuality: Lesbian

Personality: She is nothing but the worst. 0rca is all aggression and hunger, incapable of feeling any remorse for anything. She will kill, be it infant to elder. She doesn't care. She will not yield. Her stunted emotions keep her from finding a “pod” of her own, her own belief she was the only 'freak' like her ever made. Perhaps she resents herself just as much as she does everything else.

Strengths [At least 4]:

Winter Camouflage: A winter hunter must blend in. 0rca's specific color scheme allows them to blend into her surroundings.

Echolocation: 0rca is capable of seeing shapes and movement based on echolocation, also being able to sense movement under the snow incredibly well due to sensors that litter her body.

Swim Team: She is incredibly skilled at 'swimming' under snow, her body capable of heating itself and moving rapidly enough where even the tightest packed snow is nothing to her. Ice is more tricky, and will take more time to get through, but it's not totally impossible. She is most likely to avoid tougher spaces to avoid spending too much energy

Mimicry: 0rca's tail is similar to that of the upper body of a wounded Worker Drone, The lure often used to lure drones in closer to the water, or close enough for 0rca to get a bite or two.

Weaknesses [At least 4]:

Blind: 0rca is completely blind, and despite her echolocation, she is incapable of seeing anything and must rely on her other senses to hunt.

Fish out of frost: 0rca is capable of surviving above the surface for only a few hours, but is easy to overheat naturally due to so many inner workings. She must be surrounded by constant snow and ice to avoid melting to death. She produces copious amounts of heat, even outside of overheating from hunger.

Slow does not in fact win the race: 0rca is incapable of moving even remotely fast on solid land, only capable of small bursts of speed after leaping out of the snow to pursue prey that isn't close enough. Similar to that of a crocodile.

Disguise Fail: Despite 0rca's tail being similar to that of a worker, the flaws are incredibly noticeable if her prey gets too close before she strikes. This can cause uneasiness, and her meal will often flee, or attack her unarmored underside as a result.

Weapons:

N/A

Backstory:

0rca was created with the sole intent of underwater exploration and enforcement. A subline of Aquatic drones meant to be shipped off to more sea-faring planets as replacements for human divers or submarines. Despite her creators taking great care to handle her creation, she developed with monumental defects, leaving her a more useless test dummy than anything.

0rca's treatment they received wasn't the best, leaving the drone in a very underdeveloped state. The drone slowly becomes more agitated at humankind from the lack of a social life, stuck in a tank forced to swim in circles or float.

She was eventually shut down and abandoned in her creation facility, only coming online years after, escaping into Copper-9's underground systems before emerging onto the surface.

With the planet now frozen over, 0rca had to find other ways to travel and hunt to survive, being severely limited now that her world is much different than before, leaving her no other options than to burrow around in the snowy depths.

Her resentment for anything that moves drives her in her daily life, and what better way to then drag them all into the depths with her.

#murder drones #murderdrones #md #murder drones ocs #md ocs #0rca #mothart #artsits on tumblr

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bespectacled-bookwyrm · 5 months

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Experiment 254-BG

Classification: Hybrid

Temperament: Highly aggressive - extreme caution is advised

Janet’s notes:

The experiment shows intelligence, despite its extreme levels of aggression. I believe it uses a highly developed sense of smell in conjunction with the unique senses Grass-Type Pokémon use to navigate.

Unlike Zubat, who possess underdeveloped eyes, or Deino and Zweilous, whose eyes are hidden beneath the hard fur that covers their face, the experiment possesses no eyes at all. There is no evidence of them attempting to form, and an x-ray shows a lack of eye sockets. What went wrong? Did something mutate in its genetic code? I must analyse this further.

Analysis of the skeletal structure indicates it has a quadrupedal build, but its scythe-like arms force it to adopt a bipedal stance. This would explain its stooped posture and difficulty with certain movements. Further study is required.

It is fortunate that it can gain sustenance through the process of photosynthesis; its warped digestive system and poor jaw structure renders eating impossible for it.

For a creature of such size, it is remarkably fast. Coupled with its vicious temperament and immense strength and bulk, caution must be used when studying it further.

It is unfortunate that Colress had cut contact with me all those years ago; I am quite certain my research - and this hybrid in particular - would be of interest to him. My hybrids are a source of untapped potential. If only he could see that; instead of viewing my work as something worth pursuing, he calls it abominable.

A visualisation of a hybrid that first appears in my story “No Eyes”. I had this concept in mind for a good while, but it’s only recently that I feel like my art skills have improved enough to allow me to depict it like I envisioned.

I also plan on bringing it into my No Matter the Cost AU at some point (have yet to figure out how, though XD).

Thoughts?

#My art #digital art #Pokemon hybrid #Meganium #Scyther #OC #Female OC #I want to visually depict Janet at some point too

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florahydevt · 1 month

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15 questions for 15 Friends

Tagged by @emery-matsushita-vt thank youu!! 💚

Are you named after anyone?

Well, not anyone, more like anything lol. My name is a play on the word formaldehyde.

When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday evening.

Do you have kids?

In this economy? No thank you ^-^

What sports do/have you played?

Basketball. But not like, for points against another team lol. Just physical therapy for my left arm. Dribbling and shooting hoops help to exercise my muscles.

Do you use sarcasm?

Quite a bit. But I try not to be too underhanded with it. If someone follows up with a genuine statement or question, I will verbally confirm I was being a little sarcastic shit lol.

What is the first thing you notice about people?

Tone of voice.

What's your eye color?

Green!!! (For now owo ooooh foreshadowing)

Scary movies or happy endings?

I love both :D

Any talents?

Nah. Except maybe writing. That's the one thing I feel like I'm okay at. Everything else is just a collection of underdeveloped skills, tbh. But I'm practicing art :3

Where were you born?

In a storm, built off the back of grief.

What are your hobbies?

Sleep. Speeping. Sleepy lil guy. Speepy wit soft blankie. S L E E P

Do you have any pets?

Yes!! Two lil kitties :3 Gizmo, the eldest cat, we've had for ten years. Nick, the newest addition, we've had for a year. Both were strays someone just dropped off on our street and my dad found (and if I knew who did it, they'd suffer some. serious. consequences :) )

How tall are you?

Had to use the Internet to figure this out, so let me know if I'm off: 172.72 cm. Or 5'8! (Another day, another reason to hate America trying to be not like the ✨OtHeR gIrLs✨ with measurements)

Favorite subject in school?

Language Arts. Then, everything changed when the honors kids burnout attacked.

Dream Job?

Funeral home owner. Not just a gimmick for my vtuber persona. I seriously, honestly, desperately want to own a funeral home. I have so many issues with the funeral industry (first and foremost that it's considered a fucking industry in the first place. This is the end of a life we're talking about, but sure. Profit profit profit. Fucking gag)

Aaaaanywho, let me stop before this turns into an essay :3

I TAG: @m1lk-ch3rry @torstenerikssonvt @dollymollynanika @amgianfar @arlydarkfire @vchuuberyl and anyone else who would like to join in!!! 💚

#tag game

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theartgremlin2 · 1 year

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Apparently people are complaining about this week’s Bad Batch s2 episode being uninteresting. While I was a little bored while watching, that has more to do with the episode’s pacing than it’s actual content. The comparison between Tech and TAY-0 made it quite fascinating to me.

One of my main gripes about Tech has been how underdeveloped his character is. He’s the smart one! He’s got a big, beautiful brain and an ego to match. Occasionally, he behaves a bit robotically because of how direct and literal he takes things. I don’t think I’m the only one who has felt like that. It seems to me that the writers realized it too, which is why TAY-0 is the perfect person to contrasted against Tech in this little character study of an episode.

TAY-0 was quite capable of doing his job. He was the current champion racer when we are introduced to him. Cid wouldn’t have bet so much on him if she didn’t have every confidence in him. We’ve seen her do it with Omega, and she clearly thought she would win that wager with Millegi. Not only is TAY-0 a competent Pilot, he is also relatively intelligent. He knows how to fix his speeder, and how to re-assemble himself. He even has a certain sense of art, though that isn’t really explored. He is very similar to Tech in that he has an inflated ego. This is likely from all the praise and popularity his skill as a pilot earns him in the races. However, TAY-0 has one glaring flaw: he’s inflexible.

The move where the two rival pilots who trap their opponent and saw into their speeder is not a new strategy. The announcer and the crowd all know what’s going on when a pilot gets trapped between these two in the tunnels. TAY-0 has seen these rivals do this likely several times, and yet he is incapable of adapting to the situation when it happens to him. In addition to this, when Tech is attempting to repair him, TAY-0 insists that Tech is doing it wrong. He cannot imagine the possibility that there might be another, possibly even better way to re-assemble himself. And this inflexibility is why TAY-0’s ego comes off so gratingly. He behaves as though he knows best in every situation because he is a great racer! There is no need for him to learn anything from anyone else!

Tech is already a magnificent pilot. We have witnessed him flying the Marauder in ways that rival Anikin Skywalker’s ingenuity. He has probably gotten the Batch out of more tight spots than you could count on all you and your closest friend’s fingers and toes combined! In contrast to TAY-0, however, Tech has the humility to admit when he doesn’t know something. He does not claim that his experience piloting the Marauder makes him just as good a racer as the droid. Instead, he recognizes that this is a different skill, and spends time familiarizing himself with it before he decides he can do it. And once the race is over, he does not soak in the praise that the racing fans pour on him. He savors the glory for a moment, accepts the praise, and moves on.

This is not something I ever thought I would say, but Tech’s humility is what makes him a compelling character. He can be a smartass. He can be annoyingly correct. This actually put me off the character in the first season. I was not a big fan of Tech. But he can also be endearingly eager to learn. S2e2 even foreshadowed the closer look at Tech’s humility we were going to get by allowing him a moment of revelation when Romar points out to him that the Serennians had existed before they became Separatists.

This development has softened me a little towards the character, and I can’t wait to see more of him!

#tech bad batch #tbb tech #tbb season 2 spoilers #the bad batch season two #character analysis #episode analysis #am I the only one who wants TAY-0 to get a little development from this too?#please let him have a think and realize that maybe he’s not the Force’s greatest gift to being-kind #I also really hope that Tech and Romar become good friends #it would be a cute elder-teacher dynamic #GremlinReflections

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