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pray4byron · 2 months

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HIYA HIYA!!! this is the super energetic bro that u matched with velvette, qnd I was curioussss to requesttttt smthhh (also maybe if u want to easier identify me I could be ✨️anon??)

Ok! SO! ~Imagine~ maybeee that angel has a person he is romantically interested in (reader)

And so reader is ~severely introverted~ and thus, not much is know about them. But! Charlie is leading a art group one day, for like, rehab bc art therapy is super big, and reader is really good at it, and basically drops lore that they where in college to be an art therapist‼️

And so‼️

Maybe angel, seeing this opportunity to get closer, and was like- "ayo want me to model 4 u??👀👀" and reader is like " pls wear clothes this isn't gunna be nude modeling bc I will get super embarrassed" and so basically soft fluff of reader painting angel and getting to know each other and confession

Mayybbee a oneshot?? If ur willing! Nor pressure

Also make sure to take time to urself and rest and eat water and drink food!!!

Lots of love from a silly Lil fan!! :))

hello dear!! ofc you can be ✨ anon, you’re already on my list haha, as i’ve stated in the past, im not amazing at oneshots, but here’s my take on this !

Warnings: Mentions of Nudity, Lazily written (sorryyyy), Pretty short

“Smooth Talker”

Angel Dust x Artist!Reader

After one of Charlie’s…interesting exercises, Vaggie suggests that the group should do therapy art, since y’know, it calms the soul. And Charlie couldn’t be more eager to do so!

The lobby was set up with canvases, paints, brushes, everything you could need!

Unlike most of Charlie’s previous activities, almost everyone was willing to participate, although Husk and Alastor kinda stood off to the side and watched.

Charlie was painting a cartoon version of Razzle and Dazzle, Vaggie was painting a sunset based off of the lesbian flag, Pentious was painting him in his war machine taking over Hell, and Niffty? Eh.. You don’t wanna know..

You on the other hand? Stood in front of your canvas, clueless, “Y’know, I could model for you..” Angel says into your ear.

Your head turned to face him “Sure.” You say nonchalantly before turning back to your canvas.

“Wait really?-”

“Just please keep your clothes on.”

Eventually you had moved your stuff over to the other side of the lobby so Angel could pose on the couch.

He had a soft smirk, as he layed on the couch, his arm propping up his face. Although, he began to get fidgety, messing with his fluff.

“Stop moving.” You said with a soft smile.

Angel kept messing his fluff. “Ange!”

“Gee, sorry!” He said, chuckling, moving his arm back to its original position.

“So uh, how’d you get into all this?” Angel asked as the sketching of your pencil went to a stop and you began actually painting it. “College, back when I was alive I wanted to be an art therapist.” You explained.

“Fitting.” He murmured. For the most part, it was silent, a comforting silence though, the presence of each other was oddly soothing.

“Okay.” You muttered, squiggling your signature down at the bottom of the canvas quickly, “I’m done.” You announce to him, turning the canvas around to show him.

Angel perks up immediately, amazed by your skill, he slowly gets up off the couch to get a closer look. “Damn…” He said, his voice above a whisper, “Can I… Can I keep it?” He asked, hopeful that you might say yes, “Duh.” You giggled.

“For once the smooth talker is shocked, that’s new.” You say with a smirk. “And for once the introvert is talking back, that’s new.” Angel replies, but the usual attitude in his voice isn’t there, his voice is barely above a whisper as his eyes are still entranced with the painting.

You take the painting off the stand and hand it to Angel. You look over to a nearby window notice the sun is setting, despite the red sky still being as clear as day, “It’s getting late, I’m gonna head up to my room.” You say. “Yeah… Me too.”

As you and Angel are both walking to your rooms, you don’t say much, until a voice pipes up, “Y’know, I really owe ya for the painting.” Angel says, still looking at it, “Owe me what?” You ask, as you both arrive at your door.

“A date, maybe.” Angel says, pecking your forehead, “Stop by my room at eight tomorrow, if your interested~”

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genericpuff · 18 days

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I don't know the term for creators who became popular outside the traditional steps to "make it" in their profession; then when people started taking their work seriously and giving them criticism, these creators saw it as an attack because they are not used to mentors and studies.

Smythe's professional training is vague at best, being a folklorist. Then there's the creator of the popular hell cartoon that became her own executive producer and director in her 20s (I'm not going to say her name since it tends to attract her rabid fans) and becomes reactive to any kind of criticism on Twitter. Then there's that TikToker Devon Rodriguez, who became popular for sketching people on subways, and when an art critic gave a mild review to his art gallery, Devon unleashed his fans on him.

Like am I seeing a pattern here for artists? And I guess, what do you think we can learn from it.

Ah, so this is a very interesting (and broad) topic that we've touched on in discussions in ULO and other webtoon-related communities. So buckle up, it's time for an ✨essay✨

I think the best way I can sum up my thoughts on this issue is: the vast majority of people who become paid content creators don't seek out a job as content creators, a job in content creation is just something that happens to them.

I say "content creation" because this is something that applies to a lot of other platforms and online mediums as well, such as the examples you included (TikTok, Youtube, Twitch, etc.). And don't get me wrong, it's not like every successful content creator out there didn't work their asses off to get to where they are, but for many... it still involves an element of luck. People don't go to school for it, people don't "apply" to become influencers, and much of it relies entirely on just making stuff until it gets seen and propelled into success.

I think a lot of these issues arise with the creators themselves and how they view their own work. The reality is that many of us artists have been treated as the "rejects" of society, we constantly feel like we're misunderstood and have some deep inner pain that we express through our art, and instead of going to therapy, we come up with OC's. It's a lot more fun and it's a lot cheaper LOL Webcomics naturally wind up being the perfect lightning rod for people who feel that way, where we can pour ourselves into the characters, the world, the narrative, in a way that perfectly mixes our talents for art and our need to express our innermost thoughts and feelings about ourselves and the world around us. So when our art gets criticized or rejected ... it can be hard for a lot of artists to not feel like it's a criticism of the self, a rejection of our identities, an attack on our feelings and experiences, because we've tied so much of ourselves to our work. And this can make that transition very difficult for people who are trying to go pro, because being professional demands separating yourself from your work, at least enough that you can view it objectively, recognize its flaws, seek out pathways to improvement, and not take every bump in the road personally.

A lot of successful creators are people who just never made that transition. It's led to an abundance of professional creators who know how to film themselves or react to content or, in the case of webcomic artists, write stories about their OC's, but don't know how to actually navigate the industry at a professional level. They don't know how to read and negotiate contracts, they don't know what deals are actually good for them and which ones are better left on the table, they don't know how to manage teams of people, they don't know how to react to the attention, praise, and criticism of their audience - they're just doing what they've always done, but now they're making money doing it.

None of this is to speak ill in any way of the creators who've found success and are still just doing what they've always done for money. None of this is meant to be a slight on the creators who are using webcomics and art as an expression of their deeper selves (I do it myself, it's very cathartic!) because ultimately that's what makes your work your work, the fact that you made it, with all your good parts and bad. Many of these creators are capable of running their platform without any issues because they've learned how to play the game, or because their platform is made up of people just like them so their audience is more like just a social circle.

But many of them still also can't operate on a professional level and those are the ones we often see getting called out and held accountable when they do shit like, I dunno, scamming their audiences for money or making alt accounts to manipulate user reviews or plagiarizing from other people's work or just being really REALLY shitty to their own audience.

Often times these are people who are just doing what they'd normally do as a hobby, became well known for it, and managed to turn it into a living. But they never actually learned how to turn their hobby into a job, and themselves into professionals.

And artists especially are prone to this because, let's face it, a lot of us are just weebs having fun drawing our blorbos, so of course if we get a chance to monetize that, we're gonna! We should! We should want to be paid for our work and time and efforts!

But we also have to remember that it's a different ballgame, especially if you're turning your audience into customers. "I'm just a baby creator doing this for fun" doesn't and shouldn't apply anymore once you start signing contracts, selling your art as products, taking people's money to fund your projects, etc. because now it's not just your art, it's what you're expecting people to pay for so you can eat and pay your bills and live.

As much as our art is often personal and should be cherished as such, you can't expect people to want to pay for it if you're not setting a bar and meeting it, or if you're not treating your audience with any amount of dignity or respect.

I'm not saying you're not entitled to having feelings or still wanting to treat your art as art, but the line between art and products is there for a reason, it's to set people's expectations and ensure that both sides are having those expectations met. Webtoon creators suffer from the same thing that a lot of Youtube creators and other types of content creators suffer from in this transition, and I feel like HBomberGuy summed it up best:

"In current discourse, Youtubers simultaneously present as the forefront of a new medium, creative voices that need to be taken seriously as part of the 'next generation of media' - and also uwu smol beans little babies who shouldn't be taken seriously when they rip someone off and make tens of thousands of dollars doing it."

It's not gatekeeping a medium, it's not telling people they aren't allowed to have feelings or to want to still have that personal connection to their work in spite of the professional level it's achieved, it's simply just expecting people to actually live up to the label of 'professional' that they're using to make money.

And this especially goes for someone like Rachel, who claims to be a 'folklorist' despite all the contrary evidence that says otherwise. This is the same person who copy pasted the first result on Google as her source on a simple word definition:

There's a second part to that HBomberGuy quote that also actually applies to Rachel really well in this discussion, concerning how she labels herself a "folklorist" and how that's affected and influenced the greater discussion surrounding Greek myth:

"But on the opposite end, Youtubers who act like serious documentarians gain a shroud of professionalism which then masks the deeply unprofessional things they do. We just saw that with James. I think [James] partially got away with what he's doing for so long because he acts so professional about it, so people assume, 'there's no way he could just be stealing shit!' so they don't check. And on top of that, a lot of James' videos contain obvious mistakes and made-up facts... but because they're often presented next to well-researched stuff he stole, no one questions it. I've seen James repeat a lie in his videos, and then other people claim it's true, and link his video as the proof. He has helped to solidify misinformation by seeming like he's doing his diligence."

There's always going to be discourse over what's legitimate and what isn't when it comes to Greek myth, there are loads of things we still don't know simply due to the knowledge being lost to time. But there's something to be said about a white New Zealand woman using her self-insert romance comic and platform to build a veneer of professionalism and legitimacy around herself, as if she's the authority on the subject, while simultaneously relying on first result Google searches and citing works that have no real foothold in the way of scholarly or "folklorist" discussion.

All that's to say, you're right, her professional training is vague at best. She's never completed a longform comic prior to LO, she's not doing her due diligence in actually engaging with the media she's trying to "retell" and exposing herself to the voices of those from the culture that's tied to it, and she's not holding herself to any sort of standards when it comes not only to being a professional, but a professional who's been held on a pedestal for all these years. She's still operating the same way she was 5 years ago - drawing and writing whatever pops into her head and sending it to her editor for uploading, with next to no intervention or guidance. Except now it doesn't have the benefit of being new and having "potential", it's getting noticed and called out more now than ever because it's been 5 years of this shit and it's been getting worse on account of her clearly being burnt out (or just giving up/not caring) and the readers can't be sold on "potential" anymore.

And that's all I have to say on that.

#ask me anything #ama #anon ama #anon ask me anything #lore olympus critical #anti lore olympus #lo critical

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annasellheim · 1 month

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I have been working on a book for the last three years. It was going to be published by two separate publishers that have since gone out of business. I was told it was too "weird" for any other publisher to be picked up, but was a story worth sharing. I was told to Kickstart it, but that would take more refining, and I'm fucking sick of this book.

So I'll be posting the whole thing on here in piecemeal. YOU'RE WELCOME!!!!

Here's the pitch letter:

Brittle by Anna Sellheim 159 pages Black and white

Logline:

After a lifetime of trying to ignore physical pain and emotional trauma by avoiding human connection, Anna takes a chance on her first romantic relationship at the age of 29. Will therapy and her love of art help her make meaningful and lasting relationships?

Synopsis:

Anna is an artist who desperately craves connection and seeks validation. However, early childhood trauma and an isolating bone disease have led to a lifetime of anger, depression, an eating disorder, and an overwhelming fear of rejection. When Anna takes a chance on her first romantic relationship at the age of 29, she goes to therapy to make sure she doesn’t blow it. Will therapy and her practice as an artist help Anna make the connections she has wanted her whole life?

Audience

The audience for this book would be those interested in graphic memoir, graphic medicine, exploring childhood trauma, chronic pain, people with uncommon genetic diseases, disability narratives, and those interested in whether connecting to your inner child is actually helpful. This book would also appeal to fans of Tessa Brunton’s Notes From A Sickbed, Lynda Barry’s 100 Demons, and Keiler Roberts’ Miseryland.

Bio

Anna Sellheim is originally from Washington DC. She earned her MFA in comics from the Center For Cartoon Studies in 2016. She has been published by the Nib, Oni Press and Seven Days. She also has contributed to a number of anthologies, most notably Dirty Diamonds and Comics For Choice. She has taught adult literacy in DC and has taught art and comic classes throughout the DMV Area and New England. She now works at the Refugee Youth Program, where she teaches art and comics to refugee youths ages 5-21 throughout Baltimore. Her work primarily deals with mental health, trauma, and the healing power of art.

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lexosaurus · 2 years

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Ok I'm making this its own post because I don't want it to clog up the intended lighthearted post I made yesterday.

But as my friends in the phandom and I have now entered our mid/late 20's and early 30's, and are now entering serious, long term relationships, the conversation of "do we tell our partners we like Danny Phantom/make content for Danny Phantom?" are turning into rather serious and interesting discussions. And from talking to people, it's interesting to see the mix of responses.

Some people I've talked to, especially people who date other creatives, have seemingly no problem opening up about their DP hobby with their partner. Others, myself included, are much more protective of their hobby.

But one trend I've found really interesting, and again this is ENTIRELY anecdotal, is that of the people I've talked to, it seems to be that the writers of the phandom, especially those who have written angst/dissection fics, are especially hesitant to tell their partners that they 1. like Danny Phantom and are into phandom stuff, and 2. that they write fanfiction. On the other hand—again, this is anecdotal—the artists of the phandom that I've spoken to tend to lean more on the side of "yeah my partner knows I draw DP fan art idgaf."

THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION, but as a writer who is in a serious adult relationship who also has written some horrific angst and is dating a Straight Dude™️ who when I jokingly said "there was only one bed" looked at me like I had grown two heads, I think that the hesitancy comes from really a place of fear that if your partner ever found your fanfiction, they would think you are deeply mentally disturbed and need therapy.

Because, especially for those who do not write or read, a lot of people don't really associate grimdark or angst or whump or whatever the fuck terminology it is, with purely creative entertainment. They can watch a show like Game of Thrones and see people get tortured, raped, and gutted on screen and not think the writers or directors of that show are weird because it's a TV show, it's just entertainment for the public. But when someone does the same thing but posts it online for free under fanfiction—aka is not making money off of it and is showcasing their personal hobby—then people tend to worry about that writer's mental health because why else would they want to write this dark shit if they weren't mentally ill? It couldn't POSSIBLY be for the same reason I like watching GOT, there MUST be something wrong with them.

So when a dp writer has to explain why they personally enjoy Danny Phantom, it can be really hard to admit because those fears sort of swirl around your brain. Whereas for visual media, admitting you like drawing glowy ghost art for an old cartoon appears to be a bit easier.

Again, this is just my personal anecdotal observation there will always be exceptions to this I am NOT speaking on behalf of everyone thank you 🙏

Also I'm really curious from both writers and artists in the phandom to hear your experiences with this and whether or not you've told partners that you do fan art/write fanfiction for DP.

#danny phantom #phandom #im not intending to do any writers vs artists here #we both love and support each other at the end of the day #this is just my personal observation #my boyfriend knows i write but does not know what i write #im not that great at lying #i get too nervous #but when invisobang season is wrapping up i have to explain why im blowing him off to isolate in my room typing away for hours #ALSO REALLY CURIOUS TO SEE GEN Z VS MILLENIAL RESPONSES #Cuz I know that fanfiction is more accepted in Gen Z #Where when I was growing up if u admitted it in public it was instant social crucification

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redflagtag01 · 7 months

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finalboybyers is heart_byers on Twitter (tw: rape, pedophilia, and abuse).

When they post about Henry and Will, likening them to Father and Mother, Hades and Persephone, Hannibal and Will, Lestat and Louis, Villanelle and Eve, and other romantic fated pairs, they're trying to semi-subtly get more people on the Henwill train.

Don't believe me? Take it from Yarrow themselves (Tweet's date is May 20 and their first Tumblr post is soon after on June 5):

They don't censor their tweets in any fashion and they have a public account, which makes them easy to find when conducting a regular content search about either character, the cast, or simply looking in the Quotes of popular tweets. You don't have to be a proshipper or devils sacrament attendee to find them—they're out there in the open.

They're a proshipper that enjoys child/adult relationships, uses pictures of Noah where he is as young as eleven in their fantasies, ships Henry and Will romantically, and habitually posts explicit sexual and romantic content about them, all of which feature both Will and Noah as minors.

The ages listed on both accounts and their general speech patterns are the same. They post about the same parallels, same ideas, and same desires for the pair. They react to the same things and share their same findings at similar times. Their Tumblr is practically the exact same as their Twitter, just with more sugarcoating, denial of this behavior, and less explicitly romanticized rape.

I found that they tend to post first on Twitter and then refine it into a more elaborate post on Tumblr, but not always. Here are some examples:

It's the same user. If you can stomach that content and decide to see for yourself, then you'll note the similarities listed above and many more (assuming they don't go private or change usernames). Seriously, you will find every parallel and complaint on both accounts, as well as the same typing style and manner of speaking.

Using pictures or the likeness of real minors should never accompany such fantasies. They don't use drawings with no resemblance to real children; that is a real child plastered all over their account(s), and his name is Noah Schnapp. They're using his likeness from when he was a minor, anywhere from eleven to sixteen, when picturing Will and Henry as a couple, as one can see based on their Tweets. Here are some examples (Likes, Retweets, and one of their own) to get the point across swiftly (though they do have their own similar Tweets too):

If you wouldn't feel comfortable with someone thinking of any random non-famous child that way, why would it be okay in this instance?

The fact that they romantically ship Henry/Vecna/001 and Will is clear from the way they speak about them in their Tumblr posts and Tweets, the way that they liken them to romantic ships or dynamics while admitting to there being a romantic element (which is in line with their many Tweets, some below), but just in case you weren't already aware… now you know.

If you're turned on by minors and/or enjoy thinking of them in that way, then you need to seek help. Pedophilia can't be cured, but it can be treated with therapy. That isn't a kink—it's a paraphilia that is one act upon that desire away from being a psychiatric disorder. You wouldn't even have to interact with a child to reap criminal consequences; just producing or consuming any visual depiction of their engagement in a sexual act is a crime itself—and yes, that includes fan art and cartoon depictions.

Most people understand there's a difference between fiction and reality—ergo, enjoying the drama of a fictional abusive ship does not mean you support abuse in real life. However, things change when real minors are involved in sexually explicit materials. No child should be spoken of or viewed that way by adults that should and do know better. Noah could not have consented to have his pictures, or his likeness, used in this manner, and he likely still wouldn't. Children cannot consent and have the right to exist in the world without being sexualized by adults.

Will is fictional, but Noah is real and his underage likeness is the face of their fantasies. Artwork of Will engaged in sexually explicit conduct would be illegal and considered obscene under the federal law of the United States. Such content is illegal to produce, distribute, receive, or possess, and those convicted could be fined and imprisoned. Historically, this has even extended to textual depictions, too.

There's a reason why it's prohibited on many platforms, why these specific proshippers get suspended and have to remake accounts multiple times, and it isn't because evil conservative "antis" are "kinkshaming" the oppressed proshippers again. The material they produce and share is obscene by legal definition. They're not only picturing Noah's underage face in their mind and their works when they romanticize Will being raped and groomed, but they're proving that by always using pictures of him when he was underage, and only those underage pictures.

Yarrow admits to having interest in and consumed such prohibited materials, as noted by this Liked Tweet, and their own admission (one of many):

The fact that Will is a child and was played by someone with a baby-face is a deliberate and crucial part of the appeal to these people. The corruption of a child's innocence and naïveté, tarred by sexual exploit, sinister intentions, and his lack of consent, is all Henwill's charm (and they say this themselves in Tweets added below). It doesn't work if Will is aged up to an adult and that's why he never is in their fantasies. He has to be a child, helpless and pure and preyed upon, and he has to look like Noah's eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen year old self.

They know that it's pedophilic and that's what they like about it. That's the entire point (again, see for yourself beneath the cut). That's why they shamelessly Tweet about it, but deny it here on this platform, where they [hopefully] are not among like-minded company.

I've included an array of tweets that show they do not view Henwill in a platonic fated enemies fashion and never have—no matter how many times they deny this now. You may notice similarities between those Tweets and their posts, how they "refined" their Tweets into something more palatable, as I mentioned earlier. Read at your own risk, but this should be available for viewing to all unless they change their Twitter handle, go private, or delete/unlike them.

There will always be people who become involved after being exposed to this content, but if you already liked to think of children that way, then there wasn't anything anyone could've done to deter you. Pedophilia is resistant to treatment—a Tumblr post wouldn't have cured you and you would've found this eventually. Still, I have blocked out usernames to prevent further exposure. With this post, I hope to inform others who don't share this paraphilia and who were unknowingly helping spread their thinly veiled pedophilic content.

If you cannot stomach explicit pedophilia or rape, then do NOT continue reading this post or visit their Twitter.

#byler #will byers #vecna #henry creel/vecna #vecna/henry/one #vecna/henry/001 #stranger things

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rararazaquato · 5 months

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Tell us more about le cartoon version of Raincode you have please.

Like of other characters appearing and more dynamics, including episodes.

oh BABY you're in for a treat!!!

i have a whole google doc planned out for this thing, despite me having no animation experience gjgkhkh... this is gonna be the Public Lore Dump Post btw, and spoilers for all of rain code will be under the cut.

so the concept for this whole thing came about while watching the animations of youtuber OkayScreamingNow. super cool animation btw, their "psycho teddy" animation moderately blew up but i'm a huge fan of their "everybody likes you" video.

between watching those, a ton of aimkid videos, wince media's meat bun song, and nicktendo's mighty b review, i started feeling really nostalgic for mid-late 2000s animation, the stuff i grew up on. growing up creepie, yin yang yo, kenny the shark, all these were shows i adored as a kid. so, combined with my current rain code fixation, this little au came to be!

the general conceit of this au is that "Master Detective Archives" is a 2008 animated children's program that lasted for 20 episodes and is majority lost media. only a couple episodes exist in the bowels of shitty piracy sites, and even then those sites keep getting taken down. the more screenshots and concept art i make, the more is "revealed" about the show.

one of the things that interests me the most about children's media is how people worked around the censors. a lot of people are familiar with the story of the ren and stimpy adult party cartoon. for those who aren't familiar, when john "god's mistake" kricfalusi created an adult oriented reboot of ren and stimpy, the show was dogshit. with the new ability to rely on the crutch of whatever grossout sexual humor it wanted, it became a massive stain on john k's career (he has had other horrific stains both before and after apc, but i need to stress, no one liked apc).

for a more positive example, i love pretty much all of jhonen vasquez's work, but i find the humor and even some of the horror of invader zim to be more interesting than the same stuff in jthm, because iz was working under far stricter standards and practices.

what i'm trying to get at is that i enjoy the challenge of seeing how i can take concepts and make them more kid-friendly while still keeping the intrigue and interest the concepts originally had. i worked at a summer camp in 2022, and the driving force behind this little project was "keeping rain code camp-appropriate, but also keeping it interesting".

this ethos will hopefully explain some of the Big Changes i made to the story and characters. i do want to stress that i do not think i am improving on the original work. i think rain code is a story that, inherently, works better as an m-rated, gritty, cyberpunk-y murder mystery. i've just always been uniquely fascinated by this particular genre shift.

so, first major change: nocturnal detective agency has turned into nocturnal detective academy. this is a place where young minds, particularly those with supernatural powers, go to hone their craft. or at least... it was. now it's run exclusively by three people: headmaster Zange Eraser, school nurse and therapist Melami Goldmine, and teacher (and everything else) Yakou Furio.

i grew up with a book series called school of fear, which was about a small group of kids with severe phobias being sent to help conquer their fears at a highly rated school. however, it was actually just a kooky old lady and her massive mansion, and while she helped the kids get over their fears, she did it in unorthodox and occasionally darkly humorous ways. i remember a scene in the books where she put the claustrophobe and the kid afraid of death in a coffin for a few hours, and while that is absolutely NOT how exposure therapy works, the idea of a school that's just a few adults running a lowkey scam out of their house has always tickled my funny bone.

so the nda is a school, teaching detective skills and the like. of course, because yakou is my beautiful failwife, he mostly just sends his students out into the city of Kanai Ward to do their own investigative work and report back with what they've learned... as long as they don't get in trouble with Hecksmile or his goons, at least!

yeah, the other big change is that the peacekeepers are more like team rocket than corrupt cops. while i agree that the police suck, and a lot of older cartoons seem to share that sentiment (even some newer ones like gravity falls), having all the villains be evil, corrupt cops seems like a recipe to get s&p on your ass. so now, the cops just don't do anything, and Hecksmile and his goons just wreak havoc whenever they feel like it.

(i've already explained the hecksmile bit in a previous post, but i dont think any of the other names would need changing. maybe if this was the 90s, desuhiko and fubuki would get their names changed to something more eurocentric, but this isn't the 90s and that stuff was cringe even back then.)

there are only seven students at the academy, and i've de-aged these characters to be more relatable to the target audience: our main character yuma, halara, desuhiko, fubuki, vivia, pucci, and aphex. i'll detail them a bit here, because yakou, zange, and melami can all stay pretty similar (actually, melami doesn't randomly feel up strangers to get their clothing measurements anymore, but that's a pretty minor change).

yuma is still our main character, acting as the straight man and audience surrogate. the whole "number one" twist isn't really a thing with how this whole plot is set up, so his awkward and generally "scrunkly" attitude from the game is his natural state here. though none of the ages of the characters are specified, he's often called out as the youngest detective, probably in his preteens or early teenagehood. his coalescence is used for a lot of teamwork-based solutions to problems, but he isn't that great at actual mystery-solving.

this is where shinigami comes in! in the first episode, after some hijinks, yuma accidentally summons a death god. fortunately, he summons a teenage death god. she can only appear in her cool human form in her summoner's dreams, she can't interact with anyone in the physical world except her summoner, and she doesn't even have her reaper's license yet! regardless, she likes having a friend, so she helps yuma see things from different perspectives. i figured death spirits wouldn't be off the table, exactly (i mean, look at billy and mandy), but i think there's a certain humor in a death god not being able to do any soul reaping. i like to think she talks about it like her driver's license. "ugh, i'm not allowed to reap any souls until i'm 16 thousand years old! i'm only 14 thousand!!!" because of her teenagerdom, her human form is going to be far less sexualized. also because i think her canon outfit is a little ugly.

halara doesn't change much from canon. very mysterious and intimidating. no one knows their gender because everyone's too afraid to ask (and to find out, you'd have to pay them about $100 in cash). they still love cats but have an allergy to them, they still don't trust people, etc.

desuhiko changes a lot from canon. he's less actively creepy and more of a wannabe romantic. he has a tendency to fall for grown women, although he has absolutely no chance with any of them. this is played for laughs.

fubuki is another character who doesn't change much from canon. obscenely rich and super out of touch with everything around her. has occasional bursts of intelligence for comedy.

vivia is still everyone's favorite emo sadboy, writing poetry in the fireplace. his passive suicidal ideation, though interesting to explore in media made for adults, is very dangerous to put in a children's show, so we're nixing that. instead, he's just real sleepy and goth. he's also the least interested in doing actual detective work, so when he and yuma are investigating together, it gives yuma a chance to take the lead.

pucci doesn't change much from canon, but admittedly, we don't know too much about her. she's sensitive to noise, very thoughtful and introspective, but very awkward around people being nice to her.

and aphex. what to say about aphex. i don't like aphex for a number of reasons (anyone who played with jpn audio can back me up on this one), but the idea of someone who is initially violent and cruel becoming your (still somewhat violent and cruel) ally is a fun character trope to me. my go-to example is buford from phineas and ferb, and i think that's the role aphex would play. initially a threat, but eventually becomes softer and more well-developed. well, if the show got more seasons.

and that's our main cast! i could talk about kurumi, makoto, and martina, as i have a lot of cool ideas for them, but i have been writing this for like an hour and i think i need to chill ahaha... ty for the ask!!!

#mdarc #rain code #rain code spoilers #mda nicktoon

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pizza-box-raccoon · 2 years

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Recoloured Spiritfarer au.

2 years of learning digital art. I didn’t change the line art to much, just how I coloured each character. Still amazed by the difference.

Sleep/Remy as Gwen. Flower is a coffee plant flower.

Remus as Giovanni. Flower is a green dahlia.

Dr. Emile Picani as Stanley. Flower is a hibiscus.

Logan as Gustav. Flower is a petunia.

Patton as Atul. Flower is a baby blue eyes.

Thomas and Teddy as Stella and Daffodil.

Virgil as Alice. Flower is a corncockle.

Roman as Astrid. Flower is a rose.

Joan as Buck. Flower is a alstroemeria.

Janus as Summer. Flower is a black eye susan.

The Critic as Elena. Flower is pine.

(Link to 2020 version and Thomas recolour.)

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2hd4me · 4 months

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Happy Birthday Virgil!!

(Let’s hope that there is actually a Virgil photo shoot so this comic makes sense, since Logan and Emile had one.)

#pixel art #fan art #sanders sides #thomas sanders #tsart #virgil sanders #christmas #emile picani #cartoon therapy #birthday

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boliv-jenta · 11 months

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Lucien Flores x f!reader ft Dieter Bravo

Part of the Exposed Masterlist

Set in the Wardrobe Universe

WC:3.3k

Warnings: Smut. Vaginal fingering. Cum eating. Anxiety.

Summary: Lucien gets some great advice from an unlikely source.

The Big Oh

"Hey, man! Come in, just close the gate behind you. We have a rogue goat with an attitude problem. She likes to eat the neighbours grass. It's always greener, right?" Dieter was even more hyper verbal than usual.

Truth be told, he was a little bit nervous. His wife had been encouraging him to make new friends. Dieter had no trouble making friends wherever he went. The articles written after the jobs he had were always filled with stories from his co-stars about how personable and professional he was. A long cry from the stories that they used to be filled with. His co-workers had genuine affection for him, but they were often from the other side of the country or even the world. When he wasn't working the last few years, which wasn't much, especially after that second Oscar, he was with family. His wife thought it would be nice if he had someone that he could just call to hang out with. Lucien had sprung to mind immediately when she had mentioned it over breakfast one morning. Every conversation Dieter had had with him had been enjoyable. They shared the same passion for art, for their work. Lucien had a great sense of humour. It was more subtle than Dieter's. He had a sharp wit and didn't miss a thing. That's probably why people resonated with his cartoon. He saw life as it was at its roots. The commonalities we all face. Whether we're a successful Hollywood actor or an aspiring artist.

"Can I get you a drink? Some hot? Cold? I don't drink any more but we have alcohol somewhere." Lucien looked at the clock on the wall that read 11.07. "I don't drink either, water would be good. Thanks."

Dieter disappeared out of one of the living room doors. His place was smaller than Lucien expected but it was still huge. The living room was sparsely decorated. There were two bookcases on either side of a very modern looking fireplace. Three sofas bordered a coffee table creating a little seating area. There were a couple of dressers against two walls and the third was a huge set of bifolding doors. One of them was open, allowing Lucien to hear the bleating of the goats that Dieter had mentioned. Lucien pondered the lack of personal touches as Dieter returned. He carried a tray with two bottles of water, two glasses and a bucket of ice. He set it down on the coffee table "Need anything else? Are you hungry?"

Lucien smiled up at him, where he stood looking ready to sprint off at a moment's notice to fulfil any requests. "I'm good, thank you."

Dieter visibly relaxed. "Sorry, I'm acting weird, right? I just got all up in my head about this." Sitting down he shook his head. "I haven't made a friend, independently of my wife, since I've been sober. I've forgotten how raw everything feels when you're not high. I have this massive need to impress you."

"I feel like I'm the one that needs to impress. You're successful in your career. I'm just a guy that couldn't do what he wanted and fell into another career."

"That you are successful at and adored by so many fans for. Don't sell yourself short! And for the record, acting wasn't my first career choice. I got into it as a therapy of sorts. I worked through my angst by playing characters that got to let their's out. I wanted to be an artist too."

"I heard that you paint."

"I try to when I get a minute. Do you want to see my studio?"

"Sure." Lucien tried not to sound too over eager. Seeing a new artist's work for the first time was always a rush for him.

Dieter led Lucien down a path, passed some goats. Some tiny pigs. Two Alpacas, that Lucien side stepped to avoid. Before coming to a small building set back in the trees. Dieter opened the door and gestured for Lucien to go first. Lucien had wondered where all the personality was in their home. He had found it. Each wall had multiple paintings hung on them. There were so many different art styles. The painting ranged from vivid and bold colourful pieces to more muted still life's. One large piece was still on the canvas, it was clearly a work in progress. The partial outline was distinctly feminine, she appeared to be naked and straddling something. The whole painting consisted of multiple vertical lines. Her outline was created by contrasting colours continuing that line. Each perpendicular colour was chosen to blur into each other. It was a vibrant piece.

"Do you like it?" Dieter asked almost shyly.

Lucien realised he'd been staring. "It's beautiful. You have a way with colour."

"Thank you. I can't take all the credit. I have a beautiful muse. That's my wife. All of the nude ones are. She let's me capture our more intimate moments as long as they aren't too explicit." As Dieter spoke Lucien looked around, his eyes lingered on an abstract piece that he reminded him of something he couldn't quite place. It was only as Dieter revealed the nature of his paintings that it became clear to Lucien that it was clearly a woman's face as she gave a blow job.

"Oh." Was all Lucien could think to say.

"Sorry. Was that an overshare?" Dieter winced.

"No, you're good. I like art with truth in it."

"Good." Dieter sighed. "So what are you painting?"

"Honestly? My love life going down in literal flames. It might be a little on the nose but it was cathartic." Lucien gave a little half laugh.

Dieter stepped forward a little. "Do you want to talk about it? The love life bit I mean?"

Lucien opened his mouth then hesitated to speak. When he took a breath instead Dieter offered him something else instead. "Hey, do you want to work on something now?"

Dieter fetched a fresh canvas and set it up next to his. "Here." He gestured to the paints and tools on his trolley now in between the two canvases. A small paint splattered radio was on top. Dieter switched it on low. Classic music flowed from it.

"Alright." Lucien smiled as he got to work. He let it all out his frustrations at himself. His worries, he poured it onto the canvas for a good half an hour. Even though it felt like minutes. When it really started to take shape Dieter couldn't help but make a comment. "That bad, huh?"

Lucien calmed the heavy breaths he didn't realise he had been taking. "Maybe. No, not really. My head just runs away with itself. Things were going really well and I put too much pressure on it and myself then I couldn't…" Lucien stopped himself from over sharing but Dieter just stood there patiently. Since they were standing in a room filled with paintings of his wife in various sex acts Lucien figured it wouldn't be all that shocking an admission, besides he needed some advice. "...I couldn't perform."

"Ah, so that's the reason behind Claude suddenly feeling more emotional and less horny."

"Pretty much. I saw a future beyond just sex with her and now I can't give her either. Sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you all this."

"Because I wanted you to. That's what friends are for, right? I knew something was weighing on you. Guys don't usually look that forlorn staring at my naked wife. So when you couldn't…what happened next?"

"She left. She was understanding and told me to rest. She's texted me a few times and I don't know how to respond. I've known this woman a week and I feel more for her than I have for any woman I have my entire adult life. That's crazy, right?"

"No, that's love. Or the beginnings of it. We fall in love over time because we get to know each other more. We find things in common. Quirks to love. All things we can detail but there's always that one part that we can't put our finger on. That part that makes love bigger than the sum of its parts. The thing that makes each love unique. The thing that makes you take risks for it. I think that's always there. Even in the beginning."

"Wow." Lucien breathed. "Maybe you should write the next episode. I've never thought about love like that."

"Neither did I. Then I had an incredible teacher." He looked to his canvas and smiled softly.

"I was scared to chase her off but telling her all this but I guess if it does scare her off, it wasn't meant to be. Better to be honest now than live a happy lie."

"Claude really needs that line. And you need to call her."

"You're right. Thanks, man."

"No problem. If it works out you can invite her over. We have a sex room that you can use."

Lucien's jaw went slack as he blinked at the other man.

"Now, that might have been an over share." Dieter made his way to the door. "The offer still stands though. It had a sex swing. I'll give you some privacy." As the door closed Lucien pulled out his phone. You answered on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Hey. Have..have you got time to talk?"

"Sure. I'd like to talk to you since you haven't answered any of my messages."

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to say."

"I'm sorry. I get that things can be overwhelming when you are anxious. I was just scared. I like you and I didn't know if this was over or…"

"Do you want it to be over?"

"No! No, I just thought you might be trying to peter things out."

"Shit. I'm sorry. No. I don't want to peter things out. I know it sounds crazy but I feel like there's something special here. I want to explore it."

"It's not crazy. Or it is and we're just both crazy. I want to see where things go too. Dinner tonight? My place?"

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"I'll text you the address. I'll see you around 6.30?"

"I'll see you then. Bye."

"Bye."

He could hear the smile in your voice as you hung up.

A knock at the door sounded. "Yeah?" Lucien called.

Dieter slipped through the door carrying a white paper bag. "How did the call go?"

"Good. We're having dinner at her place tonight." Lucien could barely contain his grin.

"That's great! I made a start on lunch if you're hungry and I grabbed you a bag we give out at our sex parties. We keep those quiet nowadays. Hence the inconspicuous bag. There's a little something in there to help you along if you need it."

It was an odd gift to receive but Lucien was genuinely touched. "Thank you."

"Just be careful with the timing of those things. I took one by accident once, right before a big sex scene or so I thought..." Dieter trailed off into his memory "...actually that turned out pretty well."

Lucien raised his eyebrows in question. "It was the first time I felt like my wife really cared about me. I mean she was always caring but she was like that with everyone. This time she helped me get off so I didn't ruin my big scene. Afterwards she let me hold her. We even had a little nap together. She was so fricken cute in my arms, sleeping peacefully. I just watched her for like an hour. I should have known then that we had something special. Three years in and it still feels special."

Lunch with Dieter was great. He was a good cook. He made steak and served it with salad. He made mocktails and served apple pie that his wife had baked. The conversation was easy. A little break from his thoughts was what Lucien needed.

When he arrived at your place he felt more positive about everything, like he could keep his thoughts in check. That seemed a little less certain when you opened the door in a little sundress. The thin straps and cut of the top showed you weren't wearing a bra. The hem skimmed your mid-thigh. It should be enough to half him squirming in his tightening jeans. Yet he wasn't. One thing at a time he told himself. Firstly, he had to apologise. Then you could have a nice date. It didn't have to be about sex.

"Is this too much? I wanted to look nice. Now I'm seeing that this looks like I'm dressed for easy access. I'm not expecting anything, there's no pressure." You suddenly became self conscious. Generally you were confident but surely everyone gets nervous when they really want something.

Lucien's hand came to cup your cheek. "You look beautiful. I know there's no pressure but I would like to pick up where we left off. Bedroom?"

Lucien saw your breathing pick up, before you led him upstairs. Once you had reached the second floor, his hands and lips were on you like they had been the first time. It was all a passionate blur as you stumbled to your bedroom. The soft mattress was at your back. Strong hands delicately remove your panties before gripping your knees placed over even stronger shoulders. Your cunt leaked as a warm tongue ran up it. Your clit pulsed at the friction of it. Lights danced behind your eyes, clearing to reveal Lucien's beautiful face hovering over yours. His chin glistening with your release. The taste on it was soon on your tongue. Lucien lay between your legs as if he was preparing to enter you. One hand kept his body up off yours. Your body prepared to take him, arousal coated your warm channel. A tingle of expectation ran through you at the thought of his cock slowly pushing inside of you. To your surprise, it wasn't his cock that slowly opened you up. It was his fingers. Two thick fingers filled you as his thumb pressed your clit. He pressed open mouthed kisses to your shoulders as he began to thrust. He rocked his whole body behind his hand, driving his fingers deep. You'd never had sex like it before. He was still close and intimate, his body moving on top of yours. His lips hovered over yours in between kisses, savouring every gasped breath across them. He was still penetrativing you deliciously deep, still making love to you, just not with his penis. Considering how liberal minded you were it struck you as odd that you'd never thought of this as sex. Whatever it was classed as, it was doing it for you.

"Lucien. I'm gonna…" the rest was lost to a moan of his name.

His fingers gently worked you through your orgasm until you were completely wrung out beneath him. He lay on top of you dotting kisses over your warm skin. In your blissed out state it took a moment for you to recognise just how much of Lucien was pressed against you.

"Oh, you're…do you want…? I mean I could take care of you." A shyness unbecoming of a woman who just had three of a man fingers pumping in and out of her cunt came over you.

"I'm good. I'm just glad I can get it up." Lucien huffed a laugh while he readjusted himself. "I'm worried I'll lose it if we put too much pressure on things."

"I understand. No pressure." You had worked your way into his lap. "Thank you. That was…incredible." You sighed happily before kissing him. As the kiss got more heated you couldn't help rock your hips against him a little until…"Oh, shit." Lucien groaned, trembling between your thighs. "Fuck, I'm sorry."

"What? Oh. Oh!"

"Great. I went from not excited enough to getting way too fucking excited."

"Yeah but it's really fucking hot."

"Really?"

"Really. Can I see?"

Lucien remembered your photo request as he stood undoing his jeans. A smirk bloomed inward at your apparent kink lining up with his. As soon as he pulled down his jeans and the dark spot on his grey boxer briefs was exposed, your face lit up. "Can I clean you up?"

There was no way he could refuse an offer like that. Your tongue lapped at his cum until he was clean and beginning to grow hard again. At that point he decided to quit while he was ahead and asked you to stop. You happily complied, swiping up the drops of him that had mixed with your saliva and escaped your mouth before pushing them back past your lips.

"Now that's the kind of energy I'd love for my art. I knew you were the perfect choice." The satisfied grin on his face made your heart flutter.

"Stop!" You couldn't help the nervous laugh that bubbled up. He was gorgeous, smart, funny and totally into you. That combined with the hormone still running through your system was enough to make you swoon like a lovesick teenager.

"I'm going to order some pizza and get a shower. You are welcome to join me. I have some clothes that will fit you if you want to stay over?" It may have been a little presumption but you didn't want him to leave.

"I actually have an overnight bag in my car."

"Hmm? For spontaneous overnight visits?" You quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. Well, ones to the hospital."

The lightness in your heart collapsd "Oh?"

"I have a couple of conditions. They're mainly kept in check. Since Covid I've kept a bag on hand in case the worst happened. It's not a big deal. I just like to be organised."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Is there anything I need to do? I don't test regularly any more or…" Concern had you on your feet and standing in front of him. Searching his face as if you were able to diagnose him with just a look.

"You're good." He wrapped you in his arms. "In the early days they didn't know how Covid would affect me so as a precaution they made me stay home for longer than everyone else. I couldn't go out in public for months. As they found out more about it they relaxed the rules. I could go out but masked up. Eventually, they said if I got my vaccines I would be fine. I did end up getting covid but I was fine."

"Wow. That must have been rough."

"It wasn't too bad and now it means I get to stay over without doing the walk of shame."

"Well that makes it all worth it I guess."

"Uh-huh." He replied, rubbing that perfectly carved nose over yours.

The two of you stood in each other's embrace for a long while. Crazy teenager crush aside, it was nice just to be held again. Affectionate moments were few and far between nearing the end of your last relationship. When the two of you decided to part it's with one last kiss.

With pizza order, you waited to see if Lucien wanted to take you up on that shower offer.

"I forgot, Dieter gave me this." He placed a small white bag on the counter next to his overnight bag.

"Advice, lunch, presents. He's a keeper. What is it?"

"It said it had stuff in it to help things along in the bedroom."

"Can I look?" Lucien nodded. "Oh, wow. Vibrating cock ring. Lube. Orgasm enhancer cream. Tingle massage oil. Nipple clamps. Viagra…"

"Yeah. He mentioned that. I didn't have the heart to tell him I can't take viagra. On top of the blood condition, I have a very slight heart condition." Shock and concern crossed your face. "It's not a problem but I stay away from anything that could potentially mess with my heart."

"Is there anything else you want to casually drop on me?"

"I'm not exactly a struggling artist. Technically I'm a millionaire."

"Oh!"

@kirsteng42 @prolix-yuy @thegreenkid2 @hquinzelle @fangirl-316 @gracie7209 @jedifarmerr @doommommy @scorpio-marionette @sturkillerbase @harriedandharassed @aynsleywalker @mswarriorbabe80 @quica-quica-quica @rise-my-angel @adancedivasmom @kinda-nobody @movievillainess721 @munsonownsmyass @mandoloriancookie @faceache111 @elegantduckturtle @manazo @simpingcowboy @pedrit0-pascalit0 @yourcoolauntie @pedrostories @geekrenaissance

#lucien flores x f!reader #lucien flores #the uninvited #dieter bravo #the bubble #pedro pascal character fanfiction

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opinated-user · 1 year

Note

Seeing LO post more about her childhood, it really shows that she hasn't actually grown as a person.

I understand that she is a fight instead of a flight person. And I get that her parents were antagonistic, which clearly gave her a hair trigger where anything she perceives as an attack gets a violent reaction in return. She says she only goes over the top because people antagonize her, and if people left her alone, she'd be fine.

But that's not true when anything can be a trigger for her. Draw a fan art wrong-- get screamed at. Suggest something she might like to read or watch-- get yelled at. Politely disagree with her cartoon take-- get told to eat die.

On top of that, even if someone does antagonize you or insult you, that doesn't give you free rein to do whatever you want to them. Misgendering and calling fellow trans people things or it, is crossing a line. Calling anyone a nazi who needs to be killed for as little as disagreements trivialities the word and, in the case of Rebecca Sugar, is straight up antisemitic. Being antagonize does mean you get to be transphobic or racist.

If this woman actually went to therapy, she would have learned to control her immediate impulse of strike back and instead access the situation and decide what the appropriate action would be. Instead she lashes out first and no matter how out of line she was, she thinks it's fine because she was 'harassed' when most of the time she wasn't, and even when she, she's way out of line.

you nailed it on the head there. it's so very clear that LO blames her parents or school or her sister of anything before doing any kind of self reflection or attempt at accountability. i don't intend to say that none of them was completely innocent, but on LO's version she is the ultimate victim of everyone for no reason, she never does anything wrong, and that is always going to be dishonest.

#lily orchard

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adultswim2021 · 2 months

Text

The Venture Bros. #42: "Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel" | October 19, 2009 - 12:00AM | S04E01

Hey! It’s a TV Show I actually like! But it’s also a show I like enough that I feel compelled to watch the blu-ray extras for. Hell, this episode had me watching a fan-edit. What can I say? I’m in love!!!!

I can’t really get into the story of this episode without first talking about it’s unorthodox structure. Basically, the episode jumps around through time in a particular way. We cut back and forth between Brock’s story, which covers what he did immediately after walking off the job as the Venture’s bodyguard. The other story-line is what happens back at the Venture compound. Brock’s story occurs forward in time, like most stories in most episodes of most shows do. BUT: the stuff taking place at the Venture compound is shown to us in reverse order.

There’s also complimentary motifs for each subplot: Brock’s scenes all have a title card that correlates to the original stories found in Marvel Comics #1 from 1939. The Venture’s scenes begin with a CGC rating for a comic book being flashed on screen, which correlates to an actual copy of Marvel Comics #1 which is in the Venture’s possession. As the story moves backwards we find out that the comic has suffered a lot of careless abuse, going from a 9.6 NM grading to a 0.0 (or from 0.0 to 9.6 the way we see it).

Slightly confusing is Brock’s story occasionally finds him at the Venture compound, so there’s some crossover. There’s also visual transitions from one scene to the next, even if it involves a significant time jump. Brock’s story primarily takes place early in the timeline, while the Venture compound stuff takes place later in the timeline.

The episode’s cold open starts off with a scene that takes place right at the end of the season three finale, with the Monarch’s car exploding. It takes Brock out, who gets scooped up by the O.S.I. They take him aboard their S.H.I.E.L.D. ship and fix his heart by using robot HELPeR.’s head, sorta like an Iron Man heart (a character in the episode later mentions that robot hearts became all the rage since the Iron Man movie came out). Brock visits the surgeon that gave Hunter his sex change and gets a replacement put in, freeing HELPeR from his imprisonment in Brock’s chest. Brock mails HELPeR’s head to the Ventures wrapped in his jacket, which Hank takes and treats like a sacred object (we also see him wearing it defiantly in the face of Hatred's insistence that he and the Ventures wear uniforms).

Brock hides out for a bit with Steve Summers, the Bionic Man, whom he memorably gifts a bad painting to as part of his art therapy (I remember this painting being an avatar on a message board I posted on. This information is incredibly important to me, so I’m putting it here, parenthetically). Brock goes to spy on the Blackhearts and Hunter, who you may or may not recall doublecrossed Brock at the end of season three. Basically he was working with the Blackhearts in sending various assassins Brock’s way, lying to him about the OSI being behind it, for the sole purpose of just having Brock kill the Blackhearts’ competition. So that’s why Brock is seeking retribution.

Brock’s confrontation goes poorly, and Brock gets blasted out the Blackheart’s highrise headquarters. It’s here where he gets scooped up by Sphinx, and we find out Hunter was actually working with Sphinx as a mole in the Blackhearts. He also has his dick back (or he’s stuffing; but it's strongly implied he has, or has had, a pecker). It’s truly a banner day for those who like it when people have penises (the default genital).

Meanwhile, the Ventures plot involves them taking on Hatred as their new bodyguard. We see him in the OSI airship, undergoing some kind of chemical castration (or perhaps something more super-sciency), so I guess we don’t have to worry about him molesting the boys. Sorta fucked up, but the idea of “this is just a cartoon and also it’s meant for adults” used to cover a lot more ground in 2009 than it does now. The scene which introduces the fact that Hatred is now their bodyguard just jumps right into it: showing him already established and in the early stages of whipping the boys into shape. We’re also introduced to the HELPeR head being fused with the Venture walking eye.

This scene, which has Hatred trying to make a breakthrough with Hank by having Hank shoot him, is maybe my favorite scene in the episode. It’s especially funny, and it introduces this new dynamic really beautifully. Noted in the commentary; Doc was charged with writing this scene and Jackson thought it would be a little more spelled-out with Hatred formally introducing himself as the new bodyguard. The just-jumping in approach yielded a wonderful scene. It's especially good to start an in-universe shake-up on the right foot, and that's what they goddamn did, gosh darn it.

Also going on at the homestead: Venture is approached by both 21 and a group of Nazis (separately) to do some cloning work. 21 wants to bring back 24, and gives Venture his NM copy of Marvel Comics #1 as payment. Venture is incredulous that a dusty old comic book could be worth anything, and immediately lets Hank have it. We already know that he fucks it up all nasty-like, thanks to the reverse-story telling. 21 is dismayed to learn that the clone of 24 will be a baby on account of the clone slugs’ destruction.

The Nazis are looking to clone Hitler, whose brain seems to be in the body of a bulldog that takes a liking to Dean, which causes friction when it’s decided that the moral thing to do would be to murder it. This resolves with a parody of the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Orpheus melts the Nazis into goo as well as destroying all of the clone pods (this was a very deliberate way of putting the whole clone thing to rest). This is one of the first scenes of the episode, so it’s not really a spoiler. A scene taking place immediately after these events plays after the credits, where Brock shows up, kills Hitler with the Hitler-killing Golden dagger (how’d he get that?) has some words with Hank, and then takes off.

I had historically considered this episode to be a bit of a failed experiment, at least in the way that it’s very confusing to the first-time viewer. Now that I’ve been through the series a few times (and have even deigned to watch a fan-edit that reorganizes the scenes in chronological order) this episode’s confusing structure gets less jarring with every viewing. Noted in the commentary: the intended effect was for the initial watch-through to confuse the viewer, and have it make sense by the end and especially on repeat viewings. Mission accomplished, I guess.

Anyway, I always approach this episode with low expectations, but this time I found a lot to love about it. I was dramatically composing grandiose sentences in my head about how season three managed to find the show going up it’s own ass, and that this episode starts the season on a similar footing. It takes a few viewings, but I more-or-less think this episode is great, and I admire the experiment.

I will point out that after watching the chronology cut of the episode, that the Ventures story does seem like it’s missing some important pieces of the puzzle. Like, the story jumps past important beats, and having the episode show this story backwards does distract from these story holes. The Go Team Venture book does cop to the idea that this is roughly the reason for showing the one subplot in reverse order as a "fix".

This episode also kicks off Brock not being in the show for a while; he bids adieu to Hank and wouldn’t be seen for a little while. This decision, along with the playing of the timeline of the episode’s story, are characterized as being part of some larger mental collapse felt in particular by Jackson Publick, who asked Adult Swim to change the order from a single 13 episode season to a two-part season with 8 episodes in each part. He just wasn’t up to the task of writing more episodes, and was afraid of crashing and burning and fucking up with their money. Quitting smoking seemed to have a lot to do with it. He was also working on Superjail around this time, as well.

One last thing! The confusion of the episode’s scrambled order was exacerbated on the west coast by an error: Adult Swim aired the first act of the episode twice. So, after the commercial break, the first half started over. Given the nature of the episode, it probably seemed intentional at first. I don't remember seeing it live. More likely is I was recording it and was planning to watch it when it was over (or close to over), so I could fast forward through the commercials. I probably found out what happened online first. I have a vague recollection of feeling grateful that I knew where to find a torrent of the episode, recorded on the east coast.

Okay, one last LAST thing, actually: One tidbit I liked from the "Art of" book: the original idea for Brock's bad painting was to show him staying up all night passionately painting said painting and having that be the reveal. Funny!

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #the venture bros.

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