Dalmatian pelican, Moscow Zoo, Summer 2022

Pelecanus crispus

Squirrel on a birch tree, Western Siberia, Summer 2023

Sciurus vulgaris

Common pochard, Western Siberia, Fall 2023

Aythya ferina

Bohemian waxwing, Western Siberia, Spring 2024

Bombycilla garrulus

Happy Birds Day!

Parus major, Western Siberia

A man called the Red Comet.

reincarnation.

The thing i like about Char Aznable is that he got what he wanted. He killed the Zabis, or at least, 2 out of the 5 but they all died. Only Mineva, a literal infant, survived the One Year War and for all intents and purposes the Zabis that killed his father and robbed him of his birthright are gone. The man won in every way that mattered.

Except.

Now he's got nothing. Char has always been motivated by revenge. He got his revenge. What's left? His dabbling in his father's political ideology and his focus on Newtypes were really only ever dabbles. Had Lalah Sune survived then maybe he would have redoubled his focus on her after the war, but she didn't. So he's left with politics. With Contollism and its focus on independence for Spacenoids and he isn't...really into it. Like yeah he joins AEUG but he does it under a new alias. He calls himself Quattro Bagheena for tax avoidanc purposes instead of Char Aznable or Casval rem Daikun, two names much more famous that would have almost certainly attracted more people to cause. He doesn't tale a leadership role in the organization and instead lets psychos like Wong run it who are business men larping as military commanders. Why? Cause he's looking for a way out. He doesn't want to do this anymore.

And yet he can't help himself. He still has convictions about the rights of Spacenoids. He can't bring himself to do nothing in the face of the Titans, so he acts but not in the capacity that actually retakes that birthright he murdered the Zabis for stealing. Cause he doesn't want it. Doesnt think he deserves it. Part of this is regret at Lalah's death part of it is his own loss of direction after achieving his previous life goal.

In Char's Counterattack we see Char taking up the role of leadership at last but he hasn't done this to become an enlightened newtype leader who will lead humanity into the future as his father dreamed of doing. No its all an elaborate suicide attempt. He is still trying to find a way out. His melancholy over Lalah has only grown. He has become obsessed with Amuro and the idea of the two of them killing one another. He wants absolution and he is, crucially, not in his right mind any longer. Hes lost in the call of Lalah's voice echoing through space. He moves to execute the axis shock because he knows that Amuro will kill him for trying it. Whether it works or not is irrelevant. And he gets what he wants ultimately. He and Amuro kill each other. The Axis Shock is stopped, Neo Zeon collapses again, leaderless, but that wasn't relevant. Char found his way out.

And thats kinda what Char is to me. A vengeful man who got vengeance and realized he didn't know how to live without that mission. Instead of growing beyond it he lets that lack of purpose and his regret at the loss of what he saw as his one shot a future consume him. Its a lovely tragedy he lives through.

unconditional love.

I know that it’s another RX-78, but introducing 2.0s to the RG line is a win so I’m probably gonna buy it to encourage Bandai to continue. Hopefully the next RG 2.0 is the Zaku II of which I have complained about in the past. A 2.0 of the Sinanju would also be great since that’s the kit that made Bandai realize they needed to change the RG line to where it is now.

Gouache painting of long-tailed tits for the upcoming book about my local nature reserve.

Long-tailed tits make stretchy nests from a base of moss and spider silk. On the outside they’re covered in lichen for camouflage and inside are lined with feathers for cosiness!

Backyard birdies!! :D

My attempt on Char's different portraits, showing his 4 "main" iterations throughout the series (except his ghost - FF)