thinking about tkrb once again...

Headcanons: Loki x Autistic Media Fan

Anon’s request: I was wondering if you could do maybe a headcannons of Loki with autistic reader who enjoys anime, manga and gaming (Pokemon, BNHA, Death Note, Etc) due to it's their coping mechanisms and comfort since their childhood they even help them to learn to mask but once you talk about their interest they become more open and cheerful

A/N: Wooooo one request done! This one was the easiest one for me once I got started, since video games are also a massive interest of mine (although I haven’t watched much anime for a while now… I should make time to get back into it once I finish the uni year). Enjoy!

The reader here is gender-neutral.

Content warnings: None!

Tag list: @agent-barnes40​

In all honesty, a lot of anime and games likely wouldn’t be to Loki’s tastes – though that doesn’t mean he would ever stop you from enjoying them, especially when they’re so important for you.

Although if he catches you watching/playing something, there are some rare occasions where he might find himself staring at the screen for a while, more engaged than he had expected to be. Death Note would possibly be one of the series that he’s curious about.

There’s also some anime/manga he might come across where he genuinely finds the art style beautiful. He may suggest it to you, and even either watch it with you, or look through it once you’re done with it, just to look at the art.

The same goes for games that happen to stick out to him – whether it’s a bigger game like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or an indie game such as Gris, you may find yourself with the sudden feeling of your partner looking over your shoulder to admire the visuals.

If you’re playing/watching something with fighting, especially if it’s fantasy-related, you end up teasing him a little if he does stick around for a bit, because he can’t seem to stop himself from nit-picking the characters’ stances or moves.

A decent amount of your evenings are spent with him sitting on the couch, reading a book, while you’re leaning against him with your game console/controller or a manga volume, the two of you quietly enjoying your hobbies together for a while.

If he finds you playing/binging for too long, he’ll gently encourage you to take a break – especially if you’ve been looking at a screen for ages. He’ll offer to make you a drink of your choice, and let you talk to him about where you’re at in the media in question, so you can still enjoy it when you’re not consuming it.

In general, even though he has no clue what you’re talking about most of the time, he will listen to you rant about any big updates from a Pokémon Presents, or any other announcement streams. He likes seeing you so excited about the thing you love.

Will get you merch for your favourite media for your birthday/other celebrations. It doesn’t matter if that particular Nendoroid happens to ship from Japan and is incredibly expensive. He will find a way to get it to you.

He’s glad that you have something that brings you so much comfort, and will happily encourage you to indulge it. And if you find him low-key watching you play Pokémon Legends: Arceus, then that’s just a bonus!

hiii! it's star anon 🌟

this week was relatively hectic, and it's just wednesday! 😭 i was going through your writing prompt tag and the first set that popped up (food as a love language) reminded me of how i felt today.

tw for discussions of eating and food!

technically, i felt "fine", but for some reason, my hunger cues were non-existent? for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, i barely had the motivation to eat. this is very odd for me because i love food. 😔 i resorted to eating outside and going for my comfort foods, which at least helped me eat and hydrate regularly today. i was surprised because this happened out of nowhere, though i'm thinking it's the stress piling up from college. i kept zoning out during today's lectures and study sessions.

so yeah, all this made me think about how murdock would prepare to respond to situations where any of the crew members may be going through what i experienced. three prompt bullets stood out to me:

⋆ “i know you said you weren’t hungry, but i made you something anyways.” ⋆ gently reminding them to eat ⋆ always having the ingredients for their comfort meal on hand in case they have a bad day

of course, murdock would do any of these for all the crew members, though i feel like this would be a more frequent occurrence with friede, liko, and dot. i guess that's because they're the most prone to forgetting, overthinking, or worrying.

though do feel free to go about this in any way you wish! i'd love to see your take on this. ❤️ i'll just take it easy for now. hopefully, the rest of the week goes better for me, and i hope it does for you as well!

Heya! I totally get what you mean about stress dampening hunger cues. I'm someone who experiences the same and still working on finding ways to eat better! I hope that the rest of your week goes well, and that you'll do well with your classes! I believe in you!

This was such a nice prompt that I ended up writing a piece about it! I also rub my self indulgent hcs about Friede too in this hehe. Hopefully this would be a nice read!

Series: Pokemon Horizons

Characters: Murdock, Friede, Liko, Dot

(This piece centers around food and eating. Also the food mentioned are meant to be potato stew, ochazuke and bento respectively!)

--

The quote 'food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate' has stuck with Murdock for the longest time. He can't properly recall the origins, only that it carved a spot in his heart and he grew around it. Murdock enjoyed food and cooking. He loved cooking for others. To him, there was no greater joy and satisfaction than seeing the people he cared for eat the food he made for them.

When he became the chef for the Rising Volt Tacklers, Murdock understood the weight of responsibility now saddled atop his shoulders. With all the traveling they do, he needed to take into account the supplies on hand. Mollie helped him in that regard but ultimately, it came down to him on how he stretched a particular ingredient to use in several meal times. 

Not to mention keeping track of everyone's eating habits. Food allergies aside, Murdock knew what people liked and disliked so he cooked accordingly, ensuring that no one left the dining table hungry. He also regularly asks what the crew wanted to eat for mealtimes, indulging in special requests or making someone's favorite if he felt like they could use a pick me up.

(Like Liko for example. She had adapted to life on board remarkably well but unlike the ever cheerful Roy, Murdock noticed that she had the tendency to keep to herself. It reminded him of Dot–it was thanks to her friendship with his niece that Dot had started to come out of her shell. The gratitude he had couldn't properly be expressed through words so he showed it through his cooking.

The day after they found Liko and got back her pendant, Murdock chose to make one of her favorite dishes. He sensed that she had a lot on her mind, unsurprising given the nature of her disappearance. It pained him to learn that a child her age had to experience an awful thing yet he felt pride that Dot saw Liko to be a valuable friend, drawing her out of her room and off the ship for the first time since he brought her along. 

Murdock spent the time after breakfast prepping the ingredients to make a stew. It was similar to Mollie's favorite but with more potatoes added in and different seasonings were used. He also made fresh buttered rolls to dip into the stew, making it into a hearty meal to enjoy during lunch. 

When he spotted her initial surprise morphing into quiet excitement, Murdock knew he made the right choice. He happily refilled her request for seconds, enjoying the warmth that blossomed in his heart at seeing her overall mood improved). 

Aside from making the food, Murdock got into the habit of reminding others to eat. He understood that at times, circumstances made it difficult for all of them to sit down and have a meal together. If they were in for a spot of rough weather, most of them would eat when they had the chance to seeing that they had different responsibilities in getting the Brave Asagi through safely. 

Arceus knows the amount of times where he gently nudged Orla into leaving the engine room to grab some muffins he made, or all but strong arming Friede into eating something because the endearing fool had it in his head that he would only eat after the danger had passed. Mollie didn’t need much convincing seeing that she ate when she was hungry, while the Liko and Roy happily ate anything he put on their plates. Especially Roy who ate like he had a bottomless pit for a stomach. Good appetite for a growing boy his age. 

These days, Murdock found that he had another person to add to his list of gentle reminders. It was one that he’d always be happy to do so because it was Dot, his niece who recently started eating solid foods. He trusted Mollie’s assessment in that Dot got all the nutrients she needed from the gummies but it still pained him to see her subsisting on only that.

Eating shouldn’t just be about getting the appropriate amount of nutrients. It should be an occasion, something to enjoy and make one feel happy to be alive. Thus when Dot started to eat the doughnuts he left out, it motivated Murdock to find more dishes for his niece to try. Once Dot started to eat more, he encouraged the habit through gentle reminders. 

(Like the night where Murdock spotted Dot standing on deck, a rarity seeing that she only really came out when Liko or Roy was around. Quaxly was with her, spotting his presence first by waving a wing at him. This prompted Dot to turn and look at him in surprise.

“Uh… hi,” she spoke up, soft and slightly hesitant.

“Good evening Dot,” Murdock responded warmly. He knew better than to press the reasoning behind her being out here, lest he spooked her into returing back to her room. Instead of letting the silence between them grew awkward, he asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

“H-huh?”

“Have you eaten yet?” he repeated gently. Judging from the way Dot fiddled with her sleeve, it gave him his answer. Murdock kept his tone kind, lacking any judgement upon knowing that she hadn’t eaten dinner yet. 

Murdock instead invited her to join him for supper. Dot looked hesitant at first but Quaxly’s encouragement had her shuffling behind him as they made their way to the kitchen. While she sat at one of the chairs, he made a simple Johtonian dish where the leftover rice he planned on using for fried rice tomorrow had soup added into it. He found this to be a nice, comforting dish that was light on the stomach. 

Dot seemed to agree, or at least she ate it with minimal complaints. Murdock hid his smile behind each spoonful, pleased to see his niece slowly learn the joys of eating).

Still, sometimes reminders were not enough for he could not contend with what went on in a person’s mind. In this particular case, he meant of Friede’s. His captain proved to be the one that pushed Murdock to expand his repertoire. Try out various recipes that would fit his particular palate, or fit a certain texture that he liked.

Murdock knew of his dislike for sour and sweet-spicy flavors. His aversion to slimy and too soft textures, of leafy greens and things that pop in his mouth. How he had the tendency to skip meals when he became fixated on a task, or whatever belief that settled in his brain that told him that he shouldn’t eat until they were in calmer waters. Sometimes Friede just plain forgot to eat, citing that he didn’t feel hungry until Murdock placed food in front of him. He ate like a Munchlax by then. 

While it pushed him to work harder, Murdock did not harbor any resentment towards Friede. In fact, he found it to be quite the fun challenge to see what sort vegetables he could sneak into the captain’s meal without him realizing. The sense of pride and gratification to see Friede happily eat something that he made was one that he cherished too. It made him happy that he was able to provide his friend a proper, balanced meal that he could enjoy without worry. 

(A recent memory of this was the time Friede became fixated in understanding more about Roy’s Ancient Pokeball. He apparently found some old books from an antique store during their last supply run in the city that could provide more information and had holed himself in his room since then.

While Friede did come out occasionally, it was for more coffee and some berries he swiped from the fruit bowl before he disappeared in his room again. Murdock had long since learnt that while he could force Friede to eat something, that would in turn make him reluctant to eat whatever meals that he ate now in the future. Something about association with an unpleasant event, even if it was necessary for his continued good health. 

Instead, Murdock spent a bit of time after everyone ate their dinner to make something for Friede. He pulled out a medium sized container that would fit his purposes. Murdock easily put together some sandwiches, vegetable sticks with peanut butter and sugared doughnut holes to put inside. Friede would be more likely to eat something that he could eat with one hand, as well as contrasting crunchy and soft, toothy textures. 

Murdock also filled a thermos with his preferred nighttime blend before carrying it with him to Friede’s bedroom. He entered after some perfunctory knocks, finding the young professor hunched over his desk with several open books, one hand lightly tugging at his hair. An easy indicator for stress, he came to learn. 

“I know you said you weren’t hungry but I made you something anyway.” Murdock went straight to the point, knowing that Friede would be in no mood for small talk. 

Friede briefly raised his head to acknowledge Murdock’s presence and the containers he placed on his bed, then went back to his book with a soft grunt. 

The chef simply smiled, bidding Friede a good night before returning back to the kitchen so he could clean up. Come the next morning, Murdock would find Friede fast asleep on his bed, the container empty sans a few crumbs while the thermos was all but drained).

So yes, Murdock shows his love through the food he makes. It speaks for him when words would fail, and the joy he gained was enough to make all the effort he put in worthwhile. As long as his family ate well, Murdock wouldn’t ask for anything more.

This took too long to do. Not excusable given my lack of skill lol.

A young knight's trial.

I didn't think going to my GP would be any different than the last few times I've been. Then again I didn't have the two best little knights back then, other than Bandit who was a Ralts at the time. It also never occurred to me this appointment of mine would be rather stressful for the juvenile Armarouge either.

Traffic was light and conditions were dry and sunny which was a pleasant change over the winter weather the past few months. Spring was starting and I welcomed its arrival. After parking up and fetching the two young Pokemon from the car we made our way to the surgery entrance. Armarouge hesitated before following us through the doorway, his sister didn't share his concerns. She immediately greeted the receptionist by beeping and waving her little blades about. This got a series of awwws from the staff there before I took their focus away.

"Lil sweetie ain't she?" I greeted the receptionist before giving my details. The receptionist having updated the system invited me to take a seat in the waiting room after some light banter. Ceru seized the opportunity to go and say hello to everyone in said waiting room, and get her harness lead snagged on the furniture.

My time waiting to be seen by the GP would be spent untangling Ceru from various pieces of furniture and keeping her attention off the toys meant for kids by distracting the little blade Pokemon with one of her own. This toy had been a victim of Ceru's antics before, but this time for some reason she was particularly aggressive to the Snorlax plush. Rolling around with it trapped in her grasp, kicking and knawing at it, growling lightly as she bullied the helpless plush.

"You shouldn't let him do that" an elderly voice spoke. Breaking whatever train of thought had began to form from witnessing Ceru's more aggressive playing. "What?"

"That" the elderly voice spoke again. It belonged to a concerned looking woman. "You shouldn't let him make a racket" nope, not a concerned individual sadly. "If she gets too loud I'll stop her" I replied, not caring for the other's attitude. The elderly woman tried to start conflict with me but I wasn't taking the bait. During the attempted argument, Ceru had stopped her playing and was looking between myself and the elderly individual. Seemingly confused about the situation before her attention shifted to her brother.

Her brother was quite ever since entering the clinic. This wasn't his usual quiet, no he was unsettled. And I failed to notice this until Ceru waddled over to presumably comfort him.

My GP opened the door separating the waiting room to her office and called my name. It was then that I noticed something was off with Armarouge. "C'mon you two." I beckoned the little knights to follow as my GP lead us away to her office. A small conversation was started about both tiny Ceruledge and Armarouge.

Thinking this would be a good opportunity to get the little Pokémon used to being handled by others. I asked my GP to give them a general health check. It would do Ceru and Arma good. I was first to get looked over with Ceru watching me. I had my weight and blood pressure measured among other such tests. Ceru was eager to go next thinking this was all fun and games. She chirped happily while my GP pretended to do the same.

Then it was Armarouge's turn.

"OK now" the General practitioner spoke softly before stopping abruptly. Armarouge had buried his head in my side and held out his arm. He already knew what to do. And it was then I finally realised why he was so scared.

"Armarouge?... oh for the love of-how did I not realise this sooner?"

"Realise what?"

Glancing between the scared juvenile knight trying to hide himself and my GP. I explained how we first met.

"Its the clinic. It reminds him of the day he was surrendered".

I could see my doctor's heart sink at that detail. Although she didn't have Pokémon, she loved them just as much as everyone else. That much was plain to see.

"Armarouge here was left in a Pokémon centre. The clinic obviously isn't one. But to him it looks, sounds and smells like one..." looking down at the timid knight I caught sight of him at the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry wee lad".

"You're a very brave boy Armarouge" the GP added, gently holding his hand. "I don't think you need any tests done. You look healthy to me. And you want to go home don't you?"

Armarouge turned to look at her, trying his best not to cry. He simply nodded.

"Then I better get you two back home shouldn't I? You two have been very good! That deserves a treat." This got a weak chirp from Armarouge and, not surprisingly, an excited response from Ceru.

Choosing not to spend any more time than was necessary for Armarouge's sake. We got everything sorted and left.

This was quite a trial for the juvenile knight.

Pibby x Blossom. Why Ship It?

(AKA - In Defense of Pibby x Blossom) [Reposted from my Deviantart, a product of the Pibby x Blossom Collab] Some people question why Pibby x Blossom is even a ship in the first place. Many odd pairings have spawned from the Powerpuff Girls fandom. 

From the PPG x RRB, to Blossom x Dexter, Buttercup x Johnny Test, or even, controversially, Blossom x Aku.

Shipping is a natural part of fandom. Especially to fandoms with young members, often wanting to see characters they love in secured relationships or emulating the relationships they wish to have. 

 So that begs the question, what makes Pibby x Blossom any different from ships like Blossom x Dexter or Blossom x Any Member of the Rowdyruff Boys? Is it a Crack Ship, or is there more to it than what we see at face value? 

Lets look at some factors, getting some common detractor ideas out of the way first.

The "Age" debacle.

Some people have argued against Blossom x Pibby because of the two being children. Which is baffling. Most know that shipping is not inherently sexual and sometimes not even entirely romantic! If the greater internet wasn't allowed to ship children characters, then a large number of ships would disappear overnight. There'd be no more Sonic x Sally or Sonic x Amy. Since they're teenagers. You couldn't ship Ash with Misty, Serena, or any other female companion from Pokemon since they're kids. You couldn't ship Luz with Amity, because even though they're canon in the show, they're both still children. None of the students from My Hero Academia could be shipped. Absolutely no PPG x RRB or Blossom x Dexter, etc. You see what I'm getting at?

Children get crushes on each other. Teenagers get crushes on each other. Children and Teenagers love talking about crushes and imagining their favorite characters having crushes!  It's been around for ages and it's harmless!

The other half is people arguing since Pibby's age is "unknown" it could be dangerous to ship her with Blossom. This one carries more weight. As Pibby being a teenager or adult would throw the pairing into a gross territory since Blossom is in Kindergarten.

However, I would argue that we have official evidence to show that Pibby IS around Blossom's Age. That she's intentionally written to be child-coded, and I'll show it here.

From the leaked voice call sheet, Pibby immediately is drawn to comparison to Dora the Explorer. A character who is canonically 8 years old. The document further lists Pibby as "wanting to stay child-like forever," which like many cartoon shows, even the powerpuff girls, those characters never seem to age.

If we go off the Dora angle, Pibby is 8 years old and only two years older than Blossom who is most likely 5 given that she's in Kindergarten. If we go off the Preschool show angle, Pibby is 4 or 5 which makes her and Blossom near the exact same age.

The Powerpuff Girls have been shown to get crushes even in the classic series, such as Buttercup having a short-term crush on Ace. They use kissing to stop the Rowdyruff Boys when they first caused havoc. They kissed the cootie kid at the end of that episode! Despite their young age it's not out of the question to say the Girls could have crushes, and so could Pibby!

It's understandable why some people would feel sketchy shipping characters so young, and nobody is making them! However this age aspect shouldn't be policed when the characters are CLEARLY shown to be so close in age to each other. It's not an adult being shipped with a child, it's not a pair of siblings being shipped. It's a fictional girl child and another fictional girl child, and if this somehow changes when Pibby is released I'll delete this post.

The "Gender" debacle.

I'm not going to beat around the bush. Some people are clearly not comfortable with the ship because Blossom and Pibby are both girls.

Why would it be that any ship that places Blossom with a boy (even some boys that are clearly too OLD for her) be okay, but a ship that places her with another girl her age be taboo? It's 2022 and we need to stop pretending that girls can't get crushes on girls, or boys can't get crushes on boys. Children DO know at that age who they like, and it's often adults telling them to think otherwise that leads to years of questioning and confusion.

Letting people ship same gendered couples doesn't hurt you, and pushing against it makes you look bad.

What Do Pibby and Blossom Have in Common?

Now let's get into the real discussion itself. Would Pibby and Blossom have any chemistry?

Liang, who the collab was created for, recently told me her original reasoning for shipping Pibby and Blossom so I'll quote it here.

"Also, you wanna know why I ship Pibby with Blossom? Well it kinda sound silly but it’s because they both love anything that’s about learning and they kinda have similar looks. So I think they’re actually perfect together in my headcanon."

This was a very interesting insight because I would say, yes! They both love learning. Blossom is a very intelligent and academic character, and Pibby was created to teach kids about spelling.

A connection could be immediately made through that love of education. I'm sure Pibby would be impressed by Blossom's knowledge as well as her fluency in the Chinese language. Meanwhile Blossom would love to understand how Pibby can make words appear when she speaks and her thoughts on being an educator.

Plus they do look pretty similar, a lot of fanart has often depicted Pibby as a powerpuff girl for that reason, funnily enough.

However I want to throw in my own addition to the chemistry pile. Pibby and Blossom are both Leaders.

Pibby was the star of her show. Blossom is the canonical leader of the Powerpuff Girls. Pibby often reassures and tries to help others during times of need as does Blossom. Pibby takes charge and leads others into battle, and Blossom picks up the torch and beats down baddies when her other sisters no longer can. Blossom is the one who often comes up with plans, and Pibby is the one who manages to pull Melira and Alloy Boy together and convinces them that they can all learn to become heroes. The two have a very similar determination and resolve that I think both could benefit from. An avenue I feel a lot of people may have overlooked.

Pibby still needs to come into her own as a hero, while Blossom had already done that in the events of the Powerpuff Girls movie. So Pibby can absolutely learn from Blossom, plus maybe comfort her after Bubbles is taken by the darkness (We never see Blossom get taken by it in the trailer so we don't know if she's still around or not)

There's a lot of good things we could see from this pairing if more content creators choose to apply it and explore avenues with their characters.

In Conclusion

I've seen many people write off Pibby x Blossom as a Crack Ship, and while I see where they're coming from... I don't think that's the case at all. Like Blossom x Dexter, there's some foundation there. They're both from the same programming network. They're very similar in character. They both have loves of learning and are leaders. There's a lot more to this ship than just throwing two random characters together. There's no real difference between Pibby x Blossom and a lot of the other popular Blossom ships. It's putting two characters together in a fun way.

In the end, who cares if someone ships them together? It's HARMLESS.

You don't have to ship it, you don't even have to like it. You can hate it! But if you have a problem with it, but can't add anything critical or thoughtful to the conversation, then you're better off moving on or just blocking the people and content you don't want to see. It's easy, costs nothing, and filters your content the way you would like it. Harassment and bullying is never okay, and even if it's the internet it should not be tolerated.

If it's harmless, let people have fun, and have your own fun where it appeals to you.

-----

If you read to the end, then gosh you're a beast! I hope you found this insightful and interesting. I wanted to give some perspective on this as well as advocate for why there's nothing inherently wrong with the ship and why people ship it.

TerraTerraCotta

Goodbye to Ash and Pikachu and all their friends and rivals and everyone we loved so much for so many years! It was a great ride and it was fun to see different takes and concepts and adventures. It was also wonderful to have a series that's realistic in that the main character tries and struggles and fails, teaching kids it's okay to lose, as long as you get back up and continue trying another day.

A show where most of the heroines can have their own journeys, rivals, goals--they're not cardboard cut-out love interests without lives of their own... where women can hold roles similar to the men (Pokemon Champions, regional Professors, etc.), not just relegated to one or two stereotypical roles, things SO many shounen anime aimed at an older audience fail to do.

Thank you for not shaming kids for crying, thank you for comforting and meaningful lyrics (Soko ni Sora ga Aru Kara, Te wo Tsunagou, Smile, etc.).

Thank you for beautiful stories of characters overcoming trauma and abuse, being saved from or escaping bad situations, and shown genuine love and friendship (Chimchar's storyline and especially the Tears for Fears episode, Larvitar's storyline too, even Tepig's story ending with Evolution by Fire), thank you for stories of kids with phobias and repressed memories and all the recovery stories (Lillie, Sophocles...), the episodes dealing with loss (Mallow's mother), and the characters who were traumatized and couldn't fully overcome those fears but still found their place in the world (the Nurse Joy who feared she would drown as a child in The Joy of Water Pokemon and James with his fear of marriage, where even the word "fiance" triggers flashbacks, not to mention the sound of a whip... but he still found a place of belonging with his friends from Team Rocket), kids who were bullied and ostracized in school (Iris, Regina) but found friendship later on...

What a great show!

I got into this show a bit late (after Pokemania ended, because I was too young when it came out to appreciate it, but I still loved and cried watching the first Pokemon movie and the one cassette I had with four episodes, including Todd Snap's first episode--I think that first Pokemon photographer is why I love taking pictures so much!), but I got into it just as I went through big changes (the divorce of my parents) and trauma of my own, so I got very, very attached to the Team Rocket trio (especially Jessie), as they all had such tragic backstories, but they weren't one-note tragic characters who could never find happiness.

Especially with how Jessie lost her mother very young, being put into foster care by her very poor mother, and spent years being shifted from home to home, every career she pursued ended in failure, until she joined the same gang her mother was in (I don't know if she ever knew that)... but she found true friendship even in a dark place like that.

I also loved Iris and how she had trouble opening up to others because of what she'd been through; she was also a tomboyish girl who loved nature and didn't mind getting dirty and fighting, but also loved pastels, bows, and dressing up!

I also loved Trip and how much he changed from the sweet and happy child he used to be, to someone jaded and cynical and convinced he's an adult (but he's still a child... I also didn't think I was a child anymore at 12), how disappointed he was by meeting his childhood hero again, but also how he began to question what he previously believed and became a better person, even if he'd always be a little distant and awkward and won't be that child again.

I loved and related to Lillie feeling sad when her friends spoke about their mothers, when she rarely saw hers, when she lagged behind the others because her mother wasn't around enough to teach her things like how to cut vegetables, but also took credit for her learning things (in her absence!), the way her feelings were devalued if they weren't logical, so she'd insist any emotion she felt was rational or logical... she even named her Vulpix, in the dub, the same name I gave my cat around her age, a cat I had gotten after I'd just recovered from fearing touching cats (despite loving them since I was small, I was scared, after my mother's cat scratched me out of nowhere and scarred my ankle)! Her recovering the last of her lost memories and overcoming her fears was pure catharsis... beautiful to watch. To say nothing of finally finding her father and even being able to embrace a Nihilego as her sister.

I love them all so, so, so much.

over-analysis of ash ketchum's relationship with his companions,, part 2

Disclaimer: I will be looking at each relationship from first a platonic standpoint, and then a romantic standpoint. Some of the romantic standpoints will also have a sub-category of AroAce!Ash (I am not on the a-spectrum, so feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong). When looking at a possible romance between Ash and a male companion, I will be ignoring the actual possibility of Pokemon allowing a non-heterosexual relationship, and looking at it from an emotional standpoint rather than a logical one. I will try my best to let my past history as a SatoSere shipper, AureliaShipper, and a SatoGou Shipper not impact my views. I have not watched all of the animes, so feel free to correct me on certain parts. I will only be looking at companions from the main anime (no movies). 

Dawn:

Platonic:

If Misty and Ash are the kind of siblings who are constantly in each other's faces, then Dawn’s dynamic with Ash is the opposite. Their sibling-like relationship is a more supportive one, with both of them cheering the other on. They each heavily influence the other throughout the Diamond and Pearl series. Their signature high five is a symbol of the trust they put in each other. At this point in the anime, Ash isn’t portrayed as very touchy-feely with other people (at least not like he is with his Pokemon). Ash only gives high fives and handshakes occasionally, with the extremely rare side hug. His high fives with Dawn are constant and shown as a comforting act between the two of them. It’s their equivalent to 2 close siblings' secret handshake. It’s a sign of active trust put between the two of them. Their relationship is supportive and positive, they’re each others’ (literal) biggest cheerleaders. It’s quite wholesome and sweet.

Romantic:

In the same way that their relationship is sibling-like, it can also be looked at from a romantic standpoint. The hints at a possible romantic attraction between the two exist, even if a bit hard to catch. Their high-fives can instead be seen as romantic rather than familial/platonic, and the support they give each other can seem more romantic. Dawn dressing up as a cheerleader to cheer Ash on can definitely be seen as a romantic attraction. The possibility of a romantic relationship between the two is there, even if never acted upon. Their close bond would provide a healthy, cute relationship between the two.

Iris:

Platonic: 

Iris’s friendship with Ash is a bit complicated, to say the least. Iris and Ash are definitely friends, though their dynamic is a little odd. Iris constantly undermined Ash’s abilities, at least in the first bit of Black and White. Her arguments and teasing with Ash are often hypocritical and unnecessary. Though, this teasing can also be looked at from a ‘tough love’ perspective. Most of the quips and remarks she makes about Ash are definitely annoying, but you can tell that a lot of them come from a place of love. Her remarks are her way of showing that she does, in fact, care about Ash. This is also shown in her reappearance during Pokemon Journeys, where she's had time to develop off-screen. Both Iris and Ash have matured, so their friendship is less strained, and it’s easier to see that they both care about each other, even through all the teasing. As annoying as all her teasing is, you can tell that she cares about her friendship with Ash somewhere deep down. 

Romantic:

The two do have some similar traits that would possibly make for a good romantic relationship. This includes their tendency to act stubborn, impulsive, headstrong, and impulsive. Iris’s reason for joining Ash on his journey is also a bit odd, and could imply some sort of romantic feelings. The look she gives him while watching his gym battle also seems to imply other… motives(?)in their friendship. Though, even if Iris does ever hold feelings for Ash, it is not likely that Ash would’ve ever returned them. Ash shows no signs of liking Iris and the signs that Iris shows are few and far between. Their dynamic is definitely better suited for friendship than a romantic relationship. 

Cilan:

Platonic:

Ash and Cilan’s relationship is easily comparable to Ash and Brock’s; with the ‘soft reboot’ of Black and White providing Ash with the need for a new mentor figure. Cilan’s relationship with Ash is a stark contrast to Ash’s relationship with Iris; Cilan provides softer, more constructive criticism. He isn’t as quick to turn to insults, preferring to give advice in a more likeable way. Unlike Iris’s care for Ash which is buried deep under several layers of teasing, insults, and quips, Cilan is more upfront and easygoing. It is easy to tell that he enjoys being a mentor and cares deeply for his travelling companions. 

Romantic:

Like Brock and Ash, Cilan’s age gap with Ash is quite large, with Cilan shown to be somewhere around 15 or 16. Ignoring that, the 2 have a more mentor-mentee dynamic, so the two wouldn’t be compatible in a romantic relationship. 

Clemont:

Platonic:

Clemont and Ash’s dynamic is very close, and it’s easy to see that the two have a lot of mutual respect between them. They respect each other both personality-wise and trainer-wise. Clemont does sort of have the Brock position, him being the one taking care of all the cooking and cleaning. Though, I wouldn’t say he’s a mentor exactly. Since this is the first time the male companion is portrayed as close to Ash’s age, we can see that the dynamic between the two is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Previously, Ash has always been the one to look up to the male companion, but this time around, both of them admire each other. Their relationship is a stark contrast to Ash’s relationship with Brock, Tracey, and Cilan. 

Clemont is often portrayed as more insecure; for a majority of the show, he has low self-esteem, low athleticism and is incredibly fearful, though incredibly intelligent. On the other hand, Ash is the opposite, he’s low in book smarts, but is confident and athletic. This creates a dynamic of admiration and respect that the two hold for the other’s strengths. Ash always cheers Clemont up with what is put as his “boundless optimism.” The two are both supportive of each other, and the respect they hold for each other is endless. 

Romantic:

Ash and Clemont already have a bromance-like relationship, so it’s easy to portray their relationship as romantic. The respect they hold for each other can be easily twisted into a more romantic nature, and the admiration too can be looked at as romantic. This respect and admiration would be great in a romantic relationship if it were to ever be pursued. The two certainly have chemistry, and there are signs that can be seen as attraction. Clemont constantly blushes around Ash, especially when physical contact is initiated, and Ash goes all sparkly whenever Clemont introduces his inventions. 

→ Sub Category. AroAce! Ash Ketchum

I’ve seen people discuss the possibility of a QPR/Queerplatonic relationship between them, so we’re going to quickly discuss that. For the people who don’t know, a QPR is a term for an intimate, but non-romantic relationship. It refers to a relationship that bends the line between a romantic relationship, and a non-romantic one. Queerplatonic relationships are most common between people on the a-spectrum, though are not exclusive to them.  If you want to learn more, you can do some quick research before you continue reading.

There are many people that see/headcanon Ash as on the A-spectrum, so let’s discuss the possibility of a QPR between Ash and Clemont. Though Ash and Clemont are close, the amount of actual romantic signs (blushing, bashfulness, and mentions of attraction) aren’t really there. So, some people have discussed the possibility of a QPR between the two. We’re definitely diverging from canon quite a bit, so I’ll be trying to keep this brief. The possibility of a QPR between Ash and Clemont is there, and their budding bromance would make for a great Queerplatonic relationship. Ash’s ‘touchiness’ around Clemont, along with the respect and admiration they hold for each other, is never seen as romantic, so a QPR is definitely a possibility to be explored. Though, this is definitely a lot more of a non-canon/headcanon thing the Pokiani community has going on, so this is the most I’ll be saying.

Bonnie:

Platonic:

Many people have put Bonnie, as ‘Max done right.’ This applies to Ash and Bonnie’s friendship, too. Bonnie is also a bit of a tag-along, but definitely became a real part of the gang. People may have been wary of her being a part of the group at first, but she certainly became well-liked. Bonnie, despite her age and childish nature, can also show maturity whenever necessary. She has a sweet, motivating personality, and has helped Ash out with his Pokemon. Bonnie is quick to cheer on Ash and his team during battle, always motivational in her own way. Bonnie shows real maturity when dealing with Pokemon, which applies to her relationship with Ash’s Pokemon too. Bonnie’s comedic relief aspect and Ash’s naturally funny nature provide some hilarious moments between her and Ash. Bonnie respects Ash as a trainer, which is something that Max didn’t show for most of his time with Ash, which I see as the main difference between Ash and Bonnie’s friendship compared to Ash and Max’s. The respect aspect is a key factor in their differing relationships. This leads to Ash and Bonnie’s friendship being much more fulfilling and pleasant to watch.

Romantic:

… I swear, even having to write the word ‘romantic’ in Bonnie’s section is killing me. No darn way. Bonnie is seen to be somewhere from 5-8, the prospect of even thinking about this… yuck. 

Serena:

Platonic:

Serena and Ash have a great friendship. They share a close bond, built off of both mutual respect and a whole lot of admiration. You can tell that Serena values her friendship with Ash a lot, from both her actions and the fact that she started travelling with Ash simply because she knew him from childhood (and other reasons that we won’t be discussing in the platonic section). She is influenced heavily by Ash, and a lot of her character development was indirectly because of him. Ash also holds the same respect for Serena, and obviously cares about his and Serena’s friendship just as much. Serena being the one to snap him out of his anger/moping in episode 121 shows that Ash cares deeply for Serena (and the others). Were he to not care about Serena, he would probably not have snapped out of his moping, and would’ve continued being a bit of a prick for a while longer. Also, Ash gifting Serena the ribbon is another show of their bond and friendship. The two of them are definitely great friends.

Romantic:

Serena and Ash definitely have chemistry, especially with the amount of build-up in their relationship that happened during the show. Serena shows many signs of her crush on Ash, blushing incredibly often around him, and obviously The Kiss™. She holds a large amount of affection for him, as shown by both her actions and decisions. Her decision to start her journey to return the handkerchief, the way-too-many cookies she’s given him, and her wearing the blue ribbon she gave him, are all signs of her crush. On the other hand, Ash also shows a handful of signs that he may like Serena back, even if much less than Serena. He has many more ‘bashful’ moments around Serena, and his bond with her seems a bit different than all the other female companions. He’s given her gifts and has often complimented her. His reaction to Serena in the Fennekin costume can also be interpreted as attraction (though, it can also be seen as something similar to shock at Serena wearing something so different, it’s very much up to interpretation). Even if he’s never actually blushed, a lot of his reactions can still be seen as romantic feelings. The chemistry between the two of them is played up a lot more than it has ever been with any of Ash’s other companions. The Kiss™ has caused the pairing between Serena and Ash to be closer to canon than any other ship before them. 

Now, when a ship is so popular, there are going to be some criticisms, and I have my fair share of them too. I’ll try to be careful and mention the more unbiased criticisms that have floated around. Firstly, the snowball scene. Serena states, “You’re [Ash] not acting like the Ash I know!” During this scene, Ash has temporarily reverted back to how he acted in previous seasons of Pokemon, where he is less mature. Though it was nice of Serena to try and comfort Ash, and it wasn’t right for Ash to respond to Serena in such a harsh manner, Serena’s approach to snap him out of it is a bit odd. I mean, obviously throwing snowballs at someone while they're upset is questionable, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. At this point in the anime, Serena has only properly known Ash for a few months. No matter how close they are, Serena doesn’t know everything about Ash just yet. The way she’s interacting with Ash can kind of be taken as her saying that Ash has to always be happy-go-lucky and that he can never show any signs of being upset or angry. Serena has this idealisation of Ash, an always happy and positive person. Her admiration of Ash has caused her to see Ash in a light where he is always positive, always energetic, and never upset, sad or angry. As some have put it, she is ‘liking [loving] a shadow’. Serena has feelings for the perfect, ideal version of Ash. After this episode, we don’t know if Serena has fixed her views on him, or if she has continued seeing Ash as this perfect shadow. 

Now, note that this particular criticism is quite questionable, and is definitely on shaky ground. Firstly, the line, “You’re not acting like the Ash I know!” is only said in the dub. The sub states something more similar to, “The Ash in front of me isn’t the real Ash!” Serena is more so saying that Ash isn’t Ash at all. Also, we do have to consider that she’s a human child. She doesn’t have endless amounts of patience, so when she can’t get Ash to tell her what’s wrong, it’s not unreasonable for her to snap. Serena started off wanting to help Ash, and she only got mad when Ash started lashing out. Though, the snowball scene and how you interpret it is completely up to you. It’s certainly a questionable scene, but I’m in no place to state whether or not how Serena went about it correctly. Also, remember the whole point of this is that I’m overanalyzing everything! I’m well aware that this is just a classic scene between the main character and the love interest, where the love interest is telling the MC to get a hold of themselves.

Another criticism that has been brought up is whether or not Ash likes Serena back. His response to Serena in different outfits has been mediocre, and can also be interpreted as platonic. During The Kiss™ Ash’s eyes sparkle for a second, before he “completely ignores” anything that has happened (The Kiss™ will be discussed more in the next paragraph). Ash has also had a similar reaction to other romantic gestures Serena has made towards him. Though, this criticism people have brought up is one of the more biased ones. 

Now, The Kiss™. Before I say anything, I would prefer to stay well and alive, so no matter how intense of a shipper you are, please stay respectful. I will be trying to state arguments and opinions from both sides. So, The Kiss™. Serena tells Ash while going down the escalator, “Hey, Ash! There’s just one more thing!” She runs back up, and gives him a quick kiss (assumed to be on the lips), before going back down and leaving. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, so before giving my criticism, let’s discuss the scene itself. Though Ash isn’t blushing, he’s got an extra sparkle/highlight in his eyes during and after the kiss before he blinks. This has been interpreted as him liking Serena back/realising that he likes Serena. It’s a quick, cute scene to wrap up their relationship. After the kiss, he also smiles, possibly implying that he enjoyed the kiss and returned Serena’s feelings. On the other hand, some have said that it doesn’t seem like Serena’s crush is mutual. While Serena moves to kiss him, Ash instead moves his head back, which can be interpreted as him being apprehensive/not wanting to kiss her. Also, it’s unclear whether or not he returned this kiss, or if it was just Serena kissing Ash. His pose has stayed the same, which once again gives us no clue as to whether or not he returned the action. There is no obvious answer to whether or not Serena’s feelings are mutual. This scene is mostly up to your own interpretation and leaves room for shippers to speculate.

Let’s also discuss the subbed version, as the original dialogue is quite different from the dubbed version. We’re going to start a bit earlier. Serena is still at the top of the escalator and says, “I’m really glad that I got to journey!” Followed by, “You are my goal.” Ash looks a bit surprised, though some have also seen it as understanding at the same time. Serena then continues saying, “The next time we meet, I’ll be a more attractive woman for you.” Ash replies with a “Yeah!” Serena heads down the escalator, and Ash takes a few steps forward. Serena turns back, saying, “Ash!” Could I have one last moment?” She runs back up, and kisses Ash, before heading back down. Serena tells Ash, “Thank you!” while heading down, and Ash smiles. He gives Serena a farewell, and that’s how it ends. Now, the Japanese version seems a bit more romantic. Ash stepping forward is sometimes seen as him knowing what is happening. Though, with how dense he is, it is likely this was just him making it easier for himself to say goodbye. Now the line about being a more attractive woman is… questionable in its intentions. First of all, we can’t forget that Serena is 10. She’s sort of implying that she’ll be more attractive so that Ash will like her better (remember, she said that Ash was her goal), which is both problematic for her age and problematic in general. If she thinks that Ash will only like her when she’s more attractive, then there’s definitely something wrong there. She also says that Ash is her goal. Was her goal not to be a Pokemon Performer and pursue her career? Why is Ash stated to be her goal? Isn’t this sort of invalidating or ignoring what her actual goal is? Though, since the whole point of this is I’m overanalyzing everything, I’m trying to look at this from every angle. What she says could’ve been completely innocent. (Remember, the criticisms I gave weren’t necessarily my opinions and were more so a quick summary of different opinions in the Pokeanime community.)

→ Sub Cat. AroAce! Ash Ketchum

How clueless Ash is towards Serena’s feelings have sometimes been interpreted as Ash being aromantic/a-spec. His lack of response to Serena’s actions can easily be seen as him simply not being able to reciprocate her romantic feelings. Though, it’s also likely that Ash is just incredibly, incredibly dense. (I really like AroAce! Ash, so I don’t trust myself to go further in this part of the analysis without starting to sound more biased.)

Gosh, Part 2 was a long one !! I almost gave Serena a whole post for just her (￣﹏￣；). Once again, (constructive) critism is appreciated!! This’ll hopefully be turned into a video on my channel, so critism is heavily appreciated to ensure I can create the best video possible. As stated before, I haven’t watched all the animes, so please point out any incorrect details you notice. I’m a bit worried that I was too harsh for Serena’s section, so please offer your insight!! Thanks, and Part 3 coming soon! It will have the Alola gang’s analysis... Maybe Goh and Chloe?? Unsure, as I haven’t finished writing theirs yet... 

Part 1 Part 3

GOTG Review: The Last Guardian

This is the second game in my Backlog Roulette series, where each month I spin a wheel to randomly select a game on my massive backlog that I must play (though not necessarily to completion). These wheel spins occur on the monthly preview episodes I co-host with my friends on The Casual Hour podcast.

I’m trying to remember the last time I felt genuine emotion for a character in a video game. Fire Emblem comes to mind. It is my favorite franchise after all. The idea of building up a roster of characters from zeroes to heroes. I celebrate their wins. I’m pained by their losses. But they don’t feel real. When one goes down, I mourn the loss of their utility more than I do the loss of their character.

I may not feel genuine emotion for Lapis as a character, but I sure do love when she does this.

Pokemon has a similar issue. I watch these monsters grow up and evolve over the course of my journey, my six faithful companions helping me take on the world. But the artifice never fully falls away. I see their “health points” and their mechanical abilities and am reminded these are still just bundles of data, and if I think about the numbers long enough, I can game them just right to always land in my favor. The closest I’ve felt to a critter in Pokemon is in the most recent entries, where Game Freak added in a chance to “hang on” with 1HP left after a devastating enemy move if your Pokemon’s friendship stat was high enough. It’s cool to see a Pokemon break the rules of the game through the power of love, but it also happens too often and too randomly for it to feel authentic.

Cliche as it might be, that last time that genuine feeling occurred might be Team Ico’s previous game, Shadow of the Colossus. Agro, your character’s horse was a constant and stalwart ally. Yes, it was mechanical in its own way, but in a game built around solitude, having this one thing on your side was a comfort, one that made the mostly empty world a little less lonely. And while Shadow of the Colossus plays on this attachment in a few key moments, Team Ico’s third game, The Last Guardian, is built entirely in service of this interaction. 

Reductively put, The Last Guardian is the video game embodiment of “a boy and his dog.” You control a nameless boy, waking up in a prison of a cave. But you are not alone. There is a creature locked in here with you — a massive griffin-like animal. Chained, injured and afraid, it lashes out whenever you come near. This is Trico, and while you might not know it yet, this monster is going to become your best friend. 

Trico is the whole reason The Last Guardian works. His appearance may be fantastical, but his movements, his mannerisms, his stubbornness — they are familiar. You look at Trico, and you know he’s made up of polygons and AI "if/then" statements, but that artifice just melts away, expertly hidden by characteristics that are innately animalistic. Trico barks at things he doesn’t understand. He looks at you in confusion as you try to coax him to move. He paws at his food. He stretches his legs after escaping cramped quarters. He shakes the water off him when he comes out of water and then he preens his feathers. It’s magic. And the developers are able to keep up this trick throughout the entire 12-hour experience. 

How could you not love this goofball?

The game around it however, can leave something to be desired: An awkward camera that’s both rigid and yet has a mind of its own, scenarios that go back to the well a few too many times (I can’t tell you how often my character blacked out due to story reasons, only to be woken up in a new area by a rescuing Trico) and world design that, while undeniably beautiful, is often confusing and repetitive. 

But while those things can (and will) frustrate you, they can’t stop the emotion you feel for Trico. Never have I spoken so much to a TV during a playthrough, using the same tone as I would with my own pet. “That’s right, just a bit further. You can do it.” “No, not that way, Trico.” “Oh, you’re hungry now?” “There, there, the bad guys are gone. Nothing to be afraid of.” I caught myself saying these little phrases often, then laughing at how the game had fooled me yet again that Trico was a living, breathing thing.  

The Last Guardian definitely has its moments of intentional heartstring-pulling — big set pieces and scripted events with you or Trico put in a tight spot just to miraculously have the other save them at the most critical of times. And those moments do often land with their intended impact. But it’s the quiet moments that give Trico, and The Last Guardian by extension, its heartbeat. 

I have played and will play hundreds of games that are “better” than The Last Guardian. Games with sharper controls, more layered stories, nicer graphics, smoother framerates and less obnoxious  puzzles. But few games will leave the impression The Last Guardian has. Because despite its flaws (and perhaps, even thanks to them), The Last Guardian made me feel something in a way that most games can't. 

Hello! Im Paimon! I like drawing stuff!!! :D

Status: indefinite semi hiatus

All/Any prns! Just dont stick with using just one for too long

FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸

DAILY CLICK! 🇵🇸

FREE CONGO 🇨🇩

Current Interests: TMA (on season 4), shen jiu only! from svsss, qsmp, qjaiden, one piece(main), pretty rhythm, hermitcraft, life series, dsmp,c!fundy, Fundy and other mcyts/streamers.

On dsmp, I mostly talk about the characters detached from the ccs who play them. If Im talking about the cc I will specify

Longest interest/hyperfix: Ranma 1/2

Art tag!: catgoat!draws! (Old: paimon!makes art!)

Ramblings and such!: catgoat!meows! (Old: paimon!speaks!)

Liveblogs!: catgoat!liveblogs! (Old: paimon!liveblogs!)

@mreeeoowwww is spam acc!

I do not support dream/dt/forever/ccwilbur soot in any way and would not like to be followed by anyone who does

If you are an empty blog I might block you for thinking youre a bot

- i tend to accidentally rb the same things over again because im forgetful, sorry bout that lol

- u can ask me anything! Ill answer as much as i can! But if i dont answer at all it's definitely because i forgot or it has sat too long in the box so now its awkward to answer, sorry :(

-also send me an ask first before messaging me(unless we're mutuals or the some followers i recognize) because I am a very anxious and paranoid person and would love to be given a heads up first

- i do not normally tag so ask me if you want anything to be tag. I still retain the freedom to deny tho for various reasons if I find any

-mostly sfw but I will be rbing crass jokes and nsfw art which Ill tag by either nudity or nsfw

-I tend to edit post for a variety of reasons

-not a native english speaker! So im sorry if my phrasing is weird!

Other Interests: Ranma 1/2, Akane Tendo, Ace Attorney, Pokemon, Naruto, Demon Slayer, Pretty Rhythm/Pripara series, Pmmm, Mob Psycho, Spy x Family, Musicals, Adventure time, Tawog, Stardew Valley, and etc that dont come to mind rn.

Do whatever you want, I curate my online experience and Ill block whoever I dont like but Id rather be NOT interacted/followed by the following due to obvious reasons and the other for my own comfort reasons

-General DNI criteria (homophobes, racists, transphobes, terfs, etc)

-MAP/PEDOS

-Dream/dt, Forever, Wilbur supporters

-Proshippers/Proship/Anti-Antis (underage x adult/grooming/predatory ships, incestuous ships)

And also dont be a fucking asshole!!!

Dividers: @/saradika

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Thanks....

I don't mind at all! In no particular order...

Yang Wen-li (Legend of the Galactic Heroes): The man is simultaneously the most interesting and most boring guy in the room. He outdoes his superiors in talent, principles, and humility, and although he'll always claim to hate working harder than he has to, he always does what he believes to be right in spite of them. Republican democracy continues to exist in his universe because of his actions and the guidance he gave to his adopted son.

Wakamiya Shinobu (Chihayafuru): Shinobu has no peers at her age and came to accept Chihaya as a worthy challenger and friend, which also helped undo some of the damage from her grandmother's strict upbringing. Which you'd almost never guess she had, because she's kind of a disaster when left to her own devices. And like most of the cast, she's a gigantic dork when not dialed into game mode.

Amuro Ray and Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, Char's Counterattack): Original MSG wasn't my first Gundam, or even my second, or even my third. But when I finally watched that doomed Toonami run, it clicked. While the roles they occupied weren't that different from other shows of the time, the WAY they occupied those roles gave new potential to the 30-minute toy commercial. Going through the various sequels, different adaptations, and side stories, you realize that they're actually not that different, and that makes their rivalry that much more personal and intense.

Judau Ashta (ZZ Gundam): Sticking with Gundam, ZZ required a second watch for me to really appreciate what was happening. Like Amuro and Camille before him, Judau comes from a broken home and is surrounded by adults who've given up on him ever amounting to anything. All of his friends are in the same boat. And they experience positive growth over the course of the show, as they get drafted into the resistance and are given trust and responsibility. Their arc is actually one of the most satisfying, I think, out of all UC crews.

I'm also going to include Duo Maxwell (Gundam Wing) and Allenby Beardsley (G Gundam) with the other Gundam characters because I thought they were cool when I was a teenager.

Date Masamune (Sengoku Basara): This dude, riding around on a horse with handlebars with his clan styled like a biker gang, screaming bad English phrases like "PUT THE GUNS ON!" in feudal times, helped take my weebishness to the next level by stirring an interest in Japanese history that has resulted in my bothering bemused staff at more local history museums than I'd care to count.

Mizuno Ami (Sailor Moon): The best girl in a franchise full of them, Ami is another character who gets top marks because of first impressions in the Toonami days. As a dork, of course I was going to crush on the smart one. Fiercely loyal to her friends, and willing to take action well outside her comfort zone when the situation demands it.

Jigglypuff (Pokemon): She just roams the countryside demanding that people listen to her song, and then draws all over them with magic marker when they inevitably fall asleep? Extremely powerful force of nature. Unstoppable.

Hi, Sunstone! I really loved “A Way to Get Back on Track”. So I wonder, when you have some spare time and all previous requests done, if would you be up for something similar but involving Emmet this time? (maybe with his Galvantula). This boy needs some of comfort too after his brother is gone. Thank you! <3

Absolutely! Emmet deserves to be cheered up as well, so I was happy to do this! I hope you enjoy!

Returning from a Gloomy Detour

Series: Pokemon

Characters: Emmet and Galvantula

Words: 1,574

Summary: When Emmet is feeling gloomy about Ingo’s disappearance, Galvantula uses a playful tactic against him to get him to cheer up.

—

Emmet unlocks the door to his apartment and walks in alone. He shuffles his feet across the floor as he moves forward, his body slouched in exhaustion. He shuts the door behind him and weakly hangs the jingling keys on the wall, then makes his way over to the couch in the middle of the room, too tired to even take off his coat and hat. He plops himself down and sinks himself into the cushions, closing his eyes to try and relax.

Someone from outside of the Unova region came to the station today in search of the infamous subway bosses they’ve heard so much about. The trainer was looking forward to finally battling these formidable opponents, but apparently they hadn’t heard the news.

The second half of the subway boss team, Emmet’s older twin brother Ingo, has been gone for about five months—suddenly vanishing one day with no trace. They’re usually always by each other’s side. Battling together, running the station together, but Emmet has been handling everything by himself in Ingo’s absence. He’s had help these past few months, which he was grateful for, but no one could do it like Ingo could.

There’s been rumors floating around about what happened to the older twin, and Emmet’s heard them all during his duties in the station. But despite what he hears, Emmet knows he’s still out there. Something in him just knows that Ingo is alright.

Emmet sighs as he sits alone in the empty apartment, his mind lingering about the mention of his brother at the station today.

“When do you think he’ll be back?” the young visiting trainer asked.

“I’m…not sure,” Emmet glanced away. He regained his professionalism and looked into the trainer’s eyes. “I’m very sorry, but I'll be more than happy to battle you since you came all this way.”

Pokemon battling always seems to cheer up Emmet, but after the previous mention of his brother, the younger twin couldn’t get Ingo out of his mind. He missed taking on ecstatic challengers alongside his twin. It wasn’t the same, but Emmet knows that Ingo would want him to keep chugging along.

The battle was an intense match, which did lift Emmet’s spirits a bit. One of his own pokemon, Galvantula, toughed it out the entire time, carrying the team to a victory against the challenger. Afterwards, the younger trainer thanked the subway boss for the battle, “I hope your brother returns soon, Mr. Emmet.”

The lone subway boss nodded and put on his best smile. “I hope so too.”

Emmet sits up from his position on the couch after remembering this event and pulls one of his pokeballs out of his pocket. He tosses it onto the ground in front of him and Galvantula pops out of the ball, clicking happily to see her trainer. Emmet never got a chance to thank her for her hard work after the battle, so he thought this would be a nice time to do so. He lifts himself off the couch and keels down in front of the spider-like pokemon. 

“Hey Galvantula,” Emmet pats her head, “Thank you very much for your hard work today. You were great out there.” Galvantula clicks again and smiles with her many eyes. 

Emmet continues, “I wish Ingo could have seen you. I’m sure he would be proud.” He pauses and glances away from the pokemon. Galvantula nudges his arm and the subway boss looks back up, “Sorry…I know he’s alright. I just miss him.” 

Emmet softly smiles as he continues to pat the pokemon, but Galvantula knows this isn’t his usual smile. He’s just trying to put on a brave face.

The fluffy pokemon carefully approaches her trainer and lifts her head up to nuzzle into his neck, just trying to comfort him. She hates seeing her usually gleeful trainer this upset, so she'll do anything she can to cheer him up.

Just then, Emmet flinches and a sudden genuine smile appears on his face. 

“G-Galvantula,” Emmet stutters as he tries to push her big head away from his neck, “Careful, you know that I'm ticklish.”

Galvantula backs her head away for a moment and blinks at her trainer. She actually forgot that the younger subway boss was incredibly ticklish. She’s witnessed some of the twin’s shenanigans over the years, tickle fights being no exception. They always seemed to cheer Emmet up, so perhaps she can use the same strategy to put a smile back on her trainer's face. 

She lifts up her head again and nuzzles into his neck, this time trying to purposefully get a reaction out of him.

“H-Hey!” Emmet flinches once more and tries to gently shove her away, “Galvantula!” 

Soft giggles start to pour from his mouth as the spider-like pokemon continues rubbing her fur playfully against his skin. He tries to scrunch up his shoulders and hide his neck behind the collar of his coat, but it’s no match for the bug and electric type’s attack.

Galvantula chirps as her trainer continues to giggle. She avoids his attempts to push her away and further nuzzles into his neck, easily knocking Emmet over onto his back in the process. The younger subway boss moves his arms and tries to defend his neck from the pokemon’s tickly cuddles, to no avail.

“Come on! Quit it!” Emmet says through his flood of bubbly giggles. He tries to sit up, but Galvantula gently pushes him back down. She’s glad that he’s smiling again, but Galvantula is going to need to up the attack if she's going to get an even bigger grin from the trainer.

With her two front pedipalp appendages, she uses the opening from Emmet’s flailing to scribble into his ribs.

“AH! Galvantula!” Emmet yelps and shoots his arms down, his giggles increasing at the pokemon’s discovery of a new tickle spot. He squeezes his arms tighter to his sides and tries to squirm away, but Galvantula follows his movements, easily wiggling her strong appendages into his torso.

“Gahahalvantula!” the twin laughs throughout the apartment, trying to twist onto his side and curl himself into a giggling ball. The pokemon chirps at her trainer's happy reaction and begins to move her front appendages dangerously close to his sides. Emmet gasps in horror upon seeing where she’s planning to attack next.

“Galvantula no!” he exclaims and tries to make a last-ditch effort to escape. He quickly rolls onto his stomach and attempts to crawl away as fast as he can, but the pokemon swiftly catches him by the leg and pulls him back. Emmet claws at the ground as he tries to tug his leg out of his pokemon’s hold, but he suddenly spasms with ticklish laughter when Galvantula scribbles into his sides.

“AHA! Hahaha! Nohoho!” Emmet bursts into hysterics. He faceplants into the ground and crumbles into a giggling puddle as Galvantula wiggles into his most ticklish spot. The big pokemon chirps with a giggle upon seeing his reaction. This is the Emmet she knows: the giggly, happy, and smiley subway boss that she loves.

Meanwhile, Emmet squirms around onto his back and tries to push the pokemon away from attacking his sides, his big smile now in full view of all her eyes. She chirps again and tries one more tactic to finish off her playful attack. She quickly slips her front fuzzy appendages under his dress shirt and produces a small amount of electricity to use tickly electric jolts on his tummy and sides.

The subway boss immediately jumps in his spot and the floodgates of laughter continue to pour from his mouth. He flops onto the ground and tries to curl himself into a ball again. His laughter booms throughout the apartment, loud and full of joy. He’s reflexively trying to shield his sensitive middle, but at the same time, he’s now just allowing himself to laugh. It was uplifting being able to laugh like since Ingo's disappearance, and it brought back happy memories of his brother to Emmet’s head. Galvantula’s playful tactic worked, and she’s glad that it did.

Eventually though, Emmet couldn’t take anymore of Galvantula’s super effective attack. 

“Okahahay! Okahay!” he laughs in his curled up state, “Yohohou got me! I’m smiling! Hahaha!”

Galvantula clicks and pulls her appendages away to let Emmet recover. He wraps his arms around his torso and slowly uncurls himself to lay on his back, taking in deep breaths of air as he stares up at the ceiling. Galvantula comes over and carefully grabs him by the arm to help him sit up. Emmet softly smiles at her, this time with a genuine look, and pats her head.

“Thanks Galvantula. I feel much better now.”

The spider-like pokemon shakes her body in joy and grins with all her eyes. Emmet giggles at her antics and lifts himself up from the ground, still clutching his stomach from the previous tickle attack. He plops himself on the couch and leans back into the cushions, Galvantula hopping up beside him and snuggling her head into his lap. The younger subway boss smiles at her, then closes his eyes to take a well deserved nap after all the fun. 

Emmet will no doubt be missing Ingo for as long as he's gone, but he's glad that he has friends and pokemon companions to keep him company; and something in him just knows that Ingo is out there where he has the same. 

Tagged by @karura ty may ilyyyy ♡♡♡

8 shows to get to know me better (under the cut)

1. Demon Slayer - without a doubt one of the most important series in my entire life. I'm so glad i discovered it when I did because (and not to sound pathetic) this series has really helped me when i'm feeling depressed, anxious, low or when I feel sick. Almost every character means so much to me, I love the story and ofc it features the man I love and he means the absolute world to me (I could actually write an entire post on how much Douma means to me and why but nobody wants that bshdhasndasdas). I also wouldn't be making gifs or things like that if it wasn't for KNY! I think people know just how much it means to me at this point aisnhsnakspa also I wouldn't have met almost all of my mutuals without it!!! I would not be in the place I am now without KNY.

2. My Hero Academia - I don't keep up with this series much anymore but the characters I love, I rlly love them. I came across it in a time in my life where I really needed something to watch to help me recover something I was going through and I watched S1 so many times. I still really enjoy it despite not keeping up with it as much anymore.

3. Transformers G1 - Growing up I was super super into Transformers and watched the G1 series from the 1980s an absolute fuck ton on video. It's still a comfort show for me!!! the S2 theme is still the best one imo and the 1986 film had a massive impact on me!!! It never gets old <3 The dinobots will always be my favourite characters in the show!!!

4. Pokemon (Kanto series) - Not to sound basic but this is my fave pokemon series because I watched it so much as a kid!!!! Actually, pokemon is one thing that inspired me to get into photography!!!!

5. Sonic X - yeah it's not the greatest but I get so nostalgic from it!!! Also the way they adapted the Adventure games was incredible!!!!! (I also loved Sonic Boom, I was gutted when that never carried on shdhjsadas)

6. The 'Walking With...' series - Another one from my childhood, but I still rewatch them now! These include 'walking with dinosaurs' 'walking with beast' 'walking with monsters' I was a dinosaur girl when I was little and I loved watching anything with dinosaurs (explains why the dinobots are some of my faves) yeah the series is super outdated in terms of information but the effects are still great! I'm actually rewatching 'walking with sea monsters' as I write this!!!! I love dinos so much <3

7. Death Note - The amount of times I've watched this show jahujdasdas I kinda wanna make more gifs for it but I'm not sure if that's what ppl would want. But I love it!!!! Ryuk best character for sure! I have a badge of him on my bag!

8. Haikyuu!! - Tbh this on here to fill a list but it's also something I really enjoy and I'm due for a rewatch!!!! Me and my twin talk about it together and I like how a lot of the characters were born in the same year as me sidasjdisadasdas it's so wholesome and enjoyable and the characters are so lovable and it's atm the only sports anime I've managed to rlly get into

Also massive shout to Derry Girls. Forgot to add it to the list but it's so good!

10 Characters, 10 Fandoms, 10 Tags

Thanks to @cleflink for the tag!!! Picking only 10 characters was really hard!!! But, I think this is a good selection: 1. Goro Akechi - Persona 5 - It’s literally a meme between my friends that I love this man way too much lolololol. His complex personality and dynamic with Akira is just so good!!! My ultimate favorite character of all time!!! (Still waiting for the Akechi to my Akira) 2. Joshua Kiryu - The World Ends With You - For those who can’t tell, I love the cocky cunning assholes. Ever since I played the original game on my DS back in the day, I’ve loved this man so much!!! An intriguing individual with an excellent dynamic with Neku. (I hope we get another sequel someday!!!!) 3. Kazuya Miyuki - Ace of Diamond - THE CATCHER OF MY HEART!!!! When I first started watching Ace of Diamond back in like 2015 (? I think?), I wasn’t sure if I would stick with it because Eijun gave me so much second hand embarrassment (we are too alike lololol). But then Miyuki appeared and stole both of our hearts and I’ve been a fan since (They hugged in the latest chap!!! IM SO HAPPY!!!!!!) 4. Kaito Kuroba (Kaitou Kid) - DCMK - One of my earliest crushes that I still have to this day lololol. Detective Conan was one of the first animes I watched on my own (before that, I watched whatever my mom and sister showed me like Cardcaptor Sakura), so the series holds a special place in my heart (and I think Kaito probs highly contributed to me having the Type I have today lololol). I also love the contrast between Kaito and Shinichi (Kaito seems easy-going but is actually always considering his options vs. Shinichi seems calculating but is actually really impulsive). 5. Damon Reznor - Andromeda Six - I LOVE THIS MAN!!! I’ve played many dating sims over the years, but Damon’s character and route legit takes the crown for being my all time favorite. His character is honestly perfect (and even when I streamed the game with friends, we were legit directed by fate to do his route because every time we had a choice the random number generator we used always picked him lololol) 6. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd - Fire Emblem: Three Houses - When Byleth mentioned that Dimitri has a darkness within him, I was immediately intrigued and decided to go for the Blue Lions route. This choice absolutely paid off when I got to the scene where he discovered the truth about Edelgard and went absolutely feral!!! His character development was so good, and I legit can’t play the game without romancing him!!! (Also, when he was the only house leader to comfort Byleth when the tragedy happened, I ended up actually crying because I had recently lost one of my cats and his words impacted me strongly. I’ll never forget them) 7. Jason Todd - DC Comics - One of my favorite robins (along with Tim Drake)!!! He deserved so much better than the treatment he received from the writers when he was robin, but his character development as the Red Hood has been excellent. Tho i miss his and everyone’s iterations from before the New 52 happened. (Gotham Knights better do both him and Tim justice!!!) 8. Arsene Lupin - Code: Realize - THE BEST BOY!!!!!! Since I love Kaito, it’s no surprise that I would adore other versions of Lupin as well, and Code: Realize’s version is absolutely perfect. His and Cardia’s relationship is so cute, and I found myself wanting to smooch him anytime he was on screen.  9. Yang - Piofiore - ONE OF THE BEST ROUTES I HAVE EVER SEEN IN AN OTOME!!!! Yang’s character development during his route was honestly one of favorites of all time!!! It was so well-written (and I was honestly disappointed that the other routes never reached the same level). I also loved how Lili was directly involved with most of the action in his route. 10. Volo - Pokemon Legends: Arceus - HIM HIM HIMMMMMMMMMM!!!!! Although I still love N and Pokemon Black and White will forever be my fav games in the series, Volo has officially become my ultimate favorite pokemon character!!! His final battle during the post-game honestly shook me to the core (and I hope we see more of him someday, tho I doubt GameFreak will ever try to expand the narratives again like they did with Black 2 and White 2). Tagging (only if ya wanna do it btw!): @johncleana ; @dragonbiitch ; @themagpiedragon ; @clown-of-the-moon ; @bagel-bird ; @frost-steam  @moonlight-modoki ; @ghoulbud ; @chefffo-blog ; @kissuru-blog ; @ralphrius

@15-44​ has sent: 4 (for both star wars and pkmn if you're up to it 👀)

Mun Views  [Accepting]

4. On your fandom. 

// For Pokemon: I saw that gen 9 has finally been released, and how much of a buggy mess the games are (It’s just BDSP all over again). And I’m curious to see how people are going to defend GF/Pokemon company this time around. For USD$60, I sure hope people are enjoying the game. But somehow, I feel like this new generation is even worse than Galar. BECAUSE, it came after all of the shitshow that the previous generation turned out to be. They literally haven’t done much in the way of improvement, from one generation to another one. I mean, why would they? Gen 8 may have been their most profitable gen ever since the original and gen 2 hype.

It’s not all a lost cause, but these games shouldn’t have been released in this state. And watch them mask the “fixing patch” as the USD$30 DLCs that are coming. I obviously still very much love the franchise, but the most recent entries have been so... Disheartening to see. Is it wrong for me to say how I think us as fans deserve something better? I wished that the companies in charge of pokemon, would change their strategies. So the team working on the main line games would be able to have proper time, to establish and iron out the next entries. Bc both humans and pokemon designs wise have been pretty lackluster, if I say so myself.

For SW: Going from one subject to another one...

SW is primarily a succession of tragedies, one after another. That’s the main drive for the series’ narratives, and I’m shocked to see the amount of people who just seem to be unable to handle these themes in a fandom for a show like this.

SW isn’t anywhere near on the same level as say GoT/HotD, in the amount of taboo/darker subjects. But the serie’s main theme is war, it’s literally in the name sake. And the franchise, never sugarcoated or even romanticized this topic and always tried to show the effects it had across the galaxy as well as from all perspectives. That’s IMO the coolest part about SW. The entire cast of SW isn’t 100% good or bad, there is nuance in many places.

Then, here comes some people who I feel like, would be way happier in a fandom for a serie like pokemon. ‘This character did some bad things, and I’m not happy with it, that’s why I’ll stan a version of this character that in no way or shape reflects the source material’. IDK man, if you’ve to do this in order to get any amount of enjoyment out of something, then... WOuldn’t it be better to try get into something that’ll cater to your tastes better?

I’m not being a canon purist, bc hell I’m also not the most SW knowledeagble (there is still a lot I must have yet to know, everyone knows it is a mess.). BUT IM SAYING THAT, mAKING OCS OUT OF ESTABLISHED CHARACTERS IS KINDA OF COUNTER PRODUCTIVE IN MY VIEW POINT. Especially if they get mad, that ppl will turn to the source material for reference, and not consult their personal interpretation of the facts. Which in no way or shape, will ever replace the canon.

I understand not being comfortable with stories, SW can get dark at times. That’s why I feel like, some people would be happier in other communities.

What Yu-Gi-Oh! Means for many.

Don’t know how to start this. Not one for long writing or speeches. 

But basically, Yu-Gi-Oh! was my childhood. Starting from middleschool and onward in the early 2000s. I was introduced to the show by my friend. And then afterword's I learned how to play the game by playing a gameboy game. Yugioh duelist tournament of champions of 2004 I believe. 

After that it faded and I got obsessed with Pokemon for a while. 

However when highschool came, I came home one day to find my mother (whos now since passed away) watching Yugioh on 4kids. (lol) And I sat there and watched it with her, having forgotten so much about it. And I began to play the games again on the gameboy. I never beat Reshef of Destruction. I wasn’t any kind of good player, but I loved to progress in the story. And my favorite games were capsule monsters, dice monsters, sacred cards and duelist of the roses. 

Then one day, after my 15th birthday I believe, I found a manga of yugioh just sitting in the young adult section of my favorite library and the first page I open was Yuugi holding hands with Anzu at duelist kingdom. (lol) I then look at the back, and was shocked to see Yuugi was the same age as me at the start of the manga. So naturally I began to read it. I became suddenly obsessed and wanted to read more. And I got up to the part of millennium world. And suddenly I found shonen jump magazine and began buying them and subscribed to them to keep up with the manga. 

During this time, I became aware of the ships. (Thiefshipping for the fucking win) The old websites such as Kokorononakayugioh website (Which is still up by the way) https://kokorononaka.net and began downloading mp3 music from the japanese version of the show and looking at released bankobans and then....fanfiction, doujins and roleplays.....By the way, I can scarily accurately roleplay any of the characters from the original series. XD

It became a part of my life so quickly. And collecting the cards became a hobby. I suddenly had something to comfort myself with. And trust the characters in the stories to get me through day to day problems. (I have autism. And my school was not very accepting of that. Nor were students)

Yugioh had been banned at one point and I didn’t know about it. And my cards were tossed into the garbage. I remember being called to the principles office because I had them and they were considered CONTRABAND. I still remember how I was looking into the garbage can and realized just how much the cards meant to me. How I could socialize by asking others to play the game with me. It was everything. And my mom knew this too. I took the cards out of the garbage and mom took me home. 

To my surprise they brought it back, because too many people complained and apparently my actions had helped push it to be allowed back into school. And oddly, they began to have shonen jump arrive in their library. (I was allowed to have the cards they gave usually every month)

So thinking of all this, knowing how much it all means to me. I was fucking devastated to hear the news of Kazuki Sensei. 

My immediate reaction was screaming. And I was in a group chat at the time and everyone was confused and concerned and I had to explain the news, only to find there wasn’t much of a reaction. Because they hadn’t been into it as much as I was. I cried. I cried for days. I didn’t want to talk to anyone and shut down. I very plainly told people to fuck off and leave me alone. I also worried for Little Kuriboh, the guy who does Yugioh abridged. I’ve known him since his name was CARDGAMESFTW in the old youtube days. I was worried because he is prone to depression like me and illness from it. As he has posted old videos such as “we’re still here vlogs”. 

But he seems alright for now, and he knows the significance of his death. Nobody expected it. I had hoped that these covid years and celebrity deaths wouldn’t take someone so important to me. But it did. And I still don’t know how to respond to it. Perhaps I’m angry that Kazuki went alone out there. That he didn’t have a swim partner. Perhaps I’m sad that Yugioh may die out because of what happened. I really hope not. I really hope this only pushes people to bring back the life that the show and manga has given me. 

Don’t know how to end this so I’ll just leave this here.

OKAY SO- this is really random and VERY cringe but screw it, it's funny to me in retrospect so let's get cringe.

I just watched one of those reddit answer compilation vids with the topic being "Your First Writing Mistake". Whiiiich got me thinking about my first writing mistake as well as my first fanfics.

So, thinking it over, I'm pretty sure that my first 'mistake' of sorts (outside the typical grammar and pacing mistakes of a writing newbie) was trying to insert angst into a series where it didn't really work or fit. And yeah, I get that's fairly common (especially for young writers) but I think I did it in a pretty 'unique' way, lol.

I was either in 8th or 9th grade (so in other words, prime teenage angst/edginess phase) when the CN show "Chowder" came out. I loved its silliness and the bond that the characters had with each other, but I also wished that it could be more "serious" and "dramatic" given how often the characters were in danger. (Because even back then, lil' Andrea's favorite genres were hurt/comfort and family fluff)

I had also started reading the "One Last Wish" series at that time (which, for those who don't know, is a series about kids with serious and/or terminal illnesses who get sent $100,000 checks by some unknown person). You guys can see where this is going.

My first fanfic was about Chowder getting some sort of disease (I think it was Malaria, I remember hearing about it on one of the shows my mom watched at the time) and getting treatment for it (based on VERY surface level research) plus dealing with the previous mentioned $100,000 check. I also ended up writing an EEnE/One Last Wish fic with Double D getting lung cancer. (I really did like those books, and I had also been inspired by another fanfic writer who was doing the same thing with early/mid 2000s Disney Channel cartoons).

Later on, I wrote fics about Chowder and the gang being on their world's version of the Titanic (was briefly obsessed with that movie as a kid) as well as a hurt/comfort aftermath fic based on that one episode where Chowder gets possessed by a ghost turkey. You know, that ep that was specifically meant to be a silly Exorcist parody? Yeah, I looked at that and was all "but what if it was taken seriously?"

Super cringe to look back on now, but I'm pretty sure a lot of kids shared similar feelings about the show given that (from what I remember, given those fics are looooong gone) they were fairly popular on FF.net. One person even made a book cover of sorts for the Chowder/One Last Wish fic, which I remember being incredibly touched by.

Also for what it's worth, not ALL my old Chowder fics were angsty or involved death/characters nearly dying - I had tons of Chowder/Panini fics (which, oof, that ship aged poorly) as well as a Pokemon AU and a Chowder/Total Drama crossover fic, among others.

But yeah, as much as I laugh and wonder what younger me was thinking, I guess there are worse ways to express yourself during your angst phase than taking a silly cartoon and writing it to be more drama than comedy.