Asdfjk for some reason I hadn't realized your characters were dogs, I had just mentally accepted them as fantasy beasts. Is this to say contemporary breeds like the pekingese also exist in your world? O8

Pekingese is one of the oldest dog breeds so yes, they definitely exist. I think the range of breeds and types you'd come across at any given situation is determined by how likely those breeds would've been present at that place at that era. I wouldn't put dobermans in medieval times because the breed didn't exist before around 1890, or terriers in Edo era Japan. Idk, it's not that serious but I like to think it adds a layer of believability? It's sorta fun at least.

I should add that even when I assign specific breeds to my characters, in reality the overwhelming majority of them are mixed to some degree. Being truly and strictly purebred gets you into Habsburg situations.

Do you know how specific scent training is? Like if you train a dog to find mallards they can find other ducks, but they're not going to indicate at sparrows for instance. So how specific is it?

Hi! So short answer - depends on the dog and how well they contextualize.

If you have a dog predisposed to finding birds, they're probably going to find all birds and then generally learn which ones you (the human) care about. So say for example your dog shows you a crow, a sparrow, a mallard, a teal, and a finch. You reward the mallard and the teal, and you ignore the others. Eventually your dog will release that you only care about some birds and their indication on crows and sparrows amd finches will fade.

If, on the other hand, you have to teach a dog to indicate birds from scratch, you might have to contextualize more. So you'd teach your dog that you reward when they look at ducks in a pond, and then they'd seek out ducks in a pond (hopefully). Then you'd have to teach that you reward when they find ducks in a field. Then ducks on a path in the woods. Then you might have to teach them that you don't care about herons in the pond. And so on and on, depending how quickly they understand what you're rewarding.

It really depends on what connection your dog makes in their puppy brain, and there isn't a good way to control that. But it's a fun thing to try anyway, especially if it's something you and your dog find enriching!

i may be just gasping at straws here but there is something just. so insane about how the nature of kendall and shiv’s relationship is somewhat cannibalistic. like shiv spitting in his drink and kendall drinking it anyway and the ‘i love you but i cannot fucking stomach you’ and the idea of kendall being the sacrificial lamb in 2x10 + shiv’s ‘can’t eat’ . like the whole consumption aspect of it all.. just wondering if you had any thoughts on it i suppose!!

YES very true. the kitchen scene is a callback to their childhood in more ways than one--it reflects the siblings' relationship with each other and with food and how they're linked (dyou remember the summer of competitive eating disorders:)). its notable that only shiv and kendall say they're hungry despite none of them having eaten dinner, and that kendall is the only one who ends up eating anything. roman licks the cheese as a joke, passes the ingredients to shiv, who actually blends the discordant foods together, and together they feed kendall this drink that is definitely terrible for him. siblings ! no but i do think its an unsubtle metaphor but it works ! kendalls position as the heir has always relied on roman being the weaker dog bolstering his position, on shiv being the baby who will never get it bc shes a girl. and if he wont drink the rest, they'll drench him with it, turn his own promised position against him in jealousy and self interest and a mistaken notion of love

and shiv spitting in it was very much foreshadowing, yeah. i liked how it was a callback to her spitting in kendalls notebook after the "rape me/i'm not the only one," incident during her speech--it was a childish act then, and its one now, and it shows how any attempts at enmity or solidarity come from the same place of shared abuse, of seeing someone better than you see yourself and punishing them for the traits you share. kendall drinking it again reflects how his position will never be untinged by shivs simultaneous understanding as well as animosity. mirror traps real

the way this all relates to the characters' relationships with food is also ofc very interesting. roman doesnt eat at all, he denies his body and sees it as evidence of his failure to be logan's son. he never wanted ceo, it couldn't have been him, dad's death cements the impossibility of the love he craved by which proximity to the ceo position was made valuable at all. shiv admitted she was starving but never ate anything, only asked her mom if there was food. she brings up food only as a move, only as something that can serve her, because to acknowledge it otherwise would be weakness. ofc this is reflective of her relationship with power, and love--she'll bring it up first so she's noted as being aware of the cards at play without showing her hand. but she never actually gets it because when she's said the quiet part out loud, voiced her ambition, there's nothing stopping the quiet parts of her weaknesses in this world from being consumed i.e. her womanhood :) in the end all she can do is acknowledge the fact of her starvation, and spit into the poisonous food bowl while still hungry.

ofc its kendalls bowl she's spitting into. he sees food as fuel, as something that gets him where he needs to go, but never actually enjoys it, and sees such enjoyment as juvenile--we're not at buckley anymore--but his firm belief in rationality and health corresponding to awareness means its another step to the ideal position that doesn't really exist. at the end of the day he will drink the concoction because he considers himself stronger for it. i did a fucking year in shangai, i'm ready, etc

ultimately this is reflected in their choices in the endings. roman says yes first then retracts with shiv. i think hes the one who says shiv has no stomach for admin which is like, him pinning the decision to support kendall as well as the consideration to kill him onto shiv lol. SHIV doesnt have the stomach for admin, and SHIV cannot stomach kendall, and it comes down to the same thing--shiv shutting kendall out bc she's never been able to digest his choices. this DOES relate to pierce ofc and logan throwing up at the breakfast and ultimately waystar being a declining corporation that could never have eaten up pierce. do you see what im saying do you see how it makes sense from this angle that shiv was the only one who ended up still "in," even if only as the ceo's wife. shiv being unable to stomach kendall is the final nail in the coffin--its acceptance of this fact. of the death of waystar, and by extension logan. anyway i keep thinking about how when they all trooped into the kitchen, wet through, kids again, there was never really any real food in the fridge :)

I want to get into Zatanna comics but I’m not sure where to start. What series do you recommend?

Hello! Don't worry, I can give you a short starting guide + some recommendations on this post so you can read without having to dive fully into thousands of issues (unless you want a detailed guide of more appearances).

The usual go to for any beginner is Zatanna (2010) by Paul Dini. It's her longest solo comic (16 issues) and it fits as a stand alone.

If you are interested, I'm currently working in a masterlist reading guide of her appearances. Zatanna is a very old character, so a lot of her appearances are scattered as cameo and team books, so often finding what to read is hard. If you want to get a little further into her character, these options I'm about to mention are good as well. More under the cut because this is a long post.

- Secret Origins (1988) (volume 2) #27

Offers a summary about of Zatanna's origin in the DC universe. A bit old, so the scans can be blurry, but still a nice read.

- Zatanna Special (1987) by Gerry Conway & Gray Morrow

Zatanna gets contacted by the ghost of her mother Sindella, which leads her to travel to secret city of the Homo Magi with her manager. A lot of details about her background are revealed her, it's one of my favourite comics for her.

Zatanna: Come Together (1993) by Lee Mars & Esteban Maroto

Four issue mini in which Zatanna tries to get a fresh new start in San Francisco, temporally retiring from her superhero career. Unfortunately, she doesn't expect to find her stay disrupted by a supernatural threat infesting the city. Still one of my favourite comics of her and the art is amazing too. It also explores her background from her mother's side of the family, which is always good and underrated.

Zatanna: Everyday Magic (2003) by Paul Dini & Rick Mays (one shot)

We see Zatanna in her best moment as a famous stage magician in a long tour. She seems to be doing great, but she still fights to have an ordinary personal life. Things get complicated when her former partner, John Constantine, shows up on her life once again.

This is a fun story! It's Zatanna only Vertigo solo book. There are some poorly aged jokes and the art is not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a fun light hearted read for everyone.

Zatanna: Seven Soldiers (2007) by Grant Morrison & Ryan Sook

Zatanna attends a superhero support group. Her powers are weak and she finds herself in a low spot in her life, but the arrival of a mysterious girl pushes her to go on a tripe to find her father's missing journals.

This mini series is part of a bigger event written by Morrison called Seven Soldiers of Victory, but it can be read as a stand alone. If you want further context, I recommend reading the event, though.

I really like this comic, though. I wish we got to see more of Zatanna's mentorship role.

Black Canary & Zatanna: Bloodspell (2015) by Paul Dini & Joe Quinones.

A fun team up comic! It's an original graphic novel. I love Zee and Dinah's friendship.

Wonder Woman: Agent of Peace (2020) #15

A fun team up issue with Diana and Zee spending quality time together.

Justice League Dark (2011) (New52) & Justice League Dark (2018) (Rebirth)

Now, to clarify. I don't necessarily recommend the Justice League Dark books, but I'm incluiding them since most of Zee post new 52 appearances are in these two books which are...a mixed bag. Justice League Dark (new 52) wasn't of my liking with the exception of the last third of the whole book (Dematteis did a good job, probably the best out of the three writers heading the book). Earlier writers didn't know how to handle Zatanna, her personality is very watered down just as well as her abilities, and she isn't really given spotlight, leadership and full potential of her abilities until Dematteis takes the pen. I also don't enjoy how off was the characterisation of other characters of the book and the overall writing quality and pace, but that's a story for another post.

Justice League Dark (Rebirth) is a step up in quality from New52, but unfortunately it continues with the weird personality shift in Zatanna's personality and the a lackuster character design. As much as I love Diana, who is part of this team line up, I think Zatanna should have been given the leader role and the spotlight. Out of this book, I sincerely enjoyed Ram V's stage on the later half on this run, who deserved to stay longer on this title.

That said, you can take a look on these titles, but you know, at least you know what to expect.

Bonus: Graphic novels, webtoons and stand alone stories

DC's new talent showcase (2018)

Truth and Justice (2020) #7 - 9

Zatannna & the Ripper (Available for Free in Webtoon, still ongoing)

Zatannna & House of Secrets (Kids graphic novel)

Batman: Urban Legends (#11-16)

Johnny Constantine & Mystery of the Meanest Teacher (she's a co protagonist here)

I know you’ve given tips on drawing Jack Skellington’s head before, but would you be willing to give a few tips on Jack’s body? His skinniness, lankiness, and his striped attire make him kinda a challenge to pose and draw, at least for me. I also want to tell you how much I really love the way you draw him.

Hey, when you said RHATO Jason is the worst version on your last ask, were you referring to the first comic, second comic, or the Webtoon? (Honestly annoyed the Webtoon took that name, makes things even more confusing)

I have problems with all 3 (Webtoon most of all for sure, with the second and first switching places behind it based on what characters or plots I’m thinking about tbh), but I was just curious haha

oh. oh. oh you're not ready for this. I've been trying this entire week to find a good time to air out my thoughts:

so! in my opinion (again, this is not shaming anyone for liking what they like! if you happen to like RHATO!jason all the more power to you! dont read this!) all three reiterations of RHATO!Jason .. are not great. the one I think might have potential to be salvaged is the second one with Artemis and bizarro! (although roy harper is in my heart of hearts)

the way Jason is written in rhato... the rhato written by Scott Lobdell anyway, (who is actually a sexual predator and when you start to think even a LITTLE about how the women are written in RHATO makes so much sense) portrays Jason as yet another cookie cutter anti-hero-deadpool-esque personality who's mainly confined by the narrative restraints of his character.

I say this because hes so.... the way he goes about his vigilantism is so .. shallow. It's like the narrative is finding excuses to make him violent so the reader can be stimulated with Michale Bay explosions lol. You hardly see any stories in there where Jason is an actual champion for the people, and you hardly see his background as a street kid come into play... its like... he became... a vigilante because....he knows how the system can fail those... alienated and forgotten by those sworn to protect them... and thus channels his energy into said people through acts of radical protection... (also because the whole bruce thing yeah I know)

I keep thinking about injustice!Jason's monologue where he literally says something along the lines of "while bruce and clark were fighting I fought for the people who were being caught up in the whole thing" like if that doesn't just tell you who he is idk what will! and sure, injustice isn't Jason source material, so look at under the red hood! he literally becomes a drug kingpin TO CONTROL crime ... and then instead of getting these immense shows of care he has for the community in RHATO, we get panels like this:

like ok get it I guess 😭😭😭😭

this is the new and improved Jason!! he's suave.. hes American... he's... just like every other antihero now!!

I don't know how to explain it without sounding like an idiot- best bet is to read the comics yourself to kinda get what im saying! but even rebirth Jason is (kind of) getting what RHATO Jason doesn't-- he's a product of his huge heart. rebirth Jason has countless stories where we see how Jason ACTUALLY operates as red hood, and what his symbol means to the citizens of Gotham!

if you pour too much grit and "edginess" into Jason, then you kind of miss what he's all about- he can still be silly and sarcastic! in fact, one of my favorite Jason moments is from red hood: lost days, a series where he's portrayed as an edgy, "misfit" ruffian:

like. hello this is hilarious. and we can still have moments like these while balancing his emotional range as a vigilante that's motivated by his big fat heart! (ignoring the fact that he slept with Talia in the next issue 😭 Jason fans can't have shit 😭)

but anyway! ill likely add more when I'm not feeling so tired, but god!! is it so hard to show Jason's propensity for kindness!! is it so hard to realize that his character to the core is revolved around a deep understanding for others based on personal experience!!

there's a reason why DC (in the rare moments when they know what to do with his character) always writes stories with Jason consoling children, or Jason being good with kids in dangerous situations!

it's because he's been there before. he's felt the grief and confusion of being helpless in a situation of his control. he's felt the consequences of adults who were supposed to protect and raise him! he's been killed for daring to cling on to the notion of trust even after all he's been through!

and I don't know, I think his dedication to the people, children especially, is his way of forgiving himself- his way of telling little Jason that it wasn't his fault.

Speaking of songs that fit jason. Idk if you like/listen to taylor swift but "castles crumbling" is so jason in a really sad way. Also "look what you made me do" is like his edgy phase when he first came back as red hood or even arkham knight maybe

I admit that I listen to Taylor Swift in a very casual way, so I only knew "Look What You Made Me Do"

BUT after listening to "Castles Crumbling" I cried all my tears and you are absolutely right

Still talking about Taylor songs, I saw an edit with "Anti-hero" on tiktok a while ago and now it's a song that I unintentionally associate with Red Hood, but again: idk maybe it's just me???

Anyway it has nothing to do with the discussion, but I just want to say that "Revived" by Derivakat is heavily Jason coded

Can we know why she went from best friend to fat footed bitch please👀😂

No worries if not, I'm just up late

lol i actually think i called her a fat footed bitch BEFORE we stopped being friends (altho... probs not much before) becauseeeeee... the last year we were friends was rocky for me and her.

BUT, and prepare yourself: it's really LONG and convoluted because TECHNICALLY it was all a misunderstanding (and related to some unaddressed trauma she had), but basically... her and her sister INVITED me and a plus one (who ended up being my friend) to go see a concert with them and carpool to the train station together, where we'd all subway to the venue. This part all goes fine.

BUT, it's on the way home, after we've trained back to her car... when it's like 2 in the morning, that she (ex-best friend) tells us that she's not planning on taking me or my friend home. She's just driving back to her house where she'll leave us to do whatever for our own ride, BECAUSE, she says, "we never asked for her to carpool us back home."

And this is kind of a problem because... since we just assumed she'd give us a ride home, WE HAVE NO BACKUP PLAN, and neither my mom nor my friend's family is picking up the phone, and so essentially, if she doesn't drive us, we're stranded in the middle of the night.

Of course, as my friend argues (even though I know she'd never call one for herself bc she was terrified of men) we could've gotten an uber... but it's both really late at night and, because this was just after highschool and I WAS FRESHLY 18, just an awful idea.

But the thing that makes it even more weird... is like, as we're arguing, her sister (who literally co-owns the car with her) offers to drive instead... and it's only then that she finally agrees to take us home...

Except that, once we're on the road, SHE PURPOSEFULLY misses our exit and just goes to her house anyway??????? (and by this point, i'm crying, not really because i'm upset at the scenario as a whole, though that too, but because i think she's just not acting like a friend AND BEING hypocritical, as well as the girl who i invited is chronically ill and needs to get home for her medication and bathroom and etc. and I just feel so bad)

So we eventually get to her house... where, once arriving, she just fucks off!!!!!!! and leaves us outside!!! And thankfully, her sister (who is actually still my friend, I love her lol) offers to go back and drop us off at home...

But the whole thing just ends up spiraling because... WELL, there's a lot of reasons, lol:

I left a bunch of makeup and a jacket at her house and text her to make sure i can pick it up later... and she yells at me (over text) about always being selfish asking other people to do stuff for me

This starts another fight where I tell her I just want an apology for not driving me home and that i was never expecting her to drop off the makeup LOL

She doesn't apologize and instead texts a mutual friend trying to get her to talk to me too

and i just stop responding to her altogether

And by the time she messages me again, a couple months later (by which we're both in different states having started college), NOT WITH AN APOLOGY, just simply saying she didn't realize the whole thing would take such a toll, I'm still too hurt to talk to her.... and that's basically the end of our friendship.

OH AND THE WHOLE INSTAGRAM REPORTING THING happened bc her sister invited me to christmas dinner soon after that and she immediately uninvited me... and i made another post about her having made me cry, which her new friend sent, as well as all these other screenshots of posts I made, to her.

i also did eventually get her a birthday gift (as an olive branch) when i was finally not angry and hurt.... but she never ended up acknowledging it (which wouldn't have been super weird except... i was literally at her house celebrating with her sister and she never once spoke to me).

-

SO YEAH. You probably weren't expecting so much but... here it is!! took me like 45 minutes to type out and i'm pretty sure it's still not the best description but........... THAT'S HOW I GOT MY HEART BROKEN BY A FAT FOOTED BITCH (she's also a zionist now tho so lmaooo i really dodged a bullet there) !

HOPE THIS WAS A GOOD BEDTIME STORY ILY

wait hold on now I am genuinely curious: Why is D-Sides your favourite Gorillaz album? I never vibed with it myself so I am interested in hearing what you like about it that I'm missing out on.

so, i haven't listened to Gorillaz in a long while, nor do i tend to listen to music that actively these days, but i re-listened to the entire album, side 1 and side 2, to try and come up with a reason why i like it so much. i do want to preface and say, yeah, the album (side 1 atleast) is very "plain", there's not a whole lot going on, nor are there any guest artists on any of the songs.

but in listening to the album again, a few things kinda appear in my brain regarding the album. one is that it brings back a set of memories of taking trips to and from Ohio to live with my mother and step-father during a few breaks between high school, and how a lot of the songs in the album i remember heavily listening to while trying to sleep in the back of their car (i'm 6'2", and sleeping horizontally in the back of a moderately small car was. not great). i had the main 6 albums before Humanz installed to my kindle, since Humanz hadn't come out yet as these trips were between... 2014 and 2016. i mainly remember hearing D-Sides the most i feel on those trips, whether it be intentional, or my sleep patterns would have me looping back around to D-Sides... that or i mostly started with D-Sides at the beginning of those trips.

another thing i'm kinda thinking about after having re-listened to the album is how much side 1 kinda reminds me of Boe, in terms of the vibes; there's a lot of somber vibes i get from some songs that fits well for him (Hong Kong and Spitting Out the Demons both being notable songs that remind me of Boe himself, and also of those long trips). side 2 on the other hand, it's remixes remind me a lot of the Sims 2, specifically the console version, as i associate a lot of Sims 2 with it's console selection of music... which is mostly a more heavy focus on the electronic tracks from the PC version; a lot of the remixes feel like something i could hear playing on the radio while i'm controlling my sim around and doing tasks.

last thing, maybe, is that i never hear folks refer to D-Sides as one of their favourites, so maybe that's why i have it as mine. out of respect perhaps.

Thoughts on mork after knowing his age? Also thoughts on morkday's relationship knowing their gap and how it's close to jimmy and sea's real ages?

EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT THIS GAVE ME HEART PALPITATIONS AND THREW ME INTO A FRENZY BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ABOUT IT IN MY USUAL SOURCES MY MASK OF SANITY WAS TRULY ABOUT TO SLIP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OFFICE BUT THANK GOD @puentalay CAME TO MY RESCUE HASHTAG CRISIS AVERTED EVEN IF NOW IM GOING INSANE FOR ENTIRELY DIFFERENT REASONS

so, for anyone who might not know, in today's event sea revealed that day is around 24 and mork around 28/29, which means they have a 5 years difference. the interesting thing is that those are basically jimmysea ages too SO I GUESS P'AOF REALLY WASN'T JOKING WHEN HE SAID THAT THEY WERE MADE TO PLAY MORKDAY

i think those ages fit the characters really well tho!!!!! the 20s are very confusing and complicated years, which aren't made any easier by the insane pressure society puts on them: this is a time where people are expected to create a very specific kind of lifestyle and reach certain goals before they turn 30, like completing their education, getting a stable job, buying a house, marrying, having children..... and if anyone fails to meet these expectations, they are made to believe that there's something wrong with them and that they're now too old. mork being 28/29 makes a lot of sense and explains his attitude towards the future because this is the reality he's facing: society is telling him that he's running out of time to achieve anything, that change is no longer possible for him, that he's too late and that he failed, and at one point he started to really believe that, so what's the point in dreaming of something more if his fate is already sealed? on the other hand, at 24 years old day was exactly on track to accomplish everything society expected of him: after graduating he was working on becoming a famous athlete and already had his whole life planned out, but then the accident happened and suddenly he's finding himself back to square one

of course these aren't struggles that are limited to the 20s, but i think these years are emblematic of this perceived fight against time. this is also not an easy story to portray, so i think it was very smart to make mork and day have a similar age difference as jimmy and sea, because at least they have their natural phi/nong dynamic to help them getting through the hardest parts. of course im not saying there aren't differences, but mork and day's relationship is closer to their natural one compared to puen and talay's. for example, i think sea is comfortable with following and trusting jimmy's lead, while jimmy is already attuned to sea's needs, so it's not surprising to see them just power walking around the room with no hesitation in that one workshop video where they are practicing mork guiding day

i do wonder if there are other parts of their natural dynamic that can be applied to morkday tho!!!! like how they confirmed that jimmy is more shy and not particularly into skinship while sea is an extreme cuddler so most of the time he's the one to take the initiative and go to jimmy for a hug.... i could definitely see that happening with morkday too and actually you know what IM MANIFESTING IM ACTUALIZING IM MAKING IT HAPPEN!!!!!!!

What is the aftermath of Chosen's snap of "he only keeps you cause you're usefull" to second?

We all know Second is an insecure baby, do they put their head down and leave quietly? Does he snap back? Do they give the most hurt look and give chosen space?

Also whats Dark reaction to this? (Bet hes gonna tear Chosen a new one for hurting their little brother)

LONG POST AHEAD WAHOO sorrrey hahahah

Me and my brother hal talked about the aftermath a while back, all of it happens in less than 10 minutes and outside the house, maybe Second chasing Chosen trying to make a point and Chosen finally snapping at him. Second does keep his head down and lets Chosen say some mean things to him, problem is that he gets so overwhelmed that a small part of his green powers awaken as he silently holds back the tears cause he's been hurt by someone he genuelly wished to get closer to, its not big scale like what happened in showdown its just small electricity and his eyes glowing green, he cant handle these emotions, its not even the mean things its who's saying them you know? second wants more than anything to feel like he belongs and that he's not sticking out like a sore thumb, despite loving his friends deeply he still really wants to be let in by chosen and dark.

Dark at this point in time was already on good terms w second (maybe also another reason as to why chosen would snap at second, he felt threatened that he was going to take dark away from him) so even if Dark wanted to go and comfort Second she's frozen with fear, cause suddenly he's back at that crater badly injured and alone. Chosen just doesn't care, he's pissed. Second eventually stops holding back how hurt he is, and he breaks, he starts crying and all of that electricity and power that was building up finds a different outlet and disspiates slowly as Second silently cries into the arms of his sweater, he looks up to find both of them staring, and despite being embarrassed and hurt he holds his gaze for a moment onto Chosen before leaving. He leaves a patch of burned grass where he stood.

Dark goes after Second a couple of hours later, letting it be really clear that he's upset w Chosen, Dark arrives at the PC and Second of course greets her w a hug, the color gang are for once sleeping so he just sneaks Dark into his room and they hang out, Dark wanted to leave in less than a day but Second begs him to stay cause he's really messed up emotionally and Dark is the only one that knows why, lots of talking, Dark stays over for two days almost three and then has to go back cause he knows if he's not there Chosen will not eat or get out of bed in general so. Second lets her of course, now feeling better, both agreeing that they will give this whole family thing one more try, Dark will convince Chosen somehow. (The colors gang all freak out when they Dark walking around grabbing a glass of water for Second, all except Red, Red saw them hugging the first night and decided that if Second is okay w him then so is he, the rest accept it too for Second's sake)

is palestine the current events ur referring to????

hey anon, i'm not sure in what spirit you sent this - i'll take it at face value and elaborate a bit on my perspective from those tags.

i was being purposefully vague and not referring to any particular current event. just commenting on how whenever something horrible enough happens in the news, there's often this wave of sentiment that we should all be watching the coverage and reading several books to understand the situation and reblogging the posts and so forth. and while i'm not advocating for complete ignorance (nuance! there's nuance to everything!), i don't think that's a healthy expectation to have on myself or on others. there's always multiple bad things happening all the time, and if i carry the burden of being informed on all of them in gruesome detail, it will only make my life harder; it won't make the bad things get better.

and just to say it directly: i do care about the war in palestine. but i am not in a position where i can really do anything about it, and "reading articles and feeling sad/horrified" is neither pleasant nor productive.

Oooo!! Sozo pretends to be an ant! Interesting! Can I ask why? (Also what did Helob think when he found out Sozo’s a spider like him)

So- simplified answer: Sozo pretends to be an ant to both appear less threatening and more trustworthy to others (you'd be quicker to trust an ant rather than a spider) and as a mean of protection: where there is one ant there is often more to come, so many are discouraged from attacking him unless they're ready to take on a whole possible colony. (which- since arthropods are as big as mammals in this universe- is even more frightening than normal). (There is also a specie of spider (the Aphantochilus I believe) that mimics ants since they're its main prey- my Sozo isn't really based on one but I for sure took inspiration.)

Oh, and he also does so because he's convinced that that's the “Mushroom Gods”'s preferred form for a vessel.

More complex answer- *takes a deep breath*.. I have to first explain 3 more headcanons:

-How Menticides grow. -What they do. -What the Mushroomo are.

(CW: mention of self-sacrifice, self-mutilation, flesh/blood offerings, self-cannibalism, spider behaviour under the cut- nothing is too detailed but be warned.)

Let's start with the Menticides Mushrooms.. I still kept in mind that they're based on the Cordyceps, but at the same time I sprinkled in some ritualistic/myths stuff. They're no ordinary mushrooms, they only grow in Anura and only where a specific type of blood or body has been buried: That of someone who offered their being or life to the Mushroom Gods.

Anura is Heket's reign, the goddess of famine- who doesn't always answer the cries of hunger of her subjects. The most desperate turn their backs to her, worshipping instead the Mushroom Gods by offering parts of their own body, to have at least the mushrooms, born from their offers, to eat.

And so the Menticides' keep growing in the lands of Anura, at least until their roots have flesh to consume. (Mind you- this is what the rumors say, no one knows if the Mushroom Gods are actual deities or just hallucinations caused by either hunger or the spores. Even blood or bodies that didn't worship them could still grow pure Menticides- but everyone would think that those were heretics that had abandoned Heket's cult and worshipped the M. Gods instead.) How do the mushroom keep multiplying and growing? They're simply highly addicting. Their taste alike to a whole feast is sure to hook in anyone who eats enough. To have their taste, those who have become addicts, keep offering more and more- until they either offer up their whole body or succumb to the self-injuries. Now... wouldn't it be crazy if there were some that actively cultivated them?

Here comes the Mushroomo, the perfect mix between ant and mushroom. (I remembered of a specie of ants that literally “cultivates” mushrooms in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship- so since my stubborn self wanted Sozo to be a spider, I headcannoned the Mushroomo as ants instead!). They're so close to Menticide Mushrooms they became one with them, cultivating them onto their own “living” bodies. (If you kill them when you first meet them they will drop Menticides- and since they say they hadn't found any.. those might've been on their bodies.)

What does all of this has to do with why Sozo pretends to be an ant?

I already said that I see Sozo as an outsider, a travelling researcher of mushrooms that ventured to the Lands of the Old Faith. It is very likely that he stumbled upon Menticide mushroom and, not knowing the local tales around them, he consumed them for his research to take notes. He quickly became addicted, so addicted that he consumed almost all of the Menticides of the zone he had found them in (which, for someone that doesn't know the place that well, might mean that he consumed practically all of them). Realizing how his feast would soon be over, he tried to cultivate the few he had saved as he would with other mushrooms- but nothing ever grew of them.

During a night of withdrawal he a had a vision of the Mushroom Gods, whom revealed to him how to have more- all he needed was a flesh offering. Sozo both mesmerized and terrified by the experience, decided to do as told for desperation. He ripped off a pair of his arms (he could always regrow them afterall.. just a few molts and he would've been good as new, and most importantly he would've had more mushrooms!) and set up a offering ritual- before fainting due to the stress his body had had to go through. Sure enough the morning after more Menticides had grown where he had buried his limbs, but there was more than just the mushrooms: a horde of Mushroomo.

Even a tarantula can be as good as dead when surrounded by ants- he had to think fast. He kept his extra sets of eyes closed and made sure his fangs were perfectly sheeted into his fur, then he started praying they would fall for his play. Thankfully, with the help of also his missing limbs and his strong mushroom scent, the Mushroomo were fooled into thinking he was one of them, welcoming him in their colony. (Let's be real- I'm sure their brain is quite mushy (pun intended)).

During his stay, apart from consuming Menticides daily, worsening his mental condition and addiction, he also started to envy the little ones for their connection to the mushrooms, the ants being one with the Menticides, making them closer to the image of the Gods they worshipped.

So the moments he molted in secret, and a bit of his limbs regrew, he does a ritual once more- only this time is a union ritual.

He offered his living body to the Mushroom Gods, asking to be one with them like the others. To solidify his request and the union ceremony, he offered only one of his arms to the Gods while the other he consumed himself.

The day after his head felt heavy and all the Mushroomo were venerating him as their leader: they saw the face of their gods on the mushroom that had grown onto Sozo- and it was smiling down on them.

So- yeah.. Sozo pretends to be an ant to keep his followers at bay, was he to show that he is a spider around them they would at best freak out and run off or at worst think he killed their leader and “avenge” him, killing Sozo. So anytime he molts and fully regrows that pair of limbs he rips them off, both to keep his identity secret more easily and to renew his union with the Gods. (fun fact: a spider will rip their arm off if it's badly damaged or if that will save its life from a predator or danger- as long as it detaches correctly it's just a little annoyance to the spider.) Other than that, as I mentioned at the start, Sozo believes this ant-like form it's what the M.Gods want from him to be one with them. Take it as either a self-conviction to have the hope to one day ascend to Mushroom Godhood himself (the statue he gifts you makes me think that he doesn't only worship them but wants to be a M.God himself), or as an excuse to push through the whole ritualistic leg ripping and living with followers that would tear him apart were they to discover what he really is. (so other than the paranoia caused by the drugs he also as.. a very justified fear).

-

(I usually use they/them for Helob, just a heads up so there is no confusion in this bit!)

About what Helob thought when Sozo revealed to be a spider- it might be a bit anti-climatic but.. nothing changed much for them.

My Helob looks for two main things whenever they meet a new face: are they prey or are they predator? And if it's the latter- are they foe or ally? Those they see as predators require more investigation on their part- and since Sozo was seen as a predator even when he played the part of an ant (the whole reasoning of- if there are more nearby and they attack him they're done for- since certain ants species can and will overpower a spider when in group.) they took their time knowing him. By the time they found out the truth they had already concluded that he wasn't a threat.

It also helped that, in my headcanon, Helob finds that out after Sozo has just molted. (This makes Sozo, the bigger spider, equal if not weaker than Helob, the smaller one, strength wise.) That allowed Helob to show him that them and Sozo are allies in their eyes- friends- and that they were neither scared nor willing to attack him over the fact that he is a spider like them- even during such a vulnerable moment. The best I can say they thought is that finally they can talk spider to spider with him-! And have someone to share their uhm- cuisine whenever there is the risk for the "morsels" to "spoil". (a rare occurrence but- it's never good to waste food).

If i were to make a fangame would i be allowed to include the wormy boys(and girl?) Context: thinking about creating a fangame set in the far future[300-9000 years] based on a mental thought experiment i did based on, how life would evolve on an completely irradiated world, and its adaptations and quirks(assuming the first problem of genetic fuckery, and biological fuckery gets solved by more lead dense cell walls)

sounds like an interesting premise! however i think i would have to decline, no hard feelings. It just doesn't seem like the kind of setting the worm squad would have a good time in. yanno? it doesn't fit the spirit (??) of the au, for lack of a better description.

but if you wanna make characters/creatures Based Off Them then i have no problem with it at all!

Why didn’t you like TAR? Ngl I found it overrated too

spoiler warning for tar (2022), and tbh this is very ranty and gets very rambly

okay, so firstly, i will say that everyone in the film did give good performances, i get the cate blanchett hype, i'll give it that and the cinematography was nice

but like everything else? it just felt so shallow and full of itself. like okay wow white lesbians can fully assimilate into white male dominant spaces and be just as bad as them!! like okay, most poc already know this, this is a conversation that has been dabbled into for a while. and like fine, this is a film by a white person for white people, but even taking that into account, it still just feels like a film that's just talking without really saying anything. and i have things that i didn't really like or make sense to me like why is a supposed to be an up-and-coming conductor working as a personal assistant? why is the fact that whether or not she took advantage of her former pupil so ambiguous? and i'm sure there are others that i can't think of at the moment.

and like i can forgive everything i've said so far, but really it's the last ten minutes that just... but okay wow the fact that this is a film by a white person for white people really made itself known 💀 and like sure, i am a filipino who lives in the philippines, of course, i can like spot things others won't and be super nitpicky, but the portrayal and the implications the film makes of my country just makes me want to put todd field into a guillotine! like she has a big fall from grace in the western classical musical scene, at the bottom of the barrel is conducting a video game score in the philippines. like, firstly, is the whole it being meant to be the philippines but really filmed in thailand + that whole apocalypse now line meant to be some weird meta thing?? because it doesn't work either way. anyway, does todd field know that we have twitter in the philippines? does he not think in a nation that is one of the most consistently recorded as being very much Online, no one in the classical music sphere here would have heard of lydia tar? that no one would have made a post calling her and the event organizers out? i mean obviously not, based on how he portrays filipinos as being the ones stupid or not-in-the-know enough to give lydia a job. and like seeing it as almost an honor for them to have her, a white lady there, giving her flowers and a gift basket (idk how to word this it's just very colonial mentality). okay, there's two places the event she was hired to do would be happening at, manila and cebu, and since they went to pagsanjan (where apocalypse now was filmed) that can only mean that she's meant to be in manila. and so that just gets to me even more, because i live in manila, i have been to the nerd conventions, i have aunts with connections to the theater, one of them is literally a production manager in events!! and i say this because we see lydia in what is definitely a budget hotel room, then we see her at some random alleyway getting into a sketchy building while it's pouring rain, and then she's in a meeting in a very poorly lit room, and the scene where she's working in a karinderya. and like, the event she's been hired to do, which i later found out is kind of a big thing in japan (and that just adds to what i'm gonna say), would have been organized by people with money. and keeping the whole "it's an honor to have her" thing in mind, in real life, she would have been put up in a much nicer hotel room (i'm by no means rich, and i've stayed at much nicer rooms), they would have most likely arranged for someone to drive her to the meeting and the driver would most likely have an umbrella and would have held it as she walked to the door of an average office building most likely in a nice part of metro manila, then she would have gone to work in a starbucks. but no ofc this doesn't happen in the philippines it's a third world country, they don't know shit, and are definitely not known for their hospitality..... then there is ofc the massage parlor scene 💀 just really fucking disgusting all around. while it was a long time ago, i did write a paper on sex tourism in my country like i know this is a real thing that happens, but at this point, it has been way too many strikes for me. from the set-up, like ofc the man at reception thought she meant *that* (again, she would have been put up at a nicer hotel that probably would have had an in-house spa, also why did he have her prescription?? also we don't have those orange bottles here), and to like the scene itself?? like yes, a white person being asked to pick a sex worker in a line-up, excuse me, fishbowl (wow so oriental!!) in a third world country is a very appropriate parallel for the process of auditioning orchestra members 🙃

so yeah maybe i should be allowed to kill todd field

♪ for Buddy

oh you hit the jackpot with this one, buddy has the most songs i associate them with out of all my guys.........

(also some of these also apply to kuron too cause i kinda lump these two together(since technically theyre the same character. technically..)

'The Moon Will Sing' by the crane wives - ........ i dont have to explain anything here, you already know<3333

'Joe' by AJR - okay i feel like i need to explain a little here- this song is about trying to move on from your past and insisting that you dont care about your old friends/colleagues' ' approval anymore except surprise!! you do. a lot. so this is a song i feel like encapsulates buddys relationship with team voltron pretty well! buddy tries very hard to convince themself that they dont care about their old friends (and that they never did in the first place) as a coping mechanism, but deep down they still care.

'Saint Bernard 2' by Lincoln - this is buddy reminiscing about all of their past actions and mistakes years after the fact and making peace with themself about it. they hurt people and suffered and made stupid decisions, and they propably will again- but thats okay. theyre not the black paladin anymore. that time of their life is over. they will always carry a piece of that time with them though, and thats okay

(The last two are more Kuron-coded than anything but i'm putting them here anyway)

'Burn Him Down' by Kitsch Club - this song makes me think about how kuron is seen as disposable to haggar (and his friends) and was something to get rid of once he stopped serving his purpose?? idk if this makes sense but. yeah..

'Zamki na piasku' - Lady Pank - this song is in polish so im gonna explain- the plot is about a famous celebrity who snaps and becomes a terrorist i think??? it has motives of being a cog on the machine and how people percieve fame and i think that suits Kuron/buddy a lot

Thanks for asking bestie<333