#& no one seemed bothered by her

[ruporas]

lonely

[ID: A limited palette of green and pink, Vashwood comic. The first page serves as a prologue. The first panel shows Vash speaking to someone off screen while Wolfwood is lingering behind him. A black arrow is drawn pointing at him. In the second panel, Vash is buying donuts in the distance while Wolfwood is once again in view, lingering. and the black arrow is drawn pointing at him. In the third panel, Vash is leaving a cubicle and turning towards his right with a slightly peeved expression. He sees Wolfwood, leaning against the cubicle, waiting for him, and with the black arrow drawn, pointing at him, implicating the consistent hovering of Wolfwood’s presence during Vash’s everyday. At the bottom of the page, they’re drawn out of panel with Vash turning to Wolfwood and saying with an irritated expression, “You’re really following me everywhere, huh?” Wolfwood responds, “What, you got a problem?” Vash responds without hesitation, “Yeah, kinda...”

The second page starts with a new day. In the first panel, Vash is seen alone, weighing apples in his hands at a mart, with crowds passing behind him. In the second panel, he turns to his right and starts to say, “Hey, Wolfwood...” In the third panel, he’s startled from seeing a stranger, whom he’d accidentally called out to when he was expecting to see Wolfwood. He says, “Oh, you’re not him. Sorry!” In the fourth panel, the stranger walks off and Vash muses, “Right, he said he had something to do today...”

The third page begins with a close up of Vash's miffed expression, the continuation of Vash's thoughts, "Now that he's not here, this is just like how I used to be, but... It feels lonely somehow. Oh well, I'll see him again tonight, like always." In the second panel, it shows Vash walking through the marketplace crowd, alone. In the third panel, the door panel is a close up of the door opening with a peek of Vash's head. He says, "Wolfwood!" In the fourth panel, Vash is holding a bag of food with a bright smile and says, "Are you hungry? I got you something to eat today!"

The fourth page begins with a shot of the room, two beds being highlighted, one of them being made properly with the blanket draped over the bed and the other with the blanket folded and pillow sitting on top of it. There's no sign of Wolfwood. The second panel shows Vash with a disappointed look as he thinks, "He's still not here?" The third panel shows Vash putting the bag of food on the table. Stapled to the paper bag is the receipt with a written note "For Wolfwood." Vash's thoughts continue "He does like to stay out so, I guess there's no reason to worry..." The fourth panel shows Vash sitting his bed somberly with his thoughts continued, "It's not any of my business anyway..."

The fifth page starts with a close up his blank expression as he looks downwards, thinking, "Even if he left completely... That'd be understandable and better for him. I'll just travel alone again... like before... Huh?" The next panel shows Vash's composure break, tears welling up in his eyes suddenly, as he didn't expect to cry. He starts to sob, putting his hands to his face to quiet himself and wipe at his tears, as he says, "Ugh... Dammit... I miss h..." The last panel shows Vash leaning over into his hands, still crying, and in the back, the door swings wide open with a bam as Wolfwood walks through with the punisher swung behind him. He shouts, "SPIKEY! You in here?!"

The sixth page starts with Wolfwood confused, looking at Vash and Vash looks back, just as confused, with tears in his eyes and snot out of his nose. Wolfwood starts saying, "Ah? You..." No longer in panels, at the bottom of the page, Wolfwood takes the Punisher off of himself and starts to walk towards Vash, continuing with slight concern, "What's wrong with you? Did something happen?" Vash, hurriedly begins to wipe at his tears, denying immediately, "No! No, I'm fine! Nothing happened!"

The seventh page, Vash points towards the table, with a hand still wiping at his tears and he smiles as he says, "I uh got you food. On the table." Wolfwood looks towards to the table and responds, "Oh. I was getting hungry, thanks." He turns his head back to Vash immediately after with an uncertain expression, knowing the other wasn't responding to his concern, and says, "But, I know you're an idiot with this stuff, so I'm reminding you again. Don't brush it off if it's an issue, alright?"

The eight page, Vash's tears have dried and he looks to Wolfwood with a soft smile and responds, "Yeah. It's okay though..." A panel at the center shows a side view of Vash approaching Wolfwood. At the bottom of the page, with no panel, is a close up shot of Vash's hand, holding onto the edge of Wolfwood's jacket sleeve, as he says, "Because you're here now. Wolfwood."

The final page is a back shot of both of them standing next to each other, Wolfwood's head tilted slightly to the left, not fully believing Vash as he says, "That doesn't answer anything, Spikey." Vash responds, "There's no need to talk about it! You should enjoy your food. Let's have a drink too?" Wolfwood responds, "Tsk, tsk. Fine, yeah. I could use one." END ID]

#vashwood #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #trigun #trigun maximum #but onto this comic... i think and talk a LOT about vash's loneliness bc trigun is just. kind of central on that for a good while! esp in #the original manga he was alone for a good portion of it and he tends to keep others away like how he ran away from meryl and milly when #they tried to tag along. and he was kind of bothered when he realized ww was following him around Too. at the core even though he loves #humans and he loves deeply the people he does know -- he isnt really much of a people person and i think thats been the case since he was #young considering his initial doubts towards humans... with the exception of kids bc kids dont give him moral conflicts. so suddenly #here comes wolfwood!!! his guide. someone TRULY affixed to him until he has to get to knives. someone who isnt budging and someone whos #really good at following him around and even seems like he goes like 5 steps ahead to make sure vash doesnt run on him #in one way its - i don't want you to follow me bc i don't want to burden you and i don't want you to kill the people i want to save. #in another way its - i like this companionship. i like waking up to you and i like ending the way with you. i like talking to someone who #knows my world. i like being in your space and sometimes i enjoy talking about our day #theyre just living together. like. roadtrip buddies or theyre also under the same roof because they're going everywhere together. #trimax they mainly spend their mornings together and if they had personal business attend the other person would usually know and itd only #be during the midday. anyway bc of this kind of companionship i figure that vash eventually grew accustom to it and he really. cant go back #to the kind of loneliness from before. it's harder to imagine and it'd be harder to withstand. esp after 2 years with lina and her grandma. #ruporas art

[lazyveran]

we dont talk enough abt the fact azula is insanely proficient at hand to hand combat

#noticing it seems to be her defensive play #assuming her preferred way of fighting is very one unit body focussed. probably a byproduct of her intensive bending training #just. the first fight scene we see of her is azula effectively controlling her and zuko's entire fight with ONE HAND #and then moving to finish with lightning #i think thats insane. #also wondering if azula even bothers to use her fire bending on opponents she regards as weak #as in. she presumes if an opponent is weak enough there is no reason to tire herself out w her bending #interesting honestly. assuming azula looks to end a fight with maximum efficency from both herself and her situation #speaks to her pragmatism that she doesnt even show off that much #anyway. claw girl go scratch #azula #atla #veran speaks

[festering-bacteria]

In my clone high era here’s my Harriet redesign, some Confucius doodles & a silly little tophucius (?) comic-ish thingy, I promise they make sense together and I’m not ill at all I swea

#art #clone high #clone high season 2 #clone high harriet tubman #clone high confucius #topher bus #tophucius #i think that’s what their ship name would be #it sounds nice I think #NOBODY can resist the bass pro shops pyramid #hot take i like the vibrant colors #i think harriet just needed colors that work better together #her proportions are what bothered me more than her color scheme #something abt the way she’s shaped in the show felt off to me she just seemed very stiff I think #ANYWYASY I am such a tophucius truther they have such a dynamic I swear I’m not insane I promise #I FORGOR JFK WAS IN ONE OF THEM #clone high jfk

[cozylittleartblog]

random note about king on that animation, i got really lucky with how simple his animation was and how clean my sketches were to begin with that i was able to do very minimal cleanup on what i had sketched (and add back. his horn. it's supposed to take place just after echoes of the past, Oops) and call it done that way instead of having to redraw the entire thing like i had to on his dad

first sketch > line cleanup > nearly final animation (i'd added slight eye movements last-second but otherwise that's the final)

#toh #the owl house #animation #gif #king clawthorne #the lineart slightly flickers on his one paw where i had to erase the tag and i thought it would bother me a lot more #but most people seem to use the internet on their phones - coupled with the darker palette and color of his fur #it basically completely hides it #based on feedback i don't think a lot of people realize i made that and it's not a gif from the show lmfao #BUT ITS STILL REALLY NICE THAT PEOPLE THINK IT IS!!!! I AM NOT AN ANIMATOR I AM JUST A HOBBYIST... #i animate like once a year... shits hard man.... but apparently when i do animate. its extremely good :) proud of that #even if i have an extremely unhinged way of animating #i don't have an animation program i draw everything individually frame by frame in photoshop #each character had their own psd file with the same background and every frame was its own group. twice. one for sketch one for colors #i do test takes with gifcam (there are literally 55 WIP gifs in my documents folder rn) by switching between layers and taking a 'frame' #and i compile in blender's video editor and to move things separately i save each character's frame in its own .png 'cel' #so luz was her own 'cel'. king was his own 'cel.' etc. and then i have to manually slide the lengths of the frames around #to match the right framerate. traditionally animation is animated at 24 FPS on 2's - so 12 frames a second. i go on 3s. 4 to slow down #anime-ass framerate. i'm insane apparently but its what i like to do #i dont understand real animation programs they have too many pieces but i DO understand photoshop and my funny brushes #imagine having Digital Programs and Still basically doing ye olde traditional animation method just in the computer #if im Just making a gif then i only use gifcam and switch between layers. like digital stop motion. somethings wrong with me

[bumblingbabooshka]

B'Elanna, Neelix, Tuvok and Chakotay needed to star in an episode where they just talked about their different beliefs and approaches to spirituality/religion. Paired off and all together. I need to gain more insight. I need characterization and I need it to be messy.

#B'Elanna's difficulty with Klingon myths and religion (especially due to her internalized racism) #Chakotay's current strong belief in his own spirituality despite his initial complete rejection of it (and how B'Elanna seems to admire #and have talked with Chakotay about it extensively in the past given how many specifics she's aware of) #Neelix's belief in an afterlife being the only thing that comforted him after his entire family was killed - the knowledge that he would be #able to reunite with them again and that knowledge being ripped away from him #Does he still believe? Are there other aspects of his previous spiritual beliefs that are thrown into question? #Just because it isn't 'real' does it make it unimportant? How do we even know whether or not it's 'real'? #He died and doesn't remember reaching that tree and seeing his family - does that mean it didn't happen? #Tuvok's line in 'Innocence' about how he's begun to have doubts about whether or not a katra exists and what happens after someone dies #and his firm ties to Vulcan spirituality and ritual #ALL SO INTERESTING!!!!!!!! #star trek voyager #I don't think it'd be a calm or healthy conversation either - they're not therapists and I don't think anyone but Chakotay #would be particularly careful with his words #and before you say Tuvok's a Vulcan so he would be let me remind you that Tuvok told B'Elanna to her face that he thought Klingons #were basically savages - he is INDELICATE to say the least #Neelix is careful with his words bc he's a people pleaser for survival but also he has a tendency to bother people and be overly pushy #and I think he'd do a lot of research and be the one leading the conversation/the reason they get on the topic and continue on it #B'Elanna wouldn't want to talk about it. She wants to talk about it the least. But she must!!!! Bc the episode demands it!! #st voy

[andorerso]

if we're talking about Lyra, here's my hot take

I think she and Galen both failed Jyn. I don't think Lyra was a shitty mother, she clearly loved Jyn a lot and did her best in difficult circumstances, but at the same time, Jyn was eight years old, she needed her parents. she wasn't an adult or a teen or even a young tween who may be able to look out for herself, she was entirely reliant on her parents who failed to put her safety first.

the situation is obviously nuanced, so again, I don't think this makes Lyra a terrible parent by any means, but I'd be lying if I said that I thought she did right by Jyn in that moment. killing Krennic was never a plan that was going to work. say she got a lucky shot and managed to end him, what then? the troopers still kill her, and they either still take Galen or kill him too. Jyn still ends up alone and vulnerable.

I'm not putting the blame solely on Lyra, but I think she did have a responsibility towards Jyn the same as Galen, and imo they both failed her in this aspect

#your child is your responsibility #like yes i do think one of them should have stayed with her #in this case it's more realistic for that to be lyra not because she's the mother but because krennic was there for galen #which seemed to be their original escape plan anyway? galen goes to distract them while lyra and jyn escape #but even if it was galen who stayed with her one of them should have #idk i just think you should prioritize your 8 year old daughter #who's entirely reliant on you #shut up sissi #ps im not picking a fight with anyone i just wanted to offer my two cents because i had thoughts #and thinking about it more i think what bothers me the most is that lyra went back on the plan they had in place #she presumably agreed to be the one who stayed with jyn while galen distracted them then she changed her mind

[crimsongrimoire]

i need 4.1 to be here faster so i can be insane accurately

#crow.txt #genshin #snippets #wriolette #sfw #fluff #furina thinks shes so sneaky but alas shes like a cartoon character. not sneaky not subtle shes too silly #court jester emphasis on the Court #goofy little hydro archon. silly little creature. she has every issue #shes mad wrio is stealing her emotional support dragon #also like to think neuvi is way more bothered by people calling wrio a dog than wrio himself is #like given that one melusine law thing. clearly doesnt seem Cool with dehumanization. wrios just like yeah yeah whatever #neuvi is like WHO DO YOU THINK YOURE TALKING TO RN.

[crown-ov-horns]

Michael's so stern, and laconic, she's honestly just... Cold. But, I think she'd be so gallant towards a female love interest.

Damn... Imagine her kissing your hand (and refusing to break eye contact as she does it).

One could swoon. I'd say she definitely goes on one knee to propose.

Her Spartan demeanor does soften in her love interest's presence. A fond smile lights up her lips, and her piercing eyes shine with adoration. She mindlessly does things like brushing a lock of her so's hair behind her ear, putting her arm around her, or having her sit on her lap.

I also think (since she's the Champion) she has a pathological need to protect. Honestly, it might cause tension as she gets patronizing, even controlling. She's used to being obeyed without question, after all.

#pestilence this isn't what you're supposed to be doing #good omens #good omens michael #good omens fandom #diary pages #good omens headcanons #i'm not even hiding my thing for this holy figure anymore... good thing hierophilia is blasphemous #she has such domineering energy (i mean she is the supreme commander) but she's very gentleman-coded as a lover #i'm of course thinking of my crowley x michael things #though... she's not quite gallant yet because threatening people with swords and burning them isn't gallant #the only thing that bothers me is the actress seems so short #i guess she doesn't need to be tall she just has tall protective energy #i always imagine the figure as pathologically protective and patronizing #archangel michael #also go did badly in the sense she should be standing with her hands clasped behind her back #or with one hand on her sword #when the general of the heavenly host kisses your hand you will swoon #pestilence is procastrinating #i also think war is kind of similar

[namakes]

Pictures of all the Deep Cut concept art pages from the Splatoon 3 Ikasu Artbook

#splatoon #shiver (splatoon) #frye (splatoon) #big man (splatoon) #tried to get decent pictures #shark Frye and eel Shiv made it pretty far into the development process it seems #I love the Frye we got but some of the later concepts are so good… #her crooked grin. man. #anyway #didn’t bother taking pictures of the ones nintendo posted since that’s easier #and a better picture #splatoon 3 artbook #concept art

[hamartia-grander]

Not enough people talk about Lae'zel's poeticism outside of the romance route. Listen to her describe her home in Selûne's Tears and tell me she doesn't enjoy poetry in her spare time.

#also her commenting that Githyanki enjoy the arts just as much as fighting like #y'all seem to think she's a one dimensional warrior who only bothers to speak poetically when she's in love w the player character #untrue #lae'zel #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 lae'zel

[minustwofingers]

it really bugs me how taylor swift has been able to evade sm criticism under the guise that having a problem with her is misogynistic. like yes some of it is but at some point i think we should be able to talk about how she only speaks out about issues when she knows she’ll benefit and also is destroying our environment. she is not your friend, she is not mothering, she is not a queer icon (that’s a whole diff issue..). she wants your money and that’s it!

ALSO adding this as an edit bc i forgot: can u imagine how much more traction the pro palestine movement would get if we had taylor actively speaking out about it and using her platform?? like can u fucking imagine??? and she’s not and it’s just insane to me that people are okay with this. she has enough money. even if doing so completely tanked her career, she would be fine

#dee overshares #i know the last post i made about this was a lot nicer #but it just really irks me how no one is rlly holding her accountable #after the matty healy thing i lost my respect for her #and seeing other white girls forgive and forget over that makes me scratch my head #like of course it doesn’t bother u because ur white #and don’t seem to be able to empathize with other peoples’ experiences #so it’s not up to u to decide whether or not that was okay

[sysig]

Skelefam

Unfortunately, as much as I love this mod - I mean, it’s beautiful! Just look at it! - it does have a game-crashing bug D: For some reason skeletons can’t get jobs, it crashes the game lol, so as much as I’d love to have Gaster in the Science career, he is a stay-at-home parent! That’s fine, nannies suck in TS2 lol. There’s also only a few clothing options but I’m gonna try some poking around to at least expand upon what’s there already :D

I ended up using the stretchSkeleton cheat - hehe, skeleton - to make Papyrus a bit taller and Sans a bit smaller. It’s only really noticeable in their ankles, and their animations are a bit misaligned, but other than that it’s very cute! :D Sans is also chubby but it’s kinda hard to tell :0

Sans, stop breaking the fourth wall!

Look how little he is compared to his brother hehe

Also, and I did not edit or plan this - they naturally started falling into their relationship dynamics! Gaster and Sans have a much lower Short Term Relationship here than Gaster and Papyrus haha

Would that I could! I was still testing at this point and yup, it crashed. Sadge

Well even if I can’t get the jobs, I can still cheat-unlock the Career Awards! Scientist behaviour lol

Look at their delicate little haaands

Did you know that Gaster sucks? He does!

Oh what are skeletons not your type? Don’t be rude

Sans even rejected him when Gaster offered to dance together! I love them

Gaster’s POV - he was listening to Sans tell a joke and next in the queue Papyrus wanted to show off to him. So accurate haha

Papyrus’ POV, of course he’s friends with both of them, sweet boy

And Sans’, look at how much more he thinks of his brother over Gaster! What more could I ask for honestly

Only concerned with Gaster seeing lol, Papyrus is way closer! He doesn’t count haha

Racecar bed babyyyy

Retextured the outfit for Papyrus, so now they’re much easier to tell apart! :D

Crossover babies ♪ One of the Todds walked by and I just now realized I also gave them a red/blue twin aesthetic haha

And that’s all he’ll want and care about from now on :)

Hehe. He gets it!

Papyrus is bad at making friends! Sans there in the background passively ++ing with Todd lol, he’s a natural

#WPVG #WPTS2 #The Sims 2 #The Sims #UT #Handplates #Just a bit of silliness! There's only so much I can do with them until I get them some Slightly better clothes haha #You can see I didn't even bother making them a proper house in this lot lol #I also keep accidentally making just ''normal'' Sims in this town - this is meant to be a test town to see clothes and mods in action! #I have made a couple more skeletons dotted around town just to double-triple-quadruple check about getting jobs and yeahhh #One went so sideways that her house caught fire and she died so I had to reload - it was a whole thing lol #But other than the limited clothes and inability to hold down gainful employment - lol - skeletons seem to work just fine :) #Chubbiness on kids is like - barely different pft #There Is a difference but it's so subtle! I guess it's fine #I know there are ways to make specific outfits their own body shape mesh - I wonder if that would be easier or harder for skeletons haha #It's not like I'd be changing the body shape just the way the clothes settle around it #Though I think there is actually a ''physical'' body it's just invisible? It's very strange! I like it #ANYway lol #I did download a couple new coats to see if I could figure out how to reverse-engineer an outfit but so far no success haha #Gonna keep trying! Slowly but surely #Until then it's so fun to see how they all interact and act hehe <3 #Papyrus runs everywhere for example - I set his Active to full I think haha - Sans of course is lazy ♪ #I could also have babybones or teen skeles - maybe at some point! The clothes... #So much customizable potential and then all the work that goes into it! Haha ♪

[cynopoe]

My Genshin OC Ambrosia, name not decided for certain, and Zandik. I took some liberties with the storyline. She is a Khaenri’ah noble who left to Sumeru to study at Akademiya. She and Zandik met there and got off not so swimmingly at first. The Cataclysm happened when she was finishing up her studes. She then left to help save her family. She was thought to be dead when Zandik was expelled from his Darshan. Their reunion happens after the events of Sumeru.

Some close-ups to their faces

#i had so much fun doing this one #let me talk about the process a bit #it took me two nights work to finish #which is a bit too much considering at my prime I would have finished it in half the time #I did the halves of the faces and didn’t bother with the bits that were gonna be cut off either #and then I drew the broken mirror effect myself #i know i know there’s a filter for that but i value hand made process more #this is my little rebellion against a world that is hellbent on ai #then actually moving the face parts was more tricky to do than all the rest #i wanted Zandiks eyes to be a bit more broken than hers #and I thought about the bullet hole being at the level of the heart but decided against it #forehead seemed more fitting #yeah #my art #genshin impact #original characters #zandik #il dottore #dottore #ambrosia

[phantastragoria]

The tragedy that is the majority of viewers not catching onto the fact that Gamora had tons of internal cybernetics and an entirely replaced skeletal system when those are the only things that will remain long after she's gone.

#lex thoughts #universe: mcu #gotg thoughts #ive seen many people assume the silver markings were just. weird alien makeup and not the metal poking out of her skull #but granted i can't really blame them when the only mentions of the internal stuff being a quick aside during the briefing on Xandar #but. i still think about it and how it never really got brought up. almost as if it didn't matter because it was all mainly on the inside. #odd and offputting. #especially when it was always made a point to highlight the cruelty of involuntary body modification enacted on Nebula and (mainly) Rocket #bummer moment sorry i just can't get over vol 3 and watching everyone try to cover up her death as if it didn't happen #and that meaning they didn't go to Vormir so they'd be able to give her a funeral nor do they even seem very bothered by that. #very sad and depressing when yondu was allowed one and appearance beyond the grave multiple times but gamora..? Denied. #i also dislike OG Groot becoming nonexistent to the team post Vol 1 so i guess you could say the precedent had been set. but #even rocket buried a piece of him in that planter. #i wouldn't want to be a bunch of metal bones rattling around but i guess you don't always get a choice #and Gunn's tweet that he did think to include OG Groot and Yondu in Rocket's afterlife scene. but very specifically left out Gamora. sigh.

[hannibalismos-jaaneman]

sometimes i think about what would have happened if richard had died instead of henry and the rest of the book had been narrated the song of achilles style and it hurts

#raj shitposting #imagine had the fight led to the gun being thrown out the window. had henry seen that richard was shot. had the ambulance been too late.. #that is the saddest thought i've ever had #henry would quit college. buy the estate he had seen with richard. live there with all his stuff and sob into his clothes like a baby... #he'd go to california every christmas and spend the time alone in some stupid hotel and become absolutely fucking unhinged. #he'd tend to richard's mother because ofc his father would run away from home that was the kind of man he was. #and he'd call no one but his own mother for her funeral because no one else would be bothered. #he'd send some money to richard's father along with the news and go about living his life like a goddamn widow. #that's the perfect word. widow. henry would be nothing but a widow. #the bmw would be the worst thing in his possession. he'd think about selling it but he wouldn't. #he'd think that anytime he had a semblance of thought that maybe richard was with him.. it would be in that fucking car. #he wouldn't sell it out of superstition that the car was the only place where he could safely feel richard and fall apart in his memory. #he'd cry like a madman every damn day in that car.while getting groceries.visiting francis at the country house.going for dinner with them. #he'd probably get a portrait done of richard. maybe of a photo of richard in some fancy clothes francis took at the country house. #yk those times rich people ugly cry by a full size painting in a burgundy robe with wine spilled on the floor by them clutching their chest #as if in physical pain and agony? that would be my man henry. #he'd be too out of his mind to even remember that maybe that day he killed charles too because nothing seems to matter anymore. #henry winter #richard papen #winterpapen #tsh #donna tartt #the secret history #literati

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

*KICKS THE DOOR DOWN* WWWAIT FREYA I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ON FANDOMS VIEW OF THIS SHIP I NEED TO KNOW UR OPINION. HOMUMIKU???

WKSHJSHJDBJHAHAHAH HIIIII, GRACE!!!! ❤️💕💞💝💗💖💘💓💕💞💖💞💘

Homumiko (HUGE spoilers for DGS after the bingo sheet):

I have been waiting to get into this ship properly, because I have THOUGHTS and I need to be forced to get them out coherently.

Let's get into the basic ship itself. Honestly? No comment. I think hmmk cheats a bit by relying on the literal decades people have spent shipping Holmes and Watson together, and I doubt that they would be half as popular without this history; but, as someone who has never had strong feelings about HolmesWatson either way, I don't have that bias! Even if we're just going off of DGS and looking at how they complement and trust each other, and are obviously more comfortable around one another than most other people, I don't really have a strong opinion on them. I do think they're close, but whether that bond is platonic, romantic, sexual or some mix of the two is just not something I particularly care about. You know who I do care about, though?

Susato-san.

OKAY, SIT DOWN, EVERYONE BECAUSE THE SHIP BINGO PART OF THIS IS OVER, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE PARTS OF HMMK I DO CARE ABOUT AND WHY THAT ACTUALLY HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THEM AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HER.

Let's get this out of the way first. Based on my very modern sensibilities, I take a rather harsh stance on Mikotoba's parenting.

Do I think he loves his daughter? Sure. But which parts of his daughter? Because it's very easy to love a child who is always obedient, elegant and the literal embodiment of idealised Japanese womanhood without knowing or truly even looking at her. I think Susato made it easy for him to love her, because she believed she had to earn it. Her father left when she was born, consumed by grief over her mother's death -- her mother, whom she killed. I know the game tries to justify this by saying it was Jigoku who dragged him away (and I do think him leaving was good for him, because I doubt he would have been a good father even if he'd stayed due to his grief), but the point is that he still left. For six years. And when he returned, he didn't even return because of her (whether she knew that from the moment she met him or not is debatable, but I think, at least on a subconscious level, she knew. And, of course, it's also debatable whether he could have returned sooner because of his commitment as a transfer student, but the Mikotobas are a powerful family, and, if Soseki could return before his period of learning was fully up, I think he would have been able to pull strings to return home if he wanted to).

This falls under speculation, so I understand not agreeing with it, but I don't think Mikotoba ever properly spoke to Susato when she was a child, especially not about what he did in England. I believe that a part of the reason why Susato started reading the Sherlock Holmes stories to begin with was because they featured a doctor in London, like her father had been, and she wanted to feel closer to him through those stories. And it probably worked! Her father probably did start engaging with her more after after she picked them up, because it was an easy way to connect with her. That's why I believe she was so insistent on the existence of John H. Watson, as a doctor, when she met Iris and learnt the truth.

There's this distance between Susato and her father which glimpse in moments in the game, like how he remarks on her lack of composure in court (suggesting that he isn't used to seeing her yamato nadeshiko mask slip), how he less requests her trust and more orders or expects it forthright, and how he seems reluctant to face the parts of her that inconvenience him (like how he asks her to play the koto when he isn't home and how, when faced by her real anger, he looks to Holmes to explain the situation rather than actually attempt to himself).

HOWEVER, in the setting of the game (Meiji-era Japan), I will concede that Mikotoba is a fantastic father. He may not have been very present in her life growing up, but men largely weren't expected to be. Their jobs were to provide for their children, not nurture them. And Mikotoba went well beyond his duty in that regard. Add to that the fact that he had her properly educated, ensured she knew how to defend herself, and allowed her to pursue her studies overseas at a level that was on par with any man, and you can see that he's really quite a great father; which is why I don't think he sees his absence as a flaw or even notices he was absent. Susato, though, does.

Now, Susato is obviously a product of her time, too, so I believe she'd be insulted if anyone was to suggest that her father or childhood was lacking in some way. That being said, I do believe she is aware of the distance between them in a way he is not. I think her affection for him is founded on a sense of duty and filial piety rather than pure love (although, obviously, she does love him), and, as she grew older, she stopped vying for his affection; hence why she's obsessed with the Great Detective more so than anyone else when we meet her. I also think that this distance contributed to her becoming so attached to Kazuma, in spite of the fact that he kept her at arm's length, too; he may not have allowed her very close, but he was always there, and he saw her for who she truly was. When she leaves at the end of the first game, Susato is not so much anxious that her father is ill as she is shaken -- she seems more upset that she's leaving her Baker Street family rather than that her actual father might be dying, and I think that's because she knows how to live without him. This distance between them, I believe, becomes all the more apparent to her when she goes to London and sees the deep bond held between Iris and Holmes.

And, speaking of, you know who else I think is aware of the distance between them and the part he played in creating that distance? The Great Detective himself, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

See, I think Holmes has always known about Susato. I'm quite sure that, from the moment they met, he knew that Mikotoba was running away from something and that he had left an infant daughter back home. He just didn't care.

We don't know what Holmes was like when he was younger, but I believe he was a lot closer to how he appears in a lot of modern adaptations and how Watson describes him in some of the Sherlock Holmes stories: the 'cold, calculating computer' character. I don't think it's a stretch to think that Holmes viewed marriage and children as mere distractions and interferences to the mind; and Mikotoba was, presumably, his first real friend. He wasn't going to let something pesky like a baby back home detract from his friend's obviously sterling character and brain! After all, it's a lot easier to ignore this nebulous, abstract entity when you simply consider its existence, and thus its abandonment, unimportant. It's a lot easier when you don't know what it's like to be a father yourself. It's a lot easier when you don't know her.

Here's the thing: I believe Holmes's image of and relation to Mikotoba began changing from the time he started raising Iris. Suddenly, that inconsequential baby seemed to bear quite a bit of consequence, actually. But it was still all right to keep dismissing her, because maybe Mikotoba's baby wasn't special the way Iris was. Maybe she was a brat or an idiot, and really not worth much time at all! Maybe she could've lived without him and been perfectly fine, regardless...? As time went on, I believe the excuses he made for Mikotoba's decision all those years ago became increasingly flimsy, but he was still able to hold onto them because The Daughter was still an indistinct figure in his mind. She wasn't quite real.

That is, until he met her.

In the game, Holmes tends to keep a certain width between himself and Susato. He very rarely initiates conversation with her the way he does Ryuunosuke, and from a Doylist (ha) perspective, this is obviously because Ryuunosuke is... the main character. Looking at it from a narrative perspective, though, I think he was afraid of hurting more than he already has and must.

Holmes is a very resolute man. He sticks by his decisions regardless of what anyone else thinks, so I don't think he ever regretted what he did. However, I do think he felt guilty. Certainly, he didn't quite take her father away from her, but he did play a role in keeping him from her for so long. I think there was a part of him that consciously guided Mikotoba away from thinking about Japan while they lived together, because, well... he didn't want him to leave.

There's an interesting layer to the separation that Holmes creates with Susato, because, beyond the distance he maintains between her and himself, he also keeps her identity separate from her father's. Contrary to how he refers to Ryuunosuke by his last name, Holmes only ever calls Susato "Miss Susato" or "my dear (madame)", and never "Miss Mikotoba". I view this is his way of, perhaps subconsciously, dividing from that little girl he once decided did not matter. And it's interesting because, to an extent, he tries to do with her and Kazuma, too.

In the SS Burya case, despite meeting Susato first and seeing how affected she is by Kazuma's "death", Holmes largely ignores her in favour of focusing on Ryuunosuke and his bond with Kazuma. He calls Kazuma Ryuunosuke's "dear companion" and pretty much only interacts with Susato when he has little other choice... until he sees her cry.

See, I believe that when Holmes found out Susato was going to England and was about to be wrapped up in the whole messy affair, he was fully committed to Not Giving a Damn about Her. Sure, he would let her and Kazuma live with him, but by no means was he going to allow himself to grow attached to her because, again, he values his relationship and history with Mikotoba too much for it to get complicated in this way. Susato's relative composure throughout the case helps him hold on to this resolution; however, when he catches that final conversation between her and Ryuunosuke in the cabin, he is finally forced to see and acknowledge the amount of pain she is truly in. It forces him to at last face the fact that he can't avoid or fake aloofness around her any longer, because she is not some nebulous, distant entity he can continue to ignore. She is an actual girl with a fiercely strong spirit, a brilliant mind and real, human emotions. A girl whom he's hurt twice-over now and must continue hurting until all his lies finally come to light.

When he makes that decision to enter the cabin and console her the only way he knows how, he throws away any hope he had of feeling anything but apathy towards her. In truth, he probably didn't have much hope of that to begin with, because at his core, Sherlock Holmes is a good man, and he cares.

He cares for her, too, even though he may have no right to. How could he not, when she loves him so openly, trusts him so readily, saves his life? How could he not, when she comes to him in the middle of the night with a secret she can't tell anyone else because his judgement is the only one she wholly trusts and believes in? How could he not, when she refuses to accept he lied despite the living, breathing evidence he did until he admits it himself? How could he not, when after everything he has done, she still looks at him the way she always has and says that she's proud that her father is the assistant of "the Great Detective"?

How could anyone not? How could Mikotoba not... love her the second he laid eyes on her?

And of course this doesn't shatter his love for Mikotoba -- he has no right to these feelings in the first place: no matter how indignant or guilty he may feel, it doesn't change the fact that he has been lying to and manipulating her the entire time they've known one another. He can't even bring himself to tell her that he's been lying; he has to go through Ryuunosuke instead, because, even after all this time, he still can't face the woman whom he's done nothing but cause pain for from the moment she was born. When he can't even give her that ounce of respect, who is he to judge Mikotoba?

So he doesn't. Till the end of the game, he keeps Susato at a distance and pretends that everything between him and Mikotoba is as it was from the start. But, inside, I think he knows it isn't. Because I think Holmes can see that Mikotoba doesn't feel half as guilty about what they've done as he does, and that he doesn't view the fact that he left Susato 16 years ago as a real problem. And while he doesn't judge Mikotoba for that, I don't think he can look past it anymore. That final investigation and dance of deduction, to me, is less an assurance that they are still the same partners they were before, and more a final farewell to their old, uncomplicated bond -- the one that did exist before they grew to love other people and understand what love truly meant to both of them.

Going back to the ship itself, I think shipping them pre-DGS works perfectly well. They both had a huge impact on each other's life and changed one another for the better; Holmes by drawing Mikotoba out from his grief, and Mikotoba by pulling Holmes from his life of solitude and loneliness. They needed each other, but it is also because of these reasons that I think there was an issue of codependency between them, hence the semi-horrible for each other box I gave them. With Mikotoba, it's clear cut. Holmes helped him run away from his very real issues at home and allowed him to live like he was a bachelor with zero familial obligations again. With Holmes, it gets a bit more foggy, but I believe that Mikotoba basically allowed him to live believing he was the only person Holmes would ever truly connect with and properly befriend. Holmes is obviously his own person and whatnot, but I do think there was a bit of unhealthy attachment there on his end if not both.

During DGS and post-DGS is where their ship gets more complicated for me, because, while Susato is still very much there at the beginning of their relationship, her role in their lives and what they did to her becomes impossible to ignore once she and Holmes actually meet. I don't believe that they can just pick up from where they left off because there is now (imo) a fundamental disagreement in how they view their actions and how it affected her. So, even if they do go back to being lovers or whatever afterwards, I feel that there should be this chasm or weight between them that they simply don't talk about or acknowledge in any way. Because I don't think they'd discuss it. Holmes because it isn't his place, Mikotoba because he sees it as a non-issue (maybe he doesnt even notice this distance), and both because sweeping unpleasantness under the rug is so ingrained into their cultures.

My main issue with the way this ship is often portrayed post-DGS (why they got a 50-50 on the I would erase them from existence box) is that it ignores what happened with Susato. The few times I've seen the concern that she might have an issue with their relationship even brought up in hmmk works is always because they're gay. Which, like!! Fair!!! It's the 1800s, I get it, but!!!! You're ignoring the actual, very big issue for why she might be hurt and that's because DGS ends with her finding out that three of the men she's closest to have been lying and using her for their own means her entire life!!!!!!!! And she just has to take it!!!!!!!

Which brings me to the second most popular interpretation of this ship which doesn't just put Iris and Susato in a box somewhere unseen, and that's the one where all four of them are a peaceful happy family with 0 issues! And this one bothers me because it seems like it's taking what Susato said at the end of the reveal as what she 100% sincerely meant down to her core, rather than something she had to say because (1) it is her duty to honour her father no matter what, and (2) because Iris was there. When she learns the entire truth, I don't think Susato knows what she truly thinks or feels about any of it; but she sees Iris, and she sees this little girl who was abandoned through her circumstances as a baby, named after her mother, and forced to grow up much sooner than she should have been, and she sees a girl who is more her sister than anyone else. So she does what she always has and tucks away her own emotions so she might tend to someone else's. She has been the perfect daughter her whole life; she can be the perfect sister.

Even if you don't subscribe to the, admittedly, harsh view of Mikotoba's parenting that I do, I don't see how you can get away from the fact that they still lied to her for a significant portion of time. Especially from Holmes, whom she trusted and believed in more than anyone else! In the face of his shoddy deductions, she still held onto her unwavering belief that he was a genius and a good man, and then it comes out that he's just been lying to her from the first day he met her. I just can't extract the ship from their treatment of Susato, so when I say that I would erase the ship from existence, it's mainly about these two bits. As with Asoryuu, the primary reason why I don't ship them personally is because I can't do that to her.

And, obviously, it's just shipping and fun and games, and everyone should feel free to ship whoever in whatever way they want bUT IN A SPECIAL WORLD MADE PERFECTLY FOR ME. iris would be perfectly oblivious, and susato would have tossed both holmes and mikotoba into the thames and left them to figure it out. In a world that must still vaguely make sense with the canon of the game, though, then Holmes would have given Mikotoba the boot and taken the kids; because he may be a coward, but at least I can see that he knows he fucked up, and he allows Susato to set the terms of their relationship, just like he does Iris.

Anyway, I'm so sorry for how long, convoluted and only tangentially-related to the ask this is, but thank you so much for it, Grace!!!! I don't think I quite got down what I meant precisely, but it's the closest to coherency I've ever gotten so. Thank you 💖💕💗💓💕💘💕

#this one's getting TAGGED bc i spent TIME on it & bc ive been trying to articulate my thoughts on holmes & susato for ages #homumiko #susato mikotoba #dgs sherlock holmes #yujin mikotoba #dai gyakuten saiban #the great ace attorney #dgs #tgaa #honestly i feel like i still didnt quite say what i wanted to but this is the best ive got so far. i like the way their relationships are #handled and depicted in canon but the fanon ones just never sat right with me #i feel like i came across as very harsh to yuujin here wjsjdgak i think he's a good man and he did his best!! grief gets the best of us #sometimes. but i cant get over how he seems to show 0 compunction for leaving susato behind as a baby and openly saying without a hint of #'oh i was also ready to be with my daughter finally' that he was FORCED out of london. like???? ALSO the way he says he wants ryuu to go #back with him & leaves susato out to dry??? i know he says it's respecting her freedom and whatnot but doesnt that seem a LITTLE neglectful #in a way? like it can very easily be read as 'oh i dont need you with me' or 'i cant be bothered to worry about you right now' especially #when he's already abandoned her once like. !!!!! and even if you dont view it that way doesnt it seem a bit dismissive of her role in those #cases? susato was crucial to all the cases ryuunosuke won (and he would attest to that) but yuujin makes it seem like it was all ryuu and #just disregards how important susato was there and i. i dont like that. #some might say that i am unfairly biased towards holmes and that's fair. i kind of am wjsdh but the reason why i dont bash on his parenting #as much is because he never pushes iris to love or respect him as her father. he very much leaves that up to her so when iris asserts at #the end that holmes IS her father you know that there is a real sense of love between them. that's why that scene is so important and #that's what validates their father-daughter relationship #ofc u could still argue im biased bc he did leave a 10 y/o to go on a cruise for who knows how long so. yea. valid WKASGAKSH #anyway. thank you SO much and im so sorry i completely went off the rails there. i hope anyone who read everything got... something from it #💕💘💓💖💖💘💖💕❤️💝💞💗💘💞💞💕💓💞💕💖💖💖💖💖💕 #sorrry again grace 😔 i hope i came a little close to giving you what you wanted #mikotoba susato #mikotoba yuujin #dgs spoilers