i think it's great! like obviously the bar is on the floor in terms of what i consider to be "good" shadow characterization (since so much recent shadow writing has been.... Not That), but i think prime does a really good job of conveying three of shadow's most important traits:
tunnel vision for the big picture (idk how else to describe this trait). shadow is all about finding solutions to problems HIS way, which means that his solutions are very efficient and often morally dubious. this is something we see a lot with shadow’s choices - his plan to kill cosmo to stop the metarex, him going after mr. tinker to finally get rid of eggman, his desire to elminate emerl in battle, even his willingness to fall to earth at the end of SA2. he finds the root of the problem and goes for it, because usually that’s the most efficient solution. so when shadow starts taking all of sonic's tech simply because of his lack in trust i was like… yeah, i get it! kick that guy's ass!! because ultimately, shadow isn't wrong - the breaking of the universe can be linked back to sonic, and although it's kinda fucked to just rob him and leave him in the void, shadow is willing to do morally dubious things if it's for the greater good. plus he knows sonic will be fine, that dude has been to space like ten times at this point and shadow even goes “lol see you back home idiot”
a desire to be understood. this is something i think a lot of modern shadow writing misses out on when it leans really heavily into the “loner shadow” style of characterization. when it comes to these large moral decisions shadow has to make, he often takes the time to explain his stance on the situation. sometimes it’s to solve the problem faster, but often it’s because he wants to be understood. he isn’t necessarily looking for people to agree with him - i think it’s really telling (and kinda hilarious) that he only attacks sonic after explaining his stance when sonic replies “ok i can see why you would say that,” because at that point shadow has said his piece and has gotten 1. confirmation that sonic understands his view, and 2. confirmation that sonic’s opinion hasn’t been changed. and that's all he needs! literally like half of the episode is dedicated to shadow just explaining his side of things, which serves as a device to exposit to the audience AND show that shadow wants his side of the story to be heard and understood. however i do think it's telling and also hilarious that he has to beat the shit out of sonic for a little while before actually telling him anything lol
he's kind of a bitch
prime shadow has so much personality and it's really refreshing to see again! i like that he's allowed to be an asshole in a really funny way, it's charismatic rather than frustrating this time around. i think the voice acting and animation/choreography is JUST as important to prime shadow as the writing is, ian hanlin absolutely kills every line and is my favorite voice for shadow in... maybe ever? and you can tell the animators had fun with this hog, there's some nice little character acting moments whenever he's frustrated that i think are really charming.
also this one shot of him flopping around fucking kills me every time it's so fucking funny
[id: two photos of a small crocheted Night Yorb plush- a purple/blue manta ray with glowing eyes that sit at the end of its stalks- the tail is fluffy pieces of purple, blue, and black yarn that stream out behind it. End id]
Speak Not Of The Crocheted Night Yorb
I used this manta ray pattern from etsy! I had the perfect yarn for it too!!
it is very bittersweet to finally live in an era where Eugene is officially leaving the Try Guys
on the one hand, it's been a very long time coming and Eugene has clearly been ready for/invested in new and different projects for years now. and I'm really glad there will be a final "Try Guys" season with the three of them doing more traditional "try" episodes for one last time.
but man... really underlines how much the Try Guys have changed and are changing. and I always loved Eugene (he's arguably the fan favorite) and it's sad to recognize that we've truly reached the end of his time as a "content creator." and a little extra sad that most of that time will be behind a paywall.
I'm also really excited for all of them, for Eugene's new endeavors and Zach and Keith's continued success and for all of the new folks joining the cast in an official capacity. there's a lot of potential for really cool new stuff here.`
done painting zam clay! gonna wait and let the paint completely dry before glossing, then he'll be ready for the world to see :3
it has taken at least 2h 40m to paint bc that's where I am in hsh but I also know I worked on it paused so. at least 3 hours. lolz. I repainted this guy like 3 times bc his colors were hard.
i was talking to my therapist last week about how i'm kinda excited but also equally apprehensive about starting grad school this fall because yes, i so so desperately needed a gap year otherwise i think i literally would have killed myself and/or had a breakdown big enough to land me in the hospital, and even beyond that i just needed to figure out a more concrete plan of what i'm going to do with my life in general -- while all of that is true, and i'm glad i took the gap year for it, i'm also apprehensive because i genuinely feel like an entirely different person than i was even at this exact point in time last year, nevermind anything earlier than that. it's only been a single year of me being out of school but my life has changed so dramatically, mostly for the better, and my whole personality has flipped on its head, it's just going to be so fucking weird going back to the same school, the same campus, potentially seeing my old friends around. augh
Found more old photos of farmstand vending machine produce! These were called 水前寺菜 suizenji-na, or Gynura bicolor, which sounds a little vaginal. I like it.
Obviously it was the purple that attracted me, but unfortunately that disappears once it's cooked. I just treated it like spinach and sauteed it up with olive oil and garlic, but if I see it again, I'll do like they apparently do in Okinawa and add it to miso soup or blanch it lightly and dress it with ponzu. Yum.
(OOC:) Professor, I gotta say... You're one-of-a-kind. You're one of the first blogs I ever followed on here, and seeing of of your comics dubbed on youtube is what rekindled my passion for pokémon.
I don't really expect an answer, but I judt hope that you read this and know that you've made my life a lot better with your creativity and talent.
Cheers!
I have mixed feelings about the youtubers responsible for dubbing my work. They never asked permission, and I only found it thanks to a friend sending me a link. I was not told. Kind of a poop move on their part.
They linked my account sure, but its kind of an...underhanded thing to do?? Just prefer some honesty I suppose, would have been ok with it if there was some open dialgoue going on, but they chose not to do that, questionable methods.
That aside, hon im super glad you found the original blog no matter the reason. I just like to see folks enjoying the content and vibing with the franchise in ways that suit them best. Pokemon as a whole have focused so wholly on the younger fans, that anyone over the age of 13 is kind of left wanting. So thats where this blog, the comics, and the content comes in.
I fully appreciate the message, I alwasy see them, and often read them and feel like at least ive made some ok decisions in my life thanks to the support. Alwasy makes me day. May your life continue to be good and wholesome, and when its not, at least we can all fall back on pokemon. Have a good week buddy!